Hello! As some of you may know, I usually write Hetalia Oneshots, but I have recently received a request to do one for Seven Deadly Sins. It's a pretty great anime and I recommend you watch it if you haven't seen it. I hope you guys enjoy! 
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King drifted listlessly over the lush forest of Galicia.

The sun washed the landscape in waves of warmth; it flooded the gorgeous forest with golden rays. Streams babbled, insects hummed and birds flitted between the trees. The flora was nothing short of marvelous. Towering, ancient trees rose above all else, resembling royalty. They were adorned with necklaces of ivy and tufts of honey-hued moss. Their leafy plumes swayed in the wind.

King drifted back and forth. His short auburn hair was flattened back by the smooth winds, allowing the sunlight to give his face a distinguished glow.

Despite the perfect day, his mind was stormy. Harlequin's face was frozen in the brooding glare of a gothic statue. He scowled at the mosaic of grass and flowers, like a gargoyle's stoic vigil over a sparkling city.

Diane will never love me... She's too crazy for Meliodas. What will I do?!

King clutched his signature pillow between two balled fists. He steered Chastiefol, his sacred treasure, just above the canopy. He glided on the puffy green cushion, winding through patches of twigs and leaves that jutted from the canopy. To avoid the dangling branches, King flew like a bird of prey, employing swift maneuvers. Normally, such fantastic flying would have delighted him, however, his mind was far too cluttered to indulge in any merriment.

"Help me!!!"

A plea burst from beneath the sea of green. The voice was feminine and fairly close. King could hear a faint grumbling trail each cry. The Fairy King blinked, dispersing the heavy gloom.

King swept low, barely scraping the grass blades, and hovered. The deep rumbles grew louder until they evolved into a series of throaty growls. The deep, raspy sound intensified with every passing second. It was almost as if it was... Moving.

The cries were erratic and frantically exhaled through choked breaths.

"Help! Help me, please!"

Another rumbling roar pierced the usual woodland ambiance. King could feel its low vibrations sink deep into his chest. The cold, heavy atmosphere pressed its weight onto his shoulders. Anxiety and anticipation smothered the warmth of the forest, the birds had become mute.

Despite the grim circumstances, King  was successful in maintaining his cool confidence.

King glared at the corridor of trees lining either side of him. He cautiously studied it for any hint towards the source of this chaos.   Branches were broken somewhere off to his left.  King turned his head to sharpen the sounds. Leaves were thrashed in a thicket bordering the wall of trees. A girl came bounding out of the woods, terror etched into every feature on her face.

"Help me please!" She shrieked.

That's definitely our damsel in distress...

CRACK!

The wall of trees to the girl's left exploded in a shower of splinters and shredded leaves. Dust and dirt were thrown into the air. Powerful paws plodded against the clawed ground. A snarling silhouette cast its shadow over the two.

The dust sank back down around their feet. Silence lingered over the uncanny scene. King could barely comprehend what creature was placed before him.

A gigantic lion loomed over both of them in a ready stance. Its once golden mane was matted, tangled with sticks and dotted with leaves. Its muscular frame led up to a boulder-sized head. Where the beast's tail should have been was a scaly red scorpion stinger. The stinger coiled around one of the lion's hind legs.

It's a Manticore! They've been extinct for centuries!

That was not the strangest thing.

As the creature gathered its surroundings, a beam of sunlight shone unto its face. King spied a flash of red. A familiar symbol appeared on its forehead, a red hog. The manticore slid out of the light. The boar symbol receded along with the rays.

The monster sniffed the air. It locked eyes with King. The eyes were the size of bowling balls and were webbed with pulsing veins. A keen intelligence lurked behind those eyes. They shifted back and forth, sizing up the meal before them. The manticore's snarling had begun.

King whispered over his shoulder. "Miss, listen to everything I say."

The girl modded her head violently. She had not dared to utter a sound.

"Back away slowly until you reach the tree line, hide. If you value your life, you will not run."

The manticore's stinger unwound itself from around its owner's ankle. It slithered across the ground for a moment, before snapping into the striking position. It hovered in the air, before piercing the ground where King once stood. King had evaded the blow by casually stepping to the side.

"You'll have to do better than that." King taunted.

The manticore gnashed it razor-like teeth together. It made a point of flashing it's fangs, clearly an aggressive gesture.

The stinger was ripped from the ground in a fury. Its tear-shaped tip was aimed at King's head.The manticore dented the ground over and over in a vain attempt to impale King. The savage reared back its stinger for another barrage of lethal strikes.

"Chastiefol!" King summoned his weapon. The puffy, inconspicuous pillow morphed into a slender spear.

The air screeched as the stinger rocketed downwards.

CLANG!

King felt the impact squeeze the air from his lungs. Loyal Chastiefol had rebutted the devastating blow.

The manticore stumbled backwards, crumpling sprigs. The brute rattled its head violently. Flecks of dirt were flung from its mane in a shower of grime.

The Fairy King leapt into action, launching himself into the air. He was propelled above the beast's yellowed teeth. The manticore paced below him. It licked its maw with anticipation.

King was perched on top of Chastiefol. He swayed back and forth, taunting the manticore.

What are you doing, Harlequin! That girl needs you!

"Oh, alright." He huffed to himself.

He took a few moments to assess the situation. Piece by piece a plan assembled itself.

King spotted red boar mark. Dipping the tip of the spear towards the tattoo, he rushed downwards.The Fairy King descended rapidly. He was nearly ten feet away from the beast when he felt a force rush towards him. With a deep breath, he braced himself.

A blur of fur and claws struck his body with an impressive force.

King felt the snap from deep in his bones. The thin frame of the Fairy King  had collided with a slab of bark. He slid down the side of a great oak.

The manticore's eyes gleamed with a malicious delight. It knew it had a meal. It advanced upon King's crumpled body, triumphant. A wave rancid breath washed over Harlequin. He choked on the foul odor.

Only a few more seconds...

The colossal feline leaned onto its hind-legs, compounding energy for the lightning-strike, the death-blow.

The mangy beast had unknowingly crept into the sun's rays. The red boar blazed in the column of light. There it was, the shot he was waiting for.

"Chastiefol, ninth configuration."

King wheezed as he whispered his orders to the weapon.

The legendary spear, with its regal build, collapsed in on itself. Within a moment, three stubby kunai rested on King's palm.

The manticore thrust off the ground, its dagger-like claws aimed at King.

"Checkmate."

Using his powers, King flung the kunai at the beast. All three blades had been expertly sunk into the manticore. They formed a triangle over the red boar tattoo. 

As the short blades sank into the manticore's flesh, the beast began to petrify. Jagged streaks of stone slithered from each wound, engulfing the manticore in an inescapable coffin.
At last, the fearsome creature had met its end.

King, with teetering and wobbling, eventually was able to stand upright.

"You can come out now!" King called.

He drifted over to where he had sent the girl to hide. King clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the scraping of his ribs.

King spotted a shoe poking out from one of the bushes to his right. Floating toward the bush, he could hear whimpers coming from behind the quivering leaves. Harlequin gently pushed apart the bush. There he saw the girl from before.

Now he had a chance to really look at her. She had a cute face, despite the stress. (E/c) eyes, (h/c) hair, and rosy cheeks. She wore a blue farm-dress and a sun hat; both items were ripped and stained brown with soil.

For the second time, King felt like the air had forced from his lungs.

"I'm glad to see you're safe, miss..."

No reply.

A sinking feeling over took him. King's eyes widened with intense shock, his mouth flopped open, and his mind ran rampant.

"Oh, for the love of Diane! I killed her! What am I going to do!? What will I say!? What will Captain say!?"

"Mmn" A faint, muffled moan slipped out from behind the bush.

Harlequin halted his ranting, swallowing his fears. Tentatively, he crept over to the puff of leaves. Just as before, King cautiously combed the leaves apart. He extended a hand towards the young woman. With his hand on her arm, he shook her carefully. After a few rattles, he then retracted the hand.

Anxiety, excitement, and dread all began to well in his chest. He felt as though he could explode.

A moment or two passed. Finally, her eyelids fluttered.

King gulped in some air. All of his worries had flooded out from him. She was alive.

"Chastiefol, fourth configuration... " He sighed before continuing. "Mossy the bear."

Chastiefol withdrew from the manticore's head, hovered in air, and spun together to form a giant green teddy bear. The pillow waddled over and gingerly scooped her up with two big, squishy arms. It cradled the girl against its belly.

     "Alright, Chastiefol."

    The pillow floated upwards, ascending above the tree line. King floated up along side the bear.

    As they began to fly forwards, King cast his glance down towards the manticore. He watched as the solid stone began to decay. The crumbling started from the mane, chipping it's way down to the claws. Moments later the great beast became an inconsequential pile of dust. After all, nothing can survive the power of the holy tree.

    A few hours later the girl regained consciousness. She was laying in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, with an unfamiliar guy.

    King was reclined in a seat next to her bed. He was asleep, mumbling things and drooling.

    The girl used some of her precious energy to lean forward and tap him on the shoulder. Her arms were heavy and spiked with pain at every movement.

    King stirred a bit.

    "Excuse me?" The girl spoke, barely above a whisper.

     The Fairy-King was jolted from his slumber. He blinked once or twice before wiping his chin. Slowly, he rubbed his eyes. As he opened them his face began to shine with excitement.

    "You're alive!" He squeaked. He paused a moment, calmed down and tried again. "I-I mean, I'm glad to see you're awake."

    "What happened? It feels like someone stuffed my head in a nut-cracker."

    "I was taking a trip through the forest when I heard you screaming. I came to help and a huge manticore popped out. I killed him, but before the battle was over, you had passed out."

    The girl was prepared to say something when a fleet feet began marching up the stairs.

    "What's all the commotion?"

    A small, blonde boy was leaned against the doorway, a small crowd jammed behind him. 

    "So... Who's this?" The boy let his words linger. A cheeky smile was painted on his face.

    "I'm (Y/n), from Northern Britannia." The girl introduced herself calmly.

    It was King's turn to introduce himself. In a puff of smoke, King transformed into his plump, bearded form.

    "I am Harlequin, King of the Fairies. I'm honored to properly meet you."

    Her kissed her hand before changing back to his original, boyish visage.

     "You're lucky it was me who found you. Who knows what would have happened if Captain Meliodas had instead."

    (Y/n) winced as Meliodas held his hands out side-by-side and mimed a squeezing motion.

   "Sir Meliodas!" A silver-haired girl yipped at Meliodas. She blushed and skittered down the stairs.

    "Gotta' go. Lady troubles." Meliodas winked and walked after her.

King turned back to the pretty young woman.

    "I'd hate to pry, but why were you out there anyway?"

    (Y/n) gazed out the window.

    "Honestly, I have no idea. I just woke up there with no memory... Except... Except the image of a red boar. Then that ugly-lion-thingy leaped out of the trees and attacked me."

    The image of the boar-symbol flashed across King's mind.

    "That can't be a coincidence..."

    "There's always a backstage to the play."

    King felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth.
    
    "You wouldn't happen to know a Henry Cohen would you?"

    (Y/n) drew her attention from the window, scanning King's face.

    "No...Why do you ask?"

    King shrugged his shoulders.

    "I knew him some time ago..."

    While they were distracted by their conversation, Ban slipped in the door way. He smirked at the entranced look in King's eyes.

     "Who would have thought a monster could bring people together. They usually rip them apart." Ban chuckled.

    King's eyes strayed to the black-haired woman in the doorway. Merlin. She been silently observing the two the whole time.

    Without breaking eye contact with King, Merlin spoke.

    "Yes, very intriguing..."

    As she spun to the left and began to walk away, King spotted a peculiar, and familiar, twinkle of Crimson on her neck. A glimpse of four hooves and a curly tail...