By now, Gourry was used to telling whether or not he was seeing visions about the future by looking for the signs of disrepair that plagued Maninstit in the future. The dents in the wood paneling, the snags in the quilts, the layer of grime that covered the windows and how the place needed a good dusting. But when he opened his eyes he couldn't get them to focus and the room was a watery blur. He tried to sit up and his alarm grew as he realized he didn't have the strength. "Wha…"
"Shh." Lia said as she put her hands on his shoulders, "Rest and be still. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
Gourry took a deep breath and felt a sharp pain in his lungs. A screaming sensation rang in his ears as the realization dawned that he was experiencing his death bed. He tried to keep his breathing even, to not panic as he reminded himself that he was still young and strong and that he was dreaming right now and he would wake up soon. But it was hard to keep his breathing in that zone between being enough to get a good amount of air in and breathing so deeply that it hurt.
The door flew open with a resounding bang, a welcome distraction from his fears, and Gourry turned to see who was coming in. And even though she was a blur, Gourry could still recognize the smell of the woods that clung to Lina as she strode in with a tall man following behind her and walked up to him and grabbed his hand as she said, her voice haggard with age, "I was worried we'd be too late."
"I can't believe that you came." Lia said as she stood up and moved uncertainly towards Midas as she glanced at her mother.
"Of course I came." Lina snapped as she brushed the hair from Gourry's eyes. "I never did stop loving him. But is it really that bad?"
"I'm afraid so. Aunt Sylphiel says there's not much more that can be done for him and he has weeks at the most." Lia explained as Lina sat down on the bed and looked at him as Gourry tried to think of something to say, but his tongue was so dry and heavy that speaking seemed impossible.
"But what's wrong with him?" Midas asked.
"It's related to the accident." Lia said, "A byproduct of his memory loss. It must cause some sort of brain damage."
Lina squeezed his hand tightly as she fumed, "Oh, sometimes I wish I could reach through time, grab Hypatia and…"
"We know more about the device than we did when you left." Lia stated, and both Lina and Midas turned to look at her.
"What do you mean?" Lina asked.
"It was in Hypatia's research." Lia explained, "I guess some students had uncovered it and left it in the library, but after everything that happened after the accident it must have gotten lost in the chaos? The device that hurt you, Dad and Aunt Sylphiel wasn't a booby trap. It was a device to create oracles. Hypatia thought she had found a way to receive messages from the future, but ended up creating people who could only send them back to the past. Dad has been sending messages back to his previous self pretty much."
"What?" Midas said.
"It won't mean much for us, but if Dad receives them in the past, then it means that somewhere, there's a different reality where none of this happened." Lia explained as her eyes brightened, "The thing is, the most important stuff, the most critical, we've been blocked from sharing."
"What do you mean?" Lina asked as her eyes narrowed.
"He was cursed by M...If he tries to tell his past self who he is, he'll die."
There was a moment of silence that blanketed the room as Lina's eyes grew wider as she realized the implications, and then she shook her head and said, "No, no, absolutely not!"
"I'm already dying." Gourry found himself saying to his surprise, especially given how much energy and effort it took him to form the words. "Weeks is all I have."
"No, Gourry, you can't fall on your sword just because it will supposedly benefit us in the past! How is that going to help us now?" Lina asked.
Midas turned to Lia and asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"You know how we can control people's dreams. I've been helping him to send messages back. But I kept getting blocked when it comes to M…" her voice faded eerily and picked up again as she continued, "So I've been researching how to break the curse. I've got it all planned out. We just have to push forward with it before Dad dies."
"But are you sure you can do this, Lia?" Midas asked as he looked at the ground.
Lina shook her head as she said, "No, Midas, you can not be against me in this! Don't tell me you're considering helping them!"
"In theory it should be straight forward and simple." Lia said as she ignored her mother.
"You're too soft, though." Midas said with a smirk, "Sure, you're powerful enough and smart enough. But you also care too much. Especially when it comes to Dad. Lia, do you really think you're strong enough to pull this off without me?"
"Midas, where are you going with this?" Lina asked as she got up and grabbed his arm.
"Convince me that there's no hope for Dad, and that this is the only way." Midas demanded as the scene started to fade and Gourry felt the pull of consciousness drag him from his dream as he shot up in bed and opened his eyes. Relief flooded through him that his vision was as good as it always had been. He looked beside him, desperately wanting to talk to Lina, but she wasn't there! He looked around the room, wondering if he'd somehow got stuck in a different time. Then his eyes fell upon the empty crib and he relaxed. Aurelia must have woken up and Lina had taken her some place so as not to disturb him. Gourry was a bit amazed that he slept through it, but if anything it emphasized that things were safe at Maninstit for the moment.
But then the emotions hit him like a load of bricks. He had just seen his deathbed! And while he was relieved and heartened that even in that horrific future he and Lina still cared enough about each other to make up at the end, getting a taste for his own mortality was sobering. He grabbed the parchment he kept by his bed now and started to write as fast as he could before getting out of bed and quickly getting dressed.
Once he was ready he decided to head to the nursery. Even if Lina wasn't there with Aurelia then he could still see Midas before heading down to breakfast to see if they were there. He changed course when he heard footsteps coming from the stairs followed by Lina saying, "And we're up! And not one bit of help in sight!"
"We're bound to run into someone eventually." Sylphiel said.
"What's wrong?" Gourry asked as they came into view and he could see that they had Aurelia with them.
Lina visibly relaxed when she saw him as she explained, "She's in labor." Lina explained, "Go fetch the midwife, and get back here before this baby does!"
"Oh, I don't know Lina, it looks like you have it under control." Gourry said as he folded his arms across his chest and smiled.
"Dammit, Gourry, if you want to remain happily married then get your butt into town and get that midwife, because if I have to deliver this baby on my own, so help me…"
"Right, right." Gourry said as he held his hands up. "I'll run as quick as I can. In fact I'll ask the to get the carriage ready."
"I'll go with you." Zelgadis said as he walked up.
"Thanks," Gourry said.
"Mom can give you a pancake on the go." Lina said as she kept a firm grip on Sylphiel, "Remember the words on the go!"
"Oh, there's plenty of time…" Sylphiel said amiably.
"Good, but I don't want to bank on it." Lina said.
"We're off." Gourry said as he started to head down the stairs with Zelgadis.
"What's going on?" Marlena asked as she walked up to them with Connie and the wet nurse that Amelia had hired for Justina, Kembreigh. Marlena held Midas and Kembreigh held Justina, and their assorted children were gathered around them, leading Lina to conclude that they were going down to breakfast. But whatever the reason they were out and about, she had never been so happy to see them!
"My water broke." Sylphiel explained as the men retreated.
The wet nurses made piercing exclamations of excitement as they ran up to Sylphiel and started to fawn over her. Eventually Marlena broke through and took Sylphiel's other arm and said, "Let's get you to your chambers."
The other wet nurses followed behind them as they walked to Sylphiel's chambers. They didn't make it far when Sylphiel stopped and squeezed her arm. Lina quickly picked up where she had left off with her story of Amelia preaching justice to the Cult of Shabranigdu followers as Connie ran a hand around her back until she relaxed. Sylphiel took a deep breath and said, "Let's get to my chambers before the next one hits."
"We're almost there." Lina said as they started moving again, feeling better that there was now a lot more support. Surely among the three wet nurses one of them must have midwifery experience! Given how Naga had been forced to deliver Justina, Lina in no way shape or form wanted to be the one responsible for bringing Sylphiel's child in the world. Certainly she could pass this off to the wet nurses! And they certainly seemed a lot more confident of themselves in this matter than Lina felt as they took charge of the situation.
They finally reached Sylphiel's chambers, and Marlena somehow navigated opening the door while holding Midas as Sylphiel called out, "We have company, dear."
Rick yelped as he froze in the middle of his trek from the bathroom to the dresser, naked as a newborn babe. Lina cried out in surprise as she felt torn between her desire to support Sylphiel and her urge to turn around and walk out. Rick took a step closer as his mouth fell open, and then he took a step back as his face reddened, obviously torn between finding his clothes and checking on Sylphiel as he started to stutter, "Um, I, uh, p-p-pants are all the way over there a-a-nd, um, pants, um, I guess this means it's started?"
Connie and Marlena exchanged a glance, and then Marlena put her hand over her mouth as she glanced at the floor while Connie smiled smugly and quipped, "Somehow this seems to even things up a bit."
Rick's mouth dropped as Lina couldn't help but laugh with the other women as Kembreigh walked over to the dresser and started rummaging through it.
"Well, until he feels as though his ribs are being crushed to sand, there's still quite a bit of evening up to do." Marlena said as Kembreigh threw some clothes at Rick.
"Or spends a whole day bent over the chamber pot throwing up!" Kembreigh added. "And then does that day after day after day…"
"You ladies have made your point." Rick said as he hurriedly dressed and a goofy grin spread over his face.
Sylphiel pulled away and walked to her dresser and pulled out her midwifery kit as Connie said, "Well I think we can find some ways to simulate it. Give him a tonic that induces vomiting. Unfortunately I don't know any good ways to simulate labor pains…"
"Oh, that's easy!" Kembreigh said with relish as Sylphiel got out the potion and a rag and started to prepare it. "If you just…"
"Now that I have this ready, I think we can abandon our pointless talk of evening the score." Sylphiel said as she sat down on the chair.
"You're too sweet." Connie said, "But since you're in labor, you're the boss."
"So it's started." A fully dressed Rick said as he rushed to Sylphiel's side and grabbed her hands.
"Fourth night's the charm." Sylphiel said with a smile and she gave his hands a squeeze.
"Oh wow! Wow!" Rick exclaimed and he pulled back and started jumping from one foot to the other, "W-w-what do I do? Do I get the midwife?"
"Gourry and Zel better be on their way." Lina said.
"Oh! I know! We boil water and get lots of towels and…"
Rick stopped as Connie grabbed him and turned him towards the door, "Take a walk! Men are no use here."
"Right!" Rick said, but he turned around to give Sylphiel a hug, "I will leave this in your capable hands after I say goodbye to my lovely wife!"
Lina looked away at Midas as Rick and Sylphiel said their goodbyes, and she smiled at her son's toothless gummy grin, "Good morning, little fellow."
Midas smiled and reached for her face, and Lina wondered if she could make her excuses to leave to spend time caring for the twins. Surely Sylphiel wouldn't want a gaggle of babies in the room with her when she gave birth!
The door closed behind Rick, and Connie turned to Sylphiel and asked, "I hope we didn't upset you by walking in on your husband!"
Sylphiel waved her away as she put the rag to her face and inhaled with the next contraction. After a few moments she put the rag down and responded, "I would have been more upset if I'd not gotten to this potion in time. This is twice as worse as I envisioned it. Besides, as you said, it does even the score. If only a tiny bit."
"I guess now that we're here we should split things up, have two of us gather the children and two of us stay with you." Connie said.
"My mom will also be up as soon as she finishes in the kitchen, and she'll bring food." Lina said.
"Perfect! Who do you want to stay with you, sweetheart?" Connie asked, and Lina was relieved that Connie had placed the decision in Sylphiel's hands. Because there was no way that Sylphiel would choose her to stay!
"Hm, Connie, you have some experience here, right?" Sylphiel asked.
"I have three sisters! I've assisted, though I was never the one to actually catch the baby."
"Then I would greatly appreciate it if you could please stay."
"Of course!" Connie said.
Lina smiled to herself, but felt it vanish the moment that Sylphiel laid eyes on her and said, "Dame Lina?"
Whoa, wait a minute! What are you looking at me like that for? "Um, yeah?"
"I was interested in the story you were telling about Princess Amelia." Sylphiel said.
Oh, why did I have to pick such a good story? Lina thought as Sylphiel continued, "I know this isn't really your area, but you do have a way of making the time fly. If you could please stay for a bit I would appreciate it."
Lina forced herself to smile as she marveled at this bizarre turn of events. Given the crush that Sylphiel had had on Gourry when they first met, if someone had told Lina's past self that she would assist in delivering her baby she wouldn't believe them. Yet here she was, nodding as she said, "Right! Of course! I'd be honored."
Naga didn't dare look at the clock as she brought a stack of bowls back to the kitchen. Time seemed to be moving at an agonizingly slow pace as she worked through her shift and hated every moment of it. There was a reason she had not become a healer, and it was because she was fundamentally unsuited for it, despite the country she had been born into. The situation was grim enough that she was resolved to grit her teeth and endure it, the people she had been caring for had endured far worse after all, but she found it draining.
It didn't help that she was still mad and irritated with herself and unsure of how to move forward. For now, the only certainty that lay before her was more survivors and…
"Sis?" Naga stopped in her tracks and nearly dropped the bowls she was holding. She managed to hold tight to them as she turned around and saw Amelia standing behind her, dressed in her white traveling clothes.
"Amelia!" Naga exclaimed as she let the bowls fall to the ground and shatter around her as she reached for and hugged her sister, "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"
"I'm glad that you're so happy to see me!" Amelia said as she returned the hug.
"What are you doing here?" Naga asked as she pulled away.
"Daddy already had groups of healers organized. Because of the intelligence we'd gathered we knew something like this was bound to be found, but we didn't realize it was this bad. When I heard just how terrible the conditions were I decided that the just thing to do would be to delay returning home and help out here."
"But you're away from your baby…"
"I know and I hate that. But I couldn't bear to look at Justina and tell her how I let people in need go without care and comfort. Justice demands we make sacrifices at times. She's safe with Zel and the wet nurse and this should only delay me by a day or two, until we've established a system here."
"Well, we certainly need your help." Naga said. She'd managed to get a few hours of sleep, but given how hard and long she'd worked the previous day it was not near enough.
"You looked wiped. Go take a rest. I'll take care of things here." Amelia said.
Naga nodded and started to head off in a direction that took her away from the survivors, determined to find a place where she could be alone with her thoughts. Having grown up in palaces, she was used to how they were designed with secret passages and how to find them. She often used them growing up to get away from the backstabbing court. But as she'd grown she'd found practical benefits, such as sneaking around and spying on people, or as a way to sneak into a room to make a big entrance. But today she was merely wanting some peace to think.
It didn't take her long to find a door hidden behind a tapestry and to find a narrow tunnel that ran between several rooms. It was so narrow that her shoulders brushed against opposing walls as she walked, but there was something comforting about the sensation, like being wrapped in a firm embrace. Naga started to relax a little as she relished the quiet, until it was rudely interrupted by someone yelling, "What do you mean you're going to give up the throne to Dils!?"
Naga stopped in her tracks to listen as a women she deduced to be Maeve replied, "Keep your voice down, Kara! And yes, I don't deserve it. My plan was flawed and too many people died."
"Well show me someone who has executed every plan they created flawlessly, whose never made a mistake…" Kara challenged, her voice rising in tonality.
"Duchess Orianna…"
"Rode in like a stuck up snob after you'd done the hard work of breeching the castle and got to tie a bow on it. It's not a fair comparison." Kara interrupted.
"No one died under her command." Maeve said, and then she scoffed, "You don't understand! No one has ever died because of you!"
Naga felt gooseflesh erupt as her stomach started to churn as Kara said bitterly, "When I was growing up, the Duke that ran our town was evil and corrupt and forced the townspeople to spend long hours building him a castle in addition to the regular farming. My father was old and sick, and one day I went to the Duke and begged him to let my father go home to rest. He slew my father then and there and said only the dead could rest. So don't make assumptions about what I know!"
"Oh Kara, I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"Then listen to what I know." Kara said, "I know I was doing my best and that I didn't kill my father! Sometimes we do our best and still lose people. But he wouldn't want me to live my life hating myself for this. And when I hurt myself in penance, I am only doing things that would hurt him if he knew about it! He cared for my happiness and would want that for me, so to honor him I pursue it!"
Naga took a deep breath as she felt the knot in her stomach ease and a strange lightening of her shoulders as Kara continued, "And those people who died knew what they were signing up for. They knew the risks. And I know that if I had died liberating this place, then I sure as hell would want to know that my death was not in vain. And if we put the wrong leader on the throne in Dils, it will be in vain! I know the harm that the wrong leader can cause! And Duchess Orianna is a lot like Duke Asshole! The people of Dils don't need someone who only cares about herself. They need someone who cares about them. And that's you, Maeve."
There was a moment of silence, and Naga thought she could barely hear the sounds of someone crying before Kara continued, "You've lived with us peasants for the past few years as our equal. Sure, you're stuck up, but what princess isn't? And unlike Orianna you have a heart. You care about the people we liberated. Orianna just has her eyes on the throne. And you've listened to me, really listened about how hard life is for those of us without money and land. You took my suggestions for making things better for us to heart. Orianna won't give me the time of day! Maeve, it has to be you. You have to get on that throne and be the one to heal and rebuild Dils."
"Kara!" Maeve's voice was watery as it paused for a moment, and Naga deduced that they were giving each other a hug, "Kara, if I become queen here, will you be my Royal Sorceress?"
"What?" Kara asked.
"It's an important court role, and I value your perspective. Dils will be better for it, especially with two people with our training remaining in this kingdom given its history."
"This place definitely needs it." Kara said. "I didn't think I'd leave L and M so early, but how can I turn something like this down?"
Naga breathed a sigh of relief and started to walk on, turning over what she'd overheard in her mind as she wondered why she felt better and lighter. She'd had no real interest in who was put on the throne at Dils. No, it was what Kara had said about her father not wanting her to live her life hating herself that had arrested her attention. Especially since Naga knew Tesla would not have wanted Naga to live her life hating herself and pushing away happiness at every opportunity.
While Booley's attack had happened so quickly there'd been no time for conscious decisions, Naga knew that if they'd had that time that Tesla would have chosen to give her life for Naga's. And that Tesla would want her to be happy. And what if Kara was right? What if pushing it away to punish herself was only hurting Tesla's memory?
It seemed a dangerous, new way of thinking. But the more Naga turned it over in her mind, the more sense it made. And then Naga smiled to herself as she laughed and resolved to find Moe.