The lady in red is dancing with me cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me, It's where I wanna be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never forget, the way you look tonight
- Lady In Red Chris DeBurgh
Lina was surprised to find that Commander Vymes was seated next to her. Gourry was sitting to Amelia's left to preserve the necessary social convention of male-female seating and she'd been afraid that she would get stuck next to some stuffy noble or other.
"I have news about Raydon," he said quietly to her as they were being served.
All four of them were suddenly quite attentive. "Go on, Commander," Amelia said.
"Seems he and his company left with a merchant train headed south to Mycena. The merchant just arrived back in Seyruun yesterday and we finally learned what happened. His partner had stayed here in Seyruun with half the shipment while the first half traveled south. Raydon and his men were paid to come back here and escort the second half south. Both of them thought Raydon had taken the money and run and came in to file a complaint against him today. He was quite upset because Raydon was known for his integrity."
"So, this Raydon must have encountered his new 'employer' somewhere between here and Mycena," Zelgadis said.
"I still can't believe Raydon would take such a job," Amelia said quietly.
"I hate to disillusion your Highness, but this isn't the first time he's done this. He was known for his integrity, but that was because he always completed his jobs. You pay a man enough and he'll do anything."
Lina glanced at Gourry, who was concentrating on his soup with a hard look on his face. "We don't know exactly what he was paid to do," she said to Amelia but without looking away from Gourry. "And since he's dead, we'll never know."
"I really don't think that it could have been anything else than to either kill the both of you or kill Master Gabriev here and deliver you to some unknown employer," Vymes said. "Why else attack you?"
"But why?" Amelia asked. "Why would anyone want to kill Gourry-san?" She put her hand on her friend's arm. He looked at her and gave her a warm, if a bit wan, smile.
"Someone who wanted him out of the way so they could get to Lina," Zelgadis said. "That seems the most likely reason."
"That's a possible why, but it still doesn't tell us who," Vymes said.
"We're just going 'round and 'round in a circle," Zelgadis said. "Chasing our tails and getting nowhere."
"There's thing one we do know," Gourry said quietly, not looking at anyone, but staring into his soup bowl.
Everyone looked at him. "What's that, Gourry?" Lina asked.
"Since Raydon failed, whoever did this is bound to come after us again."
They were all silent as they realized that he was right. And that they had no idea when that might happen. It had been two weeks since the attack. The chances that the unknown employer would strike again soon were high.
The silence stretched on ominously. Needing to find some way to relieve it, Lina laughed and waved her hand. "Nah, Gourry! They wouldn't be so stupid to do that again! You're just being a jellyfish again! There's nothing to worry about!" She looked at him intently, telling him with her eyes that she didn't really mean the harsh words. He gave her a slight wink and a nod.
"You're right, Lina. Anyway, this is supposed to be a party! For Amelia and Zel!" He gestured at the two of them with his spoon. "They're getting married!"
Zelgadis blushed and looked at Amelia. She smiled shyly at him and ducked her head. "Lookit!" Lina said "They're blushing!"
"Lina-san!" Amelia scolded, blushing furiously. "Stop that! This isn't just our party, you know! It's just as much yours as ours!"
"Why so it is!" she said. She looked at her empty soup bowl. "Where's the real food, Amelia! I haven't eaten for hours and I'm starving!" She grabbed up her knife and fork and craned to see if the food was coming.
"Lina-san..."Amelia pleaded. "You promised..."
Laughing at Amelia's look of horror, Lina put down her silverware. "I know, Amelia, I know. I'm just kidding."
The Princess looked somewhat relieved, but still looked wary. Zelgadis laid his hand over hers and winked at her. "Don't let her upset you, Amelia. She's common and will always be common."
"Who are you calling common?" Lina demanded.
"You. Oh, you clean up nicely, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a commoner," Zel said with a sparkle in his eye.
"Look who's talking, Zel!" she started.
Vymes' hand on her arm stopped her. "Never mind them. We commoners have to stick together."
"What? But I thought you were a duke or something!"
"Only by marriage," Vymes said. He leaned back and gestured to the handsome, dark-haired woman next to him. "My wife, Lady Sybla Vymes, Duchess of Ephebe. Which makes me Duke of Ephebe. Sybla, Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev."
Lady Vymes ducked her head and gave them both a smile. "Charmed," she said with a sincere smile.
"Gabriev," Lina said.
Vymes looked at her dumbly. "Beg pardon?"
"It's Lina Gabriev. Gourry and I are married." She smiled up at Gourry, who smiled back with more than a little pride that she insisted on using his name.
"Oh, I'm sorry, forgive me," he said. "I knew you were married but didn't think - "
"Never mind, dear," Sybla said, softly. "Just don't make the same mistake in future."
The rest of the meal passed uneventfully. When it was finally over, everyone rose and adjourned into the attached ballroom. Now the real event would begin as people were free to mingle and wander around.
Gourry and Lina followed Zelgadis and Amelia over to the far end of the room towards a raised dais upon which the musicians sat. The Master of Ceremonies appeared and stood in front of the crowd. Everyone fell silent when he raised his hand.
"The Princess and her Consort To Be, Zelgadis Greywers."
Looking slightly less terrified than a treed cat, Zelgadis led Amelia onto the dance floor. They would dance alone the first dance, then everyone else would be free to dance. As the music started and they moved around the dancefloor, Lina leaned into Gourry and sighed. "I really wish we could help Zelgadis find a cure for himself."
Gourry nodded, frowning as he heard someone make some comment about his friend. He turned and glared at the guilty party. They shrank back under his angry glare, moving away and putting as much distance as they could between them. Turning back to Lina, he said, "After everything that his grandfather did to him, he doesn't deserve to have to be judged and stared at like this. Amelia will be good for him, I think. She won't let anyone make him feel unwelcome."
Lina gaped at Gourry; usually he wasn't quite so perceptive. She nodded. "Amelia sure is happy. Maybe some of that will rub off on him. It would almost have to rub off; she's got enough energy for three people."
The music ended and it was time for the rest of them to dance. Gourry caught Lina's hand his and drew her onto the dance floor. "You know court dances, too?" she asked, surprised.
He grinned self-consciously as he took her hands in his and swept her into the dance. "I asked Amelia to teach me the steps the other day. I figured we wouldn't be doing country dances tonight."
"Gourry," Lina said.
"What?"
"I love you." She smiled up at him.
Startled, he nearly missed the next step. He looked at her with a strange intensity in his eyes before responding. "I love you, Lina."
She leaned into him and reveled in his closeness as they danced.
They danced and danced for nearly an hour. Just when Lina was finally going to beg off the next dance, Gourry took her hand and led her off the dance floor and through the doors to the balcony. He looked back over his shoulder at her, and she saw there was a devilish twinkle in his eye.
He drew her through the doors and off to the side, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one followed them. "Gourry!" Lina said breathlessly, hugging herself against the sudden chill. "What are you doing?"
"Shh!" he hissed, backing away from the doors. Despite herself, she laughed softly. It quickly turned into a shiver. He heard her and looked around and shrugged off his coat and put it around her shoulders.
"You don't have to keep doing that," she said even as she pulled it close around her.
"I don't mind. Come here," he said, and led her over to the low wall that surrounded the balcony. As he approached it, he swept her up and set her on the wall so that she was on eye level with him. With that, he put his arms around her waist and pulled her into a kiss.
"Mmm..." Lina murmured as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His hands started wandering across the back of her lap and then up her sides to her breasts. She reluctantly pulled away and caught his hands. "Save that for later," she whispered.
"You don't think we could leave early, do you?" he asked, but he moved his hands to more neutral locations.
"We couldn't do that to Amelia and Zel. Besides, this party is for us, too," she said, kissing the end of his nose.
"Oh, well. Plenty of time later," he said. He reached into the pocket of his coat and froze.
"What is it?" she asked.
He pulled the pocket open and rummaged in it. "I know I put it in this pocket," he said with a worried note in his voice. "I'm certain of it!"
"What? Put what in your pocket?" she demanded.
Suddenly his face lit up and he reached into the other pocket. He sighed with relief and pulled out a small black box. "The coat's turned around, you see..." he said in explanation and looked embarrassed.
Lina rolled her eyes but refrained from commenting on it. Instead she just shook her head helplessly.
Gourry put his hands on her waist and lifted her down to set her on the ground, then sat on the wall and pulled her down beside him. "Lina," he said quietly, holding out the box. "I got you something. It's a wedding present since we got married in such a hurry and I didn't have time to get you something before. I hope you like it."
Speechless, Lina took the lacquered black box. As she touched it, she felt raised lines on the surface. She quickly cast a small light spell and looked at the box. There was a pattern lacquered into the surface. She ran her fingers over it trying to make it out. Then it hit her: It was a dragon against a border of complex knots.
"It's beautiful," she said.
"That's just the box. Open it," he said.
Curious, because the box itself was worth a pretty price, she used a fingernail to flip up the latch. When it opened, gold glinted on the black velvet inside and her breath caught in her throat. She picked up the smaller of the two rings and held it up, turning it this way and that so she could see the carving.
"Gourry," she breathed and looked at the other, larger ring nestled in the velvet. "They're beautiful. Where did you get them?" She peered inside the ring she held and squinted at the script.
He shrugged. "A friend of my grandfather's has a shop here in Seyruun."
"What does it say inside?" she asked. "I don't recognize the writing."
Gourry took the ring from her and took her left hand in his. "It's ancient Elven. It means 'From my heart to yours.'" As he spoke, he slipped the ring on the third finger over her glove. It fit perfectly - a characteristic of elven craftsmanship.
She stared at it, gold shimmering on the black satin of her glove. She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you." She took the other ring out of the box and took his left hand and slipped the ring over the third finger saying, "From my heart to yours."
They both started as something electric raced up their arms. "What was that?" Gourry gasped.
"You felt it, too?" Lina looked at the ring on her finger. "These rings are magic," she said.
"They aren't dangerous, are they?" he asked, suddenly worried. Magic things worried him: They usually turned out to be bad news.
"You said this guy was a friend of your grandfather's. He wouldn't give you something dangerous, would he?"
Gourry shook his head. "No, of course not."
"We'll have to go back and find out, then. I'd like to talk to this 'friend' of yours. Hey," she said suddenly. "Since when do you read ancient Elven? No one knows how to read ancient Elven. There haven't been any texts written in ancient Elven for centuries."
"I don't read it; Jardaan, my friend who owns the shop, told me."
"I really want to meet your friend now." Lina looked at the ring on her finger. "It is beautiful, though. And Elves weren't known for making dangerous artifacts."
"Excuse me, Master Gabriev? Madame Gabriev?" They jumped at the voice behind them. They looked up almost guiltily at the footman who stood by the doors. "Your presence is requested by the Princess."
Lina and Gourry sighed and looked around. "Looks like we've been missed," Gourry said as he stood up and held his hand out to her. Lina took it and stood, and they went back into the ballroom. Lina handed Gourry's coat back to him and he shrugged it on.
Amelia hurried up to them. "Can't you two stay put?" she asked. "I've been looking all over for you!"
"Amelia!" Lina said, taking her friend's arm and pulling her close. "Look!" She held out her hand to show Amelia the ring.
"Oh, Lina-san! It's beautiful!" She threw her arms around her friend and hugged her. "I'm so happy for you two!"
"Amelia!" Zelgadis said from behind them. The three of them looked over at the Chimera who was crossing the floor towards them. "It's time," he said. He looked agitated and still had that treed cat look. Amelia took his arm.
"Calm down, Zelgadis-san," she said warmly. "It will be all right. You'll see."
"It's time for what?" Gourry asked from behind, still trying to get the lace on his sleeves out of his coat sleeves. Lina elbowed him. "Ow, Lina! What was that for?"
"It's time for the reception line, Jellyfish! Don't you remember?" She looked worriedly after Zelgadis.
"Oh, yeah," the swordsman said, rubbing his midsection. "I forgot."
They headed towards the dais at the far end of the room where the Princess' chair and a mate had been set up for the reception line. Amelia and Zelgadis would sit there while the visiting gentry filed by and officially "greet" the Princess' fiancé. Lina knew Zelgadis wasn't looking forward to it at all. Halfway across the room, he made a sudden course change and intercepted a waiter who was carrying a tray of wine glasses and snagged one. Raising it to his lips, he downed the contents in one gulp.
Lina and Gourry stopped and waited for Amelia and Zel. Lina was looking at Zelgadis when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Lina," Gourry said quietly.
"What is it?" she snapped, looking around and up at him.
He was staring at the chairs set up on the dais. "Trouble," he said and nodded towards the chairs. Lina whipped around and saw someone lounging in the larger of the two chairs. He twirled a staff in his hands and waved when he noticed they'd spotted him.
Lina's eyes narrowed. "Xellos," she said in a dangerous voice.