"C'mon Gina, please? Put on the dress?" The great sorcery genius Lina Inverse coaxed. "But Mom!" Her 6 year old daughter protested, "I hate dresses!" she stomps her foot for emphasis. "But this is an important day, Prince Phil is getting married, You have to dress up!" After about 15 minutes of this, the dress was on a pouting Gina, just as Gourry walks in. "Daddy!" Gina bounces into his arms. Gourry was already in a tux, but Lina still had yet to get ready. "Daddy, tell mommy I don't hafta wear a dress." Gina pouted. "I'm sorry sweetie, but you do, Just as I have to wear this. Believe me I like mine as much as you like yours." His daughter sulked. "I can watch her while you get ready Lina." Gourry said, still holding Gina. "Thanks Gourry" she gives him a quick peck on the cheek and closes the bedroom door.
Once she was ready, they entered the carriage Amelia had sent them, and couple hours later arrived at Sayruun. "Amanda! Gregory!" Gina raced out to meet the other kids. Lina smiled as the three ran off to play, "Your kids have grown so big since we last saw them Amelia." She said as the Crown Princess, now a mature adult, walked outside to greet them. "I know and yours." Amelia smiled. "So how's Phil?" Gourry asked. "He's in his dressing room, getting ready still. He's very excited." "I can't believe Phil's finally getting married. He really does deserve someone else in his life." "Yeah." Amelia sounded sad, "Ever since Mom died and my sister left, he's been kinda recluse…"
"Lina. Gourry. Good evening." A handsome black-haired man walked up with Filia and her 2 kids. "Hello Gaege, I was beginning to wonder where you ran off too." Amelia walked over and took his arm. "I was just greeting guests." He smiled at his wife. "Hello everyone." Filia smiled, "I believe you already know my kids?" "Of course" Gourry smiled at Val and Xelia, both behind their mother's legs. "Why don't you 2 go play?" Filia smiled and shooed them to where the other kids played.
***
Xelia pulled her book of fairy tales out of her backpack and settled against the nearest tree. She couldn't actually read most of it, but she loved looking at the pictures. And anyway she had memorized most of it, As Filia read them out loud to her each night.
Valgaarv was playing with Gina and the others. It was an imagination game they always played, made from the stories Gina's mother would tell her.
They were only just starting when their parents called them. The wedding was starting.
***
Here comes the bride.." The music started playing softly as the woman made her way down the aisle. Her veil covered her eyes but her hair was a soft burnt red, and her dress covered a figure that even Naga would envy. She took Phil's hand when she made it to the front. After the priest's speech he said, "Prince Philoniel De Sayruun, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" "I do." He says, for once not booming. "And do you Tenya, Take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" "I do." Her voice is musical, but serious. "You may kiss the bride." Phil took his new wife in his arms and kissed her. The crowd clapped uproariously.
As the people filed out, Phil introduced Tenya to Lina, Gourry, and Filia. "It's nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you." She grins. "So how did you 2 meet?" Gourry asked. "The jailbreak in Veryll." Phil grins broadly, "We both grabbed the same bandit at the same time." "I heard his speech, and it was love at first site." Tenya said, Looking lovingly at Phil. Lina smiled at the couple and took Gourry's arm quietly. Filia felt oddly out of place, and excused herself. She made her way through the crowd, biting her lip. Several years later, and I'm now the only one not married" Amelia walked past her, "Something wrong, Ms. Filia?" She shook her head in answer. Amelia looked at her strangely, but dropped it. " Have you heard from Zelgadiss?" Filia asked, changing the subject. Amelia shook her head, "Not since…." Filia cursed herself. It was tender thing to bring up, especially to Amelia. Everyone knew that Amelia loved Zelgadiss, But Zelgadiss told her he was only a friend, when Amelia finally got the nerve up to tell him. Because Zelgadiss loved Lina, though he told no one till it was too late. The night he told her, was the night she was engaged to Gourry. Zelgadiss left right after the wedding and had never been seen since. Amelia's husband, the black-haired man Filia had met, was an arranged marriage. He, Gaege, was a prince from another kingdom. " Excuse me Filia, I have to give my new stepmother a greeting." Amelia made her way off, and Filia watched her go. "I guess I'm not the worst off in this group." In fact the only ones that seemed really happy was Gourry and Lina. "And I have Val and Xelia also. I don't need anyone else." Filia left, feeling much better.
***
"Lookat what you did!" Xelia burst into tears. Val looked at the page in his hands, "Sorry" He mumbled handing it back to her. She fit the piece back into her book. Valgaarv had accidentally ripped a page out of her book. "It's broken." Xelia sniffed as the page fell out again after she let it go. "Well…" Valgaarv look guilty, then toughened up, "It was just a dumb ol book anyway." "It is not!" She flared. Valgarv yawned, "I'm sleepy, Why don't you go sleep and mom can do something with it when she gets home?" Val followed his own advice and crawled into the bed. Xelia went to her bed and lay down, but she couldn't sleep, "I'm going to go find mommy right now 'kay?" Valgaarv nodded sleepily, and she opened the door and left.
***
"Mommy?" Xelia wandered down the halls of the palace, looking for some sign of her mother. They place was eerily quiet, as everyone was at the reception on the other side of the palace. She opened another door identical to all the others and found her self outside. "Mommy?" Xelia looked around. She saw something out of the corner of her eye. "Mom?" she followed it, unaware that that's exactly what it wanted her to do….
***
Xelia looked around. Everywhere was dark trees, and the light she was following was gone. She knew what it was now. A will-o-the-wisp. A light that tricked travelers into seeing whatever they wanted. Like a mirage. She yawned, "I'm tired. I'd better get back." But now she couldn't see anything she recognized. "Mommy? Val?" oh well, she could just find a place to sleep tonight, and by tomorrow she should be able to find them. She smiled and started crawling up a nearby tree. Being rather a tomboy, she had no problem and fell asleep among the leaves.
***
Filia awoke and yawned, "Good morning Val, Xelia." She then realized that only one of the said kids was there, "Val? Where's Xellia?" Val sat up and yawned. He looked over to his sister's bed and his eyes widened, "She didn't come back with you?" "What do you mean?" Filia asked, fear filling her throat. "Xelia said she was going to go find you. Didn't she?" Val asked innocently. Filia scrambled out of bed, pulled on a robe and ran outside.
It was just nearing dawn, and dew slicked the grass, freezing Filia's feet and she looked around, "Xelia? Xelia where are you?" At the silence after that, Filia ran back in, to the banquet hall where Lina-Tachi were eating breakfast. "Lina! My daughter's missing!" "Mrphhgnmm" Lina looked up at her, mouth full of food. Filia sighed. Some things never change. Lina swallowed, "Xelia? She's missing?" Filia nodded, "Val said she went to find me last night and she didn't come back." Amelia patted Filia on the back, "Don't worry, I'll send some guards to search for her. She won't be missing long." Filia nodded, "I hope so." She whispered.
***
Val peeked around the door to the commotion coming from the banquet hall. Amelia rounding guards, and Gourry and Lina comforting his mother. He bit his lip, "This is all my fault" he should have known his sister was too young to be alone, but he was too tired to care. "And now Momma's crying, and my dumb 'ol sister could get herself killed" he said worriedly. He scurried off to where the other kids were playing. "Ok here's the plan." He said, "We're going to rescue my sister. This is mostly my fault that this happened to I'm going to fix it!" Gina's eyes sparkled, "an adventure!" she cried. Amanda smiled at Valgaarv, "You're so brave." Gregory stood up, "Very well, we shall rescue the damsel in distress." "You've been listening to my sister's fairy tale books, huh?" Val looked at Greg, who sweatdropped. "Well if we're going, we need to pack some things." Amanda ran off, and the others followed.
As the kids filed out the door, Valgarv pinned the letter to the wall beside it. He didn't want his mother to think he was lost too. "There. I'll be right back with Xelia, mom." He grinned and ran after the others
***
"Has anyone seen Gina?" Lina said to the others. "Not since she was playing with the other kids at breakfast." Amelia answered, "They might be with my two. It's Gaene's turn to watch them." "Ok thanks." Just them Gaene himself walked in, " So honey, where are the kids? You said I was supposed to watch them right now, but you never dropped them off. "They were supposed to go to you themselves after breakfast." Amelia said, eyes widening. She set off down the hall, calling her kid's names. After an entire search of the palace, Both Lina and Amelia were as worried as Filia. Then Gourry noticed something on the wall. He pulled it off, "It looks like a letter." Filia looked over his shoulder, "It's Val's writing!" She took it, and read it over. "Oh no, Val…" she whispered, her face white. "What?" Amelia and Lina said. "Val and the other kids went to go find Xelia. Amelia nearly fainted, "My kids!" Lina bit her lip, "Those guards of yours better find them Amelia." She only nodded, and said to a passing guard, "Let the others know that Gina Gabriev, Amanda and Gregory Lentyril, and Valgaarv/Valteira Ul Copt are also missing." "Yes your highness." The guard hurried off, leaving the parents to do nothing but worry.
***