Slayers
The Key
by ZelgadisGreywood
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
I can't afford Lina.
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-Chapter Four-
Amelia sat by the child she and Zelgadis had created. She hadn't expected to become a mother so young, out of wedlock. To many people of the lands she travelled it wasn't such a big idea. But she was a princess of Seiruun and she had certain morals to observe. The child had not been created by the standard method, however, so her birth had not been a shameful one, even if she and Zelgadis were not married.
"So," she said to the little girl. "Um... erm...?" She was stuck here. What did one say to a newborn who was apparently seven. The usual talk reserved for the newly born seemed rather silly and even insulting here.
Zelgadis did not need to think of what to ask. "Can you cure me?" he asked her, hopefully. "Do you know how I can be cured?"
The child looked at him in confusion. He didn't look sick. So why was he asking for a cure? She wished she knew how to convey her bewilderment to the chimera.
The girl glomped onto Zelgadis and for a moment, he expected her touch to heal him. There was no change in his body, however, and he frowned.
"If you're trying to mend my heart, little one," he told her, "you're wasting your time. My heart is something that is unmendable. I am a heartless sorcerer-swordsman. My will is made of stone, just like the rest of me."
The child turned, confusedly, to her mother. What the man had been saying wasn't what she had sensed from him. She had felt loneliness, pain, regret, and love toward the woman who sat there with them. But he denied himself that love, even though the young woman offered her own love freely to him. She wished there was some quick fix to make it all better for both of them, but what knowledge she had inherited from the Claire Bible did not tell her how to bring happiness to stubborn chimeras who insisted on moping around and feeing sorry for themselves.
"So," Lina managed to find the only sensible thing to say to the little girl. "Whaddaya want to eat?"
The girl perked up. Now here, she thought, was a question that she knew the answer to. She wanted to try a lot of different things. She wanted to sample the meats and taste the desserts. This was her first meal, and she didn't know what she liked yet. She would have to try everything and work out which things tasted best to her.
Lina smiled. "Tell ya what. There's a great restaurant in town. Let's get what we came here to get and then we'll go."
The child looked apprehensive. She didn't think this odd but nice woman should be taking things from this place that weren't hers.
Lina went into the temple. She was about to pick up the jewel she'd come for when she felt a tugging on her pants leg.
Looking down, she saw the child shaking her head in disapproval.
"Look, kid," she said. "I travelled a long time to get this thing. Now let me just put it in my pocket and we'll go get a bite to eat. Okay?"
The little girl gave Lina a look that Lina was sure had been meant to make her feel guilty.
"It ain't workin', kid." Lina told her. "I want that gem and I'm gonna have it. Now, just stand back."
The child pounced on Lina, not very well since she wasn't entirely accustomed to using the muscles in her legs, yet, and bit her leg.
"FIRE..." Lina began.
"NO!" Zelgadis snatched the child away from Lina. "Don't you dare hurt my daughter."
"Shame on you, Miss Lina!" Amelia scolded. "Picking on a little girl."
"She started it!" Lina wailed.
Amelia sat by the child she and Zelgadis had created. She hadn't expected to become a mother so young, out of wedlock. To many people of the lands she travelled it wasn't such a big idea. But she was a princess of Seiruun and she had certain morals to observe. The child had not been created by the standard method, however, so her birth had not been a shameful one, even if she and Zelgadis were not married.
"So," she said to the little girl. "Um... erm...?" She was stuck here. What did one say to a newborn who was apparently seven. The usual talk reserved for the newly born seemed rather silly and even insulting here.
Zelgadis did not need to think of what to ask. "Can you cure me?" he asked her, hopefully. "Do you know how I can be cured?"
The child looked at him in confusion. He didn't look sick. So why was he asking for a cure? She wished she knew how to convey her bewilderment to the chimera.
The girl glomped onto Zelgadis and for a moment, he expected her touch to heal him. There was no change in his body, however, and he frowned.
"If you're trying to mend my heart, little one," he told her, "you're wasting your time. My heart is something that is unmendable. I am a heartless sorcerer-swordsman. My will is made of stone, just like the rest of me."
The child turned, confusedly, to her mother. What the man had been saying wasn't what she had sensed from him. She had felt loneliness, pain, regret, and love toward the woman who sat there with them. But he denied himself that love, even though the young woman offered her own love freely to him. She wished there was some quick fix to make it all better for both of them, but what knowledge she had inherited from the Claire Bible did not tell her how to bring happiness to stubborn chimeras who insisted on moping around and feeing sorry for themselves.
"So," Lina managed to find the only sensible thing to say to the little girl. "Whaddaya want to eat?"
The girl perked up. Now here, she thought, was a question that she knew the answer to. She wanted to try a lot of different things. She wanted to sample the meats and taste the desserts. This was her first meal, and she didn't know what she liked yet. She would have to try everything and work out which things tasted best to her.
Lina smiled. "Tell ya what. There's a great restaurant in town. Let's get what we came here to get and then we'll go."
The child looked apprehensive. She didn't think this odd but nice woman should be taking things from this place that weren't hers.
Lina went into the temple. She was about to pick up the jewel she'd come for when she felt a tugging on her pants leg.
Looking down, she saw the child shaking her head in disapproval.
"Look, kid," she said. "I travelled a long time to get this thing. Now let me just put it in my pocket and we'll go get a bite to eat. Okay?"
The little girl gave Lina a look that Lina was sure had been meant to make her feel guilty.
"It ain't workin', kid." Lina told her. "I want that gem and I'm gonna have it. Now, just stand back."
The child pounced on Lina, not very well since she wasn't entirely accustomed to using the muscles in her legs, yet, and bit her leg.
"FIRE..." Lina began.
"NO!" Zelgadis snatched the child away from Lina. "Don't you dare hurt my daughter."
"Shame on you, Miss Lina!" Amelia scolded. "Picking on a little girl."
"She started it!" Lina wailed.