The King in White

Chapter: 1

Melarine


Another chapter and enter Lina.


She walked down the road as the sun slowly headed towards its noon position. She smiled as she continued to travel with not a care in her mind. Her fiery, red hair flowed behind her in the breeze. The red mane was wild and free like its owner as there was no attempt to tame it with ribbon or bow. The only boundary was the simple black headband that kept the hair from her eyes. Her red eyes looked ahead as she spotted a town. 'Good, just in time for lunch,' she thought as she continued towards the town.

After about twenty minutes of walking she walked over the last hill and came to the beginning of paved road. She herself was a sight to behold as she walked onto the streets of the town that she now knew as Melarine from the sign. She wore somewhat baggy garnet shirt that came down to her waist before being tucked into a pair of black leggings. The leggings ended where a pair of older and worn boots began. Her hands were covered by white gloves and she had a black cloak on her back and shoulders. She had long discarded the bejeweled shoulder pads of her youth in exchange for traveling lighter. She was the one and only Lina Inverse. The once called bandit killer had continued to adventure even after all of her friends had died or seemed lost to the sands of time. At first she tried settling down and living the rest of her life in peace. That did not work out because someone would always show up looking to attack her or learn from her. 'I don't plan on teaching anyone what I know. This curse will stay with me,' she thought as she looked at the town.

After a while her wanderlust made her move on and she began to travel again. At first she had picked up companions and tried to start all over again, but it never seemed to get any easier when she had to leave them. She had learned her lesson from the first group and never truly became attached with any of her traveling companions after them but at the same time she could not keep at a far distance either. 'Maybe I should have taken some lessons from Zel before he up and disappeared.'

It was true the chimera had disappeared to look for his cure but Lina had kept hold to hope that he would return. Well, days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years, and now Lina was not sure how long it had been since he had left. 'If he found his cure than he is more than likely dead but if he is still a chimera then he would be almost or completely immortal,' she thought as she began to walk further into town.

As she entered the town she was stopped by a voice, "Traveler please hold!"

Lina turned around as she was met with a group of figures in armor. The armor was very eloquent and looked to be made out of orihalcon. The armor was pure white white gold runes carved into it for added strength. 'Whoever crafted the armor for the town guard knows their stuff,' Lina thought as they stopped before the leader said, "Please visit town hall to become acquainted with the laws of Melarine."

Lina looked at the men in armor before saying, "Alright I'll humor you."

The leader nodded before replying, "Good. May the King in White smile upon you."

Lina cocked her head at the saying. It seemed odd that this town; the only one for miles, would have a king. 'Maybe it is a religious figure...though I've not heard of a King in White in all my travels,' she thought as she headed to the center of town.

After looking around for a second Lina found the city hall and entered. Behind the main desk sat two old men that looked like carbon copies of the other. But looked to be about in their sixties to seventies with long white breads and white hair. They both looked up at the same time and asked in unison, "Can we help you?"

Lina looked at them for a second before asking, "Who do I see about learning the laws...the guards would not live me alone until I came here."

The man on the left spoke up, "Welcome good traveler. My name is Baris, and this is my brother Manir."

"How do you do," Manir replied.

"Both of us can help you with the laws. The laws were put in place when this town was first founded," Baris began.

"The head founders found a spot of land where they could settle," Manir picked up.

"But, there was a tower high on the mountain that already existed. The founders thought it must be a relic and that treasures were to abound," Baris began again.

"Wait a minute!" Lina shouted almost wanting to pull out her hair because of how each brother did not miss a beat in the switch off of the explanation before saying, "What does this have to do with the laws?"

"Everything," they both answered.

Lina huffed before glaring at the two and saying, "This had better be worth my time I'm hungry and I want to eat!"

"Oh, why didn't you say so," Manir offered.

Baris nodded and continued, "It is time for government workers to take a lunch. Why don't you..."

"Come eat with us," Manir finished his brother's sentence.

Lina looked at both of the men and felt the want to scream but who was she to turn down food?


Many plates later Lina leaned back in her chair before looking at the two men and saying, "Could we try this again but make it the fast version?"

"Well, as we were saying the founders went to explore the tower," Baris began.

"But, it was not abandoned as they first thought," Manir finished.

Lina smacked herself in the face as she felt her want to fireball them rise. 'Why can't one of them just talk and the other keep quiet,' she asked herself.

"The tower was the home of a powerful wizard," Manir began again.

"And, after continuous fights the wizard and the founders came to an agreement," Baris continued.

Lina perked up at the idea of a wizard and asked, "How long ago was this?"

"Longer than we have been alive," Manir answered.

"But, not to worry the King in White is always with us," Baris added.

"There it is again...who is this king in white," Lina asked bewildered by this figure.

"Oh, the king in white is the wizard that lives in the tower," Baris answered.

"No one knows how old he is but he is a great master of magic. He also made the laws for the town," Manir supplied.

"Now the main ones that you need to worry about are: No offensive magic is to be used in town," Baris read from the list.

"Violence is only allowed in self-defense of oneself and one's property," Manir added.

"And, no stealing, other than that I don't think you will have to worry yourself," Baris ended the rules.

"Any questions," Manir asked.

Lina sighed as she felt the headache that was growing in her skull from how these men talked. She was about to give them a piece of her mind when she heard multiple voice say, "It's Lady Shaya!"

Lina looked outside and many moved to get a better view. As the young woman in a priest robe walked down the street. She walked to town square before stepping up onto the stage. By this time many were filling into the square and Lina had been pulled along by Manir and Baris. As she looked at the girl she could tell that she was and elf or was related to one. The priestess hair waved in the breeze with a life of its own as it looked like fire dancing in the air. Lina leaned over to another villager and asked, "Who is she?"

"She is Lady Shaya. She is the consort of the King in White and his envoy and voice," the villager replied before turning back around.

Shaya stood before the crowd before placing her hands in the air to silence them. "Hear me, Melarine. The King in White has agreed to the governor's request and will be present at the harvest festival."

There was a loud cheer as the crowd was happy to hear that the man they looked so highly upon chose to grace them with his visage. After the announcement Shaya departed from the stage and began to move back towards the road that headed towards the tower. Lina saw an opportunity and made quick to follow the elf. After Lina cleared the crowd she ran to catch up. After a moment she began walking next to Shaya and said, "May I speak with you?"

Shaya was about to turn her down when she looked to her side. Shaya stopped dead in her tracks at the woman walking next to her. She was slender and somewhat pale but the made thing that stood out was the brilliant red hair that rivaled her own. 'Red brings back good memories,' Shaya thought before saying, "You're not from the village."

"Nope," Lina replied before asking again, "May I speak with you?"

"Of course," Shaya smiled before leading them towards a cafe.


Lina sat across from the girl name Shaya at a small cafe. She waited until asked, "What do you want to speak about?"

"The king in white...how old is he," Lina asked.

Shaya thought for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure but he is old than me and I am about to turn seventy. Why do you ask?"

Lina shrugged before replying, "I'm a traveling mage and whenever I hear about wizards and the like I get interested. Especially if they are as old as this one is said to be. I'm interested in asking him some question but didn't know how to go about it."

Shaya smiled before saying, "The master might be pleased to hear one of his art is around. I'll let him know but the best time would be during the festival tomorrow. I would advise that you stay for a few days."

Lina nodded before saying, "I planned on it. I haven't relaxed for a while."

"May I ask your name so I can tell the master who is interested in an audience with him," Shaya asked.

Lina frowned as she thought about this. She had stopped giving her name out years ago and went about using fake names. 'I don't want to give out my name but that is what will like get his attention...wait,' Lina remembered something and wrote it down on a piece of napkin.

Shaya watched confused as the woman wrote something on a napkin and then folded it before handing it to her. "My name is a bit of a sensitive matter. But, if your master has heard of me then what I have written down will clue him in."

Shaya nodded before standing and taking the note, "If you will excuse me I must be getting back," before turning and continuing towards the tower.

Lina on the other hand stood and when to find an inn room.


Lina had found a nice inn room for a reasonable price. It was getting late and Lina had just finished changing into her pajamas when she looked at herself in the mirror. Now that the baggy shirt was gone one could notice that Lina had shaped up a little in her years of living. 'It finally happened...I was finally able to find a way to age my body even if I won't age without the spell,' she thought.

Lina was still slender and still looked a bit like a child but she had grown some. With the help of a spell she had found fifty years ago she was able to age her body somewhat. Her face looked the same as did her in general build, but the main thing that made her happy is her chest became shapelier. She looked into the mirror before sighing and saying, "Doesn't make much difference if there is no one that I care for..."

She sat on her bed and fought away the emotions that were coming. She had traveled so long and so far to try and forget the things she had lost but they always had a way of coming back. 'I wonder...if you are as old as they say to are...how have you dealt with this, how have you come to terms with you extended life oh king in white?'

Lina laid down on the bed before thinking of the message she had sent, 'And, to think I used to get so mad when anyone said that poem.'


Zelgadis looked down at the napkin in his hand. Shaya had come back and was carrying a napkin as if it was the most important thing on earth. After a small talk he had discovered that a mage had asked about him and want to meet him in private for a one on one. 'Probably some upstart wanting to learn my ways,' he had thought until he had read the message.

He knew the poem well and once he had read it his heart began to pound for the first time in a long while. Hope flowed into him as he could not help but think, 'Maybe.'

He looked down at the napkin again before saying, "Are we destined to meet again, oh wild one?"

On the napkin a simple message was written, "Little girl, Little breast, Scares a dragon from its nest."

He tucked the napkin in his pocket before thinking, 'I wonder how much she has changed...but wait...do I dare go to her after so long. I should see into her mind before revealing who I am...I shouldn't get my hopes up just yet.'

And, so the king in white stood looking out to his town as he prepared himself for another acting job. But, this time he did not have just the townsfolk to fool; he also had to fool the one person he had once called friend.'


Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from The Slayers do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.

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