Disclaimer: Ok I don't own the characters that honor goes to Joss, UPN,
Mutant Enemy, yada yada yada. I do however own Evan. If you want to reprint
just let me know.
Feedback would be nice on this. Just remember, I'd do it for you.
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Prologue
The moon was just rising in the eastern sky but it was late, just after midnight. No one really came out at this time of the night for fear of whatever might actually be in the dark. The older folks told stories of things that lived in the woods that would as they said damn near scare a man to death. Things with horns, red eyes, and all kinds of non-human body parts were said to be hiding behind every rock and in every shadow. Some of the braver souls had even said that they had seen some of these things but many people had put it off to too much of the home brew.
Tonight no person should have ventured forth not even on a dare or a pint of home brew, but a young woman holding a flashlight in one hand and a bundle cradled in the other, walked through the woods as if she was searching for something.
She was nervous and maybe even a little scared. That was clear to anyone that would have saw her. She shivered slightly in the cool early spring air and pulled the coat she was wearing a little closer, however she had a steely determination to finish the quest she was on.
"SCREEEEEEECH!"
Suddenly out of the darkness she heard a sound that brought her to a complete stop, instantly every hair on the back her neck come to attention. Looking franticly around she finally found the culprit of the hideous sound. A screech owl had taken up residence in an old pine tree and was staring at her with large yellow eyes.
With a sigh of relief Hillary McConnell walked on wondering if this trip was really worth trouble but when she looked at the bundle she held in her arms and felt its weight of responsibility she realized that that was all the answer she needed.
She finally reached the goal of her late night trek when she came to a small clearing in the woods that contained a small but snug white house. Off to one side of the house was a small garden that had recently been planted in the recent warm spring weather. She walked to the front of the house and knocked on the door and then waited. It seemed like an eternity but a bent old woman who stood with a walking stick finally opened the door.
The woman looked at her for moment before she spoke. "Child what are you doing out here on a night like this," she said as she pulled her shawl a little closer as a stray wind blew around the two.
"May I come in Granny," the young woman said, "I really have to ask you something important."
Granny moved out of the way and motioned her into the room. Hillary moved towards the old pot bellied stove that warmed the front of the house to chase the chill from her self. She looked around the inside of the house. It was very warm, so warm she had to remove her coat. It was comfortable just like the outside of house. The furniture was old and somewhat threadbare but everything was clean and in place. The things that caught Hillary's eye the most were the hanging herbs and bottles of ingredients that were on shelves. She also saw a basin of some sort sitting on a stand in a corner and various other items that spoke of Granny's profession. "Now tell me girl what brings you all the way out here to the woods in the middle of the night. You know it's not safe with the things that are out here in these woods and another thing..."
A sudden movement of the bundle in her hands interrupted Granny and the baby that Hillary had been carrying began to cry like any healthy baby does. Realizing it was time for him to be fed Hillary sat him down for a moment to remove her coat and unbutton her shirt. Picking him up she began to nurse the baby just like any mother did. Hillary took her gaze away from the face of her child to find Granny with a smile on her face. "'Course I should've known."
Granny walked over to the small table that was near one of the walls and brought a chair over to sit in front of the younger woman. "Now tell me girl. What is it you want to know about him?"
Hillary looked down at Evan for a moment as if searching for the right words. She thought about everything that had led up to this moment. She had married Daniel McConnell the year before against the wishes of her family. They said that he was beneath her and that she deserved someone better. Hillary Keyes at the time wasn't worried about station or her family's wishes. She loved Daniel and did not care what they thought. Begrudgingly her parents, who were the richest people in Kirk County, Alabama, consented to the marriage to save themselves the embarrassment of having their daughter elope.
She couldn't for the life of her figure out why her parents couldn't like Daniel. He was an attractive, and good man that worked hard for a living. His family was not rich but they were hard working ordinary folk. The one thing she noticed about the family was that they were very loving and that they had a sort of air of dignity and mystery about them. Daniel also had this air of mystery about him that she loved, plus his rugged good looks helped a lot. She just supposed that her parents thought he was after her family's money but she knew that Daniel wasn't like that and when Hillary's father wanted to build them a house Daniel had refused the gift, much to their surprise saying that he would provide for all their needs. And he had done just that providing both a comfortable house for his beautiful wife. A month later Hillary realized she was pregnant and both families were overjoyed, none more than Daniel's. That was when she met Granny. Granny was the matriarch of the McConnell family and Hillary had never met a nicer woman. She was Daniel's great-grandmother and really didn't look her supposed age. It was also rumored that she was a very powerful witch that many of the poorer people in the county came to for healing or for advice in all kinds of matters. Hillary had just written that off as superstition but when she looked in the old woman's eyes she saw something there that spoke of power and a sharp mind. It almost made her want to rethink her evaluation.
Now that Evan had been born she had overheard Daniel's sisters talking about the McConnell legacy and her son, but when she had walked into the room they had quickly changed the subject and started talking about something else.
She had turned the subject over in her mind for days wondering what it was and had finally asked Daniel about it one night but he had said that it was nothing she need not be concerned about now.
That was why she had made this trip to the woods to see Granny.
"Granny tell me about the McConnell legacy and what it has to do with my son?"
Granny looked for a moment at the young woman and her child then wordlessly she got to her feet and walked over to a bookcase and took down a large leather bound book. Hillary could see that it was quite old and looked pretty heavy but Granny seemed to have no trouble with it at all.
She set it on the table beside the basin and Hillary could see on the front the words 'Holy Bible'. She then realized that this was the McConnell family Bible that had been passed down through the generations.
Granny opened the book carefully and began to thumb through the pages until she found the one she was looking for which had at the top 'Family Tree' written in a fluid, cursive hand. She turned the book and showed it to Hillary allowing her to see the names written on its pages.
From what Hillary could see the family's history dated back as far as 1744 when the first McConnell had come to America. There were generations of McConnell, some with small families, some with very large ones. What really struck Hillary as odd is that some of the male names listed were written in red and under lined. What really struck Hillary as odd was when she turned the page to see her and her husbands name and their son's. Evan's was written in red.
Before Hillary had a chance to ask what it meant Granny began to speak.
"What you see before you is only the American side of the McConnell family which has only been in this country for almost two hundred and fifty years. Our actual clan in Scotland can be traced back nearly twelve hundred years. From our clan there have been kings, lairds, captains, robbers, thieves, heroes and villains. Some of great note others of little fame."
Granny paused for a moment and then leaned forward to look Hillary in the eyes, "What separated us most of all from other clans was the blessin' of the Legacy that was bestowed upon us. Your son like many of the other men in our family has received the Legacy and it will be his until the day he dies."
"What is the Legacy," Hillary said looking at her son.
Evan looked at Granny with bright blue eyes and the old woman smiled. "It is the Legacy of the Paladin."
Hillary sat back in her chair, "Legacy of the Paladin? I don't understand."
Granny looked from the baby to the silver bowl that sat on the table with a distant look in her eyes, "Hillary my precious, your son will one day play a pivotal role in the fate of the world. He will stand at the mouth of Hell and upon his shoulders will be placed a heavy burden in which he will have to choose: either be its saviour or its destroyer."
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And there you have it ladies and gentlemen the beginning of my very first fic. Okay I know what you're thinking, "Where Buffster and the Scoobies," to that I must say calm down and take a deep breath. Don't worry we're going to see them soon just have to do this thing called foreshadowing for this other thing called a plot. Now go ahead and review.we'll wait.and then click on the next chapter link.
Feedback would be nice on this. Just remember, I'd do it for you.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Prologue
The moon was just rising in the eastern sky but it was late, just after midnight. No one really came out at this time of the night for fear of whatever might actually be in the dark. The older folks told stories of things that lived in the woods that would as they said damn near scare a man to death. Things with horns, red eyes, and all kinds of non-human body parts were said to be hiding behind every rock and in every shadow. Some of the braver souls had even said that they had seen some of these things but many people had put it off to too much of the home brew.
Tonight no person should have ventured forth not even on a dare or a pint of home brew, but a young woman holding a flashlight in one hand and a bundle cradled in the other, walked through the woods as if she was searching for something.
She was nervous and maybe even a little scared. That was clear to anyone that would have saw her. She shivered slightly in the cool early spring air and pulled the coat she was wearing a little closer, however she had a steely determination to finish the quest she was on.
"SCREEEEEEECH!"
Suddenly out of the darkness she heard a sound that brought her to a complete stop, instantly every hair on the back her neck come to attention. Looking franticly around she finally found the culprit of the hideous sound. A screech owl had taken up residence in an old pine tree and was staring at her with large yellow eyes.
With a sigh of relief Hillary McConnell walked on wondering if this trip was really worth trouble but when she looked at the bundle she held in her arms and felt its weight of responsibility she realized that that was all the answer she needed.
She finally reached the goal of her late night trek when she came to a small clearing in the woods that contained a small but snug white house. Off to one side of the house was a small garden that had recently been planted in the recent warm spring weather. She walked to the front of the house and knocked on the door and then waited. It seemed like an eternity but a bent old woman who stood with a walking stick finally opened the door.
The woman looked at her for moment before she spoke. "Child what are you doing out here on a night like this," she said as she pulled her shawl a little closer as a stray wind blew around the two.
"May I come in Granny," the young woman said, "I really have to ask you something important."
Granny moved out of the way and motioned her into the room. Hillary moved towards the old pot bellied stove that warmed the front of the house to chase the chill from her self. She looked around the inside of the house. It was very warm, so warm she had to remove her coat. It was comfortable just like the outside of house. The furniture was old and somewhat threadbare but everything was clean and in place. The things that caught Hillary's eye the most were the hanging herbs and bottles of ingredients that were on shelves. She also saw a basin of some sort sitting on a stand in a corner and various other items that spoke of Granny's profession. "Now tell me girl what brings you all the way out here to the woods in the middle of the night. You know it's not safe with the things that are out here in these woods and another thing..."
A sudden movement of the bundle in her hands interrupted Granny and the baby that Hillary had been carrying began to cry like any healthy baby does. Realizing it was time for him to be fed Hillary sat him down for a moment to remove her coat and unbutton her shirt. Picking him up she began to nurse the baby just like any mother did. Hillary took her gaze away from the face of her child to find Granny with a smile on her face. "'Course I should've known."
Granny walked over to the small table that was near one of the walls and brought a chair over to sit in front of the younger woman. "Now tell me girl. What is it you want to know about him?"
Hillary looked down at Evan for a moment as if searching for the right words. She thought about everything that had led up to this moment. She had married Daniel McConnell the year before against the wishes of her family. They said that he was beneath her and that she deserved someone better. Hillary Keyes at the time wasn't worried about station or her family's wishes. She loved Daniel and did not care what they thought. Begrudgingly her parents, who were the richest people in Kirk County, Alabama, consented to the marriage to save themselves the embarrassment of having their daughter elope.
She couldn't for the life of her figure out why her parents couldn't like Daniel. He was an attractive, and good man that worked hard for a living. His family was not rich but they were hard working ordinary folk. The one thing she noticed about the family was that they were very loving and that they had a sort of air of dignity and mystery about them. Daniel also had this air of mystery about him that she loved, plus his rugged good looks helped a lot. She just supposed that her parents thought he was after her family's money but she knew that Daniel wasn't like that and when Hillary's father wanted to build them a house Daniel had refused the gift, much to their surprise saying that he would provide for all their needs. And he had done just that providing both a comfortable house for his beautiful wife. A month later Hillary realized she was pregnant and both families were overjoyed, none more than Daniel's. That was when she met Granny. Granny was the matriarch of the McConnell family and Hillary had never met a nicer woman. She was Daniel's great-grandmother and really didn't look her supposed age. It was also rumored that she was a very powerful witch that many of the poorer people in the county came to for healing or for advice in all kinds of matters. Hillary had just written that off as superstition but when she looked in the old woman's eyes she saw something there that spoke of power and a sharp mind. It almost made her want to rethink her evaluation.
Now that Evan had been born she had overheard Daniel's sisters talking about the McConnell legacy and her son, but when she had walked into the room they had quickly changed the subject and started talking about something else.
She had turned the subject over in her mind for days wondering what it was and had finally asked Daniel about it one night but he had said that it was nothing she need not be concerned about now.
That was why she had made this trip to the woods to see Granny.
"Granny tell me about the McConnell legacy and what it has to do with my son?"
Granny looked for a moment at the young woman and her child then wordlessly she got to her feet and walked over to a bookcase and took down a large leather bound book. Hillary could see that it was quite old and looked pretty heavy but Granny seemed to have no trouble with it at all.
She set it on the table beside the basin and Hillary could see on the front the words 'Holy Bible'. She then realized that this was the McConnell family Bible that had been passed down through the generations.
Granny opened the book carefully and began to thumb through the pages until she found the one she was looking for which had at the top 'Family Tree' written in a fluid, cursive hand. She turned the book and showed it to Hillary allowing her to see the names written on its pages.
From what Hillary could see the family's history dated back as far as 1744 when the first McConnell had come to America. There were generations of McConnell, some with small families, some with very large ones. What really struck Hillary as odd is that some of the male names listed were written in red and under lined. What really struck Hillary as odd was when she turned the page to see her and her husbands name and their son's. Evan's was written in red.
Before Hillary had a chance to ask what it meant Granny began to speak.
"What you see before you is only the American side of the McConnell family which has only been in this country for almost two hundred and fifty years. Our actual clan in Scotland can be traced back nearly twelve hundred years. From our clan there have been kings, lairds, captains, robbers, thieves, heroes and villains. Some of great note others of little fame."
Granny paused for a moment and then leaned forward to look Hillary in the eyes, "What separated us most of all from other clans was the blessin' of the Legacy that was bestowed upon us. Your son like many of the other men in our family has received the Legacy and it will be his until the day he dies."
"What is the Legacy," Hillary said looking at her son.
Evan looked at Granny with bright blue eyes and the old woman smiled. "It is the Legacy of the Paladin."
Hillary sat back in her chair, "Legacy of the Paladin? I don't understand."
Granny looked from the baby to the silver bowl that sat on the table with a distant look in her eyes, "Hillary my precious, your son will one day play a pivotal role in the fate of the world. He will stand at the mouth of Hell and upon his shoulders will be placed a heavy burden in which he will have to choose: either be its saviour or its destroyer."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
And there you have it ladies and gentlemen the beginning of my very first fic. Okay I know what you're thinking, "Where Buffster and the Scoobies," to that I must say calm down and take a deep breath. Don't worry we're going to see them soon just have to do this thing called foreshadowing for this other thing called a plot. Now go ahead and review.we'll wait.and then click on the next chapter link.
