In this fun and lively Arabian tale told by Quatre everyone is a prince. In the time honored tradition of 'A Thousand and One Arabian Nights,' the Princes Trowa and Quatre spend a night regally the tale of Princes Zechs, Heero, Duo and Wufei. Prince Zechs is the baddie but he's still oh so good. Rated M to be on the safe side.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing other more talented people do and they would never want them to be in such pathetic tales. Please don't sue me, this is just a fan fiction written in the spirit of fun not profit.

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Quatre Tales

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"If you claim it was due to a bad betrothal, I will be very cross with you," Trowa said peevishly. "Anyone could have thought of that."

"It's true, Prince Zechs was against the betrothal but he was also against Prince Yuy personally. You see they had met before," Quatre explained.

"Before, not possible," Trowa refuted.

"Oh, it is possible, but that is getting ahead of my story," Quatre told him. "First you must understand that Prince Yuy was an orphan. His throne was not his own. It was held in proxy by his uncle until Prince Heero came into adulthood."

Quatre noticed that his last comment held Prince Trowa's attention. It reminded him that Prince Trowa was King Trieze's ward and that he too had no parents. Realizing that he had captured his audience's attention he proceeded with a little more confidence.

"Prince Yuy was raised by this uncle since he was seven. I wouldn't say this man was greedy or evil but he was human and after several years of ruling the people he was reluctant to relinquish the throne. He kept Heero from performing his rite of passage until he was nearly our age.

"Rite of passage?" Trowa asked.

"In order to be considered an adult, Heero had to take a test," Quatre explained. "He had to cross into that lands below beyond the shallow seas and climb the fiery mountains. There he had to anoint the winged sword of his people."

"The winged sword," Trowa repeated. "That sounds familiar."

"It is a very famous sword, it's magical," Quatre paused again for effect. "But again, I'm getting ahead of myself before talking about the sword, I first have to explain how prince Zechs and Prince Yuy met."

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First Meetings

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Heero had long since lost his fear of sailing the vast ocean alone in his small one man dug. The ability to build the little boat from a single log using only a fat head machete was part of the skills needed to past into manhood. He had learned how to build one since he was seven.

For the rite, Heero was given only that which he could carry in his hands.It was his choice on what to take. Some of his ancestors had taken a gourd of water and food in one hand. In the other they carried the winged sword. They then left naked. It would be up to them to make what ever else they needed. It was easy to make a stone knife and stone head arrows. Their clothes would be created from what they killed. This actually saved time.

Heero knew how to do all those things but the stones blades were brittle and tended to shatter with heavy use. He had taken clothes and a machete. He knew how gather food and make a water gourd. So instead of leaving right away, he headed towards the grasslands and supplied himself with rope, water and food. From there he dragged his burdens to the Yang River. This river meet with the Yin River and together they poured into the Tao bay. Heero took this route past the straits and to the shallow seas.

Full of energy he crossed the seas easily and transgressed across the lower lands quickly. He moved as fast as he could for the rite was timed. Heero passed a few villages before attempting the mountains. The people of The Lower Lands knew of the First Lands rite of passage. They hindered not Prince Yuy and saw his crossing as good fortune.

Prince Heero climbed the highest peek on Mount Fiery and bathed the winged sword in its fires. The blade was cooled by the ever-prevailing winds and he knew half the journey was done.

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The winged sword was strapped across his back. Its bright silver white hilt with the design of birds wings pointed to the heavens above. It was bad luck to use the blade before he returned home for the final rite. None of the ancestors considered using the blade nor did Heero.

"It will be the first time in many years that the crowning of the wing sword would mean peace," Heero said speaking to the blade.

He knew the blade couldn't answer him but he had been raised on the belief that Wing was alive. It was forge from magic and given to his people. The crowning of the sword after the rite of passage would bestow upon the people's new leader wind magic.

Heero had anointed the blade and was on his way home. The seas had been relatively calm and he had suffered only a few minor storms. It was several weeks journey back home so Heero hugged the coast line as much as he dared. He had decided to rest on land and supply his dug as best he could before crossing the straits for even the narrowest part of the straits would take weeks to cross.

"I must be careful since the weather can't possibly hold out for much longer," Heero thought out loud.

It was at that time Heero noticed something on the horizon. His dark blue eyes squinted into the sun but it was difficult to tell. As it got closer, Heero realized it was a ship. It was a large vessel boasting several masts. Heero put more effort into paddling. Pirates were known throughout the lands however they usually didn't stop and bother a one man dug. The little native ships were of little value and the people in them even less.

This ship however seemed determined to pursue him. Heero was not duly alarmed. There have been rare occasions when the captain of a much larger ship will hailed down a local seaman in need of direction or advice. There have also been very rare occasions when they would be even willing to trade.

"I'll not have them take Wing," Heero told the sword as the ship drew closer.

He removed the blade and secured it to his side. The actually blade itself was not that valuable, true there was gold in the hilt but it was only accented here and there. There were more fancy blades with stones of greater wealth inlayed in them and he doubted that the captain would suspect he would have any of such value on him.

Heero relaxed even further when he realized that the ship was from Sanc. For a brief moment, he wondered if his betroth was on board and had been seeking him out. It was a preposterous notion and Heero instantly dismissed it as nonsense.

The young princess was dutiful he had been told and could not be commanding a vessel this far from home. She also would not know he was from The First Lands. The dug was commonly used by many of the native people around The Lower Lands.

Deciding that the approaching ship was there by chance Heero waited. Unfortunately, Heero didn't know how close to the truth he was and even if he did it would have made little difference. Prince Zech's larger ship had sails and armaments.

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The nomads of the Far East were constantly invading the Sanc Kingdom and its two neighbors the kingdom of Oz and the land Roma for many years.

The nomads of the Far East were one of the first lands to commandeer the oceans. They sailed all the seas and had a vast naval fleet. That was whymany referred to these nomads as the people of The First Lands.

In order to address this problem, the Sanc Kingdom decided to try and arranged a marriage between the Princess Relena and the Nomadic Prince Heero. Princess Relena was second born and would never rule and having her children born to the foreign ruler would make them ineligible to rule Sanc.

Prince Heero was nearing marriageable age and although he had yet to take his test of manhood, his guardian would consider it if he succeeded. The people of the first lands were not willing to even consider a match until that time.

The Princess's brother Zechs was against the arrangement and wanted to find a way to stop the marriage. He hated the people of The First Lands. Their constant pillaging had cost of the lives of many Sanc soldiers. Some had been friends of his so he could never easily accept a peace treaty with them. He figured that if Prince Heero failed his test of manhood then he could never be allowed to marry his sister. In fact, if Prince Heero failed then there would be unrest in The First Lands. This strife would cause confusion leaving the people there venerable.

So after the missives had been exchanged the prince decided to re-commission a small garrison in hopes of catching Prince Heero. He learned a lot regarding the rite of passage Prince Heero had to take. It was very dangerous and the prince had to travel alone and unprotected.

Prince Zechs knew that there was a great chance he would never see hide nor hair of the foreign prince but being a creature of wealth he had considerable amounts of time on his hands. He readied a ship that had been given to him on his majority and set sail for the straits that bordered the far eastern lands and the great mountains on the opposite continent.

The king never questioned his son's motives for no one wanted a war between the countries. In truth, the people of the Sanc Kingdom were mostly peace loving and had hopes for ending the animosity between them. Unfortunately the young Prince Zechs was not like his people. He possessed a darker side.

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TBC