Chapter Twenty
"Hope Lives Again"
The sun rose early, stealing Buffy away from her uneasy slumber. She awoke with a yawn and sat
in bed for several minutes before mustering the strength to get up. Her possession by Katil left her
drained, even days later.

[How many days has it been?] Buffy wondered with a frown. She barely remembered anything after
their escape from Barad-Dur, it had all blurred together. Everything had been so confused - the
flight with the Eagles, landing outside of Mordor, marching south with the battered but victorious
army of the West.

She stood up and padded over to the trunk with her clothes in it, and quickly dressed herself.

A moment later, she emerged from the oversized tent, blinked a few times to adjust to the full light
of day, and looked around for Giles.

As usual, he was hovering at the King's side - Aragorn, the King? Buffy shook her head. On some
level, it made sense, she'd always sensed something a bit off about Aragorn, but still...

[Not my problem,] Buffy decided, still too tired to concern herself with anything except how they
were going to get home.

Which lead to Giles. She slipped past the two guards and into the small clearing that had been made
into the King's council chambers - a long wooden table under a large tent.

"Ah, Lady Summers," Aragorn said, nodding respectfully at her. At a glance from him, all the
others save Giles and Gandalf departed. "Good morning."

[Lady Summers,] she thought. [I don't know what I've done to get a title.] Yet, that was the way of
people here. She stifled a yawn, embarrassed, and made a half-hearted curtsey. "Good morning -
your highness," she added, remembering Giles' vague etiquette lessons. "Giles, Gandalf."

"We were hoping you'd join us," Giles said. "Willow too, but she's gone off for a walk, it seems."
For a second, he frowned, feeling for the young redhead. The guilt of what she'd done to Rauko, and
her temptation by Sauron, was still haunting her, even if less and less by the day.

"All right. I'm here." Buffy joined them at the table, which was covered with maps of all
Middle-earth, as well as a few yellowing scrolls in Elvish script. "Any progress?"

Giles shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Sauron's device was, predictably enough, utterly destroyed by
the explosion that annihilated Mt. Doom."

Buffy nodded. Not a big surprise. By all accounts, everything within twenty miles of the volcano
was gone for good. "Okay." She turned to Gandalf. "Can't you do the spell? The one Pallando cast
the first time?"

The elderly Wizard only shook his head. "I haven't the power or the authority for such things now.
And even if I did, it would not avail you. My time in Middle-earth is fast coming to an end."

Buffy looked up sharply. "You're not - "

"No," Gandalf assured her, smiling just a little. "Merely returning home at long last."

"Oh." Buffy stared down at the map in front of her. The revelation of just who - or, rather, what -
Gandalf was still had her a bit unnerved. The whole idea of actually *meeting* one of the Powers,
face to face… "So what are you all saying? There's no way back home?"

"We'll find a way, Buffy," Giles said, but it was a statement utterly lacking in conviction. From the
look on his face, which was more miserable than usual these days, Giles was just as aware of that as
Buffy was.

[Great,] Buffy thought, still staring at the map, as if somehow California would appear on it if she
glared long enough. "I can't believe we survived Sauron and Mordor just to get stuck here," she
muttered. She hated to make it sound like she didn't appreciate all that Aragorn and the others had
done to make them feel comfortable upon joining them, but the idea of being there forever wasn't
one she liked to dwell on. "With all the magic in this place, you'd think somebody could get us out
of here."

"If there is a way, it may be found in Minas Tirith," Aragorn suggested after a moment. "Much
ancient lore remains there, even in these days," he said, sharing a quick smile with Gandalf.

Her head lifted, hope returning again, even if briefly. "Minas Tirith?"

"Yes - yes, you might be right," Giles said. "Perhaps some record of the device - if it dates back to
before Sauron's defeat by the Last Alliance," he continued, and Buffy's eyes began to glaze over as
the history lesson commenced. Eventually, though, Giles was interrupted by a runner from
Gondor, and Buffy was able to make her escape.

-

Willow had settled herself upon the large rock, staring off into the South for quite some time. She
had to get away from the others. Since leaving Mordor, she was self-conscious. And ashamed.
Ashamed that she'd almost given into Sauron when he offered her the chance to forget about Rauko
forever. The others did not know just how close she'd come.

Sighing, she lowered her head. She didn't know what she'd do if they were trapped in Middle-earth
for the rest of their days. It was more than just not being in the correct time, she had so much
waiting for her in that time period. Oz, being the most important to her. She wanted to talk to him
desperately. Talk about what had happened to them - what had happened to her. He would
understand. He always did. He was like that.

"Will?"

Her head jerked up at the sound of Xander's voice. "Hey," she softly greeted, forcing a smile.
"What are you doing out here?"

He took a seat on the rock with her then shrugged. "Thought you might want a little company.
Besides, Giles is with Aragorn and the others, going over the long and boring history of some place
called 'Minas Tirith'. Not my scene." He offered a smile which faded after a moment. "What
about you? What are you doing way out here?"

She brushed a lock of hair over her ear as her gaze shifted to the ground. "Thinking."

He nodded. "Mmm hmm. About what? Care to share?"

"Nothing much. Just the last few days, really." She sniffed, still avoiding his attempts to make eye
contact with her. "I'm not getting all freaky again, Xander. I promise. Sauron is gone. I felt it way
back in Mordor - he hasn't any power over me any longer."

"Wasn't concerned about Sauron, Will. You stood up to him back at the Tower." He placed a hand
on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Hey, would you look at me?" He waited for her to turn her
head then he let his arm slide around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer. "Don't do this.
Don't shut us out. You're not alone, you know. We may not understand everything you went
through but we're here for you just the same. We need you, Willow. I need you."

With a small smile, she placed a hand on one of his. "Thanks, Xander."

"That's what I'm here for. Support Guy." After a moment, he let out a breath. His eyes scanned
the skyline to the West. The sun was hanging low in the sky. Evening would be upon them very
soon. Even with Sauron gone, it wouldn't be safe to wander about the land. "What do you say we
take a walk around? Be nice to see Middle-earth without the cloud of Sauron hanging over it."

"Yes," she agreed. "Yes, it most certainly would."

-

Buffy opened her eyes and smiled as warm rays of light filled her vision.

Slowly, she stood up, yawning just a little. Buffy looked around and frowned in confusion. This

wasn't Ithilien.

Instead of the forest camp, she was standing on a soft sandy beach. At her back, there were green
hills that rose up into dark, tree-covered mountains. Ahead, the Sea, endless and blue. Buffy took a
step towards it, drawn by the rhythm of the waves, when a voice rang out.

"Stay!" it said, and Buffy instantly froze. A light appeared on the western horizon, faint but growing
brighter by the second, as if the Sun was rising up, backwards. She bowed her head to avoid the
burning brightness.

"Look upon me, little one, and fear not."

As commanded - however gently - Buffy looked up. Standing there was a tall woman with radiant
golden hair and a silk dress of flowing yellow and orange patterns. She smiled warmly at Buffy, and
the Slayer noticed that her eyes were nearly the same color as her hair - a startling effect, but not
frightening. Not compared to other Eyes Buffy had seen in Middle-earth.

"Why do you wander, little daughter?" the woman asked, her voice softer by far than the fierce light
in her eyes. "Where do you go?"

Buffy looked up, if only for a second, and shook her head. "Home," was all she could offer.

"Then you truly are lost, for Westward lies your road, not the South, even in spring, when all the
world is born again."

Before Buffy could even begin to ask what that meant, the light grew ever brighter, a white glow
that drowned out all else, and then she awoke.

Willow was lying nearby, also awake. "Bad dream?" she asked Buffy.

"I'm not sure," Buffy replied uncertainly. Even now, the dream was fading away, and all she could
remember were the burning eyes of the golden-haired woman. [Some prophecy dream...] It took her
a good while to get back to sleep, and the dream did not come again.

When morning came, she decided not to tell them about it, somehow sensing that it wasn't time yet.
On top of that, she really had nothing to say. Besides, they had a lot of ground to cover before
winter fell across Middle-earth. A long journey. It was times like these she really missed 1999.
And times like these when she wondered if she'd ever see it again.

-

They marched for weeks, days dragging into days, and the spring sun warmed into summer. At last,
the army saw the welcome slopes of the White Mountains at their right, and soon enough, the
unbroken spires of the White City could be seen far off in the distance.

"Whoa. Is that for real?" Xander asked when they came close enough to Minas Tirith to make out its
distinct shape - seven separate levels, each larger than any town they'd seen in Middle-earth - bored
into the hillside in an awe-inspiring feat of architecture.

"It's quite real," Giles replied, smiling and bowing his head a little.

He'd only been to the great capital of Gondor twice in all his years in Middle-earth, and seeing it still
touched him. It, not the Shire or even the Elf realms, was the visible symbol of what he and Elenya
had fought to preserve. And now, at last, it was safe. At least from Sauron's grasp. He hoped the
other demons lurking in the wild would stay at bay and let the West enjoy a measure of peace, but
he doubted it. There was a reason the Slayer line stretched through all the centuries up to Buffy and
her era.

"With any luck, we'll find your way home there," he added, although as he saw how badly the city
had been damaged, his hopes fell a little. What if the very scroll they needed had been destroyed in
the battle?

"I'm sure we will," Buffy absently agreed, her attention fixed on the grandeur of Minas Tirith. She'd
never seen anything like it. Even battered and burnt as it was, it was still a breath-taking sight. "It's
huge."

"Well, yeah, but it's not any bigger than Sunnydale, I bet," Willow pointed out then hastily added
"But a lot cooler. Plus - no Hellmouth, so, winning that category, too."

They entered the city in a place of honor in the great parade of troops, behind Aragorn and the
famous Hobbits, but still among exalted company, and to the deafening cheers of the people of the
great city.

"They can't possibly know who we are," Buffy said - yelled, really - to Xander as they made their
way up the great lane that threaded through each of the city's ascending gates.

"Who cares?" Xander replied, grinning and waving, especially at the many Gondorim maidens who
were tossing flowers down at the army.

"It's not - " Buffy gave up. There was no way she could explain herself in all this riot. But looking
at Giles, she knew what he must feel, and who was the one who deserved all the honors.

Later, much later, the festivities broke down into a hundred different parties and celebrations, and
Buffy and company were able to slip away. King Elessar had arranged for each of them to be given
lavish quarters bordering on one of the city's great gardens, and the four travelers were happy to
have real beds, not to mention baths, after so many months of travel and torment.

The parties lasted for the better part of a week, but of the four, only Xander and Buffy really joined
them. Giles and Willow were still too deep in their own griefs to enjoy the revelry, and both of
them were also busy hunting the ancient archives in search of a clue, no matter how vague, that
would reveal a way back to the 20th century.

As the days wore on, both of them grew discouraged - much had been lost in the war and the long
years of Gondor's decline. Neither admitted it, but the odds of finding a way home grew remoter by
the day and, soon enough, they spent less and less time in the archives each day. If there was an
answer, it didn't lie there.

-

When he heard footsteps ringing on the stone pathways of the ancient Garden, Giles did his best to
ignore it. Buffy and the others never came here, the new King never went anywhere without a much
noisier retinue, and, frankly, Giles didn't care to see anybody else.

[Nobody else upon these shores, at any rate.]

Being alone gave him time to reflect. Reflect upon that day when Elenya took an arrow for Buffy.
The day she died. All so familiar, yet so new to him. Two women he dearly loved in his life had
given theirs in order to help his Slayer, in order to help Buffy. He was relieved to have Buffy alive
but he would've preferred to have Elenya with him as well.

During his time as a Watcher, he learned some very hard lessons. These sort were the hardest to
absorb.

He ignored the footsteps even as they drew closer and slipped through a gap in the hedge wall,
hoping that would perhaps buy him some more privacy. Even as he did so, though, he heard the
footsteps stop and then continue, heading towards him by a different path.

Perhaps not, then. Giles sighed and stopped. If whoever it was wanted to find him, it was a bit
childish to keep ducking away. Especially if they kept following him. He frowned, hoping it really
wasn't the King, without his retinue for once.

"Who is it?" he called out, somewhat anxious now.

"Halín of the Guard, lord..." There was a muffled comment, from another speaker apparently, and
then Halín added "With a guest."

[A guest?] Frowning again, Giles headed towards the sound of the voices. Sure enough, there was
Halín, a familiar face by now, and a young girl, perhaps a year or two older than Buffy.

"Yes?" Giles asked, staring at the two of them. The girl's clothing, a blue silk robe and long
embroidered scarf, marked her as well-to-do. One of the innumerable petty aristocrats of the city, or
a provincial?

Provincial, he guessed. Her skin and hair were just a shade darker than the norm for these parts. And
she had a dagger at her side.

"Lord Giles, this is - " Halín hesitated and glanced at the girl.

"Ára," she supplied impatiently. "Of Amon San in Anfalas."

Provincial it was. Probably came to the city for the coronation. But why was she *here*? Still
annoyed at being chased down, he started to ask her that, point-blank, but before he could, she
continued, blurting out "Ára the Slayer."

"Oh." Giles stared at her for a moment. "That'll be all, Halín."

The guard nodded and stalked back down the hedge maze, glad to wash his hands of this
strangeness.

"Well." Ára stared at Giles, apparently waiting on him.

He obliged her after a moment's pause to gather his thoughts "You're -

"The Slayer, yes," Ára said with a nod. She gave him a long, searching look, then smiled shyly. "I
hardly know where to begin."

"Well, you could begin by telling me who you are - beyond your name -and how you found me,"
Giles suggested.

"She told me you would be here," the girl replied.

"She..." Giles squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. There could be only one 'she' here. "She came to
you?"

Ára, betraying a hint of real emotion for the first time, nodded fervently. "In a dream, on the very
day that the Darkness broke," she told him. "I thought she was one of the Valar, she was so bright
and fair, but she told me - well, told me all. Who I am - who we are - our destiny, our cause, all
of it."

"What did she tell you?"

"That she misses you. I am sorry, but she said only that," Ára said. "She bade me tell you that all the
rest would have to wait until you met again beyond the circles of the world."

"She would," Giles muttered, but with a sad smile. "Well... Thank you," he said after a moment.

"Wait - " Ára grabbed Giles by the arm, squeezing with enough strength to convince him she truly
was a Slayer. "You must help me," she said, a hint of steel in her voice. It was a command more than
a request. She reminded him, painfully, of Elenya, but without his beloved's poise and humor.

As if sensing Giles' thoughts, Ára hastily released Giles' arm. "Forgive me. But - Please! I need your
help. I cannot do this alone. I really don't know where to begin!" she pleaded. "I've never killed
anything - never fought anything - you have to help me."

"I - " Giles stared down at the frantic young woman. He could only imagine that's how Buffy was
when she met her first Watcher, Merrick. The one who explained what the Slayer was and gave her
the first lessons of combat. It was all in her eyes - the fear, the apprehension, the need for another
person. This was desperation he'd seen a few times from Buffy, but only when she was truly against
the wall. "All right. I'll help. First, I think you need to meet Buffy."

"Lady Buffy! Yes!" Ára's eyes lit up. "I would very much like to meet my sister," she added in a
more subdued tone, when Giles glanced curiously at her.

The ex-Watcher hid his smile.

-

"You're the new one?" Buffy asked, eyeing her counterpart across the room. Wasn't much to the
girl, she had to admit. Of course, there wasn't much to her when she was tapped for this job. She'd
need help, that much was certain. The girl was frightened, even if she hid it well.

Ára nodded, sizing Buffy up in turn. After a moment, they both nodded in unison, some silent
communication passing between them.

"She's the one," Buffy said to Giles, Willow and Xander.

"How - " Xander began to ask, stopping when Willow shook her head. "How'd you get here?" he
asked instead.

"I rode from Anfalas, setting out the morn of the very day she came to me," the young Slayer
answered. "I thought I would never see the City, never meet you," she said, looking at Buffy and
Giles in turn. "I thought you would have gone on your way already, gone back home to your own...
time..." she concluded, clearly a bit puzzled by the whole concept.

Giles stirred uncomfortably in his seat. "Well... you needn't worry about that," he told her, and she
frowned, puzzled.

"But - " Ára saw the looks on the others faces and nodded. "I see."

"I guess Giles is Watcher Guy again," Xander whispered to Willow.

Ára and Buffy both heard. The dark-haired Slayer looked over to Giles. "Watcher, sir?"

Giles looked up sharply. "Elenya didn't tell you?"

"No, my lord."

"Oh. A Watcher - "

"Watches."

"Xander, please, don't help."

"Sorry."

Giles shook his head, ignoring the amused looks on everyone else's faces. "A Watcher is like a
mentor, a teacher, to the Slayer. He instructs her in her duties and her destiny, and helps her learn
about the monsters she must fight."

"What is there to learn? Fire and sun, blade and bow, fist and faith," she recited. "The six kill all."

Giles, Xander, Buffy and Willow all stared at the young Slayer, and she stared coolly right back at
them.

Finally, Buffy smiled. "Ára - right? - let's talk. C'mon."

The two Slayers departed together.

"So... you're really going to stay. Again."

"Willow, I - " Giles rose and walked over to her. "I can't go back. Especially not now." He tried to
smile. "Once a Watcher, always a Watcher, I suppose. And besides, this is home now. I could never
handle leaving it, going back to Sunnydale. You three will manage."

"Oh, yeah, cuz we were doing so great the last few months," Willow bitterly pointed out. "Sauron
kidnapped Buffy. Who knows what'll happen next?"

"Sauron is dead, Willow. He won't trouble you again. I assure you."

Willow nervously rubbed her fingers for a few seconds, then relaxed. "Okay. But there's like a
million other demons and monsters there back home. We can't - we don't know how - "

"You'll learn how. Willow, believe me. You'll never be expected to do more than you can. And that's
enough."

"Great, now he's a Jedi, too," Xander said. "But the man has a point. We can't keep hiding behind
him and his books forever, Willow."

"Mm. Thank you, Xander."

Willow sighed, recognizing she was beaten. "I had to try," she mumbled.

"I know." Giles smiled fondly. "And thank you."

-

Out on the great avenue, Ára and Buffy walked aimlessly and silently under the shade of the birch
trees. They'd talked a little in the beginning, telling each other about their lives - as best they could,
anyway, considering the enormous cultural gap between them - and a little about their common
purpose. But now they just walked, enjoying the day - the first bright afternoon Ára had ever seen in
the city of Kings, and the last Buffy would ever see there.

Ára finally broke the silence. "How long - "

"Four years, more or less," Buffy replied. "Not that much compared to Elenya, huh?" Perhaps it
wasn't much in a matter of actual years but she had to truly think to remember a time before being
Slayer. That life became more and more distant as the days rushed by. And then, when the time
was right, her days would stop all together.

"Your time is just beginning, I think," Ára said with a shrug. "I did not tell Giles, not yet, but she
told me that you have great potential within you."

"Really?" Buffy beamed. "Coming from her, I'm honored. Thank you." She only wished she could
last half as long as Elenya as Slayer. Of course, if she never made it home, she'd have to finish out
her days in the past. It wasn't her idea of fun but the alternative it presented her was most
interesting. If stuck there, she could lay off being Slayer when she wanted to. Enjoy things she
couldn't in the future. Normality. Life. Love.

"There's so much else I want to ask you."

She snapped out of her thoughts then nodded. She remembered how it felt in the beginning. "Giles
will help you. He's very wise and stuff..." She wished she could explain what Giles had done for her
in a better way but she didn't quite know how. How did one put into words a relationship such as
theirs? That she owed her life to him. To her friends. She could feel it but not express it in such
terms.

"Don't worry, I know." Ára looked over at her fellow Slayer for a second. She noticed the
expression on Buffy's face. The uneasiness. Her own softened a bit, her voice becoming slightly
more comforting. "I won't let anything happen to him, either. I promise you."

"Thanks," Buffy said, marvelling at the sudden bond between them. It hadn't been like this with
Elenya, not really. Nor Katil, of course, but that was really different. It wasn't that way with Kendra
or Faith, either. For once, Buffy was the mentor and someone else looked to her for help. She felt
the need to protect the new Slayer, to give her everything she would need to be able to survive for as
long as she had.

"You do not wish for him to remain behind, do you?" Ára asked. It didn't really come off as a
question, though. She stopped when Buffy did and arched her eyebrows as the elder Slayer turned to
her. "I can hear it in your voice. Not only when you speak about him but about anything. I know
the tone of heartarche, Buffy. All of my people have suffered so much of it over the years. For so
many years."

"Honestly? No. I don't want him to stay here. I didn't want him to the first time either." She
ignored the moment of confusion on Ára's face. Apparently, there were things that Elenya did not
tell her. "He told me that I was ready to go on without him. I'd learned all I could from him. He
never once stopped to think that maybe it was more than that he knows that I need." Her head
lowered. "You see ... he's the only real type of father I've ever had. I don't want to give that up. If
it's selfish, then I'm guilty. Can you blame me?"

Ára shook her head. "No. Have you considered that he may not have wanted to give you up, either,
Buffy?" She tilted her head to one side when the other Slayer looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"As hard as it was for you to accept his staying, don't you believe it was just as difficult for him to
choose to stay behind?"

"Well." She shifted in place as she bit her lower lip. "I hadn't really thought about it that way.
That was different, though. He had Elenya to stay behind for."

"And he had you to return for." She placed a hand gently on Buffy's shoulder. "You have things in
your time that he knew he could trust to protect and help you. Perhaps you treat his decision much
more lightly than it deserves."

Buffy sighed heavily. Maybe she had. It still didn't do much to ease the pain she would feel when -
or if - they were forced to go their separate ways once again.

"I believe there are things that Master Giles must do here that will benefit so many people. I don't
know I feel this way ..." A hand rested against her breast. "It's just ... here. Inside of me." Her
eyes met Buffy's again and she offered her a warm smile. "If you search yourself long enough,
perhaps you shall feel it too?"

"Maybe," she softly replied. Even so, Ára had given her much to think about along the way to
wherever their road would lead them. She felt a sudden chill. "Ready to go back now?"

Ára nodded, too lost in her own thoughts to notice Buffy's shifting mood. "Let's go. Sister."

-

End Chapter Twenty