Fray Chapter 20: The Gauntlet
Fray swallowed hard to remove the lump that had formed in her throat. "If you complete this task I won't be seeing you again," Adadol had said just an hour before in the compound. "I just want to let you know that I don't want to see you again. I want you to complete this task and I want you to leave. I hope you might someday visit me though, if you have the chance."
"Thank you Aradol," Fray had replied, throwing her arms around his shoulders. Aradol had hugged her back. "I know you can do it," he had said. "Go now, they wait."
Fray had turned away from him and not looked back as she climbed on the back of the chestnut mare and prepared to make her way to the Gauntlet. Now she was riding on horseback away from the walled training grounds and deeper into the forest. She was surrounded by four members of the Brotherhood, only one that she actually knew by name. Their eye scanned the thick trees and one of the men kept his hand resting on the hilt of his long sword.
Fray tightened her bag on her shoulders and checked her saddle bags. They held enough food and supplies for four days and enough weapons for an army. She carried a battle ax, a mace, two short swords and one broad sword, an assortment of throwing stars and knives and a pair of knives tucked into her boots. She also wore a thick armored vest and chaps over leather pants and tunic.
She followed the lead Brother deeper and deeper into the woods until the sun was barley a sliver through the thick canopy of trees above. A lantern was lit and the group continued. Finally the men pulled back on their reins and slowed their horses to a stop. "We can go no further," the lead Brother said, turning back to look at Fray. "We will rest with you for three hours and talk and share stories for the last time but we have to go back."
"I understand but where do I continue to?"
"There is a cave a mile ahead. You must ride to it. You can take your horse inside and that would be suggested, it will be fine."
"Alright," Fray said, swinging herself out of the saddle.
The other members of the Brotherhood also dismounted and set to work making a fire and boiling water for tea. Fray spent her time practicing with the lead Brother. He helped her with her sword and mace. Then, before they sat down to tea, he handed her a large cloth covered item. "Open it only after we leave, it will grant you entrance into the cave and identify you as a Slayer."
Fray nodded and took the heady item from the Brother. She sat it next to her horse and sat near the fire with the rest of the men. They did as they had promised and the next few hours were filled with laughter, stories and jokes flowed freely. Finally though, it was time for the Brothers to pack up. They all bowed low and kissed Fray on the forehead before climbing back onto their horses backs. "Good luck Fray," one of the men called. "Not that you need it. I have been with the Brotherhood for nearly one hundred years and I have never before seen someone with your skill. We will not see you again."
Fray smiled and the men disappeared into the woods. For the first time in over a year Fray was truly on her own. She swallowed hard and moved over to the large item on the ground. She uncovered it and smiled as the removed the cloth from the front of a massive golden shield. A pair of crossed spikes was emblazoned on the front of the shield. Fray looked at the back and noticed a long line of names etched into the back. Hers was at the bottom of the list. "Those who have come before me," Fray though, running a finger over the names. "I wonder if they all made it home."
Fray shrugged off the thought and took her time killing the fire and cleaning up the campsite. Finally the put on the shield and swung herself up on the back of her horse. She slid a knife into her belt but decided to save her horse the discomfort of having a sword stabbing into his side for at least a little while longer. Fray kicked the mare lightly and the brown horse started walking even deeper into the shadowed woods. Fray cursed herself for having forgotten to light a lantern but her eyes were good enough and she could see through the shadows.
It took twelve minutes to cover the mile at the horse's slow pace but it seemed to zip by to the Slayer. The entrance to the cave was not a wide gaping opening as Fray had imagined, instead there was a door that seemed to be built into the side of a sheer cliff. It was covered with vines and moss but Fray could make out the outline of her shield in the door. "I guess he wasn't joking," Fray muttered, referring to the Brother's comment before.
Fray dismounted and began preparing for battle. Her broad sword went at her back, her short swords at each hip. There was a pouch for her throwing stars and a gauntlet that held her knives. A larger knife was stored in each boot and another one at her waist. The mace and axe went into carriers attached to the horse's saddle. Fray took a long drink from a canteen and led her horse up to the door. She wiped away the moss and pulled down the vines, clearing enough of the door that she could place her shield inside the outline. She pulled down the heavy piece of metal from the back of the horse and pushed it into its place in the door.
There was a loud click, a grinding of gears, and the door slid open. Fray peered into the darkness but her eyes could go no farther than a few feet past the doorframe. She walked back over and mounted her horse. Taking a deep breath, Fray rode through the doorway. Even with the lit lantern she could only see a few feet in front of her face. She closed her eyes for a few seconds to get used to the darkness but when she opened them it was the same. She had only gotten about ten feet inside the cavern when the door slammed shut behind her. Fray turned and suddenly the cavern was flooded with light. There were rows and rows of torches in brackets on the walls that were now shining with bright orange light. Fray blinked and looked up. The ceiling was thirty feet above her head and the cavern was at least twice that in length.
Fray kicked her horse forward and rode into the center of the room. Most of the floor was slick, moist stone, worn smooth from years of flowing water. A single area in the center of the cavern caught Fray's attention. This area was lower by at least a foot than the rest of the floor. It contained an etching of an eye and a pair of crossed swords. Fray dismounted and walked over to the etching. She was a few feet away when she heard her horse wicker. When she turned, the animal was no longer there. She turned back towards the carving and a large fist connected with the side of her head and sent her back across the floor.
Fray shook her head and stood up quickly drawing her broad sword as she did. "Who are you?" Fray asked, looking at the creature that had emerged from the lowered floor.
The creature was massive, two feet taller than Fray and four feet wider, with long muscular arms and thick scales covering its body. It had two large blue eyes on the center of its forehead and a large gaping mouth below them. "I am the one that sees," the creature said, its voice a low rumble.
"Okay," Fray said, crouching. "I just wanted to check."
She leapt forward, raising her sword above her body and slamming it down onto the beast's shoulder. The creature cried out in pain and swept Fray aside with a meaty fist. Fray was driven to the ground once again and she felt a sharp sting as her lip opened and blood flowed down her chin and onto her tunic. She rolled backwards out of the way as another fist slammed down where she had been only moments before.
Fray jumped out of the roll and saw that the beast was favoring its right arm which had been injured with her sword. Fray dropped her broad sword and pulled out both of her short swords. She flipped forward and came down with both swords on the beast's shoulders. The creature roared in pain and swung again but Fray was already out of the way. The beast had been expecting to hit something and instead his fist met nothing but air. It was off balance and Fray took the opportunity to attack, thrusting both her swords towards the creature's unprotected midsection.
Blood poured from the wounds and the creature fell with a final roar of pain. Fray wiped the blood off of her swords and sheathed them again. She heard a grinding noise and a familiar wicker. Turning towards the noise she saw her horse again, waiting beside a newly opened door. "This is fun," Fray muttered to herself.
She mounted her horse again and crossed through the open door. She dabbed at her lip with a sleeve, the flow of blood finally ebbing. Fray checked herself for other injuries but found none. Fray realized that she was in a long hallway. The walls were thick heavy blocks of white stone. The floor was worn stone of the same type and the ceiling was so high above that the torches on the walls didn't show anything but shadows. Fray rode for a good hour, wondering to herself whether the hallway would ever stop or not. Finally it did and another door groaned open allowing Fray and her horse to walk inside.
She was in a cathedral like room. There were massive stone columns running from floor to the ceiling fifty feet above. There was a large stone altar in the center of the room and two giant statues on either side of it. Fray dismounted, this time remembering to remove her shield from her horse's back. "See you in a few minutes boy," Fray said, patting the mare on the head.
She turned and took a few steps towards the altar and when she turned back around the horse was gone. Fray quickly held up her shield and unsheathed her sword, preparing for a battle. None came and after a few seconds she lowered her shield. The room was still silent, the statues and columns in one piece and the altar still standing in the center of the room. Fray sheathed her sword again and started walking. The altar was not a stone block as she had first assumed. There was a basin in the center with a hold drilled in the bottom looking like some type of drain. There were also words scrawled on the side in German.
"Lass dein Blut fliessest."
"Let your blood flow," Fray translated quietly.
Fray looked into the basin and gulped quietly. She knew what she had to do though and she quickly drew her knife and slashed her arm. She hissed in pain but the blade did the job. A steady stream of blood ran off the Fader's arm and into the bowl. It drained down the hole and out of the basin. Fray counted to thirty and then pulled her sleeve over the wound. She withdrew her sword at the same time and held it in front of herself. There was a sharp grinding as the last of the blood drained from the basin and Fray nearly dropped her shield . One of the statues was moving, coming to life right before her eyes. The pale white stone was pulling its feet out of the pedestal. It pulled its spear out seconds later and shook its stone head, blinking stone eyes. It opened its mouth and a shower of dust fell to the ground. The second one came to life just moments later in the same way, a giant sword being this ones weapon of choice. Fray recovered her composure and reached out to the world of magicks. "I am the one who hears," the statue with the spear said.
"I am the one who speaks," the other one said.
"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil," Fray muttered to herself.
The statues both lunged forward at the same time but they were both so massive, towering a good ten feet above Fray's head, that she easily dodged them. She shot out her arm in a punch, opening her palm. A ball of ice flew across the room and slammed into the side of one of the statues, putting a dent in his body. A small dent. "Damn," Fray muttered. "How am I supposed to kill these guys?"
The statue with the sword lunged at her and Fray slid between his legs, catching him where his knee was with the edge of her sword. A larger chunk of stone fell to the floor and the statue stumbled. The other one moved forward, slamming the floor of the chamber and sending a shower of stone raining down on Fray. "Shit," she yelled, pulling up her shield to keep her head safe.
Fray jumped up and moved out of the way. She pushed herself against the altar and flipped behind it. She dropped her shield and sword and popped up again, her hands held in front of her body. Fray felt a shiver as she connected to the magick and one of the columns began to shake and move as if being strangled by an unseen force. Fray gave one last push of air and the column fell, pinning one of the statues under it. The other sculpture roared in anger and lunged forward, slamming into the altar and causing it to crash to the floor. Luckily Fray was out of the way, her shield and sword back in her hand.
She dodged a volley of strikes from the creature and jumped onto its back as it stumbled, the chink out of its knee causing it to loose balance. Fray stood on the creatures back and lopped off its head with a solid blow of her sword. The statue fell forward and Fray rolled across the ground, slicing her back open on shards of stone. She looked around as the dust settled and she saw another door open. The horse was nowhere in sight. "Maybe this was it." Fray thought out loud. "It was pretty easy."
Blood ran down Fray's back and arms as she walked over to the door and into the last chamber. The scythe sat on a pedestal in the center of a dark room. The blade glinted in the light that shone on it as if from heaven. Fray gasped as she saw the weapon. Unlike most swords and axes, the scythe had a graceful look to it, the curves and angles making it look deadly and beautiful at the same time. Fray took a step forward but was stopped by a voice. "Fray," it called from the darkness.
"Hunter?" Fray said, spinning towards the noise.
Hunter emerged from the shadows, his black hair was spiked and his blue eyes shone in the light. He smiled and ran towards her, catching the young woman in his arms. He kissed her hard on the lips and Fray felt his heartbeat through the thin white shirt that he wore. "What?" Fray said. "You're dead."
"The Brotherhood gave me another chance. They brought me back and they've said that I could stay here with you."
Fray shook her head. "What?"
"We can be together again, for the rest of our lives. There will be no fighting, no hate or pain, just love. We can start a family."
"Hunter."
Hunter cut in, a hand over her lips. "Please don't say no. When I died I thought I had lost you forever. I couldn't stand to loose you again."
"But the scythe," Fray said, pointing to the weapon.
"Forget about it. It will bring you nothing but pain."
"I can't. There are too many other people that rely on me to do this."
"And I don't matter?" Hunter raged. "Everything that you said was a lie. About me being your warrior, in life and in death Fader, you promised."
Fray's cheeks became wet with tears and she could feel her knees shaking. "I can't please don't make me choose."
"I have to make you choose. If you don't then we can never be together. Will you pick pain, hate, war? Then take the scythe and may it curse you. If you want love I can give it to you. You'll never cry again."
Fray shook her head, sobs wracking her body. "Hunter wouldn't say something like that. You're not him."
Hunter smiled, tears forming in his eyes. "Go then," he screamed. "And hate yourself forever. You have killed me again."
With that he reached for Fray's sword and slammed it into his chest. "No!" Fray yelled, rushing forward to catch the young man.
"You let me die again," Hunter whispered, blood running down the corner of his mouth. "May you be cursed."
Fray screamed and slammed her hand against his chest. Hunter's eyes were closed for the last time. Fray turned and grabbed the scythe. "I don't want it," she screamed.
Suddenly she was pulled forward and the world started spinning.
Willow looked up. "My goddess," she whispered, "how could they do that?"
"Do what?" Kennedy asked, taking her girlfriend's hand.
They made her watch Hunter die again. It was a test of loyalty and commitment."
"Bastards," Kennedy whispered.
Willow jumped. "She's coming back. She's got the scythe. Go wake up the others."
Kennedy jumped up and walked to her bedroom. Dawn and Buffy were inside. Xander was in the kitchen and he was already back at Willow's side when Kennedy got back with Buffy and Dawn. Willow shut her eyes, whispered a few words and a purple door of light opened in the middle of the room. Fray fell out onto the floor, the scythe clutched in her hand. Tears streamed down her face and she curled into a ball. "I don't want it," she yelled. "You can have it, take it back. I don't want it."
She was hysterical, crying beyond comprehension. Kennedy walked over and pried the scythe from Fray's hands. "Come on," she whispered, helping the Fader off the ground. "Let's get you to bed."
"No," Fray choked. "I don't want to sleep. I don't want to see him again. I killed him again, I let him die."
Kennedy steered Fray towards the bedroom. "I'll stay with her tonight," she told Willow.
Willow just nodded. Her own eyes were filled with tears and she didn't trust herself to talk. Buffy shook her head. "Anyone that questioned her commitment should be shot," she said vehemently.
Dawn nodded. "How could they do that to her?"
"They had to make sure that she was doing this for other reasons than herself. They had to know that she wouldn't fail and destroy the scythe or leave it for someone else," Buffy said.
"And she did," Willow said. "Poor girl."
Fray swallowed hard to remove the lump that had formed in her throat. "If you complete this task I won't be seeing you again," Adadol had said just an hour before in the compound. "I just want to let you know that I don't want to see you again. I want you to complete this task and I want you to leave. I hope you might someday visit me though, if you have the chance."
"Thank you Aradol," Fray had replied, throwing her arms around his shoulders. Aradol had hugged her back. "I know you can do it," he had said. "Go now, they wait."
Fray had turned away from him and not looked back as she climbed on the back of the chestnut mare and prepared to make her way to the Gauntlet. Now she was riding on horseback away from the walled training grounds and deeper into the forest. She was surrounded by four members of the Brotherhood, only one that she actually knew by name. Their eye scanned the thick trees and one of the men kept his hand resting on the hilt of his long sword.
Fray tightened her bag on her shoulders and checked her saddle bags. They held enough food and supplies for four days and enough weapons for an army. She carried a battle ax, a mace, two short swords and one broad sword, an assortment of throwing stars and knives and a pair of knives tucked into her boots. She also wore a thick armored vest and chaps over leather pants and tunic.
She followed the lead Brother deeper and deeper into the woods until the sun was barley a sliver through the thick canopy of trees above. A lantern was lit and the group continued. Finally the men pulled back on their reins and slowed their horses to a stop. "We can go no further," the lead Brother said, turning back to look at Fray. "We will rest with you for three hours and talk and share stories for the last time but we have to go back."
"I understand but where do I continue to?"
"There is a cave a mile ahead. You must ride to it. You can take your horse inside and that would be suggested, it will be fine."
"Alright," Fray said, swinging herself out of the saddle.
The other members of the Brotherhood also dismounted and set to work making a fire and boiling water for tea. Fray spent her time practicing with the lead Brother. He helped her with her sword and mace. Then, before they sat down to tea, he handed her a large cloth covered item. "Open it only after we leave, it will grant you entrance into the cave and identify you as a Slayer."
Fray nodded and took the heady item from the Brother. She sat it next to her horse and sat near the fire with the rest of the men. They did as they had promised and the next few hours were filled with laughter, stories and jokes flowed freely. Finally though, it was time for the Brothers to pack up. They all bowed low and kissed Fray on the forehead before climbing back onto their horses backs. "Good luck Fray," one of the men called. "Not that you need it. I have been with the Brotherhood for nearly one hundred years and I have never before seen someone with your skill. We will not see you again."
Fray smiled and the men disappeared into the woods. For the first time in over a year Fray was truly on her own. She swallowed hard and moved over to the large item on the ground. She uncovered it and smiled as the removed the cloth from the front of a massive golden shield. A pair of crossed spikes was emblazoned on the front of the shield. Fray looked at the back and noticed a long line of names etched into the back. Hers was at the bottom of the list. "Those who have come before me," Fray though, running a finger over the names. "I wonder if they all made it home."
Fray shrugged off the thought and took her time killing the fire and cleaning up the campsite. Finally the put on the shield and swung herself up on the back of her horse. She slid a knife into her belt but decided to save her horse the discomfort of having a sword stabbing into his side for at least a little while longer. Fray kicked the mare lightly and the brown horse started walking even deeper into the shadowed woods. Fray cursed herself for having forgotten to light a lantern but her eyes were good enough and she could see through the shadows.
It took twelve minutes to cover the mile at the horse's slow pace but it seemed to zip by to the Slayer. The entrance to the cave was not a wide gaping opening as Fray had imagined, instead there was a door that seemed to be built into the side of a sheer cliff. It was covered with vines and moss but Fray could make out the outline of her shield in the door. "I guess he wasn't joking," Fray muttered, referring to the Brother's comment before.
Fray dismounted and began preparing for battle. Her broad sword went at her back, her short swords at each hip. There was a pouch for her throwing stars and a gauntlet that held her knives. A larger knife was stored in each boot and another one at her waist. The mace and axe went into carriers attached to the horse's saddle. Fray took a long drink from a canteen and led her horse up to the door. She wiped away the moss and pulled down the vines, clearing enough of the door that she could place her shield inside the outline. She pulled down the heavy piece of metal from the back of the horse and pushed it into its place in the door.
There was a loud click, a grinding of gears, and the door slid open. Fray peered into the darkness but her eyes could go no farther than a few feet past the doorframe. She walked back over and mounted her horse. Taking a deep breath, Fray rode through the doorway. Even with the lit lantern she could only see a few feet in front of her face. She closed her eyes for a few seconds to get used to the darkness but when she opened them it was the same. She had only gotten about ten feet inside the cavern when the door slammed shut behind her. Fray turned and suddenly the cavern was flooded with light. There were rows and rows of torches in brackets on the walls that were now shining with bright orange light. Fray blinked and looked up. The ceiling was thirty feet above her head and the cavern was at least twice that in length.
Fray kicked her horse forward and rode into the center of the room. Most of the floor was slick, moist stone, worn smooth from years of flowing water. A single area in the center of the cavern caught Fray's attention. This area was lower by at least a foot than the rest of the floor. It contained an etching of an eye and a pair of crossed swords. Fray dismounted and walked over to the etching. She was a few feet away when she heard her horse wicker. When she turned, the animal was no longer there. She turned back towards the carving and a large fist connected with the side of her head and sent her back across the floor.
Fray shook her head and stood up quickly drawing her broad sword as she did. "Who are you?" Fray asked, looking at the creature that had emerged from the lowered floor.
The creature was massive, two feet taller than Fray and four feet wider, with long muscular arms and thick scales covering its body. It had two large blue eyes on the center of its forehead and a large gaping mouth below them. "I am the one that sees," the creature said, its voice a low rumble.
"Okay," Fray said, crouching. "I just wanted to check."
She leapt forward, raising her sword above her body and slamming it down onto the beast's shoulder. The creature cried out in pain and swept Fray aside with a meaty fist. Fray was driven to the ground once again and she felt a sharp sting as her lip opened and blood flowed down her chin and onto her tunic. She rolled backwards out of the way as another fist slammed down where she had been only moments before.
Fray jumped out of the roll and saw that the beast was favoring its right arm which had been injured with her sword. Fray dropped her broad sword and pulled out both of her short swords. She flipped forward and came down with both swords on the beast's shoulders. The creature roared in pain and swung again but Fray was already out of the way. The beast had been expecting to hit something and instead his fist met nothing but air. It was off balance and Fray took the opportunity to attack, thrusting both her swords towards the creature's unprotected midsection.
Blood poured from the wounds and the creature fell with a final roar of pain. Fray wiped the blood off of her swords and sheathed them again. She heard a grinding noise and a familiar wicker. Turning towards the noise she saw her horse again, waiting beside a newly opened door. "This is fun," Fray muttered to herself.
She mounted her horse again and crossed through the open door. She dabbed at her lip with a sleeve, the flow of blood finally ebbing. Fray checked herself for other injuries but found none. Fray realized that she was in a long hallway. The walls were thick heavy blocks of white stone. The floor was worn stone of the same type and the ceiling was so high above that the torches on the walls didn't show anything but shadows. Fray rode for a good hour, wondering to herself whether the hallway would ever stop or not. Finally it did and another door groaned open allowing Fray and her horse to walk inside.
She was in a cathedral like room. There were massive stone columns running from floor to the ceiling fifty feet above. There was a large stone altar in the center of the room and two giant statues on either side of it. Fray dismounted, this time remembering to remove her shield from her horse's back. "See you in a few minutes boy," Fray said, patting the mare on the head.
She turned and took a few steps towards the altar and when she turned back around the horse was gone. Fray quickly held up her shield and unsheathed her sword, preparing for a battle. None came and after a few seconds she lowered her shield. The room was still silent, the statues and columns in one piece and the altar still standing in the center of the room. Fray sheathed her sword again and started walking. The altar was not a stone block as she had first assumed. There was a basin in the center with a hold drilled in the bottom looking like some type of drain. There were also words scrawled on the side in German.
"Lass dein Blut fliessest."
"Let your blood flow," Fray translated quietly.
Fray looked into the basin and gulped quietly. She knew what she had to do though and she quickly drew her knife and slashed her arm. She hissed in pain but the blade did the job. A steady stream of blood ran off the Fader's arm and into the bowl. It drained down the hole and out of the basin. Fray counted to thirty and then pulled her sleeve over the wound. She withdrew her sword at the same time and held it in front of herself. There was a sharp grinding as the last of the blood drained from the basin and Fray nearly dropped her shield . One of the statues was moving, coming to life right before her eyes. The pale white stone was pulling its feet out of the pedestal. It pulled its spear out seconds later and shook its stone head, blinking stone eyes. It opened its mouth and a shower of dust fell to the ground. The second one came to life just moments later in the same way, a giant sword being this ones weapon of choice. Fray recovered her composure and reached out to the world of magicks. "I am the one who hears," the statue with the spear said.
"I am the one who speaks," the other one said.
"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil," Fray muttered to herself.
The statues both lunged forward at the same time but they were both so massive, towering a good ten feet above Fray's head, that she easily dodged them. She shot out her arm in a punch, opening her palm. A ball of ice flew across the room and slammed into the side of one of the statues, putting a dent in his body. A small dent. "Damn," Fray muttered. "How am I supposed to kill these guys?"
The statue with the sword lunged at her and Fray slid between his legs, catching him where his knee was with the edge of her sword. A larger chunk of stone fell to the floor and the statue stumbled. The other one moved forward, slamming the floor of the chamber and sending a shower of stone raining down on Fray. "Shit," she yelled, pulling up her shield to keep her head safe.
Fray jumped up and moved out of the way. She pushed herself against the altar and flipped behind it. She dropped her shield and sword and popped up again, her hands held in front of her body. Fray felt a shiver as she connected to the magick and one of the columns began to shake and move as if being strangled by an unseen force. Fray gave one last push of air and the column fell, pinning one of the statues under it. The other sculpture roared in anger and lunged forward, slamming into the altar and causing it to crash to the floor. Luckily Fray was out of the way, her shield and sword back in her hand.
She dodged a volley of strikes from the creature and jumped onto its back as it stumbled, the chink out of its knee causing it to loose balance. Fray stood on the creatures back and lopped off its head with a solid blow of her sword. The statue fell forward and Fray rolled across the ground, slicing her back open on shards of stone. She looked around as the dust settled and she saw another door open. The horse was nowhere in sight. "Maybe this was it." Fray thought out loud. "It was pretty easy."
Blood ran down Fray's back and arms as she walked over to the door and into the last chamber. The scythe sat on a pedestal in the center of a dark room. The blade glinted in the light that shone on it as if from heaven. Fray gasped as she saw the weapon. Unlike most swords and axes, the scythe had a graceful look to it, the curves and angles making it look deadly and beautiful at the same time. Fray took a step forward but was stopped by a voice. "Fray," it called from the darkness.
"Hunter?" Fray said, spinning towards the noise.
Hunter emerged from the shadows, his black hair was spiked and his blue eyes shone in the light. He smiled and ran towards her, catching the young woman in his arms. He kissed her hard on the lips and Fray felt his heartbeat through the thin white shirt that he wore. "What?" Fray said. "You're dead."
"The Brotherhood gave me another chance. They brought me back and they've said that I could stay here with you."
Fray shook her head. "What?"
"We can be together again, for the rest of our lives. There will be no fighting, no hate or pain, just love. We can start a family."
"Hunter."
Hunter cut in, a hand over her lips. "Please don't say no. When I died I thought I had lost you forever. I couldn't stand to loose you again."
"But the scythe," Fray said, pointing to the weapon.
"Forget about it. It will bring you nothing but pain."
"I can't. There are too many other people that rely on me to do this."
"And I don't matter?" Hunter raged. "Everything that you said was a lie. About me being your warrior, in life and in death Fader, you promised."
Fray's cheeks became wet with tears and she could feel her knees shaking. "I can't please don't make me choose."
"I have to make you choose. If you don't then we can never be together. Will you pick pain, hate, war? Then take the scythe and may it curse you. If you want love I can give it to you. You'll never cry again."
Fray shook her head, sobs wracking her body. "Hunter wouldn't say something like that. You're not him."
Hunter smiled, tears forming in his eyes. "Go then," he screamed. "And hate yourself forever. You have killed me again."
With that he reached for Fray's sword and slammed it into his chest. "No!" Fray yelled, rushing forward to catch the young man.
"You let me die again," Hunter whispered, blood running down the corner of his mouth. "May you be cursed."
Fray screamed and slammed her hand against his chest. Hunter's eyes were closed for the last time. Fray turned and grabbed the scythe. "I don't want it," she screamed.
Suddenly she was pulled forward and the world started spinning.
Willow looked up. "My goddess," she whispered, "how could they do that?"
"Do what?" Kennedy asked, taking her girlfriend's hand.
They made her watch Hunter die again. It was a test of loyalty and commitment."
"Bastards," Kennedy whispered.
Willow jumped. "She's coming back. She's got the scythe. Go wake up the others."
Kennedy jumped up and walked to her bedroom. Dawn and Buffy were inside. Xander was in the kitchen and he was already back at Willow's side when Kennedy got back with Buffy and Dawn. Willow shut her eyes, whispered a few words and a purple door of light opened in the middle of the room. Fray fell out onto the floor, the scythe clutched in her hand. Tears streamed down her face and she curled into a ball. "I don't want it," she yelled. "You can have it, take it back. I don't want it."
She was hysterical, crying beyond comprehension. Kennedy walked over and pried the scythe from Fray's hands. "Come on," she whispered, helping the Fader off the ground. "Let's get you to bed."
"No," Fray choked. "I don't want to sleep. I don't want to see him again. I killed him again, I let him die."
Kennedy steered Fray towards the bedroom. "I'll stay with her tonight," she told Willow.
Willow just nodded. Her own eyes were filled with tears and she didn't trust herself to talk. Buffy shook her head. "Anyone that questioned her commitment should be shot," she said vehemently.
Dawn nodded. "How could they do that to her?"
"They had to make sure that she was doing this for other reasons than herself. They had to know that she wouldn't fail and destroy the scythe or leave it for someone else," Buffy said.
"And she did," Willow said. "Poor girl."