The doors sealed behind him when Kitto stepped into the hall. He was lost in thought going over everything that happened the last few days. Making his way to the rooms, he shared with Merry's former lovers, he felt a spark of magic. It started as a tingle in the tips of his fingers. The feeling continued to race through his veins until it swept over his entire body, even to the ends of his hair. Kitto raised his hands looking at them. What he saw caused his eyes to grow huge with wonder.
Frost, Doyle and Galen walked around the corner only to stop dead in their tracks. "Do you see what I see?" Galen's green eyes blinked several times, trying to adjust to the sight before him.
"Yes, but I never thought to see it again in my lifetime." Doyle's voice barely more than a whisper.
"By the Consort, what is happening to him?" Frost shook his silver head in disbelief.
Not another word was spoken as they watched Kitto slowly disappear before their eyes. Each man heard a deep rumbling laugh and recognized their 'little' friend's new voice. Galen jumped when he felt invisible fingers pinched his nose. Doyle's numerous earrings clinked together like chimes. Barely seconds later, Frost's silver head went back when his hair was playfully pulled.
"Kitto, make yourself visible, at once." Doyle demanded as his years of being the Queen's Darkness came to the fore without him even noticing. A soft pop answered his demand and there stood a grinning Kitto.
"How did this happen? Did Buffy do this? She is messing with power that was better left lost." Frost's grey eyes looked like a winter's storm, leaving no one in doubt to his feelings for the Lady.
"Buffy knows what she is doing, Frost. When are you going to quit blaming her because you aren't the father of Merry's baby? You still act like the boy you were before you became a Sidhe." A loud pop followed his words as Kitto disappeared from sight once more.
Frost marched down the hall towards Buffy's room, determined to tell her exactly what he thought. Nothing Doyle or Galen said could make him change his mind. He stood before a solid wall where doors should be, trying to figure out how he could get inside.
Doyle was close on the heels of his best friend, but unfortunately not close enough. Before he could shout a warning, Frost was thrown back from the doors. He hit the wall across from Buffy's rooms and slid down into a crumpled heap. Doyle shook his head causing his solid black braid to sway from side to side.
Frost looked up to see a hand stretched out to help him up. He grabbed it and slowly got up from the floor. "Did you see what she did to me? I told you that she was dangerous."
"I saw the Sithin knock you on your ass when you tried to disturb its mistress." Doyle's luminescent skin gleamed in shades of purples and reds in the low lighting.
Kitto appeared beside them, he had a feeling that Frost would try to confront Buffy. Seeing the former Raven fly into the wall gave him a sense of satisfaction. Out of all Merry's lovers, Frost was the most standoffish. Kitto knew that Frost was turned into a Sidhe by the Goddess and held a grudge because of it. He thought the tinsel-haired demi-god decided to make Buffy responsible for his past and current pain. Kitto wouldn't allow Frost or anyone else to cause his new friend problems, not if he could help it.
Buffy gifted Kitto with an ancient Hand of Power, the Hand of Visibility, some called it the Power of Sight. The wielder controlled the ability to disappear from sight or cause an opponent to, when or if something or someone reappeared, was up to them, as well. Kitto felt humbled that she trusted him so much. The person who controlled it held a lot of power and responsibility.
"Go somewhere and cool off, Frost." He glared down at them watching Doyle help Frost to his feet.
The two of them stood nose to nose. For the first time, the others realized how tall he was now. Kitto was several inches taller than Frost. The only one taller than him was Barinthus.
"I'm going to talk to her, even if I have to tear down that damn wall. Why won't she come out here and face me? Answer me that, Kitto."
"Because she's asleep, you idiot! The Mound is protecting her from being disturbed. Are you such a stubborn fool that you would not only disturb the Mound, but make it angry too?"
Doyle put a restraining hand on Frost to keep him from attacking Kitto. Although Doyle got the impression, that Frost would lose that battle. He looked at the former half-Goblin taking in his stance, the light in his eyes and the air of confidence that flowed off him. Whatever Buffy did or said to Kitto made a world of difference. Doyle felt a twinge of jealousy that he hadn't gotten the opportunity to become closer to the golden-haired woman. She filled his thoughts throughout the days and oh, the nights as well.
As if thinking of her caused him to know something wasn't right, his sensitive hearing picked up a sound from her room. He disappeared leaving Galen playing peacemaker. He appeared inside the room that denied Frost entrance. Looking around trying to sense the danger, he didn't feel anything, but there it was again, soft cry coming from the large bed on the far side of the room. Doyle crept forward, his skin blending with the shadows. He looked on the bed and what he saw broke his heart.
Buffy walked the shores of Valinor. Clouds floated low touching her arms, shoulders and legs in soft loving caresses. She smiled because each one felt familiar - Mother, Father, Aragorn, Arwen, Gandalf. Her family and friends surrounded her with their love, letting her know that they were thinking of her, waiting for her on the other side. Everyone was there save the one she wished for the most - Legolas. Legolas, her lover, friend, confident, he was the other part of her, the part that made her feel safe.
A soft voice whispered in her mind. Buffy closed her eyes at the sound. It had been so long since she heard that wonderful voice. She opened her eyes and there he stood. He was so beautiful he took her breath away. A silver light outlined his body, making his pale blond hair glow even brighter. Legolas' grey eyes were soft as his love shown through while he drank in the sight of her face.
"Golas, is it really you?" Buffy put her hand out to touch him when his expressive eyes turned sad.
"We cannot touch beloved. I have no true body on this plane. Let me feast on the sight of you. You are as beautiful as the first day I met you. Are you well, my love?"
"It is not too bad; Golas, but I miss you. I'm sorry love, so sorry that I wasn't there to..." Tears filled her eyes, falling down her cheeks.
He wanted so much to hold and comfort her but couldn't. Legolas tried to think of the words that would bring her the most comfort. "Buffy, it was simply my time. It would be perfect, if only you were with me. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you about the Valar. My mother always told me of their kindness, that they loved and protected us. It was unthinkable to me that they would do this to you, to us. Fortunately, years pass quickly here. We will be together soon, my love."
"Not soon enough for me." Her lower lip fell into its famous pout.
"That isn't fair, wife, your lips are too tempting like that and well you know it."
"We can meet here, when I dream at night. You can come to me. I can't believe they are allowing us this much." Her eyes held a happy glow thinking that the Powers gave them a boon.
"They aren't." He looked out over the remember water. "The others are helping me hide from their sight. I thought if we talked that it might help ease your pain." Legolas gave her that quirky smile that caused his dimples to peak out. His smile faded. "I have to go love; we only have a few minutes, before they know that we are in contact."
Buffy watched Legolas start to fade, until only a soft cloud remained. It floated towards her until it surrounded her. She felt him for the barest instance, he along with the rest of her family left. Tears streamed down her face and she fell to her knees in the soft cool sand.
"Golas," Buffy whispered. Her love floated on the wind following a single cloud. In her mind, he whispered to her one last thought. "Soon, my love."
Doyle watched her whimper with tears falling down her cheeks. He jumped back when she suddenly shot upright in the bed. An unholy scream of anger, agony and pain tore from her lips. He had to grab the bedpost to keep from falling. The entire Mound and Sithin shook, as if it felt the same pain. Doyle wasn't so sure that it didn't. He finally understood the three were bound in a way that he never thought possible.
Everything stopped moving when Buffy's eyes opened. She looked disoriented for a moment. Doyle didn't think that she knew where she was, that she was still caught in her dreams. She turned to look at him and Doyle thought her eyes held all the pain that Ezekial meted out all these years.
"Doyle, what are you doing here? Is everyone okay?" A small hand brushed away the last of her tears.
He approached the bed slowly not wanting to alarm her or the Mound. Standing beside the bed, he thought she looked like a little girl. "No one is hurt, except you, Lady. Is there anything that I can do for you?"
"You can call me, Buffy. Other than that, there isn't anything that anyone can do. I simply have to wait and hope that the next hundred years pass quickly. Have you ever been in love, Doyle?"
"Once I thought I was, then I almost was, but both times it slipped through my hands. Perhaps, now that I'm not bound to the crown, I'll have a chance to find the real thing. Would you like to talk about it, Buffy?" His black within black eyes showed his concern.
"Talking about it won't change it, perhaps nothing will." She stopped when a soft 'pop' sounded in the room.
Kitto appeared scowling but seeing them deep in conversation caused him to look on wide eyed. Buffy started laughing. "I see that it didn't take you long to find your Hand of Power. Did you know that one of your mother's ancestors was the last one to use it? The power was always there buried deep inside you. It just needed to be asked nicely to come out and play."
Doyle laughed at her wording. Shock crossed Kitto's face. He couldn't remember ever hearing Doyle laugh. The way that Kitto's mouth gaped open made him look like a fish. Buffy laughed even harder.
"I'm guessing from Kit's face that you don't laugh too often."
"Try never," Kitto quipped with a sly smile of his own.
"Be nice, Kit." Buffy looked at Doyle thinking a smile made his face even more striking. "Why were you so angry when you got here."
"FROST." His one word explanation spoke volumes.
"Let me guess, Buffy's a bad girl and Tinseltown decided to put me in time out. What is his damage? Why does he blame me for everything that's wrong with his life." Anger and disappointment showed in her bright green eyes.
It took Doyle a minute to decipher everything she was saying. "Frost has not accepted the years well. He had all his hopes set on being the father of Merry's baby. I think he thought that a child would give his life purpose. The babe would make up for many of the things that he has endured." He never analyzed his friend's feelings before and found it unsettling. Doyle wasn't sure that Frost was going to be able to adjust yet another time. The thought of a completely new way of life frightened his friend to the tips of his silver hair.
"Frosty is going to have to grow up. I can't take the blame for everything. Every fey is descended from me because of the spell that destroyed Sauron. But, I'm not responsible for everything that has happened because of it. The Valar found new toys to play with and because of the mess they created, I have to come in and clean house again. If I can adjust to what happened in my life, then it should be a breeze for him."
Buffy pushed the covers off getting out of bed. Doyle admired the slender form peeking through the transparent gown. Her skin held a warm glow that outlined her in a shimmering pale gold. He glanced over to see Kitto looking at Buffy noticing the difference in his eyes. Kitto thought that she was beautiful of course; he was a Sidhe after all. But, she was his 'friend' first and foremost. He saw the vulnerability and sadness that lay underneath. Kitto wanted to help her anyway that he could. Doyle, on the other hand, wanted to be more than friends, if given the opportunity. It was a strange feeling to be attracted to someone that wasn't Merry. Living and loving with Merry these last few months brought Doyle's passions to the forefront. He had no intention of burying them. He was not going to live the rest of his life alone.
Buffy stopped to look at the man who heard her crying in her sleep. Doyle reminded her of Haldir, not in looks but in the way that he carried himself and how she felt around him. It was odd to meet two people who reminded her of her most cherished friends. She wondered if somehow they were their descendants. Buffy shook her head knowing she had to get back to the matter at hand.
"Frost will have to figure out his future on his own. I don't think there is anything you can do or say that will help him change his mind. He has to do that for himself."
"How did you get so smart, Kit?" She smiled at her friend, happy that she could help him become what he was always meant to be. Buffy looked around the room the Sithin and Mound created for her. It was beautiful and made her feel more at home but...It dawned on her what she needed. "Guys, I need to do something, don't worry I'm not going to bother Mr. Freeze. I'll be back in the morning." She kissed Kitto's cheek then, surprisingly, Doyle's as well.
Before they could say a word, she was gone. The only thing left behind was a hint of vanilla musk. They looked at each other not sure what to make of tonight's latest events. By some undeclared agreement, the two men came to an undeclared agreement. Kitto and Doyle found comfortable places to sit while they waited for her to return.
Buffy reappeared in a glade not far from the Mound. The large trees, surrounding it, provided protection and privacy. Dropping her gown, she jumped into a pool nestled at its center. The cool clean water felt wonderful. She dove down to the bottom before shooting back up to the top, again and again. Buffy felt finally the negative energies melt away as she neared the water's surface. The full moon caste a silver light down on the magical oasis. When she tired of swimming, Buffy walked to the soft sweet grass, and lay down. She was dressed in a soft leather outfit of deep Lothlorien green. Her eyes closed, as she wished for Legolas to visit her in her dreams. It was not to be, but she slept peacefully under the stars.
The sun's soft rays woke her up. Saddened that Legolas didn't visit, she decide that she would find a way to talk to him in her dreams. This power doesn't do any good if I'm not willing to use it. If I hadn't ignored it before, I could have saved Legolas. We'd be together right now.
Buffy slowly walked through the forest toward to the Mound. She knew that the shier fey watched her. Buffy walked on knowing that they would greet her in their own time. In only a matter minutes, she stood in front of the Mound. It embraced the Sithin, and the two welcomed her back into their fold. They whispered to her telling her everything that happened last night and this morning. She cracked up when they showed her how they handled Frost.
She walked back through the halls of the Sithin, and stopped by to see the roses. They greeted her with soft caresses. Buffy waited as the roses parted showing a hallway to her bedroom.
Sage flew through the corridors, winging his way to Buffy's room. He hoped to catch her bathing again. He got hard just remembering golden skin covered in bubbles. It glowed through the wall of water that rinsed her clean. He stopped in front of a solid wall where doors should be. His little wings drooped in disappointment. Sage pressed his ear to the wall trying to hear something, anything.
"Are you here to see me, Tink?"
The soft voice coming from behind him startled Sage so much that he yelped. He lost his balance and would have hit the floor, but Buffy caught him in time.
"You sure land on your butt a lot for a fairy." Buffy hid her smile, knowing that the little Demi-Fey would protest at her calling a fairy.
"I am not a fairy! I am a Demi-Fey; we aren't even slightly related to fairies. They are from the Seelie line and related to elv..." The information settled in his mind when he realized that he was related to the hated bright and shining Seelie version of his race.
"Give that boy a prize. You are smarter than you look, Tink. I knew there was more to you than a pretty set of wings." Buffy winked at him, then walked through the doors that he didn't even notice opening.
He watched her walk by him not sure what to do next. Buffy stuck her head through the doors. "Well Tink, are you coming in or not?"
He flew after her smiling happily. Maybe she will take a bath now, you can never be too clean ya know.
Doyle and Kitto shot to their feet when they heard the doors open. They wondered why she bothered using them, but figured Buffy had her reasons. Neither doubted that she ever did anything without a reason behind it.
"Good morning, boys. Look who was waiting to bring me the morning paper." She gave them a sunny smile then waved a hand at Sage flying behind her.
"Sage, what are you doing here so early?" Kitto looked at the Demi-Fey with curiosity and more than a little bit of suspicion.
"I came to wish Buffy good morning and tell her the latest gossip." His small chest puffed out with pride.
"I already know the latest whispers, Sage. Got the 411 from the source this morning." Smiling, then gave him a sassy wink.
"What source, I'm the source for the best gossip here? Who is telling you that they know more than I do?" He crossed his arms and all but pouted to think that someone could take his place. Especially, when it came to gossip, which was his favorite all time sport. Sage had fined tuned it to an art form over the years.
"Relax Tink. You forget that I have a direct line to everything that happens here. They even showed me Frosty's new flying act. Do you think that he would it do one more time when I could watch?" She laughed seeing the twinkle in Doyle and Kitto's eyes. It seemed that she wasn't the only one who enjoyed the thought of the belligerent Sidhe flying into the wall.
"Lady, isn't it time for your bath. Don't mind us, I'm sure that you will feel better once you get cleaned up."
"Tink are you saying that I stink?" Buffy's eyebrow rose in challenge.
"Uh." He flew backward not knowing if he'd be punished for his insolence.
"Relax, Tink. You can speak your mind around me; it won't get you in trouble. I don't mind. It is probably high time that people were allowed to have an opinion. Look, I need to think a few things over. I will talk with you later."
They watched her walk across the room and a new set of doors opened up for her. Doyle watched her clothes change into hard leather battle gear. The men looked at the each other, then raced to follow, but the doors closed in their faces. They heard Buffy's soft giggle caress their ears. All three wore similar smiles as they walked out of room. They hoped the Sithin would allow them to watch at least some of her workout.
Buffy stood in the middle of the workout room, with her eyes closed concentrating on finding her center. An image formed in her mind as she deeply exhaled. When she opened her eyes, she held a golden orb the size of a softball. A huge grin spread across her face. "Okay Buffy, lets see what you're made of. Mmm, what would make this interesting? I know how about this."
Blowing a stream of icy breath onto the ball, she watched it frost over. She threw it into the air as a beautiful blade appeared in her hand. It was created from her friends and families blades. It was engraved with their native tongues - Sindarin, Númenorean, Maia, Dwarven, and Westron. The symbols folded into one another creating an intricate design. A spell bonded the weapons into the glowing blade that fit her small hands perfectly.
She jumped into the air to meet the ball, and broke it into ten individual pieces. The pieces flattened into spinning discs that whirled around her head. Falling back down to the ground in a crouch, then shooting up to hit the first one that came at her. They spun faster in an ever-tightening circle around her. Buffy's blade whirled in every direction hitting discs, then sending spinning out into the room. She moved slicing two discs at the same time.
Buffy pushed her concentration and stamina further. While she danced with the discs, they spun faster each time they made contact with her blade. She was so engrossed in her workout, that she didn't hear the door open. In Buffy's mind, she fought Orcs, they surrounded her and for everyone one that she defeated, another one waited. At the same time, her mind whirled with plans of not only seeing, but touching Legolas. Buffy decided that she wasn't willing to wait one hundred years before seeing her mate again.
"Are you crazy, woman? What, the hell, are you trying to do?" Frost screamed at the top his lungs. He couldn't believe what he saw, when he walked into room. Buffy four foot in the air with that huge sword in her hand. Gold discs whirled around her, and no matter what direction they came from she hit them.
Pissed at being interrupted, not to mention she hated when her train of thought got lost. Hoping that her plan would come back to her later, she hit one more disc as hard as she could. It shot straight at Frost, who hit the floor to keep from getting his head cut off. He didn't escape completely, two foot of silver hair lay beside him on the floor.
Buffy fell to the floor, then marched over to Frost. She bent down to look him in the eye. "I thought that you needed a trim, the ends were looking kinda raggedy. It would be a good time for you to get the hell out, Dreamsicle. You are not one of my favorite people at the moment, now be a good boy and go bother someone else."
Frost couldn't stop the shiver of fear racing down his spine. He got up to confront her, not willing to allow the latest insult to pass, but she was gone. Cussing under his breath, he tried to leave the room.