Birthright

Chapter 5

Spike twitched his nose, feeling something tickling it. He burrowed his face into the comforter under him, growling when he felt his ear being tickled. Raising his head, intent on telling whoever it was to piss off, all he could do was stare at the little pixie fluttering in front of him and chattering. Blinking, he watched in amazement as the little thing flittered around and started dusting.

“ What-?”

“ They keep the palace in order. Since no one’s lived here they’ve had no purpose for quite some time.” Ariana smiled softly as the little pixie landed on her
finger and started to chatter,” Well, let’s leave that up to him, shall we?”

Half growling, not completely ready to join the world yet,” Leave bloody well what up to me?”

“She wants to know if she should get the others, to get the palace made up for you. Since this is a pretty big shock I thought I’d give you some time.”

His head cocked, eyeing her coldly,” Time for what, I’m not staying here.” The little pixie’s wings deflated on her perch,” You drag me over here to tell me I’m some bloody royal. Hate to break it to you but all the parlor tricks in the world isn’t gonna change where I came from. Had me a mum in London long before I was turned. And I didn’t look like this..” He gestured to his ears,”...when I was there.”

Ariana came in a little, sitting down on the setee,” Yes, I know. I put the modification spell on you.” Spike’s brow furrowed together,” I’ve known about that world for decades before sending you there. I knew what fit in and what wouldn’t. So, I made you a tad more ordinary looking for their eyes...flushed cheeks, rounded ears. Let me step back...after I failed your father, I used my ‘parlor tricks’ to find the two of you and lead you to the doorway. I knew you’d be safe there until you were older.” The warrioress looked down for a moment, collecting her thoughts,” We were ambushed before I could see you both through safely. She pushed me out of the way, throwing you to me as she...died...I got you through the portal. But I had no knowledge for caring for a child and I had to protect what people I had left until you matured. So I found an elderly woman who instantly fell in love with you. Who promised to look after you...”

Spike felt his heart breaking, knowing deep inside that it was true. That he may not believe it, but it was all true,” So you left. Why not come back when I was sixteen or something?”

Smiling sadly,” As I said time works differently here. We don’t really have calendars so I had to hazard a guess at your eighteenth. I missed you by a few years...long enough for your sire to get a hold of you.”

Frowning,” So, if I’m an elf how could I be turned?”

“ Actually you were half elf since your father was mortal. And you weren’t completely turned, the spell simply molds itself to the situation. To make your transition seem real it modified itself so that your appearance would allow for your ‘demon’ but it still hid your ears, and your reflection.”

“ I have a demon. I can feel it. Wouldn’t have minded ripping those soldiers
to shreds.”

“ Neither would I. But tell me, when you were ‘turned’ were you really that different? Or did you learn to please your fellow vampires?”

Spike opened his mouth and closed it. He could honestly say that he hadn’t been different. Just more aware of his hunger and feeling absolutely free of the bonds of mortality. He killed out of hunger, not sport. He didn’t torture as he’d led Angelus to believe and the iron spike, his trademark, had been a single revenge play that had followed him,“ Sunlight? Holy objects?”

“ Illusions of pain. Smoke and mirrors. Neither would kill you but the pain feels real enough and the burns seem real. But lift the spell and it’s all gone. I’m sure you’ve noticed that you can stay in the sunlight longer than most vampires and your ‘wounds’ heal relatively quickly.”

“ And here?”

She shrugged,” By crossing back it breaks the spell. Go back to that world and you remain as you are now.”

Spike shook his head, realizing he was a royal. A prince no less. Which meant
that this entire world kinda rested on his shoulders. And he didn’t want it. He didn’t want to be lord over everyone. He just wanted to be loved and left well enough alone. Pushing himself out of bed and out the door,” I weep for the future.”

She didn’t follow him and he wasn’t exactly surprised that she hadn’t. On his own he wandered down hallways, up the stairs to the second floor and across to a rather ornately carved entrance. Megan was standing in front of it, looking up at the huge double doors,” What’d you find, pidge?”

She shrugged silently, leaning into his leg and holding onto his coat, thoughtful finger in her mouth. He rested a hand on her head, curious himself and hefted one of the doors open. He blinked in surprise at the finery. It was a weapons room. Armor, shining like new, swords of all shapes. Daggers. Shields. Everything meticulously cared for and perfect. But his eyes were drawn to the center. The armor of the king, helmet at the side, and a sword laid out on a stone surface.

He reached out to touch it and Megan grabbed his hand,” No! You can’t touch it!”

Kneeling down,” Why not, luv?”

Her lip trembling,” Cause it’s haunted. That’s why no one comes here. They tried a long time ago to claim it, and everyone who touched it vanished. Poof.”

He frowned a bit to himself,” Now why is that?”

The door creaked as Ariana leaned against it and he sighed, standing and waiting for her to explain,” They didn’t exactly ‘poof’. They melted actually, a fiery death at their impudence.” Spike gave her a raised eyebrow, more than a little bit intrigued,” Only the rightful king may hold the sword. The barons tried to usurp the throne, proclaiming who they wanted to be next in line. Needless to say they only tried once.”

Still having a hard time coming to terms with this,” And if they had managed to kill me along with my... parents?”

Her expression grim,” Then all of this would cease to exist. The world wouldn’t end, just the castle and all of this. It’s magically tied to your bloodline.”

He nodded,” So what’s going to happen when I get dusted in Sunnydale or wherever?”

If she were alarmed at his resolve to return she didn’t let it show,” Then poof,
as I said.”

Raising an eyebrow,” Then what will you do?”

She gave a humorless laugh,” Oh, I will be long dead before that happens I should think. All of us will.”

Unconsciously he tightened his hold on Megan,” What the bloody hell does that mean?”

“ Whether it’s their intent or not, the destruction of the ancient forest will be our undoing. There are so few of us because there is so little of it left. When the last of it is gone, we will cease to be. You need not worry, since you were only half elf it shouldn’t effect you.”

He felt like he’d been sucker punched by a very pissed off slayer. The little ones, even Ariana, they all would die if he didn’t do something. But it meant staying here. It meant taking this birthright that she was showing him and doing something with it. It meant leaving Sunnydale behind, possibly forever.

Spike sank to the ground for a good sulk,” Well ain’t this a bitch?”

*

Spike sighed to himself, sitting on a stone bench and gazing out into the wild field behind the palace. He was doing what he should have done two years ago, sitting and thinking through the pros and cons of his existence. And unfortunately for his heart, being here was a hell of a lot better than going back. And that was the crux of it. For more than a century he’d let his soft, poet heart lead him around and all it had given him was pain, humiliation, and rejection.

And while the poet in him wanted to go back home and try to woo Buffy, something else wanted something more. You walk in worlds others only dream of...

Dru had said that. She may not have known everything...

My dark prince...

She had. For the love of everything unholy. She’d known all this time. He
slumped a bit more, sighing to himself and realizing it had all been a lie. He’d known she hadn’t really loved him, not like he loved her or how she loved her ‘daddy’, but still. He was her toy. A newly acquired possession. A bit of magic she’d stolen and didn’t want to give back.

He closed his eyes, focusing himself on the sounds around him. He didn’t hear his demon growling inside of him. He didn’t hear the soft poet inside weeping for his past defeats. Instead he listened to the man, who was the culmination of both, stronger because of both of them, but not of either one. Opening those bluer than blue eyes, he saw his path before him. His people needed him...and William the bloody was up for the challenge.