Hello to all! Here is chapter 12- and just as in the first 11 chapters, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan having some (lots!) of fun writing some fiction. Do enjoy! ^_^


12- Mistakes and Misconceptions

The next morning came bright and early, especially for those who'd been out all night doing research. Zelgadis was content to sleep in as long as possible, but a knock on his door managed to drag him out of bed.

"What d'you want?" he grumbled, opening the door, expecting either Amelia or Pestis.

It wasn't. It was some sort of palace worker he'd never met before.

"Mister Greywords...?"

"Er, yes? What is it?"

The young woman wrung her hands nervously. "Um... Prince Philionel wishes to see you... and he's not happy."

Zelgadis paused, and then simply nodded. "Right. Give me a minute."

He closed the door and grabbed his cloak from off the bedpost. Why in the world would Philionel be angry at him? Did he somehow know that they were sneaking out to the ruins? Was the prince angry at him for disobeying Pestis' orders- or worse, for dragging his beloved daughter into a potentially dangerous situation? For all Phil knew, after all, those ruins could be swarming with Mazoku. Was it just a hunch on the part of the prince, or had someone actually observed them leaving the palace? What excuse could he give? What if Phil threatened to tell Pestis? Or did the professor already know?

Zelgadis exited the room and followed after the palace worker. He tried to tell himself that there were all manner of things that Phil could be angry about, and that the possibility that it was the ruins was quite small. But, when you've been keeping a secret for a long time, it's difficult not to be anxious over the possibility of someone discovering it.

Prince Philionel was in his study, working on some sort of paperwork when Zelgadis was ushered in. He tried to give his best confused-poker-face, as though he didn't know what in the world all of this was about.

"You… wanted to see me?" the chimera asked.

Philionel took a deep breath and drew himself up to his full height, glaring down at Zelgadis with an angry glint in his eyes that the chimera had never seen before. It was positively chilling, though not enough to break Zelgadis' composure. Almost nothing was.

After another deep breath, the prince spoke. "…Where were you last night?"

Zelgadis' stomach lurched, but his outward countenance didn't waver. If there was anything he'd learned about keeping secrets, it was deny everything.

"Last night? I don't know what you're talking about. I was asleep."

"Don't give me that! I asked you where you were. Tell me straight."

"I told you, your highness, I was asleep." It wasn't a lie, after all. He had gotten an hour or two of sleep before he and Amelia snuck off to the ruins.

"Are you sure? You don't sleepwalk, do you? Because… I have been told that you were out visiting last night."

'Visiting?' That was a strange term to use for going out and doing forbidden research. Just what did Phil mean by that? Zelgadis arched an eyebrow in confusion and answered truthfully. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

Phil sighed, sounding slightly exasperated. "One of my advisors told me this morning that he had observed you paying a visit to my daughter at… odd hours. Tell me; what purposes would you have for being in Amelia's room in the middle of the night?"

Zelgadis blanched in shock. No wonder Phil was so angry! This had nothing to do with the ruins- it was about Amelia!

"S-sir, I know how this must look, but the thing is-"

"So you admit to visiting Amelia last night?!"

"I never said that!"

"But you were sneaking around the palace in the middle of the night?"

"W-well…" Zelgadis was stuck. On one hand, he could admit to sneaking out to the ruins, and ask Phil politely not to tell Pestis. However, that might be frowned upon by the Justice-obsessed prince, and could backfire on Zelgadis by having Pestis informed anyway. And, if that happened, then the professor would surely take even more measures to keep Amelia and Zelgadis out of the ruins, which they didn't want.

But there had to be some way out of this.

Zelgadis closed his eyes and sighed. "What, exactly, did this advisor tell you that he saw?"

Phil looked somewhat indignant that Zelgadis would ask, but answered anyway. "He said that he was awakened in the middle of the night by his pet, and he simply stepped out of his room to get a glass of water for himself and a small treat to quiet the dog. On his way back, he saw you at Amelia's door; that she opened it and let you in. This alarmed him, so he felt the need to tell me. What exactly do you have to say about that?"

Well, Zelgadis couldn't exactly say that it was a lie- that was what had happened, though it had been misconstrued as having completely different intentions. He was about to say something, but was interrupted by a voice from the doorway of the study.

"Did he see me there? Because I was there too!"

The voice was unmistakable, but Phil and Zelgadis both turned to confirm its identity anyway.

"Professor Nisery?"

"Pestis?!"

The professor scooted into the room, closing the door behind him. "I have to apologise- it seems that I've gotten poor Zelgadis into a spot of trouble! This is my fault- I told him not to tell you about our meeting last night."

Zelgadis was completely lost by Pestis' story, but Phil seemed to be buying it, and Pestis was shooting him a look that said 'play along!,' so he did.

"You just… said that it was so important, that I didn't want to…" Zelgadis stammered, trying to sound convincing.

"I know, I know… but not so important as to risk smearing your reputation." Pestis assured him, and turned back to Philionel. "You see, Zelgadis, Amelia, and I had to meet last night in order to discuss some diplomatic issues concerning the recent vandalism in the ruins and the measures which have been implemented to prevent further tampering with the historic artefacts. We didn't want to tell anyone before a final consensus had been reached, as this is still an in-progress negotiation, and we don't want to alarm anyone. I'm so sorry for the confusion, your highness. And I'm especially sorry to Zelgadis, for making him almost have to make a decision on whether to reveal information he wasn't supposed to let them know, or allow someone to assume something he didn't want them to assume."

Zelgadis sent a wary glance at Pestis, suddenly wondering why the professor was sticking up for him, and what he really knew.

Phil stared at Pestis for a moment, and then finally sighed. "Well, I believe I understand the circumstances… however, couldn't you have at least spoken about it to me? Otherwise, things like this can happen."

"I know. I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again, I promise. I'll keep you updated on all new developments." Pestis bowed respectfully, and Zelgadis took that as a cue to do so as well. Phil put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm very sorry to have jumped to conclusions. I should have trusted you, Zelgadis."

"It's alright; I can see how you might have jumped to that conclusion without other knowledge. Just know that you really don't ever have to worry about anything like that, I promise." the chimera tried his best to sound convincing- Phil really didn't have to worry about that, after all, and he needed to know it.

"Alright, then. The two of you are dismissed. I apologise for the mix-up."

Pestis waved at Phil as he dragged Zelgadis along with him. "No worries your highness- it's our fault. We'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

Zelgadis followed Pestis down the hallway. As soon as they were out of hearing range, the professor spoke up again.

"Boy, that was close! Good thing I showed up when I did!"

Zelgadis sighed, figuring he'd have to face the professor about it sooner or later. "Yeah… thanks for that. But why in the world were you defending me like that?"

"C'mon, Zelgadis! I'm your friend! I've got your back." Pestis grinned at him.

"…meaning…?"

Pestis lowered his gaze. "Oh… just that you and Amelia really ought to find somewhere less conspicuous next time…" He elbowed the chimera, grinning impishly. "…y'know, like, a closet or something."

"Professor!"

"What? I'm just saying! I was young and in love once too, you know." Pestis chuckled, staring off into space dreamily. "Ah, those were the days… Of course, we were already married before I went visiting her in the middle of the night or anything, but romance these days is far different than it was when I was-"

"Alright, I think you've made your point." Zelgadis growled, not wanting to hear another word of Pestis' spiel. "Listen… well… the thing is…"

Pestis turned back around to Zelgadis. "What is it?"

"Er… it's…" Zelgadis attempted to say something else, but failed. "It's nothing. Just… thanks for backing me up. I appreciate it."

Pestis smirked. "Don't thank me. Just be sure not to get caught again."


"…what could I have told him?!" Zelgadis sighed in exasperation. "I'm starting to wonder if this whole mess is really a good idea."

Amelia sighed. "This is a troublesome situation indeed."

"I wonder if we should just stop- we're not getting anywhere with these books. We're having a tough time enough just translating them so that we can understand them, and even then, it's often not the information we're looking for. Perhaps we should just let Pestis handle this the way he wants to-"

"Zelgadis! Do you even hear yourself?!" Amelia jumped up, determination burning in her eyes. "You want to give up when we're so close? You're just going to abandon Mister Pestis when he still needs our help and won't admit it?! What happened to your sense of Justice?"

"I never had a sense of Justice." Zelgadis scowled. "I thought you'd realized that."

Amelia grabbed his hands. "That's not true! I knew from the moment that I first saw you, that you had a heart full of Justice!"

"No you didn't." Zelgadis smirked. "I believe that you said something quite contradictory to that, in fact."

Amelia let go of his hands and backed away a few feet. "Well… I mean… after I got to know you a little, I knew…"

"Ah, so that's how it is? I think it was after you got to know me a lot."

"Would you just listen to my idea?!"

"Oh, you planned to present an idea at the end of this Justice speech? That's refreshing."

"Zelgadis!" Amelia glared down at him. "I can't tell if you're really belittling me, or just teasing, but whatever it is, it's rude when I'm being serious and our lives are in danger!"

Zelgadis gave a look of mock guilt, holding his hands up. "Sorry, sorry. I'll stop teasing. What is your idea, anyway?"

"Clearly there is a problem with the Mazoku here. Mister Pestis wants them out, but I get the feeling that they're being sneaky and not showing their faces for a reason. Going about it the roundabout way that we have is fine, if we could find the evidence we're looking for, but because we're at a loss, the only thing to do is to go after the Mazoku ourselves. We must bring them to Justice our own way!"

"Oh?" Zelgadis grinned. "The pacifistic Amelia, wanting to pick a fight with Mazoku?"

"Sometimes fights are necessary to achieve the greater good." Amelia crossed her arms in defence. "I just want to do everything I can to protect the people of Seyruun."

Zelgadis got up and began pacing back and forth. "I like this idea… it's a bit direct, but I'm tired of waiting around. I've been rummaging through libraries for years, and, quite frankly, it gets old sometimes."

"Oh?" Amelia gave a grin in reply. "The studious Zelgadis, getting tired of libraries?" She stared directly at him, and then began laughing. "Sorry, sorry. I'll stop teasing."

"Alright; I get it." Zelgadis waved her off. "If you're so sure about this, I'm up for it. I'd like to teach whatever Mazoku is doing this a lesson, and figure out just what is hiding behind that wall. Tomorrow night, instead of wasting our time with these ancient libraries, we'll just go to that room instead. If we can lure the Mazoku out, then we'll be able to talk to them- and fight them." He paused and looked down at Amelia. "It'll be dangerous."

"Come on, Zelgadis! Do you doubt that I can take care of myself at this point?" Amelia asked, her arms crossed in indignance.

The chimera sighed, and shook his head.

"No. Not in the slightest."


The next night, it was decided that Amelia would be the one meeting Zelgadis in his room, hopefully to avoid any suspicion. They didn't need that problem on top of everything else that was going on.

The princess didn't like to keep people waiting, so she was at the door promptly on time, mimicking the signature knock that Zelgadis had come up with.

"Are you ready to fight some Mazoku?" he asked, opening the door for her.

"Er, yes; but can I come in and talk to you first?" she replied, not waiting for an answer to enter the room. Zelgadis didn't stop her, but stared at her for a moment, and then looked around in the hallway.

"That's what got us in trouble last time, if you remember correctly."

"Don't worry; there's no one out there. I checked." Amelia sighed, and sat down on the bed, allowing herself to fall backwards.

"Amelia, what are you doing?"

"I'm tired." she murmured, closing her eyes.

"If you're tired, then we'll call off the Mazoku hunt tonight. Go back to your room and get some sleep. We can't have you trying to fight Mazoku when you're-"

"What I'm tired of," Amelia continued, cutting him off. "is this sort of over-defensive attitude you have about me. Why is it that you have to ask me about my well-being every time our situation changes ever-so-slightly?"

"You're part of our expedition, Amelia. I don't want anything to happen to a colleague during a delicate operation like this." Zelgadis said. "Besides, your father has entrusted Pestis and me with your well-being, and I can't let him down. He's the prince of a country, for goodness' sakes!"

Amelia sat up and stared at the chimera sceptically, resting her chin in her hands. "Zelgadis, what do you think of me?"

"I think you really are tired."

"But…" Her glare had an edge to it, like she was trying her best to convince him to reply seriously. "what do you really think of me?"

Zelgadis sighed helplessly; there seemed to be no way get out of it. He might as well answer her straight. Sitting down beside, her, he ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to think.

"You're a very intelligent person, Amelia, even if your naiveté masks it most of the time. I've seen you be extremely foolhardy, rushing into danger when you shouldn't have, and with reckless abandon, no less. But I've also seen you exhibit extreme feat of bravery- true bravery, when you stand up against your enemies, even though you're scared. I respect that."

Amelia looked intrigued, if not completely satisfied with the answer that Zelgadis was giving, as he continued on. It wasn't exactly blind praise, but for Zelgadis, it was nice to at least hear some good things.

"You have a very odd sense of suspicion, and are trustful of people you probably shouldn't trust, and suspicious of people for the wrong reasons. You really do have a good sense of judgment, it's just buried down under your compilation of stereotypes. You have a strong sense of Justice, which is both good and bad- you fight for what is right, but you also use it as an excuse to judge others, which doesn't seem very just to me. You have an exuberant personality which serves you well as a princess, but can sometimes get tiresome as a friend. Honestly, I think your incredible White Magic skills, and your friendly personality make you indispensible as a travelling companion, and that perhaps, with some tact, you can make all of your qualities work in your favour. I think you have a lot of potential, Amelia." He stopped and paused for a moment. "…was that what you wanted?"

"…yes." Amelia murmured, and reached over to throw her arms around him. "And I love you too, Zelgadis."

Zelgadis stared at her for a moment. He wasn't exactly surprised at her confession, but he was with the timing and the phrasing. Placing a hand on her shoulder so that he could easily push her away if need be, he spoke up again.

"Too' is a very harsh implication to make, Amelia."

"I wouldn't imply it if I didn't believe it." Amelia replied with a smile. "After what you just said; I can't not believe it."

"Amelia, that was just-"

"Constructive criticism. It shows you care enough to take an interest in my flaws. Someone who doesn't care wouldn't have an inventory like that."

"It could just mean that you annoy me."

"But you care enough to be annoyed by me, then."

"It always comes back to that, doesn't it?" Zelgadis groaned. "Alright, what do you want?"

"What do I want?" Amelia blinked in confusion.

"I mean, what's the point of this conversation? Why'd you bring this up?"

"Well, because you're my friend. I care about you very much." Amelia began. "We've been working together a lot in the last few weeks, and I wanted you to know how happy it's made me."

Zelgadis was unconvinced. "And...?"

Amelia straightened up with a serious demeanour. "Young love is one of the most detrimental emotions to the astral structure of Mazoku. Haven't you read Mister Pestis' treatise? If we go to fight them with pure, unabashed love in our hearts, then we'll be undefeatable!"

Zelgadis sighed. "So, it's more of a battle strategy, huh?"

"More or less."

The chimera chuckled. "You're more devious than I gave you credit for, Amelia. Has anyone ever told you that you'd make a good villain?"

Amelia turned away from him and sniffed indignantly. "Hmph! Never- and I don't want to hear it. Everything I fight for is for the sake of Justice. You know that."

"So, I guess that means that, if I'm looking for someone to whom I can confide my criminal past, I shouldn't come to you, then?" Zelgadis smirked.

Amelia seemed to be at a loss. "Uh... well..."

"Don't worry; I'm just kidding." Zelgadis assured her, eliciting a sigh of relief from the princess. "...though, I do have quite a criminal past..."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." The chimera shook his head. "Are you ready to go?"

Amelia jumped up excitedly. "Yes, of course! We will be victorious tonight, I can just feel it!"

"Well, that all depends on the Mazoku, doesn't it?"


Instead of going off to the libraries like usual, Zelgadis and Amelia had decided on approaching the room where the strange wall was.

They knew the way quite well by this point, and were glad to find that the way hadn't been blocked by rockslides again.

"Do you think the Mazoku have been here since we were here last...?" Amelia murmured.

"It's likely." Zelgadis answered. "Though it might be difficult to tell. If they left some sort of mark here, it would probably be very obvious." He held his lighting spell up as he entered the room, glancing around for any sign that the Mazoku might have been there. Amelia followed after him, rushing over to the wall with the carvings on it. She gasped in surprise.

"Uh... Zelgadis? Do you think this is obvious enough?"

The chimera rushed to her side to see what she was so worked up about. He was about to say something, but his words caught in his throat as soon as he captured a glimpse of the wall.

"...yeah... I'd say that is..." he breathed.

Over the smooth surface of the wall, right on top of the intricately carved Mazoku writing, were two deep-cut slashes, as if they had been made by a powerful weapon- an axe or sword of some kind.

"Were they... trying to break down the wall, maybe?" Amelia asked.

"No." Zelgadis shook his head. "If they were trying to break it down, they would have struck more than twice. I think it's a message of some kind."

"But what does it mean?"

"I don't kno-" Zelgadis began to speak, but stopped abruptly. He grabbed Amelia's shoulder and pulled her close, drawing his sword. "Someone's coming!"

Amelia listened closely, trying to pull away from the chimera's grip just enough to see what was going on. The ominous sound of footsteps coming down the corridor echoed through the chamber.

Amelia readied herself to fire a spell if need be, though she tried to be as quiet as possible. Zelgadis, however, had a different idea.

"Get out of the shadows and show yourself, you coward!" he called loudly.

In response, the figure slowly emerged from the darkness and spoke.


(Aaaaand, I'll just leave it at that for now. You all probably know me well enough to guess who it is anyway~. Now that I've left it like this, I'll be lucky if I manage to update any time before next year… eheh, I know, that's not funny. I hope you all have a very happy New Year! ^_^)