So, here we are - in part two of three of Going Home. Before we get started there are a couple of quick notes:

You may have noticed that there are some inconsistencies with the content here. For instance, The Eternal Queen does not reincarnate and may be related to Lina. That is not the case in this story. The reason why this is true - is because of the age of the story and the availability of information both back then and today. This story was started before the pandemic and at the time the last few books were only translated by fans. Which is rough - trust me. Even after trying to fix them - it was bad. Stuff like the movies or magna still remains somewhat difficult for me to obtain to this day. As a result, there are mistakes when it comes to kannon. I apologize ahead of time for that.

Fortunately, this is au or an alternative universe that follows its own rules. So, we can break some stuff here and there. I hope that this does not become too distracting. Any case on to the story!

PART TWO:

"30 Days War"

War can start for the most ridiculous reasons. It can be over a lost love, a childish spat, or a simple misunderstanding. Don't believe me? Then you're not going to believe this tale. Because trust me, the 30-days war between Zephilia and Elmekia was over something stupid: A wayward prince who refused to return home. Who instead insisted on remaining in Zephilia with his wife. I am that Prince's wife by the way. I am the incredible sorcery genius, Lina Inverse! Who couldn't technically use much of any magic at the time. That big, dumb, lunk kinda got me pregnant. Which means that my powers were totally unreliable. You see, at the time, the little bastard hadn't come out yet. As a result, my powers wouldn't return to normal until I gave birth. Which was still a few months away. Life can be so cruel sometimes.

Anyway, where was I? Ahh, yes the 30 days war. Well, it wasn't really a war so much as a show of force. Neither side wanted open conflict. That would be too costly. Yet, both wanted to throw their weight around and remind the other not to mess with them. Which could have easily erupted into something far worse if the Eternal Queen hadn't put a stop to it. No one messes with her. She can be scarier than my sister! King Solace de Elmekia didn't know what hit him. There was a reason why for over three hundred years the borders of Zephilia hadn't been breached. That was all thanks to the Eternal Queen. Her wisdom and might were legendary. Zephilia was well prepared for any military action. Elmekia could not seriously us.

Nor could they take back their wayward prince. For the Eternal Queen had given him asylum and honorary citizenship within our land. Meaning that she was obligated to protect him as she would be obligated to protect any of her citizens. She could not allow another country to threaten him or drag him back by force. So long as Prince Gourry de Elmekia wished to remain within Zephilia's borders then she would protect him. In return, she only asked for him to help her defend her country by training it's next generation. Gourry's skills with the sword were legendary! Any country would be proud to claim him as their own. Regardless of whether or not he was a prince.

In fact, Gourry had long since renounced his claim to the throne of Elmekia. He did not wish to rule. Nor did he wish to be the center of a conflict. He merely wished to settle down with me, Lina Inverse, and raise a family. Which we were already well on the way to making. I was nearly three months pregnant at the time! Gods, how I wanted to be more useful during that war. To be able to go on the front lines and cast a Dragon Slave straight at the enemy! Alas, that little bugger prevented that. Even if I could cast a Dragon Slave (which I couldn't) the Queen would have never let me do it. Not while I carried a little one within me.

So, I was stuck on the sidelines. Playing the role of cheerleader as my family fought to keep me and my baby safe. For that bastard of a father-in-law had placed a price on my head and that of my unborn child. He thought that if we were out of the way then Gourry would cooperate. That he would give up and return to Elmekia to play the role of the perfect little prince. Shows how little he actually knew his son! Gourry would never do that. He would never return. Nor would he forgive his father for this. King Solace had crossed the line. Gourry wanted nothing to do with him. He had disowned his father and his native land for a reason. He would never come back.

Serves him right though. Solace should know better than to mess with Lina Inverse! For once I get my powers back then I will crush him! I won't allow anyone to threaten my family or take what is mine. I'll admit it, I'm greedy sometimes. I want everything. All the treasure, all the loot, and all the money in the world! Gourry is the best kind of loot. He protects me, does whatever I say, and is loyal only to me. I don't think that he would ever leave me! That says a lot. I know that I'm not the easiest person to get along with. Most people would have run years ago. They certainly wouldn't have faced down the Lord of Nightmares to save me. That's for sure. Gourry did that. The idiot didn't care that he was going against the mother of all things. All he cared about was getting me back. After that, what's facing down a single country?

Did I mention that I love that idiot? Well, I do. I love him enough to look his father in the eye and tell him to shove it. That Lina Inverse plays for keeps. That if he doesn't like then there is a Dragon Slave with his name on it! Okay, I've never technically done that. Since the last time I saw him, I kinda buckled a bit. Since he threatened to kill me and my baby if I didn't leave his son immediately. With my powers being so weak I couldn't risk it. I ended up doing as the King demanded. Even though it was the last thing that I wanted to do.

Of course, the beautiful and talented Lina Inverse wasn't totally out of the fight. I cast a locator spell on my wedding ring. One that would lead Gourry straight to me. At the time I could manage weak spells such as that. Even if I couldn't cast anything flashy. I could do something to get his attention. It was a long shot, but it was the only option I had left. Since I couldn't tell Gourry what was happening in fear of them hurting our child. I left the ring with a servant that I had befriended and ran. I prayed that not only would Gourry get my message but also understand its meaning. He was dumb as a stump, y'know. It's not like I could make it very clear. Or else King Solace might have discovered it. Then it would be all over. I had to risk sending such a vague message that was delivered by a person that I had just met. God, how I hated how desperate I had become!

Fortunately, my message was received and Gourry came after me. As did my sister. Who I hadn't sent a message to. I don't actually send letters and stuff to her. We aren't on the best terms you see. And I didn't even think about asking for her help. I'd figured that there was no way that she would help me. How wrong I was and thank the gods that I was!

Luna knew of my predicament through her dreams. She saw a dark shadow looming over me, waiting to strike. I tried to run but was struck down in the end. A terrible dream if you ask me. Particularly, since I am the one being killed. It was because of this dream that Luna left our homeland, looking for me. This sounds pretty crazy, but you have to understand who and what Luna is. She is a Knight of Ceifeed. That means that she has some pretty crazy powers. Like seeing the future. I can't do that. Then again I'm not a piece of a god like her. Just your average Sorcery Genius, that's all! What I have accomplished I did on my own. Well, mostly on my own. Okay, I had a lot of help but that doesn't matter. What matters is that we survived and won. Just like we won this war. This is how it happened.

It took just over a day for us to reach Zephyr, the capital city of my homeland. This was right after I was saved by Gourry and my sister on the Elmekian border. The trip was relativity boring. For there was only one additional attack along the way. Some merchs decided to break up the party. That was easily rebuffed by my family. I didn't have to do anything. (Not that I could, but you get the idea.) It seemed almost too easy. I guess that I wasn't used to human opponents anymore. For there was no way that a demon would let us go so easily. There would have been a final assault somewhere before we crossed the border into Zephilia. Which never happened. It was almost boring how easy it was to escape. Then again I shouldn't surprised. Both Gourry and Luna could easily wipe out large armies all on their own. Who could stop them?

It wasn't until we had just about reached the city that I realized that I had overlooked something really important. Something more important than fighting off hordes of Elmekians. I hadn't told my parents about Gourry. Okay, so yeah I'd mentioned him once or twice in a letter or two. Told them that I traveling with a swordsman and stuff, but I never went into detail about him. I just didn't see the need. Even after we started dating I didn't go into detail. Then again I so rarely wrote that it might be understandable. I just didn't have time to tell them. However, we were now about to make it home and I still hadn't told them. This was not going to go over well. They were going to kill me!

I kinda panicked about this. Sure, they weren't the most over-protective bunch but still, they weren't going to like my situation. Dad was going to interrogate him. Try to scare the shit of Gourry. On the other hand, Mom was going to kill him. You see I take after her in that regard. Things get violent when I get angry. She is just as bad if not worse! She's not going to be happy that I didn't tell her about this ahead of time. She may even blame Gourry for it! I just hoped that she didn't hit him too hard. I kinda needed him and all. That and I really didn't wanna die! Please don't be angry, Mom! I thought as we entered the city gates.

Fortunately, we didn't have to go to Leila Inverse's Magical Shop of Curiosities just yet. We had to go to the castle and meet with the Eternal Queen first. Which might be slightly more terrifying if you ask me. Not that I really knew the woman or anything. I mean, she was the Queen! I was a commoner from the merchant district. I had no real connection with her. Beyond my sister that is. As the Knight of Ceifeed, Luna served directly under her. The Queen trusted her word and wisdom. Just as my sister trusted her. She would support us if Luna asked for it. For she knew that it would be a good reason. We would need that support if Elmekia demanded Gourry's return or my extradition. We would be pretty helpless without it.

Of course, the Queen could just chuck us in the dungeon instead. I did have a reputation, after all. She might believe some of those unfounded rumors! I honestly don't blow up cities! Sure, I'd torched a town or two by mistake but that was a mistake! I never planned it. Honest! She might also believe that Gourry is a spy. If so, then we're really screwed. She'll do more than arrest us. She'll hang us! Spies and their associates didn't tend to live very long in Zephilia. The Eternal Queen was known to kill the more dangerous ones personally. There is no way that she would allow our executions to be handled by an amateur. She has the power of the Water Dragon King within her. Or at least a fragment of it. That would be more than enough to finish us off. I'd rather avoid pissing off the Eternal Queen if possible. We wouldn't live long if we did. I would have told Gourry all this but it would have sailed over his head.

Sis brought us to the Queen's private chambers. I did not honestly expect a private conference. I expected something more formal and public. I expected the Queen to judge us and then either let us go or condemn us. Something told me that neither was going to happen today. I would have to wait for that. No decisions would be made today. That could not be done in closed quarters. It could only be done in open court. I might be wrong about this but I doubt that she would rule today.

My sister introduced us and then stepped back to allow us to approach the Eternal Queen. Even without her court attire, the Eternal Queen was impressive. She had a quiet fierceness about her that made you pay attention and hang on every word. Indeed, she was as beautiful as she was fierce. It was hard to believe that this woman was ruling the Zephilia when my mother was a child! The only hint that you had of her true age was through her eyes. They were as old as time itself. Indeed, it looked as if she was looking through you. She was not one to be easily tricked or threatened. I was both fascinated by her and terrified at the same time. It a feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time.

"Welcome Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev. I have heard so much about you." She gestured towards her couches. "Please, have a seat."

I looked briefly at my sister then panicked again. I wondered what the hell had she said to her. Not that she would tell me. I just had to hope that it was good or else we were doomed! "Thank you, your majesty." I finally responded in a shaky voice. I grabbed Gourry's hand and then dragged him over to the couch. "I hope that it wasn't all bad."

She laughed. "No, it wasn't. Lina Inverse, you may not realize it but you are famous here. Almost as famous as your sister! Rumors of your deeds have reached us even here. Indeed, Zephilia is proud to call you its daughter."

I looked down as I tried to hide my embarrassment. "Thank you, my Queen."

She looked at Gourry for a moment then added. "Rumors of you, Gourry Gabriev, have also reached us." We stiffened at that. "I hear that you have watched over and protected Lina for years. I heard that you assisted her in killing Shabranigdo, the Dragon-beast Garv, and Hellmaster Fibrizo, among others."

Gourry scratched his head as he chuckled. "Did I?"

I so wanted to kill him. Yes, yes you did, Gourry! Don't you remember jellyfish brain?! I clenched my fists in an attempt to prevent myself from exploding. This seemed to amuse the Queen greatly. "I see that the other rumors are true as well. You do seem to have a poor memory."

He laughed again. "Yeah, I do."

"Gourry, that's not something to be proud of! Geez!" I yelled at him.

"Do not worry, Ms. Inverse. Your partner is not in trouble. Nor is he on trial. Not yet, at least." She told Gourry. "For the moment, you are a welcomed guest of our country. So long as you remain not a threat that is." He nodded as if this was a completely normal thing to say. Satisfied, she continued. "Now, I suppose that we must move on to business. You should be aware that there has been a request to extradite the two of you to Elmekia."

I looked up at her in surprise. We had just made it to the border a short time ago. How could they have caught up with us so fast?

The Queen noticed my panic and then added. "I have not granted their request just yet. I will not turn over one of my subjects without cause. I will not accept their arguments without hearing your side of the matter."

I thanked her and then started into the story. I figured that it was best that Gourry not tell it. He tended to mess up the details. That was something that we could not afford. I told her everything that I could think of. From the moment that Chadeville arrived to the moment that I was saved by Gourry and my sister. I left out no relevant detail that I could think of. I wanted the Queen to understand what exactly was going on. When I was done the room just stared at me blankly. I realized that I said too much!

The Queen coughed before saying. "Thank you, Lina. It seems that your sister has not exaggerated your talkative nature." She chuckled. "I'd say that I needed about half of that."

"She does love to talk!" Gourry couldn't resist an opportunity to tease me. The bastard.

"Indeed." The Queen agreed. I couldn't hide the redness in my face. I so wanted to die! "From what I understand, this matter is more of a personal nature. One that I would rather keep out of if possible. The King of Elmekia is free to disapprove of your relationship. It is his right to do so. I will not attempt to dissuade him of his opinion." I swallowed hard as she continued. "However, that alone does not qualify one for extradition. If it did then the world would be a much worse place. Marrying the wrong person is not a crime within our lands. Nor will it ever be. I cannot approve a request for extradition when no crime has been committed. "

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, your majesty."

The queen raised her hand. "I must warn you to not leave this land for the time being. For if you were to leave I cannot protect you. King Solace is free to convict you of treason or order your deaths. For he has every right to rule his lands as he sees fit. I have no say in Elmekian politics. It does not matter if it is right or wrong. He is the highest power within his land. He can do as he pleases. I cannot intervene."

I looked down again. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"However, within Zephilia King Solace's word is not law. You have committed no offense here that I am aware of. No law has been broken. I have no reason to incarcerate you. Nor do I have a reason to extradite you. They have not provided a satisfactory reason as of yet. This may change in the future, but as of now, I cannot approve the request. I will not turn over a citizen of my country without due cause."

She shifted her attention towards Gourry again. "Now, I must ask you: Prince Gourry Gabriev of Elmekia, where do you wish to remain?"

Gourry did not hesitate for a second. "I wish to stay here, with Lina, and raise a family."

"I see." She said. "Then you would be willing to renounce your ties with a foreign power and become a citizen of Zephilia?"

Gourry questioned me for a second as to what renounce meant. I felt like screaming but translated for her. "She's asking if you are willing to give up all ties to Elmekia. You would no longer be a prince. The Eternal Queen would be your ruler. You would be branded a traitor and banished from Elmekia. If you do this then you will never go home. Your father will never . . ."

Gourry silenced me with a kiss. "Lina, I go wherever you go. The rest of it doesn't matter. You should know that by now."

I wanted to cry. It was so dammed sweet. I couldn't help myself! You're such an idiot, Gourry! I thought as he turned and addressed the Eternal Queen.

"I will do that re-noun-sh thing."

What a way to ruin it, Gourry. It's called renounce! Ugh! The Queen didn't seem perturbed by Gourry's inability to pronounce words correctly. Instead, she continued as if that was normal.

"And would you pledge yourself to me? To protect me and my people against our enemies? Even if that enemy is your former country?"

Gourry nodded. "I can't."

I wanted to kill him. "What?"

"You see I already promised that to Lina here. If you ever did something to hurt her then I would have to protect her. Which would put me in quite the spot."

The Queen's eyes opened wide. She truly didn't expect that response. Then again neither did I and I've known him for years. For one long moment, there was complete silence. Then it was broken by her laughter. "Oh my! Never in a million years did I expect that! Oh well, it's honest if a little blunt. I can see how much you care for your wife. I'm jealous. It's been a long time since I have seen a man care so deeply for a woman." She looked at me. "Lina, I suggest you keep this one."

I nodded. "Well, of course! No one steals from me!"

"I'm sure." The queen chuckled and then sighed. "Still, this puts me in quite the pickle. On one hand, I cannot grant Mr. Gourry citizenship without his oath of loyalty. Which he clearly cannot give. On the other hand, he is exactly the kind of hero that I seek. Brave, noble, and powerful. You see: Zephilia needs more men like Mr. Gourry here. Who are willing to stick to their principles and do what is right. It is quite the predicament."

Gourry wanted to ask me what the predicament meant, but I silenced him before he could bother.

The Queen mulled over the problem and then finally said. "Oh! I know! Lina Inverse," I sat up straight. "In recognition of your efforts to rid the world of evil, I hereby grant you the title of Lady. With all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that go along with it. In accordance, you will be granted a small manor just outside the city. Where you will train our country's next generation of heroes. So that we are ready if anything should arise. If you should accept this position then your husband will be granted honorary citizenship. With all the rights and privileges that entails. All without having to pledge fealty to me." She smiled. "Do you accept?"

I looked at Gourry. Who nodded in approval. Then I turned back to the Queen and said, "We do your majesty. We do."

"Great! Then I will make the announcement at court tomorrow. Afterward, we will hold the induction ceremony in the evening. That should give you enough time to visit with your family." Her eyes locked in on mine. "I'm sure that your parents would like to see their prodigal daughter after being away for so long. And they would prefer to hear your news directly from you. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you."

Our meeting with the Eternal Queen was over.

What's scarier than the Eternal Queen? Why introducing Gourry to my parents, that's what! They knew almost nothing about him or what was going on. I was going to have to explain it all again. Along with explaining why I didn't tell them that I was getting married and how I ended up pregnant. Nope, this wasn't going to be a pleasant talk. Particularly if my parents ended up hating Gourry. Then it was going to get ugly. You see my mom has a temper that rivals my own. She will not be nice if she gets pissed off. I just hoped that she wouldn't. Please don't be angry mother. Please!

Luna led us to my mother's shop. She then quickly excused herself before we went in. She gave me the excuse that she was late for work. Whatever, it was probably better that I leave that alone. It didn't matter if this was the truth or not. I couldn't call Luna on it anyway. She'd kick my ass and I didn't want that. Besides, this wasn't going to be fun at all. Having Luna here would only make it worse. It was best if she made herself scarce for a bit.

We entered 'Leila's Magical Shop of Curiosities' while my mother was having a debate with a seller. They were haggling on some knife that had magical properties. Mom was working on lowering the price. While the gentleman was trying to drive it up. She drove at him fearlessly as he floundered. It also reminded me of a magical knife I tried to sell once. I found it in a bandit camp and sold it to some poor shopkeeper. Who then went insane the moment he drew the knife. Fortunately, this knife had no such curse on it. My mother was able to draw the knife without any problem. It was just an ordinary sharpness spell that was placed on it. It was well-made but not spectacular. A good low-end offering for my mother's shop. Which you needed along with the high-end stuff. We watched as she closed the deal. She ended up getting a great price for it. Which she would then mark up significantly. That was mom. Absolutely shameless. Just like myself. She was kind of amazing.

Gourry leaned over to me and whispered. "Man, Lina, you two are really alike."

My mother heard that whisper as she had about as good of hearing as I do. She snapped around to see us on the side. She called out. "Lina! Sweetie, you're home!" I was suddenly enveloped in a big bear hug. Eventually, she let go and said. "Luna mentioned that she was going to get you. Said that you were in real trouble. Not that I'm surprised, you were always getting into trouble."

"Mom!"

"Still, the fact that your sister insisted on going worried me. She's never done that before. She must have figured that you couldn't get yourself out of it." My mom shot me a dirty look. "Was she right?"

I scratched my head. "Kinda. You see my magic isn't working quite right now. So, I kinda got caught in the open and well . . ."

"Why isn't your magic working right now?" She demanded as she looked me over. "Are you sick? Cursed? Is it your time of the month? What is it? What's wrong?"

Crap. This is not how I wanted to tell her. She is so going to kill me. I shifted my weight uncomfortably."Um . . . no . . . Not really. You see . . ."

My mom figured it out pretty quickly after that. "LINA INVERSE ARE YOU PREGNANT?!" Both of us panicked. We tried to respond, but my mom cut us off. "OH GODS YOU ARE!" She took a breath and tried to calm down. "Let me guess, this is the father." She was pointing at Gourry. I nodded. "Well, at least he's sticking around. So, what's your name, young man?"

It took a second for Gourry to respond. "Gourry Gabriev, ma'am."

Mom stopped for a second. Suddenly a smile spread across her face. "Oh, so you're Gourry. The boy that Lina barely ever talks about yet for some reason always stays with her. I should have known that it would be you. We always figured that she bring you home one day."

I was beet red by then. "Mom!"

"Oh relax, Lina." She whacked me on my arm. That hurt but I wasn't going to tell her. "We always knew that it would be him. We're fine with it. So long as you take care of each other and get married we're fine."

I swallowed hard. "Um, we're already married."

My mom became dangerously quiet. Yup, this was going to be far worse than I thought. "You're already married?" She repeated.

"Yes?!" I said in a tiny voice.

Then my mom exploded again. This time it was a hundred times worse than before. "LINA INVERSE, DON'T YOU THINK THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE INVITED YOUR PARENTS? OR AT LEAST TOLD US?"

"I wanted to. Really I did. But we didn't have time!" I pleaded. "You see, King Solace was going to drag Gourry back home. We thought that it was our only chance to get married. I'm sorry!" I added under my breath, "Please don't kill me."

My mom shot me a dirty look and then said. "Why in the world would I kill my own daughter? That doesn't make any sense young lady. I might kill this bastard if he didn't make an honest woman out of you. But since you already did that I think I will not be killing anyone. For now."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Gourry, on the other hand, seemed mostly unaffected by my mother's rant. He just nodded along as if it was all sane and made sense. Which meant he was barely listening. Hey, jellyfish brains! You might want to pay attention when my mother threatens your life! Oh gods, why did I have to fall in love with an idiot? "Thank you, mother." I hastily said before she could really get going.

My mother still did not look pleased, but it seemed that she had calmed down a bit. "Well, what's done is done I suppose. You've made your bed, now you need to lie in it. Whatever the consequences are. The two of you are going to be bound together for life. There is no changing that now. I just wish you had thought just a little bit before heading in head first!"

"Sorry, Mom." I tried to look cute so that she would stop laying into me. "I really didn't want to get married this way."

My mother sighed. "I suppose you did not." She turned toward Gourry and asked him. "I believe that my daughter mentioned King Solace of Elkemia. What is your relation to him?" She dared him to lie to her.

To his credit, Gourry knew when to lie and when not to. Right now was not one of those times. "King Solice is my father, ma'am."

Her eyebrow went up. "His son?" She repeated. "Then that would make you a prince. Why in the world would want to marry Lina?"

"Because I love her." He said plainly.

"Surely, there were more appropriate matches that your father had selected."

Gourry nodded. "Yes ma'am."

My mother cocked her head. "Yet, you pushed them aside to marry a commoner from another country."

"Yes ma'am."

"Why?" She added hastily, "And don't just say, 'Because I love her.' That's not good enough and you know it."

"I don't want to be king. I do not want to marry someone else. I don't care what my father thinks. I will stay by your daughter's side. I will protect her and our child."

My mother studied his face for a while. She was looking for any sign of deceit or falsehood. When she found none, she grunted and said. "Fine. You pass for now. But know that I am watching you."

He nodded again. "Yes ma'am."

She scratched her chin. "Still, this is quite the mess you two are in. I am sure that your father, Gourry, is even less pleased than I am. It's a big deal when a prince does not fulfill his duties. Particularly when it comes to marriage. He will not take this lying down. Lina and your child's lives may be in danger. Tell me, what will you do about it?" The last bit came out as a demand. My mother was not messing around.

"I will protect them with my life." Gourry responded simply.

"Even against your father and his army?"

"Yes."

My mother shook her head and turned to me. "Well, Lina, I'll tell you one thing. He may be a fool but he has guts. And he isn't too hard on the eyes either. I can see why you chose him, sweetheart. But you still should have brought him home before getting wrapped up in this mess." She sighed. "Oh well, you were never good at staying out of trouble, were you?"

I scratched my head. It was embarrassing but true. "Sorry, mom."

My mother sighed again. "Tell you what: You and Gourry go upstairs while I close up the shop. We need to discuss this properly, away from prying eyes. I'll fetch your father and have him get your sister. I see that she is not with you. Probably wanted to slip out of this uncomfortable conversation. Smart girl. Still, she should be a part of this.."

Yup, this was not going to be fun.

It didn't make my mother long to shoo the rest of the customers out of the store and close up shop. We only had to wait a short time at the kitchen table before she appeared. Luna showed up a minute or two later with my father in tow. My father looked like he had just been fishing somewhere. His clothes were ruffled and dirty. His hair was messy under his favorite fishing hat. Poor daddy, he really does love to fish. It's one of the few things that we share in common. Hell, I learned the fishing spell from him! It was the only spell that he knew as he preferred magical swords over studying magic. Mom told me that they met when my father came into her shop looking for a new sword. He said that she was the best enchanter in the world and he wanted her to make him a magical sword. It's corny, but my father meant every word. It was the start of a very interesting relationship. One somewhat like my own. Gourry was a swordsman who did not practice magic. Yet, he had a lot of magical power. Just no aptitude to learn magic, that's all. Just like my daddy. Oh god, did I really marry my father? Ugh!

My father looked completely baffled and confused. He had no idea why he was torn away from his fishing trip. However, he knew better than to question my mother. If she told him to come home then he would come home. He knew that it was important. So, he went along with it. Father did look a bit surprised to see me here with a young man beside me. However, unlike my mother, he was not perturbed by it. He seemed more curious than anything else. There was an unspoken question on his lips. One that he dared not ask until he found out what was going on. He knew better than to question my mother. He was willing to wait.

Mother pulled out a chair and gestured for him to sit in it. He sat down and then waited. She grabbed another seat and sat down beside him. Luna took another chair. There was another long silence before she started. "Honey, our daughter would like to tell you something."

My mother's tone was as cold as ice. Which terrified me a little I'll admit. Looking around I could see that Gourry was acting the way he did whenever I got mad. And Dad, well, he looked like he was going to piss his pants. He knew what happened when mother got like this. While Luna was indifferent. Not the reaction that my mother was going for, but it was what I expected. Dad always acted like that when Mom got mad. He would always try to placate her . . .

"Darling, there's no reason to get mad. I'm sure that if we ta . . ."

Mom cut him off. "NO REASON TO GET MAD? LUCAS, YOUR DAUGHTER IS PREGNANT!"

Dad looked absolutely stunned. "Lina, sweetheart, are you . . .?"

"Pregnant? Yeah, sorry for not telling you." I couldn't help but scratch the back of my head. This was not how I wanted to tell either of them.

He looked towards Gourry. "And you, young man, are you . . .?"

"The father?" Gourry finished for him. "Yeah, I guess I am."

It was my turn to flip out. I flew to my feet and screamed. "You guess you are? You guess you are? Gourry, for gods' sake, WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE FATHER?"

"Sorry!" He cried out before trying to hide. Now there were two angry Inverse women to deal with. Poor Gourry couldn't handle it.

I sighed then sat back down. "You Jellyfish Brain, leave it you to forget that." I looked away and confirmed. "Yeah, he's the father."

What happened next took all the tension out of the room. My father started to laugh. Like really laugh. "You know Leila, she really is a lot like you. And he's a lot like me. If I remember correctly, we ended up in a similar situation when you weren't much older than her. If I remember correctly, your father tried to kill me!"

Mom closed her eyes. "Well, just because we made this mistake doesn't mean that Lina should! It's a terrible way to get started in life. It's hard enough adjusting to married life without a baby involved! It's so much worse with one!"

"Oh?! So, you're married too, huh?"

Gourry got up and sat back down on the chair. "Yes, sir, we are."

"That's good. A man should take responsibility for what he creates. And so long as you love each other then I don't see a problem."

That annoyed mother more than anything else. "Darling, you're missing the point: Lina screwed up. Got pregnant. Then got married without even telling us! Doesn't that bother you, even a little?"

My dad smiled. "No, not really. Lina's a good kid. She's smart and knows what she's doing. If he's the one that she wants then so be it. It's fine with me." He winked at Gourry. "Besides, I know Mr. Gourry. He's a good man. I know that he'll take good care of our daughter."

This surprised all of us, except for Gourry, of course. He just nodded along as if this was all normal. Which meant that he was barely paying attention. The rest of us shouted in unison, "You've met him before?!"

"Did I?" Gourry asked.

"Yes, it was a while ago. You were thinking about what to do with that sword of yours. Said that you had lost your purpose in life. I see that has changed."

"Ahh yes! I remember!" Gourry pounded his hands together. "Good to see you again. Had no idea that you were Lina's father."

"I had no idea that you were dating my daughter." Father mused.

"Didn't know her then. I met her a few days later."

"Ha! Small world, huh?"

I felt a really big headache coming on. Ugh. They'll be going on like this for a while. I thought miserably. I was going to step in, but fortunately, Mom jumped in for me. "Enough! I can see that doesn't matter to you, but it matters to me. For gods' sake Lucas, she's our daughter! It matters."

Dad countered. "Sure, I would have preferred that they have waited. Then maybe I could have given my little girl away." I blushed at the thought of Daddy giving me away. It was part of that perfect wedding that I never got. "But what is done is done. Lina's an adult. She can do what she likes."

Finally, mother gave up. "Fine. Whatever." She gave Gourry a death glare that reminded me of my sister. "Just don't hurt my little girl or I will kill you."

Gourry took my mother's threat in stride. Just the way he did when Luna threatened him. It all made sense to him. Surely, he deserved death if he mistreated me. Or at least that's what he thought. It was sweet if a little stupid, but that was my Gourry. You could try acting like a normal man for once, Gourry. Oh well, what can I do? Gourry is Gourry! I can't really change him now even if I wanted to. I thought.

"I understand." He told my mother.

It took a moment or two for everyone to calm down for us to continue the conversation. Once the room was quiet I decided that now was as good of time as any to talk to them about what went down in Elmekia.

"Mom, Dad. There's some other things that you need to know."

My mother tensed up but said nothing until I was finished. Father listened intently but did not show much emotion. Sis had a blank face the entire time. I could see that none of them liked what I had to say. Then again I didn't like it very much either. After all, Elmekia was trying to kill me and my child. Who would want that?

"So, you're a runaway Prince, Mr. Gourry? And the King of Elkemkia wants my daughter dead?" My father asked.

"Yes, sir." Gourry said quietly. That got my attention. He rarely spoke so softly. When I looked at him I could see the regret on his face. I didn't realize how much this had been bothering Gourry before now. I had been so consumed by how it was affecting me that I didn't notice. Of course, it would tear him apart.

"I suppose that it can't be helped. No one chooses how they are born. I'm sure that you would rather have been born a commoner like us. Something tells me that you were not cut out to be a King. You should be not forced to become one."

"I don't care about what father wants." Gourry took my hand. "I just want to start a family with Lina. Nothing else matters." My father nodded. He seemed satisfied.

My mother looked at me. "And what do you want, Lina?"

I looked at Gourry then returned my attention to my parents. "I want to start a family with Gourry." I placed my other hand on my stomach. "And it seems that I am already well on the way to doing that."

She stood up and then looked out the window. She sighed before continuing. "I see. Then your course is set then. You always do have to choose the hard way, don't you Lina?" I did not know how to respond. So I stayed quiet. Mother growled as she formed her hands into fists. "Just so you know, there's no way that I'll allow anyone to harm you or my grandchild. I'll kill all of them first!"

My mother meant that too. Leila Inverse may love money, but family is always more important. No one messed with us unless they wanted to deal with her. It's actually pretty scary if not sweet. My mom loved us. Even if we weren't perfect. And gods know that I am not perfect.

"Thanks, Mom."

She turned to face us again. "So, where are you living? What have you decided to call the child? Do you know if it is a girl or a boy?"

"Well, I'm not sure yet. Sis says that it is a girl. So that's probably true. Won't know for a bit though. As for where we're living, the Eternal Queen's got that covered. She gave us a manor somewhere just outside of town."

"Wait, Eternal Queen did what?" Mom asked. She was completely lost. "Why in the world did she do that?"

"Well, you see . . . She kinda made me a lady."

"WHAT?!" Everyone screamed in unison once again. Well, except for me and Gourry. We already knew what the Eternal Queen planned to do.

I explained to my family the rest of what happened. I explained that we went to see the Eternal Queen upon arriving. We met her and asked for her protection. She agreed to allow Gourry to stay. So long as I swear an oath to serve her and help her prepare the next generation. She agreed to make Gourry an honorary citizen if I did that. That way he would never be in the position to break his oath to me. He would always think of me first. That would never change. He would just assist me in doing whatever the Queen told me to do. It would allow the Queen to keep both Gourry and myself in Zephilia. It was her duty to protect her citizens from harm. She would have already acted on my behalf, but now she had legal grounds to protect Gourry. For tomorrow he would be a legal citizen of Zephilia.

When I was done my mother sighed. "Well, Lina. It seems that you really stepped into this one. Then again, you were always getting into trouble. At least, you ended up with a good man and a nice title. Just be careful, okay? Something tells me that Elmekia won't stop just because of this."

"I will. Don't worry Mom, it's all under control!" I answered cheerfully.

"That's what I'm worried about."

After having a nice long heart-to-heart with my parents they offered to put up for the night. We didn't really have any place to go as we were not nobility yet and we had not received our promised house. I suggested that we could stay in an inn, but my mother wouldn't hear of it. She said that it was too dangerous and that no daughter of hers was going to stay at an inn while there was a bed available. So, she put Gourry in Luna's old room and sent me back to my old room. It was odd sleeping in it after being away for years. It just didn't feel right. I mean a lot of the things in here had no value to me anymore. I didn't care about most of it. Well, save for the magical books. I wanted those back. Even if they were of no use to me anymore. I had long since memorized them. It was just nice to have them again. Plus, one day my child would need them. So, I planned to take them with me to our new place. Wherever that was. I'd figured that I would work out the details with my mother later. It shouldn't be too hard to reacquire that. That was the least of my problems right now.

I was grateful to the Eternal Queen, my sister, Gourry, and even my parents for what they've done. But I was frustrated. I hated being so useless. I wanted to kick down the door and send a Dragon Slave up Solace's butt. Alas, I couldn't do that. Not in the state that I am now. Hell, I'd be lucky if I could get a fireball off. My magic was unreliable at best right now. Non-existent at the worst. In other words, I was utterly helpless. Some Sorceress that I've become. I thought morosely.

There was a knock at the door and I opened it to find my father standing there. "Lina, may I come in?"

"Sure," I said while waving my hand. "It is your house after all."

He walked in. "Yes, but this is your room. It always has been. That will never change." I closed the door and then we sat down on the bed. Dad took my hand and then continued. "I know that you're worried, sweetheart. You don't like being powerless. No one does. But you have to stay positive. Think of the bright side."

"What 'bright side' is that, dad?" I demanded.

Dad looked like he was in deep thought for a moment. "Well, you married a very nice boy who adores you. Who would die to protect you. I've seen it in his eyes. I am willing to bet that he'd fight us if he had to. It's quite inspiring really."

"How is that 'inspiring?' Dad, you just said that Gourry would fight you for me!"

He smiled. "Yes, I did. And you don't how happy that makes me. Anyone who won't doesn't deserve my little girl. That's the way it works among men."

I had no idea what he was going on about. "You're crazy!"

"You bet I am. I'm your father. That means that I'm a crazy beast! I'll do anything for my girls. Even chase off boys if I have to. Although, that's never really been a problem with you. Luna, yes, but you, no."

Right now the last thing that I wanted to be reminded of is how much better in every way Luna is. We all knew that she would never have this happen to her. She wouldn't have made the mistakes that I made. That she is the perfect daughter versus me. God, I really hated that. Thanks, Dad. This is making me feel a lot better.

"Dad!"

What he did next surprised me. He kissed me on the forehead and then whispered. "You have more power than you think, Lina. Even if you can't use magic very well right now." He used his hand to mess up my hair. I hated that, but it was his way of showing affection. He announced to the room. "You're tough, you're smart, and you're quite the catch, if you ask me. Then again, I'm kind of biased. Being your father in all. Do me a favor and don't give up, Lina. Don't worry, we won't let anyone hurt you or the baby. We're here, sweetheart."

I buried myself in his chest and started to cry. I didn't know if it was the hormones or all the crap that was getting to me. What I did know was that it felt good to get it out. As always, Dad was more than happy to hold me until I was through. Once I got it out I started to feel better. I didn't realize before he came in how much it was bothering me. Gods, I loved him so much. He was weird and sappy, but he was my dad. That meant the world to me. I really truly missed him.

Once I stopped crying my father said, "Good. Now, why don't you get some sleep? We'll be nearby if you need us."

I released my dad and sniffled. "Thanks Dad."

"That's what parents are for. Take note of that once jr here comes outta ya. It will be your turn then."

I looked down towards my belly. I couldn't believe that I didn't think of that before. If everything went well then in a few months I would be a mother. Then it would be my responsibility to care for the little tike. That was pretty darned scary. Almost as scary as people trying to kill us. I was going to be a mother and Gourry a father. We were going to be parents! What the hell was I thinking?

Thanks, Dad. I groaned. Now, I really can't sleep.

The next day four outfits were sent to the shop. One for me, one for Gourry, and one for each of my parents. It seemed that the Queen suspected that they had nothing appropriate to wear for such a ceremony. She was right, of course, but that didn't mean that I liked what I saw. My outfit was tight. It was barely big enough for me to get into. Which highlighted the change in the size of my breasts and tiny waist. Which hadn't gotten that much bigger yet since becoming pregnant. Gourry insisted that they had, but I didn't believe him. It just wasn't true. Gourry's outfit was similarly as tight as mine. Only it did not emphasize his family jewels. Although Gourry did complain that it was uncomfortable. He said that it prevented the full range of movement that he needed to fight. Which I could somewhat see. It seemed whoever made these outfits did not know our exact sizes.

Beyond that, my outfit was white with a dark pink ceremonial mantle and a light pink sash emblazoned with the symbol of the Inverse family crest. Which hadn't existed before. It was kinda of odd really, but it worked. I just never thought that I needed a crest before. Gourry's outfit was white as well. With a blue sash instead of a pink one. It was emblazoned with the same crest that was on my outfit. Which was concerning to me. I brought the issue up to him, but he brushed it off. He insisted that it was fine. He reminded me that he couldn't use the Gabriev family crest anymore anyway. Not here, not ever again. He was fully cut off from his family this time. I never wanted any of this to happen. Sure, I didn't like his family but I didn't want this.

"Gourry . . ." I started.

"Lina, it's fine. I knew what I was doing when I left. I knew that I couldn't go back. It doesn't matter." He took my hand. "This is where I belong. By your side, now and forever. The rest doesn't matter. "

Poor, sweet, dumb, lovable Gourry. What would I do without him? "Gourry."

While my guard was down, his hands found their way to my breasts. They began to appraise their shape and size. "Yup, definitely bigger. And getting a bit rounder too. Y'know, I think I like this outfit better. It's very nice."

"Gourry!" I complained, but I didn't honestly do anything. In days gone by I would have hit him for groping me like this. He was now permitted to do this when we were alone. I gave it to him once we had started making love. I liked it when he got this close. When I could feel his need. As I did now. It made me feel hot and turned me beet red. Which only turned Gourry on more. And if we had time I would have let him get what he wanted. But now was not the time for this. "We have to go." I finally managed to say.

"Do we?" He asked innocently as he kissed me.

Bastard. I thought as I pulled away. You know what you are doing. "Yes, we do." I reaffirmed and put an end to this game. Now was not the time for this crap. We had a job to do.

An hour later we were in the Palace, waiting for the ceremony to begin. I am willing to admit that I was a little nervous about everything. I was both being recognized for my service and thrust into a world that I knew little about. I couldn't help but ask: Could I do this? Could I really stay in one place and take orders from her ladyship? What kind of trouble would it get us into? Surely, Elmekia wouldn't take this sitting down. There would be repercussions for this. Both for me and for my people. Was this the right way to move forward? Was my safety and well-being really worth all this? I didn't have any answers but I decided to move forward anyway.

The Eternal Queen addressed her court first. She went on about my service and distinctions. She generously ignored my less-than-altruistic attributes. Like my love of money or my tendency to overuse the Dragon Slave. Instead focusing on the best parts of my life. The achievements that no one thought possible. Like killing a piece of the dark lord Shabranigdo and killing Hellmaster Fibrizo. These feats alone would guarantee anyone the right to serve at Her Majesty's pleasure. But I had saved the world more than that. I had proven myself worthy of preparing the next generation of sorcerers.

We were asked to step forward and kneel by her lady's feet. I repeated an oath and then waited. Gourry remained silent as was previously agreed. The Queen brought the eternal blade down upon our shoulders. She had proclaimed that I was now a lady of the realm. And my husband was now a lord of the realm and an honorary citizen of Zephilia.

"Rise, Lady Lina Inverse. Rise, Lord Gourry Inverse." He rose then she continued. "You are now members of my court. As such, Lady Lina, I expect you to live and die for our country. To serve me, however, you can. Lord Gourry, I expect you to serve Lady Lina however you can." We nodded and then she finished up the ceremony by declaring. "Many question why I would allow an Elmekian to become a knight of the realm. Or why I would reward someone like Lina Inverse with my personal protection. I would hope that their deeds would be enough to justify it. But if it is not then know this: They have my complete confidence. As do all of my inner circle. If you have a problem with them, bring it to me. I welcome your discussion."

That last bit was aimed straight at the ambassador to Elmekia. Who had been purposely asked to attend the ceremony. She wanted to send a message: We were off limits. If King Solace wanted us back then he was going to have to fight the Eternal Queen. Something that no one had done successfully in nearly a hundred years. She was worse than me. You definitely didn't screw with her.

The next day I was given the exact location of my new manor. Along with a short note about about what the Queen envisioned there. She told me that she hoped that I would train the very best sorcerers and swordsmen. She allowed us to choose the pupils but she promised to give us some suggestions. Which was kind of annoying but we did owe her. So, there I guess. Fortunately, we did not have to train anyone until the baby was born. She was more than happy to wait. She said:

Not even I will live forever. Soon, a new Eternal Queen will need to be found. When that will be I do not know. It may be tomorrow. It may be ten years from now. It's hard to say. Regardless, I must protect every child as if they might be my next life. For even if they are not the next Eternal Queen they are critical. They carry our future on their backs. Protect your little one. Take it easy for the next few months. Your husband can shoulder some of the burden. If I need him then I will let you know. Until then stay safe and rejoice. You are about to be a mother!

It was nice of her to think of us, but I hated the idea of staying on the sidelines. Surely, Elmekia wouldn't take this insult sitting down. They would at the very least protest. If not try something more serious. If so I wanted to fight and protect what is mine. However, in this condition it was impossible. Each day my magic grew weaker and more unreliable. Soon, it would be gone altogether. I knew that I had no choice but to listen, but that didn't mean that I liked it. But since there was nothing that I could do about it I tried to push it aside. I did have an awesome new manor to check out!

We arrived at the manor around midday. My parents had insisted on coming along with Gourry and me. Mom said something about making sure that the strongest wards and spells were placed on the building. Something that I would normally do, but couldn't due to you know what. Dad pretended that he just wanted to see my awesome new house, but I saw through it. He was tense and on edge. He had brought his sword with him and checked every room as if there might be an enemy there. Hell, Gourry did the same thing. They were quite the entourage that I was stuck with. I wasn't sure that I liked how they were fussing over me. Not that I could do much about it though. No amount of yelling or hitting was going to stop them. Besides, I did kind of need the help. So, I was stuck with them.

The manor itself was nice. It wasn't huge (at least as far as manors go). It had like 10 bedrooms with a couple that could easily be converted to hold several people. Everything else was standard rich-person fare. Big reception room, decent sized library, big kitchen, and modest dining room. Okay, so you wouldn't hold a ball here, but I wasn't into that kind of stuff anyway. So it didn't matter. It had an area outside that could easily be converted to a training area for swordsmanship. Which would help Gourry, but not me. What this place didn't have was any magical facilities. There were no secret rooms or practice areas for magic spells. Even the books in the library didn't have much on magic. This would have to be fixed before I could bother training anyone here. I would have to construct some form of magical laboratory/training area at some point. That would take time. Something that I will have a lot of in the coming years. For hitting the road really wasn't going to be a thing anymore. Even after I gave birth. Our days on the road had come to an end. Still, it was odd that Her Majesty would give me a manor like this. While it was nice it didn't really fit the bill. Whoever had this manor before wasn't a sorcerer of any sort. Nothing was ready for me. The building will need to be adapted to suit a sorceress and her apprentices. The Queen must have known that. Yet, this is the place that she gave me. Why? What purpose would it serve?

Then I realized why: This would take a while to prepare for any students. Buying me time to have my child and recover. It would also allow me to set this place up the way I want. Which will help once I get started. It was better to start from scratch than adapt what already exists. It's a lot less work to add a secret training ground under the house than to change an existing one to suit your needs. So, I guess she was trying to help me. I just wish that she had told me. That's all.

To be fair I was looking forward to making this place my own. I planned to go over ideas with my mother on how to best do it. Mom made a pretty sweet place under her home. Surely, she could help me here. Plus, she'll know local contractors and workers. Since I'm not exactly the kind to slap bricks together. It would take a long time to get this done, but it will be worth it. It will be the coolest place to research and learn new spells! Maybe I could even charge admission! Okay, so maybe the Eternal Queen would have a problem with that, but a girl's gotta dream, right?

Fortunately, I had enough in the budget to get started. Between the healthy allowance that the Queen had given me and my savings, I could get at least half of it done now. I just have to sure that I get the best deal. I may be doing this as a public service. That doesn't mean that I get taken for a ride. I am a merchant's daughter, after all! I can't allow that.

For now, we decided to focus on securing the area and planning. The rest could done later. With Elmekia on my tail and this baby inside me. I really couldn't do much else. Most of this work would be done as long after he or she was born. I couldn't honestly allow any construction until then. I had to personally supervise the construction. It was my hidden training grounds, after all. I couldn't do that so long as I was pregnant. I had to wait.

I hate waiting. Whether it is for a baby to be born. For work to be completed. Or the other shoe to drop I hate waiting for it. It's so frustrating! Especially when one wants to get it over with. I knew that Elmekia wouldn't take it sitting down. They would not appreciate Gourry giving up his birthright and swearing allegiance to a foreign power (Even if he did that indirectly. Only Gourry cared about that.) Nor would they appreciate my homeland granting fugitives power and nobility. One thing was certain: There would be a response from Elmekia. I just didn't know exactly what it would be. And that made the waiting so much worse. I didn't know.

Her Majesty wouldn't allow me in on the closed-door meetings about this issue. It made sense I suppose. We were the problem and it was not polite to discuss us that way. I was also becoming more and more pregnant. She probably didn't want to stress me or the baby. She didn't realize that not knowing anything was stressing more than being in the war room. I had to know what destruction my actions had reeked.

Gourry tried to entertain me as the weeks went by. He surprised me with more than one magic book. He seemed obsessed with obtaining them. Even though he hated reading and couldn't understand a single page of the books that he bought. That didn't seem to matter to him. He just kept buying anyway. Gods' knew how much it cost. Too much if you ask me. Alas, I could not stop him. He just kept buying.

Surprisingly, most of the books were on topics that I was interested in. Some of them I had read before, but most were totally new to me. Others were on topics that didn't interest me or were written with the learner in mind. Those books I didn't read. I just stored it for future reference. I was pregnant, after all. My child might need those books one day. Or maybe one of my future students could find it useful. I don't know, but it was a waste to throw it away.

I just kept wondering where he was finding these books and how much money was he wasting on them. Surely, Gourry wouldn't know what to pick. He had to be getting at least some help. Maybe from my mom or my dad. My father knew a little magic himself. It was nothing like what my mom knew, but he did know something. Maybe they're the ones who were helping him. But that wouldn't explain the misfires. Surely, my parents would know that I'm not very interested in white magic or curses. That's not my specialty. Oh, Gourry, why did you buy those books?

Still, it was sweet. He was trying to take care of me. It's just that his fussing increased so much now that I finally started to show. He made sure that I ate; constantly trying to entertain me; (I was really bored, that was true.) or by being constantly on guard. It didn't matter whether we left the house or stayed home. Gourry secured the area before letting me go ahead. He wouldn't leave me alone! He even hesitated to go to the castle alone when he was summoned. I had to promise to go see my parents while he was gone. Only then would he do as the Queen requested. Honestly, he was incorrigible! I wasn't a delicate little flower. Okay, so my magic was all about gone, but I could still fight. I had the strength of an ogre with a mean right hook. And if things got dicey I could cast a lightning spell in their eyes. That would buy me time. Something tells me that Gourry wouldn't leave my side for long. He would find me. I would just have to hope that it was in time. Damm, how desperate things had become. Maybe he was right. I needed to be more careful.

Let's take what happened at my parent's house as an example. On the same day that Gourry was called to the palace, I was attacked. I almost didn't notice it in time. One moment I was cleaning out my parent's pantry (A feat in itself). The next I was dodging daggers thrown at me. How the bastard got through my mother's wards I do not know. Sure, they weren't as good as mine but they were strong. They should have kept him out. Particularly, since he didn't seem to use magic. It shouldn't have been possible. Yet, here he was throwing daggers at me. Not letting up for a moment. I started to tire. It seemed that the baby was taking more than just magic. I tripped and found myself on the floor unable to get out of the way fast enough. A dagger was flying straight towards my heart! I thought I dead meat. Fortunately, before it could hit me my father had deflected it.

"So, assassin, you dare enter my house to kill my daughter?" My father's voice was far colder than I could ever remember it being. "I will not allow it. You will not touch my Lina. We won't let you."

At that moment, Mother appeared from downstairs. She crouched down to look at my ankle. It had been twisted during my fall. She said softly. "Hang on a moment, sweetie." She cast a healing spell on my leg and then helped me up.

The assassin was not wooed by my father's declaration or the fact that I was no longer alone. He just kept up the attack. Which father deflected with ease. He was still a good swordsman, after all. Almost as good as Gourry. It wouldn't be easy to get past him. And now he had his lovely wife by his side again. Who was even more angry than he was. There was no way that they were going to take this sitting down. A cold, dark, aura started to emit from her body. We recognized it quickly. Mother was about to go overboard! Father fell back and then got me out of the way. I could hear Mother casting a spell as we ran out of the room.

She screamed the words of power. "Digger Bolt!"

There was a large explosion in the kitchen. Which obliterated the room and the assassin in it. The poor fool never had a chance. He should have known never to attack an Inverse.

After the attack Gourry became insufferable. He wouldn't leave me alone for a second. If I was doing something then he had to be there. It didn't matter if it was something that bored him or if I wanted a little quiet time alone. He was there. Driving me nuts. I would be stuck on guard Gourry who wouldn't let me enter a room without securing it. Or bored and sleepy Gourry who would fall asleep on me. Which Gourry I would get would depend on where we were going and what was happening around us. Either Gourry was getting on my nerves right now, but bored and sleepy Gourry was pissing me off the most right now. For I was reading and he hated watching me read. Yet, here he was watching me read. Why? What good would this do? I wanted to kick him!

Gourry was not the only annoyance that I had to deal with. Recently, my mother destroyed her kitchen somehow. (She did not specify how she did that.) Now, both she and my father had moved into my house while the renovations went on to fix the place. At least, that's what they told me. I doubt that is the truth though. They've toughed out renovations before. There was no reason why they couldn't do it now! My manor was on the other side of town. It must have been a major inconvenience for them to have to commute between my home and theirs. There was no reason to do that. Unless you wanted to stick close and guard me. Then it made perfect sense. I noticed how little damage was actually done to the kitchen. As well as little time they were spending at work. It was three or four hours tops. Then they would be back to annoy me. Even my father rarely went on fishing trips nowadays and the man loved that shit! I'm not that dumb, y'know! I can see what's actually going on!

If that wasn't bad enough my sister started hanging out at the house! Sure, she hadn't moved in (thank the gods) but it was almost as bad as if she did. She would visit at least once a day, every day. For at least an hour or two. Where she would promptly criticize me to death. Along with taking long patrols throughout the manor. Disguising it as leisurely strolls. My family was driving me insane!

They were so bad that I had to get away. I wanted out of that manor and away from my family. I didn't want to see any of them; not Mom, not Dad, not Sis, and certainly not Gourry! He was the worst one of the bunch! He practically wouldn't let me pee without him. I had to get away.

There were two problems though: One, I had no idea where to go. Two, I had no idea how to get out. I decided to tackle the second problem first. I memorized who would show up and when. I tried to see if there was any wiggle room, whatsoever. I found that when my sister showed up, Gourry would go shopping or go to the castle. (He had been doing that a lot lately.) My parents would often stick by my side during the evening. While Gourry preferred to hang by me at night. Among the group though he was most random. He would just pop up out of the blue! Often he would come laden with gifts of some kind to keep me happy. All while not understanding that he was smothering me! It was infuriating! I am Lina Inverse. I can take care of myself. I don't need my family to lock me away!

The stress was killing me. I couldn't go anywhere that I wanted. I couldn't cast any spell worthwhile. I was a fugitive and people were out to kill me! What bothered me more than anything else was not knowing what was going on. No one told me anything. Not Gourry, not my parents, and certainly not my sister. None of them would say a word. I could tell by the way they were acting that things were bad. Only I did not know just how bad they were. So, I finally decided on my destination: I would go to the castle and speak with the Eternal Queen.

With my destination all settled I went back to the second problem. How to escape. Sure, I knew when my family would appear and disappear, but I didn't have a plan to escape. My magic was still all but gone. I 'might' be able to cast a sleeping spell. However, I really doubted it. For lately even the lightening spell was getting hard to cast. I decided that I couldn't rely on magic. A truly dark day for me indeed. I love magic. I love how it feels when you cast it. I love what you can do with it. Never before in my life did I feel so powerless. So useless. I hated it! Maybe that was why Gourry kept trying to cheer me up. That fool knew me better than I knew myself. I really was down in the dumps. I really needed to get away.

That's when I got help from an unexpected location. My maid, Laatia, offered her assistance. Who is Laatia you ask? Well, she's one of the two servants that I was given when I received his manor. I haven't talked about her up till now, because, well, there isn't a lot to say about her. She cleans well and she's pretty quiet. Sometimes it's like she's barely even there! Mind you, my house wouldn't look that great without her. I don't really do that domestic thing if I can help it. Thank the gods that Gourry didn't marry me for that. I would have failed miserably at being the good housewife. It's like I can't clean. I can. It's just not my specialty, that's all. I'd rather leave it to Laatia. She does such a great job.

Anyway, I'm on a tangent. What was I saying? Oh! Yes, Laatia offered her assistance in helping me escape. I don't know how she knew that I wanted to escape, but she knew. Then again the woman barely ever made her presence known. So, she might have been there when I was talking about it out loud. I don't know. I honestly didn't ask. What I wanted to know was why she was doing this.

"Everyone wants me here: My mom, my dad, my sister, even Gourry. Surely, they've told you to watch me. So why are doing this?"

She smiled. "I am first and foremost your maid, Lady Inverse. While I will take their orders your wishes supersede theirs. And right now, you need to escape. To get from fresh air and sort things out. Am I right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I do."

She took my hand. "Then your wish is my command. Come, I think I can get you past your family!"

With Laatia's help, it was surprisingly easy to escape the manor. She knew the right time and place to escape. Plus, she tended to be ignored. Which really helped when avoiding people. I noted how good she was at it and it made me wonder. Why exactly did the Eternal Queen choose this woman to be my servant? There had to be more to this than just cleaning and cooking. I doubted that it was ever that clear-cut. I had long since sensed great power within her. I suspected that she really was a sorceress of some kind. Or mercenary or something along those lines. Surely, this job wasn't the kind that she was meant for. She had far more talent than she was letting on.

In fact, the woman never left my side once during our excursion. She watched the area for any signs of trouble. In fact, one could say that she was more alert than Gourry would have been. She was ready should anything happen.

I wish that I could say that there was no trouble along the way. I can't. Because we were attacked by sorcerers from Elmekia. They were twins or copies or something like that. They had little to no personality and attacked in a predictable manner. It was almost insultingly easy. If I was not pregnant then I would have mopped the floor with these guys. They wouldn't have known what hit him!

Sadly, being pregnant meant that all I could do was dodge. It ended up being Laatia who took care of the bastards. She moved with a grace that I hadn't seen for a long time. Not a single move was wasted. She moved from attack to defense to attack again with ease. She went at them like an assassin pursues its target. There was no quarter or mercy of any kind. All while keeping an eye on me at all times and blocking any attack sent my way. It was just as scary as it was beautiful. When it was over the men were dead and there wasn't even a single scratch on me. I noted not to get on her bad side. I might not make it out alive!

"Are you alright, Lady Lina?" Laatia asked tentatively. She was back to her normal timid self.

I nodded. "Yeah, fine. But how the hell did you do that? I didn't know that you were a sorceress!"

"Strictly speaking, I am not. While I do know many offensive and defensive spells, they have never been my focus. They are no more honed than my cleaning or swordsmanship skills. I am not the best cook nor am I the best at the sword. I simply have adequate skills in those departments."

"Then what is your focus?"

She answered simply. "I'm a trained assassin and bodyguard."

There was a coldness about her that I did not like. It was jarring. Nothing like the quiet and polite maid that I had gotten to know. It was like I was seeing her true nature for the first time. It was as dark as any demon's soul. It frightened me a bit.

"I see." I finally said. "So, Her Majesty assigned you to protect me, huh?"

She nodded. "That is correct. My sole duty is to serve and protect you, Lady Lina."

"For how long?"

"For as long as I live."

I was taken aback by what she said. I didn't honestly expect her to say that. Then again I didn't expect her to be an assassin either. Today was full of firsts.

I shook my head. "You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do. Her majesty has commanded it. I will serve and obey you in all things. Whatever you need me to do, I will do it. You need only ask."

"Thanks." I didn't know what else to say. How do you respond to that? I don't think that I'm worthy of such devotion. Particularly considering we had only met a short time before. Somehow it felt misplaced or artificial. I didn't know how to deal with that. Finally, I asked something that had been bothering me for a while now. Laatia was a strange name - even for Zephilian. I wondered if that was her real name. "Your name, Laatia, tell me: Is that your real name?"

She gave me a puzzled look. "I do not understand. What do you mean by 'real name?' Laatia is the name that I have been given and will use. Isn't that all that matters?"

I sighed. "I mean: Is Laatia your birth name?"

"No. I was called something else. What that was I do not recall anymore. Laatia was given to me by the Eternal Queen. Which I accepted gratefully. For this mission, one must name the nameless. For she must step into the light."

That was one of the most bizarre answers I had ever gotten. Something told me that I was not going to get anything clearer than that.

When we arrived at the castle I was ushered back into the Queen's private quarters. It took several minutes for her to arrive, but when she did she smiled at me. She said. "You know, your husband is looking for you. He came here wondering if you had shown up or not."

I swallowed hard. "What did you tell him?"

"That I hadn't seen you. Which was technically accurate. I haven't seen you, yet. Although I suspected that you were on your way." She winked at me. "He doesn't need to know that just yet. I have a feeling that you came here for a reason. It wouldn't do to be interrupted so quickly."

I nodded and then thanked her. Then I went into the reason why I was here. I explained what had been going on with my family lately. Along with the attempts on my life. Including the one that had happened right before I had arrived at the castle. Her Majesty sat there and listened to me without interrupting me. It was nice for a change not to have to stop and explain the obvious. Like I would have had to do if I was explaining this to Gourry. However, she didn't seem surprised by anything that I said. It was almost like she already knew about it. It made me wonder. How did she gather her intelligence? Sure, as queen, she would have methods of intelligence gathering that were beyond me. She would have a network of contacts to provide her with anything that Cepheid could not tell her. I had to give it to her. She was the best monarch that I had ever come across. Things rarely surprised her.

"I see." She said once I was finished with my story. "Then things are as bad as I feared. Elmekia does appear to wish you dead, Lina Inverse."

For some reason that hit me harder than I expected. Sure, it was something that I already figured out. It's just hard to hear out loud. "I see. Then what do I do?"

She smiled at me. "Nothing. You do absolutely nothing." That caught me off guard. "From what Laatia tells your magic power is all but gone. There is nothing that you can do. You cannot fight. You would be useless on the front lines."

"Front lines? Do you mean that there's going to be war?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. There was going to be a war? A war? What in the hell was going on?

The Eternal Queen sighed. "Yes, it appears to be so. Elmekia is quite serious. Quite simply, Lina Inverse, you are a threat to them. Or more accurately what grows within you is a threat. They fear your child and what it represents."

My child? Do really they fear my child? I didn't understand. Why would my child be a threat? It wasn't exactly in line to take the throne. Gourry had given up his right to succeed the king. Which meant that our child had no right to do that either. He or she wasn't even an Elmekian citizen! As Gourry had given that up as well. Why would the Elmekians' fear it?

"I don't understand."

The Queen thought about it for a moment then said. "I don't know either. In theory, their interest in your child should have died when Lord Gourry abandoned his post a second time. He is no longer a Prince. He is a lord of a foreign land. Any blood ties to the king were severed the day he swore to help you serve our kingdom. Politically, Lord Gourry is dead to them. It shouldn't matter much what happens to him or his family."

She stood up and continued. "But of course, there could be a lot more to this. There is the fact that a crowned prince swore an oath of loyalty to a foreign queen. That is a grave insult. One that the proud people of Elmekia wouldn't take sitting down. Some would demand Lord Gourry's punishment. Maybe even yours as well. But would they be willing to risk war to obtain it?" She shook her head. "I just do not know."

"None of that would explain the zeal in which they pursue you, Lady Lina. Every day, I hear of more and more threats to your life. There appears to be a very large bounty on your head, Lina Inverse. I just do not know why."

I just sat there for a long time, dumbfounded. I had no idea why King Solace wanted me dead so much. Or if it was even him that wanted me dead. I do not know. That was almost as terrifying as hearing that they were really out to get me.

The Queen put her hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry. I will not allow that to happen. You are a hero of our land. You have protected us from destruction many times over. It is only right that we protect you now. Your child will be born. I will see to that. Even if it means plunging our country into war."

I looked up at her in surprise. "You would do that for me? Why?"

She smiled. "Because I believe that the child within you is critical to the future of our land."

I had a lot to think about on the way home. Elmekia was serious about killing me. They were willing to go to war to do that. War! They were willing to go to war! Why? Why would they want that? Don't they know that's pointless? Zephilia has not lost a war in hundreds of years. Surely, it would be folly to try! So why do it? What is it about me that scares them so much? That would drive them to war? I just didn't know.

I couldn't help but feel responsible for this. I know that it's not my fault, but they are after me. They want me. I don't want someone to die because of me. I know that sounds stupid considering who I am. That doesn't make it any less true. I don't like killing good people. Bandits, sure. Demons, absolutely! But good, decent folks? No, I don't. That's why I've never fired a Dragon Slave in a crowded area. I didn't want to kill masses of people. I still don't. I never will either. It's not who I am.

If it was just me that I had to worry about then I would have demanded that she let me go. I would have given myself up. Allowed them to capture me. But that wasn't an option. Not with my child inside of me. He or she shouldn't have to pay the price for my misdeeds. Something told me that if I went back to Elmekia then they would kill it. I couldn't allow that. I am its mother. I have to protect it. Even if that means doing something that goes against who and what I am. I have no choice I have to sit on the sidelines and let others do their fighting for me. No matter how it sickened me to do it. I had to allow it.

"Is something the matter Lady Lina?" Laatia asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I shook my head. "No, no! I'm fine."

She gave me a puzzled look. "You don't look fine. You look troubled."

I sighed. "I suppose I am." I finally admitted. "What do you think about all this Laatia? What do you think that I should do?"

She thought about it for a while then finally said. "I think that you cannot do much of anything right now. You're pregnant. Which means your magic is almost completely gone. However, even if you had magic, the battle would still be too risky. You could not risk injury to your person." I placed my hand on my stomach as she said that. This was another cruel reminder of my 'condition.' Something that I could not escape. "Additionally, soon the baby will make movement difficult. It would be suicide to attempt to fight in your condition."

"Thanks." I grumbled to myself.

I don't know why I asked her. Laatia didn't understand how to sugarcoat things. Maybe that's what I needed. A frank evaluation of my current fighting ability. Which was next to null. I knew that. She knew that. Hell! Everyone knew that! It's why I was in this predicament in the first place. Y'know beyond pissing off the wrong people thing. That I have always been good at. Although, normally I can handle it on my own. Right now I couldn't. Truly, the best option for me was to sit this one out. That didn't mean that I liked it. Or that I wanted to be told that. Particularly by a former assassin with a personality defect. Why the hell did I ask her?

"Was something not to your liking?" She asked worriedly.

I shook my head and then lied. "No, no. It's fine. Let's just get home already, okay?"

"Understood."

We traveled the rest of the way home in silence. Neither of us were interested in talking. What else was there to say? It had been a long day and I was ready for some rest. And I wanted to forget my troubles for a bit. So I picked up the pace. Not that this was going to help since I still had a worried and angry family to deal with. Gourry was the first to find us. He showed up when we were halfway home. When I saw his face I instantly felt awful for running away.

"Lina?! Where were you?" He demanded. Yup, Gourry was angry.

"I went to see the Eternal Queen." I told him. There was no point in lying. She would probably tell Gourry the truth anyway.

"And to do that, you ran off on your own?" He couldn't hide his frustration. "Lina, you could have been killed!"

"I wasn't alone. I was with Laatia."

He looked at my maid and then back at me. It could see it in his eyes that he was completely lost. "How would that help?"

That's when Laatia broke in. "I am quite skilled, Lord Gourry. I easily repelled an attack earlier while we were out. I assure you, I will not allow anyone to touch Lady Lina."

I clarified for Gourry. "She's a trained assassin and bodyguard. She can hold her own."

Gourry narrowed his eyes for a moment as he looked her over. It was almost as if he was looking at her for the first time. "I'll have to test those skills later." He finally said.

She bowed. "It would be my pleasure, Lord Gourry."

"Fine, let's go home, Lina."

This was not a request, this was a demand. Something Gourry rarely did. I could fight him on this, but it was not a good idea. He would not take no for an answer. Gourry did not compromise when it came to situations like this. He would make me go home if he had to. He was that serious. Fortunately, I had no intention of fighting him. I wanted to go home anyway.

Something told me that we were going to talk about this more later.

There is nothing like being yelled at by your entire family! Which is what happened to me when I went home. Apparently, they had all been out looking for me. I was supposed to apologize for that. I didn't. Not really. I am a grown woman, after all. I can leave the house if I choose to. No one can stop me! It's not that big of a deal. It's not like I was alone or anything. No harm came to my child. So, what was the problem? Why were they so angry?

Gourry and Laatia did have that match the next day. It was quite amazing to watch. Gourry was fast, but Laatia was faster. She lacked his monstrous speed and strength but made up for it in technique. Fortunately, Laatia did not use her magic and Gourry did not use his Blast Sword. They used training swords instead. If either magic or the blast sword was used then this might could have gone either way. As is, the battle was almost too close to call. Not a single movement was wasted by either side. This battle told me that Laatia was a far more efficient fighter than I will ever be. Sure, she lacks the power that either I or Gourry possess, but that doesn't matter much. She could hold her own against powerful foes. Even if she couldn't beat all of them. She proved that she was a useful tool in keeping me safe.

Laatia's performance seemed to relax Gourry a bit. He still followed me around incessantly, but at least he was more willing to give me space. He even offered to let me go to town on my own from time to time. Assuming that I take Laatia with me that is. I wish that I had known that all I needed to do was someone fight him. Then he would give up and leave me alone. If I had known that then I would have run away a long time ago!

The weeks flew by and things remained relatively peaceful. However, that was deceptive. The winds of change were blowing. Our country was heading to war and there was nothing that I could do to stop it. The only thing that 'might' satisfy them would be my surrender. However, I don't think that Gourry would allow that. He was dedicated to protecting me and our child. He would not allow us to give ourselves up to stop the war. He would die first. Not that I planned to give myself up. It am just saying that I didn't believe that my surrender would change anything now. Elmekia was dedicated to attacking Zephilia. Only a fool would attack my homeland. They would be crushed by its might. We did have one of the strongest militaries in the world after all! So, why do it? Surely, Gourry and myself aren't worth it. There were better candidates to be king and carry on the family line. Why did we matter so much to King Solace? Additionally, why draw out the attack? It just didn't make any sense.

Most of the populace was unaware of what was going on. A few had noticed the subtle build-up of troops. The increased patrols, and how tense the military had become. They whispered to each other worriedly. For they could see what we all knew: Zephilia was heading towards war and there was nothing that they could do about it. When it finally broke out they were not the least bit surprised.

The first skirmishes happened in the distant towns along the Elmekian border. The attack was sudden and fierce. With many civilians getting caught in the crossfire. They even took over a town or two before being repelled. When word got back to us here in Zephyr, the Elmekians had already been driven out. However, they had not crossed into Elmekia. They were waiting for the command from our Queen. When the word was given the army responded in force. Which took a long time to be given. It seemed that the Eternal Queen committed to a peaceful resolution of this conflict. Sadly, that eventually proved impossible and the word was given.

The Zephilian Army invaded the Elmekian territories. They conquered towns and cities and pushed towards the capital. Their orders were strict. They were to attack military targets only. They were to treat the civilian population with respect. There was no to be no looting nor unnecessary property damage or loss of life. They were to assist the local population as best as possible without jeopardizing the war effort. Her Majesty made it clear that she had no interest in holding these territories long-term. Once this engagement was over she planned to return the area to Elmekian control. She reminded her troops that her war was with the government of Elmekia, not its people. She did not wish to take this out on them. She wanted to minimize the civilian casualties as much as possible.

While her orders were noble they did hinder the troops' effectiveness. Progress was slow and the death toll was mounting. The Elmekians figured out her reluctance to harm civilians and started using them as shields. They were placed in all military installations and on the battlefield. It was sickening to hear about. The Elmekians hid behind their wall of flesh. Making it seem like there was no way to win.

It was during that time that Gourry started to become distant. He was angry at what was going on. His people were dying. They were being used as cannon fodder by a King who did not care. While he may not have seen eye to eye with his father he did not believe that he would do this. It was too horrible to think about. What the Elmekians needed more than anything else was a change in leadership. What they needed was their crowned prince!

Only he had given up his position to be with the one he loved. To start a family and settle down. Things that any man would want to do. Only, that might have been the wrong choice. Gourry's life belonged to his people. I was starting to see that now. He was supposed to be the one leading his people - not his father. If he were then this war would have never happened. Nor would innocent civilians be used as shields. Gourry wasn't that kind of man. He was a good and decent man. Who could be a good leader if he had a little help. Someone like me who could compensate for his shortcomings. Help him achieve what he could not achieve on his own.

I'm proposing to become Queen of Elmekia! I realized with a start. That was not what I wanted. Not for me, not for Gourry, and certainly not for our child! I wanted to just live a quiet life, raising our little brood. And something told me that it would be a brood. This wouldn't be my last child. If I went to Elmekia then that peaceful life wouldn't be impossible. I would be giving up so much to stop what was promising to be a long and bloody war. I didn't know how to feel about it. It wasn't what we wanted. It wasn't fair. It may not even be possible! Yet, it was looking like more and more the only way to a quick end to the war.

There was just one problem: How the hell do we do this?

I had decided to make Gourry King of Elmekia to end this war. Assuming that the people accepted him as ruler then he could put an end to the conflict. He would stop the army from using civilians as human shields and surrender to Zephilia. It was a good idea, but I needed to get help to implement it. I needed the support of the Eternal Queen. Which I figured that I could get. She would do anything to end the conflict as quickly as possible. She had no desire to see Elmekia suffer. She would go along with it. I just needed to ask. That wasn't a huge problem.

I also needed the support of a foreign power. One that was neutral in this conflict. Saillune was the perfect candidate for this. Both Elmekia AND Zephilia had good relations with them. They had remained neutral during the conflict. And they actively worked towards peace. Hell, Phil was gung-ho for that crap. He would do anything to stop two neighbors from fighting. All I would need to do would be to ask for their help. Surely, they would come to the aid of the woman who had saved their city. Who just so happened to have a friendship with Princess Amelia, the second daughter to the Crowned Prince. They could not turn me down.

There was only one real problem: Gourry. He did not want to rule. He wanted what I wanted: A peaceful retirement training starry-eyed hopefuls. That was exactly what we weren't going to get though. He was the first-born son of King Solace of Elmekia. He had a duty to his people. Who needed now more than ever. They needed someone like Gourry who didn't care about power. Who would do what was best for the people, not himself. He had to accept the role. To sacrifice the happy ending that we wanted so badly. It was the only way to end the conflict quickly and peacefully. We would be miserable but the bloodshed would end. That was worth it, wasn't it?

I tried to talk to him about it. He didn't want to listen. He didn't want to talk about the war at all! He just kept changing the topic or tuning me out. If I pushed then his eyes would grow hard and he would snap at me. Something that he immediately regretted. He didn't want to go off on his pregnant wife or worry her about his troubles. He just tried to keep it inside. Making my troubles so much worse as a consequence. That idiot, he didn't know what doing nothing was doing to me!

I eventually ended up acting without him. Hoping that I would obtain his support along the way. I talked to the Eternal Queen. Who seemed a bit dubious about it, but accepted my proposal. She was just as eager to end the war as I thought she was. She wasn't sure if the Elmekians would accept Gourry and myself as rulers, but she figured that it was worth a shot. So, she planned a major assault on the capital city. Hoping to force them into a situation where they would have to negotiate. All the while I sent word to Saillune, asking for their help. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try. Neither of us wanted a prolonged conflict. We wanted all this to end.

I decided to not mention my idea again until the representative from Saillune arrived. Then I figured that I could get Gourry to listen. It took almost two weeks for that to happen. By that time Zephilia's armies were standing outside Elmekia's capital. They had not tried to enter. Nor would they unless the talks broke down. Then they would be forced to bombard the city. Something that no one really wanted. Zephilia would have no choice though. She has to maintain her reputation of being undefeated. That was more valuable than winning. The Eternal Queen had no interest in the Elmekian Empire. She was just there because they forced her hand. She wanted peace. I had to hope that the Elmekians wanted it as badly she did.

I received word that the representative from Saillune finally arrived in Zephyr. I wasn't sure who it was until after they greeted the Queen. For that representative was sent my way. It was Amelia! Exactly who I had hoped that Phil would send.

"Lina! Gourry!" She cheerfully greeted.

"Amelia!" I called out. "Good to see you! I had hoped that Phil would send you!"

"Of course, he would. I have the most familiarity with the situation. It made sense to send me. I will do my best as a representative of Saillune to end this pointless war."

I nodded. "Good. We'll need it."

Amelia looked down at my stomach. I was showing pretty badly by this point. "So, what's all this about?" She asked.

"What do you think it is? I'm pregnant!"

"So, then you and Mr. Gourry . . ." She trailed off.

"Are going to be parents, yes!"

"Congratulations!"

We talked for some time about old times, crappy weddings, and babies. During most of this conversation, Gourry stayed fairly quiet. Only chiming in here and there. He mostly left us to talk while his mind was elsewhere. That distracted me a lot. Sure, I was used to him tuning us out, but there was more to it than that. I could see that it was more than that. He was preoccupied with the war. Nothing that I said or did would change that. That bothered me a lot.

Eventually, Amelia picked up on it and asked. "Is something the matter Mr. Gourry?"

Gourry realized that someone was talking to him. "Huh? What? Oh, I'm fine." That convinced no one. It didn't help that his voice cracked a little as spoke.

"Whatever's bothering you, Mr. Gourry, you can talk to us about it."

Gourry closed his eyes. "It's fine. I'm fine. I'm just a little distracted, that's all." He got up from the couch. "Excuse me."

Amelia watched him leave with increasing concern. "Are you sure that he's okay, Lina?"

I shook my head. "No, he's not. He's worried about me and his people. He hates the fact that his people had died for us. I do too. Neither of us wanted that. I hate this whole stupid war. It's so pointless!" I took a breath and then added. "What's worse is that Elmekia is using human shields now. They don't give give a damn!"

Amelia was silent for a long time."That's horrible, Ms. Lina."

I stood up awkwardly and started to pace. "If anyone wants an end to this war then it's us. If giving myself up would end this then I would gladly do it." I sighed. "But I don't think that it would work anymore. And it would put our child in danger. I can't do that. Not without knowing that it would actually make a difference."

Amelia tried to steer the topic somewhere else. "In your letter, you said that you had an idea on how to end this peacefully. But you needed our help to do it. However, you never actually say what that is."

I nodded. "I do, but I couldn't risk it getting intercepted. So, I left it out of the letter."

"So what is it?"

I explained my idea. How Elmekia needed new leadership. If they had that then this war would be over. We needed a member of the Elmekian Royal Family. We needed the former Crowned Prince. What we needed was Gourry to become king! When Amelia heard my idea she was dubious.

"I don't know, Ms. Lina. Doesn't that seem like you're taking over the country?"

I shook my head. "All we're doing is placing the rightful king on the throne. He won't become a puppet. I would never allow it." Her expression didn't change. "Look, neither Gourry nor myself wants this. But how much is our happiness worth? Ten? Twenty? A thousand? When does it stop Amelia? When does it stop?!"

Amelia was silent again for a long time. Finally, she got up and took my hand. "I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice yourself for peace, but this is not the answer. You don't have to do this."

I swallowed hard. "Yes, I do."

She shook her head. "No, you don't. You can't take over a foreign country!" She started to beg. "Please trust me. Let me try and come to a peaceful solution on my own. I promise that I will make your offer if it doesn't work."

I agreed and Amelia was off. I wasn't sure how successful she would be, but it was worth a shot. These were pretty dark times.

There are few things worse than being stuck on the sidelines. I was completely and utterly powerless to do anything. Sure, I had gotten the players on the board, but I couldn't do anything else. I couldn't even look in if I wanted to. I knew nothing and heard nothing. Our fate was in the hands of a man that I did not trust. Sure, Amelia would do her best, but that meant nothing if Solace refused to listen. He may ignore either of our proposals. From what I could tell he was a stubborn and selfish man. He was so prideful. Which could get us all killed. The only good thing that I could say about the man is that I don't think that he was a liar. If he promised to do something then he would do it. Whether it was good or bad. He would do it. It was something, I guess.

Amelia had been gone for nearly a week. She had been able to enter the city and meet with the king. What happened afterward is anyone's guess. For no one from Zephilia was able to enter. It was a miracle that he allowed Amelia to enter. I suppose he only allowed it because she was a member of the Saillune royal family. A neutral party that both sides trusted. Well, he may not have trusted Amelia personally. Since she was associated with me, but he let her in any way. That was something.

It was nearing the end of the first month of the war. Already I was tired of it. So many had died for a pointless cause. For a king who did not deserve his people. No king should ever use civilians as shields. He was the kind of man that I loved to throw fireballs at. Damm! How I hated the fact that magic didn't work! It wasn't fair!

Ironically, my stress levels were driving my healers insane. They kept telling me to reduce my stress or else. How could I do that? Our lives were coming apart at the seams! More than anything I wanted to help Gourry. But because of my situation, I couldn't. I was utterly powerless. I could do nothing but watch as my life fell apart. Gods, how I hated myself. How the mighty had fallen. Lina Inverse was rendered weak and defenseless by an unborn baby. Truly tragic. Why wouldn't I be angry about it?

It's not that I didn't love my little one. I did. I just wish that he or she had come along a little later. That way maybe things wouldn't be so messed up. Who am I kidding? With me, things are always messed up. Maybe I really am the enemy of all who live. Gods, how I hate thinking like that. This wasn't how my life was supposed to go.

"Lord Gourry, you need to keep your wife calm and relaxed. If she keeps up like this she will lose the baby or worse. Please, try to relax her." One of my doctors had begged Gourry.

His words shocked me. I could lose the baby. That was the last thing that I wanted. I wanted this baby. I wanted to bring it into the world. I wanted to see it grow into a monster of its own right. That wouldn't happen if I didn't relax. I had to try and stay calm. I tried everything to relax, hours of reading my favorite books, taking long baths, and pigging out constantly. None of it made much of a difference. It didn't solve my problems. It just diverted me a little from them. Which did not help me in the long run.

Then, finally, we got word. Elmekia had agreed to talk. They would not agree to any terms outright, but they would agree to talk. They had requested the presence of the Eternal Queen, Prince Gourry, and myself. That one surprised me. Why did they want me? Wasn't I the source of this conflict? Why would they want me? Why? Was it smart to go? I wasn't sure. It certainly increased my stress levels.

Gourry had protested my inclusion in the talks. He demanded that I be left here, where it was safe. However, the Eternal Queen made it clear that this wasn't going to happen. She told him.

"Your wife is the one who started these talks. She should be there to finish it. Besides, I have a feeling that she will be very useful. You'd be surprised how terrifying a pregnant woman can be."

"No! Lina's in no shape to do this. I don't care about anything else. I won't endanger Lina or the baby. I won't allow it!"

That didn't win over the Queen. "She is already in danger. I read the reports. Lina's stress levels are far too high. Any more and she could lose the baby."

"Exactly, that's why she should stay!"

The Queen narrowed her eyes. "Really? Do you honestly think that's going to help? Lord Gourry, your wife is not the kind of woman who can handle being on the sideline. The stress of not knowing will be far worse than the stress of the negotiations or the danger from the Elmekians."

I placed my hand on Gourry's arm. "She's right, y'know. It would be worse. Waiting here for you. Not knowing what is going on. Thinking that I haven't done everything that I can. It would kill me. I don't want, Gourry. Please, don't do that to me."

Gourry looked into my eyes and saw that I was serious. That I wanted to do this. That it was important to me and he gave way. "Alright, Lina. We'll go. Just promise me that you'll take it easy."

I couldn't promise him that. But I could promise him that I would try. That alleviated some of his worry, but not much. He knew me too well to believe that I would take it easy. Indeed, he would stick to me like glue in the upcoming days. Not letting me out of sight for a second. It was funny. A few weeks ago that behavior would have driven me nuts. Now I took comfort in it. The truth was that I was scared to hell. I needed him with me by my side. Even if he didn't approve of what I was doing.

One of the perks of being a lady of the court was not having to walk to Elmekia. We got to ride in a carriage and sleep in nice inns each night. Along with pigging out on her Majesty's dime. And boy was I eating more than usual. That little monster never let me rest. It wanted more and more food! I was never full. I always needed more. Nothing would satiate me. It was kinda freaking me out. Not that I told Gourry that. He had enough to worry about than my figure. Which was getting bigger every day. I wondered how long it would be until I looked like a cow! Gods, how I hated being pregnant sometimes. It had been months since Gourry tried to steal any food from me! He even let me steal from him without much complaint. Meal time just wasn't any fun anymore. There was no challenge in it. It just stuff your face until there was nothing left. No fun at all.

Anyway, where was I? Oh! Yes, we were traveling to the Capital of Elmekia, Balas. Which ironically meant sand. Which Elmekia had lots of. It was the one feature that I hated the most about the place. Sand, sand, and more sand! I couldn't think of a more appropriate name. Even though it was winter, it was hot. Then again I was used to Zephilia's climate. Which never felt like this. It made me extra cranky. How did this not bother me a couple of months ago? Have I changed that much? Oh well . . .

The carriage stopped right outside the city's walls. It was not safe to continue in them. It was far too easy to destroy them. He had to continue the rest of the way on foot. We entered the city with a small contingent of soldiers. Along with Laatia and my sister. The Queen wasn't taking any chances. She made sure that if there were any problems we would be protected. It was actually kind of calming. Believe it or not. Everyone was on guard. I felt as safe as I could be considering the situation.

As we walked the city eyed us warily. All eyes were on us. There was no warmth or curiosity the way it was when entered last time. Just suspicion and fear. It was quite off-putting. Gourry must have noticed me tense up. For he suddenly held my hand as we walked. It was like he was trying to comfort me and tell the world that I was his. So that no one messed with me. Sometimes Gourry really was a gallant knight.

Our Party was met by Amelia and Solace at the gates of the palace. Solace stared straight through us as he spoke to the Eternal Queen. He didn't even acknowledge our presence. I expected that from him. It was how he treated me last time. What I didn't expect was that he would treat Gourry that way. He was his son. Even if he strayed from the path that he wanted him to take. He should address him. It was concerning how bad their relationship had gotten. I couldn't help but think I was responsible. I may not like Solace or even trust him, but he was Gourry's father. They should at least talk to each other! I wasn't sure how to repair their relationship, but I wanted to try. Even if I couldn't do it. I had to try. I loved Gourry more than anything else in the world. I had to try for him. Gods, that sounded sappy. What the hell has happened to me?

We were led into a large dining area. Where we sat down and talked and talked. There were a lot of accusations to go around. Most of them flew my way. It seemed that the King blamed me for everything. Particularly Gourry's defiance. He really blamed me for that. Apparently, I'm the reason for it all. There was no other reason for it. After all, I was there ten years ago when he took off the first time. I encouraged him to go. After all, he was racing off to meet me. Hey, don't laugh. The fool really accused me of that. He made it sound like it was an elaborate plan to undermine this authority and destroy his kingdom. By the way, he talked, you would think that I was some kind of demon. Not a woman that his son loved. It was completely ridiculous! It made me want to hit him. Luckily for him, I was on my best behavior. I held myself back. I smiled at him and did nothing.

Gourry, on the other hand, did not share my reserve. He went over to King Solace. Stared him in the eyes then punched him in the jaw. He was fuming after listening to the man's tirade. "Don't ever talk that way about my wife again." He warned.

The room was silent. No one expected Gourry to do that. Even I didn't expect it. He was usually so easygoing I could rant and rave at him all day and he'd do nothing. Just sit there and take it. That was not the case with Solace. He refused to allow him to talk bad about me. It was quite sweet. The fool was a romantic at heat. Gods, how I loved him. Solace stared up at his son in horror. Clearly, Gourry had never done that before. He was still seething. It was dangerously close to a fight breaking out!

"Why not?" Solace Roared. "That witch destroyed everything! Can't you see it? It's all her fault! She seduced you and then tried to take you away. For what reason, I do not know! But I know that is the truth. You were her next conquest. Who knows who will be next! I bet that child isn't even yours!"

Gourry hit him again. This time a tooth came out. The last time that I saw him this angry was when I was being tortured by a demon. However, he was even more desperate right now. He wanted Solace to stop and he didn't care how he did it. Gourry . . . I thought as I watched what happened next.

My sister had gotten out of her seat and picked up the man as if he was a toy. She raised him up over her head and then warned. "If you want to live then you will not talk that way about my sister! Nor will you speak ill of my niece. She is your granddaughter. You should have more respect."

"Bitch." He croaked out before Luna threw him across the room.

Finally, her Majesty the Eternal Queen interfered. She stood up and then commanded that they stand down. "The man is entitled to his opinion. However, grotesque it is. If he feels that everything that has happened is Lady Lina's fault then so be it. I will not argue otherwise." She shifted her tone. "However, I will not tolerate any further disrespect. Lady Lina is a hero. She has saved the world numerous times. While you have done nothing. You should afford your daughter-in-law more respect."

"Lina Inverse is not my daughter-in-law! She is a whore who has pulled the wool over my son's eyes. She deserves to be drawn and quartered. Not rewarded for her efforts! You're blind, Eternal Queen. You do not know what you keep in your court!"

The Queen closed her eyes and then said very quietly. "I see." You could hear a pin drop in that room. No one moved or said anything. They just watched as the Queen silently fumed. "Then we have nothing to talk about. For I will not remove Lady Lina from my court. Nor will I remove her from these proceedings. If you want them to continue then you will afford her the respect that she deserves. Or else, we have nothing to say." She gestured for us to leave. "We will take our leave of you."

We started to leave but Solace's slurred pleas stopped us. "Wait! Please! Don't go!"

The Queen turned around but did not move any closer. "Will you stop your tirade against Lady Lina?" She demanded.

Solace swallowed hard and then promised. "Yes."

"Good. Then we will continue after a short break." With that, we left the room. Leaving Solace and Amelia alone.

After leaving King Solace to stew for a bit, our group broke up. The Eternal Queen wanted to see her quarters and get some rest. My sis wanted to get a feel for the place. And I, well, I was starving! Like always nowadays. I couldn't get enough to eat! So, I headed towards the kitchens with Gourry on my heels. The staff had already prepared for me. They had been cooking for hours since they first heard of my arrival. Now, there was a feast prepared just for me! It was sweet that they still cared. I think the servants were the ones who seemed genuinely interested in my baby here. They peppered us with questions about her and how my pregnancy was going. Some were arguing whether she would be a sorceress or a swordwoman. The debate got pretty heated. Which amused me to no end. It didn't matter what she wanted to be. That was her decision when it was time. She would be required to know a few defensive and healing spells, but beyond that, it didn't matter. What path she chose in life was her own. I would not decide it for her. As for the rest of the staff, well, they either didn't care or didn't see her as a threat. Not these people. They treated it like an addition to their family! I was so grateful.

As we ate I tried to catch up with them. Find out how they were doing and what had been going on in the castle. The news wasn't good. The person who had given Gourry my ring had been severely punished. No one had heard from them again. It made some of the servants nervous about even talking to us. However, it made this group even more determined.

"No one is going to stop us from helping our prince and his wife. You are a great woman, Lady Lina. We don't blame you for what happened. Our king is out of line. He should have never gone after you or his grandson."

"Thanks." I said with tears in my eyes. Gods, I hated these hormones!

After pigging out they took us to our room. They made sure that this time we had the same room.

"What His Majesty did was wrong, my prince. You should stay by your wife's side. Particularly now. We hope that this room will do."

"It will, thank you." I said before asking if there was a way for Laatia to be housed nearby. I explained that she was my bodyguard and needed to be nearby. They agreed to find a room nearby and were off. Leaving us to decompress on our own.

I flopped down on our bed and sighed loudly. "I never thought that we would be here again."

Gourry nodded. "Yeah, I thought I left this place behind."

"Here we are again. Your dad still hates me. Our army is outside the gates. And I'm being blamed for everything. All in all, a great day." I said sarcastically.

He placed himself over me. "It's not all that bad."

"Oh?"

Gourry kissed me. "Yeah, we're all alone here."

I smiled. The fool still saw me as attractive. Even if my waistline was expanding. Gods, I love that man. "We could get into some mischief together. See if your father likes that."

He kissed me again. "Oh, he won't. But I don't care. I love you, Lina Inverse. Nothing will change that."

"I love you, Gourry Inverse."

We kissed again. Even with him holding himself away from me I could still feel his need. It had been too long since we last made love. I hadn't relaxed enough to do it. Now, for some reason, I felt calm. Even though I was probably in more danger here than at home. Yet, I felt secure. I knew that the king couldn't try anything too serious. Not with all these eyes watching. It would be a fool's errand. Provably Gourry would even kill him if he touched me. That gave me more comfort than he would ever know. It's funny how pregnancy messes with your mind. I would have never admitted to that a few months ago. Now I welcomed it. Along with the man that I loved. I wanted to be with him. No matter what I wanted to stay by his side. I wanted Gourry to know his son or daughter. To do that I would do anything. Even become a Queen.

His pleas became insistent. He wasn't going to wait. I would have to tell him what the plan was afterward. He wasn't going to listen now. He just wanted to forget for a bit. I couldn't blame him. I wanted to forget too. But he needed to know the plan. He needed to agree to it before we tried it. I had to try and tell him again. But I couldn't do it now. He was far too focused on making love. It would have to wait until afterward. Then I would tell him and see what happens.

Gods, how I didn't want to have that conversation.

Waking up next to Gourry never really got old. He may be a big, dumb, stupid, oaf, but he was my big, dumb, stupid, oaf. No one else could have him. That made me so very happy. I'll admit it. I'm a very territorial woman. I don't share and I don't play well with others. All things that you should know by now. He's mine and I don't like to share him. Which I would have to do if we carried out my plan. I'd have to share Gourry with all of Elmekia. I didn't want that. Just like I didn't want to be Queen. I just didn't see a better alternative. I'm not completely selfish, y'know. I can do things for others. I just don't have to like it - that's all.

Of course, explaining all that to Gourry would be useless. He wouldn't understand anyway. So, I kept to the fundamentals of the plan. Which didn't go over well. He did not want to become king. He did not want me anywhere near Elmekia. I suppose Gourry could be just as possessive as me sometimes. He didn't want to share me with the world. He was much happier being a swordsman taking down baddies than a king with a country to run. I understood but his people needed him. We couldn't be so selfish as to ignore them.

I had to argue with him. Point out that his father was no longer fit to lead. Gourry agreed with me on that. However, he did not agree that he should be the one to succeed him. He pointed out that his brothers were both smarter and more capable than he was. Plus, they wanted the position. They hungered for it. Of course, that was the exact reason why they weren't fit for the role. They wanted power and didn't care how they got it. Gourry didn't care about that. He just wanted to help people. He was a good man. He'd make an excellent king.

Unfortunately, I couldn't change his mind. All he wanted to was continue as we had been living. He wanted to raise our child and live the rest of his life with me. I wanted that too. But I couldn't live that life knowing that his people suffered because of it. I would never truly be happy. I couldn't live like that. He couldn't either. That fool was worse than me. Hell, I blame him for my change in attitude. This was all his fault. He couldn't be selfish now. Not when it really mattered. He had to give up the life that we wanted. He had become king. His people need him.

I decided to let it go for a moment and get a bite to eat. Once again the servants had outdone themselves. There was so much food I didn't even know where to start! So, I picked up a piece and started eating. The servants watched expectantly as we ate. They seemed to note what and how much I ate. They seemed almost jovial about how much I packed away. There was no malice in it. Just genuine excitement around the whole thing. It was all quite unnerving really.

Then the questions came. I had thought that they had asked every question that they could yesterday but I was wrong. They had a million new ones for us. Most of it centered around the child inside me. They asked how far along I was. If I had any weird cravings. If I got morning sickness. They inquired about the baby's gender. I figured I'd tell him what my sister said. She was pretty on those things. They seemed slightly disappointed when I mentioned again that I thought it was a girl. I honestly didn't understand why. In Zephilia, the gender preference was for girls, not boys. Then again for generations, our country had been led by a single female leader, the Eternal Queen. Who had been reborn over and over again. She could be born to anyone: high or low born! It didn't matter. It was all random luck. So, yeah, we preferred baby girls over boys. Even if the Eternal Queen was alive and well. I just didn't understand other countries' obsession with boys. Girls made the world go round. They did the hard work and made better decisions. Why the hell would they prefer boys?

Wow, that makes me sound like I don't like boys. I do. I like them very much. I just would prefer to have a girl, that's all. It's not like I'm going to hate my child if it is a boy. He's still my son. I will fight tooth and nail for him. I just would have preferred that he be a girl, that's all.

After breakfast, we were ushered back into the negotiating room. The Queen had already been working with Solace for a while before we arrived. Hell, even Amelia was already there! It seemed that they didn't want to wait for us. It was a bit annoying, but I let it go. There were bigger fish to fry. I had to make a King step down. I just needed . . .

"Father," Gourry said coldly. "Lina tells me that she wants you to step down. I agree. You have dishonored yourself and our people. You should step down. However, I will not be taking your place." He looked at me and dared me to question him. "Not now, not ever! I am not a king. Nor will I ever be."

"Gourry, what are you . . .?"

He cut me off. "Elmekia has suffered far too many bad kings. I will be no different. I wouldn't be smart or crafty enough." The next part he said to me. "I'd have to rely on you too much, Lina. That's not right. You are not from Elmekia. You didn't ask for this. I can't allow you to torture yourself like that." He took my hands into his. "I want to go home, to Zephilia, with you." He looked back at his father. "Not stay here and become a king. That's not my path. It's time that both of you understand that."

Solace seemed more annoyed than anything else. "Then what do you propose, Gourry?" He demanded.

Gourry thought about it for a second then proudly stated. "I have absolutely no idea."

I so wanted to kill him!

"You have absolutely no idea?" I repeated. It took every ounce of self-control not to get my slipper. My husband was an idiot! As usual, the moment he starts sounding smart he ruins it. Sometimes I wonder if it is an act. It has to be. No one can be that stupid all the time. Gourry started to panic. He knew how angry I was. That I was ready to explode. I wondered why I even bother with him sometimes.

Amelia tried to calm down. "Ms. Lina, please, wait! Don't hit Mr. Gourry."

"And why should I not?" I demanded.

She smiled. "Because his idea isn't that bad."

That stopped me in my tracks. "It is?" I had no idea what she was talking about. It was only a half-baked idea. How could it be good?

"Yeah." She started to get some steam. "The people of Elmekia need new leadership, that's true. What they don't need is a king!"

Now I was really lost. "What do they need? A queen?"

Amelia shook her head. "No, not that either. They can choose their own leaders. Like they do in the Coastal States. It would take time, but such a system could be set up here. That way this never happens again!"

"You mean to set up a democracy?"

"Not quite. With a country this large it would have to be a republic. They would need representatives and stuff."

I honestly never expected this from Amelia. She was a princess from Saillune after all. They weren't known for promoting democracies or whatever she wanted to call it. If this idea was ever implemented in Saillune then she would be out of a job. There would be no need for Princesses. Still, the idea could work. It would also free Gourry and myself to go back to Zephilia. It was worth trying.

"It might work. We would have to hammer out the details, but it might work. What do you think, my lady?" I asked the Queen who had been in deep thought the entire time.

"Hmm . . . This isn't something that Zephilia has a great deal of experience with, Princess Amelia. We do have a system that promotes people through their deeds, but nothing on this scale. I wouldn't know how to guide them into this new system. And it must be done right. For if we miscalculate then the people of Elmekia will suffer needlessly. I do not want that. I would rather see things stay the same than preside over the unraveling of a country."

Solace finally interrupted. "Don't I have a say in this?"

"No!" Everyone save Gourry yelled simultaneously.

The king was taken aback. He wanted to hit us, me in particular. He stepped closer to me but was blocked by Gourry. He gave him a look that made the King back down. I don't know if Gourry was even paying attention to our conversation anymore. He probably wasn't. He was too focused on his father. The man still hated me. That much was obvious. Even to an idiot like Gourry. He eyed him cautiously. He would not let his father anywhere near me. The man was kind of sweet. Sometimes I wondered if I deserved him. Then he would do something stupid and I would realize that I totally deserved him. I am chaos itself. I deserve what I get. I tried to pretend that I didn't see what the King was doing. It didn't quite work, but I tried.

"Anyway, your idea might actually work, Amelia. We just need someone familiar with this system to help them." I thought about it for a second. "Say, Amelia, doesn't your country implement a similar system for your civil servants?"

"What? Yeah, but . . ."

I cut off. "There we go! We have an expert! I nominate Amelia to stay here and oversee the changeover!"

I know that it was wrong, but I really didn't want to give birth in Elmekia. I was willing to do it but now that it wasn't necessary I didn't want to. I refused to act as Queen. Let someone else do that. Like Amelia. She can be queen for a while. It will give her practice in case her sister never returns.

I slapped Amelia's back hard. "Don't be shy! You'll do great! You just need to stay here a little while. Help them get set up and there you go! You can even keep Solacey here to assist you. I'm sure that he would love to stay and help! He can be a figurehead so-to-speak. That way the people have someone to look to. It will be great!" I cheered.

The room stared at me in silence for a moment. Then the Eternal Queen smiled. She said. "Alright, sounds like a good plan. I will agree to it and leave today if you agree, King Solace. What do you say?"

Solace complained and bitched for a while but eventually gave in. He didn't really have a choice. He couldn't win this war. Sure, Zephilia was acting like a bully but he deserved it. He should have never started this war. Nor should have used civilians as human shields. He had proved that it was time for new leadership. He was lucky that Zephilia wasn't demanding his head or his permanent exile! Instead, he would officially remain as King of Elmekia. However, his power would be severely curtailed. Reduced down to mostly a figurehead. That way he could do little harm to his people again. With that agreement in place, we returned to Zephilia. Leaving Amelia to clean up for us. Gods, was she angry with me! She didn't want to do this. But she had to, it was her idea. Mine was to rule instead of Solace. I liked her idea a lot better! Sucks to be her.

Two months passed and the situation in Elmekia stabilized. The first official elections were to be carried out in just a week's time. Soon a new regent would be chosen. Who would serve at the pleasure of his people. They would also choose his key advisors and other critical government roles. It seemed that things in Elmekia were changing for the better.

Meanwhile, I had been getting bigger and bigger. I was almost six months along and I was tired of being pregnant! I could barely do anything! To hell with magic - I just wanted to be able to move easily again! I swear that there are twins in there. Gods, this is all Gourry's fault! If he hadn't been so cute then none of this would have happened! Nothing that I could do about it now. Just wait until it was all over. Then I could kill my husband! Ironically, my stress levels are actually at an all-time low. It is amazing what can happen when you don't have your father-in-law trying to kill you. One can just focus on how horrible it is to be pregnant! Which apparently isn't as stressful as all that nonsense. Who knew?

I only have a few more months before this baby comes out and I can't wait. I'll kill my husband for this. I definitely will . . .

So this is how the 30-days war ended between Elmekia and Zephilia. It was a short war but it took its toll on my family and the people. It also changed how Elmekia was ruled forever! All because one man couldn't let his son walk another path with me. It was almost laughable. King Solace was a pathetic and vain King who deserved far worse than he got. I wanted to fire a Dragon Slave at his face. Alas, we can't always get what we want. I can live with that. Particularly, if I never have to see my father-in-law ever again.

I was still pregnant at this point. Travel was getting harder for me. Once we returned home Gourry insisted that I not travel again until the baby was born. He made it clear that he would not compromise on this. It seemed that I would have to ride out the few months of my pregnancy at home. Of course, things would not stay calm as you will find out in the final book, "Phoenix Rising." Hope to see you all there!

- Lina

So, that is the end of the "30 Days War." Please let me know what you think in the reviews. Thank you for reading!