Okay, so this chapter isn't as short... but still, it's good, I hope. Read and review, people. Oh, and I forgot to do my disclaimer. I don't own Slayers. There. I said it. Happy?

In the morning, Amelia stretched her hands to the sky, and looked around. She remembered her thoughts from the night. Then she grinned, and sat up in bed. Jumping out from her covers, Amelia rummaged around in her dresser until she found her old traveling clothes. It had been forever since she wore them last. But she couldn't go outside in a dress.

Pulling on the comfortable clothes and stepping into her worn boots, Amelia didn't feel any apprehension over leaving. She was just glad that she'd be free of the palace shortly. True, it was only a few hours, but it would be freedom all the same.

Just as Amelia reached for the doorknob, she stopped. As soon as she stepped out of her room she'd be set upon by stewards and servants. Meaning she couldn't go out that way. Amelia turned around, and ran across her room to the only window in there. She parted the pink curtains, and opened the window. She stuck her head out, and looked around. Not a soul in sight. Good.

Carefully, Amelia crawled out of the window, and sat on the edge, her feet dangling outside. She then smiled widely, and said, "Ray Wing!" She flew away from the palace, and headed right for the trees. As she soared through the blue sky, she finally felt free again. She hadn't felt like that since she, Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, and Filia had done their traveling in trying to defeat Darkstar.

Once Amelia reached the forest, she landed, and looked around her. She hadn't been in a woods for a year. She took in the sights, sounds, and smells of the trees and the animals living around them. She watched a pair of squirrels leap from branch to branch, chattering at each other. A couple of brightly colored birds landed gracefully on a branch and settled into a nest. On the ground, two hedgehogs rolled around, making strange noises. And the smell of pine hung thickly in the air. Amelia breathed deeply, closing her eyes for a moment, before she started walking. She didn't know where she'd go, but she felt like walking, and reliving those days when she'd just walk all day with her best friends.

Her friends. She hadn't seen Lina and Gourry for about six months. They had stopped by then to say hello and to try out Seyruun's famous soft-serve ice cream before they went on their way again. Zelgadis and Filia she hadn't seen in a whole year.

Amelia looked down at her hands. Around one wrist she wore one of her bright bracelets, but the other was bare. She'd given it to Zelgadis to remind him to come and see her sometime. He hadn't stopped by once. Sadly, Amelia sighed. She'd hoped he would have come at least one time to say hello. True, he was looking for his cure, but friends were important too, right?

Amelia forced herself to shake those thoughts away, and just walked through the tall stands of pine and oak. After a while, she found a small deer trail, and decided to follow that and see where it led. As she got further down the trail, Amelia started hearing sounds that weren't apart of the woods, and she thought she smelled something burning. Was there a fire?

Afraid that the woods might burn, Amelia quickened her step. How had a fire started in the middle of the woods? After a moment, Amelia found out what it truly was. A gang of some kind had set up a camp in the forest. The burning was just their camp fire roasting some dead animal.

Quietly, Amelia backed away. She wasn't afraid of the heavy, burly men that surrounded the fire, but she didn't want to be seen. She wanted to be alone and free for a few hours. But as she backed up, she stepped on a dry stick, snapping it in half. She gasped, and clapped her hands over her mouth, trying to stay as still as possible.

At the fire, one of the men stood up, and headed over to where Amelia was standing, frozen. He peered through the trees, and his eyes widened when he caught sight of the Amelia. He reached through to grab Amelia, and she tried to run away. But the man caught her cape as she ran off, and pulled her back.

"Look at this, guys," he said in a loud voice, grabbing Amelia around her waist and pinning her arms to her sides. Amelia kicked and struggled against his hold, but his grip was too tight.

"Let me go," Amelia shouted between kicks.

The man around the fire all looked up in wonder. "Looks like we won't have to try to sneak into the palace to get her," one of them said, grinning a toothless grin.

There was a lot of bustle and noise as the gang got Amelia tied up and they all calmed down again. "Who are you?" Amelia demanded. "Let me go!"

After a long chuckle, one man who appeared to be the leader, said, "We are emissaries from a kingdom near here. We were sent by our Lord to kidnap the Seyruun princess and hold her for ransom until Prince Philionel fulfilled our wishes."

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked, struggling against her tight bonds. "My daddy gives everyone what they want! That's why everyone is peaceful!"

Again, the gang laughed heartily. "Peaceful?" the leader spat. "If only you knew! Several lands are thinking about rising up against Prince Philionel. He may be an honest leader, but not everyone gets what they want. Our leader figured kidnapping you would be the best way to get at Prince Philionel."

Amelia glared at the leader, and said, "You're an evil person, and you must therefor be crushed with the powerful hammer of justice! As a strong ally of justice, I will--"

"Shut up, already!" everyone else shouted.

Glaring at them again, Amelia asked, "What is it your land wants that you would risk your lives for?"

"More money," the gang leader said. "Our land is very low in gold. People are starving and living in terrible conditions. We've pleaded to Prince Philionel for years, but he never replies. We finally tired of it all, and decided to go for violence."

"About bloody time, too!" one of the other men shouted. More laughter followed his remark.

"No!" Amelia yelled. "My daddy wouldn't do something like that! There's got to be a mistake! You'll see! Let me go and let me talk to my daddy, and he'll make things better again."

Shaking his head, the leader said, "Nope. We've got you. We might as well keep going with our original plan. I must say, you made it awfully easy for us to kidnap you." He then stood up, and reached at his belt for something.

Amelia realized that all her stewards were right in keeping her inside the palace. She was safer there. She'd never realized that other kingdoms really were against Seyruun's rule. The last conscious thought Amelia had before the leader knocked her out with a hefty club, was that she should have stayed at home and been a princess like she was supposed to.