Faith tells Lindsey something she's never said to anyone ever before. Buffy and the Scoobies start to worry that they're not real and lack free will
At dusk Hiero leads his fifty horsemen on the attack. Some of the men want to wait until it's completely dark, but Hiero convinces them that an early start will catch the enemy off-guard. They cross the border without resistance. Two miles in, one hundred girls form up on the opposite side of a brook, pointing their spears at the approaching horsemen. It's still light out, so the fighters can clearly see one another. Hiero's men get a good look at the hedgehog of spear points they with have to charge into. Many of them want to hold back and find another place to ford the stream. But Hiero heads on, and they have no choice but to follow their commander. His horse gallops into the water. There's a pretty steep three foot-high incline at the edge of the stream bed that his horse will have to climb up in the face of the enemy. The girls yell and scream, adding to their menace. This only makes Hiero's will to fight even stronger. He still doesn't believe the hype about them. Now's his chance to prove the Amazons wrong.
His men race to catch up to him. When he meets the enemy spear-to-spear, they're still five yards behind him. He's out, all alone, front-and-center, which is just how Hiero wants it. Horses aren't known to charge into pointy objects. But Hiero's horse trusts him completely. When Hiero climbs up the stream bank, the girls in front of him run away before he can stab them with his lance. His men see this and are emboldened. They rush up at the rest of the girls, who also flee in terror. Once all of his men are safely across, Hiero holds them back, fearful of an ambush. His men now trust him completely. The girls had proved him right. After waiting a minute, Hiero bears left and continues on. All the men are as eager as Hiero is to confront and humble the toothless enemy.
After a three-hour ride, Kreon arrives in Kocho. He dismounts, takes Myrina's hand and helps her down.
MYRINA: That was fun. Aren't you glad I came along?
KREON: You have no idea. What did you think of the country?
MYRINA: It's nice. Not as flat as I thought it would be. But that only made it prettier. Though also bumpier. Good thing I had you to hold onto. Mighta fallen.
They smile at each other. Kreon takes her left hand in his right, and they walk into the village.
KREON: Was that your first time on a horse?
MYRINA: Uh-huh. You really like to go fast.
KREON: So do you.
MYRINA: It's exciting. A little scary.
KREON: You did hold me tighter every time she started galloping.
MYRINA: Is THAT why you did it?
The both laugh as they approach Kreon's family's hut/cottage. His mother Doris is outside, tending the fire and cooking dinner. His 11 year-old sister Atalanta was talking to other kids, but runs over when she sees her brother. Doris is surprised to see her son with this woman she's never met or even heard of.
KREON: Mom, this is Myrina.
DORIS: a little suspicious Hello.
MYRINA: Hi. You've raised a wonderful son.
The two women stand there, nervous and unsure of what to say to each other. Fortunately, Atalanta is there to break the ice.
ATALANTA: Is this your girlfriend? It's about time. aside to Myrina He's never had a girlfriend.
MYRINA: You must be Atalanta.
ATALANTA: to Kreon She's pretty. Don't blow it.
As usual, she can't help but embarrass her big brother. He tries to hide his chagrin.
DORIS: Where did you two meet?
KREON: In Zalpa.
DORIS: You live in the city?
MYRINA: My whole life.
DORIS: And you're not married. What do you do? (In the pre-Spike society, single women in their twenties were usually prostitutes.)
MYRINA: I paint pottery. In a factory.
DORIS: Oh. What color?
MYRINA: looking confused Lotsa colors. It depends on what the subject is.
KREON: She paints people and animals.
DORIS: On pots? I've heard about some with drawings on them. Never saw one. We don't have many luxuries around here.
MYRINA: Neither do I. I just paint them. Certainly couldn't afford them.
ATALANTA: Can you draw Spike?
MYRINA: Yeah. I've done a couple of him.
ATALANTA: Wow. Can you show me how?
MYRINA: I didn't bring my supplies. looks around I could make something out of clay. Maybe even a little statue of you.
ATALANTA: Really?
MYRINA: Sure.
The two of them run off. Doris now can talk to her son alone.
DORIS: I see you got yourself a fancy city girl.
KREON: She's not like that.
DORIS: Sounded pretty sophisticated to me.
KREON: Myrina's never been out to the country. But she doesn't look down us. She was a slave until Spike freed her. That's when we met.
DORIS: A freedwoman.
KREON: She worked in the factory. Still does. Except now she can do what she wants after work. Myrina's great. I really like her. You'll like her, too. Everyone likes her.
DORIS: Attie sure does.
Atalanta smiles and laughs as Myrina plays with her.
KREON: She wants to stay here while I patrol. If that's all right with you.
DORIS: Lotta space now that you and your sisters are gone. Why haven't you visited?
KREON: I've been busy. Haven't you heard?
DORIS: I heard you conquered Dorin and command our kingdom's cavalry.
KREON: So don't you think I've had a lot of responsibilities?
DORIS: Plus, I hear you've been spending a lot of time with Spike.
KREON: I'm the reason he's in power. He's the reason I HAVE power. We depend on each other.
DORIS: And yet, with all your new responsibilities, you've found time to find a girlfriend.
KREON: I thought you supported my decision to move. I thought you supported Spike.
DORIS: I do. And I do. Spike's wonderful. He's made everyone happier. I wish your father were still alive to see this. To see you. Things have been moving so fast. All of a sudden, you've become this big, important person. And you meet this girl. It's just a lot to absorb. A month ago, I wondered when you'd be able to afford your own cottage. Now you can have any mansion you want.
KREON: If I bought a mansion, it would be for you.
DORIS: Kreon, please.
KREON: I want to try to pay you back for all you've given me. I'm going to provide for you, and Atalanta, and Penelope and Andrea.
DORIS: And Myrina?
KREON: Well, she's my, ugh, what are you getting at?
DORIS: Look at her and Attie. She's great with kids. Means she'll probably make a good mother.
KREON: Mom!
Faith and Lindsey are back in his hotel room.
FAITH: You somethin'? Tonight wasn't so bad. pulls Lindsey towards her by his tie, kisses him. Kinda liked playing dress-up, looking all girly-girl.
LINDSEY: Thought you looked all womanly myself.
FAITH: Same difference.
LINDSEY: Not in my book.
FAITH: Enough talk.
Faith unbuttons his shirt as she kisses him. Her dress and his pants fall to the floor. Faith throws Lindsey on the bed and gets on top. A few seconds later, she arches her back and feels a sharp pain in her stomach. Her left hand grabs the bandage which is over the stab wound Dru gave her. Lindsey puts his right hand on her stomach.
LINDSEY: You okay?
FAITH: grimacing Five by five. I'll just hafta go gentle tonight. grins Guess there's a first time for everything.
She falls back down on top of Lindsey. He puts his arms around her, then slowly rolls over so he's on top. She puts her hands on is chest and starts to moan a little. He softly kisses her.
LINDSEY: I love you Faith.
FAITH: I love you too.
Twelve miles in, Hiero stops his horse and gets off. His men are confused. Kreon walks his horse over to a nearby pond.
TIMON: What's going on?
KREON: We'll need fresh horses for our dash back. I'm letting Nicanor rest. he takes off his helmet, fills it with water and pours the water on on his horse's back. Plenty of water. Lots of hay. He'll be fine.
TIMON: What are you gonna ride?
KREON: One of the horses we stole. he takes the bridle off his horse, who licks his hand No point wearing our own mounts out. Goodbye boy. Take care. I'll be back before dawn.
SILENUS: I still can't make sense of Cordelia's punishment. It seems entirely out of proportion to her offense. And unprecedented in its severity.
ANGEL: What are you talking about?
SILENUS: In your world, everything happens for a reason. What was the reason for Cordelia's radical transformation?
ANGEL: What gave you the idea that things happen for a reason? Haven't you been listening to me? Bad things happen to good people all the time. That's why I fight. That's why I can never completely win. My world is anything but fair.
SILENUS: It didn't say it was fair. I said it was rational.
ANGEL: Murder is not rational.
SILENUS: Good people suffer so you can save them. Evil exists so you can defeat it. Strangers may die for no reason. But it's different with your friends, and with the people you know. They are punished for their failings. Then they seek redemption and forgiveness, and you help them become reborn stronger than before. Cordelia had already been reborn.
ANGEL: I know. It makes no sense. Just like most other things in my world. And in your world. Life is never fair.
SILENUS: Was it hubris? She could have been guilty of hubris. But then she should have been allowed to abuse her powers, to consciously do wrong, before she would be punished. Her treatment was utterly without precedent. I feel just terrible about what happened to her.
ANGEL: And you think I don't?
SILENUS: I'm not sure how you feel about her. I know you care about her very deeply. But you couldn't have loved her.
ANGEL: Who are you to tell me what feel? You hear a few stories, and now you act like you know me! Don't pretend to understand my world. Because you can't.
SILENUS: But Buffy is your true love, and no one can love two people at the same time.
ANGEL: Love is never that simple.
SILENUS: Yes it is. If you're confused, then it can't be true love. Were you ever confused about how you felt about Buffy?
ANGEL: When did you turn against me?
SILENUS: I could never turn against you. I only want to understand you better. If Cordelia believed you were her true love, that is tragic enough. However, knowing how honest and honorable you are, I am sure that if you suspected that she loved you, you would have reminded her that Buffy was your one true love and that any ardor she felt for you would only lead to crushing disappointment. Since you never claim to have done that, I can only conclude that neither of you really knew how the other one felt. In fact, I imagine that neither of you even understood your own feelings about each other. Am I right?
ANGEL: Well, kind of. We were confused, and we never got the chance to sort things out. And now, after everything that's happened, we probably never will.
SILENUS: Maybe that was her sin: trying to answer a question that shouldn't be answered. As long as your bond was nebulous and undefined, it was mutually beneficial. By arranging that seaside meeting, Cordelia destroyed the mystery that was an essential aspect of your affections.
ANGEL: Anyone ever tell you that you think things through WAY too much?
SILENUS: But that's my job.
It's late at night. Myrina, Doris and Atalanta are about to lie down and go to sleep on straw mats in Doris's hut.
ATALANTA: I hear slaves have to sleep with their owner and his sons and his friends and his son's friends.
DORIS: Attie!
MYRINA: It's okay. I wasn't a house slave. The ladies at the workshop were too valuable to spend time having babies. In fact, our owner didn't even allow us to socialize with men.
ATALANTA: So you're a virgin. Just like Kreon.
DORIS: Attie, please!
ATALANTA: I'm just sayin' –
They hear screams outside. Hiero and his men are ravaging the lands around the village. People flee inside the circular palisade surrounding Kocho. The three women run out of the house. Doris and Atalanta quickly realize they are being attacked. Myrina's never been so close to fighting. Naturally, she's scared. She fears that the raiders will capture her and sell her back into slavery. So she stays next to Doris, who appears to know what to do. Doris runs to the shed where the village keeps its weapons and grabs three spears, handing one to Myrina. She's never even held a weapon before. They mount the ramparts with the other men and women in the village, waving their weapons and yelling at the invaders to intimidate them. Hiero rides to within fifty feet of the palisade. Myrina appears ready to hurl her spear, but Doris grabs her arm and tells her to hold her fire. Atalanta runs up onto the rampart and throws a stone, hitting Hiero's helmet. He hardly notices. Doris grabs her daughter and pulls her away from the palisade, scolding the young girl for risking her life. Hiero gallops along the wall. Several spears are thrown at him. All of the missing or bounce off his shield. After this show of bravado, Hiero rides off with his men, and they continue burning and trashing the nearby countryside. To Hiero's men, this is the cradle of Spike-ism, the epicenter of evil. A small number of villagers continue to man the walls throughout the night while everyone else goes back to bed. With their homes and their flocks inside the village, the enemy has not been able to destroy their most valuable possessions.
A few hours later, a horsemen rides up to Kreon and tells him the news.
KREON: They've hit Kocho! starts hyperventilating My mom, my sister, my, Myrina! starts to ride south. the other man puts his horse in the way
SYPHAX: Are you nuts? Go home now, and we'll never catch them.
KREON: They're gonna pay. I won't let them get home alive.
SYPHAX: I thought Spike's orders were to take prisoners?
Kreon tries to calm down. His breathing begins to return to normal.
KREON: You're right. Dragging them off in chains would be nice. smiles, then looks very serious But if they killed anyone, I slit their throats.
SYPHAX: Right now, just worry about tracking them. Word is they're heading north and west.
KREON: Hiero must be in charge.
SYPHAX: Who? Why does that matter?
KREON: Cause he'd do the smart thing. You'd expect him to take the shortest route home.
SYPHAX: Of course.
KREON: I expect him to go where we can mass the fewest troops. You head north, just in case he's not as smart I think he is. I'll head west. smiles Let's make sure those rich boys go home by way of Zalpa.
WILLOW: Buffy, look on the bright side.
BUFFY: Bright side? Angel and Spike are making thousands of mortal enemies. Mortal enemies with wooden arrows and spears. What bright side can there possibly be?
WILLOW: You always said that you wished more people could know about the great things you do, about how many times you've saved the world. And now they do. Sure, they're in another dimension, and if you went there to bask in their praise, they'd probably never let you leave, on account of you being their Supreme Deity. But they love you. Or at least worship you.
BUFFY: That's a good thing?
WILLOW: No. It's creepy. And scary. But my point is they think of you as the ultimate hero.
ANYA: They like you. They really, really like you.
WILLOW: And that's a good thing, right? Just to know that somewhere there are millions of people who celebrate your bravery.
BUFFY: And talk about my sex life.
WILLOW: Okay, that part's not good. But they don't judge you. Right, Anya?
ANYA: They're excessively understanding of your foibles. Like I said before, they think you can do know wrong. No mistake is every YOUR fault.
GILES: Wait a second. Are you saying they believe Buffy's life is effected by forces beyond her control?
BUFFY: Hello? Where have you been the last seven years?
GILES: My point exactly. How can a Supreme Deity not have control over his or her own destiny?
ANYA: Some of the philosophers have noticed that. In fact, there's one guy named Photius who's convinced that we have no free will whatsoever. He posits the existence of an Even More Supreme Being who created all of us. A Great Storyteller in the Sky, if you will. Which means we're not really people at all. Just facets of the Godhead. And since mortals can't directly know the Godhead, the only way they can understand its essence is by worshipping and trying to understand the Godhead's creations. Which would be us.
XANDER: What do you mean they don't think we're real? That's impossible!
DAWN: I don't think it's impossible. How can anyone be sure they're real?
ANYA: What's impossible is proving you exist. As I found out when I tried without success to prove my existence to Photius.
KENNEDY: But you were standing right in front of him. If you're not real, then he's not real.
ANYA: Which he was perfectly willing to concede.
BUFFY: I don't believe this! They gossip about my love life, talk about what's best for me like they actually know me, and to top it all off they don't even think I'm real!
ANDREW: I guess living as a god isn't as fun as it sounds.
GILES: Was this theory of theirs at all inspired by Buffy's delusion about being in a mental institution?
ANYA: Not really. They believe Angel's existence disproves that idea. After all, there's no reason for Buffy to create a parallel delusion in which she hardly ever appears.
BUFFY: Good point. But it's still super wig-worthy. The idea that someone else created me, and I'm not even real.
DAWN: Like that's never happened before.
BUFFY: I'm sorry Dawny. I didn't mean –
DAWN: I understand. It's always tough the first time someone tells you your life's a lie.
GILES: Why would anyone create Buffy?
XANDER: I think that's obvious enough. To me. Maybe not to you. Since you're much older, and hopefully not –
BUFFY: So you don't even think I'm worth imagining? Thanks a lot!
GILES: What I meant was, why would they make you suffer? No matter how hard you work, no matter how many stupendous feats of bravery you perform, your life is still filled with unimaginable pain and torment.
WILLOW: You're saying she was created by a sadist?
KENNEDY: A sexist sadist who likes to see women suffer and make young women die?
ANDREW: Sexist? Yes. Against men! Look around. Women have all the power. Men are either evil or obedient. Not that I'm complaining. I like it here very much.
DAWN: There are plenty of stories in which the hero has to fight for years, sometimes decades, before they get a happy ending.
BUFFY: We're real. We're not some sick story. You know that, right Dawn?
DAWN: Of course. In a story I'd probably have some super powers of my own by now.
GILES: In those stories, the hero is punished for past wrongs. But Buffy has been punished for no reason.
WILLOW: Like Job?
GILES: Not really. Job's punishment was more complete. And he wasn't given super powers. Plus, Buffy can't communicate with her tormentor. She doesn't even know who her tormentor is.
XANDER: Wouldn't that be her Creator – who doesn't exist, cause of I know we're real.
ANYA: Though if we weren't real, and if we had no will of our own, none of us could be held responsible for our actions. You couldn't be blamed for leaving me at the altar, or praised for saving the world with unsexy love. There'd be no need for guilt. Nothing would be anyone's fault anymore.
GILES: And then the First really would win.
BUFFY: I have to be real. I mean, what kind of sicko would get off by making my life so difficult?
Shortly after the sun comes up, Kreon arrives home. He sees his girl, his mom and his sister sleeping peacefully and breathes a huge sigh of relief. Kreon strokes Myrina's hair with his right hand. She's a light sleeper, and quickly rolls onto her back and opens her eyes. Fearful of intruders after last night's scare, she grabs Kreon's right wrist with her left hand and screams in terror. When she sees it's Kreon, she jumps to her feet and hugs him, screaming and laughing out of joy. This wakes up Doris and Atalanta.
KREON: Everyone okay?
ATALANTA: Not a scratch in the whole village. Angel's guys are cowards.
DORIS: Attie got a bit too eager to fight.
KREON: She wants to be like her sisters.
DORIS: She can be like them when she's as old as them.
ATALANTA: Bollocks.
DORIS: Attie! slaps her wrist
ATALANTA: That's what Spike would say.
KREON: Do you even know what that word means?
ATALANTA: Do you?
KREON: Not really.
MYRINA: I do. pauses, looks nervous But I probably shouldn't say. So Kreon, did you get 'em?
KREON: Penelope and Andrea will. No way Angel's boy gets past them. We probably should be heading back. Myrina's got work and all.
MYRINA: It was great meeting you two. Bye Doris. hugs her Bye Attie. leans down and hugs her
DORIS: Come back soon.
MYRINA: I'll try.
Kreon's shocked by how Myrina's being treated like, well, family. The two of them walk over to Kreon's horse. Myrina holds his hand, looks at Kreon and smiles. His heart races. He almost forgets what he meant to ask her.
KREON: Sorry to take you out here on such a bad night.
MYRINA: It wasn't a bad night.
KREON: he's shocked by her response The village was attacked. Weren't you scared?
MYRINA: A little. But your mom stayed calm, which made me a lot less scared. Then I noticed how everyone was getting together to fight and defend their town. Helped me understand you a little better.
KREON: I'm just glad you didn't get hurt.
Myrina puts her hands behind his neck and looks into Kreon's eyes.
MYRINA: Why do you think you need to protect me? tall, slim, long-necked Myrina is a perfect damsel, but doesn't like being thought of as one
KREON: I don't. I just don't like to lead you into danger. There's a difference.
MYRINA: I can take care of myself.
KREON: I know. puts his arms around her waist, pulls her close But when I heard they attacked Kocho, all I could think about all night was how lost I'd feel if I lost you. Kreon yawns, ruining the moment
MYRINA: Are you tired?
KREON: Kind of. I was up all night.
MYRINA: Maybe I should take the reins.
KREON: laughs You don't know how.
MYRINA: You could teach me. If I'm gonna be travelling a lot with you, might as well learn.
Kreon blushes and feels faint. Before Myrina, he'd never experienced the good kind of woozy, where his stomach ties itself in knots and it's not because he fears for his life. She climbs on the horse and sits in front of him. Kreon grabs the the reins with her. He puts his feet on top of hers to teach her how to use her legs to control the animal. The horse quickly turns east towards the rising son and moves at a moderate gallop. Kreon lets go of the reins and wraps his arms around Myrina's waist.
MYRINA: I think she likes me.
KREON: Of course she does. Who wouldn't?
As dawn approached, Hiero rode past the pond where he left his horse the night before. Nicanor turns and gallops towards his master. Hiero dismounts the stolen horse and takes the reins off. Nicanor bows his head obediently so Hiero can put the reins back on him. Hiero mounts his well-rested stallion and begins the final dash for home. During the night, they made a feint to the west and then turned back east so Hiero and some of the others could reclaim their original mounts. Now they head west again, hoping that their maneuver will have confused and disorganized the girls who didn't go off on a wild goose chase to the east after Straton's decoy squadron. Before heading home, Kreon met with his sister Andrea and told her he was sure where Hiero would head. She told her older sister Penelope. Leaving enough girls to the east in case her brother is wrong, she led 300 girls to the western edge of the border. Hiero figured that if he broke through somewhere in the middle, he'd have to fight 500 girls, but if he crossed back at the edge, he'd only have to fight half that number. He was about correct. When the morning light shows him the small force rushing to block his way, he is sure they won't be able to hold him. The girls aren't lined up deep enough to withstand a heavy cavalry charge. They'll either be run over or run out of the way.
Hiero has his squadron in five groups of ten. Each group forms a triangle, with one rider in front, two feet him, three behind them and four in the back. Hiero leads the center group, charging on his white stallion. The girls point their spears in his direction. He levels his lance, lowers his head and narrows his eyes. Directly in front of him is Penelope. She goes down on her right knee, holds her shield in her left hand and braces the back end of her spear against the the ground, the point facing outward and upward. She raises her head, tightens her jaw and narrows her eyes. Penelope believes that as long as she holds her ground, the other girls won't run. Hiero fearlessly leads his men onward. Nicanor trusts him completely, and gallops at full speed towards the hedgehog of spear points. A 1,500 pound horse running at a 120 pound girl at 20 miles per hour – Hiero is sure that she'll flinch at the last moment. And if she doesn't, he'll stab her in the face. Either way, he wins. Andrea comes galloping towards the men from the east. They are too focused on the girls in front of them to notice her. When the men are 50 yards from the enemy line, she swings her rope and lassos a man in the last row of the group on the far right. Catching the hapless rider round the waist, Andrea pulls him off his horse and drags him south, in the opposite direction of his comrades.
As Hiero bares down on Penelope, she does get a little bit frightened. Still, she know that if she turns and runs, he'll easily ride her down. Her only hope is to hold her ground. She puts her left arm up and out so her shield covers her face. As Hiero drives his lance down, Penelope thrusts her spear up. The horse suddenly stops, and Hiero flies forward, sailing over the entire line of girls. He flips and lands on his back, quickly rising to his feet despite the bruising impact of the fall. The girls in the back row turn and attack. He pulls out his sword, striking two of them with his shield and swinging his blade at another, forcing her back. The girls back away from and surround Hiero, none of them within eight feet of him. Though dismounted and de-lanced, they still see Hiero as a dangerous man.
While the girls focus on Hiero, the nine riders behind them break through the line and gallop north to safety. The two outside groups of ten rode around the enemy line. Unlike Nicanor, the lead horses in the two groups on either side of him refused to ride into a wall of stubborn enemies. These two groups are quickly surrounded by the girls. Knowing what happened to the Amazons, the twenty men are terrified. They are pleasantly surprised when offered a chance to surrender, and eagerly choose survival over honor. Hiero looks over the heads of the girls in front of him. He sees Nicanor lying on the ground, Penelope's spear driven up through his skull. He is enraged and horrified. Now he wants blood.
HIERO: Nicanor! No!
Hiero puts his left foot forward and is about to charge into the enemy when he notices the twelve spears pointed at his neck. He may be brave, but he's no fool. Hiero puts his head down in shame as he raises his hands above his head and drops his shield and sword. Seeing this, Penelope turns around to look at Andrea, who's dragging her poor prisoner back towards the lines.
PENELOPE: It's over! They surrendered!
Andrea drops the rope. The young man gasps for air amidst a cloud of dust. His elbows, knees and face are skinned and bleeding, and his shirt has been torn to rags. Penelope turns back around to look at Hiero. Her girls gasp.
PENELOPE: What! What's the problem?
A few of the girls point meekly at Penelope's left arm. She holds it up and realizes that Hiero drove his lance clear through her left forearm, pinning her shield to her arm. She moves the arm up and down, and the the lance and shield remain stuck in place. Hiero looks at Penelope with deadly fury.
HIERO: You killed Nicanor!
PENELOPE: What? I didn't kill anyone. looks down Oh. Your horse. Forget about the horse. Look what you did to my arm!
HIERO: I'm sorry. I wasn't aiming for your arm.
Penelope chuckles. This guy's got guts, telling her he's sorry he didn't kill her when he's defenseless and should be begging for his life. She decides to play along and respond in kind.
PENELOPE: And I wasn't aiming for your horse.
Andrea has ridden up to the lines. When she notices her sister's wound, Andrea leaps off her horse and runs over to Penelope.
PENELOPE: It's okay, sis. Doesn't even hurt.
Andrea smiles. She realizes that Penelope won't give the enemy the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. Andrea can't help but admire that. Still, no one hurts her sister and gets away with it. Spike's orders were no killing. That left a lot of leeway. She pulls out her dagger, looks at Hiero and smiles. The fourteen year-old blonde tomboy gives him the willies. Meanwhile, Andrea grinds her teeth, groans and rips the spear point out of her arm.
HIERO: You shouldn't do that. You have to wait until you can cauterize –
Andrea puts her dagger blade to his left cheek.
HIERO: I'm just trying to help.
Andrea pulls her dagger back and laughs.
ANDREA: If you care about my sister, why did you try to kill her?
The blood pours out of Penelope's wound. She puts her right hand around it, trying to slow the bleeding.
ANDREA: Somebody get her a bandage.
She looks at Hiero. He's wearing a green shirt and brown breeches that come down to just below his knees. She looks at the girls, who think of her as second-in-command.
ANDREA: Take his shirt.
Two of the girls rip off Hiero's shirt and bring it over to Penelope, tying it tight around her wound. This stops the hemorrhaging. She walks up to the shirtless Hiero.
PENELOPE: Wonder what else I should take off you.
Hiero glances down at his pants, fearing the worst. Instead, she takes off his helmet. The golden bronze helmet has a red horsehair crest running down the center and two ornate silver tin wings on the front.
PENELOPE: Nice hat. Got a little dent. Still pretty nice.
She puts it on her head and chuckles. It comes down over her eyebrows. Andrea looks at Hiero's long black hair. She grabs it and puts her knife to his scalp.
ANDREA: Maybe we should make this boy bald.
PENELOPE: No! Don't touch them. Tie them up, but first make sure they're healthy. We're taking these boys back to Zalpa. Nobody hurts them!
Andrea can tell Penelope's serious. She puts her dagger away and runs over to the man she dragged around, helping him to his feet and trying, along with some of the other girls, care for his wounds. Since he was too far away to hear Penelope's terms, the man thinks they're either preparing to sell him into slavery or sacrifice him. Otherwise, why would his mortal enemies be so nice to him? He's heard all sorts of horrible things about Spike's maenads. To the people in Amastria, they're unnatural, hysterical, bloodthirsty pubescent monsters. Then he wonders if they're going to turn him into their sex slave. That doesn't sound like such a bad fate. Much preferable to getting torn limb from limb.
ANYA: I'm sorry, Lorne. I didn't look into that. You'll have to ask Angel. If and when he returns. hangs up the phone They're having trouble coming to terms with what's happened.
GILES: They must be worried sick about him.
over at the Hyperion
FRED: What'd she say?
LORNE: They worship him. They know about us.
FRED: What do they think of us?
LORNE: She says she doesn't know.
GUNN: I damn sure better not be God of Sidekicks.
back at Buffy's house
BUFFY: Angel's been gone for two-and-a-half weeks. That can't be good.
GILES: Spike can be exceptionally stubborn.
BUFFY: Giles! Did you forget what I said about not taking sides?
GILES: My apologies. For your sake, I'll try to suspend my objectivity until they return.
XANDER: Buffy's right. They're exactly the same. They both went to a strange land, tricked people into worshipping them, then tried to become as powerful as possible. Giles, you think Spike's Brando and Angel's Martin Sheen. The truth is, they're both Brando.
BUFFY: Excuse me? What the hell does that mean?
KENNEDY: They're both fat and bald?
XANDER: Not yet. smiles at this fantasy Then again, it is only 11:30.
Giles looks down at his watch.
GILES: Oh no. With everything going on, I completely lost track of time.
DAWN: It's okay. You had a lot on your mind.
ANDREW: Like learning that you're a deity. Which, I've heard, is a big thing in a person's life.
GILES: I forgot about the girls. Buffy also remembers
BUFFY: We were supposed to send them home a half hour ago.
XANDER: Boys? What boys?
ANYA: The ones the Potentials are making out with. Xander remembers and winces
BUFFY: Go tell them to leave.
GILES: Me? I'm not going down there. It's your house.
BUFFY: You're the one who said they could come over.
ANYA: True. But Giles would be more scarred by catching those boys rounding second with his Potentials. He is their father figure. You're just their big sister-figure.
DAWN: Hey! She's my big sister-figure. Oops. I mean, my actual big sister.
BUFFY: Andrew, go kick those boys out.
ANDREW: What? Why me?
BUFFY: Lowest wiggins factor. Willow, Giles and Xander nod in agreement
ANYA: But what if they refuse? You need someone intimidating. I'll go with him.
BUFFY: Fine with me. Anya and Andrew walk towards the door
WILLOW: Try not to threaten to eviscerate anyone.
ANDREW: I won't.
WILLOW: I wasn't talking to you.
Willow and Anya walk down the stairs.
ANYA: Okay hormone bags. Party's over. They turn on the lights in the living room. It's empty.
FADILA: They're in the basement.
Anya and Andrew turn around to see Fadila, Chao-ahn, Izora and Ariella in the dining room.
ANYA: That you, dateless ones.
Anya and Andrew go into the kitchen and open the basement door. Andrew flickers the lights a couple times. The girls get the message.
meanwhile, upstairs
WILLOW: Angel doesn't strike me as the type who would enjoy being fawned over and worshipped. What is he doing?
DAWN: Raising an army to defeat Spike?
KENNEDY: Men can be so immature.
Angel sits in a courtyard, looking up and basking in the sun. Nearby, Silenus sits in front of a desk with a quill and several scrolls.
SILENUS: Has Wesley apologized to you?
ANGEL: I don't know. I think so. It doesn't matter. Apologies don't change what already happened.
SILENUS: Does he even know what he should apologize for?
ANGEL: Of course! He's not stupid.
SILENUS: Losing Connor wasn't his fault.
ANGEL: I don't believe this! You're taking his side? Why does it seem like lately you've been against me?
SILENUS: His mistake was not believing the prophecy. His mistake was failing to tell you about the prophecy. He should have trusted you. He should have known you were strong, wise and caring enough to handle any news, no matter how troubling. Wesley doubted you. That is why he suffered.
ANGEL: No Silenus. He suffered because Holtz was psychotic and Justine had no will of her own.
SILENUS: Neither of which would have mattered if he had trusted you. Has he at least promised never to keep vital information from you ever again?
ANGEL: He doesn't have to.
SILENUS: You trust his judgement? Even though his judgement nearly ruined you?
ANGEL: Wesley learns from his mistakes. We all do.
SILENUS: Even Spike?
ANGEL: laughs Probably. But he just goes and makes new ones. Can we get back to my laws? Where were we?
SILENUS: We had just finished property law. You wrapped up marriage and inheritance yesterday. Now it's on to criminal. We'll start with murder. Currently, there is a trial by peers. Majority needed to convict. Penalty is execution.
ANGEL: Majority? Make it unanimous.
SILENUS: By there are between 200 and 500 jurors.
ANGEL: That's not a jury. It's a reality show. With killing. Knock the jurors down to twenty. And no killing. You know how I feel about taking human life.
SILENUS: But they have already taken lives themselves. And what about the victim's families? Don't they deserved justice?
ANGEL: It's vengeance.
SILENUS: And vengeance sullies the souls of all who engage in it. I'm well acquainted with your teachings on that subject. But what would your punishment be?
ANGEL: How about exile? Banishment to a desert island? No, that's also too reality show. Just plain old banishment. They can never return to see their families and friends and homeland ever again. Also, we could seize their property and put it into a fund used to compensate the victim's families. I think that would be just, but not vengeful.
SILENUS: The people would never support such a measure. That is, unless it came from you.
Lysander rushes into the courtyard. The men who escaped from the girls have made it back to Lampedos, and told what happened to the others. He whispers in Angel's left ear. Angel's formerly serene face now looks worried and distressed. He stands up and walks away from Silenus, towards the colonnade around the outside of the courtyard. Lysander follows him.
ANGEL: Go north. See what allied forces you can gather. Send Demetrius to the coast. Let our friends out there know what's happened. Aratus can mobilize our own forces. I'll handle Spike.
LYSANDER: What about the prisoners?
ANGEL: Leave that to me.
LYSANDER: Sire, are we at war? Angel still finds it creepy when they call him that
ANGEL: Not until Spike declares it first. We just need to be ready when that happens. It's time I teach Spike a lesson. Again.
NEXT: Angel and Spike return to LA and Sunnydale in the next chapter. I promise!
