Pushing through the brush in front of her she desperately pushed against the forces that tried to stop her from reaching her goal. She was tired drained and she could smell herself and if that wasn't enough to keep her from wanting to turn back she had no clue where she was. She as lost as a bird out of the air and she didn't like it. The last time she had been here it had been different, there had been a path and she had known then that there was help ahead. This time she had no such assurance and it was making all he the difference in the world to her already tried body. Gasping in pain she felt tears well in her eyes as thorn dug deep into her clothing and held--it was like they were trying to keep her from getting through. Reaching down she waved her hands sending the darkness back and releasing the thorns. Looking closer at the plant she swore heatedly at her ignorance. Of course they were trying to keep her from getting to the castle, she must have already started her attack. That or he just didn't want her back.

That wasn't possible though-she told herself-he was her friend…he needed her friendship just as much as he did…didn't he? Something snapped behind her causing her to whip around, her eyes widening she screamed.

Waking up with her own scream Hilde took deep breaths to keep her self from crying. What had that been? The woods and the urgency behind the dream girl's footsteps had been all too real. To her it had seemed as if she was living the dream--no was the dream.

Looking out the window in her room she looked at the false dawn with a blank stare her thoughts still pre occupied with the dream. This was not the first one that she had gotten like this since her gift had been completely revealed to her. It was however the most detailed and the only one at which she the person who was living it or was in their mind.

Duo had told her that she might get dreams or visions. He had not told her, however, at how vivid they were going to be. Sometimes she wondered how he had lived through this if she was having this much trouble just figuring out how to sleep at night.

Reaching over she marked out the next item off the list. She had been trying numerous sleeping remedies lately trying to find out how she was supposed to get to sleep without dreams. So far nothing was working but she was determined to win this thing.

~~~

Wandering the halls of your own castle gets boring after a few hundred times, but Duo had found that it was the only thing that gave him a sense of peace anymore. It was dark and damp at the best of times--especially since they no longer tried to liven it up with lights and tapestries. Why should they try? It was only they guys and him as well as the few occasional women who showed up only to run away and never return or who would break their promise in a heart beat. So they never bothered. Now with time running out, faster every day, they no longer even wondered what it looked like once. In fact he had to concentrate hard just to remember what the palace had looked like when they were throwing a feast.

Shaking his massive head he closed his eyes to hide the pain from the world. He couldn't even remember what he looked like. Oh sure he had a mental picture. He had been taller than all the others except Trowa had, and his hair had been long and his eyes were the same color that they had been then. That was it though his facial features were a mystery to him. Sometimes he wondered if that was a blessing or a curse.
"Still lamenting over the past?" Came a soft voice, emotionless, as it was it was easy to identify.

"Just thinking." Came his soft reply.

"Lamenting, same thing."

"Whatever."

Walking over Heero stood next to his best friend and looked at him through cold emotionless eyes. It wasn't that he didn't care in fact it was furthest from the truth. If he could he was frying the bitch that did this over a stake and he would watch her burn and get a lot of joy from it. That wasn't going to happen, and if it did he wouldn't be the one to be spit frying her. In fact it wouldn't be any of them. That was even if they won, which was still up to debate and on the shoulders of one un suspecting women who had the power to break the spell. But the will and knowledge? Well that remained to be seen.

"So you don't think it was worth it uh?"

Looking at his friend in surprise Duo blinked at him. "Uh?"

"Doubt my friend it has been on your face since she got here. Your questioning yourself and your work and all she has to go on it what Sally told her. So you're worried. Don't be Sally doesn't know the whole story no…and she is the only who can help you. Either we win or we lose. All I can tell you is if we lose we go down fighting. Either way Duo believe."

"It's been so long Heero since any of us have had hope sometimes I wonder if I even know what believing is anymore."

"Don't give up Duo we still have time." Quatre murmurs biting his lip his innocent blue eyes dark with anger. There was knowledge about Quatre that hadn't been there so long ago. It was a dangerous thing to piss off the Lord of Hawking; of course it wasn't like there was anyone around besides the evil that inflicted their castle, now to do such a thing.

"Time is of the essence and it is out of our hands Duo. Trust lady fate and know that dark has never defeated the light before and it will not start here with us." Trowa says walking in his green eye defiant in its refusal to give up.

"It will not end here." Wufei nods. "She will not let us down."

Looking at him in the others nodded sometimes it was just best to shut up and nod every now and then.

"We must believe." Heero finished once more before looking out the window with the rest of the group where the object of their attention was doing what she always did. She was tending the roses.

~~~

A small child was out in front of the east gate, dancing as she had her friends made gifts of the roses that dwelt there. Of course it was no problem letting the roses go to the people they grew in abundance around here. The people loved them as well and to do them disservice by keeping them from the flowers they loved was not in his thoughts.

And they were beautiful these pretty flowers with their pinks, red, whites and mixtures in between. Even the few death roses-as the blacks were called- were beautiful in their own measure.

Shaking his head the tall man felt the weight of his braid fall against his shoulder. With a sigh he looked at the papers in front of him with a mocking grin. Being the lord that he was over all this place sometimes was enough to drive a man nuts. Especially when they didn't have a wife to share it with. Oh sure he had the guys but sometimes they just were not enough. Watching Quatre with that girl Catherine and Trowa with Iria left him feeling alone and cold. Now even Wufei was chasing someone, or was that the proper word? Chasing was probably to idle for him because Sally was er….not running but neither was she cooperating. Cooperating as well was to strong a word, she was pushing away from hard and long and the fights the two of them had would go down in history.

Heero on the other hand was much like him. He chased no women and had no interest in them. He, also unlike Duo, had no qualms about not finding her yet and had often told him that he would either find her or he wouldn't. Either way it wasn't that big of a deal, to him at least.

To Duo it was. He had always wanted that special person to hold and to love and to be loved. His parents had had the best relationship he had ever seen and they had loved him. They had also been killed when he was young. He wasn't sure what had happened no one really was. They had just been found dead, not a mark on them, when he was about 7. He had been trained to rule since then and had been given four knights to train with. Heero, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei it had worked out for the better and they had found more than just friendship with each other over the years but again it wasn't enough.

No matter how close their friends were there was no comparison of a love of a woman and unfortunately he knew it and knew it well. They all did it was just a way of life. For them at least. Shaking his head again he pushed his despairing thoughts to the back of his head and winced as his eyes drifted over the agenda for the next month.

That stupid ball was getting closer.

That meant that women and her daughter were going to be there. Closing his eyes he fought back the anger that threatened to weave through him at that thought. That women was enough to drive a sane person made by herself and she had trained a daughter to be just like her.

Of course he would never ever say yes to her, he wanted more than that. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty or anything like that because she was. Beautiful in fact enough so to cause wars to be fought over her pretty face. Which was reason number two he would never ever give her any part of him. Not only was she a fake she enjoyed making people fall over her. No matter what the price. His people had had enough war and didn't need her angering nearby kingdoms with her little tricks.

Reason number three would have to have been the most obvious at least to him. He didn't love and he never would why couldn't she had her mother except that?

~~~

Shivering from the cold Hilde giggled at the sight of Sally trying to cut down the tree in front of one of the main gates into the castle. Fall was coming and Sally had informed her haughtily that the damn tree needed to go because it was getting on her nerves.

That comment was the one that now held Hilde in tears and she giggled helplessly. She had been trying to help the stubborn women.

"Come are you going to help me or are you going to laugh at me all day." She snaps irritation still written on her face.

"Coming." Hilde murmurs a chuckle still emitting from her throat before grabbing the other end of the saw. "You know we need about six pounds more muscle to do this right." She gasps as she uses the weight of her body to push through the huge tree.

"I and two friends used to be able to do this kind of thing all the time." Grunting she pushed hard and before pulling with about the same amount of effort. "Of course I was in MUCH better shape at the time." She admits.

"I have never been in good shape." Hilde mumbles almost all her concentration on the tree. "Dang did you have to pick the on tree that didn't want to be cut down?"

"Not by choice thank you…. this one has to go. We are going to need firewood and this one is perfect. Besides it's getting in the way and will be a hindrance."

"If….you…say…so." Hilde gasps as the tree gives a crack and tumbles down the side of the two women.

"Hu? What do you think about that." Sally says shaking her head.

"Evil thing." Hilde says.

"Why did it just fall I wonder?" Sally questions the night air confused.

"I don't know you're the seer not me." Hilde says smirking back at her friend with a yawn.

"That does NOT mean I know everything." Sally grumbles shaking her head. "Well lets get to work I want this finished in a bout a hour."

"You drunk?" Hilde says rolling her eyes. "Your tired I am tired and we have been at this for like two hours and it is night….time for bed." Looking around sheepishly Sally shook her head.

"Right come on I am in need of a bath as much as you are I am sure."

Walking arm in arm back to the castle neither one of them say the eyes that followed them.

"Soon…" Came a low hiss from the shadows. "Soon."