peace knights chap 3

“No!”

Noticing that the scream came from within the room he was about to enter, Trowa dashed into the room without a second thought. However, what he saw made him froze in shock. Sally gasped as she entered the room.

The candles with their stands, statues, gold paperweights, and even frames made of gold were floating in the air. Some even sped through the air. Trowa felt a slight hotness on his sign.

What is it? He thought for a second. However, he ignored the feeling immediately as he noticed Quatre in the grips of a nightmare.

“No! No! Let me go! Please!” Quatre’s distressed shouts continued, “stop! Please don’t beat me, stop!”

“Quatre, calm down! You are safe now. No one is going to hurt you,” Trowa was besides Quatre in a flash, holding the trembling boy who had wrapped his arms around his head.

“This is…” Sally trailed off, not knowing how to describe what she was seeing.

“Shh, Quatre. You are safe. Safe. Calm down,” Trowa held Quatre in his arms as he spoke gently.

It was then the things that were floating started to drop. Only then, did Sally stepped towards the bed the prince and his slave were in. however, before she could ask any questions, the door was burst opened quickly.

“Trowa? It was you, right? Are you alright?” Wufei asked as he and Heero dashed to stand besides Trowa.

“What happened?” Heero demanded. It was clear he was worried for his brother.

“You guys felt it too? I am not imaging it?” Trowa asked, a bit disorientated. He looked over to Sally for confirmation.

Still a bit confused at what had happened, Sally could only nod her head. Trowa looked stunned at her nod. Sally could not help wondering what had happened.

“What happened?” Heero demanded again as he glared at Sally and Trowa.

However, both Trowa and Sally seemed to be too confused to answer. Wufei, ever impatient, broke the silence.

“What happened? The room looked like a strong wind had just passed by. And why did you use your power, Trowa? You know you are not supposed to use it without reason,” Wufei said angrily.

“You felt it too?” Trowa asked again as he looked at both Wufei and Heero.

“Of course we did. Both Heero and I,” Wufei snapped angrily.

“I did not use my power just now,” Trowa said quietly as he tried to comprehend what he had witnessed.

“Of course you did! We felt it!” Wufei yelled, not caring about the fact that he was yelling at the prince.

“Calm down, Wufei! Prince Trowa did not use his power. I was with him the whole time,” Sally tried to calm the angry sorcerer.

“What happened?” Heero asked again, glaring at Sally.

“When we entered just now, those things were floating,” Sally pointed to the objects on the floor, “and Quatre seemed to be in the grips of a nightmare.”

All the attention was suddenly on Trowa’s new slave in his master’s arms. Frightened aquamarine eyes were turned to meet emerald eyes for comfort. Trowa simply gave him a gentle smile.

“It’s okay, little one. You have not done anything wrong,” Trowa comforted Quatre who seemed to be on the verge of crying in fear.

“I did it again?” Quatre asked fearfully, “I am sorry, master! I have not done it intentionally! I am so sorry, master. Please don’t send me away!”

“I don’t want to leave! Please, Iria! I beg you! Don’t make me go! Please!”

“I’m so sorry, Quatre but it is father’s wish. You know I can’t go against him.”

“But… please don’t send me away! Please!”

“I’m so sorry, Quatre but it is for your own good!”

“Please master!” Quatre begged as he shook his head to get rid of the memory he remembered.

“It’s okay. No one is angry about it. No one is sending you away. Hush, don’t cry,” Trowa said gently, “can you tell us more?”

“I think whenever I am experiencing strong emotions; things will get out of control. I don’t know why but there is just this power within me. It made me…” Quatre sobbed, thinking that his gentle master would definitely abandon him. After all, who would want a freak for a slave?

“Do you have any birthmark?” Trowa asked simply.

“Can I?” Quatre asked timidly as he tried to shift himself. It would not do to make his master angry when he knew that his master was going to make him leave eventually.

However, Trowa only smiled as he put some distance between Quatre and himself. He did not seem to be disgusted with the fact that his slave was a freak. The others could only wait to see what Trowa was trying to do.

“Come on, it’s okay,” Trowa encouraged as he noticed Quatre hesitate for a minute.

Slowly, Quatre pulled up his pants to his knees to reveal a birthmark just below his right knee. Trowa, Heero and Wufei were stunned as they realized what the birthmark meant.

“This is… I can’t believe it! We have been searching for them so long! This is so…” Wufei ranted as he recognized that birthmark.

“Injustice,” Trowa finished for Wufei with a small smile. He was shocked at the sight of the birthmark but he was happy too. Well, it seemed that his slave was not just any other slave.

“Please master! Please don’t throw me away!” Quatre cried as he thought that the others were shocked at the fact that he was cursed.

“What?” Trowa was surprised as he watched Quatre starting to sob.

“I know that birthmark means that I’m cursed. No one will want a freak near him. No one will want me. Even … my family … they don’t want me,” Quatre cried as Trowa wrapped his arms around him.

“No, I am not going to give you away. Calm down,” Trowa said gently, “do you know the meaning of your birthmark?”

“That I’m cursed?” Quatre replied, not looking at Trowa.

“No, little one. It means that you are one of the Peace Knights,” Trowa replied as he noticed Sally, Wufei and Heero sneaking out of the room quietly.

“Peace knights?” Quatre asked as he sniffed.

“Yes, little one. It means that you will help protect the world,” Trowa smiled as he noticed Quatre’s teary eyes flash with curiosity, “see?”

Trowa pulled up the sleeve of this left arm to show a birthmark, “yours means gold while mine means woods. They are words in an ancient language. For you, you can most likely control anything that is made of gold while I can control the plants.”

“Really? I’m not cursed?” Quatre asked again fearfully, “are you going to throw me back to the slavers, master?”

“Of course not! You are staying with me, little one. You are not escaping that easily,” Trowa teased as his words were rewarded with a bright smile from Quatre that he liked very much.

“I know now. And I do not want to escape,” Quatre replied softly as he lay in Trowa’s arms.

“Let’s get some sleep and talk more tomorrow, okay?” with that, Trowa snapped his fingers and the room became dark.

Silence followed as both lay in the bed, trying to feel comfortable.

“You know, little one, you need a bath,” Trowa teased.

“Sorry, master. I will go now,” Quatre said seriously, as he tried to move in the dark.

“I’m just joking, Quatre. Take one tomorrow. For today, sleep well,” Trowa pulled Quatre back as he hugged him, “I don’t care if you are dirty or not, you are staying.”

“Thanks, master. I will stay here. Forever if you want,” Quatre replied as he put his head on his master’s chest.

“Call me Trowa. I don’t like to be called master,” Trowa said as he smiled and continued, “and I want you to stay forever.”

“Trowa?” Quatre called gently.

“Yes?” Trowa asked as he closed his eyes.

“I’m just calling,” Quatre said with a smile before his smile turned into a frown, “I … I can’t sleep.”

“What do you mean?” Trowa asked sleepily. He was tired after all the excitement in the day.

“I have… nightmares,” Quatre hesitated. He had to let Trowa know this.

“No, you won’t. I’ll be here to protect you,” Trowa assured him as Quatre looked at him with trusting eyes, “I’ll protect you, little one. Forever and ever. Do you trust me?”

“I do. I’ll sleep now, Trowa,” Quatre replied as he closed his eyes.

Soon, light snores could be heard in the room.

As the trio had sneaked out of the room, knowing that Trowa and Quatre needed their privacy, Heero remembered something important.

“Kuso!” Heero scolded himself suddenly as he started to sprint for his room.

Surprised, the other two followed him immediately. After all, it must be very important for their usually calm prince to dash off like that.

However, what they saw made them freeze. All they saw was Heero’s new slave standing in the middle of the room with Heero bellowing. However, the two started laughing as they realized what had happened.

“I know I told you to stay and don’t move. But I meant to stay in the room, baka! Not stand there like a statue! I did not mean it that way! What are you thinking?” Heero yelled as he helped his slave put on a tunic.

His slave only looked at him blankly and obeyed whatever instructions Heero gave him. Heero just got more frustrated at his slave’s lack of response though he did notice him shivering. Of course, it was cold, standing in the middle of a room naked and not moving. How stupid can he get? Risking his health like that just because of a misinterpreted order?

“Baka!” Heero scolded again at his slave as he glared at the two standing at his door laughing, “Stop laughing! It’s not funny!”

“Well, you could say that again,” Sally said as she stopped her giggles, “And why do you leave him like that? He’s weak and is vulnerable to any diseases.”

“I thought Trowa or Wufei was in trouble when I felt the use of power,” Heero explained as he guided his slave to his bed, “so I ordered him to stay and not move.”

“So he took it as an order to not even move. Heero, you have to know that slaves are to obey their masters no matter what the orders are. Even if they knew the order might kill themselves, they have to do it or suffer a worse fate,” Wufei said quietly as he stood besides the prince and his slave, studying the slave.

Heero’s eyes met Wufei’s haunted eyes for a minute before returning to his slave. He knew Wufei would feel upset if he saw the pity Heero feel for him since he was once a slave. Slaves were not treated well. Wufei was lucky that he had Trezie as his master and Trezie freed him not long after he got him.

Somehow, Heero was jealous of them. He hoped he could find someone like that too. Maybe… his new slave. Already, he felt a strong sense of protectiveness for him. He was so beautiful and so sad. He wanted to see a smile on his slave’s face. It will be a beautiful sight.

“Please treat him well, prince Heero,” Wufei said gently as he saw the blank violet eyes.

The young slave must be hurting so much to have such eyes. They reminded him of himself when he was just a slave, suffering from the abuses of his various masters before Trezie became his master. He felt pity for Heero’s slave as he seemed even young yet he already knew so much pain. It is injustice!

To Wufei’s surprise, the slave lifted his hand to pull gently on Wufei’s sleeve. It was as if he was trying to comfort Wufei with the little gesture, saying that he understood his sadness and he thanked him for asking Heero to treat him well.

Heero was surprised at the movement too. This was the only reaction he saw the slave gave other than trying to do what he was supposed to do as a slave. Somehow, it hurt that he was not the one receiving the gesture.

Wufei smiled at the slave before he turned to Heero again, “well, please treat him well, my prince. And it might be best that both of you get some rest while Sally and I retired to our beds. I for one know our general is complaining that I left him at a very bad timing.”

“Good night. Rest well. I will be examining him tomorrow and I want him rested, prince Heero,” Sally said as she retreated from the room with Wufei.

Silence filled the room as the healer and sorcerer left the room. Heero looked at his slave as he pulled the blanket and covered him.

“Sleep well, baka,” Heero said gently.

He undressed himself as he noticed violet eyes looking at him in fear. For a moment, he wondered why his slave was afraid. Then understanding dawned on him and he could not help smiling at his slave.

“Baka,” he scolded gently at his slave, “I’m sleeping on the couch next to the bed tonight.”

Violet eyes blinked and closed as his slave drifted off to sleep. Heero could not help smiling as he realized how much his slave trust him by sleeping without waiting to see if he was really sleeping on the couch.

“Baka,” he scolded gently again. Maybe he should just call his slave “baka.” It suited him too well.

Then he lay on the couch, thinking about the day as he closed his eyes.

The day was tiring yet rewarding, he concluded, I got a slave and we found a peace knight. Maybe tomorrow will be just as interesting…

Soon, the crown prince drifted to sleep.

“Baka…” he mumbled in his sleep.