Chapter 2
Fish is good for the soul
"Aiiey..Lina..can we please stop?" Zelgadis inquired wearily. He looked half asleep and about ready to slip from Lina's grasp as they flew through the dense trees of the forest.
"I suppose…," she replied, scanning below them for a clearing.
"Will the others be waiting for us?"
"No. We have a day to get to the location..incase something went wrong..Ah! Here we go." Lina shifted her grip on the battered chimera and slowly dropped them into the middle of a convenient clearing. She took a moment to survey the clearing.
A river ran through the corner of it, and Zel was resting against a rock in the center. The ground was compact dirt, and the trees seemed to form a ring around them, weeping willow branches drifting lazily across the surface of the river on both sides of the clearing. "Time for protection spell!" She said cheerfully, only to notice that her companion was asleep. Some company, she thought with a chuckle.
She made her way quickly around the clearing, putting gems at the points of the protection star. She then carefully stood as close to the center as she could and quietly cast the same spell they had used on the cave just days earlier. There was a brief flash of white light in the shape of a dome, and Lina knew they were hidden from view. Any passers by would see a calm, empty clearing.
Her stomach gave a grumble, and she realized that not only she was starving-Zelgadis probably was quite hungry himself, for once. She picked up a branch up from the ground and wound a strand of her hair around it, adding a hook. Once again, this little spell will come in handy.
And she set down to catch some fish.
Zelgadis, meanwhile, was deep in dreamworld. It was a dream he had had many nights in a row, ever since the beginning of the downfall of the magical world. It was set who knows how far in the future, but the world had been returned to it's balance from before the war. All was calm. All was peaceful. All was perfect.
Dream Zelgadis moved around the sunlit landscape, searching for Lina. He heard her voice, a faint whisper of wind, and spun in it's direction..only to find an image of her, translucent and ghostly in the sunlight.
"L-Lina?" stammered Dream Zelgadis. He listened in awe as Lina began to explain that she had infact died before the end of the war. He felt his dream heart being ripped out as Lina slowly began to fade away. He reached out for her and called out her name.
"Lina, no!" he gasped aloud as he sat up straight, eyes wide in shock.
The sorceress looked up from the cooking stack of fish. "Oh, your awake-" Her words faultered as she saw the terrified expression on his face. "Ne..Zelgadis? Are you ok?" she inquired as she extinguished the fire. She picked up one of the fish and sat beside him as he rested against the rock.
"Yes, I'm fine." He said after a while, watching her as she prepared one of the fishes for eating by removing the scales and bones and guts.
"You seemed like you were having a fit as you slept, but I was afraid to wake you up.." she informed him as she handed the fish over to Zelgadis and began to prepare another.
He held the fish in his hands but made no move to eat it. "Horrible dream.." he muttered softly.
She looked at him, her eyebrow arcing upward in inquisitive alarm. "Zel..you should eat. You've been through a lot, hai?" He nodded numbly, the dream reeling through his mind. He suddenly felt drained of energy. "Oh, don't tell me I'm going to have to feed you now!" She admonished in a teasing manner, taking the fish back from him.
He blinked, too shocked to protest. By the time he had recovered, she was already forcing a piece of fish into his mouth. He accepted it and chewed silently, certain there was a blush rising up in his cheeks. "Ne-Lina," he protested, but was cut off as she stuffed another piece of fish into his open mouth.
She regarded him, laughing as he nearly choked on the morsel, and began to eat the other fish herself as she waited for him to finish. Once he was done, Lina lifted a third slice of fish for him and as he was about to eat it, he accidently spoke something he had only meant to think in his un-nerved state.
"I don't know how I would go on without you…"
Lina dropped the piece in shock and stared at the wide eyed chimera in wonder. "-Eh-eh…nani?" she inquired in a whisper.
Fish is good for the soul
"Aiiey..Lina..can we please stop?" Zelgadis inquired wearily. He looked half asleep and about ready to slip from Lina's grasp as they flew through the dense trees of the forest.
"I suppose…," she replied, scanning below them for a clearing.
"Will the others be waiting for us?"
"No. We have a day to get to the location..incase something went wrong..Ah! Here we go." Lina shifted her grip on the battered chimera and slowly dropped them into the middle of a convenient clearing. She took a moment to survey the clearing.
A river ran through the corner of it, and Zel was resting against a rock in the center. The ground was compact dirt, and the trees seemed to form a ring around them, weeping willow branches drifting lazily across the surface of the river on both sides of the clearing. "Time for protection spell!" She said cheerfully, only to notice that her companion was asleep. Some company, she thought with a chuckle.
She made her way quickly around the clearing, putting gems at the points of the protection star. She then carefully stood as close to the center as she could and quietly cast the same spell they had used on the cave just days earlier. There was a brief flash of white light in the shape of a dome, and Lina knew they were hidden from view. Any passers by would see a calm, empty clearing.
Her stomach gave a grumble, and she realized that not only she was starving-Zelgadis probably was quite hungry himself, for once. She picked up a branch up from the ground and wound a strand of her hair around it, adding a hook. Once again, this little spell will come in handy.
And she set down to catch some fish.
Zelgadis, meanwhile, was deep in dreamworld. It was a dream he had had many nights in a row, ever since the beginning of the downfall of the magical world. It was set who knows how far in the future, but the world had been returned to it's balance from before the war. All was calm. All was peaceful. All was perfect.
Dream Zelgadis moved around the sunlit landscape, searching for Lina. He heard her voice, a faint whisper of wind, and spun in it's direction..only to find an image of her, translucent and ghostly in the sunlight.
"L-Lina?" stammered Dream Zelgadis. He listened in awe as Lina began to explain that she had infact died before the end of the war. He felt his dream heart being ripped out as Lina slowly began to fade away. He reached out for her and called out her name.
"Lina, no!" he gasped aloud as he sat up straight, eyes wide in shock.
The sorceress looked up from the cooking stack of fish. "Oh, your awake-" Her words faultered as she saw the terrified expression on his face. "Ne..Zelgadis? Are you ok?" she inquired as she extinguished the fire. She picked up one of the fish and sat beside him as he rested against the rock.
"Yes, I'm fine." He said after a while, watching her as she prepared one of the fishes for eating by removing the scales and bones and guts.
"You seemed like you were having a fit as you slept, but I was afraid to wake you up.." she informed him as she handed the fish over to Zelgadis and began to prepare another.
He held the fish in his hands but made no move to eat it. "Horrible dream.." he muttered softly.
She looked at him, her eyebrow arcing upward in inquisitive alarm. "Zel..you should eat. You've been through a lot, hai?" He nodded numbly, the dream reeling through his mind. He suddenly felt drained of energy. "Oh, don't tell me I'm going to have to feed you now!" She admonished in a teasing manner, taking the fish back from him.
He blinked, too shocked to protest. By the time he had recovered, she was already forcing a piece of fish into his mouth. He accepted it and chewed silently, certain there was a blush rising up in his cheeks. "Ne-Lina," he protested, but was cut off as she stuffed another piece of fish into his open mouth.
She regarded him, laughing as he nearly choked on the morsel, and began to eat the other fish herself as she waited for him to finish. Once he was done, Lina lifted a third slice of fish for him and as he was about to eat it, he accidently spoke something he had only meant to think in his un-nerved state.
"I don't know how I would go on without you…"
Lina dropped the piece in shock and stared at the wide eyed chimera in wonder. "-Eh-eh…nani?" she inquired in a whisper.