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𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄.

    "Queen! It's not good for you to step out-"

    A cheerful giggle could be heard as the girl turned around with a warm and reassuring smile — her pointy ears even seemed to perk up with enthusiasm, "I know! I know! Do not worry too much about me, Leon! I will just be around this area." Her eyes crinkled up with mirth, thinking how the warm sunlight would feel like on her pale skin, "I will be fine, Leon!"

    Watching the queen inching closer to the gate in hope that he wouldn't notice, Leon couldn't help but let out a tired groan as he pointed an accusing finger at her, "Queen! How many times do I have to tell you this? As the Elf Queen, it is your responsible to keep your safety as the priority! As long as you are the Queen, I have no choice but to take care of you!"

    His eyes trailed to his twitching hands as he agonized over what could happen.

    "Anything could happen outside the kingdom! Vile humans are everywhere! Weirdos are everywhere! Anyone could be planning to kidnap you! If you're in danger, I would feel nothing but despair-"

    By the time he looked back up, finally removing his gaze from his hands, [name] was no longer there. Seeing the absence of the Queen, Leon let out a cry of despair as he cursed under his hot breath, pacing back and forth while visibly panicking. He glanced back at the gate and thought back about [name]'s happy expression — she always seemed to be happy whenever she could go outside. With a fatigued smile, Leon shook his head and decided to let go of the burden on his shoulders.

    After all, [name] was not chosen to be the Elf Queen for no reason.

    Leon decided to trust her for once.

𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘

𝗛𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔

    The comforting sunlight felt good on her skin, it was no wonder that plants would like to have the sunlight. [name] finally understood why plants adored the sunlight. Staring at the lush green around her, she couldn't help but appreciated the little details in the forest. Giggling to herself, she took a seat next to the lake and dipped both of her feet into the cold water with ease, shivering at the ticklish feeling at the bottom of her feet that was caused by the school of fish. [name] smiled and hummed her childhood song, a lullaby that was rather famous among the elves.

    As she hummed to herself and the nature around her, there was a sudden rustle coming from the bushes that earned a flinch from [name]. Feeling tensed from the sudden silence, [name] kept herself still and continued straining her eyes on the still bushes. She didn't really expect anything or anyone, considering that the area was close to the Elf Kingdom. Nobody knew about the place and even if they do, they would avoid entering the elves' territory. When she dropped her guard down, it was then a tall, slender man popped out from the bushes with an annoyed groan. Out of shock, [name] let out a yelp and stumbled back from the man, almost falling into the lake by accident. Hearing the unfamiliar female's voice, the man's sharp eyes trailed to the innocent-looking elf that trembled under the man's intense gaze.

    "Huh?" The man mused at the sight of the female elf, "An elf!"

    He stepped closer to the [name] who kept herself still, even when the man was an inch away from her.

    "This is the first time I am meeting an elf~!"

    It would just be shameful if she couldn't scare the human away — elves were meant to stay away from humans, they are wild and malicious!

    [name] snarled at him, hoping that it would scare him, "Get away from me, you human!"

    However, her tactic didn't seem to work well.

    The man only gushed over how pointy her ears were while touching and pulling them gently as he sang, "My, my. Don't do that! It just makes you cuter~. Woah! These are really soft and real~."

    Irritated, [name] swatted his hands away, "Do not even think of touching me!"

    Chuckling as if he was having fun with this, he raised both of his hands as a surrender, "Fine, fine~." He grinned like a Cheshire Cat, "The name's Ban. What about you?"

    "Why should I tell my name to stranger like you?"

    Ban tilted his head with a smirk, "Knowing my name doesn't make us strangers, right~? Come on~. There's no harm telling me your name!"

    Glaring at him, [name] huffed and averted her eyes bashfully, "[name]. My name is [name]. The current Elf Queen."

    Taken back by her statement, Ban's grin grew wider, "I wasn't expecting that I would meet an Elf Queen here~! That means you know where the Fairy King's Forest is, right? I have been walking around for days and I still can't find the forest~."

    [name]'s eyes widened, "Fairy King's Forest? That's quite close to her-" Realizing what was going on, she narrowed her eyes, "Why are you planning to head to the forest?"

    "To get immortality, of course!"

    With crossed arms, [name] looked away with a sour expression, "Nope! I am not telling you the direction!" She stuck out her tongue, "You might be a bad guy for all I know."

    Ban laughed, "But I want the immortality~."

    Shaking her head again, [name] sighed, "I am not telling you so just give it up."

    With a wave of her hand as a farewell, [name] finally went back to the kingdom, leaving Ban alone in the forest as he tried to figure out the directions.

𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘

𝗛𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔

    As [name] walked around the forest with a hum, Ban suddenly jumped down from a towering tree and scared the heck out of [name]. She screamed in fear and immediately threw a rock at him, which ended up getting swatted away by Ban. Heart racing from the earlier scare, [name] shot an angry glare at him with a snarl.

    "What was that for?!"

    Ban smiled like a cunning fox, "The Fairy King's Forest-"

    "No."

    With a simple answer as the final, [name] walked past him with a huff and scanned around the area, trying to find something to distract her from him. Hearing the soft footsteps behind her, [name] knew very well that Ban was following her quietly, perhaps he really wanted to know the directions to the Fairy King's Forest. It was hard to find the forest for people who had never been there before but elves and fairies were in a good term, which was why it was common for the elves to know about the forest.

    "There's no point following me around." [name] murmured, "I am not telling you anything I know."

    All Ban replied was, "Well~!"

    [name] decided to just ignore Ban and knelt down onto the ground; her eyes noticing brownish red berries that were hanging by the bushes. She plucked the berries from the thin branches and eyed them carefully, her open mouth was about to drool at the sweet smell of the berries. Just when she was about to move the berries closer to her mouth, Ban took a firm grasp around her wrist and took the berries away from her grip, tossing them away from her.

    [name]'s eyes widened, "Hey!"

    "Those are poisonous berries, you know."

    Ban stated with a stoic expression, watching the berries rolling away.

    He then looked at [name] with a smile, "You might die in 5 seconds if you eat it~."

    She stared at him with a rather shocked expression, somehow unexpected that there would be poisonous berries in her hand earlier. Her eyes trailed to her hand that Ban was still holding and felt the heat rushing to her cheeks.

    "Thank you, Ban."

    Ban's grin widened as he let go of her hand, "Then-"

    "I am still not telling you." [name] responded with a sigh but soon flashed a friendly smile, "But we can be friends!"

    "Friends?"

    [name] nodded excitedly, "Let's be friends, Ban! I don't really have friends in the kingdom as a Queen. You will be my first friend, Ban!"

    Holding out her hand, she waited for him to shake her hand.

    "Do you want to become friends, Ban?"

    There was a short silence between the two of them but soon, Ban snickered and shook her hand, "Sure~! So about the Fairy King's For-"

    "Ban! No!"

𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘

𝗛𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔

    "Oh, Ban! You're here again."

    Ban hummed as he glanced at [name], crossing his legs as he shifted his gaze to the sky, "Yo, [name]~."

    Smiling, [name] took a seat right next to him gingerly, taking a brief look at his face. It had been weeks since she met him and [name] found out that Ban's not a bad person at all. He just looked evil with his cunning look. As she spent time with Ban, [name] started to notice little details about him. The way his eyes would light up when [name] gave him hope, the way he would sing as he talks, and also how he would ocassionally stare at something out of boredom. [name] appreciated his existence as he brought adventure and fun into her life when she thought all she would do was walk around the forest.

    [name] smiled, "Hey, Ban. I don't think I ever ask about the reason why you would want immortality."

    Ban hummed with an amused smile, his red eyes darting towards her, "Hm~. I supposed it's because nothing interesting is happening in my life. Maybe if I make my life longer, something good will happen?"

    "Ah, I see." She replied as she fidgeted with her fingers, "I find immortality as a scary thing to want. Immortality grants a new life to a person. With that, that person might not feel the fear of dying anymore. When you live that long, you get to see many people dying around you. It's not a fun thing to have, honestly." However, [name] just shrugged and respected Ban's decision, "But I am not going to judge you for your choice, Ban. You're a good person, I can tell that. I will tell you where the Fairy King's Forest is."

    Ban's eyes lit up from eagerness as he snatched both of [name]'s eyes and held them tightly, "Really~?!"

    [name] stiffened from the warmth radiated from Ban's hands as her heart started racing quicker than how Leon would chase after her.

    She wondered how heart could be so fragile.

    "Y-Yeah! I don't mind telling you anymore. Just promise me you won't cause any troubles there, alright?"

    He nodded like a kid, "Thanks, [name]!"

    When Ban let go of her hands, she felt a tinge of disappointment tugging her heart yet she pushed the disappointment away and replaced it with a smile, "The Fairy King's Forest is not far away from here so you should be able to get there easily. People tend to miss the entrance because the forest is like a maze. If you know the weak point of the maze then you should be able to head there." She grabbed a fallen twig and started drawing on the ground while explaining it to Ban, "As you head North, you should be able to see a big boulder. It's different than the rest so you should be able to tell it apart. Then, you will have to turn left and walk straight until you see a waterfall. The forest is just beyond the waterfall."

    Bobbing his head, Ban patted [name]'s head and ruffled her hair around, "Thanks~!"

    "You are heading there right now, right?"

    Ban nodded, "Yeah."

    [name] pursed her lips and averted her eyes, "When you obtain the immortality that you want," She flashed a sad smile at him, "I hope you will still visit me."

    "Of course! I will hang out with you for at least 5 minutes!"

    "5 minutes?! Is that my worth?!"

    "It's the minimum time needed!"

    [name] groaned, "Add it up to 10 minutes!"

    "Fine~!"

𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘

𝗛𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔

    Leon eyed the Queen that had been waiting in the forest for almost three days, knowing very well who she was waiting for.

    "Queen." With a gentle voice to not scare [name], he tapped her shoulder lightly with a pleasant smile, "You should head back inside the castle. Sitting out here will be tiring. Besides, we do not know if he made it to the forest. It might take some time."

    Hesitant, [name] didn't want to head back into the castle but she knew waiting for Ban was futile as well. The castle was always so quiet and lonely for her, without Ban's voice and laughter, it felt different. It felt cold for [name]. She wasn't stupid, she knew very well that it might take time for Ban to arrive at the forest but if Ban listened to her words, he should be there three days ago. It was [name]'s habit to worry about someone's safety and currently, Ban was the only one she could think of. Whenever the memories of her being with him popped up in her mind, her heart would grow warmer and ache after a while. She was just confused with what was going on.

    [name] stared into the distance, "Leon."

    "Yes, Queen?"

    "Do you think he would come back and visit me?"

    Leon stared at her before nodding with a reassuring smile, "I am sure he will. After all, who wouldn't want to hang out with Queen?" He placed both of his hands on her tensed shoulders, "Do not worry, Queen. He will be fine, considering how he is a bandit."

    Placing her hand on her chest, she felt the slow thumping. of her aching heart and frowned.

    "I wonder why does my chest hurt. It's uncomfortable."

    Leon closed his eyes, "It will go away soon, Queen."

    "I hope so."

    Out of sudden, something — or someone — fell from the sky and got slammed onto the tree. The leaves rustled in anger as some branches broke from the heavy weight. Hearing the commotion that was going on, Leon stepped forward and acted as a shield for the queen, eyes strained on the movement from the object that fell from the sky. Just as he was about to pull out his sword from the sheath, a familiar-looking silhouette stood up and wobbled back and forth. Leon's eyes widened as he moved his hands away from his sword.

    "Queen, it seems like the one you're waiting for is here."

    Pointy ears perking up, [name] moved to the side, as Leon was blocking the view, and looked at the man that resembled a fox, "Ban!"

    Ban looked at [name] with a grin, "[name]!"

    Eager to talk with him again, [name] beamed at him, "Did you get obtain the immortality?"

    Ban shook his head, "The Fountain of Youth was guarded-"

    "Elaine, right?"

    "You know her, huh~." Ban chuckled and didn't even bother stopping when he walked past [name], "Anyway, I gotta go again! Gotta handle the fairy~."

    [name] turned around and stared at the wounds as well as scratches all over his body, "Ban! Let me treat the wounds for you first! You might get sick along the way-"

    He only waved his hand, dismissing the topic, "Don't worry~! I will be fine. See ya later!"

    With that said, all [name] could do was just watched. As Ban's back became further and further away until he was nowhere in sight, [name] balled her hands into fists as she bit her lips in disappointment. Eventually, her chest ached again and this time, it felt tight when [name] watched him leaving her alone. It almost felt like she was no longer useful to Ban. Maybe, just maybe, Ban only befriended her to get information. Horrified, she shook the thoughts out of her mind — she trusted Ban and she would continue to do so.

    Disappointment weighing her down, she muttered, "He said he would at least hang out with me for 10 minutes."

    Leon looked at her with a sympathetic look, "I am sure he will come back and hang out with you for at least 20 minutes next time."

    "Is that the truth?"

    But Leon didn't answer her this time.

    Because he knew that [name] knew the answer to it.

    There was another agonizing pang in her chest that slammed her head into the ribcage. It hurt and she thought she would suffocate for a while. Her stomach felt empty and hollow now, almost as if it was a cold cave for a devil to reside in. Somehow, [name] would miss the warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach whenever Ban would be by her side — it just felt good for her. The butterflies in her stomach felt like it was comforting her, comforting and reassuring her that it would be fine to love-

    "Ah."

    Realization dawned upon her as big, fat tears were threatening to cascade down her pinkish cheeks.

    "Leon." Her voice wavered, "I fell for him."

    She looked at him with teary eyes as she closed her mouth with her hand.

    "I like- I love him. I love Ban."

    Leon patted her back, "I am sure he will be back."

    "Ban is the first, Leon." [name] whispered.

    He hushed her with a kind voice, "I know, Queen. I know."

    "I love him. A lot."

    "I know."

𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘

𝗛𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔

    It had been two days since [name] met Ban.

    Instead of waiting in the forest for him, she had matters to do in the castle today. It was unfortunate that she couldn't wait for Ban but there was no choice for her. As the Queen, [name] needed to think of the elves as well. She couldn't be selfish and she mustn't be selfish. She had to think for everyone, just like what Leon would say. Besides, she felt better when she decided that Ban would come back to see her. Ban would never break his promise, at least that's what she thought. [name] was willing to wait for him no matter what, until death would pull her away.

    "Queen!"

    Hearing the respectful call, [name] turned around and her face instantly brightened up when she saw the flying fairy that was carrying a sack of goods.

    "Sammy! I am glad you could make it. I was afraid that there would be some spiders blocking your way."

    Sammy laughed, "Nonsense! Nothing can beat me!"

    [name] eyed the sack of goods, "Those are the fairy fruits, right? If I am not mistaken, we are trading elven fruits with you this week. I will get someone to fetch the fruits for you. Hope you don't mind the wait."

    "No problem at all." Sammy giggled, "I am already grateful that we could trade at least a little bit. Recently, there is a human that keeps hanging out at the Fountain of Youth with Elaine. It seems like he is a bandit trying to get immortality!"

    Her eyes widened, "Oh! That must be Ba-"

    "I can't believe Elaine would hang out with a human, a bandit even! Well, they seem to be quite close recently, very close. The human even showed Elaine his collection of something. Just between you and me," Looking around for eavesdropper, Sammy leaned closer to [name]'s ear, "They both seem to like each other."

    [name]'s hope shattered into pieces. Of course, Ban and Elaine would be together. They suit each other well in [name]'s eyes. Right, as the Elf Queen, there was no way she could be with a human. Elves had never been on a good term with humans, the fairies might be different. Though they may have wings and were smaller than humans, they're still gentle like the breeze. Meanwhile, elves were the type to instantly shoot down an intruder upon the queen's order. She felt the urge to laugh at herself. [name] had just been dreaming like a moron and giving herself a dying hope.

    She felt foolish.

    "Years of being surrounded with couples, I know very well when someone is in love with someone. It's quite obvious that the human and Elaine like each other. I will support Elaine no matter what but I wonder if I can trust the bandit-"

    Feeling as if something was building up in her throat and scratching the inside of her flesh, [name] let out a harsh cough as she closed her mouth with her hand. She felt something sliding across her throat, something rushing up to her open mouth. When she coughed once more, [name] could feel something fluttering out from her parted lips, something soft and smelled like nature. Pulling away her hand slowly, her eyes wandered to the flower petals that laid on her palm calmly as if they were taunting her. The violet petals looked familiar to [name] and the name instantly flashed across her mind.

    Anemone hepatica.

    Why did she cough out flower petals?

    [name] felt fear running throughout her entire body, she was abnormal — she coughed out petals for God's sake!

    Sammy looked at [name] worriedly, didn't catch a glimpse of the petals as [name] immediately hid it away nervously.

    "Are you okay? Do you need me to call a doctor?"

    [name] shook her head, "I- I think I am getting a cold soon. You can trade the fruits with Eden. He should be by the garden. He will handle everything."

    She took a step back from Sammy with an apologetic smile.

    "Sorry, I can't talk to you any longer. I need to discuss something with Leon. I am sure he will be pissed if I don't tell him about my cough. Have a great time here, Sammy."

    Sammy smiled, "Get well soon!"

    Could her broken heart get better?

    "Thank you, Sammy."

𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘

𝗛𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔

    "I don't want to."

    Leon stared at [name] with fear, unable to process everything that was happening in front of his eyes, "You will die if you continue to keep it on like this! The flowers will continue growing around your lungs and you will-" He hesitated, "Anyway, I don't care! We are going to perform a surgery to remove the flowers! This is the only way for you to keep living, I can't just leave you out like this! Your chance of survival is to remove them!"

    [name] shook her head as if she had made her choice from the start, "No."

    "Queen!"

    "I don't want to lose my feelings over this." [name] looked away with a longing smile, "I will lose my life but the fact that I will die because I love someone, it's beautiful in its own way. The feeling for Ban won't change. Even if I were to die, I want to continue loving him so that I wouldn't have any regrets for forgetting him. I want to remember the feeling of falling in love, Leon."

    He grunted in reply, "Queen Elysian did the same thing. She died for a man that will never love her! Not even if it takes 1000 years. Give it up, Queen. I swore that I won't allow Queens to sacrifice themselves over this ridiculous-"

    [name] chuckled, staring out of the window that exposed her room to the nature — it smelled like oak, almost similar to how Ban smelled like. She missed him a lot.

    "It's not ridiculous." She smiled, "When I was a mere child, I used to listen to Queen Elysian's story all the time and I wouldn't understand just why she would die over a man. It was touching, of course but I thought it would be the right thing to live for the people than die for a man. I found it normal and common for Queens to not fall in love and get married, it just seems normal. But right now, I realize how Queen Elysian felt."

    It felt as if she was living as Queen Elysian, understanding what she meant and wanted. [name] understood everything.

    She was in the same position as Queen Elysian too, she had to make a decision that involved her damn life.

    "Queen Elysian was selfish." [name] stated gloomily, "It's not exactly wrong for her to be selfish, considering that she fought against demons for the sake of the elves. For the past 1000 years, I have been contributing a lot, didn't I? I listen to everything you said, Leon. I was willing to sacrifice everything for the elves. I even-" She paused, "Beheaded my own traitorous father to save the kingdom."

    Leon stared at her, "Queen..."

    "That is why I want to be selfish right now. I want to have my own option regarding my life. The warmth and the ache in my chest, I want to remember them all as I die, Leon." [name] laughed as tears finally escaped from her eyes, "Give me the freedom to make my own choice."

    It would be a lie if Leon denied the numbing pain in his heart — he didn't want [name] to die, not like this. Leon took a seat on [name]'s bed, it was quite daring of him to sit next to the Queen but for now, Leon thought of himself as her friend instead of her guardian.

    "You have matured, Queen." He smiled sadly, "Queen Elysian spoke something similar to that as well. Love is not something to be abandoned away. That's her words. I see Queen Elysian's will in you, [name]. You are just as foolish as her but-" His voice finally gave up on him, "You are just as special as her."

    [name] placed her cold hand on Leon's warm hand, wanting to feel more warmth before she could die from suffocation, "Do not feel sad when I am no longer here, Leon. I will always, always, be by your side even as a spirit."

    "The elves will miss you, Queen [name]."

    "I know."

𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘

𝗛𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔

    it felt like death was following her every single time.

    Whenever she coughed, the memories of the Anemone hepatica with Ban kept flooding into her head which caused her coughing to be worse. Knowing that she was going to die sooner or later, [name] had been waiting in the forest for Ban, knowing that he would come back to see her sooner or later. She decided to tell him her feelings for him so that there wouldn't be any regret left inside her. Whether or not he would reject it ( though she knew he would ), [name] can at least depart without regret. Feeling another sick feeling of something crawling up her throat, [name] covered her mouth and started coughing, spitting out petals that were close to forming a complete flower. Crimson blood trailed down from the corner of her mouth and she immediately panicked, nervously wiping away the blood with the back of her hand.

    She didn't want to worry anyone.

    She was trying her best to hide the pain.

    Chuckling, [name] remembered all of the memories in her head, "Ah, I will miss them a lot."

    Recently, Leon was constantly nagging her about her health and the citizens soon knew about [name]'s condition. Most of them would run to the castle and cry to her, pleading [name] to just leave the feeling of love away from her lungs. [name] could only decline politely, somewhat grateful for the flowers, Anemone hepatica, to grow in her lungs — the flowers that were in her memories with Ban. Seeing how worried the people around her were, she will definitely miss them a lot. They were apart of her life and [name] didn't want to forget that.

    Her pointy ears perked up when a tall man stepped out of the darkness, and [name] felt her heart racing at the sight of the man.

    "Ban!"

    Ban lifted his face and [name] felt terror running down her spine when she noticed how dead Ban looked. There was even blood splattered all over his face and body. [name] rushed to his side and started checking his face, realizing that he had no wounds. Confusion began to stir inside her mind and wake her up, unsure of what had happened for Ban to be in such a miserable state. Just by seeing the red smudges all over Ban's face caused her heart to tighten. At that moment, [name] was no longer bothered about her own disease. All she could see and worry about was Ban, only him and nobody else, not even herself.

    "Ban! What happened to you?! Whose blood is this? Did something happen?" [name] placed her hand on his cheek, wiping the foreign blood away from his skin, "What's wrong? Oh! Is Elaine-"

    Out of sudden, Ban snapped and hit her hand away, giving a terrifying glare to her as a warning, "Don't touch me."

    "Ban?"

    It felt odd when Ban ignored her, not even glancing at her pained face for a brief second, and walked away as he was lost in his thoughts. [name] felt the need to splutter everything out. Ban was leaving her again and she would lose her chance to say what she wanted. She needed to say it. She needed to say the three words to him, just three words and it wouldn't even take much of his time. She wanted to say everything, right there, right now.

    [name] opened her mouth, "Ban-"

    But he was no longer there.

    It hurt.

    Her heart was torn into the half and she could almost feel another flower blooming on her lungs, indicating that death was catching up to her. Trying to catch the sight of Ban, she stepped forward and held out her hand, trying to reach for something, anything, but only ended up falling to her knees with a gasp. She was suffocating from the lack of oxygen. It felt harder to breathe as flowers managed to fill up the vast spaces in her chest mercilessly. Gripping the fabric right where her heart was beating, she hunched over in pain and let out a pained cry, panting as she struggled to get the air. Somewhere inside her, there was a remaining hope that Ban would turn around and come back to her.

    It was just a hope. 

    A foolish hope of a broken elf.

    When she felt a warm touch on her back, [name] wished that it would be Ban who saved her, just like how he saved her from the berries. She wished that Ban would be by her side, even if he didn't return the same feelings towards her. Just one time, just to allow her to speak those three words before her departure would come. [name] wasn't asking much, at least she didn't think she was even asking much. Those three words would only take up one minute yet even with such little time, Ban wasn't there to listen.

    [name] just wanted to turn around and see Ban's worried expression yet she knew very well that it was not Ban.

    It was just Leon.

𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘

𝗛𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔

    [name] gagged, another complete Anemone hepatica escaped from her mouth as she coughed violently. In her hands, there were already a bunch of Anemone hepatica waiting to be thrown away; there were even signs of roots coming out from her mouth. She looked sick, extremely sick: completely pale skin, dull eyes that no longer shone with joy, and cracked lips that could never by soft ever again — she just looked like a zombie at this point. Leon watched [name] who breathed heavily as she laid on the bed like a limp corpse. The struggle to breathe in and out was visible across [name]'s pale face. Such expression did not suit the queen, Leon decided. If he could, he would have lessened the pain for her.

    "Queen..." He whispered, Don't force yourself any longer. The pain- it's unbearable to see you like this."

    She only smiled.

    It felt different to smile in that kind of situation. [name] started to feel as if it was just a burden to force a smile out of herself.

    "I am okay. Do not worry." She laughed dryly as tears streamed down from her eyes, "Is Ban here yet?"

    Leon hesitated, "No. It has been three days. I don't think-"

    "I see." [name] replied with disappointment in her voice, "I want to see him before I go but it seems like it's just hope. In the end, hope is really a cruel thing, isn't it?" She smiled, closing her eyes, "I can't live any longer than this, Leon. You know that. It's getting harder to breathe now. My chest hurts. My heart hurts. Everything is in agony."

    She didn't want to say it but she had to.

    "I have to go."

    He bobbed his head hesitantly, scooping her up from the bed gently as he gave a short, comforting peck on her temple, "Just a little more, [name]. Just a little more and you can be released from the pain."

    Walking towards the open window, he held her higher and allowed her to see the overwhelming number of elves waiting by the castle.

    "We are all here for you as you leave us, Queen [name]."

    The elves cried out in sorrow, standing there as they waited for [name]'s life to wilt away like a flower. A relieved smile was plastered on her face as she watched the elves cried as they screamed out her name — she was gonna miss them so, so much. Another petal fell from the flowers in her lungs, filling up her inside with the final petal. [name] tightened her grip around Leon's hand, breathing into his warmth as she took the final breath. She tensed from the lack of air, wheezing and panting for air until she felt the last bits of energy crumbling away like the petals inside her.

    "Farewell, [name]." Leon snuggled closer to her.

    The last thing she could see was Anemone hepatica petals.

    The last thing she could smell was the oak scent.

    The last thing she could hear was the cries of the elves.

    The last thing she felt was the ache in her chest.

    The last thing she wished for was for Ban to be there.

    But he was not there for her.

Chapter Text

𝐈𝐅 𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊

    It was a perfect afternoon to take a nap for Ban. It was serene, luring him to a deep slumber-

    "Ban! Ban!"

    The familiar voice rang in his ears as he forced his eyes open, groaning and squinting his eyes at the sunlight that invaded his view. Not budging even the slightest, Ban's eyes trailed to [name] who seemed to be so eager to show him the flowers in her hands.

    "Look at what I found! I think you would like it. It's gorgeous! Do you know what flowers these are?"

    Humming from amusement, he was certainly curious and entertained with [name]'s expression — she just seemed to be too excited for this.

    "Hmmm~. No idea."

    Satisfied that she got to prove her intellect, [name]'s grin widened, "These are anemone hepatica!"

    She brushed her fingers against the petals lightly.

    "Anemone flowers bring protection against evil. Don't you think these flowers could be represented by you?"

    "Me?"

    "You're always protecting people you care for, don't you?" Squatting down next to him, she laughed at Ban's disbelief expression, "You're like an amulet! A protective charm!"

    With a confused look, Ban scratched the back of his head as he averted his eyes, "Since when am I an amulet-"

    "Because you saved me countless of times!" [name] giggled and twirled the flowers with her fingers while staring at the breathtaking flowers, probably wishing that such flowers could live forever, "You saved me from eating poisonous berries, getting stomped by the boar, and even saved me from Leon! You're like a lucky charm that can save me from danger!"

    Ban scoffed, "You're just exaggerating."

    [name]'s eyes softened, "Well, you probably wouldn't understand but when you get to live a thousands of years, you will start realizing how you would care for people thanks to the little things they do." She smiled, "Ban is one of the people that I care for."

    Hearing that coming from [name], he was indeed shocked but nothing could come out from his mouth as he was comforted by the tranquility of the forest. She didn't mind the lack of response from Ban either. In fact, she only felt glad that Ban was right next to her, there and now. Only appreciation and joy were booming in her warm chest. It was a good thing that [name] was living, breathing at that moment. She held up the flowers and squinted her eyes to view the flowers under the scorching sun — the sunlight almost blinded her eyes,

    "From now on, these flowers will be my favourite!"

𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘

𝗛𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔

    "Ban, are you sure it's right here?"

    The said man, now starting to look slightly different from his younger days, lifted his face and looked at Meliodas in his eyes as a tired yawn escaped from his mouth, "Yep. The Elf Kingdom should be somewhere around here~."

    The curvy woman with long, silver hair cheered as she clasped her hands together, "That's great! We can finally help King now." The woman, Elizabeth, giggled while trotting beside the shorter man, Meliodas, "I heard Elven Fruits have a high healing abilities! One bite and a wound would be healed!\ I heard that the fruit is expensive. Not anyone can buy it. I'm glad that Ban-san has a friend there!"

    The giant, that had been trailing after them while holding her hands out for King to rest, finally said, "Ban, are you sure that she will help us? Elven Fruit is not something that an elf would give away. An Elven Fruit can only sprout out once every ten years."

    Ban only glanced at the giant, Diane, "Yeah. She's a nice elf."

    Elizabeth's smile brightened even more — if it was even possible, "I am glad!"

    "That must be it!"

    The small, pink pig ( known as Hawk ) pointed the spot out as he rushed to the front arch. Not even one single guard could be found guarding the front entrance. It was odd, considering that elves were once known to prevent any strangers from entering their kingdom. However, Ban didn't pay much attention to it, maybe [name] just had a change of mind throughout her entire life. When he got closer to the arch, he noticed the violet flowers that [name] had once shown to him with excitement — anemone hepatica, if he recalled correctly. Reaching out his hand, he touched the flowers gently with a longing smile, knowing very well that he had snapped at [name] when he left for good. At last, he had the opportunity to apologize to her.

    He wondered if she would forgive him?

    The five of them, excluding Hawk, stepped into the kingdom and was instantly met with a rather calm scenery. People with pointy ears were walking around, chit chatting ocassionally, and some were even taking a rest in the restaurant. There were also guards walking around but they seemed to be rather relaxed with the safety of the kingdom, they weren't stiff and tensed like Holy Knights. Ban smiled at the sight of the kingdom, it was his first time stepping into the Elves' home as [name] would just push him out of the kingdom with only one sentence: You will only scare the elves with your scary face!

    He almost chuckled at the memory that flashed through his mind.

    His eyes trailed from the elves to Meliodas, "We should head to the castle. She is probably there."

    Meliodas nodded with a smile, somehow noticing that it was a nice change in the Elf Kingdom.

    As Diane carefully walked past the elves, earning a surprised look from the elves, she casually asked Ban, "Do you even know where is the castle?"

    "Nope."

    "Ah, I knew it! No normal person would invite you to their kingdom especially with your scary face!"

    Elizabeth chuckled dryly, sweatdropping at Diane's straightforward insult which didn't seem to mind Ban at all, "W-We should ask someone here instead! I am sure they all know where the castle is!"

    Plastering a friendly smile, she approached a female elf shyly and tapped on her shoulder to get her attention. The elf turned around immediately, a confused expression flashed across her face when she saw a plain-looking human. The past elf would have shown hostility to humans but this time, the elves were only confused. The big difference was enough to send Ban befuddled.

    "Excuse me, do you know where is the castle? We're heading right now."

    The female elf bobbed her head hesitantly, "Ah, yes. If you don't mind me asking, why are you heading there?"

    She responded, "Oh! We are here to see-"

    "Clara."

    The female elf glanced to her right and a bright smile finally adorned her look, "Sir Leon!"

    The familiar-looking elf flashed a smile to the female elf as he fixed his glasses.

    "I will handle these visitors. You can go back and take care of your child. I am sure she misses you as we're talking right now."

    Clara bowed gratefully, "Thank you, Sir Leon."

    When Clara was out of his sight, Leon finally shifted his attention back to Ban, the same man who befriended [name] and left her all alone.

    "It's good to see you again," He paused before he seethed out his name with hatred, "Ban."

    It took almost a minute for Ban to recognize who the man was — the familiar icy eyes, same platinum blonde hair that had gotten longer to the point where he needed to tie it into a bun. The name Leon kept echoing in his mind as [name]'s voice was the one pronouncing the specific name. It almost felt like [name] was there with him yesterday, rambling about Leon all day long as she drove Ban to sleep with such long ranting.

"Leon was being hard on me again! He kept nagging me for heading out because it's not good for my safety! But I know Leon is just worried about me. Every single day, he is like a worried father! Oh! Maybe a protective brother too! I am sure you can be friend with him, Ban!"

    Before Ban could even reply, Leon took a glimpse of his companions before turning away from them, "Follow me and we will talk. Here is not exactly the best spot for a chat."

    There was no disagreement whatsoever. Everyone just followed after Leon who brought them far away from the busy, bustling town. Along the way, Ban noticed something really peculiar about the kingdom. Everywhere he went, the particular flowers, the anemone hepatica, would be everywhere. Whether they were inside a vase or growing outside like the weeds, Ban would always catch a glimpse of those small blue flowers. A smirk was adorned on Ban's face, unable to understand the reason behind those flowers. Was [name] that excited to have her favourite flowers planted everywhere in the kingdom? It almost felt foolish for Ban to think about it but somehow, it made sense.

    After all, that Elf Queen was [name] he was talking about.

    Leon's steps eventually became slower as they were finally far away from the bustling town filled with elves.

    "Why are you back here, Ban? I thought you would never come back again after gaining the immortality that you wanted."

    He spoke with a cold voice which earned curiosity from Ban and his companions.

    Knowing very well that Leon was being distant to him, Ban let out a rather comforting laugh — a laugh that broke Leon's heart because he knew [name] was waiting for his voice to come and greet her which never really did happen. Oh, Leon couldn't help but lament over [name]'s departure. If only she could hear Ban's mischievous chuckle before she left, would she have been happier in heaven then? It was unfortunate, really unfortunate for Leon to see Ban after so many decades or even centuries.

    "We are in need of Elven Fruit to help our friend."

    When Leon turned his head to take a look at the back, Diane lowered her hands and showed him the wounds on King's stomach.

    "We are here to see [name] if she could help him." Ban's eyes softened, "Besides, I am here to apologize to her as well."

    Hearing what Ban said, Leon's eyes darkened as he thought, 'Even though it's too late to do so.'

    "I see."

    The silence crept in like a grudgeful ghost after that. It was awkward but Leon seemed to not mind it so much. All of them had no idea where Leon was taking them as only Leon knew where he wanted to go. He suddenly stopped in front of a large building which was in a dome shape. The dome sparkled under the warm sunlight as everywhere surrounding it was filled with colorful flowers. The dome glistened like crystals and pearls, something that the travelers had never seen before . It almost felt magical in front of their eyes. There was a towering arch where a silver plate was hung, a cursive words that stated: Praetorium of Memoriam.

    Elizabeth stared at the shimmering plate, "Praetorium of Memoriam?"

    Leon nodded as he walked past the arch, pushing open the metal door that creaked from the force, "It's called as the Hall of Memories."

    Meliodas eyed the dome building, finding something to be odd here, "Why are you bringing us here?"

    There was a short pause before Leon continued to walk into the Hall of Memories where the lush green grasses grew beneath his feet.

    "You said you want to meet [name]. I am bringing you to her."

    The flowers that sprouted from the ground seemed to be waving at Leon, recognizing him as he was one of the frequent visitors here. Butterflies and birds flew all over the space freely, singing in joy at the sight of Leon who had served for the Elf Kingdom for centuries. The travelers noticed that there were five cases arranged in a line at the middle of the room, the flowers were surrounding the cases and adding more colors to the golden rectangular cases. They couldn't exactly see what was in one of the cases since the golden body of the case seemed to be covering everything. Ban could definitely felt the bad feeling in his heart.

    Something was wrong, he could feel it.

    At the sight of the cases with lids made out of transparent glass, Ban knew something — or rather someone — was inside one of those cases. It didn't help one bit when he saw a tiny bit of the familiar colour of hair in the fifth case. The case looked exactly like a coffin, Ban wasn't even sure what he wanted to believe. Leon stopped in the middle of the room, finally turning around to face them, especially Ban, with a stoic face. Just for a second, Elizabeth could almost see sorrow and hatred burning in Leon's steel eyes. The tranquility of the whole place driving him insane, Ban's eyes wavered and he gritted his teeth while glaring at Leon.

    "What do you mean?" Stomping towards the elf, Ban grabbed his shirt and tugged him forward roughly, "I said, what do you mean?!"

    Meliodas took a step forward, "Ban-"

    Ban only glared at Meliodas — the same expression when Ban lost Elaine to a demon, "You shut up."

    Covering her mouth with a gasp, Elizabeth's eyes trailed to the coffins — she finally realized what those cases are for, "B-Ban."

    Leon's glasses slowly slipped but he managed to push them back with a hateful expression as if he was used to Ban's violent way of getting an answer.

    "I said what I meant earlier. I am here to bring you to [name]. You said you wanted to meet her, apologize to her."

    "Why are we here to see her?"

    Deep down, Ban probably knew the answer but he didn't exactly want to believe it. It was a denial coming from Ban. Maybe there was a hope that [name] wasn't in one of those coffins. After all, [name] wouldn't leave him that easily. She said it herself and that sunshine smile of hers didn't look like it was going to leave Ban so early. She even said she wouldn't leave anyone behind her — she wanted to live for others' sake. It was [name]'s promise to him. 

"I want to live for everybody! I want to live for you! I will even promise you that I won't leave you behind, Ban! I will live as long as I can until I could say goodbye to you!"

    Leon opened his mouth.

    Ban didn't want to hear it.

    No, he couldn't hear it.

"Hey, Ban. Maybe one day, maybe, I want to travel with you someday! I just want to see the outside world, maybe become a bandit like you. What? Don't look at me like that! I can be strong too, alright? I am good at archery!"

    Leon furrowed his eyebrows.

    "[name] is dead."

    There it was — the sentence he was expecting for. It felt like a large spear piercing through her heart yet he couldn't feel the pain physically, it was probably because he got used to getting things inside his body. However, he could feel the pain tightening around his heart, it could kill him inside but not outside, never outside. It felt forever since he experienced that similar pain since Elaine died in his arms. Now, it was [name]'s turn. He had thought he could prevent someone else from dying but he was wrong, he was powerless against it. He was just too late — maybe if he had been next to her, [name] probably wouldn't die. The guilt weighed his shoulders down and eventually, his grip around Leon's shirt loosened and his arms fell to his sides.

    She didn't even say goodbye to him.

    "It's all because of you. At least [name] could have left peacefully with you here." Leon shot a glare at him, "But you were not there for her. She left with so much regret."

    "Where is she?" Ban's eyes darkened, "I want to see her."

    Not much of a talker, Leon gestured him to follow after and strolled to the fifth coffin. It was a quiet situation for them, Ban didn't seem like he wanted to talk as his eyes were focusing on the fifth coffin. When he was one step away from the coffin, he could finally catch a glimpse of the [hair colour] that was sprawled around the white pillow, adorning [name]'s pale face that seemed peaceful — almost too peaceful. Ban placed his hand on the glass lid, watching how [name]'s chest would no longer rise to breathe and her eyes wouldn't open to look at him with ecstasy. With the bright paint painted on her plump lips and accessories decorating her as if she was a porcelain, Ban knew that she had left the world.

    She would never wake up ever again.

    Leon's fingers trailed after the carving of her name.

HERE LIES OUR BELOVED FIFTH ELF QUEEN,

[name][last name]

XXXX - XXXX

    Leon had to be honest — he missed [name] a lot. It would be a lie if he said that there was no ache in his heart. He regretted not spending the time with [name]. Everyone regretted the same time yet at the same time, everyone blamed Ban for entering [name]'s life. If he didn't exist, then maybe [name] wouldn't fall in love with a mere man, only to end up falling to death's hands due to the one-sided love. Clenching his fists, Leon finally spat out what he wanted to say for years especially in front of [name] to get justice, to get what [name] would want.

    "She died because of you."

    Ban looked at him, slightly taken back with what he said.

    "She died because she fell for you. [name] died because of loving you." Leon's voice quivered yet his eyes held something strong, "[name] died because you didn't return the same feeling. You were her first love."

    Ban stared at the sleeping [name], "No. No, no. I didn't-"

    "Yeah. You didn't know." Leon averted his eyes, not wanting to see [name]'s serene expression that indicated her end, "She wanted to tell you that day but you left her. The day when the fairies were attacked by a demon."

"Ban! What happened to you?! Whose blood is this? Did something happen? What's wrong? Oh! Is Elaine-"

"Don't touch me."

"Ban?"

    His eyes widened from realization and he felt something warm rising up to his eyes, threatening to spill it all out.

    "No, no, no. I didn't- I didn't mean that to happen...! I just-"

    Leon narrowed his eyes, "Yeah. Nobody wanted that to happen but in the end, she died waiting for you. Yet you were not that for her even when she closed her eyes." He dismissed it with his hand, "It's not like you can do something to prevent her death either. Love is not something you can wrap it up like a gift and return it but all of us... are waiting for you to come visit her while she is still breathing. It's our wish and [name]'s only hope to leave without regret."

    Ban balled her hands into fists, attempting to pound against the glass that encased [name], "I-"

    "I heard that Elaine died on that day you left and [name] died three days after that." Leon muttered, not even giving a shit whether the name Elaine would trigger him, "Someone told me you have been searching for a way to resurrect Elaine." He scoffed with a dry laugh, "If I ask you to choose between Elaine and [name] to resurrect, which would you choose?"

    Ban only bit his lips as he stared at [name]'s face.

    "You don't have to answer." He murmured, "[name] and I know your answer very well. In the end, we all know that it's just something we hope would happen. I will be honest, all of us blame you for her death. [name] wasn't supposed to die that young yet she rejected the idea of having a surgery- just because she loved you. Despite that, I will finish my task that [name] assigned me to." He handed the letter to Ban, "It's from her."

    Ban didn't say anything.

    Leon groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

    "I am leaving then. Excuse me."

    Without even bothering to glance back at them, Leon left all of them alone and exited out of the Hall of Memories — somewhat pissed with the presence of Ban being there with the dead [name]. As he was outside, Leon bumped into a female elf, noticing the long hair that was tied elegantly with a white ribbon adorning her silky hair.

    He bowed out of reflex, "I am sorry, Queen. I- I don't feel so forgive me as I am leaving."

    The Queen dismissed it with a smile, "It's alright. You can go."

    When Leon walked away without any hesitation, the Queen stepped into the Praetorium of Memoriam and greeted the travelers with a warm smile.

    "Holya." She said as her chirpy voice gained everyone's attention, including he gloomy-looking man, "It's a way for us to greet someone."

    Elizabeth bowed, "A-Ah, hello."

    The Queen only smiled, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Queen Yulni, the Sixth Queen of the Elf Kingdom. Pleased to meet your acquaintance." She eyed Ban who was still unable to tear his gaze away from [name], "I see all of you are here to visit Queen [name]. I am pleased to see that [name] is not forgotten by her beloved. I assume you're Ban, yes?"

    Ban did not say anything once again.

    "Would you like to know how she died?" Yulni tilted her head as she smiled softly, "Leon probably did not elaborate well about Queen [name]. Please forgive him. He is still upset with her death."

    Seeing how Ban was not saying anything, Meliodas spoke for him, knowing very well what Ban wanted, "Yes, please."

    Yulni nodded as she closed her eyes, reciting everything that Leon had told her as he appointed her as the new Queen upon [name]'s request, "She had a rare disease called Hanahaki Disease. It happened when you have an unrequited love and in this case, [name] did not get the same reply from you, Ban. The disease causes flowers to grow around your lungs, causing difficulty in breathing and will eventually bring suffocation. Coughing flowers is one of the symptoms and anemone hepatica flowers were the one Queen [name] coughed out. She was indeed strong as I clearly remember what she told me: I am happy that I am able to have these flowers to grow in me. These flowers are the memories between me and Ban." Yulni chuckled with sorrow, "She could have lived if she had surgery to remove the flowers."

    Diane knelt down, "But why didn't she?"

    "Undergoing surgery will cause her to lose feelings towards Ban. Unfortunately, Queen [name] didn't want that. She wanted to die as she was still in love with Ban."

    Yulni smiled even though it seemed forced.

    "She died for you, Ban. Do not feel guilty for it."

    Ban stared at the letter in his hand, "She died because of me-"

    "She died because she chose to love you."

    A brief silence came by.

    Queen Yulni glanced at the letter that was starting to get wrinkles due to Ban's firm grasp around it, "Why don't you try reading the letter, Ban? I am sure [name]'s true words will be in there."

    Ban looked at the letter before tearing the envelope away hesitantly. His heart was racing as he pulled out the white piece of paper from the inside of the envelope. He was just anxious with what [name] could have written. He didn't want to read the letter, he didn't want to accept that [name] was dead while he was away — there were just so many things that Ban wanted to talk to her about. Many things, including him becoming one of the Seven Deadly Sins and how his life had been in the prison for years. Fuck, he didn't want to lose her just like that. [name] promised him.

    And Ban promised her to he would spend time with her.

    The grip around the paper tightened, almost crumbling it into a ball of paper as Ban's eyes skimmed across the short sentence. It was just consisted of a few words yet it managed to break Ban's heart into pieces. It wasn't what he expected but it was [name] — always filled with surprise. Her words were filled with life, filled with millions of love if he could count them. Her words were a sweet dream blessing him. Her words were bittersweet.

I LOVE YOU

    It was a simple message yet all Ban could do was to stare at the letter. He wasn't sure if he could reply to that three words, he was just so conflicted. He could always feel [name]'s voice whispering those three words beside her ear, somehow kind and gentle to her even though she had expected a disappointing reply from him. Ban couldn't understand — why would she fall in love with him? 

    He wasn't worth it.

    Even with that many questions in his head, Ban couldn't get an answer from anyone as all he could do was allowing the big, fat tears to cascade down from his eyes. His tears landed on the paper, staining the ink that was starting to swirl around with the tears.

    He missed her so much after knowing that she wouldn't come back anymore.

"Sometimes, you will only know that you love someone after they are not a part of your life anymore."

    Ban bit his lips as his eyes wavered.

"Ban, you really are a lucky charm! I think I will stick to you wherever you go!"

    He choked back a sob.

"Oh! Don't tell Leon, but I think I will pick you over the elves. I wonder if I can be selfish now?"

    Ban was so foolish — it was a clear sign.

"Ban! Let me take care of your wounds first!"

    It was so obvious that [name] cared for him and loved him yet Ban didn't even notice her undying feelings for him. Frustrated from the despair, Ban slammed his fist onto the glass lid and watched as his tears landed on the coffin, trailing down like a raindrop — it almost seemed like [name] was crying as well. He could picture what [name] would have said if he hadn't snap at her. It was his greatest regret. He laid his forehead on the coffin, only one thing flashing across his mind as he pleaded for miracle.

    "...Come back, please..."

    "I love you, Ban."

    But he didn't get to listen it from her mouth.