Note to Readers: I just wanted to thank all of you for your kind words and support. I'm glad you're enjoying this tale as much as I'm enjoying writing it.
~ Zanne
Then Came the Dawn
Chapter Three
Val barely slept that night. Granted, he wasn't exactly tired, but Gravos' snoring didn't help. He sat by the window of their room, looking out over the courtyard, wondering how Jillas ever managed to catch a wink amid the racket. After all this time, he supposed the foxman was used to it.
Funny how he never noticed it before. But then, in his cave, they not only had more room to spread out, but while he was still a Mazoku, sleep had not been necessary.
Shortly before sunrise, he could hear noise from the courtyard below as servants began to tend to their daily chores, and then as first light was breaking, there were faint, occasional suggestions of life moving about inside, barely audible through the thick stone walls and heavy doors.
Further away, he could hear various roosters, and the lowing of cattle. Scents from the city were carried up on the breeze as fresh bread finished baking for the day's sales, and other foodstuff came into play.
Behind him, within the room, he heard a deep snort, and a bed creaking under Gravos' heavy bulk. A higher-pitch sneeze came from another direction, quickly followed by an annoyed-sounding whimper.
"Up already, boss?" Gravos mumbled, the bed creaking again. Val heard heavy feet land on the floor.
"Couldn't really sleep very well," Val replied, not moving from the window. "Too much to think about."
"Everything will be okay, Lord Valga--" Val cut Jillas off with a sharp look. The foxman put his ears back meekly. "Sorry. Lord Val."
"You can drop the 'lord' bit. It's not a title I've any right to, and besides, around here, it would raise a lot of questions best left unasked."
"What should I call you then?" Jillas asked, sitting up.
"Just Val will suit me fine."
"Okay... Val." Jillas sounded uncomfortable, as if the name by its mere self felt alien in his mouth. "Everything will be just fine, you'll see."
"I'll believe it when I see it. And mark my words, I've every intention of seeing it come to pass." He looked over, seeing them dress for the day. "You two in a hurry to get somewhere?"
"It's breakfast time for Von. The maids bring up our breakfast too. We almost always eat with Miss Amelia and Von in her parlor."
Val smiled faintly. "That sounds like a good idea. Mind if I join you?"
Gravos snorted. "Mind? Boss, if you don't get yourself dressed and out the door with us, I'm dragging you along, ready or not."
Val smirked. "That would be an interesting sight. All right, give me a few minutes."
Although Von and the nursemaid had been up and about, it was some time after the clocks chimed ten before Amelia made an appearance. Von looked up as the inner chamber door opened, and quickly released the rope he had been clutching in his jaws, causing Val to tumble backwards unprepared.
"Aun' 'Melia!" Von scampered over to the door as Amelia stepped through, rubbing her eyes. Val flinched as he saw the young Dragon leaping up to pounce her, knowing she couldn't possibly see him coming. He quickly scrambled to his feet even though he knew he wouldn't get there in time to catch her, but he soon realized he didn't need to worry.
"Von!" she said sharply, evading him. "No!"
The young Dragon went sailing past her, barely clipping the edge of her simple, blue morning dress, and crashed on the floor, skidding a bit as Amelia continued on into the sitting room. She looked exhausted, as if she hadn't slept at all, with dark circles around her eyes, more noticeable against her pale skin.
"Good morning, Miss Amelia!" Jillas piped up, looking up from the hand of cards he held. Across the table from him, Gravos offered a wave.
"It was cute when he was a wee little thing," Amelia said, sitting down in a chair as Von came trotting out of her bedroom, looking sheepish. "I should have realized better. Now I'm trying to break that habit. He's a bit too heavy to go around pouncing people now." She pulled her hair out from behind her, and for the first time, Val noticed it was longer than what he recalled. It hung a bit below her shoulders, and was currently tied back with a simple bow by a blue ribbon.
Val chuckled, taking a seat in another chair as he watched Von contritely headbutt Amelia's hand, wanting to be petted and consoled. "I'm sure he'll grow out of it."
"I hope so." Amelia smirked wryly. "Can you just see him fully grown and still pouncing people?"
"I wonder how big he'll get. He's half Golden, so I can't be sure, although he looks like a pureblood Ancient."
"Does that make a difference?"
"It might. Ancients were larger than Goldens. A very old Golden would still be larger than I am, for example, since a Dragon never stops growing throughout its lifetime. But within the same age group, an Ancient would have been the bigger of the two."
"And stronger?"
Val nodded.
Amelia chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "I'm sorry if I'm on a bad topic, I haven't had my tea yet, and my brain's still not up to speed."
Val waved his hand. "Don't worry about it." He watched Von as the young Dragon closed his eyes, purring happily while Amelia scratched his ears. "Did you have a rough night?"
Amelia paused in her attentions on Von, her gaze growing distant for a moment. "Just a lot on my mind."
"Likewise. But you need more sleep than I do."
She shrugged and gave him a slight smile. "That's life. I'll deal."
Jillas dropped his cards and hurried to the door as the bell started swinging, jangling quietly. Val looked up and saw it was attached to a pulley that disappeared through the wall to the other side.
"Thanks, miss." Jillas stepped back, staggering under the weight of a tray, laden with various silver-covered dishes, and Gravos rolled his eyes.
"Need a hand?"
"Or just your muscles," Jillas groaned.
Gravos took the tray from the foxman before he collapsed, and carried it over to Amelia. "Your breakfast, miss," he said, setting it down on the table beside her.
"Thank you, you two," Amelia said, picking up the silver teapot and pouring herself a cup before doing anything else. Von curiously sniffed the tray.
"For me?" he piped up, looking at Amelia with huge, hopeful eyes.
She smirked slightly. "You've already had breakfast. This is mine."
Von hung his head; he was either contrite or sulking, Val wasn't sure. "You know, we could take him out of here if he learned how to transform," Val suggested. "Give you a chance for peace and quiet, and give him a chance to see more things."
"That would be good for him," Amelia agreed, and gave him a small grin. "And of course, the fact that I'm curious what he'd look like has nothing to do with it."
"None at all." Val grinned back, and studied Von. "It's been so long. I'm trying to remember how I was taught."
Amelia poured syrup over pancakes and sausage, keeping a close eye on the young Dragon, who in turn was keeping a close eye on her tray. "We'll figure out something; I can always speak with Mister Milgazia if necessary."
"If necessary, I suppose." Val didn't feel particularly enthusiastic about it. He moved off the chair, kneeling on the floor, and picked up the rope again. "Come on, Von. Let Aunt Amelia eat in peace," he said, trying to tempt him away from the tray.
Von eyed the rope, then looked back to the tray before looking to Val. "Food."
Amelia closed her eyes, fighting down a chuckle even if her expression was exasperated. "My food," she told Von. The young Dragon responded by placing his chin on her knee, looking up at her adoringly. "No. You had your breakfast, this is my breakfast."
Von's reply was to bat his eyes, whimpering pathetically and nuzzling her knee, gazing up at her imploringly.
Amelia peered at him out of the corner of her eye before closing her eyes in a huff. "You realize I'm becoming immune to that begging trick of yours, don't you?"
"No, you not," he countered, trilling softly and making himself look as adorable as possible. "You wuff me."
Val bit his lip, struggling to keep quiet. Amelia, however, couldn't fight back a laugh this time, shaking her head. "Yes, I love you, you little silly, but you're still not getting my breakfast! Besides, you'll spoil your lunch. It's almost noon."
"Share! You no hungry at noon if you eat all now," he reasoned.
Amelia looked at Val. "I don't know where he gets it from, I really don't."
Val started chuckling. "He's a baby Dragon. It goes with the territory."
"Yeah?" Amelia took another bite, quiet for a moment until she swallowed. "Were you ever this bad?"
He widened his eyes, putting his hand over his heart. "Me? Of course not! I was a perfect angel. He must get that from his mother."
"Ha."
"Ha?"
"Yes. Ha."
"What, you don't believe me?" he asked. Amelia shot him a look as she stuck her fork in her mouth, and shook her head. "Well, I was. But since I lack a way to convince you, I suppose we'll change the subject."
Amelia smirked, sipping her tea. "Fair enough."
"Miss Amelia, we'll take him into the playroom so you can eat," Jillas volunteered, standing.
"Thank you, Mister Jillas."
"No want go!" Von whined.
"You've already had yer breakfast, ya little doof," Gravos retorted good-naturedly, bending over to pick up the protesting Dragon. Von snapped his jaws at him, but Gravos was quick to adjust his grip on Von in a way that would prevent him from getting bit.
When Amelia made no move to discipline him for it, Val considered intervening, but watched to see what Gravos would do. It would probably go over better from the ogre, he rationalized, rather than from himself. Von was still getting used to him.
Gravos didn't let Von get away with the attempt to bite him. The young Dragon's fit of temper earned him a light bat on the nose. "Ya know better than that, boy."
Von grumbled, but settled down. Val shook his head in amusement as he watched his servants take a still-protesting Von into another room, then looked at Amelia as the door shut behind them. "I do have a question, but it kind of fell by the wayside last night on top of everything else."
"Yeah?" She reached for a muffin, spreading whipped butter over it.
"Who's this Martina character? She's not your stepmother or anything, is she?" Amelia froze as still as a statue, then slowly turned her head until her wide-eyes were riveted to his face. She blinked twice, he couldn't recall ever seeing someone pull off a look that was perfectly expressionless, yet completely incredulous at once before. He scratched the back of his head. She stared at him. He smirked in amusement. Stare. "I take that as a 'no'."
Amelia suddenly moved and twitched again, a full body shudder. "Thank you, Val. So much for my appetite. That was a horrible, scary, bad, evil, and above all, completely unjust thought."
"What, you don't like her very much?" Val asked, still giving her an amused smirk.
She blinked, and looked at him again. "Are we even talking about the same person?"
"Point taken. So, how is it that you know someone like that?"
"Some years ago, the King of Zoana was increasing his militia and planning to take over Seyruun. I was sent to give them one last chance to comply by the treaty and avoid war, or face the fate of the unjust."
"Face the...?" Val raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "Anyway, go on."
"They had other plans."
"Naturally."
"Naturally. They hired a mage to defeat me because of my reputation. They planned to hold me for ransom."
Val had the impression she was pausing for effect. "And?"
"And the mage turned out to be Mister Zelgadis."
"Zel, that blue rock fellow?"
"Mmmhmm. He defeated me without a single attack, unless you count psychological warfare."
Val blinked. "What happened?"
"Why, the sheer injustice of it all! Two allies, two friends, made by fate and chance to be enemies who must battle to the death! Alas, what a day, what an injustice against the power of love and the beauty of friendship! Trickery and guile of the worst sort, using my love for Mister Zelgadis against me! But they should have known that their wicked ways would be their downfall, and justice would reign supreme and triumph in the glorious end!"
Amelia leapt up into a dramatic pose, and Val sweatdropped. What was it with princesses being a few platters shy of a full meal? Not that he had much room to talk, he'd admit, but still... Then his eyes met hers and he saw the faintest trace of an amused smirk tugging her lips, and a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes.
"Anyway, Miss Lina showed up looking for Zoana's copy of the Claire Bible," Amelia continued, sitting down and speaking as calmly as if nothing out of the ordinary just occurred. "She wound up destroying the castle instead, got Mister Zelgadis to see the folly of his alliance to his employers -- the fact that Miss Lina already had the copy well in hand helped, I'll admit -- and that's when Martina powered up this huge battle golem."
"A wha...how did she come by that?"
"It was in the book. It was also very old and didn't work quite right, so it wound up backfiring and launching random shots around the town, destroying it."
Val covered his eyes, shaking his head slightly.
"It gets better."
"Oh, no."
"Yep. It also was immune to most magic attacks, which made stopping it a challenge." Amelia paused for a heartbeat. "For anyone but Miss Lina, that is."
"Oh, no..." Val had a feeling where it was heading.
"Oh, yes. Mister Gourry, Mister Zelgadis and I sounded the alert and warned the citizens of Zoana to clear the area. Miss Lina cast a Dragon Slave, the golem was destroyed..."
"...along with most of Zoana," Val guessed.
"Right. As a result, Martina decided she was Miss Lina's sworn enemy, and vowed revenge upon her, forgetting that she practical begged Miss Lina to stop the golem she herself activated without any clue what she was really doing. It only got interesting when she decided she wanted Lina out of the way so she could have babies with Mister Gourry and rebuild Zoana. Once she got over Mister Gourry, she wanted to marry Mister Xellos and live happily ever after."
Val blinked. "This probably goes without saying, but is she insane?"
"Oh, completely," Amelia said, her tone as matter-of-factly as if she were discussing the weather. "To her credit, she dropped him like a hot potato when she found out he was a Mazoku."
"So she's crazy, but not stupid then?"
Amelia hesitated. "Err...okay, I'll give her that much."
"Is she still trying to snare somebody?"
"No, and count your blessings, 'cause she just might have gone after you next."
Val shuddered. "I'm counting them, don't worry. So who's the poor sap?"
"A swordsman named Zangulus. I'm still not sure what he sees in her, but..." She shrugged.
"Are they still here?"
"I hope not. But we're probably not that lucky. I just hope they're gone before Miss Lina arrives."
"Does Martina still have a grudge against her?"
"I quit trying to figure that out." Amelia picked up her fork again, apparently recovering her appetite. "It's a bit of a trick understanding how her mind works, and a trick I'm probably better off not learning. All in all, there's another reason for it. We don't need to waste time while King Zangulus tries to challenge Mister Gourry into yet another duel. That family has the absolute worst timing of anyone I've ever met." Amelia smirked. "Myself included."
"What, you have bad timing too?"
"Let's just be kind and say that there's been a few moments where I've been a bit out of sync with the others," she replied.
Val smirked. "At least you're honest about it." Amelia raised an eyebrow.
"Well, of course I am," she replied. "It's not very becoming for a champion of justice to lie."
"You're still into that justice thing?" he asked curiously, crossing his legs and sitting back in the chair. Immediately, he wished he'd phrased it a bit better as her eyes took on a slightly wounded look.
"I still believe in the cause of justice," she said quietly, turning her gaze to the window.
Val studied her. "I should have phrased that better, but do I hear a 'but' in there somewhere?"
"But...just not like before." Amelia looked back at him. "Don't let on about it to Daddy. I do believe in justice. I just...it's not as black and white as he believes, or as I once thought things were."
"No," he agreed quietly. "It's not."
"I learned that from you, and from Gaav." She gave him a sad smile, but her gaze was steady.
"What do you mean?"
"For the longest time back then, we thought our enemy was Gaav. He was either trying to get Miss Lina onto his side, or kill her."
Val nodded slightly. "I remember."
"Well, it turns out that if you really stop and think about it, we were on the same side." Amelia paused, sipping her tea. "Phibrizo wanted to do two things; lure out Gaav to kill him, and trap Miss Lina into casting a Giga Slave to destroy the world. Gaav was trying to stop Miss Lina to prevent Phibrizo's plans from coming to fruition. I know Miss Lina. If she had known, she might have at least worked with Gaav against Phibrizo rather than let him do all he did."
Val couldn't help but think that if she had, then perhaps Gaav would not have been killed.
"He wasn't our enemy, not really. Not the way Phibrizo was. He was..." Amelia closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'd heard the saying before but I never understood it until that day, 'the lesser of the two evils'. I always wondered how any one evil could be less than another. I learned that lesson."
Val couldn't decide if it were for the better that Amelia discovered the world wasn't strictly black and white, or if something important had died with that understanding.
"You taught me even more. You taught me that not only was the world in murky shades of gray, and that good and evil were nebulous terms, but that justice was a cause worthy of holding onto with my last breath."
He arched an eyebrow. "That sounds like a contradiction. How'd I manage that?"
"You recall when we first met that day in the desert. I of course thought we were enemies."
He smirked wryly. "We were."
"Yes, I know." She returned the ironic expression. "But you weren't evil. I stopped seeing you as evil. I just saw someone in pain, someone who suffered a horrible injustice. I saw those who I thought were champions of good fall off that pedestal, and saw their veneer crack. I saw what was beneath it, black mire of lies and deceit. I saw the worst injustices of all there under a mask I thought was good. I saw hypocrisy, and evil committed in the name of justice, in the name of what was right."
She shook her head, rubbing her damp eyes slightly. "I saw then that justice was not infallible, and that it's possible to become so blinded by one's beliefs, one can become just as fanatical to the point of no longer seeing reason. I saw that in them, and I saw that in you."
Amelia looked at him. "You taught me never to give up believing that justice was a good thing, a necessary thing, and something worth believing in, and at the same time, you taught me never to believe in something so much that I can't see anything else beyond my own perception."
He watched her, listening to the unsteadiness in her voice, seeing the wetness in her eyes. "I can't deny it's probably a very valuable lesson," he said quietly after a moment, "but I can't deny either that it's obvious it's a lesson that comes with a heavy price."
"It's a price worth paying. The first casualty of any war is innocence. The struggle against injustice is still a war in itself, and it's a war I'll never stop fighting. But they're..." She shrugged, and smiled slightly. "They're unavoidable battle wounds. I like to think I would have learned this lesson at some point or another in life."
Val hesitated. "Maybe not," he suggested quietly. "I mean, well, how do I put this?"
She tilted her head, her expression considering. "You're wondering about my father, aren't you?" Val nodded. "I think I know why. I don't remember him before my mother was killed, I barely even remember her at all. I think, though, that his passion for justice became his lifeline. Just like your determination to avenge Gaav's death."
"That makes sense," he said softly. Another moment past in silence, and a thought weighed heavily on his mind. "I'm sorry."
She looked at him, surprised. "You have nothing to apologize for."
"I do. That day at Filia's? I was out of line. I'm sorry for what I said, and thank you for telling me the truth."
She offered him a tiny smile, wiping her eyes. "A lie is a terribly unjust thing to tell."
"I think, based off everything Filia probably knew and had available to her, if she honestly felt that sending our son away was the right choice to make, I think she made the right choice by sending him to you."
Her smile grew just a bit more, and had an additional bit of warmth. "Thank you, Mister Val."
to be continued...
~ Zanne
Chapter Three
Val barely slept that night. Granted, he wasn't exactly tired, but Gravos' snoring didn't help. He sat by the window of their room, looking out over the courtyard, wondering how Jillas ever managed to catch a wink amid the racket. After all this time, he supposed the foxman was used to it.
Funny how he never noticed it before. But then, in his cave, they not only had more room to spread out, but while he was still a Mazoku, sleep had not been necessary.
Shortly before sunrise, he could hear noise from the courtyard below as servants began to tend to their daily chores, and then as first light was breaking, there were faint, occasional suggestions of life moving about inside, barely audible through the thick stone walls and heavy doors.
Further away, he could hear various roosters, and the lowing of cattle. Scents from the city were carried up on the breeze as fresh bread finished baking for the day's sales, and other foodstuff came into play.
Behind him, within the room, he heard a deep snort, and a bed creaking under Gravos' heavy bulk. A higher-pitch sneeze came from another direction, quickly followed by an annoyed-sounding whimper.
"Up already, boss?" Gravos mumbled, the bed creaking again. Val heard heavy feet land on the floor.
"Couldn't really sleep very well," Val replied, not moving from the window. "Too much to think about."
"Everything will be okay, Lord Valga--" Val cut Jillas off with a sharp look. The foxman put his ears back meekly. "Sorry. Lord Val."
"You can drop the 'lord' bit. It's not a title I've any right to, and besides, around here, it would raise a lot of questions best left unasked."
"What should I call you then?" Jillas asked, sitting up.
"Just Val will suit me fine."
"Okay... Val." Jillas sounded uncomfortable, as if the name by its mere self felt alien in his mouth. "Everything will be just fine, you'll see."
"I'll believe it when I see it. And mark my words, I've every intention of seeing it come to pass." He looked over, seeing them dress for the day. "You two in a hurry to get somewhere?"
"It's breakfast time for Von. The maids bring up our breakfast too. We almost always eat with Miss Amelia and Von in her parlor."
Val smiled faintly. "That sounds like a good idea. Mind if I join you?"
Gravos snorted. "Mind? Boss, if you don't get yourself dressed and out the door with us, I'm dragging you along, ready or not."
Val smirked. "That would be an interesting sight. All right, give me a few minutes."
Although Von and the nursemaid had been up and about, it was some time after the clocks chimed ten before Amelia made an appearance. Von looked up as the inner chamber door opened, and quickly released the rope he had been clutching in his jaws, causing Val to tumble backwards unprepared.
"Aun' 'Melia!" Von scampered over to the door as Amelia stepped through, rubbing her eyes. Val flinched as he saw the young Dragon leaping up to pounce her, knowing she couldn't possibly see him coming. He quickly scrambled to his feet even though he knew he wouldn't get there in time to catch her, but he soon realized he didn't need to worry.
"Von!" she said sharply, evading him. "No!"
The young Dragon went sailing past her, barely clipping the edge of her simple, blue morning dress, and crashed on the floor, skidding a bit as Amelia continued on into the sitting room. She looked exhausted, as if she hadn't slept at all, with dark circles around her eyes, more noticeable against her pale skin.
"Good morning, Miss Amelia!" Jillas piped up, looking up from the hand of cards he held. Across the table from him, Gravos offered a wave.
"It was cute when he was a wee little thing," Amelia said, sitting down in a chair as Von came trotting out of her bedroom, looking sheepish. "I should have realized better. Now I'm trying to break that habit. He's a bit too heavy to go around pouncing people now." She pulled her hair out from behind her, and for the first time, Val noticed it was longer than what he recalled. It hung a bit below her shoulders, and was currently tied back with a simple bow by a blue ribbon.
Val chuckled, taking a seat in another chair as he watched Von contritely headbutt Amelia's hand, wanting to be petted and consoled. "I'm sure he'll grow out of it."
"I hope so." Amelia smirked wryly. "Can you just see him fully grown and still pouncing people?"
"I wonder how big he'll get. He's half Golden, so I can't be sure, although he looks like a pureblood Ancient."
"Does that make a difference?"
"It might. Ancients were larger than Goldens. A very old Golden would still be larger than I am, for example, since a Dragon never stops growing throughout its lifetime. But within the same age group, an Ancient would have been the bigger of the two."
"And stronger?"
Val nodded.
Amelia chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "I'm sorry if I'm on a bad topic, I haven't had my tea yet, and my brain's still not up to speed."
Val waved his hand. "Don't worry about it." He watched Von as the young Dragon closed his eyes, purring happily while Amelia scratched his ears. "Did you have a rough night?"
Amelia paused in her attentions on Von, her gaze growing distant for a moment. "Just a lot on my mind."
"Likewise. But you need more sleep than I do."
She shrugged and gave him a slight smile. "That's life. I'll deal."
Jillas dropped his cards and hurried to the door as the bell started swinging, jangling quietly. Val looked up and saw it was attached to a pulley that disappeared through the wall to the other side.
"Thanks, miss." Jillas stepped back, staggering under the weight of a tray, laden with various silver-covered dishes, and Gravos rolled his eyes.
"Need a hand?"
"Or just your muscles," Jillas groaned.
Gravos took the tray from the foxman before he collapsed, and carried it over to Amelia. "Your breakfast, miss," he said, setting it down on the table beside her.
"Thank you, you two," Amelia said, picking up the silver teapot and pouring herself a cup before doing anything else. Von curiously sniffed the tray.
"For me?" he piped up, looking at Amelia with huge, hopeful eyes.
She smirked slightly. "You've already had breakfast. This is mine."
Von hung his head; he was either contrite or sulking, Val wasn't sure. "You know, we could take him out of here if he learned how to transform," Val suggested. "Give you a chance for peace and quiet, and give him a chance to see more things."
"That would be good for him," Amelia agreed, and gave him a small grin. "And of course, the fact that I'm curious what he'd look like has nothing to do with it."
"None at all." Val grinned back, and studied Von. "It's been so long. I'm trying to remember how I was taught."
Amelia poured syrup over pancakes and sausage, keeping a close eye on the young Dragon, who in turn was keeping a close eye on her tray. "We'll figure out something; I can always speak with Mister Milgazia if necessary."
"If necessary, I suppose." Val didn't feel particularly enthusiastic about it. He moved off the chair, kneeling on the floor, and picked up the rope again. "Come on, Von. Let Aunt Amelia eat in peace," he said, trying to tempt him away from the tray.
Von eyed the rope, then looked back to the tray before looking to Val. "Food."
Amelia closed her eyes, fighting down a chuckle even if her expression was exasperated. "My food," she told Von. The young Dragon responded by placing his chin on her knee, looking up at her adoringly. "No. You had your breakfast, this is my breakfast."
Von's reply was to bat his eyes, whimpering pathetically and nuzzling her knee, gazing up at her imploringly.
Amelia peered at him out of the corner of her eye before closing her eyes in a huff. "You realize I'm becoming immune to that begging trick of yours, don't you?"
"No, you not," he countered, trilling softly and making himself look as adorable as possible. "You wuff me."
Val bit his lip, struggling to keep quiet. Amelia, however, couldn't fight back a laugh this time, shaking her head. "Yes, I love you, you little silly, but you're still not getting my breakfast! Besides, you'll spoil your lunch. It's almost noon."
"Share! You no hungry at noon if you eat all now," he reasoned.
Amelia looked at Val. "I don't know where he gets it from, I really don't."
Val started chuckling. "He's a baby Dragon. It goes with the territory."
"Yeah?" Amelia took another bite, quiet for a moment until she swallowed. "Were you ever this bad?"
He widened his eyes, putting his hand over his heart. "Me? Of course not! I was a perfect angel. He must get that from his mother."
"Ha."
"Ha?"
"Yes. Ha."
"What, you don't believe me?" he asked. Amelia shot him a look as she stuck her fork in her mouth, and shook her head. "Well, I was. But since I lack a way to convince you, I suppose we'll change the subject."
Amelia smirked, sipping her tea. "Fair enough."
"Miss Amelia, we'll take him into the playroom so you can eat," Jillas volunteered, standing.
"Thank you, Mister Jillas."
"No want go!" Von whined.
"You've already had yer breakfast, ya little doof," Gravos retorted good-naturedly, bending over to pick up the protesting Dragon. Von snapped his jaws at him, but Gravos was quick to adjust his grip on Von in a way that would prevent him from getting bit.
When Amelia made no move to discipline him for it, Val considered intervening, but watched to see what Gravos would do. It would probably go over better from the ogre, he rationalized, rather than from himself. Von was still getting used to him.
Gravos didn't let Von get away with the attempt to bite him. The young Dragon's fit of temper earned him a light bat on the nose. "Ya know better than that, boy."
Von grumbled, but settled down. Val shook his head in amusement as he watched his servants take a still-protesting Von into another room, then looked at Amelia as the door shut behind them. "I do have a question, but it kind of fell by the wayside last night on top of everything else."
"Yeah?" She reached for a muffin, spreading whipped butter over it.
"Who's this Martina character? She's not your stepmother or anything, is she?" Amelia froze as still as a statue, then slowly turned her head until her wide-eyes were riveted to his face. She blinked twice, he couldn't recall ever seeing someone pull off a look that was perfectly expressionless, yet completely incredulous at once before. He scratched the back of his head. She stared at him. He smirked in amusement. Stare. "I take that as a 'no'."
Amelia suddenly moved and twitched again, a full body shudder. "Thank you, Val. So much for my appetite. That was a horrible, scary, bad, evil, and above all, completely unjust thought."
"What, you don't like her very much?" Val asked, still giving her an amused smirk.
She blinked, and looked at him again. "Are we even talking about the same person?"
"Point taken. So, how is it that you know someone like that?"
"Some years ago, the King of Zoana was increasing his militia and planning to take over Seyruun. I was sent to give them one last chance to comply by the treaty and avoid war, or face the fate of the unjust."
"Face the...?" Val raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "Anyway, go on."
"They had other plans."
"Naturally."
"Naturally. They hired a mage to defeat me because of my reputation. They planned to hold me for ransom."
Val had the impression she was pausing for effect. "And?"
"And the mage turned out to be Mister Zelgadis."
"Zel, that blue rock fellow?"
"Mmmhmm. He defeated me without a single attack, unless you count psychological warfare."
Val blinked. "What happened?"
"Why, the sheer injustice of it all! Two allies, two friends, made by fate and chance to be enemies who must battle to the death! Alas, what a day, what an injustice against the power of love and the beauty of friendship! Trickery and guile of the worst sort, using my love for Mister Zelgadis against me! But they should have known that their wicked ways would be their downfall, and justice would reign supreme and triumph in the glorious end!"
Amelia leapt up into a dramatic pose, and Val sweatdropped. What was it with princesses being a few platters shy of a full meal? Not that he had much room to talk, he'd admit, but still... Then his eyes met hers and he saw the faintest trace of an amused smirk tugging her lips, and a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes.
"Anyway, Miss Lina showed up looking for Zoana's copy of the Claire Bible," Amelia continued, sitting down and speaking as calmly as if nothing out of the ordinary just occurred. "She wound up destroying the castle instead, got Mister Zelgadis to see the folly of his alliance to his employers -- the fact that Miss Lina already had the copy well in hand helped, I'll admit -- and that's when Martina powered up this huge battle golem."
"A wha...how did she come by that?"
"It was in the book. It was also very old and didn't work quite right, so it wound up backfiring and launching random shots around the town, destroying it."
Val covered his eyes, shaking his head slightly.
"It gets better."
"Oh, no."
"Yep. It also was immune to most magic attacks, which made stopping it a challenge." Amelia paused for a heartbeat. "For anyone but Miss Lina, that is."
"Oh, no..." Val had a feeling where it was heading.
"Oh, yes. Mister Gourry, Mister Zelgadis and I sounded the alert and warned the citizens of Zoana to clear the area. Miss Lina cast a Dragon Slave, the golem was destroyed..."
"...along with most of Zoana," Val guessed.
"Right. As a result, Martina decided she was Miss Lina's sworn enemy, and vowed revenge upon her, forgetting that she practical begged Miss Lina to stop the golem she herself activated without any clue what she was really doing. It only got interesting when she decided she wanted Lina out of the way so she could have babies with Mister Gourry and rebuild Zoana. Once she got over Mister Gourry, she wanted to marry Mister Xellos and live happily ever after."
Val blinked. "This probably goes without saying, but is she insane?"
"Oh, completely," Amelia said, her tone as matter-of-factly as if she were discussing the weather. "To her credit, she dropped him like a hot potato when she found out he was a Mazoku."
"So she's crazy, but not stupid then?"
Amelia hesitated. "Err...okay, I'll give her that much."
"Is she still trying to snare somebody?"
"No, and count your blessings, 'cause she just might have gone after you next."
Val shuddered. "I'm counting them, don't worry. So who's the poor sap?"
"A swordsman named Zangulus. I'm still not sure what he sees in her, but..." She shrugged.
"Are they still here?"
"I hope not. But we're probably not that lucky. I just hope they're gone before Miss Lina arrives."
"Does Martina still have a grudge against her?"
"I quit trying to figure that out." Amelia picked up her fork again, apparently recovering her appetite. "It's a bit of a trick understanding how her mind works, and a trick I'm probably better off not learning. All in all, there's another reason for it. We don't need to waste time while King Zangulus tries to challenge Mister Gourry into yet another duel. That family has the absolute worst timing of anyone I've ever met." Amelia smirked. "Myself included."
"What, you have bad timing too?"
"Let's just be kind and say that there's been a few moments where I've been a bit out of sync with the others," she replied.
Val smirked. "At least you're honest about it." Amelia raised an eyebrow.
"Well, of course I am," she replied. "It's not very becoming for a champion of justice to lie."
"You're still into that justice thing?" he asked curiously, crossing his legs and sitting back in the chair. Immediately, he wished he'd phrased it a bit better as her eyes took on a slightly wounded look.
"I still believe in the cause of justice," she said quietly, turning her gaze to the window.
Val studied her. "I should have phrased that better, but do I hear a 'but' in there somewhere?"
"But...just not like before." Amelia looked back at him. "Don't let on about it to Daddy. I do believe in justice. I just...it's not as black and white as he believes, or as I once thought things were."
"No," he agreed quietly. "It's not."
"I learned that from you, and from Gaav." She gave him a sad smile, but her gaze was steady.
"What do you mean?"
"For the longest time back then, we thought our enemy was Gaav. He was either trying to get Miss Lina onto his side, or kill her."
Val nodded slightly. "I remember."
"Well, it turns out that if you really stop and think about it, we were on the same side." Amelia paused, sipping her tea. "Phibrizo wanted to do two things; lure out Gaav to kill him, and trap Miss Lina into casting a Giga Slave to destroy the world. Gaav was trying to stop Miss Lina to prevent Phibrizo's plans from coming to fruition. I know Miss Lina. If she had known, she might have at least worked with Gaav against Phibrizo rather than let him do all he did."
Val couldn't help but think that if she had, then perhaps Gaav would not have been killed.
"He wasn't our enemy, not really. Not the way Phibrizo was. He was..." Amelia closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'd heard the saying before but I never understood it until that day, 'the lesser of the two evils'. I always wondered how any one evil could be less than another. I learned that lesson."
Val couldn't decide if it were for the better that Amelia discovered the world wasn't strictly black and white, or if something important had died with that understanding.
"You taught me even more. You taught me that not only was the world in murky shades of gray, and that good and evil were nebulous terms, but that justice was a cause worthy of holding onto with my last breath."
He arched an eyebrow. "That sounds like a contradiction. How'd I manage that?"
"You recall when we first met that day in the desert. I of course thought we were enemies."
He smirked wryly. "We were."
"Yes, I know." She returned the ironic expression. "But you weren't evil. I stopped seeing you as evil. I just saw someone in pain, someone who suffered a horrible injustice. I saw those who I thought were champions of good fall off that pedestal, and saw their veneer crack. I saw what was beneath it, black mire of lies and deceit. I saw the worst injustices of all there under a mask I thought was good. I saw hypocrisy, and evil committed in the name of justice, in the name of what was right."
She shook her head, rubbing her damp eyes slightly. "I saw then that justice was not infallible, and that it's possible to become so blinded by one's beliefs, one can become just as fanatical to the point of no longer seeing reason. I saw that in them, and I saw that in you."
Amelia looked at him. "You taught me never to give up believing that justice was a good thing, a necessary thing, and something worth believing in, and at the same time, you taught me never to believe in something so much that I can't see anything else beyond my own perception."
He watched her, listening to the unsteadiness in her voice, seeing the wetness in her eyes. "I can't deny it's probably a very valuable lesson," he said quietly after a moment, "but I can't deny either that it's obvious it's a lesson that comes with a heavy price."
"It's a price worth paying. The first casualty of any war is innocence. The struggle against injustice is still a war in itself, and it's a war I'll never stop fighting. But they're..." She shrugged, and smiled slightly. "They're unavoidable battle wounds. I like to think I would have learned this lesson at some point or another in life."
Val hesitated. "Maybe not," he suggested quietly. "I mean, well, how do I put this?"
She tilted her head, her expression considering. "You're wondering about my father, aren't you?" Val nodded. "I think I know why. I don't remember him before my mother was killed, I barely even remember her at all. I think, though, that his passion for justice became his lifeline. Just like your determination to avenge Gaav's death."
"That makes sense," he said softly. Another moment past in silence, and a thought weighed heavily on his mind. "I'm sorry."
She looked at him, surprised. "You have nothing to apologize for."
"I do. That day at Filia's? I was out of line. I'm sorry for what I said, and thank you for telling me the truth."
She offered him a tiny smile, wiping her eyes. "A lie is a terribly unjust thing to tell."
"I think, based off everything Filia probably knew and had available to her, if she honestly felt that sending our son away was the right choice to make, I think she made the right choice by sending him to you."
Her smile grew just a bit more, and had an additional bit of warmth. "Thank you, Mister Val."
to be continued...