The Man In the Stone Mask
By Terra
Part One: Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.
"Into every life a little rain must fall, but I think someone's mistaken me for Noah."
- Allison Raul
"... Now, let's discuss your payment..." The Duchess of Byrd was saying.
Lina jumped up, "Yeah, let's!"
"How delightful you are..." The Duchess laughed when a thunder crash vibrated the
house. The sound of the rain deafened Amelia. The Duchess sighed, "Oh my... I can't possibly
let you out in that. I'll keep you for the night..."
"Oh, there's no need... well, okay," Lina giggled adorably.
The Duchess stood up, "I'll tell my servants to ready rooms for all of you... now eat and
we'll discuss your payment..."
Dinner passed uneventfully. Lina got paid, but she shared with Gourry and Amelia.
After dinner, Lina and Gourry went to their room while Amelia sat in the mansion's library
and watched the rain. And thought.
It had been about three months since Lina and Gourry had married in Lina's hometown.
Amelia had been invited but her invitation had arrived too late and she didn't get to go.
Lina told her every detail about it, but Amelia still felt left out. Lina's sister had
caught the bouquet. The funny thing she wasn't even trying to catch it, her arm had become
sore and she stretched it up and blink, she had caught it. Lina's cousin, Annabelle, Amelia
thought but wasn't sure, refused to speak to Luna for the rest of the day. Things like that
she missed.
Zel had actually come back to Sayrunne after the Dark Star business. He had stayed
for a week. He said he would stay two but he left after one. She knew why. All those damn
nobles thought it was really funny to make fun of him and make his stay a living hell.
It was Shawn who started it all. He told all the new maids that Zel had a horrible
disease, if you touched him or any of his things, you would DIE. So, of course, the girls
flipped out and refused to clean in his room. It got worse. It got to the point that they
were afraid to serve him his food or take his plate away when he was done. Then Shawn and
the rest of the men had to pick on him. Hiding his things, replacing his drinks with...
other things, destroying his clothes, denting his sword so harshly that he had to spend a
whole day grinding it out. And on and on. Then the women had to get in on it. They flirted
with him, then told their husbands that he was saying "ungentlemanly" things to them. They
tripped him then told everyone he stood on their foot. They spilled drinks on him. They
asked him questions. Oh, the questions! They were questions that there was no way he could
answer without looking bad.
Amelia knew there was only so much a man can take and she knew that was the reason
he left. When he left, he promised he'd write. He did not say he'd come back. She knew he
would never come back now. She felt more alone after he left. She cried for hours. When her
father checked on her when she was absent from dinner, she told she wasn't feeling well and
wanted to be alone.
She remembered that he told her if there was anything she wanted, she could just
ask. She was tempted to tell him that she wanted him to kill every noble that had picked on
Zel, especially Shawn. But she didn't.
She sighed. Then her life went from bad to worst. The Council felt it was time to
pick a suitor.
"It's for the good of kingdom."
In what way exactly?
"It's not as bad as you think."
Then why didn't Daddy do it?
"There are many nice, honorable men that would love you."
Love you... r money and power.
"Just be glad that we're letting you choose."
Oh, how generous! Not.
She felt absolutely trapped. She asked her father if he could anything. He could do
nothing. He had tried and tried to convince them that she would pick one at her own pace but
they were worried that she would pick a suitor too late and not be fertile anymore. It all
came down to an heir. She wanted children, alright, but not with someone she didn't even
know or, at the worst, like.
That stupid Shawn. She was finally getting through to Zel and he has to be a bastard
and ruin it. He was beginning to lighten up and talk like a regular person to her. It was
going so nicely. If everything had gone as well as it had in the beginning, she would go
find Zel and ask him to marry her. But Shawn interfered and everything was ruined. Her
dreams, her emotional stability, her belief in True Justice, her LIFE. They just didn't care
about she felt. Her mother was 25 when she married her father, who was 28. She was only 18!
The Council said they were going to hold a party and she will pick a suitor. If the
choice was hard, she could pick five finalists and the Council will choose among them. If
she just refused to pick anyone, they would ask the first guy they see and ask, "Got money?"
If they answered "yes", that was Amelia's consort.
When they told her that, she flipped out. She actually threw a temper tantrum. Her
room should've gotten a medal for the abuse it went through. After she had finished making
her room look like it had a Revolution in it, she asked if she could travel around, clear
her head. After the Council saw her room, they agreed but said she must return within a
month of the party. Then they added as an afterthought, if she found a suitor while
traveling, the party would be canceled.
About a week out of the palace, she met up with Lina and Gourry. She didn't tell
them the real reason she was out, she told them, "I want to spread Justice and defeat
Evil-doers!" They bought it and took her along.
She finally told them when she had to return to Saillune and accidentally slipped
out that she had to be at a party (but not what kind). Lina made this her main mission.
"Think of the food!" Amelia figured that the Council wouldn't mind if she invited two
guests. Too bad she couldn't make Gourry a suitor but Lina would kill her, whether they were
married or not.
This was the last stop before they would reach the capital city. The Duchess had
sent a messenger out and asked Lina, the Bandit Killer to get rid of this bandit gang that
had been disturbing the town. Which is why they were here.
It was past midnight. She had been asleep but she had an odd dream. She had been
having this dream ever since she left Sayrunne. She first had them when her mother had just
been killed. But the dream had trickled away. Until now.
The dream always started like this: She would be in a field with only one apple
tree. The trunk was perfectly smooth so she couldn't climb up. She would jump to grab an
apple but she would be too short. When she would hit the ground, the tree grew taller.
After several attempts, she would sit down and cry.
"Why doesn't anyone help me? Boo hoo."
Then a voice from behind would ask, "Do you need help?"
She would turn around and face a boy who was about 12 (she would always be six for
some reason.) She nodded, "Yuh-huh. I want an apple but it gets taller every time I try to
get one." The boy would help her up. The boy would be very pale and have blue eyes. He wore
a silver shirt and pants with a black cloak. He would try to get an apple but he would fail.
Amelia would say, "You're too short."
"You're right, I am." Then Amelia would feel hot steam against her legs. She would
turn around and be face to face with a silver dragon. She would scream and run behind the
tree, "Help me! Help me! The dragon will eat me!"
The boy would laugh softly, "No, she won't. She is a good dragon." The dragon would
nod and smile. The boy would then scramble to get on the dragon's head. The dragon would
slowly lift her head to make the boy level with the tree. The boy would pick three apples
and the dragon would lower her head. The boy would hand Amelia an apple and toss one apple
over his shoulder and the dragon would catch it in her mouth. He would place the last apple
in one of the hidden pockets in his cloak.
"You're cool," Amelia would say.
"You're neat, too," the boy would reply, "We'll meet again."
"How do you know?"
The boy would gesture towards the dragon, "She told me. She knows everything." The dragon
would come closer and nudge the boy's back with a requesting look.
"But I don't want to go right..." the boy would say out of the blue to the dragon,
"Just a few more... I know... but it's so..." The boy would look defeated, "Alright. I'm
coming." The boy would get on the dragon's neck and wrap his legs around it. "I'll see you
soon, Princess, take care!" The dragon would turn away and prepare for take off. Amelia
would see the back of his cloak. It was a coat of arms. A silver dragon on a field of gold.
"Wait, tell me your family name! Are you a Prince?!" Amelia would shout. But then
she would wake up.
She knew what the dream meant. It meant that there was someone special for her,
waiting. And here she was, reaching for her apple, her happiness, that's so out of reach.
The Council and the nobles are making that tree taller and taller and now it's impossible
to reach it. Where is that boy? Where is that boy and his silver dragon?
"Why doesn't anyone help me?" And she began to cry.
Unbeknownst to her, someone was watching.
To be continued...
C&C at destinyplot@lycos.com
By Terra
Part One: Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.
"Into every life a little rain must fall, but I think someone's mistaken me for Noah."
- Allison Raul
"... Now, let's discuss your payment..." The Duchess of Byrd was saying.
Lina jumped up, "Yeah, let's!"
"How delightful you are..." The Duchess laughed when a thunder crash vibrated the
house. The sound of the rain deafened Amelia. The Duchess sighed, "Oh my... I can't possibly
let you out in that. I'll keep you for the night..."
"Oh, there's no need... well, okay," Lina giggled adorably.
The Duchess stood up, "I'll tell my servants to ready rooms for all of you... now eat and
we'll discuss your payment..."
Dinner passed uneventfully. Lina got paid, but she shared with Gourry and Amelia.
After dinner, Lina and Gourry went to their room while Amelia sat in the mansion's library
and watched the rain. And thought.
It had been about three months since Lina and Gourry had married in Lina's hometown.
Amelia had been invited but her invitation had arrived too late and she didn't get to go.
Lina told her every detail about it, but Amelia still felt left out. Lina's sister had
caught the bouquet. The funny thing she wasn't even trying to catch it, her arm had become
sore and she stretched it up and blink, she had caught it. Lina's cousin, Annabelle, Amelia
thought but wasn't sure, refused to speak to Luna for the rest of the day. Things like that
she missed.
Zel had actually come back to Sayrunne after the Dark Star business. He had stayed
for a week. He said he would stay two but he left after one. She knew why. All those damn
nobles thought it was really funny to make fun of him and make his stay a living hell.
It was Shawn who started it all. He told all the new maids that Zel had a horrible
disease, if you touched him or any of his things, you would DIE. So, of course, the girls
flipped out and refused to clean in his room. It got worse. It got to the point that they
were afraid to serve him his food or take his plate away when he was done. Then Shawn and
the rest of the men had to pick on him. Hiding his things, replacing his drinks with...
other things, destroying his clothes, denting his sword so harshly that he had to spend a
whole day grinding it out. And on and on. Then the women had to get in on it. They flirted
with him, then told their husbands that he was saying "ungentlemanly" things to them. They
tripped him then told everyone he stood on their foot. They spilled drinks on him. They
asked him questions. Oh, the questions! They were questions that there was no way he could
answer without looking bad.
Amelia knew there was only so much a man can take and she knew that was the reason
he left. When he left, he promised he'd write. He did not say he'd come back. She knew he
would never come back now. She felt more alone after he left. She cried for hours. When her
father checked on her when she was absent from dinner, she told she wasn't feeling well and
wanted to be alone.
She remembered that he told her if there was anything she wanted, she could just
ask. She was tempted to tell him that she wanted him to kill every noble that had picked on
Zel, especially Shawn. But she didn't.
She sighed. Then her life went from bad to worst. The Council felt it was time to
pick a suitor.
"It's for the good of kingdom."
In what way exactly?
"It's not as bad as you think."
Then why didn't Daddy do it?
"There are many nice, honorable men that would love you."
Love you... r money and power.
"Just be glad that we're letting you choose."
Oh, how generous! Not.
She felt absolutely trapped. She asked her father if he could anything. He could do
nothing. He had tried and tried to convince them that she would pick one at her own pace but
they were worried that she would pick a suitor too late and not be fertile anymore. It all
came down to an heir. She wanted children, alright, but not with someone she didn't even
know or, at the worst, like.
That stupid Shawn. She was finally getting through to Zel and he has to be a bastard
and ruin it. He was beginning to lighten up and talk like a regular person to her. It was
going so nicely. If everything had gone as well as it had in the beginning, she would go
find Zel and ask him to marry her. But Shawn interfered and everything was ruined. Her
dreams, her emotional stability, her belief in True Justice, her LIFE. They just didn't care
about she felt. Her mother was 25 when she married her father, who was 28. She was only 18!
The Council said they were going to hold a party and she will pick a suitor. If the
choice was hard, she could pick five finalists and the Council will choose among them. If
she just refused to pick anyone, they would ask the first guy they see and ask, "Got money?"
If they answered "yes", that was Amelia's consort.
When they told her that, she flipped out. She actually threw a temper tantrum. Her
room should've gotten a medal for the abuse it went through. After she had finished making
her room look like it had a Revolution in it, she asked if she could travel around, clear
her head. After the Council saw her room, they agreed but said she must return within a
month of the party. Then they added as an afterthought, if she found a suitor while
traveling, the party would be canceled.
About a week out of the palace, she met up with Lina and Gourry. She didn't tell
them the real reason she was out, she told them, "I want to spread Justice and defeat
Evil-doers!" They bought it and took her along.
She finally told them when she had to return to Saillune and accidentally slipped
out that she had to be at a party (but not what kind). Lina made this her main mission.
"Think of the food!" Amelia figured that the Council wouldn't mind if she invited two
guests. Too bad she couldn't make Gourry a suitor but Lina would kill her, whether they were
married or not.
This was the last stop before they would reach the capital city. The Duchess had
sent a messenger out and asked Lina, the Bandit Killer to get rid of this bandit gang that
had been disturbing the town. Which is why they were here.
It was past midnight. She had been asleep but she had an odd dream. She had been
having this dream ever since she left Sayrunne. She first had them when her mother had just
been killed. But the dream had trickled away. Until now.
The dream always started like this: She would be in a field with only one apple
tree. The trunk was perfectly smooth so she couldn't climb up. She would jump to grab an
apple but she would be too short. When she would hit the ground, the tree grew taller.
After several attempts, she would sit down and cry.
"Why doesn't anyone help me? Boo hoo."
Then a voice from behind would ask, "Do you need help?"
She would turn around and face a boy who was about 12 (she would always be six for
some reason.) She nodded, "Yuh-huh. I want an apple but it gets taller every time I try to
get one." The boy would help her up. The boy would be very pale and have blue eyes. He wore
a silver shirt and pants with a black cloak. He would try to get an apple but he would fail.
Amelia would say, "You're too short."
"You're right, I am." Then Amelia would feel hot steam against her legs. She would
turn around and be face to face with a silver dragon. She would scream and run behind the
tree, "Help me! Help me! The dragon will eat me!"
The boy would laugh softly, "No, she won't. She is a good dragon." The dragon would
nod and smile. The boy would then scramble to get on the dragon's head. The dragon would
slowly lift her head to make the boy level with the tree. The boy would pick three apples
and the dragon would lower her head. The boy would hand Amelia an apple and toss one apple
over his shoulder and the dragon would catch it in her mouth. He would place the last apple
in one of the hidden pockets in his cloak.
"You're cool," Amelia would say.
"You're neat, too," the boy would reply, "We'll meet again."
"How do you know?"
The boy would gesture towards the dragon, "She told me. She knows everything." The dragon
would come closer and nudge the boy's back with a requesting look.
"But I don't want to go right..." the boy would say out of the blue to the dragon,
"Just a few more... I know... but it's so..." The boy would look defeated, "Alright. I'm
coming." The boy would get on the dragon's neck and wrap his legs around it. "I'll see you
soon, Princess, take care!" The dragon would turn away and prepare for take off. Amelia
would see the back of his cloak. It was a coat of arms. A silver dragon on a field of gold.
"Wait, tell me your family name! Are you a Prince?!" Amelia would shout. But then
she would wake up.
She knew what the dream meant. It meant that there was someone special for her,
waiting. And here she was, reaching for her apple, her happiness, that's so out of reach.
The Council and the nobles are making that tree taller and taller and now it's impossible
to reach it. Where is that boy? Where is that boy and his silver dragon?
"Why doesn't anyone help me?" And she began to cry.
Unbeknownst to her, someone was watching.
To be continued...
C&C at destinyplot@lycos.com