Disclaimer: Slayers isn't mine but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them and allowing Xelloss to manipulate them for a little white.

Author's Note: This story was written for the 31 Days community on LiveJournal. The theme for this story was "My people shall never be ashamed." This story takes place right after episode 11 in the anime.

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"The Path of Justice"

"Hey, Prince Phil? Why aren't you in your kingdom like any other prince?"

The rather obvious question had come from Gourry, the mastermind of asking the rather obvious question. The only reason why Lina decided that her fist didn't need to meet the blond's head for the fourteenth time that day was because she happened to agree with her partner completely. Princes, she thought, were much better off doing prince-type stuff in their own kingdoms - especially when they failed to look anything like a handsome fairy tale at all.

Nope. Lina was not bitter. Not even a smidgeon. She tore off another piece of chicken and chewed it while she stared across the campfire at the two newest members of their party that they had acquired that day. Not bitter at all. No sir, not even bother. The fact that Prince Phil looked and acted like an ogre wasn't perplexing her one bit.

"Daddy quests for the sake of justice!" Amelia piped up, her eyes nearly turning into stars as she prepared to launch into a lengthy list of his brave and noble deeds for the sake of justice.

"That's my Amelia!" Phil laughed and ruffled his daughter's hair affectionately. "Why do you travel, Gourry-san?"

Gourry jerked a thumb at Lina. "I'm keeping her in line."

Lina glared daggers at him. "I don't need anyone to keep me in line! I was doing just fine before you showed up, thank you very much!"

Gourry gave her a cool, patient look that infuriated her. Lina abandoned her meal, intending to kick him into the following week.

"But why did you choose to keep Lina-san in line?" Phil asked.

"Because Gourry-san and Lina-san are in love with each other!" Amelia piped up.

"We are not in love!" The two in question screamed at the princess. Amelia merely gave them a knowing smile.

"Well," Gourry said after a moment while Lina switched her plans to plotting Amelia's death. "I protect Lina because she needed my help..."

"I did not!"

"...and I know that my mother and grandmother would be ashamed of me if I didn't help her. Then Lina continued to need my help..."

"I only want the Sword of Light, damn it!"

"...and so I knew I had to protect her as a matter of honor. I want to be with her. Even though she's loud, rude, flat-chested, could be a bit more ladylike...," Gourry ticked off Lina's faults on one hand as she proceeded to turn the color of a ripe tomato.

"And now you know why I travel," Phil proclaimed.

Gourry gave him a blank look. "Because you're fixated with Lina's flat chest too?"

"That's it! You are so dead!" Lina leapt at Gourry.

Phil coughed and gazed up at the stars. "My father is very ill. In his lifetime, Saillune endured unnecessary hardship and it's only been within the last few years since the majority of the power has transferred to me that I've been able to restore my people's confidence in the royal family. I took a vow a long time ago that my people would never be ashamed of me. By doing good deeds in the name of justice, I hope I am proving Saillune's worth as a peaceful kingdom to them."

"Daddy, I don't think they're listening," Amelia observed as Lina shook Gourry violently, yelling about how there was a fireball in his future.

"Ah, just as well." Phil picked up the pie tin that the bickering duo had abandoned. "Pie, Amelia?"

"Thanks, Daddy!"