Slayers: CHOSEN
By Songwind
Notes- My, what an ORIGINAL title, huh? Well, I wasn't in the mood to wait around for a magnificent title to show up (I never start a story without a title for some reason), so I decided to just stick with this one.
Darian (my Muse): Not that you EVER get magnificent ideas for titles...
(Hits him over the head calmly) That's because you never GIVE me TIME to come up with one! Anyway, this is basically how the Slayers gang end up in Valdemar (many books about it by Mercedes Lackey) and have to help out with some bad guys while showing off magical skills and thus creating chaos. Oh, and they introduce dragon and demon races to Valdemar too (that is, Xellos and Filia come along ^_^). What else happens? Sore wa himitsu desu (That's a secret).
Darian- You mean you haven't a clue.
Shut UP, Darian. Erm, anyway, please enjoy and let me know what you think, OK?
~*~
Chapter One- What's Going On?! No Longer In Seyruun!
Lina rubbed her temples with her fingers, closing her eyes and trying to ignore Gourry for a few minutes so she could calm down. After all, it wasn't very polite to blow up a guest room in the royal palace of Seyruun. Prince Phil, Amelia's father, didn't really approve of Lina being there in the first place anyway. Destroying one of the best guest rooms might make him a little more than angry at her. He might decide to lecture her about JUSTICE.
And what would be worse was that Amelia would be right behind her father about the entire justice thing, but then just get them another room anyway. And Gourry would still be as stupid as he always has been.
Gourry blinked. "Lina, are you alright?"
"I have a headache right now, Gourry."
"Really? That's too bad. We're meeting everyone for that reunion tonight," he said sympathetically. "Is it the time of the month again?"
"BAKA!" She turned and hit him on the head. "NO! You don't get headaches from THAT. I can still use my magic, see?"
She was good enough not to use any destructive magic; she just levitated in the air for a moment to show Gourry she was very capable of hurting him with a Fireball if she wanted to.
Gourry, however, wasn't very good at catching subtle threats, and nodded. "Oh, good. You're always so short tempered when that happens," he said thoughtfully.
Lina, Beautiful Sorceress Genius, clenched her teeth. She forced herself to be contented with the image of Gourry being blown up by a Dragon Slave. It calmed her down a little bit and made her feel a little better, but not by much. "Gourry, here's an idea. Why don't you button your mouth shut until tonight?"
"I don't know, Lina, wouldn't that hurt?" Gourry asked worriedly. "I mean, I'd have to sew on a button and I don't think that would be very comfortable..."
Lina sighed. "I'm going for a walk."
"Great! I'll join you!" he said cheerfully. "Perhaps we'll run into someone we know!"
The sorceress was very tempted to use a Fireball then. But with a great effort she said shortly, "Fine." Then she wandered over to the mirror to make sure she didn't look as mad as she felt right then.
Her long red hair was a wild mane down to her waist, but that was normal. Her black headband was in place, at least, so it wouldn't be too out of place. She wore her normal outfit, a pink outfit with a yellow stripe across her chest area. She still wore the four talismans calling on the four Dark Lords, and her white gloves.
Gourry peered into the mirror behind her, trying to see her expression. Even after the past two years, he had his blonde hair falling almost as long as Lina's, without tying it back or anything. He wore the usual blue garb with armor, but instead of the Sword of Light he'd carried around years ago he had a sword of JUSTICE, that Amelia had kindly given to him. Since it was a gift from a friend, Gourry really didn't mind that she referred to it often and mentioned the idea of making a Hammer of Justice to go around with it. "Lina, you want to get a drink or something for your headache while we're at it?" he asked cheerfully. "Maybe we can stop by at the royal kitchen!"
The idea of food was enough to forget about her being mad at Gourry for being Gourry. "Yes!" She turned and raced out the door to head down towards the kitchen, Gourry eagerly in tow.
Lina then collided right into someone and fell back about a foot, smashing into Gourry and knocking HIM over, and they fell into a little pile on the floor. She got up quickly. "HEY! What's the- ZEL!"
Zelgadis looked down at her gravely, though there was also a hint of amusement in his voice. "Hello, Lina. I see you haven't changed much."
Lina grinned. "It's great to see ya, Zel! Um... any luck?" she asked.
He pulled back his hood, lowered his mask and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I've been wandering around in circles for the past year," he said shortly. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"Sure, sure. Hey, have you talked to Amelia yet?"
"Yes. Actually, I'm surprised I managed to get away from her so quickly. She looked a little preoccupied." He glanced at Gourry. "I see you got a new sword."
Gourry pulled it out and swung it around. "Yeah. Amelia gave it to me. She called it the Sword of Justice."
"And she's going to make a Hammer of Justice," Lina said dryly.
"Good gods, she needs to give it a rest," Zelgadis said, exasperated.
"Well, at least she's doing something productive," Lina pointed out. "I'm sure some blacksmith is going to be bestowed with a new hammer sometime soon. Who knows, when Filia gets here she might make a Mace of Justice so she can REALLY hurt Xellos when HE shows up."
"Maybe she can get ME a Sword of Justice, then, if it would really hurt him," Zelgadis said with a smirk.
"Has he been annoying you?"
"More than you know. HE'S the one who's been leading me in circles. The thing is, I don't listen to him, and I end up going in circles. However, when I DO listen to him, I ALSO go in circles. The only difference is that it's a different circle."
Lina chuckled. "Then he hasn't changed a bit. Is he coming?"
"No doubt. With Filia coming he's certain to come. After all, Xellos would never want to pass up a chance to annoy Filia. Where are you two headed?"
"Down to the kitchens," Lina said.
"I should have known."
"You want to come along?" Lina asked.
"No thanks. I already ate. I'm just going to walk around for a while."
"You sure? Alright. See you tonight at the banquet, then."
Lina and Gourry watched him walk away, then Lina shook her head. "Poor guy. Still a chimera after searching for, what, three or four years at least? You'd think he'd find a way to turn back into a human by now..."
Zelgadis hadn't really changed. He still had his light violet hair that was impossible to deal with, and blue skin that looked like it had little pebbles on certain parts of it. He wore his usual outfit that covered just about everything but his head.
"Well, are we going to eat now?" Gourry asked curiously.
Lina found it very satisfying to hit him over the head. "Jellyfish brains," she muttered. "Come on."
They resumed making their way down to the kitchens, but this time walked instead of running.
When they made it down there, they spent a good hour eating the royal cooks out of house and home, then decided to walk around outside so the cooks wouldn't hurt them for eating so much.
"Ah, I feel better," Lina said, stretching as they walked.
"Miss Lina!" came a girl's voice from behind them.
Lina turned. "Ah, Amelia!"
Amelia, the Princess of Seyruun, came running up to her, excited. "Filia's coming, Miss Lina! The guards can see her flying in now!"
"Great! We'll come greet her!" Lina said.
The group headed towards the gates, and made it just as Filia landed. They waited a moment for Filia to transform herself from her dragon form into her human shape. She was dressed in her old priestess outfit, but without the crest that showed she was actually a priestess.
"Miss Lina, Mister Gourry, Miss Amelia!" Filia said delightedly. "It's so wonderful to see you all again!"
"How have you been, Filia?" Lina asked, smiling.
"Oh, the shop's getting along pretty well. Valgaav's watching it while I'm gone for this."
"Valgaav? But he's only two years old, isn't he?" Lina asked.
"Well... in human years, yes. But the Ancient Dragon race grows very quickly, Miss Lina. To a human eye, he looks and has the maturity of a twelve-year-old boy."
"Twelve year old? I'm not too sure, Filia. Most twelve-year-olds aren't that mature," Lina said worriedly.
"Oh, Valgaav is fairly mature. CERTAIN people haven't corrupted him TOO much yet..." She glared up at the sky.
"You mean a certain Mazoku?" Lina guessed, grinning. "So he's been annoying you, too? Zelgadis said he's been annoying HIM for the past couple years too."
"I don't understand why he can't just leave me alone!" Filia said, exasperated. "Why, he is such a bad example for Val! I mean, he keeps trying to get Val to peek at people bathing-"
"My, but he's at that age you know," came a voice from behind the group. "I'm merely helping him with his education, Filia!"
Filia shrieked and pulled out her Mace. "DIE, NAMAGOMI!"
Xellos took the blow to the head, grinning. "Hello, Filia. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't make it. You've been putting on so much weight lately, after all, that I thought you might be too out of shape to make the flight-" he was knocked over by the next blow. "You're in a wonderful mood, aren't you?" he stated cheerfully. "Now, Filia, you really ought to control yourself in public, though." He was hit again, and just grinned more.
"UGH!" Filia growled and stalked away with her Mace still in her hands.
"Well, at least we know you two haven't changed much," Lina remarked dryly.
"Of course not, my dear Lina!" Xellos said, getting up and dusting himself off.
"I heard you've been harassing Zelgadis and Filia a lot lately."
"Me? No, never," he protested. "I'm helping Zelgadis around, that's all. And I AM helping young Val with his education."
Lina rolled her eyes. "RIGHT, Xellos, right," she said.
"Oh, Mister Xellos, I'm so happy you could come!" Amelia said with stars in her eyes.
Xellos fell over.
"It's wonderful to know you have time to come to the wonderful Kingdom of Justice to sing our favorite songs with us at dinner tonight!"
"Uh... right..." He rubbed his forehead with a hand. "Amelia, would you mind?"
"No, of course not!" She pulled out a microphone and started singing about happiness and justice.
Xellos started squirming uncomfortably on the ground while Amelia sang happily. Lina, Gourry, and Filia (who had come back during the singing) clapped appreciatively when she finished. Xellos groaned.
"You deserved that," Filia observed.
"I didn't do anything," he mumbled, rubbing his head and getting up, again dusting himself off.
"Well, let's go in and find Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia said. "We can all get the banquet cooking sooner than planned!"
Lina and Gourry cheered, Filia smiled faintly, and Xellos just ^_^.
~*~ Later ~*~
Lina leaned back in her chair. "Aaah!" she sighed, stretching her arms over her head. "That was great, Amelia."
"I'm so glad you liked it, Miss Lina!" Amelia said happily, glowing. "The cooks have been planning for this night for the past month, getting food and such!"
"Wow, that much preparation huh?" Lina asked.
"Well, yeah, considering you and Mister Gourry were coming," Amelia answered.
Lina sweat-dropped. "Uh..."
"Yes, well, why don't we all walk around outside in the courtyard?" Amelia asked, clapping her hands. "We can talk about everything!"
The group agreed. Xellos sat there sipping his drink of water (he hadn't touched the food) and looked up. "Is there a chance we could walk on the outer parts of the palace grounds?" he asked hopefully.
"What for, Mister Xellos?"
He wagged a finger. "Sore wa himitsu desu!"
Everyone fell over. Zelgadis grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "What are you up to, Xellos?" he growled.
"Nothing!" Xellos replied innocently.
"I'm warning you..."
"I just want some ice cream, jeez," Xellos said, pouting slightly.
Everyone fell over again.
"Fine, then," Amelia said. "It's only late afternoon, the ice cream places should still be open!"
Xellos grinned. "Then I shall be happy to accompany you!"
Filia picked up her mace, muttering. Zelgadis glared, then dropped Xellos and turned away.
~*~ A few minutes later ~*~
After Xellos got his ice cream, the group wandered around the palace grounds, talking about little things they'd done for the past couple of years. Filia talked enthusiastically about her antique and mace shop, and Xellos would add his own ideas about it. Then of course, Filia would hit him on the head with her mace, and he'd go back to his ice cream. Amelia talked about how they'd made more alliances with smaller kingdoms, showing them the way of JUSTICE. Lina told them about her beating up bandits.
Zelgadis walked along a little behind the group, his arms folded. His mask was up again, and he stared at the ground in front of him.
The group finally finished talking when the sun was setting. Amelia glanced up at the sky. "We'd better head back to the castle. Tomorrow's an early day for the people of JUSTICE!" she said, striking a pose.
The group sweat-dropped. "Right, of course, Amelia," Lina said, shrugging.
They headed towards the castle when a sound from the nearby woods made them all pause. It wasn't a sound from any animals in the woods, either.
Gourry unsheathed his sword and Zelgadis touched the hilt of his. Filia hefted her mace. Amelia prepared a speech for justice, and Lina prepared a spell in her mind. Xellos hung back, watching curiously while finishing yet another ice cream (his fifth).
"Ripping the stars apart..."
Lina quickly began to mutter a spell for protection.
"...Searching the heavens..."
Zelgadis tightened his grasp on his sword, readying the spell for enchanting his sword.
"...Thou shalt be sent..."
Xellos tilted his head, frowning slightly. It wasn't a spell he'd heard before, and he still couldn't see the person- or whatever- that was saying the spell.
"FLEEING WORLD!"
There was a bright light suddenly, and Lina and the others had to shield their eyes...
~*~
When Lina opened her eyes, she couldn't believe what she saw.
She was still standing in the same position as she had been when trying to shield her eyes from that weird light, but she wasn't standing on a paved path in Seyruun.
In fact, there wasn't a single paved path to see. They were surrounded by woods.
Lina turned to see the others standing around her, looking equally bewildered. "Is everyone alright?" she demanded.
Everyone nodded, and cautiously looked around.
"Where are we?" Zelgadis demanded.
"Hmm. Fleeing World," Xellos said thoughtfully. "An interesting spell. It appears we are far away from Seyruun."
"No, really?!" Lina shouted at him. "The question is where we ARE, not where we AREN'T!"
"Well, if we're not in Seyruun that's one possibility we don't have to consider for the answer," he answered glibly.
"FIREBALL!"
Xellos shrugged the spell off.
"Well, no matter where we are, I can't recognize anything around here," Zelgadis stated. "Even the trees are different."
Lina looked around more carefully and realized that Zelgadis was right. True, they WERE trees and grasses. However, the trees were huge, reaching high up into the sky and thicker at the base than any trees she'd ever seen. The grasses' shades of green looked a little... off, too, on closer inspection.
"Wow. We must at least be on the other side of the world!" Lina said, amazed.
"Hmm. I don't think that's the spell's meaning," Xellos said.
"What do you mean?"
"It was called 'fleeing world'. My guess is that we are on an entirely different planet," he said, shrugging.
"And even THAT doesn't upset you?!" Lina shouted.
"Not really. I mean, if we could come here, then we can easily go back, right?" he said.
"Arrrrghh..." Lina growled, clenching her fists.
"Oh, my, did I say something wrong?" Xellos asked.
"Just shut up, Xellos, before you get hurt," Lina answered.
"If you wish."
"Hmm. So should we assume he's right?" Amelia asked.
"Well, wherever we are, I think our spells still work," Lina answered. "I mean, my Fireball worked fine."
"We should test some other spells," Zelgadis suggested. "That way we won't be surprised if we have to fight anyone here. After all, the people here- if there are any- may or may not be hostile towards strangers."
"Hmm."
"Let's just keep it at defensive spells, though," Zelgadis said quickly. "No need to Dragon Slave the entire area."
"I suppose you're right. I can just Fireball them or something."
"Well, we're not getting anything done by just sitting here," Amelia said. "I'll go above the trees and look for a town or something. Levitation!"
Amelia floated upwards towards the sky. The others watched her, sometimes looking around themselves in case someone or something might be approaching.
"Amelia, see anything?" Lina yelled up.
"There's a town not too far from here!" Amelia called down. "I think we can make it today on foot if we wish. It looks to be about midday now."
"Well, that's a stroke of luck, at least," Lina said. "Let's hope the people there are friendly-"
"Oh!"
The group turned.
A woman was sitting on a deer with a hand to her mouth in surprise. She stared at them with wide eyes. She had a long braid of blonde hair over one shoulder and her eyes were blue-green. She wore a green tunic and some doeskin breeches, and some boots of a material Lina couldn't place.
As for the deer...
Lina looked down to see that the deer was a very deformed one. It had four legs, hooves, and antlers. However, the antlers didn't branch off, and its head looked different. It looked... intelligent.
:Why, thank you,: came a dry voice.
"WHAT?!" Lina shouted in surprise.
"Lina, what is it?" Gourry asked, readying his sword.
"I... you didn't hear that?" Lina asked incredulously.
"Hear what?"
:He cannot hear me. I think, however, that the rest of you can.:
"Ack!" Lina pointed at the deer. "You're talking in my head!"
"Miss Lina's gone mad, hasn't she?" Filia asked worriedly.
:If she has, then everyone here but the swordsman there is insane as well,: the voice said to Filia.
"WHA?!"
:Calm down, and stop talking aloud. Think your thoughts at either myself or Keisha here. We can both Mindspeak, and apparently we speak different languages.:
:Mindspeak?: Lina asked, remembering to think it.
:No need to shout, either. Yes, Mindspeech is what we are using at this moment.:
:I thought the girl cast telepathy when I wasn't looking.:
:Cast what?:
:Telepathy. When you can link minds with each other and you can hear each other's thoughts.:
:Ah. I've not heard of that. We've only been using Mindspeech.:
:Huh, must be a new variation of Telepathy, then,: Lina decided.
:So where are we?: Zelgadis demanded, 'loudly' enough so that everyone (except Gourry) could hear him.
:You are in the forest between the Vale and Errold's Grove,: came a different voice. :I am Keisha, the local Healer. Who are all of you? And... are you ill, sir?: she addressed Zelgadis.
:I don't want to talk about it,: he thought darkly.
:My, my, Zelgadis, do be nice to the young woman here,: Xellos said cheerfully in their minds. :I am Xellos, the Mysterious Priest,: he announced with a bow.
:Hello, then, Xellos,: Keisha said gravely.
:And, what kingdom is this Errold's Grove in?: Lina asked curiously.
:In Valdemar, of course.:
:Huh. Never heard of it.:
:Huh? Everyone's heard of Valdemar.:
:We haven't. We're from Seyruun.:
:The KINGDOM OF JUSTICE!: Amelia 'declared', striking a dramatic pose. She had landed when everyone had been focusing on the girl. The girl didn't see her until she did that pose.
Everyone, including the deer, sweat-dropped.
:Well, we haven't heard of Seyruun. Is it a smaller kingdom, to the north perhaps?: Keisha asked. She was frowning slightly.
:Everyone's heard of Seyruun where we come from!: Lina said. :It's one of the largest kingdoms there is! So, apparently, Xellos' guess is correct...:
:No wonder we speak different languages then, if that's the case,: Zelgadis said thoughtfully.
:Well, I'm not sure who you all are or if you're really from this Seyruun, wherever that is, but why don't you come with me to the Vale. I can talk to Starfall, Firesong and Silverfox about this and maybe we can help you out.:
:Great! Thanks,: Lina said cheerfully.
There was a pause. Gourry then asked, "So what's going on?"
Everyone fell over.
~*~
By Songwind
Notes- My, what an ORIGINAL title, huh? Well, I wasn't in the mood to wait around for a magnificent title to show up (I never start a story without a title for some reason), so I decided to just stick with this one.
Darian (my Muse): Not that you EVER get magnificent ideas for titles...
(Hits him over the head calmly) That's because you never GIVE me TIME to come up with one! Anyway, this is basically how the Slayers gang end up in Valdemar (many books about it by Mercedes Lackey) and have to help out with some bad guys while showing off magical skills and thus creating chaos. Oh, and they introduce dragon and demon races to Valdemar too (that is, Xellos and Filia come along ^_^). What else happens? Sore wa himitsu desu (That's a secret).
Darian- You mean you haven't a clue.
Shut UP, Darian. Erm, anyway, please enjoy and let me know what you think, OK?
~*~
Chapter One- What's Going On?! No Longer In Seyruun!
Lina rubbed her temples with her fingers, closing her eyes and trying to ignore Gourry for a few minutes so she could calm down. After all, it wasn't very polite to blow up a guest room in the royal palace of Seyruun. Prince Phil, Amelia's father, didn't really approve of Lina being there in the first place anyway. Destroying one of the best guest rooms might make him a little more than angry at her. He might decide to lecture her about JUSTICE.
And what would be worse was that Amelia would be right behind her father about the entire justice thing, but then just get them another room anyway. And Gourry would still be as stupid as he always has been.
Gourry blinked. "Lina, are you alright?"
"I have a headache right now, Gourry."
"Really? That's too bad. We're meeting everyone for that reunion tonight," he said sympathetically. "Is it the time of the month again?"
"BAKA!" She turned and hit him on the head. "NO! You don't get headaches from THAT. I can still use my magic, see?"
She was good enough not to use any destructive magic; she just levitated in the air for a moment to show Gourry she was very capable of hurting him with a Fireball if she wanted to.
Gourry, however, wasn't very good at catching subtle threats, and nodded. "Oh, good. You're always so short tempered when that happens," he said thoughtfully.
Lina, Beautiful Sorceress Genius, clenched her teeth. She forced herself to be contented with the image of Gourry being blown up by a Dragon Slave. It calmed her down a little bit and made her feel a little better, but not by much. "Gourry, here's an idea. Why don't you button your mouth shut until tonight?"
"I don't know, Lina, wouldn't that hurt?" Gourry asked worriedly. "I mean, I'd have to sew on a button and I don't think that would be very comfortable..."
Lina sighed. "I'm going for a walk."
"Great! I'll join you!" he said cheerfully. "Perhaps we'll run into someone we know!"
The sorceress was very tempted to use a Fireball then. But with a great effort she said shortly, "Fine." Then she wandered over to the mirror to make sure she didn't look as mad as she felt right then.
Her long red hair was a wild mane down to her waist, but that was normal. Her black headband was in place, at least, so it wouldn't be too out of place. She wore her normal outfit, a pink outfit with a yellow stripe across her chest area. She still wore the four talismans calling on the four Dark Lords, and her white gloves.
Gourry peered into the mirror behind her, trying to see her expression. Even after the past two years, he had his blonde hair falling almost as long as Lina's, without tying it back or anything. He wore the usual blue garb with armor, but instead of the Sword of Light he'd carried around years ago he had a sword of JUSTICE, that Amelia had kindly given to him. Since it was a gift from a friend, Gourry really didn't mind that she referred to it often and mentioned the idea of making a Hammer of Justice to go around with it. "Lina, you want to get a drink or something for your headache while we're at it?" he asked cheerfully. "Maybe we can stop by at the royal kitchen!"
The idea of food was enough to forget about her being mad at Gourry for being Gourry. "Yes!" She turned and raced out the door to head down towards the kitchen, Gourry eagerly in tow.
Lina then collided right into someone and fell back about a foot, smashing into Gourry and knocking HIM over, and they fell into a little pile on the floor. She got up quickly. "HEY! What's the- ZEL!"
Zelgadis looked down at her gravely, though there was also a hint of amusement in his voice. "Hello, Lina. I see you haven't changed much."
Lina grinned. "It's great to see ya, Zel! Um... any luck?" she asked.
He pulled back his hood, lowered his mask and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I've been wandering around in circles for the past year," he said shortly. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"Sure, sure. Hey, have you talked to Amelia yet?"
"Yes. Actually, I'm surprised I managed to get away from her so quickly. She looked a little preoccupied." He glanced at Gourry. "I see you got a new sword."
Gourry pulled it out and swung it around. "Yeah. Amelia gave it to me. She called it the Sword of Justice."
"And she's going to make a Hammer of Justice," Lina said dryly.
"Good gods, she needs to give it a rest," Zelgadis said, exasperated.
"Well, at least she's doing something productive," Lina pointed out. "I'm sure some blacksmith is going to be bestowed with a new hammer sometime soon. Who knows, when Filia gets here she might make a Mace of Justice so she can REALLY hurt Xellos when HE shows up."
"Maybe she can get ME a Sword of Justice, then, if it would really hurt him," Zelgadis said with a smirk.
"Has he been annoying you?"
"More than you know. HE'S the one who's been leading me in circles. The thing is, I don't listen to him, and I end up going in circles. However, when I DO listen to him, I ALSO go in circles. The only difference is that it's a different circle."
Lina chuckled. "Then he hasn't changed a bit. Is he coming?"
"No doubt. With Filia coming he's certain to come. After all, Xellos would never want to pass up a chance to annoy Filia. Where are you two headed?"
"Down to the kitchens," Lina said.
"I should have known."
"You want to come along?" Lina asked.
"No thanks. I already ate. I'm just going to walk around for a while."
"You sure? Alright. See you tonight at the banquet, then."
Lina and Gourry watched him walk away, then Lina shook her head. "Poor guy. Still a chimera after searching for, what, three or four years at least? You'd think he'd find a way to turn back into a human by now..."
Zelgadis hadn't really changed. He still had his light violet hair that was impossible to deal with, and blue skin that looked like it had little pebbles on certain parts of it. He wore his usual outfit that covered just about everything but his head.
"Well, are we going to eat now?" Gourry asked curiously.
Lina found it very satisfying to hit him over the head. "Jellyfish brains," she muttered. "Come on."
They resumed making their way down to the kitchens, but this time walked instead of running.
When they made it down there, they spent a good hour eating the royal cooks out of house and home, then decided to walk around outside so the cooks wouldn't hurt them for eating so much.
"Ah, I feel better," Lina said, stretching as they walked.
"Miss Lina!" came a girl's voice from behind them.
Lina turned. "Ah, Amelia!"
Amelia, the Princess of Seyruun, came running up to her, excited. "Filia's coming, Miss Lina! The guards can see her flying in now!"
"Great! We'll come greet her!" Lina said.
The group headed towards the gates, and made it just as Filia landed. They waited a moment for Filia to transform herself from her dragon form into her human shape. She was dressed in her old priestess outfit, but without the crest that showed she was actually a priestess.
"Miss Lina, Mister Gourry, Miss Amelia!" Filia said delightedly. "It's so wonderful to see you all again!"
"How have you been, Filia?" Lina asked, smiling.
"Oh, the shop's getting along pretty well. Valgaav's watching it while I'm gone for this."
"Valgaav? But he's only two years old, isn't he?" Lina asked.
"Well... in human years, yes. But the Ancient Dragon race grows very quickly, Miss Lina. To a human eye, he looks and has the maturity of a twelve-year-old boy."
"Twelve year old? I'm not too sure, Filia. Most twelve-year-olds aren't that mature," Lina said worriedly.
"Oh, Valgaav is fairly mature. CERTAIN people haven't corrupted him TOO much yet..." She glared up at the sky.
"You mean a certain Mazoku?" Lina guessed, grinning. "So he's been annoying you, too? Zelgadis said he's been annoying HIM for the past couple years too."
"I don't understand why he can't just leave me alone!" Filia said, exasperated. "Why, he is such a bad example for Val! I mean, he keeps trying to get Val to peek at people bathing-"
"My, but he's at that age you know," came a voice from behind the group. "I'm merely helping him with his education, Filia!"
Filia shrieked and pulled out her Mace. "DIE, NAMAGOMI!"
Xellos took the blow to the head, grinning. "Hello, Filia. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't make it. You've been putting on so much weight lately, after all, that I thought you might be too out of shape to make the flight-" he was knocked over by the next blow. "You're in a wonderful mood, aren't you?" he stated cheerfully. "Now, Filia, you really ought to control yourself in public, though." He was hit again, and just grinned more.
"UGH!" Filia growled and stalked away with her Mace still in her hands.
"Well, at least we know you two haven't changed much," Lina remarked dryly.
"Of course not, my dear Lina!" Xellos said, getting up and dusting himself off.
"I heard you've been harassing Zelgadis and Filia a lot lately."
"Me? No, never," he protested. "I'm helping Zelgadis around, that's all. And I AM helping young Val with his education."
Lina rolled her eyes. "RIGHT, Xellos, right," she said.
"Oh, Mister Xellos, I'm so happy you could come!" Amelia said with stars in her eyes.
Xellos fell over.
"It's wonderful to know you have time to come to the wonderful Kingdom of Justice to sing our favorite songs with us at dinner tonight!"
"Uh... right..." He rubbed his forehead with a hand. "Amelia, would you mind?"
"No, of course not!" She pulled out a microphone and started singing about happiness and justice.
Xellos started squirming uncomfortably on the ground while Amelia sang happily. Lina, Gourry, and Filia (who had come back during the singing) clapped appreciatively when she finished. Xellos groaned.
"You deserved that," Filia observed.
"I didn't do anything," he mumbled, rubbing his head and getting up, again dusting himself off.
"Well, let's go in and find Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia said. "We can all get the banquet cooking sooner than planned!"
Lina and Gourry cheered, Filia smiled faintly, and Xellos just ^_^.
~*~ Later ~*~
Lina leaned back in her chair. "Aaah!" she sighed, stretching her arms over her head. "That was great, Amelia."
"I'm so glad you liked it, Miss Lina!" Amelia said happily, glowing. "The cooks have been planning for this night for the past month, getting food and such!"
"Wow, that much preparation huh?" Lina asked.
"Well, yeah, considering you and Mister Gourry were coming," Amelia answered.
Lina sweat-dropped. "Uh..."
"Yes, well, why don't we all walk around outside in the courtyard?" Amelia asked, clapping her hands. "We can talk about everything!"
The group agreed. Xellos sat there sipping his drink of water (he hadn't touched the food) and looked up. "Is there a chance we could walk on the outer parts of the palace grounds?" he asked hopefully.
"What for, Mister Xellos?"
He wagged a finger. "Sore wa himitsu desu!"
Everyone fell over. Zelgadis grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "What are you up to, Xellos?" he growled.
"Nothing!" Xellos replied innocently.
"I'm warning you..."
"I just want some ice cream, jeez," Xellos said, pouting slightly.
Everyone fell over again.
"Fine, then," Amelia said. "It's only late afternoon, the ice cream places should still be open!"
Xellos grinned. "Then I shall be happy to accompany you!"
Filia picked up her mace, muttering. Zelgadis glared, then dropped Xellos and turned away.
~*~ A few minutes later ~*~
After Xellos got his ice cream, the group wandered around the palace grounds, talking about little things they'd done for the past couple of years. Filia talked enthusiastically about her antique and mace shop, and Xellos would add his own ideas about it. Then of course, Filia would hit him on the head with her mace, and he'd go back to his ice cream. Amelia talked about how they'd made more alliances with smaller kingdoms, showing them the way of JUSTICE. Lina told them about her beating up bandits.
Zelgadis walked along a little behind the group, his arms folded. His mask was up again, and he stared at the ground in front of him.
The group finally finished talking when the sun was setting. Amelia glanced up at the sky. "We'd better head back to the castle. Tomorrow's an early day for the people of JUSTICE!" she said, striking a pose.
The group sweat-dropped. "Right, of course, Amelia," Lina said, shrugging.
They headed towards the castle when a sound from the nearby woods made them all pause. It wasn't a sound from any animals in the woods, either.
Gourry unsheathed his sword and Zelgadis touched the hilt of his. Filia hefted her mace. Amelia prepared a speech for justice, and Lina prepared a spell in her mind. Xellos hung back, watching curiously while finishing yet another ice cream (his fifth).
"Ripping the stars apart..."
Lina quickly began to mutter a spell for protection.
"...Searching the heavens..."
Zelgadis tightened his grasp on his sword, readying the spell for enchanting his sword.
"...Thou shalt be sent..."
Xellos tilted his head, frowning slightly. It wasn't a spell he'd heard before, and he still couldn't see the person- or whatever- that was saying the spell.
"FLEEING WORLD!"
There was a bright light suddenly, and Lina and the others had to shield their eyes...
~*~
When Lina opened her eyes, she couldn't believe what she saw.
She was still standing in the same position as she had been when trying to shield her eyes from that weird light, but she wasn't standing on a paved path in Seyruun.
In fact, there wasn't a single paved path to see. They were surrounded by woods.
Lina turned to see the others standing around her, looking equally bewildered. "Is everyone alright?" she demanded.
Everyone nodded, and cautiously looked around.
"Where are we?" Zelgadis demanded.
"Hmm. Fleeing World," Xellos said thoughtfully. "An interesting spell. It appears we are far away from Seyruun."
"No, really?!" Lina shouted at him. "The question is where we ARE, not where we AREN'T!"
"Well, if we're not in Seyruun that's one possibility we don't have to consider for the answer," he answered glibly.
"FIREBALL!"
Xellos shrugged the spell off.
"Well, no matter where we are, I can't recognize anything around here," Zelgadis stated. "Even the trees are different."
Lina looked around more carefully and realized that Zelgadis was right. True, they WERE trees and grasses. However, the trees were huge, reaching high up into the sky and thicker at the base than any trees she'd ever seen. The grasses' shades of green looked a little... off, too, on closer inspection.
"Wow. We must at least be on the other side of the world!" Lina said, amazed.
"Hmm. I don't think that's the spell's meaning," Xellos said.
"What do you mean?"
"It was called 'fleeing world'. My guess is that we are on an entirely different planet," he said, shrugging.
"And even THAT doesn't upset you?!" Lina shouted.
"Not really. I mean, if we could come here, then we can easily go back, right?" he said.
"Arrrrghh..." Lina growled, clenching her fists.
"Oh, my, did I say something wrong?" Xellos asked.
"Just shut up, Xellos, before you get hurt," Lina answered.
"If you wish."
"Hmm. So should we assume he's right?" Amelia asked.
"Well, wherever we are, I think our spells still work," Lina answered. "I mean, my Fireball worked fine."
"We should test some other spells," Zelgadis suggested. "That way we won't be surprised if we have to fight anyone here. After all, the people here- if there are any- may or may not be hostile towards strangers."
"Hmm."
"Let's just keep it at defensive spells, though," Zelgadis said quickly. "No need to Dragon Slave the entire area."
"I suppose you're right. I can just Fireball them or something."
"Well, we're not getting anything done by just sitting here," Amelia said. "I'll go above the trees and look for a town or something. Levitation!"
Amelia floated upwards towards the sky. The others watched her, sometimes looking around themselves in case someone or something might be approaching.
"Amelia, see anything?" Lina yelled up.
"There's a town not too far from here!" Amelia called down. "I think we can make it today on foot if we wish. It looks to be about midday now."
"Well, that's a stroke of luck, at least," Lina said. "Let's hope the people there are friendly-"
"Oh!"
The group turned.
A woman was sitting on a deer with a hand to her mouth in surprise. She stared at them with wide eyes. She had a long braid of blonde hair over one shoulder and her eyes were blue-green. She wore a green tunic and some doeskin breeches, and some boots of a material Lina couldn't place.
As for the deer...
Lina looked down to see that the deer was a very deformed one. It had four legs, hooves, and antlers. However, the antlers didn't branch off, and its head looked different. It looked... intelligent.
:Why, thank you,: came a dry voice.
"WHAT?!" Lina shouted in surprise.
"Lina, what is it?" Gourry asked, readying his sword.
"I... you didn't hear that?" Lina asked incredulously.
"Hear what?"
:He cannot hear me. I think, however, that the rest of you can.:
"Ack!" Lina pointed at the deer. "You're talking in my head!"
"Miss Lina's gone mad, hasn't she?" Filia asked worriedly.
:If she has, then everyone here but the swordsman there is insane as well,: the voice said to Filia.
"WHA?!"
:Calm down, and stop talking aloud. Think your thoughts at either myself or Keisha here. We can both Mindspeak, and apparently we speak different languages.:
:Mindspeak?: Lina asked, remembering to think it.
:No need to shout, either. Yes, Mindspeech is what we are using at this moment.:
:I thought the girl cast telepathy when I wasn't looking.:
:Cast what?:
:Telepathy. When you can link minds with each other and you can hear each other's thoughts.:
:Ah. I've not heard of that. We've only been using Mindspeech.:
:Huh, must be a new variation of Telepathy, then,: Lina decided.
:So where are we?: Zelgadis demanded, 'loudly' enough so that everyone (except Gourry) could hear him.
:You are in the forest between the Vale and Errold's Grove,: came a different voice. :I am Keisha, the local Healer. Who are all of you? And... are you ill, sir?: she addressed Zelgadis.
:I don't want to talk about it,: he thought darkly.
:My, my, Zelgadis, do be nice to the young woman here,: Xellos said cheerfully in their minds. :I am Xellos, the Mysterious Priest,: he announced with a bow.
:Hello, then, Xellos,: Keisha said gravely.
:And, what kingdom is this Errold's Grove in?: Lina asked curiously.
:In Valdemar, of course.:
:Huh. Never heard of it.:
:Huh? Everyone's heard of Valdemar.:
:We haven't. We're from Seyruun.:
:The KINGDOM OF JUSTICE!: Amelia 'declared', striking a dramatic pose. She had landed when everyone had been focusing on the girl. The girl didn't see her until she did that pose.
Everyone, including the deer, sweat-dropped.
:Well, we haven't heard of Seyruun. Is it a smaller kingdom, to the north perhaps?: Keisha asked. She was frowning slightly.
:Everyone's heard of Seyruun where we come from!: Lina said. :It's one of the largest kingdoms there is! So, apparently, Xellos' guess is correct...:
:No wonder we speak different languages then, if that's the case,: Zelgadis said thoughtfully.
:Well, I'm not sure who you all are or if you're really from this Seyruun, wherever that is, but why don't you come with me to the Vale. I can talk to Starfall, Firesong and Silverfox about this and maybe we can help you out.:
:Great! Thanks,: Lina said cheerfully.
There was a pause. Gourry then asked, "So what's going on?"
Everyone fell over.
~*~