Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers Finally! ❯ A Debt of Honor ( Chapter 11 )

"AAAAMEEEEEELIAAAAAA!"

The Saillune princess's eyes widened in horror as the chopsticks fell from her numb fingers. Everyone blinked in confusion at the door just as King Philoniel came through, heaving as if he had run all the way there from Saillune. Amelia shook her head as she slowly stood and took a step back. Phil looked up and saw his daughter, but just as he took a step forward, Amelia shouted.

"Daddy! Just what are you doing here?!"

Phil stopped and straightened. "You sneaked out of the castle without telling me. I had no idea where you had gone. I knew I had made you upset, but I didn't think I'd made you that upset as to run away!"

"I didn't run away! I'm not that much of a coward! I just found a very good reason to leave! I want to know how you found me here!"

"I asked around for you all through the kingdom until an old farmer told me that a young girl had hitched a ride on his wagon the day you had left. I followed your track till here. I even ran into King Zangulus and Queen Martina of the Xoana Kingdom and they confirmed that you were here with Miss Lina and the others." Phil smiled at Amelia. "You should have told me you were coming to reunion, Amelia. Then I could have sent Lord-"

"NO! That's exactly the reason I left without telling you! I don't want to have anything to do with your plans! I will not do it! NOW LEAVE, DADDY!"

Everyone was in surprise to see Amelia talk to her father that way and to see her trembling with fury. What had Phil done to Amelia to get her so riled up? They had never seen her so furious at her father before.

"But Amelia, I-"

"Princess Amelia!"

Amelia suddenly stiffened, her eyes wide as she turned her gaze to her father. He gave her a sheepish smile as a man suddenly burst through the door. "You…didn't…"

"Lord Loubrev insisted on coming when he found out about the situation, Amelia. Please, reconsider. This is a debt of honor we're dealing with here!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!"

Everyone started at Amelia's cry, her eyes filling with tears. Lina couldn't take it anymore. She stood up. Gourry, Filia and Zelgadis followed her. Just what was going on? "Okay. I've had enough of this. Phil, what the hell is going on? What on earth happened that has Amelia-"

"Oh, Princess Amelia, I am so sorry."

Everyone's attention suddenly focused to the man kneeling at Amelia's feet. Only Amelia didn't seem to be paying attention to him.

"If I had known that your father had forgotten the contract he had made with mine, I would have never appeared so spontaneously. You must have had quite a shock to find out about me and for that I am sorry. I understand how you feel, being forced to do something you always believed you would have the right to decide on your own. And for that I am sorry as well. Please forgive your father and I."

Steady tears streamed down Amelia's eyes. "I won't do it," she said quietly. Everyone was still confused. No one had yet explained what 'it' was. "No matter what you say, I won't do it."

He looked up from the floor and into Amelia's face. "Please, Princess. With enough time I am sure I can win your heart and your love!"

Amelia's expression was now completely different. She gazed at the man kneeling before her with complete confusion. Everyone else seemed just as perplexed by her expression as by everything else. Why would he want Amelia's love? And what was wrong with Amelia now?

Amelia suddenly looked up and looked straight at Gourry. She then turned back to the man before her. Then back to Gourry. Then back again. She blinked. "Uh…Daddy?"

"Yes, Amelia?" Phil looked almost thrilled to death that his daughter had spoken to him in a calm voice.

"Why does this Loubrev guy look exactly like Mr. Gourry?"

"WHAT?!"

That was the collective reaction as the man stood up and turned to face the group. "Gourry?" the man said. Amelia was right. The guy was identical to Gourry in every way. The only differences lay in their clothes and their style of hair. This guy's long blond hair was in a long braid and his bangs hung over the other side of his face. His clothes were that of a courtier and he had a bow and arrow strapped to his back. "But that's my cousin's name. Mine is Harry."

"Harry?!"

Everyone then turned to Gourry who was grinning from ear to ear. The Gourry-look-alike suddenly grinned as well and headed toward Gourry.

"Gourry! Cousin! Where the hell have you been?! We've been trying to locate you for years! You never pass by and you never write! What have you been doing these years?" The two embraced in a hug, leaving the rest of the group completely puzzled.

"Sorry 'bout that, Harry! I've been traveling around a lot for a long time with Lina! It's been pretty busy. We never stay bored for long and we never stay in one place for long either!"

"Well, you know what Aunt Avery would say about that. She wants you home and to settle down!"

"Aww, Mom will always want that! By the way, did she ever marry Sis off?"

"Cousin Flowery? Actually, I think your little sister has managed to stay away from marriage for a little bit longer. But your other sister Carrie got married a while ago. So did your brother Barry.

"What about Gallery?"

"Your twin is still safely single. But Cousin Cody got married to a man named Milugasia. They just recently had a baby… and because of that we found out he's a Golden Dragon. Who would have thought?!" O_o

"What about Rowdy?"

"Your brother? Oh! He tied the knot already and had two kids to boot! Rowdy IV and little Gracie. His wife is a big-breasted dark haired bubble-headed beauty. She's even a bit of a sorceress too. Interesting, isn't it? I thought he would never end up marrying his type of woman! But he sure did!"

"So I've got nephews and nieces now too?"

"Yes! And they are definitely Gabriev's!"

The two burst out laughing.

"Burst Rondo!"

The blast resounded in the room sending the two blonde men flying across the room. When the dust settled, Gourry looked and saw a confused Filia, Amelia and Zelgadis, an amused Xellos and a furious Lina. He gulped and turned to his cousin.

"By the way, Harry, why are you here and after Amelia?"

Harry looked at Gourry in confusion. "Don't you remember? A long time ago when Dad, Uncle Manny and Uncle Rowdy were deciding who would be the one to marry the newborn Saillune princess? When Dad said it was going to be me, I was so upset because then I had to have all those extra classes on etiquette and stuff. I wasn't even allowed to learn how to fight with a sword! I had to learn archery and how to work the crossbow because it 'elegant'!"

"Oh, yeah! I remember the times we used to play tricks on your etiquette teacher! Boy, was that guy stushy!"

"You mean stuffy, Cousin."

"Oh."

"WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!"

The two turned to the group before them and suddenly Harry remembered why he was there to begin with. Well, he was allowed. After all, he hadn't seen his cousin in ages. He stood up and brushed off his clothes. He turned to the short lovely redheaded female who had shouted at him.

"Yes?"

Lina's eye ticked. This guy was a member of Gourry's family? Just how weird was the family of the Swordsmen of Light? "Are you saying that you're betrothed to Amelia?!"

Harry nodded. "Yes. I have been betrothed to her since she was born." He sighed. "Unfortunately, King Philoniel completely forgot about his contract with my father, one of Phil's old friends, and never told Princess Amelia about me. So my arrival on the scene was quite a shock to her."

"SHOCK?" Lina humphed. "I say 'shock' is putting it lightly."

Filia nodded. "Indeed, I've never seen Amelia act that way toward anyone before. She's so sweet."

"You've never seen her with her father, Filia dear. It is quite a relationship. That is what surprised me the most. The 'daddy's little girl' looked ready to Raw Tilt her own father a few moments ago," Xellos commented with an amused note. The children beside them only looked puzzled at the group.

Zelgadis said nothing.

Amelia was trembling in her spot with rage. Abruptly she stilled and her eyes became quite cold. "I'm sorry, Daddy. But I will not marry him. Even if he is related to Gourry, I still won't marry him. This was a wasted effort and I won't do this. I absolutely refuse. I'm sorry, if I dishonored you, but…" she closed her eyes, tears seeping free. "I WILL NOT MARRY HIM!"

Phil winced. "Truthfully, I had forgotten of his relationship to Mr. Gourry," everyone looked at him as if he were daft. Phil just shrugged. "It's been a while since I've seen my old friend Kerry and his family. It is an awfully big family you know, easy to forget one child or two." He turned to Amelia, serious again. "But, Amelia, won't you give Lord Harry at least some chance? He did come all this way with me to see you. He cares a lot about you."

"No…he…doesn't. He's being forced into this just like me."

Harry shook his head as he approached Amelia. "No, I'm not. After several years I got accustomed to the idea of marrying you that is true. But one day, with a few of my cousins, we decided to see who was this little princess I was going to marry. We sneaked into Saillune castle, but couldn't find you anywhere. When we left and were in town, we spotted you, helping an old man sell muffins on the street. It was then that I fell in love with you, Amelia."

Tears were streaming silently down Amelia's cheeks. "I'm sorry! But I won't marry you! I just won't!"

Harry suddenly got frustrated and shouted back. "But why not?!"

"BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE!"

The silence that followed Amelia's shout was profound. Harry slowly took a step back. She opened her glistening dark blue eyes and turned, headed straight for her room in the condominium. As she past by Zelgadis she gave a light pause and then continued in her dash for her room.

The group only stared after her. Zelgadis was staring into nothing.

Lina abruptly turned to Phil her eyes blazing. Filia was beside her. "Phil…"

King Philoniel took a step back.

"How could you do that to Amelia! You love her, don't you?! Out of all the fathers I know I thought you would be the last to ever force his daughter to marry she didn't want to!"

"But Miss Lina! I have no choice! I made a promise with an old friend that I can't break. If I had known Amelia was in love with someone else…" Phil paused and sighed. "I don't know what I would have done. But unless she's already married or compromised I can't go back on my word!"

"Then we'll compromise and marry her! Come on, Miss Lina!"

"Great idea, Filia!"

Phil shook his head as the women's eyes glowed with purpose, Harry's head drooping in sadness as he slowly slid onto a couch that wasn't destroyed previously in Lina's Burst Rondo attack. Gourry just shook his head, while Val and Havran were asking Xellos what was going on.

"I'm going to go talk to Amelia."

The group suddenly stilled. Harry looked up in confusion to see who had spoken and Phil turned to Zelgadis in relief. Zel turned and headed for Amelia's room.

"Thank the gods!" Phil said making Zelgadis pause for an instant but then he continued on his way. Phil turned to Lina. "Oh, Miss Lina, I'm sure Mr. Zelgadis can convince Amelia to see reason! She looks up to him. I'm sure he'll be able to convince her to marry Harry!"

Harry looked at the retreating back of Zelgadis and wondered what kind of man that was that Princess Amelia would look up to and trust his word.

Lina gave Phil a pitying look, while Gourry tried to hold in his laughter. The moment Zelgadis was out of earshot she spoke. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Phil, but I think the last thing Zel is going to do is try to convince Amelia to marry Harry over there."

Phil blinked. "But why not?"

Xellos tsked. "Haven't you realized yet, King Philoniel? The man your daughter is in love with is Zelgadis."

"Even I knew that!" Gourry said with a grin.

"Any twit knows that," Filia said with a roll of her eyes. "Didn't you even notice the change in Mr. Zelgadis? He isn't a chimera anymore. The Golem part of him has been diminished thanks to your daughter and the power of her love for him."

"And if it hadn't been for Zel's unvoiced love for her," Lina continued, "he would never have been able to bring her back from the dead."

"BACK FROM THE DEAD?!"

Lina sighed as both Phil and Harry shouted the question at her. "Looks like we're going to have to tell them about that little adventure."