Chapter 19 Rescue Mission
Willow and Giles were a little nervous but glad to see a normal face and not a demon ready to rip their guts out. That was progress at least.
Willow decided the man was quite handsome. Not her type really. He was tall and lean with dark hair. She much preferred short with hair color that changed with the seasons. She missed Oz and she wished she were home with him right now.
Giles was thinking of what to say next when the man spoke up. "Please, let me introduce myself. My name is Julian and I am the owner of this castle. Let me offer whatever assistance that I can."
The prince glanced from Giles to Willow. They were dressed strangely but looked harmless enough. He was certainly getting strange visitors lately.
"Yes, forgive us. We don't mean to intrude but we seem to be very lost. My daughter and I were on a trip to visit my sister and our car…..um…our carriage broke down out on the road. I am afraid that maybe I took a wrong turn somewhere." Giles had almost slipped up but managed to catch himself. Hopefully the prince hadn't noticed.
"I will help in any way that I can. Unfortunately my driver is otherwise engaged today. He won't be back until tomorrow. I can offer you a place to stay tonight and we can get you on your way tomorrow if you like. I am afraid we are not within walking distance of the next town." The prince seemed to be genuine in his offer and they needed to stay if they were going to get answers.
Willow spoke up. 'That is very kind of you sir. My name is Willow. It is very nice of you to offer your help. We have walked a long way and we were hoping someone here could help us." She was smiling at the prince and he was smiling back. He seemed harmless enough. She decided it was too soon to ask about Buffy and Giles must have felt the same because he hadn't mentioned her yet. They needed to know more about the prince before tipping their hand.
"I will have the servants show you to your rooms. We have plenty of food left over from the morning meal. I am sure you must be hungry. I will see that they bring some to you as well." The prince was being very gracious. Too gracious maybe, but they decided not to question their luck.
The prince rang a bell and a servant girl appeared. He talked to her for a moment and soon she was showing us along a long hallway to a door. She used a key to unlock a door to another hallway with a series of doors. She opened the first door with a key and then proceeded to usher them in. "This has adjoining rooms. The prince thought you might want to be near each other. Someone will bring up some food to you in a little while. Please let them know if you will need anything else."
She was gone before Giles could say thank you. He looked at Willow and she just shrugged. At least they were safe for now.
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Xander had left the coffee shop with information but no plan. What was he going to do? Just then he bumped into Oz who was looking a little frantic.
"Xander, have you seen Willow? I have been calling her and looking for her everywhere but I can't find her. We were supposed to meet this morning for breakfast but she didn't show." Oz was a great guy and Xander knew his feelings for Willow were genuine. He was glad that she had found someone who cared for her.
"Oz, I need your help. I think I know what has happened to Willow. Buffy and Giles are missing too. I'll explain everything but first we need to get to the Magic Box. We have some researching to do. I'll explain everything on the way. We have to hurry." The two then hurried off down the side walk with Xander telling Oz what he knew so far.
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The bath had helped but Spike was still very sick. He had stopped shaking and his fever was down but he was still drifting in and out. He wasn't getting better and Buffy needed to do something quick.
She decided that the bath had done what it could and she needed to move him back to the bed. She walked to the bed and pulled the covers back. The linens were very soft to the touch. He was slipping into the water when she rushed back and grabbed him under the arms.
The move to the bed was easy enough. Buffy placed him on the bed carefully taking care not to stare at him again. She pulled the covers up to his stomach and felt his head. He was cooler so why wasn't he waking up?
"I need to find out what he was poisoned with? Why would Julian want to kill Spike? Was Julian even the one who did this?" She was talking out loud to herself again. It was a habit that she was getting used to now. It had been over an hour now that Spike hadn't talked to her. She was missing the sound of his voice. Something she thought she would never say.
She searched the room again for the empty container, nothing. He had been given bad blood and he was going to die if she didn't figure out how to cure him. She remembered what had happened to Angel when Faith had shot him with the poisoned arrow. Her blood had saved him. Would it help Spike?
The thought of it made her nervous and a little sick. She walked back to the bed and sat down next to where Spike was laying. He stirred a little and opened his eyes.
"Buffy, love, what is happening? I can't think straight. I keep think'in this is some kind of dream." He was somewhat awake but not making much sense.
Buffy placed her hand on his cheek. "You're sick Spike, but I think I might know how to get you better." He faded back to sleep and she decided maybe rest would be good. He needed to be strong to do what needed to be done and so did she. Strong enough for the both of them.
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The prince had returned to his room. He was feeling a little strange and decided that maybe a little morning nap would be in order. This strange feeling was becoming a common thing for him recently and he didn't quite understand it. He was sure he would feel better after some rest.
His room was quiet like it was every other day. He was very lonely here in the castle and the constant worry about his sister had taken its toll on him as well. Buffy really was a lovely girl. He enjoyed her company. It was a shame she was going to be leaving soon.
He walked over to the large dressing mirror and gazed at himself. He was good looking enough but never seemed to be lucky in love. He didn't understand it really. Just then the mirror became a milky white and his reflection changed once again. His handsome face was gone and in its place was a creature so ugly no one would love. It talked to him.
"Don't worry Julian, things are going well. My plan will soon be complete and you will no longer be alone. We will be as one and with our beloved Anne. It won't be much longer now. I need you to make sure that your new guests do not interfere further. I may need them so keep them alive but out of the way. Our day is coming." The prince was looking into the mirror but without expression.
The creature then disappeared and the mirror returned to normal. The prince blinked his eyes and then shook his head a little. He was a little dizzy and had that feeling again of hearing voices.
He walked over to a nightstand and placed his hands on top of a beautiful jewelry box. It was a medium sized box with elegant markings laced in gold. He opened the box to reveal a heart necklace. It had a gold chain and a beautiful large ruby in the shape of a heart. He removed it from the box and held it close to his chest.
"Oh Anne" were the only words he spoke.