Chance Encounters
Chapter 2
By: Lady Rava
Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay, I've been in France for the past month and haven't had access to the computer. I'll try to get the next part up soon. *Ducks flying fruit* really I promise... Anyway please R&R! ~Rava
* * *
The scenery seemed to roll by slowly from Lina's view through the carriage window. She would have thought they had been traveling on the narrow rocky trail for hours had the sun's position not told her little than an hour had passed. She sighed inwardly and looked away from the window trying to ignore the anticipation and dread which filled her. Mentally she saw the pieces of her freedom slipping away with each turn of the carriage wheels and with that freedom pieces of herself. She had never been one to just give up when faced with an unwanted situation. But, she simply could not see any way out of her current dilemma. She would be presented as a chattel to the prince, and even though she would resist, as was her nature, she couldn't escape the feeling that her life would be changed whether she liked it or not. And Lina Inverse did not like change she could not control.
"Still," she mused taping her fingers on the windowsill, "there's no way this prince will choose me as his bride, he'll want a dainty little lady. And perhaps I can use this as an opportunity to escape this pointless life as a noble and truly become the sorceress I only masquerade as when Luna isn't looking." Lina smiled inwardly, she wasn't certain how to achieve what she wanted, but at least being at the palace would give her space from Luna; she just had to deal with a prince first.
"Maybe being sent to the palace won't be such a bad thing after all," Lina thought to herself. "Plus the food is supposed to be good."
Of course Lina wasn't the only girl traveling to the palace as a prospective bride to the prince. No, as the law decreed all girls of noble birth in the land set forth to present themselves to the prince. This included girls from the gentle bred Sylphiel to the arrogant Martina of Xoana and finally to one very deranged princess.
"The cry of justice must not go unheard!" Shouted Princess Amelia Wil Tesla of Saillune form the top of her carriage. There she stood aloft, despite the protests of the driver, chin uplifted and finger stabbing through the air as she loudly proclaimed her speeches of justice to the passing trees. As her carriage passed, flowers wilted and animals scampered away as Amelia recited her 203rd justice speech (all of which had been written the previous night). As the princess of a neighboring kingdom, Amelia had not been required to present herself before the prince as a prospective bride and therefore had resisted at first when her advisor suggested she go anyway. However, once her advisor had informed her of how a royal marriage between two countries would spread justice, Amelia had agreed wholeheartedly, and now thoroughly believed that she would spread justice through the land. Naturally, she assumed the prince would choose her.
"And so," she proclaimed, finger pointed ahead and cape flapping righteously behind her. "Through this royal marriage justice will be spread forth through the land and destroy all evildoers!" Posing elegantly she leaped forward...and fell flat on her face.
Zelgadis sighed, toying aimlessly with the fancy silk shirt he wore. Nothing was going right for him. First, he had been greeted at the entrance to the palace by the king, his grandfather/great-grandfather Rezo, who had demanded he prepare himself and stop brooding. Of course, that meant Xellos had spoken to him: the fruitcake probably enjoying the fact that he would be a source of Zelgadis's torment. Yet again. It wasn't like Rezo actually cared for Zelgadis; they pretty much had a mutual hatred of each other. Rezo had even turned Zelgadis into a chimera in order to gain power, now he was trying to marry him off to gain yet another ally in his quest for power. Zelgadis hated that he was now being used to help his grandfather/great-grandfather; he wanted to do all he could to spite the man. Rezo had even signed a treaty with the mazoku of all races, leaving Zelgadis at the mercy of Xellos for an advisor.
So now Zelgadis sat, suppressing yet another yawn and trying to be attentive, as girl after girl was presented before him. At the door, his master of the guard, Gourry Gabriev, stood stiffly with a blank expression on his face. His lack of intellect kept him from remembering the girls' names, but not from making inappropriate remarks about their chest sizes.
Zelgadis shifted impatiently in his throne and tried to keep his face impassive as an arrogant green-haired girl told him to bow down before her god, a Zolmeguster or something. He couldn't hold back a chuckle when Xellos made a remark about the next girl and she pulled out a mace and proceeded to pound him into the ground. Of course Xellos's remark was true; the girl did have a tail tied with a pink bow protruding from her dress.
Next, a lovely purple-haired girl entered the room, her head bowed slightly. While crossing the foyer, she lifted her head slightly and glanced shyly around. Her gaze met Zelgadis's for a brief moment before landing on Gourry's unintelligent one.
"Oh," she whispered softly, her eyes widening as her cheeks began to flush; she had never seen such a handsome man in her life.
"Ahem," Xellos interjected sternly.
"Oh, excuse me," she murmured turning around to face the prince. Gathering her skirts, she curtseyed deeply. "Greetings your majesty, I am Lady Sylphiel Nels Rada from the land of Sairaag," she said daintily in a soft voice. "I am honored to make your acquaintance."
The prince nodded absently, his thoughts obviously not on the lovely lady in front of him. Sylphiel curtseyed deeply again and moved to stand to the side. There she twirled a strand of purple hair absently all the while glancing out of the corner of her eye at Gourry.
From his position next to the prince, Xellos made a gesture and the next girl stepped forward. Zelgadis sighed; it was going to be a long day...
* * *
"Hurry!" Lina called out to the driver impatiently. The driver ground his teeth in irritation and snapped his whip, encouraging the horses to run even faster than their current galloping run. The procession of girls had been due to start over an hour ago and they had not yet reached the palace. They would have been on time too, had Lina not decided to stop for a four course meal. Now she acted as if the driver was to blame for her actions. Yanking the reins he brought the carriage to a halt in front of the gates. It had barely stopped before Lina had jumped out and dashed through the gardens leading to the palace. A tree stump caused her to lose her balance for a moment and she paused panting softly. She was almost there...
In the throne room of the palace, the last of the nobles had just presented themselves when a petite raven-haired girl entered the room flanked by guards. She was dressed in an elegant long pink gown with a long cape fluttering behind her. Pearls adorned her wrists and neck and the crown perched atop her head identified her as royalty. However, her demeanor was different than that of a normal princess, as she did not look modest and proper at all.
Amelia crossed the threshold of the throne room, her gaze sweeping from one side of the room to the other. She glanced briefly at the other girls standing at one side of the room, but paid them no mind. They wouldn't be competition for her, after all she was royalty and justice was on her side. Smoothing her skirts, she glanced quickly at the prince's advisor, a strange looking man with purple hair and slanted eyes, before turning her gaze to the prince.
"He looks like a freak," Amelia thought to herself, gazing at the blue-stoned man. She mentally steeled herself and focused her thoughts on justice. "After all justice is justice and I, Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune am willing to make sacrifices to insure it will be spread." She nodded firmly glancing at the prince again and realized happily that, despite his stone appearance, the prince was really cute.
Reaching the dais, Amelia curtseyed deeply. "I am Princess Amelia Wil Tesla of the kingdom of Saillune," she said in a loud voice, "I have come to spread justice and righteousness through my marriage to the prince." She turned and pointed a finger at the other girls. "All you who would dare oppose me know this: the flow of justice cannot be stopped. Its waves of righteousness cover the entire world! You have no chance when I proclaim this call of justice, so you might as well just leave!"
Xellos chuckled to himself noticing Zelgadis wince and sweatdrop at the strange girl. It was amusing to watch the chimera when he was being tormented, but he had to admit the girl's speech was making him sick to his stomach. Through half-narrowed eyes he watched the annoying girl prance around for a while giving speeches of justice before she finally quieted down and stepped into the throng of girls. Xellos frowned slightly, watching Zelgadis emit a sigh of relief, he was certain there was supposed to be another girl. He scratched his head trying to remember who it was when at that moment an unruly redhead burst through the door.
Lina gasped for breath, running swiftly up the stairs in the main hall. She swore under her breath when one of her heels broke on a step and threw both her shoes off impatiently. Reaching the top she yanked the door open and stumbled inside, her crimson locks an unruly mess and her dress torn in several places. So focused was she on catching her breath that she did not notice the prince nor did he notice her, as he was staring into space, praying to be somewhere else. However, as if connected they both lifted their heads at the same moment and their eyes met.
Gazes interlocked, both Zelgadis and Lina's eyes widened and they both simultaneously exclaimed:
"YOU!"
Chapter 2
By: Lady Rava
Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay, I've been in France for the past month and haven't had access to the computer. I'll try to get the next part up soon. *Ducks flying fruit* really I promise... Anyway please R&R! ~Rava
* * *
The scenery seemed to roll by slowly from Lina's view through the carriage window. She would have thought they had been traveling on the narrow rocky trail for hours had the sun's position not told her little than an hour had passed. She sighed inwardly and looked away from the window trying to ignore the anticipation and dread which filled her. Mentally she saw the pieces of her freedom slipping away with each turn of the carriage wheels and with that freedom pieces of herself. She had never been one to just give up when faced with an unwanted situation. But, she simply could not see any way out of her current dilemma. She would be presented as a chattel to the prince, and even though she would resist, as was her nature, she couldn't escape the feeling that her life would be changed whether she liked it or not. And Lina Inverse did not like change she could not control.
"Still," she mused taping her fingers on the windowsill, "there's no way this prince will choose me as his bride, he'll want a dainty little lady. And perhaps I can use this as an opportunity to escape this pointless life as a noble and truly become the sorceress I only masquerade as when Luna isn't looking." Lina smiled inwardly, she wasn't certain how to achieve what she wanted, but at least being at the palace would give her space from Luna; she just had to deal with a prince first.
"Maybe being sent to the palace won't be such a bad thing after all," Lina thought to herself. "Plus the food is supposed to be good."
Of course Lina wasn't the only girl traveling to the palace as a prospective bride to the prince. No, as the law decreed all girls of noble birth in the land set forth to present themselves to the prince. This included girls from the gentle bred Sylphiel to the arrogant Martina of Xoana and finally to one very deranged princess.
"The cry of justice must not go unheard!" Shouted Princess Amelia Wil Tesla of Saillune form the top of her carriage. There she stood aloft, despite the protests of the driver, chin uplifted and finger stabbing through the air as she loudly proclaimed her speeches of justice to the passing trees. As her carriage passed, flowers wilted and animals scampered away as Amelia recited her 203rd justice speech (all of which had been written the previous night). As the princess of a neighboring kingdom, Amelia had not been required to present herself before the prince as a prospective bride and therefore had resisted at first when her advisor suggested she go anyway. However, once her advisor had informed her of how a royal marriage between two countries would spread justice, Amelia had agreed wholeheartedly, and now thoroughly believed that she would spread justice through the land. Naturally, she assumed the prince would choose her.
"And so," she proclaimed, finger pointed ahead and cape flapping righteously behind her. "Through this royal marriage justice will be spread forth through the land and destroy all evildoers!" Posing elegantly she leaped forward...and fell flat on her face.
Zelgadis sighed, toying aimlessly with the fancy silk shirt he wore. Nothing was going right for him. First, he had been greeted at the entrance to the palace by the king, his grandfather/great-grandfather Rezo, who had demanded he prepare himself and stop brooding. Of course, that meant Xellos had spoken to him: the fruitcake probably enjoying the fact that he would be a source of Zelgadis's torment. Yet again. It wasn't like Rezo actually cared for Zelgadis; they pretty much had a mutual hatred of each other. Rezo had even turned Zelgadis into a chimera in order to gain power, now he was trying to marry him off to gain yet another ally in his quest for power. Zelgadis hated that he was now being used to help his grandfather/great-grandfather; he wanted to do all he could to spite the man. Rezo had even signed a treaty with the mazoku of all races, leaving Zelgadis at the mercy of Xellos for an advisor.
So now Zelgadis sat, suppressing yet another yawn and trying to be attentive, as girl after girl was presented before him. At the door, his master of the guard, Gourry Gabriev, stood stiffly with a blank expression on his face. His lack of intellect kept him from remembering the girls' names, but not from making inappropriate remarks about their chest sizes.
Zelgadis shifted impatiently in his throne and tried to keep his face impassive as an arrogant green-haired girl told him to bow down before her god, a Zolmeguster or something. He couldn't hold back a chuckle when Xellos made a remark about the next girl and she pulled out a mace and proceeded to pound him into the ground. Of course Xellos's remark was true; the girl did have a tail tied with a pink bow protruding from her dress.
Next, a lovely purple-haired girl entered the room, her head bowed slightly. While crossing the foyer, she lifted her head slightly and glanced shyly around. Her gaze met Zelgadis's for a brief moment before landing on Gourry's unintelligent one.
"Oh," she whispered softly, her eyes widening as her cheeks began to flush; she had never seen such a handsome man in her life.
"Ahem," Xellos interjected sternly.
"Oh, excuse me," she murmured turning around to face the prince. Gathering her skirts, she curtseyed deeply. "Greetings your majesty, I am Lady Sylphiel Nels Rada from the land of Sairaag," she said daintily in a soft voice. "I am honored to make your acquaintance."
The prince nodded absently, his thoughts obviously not on the lovely lady in front of him. Sylphiel curtseyed deeply again and moved to stand to the side. There she twirled a strand of purple hair absently all the while glancing out of the corner of her eye at Gourry.
From his position next to the prince, Xellos made a gesture and the next girl stepped forward. Zelgadis sighed; it was going to be a long day...
* * *
"Hurry!" Lina called out to the driver impatiently. The driver ground his teeth in irritation and snapped his whip, encouraging the horses to run even faster than their current galloping run. The procession of girls had been due to start over an hour ago and they had not yet reached the palace. They would have been on time too, had Lina not decided to stop for a four course meal. Now she acted as if the driver was to blame for her actions. Yanking the reins he brought the carriage to a halt in front of the gates. It had barely stopped before Lina had jumped out and dashed through the gardens leading to the palace. A tree stump caused her to lose her balance for a moment and she paused panting softly. She was almost there...
In the throne room of the palace, the last of the nobles had just presented themselves when a petite raven-haired girl entered the room flanked by guards. She was dressed in an elegant long pink gown with a long cape fluttering behind her. Pearls adorned her wrists and neck and the crown perched atop her head identified her as royalty. However, her demeanor was different than that of a normal princess, as she did not look modest and proper at all.
Amelia crossed the threshold of the throne room, her gaze sweeping from one side of the room to the other. She glanced briefly at the other girls standing at one side of the room, but paid them no mind. They wouldn't be competition for her, after all she was royalty and justice was on her side. Smoothing her skirts, she glanced quickly at the prince's advisor, a strange looking man with purple hair and slanted eyes, before turning her gaze to the prince.
"He looks like a freak," Amelia thought to herself, gazing at the blue-stoned man. She mentally steeled herself and focused her thoughts on justice. "After all justice is justice and I, Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune am willing to make sacrifices to insure it will be spread." She nodded firmly glancing at the prince again and realized happily that, despite his stone appearance, the prince was really cute.
Reaching the dais, Amelia curtseyed deeply. "I am Princess Amelia Wil Tesla of the kingdom of Saillune," she said in a loud voice, "I have come to spread justice and righteousness through my marriage to the prince." She turned and pointed a finger at the other girls. "All you who would dare oppose me know this: the flow of justice cannot be stopped. Its waves of righteousness cover the entire world! You have no chance when I proclaim this call of justice, so you might as well just leave!"
Xellos chuckled to himself noticing Zelgadis wince and sweatdrop at the strange girl. It was amusing to watch the chimera when he was being tormented, but he had to admit the girl's speech was making him sick to his stomach. Through half-narrowed eyes he watched the annoying girl prance around for a while giving speeches of justice before she finally quieted down and stepped into the throng of girls. Xellos frowned slightly, watching Zelgadis emit a sigh of relief, he was certain there was supposed to be another girl. He scratched his head trying to remember who it was when at that moment an unruly redhead burst through the door.
Lina gasped for breath, running swiftly up the stairs in the main hall. She swore under her breath when one of her heels broke on a step and threw both her shoes off impatiently. Reaching the top she yanked the door open and stumbled inside, her crimson locks an unruly mess and her dress torn in several places. So focused was she on catching her breath that she did not notice the prince nor did he notice her, as he was staring into space, praying to be somewhere else. However, as if connected they both lifted their heads at the same moment and their eyes met.
Gazes interlocked, both Zelgadis and Lina's eyes widened and they both simultaneously exclaimed:
"YOU!"