Askeidevor (Updated 2010-07-26)

Krokador · **Posted:** Mon Jun 26, 2006 1:01 pm

Title: Askeidevor
Author: Krokador
Email address: krokador@hotmail.com
Feedback: Always welcome, just that tiny thing that tells me you read my fic. You know, "I liked this this and that, but that wasn't really good, and oh i so wanna kill that dude!"
Distribution: just ask me first

Spoilers: None, this is AU
Rating: somewhere close to PG-13 all along, i guess, might be a couple higher rated chapters *grin*
Pairing: Willow and Tara lol, who else? (Unless a Vladawain and his sword count as a pairing >.<)
Disclaimer: I don't own Willow and Tara, but the rest is right from my imagination (who said twisted? lol)
Summary: We're in the middle of a long war between rebels and the high class. A mercenary named Vladawain Bagnale is engaged against the royalty, and he will meet Tara on his path, and of course, they'll stumble on Willow.

I don't know if I'll include any of the other Buffyverse character yet, I'll see if they prove useful in the storyline

Notes: I know I've been a sucker on my first fic for disappearing after the first chapter, and sincerely, I've lost the soul of the fic when disappearing. But this one isn't based on my life, and uses no song. And I'm a more stable person than I was, so updates will come in frequently enough

.

Oh, and I already have part 2 completed, and part 3 is on the way, I'll just maybe improve it a bit thanks to the feedback I'll receive, let my betaer read it for me, and that kind of things, but updates will come in more frequently than the first time ^.^

Special Thanks: To Jenny(DameSansMerci) for betaing me and correcting most of my poor syntax and grammar. To all the peeps in the chat that actually made me feel like writing again. To all the writers of the fic I,ve read, which made me feel like I was doing some kind of challenege, trying to bring Tara and Willow to life better than them

(Is that even possible?).

Okay, enough blablahness, on with the fic.

Prologue: The Clash of Swords

Everytime's a single line, intentions are never the same, swords Clash, love grows, feelings melt, hatred burns, wars, kiss, fight, peace, love, hate, justice, pain...

In a time where no one knew just what was looking down at them, just what was leading their world, there were people struggling for their lives, and their love. The only precious things they could ever hold were their swords, their feelings. Amongst those struggling people were some more succesful than others in the way of the sword, but these were usually deprived of most feelings. Or so it seemed.

It all started in a battlefield in the middle of the kingdom of Sunnydale. A young man was in a fight where all odds would've been against him, had he not been himself...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The young man dodged a spear and thrust his sword through a soldier's chest. A sparkle, a blink of an eye, two more opponents were down. Vladawain Bagnale was a fierce fighter, and his blade sliced through another warrior's armor effortlessly as he kicked back another assaillant that was trying to hit him from behind. Two more of them were jumping on him, and he ripped them apart using his body energy, a wind blade that sliced more than just the two assailants. When he finally got rid of all his attackers, he looked up at the battlefield, to realize no one else was standing in the area. He, alone, had wiped out a whole army division on his own.

A wicked grin formed on his face, a wound over his left eye bleeding onto the corner of his mouth. He licked the blood and then burst into a crazy laugh, a victory laugh that was his own, as he dropped his sword to the ground and savored his own triumph. His voice echoed in the plains, as the ground imbued with blood shook slightly from his still bursting power. The tall, young and powerful man just stood there, bathing in the crimson sunset, still in his battle trance, for what seemed like... hours, until he heard a kid crying-- crying for help. He slightly frowned, his black brows furrowing over his crystal blue eyes. Someone was alive. His job wasn't over yet. His job? Vladawain took a second to think this over, before pushing the thinking back to later. No one could survive the Bagnale's wrath.

He followed the cry, and was now standing over a kid, a blond girl, with striking blue eyes, as striking, Vladawain thought, as his, but warmer. Much warmer, loving, and sad, oh so sad. He had picked up his sword, and was holding it slightly over his waist, ready to strike down. The girl, now that he looked at her closely, was maybe twelve or thirteen years old. When she had noticed him, she had grasped onto a fallen warrior's spear, that she was holding with much clumsiness, apparently willing to defend herself-- her life, despite the fact she didn't really have much hope.

"Y-You!" She spat at Vladawain, tears flowing from her eyes. Vladawain squared his jaw; as far as using his sword to kill and fight was his passion, using it to kill an innocent kid who couldn't even fight was something he... Well, he didn't know. "You kk-ki-k-kil--..." Vladawain sighed and pushed his blade on the spear, disarming the girl in one swift movement, and then, resting his blade on the ground next to her feet, he knelt down beside her. Not making any threatening moves, at all. He looked right into the girl's eyes, and found something he didn't expect to see. There was no hatred, only pain, pain and loneliness. His own face, usually showing no emotions but the killing madness or the heavy focus, switched to a pained expression. Vladawin opened his mouth,nodded his head, but was unable to say a thing. The little girl nodded as well, understanding that she didn’t need to finish her sentence, that she would probably never have managed to finish anyway.

The young girl reached for Vladawain's face, and softly brushed her fingers against his wound. He closed his eyes while she did so; her touch was soothing, it was almost unnatural, like... "Magic?" He opened his eyes and stared at the suddenly fear-stricken girl for a moment. Then he dropped his sword to the ground. The clinging echoed in the life-empty battlefield. It seemed, for a moment, that time itself had stopped, as realization struck both of them, as deeply as the bottom of their own hearts. When all was said, without words, the girl jumped into Vladawain's arms, and he held her softly. The warrior in him wasn't on the surface anymore, and he somehow let himself just enjoy the moment.

Footsteps were then heard : hundreds, thousands of them. Another part of the army was coming, reinforcments. Vlad gripped his sword and stood in front of the girl, then shot a glance at her and saw tears form in the corner of her eyes again; her eyes were filled with understanding, but sadness too. His brain tried to think, his body ready to fight, but his heart going against it. If he did, the poor girl he hadn't killed himself would be killed in the battle, and what he had just found in her… well, he wasn't ready to let it go, whatever it was. He swallowed his fighter's pride and took the girl on his back, running from the battlefield before the army could notice them.

After a bit of running, they both reached the forest's opening, the girl clinging to her savior tightly. Vladawain stopped his course and looked behind him, then to his right, then, in a single leap, they were up in one of the many trees that bordered the trail. The warrior sat the girl on a branch and signaled her to stay quiet and to not make a move. A couple of travelers, or merchants, it seemed, had seen them. He quickly jumped to another tree, sheating his sword silently, but ready to fight if needed. His eyes wandered over the group, and he realized they were all wearing the royal blason. They were probably scouts of the army he had fought, heading back to their base to deliver reports. And amongst them was another kid, about twelve year old, a red-haired girl, with emerald eyes that suddenly turned towards Vladawain. But he was already hiding elsewhere: back in the tree with the girl he had saved, or spared… he still didn't know. The girl who's gaze had been on the red-head the whole time.

Willowtree252 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:00 pm

Great bring it on please :kitty

viximon · **Posted:** Tue Jun 27, 2006 2:15 am

Swords raised, blood and the will for survive. I like the start. So update soon to see what's next. ok? ;-)

The warrior and the girl, they make a cute pair already. I know how they end together and such, but what's Willow doing among those scouts?

Keep it up!

Artemis · **Posted:** Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:27 am

Interesting start - Vlad's quite the badass, huh? ;-)

That suggests some intriguing possibilities down the road, once Tara's not so traumatised as she is at the moment. She stirs something gentle in Vlad, which helped her let him be her protector for the moment, but he's also this army-slaying juggernaut - that's going to be problematic, emotionally. For both of them, I imagine.

Willow as an enemy scout, too, poses some tantalising possibilities. Depends which side Tara's on, if she's on a 'side' at all. Of course, the fact that she's with Vlad is probably all the soldiers would need to brand her as the enemy.

I'm definitely looking forward to more.

DaddyCatALSO · **Posted:** Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:51 am

As for Tara's side if any, well, the "thinguvitiz' she seems to have been with the force he wiped out so.....

AlysonGoddess · **Posted:** Wed Jun 28, 2006 3:50 pm

i like it so far please continue...
erin

willowbaby05 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 28, 2006 4:08 pm

I like the beginning chapter.Go on...continue.

Alky

Krokador · **Posted:** Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:26 am

Yay Thanks for the comments everyone. Of course I'll continue! I sent my second part to my fave betaer, and should have the corrected version around monday, and I'll probably play around it to change some stuff, so the update should come either wednesday, or thursday

Dianneswillowtree: You bet I'll bring it on

viximon: Willow among the scouts is what,s making this story a W/T story hehe. You'll see when the time comes

-- next update lmao

Artemis: Gotta say, your comments made me re-think a part of the plot, not only in my head, but also, I had to change something in what I had already written. See, it's actually not the first time I use Vladawain, he's based off a RP character

I've added my one line presentation of the fic in my sig hehe, gives you an idea about what's gonna happen

DaddyCatALSO: She was around the battlefield, yeah, but for an exact answer to what side she's on, you'll hafta keep reading

AlysonGoddess and willowbaby05: I'll continue, and hope you keep on reading

So, 'til wednesday hopefully

Thanks all again for reading my fic.

viximon · **Posted:** Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:59 am

So you make us wait. You're so mean. Awwww :(

Update soon, please

willowbaby05 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:44 pm

Wednesday it is then :wink

.

Aky

Krokador · **Posted:** Thu Jul 06, 2006 7:34 pm

Title: Askeidevor
Author: Krokador
Email address: krokador@hotmail.com
Feedback: Always welcome, just that tiny thing that tells me you read my fic. You know, "I liked this this and that, but that wasn't really good, and oh i so wanna kill that dude!"
Distribution: just ask me first

Spoilers: None, this is AU
Rating: somewhere close to PG-13 all along, i guess
>>Very small angst, and violence warning<<

Pairing: Willow and Tara lol, who else? (Unless Vladawain and his sword count as a pairing >.<)
Disclaimer: I don't own Willow and Tara, but the rest is right from my imagination (who said twisted? lol)
Summary: We're in the middle of a long war between rebels and the high class. A mercenary named Vladawain Bagnale is engaged against the royalty, and he will meet Tara on his path, and of course, they'll stumble on Willow.

Notes: I know I said wednesday, but my friend who was supposed to edit my grammar/spelling and what not mistakes was kinda late in sending it to me... But hey, its just one day, I'm sorry, hope you'll forgive me :blush

third part is already on the way, i have the whoel day tomorrow to watch movies and write it, so it should come in not that long

Chapter 1 : When Heroes Meet

The branch they were standing on cracked, and immediately three arrows found their way to the tree, and one pierced through Vladawain’s arm as he protected the little girl. Her eyes turned to his blood, and then she looked up at him, utterly scared. Vladawain squared his jaw, took the arrow out of his arm and drew his sword in a flash, dropping from the tree in front of the scouts.

"Surrender or be killed!" One of the men in the group yelled at Vladawain, pointing his sword at him. "You dun't wanna be messin' with meh, do you?" the fighter answered, his sword hanging loosely at his side, his face remaining calm, as if nothing could hurt him. The red haired kid Vladawain had noticed put her hand in front of the man that had challenged him, meaning for him to hold his horses, and she took a step forward, examining the warrior. "Who's up in the tree?" She asked him, not flinching even a second, though Vladawain was more than imposing to her, in both weight, and power. "None of your business." He answered, hoping the girl was alright. "Get her down, no harm's gonna be done to either of you." Vladawain quirked an eyebrow. Enemies, saying no harm would be done to them? What was this all about? He looked into the girl's eyes, and was struck by how sincere she seemed. He let out a groan and nodded, jumping up the tree once again. One of the scouts was about to shoot at him when the redhead stopped him.

Vladawain immediately came down with the blonde girl in his arms, and then put her down on the ground. He was still holding his sword, and ready to fight, but he felt somehow that it wasn't as bad as he first thought. He felt as if he wouldn’t even have to fight his way out, for once. "Name and function?" The apparently authoritive girl asked Vladawain, aware of his position of… power? "Da name is Vladawain Bagnale, most peeps call meh Vlad, am a mercenary hired by rebel armies. And ye are?" One of the royal knights dashed into him at the same time he finished his sentence. But Vlad was faster than that, and sliced through his throat in one well placed swing, and let the body fall at his feet, apparently undisturbed. The blonde girl winced at the sight of the blood, and… cold-hearted killing?. The red-head's eyes locked on her expression.

Time seemed to stop for a moment. Both their gazes met, and something, unfamiliar, warm, sparked between them. Vlad noticed something was going on, and his mind started trying to understand just what it was. "Hmm hey, I just butchered yer precious guard, mind tellin' me what the hell 'tis all 'bout? Why aren't ye, I dunno, runnin' for yer life, or trying to kill me?" The red haired girl shook herself out of her staring and stepped forward once more. "I'm Willow Rosenberg, the hmm.." she bit her lip and made a disgusted face. One of the guards talked in her place. "She's the Princess, so move out of the way!" Willow sighed and elbowed the man. "I'm talking! Huh Vlad.." She looked up expectantly at him, taking another step forward. She was well over two heads less than the man, and half his stature if not smaller. "I know what my life would mean to the people who hired you, but I… I, you know, I never wanted to be who I am, and I just wanna, live, and I love being able to learn all those things, and please, don't take this away from me… and…" A soft giggle emerged from the blond girl at Willow's babble, that she immediately stiffled, blushing heavily. Was she laughing at how pathetic the princess sounded? The girl once again looked in the blonde's direction, and slightly frowned at her shyness. "Yeah, I know, babble-fest. Happens to me all the time but I…" The blonde girl looked up "I-I think it's cute." The blush on her cheeks deepened, as well as Willow's, at those words.

"Heh, so you do talk, kiddo." Vlad smirked, and sheated his sword. The atmosphere became less awkward, and Vlad walked to a trunk and leant on it casually, crossing his arms over his chest. "Here, go with 'em kid. I'll just let it go, dont wantcha to get hurt." Willow looked up at Vlad, then at the girl, who's gaze shifted to the ground. "What's your name?" she asked, expectantly. "Ta-Tara Maclay." the blond girl answered, with shame in her tone, not lifting her head once. Vlad groaned and titled his head to the right while looking down at her. "Traitor's kiddo, right?" Willow frowned at that, and her expression fell. "I'm afraid I… I can't take you with me at all. But, Vlad, no one's gonna be sent after her, or you, if you just…" Vlad raised his hand to stop her from talking. "Save it for the royal dumbasses. 'Tis not the last time our paths cross, Princess."

"I have that feeling as well, Vlad." Willow answered, sad to have to leave the young girl she had just met. She shot a glance at Tara: she was shuffling her feet on the ground, and looked utterly depressed. "Hey kiddo!" Vlad shouted to get Tara's attention. She looked up, startled, and saw him lending out an hand. "We're movin', say g'd'bye already." Willow stared at Tara as she walked to Vlad slowly, it really hurted to have to part so soon. She didn't have much of a chance to get to know girls her age, and she felt like she would've gotten along with that one pretty well.

"Why?" The question had struck Willow as if it was just a random idea, but it was actually an obvious question. Vlad raised an eyebrow at her, putting his hand on Tara's shoulder in an instinctive move. "Why's she with you, a young girl, with a mercenary, she's not your child?" Vlad shrugged. "Go figure.. " He said, walking away from the small group, and pushing Tara's shoulder slightly. The girl finally turned around a little, and waved at Willow shyly. A small smile formed on the princess's lips as she returned the wave. "We'll meet again, Tara, I promise."

Vlad led Tara to his place in silence, and she seemed to appreciate the comfortable quietness. Probably because things in her head weren't peaceful at all.

She… she talked to me. And she smiled, her smile… it was so… I… I'm not… I want to be with her, and talk with her, and… I'm alive. Just this morning, I was heading to the army camp, and then… this happened. I wasn't safe anywhere anymore, and somehow, I survived, and now someone… Vlad… he was like a demon, he killed everyone, yet he spared me? Or he never wanted to kill me? Is he one of those cold hearted warriors i,ve heard… no, he couldn't… I'm… "Dunt overwork yer lil' brain, kid." Something pretty similar to a smile formed on Vlad's lips, as he took Tara's small hand in his. "You liked that girl, aight?" Tara suddenly looked down and nodded shyly, blushing under the hair that now covered her face. "Well then, hold onto that, and it'll happen." Right as he finished those words, Vlad withdrew his sword quickly and turned around to press the tip of his blade on the throat of a mysterious shadow standing in the wilderness.

"Calm down bro!" The silhouette stepped out of the tall grass, hands up over his shoulders, almost hitting Tara with his elbow while turning to face Vlad. The young girl stood there, petrified at the sight of the other man: He had the same dark traits, the same dark hair, the same blue eyes, he was almost a perfect replica of Vlad. Except for the wound over the left eye. "Back already?" Vlad asked him, still firmly holding his sword in place. "I never left!" Disbelief crossed the man's face, as his expression shifted from doubt to suspicion. Vlad rolled his eyes. "Aight." In a swift move, Vlad knocked over the other man in front of him and sheated his sword, leaving Tara staring at them both, now paralyzed by fear. "Next time, don't stalk Odi." Vlad said as the other guy stumbled backwards and fell on his butt. In a groan, he looked up at his brother and nodded his head to the warrior's orders.

Vlad then picked Tara up from the ground and carried her over to an old shack. He kicked the door open and stepped in before putting her back on her feet. He let her take a look at the small house's furniture: two sleeping mats, a table and two chairs, as well as a small oil lamp in the middle of the table. One of the walls was covered in weapons of all kinds, a couple sets of armor were lying in a corner, and a small shelf held five bottles of spirits. "'Tis home kid. If ya need sumthing, just ask. I'll make you a mat for sleepin' if ya want one." His brother entered the house as well, and noticed Tara.

"Who's the girl Vlady?"
"None of yer business."
"Isn't she a lil' young for…" He was interrupted by a careless voice.
"You touch her: you die."

Vlad's last words were said in an even tone, not threatening, but worse. He had stated a fact, simply. The coldness of his voice had sent chills down Tara's spine. Just who was he? Even his brother was startled at the way he expressed himself, and was standing in the door, mouth wide open. An awkward silence settled down, as Vlad started undonning his battle armor, and finally his brother knelt down beside Tara and tried to smile to her. An attempt which failed as he saw her teary eyes wandering Vlad's now half-naked body and her knees gave up under her. Odiluke caught her before she fell and sat her on a chair. "Hey bro, put on a shirt yer scarin' yer guest." Vlad threw his last piece of armor in the corner with the rest, but didn't turn to them or make a move toward the small drawer that was near the sleeping mats. "Her body's probably half as bad." He finally said, with his usual calm and even voice. Tara quickly ducked her head, letting her hair cover her face, as Vlad's brother's eyes grew wide in shock. Vlad finally turned back to them, walked over to the chair and knelt down beside his brother. "'Tis my brother Odiluke. You prob'ly guessed, but we're twins." He smiled and reached for Tara's face with his hand, then lifted her head up so she would look at him. She slowly lifted her gaze from the ground and met his blue eyes, that were filled with… understanding?

"How about we take care of them scars and then you get yourself a g'night's sleep?" Tara immediately blushed at the thought of someone seeing her naked—two guys seeing her naked. Odiluke bursted in an uncontrollable laughter beside them, as Vlad frowned. "Dude, you're like, Sir Pathetic." But Vlad kept his calm and seriousness, and looked at Tara intently. She blushed even more, and shook her head no. Odiluke got up at that moment and walked off, his laughter still echoing in the room, as Vlad slowly reached for Tara's arm, and ran his fingers over what seemed like an old scar. Tara's gaze immediately shifted to her arm, as tingles of magic ran through her, and some of the pain she was used to eased magically. She blinked a couple times, and then looked at Vlad. He was still looking at her, with his calm eyes, and they weren't cold anymore. They carried some kind of… Tara decided on peace, as she wondered how the warrior was able to control the flow of magic so it would heal any scars on her body, without him touching her anywhere but her elbow. She finally relaxed and let her thoughts drift to the events of the past days.

"How do you… ?"

The question surprised both of them, and Vlad broke the touch instinctively, falling backwards. "S-Sorry." He had said the words getting up and brushing off his pants, and then frowned looking back at Tara. "You said sumthing?" It was Tara's turn to frown. "What? I-It wasn't?" Confusion settled between them, as they looked at each other, neither of them knowing exactly what was going on.

Odiluke barged into the house and threw a pile of wood on the floor in a loud rumbling noise, quite effectively breaking awkward moment. "Well there, birdies said it'd be could t'night, let's make a fire ladies and gents!" The man looked at both of them and quirked an eyebrow at their surprised expressions, and decided he'd just shake them out of their state, litterally, by throwing a piece of wood at Vlad's head, and ruffling Tara's hair with his other hand. "C'mon! Let's make a fire and eat like we've never ate before, to celebrate Vlady's victory today, aight?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow slowly shut the door to her room, and then slumped onto her bed letting out a long, painful, exhausted sigh of relief. This had been a rough day: the way home, the encounter on the road, convincing the guards to say nothing about the encouter, the beautiful girl and her magnificent blue eyes. Her crystal, watery, scared and cute eyes…

Her mind wandered of, remembering every single details of the girl. "Tara…" She said, softly, dreamily, staring at her ceiling and imagining the girl right there, in her room. Then she snapped out of her reverie, reality slapping her hard. She's daughter of a traitor to your kingdom, she's with a wandering mercenary, and she probably doesn't even remember you already Rosenberg. That is, if she's even still alive. Thinking about her is more like torture than daydreaming. Your brain's too intelligent to even think you'll ever see her again… But I… she's… What the hell am I thinking?!?

Willow kicked her shoes in a corner of her room violently and sighed angrily. Then she crawled under the sheets and rested her head on her pillow, but her eyes stayed open, as she stared at the starry sky through the window of her room, wishing, against her own will, that the promise she had made today would come true. She had no idea exactly why, but she wanted to see Tara again, alive, and… Could this be my first crush? On a girl?

MissMaclay89 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:15 pm

Very interesting, and cute! Can't wait for more!

viximon · **Posted:** Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:57 am

Lovely.
Their paths had to split but for sure they will meet again.
Wills was so dignify being princess all commanding and such but without losing her babble-cute-self. And Tara seems to gain somehow a kind of family.
Keep it up :peace

Krokador · **Posted:** Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:12 pm

Thanks for reading people

It makes me wanna keep going

MissMaclay89: I hope you keep on reading, because here's an update, and it's got some more cuteness in it

Viximon: Hehe, I wasnt sure about making Willow a princess at first, but then it kinda fits, and it's fun. I hope you enjoy this next update just as much

Title: Askeidevor
Author: Krokador
Email address: krokador@hotmail.com
Feedback: Always welcome, just that tiny thing that tells me you read my fic. You know, "I liked this this and that, but that wasn't really good, and oh i so wanna kill that dude!"
Distribution: just ask me first

-- yay my story is on Throught the Looking Glass

Spoilers: None, this is AU
Rating: somewhere close to PG-13 all along, i guess, might be a couple higher rated chapters *grin*
Pairing: Willow and Tara lol, who else? (Unless a Vladawain and his sword count as a pairing >.<)
Disclaimer: I don't own Willow and Tara, but the rest is right from my imagination (who said twisted? lol)
Summary: We're in the middle of a long war between rebels and the high class. A mercenary named Vladawain Bagnale is engaged against the royalty, and he will meet Tara on his path, and of course, they'll stumble on Willow.

Notes: Well, first of all, many, many thanks to Dame for editing my thing, because I'm such a dummy with mistyping or forgetting my irregular verbs and all that stuff. I though I would change something in this chapter, but after rereading, I finally like the way I put it. So, I wont make you guys wait more for an update

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Time Goes By

It's weird how time seems to… fly by lately. Ever since he found me on that battlefield… No, ever since I met Willow. She looked so nice. I don't know… I mean? Why am i trying to explain myself to… myself? It's dumb, I couldn't even talk when I saw her, I was mesmerized… Not like it was any different from usual. Have I ever been able to speak my mind? Just how pathetic will this get? And Vlad… he read through me so easily, yet he's so… But the princess… she wasn't… a princess, not one of those… nobles.

Damn them nobles. Royalty, whatever! 'Superior blood' my ass! Oh!! Did I really… think that? The moon, it's so beautiful tonight, though, nothing's as beautiful as my Willow. MY? Yeah alright, the Willow of your dreams, Maclay. But Vlad told me to hold onto that… Maybe he knows something I don't. Heh that wouldn't surprise me, I know mostly nothing, apart from magic.

I'm just a bastard kid after all! Why does that stupid connection with Count Maclay have to follow me like that? And why, why in the world am I, me, the survivor of the family? After mom was…

Tara's train of thought was interrupted when Vlad sat down beside her and looked up at the moon in silence, his legs dangling on the edge of the cliff where they were. "Give your mind a break, Tara." He said, in his usual even tone. The words, they were simple, yet meaningful. How long had he been there? Did he know what she was thinking? Vlad didn't add anything, he kept his usual quietness, and just seemed to enjoy bathing in the moonlight, relaxing his muscles, and for the first time Tara could remember, his guard was down. She sighed, and leant onto him, letting her thoughts get back on the bumpy road they were running down.

I wish this could be Willow, right beside me. I'm sure she's comfy, and great to hold close and… wait! Why am I thinking of her as if she was… it's… I feel like that only because I've never had a friend before, right? Is Vlad a friend? It's not like I could call him father, or brother, doesn't feel like family to me. He's not even old enough to… But he never says anything, he's like… Sir Mysterious. He's a bit like… my brother he killed. Only difference is… instead of… hitting me, he heals my wounds…

I can't even remember what we did here in these past few days, it's been so strangely… peaceful. I've stared at the sky for quite a while, it,s so much more beautiful away from the village lights. And I swam in the lake, the silver sparkling water here is so pure… Oh and I spent a couple hours tending to Vlad's wounds… Maybe… that's what he took me here for? His brother and him… they're so quiet.

Vlad had gotten up and was walking close to the edge, seemingly made uneasy by how close Tara was to him a moment ago. "You… do-don't like it w-when I-I'm close to you?" She asked him, concerned. Everytime they had touched for more than a couple seconds, he had moved away. "Naah!" Was his answer, as he shook his head and walked back to her. "See, I…" He trailed off and looked to the ground. Tara frowned and jumped to her feet, but was immediately pushed back to the ground by Odiluke, just as a wave of arrows flew by them, just over their heads. Vlad withdrew his sword just quickly enough to deflect most of the arrows away from himself, none hit his vital parts. "Curse them!" Odiluke screeched between his teeth as he got to his knees and reached his hand claws in his back. "You stay down, we'll take care of 'em!"

Tara nodded and buried her face in the ground, not wanting to see the slaughter that would go on as Vladawain and Odiluke rushed into battle. Vlad slashed through the air violently, sending a wind blade towards the spot in the shadows where the arrows had come from. Pain, death, and screams were heard, and at the same time, weapons clashing, as Odiluke dove down into the enemy ranks and killed them one by one, sucessfully evading or blocking any attacks that came his way in a serie of summersaults, backflips and other fancy moves, tearing down the armor and flesh of the enemy with his deadly clawed hands. Vlad slowly walked towards the battle as well, his eyes like ice, glaring through them all.

The last noise from the battle was Odiluke's claw burying in the ground to stop himself from sliding backwards after delivering a sever blow at an opponent. Then silence fell on the cliff edge, a heavy, deadly silence, that threatened to crush Tara's conciousness in it's supremacy. She knew, somehow, the exact number of people killed, the exact number of wounds that were inflicted to Vlad and Odiluke, she could feel the blood running through her heart, and the screams still drumming in her heartbeat. She was shocked about how clearly she felt the battle, without even looking at it, disgusted even.

A strong pair of hands picked her up and put her on her feet by the hem of her shirt. Those were not the hands of either Vlad or Odiluke, even though her eyes were still tightly shut, she could tell, but then, who's hands? "You're just a failure!" One of the hands that had brought her up slapped her hard, on the right ear. She stumbled backwards as the contact made her suddenly open her eyes, and another hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back with great strength, but this time, no… hatred? The world around her spun, the images were blurry, but there was this one silhouette, a dark, tall shadow, looking down at her. "You don't have a home anymore, you don't have the right to be one of us, you! You! deserve punishment for even thinking about…"

"Hey! Snap out of it already, kid!" Vlad's voice? No, it was Odiluke's. Was it his hand that had gripped hers, no, she was sure it was Vlad's… She slowly opened her eyes that she had shut again without noticing. Her eyelids were heavy, like after a night of sleep that had been too short. Odiluke was kneeling beside her, looking concerned, about her? "She's coming to! Vlad!" Rushed footsteps could be heard, and then a hand grabbed her by her shirt and lifted her up from the ground a little. "What in Hell were you thinkin'!" Shaken by the emotion in Vladawain's voice, something that resembled fear, Tara finally woke up completely and took in her surroundings. She was still close to the edge of the cliff, the night was slowly starting to give in to daylight, and both the warriors that had saved her were right beside her, looking more concerned than she had never seen them be. "Tell me!" Vlad shook her slightly. "Why'd you try to jump off 'da cliff?!"

Tara's eyes grew wide in shock. She hadn't tried to jump off the cliff, at all. Then she remembered being slapped by… who was it? Her hand slowly reached for her right ear, and she felt no pain, no scar, no bruise, nothing there. Had that happened in her imagination? She frowned slightly, thinking about it all, as Vlad finally dropped her and sighed. "Just… don't do it again." He turned his back to them, and Odiluke also got up to his feet. Tara blinked a couple times, and then got up and threw herself on Vlad, hugging him tightly. The warrior looked down at her and ruffled her hair, giving her a warm halfsmile. She lifted her head, and imitated his facial expression. Odiluke stood beside them, looking far away, both his arms dangling loosely from his body, as the sun was starting it's course through the morning sky. Or maybe… that's what a family is supposed to be…

"So they found us…" Odiluke broke the silence. "They weren't after us, else they would've been more heavily armed. That or our reputation has fallen."
"They're after the girl?"
"Or first class idiots."
"We hafta move anyway, but… where to? Maybe it's time we get outta the kingdom."
"As if they'd let us out, heh. And I just can't leave this place… yet."
"Oh…"
"No oh-ing me Luke, You know you'll have to find yours someday."
"Aye! So where're we goin'?"
"Starlust Lake?" Tara couldn't resist proposing that place, out of al the places she knew in the Kingdom: the exact place where her mother was buried after her death.
"So close to the castle?" Odiluke didn't sound too convinced.
"They'd never think of searching for us that near. Sounds like a plan to me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow was sitting on the castle wall, watching the sun rise slowly, her mind drifting around the clouds, the thoughts, the light and the shadow that the high walls were casting on the plain, and then she settled her eyes on the beautiful lake that was just a couple miles away. Starlust Lake… the silvery water, the shades of reflecting light, all the fishies and the life tha's around there. I wish I could go there…Paranoid much daddy? What's all that about rumors of a monster in there? Such a beautiful place. I wanna take Tara there when I… Willow let out a loud sigh, and gripped the stone walls on both side of herself looking up at the sky, her feet dangling off the edge.

I wish I could fly, and go see her, God I miss her and I've seen her maybe five minutes. What kind of dream is that anyway? I want to be with the daughter of the man who almost killed me?My father will never approve. He keeps sending me the dumb prince type pretendants, hoping I'll show interest in them. Gah, what am I supposed to tell him so this madness stops. 'Hello, gay now!'? Then he's gonna ask what I mean, and then he's gonna die of a heart attack learning his only child won't have kids to succeed to the throne…But… Why do I have to carry this burden? Why was I born princess, I could've been a commoner, things wouldn't have been so complicated.

"Willow, your father would like to talk to you, if you'd please get back inside and dress up as a proper lady to go and see him." Willow turned to the blonde girl that was by the window, bewildered by the sight of the princess in her pajama out on the castle walls. "Don't worry Buffy, I'm not gonna fall." The princess got up in a swift, agile move and slid through the open window effortlessly, then smiled at the new maid and took the clothes she was offering her. "You can leave, I'll be alright by myself." Buffy nodded and smiled back, then walked out of the room, shutting the door softly. Well, she's definitely something, for a new maid… Wonder how old she is. Willow quickly changed and walked out of her room in a nice black dress, her steps unsure, her stance uneasy. She obviously didn't like being dressed the way she was. Just for that, I wish I could've been an amazon. A warrior princess of some kind. Damn dresses…

She entered the throne room and immediately walked to her father, who looked at her with a mix of disbelief and anger, his hands tightly locked to the chairs' arms. He kept staring at her for a moment, and Willow started fidgeting with the fabric of her dress, waiting for him to talk, too intimidated to even say hi. He finally got up and started pacing, his voice low and dull, barely covering the sound of his footsteps. "You met the traitor's daughter in the forest, and didn't arrest her." His tone got louder. "You met Vladawain Bagnale, the slayer of armies, the one and only man who's ever dared go against the royalty and survived, and you…" He finally turned towards Willow, his face inches from hers, his green eyes shooting electricity, his aggressivity paralyzing Willow herself. He screamed, just this once, him who would always keep his calm, screamed, shouted, yelled words out, at his own daughter. "You didn't tell ME!" He then stayed still, his breath heavy, his eyes fixing his daughter's intently, and then, all of a sudden, he stood tall, and turned his back to her. "Explain yourself, Miss Rosenberg."

Willow took a deep breath. How did he learn about it? How come he knew every single detail of that encounter when she had made sure none of the guards would talk? "I… actually that's not how it happened. He was, you see, Vladawain, he was much, much stronger than all the guards that were with me. And he was… protecting the girl. So I just… He spared us, well, most of us, in exchange for… the girl's well… well being. She's not… her aura, it's not the same as the traitor's. She's not, his blood, she's…"

Willows father turned back towards her, his face carrying some kind of annoyance. "You didn't answer my question: Why wasnt I informed of that right away?" Willow swallowed the lump in her throat, and hesitantly took a step forward. "I told them… I wouldn't… In exchange for my life, I said I wouldn't say I saw them. "You think that lowlife mercenary could make it here to kill you?" Willow shook her head no, but the thought made her shudder. "I just… he didn't look like… a threat to me. And my guards had agreed on not saying a thing, too."
"The ones who were with you, yes. Not the ones I had sent and were following you, in the shadows."

Shock drew it's way on Willow's face, as her jaw fell open and her brows furrowed. Both her hands hung on her sides, suddenly heavy. Heavy with apprehension? Disgust? Just shock? "You did what?" She just couldn't believe it. Spies were following her moves, moves that had been ordered by her father himself. In what kind of world are we living now? Even my own father can't trust me… Without waiting for a reply from her father, Willow ran out of the room, and up to her bedroom, where she quickly changed into more comfortable clothes and then jumped out of the window on the wall again, and climbed up to where no one could reach her, or even see her. She had picked up a sword on her way, and was holding it in front of her, staring at the tip glistening in the daylight. The shades of light moved across her face, as she played with the weapon, tried to slice some invisible enemy… She enjoyed wielding a blade, the sound of the metal slicing through the wind, the weight of the sword extending her own arm. The power she felt holding the weapon in her hands was much more palpable than the one she had with the crown on her head. It was tangible, real, yet so easy to lose. The power of life and death, more than the power of money. She felt it was her way, but her father had never wanted to show her how to fight, and her teacher had showed her only a little magic. What good will conjuring a tiny little flame do me if I'm stuck in the middle of a battle? I'm a princess, right, fair enough, but I don't want to be a prisoner. And I want to be able to defend my own life on my own! She kept swinging her sword on the roof of the castle, alone, until she crumbled down in exhaustion. She decided it would be about time she returned to her room, ate something, and had a good night of sleep.

I wonder… where Tara is right now, and what she's doing. I hope nothing bad happened to her. Who knows what my father could've done. He could've sent mercenaries to get her… kill her. Vlad, please, take care of her, protect her for me…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tara stumbled under the weight of all the stuff she was carrying. It was just a bag, and one of Odiluke's battle armor, but it was heavy, as if someone had put rocks, weights on her whole body… Vlad walked by her and picked her up, and then picked up a rock from the road and put it in her bag. "What? You really weighted that up??" Odiluke burst into an incontrollable laughter, and Vlad smirked. "No I haven't, but that's what ya get fer thinkin' I did!" "How did you?" Tara frowned, looking up at Vlad. He was wearing some kind of smile, which was rather unusual for him. Then she stopped walking, dropped what she was carrying on the ground, and let her arms hang limp at her sides. "You can read my mind?" Odiluke's laughter became even crazier, and Vlad shook his head. "Yes. A little, when yer opening it ta me… Like… When ya get close to me. But I… hate intruding on people's thoughts. I just catch a glimpse here and there, dun't worry too much about it."
"Wow, bro. That's the longest conversational talk you ever had!" Odiluke tried to control the chuckling and picked up Tara's bag. "Took ya long enuf to figure out young lady. But the idea's not bad, let's get you fit for life while we get to Starlust Lake. An' dun't worry, if you crumble down outta exhaustion, we'll pick ya up." Odiluke picked a few more rocks on the road and stuffed them in the bag, then handed it back to Tara. "I-I… I'll never be able to ca-carry this all d-day." Worry made its way on her traits, that and a bit of pride too, washing away. She hadn't been raised in the warrior way, at all. All she had done in her young years was housework… But… what if I ever get caught in a battle? I can't fight my own way out, I can't defend myself. Vlad and Odi won't always be there for me. Maybe it's time I learn how to handle my own? And maybe this way, it'll be eaier to see Willow again. Yeah, I'll do it for Willow. This way she won't have a friendly weakling crawling in front of her when we meet again. Resolve slowly made it's way in her expression, and her moves, as she picked up the bag, put it on her back, and started walking again, faster than before, and thanked the gods for the fact she wasn't wearing Vlad's heavy armor.

They finally arrived near a pond surrounded by trees, and Tara litterally collapsed. The hand of a young red headed woman appeared in front of her, lent out, inviting. All the heavyness was gone, there was only the two girls, looking at each other. Tara hesitantly reached for the freckled hand, and took it in hers. The touch shook her whole body with an unknow energy, and the other girl, Willow, helped her get up. Their hands stayed locked in each other's, the effort they had made to get up had positioned them inches apart. Blue was fusing with green, their eyes couldn't look anywhere but in the depths of the other girl's soul. Nothing existed but the pulse of their hearts racing to control all the emotions that were rising. They were so close, and nothing else mattered.

Willow slowly leaned in closer, afraid to break the moment, that precious moment they were sharing just now. Their lips touched, in a soft, but powerful kiss, that sent shivers through their young bodies. Tara shut her eyes and hugged the girl tightly, and Willow happily joined in the embrace. When they finally let go, reluctantly, Willow found herself in her room, alone in her bed, snuggled up to her pillow. She let out a sigh and tried to get her mind off what had just happened. It's just a dream Rosenberg, only a dream, no matter how real it felt.

"Tara…" What? Vlad? But I was with Willow just… "You should eat sumthing, else ya won't be able to carry this anywhere else, m'lady. We'll stay here for the night, 'kay?" Tara nodded her head and lifted herself up, noticing she didn't have the armor on anymore. She reached for the plate Vlad offered her, feeling the strain in her muscles, and the pain in the back of her head resulting from the effort she had provided. Of course it was just a dream, Maclay. How could you even imagine it was real after such a day?

viximon · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:43 am

Oh, Tara and Willow's dreams (or whatever) are linked!!! So cool.
Ha ha ha, Buffy is Will's new maid? That's something.
Still enjoing the fic, keep it up ;-)

Krokador · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 9:02 am

Viximon: Glad you're still reading, my last part has been kinda lacking some feedback ^^ Maybe it's cause i take so long to actually update.

Making Buffy Willow's maid was just a spark i had in my mind when writing, as it wadnt in my main plot idea at all at first, but it opens up a lot of possibilities. And I might make Xander a knight in shining armor, too... no actually I have an idea for him too, but you won't see it next update!

yeppers, chapter 3 is done, I just sent it to my favorite betaer, and waiting for her answer. If in 2 days I don't have any, I'll try to correct it myself and post it up anyway. So by wednesday, latest, next part will be up for everyone who's been reading to enjoy! And to all the lurkers, if you show up I might be motivated into going faste rthan that for updates!

Krokador · **Posted:** Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:13 pm

Title: Askeidevor
Author: Krokador
Email address: krokador@hotmail.com
Feedback: Always welcome, just that tiny thing that tells me you read my fic. You know, "I liked this this and that, but that wasn't really good, and oh i so wanna kill that dude!"
Distribution: just ask me first

Spoilers: None, this is AU
Rating: somewhere close to PG-13 all along, i guess, might be a couple higher rated chapters *grin*
Pairing: Willow and Tara lol, who else? (Unless a Vladawain and his sword count as a pairing >.<)
Disclaimer: I don't own Willow and Tara, but the rest is right from my imagination (who said twisted? lol)
Summary: We're in the middle of a long war between rebels and the high class. A mercenary named Vladawain Bagnale is engaged against the royalty, and he will meet Tara on his path, and of course, they'll stumble on Willow.

Note: this part was spellchecked by only me, so I mightve left out a couple typos and such. Part 5 underway already! I'm writing, dont you guys worry!

Chapter 3: Fight for Life

Tara almost lost her balance while recovering from the strenght of Vlad's swing, but caught herself back on time and countered quickly, slashing upward toward his chest. But Vlad was ready and just hit her sword downward, causing her to lose balance again, and this time to roll on her side after falling, ready to block his next attack, even though she knew he wouldn't hit her while she was down. "Hey you're getting better Tara. Wanna take a break?" Tara nodded and got to her feet, removing the breastplate of her armor and throwing it aside. She then released her long silky ash blond air she had tied for the training session and looked up at the sky, sword still in hand.

"She's getting prettier 'vryday, dontcha think Vlad?" Odiluke was sitting on a rock and observing the scene.
"Gotta admit, she grew up wonderfully. And she became much stronger than she was when I first met her." Vlad rubbed a bruise on his wrist and laughed.
"She managed to hit you? Wow Vlady, you're gettin' softer!"
"Nah, I had to hit her sword with the back o' my hand to block her hit."
"Haha, means you taught her well. You've changed lately, bro." Odiluke became serious all of a sudden.
"Hey, you changed as well Luke."
"No I mean… nah nevermind that."
"It's been two years since she's with us. Two years since my last army slaughter. So of course, things have changed."
"The war's still raging."
"Yeah, I doubt we still have long ta go before sumone calls on us again."
"And what do we do with the girl if…" Odiluke was interrupted by some very cold water Tara had thrown his way.
"I want to come if you ever go fighting again." She had her resolve face on, and that made Vlad giggle.
"Hey of course, you'll come along, I haven't forgotten the promise I made you, and that princess girl."

Willow, I wonder what she looks like now. It's two five whole years already. Already? No it felt like an eternity without you. Even if I saw you in my dreams… Do you still… No, you could never have loved me. It's something that hasn't started, who knows, maybe she never had feelings for me at all. It was just a random encounter. How would I manage to be with the princess anyway? I'm not of noble blood, and I'm the daughter of the kingdom's worse traitor ever…

"You never stop worrying, Tara?" Vlad was standing beside her and had put an hand on her shoulder. She had grown to appreciate him as an older brother, and he really treated her like one of his'. She had learned how to talk with him through telepathy, and at that right moment she wasn't sure if the words were spoken out loud, or if they were just in her head. "What if she forgot about me, Vlad?"
"Trust me, no one can forget you." Vlad smiled gently, and Tara answered him with a lopsided grin.
"Thanks for all you've done for me."
"Nah, I have to thank you. You've showed me a part of myself I had forgotten."
"What's this redemption thing you and Odi have been talking about?"
"What did your father do to be considered such a traitor?"
"Hmm… I-I'm sorry…"

The silence fell on them, the plains, the lake just beside them. It was a beautiful day, but something in the air, the atmosphere wasn't right. A slight noise of metal screeching was heard, and both Vlad and Tara turned toward Odiluke who had withdrawn his claws.

"It's not human, guys. And it's coming this way!"

Both Vlad and Tara gripped their swords and surveyed the area, but there was nothing in sight. The landscape was a still frame, no bird chirped, no rat raced through a bush with it's tiny legs, even the wind seemed to have stopped blowing. Vlad was shaking, and Tara could recognize excitement in his eyes. True, he hasn't fought for real in a while, can't say I'm a challenge… But then the excitement turned into some kind of fear, and the warrior shot a glance at his brother, to realize he wasn't the only one to have noticed the huge amount of power coming their way. Tara felt it too, and her knees threatened to let go under her any seconds, but she somehow managed to keep her composure.
"I think it's… stronger than us, Vlad." Odiluke had said that through telepathy, but Tara had intercepted the words and this time, fear made it's way in her body, and she dropped her sword. Willow… I…

But Vlad didn't seem to care. He was building up his own power in a strange aura around himself, an orange, flamey aura that threatened to burst out of it's bonds any moments, because of how monstruous Vlad's strenght was. It seemed it was far beyond his capacity to control such power, but his face was calm, serene, and a smirk appeared on the corner of his mouth. Tara was looking at him, stupified by what she was seeing, unable to move or think properly.

As soon as he noticed his brother's stance, Odiluke dove on Tara and violently pushed her out of the way, and out of her reverie. "Okay bro, I rectify. That thing is stronger than our human restricted powers…" Vlad's eyes turned bright red, and he growled in satisfaction as the thing that was attacking them showed up.

"A d-dr-dragon?!?" Tara stumbled backwards, eyes stuck on the two menacing figures, mouth wide open, both scared and in awe in front of so much power. The dragon was a huge silver-white lizard, with a couple rows of teeth, and menacing claws. His scaled skin was sparkling in the day light, and he was ready to lauch a breath attack that no normal humans could whitstand, and Vlad was probably not an exception either. But he was out there, standing in front of the dragon, his sword driven into the ground by his side, apparently enjoying the challenge.

It all happened in a flash. Vlad leaped off the ground, the dragon spit it's freezing gas at him, and the warrior's aura immediately melted the ice that was forming around him, as he was about to dive down on the gargantuous beast with his… [/i]Clawed hand?!?[/i] in front of him. In just one swing, he sliced through the dragon's neck, and landed just before the beast's head on the other side of it's corpse. The cut was clean, and no blood was spilled. It was almsot as if nothing happened. But Vlad was still raging with his built up energy, and a maniacal laugh escaped from his lungs as he turned towards Tara and Odiluke, apparently thinking of satisfying his bloodlust by killing them too. The blood froze in Tara's veins, and she would have fell on her back if she hadn't been already sitting against a tree to watch the scene. The Vladawain she had grown to like as a big brother was about to leap at her and kill her, cold-heartedly…

"Reckless son of a bitch!" Odiluke dashed for Vlad's sword spitting the words, dug it out of the ground in a swift move and slashed at his brother's demonic right arm, all in a single movement. There was a burst of light, a loud scream, and next thing Tara could see was Odiluke's body flying into a tree, breaking the trunk in a loud thump and collapsing to the ground, unconscious. Tara shot a glance over at Vlad, who was slowly getting up, picking up his sword and shaking his head, his whole body trembling with untamed, wild power. She then ran over to Odiluke and knelt beside him. The man's skin was burned by the energy that had emanated from Vlad, and Tara began to heal him with the technique she had learned being around the two guys: She rested her palms over his chest, and began to concentrate her energy on him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow heard, or felt, some kind of loud, powerful howl coming from the other side of the lake. She turned around just in time to see the last burst of power, and the guards that were escorting her all turned too late to see anything. "What's wrong my lady?" That power… felt familiar, somehow… "Huh?" She shook herself out of her thoughts and turned toward the knight that had adressed her and almost knocked her head into his armor. The man repeated his question. "Did you see something, princess?" Willow quickly shook her head no. "Must have been my imagination, sir!" If it's what I think, I'm better off not telling anyone, at all. The other guard turned towards her. "Why are we at the cursed lake anyway?" The other knight slapped him behind the head, and everyone stopped walking.

"Don't you dare talk about that in front of the princess!" The elder shouted.
"Talk about what?" Willow asked, frowning.
"Well I think the princess deserves to know how her mother was killed!" The younger man replied, vehemently almost.
"My… mother?" Willow's face grew pale, and she started looking around the lake desperately, not really knowing what she was searching for. The elder knight slapped the younger one again, and then put his hand on Willow's shoulder. "About ten years ago, there was this dragon that treatened to destroy the castle, and the villages around the lake. Your mother, along with..." The knight coughed, apparently reluctant to say the rest of the story. "The traitor's wife at the time, I think, and your mother, fought the dragon together, and pushed him to retreat. But they both died here. That's why we sometimes call it the cursed lake. 'Cause the two ladies were a blessing to the kingdom, and now they're gone."

Willow slowly registered the facts, her mother… and… Tara's mother? They had fought together? And the power she felt… definitely, it was Vladawain's. The mercenary. Is Tara so close? What caused such a burst of power? God I hope she's alright… What if… he lost control and killed her, and now she's as dead as her mother who was probably friend with my mother and so should be my friend, and we should've grown together, why didn't she come to the castle ever if they were friends? "Princess?" Willow shook herself out of her internal babble hearing someone call her, and realized she was completely out of breath. "Are you alright?" The guard looked concerned. Willow took a deep breath and nodded, her eyes slowly drifting towards the spot where she had seen the burst of energy earlier. There was nothing there now. But she made a mental note to go visit the place, alone, when she could. "And so, what are we doing here anyway?" The older man smiled. "It's time for Princess Willow to meet her mother's mentor."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm… sorry!" Vlad's face was apologetic to the bone, but he had this kind of dumb smile that just made him look like a little kid that had just made a succesful prank. Tara sat against the tree and tried to focus on finding her own energy to stay awake, healing Odiluke had taken a lot more out of her than she had thought. She wasn't sure she could even say what she wanted to say and make sense at the moment. "T-The dra-dragon… It ki-killed my m-m-mother…" Vlad's face turned serious, and he sheated his sword slowly while making his way to where Tara was sitting. Tears were forming in her eyes, and her whole body was shaken by an emotion the warrior wasn't familiar with. He stood for a moment over her, both his arms hanging at his sides limply, and then knelt down and hugged the shattered form in front of him. "That kid's past must've been a real nightmare." The voice came from behind them, and Vlad immediately turned around and was ready to jump at whoever was behind them. The shadow didn't budge. "Oh Ho! Don't be so hasty sir Bagnale."

MissMaclay89 · **Posted:** Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:33 pm

ohh and the plot thickens...lol great update!!

viximon · **Posted:** Sun Aug 20, 2006 1:10 am

still here.
yep, you take time to update but is ok. I'm waiting anyway
So Willow's and Tara's mothers fought together against the dragon and stuff he hehe. Quite interesting.
Ahhhh. Poor girls, so close (at the lake both of them) and so far away.
I wish so much they could meet again alredy.
Patience
Keep it on, see you next round ;-)

Artemis · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2006 8:23 am

The plot thickens indeed, that's just what I was thinking.

So Tara's eked out a life of sorts with her eccentric protectors of two years ago, knows how to heal and defend herself (to a point, at least). I like how she still thinks about Willow - that combination of certainty of what they share, and the very next moment wondering if there ever was anything at all.

I like Vlad's magic too, the way there's clearly a price for him using it - it overwhelms him. I guess there's little choice when a dragon rocks up like that, but I wonder how much it might take for him to keep himself in check. One day, it might end in worse circumstances even than that - I wonder whether that preys on his mind.

Krokador · **Posted:** Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:19 pm

Okay, first things first, feedback answers!

MissMacklay89: Yup yup, if the plot didn't get more complicated, it wouldn't be a Kro story, cuz I'm bad like that, I always have to do something that makes it harder for me to be free of making them do whatever I like. You can :smash

me if you want, thats how I tend to build my plots! Slow start, then a bunch of action and there'll be W/T smoochies (later ^_^)! Oh and thanks for keeping up with the reading!

Viximon: Well here they meet! Not quite what you expected though, I'm afraid! Glad you're still reading

Artemis: As usual, your feedback gave me some kind of ideas

I wasn't sure about the time span between chapter 2 and 3 at first. Started out with 5 years cuz I wanted Tara and Willow to be around 18, but then realized it was way to long not to give details on the in-between. Then i thought about a year, 12 months, but that would leave 13-14 years old girls, and thats not quite what I was planning, 2 years make it for 15 soon to be 16 yr old girls, and that gives me more possibilities for developping on their relation.

And Vlad's magic is certainly something that's gonna have consequences, but you'll see that in time. :devilish

Title: Askeidevor
Author: Krokador
Email address: krokador@hotmail.com
Feedback: Please do! That'll make me update faster! (No, really!) Don't worry, I don't bite

Distribution: just ask me first

Oh and proud to be on Through the Looking Glass

(Thanks Artemis)
Spoilers: None, this is AU
Rating: somewhere close to PG-13 all along, i guess
Pairing: Willow and Tara
Disclaimer: I don't own Willow and Tara, or any of the BTVS character I'm using
Summary: We're in the middle of a long war between rebels and the high class. A mercenary named Vladawain Bagnale is engaged against the royalty, and he will meet Tara on his path, and of course, they'll stumble on Willow.

Notes: Well, I'm not usually into deadly cliffhangers like the one here,, but I just had to. Wait, I'll make sure no one gets angry! *WARNING, CLIFFHANGER AHEAD!*

And there might be a bunch of typos, wrong spelling, etc. as I was so hasty to post this I didnt get it read by someone else (yeah you can spank me). If you feel like you have some spare time to spellcheck me for the next parts feel free to email or PM me!

Chapter 4: Encounter

"Sir Bagn… " Vlad hurled a blade of air towards the stranger in a swift move, and watched as the weird man put his small hand in front of himself and deflected the blast as if it was just a small breeze. The warrior's jaw squared as he put himself between the man and Tara. He growled, ready to spring his legs and jump on the stranger at any suspicious move. "Not used to be called by your title, are you, Vladawain?" Tara looked at them, unable to move, or to read the mysteriou's man expression. His energy was suppressed, but it was there, powerful, but if he was on their side or not, this she couldn't tell at the moment. She watched as Vlad's eyes grew wide in… Realization? Does he know that person? And why do I feel like I've… seen him somewhere?

"Master Giles?!" Vlad hissed the name, a name that sounded like it was bound to be respected, but that was said with so much hatred Tara didn't know what to think. The man bowed down in a distincted way and smiled. "So you remember me." The man took a couple steps towards them, removing round glasses from his nose, and wiping them with a clean clothe he had seemingly gotten out of nowhere. Vlad glared at him. "How can I not remember the one who turned me 'nto an immortal demon?" The man called Giles laughed at that, light-heartedly it seemed. Vlad clenched his fist, ready to strike the other man, who didn't seem to care, at all. Silence settled on them for a moment, and Tara got up slowly and walked closer to them. "Giles the R-reaper?" She voiced the name she didn't even remember hearing as if she had known the man forever. Surprised at her own self, she took a step back and Vlad modified his stance slightly to be able to protect her. The man immediately looked in her direction, his face softening all of a sudden and his semi-maniacal laughter stopping as he observed the young girl carefully. He blinked a few times, took off his glasses to wipe them again, put them back on, blinked again, and a fathery smile drawn itself on his face. "Tara!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"My mother's mentor?" Willow looked puzzled for a moment, and then curiosity overcame her. "He's living here? Is he the one who keeps the dragon away or something?" The older guard laughted heartily and patted Willow's shoulder. "He's just so much more!" The younger knight pointed to the spot across the lake, where Willow had seen something earlier. "And he's over there right now, wonder what he's doing outside of his cave." Willow's eyes grew wide. So that power burst… was from him? Some kind of sadness hit Willow, as if her hope of finding Tara was suddenly shattered. The elder didn't notice it, but grumped and stopped his progression. "Going to the other side of the lake by walking around will take us over half the day. Do you remember where we put the boat last time Rickarth?" The younger man started kicking the ground until he seemed to find a rough surface under the grass. He kicked some of the grass aside and hit what seemed like a wooden door with his foot a few times to show his elder he had found it.

What are they doing? A boat hidden under grass, right where we are? What kind of weird trick is this? And why are we going to see that guy anyway? I was hoping to see Vlad and Tara, not some old… whatever he is… "Call that dumb luck, Richard, but we were right over it." The one named Richard scratched his eyebrow nervously and kicked on the ground too. He seemed to hit the corner of said "boat" and it flipped out of it's earth and natural storage space. It was a woodden plate, basically, big enough for two adults and a kid. But it didn't look like it could float. Willow observed the embarcation for a moment, and then looked up, suddenly realizing both her guards had disappeared. A voice came from somewhere under her. "Princess, we're down here, c'mon let's go!"

The underground passage was well built, and had an eerie feeling about it. Willow absentedly followed her escort through the narrow labyrinth, distracted by the way the underground was lit. Some kind of fairy lights, it seemed. They were under water level, the pressure should've overwhelmed her, but instead she felt lighter than usual, and her train of thoughts once again wandered in that trippy area where she had promised herself not to go anymore, and had failed miserably. I wonder if that was really Vladawain's energy. If it was, and if we're heading that way, there's bound to be an encounter, and I doubt everyone will leave it unharmed. What if Tara's dead? I want to see her so bad, but what if she was killed at some point?And maybe she forgot about me. I mean, it's not because both our mothers were linked that we have something going on. Wee barely had time to shoot each other a glance, we barely had time to exchange any words and this happens and probably I'm just getting overly worked out over this when there's nothing to fear, wait fear? Why am I thinking about fear and Tara at the same time? They're like antithesis, oxymorons… big words huh, I'm a princess and she's lower than a commone,r nothing's ever gonna work… Willow suddenly stopped, gasping for air. Okay, when did I run out of breath? She cast a look around to realize she had lost sight of her two guards, and was standing before a rope hanging out from a hole in the roof? Wait… okay, I need to stop spacing out like that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just as Tara realized who was standing in front of her, two tall man emerged from the grass and pulled a young red headed girl out of it as well. She shut her eyes and shook her head for a second, then re-opened them to confirm she wasn't dreaming. "W-Willow?"

Vlad turned to face the newcomers, holding to his sword tightly, and trembling. Tara noticed the shift in Vlad's flow of energy and frowned, gripping her own sword. If there was going to be a fight, she'd probably have to jump in: her protector was now barely standing, slowly drifting to the inconscious world. He's exhausted from fighting the dragon and controlling his energy. She noted, shooting a glance toward the place where Odiluke was lying a moment ago, surprised to not see him anymore. Okay, then maybe it's gonna be alright. Her eyes darted from one side to the other, waiting for someone to make the first move. After a moment of stillness, nobody seemed like they were going to do anything, and at that moment she gave up on the hope she had Willow would recognize her.

After rising to the surface, and adjusting to the fresh air, which only took her a moment but seemed to last forever, Willow looked around the clearing they had reached. Her eyes grew wide as she spotted the remains of the dragon, slain by some kind of mysterious force she immediately linked to the energy burst from earlier. On the other side, there was this old man who wasn't wearing any weapon, but had his own way to look threatening, then a bunch of trees seeming to have grown completely out of the blue, and a young man, with a scar over his left eye, holding his sword as if protecting something worth more than his life. She automatically recognized Vlad, and judged the dark shadow she could see behind him was probably Tara. She even thought she heard her name being said by the girl's soft voice, but her own voice was stuck in her throat. Her own body seemed to be frozen in place, paralyzed. She felt her own spirit almost kneeling down, as if being crushed by an invisible presence. Her gaze switched back to the old man, but couldn't identify if it was him causing her body to feel so… heavy.

Odiluke dropped to the ground, just behind Willow, and pulled her backwards with his claw on her throat. "Put down weapons and don't try anything stupid, or she's dead meat!" he yelled at the adress of the princess' two guards. Tara froze, she wanted to scream, to tell Odi to please not kill her, but a weird feeling made it's way up her body, and condemned her to silence and stillness. Everyone else seemed to be affected by the heavy mental pressure, even Odiluke couldn't move anymore, and was apparently struggling to keep his claw from cutting through Willow's soft skin.

"I couldn't have asked for a better set-up!" A man's voice emerged from the set of out-of-place trees, as he stepped out of the shadow and revealed his appearance to his guests. The man's traits had nothing human, if only the shape of his body. But the familiarity of the voice stung Tara's ears as if lightning had just hit her. And Willow's body shuddered at the same time, recognizing the voice, without being able to remember where she heard it.

Everything stood still for a moment, before the old man named Giles managed to mutter some words. "What are you doing here, Don Macklay?"

PancakesinBellies · **Joined:** Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:06 am **Posts:** 303

Hmmmm....Interesting set-up. This is a very good story with a great amount of potential. You seem to rush things a bit, if you don't mind my saying, and so you have a lot of plot sort of crammed together without much explanation or exposition. It feels abrupt. I do like the story though. Update soon please!

viximon · **Posted:** Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:18 am

waaa Don Maclay!!!?
You were right, That wasn't exactly the meeting I was hoping for.
Anyway, you got me there, I want to read next chapter soon.
Keep it up, see you next round ;-)

take care Krokador

Krokador · **Posted:** Thu Sep 07, 2006 3:15 pm

Yep yep yep yep! despite school having begun, and all that stuff they call life going on around me (no joke, life is the hardest part of life

) Here comes an update! But first, replies

highlandlass25: I haven't really been hasty with anything but posting the final result haha (well as final as it gets). I do weight every part of the plot before putting it into action, and if something is left undescribed, it's cuz I will explain it later on. I just like having the sense of not knowing everything about what's going on at the same time. I always hated god-like narrators for that reason, you don't get much of the mystery about what happened.

Well its my point of view, but when I really want to get into a character, knowing only what that character knows just makes it more real. Of course, it's nowhere close to that, as I'm not focusing on only one character, and I still ain't a pro at writing.

And maybe I got your comment all wrong and havent understood what you meant by that, and I do know I have a tendency of leaving out details, or explanations, and I was always criticized about (I don't really know where this is situated, is it winter? Is the sun blue or red? Are the people tall or small? etc.) my lack of situation. But I thought I had worked on that and described the environment much more than I usually do. But maybe I didnt :blush

viximon: Yay my most persistent reader

I'm glad you,re still enjoying the story, I hope this part keeps you reading too

Title: Askeidevor
Author: Krokador
Email address: krokador@hotmail.com
Feedback: Always welcome, just that tiny thing that tells me you read my fic. You know, "I liked this this and that, but that wasn't really good, and oh i so wanna kill that dude!"
Distribution: Through the Looking Glass, anywhere else, jsut ask first

Spoilers: None, this is AU
Rating: PG-13 for now
Pairing: Willow and Tara.
Disclaimer: I don't own Willow and Tara, or any of the other original BTVS characters. They belong to Joss, and it's better like that!
Summary: We're in the middle of a long war between rebels and the high class. A mercenary named Vladawain Bagnale is engaged against the royalty, and he will meet Tara on his path, and of course, they'll stumble on Willow.

Notes: I still havent found a new betaer, but I did spend 2+ hours re-reading, modifying, spellchecking, etc. for this 3 page and a half (in Word anyway) update. If you're interested in being my beta reader, just PM me, mail me, IM me, hook me on the kitten chat, I'm very easy to find!(had to make it stick out, lol I'm desperate!)

Also, updates will probably be a lot more spaced out from now on, with school back in business and all those projects I have =/ And lets not forget homeworks, and my need for sleep hehe. But do enjoy!

Chapter 5: Chaos Unravels

Everyone's jaw dropped at the mention of the traitor's name: Donald Maclay. So he had really sold his soul to a demon, and had become one in the process. His own aura felt like venom, he erradiated power, destruction. He indulged fear, and his eyes were covered in a metalic kind of skin. Everything about him felt wrong, and the crowd gathered there could only feel disgust while looking at him.

"So, you want to know everything? Bah hey, you're all going to die anyway, so why not?" Does he think he's one of those big bad guys from the drama theater? Willow tried to shake her head in disbelief, but could barely breath under the pressure. Vlad now had a knee on the ground, and was probably the first one who was going to collapse. He still managed to growl and say in a low, painful voice "Yeh, go ahead punk." Vlad called my father a punk? And did I actually hear a comment about a bad guy theater? Tara frowned and returned her attention to her father, who was chuckling at a thought of his own… Well what is it? He always controlled everything. It's his fun to have his hand holding the flag of war… And his family the burden of being labeled traitors…

"Where should I start, kids? " He looked into everyone's eyes, one by one, marking his superiority by smirking and waving some kind of wand around. After he was satisfied in teasing everyone, he spoke again, in a mock-storyteller way. "One day, in this happy kingdom, a witch was born. She was wicked, she was powerful, and she was beautiful. One of the Kingdom's noblest paladin, me, fell in love with her, appaled by tricks, spells, feromones… But the valiant warrior finally discovered the thruth and blew the witch away, and burnt her in the name of God. But it was too late, the curse was already on him. And it was a wide phenomenon, it affected the Royal Family, our family, a lot of people. She cursed… the kingdom with her last words. Her exact last words which were: When the heirs of both the Rosenberg and the Maclay family kiss, this world's chaos will be on it's climax, and everything will end there.

You all have noticed how strange creatures, like that dragon…" He pointed at the carcass without even having a look at it. "… have been appearing in our world lately. How all those weird things happen to the most noble members of the society. The black death, the sudden illnesses... The war is raging and the harvest is poor. Precisely, the curse is operating everywhere in the Kingdom, destroying our homes, affecting our thoughts, destroying our lives… And me, Sir Donald Maclay, have tried to put an end to it. By killing off the last descendant from the Rosenberg family, I was supposed to make sure that the fated, destined kiss, would never happen. I tried… to save our world." He sighed and released his guard for a moment. Long enough for Odiluke and Willow to stumble backwards, for Vlad to get up, and for Tara to run to his side. That last part almost sounded sincere. Willow and Tara both frowned. Not really surprised at hearing each other's thoughts after all, but more likely, at how stupid such an affirmation sounded, about such an evil radiating person. Hey, you can hear me think, Tara? Tara's first reaction was to nod, but she soon realized she couldn't. Y-Yes I do… I just hope my father can't.

"And so, I summoned a dragon to kill Tara's mother. That woman was so sweet, but just a commoner, with magicks, but just a commoner. And it killed a Rosenberg in the process, so I got a two for one!" He threw his head back and launched himself in a fit of maniacal laughter, that made everyone but Giles wince, and each one of them willing to put their hands over their ears. When he finally stopped, he just picked up his stroy as if nothing happened. "Then I attempted to kill the Princess, this way, there would be no Rosenberg left. But those Guard Brothers…" The man spat on the younger guard's face, walking a bit closer to him. "… stopped me, and left me for dead. And today, I came back to finish what I had started! This apocalypse… will not happen!"

~The night is calm, the sky, just a bit cloudy, some stars are shining through, and the moon is beautiful. A young girl is up on her balcony, watching the night sky, enjoying the cold night air blowing through her air in waves. A man walks behind her, his shadow menacing, but his face radiating with a… fathery smile. It takes a second to recognize the man, and the young girl's face lights up, happy to see her father's first in command paying her a visit, as he was the only one who wouldn't scowl her for being up so late.

All of a sudden, the man unsheates his sword, his smile turning into a maniacal grin, as he lashes at the young girl. By pure reflex, the girl jerks back as the blade hits her neck, succesfully avoiding death. But she is now stuck against the stone bannister, and a second attack is coming her way, as she lay defensless, eyes wide open, not at all understanding what in the world is going on.

A flash of light, and two men are now standing between the madman and the girl. One looks like a young boy, the other has more mature traits. The younger one stabs the man in the chest, the old one hits the back of the man's neck, causing him to fall over, the sword piercing completely through his body. Not even bothering to remove the sword, the youngest one grabs his right shoulder, the other guard his left, and they throw him down the balcony, into pits of darkness.~

Willow found herself rubbing the remnants of the scar on her neck as the vision was displayed by Tara's father. She then blinked a couple of times, realizing she could now move. Hey Tara, I'm free of his bind, what about you? Tara nodded, and then, hoping her father had not noticed, straightnened herself. I can. What's your plan?

"You now pobably have a lot of answers to your questions, young ladies." He paused, looking at both of them once. "Yes Tara, you were once a noble, but I couldn't let you see Willow, ever. And then things went out of control, and that's where we're at now, aren't we?" he asked, taking a step back. "I'll give you two the honors of finishing my duty as a man. I don't have much time left in this borrowed power, so make it quick ladies!"

Just as he said that, a strong force pushed both Tara and Willow to unsheath their respective swords and run up to each other. Their blades clashed loudly on the now completely silent lakeside, as both their faces showed each other the non-understanding of their own movements. Fear drawn itself in their eyes, as blue met green under the lighting of sparks, caused by their unwilling fight. Donald Maclay was watching with enjoyment, sitting back as both girls struggled to harness enough strength to not kill each other. Either trying to block the other's hit, or deflect their own blow towards the other's weapon, trying as hard as they could not to hurt the other. But soon, they'd both be out of mental – and physical -- power, and they'd kill each other. I don't want it to end like this, Tara. I wanted to get to know you. Tara blocked Willow's slash with her left arm, the hand holding her sword now refused to answer her brain. Somehow, I feel like I've always known you, Willow. I…

Vlad was standing still, trying to break free from the bind of the demon man. All he wanted to do was to go and help the two girls. He knew if he dropped his sword, his power could rise, get stronger, enough for him to be able do something... He was ready to do anything to stop this madness! He looked to Giles, pleadingly. The older man seemed to be calculating something, as if he had an option, and just didn't know how he could use his chance. Vlad threw his thoughts on him. Throw my sword away from me! Giles' eyes grew wide, and he then shook his head. If you get too far from Askeidevor at this point, who will put it back in your hands? Vlad growled, lowly, so only his old master could hear him. I DON'T CARE! If I don't do something, we will all get killed!

Tara hit Willow in the stomach, and barely managed to hold back, ultimatly letting the other girl escape certain death by throwing herself on the ground. The next hit would be the last, fatal one. Tara called onto Vlad, Odi, Giles, the guards, every angel's name she knew, in hope one of them could, would, do something. She was nowhere near ready to deal with killing someone. Especially not Willow.

Vlad heard her plea and managed to turn his head toward Giles. "GILES!"

The young Rickarth moved in a flash of light, giving his all to hit Vlad's sword out of his hand as Giles used the split second of uncertainty it caused to throw the blade away in the darkness. While everyone figured out what in the world had just happened, an orange aura engulfed the place. Tara looked down at Willow, her own blade inches from the girl's throat, suddenly realizing the deadly movement had stopped. Richard and Odiluke rushed to them, each picked up one of the girls, and in a single leap, took them away from the radiating heat caused by Vlad's power.

A loud, creepy yell emerged from Sir Maclay's throat. The last sound he would ever make, as it was clear whatever Vladawain had turned into had crushed it down, and probably devoured him. Tara looked at Willow, and saw in her eyes everything she, herself, wanted to tell. Tears welled up in her eyes, how could she ever be brought to fight with her? It was against everything she had ever felt for the red head to even think of lifting a weapon over her head. Her heart was pained just by the thought of it, she had almost killed someone she cared so much about, yet knew so little. The current events had just turned her mind into a tempest nothing seemed able to calm down.

Willow seemed to read her expression and took her hand, squeezing it softly. As she did, it seemed as if they weren't in the middle of the chaos anymore. It was just a spark, some kind of floating moment for both their shaken hearts, but it felt right, and strong. The impression lasted for just a moment, soothing both of them enough so they'd smile to each other. Tara shyly, letting her hair fall over her eyes, Willow, a bright contagious smile.

They were pulled out of their little world by Giles himself, as he zoomed past them to dodge a huge arrow of fire thrown by the monster Vlad had become. Odiluke readied himself and grabbed the pendant on his neck. “Giles!” he yelled, tearing it out. The old man nodded in comprehension, and when Odiluke threw him his pendant, a wave of green energy surrounded him. The power felt as violent, if not more, than Vladawain’s, but it was clear that the elder brother would have the upper hand on him easily, the red power was undoubtedly bigger than the green one. But who would stop them afterwards… that remained a solid mystery.

Giles caught the pendant in mid-air, and then knelt in front of the two girls. His face was weary, and he looked like he had seen a thousand years of chaos in his life, all of a sudden. Just as if this wasn’t his first apocalypse. He looked from Tara to Willow, then shot a glance behind him where the two powers clashed. “You two are our only hope” he simply stated, giving Willow Odiluke’s pendant. “You have to find the sword, Askeidevor, and survive, no matter what happens. Now go!” He shouted at them, turning to the Beasts, ready to face a death he had long awaited. And let’s hope nothing nasty will follow them.

viximon · **Posted:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:44 am

Ey Krokador!
How are you? I'm happy to read more of your fic. Now the seraching for the sword and hopely snuggles?
With that chapter there was great explaination to things but Willow and Tara adventure just began it seems. Cool.
Sorry read about class return and possibly delay with the updates. Anyway I cheer for you. Good luck and don't forget us kittens.
See you around

Artemis · **Posted:** Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:26 am

Yipes - that's a darn good rendition of all hell breaking loose. And something I'm especially liking at the moment is that you've got the basic 'quest for the magic whatever' idea going, but it has meaning - it's not just a random quest. Instead, it's personal, and based on all the setup we've seen in the preceding chapters.

So I'm really looking forward to seeing Willow and Tara on their quest. Their ability to hear each others' thoughts is a nice touch too, and I anticipate that'll make things interesting, in all sorts of ways :blush

Krokador · **Posted:** Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:26 am

It's been a looong time. I was taken away by school work, and then i became somewhat obsessed over a dark haired tall warrior woman's... sidekick

But I had worked on this chapter a bit during school time, and well i gotta say this was the longest chapter to write ever i just hope i can get the rest flowing nicely after that.... Think of this as more like a transition chapter than anything (probably why it was so hard to write), and if anyone can look forward to the rest that'll make me happy

Feedback replies goes first, though:

viximon: Aye, thanks for keeping on the reading. Indeed, there will be snuggles, though maybe not as much as you hoped in this update. I'm just putting the rest of the story in place. I do hope I can come up with updates more quickly in the weeks to follow.

Artemis: I'm glad to see you're still reading (hope you still will, even after so long, lol). It's fun cuz your comments always make me realize things about what I wrote that I hadnt thought about before, or not in the same way.

Sooo, disclaimer?
Title: Askeidevor
Author: Krokador (aka krash

)
Email address: krokador@hotmail.com
Feedback: Feedback amkes me wanna write faster, so if you wanna find out whats next, leave me a comment!

Distribution: just ask me first

Spoilers: None, this is AU
Rating: erm, I guess this classifies as PG
Pairing: W/T as usual
Disclaimer: I don't own Willow and Tara or any of the other Buffy characters
Summary: We're in the middle of a long war between rebels and the high class. A mercenary named Vladawain Bagnale is engaged against the royalty, and he will meet Tara on his path, and of course, they'll stumble on Willow.

Chapter 6: Running Away

Tara and Willow looked at each other. Unsure where they could go, far from understanding what they had to do. "Isn't the sword just somewhere around here?" Willow asked, holding the bleeding wound with her left hand, and rising to a standing position swiftly. Tara shook her head and got up as well, wrapping her left arm around Willow's waist as she pulled her toward a trail in the woods. "I think the space was distorted when it was blown away, and it could be anywhere now." She looked back at the fight scene just one last time and then pushed herself to run as fast as she could. Willow was following, wincing at each and every step she took, but knowing that she would die if they couldn't get away.

Time and distance weren't of any help to the two girls, they couldn't feel safe anywhere. No matter how long they ran, how far they went, whenever they stopped to catch their breath, something felt wrong. It was obvious they couldn't go on like this forever. It was obvious that at one point, one of them would stumble and not be able to get up.

"Are you alright Tara?" Willow asked, bending down slightly while still holding her wound with one hand, and extending her other hand to the blonde girl. Tara looked up to Willow and then shook her head. The redhead furrowed her brow and then knelt down beside her. "I think we should stop, for today... take care of your w-wound." Tara brought herself to sit against a tree trunk and then motioned Willow to sit beside her. The girl obeyed, quietly, and then leant her head on Tara's shoulder. They both smiled, their closeness somehow erasing the uneasy feeling for a moment. Tara was already at work, channeling what little energy she had left towards Willow's wound to try to heal it. She soon collapsed into the red head's arms though, but not before the bleeding was stopped, and Willow's pained frown disappeared. She didn't have much time to be amazed at the girl's powers though, as tiredness overcome her quickly. She barely just had the time to wrap her arms around the one that would become her best friend for life in the days to come. And so much more.

Willow woke up a couple hours later, to what seemed like dark late night time. Someone was rummaging around and she noticed Tara wasn't in her arms anymore, what was left of her wound cleaned and wrapped up. A small fire was lit a couple feet away from her and it seemed something was cooking on it. She smiled at realizing a real camp site had been established. "Wow, Tara..." she said admiratively, slowly getting up to join with the blond girl. She was about to run up to her to hug her tightly when she realized it wasn't Tara. "Buffy!?!"

The small girl dropped the piece of meat she was holding, surprised, and when she regained her composure she turned towards Willow and smiled at her. "Where... where's Tara?" the redhead asked, suddenly worried about her. "Oh, that shy blonde? She walked away with some kind of pendant a moment ago." Willow ran up to her and took both her arms in her hands, shaking her. "Where?" Buffy released one of her arms from the princess' grasp and pointed towards a lit up trail. "I doubt she's far, princess." She tried to add, reassuringly, but being completely confused at the way Willow acted for a seemingly low life. Willow immediately ran in the direction Buffy had pointed her, but inevitably found herself lost in the dark after a couple minutes. She couldn't hear the fire cracking anymore, and she couldn't see more than two inches in front of herself. She kicked herself mentally for not taking a torch with her, and for running around so stupidly in a forest she didn't know. God, where am I? What's this place? I don't remember running for that long! She started to panick, tried to keep her calm butnothign would work. Some strange presence started to wrap itself around her, and she wanted to run and scream, but knew she would get even more lost. She couldn't remember which way she had come in by, she didn't know where she could go or where the others were. There was just no way out. Don't worry, I'm coming for you. A soft voice echoed in her mind. It sounded worried, and lovely. Tara? Willow didn't really have to ask, she knew who it was, and felt relieved in an instant. Yes, Willow. I'm coming okay? Don't worry you'll be alright.

That's what I want to convince myself of anyway. Tara thought to herself, hoping Willow didn't get that part. She kept searching the trail Buffy had pointed to her, a torch in one hand and a sword in the other. She could sense Willow's energy, but faintly, as if it was blocked by some kind of mystical power. She knew that the forest was known for nesting a lot of strange creatures, and she feared the worse for her friend. It made her walk more quickly, look more closely, and try to find any hint of Willow's passage on the ground or the trees. There was nothing. If anything, the redhead's energy was only growing fainter every minute. Tara finally stopped and focused on her feelings for her new friend, closing her eyes. I just wanna be with you right now... When she reopened them, she was standing in front of a curled up young girl, shivering and shaking in fear. "Willow!" She knelt down beside the form and hugged it tightly, tears welling up in her eyes at the feeling of the fear stricken body. Willow held onto her tightly, as if holding onto life itself.

What had happened there wouldn't be explained, not soon anyway. Willow was just in a state of shock, unable to say a word, barely able to walk being supported by Tara. They got back to the camp safe and sound. But the young princess would keep the memories, as blurry as they were, of that night somewhere deep inside her mind. Tara didn't ask any questions, and when Buffy was about to ask, she told her not to mention it ever again. She just held Willow to herself, stroking her back and her hair, whispering a comforting word here and there, singing softly when she became more agitated. It broke Tara's heart to see her Willow into such a state. All she could do about it was to comfort her, and that didn't sound like it was enough.

When Willow finally fell asleep, Tara let her go for a moment. Buffy brought them a blanket, and then sat beside them, still curious about what was going on, and what Tara was playing with. "What's that, some kind of evil charm?" she asked, with as low a voice as she could manage. Tara just nodded and kept staring at Odiluke's pendant. It now had a very faint glow, when earlier it was just plainly green. "So, who are you and what are you doing here, with the princess?" Buffy was now staring at Tara, examining her from head to foot, with uncertainty drawn on her traits. She ducked her head and stared at the ground, unable to meet Buffy's gaze. "I j-just... chain of e-events y-you know?" Buffy frowned and then put her hand on Tara's reassuringly. "Don't worry. Seeing how the princess cares about you, I couldn't begin to imagine you were one of the bad guys." Tara nodded and looked up, still not meeting Buffy's eyes. "I... my father was... he nearly got us to k-kill each other, near the l-lake. W-we ran away together, and have to find a sword, to s-save the kingdom."

Buffy's jaw dropped. She then shook her head slightly to recover from the shock and then reached out for Tara's chin to lift her head up. The blonde was now obliged to look into Buffy's eyes, and saw something she didn't expect in them. There was this assured glint in her eyes, as if she had suddenly fallen into her domain, her thing. As if, all of a sudden, no obstacle was big enough to stop her. Question marks formed themselves in Tara's eyes as she stared at the maid. Buffy just laughed at her puzzled expression before explaining: "See, I'm no ordinary maid. I'm some kind of... amazon protector. I was engaged to protect the Princess not that long ago. Richard told me that if she wasn't back by dusk I had to go find her, and bring her back to the castle."

Buffy's expression suddenly darkened as she started fumbling with the stick she was stiring the fire with. Tara frowned and her mouth formed a question, but the other girl talked before the words would get out. "It was under attack when I left. Escaped even." Tara nodded and patted Willow's head softly, looking down for a second and then back up. "We will save it... T-the kingdom." she stated, certainty and doubt mixed up in her brain. She thought of the first time she had met Willow, and how much they both had changed since then. How the life had been almost nice with Vlad and Odi, how the perspective of a life with Willow was so bright and shiny. And how right now all of that was threatened by not only the fearful magic of Vlad and Odiluke, but also the army opposing the kingdom.

Buffy got up from her spot and picked up the pendant from Tara's hands while she was in her thoughtful state, effectively startling her. "I think this works as a... how do you say it?" Tara took the pendant back from Buffy's hand and looked at it once again. "It's like a compass, only it tells us if we're getting c-closer to the sword. That's my guess." Buffy nodded and then looked Tara in the eyes. The blond girl had concern written all over her face, fear was evident in her eyes, yet resolve shaped her jaw, as if no matter what was before them, she was ready to fight it all. With no exception.

A rustle of dry leaves came from behind them, and in a second Buffy was up a tree ready to jump down on the assailant if it was one. Tara didn’t move, she was too exhausted, and something was telling her no evil presence was near. She just turned her head toward the noise, just in time to catch a glimpse of a black cat-like creature moving towards the place where Willow was sleeping. A bit of doubt made its way in Tara’s brain and she was about to get up to run to Willow’s side when Buffy reappeared just beside her. “It’s her cat, Xander.” Tara frowned at the name, as some blurry memory made its way through her brain. “Xander?” she repeated, barely loud enough to be heard by Buffy. But the cat heard her and immediately jumped on her lap, looking up at her with big curious eyes. Tara patted its head softly, and then proceeded to scratching the back of its ears and under its chin, making the small animal purr appreciatively.

Buffy just stood there, her mouth agape and her eyes wandering the empty space between Willow and Tara, occasionally looking directly at the cat. Tara noticed after a few moments and raised an eyebrow at her, and when she didn’t get an answer, she just said Buffy’s name out loud. The maid shook herself out of her daze and sat beside Tara, tentatively approaching her hand from the cat, getting a negative response from the animal who ducked. “It’s just… usually Xander doesn’t like to hang out with anyone but her master: Willow. He won’t let anyone approach him but her… So it’s just weird that he came to you, like that…” Tara looked down at the cat and nodded. “Yes but… that cat was mine when I was younger…” She brushed her finger on a small bump on the cat’s shoulder and pushed the fur to reveal a scar. “He received that scar protectin me from an angry dog.” She said hugging the cat tightly. Buffy now looked completely bewildered. “You… who are you?” she finally managed, her stare suddenly making Tara blush.

“Maclay… Tara Maclay, daughter of Lord Don Maclay. My family used to be head of the army of the kingdom. My dad was first general…” “…until he tried to kill the princess…” Buffy put her hand on Tara’s shoulder and looked at her with understanding. Tara responded to her kindness by yawning soundly and stretching her arms, she was tired, completely exhausted, even. Buffy gave her a nudge in the ribs and pointed to the sleeping Willow. "Just go sleep, I'll stay up and keep an eye open. Nothing should try to attack you tonight, anyway." Tara nodded and dragged herself to Willow's side. She just had the time to wrap her arms around the sleeping form before her own mind slipped into dreamland. Xander followed them and nuzzled against Willow's belly before he joined them.

It was an eventless night, a dreamless sleep, and a very needed rest for the team. Willow was the first to wake up, to an extraodinary feeling of safety, the memories from the night before still hanging around her subconscious, but not letting her remember what had happened in details. She just knew that this was where she wanted to be: in Tara's arms. She then realized she had her own arm around Xander and slightly jumped in surprise. The movement disturbed Tara's quiet state and as Willow settled hoping she could still spend some time like that, the blonde slowly stirred awake. "Sorry" Willow said in a sleepy voice.

"Hmm?" Tara blinked a few times, and then looked at the sheepish expression on Willow's face with a lopsided grin. "What?" Willow asked, a chuckle escaping from her mouth. "Best morning ever..." Tara answered, still staring at the red-head in front of her. They stayed like this for a moment, until Xander jumped off of Willow's belly and growled at a bush. "I think Xander doesn't agree with you." Willow said, suppressing a giggle. Tara suddenly sat up and looked around, something was wrong. "Where's Buffy?!"

Willow sat up as well, took a look at the fire that was still burning and laid back down. "She's probably just hunting breakfast..." Tara frowned, then shook her head. "I hope you're right, Will." The black cat hissed once more at the bush and then froze in place as a loud howl was heard, echoing through the forest. Tara immediately got up and gathered her things. "I don't know about you, but I'm not staying here to be the breakfast for a forest beast." Willow picked her things up as well, trembling with fear. Tara had a quick thought and guessed that the monster out there was probably the same they had met the night before and that had scared her friend so bad. If it had done something to Buffy as well, they had only one option left. "Let's run out of here!" The blonde said, sword in hand, swinging her backpack over her shoulder and grabbing Willow on the way. "Do you know where were going at least?" Willow huffed through a scarce breath. "Wherever we can go where that thing can't follow us."

Artemis · **Posted:** Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:16 pm

Eep!

This whole chapter had an ominous air hanging over it, so it was quite easy to imagine how Willow and Tara felt, as if 'something' was closing in on them. Whatever Willow saw out in the forest, I wonder what it was, and how she came to be terrified, yet otherwise unharmed by it? Curiouser and curiouser ;-)

Krokador · **Posted:** Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:45 pm

Yay, less than 2 weeks to come up with another update! I'm proud of ma'self. (Actually, its 3 days of sporadic writing (yay work) haha, personal reasons made it hard for me to pick it up before friday >.>)

Thanks to everyone who's read my story up to now, even if you don't leave feedback, I'm happy to see the view counter go up

Artemis, Chris, dunno how you want me to call ya. I'm happy to see you're sticking around. Your feedback always throws me into a very productive mood for some reason (or im just too happy that i got feedback and it gives me a bit of motivation, lol.) Your curiosity should be satisfied in this update, as the fear is explained (though im not clearly stating what happened, you can figure it out.) and a bit more stuff happens, of course.

On to disclaimers and stuff
Title: Askeidevor
Author: Krokador
Email address: krokador@hotmail.com
Feedback: The quicker you want me to write the next update, the more I should get! lmao
Distribution: here, through the looking glass, and
The Rebel Kittens
Spoilers: None, this is AU
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Willow and Tara, duh! lol
Disclaimer: I don't own Willow and Tara, or any BTVS character. this is just for entertainment.
Summary: We're in the middle of a long war between rebels and the high class. A mercenary named Vladawain Bagnale is engaged against the royalty, and he will meet Tara on his path, and of course, they'll stumble on Willow.

Special Note: I mightve gone a bit hard on some descriptions. I'm not too sure, they don't urk me, there's nothing uber bloody, but I did go into a dark world at some point writing it, and just thought I should point it out.

I still don't have a beta, I did my best to spellcheck, but I always miss out a few mistakes here and there, so if you can't bear with that and think you have some free time, maybe you could help! lol

Chapter 7: The One You Forgot

After a bit of running, the two friends ended up on the edge of a cliff. Trying to catch her breath, Tara rapidly scouted the surroundings and listened to the sounds of the approaching monster. Willow was looking down the cliff, not too sure about what was next. "We don't have much of a choice." The surprise of hearing Tara's voice threw Willow off balance and she had to shift her weight drastically to avoid falling down. "What do you mean?" She asked after making sure both her feet were safely anchored to the ground. "We can't go any further, and we've lost a lot of ground here, that thing will catch up on us eventually. We have to face it."

Fear crept up on Willow's face at a very noticeable pace. "I know, this sounds like s-suicide." Tara took Willow's hand in hers and looked her in the eyes. "But know that I'll die for you if I have to." The conviction in those words suddenly reassured the young princess. Not to a point where she didn't care about the fear anymore, but enough so that she could fight it. "And I'd do the same for you, Tara." she heard herself answer, the best part of her lost in the deep blue of her friend's eyes. Despite the tension of the situation, she felt comfort there, a comfort she wasn't near understanding yet, but that pushed her to inch closer to Tara's lips. Tara gave no sign of wanting to avoid what was coming, instead she brought her hand up to Willow's face to cup her cheek and finally their lips met in a gentle, short kiss. They both pulled away at the same time, not too sure what to think of what had just happened, forgetting for a moment about what was about to happen. They were trying to ask questions but couldn't find any words to form them, confusion meeting with the feeling of comfort into a bundle of emotions neither of the girls had really delt with before.

Finally, Willow spoke up with a shaken voice. "Is this... right?" Before Tara could even process the question, a desperate growl came from just a couple feet from where the friends were standing. They turned just in time to see Xander escaping the gigantic hand of a moreso gigantic beast. Bigger than Vladawain. With a meaner look than Don Macklay. It's eyes were a bright red, it's face a mask of bone, its right arm a huge chunk of sparkling metal terminated by two huge black metallic claws. His other arm was smaller, covered with scales of different colors that formed a tribal pattern covering most of his large, powerful body. Both his foot were apparently made of the same material than his right arm, giving him a deadly grip on the ground, and whatever else would come in his reach. His whole form was surrounded by a blue wave of energy, one that sparked at irregular intervals as if the power was held back by something.

Recognizing his master, Xander jumped in Willow's arms, who's fear-stricken body did manage to get a hold on him. She absentedly kissed the top of the cat's head while her brain matched the thing in front of them with what she saw in the forest the night before. And that wasn't a pleasant memory. "W-what do you w-want from us?" a surge of courage – or Idocy – suddenly shot through Tara as she took a step forward and held her sword pointed at the beast.

It stopped in its track, and swung its arm close to the girls, but not quite at them. The two friends shrieked, and Xander jumped off Willow's arms. Some painful moan was heard as a man stumbled over to the two girls, severly wounded, probably from the swept of the creature. "Help me." The voice was weak, and had too familiar a ring to Tara. "Donnie?" Her sword fell to the ground in a thump as she hurried to her brother's side. Just at that moment a hand tried to stop her: one from a man who wasn't on the scene just a second ago. Willow's jaw seemingly dropped to the ground at the sight she had in front of her. A tall dark haired man was standing right where she had last seen her cat Xander. How was that possible? How was that man wearing the royal emblem on the sleeve of his tunic? Why was he picking up Tara's sword? So many questions raced through her brain as she tried to figure out just what in the world was happening on the edge of that cliff.

The big metallic beast had taken a couple more steps forward and was about to sweept at both Tara and her brother when the man jumped in front of them both and blocked the gigantic arm with his strength and the sword alone. The blue aura around the creature then slowly receeded, its size diminishing as well, until what was standing before the stranger was another man, with a presence a lot less threatening than his other form. He wore parts of an armor over his right arm and his feet, and everything else was just normal peasant clothing. His hair was spiky, his face clean, yet manly, and as he regained control of his own self, a sheepish smile crept up on his face and his eyes opened up on electric blue irises. He reached behind his neck with his left hand to scratch an unexistant itch as Xander stared at him with a steely glare.

"I believe you are Xander, the one they used to call "Slayer of a thousand Beasts". It is both an honor and a surprise to meet you here!" Willow, who had covered the distance between them and her former standing point, just couldn't believe what she was seeing, or hearing. "Xander?!?" she said outloud, blinking a couple times, looking the man up and down and then realizing the feeling of his presence was indeed familiar. Tara looked up from her brother, first to Xander, then to the mysterious man who had attacked them. Her heart jumped a beat when she saw how his face was familiar, how his whole being reminded her of... she couldn't put the finger on it. But despite whatever he looked like, he had tried to kill all the family that was left to her, and she couldn't let that go.

"You son of a bitch!" she said, getting up and throwing herself on him, trying to place a right hook to his face. She never hit, instead the man applied his hand to her chest and held her in place with just that. "Calm down, Lady Macklay." The man simply stated, keeping his grip on her for a moment, until the expression on her face suddenly changed. "Allow me to introduce myself." he said as he finally let her go. Tara backed away from him as soon as she could, and was happy to find Willow's arms not too far behind. "My name is Dagdan Bagnale."

An heavy silence fell on the small group. Xander swallowed. Donnie groaned. The wind blew through the high grass, and rustled the leaves. It felt like a thousand heartbeats had passed when Xander finally spoke up. "I thought I had killed you, many years ago." The tone in his voice was uneven, a mix of respect and fear, disdain and disbelief. Dagdan nodded and lifted his armored arm. "Oh you nearly did. I lost an arm and both my feet in that fight. I guess you underestimated the Bagnale legacy is all. Oh but not all was lost from that fight. The curse is higly effective. I can't do harm to innocents anymore." Tara bolted out of Willow's arms and pointed at her brother. "Then what's that??" she shouted, hardly controlling herself. Xander put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and pointed his sword at the man. "Do explain."

"Simple: He's not innocent." A loud gasp was heard, and everyone turned to see Donnie holding Willow up with an iron grip on her throat. The girl seemed in more psychological pain than physical at that moment, and the grin on Tara's brother's face let them know he was enjoying it, despite the huge gash in his side. "Donnie!" Tara shouted in disbelief. "I'm finishing father's work!" Was his excited reply. Tara shook her arm out of Xander's grip and walked to her brother, facing him with teeth clenched. "Let her go. You... " Donnie's free hand had trapped her throat as well. Holding both friends in that deadlock, he smirked and finally added to an invisible audience that "He wished that you both die out of horrible pain.". Xander and Dagdan glanced at each other, the Bagnale brother shook his head powerlessly and then Xander gripped the sword with two hands and crashed himself into the evil man, but the blade barely bounced off on his skin. Dagdan took a step forward and sighed loudly. "We kill him, the girls might lose any mind they have. We do nothing, they'll die shells without any spirit. My power's too strong to hit just him, your sword won't even scratch him. We're in what seems like a dead end." Xander stared at both the girls, the ones that had always cared about him while he was under the curse, the one that had made him human again. The look of unbearable pain on their silent faces, and the blood slowly dripping from their noses. He had to do something.

The world had seemingly fallen appart. All she could see was blood, violence, pain. All she could hear were screams of despair, war cries and sobbing. And she was on top of it all, tied to a cross, unable to move, or to make a sound. Condemned to watch as needles found their way through her skin slowly, plunging her into an abyss of pain she never expected could exist. Tara tried to fight the sorrow rapidly flooding her, her shallow heartbeat barely audible to her own body. She was loosing her grip on reality and falling into a numbness she couldn't describe. And Willow was nowhere to be seen. Willow! Will where are you, I need you... the desperate voice in her mind kept calling to her friend. Perhaps she could try and stay anchored to the single thought of her for a while, hoping someone would manage to stop this nightmare.

"Lend me your power then. Channel it into me when I strike." Dagdan's eyes grew wide at Xander's request. "That might just as well kill you." His warning resounded throught the field. "So be it" Was Xander's determined answer. Dagdan nodded as the man got ready for the decisive blow. Donnie seemed totally unaware of what was going to happen, so delighted as he was of his wrath over the two young girls.

Willow was locked in a cage, things, bugs, spiders, it was all crawling around her. Climbing on her slowly, biting off her skin, sucking her blood. The noise of a distant chaos echoing in the back of her head. She couldn't move, she couldn't scream. Her whole body was a mass of distress, panic making her heart beat so fast it blinded her. She wanted to leave this hell, but she had nothing to hold onto. All she could do was slip into a state of semi-consciousness, watching it all happen to her without feeling a thing. A soft ringing, something that sounded like her name, far, far away, echoed into her head, waking her senses up just the slightest bit, enough so she could understand the words. ...where are you, I need you... Willow jerked. The pain made its way back to her brain as she called out to her friend. Tara! Help me... The cry was desperate, but hearing her own thoughts again made Willow regain a bit of control over the chaos. Will, hold on sweetie, keep talking to me.

A blue surge of energy went through Xander as he jumped, the sword right over Donnie's skull, ready to bring it down with all the might he could muster. As he felt the power run within him, he did his best to direct it toward his hands, through the sword, down the insane man's body. The slice was perfect, unnatural even. First the hands released their grip on the girls, and as they fell in slow motion, the severed body split into two. Xander landed on his feet, the sword in his left hand, his right arm apparently gone limp. He planted the weapon in the ground, leant on it, fell to his knees, coughed out some blood and then rested his forehead on the pummel of the sword. Dagdan was already by the girls' sides, checking on their vital signs and making them as comfortable as he could. "They're alive." He simply stated, at Xander's attention. The one they used to call Slayer of a thousand beast collapsed to the ground as he heard the good news. Everything else was left to higher powers he couldn't control, or fight. He had done his part, and landed on his side with an accomplished smile on his face. He was never to get up again, and maybe that was the best for him. Without even looking back to check on him, Dagdan shut his eyes, mouthed a prayer and then went back to attending the two girls. He placed their bodies closer to each other and their hands barely an inch apart, not too sure what effect he was expecting this to have, but surely feeling like it was the right thing to do. He then noticed the pendant at Tara's neck and touched it with his left hand, noting how glowy it was. "Odiluke and Vladawain are alive..." he said softly as he caressed the young girl's chin. Something similar to relief appeared on his face, as he sat by a rock and watched over the two girls. All that was left to do was waiting for them to wake up. And hoping his younger brothers hadn't put themselves in too bad a mess.

Artemis · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:42 am

Great action sequences! Donnie's demise was very cinematic, I could practically see it. And Willow and Tara's predicament is very, very eerie (not to mention highly unpleasant for the both of them). I wonder, is wherever they are - some astral plane? - somewhere they'll be able to find each other and get back to reality from, or will it require outside help to bring them back to themselves?

The Kitten, the Witches and the Bad Wardrobe - Willow & Tara Forever

Askeidevor (Updated 2010-07-26)

Who is online