FF: Two Worlds (Chapter 37: Setting the Stage)

["Cilia" <cilia@xxxxx>]

Hi,
You can stop chanting cause there is one new chapter in Two Worlds this
week, arriving one day a head of schedule and like the title says this on
sets the stage for the finale titled Worlds' Dilemma. Well actually after
you read this you might want to breath and count to ten calmly, cause I'm
doing something here I've never done before, but you'll see. Now there might
be some time before I finish this, cause the ending will encompass chapters
38-43 and I want to post them all at once if possible.
Then it's onto a story that only hass the work title "Finale" and it will
be the last Royalty Book, taking place nine years after the ending of Two
Worlds it will span ten years and two worlds and then go into the distsant
future ending, hopefully, in the events described in Spike's Journal as
shown in chapter five of Royalty (Book One)
Enjoy,
Cilia

-Two Worlds-
Cilia

Chapter 37: Setting the Stage

Buffy stood at the edge of the harbor and stared blankly to the west at the
setting sun floating in the red sky. The Slayers head cocked slightly as
she heard Cordelia coming up behind her, the soft crackle of boots, and the
soft clanging of her scimitars against her hips. Her cape was no doubt
blowing in the gentle breeze coming from the sea.
"When you didnt come in to eat... I... we got worried," the Ranger said
coming to a stop on the edge of the harbor. Standing on her toes, she
stretched her arms out against the breeze. "The winds of home," she muttered
blissfully.
"Cordy, no offense... but, youre weird," Buffy said with a small smile as
she turned the gold wedding band on her finger.
"You, ah, want to talk about it?" Cordelia asked, without retorting,
looking down at the Slayers hand.
"Whats there... to talk about? Willow is gone and this... Rosetta person
is all that remains," the Slayer said as she held back the sobs. "And she...
wants nothing to do with me,"
"We dont know that Buf- Elisabeth. She... Willow might... still be in
there somewhere," Cordelia tried, but she wasnt even convincing herself.
Buffy looked up tearfully at the Ranger and smiled a thin smile. Dropping
her eyes, she tore the ring off her finger and pulled her arm back to throw
it into the sea, but Cordelia grabbed her hand, stopping her.
"Dont," she stated firmly. "Not yet," she added with a firm look as she
directed the Slayers eyes to hers.
The Slayer sighed and lowered her hand, not taking her eyes off the Ranger
beside her. The Ranger, likewise, didnt let go of the Slayers hand. Buffy
smiled a small, innocent, frightened smile as she inched closer.
"Elisabeth... we cant..." Cordelia tried, running through her head, every
reason not to do this. She came up blank every time, the only thing she
could think about was lying next to the Slayer on their journey, taking care
of her, stroking her blonde hair.
"Sure... we can...I have no one else" Buffy whispered as she grasped the
back of the Rangers head. Their lips finally brushing together caused Buffy
s fist to tighten around the ring. A moment later, the flattened strip of
gold fell to the ground. Pulling the Ranger easily off the ledge of the
harbor, they broke apart to only to breathe. There was a long silence, then
the sound of boots hitting ground rapidly as the pair disappeared into the
now dark city.
> > From the shadows, blue eyes shone. Spike stepped out of the shadows, walked
up to the spot where the flattened ring lay, knelt down slowly, and picked
it up. Bouncing it in his palm, he grabbed it in midair with a huff and a
sad shake of his head.
"I never thought Id have moral standards this high," he muttered as he
stood. Looking around, he smiled. "Come on out, ya dwarf," causing Gymli to
emerge from the shadows.
"I was jus lookin out fer me drinkin mates kid," the dwarf huffed.
"Joyce would love this, alright," Spike said with a sad grin as he walked
over to the dwarf. "What say we get nice and plastered," he said as he
thought about Joyce. "Shall we?"
"Im wit ya," the Dwarf said as he slapped the undyings back with enough
force to knock a normal man over. The duo headed for the nearest inn,
chatting about old battles and future plans for their respective children,
leaving the Ranger and Slayer to their own problems.

In Necris, the earth shook. Fires, candles, and lanterns all throughout the
Dwarf Compound sprang to life. Theris woke from her dream-filled sleep with
a start. Throwing on her robes, the high elf ran down the stairs and headed
for the shrine where the body of Joyce had rested for weeks, with Alx
sitting next to it night and day. She narrowly avoiding colliding with King
Einar as she came to a stop in front of the shrine doors, which the dwarves
where already trying to open, but with little success
"When did this start?" she asked in her echoing voice as the fires on the
torches grew.
"Jus a bit ago," the King huffed and turned to the dwarves trying to open
the doors. "Cmon me laddies, put yer backs inta it," he howled. The dwarves
grunted as they renewed their efforts, but the doors didnt budge.
"Let me," Theris said with a smile as she placed her hand on the doors and
with a small push, they swung inwards.
"Holy-" the dwarf king was cut off as they were greeted with a wall of
fire.
"Alx!" Theris shouted. The High Elf had to cover her eyes to shield them
against the intense light and heat coming from the fires in the room.
"Laddy! Git yer behind out ere!" Einar shouted. He was about to jump into
the fire and pull Alx out if need be, but was held back by Theris. Everyone
present just stared into the fires for what seemed like an eternity
listening to the soft crackle of the fires.
"Hes not in here," an eerie voice said before a dark figure emerged from
the flames, the fire casting a harsh light on her black armor.
"Joyce?" Theris asked peering at the being as it stepped fully out of the
fires. The final burning remains of the shroud fell to the floor behind her.
"Been awhile," Joyce said as the fires slowly died out. The High Elf
noticed the Avatars eyes were glazed over and appeared almost completely
white with just a hint of blue piercing through, as if she had glimpsed
something not meant for mortal eyes.
"Are you ok? What happened? Why did... you return," Theris asked finding
this beyond even her. All around her, the dwarves were kneeling and
muttering prayers to their gods.
"I have to find her. My daughter is about to make a mistake," The Avatar
explained. "Or has made one. But I think she already did. Im not sure, but
I know something is wrong with her. I have to get to her," she explained,
talking fast. "Oh please get up," she ordered the dwarves.
"Youve been mostly dead for a while now, I think thats why youre
confused... time is a funny thing when youre dead," a rough voice, that
hadnt been used for long weeks, said. "Trust me, I know."
"Alx," Joyce exclaimed with a broad smile as she brushed past the High Elf
and threw herself at the knight. The dwarf king just nodded and smiled,
while the High Elf crossed her arms over her chest.
"Hey," Alx said with a small smile as he hugged her tight.
"I missed you," she whispered as he kissed the top of her head.
"I missed you, too," he whispered back.
"You know I cant stay," she said as she stepped back from him, her white
eyes taking on a sad look. "And you cant come with me,"
"I figured as much," he said with a sad smile.
With a heartfelt smile, Joyce reached up and gently touched her mentors
cheek with a warm hand.
"I wont be gone long... I promise," she stated firmly as she pulled him
towards her and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Pulling away slowly, she
winked slyly at him and turned back to Theris.
"Angel... its good to see you again," she said almost as if she could see
the angel. "Please make sure that he doesnt do anything stupid," she then
said firmly and Theriss face took on a very Angel-like expression as she
nodded.
"Good," she said and turned back to Alx again. She opened her mouth to
speak, but the golden knight stopped her.
"Go," he whispered with a smile and a quick peck to her cheek.
The Avatar smiled back and walked towards the main doors. With single look
back, she flung them open with both hands and walked silently into the
Necris night.
"Shell be fine, my friend," Theris said as she placed a hand on his
shoulder.
"I know," Alx said as he watched her leave.
"Say, why wern ya in dat room?" Einar asked as he joined them.
Leave it to the dwarf to be rational at a moment like this, Alx thought
with a chuckle.
"I dont really know, I just woke up in a chair outside the room," Alx
explained, casting one last glance before Joyce disappeared completely into
the darkness.

Joyce stood on the sight of the ruined throne room. She had sent the guard
running when she had entered the palace wearing an aura of fire. He looked
rather pale as he stumbled out, she didnt really have to scare him, but it
was easier than answering his questions.
Willow must have really done some damage, she thought to herself as she
looked at the foundations that were all that remained of the royal building.
"I didnt think youd return," a disembodied voice said. The fact that it
didnt have a face didnt seem to startle Joyce much.
"Youve mastered your innate powers, I see," Joyce said without looking at
the drow Princess.
With a laugh, Stjara stepped out of her globe of darkness into full view.
"It is liberating," she said with a little twirl. "But... why have you
returned,"
"Youre no drow," Joyce laughed as she knelt and gathered some dirt in her
hand.
"Youre going to follow them, arent you?" the elf asked.
"Yes, something bad is about to happen, or had happened, and... well, I may
have changed but Im still Buffys mother," Joyce said as she stood up and
sprinkled the dirt over herself. "I think green suited you better," she
added.
"What do you mean," Stjara asked as she looked down at her black and
purple clothes.
"Never mind, I was just... thinking out loud. Could you take a step back,
please," Joyce said as she spread her arms and the fire in her eyes flared.
Backing away from the Avatar, Stjara watched as Joyce drew a flaming line
in the air with her sword and parted it, thus creating a black rift in the
air.
"Ill check on Cordy for you," Joyce said before she stepped through,
leaving a slight ripple in the air as the rift closed. She also left behind
one very dumbstruck drow Princess.

In the city of Tharon, it rained thick, cold drops that turned the streets
into dark mirrors. A single candle, in a single window, flickered as it cast
a soft glow over the lovers that occupied the room and its bed. A young
woman, blond hair tousled, rose up from the bed like an angel ascending to
the heavens. Her screams of pleasure were echoed by a thunderclap that
seemed to crash to the ground. It was accompanied by a burst of fire on the
citys outskirts that lit up the night sky. Recovering and breathing
raggedly, the young woman looked down with glazed, blue eyes into the soft
brown ones below her, blond hair hung in tangled chunks, thick with sweat as
droplets fell onto her lovers body.
"Ranger... Moondancer," she whispered and lowered her face to meet
trembling lips.
"Slayer..." the lover whispered back and brought the Slayer down towards
her and then squirmed with delight as her blue-eyed angel started moving her
hands down along her body.	"No regrets," one whispered as blue eyes swam in
brown ones.
"No regret," the other answered as brown eyes bore into blue ones.
Another scream, wretched from the torrent of the lovemaking, tore into the
night, accompanied by another thunderclap.

In an inn bar, somewhere on the docks, the door burst open, revealing a
black clad woman, dry, despite the rain falling heavily outside. Striding
through the bar, she ignored the stares and comments of the men sitting at
every table she passed. The bar had a low ceiling and in one corner a fire
burned in a hearth. The far wall was dominated by the bar and various
barrels of wine and mead. To her left were the stairs that led up to the inn
rooms, under that loft were some tables, and at one of those tables, she
spotted the ones she was looking for. She walked up and stopped in front of
a table of three men, one human, one dwarf, and the third, something else.
The human was slumped over the table.
"William, Gymli... how youve been?" she asked. Two pairs of eyes looked
over and comically traveled up her legs and torso, over the swell of her
breast and up to white eyes filled with laughter.
"Bloody ell," both men said in unison.
"You boys mind if I sit with you," she asked coyly.
"I thought you were dead, mum," the dark haired man said as he kicked out a
chair for her and hailed the barmaid.
"Im harder to kill than that, Spike," Joyce said with a smile as she sat
down.
"Youre here because of what the Slayer and the Ranger are doing right...
about... now," Spike said looking at the non-existing watch on his wrist.
"So its happened already, huh," The Avatar said as she accepted her mug.
"Aye, n ders nothin we kin do," Gymli exclaimed raising his mug and taking
a long swig.
"Ill go see them in the morning and talk some sense into them," Joyce said
and quickly emptied her mug. Over the brim of her mug, she saw a group of
distinctly unfriendly lookin men advancing on their table.
"Spike, have you insulted anybody recently?" she asked casually.
"Not to my knowledge." He responded, pulling his chin in thought, "Perhaps
theyre seeking your company," the undying suggested.
"Er maybe is jus yer knack fer attractin trouble," Gymli chimed in.
"Does it matter?" Joyce said as she stood up. "Wake the boy up,"
"We be afightin," Gymli said as his eyes lit up. "Wake da lad, Ill be wit
da avatar," he added.
"Grimm... Come on, mate, wake up. Were about to have ourselves a brawl,"
Spike as he shook the young man. When no reply came, he shrugged and stood
up.
"Spike! Catch," Joyce shouted. Apparently, someone had gotten a little too
frisky and was now airborne. Catching the man with a grin, he quickly bared
his fangs, causing the man to pass out.
"Why are we fighting this time?" Spike asked as he joined the fray, ducking
under a blow and kicking up.
"They made an... indecent proposal," Joyce explained as she head-butted her
current victim.
"Do I have to guess?" Spike asked as he delivered a kick in the
unmentionables of a hulking man.
"Not really... well just show them what no means."
There was a thud as a knife hit the wall, Joyce looked up to see a raised
arm pinned against the wall and then looked at Grimm who waved with a smile
before passing out again, his head going back this time. Joyce waved back
and proceeded to drag two of the unconscious men to the door, kicking it
open and throwing them out into the street.
"Make way," Gymli exclaimed as he dragged one by the feet and the scuttled
him into the street.
"Incoming," Spike shouted and both warrior bent back to make way for the
last of the thugs to sail by. They both heard him land with a splash
outside.
"More mead?" Joyce asked.
"More mead," Gymli nodded. "n I be thankin ya fer not usin me as a club
dis time," he added as they made their way back to the table.
"Why, Im hurt," Joyce exclaimed.
"And I be drunk, don wan me dinner all over da walls now do we?" he asked.
"Good point," Joyce said as she slid her chair up to the table, which
already had three fresh mugs on it and something in a cup for Grimm.
"Lets drink, for tomorrow... I have to save my daughters marriage," Joyce
said as she raised her mug.
"Or die trying," Spike added as the mugs clashed together, spilling foam on
the table. Outside another thunderclap crashed.

To be continued in Chapter 38: Worlds' Dilemma - Slayer's Strength...