16 1/2 Years Later

Khione glided unenthusiastically down the steps in her palace. News from the latest search for Princess Piper had been received.

After so many years of searching for the princess, she was almost never excited when news came back from the searches. Khione had sent scouts high and low to every corner of the earth, and still to no prevail any victory.

Khione caught her reflection in the ice glass that made up the walls of her palace. She was beautiful, maybe not as beautiful as Queen Aphrodite or Venus, but she still was if she did say so herself. Her long black hair clashed with her pale complexion, but her coffee-brown eyes served as a medium, making her face all the more dazzling.

The scout, Ethan was waiting for her at the end of the stairs.

"What's the news this time?" Khione said harshly.

"No-Nothing my Lady, we found absolutely nothing once again," Ethan reported while shivering. Whether it was from fear or the temperature of the room, Khione had not an idea.

"Is that the best you can do? We have been searching for sixteen years! No clues, not anything! Why?" Khione shouted at no one in particular.

Khione ran up into her room, slammed the heavy ice door and started to play her piano out of pure frustration. All the while she kept asking herself the same question she had been asking for years, Where is Princess Piper?

"Piper! Breakfast is ready and I need you to run into town to do some errands!" Nemesis yelled up the stairs.

"Alright! I'm coming!" Piper responded. Piper groaned. Why did Nemesis always have to wake her up during the best dreams?

Piper sat up and began to get dressed in her usual green and white peasant dress, thinking about her dream. She had dreamed she was dancing in a magnificent ballroom with a blonde haired man. For some reason, she felt deeply for him, and each time they dipped he would lean down and kiss her. Every time she tried to look at who she was actually kissing though, he would spin her around until all she could see was his blonde hair. It was all quite disappointing actually, but she felt as if this man was important, though she had no idea why.

"PIPER MCLEAN!"

Piper came back to reality. She realized she had finished dressing a long time ago and that she was just sitting on her bed gazing into the mirror.

"Sorry!"

Piper rushed down the stairs, braiding her hair, and sat down at the table and began eating her bacon. Victoria was seated across from her, so Piper braced herself for a lecture about being on time.

"Took you long enough!" Victoria snapped, "What have I told you about being the fastest and first one to everything?"

Fortuna looked at Victoria cheerfully over her morning tea, "Oh, lighten up girly! She got here and all is well!"

Fortuna went back to her tea, and Piper saw Victoria make a face at Fortuna, but she was not going to start yet another argument. Nemesis came in and placed a paper in front of Piper.

"This is the list for today's errands," Nemesis said, "Make sure you bring your dagger when you leave as well."

"I know, I know. I'll be safe! There's nothing bad in Beauregard, and if there is, I'd like to see them get past Frank. Honestly, Khione is not just going to decide to go to a little town like that today." Piper explained.

Nemesis shared a look with Fortuna and Victoria. Piper hated it when they did that.

Victoria was the first to talk. "Okay, Okay. Now get along to Beauregard! Daylight's burning!"

Piper approached the gates of Beauregard. The city was named after Queen Venus's daughter, Silena Beauregard, who died in some animal accident with her father after trying to save him.

Piper greeted the guard, Frank, and entered the city, reading the list as she did. Strawberries. It looked as if she would be visiting Katie Gardner's shop first.

She walked down the familiar cobblestone street until she came to a cottage surrounded by fields that had every vegetable and fruit imaginable growing in them. She entered and walked up to the counter to greet Katie, the owner.

"Hey Katie! How are you?" Piper asked.

"Today's going well, yesterday…not so much. Ever since those Stoll boys moved here, I can't keep them out! Bothering me left and right!" Katie complained, "Anyways, what do you need?"

"Strawberries, according to Nemesis's list. And can I get a few more than last time? I tend to eat them on the way home," Piper said.

"Sure thing sweetheart. I'll be right back," Katie said as she left the room.

Piper placed her money on the counter as Katie came back and handed her the basket. Piper was going to talk with Katie some more, but a clash came from the back room, and Katie ran into it and yelled "STOLL!"

So Piper thought it was best to get going.

After a few more stops Piper came to the last thing on her list: flour. Only the best flour could be bought at Hazel's. Hazel was one of Piper's best friends, and going to her shop was her favorite thing to do every time she visited Beauregard.

Hazel's shop was located right by the main square of the town, so it was always busy with people outside. Piper crowded her way through the town square, trying to get across to Hazel's, saying random hello's to familiar faces.

The bell clanged as she opened the door to Hazel's. Hazel looked up and her face broke into a smile as she seen Piper.

"Piper! Glad you could stop by!" Hazel ran over and hugged Piper fiercely.

"Mars Almighty, you act like we haven't seen each other in years rather than days!" Piper exclaimed. Piper didn't mind though, Hazel was just a nice person.

"I know, I've just been so busy today, and it's nice to see a friendly face! Flour, as usual I suppose?" Hazel asked.

"Yes, of course, only you make the best," Piper said as Hazel blushed, "But honestly Hazel, take a day off or something! You work all the time!"

"I know, I know, but I have to make my goal! You should know it takes a lot of money to completely redesign a shop," Hazel said.

Piper knew that it was Hazel's ultimate dream to own a jewelry shop, and her bakery was helping her raise money for that. Hazel left to go get Piper's flour.

Hazel came back with the sack and Piper paid, talking about minor things until Hazel had to come back to reality and return to work.

Piper stepped out of the shop and into the busy crowd. Twisting, diving, dodging in and out of the people was almost a rhythm for the townspeople. Piper was getting into the rhythm until SMACK!

Piper felt the pain erupt in her forehead as she looked at what she had run into.

A horse. Of all things to run into, she ran into a horse. How did she not see it? Seriously.

"Whoah Tempest! Sorry, are you okay?"

Piper looked to the source of the voice while rubbing her head. Her eyes found the voice to be a handsome blonde haired blue eyed man, holding onto a halter attached to a strangely marked horse, apparently Tempest. Then Piper gasped.

The blonde haired man. Even though she had never seen his face, she knew this was him, the man from her dream.

Hey, Thanks again for all the reviews! Disclaimer: Again, I hardly own anything.