Title: Of Courts and Consquences (4/?)

Author: Ravynsword

Date: March 19, 2004

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: See Chapter One



*****



Chapter Four



"Whoever you hired, Peaches, has done a good job. If I'd known this place was kept up, I might have stayed here instead of in a crypt." Spike walked over to the couch and plopped down on it after hanging his duster on a peg in the main hall.



"If you had stayed here, he wouldn't have been able to do a good job. You might have eaten him, or at least driven him crazy enough he couldn't do his job."



It sounded like it was an old argument, but without any rancor. The hatred the two usually felt for one another didn't seem to have its usual hold on them.



"I want to start the search tomorrow afternoon," began Rhiannon.



"Hello, sun problem, m'lady," protested Spike.



"You are the Knight of a Death Maiden. What good would it be if you could not go where I go? There have been those who could not venture into the sun before. Once they became knights, they could go in the sun as long as their Maiden willed it so. I will it so." With that parting statement, she climbed the stairs to find somewhere to sleep.



Ashe and Seamus stayed downstairs and filled the two vampires in on Rhiannon's background and court politics. After a while, the two vampires yawned. Surprised, they stared at one another.



"Side effect," laughed Ashe. "She's dead tired, bad enough that it's affecting you two. Go upstairs and crawl in with her. The physical contact will help set the bond and make it easier to be away from one another, or keep this kind of effect from bothering you."



Taking her advice, the two slowly climbed up the stairs and entered the master suite of the mansion. Lying in the center of the bed was Rhiannon. Angel and Spike exchanged glances and stripped down to crawl in on either side of them and fell asleep. While the three of them slept, their memories played out for one another like a series of movies. By the time they woke the next afternoon, they had new perspectives on both themselves and each other.



"Spike," Angel said, as they made their way down the stairs. "I'm sorry."



"For what?" his childe asked.



"For everything I did to you. I could have stopped Dru, let you live your life. It was just easier to let her have a new plaything so I wouldn't have to deal with her. Then, I spent all that time being cruel to you. I'm sorry."



"You did what comes naturally for a vampire, Sire." At Angel's surprised look, he smiled. "Yes…Sire. Dru may have bitten me, but you molded me. As far as I'm concerned, that makes you my Sire." Both vampires were surprised by the feeling of caring they felt towards one another. The brief conversation went a long way toward healing the rift between them. Reaching the first floor, they saw the other three housemates sitting at a table, enjoying a late breakfast.



"Welcome to the land of the living, dead heads," teased Rhiannon. Ashe and Seamus looked at her in shock.



"What?"



"Death Maidens aren't known for having a sense of humor," they answered in chorus.



"I seem to be setting a lot of firsts. Now that the original fuss is over, I feel like my old self in some ways, just more. That probably didn't make sense, but that's how it feels."



Angel and Spike joined them at the table while Rhiannon and her friends made plans.



"Wait a minute," said Spike. "How come those two don't have long pointy ears, huh?" He was staring intently at Seamus.



"Because they're not shee."



"Shee? That doesn't make any sense, how can she not be she?"



"Not she, s…h…e, Spike," answered Angel. "Shee, s…i…d…h, Elves. But if you aren't shee, what are you?"



"They're Phuka," said Rhiannon.



"Like that dog in the cartoon about that Russian chit?" asked Spike.



"No," laughed Ashe. "Shape-shifters. Usually, they fall under the auspices of the Unseelie Court. We spend time at all the courts because of Rhi. Her grandfather, Oberon, wanted to try to keep her out of trouble as much as possible. He thought that a couple of watchers would do the trick. Unfortunately for him, we ended up being her partners in crime. The three of us have all but terrorized all three courts for years."



As the vampires watched, the two Phuka walked away from the table. By the time they had made it across the room, instead of a young man and woman, there were a pale colored whippet and cedar colored mastiff.



"Only my grandfather knows about them being Phuka. Everyone else thinks that they're Halflings, hence the shorter ears, though more Elven ladies may take human lovers if they all get ears like Lavelle's. Not telling them keeps the element of surprise on our side if we decide to cause any mischief."



Display over, Ashe and Seamus returned to the table and they all finished their breakfasts, including the vampires as Seamus had made a brief stop by the kitchen for mugs of blood. When they all moved to head upstairs to get dressed for the evening's activities, Angel stopped Ashe.



"Lavelle? I've heard that name before. Why?"



"Alexander Lavelle Harris. Lavellan's son by Grania…uh…Grace Harris. Lavellan and Grania were lovers years ago. The queen ordered the break up without knowing that she was pregnant. When we got told to get ourselves lost this time, Rhi decided we should go looking for her. Good thing we did or Lavelle might have been dead. Grania's husband was about to start beating him with a baseball bat. I still don't know what Rhi did for justice, just that she didn't kill him. I went back to get Lavellan and bring him here. Last night, on patrol, Rhiannon's parents and younger sister were killed. In her grief, she chose the way of a Death Maiden. The rest you know."



"Xander, half an Elf? I guess it fits. But you said her younger sister was killed. I could swear the rider said it was her older sister that was dead." Ashe went pale.



"What rider?"



"A bunch of riders showed up in the park last night, just after the whole 'become a Death Maiden and her knights' thing. They were on all sorts of bright colored horses. He said that the queen demanded Rhiannon's presence as her sister, Lady Kieran, had been killed by a demon."



"The Hunt. Oh, stars. That means that Rhiannon is the only one of the royal heirs left."