| Of Dragons and Demons ~~~ Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers, nor am I making any profit from this story whatsoever. ~~~ �Now, for once, please behave while we�re gone?� the mother said to her 4 year old son, wiping a smudge of dirt off his pudgy face. �Mom�� whined the red-haired toddler, running to hide behind his ten-year-old sister while trying to fix his hair back to the way he liked it. His mother sighed in defeat. �Aria, look after your younger brother, alright?� �Yes, mother. Where are you going?� �Your father and I are just going to go visit some old friends, okay darling? We�ll be back later tonight.� �Mommy, why can�t I come with you?� questioned the toddler, still hiding behind his sister. �Both of you are still too young. But maybe next year, alright?� ��Alright�� �Now you be good while your father and I are gone, ok?� ��Alright�� �Thank you.� Just then a guard walked in. �Your majesty, the horses are ready.� �Thank you, Gourry. I�ll be there in a sec.� The guard bowed and left the room. The Queen hugged both of her children. �Don�t worry, ok? We�ll be back soon. Until then, you behave for the storyteller, ok?� They nodded. �Ok then. I�ll see you later. Bye.� �Bye, Mommy.� �See you later, Mom.� The Queen left the room, pausing outside the doorway to greet a strange man in a traveling cloak, who then entered. �Hello, children. Would you like to hear a story?� �What kind of story, sir?� asked Aria. The traveler grinned, a twinkle gleaming in his violet eyes. �A Fairy Tale.� �Aww�but fairy tales are for little kids! I�m 4 and a-half years old! Fairy tales are boring!� �Not this one, child. It has adventure, danger, and fighting. Dragons, demons, giants, and ghosts. Heroes and villains, friendships and rivalries, life and death. It is quite the opposite of boring.� �Really, mister?� The storyteller smiled. �So would you like to hear it?� The children nodded, sitting on the floor in front of him. �Alright then, let�s begin. Once upon a time�there was a sorceress named Lina�� ~~~ Lina Inverse jumped off the wall surrounding the castle, landing with a thud in the bushes. She was finally free. She stood slowly, dusting herself off and taking note of her surroundings. Dawn was only a few hours off, and she had to put quite a bit of distance between herself and these castle walls before then. �Well, better get going�� she muttered. The castle was a large one, bordered on one side by Crescent Lake, a vast fresh water lake shaped like a crescent moon. The castle itself sat on a hill, looking down on the city that bordered its northeast half. All of this was encircled in a stone wall, which, as Lina had painfully discovered, was quite tall. Lina trudged through the underbrush for almost two hours before she came upon open field. She decided that she would have an easier time traveling if she followed one of the many dirt roads that wound through the large countryside, and if there was anyone coming, she could hide in the ditch. And so she walked on, happy for the change in her surroundings. As cool breeze blew through her hair, she smiled, enjoying her newfound freedom as the sun began to rise. Suddenly, she heard something coming. She looked up and saw a figure on horseback riding from the north directly towards her. Ducking behind a bush, she held her breath, hoping he hadn�t seen her already. The rider visibly slowed and she cursed under her breath at her carelessness. As she watched from between the leaves, she readied a fireball�just in case. She couldn�t afford to have anyone see her, especially people who were headed towards the castle. As the rider neared, she realized that even though he had slowed down, he was still going considerably fast. She let out a sigh. He must not have seen her after all. Either that or he didn�t care. She looked up as he passed, wondering if she knew him or not. She didn�t even have time to scream as the cloaked rider leapt off his horse, sword drawn, straight towards her. The rider�s momentum sent them both rolling into the ditch. Lina slowly opened one eye. The first thing she noticed was the sword being held over her throat. The second thing she noticed was the scorched rider. �Heh heh heh�oops. Umm�hey, buddy, I�m really sorry about that fireball, it�s a reflex--� �Who sent you?!� the mysterious cloaked man cut in. �Well, you get right to the point, don�t you?� He pressed the sword to her throat, his voice like steel. �Answer me.� Lina gulped audibly. She could tell she was in serious trouble. This guy wasn�t one to mess with. She squinted, trying to make out his features which were shadowed by the large hood he wore. She gasped. �You�re a chimera.� �Observant, aren�t you?� he sneered. �Then you should also know about the kind of reputation my people have around here�being ruthless killers and all.� Lina smirked. �I�m not one to believe everything I hear. Besides, if you were as ruthless as you say you are, you would have killed me already for finding out your identity. Personally, I think your kind are just �misunderstood.�� The stranger glared at her with malice, then, albeit reluctantly, he withdrew his sword. �So you�re not an assassin?� �Nope.� �Or a bandit?� �Most of the time, no.� Lina received a skeptical look. �What??� The stranger sheathed his sword and whistled. His horse, which had traveled quite a distance before noticing that it had lost its rider, came running back. Lina stood. �Wait! Can I at least have your name?� The stranger glanced over his shoulder at her. �It�s Zelgadiss.� And with that, he mounted his horse and took off towards the castle. Lina stood and dusted herself off. Shaking her head, she muttered �Well, that was interesting�� ~~~end of prologue~~~ ...well, here's the new fic...*still has plot-block*...sorry............trust me, it's even more frustrating for me than it is 4 u....................... x_X |