(Sorry this chapter took me so long. Got a mild case of writers block. It
happens sometimes. Grrrr, I hate it though. I promise to get the next
chapter out sooner. The next one will be shorter...at least I think it will
be... Okay, I've rambled enough. Back to the story.)
The girl sipped her punch. She had been right about the party being boring. Prince Alexander from the outer lands sat next to her staring blankly off in one direction. If he was paying any attention to what the person on the other side of him was say, he sure didn't look like it. What exactly he was thinking about was anyone's guess. The man asked him a direct question, pulling the young man out of his trance. Amelia just rolled her eyes. How unjust, she thought, watching the prince politely answer the question. If neither of us want to marry, why should we be forced to?
Amelia spied around the room full of people eating and dancing. Most of them were diplomats or royalty from near by that had been invited. She had been hoping to see Zelgadiss, but found no such luck. She hadn't really expected him to come; he hated these types of gatherings, not that she could blame him right now. Normally, she enjoyed the parties thrown at the palace, but tonight she just had too much on her mind. Knowing something bad is going to happen to a very dear friend of yours does make it just a little bit difficult to have fun. She needed to help Lina, and she couldn't. She was stuck here. The princess sighed.
She took another sip of her punch, glancing around the room again. It was better then listening to her father joke with the king or watch the prince tune the rest of the world out while half dreaming. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something slightly blue. Zelgadiss? Yes, there he was near the door to the balcony, keeping out from the rest of the crowd. He was dressed in a suit, that she didn't even know he had, instead of his typical beige clothes. He made brief eye contact with her: just enough to be sure she had seen him from across the room. Then, he slipped out on to the balcony.
"I'm going to get some air," she stated to her father, though she doubted he even noticed. She hurriedly pushed through the crowded and made her way to the balcony. He was standing there alone, waiting for her. "Mr. Zelgadiss?" she asked tentatively. He glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "I...I didn't think you'd come."
"I hadn't originally planned on it," he stated, his voice as unemotional as his expression. He turned away from her, looking out at the court yard that the balcony over look.
"Then why are you here?"
He was quiet. There was a long pause. She was about to repeat herself when he finally spoke, "I'm leaving tomorrow...to find Lina. She has to know..."
"I know," she whispered, part of her feeling hurt all over again, though she hid it. It was just like when he left. He had been so quiet and cold then too. "Do you know where to look?"
He shook his head. "I thought I might ask Filia. They might have stopped by to see her since she lives in the outer lands. I'll let you know if I find them..."
"Bring them back here," she requested. He looked back at her, a questioning look on his face. "Saillune is still the safest place and, well, it would probably be safer here. If people find out..."
"They might try and kill her," he finished. She nodded, looking away from him.
There was silence between them. The soft melody from inside drifted out on the chilly night air. Amelia gave a small shiver. Her dress didn't provide anything for warmth.
"Here," he sighed, pulling his coat off.
"Thank you, Mr. Zelgadiss," she murmured, taking his coat and pulling it over her shoulders. Again, there was silence between them. Her mind raced with a million things to say. She couldn't just let him go. Lina was her friend. She had taught Amelia so much, though most of it was not intentional. She wanted to help. The girl glanced back at the party going on, then back at Zelgadiss,who was looking back out over the courtyard. "I'm going to," she told him forcefully.
The chimera gave her an odd look. "You're going?" She nodded. "What about your father and your royal duties?"
"Miss Lina is my friend and it would be unjust to not come to her aid when she needed me.If that prophecy is true, then then millions of innocent lives at stake. As a defender of peace and justice, I can't let innocent people suffer and die. Some contracts and treaties can wait."
"What about Phil?"
"If I were to tell him, do you think he would let me go?"
"Probably not, especially not with me."
"Exactly. Daddy will understand later. Besides, the fate of the world may rest in Miss Lina's hands."
"Why is it, when ever anyone says the fate of the world may rest in Lina's hands, I get scared?" Amelia chuckled, causing the chimera to grin. "Alright then, we can leave tonight if..."
"No," she interrupted. "There will be too many guards on watch right now. The best time would be before dawn, tomorrow morning when everyone is asleep and the guards are exhausted. They are less likely to see us," she explained.
Zelgadiss raised an approving eyebrow. "Alright. The sun rises between six thirty and seven, so about four thirty would work."
She nodded, smiling. Already her heart was feeling lighter. Yes, she thought, Daddy will understand later.
There was a sudden sound of glass shattering near by. Amelia jumped, startled. Guards started scrambling from ever post they were at to investigate the noise. The music inside halted. Zelgadiss reached for his sword strapped to his waist; he rarely went anywhere without it. He scanned the direction the guards were moving, trying to see what they were after in the darkness. All he could make out were the guards running and yelling. He heard one word being repeated over and over again: Intruder. The door behind them burst open. Zelgadiss whirled around, whipping out his sword, ready to kill any intruder. He relaxed his stance, lowering his sword, when he realized it was only Phil, looking half frantic.
Phil let out a sigh of relief when he say Amelia. "Oh, Amelia, here you are."
"What's going on?" Zel demanded.
"I don't know," the bear of a man admitted. "None of the guards have come to say what is going on..."
"Take Amelia inside," the chimera ordered. Casting a quick levitation spell, he leaped off the balcony, intent on finding the intruder.
*****
It wasn't long before one of the guards came, reporting to Phil what had happened. "There were what?" Phil barked, not believing he had heard right the first time.
"Two men, sir, in the princess' privet chambers." Phil glared at the man, knowing he wasn't saying everything he knew. Gulping, the man continued, "We heard a loud crash and then some men arguing and when we went in, we found them...found them..."
"Found them what?" the prince demanded.
The guard gulped again. "W-we found them with...without any...clothes, you majesty." The guard grimaced, looking like he had already been hurt by the attack he was expecting.
"And how, exactly did they get in?!"
"W-we don't know sir..."
"And they got away!?!"
"Y-y-yes s-sir," the terrified guard studdered.
Phil almost felt bad for him...almost. The last time someone had broken in and gotten away, his wife had been murdered in an attempt to kill him. If his daughter had been in her room, she might have ended up...No! He refused to think about losing his second daughter! He had already lost one; he wasn't about to lose a second! He refused to! Calming some of his nerves, the prince looked back at the young guard. "They can't be far. Don't let anyone out of the city until they are caught."
"Yes, your majesty!" The guard turned stoutly and marched out, grateful to get away.
Phil looked back at his daughter, who looked more confused then worried. She was probably wondering exactly what he was: why were there two naked men in her room fighting? What could they have possibly been fighting over, and why were they arguing there? Worst of all thoughts that came to hi head, what had they been planning to do to his little girl? He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. She gave him a forced smile, trying to reassure him everything was alright, even if it wasn't.
*****
Zelgadiss had done a double take when he had heard one of the guards say the intruders had no clothes. Why, in the name of the Dark Lord, would they break in here without any clothes on? he had wondered. His thoughts had been cut short when he heard some of the guards shouting they had spotted them. He raced over in the direction the guards had been indicating, but didn't see them. Using all of his heightened senses, he tried to find them. His ears picked up a faint sound from near by...foot steps...running...not far to his left.
He took off after the sound, keeping himself out of sight. He didn't want them to know he was here. The feet stopped and so did the chimera. He scanned the area. They were close by, he was sure.
"This is your fault!" a male voice snapped in a hushed whisper. If he hadn't been a chimera, Zel wasn't sure he would have heard it. The voice had been soft, as if from someone young, though strong and hateful. "You an' your stupid insistence on being in the way," the voice mocked.
"If you had just left well alone, we wouldn't be in this mess!" a second voice challenged. This one was a little harsher, older, and deeper. "I told you not to go to her room, but nooo, you never listen to me. I don't know what I'm doing. I'VE never been in someone's room before when I damn well knew I shouldn't have been," he continued in a sarcastic tone. "I've just only broken in to places like this six dozen times...this one, at least five. Oh, no, I have no idea what I'm doing. I have never thought about..."
"Oh shut up," the first grumbled. "No one cares what you think."
"I care what I think," the second retorted.
"Yeah, you're the only one...Hey!" Zelgadiss moved the bush in front of him aside ever so slightly so he could get a good look. Even with his improved eye sight, he still had trouble making out the two men in the darkness. They had chosen an especially dark place to stop and argue. He barely made out their out lines. One, a man who looked as tall as Gourry, if not taller, with hair that ran all the way down his back, had lifted a much shorter man with shoulder length hair off the ground. "Put me down!" the smaller man demanded.
"Or what, you'll use one of yer pathetic little white spells on me?" the bigger one quipped. "Ha! I'm not afraid of you. I could snap your neck like a twig."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Didn't wanna make Kendra cry. Still haven't figured out why she likes you at all."
"Maybe cuz she's a better person then you. Now put me down! We gotta get moving. We stay here too long, our benevolent master," he sarcastically emphasized the word master, "will have our hides."
"He already has our hides, boy. He just hasn't strung Ôum up yet." The smaller man tumbled to the ground as the bigger one dropped him. "Yer familiar with this place, where's the nearest way out?"
The smaller man didn't bother responding, just ran off down one of the dark paths. Zel tailed behind them. They didn't seem to have noticed him. He wanted to know a little more about them before he grabbed them. They turned around one of the tall hedges, disappearing from sight. Cautiously, Zelgadiss went after them. As he came around, he didn't see them anywhere.
"Damn," he quietly swore. "Where did they..." He was cut off as something hard struck the back of his head and he fell in to darkness himself.
*****
Zelgadiss jerked awake as something damp touched his forehead, sitting straight up. "Careful," a familiar voice chided. He glared over at the speaker...the older healer from a a week or so before. He clutched his head, his head feeling like it was being split open. "You don't want to hurt yourself and sitting up so fast will make you dizzy..." She trailed off as she noticed him wobble slightly. The dizziness was right on cue. "You took a bad hit to the head. It might have killed you if you weren't made out of stone. Now, let me see," she ordered. Knowing she probably wouldn't give up until she could examine him, he gave in easily. He had already learned how stubborn some healers could be when they thought they knew best. She reached under his chin with one and closed her eyes, concentrating. A flicker of her power ran from her fingers in to his body, searching out the places in his skull that hurt and alleviating them.
While she was doing this, he spied around where he was. He had been brought inside his room and was sitting on his bed. The curtains had been pulled back and the window had been opened, allowing sunlight and fresh air in. It was early afternoon. All the books and papers had been pick up and neatly stacked on the table. No one else was in the room with them. His heart sank slightly as he realized Amelia wasn't there...Amelia! He jerked away from the mage, startling her.
"Where's Amelia!?" he demanded before the woman could protest.
"The princess is fine. You should be more worried about yourself, right now."
"What about the intruders!?"
"Got away, I'm afraid. They're still searching the city, but with no luck last I heard. They chased them around the gardens most of the night, but nobody's seen a trace of them since morning."
"Damn it!" He pounded his fist against the mattress. The mage raised a disapproving eyebrow. It sort of reminded him of the way his mother used to look at him when he was in trouble.
"Don't hit things, and watch your language," she gently scolded. "You obviously don't want to sit still, so you can stay how you are. I'm done healing you. I'll let the Prince and Princess know you're awake." Gathering up her bowl of water and a few damp rags, some with blood on them, she strode out.
Zel watched her go, scowling. She hadn't seemed the slightest bit worried about the fact that two people...two people without any equipment or clothing...had gotten in to the palace to do who knows what to Amelia when she went back to her room...and one of them had been in and out repeatedly without being caught! "Idiot," he muttered to himself. He leaned against the head board of the bed, knowing the princess, at least, would come and see him. Safe or not, he still preferred to see her with his own eyes.
He didn't wait long before Amelia came in, her father close behind. He looked worried, though Zel couldn't blame him. Amelia bounded over to the side of the bed, her face full of genuine concern.
"Are you alright, Mr. Zelgadiss?" she asked in her typical, gentle voice.
"I'm fine," he grunted. He looked her over out of the corner of his eye so she wouldn't realize he was checking to make sure she was safe. She might take it the wrong way. And kissing her didn't? he mentally scolded himself.
"Did you see them?" Phil demanded, standing by the end of the bed.
"Not really," the chimera commented. "I saw them, but it was too dark to make out any features on them. All I can tell you is one was tall with long hair and the other was about my height with shoulder length hair. They mentioned breaking in other places, though. One even said he'd been in here five times and the other knew the way out of her without being seen, though."
The prince frowned. "I see." His mind began wondering elsewhere, trying to figure out who would attack his precious little girl.
Zelgadiss glanced over at Amelia. Something was missing...Turquoise, he remembered. He wasn't there. "Where's your bird?" he asked dryly.
Amelia looked away. "I don't know," she sighed. "When I went to go see what had happened to him, I found the cage had been ripped open and his feathers were everywhere...there was no sign of him, though."
"Oh..." he trailed off. "He's probably fine. He'll turn up in a day or two." She forced out a smile, but he could tell she was still worried about him. The whole event had probably brought up bad memories for her. Zel noticed the sudden change in Phil's expression from concern to simply anger. The prince stomped out of the room, still deep in thought, and slammed the door, leaving the two alone. They both watched him go, neither quite sure what had brought about his abrupt change. "What was that about?"
"I don't know," she replied. "Something must have made him angry."
"I'd be angry too if two naked men had broken in to my daughter's room to do gods know what to her." She turned back to look at him. "They did sound like they had planned this. I don't know what they wanted, but I doubt it was anything good."
She frowned deeper. "I wouldn't think so. They should catch them, though. I mean, how far could they get without any clothes," she falsely chuckled. She was trying to lighten the mood but it wasn't helping. They were both aware this had probably been an attempt on her life.
"They will come back when everything has settled down again, ya know."
"I know."
There was a long pause between them. Amelia felt the sudden urge to study her fingers. Zel looked at the window. He almost expected the little blue bird to come flying in. It was odd to see the princess without Turquoise; they hadn't been far from each other since she found him over a week ago. Zelgadiss sighed, breaking the silence, "I suppose they will be increasing the guards around the city for a while?" She nodded, not bothering to look at him. "That's going to make leaving a bit more difficult."
"Leaving? I doubt they would try and stop you..."
"Oh, I have no doubts that I'd be able to walk through the gates without any trouble; you however...or did you change your mind?"
"Oh, I completely forgot!" she gasped, remembering their conversation on the balcony. "No, I still want to go. The front gates is not an option anymore. I do know a way that wouldn't have any guards..."
"Where?!" he interrupted eagerly.
"Under the castle, there are some tunnels. The trouble would be simply getting there unnoticed. Once inside, we could slip out nearly a mile away from the city..."
"And why didn't you mention this earlier?" he inquired, slightly annoyed.
Amelia smiled rather sheepishly. "Well, you kinda have to go in through Daddy's room..."
"Wonderful," he sighed. "So we have to get by Phil without being noticed." She nodded. "And there is no other way in?"
"No, there is another, but..." she hesitated.
"But what?"
She looked out the window, trying to find something to concentrate on. Her eyes clouded over. "It's...it's through my mother's room...it was how the man...got in..." she trailed off.
"Oh..." Again, there was silence. Zel mentally kicked himself for bringing it up. He hated causing her to feel pain. He didn't want to go through Phil's room if he didn't have to, but he wasn't sure how Amelia would take it if they went through the room her mother was murdered in. "Think you could put a sleep spell on your father without him noticing?"
She looked back at him, half smiling. "Don't know, I've never tried before. I guess I could. It could be too hard if he was already sleeping."
"Alright. Tonight."
The girl sipped her punch. She had been right about the party being boring. Prince Alexander from the outer lands sat next to her staring blankly off in one direction. If he was paying any attention to what the person on the other side of him was say, he sure didn't look like it. What exactly he was thinking about was anyone's guess. The man asked him a direct question, pulling the young man out of his trance. Amelia just rolled her eyes. How unjust, she thought, watching the prince politely answer the question. If neither of us want to marry, why should we be forced to?
Amelia spied around the room full of people eating and dancing. Most of them were diplomats or royalty from near by that had been invited. She had been hoping to see Zelgadiss, but found no such luck. She hadn't really expected him to come; he hated these types of gatherings, not that she could blame him right now. Normally, she enjoyed the parties thrown at the palace, but tonight she just had too much on her mind. Knowing something bad is going to happen to a very dear friend of yours does make it just a little bit difficult to have fun. She needed to help Lina, and she couldn't. She was stuck here. The princess sighed.
She took another sip of her punch, glancing around the room again. It was better then listening to her father joke with the king or watch the prince tune the rest of the world out while half dreaming. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something slightly blue. Zelgadiss? Yes, there he was near the door to the balcony, keeping out from the rest of the crowd. He was dressed in a suit, that she didn't even know he had, instead of his typical beige clothes. He made brief eye contact with her: just enough to be sure she had seen him from across the room. Then, he slipped out on to the balcony.
"I'm going to get some air," she stated to her father, though she doubted he even noticed. She hurriedly pushed through the crowded and made her way to the balcony. He was standing there alone, waiting for her. "Mr. Zelgadiss?" she asked tentatively. He glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "I...I didn't think you'd come."
"I hadn't originally planned on it," he stated, his voice as unemotional as his expression. He turned away from her, looking out at the court yard that the balcony over look.
"Then why are you here?"
He was quiet. There was a long pause. She was about to repeat herself when he finally spoke, "I'm leaving tomorrow...to find Lina. She has to know..."
"I know," she whispered, part of her feeling hurt all over again, though she hid it. It was just like when he left. He had been so quiet and cold then too. "Do you know where to look?"
He shook his head. "I thought I might ask Filia. They might have stopped by to see her since she lives in the outer lands. I'll let you know if I find them..."
"Bring them back here," she requested. He looked back at her, a questioning look on his face. "Saillune is still the safest place and, well, it would probably be safer here. If people find out..."
"They might try and kill her," he finished. She nodded, looking away from him.
There was silence between them. The soft melody from inside drifted out on the chilly night air. Amelia gave a small shiver. Her dress didn't provide anything for warmth.
"Here," he sighed, pulling his coat off.
"Thank you, Mr. Zelgadiss," she murmured, taking his coat and pulling it over her shoulders. Again, there was silence between them. Her mind raced with a million things to say. She couldn't just let him go. Lina was her friend. She had taught Amelia so much, though most of it was not intentional. She wanted to help. The girl glanced back at the party going on, then back at Zelgadiss,who was looking back out over the courtyard. "I'm going to," she told him forcefully.
The chimera gave her an odd look. "You're going?" She nodded. "What about your father and your royal duties?"
"Miss Lina is my friend and it would be unjust to not come to her aid when she needed me.If that prophecy is true, then then millions of innocent lives at stake. As a defender of peace and justice, I can't let innocent people suffer and die. Some contracts and treaties can wait."
"What about Phil?"
"If I were to tell him, do you think he would let me go?"
"Probably not, especially not with me."
"Exactly. Daddy will understand later. Besides, the fate of the world may rest in Miss Lina's hands."
"Why is it, when ever anyone says the fate of the world may rest in Lina's hands, I get scared?" Amelia chuckled, causing the chimera to grin. "Alright then, we can leave tonight if..."
"No," she interrupted. "There will be too many guards on watch right now. The best time would be before dawn, tomorrow morning when everyone is asleep and the guards are exhausted. They are less likely to see us," she explained.
Zelgadiss raised an approving eyebrow. "Alright. The sun rises between six thirty and seven, so about four thirty would work."
She nodded, smiling. Already her heart was feeling lighter. Yes, she thought, Daddy will understand later.
There was a sudden sound of glass shattering near by. Amelia jumped, startled. Guards started scrambling from ever post they were at to investigate the noise. The music inside halted. Zelgadiss reached for his sword strapped to his waist; he rarely went anywhere without it. He scanned the direction the guards were moving, trying to see what they were after in the darkness. All he could make out were the guards running and yelling. He heard one word being repeated over and over again: Intruder. The door behind them burst open. Zelgadiss whirled around, whipping out his sword, ready to kill any intruder. He relaxed his stance, lowering his sword, when he realized it was only Phil, looking half frantic.
Phil let out a sigh of relief when he say Amelia. "Oh, Amelia, here you are."
"What's going on?" Zel demanded.
"I don't know," the bear of a man admitted. "None of the guards have come to say what is going on..."
"Take Amelia inside," the chimera ordered. Casting a quick levitation spell, he leaped off the balcony, intent on finding the intruder.
*****
It wasn't long before one of the guards came, reporting to Phil what had happened. "There were what?" Phil barked, not believing he had heard right the first time.
"Two men, sir, in the princess' privet chambers." Phil glared at the man, knowing he wasn't saying everything he knew. Gulping, the man continued, "We heard a loud crash and then some men arguing and when we went in, we found them...found them..."
"Found them what?" the prince demanded.
The guard gulped again. "W-we found them with...without any...clothes, you majesty." The guard grimaced, looking like he had already been hurt by the attack he was expecting.
"And how, exactly did they get in?!"
"W-we don't know sir..."
"And they got away!?!"
"Y-y-yes s-sir," the terrified guard studdered.
Phil almost felt bad for him...almost. The last time someone had broken in and gotten away, his wife had been murdered in an attempt to kill him. If his daughter had been in her room, she might have ended up...No! He refused to think about losing his second daughter! He had already lost one; he wasn't about to lose a second! He refused to! Calming some of his nerves, the prince looked back at the young guard. "They can't be far. Don't let anyone out of the city until they are caught."
"Yes, your majesty!" The guard turned stoutly and marched out, grateful to get away.
Phil looked back at his daughter, who looked more confused then worried. She was probably wondering exactly what he was: why were there two naked men in her room fighting? What could they have possibly been fighting over, and why were they arguing there? Worst of all thoughts that came to hi head, what had they been planning to do to his little girl? He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. She gave him a forced smile, trying to reassure him everything was alright, even if it wasn't.
*****
Zelgadiss had done a double take when he had heard one of the guards say the intruders had no clothes. Why, in the name of the Dark Lord, would they break in here without any clothes on? he had wondered. His thoughts had been cut short when he heard some of the guards shouting they had spotted them. He raced over in the direction the guards had been indicating, but didn't see them. Using all of his heightened senses, he tried to find them. His ears picked up a faint sound from near by...foot steps...running...not far to his left.
He took off after the sound, keeping himself out of sight. He didn't want them to know he was here. The feet stopped and so did the chimera. He scanned the area. They were close by, he was sure.
"This is your fault!" a male voice snapped in a hushed whisper. If he hadn't been a chimera, Zel wasn't sure he would have heard it. The voice had been soft, as if from someone young, though strong and hateful. "You an' your stupid insistence on being in the way," the voice mocked.
"If you had just left well alone, we wouldn't be in this mess!" a second voice challenged. This one was a little harsher, older, and deeper. "I told you not to go to her room, but nooo, you never listen to me. I don't know what I'm doing. I'VE never been in someone's room before when I damn well knew I shouldn't have been," he continued in a sarcastic tone. "I've just only broken in to places like this six dozen times...this one, at least five. Oh, no, I have no idea what I'm doing. I have never thought about..."
"Oh shut up," the first grumbled. "No one cares what you think."
"I care what I think," the second retorted.
"Yeah, you're the only one...Hey!" Zelgadiss moved the bush in front of him aside ever so slightly so he could get a good look. Even with his improved eye sight, he still had trouble making out the two men in the darkness. They had chosen an especially dark place to stop and argue. He barely made out their out lines. One, a man who looked as tall as Gourry, if not taller, with hair that ran all the way down his back, had lifted a much shorter man with shoulder length hair off the ground. "Put me down!" the smaller man demanded.
"Or what, you'll use one of yer pathetic little white spells on me?" the bigger one quipped. "Ha! I'm not afraid of you. I could snap your neck like a twig."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Didn't wanna make Kendra cry. Still haven't figured out why she likes you at all."
"Maybe cuz she's a better person then you. Now put me down! We gotta get moving. We stay here too long, our benevolent master," he sarcastically emphasized the word master, "will have our hides."
"He already has our hides, boy. He just hasn't strung Ôum up yet." The smaller man tumbled to the ground as the bigger one dropped him. "Yer familiar with this place, where's the nearest way out?"
The smaller man didn't bother responding, just ran off down one of the dark paths. Zel tailed behind them. They didn't seem to have noticed him. He wanted to know a little more about them before he grabbed them. They turned around one of the tall hedges, disappearing from sight. Cautiously, Zelgadiss went after them. As he came around, he didn't see them anywhere.
"Damn," he quietly swore. "Where did they..." He was cut off as something hard struck the back of his head and he fell in to darkness himself.
*****
Zelgadiss jerked awake as something damp touched his forehead, sitting straight up. "Careful," a familiar voice chided. He glared over at the speaker...the older healer from a a week or so before. He clutched his head, his head feeling like it was being split open. "You don't want to hurt yourself and sitting up so fast will make you dizzy..." She trailed off as she noticed him wobble slightly. The dizziness was right on cue. "You took a bad hit to the head. It might have killed you if you weren't made out of stone. Now, let me see," she ordered. Knowing she probably wouldn't give up until she could examine him, he gave in easily. He had already learned how stubborn some healers could be when they thought they knew best. She reached under his chin with one and closed her eyes, concentrating. A flicker of her power ran from her fingers in to his body, searching out the places in his skull that hurt and alleviating them.
While she was doing this, he spied around where he was. He had been brought inside his room and was sitting on his bed. The curtains had been pulled back and the window had been opened, allowing sunlight and fresh air in. It was early afternoon. All the books and papers had been pick up and neatly stacked on the table. No one else was in the room with them. His heart sank slightly as he realized Amelia wasn't there...Amelia! He jerked away from the mage, startling her.
"Where's Amelia!?" he demanded before the woman could protest.
"The princess is fine. You should be more worried about yourself, right now."
"What about the intruders!?"
"Got away, I'm afraid. They're still searching the city, but with no luck last I heard. They chased them around the gardens most of the night, but nobody's seen a trace of them since morning."
"Damn it!" He pounded his fist against the mattress. The mage raised a disapproving eyebrow. It sort of reminded him of the way his mother used to look at him when he was in trouble.
"Don't hit things, and watch your language," she gently scolded. "You obviously don't want to sit still, so you can stay how you are. I'm done healing you. I'll let the Prince and Princess know you're awake." Gathering up her bowl of water and a few damp rags, some with blood on them, she strode out.
Zel watched her go, scowling. She hadn't seemed the slightest bit worried about the fact that two people...two people without any equipment or clothing...had gotten in to the palace to do who knows what to Amelia when she went back to her room...and one of them had been in and out repeatedly without being caught! "Idiot," he muttered to himself. He leaned against the head board of the bed, knowing the princess, at least, would come and see him. Safe or not, he still preferred to see her with his own eyes.
He didn't wait long before Amelia came in, her father close behind. He looked worried, though Zel couldn't blame him. Amelia bounded over to the side of the bed, her face full of genuine concern.
"Are you alright, Mr. Zelgadiss?" she asked in her typical, gentle voice.
"I'm fine," he grunted. He looked her over out of the corner of his eye so she wouldn't realize he was checking to make sure she was safe. She might take it the wrong way. And kissing her didn't? he mentally scolded himself.
"Did you see them?" Phil demanded, standing by the end of the bed.
"Not really," the chimera commented. "I saw them, but it was too dark to make out any features on them. All I can tell you is one was tall with long hair and the other was about my height with shoulder length hair. They mentioned breaking in other places, though. One even said he'd been in here five times and the other knew the way out of her without being seen, though."
The prince frowned. "I see." His mind began wondering elsewhere, trying to figure out who would attack his precious little girl.
Zelgadiss glanced over at Amelia. Something was missing...Turquoise, he remembered. He wasn't there. "Where's your bird?" he asked dryly.
Amelia looked away. "I don't know," she sighed. "When I went to go see what had happened to him, I found the cage had been ripped open and his feathers were everywhere...there was no sign of him, though."
"Oh..." he trailed off. "He's probably fine. He'll turn up in a day or two." She forced out a smile, but he could tell she was still worried about him. The whole event had probably brought up bad memories for her. Zel noticed the sudden change in Phil's expression from concern to simply anger. The prince stomped out of the room, still deep in thought, and slammed the door, leaving the two alone. They both watched him go, neither quite sure what had brought about his abrupt change. "What was that about?"
"I don't know," she replied. "Something must have made him angry."
"I'd be angry too if two naked men had broken in to my daughter's room to do gods know what to her." She turned back to look at him. "They did sound like they had planned this. I don't know what they wanted, but I doubt it was anything good."
She frowned deeper. "I wouldn't think so. They should catch them, though. I mean, how far could they get without any clothes," she falsely chuckled. She was trying to lighten the mood but it wasn't helping. They were both aware this had probably been an attempt on her life.
"They will come back when everything has settled down again, ya know."
"I know."
There was a long pause between them. Amelia felt the sudden urge to study her fingers. Zel looked at the window. He almost expected the little blue bird to come flying in. It was odd to see the princess without Turquoise; they hadn't been far from each other since she found him over a week ago. Zelgadiss sighed, breaking the silence, "I suppose they will be increasing the guards around the city for a while?" She nodded, not bothering to look at him. "That's going to make leaving a bit more difficult."
"Leaving? I doubt they would try and stop you..."
"Oh, I have no doubts that I'd be able to walk through the gates without any trouble; you however...or did you change your mind?"
"Oh, I completely forgot!" she gasped, remembering their conversation on the balcony. "No, I still want to go. The front gates is not an option anymore. I do know a way that wouldn't have any guards..."
"Where?!" he interrupted eagerly.
"Under the castle, there are some tunnels. The trouble would be simply getting there unnoticed. Once inside, we could slip out nearly a mile away from the city..."
"And why didn't you mention this earlier?" he inquired, slightly annoyed.
Amelia smiled rather sheepishly. "Well, you kinda have to go in through Daddy's room..."
"Wonderful," he sighed. "So we have to get by Phil without being noticed." She nodded. "And there is no other way in?"
"No, there is another, but..." she hesitated.
"But what?"
She looked out the window, trying to find something to concentrate on. Her eyes clouded over. "It's...it's through my mother's room...it was how the man...got in..." she trailed off.
"Oh..." Again, there was silence. Zel mentally kicked himself for bringing it up. He hated causing her to feel pain. He didn't want to go through Phil's room if he didn't have to, but he wasn't sure how Amelia would take it if they went through the room her mother was murdered in. "Think you could put a sleep spell on your father without him noticing?"
She looked back at him, half smiling. "Don't know, I've never tried before. I guess I could. It could be too hard if he was already sleeping."
"Alright. Tonight."