Lina opened the door to the room that would be the nursery and walked over to the windows to open the curtains, thinking as she did that the pale pink monstrosities would have to go. Light bathed the room, revealing a mismatch of old cribs and toys, and lightly Lina wondered which should be banished to the basement and which could be refurbished, granted, they would have to clear the room completely. Lina wanted it repainted, but she was getting ahead of herself.
"Lina!" Amelia yelled as she appeared in the doorway.
"What?" Lina replied as she walked over to the adjoining room where the nanny would stay.
"That was mean!" Amelia complained.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lina replied indifferently.
"You could have just turned around and pretended that you were never there! I mean I get that a commoner like you never learned palace etiquette in these situations, but that's common sense!"
"Hey, did I say that you could use our lake for such activities?" Lina asked as she opened the door. "And what's this about palace etiquette? Does this look like a palace?"
"I didn't think it was necessary!" Amelia replied. "Especially since the only reason I can think of for you and Mr. Gourry to be there so late…"
"We were just enjoying the night air. Gee, get your head out of the gutter, Amelia." Lina replied as she surveyed the room.
"Sure you were." Amelia said.
"In other news," Lina said firmly, "Sis says that Moe's references were impeccable and that he checks out. So she wants to offer him the job. Gourry and I are okay with it, if you and Zel are."
"Of course we are."
"Good, then come to the basement with me and see if we can find a bed down there that will support his weight. That pathetic little twin in there just isn't going to contain him." Lina said with a sigh.
Amelia peered into the room and looked at the bed that appeared as though it would crumble under even Lina's slight weight and nodded, "Maybe we should just order a new one?"
"Waste not, want not." Lina said as she moved to the hallway, "Besides, there's something else in the basement I want to check out."
"Oh?" Amelia asked as she followed her.
Lina smirked as she looked around, but stayed quiet for a moment as they walked past the billiard room. Their laughter reverberated into the hallway, and Lina reflected that if Zel and Rick harbored any feelings, Gourry had apparently smoothed them over. Once they had cleared the room she said, "Last night, when Gourry and I were in the foyer, we could hear Sylphiel and Rick in the basement. Doing it!"
"What!?" Amelia shrieked, "How?"
"We didn't know it, but there's a voicepipe in the basement that connects to the foyer. I thought it was some weird decorative thing, but last night we could hear them!"
"What!?" Amelia said. "Wow. That's rather…adventurous?"
"I know! So I want to know where the voicepipe is connected to in the basement." Lina explained.
"It's amazing Jean-Luc and Indy didn't find it." Amelia said.
Lina shrugged as they reached the stairs, "There's still plenty here to explore and discover. On that note, perhaps Sylphiel saw a giant bed when she was exploring. We should ask her…though she may not be talking to me."
"Why wouldn't she be talking to you?" Amelia asked.
"I couldn't help it!" Lina said. "When I heard them last night, I just had to yell down the voicepipe, you know?"
"You interrupted them!? What if that was their first time!?"
"Pbst," Lina said as she waved her away.
"And you ruined it!?" Amelia added.
Lina shrugged, "I'm sure they got back on track. If Sylphiel can find getting it on in a basement a turn on then she can weather away a little embarrassment."
"We can hope!" Amelia yelled as her eyes narrowed as they reached the bottom of the stairs, "Gee, with you interrupting everyone else last night I wonder if Mr. Gourry's been paying enough attention to you."
"What did you say?" Lina yelled as she spun around to glare at the princess.
"Well that type of frustration lets itself out in…"
"I'll have you know he gives me lots of attention!" Lina yelled as Sylphiel walked up from the dining room.
"I can see that," Sylphiel said calmly as she came up and pointed at Lina's neck, "That is quite the love bite. Would you like a remedy?"
Lina blushed as Amelia put a hand on Sylphiel's arm, "Good catch! I don't know how I missed that! So much for just wanting some night air last night."
Before Lina could say anything she heard the pounding of feet from overheard, and all three of them stopped talking as they looked to the top of the stairs. Gourry, Zelgadis and Rick soon appeared, and Lina recognized the serious expression on Gourry's face as he rushed down the stairs, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "There's trouble." He said as he raced to the front door, and Lina quickly fell in place beside him.
Gourry opened the door, and Lina could hear a terrible whooshing sound that she not only recognized but often had nightmares about, followed by the sounds of screaming. Up ahead, where the boundary of Maninstit was, she could see Xellos using his corkscrew attack on Marcus as Susan got up from the ground.
Lina ran forward as she chanted, "Elmekia Lance!" hoping she could at least get Xellos' attention from a distance. With the increase in magical capacity that resulted from her pregnancy she could once more cast the Zelas Brid, but given how far away Xellos was she'd never be able to hit him with it. And for the moment, what was more important was that he stop his attack. She had seen Xellos use it to tear powerful Mazoku from limb to limb. What were the chances that a human could survive such a vicious attack?
The Elmekia Lance did do its job of catching his attention, and the corkscrew spell died as Marcus fell to the ground and Susan knelt over him. Xellos tightened his grip on his staff as he stared at Lina menacingly as they got closer. "Back off!" she yelled.
Lina's terror suddenly climbed to a higher octave as he opened his eyes and brought the staff down to club Susan with it. Fortunately she managed to bring her sword up to block it, but Xellos was not retreating and for a moment Lina feared he would use the corkscrew attack on Susan! But then Amelia cried, "Ra Tilt!"
Xellos had to disappear to dodge the spell, and Lina forced herself to run as fast as she could to get there before he could return. Xellos materialized again, his eyes still open and filled with bloodlust, but Lina felt the glow start as she finally reached them. Xellos mouthed something, but finally retreated for what she hoped was for good, and Lina risked taking her eyes off the place he had disappeared from to survey the damage. Her heart pounded in her chest as she saw the blood pouring out of Marcus's head and she feared he was dead. It didn't seem possible to survive such an injury! Still, a white glow encompassed Marcus as Susan started a Resurrection spell, and Lina felt a marginal sense of relief. He had to be alive for a Resurrection spell to be attempted!
As she took a closer look her stomach sank as she realized his skull having been drilled into, and then she felt sick as she realized what the grey matter beside Marcus was and she turned away as she felt as though she was going to throw up. She felt Sylphiel move beside her and heard her chant with Susan as she took some deep breaths while Gourry, Zelgadis and Rick started to form a perimeter in case Xellos, or some other enemy, came back. Lina was fairly sure that was unnecessary so long as she was there. Her blessed pregnancy did pay off in moments such as these.
Amelia put her hands over her mouth as she exclaimed, "Oh no!"
"What are his chances?" Lina asked as she looked at her.
"He'll most likely survive, but he could go into a coma, and if he wakes up, he may not ever be the same." Amelia said tentatively.
"What do you mean if he wakes up!?"
"A head wound like that, there can be brain damage that isn't so easily healed." Amelia explained. "And there's just not much to do but cast a Resurrection spell and hope it heals properly. But then his brain could swell, causing damage, or he could have a stroke that could kill him. There's just so much that can go wrong."
Panic rose through Lina and she felt as though it was choking her. How could this have happened? This was supposed to be a routine, low risk mission! She started pleading with Marcus to wake up and be the same and okay. She wasn't sure how she would live with the guilt if he wasn't.
Lina lost track of time as Susan and Sylphiel chanted, but eventually Sylphiel stopped and said, "We should get him to bed."
"But he hasn't woken up." Lina pointed out.
Sylphiel nodded solemnly, "Likely he has some brain swelling. There are tests I need to run, but I'd much rather not do it outside. He's stable enough that it is safe to move him. I'm afraid Princess Amelia is right, though. It may be awhile before he wakes up."
Gourry came over and effortlessly lifted the boy up and they started to walk back to the manor house. Susan wiped the tears from her face and said, "I'm sorry."
"Don't you dare apologize." Lina snapped, a bit more harshly than she meant. She put a hand on her shoulder to soften her words. "What happened? You weren't due back for several weeks!"
"We found something that they didn't want you to know. They've been pursuing us ever since." Susan explained, and suddenly Xellos's persistence in pursuing them made sense, "We need to talk to the Eternal Queen immediately."
"I don't want to waste time traveling to Zefiel City by carriage." Lina said once they were inside. "And while I don't think Xellos will attack again, I don't want to risk it."
"I can cast a vision spell. It's a bit rude to drop in uninvited, but given the circumstances…" Amelia said.
Lina nodded, and Amelia started to chant, and soon it appeared as though Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis and Susan were in the throne room with the Eternal Queen. Sylphiel was tending to Marcus in the dorms while Rick guarded them, just in case Xellos came back to finish him off. The Eternal Queen's eyes widened in surprise when she saw them, "Leave us." She told the people currently in audience with her. They followed her order, and once they were gone she said, "I presume there is a good reason for this."
"Susan and Marcus just got home." Lina explained, "They were in pursuit and under attack by Xellos. Marcus, I'm afraid, has been grievously injured and Sylphiel is working hard to save him. And Susan has something important to report. Something Xellos was willing to kill her over to keep a secret."
The color drained from the Eternal Queen's face as she asked, "What is the situation in Dils?"
Susan was silent for a moment, and when she spoke her voice was flat but clear, "I doubt any of the royal family is alive. They all have doppelgangers to fool the public. But that's not why they wanted us dead. We found out the reason they are gathering people for torture camps."
"Oh?" The Eternal Queen asked as she arched an eyebrow.
"They're trying to concentrate pain and suffering so they can heal Dynast Grausherra and get him back in the field." Susan explained, "So instead of it taking a millennia, it could take only years, months."
"Given that they pursued Susan and Marcus so relentlessly, and that Marcus is fighting for his life, I fear that Dynast is closer to being restored than we can imagine." Zelgadis interjected.
"Unfortunately that seems entirely plausible. Too plausible." The Eternal Queen agreed as she shook her head.
"Did Xellos pursue you this entire time?" Zelgadis asked incredulously.
Susan shook her head, "It was some other Mazoku. I didn't get his name. Xellos only appeared when we got to the boundary of Maninstit and we thought we were safe."
"We happened to see it from the billiards room." Gourry said, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room as what would have happened had they been in a different room with a poor view of the grounds settled in.
"Did you find anything else out?" The Eternal Queen asked.
"No, your majesty." Susan said, "I'm afraid we never did get to Lyzeille."
"You did well to return alive." The Eternal Queen countered, "The situation in Dils is far worse than I could have possibly foreseen. I am going to have to think about where to go from here. For now, have a warm bath and a good rest. Your service and your warning will not be in vain. And please, keep me informed on how Marcus is fairing."
"Yes, your majesty." Susan said as she bowed her head forward.
"Is there anything else, your majesty?" Lina asked.
"No, take care of your students. I will make arrangements to arrive tomorrow. And Marcus's family must be notified."
A fresh wave of panic rushed through Lina. How could she tell his parents? What would she even say to them? How do you tell someone that their son is grievously injured? There isn't a way to do it painlessly. The Eternal Queen must have seen the look on Lina's face because she added, "I will have Luna attend to that."
Gourry wrapped an arm around her as she nodded, "Thank you."
"See you tomorrow."
Amelia stopped chanting, and then she gently put a hand on Susan's arm, "Let's get you bathed, and I imagine after everything you've been through, you'd like a proper rest."
Susan nodded, and it was obvious that now that she had warned the Eternal Queen the last of the energy had left her and the shock was starting to set in as her eyes dulled and her movements became slow and jerky. Lina went with Amelia to help Susan bathe, and once she was dressed in a fresh gown they walked her to the dorms even though it was only the middle of the day. They walked by the boys' dorms first, and Susan stopped and said in a toneless voice, "I want to be close to Marcus."
Lina and Amelia exchanged a glance, but then given that everyone else was home, what harm could there be? "We can allow it." Lina said as she opened the door. Sylphiel was leaning over Marcus as she checked his vitals while Gourry, Zelgadis and Rick talked in a corner. As she looked out at the sea of mostly empty beds she reflected that it did seem rather empty and lonely and that it would be better to keep them together. Especially just in case someone did decide to come back to attack. Marcus would likely need round the clock care so an adult would always be with him if they needed help, and it would make more strategic sense to keep them together rather than expend resources by keeping Susan in a large, empty room herself.
Silently Susan walked up to Marcus and grabbed his hand. "How is he?" she asked.
"He's in a coma. Unfortunately there's no telling when he will wake." Sylphiel explained, and after a moment she added, "Or if."
Lina felt her insides clench as Sylphiel continued, "Does he have any family?"
"Sis is contacting them." Lina explained as the reality settled in that if Sylphiel were asking such a question, it meant things were that bad.
Amelia put her hands on Susan's shoulders and started to steer her to a bed beside Marcus's. "Come on, you look dead on your feet."
Susan looked at her, "He took the blow for me."
Amelia took a moment to give her a hug as she assured her, "We'll do everything we can for him! You rest now. If someone thought you were important enough to take a blow for then you'd better not waste it by not taking care of yourself."
Susan nodded and let Amelia help her into bed. Once she had tucked her in she walked over to Zelgadis and wrapped her arms around him as she buried her head in his chest, and by the way her body shook Lina wondered if she was crying. Lina moved her gaze to Susan and quietly watched as she quickly drifted off to sleep while Sylphiel administered some herbal remedies to Marcus.
Lina's neck started to itch, and as she scratched it she remembered the hickey, and quickly arranged her hair to cover it. Just last night they were relaxing and engaging in frivolous, sensual pursuits while Susan and Marcus were fighting for their lives. And her conscience prickled as it seemed hard to escape the viewpoint that she was sending other people out to do the dirty work while she enjoyed a life of luxury. And not just people. Children. Every doubt that Lina had had about training children to do the dangerous work that she had once done resurfaced. Was this really something she could do for the rest of her life? What if Marcus died? And even if he didn't die, surely the death of some student was waiting there in the future. How could she live with that?
She closed her eyes and shook the thought away, and walked up to Marcus and grabbed his hand. "Hey, I forgot to tell you before you left. But I have one rule, and it's very important, so you'd better listen! No one is allowed to die! Or be seriously maimed! So you're going to wake up and be okay, or else! Okay?"
Still, Marcus did not so much as stir. And as the day wore on it became apparent that if he woke, it would not be today.
AN: Why yes, I'm still not over what happened to Ivanova and Marcus in B5, why do you ask? LOL.