Disclaimer:  Okay.  I think everyone knows by now that I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever.  *sigh* If I did, I think I'd be rich.  I definitely wouldn't be writing fanfiction for it, that's for sure.

"Are they alright?"

"I . . . I don't know."

"Damnit Lila.  You're the one that brought them here, and you don't know."  Mia replied exasperated.

"Well, yes, but . . ."

Relena groaned.  Her head was killing her and wherever the voices were coming from they weren't helping.

"SShhh . . . one of them is coming to."

"Where am I?"  Relena opened her eyes to see two girls leaning over her.  "Aaaaaahhhhhh!"  She screamed not expecting to find the faces of two strangers leaning over her.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"  Screamed the two girls, not expecting Relena's reaction.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"  Relena demanded her hand over her heart trying to calm her shot nerves. 

"Where am I?  Where's Heero?"  She babbled in confusion as her memories gradually came back to her.  What was that strange light and what the hell is this place? 

Yes.  She could tell it was a forest, but she has never smelled air this fresh or seen this many different color leaves in all her life.  Something wasn't right.  Yes.  Everything around her was beautiful and peaceful, but it all seemed very out of place, almost like it was something described in a fairy-tale.

A small sound to her right interrupted her thoughts.

"Damn.  Did anyone get the number of that mobile suit?"  Hilde grumbled as she regained consciousness.

Relena slowly stumbled to her feet and went over to see about her friend, temporarily forgetting about anyone else. 

"Are you okay?"

Hilde slowly sat up and saw Relena's concerned face.  "Yeah, I'll live.  My head is screaming for Excedrin, but other than that I'm fine."  She said while massaging her temples.  Her head felt like someone split it in two.  Having a mobile doll beat the crap out of her proved to be less painful.

The sound of someone clearing their throat reminded Relena that they were not alone.

"Um . . . I guess it would help if we introduced ourselves.  My name is Lila and this. . ." She pointed to the girl standing next to her.  " . . . is my sister, Mia, and we are the ones who summoned you here."

"Huh?"  Relena asked.  It seemed like a pretty good question never mind that is seemed to be only coherent word she could form at the moment.  Summoned?  What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Both girls looked to be about the same age as the two of them.  Lila had very dark brown eyes and hair that was light brown while Mia had eyes that were more of a hazel color and hair so dark a brown that it could rival Heero's.  Both of them were about the same height.  But, Mia looked to be more muscular and athletic.  Upon closer inspection, Relena also noticed that the two girls standing in front of her had similar features, which definitely confirmed that they were sisters. 

"Our people are in danger, and we need your help to save them."  Lila spoke interrupting Relena's train of thought.

"Um . . . would you please care to elaborate on that?"  Hilde asked confused at the vague answer. 

"Why us?"

This time Mia decided to speak up.  "You are the chosen ones."  She said as if it were everyday that a person is told they are a chosen one. 

Relena and Hilde looked from Mia to Lila then at each other.  Had she said that correctly?  Chosen Ones?  These people could not be serious. 

"Excuse me?"  Hilde asked as she glanced around expecting to find a hidden camera or to see Duo pop out of nowhere yelling 'Gotcha!'

Lila sighed.  She had a feeling this was going to take a while.  "Let's go back to our home, and I'll explain everything to you there."

"Why do we need to do that couldn't you just tell us here and now?"  Hilde asked bemused.

"Well, one, this may take a while, and, two, I have a feeling you may want to make yourselves comfortable to hear all I'm about to tell you."

"Good point." Hilde replied and silently followed her newest acquaintances anxiously waiting to hear what they had to say.

A short while later all four of them reached a small hut in the middle of a little village on the edge of the forest.

"Okay.  Spill it.  The suspense is killing me."  Hilde said once they were inside and seated comfortably on animal furs in the middle of a room with a candle as their only source of light.  "What is this place? Why were we brought here?  And, for Heaven's sake, haven't you people heard of electricity?"  Hilde started to babble.  She hated being unfamiliar with her surroundings and the pitch darkness everywhere she went was not helping any.

Mia and Lila looked at her confused.  What the heck was elec-tri-city? 

Despite her curiosity, Lila decided to forgo any questions she might have till later so that she could start her story.  "It all started about forty years ago . . ."

"Hold up!  Forty years?  How long is this going to take?" 

"Hilde!"  Relena scolded at her friend's outburst.

"What?  You can't tell me that thought didn't pop in your head, Relena."

"So, those are your names, Relena and Hilde?"  Mia asked pointing to each one when she said their names.

"Oh!  Yes.  How forgetful of me.  Yes, my name is Relena and this is my friend, Hilde."

Lila smiled feeling a little better that everything would turn out okay in the end.  They still had a long way to go, but now that they'd gotten through the first part of bringing the first two chosen ones here and meeting them everything else should work out as well.  Plus, one of these two women was to become their queen, which made Lila feel even more excited.

"Well, as I was saying . . ." Lila went on to explain everything to Relena and Hilde.  She told them about the war with the Tatakais forty years earlier, the Heiwa victory that followed, the Tatakais' vow to return, the sickness that spread through their tribe a few winters earlier that claimed the lives of their mother and brother, their father's death when Mia was about five, the prophecy, Mia's dream, Mad Maggie, the death of their former queen, the Tribal Elders, their mother's gift and how Lila had similar powers just not as strong, and, lastly, the ceremonies.

Relena and Hilde intently and patiently listened the entire time, but they still needed answers to all for the questions that were left unanswered. 

"Okay, let me get this straight.  We were brought here by this ceremony called the Shin-whatever . . ."

"Yarikata."  Lila corrected.

"Yeah that too."  Hilde replied refusing to loose her train of thought.  "Then five years from now five more chosen ones will appear after another ceremony is performed, and we are all supposed to help you, the Heiwas, defeat the Tatakais.  Um pardon me for saying this, but that is a little hard to swallow."

"We would never lie about something of this magnitude." Lila looked offended.

"I didn't say you were lying all I said was that this is hard to accept.  For starters, even though I am an ex-soldier I don't feel comfortable leading other lives I'm responsible for into battle.  Also, Miss Former Pacifist Queen over there doesn't know the first thing about fighting.  Yes, she understands the human psychic, and she can manipulate any circumstance to avoid war and preserve peace, but she has never once had to actually fight."

"I think I have a more pressing question at the moment."  Relena interrupted not really wanting to discuss an upcoming war at the moment.  She'd discussed enough of those to last her a lifetime.  There was only one thing she was interested in  . . . "What's today's date?" . . . and that was where the hell her and Hilde were.

"Date?"  Mia and Lila looked at her confused.

"What's the year?"  She amended.

Still the same blanks stares.

It was obvious her and Hilde stumbled into a time before the colonies, but they could not have come to a time before the AD era as well.  Okay.  How to approach this subject?  "Have you ever heard of Christ?"

More blank stares.

"Okay.  Are you a part of an empire?"  

No response.

'Okay.  So they probably have never heard of the name Caesar either, even though there are about twelve throughout history to mention.  They also do not seem to be a philosophical group of people so the names Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are probably not worth mentioning for any kind of help either.  Well, even though I feel awkward asking this, I see no other alternative.'  Relena thought.

"Do you have any gods that you specifically worship?"

Finally, I glimmer of recognition.  "Why, the Olympians, of course.  The deity we pray to is Athena."

'Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, well, now at least me and Hilde know we are somewhere in the wilderness of Greece before the time of Christ and the later spread of Christianity, which means the time period is BC.'  Relena sighed at least it was a start, which was more than they had a few minutes ago. 

The only thing she knew for sure was that she would probably never see her 'love' again.  How could she when he wasn't due to be born for another three thousand years or more?  Technically, she wouldn't be celebrating any birthdays at time soon either, but that was beside the point.  What mattered was that she was here, and he was still in the future.

'Future . . . the key to the future . . .'

That's when it hit her.  The prophecy.  'No, it's not possible.'

"Hilde?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I just had an epiphany."  Maybe her and Hilde weren't doomed to suffer an eternal separation from their loved ones after all.

"Huh?"

"Lila, my I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"According to the prophecy, Hilde is the 'Warrioress of Strength' and I am the 'Warrior Queen' who has the 'key to the future in her heart', right?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any idea who the other five chosen warriors are?"

"No.  We don't know who any of you are until you arrive."

"I think I may know who the prophecy speaks of, but then again it may just end up being wishful thinking on my part."

"What are you getting at, Relena?"

"Think about it, Hilde.  Replay the warriors' names of the prophecy in your head and think of five certain people we know very well."

Hilde's eyes widened in surprise at what Relena meant.  "You can't mean."

"The Warrior of Hope who protects . . ." Relena said emphasizing the last part.

"Heero."  Hilde whispered.

"The Warrior of Death . . ."

"Duo."  Hilde softly replied with tears now threatening to spill over her cheeks.

"The Warrior of Silence . . ."

"Trowa."

"The Warrior of Truth who sees into the hearts . . ."

"Quatre."

"And, the Warrior of Justice . . ."

"Wufei."

"How can you two be so certain these five men are the chosen ones of the prophecy?  How can you possibly know them?"

"Actually, we know them very well."  Hilde answered.  "One of the five happens to be Relena's boyfriend . . ."

"Boy-friend?" Lila asked not really understanding the whole meaning to the unfamiliar term.

"Um . . . that is to say he is my betrothed."  Relena answered not knowing any other way to explain it.

"Oh.  Okay."  Lila smiled.

"And another of the five is my fiancé . . . err . . . betrothed, as well."  Hilde finished her earlier statement and held up her left hand.

"Wow.  That's wonderful.  But, how do you know the other three?"

"They are our friends.  You see ever since . . ." Relena and Hilde then proceeded to tell the whole story.  They told Mia and Lila about the Eve Wars.  Then they explained as best they could how in the future some things called machines were able to fly.  They went on to explain how their friends flew huge flying machines called Gundams.  They told the story about how they met each other, and how they each met the pilots.  They ended their tale with how their lives progressed after the war, Relena becoming the Vice Foreign Minister and Hilde running a business with Duo. By the time Hilde and Relena finished only a few hours were left until morning.

"Man, I'm beat."  Hilde stretched yawning.

"Yeah.  Me too."  Relena confirmed.

"I guess it is time we got some rest."  Lila said.  "We have a lot of work ahead of us.  Plus, we need to introduce you two to the rest of the tribe and present you to the Elders tomorrow."

"I can't wait."  Hilde deadpanned then slightly cringed after Relena lightly elbowed her side.

Mia saw the exchange and intervened.  "There's no need to worry."

"That's easy for you to say.  I hate first impressions."  Hilde said.

Lila chuckled.  "Let's just get some rest, and we'll decided what to do in the morning."

"Good idea."

'Rest she says.  Ha!'  Hilde fussed in her head as she tossed and turned.  She could not get comfortable and the gravity of the situation was starting to sink in.  She groaned as sunlight began filtering in through the window. 'Well, I'm up, so I might as well get up.'

Relena heard movement so she looked to see what it was.  It was Hilde walking around.  If Relena didn't know any better, she'd swear that her normally carefree best friend was pacing.  Oh, who was she kidding, certainly not herself.  She hadn't slept a wink, and by the looks of it Hilde did not look like she'd gotten much sleep either.

"Hilde."  Relena whispered.

Hilde turned toward her and smiled.  "Good, I'm not the only one awake."

Relena pointed her head toward the door motioning for Hilde to follow her outside.  She wanted to talk without waking up their two new friends.

Hilde nodded her agreement.

Once outside they found a log big enough for the two of them and sat on it.

"So."  Hilde said after a few minutes of silence.

"So."  Relena repeated.

Hilde sighed.  "How in the world is someone supposed to change the era and prepare the way, anyways?"  She asked quoting the portion of the prophecy that supposedly foretold her destiny.

"You got me."  Relena sighed.  "I can't believe they want to make me queen . . . again.  I wasn't too thrilled about the job last time I had it.  And, I wasn't even in the position long enough to know whether or not what I did mattered."

"Look at it this way.  At least this time you won't be Queen of the World you will only be the queen of one tribe.  So instead of leading millions you'll only be leading . . ." Hilde paused.  "How big did they say this tribe was?"

"They didn't."

"Oh.  Well, anyways, it's safe to say the responsibility is not nearly as big."

Relena snorted at what she figured was a lame attempt at a joke.  "You know it's ironic no matter where I go or what time period I'm in, I'm the one everyone wants to carry the torch of burden.  And, how in the world is a pacifist ruler supposed to learn how to pick up a sword and fight?"

"Relena."  Hilde put her arm around Relena's shoulder to comfort her.  "You are not alone.  You have never been alone.  You've always had your friends.  You've always had Heero even though he was too warped in the beginning to know how to approach the subject.  And, you've always had me.  We're in this together, and we'll get through this.  Then, five years from now we'll have five of the best friends, or in two cases- lovers, we've ever had here by our sides once again."  

Hilde paused in her little speech becoming deep in thought.  A single tear made a trail down her cheek.  Could she really last five years without Duo?

Relena leaned her head on Hilde's shoulder.  She wanted to cry, but she also wanted to remain as strong as she could, for Hilde as well as herself.  However, all her little doubts and worries were about to overwhelm her.  "Hilde, how . . ."

"I don't know, Relena."  Hilde interrupted knowing what she wanted to ask.  "All I can say is that we'll take it one day at a time.  It's going to be an adventure and trial for both of us.  Yes, I was once a soldier, but that training obviously didn't do me much good since I almost got myself killed."  She paused thinking of the best way to relieve Relena's main concern. 

"Yeah, but . . ."

"Relena, the only comfort I can offer to say is that this is a different time and place.  Not many, if any, are going to listen to negotiations.  The people here live by the sword, and we're going to have to learn their ways if we want to survive.  That doesn't mean we have to abandon our beliefs, but we must adapt.  Even this tribe seems to be peaceful, but even they won't hesitate to raise a sword to protect their families or themselves."

"I know.  It's just that for once in my life I feel helpless."  Relena quietly spoke as the last barriers holding back her doubt fell and silent tears fell down her face.

"We'll make it, and we'll prove to ourselves and everyone else that we can do this."  Hilde tried her best to sound confident.

Relena picked her head up off of Hilde's shoulder.  "You know what.  You're right."  She wiped the tears away as her conviction rose with Hilde's reassuring words.  "We will."

Hilde gave a small smile.  "Yes, we will."  She echoed and hugged Relena.

"Ahem."

They looked to see Mia and Lila standing behind them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to be going."  Lila apologized.

"Oh.  Okay."  Relena stood up, brushed what little dirt she could off, and once again put on the mask of a true politician.  "Let's go."

Hilde stood as well with a proud stance.  Ready and willing to face whatever fate had in store for her.  "Yes, we're ready."

~~~To Be Continued~~~

Oh boy.  How was that?  I hope it wasn't too boring.  Sorry no action yet.  Getting the characters all the way to Ancient Greece is taking longer than I thought.  Oh well.

Okay.  That's all for now.  Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you enjoyed it.  ^_^

Bye,
Carebear