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Chapter Fifteen "And I suppose you could say the rest is history," Filia said, leaning back in her chair as she sipped her tea. "Wow," Amelia replied, her blue eyes wide and shining. "Just...wow." It was one of the rare moments that Filia could recall that the young princess sat in quite contemplation. The last twenty minutes had been spent filling in Amelia on the events that had transpired since they last saw one another. Well, most of the events, at any rate. Filia chose to leave out certain things, such the blossoming relationship between Valgaav and herself, and Xellos' disturbing intrusions. "That pretty much brings us to today," Filia said, and glanced up to reach for the teapot for a refill. As she did, she caught a faint glimpse of a lock of aqua hair just around the edge of the doorway behind Amelia. Quickly, she dropped her gaze, hoping her young guest didn't notice the momentary distraction and realize Valgaav was eavesdropping. Those wide-open eyes were too focused inward on her thoughts for Amelia to catch Filia's gaze. Then they closed as her mouth formed a happy, beaming smile almost too big for her young face. "It's so wonderful that there's been such a happy ending!" she exclaimed. Then as abruptly as she smiled, it vanished, replaced by a dark frown. "I have to admit it didn't feel very good to fight Mister Valgaav." Filia refilled Amelia's teacup. "Oh?" "What happened to him was completely unjust! If I had known what they had really done to the Ancient Dragons, I never would have helped rebuild the part of the temple that Miss Lina destroyed, let alone ate their food!" A fresh pang of guilt tugged at Filia's heart, and she struggled not to let it show on her face. "A champion of justice does not consort with such hein--" Hastily, Amelia fell silent, her eyes widening again as she bit her lip, remembering whom she was addressing. "Miss Filia, I'm so sorry," Amelia stammered as a mortified blush crept over her cheeks. "I didn't mean--" "Amelia," Filia interrupted, managing a gentle smile. She couldn't bring herself to let the girl's misplaced guilt eat away at her. There was nothing the young princess said that was untrue, or even a misstatement. "It's all right. You're right. They were wrong in their actions. Very, very wrong." The old Filia would have berated Amelia, she realized. She would have defended her clan with a fierce -- nay, a blind passion. She would have fought away her hurt by trying to turn the tables. She would have pointed out Amelia already associated with a heartless murderer, that namagomi Xellos. Quid pro quo. But looking at the girl's wounded, mortified expression, Filia couldn't bring herself to add to that. No, it was easier to swallow the sting of the unintended barbs, console Amelia's conscience, and pray that her own hurt did not lend itself to her tone. A motion caught her eye, and Filia glanced up to see that Valgaav had stepped out from around the doorway, his arms crossed, his jaw set, his eyes narrowed and cold. In the brief look they exchanged, she realized that it no longer mattered if Amelia had picked up on the battered hurt under Filia's voice. Valgaav had heard it, and that was enough. "A nice little speech," he growled before Amelia realized he was there, causing her to jump in her seat slightly, turning around. "Too bad it's bullshit." Filia hastily got to her feet. "Valgaav, wa--" In a flash, his hand was up, palm facing her, a gesture for her to stop, to be silent. Flinching, she bit her bottom lip. His eyes never left Amelia's, and she shrank back in her chair slightly as he stalked closer, his gaze hostile and predatory. "So, you feel badly for my fate, is that it?" he asked, his entire manner vitriolic. "Not badly enough, apparently, to even attempt to apologize for murdering the only friend I had for a thousand years." "Mist--" Amelia started to say, but he continued as if she hadn't spoken. "You condemn Filia for what she is, her race, yet you yourself associate with Xellos!" He spat out the name as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. "She wasn't--" Filia tried to say, moving around the table to intervene. Amelia was cringing back away from Valgaav, tears threatening to spill from her blue eyes. "Shut up," he growled. "This is my home too, and I refuse to allow this filth to sit there and lie, and insult you on top of it." "Stop it!" Filia shouted, grabbing his arm. His glare was icy as their eyes met. "That wasn't what she was doing at all!" "That pious little wench sat right there and said--" "Phibrizo killed Gaav!" Amelia shouted, getting to her feet and backing away hastily. "Not Miss Lina! It was Phibrizo! Gaav was winning the fight against Miss Lina!" Valgaav's frigid glare snapped to Amelia and he shrugged out of Filia's grip, pushing Amelia's chair aside as he stalked toward her. "So you were allied with the Hellmaster?" he demanded. "No! Miss Lina was tricked! Phibrizo planted the information for Gaav that Miss Lina was working for him! He was using Miss Lina to lure out Gaav so he could kill him!" Amelia was clearly terrified, but she resolutely held her ground, refusing to break her gaze with Valgaav. He stopped walking, mere feet from her. Filia held her breath, her hands clasped and held to her chest, biting her lip. "How do I know that's the truth?" Valgaav growled. "Because it's unjust to lie," Amelia said quietly, her voice cracking as tears splashed down her cheeks. "Ask L-sama if you want. She's the one who killed Phibrizo for this." Valgaav hesitated, studying her. "We didn't...kill him," Amelia continued, her voice strained as she fought a losing battle against emotion. There was hurt in her eyes, and anger. "Gaav attacked us. He tried to kill me. Mister Zelgadis took the hit for me and almost died. Miss Lina cast the Ragna blade. It barely did anything to him." Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. "That was when Phibrizo showed up. He snapped his fingers. That was all he had to do. He snapped his fingers and Gaav was dead. We did not kill him." Valgaav drew a deep breath and looked back to Filia. Before he could say anything, Amelia continued. "I know life hasn't been fair to you, but you are not the only one who has ever lost somebody." She swiped at her cheeks in a vain attempt to brush away the tears. "I feel badly that you had to endure so much. I cannot stress enough just how unjust and wrong it was of the Golden Dragons, what they did to your people. But that does not give you carte blanche to cut down other people and try to make them feel bad just because you do! If hurting other people makes you happy, then you must really be overjoyed." She stood before him now, her wounded gaze calmly defiant as she looked up at him, and it was clearly a struggle to keep her speech coherent as her voice kept cracking under the weight of tears. "I did not mean to hurt Miss Filia. I did not kill Gaav. I did not want to fight you. I still don't. But I won't let you belittle me just so you can feel better. You are not the only one who's lost people. My mother was murdered when I was a child. Murdered. My sister's gone and we can't find her. You do not hold exclusive rights to pain, so stop acting like you do." Filia watched the exchange in wide-eyed tension, scared of what might happen next. The dragon and the princess stood their ground, neither giving an inch as their eyes stayed locked. Valgaav was the first to break the gaze, looking down and to the side briefly before glancing back over his shoulder to Filia. His expression was unreadable to her. His eyes went back to Amelia, and then, without another word, he stalked out of the kitchen. Filia looked back and forth between Amelia and the doorway, unsure of what to do. The princess closed her eyes and sniffled, making a vague gesture with her hand. "Go to him." Her voice was weary, as if it belonged to someone older than the teenage girl, and she gave Filia a tired smile as she opened her eyes. "I'm okay. I think he needs you more right now." She hesitated a moment longer then nodded, hurrying out of the kitchen. Searching through the house, and then the surrounding grounds and shop, Filia began to worry when she couldn't find him. She paused only long enough to pull on her shoes, and ran out the front, hoping he had gone somewhere in town. As she hurried away from the house, Filia turned around, glancing over the area, and then she spotted him, sitting on the roof, his back to the street below, looking out over the stretch of town behind the house. "Valgaav!" she called, running back to the house, getting as close as she could without losing sight of him. He gave no indication he heard her. "Baka males." Going back inside, she went up to the attic, and carefully climbed out the window, grabbing the edge of the roof and pulled herself up. So much for dignity. The rough tiles didn't offer that much in the way of a handhold, and she barely got her elbows up on the roof to brace herself. With some degree of success, she managed to swing a foot up onto the roof, but ran into trouble when she attempted to bring the other one up to join it. Her shoe dropped off her foot, falling to the ground below, and she flailed helplessly, stuck. Valgaav watched her impassively, then looked away. "Go back inside, Filia," he ordered. "But I'm--" "Leave me alone." She narrowed her eyes in determination. "Levitation!" Forget climbing. The spell caught her up and set her down on the roof as gently as a feather. He rolled his eyes and shifted position, turning his back to her. "Valgaav?" "I said leave me alone." "Forget it. You've been left alone too many times by too many people for far too long. I'm not going to be your enabler." He shot her a look that would have been venomous if it wasn't lacking in something somewhere. "Are you okay?" That question earned her an exasperated huff. "Filia, I appreciate it, I really do, but just...just go away." It took all her willpower not to show him how much that hurt. Filia was quiet for a few moments, then looked back to him. "I love you," she whispered. He shut his eyes quickly, drawing in a small, sharp breath and holding it. Then, without opening his eyes, Valgaav reached out and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a fierce hug, burying his face against her hair. Filia reached up and rested her hand lightly against his cheek. "I wish I knew what to say." "Don't," he replied softly. "Don't say anything, please?" There was a faint, but plaintive note lacing his voice that made her heart ache. He hugged her tighter. Filia nodded slightly, closing her eyes as she continued to hold him, oblivious to the uncomfortable, rough tile that served as her seat, and to the awkward position she was sitting in. For the moment, the only thing that really mattered was the dragon beside her. "Your highness? Is everything all right?" Amelia raised her head off her arms, looking up from the table at the diplomatic attaché sent along by Seyruun's prime minister. "Everything's fine," she told him, fighting down a deep sigh as she rubbed her hands over her eyes, brushing off the grainy residue of dried tears. He regarded her skeptically. "Shall we depart for Seyruun now?" It was a tempting prospect. Run home, run to her father, hug him for dear life until the ache went away. Slip out of the house before anyone knew she was gone, and retreat behind the sanctuary of the castle walls. But that was a cowardly way out, and certainly not a course of action befitting of a champion of justice, or for the crown princess of Seyruun. Maybe she was overstaying her welcome, but after her own words and actions that morning, they deserved the chance for closure, at the very least. "No," she said at last, watching as his back stiffened, a displeased expression shadowing his eyes. "But, your highness..." "I said no, and I mean it." They stared one another down for a few minutes before he relented in poor grace. "Very well, your highness. I shall await you in the carriage." "Yeah. You do that." Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples wearily. The attaché made no secret of the fact he thought little of her dealings in the past, or the company she had kept. Really! he had exclaimed in the carriage during their traveling, it's hardly proper for the Crown Princess of Seyruun to consort with a sorceress. You shouldn't expose yourself to the likes of them. And traveling with a Mazoku, and that...that...chimera! Really, your Highness. What were you thinking? You're lucky you escaped from them unaccosted. The tirade Amelia had launched into then served to keep him quiet for at least a day and a half afterwards. It was funny. She was now slightly older than Lina was when she first met the sorceress, but it felt as though a lifetime had passed. So often during her travels, she had fought down bouts of homesickness, longing for the familiar comforts of Seyruun, and now that she had them... Be careful what you wish for, she thought wryly, missing the old days of grand adventure, and her friends. She found herself missing things about them that had driven her up the wall before. Miss Lina's formidable appetite and temper, Mister Gourry's weak memory, Mister Xellos' cunning way of making things interesting. And everything about Mister Zelgadis. Looking at her wrist, she toyed with her lone bracelet, separated from its twin. She wondered if he still had it, or if he had tossed it aside once they were out of one another's sight. When she told him he would always be welcome in Seyruun, when she asked, almost begged him to come visit her, there was something in his voice, in his eyes. Even though he said he would, the vagueness of his reply told Amelia otherwise. She had hoped against hope that perhaps Miss Filia had seen him in the meantime, although she hadn't mentioned anything of the sort. Thinking back over their conversation, Amelia reluctantly admitted that it was very likely she hadn't. Still, hope springs eternal. Why was she so wrapped up in him? Amelia opened her eyes wide, looking up at the ceiling in an attempt to force her eyes to dry before the tears escaped, pressing her lips in a thin line. He never gave any indication he thought of her as anything more than a little sister at best. How foolish had she seemed to him that day, insisting he take her bracelet? Amelia didn't regret it, though. If he did keep it, then at least, hopefully, he wouldn't forget her. Even if he never loved her back, the thought of him forgetting her completely hurt a hundred times more. Approaching footsteps snapped her out of her musings, and she hastily wiped at her eyes, brushing away any lingering traces of tears as she glanced to the doorway. "How are you feeling?" Filia asked as she walked in. Amelia noticed the dirt smudged down the front of her dress, and wondered what happened. "I'm all right," Amelia assured her, then hesitated. "Valgaav?" "He's..." Filia paused, clearly considering what to say. "He has a lot of things on his mind." Amelia nodded, wincing a little. "I'm sorry, I really didn't--" "It's all right. I...I think he probably needed to hear that. Whether or not he wanted to." She nodded again, studying her hands. "Will he be back?" "Eventually." Filia sat down next to her. "But while you're here? I kind of doubt it." Filia reached over and clasped a hand over Amelia's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don't take it too personally, please. He has a lot to work through. I know. It's very hard to believe passionately in something, and find out that what you believed is a lie." "I'm glad he has you, then," Amelia said softly. "It's always good to have to have someone who understands you." "In that case, I'm infinitely grateful to have him," Filia replied. "I really don't know how I'd be today if it weren't for these three. Especially Valgaav." They sat quietly for a few minutes, then Filia spoke again. "So, tell me, how has life been treating you?" "Busy," Amelia admitted wryly. "I jumped at the chance to go on this excursion, even though I really do hate fostering diplomatic relations. Anything to get out of the castle, back on the road again." "Missing the old days?" "Oh, Miss Filia, you have no idea," Amelia said. "I was hoping to run into some of you on this trip. I had to travel several days out of my way to get here, but it was worth it." "You haven't seen anyone else?" "No." Amelia found herself toying with her bracelet subconsciously, and fought down a blush, feeling Filia's gaze on her. "You were looking for someone in particular, weren't you?" "Not exactly looking..." "Just hoping." "Yeah." "Don't give up," Filia told her. "Once, I thought that the best I could ever possibly hope for was that maybe Valgaav would at least come to tolerate me somewhat." Amelia looked at her. Filia smiled gently. "It turns out the best was far beyond my wildest dreams." "What do you mean?" She blushed faintly, looking down with a slight shrug. "I love him," Filia answered simply, and looked back up to Amelia. "And he loves me." Amelia fought against the sudden, sharp sting of tears, smiling broadly as she got to her feet, hugging the dragon lady tightly. "Oh, Miss Filia, that's so wonderful!" Filia hugged her back. "It is. But that's why you shouldn't give up hope. If you love him, there's always a chance." Amelia stood straighter, looking at her. "I'll remember that, Miss Filia." "And also remember, not everything will land on your lap. Sometimes, you'll have to work for it. But just don't give up." "Thank you," Amelia told her, and meant it. Then she hesitated as she sat down again. "If you happen to see him..." "Yes?" "Would you, um, I don't know, maybe nag him a bit?" Filia smiled warmly. "I'll see what I can do." "Thank you." Amelia frowned, considering something as she picked up her teacup. "You do know who I'm talking about, don't you?" "Of course!" Filia said as Amelia started to drink. "Mister Gourry." Amelia choked on the tea, spraying it on the table as she started coughing hard, staring at Filia in shock. The dragon was giggling helplessly. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I meant Mister Zelgadis." Amelia closed her eyes, exhaling sharply and tiredly before looking at Filia with a small smirk. "Yes, Mister Zelgadis." She shook her head. "Not Mister Gourry. Not at all. Besides, if I felt that way about Mister Gourry, Miss Lina would fireball me into the next country." Filia grinned, then stood. "Would you care for a tour of the place?"
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to be continued...
Chapter Sixteen