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Back then battles of life and death happened on a daily basis.
Back then Meliodas wanted to be the strongest of all demons, his whole life was dictated by only that thought, it was his reason for existing... His father, as he still called him back then, had been his goal, the last stop of a long long journey.
But things had changed so much. He betrayed the demon clan, his father, his brothers, for a single woman, a goddess at that.
3000 years had passed since then. He lost the woman he gave up everything for and was stuck with a curse that wouldn't let him die, no matter how hard he tried. His father, the demon king, mocking him whenever he tried to escape his unescapable curse. He couldn't escape. Neither the curse nor his father, who was surely watching him from somewhere in purgatory.
his life would last for an eternity, an eternity without her and the only way to flee that destiny was to break the seal that everyone worked so hard for to put up.
He gulped down the rest of his ale in one go.
"Another one, old man!", he requested of the bald owner of the bar he was sitting in. It had an ironic feel to it calling a man who hadn't even lived for a hundred years that but to him Meliodas looked like a kid.
"Haven't you had enough yet, mister?", the owner asked with one eyebrow raised as his eyes wandered to the mass of empty bottles his customer left behind.
"Not even close!", he answered with a grin and the owner poured him another one, not without shaking his shiny head.
Today was one of those days. Those where you can't help but remember the past for whatever reason, be it filled with happy memories or painful ones. In his case it was the latter.
He had lived for more than 3000 years, more than any demon ever could and somehow passed the time as a knight for all kinds of kingdoms. He has lived in Danafor for a few years now and made it all the way from the new guy to the highest instance of the country, second only to the king himself. He wasn't uncontent with his life, not at all. Meliodas had found people he could call friends, or comrades here and training and chatting with his knights wouldn't get boring.
But something was missing.
"LORD GREAT HOLY KNIGHT MELIODAS!!!"
The man standing in the door was a soldier, not yet a Holy Knight and thus not under his jurisdiction.
"So you really were here... Lord Great Holy Knight, it's an emergency!"
Meliodas got up from his stool in an instant, ready to get into work mode.
"Tell me about it on the way"
To the owner he said "See ya next time old man, here's what I owe you". He threw a bag full of coins onto the bar that was hesitantly opened.
"W-wait, this is too much!", he stuttered.
"Just pour me a few drinks for free next time!", Meliodas shouted as he ran outside, following the soldier.
"So what happened?", Meliodas enquired.
The young soldier seemed nervous in his presence but answered without hesitation. It seemed a knight from an enemy kingdom tried to assassinate the king of Danafor in his sleep but has been cought. Meliodas, as the Great Holy Knight, wasn't required for the execution but people strongly wished him to be present.
"An execution, huh", he thought. That didn't happen all too often anymore in this kingdom as it was usually rather peaceful but an assassination attenmpt was too great of a sin to be overlooked with just throwing the offender into the dungeon.
The castle yard became visible and with it a huge crowd of angry knights and Holy Knights that have gathered to view the execution of the vicious enemy knight. Meliodas squished himself through the crowd to the front row. In the middle of the clearing there was a single woman with short reddish hair tied up and accompanied by a few higher ranking Holy Knights.
It couldn't be.
He stared at the woman unable to believe what he knew was true. He felt it. There was no way he would mistake her presence with someone else's. He would recognize it anywhere.
"And thus, in the name of the king, I will hereby conduct this execution."
"Now wait a moment there."
It was Meliodas who intervened.
"No one will be dying here today."
A great uproar happened after a short silence and many thought they misheard what he said.
"You}re joking, right Captain?!", a Holy Knight he was rather close with asked him.
"Yeah, she's an enemy! She just tried to assassinate the king, we can't let her live!"
"That makes you all my enemies then"
He would rather settle things peacefully but he'd force his way through if neccessary. He could feel her confusion so clearly. She had tried to stay calm and not display fear. She was ready to accept her fate and die.
But he wouldn't let her.
He wouldn't let anyone touch her other than himself.
He had found her again and he wouldn't let her go ever again.
Her, his goddess.