A/N: Hello all! Please bear with me; I haven't written ANYTHING in 10 years so I am very rusty. I just recently discovered this series and I am hopelessly addicted to it. I've been inspired and decided to give it a go again. This fic may turn into an ongoing story. I've had this idea for a while; let's see what we can do with it! There probably will be Anime/Manga spoilers, since this is set sometime after the events of the Anime; though King and Ban are still with the group; just a warning!

Also, I APOLOGIZE. This is going to be a little dark at first. However I am a sucker for happy endings, and I promise there will be one!

Suggestions/Ideas are always welcome!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Seven Deadly Sins; I am merely an obsessed fan who decided to borrow them so I could play with the characters.

No one trusted Meliodas more than Elizabeth did. It was a simple fact and common knowledge that the princess had great faith in the Sin of Wrath. Time and time again, he and the other Sins went well above and beyond their sense of duty to assist the kingdom in their time of need. Even now, with the threat of a Holy War, the Sins were still fighting for the kingdom that had once exiled them and branded them as criminals.

Sometimes though, Elizabeth couldn't help but to wonder about her comrade. There were still so many mysteries; so many unanswered questions that she had in regards to Meliodas. For someone that she cared deeply for, she really had no clue about his past. She didn't know the details as to why exactly he was known as the Dragon's Sin of Wrath. The only thing that was certain was that he was a very powerful being.

Her sister Veronica's words when they were in Vaizel after Meliodas was trapped in the Goddess Amber would sometimes appear in her mind as well, causing her to ponder the events of the disastrous fight festival. How was he able to break out of the crystal? Why did he have those shadowy swirls all over him? Why had he gone wild? What about the black crest she had seen on his forehead in Damally before then? Unanswered questions continued to pile up in her head.

Whenever she would try to ask about the subject, he would either divert the topic with a joke or grope or would give a vague answer that would effectively change the subject. It didn't help that he also had one hell of a poker face; it was hard to gauge what he was really thinking or feeling at times.

The other Sins didn't have much to say about his past either since they were as much in the dark about it as she was. Even The Goat Sin of Lust with his Invasion skills wasn't willing to spill the beans about his Captain out of respect for him.

Usually she could push the creeping curiosity and questions out of her head where they would disappear and all would be fine. She wasn't owed any explanations after all and she had resolved to believe in him no matter what, even if the world was against them. Each member of the Seven Deadly Sins had their secrets that they kept secured within themselves (unless Gowther decided to mess around in their minds again and divulge them to everyone). Especially when it came to the sins they committed. Meliodas wasn't any different. This didn't bother her, and the princess would go about her daily routine at the Boar Hat, helping out in any way she could while the other's would strategize and plan how to proceed with searching for the Dragon Hilt and possibly Escanor, the last missing sin.

One particular evening, Elizabeth was exhausted after a busy night waitressing. She was certain her feet would fall off if they could with how sore they were from the constant back and forth between tables and waiting on customers. She was proud of herself tonight as she hardly made any mistakes; she had come a long way from when she used to trip over her own feet every five minutes and cause a mess on the floor.

Everyone was downstairs working to close up the tavern for the night. Ban was back in the kitchen area washing dishes with Hawk keeping him company; Diane was clearing off tables while King hovered over her on Chastiefol engaging her in conversation. Gowther was sitting at the bar holding a large dusty book, reading intensely. Merlin had retired long ago to the attic she shared with the Goat Sin to check Aldan and see if she could pinpoint any signs in regards to the missing fragment of the Coffin of Eternal Darkness. It had been weeks since they left the capital; finding the Dragon Hilt was top priority.

Meliodas was behind the bar counter, wiping down mugs and putting them away. Business had been good and he was fairly satisfied with the spoils from the evening. He was lucky that he had such pretty waitresses to help bring in the customers. To be specific, he was very pleased with the princess. She wasn't the only one who had noticed her improvement. The blond looked over at her and watched as she stumbled while carrying the last of the dirty dishes towards the kitchen. Luckily Diane was close by to catch her and stop the tableware from crashing to the floor. "Ahhh! I'm so sorry Diane!" A knowing smirk spread across his face. She had to be tired.

"Hey, Elizabeth!" He grinned as she glanced up at him in surprise from across the room.

"Yes, Sir Meliodas?"

"You did great tonight, so why don't you go upstairs and turn in early? The others are almost finished and as soon as I'm done cleaning these, I'll be up there to join you." He beamed at Elizabeth, his emerald eyes gleaming brightly in mirth.

Nodding in agreement and blushing from his insinuation, the silver haired princess was so fatigued that she hardly protested and opted to listen to the captain instead of insisting on staying and tidying up with the rest of the group.

"Yes, ok. Good night everyone!" Elizabeth waved at her friends as she made her way up to the shared bedroom.

Elizabeth quickly washed up and changed into her nightgown before climbing into the bed, pulling the soft covers over herself with a content sigh. It felt good to finally be off of her feet. She was going to attempt to wait for Meliodas to come up and get ready for bed so she could speak with him since they didn't get a chance to chat with one another as much with how busy the bar had been, but as soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep slumber.

Elizabeth rarely had dreams when she slept. If she did, she certainly didn't remember them. Sharing a bed with the blonde captain and being at the Boar Hat meant that she felt safe and slept peacefully. This night was different. Maybe it was because she went to bed early without her favorite Sin by her side or perhaps it was because of the looming threat that they faced on their journey to find the missing ritual relic that weighed heavily on everyone's minds. Either way, for the first time since she began her quest to find the Seven Deadly Sins, Elizabeth dreamed.

….

The first thing the princess noticed as she opened her eyes was that the sky was a dark, threatening grey. It was raining, and streams of cool water were running down the cracks of the paved cobblestones on the ground and around her bare feet. Elizabeth looked around with confusion etched on her face as she tried to figure out where she was. Buildings were collapsing from damage taken and houses and business stands had been destroyed and were either reduced to rubble or burning. The streets appeared to be quiet and deserted but it was very hard to tell. It was as if she was teleported from the bedroom into a town that looked like it has been recently attacked.

"Where…where am I…?"Her silver head snapped back and forth as she took in her surroundings. She didn't remember ever being in a place like this before and the deepening sense of dread in her chest told her that this wasn't a place she wanted to remain at either.

She was standing in the middle of an unknown street in an unknown city wearing nothing but her pink pajamas. And she was alone. Lifting her head up, she saw the tattered remains of a flag with what looked to be an insignia on it. The design was very familiar to her, however she couldn't quite remember from where.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Nothing but silence answered her.

Elizabeth wasn't sure what she should do next. Why was she all alone? Why was she here? The frown on her face deepened as she realized that she was lost. Considering her options, she decided it was best to at least try to find a way out of this place. Maybe along the way she would run into the Sins. The princess wanted nothing more than to find her companions as soon as possible.

It had been at least a few minutes but to Elizabeth it felt like hours since she had moved from the street she originated from. Her feet were splashing through puddles of cold water and over rubble as she stepped, searching for any signs of the Seven Deadly Sins or even any persons who could help her figure out what was going on and how to get back to the Boar Hat. The further she walked the more alarmed she became.

"S-Sir Meliodas? Are you here?!" She called out as she trudged along the broken streets. She was hoping that she would at least catch a glimpse of tousled golden hair and bright emerald eyes. At this point she would be happy to see any of the Sins, even Sir Ban, whom she found intimidating!

Out of nowhere there was a dark chuckle that seemed to resonate all around her. It was un-nerving. Elizabeth frantically twirled around to try to find the source. It was then that she noticed a crumbled stone structure close to her.

She hesitantly stepped towards the wall; she found herself drawn to it for an unknown reason. A figure began to take shape the closer she got to it. Propped up against the wall was a woman in armor. There was a strange sense of familiarity about her and the silver haired girl couldn't understand why. It was as if she was looking at herself.

Elizabeth could see that the woman appeared to be a Holy Knight and was heavily injured; her chest pierced through and blood tricking from her mouth with eyes closed and head dipped forwards. The lady's magenta hair was covering her eyes. The princess sprinted towards the person as quickly as she could while trying not to trip over scattered pieces of debris along the way. She was determined to get to the mystery woman so she could attempt to heal her.

Before she could reach her, Elizabeth noticed another person standing in front of the dying knight with their hands clenched into tight fists, their back turned towards her. While he was wearing a different outfit than his usual button down and black vest, there was no mistaking the messy blond hair that this individual was sporting. Relief washed over her as she continued forwards, her heart pounding in her chest. "SIR MELIODAS!"

Meliodas didn't acknowledge her. Elizabeth came to a stop only a short distance away from them, panting heavily. "Sir Melio…! " Her voice tapered off as Meliodas moved towards the fallen holy knight. She watched him kneeling down and cradling the woman's head into his arms. His body started trembling and twitching as overwhelming grief took hold of him. She could hear him sobbing; she could feel the sorrow emanating from him.

Elizabeth's own tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stared at him with a sharp mix of heartbreak and guilt coursing through her. The knight didn't make it. What made the situation much worse was that she had never seen Meliodas like this before. Every fiber of her being wanted nothing more than to pull him into her arms and comfort him; to share the burden of his sadness. Yet she found that she couldn't move and was rooted to the spot she stood in.

A new question popped into the princess' mind while she quietly watched the Dragon Sin slowly lose himself in his anguish. It was very clear that this person was someone who was extremely important to Sir Meliodas. But who was she?

The answer came suddenly and hit her hard like a satchel of bricks. There was only one person she knew of whom was of great importance to him in his past life as a Holy Knight. It was one of the few things she knew about him in regards to his past at all.

"Liz….this…this is Liz…" she whispered, her eyes widening in shock.

The atmosphere suddenly became ominous. Even with her limited abilities she could sense the drastic change. It felt like a powerful smothering shadow was flowing from in front of her. The princess stepped backwards, eyes wide with horror. Meliodas was now covered in the same dark spirals she saw back in Vaizel and pure malevolent energy was swirling all around him. This was more extreme and felt way more potent and out of control than before. She flinched as Meliodas started screaming, his eyes now bottomless onyx pools. Her dismay increased tenfold.

As frightened as she was at the moment of his power, she was more afraid for his well-being. Elizabeth fought her fear and hurried towards the Dragon Sin in an attempt to help him. The dark tendrils of energy then leapt from the depths of his being and consumed everything in its path, including her. The world turned a deep pitch black. Elizabeth felt herself fading; immense pain wracked her body as the violent magical force engulfed her completely. With the last bit of strength that she could muster, she reached out with her hand, trying desperately to grab onto the man whose Wrath was destroying everything.

"MEEEEEELIODAAAAAS!"

….

"ELIZABETH! Wake up Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth's eyes snapped open and she jolted awake with a shaky gasp of air. She was covered in sweat and tears were pouring down her face. Hovering over her and gazing at her with a very concerned pair of emerald green eyes was literally the man of her dream. Meliodas was gently but firmly grasping her by her shoulders; the remnants of a now frayed rope tossed across the bed and onto the floor. There were a few split ends from the rope still on his night shirt. The look on his face was one of worry; one of the rare times he let his emotions show through his usual calm exterior.

Meliodas had gone upstairs about an hour after Elizabeth had. Everyone else had already gone to bed for the evening and he was the last one to turn in for the night. After changing into his pajamas and going through the nightly ritual of Hawk tying him up, the captain had eased into bed next to the slumbering princess. He watched her sleep for a little while, a small warm smile on his lips. Just as he was about to drift off was when he noticed a change in her demeanor.

Propping himself up slightly, Meliodas frowned. He saw panic and terror spread across her pretty face. Once she had started crying in her sleep, he had tried gently to wake her up by softly calling out to her and nudging her with his shoulder. It wasn't until she had shouted his name and started twitching with her hand raised in the air that he busted out of his restraints and grabbed her to shake her awake. He would be very surprised if her shriek hadn't woken everyone in the tavern up and fully expected someone to barge through the door at any minute.

He continued to gaze down at the girl below him, the troubled expression cemented on his face. He didn't particularly like the hint of fear in her eyes as she looked back at him. "Elizabeth, are you alright?"

The room came into focus. She was back in her shared bedroom. A cool breeze flowed in from the open windows, curtains swaying slowing. The room was quiet and peacefully still. She was home at the Boar Hat. Sir Meliodas was safe and in control. She was unharmed. Elizabeth blinked and swallowed hard at the realization that she just had a nightmare.

"Y-yes, Sir Meliodas, I….I'm ok. I…just had a really bad dream." She struggled and failed to smile at the Sin of Wrath, trying to alleviate his concern for her.

Before she could say anything further, Meliodas had lifted her up from her prone position in bed and was holding her in a warm embrace, her face pressed into the crook of his neck as he placed a hand on the back of her head, his left arm wrapped around her to further secure her against him. "It's ok, I'm right here. You're safe."

Elizabeth felt herself relaxing into him as her cheeks flushed crimson. She slowly wrapped her arms around him to reciprocate his hug and they both sat still while the princess attempted to calm down. She could feel her heart rapidly thudding in her chest from the panic that had gripped her just moments earlier.

"That must have been one heck of a nightmare." Meliodas turned his head slightly to look down at the woman in his arms.

Nodding faintly, she pressed her face into his neck, her tears flowing freely again. "It felt so real...I…I was in this town…there had been a battle. There were no people around, except for this one woman…she was a Holy Knight and was lying against a wall and was injured. I…I couldn't get to her in time. You were there. And t-then…" Her voice trailed off, not wanting to delve any further into what happened. The last thing she wanted to do was to admit that he had ended her existence in the dream. The last thing she ever wanted to do was to hurt him.

"And then…?" He questioned softly, raising a brown at her in curiosity. It wasn't like her to hold back when discussing things with him, no matter how upsetting the topic may be. If there was one thing the captain knew, it was that Elizabeth trusted him completely. Her unwavering belief in him gave him strength in any ordeal that they faced together. He didn't want her to relive the nightmare however he also felt that he would be better equipped to calm her if he knew all the details. Even after all they have been through Meliodas had never seen the princess so shaken.

"And then…you…you lost control, Sir Meliodas. You were there, and y-you were covered in these strange dark markings…and you…" She stopped herself from saying anything further, her voice barely a whisper. The room grew quiet once again as the girl fell into silence and pressed her face deeper into his shoulder.

While his facial expression remained unchanged, Meliodas' eyes grew wide at the insinuation of her words as a chill traveled down his spine. Elizabeth had a nightmare about him. About a side of him that he kept hidden under lock and key and did his best to keep a secret. The side of him that still managed to rear its head at times. He swallowed thickly. What did he do to her in this dream? He was afraid of the answer.

The blonde lowered his head slightly as he mulled over the details of this 'dream'. Elizabeth had mentioned that a female knight was involved; that she was injured and died from her wounds. It sounded very similar to how Liz died. He felt a pang of sadness as the memories of that despicable day returned to him. This didn't sound like just any random nightmare. Based on the few details she had given him, it sounded like for whatever reason, Elizabeth dreamed about the fall of Danafor.

This wasn't a subject that the Sin of Wrath was quite ready to breach just yet with the princess. It wasn't so much as what happened in Danafor that he was uneasy about; he accepted his failure to protect the fallen kingdom and Liz as his sin to bear for as long as continued to live. It was more of the fact that he really didn't want to acknowledge to the one person who meant the world to him and whom he would protect with his life that he wasn't human. That he was of the same race that they were desperately trying to keep sealed away, hence their mission to find the fragment of the Coffin of Eternal Darkness.

It was true that the cat had been let out of the bag a few times already via Hendrickson and Ban was also fully aware that he was a demon thanks to the member of the Goddess clan. It also didn't help that he went into berserker mode in Vaizel. He wasn't naïve; he knew that the rest of their group of Sins also had their suspicions. Still, it wasn't exactly the type of thing that he wanted to go parading around everyone or announce to the world.

Elizabeth shifted somewhat, moving her face to glance up at the Dragon Sin. Meliodas signed. At least she didn't have that fearful look in her eyes anymore. That still didn't change the fact that she had this dream, nor did it change the stinging reality that her distress was because of him thanks to this nightmare. Perhaps a discussion with Merlin tomorrow about this was in order. Something else had to be at play here for Elizabeth to dream about an event that happened over 16 years ago. It couldn't just be a coincidence. He wanted to find out who or what was behind this and put an end to them fast. He did not appreciate the fact that Elizabeth had been exposed to his sin, especially in her sleep where she was most vulnerable.

"Sir Meliodas…?"

He blinked, looking back down at the princess in his arms before shooting her a half smile. "Elizabeth…I'm so sorry you had a dream like that. I can assure you that I would never willingly do anything to cause any harm to you or anyone else that we care about." He leaned forwards, resting his forehead against hers as he spoke, staring into her one uncovered blue eye. The last thing that he would ever want was for his princess to get hurt. Just the memory of seeing her injured and blood pooling out of her side after he confronted Hendrickson for a second time was enough to twist his stomach in knots. He'd rather be destroyed completely than to ever cause her any harm by his hands.

Elizabeth blushed deeply as his forehead met hers. A genuine smile broke out across her face as she gazed up into the blonde's piercing green eyes. "I…I know, Sir Meliodas. I trust you." And she meant it with all of her heart.

Were there things that she didn't know about when it came to the Dragon Sin of Wrath and his past? Things that sometimes frightened her? Of course. What she just experienced in the nightmare was proof of that and only forced more questions into the surface of her mind. But in the end it was just a dream, right?

There was no one else in the world that she trusted and loved as much as she did the Dragon Sin. He had proven himself many times already to her and the kingdom. That thought alone helped alleviate the remaining uneasiness she felt from earlier and Elizabeth rationally decided that she would simply not let the nightmare bother her any further.

Meliodas grinned back at the silver haired princess and released her from his arms, but not before he snuck a quick squeeze of her breasts, which caused Elizabeth to squeak and her blush to deepen further. "I'm glad to hear that" he whispered sincerely. "Now then, do you think you can try to go back to sleep?"

"Yes, I think I should be fine now." She nodded to Meliodas as he slipped back into his side of the bed. "Good!" He chuckled. "Now I wonder just how much trouble I'm going to be in tomorrow when a certain little piggy comes in and finds the rope torn to shreds."

Elizabeth couldn't help but giggle as she imagined Hawk's reaction. The poor overprotective pig. He would probably roast himself from the inside out! She allowed herself to sink back down onto her pillow, facing her Sin, a soft smile gracing her features as she pulled the covers over the both of them.

"Sir Meliodas…thank you." The princess yawned, covering her mouth with her hand as she felt herself slowing sinking back into slumber, her eyes closing. 'That's right…no matter what; I will always have faith in in you…'

Meliodas patiently waited until he was certain that she had fallen back to sleep and that no more nightmares were going to plague her. He quietly reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers together, pulling gently towards him until their hands rested against his chest. "Anytime Elizabeth. Sweet dreams. " He closed his eyes, resolving to look deeper into the situation in the morning.

Without a doubt, he would do everything in his power to make certain that Elizabeth would never experience anything like that again.

So, what do you think? Should I continue? Hope you enjoyed it!