Their Ever After

Author: SavageWaters19
Rating: Let’s say PG-13 for now and possibly R for later.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of BtVS, they all belong to Joss Whedon . Disney owns Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. I envy her; she got to sleep all that time. Don’t know why she’s complaining. Other then that, the story’s mine and such. Made up characters are mine as well.
Summary: Princess Tara is getting married! But to who? The one who can complete the death journey to her Tower in the Northern Highlands. Wonder who that could be…
Feedback: I would like, yes: allthingsbuffy19@yahoo.com. Again, I’m greedy. Please.
Author's Note: Bold text is just the narrator voice. Italics are past events. Enjoy!!!



Ever read a cheesy “once upon a time” fairy tale where there was a prince and princess and everything was perfect and turned out happy and peachy? Yeah, this isn’t one of those stories. However, this is a story about love, about romance. This story took place ages ago in a time where happily ever after happened and where dragons weren’t as far fetched as one may think. This story happened when true love was real.

Now, I know you’ve heard of the great princesses: Cinderella, Sleepy Beauty, and Snow White, but I can bet money that you never heard of Princess Tara. Why was this tale kept secret all these years? Because the story was uncommon among the masses at the time, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Princess Tara was the most beautiful princess in the world. Some say the Goddess Aphrodite conjured Tara herself with ingredients from the Goddess herself. Others, the more religious ones, say that God wanted a daughter instead of a son, so he made this perfect woman. No matter which way you spin it, she was beautiful and perfect.
Our tale begins with a scuffle in the small town of Kensington, in the kingdom of Christiansburg…

“You rat of a woman, look at what your life is! I should slaughter you right on the spot!” spat Buffy Summers, captain of the king’s men.

“Buffy, Buffy, Buffy, look at us! We’re fighting like the cat and the mouse that live outside my home. We used to scurry around the farm when we were children, and now you hunt me like I’m a deer!” Willow laughed, balancing herself on the top of a roof. She smiled wickedly at her lost friend.

“I was foolish and then I made something out of myself. You? You scamper about town stealing and frolicking with God knows who. I’m ashamed to call you an old friend!” she called back, steadying her horse, Riley.

“Yes, but I do frolic quite nicely. I should think I get credit for that. It’s a respectable frolic!” Willow jousted back.

“You stole the man’s chicken for Christ’s sake! That’s almost punishable by death. If you’re so respectable, climb down here and take it like the scoundrel you are!” challenged the blonde headed captain.

Willow seemed to ponder the challenge and then she looked down at Buffy with an amused grin, “Nah, I’m good.”

Just as Buffy was about to retort, one of the King’s advisors on a horse galloped to the center of the town’s square.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, silencing the commotion around the bustling town, “On behalf of King James III, I have here a decree. The Tuesday after next, our fair princess Tara will turn the age of twenty. The law says that she is to be married on that day. But to prove a man worthy enough for his daughter, the King has locked the princess in a tower in the North Highlands. For the man to reaches her first and brings her back safely, the King himself will bestow his blessings to the both of them,” the advisor announced, nudging his horse to exit the square.

A crowd of people swarmed over to where the advisor had attached the decree to the pole. Buffy crossed her arms and chuckled slightly.

She then turned around to spar with the redhead again, but the woman had vanished. Cursing to herself, the blonde pull at the rains of the horse and trotted off to find the rest of the guard.

A young man let the curtain fall back into place and lit the candle in the room.
“She’s gone Will,” he whispered.

“Thanks Xander. I appreciate it,” Willow whispered back. She grabbed her hat from the chair and leaned out his window. She whistled lowly. From around the bend, a strong chestnut horse trotted to the window.

“Hey Sadie,” she greeted patting the horse’s mane. The horse nudged her hand gently and Willow gracefully mounted the animal. Xander poked his beady head out the window just as Willow was about to leave.

“Will, be careful,” he warned. The redhead smiled a devilish grin.

“Have I ever not been?” she asked as she kicked off and rode down the dusty path toward the pond near her home.

“Yes, you damn well have!” shouted Xander after her, laughing to himself and the sight of his friend.

Meanwhile in the castle…

“Daddy, do I honestly have to stay in that tower while some arrogant knight gallops off to ‘save’ me from a dreadful dragon?” exclaimed a very irritated blonde. She crossed her arms and sat on her four poster bed dramatically.

“Tara, you are not ordinary! Look at you, you are gorgeous and I’ll be damned if some unworthy boy takes your hand in marriage,” her father argued, steadying himself on one of the poles that help construct her bed.

“Then you can be damned. It’s my life! I don’t see why I can’t pick the one I marry,” she retorted.

“Looks can be deceiving my dear. A handsome young man could ride to the castle, his only intent to take our money and kingdom, and just string you along for however long it takes for you to fall madly in love with him.”

“Thank you for your confidence in my judgment Father!” she huffed insulted that her father would think so little of her. With the rolling of the king’s eyes, he stomped off towards the door.

“Tara Amelia Maclay, I already announced your rescuing and I will not be overthrown by my own daughter! Tonight in the thick of the fog, young William will ride you to the ancient tower and will over see the men fighting for your hand,” demanded King James, scowling at the blonde princess and slamming the hardwood door behind him as he departed the room.

Sighing heavily, the lovely princess, all dressed in a blue silk gown, fell limp onto her bed. A soft thud on the feather mattress caught her attention and a furry black and white kitten. With a tiny paw, the petite pet batted around with Tara’s sleeve, moving it about like a string. Chuckling, the blonde rolled over on her side facing her beloved friend. She lightly ruffled the kitten’s dark hair.

“What do you think Miss Kitty? You think Father’s being an unreasonable, old man too don’t you?” she giggled, and scooped up the animal, laying her on her back. The blonde’s hair swayed majestically as she tenderly scratched the kitten’s belly.
“Sometimes I think you love the cat more than your own family,” an older, wiser voice traveled in from the doorway. Startled she jumped up quickly, her eyebrows raised to her hairline.

“Good Lord Mr. Giles, you frightened me horribly!” sputtered out Tara, sighing in relief for his appearance and not her father’s.

The older gentleman stepped through the threshold of the double doors into the grand bedroom. He grimaced and he had to take out a cloth and cover his mouth and nose. After a low cough, he refolded the cloth and placed it in a pouch on his rope belt.
“Sorry Dear, it’s just….well, one could hear the rather loud bickering from down the hall way…one being me actually. And, well…I was worried that you might be er, upset,” Giles, who was Tara’s butler of a sort, walked in and looked around, refusing to make eye contact.

“I’m better Mr. Giles. Father just doesn’t understand that I can make good judgment. He treats me as a child!” exclaimed Tara, sitting at her desk and combing her long blonde hair.

“Perhaps he just wants the best for his daughter? Perhaps we all want the best for his daughter,” concluded Giles, leaving the last statement to linger in the air. Tara ceased her combing and turned around to comment on Giles’ words, but she found her room empty, except for Miss Kitty, who was now tinkering with the tassels of her blankets.

“Urg! Men!” she laughed and continued combing her hair.
Just as she finished grooming, a young blonde haired man knocked on her door.

“Lady Tara, it’s William. I’ve come to take you to the North Tower. Queen Elizabeth packed your belongings and they’re loaded on the carriage already. King James instructed me to tell you that you have until Sundown to be in the carriage waiting,” he disclosed his orders very diplomatically, but then quietly whispered, “I’m sorry Tare. You know I wouldn’t do this if anyone but the King himself told me to. Forgive me princess,” he apologized.

Blue pools softened at the sight of her childhood friend, one of the only ones she had. Through subtle debate, Tara had sweet talked her father into letting William onto the King’s servant staff. Not the most glamorous job in the world, but when his mother turned ill and died shortly after his sixteenth birthday, he and his sister had no other option of living.

Little known to Tara though, William, better known as Spike as a child, fell in love with the princess long ago. From the very first day, actually.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The King’s garden had some of the freshest peaches in the world. Spike’s family only had bread and cabbage on a good day, so the spunky boy decided he would climb the oak tree up the castle wall. Grabbing his sister, Buffy and her friend Willow, the three friends hoisted Spike up to the top of the wall, Willow pushing Buffy up the wall as well.
Sending their thanks down to Willow, she left to tend to her family’s horses while Spike and Buffy gathered the peaches off the tree.

“What are you doing up there?” a meek, demanding voice bellowed from the wooden swing in a shadowy part of the garden.

The sound startled the two so much that they fell off the wall, but safely into a pile of raked leaves. The small figure, dressed in a warm pink dress marched over to them hotly.

“You’re lucky it’s autumn season. There’s usually a pile of rocks there instead,” she commented, extending her hand to the two newcomers. The small boy and girl stood up and brushed themselves off, keeping their eye on the young girl, about their age.

“You do realize you’re trespassing on royal ground? And stealing my mother’s most beloved fruit. If I screamed, you’d be thrown up by your knickers,” she crossed her arms defiantly, jutting out her chin for effect. She loved making people squirm, especially the castle staff. They got all tongue tied.

“Well, you see. It’s our mother’s birthday today and well, she walks past this lovely tree every single day. Every single day I say, and I just thought that maybe for once she could try some of the famous Maclay fruit off the peach tree. Please, please don’t turn us in. It’d break her heart!” Spike pleaded, falling to his knees and tugging at her shirt.
Tara giggled at the boy begging for mercy and she had to cover her mouth to stop a full blown laugh.

“You both are thoughtful. For thinking of your mother like that, and to risk your own life just proves how noble you are. What are your names?” she inquired, smiling and lifting the boy off his knees.

“I’m Spike and this is my sister Buffy,” he sniffled, introducing his sister to this new girl.
“Spike? Your parents actually named you Spike? What an peculiar name,” she commented. Buffy laughed full heartedly and turned to explain to the confused princess.

“Ah, no. Will here thought he would some more intimidating if he changed his name from William to Spike. Apparently,” she laughed again, “it’s not even frightening to a lady.” After saying this bit, she held her sides and laughed harder. Tara found the sight of the new girl Buffy amusing and laughed as well. Spike, on the other hand, pouted.

“Yes, and Buffy is normal. Her real name is Anne, but she calls herself Buffy. Piffle on that,” he retorted, causing Buffy to stop her giggle fest.

“You both amuse me. I’ll tell you what. If I allow you to go unharmed, with some of my mother’s fruit, will you visit me tomorrow? No one else though, because Father wouldn’t like it as it is,” she warned. Buffy and Spike shook their head vigorously and left with a bushel full of peaches for their mother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“It’s quite fine Will, just give me a moment will you?” she asked and with his nod, she grabbed her kitten Miss Kitty and headed for the stables where she knew Will would be waiting. As he opened the door for her, she silently whispered, “I don’t suppose I could pay you to divert the path to somewhere else could I?” she asked. And with his sad shake of the head ‘no’ she sighed and stepped into her carriage of doom.

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"She practically had plastic stamped on her ass.....just trying a little spicey talk."
-Tara

*cracks up*

I'm loving this! I never would have thought of something like this. It's absolutely brilliant! Keep going, please, and updates often, yes?

LMAO @ Buffy and Spike... and rascally Willow is so cute!

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Don't you sit upon the shoreline and say you're satisfied, choose to chance the rapids, and dare to dance the tides - Garth Brooks, "the River"

oh yes more! this is quite charming and you are off to a wonderful start!!

~K~

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Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate, Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date
Read My New fic: Just Breathe

Great start
I love fairy tales and the style you've developped here, very original!
Princess Tara is very much princess like, very nice and gentle but with an 'attitude' due to her position that gives her that precious side, so funny and take charge somehow!
Willow as a scoundrel my my this is going to be very interesting

I'm sad though to see that Buffy and Willow went on such separate ways, surely Buffy got lucky when she met Tara's benevolence!
But I have a feeling that things will get better soon really I don't know why

Keep on the good work

Julie

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You're all I've ever wanted
And loving you's the right thing to do
And I'll see it through

wow...i like this story! it's good! can't wait for more!

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''You think you know... what's to come... what you are. You haven't even begun.'' – Tara

LOL. The horses name is Riley! Love rogue Willow and rebellious Tara. Update!!

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TARA LIVES ON!

You! You've left me! You've left me to defend myself against...something! *sticks tonuge out at you defiantly!*
Already working on the next chapter. but my courses for school are eating up time...damnit!
email me!

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"She practically had plastic stamped on her ass.....just trying a little spicey talk."
-Tara

Two weeks later….

“Your Highness, be reasonable, Tara turns twenty today and no man as reached the tower alive. How in the bloody hell are we going to get her back alive?” screeched Giles hotly. The Englishman paced back and forth in front of the King’s empty thrown, rehearsing his speech for when the King did arrive. “No, no, too emotionally involved,” he muttered, coughing into his cloth.
“I rather thought it was a lovely speech Rupert,” traveled a voice from the doorway of the Grand Hall. Giles spun around on heels quickly, sputtering profusely.
“S-sir, I mean, Your Highness, I-I was just um, well,” he stuttered, but was cut off by James wrinkled hand and throaty laugh.
“Rupert, it’s quite fine. In some sense, I agree. Who would have the strength to accomplish such a goal? Some of the finest princes and nobles in the world attempted to court my daughter with no avail,” he sighed exasperated.
“Well, I am at a loss there,” trailed Giles, but clanking footsteps interrupted his train thought. The two older gentlemen turned around slowly to meet the upcoming figures.
“Ah Ms. Summers, such a lovely surprise to see you this early in the morning. And with a friend!” exclaimed James, trying to keep the animosity level as low as possible. The resentment these two radiated was colossal.
“Friend my ass!” spat the redheaded woman with Buffy, rolling her emerald eyes dramatically. The red-haired lady’s hands were hog tied behind her back, and Buffy had two muscular arms around the weakly looking woman.
“Watch your tongue rat, you’re in the presence of royalty,” Buffy warned. The she focused her attention to the shocked king in front of her. “Your Highness, this is Willow Rosenberg. She’s had multiple offenses of stealing food products from the market. I even heard she stole a horse from Ethan Rayne’s estate. That’s punishable by death sir,” Buffy delivered, smiling smugly as Willow strained against her restraints. At the word ‘death’ Willow’s head shot up and searched frantically around for some type of escape.
King James waved his hand and nodded conclusively. Buffy smiled and turned to exit the room with Willow.
“Hey, hey let’s not be hasty, I mean. Those rumors about my horse weren’t true. I mean seriously. He stole it from my father’s property. I simply took back what was rightfully mine! And, and, damn that looks like a rusted sword. Pissh, you can’t behead someone with a rusted sword! I mean,” she gulped as Buffy withdrew the sword in question and the pristine weapon twinkled in the sunlight.
“Doesn’t seem rusted to me,” commented Buffy with faux innocence.
“What happened Buffy, huh? One day we laughed and splashed around in the lake and the next you’re trying to behead me. Behead me, Buff!” Willow grabbed her pale neck to emphasize her point. “I don’t get it,” she simply stated.
“Shit happens,” Buffy responded, growing somber for a moment. “I’m sorry Will, this is my job now. If it weren’t for King James himself, William and I would be on the streets. The least I can do is help him keep the peace. And you disrupt it,” Buffy finished, pointing her sword at Willow, though more hesitatingly than before.
“Like me,” Willow stated, no longer trying to protect herself from the weapon.
“Huh?” she asked, letting her guard down, and standing with a curious glint in her eye.
“If it weren’t for King James, you’d be on the street….like me; you’d be disrupting the peace…like me. You’d be a rat…like me. But the difference is…you lucked up, not like me. That doesn’t make you better than me; that makes you luckier than me. You said it yourself. If it weren’t for King James, you’d be on the streets…just as unlucky as me,” stated Willow through clenched teeth. If she was going to die, she needed her old pal to realize that God bestowed a miracle on her, and that she was not better than the talented trickster herself. Buffy’s eyes flared and she raised the sword again.
“Hold on there Ms. Summers, just wait a moment,” Giles soft voice carried from the other room.
“Yes! Yes, hold on there ‘Ms. Summers’. Just a moment!” Willow pleaded, using a fake British accent on ‘Ms. Summers’. Buffy’s mouth dropped in astonishment. She sighed and stood at an irritated position.
“Rupert, what is it?” questioned James as the two older men followed Buffy’s trail into the next room. Giles gave a loud cough into his cloth once again and looked apologetically at the frustrated officer.
“We need someone to fetch Princess Tara, an expendable someone, sir. And if she returns with the Princess, the entire better. If she doesn’t, she just gets what’s coming to her,” rationalized Giles, somewhat intellectually.
“I agree with you Rupert,” James told his old friend and turned to the redhead. “Look young lady, I don’t know the extent of your crimes, but I do know that my daughter is locked in a tower in the North Highlands. No one has been able to reach her without a….a change of heart,” he smiled at the confused lady in front of him. “What I’m going to do, I rarely do. I’m making you an offer. I’ll send you on your way to get the Princess. If you return with her unharmed, all your felonies will be dropped without a second look. If you fail to reach her, or she comes back hurt, you get what you should be getting right now-death. I should think this deal is more than air enough,” King James bargained.
“You want me to play fetch with your daughter? Like a dog?” asked Willow roughly, but the point of Buffy’s sword in her back soften the redhead’s tone. “Have I mentioned how much I love and respect the canine species?” gulped Willow, smiling slightly.
“Deal then, you have my witnesses, Buffy and Rupert. I wouldn’t back down on a deal young lady. Buffy, send that young woman Faith brought in yesterday with Willow on her journey, for any help she might assist in. We’ll make a deal with her as well. Ms. Rosenberg, bring my daughter back safely please. If not for her own skin, for yours,” James said as he left with Giles back into the Grand Ballroom, where the thrown was. Buffy cut the ropes off Willow’s wrists swiftly, like a hot knife through butter.
“So is this other broad tough?” inquired Willow, rubbing her reddened wrists. Buffy gave her a look and laughed. She never answered the jaded eyed woman, she just laughed all the way down the Grand Hall.

“I am so glad to be out of that cellar! I mean, the rats were unpleasant, but this morning I saw this white, furry, beaded eyed bunny in the cell! Well, obviously, I screamed my head off and so did the guard, what’s her name, oh yeah, Faith. Although, I doubt she was screaming at the fury animal of Hell, she seemed to just look really tired. But she should have seen it coming. I told her all last night about my fear of the Satan’s pet of doom. All night I told her, and she still couldn’t believe me when I screamed!” a blonde haired woman, shorter than Willow disclosed as the two trotted on a dirt path.
“I can almost hardly believe it myself,” Willow answered, monotonously. This Anya woman had yapped her ear off from the exact moment they released her from the cellar. Willow wasn’t sure, but she thought Faith had almost pushed the woman onto her.
“God, can’t this thing go any faster?” complained Anya, digging her heels into the mass below her. Sadie neighed and shook her head slightly. Willow gently nudged her friend faster, but shot a glare at Anya.
“What? This thing is a source of transportation. Why it can’t just gallop faster I don’t understand. I mean, the faster we get to the princess, the faster we can get her home and the faster we are off the hook!” protested Anya, pouting.
The two convicts both rode on Sadie, with Anya wrapping her arms around Willow’s stomach. When Anya became bored of the reoccurring scenery, she found it quite amusing to tickle Willow. This random act of amusement caused Willow to lose control of Sadie, who bucked at the sudden chaos and threw the ladies off.
“Gee, do all your friends get this royal treatment, or is it just me?” asked Willow, brushing off her rags for clothes and remounting her horse.
“Friends? You mean the people who you confide in and do all sorts of fun with? Don’t have any,” Anya stated casually as she too remounted the animal.
“Gosh, wonder why,” Willow added in sarcastically, kick starting Sadie off again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two women traveled all afternoon, through the nighttime, and well into the next day before they came upon a sky breaking tower that seemed to sway with the wind.
Coming upon the bridge into the castle, Sadie backed away from the deteriorating structure.
“Oh Sadie, I know it doesn’t look sturdy enough, but we can cross it,” encouraged Willow, nudging persistently at the horse.
“Excuse me ‘oh blinded one’, I don’t think your horse if afraid of the not-so-sturdy-bridge. I think it’s afraid of the never-ending pit of Hell beneath the not-so-sturdy-bridge,” stated Anya, mater-of-factly.
The emerald eyes rolled dramatically again, but stopped when they saw the heavens and Willow cried out, “Why me God? Why?”
Dismounting herself, she stepped onto the bridge carefully, but noticed something missing. She turned her head back to see a definite Anya still perched on Sadie.
“Uh hello, I’m not the only one up for a death sentence,” she said, shocked that Anya still didn’t move.
“I’m not up for a death sentence, I’m up for life. And that is a better deal than risking my ass on that flimsy bridge,” came Anya’s snappish reply. Willow huffed, but left the issue alone.
“Better off anyway,” she mumbled as the crossed the bridge unharmed. When she reached the other side, she turned around and laughed at Anya, showing her that the bridge was safe. The redhead even danced a tiny bit, mocking the blonde.
“Hey Anya, why don’tcha get off your high horse. Get it? High horse! Hahahaha!” she laughed, gripping her sides.
Just as Anya thought up a retort, the wobbly bridge crashed into the never-ending pit below it. After what seemed like ages, the crash from below finally echoed around the visitors.
This time, Anya’s laughed bellowed throughout the empty countryside.
“Oh big bad Willow the almighty….screwed herself over by running across the unstable bridge. Ah well, I guess mocking just has its vengeance,” she giggled. Sadie neighed a few times, prancing her feet around in a dance similar to Willow’s.
The emerald eyes rolled in a circle and her freckled hands flew up into the air, “Oh Hell!” she sighed. Flicking off the blonde and the horse, she turned to go inside the deserted castle.
“Hey! Wait, how are you going to get back across?” questioned Anya, steadying Sadie who wanted to help out her stranded friend.
The redhead scratched her fiery head and pondered a moment. Like a light bulb sprung into action, she screamed back across the gully.
“We’d have to go around the back of the castle. The trip would take days…maybe three or four. We’ll head there and meet up with you, say the center square?” she answered, dying off at the end.
“What if I just go ahead and go back to the kingdom and you just bring her home?” Anya asked, quite frankly, putting on a false smile for Willow.
“Yeah that’s fine. And then you can explain to the King himself that you just decided that you didn’t want nor need to help so your deal is off,” commented Willow nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal.
“Fine you redheaded asshole, you have your way. We’ll meet you there in three or four days. But we’ll be in the square between noon and half past noon,: that way, we’re both on the same page. I’m not sitting on my ass all day long in that hot sun,” grumped Anya, shaking her finger at Willow.
“Don’t worry Anya, I wouldn’t expect that much aptitude out of you anyway,” Willow briskly said as she ascended up the castle stairs into the disturbing building.
The last words heard by Willow before searching the crumbling castle were a ‘hey!’ from Anya outside.
Smiling to herself, Willow aimlessly waltzed around the castle, checking in rooms and such. The castle was worn down, with silky cobwebs covering the walls like wallpaper. The stone walls seemed to be covered in dust and soot with scratching on them. A pile of bones would pop up here and there, but nothing to frighten Willow, who finally walked upon a stairwell leading into a tall tower.
“I wonder what’s behind door number…jeeze, what am I on…17?” she chuckled to herself at her lame joke. Climbing her way upward, a butterfly effect spread throughout her stomach and then to her entire body.
When she reached the wooden door, leading into the only room in the tower, she gently clasped the knob in her hand and turned it to the right. The door moved roughly, needing a push from Willow to get inside.
Stumbling into the room clumsily, she regained her composer to see the princess lying on the bed, looking like hell.

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"She practically had plastic stamped on her ass.....just trying a little spicey talk."
-Tara

Willow and Anya, together on a horse. XD I love it! Seeing Willow make fun of Anya was amusing, and I can see why... she was being rather irritating, wasn't she?

Tara looking like hell? Impossible. But... why?

_________________
Don't you sit upon the shoreline and say you're satisfied, choose to chance the rapids, and dare to dance the tides - Garth Brooks, "the River"

Likewise, Willow and Anya stuck on a horse together - comedy guaranteed I really like the fast-talking Willow you've got. Tara looks like hell? What happened to her? Though I guess being stuck in a tower on your own with who-knows-what prowling around eating knights outside is tough on a girl.

_________________
Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass - Every world needs a Willow and Tara.

Thank you all for the lovely comments. Here's chapter three....hope you enjoy! @->--




“Finally! Good God, I thought someone would never reach me up here!” sighed Tara, exasperated from the boring weeks she spent doing nothing but playing with Miss Kitty. Her dress was tattered, but still presentable. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, but some loose strands hung around her perfect face. On top of her golden head, she wore a silver crown, with a sapphire stone in the center of it.
She began gathering what little there was of her clothing and turned to the redhead. The blonde stepped back and did a double take.
“I’m guessing you didn’t seek me to ask for my hand in marriage, eh?” she asked. Willow, still entranced by the blonde’s beauty, only nodded her head dumbly. Tara dropped her head, suddenly shy under the new attention. “So, um, why did you seek me?” she inquired again meekly, a glimmer of hope still evident in her voice.
“Er, um, well, oh boy, this isn’t going to sound too romantic,” stated Willow, scratching her red mess self-consciously. “You see, I um…well, I just wanted a challenge and the solution was, er pointed me in this direction. Almost like a sword point,” Willow summarized. Tara nodded, but her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Shall we?” questioned Tara, picking up Miss Kitty and descending down the stairwell already.
“We shall,” muttered Willow, cursing herself for not telling the princess the truth. First impressions Willow, first impressions.
Tara took a step down unto the clearing of the hall, but she quickly retracted her footsteps and gasped softly.
“You didn’t slay the dragon?!” she asked, mortified and frightened. She slapped her forehead dramatically. Willow then noticed a huge mass of sea green scales. Thankfully, the beast was resting quite contently and was turned away from the two women.
“I didn’t see the dragon. I came through the other door,” explained Willow as she pointed to the side entrance. Tara rolled her sapphire eyes and gestured frantically.
“You went through the side door instead of the front entrance? Oh, come on, even the common folk know you enter through the front draw bridge and slay a fierce dragon. That way, you earn the girl, not cheat!” hissed Tara, glaring at the redhead, who in return, glared back mockingly.
“Well excuse me if I decided that I’d take a short cut instead of the long, winding hills and random trials way. Do you know how many men have attempted to infiltrate this exact castle in order to win your heart and failed because they used the ‘proper’ door? Do you want to be saved or not? Cause if you want someone to save you the non-cheaters way, I’ll return home to Daddy dearest and tell him his daughter refused to come home because I did not use the front door!” babbled Willow, now gesturing frantically herself. Tara looked at her quizzically, smirking as Willow finished.
“How do you breathe?” she questioned, looking at the redhead as if she had sprouted another head. The blonde tilted her head to the side slightly, some hairs falling down of their own accord.
“Why do you ask so many damn questions?” retorted Willow, but still blushing at the mention of her trade-mark babble.
“Do you have a sword?” inquired Tara, looking around their surroundings for a weapon.
“Again with the questions,” remarked Willow, pointing an accusing finger at Tara. The princess sighed and withdrew a dagger from her luggage.
“Damn. Hate to be on your honeymoon,” deadpanned Willow, giving Tara a skeptical look as the dagger appeared out of her case.
“Emergency uses, thank you very much. And I’ll ask you to refrain from speaking about my married life again,” she announced, extending the dagger to the peasant. Willow eyed the knife and then Tara, not missing the curves of the princess.
“Why are you handing that to me?” she asked, confused by the princess’s actions.
“Um, you kill it. I do not kill things. The savior does. You are the savoir. Any part you do not understand?” teased Tara, swaying the weapon in front of Willow.
“Oh what, is that your ‘proper’ way?” asked Willow, using her fingers to put quotations around the word ‘proper’ when she spoke them. As the words left her mouth, a massive thud echoed throughout the castle.
Two silent heads slowly turned in the direction of the sound. Emerald and sapphire eyes meet with ruby red stones of fire as the girls faced the once sleeping dragon. It took Willow a half-a-second to realize that the dragon was about to spit fire at Tara, when the redhead pushed the blonde of the line of flames. Miss Kitty dropped on all fours and scurried of behind a pile of armor.
Grabbing the dagger swiftly, Willow raced to an opposite end of the hall, distracting the dragon’s attention from Tara. A line of flame shot toward Willow, who dashed out of the way, rolling behind a pillar.
Willow glanced around nervously, looking for anything to assist her in defeating the overgrown reptile. The heat from the flames still touched Willow’s skin as she spotted rope-like vines that hung all around the castle’s ceiling.
“Ok,” she whispered, “one, two…three!” she breathed, darting over to the lowest vine hanging down. A trail of fire followed her, scorching Willow’s path behind her.
Hoping gracefully onto the plant, she carried enough momentum to swing herself off the ground and in a circular motion, landing on the dragon’s back.
“Not exactly what I had planned,” Willow commented, as the dragon spun around quickly, bucking mildly. Even though the dragon was no bull, it still had enough movement to knock Willow back and forth wildly.
The dragon, not entirely sure what or who was on its back, thrashed and spewed flames ever which way. Some almost hit Tara, but the princess ducked out of the way, grabbing a wood branch off the floor. About the time Tara picked up the branch, Willow regained her balance and struck the dragon in its red eyes with the dagger. A loud roar of pain reverberated off the walls of the castle, and the sea green monster again thrashed wildly, throwing Willow off.
The enormous tail swung ferociously. On one swing, it connected with Willow’s pale abdomen, sending the petite woman flying through the air. She landed with a hard crack next to Tara, who reacted quickly by pulling the redhead out of the line of fire.
Instead, she extended the branch in front of the blaze, making a torch of the wood. Pointing the torch at the beast, the creature backed away from the fire.
By now, the entire hall of the castle was up in flames; it literally looked like a stereotypical Hell. Willow, seeing the door unattended, seized Tara’s tan wrist, and yanked her towards the door. Miss Kitty scampered out of the armor and out the door quickly. Being the kitten she was, her furry little feet only carried her so quickly. Willow scooped Miss Kitty up in her arms, taking the torch from Tara and lighting the dry vines they passed.
Crossing over the draw bridge, Willow, Miss Kitty and Tara all looked back to see the trapped dragon thrashing about within its confinement. The building caved in and Willow finally, yet reluctantly, let Tara’s wrists go.
The blonde princess spun around searching the countryside with her eyes. Willow stepped forward, touching the blonde’s arm lightly.
“Looking for something?” she asked, letting her eyes wander over the blonde’s body yet again.
“No particularly. It’s good to be out of that place. All cooped up inside a damp room…oh dear God, I must look like hell,” she gasped at the realization, hiding her face in her hands.
“Well, I wouldn’t say hell…hell bound maybe, but definitely not hell,” smiled Willow, hoping a goofy smile would comfort the distraught blonde. After some moments of consideration, Tara’s face appeared. She eyed the redhead carefully.
“Was that supposed to make me feel better?” she asked, smirking at her savoir. Willow turned cherry, but still held her smile.
“It did, did it not?” responded Willow, raising her eyebrow. After a moment of just staring at each other, Willow scanned the forest scene, looking for a pathway of some sort.
“Where is your horse? Your noble side-kick? Are you searching for them?” inquired Tara, searching the forest herself now for some form of life. The redhead rolled her eyes and looked at Tara.
“The noble sidekick and horse as you say wouldn’t cross the wobbly bridge. So we’re stuck having to walk around half the country to get to, hmm, what was the town….oh shit! I didn’t tell Anya which town to meet me in! Oh fuck! Fucking fucker fucktown!” cursed Willow through clenched teeth.
“Your extensive vocabulary woos me,” Tara deadpanned, rolling her eyes. She sighed heavily and turned to look into the abyss of the forest.
“Sorry, I’m not up to your standards princess,” Willow responded mocking the term princess. She also turned and looked in the same direction. “Well,” Willow drawled out, “I suppose we better get a move on.”
The two characters wandered aimlessly into the green lush of forest, Miss Kitty scampering along side them.

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"She practically had plastic stamped on her ass.....just trying a little spicey talk."
-Tara

This is so much fun! I love the banter between Willow and Tara, the way they snipe at each other, without any real venom - it'll be so cute to see them grudgingly hot for each other And it's great the way neither of them are what the other expected - Tara the annoyed damsel-in-distress, fed up with the whole remote-castle-rescue thing, and Willow the heroine not playing by the usual hero rules (like coming in the front door and slaying the dragon). Great work, I'm definitely looking forward to more of this off-kilter fairy tale.

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Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass - Every world needs a Willow and Tara.

The banter between Willow and Tara reminds me of that between Princess Leia and Han Solo.
Willow tells Tara she is here to rescue her and Tara almost asks her who's going to rescue her when she finds out Willow didn't slay the dragon.
And who knew there was a handbook for knights in shining armor?

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I can deny chicks in chainmail nothing.
Amberhol-from the land of sky blue waters.
No Mere Music Hall, This my novel available directly from rosestindog@gmail.com.

WOW I love your fic
I'm late for feedback sorry ...but I truly enjoyed both chapters

Excellent plan, Willow had to be the one to rescue her princess
I'm sad though at Buffy and Willow lost friendship, it's sad to see the circumstances break a nice realtionship ...please tell me you're gonna fix this

I sooooooooo loved the Willow/Anya interactions....this was deliriously funny and so Anya like....you know what this sounds very Shrek like (in your very own style of course)...I can totally see Anya in the Dunkey role

And still with the Shrek like comment about Willow and Tara first encounters...those two are totally cute in their ....'you're totally getting on my nerves but by the way I think I'm head over hills in love with you'... attitude !!!! It's precious

So please continue with your wonderful story.....I so need more


Julie

_________________
You're all I've ever wanted
And loving you's the right thing to do
And I'll see it through

The scenery amused both Tara and Willow. The forest foliage exerted beauty and fragrance while the two walked side by side through the natural dirt pathway. A murder of butterflies fluttered along with them.

Miss Kitty reared her backside up and out and shook her tail lightly. She pounced at a yellow and black butterfly, taunting her mutely. Miss Kitty made a small 'rawr' sound and batted at the offending insect. The butterfly swooped back and forth in front of the Oreo kitty.

Willow watched the fury animal with a glint in her eye and noticed that when Miss Kitty pounced for a second jump, the redhead was walking alone. Halting and turning to see where she had lost the gorgeous blonde, emerald eyes met azure eyes for a breath-taking time.

"I'm tired of walking," Tara meekly stated, sitting on a rock and crossing her arms indignantly.

"Well, we can't very well stay here. There's no means of shelter. Let's just walk a little further," Willow encouraged, continuing her walking on the path.

"Meow," Miss Kitty mewed, trotting along beside Willow, as if to agree with the redhead.

"Carry me," a small, yet pronounced voice came from behind the two-some. The redhead spun on her heels quickly with an eyebrow arched.

"I'm sorry, I thought you said carry me," Willow said, laughing slightly. Tara frowned at her and stood from her tiny rock. She walked right over to Willow, pouting intensely.

"Please carry me...um, I apologize, I did not catch your name," Tara said, bowing her head from embarrassment.

"Oh, umWillow. You seriously want me to carry you?" Tara nodded slowly and pouted again. Willow jutted her hip out and shook her head. Miss Kitty flicked her tail and scooted next to Willow's leg for support.

The girls saw that the sunlight was dimming quickly and knew a shelter was needed fast. The silent trip was too unbearable for Tara, who wanted to know more about her daring rescuer.

"Willow a very beautiful name. Was it a family name or just a name your mother picked out?" Tara inquired, whispering it slowly in Willow's ear. The approaching nighttime caused them to lower their voices, as if they were children trying to stay up late at night without parents knowing.

"Thank you," Willow grunted, "The first thing my mother saw when she woke up from labor was the willow tree outside the carriage. She went on impulse. Here, shift your weight to the left more. And scoot up further, you're about to slide of my back," Willow instructed, holding Tara's legs around her waist.

The blonde princess wrapped her arms around Willow's freckled neck and rested her head on Willow's shoulder. She sighed randomly. Willow tried to give her a side-ways glance, but found that it was impossible to do so.

"Something wrong?" questioned Willow, shifting uneasily, making Tara's position on her back more comfortable for the both of them.

"You haven't asked for my name. Are you really not that interested?" Tara whined. She blew a loose strand of hair out of her eyes.

Willow stopped. She contemplated for a moment then carefully set Tara down on the ground. The redhead faced the blonde and gazed at her in the eyes for a moment.

"I didn't ask because I already knew. You're the most well-known princess in the entire land. Like the entire land. I was giddy that you wanted to know my name," Willow looked away ashamed, "I only came to save you because I was up for a beheading if I didn't. I was 'expendable' enough to where they risked my own life to save yours. Either way, they won. I'm not knight in shining armor. I'm just a street rat," Willow whispered, walking down the path, leaving Tara to stand alone.

Small tears ran down Willow's face, the first in fifteen years of her twenty years. They grouped together and propelled down the curves of her cheeks and nose. Some dried on the spot, while others dripped on the dirt.

Willow used the back of sleeve to brush them off, trying to disguise the movement as an attempt to remove something out of her jaded eyes. Tara walked up beside her, stepping in time with Willow. Very discreetly, she wrapped an arm around Willow's and spoke softly.

"I couldn't imagine a better rescuer, and trust me, sitting up in that tower, for what...one, two weeks maybe, I did plenty of imagining. Convict or not, you did a noble thing. You'll be rewarded when we reach home." Willow gave a side-ways smile to Tara, who beamed back.

Miss Kitty, witnessing the entire ordeal, ran in front of them, causing Tara to trip over her feet. The redhead reacted swiftly, catching her before she fell.

Nose to nose now, Tara's breath got caught in her throat. Then, in a fit of giggles, she wrapped an arm around Willow's neck.

Unaware of why Tara was giggling, but overcome by the seas of laughs, Willow laughed as well. She raised Tara back into a standing position, stilling laughing softly along with Tara.

"Why are we laughing?" Willow asked, managing the question through chuckles. Tara shook her head, but continued giggling

"I suppose Miss Kitty felt unloved," Tara stated, bending down to pet Miss Kitty, who rubbed herself gently against Tara's hand. Willow nodded and kneeled down to where Miss Kitty now sat.

"So that's your name eh? Nice to meet ya," Willow announced, extending her hand politely. Miss Kitty tilted her head, her ears perking up at the sound of her name. A black paw with white splashes here and there batted at Willow's ginger hand.

As Willow stood, she spotted a small cave in the thicket of the woods. Had she not leaned over, there was no chance she would have saw it.

Willow flicked her fingers toward the thicket, indicating that she wished Tara and Miss Kitty to follow her.

The cave could be described as tight...so tight that Willow and Tara had to squeeze their lithe figures in between the granite rocks. Miss Kitty simply sauntered between them as if she owned the damn formation.

Once inside, the girls noticed a stairway leading down further into the mystical cave. Tara grasped Willow's arm tightly, not wanting to divulge beyond their safe point, but the adventurer in Willow overtook the better of her. The pair, lead by the redhead herself, cautiously delved down into the dark passage. Almost fifty steps down, the stairway ended on soft gravel.

"It's a tunnel," Tara concluded, hearing the trickle of water around them. Willow looked up. Through the pathway they took, the redhead could see the dimness of light, caused by the moon and stars. She reached for Tara's hand and interlaced her fingers with Tara's, who welcomed the gesture.

"We'll stay here for the night. No use in trying to move onward with the gloominess of it all," Willow explained, sitting down against the boulder. Her tiny head titled backward, resting itself on the rock.

Tara nodded, although Willow couldn't see. The blonde made a bold move, but a move nonetheless. She laid her head on Willow's shoulder, sighing happily when her savoir didn't refuse her gesture. Miss Kitty curled herself up in Willow's lap, causing Tara to giggle.

Tara's light giggles and small body movements roused Willow. Even though, she didn't ask, Tara explained the situations humor.

"She seems to like you. More than she likes anybody else," Princess Tara smiled warmly. A graceful hand petted the kitten, who purred happily on the spot. "She usually hisses, or if her kitten senses really act up, she's snap at whoever is near."

"This cute, little, bundle of joy? I can hardly imagine that," Willow joked, scratching the underside of Miss Kitty's belly. The Oreo kitten could care less about the conversation, or the fact that the conversation was about her. All she cared about was that all the attention was on her and she was being petted and scratched.

"When Father brought around Prince Trevor, Miss Kitty pounced his stupid purple cape. He tried to toss her off, but one of her claws ended up being caught in the fabric. When I finally peeled her off, she hissed at him loudly. The sad part is, he hissed back," Tara chuckled. Willow joined her, but the laughter died down after a while.

"You remember that battle we fought about two months ago, over the land of Travers Kingdom?" Tara questioned. She continued after feeling Willow's nod. "Well, earlier that week, King Travers's son, Trenton, asked my hand in marriage. Miss Kitty thought he was playing a game when he kneeled down and she attacked his face, claws open and all." Feeling Willow's cheeks rise into a grin, Tara concluded her story. "Outraged, Prince Trenton Travers IV stormed out of the castle and declared war on our kingdom. But he forgot to take into consideration that we out number his armies ten to one. So the one battle we fought, we were victorious, yet we owe it all to the 'little bundle of joy' in your lap." The rumble of Willow's body indicated to Tara that the redhead enjoyed the story. Tara snuggled closer into the nape of Willow's neck, smelling for the first time how sweet she really smelled.

"Tell me a story," Tara asked, meekly as if she were five. Willow smiled.

"Tell you a story? Tell you a story eh?" Tara shook her head slowly and Willow nodded her head once.

"Once upon a time, there was a princess. A gorgeous princess who ruled over her kingdom with great success and great dignity. All of her people adored her and they supported her decisions as their own. All the women wanted to be her and all the men wanted to be with her. But the princess could not decide which prince she wanted to marry. Her noble advisor, Miss Kitty, could not help this decision for her either..."

"This story is really depressing," Tara butted in, smiling against Willow's flesh. The tickle of the blonde's breath startled Willow, but she didn't budge. She felt comforted by the princess.

"Sorry, you caught me when I'm half asleep. Ask me again when we arrive home," Willow offered, knowing that when they reached home, Tara would not be able to speak to her again.

"Alright," Tara mumbled, closing her eyes to deep slumber.

Willow however had a hard time falling asleep so soon. Tara's rhythmic breathing against her flesh sent tingles down her body. The vanilla scent, even after two weeks of that tower, still lingered in Tara's honey hair. Willow bit her pink lip.

"Whatever you do Rosenberg, don't get attached. When you reach home, you'll just be another tax dollar," she muttered to herself, letting her subconscious drift into a deep sleep.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Willow's emerald eyes were the first to open the next morning. The light shining from outside reflected off the glistening stream in the cave. The angle of the light beamed Willow directly in the eyes, awakening her.

Blinking rapidly, she attempted to sit up, but the mass of a princess's body held her down. Tara snoozed contently on Willow's shoulder. A lazy smirk spread across the redhead's face.

A sudden chill on her lap hit her and she glanced down. She followed a trail of paw prints that ended with a white-tip tail sticking straight up. Miss Kitty lightly slurped up the stream's water.

Gently nudging the princess, she tried to wake Tara up easily. The blonde headed princess stirred slightly, but she only wrapped an arm around Willow's waist.

Willow's breath hitched, but she calmed herself down enough to nudge Tara again. The second attempt fully awoke Tara.

"Hmm?" Tara murmured, rising her head. Because Willow moved her body out of Tara's, the blonde did not see that she was lying all over Willow not ten seconds ago. Willow's lithe body stretched and walked over to the stream.

Cupping her hands, she carefully sipped the crystal clear water. She then splashed the liquid on her face.

Tara joined her, thankful for some refreshing and cleansing water. Tara snapped out her dream state when Miss Kitty pounced her.

Smiling brightly, Tara bent down and picked the kitten up. She scratched the kitten's ears lightly. She kissed the feline's head softly. For a brief moment, Willow wanted to be Miss Kitty's fur.

Silently, the pair began their walk along the stream's undefined coastline with Miss Kitty in toe. The journey was rather quiet, but they didn't have to walk in silence for long. About half a mile down the cave, they came across a bridge.

"Why the hell do they have a bridge over a three foot stream?" questioned Willow out loud. The green and red bridge went up and over the shallow stream.

Willow eyed the bridge suspiciously, but noticed that the coast they were following ended abruptly. She started toward the bridge but a small elf popped out of thin air in front of her.

The elf wore a blue coat and pants, with a green under shirt. He couldn't have been taller than 4 '4. His pointed forest green had topped off the stereotypical look.

"Hullo!" the perky elf announced, "Name's Pippin! 'm the guardian of 'he bridge 'er. O'ly 'ay to get across 's ta answer me question for y'o."

Both Willow and Tara cocked an eyebrow at the strange little man. But Willow relented. She sighed dramatically to let him know she wasn't happy.

"What happens if I get it wrong?" she asked, on the fly.

"O, 'ell y'o see, 'd have ta close y'o in lil missy. Y'o and y'or girrrlfriend. "'m sorrrry, dat's da ruuules," he apologized, and stood at an attention, waiting to see what the girls would do. Both Tara and Willow blushed at him referring to Tara as Willow's girlfriend, but neither corrected the man.

"Very well, what is the question?" Willow asked. Pippin began dancing around and he played a tune on his little wooden flute.

"Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday?" Pippin danced more energetically and played his wooden flute with more vigor.

"That's easy," Tara stated, "Yesterday, today, tomorrow." Tara smiled and crossed her arms confidently. Pippin stopped dancing and turned to her with a most annoyed look.

"Blasted you!" he screeched and popped back through mid air. Willow smiled at Tara and crossed over the bridge, but as they reached the center of the bridge, another elf appeared. The elf looked exactly like Pippin.

"Hidoy'odo?" The elf danced around.

"Pippin, that's not fair. We just answered your bloody question!" Willow argued, trying to pass the elf, but it was like an invisible force field.

"Why 'm no' Pippin! 'm Piper, the guardian of the middle bridge," the girlish elf introduced, dancing amusedly around in a circle. Instead of a flute, she carried a small tambourine. The tinkering caught Willow's nerves quickly.

"Let me guess," she spoke, clamping her hand down on the instrument, "we get another question." Piper circled the two women languidly. When the elf passed Miss Kitty, she swatted at the funny little creature. Cocking her furry head, she watched the insane elf bemusedly.

"Dat's correct, lil' missy! 're y'o ready, o do ya need m're time to con'emplate?" asked Piper, tapping her tambourine musically.

"Get on with it," Willow said agitatedly. Miss Kitty mewed loudly to catch the elf's attention as well. Piper halted slowly.

"Do y'o k'ow how of'en we elves vi'st the reel wo'ld? No' ver' of'en. Dun't rush me pl'se!" The brunette elf strightened her small emerald jacket and recited rhythmically, " A murder is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of professional knights with sharpened swords, while the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in three years. Which room is safest?"

Tapping her tambourine, Piper danced about in one place, smirking to herself.

"Do you think raging fires? I mean, people stand a chance...but then again, knights could always aim poorly," Tara offered, biting her lower lip out of habit. Willow momentarily wanted to nip the same lip, but awoke out of her haze when a logical thought hit her.

"Three years?" she asked curiously. Piper halted her dancing and faced the redhead on her heels. The elf eyed Willow suspiciously, her features darkening. "That's not possible," Willow stated, smiling widely, "The lions would have died by then! Room Three is safest because the lions would have died by then by starvation!" Willow concluded, wearing a smug look on her face.

"Oh, cursed the intelligent!" Piper shouted as she too poofed through thin air.

Tara grinned appreciatively at Willow, who in return, winked back. The two waltzed over the bridge and almost crossed the bridge completely when a soft cloud of smoke appeared in front of them.

"Goo' af'ernoon ladies!" a triplet elf welcomed, he strummed a tiny guitar, "Me name 's Pip!" He strutted around the soil beneath his scrub-looking shoes, whistling merrily.

"What is your question oh great and powerful midget?" asked Willow, inciting a giggle from Tara, who politely covered her mouth. Pip narrowed his beady, black eyes.

"Ya 'noe lil' firehead m'ssy, we de'erve mo' 'espct than tha'! We din't go th'ough 'he Lil' People Namesake Wars ta be ca'd Midgets! Sir Elfin Pipster los' 'is poin'ed hat o'er 'he damn caboodle!" He stamped his foot and picked at his guitar.

"We apologize kind sir, please continue with your question," Tara sweetly amended. Willow looked at her in half- surprise, smiling. The elf blushed a deep purple and bowed his head, smiling himself happily.

"Than' y'o Missy! Bu' 's no' a ques'ion I as'. He'e is a shee' o' pap'r. Rea' it and ans'er it ta me!" he announced and handed the sheet of paper to Tara who read it out loud:

"This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it? It looks so plain you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it. It is unusual, though. Study it, think about it...but you still may not find anything odd," she finished, glancing curiously at Willow whose eyebrows were knitted in thought. Pip smiled brightly and a small wooden chair appeared behind him. Promptly sitting down, he winked at them.

"Y'o mi'gh be 'ere fo' a while," he chuckled playing a light melody on his guitar.

Willow and Tar rolled their eyes. Willow squatted down and sat with her legs crossed on the soft soil. She looked up at the blonde princess when Tara did not immediately follow.

"My dress will get dirty!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms in protest.

"Oh, well then Miss Piss! What do you suggest you do! You need to bend a little bit," Willow retorted, frustrated at Tara's persistence in acting like a sophisticated royalty. But she is...stupid Willow!

"May I sit in your lap?" questioned Tara, relenting a bit, sensing the hostility from her companion.

Willow's eyes shot up in shock. Hardly believing Tara, she dumbly nodded her head. The blonde slowly, careful not to press all her weight on the redhead, sat on Willow's lap.

Regaining regular breathing, Willow softly, almost using a whisper, asked Tara to look at the paragraph and see if she could see anything out of the ordinary.

"I'm sorry, but I don't. It seems, as the paragraph clearly states, nothing is wrong with it. It's quite a stumper," Tara stated, biting her lower lip again.

"Study it?" Willow questioned. The gears in her head turned on overdrive. "School!" she exclaimed, smiling, "It's a clue, it's got something to do with something you study in school," she explained when Tara gave her a blank look.

"It shouldn't be anything too specific. That would be entirely impossible to figure out with only one chance to answer," Tara observed, leaning back onto Willow, laying her head down on the crook of the redhead's neck.

"Damn they use a lot of long words," Willow noted, feelings the embarrassment of the less refined education she was sure Tara was accustomed to.

"No necessarily long, just more vowels than most words..." Tara trailed, smirking at the thought process Willow pulled herself through.

"Yeah, except there's not a single 'e' in the entire paragraph!" Willow stated nonchalantly. She hugged Tara from behind, feeling the simple warmth of the blonde's body.

"Willow, repeat what you just said?" inquired Tara, hopping up from the position, although she internally chasten herself at the loss of contact.

"Um, no use of the letter 'e'?" Willow repeated quirking her tan eyebrow up. The blush in her cheeks did not go unnoticed by Tara.

"Willow, the 'e' is the most common vowel in our language. For an entire paragraph to be written without the use of the said vowel, well it's rare-almost unheard of!" Tara exclaimed, facing the elf once more.

"The fact that there is no 'e' in the paragraph is what is so damn odd about it. Now, can you please let me and my friend cross your damn blessed bridge!" Tara answered, clenching her fists in frustration.

Jutting out his hip irritably, he almost spoke, but Willow's terse words cut him off. "Save it. Go back to the Munchkin Land, would ya?"

Crossing his tiny arms, he disappeared, muttering something about Sir Elfin Pipster. Once he was gone, Tara grabbed Willow's hand happily and ran across the bridge. Clearly on the other side, she sighed heavily.

"Thank God, we're off that horrible bridge!" Tara laughed, shaking her head slightly. Noticing the redhead eyeing her, she asked what was wrong.

"Oh nothing, I just believe my language is having a bad influence on you," Willow replied, heading toward the light at the end of the cave's tunnel

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"She practically had plastic stamped on her ass.....just trying a little spicey talk."
-Tara

I'm really enjoying this story. I love the banter between princess Tara and street urchin Willow.

It seems they're already starting to feel a connection to each other. It's a good thing Anya refused to cross the bridge, since that would have meant less alone time for them both.

Oh and at Miss Kitty starting a war with one of the neighbouring kingdoms.

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02/28/2007

Hey i am really enjoying this fic so far... hehe willow and tara snuggling in the cave that was cute... I hope willow gets to be the one to marry her! You can tell tara likes her so why the heck shouldnt they get married? Neway great update! Please continue!!

I also thought it was really cute when willow carried her cuz she was tired how sweet haha well like i said b4 great update and please update soon!!!

xx Peace Out xx

Erin

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"No candles?...Well I brought one..it's ExtraFlamey" Willow, New Moon Rising

Aww There's so much sweetness in Willow and Tara fairly chastely snuggling. And I admit I'm a sucker for cute kittens, so I adore Miss Kitty completely, even if she does start armed conflicts on a regular basis. She's a cat, after all - these strange things that her feeding units get up to on their own time aren't her problem.

I really enjoyed the elves and their riddles, and Willow and Tara's increasing frustrations with them. I had a fun time trying to puzzle them out, too, and it put me in a nicely nostalgic fairy-tale mood. I guess a different (though technically correct, I suppose) answer for the first one - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day (Tara's answer is more elegant though), and I managed to figure out the third one. But the second, the three doors, eluded me long enough for me to read down to where Willow figured it out.

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Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass - Every world needs a Willow and Tara.

this is such an interesting idea, i love it!!!
i've never read a w/t fairy tale before, so kudos on the originality!
the elves were funny, tho the first two questions were really easy...silly munchkins, thinking they could trick our girls!!!

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"To days to come."
"All my love to long ago.

I hope, we'll have more happy ever after
I hope, we can all live more fearlessly...

~Jas