Depression shuffled into the princess' room with mussed hair and puffiness in her eyes. The idea was to have breakfast with the princess, but Lina's stomach really wasn't in the mood for any company.
Amelia and Zelgadis, already seated at the table, gave each other a quick glance before greeting the distressed sorceress. The newly-wedded Gabrievs were eating in another restaurant on the outskirts of Seyruun and finishing plans for their honeymoon, and Filia was on her way back to her shop on the other continent, which left them in charge of dealing with an upset Lina.
Not that the Gabrievs' presence would have helped.
"Good morning, Lina-san."
"Morning, Lina."
"My ass," Lina replied while taking her seat and promptly burying her head in her hands.
The princess and the chimera shared another glance, then Amelia decided to take the initiative. "Did you sleep well?"
"Fine, thanks," Lina mumbled into her hands.
Amelia was in the process of encouraging Zelgadis to say something, when the serving girl came in with breakfast. Noting the sorceress with an expression of concern she said, "Lady Inverse, I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were still here or I would have brought your usual."
Amelia nearly gagged, but before she could reprimand the girl, Lina waved a hand. "It's okay. I'm not really hungry."
The serving girl gave Amelia a puzzled glance before cautiously placing the food on the table. Zelgadis and Amelia waited for Lina to take her portion.
A single white-gloved hand reached out, took a single sausage link and put it on an otherwise empty plate. The hand then reattached itself to its owner's face.
Lina's breakfast companions took one last look at each other before hesitantly reaching out to fill their plates with food.
The princess gnawed thoughtfully on a slice of bacon. She's taking this really hard. "Are you sure you have to leave so soon, Lina-san? You're welcome to stay as long as you wish, you know." She looked to Zelgadis as if to say Would you say something, please?, to which he returned with What am I supposed to say?
"No, I need to get out of here. Besides," Lina lifted her hands from her face to give them a small smile, "I have to get you your wedding present, don't I?"
Zelgadis nodded slowly in agreement. To do otherwise might be taking his life into his hands. "Right."
Amelia shot her fiancé an angry look before looking to Lina again. "Please Lina-san, just stay one more night. Please?"
Lina looked into her friends' concerned faces and grimaced. "Okay. But I'm leaving first thing in the morning."
"Thank you." the princess whispered, barely able to hold back the tears.
Breakfast was otherwise uneventful.
It's ironic, really. I defeated Hellmaster Phibrizzo to get him back, only to lose him to a soft-spoken, spineless Shrine Maiden. Lord-sama, you have a strange sense of humor.
Lina sat in the temple that had been used for the prior day's wedding, looking up at the statue of Ceiphied. The statue was quite old, but due to its construction (and enchantments, she noted), it had aged well.
She lowered her eyes to the marble floor. I've beaten a piece of Shabranigdo. The man-monster combination of Kopi Rezo and Zanaffar. Kanzel and Mazenda. Hellmaster Phibrizzo. And, yeah, I had help, but I still managed to defeat the Monster-God hybrid Darkstar. All with him at my side. Supporting me. Encouraging me. She looked back up at the dragon-god statue.
Tears threatened her eyes once again. "Now what am I supposed to do…"
That night, Zelgadis decided that a walk would do everyone some good.
The Lighting spells were active within the street lamps, casting a soft glow on the surroundings. Besides being the Holy City, part of the reason Seyruun had very little crime was that the light magically illuminated everything, making it difficult for any would-be thieves to hide.
The beauty of it was lost on Lina, as she plodded along behind her friends.
"Hurry up, Lina-san!" Amelia called. The princess had taken over the tour as soon as they set foot outside the palace.
"What's the hurry?" Zelgadis half-whispered.
"If you look at the palace at just the right time and at just the right angle, it looks almost ethereal," she half-whispered back. "It may be what Lina needs to at least get her mind off of Gourry for a little while, at least."
"I hope you're right, but I'm not holding my breath," said the chimera.
"Well, we can only try, right?" The princess sent him a smile that drew a chuckle.
"Your optimism never fails to surprise me, Princess." Zelgadis had taken to using Amelia's title as a term of affection, much to her delight.
Amelia blushed before she noticed the sorceress lagging further behind. "Come on, Lina-san!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Sometime during the day, Lina had stopped feeling emotion of any kind, becoming a zombie of sorts, only speaking when spoken to.
In the lead, Zelgadis had just passed under an arch that would allow them full view of the castle when he suddenly stopped, causing Amelia to smack into him. "Ouch! Why'd you stop so suddenly, Zelgadis-san?"
The chimera's voice was almost as hard as his skin. "Amelia, don't let Lina come in here."
"Why not…?" Amelia started, then saw the reason why. "Oh no…"
On a bridge in what would have been the foreground for the sight, two silhouettes could be seen. More importantly, they were easily recognized as Gourry and Sylphiel, sharing an embrace as well as a kiss.
Amelia whirled to stop Lina, only to find that it was too late.
Lina stood frozen in time, eyes fixed on the couple on the bridge. As Amelia moved to block her view, she noticed that Lina was trembling all over and her breathing was quick and shallow. "Lina?" she said softly. "Let's go back inside."
Lina allowed herself to be moved, keeping her eyes locked on the couple on the bridge until they were out of sight.