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When Amelia entered the dressing room she found Zelgadis pacing back and forth, swinging his arms to and fro. He took long easy strides making the fabric of his pants contract and release against his legs creating a soft rustling sound.
"Stop pacing or you'll get all sweaty," she said standing in front of him, gaining his attention. He stopped and stared at her for a second, taking in her appearance and how well the little black dress she wore fit.
"Stop that," he yell mentally at himself turning around to sit down.
"I know you're nervous about the crowning ceremony but getting agitated isn't going to help things."
"I suppose so," he said smiling faintly staring at the floor, "It's just that once we find out what happened things can go back to the way they were, nothing has to change."
"Zelgadis, everything has changed," she whispered. He knew that already but held onto the stubborn hope that it wasn't true. He couldn't bring himself to say it, to admit that the solitude and constant control of feelings no longer seemed satisfactory, that inside him a rebellion had begun. He looked at the princess sitting beside him quietly waiting in that dress that brought out the smooth olive complexion of her skin and molded itself to her curves an the feeling that had seized him the night before began to creep up on him, and this time he fought it violently.
"Amelia, I think you should-"
"Leave? No, I'm not going to let you sit here in a stupor."
"I'm not in a stupor, just a little nervous that's all and I'd like a few minutes to myself."
"No," she repeated.
"Amelia!"
"Something's going on inside you, I don't know what it is but you don't have to deal with it alone. Why are you so keen on me leaving?"
He didn't respond, but simply stared at the floor and tried to regain his senses. "I want you to leave because I'm turning into some sort of pervert, What's wrong with me," he thought angrily.
"Sometimes a feeling can be so strong, so intense that it overwhelms you like a tidal wave and sometimes we respond to that wave in the wrong way, so overwhelmed are we by it," a soft voice whispered to him. "But just because that feeling is overwhelming doesn't make it bad, it can lead to wonderful possibilities. Facing an unknown thing is never easy, sometimes the results are good other times not but to face it is much better then to run from it."
Zelgadis turned and looked at the princess in amazement. She had summed up the gambit of his emotions eloquently when he had felt they were undescribable. "Believe it or not I do understand how uncertain and afraid it can all make you," she smiled removing a strand of hair from his face. "I also know that once you deal with these feelings they don't seem so inauspicious."
He felt the lower inside of her palm brush his lips slightly as she touched his face. The sensation made him close his eyes and sigh quietly as his momentary urge sunk back down within the depths that it had risen from and replaced with gratitude for her compassion and sadness at that fact that he seemed to be receiving a lot of it lately.
"Sad eyes do not become such a handsome face," she whispered as tears began to fall, "Please don't look so sad, everything will be all right, I promise." The look of his face, the lost lonely expression it took pained her so much she couldn't stop the tears from coming.
"It's not like that I -, please don't cry Amelia," he said wiping away her tears. "I'm just confused about things and its getting to me," he shrugged making light of things. "You don't have to worry about me."
"But I do worry, I can't help myself," she sighed apologetically for her next action as she lightly kissed him on the cheek.
"This is why I wanted you to leave, because I didn't want this to happen," he said as she pulled back from him.
"I see," she said quietly, "I didn't realize my kissing you makes you so violently ill," she said recalling his earlier withdrawal and how he seemed to shake every so slightly.
"That's not what I meant. It was just that you . . . you and OH," he sighed at a lost for words. "Your kissing me doesn't make me ill," he finally said. "It's just with all that's . . . happened between us lately we aren't ourselves and I didn't want things to get more complicated then they are." "Then I've already made them," he thought.
"You can if you still want to," she whispered and he looked at her confused. "I won't expect anything, I understand that you need time to think but if you still . ." she stammered blushing.
"THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I DON'T WANT," he said standing up. "I don't need your pity, you feeling sorry for the freak. I don't need your charity."
"CHARITY," she cried, "you call me sitting here begging you to kiss me after you say that's what you were thinking, charity," she said grabbing his arm and yanking him forcefully back down onto the couch. "If anything I feel like the one who's asking for charity, AND HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, YOU ARE NOT A FREAK ! Why did I ever fall for someone who's so stubborn."
"Why can't you see that I'm not what you want?"
"Why can't you see that you're everything I want," she countered, moving closer to him until he was trapped between her and the armrest.
"I'm not what you want Amelia. I can't be what you expect, some great and mighty champion of justice or some handsome prince from the kingdom next door."
"What I want is for you to be happy, to see you smile and not be afraid of what you feel. I just want you to be you no one else," she cried.
"You say you want the best for me, that you want me to be who I am and be happy, but there's something else you're not saying. What else, what else do you want from me," he asked staring at her directly.
"You don't want to know the answer to that." she rasped. He knew she only had good intentions in the end, he also realized that she had feelings of her own that she was grappling with just as he was and her reserves were cracking right before his eyes.
"Obviously I do or I wouldn't have asked."
She looked at him and he could see her eyes cloud over with emotions of the likes he had never seen in her. It wasn't the angry, vivid passion for living that he had seen the night before, this was something he couldn't put words to, that moved him with its intensity. She moved closer to him and touched his face once more, teasing his lip with her thumb as she inched closer to him. A second later her lips were on his kissing him fervently, passionately. He couldn't do anything but submit to her. She broke away from him and stared at the wide eyed expression on the chimera's face. They were still inches apart, his raged breathing felt warm and moist against her neck as she leaned closer to his ear.
"What I want is for you to kiss me until I'm delirious, to hold me tight, to want me and care for me as much as I do you," she started in a low voice laced with all the pent up emotion and frustration she felt. " You have every right to be sorry for what happened last night and not for the reasons you think. For so long I imagined what it would be like to kiss you to have you touch me and then last night . . . let's just say that reality is far better then anything I could have ever imagined. Ever since we found out about that dream I have been fighting the urge to pounce on you and shower you with kisses until oblivion. You have no idea of what I feel, don't have a clue about what I desire or how much I ACHE just to have you look at me," she ended vehemently. "I understand what it is to be overwhelmed by waves of emotion. The day I realized how I felt about you I began to drown in those waves. The last thing you will have from me is charity," she finally ended angrily pulling away from him, staring at him. "I understand a lot more then you could ever imagine, like why you fight this so hard. But part of me wants to smack you upside the head in the hopes that it will knock some sense into you."
This was a side of herself she didn't let loose in front of others and this knowledge he felt he had been privy to a unique secret. Instead of seeing a princess who cared for justice and compassion of others, here sat a woman who was dealing with her own emotions and the consequences of acting on them. A woman who's passion had a primal, animalistic air that part of him found appealing as much as he wanted to fight it. He had felt that his assessment of her being a girl was wrong and the last few days he had started to see her for the woman that she was and now he saw that she was a complex one
"You are the last person who needs charity when it comes to wanting someone to kiss you," he started. "I didn't mean to make you angry or drive you to such lengths. I'm sorry I went off like that, you have feelings about this whole situation like I do and I should have been understanding of that. I'm sorry Amelia. Can you except my apology?"
"I accept your apology," she smiled. "Just try to keep the moodiness, and jumping to conclusions to a minium okay?"
"Okay," he nodded, "Are we all right now, I mean were aren't fighting anymore," he asked tentatively. The one thing her knew for certain throughout all of this was he didn't like arguing with her, even though the end result seemed to be them kissing.
"Yes, we're fine," she smiled weakly, "We'll be able to figure things out once this is all over with and we have some answers."
"Something's still bothering you though isn't it," he asked.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, "I'm sorry I forced you to kiss me," she added hurriedly. "You asked me not to and I took advantage of the situation. "I'm really sorry, its just that everything seemed to come out of me at once and I-I,"
"Couldn't think?"
"Yes," she sighed.
"Weren't you the one telling me not to apologize for your feelings?"
"Yes, but this is different. You didn't force me to kiss you and I liked it," she answered.
"Who said this was any different from what happened last night," he whispered and she stared at him confused. Amelia was about to ask what he meant when a knock came from the door.
"Mr. Greywords, its an hour before show-time is there anything you'd like, coffee or tea maybe," the stagehand asked.
"No thank you," the chimera answered.
"Sure thing,' the stagehand said and left.
"You still have to finish getting dressed, So I'll see you at show time," the princess smiled and rose to leave and Zelgadis followed her opening the door. He watched as she left and wondered about what had just transpired between them. He also wondered where she was headed off to whether or not she was going to have her own private stupor like the one she thought he would have. He quickly decided that he had plenty of time to finish getting ready and with that he murmured a concealment spell and silently followed the princess.
Amelia walked until she reached the stairs and headed for the conference room. Once inside she closed the door, stretched out on the conference table closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
Inhale. "Maybe you should have listened to him when he asked you to leave, pushing him may make him pull away. But he didn't in the end, that's a god thing. Exhale.
Inhale. "I can't believe I forced him to kiss me."
"Maybe he liked it," a little voice inside her whispered.
"I don't like it when I'm forced to do something why would he?" Exhale.
"She looks like one of the paintings my mother use to show me as a kid," he thought silently watching her. The Cherry wood table made her skin look as if it glowed under the surfaces rich hue, an also created an interesting contrast to her petite form with her hair spilled all around her head. He was only following her to make sure she was all right, he kept telling himself as he sat down a few feet away and looked on.
Inhale. "But he didn't seem upset about it. This is completely dysfunctional. The only time I get close with him is in the heat of the moment during a fight. I don't want things to be like that. Exhale.
Inhale. "First I have a dream where I tie him up and now I force him to kiss me. Oh no, maybe . . . maybe I'm turning into some sort of kinky pervert. Exhale.
Inhale. "Okay, I'm not a kinky pervert. I mean, I could be kinky, the good kind if , STOP THAT!! Exhale.
Inhale. "I'm just feeling a lot of things all at once and I can't control it and there's no one to talk to. Although talking with Lina this afternoon really helped. Exhale.
Inhale. "The control thing, maybe that's what he meant by last night not being any different from what just happened .He understood that I lost myself because he'd been going through the same thing." Exhale.
Inhale. "He cares about me as a friend, he said so, but could there really be more or am I just making a fool out of myself? He couldn't kiss me the way he did or be so concerned about hurting me if he didn't feel something. He was so warm and tender and . . .*sigh* I don't think I could stand it if I couldn't have another moment like that again." Exhale.
Inhale. "I apologized, he excepted, things will be all right, no matter what we'll still be friends and in the end that's what matters the most, our friendship." Exhale.
After several minutes had passed she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, sighed then turned her head to face the unseen chimera. "He probably thinks I'm a pervert. Maybe not a pervert but still . . ." she smiled in thought.
Zelgadis watched her smile and her eyes twinkle slightly and felt relieved at seeing this positive sign. She laid there quietly for a few moments until the door opened.
"Amelia?"
"Oh hi Lina," the princess smiled sitting up. Zelgadis watched as the expression on Amelia's face changed, no longer revealing any trace of the emotions that had erupted from her not so long ago and that she was still dealing with before the sorceress's entry.
"What's up," the red head asked as she joined Amelia on the table.
"Oh nothing, Zelgadis is in his dressing room getting ready, so there's nothing for me to do except wait."
"I know what you mean, Bubbles and Daisy are helping Gourry figure out what to wear. I gave up trying after they couldn't decide about the socks so I left," Lina shrugged. "How have things been with you an Zel today?"
"Everything's fine," Amelia answered.
"I'm really sorry about teasing you, you know and I meant what I said yesterday and this afternoon about if you needed to talk."
Zelgadis knew Lina had her moments of understanding, but it was interesting to see them without her trying to cover it up with her usual carefree attitude toward everything. "I wondered what they talked about," he thought and continued to listen.
"I know its just there's so much and I - sometimes it feels like it would be easier to let it go and just be friends. Then I think about the alternative, not feeling the way I do or denying my feelings and that's unthinkable, Lina," She sighed, "I keep thinking about what you said about everything working out for the best, so that's what I'm hoping will happen."
"Things are going to be fine. I've seen the future and I think you're going to like how things turn out," Lina said melodramatically. "You're supposed to be psychic right ? So naturally you've already seen it too."
"No tell me," Amelia smiled, deciding to play along.
"Well," Lina said standing up, "After Zelgadis gets over his little issues you guys start dating and he gives you flowers and candy and once he tries to serenade you balcony only its not your it's your dad's." Amelia holds her hand over her mouth in a effort to contain her laughter.
"After a while you get married and you have a great honeymoon because of that article in the babblers gives you guys a couple of ideas and . . ."
"LINA," Amelia blushed.
"Then you guys have kids," the redhead continued. "The first one is a little girl with blue skin and large blue eyes and long curly black hair. I, of course am her favorite auntie Lina, who spoils her, lets her eat candy and tells her all the stories of how her father would fuss and fret over you while you were pregnant because he was so excited to be a dad, like how he had all the morning sickness and weird cravings and worried that he would gain weight in all the wrong places."
Amelia couldn't contain herself any longer and laughed hysterically as Lina demonstrated Zelgadis walking around fussing over this in that.
"You guys have some more kids and they have kids that think you guys are cool grandparents. Now with a future as good as that how can you possibly be worried," Lina said the burst out laughing.
Amelia leaned over and gave her friend a hug. "Thanks Lina for cheering me up, you're a really good friend."
"Any time," Lina smiled and they continued talking about other things like the town and the people as their unseen guest quietly slipped out of the room.
Once he returned to his dressing room, Zelgadis sat down and shook his head in laughter, thinking of Lina's prediction of the future.
His little excursion had also made him realize something. One of the reasons he never considered the possibility of being involved with the princess was because he didn't think they had anything in common, their backgrounds being so different that she couldn't remotely understand him. Now he realized that when she said she understood more then he could imagine that she was right and in some ways they were very much alike. This knowledge unnerved him more then anything else that had happened between them because it meant that everything had truly changed and he couldn't deny it any longer.
"Ladies, this is the moment you've all been waiting for . After days of competition between our two contestants, tonight is the night we announce the winners of the Mr. Briseral Pageant and the People's Choice Award."
The audience cheered as Gourry and Zelgadis entered the stage alongside Amelia and Lina. Bubbles and Daisy watched from backstage with their tails crossed as the applause died down and the announcer continued.
"Before we move onto the main events of the evening we have something special for our contestants Image Coordinators." Lina and Amelia looked at each other surprised.
"The executives of the pageant have received a lot of letters and comments about theses two young ladies. So we've decided to present them with the newly created People's Choice of Style Award for their work with Mr. Gabriev and Mr. Greywords."
"Oh wow," they said as they were given small statuettes and flowers.
"This is so nice," Amelia smiled.
"Yeah, this is really cool," Lina agreed as they waved to the audience.
"Now on to the moments you've all been waiting for," The announcer said as the applause died down. "First up is the winner of the People's Choice Award." The announcer opened the envelop that the hostess had handed him, then looked at the audience in surprise, "Ladies this is a first, I'm happy to announce the People's Choice Award goes to both Mr. Gabriev and Mr. Greywords."
"We both won," the chimera and the swordsman said in unison. "But how?"
"Because we all think you're both great," someone shouted from the audience.
"So we chose both of you," another cried.
"Wow, you guys made a really good impression on them," Lina whispered.
"This is a first in Briseral Festival history," the announcer smiled. "And what better time for it to happen then at the festival's 100th anniversary."
More hostesses appeared on stage and presented the guys with bouquets of white long stem roses and satin sashes, kissing them lightly on the cheek.
"And now the winner of the Mr. Briseral pageant is . ." the announcer opened another envelop, "Zelgadis Greywords," he shouted.
Zelgadis stared at everyone in shock as he heard the announcer's words. "I won," he thought, "Me . . . I won a . . .a beauty pageant," he stammered mentally in disbelief.
The hostesses returned to the stage and placed a crown on his headed ,a scepter in his shaking hands and gave him another satin sash. Zelgadis moved in a daze watching as the crowd cheered him and Lina and Gourry wave little victory flags that seemed to appear from nowhere.
Amelia smiled warmly as one of the hostess took his flowers so he could make his victory walk down the stage.
Music played for him and cherry blossom petals were released from the ceiling and floated through the air. "Ladies, our new Mr. Briseral Zelgadis Greywords," the announcer roared as the chimera returned to the main stage. "Tomorrow evening you and your Image Coordinator Ms. Sailunne will be having dinner with chair of the Briseral festival the Big Kahuna."
The ceremony ended quickly with more fanfare and cheers then when it had started, backstage turned into a mad house, the press had managed to get through security. Lina and Amelia issued statements while Zelgadis and Gourry waited in the VIP Lounge where all the flower and stuffed toys from fans had been placed. Bubbles and Daisy waited with them fluttering about excitedly.
"Everybody's really excited about all this, Congratulations Zel," he swordsman smiled. Daisy fluttered over to Zelgadis and congratulated him with a hug making him blush.
"Thank you Daisy," he smiled, returning the shy little dragon's hug. "And Thanks Gourry, Congratulations to you too. I really didn't think I was going to win."
"Well everything worked out the way it was supposed to."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I figured if I won I was going to give the Magic lab to you, but since you won the magic lab is your's so everything worked out great," the swordsman explained.
"But what about the Swordsman Arena, you weren't going to ask for that?"
"Nah, I don't need a whole arena to practice in and besides I figured the magic lab would help you figure out a cure," Gourry shrugged.
"Thanks Gourry I really appreciate that," Zelgadis said.
"Sure, what are friends for," Gourry smiled patting him on the back.
"I still can't believe I won," Zelgadis whispered as Mr. Divine entered the room.
"Okay boys and cute little dragons," at this Bubbles and Daisy squealed playfully. "The press is in the building , but Lina and Amelia are still talking to them. Tomorrow you'll have to make statements and the like but for now we're taking you away from all this and back to the tavern."
"But is it all right to leave the girls here to deal with those people?" Gourry asked.
"Everything is fine, they'll be back at the tavern a little while after you guys get there," the producer explained.
"Okay," the swordsman nodded, excepting the explanation.
"Besides I don't think Zel is ready for the press just yet," Mr. Divine murmured watching as the chimera stared vacantly at his scepter in continued shock.
Lina sat down in the darken dining room of the tavern set form them and sighed. "Man those press people are relentless, I can't remember being asked so many questions in my life."
"They were really anxious, this is a really big event for them I guess," the princess said taking a sip of tea. "I was really nice for te guys to have something warm waiting for us to drink," Amelia smiled as she set down her mug, recalling how the table was neatly set with a lantern and a hot pot of water, mugs and some cookies when they returned.
"All that talking to reporters made my throat dry, I wonder what made them think of this," Lina said eating a cookie.
"Mr Divine said they didn't like the idea of leaving us to deal with the press," Amelia answered thoughtfully.
"Zel didn't really look like he was ready for the public yet. I've never seen anything in shock like that before," the redhead said taking a drink of her tea.
"Do you think I should go talk to him, see if he's all right?" the princess wondered aloud.
"I think so, I'm surprised the guys didn't come down to meet us when we came back."
"Maybe they're both in shock," Amelia mused.
"So how did the press thing go," Gourry asked coming down the stairs and joining them.
"Fine overall," Lina shrugged, "Hey Congratulations on winning People's Choice. How are Daisy and Bubbles holding up"
"Thanks, Congratulations to you guys on your Awards too," the swordsman smiled.
"Thanks Gourry," Amelia smiled.
"Sure thing. Oh yeah, Bubbles and Daisy are asleep in my room."
"Um how's Zelgadis doing?"
"I talked to him a little right after the show. He's still really surprised he won, but he's okay. Do you like the tea?"
"It's great, thanks for leaving it out for us," Lina said.
"If you want to check on Zel, he's in his room Amelia," Gourry said.
"I'll go congratulate him and then turn in," the princess said heading up the stairs.
Gourry poured himself a cup of tea and drank quietly with Lina for a moment. "Maybe this will make Zel feel better about himself," Gourry finally murmured.
"What did you say Gourry?"
"I was just thinking that this may cheer Zel up, winning and all," Gourry explained.
"I think so too," the redhead nodded and poured herself another cup.
Zelgadis lay in his bed and held his crown above him admiring its design, grinning. "I can't believe I won," he thought for the umpteenth time that evening.
After they had come back to the tavern Zelgadis spent several minutes in front of the mirror admiring his crown and scepter while striking a few poses then burst out laughing at his silliness.
His crown was beautifully made and decorated and he couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship. It struck him as being elegant as was the scepter that lay at his side.
When Amelia entered Zelgadis's room she found the chimera lying in bed, quietly studying his crown, when he looked up. "So how does it feel to be the new Mr. Briseral," she smiled closing the door.
"Pretty good," he smiled.
"Congratulations."
"You too. Where are your flowers?"
"I put them in my room before I stopped by," she said taking a seat at the foot of the bed as Zelgadis sat up and placed his crown on the dresser by the window.
"How did things go with the press?"
"Good, there's a parade tomorrow that you and Gourry are the guests of honor at and you have to give statements in the morning at a press conference," she shrugged.
"So how does it feel to be the People's Choice for Style," he smiled.
"Really good ," she smiled shyly.
"There's something I want you to see," the chimera said. He blew out the light one his night stand , grabbed Amelia around her waist and pulled her down on the bed next to him.
"Ze-Zelgadis?" she whispered, blushing as her heart beat faster.
"Look," he pointed as a stream of moonlight flowed into the room, reflecting of his crown creating little dots of light on the ceiling that danced and twinkled.
"It's so lovely," the princess gasped taking in the rainbow colors the light created in each dot.
"When I came in I noticed it before I turned on the lights."
"Your own personal evening sky," she sighed.
"I still can't believe I won," he whispered.
"Of course you won, you're beautiful," Amelia whispered. "Both inside and out, the judges saw it and so did all those people. That's why you and Gourry both won People's Choice, because they saw all the different wonderful things that make the both of you special."
"I wouldn't have gotten that crown if it wasn't for you. You made sure I had the right clothes and was seen at the right places. You really deserve the award you got tonight."
"You could have been dressed in a potato sack and I think you would have still won," she giggled. "I may have helped pick out your clothes but it was you who talked to people and went through all the events. Don't be modest you did a great job," she ended and continued to watch the flickering lights.
It was then that Zelgadis realized that his arm was still around Amelia, but decided not to move it. Tonight was a special occasion and he wouldn't bring all the complex, confusion they were going through up and ruin this nice quiet moment they were sharing as friends.
Amelia lay quietly next to Zelgadis and stared at the dancing lights on the ceiling happily enjoying the feel of his arm around her. She reached over and tentatively placed her arm around him. She waited a moment, giving him the opportunity to pull away and when he didn't she held him a little tighter. "This is so beautiful, thank you for sharing it with me," she said.
"You're welcome," the chimera said blushing in the darkness as the princess cuddled a little closer to him.
"You're really very snuggly," Amelia said dreamily.
"I've got stone skin that's not snuggly," he said blushing deeper.
"That's a lie, your like . . .a pillow."
"A pillow?"
"Yes, you feel cool at first, then you warm up and kind of mold to a perfect fit, just like a pillow does." she said yawning, fighting to keep her eyes open.
"It's getting late," Zelgadis yawned equally tired, "I think we both could use a good nights sleep."
"We'll have a victory breakfast in the morning, all right," Amelia smiled sitting up and stretching.
Okay," he nodded getting up to see her to the door.
"Sleep tight," she smiled then left.
Zelgadis closed the door, put on his pajamas and lay in bed smiling. A few moments later he drifted off to sleep thinking that this was the best day of his chimeric life and how a certain princess helped give it to him.