Come With Me - Meliodas x Reader

Chapter 19 - The Fairy King Waits In Vain

'For the mass slaughter of humans over the centuries by a single fairy, the burden is yours, Fairy King, for turning a blind eye and doing nothing – for Sloth. Your sentence is a thousand years imprisonment.'

The voice of the judge echoed in your ears. You stared at the Fairy King. It was weird seeing a fairy indoors. It was even weirder seeing a fairy in chains. But he never protested, never complained. You knew his wrists must be sore – at the very least aching – bound as they were in iron manacles, but the Fairy King's eyes were far away.

Meliodas sat by your side in the carriage. He was watching the fairy shrewdly, attentively. It put you on edge. So you looked out the window at the sky and pondered how best to bring some light back into the Fairy King's eyes.

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King stared up at Helbram. The warmth of his shield washed over him. Diane was safe. As she always would be. Just as he'd promised all those years ago.

'Why?' Helbram's bitter whisper drifted down to King. 'I thought the Sacred Tree would've abandoned you by now. How can you still draw out Chastiefol's power like that?'

Behind him King heard the clanking of armour. He didn't turn away from Helbram but was glad that Howzer and Guila were okay.

'I feel so warm,' said Howzer hesitantly. Then he gasped. 'My wounds!'

'When the Sacred Tree's injured, it protects the wound from outside forces by releasing pollen, healing itself,' said King, still staring at Helbram. 'It was a lucky thing, too. If I wasn't so close to Diane, then she'd already be dead.' King pushed off from the ground so fast everything around him blurred. Now level with Helbram, King continued. 'The Sacred Tree exists to watch over the entire Fairy Realm without any sense of good or evil.'

Helbram scoffed and tensed.

'Do you still intend to carry on, Helbram?' asked King. A tiny part of him hoped that his best friend would return to him. A bigger part knew that was impossible. 'After seven hundred years, do you still want to wipe out the human race?'

Helbram began to tremble. 'I don't just want it, I can't stop myself anymore!' His face twisted into an unrecognisable mask of pain and fury. 'Listen up, Holy Knights. I need all of your magical powers. Give me every last one you have!' Helbram cackled and began to glow with a strange purple light. 'Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes!'

King concentrated and the power that had been protecting Diane rushed back into him. Just in time. Helbram flung out his arms with a yell and his sword multiplied, each one spinning towards King at an incredible speed. King flicked his wrist and Chastiefol deflected them all. Helbram's swords fell to the ground. Dust rose into the air.

Helbram attacked. King parried and returned with an attack of his own. His heart was breaking, but King didn't let up. He had saved Diane. Now he had to save his best friend.

Chastiefol and Helbram's sword clashed again and again. Sparks flew. The harsh metallic sounds cut into King's ears.

'I won't let myself lose,' said Helbram through gritted teeth. 'Do you hear me?'

With another defiant yell, Helbram's sword multiplied again. And again, King deflected them all with a wave of his arm. Helbram kept screaming, a ragged tortured sound that cut King deeper than any blade ever could, his attacks becoming sloppier. King kept his face straight. He didn't look away from his best friend.

'It's going to be all right,' King said. 'You can finally get some rest now, Helbram.'

King squeezed his eyes shut. Helbram's shrieks became laughs. His twisted grimace became a smile. And, with one final flick of his wrist, King saved Helbram.