FACING FATE By: Alithiel Disclaimer: Yes, folks, I finally got around to Chapter 4! Sorry it's taken so long, but it's been abysmally hot up here where I live, and heat doesn't really help my concentration all that much. When your fingers stick to the keyboard, it kinda dampens your creative engines! Anyway, I'm not sure, as of now, if I'm going to do a lemon in this fic or not. Opinions would be greatly appreciated! I would like to once again thank my friend Arlyssa for being so patient with my slow writing.I really hope she doesn't turn me into a newt again. Check out her Ronin Warriors Fic, and also take a peek at the first chapter of my Tales of Destiny video game fic! They're both awesome, so don't miss out! I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other characters from various books, movies, and anime that may appear in here!

Chapter 4: The legend of Zero

The winter forest was silent, and Brynn rode slowly, although the air was cold. Tiny flakes of snow fell softly around her and her horse as she rode. Hethwyn suddenly shied to the left as a rabbit emerged from the wintry underbrush in an explosion of leaves, and Brynn cursed vehemently when she was almost tossed. "Fool of a horse, get ye back on the path!" Amazingly, the horse responded. Brynn righted herself; she'd almost been sent for a tumble. She spurred her horse on faster, speeding up into a canter. If she didn't pick up the pace, she'd never make it to Cinq before full battle was joined. Brynn shut her golden eyes, thinking back to the point in which her life had changed.

'Brynn ap Gwydion, do you know why you were called into my presence?' Sephrenia, the Seeress of Bel Grath, looked at the fifteen-year-old girl that knelt at her feet in her linen night shift with her fathomless lavender-blue eyes. The girl was shivering with the icy drafts that whistled endlessly through the chinks in the stone walls. 'Nay, Seeress.I do not.' 'You are the Illiaria.' The young lady began to tremble harder. Her clear gray eyes filled with tears. 'Forgive me, I do not.' 'Do not cry, small one. I shall explain. There is a legend among our people that one day, the whole world we know will by joined in a cataclysmic war. The opposing side will wield a great evil force, and will use that force to decimate the peoples of this land. However, there will be born in that time a group of warriors with untapped ability. These warriors possess what is known as the 'Zero'.'

The girl looked even more terrified.

'Seeress, what is the Zero?'

Sephrenia had smiled then.

'It is what you are meant to gather and protect, little one. The Zero is an innate magic power, based on each of the elements. There are many different types. You, for example, possess a Zero.' 'What do you mean?' 'Do not try to hide it. Your mother told me, how whenever you were angry or hurt, things would happen. I was there at your coming of age ceremony, when the priest's robes caught on fire.' 'He tried to tell me that I should not be permitted to read and write!' 'Exactly. It is a defense mechanism. Your Zero is the Zero of Ether, the element of which the stars are made. The stars are made up of many different elements, and so you have ability over all elements: earth, air, fire, thunder, water, and light. That is why you are also Illiaria; you can find and seek out the others easier. You can hear the voices of the elements singing to you. Your Duty is to find the others that carry a Zero. There are nine other than you.' The fear in her eyes was intense. Brynn could feel it. It was the fear of a child, the fear of failure. The Seeress had come down from her dais and had placed a gentile hand on top of her head. 'Do not be afraid. I will be with you.' Brynn turned teary eyes to the holy woman. 'What?' Sephrenia removed from around her neck a pointed, golden tinted crystal on a thin platinum chain. 'This is a Seer Stone, made of amber, probably the last of its kind. In it is all my power, and part of my spirit as well. When you wear it, you will have the ability to see into the future, as I do. It will aid you in your Quest, but it carries it's burdens as well, for you are sure to see things in it that you do not wish to. Are you prepared to accept this?' Brynn steeled herself. 'Aye, I am.' The Seeress had merely nodded, and placed the chain over the girl's head. Instantly, great warmth filled her like fire, and she shut her eyes at the feel of it. She felt knowledge fill her mind, the very significance of her mission. Slowly the feeling faded. When her eyes opened, the Seeress' smile turned to one of wonder. 'Aye, the true Illiaria.' Brynn was puzzled at her meaning, but Sephrenia began to speak again. 'When the time comes, you will know.when the time comes, head with all speed for the Cinq kingdom. May the gods be with you, child.' The girl raised eyes as golden as the sun, and as bright as the stars of her Zero, to the woman, the full import of her mission visible in their glittering depths. 'May the gods be with us all.'

Brynn sighed and clicked her tongue to her horse. Reliving memories from seven years past was doing nothing to improve her situation. She must hurry, or she'd be.There was a crash from the woods behind her. She swiftly wheeled her hose around, to face the five raggedy bandits that were bearing down the path at her, bearing rusted swords and clubs. She turned Hethwyn away from them and took off down the snowy path. The danger was obvious. Brynn spurred her horse onward, barreling down the snowy path at full gallop, trying to draw her short sword at the same time. The fine blade whistled out of its sheath. The bandit's horses were gaining on her, though she was going as fast as she could. One of the ruffians came charging up from her left, and Brynn calmly swung her sword. The man squealed in pain as his hand went spinning out into the underbrush, and he clutched the remaining stump of bleeding wrist, falling from his mount to lie twitching in the snow. One of the men forcefully drove his horses' shoulder into Hethwyn's flank, causing her to loose her balance. Brynn was forcefully thrown, and her sword went skittering across the frozen ground. She landed with a resounding thud in the snow, but was able to get to her feet in mere moments. She grimaced, clutching her right arm.

"We've got you now. Give us your money." One of the big men stated rather matter-of-factly as he and his companions closed in on her, ringing her, preventing her escape. "No, ruffian. I won't!" He smiled, revealing rotten teeth. "Live or dead, it doesn't matter." His hand flashed out, grabbing her golden brown curls in a rough grip. He twisted, and Brynn fell to her knees as flickers of searing pain exploded on her scalp. She kicked out with her boot, catching him low in the stomach, and couldn't quell a small spark of satisfaction when she heard the breath whoosh out of him. He lost his grip on her hair, but she still couldn't run from the men surrounding her. She clutched her crystal under her cloak, sending her thought through the cold air. Someone, help me!

* * * * *

Hilde's head snapped up from where she was building a fire. The urgent voice seemed to scream through her skull and fill the small, snowy clearing. Someone, help me! Hilde yelled. "Duo! Did you hear that?" Duo ran from the edge of the woods. "Yeah, Hildain, I did! Let's go see what's up!" He grabbed his scythe from Deathscythe's saddle sling. "Grab that spike of yours, and let's go!" Hilde removed from the loop on Goshawk's saddle a long, pointed, wicked looking weapon. It was about three and a half feet long, with a wrapped hilt and an extremely sharp point. "Let's get to it." The pair ran through the woods, following the direction from which the strange yell had come from. The snow flew beneath their feet as they ran faster. Soon, they came upon a set of tracks from horse's hooves. They carefully followed the trail. Hildain peeked through the thick stand of trees just ahead. "There's four of them, attacking a young girl." "That's two apiece." Duo said with a nod. Hesitating only a moment, the pair crashed through the trees. The bandits were just able to turn and draw their dilapidated weapons before full battle was met. They had the look of professionals, even though their weapons were in shoddy shape. Duo made an exaggerated overhand slash at the first man that had come charging across the snow at him. The man raised his sword to block, as expected, but Duo checked his swing in midair, instead slashing the blade of his scythe into the man's body. The man's eyes rolled back in his head, as slid off the blade to lie twitching on the snow. He turned to his next enemy. Hilde swung her spike at the man in front of her. He blocked her blow. She swung her spike back up and whammed it upside his head, causing him to loose his balance. It took only seconds for her to ram the sharp point of her spike into his chest, then whip around and run the man sneaking up on her through the abdomen. Both bodies fell to the snow, followed soon after by the thud of another further away. Duo wiped his blade on the cloak of one of the ruffians, then turned to the young lady they had just saved. The girl carefully stood from the snow, brushing snow from her green tunic, brown leather trousers, and dark cloak "Are you OK, miss?" He asked. Brynn nodded. "Aye, I'm fine.I thought you were Death himself comin' for me when you and your friend came." "No, not Death. Just Duo Maxwell. My friend is Hildain. We're simply mercenaries on our way to Cinq Kingdom." "Then our meeting is fortuitous. I am on my way to Cinq as well." She held out her hand to the strange, braided boy and his companion. "I am named Brynn." Duo took her hand. As he did, he felt a definite electric tingle run up his arm. It wasn't unpleasant, but it startled him. Brynn's eyes widened, and then she smiled, removing her hand from his grip. Then she turned to his friend. As she shook Hildain's hand, her smile grew even wider. Puzzled, Duo let it pass. "We're you not able to defend yourself?" "They kicked by sword away and took my bow.the rest of my gear's on my horse.fool of a creature ran away on me." Putting two fingers in her mouth, she blew a sharp whistle. The horse emerged from the woods soon after. Brynn took hold of the bridle, drawing the horse's muzzle down to eye level with her. "Hethwyn.how many times do I have to tell ye not to run? Are ye a coward? Dinna ye hear me?" The horse nickered sheepishly. "I'm glad we understand each other." She said as she let go of the reins. Hilde cleared her throat, her eyes haunted. "Um.our camp is nearby.shall we go?" Brynn smiled. "Aye."

* * * * *

A long line of mounted, robed Maguanacs moved quickly through the high dunes on the northern edge of the desert. Quatre sighed from beneath his hooded robe as the sun beat the top of his head like a hammer. Two weeks had gone by since he had departed the tent village with the forty Maguanac elite soldiers. They were nearing the edge of the vast wasteland they called home, soon to cross into the forested hills and open plains on their way to the Cinq kingdom. He turned to Rashid and his friend, Auda, who rode beside him near the center of the column. "Rashid, Auda, I'm going to the top of that tall dune there. I want to have a look at how close we are to the border." Auda rubbed his hooked nose thoughtfully. "Do you want one of us to go with you, Master Quatre?" "I'll be fine on my own." "All right." Rashid sighed. "Do you have your horn? What about your weapon?" He patted the silver mounted horn by his side, then swept his cloak aside, revealing the pair of wickedly curved sickles at his side. It was the weapon all the Maguanac carried, but Quatre had two instead of one. Rashid had trained him in their use, and he was incredibly proficient with the pair. Rashid nodded, satisfied. "Go ahead." The boy smiled and turned his horse toward the immense dune. The beasts the Maguanac rode were specifically bread for the climate that they lived in, able to travel at amazing speeds over the desert on little food and water. His father had saved this one; a golden colored horse named Sandrock, for his youngest and only son. Quatre had been born to his favorite of his many wives; however, she had died giving birth to him. The young man couldn't help but blame himself for her death. He had many sisters, 29 in all, most of whom had been married off and were now living in different nomadic tribes spread around the desert. However, one sister adamantly refused to marry at a young age. Her name was Iria, and she was going to school in Europe instead. She was Quatre's favorite sister, and Iria loved him just as much. Quatre charged up the side of the dune, his mount's steps sure on the shifting sands. When he reached the top, he squinted to the north. His keen, mage enhanced gaze took in the terrain. It looked to him like the horizon was drenched in a greenish haze. A gentle breeze came from it, bringing the scents of grass and leaves t his nose. He sighed happily, then rode back down to the column of Maguanacs, pulling his horse beside Rashid again. "I think we can pull a gallop now, Rashid. We're maybe two leagues south of the edge. You can smell the green from the top of the dune." He said, aqua eyes twinkling. "All right, master. Men! Prepare for a gallop!" Rashid bellowed, his thunderous voice carrying the length and breadth of the column. Quatre smiled as he thumped his heels into the horse's flanks, spurring into a gallop that quickly outdistanced the others. Rashid shook his head as the sound of his joyous laughter faded away toward the front of the column. Auda just smiled. "Rashid don't worry so much about him. If he's even a third as powerful as his mother was, he'll be fine." Another of their companions, Ahmad, rode up beside them. He adjusted the strange object on his nose, a pair of round pieces of dark glass, held together with wire, that he had invented himself. He swore it helped reduce the brightness of the sun and had tried to get the other Maguanacs to wear them without much success. "Believe me, he's a hell of a lot more powerful than just a third. Sometimes that boy scares me.you know how he gets into those moods of his." Rashid nodded. "I know. I just hope he doesn't let that get in the way of what he has to do." The Maguanacs rode ahead into the falling twilight.

* * * * *

Alithiel~ Yay! Chapter four is done! Finally.

Hilde~ Why finally?

Alithiel~ Now I can start moving the storyline along a bit faster! Since it's summer, I can hang out in my room, writing and listening to my No Doubt CD. Oh, and writing on my video game with my friend when she comes back from Japan.

Quatre~ No Doubt? That doesn't seem like your type of music.

Alithiel~ It is, believe me. I listen to lots of different types of music. Probably a side effect of being a band nerd for seven years. The only thing I refuse to listen to is rap. Oh, and country.all the talk of lost dogs and pickup trucks get me depressed.

Duo~ Er.okay.you said you were writing a video game?

Alithiel~Yep, probably what's going to become a simply monstrous RPG.

Heero~ Hmph. Silly idea.you can't even write a decent story.

Alithiel~ *Eyes glow white * Care to repeat that?

*Silence *

Alithiel~ I thought not.

Catherine~ Wow.you go zero easily, Alithiel.

Alithiel~ I guess I do. I dunno.I just don't know why Heero doesn't like my story. *Sniff *

Relena~ It's because you haven't given him a big part yet.you know how he likes to be the center of attention, like when he blew his Gundam up.

Heero~ Silence, onna.

Wufei~ That's MY line!

Sally~ Oh, brother.

Alithiel~ *Watches as a scuffle breaks out between Heero and Wufei, while Trowa referees, Duo laughs his head off, and Quatre begs them to stop and have a cup of tea. Then Relena and Sally dress in cheerleading outfits (Green for Heero, Red for Wufei), complete with pompoms, and start cheering like they're at an amateur football game, while Catherine, Hilde, and Brynn eat popcorn. *

Alithiel~ @.@ Orororororororooooooooo.

Author's note: Sephrenia came from the three-book series 'The Elenium' by David Eddings. He's one of my favorite authors. There's also a sequel series called 'The Tamuli'. They're awesome books, so take a look! (Err.that rhymed.*sweatdrop *) She's not mine. *Cries *