Note: Well, I don't know where this came from, but I just had the sudden urge to write it. I modified the original myth a little bit, but it is pretty close. I thought of making them the characters but, you know, I don't think Zel would be very attractive with a goat's head sticking out of his back, would he? Anyways, it's a bit sad, but here it goes.
It was a deliciously mild afternoon, and the sun's gentle rays shone in the white streets of Seyruun, painting the sky's blue canvas with beautiful shades of orange and pink. It was a wonderful day to be outside, to walk through the streets, look at the flowers, eat Seyruun's delicious and world-renowned vanilla ice cream cones… It was such a wonderful day to be outside and here she was, stuck in that boring library. Again. For another week!
Amelia sighed. She was sitting in a chair that didn't seem so comfortable after four hours, and as she swung her feet and played with her fingers, she gazed at the man sitting across the table. She had last attempted to make conversation about an hour ago. It was no use. Zelgadis was, as always, completely focused in his research.
When they had returned from Taforashia, Amelia thought that he would lay off his obsession for a little while, and focus in… in… well, something other than the cure for his… chimeraness! Sure, she didn't mind helping him out, and he was always free to use the Royal laboratory for his own experiments, and the library at the palace was open for everyone… She just never thought that damn research would take up ALL of his time! I mean, what about HER? Didn't SHE deserve a little bit of his time and attention. They were friends, right? And friends were supposed to spend time together, and do fun things together, like… like spending time together, and eating ice cream, and taking long walks in the park holding hands, and watching the sunset and… feeling the gentle breeze pass by as they rested sweetly in each others arms… in an entirely friendly and non-romantic manner, right? RIGHT? Oh, well…
She was desperately thinking of a way to get his attention. They had already had a snack, so offering him something to eat was not an option. He hadn't agreed with her that they needed a break and that they should go out and enjoy the afternoon breeze – "You go out if you want to, I'm busy" was all he said. Oh, honestly!
Then, since the thought that he was a chimera and that he needed to stop being one seemed to occupy his mind almost all the time, she should stick with that, right? She respected her friend's personal quest, and she honestly felt bad because of his own pain and feelings of inadequacy, but, really, she had never figured out what the real problem was. I mean, having a rock body was a major advantage in battle, and even the demon part granted him extra magical stamina. Was it about the looks? He looked fine. More than fine! He had always that mysteriously deep and intense gaze that seemed to give him a… a distinctive and "smart" look that always made him be respected… and then his gestures were always so firm and… his voice was so manly… his figure so lean and attractive… NOT that she had given it any special thought, but this was something that everyone else noticed about him, wasn't it?
She just sighed, and, some seconds later, broke the hour-long silence between them:
- Mr. Zelgadis, do you know the story of the first chimera?
Zelgadis completely snapped out of his reading, and gazed at the little princess in front of him. She had her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands, and her head tilted slightly on the side. She had her "shy but genuinely concerned" Amelia smile, and her big blue eyes, adorned with long and curly eyelashes, reflected the soft sunlight. She looked totally adorable. It was hard to ignore her when she turned on her "cute" mode. Cute as a little kid, that is, not cute as in beautiful-cute… I mean, she was beautiful, of course… and cute… just in the way that a little kid would be beautiful and cute. Because that's what she was. A kid. As his inner monologue took more than a second, he quickly added his "unshakable, heartless and not really caring" mask, and responded:
- You mean the story of Alidorus, the first wizard to try to modify a human body through magic? Yes I have. He tried to magically attach external objects to different parts of the body, which would act as a source of power or resistance… mainly weapons or shields… That is in many history books. Why?
- No, no… – she replied – That… that is like… real history. I'm talking about… a legend… the story of the first chimera and how it was destroyed.
Zelgadis blinked, not showing much interest. He didn't see where this was going.
- I… might… - he said without much certainty – How exactly is that going to help me?
- Well… - Amelia said – I was just… thinking about it… and… I wanted to tell you, and see what you think.
Actually, she was just making excuse for conversation. But now that she thought about it, there was something to that story… what was it like again? Ah, yes.
- Then… - he said backing away from the table and leaning slightly on his chair, arms folded – Why don't you tell me this… legend?
- Oh, Mr. Zelgadis! – she said, cheerfully clapping her hands, but then quickly regaining her composure.
A little kid, Zelgadis thought. Definitely.
- Let me start the story…
A long long time ago, in the time when great demonic beasts roamed the earth, many monsters terrorized humankind. Many monsters were minions of the great Mazoku Lords, and were entirely created from spiritual matter, possessing an astral body indestructible to mankind. But sometimes, the Mazoku Lords would also create monsters out of normal physical beings… such as animals or even humans. It was then that was created a very strange beast… It had the body of a female lion, and three heads: one of a lion, one of a goat, and the other, at the end of its tail, a snake's head. It was called a Chimera, and it was thought to be very dangerous. All its heads could breathe fire, but there was something odd: each head was turned to face each other, so, whenever it breathed fire, it would get hurt. Therefore, it lived alone in its wild territory, and it never attacked anybody.
Because the Chimera lived in hiding, some people claimed to have seen the beast, but no one could actually prove its existence. So, no one knew if it was a real beast, or just a fantasy. When someone spoke of a "chimera", they meant it as something so pointless and unlekily to exist, that it was probably not real.
However, one amongst all others believed that there was a Chimera. He was a bounty hunter, and his name was Bellerophon. Although he did not know magic of any kind, he bragged about having defeated many demons and beasts, and he vowed that he would bring the Chimera dead, and claim a prize for its slaying.
And so Bellerophon went about looking for the Chimera, and where it might be hidden. He looked and looked, but he couldn't find it. It was then that, passing by a valley, he saw a beautiful white stag with swan's wings, chained to a rock pillar. It was, surely, a creature of the Gods, Bellerophon thought. "Traveler" said the beautiful stag "Deliver me from these shackles and I shall grant you a favor". "Very well" said Bellerophon "If I release you, will you help me slay the beast that is called the Chimera?". "Traveler", said the stag "The Chimera is my sister, and she harms no one. She is a peaceful creature, and I do not wish to harm her". "Well, then I will go on my journey and shall leave you tied to this pillar, to be starved to death, and eaten by vultures and birds of prey", answered Bellerophon, hoping to convince the stag. "Then you win, traveler" answered the creature with a sad voice "If you release, I will let you mount me, and together we shall slay the Chimera".
Bellerophon was very pleased at this, and he released the stag. He mounted the beautiful creature, and it flew with him for many days, until they reached a barren wasteland where the sulphurous atmosphere caused the air to burst into flame. It was then that Bellerophon saw the Chimera, with its three heads, the lion, the goat, and the snake, facing each other. He dived and attacked it. His stag was swift, he was agile, and his blows were fast. He wounded the snake, and the snake prepared to bite, but as he dodged, it bit the goat's head instead. He wounded the goat, and the goat prepared to wound him with its big horns, but as he dodged, it struck its horns into the lion's head instead. Finally, he wounded the lion, and as he dodged once again, the lion bit the snake's head instead. The Chimera let out painful shrieks of agony from the wounds, but Bellerophon kept striking. Then, it defended itself with its fire breath, but the warrior ascended to the skies with the flying stag, and the Chimera consumed itself in its own fire until it died.
"I have aided you to kill my sister, the Chimera" said the stag "Now claim your prize and set me free". "No" said Bellerophon, triumphant "My deeds are too great for mere mortals! You will carry me up to the mansions of the Gods, and I shall become one of them!". Bellerophon instigated the stag to fly higher and higher. "Foolish man!", it protested, "Go down and claim your prize, before it is too late!". "No!" exclaimed Bellerophon "I want to be like the Gods! I am great! I am invincible!". And so, in his own reverie of greatness, Bellerophon lost his balance, and fell from the stag. His body fell to the ground from a great height, and he perished, side by side with the Chimera which he had slain.
Amelia stared into Zelgadis' surprised eyes, who still didn't see where she was getting.
- Amelia… This is a disturbing story. Why were you thinking about it? And why are you telling it to me? – he asked.
- It's just that... I heard this story when I was a little girl, and didn't understand it very well. I thought Bellerophon was a hero because he slayed the monster, the Chimera…
- Well – Zelgadis commented – That is what heroes in the legends do… they kill scary beasts and claim immortality… It was only natural of you to think of him as a hero.
- I know… - the princess replied – That is what I thought when I was a little kid…
- But Amelia – Zelgadis added with a veiled mocking tone – You are still just a kid…
And so she was, Zelgadis thought. She went about talking about her "daddy", she enjoyed fairy tales, and had an absurdly manicheist interpretation of the world.
- No, I'm NOT! – Amelia clenched her fists against the table – That is what I'm trying to say, Mr. Zelgadis! You see, the Chimera was not a scary beast, it was just LONELY! It lived alone, and it didn't hurt anybody! And, when it was time for battle, it hurt itself and died. Its different parts were turned against each other! It wasn't a fair fight!
She lifted up from her chair, with a passionate fire in her words.
- And Bellerophon was a scoundrel! He wanted to kill the Chimera for his own personal benefit, and then he got too proud because he killed it, and wanted to become a GOD! That's not fair… or Just! He doesn't deserve to be a hero! I don't think that the heroes in the old stories are so pure as we think they are! They all had their flaws and made mistakes… some of them weren't even real heroes, they just took the credit for doing something they didn't really do! Like Bellerophon! HE was the monster, not the Chimera!
Oh, heavens. Was this really Amelia speaking? Amelia "the-villains-should-be-struck-by-the-hammer-of-Justice"? And why ever would she come up with this sudden moral dilemma exactly now?
- I think that you need to rest a little bit Amelia...
Zelgadis cast a worried look into her eyes, grabbed her by the hand and tried to take her outside. Even if she was the princess, and it was, in a way, her own library, and they were alone, she was screaming in it, and that was never very polite, now was it?
He let out a surprised gasp when the little princess took his hand and nestled it between her own. Her little hands were so soft and feminine. His were rough and thick. Still, he could feel the warmth of her touch, which irradiated to his whole body. She shook her head.
- No, Mr. Zelgadis, it is you who need to rest! Don't you understand? You can have a NORMAL life! If only you would stop worrying so much about your problems, and just enjoyed yourself for a little while we could… I mean YOU… you could be…
- Amelia – he disentangled his hand from hers and defensively backed away – This body is… you don't understand… - he almost whispered - I'm a monster!
- NO! – she cried out, as the tears that formed in her eyes ran down her rosy cheeks – What makes a monster is not what you look like, but what you do! YOU are not a monster! You are… you are… my hero…
Zelgadis gave two steps back as he lifted his hood up and covered his face.
- I'm sorry Amelia, you're very confused. I'll go down to the lab for awhile. I hope you can get your act together before I see you again, OK?
He quickly went out the door. Women, honestly! They were impossible to understand… One minute they're perfectly reasonable, and the other minute they break down. It was too much for him.
Amelia was left in the library. She collapsed into the ground, sobbing.
- Oh, Mr. Zelgadis. You are true hero… Please, stop trying to be a monster…