You and Elizabeth were currently cleaning the tavern, mopping the floor and cleaning tables. Elizabeth stopped, speaking her thoughts. "Is it just me, or have there been fewer customers lately?"
"Yeah, scraps are becoming so hard to come by these days, I'll be one skinny piggy pretty soon." Hawk agreed.
"Huh. Why would they stop coming?" Meliodas sighed.
"I bet it's because you're such a terrible cook!" Hawk yelled at him.
"Hawk..." You sighed.
"Okay. It's time for a change..." Meliodas started, grabbing you and Elizabeth's attention. "...and I know exactly what to do. I'll be out for a while, so you two are free to do whatever you want."
"Wait, actually?!" You turned toward Elizabeth. "Liz, can you show me around Liones then? I've been wanting to look around but I was scared I might get lost."
"Oh, of course. I'd love to." She agreed. You smiled as stars filled your eyes.
"Then, let's go!" You grabbed her hand, heading out the door.
"Wait, Y/N! Don't you want to change?" Elizabeth blushed, noticing your outfit.
You looked down, seeing that all you were wearing was the tavern uniform skirt, the flats, and a bra. You would've taken off the skirt and gone out in just shoes, underwear and a bra, but everyone decided against it, for some reason.
"Nope, I'm good! Now, come on. Let's not waste anymore time." You ran out of the tavern, hand in hand with Elizabeth.
"Where should we head first?" You excitedly asked.
"Well, there's a bakery down this road that many people shop at."
"Food and sweets! My two favorite things!" Elizabeth blushed and led the way, trying to distract her mind. 'I can't believe I'm with Y/N; by myself!!!' She glanced at you, blush increasing. 'Wait, would this be considered a date?! No, no, she just wants a better look around. I'm just thinking too hard about this.'
"Is this the shop?" You asked, dragging Elizabeth out of her thoughts.
She looked up, confirming that it was.
Entering the shop, you saw many sweets and food that the tavern didn't serve. You looked around, eyes glittering with joy. "Everything looks so good. And it smells heavenly in here."
"I'm glad you think so." A woman spoke. "Ah, princess, what can I get for you today?"
"Um, Y/N, what would you like?" You looked around, seeing many sweets you wanted to try.
"Um...." You thought long and hard before deciding. "Can I have the frosted heart shaped bread, the sugary and sour drops, the small chocolate cakes, and.....the cake pops?"
"Of course! How much?"
"Two of each, please." You responded. "I want to share them with Elizabeth." You smiled in her direction, making her blush and mutter a small 'thank you'. The woman started to collect what you asked for and placed them all inside of a box.
"That'll be 39 silver coins." She told you. Elizabeth paid as you took the box.
"Thank you so much, Miss..."
"Eva, just call me Eva." The shopkeeper said.
"Thank you, Eva." You and Elizabeth exited the shop and continued to walk down the road. As you two walked, you opened the box and took out the two cake pops, handing one to Elizabeth.
"Thank you." She took the cake pop and placed it in her mouth, enjoying the flavour.
You placed yours into your mouth and the cake pop erupted with flavour. "Wow, this is so good." You said, muffled.
Elizabeth understood though and smiled. "I'm glad you like it."
"Where to next?" You asked.
"There's a bookstore a little ways down. Would you like to go there?"
You nodded, still chewing on your cake pop.
As you and Elizabeth were walking, you could faintly see Gilthunder and two other men. Walking a little faster, you confirmed that the two men were Howzer and Griamore. You decided to call out to them and engage in some conversation.
"Hey, Gilthunder!" you called out, catching his attention. The three men stopped walking and waited for you and Elizabeth to reach them.
Elizabeth asked, "Hello, Gilthunder, Howzer, and Griamore. What are you doing here?"
Gilthunder replied, "Hello, Princess Elizabeth and Y/N. We were just taking a walk. What about you two?"
"Liz was showing me around Liones," you replied, finishing the last bite of your cake pop.
Griamore then asked, "Oh, really? Where are you headed next?"
"To the bookstore," you answered, a hint of excitement in your voice.
"Well, then I hope you two have fun," Griamore said with a smile. However, as you observed him closely, you noticed his nose appeared red. Curiosity piqued, you couldn't help but point it out. "What happened to your nose, Griamore?"
Griamore sighed and explained, "A cinder block fell on me out of nowhere."
Your eyes widened in shock. "Really? Wow... Was it loose?"
"Not that we know of," Griamore replied, rubbing his sore nose.
Feeling sympathetic, you expressed your apologies.
"I'm so sorry that happened to you, Griamore, but we must be going now. I hope your nose feels better." Elizabeth said, getting tired of the conversation as she gently took hold of your hand and began walking down the street. The three men watched as you two walked away before continuing on their own path. As you and Elizabeth strolled down the road, engaged in conversation, suddenly, a loud crash echoed behind you. Startled, you turned around to see a large cinder block hurtling toward you. In the split second before it could strike you, Elizabeth's quick reflexes kicked in, and she pulled you out of harm's way just in time. You stumbled back, heart pounding, as the cinder block crashed onto the pavement where you were standing moments ago. Grateful and slightly shaken, you looked at Elizabeth with wide eyes.
"Thank you, Elizabeth! You saved me," you exclaimed, still in shock.
Elizabeth's expression softened, and she squeezed your hand reassuringly. "I'll always protect you, Y/N. Let's be more careful as we continue." You nodded, feeling a mix of relief and gratitude. With Elizabeth by your side, you resumed your journey, taking each step with heightened awareness and a deeper appreciation for her presence.
Turning a corner, the bookstore came into view. You hurried your footsteps a little, Elizabeth keeping up with your pace. Entering the store, your eyes widened at the sight of countless shelves filled with books of all sizes and genres. The amount of variety was overwhelming, in the best possible way.
You turned toward Elizabeth, excitement in your eyes. "Look at all these books! So many stories in one place!"
"I've never seen you so excited about something, Y/N." Elizabeth giggled, causing you to blush with embarrassment. "Where should we start first?"
Anticipation flowed through your body as you scanned the store, walking forward slightly as you looked around. Spotting a section dedicated to mystery, your face lit up. "How about we begin over there? Mystery has always been my favorite genre."
Ellie nodded in agreement and headed over to the mystery section with you. Traversing the aisles, you ran your fingers on the spines of the books, seeing authors and titles you had never heard of before. With Ellie by your side, you began exploring the shelves, taking books and heading to a designated table near the section. Occasionally, you would share your discoveries with her, asking questions while still engaging in the plot and authors.
Time passed and you became engrossed in the books you were reading, sharing smiles and whispers with Elizabeth. While being here, it seemed that time had slowed down, allowing you to lose yourself in the world of literature.
After a while, you glanced out of a window, seeing that it was nighttime.
"Oh! Elizabeth, we have to head back." You tapped her shoulder, interrupting her reading.
"Hm?" She looked out the window, seeing that you were right. "Oh! Alright, let's put the books back."
You nodded, grabbing a handful of books and putting them in their respective places. Finishing the job, you grabbed the box of sweets and headed out the library with Elizabeth, but not before thanking the librarian and bidding her good night.
On the way back
"This day was great! Thank you so much for showing me around, Ellie." You thanked.
"Of course. It was my pleasure." Elizabeth blushed.
The two of you stood in front of the tavern, hearing laughs and cheers.
"Sounds like they're having a pretty good time." You told her.
She nodded, opening the door which revealed many citizens and Holy Knights, including Gilthunder, Howzer, and Griamore. As soon as you entered the tavern, you could see why they were cheering. Merlin was wearing the tavern's uniform, which earned many whistles.
"Wow...she does look pretty good." You said.
You headed toward the bar and placed your box of sweets on the counter, smelling Ban's cooking as you got closer.
Opening the box, you decided to take another sweet, this time choosing the frosted heart shaped bread. Taking a bite, your eyes filled with stars.
"The bread is so fluffy! I've never tasted anything like this." You whispered to yourself.
You headed away from the counter, making way toward Elizabeth and telling her that you would be at the balcony. She nodded and immediately got back to work.
Opening the door to the balcony, you saw Gowther leaning against the rail, letting the wind flow through his hair.
"Oh, Gowther! I didn't know you would be up here." You said, startled.
"Have I scared you?" Gowther asked, seeing that your heart rate had accelerated a bit.
"No, just wasn't expecting you." You walked toward him, joining him by the rail and taking another bite of the frosted bread. "So, what are you doing out here?"
"Pondering." He answered simply.
"About?"
"I joined the Captain on a mission and met a boy. He seemed to have missed his mother so I changed my appearance and voice and became her. I left once his father had found him but he seemed sad once I left. Human emotions are more bewildering than I thought. Do you know why?" Gowther asked.
"I'm guessing that the mother passed away?"
"Correct."
"Well, I'm guessing that the boy wasn't quite ready to let go of his mom yet, and by seeing her again, it triggered old emotions." You told him.
"Is this how you felt when others mentioned your parents?"
Your breath hitched before speaking. "Yes, actually. It took a while to get over it but I did. And I'm still angry that you mentioned that in front of everyone."
You saw him look down, contemplating on something.
"Hey. Don't sweat it. It's in the past and..things are better left in the past. Here." You offered your frosted bread. "Try it. It's really good!" You expressed.
He took a bite, chewed and swallowed, not tasting anything.
"So?" You asked, waiting for a reply.
Suddenly, a fragment of flavour popped out but quickly faded away. "It's...delicious." He spoke.
"See? I told you. Me and Elizabeth went to this shop that had all kinds of sweets and foods that I've never seen before. In fact, I have more downstairs. We can share my pieces of sweets. We can even go to the shop together, if you'd like." You offered.
Ba-dump....Ba-dump...
'What is this feeling? It feels...different...'
"Well? What do you say?"
Gowther opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the door opening.
"Y/N, there you are. Merlin bailed after Meliodas opened his big mouth again. Now we're short a person and could use a hand." Hawk explained.
"Sorry, Hawk but not today."
"Meliodas thought you might say no, so he told me to tell you that you have no choice."
"And how's that?" You bit off another piece of the frosted bread.
"Remember when he caught me?"
"Really? He's cashing that in now?" You sighed. "Alright, I'll be there." You turned toward Gowther, "Sorry, but we'll go to that store together, alright?" He just stared as you left him on the balcony.
Hawk led you to a room. "Alright. You just have to put on the top since you're already wearing the skirt and shoes."
You gave him a thumbs-up and entered the room. Putting on the top, you immediately felt suffocated and unbuttoned two buttons, letting your cleavage breathe. You sighed, eating the last piece of your frosted bread and exited the room, heading downstairs.
"Look! Another poster girl showed up." A drunk man alerted. Many men looked toward the stairs and whistles went off as you stood in front of them. You gave them a small smile and wave.
"I'm Y/N; the fourth poster girl!" Blushes and nosebleeds were shown on the men's faces because of your outfit and from your pleasant demeanor. But that changed instantly. You felt hands groping you as you looked down at Meliodas with an irk mark on your forehead. You were about to punch him but he stopped you.
"Uh uh. If I remember correctly, I can do anything." He smirked.
You covered your face with your hands out of embarrassment and anger. "Meliodas, if you continue to hold me like this, then I can't work." You told him, eye twitching.
He thought about it for a second before deciding, "Alright." He jumped down and let you work. You were quite surprised by how easy it was to convince him, but you didn't dwell on it. You grabbed drinks and plates, bringing them to various customers. The tavern slowly got less crowded as the night grew longer. Elizabeth left early and soon, there was nobody left.
"Finally.." You softly said.
The door could be heard opening as a servant of the king entered. "His majesty acquires an audience with the Seven Deadly Sins and Y/N."
The Sins looked at each other, confused. "Wonder what Bartra wants now?" Meliodas asked.
At the Castle
"A shadow of the Ten Commandments?" Meliodas asked.
"Is it some kind of sign?" Diane asked next.
You were standing next to Diane in front of the king, quite uncomfortable since you weren't sure you should be here. Was the king just warning you, knowing that you would be embarking on a journey with them?
"There is more." The king started.
"Go on, we're listening." Meliodas spoke.
"According to the vision, in a kingdom to the south, a new nation is emerging. In Camelot, the capital, a monstrous threat swiftly approaches."