Shadows Dancing for the Sun
• By Knight Without A Cause
• email:knightwithoutaprincess@hotmail.com
• Rating - So far will be pg-13, but rating may increase in later chapters
• Disclaimer - There will be angst in this story. I don’t own Valdemar, the original idea of Sunsinger and Shadowdancer from the Heralds of Valdemar series, nor do I own characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, most unfortunately.
• Feedback- I would love feedback on this. If anyone would like to be my beta, that would be most appreciated.
• Summary- A girl is cursed to see only the day. Another girl shall die if the sunlight ever touches her skin. Will a cure for their curses be found, or will they be forced by fate to be forever apart? This is the tale of Willow and Tara set in the world of Valdemar and in the shoes of Sunsinger and Shadowdancer.
• Notes- Tara makes her introduction in this chapter, and makes the acquaintance of a certain redhead.
Magic is so often clever
Magic is not always kind
In this enchanted endeavor
Their curses will hold them and bind
-Two Young Fools part 1 by Mercedes Lackey and Golden Bough
“Darkness has already fallen; if you weren’t so useless and caught up in your daydreaming then we could have been back to the keep by now.” There was no pause between these words and the actions he took against his eldest daughter. His large hand grabbed her wrist as he hauled her toward the mare that had just been brought from the stables for her. “Quit dawdling and get on it!”
The blonde haired girl didn’t lift her head or say a word in retaliation to the berating she was receiving from her father; instead she silently pulled herself up into the saddle of the horse she had ridden to Lord Ravenhawk’s keep. Once positioned properly in the saddle, she accepted the reins from the stable boy and nudged her horse to follow her father’s gelding. Lady Tara let herself drift into her dream world, a world of myth and magic her mother had told her about before her untimely death. It was only here that Tara was able to find solace from the harsh and unforgiving life she had with her father and her brother Donnie.
“If you didn’t look so ragged then Lord Ravenhawk would have accepted our offer to let you marry his eldest son. Now what am I going to do with you, huh? I’ve damned near run through every noble house that has an eligible son, and all of them reject our offer.”
Tara heard only bits and pieces of her father’s tirade, used to hearing such cruel words, but she was quite interested when it seemed to cease. She didn’t dare raise her head, and instead watched through a curtain of golden blonde hair as her father interacted with what seemed like a beggar woman. Her horse shied as she pulled the mare to a halt behind Lord Maclay’s gelding. This was going to be a very short discussion, she knew.
“Please sir, can you not spare a piece of bread for a starving woman?” the gaunt and elderly woman begged of Lord Maclay.
“No, I have nothing for filth such as yourself,” he retorted while trying to steer his horse around the woman that had managed to maneuver herself into his path.
“I don’t need much, sir, only a crust of bread is all I need” she pleaded again. Her hand grasped the horse’s saddle so that she could regain her bearings. This action seemed to cross a line for the sneering man. He proceeded to kick the old woman hard in the chest!
Tara raised her head at this point, wishing to speak on the woman’s behalf for the first time in a decade. The old woman’s cloak fell from her shoulders, and she transformed right in front of Tara’s eyes into a young sorceress. Her hand stretched forward toward Donald Maclay, righteous anger adding to her power. “You would dare strike a woman when she has done nothing to you! Let us see how you enjoy being struck down! May this humble you!”
The sorceress was young and obviously not capable of schooling her impulsive nature, for she immediately set about casting a spell in retribution. Her outstretched hand glowed a bright yellow which she extended toward Lord Maclay. Donald Maclay was a coward of the worst sort: the self-preserving kind. While watching the sorceress in horror, he heard Tara gasp behind him. Not a moment was spared as he grasped the what he could of the girl. The dress she wore tore, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was that she would finally fulfill a greater purpose; she would save him from the spell the sorceress was casting.
Tara couldn’t find the voice to scream as she was thrust in the path of the sorceress. For a moment she felt warmth spread throughout her body, then everything began to disappear from her line of vision. It was peaceful, this oblivion that she slipped into. The place where her body was, however, was far from peaceful. Lord Maclay didn’t tarry to see what befell of his least favorite child; he left her there on the dirt and drove his horse into a gallop in order to get as far away from the scene as possible.
The sorceress knelt beside the girl she had accidentally cursed and checked her pulse.
“Halt there!”
The sorceress rose from her position and turned to the feminine voice calling to her. A thin girl who could just barely be considered a woman was striding toward her. Dark clothing that most likely had been black when it was first dyed adorned her lithe frame, the clothing quite masculine for someone so obviously female. What stood out the most about this girl was not her vibrant red hair, but rather how pale her skin was. It was almost as though she never saw the light of day.
“A Night Stalker!” the sorceress cried as she stumbled in her haste to back away from the approaching girl.
The girl paused then seemed to grin. The sorceress didn’t see any fangs, but she was sure that this girl had to be one of them. A dark, shadowy power oozed from her, and that could be the only conclusion the sorceress could reach.
“Well, you caught me,” the girl stated slyly, her green eyes shimmering with mirth. It was almost as though she was a cat toying with her prey. “Now, what should I do with you. Since you struck an innocent down with a spell, technically you are fair game. I’ll make a deal with you. You give me the girl, and I’ll let you go. For now, at least.”
The sorceress felt trapped. The night stalker was right; she would be well within the rules of the forest to kill her since she had struck down an innocent. The girl’s father had just left her there, so maybe she wasn’t quite as innocent as she first thought. In fact, maybe she could spin the tale in a manner that made it justified. As long as this girl wasn’t around to say differently, then all would be well.
“Fine, I accept your compromise.” She turned and led her horse from where she had hidden it amongst the thick foliage her magic had supplied.
“What’s your name, sorceress, in case I need a favor again.”
The sorceress hesitated then decided that it might not be such a bad idea to have a night stalker at her beck and call. “Amy Madison of the Grey Winds School of Sorcery. And you, night stalker?”
The girl hesitated also, though she was doing so for much different reasons. Finally she replied with, “They call me the Shadow Dancer.” A silent sigh of relief escaped the girl when Amy Madison seemed to be gone for good.
“ A night stalker. Angel and William will absolutely love this. I’ll never hear the end of it.” She looked down at the girl who was still completely unmoving. “Okay, so, I need to get you somewhere safe before an actual night stalker finds you. Oh, and before the sun comes up.” Grasping onto the girl’s midsection, she proceeded to try to pick her up. She managed to get a foot further down the road before both she and the girl collapsed to the ground.
“Oof! Goddess, you’re heavier than you look!” She shifted to sit with her legs drawn up so that she could brush the dirt from her dark trousers. “All right, Willow, think. How can I get her carted off before I keel over as well? The sound of hooves pawing at the ground caught Willow’s attention, and she scrambled backwards in a rather graceless manner. “P-P-Pony..” she stammered out, wide green eyes locked on the beast that was nosing toward the fallen girl. Willow continued scrambling, trying desperately to find a suitable weapon against such a formidable beast. What she found was a large stick. It would have to do.
“Back, foul fiend!” she shouted at the beast while swinging the stick in the most intimidating manner that she could manage. It was less intimidating and more spastic. In fact, the horse seemed to be amused at the fact that this girl was swatting flies for it. Willow doubled over while trying to catch her breath. “Had…enough…yet?” she asked. The horse shook her head and walked forward. Willow again scrambled backward, but she halted when she noted that the horse was nudging at the unconscious girl.
“Oh, you want to help her, do you?” Willow turned her gaze heavenward to see how much time they had left to get Tara to a safe place. They didn’t have much more than perhaps a candle mark before the sun stated its ascent, so they had to hurry. Sighing heavily, Willow decided that she would only succeed if she worked with the over-sized fleabag. “We can get her to a safe place if we work together, but here are the rules. No biting, got it? My arms are not to be nibbled on since I need those for my line of work. No drawing attention to yourself once we get to the cave. I believe that is all that I can think of at the moment, but I will add to this list as I see fit. Are we in agreement?” The horse nodded her head, and Willow took that as a sign of agreement. The horse knelt down a little to make it easier for Willow to hoist Tara onto her back. “My mother was right, this whole cursed business has driven me crazy. Look at me, I’m impersonating a night stalker, drove off a sorceress, and now I’m talking to and making deals with a horse. My life is going down hill, and I’m not even twenty three summers old yet.”
The horse’s eyes, a hue of blue much like her owners, watched the redhead as she babbled on. It was likely that the mare couldn’t understand a word of what the girl was saying, but the fluctuations in tone were so animated that it was entertaining nonetheless. Also, Willow seemed to never run out of air during her tirades. It was a rather impressive feat, even by horse standards. She did finally quiet down when they reached the heart of the forest that housed a den for an animal that had long since abandoned it. Not far from this den was a lake that provided much needed water. The grass and leaves surrounding them would provide excellent foliage for the horse, so it seemed that all three were going to be happy. In fact, given the way that the den was furnished with all the necessities for cooking and creating a fire, it wouldn’t be much of a gamble to wager that Willow had been inhabiting the place for some time.
Willow pulled the girl as gently as she could from the saddle and set her on the ground on top of a pallet Willow had made from the skins of various animals she had received from her unsavory acquaintances. Now that Willow had a chance to look at her, she could see that Tara was not much older than herself. Her dress was more ornate than anything Willow had ever worn, and so she was sure that the girl had to have hailed from a much more prosperous family. If the man who had been with her was family, however, then she doubted highly that the girl would want to go back to people willing to throw her at a sorceress to save their own skins.
“You’d think she’d wake up any time now,” Willow murmured to herself as she made sure to set up the curtains to keep the sunlight from reaching too far into the den she called home every now and then. A tingle shot up her spine, and she spun around to face the unconscious girl. A soft glow that had to be the closest thing to sunlight that Willow had ever seen enveloped the girl. Transfixed by the sight, she began to walk closer to her. When it stopped, Willow was met with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. The girl’s movement snapped her out of her daze, and she stepped back to give her room.
“Where?” she asked, her voice rather hoarse. Her hostess darted around the den to get her some water. Though skeptical at first, Tara accepted the dipper of water and took a sip. It was the freshest, coolest water she had ever tasted. Now that her thirst was quenched, she cast her gaze around her surroundings. It looked like a cave of some sort equipped with all of the necessities. Confusion danced over her features as she turned to face the girl who had offered her water. Unruly and short red hair framed a pallid face given color only by the dirt smudging it. The girl’s green eyes were so expressive that she could see and feel the concern radiating from them. Even before she realized it, she found herself at ease with this stranger.
“What do you remember?” her hostess asked once she was sure that her new guest wasn’t going to pass out again. After a significant pause due to her attempting to bring her scattered memories into some semblance of order, Tara answered to the best of her abilities.
“I was traveling with my father from Lord Ravenhawk’s keep when we were stopped by an elderly beggar woman. My father kicked her away, and she turned into a..” Tara’s blue eyes widened as she rose to her feet. “She turned into a sorceress! She cast a spell toward my father and he threw me at her! He..” Emotion caused her voice to quiver, and Tara began to lose her balance. Willow leapt to her feet and gently grasped her waist to keep her from falling over.
“Easy, there. Come on, sit down. So you remember the sorceress? Do you remember anything after that?”
“No, she said something about humbling him then I felt nothing but peace.” Willow helped her sit back down, at which point Tara turned back to her. “How did I end up here, exactly? Where did you come from?”
“I was there for the latter portion of it. I don’t mean to brag, but I scared off the sorceress so she left you alone.”
“How did you manage to do such a feat?”
“She wasn’t the best trained sorceress, so she confused me for a night stalker.” The redhead grinned cheekily, quite proud of herself for having fooled a sorceress. Her pride began to wane, however, when she noted the blank look she was receiving. “You know, a night stalker, the human-like creatures that go around taking the blood of the living?”
Tara immediately felt ill for having trusted this girl. She escaped a sorceress and her horrible life with her father only to meet her end with a night stalker! Tara stumbled backwards once she was on her feet and reached out to grab the curtain that covered the cave entrance. She pulled it partially aside.
“No!” Willow screamed, pure terror filling her voice as she tried to hide at the very back of the cave. Her body quivered as fear held her captive.
Tara kept her hand on the thick sheet at the mouth of the den, feeling torn now that she had heard such terror come from a supposedly soulless creature. “Why shouldn’t I? What was your plan here? Steal me from the sorceress then lull me into a false sense of security only to kill me when the urge strikes you?” Her voice had gained such strength while she was questioning Willow that she scarcely recognized it as her own. For once in her life, she was in control.
“Who said anything about killing you? I said I tricked her into thinking I was a night stalker!” Willow dared to peek from her hiding spot and was immensely relieved when Tara’s hand fell from the sheet. She wasn’t foolish enough to move from her spot yet however, and continued to speak from there. “I’m not one, really. I just have the same sort of curse as they do. If sunlight touches me then I’ll die.”
Still wary of her, Tara moved only a step away from the make-shift curtain. “How did that happen? Why did you bring me here, then?”
Willow finally pulled herself from behind a rock and glared at Tara. “What, I’m not allowed to save a damsel in distress?” she spat at Tara. “That was far from a diligent and benign sorceress, so there was no telling what she was going to do to you.”
Tara now felt extremely guilty for having questioned her savior and threatened her existence over a misunderstanding. She fixed back the curtain then walked back to the pallet with her head bowed. “I-I’m s-s-sorry for qu-questioning y-y-you. I-I.. I was f-frightened since I-I‘m a-a-a-alone now with n-no idea as to wh-wh-wh-where I am o-or what is t-to become of m-me. ”
The stammering swiftly dissolved what indignant anger had swelled within Willow’s breast. Even a cad such as she did not find pleasure in seeing a lady in such a state of distress. Once checking that she would not be touched by the brilliant rays of sunshine that threatened to penetrate the darkness of her den, Willow moved closer to Tara. “Don’t cry, please?” she requested of the blonde sitting across from her. When this didn’t cease the tears trekking down Tara’s cheeks, Willow began to panic. When the redhead began to panic, she became most verbose.
“Please, don’t cry. Crying is never a good thing. Well, except at weddings which I’ve never been to before since, hello, I can only go to them if they happened at night. For some reason people don’t like to have weddings at night, oh no, it has to be all noon or sunset. Like the night is too good for them. Wouldn’t a night time wedding ceremony be so much more romantic with the..” Willow snapped her mouth shut with an audible sound, her cheeks flushing from embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, I tend to babble needlessly when I get nervous.”
Tara couldn’t help but smile despite her tears; never in her courtly existence had she heard a person say so many words in such a short span of time. The fact that she made them understandable despite the speed that she was speaking them was all the more impressive. Brushing her hair behind her ears, Tara shifted slightly and self-consciously. “N-no, its f-fine. I-it’s a-adorable, really.”
Willow tilted her head to the side then grinned, glad that at least she had made Tara smile even if it was at her own expense. “Oh! See? This is what happens when you spend all of your time prowling the night; you forget your manners completely. I’m Willow, Willow Rosenberg.” She held out her hand much like she always did when greeting the musicians she worked with on the streets or when meeting some of Angel and William’s friends. It didn’t dawn on her until she noticed Tara’s curious expression that perhaps this was not the wisest of actions. Tara was more amused than offended, and she accepted Willow’s hand in the simple handshake. Pain laced up Willow’s hand, and the redhead cried out. Tara was terrified that she had hurt Willow and hovered over her, belatedly realizing that she hadn’t released Willow’s hand. Willow regained her breath and winced while moving her hand.
“Miss Willow, are you all right?” Tara asked, worrying coloring her words clearly. That concern was eased only a margin by the smile she received from her new acquaintance.
“I’m all right. You had magic still buzzing on your skin since you just awakened from that mystical sleep that sorceress put you under. The fact that it stayed on your skin for so long means this wasn’t just a quick spell, I’m afraid. No worries, though. I know some people who might be able to get you some help. What was your name?”
“I failed to give it to you in all of this chaos, so you have my apologies, Miss Willow. I’m Tara Maclay.”
“Just Willow will be fine,“ Willow stated before the rest of Tara’s response reached her ears. “Maclay? As in Lord Donald Maclay?” Willow squeaked, her green eyes wide. “I apologize, Lady Maclay, for my less than respectful-”
“You don’t need to apologize, Willow, and just call me Tara. It has b-been n-nice to s-s-simply speak t-to someone a-as a f-f-friend.” Tara sighed heavily and lowered her head, blonde tresses of hair falling from where they had previously been tucked behind her ears. Willow watched and bit her tongue in order to make herself be silent while her mind was processing their situation, Tara’s words, and how awfully lonely she sounded. There was no confidence in her posture nor in her tone of voice, and those facts saddened Willow vastly. If the tales of what she had heard about Lord Maclay was true and corroborated the actions she had seen him take that night, then she would give her an option that kept her from having to return to such a man.
“Well, Tara, I don’t know what kind of curse you had placed on you, but I do know that people will use it to take advantage of you if you aren’t careful. So, I have an idea if you’re willing to negotiate.” Now no longer hurting from the sting of magic, Willow sat up and folded her hands in her lap. “I am familiar with these lands and most cities, so I know all of the safe places to go if that curse sends you tumbling again. With help from that flea-bitten beast over there, I can always get you to safety at night. Now, I need help during the day to make sure that I don’t get taken advantage of either. Anyone could decide to pick my pockets and steal what coin I’ve earned. Then there is the chance that I don’t find a good enough shaded place. I could be exposed to the sun, then I no longer exist.”
Tara seemed to understand exactly what Willow was offering and nodded her head. “So in more simplified terms, I will protect you from brigands and the sun while you will protect me at night from the same perils?”
“Exactly. Do we have a deal?”
Tara had always dreamed of being caught up in an adventure that took her far from the walls of her father’s keep. Never in those dreams to she imagine it would be something like this. She had often dreamed of having a companion assisting her on her quest, but it had always been a handsome, strapping knight or a homely but kind prince in disguise. It was far from her current companion, an energetic, wild-eyed, and quick-tongued girl who managed to bring some sunshine in Tara’s world even if Willow was allergic to it. Whether this adventure would live up to her dreams, Tara would eventually find out. For now, she had a decision to make. She could go back to her father’s keep where food, shelter, and safety from strangers would never be in question. Though he was cruel, he was no crueler than those brigands that existed in the world outside of those stone walls. Tara could also accept Willow’s offer and run untamed with her to wherever their adventures should take them. At every turn and every moment there would be danger from those wishing them ill as well as from the curses placed upon them, the effects of Tara’s still being unknown to either girl. She would be free, however, and in the company of someone who she couldn’t help but find endearing.
“I accept those conditions.”
She reached out her hand just like Willow had, a lop-sided smile curling on her light pink lips. Willow grinned impishly and accepted the offered hand, glad that this time she didn’t get a surge of magic at Tara’s touch. At least, magic of the pain-filled kind. When their quest ends and they look back upon that day, neither Tara nor Willow would doubt that there was magic.
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Whoa, I stumble over this update two weeks too late and I still get dibs?! This is wrong! 
