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. There is some standard and non-standard pairing.

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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"Tell me more about this Winged sword," Trowa pressed.

"It is said to be one of the powers of the world," Quatre told him thoughtfully. "It possesses magic."

"What did it look like?" Trowa asked. "Was it a sword?"

Quatre thought for a moment but only a moment. Trowa questions had seemed innocent but he wasn't fooled. The winged sword was legendary, even the people as far as Roma would have heard of it.

"A beautiful sword with golden wings on its hilt," Quatre described. "It is made from a rare metal Gundiaium."

"Why does each ruler have to bath the sword on mount Fiery?" Trowa asked.

"Wind magic is the hardest magic to contain and only Gundiaium holds it," Quatre told him. "Once exposed to the searing flames of the fiery mountains a small amount of magic is released."

An astonished look passed over Trowa's face, it was fleeting however Quatre didn't miss it. His quick answers and explanations were hard to dismiss and he could see that Trowa was actually beginning to really listen. That was the first start to getting one to believe.

"What does this magic do?" Trowa asked next.

"Let me continue the story," Quatre told him hiding a smile.

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An Evil

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Prince Zech lowered his spy glass and stared into the horizon. His hard silvery blue eyes narrowed in thought. He actually had little belief that he would truly cross paths with Prince Heero.

He raised his spy glass again and noted the small one man dug off their port bow. It was him. He knew it. The sailor's watched him with mixed expressions. Only his lieutenants knew why they were treading the waters off the straits.

"It's him captain?" his first lieutenant asked.

There was excitement in his voice. The man had been the first to actually spot the small boat. His second lieutenant was crowded behind listening, also eager to please him.

They were sycophants, plying for his attention. As a prince he was use to that. They plied him with compliments in order to curry favors for their houses. His sister's betrothal was also very much a concern to them.

"May I address this problem, my lord," his first lieutenant begged.

"No, let me, my lord," the second begged.

Zechs was about to deny them the pleasure when he realized that it was be a perfect opportunity to rid himself of three contestants for his sister's hand. Zechs had no desire to see his little sister wed.

Zechs silently stared at the men. He could see fear in their eyes. It was the mask. The silver mask that he wore caused it. The lightening count some called him behind his back. He didn't care. He enjoyed the power such a simple device offered him.

"Yes, do as you will," he nodded to the both of them. "However do not kill him, I personally want that pleasure."

"Ready the long boat," shouted the first lieutenant at his younger assistants.

The men scurried to obey. Zechs could see them glancing behind the lieutenants to watch him. Their fear was almost tangible. Zechs again raised the spy glass to watch the boat in the distance. He could see the dark haired tawny skinned man clearly. From a distance he could easily be anyone of the natives from the coast but the clothes he had were well made and not from this region. Zechs was extremely pleased with himself.

As his much larger vessel approached Zechs watched the foreigner try and paddle away from them. The waves his ship created were large enough to over turn the little dug only the people of the first land were truly great seaman. He watched him ride the tops of the waves using them to gain more distance from the ship.

He was delaying the inevitable already the long boats were in the water each with three oars men to row. The little dug gave them quite a chase but eventually they were able to pull up equal to his port and star port sides.

Prince Zechs's men were eager to prove themselves to their prince and they had promised to capture him, bring him in alive. It was a mistake Prince Heero was not one to be captured and would rather kill or be killed first.

The three oarsmen reached out and grabbed the little boat. Prince Zechs watched them get butchered by the dark hair smaller man. The wild prince used his hands and they were like bands of steel. Each strike seemed to slip through flesh crunching through bone. The men scream jerking back hard rocking their long boat. The first lieutenant tried to bridge the two boats by stepping into the small vessel. The prince merely cracked his leg with an oar and sent the man into the water.

The foreign prince pushed away from the larger vessel and tried to distance his self from the second long boat. The men gave chase only this time they were far more cautious.

As the second long boat came aside the dug the men threw hooks into the boat. The prince cut the ropes only it was too late the damage had been done the little dug was now within reaching distance. The men picked up their oars like fighting staffs and brandished them at the prince.

The foreign prince fought them valiantly, he managed to disable one man shoving him overboard before he too was shoved from his boat. He disappeared under the waves and the second lieutenant with his two remaining sailors stood poise looking down into the depths below.

They waited several minutes before the first crack was heard from under the long boat. The men stabbed their oars blindly into the water trying to reach the prince.

"He's under the boat," one sailor yelled.

His words were punctuated when a gout sprayed from the bottom of their boat. Another sailor screamed and jumped up clutching a bleeding foot. The long boat was filling with water rapidly.

Frightened for their lives the sailors leaped from the boat and quickly tried to swim for the other long boat. Zechs watched a dark shadow follow the first man then suddenly he was pulled down into the depths below. The last sailor flayed at the water violently before an unseen assailant too pulled him down.

The second lieutenant had stayed in the sinking long boat until the last moment. Then he too leaped into the water. He never reemerged.

From the large vessel the sailors' shouts of encouragement died as the lieutenant disappeared under the waves. They stared at the water trying to find the prince yet the prince had yet to surface for air.

"A sea wraith," one sailor mumbled.

"No, a merman," said another.

"No, fools," Zechs shouted. "It was a lowly man from the first lands, nothing more."

The sailors didn't look convinced. Sailors were superstitious and fearful of the ocean's wrath. Their respect for the ocean and things of the sea at times would even supercede the captain.

Prince Zechs searched the waves when it suddenly occurred to him that the other long boat was missing. When he searched for it he saw that it was drifting against the current.

"It was a man," Prince Zechs insisted. He pointed at the slow moving long boat.

The remaining sailors watched the long boat with angry eyes. Several ran and grabbed spears but Zechs knew it would be difficult if not outright impossible to hit the prince from their height.

"We can't let the death of those men go unanswered," he told the remaining crew. "While I am fighting with the bastard use this ship to avenge our fellow sailors."

They turned the ship towards the long boat and using a rope Zechs dropped to the deck of the long boat quickly and silently. Zechs was to face off with the prince himself.

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Prince Heero knew the larger vessel was approaching since the waves from the ship were causing the long boat to rock. He couldn't abandon the protection of the vessel yet only he knew that he would soon have little choice.

The thump of something landing in the ship was the only indication that his ploy had been discovered. Heero looked up in time to see Prince Zechs's sword aimed for his head. Instinctively he drew the winged sword.

While in the water the blade's magic was weak and the air strike from the sword only shoved Prince Zechs onto his back. Not willing to stay at a disadvantage Prince Heero slipped onto the long boat.

While the two princes fought on the deck Prince Zechs had his remaining men ram the long boat with their larger ship. Prince Zechs had been expecting the two boats to collide so when the larger ship suddenly rammed the smaller boat Prince Zechs grabbed the rope he had used and pulled himself away from the collision.

Prince Heero was taken by surprise and again instinctively used the winged sword. This time the air blast hit the hull of the ship explosively. The wind magic cut through the planks of wood like butter. The force of the wind and the colliding ships caught the foreign prince. The last thing Heero saw before he was violently thrown into the ocean was a dark gaping hole in the side of the ship.

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TBC

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Comments

Thanks for the comments and reviews. I really appreciate hearing from you. I have edited the summary to include pairing. There is some standard and non-standard pairing plus a possible 1+2+5 but I'm not sure if I'm going that route. I know the story is developing slowly but all the characters are included and with a fair amount of participation. I hope you enjoy the next upcoming chapters.

Ani