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Chapter 7: Truth and Deception
The hall was big, although not nearly as big as the one in her palace. A grand staircase loomed at her right, the floor made of marble and cold to the touch. The woman led Amelia through the corridors of the house, until finally they entered a dining room. A servant entered just a second later with warm, delicious smelling food. Amelia's eyebrows furrowed as she glanced around. Would it be safe to eat? Amelia wondered.
The table was small and homely, and Amelia sat opposite her hostess. Her stomach grumbled as Amelia laid eyes on the food: a turkey, a salad, chicken legs, crab legs, and potatoes, among other things. Amelia's stomach grumbled: she forgot that she was starving.
The woman picked up her fork and began to eat quietly. Amelia picked up her fork also, but hesitated, unsure. "Go on," the dark brown-haired woman said, her voice reassuring. "It's not poisoned." And as if to prove the point, the woman reached over the table with her fork and grabbed a piece of Amelia's salad. Amelia stared at her food, wondering what she should do. Her mind fought her stomach, and in the end her mind won.
"I don't believe you told me your name," Amelia said as she put down her fork gently, her back straight. Her posture held the air of someone important, although some might've thought that she sat a bit rigidly. The woman didn't seem the least bit offended by the young Princess' actions.
"Oh, dear, I'm very sorry. How silly of me." The woman smiled, and her face shone, warm, kind, and mysterious. "But I do believe you've heard of me. My name, Amelia dear, is one I'm not too sure you'll like. Dear, my name is…Reirs…."
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Zelgadis felt like shit. The chimera was raywinging through the air, hoping to find the young Princess from high above the canopy of trees. He'd been searching for three days now, but to no avail. I'll be lucky if I even find a clue! L-sama, she's fast! He knew this area quite well; he had searched for his clue here once before, and he had ended up going back and forth through this area a few times over.
It's all my fault. She probably ran because of me! No, she did run because of me. Lina's going to kill me if I don't find her…no, I'm going to kill me if I don't find her! Once again, Zelgadis, you did something very stupid. Please Amelia, be all right. Please…I know you're all right….
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If Amelia had been eating, which, luckily, she wasn't, she would've ended up spitting it all out. "W-What?!?!?!" she spluttered, pushing out of her chair so fast it she knocked it over. She stood away from the woman across the table from her, realizing how stupid she was to go to a stranger's house. I knew something was up, but…"I thought you were a guy!" The words spilled out of her mouth before she knew it.
The woman, or rather Reirs, giggled. "Dear me, I can't blame you for thinking so. My name hardly sounds like it suits a woman, and those bandits probably didn't help. I'm really quite sorry for sending them to get you; I honestly didn't think they'd treat you like that."
"So you're confessing your crimes! That you were the one who sent those men to kidnap me!" Amelia felt very alert, her eyes darting around the room for anything that didn't look right. Just who was this Reirs person, anyways?
"Amelia dear, I wasn't really 'kidnapping you'. I just wanted to talk to you. I suppose I did go a little out of hand," she added, giggling again. Amelia was shocked to hear her giggling about it. "Maybe I should have just asked for an audience with you instead of trying to bring you here. My, I did create quite a ruckus, I suppose."
Amelia couldn't believe it! How could this woman act so calm? She had just admitted that she was the one who'd ordered Amelia's kidnapping, and she was acting as if she had accidentally stepped on someone's toes, or broken someone's china. Unbelievable! The nerve of this woman! Does she know what she put me through because of that?!?!?! "I can't believe you! How can you be so blasé about this?! Don't you know what you put me through, what you put my father and my friends through?!" Amelia's face was red with anger, her hands curling up into fists at her side.
Reirs face took on a very serious look, and her voice seemed to change completely. "I had to tell you something very important, Amelia. I know what I did was wrong, and I'm very sorry for what's happened to you. But I wanted to tell you as soon as possible, and having you brought here was the fastest way I could think of."
Some excuse, Amelia thought bitterly in her head. "No, the fastest way would've been for you to come see me. It would've been less trouble, also. Don't think that I'll let you get away with this! With Justice on my side, I will not waver, and I will not lose. What you did, Reirs, was unjust!"
"Justice is just an empty concept people live by, Amelia. People use the concept of justice to make what they're doing right in the eyes of themselves and others. Why use empty words, Amelia? Did you ever notice that whenever you use this empty concept, it never works? People always turn it against you, or they just don't care about it. Because, in the end, its just an empty concept."
"No! Justice isn't just an empty concept. Justice is what's right, and good, and gives punishment to anyone who is evil and does bad. Justice isn't empty; many people believe in it, and so do I! Don't try to fool me, Reirs."
"The only one you are fooling is yourself, Princess." Reirs sighed, and got up from her chair. Amelia eyed her warily and cautiously, taking a few steps back. Why didn't she just run for it? "Amelia, there is still something important I have to tell you. You…"
"What, are you going to try to feed me more lies? Try to make me trust you? Believe whatever comes out of those lips of yours?"
"My, dear Amelia, you have grown up and matured," she said, her voice sounding sweet and gentle again.
"What do you know about me?" Amelia spat, her blue eyes glaring at the hazel-green ones. Amelia was taking deep breaths to try to calm herself, but she never could when Justice needed to be served.
"I know many, many things, Amelia dear. I knew your mother -" At this, Amelia felt rooted to her spot, her mind whirling around emotions and memories. Had Reirs just said she had known her mother? "- Listen to me, Amelia. You're in danger, you, and one of your friends-"
"Stop it!" Amelia yelled, shaking. "The only reason I'm in danger is because you -"
"You're not even safe from your own mind, Amelia!"
"Stop acting as if you know me!! You don't know who I am! You have no idea what I've been through!" Amelia stepped closer towards the door, her hands clenched at her sides. She wanted to go home, she wanted everything to go back to normal. She had been so stupid to leave her friends like that, to not go home as soon as she had escaped.
"You're going to tear down everything you love and cherish, if you're not careful," Reirs said loudly. Calmly, her face full of understanding, she said, "Someone is really after you, Amelia. I really don't want to tell you, but…I had you kidnapped so that you and your friends wouldn't get hurt. I don't want that person to get you."
For a moment, a dreadfully loud silence filled the room. Amelia glanced at the table in front of her, full of food, and then her eyes flew back to the woman in front of her. "Why?! So that you can get me instead?" Amelia said, her voice rising. Does she expect me to believe her? Just like that?? Amelia refused to believe what Reirs was telling her – it had to be a lie.
Reirs moved closer towards Amelia, but Amelia lifted her hands as if to cast a spell, so the woman stayed where she was, and clutched at the table with her long, slender fingers. "You've been having nightmares a lot now, haven't you? It's in your mind now…it's going to try to play with your head. You'll have to know what is the truth, and what are the lies. You'll have to be able to tell reality from illusion. The person after you…. that person is the same one who killed your mother, Amelia! They want to finish their job! And now, all of a sudden, you remember that moment when she died. They're after you, Amelia!! You and your friends. And to get to your friends, they'll use you." Reirs voice was quiet. She said those last words so softly that Amelia had to strain in order to hear her.
"I-I don't believe you…"Amelia whispered, shaking her head. The woman was mad…insane…Amelia moved even closer to the door, her hands still raised in front of her.
"You don't have to believe me, Amelia dear. You don't have to, but you should."
Images flooded Amelia's mind. Images of her mother, dead. Of blood…how she hated blood. Make it stop! Make it go away! "How do you know these things? Who are you?" Amelia asked softly. Do I really believe her? She could be lying, but… No… she might not be lying.
"I told you, Amelia, I know many, many things. I'm very sorry. You've already been through so much for a 17 year old. You're almost 18, am I right?"
"Who are you?" Amelia repeated quietly. She was so close to the door; all she had to do was take a few more steps, and then she could run out of the room, and out of the house…
"I told you already, Amelia. I am Reirs."
Amelia looked at her hand; she was still holding her mothers ring, the one Reirs had given her. Tears filled her sky-blue eyes. Her and her friends were in danger. The person who killed her mother was after her. And her friends.
She was the crown Princess of Saillune. The one who had too many hard duties and responsibilities resting on her shoulders. The one who had to get married before she turned 18. The one who hadn't seen her friends in ages, and when she did, had ended up running away from them. The one who had left her father, left her people, left her home. The one who made everyone worry about her. The one who had been kidnapped. The one whose mother had been killed, and whose sister had run away. The one who didn't have a normal life. The one who had wanted to be free, and now found comfort only in a dirty brown blanket. The one whose mind was constantly troubled. The one who didn't want to disappoint. The one who tried to uphold Justice. The one who wanted to go on adventures again. The one who was now being chased. The one who was now running. The one who had once said that she had wanted to die, and who now strived to live….
…And it was then that her world crumbled…
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She yawned and stretched, and could feel her legs rub against the soft covers on top of her. Much better than just sleeping outside…Her eyes searched the room, taking everything in. A chair, a window on the other wall, a dresser, and a bowl of water with a white towel beside it. She sighed, not wanting to get up, but knowing that she had to get a head start if she was going to reach Saillune.
She walked over to the bowl first and washed her face, then went on to brush her red hair. I hope Amelia is all right. I'm sure she is…Zel's the one who went to look for her…A smirk played on her lips. I wonder when those two are gonna admit that they like each other. She then quickly dressed, the smell of breakfast wafting over to her room. Her stomach grumbled and she gave it a quick pat. "Breakfast time!" Lina said happily as she pulled on her boot, and then walked out the door.
She walked through the hallway, a content look on her face. She had taken a long, hot bath the night before, and was almost certain that Zel had found Amelia safely. But she was still a bit worried about Amelia's behaviour. One minute she was her happy, optimistic self, and the next, she was more depressed than even Zelgadis. Lina was so caught up with her thoughts as she headed for the stairs that she bumped into someone.
"Watch it!" she yelled, bringing her arm up as if to punch someone; but instead of giving someone a black eye, she began to blush furiously. Gourry stood in front of her, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair wet. Water dripped from his golden hair to the floor, as he rubbed his bare chest where Lina had just knocked into him.
"Oi, sorry Lina! Didn't see you there."
"What do you mean, you 'didn't see me there'?!?" she yelled at him, still embarrassed, and even more so because she had blushed so much. "W-well, you'd better hurry up and get dressed…I'll order breakfast downstairs." And with that, she took off quickly to reach the stairs, where, when he showed up, they began their morning ritual of pigging out on their 3 portion servings of everything.
And though they didn't know it, both Lina and Gourry had they same thought pass through their minds at the same time: Amelia was fine.
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*AN: Ok, is anyone OOC in this chapter? I'm worried that Amelia is. Gah, this hurts my head! All this worrying is gonna give me wrinkles! o.O Look at me! I'm a mess! Oh well… So, what'd you think of this chapter?? Good/Bad/Ok/Horrible/Amazing?? Hey, common people, a plot is developing here…just, very slowly. You people should be thankful that these chapters have all come so quickly. But now, the chapters are going to take longer *pouts*
And in case anyone is wondering, I do have a life! I've read 4 books (almost done my 5th), I've watched who knows how many movies, drawn a few pics (some of them of the slayers themselves), went out to some hair show thingy, and I've written these many chapters in less than two weeks ^_^ I'm just a very busy girl *grins*
--- Keep those reviews a-coming! All hail anyone who reviews this fic! I'm writing this for you people ^^ I'll name my rain dances after you people…as soon as I make up my own rain dances…I love you peeps! Thnx so much for reviewing. You love me, you really love me!