AN: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

{-}

Zechs came thundering back to camp. He jumped off his horse and ripped off his mask. He was breathing heavily. Exhausted, the man let him self slide down on trunk of a tree and rest underneath its shade. Zechs ran over the events that had just occurred. First, several of his men had just been killed. Secondly, the man who had killed his men was a knight, who donned shining, white, powerful armor unlike any Zechs had ever seen before. Lastly, he had just seen her. It was completely unexpected. It had been nearly eighteen years without her presence and he still managed to recognize her. She was the spitting image of his…

Zechs shrugged the thoughts aside. He had to bury those thoughts. He was not he use to be; he could not go back now. He needed to focus on the mission. Not the girl who had once been part of his family….

{-}

Princess Relena had been a gracious hostess. Following her rescue, she and Heero met up with the other young men. The young woman immediately recognized Martin the Wizard and greeted him with a warm hug. She also was able to converse briefly with Quatre upon being familiar with his family name. The princess was learned, smart, and witty. Wufei even agreed to that.

Thus, the small group of companions now rested at the palace of King Darlian, enjoying the warmth and hospitality of its people. The young men explored the city streets and walked through the vast palace. They had finally reached their destination.

Heero was eager to offer his arms to the King, first and foremost, but Martin advised against it insisting he speak with King Darlian at once. So the Five retired to the quarters they had been given in the castle and took off their battle armor in exchange for new clothes supplied by Relena. Later on, the young men dispersed and went on their separate ways to enjoy the afternoon.

Trowa, Quatre, and Duo chose to walk about the marketplace. Wufei was interested in the soldier's barracks, while Heero opted to explore the palace gardens.

The cold young man walked through the winding paths of the luxurious gardens. It was the perfect spring day; the sun was shining, birds were singing, and the flowers were in bloom. Heero walked for a little ways by himself, contemplating on all that had happened to him in the past couple of days. He had been given a mission, a destiny to fulfill. Never, in his entire being, did Heero believe himself to be fighting for all the good in this world.

The warm spring air kissed his face and as he paraded through the winding paths of the gardens. He needed solitude. He was not use to being with so many people at the same time. The gardens were the perfect sanctuary for him, although he felt as if he was out pf place in such a beautiful, pure enclosure. Heero was the lone thorn among a group of roses. He did not know life, emotion, or love. He was not yet so sure that he cared.

Eventually, Heero cut across onto a smaller, more secluded path that led him around large hedge bushes. It was a labyrinth of never-ending green and for a while, Heero thought he would not be able to remember his way back. But, at last he came to a clearing. It was the quaintest and beautiful thing he had ever seen. There was a small pond, canopied by a massive weeping willow. Flowers covered the entire area, especially the rose bushes. But the most striking thing to Heero was the young woman seated on a marble bench overlooking the pond water.

Heero watched the Princess Relena as she stared at the water. She did not know of his presence just yet. She simply stared into the pond, a calm tranquil expression plastered onto her face. Her eyes were gentle and warm, and it only took Heero a second to realize that their color was the exact same pure blue as the water.

Relena sighed and looked longingly into the waters. She peered at her own reflection, studying her features. She was beautiful; there was no doubt about that. Heero was sure men fancied her throughout her father's kingdom. She was probably even betrothed to some prince; although, Heero could not even begin to guess who would be left after the war. Something stirred deep inside of him. The thought of her bothered him slightly. He shook all things aside and approached her quietly.

Although Heero expected her to be startled, Relena turned around and met him with a warm smile.

"Heero, how did you find your way here?"

"Hn," he grunted as he walked around the pond.

His anti-social endeavors did not bother her in the least though,

"I trust you are finding your accommodations pleasant?"

"Yes," replied Heero bluntly.

The girl peered at him closely. "You look much different without your armor on," she remarked.

"Hn," was Heero's only reply.

"I must say, you do look rather surreal; like one of the Guardians. I have never seen such powerful armor. May I ask where you received it?"

Heero made no reply, but simply moved away from the girl to the opposite side of the pond. Why did she have to ask so many questions? Better yet, why was she actually trying to hold a conversation with him? She was a Princess, of noble blood; the daughter of the last remaining great King in all of Mythica. Why should someone of such high standards descend to speak with him? She vexed him greatly and the sound of her sweet melodious voice ringing in his ears only made matters worse.

"I am truly sorry if I am disturbing you Heero. I shall leave you with your thoughts," said Relena politely as she bowed. She turned her back and began to walk away from him. She felt ridiculous for trying to gain his favor. From the moment she met him, he had been nothing but cold and hateful. She had yet to hear a civilized word from his mouth, at least one that was spoken with true meaning and affection. But there was something so very fascinating about this mysterious man who was hardly any older than she. Relena could see it in his eyes. Emotions stirred in her and feelings were beginning to be brought to the surface.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Relena thought of one last thing to say before she took her leave.

"I hope you will join me at the party this evening."

"I do not attend parties," said Heero.

"But, it is my birthday; the entire city has been invited to celebrate."

"This is a time of war, not of celebration," replied Heero coldly.

Relena was hurt but she refused to give in,

"This is also a time of hope, Heero. And if this gives the people hope, then let us celebrate."

She turned around sharply and Heero watched her go through the winding maze of bushes. Never in his life had he met anyone such as her. She was challenging, puzzling, and stubborn. A smirk began to form on his face.

{-}

Zechs and the last of his men entered the city with ease. They passed themselves off as men wishing to join the growing army. Immediately, Zechs rendezvoused with Noin. By the look on his face, Noin could tell he was distressed,

"Zechs what is it?"

"Lucrezia, I saw her, she's here and she is alive."

Noin's face fell.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It was her, the spitting image of my moth…"

"Shhhhh!" warned Noin as she looked around. "Do not let the Lady Une hear you! You know what a threat it may be."

Zechs walked about agitatedly.

"Noin, I know I buried the name Peacecraft, but there are some things you just can't give up."

"She is a threat Zechs, to Lord Treize."

"I know! He will kill her for sure if he finds out."

"He will kill you as well," said Noin quietly. "It is treason not to turn her in."

"I can't, at least, not yet."

"You can't what?" asked Lady Une.

Zechs and Noin spun around to face the sorceress. They bowed to her,

"Nothing, Lady Une," said Noin cautiously. "We were only discussing plans for tonight's excursion."

"Prepare to make ready," said Lady Une. "I sense a magical presence here; a wizard perhaps. We must strike as soon as possible and report back to Lord Treize."

{-}

The entire city was filled with excitement. Torches burned on every corner. Music filled the palace and the streets as well. The people were dancing in jubilation; grateful for a moment's rest from the tedious restraints of war. The Gundam Warriors found themselves ad mists the center of the party inside King Darlian's castle. Princess Relena had provided appropriate attire for the occasion, and at the moment, Duo Maxwell was extremely uncomfortable.

"If I thought that new armor was hot, I was wrong!" he exclaimed as he jerked at his collar. "How do you breathe in a shirt like this?"

"They are common at formal events," explained Quatre. "The buttons go all the way up to the throat; many noblemen where them. My father is quite fond of them. He was always insisting I wear one to always look my best."

"Well, I'm certainly no member of the Winner family, let alone a noble man!"

"Does it make any difference?" asked Quatre.

"Yeah, a big difference! You see, thieves are usually not invited to such formal affairs such as the Princess Relena's birthday celebration. We come from two totally different worlds Quatre."

"We all come from the same world," stated Trowa quietly as he watched the dancers twirl about, "just not from the exact same place in it."

Duo was quiet for a moment until another thought crossed his mind.

"Where's Heero?"

"The Soldier was restricting himself to his quarters," said Wufei.

"Why is he like that? Since the day we met, I will never understand that man. He hardly speaks a word, and is the most secluded person I've ever met. Hell, he rescued a beautiful princess earlier today, who is clearly taken with him, and he'll hardly give her the time of day!"

"There is more to Heero than we know," stated Quatre.

"Look, all I'm saying is that I know about your lives, but I know nothing about his," continued Duo with some frustration. "He is the coldest person I have ever met. I try to get him to open up, but the most I will ever get is the occasional 'Hn'."

"Heero grieves deeply," replied Trowa. "I can not say what it is over, but you can tell he feel more pain than the rest of us."

"How can you tell?" asked Wufei.

"His eyes…they are full of hatred and hurt."

"Time will only tell…" trailed off Quatre.

"Ahem," said Wufei as he cleared his throat. The others looked over to see their companion heading their way.

He was wearing his usual stoic look, but his presence at the gathering still surprised his companions. Quatre stepped towards Heero and warmly greeted him. The others followed suit, although Heero's greeting was not equally warming.

"Where is Martin?" he asked coldly.

"He is speaking with the King," replied Trowa.

"I must speak to him," said Heero as he started to move away.

Duo placed a hand on Heero's shoulder. "Hold on, you are not going anywhere! They have important… royal things to talk about right now. At least wait till Martin is finished."

"Maxwell has a point," said Wufei.

"Martin should not be much longer. They have been conversing for some time," said Quatre. "Last I saw the two of them was an hour ago before they disappeared into King Darlian's library."

"Very well," said Heero.

The Five stood there for a moment watching the dancers on the dance floor. Suddenly, a lively song struck up and Duo could not help but grab a young lady and lead her onto the floor. Quatre laughed at his friend's enthusiastic dancing and the others watched as the young lady struggled to contain herself.

After the song ended, the trumpets sounded. All heads turned towards the grand staircase to witness the Princess Relena make her way into the party.

{-}

"Are you sure?" King Darlian asked Martin.

"Your death has been foreseen here tonight," continued Martin gravely. "We must act quickly so that you may remove yourself from the castle."

The King hung his head solemnly and shook it no. "I cannot leave now. It is useless. Besides, it is Relena's birthday party. She is a young woman now; I would not miss it for the world."

"Your choice is a grave one. Should you die here tonight; the people will fall into despair. They believe you to be the last remaining hope that Mythica has!"

"Martin, you know as well as I that I cannot escape death. It was meant to come for me tonight. So it shall come. I am not afraid. My only regret is leaving Relena…"

"She is not ready…" started Martin.

"She will be; she must be. She will have your help as well as the help of the Five Warriors. You said so yourself that you have found them. I would not believe it had I not seen them with my own eyes. It is they, Martin! They will save us all!"

"Not you, my Lord," said Martin.

"My life will not be significant. I was not meant for greatness. Now is Relena's time. She will lead the people to victory with the help of the Five."

"Does the Princess know of her heritage?"

"No, she will find out tonight. Her identity had to be kept secret though. It was the only way for her to stay alive. Trieze would have killed her for sure had he found out."

"Then the Five will protect her, my Lord, after you are gone, I will see to it."

"Thank you Martin; should anything happen to Relena, I would not forgive myself. She is not my daughter, but I love her as my own. When I am gone, she will need much counsel and advice. I know I can trust you will see to that."

"Yes, sire."

The sound of trumpets caused the two men to rise and exit the library. Together they walked back down to the great hall and turned their eyes to the staircase where the Princess was making her grand entrance.

The King watched his daughter parade gracefully down the staircase. He would always remember her this way.

"Take care of her," said King Darlian as he walked towards the bottom of the stairs to escort his daughter.

Martin watched in sadness. "He will take care of her," said the wizard quietly.

AN: Email: Wildrose1404earthlink.net