**

CHAPTER NINE

"You are the Slayer."

Giles' words echoed in Elizabeth's mind as she snuck back towards the castle. She spotted Owen near the gates, and laughed as he nearly wept in relief.

"Princess!" he called her over to him.

She approached him, using her smile to blind him. She gave him her biggest grin, "Hello Owen," she said flirtatiously, swaying her hips. Seeing she had his attention, she snorted internally.

Works every time.

Owen wasn't the only guard who didn't always think with his mind.

"Thanks for covering for me," she said in the same flirtatious tone, batting her eyelashes seductively.

"You-you're welcome, Princess," Owen stuttered, Buffy's act affecting him. Buffy snorted again.

Boys.

Well, not all boys. She smiled as she thought of her Angel. The whole Slayer announcement had seriously ruined their day. The Slayer. Wow. She still wasn't exactly sure what to think about that.

Giles had explained everything to her, and most of her still thought he was crazy. Why would she be the…Chosen One? Sounded important. Too important for her.

She was after all, just a Princess. Sure she would be queen someday, but even that didn't mean she had any power. Her husband, the king would rule the land, even if she was the real heir to the throne. She would be a helpless bystander while William brought the kingdom deeper into war and destruction.

William. Elizabeth groaned loudly at the thought of her 'fiancée.' She hated the man, she had a boyfriend whom she was actually in love with, and she was still set to marry William the Bloody. She knew she had to find a solution, and quickly, but right now she didn't see anything. Honestly, the future looked grim.

A thought stuck her… a boyfriend whom she was actually in love with… she gasped. She really did love him. She knew she cared about him, but she didn't know if she loved him. She shivered in her excitement. Now she only had to get him to reciprocate. Angel was harder to read than anyone else she knew. She knew he cared, but was it love? She really hoped so.

She really hoped so.

This was weighing on her mind even more heavily than the Slayer stuff.

Buffy groaned at the thought of that too. She had killed the…vampire or whatever, but she still had her doubts. She didn't know how else to explain it, but Giles couldn't be right. He couldn't. Could he?

The man had disappeared right before her eyes. A trick off the light. Buffy sighed as she remembered it was completely dark out, no light to trick. Her imagination? If she didn't see what she thought she did, then maybe she should be committed instead of Giles.

How else could she explain the dreams? Or the broken table? The crushed metal cup? The pain in her stomach?

She sighed, rubbing her temple. These could be thoughts for another day. She shifted her mind back to more…pleasurable topics. Like her Angel.

She smiled involuntarily at the thought of him.

The he in question was deeply confused. Prince Liam of Galway went to the finest schools in the kingdom, and was, by all accounts one of the most promising scholars in the country. Liam of the Royal Buffonian Army's Military Training Program was the finest fighter and military strategists in the Program. He was all of that, and he still couldn't figure out exactly what he had witnessed earlier that night.

He had watched from a distance as Buffy and Giles strode through the streets, finally stopping on the outskirts of town near the brush of the forest. She had grasped a wooden stick and had stabbed a man, who in turn had exploded into dust. Maybe he was going crazy. A lot of that going around lately, he snorted.

He had listened beneath a window, eavesdropped as best he could while his mentor and girlfriend had exchanged cryptic words. He followed them closely enough to hear everything Giles had said to Buffy, and he was baffled as to what had happened.

The Slayer. He thought he remembered reading about them once, back in Galway when he was a child. It was a legend, a story for fools, told to children to scare them in the night. She was six feet tall, muscles bulging, an Amazonian warrior! Angel thought of Buffy. She certainly wasn't any of those things. She was barely five feet tall.

What did all of this mean? He was closer to Giles than he ever was to his own father, and viewed the man as such. But did he really know him at all? Giles had an entire life Liam knew nothing about. It made him wonder what else he didn't know.

His sleep was unrestful, the situation weighing heavily on his mind.

Elizabeth didn't sleep well either, her mind to active with thought about the night's activities. She tossed and turned in her large four poster bed, tangling herself in the soft sheets. Unable to sleep, she sighed heavily and got up. Moving to her window, she opened it and watched the sun rise over the horizon, welcoming the new day.

Movement was finally heard a few minutes later, people starting to awake inside the castle. She dressed slowly, tired from lack of sleep. She knew she would be paying for that later, but the entire Giles/Slayer/Angel situation wasn't going to allow her to sleep anytime soon.

She made a sound of dissention. It wasn't worth worrying about, and she decided she wouldn't anymore. Forget Giles and his 'Chosen One.' It didn't matter to her. The only thing that mattered now was finding a way to get rid of William and live happily ever after with her Angel.

Rupert Giles paced nervously around his study. It seemed he'd been doing a lot of that lately.

What if she didn't believe him? What if she didn't accept her Calling? Giles had read the Watchers' diaries, but few had spoken of troubles with their charge. Most Slayers were raised from birth in their Watcher's care, but Elizabeth was different. She was a member of the Buffonian Royal Family!

The Watcher's Council had taken their chances 15 years ago; deciding that Elizabeth would probably never be Called anyway. There were hundreds of Potential Slayers in the world. Why worry about one?

Giles snorted. 'Why worry?' indeed. Idiots.

He needed to visit with the Queen. Of course he wouldn't divulge any information about Elizabeth and her Calling, but he did need to talk to his old friend. And if he was lucky, he would run into the princess so they could converse.

Young recruits stood at attention, lined up obediently outside Giles cottage, ready for morning exercises. All were dressed in the simple brown tunic that identified them as Giles'.

"Practice is cancelled for today, boys. I have business to do with the queen. Report here tomorrow morning as usual," he told his students. Whispers went through the small crowd, and Giles smiled as he heard what he thought was a cry of joy. His boys did need a break. So did he, for that matter. The Program and his Watcher duties were already becoming stressful.

Liam stayed in place while the line dispersed, the students happy for a day off. He was uneasy, waiting to talk to Giles about what had plagued his thoughts since last night.

"Liam, man! Come on, let's go! I need to find me a woman. I need your expertise!" Gunn joked, pulling Liam. "Let's go, man!" he repeated, after he saw his friend wasn't moving with him. A suggestion like that would usually excite Liam, Gunn knew it. He loved chasing after women. He loved the Hunt. And he was damn good at it.

Gunn knew something was wrong. "Liam?"

Liam brushed him off, "Nothing. I just have to speak with Giles. I'll see you later," he said, following after his aging mentor.

Gunn stared at Liam as he exited, following Giles. Something was definitely wrong. He was only this distant when something happened with… The Princess! Of course. Gunn sighed after his friend. He was a hopeless cause.

Giles strode quickly through the village only pausing briefly at the outskirts of town. For Liam, it was enough. He cornered the old man, startling him.

Giles jumped, but he was calmed when he saw who it was. "Oh, hello, Liam," he said. He wasn't really sure what to say to Liam anymore. The whole ordeal with the Princess... Giles was sure Liam wasn't very happy right now.

Liam's face clouded over in anger and frustration. "What the hell was that last night?" he bit out harshly, a bit more so than he intended. He was very frustrated with this entire situation. He needed answers, and if he was being rude, so be it.

Giles looked at him, mentally chastising himself. He should have known Liam would follow, for he cared too much for Elizabeth. Another complication on the increasingly long list.

Giles sighed, a sound that clearly indicated his frustration. "This is bloody fantastic, you know that? Terrific," the older man said sarcastically. Oh well, thought Giles, he couldn't do much about it now, could he. Maybe he could use Liam. Maybe it wouldn't be all bad.

But Liam was still angry with Giles, full of the kind of anger that stews and seethes. The kind that threatens to explode if not dealt with.

Giles saw him and began the speech he had memorized.

"My name is Rupert Giles. I am a Watcher."

He began the story of his life, and with it, he hoped for some understanding.

**

END CHAPTER NINE

A/N- I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. Tell me what you thought of this chapter! Review Sundevil009@yahoo.com