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Code of Honor

"Live if you can, die if you must, but always fight with honor!"

- Native American aphorism -

Part 2

Quatre had spent a very long and uncomfortable night, chained up inside a canvas covered wagon. From the noises outside he could tell that morning had broken. The camp was coming to life. For lack of anything better to do, the young knight just lay there thinking. He wondered what Trowa was doing. By now his men must have realized that something had happened to him. Quatre just hoped that his lover wasn't going to do anything rushed and foolish.

When Quatre heard heavy footsteps approaching the wagon, he closed his eyes. There was no reason for him to give away that he was awake.

The canvas covering in the back of the wagon was moved, then somebody nudged him with the tip of a boot.

"Wake up."

Quatre recognized that voice. It belonged to the longhaired, blond major; Zechs he was called, if Quatre remembered correctly. When he didn't move the major nudged him again; a little more forcefully this time. Quatre finally opened his eyes and glared at the man. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't scared. But he was determined not to show any weakness in front of his enemies.

"Get up!" The blond Ghentanian picked him up by his vest and pulled him to his feet like he weighed nothing at all. "The colonel wants to see you."
The chains around Quatre's ankles were removed so that he could walk. The major prodded him out of the wagon and through the camp. Quatre walked slowly, somewhat stiff from the uncomfortable position he had been forced to sleep in. Although he kept his head down, he didn't miss anything going on around him. Only a short distance away he noticed a group of horses, and for a moment he considered his chances of escape.
"Don't even think about doing anything foolish," his captor warned, as though he was reading Quatre's mind. "They don't call me the Lightning Count for nothing."

***

Treize was waiting in his tent for Zechs to bring the prisoner. One of his soldiers had brought him breakfast earlier. The plate stood untouched on the table.
After a few hours of sleep the colonel had pondered for the rest of the night, about what to do with the young man. Perhaps he could use him somehow to better the position they were in.

The tall knight looked up as his second prodded the young Iterian into the tent.

"Major, please remove his chains," he ordered. "And then I would like to talk to him alone."

Treize could tell by Zechs' expression that the major didn't like the idea, but he was too well trained to openly question an order. He quietly unlocked the cuffs around the prisoner's wrists. Before he left however, he gave the young man a warning glare. "I'll be waiting outside."

Treize waited until they were alone, then he gestured toward one of the chairs. "Have a seat." He studied the blond Iterian intensely. The young man tried his best to hide his fear, but Treize could tell he was scared.

I'm not surprised. I would be scared, if I was in his situation. He is still so young. He should be at home, having a good time with his friends, perhaps worry about making a good impression on the ladies. He shouldn't be out here fighting and killing.

"You must be hungry. Have something to eat," he said, as he pushed the plate with the food in front of the prisoner. It was nothing fancy, just some bread, a few slices of cured meat and some cheese.
The young man looked at him, a mixture of surprise and suspicion in his eyes.

"I assure you that it isn't poisoned. If that's what you worried about," Treize said as the blond didn't move. He reached for a piece of cheese and popped it into his mouth to emphasize his words.

The prisoner hesitated for just a moment longer, then picked up a piece of bread and begun to eat it slowly.

The colonel settled down on the edge of the table and watched him for a short while. "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name last night…"

"I'm Lieutenant Quatre Winner," the young man replied with a hint of defiance. "And that's all you will learn from me. You can do whatever you want to me, I won't tell you anything else."

Treize smiled in slight amusement. "But I don't want you to tell me anything. I just want you to listen."

The blond Iterian looked at him surprised.

"And then I want you to take a message to your leader."

The prisoner's expression changed from surprise to utter confusion. Treize almost laughed.

****

At the break of dawn Trowa had returned to the camp, alone and frustrated. He had found evidence of a battle and some blood near the river, but there was no sign of Quatre.

"We should consider that as a good sign," Wufei told him. "That means that Quatre is still alive. They wouldn't have bothered taking his body."

"Yes, but how long will they keep him alive?" Trowa replied grimly. "And who knows what they are doing to him." The young man looked worn out from lack of sleep and worry.

"You need to get some sleep, Trowa."

"Is that an order?" Trowa looked up at the commander.

"Do I have to make it one?" Wufei asked. "At the moment there is nothing you can do. But it will do us no good if you are exhausted if I need you later on." He put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry I'll wake you if there is any news from Quatre."

Trowa nodded. "Thanks."

The young knight retreated to his tent. He kicked off his boots and put his sword next to his bedstead. He didn't think that he would be able to find any rest, but he was so exhausted that he fell asleep the moment he stretched out on the blankets.

When he woke up a couple hours later he felt slightly better. The dark circles around his eyes had faded somewhat.

Trowa found Wufei in his tent, studying some maps. The commander had a mug of qahwa (1) in his hand. At his friend's questioning look he gestured toward a metal pot on the table. Trowa thanked him with a nod, as he poured himself a cup of the steaming brew. It was strong and a little bitter.

"Anything new?" he asked as he settled into a chair.

Wufei shook his head. "Nothing. I sent out a group of scouts. They came back a short while ago and reported that everything seems quiet. They didn't see any increased activity in the enemy camp."

Trowa scowled into his mug. "Perhaps we should attack now, while they are least expecting it?"

"I'm not sure," the captain replied thoughtfully. "That might just be what they want us to do."

"I don't care. If I have to I will go over there myself and take their camp apart one wagon at a time until I find Quatre," Trowa growled.

"That won't be necessary. Although it is nice to know you would do that for me."

Two heads jerked around at the sound of Quatre's voice. The blond knight was standing in the tent entrance, a soft smile curving his lips.

Trowa jumped up, almost spilling his drink as he did so.

"Quatre, are you alright? Did those bastards hurt you in any way?"

"I'm fine. Nobody hurt me, Trowa," he assured his lover. "In fact they even had a healer look at those scratches that I received when I was captured."

"What happened?" Wufei wanted to know. "How did you escape?"

"I didn't. They let me go."

Trowa and Wufei exchanged a suspicious look.

"That could be some kind of trick," the commander said. "Maybe we should double the guards."
"Relax, Wufei. I'm sure it is no trick," Quatre replied calmly. "Their colonel sent me back because he wants me to deliver a message to you."

"A message?" Wufei echoed.

The blond nodded. He walked over to Towa, took the qahwa mug from his hand with a smile, and took a sip from it before he explained: "He wants a meeting with you. He said he has an offer for you and hopes that you are open to negotiations. He will be unarmed and he will bring one of his men along. You are allowed to do the same."

Trowa snorted. "Right! Does he really expect us to fall for that? How foolish does he think we are?"

"When and where does he want to meet me?" Wufei asked.
Towa gazed at him surprised, then frowned. "You are not really planning to meet with him, are you?"

"Actually, I am," the commander replied calmly.

"Are you out of your mind?"

****

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Major, I think you are forgetting who you are talking to. As long as we are on duty I am your commanding officer first and your friend second."

"Forgive me, Colonel," the blond knight replied. "How would you like me to put it? Are you out of your mind, Sir? What in the world are you trying to do? We had a prisoner who we could have used to our advantage; perhaps to make some kind of deal with them. But what do you do, you send him back with an open invitation for them to come and capture you. What makes you think you can trust them? For all we know they could be deploying their archers as we speak, to take you out as soon as you arrive at the rendezvous point. Iterians are known for being devious and sly."

"Are you quite done yet, Zechs?" the colonel asked calmly.

Zechs gave a disgruntled snort.

"Although, you might not believe it, I have thought this through long and thoroughly. The place I have chosen for the meeting doesn't provide any cover for archers or other soldiers to hide. And they don't have enough time to make elaborate plans. I might be daring, but I'm not foolish. That's why I'm taking you with me to cover my back."

"So, I suppose you have not totally lost your mind."

"Major!" Treize warned, with an amused sparkle in his eyes. But then he grew serious. "Zechs, there is something I need to talk to you about. I've always considered you not only an excellent soldier, but also a great leader; otherwise I wouldn't have made you my second in command. I don't think I have to tell you that sometimes being a good leader has its price. If you do your job well, your men will follow you to hell and back; but only as long as you don't ask them to give anything that you are not willing to give yourself."

Zechs' brows furrowed as he looked at Treize.

Why is he telling me this now?

The colonel patted him on the shoulder with a little smirk that only he could master. "You will understand what I mean…soon enough."

****

Wufei looked around, as he and Trowa approached the rendezvous place. The land was flat and bare. There wasn't as much as a single rock or tree trunk for anybody to hide behind. It was just the spot he would have chosen for a meeting like this.

Wufei couldn't help but feel some respect for the Ghentanian colonel. The man knew what he was doing, and was not to be underestimated.

As the commander looked straight ahead he noticed two riders waiting for them. Both of them were tall and slender. One of the men had long, silvery hair. He looked somewhat younger than his companion. The other man's hair was tawny and neatly trimmed. For some reason Wufei assumed that he was the colonel.

The older man spoke a few words to the blond, then spurred his mount and rode toward Wufei and his captain.

"Stay here," Wufei told Trowa.

Trowa nodded and stayed behind as his companion rode on.

A few hundred feet further Wufei and his enemy counterpart met. The man frowned as he looked him over.

"I'm Colonel Treize Khushrenada," he declared, in a deep and smooth voice.
"I'm Commander Chang Wufei, son of General Chang," Wufei replied.

The colonel's frown deepened. "Why did your father send you in his place? I thought I made it clear that I wanted to speak with the leader of your troops?"

Wufei glared daggers at the man. "Are you trying to mock me?" he spat. "My father died honorably, fighting the likes of you. These are my troops. Do you want to talk to me or not?"

"Forgive me. I had no intention of being disrespectful. I just didn't realize that the Iterian army is in such bad shape that they have to send children into war."

"You seem to forget that those "children" sent you and your men running."

The colonel seemed almost amused. "Bravo. I've got to admit that point goes to you."

Arrogant bastard. Wufei snorted. "I didn't come here to make small talk. I came because you said that you have an offer to make. So far you have only been wasting my time."

The Ghentanian grew serious. "You do realize that this battle isn't over yet, do you?" he said. "What I'm offering you is a way to end it without any more bloodshed. I think we both have already lost enough soldiers."

"What do you suggest?" Wufei eyed the man, suspicious but interested.

"I'm willing to surrender to you, if you will guarantee me that my men will be allowed to retreat unharmed."

The commander blinked. That wasn't what he had expected.

"You can accept my offer or we can continue fighting. Do you really think this land is worth the prize that's being paid for it?"

"I do agree with you. More than enough blood has been spilled already. But how can I be sure that I can trust you? Who says that you men won't attack us the moment we turn our backs?"

"The only guarantee I can give you is my word of honor."

Wufei snorted. "The word of honor of a Ghentanian doesn't mean much."

"Apparently you have never met a true Ghentanian before," the colonel retorted with a hint of pride in his voice. "Keep in mind that I'm taking just as much as a risk as you, Commander Chang. But I'm willing to trust you. Will you give me your word, that you will keep you end of the bargain if I keep mine?"

The commander hesitated for a few moments before he nodded. "You have my word. After your surrender I'll allow your men to leave. But if I see as much as one unsheathed weapon we will defend ourselves."

The older man nodded. "Understood."

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:

(1) Yes, they are drinking coffee.

According to UTNE READER, Nov/Dec 94, by Mark Schapiro, "Muddy Waters" Arabs were the first people to brew coffee after being introduced to the beans/berries at about 1000 AD. They called it "qahwa" (literally, that which prevents sleep).

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