It was Haeboriel who found her lying beside the disturbed grave. She couldn't understand why she couldn't wake her aunt. Culromen found her sobbing beside Goramarthien's body.
"Why won't she wake up daddy?" Haeboriel asked, her tearstained face looking up into that of her father's.
Culromen fell beside Goramarthien. He looked at the girl. She was smiling peacefully, a stark contrast to the evil looking wound in her neck. He'd never seen anything like it before. What could have done this to her? He looked at his daughter.
"Go to your mother," he said as he picked Gora's body up. "Run along now Bori. She'll be ok. She's just sleeping."
But even as he said it, the words sounded hollow in his ears too. He didn't know what to make of any of this. He had to find Galadriel. She would know what was happening. She knew everything. He knew she was busy trying to establish a connection with Belyndra, her returned daughter, but this was important. This was his sister.
Galadriel welcomed Culromen into her home and had him place Goramarthien's body on her bed. She was just as confused and in the dark as he was about what had happened to the girl. She had never seen anything like that wound in her neck either. She could only tell Culromen that his sister was dead. She was no longer in the realm of the living but was now in the Halls of Mandos until she decided to return, if she ever did.
Neither noticed Faith walk up behind them until she gasped suddenly.
"Belyndra?" Galadriel was shocked at the paleness of her face.
Faith looked up into the Elven queen's face. She was still not used to this new name and new place as her daughter. She shrunk back as Galadriel tried to take her in her arms.
"No, no, not here, not now," she sobbed.
Culromen watched puzzled as Faith turned and ran from the room. She knew something, it was obvious by the way she'd reacted when she'd seen Goramarthien's body. But what was it? And why wouldn't she tell them? He followed her out and found her sitting under a tree.
"She's not dead," Faith said softly. "She'll be back. You have to kill her before she kills more. Before she makes more of her kind."
"I don't understand," Culromen said as he sat down beside her. "More of her kind? What kind? What did that to her?"
"She's a Vampire now," Faith said, her voice emotionless.
"Vampire?" Culromen was lost.
He grabbed Faith's hands and pulled her up and dragged her back to Galadriel's house. He pulled her into the room where Goramarthien's body lay.
"What did that to her?" he yelled. "What is a Vampire? What is happening here?"
Galadriel tried to break Culromen's grip on Faith's arm but the Elf held fast to it. Faith sobbed. She thought finally her life was back on track and was finally settling down without all the weirdness and slaying. Why did it have to start all over again just when she had found herself and had a chance of happiness? Finally the Elf let her arm go. Galadriel shot Culromen an angry look and took Faith in her arms.
"You must tell us Belyndra of these creatures," she said softly. "We need to know what is happening here or how can we stop it?"
"You can't," Faith whispered. "Only I can."
"Why only you child?" Galadriel asked as she stroked Faith's hair back from her face.
"I'm the Slayer, the Chosen One."
"What does that mean and what does it have to do with Goramarthien?"
They hadn't noticed Culromen follow them into the other room. He sat silently as Faith explained what a Vampire was, what it did and why it did it, and the role of the Slayer.
"But we have no creatures like these Vampires here in Middle Earth," Galadriel interrupted. "How then could Goramarthien be one if we have nothing that would infect her in such a way?"
"Where did you find her Culromen?" Faith asked, hoping beyond hope not to hear what he was about to tell her.
"Haeboriel found her lying on the grave of Xander the Warrior," was his reply.
Faith paled. Xander....no!
"Was the grave...?"
"It was disturbed," Culromen replied.
"Xander....Rokin...Oh my god."
Xander stood in the shadows watching as the sun sank below the hills in the distance. He had been pleasantly surprised to learn that the sun's light had no effect on him. He felt a bit dizzy and weak, but he didn't burst into flames as he had seen other Vampires do in Sunnydale. He'd have to ask Giles about that. He smiled. Giles. He only hoped he would 'live' long enough to get back to Sunnydale and to Buffy. She liked her men undead. Now he was finally her type.
"Time to wake up my pretty," he said to himself as he waited for Goramarthien.
Goramarthien opened her eyes and smiled. She felt different, stronger, and extremely hungry. She looked around and didn't know where she was. Last thing she remembered was Xander standing alive and smiling at her, then pain in her neck. She touched her neck. The pain was gone and she felt nothing there. Slowly she slipped off the bed and walked around the room. She heard voices coming from another room. She felt the hunger growing stronger.
"Culromen," she called softly and sweetly.
He looked up and saw his sister standing in the shadows of the doorway.
"Gora?" he gasped. "But you said... Gora? Is it really you?"
He stood and slowly walked towards her. Faith saw her face. Her Vampire face. She watched horrified as Goramarthien wrapped her arms around Culromen, drawing him close to her.
"Culromen, nooo," Faith screamed as she grabbed a chair and broke off a leg.
She ran after Culromen and pulled him away from Goramarthien just as she'd been about to sink her teeth into her brother's neck. Culromen was confused, but seeing Faith about to plunge the chair leg into his sister's chest snapped him out of it. He kicked it from her hand. Faith watched in anger as Goramarthien ran from the room and house.
"You fool," she spat at Culromen. "You have no idea what you just did."
"Why won't she wake up daddy?" Haeboriel asked, her tearstained face looking up into that of her father's.
Culromen fell beside Goramarthien. He looked at the girl. She was smiling peacefully, a stark contrast to the evil looking wound in her neck. He'd never seen anything like it before. What could have done this to her? He looked at his daughter.
"Go to your mother," he said as he picked Gora's body up. "Run along now Bori. She'll be ok. She's just sleeping."
But even as he said it, the words sounded hollow in his ears too. He didn't know what to make of any of this. He had to find Galadriel. She would know what was happening. She knew everything. He knew she was busy trying to establish a connection with Belyndra, her returned daughter, but this was important. This was his sister.
Galadriel welcomed Culromen into her home and had him place Goramarthien's body on her bed. She was just as confused and in the dark as he was about what had happened to the girl. She had never seen anything like that wound in her neck either. She could only tell Culromen that his sister was dead. She was no longer in the realm of the living but was now in the Halls of Mandos until she decided to return, if she ever did.
Neither noticed Faith walk up behind them until she gasped suddenly.
"Belyndra?" Galadriel was shocked at the paleness of her face.
Faith looked up into the Elven queen's face. She was still not used to this new name and new place as her daughter. She shrunk back as Galadriel tried to take her in her arms.
"No, no, not here, not now," she sobbed.
Culromen watched puzzled as Faith turned and ran from the room. She knew something, it was obvious by the way she'd reacted when she'd seen Goramarthien's body. But what was it? And why wouldn't she tell them? He followed her out and found her sitting under a tree.
"She's not dead," Faith said softly. "She'll be back. You have to kill her before she kills more. Before she makes more of her kind."
"I don't understand," Culromen said as he sat down beside her. "More of her kind? What kind? What did that to her?"
"She's a Vampire now," Faith said, her voice emotionless.
"Vampire?" Culromen was lost.
He grabbed Faith's hands and pulled her up and dragged her back to Galadriel's house. He pulled her into the room where Goramarthien's body lay.
"What did that to her?" he yelled. "What is a Vampire? What is happening here?"
Galadriel tried to break Culromen's grip on Faith's arm but the Elf held fast to it. Faith sobbed. She thought finally her life was back on track and was finally settling down without all the weirdness and slaying. Why did it have to start all over again just when she had found herself and had a chance of happiness? Finally the Elf let her arm go. Galadriel shot Culromen an angry look and took Faith in her arms.
"You must tell us Belyndra of these creatures," she said softly. "We need to know what is happening here or how can we stop it?"
"You can't," Faith whispered. "Only I can."
"Why only you child?" Galadriel asked as she stroked Faith's hair back from her face.
"I'm the Slayer, the Chosen One."
"What does that mean and what does it have to do with Goramarthien?"
They hadn't noticed Culromen follow them into the other room. He sat silently as Faith explained what a Vampire was, what it did and why it did it, and the role of the Slayer.
"But we have no creatures like these Vampires here in Middle Earth," Galadriel interrupted. "How then could Goramarthien be one if we have nothing that would infect her in such a way?"
"Where did you find her Culromen?" Faith asked, hoping beyond hope not to hear what he was about to tell her.
"Haeboriel found her lying on the grave of Xander the Warrior," was his reply.
Faith paled. Xander....no!
"Was the grave...?"
"It was disturbed," Culromen replied.
"Xander....Rokin...Oh my god."
Xander stood in the shadows watching as the sun sank below the hills in the distance. He had been pleasantly surprised to learn that the sun's light had no effect on him. He felt a bit dizzy and weak, but he didn't burst into flames as he had seen other Vampires do in Sunnydale. He'd have to ask Giles about that. He smiled. Giles. He only hoped he would 'live' long enough to get back to Sunnydale and to Buffy. She liked her men undead. Now he was finally her type.
"Time to wake up my pretty," he said to himself as he waited for Goramarthien.
Goramarthien opened her eyes and smiled. She felt different, stronger, and extremely hungry. She looked around and didn't know where she was. Last thing she remembered was Xander standing alive and smiling at her, then pain in her neck. She touched her neck. The pain was gone and she felt nothing there. Slowly she slipped off the bed and walked around the room. She heard voices coming from another room. She felt the hunger growing stronger.
"Culromen," she called softly and sweetly.
He looked up and saw his sister standing in the shadows of the doorway.
"Gora?" he gasped. "But you said... Gora? Is it really you?"
He stood and slowly walked towards her. Faith saw her face. Her Vampire face. She watched horrified as Goramarthien wrapped her arms around Culromen, drawing him close to her.
"Culromen, nooo," Faith screamed as she grabbed a chair and broke off a leg.
She ran after Culromen and pulled him away from Goramarthien just as she'd been about to sink her teeth into her brother's neck. Culromen was confused, but seeing Faith about to plunge the chair leg into his sister's chest snapped him out of it. He kicked it from her hand. Faith watched in anger as Goramarthien ran from the room and house.
"You fool," she spat at Culromen. "You have no idea what you just did."