"You trained the first Watcher?" Giles gasped. "What...? How...? That must have been exciting."
Xander gave a brief chuckle. "Culromen didn't see it that way. He didn't like me much." He sat down at the table and reached for the book Giles had been reading from. "I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't mentioned me in here. Where is this prophecy?"
"You speak Elvish?" he asked as he pointed to a passage in the book.
"A bit. I was taught by Gandalf, but that was so long ago, I will be no doubt be very rusty." He read the passage Giles had pointed out.
Ilmen i atar koivie, i amil uuva hilya ar eresse i wen saa ar i atar uuva putta i mir ya karnes i korma.
"Hmm," Xander mumbled as he thought about it. The words looked familiar, but his brain was having trouble sorting through everything.
"Anything?" Giles asked.
"The words...I know this," he said. "Where the father...something...the mother will follow and only the daughter of fire and the father can stop the one who makes the ring. Hey I knew it." He put the book down and Giles could see that what he had read was disturbing him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Culromen knew this was coming," Xander said. "He knew that one day I would return and that someone would try to reforge the Ring. But how and why did he write this down? Was it his way of punishing me?"
"Punishing you? Xander, what's going on? Somehow I think you haven't told me everything."
"I killed his sister," Xander said softly as the memories of Goramarthien came back to him. Her sweet innocence and smile that he had destroyed when he made her a monster, like him.
"Killed?"
Xander looked at the Watcher. "I made her a Vampire, a monster, like me. She was so pure and sweet and she liked me. But I used that to destroy her. I destroyed everything good and innocent about her and made her a Demon. No wonder Culromen hated me. Even after Faith's death..."
"Faith is dead?"
"I killed her," Xander said, unable to meet the eyes of the older man. "I drained the life out of her. Ever wonder why Faith never said much about her family?"
"Yes, I did wonder," Giles said as he polished his lenses.
"She didn't know them, not the real one. Her mother was a power Elvish Queen, some say she was a witch, but her father was evil. Her father was the one who first forged the Ring that they wanted destroyed. She was the one who gave me back my soul and the one who tricked me into sleeping. She punished me for killing Belyndra, Faith."
"Oh my," was all Giles could say. He knew Xander had kept details from him when they spoke earlier, but he had had no idea that he was keeping so much from him.
"You must be so disappointed in what I have become," Xander said. "And what I have done."
"It wasn't you Xander," Giles began slowly. "Your...essence.. left your body when the Demon took hold. It did those things, not you. But now you are back and you have a chance to redeem yourself, to stop something of true evil destroying everything. Its what you do now that matters, not what you have done."
"I wish I could believe you," Xander replied. "I just feel so guilty all the time. Especially when I think about all the evil Buffy has fought. Its all because of me."
"You cannot change things now Xander. You can only stop whatever it is that they said you have unleashed."
"There's just a couple of problems. I still don't know who it is I have to stop, and even if I did know, I can't do it alone."
"The Daughter of Fire," Giles said as he picked up the book. "And you have no idea who she is?"
"None. But that's not all. Culromen says that the "mother" will follow me here. That can mean only one thing."
"Hmm...what?"
"Mara. She's coming back."
Xander gave a brief chuckle. "Culromen didn't see it that way. He didn't like me much." He sat down at the table and reached for the book Giles had been reading from. "I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't mentioned me in here. Where is this prophecy?"
"You speak Elvish?" he asked as he pointed to a passage in the book.
"A bit. I was taught by Gandalf, but that was so long ago, I will be no doubt be very rusty." He read the passage Giles had pointed out.
Ilmen i atar koivie, i amil uuva hilya ar eresse i wen saa ar i atar uuva putta i mir ya karnes i korma.
"Hmm," Xander mumbled as he thought about it. The words looked familiar, but his brain was having trouble sorting through everything.
"Anything?" Giles asked.
"The words...I know this," he said. "Where the father...something...the mother will follow and only the daughter of fire and the father can stop the one who makes the ring. Hey I knew it." He put the book down and Giles could see that what he had read was disturbing him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Culromen knew this was coming," Xander said. "He knew that one day I would return and that someone would try to reforge the Ring. But how and why did he write this down? Was it his way of punishing me?"
"Punishing you? Xander, what's going on? Somehow I think you haven't told me everything."
"I killed his sister," Xander said softly as the memories of Goramarthien came back to him. Her sweet innocence and smile that he had destroyed when he made her a monster, like him.
"Killed?"
Xander looked at the Watcher. "I made her a Vampire, a monster, like me. She was so pure and sweet and she liked me. But I used that to destroy her. I destroyed everything good and innocent about her and made her a Demon. No wonder Culromen hated me. Even after Faith's death..."
"Faith is dead?"
"I killed her," Xander said, unable to meet the eyes of the older man. "I drained the life out of her. Ever wonder why Faith never said much about her family?"
"Yes, I did wonder," Giles said as he polished his lenses.
"She didn't know them, not the real one. Her mother was a power Elvish Queen, some say she was a witch, but her father was evil. Her father was the one who first forged the Ring that they wanted destroyed. She was the one who gave me back my soul and the one who tricked me into sleeping. She punished me for killing Belyndra, Faith."
"Oh my," was all Giles could say. He knew Xander had kept details from him when they spoke earlier, but he had had no idea that he was keeping so much from him.
"You must be so disappointed in what I have become," Xander said. "And what I have done."
"It wasn't you Xander," Giles began slowly. "Your...essence.. left your body when the Demon took hold. It did those things, not you. But now you are back and you have a chance to redeem yourself, to stop something of true evil destroying everything. Its what you do now that matters, not what you have done."
"I wish I could believe you," Xander replied. "I just feel so guilty all the time. Especially when I think about all the evil Buffy has fought. Its all because of me."
"You cannot change things now Xander. You can only stop whatever it is that they said you have unleashed."
"There's just a couple of problems. I still don't know who it is I have to stop, and even if I did know, I can't do it alone."
"The Daughter of Fire," Giles said as he picked up the book. "And you have no idea who she is?"
"None. But that's not all. Culromen says that the "mother" will follow me here. That can mean only one thing."
"Hmm...what?"
"Mara. She's coming back."