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King Rupert smiled as Joyce walked into the throne room before he stood to greet her. He could see worry etched across her face and he wished more than anything he had news for her.



"Your majesty," he said, smiling as he took her hand. "I do pray your trip was pleasant."



"As pleasant as it could be," Joyce answered him, forcing a smile onto her face.



"Yes, I suppose it is difficult to not worry in a situation as of this."



Joyce nodded her head, afraid if she spoke, the tears she had been holding back would come forward. She smiled as King Rupert led her towards the door off to the side of the room and she looked back at her children, motioning them to stay. Once inside King Rupert's private office, the tears she had been fighting finally came.



"Please," King Rupert said as he handed her a handkerchief. "Everything is being done to assure the princess' safe return." He told her, trying to ease her fears.



"Yes, I'm sure that it is," she said, trying to calm herself. "I just feel so responsible."



"Responsible?" King Rupert asked, confused. "This tragedy has nothing to do with you, I can assure you that."



Joyce let out a small sad chuckle as she dried her eyes before looking up at the King. "Buffy did not want this," she told him as she turned and walked toward the window. "She only did it to secure our Kingdom."



"Yes, I am aware of that," he told her, walking to stand with her. "And your Kingdom will be protected."



"What if she isn't found?"



"I have fifty men looking for her now, they will find her."



"And Prince Edward? Is he also looking for her?"



Joyce turned her head when she heard King Rupert sigh loudly and, by the look on his face, she could tell that Prince Edward was not with the rescue party. Anger consumed her instantly. King Rupert had told her of his son's defiant behavior and his unwillingness to assume the responsibilities bestowed on him. Why she ever agreed to allow such an immature man to rule her lands had her rethinking the whole idea. Not only had Prince Edward neglected his duty as future ruler, now he was neglecting her daughter, his future bride.





________________________________________





Buffy walked along the small path she had found the day before, the horses' reins held tightly in her hand. It had taken William four tries to get up on the horse and his persistence that they find their way to the pond had Buffy ready to knock him out.



She knew he was hurt, but he was getting very cranky. He had done nothing the night before but complain and hearing him whine over things they had no control over angered her. She knew men were at their worst when they were not feeling like themselves; she had seen her father act worst than a three-year-old when he was ill and figured William was no different. To get him to at least stop complaining over everything that had gone wrong since he first picked her up in Parissa, she had agreed to move to the pond.



"Are we there yet?" William asked, irritated.



"No for the fourth time," Buffy said, looking back over her shoulder. "It isn't much farther."



William sighed heavily, his whole body aching as the horse carried him blindly through the forest. He was beyond irritated. He'd never had to depend on anyone to take care of him and now, he was battered and bruised, temporarily blinded due to the beating he had received from Angelus. The fact that Buffy was having to care for him like he was a child had him biting his tongue to keep from lashing out at her as his anger at the situation ate away at him.



He was there to protect her and now that he couldn't do that, quite frankly, he was scared. No one knew what "really" lied within the confines of the forest. The tales spun by people who claimed to have seen first hand were as skeptical as the creatures they claimed to have seen. No one really knew what was here and the fact that he wasn't able to see it and make sure they were safe had him cursing himself and the whole situation.



Buffy smiled as the path opened up and the light shining off the pond had the whole area covered in a bright glow. She slowed the horse, turning to her left, before stopping him by a tree and securing his reins in place.



"This is it," she said happily as she turned to William and walked over by the horse. "Do you need any help?"



"No," William snapped before turning and sliding from the horse. He stood completely still as his feet hit the ground, the pains shooting through his limbs causing him to become dizzy as he realized he may have been a bit hasty in his dismount.



Buffy raised one eyebrow, regarding him and his apparent pain and she smiled in spite of herself. She knew he was in pain, but he was stubborn and pig headed. The combination of the two only heightened by what she knew had to be a bruised ego as well by his constant clipped remarks.



Smiling, she turned, heading for the water's edge while William continued to stand by the horse. The scene before her was unlike anything she had ever seen. The water was crystal clear and small ripples littered the surface as the sound of the waterfall washed over the area. Tall grass lined most of the surrounding area, with wildflowers as far as the eye could see.



It was breathtaking in appearance. Trees she had never seen before, full of flowering petals of bright pinks and yellows hanging low, their limbs almost touching the surface of the water and the small flowers that had been nestled within their branches dancing across the surface of the water.



The light shining through the thick canopy of trees illuminated everything; the falling flower petals dancing along in the breeze had her wanting nothing more than to stay here forever.



Sighing lightly she turned, looking back over at William before walking back over to him. Grabbing the satchels, she pulled them, dragging them from the horse before sitting them on the ground, glancing up at William as he stood there before she grabbed the blanket and spread it out on the ground.



"Do you want to sit?" she asked him softly, reaching out and touching his arm.



"I didn't mean to snap at you," William said quietly, turning his head in her direction. "I'm sorry."



Buffy smiled up at him brightly before taking his hand and leading him over to the blanket, helping him sit before sitting along beside of him. "I know you aren't feeling your best it's only natural for you to get cranky."



"No," William said shaking his head. "I should have never done that, no matter how bad I feel."



"Well just as long as it doesn't happen again," Buffy said, grinning. "I'd hate to have to feed you the `bad' berries." She giggled softly.



"Now you wouldn't do that, now would you?" William asked, smiling slightly.



"It would serve you right for being such a troll," She said, giggling.



"Suppose it would," William said before turning his head towards the pond. "Is that the waterfall I hear?"



"Yes," Buffy said, smiling as she looked over at it. "Wait till you see it, it's so beautiful here," She beamed. "There are flowers growing right in the trees and their petals are floating around and covering everything."



William smiled as he listened to Buffy describe the area to him. He could hear the excitement in her voice and he longed to see her face. He could only image the wide smile covering it. "Well hopefully the swelling will go down soon and you can show me."



Buffy looked back over at him, studying his face before lifting her hand. She ran her fingertips lightly over the puffy bruises, smiling a little as she did. "It doesn't look as bad today as it did yesterday," she told him. "It shouldn't be much longer."



William sighed lightly, relishing in the feel of her warm fingers sweeping across his cheek before they vanished. He heard the rustling of her dress, the air around him moving slightly as she stood and walked away. Sitting back on his elbow, he listened, trying to make out where she had gone and wondering why she had left so quickly without saying anything.



Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before laying down, the short journey they had made taking what little strength he had away. As he lay there, listening to the calming sounds of the waterfall as it splashed down into the pond, he let his mind drift, images of Buffy and her smile following him into sleep.





________________________________________





Angelus paced the stone floors, listening as his father and the witch made plans to harness the power of the Torlothan. He knew the plan would work; it was foil proof, the only problem being getting the creature to bend under their power.



"The creature will fight," the witch said, looking at Ethan as he studied the maps that showed the way to the land the Torlothan inhabited. "Protection spells must be in place or your very lives will be at stake."



"I know this," Ethan said, never looking up. "I can handle the protection spells. Are you sure the creature can be controlled?"



"Yes, I have seen it done."



"And there were no mistakes?" Ethan asked, finally looking up at her.



"No sire," the witch said, smiling. "The creature is pure, yet deadly. Harnessing its power is obtained through the eye."



"The eye?" Angelus asked, finally stopping and looking at the two. "Surely you don't mean the Eye of Frathous," he said, chuckling slightly.



"Yes my boy, that's exactly what she means," Ethan said, glancing over at his son.



Angelus chuckled, looking between the two before his laughter echoed throughout the room. "You must be insane," he told them. "Controlling the Torlothan is a feat in its self; how are you ever going to get your hands on the eye?"



Ethan smiled, shaking his head as he looked at his son. "Have I ever failed at any attempt to obtain what I wanted?"



Angelus studied his father, knowing he had always reined victorious in anything he set out to do, but obtaining the Eye of Frathous, was a feat even the gods themselves would be crazy to try.



"Don't you worry Angelus," Ethan said, moving around the table and walking to his son. "Everything will go according to plan. Before the new moon, the princess will be yours, and her kingdom, will be ours."





________________________________________





"Have you seen the size of this place?" Dawn asked, wide-eyed as she walked along the halls with Willow and Cordelia. "I thought our Castle was big but this place is enormous."



"Well the kingdom of Alcala is much larger than Parissa," Willow told her young sister, "It's only natural that its ruler would be housed in such a place."



"I can't believe Buffy is going to inherit this," Dawn said happily. "I wonder where they'll live."



"From my understanding, she and Edward will live in Parissa," Cordelia finally spoke up. "Not that I'm going to enjoy taking orders from her," she said snobbishly.



"You're just jealous," Dawn said laughing.



"Of what?" Cordelia asked loudly. "That she has to marry some ogre, whom she has never seen, and fornicate with him JUST to be Queen! Please, I pity her if anything."



"My brother isn't an ogre," Tara said shyly from the doorway of the library.



All three girls stopped, looking over at the sandy haired girl who stood in the doorway with her head tucked into her chest.



"I'm sorry," Willow said to her. "We meant no disrespect." Willow glared at Cordelia before turning her attention back to the girl before them. "You must be Tara," Willow asked, taking a step towards her.



"Yes," Tara answered, finally looking up. "My father said you would be coming."



"Yes well, Mother is quite upset at what has happened," Willow told her, smiling at the shy girl before them before she ducked her head again at their constant gazes.



"I would imagine so." Tara said, smiling sadly at the trio. "My mother, before she took ill, worried over everything. Every time Edward would go off on one of his hunts, she would fret the entire time until he returned."



"I think that's what mothers do best," Dawn said, smiling. "Mother is always worrying over something."



"As she should," Tara said, finally looking up. "Ruling a kingdom the size of Parissa without a king is a very difficult task. I overheard father and Edward discussing it."



"At least you are halfway in the know," Cordelia said. "We never find out anything unless it is beneficial to us."



"Well, they do not know I heard," Tara said, grinning. "It was kind of hard not to hear, not with the way father was yelling."



"Yelling?" Willow asked curiously.



"Yes, Edward can be, how should I put this," Tara said, smiling. "Very self-absorbed."



"Oh great," Cordelia said, rolling her eyes. "We get princess, `why me' and prince `not me' together and Parissa will be in a depression before the year is complete."



"Cordelia," Willow said in a warning tone. "You have no right to judge the actions of anyone. The responsibilities placed on the heir are great. You will never know what that may be like until you are standing in that place."



"Whatever," Cordelia said, crossing her arms over her chest.



"Sorry," Willow said, looking back at Tara. "I'm sure everything will work out fine."



"I hope you are right," Tara said sadly.





_______________________________________





Buffy let out a very un-lady like growl as she once again had trouble starting a fire. The light was almost gone and the fact that William was awake and listening only made her nervous.



"Problems there pet?" William asked, smiling as he listened to Buffy slap the ground several times before mumbling something under her breath.



"I've got it," Buffy replied, glancing over at him before turning back to her task. She hated this more than anything. She had been so pleased the first time she had started the fire that she had wanted to wake him just so he could see, but now that he was awake, she was silently wishing he was sleeping again.



William leaned back, supporting his weight on his hands as he continued to listen to Buffy struggle with the fire. He could sense the approaching night as the crickets and tree lizards sang out its arrival.



The sounds inside the forest were nothing like they had been in the forest on the outskirts of Parissa. It was peaceful here, the gently sway of tree branches rustling their leaves along with the constant rippling of the waterfall were almost melodic. He hadn't even seen the wonders that Buffy had so eagerly told him about, but just as her, he could stay here forever.



"Aha!" Buffy squealed, causing William to sit straight up.



"What's wrong?" William asked worriedly.



"It's burning," Buffy said, giggling as she place a few twigs around the small flame.



William sighed heavily, shaking his head before trying to relax. "You scared me half to death, don't do that again," he said, scowling best he could.



Buffy glanced over at him, a wide smile on her face before turning back to the fire. "Yes, your majesty," she mocked, giggling slightly.



"What did you call me?" William asked, sitting up straight.



Buffy turned her head, her smile vanishing at the look on his face. "I was just teasing, lighten up."



William sat there, listening to the slow crackle the fire was now producing before settling back on his hands. He sighed heavily, looking up towards the sky while his mind went into what seems like ten different directions at once.



Buffy finally got the fire going steadily before she stood and approached William, sitting down beside of him on the blanket. She studied his face, seeing the intense look of concentration crease small lines in his forehead before she reached out and placed her hand on his.



"Is everything okay?" She asked him quietly. "You seem, preoccupied today."



William lowered his head, looking down where their hands were joined before raising his head. "I'm fine luv, just a little on edge. Not being able to see what's going on is a little frustrating."



"Oh," Buffy said, relieved at his answer. "The swelling will go down soon," she told him, smiling. "You'll be able to see what's happening soon enough."



"I know."



Buffy looked down, her smile widening as she felt William's thumb slide over the side of her hand. An internal battle waged within her the instant he did it and before she had time to think about the implications, she linked her fingers in his.



Her eyes closed briefly as she felt him tighten his hold, pulling her fingers deeper into his palm before he lifted her hand. He placed a small kiss on her knuckles before cupping his free hand over hers. She looked up at him, wondering what was happening before she let go of all the what ifs and just enjoyed the small gesture. As the last flickering of the sun nestled its way behind the tress, Buffy sighed contently, looking over at William as he held her hand to his chest. If this was as close as the two would ever be, it was enough for her.





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