Chapter 7.5
Philionel's Dilemma
Crown Prince Philionel was not a happy man.
He strode through the remains of Martina's wedding anniversary party, his brow furrowing with pondering.
Recent events had brought things onto a downhill course. First his beloved daughter Amelia, whom he hadn't seen in a while and most pleased to meet again, comes under the power of some possession spell. Then Amelia, under the power of said spell, brings the entire party to a standstill and then into disarray. And what made matters worse was that Martina was (understandably) quite irate by Amelia's destruction that she berated everyone in sight and even went so far to place a bounty on the head's of Amelia and her friends!
No, Crown Prince Philionel was not a happy man.
Even now, Martina, still quite frustrated at her anniversary being ruined, was screaming epithets left right and centre. She was venting her annoyance at anyone, or anything, that moved. Phil sighed. He knew she was, for the moment, speaking without thinking. She was so blinded by her frustration that she said anything that came to mind.
But Phil wasn't too worried about that. He was more so concerned on how this little fiasco would effect the trade relations on the Saillune name. As a Crown Prince, Phil understood well his position as a figurehead to the people and how much the concept of image relied a lot on this position. And image was dependent upon the concepts of dignity, socialism, friendliness and patience.
But not upon attacking Shrine Maidens.
Phil sighed again. It won't be long before this story of "The Psychotic Princess of Saillune" enters the mouths of gossipers and spreads along the country like wildfire. And with these words, the public relations of Saillune would soon crumble. It was no use explaining that she was possessed- Who would believe that? And since when have gossipers ever listened to truth?
And what was worse was that princess was now fugitive. A fugitive with a bounty. Although Martina's proposition was her acting without thinking, the bounty was real. And soon, Amelia would be beset by every greedy die-hard looking for quick cash.
Suddenly Philionel was struck by an alarming thought. What if she was still possessed? What if some lunatic was still manipulating her towards some devious deed? This would create extensive damage onto the Saillune name - only more so! Not only that but it would also tarnish the name of the Champions of Justice.
Not a pleasurable thought at all! Something must be done immediately!
If only he knew where she was. She had fled into the city with Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis in hot pursuit. But did they catch up with her? Did they manage to break the possession spell that was plaguing his beloved daughter?
He can never be sure. But one thing's for certain: He must catch up with his daughter before any further damage is wrought. Yes, he had faith in Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis but, in this critical time, he can't afford to take any chances.
However it was now that he faced another problem: He would like to pursue his daughter himself. But his place wasn't on the adventurers' road. No, it was here, ready to sort out any problems upon the Saillune name.
Yet he can't really abandon his role as father.....
He could always send someone after Amelia.
But who?
As he made his way through the ruined party, Phil's eye fell on Syl. She sat, by herself, upon a park bench. Her face was pale and her hands were shaking- Obviously she was still in a state of shock following Amelia's attack.
You're crazy! You can't be serious! Yelled a little voice from within Phil's brain.
Phil didn't heed this voice. Instead he approached Syl.
"Sylphiel!" Phil greeted. "Are you all right?"
Syl, although upset as she was, managed a nod. Seeing Philionel made her relax somewhat - He was, of course, a Champion of Justice and a protector of the people.
Yet the sight of Phil wasn't enough to rescue Syl from her shock.
"Why would Amelia attack me like that?" she asked, her voice radiant in distress.
"She was under the power of a possession spell" Phil explained.
Syl blinked.
"I see..."
"But now" Phil sighed. "She's run off completely. I don't know where she is..."
"I guess" Syl said softly "She had, by then, escaped the power of that spell....."
Suddenly her eyes widened.
"Oh no!" she cried. "If she's run off then that must mean she must be upset! Upset by what did she under the power of that possession spell!"
Phil blinked.
"What?" he inquired. "She attacks you and you're not bothered?!"
"Of course not!" Syl said. "She was, as you said, under possession! It wasn't her fault!"
"Precisely" Phil agreed.
"But now she's run off." Syl sighed. "She's gone...."
"Hold on." Phil said. "You want to tell her that you're willing to make it up for the chaos she's caused?"
Syl nodded.
"Fascinating." Phil said, grinning a sly smile. "Because I was wondering if you could do something for me....."
Syl blinked at Phil and said nothing.
But eventually she nodded. What else could she do? With her life in ruins there was pretty much little else to do.
Phil's face then took an unusual change. His usual grin vanished only to be replaced by a more serious expression - which was most rare for his case.
"Sylphiel" Phil said, laying a gentle hand on the shrine maiden's shoulder, "I want to you to go after Amelia for me"
Immediately, Syl's eyes widened.
"Now listen Sylphiel" Phil said in a voice that was at once both firm and commanding, "My daughter is under the power of some possession spell. She is being manipulated by some bastard of an evil malefactor. Now, if she remains under this power, there is no telling of the damage that could be caused. And, as a princess of Saillune, this could create such chaos to the Saillune name!"
Syl nodded, thus telling Phil that she was taking in every word.
"Now, I want you to go after my daughter and stop her before some other disaster occurs! I also want you to do whatever you can to destroy this spell! I would go after her myself but my place is here, to deal with all the angry diplomats in this disaster. So please, go after my daughter. For me."
"Besides" he added, with a sly grin. "I think it would be a good opportunity to say that you're not angry!"
Syl slowly nodded. Then, a small smile made it's way across her face.
"Yes. I will"
And within moments, Syl was making her way through Sairaag and into the chaotic world that lay beyond the secure walls of the city.
Phil watched her go. He sure regretted sending her off like that. Sure she was quite keen on seeing Amelia and reconciling their differences. Sure she was determined to stop Amelia from coming to harm. Sure she understood the Crown Prince's predicament. And sure she was keen to help Phil.
But why would she take up a quest like that? As Phil recalled, Syl wasn't too well adjusted to warfare. Sure she fought, but that was out of desperation. And her fighting skills weren't exactly....
...adequate.
And what was perhaps baffling (to the eye of the observer at least) was why would she go after someone who tried to kill her? And why would she, of all the peaceful types, go after someone in a journey that would lead her to countless dangers?
Perhaps she was more keen to see Gourry again (as Phil remembered her) and would go to any lengths to achieve her goals?
Or was she hiding something from the Crown Prince?
Phil shook his head. Perhaps he would never know.
But now he must let it go. For he has the most hideous of diplomatic matters to attend to.....
Chapter 8
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