Slayers
The Wedding Of Miss Lulu
By ZelgadisGreywood@chez-vrolet.net
Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers. I couldn't afford Lina.
------------------------
-Chapter 1-

The Chimera eyed the dress with resigned resentment.

"I can't believe you're making me wear this stupid thing
again, Lina."

"But you look so sweet in that dress, Miss Lulu." Lina
teased.

"You do look pretty in it," Amelia agreed, sincerely.
"Maybe you should wear it more often."

"I'd rather not wear it at all," Zelgadis grumbled.

"Perhaps not, but you don't have a choice," Lina told
him. "Where we're going, we need a female non-human
creature to act as our guide. Otherwise, they won't 
let us in the gate."

"How long until we're there?" Zelgadis sulked, getting
into his dress and fixing his hair just so. 

"We're almost there," Lina smiled.

Around the corner, they made it to the border of the
city.

There were no gates, and Lina was laughing up a
storm.

"You knew," Zelgadis pouted. "You were playing a
joke on me."

"You need to lighten up, Zelgadis." Lina smiled.
"I thought..."

Before anyone could say more, a man riding on horseback
galloped past them, grabbing the startled Chimera around
the waist and riding off with him.

"Fear not, noble maiden. I shall rescue thee!"

"Let me go, you idiot!" Zelgadis protested.

The man held a cloth of some unknown drug over Zelgadis's
mouth until he passed out. Then, with the Chimera in his
arms, he rode off into the sunset.


------------------------
-Chapter 2-

The golden rays of the morning sun shone through
the window and awakened the stone-skinned chimera
who slept between the silk sheets and velvet covers
dressed in a satin nightgown.

After yawning and giving the sun an impolite gesture
for waking him so early, Zelgadis rolled over onto
his other side, and let out a soft groan as he felt
the aftereffects of the sleeping drug that had been
used in his 'rescue'.

"Wha...?" he sat up, noticing the feel of the unfamiliar
clothes. Someone had stripped him, bathed him, and put
him into this bed in this nightgown. He felt a sense of
anger and embarrassment toward whomever his captor might
be.

"Good morning, my darling bride," the man who had
carried Zelgadis off the night before told the irritated
chimera.

"Bride?" Zelgadis blinked. "Are you mad?! I'm not even a
woman!"

"You don't have to be," the man, who still hadn't given
his name, told Zelgadis. "You are the most beautiful chimera
in the world. That's all that matters to me. You see, I find
chimeras fascinating and wonderful and I always promised myself
I would marry one some day. Well, that day is today."

Zelgadis leapt to his feet, ignoring the dress for the moment,
and tried to aim a fireball at the man.

"Oh, sorry," the man smiled. "Since I work with dangerous 
creatures, I've put an anti-magic field around my home."

Zelgadis considered his situation. This man knew at least
a few things about chimeras. Perhaps he had done enough
research to know a cure? He could search the man's house
for it. But he'd have to do his best to avoid marrying
the chimera-obsessed man.

An old woman, clearly the man's mother, walked in.

~Good,~ Zelgadis thought. ~she'll see what I am and
try to talk some sense into him.~

"What a pretty chimera he is," the old woman smiled.

Zelgadis's hopes and face fell.

"He looks sad," the old woman observed.

"My bride is nervous about our wedding night,"
the man told her sympathetically.

"Here," she said, dismissing her son, "Let me
talk to him. I can reassure him."

Zelgadis was beginning to think that staying
to find a cure would not be such a good idea.
These people were psychotic! He had to get the
hell out of there, and fast.

Alone with Zelgadis, the old woman put a
hand on the chimera's stone face.

"Now, dear, you've nothing to be afraid of,"
she told him.

"I don't want to marry your son," Zelgadis
told her.

"Don't worry," the old lady told him. "My
son will be gentle. He's always very gentle."

~Always?~ Zelgadis was disturbed by this
declaration. It certainly wasn't soothing 
to know that this creep had taken other
Chimeras, probably against their will. Who
the hell was this freak, anyhow?

"Are you listening to me?!" Zelgadis shouted.
"I said I don't want to marry your son!"

"Oh dear," the woman asked, "are you a virgin?
I should tell my son to be more tender than
usual. I'm afraid there will be some pain, since
we have no balms or lubricants with which to 
soothe you. But we'll do all we can to keep you
comfortable."

"Woman," Zelgadis growled, "for crying out
loud, I do *not* want to marry your son. Don't
you get it? Don't you understand that what your
son is doing is wrong? Can't you get that through
that thick skull of yours?"

"You rest now," the woman said, getting up and
crossing to the door. "you've got a busy night
ahead of you."

The old woman slipped through the door and locked
it.

Zelgadis sat there on the bed. "So much for reasoning
with her." he sighed.


------------------------
-Chapter 3-

"Are you the caterer?" the smartly dressed man
asked Lina as soon as he'd openned the door.

"I'm hear to find a friend of mine," Lina
replied, though the thought of a catered event
was not unwelcome in her mind as she was close
to starving. "He was kidnapped. His abductor
rode in this direction."

"He's a chimera," Amelia offered, helpfully.

"Ah, you must mean Miss Lulu," the servant
smiled. "Quite beautiful that one. The master
did well this time.  Perhaps he won't kill this
one when he grows weary of him."

"Kill him?!" Lina asked.

"No one will kill Mr. Zelgadis," Amelia swore.
"In the name of truth, justice, and eternal chimera
love, I will save you, Mr. Zelgadis!"

*****

Zelgadis turned as he heard what he was sure was
a voice downstairs. There was a dazed expression
on his face from the number of drugs they'd
filled him up with. He was sure a normal man 
would've been killed by the levels they'd given 
him.

"It's probably just the caterer," the woman 
to whom's son Zelgadis was unwillingly betrothed, 
told the chimera. "Don't worry. Nothing will spoil
the wedding."

The woman finished putting the wedding gown on
Zelgadis and fixed the veil. "There," she smiled.
"Now you're ready. Algia, inform our guests. I'm
sure they'll be quite fascinated when they see my
son's new bride."

"A marked improvement over that last chimera,"
the man called Algia replied. "At least this one
looks human. I don't suspect this one will last
very long, though. Compared to the others, he seems
very fragile."

"Indeed," the old woman gave a nod. "He probably won't
survive my sons attentions for long. Still, my son has
a right to be happy. And who'd miss a chimera?"


------------------------
-Chapter 4-

"I'd miss him!" Amelia cried out as she rushed in
followed by Lina and Gourry.

"So would I!" Gourry joined in.

"Zelgadis is a pain in the ass sometimes," Lina
"But he is our friend, and he's coming with us."

"Arginald," the woman called down to her son.
"Someone is trying to kidnap your bride!"

The man who'd ridden off with Zelgadis ran
up the stairs, his sword drawn.

"Begone, foul scum!" he called.

"Hey," Gourry drew his own sword. "Nobody
talks to Lina that way! Let our friend go."

Arginald lashed out and Gourry parried.

"The chimera is to be my wife," Arginald
said, his voice giving those present the
clear understanding that this was a man
who got what he wanted. "I shall use him
for a while, until his body dies of the
strain. Then, I will find a new one."

"In the name of Justice and for the
sake of true love, which you mock, I,
Amelia the Beautiful, shall save the
pure-hearted Chimera Zelgadis!"

Amelia ran into the chamber where
Zelgadis was being kept.

"Mr. Zelgadis," she said, her eyes
going wide and wobbly. "What a
beautiful wedding gown!"

Zelgadis glared at her, crossly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zelgadis," Amelia
told him. "I'll save you!"

She tried to cast a fireball, but
nothing happened.

"He put an anti-magic field around
the house," Zelgadis explained. "To
keep the chimeras he imprisoned at
bay."

"There's got to be something we
can ... wait, I got it! I'll be
right back."

Amelia raced downstairs to the
room where the wedding was to
be held.

"Which of you was to be responsible
for performing this farce of a wedding?"
She demanded, her fists clenched, her
eyes blazing with the light of justice.

Several hands pointed to the man hired
to perform the ceremony.

"Are you actually qualified to perform
weddings?" Amelia asked him.

Feebly, the old man nodded.

*****

Gourry and Arginald continued to battle,
swords clashing as each tried to obtain
the upper hand.

Soon, rather inevitably really, Gourry
tripped on the rug and went down.

Arginald turned and headed for the chamber
where Zelgadis was being kept.

Lina ran over to Gourry. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Gourry smiled. "I landed on
my head."

Lina nodded, then ran after Arginald.
Gourry got to his feet and followed.

*****

"You may kiss the bride," Lina heard
from the corridor.

"Oh no," she gasped, "we're too late."
She paused to catch her breath. Then,
with an air of defeat, she openned
the door.

Her eyes went wide in astonishment at
the spectacle before her.

Arginald was lying flat on his face,
having apparently tripped over a long
ribbon that was stretched across the
floor.

Zelgadis had the bedsheets wrapped
about him like a shroud, and the
wedding gown was now being worn by
Amelia, whom Zelgadis was kissing.

Arginald got to his feet, and stared
at the tableau before him.

"No!" he shouted, rushing at the young
couple. "The chimera is mine! All chimeras
are mine!"

And the priest, who had grown weary of performing
the abusive marriages this man so often demanded,
put his foot out in Arginald's path.

Arginald flew haphazardly across the room, out the
window, and landed in the mud outside, much to the
amusement of the local children, who laughed heartily
at the cruel man's misfortune.


------------------------
-Epilogue-

Zelgadis retrieved the sandwiches from the
picnic basket that sat upon the large blue
blanket and passed them around.

"Thanks, Zelgadis," Gourry smiled, taking
one.

"Thank you, Zel'," Amelia smiled, breaking
off a piece and handing it to the two year 
old Chimera who sat fidgetting in her lap,
occasionally poking at her rounded belly.

The child had been the turning point for
Zelgadis. Carefree as any child, not caring
that he was a chimera, for he had never been
anything other. He had, as children often do,
taught Zelgadis a valuable lesson without even
trying.

Zelgadis learned to accept himself as a chimera.
He no longer sought a cure. He knew in doing so
he would make his son feel badly.

*****FLASHBACK*****

Just after his son had been born, Zelgadis had
found a cure. He had looked at the manuscript,
then at the tiny child who would grow up the
only Chimera of his kind if Zelgadis performed
the simple ceremony that could cure him.

The tiny Chimera slept, peacefully, in Amelia's
arms. Less than a week old, the little boy was
sleeping with a peaceful smile on his face. 

And in that instant, a change came over Zelgadis.
Not the cure, but a blissful acceptance of that
which he had never before been able to accept.

"Is it...?" Amelia asked.

Zelgadis nodded. "My cure," he told her. He
uttered an incantation, which Amelia at first
believed was the cure spell.

The words upon the page faded and vanished.

"What did you do?" Amelia asked. "Zel', the..."

"I don't need it anymore," Zelgadis had said,
finally closing that chapter of his life.

*****END FLASHBACK****

As Zelgadis wiped his son's face clean, his 
eyes held no shame or apology for what they
were. 

(OWARI)


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