Warning: I do not own Gundam Wing or The Tinder Box. I based this story off of Anderson's version of the Tinder Box.

A soldier came marching along the high road. He had his knapsack on his back and his sword at his side, for he had been to the wars, and he was heading back now though he could not return home. The soldier was tired of the wars and was looking forward to his well deserved rest even though he knew not where it would be. His one regret was leaving behind the good friends he had made during his service. Most often his thoughts returned to his best friend and comrade who supported him when his family would no longer even acknowledge he was alive. His friend's good humor and ready smile and the twinkle in his purple eyes never failed to lift the spirits. But now he was many miles away and he didn't know when he would ever see his friend again.

Lost in his thoughts, the soldier almost ran into an old woman, a witch, on the road, and she was so ugly her lower lip hung right down on to her chin.

She said, "Good evening young soldier! What a nice sword you've got, and such a big knapsack; you are a real soldier! You shall have as much money as ever you like!"

"Thank you," said the soldier his blue eyes twinkling. "But I would not want to take your money from you."

"Do you see that big tree?" asked the witch ignoring his words pointing to a tree close by. "It is hollow inside! Climb up to the top and you will see a hole into which you can let yourself down, right down under the tree. I will tie a rope round your waist so that I can haul you up again when you call."

"What am I to do down under the tree?" asked the soldier.

"Fetch money!" said the witch. "You must know that when you get down tot eh bottom of the tree you will find yourself in a wide passage; it's quite light there, for there are over a hundred blazing lamps. You will see three doors which you can open, for the keys are there. If you go into the first room you will see a big box in the middle of the floor. A dog is sitting on the top of it, and he has green eyes as big as saucers, but you needn't mind that. I will give you my blue-checkered apron, which you can spread out on the floor; then go quickly forward, take up the dog and put him on my apron, open the box and take out as much money as ever you like. It is all copper, but if you like silver better, go into the next room. There you will find a dog with brown eyes as big as millstones; but never mind that, put him on my apron and take the money. If you prefer gold you can have it too, and as much as you can carry, if you go into the third room. But the dog sitting on that box has blue eyes as bug as the Round Tower. He is a dog indeed as you may imagine! But don't let it trouble you; you only have to put him on to my apron and then he won't hurt you, and you can take as much gold out of the box as you like!"

"That's nice," said the soldier. "But what am I to give you? You must want something!"

The witch looked at the handsome, blond soldier. "No," she said, "not a single penny do I want. I only want you to bring me an old tinder box that my sister forgot the last time she was down there."

"Well, I would be glad to help you," said the young soldier. "Tie the rope round my waist!"

"Here it is," said the witch, "and here is my blue-checkered apron."

Then Quatre climbed up the tree, let himself slide down the hollow trunk, and found himself, as the witch had said, in the wide passage where the many hundred lamps were burning.

Now he opened the first door. Ugh! There sat the dog with the green eyes as big as saucers staring at him.

But Quatre remembered he had nothing as he had been tossed out by his family by going to war. "Well you are a nice fellow!" said Quatre as he put him on to the witch's apron and took out as many pennies as he could cram into his pockets. Then he shut the box and put the dog on the top of it again and went into the next room. Hallo! There sat the dog with brown eyes as big as millstones.

"You shouldn't stare at me so hard, you might get a pain in your eyes!" Then he put the dog on the apron but when he was all the silver in the box he threw away all the coppers and stuffed his pockets and his knapsack with silver. Then he went into the third room. Oh! How horrible! That dog really had tow blue eyes as big as the Round Towers, and they rolled round and round like wheels.

"Good evening!" said Quatre, saluting, for he had never seen such a dog in his life; but after looking at him for a bit he thought, "that will do," and then he lifted him down on to the apron and opened the chest. Preserve us! What a lot of gold! He could buy the whole of Copenhagen with it, and all the sugar buns from the cake-woman, all the tin soldiers and rocking-horses in the world! That was money indeed! Now Quatre threw away all the silver he had filled his pockets and knapsack with and put gold in its place. Yes, he crammed all his pockets, his knapsack, his cap, and his boots so full that he could hardly walk! Now he really had got a lot of money. He put the dog back on to the box, shut the door, and shouted up through the tree, "Haul me up, please!"

"Have you got the tinderbox?"

"Oh! To be sure!" said Quatre. "I had quite forgotten it." And he went back to fetch it. The witch hauled him up, and there he was standing on the high road again with his pockets, boots, knapsack, and cap full of gold.

"What do you want the tinderbox for?" asked Quatre.

"That's no business of yours," said the witch. "You've got the money; give me the tinder box!"

"Rubbish!" Quatre said knowing the witch could use anything for evil purposes. "Tell me directly what you want with it or I will draw my sword and cut off your head."

"I won't!" said the witch.

Then the soldier cut off her head and there she lay. He shook his head and tied all the money up in her apron, slung it on his back like a pack, put the tinderbox in his pocket, and marched off to the town.