Itai! Poor Gourry! I bet that hurts! ... *wince* Anywho! Kepp reading, folks! I got more more More MORE!!
When Gourry woke up, he was very disoriented. He tried to remember what had just happened to him. He'd found the clue, and was trying to figure it out, when the lighthouse fell.
Gourry sat bolt upright, and brought both hands to his head at the pain that sudden movement had caused. When the pain assuaged, Gourry removed his hands, feeling several small cuts on his face, no doubt caused by the falling glass.
Quickly, Gourry checked his condition. He had dozens and dozens of small scratches from the glass, and large bruises from the cannonballs. He had one particularly nasty black and blue mark across his chest from the stone pillar crushing him. It hurt him to breathe too deeply. His head also pounded, and Gourry reached up to touch the sore spot again. It was covered in thick bandages.
It was then that Gourry wondered where he was. Someone had bandaged him up. Who? Looking around, Gourry found that he was in a pleasant little room. There were yellow curtains hanging at the open window, and he was in a comfortable bed. In one corner his sword and armor were piled, and the notes he'd kept were all out on a bedside table.
Just as Gourry was reaching for his letters, wincing as this movement agitated his bruise, the door to the room opened. Gourry paused, and looked over at who came it.
A small girl with short brown hair was backing into the room, both her hands full with a tray of water and some bandages. When she turned around and saw Gourry awake, she gasped and nearly dropped her things. "You... You're awake, sir?" the girl asked tentatively, setting the tray down on a dresser near the bed.
Gourry nodded. He stole a glance back at his letters, but decided to leave them where they were for the time being. "Who--"
"I'm Aliya," the girl told him with a shy smile. "And... you're Gourry Gabriev-san?" At Gourry's questioning look, the Aliya blushed and said, "I... I read your letters. I hope you don't mind..."
"You helped me?" Gourry asked. When the girl nodded, he said, "I don't mind."
Aliya took a hesitant step forward, and asked, "Are you in trouble? From the sound of your letters, that girl Lina was kidnapped, right?" Gourry nodded. "And you're trying to get her back?" Gourry nodded. "You love her?" Gourry blinked a few times.
"Love her?" he asked in confusion.
Quickly, Aliya shook her head, and said, "No, never mind. You're just friends, then?"
"Yeah," Gourry said uncertainly. Those feelings he'd had... had they been love? For Lina?
"Um..." Aliya said, interrupting his thoughts. "When I read your letters, and I heard the last riddle... I... um... started thinking about it, and I might know where it is..."
Gourry was instantly alert. "Where?" he asked. "You think you know? Where is it?"
"I'll tell you after I bandage you up again," Aliya said, a slight stern tone in her voice. "You got hurt real bad, and you were out for two days."
"Two days!?!" Gourry demanded. "No! I can't stay any longer! I have to hurry! What if he hurt Lina already? What if it's too late? What if... what if..." Gourry trailed off, tortured by the thought of Lina being gone already because of him and his carelessness. He felt tears run down his cheeks as he said, "What if she's already dead?" His voice was very quiet, and Aliya almost didn't hear him.
Aliya bit her lip, and said, "I promise I'll let you go look after I bandage you up. And I can ensure swift transportation to where you need to be."
Gourry looked up at her, and nodded, drying his face quickly, a little embarrassed that he'd cried in front of someone.
As Aliya went to work, she thought about Gourry and his reactions to the thought of Lina dead already. She assumed that they really were in love, but they just didn't know it yet. That happened surprisingly a lot. When she finished replacing the bandage on Gourry's head and applying some ointment to his deeper cuts, she said, "Okay, as for the place you need to go, it's a mountain."
Gourry thought about it. "What has roots that no one sees, and is taller than the trees?"
Aliya joined in, and they said the last verse together. "Up, up it goes, and yet never grows."
"A mountain?" Gourry asked.
"Yeah," Aliya said, nodding. "It's much taller than trees, never grows, and it's roots are just the base of it."
Gourry stared at that little girl. Even she could figure it out, and he couldn't. "Thank you," he told her sincerely.
"And there's Mount Rymond right across the lake," Aliya told him. "My daddy has a boat, and he can get you over there fast. If we hurry, we can catch him."
Gourry stood up, balancing himself against a wave of dizziness, and quickly grabbed his things. He stuffed his letters in a pocket, and strapped his sword to his hip, wincing at his came in contact with a bruise. He thought about putting his armor on, but the idea of his heavy armor over that giant bruise on his chest convinced him otherwise. He decided to leave it there, and get it on his way back after he found Lina.
After that, Gourry followed the young Aliya out of the room, and through a small one-story house, and out into the streets. Gourry winced when he saw the fallen lighthouse and the remains of the boat that had collided into it. That was his fault, wasn't it?
Aliya led Gourry past the lighthouse, down to the marina. Half a dozen boats were docked there. Aliya took Gourry to the largest one at the very end, and called up in a voice that seemed too loud for her small stature. "DADDY!!"
A young man with brown hair tied into a ponytail looked down over the port side of the ship. "Aliya!" he called down. "Who's that with you?"
"It's the man from the lighthouse!" Aliya called back. "His name is Gourry-san!"
The man looked at Gourry, and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I want you to take him to the mountain, Daddy!" Aliya told him. "You're going there now, right?"
"Yes, I am..." Aliya's father said. "Why does he need to get to the mountain?"
Aliya looked over at Gourry. She couldn't say he was looking for his love. How about... "He's looking for a friend who's supposed to be over there!"
Sighing, the man looked down at Gourry, and said, "Fine! Lead him aboard, Aliya!"
"THANK YOU, DADDY!" Aliya shouted as her father went back to work. She turned to Gourry, grinning, and said, "Follow me!" The girl took off down the dock, and dashed up the gangplank, Gourry right behind her. When they got on deck, Aliya showed him around a little, pointing out where the galley was, though she said he might not be on the boat long enough to eat.
"But the lake is really wide, right?" Gourry asked. "It'd take more than a few hours to cross..."
Aliya grinned widely, and said, "Not with my dad's ship! Just you wait, it's powerful fast!"
Gourry just shrugged. He knew almost nothing about boats.
"Aliya!" her father called. "Off the boat, I'm setting out!"
Nodding, Aliya yelled back, "All right!" She then said to Gourry, "Good luck." She turned around, and went back down to the dock, waiting there for the boat to leave.
Gourry leaned over the rail and waved to Aliya as the ship left the dock. If the mountain was indeed where he was supposed to go, then he'd owe Lina's life to that girl. He never would have been able to figure out that riddle, yet a young girl had. Sighing, Gourry rested his elbows on the railing and just watched the water as they sailed over the lake.
"You all right there?" Aliya's father asked, coming over to him. "You aren't seasick, are you?"
Gourry shook his head. "No, I'm fine," he said. Which, of course, was a complete lie. He still missed Lina and worried for her. What if he had been unconscious too long and Lina was already dead? Then it would have been his fault she'd died.
"Hey, buck up," Aliya's father told him. "I'm Ty. Aliya said your name is Gourry?"
Slowly, Gourry nodded. His elation at figuring out where the next clue would be was started to fade. He couldn't help but dread the fact that Lina was gone forever already.
After slapping Gourry on the shoulder, Ty said, "Hey, don't worry. You look like you're fretting over something. Whatever it is, it'll turn out right. You'll see." With that, Ty crossed the deck and headed back to the helm.
Staring down at the waters as the boat plowed through them, Gourry sincerely hoped Ty was right, and then everything would end up okay. Gourry let out a deep sigh, and just continued to watch the water as the ship sped on.
Once while the ship was near the middle of the lake, Gourry thought he saw a dolphin jump up before returning to the waters. He figured it was just high hopes that he saw it, since dolphins were supposed to represent good luck.
"Land ho!" the lookout in the crow's nest called out.
Gourry looked up with a jerk. He must have dozed off right there, leaning on the railing. He lifted his head, and saw the far shore of the lake coming closer. Looming right on the coast was a tall mountain, its peak disappearing in the clouds. Gourry had never seen such a tall mountain just standing on its own. Through most of his traveling when he saw a mountain that tall, it was usually in a chain of mountains the same height.
The boat slowed as they reached the dock at the shore. There was another sea port at the docks, and the mountain was just behind it. As soon as Gourry was allowed off, he ran down the gangplank and raced toward the mountain. His next clue would be there, he knew it. He passed restaurants, inns, and taverns but, though he hadn't eaten recently, he wasn't hungry. Every concern of his was focused on getting to the mountain and getting Lina back.
...and hoping he wasn't too late.
By the time Gourry reached the base of the mountain, he was out of breath and had nearly worn off his legs. But he was there. He stopped for a moment, his hands on his knees, to catch his breath. While he did so, he took the time to look around for anything leading to the next clue. What he saw was not a letter, but a large wooden door built right into the face of the mountain.
Gourry stopped his heavy breathing, and went over to investigate. The door stood taller than he did, and was at least twice as wide. In the center of the door was a large brass handle. After hesitating only a moment, Gourry grabbed the knob and turned. The door opened with a soft click, and Gourry pushed the door, which led into a long, wide corridor leading straight through the mountain. After taking a deep breath, Gourry set forth into the tunnel. A passage like that would not stop him. He had, after all, promised to go to the very ends of the Earth to get Lina back with him.