4. A Prince and a Princess

Ameria plodded her way and arrived at a pond. She looked down on the surface of water, reflecting her face. She reminded of Zelgadiss' words. He said "Don't deal with the things you can't deal with!"

Ameria thought.

::: I could stand up to a big man even when it was my 'that' day.... I could fight unarmed even against a Mazoku. Oh, what has happened to me? :::

< Narration : It is because her spellbound 'father' has been broken. When Ameria fought against an evil person, she always regarded herself in the same light as her father. She believed that she could do anything her father could do, and there was nothing she couldn't do when he could do that. In other words, she was fearless. But, she felt as if he had abandoned her, and lost her way. >

Suddenly, a thicket behind her rustled.

Ameria : Is it you, Zelgadiss?

But there came a monster like a giant centipede! She gave a cry, realizing that she couldn't use magic, and at the same time, Zelgadiss jumped between her and the monster. He was just like a prince fighting to rescue a princess.

Ameria : Zelgadiss!

Zel sheathed his sword and said.

Zel : Don't force yourself to do much. You are a girl.

He thought that Ameria was anxious about him, and he wanted to ease her mind, but suddenly, Ameria knocked him down. He was surprised and stared at her angrily only to meet her angry eyes filled with tears.

Zel : ::: What? :::

Ameria : You... you'll never know what I feel!

Zelgadiss recalled that he had heard what she wanted to be in Zoana Kingdom. It had been a hero who rescues a captured princess (Slayers NEXT #1). But he didn't know that, for Ameria, a hero was equal to 'a prince', and the prince was equal to 'father'.

Zel : Ameria...

As she wept, the sky began to wept, too. Soon it was raining. They ran into an empty shack without knowing that the dying monster left its larva into the hair of Ameria...

Notes :
1. Do you notice that Ameria's fist would be broken if she knocked him down with her bare knuckle? Please remind that she is so strong as to only get a hump even when she is shot by a gun (Slayers TRY #10).
2. She may think it is tragic for her to be born as a daughter of a royal family. But she can't know that it is tragic for Zelgadiss to be born as a son in Rezo's family. < Kurume : this note is related with my report 'True Reason(Motivation) for Rezo's Cursing Zel'. >