AN: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. Chapter 5: Hopefully the story will begin to pick up here and soon more characters will be interacting with each other. I promise you it will be good, if not it will be decent, LOL.
{-}
Martin the Wizard watched as the three young men slept soundly. It was the middle of the night, but he had important business he had to attend to. He gathered his cloak and a walking stick and went out the door into cool night.
Martin began to walk a familiar path, one he had taken many times before. He was not gone an hour before he reached his destination. He knelt down by the tiny spring and touched the water with his finger tips. Almost immediately, a bright light began to form, and the Lady of the Spring appeared before the wizard's eyes once more.
"My Lady," bowed the wizard in respect.
"I was hoping you would come," she replied. "I see that you have found three of the warriors."
"Is it they? I was not sure, except for Heero…"
"It is. Do not worry. I have seen them before," replied the Lady.
"I still have yet to find the other two," said Martin and he seated himself on the ground.
"They will find their way to you soon enough. Do not fear. For now, there are other more important matters to discuss."
"I understand," said Martin.
"Treize's power is growing daily. The time of need is dire. When the other two have found you, I want you to bring the Five to me. They shall receive their armor."
"Will they be ready to fight?" asked Martin.
"Yes, they will be better, whether they choose to be or not. Remember, they have known bitterness and war all their lives, do not think them so naïve."
"Of course," said the wizard.
"The other matter is this," continued the Lady. "The next High King has been seen."
"The High King? We must bring him under our protection immediately."
"I am afraid that can not be done. The next High King is of no station in life, he has no identity. He does not even know of his destiny. Besides," the Lady said worriedly, "in my visions, his face in unclear because he has not yet chosen to accept his fate. Only time will tell."
"How shall I know who he is? Many are lost during war."
"The High King will have the power to heal through his love. As for the rest I can not tell you," answered the Lady.
"I shall find him my Lady, and when I do I shall bring him under my protection," replied Martin.
"Very well wizard. Now, go before you are missed by the others."
Martin was about to bow, but before he could the Lady of the Spring was gone. The wizard began the journey back to his cottage.
When he arrived back, Heero was standing in the doorway, waiting for him. He looked at the wizard with wary eyes
"Where did you go?" asked Heero.
"You will find out all in good time."
{-}
The following day found Quatre and Trowa riding once more towards King Darlian's realm. They were now only a day's journey from their destination. The two young men rode across an open field. Thus far, the day had proved to be fair. But rain clouds in the west told Trowa they had to make haste.
"We must find shelter before the storm hits," he warned Quatre.
"How much time do we have before it arrives?"
Trowa peered at the black clouds. He narrowed his eyes,
"An hour or so. It is coming rapidly with the wind."
"Then let us make haste and ride for as long as we can. We are not far from our destination."
Trowa nodded and the two of them broke into a gallop on their horses. They crossed field after field. After half an hour, the couple came to an unexpected sight. Trowa stopped his horse suddenly. Something was amiss. Quatre, who was a little ways behind him, stopped and walked up next to his companion.
"What is the matter?" asked the blonde boy.
"Look over there," said Trowa as he pointed ahead of them.
Quatre looked and saw a band of soldiers scouring the remains of what used to be a village. Quatre gasped when he saw the banner of the War Lord.
"They follow Lord Treize," stated Quatre. "We must get out of sight before they see us."
"I fear they already have," Trowa exclaimed as he saw a small band of soldiers mount their steeds and ride towards their direction.
"Come on!" cried Quatre.
The two young men rode with all their might. They pushed forward and rode around the outskirts of the village. The men followed them closely behind. Quatre looked behind him as he rode on. Treize's soldiers began to raise their crossbows. Arrows whizzed by Trowa and Quatre's heads.
"Hurry!" cried Trowa.
The two young men rode with all their might towards a forest that appeared ahead of them.
"We shall lose them in the woods!" shouted Trowa to Quatre.
Suddenly, an arrow struck Quatre's horse in its rear flanks. The animal flinched, but Quatre fought to keep it under control. The woods were now just ahead of them. Quatre turned around once more to see that they were now a good distance away from the warriors. Once they were inside the woods, Quatre and Trowa could get off their steeds and hide with plenty of time.
They entered the dark forest. Quatre pulled up on the reins and brought his horse to a stop. His jumped off and began to lead his steed into the underbrush.
"Trowa hurry and hide while we still have time!" Yet, the gypsy did not answer.
"Trowa?" asked Quatre as he peered at his companion. Trowa made no reply but simply began to fall from the saddle. Quatre let go of his horse and caught him just in time. He pushed Trowa back into the saddle and peered at his blood stained hands. It was only then that Quatre saw the arrow protruding out of Trowa's back. Quatre gasped.
A sound behind him caused him to jerk his head suddenly. The soldiers were entering the woods. Quickly, Quatre grabbed both the horses and led them into the underbrush. He covered their muzzles as Treize's soldiers walked near them.
"Where did they go?" asked one of the soldiers.
"They couldn't have gotten far. One of their horses was lame and the one of the men shot, I am sure of it," replied the leader of the band.
The sound of thunder filled the sky. The storm was coming. A strong wind blew through the forest. The soldier's horses whinnied in complaint and the men looked around warily.
"Well come on let's go!" cried the leader.
"No sir, we can't go any further," said a soldier.
"Why not? Are you all afraid of a little rain?"
"No sir, it's not that. They say a powerful wizard lives in these woods."
"A wizard," exclaimed the leader, "what's he going to do? Turn me into a rabbit?" he said laughing.
"I'm not saying anything," said the soldier. "We just feel it's better to be safe than sorry."
Thunder filled the sky again. Rain drops slowly began to fall down onto the forest floor. Quatre held his breath.
"Fine you bunch of ninnies!" shouted the leader as he turned his horse about. The rest of the band followed.
Quatre let out a deep sigh. They had escaped but he feared for Trowa. Quatre led the horse back onto the path. He mounted his steed and grabbed hold of Trowa's reins. Wizard or not, Quatre had no choice but to push forward. Besides, Trowa was in need of help. Quatre had to find some sort of shelter and quickly. The rain began to pound down on their backs. The wind picked up, thunder and lightning filled the sky. Quatre pushed on through the storm.
It had been nearly an hour, and Quatre was beginning to lose hope of finding a shelter. Trowa's condition was only growing worse and Quatre did not have any means to care for his wound. Quatre peered around him frantically looking for anything he could find. Out of the corner of his eye he suddenly spotted a miracle. It was a cottage! Quatre could see smoke rising from the chimney. Perhaps the occupants would at least give them some sort of shelter. Quatre turned the horses towards the cottage and approached it as quickly as he could.
{-}
Heero watched as the rain fell down outside through the window. Martin had predicted such weather. Now, there was nothing to do except wait until it passed. Heero's mind was on last night. Martin had left in the middle of the night to a mysterious destination. He did not return until over two hours later. He wondered what the wizard had been up to. Another thing that plagued Heero's mind was the company of Duo and Wufei. Martin insisted that the two young men stay with him. He would not let any of them leave his sight, not even Heero. When Heero asked the wizard the significance of their lodgings at his home, the wizard only replied that he was waiting for something.
Heero continued to watch the rain fall down. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder made the ground tremble. The forest surrounding the cottage was dark. But movement caught Heero's eye. He watched closely as two figures on horseback came near the cottage. Heero grabbed his sword, just in case, and ran outside. Startled, Duo, Wufei, and Martin followed him out into the terrible storm.
The four men stared at the two approaching horses. Martin touched Heero's arm and stepped forward. He shouted out into the storm,
"Are you friend or foe of King Darlian of the Northern Realms?"
"Friend!" replied a voice.
"Then you may come and seek shelter in my home," shouted the wizard.
The horses drew near and a young man with blonde hair jumped off his mount. He bowed to the four men standing before him and spoke with urgency,
"My name is Quatre Winner. My companion and I were chased by a band of Lord Treize's men. He was hit by an arrow and I fear the worst."
The wizard motioned for Duo and Heero to come help him take the injured boy out of the saddle. Together, they carried him into the cottage and laid him on a cot. Wufei sought to their horses.
The wizard worked quickly. He tore off the young man's shirt and flipped him over on his stomach to examine the wound. The shaft was still inside his body, but it had not gone too deep. The wizard motioned for Heero to hold the young man tightly. Martin gripped the arrow and with a quick jerk, pulled it out of his back.
"The wound is not deep," muttered the wizard as he placed a compress over the boy's back. "It is also not infected. Your friend is very lucky."
"I thank you sir," said Quatre as he bowed in deep respect. "We were taken by surprise. We journey to King Darlian's palace to join his ranks. We were crossing a field and came upon a ruined village covered with enemy soldiers. They chased us into this forest until we lost them."
"What is the name of your companion?" asked Martin.
"Trowa," said Quatre.
"He wears the garb of a gypsy," said Wufei who had just come back from seeing to the horses.
Quatre spun around to meet the young man. "He is a gypsy, but he is also just as much a man as you or I!"
"That's all very well!" exclaimed the wizard. "Please there is no need for such nonsense. Come now, I invite you to stay in my home until your friend is healed. He should be up on his feet in a couple of days; mark my word."
"Thank you sir," mumbled Quatre.
"Hey!" exclaimed Duo. "I bet you are hungry! You want something to eat?"
"That would be wonderful," said the blonde boy graciously. Quatre looked at the young man. He had mischievous violet eyes, a huge grin, and the long hair Quatre had ever seen on a man.
"The name's Duo Maxwell! Pleased to make your acquaintance!" said the braided boy as he held out his hand. Quatre took it and shook. He looked questioningly at the other two young men who appeared to be no older than he. "Oh!" exclaimed Duo. "That there is Wufei Chang, and this is Heero Yuy. They aren't the types who like to talk much."
Heero simply nodded his head. Wufei grunted. Duo cheerfully led Quatre to sit at the wizard's table. He laid out some bread, cheese, and fruit for the weary traveler to munch on. Wufei approached Quatre and sat across form him.
"You know your horse has been hit by an arrow?"
"Yes, it happened while we were trying to out run them," replied Quatre.
"I took the liberty of pulling out the shaft. He should be all right," said Wufei.
"Thank you. Is he in much pain?"
"No," stated Wufei, "you will not have to put him down. I placed a healing balm over the wound; an ancient remedy of my people."
"Where do you come from?" asked Quatre interested.
"My people come from the Far Eastern lands. My mother and father were killed when I was only a child. My brother, Li and I traveled to live as farmers in the Northern Realms. The ruined village you saw, it used to be my home."
"What of your brother?" asked Quatre.
"He is dead," said Wufei painfully as he rose from the table and walked outside.
"Poor guy," sighed Duo, "we came across the village yesterday. Heero and I tried to help but there was nothing we could do."
The braided boy looked mournful for a moment but his expression soon brightened,
"So where do you come from?" he asked Quatre.
Quatre smiled,
"My father is Lord Winner. He is a sea merchant. My home is on the outskirts of the Northern Realms."
Duo whistled loudly,
"A rich boy, man what I would give to live in your shoes!"
"Money is not important to me," said Quatre quietly. "My family is all I really care about. The safety of my father and sisters is my main concern. That is why I ride to King Darlian. I wish to protect the ones I love and my home."
"You have sisters?" asked Duo.
"Yes, quite a few actually," replied Quatre with a grin.
"How many is a few?" asked Duo.
"Twenty-nine to be exact," said Quatre smiling.
Everyone's eyes in the room opened wide. Even Heero was surprised. Duo tried to imagine the female version of Quatre Winner: blonde hair, blue eyes, and a great smile. Yes, Duo could picture it perfectly.
{-}
Lady Une prepared herself for her departure. She had been given her orders and she was ready to carry them out. She made ready her horse when Treize approached her.
"You know what to do?" he asked her.
"Yes my Lord, I shall not fail."
"Be quick and secretive, I would hate to see you fail."
"I shall do my best to honor your wishes," replied Lady Une as she bowed.
"Keep an eye on Zechs, make sure his thoughts do no go astray," warned Treize.
"Yes my Lord."
Treize turned and walked away as Lady Une set herself into the saddle. She was dressed as a peasant woman; an easy guise that would pass her off as a refugee. Treize turned around just as she began to take her leave,
"Anne," said Treize. Lady Une turned and looked at him. Their eyes met and she felt herself lost. Treize cleared his throat, "be careful." Lady Une nodded her head and watched as Treize disappeared back into the castle.
AN: How do you like it so far? The best is yet to come as always! Email: Wildrose1404earthlink.net