| "My Lady, I've not had the honor." He held out his hand. Lina placed her hand in his to recieve the usual kiss. From his clothes, and the braided hair, she guessed that he was from Atenveldt. He introduced himself. "I am Lucan Von Drakenklue." Oh, well, that explains it. Orin's father, the King of Atenveldt. "Uh, Lina Inverse." "Yes, the great sorceress. Possibly the greatest to ever live." His eyes twinkled at her, and Lina spotted the family resemblance to Orin. "Uh, yeah, whatever." "My lady, if I may, why do you sit here alone? Surely it's isn't due to my son's silly request that you guard Princess Amelia?" Lina's eyes instantly narrowed. "Why silly?" "Silly because nothing will happen, of course. Nothing at all. And because my son was a bit unnerved last night." "HUH?" Lina asked, "What are you talking about?" "ORIN!" bellowed the King. Ever proper, Orin came over and bowed. "You called, Father?" "Why don't you tell Miss Inverse the truth and let her off the hook. I think she needs to loosen up." With that and another quick bow to Lina, the King walked off. Lina glared at Orin. "Spill it." Sighing, Orin sat. "Very well. It's really no matter now anyway." He twisted a napkin in his hands, then continued. "Last night, I stood on my balcony, thinking about today and being generally nervous. Jitters, you know? So, the next thing I know , there's a sword point in my back! Naturally, I try to call for help, but....no sound escaped my mouth! A voice told me to turn....." Turning slowly, Orin saw a figure cloaked in black, sword raised. The slightest opening of the front allowed Orin to see the beige clothes underneath, and a red jewel glimmered at the figure's throat. A hook and mask covered his face. "Can't talk, can you?" asked the figure in a voice deep and confident. Orin shook his head. "That's fine. I have only yes or no questions for you. Are you a man of honor?" Or nodded, vaguely insulted. "And you marry the Princess Amelia tomorrow?" Again, Orin nodded. "Are your intentions to harm her in any way?" Vigorously, Orin shook his head. "Do you lover her, and her alone, so that her crown, her country, are meaningless?" Orin stared for a moment. How could this person see Orin's own thoughts? Finally, Orin nodded. The mysterous man stepped back and sheathed his sword. "Good," he said. "That is how it should be. But...." and in a movement so swift Orin would have sworn it was a teleport, the man came close and grabbed Orin's shirt, pulling him until they were eye to eye and nose to nose. In a clearly threatening tone, the man continued, "If I hear that you have hurt her in any way at all, I will hunt you down, and I will kill you. And I am ... VERY ... good at hunting things down." The man in black released Orin and leaped over the balcony rail to disappear. "Well," said Orin to Lina. "I was more than a little.... er..." "Scared shitless?" Blushing, Orin nodded. "Don't worry, Zel can have that effect sometimes." "THAT was Amelia's first love Zelgadis?!?" Lina smiled. "Exactly his style. Bastard probably did it just to see if you'd still go through with the wedding. He's.....kind of protective of Amelia." Orin gulped. "I saw that. Thankfully, he judged me worthy." Lina's smile widened. "Oh I don't know. He'd giving you a shot. If you screw up....." Seeing Orin's eyes widen in disbelief, and just the tiniest touch of fear, Lina laughed to herself. Damn you, you sneaky chimera. And good on you, Orin, for not being very much afraid. Lina stood. "I wouldn't worry too much. You're a good man, Orin, and Zel would have seen that." "Don't tease, Lina." She laughed out loud. "You caught me. Seriously, don't worry. Knowing Zel, you'll never see him again." With that, she walked away from the table and out to the ballroom's balcony. Several small groups were out there, getting some air. Some bowed politely to her, others ignored her. Oh well, I guess I'm losing my popularity. Lina walked down the steps to the garden and sat on a bench. Damn it, I hate this. You jerk, Zel! she mentally yelled at the stars. Sure, had to send the flowers, had to check out Orin, couldn't be bothered to say hello! A rustle caught her attention. Peering carefully, Lina just managed to spot the figure hiding among the trees on the edge of the garden. Naturally suspicious, Lina rose, and tried to look aimless as she walked along the path. When she saw the figure detach itself from the trees and head for the lesser-used, and lesser-lit, side garden, she knew she was on to something. Frustrated, Lina took a milli-second to kick off the pumps. If a fight was brewing -- please please pretty-please -- she didn't want to be tottering around on those ridiculous things. Also it meant she could duck off the path and sneak through the grass. She hiked up her skirts and crept after the mysterious figure. Maybe an assassin? A thief? A kidnapper? Lina could almost giggle, she felt so pleased that she'd found something to do! She watched the figure pause. It seemed to be looking in the windows of the hall. Lina glanced up to see Orin and Amelia swirling by in a dance, everyone watching them proudly. Ah-ha, you ARE targeting Amelia, Lina thought. She crept a bit closer, preparing a Freeze Arrow -- mindful of Orin's comments on destruction-- and judging her timing and angle, she let fly. "Freeze Arrow!" The prowler leap aside just in time, countering with "Flare Arrow!" thus cancelling her attack. He turned to her, crouching into a defensive position. Lina stepped into the light, a Fireball glowing on her palm. "So, Mister Sneaky Prowler, just what are you doing?" Lina asked, standing proud and tall. Well, as tall as she could in bare feet and a silly dress, and with her meager height. Boy, did it feel good to have some action! To her surprise, the prowler relaxed and stood. "Hello, Lina." "HUH?!?" She let the Fireball dissapate, quickly casting a Lighting instead. As the ball of light rose, the figure pulled off his hood and mask. "ZELGADIS!!!" Lina cried and ran to him. She flung herself into his arms, not even caring about the probably bruising, or the fact that he'd hate it. But instead of pushing her away, Zelgadis's arms wrapped around her. Resting her cheek against his chest, Lina noted that the black cloak was of fine soft wool, but underneath he still wore his usual beige ensemble. She hugged him tight for another moment, then stepped back to grin up at him. To her delight, he gave her a small smile in return. Suddenly, she bonked him on the head. "You jerk! HOW COULD YOU? Just sent those flowers, and scared poor Orin half to death, and YOU DIDN'T SAY HELLO! You wouldn't have even stopped tonight if I hadn't caught you!" Every sentence was punctuated with a punch. "Ow, Lina, knock it off! I'm sorry, OK?" I just didn't want to do anything that would get in the way of Amelia's happiness." Zel cowered a bit until she stopped, then looked at her. "I'm sorry." Lina glowered and shook her hand out. "Well, that hurt me too. Ow. Still haven't found a cure, huh?" An expression so bleak crossed his face so fast that she wouldn't have caught it if she hadn't been looking right at him. Lina felt suddenly sorry she mentioned it. "No. Not yet," he said calmly. Go to page 6 |