“It’s… uh… a shortcut,” the nervous carriage driver answered an infuriated Cordelia.

“A shortcut through a haunted forest?” Xander was sharpening his sword as he spoke. “Yeah, that sounds like a fantastic plan.”

Willow couldn’t take it anymore, three days they’d been travelling so far. Xander and Cordelia only seemed to pause their bickering to join forces in an attack against Andrew, the carriage driver.

The redhead kicked open the carriage door, half stumbling over her skirts as she jumped angrily from the carriage.

“What’s going on?” she asked, arms folded.

“The genius here wishes that we stray from our route.” Cordelia replied, matching Willow’s stance.

“And by ‘stray from our route’ she means ‘offer ourselves as sacrifices to evil spirits’.” Xander added as he examined the edge on his blade.

“Evil spirits?” Willow asked disbelievingly. “We have swords and pointy pikey stick things!” Willow said.

Xander motioned towards the woods. “Would you really risk travelling through there to save a couple of days?”

Willow followed his gaze. The woods were thick and ominous looking. But no more so, Willow reasoned, than the Sunnydale cemetery.

If they entered the woods Willow would have a greater chance of escaping from fake Xander and Cordelia. Once she was rid of them she would be able to look for Buffy. She had no doubt that the Slayer would be able to set things right.

“I think… I think we should go through there.” She said. “After all.” She widened her eyes, hoping she looked the part of the scared princess. “What if the.. uh.. evil forces catch up to me?”

“What happened to ‘I want to go back to the castle’? and ‘I’m really in no danger’?” Cordelia demanded. “It’s all I’ve been hearing for three days.”

“Well, I… I changed my mind.” Willow said firmly. “I’m the princess, I’m allowed to! Right…?”

“Of course your highness.” Xander said, cutting off Cordelia as she opened her mouth to speak. “If it is your wish to reach Travoka sooner we shall try to do so by any means possible. I have my sword; I will stand valiantly against any foes we may encounter!”
……..……..……..

** “There they are!” Princess Willow pointed out across the field. At first Oz could only make out a flickering light, almost as though a fairy were dancing on the field.

The flickering light was joined by still more of them. As they came closer Oz could make out the delicate shapes. Tiny, dragon-like creatures- crystal dragonettes, cavorted and played amongst the morning dew.

“They love anything that shines.” Willow explained as they dove towards shimmering drops of dew. “Watch.”

She stepped forward, Oz’s heart lurched in fear for, whilst fragile in appearance, the miniature dragons still possessed the razor teeth and claws of their much larger cousins.

The tiny figures eyed the princess suspiciously as she pulled from her purse a handful of glittering stones.

Amethysts, he realised.

One of the dragonettes flew gracefully towards her, landing gently on her arm and examining the stones. Reaching out with a clawed forepaw the beast lifted one of the treasures, bringing the jewel close to its eye. With a gentle flutter it left her arm, its prize held jealously within its tiny paw.

In a dazzling display the other dragonettes followed the example of the first, hovering above the princess’ hand to select for themselves an amethyst. In the early morning light, surrounded by the shimmering, delicate creatures, Oz couldn’t imagine that anything could look as lovely as Willow did. **
……..……..……..

“Land ho!”

Oz woke from an uneasy sleep, the excited shouts of sailors drifting through the wooden planks overhead. He dressed quickly and climbed up onto the deck. Far off on the horizon a dark strip showed where they were soon to land on the shores of Polydia. Only a few more hours sailing and he was to see her again.

His heart raced with joy even as a feeling of dread clutched at his soul. What if she never wished to speak to him again? What if she had found another?

He tried to shake these thoughts from his mind as they made ready to land.

In the three days since he had turned his back on the war his mind had been filled with naught but thoughts of her. What was he to say? How could he apologise for something like that?

He reached into his pocket where a fine, gold circlet was safely kept. He would find a way.

……..……..……..

The carriage slowed and then stopped. Through the thick leaves of the trees overhead the noonday sun filtered, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Xander produced some seed-cake, purchased at a small village near the edge of the forest a day earlier, and handed it to Willow. He then pulled from his pocket a hard, dark brown material and began chewing on it.

Willow blinked questioningly at him.

“It’s dried meat.” He explained- only afterwards remembering to swallow. “It’s good old fashioned soldier food, it keeps for a long time and it’s good on the road. Of course,” He added. “It’s not the sort of food for a princess like yourself to be eating.”

Cordelia sneered in dismay at a mixture of dried fruits and nuts. Replacing the lid on the jar, she looked around distastefully until something caught her eye. Gleaming red and shining in the darkness of the forest, a lone apple hung from a tree. She stepped off the path and made her way towards it, entranced.

…………………..

Andrew led the horses away from the carriage to where a tiny stream trickled by the path. One of the horses snorted in fright, half rearing.

“Whoa.” Andrew stroked its nose, trying to calm it. Suddenly both horses pulled back and bolted down the road the way they had come. Andrew looked around, frightened; whatever had scared the horses must be very dangerous, and now they had no way of getting out of the forest.

He peered through the trees, seeing nothing but darkness. A crunching sound behind him grabbed his attention. Andrew spun around and screamed; that was the last noise he ever made.

“Where’s Cordelia?” Willow asked, suddenly noticing her absence.

“Dunno.” Xander answered, leaning against the wheel of the carriage. “Probably hunting down local gossip, fashion tips, unwed knights…”

Willow frowned. The forest had suddenly become deathly quiet; a flock of birds took off- startling the girl

A slight breeze rustled the leaves and then a deep silence once again fell over the forest.

“Xa… Alexander.” Willow called out, heart pounding.

“Milady?”

“I think you might need your pointy pikey stick.”

A piercing scream sounded through the trees.

……….

Cordelia was glad for the opportunity to stretch her legs; she picked her way over the forest floor, her eye always on the apple. It was odd in that the alluring fruit never seemed any closer.

Following the curve of a small animal trail, she soon found her vision of the apple blocked by a large tree. Cordelia picked her way around the tree and there it was.

Glossy, as though it had been thoroughly polished, the apple sat temptingly on a bough barely low enough for her to reach.

Cordelia reached up, fingers brushing its smooth surface. A cracking noise sounded from nearby. She paused as a flock of birds took off through the trees and winged their way upwards; disappearing through the leaves overhead. She stood on tiptoes to reach the apple better and the ground buckled beneath her feet.

Before her the withered, ancient-looking tree came to life, roots bursting free of the earth and writhing around like so many snakes as its branches flailed wildly around like whips. Cordelia stared for just a second and then raced back through the forest the way she’d come.

…………..

Willow stared in horror as trees started coming to life around them.

“I didn’t do it! It wasn’t me!” Cordelia came running through the trees, the bottom of her dress in tatters. She tripped on a log, landing directly in the path of the fierce tree. Cordelia stared up in horror as it aimed a heavy bough at her chest, ready to crush her to death.

The tree let out a bellow as a pike pierced through its trunk. A sticky substance sprayed out of it. Xander reached out a hand to help Cordelia to her feet then turned as several of the monstrous trees groaned menacingly behind them.

He pulled his sword from its sheath and pointed off into the forest. “Run!” he ordered.

“But…” Willow began, cut off as Cordelia grabbed her by the arm and dragged her in the direction Xander had pointed.

“Cordelia, wait!” Willow ordered.

Cordelia stopped short, glaring at Willow. “What’s wrong with you? Do you want to get us both killed!?”

“We have to help him!” Willow insisted. “What if he gets killed?”

“He’s a soldier.” Cordelia replied. “It’s his job to protect you from harm.”

“Well, what about tomorrow, or tonight even? If he dies now, who’s to protect us later?” Willow shook her head, snatching her arm away from Cordelia and racing back to where the sounds of battle raged.

“Ignis incende!” Willow called, holding out a hand. Flame shot from her palm, igniting one of the nearby trees and burning it to ashes.

Xander was fighting another of the trees, slashing at it with his sword; sap dripped from its trunk but its movement wasn’t slowing.

Willow ducked a branch, running over to where the tree Xander had killed earlier sat motionless. She grabbed the pike and tugged hard. Nothing happened.

The three remaining trees closed on Xander, their branches swinging wildly. He ducked and slashed at them, becoming winded as a branch hit him in the stomach.

Focusing her limited magick, Willow drew the pike from the tree, turned it around and sent it directly into the trunk of another.

Xander leapt to his feet and thrust with his sword, embedding it into the heart of the tree. He leapt back, pulling the pike from the tree Willow had dispatched and throwing it expertly. The pike sank deeply into the gnarled trunk of the final tree. As Willow watched it shuddered to a stop.

“Willow!” Cordelia raced out of her hiding spot behind some of the less lethal trees. “Are you insane!?”

Willow looked around at the possessed trees, the crushed remains of the carriage, at Xander- her Xander who she had known all her life- expertly cleaning his sword and returning it to his scabbard. “… just may be,” she muttered.

Xander approached the two girls, fixing Willow with a stern look before pointing into the forest. “There should be a town a few hours walk to the south. The carriage is destroyed and the horses have fled. Andrew is… he’s missing.”

“Walk? Did you say walk? I thought you did and I must be confused because I can’t possibly…”

Xander cut Cordelia off. “You can walk, Cordelia, or you can stay here. I’m sure you’ll make plenty more friends before the day is out.” He motioned to the dead trees.

Cordelia looked around in horror. “It better be a short few hours.” She followed Xander as he stepped onto a winding path leading seemingly deeper into the haunted forest.