Mirror, rorriM
Chapter 11
Amelia rolled over and sighed. She heard voices outside, and two of them were relentlessly dragging her to awareness. It was Lina and Zelgadis. She opened her eyes, blearily focusing on the canvas of the tent above her, and sighed again. It really hadn't been a dream. She was lost after all.
Well, if she had to be lost, at least she was lost with Zelgadis.
She could deal with Lina being there.
Gathering her wits, the Princess of Saillune sat up and moved off of the uncomfortable cot. While a cot was marginally better than the ground, it never could beat the comfort of her bed at home.
A clatter outside brought her to the tent-flap quicker than normal, and she looked out to see Zelgadis picking himself up off of the ground and taking a seat on a rock next to Lina and another sorcerer.
Amelia noticed a peculiar blush on Lina's face, and then looked at the man next to Lina with suspicion. Seeing that he was a sorcerer didn't help the bubble of wild alarm that Amelia felt rising up to her throat.
"Miss Lina. Mister Zelgadis. where are we?" Amelia ventured as she stepped out of the tent, trying not to sound too alarmed. Princesses didn't start off in a panic. They evaluated the situation quickly, and then decided to panic if it was warranted.
"We're in the forest near the ruins of Talerin," Zelgadis replied as he brushed some dust off of his cloak. She noticed that he still had his hood and mask up, so right away, she knew they weren't in the company of friends.
Amelia blinked, looking across to the one who might not be a friend. "Talerin? Ruins? I don't understand." It occurred to her who the sorcerer was. "You're the one from last night!"
A faint smile crossed Brynn's face, and he nodded. "Indeed I am, and you are the Princess Amelia wil Tesla Saillune. Has it been so long that you have forgotten me?"
Lina and Zelgadis both stared.
Amelia considered, and then burst into a sunny grin. "Cousin Brynn! But." she faltered, looking at him. "What are you doing here? Weren't you teaching, or something?"
Lina buried her face in her hand. Was everyone related to each other in some form or fashion? Next, someone would pop out of the woodwork and claim to be related to Rouddy or Mellyroon.
"Actually, the Prince of Talerin was a student at the school, but he asked me to be his personal Sorcerer when he graduated. He made me an offer that I just could not refuse," Brynn replied.
Amelia pondered. "In other words, you went where the money was."
Zelgadis and Lina both collapsed.
Not too far off, a plot was forming. If she hung around here, she could really have some fun. After all, with -her- around. well, she could do things and it would be blamed on -her-.
Zelgadis was becoming uncomfortable in his cloak and mask, and Brynn's eyes rested on the shaman. "Why don't you take that off, lad?"
An involuntary blush toned unseen blue cheeks to a slight purple. "I. prefer my privacy."
"Privacy is respectable, lad. Stubbornness is not," Brynn replied easily. "If you fall over from the heat, you will have none to blame but yourself."
Lina sat back and watched. Knowing Zelgadis, he'd rather pass out from heat exhaustion than to expose his face to strangers.
Amazingly enough, Zelgadis reached up and tugged the mask down first, then pulled his hood back. Lina wondered how his wire hair didn't get caught in the cloth of the hood, and then considered that he might have worked up some sort of a spell to keep that from happening.
"Mmf," Brynn grunted. "Good to see you listen to reason, lad." He turned to look to Lina. "So what are you going to do? The people are convinced that it was you who destroyed the place."
Lina sighed. "I'm not honestly sure. I mean, I'm pretty sure that I was still at that guildhouse when the attack happened."
Brynn tilted his head. "Guildhouse?"
"High Cleric Kai," Zelgadis offered. "Lina was injured and I took her to a guildhouse for healing."
Brynn looked at Lina sidelong. "Why didn't you tell Davin that it was that time of the month?"
Lina blushed deeply again. "It's not something that I talk about."
Amelia put one and one together and came up with what she thought was the answer. "So that ruin back there was Talerin? And these people think you did it, Miss Lina? I mean, I know you're destructive and prone to throw fireballs first and ask questions later. and you /did/ rather destroy a town by accident once or twice. but." She saw the anger darkening Lina's eyes as the petite sorceress stood, and felt the threat of impending doom. "But I don't think that you meant to destroy them."
"Amelia." Lina sighed and sat back down. "I didn't do it. I wasn't there, I wasn't capable of it, and I wouldn't have done it without good reason."
Amelia rolled over and sighed. She heard voices outside, and two of them were relentlessly dragging her to awareness. It was Lina and Zelgadis. She opened her eyes, blearily focusing on the canvas of the tent above her, and sighed again. It really hadn't been a dream. She was lost after all.
Well, if she had to be lost, at least she was lost with Zelgadis.
She could deal with Lina being there.
Gathering her wits, the Princess of Saillune sat up and moved off of the uncomfortable cot. While a cot was marginally better than the ground, it never could beat the comfort of her bed at home.
A clatter outside brought her to the tent-flap quicker than normal, and she looked out to see Zelgadis picking himself up off of the ground and taking a seat on a rock next to Lina and another sorcerer.
Amelia noticed a peculiar blush on Lina's face, and then looked at the man next to Lina with suspicion. Seeing that he was a sorcerer didn't help the bubble of wild alarm that Amelia felt rising up to her throat.
"Miss Lina. Mister Zelgadis. where are we?" Amelia ventured as she stepped out of the tent, trying not to sound too alarmed. Princesses didn't start off in a panic. They evaluated the situation quickly, and then decided to panic if it was warranted.
"We're in the forest near the ruins of Talerin," Zelgadis replied as he brushed some dust off of his cloak. She noticed that he still had his hood and mask up, so right away, she knew they weren't in the company of friends.
Amelia blinked, looking across to the one who might not be a friend. "Talerin? Ruins? I don't understand." It occurred to her who the sorcerer was. "You're the one from last night!"
A faint smile crossed Brynn's face, and he nodded. "Indeed I am, and you are the Princess Amelia wil Tesla Saillune. Has it been so long that you have forgotten me?"
Lina and Zelgadis both stared.
Amelia considered, and then burst into a sunny grin. "Cousin Brynn! But." she faltered, looking at him. "What are you doing here? Weren't you teaching, or something?"
Lina buried her face in her hand. Was everyone related to each other in some form or fashion? Next, someone would pop out of the woodwork and claim to be related to Rouddy or Mellyroon.
"Actually, the Prince of Talerin was a student at the school, but he asked me to be his personal Sorcerer when he graduated. He made me an offer that I just could not refuse," Brynn replied.
Amelia pondered. "In other words, you went where the money was."
Zelgadis and Lina both collapsed.
Not too far off, a plot was forming. If she hung around here, she could really have some fun. After all, with -her- around. well, she could do things and it would be blamed on -her-.
Zelgadis was becoming uncomfortable in his cloak and mask, and Brynn's eyes rested on the shaman. "Why don't you take that off, lad?"
An involuntary blush toned unseen blue cheeks to a slight purple. "I. prefer my privacy."
"Privacy is respectable, lad. Stubbornness is not," Brynn replied easily. "If you fall over from the heat, you will have none to blame but yourself."
Lina sat back and watched. Knowing Zelgadis, he'd rather pass out from heat exhaustion than to expose his face to strangers.
Amazingly enough, Zelgadis reached up and tugged the mask down first, then pulled his hood back. Lina wondered how his wire hair didn't get caught in the cloth of the hood, and then considered that he might have worked up some sort of a spell to keep that from happening.
"Mmf," Brynn grunted. "Good to see you listen to reason, lad." He turned to look to Lina. "So what are you going to do? The people are convinced that it was you who destroyed the place."
Lina sighed. "I'm not honestly sure. I mean, I'm pretty sure that I was still at that guildhouse when the attack happened."
Brynn tilted his head. "Guildhouse?"
"High Cleric Kai," Zelgadis offered. "Lina was injured and I took her to a guildhouse for healing."
Brynn looked at Lina sidelong. "Why didn't you tell Davin that it was that time of the month?"
Lina blushed deeply again. "It's not something that I talk about."
Amelia put one and one together and came up with what she thought was the answer. "So that ruin back there was Talerin? And these people think you did it, Miss Lina? I mean, I know you're destructive and prone to throw fireballs first and ask questions later. and you /did/ rather destroy a town by accident once or twice. but." She saw the anger darkening Lina's eyes as the petite sorceress stood, and felt the threat of impending doom. "But I don't think that you meant to destroy them."
"Amelia." Lina sighed and sat back down. "I didn't do it. I wasn't there, I wasn't capable of it, and I wouldn't have done it without good reason."