The path through the garden was not so much strewn with rubies as it was made of rubies. Grown from the ground by magic, they provided a streak of red through the jade-colored grass before the path disappeared into the dense tree line. Still sitting by the crystal-clear pond off to the side, Duo and Quatre were sharing a plate of fruit brought in after their breakfast, talking in quiet voices with the occasional hushed laughter. Until...

"You really can't read?" Quatre gasped.

"Quatre!" Duo blushed furiously and looked around to make sure they were alone. "You don't have to go shouting it out!"

"Sorry," Quatre responded, quickly placating his friend. "I just...I mean, you belong to a prince! All slaves of royalty are expected to be able to read and write."

Duo groaned and flopped back onto the grass. "I'm kinda new here, remember? Besides, it's not like there are free schools in Lagrange." He shrugged as he stared up at the ceiling. "I'd love to learn...it looks like fun."

Quatre chewed his lip anxiously as a thought started to grow and take shape. "Um...I could teach you."

Duo sat halfway up and stared at him. "Huh? You could do that?"

Quatre nodded, his worry fading away. "Sure, it's easy!"

"But I thought you needed to know magick to know how to read," Duo argued.

Quatre laughed and shook his head. "No, no. All you have to do is remember a few symbols."

Duo, not entirely convinced, frowned indecisively. "It's easy?"

"Easier than aiming apples at officers," Treize suddenly cut in, entering the garden. Rubies crunched audibly beneath his boots. "He'd be a good tutor, Duo."

Startled by the captain's abrupt appearance, Duo just stared at them for a moment before grinning broadly. "Okay, then! Can we start right now?"

"Sure, we can use the sand right here," Quatre nodded, clearing away the little scribbled flowers he'd been doodling at the pond's edge.

"Before you do," Treize interrupted again, "have you seen Wufei? I thought he was going to be with you."

"He said he had to work on the garden," Duo chirped helpfully. "Something about the 'special plants'."

"Ah," Treize said with an understanding tone. "I see. Thank you." He left them still sitting in the grass, as Quatre dug his finger around the sand.

"See," the blonde started. "Let's start with the phrase I learned first. 'There...is...only one...God...and Mohammed...is his...prophet'."

"Saracen," Duo smirked. "Okay, but if you make me get on a little rug every day, the deal's off."

Quatre's lips quirked humorously. "From what I've heard of your mass, I thought you Christians liked that sort of thing. Up, down, up, down..."

They stared at each other for a moment, and then they both started to laugh. With the mild tensions relieved, Duo leaned forward and tried to commit the strange squiggly marks to memory.

*

"Wufei?" Treize called out softly. He could barely hear the pair of slaves laughing in the distance, and the silence around him was unsettling. The garden was beautiful, he had to admit, but for all its plants and blossoms and fruits...it was unnatural.

For one thing, the tiled roof extended over the garden, relieved by several windows that allowed sun in but still giving the garden an eerie echo. The garden was actually the largest room in the palace, if one didn't count the dungeons, and the only differences from the rest of the palace were the skylights and the soft dirt floor.

The layout of the garden was unique, as well. Despite his exposure to several cultures, Wufei had come up with his own design, consisting of the most natural plants set in a broad circular ring surrounding a large grove of the most interesting plants.

The "natural" plants consisted of the exotic imports from around the world. Only magick could keep them growing in the same climate and soil, and Wufei did an excellent job tending every tree and flower. Apple trees, cherry trees, peach, pear, apricot, and others Treize still couldn't remember the names of, grew together in one huge orchard. Some bloomed while others held fruit, paying no attention to the seasons. Grapes grew year-round, and orange trees straddled the vines, growing in the same dirt but neither plant destroying the other. Servants had to work every day to gather the fruits and prepare them, since they were the only ones the palace inhabitants could eat. Any other plants from the outside could too easily be poisoned or spelled.

Soon Treize came into the inner grove, full of the most amazing plants in the world. Amazing, in that they weren't alive. They were stone, but Wufei still managed to make them grow. With trunks of copper or bronze, the trees had leaves made of jade or emerald, and they were all covered in fruits of varying precious jewels. Pears made out of silver, grapes made from pearl and amethyst, apples of rubies and blue berries made of sapphires, and mangoes made out of gold so that every tree sparkled. On the ground, the flowers were much the same, except that every petal was made of crystals and the centers were diamonds. Even the rocks and pebbles were made out of precious stones.

"Wufei?" Treize called out. "Are you in here?"

As he walked further in, he noticed a small plate of fruit laying on the ground. He smiled, Wufei must be nearby if this was here, and took a slice of the assorted apple and oranges pieces. "Wufei?" he cried before swallowing his light lunch.

His only reply was that of a drowsy Nataku walking out from behind a tree, dragging her tail and wingtips behind her. She made a little snappish noise at him and nodded her head at the trees she'd just come from, then lay down and went back to sleep. Taking the hint, Treize smiled and went the way she'd pointed out.

There, curled up fast asleep at the foot of an emerald forest of bamboo, lay his slave. Treize chuckled and knelt beside him, gently brushing the hair from his dark eyes. "Wufei?"

Wufei grumbled in his sleep and turned on his back. "Go 'way..."

"Wufei, wake up," Treize said firmly, giving him a little shake. "If you're that tired, you should be in bed, not on rocks."

Wufei sighed as his eyes opened, and he smiled when he saw who was with him. "Treize? But I thought you didn't come off duty until lunch?"

The captain nodded. "You fell asleep, love. You're more exhausted than you let on." He frowned slightly and stared at him. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard, especially not now."

Wufei started to protest, but a stern look from Treize cut off any argument he could have made. "I know," he mumbled. "But I feel so useless when I'm in bed."

Treize laughed darkly. "Have I made you feel useless in bed, my love?" he asked, trailing one hand from Wufei's throat down his coat, undoing buttons along the way. "I will make you feel quite...useful...from now on."

Before Wufei could reply, Treize swept him up in his arms and looked around, grabbing the staff before he started down the path again. "Don't forget your dragon."

Wufei scowled at being treated like a child, but he looked down and spotted his familiar on the ground. "Nataku, it's time to go!"

The dragon screeched its displeasure but flew up anyway, settling on Treize's head. Or where Treize's head would have been, since the captain gave a startled gasp as a strange but familiar sensation raced through his system. "Oh, not again, what was it this time--?!"

*poof*

Wufei, alerted by that near-routine line, landed nimbly on his feet amidst the cloud of smoke, and when he stood up, he spotted a large blue and black duck sitting in front of him, squawking irritably. The sorcerer sighed and picked up the duck before Nataku decided to eat it.

"Oh, Treize," he sighed. "I'd better get you upstairs before anyone sees you like this."

Treize the Duck, who understandably mildly upset, pecked at Wufei's coat and flapped his wings.

"All right, I'm going to change you back!" Wufei snapped. "Come on, Nataku."

Taking his staff in one hand, the duck in the other, with his dragon on his shoulder, Wufei walked quickly through the garden, waving to Quatre and Duo as he went out. He hurried through the halls to their room, but just before he could open their door, a heavy hand fell on his free shoulder.

"Where are you rushing to, slave?"

Wufei turned slowly, coming face to face with a rather burly guard. "Let go of me before I tell my master you touched his property," he snarled.

The guard released him, but didn't leave. "I asked you a question, slave. Where are you going?"

"My room, obviously," Wufei deadpanned.

"Don't act so smug," the guard growled. "What's with the duck?"

Wufei tightened his grip on Treize, who wisely held quiet. "An accidental transformation."

The guard sniggered and leaned against the wall, effectively blocking the door off. "Accidental, huh? Little slant-eyes too dumb to get a spell right?"

"No, someone touched me without knowing what protective spells I have on myself," Wufei said in a nonchalant tone.

The guard snorted derisively. "You can't scare me. What if I tell your master how you screwed up again?" He leaned closer, grabbing the back of Wufei's neck and holding him still. "What'll you give me to keep quiet?"

"A plague of ants in your quarters," Wufei hissed, trying to jerk away.

The guard frowned, his upper lip trembling furiously. "Maybe I'll just make you please me right here and now."

"Try anything and I'll make it fall off," Wufei retorted.

The guard snarled and raising one hand threateningly, about to strike him with the duck suddenly stretched up and pecked his face mercilessly, drawing blood within seconds. Screaming in pain, the guard turned and ran, and Wufei escaped into his room, locking the door behind him.

"We have to do this quickly, Nataku," he said breathlessly. "He'll be back any minute to try and arrest me."

He placed Treize on the floor and grabbed a piece of chalk from the chest in the corner, running back and beginning a small mandala around the duck. Painstakingly intricate designs were drawn in a rush, and he called out commands to his dragon.

"A size three jade stone here," he said, and the dragon fished one out from the chest and put it in place.

"Size eight diamond here."

"Five emeralds here."

He paused hesitantly, then whipped his coat off and wrapped it around his hand before reaching into the chest and drawing out a thick pouch. Wincing slightly, he managed to shake it open and drop its contents, one small lump of iron, at the mandala's edge.

"Nataku...sing..." he whispered.

Without further prompting, the dragon tipped her head back and let out one long, continuous note that filled the air. It wasn't so much that she started singing but that she tapped into something that had been singing forever, had never begun and would never end, glorious and eternal. The mandala turned bright red, the stones shone in luminescent colors, and the air inside the circle began to swirl around.

The lump of iron didn't glow. In fact, it stayed dull and lifeless. The air surrounding it hissed and popped as if it was burning, creating heavy smoke that blocked the duck from sight.

Suddenly someone pounded on the door. "Open up in there! Slave, open this door!"

Ignoring the shouting, Wufei clasped his hands, closed his eyes, and prayed.

"That's it, find the damn key!"

"We'll have you thrown in the dungeon for assaulting a guard!"

"Open up!"

Wufei raised his head and held his hands out. "It is finished."

And the mandala exploded. Light burst from the inscriptions as they disappeared, and the stones lost their light, and the iron lump just stayed there.

The door opened just them, and three guards rushed in. The one in charge, still holding his pecked face, held up a set of iron chains. "That's him, hold him still!"

Wufei gasped when he saw the chains and instinctively backed away, already feeling the heat radiating from the cold iron. "Stay back or I'll turn you into frogs!" he yelled.

"Not if we're carrying iron," one of them said.

"Not if he doesn't have to," another voice corrected.

They all turned to the side and saw Treize kneeling on the floor, quite naked except for the blanket he'd pulled off the bed. He glared at them, never losing his aristocratic air but giving off as much heat as the iron. "Get...away...from...my...slave."

The guards couldn't obey quickly enough, backing towards the door.

"Halt!"

They turned slowly.

"You two are blameless," Treize said to the backup pair. "You, however," he said, pointing at the first. "You assaulted my slave, tried to scare him into sexual favors, and then tried to rape him." He glanced back at the innocent pair. "Use those manacles on your friend there, and escort him to the dungeon. And report his infraction to Colonel Une."

The condemned paled when he said that and began babbling for mercy, but he was dragged out and the door shut again. Treize sighed and turned back to Wufei, pinning him down with an even harsher stare. "And you..."

Wufei backed up against the wall, averting his eyes so he wouldn't have to see.

Treize dropped the blanket and stepped closer to him, kneeling and placing his hands on either side of Wufei's face, forcing him to meet his look. "What was it this time? I didn't interrupt a spell, I didn't trip any of your traps, I didn't accidentally hurt you and make you shout a curse...what was it?"

"I have to curse fruit seeds before I can turn them to stone," Wufei whispered. "Or else they won't grow. I was planting one...I must have fallen asleep then..."

"You were nearly beaten," Treize scolded him, his voice rising. "And he might have killed you, and then I would have been stuck in that helpless shape. I could have been cooked if something else had happened! And if they had succeeded in taking you to the dungeons, you would have died of iron poisoning! This wasn't just an accident, Wufei, this was carelessness. You didn't even think of the consequences if you worked while you were half-asleep, did you?"

Wufei closed his eyes and fought to keep his voice steady. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Treize stood and pulled his slave up, beginning to roughly undress him. Then he put his hand around the back of Wufei's neck and drew him to the bed, where he yanked the blankets back and forced Wufei onto the mattress. "Now," he said firmly. "You are going to sleep, and you are not leaving this bed until I am satisfied you won't act so foolishly anymore." He draped the blankets back over Wufei and went to the foot of the bed, pulling out a short chain which he locked around his slave's ankle.

Wufei kept his face blank. The copper chain...he used the silver one if he was anything less than furious...copper...

Treize turned his back and went to the drawer, bringing out another uniform and dressing. "I'll bet my other set is still in the garden, so I'll retrieve those and that damned plate you left...and then I'll have to see Duo and Quatre safely back in one of their rooms..."

He finished and headed towards the door, turning to say one last thing before he left. Instead he froze. Wufei had turned on one side, his back to his master, and his face hidden under the covers. He couldn't hide how his shoulders shook, though, or completely silence his already quiet whimpers. Treize sighed and lowered his head, his anger falling as fast as it had come.

He went back to the bed, sitting on the mattress and tentatively reaching out, laying his hand on Wufei's side. The sorcerer tensed, as if expected to be hit, and buried himself even farther. "I'm sorry," he whispered again. "I'm sorry..."

Treize shook his head. "No...I am...you were trying to keep up with all your duties. You were just trying to keep me happy." He leaned down and pushed the covers back, brushing away the tears Wufei tried desperately to hide. "I've put too much work on you. Keeping up that garden is enough of a job, but then with shielding the palace, helping with the interrogations, and examining all those servants not too long ago..." He gently kissed his cheek and stroked his hair, not stopping even as his slave calmed down. "I'm sorry. You have so many skills I sometimes forget you're still human. You're so strong, but you wear down just the same."

"I'm sorry," Wufei repeated. "It won't happen again. There...there are things I can eat...take...to keep me from falling asleep."

"And you won't take them," Treize ordered. "You're right, this won't happen again, but I won't have you kill yourself with work. Heero told me to reduce your duties, but I hadn't had time to speak to you about it."

"I'm not weak," Wufei insisted, starting to tear up again. "I can handle whatever you want me to."

"You are not weak," Treize agreed. "But you are not perfect, either. The spells you put on the castle should last for awhile, so for now, you are to work only in the garden."

"Treize--" Wufei tried to protest.

"At least until you've rested long enough, and even then you'll have only light duties that I will approve one at a time."

"Master..."

"Is that understood?"

Wufei quietly nodded.

"This isn't a punishment. I won't have you kill yourself with too much work," Treize murmured. "I shouldn't have gotten angry with you. I apologize."

Wufei glanced up at him. "You still love me?"

Treize smiled and gave him another kiss. "Of course I love you. I was just...frustrated at how I couldn't help you, trapped that way. I will always love you. Think you can get to sleep?"

Wufei nodded once.

Treize, however, knew his lover's looks. He's trying to hide his emotions, still. Continuing to stroke his side, he began to speak in a soft voice. "I saw something while I was out riding today."

"Mmm?" Wufei asked half-heartedly.

"There was a farmer pulling a cart of pears into market," Treize started. "And he seemed very upset. And when he nearly ran over someone in his haste, I stopped him and asked why he was so angry. He told me he'd been robbed last season, and was looking out for the robber. Now, you know I have to go after thieves, love..."

"Mm..."

"He said he'd been robbed by an old man who asked for one pear. When he wouldn't give the man one off his cart, another merchant did, because he felt sorry for him. And then the old man said, to repay him, would create a tree full of pears right there in the street."

Wufei smiled involuntarily, knowing full well he was being trapped in a faerie tale. "Oh?"

"The old man planted a seed in the pavement and asked for some water, and when they poured some on it, it sprouted and grew quickly, already bearing hundreds of pears. Even though he was old, the man climbed up and started handing down pears to people, until there were no more."

"And what did the old man do then?" Wufei asked.

"Cut the tree down, of course," Treize replied. "So it wouldn't block traffic. And then he left."

"I thought the man had..." Wufei yawned, "...had been robbed?"

"So he was," Treize agreed. "He'd been so entranced by the show that when he turned around, he found his cart was empty, and even worse, one of the axle's had been cut off. That's when he realized it was not an old man but a magician, and he'd been tricked out of his harvest. All because of his miserliness." Not hearing a response, he looked down and saw Wufei fast asleep, smiling slightly. Treize silently put the covers back up and stepped out of the room, locking it behind him.

------------------------------------

1. Saracen--an early European term for those of the Islamic faith. I'm trying not to date this story, but "Saracen" is such a beautiful word I couldn't resist using. Duo's use of this is anachronistic, but I won't say how much.

2. I've made slavery look so nice in this, I thought I'd just better show how awful it is, too. Foreshadowing? Me? No way! *evil little smirk*

3. The story of the farmer and the pears came from my college library at UTEP: Chinese Fairy Tales: Newly Gathered from Many Sources. Illus. Sonia Roetter. Peter Pauper Press: 1946.

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