Chapter 4
Coming Home
And then what happened?
Why do you ask? I've just told you a complete story. What more can I tell you?
What's that?
Ah, it seems I was wrong about you. You may be blind to the fact that my world-weary experiences hide under a cloak of a drunk but, at the same time, you are perceptive enough to know that my story doesn't end there.
Okay, maybe I am wrong to judge you so quickly - Even as you were so quick to judge me when I started this tale. Why don't we call it quits now, eh?
Good. Now as long as you're all listening and my tankard is kept full, I'll continue on with this story.
Having survived that incident at the mine, Lina, Gourry, Sylphiel, Naga, Zelgadis and Amelia all resumed their journey, continuing onto their original destination. A destination that promised a warm welcome.
But even the most warmest welcomes can be, at times, overbearing.
"It is so good to see you all again!" Crown Prince Philionel Saillune joyfully boomed, scooping up the swordsman, the sorceress, the shrine maiden, the chimera and the princess all into one of his bone-crushing bear hugs.
"I'm so glad that you're all alive!" Phil beamed. "I thought you were all dead!"
Sadly, for the Crown prince, whilst he had fully grasped the happiness of the situation, his eagerness to share it had overcome the concern for the people involved.
"....Nice....see....you.....Phil" Zel choked.
"...Lemme....outta.....here!" Gourry gasped.
"...I...can't .....breathe!" Sylphiel mumbled.
"....Dammit....Phil.....Must...you...do....this....every....time!?" Lina spluttered.
Eventually, Phil released his prisoners from his bear hug. Instantaneously, Syl, Lina, Gourry and Zel fell to the floor, all struggling to get back some circulation into their lungs! Amelia however, well used to years of her father's bone-crunching hugs, landed gracefully to her feet.
Ignoring the other three, Philionel laid a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"And I am so glad to see you again" the crown prince said. "I really thought I was going to lose you"
"Thank you Father" Amelia answered.
Unnoticed by the two members of the Saillune ruling house, Lina and Gourry exchanged exasperated glances on the floor.
"Gourry" Lina said, with an expression of utter disgust. "I think I'm gonna be sick....."
As Syl got up off the floor, she soon found herself being confronted by Phil.
"And I should thank you, Sylphiel, for recovering my daughter"
"You're welcome" Sylphiel smiled.
"Now then" Phil said. "I would love to hear all of your adventures at dinner time. But until then, you are all guests here in Saillune. Therefore, I grant you the freedom of the city for the entire afternoon....."
"Oh Daddy?" Amelia said. "I think there is something you should know....."
"Oh?" the crown prince inquired. "What?"
But the answer to the question came not from Amelia's lips but from a ghastly cacophony that echoed across the room.
"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"
And with that, Naga the Serpent came striding into the room, as arrogant as ever.
Upon seeing this new arrival, Philionel raised an eyebrow. Curious....
Who is this woman? She seems distinctively familiar.....
And when Naga laid eyes on the crown prince for the first time, her trademark laugh died off right in the middle. Her eyes winded and her face paled - for something deep inside, a long forgotten distant memory was stirring.
After so long.....father.....
It was Zelgadis who spoke first.
"Philionel?" He said. "May I present, Naga the Serpent. A friend of ours"
"No wait!" Amelia cried. "Her name's...."
But before the princess could finish her sentence, Sylphiel's hand came down on her mouth. Amelia glared indignantly at the shrine maiden whom merely winked.
Phil strode towards the newcomer fixing her in a quizzical gaze. Something about her intrigued him. Something about her appearance and her facial features....
Naga didn't try to run - her thoughts were caught up in a whirlwind of confusion. After so long, she had finally returned to the home of her father.
Phil stopped before the raven-haired sorceress and looked her up and down.
"You're name is Naga?" he said at last.
"Y_Y-Yes" the sorceress managed to mumble.
"You seem confounded" Phil noted. "Have you ever been to Saillune before?"
"..No...." came the reply. "Yet....I have heard of the name....."
"Well in that case" Philionel said. "May I welcome you, as Crown Prince, to my city."
"You say you're a friend of Lina?" he continued.
Immediately, Lina started coughing - But not that anyone noticed.
"Well then" the crown prince went on, unperturbed. "A friend of Lina and Amelia is a friend of mine."
"Call me Phil" he grinned, holding out his hand in greeting.
Naga returned the handshake. But even then she could feel the blood rushing though her system in excitement.
The crown prince raised an eyebrow. "Odd, your hand is shaking"
Meanwhile, Lina grit her teeth and took a deep breath:
"SHE'S YOU'RE LONG LOST DAUGHTER GRACIA, DAMMIT!!!!!"
Immediately, all eyes turned on the frustrated red-head.
"Lina!" Amelia and Sylphiel exclaimed indignantly.
"Oh come on!" the sorceress snapped back. "This was taking too long!"
Philionel looked at Lina and then to Naga in utter bewilderment. The crown prince faltered, the concept of his long-missing daughter Gracia being too difficult to grasp. Indeed, this seemed all too good to be true. Was this an illusion? Was this a dream? A miracle?
But no, the hand he held in his seemed genuine.....
Then everything fell into place. It all made sense now. Her facial features, the fact she was hanging around with Amelia and the peculiar sense that she seemed familiar.
"G-G-Gracia" the crown prince stammered. "Is it really you?"
Despite the fact that her lips were quavering in the emotional intensity of the present situation, Naga's lips formed into a smile.
"....Yes....it is" she managed to whisper.
Then, the Crown Prince snapped. He let out an emotionally-choked shout and scooped up the sorceress into another of his bear hugs. Naga grinned and Amelia came running over to share in the tender moment.
A family had been reunited at long last.
Lina and Gourry exchanged astonished glances.
"You know something?" Lina said to the swordsman. "I think I AM going to be sick!"
Then, although his eyes were cloaked with tears, Philionel began to laugh. A laugh that was soon joined in by Naga and Amelia. A laugh that boomed with the strength of three powerful lungs from the Saillune household.
Lina sank to the floor as the horrendous noise echoed throughout the chamber.
"Some one kill me now, please...." she moaned.
Later on that afternoon, Lina made their way through the bustling streets of Saillune. Naga and Sylphiel followed, both not far behind.
"All righty then" Lina grinned, as she stretched her arms. "What shall we do this afternoon eh?"
"Whatever suits you Lina!" Gourry grinned,as he walked beside her, with his sword resting across his shoulder.
"You know" Sylphiel said, "It certainly was heart-warming to see Phil reunited with his daughters..."
"Bleagh!" the red-head spluttered. "You can't be serious?"
"Lina!" Syl exclaimed.
"Think what you want, I'm just glad to be free from that mushy stuff!"
"OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"
Upon hearing this interruption, Lina and Gourry both cringed. Slowly they both turned to face Naga.
"Naga, what are you doing here?" the redhead demanded.
"What's wrong with me being here?" the raven-haired sorceress retorted.
"Shouldn't you be with Phil? I'm sure you both have a lot to catch up on."
"Daddy told me he's planning a feast this evening! And there, he will gladly hear all OUR adventures! OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!!!!!!!!!!"
"Hey Gourry?" Lina said. "I don't know about you, but I'm eager to sink my teeth in some delicious food. I hear Saillune has a great selection of restaurants...."
"Right behind you, Lina!"
And with that, they both plunged into the busy city streets, both eager to escape Naga's laugh as quickly possible! However, it didn't take Naga long to pick up on what her friends were up to.
"Lina!" Naga yelled, quickly taking up pursuit.
"Hey wait!" Sylphiel yelled.
But it was too late: Her three companions, acting on their insincts to find a decent meal, wherever and whenever possible, all bolted into the crowd, leaving Sylphiel standing.
Elsewhere, Zelgadis strolled through the palace gardens, his mind reflecting on the recent chain of events.
Now that Gracia had returned, Phil couldn't be happier. Such was his pleasure that he immediately proposed a holiday in celebration and began drawing up plans for a banquet. Amelia was also delighted to see her father happier then ever. Naga, however, seemed somewhat perplexed by the whole event. It was as if she hadn't been lauded with that much attention before. But once she was convinced that this banquet would mean lot's of food, she eventually grew accustomed with the enormity of the situation.
But for now, the six adventurers were relishing in delights of Saillune. They were all spending the afternoon with the freedom that Phil had granted them.
Of course, this evening Phil was inviting them all to dinner so he can hear of the adventures and experiences both his daughters have been through.....
But it was a matter of time before he would find about the horror that befell Amelia back in Dakeyras....
Zel stopped strolling - right in front of a rose bush.
He turned and reached towards the blooms. But instead of touching the red petals, he instead ran his fingers along the stems that the roses resided on.
A normal person wouldn't have dared do such a thing. The stem was covered with nasty thorns! Thorns that were sharp enough to penetrate one's skin and cause fingers to draw blood.
But why should that bother Zel? He had stone skin. He was, after all, a chimera.....
He withdrew his hand and examined it. Yes, it was unharmed. Not even a little scratch.
Just then a voice spoke up, breaking Zel from his thoughts.
"I knew I'd find you here"
Zel raised an eyebrow. But he didn't turn to face the speaker. He knew who it was.
"Your father seems overjoyed" he said.
"Oh, is he ever!" Amelia chuckled. "He's really enthusiastic about this banquet too: he's running up and down the palace with arrangements and so forth! I've never seen him so active like this before!"
"Ah....."
Amelia frowned. She could tell what Zel was thinking and she wasn't liking it. She didn't like it when he had his depressive moods. She wanted him to be happy.....
She reached out and picked one of the blooms from the bush. Then she moved towards the chimera until she was right up next to him.
"Zel?" she said slyly. "Here."
When Zel noticed the rose, he blinked.
Amelia eyes widened at this. When she was expecting him to burst into a bright red flush as he normally does when confronted with anything romantic. But this was different.
Had he got the point where he had grown accustomed to her affection.....?
Then the chimera laid his other hand gently on the shoulders of the princess. An act that made Amelia sigh with pure bliss.
She looked up at the chimera' expression - to see that he looked somewhat unhappy. Instead of looking at her, he gazed at the rose, his mind deep in contemplation.
"Zel....?" she asked.
The chimera didn't answer. Instead he lowered his arm off Amelia and turned away, dropping the bloom as he did so.
Needless to say, Amelia was quite upset by this. Here she was, trying to cheer Zel up and all he did was knock her back! Why would he do a thing like this?
Maybe she should try a different tack.....
Then, she hit upon a marvellous idea.
She then reached out and grasped the chimera gently on his wrist.
"Zel" she smiled warmly. "I wanna show you something"
But the chimera didn't respond with as much enthusiasm. He merely sighed.
"Come on!" Amelia said. "It's this really cool place in the city...."
"Amelia, I....."
"Don't be like that!" the princess exclaimed. "Just come with me and see this surprise!"
Zel sighed again, before eventually relenting.
But even though Lina and her companions survived that scuffle at the mine and now relished in the comforts that Saillune offered, little did they know that a new adventure was beginning. An adventure that was waiting for their involvement. An adventure that will challenge the world they knew and the ideals that they all lived by.
Did they really think that an exploding mountain would go unnoticed?
Of course not. Being faced with such an incredible, destructive power, the forest shook and the ground rumbled, creating shock waves for miles around.
Naturally, such waves created horrendous vibrations that rumbled through any villages and townships that happened to stand in the way. However whilst the inhabitants of these built-up areas, felt the shock waves, they were soon to dismiss this unusual event as a natural occurrence.
But whilst these simpletons were oblivious to the truth, there was, however, someone who knew better.
And he knew better because he had witnessed the entire event himself.
In amongst a nearby mountain range, there was a unusual formation: It was a flat-topped mountain which, at the top, housed an unusual grassy circle. A circle which was home to various stone monoliths, of uneven size, which were all arranged in a circular fashion.
And it was in amongst this circle that stood the someone who witnessed the explosion himself.
Someone whom was tall and slender in stature yet as strong as an ox. Someone suited in dark armour that was heavy in design but light in appearance and bedecked with intricate skull designs. Someone with a face that showed signs of intelligence mixed with pure malevolence and whose appearance was complemented with a heavy red cloak and long black hair.
That someone was Thyruss. And it was from this vantage point that he saw the explosion in all it's glory.
And he wasn't liking what he was seeing.
It had been days since he, for the first time in years, laid eyes on Saillune. Seeing such a sight, after so long, indeed took him by surprise - yet it only strengthened his resolve to achieve his desire for revenge. Since then, he had managed to established a base camp some miles away from the city.
It was there and then that his first stroke of incredible luck happened.
Fortunately for the warlord, he had managed to find an abandoned citadel. Such a discovery certainly had it's benefits: The citadel was located in amongst a steep mountain range, thus providing a great deal of secrecy and natural defences. It also provided the warlord with a spectacular view of the surrounding lands, enabling him with a magnificent vantage point to plot his plans of destruction.
But, more importantly, it was big enough to house himself, his minions and, most crucial of all, his secret weapon.....
Once this fortunate discovery had been made, Thyruss immediately set his minions to work. They were to make repairs to this citadel and to turn it from a forgotten relic into a full military headquarters.
And as the repairs and reconstruction went on, Thyruss went exploring.
It was then that his second stroke of incredible luck happened.
He had managed to find this circle. Of course, when he first set eyes on it, he was convinced this was an illusion: A formation such is this could be anything but natural. A grassy plain like this in amongst such a mountainous range? Such stones arranged in such a particular formation? And why on earth would those stones bear signs of being untouched....?
Curiosity drove the warlord into the circle. It was then that he began to feel uneasy. Something didn't feel right....
Regardless, Thyruss examined the stones closer. But such a sight was nothing like he had encountered before. The stone were of some black substance - such as that which he had never seen before in his lifetime....
Indeed, now the warlord had all the more reason to feel uneasy.....
Thyruss tried to ignore this uneasiness. But even as he tried, deep down in the bowels of his stomach, he knew what he was doing was wrong. It felt, as if, he was intruding in on an artefact from a long - forgotten era. It was as if he was invading a holy place from a long-dead civilisation.....
The warlord tried to shake it off such sensations as nonsense. But even as he stayed on within the circle, he could still feel something eating away at his conscience......
Eventually, he gave in. This place was creepy. He had to get out. Now.
But as he turned to leave the circle, his eye caught sight of something peculiar. Something that took the form of words carved into the rock itself. Something that immediately grabbed the warlord's attention. He knelt down and began to study this discovery.....
As Thyruss read these words, his lips formed into a twisted grin. A tsunami of courage and triumph flushed through his system. He stood up, feeling triumphant.
With these words victory now seemed within his grasp.
So much so, he can now taste it.....
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