Amelia stumbled backwards as she tore her eyes from Maxine and they landed on her father. It didn't feel any better to look at him. Frantically she searched for something safe to lay her eyes on and they locked onto the statue of Justice and she felt her stomach knot. A pang of dissonance washed through her as she remembered all of the ways she had fallen short. Amelia felt her hands start to tremble as she rose to her full height and walked to the front of the courtroom. Summoning every ounce of control she could so that her voice would not quiver she said, "I am Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, and this is my confession." A hush fell over the courtroom as the knowledge weighed heavily that due to the laws of Seyruun once a confession had started it could not be interrupted. "All my life I wanted to be flawless in the pursuit of justice. And unfortunately when I was a girl I cared more about appearing like the perfect justice warrior than being the perfect justice warrior. And in the process I grievously hurt you, Lady Maxine."
Somehow she managed to look at Maxine and endure the burning feeling of guilt as she continued, "And I am so sorry for what I did." The burning became unbearable and she quickly scanned the room for something safe to look at and settled on the door. And how she wished she could flee through it and back in time and take it all back! "When we were girls we would explore the palace and pretend to be heroes of justice. And there would be times I felt that justice demanded that we go into rooms that were forbidden to children, and I would force Lady Maxine to accompany me even though she didn't want to and would warn me against it. But since I was the princess she couldn't disobey me."
Amelia felt as though her voice was so choked with guilt that she couldn't continue. It was getting harder to not flee through the door! "One day we were caught," Amelia's eyes fell on Madame Martinette and her cane, and she shuddered even as she reprimanded her cowardliness. As a royal princess Madame Martinette would never have been allowed to use that cane on her, but to this day she was still so terrified of the imposing governess and how viciously cruel her tongue lashings could be that then as now the mere thought that she had caught Amelia doing something bad filled her with such dread that she had a hard time thinking straight! "And I was so scared of getting into trouble and being seen as unjust that I lied and said that Lady Maxine had gone there without me and that I had tried to stop her so that I would look like a hero of justice. Madame Martinette believed me, because I was a princess. But the Lady Maxine was punished rather harshly."
The back of her throat burned as she heaved and she clamped her mouth shut. For a moment she feared that she was going to throw up in front of the whole court room! As she struggled to hold onto the contents of her stomach Phil said, "All kids make mistakes, Amelia."
"But it wasn't the only time it happened, was it?" Maxine shot back, and as Amelia curled into herself Maxine grinned as she folded her arms under her breasts.
"No." Amelia said softly as tears of hot shame started to escape from her eyes as she felt the harsh judgmental stares of the people crowded in the courtroom boring into her as she spilled her deepest secret. "It wasn't. It should have been, but I kept doing it. I kept going to places I had no right being and forcing Lady Maxine to accompany me. I was so spoiled that I was blind to what a horrible position I had put her in, and I cared more about people seeing me as a perfect hero of justice than being one. Occasionally we would be caught and I would lie and blame her, and then she would be punished."
Amelia sent Maxine a silent plea, but Maxine raised an eyebrow, showing her the exact same amount of mercy that Amelia had once shown her. Amelia lowered her gaze to the floor and wished she could melt into it and disappear. But while justice always did prevail it didn't mean that it didn't hurt like hell. She opened her mouth to speak and her words choked in her throat, and then she tried again and said haltingly, "One day Lady Maxine put her foot down and refused to accompany me on my misadventures and I got so mad at her that I started yelling that she was my companion and had to do what I said. I was completely spoiled and cruel and my daddy walked in and when he saw what I was doing he gave me the scolding I'd deserved."
Amelia risked looking at Phil, whose face was impassive and she felt another wave of pain overtake her. Him believing any ill of her was intolerable now just as it was then! She'd been so shamed, so angry that she'd started venting to Gracia, who had warned her. If only she had listened! "I was so jealous and I wanted my daddy to think the Lady Maxine was the evil one and not me! So I started stealing items and placing them with Lady Maxine's things. Silver punch bowls, exquisite letter openers, jewelry and other baubles. When Madame Martinette found them in Lady Maxine's trunk she was furious and fired her."
"My career as a courtier was ruined." Maxine hissed, "And without a career I couldn't find a husband. Madame Martinette would ensure that I couldn't become a shrine maiden. Do you know what happens to noblewomen like me who can't find husbands and who can't become shrine maidens?"
Amelia squirmed as she thought of the dependency she had forced upon Maxine. "I'm sorry."
"That doesn't begin to cut it!" Maxine said. "Only the fact that you mother was killed the day I was fired saved me from being slandered. Everyone was talking about your dead mom rather than your pathetic companion."
Amelia put a hand over her mouth to stifle her sob. Justice always prevails. Believe in justice and good things will happen. People get their just rewards. Suddenly the dam burst forth as her vision clouded with tears and she remembered crying in the Temple of Ceiphied and promising that she would never be so cruel again and that she would change if the fates would bring her mother back and protect her father. Because it was clear to Amelia that her mother had been forced to pay the price for her wickedness. Somehow Amelia managed to say, "I am sorry, I really am. Since you were fired I learned my lesson, I changed, I started following the path of justice…"
"You cry now, but you never made it right with me!" Maxine's words rang sharp and punched Amelia in the gut. "You say that you devoted yourself to justice and have played the perfect princess, yet you never owned the truth and restored my reputation!"
Was it possible to feel even worse? Amelia tried to wipe her tears but more kept falling, "You are right. I should have done more to repair your reputation."
"And I too should have done more." Phil said gruffly and Amelia turned to look at him, terrified of what he would say. "I fear that in my efforts to raise you to be just I came up short. You were a child making the mistakes of a child. But I was an adult who did not take the time to fully understand what was happening between you and Lady Maxine and permitted this to continue. The responsibility ultimately lies with me."
"Daddy," Amelia said as hope sparked within her that he could still love her after this confession even as she felt a well of resistance rise within her.
But before she could say more, Maxine stared off at Dulgoffa as she said in a dazed voice, "That's all I wanted. Was for you to tell the truth and clear my name. And now I guess we'll see how just I am."
She raised her arm and held it outstretched as she walked towards Dulgoffa, and in a flash Amelia realized what Maxine was going to do. And that more importantly she could not risk Maxine turning into a demon regardless of where she fell on the scales of justice! "Maxine, no!" She cried, but Maxine kept walking as though in a trance.
Amelia looked at Phil and for some reason fell to the Sword of Seyruun at his hip. A terrible idea flashed into her head. But would it be just? She didn't have time to deliberate! She grabbed it and turned and ran to Sherra, who was so focused on Maxine that she did not notice as Amelia came up to her and plunged the sword deep into her chest.
It should have been a fatal blow. But as Amelia pulled the sword out she was not surprised to see that there was no blood or gore. There wasn't even a wound at all. Vindication ran through her as the people gasped as Sherra smiled mirthlessly as Maxine backed away from Dulgoffa and back towards Phil. Amelia slashed again at Sherra's throat, but her sword just sliced through Sherra as though she was butter and inflicted no wound or damage.
"Xellos underestimated you." Sherra said as she smiled sardonically.
"You are a Mazoku!" Amelia declared as she pointed a finger at her.
"And justice is with me, General Sherra, servant to Lord Dynast!" Sherra said as she grabbed Dulgoffa and lunged towards Amelia, who brought her sword up to parry as the sweat formed on her brow. She had never trained in the sword and she had little faith in her ability to win in a swordfight. But before she could worry about it too much Sherra kicked her away and turned and started to charge straight towards Lina with Dulgoffa!
Lina and Gourry both struggled against their restraints but they held good as Sherra drew closer and people started to scream as they ran out of her way. Amelia leapt to her feet and started chanting, but a helpless feeling rose as she knew she wouldn't be fast enough! Sylphiel turned to a guard and ordered, "Release them now!" as from the other side of the room Phil also called for their release, but the guards remained frozen to the spot. Sylphiel grabbed the keys from one guard's belt but there was no way she would be able to free Lina in time. Amelia's heart pounded as she tried to chant faster without compromising the integrity of the words but there was no way it would be fast enough…
"Ra Tilt!" a familiar voice cast, and Amelia turned to the rafters to see that Zelgadis had returned! His spell hit Sherra full on and she stopped in her tracks as she was encased in a blue flame, giving Amelia enough time to finish her own chant as Sylphiel started to unchain Lina.
"Ra Tilt!" Amelia cast just as Sherra started moving again. This time Sherra retreated to the astral plane as the spell hit and Amelia waited tensely to see where she would reappear. Suddenly she materialized, Dulgoffa raised high behind Lina, but just as she was about to bring it down Gourry broke free from his chains, ripped the chair from the floor and then spun so that it hit Dulgoffa. Sherra lost her grip, and the sword went flying and landed at Madame Martinette's feet as Lina, Gourry and Sylphiel scrambled away from Sherra to put some distance between them.
"Justice is with me!" Madame Martinette proclaimed as she grabbed it, and Amelia watched in disbelief as she wondered if Martinette did not understand that Sherra was a Mazoku or that she did not care. Regardless of her reasons her wild smile soon morphed into a hideous scream as a menacing air encircled her as people started to yell as they ran to the exit.
"It's locked!" someone cried as they pounded at the door futilely. "We've been locked inside!"
"Damu Brass!" someone cried, creating an exit for the bystanders to leave, as Amelia watched in horror as Madame Martinette started to morph into a demon. And then she started chanting.
"Ra Tilt!" Zelgadis cried, forcing Sherra to retreat to the astral plane again as Madame Martinette's transformation finished and she regarded the room with inhuman eyes. And then she roared as she started to race towards Phil and Maxine.
Amelia raced to get in between them as she cast, "Ra Tilt!"
But Madame Martinette jumped up onto the rafters and reached up with her new claws to tear away at the ceiling, bringing dust and debris down below. Amelia's heart lurched as Phil forced both her and Maxine down and covered them as it hit them.
Amelia's heart pounded as the air was squeezed out of her under Phil's weight as the sounds of fighting rebounded through the courtroom. Amelia waited for a moment and opened her eyes, but couldn't see much but debris. After a moment she started worrying about why Phil wasn't moving and she scrambled to get out from under him.
She reached a hand forward and pushed some of the debris away, and then pulled herself forward and turned to look at Phil. She cried out as she saw a rod sticking out of his back and she rushed forward to feel for a pulse. Her hands started trembling as she noticed the blood as she forgot every bit of medicine that she knew as Sylphiel came up and started examining the wound.
"Prince Phil!" Maxine cried as she emerged, "No! Oh no! I didn't mean for this to happen!"
Amelia watched, numb with shock, as a sense of bloodlust rose and she turned to see Madame Martinette coming up behind her. Once more she started chanting, but she knew she could not finish in time as she grew closer. But then Zelgadis called, "Astral Blade!"
Madame Martinette turned to face her new opponent and brought her spindly arm up to deflect the blow and it was cut away by Zel's sword as Amelia finished her chant, "Ra Tilt!"
This time it hit Madame Martinette square on and she screamed as she was encased in a blue flame that burned her to white ash. Zelgadis stepped forward and reached a hand out to Amelia and asked, "Are you okay?"
She grabbed it and he helped her up and she reached forward and hugged him, "You came back? Even with the whole kingdom after you?"
"I knew something was up." He said. "I had to make sure you were okay."
But a sense of bloodlust rose, and Amelia remembered that they were still fighting Sherra and that worse, Lina did not have her Demon's Blood Talisman and Gourry had no sword! Amelia sprang apart from Zelgadis to see how the fight was going as Lina's voice wafted through the courtroom.
"Sherra, I've been meaning to ask but couldn't as I was gagged," Lina said, her voice hoarse and obviously in need of some water, "But you don't happen to have a brother named Grou by any chance?"
Sherra's eyebrow twitched, "Just what are you implying?"
"Well, where did the name Sherra come from anyway?"
"The great Lord Dynast Grousherra bestowed it upon me."
"Hm," Lina said as she put her hands on her hips, "Looks like I was right. Your name was just an afterthought."
"No it wasn't! It's of a noble lineage and has a special meaning!" Sherra protested, "Lord Dynast Grousherra would never be so careless with my name."
"So what does it mean then?" Lina asked as Sherra blanched, "Or should you go and asked Lord Dynast?"
Sherra turned red, "Fine! I'll go and ask him! But you'd better be prepared for when I return to educate you about my special name!"
And just like that Sherra vanished from the courtroom. Everyone was quiet for a moment as they waited for her to materialize for an ambush. "That worked?" Lina asked as Gourry wrapped an arm around her, "Wow, I can't believe that worked!"