“Wow,” Buffy whispered as they entered the main hall of Castle Pazitore. 

 

Giles smiled, put his arm around her and whispered in her ear.  “Buffy, if you don’t say something besides ‘wow!’ soon the good people here are going to think that you speak your own one word language where…Wow.”  Giles stopped speaking as he noticed the grand staircase.

 

“You were saying?”  Buffy smiled. 

 

“Yes well…”

 

“Your Highness.”  Cezar and a dark haired woman entered the room behind them.  “Miss Summers.  I trust your carriage ride was comfortable?” he said.

 

“It was wonderful,” Buffy said.

 

“Indeed,” Giles said.  “It was quite a welcome.”

 

“Allow me to introduce Lady Relia Buscan,” Cesar said.  “She was the fiancé of our late King Lucian.  Relia, this is King Rupert and his intended, Miss Buffy Summers.”

 

“I’m very pleased to meet you both,” Relia smiled.  “Lucian and myself were very happy here and so I’m sure you will be too.  I only wish for you both what we were denied.”  Her smiled saddened a little.  “Time.”

 

Buffy touched Giles’ wrist and nodded her head.  He cleared his throat.  “I’m afraid there’s been some sort of mistake.  Buffy is my Slayer and my friend, but we are not betrothed.”

 

Cezar looked as if he’d just swallowed his own shoe.  “Oh…um….oh…”

 

“Is this a problem?”  Giles asked.  Buffy tightened her hold on him, suddenly very happy they hadn’t mentioned this during the flight.

 

“Well…uh…” Cezar sputtered.  “It’s more a matter of a protocol entanglement.  As I told you before, Terennoaptre is very serious about maintaining our royal line.  For that reason, when an unmarried man becomes the king, generally unmarried women not of noble titled status are not permitted to remain in the castle or in the close company of the king.  The thinking being that it may become a distraction to the king finding a suitable wife, thus endangering the continuation of the line.  Now if Miss Summers were your fiancé, we would simply ask that you marry at the coronation and you would both be crowned at that time.”

 

Buffy spoke.  “But since I’m not titled I have to leave and then I’m not allowed near Giles until he gets married to someone?”

 

“You will of course be permitted to remain in the castle tonight.  It is already dark outside and too late to arrange for suitable accommodations elsewhere,” Cezar said.

 

“But I have to leave tomorrow?”

 

“Well… yes.  I’m afraid you must.” 

 

“Now wait a moment,” Giles said.

 

“Cezar, why don’t you show Miss Summers to her room?  I believe the suite next to mine is available.”  Buffy and Relia exchanged looks.  For a moment, Buffy feared this was a properly titled woman making a move on the newly available king.  However, the sadness at the loss of her fiancé was etched in Relia’s face.  Something in Lady Buscan’s expression was pleading for her trust.  Tentatively, Buffy decided to give it.

 

“Thank you,” Buffy said.  “I think I would like to freshen up a bit.”  Cezar offered his arm and escorted her from the main hall.

 

Relia touched Giles’ arm and smiled.  “Fear not, Rupert.  There is a way around this situation.  We will need some of Lilian’s books.  I trust you don’t object to a little research?”

 

Giles grinned.  “My dear lady, lead the way.”