Hello, everyone! As usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!
46- A Bridge Too Far
"I can't believe Mister Pestis!" After everyone had retired for the night, Amelia had the chance to vent her frustrations. She was fuming about the uproar Pestis had caused earlier, and Zelgadis was always the best listener when it came to things like this.
"I'm sure he didn't mean any harm. You know how he is- he doesn't have a filter."
"That doesn't excuse it! I can't believe he would assume that we would just… just…" Amelia closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. "…just… replace Alex like that. Like we would forget about him so soon-"
"But I thought you wanted to try again. Are you having second thoughts about it?"
"N-no, it's not that." Amelia shook her head. "It's just that Mister Pestis' reaction today reminded me of... well..."
"Of us when we first found out about Alex?" Zelgadis finished the sentence for her.
"Yes. We really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into."
"I don't think any first-time parents ever do."
Amelia pouted. "This sort of thing deserves more of a solemn happiness than a bouncy, excited one! How could Mister Pestis possibly be so irreverent-?"
"Amelia, what are you talking about? That wasn't what he was saying at all." Zelgadis put his hands on her shoulders and sat her down on the side of the bed. Their guest room was one of the smaller ones in Lina and Gourry's house, but it was comfortable and they were used to it after all of their previous visits. Amelia crossed her arms and sulked as Zelgadis tried to reason with her. "Pestis meant no harm. He just wants us to be happy. You know that."
"But we are happy!"
"You know that and I know that, but does he know that?"
Amelia pulled her knees close to her chest. "Aren't Mazoku supposed to know that kind of stuff?"
"W-well… Pestis is special."
"And you say that in the best way, right?"
"Of course." Zelgadis sighed and pulled himself to his feet. "He's so stubborn, there's not much we can do. Think of him as a senile old man, will you?"
Amelia sighed. "He said once before that we reminded him of his wife and himself, didn't he? Maybe he's living vicariously through us."
"It's possible." Zelgadis nodded. "We just have to discipline him. He looked pretty sorry tonight when you hit him with the papers. He'll learn."
Amelia glanced at the ceiling absentmindedly. "Should we get a spray-bottle for him, then? I've heard it works wonders on cats."
"No." Zelgadis was quick to shoot the idea down. "He would find some way to turn the idea into sexual humour."
"Ugh. You're right."
Zelgadis rested his head on Amelia's shoulder. "It feels like we're trying to handle a problem child, not an old man."
"Speaking of which, Mister Gourry told me today that he and Lina are worried about Luke."
"What? Is he a problem child? Already?"
"No, no. They're just worried that he's a little… slow." Amelia shook her head. "I think the problem is that Enrico is an early-bloomer. I know children develop at different rates, but Enrico is so far ahead, he makes his little brother look bad. That's the issue."
"And first-time-parents Lina and Gourry have no point of reference to know that Luke isn't below average, right?"
"As far as I can tell."
"Doesn't Lina have some friends in Craighouse with kids, though?"
"Yes." Amelia nodded. "She said her friend at the bakery just found out that she's expecting her third."
"Then why haven't they said anything?"
"I'm sure they have. They've probably said the same things that I said to Mister Gourry today- but it's not like that's going to make a difference. It's in a parent's nature to worry about their children."
"Mm. That's true." Zelgadis put more weight on Amelia's shoulder, and she whined and pulled away from him.
"I'm sure that once the twins get a little older, it'll be more obvious. Lina and Mister Gourry just need to keep taking good care of them- which they undoubtedly will."
Zelgadis nodded and leaned back on the bed, with his perch on Amelia's shoulder now taken away from him. "They're taking the twins with us to the Lin estate, right?"
"As far as I know. What reason would they have to leave them behind?"
"No reason. I was just making sure. You never know what might happen when dealing with matter of the gods and Mazoku."
"That's unfortunately true."
Filia glanced around the large expanse of the room before her. She'd been greeted at the gate with a pleasant "the lady has been expecting you," then ushered into the palatial hall and left there while the servants sought out the master of the estate. Filia had a very specific sort of memory associated with large halls such as this one, often found in temples, and the whole expanse of it made her oddly uncomfortable. She clutched at her belongings nervously, making sure to gently cradle the basket that held the Ancient Dragon egg. With the egg showing signs of hatching any day now, Filia didn't want to leave it behind. She couldn't gauge just what kind of dangers might lie ahead or behind, in any case.
It took a few minutes of waiting, but finally a familiar face showed up to greet her.
"Filia! I'm so glad to see you!"
Filia's face lit up. "Miss Lina! Oh, it's been too long! How are you?" The two women embraced one another and Filia's questions continued. "Where is everyone else? Are Mister Gourry and Zara well? Was your family affected by the strange weather a few months ago? Is that what this is about?"
"Filia, Filia," Lina waved her hands back and forth. "one question at a time, please!"
"S-sorry." Filia took a step back. "I guess I was just so happy to see you, I lost track of what I was saying."
"It's okay." Lina laughed. "I understand that this was all so sudden, and having to come on such short notice might have stressed you out, but-"
"Oh! Is this the Golden Dragon? Hello, hello!"
Both Lina and Filia jumped back in surprise from the loud voice. Lina recognized it and groaned inwardly, but Filia kept a curious expression as the man approached her. He looked normal, but… there was something not quite right about him.
"It's so good to meet you." Professor Nisery enthused, offering his hand to shake. "I've heard so much about you, Miss Filia. All good things, of course, good things-"
"And you are?" Filia interrupted.
"Oh, sorry! The honourable Lord Pathosmaster, at your servic-"
THWAK
Filia's handbag struck Pestis in the face before he had time to finish his introduction. He fell over with a yelp, and the dragon attempted to pursue him before Lina jumped in and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Filia, Filia! He's a friend! A friend! He's on our side; don't hurt him!"
The dragon's rage subsided and her tail drooped sheepishly.
"Oh… uh… sorry about that. I acted out of instinct." she apologized to neither one in particular.
"Ow. You are STRONG." Pestis stumbled back to his feet. "The dragon race's strength is no joke."
"I'm sorry, sir. I really am. I don't know what came over me." Filia shook his hand apologetically.
"No worries. This whole getting-hit-in-the-face thing is becoming pretty commonplace."
"Who did you say you are?"
"Professor Alexandre Nisery… the, uh, new Lord Pathosmaster. I've sort of embraced the term Neo-Pathosmaster, though Lina feels that it's a little too melodramatic. I just want to differentiate myself from my predecessor, y'know? What do you think?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Filia shook her head. "If you're Pathosmaster, why don't I sense any miasma around you? You're a Mazoku, right?"
"That's a long story that we don't have time for now." Pestis waved his hands back and forth. "We have to ask you about something more important. I know you used to serve the Flarelord, but surely you have some in-depth knowledge of the Aqualord… yes?"
"The Aqualord?" Filia blinked. "Yes, I suppose, but why?"
"Again, it's a long story." Lina reached out and took Filia's hand. "Why don't we-"
An all-too familiar sound interrupted her.
"Lina!" Zara's voice accompanied the baby's crying. "Luke's hungry again."
"What? I thought she just fed him." Pestis ran to meet the boy who was entering the room from the staircase. "Maybe he's upset because he made a mess-"
"No, I checked. Besides, this is his hungry cry. His messy cry sounds totally different."
"Really? All crying sounds the same to me."
"Not to me." Lina pushed Pestis out of the way and took the infant into her arms. "I'll take care of him. You two take Filia to the library and start explaining things to her, will you?"
"Now wait just a minute!" Filia yelled. "I want an explanation about this! This baby is… yours?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry for the lack of introduction." Lina moved closer to her. "This is Luke. Say hi to Auntie Filia, Luke!"
"Wait, wait, wait! I didn't even know you were pregnant! How old is he?"
"Uh… almost eleven weeks." Lina replied, instinctively protecting her son from the angry dragon. "Why?"
"But that's impossible. That would make him…" Filia's voice trailed off and she was silent for a moment as she thought it through. "…I mean… you would've had to have been pregnant when we fought Pathosmaster the second time."
"Yeah, well…" Lina shrugged. "I've got a hungry baby here, and we all have things to talk about, so…"
"Miss Lina!"
"I'll show you where the library is." Zara grabbed Filia's hand and dragged her in the direction he'd come from. "Lina and Luke can come with us, so you can talk to them some more."
"I'll go get everybody else." Pestis waved. "Do you want Enrique to bring Enrico downstairs?"
"Who to what?" Filia called.
"We'll draw up a family tree later." Lina waved one hand at Pestis. "Bring everyone together, and then we'll talk."
Filia started to wonder if she was going to regret coming to the estate after all.
"-really, you don't know what an honour it is to house a former priestess of the Flarelord here in my own home. Are you sure you don't want more tea? Is there anything else I can get you? Don't hesitate to ask if there is anything at all that you desire-"
The group was getting tired of hearing Miss Hayze fawn over Filia, quite honestly, but they didn't want to say anything that might upset her. Lyos said it was the most energetic he'd seen her in a while, and it seemed wrong to deny such happiness to a woman who was still so sick.
Filia, on the other hand, was delighted to see someone so excited about the realm of the gods for her own sake. She'd spent so much of her life surrounded by beings who lived their lives solely "for the gods," so it was refreshing to see a more selfish interest in such matters. The two woman had conversed for a long time that the rest of the group had left the library to eat a light supper and then returned to find Filia and Miss Hayze still talking.
"Milady," Lyos was finally the one brave enough to interrupt the conversation. "the healers are asking for you. It's about that time again."
Miss Hayze sighed sadly. "I should have known. Continue the conversation without me; I should not be long." She stood up and leaned against Lyos' arm for support as he led her out of the library and down the hall. There was an awkward silence as the group tried to cope with her absence.
"So! Miss Filia!" Pestis scooted up next to her. "We were gonna talk about the Key of the Aqualord, right?"
"I suppose. What is it, exactly?" Filia had kept the basket with Val's egg in her lap, not trusting it to be out of her sight. She clutched at the blanket nervously. "I'm afraid that, though I've heard the name, I'm not familiar with its use or significance."
"Long-story-short, it's the key to the Aqualord's barrier keeping the Demon King in place-"
"Oh! The Banisher!" Filia clapped her hands together. " Yes, I know exactly what that is!"
"Good. That saves us a lot of trouble." Lina moved over onto the couch on the other side of Filia. "Here's the story. When the barrier was weakened, Lyos- the Knight of the Aqualord- was unable to draw upon the Banisher's power. We assumed that it was because the barrier was weakened, and that if he were to draw the power away from the barrier to power the Banisher, the demon king would be released. But Lyos was forced to use it in our last battle with Azarel. When the Banisher was u-"
"Azarel?! The Mazoku who teamed up with Xellos to slaughter dragons during the War of the Monsters' Fall?"
"Yes. So when the Banisher was used during the fight, the-"
"But Azarel was supposedly killed by the dragons! We celebrated it as one of the great victories of our race during the war!"
"Unfortunately, Filia, the dragons were mistaken. I got rid of Azarel…" Pestis scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "But not for good, of course. I sealed Azarel away alongside my old master… Vireas…"
"Why?!"
"Er, various reasons. I didn't want to actually kill Azarel, and I also wanted to gain a bit of leverage against Phibrizzo… plus I didn't want Vireas to be lonely, not that he knew Azarel was even there…"
"So, when Vireas was released a year ago, that meant Azarel was released too?"
"Right, right." Lina nodded. "So, anyway, when the Banisher was used during the fight, instead of releasing the Demon King, it actually appeared to seal him away further- if the weather can be of any indica-"
"Stop, Miss Lina! This is too much to take in. I can't think." Filia stood up, clutching the egg to her chest. "You can't just drop news like this on me and expect me to be able to take it in stride."
"What news? What's bothering you so much? Is it Azarel?" Lina pressed. "You know that Xellos killed more dragons than she did-"
"No, it's not that!" Filia yelled. "…wait, was Azarel a she? The temple elders always said he."
"Azarel prefers for friends to forego gendered pronouns altogether." Pestis offered. "I'd suggest the singular they, if you're at a loss."
"Oh! Why didn't you say so?" Amelia gasped. "I've been mistakenly saying she this whole time!"
"Amelia." Lina raised one eyebrow.
"Everyone deserves to have their pronouns respected." Shizuri interjected. "You can't be that heartless, Lina."
"He, she, they, it… I don't care what this Mazoku is!" Filia shook her head. "The fact is that I was told all my childhood that he- er, they were dead! The dragon race celebrated this as one of their greatest victories! To find out suddenly that yet another one of my deep-founded beliefs was a lie…"
"You really should be used to that by now, Filia." Lina shrugged.
"You're… you're… heartless!"
"Miss Filia!" Amelia ran after the dragon who had fled the room. "Please wait, Miss Filia!"
"Beautiful." Zelgadis gave a slow round of applause. "Lina, have you ever considered going into therapy? You're a natural."
"We don'tneed your sarcasm, Zel." she spat in response.
"Put yourself in her shoes, Lina." Shizuri attempted to reason with her. "Can you imagine if one of your long-held beliefs was suddenly challenged? I know that her relationship with Xellos makes it unlikely that this is about Azarel's specific actions, but it's still a shock."
"I'm sorry. This is my fault." Pestis bowed his head apologetically. "I tend to have this effect on people."
"It wasn't you… for once." Zelgadis spoke up. "We were putting her on the spot, first of all. We didn't come to terms with all of this information at once, so we can't expect to shove it down Filia's throat and expect her to be able to instantly come up with some brilliant conclusion."
"So what?" Lina groaned. "Filia knows that the world isn't all peaches and cream. So she's been through a lot- so have we! And don't tell me that she's fragile or anything, 'cause I know better than that."
"We never said that!" Shizuri exclaimed. "Are you listening to what we're saying at all?"
"I'm trying to listen, if you'd-"
"H-hey…" Enrique spoke up timidly, trying to protect the infant that he was holding. "If you keep yelling, you'll wake up Enrico. He's finally fallen asleep… and I don't think he's the only one."
The group tossed a glance to one of the couches, where Zara was curled up in Gourry's lap with Luke cradled in his arms. Zara and the baby were peacefully sleeping, while Gourry had his head leaned back, his mouth wide open the way he normally slept. Lina's expression immediately changed to one of pure joy.
"Look at them. The boys take after their father- all three of them." There was an unmistakeable gleam of pride in her eyes, similar to when she had pilfered a large lot of treasure and was admiring her newfound wealth.
"That's another thing to remember." Amelia put a hand on Lina's shoulder. "Miss Filia is going to be a mother soon too. She's worried about the fate of the young dragon in that egg, and throwing all this at her is going to make the stress even worse."
"Remember how high-strung you were when the twins were due and you still had Zara to worry about?" Zelgadis offered.
"I was not high-strung!" Lina defended.
Pestis nodded his head. "Yeah, you… kinda were."
"This isn't an insult. You had every right to be worried." Shizuri assured her. "We're just trying to show you that Filia does too."
Lina sighed. "I guess I owe her an apology. We'll give her some time to rest, and perhaps tomorrow we'll have more luck with figuring out what's going on."
"Yeah… there's always something fishy going on in the realm of the gods." Pestis' nose wrinkled as he frowned. "People say that Mazoku are the bad guys, but the truth is…"
His sentence was interrupted by Gourry snoring loudly from the couch. Pestis winced and covered his ears.
"Ah, he's right. It's late, isn't it? We should rest."
The group all expressed their agreement.
"Aw, man. It was just getting good, too. Consensus and understanding- what a boring way to end an argument." A small Mazoku watched the library scene from afar and pouted to herself. "I have to sit around and watch boring old Lord Pathosmaster. Yay for me."
She rested her head in one hand and swung her legs back and forth underneath the seat of her perch. She knew that she was supposed to be keeping her eyes glued firmly on the professor, but… her eyes kept wandering over to his assistant- general, maybe? There was something about the way the blond Mazoku moved, a certain charm in his facial expressions, a strange uniqueness to his mannerisms that caught the observer's eye. She smiled sweetly.
"Oh well. I do get to spy on the cutest Mazoku in the whole world. I should probably thank Lord Beastmaster later…"
