Chapter Two
Birds ruffled in the trees above as the pair on horseback rode through the woods. The young woman was animatedly talking to the older man, brightly chattering away about this and that, generally keeping a one-sided conversation with the raven-haired man who didn’t seem to truly be paying attention, yet nodded absently at the dark-haired woman as they rode along.
Her voice came to a halt, however, when the man reigned in his horse and held up his hand. Blue eyes narrowed, and he called out to the trees. “There’s someone there. Show yourself.”
Suddenly, two men leapt out of the bushes, pulled out swords and attacked the pair on horseback. The woman screamed and brought her hands up for a spell, but before she could do anything for defense, a third man leapt into the fray with his sword drawn, attacking the men who had ambushed her and her companion.
The skirmish was over before she could inhale to scream again, and she watched in amazement as the man who had come to the defense of the horseback riders expertly trussed both attackers up.
She watched, unable to catch a glimpse of his face, so she waited to find out who he was. When he finished with his work and stood, the woman called out to him. “You there, what is your name?”
The blonde man turned around, and the woman recognized him with a startled squeak, nearly falling off of her horse in shock. “Mister Gourry!!!” She hadn’t seen him in two years. But that wasn’t why she hadn’t recognized him. He was… different. Somehow. And it wasn’t the fact that he was in even better shape than she’d seen him last. It was something… else.
Blue eyes blinked, and one or two thoughts actually connected, and a light came on over the blonde’s head. “Amelia!” He paused, realizing the man was her father, and the lightbulb turned into a question mark. “And Prince Phil! What are you two doing out here?”
Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune put her hands on her hips and looked at Gourry. “I’d ask the same of you, Mister Gourry. My father and I were out riding the Royal Grounds when we were attacked.”
Prince Philionel looked down at the blonde lad who had worked with him and his daughter before. He recalled that this one hadn’t much in the way of common sense, let alone intelligence, and had a sneaking suspicion that the youth had no idea where he was. “Where are you sleeping, young man?”
Gourry waved off beyond the trees, deeper into the Royal Palace of Saillune’s forests. “Oh, my camp is over there. I’m just traveling again.”
Amelia did fall off of her horse this time, narrowly avoiding a face-first landing. She’d been working on that... “Mister Gourry… you’re camping on Saillune’s Royal Grounds!”
Gourry put a hand to his chin and scratched his head. “I wondered what that really high wall was. I guess I didn’t need to have climbed it after all…”
This time, when the ground shook, it was because Prince Phil had fallen off of his horse.
Hours later, the trio sat at a lavish table that had been covered with food. But with the three having eaten their fill, there was hardly any food left.
“So!” Prince Phil said, setting his goblet down on the table with a thunk. “What brings you to Saillune, Gourry?”
Gourry thought about it for a moment. Then he thought about it some more. After a few more minutes of thought, Amelia sighed and leaned forwards. “Mister Gourry… what were you doing in the forest?”
“Oh! I’ve been traveling all over looking for Lina,” Gourry said brightly. That part he remembered. He had been looking for her all over the place… but he hadn’t found her yet.
Amelia nodded quietly. None of them had seen her since that day at Kira’s when she’d vanished into the evening without even a goodbye. It had stung for a few months, but Amelia had gradually come to the realization that Lina was probably terrible at goodbyes. She’d occasionally thought she’d sensed Lina’s presence, but she wasn’t sure that wasn’t simple desire to be out on the road with her old friends once more. She missed them all… especially Zelgadis… she forced that particular train of thought to a halt and looked to Gourry. “So you think she’s somewhere nearby, Mister Gourry?”
Gourry shrugged. “I saw her in a dream almost two years ago. She told me that she was sorry that she’d had to leave like that, but that she had to figure a few things out about being the Chaos Knight.” He paused to drink some of his water. “She told me that she’d come to Mipross for me, but I said I’d catch up to her first, and she seemed to like that. So when I woke up, I said goodbye to my family, and left the island. I just started walking in one direction, and I’ll keep going that way until I find her.” The logic was clear to him.
Amelia put her head on the table for a moment, working through the fact that Gourry had been on Mipross before looking back up at the blonde. “Mister Gourry… it may not work just like that. I mean, what happens if she’s not going in the same direction as you?”
Gourry smiled. “Then she’ll be heading right towards me!”
Amelia shrank in her chair. “Not necessarily, Mister Gourry. She could be headed in a completely different direction! What if she turns around? After all, you’ve been looking for almost two years now?”
Gourry thought about it for a moment. “But I’m carrying a really big gemstone. I figured if I had that, she’d find me easily!”
Amelia nodded. He had a point there… except… “Have you told anyone that you have this?”
He shook his head emphatically. “No way! If people knew that I had a big gemstone, people would come after me for it. And then Lina wouldn’t get it from me. She’d have to go blast someone and cause more trouble.”
Prince Philionel sighed heavily, bushy eyebrows bunching together as he looked to the blonde swordsman. “Then how would Lina Inverse know you have it, Gourry?”
Gourry blinked. “Gosh… I don’t know. I just figured she’d know… Oh gee… that would explain why I haven’t found her in all the time I’ve been looking for her. I’ve got to go tell someone that I have this!” He leapt from the table and headed out of the Royal Palace, leaving Prince Phil and Amelia staring after him.
“Gourry means well, Daddy… but I’m worried that something will go wrong,” Amelia started. “I mean… we both know how trouble seems to follow Gourry and Lina… and with that gemstone…”
“I’m glad that you came home for a visit, Amelia, but you’d better go with him then,” Prince Phil concluded. “That way, you can keep Gourry out of trouble, and at the same time help him find Lina.”
Amelia jumped onto the table, striking a pose. “I, Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune, champion of Love and Justice, will go forth and guide Mister Gourry with the hand of friendship!” Leaping off the table, she paused long enough to blow her father a kiss, then she darted out of the Palace after Gourry.