Zelgadis glanced worriedly at Lina. He wondered, not for the first time, if he could protect her against his entire family if they chose to attack. True, he had more skills now, but... What if something happened to her? He knew better than to tell Lina his fears; she hated to be told she needed a protector. Most of the time, it wasn't necessary, but he'd seen her almost killed too many times for comfort, only to be saved in the nick of time by either Gourry or himself. He wouldn't worry so much if he knew she had all her powers back...
A sharp, annoyed command from Lina brought him out of his self-imposed gloom. "Stop brooding, Zel!" She hit him hard on top of his head without thinking, and winced in pain as she quickly cradled her throbbing hand.
He sighed, and shook his head. A white, soothing light gathered in one of his palms, and he reached over with it, spreading it over her injured hand.
"Zel...?" she asked more hesitantly.
"If we're facing my parents, I want us in top fighting condition," he explained as he pulled his palm away, the healing light fading.
"...Oh," she mumbled. She shook her head, clearing it of her thoughts, and glanced at him. "Come on; let's get inside that library!"
"And what, pray tell, do you plan on doing to get inside?"
"I'll think of something," she smirked as she hopped out of the tree they'd been sitting in.
Zelgadis resisted the urge to smack his head against something hard and unpleasant as he followed after Lina's striding figure. It seemed Lina was still in her non-plan-making stage, which meant she didn't think they were in any danger. He knew from experience that she would create a plan only if the situation was hazardous enough to warrant one.
He looked up at the castle, his old home, which they were fast approaching. It had been designed to withstand both physical and magical attacks, yet still managed to look incredibly impressive. The walls were made of a rare, silvery stone which had lines of orihalcon metal running through it. The orihalcon helped resist magic, while the silvery stone was nearly unbreakable. I wonder how much damage one of Lina's dragon slave spells would do...
The castle rose high into the sky, surrounded on all sides by a tall wall. Men patrolled the outer perimeter, armed with bows and swords, as well as their natural magical abilities. A road lead to the main gate, where four guards stood, questioning everyone who came and went. The drawbridge, which rest across the moat surrounding the castle, was made of the same material as the walls. It was surprisingly lightweight, and served as an excellent barrier; much better than the commonly used wood.
Lina made no comment, and her walking never slowed down, but he could tell she was slightly awed. He couldn't blame her; it was beautiful. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open just a bit as she stared at it.
"You lived there?" Lina asked rhetorically, trying to imagine him as a young boy.
He nodded, and said, "You know I did."
No response. Besides, they were almost upon the guards.
The four men in silver and blue stopped them with crossed swords barring their way. Zelgadis sweated nervously, pulling his hood further over his face, and making sure his veil was fully covering his features. Lina glared at the guards, and crossed her arms.
"What's your business here?" the guards asked flatly, eyeing them suspiciously.
Lina snorted and tossed her head, "We're here to see the royal library."
"Did the King and Queen give you permission?" they ground out flatly.
Permission? They needed permission? "Er...of course!" she bluffed after a moment, and looked at the guards like they were crazy. "Do you think we'd be here without it?!"
Zelgadis grimaced, and thought, Oh no... I forgot that people outside of the royal family needed special permission from the King and Queen to get inside.
"Yes," the leader of the four stated, eyes narrowing. The other three tensed up, clearly waiting for Lina and Zelgadis to do something stupid like attack.
"Uh...heh heh... May we speak with the King and Queen, then?" Lina admitted rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.
"No."
Blink, blink. "Hey, wait a minute! That's not fair!"
"Tough luck," the leader smirked, sensing victory.
Oh no, you don't! This battle's barely begun! Lina thought as she gathered magical power into the palm of her hand.
The guard didn't notice, and added mockingly, "Besides, you're just a short, skinny kid without any breasts."
Lina's rage increased a thousand-fold at those words, and she saw out of the corner of her vision that Zelgadis had backed away. Without warning, she brought her hands in front of her. For the first time, the guards saw they were glowing red, and gulped nervously. "Mega..." she began, and swept her hands down. "...Brando!" The ground underneath them exploded upwards, carrying them far into the air. It would be several minutes before they landed.
She grinned, and flashed a victory sign with her hands. "Victory!" she said, pleased.
Zelgadis clapped, his face calm, and commented, "It seems your magical powers are almost all back."
"I'm not sure I could cast Dragon Slave at the moment, but yeah," she conceded. "Now let's get inside before someone harder shows up!"
It was then she heard Zelgadis curse under his breath and growl, "Too late..."
A figure on a magnificent white stallion was riding towards them. He had long, dark green hair kept back in a ponytail, and a lithe, muscular body. The figure wore a ivory tunic embroidered with gold thread, dark green pants, and knee-high, lace-up, tan leather boots. A long, dark green cloak with ornate, gold shoulder guards flew out behind him on the wind.
As he came closer, Lina saw he was more than handsome; he was breathtaking. His sapphire blue eyes sparkled in the sun, and a charming, seductive smile played across his lips. She knew most females' heartbeats would speed up, they'd break out in a nervous sweat, and their eyes would be riveted to him. But...that wasn't happening to her. She simply wasn't attracted to him. Heck, Zelgadis attracted her more than this guy! A deep blush stained her cheeks briefly at the unexpected comparison.
Zelgadis cursed again, and stood nearer Lina as he whispered agitatedly, "It's my brother, Tannec."
"I'm guessing that's bad," Lina said dryly as she noted his tone and stance. "Anything quick I should know about him?"
"He was born a year after me, has a large ego, tons of arrogance, and likes to show off his powers," he described tersely as he watched his brother through wary eyes.
Tannec approached them, still smiling, and reined in just in front of Lina, his eyes trained on her, and completely ignoring Zelgadis.
"Greetings, my lady," he said welcomingly. "Do you know what's happened to the guards? I thought they were supposed to be at their posts..."
Four wails drew their attention, and a second later, the guards in question landed in a heap on the ground, groaning, cursing, and grimacing. They glared at Lina, caught sight of Tannec, and gasped.
"Prince Tannec!" they exclaimed in unison, and somehow managed to pull themselves together.
Tannec's eyes turned to steel. "What happened?" he asked.
"This...this kid cast a Mega Brando on us!" they spluttered indignantly.
Lina snorted, "They wouldn't let me inside to see the King and Queen."
"And why would you want to see them?" Tannec inquired, an eyebrow raised.
"It seems I need permission to visit the royal library," she hinted.
"Ahh..." he grinned, the steely look fading. "Well, if that's all you want, I can easily grant you an audience with them."
"P-P-Prince!" the guards sputtered, shocked and hurt.
"Silence!" he commanded, eyes again steely for a second, before turning back to gaze at Lina in a friendly manner. "Please, head inside. I'll guide you to my father and mother in a few minutes."
"Good," Lina said, and turned without another word. Tannec watched her for a second, just to make sure she got past, before tightening his thighs on the white stallion and riding off at a gallop towards the stables.
Lina got past the guards without trouble, though they glared heatedly at her. Unfortunately, when Zelgadis tried to follow after her, they crossed their swords in front of Zelgadis, barring his way just like they'd barred hers previously.
"We're not letting the quiet guy by; Prince Tannec didn't give his permission," the leader said in satisfaction.
"What?! Why, you meddling, little pieces of..." Lina said angrily, shaking her fists at them. "Let him pass!" she threatened.
Zelgadis gazed impassively at the guards, judging them silently. Then, without warning, he smirked and jumped high into the air, flipping above their head and landing on the other side of them, right next to Lina. They stared at him in surprise, not even thinking of going after him.
Lina grinned approvingly and walked at his side to the front hallway of the castle, passing stunned servants and scared guards along the way. No one dared stop her, and they didn't know what Zelgadis would do if they tried to detain him. They swept into the front hallway of the castle without being challenged once.
Several minutes later, Lina was standing around, getting bored, while Zelgadis lounged against a nearby wall, partly in the shadows, not even glancing at his surroundings.
The hallway had beautiful tapestries depicting great spell battles; thick, plush, red carpet on the floor; and statues of what she assumed were past kings and queens. Each one had to be worth a small fortune, and Lina had to actively resist touching them.
Finally, she stomped up to Zelgadis. "Are we..." She broke off, noticing how loud her voice was in the hallway, and switched to their other form of communication. Are we going to tell them who you really are?
The horror in his eyes was plain. No!
She sighed, and shook her head. We'll have to come up with a different name for you in a hurry, she grumbled.
That's simple enough, he said calmly. No one here has ever called me Zel, and even if they heard it, they wouldn't connect it to me.
Are you sure? It seems like something anyone would see through, she frowned, considering.
I was usually called Heir Prince. My family called me Prince Zelgadis when they were being informal, he said serenely. But, Lina thought she heard a touch of sadness behind his face.
She said in exasperation, throwing up her hands, Okay, okay! Oh well, at least I won't have any trouble remembering your name.
That's why I want you to call me Zel; simplest is usually best. There's almost no possibility for error, he said, sounding satisfied.
A voice from outside of their private thoughts intruded. "Why are you two simply staring at each other?" Tannec asked blandly from a few feet away.
Zelgadis shifted his gaze to his brother, eyes going icy. Lina saw it, and summoned up a cheerful smile, trying to hide Zelgadis behind her. "Can we see the King and Queen now?" she asked eagerly.
Tannec cocked his head to one side, clearly contemplating whether to pursue their strange behavior. Finally, he grinned charmingly and held out his hand to Lina, "Shall we, my lady?"
Lina gazed at his smile wonderingly. She placed her arm on his and nodded.
Zelgadis clenched his hands, restraining his temper with an effort of will, and walked behind them, contemplating murder in his mind as he saw Lina laughing at his jokes. Mentally, he cursed his entire family to the lowest reaches of a mazoku hell-hole.
Just as his mind was conjuring up satisfying images of his brother being disemboweled, Lina's amused voice floated into his mind, You're right; he is arrogant and egotistical. He expects me to be drooling and kissing his feet in gratitude for even deigning to lay his eyes on me. He's lived as a prince for too long. He could also hear the disdain in her mind-voice. Something inside of him untwisted in relief.
All that fled from his thoughts as the doors to the throne room opened...