Amelia felt as though the anxiety churning in her stomach would make her hurl as she envisioned scenes of the horrendous conditions that Oriana had subjected Zel to. She was sure that Oriana would lead them to some run down shack that was covered in mold and feces and crawling with rats and that poor Zel would be stripped down and weighted with chains, his body broken from the torture that Oriana had undoubtably inflicted upon him.
Beside her Naga was cool as a cucumber as Oriana fumed silently as she led them out of town as Amelia felt as though her anxiety would choke her. Oriana veered off the main road, and Amelia quickly looked to see where she was headed and was surprised to see a clean, well maintained cottage up ahead. But as they drew closer Amelia worried about what horrors the seemingly tidy exterior housed within.
A middle aged man sat whittling on the porch, and despite his relaxed demeanor it was obvious that he was a guard. He stood to attention as Oriana drew closer and Amelia realized that soon she would know just the depths that Oriana had sunk to to hurt her family. "Duchess Oriana." He said as they approached.
She nodded curtly to him as he opened the door and they followed Oriana in and found a group of men playing cards in the cabin's one room that, to Amelia's relief, was clean and tidy. They all stood to attention as she came in and addressed them, "Release the Duke."
"Right away, ma'am." One of the men said as another walked over and opened a cellar door that was in the floor as Amelia tried to keep from shaking as the man disappeared down below. Sure, the interior of the cabin was nice and clean. But what if the cellar was a cesspit? And Zelgadis came out bloodied and broken from down below?
But when Zelgadis did emerge he looked disheveled but otherwise fine. Amelia raced forward to embrace him as he clung to her tightly. "Did they treat you well? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He said softly.
Meanwhile, Oriana looked at Naga and said, "My letter."
Naga reached into her bodice and grabbed it and handed it to her just as the guard at the front door walked in and whispered, but not so softly that Amelia could not hear, "Duchess Oriana, a delegation from Ruvinagard is here. They are saying that they have some questions for you."
"What?" Oriana said as she reddened looked at Naga, "What did you…?"
Naga's lips curled up as she reached her hand up to her mouth and let out a good laugh and even Zel cracked a smile as Oriana and the other guards flinched. "I forgot to mention that the letter was a loan from Inspector Wizer in return for my instrumental help in rooting out the corruption at the heart of the Ruvingard family."
Oriana's eyes narrowed, "Why you…"
Naga let out another laughed as she turned to leave, "Enjoy your afternoon!"
"Have they been feeding you?" Amelia asked as she clung to Zelgadis as they walked back to the palace, "They didn't beat and torture you, did they?"
"No, I was well treated." Zelgadis assured her as he kept his head down. "Only my pride has been bruised."
"I was so worried about you!" Amelia said as she grabbed his arm more tightly as he seemed to shrink from her.
Zelgadis's lips almost turned up into a smile but quickly fell and Amelia squeezed his arm more tightly, "We're going to have a good lunch and then get you home…"
"You mean Lina hasn't sacked me?"
"Of course she hasn't sacked you! She's not that cruel!"
"She'd have every reason to."
"Nonsense. We checked your journals, you didn't kill Bruce or Nerys's parents!"
"You checked my journals!?" Zelgadis repeated.
"We had to! We had to prove your innocence."
Zelgadis sighed as he nodded, "Of course you did."
"Zel…" Amelia whispered. "Why are you being this way?"
"I dunno," he replied, "How else should I be after I've been arrested for murder?"
"Gleeful that you got away with it?" Naga suggested.
"I don't think you're helping!" Amelia hissed.
"I suppose the rumors are spreading all over the school." Zelgadis said tiredly.
"Yeah, they are, and the kids were worried sick about you and curious about when you would return. You may be a stick in the mud but you're their stick in the mud and they want you back." Naga said as she looked at her nails. "And Lina's been on your side. Annoyingly so. She threatened to fire me when I spoke ill of you! Even though you may have murdered someone she was more concerned with keeping you on then me! Can you believe it?"
The tension seemed to leave Zelgadis a bit as they continued to walk. "It will all be okay. Justice will triumph…" Amelia began as Zelgadis tore himself from her and picked up some speed.
"Justice would be me going back to prison, Amelia!"
"Zel!" Amelia cried.
"Give him space," Naga said as she grabbed Amelia by the arm and kept her close, "he's scared."
"How unusually perceptive of you!" Amelia huffed as she stopped resisting.
"Takes someone who's scared to see it." Naga muttered.
"Why? What do you have to be scared about?"
Naga looked down and Amelia turned to look at her. "Is it the baby?"
Naga blushed a little, "You have bigger things to worry about!"
"No, I need a break from thinking about this!" Amelia said, "And what's so scary about having a baby? You and Moe were married so it's not like it's a scandal."
"Don't try to tell me it's all been a bed of roses."
"Well, no, but then you've not had the morning sickness I did…"
"It's not about that. Look, I just keep remembering the way Lina screamed, back when the Mazoku took the twins." Naga said quietly as she looked away at some trees, "How distraught she was but somehow it didn't kill her. But all I could think of was how something like that would kill me. Even though this was something I never wanted in the first place. Because I never wanted to leave a child…like Mommy left us."
"She didn't want to!" Amelia said.
"That's just it, isn't it. It's not always our choice. One bad day and this baby will have to grow up without a mother. And I know how horrible that is!"
"It won't happen!" Amelia said firmly. "Because…"
"If you're going to blabber on about justice, need I remind you how poorly that worked out for Mommy?"
"Because your baby will have me for an aunt, a back up mother!" Amelia said as her hand clenched into a fist as stars formed in her eyes, "I don't think you're going to be killed! You're going to live long enough to annoy this baby by spoiling your grandchildren rotten! But should something horrible happen, I'll take care of your baby like I take care of Justina! There's no way I would let any child of yours grow up without a mother's love!"
Naga looked down at the ground again, "You'd really do it?"
"I would! No questions!" Amelia said as she nodded decisively.
Naga smiled a little, "Well, now that I think of it, I'd do the same for Jus." Naga then wrapped an arm around her and squeezed, "So I guess I'm forgiven for yesterday?"
"Always." Amelia said.
Lina sank into the sofa beside Gourry and said, "Would anyone object terribly if I had dinner sent up?"
"No complaints." Han said as he and Leia sat bonelessly on a different couch.
"I'm so tired I may not even make it through dinner." Leia said.
"Who would have thought being down two teachers and getting so many new students would be so overwhelming." Gourry said as he wrapped an arm around Lina.
"Especially when one of those students is Anne." Lina said, "I mean she's bright, she really is but…she never stops talking! And about the strangest things!"
Han and Leia cracked a smile as Sylphiel and Rick walked in with Erik as Lina looked at her parents, "What?" she said.
"Oh, it's just that Anne reminds us of a little girl we used to know." Leia said wistfully.
Lina wrapped her arms around herself, "Must be Sis. I was never that annoying!"
"What's this talk of me being annoying?" Luna asked as she walked in, and Lina practically jumped off the couch.
"Sis! I didn't know you were back! Anyway, we weren't talking about you at all! We were talking about Anne. And what are you doing here?"
"Bringing some teachers back." Luna said as Amelia and Naga walked in with Zel.
"Oh thank goodness!" Lina said as she rushed over to them with Gourry and went over to hug Zel, "We're so glad that you're safe!"
"You really worried us!" Gourry said as he wrapped his arms around them both, "We feared the worse when you disappeared."
"I'm still around to bother you with all this."
"We're happy to be bothered, considering the alternative." Lina said as she pulled away, "And Ace has been up my butt since you disappeared demanding to know where you are and when you'll be back. Have you been down to see them?"
"No, we took a back entrance." Zelgadis explained.
"He's been nervous about seeing the students. I keep telling him he's being too dramatic but he doesn't listen." Amelia said.
"Well, I guess we're going to have to go down to dinner." Han said as he stood up.
"Why?" Zelgadis said.
"The longer you hole yourself away up here the worse it well get. Face your fears, face the students and get it over with and sleep well tonight." Han said as he wrapped an arm around Zel and started directing him to the stairs.
"That makes sense but…"
"No buts!" Han said as the group followed them to the stairs.
They didn't get halfway down the stairs before Ace yelled, "He's back! The Duke is back!"
Suddenly they were mobbed with students crowding around Zelgadis and asking a million questions. Zel's eyes widened in surprise as Ace cut through above them all, "Where did you go?"
"I, uh, can't discuss that right now." Zelgadis said awkwardly.
"Well, we're glad you're back." Nerys said, "Bruce too. You've been cleared. Someone was just trying to stir up distrust and trouble."
"The burden of being rick and famous." Bruce said.
Zelgadis did relax a little, "I'm glad to hear it."
"Yeah, we're ready to have you back, even if your classes are the hardest and you're the strictest teacher here." Peter said.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Zelgadis said as he smiled a little, and Naga decided that it was time for her to quietly slip away and go up to the nursery.
She masked her presence as she slipped in quietly, but as always Moe seemed to know she was there as he handed Aurelia off to one of the new nannies and came up to her. "Looks like you got Zel back safely."
"We were victorious. Amelia nearly made the mistake of her life, but thanks to yours truly, the crisis was averted."
Moe grabbed her arm and guided her out to the hallway, "I'm glad to hear it. I just wish you told me you were leaving before you did."
"Time was of the essence." Naga said dismissively as they got into the hallway and started walking to their room.
"I know you were wanting to help your sister and were in a rush. But after how distant you've been lately, and then hearing from one of the students about the baby…"
"What?" Naga yelled.
"One of the new ones told me." Moe said.
"But how? I didn't tell anyone much less a student!"
"So it's true?"
Naga looked down, "I'm still coming around to the idea. I don't like to think about it too much. But what I want to know is how did this student find out!?"
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked as he opened the door.
"It was just too much to even think about!" Naga said. "I didn't want this."
"You don't?" he asked.
"Not with all the things that could go wrong, no. Amelia said she'd step up if anything bad happened to me, which helps a little. But still."
"A lot could go wrong, but a lot could also go right!" Moe said, "I mean think of it, Naga! Our baby will share a nursery with the Inverse twins. And their powers are mind blowing and they have already proven that they take care of themselves well and I'm sure they'll also take care of their friends. And the nursery is staffed with competent nannies who are trained bodyguards. I'm sure it's much safer here then the palace that you grew up in."
Naga shook her head disdainfully, "Darling, surely you're not implying that our boy would be dependent on Midas and Aurelia to rescue him! Why our son will make their achievements look pitying!"
Moe smiled, "Now that's more like my girl! And with a child so powerful, what do we have to worry about?"
They looked at each other and then they broke out into peals of laughter so loud and riotous that the students downstairs could hear them and made the quick decision to eat dinner outside.
AN: OMG, I had the biggest writer's block with this! I have a lot of ideas for things after this that I really can't wait to write, but this chapter was quite the roadblock to get to them.