I CAPTURE THE SUN
Pairings: Buffy/Legolas
Teaser: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.
Timeline: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.
Gratitudes: I really do appreciate all of the feedback for this story! Any input can only make this story stronger. I may be new to the entire writing scene, hence I seem to take criticism badly. It is sort of ironic, since I seem to be able to give it but am still rather weak to take it. That being said…
Tracey – I will try to answer this in the most level-headed method I can. It just comes to show that Buffy doesn't know about the Elves, really. It may have been implied, but it was never said. Buffy doesn't know where Thranduil has been. She does not know how old he is. For all she knows, he could have been made King of a species that appeared out of mid-air. The only thing she does know is that she believes she is there for the purpose that she actually goes out to fight the evil while the Elves protect their realm from it. The King, of course, has other plans. These are the only humans living in the forest. Because of that, their leader has been stalked by the Nazgûl to become one of them (because she is technically living and dead, two qualities that are very much searched for amongst the Ringwraiths). And you are right. Buffy's force of a hundred wouldn't post much of a threat. Her force is actually larger than that, as was hinted in this next section. And despite the fact I do not handle criticism very well, I will ask you this since you seemed to imply my characterization of Buffy was rather off – is her character any better in this story?
Part Summary: Siri learns that she knows almost nothing about the woman whom her mother entrusted her life to… and Buffy begins to learn she's in over her head.
Notes: It has been a hell of a few weeks. I try to post at the same time every week, but these past two have been beyond awful. First my daughter was sick and needed some time in the hospital. Being only two, it was quite frightening for both her father and I. I was restricted to bed last week when I fell ill, so both my daughter and I were sick at the same time. My mother had to cross state lines to come and take care of us because there was no way that he could take care of both of us. Hence, I spent a long time editing out parts of this section I did not like and piecing together the ones I did. I would appreciate any and all input on this and hopefully next week I can regain a footing of my old schedule because I, for one, am certainly not used to sleeping fourteen hours a day. Until the next part, I hope you enjoy!
- - - -
Part VIII
- - - -
Daire reached the edge of the wood late the following evening. She was breathing hard when she came upon the sixty women she had taken with her. Not one of them had seen an enemy Orc, but they had set up a rearguard in case they were attacked. Now less than a half-day's ride from the Woodland Realm, they had come to the south of the Long Lake and the township that resided there. It was then they made the decision to escape back into the forest. Many of the women with her were the ones on foot. After resting and bathing in the cool springs from the river, they set camp and waited for the others to come.
Alwyn was the first to arrive with thirty women on foot, all of them exhausted. They happily accepted the cool pond for bathing and scrubbing their attire as they rested. Woman by woman, more gathered, but it wasn't until those on horseback started coming did Daire realize that a battle had indeed been fought.
"Where is Siri?" Alwyn asked one of these rearguards.
"We do not know," said the guard that Siri had dismissed at the last moment. "She remained behind with arrows and jars of oil."
Daire dismissed them all, worried about her cousin and concerned for her safety. She had undoubtedly bought her people time but with that decision came certain death. She stared into the flickering flames until a faint shade of pink was seen on the horizon. From this small area, she could hear the songs of the Elves and knew they were in the protected area of the Realm to the north.
It was just before daybreak when the last horse rode into camp, sporting Siri. Daire leapt from her seat with a cry, awakening many of the other women.
But she wasn't alone. There were a group of Elves on horseback with her and she bore a grave face. She dismounted immediately and glanced at the open looks of concern on the faces surrounding her. It was then she met the eyes of her cousin and averted her gaze.
"Where were you?" Daire asked.
"I was held up," Siri replied honestly. "Come, we must ride to the Realm. We must hasten."
Judging by the look on Siri's face, she had heard something dark and not to her liking. "What is it?" Daire asked.
"Ride with me," Siri responded, glancing at the women around them. "You have one hour."
Daire gave the order and the women began gathering what little they had left before hastening on their attire. She saw that Siri looked torn between tears and toil as she stared at the women surrounding them, hurrying to dress in what they fondly called their battle attire. Daire, on the other hand, was wearing something her mother had once worn. It was for their great banquets of the past, she realized, glancing at the golden dress, very heavy and the cloak behind it heavier still, draping over the backside of her poor steed.
Yet Siri was resigned not to say anything until she could speak to Daire freely. She did not know the troubles that their Lady had gotten herself in, nor would she realize how deeply emerged she was within the Elves now. There was little they could do to save her now. And it had all begun with the tidings of the Elves the previous night.
- - - -
Buffy awoke early, sitting up and stretching. It had been yet another glorious night of rest on an even more gloriously soft bed. She rose and wrapped her cloak around her body, moving to the basin and splashing cool water on her face.
The previous day had been spent in negotiations. Once again, she and King Thranduil had grown frustrated at one another and had both stalked off prior to dinner. When his invitation had come again, she had declined it, preferring to dine in her room. Legolas had come by near nightfall to ask her why she had not accepted his father's invitation. She had already been in a foul temper as it was. To have him come and tell her off for not accepting the invitation of a man she considered to be a classless moron, she really let him have it.
"Are you your Ada's boy?" she taunted, throwing aside her cloak, her hands on her hips as she glared at him. "Are you trying to play sick, twisted games to get me to do your Daddy's bidding because I got to say, I do not really like that."
"I came here to speak to you without his will," Legolas replied, looking slightly taken aback by her hostile attitude.
"Sure you did," she said mockingly, circling around him, her eyes now very cold. "I'm not something you play around with, Legolas. There is a reason why the Dark Lord wants my allegiance and I have to say that he can woo a hell of a lot better than you Elves do."
"What say you?" Legolas asked, his tone now full of disbelief as he gazed at the smaller woman, a challenge not hidden in her icy gaze.
"I would rather be at the mercy of Sauron than spend hell and eternity here," she retorted, her voice low and menacing. Her saw the ice in her gaze and felt the frost in her voice. "Your father wishes for me to remain here as a servant to the Elves. Do you not have any idea how dangerous this is? Do you have the strength to repel the Nazgûl? They will come for me… can you stand against the rising darkness?" She saw his passive face and his eyes that held nothing; no warmth nor any indication he'd understood what she had just said. "I am no Elf's servant."
Gone was the warmth he had felt from her the night before. Every time his body had been in contact with hers, she had been so cold. But the previous night he had felt warmth in her fingertips and had seen something like hope in her eyes. He had felt her the night before. Now all he could sense from her was darkness and death.
Once again, it seemed as though his father had destroyed any connection she might have felt towards the Elves.
He would risk contact, however. His people had need for this woman, despite her dark history and the past that seemed to haunt her very steps in this Realm. He reached for her, but as soon as his hand touched her icy skin, a cold hand came and knocked his arm away.
He met her gaze, warning flashing in her eyes. "If you touch me again, I'll kill you," she snarled as she stormed past him and out into the darkness.
It had taken her many hours to cool off. Scrubbing her skin red and raw didn't do it justice. She had stood at the balcony, listening to the gentle songs sung below, feeling as though the tension were mounting within her. Siri was no more than two days away and to find her within close company with Legolas and King Thranduil was going to give her great reason to despise her. After what seemed like hours, she had gone off to bed.
Most of her bad temper had gone overnight and she felt relieved as she dressed, feeling the soft material against her skin. She was hungry, too, since she'd barely had any dinner the night before. There was a sense of foreboding in the air but Buffy refused to accept it. If she went in to speak with Thranduil this morning in a bad temper, she would end up killing him. Or else she would end up on the receiving end of many well-aimed arrows.
There were people already coming and going as she approached the King's dining room. She found it empty, although there was still food set on the table. Spying one of the attendants, she asked if she could eat and the Elf-woman told her to take her time.
She sat with her goblet of water and her fruits and her lembas bread. Storing a bit of lembas and an apple for later in case she decided against dinner that evening, she rose and glanced behind her. The room was still empty, but she felt as though she were being watched. She moved out of the dining room, feeling as though she were being paranoid. Once outside, she moved towards the great railings overlooking the river far below as song broke out around her. In the distance, she saw Legolas and she felt her heart plummet.
She felt guilty after yelling at him the night before. She had no right to vent her anger upon him, no matter how unusual his father was. Knowing she should apologize and yet feeling guilty about wanting to, she moved towards him. He seemed to sense her and met her halfway. His face was nonetheless passive, but his eyes were slightly confused. Before she could reach him, she stopped. He paused too, his gaze apprehensive. He had no need to quarrel further and he knew that her temper was easily flared. His face was bearing an expression of concern now as he regarded her.
"I'm sorry," she said, shrugging. "I lost my cool… what can I say?"
"In the Woodland Realm, we say naethen," Legolas replied.
"I should not have said what I said," she sighed, moving around him. "It's just that your father drives me mental, literally! To know I am willing to sacrifice so much to remain in this forest and to know I will have to live with him? Oh, I would be so willing to accept Sauron than accept your father's mulish ways!"
Knowing that this could once again escalate into an argument, Legolas reached forward and leant against the statue in the walk. "You remain a leader of your people, my Lady," he said softly. "Until the end of days shall he see you as such, if only you could remember your temper."
"I know," she said, smiling. "I have a bad temper. Chalk it up to twenty three of the most hell-forsaken years of my life and you have—" She froze, shaking her head. "I'm missing something here," she added. "See, you guys apparently live for thousands of years and have been fighting the bad for… how long? Oh, right… so, why me? What could you possibly want with me?"
Legolas wasn't looking at her. Perhaps he didn't know the answer. "You have been fighting against these forces whereas we protect our realm," he finally said in his calm demeanor.
"There's still a lot I don't know about why I'm really here," she said. "Your father won't tell me and he's supposedly been fighting these forces since—"
Her voice was cut off by the sound of horns.
"Those are not Elvish horns," Legolas said, releasing her and moving towards the cavern. "They come into the Realm."
"It's Siri," she said, moving past him. She was no longer smiling.
The horns blew again as the Elves paused, watching thirty two horses and more than one hundred and fifty women on foot parade through their main street towards the cavern serving as the great castle of King Thranduil.
- - - -
"Siri? What is it? You look ever so troubled…"
Siri blinked as she stared straight ahead. Daire rode beside her, her face a perfect mask of concern.
She had ridden straight into the heart of the closest Elvish guard. After spending a few minutes convincing them she wasn't an enemy set out to kill them, they had told her what they had been told by Legolas when he had passed through four days before.
Despite her hatred for a race she barely knew, she just stared at them quietly before slowly riding off. When they had finally brought her back after convincing her it would be suicide to ride alone, she spent the night in their care, staring at the fire, trying to process what they had been telling her.
Why on earth would the Elves, immortal, intelligent beings thousands of years old want a woman who had absolutely no love for them?
"It always has to be the blood?" Siri asked, swallowing hard as she glanced at the guard sitting across from her.
"They only wish to protect her," the guard replied.
"From death," she said, sounding unconvinced.
"If she were to become what they fear she may yet become, it would destroy the Mirkwood," a second guard explained. "We have no powers to protect our people save one."
"You have much knowledge," Siri said quietly. "Why would you care for her? She has far less knowledge than you ever would!"
"We have spent much time observing her," the first Elven guard replied. "She is not like you."
"How would you know, unless you've been there with her from the beginning?" Siri snapped, her voice turning defensive.
"How is it that a woman from some land unknown would not age?" the second guard asked calmly. Siri turned her sharp gaze towards him, yet he continued on. "She would have died had she been in the right mind to do so, and yet she lives and with the presence of death."
Siri couldn't answer him. She didn't know how.
"I do not know," she said, her gaze never leaving his fair face.
"Yet you claim to be one of her own?" the Elf asked.
"My mother entrusted her role and my life to her," she sighed. "Perhaps she knew what Buffy was."
"Buffy is not a name of our world," the second guard told her.
Siri closed her eyes against their questions. So many questions needed to be answered and yet there was one that stood out above all. "What would your King want with a woman not of our people?"
"He believes her to possess some witchcraft and this is why the Witch King has need of her," the Elf informed her.
Siri opened her eyes. "And still he wishes for a union?"
"It may be the only way to uncover the truth," he replied. "For years she withheld the truth from your people. As you are about to journey back across the mountains, it seems little likely she would confide in you now."
Siri shook her head slowly. "This is something I cannot believe," she said under her breath.
"From what we know of her, she values your lives above her own," said the Elven guard, handing her a small package wrapped in a green leaf. She took it hesitantly, staring at what appeared to be some sort of hard, flat bread inside. "That is lembas."
"I have heard of this," Siri said quietly, breaking off a corner and biting into it. "My mother used to tell me the stories of the days of old when there was a great trade between our peoples, back in the days of peace."
Both Elves exchanged a look. "There have not been days of peace since the destruction of Sauron in the last Age," one replied, inclining his head.
Siri watched them both before swallowing. "Huh," she marveled. "What do you know? Maybe you are not as bad as I thought you were."
Even as Siri relayed this story to her cousin, Daire watched her through narrowed eyes full of disbelief. Well, Siri never expected Daire to believe her in the first place. If the word of the union had been bad enough, imagine her surprise to learn that the Elves seemed to know more about their revered leader than Buffy herself had told them.
"But your mother must have known," Daire protested as the two continued towards the realm, riding aside with their family guards as the others trooped behind them on foot. The Elves had returned to patrol, yet a few followed them into the realm.
"Perhaps," Siri said softly. "It does not excuse that we have not known the truth all along. Why would the Elves wish for her allegiance when they are far older and wiser than she? Why would they ask for her hand in the state of affairs when they have held their own for quite some time? She obviously must pose a threat to the stability of a people that has been in this forest for thousands of years!"
Daire glanced down as though in thought. "Perhaps she knows why they want her allegiance."
"Perhaps she was too cowardly to admit that she has no method to defeat the darkness should it come… save the excuse of this race!" Siri retorted.
They finally approached the crest of the hill.
"We ride in formation," Siri said in her sullen, dulcet tones.
"Siri…" Daire said, her tone half-pleading.
"I want her to look upon her people and to know that she betrayed my trust. I, whom she loved as a child and raised as her own flesh and blood!"
Daire gave a great sigh and pulled their old battle horn from her saddle. Raising it to her lips, she blew into the trumpet three times, the sound echoing in the trees around them and reverberating into the valley below.
Siri's Elven host came up to ride with them, leading them through the main path in their realm to the cavern under the highest trees. From the region beyond the cavern, two figures hurried to see a great host of women drawing to a halt.
One of them was the Elven Prince, Siri thought as she dismounted smoothly, her eyes set on the older Elf.
The Elves appeared to be rather startled until one of the rearguards came up and bent to speak into the ear of the Prince. When the guard stepped away, Legolas turned to face Siri. "You have come from a great distance to see her."
"To save her," Siri replied, a hard edge to her voice. "Do not tell me you do not know what your Father plans, Thranduilion."
Buffy had been slower to arrive and even as she was still out of sight, she saw Siri standing before Legolas, looking aggressive. Legolas appeared to be his normally calm self but she knew that if Siri started with the violence Legolas would not hesitate to put her in her place. She moved quickly to intercept before such things could happen.
"Perhaps you would care to enlighten me?" Legolas asked, spreading one arm to gesture to the cavern behind him. "My Father would be honored to accept your—"
"There is no way I would go anywhere with you," Siri said in a low growl. Daire quickly dismounted, as did several of the other women. Already they were drawing a crowd of curiously tall beings, all with the same pointed ears and long, sparkling hair. The sunlight above them fell through the trees, casting odd shadows. "I demand you release her at once."
"Siri," Daire said, leaning over to speak with her cousin. "Perhaps it would be wisest to not threaten a race far older and superior than our own."
"You speak as though we are thieves in the night?" Siri asked haughtily, outraged. "How dare you, especially as you are one of us? We are not vagrants of the house of pigs, Daire. We were once honored in a race beyond glory and our cities await our presence and the sounds of the trumpets alone will carry us home." The beautiful light in her eyes vanished as she looked upon Legolas. "Our Lady will return with us."
"She cannot," Legolas said simply.
Siri had had enough of the negotiations, but before she could strike out at him a hand caught her fist and propelled her backwards into her knights. Buffy stood there, gazing at Siri with a mild of expression of surprise on her face.
"You should listen to your cousin, Siri," Buffy said calmly.
"You!" Siri cried, turning to face Buffy. "I trusted you and all this time you have been hiding from me, from all of us!"
"This was my choice," Buffy said, trying to sound nonchalant while internally she was silently berating the girl. If only she knew the real truth.
"There are thousands of us who may begin to question your choices," Siri replied coldly. "We have strength in numbers you cannot deny."
"I know," Buffy replied. "But there is something to be said about class and it isn't about riding uninvited into your neighbor's realm and trying to attack its prince now, is there?"
"There is something to be said about lying to those whose lives are entrusted to you!" Siri said, her voice ringing in the dense silence.
Buffy crossed her arms uncomfortably and shifted, glancing quickly at the Elves now gathering around the group.
Siri called for the rest of the women to disperse. "We are no threat to this land," she said in her calmest tone. "You are the only one who could threaten this realm. Why did you have to bring my people into this?"
"They are also my—" Buffy began, but Siri cut her off.
"But we are not your people, are we?" Siri demanded, her hands on her hips. "You never spoke of your real lands, have you?"
How did it come to this, Buffy wondered in amazement as both Siri and Daire turned accusatory glances upon her. Even Legolas was gazing at her and, to bide her time, she glanced away. She was reminded of a time when Siri had been younger and Buffy had been caught by the child in another deception, one that did not stand between two peoples, one great in size with formidable warriors and one small with a strong leader and a ragtag group of women to defend them.
Sighing, she turned back to Siri and knew it was time to tell the woman the truth. "Come with me," she said, gesturing to a path to their left. It was the only way to settle this, she decided.
"May I come?" Daire asked. She had always loved Buffy even as a child.
Buffy slowly nodded. "You may come," she said, glancing at the few guards who remained. "There is an area to the west of the lake yonder," she said, gesturing beyond the trees. "It would be wisest to camp there."
The guards bowed before her and hurried off to do her will. It was obvious that even in the time of discord these women believed her to be their leader. Siri watched them go, a dark look on her face. Buffy waited until the others had gone before stepping past the Elves. Siri and Daire exchanged a look before following behind her.
"I assume you attacked the Prince because he was threatening your life," she said calmly as the three walked down a series of steps towards the gardens alongside the river.
Siri glared at her for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I attacked him because he thinks he knows what is best for you."
"Oh," Buffy replied. "Well, what do you think is best for me?"
"You belong with us," Daire said, her tone full of confusion. "You belong with your people."
"Or, if what I have heard is correct, you belong in the shadow," Siri said in a cold voice.
Buffy stopped and turned to look at the younger woman. "If you have something to say to me, say it. No more games, Siri."
"That is fair," Siri said, walking down to stand beside her smaller leader. She gazed upon the shorter woman with her dark eyes. "Are you living, or are you dead?"
"I don't know," Buffy said honestly.
This was obviously not the answer either one of them were expecting. They exchanged a troubled glance before turning back to her. "What say you?" Daire asked in a small voice.
"You asked for it," Buffy said simply, walking over to one of the benches and sitting down. The other two women joined her, sitting down on either side of her. "As far as I know, I'm dead. Yet here I am, as alive as it may seem. Maybe I am a shadow. Maybe I'm just a ghost of a reflection of what I used to be, I don't know."
"The Elves believe you to be a threat to this world," Siri said slowly, deciding it was her time to confide in her leader. "They see you as someone who could destroy this realm."
"They're right," Buffy replied.
"But you cannot be a creature of darkness!" Daire gasped, glancing from Siri to Buffy. "You have given us far too much of yourself to be so!"
"I am only what I am," Buffy said, her tone one of defeat. "I promised Edrea I would see your people return to their home and I told her I would take care of you, Siri. She knew what I was and what I could become and yet she believed that I had the strength to do what I have done."
"And the Elves? What of them?" Siri asked.
"They have been fighting wars against these shadows for thousands of years," Buffy said, her face a myriad of emotion. "They can protect me from what I don't know. I have protected you for twenty years, Siri. It is finally time for you to learn how to watch your own back."
"This is folly!" Daire cried, jumping to her feet. "How can you ask us to leave you behind?"
"Daire," Buffy said, turning to her, "you know your parents wanted you to see your homelands! I will not deny them their dying wish."
Daire turned on her heel and stormed off, past the guards and up the stone steps. Buffy closed her eyes and sank her head to her hands.
Siri was watching her leader with an expression of both pity and concern on her face. "This darkness must pass," she said.
"It never does," Buffy whispered. "It'll never go away. Don't you get it, Siri? Don't you see the big picture here? There's a war coming and it's going to be bad. Your people are going to have to choose their sides. We have chosen ours."
"And you have chosen this?" Siri asked softly.
"Siri," Buffy said, glancing up at her. For the first time, Siri could see the weight of their world resting on her shoulders. Despite her youthful appearance, Buffy seemed to have aged several decades before her very eyes.
"Or will you let him choose it for you?" Siri retorted, her voice becoming sharp.
A flicker of confusion swept through Buffy's anguished gaze. "What?"
"Did you not know?" Siri asked, her tone turning haughty. "The Elves are able to protect you if they deem you to be one of them. Are our people so unsatisfactory that you cannot return home with us?"
Buffy shook her head as she tried to process what the younger woman had said. "Siri, stop for a moment. What is this about 'deeming me to become one with them'?"
"Why do you suppose he sent the Prince to you?" Siri asked slowly, as though trying to explain this to a wayward child. "He wants to bind you to his people. We may be nothing to them, but you are his weapon. Because you a shadow, you can never die."
Buffy closed her eyes at these words. "Oh," she sighed.
"Buffy?" Siri asked softly, watching as Buffy pressed her hands to her face. Concern flashed through her cold gaze as she laid her hand upon her leader. "You did not know this, did you?"
"I knew it was more than wanting my army," she said with a bitter laugh as she looked up. "I never thought it could be this."
"He has betrayed your trust?" Siri asked, a hopeful hint in her tone.
"Not enough, I'm afraid," Buffy said, standing up. "We don't have much time if they do what I think they're going to do."
Siri didn't have to ask who it was Buffy was speaking of. The Orcs were more than likely regrouping for an attack on the realm to reclaim their glorious prize.
"Siri, I want you to send word to the village. Tell everyone to pack up and head for the old road in the center. We're getting our people out of here before the war comes."
Siri rose. "Yes, my Lady," she said, quickly making to move away.
"Siri?" Buffy called out, turning back to face the younger woman. Siri paused and turned back, looking thoughtful.
"Yes?" she called.
"I never meant to lie to you," Buffy said. "There were things I needed to protect and you are one of them. I just wanted you to know that in case… in case there isn't time."
Siri gave her a small, hesitant smile before moving off.
Buffy sighed and dropped back onto her bench, running her hands through her hair as she rested her forehead on her knees. "I should have expected this," she sighed into her gown. "I should have known that this is what they truly wanted. I should have known I would come back wrong. If they are the only ones with the power to protect me, why should I risk this? How did it come to that? How did it come down to this?"
- - - -
There was the slight sound of weeping in the next room as Buffy stepped inside the tent, gazing upon a young girl lying in her cot, her eyes half-closed. "Where's Mother?" she asked in a tiny voice.
"She's sick, Siri. She'll come to you soon," Buffy assured her with a smile.
"I want to tell her how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt her."
"I know," Buffy said, smoothing the girl's long raven hair.
"Will she be all right?" Siri asked, her dark eyes wide as she surveyed Buffy's hazel orbs.
Buffy forced herself to nod. "She'll be great," she lied, swallowing hard. "You'll see. She's going to happy again."
Siri smiled, accepting this as the truth for now. "Will you sing me a song?"
"I don't know any songs to sing that you would understand," Buffy admitted, kneeling before the younger girl's cot.
"Will you try?" Siri asked in her sleepy voice.
Buffy sighed and began stroking the little child's long raven hair. "I do know one song… I learnt it from your father. We will go home, we will go home, over the seas and the mountains… when we are lost, we will go home… We will go together…"
Siri was sleeping by the time Buffy rose and passed from the tent. A midwife was waiting outside the door. As soon as she saw Buffy, she shook her head, indicating that Edrea, their great leader, had already passed into the night.
- - - - -
In the next part, Buffy makes her final decision as her people are at last preparing to return home.