"So, Amelia, how has Phil been lately?" Lina asked. Amelia smiled.
"My father is as the sun of justice! Always shining like a warm light upon the good of our country!" Lina sweatdropped.
"No, really.." she said. Amelia blinked.
"Oh. Well, I suppose, as well as can be. Especially after that assassination scare. I'm so happy that we're going home to see my daddy!" she shouted happily. Zel sweatdropped, and turned to Gourry, saying sotto voce,
"I'm not, I'm really kind of scared of that Philionel." He said. Gourry nodded.
"What you should be more afraid of is Amelia proposing to you." He said wisely. Zel facefaulted.
"NO!" he said, "that won't happen!" Gourry shrugged. Amelia impatiently ran ahead, and the guards let her in with vim and vigor, smiling and waving at their little princess. Sooner than later, they were in the throne room, and Prince Phil was welcoming his daughter with a hug that would kill a weaker creature, but Amelia returned it with the same happiness and love of life. That was what she had always loved about her Daddy.
"Oh, Amelia, I'm so glad you're home! Your Uncle Christopher has come to visit his son's grave." He said. She smiled at her uncle, and ran over to hug him, albeit worriedly. He seemed to have a few more lines around his face than before.
She shrugged it off, and smiled at him, "Hello, Uncle Christopher!" she said brightly.
Christopher regarded her with tired and sad eyes, "Hello Amelia, it's good to see you once again." He said, tiredly.
Amelia smiled, "Don't be sad." She whispered, but he shrugged and turned away. Zel, Lina, and Gourry walked in.
"AH! Miss Lina!" Phil shouted, "It's so nice to see you!"
Lina smiled, "Hey, Phil, what's up?" Lina said vaguely.
"The castle turrets!" he said, then guffawed loudly, slamming Lina on the back. She coughed, and then laughed.
Later that night…
"It's so nice to be back home…" Amelia said, thinking.
Lina scoffed, "Nice for YOU." She said.
Amelia was taken aback, "You don't like it here?" she asked.
Lina shook her head no, "NO.. I mean my home. I'm never going back there.." she said.
Amelia tilted her head, "Why not?" she asked.
Lina shuddered, "My sister's there." She said.
Amelia nodded knowingly, "Oh.. Yeah, I know a lot about scary sisters, but it seems not quite as much as you." She said. There was a knock at the door. Amelia sat up, "Come in!" she said. The door creaked open, but in the dark of the room, she couldn't see clearly who it was.
Lina stood, "Yes?" she said guardedly. The figure said not a word, but his arm whipped, faster than light. Lina heard a choking sound, and whirled, "AMELIA!" she said. Amelia had been hit by the dagger, right in the center of her chest, and she was bleeding. Zel and Gourry rushed in from the door joining their two rooms, flipping on the light. Amelia saw her uncle Christopher stare blindly at his hand. He could see blood upon it. She gasped, a strange sound coming from her lungs.
"ZEL! Do a healing spell, quick!" Lina shouted, then she whirled angrily on Christopher, "You." She said, her voice colder than ice, "You did this.. But why? You have no more claim to the throne.." she said.
Christopher turned to her, eyes wild, "You don't understand. It was her fault. It was her fault he had to die." He said. Lina gave him a hard look, and turned. Meanwhile, Zel was wrestling with the dagger, which was slippery with warm blood. They couldn't heal her unless it was pulled out.
He turned to Gourry, eyes frightened, "Help me!" he pleaded.
Gourry looked at the knife, which was lodged in the bone, "We can't save her without killing her first." He conjectured.
Zel shook his head, "No, that can't be!" he said, "Amelia, hold on!" he said.
Amelia smiled vaguely, "I'll try, Mr. Zelgadis." She said, that strange wheezing sound still coming from her lungs.
Lina turned back to Christopher, "She's your niece.. How could you?" she asked.
Christopher gestured wildly, "HE WAS MY SON, HOW COULD SHE?"
Lina sneered, and turned to help Amelia, "Is she going to make it?" she asked.
Gourry turned to her, "I don't know, Lina, it's dicey." He said, a tremble of fear in his voice.
Lina growled, "We're in a white magic capital and we can't find anyone to heal someone!?" she said. Zel shook his head.
"That's not the problem." He said, adjusting his body so Lina could see the dagger lodged, hilt half in Amelia's body. Lina gasped. Amelia coughed wheezily.
"I'm not going to make it, am I?" she asked.
Lina's mouth set in a tight line.
"Of course you are, Amelia, who will be our shining star of
justice if you don't?" she asked bitterly. Amelia laughed.
"Miss Lina.." she said, "Don't be too sad. Now I'm going to be with my mother.." she said. Her eyes took on a faraway look of concern, "Odd. This is just how she died. Except for she was almost all alone. All she had was my sister. But I have all of you." Lina blinked back tears. Zel put his face in his hands.
"No.. No.. no… no………." he said. Amelia eyes got a tinge of worry to them.
"Mr. Zelgadis… Don't be sad. Christopher was sad and look where it got him." She said. Christopher looked up. He put his head in his hands and shook.
"What have I become…" he said quietly. His wildly searching eyes found no respite in the faces of the dying Amelia, the unforgiving Gourry, the mourning Lina, or the distraught Zelgadis, then settling on the window. His face hardened with resolve, "Tell my brother I am sorry." He said. Lina looked up, eyes filling with tears.
"What?" she said, just as she saw him back up, and run for the window. He crashed through with a crash that rained glass on all who were there, Amelia flinching with the fright, and pain. In mid air, the tears that ran from Christopher's eyes mingled with the blood on his hands, washing them clean. He smiled as he fell, holding his arms out like an angel. Lina and the others would have flinched at the sound his body made when it collided with the ground, but they couldn't hear it over the labored breathing of Amelia. Lina's eyes streamed.
"Amelia, you can't.." she said. Amelia shook her head.
"Goodbye Miss Lina, Gourry, Goodbye Zelgadis.." she said, her hand rising up to search.. he snatched it and pressed it to his face. She smiled, eyes unseeing, "I loved you.. did you know that?" she asked. Zel nodded.
"I always knew, Amelia.. I always knew." She smiled.
"Good.. Because if you didn't know, it was almost as if it never happened…" she murmured, "And that would be a bigger tragedy." He nodded. Amelia smiled.. and her hand fell away, the labored breathing that had filled the room dying away..
Years later…
"They're the same color as her hair." Lina said, placing a few black violets on a grave marked, "Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun" beneath the name, it read, "There is eternal justice where she resides." Lina turned away, her eyes streaming. Zel stood, head down, in the black robes he had worn since she died. A single tear fell, and landed upon a petal. Gourry knelt at the headstone, running a hand over its marble surface. Near the grave was another, reading "Christopher ul Brozzo Seyruun, by his hand, his soul was dirtied, by his body, cleaned."
Amelia snapped awake, arms involuntarily slapping over her chest. She could almost still feel it. Lina rolled over in her sleep. Amelia's eyes were wide in the dark, but she lay back down, and eventually relaxed.
