17: Tender Moments

"How is she?" Lina asked quietly entering the room.

"Better I think. She woke up again, but said very little. I think some more medicine and rest should help."

"That's good," Lina said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "I still can't believe all the medicine they came up with for us to use on Amelia that wasn't magical."

"I know what you mean," he answered, staring at the bottles of salve and other medicines that the doctors and sorcerers had created from the Trialcon and other healing herbs.

"Speaking of rest you could use a little of it too."

"No I should stay here and . . . "

"Since the isolation order's been lifted I'll stay here and you can just go and," The redhead watched as the chimera shook his head and sighed. "I know you feel responsible for this especially since they asked you to be the primary person watching her. But staying in this room all day, not sleeping or eating much of anything isn't going to help Amelia any."

"If I had seen through Nephillo's act sooner, she wouldn't have had to face her and almost . . . I am responsible for this Lina."

"We'll keep and eye on her in shifts, all right? When she wakes up and finds out that you wore yourself to exhaustion how do you think that's going to make her feel? I'll tell you, pretty bad, so if you won't start taking care of yourself because I suggest it, do it because she would want you to."

He knew what she was saying made sense but part of him felt like the moment he left is the moment something would happen.

"But then again if something does happen they would tell me," he thought. "I guess something to eat isn't a bad idea," he smiled weakly.

"Now you're starting to make some sense," Lina smiled. "Go on and get some food and take a nap. I'll sit here and keep and eye on things."

The chimera smiled, nodded his appreciation and headed out to fill his empty stomach. As he walked down the hall the chimera thought about the current changes in the princess's condition.

"Maybe this would be a good time to see if I can use the corridor Bubbles talked about," he said to himself and headed out of the center for the tavern.

After Zelgadis left Lina shook her head and stared at her sleeping friend.

"I hope you get better soon Amelia. Between you and me I think you're going to have to have a little talk with him about being melodramatic. I know he feels responsible, but this is a bit much."

Lina walked over to the small bookcase in the room and picked up an old novel then settled down on the princess's bed and began reading.


Zelgadis looked around and saw a glade of thick-branched trees and flowers. In the distance he could hear the sound of rushing water and followed it until he came to a lagoon with a waterfall. At the lagoon's edge was a group of rocks where a small figure sat. As he walked closer, he saw that they wore a light filmy gown and was bare foot.

"Amelia?"

She looked up at him and smiled, then jumped off the rocks and rushed over to him and hugged him tightly.

"Zelgadis, are you really -?"

"Here? Bubbles told me about the corridor. I couldn't try it until now."

"Come on," she said and took him over to a shady, moss-covered spot near the water to sit down.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"I'm okay here, out there it still hurts I think."

"Out there?"

"In reality, my body's still injured right?"

"Yes, things are improving so -,"

"I'll be able to stay awake a while longer next time," she smiled.

"Your astral space is beautiful," he said looking around at all the foliage and color.

"So was yours."

"Amelia, I wanted to ask you about . . ."

"What happened with Nephillo?" She asked. He nodded.

"I'll tell you but I really don't want to talk about it right now. I'd rather just enjoy this time with you."

"But we have to know is she dead?"

"Yes, she can't try to hurt you anymore. I've seen to that," she said, holding his hand.

"That's not what I was concerned about."

"I really want to talk about something else, please," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," he smiled down at her. "How about I catch you up on some things?"

"Okay," she said, visibly brightening.

He went on to tell her about Joliet speaking and her mother Aya. He also told her about the townspeople working together to help get Trialcon for her medicine. Amelia listened attentively, watching the chimera as he slowly became more animated and capricious with every word. In the middle of a sentence she reached over and ran a hand through his hair and smiled warmly at him. He stopped surprised by the sudden gesture.

"I didn't realize how much I've missed talking to you until just now," she said and hugged him close.

"I . . . missed talking to you too," he said, quietly putting an arm around her.

"I know there's a lot of serious things going on that we have to talk about, but right now I just want to relax, okay?" She could feel him nodding his head as an answer. They sat quietly for several long minutes in a comforting hug.

"How long can you stay?" she whispered.

"I don't know, a while I think, why?"

Amelia moved to stand up and offered her hand to Zelgadis. "Walk with me."

"Walk with you?" He asked confused.

"Yes, let me give you a tour of my dreams," she smiled.

He took her hand and stood up when the landscape and then shifted to something new.

"Where are we?" he asked seeing a mountain in the distance and a small creek near them.

"Come on," she said and waded into the creek until she was knee deep in the water, with her hand stretched out.

He smiled, took her hand and followed her through her dreams.


Bubbles opened the door slowly and stepped into the room quietly. Daisy followed with Gourry in tow. The swordsman opened his mouth to say something and was quickly quieted the two muzuko dragons.

"Keep your voice down," Daisy whispered pointing at the bed. Gourry nodded.

The three looked at the sleeping chimera, which had a content smile across his sleeping face.

"I wonder how long he's been here?" Bubbles whispered.

"Let's go before he wakes up," Gourry said in a low voice and headed for the door.

Once outside the trio began speaking in normal tones.

"I'm glad he's resting," Daisy said.

"Amelia's awake so that must have helped him lift some of the burden he's been placing on himself," Bubbles added.

"Do you think he went through the dream corridor to visit Amelia?" Gourry asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me. "


The light hurt her eyes as she opened them. After a few moments the painful sensation faded making it more comfortable for her to focus. She tried to see up but found her limbs were heavy like lead. She focused and after much concentration she moved her arm. Her effort was welcomed with shooting pain. Amelia let out a sharp shriek then gritted her teeth, waiting for the pain to subside.

The door t her room opened and a strange man in white coat came to her bed.

"Hello Amelia, I'm Odayaka Hinode your doctor. I heard you outside can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Arm . . . hurts when I . . ." She left the sentence unfinished, her tongue feeling as thick and heavy as her limbs.

"You're sore from your injuries and your joins may be a little stiff from inactivity."

He went to a cabinet and pulled out a jar of blue ointment. He took some and applied it to her elbows and pulled back the covers to reach her knees. He then went back to her elbows and slowly moved them.

"Is this better?" He asked. She nodded.

"This is a vapor rub for sore joints and muscles, but I think once your awake more and go a bit slowly, the pain will lesson."

"Okay," she croaked, words forming only slightly better then her previous attempt. She felt disconnected from her body and it bothered her greatly. She could see her arms and legs but feeling them, moving them to great concentration. She felt like a doll on a shelf, and hated it.

She tried to move her arms again, to reconnect some piece of her body. She went slower and felt the heat of the vapor rub pour through her sating the stiff joint with new mobility, curbing her pain. She was able to pull herself up some before sliding back into the bed, too weak to support herself.

"Here I'll help," Odayaka smiled. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted so that she sat up then eased some pillows behind her back to further support her.

"The doll gets a new pose," she thought, watching the doctor as he moved her with certainty then proceeded to make her comfortable.

"He seems like a nice man," she thought, smiling at him as he finished with her pillows.

"Thank you," she said slowly as her tongue became lighter and able to aid her speech.

"You're welcome, would you like something to drink?" He asked. She nodded.

"When he left Amelia took a moment to look around her room. She already knew a great deal from what Zelgadis had told her put actually seeing it all was a surprise. A strange machine not too far from her bed stood next to a pole with a bag of green liquid. Both where connected to her through tubes that ran into her arm. There was an armchair near the bed with a light blanket thrown over the top that looked comfortable. In a farther part of the room was a open closet with extra blankets and shelves filled with jars and other things."

"A supply closet I guess," she mused. Thinking was about the only thing she could do at that wasn't difficult, thankfully she thought.

She found that she had light bruises and bandages covering her arms. She could feel them on her legs and her waist as well and felt her stomach in confusion.

"You have cracked ribs, so we tapped them up."

Amelia looked up and saw Odayaka with a strange woman who resembled Joliet.

"Maybe this is Aya," she reasoned, recalling Zelgadis's mention that she was the little girl's mother.

Odayaka handed her a small cup of water. She gripped it with both hands and took a tentative sip.

"You're . . . Aya," she managed finally.

"Yes. Joliet's mother," Aya smiled. "How do you feel?"

Amelia looked at the other woman with a dark expression.

"I guess that's an answer if I ever saw one," she laughed.

"What we're going to do today is tell you about your injuries and how we've been treating you so far. Then we're going to give you an examine and ask you to tell us exactly how your feel as far as soreness, stiffness or any kind of pain that you're experiencing. Do you feel up to all that?"

"Yes," the princess murmured and drank more of her water.

"You were exposed to extremely high amounts of Liquid Nightmare," Aya started. Most of the miasma surrounding your body has evaporated but you still have a lot inside you. Because of this your wounds couldn't be healed magically. We've been using Trialcon in various forms to evaporate it out of your system. The bag of liquid by the bed is a Trialcon solution being fed to you intravenously and next to it is our Liquid Nightmare Gauge that we use to measure the miasma in your system.

"Aside from the liquid nightmare you have cuts and bruises on your arms and legs. On the arm your IV is connected to your wrist has a stress fracture and your leg is fractured also. I mentioned earlier that you have cracked ribs, four to be exact," Odayaka explained. "You had some trouble with your heart and lungs when we first brought you in, are you having any difficulty breathing at all?" He asked using his instruments to listen to her heart.

"No," she said "Just tired."

The exam continued with more questions about how the princess felt when she moved a certain way and the overall sensations in her arms and legs. She pointed out where she was first grazed by the liquid nightmare on her leg, which they explained was the entry point for the miasma to get inside her system.

When her bandages were removed for changing it was then that Amelia got to see how bad off she had been. Her legs were blotched with bruises and cuts and a splint on the one with a fracture. Her arms where in a little better condition, but not by much. Her cuts were cleaned and redressed as they asked more questions about how they felt. Afterward Aya checked her ribs, reapplying Trialcon ointment then wrapping the princess back up.

Amelia did her best to answer all the questions but still found her mind was working faster then her reflexes. At the end of the exam Amelia felt exhausted and out of breathe from being moved around so much.

"I think that you've had enough for today," Aya said, looking at the sweat that had collected on the princess's brow.

Amelia slumped back into the pillows and sighed with relief. Odayaka got her another glass of water as Aya moved her back into a more comfortable position in the bed.

"We may have to do more later, for now just rest," Aya said, handing her the cup of water.

"Will this help you a lot?" Amelia asked, still panting hard.

"A great deal," Odayaka said. "Your input is very important to us; get some rest and call if you need anything," he ended placing the call cube with the indentation on the top next to her in bed. Amelia looked at then the doctor and Aya confused.

"Just push the top to call someone. I'm right down the hall," Aya smiled then left with Odayaka.

Amelia nestled her head into the pillows as weariness overtook her body and she fell into a half sleep.



Aya left the ward and headed for her office with the notes they had gathered during Amelia's exam. Odayaka had written some prescriptions for the princess to help her mobility and pain. Aya also anted to make some changes in the regimen they had devised while she was unconscious.

When she got to her office Aya found the anxious eyes of Lina and Gourry as well as Bubbles and Daisy all fixed on her as she opened the door.

"How is she?" They asked all at once. Aya smiled and sat down at her desk.

"Pretty good. Actually I just came from examining her. She's resting now, you can see her later if she's up to it."

"What about the exam?" Gourry asked.

"She's weak and it's difficult for her to move now aside from her injuries. She's determined and strong; my work is definitely cut out for me. But there is one thing I would like t talk to you all about."

"What is it?" Lina asked.

"I think I know," Bubbles said. "Zelgadis I presume?"

"Yes," Aya nodded. "Where is he, by the way?"

"I think he's still resting," Daisy said. "What is it about Zelgadis you want to talk about?"

"Well ultimately the subject of his helping us is going to come up. And I know for the time I've spent with him and his loyalty to her is strong and I get the feeling hers is the same."

"You don't want us t mention how upset he was to Amelia," Lina said.

"I think it would worry her."

"She'll find out eventually, you know," Bubbles said.

"I know and she and Zelgadis will have to talk about it, but then I figure they have a lot of things to talk about." Aya ended, recalling her last conversation that she had with the chimera.

"I thought things were really getting better with him now that she's awake," she thought as she saw the others out, gathered up the necessary charts then headed back to Amelia's ward.



She could have sworn she had just taken a nap after eating lunch, but woke up to find it was the next day. Amelia drifted off to sleep after her exam and woke up briefly to get something in her stomach, the growling of which had awakened her.

She still felt weak and her limbs once again numb and heavy.

"How long is this going to go on?" She grumbled.

She looked at her arms as she attempted to move them into a new position. They were more cooperative today then yesterday and she was able to sit up by herself after a little work.

"Well that's an improvement," she smiled.

She saw that the call cube was still on her bed. As she reached for it her stomach gurgled loudly.

"Food is a good idea," she thought, pressing the cube's indentation.

A few minutes later Aya entered the room and smiled when she noticed Amelia sitting up.

"I guess your reflexes are a little better today," she said.

"Yes," Amelia said, her voice working equally as well as her limbs. "I was wondering if I could . . ." her stomach growled, finishing the question.

Amelia looked at Aya sheepishly as the other woman stifled a giggle

"It's good to know you have an appetite. I'll bring up a tray for you. Do you feel up to visitors?"

"Yes, yes I do," Amelia, cried excitedly. She had wondered about Zelgadis as well as Lina, Gourry and her new friends Bubbles and Daisy. "When can I see everyone?"

"After you eat and I check your levels and things I'll get them, okay?"

Amelia nodded excitedly, smiling brightly.

"Now then I'll be back with some food," Aya said.

Amelia watched Aya go and fought the urge t jump up and down excitedly knowing her muscles would protest.

"To see everyone again will be great," she thought, wondering how they were all doing, desperately wanting to see their faces. "It'll be nice t see Zelgadis in person," she sighed.

A warm feeling of anticipation settled in her and at the prospect of seeing him, and being close to him made her smile. Especially the thought of telling him the depth of her feelings, her love.

"I can't wait to see everyone," she said to herself aloud.

"And you won't have to for long," Aya said, returning with food.

It was a simple soup and sandwich fair but to Amelia it looked more delicious then anything she'd ever eaten. She ate eagerly, but had a little trouble with the soup, not quite able to grip the spoon solidly. Aya found a solution by pouring it into a mug and letting the princess drink it.

"I didn't realize I was so hungry," Amelia said, sipping the soup

"Well you've been working pretty hard to get better, its really a good sign," Aya smiled.

Amelia nodded and continued sipping. She glanced over to the closed door on the side of the bed that had captured her curiosity briefly the previous day.

"What's in there?" She asked.

"It's an adjoining room," Aya answered.

"Is anyone staying there now?"

"Zelgadis was," Aya said carefully

"Zelgadis!" Amelia looked at her surprised.

"He helped us take care of you while you were unconscious. I think he's at the tavern now resting."

"He took care of me, how?"

"We discovered he was immune to the Liquid Nightmare."

"Because of his skin?"

"Yes," Aya nodded, "So we asked him to help out a bit."

"I see," Amelia murmured thoughtfully.

"In any case I think everyone's at the tavern now since its still fairly early. I'll go get them have them come over during the afternoon. Before that I'll give you your medicine do your level checks then clean sheets and pajamas, all right?"

"All right," Amelia smiled, he excitement continuing to blossom.


Zelgadis tugged at his collar nervously as the others talked amongst themselves in excitement.

"I can't wait to see Amelia, its been so long since we last talked," Daisy sighed happily.

"Yeah, it'll be good to see my lovely princess again," Bubbles, sighed smiling. Zelgadis looked at him and scowled while the muzuko batted his eyes innocently.

"I'm just glad she's up to see us," Gourry smiled.

"Yeah and we can ask her about what happened up there too," Lina said.

Zelgadis turned his attention to the redhead looking at her with a guarded expression.

"It could be too soon to ask her about things," he said through tight lips.

Lina noticed his stiffness and quickly understood the unsaid meaning of his posture.

"It's still bothering him a lot," she thought. "Maybe it is and maybe it's not, but we won't know until we at least ask and we still don't know if Nephillo's -"

"She is," Zelgadis said, cutting her off.

"How do you know?" Daisy asked.

"I used the corridor to see if I could talk to Amelia after she started getting better. She told me Nephillo was dead and didn't want to talk anymore about it. That's why I don't think you should push this thing Lina."

He also didn't want to hear the details of what had happened. Seeing the end result had more then enough for him.

"I think she may be ready to talk about things," Aya said, coming into the waiting room. "Besides she'll figure something's up if you don't ask."

"Can we see her now?" Daisy asked.

"Sure we just finished giving her some medicine and checking her levels. I'll take you up."

The group followed Aya toward Amelia's ward with Zelgadis bringing up the rear. He was anxious to see her in person as everyone else but felt unsure of what would happen or how to act when they were face to face.

In her dreamscape they had talked and laughed and he had told her how everyone was doing but she didn't want to talk about what had happened with Nephillo.

"And now she's had time to think," he thought wondering exactly where he stood with the princess.

They climbed the familiar stairwell up to Amelia's ward and the chimera remembered how nervous he was the first time he climbed them with the prospects of what would be expected of him in helping her.

"I got a chair or two for you all to sit on," Aya said, bringing him back to reality. "Be careful though, there is still some Liquid Nightmare around her, though its only very faint traces." She ended as they reached the hallway that led to Amelia's room.

"Is there anything else we should know before we go in?" Bubbles asked.

"Don't touch her for to long," Aya said. "I know this sounds a kind of harsh but-"

"We understand," Lina said quietly, "Let's just go in." The others in the group looked at her suddenly. The sorceress's quietness surprised everyone.

Lina strode ahead of them and Aya caught up to her and showed them the door a few feet down the hall.

"Here we are," she said, then knocked and peeked in.

"Come in," Amelia said, sitting completely surrounded by fluffy blankets and pillows that propped her up comfortably.

Aya opened the door wider and one by one they entered.

Gourry came in and sat down in the nearby armchair, with Lina, Bubbles and Daisy in the chairs brought in by Aya. The last person in the room was Zelgadis.

Amelia held her breath as she watched the chimera walk into the room. He looked around and finding no other places to sit walked to the bed and sat down, smiling slightly with his cheeks in a faint red blush. It was a smile she gladly returned.

Then they all started talking at once, excitedly with questions and comments on the room's decor and suddenly Amelia burst into a loud laugh, which stopped them.

"Amelia?" Daisy ventured

"You don't know how much I've missed talking to you guys," she laughed.

"WE missed talking to you too," Gourry said, patting her head.

"So how do you like it here?" Bubbles asked.

"It's a nice room and Aya and Dr. Odayaka have been really great even if I'm not that much help."

"Now that's not true," Aya said. "You were able to sit up by yourself this morning."

"You're right, I guess that is something," she smiled.

"So how's the food here?" Lina asked.

"Lina do you always have to think with your stomach?' Zelgadis asked, making the princess giggle.

"It's a valid question. How can anyone get better if they don't have decent meals, huh?"

"Actually the food's really nice. For lunch I had vegetable soup and a really good sandwich," Amelia said.

"Any dessert?" The redhead asked.

"I don't know if they have any."

"I can have some sent in with your dinner," Aya said. "In the meantime I have rounds to make so no rough housing okay?"

"We wouldn't dream of it." Bubbles smiled.

When the door closed behind her Lina got a wicked look on her face and leaned in to whisper so that only Amelia and Daisy could hear.

"So have you tried pinching any of the orderlies on the . . ."

"LINA!" Amelia cried, turning red as well as Daisy.

"It's just a question," the redhead laughed.

"But Lina really, I think you've been around my brother too much," Daisy said.

"What did I do?" Bubbles cried.

"And besides I could barely move my arms until this morning how was I supposed to around pinching guys on the-" She stopped when she noticed Zelgadis looking at her curiously, along with Bubbles and Gourry.

Pinch a guy on the what?" Gourry asked.

"Uh . . . never mind," the princess murmured.

Lina and Bubbles laughed and were soon joined Daisy and even Zelgadis gave a slight chuckle. Gourry looked at them, shrugged and laughed along with them.

"It's really nice that you were able to come see me," Amelia said with slightly labored breath.

Zelgadis noticed and immediately became concerned.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine," she said, taking a deep breath. "The littlest things make me tired nowadays, including laughing it seems too. Give me a minute it will pass," she smiled, touched by his concern.

"How did you know she was having trouble, we didn't hear her panting or wheezing?" Daisy asked.

"I could hear it," he answered quietly.

It had become something of habit from him, to listen to her heartbeat and the study rhythm of her breathing whenever he was with her.

It almost seemed like music to him at times. Even through the walls of his adjoining room his hearing had become so acute to her, so keen he listened to her life's breath through them.

"Is that something you did while you helped Aya and Odayaka take care of me?" Amelia asked.

The others grew quiet at the question, uncertain about what should come next.

"Yes I did," he answered, noting the change in mood amongst the others.

"Aya mentioned that you helped, thank you," she smiled, reaching for his hand across the comforter but not finding the strength to go far enough. The chimera's hand met her halfway and she placed hers over his, squeezing it slightly. The simple gesture gave him a small thread of hope.

"We wanted to ask you about the fight in the fortress," Lina started suddenly. Zelgadis gave her a dark look of warning, which Lina ignored despite its unnerving intensity. "If you don't want to talk about, that's fine but-"

"I do want to talk about it. I know you all must have a lot of questions.

"Are you sure?" Zelgadis asked.

"Yes," she nodded and began telling them the details of her travels through the fortress and the fight with Nephillo in her arena. She was careful in discussing her final attack recalling her meeting with the Lord of Nightmares. Lina then explained about the fortress falling outside of Briseral and the amount of debris it left behind.

Zelgadis listened and fought to contain himself. The rage he felt at Nephillo boiled in him, as did his own guilt for his alleged involvement. To hear the details of the battle, the black fog and the viciousness of Nephillo's attacks made him feel even worse inside despite the princess's victorious outcome.

"We knew that things were rough judging by your injuries, but we had no idea the fight had been so . . ."Daisy stopped at a loss for words.

"Vicious, animalistic? Amelia finished.

"Yeah," Gourry said.

"She fought like a wild animal with no instincts," Amelia chuckled, surprising them. "Her arrogance and ego made her overconfident and careless. She had magical power, but not the mental power to use it."

"It's good to now that your positive outlook hasn't wavered any," Bubbles said.

"Well its times like these when a positive outlook is the most important thing a person can have," the princess said leaning against her pillows smiling. "So what have you been doing Gourry? Any new books by chance?"

"Yeah, I picked up one at the library that I've been reading since we finished digging at the site."

Gourry continued on about the book and all the interesting things he'd found in its pages. His enthusiasm was boyish and sparkling and it made Amelia happy to know the swordsman had found an interest that made him so excited.

They each talked about what they had been doing during their free time from the crash site. It comforted the princess to know that her friends were concerned for her but that they also took care of themselves. As they all talked and laughed her eyes settled on Zelgadis briefly and she realized that not everyone was in good health like she had assumed.

She decided that she needed to talk to him. Desperately. She studied him discreetly from her nest of blankets in the bed. The natural sparkle in his blue skin had dulled just so and his features were drawn and weary. She wanted to get out of bed and encourage him to go get some rest and some food. She had never seen him look so drained before and it made her worry.

She remembered Aya mentioning that he had been a big part of the last stages of her care before she had gained consciousness, but not going into any details.

"Is he this exhausted because he was caring for me?" She wondered. The idea touched her deeply that this was the extent of his concern for her, but she also feared that he'd pushed himself too far. That's when the first yawn came from her lips.

"I think you've had enough of us for today," Bubbles said.

"No really I'm fine," Amelia said.

"We know, just tired. We'll come back," Daisy said.

"I'll even bring you a book if you like," Gourry offered.

"I would," the princess smiled.

They slowly stood and took quick stretches said their good-byes and headed out. Zelgadis glanced over his shoulder from the door for several long seconds as if in debate, then left quietly. The last one left was Lina.

"Lina wait a minute," Amelia said.

"What is it?"

From behind her pillows she pulled a bundle of folded pages, holding them tightly

"You read my letter?"

"Yes and you're right it is a big deal, and I'm going to tell him so soon," she nodded firmly to herself. Lina nodded in understanding.

"Like I said before, things are going to be fine. After all I've seen the future, remember?"

Amelia did remember and laughed. The sorceress gave her a quick hug then left the princess smiling fondly at the letter in her hands.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by after her visit. Another check up came and went then a light nap. When she woke up for dinner she found not only food but also another visitor.

Close to her mother's leg Joliet stood with her hands behind her back bouncing anxiously in place.

"She insisted on visiting," Aya explained. "You don't mind a dinner guest do you?"

"No, not at all."

Joliet hurried over and jumped on the bed excitedly.

"Don't bounce on the bed like that Amelia's still not well," her mother chided.

"Sorry mommy, sorry Amelia," the little girl said.

"It's all right. It's nice to hear you talking too. Zelgadis said your started speaking while I was asleep.

"You saw Zelgadis today?"

"Yes I did. He and my other friends came to visit me earlier.

"How is he?"

"Good," Amelia said, as Aya brought in a dinner tray with two place settings.

"Aren't you going to eat with us mommy?"

"I had something earlier, but I thought I'd sit and talk for awhile."

"Yeah," Joliet cheered. "And I brought you flowers too." The little girl pulled out a blossoming bundle that she was hiding behind her back.

Amelia took the gift and smiled at Joliet.

"Thank you so much. These are wonderful."

"You like them?"

"Very much," Amelia nodded.

"Great, lets eat!"

"She almost sounds like Lina," Aya laughed with Amelia.

The princess and the little girl ate and chatted with Aya excitedly. The two got into an in-depth discussion about the best ways to play in the dirt, the art of mud pie making as well as Joliet's garden and a host of other things.

It ended all too quickly due to Joliet's fast approaching bedtime. Before she left Joliet gave the princess a warm hug.

"Now Zelgadis won't be sad anymore," she whispered, leaving Amelia to wonder exactly how much they weren't telling her about what happened while she was asleep.


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