"You're not leaving the city," the Regent declared in that cool, mysterious monosyllabic manner that his daughter had never quite been able to duplicate.
"But I want to see all those people that depend on us to provide Justice." Her father arched an eyebrow, and shook his head sadly. He always acted like that whenever she talked about Justice.
"No, its not safe," he answered, it was amazing how she could act so much like her mother without having ever known her.
"Dad, I'm an excellent swordswoman, you've been teaching me magic since I could read, and I'm a chimera."
"You're a chimera," he agreed, then turned towards his desk to look over some documents with exaggerated attention. Amethyst rolled her purple eyes, and shrugged her shoulders, determined not to lose this arguement.
"But isn't that a good thing?" she asks.
"Here, you're the crown princess," he told her. "Out there you're...different." Amethyst scratched her head, confused.
"But isn't diverisity necessary?" it was almost a direct quote from one of her tutors. Zelgadis smiled, she was distracted from her request, this was good.
"People fear what they do not understand," he explained.
"But why would..." she narrowed her eyes, unbeknowest to him acquiring a fair similarity to her father. "Wait a minute...this isn't what I was here for." Zelgadis sighed, well it was only a matter of time before she finally caught on to that trick.
"Isn't it time you were practicing your sword technique?"
"Daaad, I want to travel like you and mom did," she declared.
"No, you aren't ready for what's out there."
"Aren't you always saying that someday all this training was going to save my life?"
"Yes, but..."
"And aren't you always saying that I should get as strong as I can?"
"Yes," okay when did she learn to use his own words against him. "But still..."
"Well I can't get any stronger just sitting around here all the time, can I?" she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please dad, I want to be the best I can be."
"You have a point," he conceded. "Perhaps it is time for you to learn about life outside these walls." She shrieked happily and hugged him after hopping off the floor. She hit the ground with a hard click, her ivory skin contacting the solid stone of castle floor.
"Oh Thank you, thank you," she repeated excitedly. Then her father cleared his throat, she settled down and stood demurelly and obediantly waiting for the conditions. Zelgadis looked her over quietly, he had never quite figured out his daughter's ability to go from hyper to quiet in a bare instant.
"You will have to bring an escort," she started to protest. "And perhaps I know where you should start."
"I was going to look for Lina Inverse," Amethyst gulped as her father whipped around and stared at her. "Everybody knows about the slayers, Dad. You, mom, Gourry, Lina and Xellos."
"Yes, but most people thinks that Lina Inverse is dead, she wanted it that way," he noted. "You've been in your mother's things." She pouted.
"How else am I going to learn about her, nobody will tell me anything other than the stories about the slayers, and I suspect they alter them." She narrowed her eyes again. "Lina's letters seem to indicate that she fell in love with Xellos after she died."
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter," he grumbled. "If you head East and look for a woman named..."
"Filia? The Dragon-Maid?" Zelgadis stared at her for a moment.
"You've got this fairly well planned I see," he commented.
"Well, umm, Dad...you see..."
"Never mind, you are my daughter, I should have expected you to find things out on your own," he admitted. "Yes, go find Filia, she'll know how to find Lina."
"Thank you dad, I'll prepare immediately." She bounced away happy to be seeing one of her Dad's former companions. She'd snuck into the tomb of heros once or twice to see the tombs of her grandfather, mother and Xellos, but Lina was alive, and she could probably tell Amethyst about her mother. Maybe, she doubted it, but maybe, Lina could tell her how her mother died.
Xalan set the staff across the back of his shoulders and curled his arms around it. He let them drop, making him look almost like he was dragging a plow, as he considered where to go from here. He normally didn't have trouble following a scent or trail, but looking for his sister was a different matter entirely. His ears perked as he caught the suppressed giggle. Xalan sighed and twirled his staff off his shoulders, poking it into the shadow of the tree behind him.
"Hey! Stop that," he poked a couple of more times, eliciting a hyper giggle. "That tickles, stop it!" He set his staff on the ground and watched as his sister's purple haired head, peeked out of the shadow. It was one of those things they could do that their mom said came from their father. "How'd you find me anyway?"
"You laugh too much," he said sitting down as his sister walked all the way out of the shadow and sat down. Over her doe-skin tunic and breeches she was wearing a glittering set of blue scale mail. "Now, can we get back before mom notices you took her armor...again."
"Ummm, not yet," she decided. "Hey, you want to see what I found?" Xina snapped to her feet and started running off.
"Come on, Xina!" he shouted after her. "We don't have, all that much time."
"Oh, don't be such a worry wort, Xal," she turned around stuck her tongue out at him. Xalan's ears perked in surprise then laid back in annoyance as his red furred tail swished along with his mood.
Xina finally stopped at the cliff overlooking the road through the forest. Xalan came up to join her and saw a small, if well armed, camp down below.
"Its just a bunch of inbred nobles," he grumbled.
"I'll bet Val would be interested," his sister whuffed in annoyance, tail flicking once.
"Val's a dragon, he's interested in anything with money," Xalan stood up and started to turn away, then he noticed somebody stretch and walk away from the camp. He sat back down again and watched her. "I'm going to get a closer look."
"See, I knew you'd be interested," Xina smiled triumphantly.
"Quiet, they'll hear you," Xalan whispered as he slipped forward. He eventually found himself sitting in a shadow high in a tree watching the figure that had caught his eyes. He didn't know precisely where Xina was, but that wasn't exactly top on his mind any more.
The girl wasn't much younger than him, maybe sixteen or seventeen, a fairly young noble to be out on her own with such a small guard. He couldn't help but whuff in disgust at what nobles felt they needed for safety, he and Xina were well capable of handling themselves by thirteen. Still, he suspected this girl could handle herself well without the guard.
She had stiff hair, like steel wire perhaps, he first thought it might be silver, but the smell was thankfully wrong. Her skin was sleek and white almost like ivory, spotted here and there with what looked like outcroppings of translucent purple crystal or gems. She smelled like pure metal and unblemished stone. Yes, he had been right, the girl was a chimera like in his mom's stories.
"Hey are you looking at that girl?" Xina asked suddenly nearly slamming into him. Xalan wheeled his arms, desperately trying to keep his balance, and failing.
"Whoaa!!!" he was aware of free fall and then slamming into the ground. "Damn it, Xina!"
"Sorry!"
"Excuse me, but you shouldn't spy on people like that," Xalan looked up into the face of his object of study only a few moments ago.
"Yeah, well we live in this forest," he retorted. "And you're just passing through, so who's got a stronger case here?" He stood up and brushed himself off, as Xina dropped down next to him. The girl, obviously the noble of the party as the guardsmen were now moving to back her up.
"Should we run these....creatures off?" one of them asked.
"Why should I want you to do that?" she asked, surprising both Xina and Xalan. They hadn't really been concerned with the guardsmen, but it was still a surprise that this noble girl hadn't taken offense yet. "They're right, they live here we don't."
"Boy, I thought she was a noble," Xina said blinking. "She doesn't seem nearly as stuck on herself as she should."
"Xina..."
"I am a noble," the chimera responded. "I'm Princess Amethyst Lina Greywyrds-Sailoon." Xalan nodded, the name suited her. "Though, my father would agree with you actually."
"Hey, our mom's name is Lina!" Xina declared.
"Really, what are your names?"
"I'm..."
"We're Xina and Xalan Metallium!" Amethyst blinked, and the guards shuffled in surprise.
"As in Xellos Metallium?" she asked, her voice carrying an awestruck tone.