~~ I do not own Slayers.
~~Sorry about the super long delay, but I had writer's block, school, and a
wedding to help plan. Hopefully, I can update more often now that she's
married off and happy.
~************************************************************~
Zelgadis stood in the safety of the hallway, listening to the girl rant and rave in his quarters. He had been standing there for a full fifteen minutes before she began to quiet down, leaning on the edge of the bed.
Her initial reaction was almost exactly what Zelgadis had imagined it would be, right down to the pounding of the door with a chair. She had awakened, looked around, and then proceeded to try to unlock the door, first by conventional means, and then by brute force. After discovering that her magic didn't work, Lina proceeded to bash the door in with anything that was handy. His good oak desk chair had splintered into a dozen pieces after five or so smacks against the door, as had his good walking stick and a few of his dishes. He sighed, exasperated, as two of his best crystal goblets crashed against the walls.
"That's it," he declared, reaching for the door handle.
She stared at him as he walked in the door, her amazement quickly turning to pure rage as she launched herself at him, hurling insults as well as fists. Her small hands glanced almost harmlessly off his stone skin, and for once, Zelgadis was glad his head was made of stone, instead of yielding flesh and bone.
"Spell Binding," he growled, pointing one long blue hand at Lina.
She was still trying to cause him bodily harm when the tendrils of air snaked around her body, forcibly pulling her away from the Chimera Captain. The fairly simple spell wound innumerable ropes of pressured air around Lina's limbs, successfully trapping her body in an upright position, so she was stopped dead in her tracks. However, this didn't stop her pretty mouth from continuing to hurl insults at him.
"Oh, shut up already!" Zelgadis finally yelled, losing his famous patience. "You're my hostage, so you might as well get used to it!"
Lina glared at him, then sighed, tiredly, and looked away. "You sealed my magic away. Not many could do that."
Zelgadis, taken aback by the sudden mood change, answered almost without thinking. "You're wearing the Bracelet of Sithean, Miss Inverse. They negate all magical abilities in humans."
"I've heard of them."
"As you can see, your magic is completely sealed away, and there is no way for you to remove the bracelets. I suggest that you get used to the idea of being a prisoner, Miss Inverse, because there is no escape."
"I already figured that out, rock-brain," she retorted, glowering at him. "I'm not so helpless that I always need my magic, and I CERTAINLY don't need it to get away."
"We'll see," Zelgadis replied, surprised to see how easily they had fallen into a casual conversation. "Now, I brought you here. . ."
"So that you can claim a reward from my fiancée and make yourself rich," she finished for him, glowering at his obvious unoriginality.
"You're wrong," he snapped, insulted by the simplicity of the plan.
She glanced at him, her interested piqued. "Then why? Planning to sell me into slavery? Make me your personal sorceress?"
"No. I'm not ransoming you for money at all, and I certainly don't want any of those things. What I want is the Orb of Glenkirk!" Zelgadis's voice rose an octave as he finished his statement.
"Besides," he continued quietly, "who would want a violent girl like you for a slave?"
Her face went bright red as his jab registered in her brain. She began to struggle against the holding spell, yelling insults of every kind at him as he turned and walked towards the door. He thought better of it and sat down on his bed, looking at her.
"What?" she demanded, blushing a little, or so Zelgadis thought.
"I was just wondering how someone like you could come to have a fiancée," he answered coolly.
"My father arranged it, if you must know," she shot back, gnashing her teeth together. "I don't want this marriage, and no one can make me marry some stuck-up little snob just so his father can have. . ."
"What?" Zelgadis asked, sitting up a little straighter. "What does he get if he marries you?"
"The Orb of Glenkirk," she replied, in an almost dreamy voice. Her face had gone almost slack with shock, as if lightening had just struck her brain.
Zelgadis stared at her for a few moments, watching thoughts flow over her pretty face. He jumped when she began to cackle in a most evil fashion.
"That's IT!" she cried, smiling brightly. She turned to Zelgadis, who recoiled in something akin to fear and apprehension at the look in her face. The fiery money symbols in her eyes were enough to worry even the calmest of men. "I'll HELP you get the Orb from my father! And if YOU have the Orb, then HE doesn't have an excuse to marry me! And if he doesn't marry me, I'll be free to hunt you down, take the Orb back, and sell it for a fortune!"
Zelgadis almost fell off the bed in shock at her proclamation. "Are you always this greedy!?" he yelled, catching himself just before he landed on the floor."
"How is that greedy?" she shot back, her eyes flashing. "You want the Orb, I don't want the Orb, and if I don't have the Orb, then I can't get married! It's a perfectly respectable reason for an alliance between sea- farers like ourselves!"
Zelgadis mulled over the prospect in his mind for a few moments, trying to outweigh the pros and cons of this arrangement. He would only need the Orb for a few moments, just long enough to turn himself back into a normal human, and then he was free to blast Xellos and his stupid crew straight into oblivion. Was there a downside to this?
"All right," he agreed, standing up and raising his hand to her.
The spell dissipated from around her body, freeing her limbs. She didn't even stagger when the forces holding her vanished, much to Zelgadis's delight. She would be no problem against Xellos, even without her magic. And WITH her magic, she would be a force truly to be reckoned with.
They gripped hands tightly, both seemingly intent on crushing the other's hand, sealing the bargain.
Far away, Xellos sneezed.
~************************************************************~
~************************************************************~
Zelgadis stood in the safety of the hallway, listening to the girl rant and rave in his quarters. He had been standing there for a full fifteen minutes before she began to quiet down, leaning on the edge of the bed.
Her initial reaction was almost exactly what Zelgadis had imagined it would be, right down to the pounding of the door with a chair. She had awakened, looked around, and then proceeded to try to unlock the door, first by conventional means, and then by brute force. After discovering that her magic didn't work, Lina proceeded to bash the door in with anything that was handy. His good oak desk chair had splintered into a dozen pieces after five or so smacks against the door, as had his good walking stick and a few of his dishes. He sighed, exasperated, as two of his best crystal goblets crashed against the walls.
"That's it," he declared, reaching for the door handle.
She stared at him as he walked in the door, her amazement quickly turning to pure rage as she launched herself at him, hurling insults as well as fists. Her small hands glanced almost harmlessly off his stone skin, and for once, Zelgadis was glad his head was made of stone, instead of yielding flesh and bone.
"Spell Binding," he growled, pointing one long blue hand at Lina.
She was still trying to cause him bodily harm when the tendrils of air snaked around her body, forcibly pulling her away from the Chimera Captain. The fairly simple spell wound innumerable ropes of pressured air around Lina's limbs, successfully trapping her body in an upright position, so she was stopped dead in her tracks. However, this didn't stop her pretty mouth from continuing to hurl insults at him.
"Oh, shut up already!" Zelgadis finally yelled, losing his famous patience. "You're my hostage, so you might as well get used to it!"
Lina glared at him, then sighed, tiredly, and looked away. "You sealed my magic away. Not many could do that."
Zelgadis, taken aback by the sudden mood change, answered almost without thinking. "You're wearing the Bracelet of Sithean, Miss Inverse. They negate all magical abilities in humans."
"I've heard of them."
"As you can see, your magic is completely sealed away, and there is no way for you to remove the bracelets. I suggest that you get used to the idea of being a prisoner, Miss Inverse, because there is no escape."
"I already figured that out, rock-brain," she retorted, glowering at him. "I'm not so helpless that I always need my magic, and I CERTAINLY don't need it to get away."
"We'll see," Zelgadis replied, surprised to see how easily they had fallen into a casual conversation. "Now, I brought you here. . ."
"So that you can claim a reward from my fiancée and make yourself rich," she finished for him, glowering at his obvious unoriginality.
"You're wrong," he snapped, insulted by the simplicity of the plan.
She glanced at him, her interested piqued. "Then why? Planning to sell me into slavery? Make me your personal sorceress?"
"No. I'm not ransoming you for money at all, and I certainly don't want any of those things. What I want is the Orb of Glenkirk!" Zelgadis's voice rose an octave as he finished his statement.
"Besides," he continued quietly, "who would want a violent girl like you for a slave?"
Her face went bright red as his jab registered in her brain. She began to struggle against the holding spell, yelling insults of every kind at him as he turned and walked towards the door. He thought better of it and sat down on his bed, looking at her.
"What?" she demanded, blushing a little, or so Zelgadis thought.
"I was just wondering how someone like you could come to have a fiancée," he answered coolly.
"My father arranged it, if you must know," she shot back, gnashing her teeth together. "I don't want this marriage, and no one can make me marry some stuck-up little snob just so his father can have. . ."
"What?" Zelgadis asked, sitting up a little straighter. "What does he get if he marries you?"
"The Orb of Glenkirk," she replied, in an almost dreamy voice. Her face had gone almost slack with shock, as if lightening had just struck her brain.
Zelgadis stared at her for a few moments, watching thoughts flow over her pretty face. He jumped when she began to cackle in a most evil fashion.
"That's IT!" she cried, smiling brightly. She turned to Zelgadis, who recoiled in something akin to fear and apprehension at the look in her face. The fiery money symbols in her eyes were enough to worry even the calmest of men. "I'll HELP you get the Orb from my father! And if YOU have the Orb, then HE doesn't have an excuse to marry me! And if he doesn't marry me, I'll be free to hunt you down, take the Orb back, and sell it for a fortune!"
Zelgadis almost fell off the bed in shock at her proclamation. "Are you always this greedy!?" he yelled, catching himself just before he landed on the floor."
"How is that greedy?" she shot back, her eyes flashing. "You want the Orb, I don't want the Orb, and if I don't have the Orb, then I can't get married! It's a perfectly respectable reason for an alliance between sea- farers like ourselves!"
Zelgadis mulled over the prospect in his mind for a few moments, trying to outweigh the pros and cons of this arrangement. He would only need the Orb for a few moments, just long enough to turn himself back into a normal human, and then he was free to blast Xellos and his stupid crew straight into oblivion. Was there a downside to this?
"All right," he agreed, standing up and raising his hand to her.
The spell dissipated from around her body, freeing her limbs. She didn't even stagger when the forces holding her vanished, much to Zelgadis's delight. She would be no problem against Xellos, even without her magic. And WITH her magic, she would be a force truly to be reckoned with.
They gripped hands tightly, both seemingly intent on crushing the other's hand, sealing the bargain.
Far away, Xellos sneezed.
~************************************************************~