The Lady In Red

I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright

Zelgadis sits in a back corner of the ballroom, sipping decorously at a glass of red wine. 

‘Why did I even come?’ he wonders, ‘Ballsare always the same.’ 

He looks out at the dancers and one particularfigure catches his eye.  If it weren’t for the wild loose wavesof cascading red hair, he never would have recognized her, Lina is stunning. He can’t see much of what she’s wearing through the crowd, buthe doesn’t need to, just her face, so sublimely happy, as he’snever seen her before, makes her gorgeous.  She’s replaced herusual black headband with a delicate headpiece of jet, and she looks almostregal to him.

I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance
They're looking for a little romance
Given half a chance

Her dance partner says something to her and Lina laughs and blushes a little, shaking her head, then looks around as the set ends.  Whatever or whoever it is she’s looking for doesn’t appear, and she seems a little disappointed.  She shakes her head again slightly and is going to leave the dance floor, but another man catches her arm and bows to her, askingher to dance.  She shrugs and nods, and they dance a boisterous number.  As they near Zel’s corner, he can see that the man has a grin on his face, but Lina’s smile is fading a little.

And I've never seen that dress you're wearing
Or the highlights in your hair
That catch your eyes

Now that she’s on the outside ring of the dancers, Zelgadis can finally get a glimpse of what Lina’s wearing.  She has on a dress…well it is a Ball, but he’s never seen her in a dress before…notfor anything.  The dress is truly stunning; it’s floor lengthwith a train tucked up to become a bustle for dancing, and it’s thecolour of rubies or wine or blood, he can’t decide which since it seemsto shimmer slightly in the light.  It has a simple bodice, with a classic but low v-cut neckline and spaghetti straps, and it seems to cling to every curve.  Her hair glows like burnished copper, and a necklace of delicate teardrop rubies drapes across her collarbones, each echoing in part the sparkling colour of her eyes.  Zel sighs…he’s never noticed before how exquisite Lina is…he always knew she was attractive, but…

I have been blind

As she dances close, Lina catches sight of Zelgadis “hiding”in the corner.  She curtsies a hasty farewell to her dancing partnerand goes over to where he is. 

“Zel!” she grins, the faintlybored look vanishing, “I knew you would come, I just knew it!”She sits down beside him, “Thank L-sama, I’ve been so BORED!” 

Zel gives her a ‘look’ and shakes his head.  “You didn’t look bored to me, you looked like you were having the time of your life...dancing with all those guys…all the attention…all the flirting…” 

Lina reaches over to take Zel’s hand,a serious look in her eyes.  “They were flirting with me, yeah,but none of them interested me… none of them were you…” 

She adds the last part on very quietly, and Zel isn’t sure he has heard her correctly…can it be that she actually cares about HIM?  A slow song starts, and to show her how he feels, Zel asks, “Would you like to dance?”

The lady in red is dancing with me
Cheek to cheek

Lina nods and they both stand and walk hand-in-hand to the dance floor.  Carefully and seriously Zelgadis puts one arm around her, splaying his fingers across her shoulder blade, and Lina slides her hand up behind his neck.  With his other hand Zel pulls her in close, and as they begin to dance, Lina sighs happily and lays her head on his shoulder.  Zel leans his head gently against hers. 

“I love you Lina.  I’ve wantedto tell you for so long.” he whispers, “I just never thoughtyou might feel the same.”

There's nobody here
It's just you and me

Zel can feel Lina’s face relax into a smile, and in a barely audible whisper, she says, “I love you too.” 

The room seems tofade away, even the music becomes muted to his ears, although he can stillhear it well enough not to lose his steps as he leads Lina in a gracefulwaltz.  Nothing else matters, only her.  For just a little while,Zel can actually imagine that his appearance doesn’t matter, that allthere is to the world is him and the beautiful woman in his arms.

It's where I wanna be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side

Zel smiles and hugs Lina gently as they dance.  She’s wearinga light, slightly musky perfume which tugs at his senses and he breathesit in deeply.  He can still smell her own slightly sulphurish scentbeneath it, the same way the wild, loose hair which brushes his arm is stillreminiscent of the wildly independent “bandit killer” he’sknown so long, and yet, it seems, never really known at all.  Holdingher feels so right somehow.  He has wanted so long to feel her warmsoft body beneath his hands, to perhaps feel the weight of her thick, silkyhair running through his fingers like water…and now here he is, andshe is in his arms, and loves him after all…it’s almost tooperfect to be real, and yet it is.

I'll never forget the way you look tonight

Zel closes his eyes, trying to commit every aspect of this golden momentto memory.  He doesn’t want to ever forget anything about thismost incredible of happenings.  Through the years beyond, he intendsto be able to look back at this first, incredible baring of emotions andremember just how the music sounded, just how Lina’s lace-gloved handfelt in his, the faint sound of her fast-beating heart…he opens hiseyes again and looks at the one he loves, drinking in the sight of her, eyesclosed, trusting so implicitly in him that she doesn’t feel the needto look around as they dance…it is incredible.

I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright

Zel thinks back to when he first met Lina.  He hadn’t really known what to expect from her.  After seeing the destruction she had brought to that village, he knew she was powerful, but from Zolf’s description (which had been sketchy at best) he had expected a petulant child. When he walked into her room at that inn what he saw stirred feelings hehad thought impossibly locked away.  She was an angel with the faceof a child and the fiery locks of a demon temptress, and he could tell that,were it not for the toll of using Black Magick extensively, she would haveevery man she wished eating out of the palm of her hand.  His offerto her to join him had been heartfelt, and he had swiftly contained the burstof anger at her refusal…this was all part of the negotiations, heknew.

you were amazing

When she faced down Shabarnigdo, imbuing the Sword of Light with her powerful Giga Slave, fearless and supremely confident, he had been amazed not so much by her power as by her control, and wondered secretly, afterwards, why she didn’t exert that same control most of the time.  It hadn’t been until much later that he realized that most likely the laughing, crazy girl who killed bandits randomly for fun and profit and beat up on Gourry for making stupid comments was just another aspect of that control.  From that point on, he watched carefully to try to see beneath, to the true face of this remarkable, changeable girl he realized he was falling in love with.

I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side

Zel shakes himself out of his memories and looked around them as he realized the song was ending.  A number of men approach them, but one glare from Zel is enough to send them looking elsewhere for a dance partner. 

Lightlyhe kisses the top of Lina’s head and she whispers to him, “I never want to dance with anyone else…not after this…you dance wonderfully Zel…” 

He tightens his grip on her for a second,then another slow song begins to play, and they dance again.

And when you turned to me and smiled it took my breath away

Loosing himself in memories again, Zel remembers protecting her after hehad released her.  Her comment about “falling for his lovely captive” had hit a little too close to the  mark for Zel’s tastes…he had hated to think what Rezo might do to her in order to drag out the information he was looking for; whatever else he had been at one time, Rezo was thoroughly evil now, and would stop at nothing, as Zelgadis’ own form so eloquently stated.  He couldn’t have borne it if this beauty, this fieryspirit,  was destroyed, even if he knew it would be impossible for herever to feel anything for him, so he had released her.  The reasonshe gave her were part of it as well, of course, the best lies are partlytruth, but there was so much more to it than what he told her.  Afterhe explained the situation to her, feeling a little guilty for dragging herinto something which should really have been none of her concern, he wassurprised by her reaction.  She actually…smiled at him.  He was stunned.

And I have never had such a feeling,
such a feeling of complete and utter love,
as I do tonight

Gazing blissfully down at the one he loves, Zel is taken a little aback by the strength of his own feelings…he has known for a long time that he was in love with Lina Inverse, but it seems as though knowing that those feelings are returned has increased those feelings.  No longer is it necessary for him to hide his heart’s desires, and this is an incredible feeling of freedom. 

Feeling suddenly braver than he ever has in hislife, he leans his head down slightly to whisper in Lina’s ear. “Lina, I love you more than anything.  Someday, when I’mcured and worthy of you, will you…marry me?” 

Lina looksup into his eyes and kisses him.  “Why wait for a cure?  I love you just the way you are, and besides,” her eyes show a glimpse of worry, “the quest for your cure has been so fraught with dangers, if you were to die before…I couldn’t bear it!  Please believe me, you are worthy of me just the way you are…I would marry you right now if there was a priest here willing to do it.” 

Zel is utterlyspeechless at this, and can only reply by pulling her into a deep, soul-fulfillingkiss.

The lady in red is dancing with me
Cheek to cheek

As they dance, Zelgadis holds Lina tenderly to him, stunned and happy, with a silly grin on his face as he imagines what their future will be like. 

‘Lina will probably want a proper wedding, but then, nothing less would be worthy of her.’ he grinned slightly, ‘And honestly, I guess I’ve always wanted that too…’ 


Zel stands atthe alter, watching slightly nervously for the doors at the other end ofthe chapel to open.  He still can’t believe this day is actuallyhere, that he is finally going to marry the one he has loved from afar forso many years…the one who, for some still-mysterious reason, loveshim back.  When the doors finally open, she stands there for a moment,a dazzling vision in a dress which shimmers like freshly fallen snow in themoonlight, the fiery red of her hair muted by her gauzy veil.  It isalmost too much to be believed, and yet, all of a sudden, it is more realto him than it has ever been.  The rest of the ceremony passes in ahaze of wonder until he hears the priest say “you may kiss the bride”, and he draws Lina into a deep, soul-searing kiss, eliciting a loud cheerfrom the small audience.

There's nobody here
It's just you and me

The reception is finally over, and Lina and Zel have decided to forgothe usual carriage, instead casting Ray Wing and flying off to find a hiddenplace.  Knowing that with their friends, they would never get any privacyat an inn, during the week before the wedding Zel had scouted out the mostbeautiful and well-hidden grove he could find and, using some of the quieterShamanist spells, had enclosed it almost completely and enhanced its beautywith a bed of flowers. 

When they get there, Zel speaks silently tothe trees, entreating them to close the grove off completely, then castsa protection spell similar to the one Lina had cast so long ago to hide theOrihalcon Statue.  With another soft spell, the grove is filled withmuted light and all his preparation is worth it for the gasp of wonder Linagives him. 

“Zel!” she says, “It’s beautiful!  You did this yourself?” 

Zel smiles.  “Well, I hada good base to work with, I just made a couple of little additions.”he says depreciatingly. 

Lina pulls him into another deep kiss, andnothing else matters for the rest of the night but her, the lights slowlyfading as dawn breaks, and they lie together on a bed of bright flowers,Lina tucked safely and securely in his arms.

It's where I wanna be

It’s now a year later, and the couple has settled down in a smallvillage located somewhere between Sailune and Zephilia.  Despite allexpectations to the contrary, Lina is obviously pregnant, and Zel couldn’tbe happier.  She had wanted this child so much that Lina had actuallyASKED him to cast a sealing spell on the darker side of  her powers.  Since Black Magick goes against life, it generally prevents conception, andsince Lina knew there was no way she would have been able to control herselffor over nine months, the sealing spell was her only option.  She seemedto be getting along fine with just Shamanism, though, and had actually mastered more of White magic, if only to keep herself from getting bored.  Luck, or L-sama, seems to be with them, because during that time, nothing has attacked which would have required her to use Black Magick. 

‘It won’tbe long now.’ Zel thinks as he finishes some of the scrollwork on theintricate double-cradle he has constructed.  He had been so shockedwhen Sylphiel’s examination had indicated two children, but Lina wasoverjoyed, and after he got over his shock, he was too…soon they willbe a family… 'It has been too long since I had a family.’  Zel thinks.

But I hardly know this beauty by my side

Zel smiles, his arm around Lina as she watches the little one-year-oldtwins toddling unsteadily around the nursery.  Everyone has come tocelebrate their birthday, and Lina is grinning proudly at her progeny asthey make their way toward her.  Both girls have coppery hair and eyesthe colour of ripe blueberries, sometimes purple, sometimes dusky grey ordark blue, and always enchanting.  Their skin, much to his delight,shows few of his chimeric traits, although it is a cool, icy blue colourand rather tougher than that of a normal human’s.  They haven’tlearned to talk yet, or at least, not to their parents, but Zel has heardthem prattling on to each other when no one’s in the nursery, eventhough he can’t understand a word of it. 

Although he never wouldhave expected it, Lina is turning out to be a wonderful mother…hewould have thought that more Sylphiel’s department, but Lina seemsso adept at it, it surprised all of their friends.  Zel has discoveredthat there are many things he never knew about the real Lina Inverse, andnow, he’s resolved to uncover them all, to understand this marvellous,beautiful enigma by his side if it takes until the end of time.

I'll never forget the way you look tonight

On the girls’ second birthday, Lina had rolled over in bed andwhispered in his ear that he should cast another sealing spell, and now Zelpaces nervously outside as Sylphiel, four months pregnant herself, helpsLina to deliver their third child.  His head is filled with memories;their first meeting, the night they admitted their love for each other, thenext day, when they had announced their intention to marry to the others,their wedding, their honeymoon, the birth of the twins… and throughit all, Lina’s irreplaceable beauty, charm, wit, and intelligence,not to mention stubbornness, has carried him to this place of happiness. 

The door opens and Sylphiel peeks through and whispers, “You can come in now.” 

He walks in and kneels by the bed where Lina is sittingup, holding a little bundle in her arms.  He kisses her gently and shesmiles. 

“You have a son.” she whispers in a tired but happyvoice.

I never will forget the way you look tonight
The lady in red

Zel wakes out of his daydreams as he hears the song beginning to come toits conclusion.  While she’s here in his arms, he wants to showLina just how much he feels, since for him, actions are much easier thanwords.  Up until now he has been dancing only the easiest steps, hismind distracted, but he decides to end this dance with a flourish. Catching her eye he winks at her, then swings her into a wide promenade. Pulling her back in he follows with a lock-step, then a wide step-turn. As the music winds to a close, he dips her low, grinning at her surprisedexpression…there are a few things she didn’t know about himas well, and the slight flush spreading across her cheeks pleases him noend.  He pulls her back up and draws her into a deep, soul-searing kiss.

The lady in red
The lady in red

Lina says she’s feeling a little light-headed and wants to sit down for a bit, and Zel agrees.  Truth be told he’s feeling a little giddy himself. 

“Gods Zel,” Lina says as she sits down,“You really can dance, can’t you!” 

Zel smiles ather.  “You follow well.” he says depreciatingly. 

Theysit across the table from each other, both gazing into the other’s eyes, happy and contented.  Zel reaches out and takes Lina’s hands in his, squeezing lightly. 

“I promise I will always be with you.”he says. 

“You’re not going to try to sneak off to lookfor a cure by yourself anymore?” Lina asks, and he can see the echoof pain in her eyes. 

“No,” he says, “not now…For a long while now, my quest has only been to find some way to be worthyof you, but now that I know how you feel, I have no wish to hurt you by leavinglike a thief in the night.”

My lady in red

Lina grins at him.  “Well, you’d better stick to that promise, because if you don’t, you’ll be getting a fireball so big even YOU will feel it!” she promises with a spark of that fire glimmering in her eyes. 

Zel just smiles at her.  No matter how differentshe may look all dressed up, she’s still his Lina, and he loves herfor it. 

“Lina,” he says, “there’s somethingI want to tell you…something which comes out of the deepest feelingsI have, and something which I intend to tell you every day and every nightfor the rest of our lives…

I love you



Chris Deburgh - The Lady In Red.  From the Album - Into The Light