AVALLO, THE TRAVELING BAR : ATONEMENT TO A SIN

Chapter 1 - Far Fetched Dreams

It was quiet. Everywhere his eyes met was a blinding white. A woman stood before him. She smiled softly, her presence soothing. Slightly startled, he gazed at her form. Was this the end? He was not sure. His journey was not exactly the most peaceful one, and the ending was just a bunch of bullcrap as well. But the blinding light - it was so comforting, so full of warmth. It was the end.

"I remember you."

Ten years ago, Elizabeth remembered joy. It was a simple color of orange, tinted with bits and bits of yellow. It smelled sweet, mixed with the faint scent cinnamon and spice. The streets of Liones, she recalled, was cheerful, full of smiles and pure happiness. Once, she secretly snuck out the castle, exploring the singing kingdom streets. Her sister, Veronica, had reluctantly gave in to her whims, their hands held together tightly as Griamore was dragged along behind.

"Ellie, never let go of my hand, okay?" Veronica had said, little Elizabeth trotting beside her.

The three of them wandered around, Griamore using his allowance to buy snacks for the princesses. At a distance, a simple soft hum, mixing in with the music of delight played by the street performers can be heard.

This was what became little Elizabeth's view of Liones. A beautiful, gentle place to be. It was a view that she could not ever forget, forever kept in her thumping heart.

So when the kingdom faced the coup d'etat staged by the holy knights, Elizabeth was shocked and confused. Her father and sister probably felt the same way, Elizabeth assumed as she scurried away through the castle's secret passages (she could hear Liones making a deep hum of sorrow, it was crying so desperately and Elizabeth's heart clenched with despair). The holy knights were meant to protect, after all, not to hurt. They were the guardians of the people.

At least, that was what she had assumed.

It was very confusing and scary, trekking through the lands of her kingdom in a suit of armor too big for her shoulders. Everything simply went too fast, it was hard for Elizabeth to keep up.

Each step the princess took felt incredibly heavy, and sometimes she couldn't help but break out crying. She was so, so scared. Absolutely petrified because there was no one she could depend on during her journey, following a ghost legend (but she knew it was real, it had to be real).

At one point of her journey, she settled at the outskirts of a forest, near a tiny village with many people. Seeing the children play and adults going on with life made her smile gently, until sadness seeped into her heart at the thought that the effects of the coup will reach here, too. Closing her eyes shut, she tried to squeeze the tears away. She had to be strong, strong for the kingdom, and strong for the people-

"Have you heard of the Five Sacred Swords?" Elizabeth blinked at the voices, spotting a small group of merchants and farmers chatting about.

"That old legend? I heard it's something from… You know, that kingdom nearby?"

"Maybe, though I heard that some queen went and found the swords, bringing peace back to her kingdom again. Tough woman, huh!"

Bringing peace back to her kingdom again.

Slowly getting up, Elizabeth stood, wobbling slightly on her feet. Mustering her strength, she continued her journey to find the Seven Deadly Sins.

She later heard more about that legend, different variations from different people. It later came to her that they were probably telling about the same story… Just with different words. Apparently, though, it was a folklore from Camelot, the fledgling kingdom that was turning stronger and stronger over the years. Some people said it had to do with the origins of the kingdom itself, others said that it was just a bedtime story for children, giving courage to the young. But to Elizabeth, it was a mantra, something to keep her moving.

When she was tired, she would listen closely to the elders mustering up their inner poets, telling the story of the Five Sacred Swords. When she was upset, she would try telling the story to herself, trying to find some sort of hope within the distant nights. Sadly, no one remembered the name of the queen of the legend.

"During hard times, people called her Strength, the power from the heart and mind," an old granny said. She was a traveler from Camelot. "Other, sad, times, she was known as Compassion. But most of all, they called her Light, the shimmer of hope within Pandora's box."

It would be nice, Elizabeth thought, if the legend was real. The children's eyes were sparkling when the story was told, some jumping up to their feet with newfound strength.

"I'm going to become a holy knight! And I'll protect the princesses of the kingdom!"

Elizabeth made a small chuckle, exhaustion creeping up to her as her vision darkened.

It would be nice… If I could spark those lights in the eyes of the children as well, like that queen from Camelot.

She cried softly herself to sleep, another day waiting to break.

And when it did, Elizabeth's armor creaked under the pressure, her arms and legs so sore from days and days of aimless walking. All around her was grassland, browning at the edges but still bright and strong.

"The Seven…" She muttered, sweat gathering up between her brows as she made another step. Her vision spun as she stumbled forward, nearly tripping to her knees. Aching, she swallowed and pressed forward. There was no space to stop.

She had to move on, just like Strength, who found the Sacred Swords and saved the kingdom. And hopefully… Her people would be freed.

-.-.-

"Hey, Lord Meliodas?" Elizabeth started, knitting her hands together.

"Yeah?"

"Have… You ever heard of the legend of the Five Sacred Swords?"

Meliodas blinked, positioning the bottles of ale on the shelf. "Five Sacred Swords? I think I did. It's about Camelot or something."

Elizabeth nodded. "To be honest… Before I came here and found you and Hawk, I had a long journey…"

Meliodas made a light laughter. "I remember, in that rusting old armor, right?"

She chuckled softly. "Yes, in that armor."

Placing a mug of ale on the table, Meliodas sat across her, a smug look on his face. "So, what about it?"

Elizabeth hummed, brushing her hair to the back of her ear. "Well, during my journey, I heard the story time to time, by travelers and merchants I come by. And, you see… The queen of the story was searching for the Sacred Swords, and when she found them, she brought peace back to her kingdom again. And-well, during the time I was traveling, I guess it's like a symbol of hope to me."

Meliodas nodded. "Like something to push you forward, so you won't give up."

"Yes, like that," Elizabeth said, "it helped me a lot… And, well, there would be these children listening to the stories, and their eyes would be sparkling with so much admiration and light. And I thought… It would be really nice, if, well…" She trailed off, unsure what to say next.

Meliodas's lips were pressed into a thin line, listening with great patience as the princess tried to explain herself. Rubbing his thumb on the metal part of the mug's handle, Meliodas opened his mouth, then closed it. Then he opened it again and spoke with a quiet voice.

"The queen… Wasn't alone, during her journey."

Elizabeth blinked at his words.

Meliodas took a deep breath, later grinning at her. "She had a lot of great friends, and they helped her a lot, as much as she had helped them. Though, since it is a very old legend, not a lot of people remember them."

"Her friends…?"

"Yeah," Meliodas nodded in confirmation, a soft, gentle look on his face, "the Guardians of Camelot. It's kinda like a dead legend, but even so, they're just as important as the queen, yeah?"

Elizabeth chuckled, smiling brightly as she agreed.

Even if no one knew, no one remembered, they were still just as important. The queen was just all of that combined... Like when you have too much too thank for so you thank the goddesses instead, clasping your hands together as you say your prayers (Veronica holding their hands together so tightly, "Never let go of my hand, okay?").

("Ellie won't!" She grinned cheekily, her tiny hands wrapped around by her sister's. "Ellie won't let go, promise!")

-.-.-

Gentle sunlight fell upon the lands of Britannia, the cool air warming up from the night. Gazing outside of the window, she made a soft hum. It was a short and simple tune, one she heard long ago, wandering on the streets of Liones. At that thought, Elizabeth wondered if she ever met Meliodas and the sins ten years ago, when she was still in the castle, when things were still alright and fine.

The castle, the kingdom. Margaret, Veronica… Father.

Fear had always been right by her side, Elizabeth came to acknowledge that. It was her first time traveling alone, crossing fields within a suit of armor she wasn't used to wearing. Each step she made was filled with anxiety and anticipation - when would she be caught? What if all hope would be lost? Thoughts of worry had constantly nagged her tired mind.

She closed her eyes, letting the warmth sink into her very soul.

"But then I met Lord Meliodas," a soft whisper escaped her lips, breaking the silence within the vacant bar. "But then I met Lord Meliodas," she said again, as if to remind herself. She placed her hands over her head, elbows pressed against the wooden table. Small and happy tears escaped Elizabeth's eyes, the droplets making its way down and down and… And saving the kingdom did not seem like a far fetched dream anymore.