For the fifth time in as many minutes, Amelia adjusted her dress and paused to glance at her face in a mirror, making sure that everything was in it's proper place.  She paid especially close attention to the tiara she wore on her head, because it had a tendency to slip to the side if she wasn't paying attention to it.  She sighed and adjusted the folds of her dress once again.  She didn't know how she was going to tell her father about the fact that Zelgadis and she were married, and had been married for about a week.  She just knew her father was going to hit the roof.  Not because she was married, but because it had happened without him there AND it wasn't the huge event that was expected of royalty.

 She knew her father wouldn't blame her for marrying Zelgadis because he had known for a long time just how she felt about him.  He would most likely insist that she keep the marriage a secret until he could get a royal wedding planned and executed.  Which is exactly what she had told Zelgadis when, at the first town they reached once the snow had melted enough to let them pack up the tents and move around again, he had grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her towards the first church they saw.

 "We're going to that church where we will be married," Zel said calmly.

 "WHAT?!" Amelia screeched, digging her heels in and coming to a halt so suddenly that Zel was jerked off his feet and landed on his butt on the ground.  Amelia's heart was beating at a furious pace, and it wasn't from getting dragged by Zel.

 "As my Great-Aunt Mathilda would have said, Marriage.  Me," Zel said calmly from his position in the road, looking up at Amelia.  About this time Lina and Gourry, surprised by the way Zel had grabbed Amelia's hand and changed course so abruptly, had caught up and were watching the little drama unfold.  It wasn't every day they got to witness an argument without participating.

 "Zelgadis-san, we can't get married!" Amelia cried, and Zel frowned up at her, his insecurity rearing it's ugly head for a brief moment.

 "You love me, right?" Zel asked, and Amelia nodded so vigorously that her hair swung around her face like a cloud.  "We've already been as close as married people," Zel continued, causing Amelia's face to heat up as Gourry and Lina grinned at her.

"So why can't we get married?  Is it because of my appearance?  You are a royal princess, after all."

 "No, of course not!" Amelia said vehemently, glaring at Zel with blue eyes that snapped like wild fire.  "It's because I'm a princess!"

 "I just said as much, didn't I?" Zel asked oh so casually, getting to his feet and trying not to let the feelings of hurt and betrayal show on his face, but Amelia saw it anyway.

 "No no, you idiot," she said softly, putting her hand on his cheek.  "It's because Daddy would kill both of us if we didn't wait until returning to Saillune to get married.  There's quite a bit tradition and ceremony and a lot of pomp that goes into a royal wedding.  The people expect it, the nobles expect it, it's just the thing that's done."

 "We'll get married here and not have to go through all the hassle of a royal wedding," Zel said, meaning, "I won't have to be put on display."

 "I'm sorry, but even if we did get married here, Daddy would still insist on trying to hide it from everyone until a royal affair could be put together."

 "Well, then, it'll just have to be hidden.  You're a princess, I love you, and I'm damn well going to do right by you," Zel said, and clamping his hand on hers again, proceeded towards the church, not giving Amelia a chance to dig in her heels again.

"Lina, Gourry, are you coming to witness this or are you going to stand there grinning like loons all day?" he tossed over his shoulder.

 "Have you noticed that Zel's really relaxed a bit ever since he and Amelia got together?" Lina asked, as she and Gourry watched the two figures vanish into the church, Amelia still protesting that it just wasn't done.

 "Amelia's good for him," Gourry said simply, then grinned down at Lina.

 "That's the truth," Lina agreed as they followed Zel and Amelia into the church.

 Zelgadis sat in a large, winged back chair in the library, while Lina and Gourry dozed off against each other in the love seat.  He held a large book in his hands, but he didn't turn the pages because he had read the same sentence over and over again.  What was taking Amelia so long?  Surely it didn't take over an hour to tell her father about the marriage.  He was pretty sure that she would leave out the details about what had led up to the marriage, but where her father was concerned, he wasn't sure.
 
He shut the book with a snap, and reached for the glass of wine that a silent footed servant had left on the table.  He had wanted to ask for coffee, but he figured that he didn't need anything else that could wind him up even more.  The glass had just reached his lips with the library door opened with a bang, causing him to start and splash wine all over his face while Lina and Gourry leapt to their feet, ready for battle.  Amelia rushed in and shut the door, then stood leaning her back against them, her chest heaving as she dragged in air.  Zel stared at her.  He knew she had changed clothing when they got back, but he never expected her to look as . . . well, delicious as she did in a pale green gown that displayed her bare shoulders and nipped in at her waist.  The tops of her breasts were slightly visible, and Zel suddenly found himself wanting to go over and slide his hands down the front of her bodice and bare her breasts to his mouth and hands.  Zel quickly shook those thoughts away as Amelia moved away from the door towards him.

 "I took a short cut through the hidden passages in the palace," she said hurriedly, "to let you know that Daddy's on his way, and he's not very happy with us."

 "Is he angry that you married me?" Zelgadis asked, watching as Amelia nervously readjusted the folds of her dress.

 "Oh, of course not!" she assured him.  "He's angry for the reasons I told you when you first got it into your head to get married without telling him first."

 Zel opened his mouth, but didn't get much further because the oak doors were smashed open and the Crown Prince of Saillune stalked into the library, slamming the doors shut behind him.

 "YOU!" He roared, pointing a finger at Zelgadis, who moved backwards the slightest bit.

 "Daddy, you promised!" Amelia cried as she ran towards her father, who was starting to advance on Zel the way Lina approaches a roast chicken.

 "YOU WILL NOT BE STAYING IN THE SAME ROOM!" Phil continued to roar, but was suddenly cut off as Amelia leapt onto him and slammed both her hands over his mouth.

 "DADDY!" she yelled, instantly getting everyone's attention as Phil swiveled his eyes around to look at her.  "Keep your voice down, you promised!" she continued in a hiss.  "If you want to give Zelgadis-san the ground rules you gave me, and keep our marriage a secret until the 'royal' wedding, you don't need to be trying to shout the roof down!  I guarantee that a dozen royal servants are standing in the hallway with their ears plastered to the door!"

 Phil took a deep breath, reached up and lifted Amelia off of him, before turning to advance upon the hapless oak doors, which somehow sprouted a pair of sweat drops.  He reached out, and pulled the doors open violently.  Instead of the twelve that Amelia had predicted, 48 servants suddenly fell over one another to land in rather compromising positions.

 "YOU PEOPLE HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN TO LISTEN IN ON A PRIVATE CONVERSATION!" Phil yelled at the top of his lungs, causing the pile of servants to be blown out of the library by the sheer volume of his voice.  Once the pile o'eavsdroppers was cleared, Phil calmly shut the doors and turned back to face the four who were eying him with expression, ranging from awe, love, stoic silence, and impressed.  He then began once again to give his rules, but this time in a much softer voice.

 "Damnit!" Zelgadis muttered under his breath as he meandered around the palace.  He had known that Phil's ground rules would be strict, but not getting to even hug Amelia when he saw her was taking it's toll.  Not to mention not getting to do other things, as well.  Zel flushed.  Ever since that first time with Amelia after he had warmed her body from her plunge into the icy lake, Zel had become used to having her beside him every night and waking up next to her in the morning.  She was like his coffee, he turned into a major grump when he didn't wake up to both.  The coffee managed to take some of the edge off, but not having Amelia smiling in her sleep when he woke up was as bad as going two days with no caffeine what so ever.

 It didn't help that Amelia didn't seem affected by her lack of a bed partner.  Of course, she was busy telling all the nobles and what not about her pending marriage; and yes, the marriage was going to take place within the next week, but it had been TWO days of just, "Hello, Zelgadis-san!"  He wanted Amelia's company, he missed her comments and the way her nose would wrinkle whenever she was thinking particularly hard about a problem.  Damnit, he missed her, period.

 As he walked down the hallway, his eyes slid over the walls and the tapestries that hung there.  He wished his eyes were sliding along Amelia's form, his hands following in their trail with his mouth close behind . . . Zel groaned and grit his teeth when he realized that his body had once again reacted with just a slight thought of the princess.  If this kept up, he was going to turn into a basket case.  Not even a bath could relax his muscles, all he did was lay in the water and think about Amelia.  The same thing happened when he went to bed.  Lay and think, lay and think.  Forget about sleeping, especially since Gourry and Lina were in the room next door and they didn't bother to conceal their enthusiasm.  Zel had pondered what effects a Damu Bras through the walls of his room to their room would have, but he didn't really relish the idea of seeing a nude Gourry and Lina having all the fun.  He groaned again.  Damnit, ever since he and Amelia had first . . . gotten together, his mind had slipped further and further into the gutter, and he wasn't quite sure he liked it.

 Zel walked to one of the tapestries and smacked his hand against it, then fell over as the wall gave way underneath his hand.  He found himself half laying in the hallway, and half laying underneath the tapestry, gazing into a small alcove that had opened up in front of him.  The partial wall that he had smacked his hand against had swung open like a doorway, revealing this little hidden niche to the chimera's eyes.  Zel gazed at the hidden area, and an idea began to form in his mind.  He began to smile as his body made itself known yet again.  He knew that Amelia's daily routine brought her by this very spot in about thirty minutes.  Zel's smile broke into a grin, and he quickly moved the rest of his body behind the tapestry, leaving it to fall back into place with a graceful swish.

 Amelia's mind was on the coming meeting with the gathered Saillune nobles.  So far everyone had been pleased with the announcement that she was going to marry, a few even more thrilled that she was marrying Zelgadis Grewyers, descendent of Rezo the Red Priest.  Amelia snorted under her breath.  She wondered what they would say if they found out that Rezo had been responsible for the resurrection of Shabranigdo, and his copy was responsible for the original destruction of Sairaag.  Of course, Zel wasn't responsible for any of that, but still . . . .

 The thought of Zel brought a warm flush to her body, and she chanted in her mind, "Just a few more days, just a few more days."  She had gotten into a ritual of saying those words over and over again, especially at night when she was having trouble sleeping.  She really missed Zel's presence by her side, the way his heat would gently seep into her body, relaxing her and lulling her into a peaceful sleep.  She missed . . . she shook her head, not about to allow herself to go there.  That direction only led to trouble, causing her to drift off during meetings and trip over her own words.

 Speaking of Zelgadis, she really wanted to know where he was at this moment.  In a few hours a formal dinner was going to be held in their honor, followed by a royal ball.  All this was being done in order to introduce everyone to Zel, and hopefully get them used to the notion that Amelia was actually getting married.

 Amelia had just walked past a tapestry that depicted Saillune during earlier times, when a hand suddenly shot out from behind it, clamped over her wrist, and dragged her behind it with such speed that she didn't even have time to cry out.  There came the sound of stone grating against stone, and she found herself sealed in darkness with someone she couldn't identify.  Panic leant her strength as she struggled against the hand that held her, and she opened her mouth to chant a spell.  As if sensing her intention, her assailant jerked her forwards and clamped his mouth over hers.  She began to struggle wildly against him, jerking her head from side to side and making muffled sounds of protest.  The intruder took advantage, and Amelia stiffened in shock as his tongue swept inside her mouth and began to brush against hers.  She drew in her breath, then relaxed as a familiar scent and taste finally made it's way through the panic that had clouded her mind.  As soon as she began to respond to the kiss, Zelgadis released her and stepped back, casting a lighting spell to illuminate the tiny alcove.

 Amelia didn't pause to think.  She drew back her fist and punched him full in the face, then yelped and began hopping around, clutching her injured hand to her chest.  "That was mean, Zelgadis-san!" she chided as she rubbed her throbbing fingers.  "I thought you were a villain."

 "Obviously," Zel murmured, and reached out to take Amelia's bruised hand in his own.  "That's what you get for hitting me."

 "It's no less than what you deserved for scaring me like that," Amelia said with a sniff.  "I could have . . . " the rest of what she was going to say caught in her throat as Zel raised her hand  to his mouth and began to gently kiss it, running his tongue over her fingers as he cast a healing spell.  Amelia's eyes widened and she felt a familiar heat begin to pool in her body.  Desire, she had decided, was both her enemy and her friend.  She watched, fascinated, as Zel continued to administer to her hand, then sucked in her breath when he slowly took one of her fingers into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it in a parody of one of his steamy kisses.

 "Z-Zelgadis-san," Amelia whispered hoarsely, "I have a meeting I have to get to."

 "It can wait a few minutes," Zelgadis said softly.  "Do you have any idea how hard it's been for me to stay away from you?"

 "It's only been two days," Amelia protested, whimpering slightly when Zel pressed his lips to the sensitive area over her pulse.

 "Two days of sheer torture," Zel said roughly, opening his mouth to graze his teeth over Amelia's wrist, feeling her pulse jump.

"All those years alone never prepared me for how much I would want and love you," he continued as he pulled away to look in her startled blue eyes.  "Damnit, Amelia, I've gotten used to you being beside me and it's driving me crazy when you're not!"

 "But it's only for a few more days," Amelia protested.  "I know it' hasn't been easy, I don't like the restriction, either, but we have to think about my father's position."

 "You could have fooled me.  The few times I've seen you you've been rather cheerful," Zel murmured, moving forward a small inch at a time, backing Amelia closer to the wall of the room.

 "If I'm not cheerful, someone will think something is wrong.  I can't have anyone questioning my moods, Zelgadis-san," Amelia said, not realizing that she was slowly backing away from Zel.  "That would lead to questions that I can't answer yet."

 Zel reached out, and braced his hands against the stone wall, while Amelia gave a start when she realized she had backed up against it.  "Amelia," Zel said, bending his face to hers one slow agonizing inch at a time, "You're mine, you belong with me, and we're being kept apart."

 Amelia stared at those beloved features, knowing that what Zel said was true.  Her heart and emotions were screaming at her, telling her to take this time with Zelgadis.  She watched as his face halted, his lips mere inches from her own.

 "You're wrong, Zelgadis-san," she said as she raised her arms and put them around his neck.  "We belong with each other."  She pulled him forward the rest of the way, and sighed as his lips settled over hers.

 Zel's lips moved with aching tenderness over the softness of hers, lightly nipping and probing their silky feeling.  He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth to allow him access.  His tongue swept inside, and he groaned as Amelia's familiar taste of sunshine and strawberries reached him.

 "I've missed you, Amelia," he said against her skin as he moved his mouth from her lips down to her chin.  He nipped the small point, then continued moving downwards until he was kissing along her neck, the slightly rough tone to his skin sliding along her smooth skin, raising goose bumps along her arms.  She tilted her head backwards against the wall, allowing him to explore her at his leisure.  She caught her bottom lip in her teeth and whimpered slightly as he grazed his teeth over her sensitive skin and began to work his way downwards.

 "Zelgadis-san, we need to stop!" Amelia protested when Zel's tongue lightly grazed the tops of her breasts.  "I can't go to the meeting rumpled or with a wrinkled dress, and you have to come with me, too!"

 "I don't care if we miss a meeting," Zel said, as he hooked a finger on the edge of her bodice and began to draw it downwards.  Zel found himself mesmerized by his finger's downward journey.  Amelia was in a pale blue gown that had no sleeves or straps, and looked like it would fall off of her if she bounced to hard.  He was curious to see just how much effort it would take to pull the bodice down, and surprisingly enough it wasn't as easy as he had thought it would be.  Amelia whimpered as Zel pulled down on the bodice harder, and it finally slipped down, baring her breasts to his hungry eyes.

 Amelia sucked in her breath and flexed her fingers into the padding in Zel's dress jacket.  Zel dragged his gaze from the sight of her rosy nipples and gazed into Amelia's eyes, noting with satisfaction that their brilliant blue color had been dimmed with the hazy mist of desire, her lips were moist and parted, just waiting for him.  He didn't make them wait long.

 Zel's mouth slanted over hers, deepening the kiss.  Amelia responded, her tongue becoming involved with Zel's in an intimate duel that was a parody of things to come.  She brought one hand up and ran it through the fine wire that made up Zel's hair, making sure to pay attention to Zel's sensitive ears, carefully massaging them and eliciting a groan from the chimera.

 Zel jerked his mouth from Amelia's and began to kiss along her delicate and stubborn jaw line as Amelia's hands began to run up and down his chest, then slipped underneath his jacket to caress the hard planes of his body.  Zel groaned into her skin as he raked his teeth over the sensitive area along her neck, and was rewarded with Amelia's in drawn breath as her fingers clenched on the fabric of his undershirt.

 "Amelia," Zel groaned, and felt Amelia nod against him.

 "I want you now," Amelia replied, moving her hands to fumble urgently at the fastenings on his dress pants.  Zel moaned as Amelia's nimble fingers unsnapped the fastenings of his pants and slipped inside to encircle him.

 "I thought," Zel managed to grate out as Amelia bit down carefully (making sure not to chip a tooth) on his lower lip, "That we had a meeting to get to."

 "It can wait a few minutes," Amelia replied, echoing Zel's earlier words.

 Zel bit back a groan as Amelia moved her hand along his length, and began to slowly gather the folds of Amelia's skirt in his hands, slowly raising the hem up until it reached her waist.  He freed one of his hands and slid it up her leg, around to her inside thigh and then higher.  Amelia sucked in her breath as Zel cupped her, letting his fingers play in a way that had her arching her back against the rough stone wall, her breath escaping her throat in a whimper.  Zel grinned a bit as he leaned in and gently bit the side of Amelia's neck, eliciting another groan from the princess as she tilted her head a bit to allow him better access to her throat.  Taking advantage of her invitation, Zel ran his tongue up her neck and gently bit her jaw, before returning his lips to hers, plunging his tongue into her mouth to be met with her own as they dueled.

 Amelia, vaguely aware of the passage of time and the fact that her body was crying out for Zel's, wrapped one of her legs around his waist and pressed herself to him.  Zel groaned as he felt her heat come into intimate contact with him.  Zel's restraint went to the wind as she shifted and rubbed against him, and he reached down to gently move the silken barrier aside, replacing it once again with his hand.  He gently slid a finger inside, finding her hot and ready.

 Amelia arched her back again, fire licking along her veins as a familiar and much missed heat pooled in her belly as Zel's long tapered finger slid inside.  "Zelgadis," she whispered, desperately trying to convey what she wanted by shifting her hips against his hand, silently crying for the release that only he could bring.

 "Shhhhh," Zel whispered, as he gently removed his finger, bringing a disappointed moan from Amelia's lips, which turned into a gasp as he reached down and grasped her under her thighs, bringing them up off the floor and spreading them until she was completely vulnerable to him.  Her knees and lower legs hung over his arms, and her back was carefully braced against the wall as Zel leaned in to gently clasp her earlobe between his teeth.  Amelia hadn't removed her hands from his shoulders, and she now used that leverage to help balance herself a bit.  She felt very open and vulnerable this way, and opened her mouth to tell Zelgadis so just as he pushed the tip of himself into her.  Her words broke off on a gasp of pleasure as he slowly slid his way inside, sheathing himself in that most intimate of places.

 Amelia's legs tightened over his arms, and her hands once again clenched in the fabric of his shirt as he slowly drew himself out, then thrust back into her.  Amelia's head fell back against the wall as Zel returned his mouth to her neck, lightly nipping and licking the flesh he could reach, bending down even as he increased his tempo slightly to take one of her nipples into his mouth, suckling and gently worrying the hardened bud with his teeth.  Amelia's mouth opened on a silent cry as she arched her back again, bringing her breast into closer contact with Zel's mouth as she met him thrust for thrust.  She was the one who increased the tempo again, the fire in her belly telling her she was close to her release.  As Zel thrust faster inside of her, she felt that familiar sensation start to crawl up the back of her throat, tightening the muscles in her body until she exploded around him, clamping down on him and holding him in place, her mouth buried in his neck as she fought to contain her scream of release.

 The feel of her tight warmth clenching and unclenching around him was enough to send Zel himself over the edge, and he groaned in his throat as he let go, relishing in the warmth that was only Amelia.  The two stayed locked together for several heartbeats, before relaxing.  Zel slowly withdrew from Amelia's body, sighing as her warmth left him and he carefully sat her feet back on the ground.  He left her skirt up for a second, making sure her panties were back in place before lowering the skirt and smoothing it out.  He glanced up and found Amelia's eyes still dazed with residual passion, and smirked a bit as he fixed the bodice of her gown, hiding her breasts from view once again.  Zel carefully rearranged his own clothing, then placed his hand on Amelia's cheek.  She slowly focused her eyes on him, and smiled, happiness nearly radiating from her entire countenance.

 "Do you think we're presentable?" Zel asked, smiling slightly as Amelia flushed.  She quickly ran her hands over her own dress, then gazed at him.

 "I think we're presentable.  We better go, Daddy hates to be kept waiting," Amelia replied.  Zel nodded once and extinguished the lighting spell, reaching over to open up the concealed door.  Amelia waited for a beat, straining to hear any sounds outside in the hallway.  When silence continued to hold court, Amelia stepped out followed closely by Zel, who paused long enough to ensure that the door was closed once again.

 Amelia set off down the hallway with Zel close behind her, smiling a bit when he said, "Tell your father you had to find me in the library.  He won't mind that we're late."

 "True," Amelia replied as she turned a corner.  "The palace library is rather mazish.  Oh, here we are.  Ready?"

 Zel turned to find Amelia smiling at him, her eyes soft and warm with love and encouragement, and he smiled back, understanding why she wasn't reaching out to take his hand.  They couldn't appear THAT close just yet.

 "Ready," he replied softly, and Amelia pushed open the large ornate doors and stepped inside.

 Zel felt like the proverbial bug under one of Rezo's microscopes.  Well, at least the ones that Eris had looked under, because heaven knows Rezo himself couldn't have seen a bloody thing.  He knew that no one was staring at him directly, that would have been bad manners.  Instead, they stared at him out of the corner of their eyes, a few even maneuvered around to get a better look when their view was impaired.

 He felt Amelia lightly touch his shoulder, and he relaxed a bit.  The initial meeting had gone well, no one had seemed shocked or horrified at Amelia's choice for a husband, though one of the younger male attendees had looked like he had swallowed a lemon.  As it was, Zel found himself fighting an almost overwhelming urge to hook his finger under the collar of his tuxedo and tug.  The only reason he was doing this was because of Amelia, and he kept telling himself that he needed to get used to this type of situation because it was sure to be a common one over the coming years.

 "Hey Zel, you should go get some food, the spread is AMAZING!"

 Zel grinned slightly as Gourry and Lina, their plates piled so high that they could barely see over the food, made their way back to the table reserved for the four of them.  Zel took a mental count, and realized that he had seen both Lina and Gourry pass by him and Amelia no less than six times.

 "I hope the staff prepared enough food," he whispered to Amelia as she smiled politely and accepted another noble's well wishes.

 "I'm sure.  When they found out Lina Inverse-Gabriev was going to be at the feast, they took it up as a personal challenge to ensure that the food didn't run out," Amelia replied.

 "So they're wanting to see if they can beat Lina's bottomless stomach?" Zel asked, amused.

 "Exactly."

 Zel decided to continue keeping mental track of the times Gourry and Lina headed to and from the table, wanting to see the kitchen staff succeed in their self imposed challenge.  Zel was brought out of his musings when he felt Amelia take his hand, and he became aware of the sudden hush that had fallen over the crowd.  The same noble that had worn the sour expression during the meeting was approaching, and from the way the man was weaving around it was obvious he was rather drunk.

 "Heh," the man leered, "So the little princess is marrying someone else, is she?"

 "I don't recall there ever being anything said about me marrying you, Lord Jared," Amelia replied, her voice tight.

 "It was a logical conclusion to come to, Princess Amelia, seeing as how my kingdom borders your Western territory," Jared said, then turned and gave Zel a good once over.  He snorted, and waved one hand dismissively, and raised his voice so that everyone in the ballroom could hear him.  "What I find ludicrous is that you're serious about marrying THIS abomination!"

 There was a roar of silence as all conversation halted, then, "DON'T YOU DARE CALL MY HUSBAND AN ABOMINATION YOU BASTARD!  VISFA RANK!" and while everyone was still reeling from hearing the princess tell off the lord, Amelia smashed her magically enhanced fist into his sneeringly aristocratic face, the force sending him flying over the heads of the other nobles to crash into the far wall, his nose spurting blood.  Amelia, snarling, stalked forward, intent on doing sever bodily harm to the man that had insulted Zel so crudely, when a familiar arm encircled her waist and hoisted her off the ground.  She kicked her feet futilely for a moment, then realized it was hopeless and stopped.

 "Put me down, Zelgadis," she growled, then felt a rumble pass through Zel's chest, vibrating it a bit against her back.  The rumble happened again, stronger, and then he was standing there, holding her back against him and laughing.  Granted, it wasn't a head thrown back/mouth wide open laugh, in fact, it was more of a chuckle, but it was a laugh all the same.

 "Amelia," Zel said, grinning at her when she turned her head to stare at him.  "I love you."
 
Amelia's anger left her at those simple words, and she smiled back at him before turning to glare out at their audience.  "Let it be known," she said, her clear voice ringing out and her words not losing their impact because she was still being held off the floor by Zel, "That anyone else with a personal comment to say about my intended can consider themselves to be, not only an enemy of Saillune, but my own personal enemy.  It is unjust to judge a person by their appearance only, and Saillune will have nothing to do with anyone that does so!"

 Zel stole a covert glance at Phil, and was surprised to find him nodding along with  his daughters words.  He knew Saillune and her royal family took justice seriously, but he never imagined that they would take it to this extreme.  With a rueful smile, he returned Amelia's feet to the ground and released her, missing the warmth of her body pressed up against him.  Amelia turned to face him, and the orchestra struck up a slow waltz, trying to cover up the awkward silence that had descended after Amelia's small speech.

 "Shall we dance?" Amelia asked, reaching out to take Zel's hand.

 "Isn't it customary for the man to ask the woman to dance?" Zel asked teasingly as he led her out to the floor.

 "Usually," Amelia smiled back, laughing a bit as Zel swung her into his arms and began to move to the music.

 "Hey, Amelia, great job!" Lina called out as she and Gourry moved into position beside them, angling her head so that they could talk.

 "Did you two give up on the buffet?" Amelia asked, stunned.

 "Nah, we're taking a break because we emptied out the table.  We wanted to give them a chance to reload it," Lina grinned, then lightly bopped Gourry on the head for stepping on her toe because he had glanced over to make sure they were stocking  up the food table.

 Amelia shook her head and gave herself over the music and the feel of her husband's arms around her.  Truly, despite all it's bumps, snags, forks, sudden curves, and cliffs, life was good.

 Amelia and Zel were formally "married" in the chapel of Ceifeed the day after the ball.  There was only one small hiccup in the ceremony, and that had been when Lina nearly fire balled one of the ushers for telling her that if she was looking for the drag show tryouts down the street, she was out of luck because all other activities had been postponed for the day of the marriage.

 The years rolled by with it's share of arguments and make-ups that always punctuate any relationship, be it one of friendship or love.  Lina and Gourry had stuck around the city for a week, then had harried off to parts unknown, keeping touch with Zel and Amelia in order to update them on their adventures.  Every now and then the sorceress and her swordsman would return to Saillune for a visit, but they never stayed for over a week.

 As for Amelia and Zel, they would sometimes take off from their duties as the Crown Princess and her consort in order to go exploring new areas in search of Zel's cure.  Anybody that knew the princess and her consort, however, knew that the cure was now just an excuse for the two to get away from the pressures of the kingdom and spend time alone with each other.  For once Zel was truly happy, and that happiness allowed him to stop obsessing so much over his looks, because Amelia loved him in spite of them, and for the chimera, that was all that mattered.  He knew that if they ever DID find his cure he would use it to it's full advantage, but it was no longer the major driving force in his life.

 Amelia, for her part, asked all diplomats and foreign delegations about magic, temples, and any legends that hailed from their countries.  Yet she was also aware of Zel's new found happiness, and she basked in the knowledge that she had helped him to find it.  True, Zel and Amelia had their share of arguments and problems like any other married couple, but they were also looked up to and admired by others for their happiness and enjoyment of each other's company.  Neither one could have ever predicted that when they had first met they would form a strong loving bond and eventually marry.  But they had, and despite the hardships and difficulty that any new married couple faced, they faced it together, working as partners the way they had ever since that first tandem Ra Tilt.

End.

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