"This had better work," I said with a sigh as I held my hand out for, of all people, Xander Harris to take a hold of. He glared at me. I met his glare and raised him an eyebrow in silent challenge
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I had just barely gotten my gown on when there was a knock at the door. "Narwek you may enter." I nudged Lorne, he did not need to be reminded to act in a slave like manner but I still felt a need to from time to time; perhaps I was really just reminding myself.
The door flung open and a woman was dragged in, a new cow slave, I recognized the collar too well.
" Hmmm I had a vision about a girl like this." I said staring at the poor thing. Narwek gave me a look of pure dripping annoyance. He knew I was lying, no matter, he would not dare to defy me, at least not yet.
I walked over to the girl and lifted her chin to look at me. " Leave her with me." I said and the guards looked at me with pure annoyance. They probably wanted me to order her death now to so they could get it over with. " Do not question me!" I bellowed in a voice that sounded so unfamiliar to my ears. " Leave us!"
I stared at the girl as she ordered for everyone to leave and they all obeyed.
"You're their ruler?" I asked, looking up at the girl in front of me. "But you're...human."
I took in her robe, and the food piled high behind her velvet seat. Everything seemed to point to the fact that I'd heard right. This girl was in charge and according to her she'd known I was coming.
"Wait a minute, did you say vision?" I asked, squinting at her. "You saw me appear?" Maybe she could help me find the others, if she didn't want to eat me like the others. "About that whole cow thing...I don't think I'd make a very good meat source. I mean, look at me. I'm just meat and bones. Well...toned meat...tough toned meat...and I have lyme disease."
Great, Cordy, pick the disease that makes you sound like an entree.
"Please, does she look like she would eat you?" I protested in defense of my Queen. "Do *I* look like I would eat you? Honey, I've eaten a lot of things in my day, but humans are so not on the menu."
I took in the new girl's confused look.
"Queen Fred is from your dimension right? So chill, she'll take care of you. Let's start by getting rid of that ridiculous collar."
Something about having another human in my presence unnerved me. Maybe because I had been gone so long I have taken it for granted I would stay in this place till I died. This woman brought me hope though, if we had both came from the same dimension maybe she would know a way to get back.
" Yes, please take her collar off." Removing collars was a bit tricky, for the most part cow slave collars where not designed to be removed. I had tinkered with a few tools and managed to find a way to remove the collar without removing the head at the same time. Lorne knew where the tool was and I let him get to work on removing the collar.
"Do not worry, no one eats cow slaves here, well I mean some do but they are not the norm. What is you name by the way? Mine is Fred, well Queen Fred but to be honest I prefer just Fred." I smile at Lorne, I know he would have a hard time calling me anything but Queen Fred so he was the exception to my rule.
I gave a sigh of relief as the green demon insisted that I wasn't the next thing on the menu and moved to remove my collar.
I looked up at the girl in front of me. "You're from my dimension? Oh, thank God, I thought this was our future. Like planet of the apes but with..." I met the eyes of the demon undoing my collar. "Um...handsome green demons instead."
I gave him a nervous smile, hoping he didn't know how close I'd come to accidently knocking him. I really had to start watching what I said.
"Fred?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Well she definitely didn't seem that kind of Queen. She probably just had cruel parents. "I'm Cordy, well, Cordelia...but you can call me Cordy. If you want."
"Nice set up you've got here," I said looking around. "One cow to another. How does one go about making herself royalty?"
"Well, the usual deal is you have to have the visions. There was this prophecy, the cursed one, with the pure sight would one day claim the throne and restore the monarchy." I cast a wary glance at her Fredness, not sure how much to reveal. "The visions are what guide the people to prosperity. It's all a big tradition and eventually the Queen gets to comshuck with the hero of the land but he's out in the country somewhere fighting hell beasts and such." I wave away the last part quickly, I knew Fred wasn't too keen on those details.
I watched Lorne as he explained the prophecy to the Cordy. My hands twisted in knots as he recounted the details and as I remembered how he had saved my life by feeding me a phony vision. Even though his plan worked and my life had been saved I still felt sick at the realization how close it had been.
"That is probably all she needs to know." I tried to force a smile but I could not manage it so I started to pace. Suddenly I grabbed Lorne by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. " What should I do?" I said a little more hysterically than I should have. " You need to tell me what to do!"
I listened as he told me how you became royalty around here and then she cut him off. It didn't make sense. This girl was royalty, so how come she was acting so nervous as she paced up and down.
You need to tell me what to do!
And last time I checked, Queens didn't take orders from their servants.
I stepped towards them. "Well, hey, I'd like to fill out an application. I mean these visions haven't gotten me anything in the past, it's about time they pa...aah...ahh..."
Great. Here it comes. I put a hand to my head and tried to brace myself for the fall as I feel on my knees. I doubled over as the images burned into my mind. "Gaaaah. A Drokken. It's attacking the village. Near...it looks like a well or something..."
She looked up at the other two, wincing at the intense pain that was travelling down the side of her head. "Can I be a dutchess or something?"
I looked at Cordy (that was what she'd called herself right?) with my mouth agape. I didn't know whether to be ecstatic or deathly afraid. I didn't know this human like I knew Fred. Nor trust her the way I had come to trust my Queen.
"She has the sight, ruler of my heart." I gave Fred a pointed look as in 'the real sight' as opposed to the charade we had been churning out recently. "I'm talking the whole caboodle. This could be the opportunity we've been looking for."
The problem was that there was only meant to be one who had the visions. This might prove a tad sticky if it were to come out that Cordy here also was gifted a la the prophecy.
I decided we needed to keep up the pretense a little longer, until we could be sure what to do.
"By you leave, I'll go inform Narwek at once. And get something to ease your pain Cordy." I bowed to them both and exited the room. I was going to inform Narwek that the Queen had had another vision. It wasn't the truth, but what else could I do?
"Narwek you may enter." I nudged Lorne, he did not need to be reminded to act in a slave like manner but I still felt a need to from time to time; perhaps I was really just reminding myself.
The door flung open and a woman was dragged in, a new cow slave, I recognized the collar too well.
" Hmmm I had a vision about a girl like this." I said staring at the poor thing. Narwek gave me a look of pure dripping annoyance. He knew I was lying, no matter, he would not dare to defy me, at least not yet.
I walked over to the girl and lifted her chin to look at me. " Leave her with me." I said and the guards looked at me with pure annoyance. They probably wanted me to order her death now to so they could get it over with. " Do not question me!" I bellowed in a voice that sounded so unfamiliar to my ears. " Leave us!"
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"You're their ruler?" I asked, looking up at the girl in front of me. "But you're...human."
I took in her robe, and the food piled high behind her velvet seat. Everything seemed to point to the fact that I'd heard right. This girl was in charge and according to her she'd known I was coming.
"Wait a minute, did you say vision?" I asked, squinting at her. "You saw me appear?" Maybe she could help me find the others, if she didn't want to eat me like the others. "About that whole cow thing...I don't think I'd make a very good meat source. I mean, look at me. I'm just meat and bones. Well...toned meat...tough toned meat...and I have lyme disease."
Great, Cordy, pick the disease that makes you sound like an entree.
Reply
I took in the new girl's confused look.
"Queen Fred is from your dimension right? So chill, she'll take care of you. Let's start by getting rid of that ridiculous collar."
I looked to my mistress for permission.
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" Yes, please take her collar off." Removing collars was a bit tricky, for the most part cow slave collars where not designed to be removed. I had tinkered with a few tools and managed to find a way to remove the collar without removing the head at the same time. Lorne knew where the tool was and I let him get to work on removing the collar.
"Do not worry, no one eats cow slaves here, well I mean some do but they are not the norm. What is you name by the way? Mine is Fred, well Queen Fred but to be honest I prefer just Fred." I smile at Lorne, I know he would have a hard time calling me anything but Queen Fred so he was the exception to my rule.
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I looked up at the girl in front of me. "You're from my dimension? Oh, thank God, I thought this was our future. Like planet of the apes but with..." I met the eyes of the demon undoing my collar. "Um...handsome green demons instead."
I gave him a nervous smile, hoping he didn't know how close I'd come to accidently knocking him. I really had to start watching what I said.
"Fred?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Well she definitely didn't seem that kind of Queen. She probably just had cruel parents. "I'm Cordy, well, Cordelia...but you can call me Cordy. If you want."
"Nice set up you've got here," I said looking around. "One cow to another. How does one go about making herself royalty?"
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"That is probably all she needs to know." I tried to force a smile but I could not manage it so I started to pace. Suddenly I grabbed Lorne by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. " What should I do?" I said a little more hysterically than I should have. " You need to tell me what to do!"
Reply
You need to tell me what to do!
And last time I checked, Queens didn't take orders from their servants.
I stepped towards them. "Well, hey, I'd like to fill out an application. I mean these visions haven't gotten me anything in the past, it's about time they pa...aah...ahh..."
Great. Here it comes. I put a hand to my head and tried to brace myself for the fall as I feel on my knees. I doubled over as the images burned into my mind. "Gaaaah. A Drokken. It's attacking the village. Near...it looks like a well or something..."
She looked up at the other two, wincing at the intense pain that was travelling down the side of her head. "Can I be a dutchess or something?"
Reply
"She has the sight, ruler of my heart." I gave Fred a pointed look as in 'the real sight' as opposed to the charade we had been churning out recently. "I'm talking the whole caboodle. This could be the opportunity we've been looking for."
The problem was that there was only meant to be one who had the visions. This might prove a tad sticky if it were to come out that Cordy here also was gifted a la the prophecy.
I decided we needed to keep up the pretense a little longer, until we could be sure what to do.
"By you leave, I'll go inform Narwek at once. And get something to ease your pain Cordy." I bowed to them both and exited the room. I was going to inform Narwek that the Queen had had another vision. It wasn't the truth, but what else could I do?
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