FIC: REPOST: Militat omnis amans (Every lover is a warrior) Part 3b/?

["Beckett, Kevin" <kevin.beckett@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Militat omnis amans (Every lover is a warrior) Part 3b/?
K. Beckett (c) 2000 

Disclaimers:
Buffy, Willow and all of the other characters and places from the show
belong to Joss Whedon, WB and Mutant Enemy etal. Everyone and everything
else is mine. None of my characters are meant to resemble anyone living,
dead or un-dead, if you see yourself you are looking way too hard.

Rating: 
R 

Other: 
The Latin and Gaelic are mine; I take the responsibility for any
translations of them. In addition, the descriptions of the rituals, spells
and other craft work come from my traditions, so please don't take offence
if something described here does not match your traditions or what you think
it should.

Archiving etc.: 
Ask and I'll say yes.

Spoilers:
Everything up to the middle of season four - I diverge then.

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About an hour later Buffy, Willow, Daithi and some of the mages re-convened
in the study. It had been tidied in the interim and the window had been
replaced.

Willow turned to the others and said; "I guess we should finish off the
schedules for Buffy and me now."

"I agree," replied Amana, "however, in setting those schedules we must take
into consideration this mornings activities. The attack on the castle today
can only mean the opposition is stepping up their efforts, just as Daithi
indicated last night."

"I only think that this was a feint," replied Daithi, "they were too few in
number to be a real attack. I'll know for certain once we finish questioning
them, but my gut feeling is that they were only looking for information, and
just happened to stumble into the wrong room. I'll continue to investigate,
but I believe that we still have some time before the demons gather for a
major strike at us."

"I'm much more confident about our chances, however," replied Frankel. "I'm
still stunned by the speed and strength of Buffy."
"I'm the slayer," Buffy replied, "It's what I've been born to do."
"I know," replied the sage, "you told us, but seeing you in action put it
into a whole different framework."

"I just wish that I had been able to see more," said Daithi, "however, it
was kind of hard, what with an unconscious demon on top of me."
"Sorry about that," replied Buffy, "but I didn't really have time to place
where I was throwing them."
"It's ok," the commander answered, "however, I think that I'll be seeing
lots of you in action before this is all finished."

"All right then," Grael said taking up the conversation. "Before we were so
rudely interrupted, we were just setting down the schedule for the next few
days. I think that we should continue those discussions."
"The morning is mostly gone," Amana, continued, "however, I think that we
have time left to assess both of your magical potentials before lunch."

"Then after lunch, we will have the two of you down in the training halls
for some physical assessments," said Daithi finishing the opening remarks of
the group.

"Sounds peachy to me," Willow replied, "what's involved in assessing our
magic potential?"
"What potential?" Asked Buffy semi-seriously, "I probably have the magic
power of a gnat." 
"Don't sell yourself short," replied Amana, "we believe that you have some
significant talent, and when it will be combined with Willow's it will be
awesome," she continued.

Buffy looked slightly sceptical, but was willing to be convinced otherwise.

"Now," continued Grael, "we will adjourn to one of our work areas, and begin
the testing."

With that Buffy, Willow, Grael and Amana left the study and headed to
Amana's workroom, which was located two floors above. 

The room was about twice the size of the study below. It had several large
worktables in the middle of the room, floor to ceiling bookshelves were on
three walls and large windows were on the fourth. Two large desks were
located under the windows. The tables were covered in flasks, beakers and
other paraphernalia. In addition to countless books, the bookshelves also
held numerous objects such as skulls, candles, stuffed animals and other
curiosities. The desks were covered in parchments, note-pads and other
items. Two fireplaces and several large lanterns provided illumination for
the room.

"Well, here we are," said Amana, "this is my workroom, and we will begin the
process of accessing both your potential, and your existing level of
training here."
"Take a seat," she continued, pointing to several chairs that had been
pulled up in front of one of the fireplaces.

"We will begin with an overview of magic and how people who are properly
trained are able to use it," continued Grael as he handed the two women
glasses filled with a red drink.
Both Willow and Buffy looked at the drinks suspiciously, "what in this?"
Asked Buffy.
"Just something to help you relax and allow us to begin the process of
assessing your magical abilities," replied Grael.
With that reassurance, both women drank the cool, sweet and slightly
alcoholic beverage. Almost immediately, they both began to feel their
muscles relax.
"Great stuff," Willow said, "we should bottle this and take it back - it
would be a great hit in the dorms."

"Willow," Grael said after a few minutes, "we know that you have been
somewhat successful in using magic, both in your own reality and, as you
demonstrated this morning, here. However, how much do you know about what
you do? How you do it? And why things you try sometimes both work and don't
work?"
"Well, I've been using a combination of books that I've been able to find,
and I've also been able to receive assistance from other witches that I've
run into." Willow said, beginning to wonder where the conversation was
going. "Go on," prompted Amana.

"And, I don't really know much else," continued Willow. "I mean sometimes I
need circles and rituals and other items to do some of the simplest things,
and other times major things happen just because I want them to," she added
shaking her head. "It just confuses me, most of the time," she concluded
looking hopefully at the two mages.

"About what we thought Amana," said Grael who then turned towards the
slayer. "Buffy, why do you think that you have the abilities and powers
that you do?"

"Never really thought about it," answered the slayer, "I've just always been
told that I was born to it, and somehow it was in me."
"Do either of your parents show any sign of the abilities that you do?"
asked Amana.
"No, not really," answered Buffy, "I mean, my dad is a klutz, and my mom is
not much better."
"Then why do you think that your powers come from genetics?" Asked Amana.
When both Buffy and Willow looked confused at this questioning of one of the
basic doctrines of slaying, she continued, "trick question, it is genetic,
but not in the manner you are thinking of."
"What do you mean, my parents are not my parents? That I was adopted or
something?" 
"No, they are your parents, however, it would appear that 'help' was
provided in the construction your genetic makeup. Most likely while you
were still in your mother's womb." Grael said.
"How?" Asked a stunned Buffy and Willow simultaneously.

"Glad you asked that question," replied Grael with a twinkle in his eye,
"for it goes to the core of what magic is, and how it can be manipulated and
or controlled."
"Okay, I'll bite," answered Willow, "what is magic?"

"Magic, to put it simply is everything," answered Amana. "It is the energy
that joins all of life together, it is the building block of our existence."
"Luke, use the force," Buffy whispered to Willow."
"What's the force?" Asked Amana.
"Nothing," replied a smiling Willow, "just a line from a movie."
"So at its essence, magic is the energy that joins molecules together then?"
Willow continued.

"And it explains, in part the slayer question," continued Amana.
"What slayer question?" Buffy asked.
"Simply how you are able to do what you do," answered Grael. "Tell me, does
this 'watcher' you told us about use magic?"
"Yes," answered Willow.
"Well then," continued Grael, "I think that he, or someone working with him,
manipulated Buffy's genetic make-up while she was in the womb."
"I'm a lab experiment?" Shrieked Buffy.
"Well, not an experiment, since they appear to have been doing this for
centuries," answered an equally outraged Willow.

"Definitely unethical," said Amana.
"How's that?" Willow asked, still stunned by the idea that watchers, and the
watcher council, could be so manipulative.
"Using your powers and abilities on another human," said Grael, "without
their permission, is evil and may never be forgiven."
"We have a word for this type of person," continued Amana.
"Yes," asked the slayer.
"Warlock," answered Amana.

"But we will have time later to fully discus magic and the ethics
surrounding its use," Amana said as she stood up and added more wood to the
fire. " Willow you had asked if magical energy was akin to the energy which
holds molecules together."