The Sun, Half Covered [Zel & Amelia; Slayers; PG] (1/5)

[invoking_urania]

Title: The Sun, Half Covered (Chapter 1)
Fandom: Slayers
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery/Action
Words: 23,000 total (5,000 this chapter)
Notes/Warnings: Oh, boy. I started this ages ago. It might be older than my grad school career. I finally finished it for this year's casestory. Art is by sholio. Beta work done by yuuo. Story may have a Zel/Amelia bias, but I think it can be read as friendship.
Summary: Zelgadis's attempts to settle down are not working well. When Amelia asks him to accompany him to the southern frontier of Saillune to investigate reports of sabotage, it certainly sounds like a breath of fresh air. What he finds is a mess of politics and bigotry, and Amelia's attempts to help are hit or miss... and starting to drive Zel nuts. The two of them must work together to find the saboteur, and hope the discovery doesn't touch off a riot in a town divided.
Disclaimer: Slayers copyright Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa/TV Tokyo/Medianet and this derivative work was created without permission.

Index
Chapter 2

There was something about books, Zelgadis mused, as he tried to get his trunk closed. They were worse than rabbits. You keep putting off getting them, knowing what happens when you have more than one, but eventually, you just come to the point when you break down and buy some, and soon they've expanded to fit every bit of space you've given them, and then some. And, unlike rabbits, which can be cut down rather quickly with a butcher knife and a stewpot, books tended to stick around and make themselves useful. 

Zelgadis hadn't kept books when on the road. They were heavy and bulky, and generally difficult to travel with. He had made great use of libraries, copying down pages that looked interesting. Maps, he had bought, and added his own details with pen and ink, sextant and direction spell when he veered off into 'Here Be Dragons' territory. It had actually made him a small sum of coins when he had returned to the Subcontinent -- up-to-date, accurate maps of the Outer World were rare and every youngster with a pigsticker or two-bit Flare Arrow spell thought they would find their fortune in the Outer World, and were quite willing to pay for maps and guides. 

It certainly had paid for Zelgadis's textbooks and writing supplies -- and the trunk, which had closed just fine in the autumn. 

He got off the trunk and knelt on the floor, checking to make sure that nothing was caught in the hinges, when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he said. Probably a student looking for a spare cleaning rag or bucket. 

"Hello, Mister Zelgadis!" 

He looked up. Amelia had grown a bit since he had last seen her. She was dressed for traveling, in a pale green tunic that matched her boots and white pants, with her old cape and belt. "I just arrived this morning, and asked where you were staying," she explained. 

Zelgadis stood up, and offered his hand to Amelia. "Good to see you again," he said.

"You know, this is the first time we've seen each other in person since you left Saillune, Mister Zelgadis." She grinned, taking his hand. "You haven't changed a bit. Ready to go?"

"Still packing," he replied, gesturing to the small room. He had left some of his clothing on the bed, and there was still the matter of the books. Perhaps he could leave a few in the room -- there were a few he wouldn't mind never seeing again. 

"I can help," she said. "I can handle the laundry, while you finish with the books."

"You don't have to..." but she was already sliding past him, towards his rucksack and the clothing. He sat on the trunk again, this time muttering a Lock spell under his breath and hoping the magic would help hold the damn thing shut, while they went through the clothing. He stopped as he heard Amelia giggle. Oh, no... "If you found the robes, the Guild makes me wear them for all official functions."

"And you didn't protest?" Amelia said. "You threw a fit when Miss Lina and I suggested the disguises for Femille." 

"Those are male robes, not female," Zelgadis replied, feeling his face heat up. "I'm not senior enough to have a color yet, so they're just black." Considering it so happened one of the old guildmasters had known Rezo enough to recognize Zel's family name, and had insisted on pointing it out to everyone repeatedly, he would probably be stuck with 'the Red' if he ever got to that point and someone would end up with that page of the Guild records stuffed down his throat. "So just put them down."

"Whatever you say, Mister Zelgadis." He looked over, after the chest finally stayed shut. She was grinning like Xellos with a secret. He wondered if maybe this was payback for the handshake instead of letting her hug him. "I have everything in here." She held up the rucksack, stuffed to bursting. "Let's go." 

He managed to get the trunk out of his room, with Amelia following with his bag. Most of the students had left for the end of term already, though a few remained for extra work over the summer. He noticed them were staring at Amelia as she happily tried to make small talk with him as they walked. Amelia waved at them. "Making any friends?" she asked him.

"Not really. I'm here to study, not to socialize." It had been her idea in the first place -- if even Rezo didn't know of a way to change a chimera to a human, then why not invent a spell that did it himself? Amelia probably hadn't meant it seriously, but when Zelgadis took an interest in it, she helped him get in contact with Atlas City's Sorcerer's Guild again, without reminding him of their role in the Halcyform mess. They insisted that his informal education would never work for the task, and that he'd need to stay for advanced study. So, he'd become a student for a term. 

And even if he had been interested in socializing with other students, most of them didn't know what to make of him. He wasn't even sure if it was his chimera form. Zelgadis had realized early on that his practical education didn't mesh at all with the normal methods of teaching: he was far more advanced at improvisation than his classmates, but most of the professors claimed he was a sloppy caster, which was clearly preposterous. Maybe before he'd tried this, he should have consulted Lina; she was supposedly Guild-trained even if Zel suspected it had been a long time since she had entered a classroom

"That's a shame, Mister Zelgadis," Amelia said. "It's good to have someone around to spend time with, even if you spend time with them studying."

He nodded, pulling the trunk through the door. "I hate to ask, but how did you get here? I don't think I can walk back to Saillune with this thing."

"I brought a coach," Amelia replied. "It's a bit faster than walking, and it will let you carry your books." She opened the door, holding it as he went outside, then followed. 

"I'm going to just ask the dorm mother if she's willing to hold them for me. No sense lugging them over half the continent just to carry them back in the autumn." She could always sell them to some of the other students if he decided not to return -- the city could use every copper piece. 

"That sounds like a good plan," Amelia said. "And you might like the coach road -- it's certainly a different view than you get on foot." 

"You know me and well-traveled routes, Amelia," he said, shifting the weight of the trunk a bit. "I don't like being stared at."

"Oh, don't worry about that," She smiled at him. "I borrowed one of the kingdom's coaches, since I needed to attend to a few things on the way out. It was cheaper than paying the fare for a commercial coach." 

Zelgadis suppressed a sigh. While riding with her would mean he would not be subject of a crowded ride with uncomfortable seat-mates, he would be subject to even more scrutiny at stops, as not only was he a Freakish Monster, but he would be The Freakish Monster That Just Rode in on a Saillune Royal Coach. But, try explaining it to Amelia, who didn't seem to realize how much attention she could draw as the Princess of Saillune. 

"Excuse me, Miss?" A man approached Amelia -- he was too old to be a student, with robes the same color as his graying hair, and Zelgadis didn't recognize him as a professor. His cloak was lined with Sairaag colors, though, which meant either a refugee from Sairaag's Guild, or alumnus of their school. "You wouldn't happen to be Her Highness, the Princess Amelia wil tesla Saillune, would you?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." The change in Amelia's posture was slight, and Zelgadis was certain that the sorcerer wouldn't have noticed it, but she had made the mental shift in gears from Amelia to the Princess of Saillune. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

"Nasim Awel, formerly of the Sairaag Sorcerers' Guild, now Guildmaster of the Jarei Sorcerers' Guild." He bowed. 

"Jarei? That's in southwest Elemekia, isn't it?" Amelia said. "I believe it shares a border with us."

"We're a tributary of the Emprie," Nasim nodded. "I do hope that you'll visit us, Your Highness. The Crown Prince mentioned at the funeral of Sovereign Zureika several years ago that you were away on business to the Outer World. It's good to see you have retuned to the Subcontinent. His Majesty Sovereign Kavei is very interested in establishing good relations with his neighbors. In several months, there will be quite a spectacular solar eclipse visible in the country." 

"When I can arrange it, I will be sure to visit. I've been busy with domestic matters recently." Amelia turned to look at Zelgadis. "And right now, I'm accompanying an old friend back home. This is Mister Zelgadis Greywords, a traveling companion of mine that's completing his studies in Sairaag. Mister Zelgadis, this is Master Awel." She grinned at both of them. 

Zelgadis watched Nasim's expression as he turned towards the chimera. He caught a brief flash of surprise, and saw the man hesitate before offering his hand. Just like I thought, he thought. Not even sorcerers were comfortable with chimeras. "We better get going, Amelia. We've got a long journey ahead of us."

"Well... I suppose you're right." Amelia nodded. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Master Awel. Please convey my regards to King Kavei." 

"One moment, Your Highness," Nasim said. "The reason I was looking for you was that I heard that you had a message waiting for you in the Hall of Visions." 

"Do I?" Amelia blinked. "Well, I better take care of that." She started walking. "You two can keep each other company until I get back. Bye!"

Nasim just looked at Zelgadis, who shrugged. "You get used to her doing that," Zelgadis said.

* * *

Halls of Visions were new things; ever since some clever sorcerers in Atlas City had discovered how to enchant a room to amplify the Vision spell, every Sorcerer's Guild and Temple of Ceipheed wanted a Hall of Visions. Some castles even had smaller versions of them, to allow court sorcerers to collect reports from the countryside. It was designed for one purpose: the enhancement of the spells that allowed images and sounds to be transmitted long distances. With the spells laid into the building, even a novice or apprentice could muster enough power to transmit anywhere in the Subcontinent. The other end was less constrained, provided a sorcerer was present to cast a weaker version of the spell. 

"Your Highness, good afternoon!" The sorcerer on duty couldn't be more than an apprentice himself, and only recognized Amelia when she presented her seal. "I had just sent someone out to find you. There's a message coming in from Saillune for you, from a sorceress."

"Nothing serious, I hope?" She had given a copy of her travel plans to her father, and another to Uncle Christopher, so either could point a message in her direction, but she didn't think someone would bother her on something trivial. 

"She didn't look too upset, so I'm sure it isn't bad news. The Hall is free now, if you'd like to use it." The sorcerer led Amelia through a large set of double doors, with a few magic symbols etched into them. The magic involved in the spell was the most harmless of white magic, but the room did store a lot of magic, which made any sensible spellcaster careful. The sorcerer took the logbook out of the cubbyhole near the doors, and checked it, then began the incantation, before Amelia could mention that she could cast the spell herself.

An image of a woman appeared. She was dressed in the white flowing garb favored in the south, near the Desert of Destruction, with a short, turquoise cape thrown over it. Her skin was heavily tanned, and Amelia saw her put a wide-brimmed hat out of the range of the spell. Amelia looked at her face, trying to place it. It was one of the sorcerers who had signed on to help with the Southern Reclamation Project, she was sure. 

The woman bowed as the sorcerer finished the opening incantation and Amelia stepped into the circle. "Good afternoon, Your Highness," she said. "This is Leigh Halimeda of Redcliffe, in the territory of South Rockfield. I'm sorry to bother you."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Amelia said automatically.

"That's a relief. I was routed through to you after several days talking to people in the capital, none of which could help me." Halimeda folded her arms. "Hopefully, the woman at the top can."

"Well, Daddy and Grandfather are still above me, Miss Halimeda. And I don't have my records on hand -- I'm on personal business right now -- but I can see what I can do." Amelia glanced at the sorcerer, who went to stand at the door and motioned for him to leave. He did, without a word, but that didn't mean no one was listening. If it came down to it, she'd have to ask Miss Halimeda to contact her again once she was back in Saillune, but she didn't think there'd be anything that had to be top secret. "What's the problem?" Amelia asked.

"We've been having some trouble in Redcliffe. It started as little things, misplaced tools and the like. Then the wells starting going dry and when I checked the enchantments, someone had tampered with them. People have been reporting thefts of crops and animals and more sabotage of spells. Then someone damaged the mill's water wheel. 

"Now, everyone's pointing fingers; the whole town's up in factions. Bartalan -- that's our mayor, Your Highness -- he's been trying to keep everyone calm, but, well, it's hard to stay calm when everything takes twice as long due to the problems." Halimeda sighed. "I've talked to the nearby towns and they can't help. They're starting to see the same problems. So far, it's still petty things for them." 

"Do you think it's organized?" Amelia paused, digging through her pack for a piece of scrap paper and a stick of graphite. There had been opposition among the nobles for the project... or just for her implementation of it, she couldn't tell. Organization was a sign of a leader involved, and a leader might be a noble who had decided that, since diplomacy had failed to convince the princess that her pet project was a waste of resources, sabotage might work better. Thankfully the Duke of Rockfield was content to cede the Crown the southern expanses he technically had claim to. He'd told her the whole territory was more trouble than it was worth. Amelia was hoping that was just the words of a hidebound elder, and not a prediction of failure.

"Organized?" Halimeda frowned, looking thoughtful. "It if wasn't so widespread, I wouldn't give it a second thought, Your Highness. But..." she shook her head. "Either someone's organizing it, or things are going rotten here fast. If something else happens like the mill, someone will start throwing punches." 

"I see." Amelia frowned. Sending down part of the Saillune Guard could just be the straw that broke the donkey's back. Most of the nobility and ministers that openly supported the project were very much in the model of her father -- justice-loving people who might be good at managing their land or towns, but had all the guile of an overeager puppy. Saillune never had been good at espionage, and her father had outright refused to use it, a topic of constant debate between him and Uncle Christopher. Lina and Gourry were out of contact -- she could track them down, but it would take time. However, there was one person she could trust on this. 

"Miss Halimeda, would Redcliffe be prepared to accept a visit from me and one guest?" 

Halimeda stepped back, nearly out of range of the spell, surprised. "I... well, I think so. Mister Galatei might have the room to put you up if the mayor doesn't. And I'm sure Mister Galatei will bend over backwards to make sure he has the room if the mayor can't." Amelia detected a sardonic note to Halimeda's voice at the mention of Mister Galatei. The name was familiar to her -- there was a duke by that name in the east, who had a large family. He had been a rather sharp opponent of hers on this project, in fact. This Galatei could be a son or a son-in-law, or possibly a younger brother. "I'll have to notify the mayor, though. When can we expect you?"

"It will take me a week to get that far south from Atlas City, and another to get to Redcliffe. I'll contact you in a week to make sure you could make the arrangements." 

"Very well, Your Highness." Halimeda bowed, and the spell ended.

Amelia sighed. "Well, it looks like this will be a working vacation." I hope that's all right with Mister Zelgadis."

* * *

Zelgadis had exchanged an awkward goodbye with Nasim shortly after Amelia left. He didn't like making anyone stay where they weren't wanted, and few people wanted to make small talk with a chimera. Which left him standing outside alone. If he hadn't been waiting for Amelia, he would have just left. He should have asked her to tell him where the coach was so he could at least move his own bags there. 

Just as he was wondering how hard it would be to find something with the Saillune Royal Crest, Amelia came running up to him. "It was that urgent?" he asked.

"Just a small political matter in the south part of the kingdom," Amelia looked away. "Mister Zelgadis, you wouldn't mind if we headed there instead of back home? I know it's short notice, but I can't think of anyone else to handle this."

Zelgadis considered this. On the one hand, he wasn't fond of cities on principle. Saillune City wasn't that bad, as cities went, but he didn't care much for crowds. "You know, you don't have to hire me for a bodyguard when we're in Saillune. I'm sure the royal guards would make a better impression. Politically speaking, I mean." He could project strength, but he wasn't so certain he wanted to get involved in Saillune politics. Again. 

"Actually, I had considered this, Mister Zelgadis," Amelia said. "You make exactly the impression that I want to make. We can just stop and renew the appointment Daddy gave you last year." 

Zelgadis sighed. It almost made him miss the younger Amelia, who wasn't nearly as good at politics -- certainly not enough to even try to manipulate him. Of course, then he would have to put up with random trips to stomp bandits and promote Justice. "When did you get so devious?"

"Well, Miss Lina once told me that there were two types of nobles -- straight-forward ones like Daddy and sneaky ba-" she paused at a reproachful glare from Zelgadis. "I was quoting Miss Lina, Mister Zelgadis and she can be very creative with language. Since it's my duty as a princess of Saillune to do what's best for my people, I decided I had to learn how to outsneak the sneaks. So, I've been practicing." She smiled at him, suddenly looking innocent. "We're going to have to sail down the coast. It's quicker than going by road."

No sense arguing now. She had already decided she was going, and his options seemed to be continuing to the capital to spend three months with Prince Phil, wandering off on his own, or following Amelia. He started walking after her. "Where are we going anyway?" 

"The village of Redcliffe in South Rockfield. You've heard me mention the Southern Reclamation Project?"

 He nodded. They didn't talk much about work when they spoke, but this had been keeping her busy -- first in getting the land to the south that bordered the Desert of Destruction, next in sending priests and sorcerers in it to clear it of any lingering demons and make it borderline-habitable, then in finding people crazy or desperate enough to try to live there. "So, what's going on down there that needs your attention?"

"The message was from Miss Halimeda, a sorceress in Redcliffe. She says there's a lot of unrest in the locals down there." Amelia said. "So, I'm planning on going down there and soothing a few tempers. I don't think I'll need soldiers or anything; these are my own people. Just a bit of help." 

"And you want me to find out who's responsible while you do the princess thing," Zelgadis finished. "What makes you think that I'll be able to manage that? I'm no detective."

"Well, my recruitment for the project was a little skewed." 

Zelgadis looked at the princess, uncertain exactly where this was going, but not liking whatever she was about to say. "Skewed?"

"I thought to myself, where would be a good place to find people who would welcome a new life? People who had enough money to start out, but couldn't get a start in the more settled areas? And then I remembered people like Mister Jillas and you who didn't feel welcome in cities..."

"Amelia, do you mean to tell me that the south is now full of beastmen and chimeras?" Zelgadis stared at her. Beastmen could sometimes manage in human lands, but they still usually kept to themselves. Chimera were rare enough that any swelling in their numbers usually meant some evil sorcerer was setting up camp. Only in Saillune, he thought. 

"Well, mostly," Amelia said. "Most of the priests and sorcerers down there are still human. And there are human settlers too. Duke Galatei wasn't happy with the plan, and I found out he had offered to pay the way for any of his people who wished to go South." 

Zelgadis sighed. Maybe I should rethink the compliments on her political savvy. "With that much going on, I'm surprised things haven't erupted into full-scale violence. Civil unrest indeed..."

"I knew things would be rough the first ten or twenty years or so," Amelia replied. "This is a project for the long-haul. If I want to be remembered for something, it's for making Saillune into a place where real justice can be found for everyone, not just the majority. Maybe then, other countries will follow in the path we blaze."

Zelgadis wondered if that was a fragment from a speech or something. Well, what the hell do you say to that? Not that he wouldn't like to see her succeed, but, well, people were narrow-minded bastards. Amelia showing up with a chimera bodyguard or investigator or whatever she was calling him might convince the humans she was on the nonhumans' side, or convince the nonhumans that he was a spineless toady. 

On the other hand, he would be traveling, and doing something more interesting than yet another spell variation. He could feel his mind starting to work on the problem, already planning on what questions to ask Amelia about the land and people. He felt more awake than he had been since... well, since he got here. How the hell did she sell me on this? She's getting far too clever. "All right, let's go." 

* * *

Zelgadis had been hastily re-affirmed as a special member of the Saillune Royal Guard by a retired guardsman when they made port in the south. Thankfully, he had talked her out of trying to find or alter a uniform for him. He still wore a badge of office hastily pinned to the front of his shirt. He wasn't sure how he felt about this; unlike a bodyguard, he actually had legal authority now. What the hell was Amelia thinking?

As they rode south, the fields of grain and forests turned into scrub and cattle grazing. The buildings started to be built differently, too -- made of clay bricks, rather than wood. A few of the poorer dwellings were little more than holes dug into the hillsides. 

Signs of domestication had almost faded to nonexistence among the dry plants growing in the area, when Amelia asked their driver to stop the coach. She beckoned Zelgadis outside. "Look," she said.

At first he thought it was just a cairn to mark the road. Then he spotted the glint of the top rock. He took a step off the road to get a better look at it. The rock was a blue green glass stone, with a rune bound inside of it. Zelgadis appraised it. "It's not that powerful a spell," he noted.

"But easy to make," Amelia added. "Put enough of these in the area, and it will be much easier for the soil to retain water. They also pull groundwater up towards the surface a bit."

"I didn't know you knew anything about hedge-shamanism. You learned your magic at the temple in the capital, right?"

"Well, this is my project, Mister Zelgadis. I had to figure out if mages could manage to make this place livable. So I did a little research." Amelia chuckled as she turned to climb back into the coach. "It was harder than you think -- most sorcerers guilds don't write down those kind of spells."

Zelgadis remembered the sorcerers he had worked with in Atlas City. "No, I don't imagine they do." After all, that would be using magic to do something practical. He stepped forward, debating on whether to help the princess up, but she had already sat down inside the coach. Well, that answers that question, he thought and climbed up himself. "We must be close to a settlement. I can't think you had enough resources to seed the entire southern part of the country with those." 

Amelia nodded. "We're almost there." 

And it was less than an hour before they rolled into town -- what there was of it. There were maybe a half-dozen mud-brick buildings clustered along the river bank. Zelgadis spotted the town's mill on a slight rise upstream, the mill wheel still, and the inlet blocked off. The coach rolled up to the town's stable. There were several people standing outside of it; Amelia had sent out word ahead that she would be expected today. 

Amelia bounded out as soon as the couch stopped moving, leaving him looking rather silly as he hurried after her. One of the people, a human woman in her late twenties, with dark hair pulled up into a braid, and a bright blue sorcerer's cape cut so short as to be mostly decorative, stepped forward, bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Your Highness."

"And you too, Miss Halimeda."

"May I introduce you to Bartalan, the mayor of Redcliffe," Miss Halimeda gestured to an enormous bearman, who nodded at them, "Claire Sholei, the town's priestess," a brown-haired woman in a simple white robe smiled, "and Rian yas Galatei, one of our town's more... outspoken citizens." Zelgadis couldn't have been the only one who caught the slight hesitation in Miss Halimeda's voice. 

A human man, maybe ten years older than Zelgadis, and dressed far too ornately for the dusty town, stepped towards Amelia. "Good to see that someone in the capital is taking this seriously, Your Highness." 

"Indeed we are, Mister Galatei -- you're Duke Galatei's son, aren't you?" 

"That's correct. I'm-"

"That's nice. I'm so glad he's taking an interest in the project, since he seemed so reluctant when I spoke to him at first." Amelia barely gave him room to answer. "This is Mister Zelgadis Greywords, who is a special member of the Royal Guard. He will be conducting the investigation, with my assistance." 

He caught the looks of surprise on the priestess's face, and a rather interested look on the mayor's face. He also saw Galatei very quickly cover a scowl. "But I was quite certain that you were the one investigating the situation," Galatei said quickly. 

"Oh, Mister Zelgadis is probably better suited for this than me. After all, he was one of three people who was involved in protecting both myself and my father during that mazoku attack a number of years ago, and he fought to defend the capital from Zannafar's attack last year. He's a specialist in shamanism, an expert swordsman, and has a number of other skills he picked up while traveling the Outer World. I couldn't ask for a more loyal and competent person to handle this."

She's laying it on rather thick, Zelgadis thought. He couldn't help but feel pleased that she thought so highly of him. I don't think I deserve all that. I'm competent enough, but I'm as loyal as a cat. Hopefully the hot weather would excuse the flush he felt on his face. 

"If he is half as you say he is, I have no doubt this will be a quick trip for you, Your Highness," Bartalan said. 

"I hope so too, Mayor." Amelia smiled. "I'm glad to be out here, but I'd rather it have been arranged under better circumstances."

"Mister Galatei has agreed to host the both of you use of a room in his house. I'm afraid most of us have very little space for guests," the mayor said. "We'll leave you to get settled in, but Miss Sholei, Miss Halimeda and I will all be available if you have any questions."



Index
Chapter 2

Comments

[mikaristar]

the robes lol!

[beccastareyes]

I am so mean to Zel.