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Code of Honor

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

- Native American aphorism -

Part 4

"I'd better go and check if the colonel is awake and ready to eat something." Quatre set down his qahwa mug, and was about to rise when the commander stopped him.

"You just stay and finish your own supper. I'll take care of the prisoner."

"Thank you. Make sure he drinks his tea, but if he doesn't want to eat, don't force him."

Wufei nodded in acknowledgement, as he rose. A few moments later he was heading toward the tent where the prisoner was being kept; a bowl with stew in one hand, a cup of hot tea in the other.
Four days had passed since he and his troops had set up camp. Their captive had been unconscious for nearly three of those days. At one point his fever had climbed so high that even Quatre wasn't sure if the man would make it through the night. But he did. His fever finally broke and he woke up earlier this morning. He was still weak of course, and Quatre suggested to stay for at least another two or three days at this campsite, to allow him to recover some more.

That idea did not sit well with everybody. The men were getting restless. Many of them had women and children waiting at home. They hadn't seen them in months. Now they were stuck here, so close to home and yet so far away. But there was nothing that could be done about it. Wufei was not willing to risk the life of his prisoner. He was determined to deliver the man alive and well to the king.

He was well aware that there were people who thought that he had been given the rank of commander only because he was the king's great nephew and the son of the late General Chang. Wufei knew that wasn't the case. His uncle did not play favors, not when it came to the safety of the kingdom. He was determined to proof once and for all that he was a skilled soldier and a good leader, deserving of his rank and his station.

The guard outside the colonel's tent snapped to attention as Wufei approached. He passed them and pushed open the canvas flap at the tent's entrance.

The prisoner was lying with his back to the door, facing the wall.

"Are you awake?" the commander asked.

Treize turned his head slowly. "Yes."
His voice was weaker than Wufei remembered it.

"I have brought your supper. Can you sit up?"

"I believe so."

Treize managed to push himself up into a sitting position, but he was shaking at the effort. It wasn't surprising that he felt so weak, considering that he didn't hadn't eaten much in nearly four days.

The commander knelt down next to his bed and set the bowl into his lap. The stew smelled delicious. Treize swallowed, as he picked up the spoon. Although he was starving, he ate deliberately slow; afraid that he might get sick otherwise. Not a single word was spoken until the colonel had emptied his bowl, and Wufei handed him the cup with the tea.

"Drink this. It's some tea Quatre made for you."

Treize smelled the drink then took a careful sip and grimaced. The tea was bitter and tasted terrible. "This is awful, are you sure it is safe to drink?"
Wufei's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Its tea," he repeated, "of course it is safe to drink. It will help your body to fight the fever and also dull your pain."

"The pain is easier to deal with than this… brew." The colonel pushed the cup away.

"Just drink it," his captor demanded. "I don't have time to play games. It can't be that bad."

"You obviously never had to drink it." Treize crossed his arms in front of his chest in a gesture of defiance.

Wufei gave an irritated growl. "Fine, don't drink it. See what I care." He gathered the cup and the empty bowl as he rose, and turned on his heels.

Treize watched the commander stomp out of the tent before he settled back into the pillows.

He is hot tempered and feisty. But he is also quite handsome, even if he is angry. Or perhaps it is because he is angry? I think it's the fire in those black eyes. I have never seen such eyes before. A soft smile curved the colonel's lips for a fleeing moment. Then he kicked himself mentally and reminded himself that the young man he was drooling over was an Iterian soldier; an enemy.

***

Trowa and Quatre exchanged a surprised look when the commander stormed back into the mess tent. He mumbled something that sounded like annoying and infuriating.

"Is everything alright?" Trowa asked.

"Did he eat?" Quatre wanted to know.

"Yes, he ate the stew." Wufei scowled. He was obviously upset. He set the dishes down on the table with such force that some of the tea spilled over. "But he didn't like your tea."

"I can't say that I blame him." Quatre gave his commanding officer a somewhat sheepish smile. "It really tastes a lot like tree bark, which is probably because it's made from willow bark."

"Can't you do anything about that?"

"I could, perhaps," the blond Iterian shrugged, "if I had some sweet berries or honey."

Wufei's brows narrowed, as he thought for a moment. Then he turned to his second in command. "There is a village in the south, not far from here. Send one of the soldiers to see if he can get some honey."

"Commander?" Trowa asked, slightly bewildered.

"The tea won't do any good if he refuses to drink it," Wufei replied, as he took a seat at the table, across from Quatre. "I want him to recover as quickly as possible. I'm not prepared to stay here forever."

Trowa nodded in acknowledgement. "I'll send someone first thing in the morning. But there is something else, I wanted to talk to you about, regarding the prisoner. Now that he is conscious and recovering, don't you think we should take precautions to prevent an escape? A guard outside the tent wouldn't stop me from getting away, if I was in his position."

Quatre gave a quiet snort and rolled his eyes. Towa had always been the most suspicious and vigilant of the three of them. This was probably one of the reasons why Wufei had made him his second in command, and the head of security in his castle. In this case however, Quatre thought that he was a little overly cautious. "What do you suggest, Trowa? Do you want to chain him to his bed? He isn't in any condition yet to escape."

"Trowa is right," Wufei remarked seriously. "We should not take chances."

*****

"Where are you going?" Trowa asked, as Quatre reached for his sword belt and fastened it around his waist.
It was long after sundown, and the two of them had retreated into their tent. Trowa was already undressed and laying on the bed that he and his lover shared.

"I need to go and check on the prisoner one more time," the blond told him.

The captain's face darkened slightly. "You checked on him only a few hours ago? You have been spending more time with him than you have been with me," he complained.

"I'm sorry, but you heard Wufei. He wants to break camp as soon as possible. And that will only happen when the colonel is healthy enough to ride. I'm just making sure he gets all the care he needs." Quatre stepped over to the bed and dipped his head to capture Trowa's mouth in a brief but loving kiss. "But that is no excuse for neglecting you, Love," he whispered into to young man's ear. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Trowa smirked. "I'll be waiting for you."

"I won't be long." With a last affectionate nuzzle Quatre straightened up. He reached for the basket with his healing supplies and a lantern before he left the tent.

***

Treize was laying awake in the dark. He was feeling a lot stronger than he did only a day ago. Apparently his captors realized that too. They had shackled his feet together to prevent him from escaping. The short chain allowed him only to take small, careful steps. But then again, it wasn't like he was going on long walks anyway.

The colonel turned his head when the flap at the tent entrance moved. He recognized the blond Iterian in the light of the lamp the young man was carrying. The soldier had been at his side when he regained consciousness, and had been taken care of him and treated his wounds for the past few days.

"How are you feeling?" Quatre asked, as he set the lantern down on the table. He walked over to the bed, knelt down next to it and laid his hand on the colonel's forehead.

"Much better, thank you."

"You don't seem to have a fever anymore either. That's good." The young soldier looked at the empty cup next to the bed. "I see you finished you tea. I'll have the guard bring you some more before I leave."

"Thank you," Treize gave him a grateful nod. "Thank you also for sweetening it."

"You should thank Commander Wufei for that," Quatre told him. He didn't give up until he was able to find some honey for you."

The colonel had no reply to that. He just stared silently at the ceiling while the blond Iterian carefully removed the bandages from around his belly. "Does it still hurt?"

"Only if I laugh," Treize responded dryly.

The comment evoked a soft smile from the young man. "I'll try not to jest too much then."
He took a jar from his basket, opened it and smeared some of his salve around the wound, before covering it with fresh bandages.

"How much longer will we be staying here?" Treize asked when Quatre had finished his work.

The young man shrugged. "A day or two. Are you so eager to get to the Royal Palace?" He started to put his medicine back into his basket.

The colonel sighed. "I feel like I'm slowly dying of boredom."

Quatre straightened up. "I would loan you a book, but I'm not sure if I have anything that you would be interested in."

"You might be surprised," Treize replied. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. The chains around his ankles clinked quietly. "I noticed that you were reading a collection of ballads by one of my favorite bards, Benedict Gauwyn, one night when you were watching over me."

"You know Gauwyn?" the blond soldier asked in a mixture of surprise and skepticism. "He isn't Ghentanian."

"He isn't Iterian either," the colonel countered.

"True," Quatre admitted. He had already picked up his basket and was ready to leave, but now he tuned back toward the prisoner. "I just never thought that…"

"I'd read poetry?" Treize gave an amused snort. "I assure you, in spite of what you might have heard about Ghentanians, we are not cave dwelling barbarians."

"Do you have a favorite verse?" the young man asked.

Treize was sure that the blond was just testing if he really knew any of Gauwyn's work. "Ode to a golden Valley," he replied.

Quatre gave a slight smile. "I read that one, it is beautiful."

"Did you know that the place he is describing really exists?" the colonel asked.

"No, I had no idea."

Treize nodded. "It's a small valley north of the village he was born in. I passed through it while traveling two summers ago."

"Really? Is it as beautiful as he describes it?" Quatre asked.

"I would say it is even lovelier, and I didn't even see it at harvest time when the fields are golden."

There was a moment of silence, before the young man reached for the lantern on the table. "It is getting late, I should be going. I'll bring you a book when I come to check on you in the morning," he promised, before he left.

***

"What took you so long?" Towa asked as Quatre entered their tent.

"I'm sorry, we started to talk and I didn't even realize how late it had gotten." Quatre took off his weapons belt and put it down on a chair. He slipped out of his boots and started to undress. When he was done he put out the lamp that was standing on the table. The tent was small enough for him to find his way around, even in the dark. Moments later he climbed into bed and Trowa pulled a soft bedcover over the both of them.

Quatre gave a quiet sigh as he nestled against his lover's warm body. "I can't wait for us to reach the Royal Palace. You know what the first thing is that I'm going to do?"

"What?"

"I'm going to take a bath; a nice, long, hot bath."

"Correction." Trowa whispered, as he embraced the blond and pulled him closer. "We will be taking a very long, hot bath."

"Ah." Quatre nuzzled the nape of the young man's neck. "Have you made any other plans for us yet?"

"Not yet," Trowa breathed. He closed his eyes and gave a small moan of delight. "But there are quite a few things what I would like to do with you."

"Is that so?" the blond purred. "Tell me all about it."

"Tell you, or show you?"

Quatre's purr turned into a husky growl. "Now there is an idea."

"First we would take a long bath together," Trowa whispered into his lover's ear. "I will dry you off, carry you too our chamber, and put you down on the bed. I will build an altar out of pillows so that I can worship this lovely body of yours all night long. I'll start at your ear…"

He kissed and suckled Quatre's delicately shaped earlobe. His hot breath tickled the young man's neck.

"Then I'll slowly work my way down your jaw and throat, just like this…"

Quatre moaned in delight as Trowa placed a trail of soft butterfly kisses along his jaw line and down his neck. "Go on," he breathed. "What will you be dong next?"

"I would kiss my way down your chest until I reach those lovely, rosy nibbles of yours," Trowa whispered. Moments latter his tongue was swirling around one of the little pink buds. He smiled softly as he felt it perk up instantly.

Quatre arched his back and groaned. He pulled the brunet closer. His hands wandered down Trowa's back, his fingertips brushed teasingly over the firm curves of his lover's buttocks.

Trowa gave a soft growl as he dipped his head and kissed his way down Quatre's abdomen until his nose reached the soft curls just above the young man's manhood.

Quatre shuddered. His hands buried themselves in Trowa's hair, as his lover kissed the tip of his erecting.
"Oh, god," he breathed.

Trowa smirked as he looked up. "Do you want to know what else I'll do to you?" he whispered huskily.

"Yes, please!"

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:

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