Chapter Text
Escanor shook as he backed up into the stone behind him. His eyes darted back and forth looking for an escape and found nothing but smirks and evil eyes.
He hadn’t expected this—not really. It had only been six months since he had to flee from Liones—separated from his comrades and forced into hiding. He still wasn’t sure how he’d escaped—fighting everywhere—dusk quickly approaching, the ones who framed them certainly knowing of his curse—battling with his lingering arrogance that wanted to stand his ground and fight and his nervous logic knowing he wouldn’t be able to escape if he didn’t flee now.
He’d escaped, injured and tired but alive and here he was—backed up into the stone carved room he’d been half-way daydreaming of making into a bar—by men with hungry grins and even hungrier eyes who ironically enough didn’t even seem to recognize him as one of the wanted Sins.
It was day—he could save himself—but from the power burning deep in the back of his mind—singing in his bones—only just barely contained—he knew that it was almost noon. If he took Merlin’s glasses off now he would not only kill these men but make himself a target for those looking for him.
So he huddled up against the wall he had been thinking of carving into to make cold storage as two of them broke away from their threatening position to start rummaging through what little he’d managed to make for himself. The leader gave a low whistle as he walked closer and surveyed what he’d done so far—carved tables and chairs—a bar—it was something to do to whittle away the day.
“Last time I was here this dump was that—a dump,” he said turning his gaze back to Escanor who gulped. “Just a cave—that was only less than a year ago and you’ve gone and made it a grade-A establishment.”
“Ahha… haha…” was all Escanor managed. Sweat dripped down his hairline into his eyes but he didn’t dare try and blink it away as the man leered.
“We use this place as a hideout all the time,” he continued almost nonchalantly as one of his men made a sound of delight as they found Escanor’s coin purse.
“I… I… I didn’t realize… it was taken,” Escanor stuttered. “You—it’s yours—of course!”
He’d hoped to make this his home but—he could find other places to hide. He’d lived on the road for years all alone—he could easily do it again. Easier now with his glasses even. He’d be fine. He managed to get here after all.
“And we really do appreciate the digs, right lads,” the boss called back and the eight other men let out a cheer as they started digging into his food and drink. “Unfortunately there is one problem…”
Escanor swallowed. “Oh?”
“You see the jobs we do… they are always so frowned upon,” he explained with half a shrug before waving two of his men forward. One circled the bar and the other hopped the other side. “And we can’t let such a nice hideout like this get leaked you know.” The men each grabbed one arm. “It’s nothing personal—only business, you know—we’ll make it quick, bury you real nice. I’ll even have the boys pick some flowers for yah.”
They each grabbed his hair and before Escanor could even think of reacting his head was slammed right into the stone bar.
White lights burst behind his eyelids. His tongue burned as he bit right through it. A tooth was jarred loose. His nose broke.
His glasses broke.
“How dare…”
“B-boss?”
“How dare you break the precious gift my love gave to me?” he growled as his clothes snapped off him in threads—buttons popping onto the boss one by one. “How dare such insolence ants do that to me!” he snapped as the two man still grasping onto his bulging arms backed off in a panic, both yelling as their hands steamed from the heat he knew he was giving off.
He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes—trying in vain to delay the inevitable. What did it matter—they had threatened them—damaged one of his most precious items—why should he try and hold back—why spare the effort on such insignificant punks.
…
“Leave now!” he roared. “Or be killed just by being in my very presence!”
They didn’t need to be told twice as they turned tail and fled. Escanor snorted at the cowards as he felt his nose snap back into place—the itch of a tooth being regrown.
He was far enough away from any civilization and underground enough that he didn’t bother to attempt to flee instead he stepped over the bar and sat in the middle of the room—the ceiling growing uncomfortably close to his head.
As the seconds ticked down to noon he watched in a detached way as what was left of the rags around his body burst up into flame—soon after that his bags—his food and water—did the same. Only Rhitta, and his wondrous gifts from Merlin: his armor and what was left of his glasses would survive the One, he knew.
He would have to start over afresh—hah! So what—he could manage completely naked if he had to.
And so what if his transformation or letting them live would bring Knights for his blood—he could deal with them with his pinky—he was the pinnacle of human strength. They were no threat. Why did he even bother hiding, why did they—it was insulting. To him—To his comrades!
But… The Captain had ordered it… and… Merlin had agreed.
Fine—but only for their sake. If he fought off every Holy Knight—took revenge for this slight they would never have their names cleared. He would not be the cause of his Comrades going down in history as the villains.
Even if it made his very soul flinch in disgust.
And so what if his glasses were broken. He’d survived beforehand—before Merlin—constantly on the road—hiding at noon—now constantly being tracked as well—feared… alone…
He was going to be alone anyway, he always was—and it’s not like that bothered him.
And they should fear him! He was the pinnacle of Humanity, the Sin of Pride! Awe and Fear were always so close together.
He was going to be fine… fine…
“What do you think, Merlin?” Arthur asked quietly to the hooded figure at his side.
Her head tilted, the hood shifting slightly. “There are some high readings here but nothing that concerns me particularly—and I believe I feel most of the Sins as well.” He could hear the smirk in her voice. “No surprise—they were always close by when things were on fire.”
Arthur bit his lip at the idea of meeting some of his heroes in hopes to control his excitement. “So no need to bring in our ‘secret weapon.’”
Merlin snorted and glanced up at the sky. “I don’t believe so—no. It’s a bit late for that anyway.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want to interrupt the tea party,” Arthur grinned and Merlin let out a slight chuckle before both of them were distracted by the gate slowly opening.
“Showtime.”
Something was up with Merlin. Granted something was always up with Merlin. In fact usually a great many things were up with Merlin. But Meliodas though he knew her well enough to note when something was up with Merlin more than the base line average.
That didn’t mean he had any idea what that was though.
She looked the same—no surprise there since her form was more an illusion than not. She wore the same kind of clothing and teased and tricked in the same kind of way.
Her alliance with Arthur was a bit odd—he’s known her to have a few apprentices, and he imagined she had even more during the long intervals the two had been separated over the years. But Arthur wasn’t a mage to be—he was a boy king—powerful but young and Merlin seemed to have great faith in him and he great respect for her. But even that oddity wasn’t what was bugging him.
She was worried—no real surprise there—she knew what was to come almost as well as he did. She may have never been directly part of the war—hidden and alone in Beraluin’s ruins, all but a child kept out of it by Elizabeth and he both, but she’d heard the stories, watched their tears, seen the devastation and the aftermath.
She knew about the curse—and this was the first time since they had been cursed that’s she met up with an Elizabeth.
Seeing her chosen big sister again now so much younger—knowing what her fate may be if she ever remembered she was her big sister—that was enough to make anyone uncomfortable.
He would know.
And yet that didn’t seem it either…
Her worry seemed just a bit off than what he expected—a little more obvious but also tinted in a way he didn’t know how to read. The excitement he had expected from her over getting a chance at studying the commandments missing—or at least diminished. Her determination was a bit more than he would have thought he’d see from her as well. She wanted this over as much as he did but she wasn’t known for being so… well obvious.
That was just it really—she was slightly more open, slightly different, in ways he couldn’t quite decipher—still mysterious and cryptic as ever, still private but… different.
With a huff he kicked his feet off the table and decided it didn’t matter. He needed to go see her anyway. Maybe he could figure it out then.
“Well I suppose I should check on how Camelot is doing,” Merlin mumbled to herself after watching Meliodas pull himself dejectedly to his feet. She turned, shaking her head at his idiocy—she understood why he was doing it but surely there were better ways. If it was her and—
Her eyes narrowed onto Aldan as a horrible screech erupted from it. As Diane yelped in the background from the noise her eyes darted to the sky outside and narrowed more.
“Merlin?” Meliodas asked.
“Change of plans—we head to Camelot at once. I’ve confirmed abnormal magic activity coming from there.”
“At once—? Merlin just what’s going—ugk”
“Lord Arthur—the figure is beginning to move, what do we do?”
Arthur frowned—he’d hoped they would have had more time. “Have the Knights and Apprentice Holy Knights continue to evacuating the citizens to the tunnels—starting with the ones nearest that colossus,” he declared turning on his heel and striding towards the nearest battlement. “All Holy Knights with long ranged magic are to station themselves around the target, everyone with short ranged magic is to join me on the front lines.” He smiled grimily. “That’s how we’ll handle this.”
“Are you sure, Lord Arthur—this thing is as big as Camelot itself…”
Arthur swallowed his own fear and shot back a bright grin at the man. “Have faith—we are stronger than we seem—and anyway if we can only delay it for ten minutes—”
“Lord Arthur!—A large flying bird has been spotted in the airspace above Camelot!”
Cursing internally—what now?—Arthur jogged the last few steps before breaching into the bright noon-time sun.
“Wait no… it’s a… cow?”
Arthur looked up, blinking through the glare of the noon-time sun.
“Th—that’s a… Pig?” he stuttered, thrown entirely. “A flying pig!”
“Sir Meliodas!” Arthur yelped as he slid the rest of the way down the leg of the colossus. “What was that move just now! It was amazing.”
He was gushing—he knew he was gushing. It was embarrassing but he couldn’t help it.
Meliodas laughed and rubbed the back of his neck and before Arthur could embarrass himself more so a surge of magic and a thump indicated the arrival of the flying pig next to them—was that a… bar on its back!!—and Merlin’s hand was on his shoulder.
“You’re alright?”
Arthur almost—almost rolled his eyes. “I’m fine—thanks to Sir Meliodas.” He glanced away laughing weakly. “I wasn’t much help against that thing…”
Her hand squeezed his shoulder and Arthur smiled weakly. Merlin had always been so supportive of him and he rarely felt like he deserved it. “You did your best—no one would expect you to handle such a thing—Meliodas only managed because he could turn its power against it.”
That was true he supposed—if he could just finally awaken his magical ability maybe he’d be able to do feats like him to.
Well fine then—he’d just have to work even harder.
Smiling slightly Merlin patted his shoulder twice. “Come on—I believe my esteemed Captain has some things to explain to us.”
Arthur laughed a little awkwardly… and uncomfortably… he had never imaged his hero acting like… that.
“Consider Meliodas an example of what not to do if you ever enter a relationship with anyone,” Merlin snarked lowly as she finally removed her hand from his eyes. Arthur glanced up at her and smiled slightly.
“Right… I already have a better example of that anyway,” he teased and smiled wider as Merlin looked away in a huff—flustered the slightest of a bit. Victory!
She looked back at him, her brows furrowed slightly and Arthur’s smile softened.
“Where is—?”
“Escorting everyone in the castle down to the tunnels.”
“Was she frightened?”
“Honestly we were more concerned she’d try and sneak away to watch.”
Merlin chuckled and shook her head.
“Who are you talking about,” Hawk asked tilting his head. Arthur almost answered but noticed the sly grin on Merlin’s face and closed his mouth with his own grin. So that’s how this was going to be. “I asked a question, you know, it’s nice to—?”
BOOM!
Arthur stopped listening as the deep foreboding chill shot down his spine. Frozen he could barely move his gaze to note that Merlin had gone deathly pale and could only swallow.
He was still frozen as a blur crashed down right in front of them, as Merlin was suddenly in front of him—ready to shield him if needed.
As an armored monster walked out of the smoke and cackled.
“Galan… vanished…” Arthur whispered leaning heavily on Merlin’s perfect cube.
“Madam used teleport,” Slader explained and Arthur wished he could believe that—but he was so used to Merlin’s magic—she wouldn’t have bothered to try and cast subtly—not then—
“I didn’t make him vanish,” Merlin confirmed making him gulp. “He instantly leapt out of my sphere of influence and escaped…”
“Merlin, Look out!” Arthur shouted as a blur appeared behind Merlin. She turned eyes wide.
He felt horribly guilty at his relief as Slader stepped between them and was flung like a ragdoll to the side—his arm horribly maimed. He shook and sweated as Merlin attempted to make some kind of deal—he knew she had no chance if she was resorting to that. He knew they had no chance if she was resorting to that.
And this was him while weakened.
And there was nine more!
“Galan of the Ten commandments, your skills and strength are honestly greater than I presumed. Now Sir Galan, you could kill us off at any moment so how about we strike a deal. In return for telling us what the Ten Commandments are after, I promise to cooperate and give you any information I hav—”
“Merlin! That won’t work on him!” Meliodas yelled from the side.
Merlin staggered, “What was—”
Arthur’s eyes went wide as stone seeped up her boots—down her coattails and over her shoulders. “N-no—Merlin!” he cried but it was too late and all that was left was a statue in her place.
The demon cackled. “I am Galan! I am the “Truth” of the Ten Commandments! Lie to me and I will turn you to stone!”
He turned back to Merlin with what could only be described as a grin. “Now to smash her to pieces!”
“No! Stop! Please,” Arthur cried pounding helplessly on the Perfect Cube. To his undying relief Meliodas dashed between the two but it shattered as he couldn’t even make a scratch. His horror only grew as his men all charged around him to follow Meliodas lead only to be slaughtered before his very eyes. Merlin’s statue was pulled out of immediate danger but at what cost…
His hands were shaking and it was only the support of Merlin’s perfect cube that kept him up as he stared wide-eyed. His people… his people were dying. His men who he was supposed to lead and instruct were all dead while he stayed safe in this perfect cell.
He should be out there fighting—he’d have no chance but then he should have died with them.
“No,” he barely breathed as Meliodas was pinned to the ground by Galan’s spear—as his skull was pierced and Diane shoulder sliced, as Slader was stabbed and Merlin’s head crushed—he couldn’t even bring himself to blink in shock as Galan’s slash skirted the perfect cube just a hair from his neck.
“Hmm—so this is the secret ‘force field’ Perfect Cube—not even I can destroy that so easily.” He tilted his head—Arthur could barely tell through his tears and shock. “You’re in luck—very few can say they were left standing before the Great Galan!”
He turned. “Fare—”
An angry roar echoed through the wasteland that had once been his home. Arthur managed to look up just in time to catch the mountain of a man as he crashed to the ground in front of him—before Galan could even react he was in the air—a single hand around his torso.
“No! You will not Leave!” You will pay for your sins!” Escanor snarled, throwing him down hard against the ground and swung his axe right into his chest.
“Hello, Escanor.”
Escanor didn’t squeal in panic—nor did he squeak, yelp, or shout. At best he let out a slightly surprised grunt as he turned his head and found Merlin standing behind him encased in a perfect cube to protect herself from the heat and slag of the cave around them.
“Merlin—” He stared for a long moment—and then remembered he was only halfway to pulling up his underclothes for his armor—having paused to let the magic take effect and grow to the needed size. Coughing he turned back from her and finished pulling it up—fastening the laces. “How—Why—?”
“I felt your magic—I was concerned,” she told him simply as he turned to face her properly. “What happened?”
Scoffing he glanced away. “I had—some troublesome visitors,” he admitted gruffly. “I had wished to avoid confrontation but they insisted,” he scoffed at their idiocy and pulled on his undershirt. “They broke… they broke your glasses I’m afraid.”
Merlin narrowed her eyes. “I see—and just at noon I take it.”
“Regrettably,” he told her and he actually meant it. “I had enough time to scare them off before this became their tomb but only just—they likely will have burn scars to remember this little lesson.”
“Why haven’t you put on your spare—you’re a walking target at the moment.”
Escanor smirked. “Like anyone would dare!” At Merlin’s unimpressed look he glanced away. “My spare was… destroyed during my escape. Unconsciously he found himself touching his hip where a scar still poked out as his shirt continued to grow to its proper size. It was one of the few scars he had at all—most wounds vanished with a single change to day—but he hadn’t taken the risk of being tracked.
Merlin followed his gaze—Escanor didn’t advert his eyes as her gaze lingered—he did not, she was just observing his injury—he knew that—and then she frowned at him.
“I should have realized escape would have been difficult for you considering the time of day.”
Escanor waved her off and went for his boots. “Nonsense—it’s not the first time I’ve had to quickly escape from somewhere—day or night.”
Merlin sighed and he couldn’t help but think he’d said the wrong thing.
“I can make you another pair,” she continued. “Though it would take a week at least to find the ingredients I will need—do you still have the scraps—I may be able to salvage the focusing crystal at least.”
He waved her over to the bar. “I appreciate it,” he told her honestly. While he could take any fool who followed him that didn’t mean he wanted to be tracked all over Britannia—nor did he want to destroy tracts of wilderness and start forest fires every day at noon.
She hummed in the way Escanor knew meant she had stopped listening. He watched as she used telekinesis to cause the scraps to hover—careful of the heat—and examined each chunk carefully, that look he loved on her face—fascinated and focused, gleefully curious.
Granted there was few looks he didn’t love—he’d never really seen her particularly upset, afraid, or even disappointed in him and those were the only looks of hers he could ever imagine hating.
She very well may have been the only person to have never given him such a look.
Snorting at the path his train of thought had taken Escanor shook his head and forcibly adverted his gaze to focus on buckling his armor.
“I see the enchantment against heat held out—even after it shattered,” she mused. “Good, good—I should really do try it on some of your other items.” He could hear the amusement in her voice. “So you don’t end up with just you armor again.”
“Wouldn’t matter—it was shredded before it burned,” Escanor corrected as he stopped for the thousandth time to let a piece shape to its needed size.
“Then also the size shifting I put on your armor—really it’s silly I didn’t do it before,” she mused again.
Escanor rolled his shoulders and stretched out his arms checking his range of movement and assuring everything was in place. For a moment he idly mused on how despite being all but in an oven he barely felt that heat yet but could still feel the warmth in his cheeks.
Satisfied he turned to face Merlin with a smile. “Don’t worry yourself—I’ll be fine,” he assured her. At Merlin’s raised eyebrow he once again felt he had said something wrong but trudged on determinedly. “As much as I’ve lo—enjoyed seeing you again, we both should go—the longer we stay the more danger were in—and I won’t be able to handle this heat much longer.”
He didn’t want to part with Merlin—but with the knowledge that the longer she was here with him the more likely she could be found—as well as the assureity she would be finding him with his new pair of glasses in a week numbed the disappointment. His mind was already on where to head next—he had to make good time today if he wanted to avoid notice and be somewhere relatively safe to become the One by noon tomorrow. The coast was probably the best bet—far enough out he wouldn’t even melt much sand. He called Rhitta to his hand and swung it up on his shoulder.
“I suppose,” Merlin agreed a finger tapping her cheek. Escanor’s gaze was instantly on her again. “Though it would be more efficient if you just came to Camelot with me.”
“With you—Camelot!” Escanor blinked. “The city or the…”
“Hmm, yes, I’ve been hiding out in small house in the inner city.”
He didn’t even want to know what damage he could do in a population that dense. “Merlin—I couldn’t—.”
“Escanor—I could simply place you in a Perfect Cube until I have your new glasses ready.”
Oh…right. A special perfect cube was how his old room had been constructed. “Yes—but I would draw attention to your home—”
She waved him off, “I have spells that could hide your aura of power—not completely but enough that nobody would guess it’s you—and I have an… agreement with King Uther anyway.”
Escanor blinked, searching for any other argument before realizing he didn’t want to argue—living with Merlin—if only for a week…
“Alright then… if it’s no bother—”
With a smirk and a snap they were gone.