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“So you’ve come” grinned Vivian as she turned around to find Merlin stood behind her, arms crossed and scowling.
“I didn’t have much of a choice given the havoc you’ve been creating” the boar intoned, clearly unimpressed. “You have my attention, which I assume was your aim, so out with it. What do you want?”
“I’m giving you the chance to drop the curse on me” shrugged Vivian, looking suspiciously calm about it.
“That ‘curse’ is the only thing keeping Gil safe” responded Merlin, causing Vivian’s cool façade to crack and her eyes to narrow.
“I would never hurt Gil” she declared passionately. “We’re in love, a feeling you wouldn’t understand”
“Oh?” queried Merlin with a raised brow. She had no real interest in anything her apprentice had to say, but the girl was clearly up to something and the best way to work out what was to keep her talking.
“If only you were kinder, softer, maybe things would be different” mocked Vivian, clearly feeling like she’d regained the high ground. “But as it is, no one would ever love a monster like you” Merlin didn’t bat an eye externally, but she definitely felt a squeeze on her heart at the familiar words. “A shame really” Vivian continued. “Since that’s the only way to break the spell”
Merlin was about to try and goad her into revealing more about this supposed spell when she felt a scratch on her leg. She looked down to see a syringe dug into her leg and blinked in surprise before her world turned black.
That afternoon, the sins in the boar hat were startled as two castle guards stormed in.
“Merlin-San!” exclaimed Elizabeth as she noticed the woman cradled in one of the guards arms.
“What happened?” Meliodas asked as all the sins rushed over to their fallen comrade.
“To be honest we’re not entirely sure” admitted the guard carrying her. “We found her collapsed in a side street and she refuses to wake up, although she appears to be breathing”
Elizabeth did a quick sweep with her limited magic but agreed that she couldn’t find anything physically wrong with the mage.
“She was drugged by Vivian” piped up Gowther as everyone whirled to him in surprise. “I checked her memories” he shrugged, not at all apologetic. “There was a syringe and Vivian said something about a spell that could only be broken by love…”
“Could it be a sleeping curse?” pondered King, looking thoughtfully at the mage. For all intents and purposes she did look like she was sleeping.
“You mean the kind you find in fairy tales which are broken by true loves kiss?” Asked Diane, also peering at the mage.
“Do those even exist?” Asked Ban in doubt, looking around at his fellow sins. His eyes fell on Escanor who was deeply silent with his gaze transfixed on the mage.
“I’ll take it from here” he told the guard carrying the mage, gently removing her from his grasp and turning to walk up the stairs with her.
The other sins watched him go in surprise before quickly thanking the guards, asking them to ensure Arthur was informed, and then followed Escanor into Merlin’s room where he had laid her on the bed and was now sat holding her hand.
“Don’t worry buddy” smiled Meliodas as he squeezed Escanor’s shoulder. “We’ll break the spell and have her back in no time”
“How?” Asked King. “If this is a sleeping curse then she requires true love’s kiss” he looked around at the other sins. “I don’t know about you but I’m not aware of anyone Merlin is in love with”
The other sins suddenly realised the conundrum they were in.
“She’s been around for 3,000 years, surely you’ve noticed something in that time Captain” pleaded Diane, turning to Meliodas with hope in her eyes.
“Not really” he shrugged “She’s mostly just focused on her experiments and her thirst for knowledge. I’ve never really seen her attach herself to anyone”
“Except you” piped up Gowther and they once again all turned to look at him. He shrugged at their stare. “I read her mind again”
“Gowther you can’t just delve into people’s innermost thoughts like that” exclaimed Diane in horror. “It’s private, she’d be horrified if she knew you’d betrayed her like that”
“But what other choice do we have” admitted king “If we do nothing then she’ll never wake up”
They all pondered the moral dilemma before realising that ultimately King was right.
“Tell us Gowther” Ban urged.
“It’s as I said” the doll replied. “She’s in love with Meliodas”
There was silence as everyone froze in shock, completely surprised that the stoic mage had been in love with their captain all this time. All except Escanor who merely closed his eyes in acceptance, the riddle of her sad eyes finally making sense.
“Here captain” the lion spoke, releasing her hand as he stood and pushed Meliodas into taking his place.
“But I don’t…” pleaded the dragon but the glare Escanor shot him instantly had him silenced.
“If you make her cry” growled the lion. “I will personally make sure you suffer every bit as much as she has these 3,000 years” Meliodas gulped in fear, stuck between a rock and a hard place. It might have been 3,000 years ago but to him Merlin would always be a little girl, a sort of little sister, and the fact that he suddenly found out she’d been harbouring feelings for him all these years was rather jolting.
He moved forward, leaning down to kiss her on her forehead. Nothing happened.
“Maybe it has to be the lips?” murmured Diane and Meliodas cringed whilst Elizabeth looked rather upset by this prospect.
“Must I?” he winced, still picturing Merlin as her child self in his mind.
“Merlin-San has entrusted you with the most precious part of her” glared Escanor in something akin to disgust. “The least you can do is save her from this spell”
Meliodas sighed but did as he was told, placing a quick peck to Merlin’s lips before taking a few steps back and almost flinching as he waited to see what would happen. He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or not when there was no change.
“It didn’t work” Gowther stated what everyone was thinking.
“Maybe it’s only true love if it’s reciprocated” hypothesized Elizabeth, and if she sounded slightly relieved then everyone ignored her.
“How could you not love her?” bellowed Escanor. “Merlin-San is the most perfect creature that ever walked the planet. You are completely unworthy of her”
So saying he turned and left the room, leaving the other sins to look after him in sorrow.
“Poor Escanor” sighed Diane, her heart melting for the man.
“Even asleep Merlin is still toying with him” joked Ban, causing the other sins to glare at him.
“What do we do now?” asked Elizabeth quietly as their eyes all turned back to the sleeping mage.
“Any change?” called Arthur by way of greeting as he entered the room. His knights had already briefed him on the situation and whilst it pained him to see her so still he was thankful that it was simply a spell that, from the sounds of it, could be undone.
“Nothing” sighed King. “We tried true loves kiss and everything and no reaction”
“Oh” pouted Arthur. “Is that why Escanor is outside angrily chopping down trees?”
“He just loves her so much, it’s unfair that she doesn’t return his feelings” Diane looked so upset that King put his arm around her, blushing slightly as she smiled her thanks.
“More like surprising” muttered Arthur in deep thought.
“I’ll say” blurted Meliodas, still in partial shock. “I can’t believe it, all this time and I never knew she was in love with me”
Arthur almost swallowed his tongue in his own shock and Ban had to thump him on the back several times to get the coughing to stop. When he finally calmed his breathing again he turned to look at his idol in confusion.
“You?”
“I know, it was a shock to us too” agreed King
“No, I mean, where on earth did you get that idea from?” His voice heightened in his utter disbelief.
“I read her thoughts” shrugged Gowther and Arthur groaned.
“Does Merlin strike you as someone well versed in love?” he sighed as all of the sins looked at him in confusion. He rolled his eyes, suddenly feeling like the only adult in a room full of kids.
“Do you know how long it took her to hug me, to admit she cared for me as more than just her student, that she loved me as she would a son?” The sins looked at him, sadness filling their gaze as the implications of the boys words sank in. “Merlin wouldn’t know love if it bit her on the ass”
“But… her thoughts….” whispered Gowther.
“I could have a guess as to why she was under that delusion but it’s not really any of my, or anyone else’s business” admitted Arthur. “But let me put it another way, the only stories she told me of Meliodas were about how immature he was and how I shouldn’t grow up to be anything like him. Does that sound like a person in love to you?”
“Maybe she was trying to hide it?” Asked Diane, although she didn’t sound too sure.
“Maybe” admitted Arthur. “However there was another man that she loved talking about, although I don’t think she ever realised just how often she mentioned him. She’d get this far away expression when she spoke of him, and she’d almost gush about how kind, strong, thoughtful, charming, talented and intriguing he is, along with a whole heap of other adjectives”
“Then why wasn’t he the one in her mind?” Gowther still sounded extremely confused but the other sins were starting to understand what Arthur was saying.
“I asked her if she loved him once” continued Arthur. “She laughed at me, called me silly and announced that they were just comrades. He’s not in her mind because she’s ignorant to her feelings for him, but I’ll bet you anything he’s the one in her heart”
“You really think she’s in love with Escanor?” spoke Elizabeth softly.
“You’ve noticed it too huh?” Arthur grinned causing Elizabeth to flush slightly as the sins all whirled to face her.
“She just seems to smile more at him than anyone else” the princess shrugged shyly.
“Now that you mention it she does actually seem to enjoy his poetry” admitted King.
“I’m pretty sure I caught her checking him out once” considered Meliodas
“And she’s less of a bitch when he’s around” added Ban. “You know, as long you don’t insult him”
“I can’t believe I never noticed how much time they spend together, like whenever I need one of them they’re always together. I always thought it was Escanor’s doing but now that I think about it, it’s usually Merlin who asks him to do stuff with her” pondered Diane.
“Seriously!” Exclaimed Arthur in exasperation. “You saw all of this and you thought it was Meliodas she was in love with?” He honestly debated banging his head against a wall at their bashful expressions.
“What do we do now?” asked Elizabeth, looking back over at the slumbering mage.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Arthur rolled his eyes. “We go and get Escanor, he wakes her up with a kiss, and for the love of God no one is going to mention any of this to either of them unless you want to die horrible deaths”
Having said his piece Arthur wandered over to the window and proceeded to open it, sticking his head out until his gaze landed on the lion sin.
“Escanor” the boy called out to the man below. “Merlin needs you” The lion instantly dropped his axe and started to race inside whilst the boy turned to the others. “Alright everyone out, I think you’ve all done enough damage for one day” he glared. This sins pouted but agreed that he was probably right and so they quickly vacated the room.
By the time the lion arrived the room was empty, save for Merlin still lying peacefully in her bed.
Escanor’s heart dropped that she was still sleeping, he was hoping that someone wold have been able to wake her up. He sat by her side again and took her hand in his, gently stroking a strand of hair away from her face.
“I don’t care if I’m not your true love” he told the sleeping woman. “I just want to see you happy and awake, I long to see you smile brighter than the sun and to laugh as free as the wind. I understand now that lingering sadness. I understand why you chose him, he is kind and fearless, bold and funny, a natural leader, but he is also an idiot. To have the love of the sun and to turn his back on it, he is a fool and I have never known you to suffer fools. But I understand the heart cannot be controlled, it yearns for people we cannot have, I just wish you had found someone worthy of your love”
That was all he ever wanted for her, someone who would love her as fully as he did, who could clear the sadness from her eyes and replace it with joy and laughter. She was his sun and he would give her the world if he could, but it was not his world she was after and thus there was nothing he could do.
“I wish I could force him to return your love” Escanor sighed as he leant his head forward so that their foreheads were touching. “Please wake up. I feel so useless sat here not being able to do anything to save you…” He paused as his gaze flittered to her lips. “Unless…”
He stared, his mind running as he debated his next move. Maybe his love was strong enough that it would be enough even without reciprocation… it certainly couldn’t hurt to try. The worst thing that could happen was nothing, proving once and for all that he was not her true love, but he’d known that for years so he’d survive. And he’d give anything for the chance to save Merlin.
Feeling resolute in his decision, Escanor slowly leant down and gently pressed his lips to the sleeping mage’s. He pulled back and felt his heart drop when nothing changed, even though he was expecting it. He sighed and stood, figuring he’d go find the other sins to work out what their next plan was. He was halfway to the door when he heard his name being called.
He spun around to see Merlin blinking her eyes as she sat up in bed. “What happened?” she asked as the lion’s mind ground to a halt. She was awake, she’d woken up after he’d kissed her, what did that mean, did it mean anything?
“Escanor?” she asked again and the lion suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.
“We’re, uh, not really sure” he answered truthfully. “You were found passed out unharmed in a back alley and you wouldn’t wake up”
Merlin hmmed, it was clear Escanor was hiding something but she would bide her time before making him confess.
“What is the last thing you remember?” asked Escanor, trying to change the focus away from himself.
“I remember going to see Vivian” the mage admitted slowly. “I think she stuck me with something”
“We think it was a sleeping curse” the lion nodded
“A sleeping curse” mumbled Merlin in thought. That would certainly tie in with Vivian’s strange comment about needing love to break the spell. Her eyes widened as the full implication hit.
“Who…” she started the question but couldn’t seem to get out the full sentence. She wanted to know, she did, but she was also scared.
“Fortunately it seems like the spell wore off after a few hours” replied Escanor nervously, a faint blush on his cheeks and a refusal to meet her eye. He was clearly lying and she would have called him out on it when suddenly the door burst open.
“Merlin!” called Arthur as he all but threw himself at her, the mage barely catching him in time as he hugged her tight.
“You’re getting far too big to be throwing yourself at me like that” admonished Merlin but the grin she was wearing undermined her words.
“I’m just happy you’re awake” he beamed.
“We all are” grinned Diane as she too joined in the hug. This surprised Merlin as whilst Diane was an avid hugger, she had never been so with the mage. She was even more surprised when, one by one, all of the other sins joined in resulting in a large group hug.
“Did I miss something…” questioned Merlin as she eyes them all suspiciously.
“Not at all” grinned Meliodas. “We just weren’t sure how to wake you since you’re the only one with any real knowledge of breaking spells”
“We were really worried” smiled Diane and Merlin felt a warm glow inside.
“But you’re back so let’s go celebrate!” decreed Meliodas and before long everybody was downstairs in the tavern, laughing and drinking in celebration of the mage’s awakening.
Merlin still didn’t quite believe their story, but every time she tried to ask someone what had really happened they either side stepped the question or reiterated Escanor’s tale that the spell had worn off on its own. Merlin wasn’t a fool, there was no way Vivian’s spell simply wore off, after all it was Merlin herself who had trained Vivian.
Eventually she managed to corner Arthur whilst everyone else was busy.
“Arthur, please, just tell me” she pleaded.
“You already know the answer” he told her, raising his eyebrow and daring her to deny it. “But if you really want to know, two men kissed you. One of them was in the room when you woke up”
“Two?” she blinked in surprise.
Arthur sighed as he peered at her. Unsure if he should be telling her the full truth but realising she deserved to know.
“Gowther was under the impression that you loved Meliodas” he admitted. “I think he was confused between sibling love and true love” the boy said diplomatically yet pointedly at the mage. “But anyway Meliodas gave it a shot and unsurprisingly nothing happened”
“It’s not me he loves” agreed Merlin and Arthur could hear the undertones of sadness in her voice.
“And you don’t love him” confirmed Arthur, causing the mage to look at him in slight surprise. “True love works both ways” Arthur continued, hoping to drive his point home. “You wouldn’t be awake now if you were truly in love with Meliodas”
“Then…”
“I think it’s time you stopped thinking with your head and start listening to your heart” Arthur smiled at her before walking off to find Meliodas and Merlin was left in a spiral of thoughts. She begged off soon after that, claiming residual tiredness from the spell and the others wished her well before she climbed the stairs to her room.
Escanor was her true love. The thought flew in circles round her mind. Her true love was Escanor. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. She’d known he had a sort of crush on her but that was all it was supposed to be. He loved her? And what about her? Sure she knew he held a special place in her heart, she wasn’t completely ignorant. But she’d never stopped to question what that place actually was, what it meant. Did she love him?
Her sleep that night was fitful, she dreamed of fire surrounding her as people chanted ‘monster’ with no escape she could see in sight. She woke in a cold sweat, realising it was still the middle of the night. Suddenly she remembered that sleeping curses worked by sending your subconscious to a different dimension, trapping you in a land of fire until you were freed. She figured her nightmare was a reminder of a world she couldn’t remember and for a moment she was scared to go back.
But Escanor had saved her, he’d pulled her out of that place. The sudden urge to see him grabbed her and she decided to heed Arthur’s words and for once listen to her heart. She teleported herself into his room and felt her chest relax at the sight of him lying on his bed.
“Merlin-San?” he asked, lifting his head and she stumbled back in shock, realising that he was just as awake as she was.
“Escanor” stuttered Merlin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. Or barge into your room like this. I just…” her words trailed off as she felt unsure what to say to explain her presence.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Asked Escanor to which Merlin gently shook her head.
“Nightmares?” He asked again and Merlin paused before nodding her head a fraction.
“Can I…” Merlin blushed but gestured to his bed, and she couldn’t see very well in the dark but she’d bet good money that Escanor was blushing too.
“Of course” he stuttered and moved over to make room for the woman to climb into bed with him. Escanor wasn’t sure what to do but Merlin instantly snuggled into his side so he gingerly wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
They were quiet for a while as Merlin felt the remnants of her nightmare leave her and a calm wash over her. “I know it was you who woke me from the sleeping curse” she eventually admitted quietly, feeling the lion stiffen beside her. “Thank you, for saving me”
“Always” Escanor promised with so much conviction that it stole her breath away.
“I don’t know what it means” Merlin continued softly. “But for what’s it’s worth, I’m glad it was you” With that said Merlin’s eyes started to drift shut as her breathing eased out and the mage drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
The lion watched her for a while, ensuring she was actually asleep before kissing her on the forehead. “You have no idea how happy I am that it was me” whispered Escanor in admission before joining her in sleep. Beside him, Merlin smiled.