A/N: I know that the motive of kidnapped Val isn't very unique, as well as the travelling through other of the four universes that Lord of Nightmares created. But even then, every story is different. Especially that in this story Amelia and Zel would be main characters. And especially that despite my attempt to write adventure/mystery story I'm getting rather romance/mystery/adventure story (I hope that this mystery/adventure is there).
Ah, and to be clear: I do not own Slayers, all credits belong to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi.
Prologue
There is something disturbing in the storm breaking through the darkest of the nights.
Like the nature itself is crying and yelling over something truly horrible that has- or would happen. And the darkness lightens only for a fraction of second, just to amplify the feeling of surrounding void for the rest of the time. There is only the noise of pouring rain and thunders, while every living thing waits in expectation. Bad news like to come in the night like this.
It's all right like that anyway – it's expected.
Worse, when the bad news come in the bright, lovely day and stab the unsuspecting receiver straight to the heart.
It was a beautiful morning in Seyruun.
About a week ago the real spring had finally erupted, flooding the whole kingdom with freshness and sun. The nature was blossoming, repeating the sacred ritual that lasted from time immemorial.
Amelia opened the window and took a deep breath. She couldn't help smiling, looking at the world so full of live. She felt like the warm rays of sun were filling her with the same energy she had got while travelling with her friends. The overwhelming sense of freedom.
Not for long, though.
She looked at the pile of letters that were waiting for being read. Typical morning duty. Reading and replying all the letters till lunch. Then helping in the Temple of Flare Dragon Ceiphied or in infirmary, when she was needed there. After that, she was assisting her dad with all diplomatic meetings during the dinner. If she finished her job with letters or her duty in the temple, she would have a free evening. But then again, if not – she had to catch up before going to sleep.
The schedule was rather stiff and boring and absolutely opposite to the popular beliefs about princesses' life. Amelia's daily routine occasionally changed, when Seyruun's royal family was throwing a party, as a princess, she had to participate. It was always nice to change usual clothes into fancy dress and dance – despite the protocol, while dancing she was able to catch some useful information about her friends from time to time. Although official parties were always hedged around with diplomatic rules, which at least took half of the fun from it.
This morning Amelia decided to start her work with positive energy. She let the fresh air into the room, while she took a seat at the large desk. Spring filled the room with birds' chirping and warm sun rays. Humming under her breath the princess picked up first envelope.
The letter was long and it was concerning the trade agreement between Kingdom of Seyruun and Kingdom of Zephilia. Amelia took a plain parchment and noted all conditions Kingdom of Zephilia wanted to negotiate, she would pass it on to her daddy at lunch. A small smile appeared on her lips, when she was thinking about the neighbour kingdom. It was a birthplace of Lina Inverse, no wonder that soon her thoughts were wandering towards the certain sorceress and her self-proclaimed guardian.
She missed them so much.
It was hard to say when she had seen them last time, since her days were looking mostly the same, they merged into one, boring day or week or maybe longer. Time seemed to slip by her grasp without noticing.
Amelia lifted her head and looked at the opposite wall with slight shocked expression. Her hand ran through her hair, it hit back the air quicker than usual, which was still surprising her. She didn't get used to her hair being so short to reveal all her neck. She had to cut it due to tradition and that meant one thing - Amelia was already twenty. She hadn't seen her friends for three years.
Actually she hadn't seen Lina and Gourry for three years. Zelgadis had been paying short visits... often. Of course, usually he was doing researches in Seyruun's libraries, but they always had some time to talk.
Once in a blue moon Amelia received the letters from Lina or Zelgadis. Perhaps that was the reason why she preferred her morning work to others. She kept all of their letters in her room and was reading them over and over again. Lina's letters were always raising her spirit, especially when she really had a bad day. Usual arguments between the sorceress and her companion were mostly centred in their fights about food or about Gourry's bad memory. But Amelia was good with reading between the lines and she was pleased to see how many warm feeling Lina had towards Gourry. Too bad that they still didn't act with them.
Letters from Zelgadis were different. They always started very formally, but by the end Amelia had known all Zelgadis' fears and worries related to the new lead. He also was easy to read between the lines and that actually made her upset, because every time she was finding out how tired of this he already was. In her replies she was always trying to comfort him, encouraging him to not give up, even if it was breaking her heart. She wished so much to write to him to come back, or to be more precise to just come to Seyruun and settle down somewhere nearby, but she knew that he wouldn't be happy here. As long as there would be 'what ifs' he wouldn't be happy anywhere.
"Argh." Amelia cursed under her breath. She was supposed to work on trade agreement, instead she was caught up in her thoughts. Recently it happened to her more often, but the worst part of it was that every time her thoughts wandered off, she mentally began to suffocate by this golden cage she was locked in. It really was a bad thing. Amelia couldn't recall is she ever was thinking about her own kingdom that way.
Shoving off her thoughts and feelings, Amelia got back to the letter. The parchment was being filled with her round handwriting, slowly but without any more breaks under the encouraging hum of the melody that was Amelia's own creation.
Two hour later half of the pile vanished, although the number of parchments with notes and diplomatic replies visibly increased. By that time, Amelia's eyes caught a glint of the light blue among white, grey and brown. A light blue envelope... Her heart started to beat faster. It was such a long time when she had seen the envelope coloured like this. Two years or maybe one and a half.
She pulled the envelope closer to her eyes, to examine it more carefully. If it was that what she had thought it was...
The address was written in very pleasant handwriting – what a disappointment! For a moment Amelia was thinking that maybe Gracia had written to them. Her sister was writing rather regularly, but not very often. And although she liked to send letters in sparkling blue envelopes, her handwriting was always very messy, and the letter hardly ever was that thin. This one clearly wasn't from her.
Amelia looked at the other side of envelope. There was a seal and it resembled something, but she couldn't quite catch what it was.
It was sink or swim. The princess picked up the paper knife, and opened the envelope. The paper inside was small, and thick. It looked a bit like the one that was been using to make invitations, but the short message that it contained was far from the official matter.
'Please, help! Val was kidnapped!'
And then a signature: Filia Ul Copt.
It took Amelia exactly eleven seconds to start to breathe again. She clenched the letter in her fist and run. According to her knowledge, her father should be in his study right now. She had to tell him. This was a serious matter. She knew that if it was only about Filia, her father would probably hire Lina and Gourry to do the job. But there was a baby involved, and he just had to let Amelia to handle the situation alongside Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis.
Whoever did this to Filia and poor Val, needed to taste the hammer of justice, and Amelia was going to make sure that it would happen...
The questions were rising in her head while she was running through the corridor. Who could kidnap Val? Why? Would unhatched dragon be safe in hands of some stranger?
And the most important – How long did it take to reach Filia's place?
"I don't think it's real." said Lina, reading the short letter over and over again.
The letter had come during the meal, and it had almost been destroyed in the feverish battle over the chicken leg. There had been only five words inside (and the signature), but contrary to Amelia, Lina had become rather suspicious.
She shook the letter in front of Gourry, who seemed to be surprised by her hesitation.
"Look jellyfish brain, everybody can send us a letter signed as Filia, just to drag us into the trap." Lina explained, massaging her temples demonstratively.
"But who would do something like that?" Gourry asked with a serious face.
"Do you want me to make a list?" Lina muttered with annoyance.
"But Lina, all of them are already dead." he noticed happily.
Lina sighed. There was some logic in his words, but considering everything that happened to them, it was clear that eliminating one of their enemies always created the new ones, which only made this list longer and longer.
"So, do we believe in that letter or not?" asked Gourry after a while.
"I'd rather not... But..." she couldn't make the decision "why just we don't find Filia and ask?" she clasped her hands in fists and grinned happily. That was the best solution she could come with.
"Wouldn't it be just... answering the letter, then?" Gourry scratched the back of his head in confusion.
Lina looked at him with annoyance.
"Going and helping would be answering the letter. But we will try to find out who's behind it! Can't you see the difference, you jellyfish brain?!" she shouted.
"Uhm..." he looked at her seriously. "Not much."
One hit in the head with a slipper later Lina and Gourry were on their way. Ready for a new adventure, gold and good meals.
There was one person, who never got the letter.
Someone, who travelled farther than the simple messenger could get. Ironically, in one moment, he would be the closest one, to rip the wave of strange events in the bud.
But unfortunately, Zelgadis was unaware of it.
