AN: I make no apologies for the places my mind goes, ya'll.


Lina lay in the twilight between dreamfulness and wakefulness as Gourry's hand rested on her hip, both of them content in their slumber until he gradually started tracing lazy circles on her hips that stirred her awake with a drowsy longing. Lina opened her eyes and saw that the sun had not risen yet, which she quickly decided was a good thing. Even better, the baby was quite in his crib. And it wasn't as if they had to get ready for their classes. The perfect alchemy required for a romantic rendezvous once a couple had a baby had found them. She smiled as she turned to kiss him and found him receptive as they drew towards each other.

When they were done they cuddled up to each other and enjoyed their obscene pillow talk as light gradually filled the room, until Lina rolled her eyes in annoyance. "And I really have to pee. Gives you time to write down your dreams I guess. But don't you dare get up!" Lina said as she got out of bed, wanting nothing more than to get the bathroom stuff out of the way so she could snuggle up with him again.

"Uhh…" Gourry said as he lay in the bed with a dumb look on his face, "Um, well, huh…"

"What?" Lina asked as she wrapped a robe around her and started shifting from one foot to the other.

Gourry scratched his head, "I don't think I had any dreams."

"What?" Lina said as she stiffened.

"Or did I have a dream and forgot it because I didn't write it down and had good sex instead?" Gourry mused.

"Gourry Inverse, don't tell me that you could have gotten an urgent dream with vital information about the future but forgotten about it because we had sex?"

"Well…I did say it good sex…"

"Gourry!" Lina snapped as she reddened.

"Well, whose fault is it that you're so good in bed that you just make me forget?"

"Well you're one to talk!" Lina snapped back. "You know what happens when you…Shit, I really have to pee!"

As she waddled off to the bathroom Gourry called after her, "Well you could have reminded me! You know I forget things!"

"And why do I have to do everything!?" she yelled from the bathroom.

Midas started babbling from the crib as he pulled himself to standing and Gourry sighed as he grabbed his robe. "Midas is up. And he is going to start trying to climb out of his crib soon."

As Gourry picked him up he tried to remember even the slightest hint of anything he could have dreamt of and came up blank as Lina returned to take Midas from him to nurse him. After a few moments of silence he said, "Well, if I'm honest, I don't think even the best sex would drive the previous dreams from my mind. I mean, it wasn't as if I was exactly in the mood after seeing such a depressing future. So maybe I didn't have a dream in the first place?"

"If that's the case, what does that mean, then?" Lina said, "That the affect wears off after awhile? Or that your future self died and no longer was able to pass information on?"

"If that's the case then I guess Lia's plan failed." Gourry pointed out.

"That's a somber thought." Lina said.

"Yeah, that puts a bit of a damper on the morning." Gourry said as he ran a hand through his hair. "And I was really hoping I could learn more about M and how the Demon Lord of the North is revived."

Lina felt a chill rush through her. It was one thing to experience the rebirth of Shabranigdu before she had children. But now that she had them it was terrifying to think of the future they could be robbed of. Gourry put a hand on her knee, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten carried away like that."

"It's as you said, if you'd had a dream you likely wouldn't have been in the mood." Lina said, "We're just going to have to go with that or risk driving ourselves crazy."

Once Lina finished nursing Midas they dressed, stopped by the nursery to pick up Aurelia and took the twins, who were old enough to start solids, down to the dining room. Most everyone had already come down to breakfast, save Sylphiel who would be taking it in her room. Rick held a huge bouquet of flowers as Nelly prepared a tray to send up for her to eat as Rick asked, "Do you think it's enough food?"

"She's nursing, so no." Lina said as she put Aurelia in a high chair.

"I'll get some more toast." Nelly said.

"Look at you giving her flowers." Lina said as she looked at Gourry, "Why didn't you get me flowers after they were born?"

"We had twins." Gourry said simply, "Couldn't spare the time to get away."

"That's true, actually." Lina said as she sat down. "How are Sylphiel and the baby?"

"Doing great!" Rick said as he lifted the tray with one hand and managed to hold the bouquet with the other, "Feel free to stop by later!"

"You don't need any help with that?" Han asked.

"Nah. Syl just brought life into this world! I gotta keep impressing her somehow." Rick said as he turned and carried everything out, and Lina decided that he made it look way too easy.

Leia sighed as she shook her head wistfully, "So many men forget that even after everything is settled we still need some wooing."

"Was that directed at me?" Han asked.

"Of course not, dear." Leia said quickly.

"Which reminds me, I need to prepare something for when Amelia comes home." Zelgadis said as he finished his tea.

"Any word on when that will happen?" Lina asked.

"Sooner rather than later, we hope. It depends on when the medics from Saillune get there and they put Maeve on the throne." Zelgadis explained.

"Hopefully it will be sooner, it will be good to have her back." Leia said.

"And I know the nursery staff is wanting Moe back!" Lina added as she started to take a sip of tea.

"Any dreams Gourry?" Han asked.

Lina spat out her tea, drenching her father who sat across from her as she started coughing. Beside her Gourry dropped his fork as he started blushing as Lina coughed and coughed while everyone around the table looked at them in alarm. "My goodness," Leia said, "was it that bad?"

"No…" Lina said between rasping coughs as she grabbed a napkin to blow her nose as Han started mopping up the mess, "No, it's just…"

She started coughing again as she looked down. Well, how exactly could they explain this away? Beside her Gourry started patting her back as he said, "I don't think I had a dream last night. At least, I don't remember having any."

"But why all this?" Zelgadis asked irritably as he pushed his plate away.

"Don't ask." Lina said as she shook her head.

Leia chuckled as she smiled knowingly, "I thought the two of you had a bit of a morning glow when you came in."

"MOM!" Lina screeched as Gourry started to sink into his seat. "Fine, we think he didn't have a dream, but we don't know for sure because we got a bit frisky this morning. Happy?"

"I'm sorry I asked." Zelgadis said as an awkward silence punctuated the room.

"But if Gourry didn't have a dream, what does that mean?" Leia asked, thankfully changing the subject.


Amelia had by no means expected King Moros and Duchess Oriana to give up without a fight. What she did not expect was how many people agreed with them! Amelia listened as Maeve defended her strategy while Oriana presented facts that on the surface sounded good until you framed them in context. "I did not lose a single soldier! None of my soldiers suffered a single injury even. And we were instrumental in liberating the people enslaved within the castle." Oriana bragged. "Princess Maeve, how many people died under your leadership?

"My troops were the ones who were tasked with breaching the castle walls." Maeve replied evenly, "And once that was accomplished, we faced seven Mazoku at once. In total we lost seven people. Now remind me, Duchess Oriana, how many Mazoku did you face?"

"We destroyed one and lost no one." Oriana maintained.

"It is worth noting that the troops that liberated the camps faced fewer Mazoku and lost more people." General Ardith cut in, "The one with the least amount of casualties, after Princess Maeve, lost forty-four people."

"What matters is that Duchess Oriana did not lose a single soldier." King Moros interjected. "With shrewd methods she waited till she had the advantage to strike."

Amelia felt her temper boil within her and bit her tongue, something that she had learned the hard way to do. But it would be better to not embarrass King Moros unless absolutely necessary. Meanwhile the King of Ralteague shot back, "Shrewd methods of waiting until other kingdoms had evened the playing field a bit!"

The room erupted into frenzied conversation until the Eternal Queen slammed her fist on the table and yelled, "That's enough." Once she had everyone's attention she lowered her voice, "We have debated this endlessly. One representative from each kingdom will vote to either put Princess Maeve of Zeferia or Duchess Oriana on the throne in Dils."

"You get to vote on this." Amelia whispered to Naga, who nodded as a whisper of conversations took place around the table.

Eventually the Eternal Queen said, "Those who will support Princess Maeve, please raise your hands."

Naga and several others did, and Amelia silently counted. Ten. Maeve had ten votes.

"Those who will support Duchess Oriana." The Eternal Queen said.

Amelia's heart sank as she counted ten raised hands. A tie. Now that a group of healers had been established in Dils Amelia had felt confident that the survivors were in good hands and she could go back home to Zelgadis and Justina once this formality was over. And she now feared she was naive to assume that the other monarchs would see reason and put Maeve on the throne. If there was a tie then it would likely mean a long, drawn out negotiation process, unless…

Amelia looked at King Moros and felt her anger boil over. She was not going to miss one more moment with her daughter than she needed to because of him! She stood up, "I have important information I have been withholding to help the Kingdom of Xoana save face. But it seems as if important events have compelled me to share this."

The color vanished from Moros's face as Amelia continued, "Before the battle, King Moros ordered Duchess Oriana to withhold her troops in the hopes that Princess Maeve would fail! He then called me into a private audience and blackmailed me, attempting to secure Saillune vote for Duchess Oriana at the price of their help. Little did he know that we had been informed of his vile plan and had already sent backup from the Luke and Milina School of Sorcery and Swordplay, which caused him to abandon his nefarious plan. I have several soldiers, guards and messengers who can testify to this!"

"She lies!" King Moros with a simpering smile.

"If Duchess Oriana truly cared about her people, she would have refused King Moros's orders! All of our hard work could have been lost." Amelia said, "And after all that Dils has been through, the last thing they need is a monarch who would jeopardize their lives in such a way."

"My goodness," Ellege said, "If this got out among the masses it would destabilize our system of monarchy!"

"Could we see some proof?" The Duchess of Pembra asked, and Amelia felt heartened. The Duchess of Pembra was close allies with Xoana, and if she was concerned by this…

"She doesn't have any." King Moros sneered.

Amelia smiled as she rang for her page, "Mary, please fetch…"

"Mary, don't." King Moros said as he became red faced and sweaty.

"That you don't want witnesses called says it all!" Naga said.

"Why should we put so much weight on witnesses who, for all we know, could have been bought?" King Moros asked.

"I say we cast another vote." The Eternal Queen said, "And then revisit the issue of evidence if needed."

Amelia smiled as the Eternal Queen initiated the vote. This time Maeve got twelve votes, and Amelia felt relief wash through her. The Eternal Queen smiled, "It is agreed then, Princess Maeve shall be installed upon the throne in Dils in one month's time. This meeting is adjourned."

Amelia got up and walked over to Maeve, beating the crowd that was forming around her, and gave her a hug. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you!" Maeve said, "And tell Dame Lina and Sir Gourry and Duke Zelgadis and everyone else there that I thank them deeply. I remembered everything they had taught me to accomplish this! And will keep in mind all I have learned while going forward."

"I will." Amelia said, "You take care of this kingdom, after all they've been through they need you to be the best queen you can be! Continue to make our school proud!"

Soon another person was butting in to congratulate Maeve, and Amelia took a deep breath as she stepped back and ran into Naga. "Moe is planning to leave with most of the students at dusk. You go back to Maninstit." Naga said. "I'll stay here as Saillune's representative until Maeve is crowned and installed upon the throne."

"But you and Moe are newlyweds!" Amelia said.

Naga smirked, "We are, aren't we? Ah, but the last thing I want is to be one of those people who can't bear to be separated from my lover. We'll be fine! Justina won't be this small forever."

Amelia hugged her as her happiness bubbled over, "Thank you! I'll go and pack straight away!"

Amelia ran from the room and had almost reached her apartments when Duchess Oriana called, "Princess Amelia."

Amelia stopped as looked at her as Oriana smiled nebulously, "Keep that baby of yours close. Real close."

Amelia felt a chill rush through her. "Did you just threaten my baby!"

"Hm, paranoid are we? You hear so many stories about mental instability among the royal family in Saillune. You may want to have that looked at." Oriana said as she turned on her heels and walked away, "Have a safe trip back."