Enjoy! The plot continues! Will Zel get his cure? You won't find out in this chapter! ^_^;;
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When Amelia woke up in the morning, the first thing she did was think about Zelgadis. About when he would be coming back. She missed him terribly already, and she didn't know how long it would take for Zelgadis to find a cure for his body.
Amelia yawned, and got out of bed. Without thinking, she dressed in her casual clothes instead of her formal dresses, and left her room.
She put her hands behind her head, and started wandering around. She didn't know if she had anything planned for the day, and she didn't really care. Today was one of those days where she felt that she could spend the entire day out in the garden, staring at the flowers.
"That's it!" she said. "I'll go down to the garden and spend some time there! I wonder if they fixed that gazebo yet... I love looking down on everything from there."
With that, Amelia turned and ran through the palace halls, ready to spend a great day outside. But, she wasn't watching where she was going, and she ran headlong into something. She fell backwards, and landed on her bottom. She winced, and looked up at what she ran into. Or, rather, whom.
"Princess? Uh, I mean, Amelia?" Zeraldas asked. He held out his hand to help Amelia back up.
Amelia took his hand, and was pulled to her feet. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was just..." She didn't know how to explain that she didn't feel like being the princess today.
Zeraldas smiled, and said, "Trying to escape official duties?"
"Exactly!" Amelia said. "It's awful! I've never been much of a princess, because I like traveling a whole lot more, and all these annoying stewards keep trying to prim me up like a doll or something, and try to get me to act more like a princess!"
Amelia and Zeraldas started walking, Amelia still intent on spending the rest of the day at the garden.
Zeraldas looked down at her, and said, "You know, when you aren't dressed up, you really don't even look the part of princess."
"I know, I know," Amelia said, looking down at her traveling clothes she accidentally put on. "The stewards keep begging me to get rid of these clothes, but I feel much more like me when I wear these. I truly don't like acting like a princess."
"I know how you feel," Zeraldas said. "Not many people know, but I was once a prince."
Amelia looked up at him. She looked at his smiling face for a moment, before she said, "Yes, I can see how you might have been a prince. Wait! A prince of where?"
Zeraldas chuckled a little at Amelia's naiveté. "Of Derrin, of course," he said.
"Oh," Amelia said. She stared straight ahead, and said, "I wish I could get rid of the throne, and just travel, like you."
Before Zeraldas could answer, they reached the gardens, and Amelia cheered up a great deal. Forgetting she was in the presence of a very important person, she ran off towards the repaired gazebo, and Ray Winged up to the top.
Amelia stood atop the tall gazebo, and looked all around the garden. "Wow! I haven't been up here in ages! The entire garden has changed!" The she remembered Zeraldas, and said, "Oops!" She levitated off her wonderful viewpoint, and ran over to Zeraldas. "I'm sorry!" she said.
Zeraldas looked down at her, and asked, "You can use magic?"
"Huh?" Amelia blinked. She thought everyone knew that. "Oh, yeah..."
"Wow," Zeraldas said. "In Derrin, magic is very uncommon, and isn't practiced much. I'm always amazed when I see new people using magic."
Amelia smiled. "Then I know you'd like to meet some of my traveling companions. Zelgadis-san, Lina-san, Filia-san, and Sylphiel-san can all use magic. And Gourry-san has the Sword of Light."
Zeraldas blinked. "One of your friends has the Sword of Light?" he asked, amazed.
Amelia led Zeraldas over to a bench, and said, "Oh, yes! Gourry-san's a great swordsman. And Lina-san is a very powerful sorceress. She killed one part of Shabranigdo, and Gaav and Hellmaster. And Zelgadis-san--"
"Lina? You mean the infamous Lina Inverse?" Zeraldas asked incredulously. "You're friends with HER?"
"Yeah..." Amelia said. "I know she has kind of a bad reputation, but she's not at all like the rumors say."
After Amelia calmed Zeraldas down a little bit, he said, "You were about to tell me about Zelgadis. He came up before, didn't he?"
Amelia nodded, and said, "Yeah. Zelgadis-san is sort of self-reserved, and he gets gloomy a lot, and he does anything he can to try to find his cure, but I think he really is a nice person once you get to know him."
"Cure?" Zeraldas asked. "Cure for what?"
Amelia hit her head with her palm, and said, "Oops."
"What do you mean, 'oops'?" Zeraldas asked. "Is there something you don't want people to know?" He unknowingly scooted an inch closer to Amelia.
Amelia, however, noticed him scoot, and slid herself over the other direction a little on the bench. She rested her chin on her hands, and stared forward. "Zelgadis-san doesn't like people to know," she started. "I don't think I should tell. He's out looking for his cure now. He'll be back soon, and he'll be back to normal, and then it won't matter."
Zeraldas nodded, and wisely remained silent.
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AN: Like I said, no Zel in this chapter! Sorry! -Shira