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Buffy's eyes opened slowly as the shoulder her head was resting on moved slightly as William's voice softly called her name. She blinked a few times; trying to push the groggy feelings away as she finally woke up and lifted her head, looking around at their surroundings.



She could hear the sound of water running and turned her head to the left, smiling as she saw a small brook nestled in the trees up ahead.



"Horse needs a break." William said as they neared the water, "He's been limping for a while now."



Buffy turned her head, looking at William before she realized she still had a firm grip on his neck. Feeling her face heat up as she blushed, she quickly pulled her arms down, smiling shyly as she looked away and laid her hands in her lap.



William bit back the grin that threatened to curve his lips as he saw the pink tint her face and neck suddenly took on as he loosened the tight hold he still had on her waist as they neared the stream. "So tell me, what did you do to warrant a full out attack from the magnificent poof Angelus?" William asked her, pulling on the reins and stopping the horse as they came to the stream.



"Not sure exactly." Buffy told him as the horse stopped. "I am assuming it was because I didn't choose him."



"And the fact that you chose Prince Edward over him must have taken a real bite out of his ego." William said chuckling as he slid off the horse and reached up, grabbing hold of Buffy's waist. "No wonder he was so miffed." He added, lifting her and helping her from the Horse.



"I get the feeling they aren't very friendly towards one another." Buffy said, staring up into the bright blue eyes that seemed to capture her attention the moment she had seen him, as her feet finally hit the ground. "He seemed very angry at Prince Edward."



"That's because he's an ego-maniac who doesn't play well with others unless he's the one who is winning." William told her, his voice sounding clipped as he obviously had no respect for Prince Angelus either.



Buffy looked at him for a second, his eyes seeming to darken as they stared at one another before she quickly took a step back away from him, realizing her arms had instinctively wrapped around his neck again as he helped her from the horse and his hands were still resting lightly on her hips.



She cursed herself as her breathing started to increase and she quickly glanced at the ground when her heartbeat seemed to quicken as William tilted his head to the side and stared at her. She glanced up at him briefly, trying her best to smile before turning towards the water. "I think I'll go wash this dirt off." She told him, glancing down at her hands and raising them for effect before turning to the stream and walking away.



Buffy walked quickly towards the stream. She could feel Williams eyes on her and the thoughts of him staring at her was causing her rapidly beating heart to hum in her chest. She smiled to herself, the light dizzy feelings in her head and the fluttering in her stomach returning as she walked along the bank of the stream.



Willow's words echoed through her head, telling her to go after Prince Edward's page and a smile finally broke out across her face as she walked along the stream to a large rock that sat half way in the water.



Sitting down carefully on the rock, Buffy glanced back over towards William as he tended to the horse. She stared at him for a few minutes, a lazy smile playing at her lips as the sun trickling through the thick canopy of the trees played across his features. She hadn't taken much time to look at him before, the surprise of being left almost speechless at the sight of him distracting her from everything other than the depths in which his eyes latched onto hers and held.



He wasn't a very large man, but she could tell he was much stronger than he looked. His shoulders were broad in contrast to the slimming of his waist and hips. She blushed again as she stared at him and hid her smile as she ducked her head, her hair fanning out to cover it.



She peeked through her hair, her eyes roaming from the messy tousle of dark blonde curls on his head to the sharp cheekbones that made him look as if his face had been carved and sculpted with great care.



The light colored tunic top he had on rode low on one shoulder, dirt marring the fabric from an apparent struggle. Her gaze continued downward, to his slimming hips, the tight pants he had on leaving nothing to the imagination and Buffy felt her heart speed up more as her face flamed.



She could see every muscle in his legs as he moved, the material barely concealing him as he turned. She gulped loudly, giggling quietly to herself and shaking her head as he raised his arms, his shirt rising up slightly and revealing his perfectly shaped bottom.



Smiling wider at her thoughts of William, Buffy finally turned her head, looking at the rip in her dress. It was half way up her leg and the sight of her muddy stockings made her nose scrunch up in disgust. *Great, this will never do* she thought as she pulled the material of her dress to the side as she looked at the damage to her now brown and white stockings.



Reaching down, Buffy removed her shoes, laying them to the side before glancing back over at William. Seeing him walk to the water and kneel down, she reached up her dress and started pulling her dirty stockings down her legs.



William wiped his face, the cool water from the stream running down his chest as he stood back up. The horse was in worse shape than he had thought as he moved to once again look at the wound in its hind leg. An arrow had caught it good and went pretty deep. He was surprised it had gotten them this far as he looked at the steady stream of blood that still trickled down its leg.



The arrow was still sticking out of it and he knew it needed to come out, the only problem was, standing behind the horse was the only way to get a good hold on it and getting a good kick in the head wasn't on his to do list at the moment.



Sighing heavily, William glanced over the horses back to see where Buffy had went to and his eyes widened as he saw her sitting on the rock with her feet in the water. Her wading in the stream wasn't unusual, but the sight of her bare legs were.



Her dress was pulled up above her knees; the rip that he had tried to ignore in her dress earlier had exposed most of her right thigh. He groaned quietly to himself as she reached into the water before running her hands up her leg. The sight made his breath catch in his throat as he watched her hands run slowly up her leg, washing the dirt from her knees before she would reach back into the water and repeat the process.



The quick movements and snarl the horse let out took his attention away from Buffy and back to the horse as he realized he had absent mindedly yanked on the arrow. "Steady there." He said, trying to calm the horse as it started to dance around, the pain in its leg causing small noises to emit from the wounded animal.



Buffy looked up when she heard the horse and she grabbed her shoes as she realized it was acting peculiar. Slipping her shoes back on, she stood and made her way back over to William.



"Is everything okay?" she asked, stopping away from the horse as it started moving to the side towards her.



"No, not really." William said, grabbing the horse's reins and trying to calm it. "It's injured."



Buffy leaned her head to the side, frowning as she saw the arrow and the blood that covered most of its leg. "Will it be alright?" she asked, looking up at William as the sight of all the blood making her empty stomach queasy.



"Hard to say." William told her, taking a step back away from the horse. "Not sure how to get the arrow out without getting my head kicked in."



"Will it be able to travel with it in place?"



"Not likely."



"Oh." Buffy said, her frown deepening as she stared at the animal. "So, what will we do?"



"I guess we'll walk."



"WALK!" Buffy said loudly, her eyes widening as she stared at William.



William smiled and looked over at Buffy when she yelled. He almost laughed at the look on her face but decided better of it. "Yes, either that or we'll kill it for sure. Can't very well ride him to Alcala in this shape."



"We have to walk all the way to Alcala?" Buffy asked, fear gripping her as she realized the distance.



"Either that or head back to Parissa, but I'd imagine Prince Angelus will still have men looking for you."



"Do you realize how long it will take to walk all the way to Alcala?" Buffy asked as she started pacing around. "I mean, it takes an entire day by carriage, walking will take weeks."



"Then I guess we better get a move on then." William told her as he turned and started through the forest.



"Where do you think you're going?" Buffy yelled out to him as he left her and the horse standing by the stream.



"Home." William yelled back to her over his shoulder. "Better hurry along, won't do for some nasty to get you before I deliver you to the Prince."



Buffy stood gaped mouth as she watched him walk away. *He was just going to leave her there to do what?* she asked herself as she looked around. Moving slowly Buffy followed him, the sound of the twigs under her feet crunching as she quickened her step and tried to hurry and catch up to him.



William chuckled quietly to himself as he heard her mumbling under her breath behind him. He knew she probably wouldn't make it far before they would have to stop. The farthest she had probably ever walked was the distance of the winding corridors of her Castle.



Smiling, William quickened his pace, the sound of Buffy stumbling around clumsily behind him making the smile broaden as her mumbling got more animated.





~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~





Prince Angelus stormed into his Castle, his destination clear as he walked the halls towards the stairs. He was seething with hatred as he stomped down the steps, his footfalls echoing off the stone walls as he entered the darkened hall. Grabbing a torch from the wall, he made his way down several corridors, his eyes blazing as he approached the large room at the end of the hall.



He could hear the mumbling of the occupants as he pushed the door open, the room bright from the candles that lined the walls. He glared hard at his father and the witch that still gave him the creeps from just looking at her as he walked into the room.



"So, did everything go as planned?" Ethan asked, smiling big at his son.



"No." Angelus growled, throwing his torch to the ground and watching as the sparks skidded across the floor. "She got away."



"And how did she manage that?" Ethan asked angrily as he walked around the large table he had been standing behind.



"William!" Angelus said, the word slipping from his tongue with such distaste that the witch cringed from her spot on the other side of the room.



"William!" Ethan repeated, the name slipping out in the same manner. "You were bested by HIM!"



Angelus' eyes tightened into slits as he looked at his father. "Yes, he came riding along like some gallant knight and swooped her up and was gone! Those idiots you said would be the best men for the job just fumbled around like a pack of amateurs!"



"Well this will never do." Ethan said quietly as he started pacing the floor. "Well have to think of something else." He added, looking over at the witch. "Any idea where they were headed?"



"Towards Alcala judging from the direction they took off in." Angelus said as he flopped down heavily into a chair by the fire. "They were on horseback, so it'll take them a few days to make it there."



"Well, a few days will be enough time for us to acquire her."



"That is if we find them." Angelus said, his irritation apparent with every word he muttered.



"Well, knowing William, he won't take the road. He'll remain in the forest." Ethan said, a plan already formulating in his head. "The quickest route would be through the Enchanted Forest, but the superstitions of that place may deter him from taking that path."



"Yes, but it will take him twice as long to go around it."



"You won't be able to touch him in there." The witch finally spoke up. "The Enchanted Forest holds a magic that even I can't touch."



"That doesn't mean that our magic can't affect them." Ethan said smiling. "If they do venture into the Forest, we'll have a harder task at acquiring her, but it can be done. What I suggest is getting to them before they make the decision to enter."



"And how do you suppose I do that?"



"Well for one, you can stop moping around here and round up a better army of men and get back out there!"



Angelus rolled his eyes before standing. "If you would have just let me storm the Castle this would have never happened."



"Yes, that's a very good plan Angelus." Ethan said sarcastically. "Start a war with every neighboring Kingdom not to mention King Rupert would have rained down on us with all the fury of four nations before we even had a chance to acquire the Princess. Don't ever underestimate your opponent, have I not taught you anything?"



"Actually, the only thing you've taught me is how to manipulate people with magic."



"What other way is there?" Ethan asked with a grin on his face. "I assure you, Princess Elizabeth will be your Queen and the riches of her Kingdom will multiply. You `will' be the most powerful King ever. I promise you that."





~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~





Buffy's legs felt like they would fall off her body any minute. They had been walking for what seemed like hours even though she knew it hadn't been. It was well past noon and her hunger was starting to override all her thoughts.



William was still well ahead of her but she would see him look back at her every so often. She wanted to smack him everytime he would smile at her, knowing he was enjoying seeing her like this. She was a mess. Her once delicate blue silk dress was ripped and dirty. Her hair was all over her head from being snagged on what seemed like every low hanging branch in the forest and she felt sticky from the afternoon sun bearing down on her when the canopy of trees would disappear and let the heat from the sun through, causing a slight sheen of perspiration to glisten on her skin..



Her face was scrunched up in anger, her stomach growling quietly as she trudged along. She was thinking of every possible punishment she could to get back at William for putting her through this. She still couldn't see why they couldn't have taken the horse. Sure he was hurt, but surly he could have carried her.



"Are you going to walk this slowly all the way to Alcala?" William asked as he had finally stopped and turned to face Buffy.



"Yes, probably so." She answered him coldly, scowling at him as he smiled back at her.


"Well, then just so you know, at the pace you're keeping, it'll take us a month to make it."



"WHAT!" Buffy asked loudly, her eyes squinting as her face hardened as she looked at him. "Please tell me you are joking." She spat out.



William chuckled softly, the sight of her trying her best to look menacing escaping him as her appearance had her looking like a homeless waif. "Fraid not Princess."



"I'm beginning to dislike you very much." Buffy said as she finally made her way over to where he had stopped.



"Oh, so that means you liked me then?" William asked, his smile widening as her eyes widened and her mouth flew open.



"I think not!" Buffy yelled. "You, sir are a servant! That is all!"



"Just a servant?" he asked, holding his hand to his heart. "Well, I think I may be crushed. And all this time I thought we were bonding." He said, chuckling at her.



"One does not `bond' with those beneath her station!" Buffy spat out angrily.



"Beneath you?" William asked her amused. "I'm beneath you now?"



"Yes." Buffy said, her chin jutting out in defiance. "You are a servant, all servants are beneath me." She answered him, knowing she was lying. She had never treated her servants in such a manner, but something about him just triggered alarms in her.



"I see." William said shaking his head slightly. "You are one of `those' types."



The way he said the word `those' caused Buffy's eyes to narrow into slits as she looked at him. The smile on his face and the way his eyes seemed to brighten as she looked at him had her scowling loudly as she pushed past him.



"Oh, now you wanna move." William said, watching her march off through the forest. "And here I was, going to make nice and offer to find something for you to eat."



Buffy froze at his words, her already grumbling stomach flipping at the prospects of food. She stood still, the sound of twigs breaking behind her letting her know he was coming towards her. She sighed heavily; her shoulders drooping as her anger at him slowly receded as she heard him stop behind her.



"It's been hours since breakfast, and I'm getting a bit peckish, imagine you are too." William said, smiling as he knew she was debating staying mad at him or giving in. He wiped the smile away as she slowly turned to face him, her eyes cast downward.



Buffy glanced up at him briefly, wishing the guilt that now seemed to rear its head would vanish. Why she felt guilt for yelling at him had her at a complete loss. It wasn't like she actually liked him. *Sure, tell yourself another one* her mind taunted.



"So, what's it going to be?" William asked, seeing the inner battle she was dealing with. "You going to play nice or remain an ice Queen?"



"I'm not an ice Queen." Buffy said softly, her head lifting as she looked at him. "Am I?" she asked him quietly.



William smiled and immediately regretted saying it as her face seemed to fall. "No luv, just wasn't expecting the bitchy Elizabeth that I just encountered."



"Buffy."



"What was that?" William asked when her soft words barely made it to him.



"Buffy." She said again, smiling slightly. "My family calls me Buffy, not Elizabeth."



"Buffy." William said, "How'd you get that little nickname?" he asked as he walked up to her and motioned her forward.



Buffy turned around and started walking again as William fell into step with her. "My Father always called me Bethie and when Dawn was little, everytime she said my name, it came out Beffie. She had trouble pronouncing the T." she told him smiling. "As time went on, it slowly turned to Buffy and it just kinda stuck."





William smiled as he looked over at her, the smile that was now on her face causing his own smile to broaden. "Well Buffy, what would you like for lunch? Roast duck in marmalade or suckling pig?"



"Mmmm, both sound heavenly." Buffy said grinning.



"Yes, they do." William said chuckling softly. "To bad I'm not the cook cause the best I can do out here in the middle of no where is a very bland rabbit or some ripe berries."



Buffy scrunched up her nose, knowing he was right. "Well, I guess I'll have to make do then, won't I?"



"I suppose so." William said, smiling at the way she seemed to be pouting. "But, if it'll make you feel any better, I'll let you clean the rabbit."



"What!" Buffy said loudly as her head snapped around to him. "I'm not cleaning a rabbit!"



William laughed, his head shaking as her face twisted in disgust. "Oh, come now. Prince Edward will be thoroughly impressed when he finds out not only are you beautiful but can also cook, what man wouldn't want that in a wife?"



Buffy tried to hide the smile that curved her lips as she lowered her head, effectively shielding her flushed face as her hair fanned out around her head. The common occurrence of the rapidly beating heartbeat and the twirling butterflies that were taking up residence in her stomach returning as his words replayed in her head. *He thinks I'm beautiful?* she asked herself, the light headedness returning, effectively causing his next words to completely escape her.



William glanced over at her when she didn't answer him, seeing her head tucked into her chest and he tilted his head to the side as he watched her. His brow scrunched up, trying to figure out what had caused her sudden shyness when his last few statements rang back through his head. *Bloody Hell!* he yelled to himself, his `beautiful' statement slapping him back to reality.~ "So." He said, his voice squeaking slightly as he nudged her with his elbow. "You gonna clean the rabbit or not?"





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