Fic: Terennoaptre 4/? [BtVS, FRT, B/G]
Title: Terennoaptre 4/?
Author: GylzGirl
Rating: FRT
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: AU- Season 10 - Summer. Everything through OMWF happened.
Summary: Sunnydale's Hellmouth is going dormant just as news arrives from overseas that will change the lives of Buffy and Giles forever.
Beta: The Amazing lauratew. Any remaining errors are totally my fault.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1-3 are revised repostings. Story revised and continued for the summer_of_giles 2009. Anyone who already had the original 3 chapters up, feel free to archive the rest. Anyone else who'd like it, just ask.
******
IV. Duchess
A few hours later, a rapping noise intruded upon the light, fitful sleep Buffy had fallen into. She awoke still fully dressed, lying atop the covers of the bed. Stretching as she walked, she opened the door. Relia stood on the other side. Upon seeing Buffy, she smiled.
"Am I disturbing you, Miss Summers?"
"Call me Buffy. And nah, I don’t think it’s possible for me to be any more disturbed right now. Come on in."
"Thank you."
"So have you spoken to Cezar? Can I stay?" Buffy sat on the bed.
Relia joined her and took her hand. "Tomorrow you will be sent to Castle Nest in the village of Izolat. It is southeast of Pazitore. That is all I may tell you until we reach our destination."
"Our?"
Relia smiled and squeezed Buffy’s hand. "Of course. It would be unthinkable to send a young girl off to a strange place all alone."
"Well forgive me sounding all slack-jawed yokel on you but aren’t you a little important to be chaperoning someone like me? After all, I am the Slayer. That comes with a certain ability to take care of yourself. So not that I’m ungrateful, but why would a Lady trouble herself…"
"First of all, you will have to call me Relia if we are to be friends."
Buffy relaxed a little. "All right."
"And secondly, I must beg you to have patience. You will know everything tomorrow. To set your mind at ease, allow me to assure you that your Rupert approved of this plan. Indeed, it could not happen without him."
Buffy exhaled. "Great. More cryptic. Okay, I’ve resigned myself to being kept in the dark until tomorrow." Buffy stood. "But only until tomorrow, right?"
Relia stood as well. "As soon as you cross the threshold of Castle Nest, you will be told all."
"Okay, less than 24 hours. I can do that."
"Now, would you like to come down for dinner?"
"Will Giles be there?" Buffy smiled.
"No, I’m afraid until all this is settled, you would have to dine separately from Rupert."
Buffy’s expression dropped. "Oh."
"I would dine with you. I wouldn’t let you dine alone."
"No offense, Relia. I mean, you’re being really great and everything."
"I’m just not Rupert?"
"I hope you understand."
She smiled and tucked Buffy’s hair behind her ear. "All too well, Dear."
"I think I’ll just get some sleep."
"And make tomorrow come that much faster?"
"Unoriginal I know but…"
"Well, I will leave you to rest then. I will see you tomorrow. You’ll want to wear something warm." She walked through the doorway.
"Relia?" Buffy said. Relia stopped and turned. "Thank you."
"Don’t thank me yet, Dear. Give me a little time. Then you’ll have reason to thank me." She winked at Buffy then continued on her way.
"And the cryptic keeps on coming." Buffy shut her door.
******
"Is it all right for me to come down?" Buffy said as she descended the stairs with a suitcase in hand.
"Well of course, Dear. You are not a prisoner." Relia said. She pulled her long brown gloves up her forearms.
"Could have fooled me," she mumbled.
"Now really, would your Rupert allow that?"
"No." She pouted as she came to stand next to Relia.
Relia crooked her finger under Buffy’s chin. "You did not sleep at all, did you?"
"Not really," Buffy said with a smile.
"Well, I suppose that was to be expected. Perhaps you’ll sleep on the way."
"Castle Nest? It’s not stuck up a tree somewhere is it?"
Relia smiled. "No, Dear. Nest was the name of the family who owned the land. Their last heir died some time ago and the lands have been in abeyance since then. But come, no more of this until we reach the Castle."
Buffy stepped outside and stopped, blinking. Another carriage, this time black with four beautiful black horses stood waiting with its door open. It was flanked by four other single horses, these each with a uniformed rider. A fifth horse, this time carrying Cezar, approached to the side and then stopped. Cezar dismounted and came to greet them.
"Are you coming with us?" Buffy asked him as she shielded the sun from her eyes with her hand.
He nodded. "I will accompany you to Castle Nest to perform my duty and then I will return to my king. This small unit will remain with you for your use and protection."
Buffy licked suddenly nervously dry lips. "You guys aren't like, taking me into the forest to shoot me and solve your problem, are you?"
Cezar looked horrified. Relia grinned to the point of laughing but maintained her composure. "No, Dear. We never do that on Tuesdays."
Both Buffy and Cezar turned to look at her in surprise. Buffy's mouth broke into a smile when she saw that she was being teased. Cezar continued to look scandalized. He cleared his throat and looked down. "Miss Summers," he said and gently tugged her suitcase away from her. "You will have to learn to trust us. And you will have to learn to indulge us in our backward ways." She looked to him confused. "A lady does not carry her own bag when there are able-bodied men around."
This time Relia did laugh. "At least not when Cezar is around. It would offend his chivalric code. Do indulge him, my Dear. Come, we have far to travel this day." Relia entered the carriage and Buffy followed behind. Cezar shut the door behind them, passed Buffy's case up to the driver and mounted his horse once more. With Cezar leading the way, they trotted off heading out of the city and into the forest. Buffy cast one more look back towards the castle, hoping Giles would sneak a way to see her off. She tried to keep the disappointment off of her face when the carriage rounded the wall of the castle and she could no longer see it clearly.
The journey led them southeast of the capitol into beautiful but not too dense forest. In an hour they came to another large city which Buffy learned was called Mormant. Relia informed her that they were just slightly under halfway to their destination. The motion of the carriage and the lack of sleep the night before helped lull her into slumber. The next thing she was aware of was Relia's gentle but insistent shaking of her shoulder.
"Wake up, my Dear. We’ve arrived."
Buffy blinked open her eyes and quickly sat, running a hand back to hopefully tame any crazy bed-hair that may have attacked her in her sleep. Relia stepped from the carriage first and Buffy followed behind. They mounted the steps together. Relia stopped just before the entrance so Buffy followed suit.
"This will do, Cezar," she said and indicated that Buffy should turn and face him.
Buffy watched as Cezar slowly ascended behind them, produced a scroll of parchment and knelt before them. Her eyes flashed quickly to Relia who encouraged her with a smile. She turned back to Cezar who began to read.
"By the command of King Rupert the First, leader of our country and its people, the land of Izolat has been decreed abandoned by its ancestral owners. Therefore, under the rights of the crown, it has been reclaimed by the state and shall henceforth be known as the Duchy of Buffonia."
Buffy blinked, too shocked to move.
"The King, by way of this signed declaration, has elected to gift this province to Miss Buffy Anne Summers, who shall henceforth bear the title of the Duchess of Buffonia and in her name and bloodline shall the lands and title descend throughout all the ages that Terrennoaptre remains."
"Huh," Buffy said eloquently.
Relia touched her shoulder. "This title gives you noble status. We will remain here for two weeks in order to legally establish your residency of these lands and then after that, we may return to the castle where you will enjoy all the privileges of your status."
"Duchess of Buffonia?" Buffy smiled and shook her head. "I'm going to have to kill Xander Harris."
******
Chapter V: Chapter 5: Fear Factor
Crossposted to summer_of_giles, allthejellies, buffy_giles
Previous Chapters:
Chapter I: King
Chapter II: Farewell Sunnydale
Chapter III: Country
Following Chapters:
Chapter V: Fear Factor
Chapter VI: Remembrances
Chapter VII: Pen Pals
Chapter VIII: Reunion
Chapter IX: The Grand Ball
Chapter X: Morning Glory
Chapter XI: Rain
Chapter XII: Supernova
Chapter XIII: Coronation
Author: GylzGirl
Rating: FRT
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: AU- Season 10 - Summer. Everything through OMWF happened.
Summary: Sunnydale's Hellmouth is going dormant just as news arrives from overseas that will change the lives of Buffy and Giles forever.
Beta: The Amazing lauratew. Any remaining errors are totally my fault.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1-3 are revised repostings. Story revised and continued for the summer_of_giles 2009. Anyone who already had the original 3 chapters up, feel free to archive the rest. Anyone else who'd like it, just ask.
******
IV. Duchess
A few hours later, a rapping noise intruded upon the light, fitful sleep Buffy had fallen into. She awoke still fully dressed, lying atop the covers of the bed. Stretching as she walked, she opened the door. Relia stood on the other side. Upon seeing Buffy, she smiled.
"Am I disturbing you, Miss Summers?"
"Call me Buffy. And nah, I don’t think it’s possible for me to be any more disturbed right now. Come on in."
"Thank you."
"So have you spoken to Cezar? Can I stay?" Buffy sat on the bed.
Relia joined her and took her hand. "Tomorrow you will be sent to Castle Nest in the village of Izolat. It is southeast of Pazitore. That is all I may tell you until we reach our destination."
"Our?"
Relia smiled and squeezed Buffy’s hand. "Of course. It would be unthinkable to send a young girl off to a strange place all alone."
"Well forgive me sounding all slack-jawed yokel on you but aren’t you a little important to be chaperoning someone like me? After all, I am the Slayer. That comes with a certain ability to take care of yourself. So not that I’m ungrateful, but why would a Lady trouble herself…"
"First of all, you will have to call me Relia if we are to be friends."
Buffy relaxed a little. "All right."
"And secondly, I must beg you to have patience. You will know everything tomorrow. To set your mind at ease, allow me to assure you that your Rupert approved of this plan. Indeed, it could not happen without him."
Buffy exhaled. "Great. More cryptic. Okay, I’ve resigned myself to being kept in the dark until tomorrow." Buffy stood. "But only until tomorrow, right?"
Relia stood as well. "As soon as you cross the threshold of Castle Nest, you will be told all."
"Okay, less than 24 hours. I can do that."
"Now, would you like to come down for dinner?"
"Will Giles be there?" Buffy smiled.
"No, I’m afraid until all this is settled, you would have to dine separately from Rupert."
Buffy’s expression dropped. "Oh."
"I would dine with you. I wouldn’t let you dine alone."
"No offense, Relia. I mean, you’re being really great and everything."
"I’m just not Rupert?"
"I hope you understand."
She smiled and tucked Buffy’s hair behind her ear. "All too well, Dear."
"I think I’ll just get some sleep."
"And make tomorrow come that much faster?"
"Unoriginal I know but…"
"Well, I will leave you to rest then. I will see you tomorrow. You’ll want to wear something warm." She walked through the doorway.
"Relia?" Buffy said. Relia stopped and turned. "Thank you."
"Don’t thank me yet, Dear. Give me a little time. Then you’ll have reason to thank me." She winked at Buffy then continued on her way.
"And the cryptic keeps on coming." Buffy shut her door.
******
"Is it all right for me to come down?" Buffy said as she descended the stairs with a suitcase in hand.
"Well of course, Dear. You are not a prisoner." Relia said. She pulled her long brown gloves up her forearms.
"Could have fooled me," she mumbled.
"Now really, would your Rupert allow that?"
"No." She pouted as she came to stand next to Relia.
Relia crooked her finger under Buffy’s chin. "You did not sleep at all, did you?"
"Not really," Buffy said with a smile.
"Well, I suppose that was to be expected. Perhaps you’ll sleep on the way."
"Castle Nest? It’s not stuck up a tree somewhere is it?"
Relia smiled. "No, Dear. Nest was the name of the family who owned the land. Their last heir died some time ago and the lands have been in abeyance since then. But come, no more of this until we reach the Castle."
Buffy stepped outside and stopped, blinking. Another carriage, this time black with four beautiful black horses stood waiting with its door open. It was flanked by four other single horses, these each with a uniformed rider. A fifth horse, this time carrying Cezar, approached to the side and then stopped. Cezar dismounted and came to greet them.
"Are you coming with us?" Buffy asked him as she shielded the sun from her eyes with her hand.
He nodded. "I will accompany you to Castle Nest to perform my duty and then I will return to my king. This small unit will remain with you for your use and protection."
Buffy licked suddenly nervously dry lips. "You guys aren't like, taking me into the forest to shoot me and solve your problem, are you?"
Cezar looked horrified. Relia grinned to the point of laughing but maintained her composure. "No, Dear. We never do that on Tuesdays."
Both Buffy and Cezar turned to look at her in surprise. Buffy's mouth broke into a smile when she saw that she was being teased. Cezar continued to look scandalized. He cleared his throat and looked down. "Miss Summers," he said and gently tugged her suitcase away from her. "You will have to learn to trust us. And you will have to learn to indulge us in our backward ways." She looked to him confused. "A lady does not carry her own bag when there are able-bodied men around."
This time Relia did laugh. "At least not when Cezar is around. It would offend his chivalric code. Do indulge him, my Dear. Come, we have far to travel this day." Relia entered the carriage and Buffy followed behind. Cezar shut the door behind them, passed Buffy's case up to the driver and mounted his horse once more. With Cezar leading the way, they trotted off heading out of the city and into the forest. Buffy cast one more look back towards the castle, hoping Giles would sneak a way to see her off. She tried to keep the disappointment off of her face when the carriage rounded the wall of the castle and she could no longer see it clearly.
The journey led them southeast of the capitol into beautiful but not too dense forest. In an hour they came to another large city which Buffy learned was called Mormant. Relia informed her that they were just slightly under halfway to their destination. The motion of the carriage and the lack of sleep the night before helped lull her into slumber. The next thing she was aware of was Relia's gentle but insistent shaking of her shoulder.
"Wake up, my Dear. We’ve arrived."
Buffy blinked open her eyes and quickly sat, running a hand back to hopefully tame any crazy bed-hair that may have attacked her in her sleep. Relia stepped from the carriage first and Buffy followed behind. They mounted the steps together. Relia stopped just before the entrance so Buffy followed suit.
"This will do, Cezar," she said and indicated that Buffy should turn and face him.
Buffy watched as Cezar slowly ascended behind them, produced a scroll of parchment and knelt before them. Her eyes flashed quickly to Relia who encouraged her with a smile. She turned back to Cezar who began to read.
"By the command of King Rupert the First, leader of our country and its people, the land of Izolat has been decreed abandoned by its ancestral owners. Therefore, under the rights of the crown, it has been reclaimed by the state and shall henceforth be known as the Duchy of Buffonia."
Buffy blinked, too shocked to move.
"The King, by way of this signed declaration, has elected to gift this province to Miss Buffy Anne Summers, who shall henceforth bear the title of the Duchess of Buffonia and in her name and bloodline shall the lands and title descend throughout all the ages that Terrennoaptre remains."
"Huh," Buffy said eloquently.
Relia touched her shoulder. "This title gives you noble status. We will remain here for two weeks in order to legally establish your residency of these lands and then after that, we may return to the castle where you will enjoy all the privileges of your status."
"Duchess of Buffonia?" Buffy smiled and shook her head. "I'm going to have to kill Xander Harris."
******
Chapter V: Chapter 5: Fear Factor
Crossposted to summer_of_giles, allthejellies, buffy_giles
Previous Chapters:
Chapter I: King
Chapter II: Farewell Sunnydale
Chapter III: Country
Following Chapters:
Chapter V: Fear Factor
Chapter VI: Remembrances
Chapter VII: Pen Pals
Chapter VIII: Reunion
Chapter IX: The Grand Ball
Chapter X: Morning Glory
Chapter XI: Rain
Chapter XII: Supernova
Chapter XIII: Coronation