~* SLAYERS: FALLEN STARS *~
Boy, this past week has been very strange. All the ups and downs were enough to make one's head spin. To those who live in the Southeastern part of the U. S. and in Texas (my home state), I pray for your safety. To the royal newly weds in Great Britain, I wish you long life and happiness, with as many kiddies as you want! To the service men and women from the U. S. and many other countries, thank you for your bravery, and thank you to those who made sure there was at least one less great evil in this world. It has been a long time coming.
Now, read on folks!
Chapter 25: Party for a Princess Part II
"Hey! Let go of me!" Pokota shouted as he flailed about.
"Oh! So it talks!" the voice said.
"Put him down right now, Mr. Hunter!" Amelia scolded. "You know perfectly well who he is!"
The young man wearing a fine dark dusky blue tunic trimmed in gold lifted Pokota to the level his sharp light blue eyes with mocking curiosity. "Oh yeah… Its hard to recognize a prince who looks like a stuffed animal I threw away as a kid." He dropped the prince on the bench.
Pokota jumped up to the back of the bench and growled at him. "For your information, I did not choose this!"
"Yes, we all say that about our shortcomings," said Hunter as he ran his hands through his short dusty blonde hair. He turned to Amelia and casually leaned on the bench. "Good afternoon, your highness."
"Good afternoon," Amelia answered stiffly, not looking at him.
Hunter reached over and took her hand to kiss it. "You're as lovely as always. Would you like for me to get you anything?"
Pokota's ears balled up into fists. "Uh, excuse me!"
"You're excused, fuzz ball," he replied derisively.
Still refusing to look at him, Amelia retracted her hand before Hunter could kiss it again. "Thank you, Mr. Hunter, but I don't need anything at the moment."
He was not deterred. "Ooh, that was cold princess!" Hunter dramatically put a hand over his heart. "Have pity on a poor young man, will you?"
"Enough of the theatrics!" Pokota Yelled. "She doesn't want you here!"
"You're awfully loud for something so small, did you know that?" said Hunter as he stuck a finger in the ear closest to Pokota.
Around the corner from Amelia's side of the bench, they heard Samira's voice. "What is all the commotion here-?" She stopped short and the kind expression on her face fell when she saw Hunter.
He straightened up and put on the best fake pleasant smile on. "Good afternoon, Miss Samira, was it?"
"Yes, my lord." Samira gave him a slight bow, trying her best to be polite. "Is there a problem here?" She looked back and forth between him and Amelia.
"No problem," Hunter said coolly.
"Good." She smiled, though her gaze was locked onto him like a predator "I would hate to start a fight on such a lovely day."
He copied her gaze and crossed his arms as if he were trying to say he was not afraid of her. "No need worry there. I don't fight women."
"Good to know because I, on the other hand, don't have a problem fighting a man," said Samira.
"I was about to leave anyway," Hunter stated.
"Yeah, right," Pokota mumbled just loud enough for him to hear.
Hunter turned his predatory gaze on him for a moment, then turned his attention back to the girls. "Good day, my lady." He bowed to Samira then to Amelia. "Good day, princess."
Amelia finally bothered to look at him and caught his lingering gaze on her as he turned around and walked off.
"Who was that young man?" Samira asked her.
The princess sighed. "Mr. Hunter Darrem is just a minor nobleman from one of the Coastal States but was a great help in providing Mr. Pokota what he needed to rebuild his country."
"Most of the time he acts very humble around other nobles and royalty, but he's just doing it to suck up to them," added Pokota with contempt. "His family only recently became wealthy through trade with the Southern countries of the Eastern Continent, and he acts as head of the family while his father is gone on business."
"Well, that doesn't give him any excuse to be rude," said Samira as she sat down.
"Funny how didn't treat you the same way the others did," Pokota noted.
"Perhaps there are certain lines he refuses to step over," she wondered.
"He could do to step over less of them," said Amelia. "Every time we meet, he does nothing but fawn over me like a favorite pet. But…" She lowered her head. "He's the least of my problems at the moment."
Pokota stared longingly at her wishing he could do something. Hunter had ruined the moment, and it was going to be a while before he would be able to work up the courage to try again. He was already backing out by then, so it was a failure anyway.
"Pokota," Amelia said softly.
"U-uh, yes?" Despite the tenderness in her voice, it startled him.
"Can you get Miss Samira and I something to drink, Please?" she asked.
"Sure." Pokota took off, glad that he could at least do that much.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Amelia then asked Samira in the same soft tone, "What is it like to be married?"
Samira gave her an odd look. "And where is this coming from?"
Amelia lowered her own eyes to her shoes before answering. "I'm curious. I…read a lot of novels," she embarrassingly admitted. "But I know they're nothing like real life. Miss Audrey always gets onto me about it, like I never been out in the world."
"She's just making sure you don't get hurt," said Samira. "Emotions can be trickier than going up against monsters."
"I know." The princess shifted in her seat nervously. "I was a little short with someone a few days ago, and I don't know how to say I'm sorry, when…" Amelia deliberately trailed off.
It did not have to be said. Samira figured it had something to do with the meeting, so she left it at that knowing it would be revealed in time. "You know, I think Mr. Zelgadis wouldn't care as long as you just talked to him. Lina mentioned he seemed even more standoffish than usual."
Her encouragement did not improve Amelia's mood at all. "I'm not so sure."
One of the children in the street accidentally kicked a ball too hard hitting the bench and startling the both of them. The ball bounced back and hit a little girl who had been running after it. She fell on her hands hard on the cobblestone with a painful whimper. Amelia then Samira got up and rushed over.
"I got her!" yelled Jean, running over.
"Its okay. I can help her," assured Amelia as she kneeled down.
"But I gotta practice!" he insisted as politely as possible.
"Give it a try, Jean," encouraged Samira.
"Are you sure?" Amelia asked her as she gently handed the little girls palms to Jean and got back up. She knew he was only a beginner and that even minor scrapes can be tough for a novice.
"Just watch." Samira nodded to Jean.
Jean asked the little girl to put her palms out for him and closed his eyes. For a few seconds nothing happened as he wrinkled his freckly nose concentrating very hard, then a soft light came from his hands and covered the scrapes. A full minute later, they were gone, and Jean cracked an eye open just to make sure.
"There! Now you can go play!" he said enthusiastically to the little girl who simply smiled and took off.
"That was impressive!" exclaimed Amelia. "And how long have you been practicing under Miss Lina?"
Jean jumped back up on his feet and grinned. "Only two weeks. But you should've been at the festival when I helped with Samira."
"Lina told me she had run across very few kids as gifted as he his," noted Samira.
Amelia felt she had to smile. She could remember when she accomplished her own first healing spell, also quite by accident, by simply holding her own father's hand when had just received a cut. It was just a knee-jerk reaction to want to comfort a parent, but it was the first time she witnessed just how powerful love was. For a dedicated white magic user, love was the driving force behind every spell they cast.
"May I make a suggestion?" Amelia asked.
Jean was of course eager. "Sure!"
"Try not to concentrate so hard on the wound," she instructed. "Do you remember how you felt when you helped Miss Samira?"
"I was scared," Jean said matter-of-factly.
"What else did you feel?" Amelia urged on.
He gave it a little more thought. "Concerned…and I wanted to do something."
"You also cared about her, didn't you?" she added.
Jean nodded. "Yeah."
"That's what you really should concentrate on." Amelia pointed to her heart. "All spells thrive on desire. For a healing spell, love and a desire to help are most effective, especially for beginners. Okay?"
Just then, Pokota walked up holding two cups with his ears. "Hey, what's up?"
"You just missed Mr. Jean performing one of his first healing spells!" Amelia was truly smiling as she answered his question.
"Really?" he asked, glad to see her in a better mood.
"Actually, it was my second time, but yeah." Jean was so proud of himself he could not stop grinning.
"As long as you don't get as cocky as Lina, you'll become a great sorcerer in no time," Pokota said, then he handed the girls their drinks and asked," So, you want go play some games?"
"I do!" said Jean. "The other kids are gonna play kickball, and I was never very good at it."
Amelia decided to enjoy herself before she felt down in the dumps again. "Well, I guess I can't spend my whole birthday sitting down."
Jean ran off down the street after waving to the other kids with Pokota tailing him.
Before Amelia took off with them, Samira laid a hand on her shoulder. "If you need to talk to me or Filia later about what's bother you, don't hesitate."
Amelia nodded gratefully, knowing that she will need all the help she could get from more knowledgeable girls. "Thank you. I'll keep it in mind."
Alyssa wandered around the gaming booths trying anything that looked interesting. She had caught Zelgadis and Gourry in a contest of darts, and when Gourry walked off with his prize, she asked Zelgadis if she could play.
The game was not very hard at all. Much like most of the other games it was simply target practice and tested one's aim and knowledge of physics. Three times in a row Alyssa won against Zelgadis and two other players, one of them a preteen girl with long braided white-blonde hair who was very good. Being in very high spirits, Alyssa gave her the prize teddy bear and Zelgadis a bear hug like she used to when they first meet, and of course, he forced her off mumbling something about not understanding the meaning of 'personal space'.
Alyssa won several other games after that, her favorite being the bottle and rings. The man at the booth was totally stunned at how she managed to ring a bottle every time, and a few children and young teenagers gathered around to cheer her on. Each prize she won she gave away starting with the youngest child.
After giving her prize away from the last round, Aldrich's voice piped up from behind her. "You're very good, Alyssa."
He startled her. As soon as she saw his face she quickly looked away but did not move. "Hello, Aldrich." Her tone was soft and uncertain.
As the children ran off giggling, Aldrich laughingly smiled. "I was hoping for a warmer greeting."
"I'm sorry…" Alyssa slowly turned around and dared to look him in the eyes were they still showed a longing for her.
"Nothing to be sorry about," he said understandably, shrugging. "I should have known better. But…" He took one of her hands. "I have been thinking about you since then."
Again, his hand felt hot to the touch as Alyssa stared at it, and she wondered how she was going to explain herself. She thought a few days distance would help clear her mind, but instead, she felt even more confused as to what to do. Rarely an hour had gone by where she did not think about him. This must be what humans call…obsession.
Aldrich leaned over to her ear. "Come with me."
"W-where are we going?" Alyssa asked hesitantly as he led her away from the game booths.
"Someplace a little more private," he replied. "I'm afraid I'm not going to like what you're going to tell me."
She stared at him but was not surprised. "You know?"
"Yes," Aldrich sighed. "Its written all over your face." He pulled her over to a vine covered arch way under one of the walls providing some privacy. "If you have anything to say to me," he said gently, "Go ahead and say it. I won't stop you."
Alyssa admittedly felt relieved at how he was taking it. "Remember when I told you about someone looking for me?" she asked.
He nodded. "I remember."
She took a deep breath. Here comes the hard part. "He was…someone I knew for a long time, but never really got along with. We're…kind of in the middle of a fight right now…concerning our…homeland."
Aldrich felt the level of fear rise up inside her. "I see… Well, if you need any help, I can-"
"-No!" Alyssa exclaimed quickly. "Its something only I can deal with!" She squeezed his hand, and sighing deeply, she bowed her head. "There isn't anything you can do, and at this point…there isn't much I can do either."
Aldrich thought on this for a moment. "You're afraid to use your power, aren't you?"
"Kinda," said Alyssa, never lifting her head. "But I'm more afraid of losing. I'm afraid I'm not strong enough to overpower him."
She felt his other hand come up under her chin to lift it up. "Then, at least, let me be of some comfort to you," he said hopefully.
Even that isn't possible, she thought sadly but remained hesitant in saying it outright. "I don't know… I come from a very different world."
It was now Aldrich's turn to sigh deeply, but he kept a smiling face on as he let go of her hand and chin. "Alyssa," he said sweetly, "I am not fragile. I understand that nothing may come of it, but if you had a chance to be with someone you honestly care about, would you pass it up?"
No, she automatically thought. Even as a mere computer program, Alyssa would have understood what he meant. But… "I've already seen too many suffer because of him…and me."
Aldrich was not phased by this. "Zelgadis was right, there is more to you than meets the eye," he expressed admiringly. "But he failed to mention just how mature you are for a young woman. Your compassion for others is incredible, and I feel like I should be there for you somehow." He leaned in slightly. "I'm willing to take my chances."
Her heart sped up, and she had to look away again. If only there was a way to make him understand. "You really care about me?" said Alyssa, crestfallen.
"You make it sound very depressing, but I do." Aldrich took both her hands as he said it and placed them on his chest. "Look at me."
She did.
"I usually don't beg women to return my affections, but I'm more than willing to make an exception here." He kissed her lightly. "Please?"
For a few seconds, Alyssa held her breath. His lips were still close enough for another kiss, and she felt drawn to them. All she had to do was lean forward, and she could feel that exciting rush again.
As illogical as the temptation was, Alyssa gave in.
This time, there were no voices, but something inside kept trying to pull her back. She felt Aldrich's hand go up her shoulder then to the back of her neck, sending a prickly sensation down the right side of her body. Willfully, she yanked herself away from whatever was holding her and threw arms on Aldrich's neck.
Dark Star heard no order coming from within. He pushed himself towards the source of her power where he had felt something trapped before, but as he got closer, his human body became aroused. Dark Star recoiled, fearing that if he let himself go any further, he might scare Alyssa away. Instead, he focused on his physical activities on the surface, which was not helping much now that he was turned on.
He stuck to kissing until he was sufficiently calmed down, then drew Alyssa against his body, careful not to seem too eager as he did so.
It was like a hot flash of energy melting Alyssa from the inside out, then cooled steadily to a very warm but gentle glow. She craved more, and when Aldrich held her closer she clung to that feeling, hoping to make it grow again.
Alyssa also noticed another strange thing going on with her human body. Aside from her rapid heartbeat, an odd tingling came from the pit of her stomach, and her legs were weakening from what she thought was lack of circulation. The sense of touch on her skin was heightened making everything in contact with Aldrich very sensitive, namely her chest against his.
Dark Star knew this feeling. Now, she was the one aroused, and he had the upper hand.
He migrated the kisses away from her lips and down to her neck and shoulder. The only response he got from Alyssa was a yielding sigh. Dark Star smiled against her skin, thinking how easy it would be to take her right then, but it could cause problems later. So, he slowly drew away leaving a few more kisses on her lips as he finished.
"Does that mean yes?" he asked softly.
Alyssa was still waiting for her head to come down from the clouds, but as her thoughts gradually came back together she was beginning to worry if she let it go a little too far. "I'm still not sure."
"I understand," said Aldrich as he laid one more kiss near her collarbone. "But I hope you reconsider."
Carefully, Alyssa slipped out of his arms, feeling very cold and drained, longing to stay in them. With only a smile she took off down the street.
"Well, that was definitely progress," Dark Star thought allowed as he leaned against the arch behind the vines. It was the most progress he had in days, other than monsters successfully wreaking havoc in the remote countryside.
Edina's voice suddenly emanated from the stones behind him. "If I had known any better, I could have sworn you were ready to have sex with her right here."
"Jealous, are we, Edina?" he taunted.
Her arms reached out and grabbed his waist in a possessive manner as she manifested herself out of the arch. "No, but I still think you could do better. She's obviously inexperienced."
"Then you should've seen the look on her face. You made that same face a few nights ago," Dark Star said.
"That reminds me." Edina moved her hand up his chest and kissed his neck. "You haven't invited me back. Am I such a disappointment?"
He took her hand and threaded his fingers between hers. "Not at all." He kissed back of her hand. "I did say you were well made. There were a few things I had to think over, and you yourself seemed to have your mind someplace else after our first go-around."
Edina gave out a frustrated sigh. "I was just thinking of something stupid Xellos said."
Her reaction amused him. "It must be tough for you to have an ugly thought whilst in the throws of physical pleasure. Speaking of Xellos, how is he doing?"
"Still watching his pet dragon," she spat. "He's been spending an awful lot of time here lately."
"Do you think maybe he has a clue to my whereabouts?" Dark Star wondered.
"No, I don't think that's it," Edina said thoughtfully, "but I still don't understand why after several weeks of jumping all over the place he decided to stick to the one place that puts him at the greatest disadvantage. His mistress' lieutenants must be making up for a lot of slack."
"There's definitely a reason then," he said, smiling to himself as he realized something. "The dragon is most likely a distraction."
"Do you want me to figure out what the Beastmaster's lieutenants are up to then?" she asked.
"No," Dark Star insisted. "There's something here. Something we don't know about yet. Only take your eyes off of him when you need to report to Dynast and do that only when Xellos is not here, understand?"
"Yes, my lord," Edina sighed seductively against his ear. She slipped around to his front and laid her head on his shoulder. "But may I come over tonight?"
He traced a finger across the top of her chest where her corset had pushed it up. "As long as you do another little task while you watch him."
Edina caught his hand and moved it towards her legs. "I'll do anything you ask."
She led his hand under her short skirt and drew him into a deep kiss. Dark Star brought her around so her back was against the wall in the same place where he had Alyssa earlier. He let his fingers find their way inside her, going in and out until Edina's moaning began to echo off the arch they were under, then pulled away.
"Why did you stop?" she asked breathlessly.
"You were getting too loud," he teased. When she began pouting, Dark Star reassured her. "We'll finish tonight."
"Funny, it took a lot less than that for you to get turned on by her," she teased back with and edge to her voice as she referred to Alyssa."
"Like you, I'm attracted to power." Dark Star copied her words from before. "When I got closer to whatever power that was inside of her, my human body lost control."
"Ooh, sounds interesting," Edina cooed. "Must've have been some rush. It was so intense, I probably could've felt you halfway across town."
"You're still not jealous, are you Edina?" he playfully asked.
She kissed him lightly. "No, as long as you don't forget me. Now, what is it you wanted me to do?"
Hunter watched Amelia from a distance as she played games with her friends, taking in her exceptional beauty as he did so. The color she was wearing he thought was perfect for her, but then he thought she was perfect in any color. He was blown away by her appearance when he first met her a year ago and found every chance he could to see her after that. As he got to know Amelia's strong yet kind personality, he practically fell head over heels.
She was so different from everyone else. All the people his father forced him to spend time with to increase their standing in society bored him, and even though many of them were genuinely impressed with Hunter's ability to conduct his father's business and render aid, he still thought of them as shallow.
And he hated them.
He found most people of any class to be boring anyway, so he never bothered with friends, even when he was a child. Only his mother and two little sisters were worthy of attention in his eyes.
Now, he had found someone else also very worthy. Not only that, Amelia had this amazing ability to attract interesting people, like the desert woman for example. Hunter heard the other nobles make fun of her both to her face and behind her back; another reason why he hated most people. They always seemed to be scared of different people, unless they act enough like themselves of course. Hunter also caught one of the dragons suppressing his natural accent for their sakes and was obviously very good.
In a way, he knew he was a bit of a hypocrite, but he had good reason to be, unlike the self-absorbed monarchs and nobility.
As for the desert woman, she practically radiated honesty where ever she went, and as much as he loved sword fighting, he would not attempt fighting her without a proper reason. Honesty was a common trait Hunter found in her people, but of course, there were always a few bad apples that try to spoil the whole bunch. He had a run-in with some of them recently as he tried to help his father establish trade with the Southern countries.
Hunter stood in an alleyway leaning against the building as he kept watching Amelia. They were now trying out a ring toss where he had seen a cute bluish haired girl play and give out every prize she won to children earlier.
He did not notice the beautiful woman who just phased in behind him, until she spoke.
"Hello, sweetie."
Hunter jumped slightly and turned around. The first thing that went through his mind when he saw her outfit was she was a slut and possibly a prostitute.
"If you're looking for a good time," he said flatly, "you might want to try somebody else. I'm not interested." Hunter waved her off and began walking down the street away from Amelia. He did not want her to see him with a questionable woman.
But the woman quickly ran in front of him almost as if she glided, stopping him in his tracks. "Clearly not. You were staring at the lovely little princess, weren't you?"
Hunter's eyes widened a little. "That really is none of your business," he said defensively.
She got into his face. "Oh, but it quickly can become my business," she said with a malicious smile, "if you brush me off like that. You don't know what I'm capable of."
It slowly dawned on him she was not what she seemed. "If you hurt her-"
"-She's already involved," the woman interrupted, "though she doesn't know it. I was going to offer you a chance to be with her, and permanently I might add." She leaned in even closer and touched the bottom of his chin with a finger. "That's the only reason why you bothered coming here, isn't it? To be with her? None of these other people matter to you, do they?""
The thing Hunter hated the most was someone who could read his mind, but his curiosity was taking over. "What did you have in mind?" he said suspiciously.
You're probably still wondering where the Amelia/Zelgadis stuff is, aren't ya? I'm getting there. I'm also gonna try updating more often and go back to that every third day plan I had written out on my calender (I'm like almost twenty chapters behind what it says, LOL! ). Then again, it kinda worked out because where we are currently in the story matches where we are in the seasons right now, so I won't worry about it.
If you review, I promise you won't be disappointed in the next chapter, and the next one too, hehe. ~NB~