The days passed faster than Diane had expected. The giantess spent most of her time away from the tavern, as she and Merlin practiced making the medicines. She found that she no longer had the time for being a waitress.
"I think she's ready,Captain."Merlin announced one afternoon as the sins closed the bar. "She picked it up quicker than I thought she would." The mage said, watching the giantess create the mixture from practice materials.
"She's got a lot of motivation." Meliodas pointed out. The dragon sin, read the labels on the jars in front of Diane, picking one up from the collection to examine it and place it back on the table.
"So, King gets a fever, and we need to bring it down fast-" Diane shook her head.
"You don't. When a fairy gets a fever, you bring it down slowly, lowering it too fast isn't good for him. It depends on what causes it too, as far as what you give him. "Meliodas nodded. "They don't usually get sick so you have to be really careful. They might not be able to handle some of the medicines."
"Good."He praised. "What if it turns out king doesn't take to one of the medicines and you had no way of knowing until after you give it?"
"then I'll have to give him a special tea with Lilandryan, daisy petals and a little bit of ginger. Any mix of Lilandryan should be warm before you give it."Diane replied confidently.
"You think you're ready for this?"
"I hope so. " She replied quietly, her confidence suddenly disappearing.
"This has to be your call, Diane." The captain continued. "Let me know what you're sure and I'll go get him."
"I'll do it. He gave his life for me, it's only right that I do this for him."
"You know, it's not going to be the same."Meliodas warned. "Holding him like that, it won't be like before when he was alive. It never is when they're gone.Usually it makes the pain worse. "
"I'll be okay. I'll bring him in and then we can start out for the forest." Te Captain turned to Elizabeth.
"Looks like today's the day. We can take you home on our way to the forest if you want." The princess shook her head.
"I'd like to stay if that's okay. "
"Are you sure, I can't tell you how long we'll be out there. It's at least three days to the Fairy King's Forest from here. "
"I'm sure. If it's okay with you, sir Meliodas." The blond took her hand.
"Always glad to have you here." By that afternoon, The sins found themselves at King's resting place. Diane stepped out, followed by Meliodas.
"You sure you don't want me to get him, he'd understand if this is too much for you."
"I'm sure. "Diane assured him.
"You want someone to go over there with you?"The giantess shook her head.
"No. I need to do this myself. Thanks, though." The captain nodded.
"If you change your mind, just let us know. We'll wait for you inside, take your time."The blond sin moved back inside, but stopped to watch from the window. Diane crossed the short distance to King,Oslo followed closely. She knelt at the fallen fairy's side.
"Hey King." She began. "You know, the last few days, I've been telling you about those books Merlin gave me,I think I'm finally ready. I'm still afraid though, I'm afraid I'll just-You're so precious to me, Harlequin. I don't want to mess this up, do I'll need you to help me. I promise I'll take care of you and this time, I won't let a single day go by without making sure you know I love you. I just need you to come back to me and give me that chance, okay?"She took hold of the small box Ban had given King and held it out to the hound.
"Can you take this, don't eat it, though." She instructed. Oslo gently took the object in his mouth holding it securely. Diane turned back to King.
"Today's going to be a little different. We'll be leaving for your forest soon, but don't worry, Harlequin, when I leave, you're going with me. There are some things there that can help you feel better. I remember how sick you were before, I'm going to try to make it better for you, there's a lot I need to tell you. I regret a lot of things that happened in my life, King. One of those is waiting so long to tell you I love you, I assumed you knew and even if you did, I should've said it. I miss you so much. I miss our games, I miss hearing your voice..I just want to be able to hold you close to me and for you to be able to do the same. I'm going to take you back inside now, you can rest upstairs."Sorrow was already filling her heart as she prepared herself.
Diane slipped her hand behind King's neck, and her other behind his knees. She paused briefly before lifting the fairy into her arms and pulling him close to her, allowing his head to rest on her chest. Tears instantly began to fall. King was lighter than she remembered. She shifted him carefully in her arms, brushing back a few strands of hair from his face. The movement caused the fairy's hand to slip from its resting place, lifelessly dangling at his side. The giantess hugged him tighter, lightly pressing her forehead to his as her tears fell on King's face.
"Harlequin." She cried. "Harlequin, I'm so sorry. I love you so much." The giantess's body shook from the deep sobs. It would take Diane several minutes to gain the strength to rise to her feet, her attention still on King.
"Let's go home, okay, Harlequin?" she said as she and Oslo made their way back toward the tavern. Meliodas stood from his chair at the window, moving toward the door.
"When she comes in here, give her some space." He said. "She'll want to be with him and it'll be a long three days before we get there."Elizabeth buried her face in his shoulder.
"I can't imagine what she's going through. It hurts just to watch. You can hear how devastated she is." The captain hugged her.
"I know. She'll be okay. King will be back soon and she won't have to hurt anymore. Even after he gets here, it could take a while for things to get back to normal. She's still going to have that guilt for a while." Ban held his head in his hand as the captain held open the door for the giantess to enter, taking King straight to the bedroom. The heart wrenching cries, forcing him to recall the feeling when he placed Elaine in her resting place. His pain now echoed in the giant's sobs.
Upstairs, Diane placed King lovingly on her bed, pulling the blanket over the fairy. She sank to the floor, unable to hold herself up under the weight of her pain. There she would remain, not bothering to return to her friends. King was her priority, she had to protect him and nothing else mattered now.
**
"She saved my life, but then she gave me a reason to live." King explained to the fairies, who had gathered around him to listen to his stories. "I didn't remember anything, that's why I didn't come back. Diane's a rare treasure, and I know I was lucky to have found her, well I guess for her to have found me."
"But you had very something special, right Fairy King?" A smaller fairy asked, sighing contentedly.
"Yeah, I guess we do. "King smiled.
"What was it like?"
"Well,"King thought for a moment, how could he possibly describe the feeling?
"It's like..when they're with you, you can do anything. You can reach up and touch the moonlight and the stars. It's feeling like you're holding heaven in your arms when you hold her. It's the feeling of being so happy and complete. Knowing in your heart that that's where you're meant to be and you can't imagine ever living without her. Just a smile can make your heart flutter. Your word doesn't revolve around her because..she is your world, your everything." King squeezed his pillow close to him, recalling the memories he had made with Diane, the feeling he had when he was close to her and her warm smile which always brightened his day.
"You always have such beautiful stories of her, Brother."Elaine said. I wish you had gotten better and made more to share with us."
"Tell us another, King Harlequin."
"Aren't you guys tired of hearing me talk about it?"
"No." The fairies answered in unison.
"But I've already told you all the really good ones. Maybe Elaine can share some of her memories. The group turned to her.
"I-I don't know, Brother."Elaine blushed. "I wouldn't know where to start."
"Come on, Elaine. Lately, Diane and Ban's pain has been really weighing on us. You smile when you talk about him, let some of that pain out. "
"Are you sure, I know how you get when it comes to Ban. "
"Your happiness means more to me. Let yourself be happy, Elaine." Elaine nodded.
"Alright, I guess I could start with the beginning."She said thoughtfully as the fairies settled in. Helbram leaned close to King.
"You tell her yet?" He whispered.
"No. She'll know soon enough. I want to know what to expect when she leaves. I need to know she's safe."
"Really, that's why you asked?" King shook his head.
"Not entirely. I do want her to feel better, but I need to know I made the right decision."