Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow Magic - Zelgadis and Amelia ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Shadow Magic

Zelgadis and Amelia

A Novella by Sapphirefly

 

Chapter One

 

“Rezo-sama,” Zelgadis said as he dropped to one knee before the Red Priest. Zel resisted the urge to draw his sword. It won't help. It won't help, he kept telling himself.

 

The tower was dark and cold as usual. Zel loathed coming here, but he had no choice. He had to report on his progress, plus he had come to a dead end and needed to consult the Priest on the best course to pursue. It didn't change how he felt. He hated coming here and seeing him.

 

Rezo nodded for Zel to go on.

 

“I've found the location of the Philosopher's Stone,” he said. Then knowing there was no reason to hesitate he went on, “It appears that it is in the custody of the Kingdom of Sayruun.”

 

“They can't know that they have it,” Rezo said shortly.

 

“They don't,” Zel agreed. “From the information I've received, the stone itself is sealed in a small statue of a woman made of ornihalcon. They have been storing it in their vaults for many years I believe and treating it as though it was a family treasure.”

 

“Why haven't you brought it?” Rezo asked coldly.

 

Zel got to his feet. His hair hung over one eyes, while the rocky ridges in his flesh caused many shadows across his features. He caught a glimpse of his shadow against the wall. It was strange. Even his shadow did not know him.

 

“Rezo-sama, you cannot possibly be asking me to go to war with Sayruun,” he answered quickly, not allowing his feelings to show their faces in his voice. Rezo could not see his face, but could hear any emotion in Zel's voice, and he would rather keep those feelings to himself since he allowed them a place inside him.

 

“You don't have enough Trolls?” Rezo asked irritably. “What do you need? Berserkers? Werewolves? Sorcerers? Monsters?”

 

“I just think there has got to be a better way to go about this,” Zel responded. “Surely the capital of white magic could come up with something to do against my army, and you still wouldn't have the stone.”

 

“Indeed,” he said. “Well, I could send you in to barter with them, but what could we offer them that would make them want to give their prized family heirloom to you? Of course,” he said, getting a bright smile on his face.

 

“What?”

 

“You,” Rezo said quite pleasantly.

 

“What?” Zel said again. How much was he going to have to go through?

 

“We could offer you as a possible suitor for Prince Philoniel's younger daughter Princess Amelia. The grandson of the Red Priest,” he said idly. “Do you think the Prince would want you for a son-in-law?”

 

“Ridiculous,” Zel said, placing a hand on his hip.

 

“Baka! Do you really think I'd send you as my offering to Prince Philoniel as a prospective addition to his family?”

 

“You just said you were going to,” Zel said through clenched teeth.

 

“Ah, but I didn't mean to send you as you are right now,” Rezo said.

 

Zel's eyes opened wide.

 

Oh no!

 

Anything, but that!

 

Please don't let him change me into anything worst, he moaned in his head, but kept his jaw locked in real life.

 

“Don't be afraid Zelgadis. It won't hurt a bit,” he said raising his staff. The look on Rezo's face was half mad.

 

Zel wanted to run, but knew there wasn't any point. He had to look the pain between the eyes - right at the point of Rezo's staff. One day, he would have his revenge.

 

***

 

Princess Amelia sat on her private balcony considering what her father and the king had said about the letter Rezo, the Red Priest had sent them. Rezo was one of the five wise men of the age. They were both rather dazzled by the complements enclosed. Amelia too had been dazzled, until she realized what the deeper meaning of the letter was. Rezo was sending his grandson here to meet her and to propose to her! The young man would be at the palace soon. Why had the man only sent notice hours before his grandson's arrival? Suddenly, all of this was thrust on her.

 

Her servants had just left her alone for a few minutes. They had just dressed her for the evening. As unimpressed as she was, she still needed to look like a princess for the sake of her kingdom.

 

She leaned against the railing and thought harder.

 

She always thought that she was going to decide who she wanted to marry before she just arbitrarily decided to get married. Why had she thought that? She should have known that if a really good catch asked for her, her family would happily hand her over. Well, maybe not her daddy. If she really didn't like him, she suddenly knew that her father would not make her marry someone she didn't love.

 

It would be unjust!

 

No reason at all to be afraid, she thought as she stepped into the great hall to join the reception party before the young man arrived. The red carpet was rolled out for their guest and it seemed that many people from the court had come to see if Rezo-sama would appear himself. He had not been seen for ten years. Amelia didn't know if he would show up. It would be interesting to meet him. He was a great healer.

 

Suddenly a party of three men arrived. It seemed the young man had come with two escorts. One of the escorts was a man with a white beard who carried a large axe, and the other was obviously a sorcerer. The man in the centre? What did he look like? It was difficult to say, Amelia couldn't get a good look at him.

 

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Sayruun, Dagzelis Greywers,” her father said amiably.

 

The young man bowed before him.

 

He was very close to Amelia now. It was interesting that he was not a priest. The young man did not seem to be a knight or a warrior either. He carried no sword, and wore the dress of a nobleman, which meant that he was not a sorcerer either. What sort of man was he?

 

“Welcome Dagzelis-san,” Amelia said to him with a courtesy.

 

“Greetings, Princess Amelia,” he said taking her hand in his and kissing it.

 

He was standing in front of her now. He had brown hair and pale skin. It seemed that she could not look straight at him. She couldn't meet his eyes even enough to tell you what colour they were. Why could she not meet his eyes? She could feel him looking at her, but . . . there was definitely something wrong here. She just couldn't tell what it was.

 

He was introduced to the rest of the court and then to the rooms he and his escorts would be staying in. Apparently, the man needed a few minutes after his journey to clean up.

 

“What do you think of him?” her father asked.

 

“I don't know,” she said slowly. “Do we really know anything about him except that he is Rezo-sama's grandson?”

 

“Very little is known about the Red Priest's family. Occasionally, someone will show up with an above average aptitude for magic claiming to be one of his descendants, but Rezo has never acknowledged someone like that openly.”

 

“Is Dagzelis-san blind?” she asked.

 

“No,” a voice from the door said.

 

Amelia looked up to see him standing in the door way.

 

“Good evening,” Amelia said, not bothering to colour at being caught talking about him. If she was going to marry him, she was going to find out all about him, and he'd better get used to her asking questions.

 

“You look lovely this evening,” he said taking her arm to lead her into dinner. “Perhaps we could use this time to get to know each other much better.”

 

Amelia paid very close attention to him during dinner as he was seated next to her. He truly didn't seem annoyed that she had been talking about him. On the contrary, he seemed almost delighted that she had been talking about him. Dagzelis didn't seem to spend much time talking to anyone but her, if he spoke at all, but she did notice that the king nodded and tipped his wine goblet at him several times. He also didn't seem to have much of an appetite, for the food on his plate hardly moved at all. Wasn't he hungry after his journey?

 

Finally, the conversation turned a different way.

 

“Do you practice white magic princess Amelia?” Dagzelis asked her.

 

“Of course,” she said elevating her nose just a little bit.

 

“I suppose that is to be expected of a princess of Sayruun.”

 

“Do you practice magic?” she asked, wondering if the king would want him for a relative if he couldn't.

 

“I have a relative . . .” he started out.

 

“Of course you have a relative boy!” Prince Christopher teased.

 

The young man seemed to smile, but Amelia wasn't sure.

 

“Sorry,” he said lightly. “I have a twin brother, and it seems that all the magical abilities went to him and not I,” he breathed, still trying to sound light.

 

“Really?” the King said suddenly, “and where is your brother that he does not escort you to meet with your new family?”

 

“I would not wish him to attend, nor would any of you wish to meet him,” Dagzelis said looking down.

 

“Pray, please explain,” the King persisted.

 

“Zelgadis is a hermit who lives in one of Rezo's towers. He doesn't go out in public much because of his . . . condition.”

 

“What condition?” Amelia asked.

 

“He's been changed into a chimera,” Dagzelis said gravely.

 

“Is there no way to reverse it?”

 

“None, which we know of. If I knew where I could find a cure for my brother I would easily go to the ends of the earth to retrieve it for him. However, he's far more equipped to go on such a journey than I.”

 

“What sort of magic does he practice?” the King questioned.

 

“Shamanism.”

 

“Is he very good?”

 

“There has never been better, except for my grandfather,” he boasted.

 

“Excellent,” the King said. “I'll send Amelia to him at once for magical training.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You can easily wait a month or two for her hand, and as she couldn't possibly go after you are married, it must be done now.”

 

“Then, we already have your consent to be married?”

 

“Of course,” the King said. “You must take her for this magical training first though. It is the condition of my acceptance.”

 

“Hai,” Dagzelis said.

 

What about me? Amelia screamed inwardly. I don't know if I love him yet! She looked at the king, and then she looked at her father. They were smiling and looked completely comfortable. This did not sound like them at all. She told herself to keep breathing. Her father would not make her marry someone she did not love. He wouldn't. Just breathe!

 

“We'll make arrangements after dinner,” the King proclaimed.

 

***

 

“Amelia honey, there is absolutely nothing to worry about,” Prince Phil explained. “The King is a very wise man, and he seeks your best interest.”

 

Amelia paced the room. She had never paced before, but considering the seriousness of the situation, she had better start learning how.

 

“Sweetie,” Phil went on, “to this young man, Dagzelis, or to the Red Priest, you're not worth much as a bride without the King's approval.”

 

“That's supposed to make me feel better?” she sobbed, putting her hands over her eyes.

 

“Don't cry,” he said pulling her onto his lap. “I just said it badly. I was just saying that this condition the King has placed on your wedding is very wise. Dagzelis will stay at the tower with you during your training and you will have time to get to know him better. That way, if you don't want to marry him, you need not finish your magical training. They won't try to marry you off without the consent of the King when the condition for it pleasing him is so easily met. If it turns out that he's the only man in the world for you, then we've won. You will have the husband of your choice, and will be much smarter in Shamanism.”

 

She looked up at him.

 

“I think that is a plan that will work out for all of us,” she said wiping the wetness from her cheeks and eyes.

 

***

 

“They want her to come here?” Rezo said, his cape billowing as he walked down the wide corridor.

 

“Hai,” Zel said, following behind them.

 

“I'm still a little confused as to how you made it into the conversation Zelgadis, but of little matter now. This doesn't really hinder our plans at all. I have to go talk with Prince Philoniel as it stands, and I shall get the item from him then. You need only stay here and see that nothing goes wrong until I have returned.”

 

“Will we really marry him off to her?” Zel asked suddenly.

 

“If it comes to that, then we'll have to. It really doesn't matter which way it goes. Our goal is to get the item,” Rezo said, his eyes closing a little tighter than usual.

 

“What should I teach her?”

 

“It's of little consequence. Just keep her happy and keep things running smoothly.”

 

Rezo suddenly turned around so he was facing Zel. They were in the tallest chamber. There was only one more room beyond them and they were at the entrance to it. Rezo seemed to be thinking.

 

“This place isn't very beautiful, is it Zel?”

 

Zel looked at the floor. Like it mattered! If it was the most beautiful place in the world, it would still be his prison. It would still be a place where his shadow would have more to celebrate than himself. He ground the boot of his heel into the stone floor and wished only for one moment of peace.

 

Rezo ignored the action if he noticed it. “This is hardly a place to invite the princess of Sayruun for a visit. We ought to tidy it up.”

 

Rezo muttered a few words under his breath, and suddenly, splendor seemed to bloom from under his very feet. The space around Zel seemed to transform into grandeur, and in an instant the crumbling tower became a far grander place than the palace at Sayruun.

 

“I want you to keep her out of my chamber,” Rezo said.

 

“Hai, Rezo-sama,” Zel said touching his hand to his heart.

 

Rezo, seeming satisfied opened the door behind him and stepped inside. There was no need to say `good-bye', for it wouldn't even be that Rezo had left. Everything Zel did was already seen as though by open eyes by the Red Priest, regardless of where he was.

 

Zel walked towards a newly opened window. There were gardens below him and green hills stretching far. The wasteland was gone. It now seemed an ideal place to set up a farm, or a Kingdom. The princess would be impressed. Zel frowned as he saw the brilliant little droplets of rainbow water spring out of a fountain. Not only could Rezo create the perfect illusion of real surrounding, but he was excellent at creating a setting more beautiful than nature.

 

The princess would fall in love with this tower if she didn't fall in love with his shadow. Yes, that was what would happen. There was no doubt about it.