Here it is, as promised folks. I AM sorry about the time frame- it took a little longer than I had orginally anticipated for me to upload all the chapters on account of me having so much fun while writing it, and through the fact that my school has now decided to block this site from it's network (stupid people that they are). Needless to say, I only own characters I personally created such as Sarah (of course), Riach, Liam (they come into the story far later- sorry for potentially spoiling any plot points in it) and the blacksmith and his wife...and a few Roman soldiers characters (which I think are already pretty self-explanatory for their evilness) and ultimately, this IS a work of FANfiction and I understand that I have no claim to it...obviously. And now...without any further ado I FINALLY present to you, Stubborn Heart.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah looked up at the sky. It was about to storm. She sighed in annoyance. It was Australia, for god's sake- it never rained. Feeling the bitter cold that came with any vicious summer storm on the coastal areas of Queensland, she wrapped her arms about herself, a futile attempt to warm her chilled limbs. It was a colder than the usual summer rainstorm. She walked a little faster, trying to get herself home as soon as possible. Feeling that she wouldn't make it back in time, she surveyed the rugged terrain with an appraising eye, searching for a bit of shelter from the storm that was about to ensue. It was then the rain started to fall down, swiftly drenching herself and the black and white dog that walked beside her.

"Well, Maddy, what'd you say we rest for a bit, hmm?" She patted her head lovingly and walked off the trail. Maddy followed her loyally. "We might as well wait until this rain stops. We're not going to be helping ourselves if we tire ourselves out." Sarah sat down on a log and patted the dog's soft fur. They were miserable figures out in the cold. They were about five kilometers from the village, but hesitant to move because of the cold. It was a good move to wait, for the lightening had just started. Sarah flinched at the sound of the loud thunder that accompanied the lightening strikes. She and her dog stayed like this for a long time and the storm showed no sign of ceasing the attack. In fact, it was getting worse. Lightening filled the skies with angry tendrils of light flashing through the dark clouds. The ferocious roars of thunder immediately had their voices heard and water continued its vicious assault onto the ground below. With each passing minute, Sarah became more frightened. This was no normal summer storm- it was an electrical storm. It was the worst one she had seen all summer. Her parents would be worried sick. With that grim thought, she reasoned that she should keep moving. She didn't want her father and mother coming out to search for her in the storm. They might get hurt. It probably would be better to keep going. "Come on, Maddy. I've had enough." Maddy's ears pricked up at the sound of her voice and she joyfully wagged her tail- almost sorry to leave the wonderful bush land that served as their playground for the blisteringly hot summer days. It was then a lightening bolt struck a nearby tree. The tree made a hissing noise, but other than that the wood held. A strange greenish hue was floating into the air towards her. Sarah shrunk back in fear while Maddy gave a menacing growl. Sarah looked down to her loyal companion. She couldn't help but feel proud of the dog. Tail between its legs and ears flat on her skull, teeth bared in a feral snarl, it was clear that Maddy was terrified and yet she had stuck with her master. Sarah looked towards the green beams of light that were now shooting from behind the tree. Curious, she decided to follow the light beams. Softly calling Maddy to her, she raised her arm to shield her eyes from the now blinding light. Whatever it was, it was all suddenly very quiet around her. The noises from the storm had vanished and now left Sarah and her dog in what appeared to be a different type of bush land. Quietly, Sarah wondered if she had somehow taken a wrong turn and had ended up close to the pine forest that bordered the road to Tinninbar. If so, it shouldn't take her long to redirect herself back towards her home. She walked a little and as she walked, it was clear that it was no pine forest. From the oak trees squirrels chattered to one another and ran along the upper branches. Sarah gazed up at them in wonder. Did Australia even have squirrels? She supposed it could. Many animal species were brought over when Australia was first being colonised. The chance was slim, but the possibility was still there. Sighing out loud, Sarah snapped up her head as she heard a hawk screech overheard. She gazed at the majestic bird in wonder. She loved birds. She loved anything was furry, anything that was an animal. She even had a soft spot for sharks and crocodiles and even on the more odd occasions- snakes. Maddy looked up at it too and barked in reply to the hawk's cry. Sarah smiled. She knew that somehow, everything would turn out alright. It was all a matter of when. She kept walking and came across a huge plain of white. Sarah struggled to think of a time when Australia had snow on the coast. She couldn't remember a time in geographical history when it had snowed so close to the shoreline. The landscape. There were mountains where there were no mountains. Looking straight ahead, there seemed to be a clearing in amongst the heavy shrouds of dense trees in between the mountains. With a sinking feeling, she finally realised that she was probably not even close to her home. Hoping that someone kind would find her, she continued her trek down the hill and as she got closer, it felt as though she was going downhill. As she neared the clearing, she saw that there was a river that had frozen over. Clearly, the snow and ice had been there for a while- further confirming Sarah's fears. She hoped against hope that it was fresh water and that there would be some water still unfrozen enough for her to drink. She was so thirsty and yet cold. She never felt the two at once. She always got really dehydrated in the colder winter months because of the fact that she went into what could be called a human form of hibernation. Her teeth chattered in the cold. The sky was overcast. It would rain again soon. Sarah stopped. She could hear somewhere, drums in the distance. Whirling around, she looked towards the mountains. Forgetting all about the water, she sprinted towards the rocky jagged peaks- maybe there would be someone to help her.