The Clock Struck Midnight
by Sulks
Rating: R
Author's Notes: I've seen a few re-tellings of the Cinderella story in fan fic with B/F and I thought I'd do my version of it, but it's ...a wee dark. It was inspired by the Tanith Lee story When the Clock Strikes, and a lot of details from this story, and even some words were taken directly from her wonderful story. I mean no copyright infringement, honest. Not happy at all.
Hi there! You're new around here, aren't you? One week, eh? Yeah, one week in this place, and you're already ready to leave aren't you? I know exactly how that is, I was like that for a really long time, but Sunnydale is my home. Contrary to what people might say, people who want to stay here aren't losers. Well most of them are, but that's another story. Oh... you're from LA. Only here for a few weeks, huh? On business? My, my. Not much business comes through here. It must be something major. Involves the Mayor, huh?
How did I know? I just do.
Come on, walk with me. I'll show you the sights.
See that building over there? Sunnydale's been around for a very very long time, longer than what anyone suspects. Beneath that building is a castle. How do I know? I just do, I've lived here all my life. No, I'm not kidding. Sunny D was never properly excavated, really. Beneath that building is a castle with a magnificent ballroom. There used to be the most wonderful balls there...
The princess was this beautiful girl called Anne, but everyone called her Buffy. Oh, don't laugh, it's not that amusing. All right, it is. Why did everyone call her Buffy? Because she was beautiful and had this ethereal, whimsical quality. The name Buffy suited her more than the name Anne. She was loved by the people beyond comprehension because she was beautiful and golden, and her eyes were like emeralds.
Now King Henry had been gone many years, and many suspected that he had died. He left to slay a dragon in another kingdom which was ruled by his younger brother, King Reginald. The royal advisors urged Queen Joyce to marry another, because they believed that a woman could not rule properly, but they were wrong. Queen Joyce was a good woman, fair and compassionate. Her only flaw was that she was, perhaps a little too trusting. A trait some would call fool-hardy and stupid, but she was far from foolish and stupid. How that works is beyond me, really. But it's the truth.
She compared herself to Ulysses and Penelope, because she waited ten years for her husband's return, and King Henry had only been gone for eight.
Life here in Sunnydale...well, it's hit-and-miss, really. More than it is in other places. You wake up one morning, and you go on with the knowledge that on that particular day, you might die. Yes, of course, that's true anywhere. You're so cynical. Being from LA, I'm sure you're thinking you could step onto the street on any given day and get hit by a bus or another vehicle or something like that. Things like that don't happen very much here. But we have a very high death rate, much higher than it should be for such a small town. For every three deaths you have in LA, we have at least eight.
In centuries past, people tried to take precautions to live out their years more peacefully. And the Queen, being who she was...she tried to make the lives of her subjects as easy as possible. She outlawed magics, and punished witchcraft severely. But she was a wise and discerning person, and she understood the difference between black magic and white magic, and it was only the former that she pursued vehemently and punished harshly. The law was only for show, really. It was an unwritten rule, and witches, good and bad throughout the land knew it. The good ones knew as long as they were good, they would be all right, and the bad ones knew to be smart enough not be stupid enough to get caught. Especially because people were cruel enough to lob false accusations at people who knew nothing of magic, which is such a misunderstood art.
But the residents were generally happy, and Joyce and Buffy lived in the castle, loved by their people. Buffy grew up and when she turned seventeen, Queen Joyce threw a tremendous ball, and invited people from all over the land.
On the outskirts of the kingdom lived a man and a young girl called Faith. The man's wife had died many years before. There was something this girl, Faith, did not know. The man she called father was not her true father, nor was the woman she had called mother her true mother.
The truth was, Faith had been stolen from her true mother and father as an infant, which really, was just as well. Her real mother and father were not good people, but her surrogate parents weren't ideal either. Huh? What? Yeah, she pretty much was screwed, no matter what. The poor girl.
Now Faith was fifteen and had grown to be darkly beautiful. She was the polar opposite of Princess Anne...er, Buffy. She was dark-haired and somber. She was absolutely stunning but there was nothing whimsical about her. She was so very serious -- even as a child, she rarely laughed, but when she did, it was contagious. She had a certain...she had that certain something that appealed to everyone. Ah, if only... pardon me? I sounded wistful? Heh. You're a funny one. I'm just thinking what if, I suppose.
Faith's surrogate mother died because she was an evil witch who had been guillotined at the Queen's orders. You look aghast. Why? She was given a fair trial, and found guilty of her crimes. It was the death penalty which so many of you people nowadays support so passionately ...you're getting me sidetracked. Shit.
Anyway. When Richard-- that was the name of the man who raised Faith. When Richard heard about the grand ball that was being thrown in honour of Princess Buffy's birthday, and that all the citizens of the land had been invited...well, he thought he might finally avenge himself. You see, his wife had been pregnant when she was killed by the Queen's orders, so he swore revenge on the Queen and her daughter. He had loved his wife so very dearly.
It's a testament to the virtuous and compassionate nature of the Queen that Richard and Faith hadn't been killed when Edna had been killed. In any other kingdom, (and even under King Henry's rule) they would have been. Even though Faith had only been four years old at the time. In actuality, no one knew that Faith even existed, but she would have been discovered had the Queen conducted a more thorough investigation. As it happens, Richard was able to sway the Queen from suspecting him of black magic. He was a suave man, a brilliant orator despite his humble surroundings. He once resided at the court of King Henry's father, but was banished for one reason or another.
The truth of the matter is, Edna and Richard had been teaching Faith the black arts from a very early age. Richard was an evil person, but he loved Faith like she was his own daughter. He really did. He cherished her as much as Queen Joyce cherished Princess Buffy. But he instilled so much hatred in her... her entire life, she was told that they would have to avenge her mother's death. And what other choice did she have? She was so young. What? Evil people can love, you know. Evil things too.
The night of the ball, eligible suitors came from all over the land to see Princess Buffy, who was the most beautiful woman in twelve kingdoms. It was custom in this part of the land for a woman to marry soon after her eighteenth birthday. Men came just to see a glimpse of her. The princes from the other eleven kingdoms all came.
But Princess Buffy wasn't interested in them, she was seventeen, but she wasn't very interested in boys. You're laughing? What? Maybe she wasn't into boys at all? Just wait. No, I'm *not* huffy. Let's just keep walking, okay?
So, then... aw shit. Okay, you got it spot on. Buffy wasn't into boys, she was very much interested in women, although her inclination had not yet struck her. What can I say? She was beautiful and kind, but she wasn't particularly brilliant. What? Dumb? No, she was far from dumb. She was just young and inexperienced. Naive.
The night of the ball, Richard use black magic to conjured a beautiful dress and carriage and other accoutrements for a ball, and sent *his* princess off to wreak revenge.
That night Faith went to the ball, and the minute she walked in, all eyes were on her. She was such a vision-- fair-skinned with hair as black as night and such red lips. Her hair was slightly curly, and I'm told that Princess Buffy had a predilection towards women with that hairstyle. All her closest friends at the court had hair of curls...well, sure nowadays a girl could just get a perm, but...oh, there you are being funny again. We here at Sunnydale, we sort of lack a sense of humour. We have an unusually high death rate, you know. We have twelve cemeteries. Unusual for such a small town, but it seems rather idyllic, does it not?
Anyway. The moment Faith entered the ballroom, Buffy's eyes went to her. She'd been watching the other princesses and noblewomen dance, but she was mostly bored and trying to avoid the men asking her to dance. She approached Faith, thinking a woman as beautiful as the dark haired girl must be from noble lineage.
"Hello, I don't think I've ever seen you in my court before," Buffy said, staring into Faith's eyes and becoming entranced by the dark depths.
"I've never been in your court, your splendor," Faith said, curtseying gracefully.
"I'm Princess Anne."
"I know," Faith said, her voice coy. Her father had told her that Buffy seemed more interested in women than in men, and she knew certain tones of voices drove men to lust after her. How different could it be for a woman, especially one as naive as Princess Buffy? "They say you're the most beautiful woman in twelve kingdoms, and I must say that I've never seen a woman more beautiful than you."
Buffy blushed a pretty pink, "thank-you, you are quite beautiful yourself...please, call me Buffy."
"Buffy," Faith repeated, as if tasting the word.
And they danced, before the eyes of all. They whispered amongst each other.
Buffy held out her arm, "do you think we could talk outside? It's so crowded in here..."
"Of course," Faith muttered. She was only fifteen at the time, you know. Oh, yeah. Yes, you *do* know, because I already told you that. You LA people are so impatient and snarky, you know that? Well, she was beautiful, naturally. But there's nothing more beautiful than a girl at that age. Her skin glowed, her hair shined, and her eyes were bright. She was alive with such youth and power...even if it was all dark power. She appealed to all who saw her, but especially to Princess Buffy who felt an immediate sense of kinship to her.
Now, truth be told, Faith did bewitch Buffy somewhat, being trained by her surrogate parents in the black arts. But you see, even if she hadn't, Buffy would have immediately sought after Faith. There was an affinity between them that nothing could have ever destroyed, nor was it something that could have been created. It was just there. Sort of like that law of thermodynamics about energy never being created or destroyed. What was between Faith and Buffy...it was always there, would always be there.
They walked onto a balcony, and looked up at the moonless sky.
They talked for several hours, laughing and sharing. It's safe to say that Faith seduced Buffy that night. When the clock struck twelve, Faith stood up, and ran, knowing that Buffy would want to follow suit, but also knowing that the blonde princess could never catch up to her enchanted carriage. She left behind a slipper made of glass that no woman could have danced in. That was enchanted too. You're looking sceptical. What? You've heard this story before and it's not the one you know? I suppose not. Let me finish, will you, please?
Thanks.
So Princess Buffy picked up the slipper, which made her go slightly mad and sought for the woman she believed she loved. It shocked the kingdom, this desperate search for the unknown woman. Women were all urged and then forced to try on this slipper. Queen Joyce knew her daughter was beginning to go a bit mad, and she tried to stop her...until Richard cursed the Queen.
The Queen died three days later. The kingdom mourned. Buffy was mad with grief over her mother, and grief over the loss of the woman she'd fallen in love with. She didn't even know the Faith's name, because the girl had been evasive. At the time, Buffy was too smitten to have noticed...
Think about this for a moment, the shoes you have on right now. They're what, a size 7? I'm a size 5. It's not unusual that I wouldn't fit into YOUR shoe, right? But wouldn't your shoe fit someone else as perfectly as it fits you, perhaps even better? So don't you think that this glass slipper could have fit someone other than Faith? Is that not logical? But it fit no woman, because it was enchanted, and the size changed for every woman who tried it on. It would have fit only Faith.
Richard cackled over the death of Joyce and the madness of Princess Buffy, but he saw that Faith did not rejoice as much, and realised that perhaps his daughter had fallen just a little bit in love with Buffy as well. He was furious with her, and beat her for the first time. She begged him for forgiveness, cried piteous tears, pleaded on her knees. She loved him that much. It wasn't the physical pain she pleaded to be released from, it was his displeasure that pained her.
Richard knew vengeance was at hand, and he was not afraid to die.
Buffy had been ordering deaths like the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, and it was actually quite amusing because no one followed through with the orders. And she would never raise a sword herself, because she was a Princess... the people grieved over their mad princess, their queen now, but they tried to fool themselves into believing that once the grief over the loss of her mother and her love had dwindled, she would once again be like the Happy Golden Princess. A proper Queen.
One night, when the moon was full, a knock came at the door of the house on the outskirts of the kingdom. It was nearly midnight, the hour of death and decay.
Richard answered the door and was met by Buffy, her features unnaturally contorted with rage....his plan had worked...
She ran a sword into his belly as Faith stood by the hearth, her mouth open in horror. She was only fifteen after all, and her mother had already died. Black arts or not, a fifteen year old girl just isn't prepared to see her father killed viciously before her eyes.
The look on the blonde girl's face had chilled Faith to the bone, and for one of the first times in her life, she felt absolute fear. She was terrified of this girl, but she steeled herself.
"No!" She cried in agony, her arms stretched out in a futile gesture, any love she felt (in spite of herself) for the blonde dissipated. She launched herself at Princess Buffy who had dropped her sword from its aggressive position. It hung limply at her sides and she stared dumbly at Faith.
"You," she whispered. "It's you," and she brought her hands up tenderly, wanting to stroke the face of the girl she loved. Sanity was beginning to break through the madness. She couldn't understand the pain and despair that was twisting the girl's face, or the rage that was beginning to take over.
"Me," Faith snarled, pushing Buffy away. The clock began to strike midnight.
"I curse you in the name of my mother, whom your mother killed."
"I curse you in the name of my brother, whom your mother killed."
"I curse you in the name of my father, whom you have killed."
"I curse you in my name, whom you have killed." She held Buffy's hand and guided the sword to her own heart. She forced Buffy's hand to thrust it brutally through.
Faith dropped to the ground, blood soaking through her white dress as Buffy stared down in horror.
Buffy lost any hope of sanity that night. If anything, she went even madder. She left the house almost immediately, convinced that the night had never happened. The fire on the hearth consumed the home, and all that was left was ash and cinders. It was almost like the inhabitants were never there.
Buffy continued her search for her love, believing that Faith had never died, claiming that the girl had left a remnant of their love in the form of that damned glass slipper.
The royal advisors were in a panic, it was clear Buffy would never recover her mental faculties to run the kingdom, and they planned a coup. One dark night, as Buffy stumbled from door to door begging the women of the household to try on the slipper, three men in cloaks confronted her. They murdered her that night, beneath the poplar trees.
The glass slipper shattered into many little fragments.
Well, the royal advisors were not very good rulers, and the people eventually revolted against the forced so-called republic. It was just a bunch of tyrants levying one tax after another on the discontented citizenry who just missed their monarchs. Invaders from other kingdoms came through and ravaged the land. And eventually, new homes and new kingdoms were built on top.
There used to be a clock in the ballroom, and the figure on the 12, was Death with his scythe. People said that it was inauspicious, such a clock... they would say that such a clock would only tempt Death to come when the clock struck midnight...
Those two, they were meant for each other. Just because you were meant for a person doesn't mean the ending is going to be happy.
Do you want to know why Richard was so fearless in the face of Death? He had immortality. He could be hurt, but it was only temporary. He sacrificed the girl he loved as a daughter to his quest for revenge.
What? Yes, it is a sad story. The lineages of Buffy, Faith and Richard still run today, you know. King Henry came back from slaying his dragon and found his kingdom ravaged and lived with his brother. Richard is...still...Richard. And Faith's natural parents had another grown child...so the lines still continue, and they're all condemned to play out Fate's little game. Buffy and Faith, they'll always be just pawns in Richard's hands. They'll always be connected, always be meant for one another, but he will always win. He will always use Faith's love for him against them.
I see you don't believe me, you've heard other versions? I've heard them as well.
See those two girls walking over there? That dark girl, she just came to town a few days ago. She's quite beautiful isn't she? Such black hair, such pretty eyes and such red lips. And her blonde companion. Her hair is like gold, is it not? You can't tell from here, but her eyes are green.
What were we talking about? Oh, yes. But it's my story that is true. You laugh. Why? How do I know? I was there in the ballroom that night. I saw them dance together.
You're scared. You think I'm psychotic.
There's something else you should know about Sunnydale, young woman. You should never walk around Sunnydale after dark.
Oh, yes. Please do struggle, fear makes the blood taste so much sweeter.