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.

-

-

-

Quatre Tales

-

-

Earth, wind, water and fire are the basic types of magic. Magic users have the ability to control these energies. The more powerful a user the more elements they can control and the stronger their power.

"Prince Zechs possessed magic?" Trowa asked.

"The queen and her ward possessed earth magic but the prince was like the geese in pond. He possess water magic and the strong ability for earth magic also," Quatre explained.

"Then why wouldn't Queen want the sword for herself," Trowa wondered out loud. "Prince Zechs was stronger than her."

"That's true but persons who commanded strong earth magic could not use wind magic and the winged sword gave its heir command of wind magic."

"Wind magic, a sword?" Trowa uttered in disbelief.

"That was how the magic was trapped," Quatre told him. "There is a legend about a battle between a wind element and a human but that's another story."

"And you," Trowa asked suddenly more quiet than ever before. "Do you possess magic?"

It was a good question and Quatre shrugged enigmatically. Quatre didn't say but already he knew Trowa had realized that Queen Une, Prince Zechs and Lady Dorothy weren't the only magic users in his story.

-

Trapped

-

-

"It was here I swear it," Duo said frantically searching for the blade. "I placed it right behind this rock."

"It's the tide," Heero said angrily. He wasn't mad at the thief. It wasn't his fault.

The rising tide was bringing in more water and churning up the sandy earth was making the sword's essence harder to focus on. During his initial rite of passage on the mountain he had bonded with the sword and if it was close by he should have felt it.

He didn't know how to explain to Duo that burying the sword or covering it with earth made it hard to sense. The sword's magic was already contained in metal—a metal so powerful that it contained a wind element. When he exposed the sword to the fire mountain's heat a small amount of wind magic was released and he had bounded with it.

"Heero the water is not that high…yet and besides swords don't float," Duo said not understanding.

"Such a natural force is very powerful," Heero tried to explain.

"Maybe the tide pushed it further into the cave," Duo mumbled still not understanding.

Duo proceeded deeper into the sea cave. It was pretty large cave about a hundred feet across easily with a dome ceiling half as high. The sound of the waves echoed loudly drowning out all other sounds making it hard for them to hear each other.

Heero doubted the sword was there nevertheless he still followed the thief wondering how far out to sea wing was. Would the blade try to follow him home if he left? He was the heir and the blade had been anointed it. He was only a brief sermon away from his true heritage, the powers he was born to weld.

"Heero I think it's here," Duo called out as he stumbled.

In disbelief, Heero moved deeper into the cave. As the thief pull wing out of the water Heero felt a surge of power. Wing had been pushed further into the cave and the rising tide had interfered with Heero's ability to sense the sword.

Heero had only gone a few feet when something whished by and he felt a sharp pain in his upper thigh. He looked down and there was an arrow protruding from his leg. Heero turned to looked at the mouth of the cave and saw mounted soldiers. Their dark silhouettes filled the mouth of the cave.

"Duo run!" Heero shouted as more arrows whished past him.

"Heero!" Duo yelled and started back towards the mouth of the cave.

"No Duo they will kill you, me they'll take as prisoner," Heero shouted to him.

"Yes, for a short time," Prince Zechs said riding up to the wounded prince.

"Guards kill that little pest," Zechs said indicating Duo.

His words were all but swallowed up in the sound of the cave but Duo saw him gesture towards him and he knew it wasn't a good thing. Duo took one last look at Heero before turning and sprinting further into the cave. The guards hot on his heels. But they soon stopped firing arrows since it was too dark in the cave to see clearly.

"Torches," bellowed Berker at his guards. I'll get you, Berker swore silently at the thief.

Duo was quickly running out of cave when he noticed a small gap in the wall. He would be in plain sight for a second but they couldn't follow with horses through there. As torches started to light up Duo made a dash for it.

"There he is," yelled one of the guards.

Duo frantically squeezed and push at the opening. It was smaller than he expected and with one finally desperate push he went though. With a plop he fell to the other side. It was very dark and wet with about a foot of water. Suddenly the place was lit as a guard stuck his head and arm into the opening. Allowing Duo to see that this cave was much smaller than the one outside.

"I see you, you little rat," the guard said trying to push his much larger body into the opening. Duo ran over to him and started swinging at his trapped head and upper body with the wrapped sword.

"You'll pay for that," the guard threatened but was suddenly pulled back out.

The reprieved didn't last long. Sir Berker who was slightly smaller soon replaced him but he had only managed to get half his body though before getting stuck.

Again Duo attacked the partially trapped man. Berker flailed back at him with his one arm holding a torch but Duo managed to wrest the torch from him. Berker seeing he now gave the little thief another weapon yelled for his men to pull him back.

For a while there was silence on the other side the sound of the ocean masking their movements. Then Duo heard voices.

"We can't get in and he can't get out." It sounded like Sir Berker.

"What's on the other side?" asked another voice. It sounded too cultured to be a guard. It must be the Prince Zechs, Duo figured.

"Nothing just a smaller cave," Berker answered his voice was faint like he was walking away. Duo didn't hear the replied but if he did it wouldn't have made a difference.

"Take a rope and tie it around those large boulders, then dragged them in front the opening." Prince Zechs order then turned and left with the now restrained Prince Heero strapped across one of the horses.

Heero watched helplessly as the soldiers started to wrap ropes around the largest rocks in order to block the opening the little thief ran into to hide.

"You are cruel to bury someone alive," Heero hissed at the prince.

"Don't worry when the tide rolls in that cave will be underwater so he'll drown long before then," Zechs explained simply.

Duo heard a lot a grunting and shouting so he moved as far back from the opening as possible. He secured Wing across his back then hunched down to wait. He was sure he couldn't go out there to stop what ever they were doing but whatever they were doing didn't take long because soon it got real quiet.

Duo waited a long while then suddenly he noticed that the water in the cave was rising. "The tide," he whispered to himself terrified. Duo crept back to the opening and peeked in. There were two large boulders wedged across into the opening. He pushed against the rocks but they were way too big to budge. There just about a foot of space between them and the walls. "Just enough space to let the ocean in," Duo mumbled as a swell of water rose in the cracks. Duo backed out holding the torch up high. Desperately he looked around the little cave.

This cave was identical to the one outside just smaller. Its walls were pitted and filled in with lichen. Its top slightly domed reaching about thirty feet up with a few stalagmites gracing it.

As the water rose Duo floated up into the stalagmites. He desperately clung to largest of them but their rocky appearance was deceiving. The stalagmites were not that strong and sudden a loud snapping sound filled the little chamber. With a loud crack the stalagmite broke free of the ceiling and plunged to the watery cavern floor below carrying the hapless thief with it.

-

-

TBC