Slayers Seyrune Family fic

[eastofthemoon]

Got one of the one-shot fics I've been working on done. I wanted to write this after seeing Slayers Evolution-R episode 3, but I swear I wrote this before I saw episode 5.

Title: Gracia's Vow
Series: Slayers
Characters: Prince Phil, Nama, Naga, Amelia
Rating: G



“Yaaaa!!”

“That’s it Amelia, put your heart into it!”

Gracia rolled her eyes as she turned the page. They’d been at it for 2 hours already. When would this stupid training session end? She couldn’t understand what her father was thinking. Why he want to train Amelia? She was 5 years old! She should be playing with her dolls and having tea parties, not trying to punch rocks with her fists. Sure, her father had also tried to lure herself into the training, but Gracia refused. Why would she want to waste time punching rocks?

“Gracia!” With a grumble, the eldest princess of Seyrune glanced up. Her father smiled throwing a fist in the air. “Why don’t you take a break from studying and join us! I’m sure you’ll find this very useful.”

“No thanks, dad. Too much studying to do.”

Her father frowned. “Oh, all right. Don’t study too hard.”

Gracia frowned. Since her mother died, she and her father had been unsure how to act around each other. She did love her dad, but Gracia wasn’t that close to him. Before, he had always been so busy with the council, but it was fine since her mother was always there for Amelia and herself. Looking back, her mother had been the bridge between her and Amelia and their father. With her gone, there was now a wide gaping crevasse between them.

Gracia realized that her father was doing his best to fill the void, but still, teaching children to fight with fists? That was dumb. She and Amelia should be studying magic. It was magic that killed her mother, so wouldn’t it make sense for them to learn magic to defend themselves? What good would a fist be against an assassin who could zap you with a Mono Volt before you could touch him?

Gracia shuddered and peeked over her spell book. Amelia was approaching another big rock. She was the one Gracia was most worried about. She was still a little kid. This whole training session could cause her to have a wraped personality. Kids were sensitive and it was too much pressure for a girl her age. What would their mother have thought of all of this?

“OW!”

Gracia jumped, breaking free of her thoughts. “Amelia!” She rushed over to the crying 5 year old as their father yelled. “Amelia calm down! A heart of justice must never-“

“DAD SHUT UP!” Gracia snapped.

Her father stared at her like a wild horse that had that had broken from its reins. Gracia didn’t even bother to look at him as she kneeled next to her baby sister. “What’s wrong squirt?”

Amelia wiped her eyes. “My hand hurts,” she sniffled.

Of course it does! You tried punching a rock! Gracia gently took her hand. “It looks like you sprained it. Hang on.” She chanted a small healing spell.

Amelia watched in awe at the small bright light. “That’s neat, Sis! You’re just like Mommy.”

Gracia flinched at the comment, but slowly said “Yes, I am.” She glared at her dad. “Mom didn’t believe brute strength could solve everything.”

Her father frowned. “Gracia…”

“Amelia’s not doing any more training today.” She seized Amelia’s hand and hauled her from the field.

“Why?! I want to train with Daddy!” Amelia protested as she tried to wiggle free.

“You can do it tomorrow, but let your hand rest today. Healer’s orders.”

Gracia peeked back from the corner of her eye. She noted her father made no attempt to argue with her. It caused a brief moment of guilt, but she shoved it aside. Amelia was her main concern.

For the next couple of training sessions, Gracia noticed her father was appearing to take it easier on Amelia. She kept watched, but still refused to take part.

“I’ll be like mom,” she vowed. “I’ll prove to dad why magic is far more useful than brute strength. I’ll become the most powerful sorceress in the world.”

8080808080808080808

“Miss Nama?”

Amelia’s voice broke Nama’s thoughts. She was recalling an incident. What was it exactly? She felt she almost had it, but then it slipped through her fingers like sand through a sieve.

“Did you remember something?” Amelia asked from inside her.

Nama thought about it again, but shook her head. “No, I just had a feeling,” she replied.

Comments

[auriga]

Oooh! I've always wanted to make something showing the family when they were younger. I really like the way you desribed the strained relationships after Gracia's mother's death.

The ending's good too! I definitely think Nama's memories are all there; she just can't quite grasp them.

[noseless-wonder.livejournal.com]

Yay! You added me just in time to let me read good ficage. =D

I loved how you filled in the blanks that the anime left us during Amelia's brief flashback with Nam/ga. You also presented a realistic alternative to Gracia's inspiration for her disappearance.

I agree with zenavvy about the ending - and about Nama's memories being just beyond her reach. (I hope we get to see Nama again, which is weird for me to say because I really didn't like Naga in most of the OVA's.)

[witch-of-the-si.livejournal.com]

Yay! There really aren't enough fics with Gracia in them. :)

Although, I thought Amelia's mum was killed with a sword, and Gracia killed the assassin with magic...?

[auriga]

I'd love it if she appeared again later, too--even if it's for just a short time again! I do tend to like Naga, but Nama's been a lot of fun here. I think it's because it's not just her and Lina; there's the rest of the gang there too...and there's just something I love about having such a great group of characters all interacting. ^__^

Plus, the fact that she was a living suit of armour was just kind of awesome. I never thought I'd see one and think it was that cute, but the eyecatch in episode 5 really did it for me. XD

[ichiban-victory.livejournal.com]

The sword thing seems to be fanon, I don't think Hajime Kanzaka ever said exactly what Booley did to kill Gracia's mother. Gracia did use Chaos String (her mother's spell) in retaliation though, and supposedly it ripped right through the assassin scaring Gracia (possibly witless). No doubt why we've never seen Naga use Chaos String since.

In any case, it's pretty consistent that Amelia refuses to use weaponry (even in TRY she was hesitant when she had to use one of the Dark Star weapons) and although Naga carries a sword, she's never actually used it. There was one time she made a huge show of pulling it from the scabbard, but the sword was revealed to be stuck. (Probably since she never uses it!)

[ichiban-victory.livejournal.com]

I was hoping Gracia would pull Amelia aside to teach her some magic, but oh well. (Something for me to write! Maybe..)

This kind of amused me because of the comment I made about Phil's family to you (and dqbunny) recently, but I never got a response. Did you go and steal my thoughts anyway? ^_- I do think that Gracia and Amelia had more interaction with their mother than with their father - not that Phil wouldn't ever be around, but he is the Crown Prince, no doubt he'd have meetings and such to attend as he was learning about how the country is run. It must have been so hard for Gracia especially to lose her mother since it has been said they were close, and sometimes having to deal with the 'other' parent makes one's grief that much worse.

[earthstar-moon.livejournal.com]

Maybe I sensed your brain waves. XD Also, who's not to say Gracia taught Amelia some magic when she forced Amelia to take a break. (Sorry about not responding, I must have missed that comment. ^_^;) I encourage you to fill in the blanks. ^_~

It must have been so hard for Gracia especially to lose her mother since it has been said they were close, and sometimes having to deal with the 'other' parent makes one's grief that much worse.

Exactly! Plus, Gracia was a lot older when their mother die, so it was probably a lot harder for her to adapt to only having Phil while Amelia probably had an easier time adapting since she was younger. Then, there's also the fact that Amelia had both Phil and an older sister to count on while Gracia just had Phil and that would be a big change to swallow from when their mother was in charge.

[earthstar-moon.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I think what really got me thinking was that long pause Nama had after Amelia asked if she remembered anything. I made me curious on what she was trying to remember, especially after those "hints" on her thoughts of Phil.

[earthstar-moon.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad they gave hints on what Gracia's and Phil's relationship is like. Before that, it's hard to picture on just exactly how she viewed her family. Evolution, if anything else, is great because of the added insight to the characters. ^_^

[noseless-wonder.livejournal.com]

After watching the subs for episode 5, I think Lina knows who it is. She seemed to have a moment of recognition when Nama panicked and summoned the dragon.

The tangerine box was a funny way to go if that's the last we see of Naga, but if they tied-up that particular loose end in the story it would be awesome.

Running gags are funny, but this is a great opportunity for melodrama! (As Amelia would say)

[noseless-wonder.livejournal.com]

I think you're right about the group dynamic. Naga is a lot less abrasive with other people around to mellow her out. I didn't even mind her laugh as much because I don't think she used it as often with other people present.

Plus, the fact that she was a living suit of armor was just kind of awesome.

I'm waiting for someone to write a really cracked-out crossover fic with Alphonse from FMA and Nama. He could be cute in an odd way too... with all those kittens...

I loved the eye-catch too... I think it's hilarious they stuck Pokota in there while in the actual episode, he was quite annoyed with her.

*=P I'm not a paid account, so I can't edit, but I really need to learn how to finish what I'm saying before submitting.*

[auriga]

Sometimes I wonder if Lina knows right from episode one--she obviously puts the voice and the laugh together, and her reaction is interesting to watch while Amelia tosses out theories. Maybe she never said anything because she hoped that she would be wrong or that Naga would leave her alone. XD

If Nama has exited Evolution-R for good, then at least the tangerine box was a fun way to end it. At the very least, maybe Amelia will think back on it in future episodes...(I think we may have talked about this before, but a little seriousness together with the humour is what makes Slayers such a great, balanced series for me. ^^)

That is true about the group! Not only does Nama laugh a bit less, but the times she does are made just that more hilarious--such as her laughing after Kuppi. In addition to that, we get to see everyone else being a little dumbfounded to Lina's unusually abusive (even for her) behaviour towards Nama.

I've seen the Alphonse/Nama suggestion come up quite a few times now. XD They really do match, though! (I haven't actually seen FMA, so I'm not sure what the kittens are about...) I've even started to notice that Lina/Ed seems to be a popular crossover pairing.

I might just have to use that eyecatch for something, although Flan and Zollan are my desktop background right now. Aside from Pokota's presence just making it that much more adorable, I could stretch and say that they're both there because they match, in a way...they've both had their souls transferred into new bodies by the jars. However, I think it was just done to be cute. XD

(Oh, that's okay! We can't edit comments after they have replies--which is understandable--but it's often after that I realize a typo or something. ^^; Also, whoa, long comment is long.)

[noseless-wonder.livejournal.com]

Lina and... Ed? They'd make an awesome pairing!...

...if you want a lot of property destroyed in a hurry.

Romantically - they'd kill each other before anything happened. I imagine the "shrimp" and "flat-chested" jokes would get pretty funny though. Since you haven't seen FMA, Ed is a male Lina, but he's insecure about his height instead of his breasts. The attitude, the strange brand of genius, the appetite, the destruction, the loud, attention-grabbing outfit choice... I could go on.

I think we've talked about the balance of Slayers too, but I still love it. I like the fact that they can make an episode that's total crack and still put a moment of seriousness in it. (i.e., the L/G moment at the table with Kuppi, or Zel's character exploration in "Everyone's talking about a girl named Zelgadis".)

That's an interesting thought about Lina and Nama. I think it would be a little evil to realize her identity and not volunteer any information about it to try and help get her memory back.

Though... as Gourry so smartly pointed out, there are people out there who are pure evil... *Lina: what? huh?*

[dqbunny.livejournal.com]

That was adorable, and what I imagine life is like for the Saillune family as well. ^_^ It's so nice to see bonding between Amelia and Gracia. Poor Phil.

[ichiban-victory.livejournal.com]

Amelia told Lina back in the novels (book 4?) that Gracia taught her everything she knows. That can mean a few things: that Gracia stayed around for a while after the assassination, Amelia was an incredibly fast (and young) learner, or something in between. It would be great to finally have all the answers to life before and after the death of Phil's wife, but I doubt we'll ever get it.

Still, what little Amelia and Nama did say on it revealed a lot!

[auriga]

That's often how I find it described. XD They'd mean the end of the world!

I do love the balance, too! Having both there, as you pointed out with the little character moments we get, leaves us feeling that the cracky episodes--while, yes, very fun--don't flail around and waste time, either. ^__^

It is a bit strange, but perhaps Lina was trying to dismiss the possibility herself.

Hehehe, that was an amsuing scene. They really like to call her a villain. XD

[ameban.livejournal.com]

Well, finally I read this.
You know: I've been waiting for fics about Seyruun's family for ages, actually. I always thought we fans, have enough information and clues for fitfulling the whole story even if Mr. Kanzaka never wrote the whole story by himself.
Thus your story, even if it's short, is a cup of fresh water.

Anyway, here you are a couple of suggestions. Wasn't Amelia's mom killed by a sword, a blade or something? It's the explication for Amelia's and Naga's fear-hatred towards swords and weapons in general. It also explains why they both always fight with bare hands.
About Naga and her father's relationship, episodie-3rd gave us an interesting clue. She thinks his father's ideals are just nonsensical. Naga thinks it's just too idealist. The fact was Naga was very similar to her mom... and you know how Naga is.
Perhaps you should take a look to those ;)

[earthstar-moon.livejournal.com]

It's a fun topic to explore I think. I'm going to keep those in mind for next time. ^_~

[earthstar-moon.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I like to think that Gracia and Phil's relationship got a bit better as she got older, even is she still thinks his brute strength strategy doesn't make sense. This fic is suppose to take place shortly after her mom's death, so she would still be trying to deal with the issue of having only her dad to count on.