"Thanks, Zel!" Lina cried, before untangling herself from the chimera and stepping away from him. "I'm very happy with Gourry."
Zel stared at Lina's smiling face, feeling as if his entire world had come crashing down upon him.
"But Lina, I thought...," he trailed off.
"You thought you were in love with me, didn't you?" Lina asked him, still smiling.
"Well, um," Zel stammered, causing Lina to giggle.
"Surely you know that my heart has always been with Gourry, Zel. Besides, there's someone else who cares very much for you, and whom you care for, as well. You just haven't listened to your heart yet," Lina replied, and then everything went black for a few seconds, before Zel suddenly found himself standing in a large open space with huge shade trees. One tree in particular drew Zel's attention, because it looked like there was a swing hanging from a branch with a person sitting in it.
Figuring he had nothing else to do, Zel walked towards the person on the swing, hoping that they would be able to tell him where he was. The last person he expected to see was Amelia pushing herself back and forth gently with her foot, humming a little tune underneath her breath. She was dressed in a long, formal, off-the-shoulders dress that was a charming light green shade, and a gentle smile graced her features as she gazed off into the distance.
"Amelia?" Zel asked, not sure what to make of the princess. Amelia turned and looked at him, and her smile became much larger, causing her face to light up with happiness. She stood up from the swing and began to walk towards him, only stopping when she was a good arm's length away. She continued to smile up at him, not saying anything.
"Amelia, what are you doing here?" Zel asked the smiling princess. Amelia giggled, winked, and held up one finger. Zel watched as her features suddenly melted away and reformed as Xelloss, who replied, "That's a secret."
Before Zel could say anything, Xelloss appeared to freeze in place, and the entire area suddenly became silent as another person walked up behind Zel.
"You're certainly a troubled one," a familiar voice said, and Aila stepped around Zel to peer at the Xelloss statue. "Not only that, but you're allowing your head to override your heart," she added, then gently blew on the Xelloss statue, which turned into a pile of fine dust and floated away. "Confusion can be a terrible thing, but the most terrible is not acknowledging the truth that your heart is trying to tell you. Of course, matters of the heart can be confusing in and of themselves; but, hopefully, you won't take too long in sorting it all out."
"What are you talking about?" Zel asked the small woman, who smiled up at him.
"Why, I'm talking about Lina and my daughter, of course."
"Amelia and I are friends, and that's all there is to it," Zel said vehemently.
"That's something you have to figure out yourself," Aila said, not really replying to Zel's comment.
"What are you talking about?!!!" Zel asked again, feeling as if he were being played with, and hating that.
"Have you ever really examined your feelings for Lina Inverse?" Aila asked directly. "Have you ever really thought that maybe you didn't really feel about her the way you think you do? The way your head keeps telling you that your heart feels?"
Zel blinked at Aila, not really sure how to answer.
"I thought not," Aila sighed. "You won't remember this when you wake up, but I want you to find Amelia's room. Behind one of her book shelves you'll find a hidden door. I want you to have a good look at the contents of that room."
Before Zel could reply, Aila vanished, and his line of vision went dark.
Zel groaned and opened his eyes, staring around him in confusion for a few moments while the sounds of birds waking up reached his ears. He blinked a few times, then remembered he was in one of the guest rooms of the palace and he was supposed to start learning how to ride a horse later on that day. Something tickled the back of his mind, but when he tried to grasp the errant thought to examine it further, it slipped through his fingers and flitted off. He felt like there was something he needed to remember, a dream he had had the night before, but he couldn't think of what it was. Most likely he had dreamed about the day Rezo had turned him into a chimera; and, if that was the case, he didn't mind not remembering it one bit.
"I wonder if Phil would mind if I used the library," Zel mused out loud as he swung himself up and out of the bed, then paused as he remembered Lina's reply to his question if she were happy.
"Yes, Zel, I'm very happy," Lina had said, smiling.
Zel sighed, and wished again, not for the first time, that he had met Lina first instead of Gourry. His brow furrowed when an image of Amelia's smiling face flashed through his mind. He couldn't understand why thoughts of the princess kept popping up out of nowhere. Sure, he was worried about her like everyone else, but why did she always have to intrude whenever he began to think of Lina? Zel continued to try to figure out his muddled emotions while he got dressed, then began to wander around the palace in search of the library. He found Prince Phil instead.
"Ah, Mr. Zelgadis, good morning," the giant of a man greeted the stunned chimera with a rather hefty pat to the back, signaling that Phil was in better spirits after their talk with Ailanthus the night before.
"Good morning," Zel replied once he got his wind back, wondering if his spine was still intact.
"Where are you off to today, other than your riding lesson? Aila contacted me and told me that I was to only allow you to ride the best horse we have," Phil said cheerfully, and Zel groaned under his breath.
"I was wondering if you would mind it if I looked around your library some before I'm to ride," Zel asked, replacing "to ride" with "to be tortured" in his mind.
"Of course I don't mind! Feel free to explore the palace and the grounds as much as you like. While you're a guest here, you're to treat it like your home," Phil replied, patting, more like pounding, the chimera on his back some more before moving off, leaving a twitching blue chimera behind him.
"How does Amelia survive all those bear hugs and back pats that he gives?" Zel wondered, deciding that the small princess was much stronger than she actually looked.
Zel was suddenly overcome with an almost unbearable desire to see Amelia's room, and he staggered because it took him off guard. He shook his head, and managed to force those feelings down.
"Now why would I want to see Amelia's room?" he wondered to himself as he continued on his way to finding the Royal Library, occasionally having to stop to stomp down more feelings of wanting to see Amelia's room. Once Zel made it into the library, all thoughts of seeing Amelia's room left his head as he plunged into the thousands of books that lined the walls of the library. He was completely unaware of the passage of time until a livered servant tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him out of his book-induced haze with a start.
"I was told to inform you, Mr. Greywyrs, that it is time for your first riding lesson," the poker-faced man said. Zel made a face, but shut the book he was reading and replaced it on the shelf. He then followed the servant out of the palace and to the Royal Stables, which looked like a completely separate palace in and of itself.
"He keeps his horses there?!" Zel asked, staring at the glittering jewel that was supposed to be the stables.
"Yes sir, he does," the servant responded, before saying, "If you'll wait here, HorseMaster Josh will be with you momentarily with your steed."
Zelgadis watched as the servant walked away, and wished with his whole being that he was going with him...back to the safety of the library where he could immerse himself in his search for a cure and not worry about riding large, four footed animals and wrestle with strange tendencies to look at Amelia's room. His musings came to a halt when he noticed a very large, burly man headed towards him leading a medium sized black and white horse.
"Are ye Zelgadis?" the man asked.
"I am," Zel replied.
"I'm Horse Master Josh, and this here little lady is Gentle Breeze. She's the one ye're gonna be learning yer basics on," the man said, giving the mare an affectionate pat on her neck.
Zel gave the mare a wary look, not quite sure if she would live up to her calm name. The mare gazed back at him with liquid brown eyes, and for a moment Zel felt as if he were being sized up and measured. The mare then snorted, shook her head, and moved forward to where her nose was an inch from the chimera's face. She then lowered her head and butted her forehead up against his chest, rubbing it up and down and making low whickering noises.
"Well, I'll be!" the Horse Master said, eyes widening. "The only one she ever took a shine to this quickly was Princess Amelia. That never stopped her from being as gentle as a kitten with the other folks who've learned to ride her, but she was never affectionate like she's being now."
"I think she just likes the fact that my skin is abrrassive," Zel muttered, trying to ignore the little jolt of shock that had surged through him when Amelia's name had been mentioned.
"Well, ye can bet she'll be even more gentle when ye're on her back because she obviously likes ye. We may as well get started, times a wastin," Josh said. "Ye can also rest yer mind about the quality of the teaching. I taught the Princess Amelia herself how to sit a horse, and she's the best damn little horse rider there is in the entire country. 'Course, it helps that she has a way with horses, as well. They just seemed to beg for her attention when she'd come down to the stable area," Josh added, moving away from the mare to give Zel more room.
Zel sighed as he gave the mare one last, wary look. The fact that Amelia was considered to be the best rider in all of Saillune had come as a bit of a shock. He had known that she knew how to ride, but had never really given much thought as to her skill. Zel sighed, and moved into the position that Josh indicated, and began the first vital lesson in horseback riding---how to get on.
--------------------------------------
Ryo idly played with a long golden chain, not really paying much
attention to what he was doing. Nick had informed him a few moments
ago that Lina and that blond companion of hers had been sent to meet Gourry's
grandfather, who also happened to be a great sage on the island of Mipross.
Plans formed and were discarded with amazing swiftness as Ryo pondered
the puzzle that was in front of him. He had to find a way to separate
Lina Inverse from Gourry Gabriev, because when they were together they
were nearly impossible to go against. Mostly because of the strong
bonds of love the two shared. If Ryo could find a way to twist and
distort those feelings, possibly even get them to stop trusting each other,
then it would be easy to work around them. An evil, cold smile lit
up his face as he came upon an idea, and he chuckled softly to himself.
"Malena?" he called softly, and was rewarded as a dark blue
cloud formed in the center of his room, then vanished to reveal an extremely
curvy woman with long, jet black hair and cold, clear green eyes.
"Yes, Master Ryo?" Malena asked, her voice sounding like the
whisper of dry leaves across broken tile.
"I have a job for you," Ryo said, leaning forward a bit.
"You're a dream manipulator, correct?"
"I can cause people to dream what I want them to, yes," Malena
replied, her eyes never leaving Ryo's face.
"I want you to sour the relationship between Lina Inverse and
Gourry Gabriev. They're too close for my comfort, and it would weaken
one of the strongest links that binds this particular group together.
I don't want you to attack them in the open, but attack them subtly, in
such a way that they don't realize they're being attacked," Ryo instructed.
"I understand, Master Ryo. You want me to turn their feelings
towards each other in a different way, such as playing on insecurities
and unrealized fears, correct?" Malena asked, a hint of a smile playing
about her lips at the thought of the pain she could cause.
"Exactly," Ryo nodded. "You are dismissed."
Malena gave him a cold smile before she vanished. Ryo gazed
where she had been for a moment, before turning his attention to the heart
shaped locket that was hanging on the end of the gold chain he had currently
been playing with. With a snap, he opened the locket and gazed at
miniature portraits of the Crown Princess Ailanthus and her four year old
daughter, Amelia.
"Thirteen years ago you kept me from getting what I wanted,
but now your little successor is out there on her own, no doubt wondering
where she is and how she's going to get home. Well, your worries
have no cause to cease, Guardian. I shall have what I want, and I'll
get it out of your daughter," he hissed at the smiling woman, then shut
the locket with a snap.
"Ryo, what's to be done about Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev?"
Nick shouted, bursting in through the door and skidding to a halt about
a foot away from Ryo's chair.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Ryo snarled at his unwanted
and unexpected guest.
"It's my castle, and I don't need to knock. I demand to
know what your plans are in regards to the sorceress and the swordsman,"
Nick said, thrusting his chest out.
"I have already dispatched one of my minions to take care of
that pair," Ryo said easily, before rising to his feet. "Now, if
you'll excuse me, I find that I'm in need of a meal, and the company is
lacking."
Nick snarled as the Mazoku vanished, but there was really nothing
he could do if he wanted to obtain the jewel he had set his eyes on.
He knew that once Lina and Gourry returned to Saillune, they would pick
up that other annoyance, Zelgadis, and head out in search of the princess.
Nick chuckled, knowing that they wouldn't find anything other than a badly
decomposed, water-logged body. No one survived the fall from the
Canyon and the rapids that the river contained.
-----------------------------------
Lina opened her eyes, and moaned as a shaft of sunlight created
the same effect on her brain that her Dragon Slave did to a small village.
She felt like hell. Her mouth was stuffed with cotton, and any minute
she expected her head to burst open like an over-ripe melon. She
took several deep breaths, and was rewarded by a lessening of the pain
in her head. She then cracked her eyes open again, and sighed with
relief when she felt no more pain.
"I'm going to Fireball that petite Guardian when we get back,"
she muttered as she sat up and looked around.
"How are you doing to do that if she's already dead?" Gourry
muttered from beside her, and Lina looked over to find him sprawled on
his back, one arm flung over his eyes.
"Gourry! Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.
"I'm all right, Lina, just trying to get my head under control,"
Gourry replied, before removing his arm and sitting up, as well.
"This place looks kinda familiar," Lina mused, as she gazed
around a lush meadow that was surrounded by trees on every side.
"I'm home!" Gourry suddenly cried, leaping to his feet.
"Lina, this is my home! Grandpa's house isn't far from here!"
He grabbed a surprised Lina by the wrist, and began running
across the meadow, heading towards a small path that had been cut through
the woods.
"Just wait till you meet my grandmother! She's the
sweetest lady and man, can she cook! Oh boy! Roast chicken
and vegetables with home made apple pie....," Gourry said, and continued
to list the foods they could look forward to as he continued to drag a
speechless Lina behind him through the woods.
By the time they reached the end of the pathway, Lina's stomach
was growling and she was drooling slightly from having to listen to Gourry's
food rant. She thought about bopping him over the head, but the excited
and happy look on his face kept her from it. He looked as excited
as a little boy, and she couldn't help but wonder how long it had been
since he'd been home.
"Gourry, just how long has it been since you've been back?"
Lina asked, but before Gourry could answer, a familiar voice answered for
him.
"It's been over 6 years since we last saw him. Welcome
home, my boy!" Gourry gave a happy shout, and grabbed the extremely
small, grey haired old man up in a hug, crying, "Grandpa! How are
you?!"
Lina felt her jaw hit the ground, and decided that since her
eyes felt like they were the size of dinner plates, that she would worry
about it for the time being. She couldn't believe it! The man
Gourry had swept up in his arms and called Grandpa was well known to her
from her earlier traveling days with Naga, The White Serpent. Those
were days she really didn't want to remember, since the memory of Naga's
laughter was enough to cause milk to curdle in her stomach. Lina
shuddered slightly involuntarily, and the small man turned to her once
Gourry had set him back on his feet.
"Nice to meet you again, Lina Inverse," Rowdy Gabriev said with
a wry twinkle in his eye. That was when Lina's paralysis wore off,
and she sprung into action.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" she screamed,
running around in little circles with her hands clapped to her head.
"Lina, calm down!" Gourry exclaimed, and caught the petite red
head as she zoomed past, and brought her back against his chest.
"You act like you've already met!"
"We have!" Lina yelled, glaring at Rowdy, who merely winked at
her. "I met him several years back when I came to Mipross Island
with a companion. No wonder this place looked familiar! You
have a lot to answer for, Rowdy! Manipulating me into helping you
by offering the thing I want most and then not following through!"
"But I did follow through. It just wasn't what you expected,"
Rowdy replied calmly in the face of Lina's ranting.
"What are you talking about?!" Gourry demanded, getting exasperated
with them both.
"We should go to the house," Rowdy said. "Meliroon will
have a nice lunch fixed, and we can tell you our story over fried chicken."
Another realization seemed to smack Lina right between the eyes,
because her head jerked back until she was gazing up at Gourry's face,
and she yelled, "YOU'RE PART ELF?!"
Gourry gave her a funny look, and asked, "What's wrong with that?"
Lina didn't answer him, because her mind had suddenly become
so overloaded, that she went into a mild state of shock, staring straight
ahead with glassy eyes while her jaw continued to hang down to her knees.
Gourry shrugged and picked her up in his arms, cradling her against her
chest.
"I told her that changing the past would directly affect her
future," Rowdy muttered quietly to himself as he gazed at Lina in Gourry's
arms.
"What do you mean by that, Grandpa?" Gourry asked.
"Long story, my boy. I'll tell you over lunch," Rowdy
replied, and led Gourry up to the small house that was sitting at the end
of the pathway, where he opened the door for Gourry and followed him inside.
---------------------------
Next episode: Lina and Gourry tell Rowdy and Meliroon why they've
come to Mipross Island (I hope you guys are familiar with Slayers: The
Motion Picture, because I'm not about to re-tell that story. ^^).
Zel's first riding lesson ends with a surprise visitor that sends the stables
into shock, and what on earth are you doing out of bed, Amelia?!