Gypsy Moon
"Alas, poor world, what treasure hast thou lost!"
Venus & Adonis
Chapter 13: The Murdered Romance
Lina's fingers twitched as she told herself to calm down and not strangle
Gourry. "How, Gourry? How could you lead us out of the desert?!" Lina shot a
glare behind her at the following wagon. "Why didn't you say something, Zel?!
WHY DID YOU FOLLOW HIM?"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Zel threw down
his reins on the wagon. "I wasn't even steering until a minute ago! Xellos was
leading the horse, don't blame me!"
'Oh Dark Goddess, please make them shut
up,' Sasheem pleaded as she slumped against the wall.
"And Lina, I was just following Xellos!
I didn't know what to do, he led me here!" Gourry protested.
"So then Xellos did all of this?" Lina
jumped off the wagon and threw the door to the back open. "XELLOS!" As much as
she figured, the Mazoku priest was gone. Lina's nails scrapped against the
wooden door as she slammed it shut.
"Lina-san, I'm sure everything will
work out." Amelia hopped off her wagon and walked to her friend's side putting
a hand on her shoulder.
"Amelia," Lina turned her head and for
a rare moment the Princess could have sworn she saw sorrow underneath Lina's
angered eyes. "Your life is in danger, we are off track thanks to Xellos, and
we no longer have a clue what we are up against! The job is not getting done
and we have no idea where the hell we are!" As Lina took a breath she saw
Amelia stiffen in fright. The sorceress pushed back her hair and groaned. "I'm
just worried about everyone, this is getting any easier."
"The Whispering Woods," Melendil
whispered.
"The Whispering Woods?"
...rings begin...wisdo-...beyond the Ages
The group froze stiff at the voice. No one moved or spoke in the silence that
now surrounded them. After what seemed like long enough, Lina perked up.
"Did... anyone else hear that?" Everyone nodded.
Amelia spoke up, receiving everyone's look. "Did anyone hear it before?"
"Before?" Lina raised an eyebrow.
"That voice that we all just heard. A minute ago I heard it in my head."
"Is this place called the 'Whispering Woods' for some reason?" Zel asked the
Gypsy.
Sasheem jumped out of the wagon and shook her head. "I've never been here. The
only way I even know that this is the Whispering Woods is because of the trees.
The description I did hear of this place is said to have these very interesting
trees."
"Okay, let me see if I get this right." Lina began to strut over to Sasheem.
"You have never been here, know nothing about the place, and have no idea what
this voice is?"
Sasheem's face changed and even though she didn't move she seemed to draw back
further. "No, I'm sorry."
"Well, it's not your fault." The sorceress turned back to Gourry and asked him
a question she already felt she knew the answer to. "Gourry, do you know how to
get us out of here?" The swordsman shook his head.
No one had anything to say then. They sat there and listened to the sounds of
the woods and tried to figure out where they would go from this point. "Shall
we sit down and eat some lunch?" Tybolt suggested.
"Unless you got some idea of how to get out of this place, I'm all for," Lina
groaned.
~)*(~
Renald shifted in his chair and pushed the pile of papers aside on his desk.
'Relax, the Elves are looking for her,' he told himself. 'Take a deep breath.'
Inhale...
They Council had gotten no notice from Amelia or her comrades ever since they
had left. Renald had handled the meeting with the Elves and now they were
worried about the Princess. The Princess of Saillune was a target apparently
for this man Lestophel, and whether he wanted her dead or alive they didn't
know. Amelia insisted on going off to this fairytale city to stop all of this
and now no one knew anything.
Exhale...
Concentration was forgotten by the begging voices of the maids. "King Phil,
please go back to bed!"
"Your highness, please come back!"
"Nonsense! I feel strong as an ox!"
Renald shook with fear and quickly stammered out of the chair he was sitting in
as he heard Phil's heavy foot steps come down the hall. Then another thought
occurred to him. King Phil had been sleeping for days hardly ever waking up
unless it was to go to the bathroom, eat, or take his medicine. Now he would
have to hear the news of his daughter leaving, the war, the Elves coming over
and talking about the Mazoku ready to attack with the Gypsies and not hearing
from his daughter since she had left with her friends.
"Renald!"
"Gaah!" The Council Man jumped at the booming voice from behind him. He turned
and saw his King giving a big smile down at him. The color had returned to his
face, his eyes were shining and most of all he was happy. "It's good to see you
feeling better, King Phil."
"It sure feels great!" Phil boomed, testing his strength on his arms. Renald
had the feeling of running out the window again and far far away. He hated to
be the one who would have to tell Phil the news and watch his happiness melt
into a fiery rage. Thoughts were cut off with the last question Renald needed
to hear: "Where is Amelia?"
Renald went white in the face. "She is..."
"Renald! You look white as a ghost!"
The Council Man became confused. "Wh-what?"
"Your face is absolutely white!" The King stated. "You must have gotten my
sickness. A thousand apologies, Renald!"
"Your highness, I'm not-"
"I shall have the maid take you right to bed and get you some medicine."
Cold sweat was running down the man's face as he wiped his brow. "K-King Phil,
I feel fine, really!"
"Hmm." The King's eyes examined the nervous man for a few seconds till he
smiled again. "If that is how you feel, Renald!" Phil turned for the door and
began to walk out. "Renald thank you for taking care of things while I
recovered! If you excuse me, I must see my daughter now."
Reality came back and hit the Council Man like
a smack in the face. "Wait! Ki-King-" Renald almost tripped over himself
and caught his balance before he fell. As he dashed out the door to catch Phil,
he heard a door opening. He prayed to everything holy that the door he hear
opening was not Amelia's room.
When he reached the door and ran out, he saw King Phil looking in his
daughter's room standing with his hands still gripping the doors. Phil soon let
go of the doors and looked down the hall at his trustworthy Council Man. "Where
is Amelia?" Phil was smart enough to know that his daughter wouldn't be
anywhere else at this time but either in the garden or her room. He asked the
next best question that came to mind as he saw the maids behind Renald slowly
inch away. "Is she in the garden?"
Renald was scared but he lost the look of his fright on his face. "No," he
answered.
The King's eyes began to narrow and his rage started to burn inside.
"Your highness!" A male servant ran up the stairs and bowed before Phil and Renald.
"The Elven Council has returned."
"They were here?" Phil was looking back at Renald and headed for the stairs.
"Where are they?" He demanded.
"Downstairs by the door. They just entered." The servant bowed and took his
leave.
Phil began to descend the stairs and as he walked further could see the
peaceful Elves waiting patiently for him by the door. Their ears picked up the
sound of Phil descending and turned to the King.
Elendor lowered his head in respect. "King Phil, I'm and glad to see you have
recovered."
Phil waved the Elf off. "Yes, thank you. But now I'm not so sure if I can feel
that way."
The Elf lifted his head and held a questioning look. "Why is this?"
"Elendor, you came here apparently while I was sick, right?"
"Yes."
"Were you aware that Amelia was gone?" The King roared. He caught himself and
realized that he was yelling at someone who probably did nothing. But his anger
was consuming him as he grabbed his pounding head.
The Elves still remained calm as if Phil had never raised his voice an inch.
"We only found that out after we left."
Phil had no idea what was going in. It was if so many years of his life had
past while he was sick for only a few days. "I have no idea what is going on,"
he whispered.
"We would be happy to explain that all too you, Philinol," said Elendor.
"Is that why you have come here?" Phil asked. "And, do you have any idea where
Amelia is?"
The Elves were still remaining calm. "It is only a small part of why we have
come here. Last we have heard, the Princess left with some friends to the
Alyfur Desert."
"The Alyfur Desert?" Too much was happening. "Why would they go there? Wait...
They? Whom did she go with?"
"One of our messengers said they saw her with a red haired girl, a blond man, a
Chimera, the local gravedigger, a priest and an Elf." One of the Elves behind
Elendor bent by his ear and whispered. "And apparently a Gypsy."
Phil's eyes went wide. "A Gypsy? Those Gypsies from Cymbalien?!"
"Philinol, I will explain everything to you. But I also came to warn you about
somethin-"
Phil ignored the Elf. "Renald! Prepare our men!"
"Yes, your highness." The Council Man bowed and began to leave.
"Renald, stop!" Elendor yelled.
Phil shot around at the Elf. "You can not order my council around, Elendor!"
"Phil, you must calm down and let me explain-"
"My daughter has been kidnapped by those rouge Gypsies and Renald did nothing!
She is being taken off to the desert to die, what else is it there for?!"
At the words Renald heard he felt something drop in his chest and his spirit
sunk.
Elendor was still calm but spoke in a rash tone. "Phil, your mind is being
clouded by rage! If you do not hear me out we shall all die! Amelia went out
there on her own. And as for your Council Man, he has done a fair job of handling
the castle."
"By letting my daughter go to that desert?" He growled. "I don't know why she
has to go there! Renald could have stopped her easily!"
"It is for a great reason, Phil. I know you know who Lestophel is, and it
involves him."
The name of the Gypsy King burned in Phil's mind and was brought back from
hiding in his memory. He was hoping that he could live the rest of his life
without hearing that man's name, but now he froze and listened carefully to the
Elf.
"Lestophel is placing a war on you. Your daughter went to stop it."
"Amelia went to stop him?" Phil knew that Amelia had gone on high risked
travels with the sorceress Lina Inverse and survived all. But this was
something she didn't need to get into, with or without Lina. "She can't do
that. She will be killed, I know it." Phil was looking at Renald again. "Get
our men ready! I want them together, we shall head for Cymbalien!"
"Phil, do not do that." Elendor cut in. Phil lowered his hand from pointing at
Renald and turned to the wise Elven Council. "If you send your men out then
your city will burn and your people will die."
"Elendor, my daughter and her friends are in danger!"
"They will have more of a chance of living if you make your men stay here for
now."
The King took a heavy breath and let it out. "Why is that?" He asked in a stern
tone.
"Lestophel has his men coming this way. A smaller portion was heading through
the Alyfur Desert to attack the Princess and her friends. The Beast Master
Mazoku has been working with Lestophel and have already attacked the Elves a
few times."
Phil stood astonished at what he was hearing. "That means that Lestophel-"
"He is ready to come back and take the throne."
~)*(~
The group sat around eating what little food they had. Most of their rations
had been left in the wagon Sasheem and Melendil left behind. The food in Gourry
and Lina's wagon was polished off, so the little food left in Amelia and Zel's
was what they had to eat.
Lina patted her stomach and frowned, throwing her head back to look up at the
trees and what little sky they showed. "Are you sure we have nothing left?"
"It's all gone," Sasheem said in a bored tone as she passed a deck of cards
back and forth from her hands doing little tricks.
"I'm wondering why Xellos-san would lead us here," Amelia questioned.
"Probably to get us lost," Melendil answered.
Amelia played with her fingers and looked down at her lap. She stole a glance
at the Chimera sitting next to her and watched him. "Zelgadiss-san?"
"Yes?" He answered with out turning to
her.
She blushed and felt a knot tie in her stomach. "D-do you think…" She couldn't
finish what she started.
He pause caught the Chimera's attention and he looked at her. 'Why is she so
nervous?' he thought. "What is it?"
'I have to ask him about the dream,'
she kept telling herself. "There is something I really…really have to ask you,"
she got out. "But… I think… Do you think I could ask you alone?"
"I guess so," he answered.
She didn't want to go any further. Now she wanted to back out more then
anything.
Gourry had been remaining silent and looking around at the wonderful forest. He
wasn't minding too much that they were lost, he was really enjoying the
peaceful place. Different thoughts and questions had been running in his mind
as he took his time of contemplation. "Hey, Sashimi."
The Gypsy looked at the swordsman and frowned. "It's...Sasheem."
Amelia had a sigh of relief. "On second thought, I'll ask you later. Gourry-san
has a question."
Zelgadiss was puzzled. "I thought you really had to ask me something?"
"I…" Amelia thought about it. She knew
she had to. "Um… is later okay?"
"All right," he replied.
"Oh, sorry." Gourry looked at his side quickly to make sure Lina wasn't going
to hit him. "I was just wondering, if you don't mind me asking that is."
"No, go ahead," she said in a more upbeat tone.
"Did Niennafal ever get a funeral?"
A quick sound of someone choking stopped the conversation and caught the
friend's attention. "Tybolt!" Sasheem sat up and was ready to run over to her
brother who had choked on his pint of Ale at the question.
He hit his chest a few times and took a deep breath. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he
reassured. The gravedigger put his mug on the ground and rested one hand on his
legs and took in heavy breaths. The free hand pushed his hair back and rubbed
his eyes.
Lina noticed his face losing its color and his eyelids grow heavy. "Hey, are
you all right?" It was a few seconds before Tybolt realized he was being
questioned and widened his eyes in surprise as if it was the first time anyone
had asked him anything.
"Huh? Me?" The gravedigger had seemed to go off in space from just having his
drink get caught in his throat. "I said I'm fine, really!"
"But you've lost the color in your cheeks!" Amelia protested. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"All right." Amelia stood up and got her glass to get another drink from one of
the kegs.
"Gourry, go on," Melendil pestered. Sasheem mentally scolded the Elf but said
nothing.
Gourry scratched his head and shrugged. "Well, okay. I was just wondering if
Niennafal got a funeral-" Gourry stopped at the sound of something grinding
into the ground and a low growl.
All eyes were on the gravedigger again. He was facing all the way to his left
and resting his chin on his palm while the other hand twirled his shovel back
and forth slowly digging it in the ground.
Lina slammed her mug down getting Tybolt's attention and his eyes to look at
her. "What is going on with you?"
Sasheem was standing up again. "Lina, can we no-"
"No! I want an answer! He doesn't have to be so rude! And to be honest, I want
to know what happened with Niennafal too!"
"Rude?" Tybolt threw his shovel on the ground and got up from his seat. "I have
every right to feel this way!"
"Feel what way?!" Lina stood up as much as she could and yelled in Tybolt's
face while she looked him in his eyes. "We kindly asked what was wrong, but you
didn't say anything! So don't get all pissed off at us for worrying!"
"Do we really have to fight over a simple question?" Zelgadiss cut in.
"Yes! Because it was a simple question and he won't let us get and answer to
it!" Lina screamed.
"Tybolt, Lina! Stop it!" Sasheem tried to get in.
"Sasheem, don't get in it!" Melendil pulled the Gypsy down to sit.
A million things Sasheem could have done or said to not be stopped went through
her mind. But none of them were used or spoken and went back into hiding as the
Sasheem let herself be ordered.
Amelia walked back to her seat. "Tybolt-san, I don't see why we can't ask about
Niennafal-san, is something wrong with her?"
"Of course something is wrong with her! She's dead!" He screamed, kicking a
wagon and breaking its wood.
"Hey, Amelia didn't do anything!" Zelgadiss barked.
"Zelgadiss-san, it's fine, really." Amelia tried to calm her friend down.
"No, it's not! You didn't do anything!"
Lina paced over to the gravedigger and got in his face to force him to watch
her and hear her words. "I can understand that you are depressed about her
death, but I'm sure Sasheem and Melendil are just as sad! Have you thought
about them?!"
Gourry took Lina by the shoulders. "Lina, calm down. Maybe he needs some time
to-"
"I doubt it!"
A sudden slam was heard when Tybolt's fist hit the wooden wagon. "Of course I
have thought about my sis and her friend! But..."
Melendil scoffed and pushed her body up from the sitting position. "Tybolt, do
they even know, by chance, about you and Niennaf-"
"Can we talk about anything else but Niennafal?!" Tybolt grabbed his head for
some relief but nothing worked. The gravedigger slammed his head against the
wagon and remained there with the pounding pain he caused himself and letting
his tears streak his face to hopefully let his pain out. All the pain he'd been
trying to hide since the night he had to bury her body; the same body he had
once held so close in his arms.
"Tybolt." His sister slowly got up and called out her brother's name with the
utmost care and tenderness she could put in the single word. At his name he
pushed his body from the wagon and began to leave. His sister's words no longer
sounded as soft but mournful. "Tybolt, where are you going?!"
He didn't answer her back and kept his pace when he turned through the trees
and was out of sight. Gourry watched the man leave through the woods. He gave
Lina a small squeeze on her shoulders and received her confused face looking up
at him. He couldn't say anything because of his loss for words and what was wrong
with the gravedigger.
"Sasheem-san," Amelia whispered.
It was hard to describe the look on the Gypsy's face, but Amelia could tell one
of the emotions was hurt, and the one emotion dug in to Sasheem's heart and
stayed there to rot away any good feelings she had. But her voice held its own
strength and refused to cooperate with the feeling in her heart. "None of you
knew that he was going to get married with Niennafal, did you?"
Realization washed over the group and answered any questions that had about what
had just happened.
~)*(~
Three hours passed and Tybolt still had not returned. Sasheem claimed that her
brother would most likely come back late that night and needed serious time
alone to think. In the three hours Sasheem first explained what had happened.
She told the group about how Tybolt and Niennafal were engaged, and three days
after Lina and her friends had arrived they were supposed to be married. She
next spoke of how madly in love they were with the other and then she laughed
about how rumors had spread that they were secretly chained together or tied by
an invincible rope. The question of why Tybolt showed no sadness came about.
The Gypsy went on to explain that part as well, that Tybolt really did cry a
whole lot. The night Niennafal had died, after Gourry and Zelgadiss helped
Tybolt get her down, he took her body to the grave yard where he had spent the
entire night digging her grave and crying himself to sleep by the spot she was
buried.
Niennafal had not gotten a proper funeral, but early in the morning Sasheem
explained the she walked to the grave yard where she found her brother sleeping
and stayed until he woke up. When he did, they had said a few prayers and came
back to the Inn.
The gravedigger was stubborn and wouldn't let anyone see him cry or get sad.
Death had become a common thing for him and he hadn't cried or mourned since
his mother was killed, but now when he thought of death he thought of crying.
And thinking of crying made him think of think of how he had cried at his
mother's grave for so many days after she died. And the thought of mourning
made him think of Niennafal's grave and that thought made him cry for so many
things. The things he lost that healed his pain; the days where he felt that
life was bliss, kissing her lips for their love and the pleasure it gave him,
running his hand along her face to entangle his fingers in her long hair. He
missed the nights with her when he could truly hold her body to his and make
love to her. But he missed more than heated nights of passion and just being
able to kiss her, he missed the fact that he couldn't look at her anymore or
even talk to her and hear her voice.
He couldn't look into her beautiful eyes and say 'I love you'. He couldn't
watch her walk down the streets of the city and get herbs from the old gardener
as she did every morning. Tybolt even remembered her shopping list, because she
always picked up the same thing:
- One ounce of rosemary
- Two stems of peppermint
- One bag of the dried bark cinnamon
- One bag of sage
The gravedigger always found it funny how she used such heavy herbs up so
quickly, but then again it was for making oils, potions and cooking. Now he
couldn't walk down the street and see her on his way to work, see her starry
eyes, hear her voice, kiss her and smell the scent of fresh herbs in her hair.
He would give so much to just have that one moment one last time, any moment,
even a fight with her. He didn't mind fighting with Niennafal because it only
made them closer and let them understand something new about the other. Their
fights solved things for them, and when things were solved it would make their
lives better.
She made his life better. He couldn't think of a single moment when he saw her
that he didn't love. When everything went down hill, his mother murdered, his
father leaving, how he loved the way she would make things better for him by
just talking and listening. That was all she had to do, and somehow she did it
so well.
The night that he returned from grave digging and went to the big dinner he
felt like the happiest man alive. The music was already playing, the food
smelled wonderful, his sister had been having an unusually good day and best of
all he heard that Niennafal was returning. That was what made him happy more
then anything. And it soon was the thing that made him so sad.
~)*(~
Sasheem finished telling them all she knew. From their love to their sadness
and what Tybolt had told her of his happy times and how Niennafal helped him.
And when the Gypsy finished everyone had confused feelings about what to think.
Sasheem refused to make every depressed and instantly brought out glasses and
wine with her deck of cards. She forced the group to drink and play poker as
they exchanged stories of adventures. She hated to see anyone sad and did her
best to cheer the group up in some unique way. Lina bragged about treasure that
her and Gourry had gotten from bandits along their journeys and how she used
her magic to simply beat the biggest thieves. Melendil reminisced on her days
of training as an Elven warrior and different skills she knew. Gourry soon
compared his different swordsman skills to that of Melendil's Elven teachings
and soon the two were standing up and testing their skills.
It wasn't long before the group forgot about poker and most of their spirits
were lightened up. Sasheem laughed as she watched Melendil begin to trip and
loose her skill from too much wine and Gourry laugh at her and ask 'what
skill?'
Amelia couldn't help but notice the Gypsy not pay full attention to the comedic
performance and how her lips didn't smile unless she laughed. She knew Sasheem
was keeping her full attention on whether her brother would return of not.
Amelia let the wine run through her lips and drank before she brought the glass
down. "Sasheem-san, do you know where we should go from here?"
"Not really," the Gypsy answered. "Maybe we can find some Elves that could help
us. They might live in this forest."
"Hey, Gourry!" Melendil called. "I think I see a larger clearing over this
way!" She pointed behind her.
"Okay!" Gourry grabbed his sword and pulled Lina by her arm.
"Hey! Why are you taking me?!" Lina pouted. Gourry didn't say anything but
laughed at Lina. Her red eyes narrowed and she spoke in a monotone voice.
"Gourry, you breath stinks of wine."
Zelgadiss, Amelia and Sasheem watched as the three went off to a wider clearing
while laughing so hard for no reason. Zelgadiss filled up his glass again and
marveled at the good wine he tasted on his tongue. Amelia giggled and looked at
Sasheem standing next to her. "So what should we do?"
"Well," the Gypsy began. "I really hate the fact that we keep getting put off
from getting to where-ever Lestophel is. This is really frustrating. It seems
like we are really being left out of something, you know?"
"Yeah," Amelia sighed.
"But," Sasheem chirped. "We can't do anything about that until we get Tybolt
and those three drunks back, so why not another game of poker?"
"That sounds good!" Amelia eyes brightened up and she picked up the scattered
cards on the ground. "But what should we bet? We were using Lina-san's coins,
but she took her money with her."
"Why not my jewelry?" Sasheem began to shed herself or her bangles, bracelets,
gold chains, necklaces and so much more. "But we should play inside the wagon,
I'll lose it all out here in the grass."
"Sounds good! We can use my jewelry too. Oh, and how about my Saillune bracelet
as well? The one with the white star on it! " Amelia beamed as she and Sasheem
began to walk in Sasheem and Melendil's wagon till she felt the lost presence
of someone. "Come on, Zelgadiss-san!" Amelia grabbed the Chimera's arm and
pulled him along.
"Woah, wait! What are we doing?"
"Gambling!"
"Come on, Zelgadiss." Sasheem grabbed the Chimera's other arm and pulled him
along.
Zelgadiss knew he couldn't win and grabbed his glass of wine before the two
girls pulled him into the wagon. "Wait! Can't I get the wine bottle?!"
"Get in here!" Sasheem and Amelia yelled.
"Amelia I thought you had to ask me-" The girls pushed Zelgadiss in the wagon
and shut the door as they walked in.