Authors notes: Sorry that this took so long. I really am. I don't think that their will be another laps like this again in the story. Once again I apologize. Un-explainable writers block, that went on forever is the main reason that this took forever to get out.
For all you newbies welcome to the show. Funky updates, weird timings and my crazy ideas are what you are subjecting yourself to. Have fun *waves*.
For all of you that have been here since the start thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy the show.
~~~
Hilde felt her heart leap into her throat as she worked her way back into the castle. This place was huge and by no standards normal. All she really wanted to was to do was to return home and cry, but this was now her home and she was going to suck it up and fight whatever this thing was. She had almost felt like it was depressed or something, then again she really didn't know, so here she was facing down the door like it was going to eat her. But then again thinking of her earlier problem with it, it was highly likely.
Walking through the door Hilde took the time to study it. It had been cold and dark the last time she had come in here but now it was almost warm and inviting. It was a huge gothic thing and the ceiling was enormous. It seemed to shoot to the sky and it had many vivid paintings on it. Her vision was to poor to actually see what was on top but there seemed to be levels above her that would allow a better view. Walking past the entry way to where the ceiling abruptly ended she frowned slightly. It was lit this time and the walls caste an ere glow as the shadows seemed to move with the flickering lights. It was overall a very freaky scene to her young mind and it reminded her of the tales that had been told long ago about castle's that harbored magical things so fierce that for a mortal to look on it was to be seeking death. As it often occurred, the tales had often sent her sister to bed in fear and tears but had done nothing more than spark her curiosity.
"Hello." A very soft tenor murmurs, interrupting her thoughts neatly.
"Who is there?" Hilde demands, as she whips around shock lining her features. There was no one there.
"My name is Quatre and I am your attendant." The voice continued on.
"I can't see you." Hilde says her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "I hate to sound rude, but where are you?"
"I am to your left and the reason you can no see me is that I am invisible. This will probably cause a problem later on but here," It almost seemed like her the candle on the side of the wall was in itself moving. But there was a slight shadow on it, that caused her to blink a couple of time in confusion, before she realized that it was in fact the imprint of his hand. "Is that better My Lady?"
"Uh? Oh you're talking to me." Hilde says, a slight blush staining her checks. "I have never been called My Lady before so please just call me Hilde, calling me that will do nothing but confuse me."
"What calling you Hilde?" The voice questions clearly confused.
"No calling me My Lady." She replies amusement shining clearly from her eyes, as her hand came up to cover her mouth and her grin.
"Oh I see, Lady Hilde." Came the matter of fact voice. It was tinged with kindness causing her to relax slightly.
"Just Hilde." She replies, shaking her head. If they were formal she was going to go crazy, she hated formalities.
"Whatever you say, Lady Hilde."
Rolling her eyes in frustration Hilde, shakes her head once again. "Is there a place where I will be staying?"
"Of course we have a room for you." The voice came again sounding almost shocked to her untrained ears. "What did you think that we were going to put you in the dungeon? Of course not! You are our guest here and will be treated with the highest honor. If you would follow me, or the candle which ever you prefer, I will show you to your room."
"Of course." Hilde replies as she meekly follows the candle. It seemed like forever to her tired mind as they walked down corridors that all looked the same. She had no clue where she was or what she was doing all she knew was that the only was she was getting a bath was to follow the man in front of her. She was also to the point of were a bath was the most important thing to her right then. She was focussing on the here and now not tomorrow or later or what they would do with her. All she wanted was a bath.
"This is your room." The voice said as she was snapped out of her daze of thought. The door seemed to open of its own occurred and what it beheld caused Hilde to gape in wonderment. It was huge, the room anyway, as was the bed.
The room was in a perfect circle with the bed as the obvious centerpiece, it was the biggest bed that she had ever seen in her life. It was round to match the room and covered in a light blue bedspread, it had four posters and draperies hanging down around it. It was so high up though that it had a set of stairs leading up to it. Hilde repressed the inane desire to giggle; it was a princess bed. Blinking she looked at the huge mirror that lined one of the walls, it was also round, as that seemed to be the theme of the room, and had every brush imaginable that was surrounded by many bottles and hair care products. Bottles of every shape, size, color, and texture stood before her on the table. There were some strange looking products in some of them, white looking foam and some clear stuff that seemed to sparkle in the light. She imagined that the uniquely shaped ones with the spout like heads were for perfumes and her feminine side giggled. There were also different shaped holes that immerged from the sides and she briefly wondered what could be in them before, as carefree as a child, she turned to the next part of the room could.
A huge shelf like area that contained more books that she had ever seen in her life sat on the other wall. And next to it was a huge fireplace that hosted a tub in front of it that also had stairs leading to it. It seemed to be filling itself somehow as seeming water rose neatly in it. On the sides of the tub their seemed to be hundreds of those bottles again only this time sweet smelling candles had been lit and were sending gentle aroma forth. The bottles she imagined contained different soaps though were one would obtain that many bottles she was not for sure. She hadn't thought that so many things of soap were even in the world.
"Oh my." She breathed.
"Weird isn't it?" A female voice murmurs from somewhere in the room.
"Who is there?" Hilde questions, as she jerks in surprise. There were just too many surprises in this place for her own good.
"My name is Sally." Came the sweet sounding voice. Hilde blinks her eyes going wide. The voice was coming from above her so she figured that whoever she was she was taller than she was.
"Um, what are you doing here?"
"I have come to assist you in your bath." The woman says a smile showing her in voice. "I am the only women servant in the castle so I was asked to help you out and tell you what I can or answer any questions that you might have."
"Oh."
"Yes, oh." The girl responds as the tub stops filling itself. It was now filled with some sort of foamy stuff. She thought it was soap but she wasn't sure, she had never seen soap like that. Nor had she ever thought that she would have the luxury of getting a hot bath. Her sister and her mother always used the hot water when they had baths. Leaving her with the cold water.
"I don't need any help taking a bath." Hilde replies softly her eyes going even wider. No one had ever waited on her. Her sister yes, but never her. She was not deemed worthy enough back home so she never messed with wondering or wishing for it. Besides she had cut most of her hair off so there would be no problem with that.
Her hair had taken hours to dry before she had cut it. Looking at the slight bob that framed her face unceremoniously, she shook her head. She already missed the feeling of the heavy braid that normally hung down her back. She felt almost naked, and exposed without it hanging in its thick wave.
"And I can trim that hair." Sally explained, and out of nowhere a pair of scissors were produced.
An hour later a freshly scrubbed Hilde was in front of her mirror as she looked at her new hair cut. Sally had trimmed it so that the ends of her unruly mass of hair fell in neat waves around her chin. It was a little longer in the back for easier styling or at least that was what she said. Personally, Hilde wasn't going to argue with her. That had been her resolve until she had seen the elegant creation that the women had produced from the closet.
"I will not wear that." She stated indignantly her eyes narrowed and flashing blue fire. "I refuse, its way to dressy, way too dressy."
"You will look beautiful in it." Sally argued her own tone stating she was not backing down. Hilde was sure that if she could see her that her hands would be propped on her hips in annoyance.
Narrowing her eyes to the point of where she was just looking out of slits at the women in front oh her, or at least were she would be standing, she glared.. "I said no and I mean no." She argues. "Even if I have to go to dinner in a gunny sack."
She could hear the angry rustle of something rapidly moving and she could almost see the air currents moving as Sally let her irritation be known. Blinking Hilde looked harder at that spot and blinked. Something shiny was moving on the air, or at least she thought it was the air.
"Yes, you will." Came the anger tinged retort.
"No I won't." She growls, "Besides if it this beast want me to come to dinner with him then he can deal with what I want to wear. I cater to no one and I have not spent the last 18 years of my life perfecting the art of being stubborn for a reason."
"Fine." Sally grumbles, but she was actually smiling from ear to ear. The guys were going to be thrilled to hear this. They had been looking for someone for so long, and this girl was looking better and better to her. The needed her and she was going to need them sooner or later. Her powers were growing to quickly. She couldn't read aurora's like Wufei could but she didn't doubt. He had said she was powerful and she trusted Wufei. 200 years in a castle with only so many people around would bring out the best of worst of someone and she had liked all that she had seen. Of course she would never tell him that, he was male and he would never understand. Though he had said that this tiny girl in front of her was powerful.
Pulling out a less frilled up lace she left it for Hilde to change into.
"Heero." She calls out softly as her eyes scan the room.
Instantly the man was next to her causing Sally to blink. She had never in all the time that she had come to get to know Heero, gotten used to the fact that he was practically invisible to anyone when he wanted to be. "Can you change into a rose for her? That way you can keep Duo cool and she can keep you alive. It won't be pleasant." She offers. Sally believed in telling people who she wanted to help her the whole truth. "Probably like something is pulling at you, one offers death and one offers life. Stay close to Hilde."
Nodding his head Heero turns into a pale while rose as white went with everything. Then again that might not have been his reasoning you never knew with Heero. Picking up the perfect rose Sally walks back into the room. "Here you go." She states while placing it neatly in her hair giving the smaller girl not time to argue.
Nodding Hilde sighs. "Take me to your leader." She grumbles using a phrase she had heard somewhere. She thought that Relena had used it in jest while she had been at that castle but she wasn't sure. At the thought of Relena a pang hit her low in the gut. Pushing down those feelings she blinks back tears. She would not let them see her cry.
~~~
Looking at the table in front of her Hilde felt her heart pound. There was no sign of the beast and she was nervous he could be anywhere. She didn't like this feeling. The feeling of the prey that was about to be caught it was the feeling that she was starting it associate with this place.
"Hello, is anyone there?" She questions, finally. The silence getting to her.
"Yes," Comes a low rumble to her left. Instantly jerking that direction Hilde blinks at the huge shadow.
"Oh sorry I did not see you My Lord." She apologizes. How had she not sensed him?
"Call me Duo." Came the voice from earlier that day, only this time it was much gentler. She thought it was gentler anyway. As gentle as a beast could get or maybe it was her over imaginative head getting to her.
"Er, okay as long as you call me Hilde." She had decided on the walk over here that befriending this thing might be a good idea. She didn't think that it would eat one of its friends.
"Fine…"
"Aren't you going to eat?" She questions as she sits at the table, slightly frowning she didn't want to be watched by this thing while she was eating that was just wrong.
"No, I have already eaten. I might startle you if I eat." He explains softly, or at least she thought it was softly. Shaking her head, Hilde lips twisted into an annoyed expression. She had been doing a lot of guessing lately. She wasn't very good at it but she was starting to figure that if she made it out of this then she would be very, very good at it.
"Oh."
Keep calm Duo. The calm voice of Heero rang into Duo's head just as he felt the first strings of irritation start to creep into this system. She doesn't know a thing about you remember?
Looking at the girl who was now staring at the food that was literally popping out of thing air and landing on her plate he shakes his head when he sees the white rose that was in hair. That had to be Heero.
It is so difficult. I have failed so many times and time is running out.
Patience.
Talk over dinner was terse, what little their was. Hilde was feeling decidedly uncomfortable with someone watching her eat who was not eating herself. She almost wept with relief when she was finally done eating.
"Thank you for dinner." She says quietly as she stands from the table.
"Your welcome." Came his calm reply. Hilde, found to her surprise she was getting used to the sound of the low growl that was his voice. "But you don't have to thank me. You're the one who decided to stay it is my duty to take care of you now."
"I think I shall return to my rooms now."
"Of course but first may I ask you a question?"
"Er…sure."
"Will you marry me?" He asked softly while he steeled himself for a forceful rejection.
Hilde on the other hand was staring at the beast in complete shock. She wasn't getting married ever. Men were dominating controlling and didn't know how to laugh.
"N…N…No I can not Duo." She whispers before running out of the room.
Oh she was such a fool. Throwing herself onto her bed that she had found by some accident she sobbed.
"We were so close." Wufei sighs.
"Love can not be rushed." Quatre says a sad smile on his lips.
Give her time. Heero says still in his rose form. It is after all something we have all been allowed to have. But not even Heero could feel anything but pity as he watched the girl sob into her pillows her entire body wracking with her sobs. For on her shoulders rested there, last hope. There last hope to freedom.