On the surface, at least, it all looks back to normal. But Amelia felt far from normal as she sat beside a recovering Phil at the dining room table and felt Zelgadis's presence behind her. No, she felt taunt and alert as Lina, Gourry and Sylphiel explained their version of events to Phil as the shame coursed through her as she wondered how any of them could stand to be in her presence. After all if she was not a Hero of Justice then what worth did she even have?

"What a mess." Phil said gravely after Lina got to the point where they had been brought to court. "For all that you have suffered I deeply apologize."

Lina put her steak knife down as she finished chewing, and from the way that her eyebrow furrowed Amelia could tell that she would not be so easily placated. She couldn't blame them. Even Gourry was unusually stone faced as he kept a supportive hand on Lina's knee while he met Phil's gaze evenly, "While I appreciate the apology, there's no way this incident won't continue to cause damage. When word gets out that Lina Inverse was arrested for stealing the crown jewels of Seyruun, well, it won't look good for me. It will even hurt my pocketbook if people decide I'm not a trustworthy bodyguard. And when my Sis finds out..."

"You are right, of course." Phil said quickly, "I think it's past time that I knighted you and Mr. Gourry and bestowed upon you the position of Protector of the Realm."

Lina had brought up a cup of tea to her lips but set it down just as quickly as she yelled, "What?"

"Between the incident with the royal sorcerers and now, you two have been instrumental in protecting our kingdom. For your repeated service to Seyruun, especially in light of how poorly you have been repaid, I will honor the two of you with the title of Protector of the Realm and spread this news far and wide so that anyone who thinks to question your innocence will have to contend with that fact."

"Well, Gourry and I were planning to dash pretty quickly before we're framed, again, and arrested, again." Lina said as she glanced at her protector who nodded in agreement. "I mean, we spent the night in prison! I was gagged all night! And chained to a wall! They put Gourry in heavy chains too and neither of us could sleep. Hell, I'm so tired right now I could…"

"And there will be a reward."

Lina folded her arms under her breasts as she turned her face away and continued to look indignant, "How much of a reward?"

"Would five million gold pieces and a castle suffice?" Phil asked.

"See Gourry, he's only offering five million gold pieces and…" Lina's voice teetered off as she repeated, "Wait, did you say five million gold pieces and a castle!?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard." Gourry said incredulously, "And it's a lot more than what you were hoping to get!"

Lina's mouth fell open in shock as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing as Gourry stared at Phil with a vacant expression in his blue eyes. "Would that be adequate?" Phil asked as embers from the light of stars started to glow in Lina's eyes as the corners of her mouth turned upwards.

"Yeah," Gourry said as he wrapped an arm around Lina as the biggest grin consumed her face, "That would about do it."

"That will more than make up for it!" Lina echoed as she clasped her hands together, "We'll take it! Thanks Phil!"

"Wonderful! Is there anything else I can do to make amends?"

"No, I think that about does it." Lina said with a glance at her protector.

"We'll be in contact regarding the knighting ceremony. And I know you two have good reasons for wanting to be gone, but if the two of you would consider staying until we are sure that we are well rid of General Sherra I would greatly appreciate it." Phil said. "Miss Sylphiel and Mister Zelgadis will be knighted as well."

"Huh?" Sylphiel said and Amelia noticed Zelgadis tense in surprise behind her. Amelia should have felt happy. Zelgadis being honored with knighthood paved a path forward for him to court her. But the victory felt hollow. Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis and Sylphiel had all worked hard and suffered for it. She had not. Worse, if anything she had been instrumental in the attempt to destroy her beloved kingdom, all over things that had happened when she was a child! And if that wasn't enough, the concept of her as a Hero of Justice had been completely blown. The dirty truth about what an evil person she was was out. Zelgadis had every reason to reject her.

"Sounds great!" Lina said as she clasped Gourry on the back. "Anyway, we didn't get much sleep last night so we're going to crash. Let's go, Gourry!"

Lina and Gourry got up and walked out as Sylphiel looked around uncertainly, "With all due respect, Prince Philionel, while I appreciate the offer of knighthood, I don't feel as though I did anything to deserve it."

"Standing up alone against a popular leader spurring on mob justice? That takes tremendous strength of character. Further, you tried to warn me before it got to this point, and I did not listen. For that and how you stood up to General Sherra in the courtroom, even knowing what it would do to your reputation, you more than deserve to be knighted and given the position of Chief Priestess of Seyruun."

Sylphiel's cheeks reddened a bit as she shrank into herself a little as she said, "Thank you."

Phil looked over at Zelgadis and said, "As for you, Mr. Zelgadis, I fear I can't offer you what you genuinely seek. Unfortunately the ability to cure your body is beyond even Seyruun's abilities. I can repair your reputation by knighting you. And I can see about putting together a research team to see what can be done about separating chimeras. And as for anything or everything else, I suppose I should leave you alone with Amelia to work that out."

Phil laughed as Amelia reddened in embarrassment and shame as the certainty that Zelgadis would want nothing to do with her coursed through her. Fate was indeed a cruel mistress! "Thank you." Zelgadis said, and Amelia held her breath and wondered if he would drive a hard bargain in a way that Lina did, but he remained silent.

"So, will that make things okay between us?" Phil asked.

Amelia looked down at the table as she felt as though she would throw up. But Zelgadis said, "That would more than suffice. It was more than I was expecting, to be honest."

"I'm glad that's all settled then!" Phil said as he clasped his hands. "Now, Miss Sylphiel, Mr. Zelgadis, if you would give me some time alone with my daughter."

Amelia's stomach seized once more as Sylphiel nodded, "Of course."

"I'll talk to you later." Zelgadis said as he squeezed her shoulder and then he walked out with Sylphiel, leaving Amelia feeling like a small child who was about to face the music.

Phil slumped forward as the door shut behind them, leaving him alone with Amelia. The weight of a life lived in the public eye meant that there were rare moments when the public façade they wore could be completely discarded. Amelia took a deep breath and let the bubbly personality fade as her eyes filled with tears, "I'm so sorry, Daddy. I let this kingdom down!"

"I did more than my share in making this mess, Amelia." Phil said. "You were a child making the mistakes of a child. Your mother and I should have paid more attention to Madame Martinette's methods and how she was enforcing discipline. We failed to do that."

Amelia could tell that he expected her to be comforted with those words, but instead she burst into tears. "Amelia?" Phil said as he put a hand on her back, startled at her reaction. "What is it?"

Somehow Amelia managed to pull herself together enough to say, "Daddy don't say that!"

"Why?" Phil asked.

"Because, bad things happen only to those who are unjust. It's like you said, follow the path of justice and good things will happen! And for Mommy to be murdered like that, it must have been because I had fallen from the path! It has to have been me! Mommy was just!"

"Where did you get the idea that justice works like that?" Phil asked as he handed her a handkerchief.

Amelia took it and wiped her face, but more tears kept coming. "After Mommy died and Sis left and I was scared to sleep by myself because I thought someone might attack and kill me. You stayed by my bedside and told me not to worry, that I was a Hero of Justice and only good things would happen to me from here on out, and that as long as I kept believing in justice I would be safe. But for something bad to happen to Mommy, it must have meant that someone was unjust. And it's true! It was me! I was horrible, and since then I've tried to be better…"

"Amelia you are in no way responsible for what happened to your mother!" Phil said indignantly, "I said that because I thought it would comfort you and I didn't want you to be scared. I didn't want you to worry about things that you can't control. If not even the might of Seyruun could protect your mother…I felt so helpless after she died. Our guards and protections had failed, even the fact that your mother was a skilled sorceress was not enough. All I could think of was the teachings of justice. And I was so desperate for some way to give you some peace of mind after what happened I failed to see the implications of such a simplistic thought process. Amelia, sometimes bad things befall even Heroes of Justice. Sometimes the bad guys win. Nothing you or your mother did caused her to be cut down like that. Sometimes bad, terrible things happen to good, just people."

Amelia felt a growing sense of calmness settle within her as Phil managed to find the words that she needed to hear, followed by a sense of guilt. "Like Maxine." Amelia said softly.

Phil sighed, "Like Maxine. Or like she was before all this bitterness took root in her."

"What do you plan to do?" Amelia asked.

"I can't marry her after all this. It was rather silly of me to think it was ever a good idea." Phil said with an awkward smile. "Let us go and see her and see what can be done."

Amelia inhaled deeply and took a few moments to fully exhale to settle her stomach, and then she nodded. "Okay."

"Hey," Phil said as he opened his arms, "You're still my precious daughter, Amelia! And you're still the Hero of Justice this country needs! Justice isn't an invisible force. It's a system that people enforce. And people can enforce it for good or for evil. So long as you do what you can to be a force for good, you still get to call yourself a Hero of Justice!"

Amelia squeezed her eyes shut and gave him a big bear hug. "I love you, Daddy!"

Amelia walked arm in arm with Phil to Maxine's apartments, which were currently guarded. "Your highness." The guards said as they stood aside to let Phil in.

As soon as he opened the door Maxine cried as she threw herself before them, "Prince Phil, please forgive me!"

Amelia put a hand on Phil's arm and then she knelt down and lifted Maxine up, "Forgive me, Maxine, for all the harm I have caused to you."

"And me." Phil said, "I should have done more to ensure that Madame Martinette was a good and fair governess. In that, I failed."

Maxine looked confused as her eyes darted between the two of them as tears continued to spill from them. "All is forgiven." She said softly.

"Let's all take a seat." Phil said.

"Right." Maxine agreed as they walked to where some couches and chairs were and they all took seats.

"How did you meet General Sherra?" Phil asked.

Maxine dug her hands into her knees. "She came by my father's house one day and talked to me, just about mundane things. Weeks passed, and she kept visiting and she eventually gained my trust. She asked why I didn't go to court, and I eventually told her everything. When I did that, she told me she would help me expose Princess Amelia for what she was and restore my reputation. And that's all, your highness, I swear, that's all I thought this was! I had no idea what she was or about Dulgoffa!"

"This is quite a challenging situation." Phil said as he looked at Amelia. "I am inclined to believe you. And given all that has happened to you in the past I am inclined to be lenient despite the fact that you colluded with a Mazoku to humiliate my daughter and conspire against the kingdom."

Maxine closed her eyes and lowered her head as Phil said, "We will have to end the engagement."

"I understand." She said.

"But I do want to see that you are well provided for, even if I can't trust you with any sort of government positions. Perhaps a position at the Isadora Astaire School of Dance would be to your liking?"

Maxine's eyes opened as she looked up at him, "Really? It would be more than I deserve."

"I'm willing to grant it. Yet if I get a hint of you conspiring against this kingdom again, the consequences will be severe."

"I understand, your majesty." Maxine said as tears of relief poured down her face, "Thank you so much for your beneficence! And you too, Princess Amelia."

Things felt more normal as Amelia walked back to her chambers. People greeted her politely and inquired about her father before they went back to their gossip. Amelia knew there was still work to be done to repair and secure their kingdom, and she was optimistic it could be done. She drew closer to her quarters and her heart swelled to see that Zelgadis was standing outside the door, "You're looking better."

"Excuse me?" Amelia said.

Zelgadis blushed, "I just mean…I, uh, relieved. Like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders."

Amelia smiled as she patted him on the arm and entered her room, "Let's talk."

"Right," Zelgadis said as he followed her inside.

"I take it that since you aren't running for the hill after all this that there's something here worth staying for." Amelia said as she sat down on the couch and indicated that he sit next to her.

"Well, that research team into a cure is rather enticing." Zelgadis said as he joined her, and Amelia pushed him playfully.

"And there's nothing else keeping you here?" Amelia asked, "Not even a certain evil little princess?"

Zelgadis chuckled, "You should hear about some of the things I've done. I'm more interested in the woman you've grown into than the kid you were."

"Oh?" Amelia asked, "Interested enough to court her?"

I look of pained incongruence crossed his face as he ran his hands through his hair, "It's not a matter of what I want, Amelia. My body is still…"

"Have faith in the power of justice!" Amelia said with a smile, "With the might of the kingdom of Seyruun behind us, we will find a cure!"

Zelgadis smiled wistfully as he grabbed her hand, "After all this, you still believe in the power of justice?"

Amelia smiled as she nodded, "Sherra took its power and corrupted its purpose, yes. Which in and of itself was a lesson. And it was an important lesson for me. Justice without compassion leads to injustice, for example. But justice is still powerful when used for good, and it can be used for good! Leaders just need great wisdom in utilizing it."

Zelgadis smiled as he held her hand, "It's refreshing to hear you talk in such a manner after all this. Seyruun is truly lucky to have such a wise, compassionate princess of justice."

AN: I was watching The Winter Soldier, and in the twisty path that ideas take and get formed, it somehow led to this. I was enjoying how the Black Widow and Captain America were flirting to hide from surveillance and thought about creating a situation where Lina and Gourry would have to do that, which led to a setting of Seyruun and then morphed into an idea of Seyruun being overrun by fanaticism and instead of being flirty with Lina and Gourry turned into a serious exploration of Amelia's views of justice, something I've been wanting to explore for years. And in the process the original idea of Lina and Gourry flirting to hide from people chasing them got cut, but I hope everything that was added makes up for it.