Methos walked out. Sara was seething. "There are very few people " her voice was barely audible "who can push my buttons like he can." She turned to the others with a big smile on her face. "I invited everyone here for a party, I've babbled a ton about myself. So let's get this party started."
"Wait! you can't just leave us hanging like that!" Xander spoke up
"Yeah, Did you hang out with anyone cool?" Dawn asked.
"Like who?" Sara toyed with them. She figured this would come up.
"Oh, I don't know, Joan of Arc, maybe?" Willow suggested.
"How 'bout Dracula?" Spike's voice was heard from the back.
"Well as a matter of fact, Spike."
"I've met him too, no biggy." Buffy said off-handedly.
"Not him, that Euro-trash, Harlequin Cover, Pimp Daddy Wanna-be, give me a freakin' break." Sara's irritation was very genuine, "I am talking about Vlad Dracul, the real
Dracula."
"His name was Vlad TEPES Dracul" Willow corrected.
"Vlad Tepes (which Kalogridis spells phonetically in English as Tsepesh), The word "tepes" in Romanian means "impaler", I doubt his parents named him Vlad Impaler son of the Dragon." Fred stated as she pushed her glasses up on her nose and smiled shyly at everyone.
"Ok, from where we left off. I wandered perfecting my magical arts searching for new ways of doing things, new spells. My hunger for magic was insatiable. For 800 years I was alone, on my own, and had become that stereotyped hermit witch living in the woods. When the witch trials began in Europe in the early 1200's, I was a well-known candidate. I think I was burned about six or seven times in a 200-year span. I had a spell that numbed me from the pain, and since I kept my head, I would just wander to another country for a while. At about 1400 I had settled down and had actually set up house with a mortal, Basarab was so kind. I actually miss him now. We had taken in an orphaned girl, Nedelcu. She was so full of life and energy." The tears started again "When she was 10 I started teaching her the healing arts I knew. If I had known, if I had suspected, I should have known." Sara took a deep breath "Ok sorry, they were now in full-fledged hysteria at this time, I was always blatant about my magic. That's what got me into trouble, but her, no, she was very subtle, and genuinely wanted to help people. She spurned the love of a suitor; he did not take to kindly to it and turned her in to the Witch Hunter. She, of course, was found guilty, and I could not save her. My husband, who did not know my true nature, stayed my hands.He held me back and and there was nothing I could do as my magic was not as strong as it is now. They made me watch her burn; I could not even ease her pain. To make a mother watch her daughter in so much pain is inhumane. I snapped, no feeling left, but anger. I left him after her death, he did not know, but my heart was gone, people were death, mortals knew nothing but death, they even reeked of death. They had taken my only child away from me, they were going to pay." Sara stopped, her eyes hardened at the memory "The Dark Arts, which I had steered clear of until now, held my only interest. I studied with fervor, and ran into some very interesting real-life vampires in this time, Maharet and Mael."
"You know the Twins?" Spike was shocked. They were the hierarchy of vampiric society. Maharet, Mekare, Lestat,Armand, all of them legends to their own kind.
"I knew Maharet and her companion, her obsession to find Mekare was as strong as mine to rid the world of the menace of mortals. She taught me a lot of the old world magics, things lost for millennia, she was older than Methos, and did not care what I did, she had distanced herself from all but the direct descendants of her sister."
"They were aristocratic, at the time, and I found myself mingling in Walachia upper society. I could smell the power, the future held something big, for this place and this time I was at. Low and behold soon the man Bram Stoker based his famous novel on was born in the town of Sighisoara in Transylvania. When his time came, his subjects respected him because of his fierce campaigns against the Turks. He was a respected as a warrior and stern ruler who tolerated no crime against his people.
My lover had his ear for a time, and what this man is famous for, was my idea. The bloodshed and carnage was glorious in my eyes. Vlad enjoyed them too, he would set up a feast just to watch the impaled people suffer, I loved it. Those people were so inspiring, impaled on stakes in front of the castle. I laughed every time I saw them.
There was also Elizabeth, The Blood Countess, she was fun," Sara's voice changed to a mischievous tone "I wonder how she got the idea the blood of virgins would keep her young?" The look in Sara's eyes was that of a mad woman, relishing the evil of her memories "I had changed my name, to Demonica," Spike and Anya gasped at this
"What, heard of me?" Sara questioned in an innocent tone knowing full well that that name held power for anyone over 400.
"Darla always said she wanted to be like the famed Demonica, more evil than a vampire, more blood on her hands than the Lady Bathory, and indestructible." Spike was awed and Sara liked it.
"You were the reason I had a ton of work all those centuries!" Anya looked shocked "Luring men from their wives, girlfriends and mothers, mainly to their death. My goodness, did you not feel any of the curses I tried?"
"That annoying thing was you, Anya? Sorry, it was like making sure I had mosquito spray on before I left the house, that's all, Why didn't you tell me when last we spoke?"
"I had no idea you were her, I mean you, she was you, you know what I am saying." Anya was a little upset.
"Anyway, Anya, how's that bunny issue going for ya?" Sara inquired impishly and Anya shivered.
"Yes, she is me and now I had the full attention of the Talmasca. They were talking about taking me down, but could not agree on how. I was definitely one of hose "Dangerous"
Immortals. I think I was labeled Insane, and now that I think back on it, I probably was." Sara leaned back into the loveseat, Lorne had pulled as far away from her as he could, not liking the vibes that had just radiated from her. "I ran with some very disreputable figures then, I especially loved the Mayfair family, it was one of the more interesting clans to follow. They wielded magic, known to be tainted black."
Willow wanted to know. "What made you change? Back to good I mean."
"They caught me, the Watchers I mean. Wesley, you might have learned about this one, The Reconditioning procedure? All started with MY reconditioning. They were so insistent.
They wanted to help. they realized it was not about the grief any more, that was over centuries ago. It was the power. The way of life I was accustomed to. Once you enter, there seemed no way out. Maybe Methos is right, I did let it consume me. It was so funny, they had 'Adam' assigned to my case at the end. Methos in the watchers, that was funny. He arranged it, I know now, but it was the first time we had seen each other in a thousand years. I broke down, and he talked sense to me. He convinced the Watchers to begin to trust me. Finally, after a generation or two, they gave me the responsibilities I have today."
"I have lived for so long, but the game is almost over. The winner has already been decided, there is just a handful of us, comparatively, that, are avoiding the confrontation with him. My time is coming soon, and the Council needs a new Spell caster to take my place. So for about 150 years I have been searching waiting for someone with the talent strong enough to handle the duties to come along. Willow, you were chosen, but you too must learn from the guilt that comes from using the Black Arts. Look at Dawn, you know you have lost her trust, as well as endangered her life. Look at all of your friends; can you earn their trust again? Are you willing to try?"
The tears welled in Willow's eyes "But it is so easy to use the power."
"Yes, it always easier to wield the black magics."
"The question was, Would you try?" Tara looked into her eyes, sad but full of hope.
"Yes, I will try."
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