*****************(I love snowflake openings!)*****************

        Suffice it to say, stomping through the middle of a tropical forest was not the way Amelia would have chosen to spend summer’s hottest days. Heat she could deal with, their journeys through the desert had proven that. And the humidity along the shoreline had been more than tolerable. But the combination of both, the oppressive feeling of the atmosphere whenever she swung her arms or took a breath, it was almost too much.

        “Mr. Zelgadiss…” She huffed out, adjusting the strap on her backpack and stopping for a moment. Amelia watched him take a few more steps before finally slowing and all together halting his pace.

        “What is it Amelia…?” He didn’t even bother to turn and face her.

        She noticed that despite his heavy cloak and cape not a drop of sweat had bled through. Whereas upon looking down at herself she was sure she could wring enough sweat out of her clothes to fill a kiddy pool. “I was thinking, it’s about noon…” She wiped her hair from her eyes and looked skyward through the canopy of leaves overhead to confirm the time with the position of the sun, “I think we should take a break…” Rather than her normal suggestion of rest, her tone carried with it some extra firepower saying instead, We need to take a break…

        Zelgadiss picked up on her mood and cast his own gaze skyward. For a moment her seemed to be considering her suggestion but sighed dismissively, “Just a little further Amelia, we’re almost there…” Without another word he picked his pace up right where he’d left off, leaving Amelia fuming and sweating simultaneously.

        Still, she knew that getting upset wasn’t going to solve a thing, and if Zelgadiss had said they were almost there, she had no reason to doubt him. He wasn’t the type to lie if only to drive her on. They had after all been traveling on their current quest for well over a month and this was the first time he mentioned they were closing in at all, let alone almost there. Amelia swallowed hard and grabbed the flask from her side, drinking heavily from it, dismissing the impulse to conserve the water for once.

        Suddenly Amelia lashed out, smacking her shoulder as she felt another fly bite deeply into her flesh. Miserable, but with the slightest glimmer of hope she continued on trudging after Zelgadiss. The path was only a path at all because Zelgadiss had made it that way. Beneath their feet lie an old stone roadway but it had lain in neglect so long that trees thicker than her waist sprung up between the stones, making for a hazardous walking surface. It was however better than walking even a few feet off the road where the foliage was so thick that you could walk off a cliff without even realizing it. At least the cobblestones kept most of the nettles and thistles out of her path and Zelgadiss with his sword kept most of the others at bay.

        The fact remained though that she was utterly sick of their latest adventure. Leave it to her to decide to track down Zelgadiss after all this time just to head off into some hellacious humid forest. She wiped the sweat again from her head as she ducked beneath a limb that extended over the path. It had been nearly a year since the two of them had been involved in the great battle against Dark Star but nothing had changed. She gave Zelgadiss the space she thought he needed but he was the same stubborn man he‘d always been. She wished Lina was here, or Gourry, or even Xelloss, someone… Being around Zelgadiss for so long was starting to get her down.

        Tripping and nearly falling she caught herself against a tree trunk. It was a moot point though, without wavering she picked up her pace to compensate for the momentary delay the stumble had caused. She sputtered out a deep breath through her lips, her sweat spraying off in tiny droplets. Her arms were red from pushing aside branches and from the irritating oils of leaves brushing up against her. And her outfit was in the greatest degree of dishevelment that she could ever remember, torn with green stains covering it from brutally slain foliage, and adorned by heavy sweat stains beneath the arms. The saddest part was that the spare she carried in her backpack was in a significantly more dilapidated sate. Worse yet there had not been nor did there look to be any water in sight forcing her to wear the same outfit day in and day out.

        Up ahead she saw Zelgadiss stop abruptly. Seizing the moment she stopped as well to catch her breath and re-hydrate.

“I think we’re here….”

        Amelia immediately spit out her water, “Wha-what?!” She called out, hustling foreword, for once not feeling inhibited by the oppressive weight of the backpack. She caught up to Zelgadiss, looking around frantically but she didn‘t notice anything special, “I don’t see anything….”

        She trailed off as Zelgadiss chimed in, “Listen.” So Amelia went silent and they both stood there for a few moments. Beyond the occasional buzzing of insects by her ears, and the intermittent hooting of the indigenous wildlife though Amelia couldn’t hear anything. She was about to say just that when, at the edge of her hearing, she picked up a familiar sound. Muffled by echoing between hundreds of trees and through brambles and briars she finally picked up on a wonderfully memorable sound.

        Zelgadiss picked up on her smile, “Can you hear the waterfall?”

        Amelia nodded so hard it looked like her head might come off, “Uh huh!” Looking around though all she could see was forest, “Where is it?”

        “We just keep following the road…” Zelgadiss pointed down for emphasis. “It can’t be that far now.”

        “Well, let’s hurry up and get there!” Amelia shouted, taking the lead for the first time in days. Suddenly Zelgadiss felt magical energy gather up ahead of him, he was about to call out when he realized the source was actually Amelia, “Blam Gush!” She called out extending her hands foreword.

        The current of air generated was strong enough to rip the smaller plants out from the roots and send them airborne. It stripped leaves from trees and tore off their smaller branches. All in all it proved to be an effective way for Amelia to clear her path, “I didn’t even know Amelia knew that spell..” Zelgadiss mumbled through the roaring of wind as he tried to keep up with the accelerating princess amidst a maelstrom of plant parts raining down from above.

        The chaos died down rapidly and soon enough the two of them broke out from the forest and into a clearing. Amelia stopped dead in her tracks, “Water!” She cried out throwing down her backpack and damning modesty by throwing off her shirt before jumping into the pool of water before her with just her bra covering her torso. Zelgadiss’ eyes went wide but he didn’t say anything, instead trying to distract himself from a suddenly playful and happy Amelia by taking in his surroundings.

        Before him stood a modest waterfall maybe 10 meters high. And beneath it was a large pool where the falling waters had etched out the reasonable swimming hole that Amelia was taking advantage of at the moment. She was alternating between dog paddling in tight circles and backstroking her way across the water. He had to smile as he caught sight of her again. He refocused quickly enough, bringing his attention back to the matter at hand. The path that they had been following seemingly forever spread out into a semi-circle to meet the riverfront. Over the years the river had expanded and erosion had since caused the stones that at one time butted up against the river to fall into the river and become consumed by it, but that wasn’t what Zelgadiss was looking for.

        “Come on in Mr. Zelgadiss, the water’s great!” Amelia called out splashing around but for the moment honestly not caring if he joined her or not.

        He waved her off, “Maybe later..” Walking up to the river her followed the bank along to the base of the waterfall. It looked to have been formed through some sort of tectonic activity as the height of it was matched by the land all around it. On reflex he cast a Ray Wing on himself and ascended to the top of the waterfall. Finally looking around he found what he was looking for. Ruins. If he hadn’t have been looking for them though they may have gone unnoticed. The level of overgrowth in the area was phenomenal and not a single one of the structures were standing over a meter tall, likely knocked down by the local seismic activity. And here he was worried that the city might not even exist.

        As usual it was his hope that maybe the city would reveal something to him about a possible cure. It had been famous in antiquity for having a great army of chimeras, among them some based on a human template such as himself. Zelgadiss sighed out though looking at the task ahead of him, the weeks or months that it would take to comb the ruins for information and then there was the depressing reality that the likelihood of finding anything useful was, as usual, nil. Being one of a kind never hurt so much. Still, he managed a smile at the thought of Amelia, and how much faster things would go with her help.

        Walking over to the edge of the waterfall he casually jumped from the cliff and landed solidly on the ground, his impact sending deep vibrations through the ground and into the water causing Amelia to turn slightly at the sensation. “So, are we done already?” Amelia called out, half sarcastic and half hopeful.

        Zelgadiss answered her question with the knowledge he just acquired, “The city is right up there.” He said pointing above, then seeing her suddenly disheartened look he added, “We can start looking it over tomorrow though, no hurry.”

        He got a splash of water in his direction as a reply, “You better believe it can wait till tomorrow, I’m not getting out of this water until that smell I got over the last few days goes away…”

        Wisely Zelgadiss chose not to comment on that particular smell, a combination of soiled mattresses with wet feet and dog hair.  At times it had hardly been tolerable even to his stout sense of smell. Watching her, he realized that she had at some time kicked her pants off too, leaving her swimming in just her underwear. Quickly he adverted his gaze to the ground and stumbled over to her backpack picking it up. “I’ll go set up camp then….”

        She was either ignoring him or her ears were too full of water for her to hear clearly, but he turned back to her just in time to catch her dive fully under water. He sighed to himself but had to admit that a quick dip in some cool water would feel pretty good about now. Looking at the river another thought occurred to him, and he quickly decided to make a boat during their time searching the ruins. Just riding the river back to the coast would make their return trip considerably more pleasant. He hauled the backpack up and started hiking over to a clear area by the river some distance away. It was shaded from the sun by a remarkably tall tree overhead but still a good enough distance from the forest to afford some protection from scavenging wildlife and insects excellent features in a campsite.

        Silently he started to setup camp. Just the occasional splash from Amelia and the thrumming sound of water dropping making up the ambiance. He pulled his tent from his pack and unfolded it. Driving a few stakes into the ground with the flat of his hand before getting inside it and propping it up with a few poles to make it hold its form. Satisfied he turned his attention to Amelia’s pack. He pulled out her tent, it wasn’t folded up at all, just jammed in there. It wasn’t like Amelia at all. Zelgadiss thought about it for a minute, reassessing his thoughts of how miserable she might have been over the last few days before starting to setup her tent as well, vowing to take it easy on her tonight.

***********************************************

        Zelgadiss laughed a little to himself as he stoked the fire, “Finally out of the water I see.” Amelia timidly walked up to the campsite shaking the wetness out of her hair and trying her best to cover her chest and hips with her wet pants.

        “You could have at least left me a towel, I was yelling for you to throw me one!” She cried out in mock anger.

        Zelgadiss scoffed, “I was busy stoking the fire.” He said as if it had the highest degree of importance in the world.

        Sighing, Amelia walked over to her backpack and bent over to root through it, drawing Zelgadiss’ eye. He quickly turned away though, ashamed of himself for even looking despite the brevity of it. Eventually Amelia came back with a towel covering all of her important bits and took a spot on the ground near the fire. The sun had already set behind the trees though it was likely still a little ways away from the horizon. For the first time in days though Amelia felt cool and relaxed so she let herself drop back onto the palms of her hands, stretching out her feet and taking a deep breath.

        “So, did you enjoy your swim?”

        The question caught Amelia off guard, “Yeah.. I did….” She replied, sinking down a little more and pulling her feet back from the fire. “..and tomorrow I’ll have some clean clothes again!” She rolled off her hands and sat up again, going over to her pack and pulling out some of her disheveled clothes before wrinkling her nose at them.

        “Maybe you should just burn them…” Zelgadiss commented wryly as he took in her expression of disgust.

        “Do you have to make a sarcastic comment about everything?” Amelia snapped, dropping her sullied shirt atop her pack and giving Zelgadiss a embittered look.

        “Feh… and here I was trying to be empathetic for once…” He muttered to himself more than her. She scowled at him and he realized he’d pressed the wrong buttons again just as passionately as ever. Amelia stared him down for a moment, maybe expecting an apology, or something. Neither was forthcoming and with a huff she crawled into her tent without so much as another word. Knowing how stubborn she could be, he doubted she would be out again till dawn. And the next morning he could look forward to her flying out of the tent frantically searching for a place to use the bathroom and acting like nothing had happened the night before. He sighed loudly, she really was a piece of work at times. Honestly he blamed Lina, she managed to have quite the effect on the princess as far as he could tell.

        Zelgadiss stretched out and grabbed a nearby stick. Reaching out with it and giving the fire a poke he toppled some precariously stacked logs deeper into the inferno. As the sky darkened, the dancing flames cast ghostly patterns across his stone plates, some reflecting the light entirely mirror-like and others absorbing the light leaving pools of shadows. He leaned back slightly, looking over his cursed form and thinking yet again about his quest. Dwelling on the futility of it, all indicators so far pointed to him being just as crazy as Rezo for believing that such a procedure could be reversed. But he couldn’t bear to just lie down and take it like that. Still, he had to wonder, what would be the final straw that would allow him to give up on his quest, should he have given up already? Amelia’s feelings for him were obvious…. Then again he couldn’t just consider her, she had a whole kingdom behind her. Phil seemed to be the understanding type but no one would be delusional enough to let their daughter get married a monster.

        He reached out again and grabbed a small stone, tossing it into one of the logs sending up a small firestorm of burning embers swirling into the cyclone of heat above the blaze. Cursing himself for stringing her along this far, he wouldn’t be able to hide behind feigning ignorance much longer and he had to wonder which of them would be forced to break it off.

        As the night grew longer Zelgadiss finally had his fill of depressing himself. Adding a few more logs to the fire to keep it burning through the night he made his way to his own bed and was surprised to hear Amelia still fumbling around in her tent this late in the night. He did have his suspicion though as to what she was up to. Picking up the flap to his tent, Zelgadiss moved inside and closed it behind him. No sooner did his head hit the pillow then he heard Amelia rush out of her tent, “Couldn’t hold it till morning…” He chuckled to himself as he turned over to let sleep take him for the night.

***********************************************

        Sure it was hot. It had been hot for the last couple weeks. But at least the breeze blowing off the water made it more tolerable. Nevertheless, Amelia was sweating profusely carrying stone tablets between the camp and the ruins. Zelgadiss hadn’t asked her to do it but she could tell it was just about the only thing she could do. After all, she couldn’t read a word of whatever dead language was inscribed on them so she wasn’t much help on the thinking side of things so that switched her to being the muscle.

        Of course their camp being at the bottom of the waterfall only made her job all the more difficult. Even a simple spell like Ray Wing could really put a drain on anyone who’d cast it as many times as she had in one day. After delivering her most recent stack of tablets to the campsite she made her way back over to the waterfall. Deciding that it was time for a break she let herself drop down on one of the smooth rocks close to the water with an ’Oomph’. Letting the spray from the rushing water cool her skin, Amelia couldn’t help but smile at the feeling.  Leaning back more on the rock, the wet breeze soaked her skin satisfyingly.

        She opened her eyes after some time, looking all around the forest that surrounded her. Lush, green, and full of vines and biting insects…. She practically squealed when Zelgadiss revealed his plan to ride a boat back down river which meant avoiding another month of that hell. Or at best two weeks. Refreshed, she turned a bit on her butt and bent over toward the water, cupping some between her hands and splashing it up on her face before getting ready to head up the cliff again. Something caught her eye though. In the cliff face near the waterfall she noticed a fist-sized hole. The rock around it was eroded, but there appeared to be some markings like the language on the tablets.

        Curious Amelia took a few steps toward it and tried to look inside. There was something silver deep in the recesses of it. She paused a moment thinking, the fact that it could be a switch or something equally interesting burned at her mind weakly. Her interest piqued she gingerly reached into the hole, the cold stone all around her arm feeling nice. She felt around for a moment and felt something odd, slippery, and warm. Her mind still going over the new sensations she didn’t have time to react. Suddenly she cried out. Throbbing pain thundering down her arm and into her chest. “Ahhh!!!” She tumbled back away from the hole as an acrid stench tore like fish hooks into her nostrils.

        She couldn’t move her arm, like someone had taken a hammer to her funny bone. Tears came to her eyes and she growled out as she grabbed her limp right hand with her good arm and brought it up to take a look at it, forcing her way through the pain. Sure enough the set of bite marks were indicative of her attacker. Six pin-pricks of blood welled up on her skin.  Her vision tumbled around and she found herself laid out on the ground. “Zelgadiss…” She cried out at half of what she hoped to manage, feeling her chest seize up slightly. Trying to sit up, Amelia could barely make it upright before her physical abilities started to flounder. Sitting upright she quickly found was too much for her but before her body passed out again she gave up, letting herself drop hard on her back, “Zelllgadissss!” She cried out, this time more forcefully.

        Feeling herself growing weaker she started to panic, calling out as loudly as she could every time she could muster the breath. And suddenly she could hear him, just over the top of the waterfall, “What is it Amelia, I’m kind of busy…” He trailed off as he continued his approach, he sounded annoyed but there was a note of worry there too.

        “Zelgadiss down here!” Amelia yelled out with more force than any of her previous attempts, desperate to draw his attention.

        “Amelia!” He shouted out, feeling the tremor to her voice and the urgency there. He rushed foreword and leapt from the top of the cliff, drawing his sword and landing in a partial run frantically looking around. Quickly he spotted her, shivering, and sheathed his sword, rushing to her side.

        Before Zelgadiss could even ask the question, the answer was on her lips, “I think... a cockatrice just bit me...” Hoping against hope she was wrong he twitched his nostrils and sure enough he detected the faint odor indicative of the accursed serpent-like creature . Acting quickly he reached down and scooped her up in his arms, rushing away with her to their campsite, it was the only thing he could think to do.

        “I… I just thought that there might have been a switch or something… there was this hole…” Amelia’s voice trailed off as she tried to justify her actions, but she was having a hard time concentrating.

        “Amelia, don’t talk…” Zelgadiss tried to hold it together for her sake but she had just been served a death sentence. He’d seen it before, the cockatrice’s poisons at work. A combination of magic and physical poisons, rapidly fatal, and only treatable by a specific spell combined with secretive herbal infusions.

        “It’ll be okay Zelgadiss…. don’t worry…” She managed a weak smile and he held her all the tighter for it, already arriving at their camp Zelgadiss threw her tent flap out of the way and laid her inside on her bed roll.

        “Just relax… just relax…” He stroked her hair as comforting as he knew how, trying to reassure.

        “...I... I can feel my heart beat... But I keep thinking it’s just not going to beat again…” She clenched her eyelids shut trying to hold back tears but failing, “…but I feel really light... and happy that I’m with you...” Gently she reached out with her good hand to caress Zelgadiss’ face, tremors marring her attempts at gentle movements,  “I love you...Zelgadiss.” 

        He struggled to hold back the tears, “I know…” He responded simply, unsure how to reply.

        Amelia could feel him tensing, “There’s nothing you can do…” She managed out as strongly as possible, her voice breaking from the effort but hardly coming out louder than normal conversational volume. He sniffled, still trying to keep his emotions in check so Amelia continued, “… and if you thought there was anything you could do, you would have tried it back there instead of wasting the time to bring to my tent… face it… we’re in the middle of nowhere…” She had to pause to take a deep breath, satisfied that, for once, Zelgadiss didn’t interrupt her, “You wanted to make me comfortable… Unless you do have some antidote on you, we both know conventional magic is won‘t work…at least you can stay with me to the end…”

        Zelgadiss tensed, his expression more serious, “I know…. I still have to try though…” Seeing her nod he moved himself behind her, putting her head in his lap. She smiled but Zelgadiss had his eyes closed in preparation. Purposefully he put his hands out in front of himself over Amelia’s chest, just centimeters from her shirt. She could hear him chanting under his breath, over and over, his powers gathering in his palms causing them to glow a dim azure.

        His eyes snapped open as he heard Amelia gasp out. He could make out her jaw muscles clenching beneath her tight skin, her body squirming, “It hurts…” She squeaked out, he kept it up just a moment longer, just to be sure it was doing no good. And that was it. Zelgadiss turned his head downcast, trying to casually wipe away the tears. Looking right into Amelia’s eyes, she giggled softly, “…you look kind of funny upside down…”

        Cracking a smile for her benefit he moved again to lie down next to the dying Princess. She tried to shift onto her side to meet him but failed, instead tilting her head up so their eyes would meet, “..p...pplease don’t cry.. I don‘t think either of us expected it to work…” She sobbed out, her own lips quivering, as much from emotions as from the poison in her system. Zelgadiss knew what she wanted, he could feel her desperately trying to inch up from where she laid, but he still waited, still afraid to make the first move in what was to be their final time together. He let her struggle, cursing himself the whole time, her exhaustion apparent, and still he tried to pretend to be oblivious until, “…just a kiss… …before I go…”

        Finally he was able to push his own selfishness aside. This was something that he had to do for her at least once. “Are.. Are you sure…” He asked, giving himself one out before committing to the act. She nodded meekly and he tilted his head down slightly. Their lips slightly touching he slid his against hers side to side. Their dry lips sliding smoothly past one another until he tilted his head forward a bit more, pressing them together stronger. The delicate smell of wet stone tickling at her senses. Amelia opened her eyes, their gazes locking yet again as she pressed forward with strength Zelgadiss was sure she had lost.

        “Please!” She called out in desperation as he broke the kiss. Zelgadiss could tell something was different, she was frantic. “…just…” The movement in her good hand caught Zelgadiss’ eye. She moved it lower, trying to pass the waist band of her pants but crying out sadly as she realized it was a futile effort. She started to try and use the other arm to help but it was completely useless by now. “…with me… before I die… I want to just… I want to be with you…I want to give it to you…”

        Zelgadiss’ couldn‘t blink back the burning in his eyes, here she was ready to die and the last thing she wanted.

        It sickened him that he hadn’t done something earlier, when it would have mattered, without her life forfeit for it, “It’s all my fault…” He muttered out, the familiar feeling of regret taking him away from the pain that he had been feeling, and to something he was used to. But he couldn’t hide his tears any longer and what disgusted him all the more was that he was struggling to find a way to deny her request.
 
        Carefully he reached around her body and pulled her closer to him, pulling her up in the process, her face almost even with his own. Then, he moved in slowly, letting himself go as much as he could in the kiss. Trying to get carried away he stroked his hand across her flank, the stone texture pulling over the cloth, making a gentle sanding sound as he repeated the movement again and again. Working up the nerve but still completely unsure as to how far he could make himself go he asked softly, his voice trying to match hers, “Are you sure, I mean… I…” He hadn’t planned any further than that and whatever thought he had died as Amelia forced a smile, her breathing slightly more ragged now.

        She nodded her head gently up and down, blushing and turning her gaze downward, “…I don’t care if it kills me…”

        His face wilted as he tried to commit himself to the act. Sitting up he looked around the tent, it was bright, the sun was high in the sky, and it was hot. He folded the flap of the tent fully up to get some breeze, amazed that it could still be so lush and gorgeous outside despite what was going on. Zelgadiss felt like nature itself should acknowledge the despair, it should be raining, the sun should be blotted out the world should be in mourning. Pulling himself from his brooding he turned back to Amelia who was again pushing at her pants and fumbling with the drawstring. He could tell the poison was working rapidly, her movements were jerky and there was no strength behind them, but her eyes were still full of love and wonder.

        “Okay Amelia..” He could hardly believe he agreed but seeing her smile at least made him feel like he might be doing the right thing.

        Seeing the look of frustration return to her though he opted to help her with her pants. Timidly at first he reached out, grasping the waist band tentatively, acutely aware of her frail condition, “Thanks.” She managed out. He swallowed hard as he pulled the drawstring on her pants and pulled them gently down around her knees. He took a moment to remove her boots, tossing them outside the open flap, before pulling her pants fully from her body. She tried to hold her legs upright but they fell back to the ground quickly. Seeing her pleading look he quickly reached to her midriff and grasped the bottom of her shirt as well, puling it up and with some effort, over her head. She was able to move her good arm back to her side but her other arm laid there limply. He reached up and carefully moved it back to her side, “d-don’t worry… it doesn’t hurt..” She breathed out trying to ease his worry.

        A few tears from his face dropped upon her chest as he leaned over her. Watching them land she sobbed out slightly, realizing that she couldn’t feel them or even his rough hands on her skin any longer. And the numbness was spreading, “….please hurry Zelgadiss…” Sensing the urgency he reached down and tore her bra apart in the middle, not wanting to hassle with removing it the correct way and ripped her panties off in a similar manner. He sat back off her fully on his knees. Embarrassed as she could be, blushing lightly she had to ask, “…am I pretty..?” She should have known she was, but now she was with the only person whose opinion mattered. Her pulse quickened as much as the poison would allow and she tired her best to spread her legs for him to get a better look but failed after lifting them only slightly.

        “You’re beautiful Amelia… you-you’re the most beautiful woman in the whole world…” Zelgadiss croaked out, “I wish I could have told you sooner…” The best smile she could muster though only involved half of her face, the other a mute reminder to her rapidly slipping health. Seeing this Zelgadiss pulled his own shirt off, and dropped onto his butt to get his pants off. Amelia tried to laugh but it hardly came out as a huff.

        They were both rushing now, and soon enough the moment was upon them. Poised, a hand on each side of her body and his body over hers, he couldn’t go any further. Even if the mind was willing, the body was not. He hung there flaccid over her entrance, cursing everything in existence. Amelia though remained ignorant of his problem, she had no prior experience in the workings of the male anatomy but tried to spur him simply for the sake of making him enjoy himself.

        “…let’s make a baby… Zelgadiss…” She muttered out. Gently but with all the strength she could muster, Amelia reached out with her good hand and lifted it just enough to touch Zelgadiss’ girth. She tried to encircle it, only a few of her fingers opening away from her hand. Then she tried again, and again… a curiosity accompanying her touch that she couldn't satisfy by sight.

        “Are you ready Amelia?” Finally half erect from Amelia’s words running loops through his head he tried to focus on how much she wanted him.  He let his eyes trail away from her face, and over her chest, taking in her perfect feminine form before guiltily looking back into her loving eyes.

        “…yes… oh gods yes Zelgadiss…”

        Reaching down he grabbed himself and directed himself toward her opening. It was hardly wet but it would do. Tenderly he worked his head up and down along her lips before working it in up to the head. He moved in and out a few times, each thrust sinking himself further into her warmth. “Oh..” She called out as loudly as she could, “…I can feel it…I can feel it…” She was crying again, “I-I… it’s all I can feel… you inside me…”

        Zelgadiss smiled, his tears catching in the corners of his mouth leaving their salty bitter taste fully in his senses. “Amelia… I… I love you too…”

        Her eyes started to loose their focus but she clearly heard the message, “..i… know…” She struggled out, giving the smuggest look she could manage, “… now let’s make that baby..”

        Zelgadiss had been moving slowly in and out the whole time, afraid of loosing his erection but now doubled his efforts. She wasn’t even pretending to look at him any more, her sightless eyes focused on the ceiling of the tent, muttering out proclamations of love with all of her might, the faintest of whispers to Zelgadiss’ ears.

        Finally he grabbed her as tightly as he would allow himself around her waist and pulled her against him, shooting off inside her, grunting and crying out. Hearing his name on her lips for what might be the last time. Quickly coming down from his orgasmic high he was unbelievably relieved just to find her still breathing. She still had enough feeling to know he pulled out, “…nooo…” She wined weakly, “…i want you to stay inside me…”

        He swallowed hard and reached down, putting his member against her slick opening, feeling his seed falling out of it against the head before pushing it back inside. He didn’t have the heart to argue or point out that he was already half-soft and would fall out shortly.

        “…did we make a baby Zelgadiss…” She struggled out as if each breath might be her last.

        “Yeah… we did…” He responded after a moment of pause, not wanting to remind her that it didn’t matter anyway.

        “I-I’ll have to intro…duce you to them… in the … afterlife…” She swallowed weakly, her breathing becoming more shallow with each breath. Laying atop her Zelgadiss could feel her heartbeat weaken, her breathing slow, and finally, stop all together…

        Not getting up, not moving, Zelgadiss laid there, staying inside her for as long as he could before finally moving away from the Defender of Justice, crying the rest of the night away, full of regret… remorse… and shame…

***********************************************

        Zelgadiss swallowed hard, sniffling and wiping his raw eyes before throwing another rock into the fire with ballistic force. He leaned back again against the log to his side before looking off into the night sky yet again. Watching the firefly embers ascend to the heavens just as Amelia had just a few hours before. He looked back over to her tent, silent, “What am I supposed to do… what could I have done…” Briefly he dug his fingers into the soil at his side, balling up some of it into the palm of his hand before letting his fingers go slack again.

        For awhile he’d debated on taking her body back to Saillune but that mental struggle was short lived. His selfish self had re-surfaced in short order. He would bury her here. He would deny her father the right to bury her himself, Zelgadiss knew he wouldn’t be able to admit to the man anything had happened and he hoped that no one would recognize that the two of them had been traveling together. They had left Saillune quietly enough and Zelgadiss hoped that perhaps he could get out of this traumatic situation without a death sentence on his own head.

        “How’d everything go…. So wrong…” Yet again he asked himself the same question. The tablets that Amelia had carried over to the camp so meticulously for him earlier lay scattered all around the fire, in the brief fit of rage he’d experienced before settling into grief he’d shattered them for the most part, spectacularly useless. He’d known within minutes of searching the ruins that there was no hope to be found there, and he cursed himself for not packing up camp then, if only… then he could have avoided all of this. Almost from the first tablet he recognized the same thing he’d always seen, methods of creating a golem, for creating chimeras, there was no special ancient magic, no lost techniques for reversing it, it was always the same….

        That’s what it took though, he could finally admit to himself that it was hopeless, that it was time to give up. Earlier he’d wondered to himself what it would take, and apparently he’d reached his limit. He sighed heavily, realizing that he had somehow started crying again despite his best attempts to think about something other than her. Involuntarily his head pivoted around to her tent, as if she might wake up. Not asleep though he reminded himself, she was dead. More regrets bubbled into his head, not learning Resurrection, not learning the spell to counter the cockatrices poison, not carrying the anti-venom with him,

        Bringing Amelia with him.

        He shivered at the thought. He couldn’t divert the blame this time. He wanted to blame it on Rezo and his quest for a cure. But Zelgadiss had to admit to himself that even he wasn’t that deluded yet.

        Wearily he pushed himself to his feet groaning. He had work to do and it wasn’t as if he would be able to sleep soon. Silently against the backdrop of shrill echoes emanating all around him from the forest he made his way over to Amelia’s tent. Just shy of the entrance he stopped, bracing himself. Before slowly pushing the flap aside. Just as he had left her, naked, she lie on the floor. Just barely he could make out her feet and legs clearly, but he had built the fire some distance away, and the canopy of leaves directly overhead blotted out the moonlight.

        He resisted for a moment, she was dead, it didn’t matter. He reached into the darkness grasping her ankles and gave them a pull, moving her body from the depression it created in the blanket. He gave another pull and straightened himself, getting her entirely out of the tent, dragging her out onto the grass. Her hands had dragged themselves over her head, her hair splaying out behind her as her naked chest was pulled into the light of the fire. That was as far as Zelgadiss could make it though, not from some physical exhaustion but the burden of thought pulling on him, dragging him down with every moment.

        Sobbing out again he tried to look away from the princess, dropping onto his butt and looking out toward the fire. There was no solution. Again he turned but this time he allowed himself to look her over fully. Marveling at her beauty, the delicate shade of her skin by the firelight, the toned muscles in her arms and legs showing she didn’t take life as easy and most princess’. “Oh Amelia…” Zelgadiss blurted out suddenly overcome anew, “I’m so sorry for all of this… I knew how you felt about me all along and I kept…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish it, instead letting his muscles loose, collapsing forward on himself.

        “I just… wish…” Zelgadiss settled back, propping himself up with his hands, again leaving himself to his thoughts. He wanted to confess his love, to tell Amelia that he loved her all along, and after his confession, she would miraculously come back to life. At least that’s what he thought he should do, he really didn’t know if it was love at all but he cared for her strong enough, still… even after what they had done. He growled to himself, he’d never been honest with himself about anything. Lying to himself, constantly, masking his emotions and pushing them deeper and deeper instead of even thinking about them. “I… love you Amelia.”

        It was rushed. He had to say the words before he lost his nerve and pushed them deeper. He listened intently, as if the echoes in the air would remind him that he said it at all. He looked over her body for a response. But as his roaming eyes took in her smooth skin he was struck by the most vile of impulses, physically shuddering at the thought before turning away.

        He didn’t need that kind of temptation. He knew from experience that a vile thought once sown could still grow in even the most intimidating of climates. Quickly he got to his feet and moved the short distance over to the fire to sit once again, but as the night grew longer he felt his regrets worsen. More than he had felt in a long time. Time continued to pass though and just as night was turning to day, the dew of the morning clinging to his stone skin, he heard something. Scavengers, the thought rocketed through his mind, Amelia’s body being consumed by some hungry creature as he sat idly by. Immediately on his feet he crossed the distance in two galloping steps, only to be perplexed. “How’d her hand get under her head…” Then, a shimmer of hope.

        “Amelia!” He called out, dropping to one knee and shaking her lightly. Her breasts jiggling slightly from the movement. He called out again, more forcefully this time, “Amelia!” There, he saw it this time, her eye twitching. Or his eyes playing tricks on him. He tried to calm himself. Dropping down fully onto his behind before trying again this time more softly. “Come on Amelia… I knew you couldn’t be dead…” He trailed off, rubbing his thumb along he cheek. She was warm.

        Zelgadiss’ eyes widened at the revelation. With slight trepidation he bent over, putting his ear over her breast. Faintly he heard it, she was alive. “Amelia…. Oh Amelia! I knew it!” He looked her over one more time then sprinted off, coming back a moment later with a pillow and a sheet to cover her with, his foot catching in the tent and ripping it from its posts in the process of him rushing out. He lifted her head slightly, forcing the soft mass beneath her before draping the blanket over her. Cautiously he decided to give the healing spell another try, muttering softly, “Come on Amelia… hang in there… you’re going to be okay….”

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        “I guess that explains it then…” Zelgadiss laughed out as they walked away from the towns healer. She was an older woman, and very familiar with the cockatrice and its dual action poison. From her explanation casting a healing spell right off had been the right thing to do, although it did nothing to stop the damaging spell caused by the bite, it helped to strengthen Amelia’s constitution against the effects.

        And on the poisoning end of things, “I guess sex is one way to keep someone’s heart beating, right Zelgadiss…” Amelia mumbled out, blushing and looking down at her feet. Managing to earn a blush from Zelgadiss in return, or at least giving him the feeling that he was blushing. They hadn’t talked about it really since she had come back from the dead, but they had mentioned it, however briefly, but always immediately followed by an uncomfortable silence.

        Zelgadiss looked down at Amelia’s stomach from his vantage point. She had been putting on weight during their time in the forest. And he doubted very much her increase in size was due to her eating, more that her eating was due to something else. Something that might be a little harder to explain to Phil than even his daughters death. And it wasn’t as if he could blame it on someone else, and here he thought he was sterile, at least that's what the literature always said. Amelia for her part seemed oblivious though, happy as ever. And why not, they had beat the odds. The unique combination of physical activity, of rushing adrenaline, somehow managing to keep her heart beating, however weakly, long enough for the poison to wear off. A million to one shot.

        Or as Amelia had been calling it, ‘The power of Love’. Zelgadiss looked her over again. Her smile, the general air of love she had been radiating. He’d been afraid to get caught up in the feeling before. Always hoping that things would resolve themselves. But for once he felt inclined to act, bending slightly as they walked he gave her a quick kiss right next to her ear. She giggled a little at the feeling, and he responded with a smile. He just hoped she would truly be happy with him. Because for once he felt his happiness connected to hers in such a way that he couldn’t deny it being love.


The End

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Authors notes:

Hope you were all familiar with a cockatrice! I figured some people might Wiki it. Some people might know what it was, and others might just stop reading or struggle on. Really I didn’t want to go into too much descriptive detail of it because I felt it would pull the reader (you) away from the urgency of the situation. Anyway, it’s basically a egg laid by a rooster that was hatched by a reptile. Some medieval mythological creature similar to a basilisk. It basically turns people to stone or kills them by looking at them or biting them. I went the route of spreading paralysis though instead.

Anyway, basically I wrote this because I wanted to give Amelia x Zelgadiss a shot. I also wanted some drama and to try to do ‘something different’. I think it turned out okay but I honestly won’t know until I re-read it a year or so from now, then I can either say it sucked or it was awesome. Until then the reader will decide so any comments are appreciated. My e-mail address is available at the start of this fanfic and my webpage can be found at http://www.destructve.com/rvincent for those of you that are interested. More fanfiction can be found there as well as doujinshi and such. And check out the Slayers Hentai Forum over at http://www.destructve.com/slayersboard

Thank you very much for reading through it this far and I hope you enjoyed it, I had about 7 endings that I was debating, different ways to bring Amelia back and different ways for Zel to deal with her death, but I settled on the happiest ending, aren’t you glad! Have a great day and support Slayers! Buy more Slayers stuff when it comes out, buy the novels, but the Anime! Huzzah!

-RVincent

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