A very special Thank You to Anne Olsen for Beta-reading. :-)

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Mages of Asmadur

Part 3

When Wufei came downstairs for breakfast the next morning, he noticed that the table was set only for one. "Master Treize is a morning person," Alden explained, at the boy's questioning look. "He has already eaten and left on an errand."

"I see." Wufei nodded in acknowledgement, as he sat down. It was all the same to him.

"Did you sleep well, Master Wufei?" the old man asked politely, as he poured the tea. "You know what they say, don't you? The dreams one has the first night in a new home, are premonitions of the future."

"To tell the truth, I was so tired, I didn't dream at all. And if I did I don't remember," the young apprentice answered. He looked at the abundance of food on the table then back at Alden. "This is much more food than I can eat on my own. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"When you are as old as I am, you don't need much food anymore," Alden replied with a soft smile. "I shall be in the kitchen. If you need anything, just call for me. After breakfast I'll show you the castle."

"Thank you."

As the old man left, Wufei filled his plate with hot pancakes and fruit. While he was eating he wondered what the next weeks would bring for him.

***

Wufei couldn't help the feeling of awe, as he followed Alden through a maze of hallways and corridors. The castle was enormous to say the least. One could easily get lost in this place. Everything looked very old, yet very elegant and luxurious. The library was almost as large as the one at the academy, the young apprentice noted with satisfaction. And there were enough guest rooms to house the entire Maganac unit. The master mage even had his own dueling room.

I suppose that shouldn't really surprise me, Wufei thought. He fought like he had a lot of practice.

The east wing housed Treize's private quarters. The entire wing, and especially the master mage's personal study were off limit to Wufei, Alden had explained. Not even the servants were allowed to set foot into that room.

"So, Master Treize lives here all by himself?" Wufei asked, as he walked next to Alden down another long corridor.

"For the most part, yes," the old man replied.

Wufei turned his head slightly and gave Alden a questioning look.

"This is a very old castle," the servant explained. "Many generations of mages and sorcerers have lived and died here. Some of those who passed before their time might never have fully left this place."

Wufei couldn't help but smirk.

"I take it you don't believe in specters, Master Wufei?"

"Let's say I have yet to see any proof of their existence," the boy replied politely.

The old man smiled softly, but didn't say anything.

A few moments later they came across a stairway that had been sealed off.

"The stairs lead to the east tower," Alden explained. "There was a fire in the castle years ago. The tower's inner recesses were almost completely destroyed. It is not safe for anybody to climb up there."

Wufei frowned. It seemed odd to him that the master mage hadn't rebuilt the burned out tower. "Why didn't Master Treize repair it? You said the fire happened years ago."

Alden shrugged. "That is a question only he can answer." The old man suddenly cocked his head slightly. "I'm afraid we will have to finish our tour some other time," he announced. "Master Treize has returned, and he is waiting for us."

Wufei's frown deepened. There was something about the old man…something very strange.

*****

"When will you be leaving?" Duo asked his roommate, as he watched Trowa pack some of his belongings into a large trunk.

"Tomorrow I think," the other boy replied. "Master Mage Rashid left this morning for a short trip. He said that he would pick me up as soon as he returns."

"Are you excited?"

Trowa couldn't hold back a faint smile as he nodded. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't been looking forward to this day for a long time. Since the day he had met Master Mage Rashid, his life had changed dramatically. And over the past five years, the Maganacs had become like a family to him; a family that he never had before. Trowa had worked hard, harder than anybody else perhaps, to be where he was today. He was very well aware that if it hadn't been for the master mage, he would have never been admitted into the academy.

"You are so lucky," Duo flopped onto his bed, rolled onto his back and started at the ceiling. "I wish I had Rashid as a mentor. In fact I wish I had anybody but Lady Une as a mentor."

"Oh come on, Duo." Trowa folded another robe and put it into the trunk before he turned toward his friend. "She is not that bad. Besides, she is the best spells teacher the school has."

"That's easy for you to say. She likes you, but she hates me."

"I don't think she hates you."

"Then why do you think she is always nagging about me? Mr. Maxwell, perhaps you think that you already know everything there is about spell casting, but would you at least have the courtesy to let the rest of the class learn in peace?" Duo gave his best imitation of Lady Une. "Mr. Maxwell, when are you finally going to start acting your age?"
Trowa laughed. "Duo, you have got to admit that you do go out of your way to annoy her at times."

"Hey, you are supposed to be my friend. You should be defending me not her. Whose side are you on anyway?" Duo pouted.

"Come on, Duo, look at the bright side."

"There is a bright side?" The braided boy propped himself up on one elbow and looked at his friend curiously.

Trowa nodded. "At least you will be staying here on campus, together with Heero."

"Hey, you're right," Duo grinned. "I didn't think of that." Both, Lady Une and Master Mage J lived in special housing near the academy, which meant that he and Heero didn't have to move like most of the other students. "Heero and I could even bunk together. I like that idea."
Trowa grinned, as he continued packing. He rummaged through his desk, and when he came across a notebook he frowned. "Oh darn."

"What's wrong?"
"I forgot to give Wufei the notebooks back that I borrowed. Well, I suppose I will have to return them next time I see him." The brunet turned toward his friend. "Talking about Wufei… Duo, what do you think about his mentor?"

"Oh, come on, Trowa, not you too." Duo rolled his eyes. "Heero asked me the same thing just a few hours ago. Now he is sitting in the library trying to find out anything he can about Treize Khushrenada."

"So, it's not only me then, who thinks something is wrong?" Trowa replied thoughtfully.

"Think about it, Trowa, if there really was anything wrong with that guy, do you think the council would allow him to take an apprentice?"

"Perhaps, you are right," the brunet agreed. "It's just…somehow I have the feeling that there is something we are not being told. And I would like to find out what it is. Wufei is our friend after all."

There was a long moment of silence before Duo spoke again. "Dorothy," he said suddenly.

"What, where?" Trowa gave his friend a confused look.

Duo chuckled. "No, I mean Dorothy might be the person to talk to. Remember she said that the master mage would visit her grandfather's house when she was younger. Perhaps she can tell us a little more about him."

"Good idea," Trowa agreed.

"Or we could ask some of the older students that were here at the academy before us."

"Who do you have in mind? Alex, or Mueller? They wouldn't give us the time of the day, much less a useful answer."

Duo shrugged. "I was thinking of Noin actually. She is seems nice enough."

"Fine. Why don't you do that?" Trowa suggested. "And I'll talk to Rashid and some of the Maganacs."

*****

"Have you ever worked with confinement spells and charms?" Treize asked Wufei while they were sitting down for lunch. The mage had spent most of the morning assessing his new apprentice's abilities and skills.

Wufei nodded. "Yes, Sir." He remembered when Master Mage J had brought kurghats (1) or swamp rats into class one day; nasty, little creatures, not much bigger than a common house cat, but with inch-long claws, sharp fangs and a very short temper. Confining them had not been easy. He had been bitten twice before the day was over.

"Excellent," the mage replied, pleased. "Then you can help me later on. We'll need to prepare a dozen or so confinement charms."

"May I ask what they are for?"

"I have gotten word that a lone dyrewolf (2) has been slaughtering livestock on my land."

"A dyrewolf?" Wufei lowered his fork and looked up in surprise. "I had no idea there were dyrewolves around here."

"My land borders the Western Forest." Treize explained. "I assume that's where they come from. They must have found a rift in the magic field. Perhaps some of the older charms have been damaged or simply wore out over time. That's why we need to replace them as soon as possible. I'd rather not wait until a whole pack makes its way out and attacks a town. "

The boy nodded. That made sense. Dyrewolves had been living in Asmadur since ancient times. Once they had roamed the plains and forests in large numbers. Now they were magically confined only to certain, uninhabited areas of the country like the Great Forests in the north and west and the Kashlana desert. It was the responsibility of Asmadur's master mages to keep it that way, and to protect the people living on their land from the beasts. (3)

"So", Wufei asked. "What do you need me to do?"

"There are some books in the library that we will need. Alden can help you find them. I'll start preparing the rest of the ingredients in the meantime. But first let's finish our meal, shall we?"

The boy nodded. He picked up his fork again. For a while they ate silently, then Wufei looked up, as he remembered something. "Master Treize, I was wondering if I could go back to the academy later tonight. I loaned some of my notebooks to one of my friends and forgot them when I left."

"But of course," the master mage replied. "This isn't a prison, Wufei, and I am not your keeper. You are welcome to visit your friends whenever you wish. After you finished your lessons and your chores that is."

"Chores?" Wufei echoed.

"Yes," Treize confirmed. "Taking care of the garden behind the castle will be one of your duties, while you are here."

The boy nodded in acknowledgement. It seemed an easy enough task.

****

Relena spent the afternoon helping out at the hospital wing. Although, there were never many patients to take care of, Sally Po, the academy's healer, appreciated the help and the company. Relena liked the young woman, who seemed to be always in a good mood.

Earlier the two of them had worked in the herb garden, and now they were sitting in the small kitchen, preparing salves, ointments and other remedies.

Relena watched, as the young healer crushed some leaves in a mortar. The whole room smelled of herbs, beech root and dried flowers. She liked those aromas, except for lavender, which made her sneeze.

Relena had excellent mental and physical healing abilities for somebody her age. But every time that she watched Sally perform a healing spell, she realized how much she still had to learn. She had been told that she had inherited her magic powers from her parents. Relena cringed mentally. She still found it difficult, to think of anybody else but the people who had raised her as her parents. It wasn't until she was nearly nine years old - just in time to be tested for the academy- that she had learned that she had been adopted, and that she came from a long line of powerful healers. At first all of this had been hard for her to accept. She didn't want to join the academy, and had begged her mother and father not to make her go. But somehow they had managed to convince her to at least give it a try. They promised to come and pick her up if she really didn't like it. Five years later, she was still here.

"Is everything alright?"

Relena looked up, startled from her thoughts. "Excuse me?"

"I was just wondering if everything is alright with you," Sally repeated. "You are so quiet today.

"I was just thinking." The blonde girl smiled. She hesitated for a moment before she asked. "Sally…?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know Master Mage Treize?"

"Well, one would have to live somewhere under a rock not to know that name. The Khushrenada family is one of the oldest magical families in Asmadur after all. His ancestors helped to found this academy." The young woman put down the pestle, and added some more leaves to the paste in the mortar. "Not to forget that he is one of the most powerful mages ever trained at this school."

"And personally? You were a pupil at the academy at the same time as he, weren't you?"

"Not quite," Sally replied. "He is a couple years older than I am, and he graduated early. I was only in my second year, I believe, when he started his apprenticeship. Why do you ask?"

Relena shrugged. "I was just wondering. My parents mentioned the name a time or two when I was younger. I never met him until the other day."

"Oh right! I've heard that he took a new apprentice." Sally said. "Could you get me some willow bark powder?"

The blonde nodded, as she rose and walked to a shelf by the window to pick up the glass jar. "Wufei Chang is his new student. Do you remember him?"

Sally laughed. "How could I not remember that stubborn little hothead?"

*****

Wufei raised his hand to cover his eyes as he looked up. The sun was still shining brightly and there was not as much as a single cloud in the sky. The boy grabbed two wooden buckets and walked to the well. He filled his pails with the cold, clear water and carried it into the garden in the back of the castle. The garden was not large; probably no bigger than the herb patch at the academy, but it looked like it hadn't been taken care of for a long time.

The soil was so dry that it soaked up the water like a giant sponge. Wufei sighed and wiped his forehead with his sleeve before he picked up the buckets again.

This is going to take me forever. There has to be an easier way to do this, he thought, on his fifth trip to the well.

Suddenly a slight grin touched his lips. Perhaps there is.

He closed his eyes, raised his head and reached out with his mind. He searched the skies, expanding the area more and more until he found what he had been looking for: a small rain cloud, puffy and grey, somewhere over the Ki'larn Mountains.

Wufei's smile grew. A rain cloud was nothing but water in a semi-solid form, really. Water was an element.

Elements were so much easier to control than living things. Summoning elements was something even he could do. His brows furrowed in concentration, as Wufei mentally manipulated space to change the distance between himself and the mountains. When he opened his eyes a few moments later, he expected to see a single rain cloud overhead, but instead the sky was black. Large thunder clouds hung above the castle, dark and ominous.

Wufei swallowed. What in Shenlong's name…?

***

Treize was sitting at his desk, writing, when the room suddenly darkened. The master mage frowned. It was still hours until dusk, and the sun wouldn't set this quickly. As he looked up, and out the window, his jaw dropped slightly.

The sky that had been bright blue only a short time ago, was now dark, the sun hidden behind thick, black clouds.

"What in the world?" he exclaimed, as he dropped his pen, jumped up and stormed out of the study. By the time he reached the garden it had started to pour. Large drops of rain pounded the ground, and the first flashes of lightning traveled across the sky, followed by the ominous rumbling of thunder.

***

Wufei was stunned to say the least. He had only tried to summon a single rain cloud. How something so simple had turned into this "mess" he had no idea. When he had tried to undo the spell, he realized that he didn't have enough power to control or disperse the cloud cover.

The boy turned his head, as he heard the master mage approach.

"What did you do?" Treize snapped. "Who told you to use magic?"
"It was only a summoning spell," Wufei tried to defend himself.

"I only asked you to water the garden. If I wanted to drown my castle in mud, I would have summoned a thunderstorm myself," the master mage scolded.

"I was not trying to drown anything." Wufei glared at the older man. "It just got out of hand. I don't know how…"

"Perhaps you should not be using spells unless you are sure that you can control them. Now, go inside and let me deal with this."

The boy swallowed a reply and turned on his heels. Water and mud splashed under his feet as he stormed through the pouring rain toward the castle.
He didn't even listen to me, he thought indignantly. He didn't even let me explain…

By the time he reached his bedchamber it had stopped raining and the storm clouds had started to dissipate. Wufei slipped out of his soaking wet clothes and dropped them into a hamper in the bathroom. He yanked a towel from the holder and dried his hair before he walked back into the bedroom to get re-dressed.
He was still angry. At Treize for dressing him down like a little child, but also at himself for acting like one.

***

After dispersing the thunderstorm, Treize changed his clothes and went back to his study. Just as he sat down at his desk, somebody knocked at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Alden walked in carrying a tray with dishes. "Tea, Master Treize?" he asked.

"Yes please," the master mage nodded. "Thank you, Alden."

"My pleasure." The old man set down the tray on the desk. "Did you have to be so harsh wit him, Master Treize?"

Treize looked up, surprise in his eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm talking about the boy. Did you have to get this angry with him? He could not have known what would happen. He is still learning. That's why he is here after all."

"Perhaps the first thing that he needs to learn is to follow orders," Treize replied, a little sharper than he meant to. "I never told him to use magic."

"But you didn't tell him not to use it either," Alden pointed out, as he poured the tea.

Treize snorted. "Your logic can be quite annoying at times. Do you know that, Alden?"
The old man smirked. He put two lumps of sugar and cream into the mage's cup. "What are you going to do about it? Fire me?"

"It's moments like this, when I almost wish that I could."

"Be careful what you wish for, Master Treize," Alden replied. He left the teapot and sugar on the desk, in case Treize wanted another cup. With the empty tray in hand he walked to the door. But before he left he turned once more toward the mage. "Master Milliardo wasn't very good in following orders either. Yet I do not remember you ever getting angry at him."

"Perhaps I should have," Treize replied almost thoughtfully.

"Perhaps you should have," Alden agreed. "But don't punish the boy for mistakes you made in the past." With that the old man left, leaving behind a slightly surprised and somewhat exasperated Treize.

*****

Wufei materialized on one of the phasing platforms in the boy's dormitory. He was somewhat surprised that the master mage still had allowed him to visit the academy after what had happened in the afternoon.

Mueller and Alex, two fourth year apprentices, were sitting in the lounge playing cards.

"Hey Chang," Mueller called out. "Already back?"

Wufei ignored him and kept walking. Every school has its bullies and the Academy of Magic was no exception. Usually the two of them chose targets who were less likely to fight back when picked on.

"Hey, we were talking to you." Alex stuck out his leg to block the boy's way. Wufei stopped and glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Did he throw you already out?"
"What are you talking about?" Wufei asked. He was in no mood to fool around.

"Khushrenada of course," Alex said. "Did he send you packing after less than a day? Well I suppose it was to expect, considering that he only took you as his apprentice to do the headmaster a favor in the first place."

"You are an idiot," Wufei told the older boy. "And just for your information, I'm only here to pick up something. And now take that foot out of my way before I break it."

"My, my, aren't we a little testy today." Mueller laughed. "Let him go, Alex, before he starts crying and we have to blow his nose."
Alex grinned. He moved his leg but suddenly reached out and run his knuckles over the younger boy's cheek. "Maybe Khushrenada will keep him after all. He has a pretty face, I heard the master mage likes that in his bed warmers, sorry, his apprentices I mean."

Wufei tensed. "Don't ever touch me like that again."

Alex blinked innocently. "Like this you mean?" He reached out once more but before his fingers reached Wufei's face, the boy exploded. His right arm shot out and the palm of his open hand connected with Alex's nose. The older boy cried out in a mixture of fury and pain, and covered his face with both hands. Blood started to drip through his fingers.

"You little bastard," Mueller growled as he jumped up, almost knocking the table over in the process. "I'm going to beat the hell out of you."

"You are welcome to try," Wufei growled, as he took on a defensive posture.

"Mister Chang, Mister Mueller, what is going on here?"

The two boys froze at the sound of Lady Une's voice. The tall woman looked at them sternly from behind her thin-rimed glasses. Then her eyes fell upon Alex, who was sitting hunched over in his chair, still pressing his hands over his bleeding nose. "What is going on here?" she repeated. Her voice made it clear that she expected an answer, and that she expected it now.

"We were having some fun," Mueller shrugged. "Alex just made a joke, and this little prick went nuts and punched him."

"Take him to the healer," the master mage told Mueller. "And then I want to see you in my office."

"Yes, Lady Une." Mueller helped his friend to his feet and ushered him toward the hospital wing.

"Mister Chang," Lady Une turned toward the younger boy. "Even if you don't live here anymore, you are still a pupil of this school, and as such you are bound to school rules. After five years you should know that we have strict no fighting policy. I'm afraid I'll have to inform the headmaster and Master Mage Treize about this incident."

Wufei pressed his lips together. Serves me right, he thought. I should know better then let those boys bait me like that.

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:

(1) Kurghats - are large, rat-like creatures who live in the swampy regions of Asmadur. They live in large family groups. They are scavengers, but are known to attack and kill smaller animals

(2) Dyrewolves - are one of the largest and most feared predators in Asmadur. They can stand up to 1 1/2 meters at the shoulder and their shaggy grey coats make them look even bigger than they really are. They are not very fast, but stalk and ambush their prey silently. They hunt in mated pairs or small family groups, but in hard winters they will band together and then they will tackle the largest prey or even attack human dwellings.

(3) Like the British Lords in medieval times, the Master Mages in Asmadur are given control over a certain area of land. They are expected to protect the people (especially the non magic inhabitants) living on their land

Check out my Sims companion website to this fic. It has not only background info but you can also take a virtual tour through the academy and look at photos of some of the characters. I added pictures of Treize's Castle and the place where Rashid and the Maganacs live. Enjoy.

I made 2 entry pages. If you have a slow computer or one that doesn't allow java applets please use this link

http://www.gundam-wing-fanfiction.net/sims/academy1.htm < p class="MsoNormal c8">
For java enabled computers use this entry page. The java version is a little cooler IMHO.
http://www.gundam-wing-fanfiction.net/sims/academy.htm

Feedback is greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome :-)