Zelgadis Greywords trudged down the path to Zephilia, letting himself fall
deeper into depression. Yes, we all know that Zel is almost always this
way, but if you were chased out of Sailoon by the royal guards, having them
call you a cold-hearted freak all the way to the gates and beyond, you'd
feel that way too. He huffed in annoyance now that he thought about it.
All I was trying to do was let their princess know that she couldn't expect
to get everything she fantasized about. For goodness sake, she'd be their
queen soon. Geeze. You'd think they'd be happy to put an end to her
whining. Oh well.He let his mind wander now, letting himself remember how
all this crap happened. It all began two days after he'd made his trek out
of the Desert of Destruction.
~Flashback~
Zel looked out at the landscape where he stood infront of the crossroads, one way leading to Zephilia, the other to Sailoon. His original plan was to go to Zephilia where, hopefully, he would track down Lina, which meant finding a better means of tracking down his cure. He'd finally admitted to himself that he needed help looking for it, and Lina was just the person for the job. Afterall, she was Lina Inverse, sorcery genius, and the weirdest magics always seem to be lying in wait to be graced by her skillful hands.
But now, as he looked down at the bracelet in his hand, studying the pink band and the bobble attached to it, it's "shining star of justice" in the middle, he huffed and grunted. There were some loose ends he needed to tie up before seeing Lina again. So off he went down the path leading to the gates of the white magic capital, which, surprisingly, wasn't far down the road for as Zelgadis walked he could see the gatehouse where the guards were on duty. Quickly he approached the gates, but was haulted by one of the guards, a big burly fellow in dire need of a newer, larger uniform.
"Halt, stranger. What business do you have in our fair city?"
"I'm here to see princess Amelia, and my purpose is none of your business."
"Hahahah. Quite a funny man you are. The princess wouldn't caught dead in the presence of any evil-doer like you. And evil-doers can never enter the kingdom of absolute justice!" Zel sighed in annoyance, a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head as the guard struck a ridiculous looking justice pose, succeeding in popping all the buttons that had been threatening to expose his jolliness.
Just inside the gatehouse, one of the guards was sipping his coffee, and watching the scene unfold outside. As he watched, he thought he recognized Zel from somewhere but he wasn't quite sure; then it hit him. He went over to his desk to look at the wanted posters and memos received from the royal family, and there was Zelgadis's picture.
About a month ago, the princess sent a memo to the gatehouse saying that if they saw this man, they were to bring him to the palace immediately. There would be a reward in store if they did.
Quickly, he ran out the door.
"You there, are you Mr. Zelgadis Greywords?"
Zel looked over to where the other guard was standing, narrowing his eyes. "And what about it." He didn't like this one bit. That guy had a suspicious look in his eye, like he knew something that Zel didn't.
Without noticing, his hand swayed to the sword at his side.
The guard saw this and immediately went to explaining. "No need for that, Zelgadis-san. I just needed to confirm that you were the person I was looking for."
Zelgadis relaxed a little but he didn't let his guard down completely.
"Looking for? Why would you be looking for me?"
"Because, Princess Amelia has been expecting you."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind that," the guard said, not wanting to explain about the memo, "Come, I am to escort you to the palace at once."
"Urm.okay.I think."
The guard then opened the gates and walked through, a confused Zelgadis not far behind.
*****
Upon reaching the palace door, Zelgadis told the guard that he would need no further accompaniment, throwing him a bag of gold for his trouble. The guard gladly complied, and hurried off to spend his pay.
While the guard was making his mad dash, Zel was already half-way into the great halls of Sailoon royal palace. He'd been fortunate enough that none of the palace officials were roaming the halls. ' A meeting they all had to attend, perhaps,' he thought as he made a beeline for Amelia's chambers. Upon arriving to the great doubles doors of the pink fashion, he knocked twice.
"Coming," said the small, light voice from the other end of the doors.
Zelgadis took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was about to happen. 'I really hope she doesn't start bawling.' He shook his head to get rid of the horrible thought as one of the doors opened.
"Mr. Zelgadis?!" The small princess immediately clamped herself onto him, her eyes huge with beating red hearts.
"Um... Hello Amelia."
"Oh Mr. Zelgadis, I knew you'd come for me, I just knew it!! Come on, lets go somewhere else and talk about how we'll spend the rest of our lives together!"
"But Amelia, that's not why I.hey!!" Zel found himself being dragged down the corridor and into the commons room where Amelia sat them down on one of the expensive, plush chairs, cuddling with Zel as she did so. (More like getting under his skin _)
Amelia sighed. "Oh Mr. Zelgadis, I can see it all now. The huge wedding, the long honeymoon, our two children; isn't it wonderful?"
"Look Amelia," Zel said as he pried Amelia's hands from his arm, trying to put some distance between them, "I didn't come here for that."
Amelia looked up at him, a little confused. "Huh? But I thought.," she was quieted when Zelgadis held up her bracelet. Her eyes lit with recognition. "If you still have the bracelet I gave you, then that must mean that you're madly in love with me!!"
Zel sweatdropped "Um.I actually forgot I had it," Zel blushed, actually kinda embarrassed to admit that. But he shook his head, trying do dispose of any redness that'd be visable. "Anyhow, Amelia, I came to give it back to you."
"But.I thought it was a symbol of our love."
"More like a symbol of a childhood crush."
"Mr. Zelgadis, how can you say that?!"
"Oh come off it Amelia, you didn't actually think that there was any real love between you and I. It was all a one-sided crush."
Ameila's eyes started to water now, her bottom lip started to tremble. She would burst into tears at any moment now. "Y..You weren't even the least bit attracted to me?" she said in a squeaky sort of voice.
Zel was starting to get a little peeved now. But he retained his composure nonetheless.
"Listen to me, Amelia. You are a young woman now, a young woman who has responsibilities to the largest, most prosperous kingdom on the main land. You are a princess with duties to her people. There is no need for you to dwindle upon something as childish as a crush, do you understand me? It is time for you to GROW UP!!"
Now Amelia really started to bawl. Her wailing could be heard through out the entire palace, and so was it heard by none other than the palace guards. They came rushing into the commons room, looking for the source of the hideous cries. There, they saw their princess crying her eyes out and, someone whom they thought looked like a demon, standing over her.
"You there, get away from the princess or we'll be forced to attack!"
Zel sighed. This was really a fine mess he'd gotten himself into. And he was gonna get out, but he didn't wanna fight these guys. His only other alternative was to run, and run he did. The guards were right behind him, however, and they chased him all the way out of Sailoon.
"Get'em. Get that cold-hearted freak!!" Came the shouts from the guards as they were quickly approaching Sailoons gates.
Zelgadis only smirked, then turned up the demon speed, leaving the guards to cough their lungs out from the dust. He didn't stop until he was half way down the path to Zephilia.
~End Flashback~
Which brings us back to our Zelly-boy, who is currently feeling a bit more at ease now as the "WELCOME TO ZEPHILIA" sign is coming into view.
End Chapter 1
~Flashback~
Zel looked out at the landscape where he stood infront of the crossroads, one way leading to Zephilia, the other to Sailoon. His original plan was to go to Zephilia where, hopefully, he would track down Lina, which meant finding a better means of tracking down his cure. He'd finally admitted to himself that he needed help looking for it, and Lina was just the person for the job. Afterall, she was Lina Inverse, sorcery genius, and the weirdest magics always seem to be lying in wait to be graced by her skillful hands.
But now, as he looked down at the bracelet in his hand, studying the pink band and the bobble attached to it, it's "shining star of justice" in the middle, he huffed and grunted. There were some loose ends he needed to tie up before seeing Lina again. So off he went down the path leading to the gates of the white magic capital, which, surprisingly, wasn't far down the road for as Zelgadis walked he could see the gatehouse where the guards were on duty. Quickly he approached the gates, but was haulted by one of the guards, a big burly fellow in dire need of a newer, larger uniform.
"Halt, stranger. What business do you have in our fair city?"
"I'm here to see princess Amelia, and my purpose is none of your business."
"Hahahah. Quite a funny man you are. The princess wouldn't caught dead in the presence of any evil-doer like you. And evil-doers can never enter the kingdom of absolute justice!" Zel sighed in annoyance, a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head as the guard struck a ridiculous looking justice pose, succeeding in popping all the buttons that had been threatening to expose his jolliness.
Just inside the gatehouse, one of the guards was sipping his coffee, and watching the scene unfold outside. As he watched, he thought he recognized Zel from somewhere but he wasn't quite sure; then it hit him. He went over to his desk to look at the wanted posters and memos received from the royal family, and there was Zelgadis's picture.
About a month ago, the princess sent a memo to the gatehouse saying that if they saw this man, they were to bring him to the palace immediately. There would be a reward in store if they did.
Quickly, he ran out the door.
"You there, are you Mr. Zelgadis Greywords?"
Zel looked over to where the other guard was standing, narrowing his eyes. "And what about it." He didn't like this one bit. That guy had a suspicious look in his eye, like he knew something that Zel didn't.
Without noticing, his hand swayed to the sword at his side.
The guard saw this and immediately went to explaining. "No need for that, Zelgadis-san. I just needed to confirm that you were the person I was looking for."
Zelgadis relaxed a little but he didn't let his guard down completely.
"Looking for? Why would you be looking for me?"
"Because, Princess Amelia has been expecting you."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind that," the guard said, not wanting to explain about the memo, "Come, I am to escort you to the palace at once."
"Urm.okay.I think."
The guard then opened the gates and walked through, a confused Zelgadis not far behind.
*****
Upon reaching the palace door, Zelgadis told the guard that he would need no further accompaniment, throwing him a bag of gold for his trouble. The guard gladly complied, and hurried off to spend his pay.
While the guard was making his mad dash, Zel was already half-way into the great halls of Sailoon royal palace. He'd been fortunate enough that none of the palace officials were roaming the halls. ' A meeting they all had to attend, perhaps,' he thought as he made a beeline for Amelia's chambers. Upon arriving to the great doubles doors of the pink fashion, he knocked twice.
"Coming," said the small, light voice from the other end of the doors.
Zelgadis took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was about to happen. 'I really hope she doesn't start bawling.' He shook his head to get rid of the horrible thought as one of the doors opened.
"Mr. Zelgadis?!" The small princess immediately clamped herself onto him, her eyes huge with beating red hearts.
"Um... Hello Amelia."
"Oh Mr. Zelgadis, I knew you'd come for me, I just knew it!! Come on, lets go somewhere else and talk about how we'll spend the rest of our lives together!"
"But Amelia, that's not why I.hey!!" Zel found himself being dragged down the corridor and into the commons room where Amelia sat them down on one of the expensive, plush chairs, cuddling with Zel as she did so. (More like getting under his skin _)
Amelia sighed. "Oh Mr. Zelgadis, I can see it all now. The huge wedding, the long honeymoon, our two children; isn't it wonderful?"
"Look Amelia," Zel said as he pried Amelia's hands from his arm, trying to put some distance between them, "I didn't come here for that."
Amelia looked up at him, a little confused. "Huh? But I thought.," she was quieted when Zelgadis held up her bracelet. Her eyes lit with recognition. "If you still have the bracelet I gave you, then that must mean that you're madly in love with me!!"
Zel sweatdropped "Um.I actually forgot I had it," Zel blushed, actually kinda embarrassed to admit that. But he shook his head, trying do dispose of any redness that'd be visable. "Anyhow, Amelia, I came to give it back to you."
"But.I thought it was a symbol of our love."
"More like a symbol of a childhood crush."
"Mr. Zelgadis, how can you say that?!"
"Oh come off it Amelia, you didn't actually think that there was any real love between you and I. It was all a one-sided crush."
Ameila's eyes started to water now, her bottom lip started to tremble. She would burst into tears at any moment now. "Y..You weren't even the least bit attracted to me?" she said in a squeaky sort of voice.
Zel was starting to get a little peeved now. But he retained his composure nonetheless.
"Listen to me, Amelia. You are a young woman now, a young woman who has responsibilities to the largest, most prosperous kingdom on the main land. You are a princess with duties to her people. There is no need for you to dwindle upon something as childish as a crush, do you understand me? It is time for you to GROW UP!!"
Now Amelia really started to bawl. Her wailing could be heard through out the entire palace, and so was it heard by none other than the palace guards. They came rushing into the commons room, looking for the source of the hideous cries. There, they saw their princess crying her eyes out and, someone whom they thought looked like a demon, standing over her.
"You there, get away from the princess or we'll be forced to attack!"
Zel sighed. This was really a fine mess he'd gotten himself into. And he was gonna get out, but he didn't wanna fight these guys. His only other alternative was to run, and run he did. The guards were right behind him, however, and they chased him all the way out of Sailoon.
"Get'em. Get that cold-hearted freak!!" Came the shouts from the guards as they were quickly approaching Sailoons gates.
Zelgadis only smirked, then turned up the demon speed, leaving the guards to cough their lungs out from the dust. He didn't stop until he was half way down the path to Zephilia.
~End Flashback~
Which brings us back to our Zelly-boy, who is currently feeling a bit more at ease now as the "WELCOME TO ZEPHILIA" sign is coming into view.
End Chapter 1