"Queen Gertrude: O! what a rash and bloody deed is this!

Hamlet: A bloody deed! almost as bad, good mother,
As kill a king, and marry with his brother.

Queen Gertrude: As kill a king!

Hamlet: Ay, lady, 'twas my word "

~ Hamlet, Act III. Scene IV



*********

"Tara, take me to my mother."

Tara nodded agreeably before answering. " Certainly, Mistress." Gathering
her own black
skirts, she led the way through a maze of damp hallways, Buffy trailing
behind. The hangings
were all swathed in black, and mirrors covered all long the dark hallways.
Buffy frowned a bit but bit her tongue when tempted to ask about this. No
doubt this had to do with her "Father" 's death.

She was about to ask how long it was going to take them to get to the Great
Hall, when they
entered a small antechamber full of portraits. Her breath caught in her
throat and she stopped dead as she caught site of a very familiar face,
peeking through a swathe of black
fabric. Stepping forward quickly, she grabbed hold of the fabric and pulled
it from the enormous portait that it covered. Revealing as it fell, a very
medieval looking nuclear family- who very obviously included her Mother,
herself, Dawn and the face that she had seen peeking through the hanging-
Rupert Giles.

" Mistress..." Tara began, taking the fabric from Buffy's hands.

" Don't call me that!?" Buffy snapped, staring at the picture. "Is that my
family??" Buffy turned to watch Tara gather the fabric and hand it off to a
servant she summoned from the shadows.

"Very well, Lady Anne " Tara responded meekly. " To be sure it is, Lady.
Your father was
a fine man, and a good King. Our loss is great."

Buffy merely stared at Tara, willing her friend to be the person she
remembered. She wanted to shake the younger girl. Anne, that was her name
here?? Lady Anne? And since
when was Giles her father? Although certainly he acted more like one than
Hank Summers, ever did. And he was dead? She winced internally. This had
been weeks and weeks of loss
for her. This one struck her, even though she knew in her heart that this
place and people
were nothing like her own.

" I don't understand, Tara" Buffy said, shaking her head and looking around
the room. There was an image of her mother, Joyce, at a very young age
dressed in a blue gown. Another of her mother and Giles together, obviously
a wedding portrait. Another of herself, painted at around age 5, easily
recognizable. Another portrait of herself and Dawn. But every one that had
an image of Giles was covered, in deference to his passing. She walked
around the room, pulling cloth after cloth down to see the portraits
underneath. The King at the hunt, in his royal robes, with his family.

"My Lady...." Tara began again,taking her arm and leading her out of the
room, Buffy staring dazedly after them. "We must get to the Great Hall
posthaste."

The Great Hall appeared to be the next room after, a monolithic expanse of
stone with a
dais draped in black like the rest of the manse. An enormous crowd had
gathered around the
dais itself,obscuring it from view. All were imbibing from the wine that was
being poured
freely by multiple urn- bearing servants. Tara led her through a throng of
velvet and satin clad nobles, all who turned to nod gravely at Buffy's
passing. Many gave her looks of sympathy and laid hands on her in comfort.
Buffy frowned, until she was presented to the front of the crowd. It parted
giving her a clear view of the woman on the throne to the left, and the girl
that sat on the bench at her feet.
Joyce Summers had never looked so radiant, as she smiled down at Dawn. Even
though Buffy knew that this woman could not possibly be the woman she had
been born to, her eyes
teared up. It took all her strength not throw herself at her, as Joyce
looked up with obvious joy to see her.

" Lady Anne, at last! " she said and stood up with arms outstretched toward
Buffy.
"And we thought we'd see you not today, daughter." Tara nudged her forward
to take
her mothers hands, and Buffy just stared up at her.

" I have missed you so much." Buffy said involuntarily, a catch in her
throat.

" And I you, daughter.." the Queen responded, squeezing her hands warmly. "
I am
sorry to call you home so soon, and with such grim tidings. Come, sit with
your
sister. The King speaks..."

Buffy's head shot up and she noticed for the first time, the man in the
Throne.
Ethan Rayne, or this place's version thereof. A shudder went through her.
This
man was King here. The King??

"The King?" she said involuntarily as he turned to face her and reached out
to pat her
arm. Under her clothing her skin crawled, as she sat on the dias next to her
sister at
her mother's feet. Distracted, she looked at Dawn a moment before reaching
out to touch
the soft cheek of her sister. Dawn looked at her curiously a moment before
smiling, as the
King began to speak to the assembled crowd.

" We weep for our dear brother's death, in this time of war- with Fortinbras
as yet bearing down upon us. And so we take to wife, the spouse of our
brother,the Lady Jocelyn and we mix laughter with tears and secure the
kingdom. Fortinbras expects us yet
to be weakened by this fell blow- but we shall remain strong. Tonight we
welcome home our
own Lady Anne,my neice now made daughter, and send out our greetings to the
kingdoms to the
north, in Norway. Godspeed to our messengers, may you bring us good tidings
and new alliances. A Toast! "

Raised glasses and cheers welcomed in the new reign and a puzzled Buffy
declined the goblet
offered her. It was at this moment that she felt her sisters hand creep into
her own. Looking back at Dawn she immediately saw the concern there. The
King has stepped from the
dias to join the crowd of well-wishers with the Queen at his side.

" It is good that you have come." Dawn whispered. " Things are not as they
appear, sister.
Take heart, all will be made clear soon. Slip away when you can, Tara will
bring you to
the Solar and we may speak in confidence then."

Stunned, Buffy met Dawn's even and very knowing gaze.

"Dawn...I.." Buffy began frowning.

" Lady Buffy...you must call me Aurora." she replied quickly looking about
to see if others
had heard their exchange. For the moment, the princesses of Denmark would
appear to be left
to their own devices.

" You know my name!? " Buffy said gripping Aurora's hand tightly. The
younger girl squeezed her hand in return before answering.

" Of course I do, Slayer- I called you here."