The Kingdom SunnyDale

Book 1 - Setting Pins up Just to Knock Them Down Again

Disclaimer: Willow, Buffy and other characters and backstory is all property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy; We're just using the wonderfully fantastic characters and setting to while away a little time with some daydreams of my own. No harm or malicious intentions reside here - We just like writing my stories - Thank you Mr. Whedon and ME for creating a rich and wonderful world!

Spoilers – everything up almost end of Season Six.

Pairing: Some F/F and some M/F (so if you don't like, please do not read). W/AltT, DW/F, G/J/J, and lots more if the whole story unfolds.

Story - Takes place somewhere toward the end of season six. Tara and Willow have just reunited. Only instead of the event unfolding at the end of season 6 something very different happens - this story has a very Alternate Universe twist. Willow loses one world and finds her place in a new one. One that is similar but different. Please let me know if you think more should follow.

Rating - PG-13

FEEDBACK - Oh Please!!!! You can email us docwho2000@hotmail.com or leave a comment on our tag board (located on the main page)

Chapter 20 - Unsettled Nights Call For Solace - Part 1

LAST TIME ON KINGDOM SUNNYDALE

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A light touch on her shoulder broke her continual litany of thank yous. She looked up into the face of Giles. "Your Majesty, Tara, I think we should send everyone to their rooms and send a healer and wizard to each participant to make sure there are no lasting injuries."

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"The halls are restless as are the souls inside." Jenna remarked listening to a groan as the wood creaked and adjusted. "We must watch carefully this is only the beginning." Giles, Jenny and Joyce had just returned to their room, having been checking all others for any residual effects of the attack.

Joyce nodded. "I also think we should be watchful with the Court Council. I think we need some patience, because there are rats among the nobility, but when we strike them we need to root out the nest, or the others will just scurry back into hiding, and still continue to grow."

Giles looked up from the text he was leafing through. "You are suggesting a thorough cleansing. We've not done that for years… the last was… trying." Giles adjusted his glasses, catching Jenny's and Joyce's eyes before looking back to the text,

Jenny said nothing but knew what he had referenced, all knew about the Darkening and the events that occurred after.

Joyce shook her head. "Although I do think that most of the council is loyal in their hatred of Dark Willow, I am worried that even the queen cannot stop us from becoming worse than even Dark Willow ourselves."

"The wonderful dance that is court life," Jenny muttered going over to her husband. She leaned over his shoulder and corrected part of what he had written, giving him an innocent smile as she did so. "I think we need to learn to dance outside the prescribed box."

Joyce smiled at the exchange. "If we allow ourselves to conduct... well for lack of better phrasing... 'witch hunts', for those who might be loyal to Dark Willow, then she has already won at least in one respect, because we fear her. But on the other hand, do we just stand back and leave the door open for someone to come in? I believe you are right Jenny, we need some out of the box thinking."

"While ye be looking to step outside a box, are there any other items you will need this nigh?" Jenna had come back in, having been setting up the bedroom.

"Hmmm," Jenny circled around the room a bit musing that over. "So, we could be facing multiple threats then? Perhaps someone wishing to trail in under the radar."

"The what?" Giles looked up, "You have found more of the old texts, haven't you?" He asked, referencing how Jenny loved to dig up older texts, especially those with technical leanings. She often would employ the slang in her speech.

"I think she means that while everyone is focused on Dark Willow, a threat may come from another angle. Someone, perhaps someone like Archibald, might wish to gain an upper hand and be able to accomplish what Dark Willow can not." Joyce answered, coming over to Giles and giving him a kiss on the forehead.

"Interesting, I never thought of that." Jenny pulled at her lip. "Someone wishing to gain favor might go after Tara or those close. Doubling the threat and widening the circle of possible attack. Will need to readjust the algorithm." She trailed off muttering to herself as she made a list to tell her students when they met tomorrow. They would have to reprogram a few things. She looked up then, still partially distracted, "Archibald?"

Jenna smirked as she cleared up the used dishes. " Tara gave him a safe haven. Seems he is a cousin of the Emperor, however, he also seemed to be on the Emperor's wrong side. He was exiled. Never liked him, he always seemed... as Master Giles fancies, shifty."

Joyce chuckled. "I should win some sort of a pool, because in less than half a mark we have her changing her algorithms." Joyce put out her hand and stroked Jenny's arm. "Should I put extra guards subtly following him as well?"

"Pretty soon we will have everyone in the kingdom being followed. Hmm, maybe that would work. Of course that could end up, as you said, in a witch hunt. Which I will thank you kindly not to use that phrase anymore, the only hunting of witches I like to hear about is in a playful vein." Jenna replied, laying her hand over Joyce's and squeezing it tenderly.

Giles let forth a playful laugh, "So, heard any other tall tales lately?"

"No. But I would like to feel some witch tail." Joyce said, shaking her head at Giles, sometime wondering if he sometimes spent too much time with the Queen, and some of her peculiar humor rubbed off on him.

"Do you now?" The witch asked before turning to Joyce, playfully shaking her butt playfully in the woman's direction. "And what would you do to feel some tail?" She challenged, making sure to just dance out of Joyce's reach. "Or perhaps Giles would like a chance…"

Giles flustered for a minute "Well I..." before turning bright red.

"The same thing I would do for a Klondike pie." Joyce said sighing when Jenny moved out of the range of her pinching fingers.

"Actions speak louder than words, just look at how affective that is for Rupert." Jenny replied, teasing both of her lovers.

"Ok that's it." Joyce said jumping up, using her warrior honed skills, and grabbing Jenny around the waist and pulling the witch next to her, and into her lap, groping her firm ass with both hands, leaving Giles room to feel up the dark haired woman as well.

"See, action. Leads to very nice results." Jenny said, enjoying the groping for a moment before she gave Joyce a kiss and then managed to get away from the woman. "But come now, don't you want to play with your toys a little more, I know how much playing with your toys works you up."

"I know how much you playing with my toys works you up." Joyce came back, but changed her focus as she slid the battle figures on the map on the table a little bit.

"I think her next move." Joyce said considering the map of the empire, then what she knew about Dark Willow. "Her next move will probably be here. She will want to try and go across so she can acquire the port here on Superior Lake, that way she has a direct line from all the way east. Also the two rulers of these kingdoms are always fighting with each other, so they will be easier targets."

"What counter would you propose?" Jenny asked, coming over to lean her chin on Joyce's shoulder as she looked at the proposed attack formation.

Joyce considered the map. "She wanted the Sacramento area because it brings in plenty of food and has abundant resources. The woods in the Northern part of Sacramento have abundant rainfall, fish, plenty of food can be grown there. A lot is also grown through irrigation in the high desert and here along the valley."

Jenny stood quietly to the side, admiring Joyce as she spoke and walked around the map. She could tell the woman was no longer in their shared room, but rather was walking along the area she was describing. It had always amazed Jenny how Joyce was so centered and focused and able to plan. The witch often teased the warrior that it was a hidden maternal side that allowed this.

"Most of the crops for this year have been destroyed either by the battles fought between the sides, or crop burning so she couldn't use them. So we have another year or so before these lands are brought to fruition. I think it will be a few months to a year before she will begin her march eastward. We need to begin to try diplomatic solutions to get them both to work with us, and in doing so subtlety force them to become allies and thus either provide a stop point, or at least would be a buffer zone."

"How do you propose we do that? Would we be sharing resources? Actually, *could* we share resources? Would there be enough for all involved to not be deprived?" Giles had come over, wrapping an arm around Joyce as he was caught up in the planning.

"That is one possibility and one that will probably be used, we also have to look at the possibilities of marriage arrangements between our kingdom and theirs." Joyce said, rubbing her chin.

" Sacramento will be deprived for the next year and we can do nothing about it, since it now belongs to Dark Willow, except... do we allow the people who can make it to SunnyDale, to come past our borders? It is a good chance that the Dragon Knights will ask for sanctuary for the people of Sacramento. These people are mostly farming and peasant stock. Perhaps some tradesmen, maybe even a few of the noble classes. Again this will be Tara's decision, but how do we want to advise her in this matter?"

" Tara's soul and heart are too kind to turn any away. That has always been what she built her foundation on. I know the Council will try to sway her to retreat, to isolate SunnyDale. I think that is completely crap." Jenny finished, coming over and pushing over one of Joyce's figures.

"I will take crap to mean you believe we should accept any who ask for sanctuary." Giles said, reaching out to stand the figure back up.

"They have been pushed out by Dark Willow, if we give them refuge and a chance to avenge. We could only benefit. My students and I have a number of farming techniques we have discovered. We have equipment that has been restored…" Jenny was cut off as Joyce began to laugh.

"You, my dear wife, wish a devoted cast of test subjects." Joyce teased, shaking her head at the witch's suggestions.

"Well, they would need shelter, a place to stay, a means to support themselves.. " Jenny said trying to keep an innocent face on as well as a casual tone. "I would offer my lands and means. They have remained empty for many a season…." Jenny sighed, not wishing to think about that, missing the looks Giles and Joyce exchanged at the mention of offering her lands.

"Well, then we shall make quite a scene at Council when we not only support the immigrants but even give them a place to gain kingdom status. I think I should be getting ready for quite a verbal war." Giles said clearing his throat.

"That is something you know you enjoy, even under your stuffy reserve." Jenny came over, walking her fingers over her husband's arm in a slow tease. If this influx did happen, and she could have a small population to allow her and her followers to show the kingdom the benefits… perhaps a change really was coming…

TBC

Chapter 21

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page last modified - January 16, 2009

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