The Princess and the Bandit
There were only about a dozen or so bandits, but they still took Amelia's train completely by surprise. Several servants could be heard screaming, as her bodyguards took point to stop the attackers.
"Princess, hang back, we'll protect you," Edwin cried as he slashed out at an approaching bandit.
"I'm more than capable of protecting myself, Edwin-san!" she stood on the back of her horse, glaring down at the bandits as they moved forward. "How dare you attack this peaceful entourage from Seyruun," she cried out, pointing her finger for emphasis. "By the light that shines in my righteous soul, I swear I shall force you to see the evil in your unholy hearts. I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, will not allow this injustice to go unpun…"
A heavy force struck her in the chest and she fell from her perch, landing with a heavy thud on the hard earth below. She gasped for air, as she tried to regain her footing and her breath, slowly getting into a sitting position so she could see what happened.
Standing over her was a woman, sneering down at her like a cat that'd just caught a mouse. Amelia took notice of long, dark blonde hair with black roots (she bleached her hair?), and dark brown eyes. She was dressed in a black tunic, opened in the front, exposing more flesh than any decent woman should be exposing.
"That was the stupidest thing I ever heard," Duuchesney stated, as she drew two short, wooden swords. She held the right sword, upright in attack position, while the one in her left faced downward, for blocking. "And here I thought he was exaggerating when he told me about you."
Amelia could only stare, her curiosity getting the better of her, "He who? What?"
The strange woman only smiled as she brought her weapons to bear, charging her. Amelia only had time to spin out of the way, as the strange woman brought her right sword down on her. Amelia used her momentum to stand herself up, facing her determined opponent.
"I don't know who you are," Amelia began again, "but with the Hammer of Justice on my side, I swear I will…EEEP!" Duuchesney attacked again, slashing at Amelia side ways, and the princess leaped backwards to avoid being hit. "Would you stop that so I can finish!" she scolded.
"I'm not interested in your stupid love and lollipops speeches, Little Miss Justice! Now just shut up and fight!"
"I never said anything about lollipops, and who are you calling littl…" The bandit lunged forward again bringing both weapons to bear against her. There was no time for justice speeches now, this girl was serious. 'But what did I ever do to her?' Amelia dodged her blow yet again, leaping into the air, flipping once, and landing flat on her butt. "Ow," she cried, rubbing her sore rump. "It's been too long since I've had to do that."
Duuchesney looked down at the princess and sighed. "I guess you really are nothing without your magic. How pathetic. What did he ever see in you?" She brought her weapons up again. She struck downwards on Amelia's prone figure, but the weapon stopped just short. The bandit-woman's eyes went wide. Amelia had caught her weapon in both hands just before it struck her.
"Don't underestimate me, villain!" she pushed with both hands, forcing Duuchesney to stumble backwards, and giving Amelia enough time to get up and take a fighting stance.
The bandit woman smirked. 'Good, she's done playing around.' She brought her weapons up again.
He now stood inside the anti-magic field, a ways away from the battle field. He didn't want anybody witnessing just what the shield did to him when he passed through it.
Zelgadis rubbed his skin, trying to sooth the burning sensation that always seemed to follow his crossing the Nullin border. The main path, were he knew Amelia and her entourage would be, were several yards away, but he could hear the sounds of battle from where he was. He'd have to hurry if he wanted to get there in time to save Amelia from her.
Amelia had always hated using weapons of any kind, ever since her mother was killed by an assassin's blade when she was a child. But she couldn't depend on her magic all the time, so her father had insisted she learn Seyruun's Pacifist Fighting Style, a martial arts style similar to kick-boxing. Her father and her both swore, however, never to use violence unless absolutely necessary. It was meant only for self-defense or in defense of justice. Obviously, this situation qualified on all sides.
Amelia took a quick glance around her. Her guards were holding their own against the bandits, but she wasn't sure how long it would all last. The bandit's were cleverly blocking the route to the border, so she couldn't flee outside and use spells. She turned back to her current opponent, waiting for her to make the first move. 'Why is she so intent on attacking just me?'
The bandit-woman charged, swinging downward with her right sword towards Amelia's head. Amelia quickly brought her left arm up to block it, letting the sword smack down painfully on her upper arm. She ignored the pain and swung out with her right arm towards Duuchesney's face. The rogue blocked it with her left-hand sword, then leaped back to prepare for another attack.
Amelia quickly side-stepped another swing from Duuchesney, following through with a backwards kick that the rogue blocked effortlessly with the other sword. Duuchesney instantly swung her first sword downward, and then up in a U shaped swing that struck Amelia's knee with a loud crack. Amelia cried out as she fell flat on her back, but despite the sharp pain in her leg, she hastily rolled over and stood up, wobbling slightly.
"This is way too easy," Duuchesney smirked, as she watched Amelia wince in pain. "I guess shrine maidens really are a bunch of push-overs. I'll tell you what, Princess," she spat out the title like it was filth as she sneered at her opponent. "Hand over all of your valuables and I'll leave you alone and your friends alone."
Amelia scowled, "Is that all you came for? A few trinkets you didn't earn? A chance to fill your greedy pockets with the hard earned goods of my people? I assure you we carry nothing of value, but even if we did, I'd never turn it over to the likes of you!"
"In that case," Duuchesney brought her sword up yet again, but just before it struck its target, a figure leaped between them, blocking her sword with one of his own. Her wooden sword struck the real one with a loud clap, taking a chip out of the weaker weapon.
"That's enough, Duuchesney!" the figure shouted, holding her sword off easily. "I thought I told you to leave her alone! You have what you came for, now back off."
Amelia could only stare. 'Who is he?' she thought as she gazed at her rescuer. The man, it was definitely a man, had thick, violet-blue hair, in a style similar to her own. He was wearing a dark blue, short-sleeved tunic, and the sword he wielded looked strangely familiar. She could see little else, since he had his back to her.
She did, however, see Duuchesney glare menacingly at her attacker, "You stay out of this, Zelgadis. This has nothing to do with you."
Zelgadis! Amelia could only gape in surprise. He had the same hair style, but the Zelgadis she knew had silvery hair and blue-stone skin. This man's skin was normal, so he couldn't possibly be her Zelgadis. Unless...
"I think this very much concerns me. She's my friend, and I won't let you beat on her like this!"
He was human again! There was no doubt about it, he'd found his cure somehow! Her heart leapt with joy, despite the critical situation she was in.
Duuchesney was about to say something further when the sound of shouting voices from nearby caught her attention. "Damn it, the constables are coming," she quickly sheathed her swords and, letting out a shrill whistle to her followers, she rushed into the bushes to escape. The bandits quickly broke off the attack, taking only a moment to scoop up the meager loot they'd received and flee into the surrounding forest.
Amelia ignored them, her attention still drawn to her rescuer, "Zelgadis-san, is that really..."
He spun around, and the determination in his stare made her stop in mid-speech. His face was all the confirmation she needed however. The stone skin was gone, but his unique features were the same and she recognized him instantly, despite his now very human appearance. Without another word, he turned in the direction Duuchesney fled and proceeded to run after her.
"Zelgadis-san, wait!" Amelia cried.
"I'll contact you," was all he said before disappearing into the brush.
Amelia could only stare after him. 'Why did he run?' Was he going after Duuchesney to capture her? Yes, that must be it, he was chasing after her attacker so he could bring her to Justice!
"What happened here, what's going on?" the local authorities had arrived and were trying to assess the situation. Amelia looked at them, but she could only stare, her mind still trying to piece together what had just happened. She struggled to stand up as Edwin stepped forward.
"If you will permit me Princess," he nodded to Amelia before addressing the newcomers. "I am Edwin Cole of Seyruun. I was escorting Princess Amelia here to the city of Nullin when our forces were attacked by bandits." His eyes grew suddenly cold, "Would you care to explain this obvious neglect by your forces?"
The constable's face went pale as the realization of what just happened sank in. "Sey...Seyruun," he looked at Edwin, and then turned his attention to Amelia. "Oh, by Cepheid's grace, I'm terribly sorry about this White Mage-sama," he rushed forward, grabbing a very startled Amelia by the hand and bowing before her. "We had no idea an attack would take place within our borders like this. Such a thing has never happened before. Please forgive us, Princess of Seyruun, I beg you."
Amelia sweat-dropped, placing her free hand behind her head sheepishly. "Um, its okay, really, I'm sure you really didn't know anything and..."
"I promise you!" the constable interrupted, quickly standing up and looking the embarrassed princess straight in the eye. "I swear we will not let these bandits get away. We'll capture every last one of them and have them punished for their evil deeds! You came here to perform a service for our city, and I won't let anyone think we are less than grateful for your sacrifice!"
Amelia blinked twice, taking in the constable's speech. 'Wow, is that what I sound like when I give my justice speeches?' The thought brought a blush to her cheeks. Of course it didn't help that the constable was only inches from her face.
The officer turned away to bark orders at his troop, while Amelia turned her attention to her own entourage. She noticed several who were injured, but no one severely. She was also acutely aware of the pain in her leg and arm as she surveyed the group.
"Edwin-san," she began as she turned towards her bodyguard. "Gather everyone up and exit the anti-magic field. I'll try and get everyone healed before we proceed into town."
Edwin nodded, as he started relaying her instructions. Amelia turned once more towards the forest, staring into the foliage, hoping for a small glimpse of him. There was nothing, and with a disappointed sigh, she moved on to help her people.
Zelgadis rushed through the forest, taking the all too familiar path towards Duuchesney and her gang. The Duchess Army had many hideouts and he'd lost track of how many a long time ago. It didn't matter, though; he knew exactly where she was going.
"So what did you guys get?" He could hear her voice now as he quickly approached the run down, wooden shed that served as one of their numerous gathering houses. He slowed down as he approached the doorway, not wanting to surprise her. Surprises could prove lethal where this gang was concerned.
"Not much," another bandit said, "A couple of trinkets, probably magical. A little bit of gold. Not as much as we would expect from Seyruun."
Duuchesney grumbled to herself, "Damn that girl for being right. I was hoping to make a killing with her."
"Duuchesney!"
Everyone looked up to stare at the man standing in the doorway of the shed. Zelgadis stared back at the Duchess, his face a mask of fury. She returned his stare full force, only a slight twitch of her eye revealing how nervous she was.
"What do you want, Zelgadis, I'm in no mood for your stupid lectures."
"You know damn well what I want," he stepped closer to her, still ignoring the other bandits who now stepped back to give them space. "I specifically told you to leave Amelia alone. Why did you attack her?"
"What are you my father now?" she snapped back. "Do I have to get your permission for every raid?"
Zelgadis took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He heard one of the bandits whisper "lovers quarrel" with a chuckle, making his eyes role in disgust.
Duuchesney obviously heard it too, as she whirled around to face the gang. "Everybody out! Now!" The tone in her voice left no question as to what she would do to anyone who disobeyed. It took only a few seconds for Zelgadis and Duuchesney to be completely alone in the shed.
They stared at each other for a few minutes, letting the tension build up between them. Zelgadis was angry, more so than she'd seen him in a long time, which only served to increase her anger.
"So I attacked her, so what?" she said with a shrug, her eyes finally turning away from him. "She's just another target to me. I have to make money some how!"
"You know she wasn't 'just another target.' You picked her out specifically just to smack her around. I told you to leave her alone, why did you so blatantly defy me!"
She snorted, "Last I checked I was the leader of this gang, Zelgadis, not you. I have every right to pick my targets!"
"You had no reason to attack her! You didn't take anything from her, and she certainly didn't do anything to you," he threw up his hands in disgust. "She's a shrine-maiden for crying out loud!"
"Oh, I didn't know there was some specific protocol against robbing a shrine-maiden," she stated with exaggerated and cruel sarcasm. "Shame on me for being so ignorant, next time I'll remember to leave all the goody-goodies alone," she turned an angry stare to Zelgadis again. "Get real, Zel, if I only targeted the bad ones, I'd never get anywhere around here. Pickings are slim enough in this town!"
Zelgadis let out a long sigh of frustration, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. This was getting him no where and he knew it. Best to tell it to her straight and stop beating around the bush. "I know why you really attacked her, Duuchesney," he looked her straight in the eye, making certain she caught every word. "Jealousy is very unbecoming, you know."
He saw her bristle, and knew that his assumption was correct. "How dare you!" she cursed, "I have no reason to be jealous of her!"
"Exactly, which is why you had no reason to attack her."
"I attacked her because I wanted to! If you think I did it because I was jealous of your relationship with her, you've got a bigger ego than I thought."
'God, why does she always insist on being right, even when she's wrong!' he thought. "There was no 'relationship,' how many times do I have to tell you. There was never anything between Amelia and I so just drop it already!"
"No relationship, huh," she scoffed. "How many of these non-existent relationships give you a pink bracelet from her wrist, hmmm?"
Zelgadis noticeably cringed at that one. He had a hard time explaining that one to her, best to try yet another approach. "Look, Duuchesney, whether I had a relationship with her or not doesn't matter. She's only here for the ceremony, then she'll go back to Seyruun and you'll have nothing to worry about."
"What makes you think she won't stay?" she shot back. "She knows you're here now, thanks to that stunt you pulled back there."
"She's the Princess of Seyruun," he responded casually. "She has a responsibility to her people. She couldn't stay even if she wanted to." He felt a twinge of disappointment at the thought, but he hoped Duuchesney hadn't noticed.
The bandit woman took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked at Zelgadis, letting the anger melt away as she regarded him as though for the first time. "Your faultless logic is sickening you know that?"
He smiled, relaxing a bit, "Now will you promise me you won't attack her anymore?"
The bandit-woman frowned, turning away again, "I have no reason to attack her again."
"Promise me, Duuchesney," he said more firmly.
"Alright, alright, I promise, you happy now," she grumbled.
"Not quite," he folded his arms in front of him. "I also want you to return everything you stole from her and apologize to Amelia."
"You've gotta be kidding!" He narrowed his eyes at her, and she sweat-dropped, "You're not kidding…" She folded her arms across her chest, in the same pose as the man she was arguing with. "No way, Zelgadis! I stole that stuff fair and square, it's mine now!"
"You do realize how ridiculous that sounds," he answered. "I say give it back to her. I'm not going to negotiate with you on this, Duuchesney."
She narrowed her eyes at him, but set her jaw stubbornly. She had a feeling this was going to be a long night…
The city of Nullin did not go back on their promise of making Amelia as comfortable as possible. The Mayor's family, the wealthiest family in the city, agreed to share their spacious home with her and her entourage. Amelia had a very extravagant guest room with a beautiful view of the forest just outside her window, as well as Nullin Lake, just outside the anti-magic border. She had a four poster bed, much larger than she needed, with white lace hangings and gold posts. She also had a dresser and a vanity desk, both with the same gold and white trimmings as the bed. It wasn't as large as her bedroom at home, but it was certainly more beautiful. The bed was so clean and unruffled she was almost afraid to sleep in it.
She sat at the vanity desk now, getting ready to take a bath and wash away the long, tiresome journey. She would be meeting Mayor Ruulin some time in the evening, after she'd had time to freshen up. A bath was going to feel wonderful after today's events.
There was a knock on Amelia's door, and she turned to hear the voice of one of the maids, "White Mage-sama, are you ready for your bath?"
"Almost," Amelia answered, cinching up her robe to make sure she was still modest. She was accustomed to titles, such as "Princess" and "Shrine-Maiden," but the people of Nullin had their own way of addressing her, it seems. "White Mage-sama," was the honorary title given to the white mage who performed magical fusion here. It was a title of the greatest respect, and she was told that for a citizen of Nullin to call her otherwise would be very impolite.
Gathering up her bath accessories and a robe, she stepped out, letting the maid escort her to the bathhouse, located on the eastern wing of the mansion. Amelia was assured she'd be able to bathe by herself today, and since all she wanted to do was relax, that suited her just fine.
She stepped into the bathhouse, and marveled at the site before her. The bathhouse was not a hot-spring, it was completely indoors, but the site was still breathtaking. A large water fall lay to her right, flowing into a small pool below, most likely for taking showers and basic cleansing. A huge pool, set in a fine porcelain-like tub lay in the middle, the water steaming from an unknown heat source. The place was decorated extravagantly with flowers and sculptures, and the smell of lavender and rose filled the air. She wondered how they could have pulled all of this off without the use of magic.
She disrobed and walked over to the waterfall, using it to thoroughly cleanse the trip from her mind and body. After she felt suitably clean, she walked over to the larger pool and stepped into the water. The water encircled her tired body, and she sighed in contentment as she let the weariness and gloom seep out of her.
With the relaxing bath soothing her body, she then let her mind wander to the past events. She'd expected this to be an exciting trip, since she was getting the chance to perform magical fusion once again, but this was way beyond her expectations. She had taken her troupe outside of the border to heal everyone, and as soon as she exited, the overwhelming feeling of dread she had lifted.
Once everyone was healed and she entered the city again, the same, heavy darkness encompassed her again. No one else in her troop seemed affected. She was the most powerful sorceress there, so it made since that it was because of her magic that she felt this way, but she couldn't be sure. She had a feeling there was more to this field than meets the eye.
Then there was that bandit girl. She really seemed to have it in for Amelia, but why? Amelia had never seen her before, but she seemed to know her. Either she knew her from Seyruun, or it had something to do with Zelgadis.
Zelgadis, now he was the biggest mystery of all! Last time she saw him he was in the outer world, searching for his cure. But Nullin, all though close to the Desert of Destruction, was still well within the borders of the old world. She hadn't expected to meet him here of all places.
'Of course, he obviously found his cure,' she thought. 'I guess it doesn't matter where he found it, really, but he'd also promised me he'd come back to Seyruun!' She remembered all too well asking him to come back home with her. At first he said he'd "think about it," but after Dark Star was defeated, he turned her down. He preferred to stay in the outer world and continue to search for his cure. He assured her, however, that he'd come back to Seyruun when he was human again, and she gave him her bracelet to seal the deal. 'So, why didn't he return?' He wasn't the type to go back on his promises.
It had been three years since she'd seen him. She thought their next meeting would be a joyous reunion, but he only said three words to her. 'I'll contact you.' That's it; that was all he said. As much as Amelia believed in Justice and catching the bandits, she'd much rather he had stayed and talked to her then run after them like he did.
He did say he'd contact her though. That meant she had only to wait for his word and she could ask him all the questions she wanted. If only waiting wasn't so hard.
She sank deeper into the water, till only her head was above it. The bath was not proving as relaxing as she'd hoped, but her mind was such a jumble of confused thoughts and questions it couldn't be helped. She couldn't wait for her dinner meeting with the Mayor tonight. It was going to take all of her will power to keep from grilling him for everything he knew.
A noise suddenly caught her attention, and she practically leapt out of the water, her arms crossing over her breasts in a protective and reflexive motion, "Who's there?"
Silence was her only answer. This bath was not connected to the outside, so there had to be something there. Could it be a peeping tom? Maybe one of the maids hadn't heard that she was to have the bath to herself today. She was feeling awfully jumpy for some reason.
After a few moments of silence, she put her hands down, but she was having a hard time relaxing, 'Maybe it was just a cat.' Yes, that made sense; an animal snuck into the bath and was making noise.
A strangely familiar voice told her otherwise, "Ah, so you are in here." Amelia practically leaped out of her skin. She covered herself again as she looked around frantically. "Who's there? Show yourself, or I'll call the guards!"
"And if I show myself you won't? I have your word then." The source of the voice stepped out, and Amelia gasped.
It was the bandit-woman. The same bandit who attacked her before. What did Zelgadis call her again? Duuchesney? She was no longer wearing her swords or bandit costume. Shewas now covered only in a towel, holding a wooden container full of bath items. She was all set and ready for a bath.
"How did you get in here? This is the Mayor's house!" Amelia cried out, still holding her breasts.
"I'm aware of that," she said with a grin as she approached. "But this is also the best bath house in town. The public bath house in Nullin has a hell of a time keeping its baths hot. You don't mind if I join you do you?" She started to walk over to where Amelia was sitting.
"Actually, I do," she glared, tensing as Duuchesney came closer. "You'd better get out of here before I really do call the guard!"
The bandit-woman didn't even slow down. "Oh you could do that," she smirked as she came up next to Amelia, "but I happen to know that all the guards here are male. So unless you want an army of men charging into the bathhouse and seeing you in all your glory, Princess…"
Amelia's eyes went wide, and she blushed furiously. There's no way she call the guards now.
Duuchesney let her towel drop and she stepped into the bath, awfully close to where Amelia was sitting, "I knew you were too modest for your own good."
Amelia quickly scooted away from the bandit-woman, scowling, "What are you doing here? Have you come to finish our fight? This is hardly a fitting place for it you know."
"Oh no, I don't fight in bathhouses. I didn't even bring my swords, and I'm pretty much helpless without them," she glanced at Amelia. "Unlike some people..."
She seemed to be acknowledging that Amelia had the advantage here, and that helped Amelia relax a bit. But she still wasn't comfortable knowing the woman who had attacked her and her entourage just this morning was sitting next to her in the bath. 'This just hasn't been my day!'
Duuchesney stretched in the bath, letting out a sigh of release. "Oh, it feels good in here, don't you think? The Mayor definitely knows how to create a great bathhouse."
Amelia only glared at her, not saying a word. Justice demanded she call the guards and have this woman thrown in jail for her evil deeds. Modesty demanded that she keep her mouth shut and just share the bath. Perhaps if she got out of the tub and got dressed first…
"Hey, where are you going?" Duuchesney complained as Amelia climbed out of the pool. "Hey, don't go!" she leaned against the side of the pool as Amelia picked up her robe and put it on. "I came here to talk to you, Princess. I didn't mean to offend you, really!"
"The only thing we could possibly talk about," Amelia answered as she began walking towards the dressing area, "is how you're going to jail so you can pay for your evil deeds!"
Duuchesney scowled, "You can't be serious. Look, Princess," she quickly added before Amelia could answer. "I came here to apologize to you, okay? I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for attacking you earlier."
Amelia stopped what she was doing, and slowly turned towards Duuchesney. That was not what she was expecting, "You're apologizing?"
"Yea, I am, and I don't do that very often so consider yourself lucky. I even went so far as to return everything I stole from you. You'll find it in your room upstairs, by the way."
Amelia looked at her curiously, then she glared, "Wait a minute, you were in my room too!"
"Security is rather lax around here," the bandit explained with a grin.
"Obviously," she would have to talk to the Mayor about that later. "Well, I guess I can accept your apology." She disrobed and returned to the bath, stepping into the pool next to Duuchesney. "So, is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"Well, no, I had other things I wanted to discuss with you. Like, for starters, I had a few questions about a…mutual acquaintance of ours."
"You mean Zelgadis-san, don't you," Amelia's interest was peaked now. "That's good. I had a few questions of my own to ask you about him."
"Good, an exchange of information seems only fair," she scooted closer to Amelia, and this time the princess did not move away. "So, tell me, what kind of relationship did you have with him?"
"Re…relationship?" she was blushing again. "Whatever do you mean by that?"
"I mean, were the two of you ever an item? Lovers, maybe?"
Clearly, Duuchesney was anything but subtle. The Princess hesitated for a moment as she thought about Zelgadis. She knew she had a huge crush on him, and he seemed to be quite fond of her, but… "No, we…we were never more than friends, really."
Duuchesney seemed a little too pleased with that answer. "Good, I was hoping you'd say that. Zelgadis and I have been together for a few months now, and I hate competition."
Amelia's eyes went wide and she gaped at Duuchesney. "Wha…What? You mean you and Zelgadis are…"
"He's a really great in bed, too!"
It didn't occur to Amelia until it was too late that doing a face-vault in a public bathing pool was not a good idea. She quickly came out of the water, coughing and sputtering.
"Geez, Princess, are you okay? Was it something I said?" she tried to show concern in her voice, but Duuchesney was grinning slyly the whole time.
"I'm," cough, "I'm fine, thank you," Amelia responded without looking up. "I just…I just slipped is all." She still didn't look at Duuchesney; the weight of what she had just said was still sinking in. 'So that's why he didn't come back to Seyruun,' she thought. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach, and she could feel the beginnings of a sniffle coming on.
"The bottom's not that slippery. Ah well, I guess it's your turn to ask me a question now."
"Um, well," Amelia began, trying to think of something she wanted to ask her. She preferred something that had absolutely nothing to do with Zelgadis, as she was trying desperately to keep her eyes from watering. But, she just had to know. "How did a bandit like you and Zelgadis-san become…you know…lovers?"
She kicked herself for asking that, knowing that the answer would be painful, but her curiosity got the better of her. Duuchesney was clearly amused by the question, and was more than happy to answer it.
"Well, let's see, where to begin," she leaned back against the tub in thought. "Zelgadis first came to Nullin about a year ago, and as soon as I learned about him, I sought him out. I mean, we don't get many outsiders here in town, especially the young, strong, and handsome types like him. So I found him, one thing lead to another and well…" she shrugged, splashing water as she did so.
Amelia stared, waiting for the rest of the story, but Duuchesney just sat there. "That's it?" Amelia exclaimed.
"What, you were expecting a romance novel or something?" she chuckled. "Look, it just happened. He and I were made for each other and we fell in love. Simple as that!"
"Oh," Amelia turned away, but she couldn't hide her sad expression. "Yea, I…I guess you were."
"So anyway, I answered your question, Princess, so now you have to answer one of mine."
Amelia blinked for a moment, coming out of her thoughts. She'd forgotten about the exchange, "Oh, of…of course. What do you want to know?" Please don't let it be another question about Zelgadis.
No such luck, "So, I've heard my dear Zel is a powerful sorcerer. One of my men witnessed his power, but he won't take me outside the border to show me. So is it true, is he really good, or maybe just an amateur, or what?"
"Oh yes, he's a sorcerer," Amelia responded immediately. "He specializes in shamanist magic, and even taught me a few spells. He's much better than I am."
"Really?" she looked mildly impressed. "That's cool. I wanted him to show me some of his spells, maybe even teach me some. But he won't do it, the jerk."
"Why would you want to learn magic? I thought magic was useless here."
"It isn't out there," Duuchesney gestured in front of her, referring to the world outside of Nullin. "I've always wanted to learn magic, ever since I was a kid, but practitioners of magic are very hard to come by in Nullin, as you may very well imagine. I mean, my parents were both mages, so why can't…" she stopped, suddenly becoming very uncomfortable.
Amelia gazed at the bandit-woman, her expression softening, "Your parents were mages?"
Duuchesney sighed, and then glared at Amelia, "If I answer that question, it's going to count as your next."
Amelia hesitated, then scowled, "Do you really have to keep score? Can't we just talk?" She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask.
The blonde sighed. This was clearly a touchy subject for her, "Fine, yea, my parents were mages. Mom and Dad both. They came to Nullin to study magical fusion when I was about four and too young to study it myself." She leaned back in the tub as she thought back on it. "While they were here, however, they both got sick and died out of the blue. I was left an orphan after that."
"Oh, that's awful, I'm so sorry," Amelia said, genuine concern showing in her eyes. "Now I get it! That's why you're a bandit, isn't it?" The princess stood up in the bathwater, getting a surprised look from Duuchesney. "And, thus you were forced into a life of crime to support yourself after your parents were killed!" she placed the back of her hand against her forehead in a dramatic, grief-stricken pose. "A tragic victim of your past, you chose evil over death!"
Duuchesney stared for a minute, and then smirked, "Uh, yea, I'll let you think what you want." She stood up in the pool and stepped out, reaching for her towel and wrapping it around herself.
"Wait a minute, where are you going?" Amelia demanded. She still had a lot of questions she wanted to ask.
"I think I've had enough 'girl talk' for one day, so I'm going to go home," she picked up the wooden tub she originally brought in and proceeded to leave. Amelia simply watched, sitting back down in the tub as the bandit-woman walked back towards the dressing area.
"Oh, before I forget," the bandit said, as she turned around to look at the Princess one more time. "Zelgadis gave me a message. He's waiting just outside the mansion grounds and wants you to meet him there. Actually," she continued with a shrug. "I was only supposed to give you the message, not visit you in the bath. But I wanted to make sure you wouldn't try anything with my man before I did. Farewell, Princess." And before Amelia could respond, she disappeared into the back.
Chapter 3: Black Mage, White Mage
Zelgadis and Amelia finally get a chance to speak. And a chance to meet the Black Mage-sama!
