Chapter 19 xxxxxxxxxx

They woke up in each others arms. Gourry pulled her close and whispered over and over again "Thank you, thank you..." while Lina stroked his hair and kissed him. Their eyes shone as they looked at each other. Life would never be the same again, but they were together now, beyond all sundering, except the final one that no mortal could refuse. Finally they got up. Lina rang the bell and soon they had a wash and clean clothes layed out. Lina said "Well, let's go get breakfast." Gourry looked out the window and said "Lunch you mean..." "Oh dear..." said Lina, sure that the Queen would have something suitably inappropriate to say. They walked out into the hallway together. Gourry took her hand and they walked forward, ready to meet the world for the first time as a couple. Just as they got to the hall Gourry suddenly pulled her around and swept her up into his arms and carried her in to the main hall, both of them giggling like kids.

The same crew was at the head table just as last night, and if it weren't for the fact they had changed their clothing Lina might have wondered if they had moved at all. Well, they were there at her "wedding" so they must have, but it didn't seem that way. Surprisingly, Erik and Sylphiel were with them. Oh, and this time there was a little carriage, Arthur was there too. As the newly weds entered the table rose and clapped and when Gourry set Lina down in her chair they gathered around to extend congratulations, and a few teasing comments. These mostly centered on whether the groom knew how to do his "duty" on the wedding night. After a short time the Queen announced "Rest assured, our Lina is truely his wife! I have the sheets!"

Lina did a double take and then buried her face in her hands. Most virgins bleed the first time, and Lina had been no exception. But keeping the sheets was something usally only done by royalty, so that there could be no doubt in cases of divorce as to whether the woman really had been a virgin on her wedding night, and whether the noble she had married had truely "done his duty". Merchants and farmers, Lina's stock, usually didn't put their daughters through that. So Lina was mortified, naturally, and said "Oh, that's disgusting Naga!"

"Majesty!" said the King in his no nonsense voice from last night. Lina sat bolt upright, now what? "H-H-HUH?" she asked. "I take it Sir Gabrieve hasn't has a chance to tell you all that has happened? Please, fill your Lady in, Sir Knight." Lina looked over to Gourry and said "Knight? Oh wait, he called you that last night..." "Erm, yeah, Lina, I didn't get a chance to tell you everything. Um, while we were waiting for you to show up His Majesty asked what I wanted to do with my life now that I was healed. I said I was tired of wandering, and that I wanted to settle down somewhere. He offered me a wagon train of gold and asked if I wanted to go back home and settle near my folks. Alas, I have no home. As you know, I took the Sword of Light and ran away from my family after hearing my brother and my cousin threaten to shed blood over who inherited it. Thus I lost my family. I have no home to go to. His Majesty thought a minute then said that there was a small manor near by that needed a knight, since the knight who had been in charge had fallen in the war. I said I supposed I could handle that, if I had help to know how to do it the Westhold way. An advisor was quickly found and has gone already to make the place ready for us to move into. But to take on the role, I had to be a Knight, like a for real Knight, and that meant swearing an oath to the King, and getting dubbed, and becoming a citizen of Westhold. I'm sorry Lina, you weren't here to ask, and I didn't know you were who they were waiting to surprise me with. So, I'm now a Knight of Westhold."

Lina's jaw had dropped open during the telling. "And marrying a citizen, especially a noble, conferes citizenship, Lady Gabriev..." said the King quietly. "Which makes you my King..." said Lina softly. "And My wife your Queen..." the King replied. "And therefore..." prompted Naga. Lina gulped. She had the helpless look of a hunted deer surrounded by the hounds as she looked around, but there was no escape. Naga the former White Serpent was now..."Y-Your Majesty..." she gulped, and buried her face in her hands again.

Naga gave a chuckle, well, it was her usual laugh, only toned down, surprisingly, and said "Oh, it's not as bad as all that Lina, why, I'll be able to resume your training as I now officially appoint you to be my apprentice!" "Huh?" said Lina looking up with a start. "As Royal Sorceress, a position I still hold, and am only temporarily taking a break from as I fulfill the equally important role of being the mother of the heir apparent!" here she pointed proudly at the carriage, then went on "I can name my apprentice, and Lina you are the only one who qualifies!" Lina smiled, a bit strainedly. "Yes, Y-Y-Your Majesty..." she said, forcing the words out, while choking back what she really wanted to say... Fortunately, the meal arrived and everyone set to with a good appetite and soon spirits all around the table began to lift. They talked about this, and that, and Lina got a little more used to her change of status, finally figuring what the heck, she would be with Gourry and just because Naga had it over her in name didn't mean she was really on top, she just thought she was. Then Prince Phil announced that he had to leave within two days and that he needed Amilia and Zelgadiss to return with him. Amilia was a bit sad leaving her sister, but it was Zel who dropped the long awaited bombshell.

"Your Majesty Prince Phillionel..." he said, "let's not beat around the bush. As you well know, I love Amilia, and as you also well know I can't marry her. I beg you, let me now go free while you take her with you when you go. I will go to the east to seek out what I may find, but I cannot bear the pain of being so close to one I want more than life, and can never have." There was shocked silence for a minute, then Amilia, predictably, started to cry, the moment she had dreaded had arrived at last. "Zel, please..." she said, then looked at the father. Phil cast his eyes down and said "Amiia, what can I do? I won't willingly set you, or my grandchildren up for a civil war. It would be different if we could at least be sure the children would be human, but we can't." There was a slight pause as Amilia prepared to respond. Into that tiny gap Naga threw her own bombshell.

"Can!" she said. With assorted variations of "What?" the whole table looked at her. She hung her head and spoke, obviously nervous. "I have a confession to make, you remember the hot tub night? It wasn't what it was made out to be..." "Huh?" said Gourry, everyone else was silent. "What are you saying, Gracia?" asked Amilia as Zel just looked on dumbfounded. "I mean, it was arranged." "The accident?" asked Zel, now looking angry. "And the aftermath?" hissed Amilia, looking dangerously angry. Lina blinked, hoping she didn't have to stop Naga from getting fireballed by Amilia this time. "So now it's coming out. I knew there was something going on..." she thought to herself. "Er, well, let me start at the begining okay?" said Naga, obviously nervous, and without her usual bravado.

"Lord Zelgadiss, do you remember we spoke on at least two occasions about your plan to leave?" "More like three." said Zel, cold as ice. "Yes, three, and do you recall I councilled you not to go until the full resources of Westhold were put to use on your problem?" "Look, Queen Gracia," Zel said, with as little respect as he dared, "I've seen your library! You have less in it than most libraries in the west, and certainly less than Seirune, and I found no help there!" "That pathetic library is NOT our resource!" Naga yelled at him in frustration as she slammed the table with her fist. "Don't you yell at Zelgadiss!" Amilia yelled back in anger, at her sister. "You just admited you tricked him, and now you hint at information unshared? Out with it now Gracia!" "Amilia!" said her father, shocked. "No daddy! You don't know what she did to us!" With that, despite even Zel's protest she gave a brief but accurate account of Zel's accidentally stumbling into the bath room and the drinking of the magic cup under threat of death. The room was silent after she was done, even Phil was shocked into silence as he stared at Gracia who had buried her face in her hands. The King made the next move."Hum, well, death or not, under the described circumstances it would not be for me to say. Gracia, as for usurping my perogatives, especially without telling me ahead of time, we will talk about that privately, I take it there was more to this "Cup of Priapas" than you let on?" Naga snivelled for a minute then said in a teary voice "I'm so sorry Lord Zelgadiss, but you made it quite clear you would not accept any cure or any help, and I did find something, but I-I'm..., not allowed to say...,"

Zel looked stunned, but Amilia wasn't detered. "You have a cure? YOU HAVE A CURE? And you can't tell us? Why should we believe you? And what did that cup really do to him Gracia? So help me if you've made it worse for Zel... I DON'T HAVE A SISTER!" she said, shrieking by the end. Her father spoke up "Amilia! Let Gracia finish, then you can judge!" Amilia looked sharply at him then bunched up her fists and shaking them with emotional tension she said "I'm sorry daddy. You are right, but when it comes to Zel it is hard to be just and impartial. Gracia, I'm sorry, please go on..." She looked at her sister, waiting. "Show me what you found, Your Majesty." said Zel quietly. Even Lina was listening intently, so much so that she had stopped eating. Gourry was lost, but realised it was not the time to ask so he just stayed quiet and looked around. Prince Erik and Sylphiel were also silent at their end of the table. Gourry was surprised by the way Sylphiel's eyes never seemed to leave the Queen...

Naga went on "My Lord the King. I asked you once for permission a couple of weeks ago. You did give it, somewhat grudgingly, but I cannot cross you in this, so, now I beg. We cannot hide its existence forever, and now we have to worry about the west as well as the east wanting it. I trust my family, and I know that Seirune will be of great help with this. Together we can even use it better! They will be loyal, and, and...," Her voice dropped to a desperate whisper as she took the King's hands. "I want to help my sister, Alfred, please? Please?" The King gave her a sharp look, then glanced over to Prince Erik, who said "His Majesty knows my mind..." The table was silent. Finally King Alfred spoke. "As we discussed, weeks ago now, I see both good and evil in either course." He gave a sigh of resignation and at last said "Very well..." Naga jumped up and hugged him, the tears of relief and joy too genuine to be doubted. "Thank You my Beloved!" she said.

King Alfred smiled and gently sat her down, then stood up and looked at everyone. "I charge this table thus." he said. "What you are about to see is the greatest secret we possess. If you look on it you will automatically be under a blood oath to tell no one anything about this. You will not admit you know anything, you will not admit you even know Westhold has such a secret. You will not mention it, even to those who know the secret, outside of safe places where you cannot be overheard, and even then you will only mention it in needful situations and with language designed to hint to those who know, but not to reveal anything outright. If you break faith, your rank or position will mean nothing, no matter how long it takes, you and your spouses and children will be hunted down and put to death. Those of you not wanting to take such an oath, stay here, those who can bear it, follow us." After pronouncing these terrible words he looked around once more, then, taking the Queen's hand, he said "May the Royal Sorceress lead us on."

Naga dropped a low curtsey and said a quiet "Follow me..." and, pausing only long enough to take up baby Arthur, left the hall in the direction of the ancient tower. The whole table got up, even Sylphiel seemed more animated and followed, placing herself behind the King and Queen. Lina hung back a bit, then decided to go, but turned and grabbed some food on the way out, the poor thing was hungry after all. As a result she and Gourry were a bit behind the others.

Gourry looked at the group ahead and said to Lina "Hey, what's with Sylphiel? Somethings really wrong..." "Near as we can figure she was shocked at the battle we had on the cliff face and hasn't recovered." was Lina's reply. "What shock?" asked Gourry. Lina told him a very simple account of the battle as they continued to walk along. She concluded by saying "We found her, and it was hard to say what was wrong, we think she got knocked in the head by the blast, but since then she hasn't been herself. It's like someone else is in there." Gourry stopped. Lina stopped and looked at him. "Gourry?" she asked. "Lina, I know her, and I saw what a shock she took when Sairag was attacked, and when her father was killed, no, no, that's not her. Lina, it's not someone else..., it's someTHING else...," "Something else? Gourry, that's ridiculous." "Lina, does Sylphiel know any offensive spells?" asked Gourry. "Well, she has tried to learn the Dragon Slave, but thankfully she didn't do too well. I mean she couldn't event shoot a Flare Arrow without trying to not hurt the evil doers by turning it into a Flare Carrot. Anyway, she's a white mage and they don't have any offensive spells"
Suddenly, someone in her brain screamed "Are you sure?" "Well, let me think...," said Lina. She thought about Sylphiel, something nagging at her now. The girl was a tallented white sorceress, knowing her colour of magic at least as well as Lina knew the black side. She would have known her magic to the highest level, and that would mean..., and that would mean..., She looked up and the awful truth slowly unfolded itself. All magic ultimately came from the same source. All magic had at it's highest level the magic of directly calling upon the Golden Lord of Nightmares Herself! By rights, that magic knew no colour and all practitioners would have equal access to it. Including..., that spell... "But I sealed it away!" Lina said in fright. "What?" asked Gourry. "The Giga Slave! I sealed the spell away!" she said "Could it be unsealed?" he asked. "Only by someone very determined, with a lot of power, and able to still their emotions." said Lina. "Sylphiel has the power, and I suppose our plight could have made her determined, but, she's too emotional!" "What if she had help?" asked Gourry, not sure what to make of it. Lina looked at him and said "Who could..." Suddenly she staggered back and repeated Gourry's words "It's not someone else..., it's someTHING else..." She was so shocked she even dropped her food.

She turned and ran, screaming at her husband "RUN GOURRY!" They dashed along the corridor as fast as was humanly possible and arrived just as Naga was begining a chant. "NAGA!" Lina screamed. "BY THE GOLDEN LORD, SHUT UP!" The group turned, stunned, as Lina launched herself into a flying tackle and crashed full force into Sylphiel knocking her to the ground with a solid thump. Before anyone could react Lina had the poor girl by the throat and was screaming "I figured it out! I figured it out. It was Sylphiel! She threw that spell at the cliff! It was a Giga Slave! She knows that spell! She broke my seal somehow, and threw it! But she could never do that alone! She had help! And now she's possessed! Get out of her you evil spirit! Get out, or I'll kill her myself rather than leave her to your torment!" As she screamed she tightened her grip on the throat of Sylphiel. The others were shocked to silence by this, but even more by the fact that, though awake, Sylphiel did not resist. No human would have been able to hold back fighting to breath, it is an instinct too deeply built in to be ignored, but Sylphil didn't. They stared wide eyed and let Lina do what she had to. Zelgadiss and Amilia prepared their most powerful spell, the Astral equivalent to the Dragon Slave, the mighty Ra Tilt! That demon had to come out sooner or later...

For some reason Lina looked into Sylphiel's eyes and thought she saw the being inside of her. She then said something so unLina like, for the circumstances, that even she didn't know where she got it from, divine intervention maybe? As she tried to choke the demon out of Sylphiel she said to it "Please?" Well, that did it! Suddenly an insane giggle filled the room and a voice said "Only Lina Inverse would say "Please" to an evil spirit! Oh all right, don't hurt your friend I'm coming out..." With that a face, then a form emerged from Sylphiel and suddenly a being stood up and walked right out of her. Now Sylphiel came alive. She gave a strangled gasp and her hands flew up to Lina's. The red haired woman let go unconciously as she stared at the being in shock. Prince Erik was at her side in a flash and scooped Sylphiel up and got her out of the room. Lina stood up, still staring at the face of evil, and a very familiar face it was too, from the black, page boy locks on it's, or was it his, head, to the smirking, giggly mouth. But what was most noticable were the almost permanently closed eyes...

Suddenly she struck like a snake, grappling the being into a headlock! "What the hell is the big idea, XELLOS?" she shrieked, louder even than she had earlier. "I didn't even know you guys could possess people like that!" The mazoku trickster priest, who was well known to Lina, too well known, giggled some more, enjoying Lina's emotions as she tried in vain to hurt him with the headlock. "Well, Lina! You don't expect us to reveal all our secrets at once do you?" Lina sighed, and let him go. "Get out of the way Lina, we'll blast him!" said Amilia, with a peculiar note of anticipated enjoyment in her voice. Lina said "I want some answers first. Xellos, why?" "Simple, I want some answers too." the mazoku said. "What does that mean?" snapped Lina. "Well," said Xellos, with a smirk and a wave of his finger, "It's a secret." "I'm stepping aside now Xellos," said a disgusted Lina, "I hope they hurt you but good." "Oh but Lina, in this case, that IS the answer!" he said. She paused. "How?" Xellos explained, in his own fashion, of course. "Whatever is in that chamber, there are magic wards on it that have barred the Mazoku entry to it. We can't see into it and we can't enter it. I think that, hidden in the young priestesess body I might have made it, except you guessed. Oh well...

By the way, I was only borrowing it until I had this chance, I really didn't want to be trapped inside there for the rest of her life, she's far too sweet, it's rather nauseating actually." Xellos shivered involuntarily at the thought. "Well rest assured, we will learn the secret one day Lina, it was almost today, but, alas you were too much for us." Lina opened her eyes wide in surprise. "There's something you don't know?" she said in wonder. Xellos smiled, then said, "Well, I must go report my failure, bye for now, oh, and Lina, congratulations on you wedding! I should have addressed you as Lina Gabriev a moment ago, my apologies." He turned as if to go, and then suddenly looked back over his shoulder. "Friendly word of warning Lina." he said. Suddenly his eyelids snapped opened and his violet eyes filled the room with the shock of evil. Lina stepped back, putting up her hand as if to ward a blow, Amilia raised her's to her throat as if she couldn't breath, forcing her to drop her Ra Tilt. Zelgadiss raised his hands to launch his, but Lina was still in the way. Xellos spoke again "The next time we try for the chamber, we will remember to take you into account..." With that he disappeared and the room could breath again.

Lina dropped to her knees and trembled until Gourry found his legs and ran to her, hugging her. Zel dropped his Ra Tilt too, and held Amilia while she got her breath back. Naga had slowly sagged to the floor in all of this and was being held in a sitting position by the King who was kneeling beside her, and baby Arthur was safe in his grandfather's arms. The chill passed and they all began to recover. The one who was hardest hit was Naga as she had almost revealed everything to a hidden enemy. She had so wanted to settle the matter for Zel and Amilia that she had forgotten to ask their help in detecting if any evil was present before she began. Only Lina had saved the day, and the look of pure gratitude she gave Lina was genuine.

"Ah, heck, I was just making up for my failure at the cliff..." Lina laughed, but none-the-less she was pleased with herself. Gourry hadn't been back a day, truely back, awake and alert, that is, and already things were getting back to normal. She and the King helped Naga stand. Naga looked pitiful as she turned to her husband and said "You should fire me, I never meant to be the one who gave the secret to the supreme enemy." He gathered her into his arms and soothed her and said "No, even if the enemy had found out, you wouldn't get fired. You are the strongest sorceress we've ever had. What I would do, and in fact what I am doing is giving you an assignment, make new and better wards." "I will." she said. "As soon as I can... OOOF!" The last was because Lina suddenly dug her elbow into Naga's ribs.

"Hey Naga! I mean "Your Majesty", you forgetting you have a fully functioning "apprentice" to mentor?" she said. Naga looked at Lina, still hugging the King and replied, "Hmph, first I better see if you are ready for the task..." "You! You're going to test me?" Lina frowned. "Well, I can't just let any plain magician take on such important work can I?" Naga said, with a straight face. Lina looked at her and clenched her fist with impatience. "Get your power back Naga, I mean Your Majesty..." she said, the under current of her voice carrying the unspoken promise of yet another Lina/Naga magic fight. "Be that as it may," said the King softly, getting back to business, "let's have the functioning magic users scan the area for evil, and if we are clear, let's get the portal open and shut again." With that, Amilia, Lina, and Zelgadiss put out their magical energies. It was clear. Naga drew herself up, and stood in the middle of the magical lines carved on the floor of her tower. She chanted some magic phrases in a peculiar tone, and in a language not known to anyone presesnt. Suddenly, a black orb swelled like a bubble and enveloped them, then with a "pop" it dissapeared, leaving the gang in a chamber they hadn't seen before. "Behold the chamber of learning..." said Naga quietly, but dramatically.

The room was plain enough, a circular chamber as big around as the rest of the tower, but somehow it seemed to be in a different dimension, or on a different level of existence. It was plain, stone walls, and a smooth ceiling, the floor was the same floor with all the crossed magical lines on it, just like in the tower. "The floor must be the link..." thought Lina, who noticed with interest that all the magical lines were glowing softly at once. Against one wall was a small altar, and behind it were two rectangular slabs of polished green stone. Lina instantly recognised they were of the dimensions known as the "Golden Rectangle." They were side by side, with their long dimensions up, in a simple metal framework of a silvery coloured metal, but it was not silver. Lina didn't think she had seen it before. But the stone was what caught her eyes, it was a shiney green stone that seemed to both absorb and reflect light. There was a power inside it, Lina could feel it. That was what made the light act funny, she knew. She went forward for a good look. She felt compelled to reach out to the thing. "Do not touch the Emerald Tablets of Thoth." said Naga quietly.

Lina stopped. She stared back with her eyes wide open, and her mouth too. She turned back and stared. "But they are legends" she said at last. "Most legends have a basis in fact." said Naga. "And some facts become legends because they are simply forgotten. The tablets were made ages ago, by Thoth, or what ever his name really was, and by some magical force they are attuned to all the magic in the universe. They contain all the knowledge that is contained in the famous Claire Bible, which some think contains all the magical knowlege there is. It does not. There are whole fields of magic which are outside it's scope, such as ancient magic from an age undreamed of, the first age after the creation when magic had not sorted itself out and all magic was esentially the magic of the Golden Lord." Lina was so stunned she didn't know what to say. "Is my cure in there?" asked Zelgadiss quietly. "Stand before the tablets and ask." said Naga. Zelgadiss did so. "How do you make a human who has been turned into a chimera back into a human"
Words suddenly appeared on the tablets. Zelgadiss read "By the "Spell of Remorphing."". "What is the Spell of Remorphing?" he asked, wonder and excitement in his eyes. New words floated up. He was puzzled. "Sacrifice? You need a sacrifice to give me the answer? What sacrifice?" He read the answer and stepped back looking shocked. He turned to the Queen, a questioning and horrified look in his eyes. The Queen answered quietly "You can find any spell you want, if it exists, including spells that will destroy the world, or enslave it to your will. If you can pay the price. It is horrible" Zel shook his head. "I will not sacrifice a human. What is this? How can I find a cure now?" There were some gasps in the room. Naga replied "First, you now know one exists beyond all doubt. Second you know what you are looking for. And third, someone had to invent this spell to begin with, you have at your disposal this resource and the resources of Seirune. Perhaps I can suggest you stay home and reinvent it? That doesn't take a human sacrifice."

Zel looked perplexed. "How can this help if I have to sacrifice people to it?" The Queen responded "Not all questions require sacrifice. I have asked many times what the results would be if I cast this new spell, or that new spell, and it will tell me without any demand. You can test your spells without having to cast them. It also often answers general questions with no, or only small demands." "And that cup?" asked Zel. "Let me explain" said Naga. "Ages ago, when magic was powerful beyond what we know now, chimeras were plentiful. They were tough and made good soldiers, some had special magical powers. But over time a problem developed as the chimeras, who were human to start with, wanted to have families. And they wanted human families. But not all could be turned back or else their kingdoms would be defenceless. So a doctor of magic and medicine named Priapas, now you know where that legend came from, invented a potion that would return the chimera's ability to have human babies. That is what I gave you."

Lina stood there, silent, as she looked around the room. Gourry's hand was on her shoulder, and she was glad for it. Of course, he had a look on his face that indicated he wasn't following this, but then, he didn't know about Zel and Amilia yet. Amilia had both of her hands together in front of her mouth, looking like she didn't want to breath for fear of loosing hope. King Alfred looked interested, but not too surprised. Price Phil was unreadable. Naga looked like she sincerely wanted the blue chimera to believe her. But Zel remained sceptical. He spoke. "After so many failures, after such loss of hope, pardon me if I ask for proof. Show me the formula, Your Majesty." "Ask for it yourself, Lord Zelgadiss, then you can judge better if I have told the truth." she replied. Zel nodded and said "You are right."

He proceeded to ask for the formula for the cup of Priapas while Naga walked over to take her baby back from her father. Zel read his answer and started to frown. "It calls for a drop of innocent blood, whatever that is." Naga had moved over beside the little altar as she waited for Zel to read. She seemed to adjust little Arthur when he suddenly gave a squeal of pain and started crying. Naga quickly wiped something off of his little heel and on to the altar as what appeared to be a little needle dropped to the floor. Whatever she put on the altar was suddenly consumed by a magical fire which sprang up all by itself as she walked, trembling with each step to the King and handed him the still crying baby, then sank to the floor at his feet, and started to cry. The King was dumbfounded but took the baby.

"Hey! He's bleeding!" he said in shock as he took Arthur's little heel. He looked down in shock at Naga, then over to the still flaming altar. Lina got it. "The baby is innocent!" she exclaimed. She looked at the tablets and said "Zel, there's your answer!" The chimera turned and looked. Amilia came over and looked too, as did Prince Phil. Meanwhile, King Alfred had gotten over his shock and sat down beside his wife. "Please sit up." he said to her gently. "I'm so sorry." she weeped back from the floor. "Please don't hate me, I love our son, but, I love my sister too..." The King said again "Please sit up." The Queen did so but still couldn't meet his eyes. King Alfred handed baby Arthur back to her, he was fussing to be in her arms. She took him and hugged him to her, sobbing her apologies. The King hugged her and their baby and said to her "Hush Gracia, I do understand what you did and why you did it, only next time, just tell me first, okay? Don't forget, I know what it is to love a sister too." Naga looked up and a light seemed to shine upon the King from her tear filled eyes. "I don't deserve you." she said. "But I am glad you are mine. I love you." The King smiled, and gave her the only appropriate answer there was, he kissed her.

Lina looked up at Gourry, who looked down at her. They kissed as well, murmuring their love to each other. There was a loud throat clearing and everyone looked over to Prince Phil who stood between a nervous looking Zelgadiss and Amilia. "It is plain to me that the formula most likely works, and has been sealed with royal blood, not once, but twice, I suspect." He looked at his eldest daughter as he said that. "Therefore, after careful consideration, I have reached the following decision." Then, without a word, which was unusual enough to mark what was happening as special indeed, he took Amilia's hand and put it in Zel's. Amilia looked up at her father, wanting to believe so badly. "Really daddy?" she whispered. Phil smiled and nodded. Amilia gave a shout of pure joy and jumped on poor Zel, kissing him, and hugging him, and laughing, even as she cried. "Boy, I understand that feeling!" said Lina. "Amen" responded Naga as they all wandered over to congratulate the newly engaged couple. Zel seemed the most dumbfounded, about all he could say was "Well, I guess I can stay home after all..."

Amilia hugged everyone several times and thanked her father more than once, or even twice! Finally all agreed the business in the chamber was done and they stated that they understood the need for secrecy too. Shortly thereafter a black bubble formed and burst back in the chamber of the tower and they were back in the normal world. Lina and Naga exchanged glances. That chamber was going to get thoroughly researched! "Well, Your Majesty," said Lina, "I see you haven't been living a dull life in my absence!" Naga replied in a matter of fact voice "Some of us have to do real work while others are amuzing themselves by blowing up mazoku lords." Lina did a double take, gave a frown, then thought the better of it and gave a chuckle. "Are we ever going to change?" she asked with a giggle. "How do you change perfection?" asked Naga back, with a wink. The rest of the crew, having been busy with their own conversations, gave them some curious looks as the two women broke out laughing.

They walked out to the garden with the gazebos and talked the afternoon away. There was much to discuss, how to further relations between the two kingdoms being big on the adgenda. Lina found out that the little fiefdom Gourry was being put in charge of was responsible for maintaining the royal stud, the all important herd of stallions that were used to make sure the best horses possible were always bred, so they could be used by the King and the other knights. Gourry didn't mind, he had worked with horses on his family's farm when younger, and Lina also found out they were going to be a comfortable day's ride, which meant a short Ray-wing, from Stronghold, so both privacy and ease of communication were not going to be a problem. Lina found that made her very glad for some reason.

At one point she managed to slip away with Gourry and ended up in the garden with the shrine to the unknown god. After trying to explain to Gourry in simple terms what it was all about she approached the altar and knelt before it "Thank you." she prayed. "I don't know if you are a rock or the ear of a god, but somehow things always work out when I call upon you. I don't know, maybe I just focus better when I talk to you, but I hope you are listening somehow." Gourry also knelt looking a bit uncertain, but said "I don't understand exactly, but I thank you too, if you brought Lina back to me, and me to her." They were silent for several minutes, lost in their own thoughts. They then looked at each other, and kissed...

Eventually they made their way back to the others. Naga arched an eyebrow but Lina said only that they were thanking the unknown god for his blessings, and that seemed to satisfy. Finally the sun was in the western sky, still high up, as it was end of summer, but you could tell the days were getting shorter. The supper hour was struck and the party slowly made their way to the familiar table in the hall. The place had been decked out and the King explained that they were expecting guests, two people that had helped with the war. They all took their places and waited for the arrival. While they waited they continued to talk. At some point Naga asked Lina "So, Lady Gabriev, on our little nature walk some five weeks ago now, you mentioned how your family started out on a farm. I grant that the royal stud isn't a grape farm, but it is a farm none the less, how does it feel to have come full circle?" Lina put her hand behind her neck and said with a nervous giggle "Er, well, I suppose it isn't full circle unless we lose it..."

"Hey!" said Amilia, who apparently was listening despite the fact that she had a Death Grip of Righteousness on Zel. "Is it time yet?" "Time?" asked Lina. "Yeah." Amilia replied. "Time to tell us your big mysterious life story!" Lina gulped. "Er well..." "Oh please do, Lina!" put in Naga. "You make it sound so mysterious and tragic. I want to know if your sister really is the monster you say she is, or if you've been using her memory as a bit of a dump for all your fears." "Well, both..." said Lina guardedly, desperately trying to think of how to get out of it. Finally she gave a sigh and said "I suppose I have been alluding to my past a lot haven't I? Okay, I'll give you a short version." She took a breath, squeezed Gourry's hand and started.

"As I told you on the road, Your Majesty, my father's father, and his father had a major falling out, resulting in the loss of the farm for my grandfather. He worked himself to death trying to set up a new one, leaving his son to carry on at an early age with a poor piece of soil. My dad did what he could, and at first it seemed like he might make it too, he even did well enough to get married at one point. But, like all men in Zephielia, he was a soldier of the eternal queen, and being a swordsman of note, he even made it into the regiment known as the "Swordsmen of the Eternal Queen". Quite an honour, and got him some more pay. But, alas, these were the years of boarder clashes with Elemikia and Seirune and he was away from the farm too much. Then followed the three hard winters everyone still remembers. The poor farm, already run down, fell through the floor, and dad had to sell it. It was hard on my sister I think, and my mom too, but for all the years I lived at home, she never stopped smiling. Alas, I have recently heard that this was no longer the case, ever since I have left home."

She looked at the Queen and said "Please, please Queen Gracia! Grant me a gift of time that I may go and make it up to her?" Naga almost winced at the phrase "Queen Gracia" and said "Coming from you that doesn't sound right, somehow. Well, as for the time, of course, I think we should let you and your brave Knight have a chance to have a honeymoon and see your families. But please go on." Lina thanked the Queen and then carried on. "Well, we ended up moving into town where my parents had to rent a poor little house. I say we because I was already growing under my mother's heart by then, and soon after they moved in I was born. I think my parents were delighted, but my sister Luna seemed to resent my birth. I don't exactly know why, I think she missed the farm and had taken the idea to heart that if I was a boy the farm would mysteriously be given back to her. After all she was only four.

At this time my dad got apprenticed to a merchant of note, and started being away a lot. I was way too little to remember much of this, I do have some little girl memories of my mom cuddling me. Then the merchant died, and after his partners took their cut the merchant's family wanted their money too. Somehow my dad convinced them that if they would let him buy the company they could make more money, so he entered into a deal where he would pay them so much at regular intervals, and they wouldn't break up the company or it's precious name and reputation as long as he ran it well, and after so much money was paid, he'd get title.

Now this is when the trouble started, he needed help, big help, and couldn't hire anyone. So mom got pressed into service. Now both my folks were away a lot and Luna, at seven, was pressed into being my care giver. It wasn't a good idea, she was too young, but there was no other choice. I mean I do have other relatives, but a lot weren't talking to us since way back when grandpa had his falling out, and the few who were were rather distant, and had their own lives, so we were stuck. Alas, poor Luna. If I had been a passive child, sort of a living doll, we'd have been fine, but she has a personality like mine, and when you are kids, well, if we were bulls we'd be butting heads to the death I think.

Mom tried to steer us in the right direction when she was home, but since the only way to get money for the rent, the payment to the relatives, and for food and clothing was for her to work she wan't there most of the time. Eventually we learned not to tell her of our squabbles. And until things got out of hand when I was ten we made out okay, we didn't always fight, we even had times we could play together, but it was always tense.

Then, when I was age six, my magic started to develop. My mom was a sorceress, not as powerful as me, but I think that might have had to do with getting married and having babies instead of studying. Naturally she and I had a bit of a bond which I think Luna resented as well, for all she was real close to dad, him being a swordsman, and her a Knight of Ceiphied! One of only five in the whole world! Anyway, with mom's help I got to take magic lessons, first with an old woman in the village, then when I was ready, and probably when my parents could afford the more expensive tuition, at the local chapter of the Magician's Guild. And I did well.

I seemed to take to magic like a duck takes to water, as the saying goes. And it was fun enough to offset the tension at home too." She sighed. "After age ten it all changed, and the beatings started. Then our fights got serious, and by age thirteen it was so bad that when Luna caught me doing something stupid she was able to blow it out of proportion and I left home. If I knew then what I know now she'd have never budged me, but I was only a little girl"
She was silent for a bit. She then looked over to Naga and said "This is why I left. One day, at age thirteen, I was swimming with some of my girlfriends, naked of course, and as we were all starting to change from girls into women it was only to be expected that one of the girls was rather developed. Of course that became the topic of discussion. We talked about, you know, women and how they change, the swellings, the hair, bleeding, and boys. And whether you really could get pregnant from kissing..."

There were knowing smiles from the other women at the table and Lina went on. "It ended up we started touching ourselves and the well developed one in the chest, trying to figure out what was going on. Heh, actually, I'm more developed now than she was then, but, uh, they looked hugh, you know? And as we talked and touched we started to tease each other. Then the daring started. Somehow it transpired that I was dared to kiss the developed girl full on the lips. I did it, like I was going to turn down a dare? I don't know what she was thinking, but she, um, used her tongue, real quick like, just to freak me out. And she succeeded.

I got so mad the others ran away screaming, I knew the fireball by then, and it was well known I knew it. What I didn't know was that Luna, going by on business of her own, had seen the kissing and stuff. As I huffed out of the water and started getting dressed she showed up. My first thoughts were that I'd get beaten, but she started spinning this wierd story about how I was doomed to love women now, and not boys, and what would the other girl's parents think if they found out what I was doing, and how could I be so terrible, and mom and dad weren't going to forgive me, I was going to be kicked out of the magician's guild now, and I'd be an outcast in Zefielia forever. As you may know, many Zefielians do tend to look on people who like their own sex as being a bit, um, evil somehow. So, I was scared, and Luna played me like a harp. Well, but I was only thirteen then.

Finally I broke down and started crying, and I asked what I should do. She said something about my destiny lying in the world outside of Zefielia, so I decided the time had come and I packed up what few things I could carry, some food, clothes, my doll, those bunny slippers, stuff that was important to a thirteen year old girl, and, basically I ran away from home. Since then I have been living hand to mouth, using my magic and making a living. But you guys know most of that. We met, when? I was still thirteen maybe?" she asked looking at Naga. "Not quite turning fourteen, I think." the Queen replied.

Lina went on "Yeah, maybe, I don't quite remember, and we toured for a bit less than two years, then there were a couple of months after we parted, then Gourry showed up when I was fifteen and a half, and, well, here we are!" she concluded, giving her husband a big hug. "Wow..." said Amilia. "Lina, if there is anything we can do to help, name it." Lina smiled and said "I need to go home. I need to talk to everyone as an adult now. And it won't hurt to have Gourry with me as my husband." The King spoke up. "Well, I think a honeymoon trip would be in order, but I won't have a knight of the realm slink around. You will get a small honour guard and the loan of one of our finer carriages. You are a Lady now, Lady Lina, and going to ask your family for forgivenenss or not, you will look the part. Besides, I think Sir Gourry has a bit of business with his own family to take care of too."

"Yeah, and thank you, Your Majesty." said Gourry. Lina took Gourry's hand and said to him "Oh Gourry! I'm sure your family will forgive you. I mean you only took the Sword of Light to stop your brother from shedding blood with his cousin, and now it's gone back to it's true owners, so they have nothing left to fight about anyway." "I hope so, Lina." said Gourry. "I hope so." "Well, no matter what happens, you have me, so you still have a family that loves you." Gourry smiled at Lina as she said that. "Thank you" he said quietly.

A discussion followed, and it was eventually decided that Lina and Gourry would take the road to his parents farm to start, then they would go on to the island of Mispros where Lina wanted to show Gourry a very important statue that had something to do with his past, and then they would end up in Zephielia about six weeks after their departure. At first they planned to head home, but Amilia said that she and Zel, along with daddy, figured they would have their wedding ready in about eight weeks, so the final plan was to have Lina and Gourry link up with King Alfred and Queen Gracia as they headed through Zephielia on their way to the wedding, then they would all go home together, and get on with life. "Oh wonderful!" said Naga to her sister. "You will be getting married about the time the leaves start falling, it's going to be absolutely beautiful!" There was a general agreement that this was the best way to get over the war and cement the friendship of Westhold and Seirune. Lina thought it a grand idea, but couldn't figure out why Naga gave her that funny look. Then Zel spoke up. "Lina, not to be a troublemaker, but you know, you never did tell us what happend when you were ten..."

Lina put her hand behind her head and laughed nervously. "Oh, didn't I? Er, ummm..." "Well, if it's private it's okay." said Zel. Lina thought a minute then said "Well, it is, but you probably should hear it so you know why there was such violence between us, but I want you all to promise me one thing. If you ever meet my sister Luna, you will never, ever, tell her I told you anything." They all nodded agreement to this, and Lina went on. "Well, one spell I picked up about that time was how to do shadow projections." There were some "Oh's" from the audience. "Yeah, well, long story short I had a fight with Luna one morning and the mad lasted into the afternoon. I don't remember what the fight was about, but she was rushing to get to work and I was being a brat or something, so we fought. She probably called me a changeling again or something, but I was mad.

I did my studies at the Magician's Guildhall and was stomping through town to go home when some of the boys who knew Luna asked where she was. I knew that she would have gotten off work a bit earlier in the day, like she always did, and as usual she went to a small hot springs that had a water fall that people used for bathing. It would have been the women's hour about then, if I remember. I was so ticked off that I did a shadow projection of Luna, and they could see her at the hot springs getting dressed. I then yelled something like "There! She's getting dressed and will be along shortly! Are you happy?" It was their silence and the stunned looks on their faces that clued me in to the fact that something had happened. They asked if I could do it again. I asked why? They said they wanted to see more of her. I got mad again, but before I exploded a kid offered me a shiney penny! Big money when you are a little kid. I felt better right away! I could make money like this!

So I did it again, but now she was dressed and walking home. The guys seemed dissapointed and I figured out they wanted to see Luna without her clothes on. Now that set my evil little heart going! I knew she wasn't supposed to be naked in front of people. I thought this would be a way to embarass her. I thought she looked funny naked and I thought that the boys thought so too, and wanted to see more because they too couldn't believe what they saw. So, without really realising what I was doing to her I agreed to meet them the next day at a certain secluded spot and show them more. And they promised me more pennies too. That cinched the deal. Well, we met, there were a lot more guys, but hey, they each gave me a penny and soon my apron was full of more money than I had seen in my life. I laughed and did my thing.

This time we were earlier, and they saw everything, her disrobing, her showering, drying herself off, brushing out her long purple hair, the way she teased the bangs she always wears down in front of her eyes, and dressing again. Then the show was over. They guys seemed stunned, or something. They made me promise to return tommorrow. I did and it happened all over again. We kept this up for almost a week. Then the last day happened. I don't know how Luna found out but she did. But I don't think she knew until after that last shower because she really put all out, thinking she was alone. She did an extra long one that day, and after it was over I went and hid the money as usual, then came home. As usual, she was home before I got back from hiding my loot. Usually she'd ask me where I was and I'd say playing or something and that seemed to be it. That afternoon however, she said nothing. I didn't think much of it at first, until it occured to me that she had closed the door after me, and locked it.

I turned to face her and the look on her face was so horrible and angry that I just about died of fright. For a long time afterwards I often wished that I had. She had this horrible look on her face, she was obviously too upset to speak, and she had her wooden practice sword in her hands. And she had had lots of practice by now being a Knight of Cephied. I don't remember too much after that except curling into a ball to try, unsuccessfully, to protect myself as blow after blow rained down on me. She knew where to hit for maximum pain and minimum bruising, so that when my parents came home two weeks later there was nothing to show. But the thing that ruined me for life was the fact that she made me give her all my money. I wasn't angry with her any more after that. I was scared. Too scared to tell on her. Too scared to seek revenge. That's when she got the upper hand and kept it. I lived in fear.

Lina was silent for a few seconds as the others shook their heads. "There were a few more milder beatings, but they were enough to re-inforce the fear. Near as I can figure she went and took revenge on the boys who watched her. Which meant she had to go after nearly all the boys in town. Then she discovered that the boys weren't without their own resources. They couldn't confront her directly, but they could be underhanded. Usually they went to her restaurant and would order something so she had to serve them. Then they's talk innocently about thinks like hot springs, or little sisters, or, most hurtful of all to a girl who most certainly did want to marry and have a family, they'd talk about how tough, scary women couldn't get dates. Now, she couldn't beat up on them, for one thing it would be bad for the restaurant, and they were careful to always keep their remarks innocent so she couldn't outright accuse them of teasing her. So she'd come home, mad and frustrated, and the person she blamed for causing it all was there, and vulnerable." Lina stopped talking, obviously still frightened by the memories.

"Wow..." said most of the table. "I see now why you are so afraid of her." said Amilia. She went on "Look, if it will help, I'll go with you when the time comes and be a character witness if you want. I mean how often does an heir to a throne show up and plead for someone to be forgiven?" Lina chuckled a bit and said "I thank you for the offer Amilia, but if she won't forgive me when I ask, she won't do it if everyone here went and asked as well. It's okay. Besides, there was one last insult I threw into the mix, and I don't think she knew about it, which might be why I am still alive. If she knows about it now it might still be tense between us, so I'd rather face her alone, with maybe just Gourry. Besides, I'll have to do some serious foot kissing and I'd rather not have you guys actually see that..." "What did you do?" someone asked. Lina giggled nervously. "Luna loved to sing love songs at fourteen. The guys wanted to know what she was saying, and on the last day I was able to oblige. She was singing in the shower, and I said I could do something if they gave me a silver penny. I got twelve. So I showed them my then newest trick. I projected her voice as she was singing in the shower, and it was a real cheesy love song too. I am really glad she never found out that..." "You added sound?" said a strange voice from the back of the room.

The King looked up then stood up and said in a happy way "OH! Our guests have arrived!" Erik, why didn't you bring them up right away?" The Prince answered from the back "They bid me wait till the Lady Lina was done, Your Majesty." "Your Highness, who are these people?" asked the Queen "Why they are..." the King started then slapped his forehead. "Great Gods! We never had the chance to finish telling you about the charge!" "Your right!" said Prince Phil. The King said, "Well long story unbelieveably short, just before we hit their rear ranks we noticed there was a large squad of lesser demons and maybe some brass demons as well, situated in their middle ranks, We had no fear that we would succeed in defeating the warriors before us, but we were afraid of running into the demons, they would probably be tough enough to stop the charge. Then, at the last minute, there came a scream from heaven and a golden dragon with a warrior Knight on her back swooped through the demons. Together they sent them flying in all directions, usually at once, as different pieces of the demons flew in different directions from the blows. That cheered us, and then the second miracle occured. As we hit the lines there arose in the northeast behind us a hellish glow of light followed by a large cloud that came to look, from our angle like a great hand reaching towards us. I now know it was the Giga Slave of Lady Sylphiel but it looked for all the world like heaven had sent a warrior to aid us against our enemies, and hell had risen up to gather them into it's insatiable maw. They broke and ran forward, the only direction they had open to them, and bunched themselves together until they couldn't move. It turned from a battle to a slaughter I'm afraid. Then..." But the King didn't get to finish as Gourry suddenly interupted by saying in a concerned voice "Lina? Lina! What's wrong? Breathe Lina!" they all looked at the redheaded sorceress and saw she was very blue indeed. "LINA!" yelled her husband. "What's wrong?"

"That would be me." said a gentle voice with a faint melanchoy sigh. Two women came forward now from the shadows and stood in the light. The first one, tall, blonde, beautiful, was instantly recognised. "It's Miss Filia!" sang out Amilia, happy to see her friend again. "That's the golden dragon!" she added. Just in case there was any doubt. Filia gave her a big smile back, then turned a worried glance back to Lina. Zel smiled and addressed the other woman "I never was ablr to meet you on the day you charged down from heaven, but I saw you. As you were then, so you are now, tall, beautiful, with long purple hair and bangs down in front. Let's see if I can guess. You started out as a waitress and now own several fine establishments in Zefielia. Oh, and you are one of only five Knights in the world with the power of Cephied?"

"Yes, yes." said the woman kindly. "I am the monster named Luna you were just hearing about." Moving gracefully she crossed the hall and said to Lina "Sister, please breath." As she did so she laid a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder. The touch brought Lina back to life. She screamed, and threw herself around Gourry so the poor man was between her and her sister, with Lina threatening to pull him over on herself. She kept saying, over and over again, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me big sister, please forgive me!" as she cried in fear. Luna stood there with her head bowed and waited. Finally Lina got enough control over herself to stop babbling. She still hid behind Gourry, peeking our around him to see what Luna was going to do. Luna finally lifted her head and said, very gently, "Lina, it's been so long, won't you please come out so I can see you?" Lina cringed as if threatened by Luna's voice, even as a part of her soul was screaming to her to grow up and stop acting like a ten year old. When nothing happened she finally forced herself to slowly, and tremblingly, walk around and stand in front of Gourry. She couldn't quite look Luna in the face but she almost did. "H-hello Luna..." she said.

Luna smiled back, her nervousness apparent to all, except maybe her sister. "Hello Lina. I am happy to see you again. You are all grown up now, and married too! Please accept my congratulations..." The smile faded and she hung her head. She went on "Oh Lina, this isn't any easier for me than it is for you. I made such a mess of being your older sister. I wish I could undo the past, but I can't, but if you'll let me, I'd dearly like to make the future what it still can be, a future where we are family, like we should have always been." She gave a sad little pause, then took a breath and said "Lina, I have no excuse for what I did, I can only say with my whole being I am sorry for what I did and didn't do, to you, and for you, and, well..., Lina, I ask you to forgive me, no, I beg you to forgive me."

She became silent, as did the rest of the room, waiting for Lina's answer. Lina stood there for a minute, a stunned look on her face. "Y-you want m-my forgivenenss?" she said softly, in a puzzled voice. Luna nodded. Lina stopped trembing, and faced Luna. There was a tense pause as everyone waited for the answer. Suddenly she shouted "YES!" and lept into Luna's arms! Of course, the tears started then. Zel produced a handkerchief he had gotten ready and gave it to Amilia as he put his arm around her. King Alfred put his arm around Naga as she also sniffled. Gourry and Prince Phillionel exchanged glances. Filia looked a bit nervous and this prompted Prince Erik to take her around the table and seat her beside Amilia, who hugged her in greeting. Everyone was eventually seated with Lina sitting between Gourry and Luna.

The two sisters looked at each other, shyly at first, then as they relaxed they began to smile at each other. By the end of the meal they were much more at ease and were busy talking and catching up on the news. Finally Lina worked up the courage to ask Luna "I hear you are married too! I don't know if you remember a guy about two years older than I am we used to call Shorty. Turns out his name is Theoderic, but no matter, he grew up big and tall and oh so handsome! Anyway, he was serving with the Swordsmen of the Queen for Zefielia in this little spat we just had, and I got a chance to talk to him. He said you were married, and so was he, but he made a guessing game out of who he, and also you, were married to. Said you have a daughter too, and so does he. So, come on sis, out with it, and tell me, who finally swept you off your feet"
Luna smiled at Lina for a bit then said "He made you guess did he? Well, now I am curious, before I answer your question, tell me who you guessed?" Lina told Luna what she had guessed, and Luna laughed and laughed. Lina laughed too, as it was contagious. Luna looked back at Lina and said "Here's the story sis. I knew you feared me, but I truely never knew how much. So, when I drove you away from home, I thought you'd just run away for a day or two and come slinking back and beg me to be nice. I was looking forward to toying with you about whether I'd let you in or not. I didn't start to panic until the third day when you weren't back. By day four I was looking for you, but no one had seen you. And you are right about the boys revenging themselves on me for beating them with my stick. I couldn't get them to help. Actually, it was a great, if painful, lesson in the idea of there being consequenses to one's actions.

Only one boy would help me look. Naturally, we didn't find you, but we got to talking. He even hugged me as I started crying in fear both for you and for me. Yes, believe it or not, I actually feared for you enough that I cried for you. After I calmed down a bit he said something about me spoiling my perfect eyes. I asked him what he meant because he couldn't have seen my eyes through my bangs, and he said in a shy way that he had been in on one of your shadow shows. He apologised for having done such a shameful thing to me, and then said that he had seen my eyes when I had flipped my hair back when washing it. He said he had never seen such a beautiful pair of eyes in his life, and that they quite took his breath away. I made some sarcastic comment about how the rest of me must have left him stone cold dead and he said, just matter of factly, not boasting, or trying to pass a line off on me, that he had been so taken with my eyes he never did get around to seeing the rest of me. I calmed down and told him he was sweet and gave him a hug, then went home to prepare to face mom and dad when they came home the next day.

I was very upset for many days after that and had to take time off of work and the three of us worked things out. Of course I told them what had happened and had to live with the guilt of knowing I had wiped the smile from mom's face with my stupidity. And then there was the unexpected pain of not having you around. Yes, I found out that I missed you, so much that it hurt. And all this time I had thought I would have been happy to go through life without you. Ah me, nothing like guilt for a reality check. Oh, and one more thing that hurt was when dad took my practice sword, the one I used to beat you with, and broke it. With one single blow." "You liked that wooden sword didn't you?" asked Lina. "Well, there was that, I suppose." said Luna in reply, "But mostly it was because he used my backside to break it on!" Lina looked at Luna, wide eyed.

"Anyway, I finally went back to work, this was weeks later and to my surprise there was a new cook. Guess who! The young man who had been so kind to me. Well, I smiled and we got to talking, and over the years one thing lead to another, then when I was twenty he asked and I answered and here we are. And all thanks to you! I was having a hard time imagining myself marrying any of the creeps who had seen me in your projections, but in a very real way, you did me a favour by weeding them out and letting me find the one who saw me as someone, not something. He liked my eyes you see, not because they were big, nor because they were purple like my hair, but because they were happy, he said he got lost in them, and felt he had been drawn into a well that drew it's source in my soul. Kind of a cheap poetic phrase I know, but hey, once I got to know him I could see what he was saying beyond the clumsy words, and his message was beautiful!" Lina nodded and smiled. She hugged Gourry's arm and said "I do know what you mean Luna, I've had the same experience.

Gourry looked over and said, eloquently, "Huh?" Lina said , "I still have your note from when you left the hotel all those weeks ago. You said the sun shone out of my eyes and you wanted to soar into the light." "Oh. Uh, yeah..." he said. Zel spoke up across the table and snickered "Come to the light Gourry..." Amilia elbowed him in the ribs, and immediately regretted it. Zel shook his head and snickered some more. "Your elbow finds my spare ribs a bit tough I take it Amilia?" "Next time, I'm using a pick axe!" the Justice Princess pouted back, rubbing her elbow. Gourry went to continue eating, only to find his steak was missing, and sure enough, Lina was just swallowing something as Luna smirked at him... He smiled back "You're feeling better, eh Lina?"

She nodded, then went back to Luna. "So, we both have the beautiful Inverse eyes. Well, what else would two such stunning beauties as we have? Go on please Luna, I want to know who this mystery poet is!" Luna giggled and said "Well, I just wanted you to know that in the end there was a silver lining to the shadow projection tale. Without it I might never have found my husband or had my daughter. I just find it amusing he wouldn't tell you outright who he was, and wanted you to guess." "Well, don't you do that okay Luna?" said Lina. Luna just looked at her sister with a bemused look, waiting for it to click. Lina looked thoughtful, sure she was missing something, then began to replay the conversation in her head. What had she missed? Luna found it amusing that Shorty had wanted her to guess who Luna's husband was? No wait, how had Luna worded it... her fork dropped, then her jaw, which was begining to get calloused from so many impacts with the floor over the past few weeks. She finally worked it out.

"Th-th-THEO?" she stammered as she turned to Luna. Luna started to laugh. "Shorty? He who even I once looked down upon, and who now is practically a god? You married him!" Lina was in shock as the conversation she had had with the man took on a new light. Suddenly she started laughing and laughing. "Oh that's so rich, he had a good joke on me! Hoo, well now I know! So, then the only thing is to go home and meet my niece!" "On one condition Lina." said Luna with a big smile. "Eh? What's that then?" asked Lina, a bit unsure. "Promise me you won't run away this time, she was really hurt." Lina looked puzzled, but there was a loud clank as Zel nearly dropped his tea cup. He gave an open mouthed stare at Luna then said with a surprised but amuzed voice "The red haired girl in Seirune?" Luna nodded, Lina almost went into shock.

"AAIIIEEEE!" she squeeled, burying her face in her hands. "Her? That little child who reminded me of me so much that I thought it was a ghost or something? That was my niece? Aiyaiyai, I was so on edge about maybe meeting you that meeting her made me panic, especially when she ran out and called me by name. Oh, I feel so bad now..."

Luna laughed then said, "Oh, you better believe she's like you Lina! In someways it's like I'm raising another you so I'll have a second chance to do it right this time. Yes you must come home and avenge yourself by teaching her all the bad tricks you can think of! Bold little darling too, I merely pointed you out in the crowd and said that that woman looked a lot like her aunty Lina, and off she went to ask you. You and your exploits are well known in Zephielia, even if you never come home to bask in your glory! And you may believe she was so sad when you bolted! Wait till she finds out you are coming for a visit! She's asked more than once why you don't and to be honest I've never known how to answer that."Lina took Luna's hand and gave it a squeeze. "If you are with me sister, I won't need to run. And I promise to come, I want to see mom smile at me again, and hug my dad too. I have missed you guys so much." Luna smiled. "We've missed you too, Lina. I can hardly wait, but I'll have six weeks to get ready. Oh, we'll have a time then!" With that, the healing of the two sisters had finally begun.
"Do you do weddings Ms. Luna?" Naga asked suddenly. "Er, yes, we can cater and set up a hall, uh, why?" Naga gave Lina superior smile. Lina looked pale and her face fell. "Oh no, Naga, I-I mean Your Majesty, you wouldn't, not there, not in front of my family... Please! It was only one little fireball..." "OHOhohohohoho, one little fireball? No, that was only the latest in a long string of incidents going all the way back to when you knocked me off the roof the hotel when we first met!" "WHAT?" shrieked Lina in response. "You were the one who got yourself stuck on the roof of a burning hotel, one YOU set on fire I might point out, because you didn't know how to fly down! I just helped you get down before you got burned!" "Hmph! As if that justifies anything!" replied Naga. Lina almost made a caustic reply when she suddenly looked like she was choking and buried her head in one of her arms while she thumped on the table with her free hand and wailed "It's not fair, she's my queen now and there is nothing I can do about it..."

"Err, if I may ask Your Highness" said Luna, "Whose wedding were you wanting me to cater?" Naga smiled and pointed at Lina. Luna looked puzzled. "I thought she was married already?" "Oh she is," said Naga, "but only a very quiet and private ceremony, totally legal of course, but I want to throw her a grand public wedding to thank her for helping to save the kingdom." Naga gave a dramatic little pause then went on, "I am sure her family would love the chance to see her married grandly?" "Um, yes..." said Luna with a wary look in her eye. "Although something tells me you have more than that in mind..." Naga mearly cocked an eyebrow at Luna and smiled. Luna chuckled. Lina fell on her knees and begged "Luna! No please don't help her, she really wants some sort of humiliating revenge for all the trouble she thinks I've put her through since we met. It's not like that! It's..."

Luna silenced Lina with a finger on Lina's lips then bent over and very quietly whispered "She'll do it anyway sister. It's better if you let me do this to keep things from going too far, trust me..." Lina gulped and said very quietly "Okay..." as she got off her knees and sat down again. Gourry leaned over and asked in a voice full of concern, "Lina, are you okay?" Lina looked up at Gourry and gave him a sad smile. "It's okay Gourry, just one last debt I have to pay before I'm over my past life." she said. "Well, if you are sure..." replied Gourry still feeling very puzzled. He then said "I just haven't seen you this upset since the last time you saw a slug..." "Slug!" said Naga. "Err, yes Your Majesty, you see Lina hates them, she really gets, Um, upset by them." replied Gourry. "Upset!" laughed Amilia, butting in, "Heck she gets altogether freaked out by them! The yelling, the screaming..." "Dearest, perhaps your big sister doesn't need any more ammunition..." said Zelgadiss quietly. "Huh?" said Amilia, then she blushed as it dawned on her that Naga may have had slightly less that the purest and most just of intentions for that information. "Way to go mutton head..." Lina muttered to Gourry.

"OHOhohohoho!" laughed Naga putting an end to the side conversations. "I had almost forgotten your strong reaction to those poor creatures. Let's see, where were we when that poor restaurant owner innocently offered us some Escarot? Pity, it had been such a nice place too, before the fireball..." "Ehhh, he, he, ya..." said Lina embarased by the memory, a big drop of sweat rolling down her cheek as she put her hand behind her head. "So, how did you come by such a fear of them anyway?" asked Amilia. She then added "What?", looking at Zel as he tried unsuccessfully to stop her. He just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Oh that was me again I'm afraid." responded Luna. "You know, I don't remember what she did to upset me, but one night I was really mad at her, so I snuck out when she was asleep to this little cave just outside the village where the slugs tended to be abundant. I gathered quite a bucket full of the biggest and slimiest ones I could find and waited until she was deeply asleep, then I sneaked into her room and I slowly, so she wouldn't wake up and catch me at it, put them in her bed. She slept all night with them in her bed, under the covers, getting slime all over her, and in the morning, when she woke up and found out what had happened she..." "YEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Lina as she collapsed into Gourry's arms, shaking uncontrollably and looking very green indeed as she relived the memory in all too graphic detail. "Yeah, that was it." said Luna. "And ever since then she hasn't been able to stand them. But she was, what, only seven at the time?" "EIGHT!" shrieked Lina. "Ah yes, so it was." said Luna with a sigh. "AND I HAD SAID I WAS GOING TO BE MORE FAMOUS THAN SOME SILLY KNIGHT OF CEPHIED BECAUSE I WAS A MAGICAL GIRL!" she added, still trying to get ahold of herself. Luna laughed, then she said "And so you are sister, so you are." Lina stopped shaking finally and looked at Luna, then said "Huh?" Luna smiled and said "You ARE more famous than some silly knight of Cephied! Lina, the whole world that existed under the mazoku shield knows your name, and the rest of the world is learning it rapidly. I am very well known in the town of Zephielia where we live, and somewhat known in the country at large, and a lot of that is due to my being a Knight of Cephied, but I never had your ability to leave home, with or without someone like me pushing you. I think if the roles had been reversed I might have opted to kill myself instead.

And here you are. A world famous sorceress, among the most powerful and famous, and only twenty one now. You've killed two mazoku , and not just any mazoku, The High Lord Hellmaster Phibrizzo, and that was just showing off, because you had already killed one of the seven pieces of Lord Ruby Eyed Shabradnigdo himself! Lina, I know my limits! Stopping a dragon with a kitchen knife is one thing, sorry Filia, but it was self defence. So is slicing a dragon slave in half with a sword, although trust me, you really have to be ready for it, I don't know if I could do it if I were caught unawares. I also know could handle any general or priest of a mazoku high lord, although I am uncertain about the one who is both general and trickster priest to Zellas Metallium, whom some call the Beast Master. But, unlike some people at this table, I could never destroy a high lord, or a resurected piece of Shabradnigdo, nor could I repulse the attack of a dark lord from a different world! And now, moving right along, you are a Lady of the Court of Westhold, and married to a knight of the realm, a knight who is also famous for carrying two famous swords. I don't mind admitting I am jealous that you got to see the Sword of Light. I hear it is gone now, and that may be good or bad, I don't know, but this Blast Blade your husband carries as replacement, I would love to see it one day if I may, I don't even want to touch it or anything, just see it, and I know dad would love a look at it too. The Gabriev family of Elemikia is well known in sword circles, and you went and married the most famous son of that family since the mythical Rowdy, back in the days they were said to live on Mispros Island."

Lina replied softly "Rowdy wasn't a myth, I went to Mispros once, and met him. He had been cursed with a long life spell, but it proved to be for the best in the end. I helped him change the future of the island for the better, by letting him send me back in time to change a battle with a demon named Joyrock and let the elves live instead of being destroyed." "Then you ARE the girl in the statue!" said an awestruck Luna. Lina nodded, then looked puzzled at her sister. "I went there on my honeymoon." she explained simply. "It was a beautiful trip and the first, and well, only time I've ever left Zephielia before this trip to help in the war. But there was a statue of a young girl standing with a toussle haired youth who was holding the sword of light. I couldn't get over how much the girl looked like you. Someone said it was over a thousand years old, but that the elves had made it and it didn't weather." "Yes, that's me." said Lina simply. Luna went on "If I hadn't seen the statue I wouldn't have believed you but I can't deny it now! Are you some sort of goddess Lina?" "Of course she is!" interjected a smiling Gourry, "And she's mine!" Lina chuckled and grabbed Gourry into a hug. "Well then, you must be a god." she teased. "Lord of the jellyfish perhaps?" came a low comment from Zelgadiss, obviously meant to be heard, yet low enough he could pretend all innocence as Lina glared at him. Amilia laughed, and soon the whole table was having a good chuckle.

Finally Lina asked Luna, "Did you really like Mispros?" "Hey! It was beautiful!" her sister replied, then added, "well, except for this one shady hotel operator who carted in mud and water from various hot springs and tried to pass it off as native." "AHHH!" shouted Naga, surprising everyone. "I told you Lina! I said that after you had changed the past we needed to go back and make sure the hotel operator was re-arrested, but oh no, no sense of justice! No sense of the utter importance of the hot spring to a woman with delicate skin! And the money! We could have taken him in, taken the reward money and gone off with gold in our purses! But you just wanted to go! Now see? I could have stopped that little creep again, and made sure he was arrested a second time, but oh no, Lina Inverse, as she was then, just plain knew better than everyone and just had to leave! HMPH! You owe your sister an apology!"

"Huh?" said Luna as Lina fumed ineffectively at Naga, knowing she couldn't blow up at her, or just plain blow her up, like she used to. Naga took this as her cue to explain in somewhat twisted detail the way she had dealt with the unscrupulous owner of the hotel they had stayed at who had done just what Luna had described. "Ahhh," said Luna, "and all that was undone by Lina's changing of the past. Well, he's behind bars now, I saw to that." She turned to Lina and teased "Lina, don't you know how sensitive a woman's delicate skin is? It's important! You should have brought him in again!" Lina shook her head and moaned "Not you too Luna!"

Naga went on, getting into her stride now. "Lina! I realise you know very little about hot springs, so I can't really blame you for not realising how important it was, but I trust now that you can see that you should have listened to one who knew better!" "Er, yes, well, I just thought we needed to catch the boat off the island. As it was we made it just in time." Lina replied a bit hotly, as she clenched her hand to avoid instinctively fireballing Naga. "Oh really?" said Naga with a smirk. "You're sure it wasn't anything to do with that hot spring you had been about to dive into? The one you didn't want me to find out about? The one with the time magic imbued into it? Trying to age ourselves a bit were we?" As she said that Naga gave her breasts a jiggle, making it obvious why she thought Lina was trying to swim in the magical pool. Lina blushed and cringed a bit. "Oh all right, I admit it." said Lina softly, then asked "How did you know the pool was magical?" "I'm an expert!" responded Naga with feeling. "I could tell just by looking at the water and the way the plants were along the bank, and I could smell it too. Oh, and I overheard the farmer who warned you. At any rate, there we were beside a perfectly lovely looking hotspring, one you were about to plunge into, and I didn't even act like I was going to go in. If it had been a regular spring you'd have realised I was there as I dove in."

Naga stared down at Lina like she had been explaining the mysteries of the universe to her, although the smirky smile that struggled less than successfully to stay off her lips took away from the effect." Luna added, with a small giggle, "Honestly Lina, you need to start figuring things out you know." Lina burried her face in her hands for a minute then said "Please don't turn into another Naga, Luna, please don't do that..." Luna looked puzzled, then said "Okay, I'll try not to..." A pointed "HMPH!" drifted across the table, as did some more laughter. And so the evening passed.

In the course of it, it was decided to have a last special day together while all was put into readiness for Luna, Gourry and Lina, and the royal Household of Seirune, to leave in style. A special concert was arranged in which the epic of the Rose Warrior, a very old and sacred tale to the people of Westhold, would be performed by the best bard and the best musicians available. Finally, all went to their various beds. On returning to their rooms Lina found the young maid Trina busy turning down the bed. She gave a proper curtsy and called Lina "My Lady" Lina shook her head, this was going to take getting used to. Then she remembered. "Hey Trina!" she said. "I remember I promised to make you my personal maid if I came into my fortune. Of course I don't think either of us expected it to happen, but hey, since it has, you want the job? You can come with us on our little honeymoon trip and see a bit of the world!" Trina squeeled with delight and of course accepted on the spot. Lina said she'd speak for her tommorrow morning. Trina skipped happily out of the room, no mean feat when you remember she was bowing all the way... "I do believe you've made her happy, Lina." Gourry said with a smile.