Slayers is the property of Kadokawa Shoten.
AMELIA: (Posing.) AS WE TRAVEL CLOSER AND CLOSER TO OUR DESTINY, FATE
HAS SEEN FIT TO TEST THE CHAINS OF LOVE THAT BIND MISTER ZELGADIS AND
MISS SYLPHIEL TOGETHER!!
ZELGADIS: Excuse me?
SYLPHIEL: Um…Miss Amelia? (Blushes.)
AMELIA: WITH THE CLOCK TICKING SLOWLY TO THE MIDNIGHT OF DESPAIR, I,
AMELIA WIL TESLA SEYRUUN, AM ALL THAT STAND BETWEEN THE LOVE THEY
SHARE AND THE DARK EMPTINESS THAT AWAITS THEM!!!
ZELGADIS: We really have to stop giving her sugar…
Faces: After!
Part 6
Rendezvous!
Amelia to the Rescue!
Silence.
Not a word. Not a single word spoken in more than ten miles. It hung over the group like a
cloud.
And quite frankly it was beginning to piss Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun off.
Okay, they had a fight. So what? She had been sure the two of them would have made up
by the next morning. But that never occurred. At that point, she was certain it would only take a
little bit of walking to wear down their resolve and force them to speak to one another.
But here it was, ten miles into their trip to Dorosland, and they still weren't speaking.
She sighed.
"Something wrong, Miss Amelia?" Sylphiel asked her from the left.
"No, Miss Sylphiel, nothing," was her reply.
"If you're tired, we can stop for lunch," Zelgadis said from her right.
"We don't have to," Amelia assured him.
They ended up stopping anyway, biting into a lunch of overcooked travel biscuits. Amelia
chewed for a moment and frowned. Apparently, Miss Sylphiel's cooking skills suffered whenever
she was in a poor mood. She looked up and found the priestess sitting on a log, looking down at
the ground. Her own biscuit was still in her hand, untouched. Zelgadis was chewing dully on his
own meal but did whatever he could to avoid Sylphiel's gaze.
(Okay, this has to stop,) Amelia thought.
"Why does it have to stop?" a tiny version of Lina asked, appearing on her shoulder. "If
you wait long enough, maybe they'll get tired of each other and leave Zelzy Welzy to you." The
tiny sorceress grinned evilly.
"Oi, you can't do that!" a tiny Gourry appearing on her other shoulder cried. "It's wrong!"
"Don't listen to him!" tiny Lina cried. "What does he know!? This is your chance,
Amelia!"
"The REAL Lina wouldn't say that," tiny Gourry pointed out.
"Well, I'm not the REAL Lina!" tiny Lina retorted. "I'm the manifestation of Amelia's
dark side given form by her emotional distress!"
"See?!" tiny Gourry cried, pointing at tiny Lina. "What she said!"
Amelia sighed. Tiny Gourry was right…
"No he's not!" tiny Lina fired at her.
She tried to think of what her role model would do in this situation, and as hard as she
tried, she couldn't see Miss Lina taking advantage of Zelgadis and Sylphiel's heartache, no matter
what was involved, be it treasure…or love.
(This is going to end,) she thought. "IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE, I SWEAR IT!" she
cried.
Zelgadis and Sylphiel looked at her in puzzlement.
She couldn't talk to Zelgadis about it. She just couldn't. It was still too soon for her
broken heart to be able to talk to him about Sylphiel without crying, so she decided to start with the
shrine maiden.
"Miss Sylphiel," she began, striking up a conversation with the woman while Zelgadis
marched ahead of them. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, Miss Amelia," Sylphiel told her quietly.
Amelia decided to proceed delicately, but this plan dissolved quickly, and she ended up
just blurting out what she wanted to say. "Don't you think it's time you forgave Mister Zelgadis,"
she asked quietly.
Sylphiel looked at her in surprise and sighed. "Miss Amelia…I…I do forgive him. It's
just…"
"Just what?"
She turned away from the younger girl. "He was so different on that island," she
whispered. "It was like a dark veil had been lifted from him. And then…the veil dropped over
him again." She looked at Amelia and said, "And after what happened back in Borden, I have to
wonder about him."
"Why?"
The priestess shut her eyes. "We're so different," she said quietly. "I have to wonder if
we're not TOO different."
Amelia was a romantic at heart, and for a moment she could see the dilemma almost like a
cheap romance novel. The priestess, a creature of light, adorned in white robes, taming the fiery
beast with the power of her heart, saving his humanity. She sniffled.
Suddenly, Sylphiel found the younger girl hugging her. "Oh, Miss Sylphiel!" Amelia wept.
"It has to work out! It just has to! What kind of cheap, crappy ending would it be if things didn't
work out in the end?!" She sobbed into Sylphiel's blouse.
The shrine maiden sweatdropped. "Er…Miss Amelia?"
Amelia continued to cry. It was just so terribly sad and romantic all at the same time!
"Miss Amelia?"
She stepped back and wiped her eyes. "Sorry," she whispered. "It's just…The two of you
have come so far and through so much…"
Sylphiel looked down at the ground.
"You have to make up with him, Miss Sylphiel!" Amelia cried. "For his sake and for
yours!"
"I'm not sure I can," Sylphiel whispered. "Even if we forgive each other now, and things
go back to the way they were, how long will it be until our differences drive us apart for good?"
Amelia could only sigh.
The three of them had gone straight through Namor, but ended up having to take a different
path to the next town. According one of the royal officials, there had been some kind of accident
on the road, and it was now blocked to travelers. Fortunately, Zelgadis knew of another route, and
the trio ended up walking into the village of Laketown sometime after midnight.
Amelia lay on her bed at the inn and tried to sleep. It was difficult, however, with so many
conflicting emotions running through her mind. After about an hour, she gave up and decided to go
for a walk.
This wasn't her first time in Laketown. It seemed like a lifetime ago since they were all
here last. Before long, she was actually at the same lake, looking out at the water, at the moon's
reflection there. She sat down and remembered Lina, hell-bent on having dragon cuisine, using
poor Mister Zelgadis as an anchor for the ship.
She giggled at the memory and sat down in the grass on the shore. Poor Miss Lina never
did get to eat her dragon meal.
It was so long ago.
She laid back and rested her head against the grass. What could she do now? A part of her
sympathized with Sylphiel, but another part was angry as Hell at her. Yes, Mister Zelgadis might
be gloomy and sometimes did things that seemed a little cold! But he only hurt those men because
they had tried to hurt HER! Couldn't Sylphiel see that?!
A part of her wanted to give up. She had tried her best. She had talked to Miss Sylphiel.
If that wasn't enough, then her conscience would just have to be satisfied that she had done all she
could.
She could comfort Mister Zelgadis. She really could. If Miss Sylphiel was so easily
chased off by him, well she could step into her place, right?
Right?
She felt moisture on her cheeks. Dammit, why did this have to be HER job?! Miss Lina
should be here! SHE should be the one knocking sense into the two of them! It was too hard a job
for Amelia to take on alone!
Unconsciously, she reached into the pouch on her belt and removed the small music box.
She rested it on her chest and opened it. The melody, the only sound she could associate with
Mister Zelgadis' mother, began to play. She wiped another tear away.
"It's too hard," she whispered to the music box. "It's just too hard."
The box played, but didn't answer her.
"All I ever wanted was for your son to love me," she whispered. "Now he loves someone
else. Doesn't that hurt ENOUGH without me having to…to…make sure he'll NEVER love me?"
The melody didn't change in the slightest.
"He hurts so much, I know," Amelia went on. "And these past few weeks, when they've
been together, he seemed to be getting better. I…I…" She actually laughed. "I actually thought it
might be because of me at one point." She wiped another tear away. "I want him to be happy, I
just don't want him to be happy with HER!"
The music box played on.
"But if I can't make him happy," she breathed, "And she CAN…How can I not try?"
(How can I not try?)
For yet another night, Amelia cried herself to sleep to the tune of that same music box.
The ballroom was extravagant but in a tasteful sort of way befitting the preferences of the
Seyruun royal house. Although incredibly large, the place was packed with lords and ladies of
every kind. It was impossible to tell who was who, however. This was a masquerade ball, and
the attending ladies and gentlemen wore masks to cover their faces.
It was this setting that Princess Amelia, adorned in an elegant black gown, had entered.
She gave the crowd a once over and had no problem finding him. He stood in the shadows of one
corner of the room, wearing no mask, only his usual tan attire and cape. She smiled and pushed
her way through the crowd towards him.
"Oh, excuse me," one woman cried as the princess bumped into her. Amelia looked up
and found Sylphiel standing there, wearing a white gown that accentuated her natural beauty while
revealing very little.
"Miss Sylphiel," Amelia said in greeting.
"Have you seen Zelgadis dear?" Sylphiel asked her. She turned left to right, searching, but
couldn't see him.
"Um…No," Amelia lied. "Excuse me." She left the shrine maiden and continued toward
her target. Zelgadis looked up as she finally pushed her way through to him. "Mist…" She
stopped and dropped the formality "Zelgadis. Would you like to dance?"
Zelgadis regarded her for a moment, then nodded. Amelia grabbed his hand and dragged
him out onto the dance floor. A familiar tune began to play. It took the princess a few moments to
recognize it as the tune from the music box. She hugged the chimera as they danced.
"I wish it could stay like this, Zelgadis," she whispered. She looked up at him and saw
that he wasn't looking at her. He was searching the crowd for someone. She turned her head and
saw Sylphiel not far away, still searching for her Zelgadis dear. Quickly, Amelia took the lead in
the dance and turned them so that the chimera was facing away from the shrine maiden.
(Just a few more minutes!) she thought sadly as she hugged him again.
"Amelia, is something wrong?" he asked her.
"No, nothing," she whispered in response. "Just dance with me a little longer," she
begged, holding him tightly.
(Just a little longer…)
Her eyes opened slowly, the melody of the music box still playing. It was light out, and the
birds were chirping nearby in their nests. She must have fallen asleep out here.
"Ah, Miss Amelia!"
She turned and saw an elderly man in a brown, wide-brimmed hat walking towards her.
"Mister Ashford?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Well, this is a happy coincidence," he told her. "I was hoping Miss Lina would show up
back here soon."
"Why is that?" Amelia asked him, rising to her feet. She was still groggy, and the last
fleeting images of her dream were still haunting her. She knew what it had been. A message, a
wish…
And at the same time, a goodbye.
"A year after you left here last time, I came back to this very lake and bagged that
monster's mate."
"So?" she asked.
"'So?'" he repeated. "I've been curing and preparing the meat for more than a year. It's
ready," he announced proudly.
She blinked in surprise. "You mean you have dragon cuisine ready to eat?" she asked.
"That's right! I still owe Miss Lina her meal, and if you're here, then…"
"Actually," Amelia interrupted, "She's not with us." Her brow furrowed. "Hasn't she
come through here yet?" she asked.
Ashford shook his head. "Not that I saw."
"She must have been in a hurry," the sorceress mused.
"Well that is a shame," Ashford spoke up. "Once dragon meat is prepared, there's only a
small amount of time it can be eaten safely."
A thought occurred to Amelia. She sighed and looked down at the ground. "It's ready
now?" she asked.
"Miss Amelia, I can have grilled dragon fillets….dragon wine soufflé…roast dragon…and
dragon sashimi ready for dinner TONIGHT."
The princess bit her lip in thought. A plan was forming, but she wasn't sure she liked it or
not.
"Do you want it?" he asked. "It's going to spoil soon if it's not eaten."
(Say goodbye, Amelia,) she heard in her head.
She took a breath and looked up at Ashford, determination written all over her face.
"Mister Ashford, I require your assistance in the aid of justice!"
Sylphiel reached for the butter just as he did and found her fingers grazing the stone skin of
his hand. She looked up and found him across the table, looking at her.
"Excuse me," they both said at the same time, pulling their hands away. They looked away
for a moment, then, at the exact same time, made another attempt at the butter dish. This time their
hands grazed one another and lingered there. She started to pull away and was surprised when his
hand grabbed hers. She looked up at him. He was still looking away from her.
"I'm…sorry," he said quietly. "I…SHOULD…have talked to you….first…"
She sighed. "Perhaps…I…You only did it…because of me…I…"
"I lied to you before," he told her. "It WAS about you…If they
hadn't…harassed…YOU…I wouldn't have cared."
Despite her feelings about violence, Sylphiel found herself flushed.
"I can't change how I feel, Sylphiel," he told her. "But I am sorry if…I HURT you…by
it…"
She squeezed his hand. "Zelgadis dear, I'm sorry. I was feeling terrible already…and the
thought that you had to feel even worse because of me…" She paused. "I snapped at you, and that
was the very last thing I wanted to do." She sighed. "We're so different from one another
sometimes."
He smiled tightly. "Can you live with those differences?" he asked.
She looked up at him and smiled. "I want to. So much."
Zelgadis squeezed her hand and smiled. "Let's get Amelia and go to Dorosland. Lina's
probably throwing a fit by now."
Sylphiel nodded happily and stood up. "I'll go bring her down." She started for the stairs,
paused, leaned over, and gave Zelgadis a tender kiss on the lips. He blinked at her for a moment.
"A make-up kiss," she explained with a blush. "Zelgadis dear…" She broke off and searched for
something say. Finally, she just said, "Be right back," and hurried up the stairs.
The chimera sat back and sipped at his tea. That had been close. Sylphiel was one in a
million. He wasn't about to lose her over three punks in the armpit of the earth. He lowered his
tea and thought. When did he really start to care?
He remembered when he first met Sylphiel. Not long after, Copii Rezo had destroyed her
town and killed her father. Then they had met her again when Phibrizzo kidnapped Gourry and
brought Sairaag back from the beyond. It occurred to him that until just recently, he had never seen
Sylphiel in a 'happy time.'
He'd have to work on changing that… If there was anyone out there who deserved a break,
who should have happiness, it was her. All she really wanted, after all, was a nice, quiet life.
Then why hang around Lina…?
He shrugged it off.
"Zelgadis dear!"
He turned and saw Sylphiel rushing down the stairs.
"Miss Amelia! She's missing!"
To be more precise, Amelia was NOT missing. Missing implies that no one knows where
one is, and since Ashford knew where the princess was, Amelia was hardly missing. As a matter
of fact, the young sorceress was dumping about six pounds of chopped dragon meat into a pot of
boiling water.
"That's it," Ashford assured her. "This will be the finest meal I've ever prepared!"
"Thank you, Mister Ashford!" Amelia cried with a bow. "I do appreciate everything
you're doing!"
The cowboy cook smiled as he stirred some vegetables in a pan. "I remember when my
daughter and son-in-law had THEIR first fight." He whistled in awe as he remembered it. "You
would have thought the sky was falling from the way they went on. It was just some trivial thing
too. I don't even remember what caused it. I do know that my wife, the one who looks like your
short, rocky friend, asked me to do something very similar to what you are. So I have some
experience at this."
"How did it turn out?" she asked.
Ashford smiled. "Nine months later, I had a granddaughter!"
"A simple 'just fine,' would've sufficed," Amelia sighed with a frown.
He chuckled and sampled one of the vegetables. "Don't you have other things to do before
tonight?" he asked.
"Oh! Right!" she gasped. "I nearly forgot!" She started for the door. "Thank you, Mister
Ashford!" With that, Amelia dashed outside.
The cowboy cook smiled and added more sauce to the vegetables.
"Anything?" Zelgadis asked as Sylphiel walked up to him in the street.
She shook her head. "No. She didn't leave town. Her things are still in her room, but then
where is she? She wouldn't have left for this long without telling anyone."
Zelgadis looked up at the sun and sighed. "I guess the only thing to do is wait for her to
come back. It's too late to start out for Dorosland now."
"I'm going to try some of the other shops," Sylphiel told him. "Would you stay at the inn
in case she comes back?"
He nodded. Sylphiel started across the street towards a magic shop. Perhaps Miss Amelia
had decided to do some morning shopping and just lost track of the time. She poked her head into
mystics shop, but didn't see the petite sorceress anywhere.
She wandered down the street, poking her head into various shops, searching. The shrine
maiden had been doing this for about two and a half hours when finally Amelia appeared at one
end of the street.
"Miss Amelia!" Sylphiel called out with a wave. Amelia saw her and ran up to her.
"Where have you been?" the priestess asked her. "We've been looking all over for you."
"I'm sorry, Miss Sylphiel," Amelia said with a pout. "I was just doing a favor for Mister
Zelgadis."
Sylphiel blinked. "A favor?"
Amelia put on a smile and handed the shrine maiden an envelope. Sylphiel opened it and
read the short letter she found inside. "'Sylphiel,'" she read out loud, "'Please meet me at this
address tonight at six. It's important that we talk. Zelgadis.'" She lowered the note and blinked.
The princess bit her lip and wondered if she had been able to make the note sound like
Zelgadis' gruff way of speaking. She hoped so…
"What is this address?" Sylphiel asked.
"It's a restaurant on the other side of town," Amelia supplied.
"A restaurant? Why would he have me meet him in a restaurant?"
(Boy, Miss Sylphiel may be kind-hearted, but she's also a little slow on the uptake…)
Amelia thought. "I think he wants to talk to you…in private…over dinner…at this address…"
She pointed at the address in the letter. "At six…"
"But…He's back at the inn, I could just…"
"No!" Amelia cried, waving her hands frantically as if to scare the shrine maiden away
from the road to the inn. "You…um….have to get a dress for tonight!" She got behind the
priestess and started to push. "Here, this way!" Amelia directed, nudging the woman in the
direction of a dress shop. "Get something nice…"
"But Zelgadis dear might be worried," Sylphiel argued. "He's back at the inn waiting for
us…"
"I'll go to the inn and let him know everything is all right," the princess assured her.
"Now go buy a dress! For Cepheid's sake! You're a woman! Go shopping!"
"But…"
Before Sylphiel could finish the sentence, Amelia had shoved her into the dress shop and
closed the door. She leaned against it and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Jeez, Miss Sylphiel," she muttered. "Will you take the hint already…" She stood up and
started for the inn. She hoped Mister Zelgadis didn't take as much prodding….
He was a lot heavier than Sylphiel was….
"'Dear Zelgadis dear…'"
Zelgadis lowered the note and arched a stone eyebrow. "Dear Zelgadis dear?" he asked.
Amelia laughed nervously and shrugged. It had SOUNDED like something the priestess
might say.
The chimera continued to read. "'It's vital that we talk about our relationship. Please meet
me here tonight at six. With my love, Syl chan.'" He looked up again. "'Syl chan?'"
The princess laughed a little harder. She wasn't sure if Mister Zelgadis had a pet name for
the shrine maiden, so she had made a guess.
Oops…
Zelgadis replaced the note in the envelope and thought for a moment. He knew he and
Sylphiel's relationship had a few bumps. If she wanted to talk about them over dinner somewhere,
that was fine with him.
"What time is it now?" he asked Amelia.
"Almost five," she told him, sighing in relief. It appeared that Zelgadis wouldn't require a
push…
"I should start now, then," he said, heading toward the door.
Amelia balked. "Wait! Mister Zelgadis!" She threw herself between him and the door
and posed theatrically. "YOU SIMPLY CANNOT RENDEVOUS WITH A LADY LIKE MISS
SYLPHIEL DRESSED IN TRAVELING RAGS!"
The chimera arched an eyebrow.
"At least…not dirty ones…" she amended, remembering that Zelgadis probably didn't
have anything more formal, and there wasn't time to get him something new.
"Fine. I'll go change." He headed back up the stairs and to his room.
Amelia sunk into a nearby chair and sighed. "Well, Amelia…You did the right thing…"
She sighed again. "Who would've thought I'd grow to hate hearing that?"
Upon reaching the restaurant, Zelgadis was immediately ambushed by a waiter, who
INSISTED that Zelgadis take the table in the corner. In Zelgadis' mind, a table was a table, so he
didn't fight it. He let the waiter seat him and pour him a glass of wine.
"I didn't order that," he commented, pointing to the glass.
"Taken care of, sir," the waiter assured him before walking off.
The chimera sighed and took a drink. The wine was obviously a good vintage and slid
smoothly down his throat. He sensed movement nearby and looked up, blinking in surprise.
Sylphiel was being led to his table by the waiter. She had abandoned her traveling outfit
and was now wearing a light lavender dress, conservative, but then that was Sylphiel.
She smiled and sat down across from him. "This was a wonderful idea, Zelgadis dear,"
she told him.
"I was about to…um…say the same thing," he told her.
The priestess blinked at him. "But…you sent me a letter…"
The waiter cleared his throat and handed Sylphiel a letter. With a short bow, he turned and
walked off. Sylphiel opened the letter and read it aloud. "'Mister Zelgadis and Miss Sylphiel,
please forgive me for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but I had to do something.'" She
paused and looked up at Zelgadis before continuing to read.
"'Miss Sylphiel, please understand that Mister Zelgadis has spent much of his life having
only to take care of one person: Mister Zelgadis. He's never loved someone like he now loves
you, and I know the thought of what those men might have done had I not been there sickens him.
Please do not blame him for losing sight of himself in his anger. He did it only because he loves
you.'" Sylphiel took a breath.
"'Mister Zelgadis,'" Sylphiel read, "'Miss Sylphiel is scared of you.'" She stopped
reading and blinked in shock. "'Not…not literally…But scared of what you represent: another
loved one she could so easily lose. She still doesn't trust herself to love someone again.'"
Sylphiel wiped a tear away as she read. "'Please be patient with her. Please give her every
chance to love you.'" She began to cry, and Zelgadis took the note from her.
"'Don't lose sight of yourselves,'" he finished reading quietly. "'I'll see you tomorrow…
Amelia.'" He put the note down and reached across the table, gently touching Sylphiel's face with
his finger.
She took his hand in hers and pressed it against her cheek, savoring his touch. Before
either of them could speak, the waiter returned with a tray. They separated as he began to place
plates laden with some strange dishes in front of them.
"What is this?" Sylphiel asked, wiping her eyes.
"Dinner, Ma'am," the waiter told her. "Compliments of Chef Ashford."
Zelgadis closed his eyes as the last piece fell into place. "Of course she'd have an
accomplice," he muttered.
Sylphiel laughed. "What is it?" she asked the waiter.
"Dragon roast and dragon wine soufflé. Stewed vegetables, mashed potatoes, carrots…"
"Thank you," Zelgadis cut him off. The waiter finished quickly and hurried off.
"I've never had dragon," Sylphiel confessed, picking up her knife and fork and cutting into
some of the soufflé. "I wonder what it tastes like."
"Be sure to mention it to Lina," Zelgadis told her.
Sylphiel blinked. "Why?"
He smiled. "It'll drive her nuts."
The priestess giggled. "I wouldn't want to make her feel bad." She took a bite of soufflé
"Mmmm!"
Zelgadis took a sip of wine and chuckled under his breath. He owed Amelia one. He
owed her big.
Amelia lay on the shore of the lake again, looking up at the stars. She heard footfalls
approach and looked up to see Ashford looking down at her. "Hi, Mister Ashford," she said.
He sat down on the grass next to her and sighed. "Well…it's done."
"Yeah," she said deadpan.
He looked over at her. "You're a lot like my little granddaughter was."
Amelia ignore him and continued to stare up at the sky.
"Miss Amelia," he sighed, "I understand. You did a very hard thing."
"Do you?" she asked quietly, tears in her eyes.
"Sometimes, Miss Amelia, we have to hurt for the ones we love."
"Yeah," she whispered. She continued to stare up at the sky.
Sylphiel giggled and put her wine glass down. "An anchor?!" She giggled again, a little
more exuberantly than the story probably deserved. She took another bite of her souffle and
giggled again. The waiter appeared and refilled her wine glass.
Zelgadis smiled. Yeah, it was a funny story, but not THAT funny. He watched as Sylphiel
took another bite and waved down the waiter. "What is she eating, anyway?"
"Dragon wine souffle," he told him.
He blinked. "WINE souffle?" he asked. "Which would be made with…"
"Eighty year old wine, yes Sir," the waiter supplied.
Zelgadis looked over at Sylphiel again. That was her second helping of the souffle and her
third glass of wine. After three glasses even he was beginning to feel a little light-headed.
"Can I have some more of this?" she asked the waiter, pointing down at her plate. "Thank
you…"
"I think maybe you've had enough of that," Zelgadis told her, pulling her plate away.
"No, Zelgadis dear!" Sylphiel pouted. "Oh, poo!"
"Such language," Zelgadis remarked with a smile.
"Hmmph!" she sniffed. She took another sip of wine.
"You're drunk," he accused her with a smile and an arched eyebrow.
She looked at him, shocked. "I am nothing of the…" She broke off and hiccupped.
"…sort!" she finished.
"You are," Zelgadis assured her.
"I will have you know, Zelgadis dear, that a priestess of Cepheid simply does not get
sozzled…" She smiled at him, something unlike her usual gentle smiles. This one was almost
predatory.
Zelgadis saw her shiver and rub her shoulders. "Cold?" he asked. She nodded. "Would
you like my cape?"
She smiled. "Yes, thank you." Before he could remove it, however, she got up and moved
to his side of the booth, sitting next to him. She took his cape and wrapped it around herself so that
she was snuggled up next to him.
He cleared his throat nervously, and she giggled at him. She reached out and took his fork
off his plate, scooping up a piece of the wine souffle and placing it at his lips. "Open," she
commanded.
"Sylphiel, I…" The priestess took the opportunity and shoved the intoxicating food into his
mouth. He gave up and chewed. A little wouldn't hurt. She scooped up another forkful and
aimed. "Not too much," he warned. "I don't want to get as drunk as you."
"I am not drunk," she pouted. "I'm relaxed. Now open."
He obeyed, and she giggled again.
"Drink?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer she put his wine glass to his lips and
tilted it, forcing him to drink. When she felt he had enough, she lowered the glass and gave him a
quick kiss on the lips. Zelgadis blinked in shock. Sylphiel was never this forward, not even with
him.
Perhaps he should bring her back to the inn and put her to bed. She was obviously
intoxicated. On the other hand, she seemed to be enjoying herself. What could it hurt to let her
play? He was still sober.
She giggled and shoved another forkful of souffle into his mouth.
"Careful, careful," Sylphiel cautioned in a whisper as she helped Zelgadis up the stairs of
the inn.
Zelgadis chuckled quietly and swayed to the right, forcing Sylphiel to support more of his
weight. She squeaked and giggled, grabbing him to keep him from falling. He started laughing and
stumbled, striking the wall and leaving a rather sizable impression in the drywall. He laughed
again and pulled himself out.
Sylphiel grabbed his hand and pulled him unsteadily down the hall towards her room.
"Zelgadis dear," she cooed softly. "Are you drunk?" she asked with a giggle.
"Hardly," he muttered groggily.
"Are you sure?" she asked playfully.
"Quite," he told her with a stumble. Okay, so the third helping of souffle might not have
been that wonderful an idea.
"Come here," she beckoned, pulling him inside her room. "Let's put you to bed." They
stood unsteadily next to the small bed for a moment. "Okay," Sylphiel said, "On three.
One…two…"
"Wait," Zelgadis stopped her. "Is it one, two, three, then go, or is it one, two, and then go
on three?"
The priestess broke out into another giggling fit. "On…On three….One…"
"Three!" Zelgadis announced, falling face first onto the bed. Sylphiel squeaked as she
was pulled down next to him then started laughing again. She pushed against the chimera and
managed to roll him over onto his back. Zelgadis stared up at the ceiling. "These aren't my
sheets," he noted, nodding to the ceiling.
He felt Sylphiel move above him, straddling his legs and resting her hands on his chest.
The chimera took a breath and tried to work through the alcohol-induced fuzz in his brain. He felt
Sylphiel's lips on his as she kissed him and did his best to reciprocate. Her fingertips grazed his
cheek as she continued to kiss him with abandon. The wine on her breath was clearly evident as
he knew it must have been on his.
"Zelgadis dear," she whispered softly. "Make love to me."
The command caught him off guard, but he soon felt his body responding to her request.
She must have felt it too, because she started to giggle again.
"Are those the magic words to the spell?" she asked with a new giggle. He felt his cheeks
flush red. She leaned forward and kissed him again, softly and down to his neck.
"You got me…drunk on purpose…didn't you?" he asked with a touch of amusement.
She kissed his neck again. "Mmmm hmmm," she answered. "I knew you wouldn't want to
take advantage of me being drunk, so I'm taking advantage of you."
"Sneakyyyy," he commented. "Lina…would be proud…"
"Zelgadis dear, please do not mention other women while you're in MY bed," she
chastised him with another kiss.
"What other women?" he asked fuzzily. She responded with another giggle and moved her
hands under his shirt, laying them on the stone skin of his chest. Sylphiel felt his arms circle her
and pull her closer, his hands fumbling with the drawstrings on the back of her dress.
She unconsciously moved her hand up to run her fingers through his hair and hissed in pain.
She looked at her finger and found a spot of blood there.
"Hmm?" he asked.
"I pricked my finger on your hair," she told him with a pout.
He took her hand and kissed the offending finger. She responded by leaning down again
and kissing him with newfound desperation. The chimera went back to trying to free his priestess
from the prison of her dress. In his haze, however, he couldn't get the proper dexterity. He
growled in frustration.
"Poor Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel cooed.
There was a tearing sound a moment later.
"But I liked this dress," Sylphiel complained with another pout. She felt his hands running
up and down the soft skin of her back and sighed, kissing him again, losing herself to the one
perfect moment.
The sun rose inexorably into the sky the next morning, just one more of many for Ashford.
He might specialize in dragon cuisine, but most of what he made was simple fare for travelers, and
dragon wasn't the only tasty thing in the lake on which his fishing trawler floated.
He supervised the three fishermen as they pulled their nets from the mouth of the river that
led into the lake of Laketown. This was the best place to catch fish, especially the succulent trout
that spawned in this area.
"Got something, Mister Ashford!" one of the sailors called out. "Something big."
Ashford rushed to the stern. "If you see scales, cut it loose! I don't want to risk harming
any baby dragons!" He chuckled to himself. "They're too delicious when they grow up."
Two sailors pulled the ropes, hoisting the net out of the lake. Ashford watched as their
catch rose above the deck railing. His eyes went wide.
"GET HER ON THE DECK!" he shouted, drawing his knife. The chef rushed forward
and grabbed the net, hacking at it with his cooking knife. Tangled in the wire of the net, a
redheaded sorceress moaned and spat up lake water. The last strand was cut away, and Lina
Inverse fell to the wooden deck with a thud, coughing.
Ashford leaned over her and examined her. She wasn't conscious yet, and had a nasty
wound on the left side of her head. "Let's get her to shore!" he called out. The fishing boat turned
and started back to Laketown.
Sylphiel moaned low in her throat. "My head…" she whimpered. She opened her eyes,
but the light coming through the window caused them to burn. She shut them and tried again. She
was lying in bed, her head on Zelgadis' chest. His arm was wrapped around her, and given how
strong he was and what that arm was made of, she wasn't going to be able to leave anytime soon.
She took a breath and didn't move. The sound of his heartbeat pounded her aching skull
mercilessly. Not to mention that the chimera's chest was made of stone and made resting her head
there the equivalent of resting on a cinder block.
She reached out and grabbed a pillow from nearby. Placing it on his chest, she rested
against that and closed her eyes again, mentally begging her headache to go away.
(Maybe with a little more sleep,) she thought. She moaned again. She felt so sick. (Is this
my first hangover?) she thought. She tried to piece together the events of last night. The priestess
fervently hoped she hadn't embarrassed Zelgadis dear in any way.
She sighed quietly and held him. After everything that had happened to her, after seeing her
home destroyed then resurrected for Phibrizzo's use, Gourry being kidnapped, and the Wind
Dragon King's attempt on Zarak Tor, she realized that this was the only place she truly felt safe;
his arms. Nothing bad could happen to her here. Her Zelgadis dear would never allow it. And as
for him…
Amelia had been right. A part of her was afraid of losing yet another loved one. That
wasn't going to happen. Not this time. She had power of her own now, and if anyone ever tried to
harm him, they'd have to go through her. Lina Inverse wasn't the only sorceress with the power of
Shabranigdo at her disposal. She knew the Dragon Slave too.
And she would use it too. She hated violence, but she swore to Cepheid there and then if
anyone ever tried to hurt him, she'd send them to meet Phibrizzo in Hell personally.
She reached out and held him a little tighter. Things had worked out, though. Zelgadis
dear still loved her, and everything was going to be okay. The trip to Borden had been a complete
disaster, but in the end, there was a happy ending.
Now if only her head would stop pounding…
Zelgadis tensed beneath her and groaned. Apparently, he was feeling the same pain.
"Good morning," she muttered sleepily.
"Good morning," he replied, still only semi-conscious. He winced. "What did we drink
last night?"
"IdunnoZelgadissssdear," she mumbled. "Sleep," she muttered.
"We should go," he told her tiredly. "We still have to meet Lina."
"No," Sylphiel pouted. "My head hurts. Let's just sleep for awhile longer."
"Come on, Syl chan," he prodded. "It's not going to get any better for at least a few
hours."
She groaned and refused to get up.
Zelgadis took a breath and gave up, instead starting to stroke the shrine maiden's hair with
his hand. Sylphiel sighed and snuggled closer. A moment later, she asked. "'Syl chan?'"
"Long story," Zelgadis told her.
"I like it," she sighed. "Zelgadis dear."
The sounds of footsteps running up the stairs could be heard through the walls. A second
later, their door burst open.
"MISTER ZELGADIS! MISS SYLPHIEL! COME QUICK!!"
Both of them grabbed their heads and moaned in pain at Amelia's shout.
The princess saw their state of undress and quickly turned, her face flushing bright red.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"Amelia, what's wrong?" Zelgadis asked painfully.
"IT'S MISS LINA, MISTER Z…"
"It hurts!" Sylphiel cried, her hands on either side of her head, her eyes clenched shut.
"Amelia…please…the volume…"
"Oh," Amelia said in understanding. She started whispering. "Miss Lina just washed up.
Mister Gourry is missing, and it looks like Miss Lina was in a fight."
"WHAT?!" they both cried, immediately regretting it a moment later. "OOOWWW!!!"
"Um…Why don't you guys get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs." With that, Amelia ran
from the room.
"I'm never drinking again!" Sylphiel wailed.
Zelgadis took a deep breath and climbed out of bed…
Amelia quietly opened the door and led them inside. "I cast a recovery spell as soon as
Mister Ashford brought me here, but she hasn't woken up yet."
Sylphiel, more adept at the healing arts, stepped over to Lina's bedside and checked her
over. Amelia had done a good job with her spell. The sorceress was just asleep now.
As if thinking it caused a reaction, Lina began to stir. She slowly opened her crimson eyes
and found Sylphiel. "Sylphiel?" she asked weakly. "What happened?"
"Mister Ashford and Miss Amelia found you half-drowned in a lake," Sylphiel explained
in concern.
Lina closed her eyes and groaned as she remembered what happened. "Brilliant move,
Lina," she muttered in self-reproach. "Sorcery Genius my a…" She broke off and blinked up the
shrine maiden. "Ashford? I'm in Laketown?"
"Yes," Sylphiel told her with a nod.
"How's Gourry?" Lina asked.
"Miss Lina, we haven't seen you OR Gourry since the night we left Atlas City."
Lina blinked. "You mean…He hasn't shown up yet?"
"No," the priestess told her, concern all over her face.
The redhead thought for a moment then threw the covers off, hopping out of bed. It was
then that she noticed she was naked.
She shrieked and dived back under the covers.
"Your clothes were drenched, Miss Lina," Amelia supplied. "They're being washed.
"Well go get them!" Lina cried at the princess, almost angrily. Amelia flinched in shock.
"We don't have much time! If Gourry's not here it means THEY have him!"
"They?" Zelgadis asked.
"A sorcerer and some chick with a sword ambushed us on the way here," she explained.
"We got separated in the fight. If you haven't met up with him yet, then they must have him."
She took an unsteady breath.
"And if they have him…" She left the thought unspoken. The redhead turned back to
Amelia. "Amelia, get my clothes," she said quietly. "We're going back for him."
Zelgadis and Sylphiel shared a concerned look. If these attackers were able to take on
Lina AND Gourry and give better than they got, they were in for a fight.
The bandit-killer looked out the window. (Hang on, Gourry…)
To Be Continued…
AMELIA: (Posing.) AS WE TRAVEL CLOSER AND CLOSER TO OUR DESTINY, FATE
HAS SEEN FIT TO TEST THE CHAINS OF LOVE THAT BIND MISTER ZELGADIS AND
MISS SYLPHIEL TOGETHER!!
ZELGADIS: Excuse me?
SYLPHIEL: Um…Miss Amelia? (Blushes.)
AMELIA: WITH THE CLOCK TICKING SLOWLY TO THE MIDNIGHT OF DESPAIR, I,
AMELIA WIL TESLA SEYRUUN, AM ALL THAT STAND BETWEEN THE LOVE THEY
SHARE AND THE DARK EMPTINESS THAT AWAITS THEM!!!
ZELGADIS: We really have to stop giving her sugar…
Faces: After!
Part 6
Rendezvous!
Amelia to the Rescue!
Silence.
Not a word. Not a single word spoken in more than ten miles. It hung over the group like a
cloud.
And quite frankly it was beginning to piss Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun off.
Okay, they had a fight. So what? She had been sure the two of them would have made up
by the next morning. But that never occurred. At that point, she was certain it would only take a
little bit of walking to wear down their resolve and force them to speak to one another.
But here it was, ten miles into their trip to Dorosland, and they still weren't speaking.
She sighed.
"Something wrong, Miss Amelia?" Sylphiel asked her from the left.
"No, Miss Sylphiel, nothing," was her reply.
"If you're tired, we can stop for lunch," Zelgadis said from her right.
"We don't have to," Amelia assured him.
They ended up stopping anyway, biting into a lunch of overcooked travel biscuits. Amelia
chewed for a moment and frowned. Apparently, Miss Sylphiel's cooking skills suffered whenever
she was in a poor mood. She looked up and found the priestess sitting on a log, looking down at
the ground. Her own biscuit was still in her hand, untouched. Zelgadis was chewing dully on his
own meal but did whatever he could to avoid Sylphiel's gaze.
(Okay, this has to stop,) Amelia thought.
"Why does it have to stop?" a tiny version of Lina asked, appearing on her shoulder. "If
you wait long enough, maybe they'll get tired of each other and leave Zelzy Welzy to you." The
tiny sorceress grinned evilly.
"Oi, you can't do that!" a tiny Gourry appearing on her other shoulder cried. "It's wrong!"
"Don't listen to him!" tiny Lina cried. "What does he know!? This is your chance,
Amelia!"
"The REAL Lina wouldn't say that," tiny Gourry pointed out.
"Well, I'm not the REAL Lina!" tiny Lina retorted. "I'm the manifestation of Amelia's
dark side given form by her emotional distress!"
"See?!" tiny Gourry cried, pointing at tiny Lina. "What she said!"
Amelia sighed. Tiny Gourry was right…
"No he's not!" tiny Lina fired at her.
She tried to think of what her role model would do in this situation, and as hard as she
tried, she couldn't see Miss Lina taking advantage of Zelgadis and Sylphiel's heartache, no matter
what was involved, be it treasure…or love.
(This is going to end,) she thought. "IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE, I SWEAR IT!" she
cried.
Zelgadis and Sylphiel looked at her in puzzlement.
She couldn't talk to Zelgadis about it. She just couldn't. It was still too soon for her
broken heart to be able to talk to him about Sylphiel without crying, so she decided to start with the
shrine maiden.
"Miss Sylphiel," she began, striking up a conversation with the woman while Zelgadis
marched ahead of them. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, Miss Amelia," Sylphiel told her quietly.
Amelia decided to proceed delicately, but this plan dissolved quickly, and she ended up
just blurting out what she wanted to say. "Don't you think it's time you forgave Mister Zelgadis,"
she asked quietly.
Sylphiel looked at her in surprise and sighed. "Miss Amelia…I…I do forgive him. It's
just…"
"Just what?"
She turned away from the younger girl. "He was so different on that island," she
whispered. "It was like a dark veil had been lifted from him. And then…the veil dropped over
him again." She looked at Amelia and said, "And after what happened back in Borden, I have to
wonder about him."
"Why?"
The priestess shut her eyes. "We're so different," she said quietly. "I have to wonder if
we're not TOO different."
Amelia was a romantic at heart, and for a moment she could see the dilemma almost like a
cheap romance novel. The priestess, a creature of light, adorned in white robes, taming the fiery
beast with the power of her heart, saving his humanity. She sniffled.
Suddenly, Sylphiel found the younger girl hugging her. "Oh, Miss Sylphiel!" Amelia wept.
"It has to work out! It just has to! What kind of cheap, crappy ending would it be if things didn't
work out in the end?!" She sobbed into Sylphiel's blouse.
The shrine maiden sweatdropped. "Er…Miss Amelia?"
Amelia continued to cry. It was just so terribly sad and romantic all at the same time!
"Miss Amelia?"
She stepped back and wiped her eyes. "Sorry," she whispered. "It's just…The two of you
have come so far and through so much…"
Sylphiel looked down at the ground.
"You have to make up with him, Miss Sylphiel!" Amelia cried. "For his sake and for
yours!"
"I'm not sure I can," Sylphiel whispered. "Even if we forgive each other now, and things
go back to the way they were, how long will it be until our differences drive us apart for good?"
Amelia could only sigh.
The three of them had gone straight through Namor, but ended up having to take a different
path to the next town. According one of the royal officials, there had been some kind of accident
on the road, and it was now blocked to travelers. Fortunately, Zelgadis knew of another route, and
the trio ended up walking into the village of Laketown sometime after midnight.
Amelia lay on her bed at the inn and tried to sleep. It was difficult, however, with so many
conflicting emotions running through her mind. After about an hour, she gave up and decided to go
for a walk.
This wasn't her first time in Laketown. It seemed like a lifetime ago since they were all
here last. Before long, she was actually at the same lake, looking out at the water, at the moon's
reflection there. She sat down and remembered Lina, hell-bent on having dragon cuisine, using
poor Mister Zelgadis as an anchor for the ship.
She giggled at the memory and sat down in the grass on the shore. Poor Miss Lina never
did get to eat her dragon meal.
It was so long ago.
She laid back and rested her head against the grass. What could she do now? A part of her
sympathized with Sylphiel, but another part was angry as Hell at her. Yes, Mister Zelgadis might
be gloomy and sometimes did things that seemed a little cold! But he only hurt those men because
they had tried to hurt HER! Couldn't Sylphiel see that?!
A part of her wanted to give up. She had tried her best. She had talked to Miss Sylphiel.
If that wasn't enough, then her conscience would just have to be satisfied that she had done all she
could.
She could comfort Mister Zelgadis. She really could. If Miss Sylphiel was so easily
chased off by him, well she could step into her place, right?
Right?
She felt moisture on her cheeks. Dammit, why did this have to be HER job?! Miss Lina
should be here! SHE should be the one knocking sense into the two of them! It was too hard a job
for Amelia to take on alone!
Unconsciously, she reached into the pouch on her belt and removed the small music box.
She rested it on her chest and opened it. The melody, the only sound she could associate with
Mister Zelgadis' mother, began to play. She wiped another tear away.
"It's too hard," she whispered to the music box. "It's just too hard."
The box played, but didn't answer her.
"All I ever wanted was for your son to love me," she whispered. "Now he loves someone
else. Doesn't that hurt ENOUGH without me having to…to…make sure he'll NEVER love me?"
The melody didn't change in the slightest.
"He hurts so much, I know," Amelia went on. "And these past few weeks, when they've
been together, he seemed to be getting better. I…I…" She actually laughed. "I actually thought it
might be because of me at one point." She wiped another tear away. "I want him to be happy, I
just don't want him to be happy with HER!"
The music box played on.
"But if I can't make him happy," she breathed, "And she CAN…How can I not try?"
(How can I not try?)
For yet another night, Amelia cried herself to sleep to the tune of that same music box.
The ballroom was extravagant but in a tasteful sort of way befitting the preferences of the
Seyruun royal house. Although incredibly large, the place was packed with lords and ladies of
every kind. It was impossible to tell who was who, however. This was a masquerade ball, and
the attending ladies and gentlemen wore masks to cover their faces.
It was this setting that Princess Amelia, adorned in an elegant black gown, had entered.
She gave the crowd a once over and had no problem finding him. He stood in the shadows of one
corner of the room, wearing no mask, only his usual tan attire and cape. She smiled and pushed
her way through the crowd towards him.
"Oh, excuse me," one woman cried as the princess bumped into her. Amelia looked up
and found Sylphiel standing there, wearing a white gown that accentuated her natural beauty while
revealing very little.
"Miss Sylphiel," Amelia said in greeting.
"Have you seen Zelgadis dear?" Sylphiel asked her. She turned left to right, searching, but
couldn't see him.
"Um…No," Amelia lied. "Excuse me." She left the shrine maiden and continued toward
her target. Zelgadis looked up as she finally pushed her way through to him. "Mist…" She
stopped and dropped the formality "Zelgadis. Would you like to dance?"
Zelgadis regarded her for a moment, then nodded. Amelia grabbed his hand and dragged
him out onto the dance floor. A familiar tune began to play. It took the princess a few moments to
recognize it as the tune from the music box. She hugged the chimera as they danced.
"I wish it could stay like this, Zelgadis," she whispered. She looked up at him and saw
that he wasn't looking at her. He was searching the crowd for someone. She turned her head and
saw Sylphiel not far away, still searching for her Zelgadis dear. Quickly, Amelia took the lead in
the dance and turned them so that the chimera was facing away from the shrine maiden.
(Just a few more minutes!) she thought sadly as she hugged him again.
"Amelia, is something wrong?" he asked her.
"No, nothing," she whispered in response. "Just dance with me a little longer," she
begged, holding him tightly.
(Just a little longer…)
Her eyes opened slowly, the melody of the music box still playing. It was light out, and the
birds were chirping nearby in their nests. She must have fallen asleep out here.
"Ah, Miss Amelia!"
She turned and saw an elderly man in a brown, wide-brimmed hat walking towards her.
"Mister Ashford?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Well, this is a happy coincidence," he told her. "I was hoping Miss Lina would show up
back here soon."
"Why is that?" Amelia asked him, rising to her feet. She was still groggy, and the last
fleeting images of her dream were still haunting her. She knew what it had been. A message, a
wish…
And at the same time, a goodbye.
"A year after you left here last time, I came back to this very lake and bagged that
monster's mate."
"So?" she asked.
"'So?'" he repeated. "I've been curing and preparing the meat for more than a year. It's
ready," he announced proudly.
She blinked in surprise. "You mean you have dragon cuisine ready to eat?" she asked.
"That's right! I still owe Miss Lina her meal, and if you're here, then…"
"Actually," Amelia interrupted, "She's not with us." Her brow furrowed. "Hasn't she
come through here yet?" she asked.
Ashford shook his head. "Not that I saw."
"She must have been in a hurry," the sorceress mused.
"Well that is a shame," Ashford spoke up. "Once dragon meat is prepared, there's only a
small amount of time it can be eaten safely."
A thought occurred to Amelia. She sighed and looked down at the ground. "It's ready
now?" she asked.
"Miss Amelia, I can have grilled dragon fillets….dragon wine soufflé…roast dragon…and
dragon sashimi ready for dinner TONIGHT."
The princess bit her lip in thought. A plan was forming, but she wasn't sure she liked it or
not.
"Do you want it?" he asked. "It's going to spoil soon if it's not eaten."
(Say goodbye, Amelia,) she heard in her head.
She took a breath and looked up at Ashford, determination written all over her face.
"Mister Ashford, I require your assistance in the aid of justice!"
Sylphiel reached for the butter just as he did and found her fingers grazing the stone skin of
his hand. She looked up and found him across the table, looking at her.
"Excuse me," they both said at the same time, pulling their hands away. They looked away
for a moment, then, at the exact same time, made another attempt at the butter dish. This time their
hands grazed one another and lingered there. She started to pull away and was surprised when his
hand grabbed hers. She looked up at him. He was still looking away from her.
"I'm…sorry," he said quietly. "I…SHOULD…have talked to you….first…"
She sighed. "Perhaps…I…You only did it…because of me…I…"
"I lied to you before," he told her. "It WAS about you…If they
hadn't…harassed…YOU…I wouldn't have cared."
Despite her feelings about violence, Sylphiel found herself flushed.
"I can't change how I feel, Sylphiel," he told her. "But I am sorry if…I HURT you…by
it…"
She squeezed his hand. "Zelgadis dear, I'm sorry. I was feeling terrible already…and the
thought that you had to feel even worse because of me…" She paused. "I snapped at you, and that
was the very last thing I wanted to do." She sighed. "We're so different from one another
sometimes."
He smiled tightly. "Can you live with those differences?" he asked.
She looked up at him and smiled. "I want to. So much."
Zelgadis squeezed her hand and smiled. "Let's get Amelia and go to Dorosland. Lina's
probably throwing a fit by now."
Sylphiel nodded happily and stood up. "I'll go bring her down." She started for the stairs,
paused, leaned over, and gave Zelgadis a tender kiss on the lips. He blinked at her for a moment.
"A make-up kiss," she explained with a blush. "Zelgadis dear…" She broke off and searched for
something say. Finally, she just said, "Be right back," and hurried up the stairs.
The chimera sat back and sipped at his tea. That had been close. Sylphiel was one in a
million. He wasn't about to lose her over three punks in the armpit of the earth. He lowered his
tea and thought. When did he really start to care?
He remembered when he first met Sylphiel. Not long after, Copii Rezo had destroyed her
town and killed her father. Then they had met her again when Phibrizzo kidnapped Gourry and
brought Sairaag back from the beyond. It occurred to him that until just recently, he had never seen
Sylphiel in a 'happy time.'
He'd have to work on changing that… If there was anyone out there who deserved a break,
who should have happiness, it was her. All she really wanted, after all, was a nice, quiet life.
Then why hang around Lina…?
He shrugged it off.
"Zelgadis dear!"
He turned and saw Sylphiel rushing down the stairs.
"Miss Amelia! She's missing!"
To be more precise, Amelia was NOT missing. Missing implies that no one knows where
one is, and since Ashford knew where the princess was, Amelia was hardly missing. As a matter
of fact, the young sorceress was dumping about six pounds of chopped dragon meat into a pot of
boiling water.
"That's it," Ashford assured her. "This will be the finest meal I've ever prepared!"
"Thank you, Mister Ashford!" Amelia cried with a bow. "I do appreciate everything
you're doing!"
The cowboy cook smiled as he stirred some vegetables in a pan. "I remember when my
daughter and son-in-law had THEIR first fight." He whistled in awe as he remembered it. "You
would have thought the sky was falling from the way they went on. It was just some trivial thing
too. I don't even remember what caused it. I do know that my wife, the one who looks like your
short, rocky friend, asked me to do something very similar to what you are. So I have some
experience at this."
"How did it turn out?" she asked.
Ashford smiled. "Nine months later, I had a granddaughter!"
"A simple 'just fine,' would've sufficed," Amelia sighed with a frown.
He chuckled and sampled one of the vegetables. "Don't you have other things to do before
tonight?" he asked.
"Oh! Right!" she gasped. "I nearly forgot!" She started for the door. "Thank you, Mister
Ashford!" With that, Amelia dashed outside.
The cowboy cook smiled and added more sauce to the vegetables.
"Anything?" Zelgadis asked as Sylphiel walked up to him in the street.
She shook her head. "No. She didn't leave town. Her things are still in her room, but then
where is she? She wouldn't have left for this long without telling anyone."
Zelgadis looked up at the sun and sighed. "I guess the only thing to do is wait for her to
come back. It's too late to start out for Dorosland now."
"I'm going to try some of the other shops," Sylphiel told him. "Would you stay at the inn
in case she comes back?"
He nodded. Sylphiel started across the street towards a magic shop. Perhaps Miss Amelia
had decided to do some morning shopping and just lost track of the time. She poked her head into
mystics shop, but didn't see the petite sorceress anywhere.
She wandered down the street, poking her head into various shops, searching. The shrine
maiden had been doing this for about two and a half hours when finally Amelia appeared at one
end of the street.
"Miss Amelia!" Sylphiel called out with a wave. Amelia saw her and ran up to her.
"Where have you been?" the priestess asked her. "We've been looking all over for you."
"I'm sorry, Miss Sylphiel," Amelia said with a pout. "I was just doing a favor for Mister
Zelgadis."
Sylphiel blinked. "A favor?"
Amelia put on a smile and handed the shrine maiden an envelope. Sylphiel opened it and
read the short letter she found inside. "'Sylphiel,'" she read out loud, "'Please meet me at this
address tonight at six. It's important that we talk. Zelgadis.'" She lowered the note and blinked.
The princess bit her lip and wondered if she had been able to make the note sound like
Zelgadis' gruff way of speaking. She hoped so…
"What is this address?" Sylphiel asked.
"It's a restaurant on the other side of town," Amelia supplied.
"A restaurant? Why would he have me meet him in a restaurant?"
(Boy, Miss Sylphiel may be kind-hearted, but she's also a little slow on the uptake…)
Amelia thought. "I think he wants to talk to you…in private…over dinner…at this address…"
She pointed at the address in the letter. "At six…"
"But…He's back at the inn, I could just…"
"No!" Amelia cried, waving her hands frantically as if to scare the shrine maiden away
from the road to the inn. "You…um….have to get a dress for tonight!" She got behind the
priestess and started to push. "Here, this way!" Amelia directed, nudging the woman in the
direction of a dress shop. "Get something nice…"
"But Zelgadis dear might be worried," Sylphiel argued. "He's back at the inn waiting for
us…"
"I'll go to the inn and let him know everything is all right," the princess assured her.
"Now go buy a dress! For Cepheid's sake! You're a woman! Go shopping!"
"But…"
Before Sylphiel could finish the sentence, Amelia had shoved her into the dress shop and
closed the door. She leaned against it and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Jeez, Miss Sylphiel," she muttered. "Will you take the hint already…" She stood up and
started for the inn. She hoped Mister Zelgadis didn't take as much prodding….
He was a lot heavier than Sylphiel was….
"'Dear Zelgadis dear…'"
Zelgadis lowered the note and arched a stone eyebrow. "Dear Zelgadis dear?" he asked.
Amelia laughed nervously and shrugged. It had SOUNDED like something the priestess
might say.
The chimera continued to read. "'It's vital that we talk about our relationship. Please meet
me here tonight at six. With my love, Syl chan.'" He looked up again. "'Syl chan?'"
The princess laughed a little harder. She wasn't sure if Mister Zelgadis had a pet name for
the shrine maiden, so she had made a guess.
Oops…
Zelgadis replaced the note in the envelope and thought for a moment. He knew he and
Sylphiel's relationship had a few bumps. If she wanted to talk about them over dinner somewhere,
that was fine with him.
"What time is it now?" he asked Amelia.
"Almost five," she told him, sighing in relief. It appeared that Zelgadis wouldn't require a
push…
"I should start now, then," he said, heading toward the door.
Amelia balked. "Wait! Mister Zelgadis!" She threw herself between him and the door
and posed theatrically. "YOU SIMPLY CANNOT RENDEVOUS WITH A LADY LIKE MISS
SYLPHIEL DRESSED IN TRAVELING RAGS!"
The chimera arched an eyebrow.
"At least…not dirty ones…" she amended, remembering that Zelgadis probably didn't
have anything more formal, and there wasn't time to get him something new.
"Fine. I'll go change." He headed back up the stairs and to his room.
Amelia sunk into a nearby chair and sighed. "Well, Amelia…You did the right thing…"
She sighed again. "Who would've thought I'd grow to hate hearing that?"
Upon reaching the restaurant, Zelgadis was immediately ambushed by a waiter, who
INSISTED that Zelgadis take the table in the corner. In Zelgadis' mind, a table was a table, so he
didn't fight it. He let the waiter seat him and pour him a glass of wine.
"I didn't order that," he commented, pointing to the glass.
"Taken care of, sir," the waiter assured him before walking off.
The chimera sighed and took a drink. The wine was obviously a good vintage and slid
smoothly down his throat. He sensed movement nearby and looked up, blinking in surprise.
Sylphiel was being led to his table by the waiter. She had abandoned her traveling outfit
and was now wearing a light lavender dress, conservative, but then that was Sylphiel.
She smiled and sat down across from him. "This was a wonderful idea, Zelgadis dear,"
she told him.
"I was about to…um…say the same thing," he told her.
The priestess blinked at him. "But…you sent me a letter…"
The waiter cleared his throat and handed Sylphiel a letter. With a short bow, he turned and
walked off. Sylphiel opened the letter and read it aloud. "'Mister Zelgadis and Miss Sylphiel,
please forgive me for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but I had to do something.'" She
paused and looked up at Zelgadis before continuing to read.
"'Miss Sylphiel, please understand that Mister Zelgadis has spent much of his life having
only to take care of one person: Mister Zelgadis. He's never loved someone like he now loves
you, and I know the thought of what those men might have done had I not been there sickens him.
Please do not blame him for losing sight of himself in his anger. He did it only because he loves
you.'" Sylphiel took a breath.
"'Mister Zelgadis,'" Sylphiel read, "'Miss Sylphiel is scared of you.'" She stopped
reading and blinked in shock. "'Not…not literally…But scared of what you represent: another
loved one she could so easily lose. She still doesn't trust herself to love someone again.'"
Sylphiel wiped a tear away as she read. "'Please be patient with her. Please give her every
chance to love you.'" She began to cry, and Zelgadis took the note from her.
"'Don't lose sight of yourselves,'" he finished reading quietly. "'I'll see you tomorrow…
Amelia.'" He put the note down and reached across the table, gently touching Sylphiel's face with
his finger.
She took his hand in hers and pressed it against her cheek, savoring his touch. Before
either of them could speak, the waiter returned with a tray. They separated as he began to place
plates laden with some strange dishes in front of them.
"What is this?" Sylphiel asked, wiping her eyes.
"Dinner, Ma'am," the waiter told her. "Compliments of Chef Ashford."
Zelgadis closed his eyes as the last piece fell into place. "Of course she'd have an
accomplice," he muttered.
Sylphiel laughed. "What is it?" she asked the waiter.
"Dragon roast and dragon wine soufflé. Stewed vegetables, mashed potatoes, carrots…"
"Thank you," Zelgadis cut him off. The waiter finished quickly and hurried off.
"I've never had dragon," Sylphiel confessed, picking up her knife and fork and cutting into
some of the soufflé. "I wonder what it tastes like."
"Be sure to mention it to Lina," Zelgadis told her.
Sylphiel blinked. "Why?"
He smiled. "It'll drive her nuts."
The priestess giggled. "I wouldn't want to make her feel bad." She took a bite of soufflé
"Mmmm!"
Zelgadis took a sip of wine and chuckled under his breath. He owed Amelia one. He
owed her big.
Amelia lay on the shore of the lake again, looking up at the stars. She heard footfalls
approach and looked up to see Ashford looking down at her. "Hi, Mister Ashford," she said.
He sat down on the grass next to her and sighed. "Well…it's done."
"Yeah," she said deadpan.
He looked over at her. "You're a lot like my little granddaughter was."
Amelia ignore him and continued to stare up at the sky.
"Miss Amelia," he sighed, "I understand. You did a very hard thing."
"Do you?" she asked quietly, tears in her eyes.
"Sometimes, Miss Amelia, we have to hurt for the ones we love."
"Yeah," she whispered. She continued to stare up at the sky.
Sylphiel giggled and put her wine glass down. "An anchor?!" She giggled again, a little
more exuberantly than the story probably deserved. She took another bite of her souffle and
giggled again. The waiter appeared and refilled her wine glass.
Zelgadis smiled. Yeah, it was a funny story, but not THAT funny. He watched as Sylphiel
took another bite and waved down the waiter. "What is she eating, anyway?"
"Dragon wine souffle," he told him.
He blinked. "WINE souffle?" he asked. "Which would be made with…"
"Eighty year old wine, yes Sir," the waiter supplied.
Zelgadis looked over at Sylphiel again. That was her second helping of the souffle and her
third glass of wine. After three glasses even he was beginning to feel a little light-headed.
"Can I have some more of this?" she asked the waiter, pointing down at her plate. "Thank
you…"
"I think maybe you've had enough of that," Zelgadis told her, pulling her plate away.
"No, Zelgadis dear!" Sylphiel pouted. "Oh, poo!"
"Such language," Zelgadis remarked with a smile.
"Hmmph!" she sniffed. She took another sip of wine.
"You're drunk," he accused her with a smile and an arched eyebrow.
She looked at him, shocked. "I am nothing of the…" She broke off and hiccupped.
"…sort!" she finished.
"You are," Zelgadis assured her.
"I will have you know, Zelgadis dear, that a priestess of Cepheid simply does not get
sozzled…" She smiled at him, something unlike her usual gentle smiles. This one was almost
predatory.
Zelgadis saw her shiver and rub her shoulders. "Cold?" he asked. She nodded. "Would
you like my cape?"
She smiled. "Yes, thank you." Before he could remove it, however, she got up and moved
to his side of the booth, sitting next to him. She took his cape and wrapped it around herself so that
she was snuggled up next to him.
He cleared his throat nervously, and she giggled at him. She reached out and took his fork
off his plate, scooping up a piece of the wine souffle and placing it at his lips. "Open," she
commanded.
"Sylphiel, I…" The priestess took the opportunity and shoved the intoxicating food into his
mouth. He gave up and chewed. A little wouldn't hurt. She scooped up another forkful and
aimed. "Not too much," he warned. "I don't want to get as drunk as you."
"I am not drunk," she pouted. "I'm relaxed. Now open."
He obeyed, and she giggled again.
"Drink?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer she put his wine glass to his lips and
tilted it, forcing him to drink. When she felt he had enough, she lowered the glass and gave him a
quick kiss on the lips. Zelgadis blinked in shock. Sylphiel was never this forward, not even with
him.
Perhaps he should bring her back to the inn and put her to bed. She was obviously
intoxicated. On the other hand, she seemed to be enjoying herself. What could it hurt to let her
play? He was still sober.
She giggled and shoved another forkful of souffle into his mouth.
"Careful, careful," Sylphiel cautioned in a whisper as she helped Zelgadis up the stairs of
the inn.
Zelgadis chuckled quietly and swayed to the right, forcing Sylphiel to support more of his
weight. She squeaked and giggled, grabbing him to keep him from falling. He started laughing and
stumbled, striking the wall and leaving a rather sizable impression in the drywall. He laughed
again and pulled himself out.
Sylphiel grabbed his hand and pulled him unsteadily down the hall towards her room.
"Zelgadis dear," she cooed softly. "Are you drunk?" she asked with a giggle.
"Hardly," he muttered groggily.
"Are you sure?" she asked playfully.
"Quite," he told her with a stumble. Okay, so the third helping of souffle might not have
been that wonderful an idea.
"Come here," she beckoned, pulling him inside her room. "Let's put you to bed." They
stood unsteadily next to the small bed for a moment. "Okay," Sylphiel said, "On three.
One…two…"
"Wait," Zelgadis stopped her. "Is it one, two, three, then go, or is it one, two, and then go
on three?"
The priestess broke out into another giggling fit. "On…On three….One…"
"Three!" Zelgadis announced, falling face first onto the bed. Sylphiel squeaked as she
was pulled down next to him then started laughing again. She pushed against the chimera and
managed to roll him over onto his back. Zelgadis stared up at the ceiling. "These aren't my
sheets," he noted, nodding to the ceiling.
He felt Sylphiel move above him, straddling his legs and resting her hands on his chest.
The chimera took a breath and tried to work through the alcohol-induced fuzz in his brain. He felt
Sylphiel's lips on his as she kissed him and did his best to reciprocate. Her fingertips grazed his
cheek as she continued to kiss him with abandon. The wine on her breath was clearly evident as
he knew it must have been on his.
"Zelgadis dear," she whispered softly. "Make love to me."
The command caught him off guard, but he soon felt his body responding to her request.
She must have felt it too, because she started to giggle again.
"Are those the magic words to the spell?" she asked with a new giggle. He felt his cheeks
flush red. She leaned forward and kissed him again, softly and down to his neck.
"You got me…drunk on purpose…didn't you?" he asked with a touch of amusement.
She kissed his neck again. "Mmmm hmmm," she answered. "I knew you wouldn't want to
take advantage of me being drunk, so I'm taking advantage of you."
"Sneakyyyy," he commented. "Lina…would be proud…"
"Zelgadis dear, please do not mention other women while you're in MY bed," she
chastised him with another kiss.
"What other women?" he asked fuzzily. She responded with another giggle and moved her
hands under his shirt, laying them on the stone skin of his chest. Sylphiel felt his arms circle her
and pull her closer, his hands fumbling with the drawstrings on the back of her dress.
She unconsciously moved her hand up to run her fingers through his hair and hissed in pain.
She looked at her finger and found a spot of blood there.
"Hmm?" he asked.
"I pricked my finger on your hair," she told him with a pout.
He took her hand and kissed the offending finger. She responded by leaning down again
and kissing him with newfound desperation. The chimera went back to trying to free his priestess
from the prison of her dress. In his haze, however, he couldn't get the proper dexterity. He
growled in frustration.
"Poor Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel cooed.
There was a tearing sound a moment later.
"But I liked this dress," Sylphiel complained with another pout. She felt his hands running
up and down the soft skin of her back and sighed, kissing him again, losing herself to the one
perfect moment.
The sun rose inexorably into the sky the next morning, just one more of many for Ashford.
He might specialize in dragon cuisine, but most of what he made was simple fare for travelers, and
dragon wasn't the only tasty thing in the lake on which his fishing trawler floated.
He supervised the three fishermen as they pulled their nets from the mouth of the river that
led into the lake of Laketown. This was the best place to catch fish, especially the succulent trout
that spawned in this area.
"Got something, Mister Ashford!" one of the sailors called out. "Something big."
Ashford rushed to the stern. "If you see scales, cut it loose! I don't want to risk harming
any baby dragons!" He chuckled to himself. "They're too delicious when they grow up."
Two sailors pulled the ropes, hoisting the net out of the lake. Ashford watched as their
catch rose above the deck railing. His eyes went wide.
"GET HER ON THE DECK!" he shouted, drawing his knife. The chef rushed forward
and grabbed the net, hacking at it with his cooking knife. Tangled in the wire of the net, a
redheaded sorceress moaned and spat up lake water. The last strand was cut away, and Lina
Inverse fell to the wooden deck with a thud, coughing.
Ashford leaned over her and examined her. She wasn't conscious yet, and had a nasty
wound on the left side of her head. "Let's get her to shore!" he called out. The fishing boat turned
and started back to Laketown.
Sylphiel moaned low in her throat. "My head…" she whimpered. She opened her eyes,
but the light coming through the window caused them to burn. She shut them and tried again. She
was lying in bed, her head on Zelgadis' chest. His arm was wrapped around her, and given how
strong he was and what that arm was made of, she wasn't going to be able to leave anytime soon.
She took a breath and didn't move. The sound of his heartbeat pounded her aching skull
mercilessly. Not to mention that the chimera's chest was made of stone and made resting her head
there the equivalent of resting on a cinder block.
She reached out and grabbed a pillow from nearby. Placing it on his chest, she rested
against that and closed her eyes again, mentally begging her headache to go away.
(Maybe with a little more sleep,) she thought. She moaned again. She felt so sick. (Is this
my first hangover?) she thought. She tried to piece together the events of last night. The priestess
fervently hoped she hadn't embarrassed Zelgadis dear in any way.
She sighed quietly and held him. After everything that had happened to her, after seeing her
home destroyed then resurrected for Phibrizzo's use, Gourry being kidnapped, and the Wind
Dragon King's attempt on Zarak Tor, she realized that this was the only place she truly felt safe;
his arms. Nothing bad could happen to her here. Her Zelgadis dear would never allow it. And as
for him…
Amelia had been right. A part of her was afraid of losing yet another loved one. That
wasn't going to happen. Not this time. She had power of her own now, and if anyone ever tried to
harm him, they'd have to go through her. Lina Inverse wasn't the only sorceress with the power of
Shabranigdo at her disposal. She knew the Dragon Slave too.
And she would use it too. She hated violence, but she swore to Cepheid there and then if
anyone ever tried to hurt him, she'd send them to meet Phibrizzo in Hell personally.
She reached out and held him a little tighter. Things had worked out, though. Zelgadis
dear still loved her, and everything was going to be okay. The trip to Borden had been a complete
disaster, but in the end, there was a happy ending.
Now if only her head would stop pounding…
Zelgadis tensed beneath her and groaned. Apparently, he was feeling the same pain.
"Good morning," she muttered sleepily.
"Good morning," he replied, still only semi-conscious. He winced. "What did we drink
last night?"
"IdunnoZelgadissssdear," she mumbled. "Sleep," she muttered.
"We should go," he told her tiredly. "We still have to meet Lina."
"No," Sylphiel pouted. "My head hurts. Let's just sleep for awhile longer."
"Come on, Syl chan," he prodded. "It's not going to get any better for at least a few
hours."
She groaned and refused to get up.
Zelgadis took a breath and gave up, instead starting to stroke the shrine maiden's hair with
his hand. Sylphiel sighed and snuggled closer. A moment later, she asked. "'Syl chan?'"
"Long story," Zelgadis told her.
"I like it," she sighed. "Zelgadis dear."
The sounds of footsteps running up the stairs could be heard through the walls. A second
later, their door burst open.
"MISTER ZELGADIS! MISS SYLPHIEL! COME QUICK!!"
Both of them grabbed their heads and moaned in pain at Amelia's shout.
The princess saw their state of undress and quickly turned, her face flushing bright red.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"Amelia, what's wrong?" Zelgadis asked painfully.
"IT'S MISS LINA, MISTER Z…"
"It hurts!" Sylphiel cried, her hands on either side of her head, her eyes clenched shut.
"Amelia…please…the volume…"
"Oh," Amelia said in understanding. She started whispering. "Miss Lina just washed up.
Mister Gourry is missing, and it looks like Miss Lina was in a fight."
"WHAT?!" they both cried, immediately regretting it a moment later. "OOOWWW!!!"
"Um…Why don't you guys get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs." With that, Amelia ran
from the room.
"I'm never drinking again!" Sylphiel wailed.
Zelgadis took a deep breath and climbed out of bed…
Amelia quietly opened the door and led them inside. "I cast a recovery spell as soon as
Mister Ashford brought me here, but she hasn't woken up yet."
Sylphiel, more adept at the healing arts, stepped over to Lina's bedside and checked her
over. Amelia had done a good job with her spell. The sorceress was just asleep now.
As if thinking it caused a reaction, Lina began to stir. She slowly opened her crimson eyes
and found Sylphiel. "Sylphiel?" she asked weakly. "What happened?"
"Mister Ashford and Miss Amelia found you half-drowned in a lake," Sylphiel explained
in concern.
Lina closed her eyes and groaned as she remembered what happened. "Brilliant move,
Lina," she muttered in self-reproach. "Sorcery Genius my a…" She broke off and blinked up the
shrine maiden. "Ashford? I'm in Laketown?"
"Yes," Sylphiel told her with a nod.
"How's Gourry?" Lina asked.
"Miss Lina, we haven't seen you OR Gourry since the night we left Atlas City."
Lina blinked. "You mean…He hasn't shown up yet?"
"No," the priestess told her, concern all over her face.
The redhead thought for a moment then threw the covers off, hopping out of bed. It was
then that she noticed she was naked.
She shrieked and dived back under the covers.
"Your clothes were drenched, Miss Lina," Amelia supplied. "They're being washed.
"Well go get them!" Lina cried at the princess, almost angrily. Amelia flinched in shock.
"We don't have much time! If Gourry's not here it means THEY have him!"
"They?" Zelgadis asked.
"A sorcerer and some chick with a sword ambushed us on the way here," she explained.
"We got separated in the fight. If you haven't met up with him yet, then they must have him."
She took an unsteady breath.
"And if they have him…" She left the thought unspoken. The redhead turned back to
Amelia. "Amelia, get my clothes," she said quietly. "We're going back for him."
Zelgadis and Sylphiel shared a concerned look. If these attackers were able to take on
Lina AND Gourry and give better than they got, they were in for a fight.
The bandit-killer looked out the window. (Hang on, Gourry…)
To Be Continued…