I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)
Slayers: Not Mine
I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man): As performed by Kenny Loggins
Story: Mine!
Looking into your eyes I know I'm right
If there's anything worth my love it's worth a fight
We only get one chance
But nothing ties our hands
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He looked up into her eyes. He noticed how dark it was and that she was still in her wedding dress. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Nearly six hours. Mr. Zelgadis, what in the world were you thinking? Why did you-" He cut her off with a kiss. At first she tried to pull back, but then she leaned into it. Almost as quickly as he started it, Amelia pulled back and turned away from him. "We can't do this. I'm getting married tomorrow."
"Why?"
"Why did you come here? You said you had something to tell me."
Zelgadis stood up. "No, there's something you have to remember."
"What do I need to remember?"
He sighed. "When we first met. Do you remember that?"
"It was when we first saw Copy Rezo."
"No."
She turned and looked at him. "That *is* the first time we met." When he shook his head her cheeks heated with irritation. "Then when did we meet before that?"
"Just come with me." Before she could protest, he grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
You're what I want
Listen to me
Nothing I want
Is out of my reach
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She sat in one of the chairs, not looking at him as he took another book from the shelf. "Why are we in *here*? There's nothing new in here for your cure, you know."
"That's not what I'm looking for. This is the last place I saw you before the Copy Rezo incident."
"And I just don't remember it? I'm not stupid."
He looked at her. "I never said that. You were just...very little." When he got no reply from Amelia, he went back to looking through the books. None of them seemed particularly special, even the spell books. However, he wasn't about to be put off by uncertainty or Amelia's bad mood.
"What are you looking for?" she asked as she stood. "This would go faster if I knew so I could help."
"I'm not exactly sure, but it's something important."
"Then how do you know it's in here?" She made him turn around and look at her. "Mr. Zelgadis," she warned.
Zel looked at her for moment, then said, "That necklace was your mother's, wasn't it?"
She took a step back and blinked, partially in shock and partially in anger. "How did you know that?"
"Can I see it?"
"No."
"Amelia-"
Tired and frustrated, she pulled it off and threw it at him. "Just stop it, all right?" She sat down again in a sullen silence.
It clicked open as it landed in his hand and the small slip of paper came out. He looked at the pictures and recognized both of the girls immediately. *She never even opened it.* Then he set it down and opened the paper. *Cepheid, I can be so dumb.* He turned back to the bookshelf, tracing his finger across the authors' names. He finally found his own last name on a spine and pulled out the book. His cheeks tinted at the title. *I can't believe I didn't see this before.*
"Why are you blushing?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(I'm Free)
Heaven helps the man who fights his fear
Love's the only thing that keeps me here
You're the reason that I'm hanging on
My heart's staying where my heart belongs
(I'm Free)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He reread the title, then said, "Because you're cute when you're mad." Zelgadis saw her face redden out of the corner of his eye. When he opened the book, he was presented with what he thought had been looking for. When Amelia came up to him, he handed her the book and locket.
"What-" She cut herself off when she saw the title. The princess began to flip through, noting that all the pages were blank. "Mr. Zelgadis?" He silently handed her the paper he had found. *If this is what I think it is...* She read it twice, her eyes becoming misty when she recognized her mother's handwriting. "I was one? How was I supposed to remember that?"
"That's all you have to say?" he asked, sweatdropping.
"No." She studied him for a moment. "I guess...I guess there'll have to be some changes made to the ceremony tomorrow."
"That wasn't funny."
"I know." She kissed him lightly. "I have to show this to daddy first thing in the morning, but right now I need some sleep."
"All right. Goodnight, Amelia."
"Goodnight."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Running away will never make me free
And nothing we sign is any kind of guarantee
But I wanna hold you now
And I won't hold you down
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Zelgadis walked the hallway in the darkness, waiting for the morning to come. There was an overwhelming desire just to leave, to let things remain as they were, but he felt right going along with this. He stopped at her door every time he came to it. He resisted the urge to go in and walked on, yet kept coming back to it. Just before dawn, he stopped halfway around the corner. A man came out of Amelia's room, the light of his candle illuminating both of their faces. "Who are you?"
"I'm Amelia's fiancé. You're the one who ruined our wedding."
"You shouldn't have even planned a wedding. She doesn't love you."
The man smirked. "And she loves someone like you? I doubt that."
"Why don't you ask her yourself? Did you ever ask her why she was marrying you in the first place?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes." Zelgadis wanted this guy to leave now.
"Because of this?" He held up a piece of paper, smirking even more than before. "So you're the grandson of the Red Priest and you think you're worthy of a princess? Hardly." He touched the edge of the paper to the flame of his candle. It went up in smoke.
The chimera scowled, then said, "Why don't we deal with this on other terms?"
"You want to fight me? Why not. The winner gets to marry the princess."
"Fine." The man let the ashes of the letter fall to the floor, then walked away. Zelgadis took in a normal breath and touched Amelia's door. *I'm sorry, Amelia.*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I'm shaking the past
Making my breaks
Taking control
If that's what it takes
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I told you the wedding was yesterday, but no, you wanted to stop at that all-you-can-eat restaurant, Miss Lina," Filia said angrily.
"Oh, dear," Sylphiel said.
"Well, *she'll* probably understand. Anyway, who the heck is this Prince Terrell anyway?"
"The new prince of Seyruun?" Gourry piped up.
"Shut up!"
"Will you two cut it-" The golden dragon stopped when she saw a familiar face. "Isn't that Mr. Zelgadis?" she asked, pointing.
"Well, I'll be damned. I wonder what he's up to." She ran over to where he was, yelling, "Zel! Hey, Zelgadis!"
"She's an embarrassment."
"No, she's just Lina." Sylphiel sweatdropped as she said this simple truth.
"We don't know her, okay?" They went over to the crowd of people.
Amelia rushed out of her father's study and went to find Zelgadis. When she didn't find him in his room, the library, or the garden, she became worried. *Where is he?* She went back into her room. There was a note on her bed. "What?" The princess read the note. "Oh Cepheid, no." Amelia ran out of the palace to where the two men were.
"So who's your little girlfriend?" Terrell asked, smirking.
"What did you say?" Lina's eye twitched and Zelgadis put a hand on her shoulder. With a quick glance he told her, *Just go find Amelia.*
"Hey Gourry, you and Sylphiel should get going."
"Right." They cut through the crowd and Lina rejoined Filia.
"What's going on?" the golden dragon solicited from another bystander.
"That young man over there was supposed to marry the princess yesterday, but the other man interrupted. Now they're fighting to see who'll get to marry her."
"That doesn't sound like something Miss Amelia would agree to," Filia stated.
Lina looked at the men. "She probably doesn't know about it."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(I'm Free)
Heaven helps the man who fights his fear
Love's the only thing that keeps me here
You're the reason that I'm hanging on
My heart's staying where my heart belongs
(I'm Free)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Amelia wasn't watching where she was running and ran straight into someone. She fell on her butt. *Ow, I'm such a klutz…*
"Hey, it's Amelia. Lina sent us to look for you," Gourry said stupidly.
"Where are they?"
"They're only a few blocks away, Miss Amelia."
She quickly stood and tried to leave, but the swordsman held her back. "You shouldn't go there."
"I have to. I have to stop them!" The princess continued to struggle in vain.
"Gourry dear, I think she's right."
He looked at the girls, then loosened his hold on Amelia. "All right, let's go." They went as fast as they could, just short of running.
They were almost equal in their swordsmanship, but Zelgadis had an obvious advantage. He could almost hear Terrell's movements and caught the prince off guard several times. He was fighting as fair as he could with the attributes given to him by Rezo.
The young prince was not so honorable. He taunted the chimera every chance he got, mainly about Amelia. He wanted Zelgadis jumpy. His plan would be set in motion the moment she arrived.
"She likes to compare herself to you, to make her feel as beautiful as she is," he goaded.
*CLANG*
"You know nothing about her," Zel growled.
"I'll know her well enough tonight."
Lina watched as the chimers became angrier than she had ever seen him. The fighting became more intense, but her attention was diverted. *He brought her here? That mor-*
"Stop it! Stop it!" Her voice was shriller than normal yet still familiar. "Stop!" The princess got between the two men, breathless and flushed.
"Amelia, get out of here."
"But-"
Lina's eyes widened as she saw what Terrell was doing. "Zel, watch-" Before she could finish her warning, the prince struck.
The chimera tried to pull Amelia back, but was too slow. The sword, charged with a spell to poison Zelgadis, barely cut the man's shirt but hit the princess perfectly. "Wha…" She sank to her knees, hands clasped to her stomach. As Zelgadis dropped to his knees she fainted against him.
"Amelia! Amelia, hold on, I-"
"Fireball!" Lina smirked as Terrell fell charred to the ground.
"Miss Lina, you shouldn't have done that!"
"Oh c'mon Filia, what could…" She trailed off as she watched Zel casting recovery on the girl and it's apparent ineffectiveness. "Damn, what did that guy do?"
"That's why you shouldn't be hasty."
"He was going after Zel," she pointed out.
"Yes, but still."
They went over to them, the group now complete. "Come on, Amelia. You can't die now," he whispered. "Work, dammit!"
"Sylphiel, can you help her?"
"I might be able to, but we should try recovery together first." Lina nodded. The two females joined Zel in the spell. The princess's wound closed, but she remained pale and unconscious. "All right, I'll try now." Gourry had to forcibly move the chimera away to give the sorceress room to work. When she finished the spell, Sylphiel looked up at Lina. "She's alive, but I don't know how much longer she'll last. That spell was meant to kill Mr. Zelgadis after all."
"You're saying there's nothing you can do?"
"Zel, calm down."
"Easy for you to say," he commented softly. He moved close to the dying princess. *Why does it always have to be you?*
"Mr. Gourry, Miss Sylphiel, please stand back," the hereto-quiet dragon priestess commanded. "Miss Lina, I'll need you to cast two spells for me."
"What?"
Zelgadis looked up at Filia. "What are you going to do?"
"One of those spells you never think you'll use. I have to tell you that you could die from this." "I don't care."
"But you may survive while Miss Amelia doesn't as well."
"Just do it."
She nodded. "Miss Lina, cast a sleep spell on him, as strong as you can."
"Right." The petit sorceress used the talismans she got from Xellos to strengthen the spell. "Sleeping!"
Zelgadis was instantly asleep and Gourry had to catch him so he wouldn't land on the girl. Once they were side by side, Filia resumed giving orders. "Cast a barrier spell around the three of us. You two try to get anyone else away from here."
"Okay."
"Three? What about me?" Lina asked.
"If you want to risk dying, go ahead and join us."
"No thanks." She cast the barrier. Listening closely to the dragon priestess's words, Lina realized Filia was scared. *I hope she knows what she's doing.*
White streams of light flowed from the two unconscious figures and combined above them. Filia cupped it in her hands, then knelt between them. She pulled the light into two nearly equal pieces. *Here goes nothing.* The priestess forced the halves into Amelia and Zelgadis's bodies. A brilliant illumination blotted out the occupants of the barrier. "Aaaaaaaaaah!!!"
"Filia!" She removed the barrier and fumbled towards the three. "Filia!"
"Miss Lina…" She looked up at the small woman. "Look."
Amelia's rosy complexion had returned and she seemed to be breathing normally. Lina was smiling, but it faltered when she looked at Zelgadis. "What did you do?"
"They're alive, that's all that matters. We need to get them to bed though."
She nodded in agreement. They went to the palace, Gourry carrying Zel and Filia lugging the princess.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
You're what I want
Listen to me
Nothing I want
Is out of my reach
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Amelia blinked her eyes open and started at the ceiling in her bedroom. As in the last few days, it only took seconds for tears to form in her eyes. *Zelgadis…*
Lina pressed the girl back down. "You're not well enough to get up yet. I know you want to see Zel, but he's still unconscious."
"I'm fine. I don't even remember what happened after I tried to stop the fight."
"That's good, you still need your rest. Haven't I already told you what happened?"
"Yes." She curled into a ball and buried her face in her pillow.
"Alright. Now stay put."
He was warm. *I must be in Hell. I've never felt like this.* Then a shiver ran through him. He moaned.
"Sh. Sh."
Zelgadis froze, feeling the body pressed against his. *What?* He let his hand light on the arm around his waist and trailed it to her throat. "Amelia?" he whispered as he opened his eyes.
She looked up at him, smiling. "I thought I could wake you up."
"What happened?"
"I nearly died. Filia used a special spell that nearly killed us both."
"But we're here."
"After nearly a month." She traced a finger down his chest, eliciting a satisfying shiver from him. "You look so different now."
"What? What happened?" Zel tried to get up, but the princess pinned him down. He looked up at her blushing face as she straddled him. As he lifted his hand to touch her face, two things caught his attention. The gold ring gleamed against pale pink skin and he asked, "Am I going crazy?"
"No." Her cheeks tinted more as his body reacted to her positioning.
"How?"
"Will you stay put?"
He flushed, feeling his cheeks burning more than ever. "Yes."
Amelia settled down beside him again. "Filia told Lina it was a side effect of the spell. From what she could explain to Lina, we both *did* die, but the spell catches the spirit before it can escape."
"But how did this happen?"
Amelia struggled with words, blushing a little. "For a few seconds, we were one…entity. The spell Rezo cast on you only affected your body, but Filia's spell counteracted that. She is a golden dragon after all." She became quiet, resting her head against his chest.
"And this?"
"A wedding gift from Filia. She couldn't stay." She held up her small hand, which had an identical band on it. He looked at her expectantly. "She had to go back to get little Val."
"I see." He gently kissed her, pressing his warm lips to hers for the first time. "Amelia," Zelgadis murmured.
She let her hand return to his waist. "Why did you agree to that stupid fight?"
"I didn't think your father would agree to us getting married without-"
"Without this?" she asked, revealing the paper with the missing corner.
"What?"
"I had the feeling Terrell was watching us, so I made a copy. He must have thought I was stupid to leave it out."
"Where did you have it?"
She blushed again and averted her eyes. "Someplace I knew no one would look."
"Amelia!"
"Sh. It's not like that. Anyway, Lina doesn't know I'm here." She kissed him lightly. "Don't even think about going anywhere, all right?"
"I don't think I can, even if I wanted to." He cupped the back of her head and pulled her into another kiss. "I'll be waiting." She got up and left. He smiled and settled back into sleep. He was where he wanted to be. This made him feel more limitless than ever.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(I'm Free)
Heaven helps the man who fights his fear
Love's the only thing that keeps me here
You're the reason that I'm hanging on
My heart's staying where my heart belongs
(I'm Free)
Fin
Slayers: Not Mine
I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man): As performed by Kenny Loggins
Story: Mine!
Looking into your eyes I know I'm right
If there's anything worth my love it's worth a fight
We only get one chance
But nothing ties our hands
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He looked up into her eyes. He noticed how dark it was and that she was still in her wedding dress. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Nearly six hours. Mr. Zelgadis, what in the world were you thinking? Why did you-" He cut her off with a kiss. At first she tried to pull back, but then she leaned into it. Almost as quickly as he started it, Amelia pulled back and turned away from him. "We can't do this. I'm getting married tomorrow."
"Why?"
"Why did you come here? You said you had something to tell me."
Zelgadis stood up. "No, there's something you have to remember."
"What do I need to remember?"
He sighed. "When we first met. Do you remember that?"
"It was when we first saw Copy Rezo."
"No."
She turned and looked at him. "That *is* the first time we met." When he shook his head her cheeks heated with irritation. "Then when did we meet before that?"
"Just come with me." Before she could protest, he grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
You're what I want
Listen to me
Nothing I want
Is out of my reach
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She sat in one of the chairs, not looking at him as he took another book from the shelf. "Why are we in *here*? There's nothing new in here for your cure, you know."
"That's not what I'm looking for. This is the last place I saw you before the Copy Rezo incident."
"And I just don't remember it? I'm not stupid."
He looked at her. "I never said that. You were just...very little." When he got no reply from Amelia, he went back to looking through the books. None of them seemed particularly special, even the spell books. However, he wasn't about to be put off by uncertainty or Amelia's bad mood.
"What are you looking for?" she asked as she stood. "This would go faster if I knew so I could help."
"I'm not exactly sure, but it's something important."
"Then how do you know it's in here?" She made him turn around and look at her. "Mr. Zelgadis," she warned.
Zel looked at her for moment, then said, "That necklace was your mother's, wasn't it?"
She took a step back and blinked, partially in shock and partially in anger. "How did you know that?"
"Can I see it?"
"No."
"Amelia-"
Tired and frustrated, she pulled it off and threw it at him. "Just stop it, all right?" She sat down again in a sullen silence.
It clicked open as it landed in his hand and the small slip of paper came out. He looked at the pictures and recognized both of the girls immediately. *She never even opened it.* Then he set it down and opened the paper. *Cepheid, I can be so dumb.* He turned back to the bookshelf, tracing his finger across the authors' names. He finally found his own last name on a spine and pulled out the book. His cheeks tinted at the title. *I can't believe I didn't see this before.*
"Why are you blushing?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(I'm Free)
Heaven helps the man who fights his fear
Love's the only thing that keeps me here
You're the reason that I'm hanging on
My heart's staying where my heart belongs
(I'm Free)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He reread the title, then said, "Because you're cute when you're mad." Zelgadis saw her face redden out of the corner of his eye. When he opened the book, he was presented with what he thought had been looking for. When Amelia came up to him, he handed her the book and locket.
"What-" She cut herself off when she saw the title. The princess began to flip through, noting that all the pages were blank. "Mr. Zelgadis?" He silently handed her the paper he had found. *If this is what I think it is...* She read it twice, her eyes becoming misty when she recognized her mother's handwriting. "I was one? How was I supposed to remember that?"
"That's all you have to say?" he asked, sweatdropping.
"No." She studied him for a moment. "I guess...I guess there'll have to be some changes made to the ceremony tomorrow."
"That wasn't funny."
"I know." She kissed him lightly. "I have to show this to daddy first thing in the morning, but right now I need some sleep."
"All right. Goodnight, Amelia."
"Goodnight."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Running away will never make me free
And nothing we sign is any kind of guarantee
But I wanna hold you now
And I won't hold you down
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Zelgadis walked the hallway in the darkness, waiting for the morning to come. There was an overwhelming desire just to leave, to let things remain as they were, but he felt right going along with this. He stopped at her door every time he came to it. He resisted the urge to go in and walked on, yet kept coming back to it. Just before dawn, he stopped halfway around the corner. A man came out of Amelia's room, the light of his candle illuminating both of their faces. "Who are you?"
"I'm Amelia's fiancé. You're the one who ruined our wedding."
"You shouldn't have even planned a wedding. She doesn't love you."
The man smirked. "And she loves someone like you? I doubt that."
"Why don't you ask her yourself? Did you ever ask her why she was marrying you in the first place?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes." Zelgadis wanted this guy to leave now.
"Because of this?" He held up a piece of paper, smirking even more than before. "So you're the grandson of the Red Priest and you think you're worthy of a princess? Hardly." He touched the edge of the paper to the flame of his candle. It went up in smoke.
The chimera scowled, then said, "Why don't we deal with this on other terms?"
"You want to fight me? Why not. The winner gets to marry the princess."
"Fine." The man let the ashes of the letter fall to the floor, then walked away. Zelgadis took in a normal breath and touched Amelia's door. *I'm sorry, Amelia.*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I'm shaking the past
Making my breaks
Taking control
If that's what it takes
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I told you the wedding was yesterday, but no, you wanted to stop at that all-you-can-eat restaurant, Miss Lina," Filia said angrily.
"Oh, dear," Sylphiel said.
"Well, *she'll* probably understand. Anyway, who the heck is this Prince Terrell anyway?"
"The new prince of Seyruun?" Gourry piped up.
"Shut up!"
"Will you two cut it-" The golden dragon stopped when she saw a familiar face. "Isn't that Mr. Zelgadis?" she asked, pointing.
"Well, I'll be damned. I wonder what he's up to." She ran over to where he was, yelling, "Zel! Hey, Zelgadis!"
"She's an embarrassment."
"No, she's just Lina." Sylphiel sweatdropped as she said this simple truth.
"We don't know her, okay?" They went over to the crowd of people.
Amelia rushed out of her father's study and went to find Zelgadis. When she didn't find him in his room, the library, or the garden, she became worried. *Where is he?* She went back into her room. There was a note on her bed. "What?" The princess read the note. "Oh Cepheid, no." Amelia ran out of the palace to where the two men were.
"So who's your little girlfriend?" Terrell asked, smirking.
"What did you say?" Lina's eye twitched and Zelgadis put a hand on her shoulder. With a quick glance he told her, *Just go find Amelia.*
"Hey Gourry, you and Sylphiel should get going."
"Right." They cut through the crowd and Lina rejoined Filia.
"What's going on?" the golden dragon solicited from another bystander.
"That young man over there was supposed to marry the princess yesterday, but the other man interrupted. Now they're fighting to see who'll get to marry her."
"That doesn't sound like something Miss Amelia would agree to," Filia stated.
Lina looked at the men. "She probably doesn't know about it."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(I'm Free)
Heaven helps the man who fights his fear
Love's the only thing that keeps me here
You're the reason that I'm hanging on
My heart's staying where my heart belongs
(I'm Free)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Amelia wasn't watching where she was running and ran straight into someone. She fell on her butt. *Ow, I'm such a klutz…*
"Hey, it's Amelia. Lina sent us to look for you," Gourry said stupidly.
"Where are they?"
"They're only a few blocks away, Miss Amelia."
She quickly stood and tried to leave, but the swordsman held her back. "You shouldn't go there."
"I have to. I have to stop them!" The princess continued to struggle in vain.
"Gourry dear, I think she's right."
He looked at the girls, then loosened his hold on Amelia. "All right, let's go." They went as fast as they could, just short of running.
They were almost equal in their swordsmanship, but Zelgadis had an obvious advantage. He could almost hear Terrell's movements and caught the prince off guard several times. He was fighting as fair as he could with the attributes given to him by Rezo.
The young prince was not so honorable. He taunted the chimera every chance he got, mainly about Amelia. He wanted Zelgadis jumpy. His plan would be set in motion the moment she arrived.
"She likes to compare herself to you, to make her feel as beautiful as she is," he goaded.
*CLANG*
"You know nothing about her," Zel growled.
"I'll know her well enough tonight."
Lina watched as the chimers became angrier than she had ever seen him. The fighting became more intense, but her attention was diverted. *He brought her here? That mor-*
"Stop it! Stop it!" Her voice was shriller than normal yet still familiar. "Stop!" The princess got between the two men, breathless and flushed.
"Amelia, get out of here."
"But-"
Lina's eyes widened as she saw what Terrell was doing. "Zel, watch-" Before she could finish her warning, the prince struck.
The chimera tried to pull Amelia back, but was too slow. The sword, charged with a spell to poison Zelgadis, barely cut the man's shirt but hit the princess perfectly. "Wha…" She sank to her knees, hands clasped to her stomach. As Zelgadis dropped to his knees she fainted against him.
"Amelia! Amelia, hold on, I-"
"Fireball!" Lina smirked as Terrell fell charred to the ground.
"Miss Lina, you shouldn't have done that!"
"Oh c'mon Filia, what could…" She trailed off as she watched Zel casting recovery on the girl and it's apparent ineffectiveness. "Damn, what did that guy do?"
"That's why you shouldn't be hasty."
"He was going after Zel," she pointed out.
"Yes, but still."
They went over to them, the group now complete. "Come on, Amelia. You can't die now," he whispered. "Work, dammit!"
"Sylphiel, can you help her?"
"I might be able to, but we should try recovery together first." Lina nodded. The two females joined Zel in the spell. The princess's wound closed, but she remained pale and unconscious. "All right, I'll try now." Gourry had to forcibly move the chimera away to give the sorceress room to work. When she finished the spell, Sylphiel looked up at Lina. "She's alive, but I don't know how much longer she'll last. That spell was meant to kill Mr. Zelgadis after all."
"You're saying there's nothing you can do?"
"Zel, calm down."
"Easy for you to say," he commented softly. He moved close to the dying princess. *Why does it always have to be you?*
"Mr. Gourry, Miss Sylphiel, please stand back," the hereto-quiet dragon priestess commanded. "Miss Lina, I'll need you to cast two spells for me."
"What?"
Zelgadis looked up at Filia. "What are you going to do?"
"One of those spells you never think you'll use. I have to tell you that you could die from this." "I don't care."
"But you may survive while Miss Amelia doesn't as well."
"Just do it."
She nodded. "Miss Lina, cast a sleep spell on him, as strong as you can."
"Right." The petit sorceress used the talismans she got from Xellos to strengthen the spell. "Sleeping!"
Zelgadis was instantly asleep and Gourry had to catch him so he wouldn't land on the girl. Once they were side by side, Filia resumed giving orders. "Cast a barrier spell around the three of us. You two try to get anyone else away from here."
"Okay."
"Three? What about me?" Lina asked.
"If you want to risk dying, go ahead and join us."
"No thanks." She cast the barrier. Listening closely to the dragon priestess's words, Lina realized Filia was scared. *I hope she knows what she's doing.*
White streams of light flowed from the two unconscious figures and combined above them. Filia cupped it in her hands, then knelt between them. She pulled the light into two nearly equal pieces. *Here goes nothing.* The priestess forced the halves into Amelia and Zelgadis's bodies. A brilliant illumination blotted out the occupants of the barrier. "Aaaaaaaaaah!!!"
"Filia!" She removed the barrier and fumbled towards the three. "Filia!"
"Miss Lina…" She looked up at the small woman. "Look."
Amelia's rosy complexion had returned and she seemed to be breathing normally. Lina was smiling, but it faltered when she looked at Zelgadis. "What did you do?"
"They're alive, that's all that matters. We need to get them to bed though."
She nodded in agreement. They went to the palace, Gourry carrying Zel and Filia lugging the princess.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
You're what I want
Listen to me
Nothing I want
Is out of my reach
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Amelia blinked her eyes open and started at the ceiling in her bedroom. As in the last few days, it only took seconds for tears to form in her eyes. *Zelgadis…*
Lina pressed the girl back down. "You're not well enough to get up yet. I know you want to see Zel, but he's still unconscious."
"I'm fine. I don't even remember what happened after I tried to stop the fight."
"That's good, you still need your rest. Haven't I already told you what happened?"
"Yes." She curled into a ball and buried her face in her pillow.
"Alright. Now stay put."
He was warm. *I must be in Hell. I've never felt like this.* Then a shiver ran through him. He moaned.
"Sh. Sh."
Zelgadis froze, feeling the body pressed against his. *What?* He let his hand light on the arm around his waist and trailed it to her throat. "Amelia?" he whispered as he opened his eyes.
She looked up at him, smiling. "I thought I could wake you up."
"What happened?"
"I nearly died. Filia used a special spell that nearly killed us both."
"But we're here."
"After nearly a month." She traced a finger down his chest, eliciting a satisfying shiver from him. "You look so different now."
"What? What happened?" Zel tried to get up, but the princess pinned him down. He looked up at her blushing face as she straddled him. As he lifted his hand to touch her face, two things caught his attention. The gold ring gleamed against pale pink skin and he asked, "Am I going crazy?"
"No." Her cheeks tinted more as his body reacted to her positioning.
"How?"
"Will you stay put?"
He flushed, feeling his cheeks burning more than ever. "Yes."
Amelia settled down beside him again. "Filia told Lina it was a side effect of the spell. From what she could explain to Lina, we both *did* die, but the spell catches the spirit before it can escape."
"But how did this happen?"
Amelia struggled with words, blushing a little. "For a few seconds, we were one…entity. The spell Rezo cast on you only affected your body, but Filia's spell counteracted that. She is a golden dragon after all." She became quiet, resting her head against his chest.
"And this?"
"A wedding gift from Filia. She couldn't stay." She held up her small hand, which had an identical band on it. He looked at her expectantly. "She had to go back to get little Val."
"I see." He gently kissed her, pressing his warm lips to hers for the first time. "Amelia," Zelgadis murmured.
She let her hand return to his waist. "Why did you agree to that stupid fight?"
"I didn't think your father would agree to us getting married without-"
"Without this?" she asked, revealing the paper with the missing corner.
"What?"
"I had the feeling Terrell was watching us, so I made a copy. He must have thought I was stupid to leave it out."
"Where did you have it?"
She blushed again and averted her eyes. "Someplace I knew no one would look."
"Amelia!"
"Sh. It's not like that. Anyway, Lina doesn't know I'm here." She kissed him lightly. "Don't even think about going anywhere, all right?"
"I don't think I can, even if I wanted to." He cupped the back of her head and pulled her into another kiss. "I'll be waiting." She got up and left. He smiled and settled back into sleep. He was where he wanted to be. This made him feel more limitless than ever.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(I'm Free)
Heaven helps the man who fights his fear
Love's the only thing that keeps me here
You're the reason that I'm hanging on
My heart's staying where my heart belongs
(I'm Free)
Fin
