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There was something about forests that made Heidi feel really happy. Perhaps it was those memories, the ones she had of living in a foresty town, that made her feel happy. It was..perfect. She didn't even mind the voices.

She had grown used to hearing strange voices everywhere she went. It felt almost natural.

Heidi thought nothing of these strange tasks she had to do now. It was just how things were. Perhaps if she kept doing them she could see more memories of who she was, where she came from, the people she knew. She wanted to know more.

She could only get so much water to the seed. Most of it fell from her hands before she could get to it.

The bush shook as small blue eyes watched the footsteps run past her. That was a close one!

The frunny finally crawled out from under the bush, squeaking as her scarf got caught on a branch. It took a few tugs but she managed to get untangled before someone could come along and trap her. A group of foxfires had ganged up on her and tried to fight her all at once in the battle arena. It hadn't gone over well.

She hopped, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air. All safe.

Good, good.

She hopped away from the bush, chittering quietly as if singing a little song to herself.

It was dark, dank, and very nearly silent. There was only one 'window', a small hole in the ceiling high above about the size of a large fist, as if someone had punched through in an attempt at freedom but only gotten as far as making that first hole. It was their only way of knowing the time of day outside. It was a tight chamber of at least a hundred people, all tired, most broken. They feared sleep, were terrified to eat or drink, and did not have the strength to fight. Even the strongest and largest of men had been broken and made examples of by them.

The horsemen.

Heidi slept, exhausted beyond belief. A woman she didn't even know held her close simply for the benefit of having someone there. The light above them told them it was daytime but it was impossible to tell what time of day it was.

The cell door opened and three horsemen stood in the way. One was familiar, the door guard, and another was a dark-skinned female draped in luxurious scarves and veils, but the other it was hard to make out anything about the third horseman. They were tall, pale-skinned, and covered almost completely in layers upon layers of robes and scarves. The guard looked disgruntled while their two visitors looked suspiciously pleasant and almost..friendly. The reactions among those gathered in the room were varied but instantaneous; many of the men and some of the women bristled with rage, or fear, or defense, while others simply shied away and tried not to be noticed.

The female blew a kiss to the guard before she linked arms with the robed figure and began to make her way through the crowd with him. She was looking left and right, stopping briefly on each face as if in search of something. As the pair walked there was the tinkling and jingling of jewelry and metal coins clinking together.

Finally she stopped in front of Heidi with a pleased sound. She tugged her companion's arm. "There she is, the one I was telling you about," she crooned to the taller horseman. The taller one smiled in the way a father would look upon a young child as he regarded the small blonde. Heidi had woken up when the body beside her tensed and was now gazing blearily up at the two horsemen. What..? "Isn't she lovely, Salbei?"

"Quite," said Salbei as he let go of the female's arm and bent down to be more on level with the girl. Heidi's eyes opened wide and she tried to back away, except a hand reached out from inside the robes and gently held her shoulder. She stopped, too petrified to move.

Oh god. Oh god. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.

Salbei's grasp on her shoulder was firm yet..somehow still gentle. "Do not be afraid, little one. We are here to take you away from all of this."

"It's terrible how they're treating someone so pretty," the female added with a sympathetic tone, putting a hand on Salbei's shoulder as she also leaned in close. "Would you like to come with us, child?"

All Heidi could do was shake her head no, and she didn't stop shaking it even as the door guard pushed through the crowd and forced her to her feet. She couldn't breathe, she didn't know what to do. She was no match to fight off three horsemen..but...maybe..? She looked desperately to the people around her. They looked as if they wanted to fight but the fear was obvious in their eyes. The way they parted to let the three horsemen pass through with Heidi made her finally force out a scream. "H-HELP! SOMEONE! HELP ME! DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME AWAY! PLEASE!" She shrieked, struggling in the guard's arms until she had managed to get onto his shoulder and be carried like a sack. She reached out for one man who did push through the crowd and shout her name, reaching for her hand until a second guard shoved him back and slammed the door closed.

I'm going to die..

Heidi whimpered and backed away when she was finally set down on her feet, tears rolling down her cheeks. Salbei's eyes widened at the sight. "Dear child! No! Oh, no," he shushed her softly as he reached out to gently cup her cheeks, rubbing away the tears with his thumbs. He wore that same fatherly smile on his face. "We will not hurt you. I swear to you..what is your name, little one?"

What..? "H-Heidi.." she whispered, her entire body was shaking life a leaf.

Salbei chuckled. "A pleasure, Heidi. What a lovely name. Come, we will take you to your new quarters. Do you have a favorite color? Perhaps we can decorate your new room with it."

Heidi somehow managed to follow alongside Salbei who had wrapped an arm around her shoulders while the female came around and did the same on Heidi's other side. The conversation was pleasant while they walked, the pair of horsemen asking her various questions about her.

She had no idea what they truly had planned for her...

Heidi was..confused. Were those her own memories? It was so hard to tell..but there was so much conflict. She would like to think they weren't.

She sighed and shook her head, gasping softly when she noticed her tiny little seed had grown.