Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Angel, and Buffy the series.
Synopsis: This is the fourth story in the Soul series I am working on. In order the stories are The Price of a Soul, The Judging of a Soul, and, The Weight of a Soul. After a decision to save Cordelia from the visions put her in a coma she had to earn back her seer status by helping Angel on a mental journey. His soul in tact now, he fires her from A.I. and while the gang try to make sense of it, Cordelia's kidnapped from her home in order to fulfill a destiny in another dimension.
Chapter Three
It was a silence that just kept stretching out. Everyone was still, a small sniffle from the brunette in Angel's arms was all anyone heard. Finally Cordy felt herself lean back against Spike and she closed her eyes. She couldn't keep looking at it, at Lorne's head in a box. A box! Presented to her like jewels or fine fruit.
"I, I'm so sorry. I don't know why, oh Lorne!" She finally broke, her voice cracking and the nightmare of where she was all too real. She had tried ignoring it. After those 'tests', after all the pain, after realizing how far from home she was. Cordelia had tried indulging in the fantasy of being a princess to push it all away, but you can't push hell away for long. It overtakes you.
"No. It's my fault. I made him come, I forced it. He warned me. It's not your fault Cordelia, if it's anyone's, it's mine." Angel looked up at her sadly. Her eyes had opened to see him and he saw it then. She still loved him but the disappointment was horribly fresh and real. Somehow, that made him feel even smaller than her hating him would have. His mouth opened to ask something but a voice made him stop.
"My vote is for Angel. Sorry creampuff, but I did warn you!" Lorne's eyes open he sighed, somehow, just a head and he sighed in the box. A smile formed. "Well look at you Princess! Nice outfit!"
Everyone blinked and Cordy actually jumped a bit as Spike stepped forward and let his arms go around her waist. A glare, unnoticed, over her shoulder to Angel. He'd be damned if the poof got out of this one. Cordelia swallowed and stepped forward slowly looking into the box.
"Lorne? How are you, alive?" She asked the question on all their minds and Lorne made a small tsking noise. He didn't get to answer though as the guard, who was frowning over their reactions. He raised his head and pulled the box back towards himself.
"He is a traitor to his people and has been sentenced to three days on the dung heap!" The guard seemed overly proud of this and while Faith was now looking at him and then at Wes in obvious confusion, Angel was trying to dislodge the young woman from clinging on to him, and Cordy pulled away from Spike to put hands on her hips and glare at the guard. Before she could let lose, Lorne spoke up. "Hey, at least it wasn't the lice pile. Ugggh."
Cordy raised a hand and waved off Lorne's comment then addressed the guard. "I thought I did all the sentencing around here? I don't like you calling my friends traitors! If it wasn't for Lorne you guys wouldn't even know I was around to be found! So you get him his body back and fix him and he gets a full pardon!" The guard opened his mouth and Cordy stepped up to him again. "FULL. PARDON."
A clearing of the throat and she glanced down to the box again. Lorne smiled up at her, well as best he could anyway. "Don't suppose I can request a good shower and threads huh cupcake?" Cordy smiled, her shoulders relaxing. "What he said. Now hurry!" The guard frowned and shoved the lid on the box before heading out. With a groan she turned back to her friends, a head tilt at the girl Angel had barely gotten off of his waist. "Well, want to introduce us Angel?"
If it was possible for him to blush he probably would have. "Actually, I don't know. She sort of, just got caught up in things." Cordelia stepped forward and reached for the woman's arm, laying a hand there softly. "Hey there, you got a name?"
Large brown eyes in a dirty face looked up at her. She glanced to everyone else and grabbed Angel's arm as she stepped to his side. "F-Fred. Ah'm Fred. Or I was. I think." Frowning Cordelia looked up at Angel and then to Wes. She had now talked to a lot of people around here but not once had she heard a southern accent! Wes' eyes widened and he stepped over to the woman.
"Winifred Burkle? Of Cal Tech?" Off of everyone's look he shook his head and explained. "I was, doing some research and I saw posters on the campus and in the library. Promising student, very promising, suddenly disappeared. There were those that felt she had just left after being belittled by a professor for finding flaws in his work."
"Well, a temporal anomaly can't be figured into the formula as a static principle. It changes. Like time, fluctuates with energy and . . . " Fred looked up and saw them all staring at her, then whined and turned her head into Angel's arm.
"Well, Fred. Soon as we find a way home, we'll get you out of here. For now though, would you like that collar off? Maybe a bath and some clean clothes? There's some women in my rooms that just love running baths! Sound good?" Cordelia turned and nodded to a guard who left to get her attendants and she glanced back to Fred. Fred glanced up to Angel before slowly letting go of his arm and heading towards Cordelia, as if asking for his permission. Angel tried for a smile and nodded that it was all right. Cordelia let out a sigh of relief and handed Fred off to one of her women. The other stayed there and cleared her throat.
"Excuse me Princess. The Groosalug is on his way and your outfit is prepared. We should get you ready for the feast." Cordelia frowned. She had forgotten about that, well sort of. Spike stepped up to her as if he had to defend her from the woman. Cordy gave him a smile and put a hand on his arm.
"It's okay Spike. Well, guess it's time then. How about you guys get ready and I'll explain while I'm changing. That's okay right? They can have that room next door can't they? I'm not using it." The woman looked a bit nervous the room next door was being readied for the comshuk but she wasn't about to say no. So with a nod and a bow she headed out. Cordy shrugged and headed out. Faith was the first to follow with a poke to Wes. Spike and Angel stopped to glare at each other and Spike shook his head in warning before following them out of the throne room.
AA
Cordelia explained as they got comfortable and got some food. She kept peeking in as she was getting dressed, and getting pulled back into the room by frustrated women that wanted to finish her hair and outfit. When she was finally done she came out in a gown of creams and purples that set off her tan. Her hair done in intricate braids, tiny things, all pulled back and up and curls left down around her face. A circlet of silver with jewels of purple and green. She smiled and sighed. "Well?"
Spike and Angel seemed shocked, Wes confused. Faith was the one to lick her lips and raise a finger as she stepped forward. "Okay so, you are here to fulfill a prophecy with your visions, but first you have to meet some demon dude that is undefeated and make with the, comshuk, like we don't know what that means, but then your visions won't kill you anymore. Have I got that right?"
All heads came up to look at Cordelia and suddenly she felt very uncomfortable under their looks, shifting from foot to foot. Wow, it sounded so much worse when she said it, and it had sounded bad before that! "Um, well, yeah. I mean I just found out that last part before you got here." With a groan she sat down on a sofa like chaise and let her head fall back. "So how do I get out of it?"
Wesley cleared his throat. Once eyes were on him he took his glasses off and started cleaning them. Faith gave him a dirty look knowing he did this for the dramatic pause he thought it caused. "Perhaps, you do not need to, get out of it, as it were. If this Groosalug knows a way to save you from the visions, perhaps we can find out before any, er, um, comshuking occurs?"
Cordy perked up at that but Spike frowned. He didn't think it made much sense at all and was ready to tell him such but they were interrupted first. "My Princess?"
Cordy looked at Angel and Spike with panic, not yet turning around, afraid of what she'd find there. Their eyes flicked past her to the new person and darkened. That did not bode well and so Cordy stood and slowly turned around. She had to blink, standing there in leathers and furs was a rather buff looking man! A man! With too bright a smile and too dark eyes, but a man none the less. Rather attractive too if she was honest. He grinned and strode forward, taking her hand and kissing it before dropping to a knee.
"My Princess! I am the Groosalug, here to serve you, to defeat all challenges and to spare you the pain of your holy visions."
AA
Spike was pacing, unhappy. Angel stared at the two, his hands deep in his pockets while Wes watched, lips pursed. It was Faith that finally turned to face the three of them and clap her hands loudly. "Hey! Guys! They are just talking! I mean look at them!" Turning she flung a hand out to the door way where they could see Cordy and the Groosalug, or Groo as she now called him, sitting and talking.
"Can see 'em jus' fine, pet." Spike snorted. Not much more was said as Cordy rose and took the demon guy's hand and pulled him over to them. Faith poked Angel in the side to get him to stop glaring, but Spike just growled at her. He was going to glare and nothing you could do about it. Cordy and Groo seemed to have matching smiles as she came back over.
"Okay guys, so I got a little more information. See, first we have a feast, tonight. Then Groo here takes on any one that wants to challenge him. " He nodded enthusiastically and added, "I am undefeated and must remain so to be worthy of the Princess."
Cordy seemed to blush at this and the twin guttural growls were enough to have Wesley clearing his throat and stepping forward. "And, how exactly does he heal you from the visions?" Might as well cut to the chase. Preferably before the two vampires started attacking the rather amiable demon man.
"Oh, I will take them. During the comshuk, my demon blood will allow me to absorb the visions. I am, not a full demon and so becoming the Groosalug was the only way to be worthy of such an honor."
Cordy's face fell and she stepped away from her new friend. Not noticing at all the rather pleased look on a few faces. "What?! No! I don't' want to give them up! Their my visions!"
Groo turned, finally his smile slipping and a sadness coming over him as he reached for her arms. "You are merely a cow. You are not strong enough to handle such visions. It is my duty to take them, to protect you." She yanked away from him and shook her head, turning to poke him in the chest as she yelled at him.
"Well forget it! I'm keeping them and don't try those puppy eyes on me! Better manpires than you have tried that trick! These visions are mine, so you'd better find a way for me to keep them without them hurting because I'm not giving them up!" With a flourish she crossed her arms and glared. One hip popped to the side waiting for some sort of answer.
Groo, for his part seemed actually hurt. Hanging his head he sighed. "There is only one way. But it is an ardous trial and one in which you will need a champion." As soon as he said it, everyone perked up, except for Spike and Angel who were staring at each other, an unspoken conversation taking place over who would truly be worthy of being called a champion.