AN: I don't own The Slayers, I just play in the sandbox.
Supported on one side by her husband, Petry, and the other by her sister, Anga, Eica gasped in surprise.
"Are you okay?" Petry, asked, causing Lucia to turn to regard the three.
"My waters have broken." She whispered.
Lucia grinned at her daughter-in-law. "A good omen." She told her.
Eica's face reddened as her grip on Petry's hand tightened as her face balled up in pain as another contraction enveloped her. Lucia looked at the fortress that was looming on the horizon. It was hard to see it in the dead of the moonless night, but if luck was on their side then that meant that Hoarden could not see them approach. "We're sitting ducks like this. We have to keep moving, even through the pain."
Eica's brilliant blue eyes set determinedly as, supported by her husband and sister, she continued forward. Lucia continued her trek, and from behind her she heard Eica mutter to Petry, "I hate you. And I am going to kill you for doing this to me!"
Lucia smiled as she walked forward, recalling how quickly women forgive and forget. Around her followed most of the townspeople from Biar. It had been sometime after Petry was born that the water that had made Biar sustainable dried up, transforming life from difficult but manageable into a harsh day to day struggle for existence. Every day they went to bed hungry and thirsty, and Lucia was convinced that were it not for the supplies of water and food that Nes would bring them periodically the town would have died out. Leaving was unthinkable. The dunes were even drier than the town, and walking among them was suicide. They were trapped in Biar. How Nes was able to navigate them was a mystery.
It was her daughter, Ynezza, had discovered that the reason the town had dried up was because a sorcerer named Hoarden had found the aquifer that fed the town and diverted it to a fortress he had built to keep it all to himself.
The townspeople were naturally furious, and quickly they formed a battalion to take down Hoarden. Only the youngest of the children and the oldest and frailest of the townspeople were left behind. Lucia glanced at her remaining family. She had buried her husband years ago, as well as many children who simply had not survived the sheer brutality of the life they were born into. Her sainted mother had succumbed many years ago as well, and she had never known her father. No, all that was left of her family was her surviving children, Petry, Ynezza and Larsa, and between the three of them there was a handful of grandchildren. Unfortunately, more had perished than survived.
When Eica's pains had started hours before they left it seemed as if the gods were smiling on their quest and their luck had finally turned. Her waters breaking was further proof that the gods were on their side. There was little doubt in Lucia's mind that they would be victorious.
Lucia patted the hilt of the Sword of Light and smiled as the fortress grew larger and more distinct. Her children had had to grow up under the burden of hunger and thirst. But not her grandchildren.
Fortunately Hoarden lived alone. And fortunately he was not a skilled fighter. Lucia was a skilled swordswoman and she wielded the legendary Sword of Light. While Hoarden did put up a fight, it was nothing she could not handle. She easily absorbed and deflected the spells he lobbed at her and sent them back to him while, in the corner of the great hall, Petri defended his laboring wife.
When the infant's cries echoed through the hall Lucia grinned. It was time to finish Hoarden. She knew he wouldn't surrender. There was a raging group of townspeople ready to tear him from limb to limb. Literally. They only way he would surrender to defeat was through death. And Lucia was ready to grant it to him.
Lucia lunged, cornering Hoarden, and before he could finish the spell he was chanting, she brought the sword to his neck and swiftly decapitated him. The townspeople cheered. Lucia sheathed her sword and walked over to Petri and his family. A tapestry had been torn from the wall, and Eica was resting on it, having gotten the infant to latch to her breast. Lucia noted with a sense of pride that he was a bit larger than average and well formed. Indeed, he would make a legendary Gunginiel Knight!
"It's another boy." Petri said proudly.
Lucia grinned as she knelt beside Eica and gazed at her new grandson. Finally, some fifty years after her mother had founded them, they had a Gunginiel Knight in the family. His tiny fist curled around Eica's finger as he stared questioningly into her eyes. "Good work. I shall let Nes know that my newest grandson was born in the midst of an epic battle, and his training shall begin immediately." Lucia told her daughter-in-law.
Eica smiled, and the pride radiated through her features, taking the edge off how shockingly pale and sickly she looked at the moment. Petry wrapped an arm around her and asked, "Do you forgive me yet, my love?"
"I'm getting there. Ask me tomorrow." She said, but when he gave her a quick kiss on the lips she returned it.
"Well done, brother." Ynezza said as she clapped Petri on the back while her eyes remained fixed on her newest nephew, while Larsa glared at Eica enviously. Her belly was still swollen, and likely her sole chance to birth a Gunginiel Knight of her own had come and gone. Lucia sympathized. Much as she wanted to, she had never managed to birth a child in the heat of a battle.
Only a child who had a mother who was brave and strong enough to undergo the agony of childbirth and a father skilled enough to protect himself and his helpless wife were deemed skilled enough to become Gunginiel Knights. Long ago the people of the Elmekian Empire found that birthing a child under such circumstances left an imprint on the child, but only if the mother, father and child all survived the battle. The circumstances of their extraordinary birth fortified them with superhuman abilities. They were stronger, their senses sharper, their abilities with a sword mythical. When Lucia's mother had found out about such children she made it her life mission to find them and recruit them into the Gunginiel Knighthood. And indeed, the Gunginiel Knights became legendary, not only for their abilities, but for their loyalty to no Emperor or duke.
Unlike other soldiers who were taught to follow orders, the Gunginiel Knights were taught to question them. They were taught to seek the truth, no matter how painful, and to defend the defenseless and not the powerful. They were taught to save lives when they could, and take them only when it was unavoidable. They were taught to weigh the consequences of their decisions, to think through which would cause the least harm.
In an empire marked by corruption, they were a beacon of goodness. The Emperor hated them. The people loved them. And women pushed themselves into battle while heavily pregnant in the hopes of birthing one.
"What are you calling him?" Lucia asked as she put a hand on the infant's back.
Eica looked at Petri, and he nodded. And though she was pale and trembling, when she spoke her voice was strong and confident, "Gourry."
Even now, some seven years after he had left his home, he could not shake the feeling that his father would kill him. From time to time the feeling that was birthed in childhood would reawaken to torment him in dreams where he would run through the barren dunes, looking for a place to hide. But there was no sanctuary from the monstrous being his father would become when provoked. In his dreams his father could ride the dunes, glide over them where a mere mortal such as Gourry would stumble and was slowed down by the difficulties of running on the soft sand. Eventually he would have to choose between being swallowed by the dunes or letting his father catch him.
His foot sank deeply, and in his haste to pick up speed he attempted to move it forward before fully wresting it from the sand and he fell face down into the dune. He turned as quickly as possible to see his father standing before him, only the features were less like his father's, and more like what Gourry would see when he looked into a mirror. The bottom fell from his stomach as the world spun, and just as he hit rock bottom his eyes opened.
He was safe and secure in a tiny attic loft. Beside him he could sense the weight and warmth of a body, and he relaxed as he remembered that he and Lina had had to share a bed. They had thought that, as they had finished their day of travel stuck in the middle of nowhere they would have to break out rations and camp out, but they happened upon a sole farmhouse owned by a kind family who offered them a place at their table and room in their attic. It was cramped but cozy.
He closed his eyes, worried that he had disturbed Lina with his nightmare. But she was still beside him, her breathing soft and even. Secure in the knowledge that she was none the wiser, he found himself relaxing further, relishing in the warmth that radiated her body, so close but so far!
It was so nice to wake up and find her beside him. He yearned to turn over and hold her until he had forgotten completely about the nightmare, but he kept still. He did not have permission to take those liberties with her. And working himself up to ask for them was exceedingly difficult, even as he knew that there was no place he wanted to be for the rest of his life other than by her side.
He turned and looked at her, propping himself up on his elbow as he did. While he had told her where he was from and that he left because his family was fighting, he didn't want to go into just how bad it was, nor how badly it could still affect him. It was his past. She was his present. And hopefully his future. He took a deep breath as his fears surged and he batted them away.
Slowly he got out of bed and pulled back the curtain and looked out the window to assure himself that there were no sand dunes outside and plenty of grass and trees. He never got tired of seeing greenery. It was the most tangible evidence that he was no longer home, that he had put it behind him. It was his present. He glanced back at Lina, who was stirring as the light hit her and his lips turned upward into a slight smile. Lina was his future, he reminded himself, if he was brave enough to seize it.
Lina's hand reached up and started to bat at the light, as though she could somehow push it away. As soon as her eyes opened he broadened his grin, "Morning sunshine."
She grabbed her pillow from beneath her head and wrapped it so it was over her face as she turned around defiantly. He chuckled. "Out of bed! Bianca is cooking breakfast and it smells good, plus we have a lot of ground to cover."
She threw the pillow at him but he managed to catch it. "What's the rush anyway?" she snarled.
"If we don't get there soon all of the grapes will be gone." He said as he tossed the pillow back at her.
She flushed slightly in her endearing manner as she focused intently on the pillow and punched it. "Idiot. We've never run out yet."
Wondering if he could push her into a full-fledged blush, he reached out a hand to her, "You ready?"
She looked at his hand out of the corner of her eye, and sure enough the blush grew, and it was thrilling to watch. Slowly she reached for it and held it firmly, and he guided her off the bed, the feel of her small, warm hand driving away the last vestiges of the nightmare from his conscious mind as sparks lighted in his belly.
Though it was incredible to think of they had never touched bare hands before. When they had grabbed hands in the past both of their hands were covered with their gloves. And even though they had kept their day clothes on, they had divested themselves of the extraneous items such as gloves before climbing into bed with each other. He looked at her, noting that the blush was consuming her features. She looked so beautiful and felt so nice that he yearned to kiss her.
He cupped her cheek and started to stroke her face, and she looked up at him, her dark eyes heavy with what he hoped was lust. She moved her chin up slightly, forcing her lips forward as if inviting him for a kiss. Entranced, he leaned forward, marveling at the perfect moment they had found themselves in.
But before his lips reached hers, a chorus of high pitched voices sounded from bellow. Lina pulled back and turned from him, hiding her face as the children of the farmers they were staying with bounded up into the tiny attic to bring them down for breakfast. Annoyance surged through him.
He took a deep breath in and slowly let it out, and forced his mind on the positives. He was out of the Elmekian Empire. He was in a land that was verdant and green. He had woken up beside Lina Inverse and managed to provoke her into turning several shades of red before breakfast. Their first kiss was something he would soon experience and something he still had to look forward to. And he still had the opportunity to get her to blush charmingly as she tried to figure out his intentions. That last one caused him to smile. He enjoying riling her up far too much, but then, she was so pretty when she was flustered!
As they made it down to breakfast and watched the family they were staying with interact together Gourry found another thing to add to his positives list. Happy families could and did exist.
"You know, I never expect much from dingy little inns like this, but after that amazing bread we had that Bianca made last night, this is especially disappointing!" Lina said even as she continued to tear into it.
Gourry finished eating his crust and leaned back in his chair, "Yeah, it's too bad we don't often come across such hospitality on our journeys. Though I don't see what can be so hard about it."
Lina's eyes widened, "Don't you know anything? Making bread is very hard! You have to spend hours kneading it, and you can't do it for too short of a time or too long of a time. After a while your hands start to cramp up something awful. Making bread is a skillful science, though. It's not surprising that so many hassled innkeepers can't pull it off."
"Wow, you seem to know a lot about it."
"One of my friends, Dana, was the baker's daughter." Lina explained, "And you know how these things run in families. For a while I tried to teach her everything I was learning about magic while she taught me about breadmaking, but I hated it just as much as she hated sorcery. Eventually I got more involved with sorcery and Dana got more involved with baking and we split ways, even before I left home."
Gourry picked up his knife and fork and started to cut into the roast chicken, wondering if now was the time to address the troublesome questions that occasionally crossed his mind, "Yeah, your mother's a sorceress, isn't she?"
"Well, she stopped her work with the guild after she settled down," Lina said as she swallowed her chicken, "I mean between raising two kids and running a store she didn't have too much time for it, and she'd much rather spend her free time reading stories than researching magic. But she'd use it occasionally to help her around the house. And one time a robber decided to target our store in broad daylight! I was five and was dusting the shelves when it happened. Mom knocked him out with a good Bomb Sprid and tied him up before my dad, who was in the supply room, even knew there was a problem."
Gourry grinned, "Sounds like that man picked the wrong store to rob!"
"Sure did!" she replied, "But at first when he came in and threatened her I was a little scared, and I knew I wanted to be able to take care of myself like she did. She took him down so easily I needn't have worried. So I started studying it, and here I am."
Thank goodness, he thought as she washed down her chicken with a sip of wine. As she grew older she started to take it more with her evening meal, replacing the juice and tea she had taken when he first met her. While she was at an awkward age then, not quite an adult, but not quite a kid, she was now undeniably an adult. While her body remained lean, there was a soft roundness to it the signaled her maturity and heralded his ability to be intimate with her without robbing the cradle.
Because the last thing he wanted was to destroy her by burdening her with his need for her. He'd seen it happen far too often in his family to risk repeating the pattern. And, as she said, these things run in families. He grabbed the soup bowl and brought it to his mouth, tipping it slightly to hide his face as he asked before slurping it, "Your mother, was she happy, raising a family and running a store after living a life on the road?"
She dropped her knife and it hit the table with a clatter as her face reddened. Safe behind the soup bowl he grinned. He was going to miss doing this to her once he put his feelings for her out in the open. "Wha-whe-where did that question come from?" she stammered as she stared deliberately at her plate.
He shrugged and lowered the bowl slightly, "Well, when you talk about her she always seems happy. It just seems like it could be hard, you know. Going from warrior to wife."
Lina considered the chicken for a bit as the blush slowly receded before she carefully cut into it, "I don't know about her adjustment, I mean, I came along years after that happened, but growing up she seemed happy and content." She thought further and added, "Though, laundry day was always hell. Why? I mean, did the women in your family not get used to it?"
Gourry set the bowl down, feeling more assured that things were as his grandmother said, "My grandmother used to say that Elmekia has a way of killing all of the joy in life."
Lina shoveled the chicken in her mouth, "Well, there's a reason I never wanted to travel to that wasteland."
Gourry smiled. He could have told her about interesting places in the Elmekian Empire, but he decided not to. He did not want to pique her curiosity. While he would follow her anywhere, he was certain that if he ever set foot in that land again the dunes would suck him in and bury him alive. He took a good sip of beer, nearly choking as a familiar smell singed his nostrils. Slowly he sat down his tankard as he wondered if he was imagining it. But no, five hundred feet from the inn and moving in the presence grew more distinct. Fortunately there was no bloodlust or sense of wrath, but he wouldn't call it friendly either.
Lina grabbed her knife and speared a chunk of potato with it as she glanced at him, "What?" she asked, noting his furrowed brow.
He took a deep breath, calling on every ounce of his training to even his breathing against the voice screaming in his head to quicken it. Eventually as he kept his breathing measured his heart rate slowed, though the door opening caused him to lose the calm he had regained.
"I think I ate a bell pepper." He said in the most idiotic tone he could manage, and fortunately Lina groaned as he focused on the figure entering the restaurant, thanking his lucky stars that Lina's back was towards the door. Undoubtedly at a glance she would have noticed the resemblance.
Fortunately, if one of his brothers had to have tracked him down, he could have done a lot worse than Mills. Gourry had lost track of the number of times his father had sworn off his two youngest sons as being a disappointment to the family. Gourry, who due to the circumstances of his birth should have been the most magnificent of them all, instead was the end of the glorious line of sons and the start of the disappointing group. Mills, while not as bad as Gourry, still could not compare to the glory that Gunther and Pollock brought him.
Mills walked in steadily, and though he barely glanced at their table Gourry had no doubt that he had been spotted. Lina lectured him on the nutritional value of bell peppers as she polished her plate while Mills headed straight for the bar and sat at it.
Gourry could no longer keep him in his line of sight, not without attracting Lina's attention. As she continued her spiel his mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do, but it was hard when the overwhelming question in his mind was why now. Why was this happening now? True, he had never wanted it to happen, but this occurring right when he wanted to take things to a new level with Lina?
Lina finished her wine and set her glass down and stretched before glancing at him. "I guess I'd better hit the sack."
He was so distracted that he did not catch the expectancy in her eyes, nor the slight look of disappointment that marred her face when he said, "Yeah, we do have a long way to go tomorrow."
"Night." She said quietly as she got up and headed to the stairs. He leaned back in his seat as he watched her go up and out of sight, listening closely to her footfalls as she finished climbing the stairs and crossed the hallway above. He focused hard, filtering out the sounds of the noisy restaurant around him and focusing on her movements above as she opened and closed the door. Satisfied that she was safe in her room he turned around and considered his brother.
Slowly he got up and crossed the distance between them and sat down beside him. Mills took a swig of ale. "Gourry." He said.
Many brothers would clasp each other in a warm greeting after being separated for so long. But the fighting and distrust that the Gabriev brothers had known their whole life made it so that Gourry did not know where he stood with Mills. So he asked the question that was weighing foremost on his mind. "How did you find me?"
"That sorceress was your undoing. We tried to track you down for years, but you'd always seemed to have just left wherever we visited. Eventually we learned that you were traveling with Lina Inverse, and Gunther figured that if you were with her for so long you must have grown attached. It was only a matter of time before you would want to do the right and noble thing and meet her family. So we put men on the road to every route that lead to Zefiel City and it finally paid off."
Gourry felt his blood run cold. "Is Father here?"
"Idiot. Do you really think he'd risk someone else taking the aquifer from him? No, he remains at home. Gunther is here, though. He's waiting for you in Fedlow."
Fedlow. He and Lina had been studying the map that afternoon. They would be there in two day's time.
Mills turned to him and put a hand on his arm, "The game is up, brother. I get what you were trying to do, but it's over. Give me the sword, lay low for a bit. I'll tell them that I killed you in a fight for it."
Usually the idea of Mills slaying him in a fight, even without the sword, would be so laughable that Gourry would have not been able to hold the giant belly laugh in. But these were strange circumstances. "Can't. The Sword of Light is not in this world anymore." Gourry touched the hilt of the Blast Blade to show Mills that he wore a different sword now. "It's gone home."
Whatever warmth remained in Mills' deep blue eyes vanished as he swore. Was it Gourry's imagination, or did Mills tremble slightly? "I was afraid of that." He muttered, "There were rumors."
Tensely Gourry wondered if they had also heard rumors about him now owning the Blast Sword. But Mills did not say anything about that. "Then there's no way around it. We're going to have to bring you home to Father, and you're going to have to take your licks. You have to face the punishment for what you did."
Something within him burned at that statement, as if he hadn't been punished enough for things he hadn't done. "Can't." Gourry said. "I've got plenty of responsibilities here."
Mills snorted into his tankard, "What, did you knock up that sorceress?"
Gourry's eyes narrowed, "I resent everything you imply with that question."
Mills laughed, "Of course, you're too noble for that." He took a deep breath and shook his head, "Do you really think you have a future with her, a happy one? You know that we Gabriev's curse the women we love dearly. Our mother found that out the hard way, and so did our grandmother."
"Aunt Ynezza was happy with Uncle Olly." Gourry argued.
"Idiot, she wasn't married to a Gabriev."
The sense of relief he felt when he asked Lina about whether or not her mother had found happiness with married life started to vanish as he thought of his mother. "Grandma always said that Elmekia poisons everything. And as since I left I've been happy she seems to be right."
"All couples start out happy." Mills said, feeding on all of Gourry's doubts. "But then the reality of a life lived together kicks in. And there's never enough to keep everyone happy."
"In Elmekia you're lucky to get the water you need." Gourry countered, "That's never a problem here."
"But it just doesn't stop at needs." Mills shot back, "Father was very good at making sure that we had all the food and water we needed. And we still wanted more."
Gourry shuddered. Unlike Gunther and Pollock, he and Mills had never known what it was like to go to bed hungry or thirsty. And even after the aqueduct had been constructed that diverted the water from the aquifer and to the town of Biar, his older brothers and his father had never been able to feel secure in the knowledge that there was now plenty. Like the sorcerer his grandmother and parents' had disposed of, they had started to hoard the precious water for themselves. "I never wanted more."
"You and your high ideals." Mills said. "You know the stories. You saw what happened to our mother. You know how Grandma couldn't talk about our grandfather with anything but loathing. We Gabrievs love our women dearly, we love them so much that we destroy them with it. We can't help what's in our nature. Best let her go and find happiness elsewhere, and come home with me."
Gourry's eyes narrowed. "You don't think Gunther will try and hurt her?"
"Why would he need to do that?" Mills asked with a shrug. "He knows it will destroy you more thoroughly when you do it yourself. Come now, brother, let's not make a scene."
Gourry stepped away from the bar. "Goodnight, Mills." He said quietly.
Fortunately Mills did not follow him as he walked to the stairs, but then Mills was the least likely of his brothers to best him in battle, and Mills would be the first to admit it. No, the damage Mills could wield was different. He caused people to doubt themselves. He was very good at it. Frighteningly good at it. As Gourry climbed up the stairs he could not help but be weighed down by his doubts over his ability to keep Lina happy as the years passed and the weight of irreversible decisions started to burden them.
He got to the top of the stairs and broadened his senses, looking for any sense of malice or bloodlust. There was none. He wondered why Mills had come to him, wasting any element of surprise they could have had with a full on attack. Unless Mills had decided to bet on Gourry still having the sword and hoped that he would hand it over to keep them out of his life? If that was the case, Mills had just made a huge tactical error, fortunately in Gourry's favor. But then, Mills always was horrible at betting.
But was Mills right about Gunther leaving Lina alone? He looked at the door to her room and focused on the presence within. She was awake and unharmed. And while he wasn't ready to tell her about the situation, he also wanted her to know to be on her guard. He knocked on the door, calling, "It's me."
She opened it, expectancy shimmering in her dark eyes. "Hey." She said as she stepped away from the door, "Come in."
She closed it behind him and he scanned the room. It was small and lit with her light spell. There was only a bed and a tiny table upon which her books and notes were strewn. As far as he could tell there was no one or nothing in there that should not be. And the window appeared to be secure. He turned to look at her. She was wearing a button up top and draw string trousers and her hair had been freshly brushed. "What's up?" she asked.
He looked into her sparkling dark eyes, so full of expectancy. He wondered what she would think if she knew just how bad the situation back home was. If she would have seconds thoughts if she knew about the depths of depravity that his closet blood relations had sunk to. If she would still look at him like this if she knew the full story, "Just keep an eye out. I saw some suspicious people in the inn."
She arched an eyebrow, "Oh?"
He felt torn between wanting to open up to her and feeling scared to. Between knowing that she needed to know the truth so she could defend herself, and scared of what she would do when she learned it. Would she leave him? He wouldn't blame her.
He needed time to work himself up to telling her everything, to figure out how best to do it. "Nothing too serious, but keep your guard up, just in case."
She looked at him with an indecipherable expression on her face, trying to make sense of his strange behavior. Eventually she smiled nervously, "This isn't some ruse to sneak into my bed for the night, is it?" she challenged with a hint of seduction in her eyes.
He felt a blush creep into his cheeks. It didn't happen often, but every now and then she managed to fluster him just as thoroughly as he did her. But she needed to understand that this wasn't a ruse. That they were in danger. He reached forward and put his hands on her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes, wanting to convey how serious he was with his gaze.
"I mean it, keep your guard up." He pulled away. He opened his mouth to say more, and then shook his head. "Night, Lina."
"Gourry, wait…"
He left before she could say anymore and closed the door behind him. He made it to his own room without incident, surprised that she was not following him and demanding an explanation. He sat on the bed and cradled his head within it as he wondered desperately what to do.
Gunther was here. He was two days away. And his wrath over learning that the Sword of Light was gone would be terrible to behold. He was in danger. And likely Lina was as well. And, no matter which way he looked at it, it seemed he would have to meet, and likely kill, another brother on the battlefield.