The hunter limped a little as she tried to find the trail of the beast. Somehow she'd managed to lose it and injure herself in her nightly battles with the blood drinkers. Still, for some reason despite the limp and loss of trail she was in a rare good mood. Catching the scent of the river she decided to wash up and refill her water skin. Having a few fish for her lunch before she sought out the beast's trail again wasn't a displeasing idea either.
Pushing through a section of tall grass she caught sight of the river just before the bank crumbed beneath her, dropping her into the water.
Sputtering and keeping a tight grip on her weapon she surfaced with a salty taste in her mouth that was wholly unlike the taste of the river. Wiping her face she turned and came face to face with the largest lion she'd ever seen.
The lion regarded her for a moment before returning to washing out its wounds in the water.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Ho, ho, ho!" a voice called out from the chimney. "Is it safe to enter?"
"Just a second," Buffy called out as everyone woke up and scrambled into their clothes.
"Okay, we're dressed now," Xander called out.
Santa stepped out of the chimney, minus his bag this time. "And how are all of you this merry afternoon?"
"Pretty good," Xander greeted the jolly old elf with a smile and a handshake. "What brings you by?"
"Please say it's not a prophecy," Buffy all but begged.
"It is, but it's not what you fear," Santa said kindly.
"So… I don't have to free Narnia from winter?" Buffy asked hopefully.
"That prophecy is not for you, it's not for any of you," Santa said firmly, causing Buffy to slump as all the tension drained out of her in an instant and her two lovers gave her a hug.
"Glad to hear it," Xander said. "I wasn't sure whether I was right or not to stay out of it, but I knew it wasn't about me and didn't want to screw things up."
"So what are you here for?" Willow asked.
"To tell you not to interfere," Santa replied. "Events are going to play out as the prophecy dictates and I wanted to ask you not to interfere for good or ill."
"I think we can do that," Buffy said with a smile. "Right, guys?"
"Unless it shows up and knocks on our door we'll stay out of it," Xander promised, "we're just here to recuperate between crises."
"Then you are using Narnia the way it was intended," Santa said, "it's a place of healing and renewal."
"So it is a cycle," Willow said excitedly.
"As most things are," Santa agreed.
"Excellent, that takes away the tiny smidgen of guilt I was feeling for not doing something about things I had absolutely no business messing about in," Buffy said, squeezing Xander and Willow tightly.
"Do we have a time frame or anything?" Xander asked.
Santa shook his head, shaking his fluffy white beard and causing his belly to jiggle a little. "It'll happen when it's meant to happen and not an instant sooner."
"That's another of my guesses proven right," Xander said. "Well, as I said, unless any of the major players come knocking at the door, we're staying out of it. We're just here to relax in between our own attacks of prophecy."
"Does that mean I'm- I mean we're, on the Nice List?" Willow asked hopefully.
Santa laughed. "You three may actually do naughty things, but it's far outweighed by all the nice things you do," he assured her.
"We're graded on a curve," Xander said, amused.
"You'd kinda have to or no one would be on the Nice List… except some Buddhists," Willow said thoughtfully.
"Much of what you think of as naughty really isn't," Santa said, "or rather, it is naughty, but not as in the Naughty List naughty."
"Nice," Xander said before laughing as Buffy poked him.
"Do you have any eggnog on you?" Xander asked, wanting to celebrate and suddenly having a craving.
"Always," Santa said, waving a hand and filling half the table with cookies, jugs of eggnog, and fruitcake.
"Thanks," Xander said, moving to the table and grabbing a small fruitcake and a jug of eggnog. "I don't know why, but I've had a hankering for some lately."
"I know what you mean," Santa said, pouring himself a glass, "a good cup of nog really hits the spot."
"You can just wave your hand and create Christmas foods?" Willow asked curiously, stepping over to the table to get a cookie.
"One of the benefits of being me," Santa said cheerfully.
"I'd have diabetes if I was you," Xander joked, "because the amount of sugar laid out here is impressive. Too bad steak and potatoes aren't standard Santa type foods."
Santa snapped his fingers and a large bucket of KFC appeared.
"Kentucky fried chicken?" Buffy asked, confused.
"It's a traditional Japanese Christmas food," Santa said with a smile.
"Many different cultures, many different foods," Buffy realized as she grabbed a drumstick out of the bucket.
"Do you mind?" Santa asked, gesturing to the pizzas stacked on the table. "I have yet to find a culture that has pizza as holiday fare."
"Help yourself," Xander said.
"It's cold," Willow warned him.
"Its good cold," Santa told her as he helped himself to a slice.
"So, we really don't have to get involved?" Buffy asked, still a little amazed at the idea.
Santa gave her a kind smile. "Buffy, your life revolves around completing prophecies you are named in and protecting the people in your town, but you should know you aren't alone in that. Ask Rupert about what the Council does besides guide active Slayers and their work with potential Slayers. There are a lot of people involved in the fight, as you call it."
Buffy considered that as she ate another chicken leg.
"We're a bit self centered, aren't we?" Willow asked with a frown.
"You have to help yourself before you can help others," Santa told her, "and you have a lot on your plate. The more you can handle the more you are given to handle and sad to say… you three are amazing."
"That puts a whole new spin on everything we've gone through," Xander said thoughtfully.
"Still shows we're pretty self centered," Willow said, "but there are some good reasons for it."
"I'm glad we're not alone," Buffy said.
Santa brushed off his mitts. "Well, it's time for me to go. I'll stop by again some time."
"Bye," the three waved as he vanished into the chimney.
"I can't believe we don't have to get involved," Buffy said while grabbing a gingerbread man. "I was almost sure the whole immunity to cold and ice powers thing over Halloween was foreshadowing."
"Yeah, I was half convinced Jadis would show up and there'd be a Queen of Winter competition," Xander admitted, "but I figured it'd be inevitable if it did happen so we wouldn't have to do a thing but wait."
"Not sure I'd want to win that contest," Buffy said, "cause we know how it ends for the Winter Queen."
"With us faking losing against four barely trained children and ducking back into Sunnydale?" Willow suggested.
"We could do that," Buffy realized, then shrugged. "All in all, I think I'll just give it a miss."
"Works for me," Xander said, drinking eggnog straight from the jug.
"Too bad you didn't get the power to create stuff like this," Buffy said, gesturing to the table and changing the subject.
"Or did you?" Willow asked.
Xander considered it. "No… but I suddenly know a ton of ways to make whiskey."
"Seriously?" Buffy asked.
"Well, and beer," Xander said, "but it takes longer and a lot more equipment."
"Party god," Willow said as it suddenly occurred to her.
"Yep," Xander said. "I can't instantly make it appear, but I'm pretty sure if it has any alcohol content I can brew it. Seriously, I could use the fruitcake and some of the odds and ends in the backroom to make something with enough kick to knock out a buffalo."
"Really?" Buffy said thoughtfully with a slowly growing grin.
"What all do we need?" Willow asked curiously.
"A pot, some copper tubing, some cheese cloth…" Xander said absently as he set down the fruitcake he'd picked up and started walking towards the backroom, deep in thought.
"Do you have all that?" Buffy asked as they followed him.
"Pretty sure I grabbed at least one Mr Coffee and some of Miss French's panties are shear enough," Xander replied.
Ten minutes later…
Xander dropped the whole fruitcake into the pot before using a couple of vice grips to clamp the lid down. He hung it on a metal tripod in the fireplace and checked the piping leading from it to a glass canister filled with eggnog. "That should do it, just remember to add water every half hour to the funnel over there and we should have some top quality alcoholic nog in no time at all."
"You know, I watched you make that… and I still have no idea how you did it," Buffy said, shaking her head, mystified.
"I'm pretty sure some of those tubes are passing through each other," Willow said, moving around to get a good look at the tangle of pipes and tubes.
Xander shrugged. "Brewing is more art than science."
"I don't think that phrase means you get to break reality to make booze," Buffy said.
Xander gestured to his creation.
"Okay, maybe it does," Buffy said. "Meh, I'm the Slayer and Willow can telekinetically move pizza, so it's not the strangest thing in our group."
"Yeah, Giles is British," Xander said only to get poked in the side by the two girls.
"Wait, I can telekinetically move pizza?" Willow asked.
"Remember when the pizza box moved on our first night here?" Buffy asked. "Well, it wasn't us, so I'm guessing it's you."
"Huh," Willow said, turning to the stack of pizza on the table and looking at it thoughtfully.
"So, what should we do while we're waiting for the booze?" Buffy asked Xander with a grin.
"Oh, I can think of a couple of things," Xander said, recognizing the purr in her voice and what it meant.
*Knock*Knock*Knock*
The pair sighed and then turned to look at Willow, but she appeared to be completely focused on the pizza and wasn't paying any attention.
"I'll get it," Xander said, stepping over to the door, revealing Fenris as expected, but what was not expected was the seven foot tall, flawless white skinned woman with jet black hair, clad in white furs, accompanying him.
"This is a surprise," Xander said numbly for a second before recovering. "Queen Jadis, to what do we owe the honor of your presence?" He mentally thanked Willow for all those boring British shows she'd made him watch as he at least knew how to address visiting royalty properly.
"I wanted to thank you for your gift," Jadis replied, getting a feel for the minds and magic of the three and hiding her own surprise at finding that two of them were as deeply connected to winter as she was.
"Please, come inside and have a drink with us," Xander said.
Jadis gave a regal nod. "Fenris, wait outside."
"Yes, my queen," he replied, moving aside and turning to face the forest on watch position.
"Did you like it?" Buffy asked hopefully as Xander closed the door, she and Willow had tried their best to figure out what a medieval witch queen would enjoy in the way of perfume and undergarments and was eager to find out if they'd guessed correctly.
"I had to adjust the sizes with magic, but I have to say it was the finest gift I've received in quite some time," Jadis said honestly. "More intimate than I expected, but of a quality that surpasses the finest this land has to offer."
"I'm glad you liked it," Xander said, relieved they'd chosen well and not accidentally upset her. A small corner of his mind was picturing her wearing various undergarments sprawled out on the bed, which he was doing his best to ignore. He knew Jadis was supposed to be supernaturally attractive, but the reality of it was making his pants feel a bit tight.
He smiled as there was a hiss from the still in the fireplace, grateful for the distraction. "First batch is already ready, let me pour our drinks."
Jadis watched curiously as Xander turned a couple of knobs on the strange contraption in the fireplace and caught a stream of pale blue liquid in a glass container. She wasn't sure but she could swear that several of the tubes somehow bent in directions that her eyes could not follow.
"Let me make with the introductions while he gets our drinks," Buffy said. "My name is Buffy, that's Xander, and this is Willow." She gestured to the red haired girl who was as still as a statue, one hand outstretched as a piece of pizza slowly lifted out of its box.
"She has admirable focus," Jadis complimented, finding a bit of amusement in the novice witch's complete absorption in her magical exercise.
"She does at that," Buffy agreed, remembering Willow and Xander attempting to wear her out the night before. She quickly pushed those thoughts away and tried not to picture the three of them doing something similar to Narnia's reigning Queen. 'If I didn't enjoy Xander so much I would swear I was gay.'
The effect of Jadis' beauty on those around her was something she had grown used to along with the thoughts it inspired, but she had to admit the level of perversion the pair could envision was surprising.
Xander filled four mugs with the strong concoction and passed them out, setting Willow's next to the oblivious girl. "A toast," Xander said, holding up his mug, "to your health."
The Queen nodded and sensing no trickery, drank with the other two. The warm liquid tasted of fruit and festivals, bringing up memories of parties she'd attended when she was a princess. She knew not what magic the drink contained but she felt the constant misery she'd suffered since eating the silver apple retreat and warmth fill her veins.
"Woah, that has some kick," Buffy said, blinking tears from her eyes.
"You're supposed to sip it," Xander said, pleased it'd turned out so well, "or swig it, same difference really."
"I have never tasted it's like before," Jadis said, the relief from her curse making her feel almost euphoric.
"It's a gift," Xander said modestly, feeling his worries lessen and feeling hopeful that they could deal with Jadis without it coming to blows as he saw the slight smile on her lips.
"Yes!" Willow cheered as she held up a piece of pizza triumphantly, making Xander and Buffy burst out laughing. Turning, she saw the Winter Queen standing there with a mug in her hand an amused glint in her eyes. "What'd I miss?" she asked in shock.
"Willow, I'd like to introduce you to the Queen of Narnia, Jadis. Your majesty, this is our consort, Willow," Xander said formally.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Willow said absently as she accepted the mug Xander pushed into her hand and took a drink to cover for her nervousness only to gasp and blink tears from her eyes a moment later. "Strong!"
"It's actually pretty mild," Xander said, "I can make things a lot stronger than this."
"It is a singular brew and not one I'm familiar with," Jadis said. "Where do you hail from?"
"Earth," Willow said, "though there are a lot of them and I'm wondering if we shouldn't have a better way of labeling them."
"A different Earth," Jadis said thoughtfully, the flood of concepts coming from the novice witch's mind almost overwhelming in volume.
"There are tons of worlds and planes of existence," Xander agreed as he thought about what lay on the other side of the Hellmouth.
"And your Earth is not the one the children come from," Jadis said, taking a deep drink of her cup, the warmth chasing away her worries for the moment, the constant ache she'd lived with for the past handful of centuries a fading memory.
"It's not likely," Xander agreed as he thought about it. It actually made more sense for it to be a completely different world as Giles had made some calls and had found no trace of the families named in the books during the time frame it was supposed to take place in.
"Refill?" Buffy requested, holding up her empty mug.
"Of course," Xander said, refilling Buffy's mug from the pitcher and topping off everyone else's'.
"It's a bit warm in here," Jadis decided, taking off her cloak, revealing the top half of her breasts and her bare shoulders.
Xander barely kept enough wits about him to quickly accept her cloak and fold it over the back of a chair while both Buffy and Willow found themselves feeling very thirsty and taking rather large drinks out of their mugs.
"Much better," Jadis said smugly as Xander topped off her mug for her. 'Humans, so easy to manipulate,' she thought to herself, flushing slightly at the images she caught from there unguarded thoughts and drank half her mug of the delightful mixture. 'This will be easy.'
Typing By: Abyssal Angel