~~I don't own Slayers, blah, blah, blah.
~~Small change to the prologue to allow a certain character. See if you can find it!!
~**********************~
The huge golden dragon gave an announcing shriek as she softly landed on the grass of the courtyard. Lina smiled happily as she beheld her father's seaside manor spreading out before her, and waited eagerly for the blonde haired man to slide off the dragon's back. He did so quickly, then smiled and held his arms out to her. She slid into his arms easily, allowing him to set her gently on the ground.
She hugged him tightly for a moment, then punched him hard in the arm. He cried out and rubbed the bruised flesh, glaring at her with tears in his eyes. "Damn it, Lina!" he yelled. "What was that for?"
"You sure took your sweet time rescuing me, Gourry!" she yelled back. She turned away slightly, her hands on her cheeks. "Who knows what kids of terrible things those pirates might have done to me!"
Gourry's retort was drowned out by a sharp cry from the dragon as she was enveloped in a golden bath of light. Lina shielded her eyes, then was nearly bowled over as a woman leapt from the light and into her arms. Long pale blonde hair cascaded down the woman's back, setting off the shining white of her robes. Two large blue orbs bounced merrily from atop her head as she woman pounced on Lina, carrying her to the ground. The woman hugged her tightly, tears pouring from her cheeks. "Oh, poor Miss Lina!" the woman cried, hugging the girl's chest tightly.
"F-F-Filia!" Lina gasped out, her face turning blue. "You're. . . choking me!"
Filia gasped and dropped the younger girl onto the warm grass, covering her hands with her mouth. "Sorry, Miss Lina," she said between her fingers.
Lina gasped a few breaths of air into her aching lungs, glaring at the dragon priestess. One of the last golden dragons left alive, Lina's father had hired Filia to protect his home and family while he was away . She had almost immedietly adopted Lina as her responsibility, so it was little wonder that she had flown over the ocean to find her.
Gourry, of course, would have gone with her. Lina glanced over at the tall, handsome swordsman, once again feeling her ancient crush on him resurface. He had been her first love, the one that taught her how to sail a ship. He was now her first mate, turning down the captain's role to be near her and serve her as he could.
Lina shrugged to herself and stood back up, only to be bowled over yet again by another woman, this one with long blue-black hair. Down Lina went again into the soft grass, covered by a weeping female body. She sighed to herself and wanted to shove the weeping girl off of her, but didn't have the heart to hurt her like that.
Sylphiel was the resident healer and doctor, having sworn herself to the white arts of healing long before Lina had met her. She remembered hating the young woman from the lands of the North. Her family had been charged with keeping the Holy Tree Flagoon alive, but Lina's father had again hired out for a healer, and in came Sylphiel. She was a lovely young woman with dark eyes and a shy smile, and seemed to attach herself to Gourry the moment she met him. Gourry was soon swept up in her quiet charm, and it was only a few months after their meeting that their engagement was announced. Lina hated Sylphiel for taking away the man she thought she loved, but she soon came to understand that Gourry was merely a very good and trusted friend.
Lina finally sighed and shoved the shrine maiden away from her, sitting up and gasping yet more air into her lungs. Gourry strode forward and helped his wife up, and hugged her while she cried. Filia helped Lina up, and smiled at her while brushing the dust from the young girl's dress. Lina picked up her bag of goodies and started heading towards the house, only to break into a run as two figures appeared in the doorway.
Eris smiled softly at her step-daughter as she helped her husband through the front door. She was a woman only slightly older than Lina, with short dark hair and a winning smile. She had married Lina's father not so long ago, but Lina truly cared about her. She knew that Eris loved her father, and would never feel anything but love and respect for Lina. She wasn't trying to take her mother's place, she was merely a woman in love.
She hung on the arm of a tall man with red flowing robes. His violet hair stuck out in strange angles, but no one ever seemed to care about his looks. His eyes were closed, as they always were, but once again, no one seemed to notice. Rezo had been injured years ago by a magical spell misfire, and his eyes had been burned from his head. Now his lids remained shut, his eyes useless. Now he ran the largest shipping company in the world and also ran a small magical school for gifted youngsters. Since his accident, however, he only handled the administrative duties of the school and shipping company, with Eris's help. Gourry and Lina ran the shipping lines, while Filia and Sylphiel ran the various Inverse homes.
Lina ran into his arms, hugging him for all she was worth. Tears sprang to her eyes as his arms closed around her, and he whispered softly in her ear.
"I thought you were gone for good this time, daughter. I was so worried that I sent Gourry with Filia to find you. What happened?"
Lina pulled away from him and her smile died. "I lost the cargo, Father," she admitted, hanging her head. "The Monster Captain sunk our ship, and now the cargo is at the bottom of the ocean."
"And the crew all returned safely, thanks to your quick warnings, Lina," Gourry spoke up as he approached the head family, Sylphiel still on his arm.
Lina smiled at him broadly. "I'm sure you had a hand in that too, Gourry," she replied. "And at least I sunk the "Mazoku" in retaliation."
Rezo laughed at this exclamation, putting a hand on Eris's shoulder to steady himself. Lina and the others laughed as well, and Lina knelt to dump the contents of her bag out onto the stone steps of the front walk. The group fell silent in awe of the caskets of jewels and coins and magical talismans that scattered out of the bag and into the sunlight. Filia, Sylphiel, and Eris all squealed with delight as three identical boxes fell open to reveal various gems. Filia grabbed the box of topazes, Sylphiel snagged the box of perfect sapphires, and Eris zeroed in on a box of fire rubies. Lina nodded at them all, smiling and explaining that that was why she grabbed those boxes. The woman all scampered away happily, the treasures clutched to their chests and Gourry on Sylphiel's arm, as Lina approached her father. She shoved the coins and other treasures back into the bag and handed it to her father, bowing.
"I got these so we wouldn't lose the money on the cargo, Father," she said softly. "And I've got something in here just for you."
He looked puzzled to her as she opened his palm and set the glowing Orb of Glenkirk between his open fingers. He mused over it for a moment, then her jaw fell open and he turned his face to Lina's. "This cannot be what I think it is," he stammered.
"It's the Orb of Glenkirk, Father," Lina explained. "You can use it to cure your blindness! It can cure anything!"
Rezo rubbed the jewel reverently, then pulled Lina into his arms, sighing. "Oh, my sweet daughter," he said softly, "it cannot cure me. Mine is a physical malady, caused by magic. The Orb cannot heal that."
Lina pulled away from him, shocked. "B-But. . ."
"It cures any curse imaginable, but it cannot cure this, Lina," her father explained, turning her around and walking inside the house with her.
He drew her into his large sitting room and sat her down on a large, fluffy couch, seating himself next to her. He gripped her hand tightly, smiling at her. "Though the Orb cannot heal me, Lina," he said, "it will bring us good fortune. A very old friend of mine happens to have need of the Orb, and has been trying to claim it from the Monster Captain for a very long while. I've had my eye on his company for years now, and know that it will bring us much more business. We will use this Orb to bring our two companies together!"
Lina smiled to herself, a small sweatdrop appearing on her forehead. Her father always did love business more than anything. "So we're blackmailing this family into joining our companies?" Lina asked.
Rezo laughed softly. "Of course not. We're going to use it as your dowry."
"DOWRY?"
"Yes. You're going to be married to the gentleman's only son and heir."
"MARRIED???!!"
~**********************~
~~Heh heh heh. . . poor Lina. She just can't win! See what happens when you steal things?!
~~Next time, on "Love on the High Seas": Marriage? Who says I have to marry YOU!? You won't want to miss it.
~~Small change to the prologue to allow a certain character. See if you can find it!!
~**********************~
The huge golden dragon gave an announcing shriek as she softly landed on the grass of the courtyard. Lina smiled happily as she beheld her father's seaside manor spreading out before her, and waited eagerly for the blonde haired man to slide off the dragon's back. He did so quickly, then smiled and held his arms out to her. She slid into his arms easily, allowing him to set her gently on the ground.
She hugged him tightly for a moment, then punched him hard in the arm. He cried out and rubbed the bruised flesh, glaring at her with tears in his eyes. "Damn it, Lina!" he yelled. "What was that for?"
"You sure took your sweet time rescuing me, Gourry!" she yelled back. She turned away slightly, her hands on her cheeks. "Who knows what kids of terrible things those pirates might have done to me!"
Gourry's retort was drowned out by a sharp cry from the dragon as she was enveloped in a golden bath of light. Lina shielded her eyes, then was nearly bowled over as a woman leapt from the light and into her arms. Long pale blonde hair cascaded down the woman's back, setting off the shining white of her robes. Two large blue orbs bounced merrily from atop her head as she woman pounced on Lina, carrying her to the ground. The woman hugged her tightly, tears pouring from her cheeks. "Oh, poor Miss Lina!" the woman cried, hugging the girl's chest tightly.
"F-F-Filia!" Lina gasped out, her face turning blue. "You're. . . choking me!"
Filia gasped and dropped the younger girl onto the warm grass, covering her hands with her mouth. "Sorry, Miss Lina," she said between her fingers.
Lina gasped a few breaths of air into her aching lungs, glaring at the dragon priestess. One of the last golden dragons left alive, Lina's father had hired Filia to protect his home and family while he was away . She had almost immedietly adopted Lina as her responsibility, so it was little wonder that she had flown over the ocean to find her.
Gourry, of course, would have gone with her. Lina glanced over at the tall, handsome swordsman, once again feeling her ancient crush on him resurface. He had been her first love, the one that taught her how to sail a ship. He was now her first mate, turning down the captain's role to be near her and serve her as he could.
Lina shrugged to herself and stood back up, only to be bowled over yet again by another woman, this one with long blue-black hair. Down Lina went again into the soft grass, covered by a weeping female body. She sighed to herself and wanted to shove the weeping girl off of her, but didn't have the heart to hurt her like that.
Sylphiel was the resident healer and doctor, having sworn herself to the white arts of healing long before Lina had met her. She remembered hating the young woman from the lands of the North. Her family had been charged with keeping the Holy Tree Flagoon alive, but Lina's father had again hired out for a healer, and in came Sylphiel. She was a lovely young woman with dark eyes and a shy smile, and seemed to attach herself to Gourry the moment she met him. Gourry was soon swept up in her quiet charm, and it was only a few months after their meeting that their engagement was announced. Lina hated Sylphiel for taking away the man she thought she loved, but she soon came to understand that Gourry was merely a very good and trusted friend.
Lina finally sighed and shoved the shrine maiden away from her, sitting up and gasping yet more air into her lungs. Gourry strode forward and helped his wife up, and hugged her while she cried. Filia helped Lina up, and smiled at her while brushing the dust from the young girl's dress. Lina picked up her bag of goodies and started heading towards the house, only to break into a run as two figures appeared in the doorway.
Eris smiled softly at her step-daughter as she helped her husband through the front door. She was a woman only slightly older than Lina, with short dark hair and a winning smile. She had married Lina's father not so long ago, but Lina truly cared about her. She knew that Eris loved her father, and would never feel anything but love and respect for Lina. She wasn't trying to take her mother's place, she was merely a woman in love.
She hung on the arm of a tall man with red flowing robes. His violet hair stuck out in strange angles, but no one ever seemed to care about his looks. His eyes were closed, as they always were, but once again, no one seemed to notice. Rezo had been injured years ago by a magical spell misfire, and his eyes had been burned from his head. Now his lids remained shut, his eyes useless. Now he ran the largest shipping company in the world and also ran a small magical school for gifted youngsters. Since his accident, however, he only handled the administrative duties of the school and shipping company, with Eris's help. Gourry and Lina ran the shipping lines, while Filia and Sylphiel ran the various Inverse homes.
Lina ran into his arms, hugging him for all she was worth. Tears sprang to her eyes as his arms closed around her, and he whispered softly in her ear.
"I thought you were gone for good this time, daughter. I was so worried that I sent Gourry with Filia to find you. What happened?"
Lina pulled away from him and her smile died. "I lost the cargo, Father," she admitted, hanging her head. "The Monster Captain sunk our ship, and now the cargo is at the bottom of the ocean."
"And the crew all returned safely, thanks to your quick warnings, Lina," Gourry spoke up as he approached the head family, Sylphiel still on his arm.
Lina smiled at him broadly. "I'm sure you had a hand in that too, Gourry," she replied. "And at least I sunk the "Mazoku" in retaliation."
Rezo laughed at this exclamation, putting a hand on Eris's shoulder to steady himself. Lina and the others laughed as well, and Lina knelt to dump the contents of her bag out onto the stone steps of the front walk. The group fell silent in awe of the caskets of jewels and coins and magical talismans that scattered out of the bag and into the sunlight. Filia, Sylphiel, and Eris all squealed with delight as three identical boxes fell open to reveal various gems. Filia grabbed the box of topazes, Sylphiel snagged the box of perfect sapphires, and Eris zeroed in on a box of fire rubies. Lina nodded at them all, smiling and explaining that that was why she grabbed those boxes. The woman all scampered away happily, the treasures clutched to their chests and Gourry on Sylphiel's arm, as Lina approached her father. She shoved the coins and other treasures back into the bag and handed it to her father, bowing.
"I got these so we wouldn't lose the money on the cargo, Father," she said softly. "And I've got something in here just for you."
He looked puzzled to her as she opened his palm and set the glowing Orb of Glenkirk between his open fingers. He mused over it for a moment, then her jaw fell open and he turned his face to Lina's. "This cannot be what I think it is," he stammered.
"It's the Orb of Glenkirk, Father," Lina explained. "You can use it to cure your blindness! It can cure anything!"
Rezo rubbed the jewel reverently, then pulled Lina into his arms, sighing. "Oh, my sweet daughter," he said softly, "it cannot cure me. Mine is a physical malady, caused by magic. The Orb cannot heal that."
Lina pulled away from him, shocked. "B-But. . ."
"It cures any curse imaginable, but it cannot cure this, Lina," her father explained, turning her around and walking inside the house with her.
He drew her into his large sitting room and sat her down on a large, fluffy couch, seating himself next to her. He gripped her hand tightly, smiling at her. "Though the Orb cannot heal me, Lina," he said, "it will bring us good fortune. A very old friend of mine happens to have need of the Orb, and has been trying to claim it from the Monster Captain for a very long while. I've had my eye on his company for years now, and know that it will bring us much more business. We will use this Orb to bring our two companies together!"
Lina smiled to herself, a small sweatdrop appearing on her forehead. Her father always did love business more than anything. "So we're blackmailing this family into joining our companies?" Lina asked.
Rezo laughed softly. "Of course not. We're going to use it as your dowry."
"DOWRY?"
"Yes. You're going to be married to the gentleman's only son and heir."
"MARRIED???!!"
~**********************~
~~Heh heh heh. . . poor Lina. She just can't win! See what happens when you steal things?!
~~Next time, on "Love on the High Seas": Marriage? Who says I have to marry YOU!? You won't want to miss it.