FIC: REPOST: Militat omnis amans (Every lover is a warrior) Part 5b/?

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

Militat omnis amans (Every lover is a warrior) Part 5b/?
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 will say yes.

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

Please note that things perceived by characters other than by the five
acknowledge senses have been enclosed in < >, kpb.

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The dream world they inhabited was now beginning to fade out as both women
left REM sleep and drifted off into a deeper slumber. If there had been an
observer, other than Shadow-cat, they would have noticed that the breathing
of both was identical, and if they had the tools to measure them, that the
pulse and heartbeat were also identical along with, to a certain extent,
their brainwave patterns. Shadow-cat had also suffered from the near
psychosis of her human, she was almost not able to cope with the
kaleidoscope of images she was receiving and had stopped eating for three
days. Only when Willow had started to gain control of her mind, was
Shadow-cat able to gain control of hers. She had spent the last few days
resting and eating to regain her strength.

Shortly thereafter, the door to their suite was opened by one of the two
guardsmen, who were now always stationed on duty, to allow the entrance of
Amana, Grael, Aiofe and Bridie. The four quickly crossed the sitting room
and entered Buffy and Willow's bedroom. Grael answering Shadow-cat's
questioning look with a quiet "shush, its ok." They quickly arranged
themselves around the bed.

"Is this going to work," Amana asked, as she looked down on the two young
women hoping that what the four of them were about to do would be
productive, even if it skirted the edge ethically.
"It has to," Grael replied, as he too privately wondered about what they
were going to attempt.
"They need our help," commented Aiofe, positive that what they were going to
do was right. She had watched with first concern and then relief the
internal struggles that Buffy and Willow had undergone. She now had even
greater admiration and respect, not only for their formidable skills but
also for their obvious love and devotion to each other.
"But," replied Grael, "this still troubles me. We are doing nothing
directly to them, but entering their dream could be interpreted as
interfering with them."
"It's not like we are going to force our way in," answered Bridie, "I mean,
we are going to ask, doesn't that make the difference?"
"Technically," the older woman replied, "but it is an action which is very
close to the edge."
"Enough," Grael interjected, "we have thrashed this out in counsel for the
last three hours and we came to the unanimous decision to proceed."

What the four mages were about to accomplish was difficult under the best of
circumstances. Given the current, unprecedented situation it could be
impossible. The mage's counsel had come to the conclusion that they had no
choice in the matter. They were faced with potentially the greatest boon or
bane their world had ever seen; they therefore needed additional
information. Of primary concern to them were the intentions of the two
young women; since, due in part to the attack on them, their magic potential
had increased, not linearly as Amana and Grael had predicted, but
exponentially. Willow was now more powerful than any of the mages who
reported to the counsel, and Buffy was as powerful in her limited areas.
The counsel needed confirmation that they would continue to work towards the
eradication of the demon threat. They also worried that the events of the
past few weeks would result in them regretting their decision to stay, and
lead them to demand to return home. They also worried that neither Buffy or
Willow would say they wished to return, even if they did, and that would
result in less than attentive mages when it came to fighting the demons.

The counsel had decided to take the step of entering Buffy and Willow's
dreams; in order to obtain what they hoped was an unbiased and instinctive
response from them to questioning. Amana and Grael were going to attempt to
send Aiofe and Bridie into the dream, since they were familiar figures to
the two travellers, while they stayed behind to conduct the transfer and to
watch over them.

"Ok, Aiofe, Bridie get into bed with them, and make yourselves comfortable,"
Amana ordered softly, "once you are settled in, Grael and I will put you
under."
Within moments both young women were in bed, one each side of Buffy and
Willow since they had arrived already dressed for bed. Grael and Bridie
with a soft "cadley trome" quickly sent both of them to sleep.

"Now we watch and wait for Buffy and Willow to enter dream sleep," commented
Amana after a few minutes of watching to insure that none of the four women
would wake from the activities that had been going on.

Within the half-hour it became apparent that Willow and Buffy were about to
enterer REM sleep again. The two senior mages quickly induced REM sleep in
Aiofe and Bridie and then worked together to complete the spell that would
transfer their sleeping consciousness into the dream world of Buffy and
Willow. They then sat down and waited for results. Hopefully their
assistance would not be required further and that Aiofe and Bridie would
enter the dream and then leave it once the four women left REM sleep.

Willow and Buffy had returned to their shared dream world. This time
however, they were back home in their dorm at UC Sunnydale. They were both
sitting at their desks and studying, while listening to Celtic folk music on
the radio. All was not quite normal however. For one thing, both women
were naked, and for a second, both appeared to be twins. It was still
possible, somehow, to tell Willow from Buffy, however, for all intents and
purposes they were identical. 

<Back home, I guess,> Willow commented, <Not much has changed.>
<We're naked,> replied the slayer.
<Well, that's true, but, this is a dream,> said Willow as she stood up from
her desk and walked over to the other side of the room where Buffy was.

Willow proceeded to stroke Buffy, softly running her hands over her back and
through her hair.
<Hey,> she said as she looked at the two of them in the mirror, <we look the
same.>
<Feedback from the magic, I guess.>

Just then there was a knock on the door.
<Who can that be,> wondered the slayer.
<I'll check,> replied Willow as she went over to the door. As she
approached the door it became transparent and the room's occupants could see
that both Aiofe and Bridie were on the other side of it. 
<What are they doing here?>
<Don't know Will,> replied a now fully clothed Buffy, <why don't you ask
them.>

Willow, now also dressed, turned back to the open door and asked, <ladies,
what are you doing here?>
Aiofe glanced over at Bridie, and receiving her go-ahead nod, replied with
the traditional, <Lady, I beseech you to allow us entrance to your domain.>

<Say what?>
<We have been sent to walk with you in your dreams,> replied Bridie, <but
before we can enter, we must have your permission.>

<Why are you here,> asked Buffy figuring it was ok, so far, since her
usually reliable spidey sense, which indicated nearby vampires, was not
tingling.
<To ask you questions, and to seek clarification,> answered Aiofe.

<Well, Buff,> said Willow, <I see, no problems.>
<Nor I, let them in,> she replied, trusting that the ladies only had good
intentions.

With that the other two young women entered the room, which then changed to
the mage's study in Castle Maldor.
<Weird,> commented the slayer as she looked around their new surroundings
and sat down in her accustomed place before the fireplace.
<I'll say,> replied the arch-mage as she to sat down with the others. <Ok,
what are you doing in our dream?>

<Amana and Grael have sent us, and are currently watching over us, to ask
some questions of your subconscious minds,> replied Aiofe.
<Questions,> asked Buffy, <why don't they just ask us when we are awake?>
<Because the two of you are now so powerful, when alert, that you could mask
untruths,> answered Bridie, <and the mage's counsel needs some questions
answered before we start on your assignment.>
<What questions,> asked Willow, thinking "what 'we'."
<Simply, if you both still share the desire to purge this world of the
demons who plague us,> replied Aiofe, <or do you wish to abandon us and
return to your own world?>
<And why ask in our dreams,> asked Buffy still not totally paying attention
to the situation.
<It's felt that in ones dreams, the subconscious wouldn't lie,> replied
Aiofe.
<Oh,> replied the slayer, <well I guess this is an easy one, right Will?>
<Yep love,> answered the redhead, <what we started, we will finish.>
<Excellent,> commented Bridie.
<Besides,> continued Buffy and Willow simultaneously, <everyone here has
given us so much to be thankful for, and we've learned so much, we just
couldn't leave you now.>

As they finished their conversation, the dream world once again faded out as
the four women went into a deeper sleep.