Beyond the Force
Chapter 1
Otherland
Author's Note: I've been in a huge Star Wars mood lately; especially in terms of our favorite deceased Jedi Master Qui-Gon. So, I wrote this. A definite alternate universe in this sense. I have not read the Jedi Apprentice series (I think that's what its called, yes?) so I do not know particular details about certain events in his life such as the death of Tahl or his choosing of Obi-Wan, but I know a general amount from internet research. That is all I think will be relevant in this story.
Also, many of you are probably thinking 'elves? In Star Wars?' And my answer to you is this, it is entirely possible; especially outside of the Republic. Also, there will be a certain amount of conflict between our Jedi and the elves. Why? Check out the title of this story and this chapter.
As a fun fact, I'm using titles from Blind Guardian songs to head my stories. Realized that doing so helped me think.
Like it, hate it? Review!
The planet of Illearia was the world where all myth and fantasy merged to create one giant, planetary, kingdom. The planet had a vast, lush, terrain of wide flowing rivers and rolling yellow plains. Their mountain ranges were tall and vast- covering the northern and southernmost expansion of each continent. Their continents were separated by tumbling oceans as blue and clear as glass with gentle waves that caressed the soft white, sandy, shores. When the plains ended the forests began. The outer forests were sparse and sprawling. They gave way to lush meadows gently cultivated and kept neatly as if consistently cared for each day. Deeper one went into the forests the lush woods gave way to perilous, dense, thickets that could either harbor treacherous swamps or thick, untraceable forest pine or oak depending on how far north or south one traveled.
There were the inhabitants of this mythical planet that draws the most attention to those who wish to explore the planet in one way or another. Dwarves inhabited the rolling foothills and forbidding mountains deep under their surfaces with barely an above ground dwarven village in sight. The lords of the higher slopes and rolling plains were the great fire lizards- the dragons. Divided into three distinctive different breeds, the dragons roamed the land in clans with their own chosen king or queen. They traded with the dwarves in the forging of magical weapons and melting the strongest of metals.
On the plains were the Yleara or the Plainic elves who traded with both dwarves and dragons. Here the great white animals are bread be they omnivores or herbavores. These animals were natural in one planet once, but upon growth and the expansion of the mythical races they fed off of the residual magic and grew into something else. Some remained dumb and stupid. Others received the gift of speech and a mark of purity; white fur. Depending on where one happened to be living told a being whether or not they would see one of these grand white beasts. Ylearian Elves trained them and worked with them sometimes adopting certain characteristics of their bonded animals.
The Ylearian Elves were dark skinned in different shades. Some were so brown that they bordered on black while others were olive, dark tan or merely brown. Their hair was brown and beautiful, sometimes in the shades of different animals they favored raising and working with.
The seas were ruled by the merefolk. No land creature, elf or not, had a say in the affairs of the merpeople so not a lot is known about them.
The forests were where the rest of the elven race resided in. The Eduna, or Wood Elves, lived in the thickest parts of the forests where many would not go. They learned their secrets and hunted their lands. Their ways were strange and confusing, thus not many knew of their goings on. Their appearance was rumored to be a pale as the moon and their hair as dark as ravens.
The rulers of this planetary kingdom were those of the elven race. Those who specifically reigned over the elves were those of the Rhunic breed. Rhune elves were tall, fair haired and skinned, with bright blue or emerald green eyes. They were as slender as the ornate trees that dominated the forests of their lands. Each forest was pruned and kempt as a garden by each noble Rhunic family. Living in the gardened woods were gentle mythic creatures. Fairies, phoenix, pegusai and unicorns all were bright and majestic and signified the wealth of their people. They were beyond beautiful as all of their race were, but the Rhunic elves held a bright shining star to the light of beauty that, in their opinion, out-shone the rest.
This, of course, made much of their race very vain. Some of these feelings escaped the more grounded Rhune Elves, the ones who were the ambassadors to the other races and the rest of their own kind. There were those who lived before the elves divided into three different breeds. Those elves beyond the wish for power and control for they had seen it all. The Eldar; the old ones, the shining stars, the seers and the great witches all made up of what was left of the older history of their race. This was because they lived for just as long and, in some cases, helped produce some of the current lines. These elves did not rule, they merely advised.
An advising of sorts was happening now in the form of a tall, red-headed elf (a curious occurrence among the current elven population) who stood before a taller Rhunic elf with long golden hair and fair peach complexion. A topic of a need most dire was being discussed. The topic of whether or not their princess, and sole immediate heir to the throne, needed body guards. Well, body guards from another planet to be exact.
"Miriel, I do believe that Bellethiel will be in need of some help quite soon if she does not check herself! She will have to deal with a whole new world of cut-throat Rhune elven politics, saving your presence, and she will single-handedly offend all of the nobles! I'd rather her live to see the end of her first year as a legal, of age, adult than not," insisted the red headed elf-woman.
Queen Miriel of the elven race and the planet Illearia sighed in exasperation, "She will not be happy with me, Laurel. I have already drawn a rift into our relationship by cutting back her freedom drastically and I do not wish to worsten the wounds."
Professor Laurel Moruni, teacher of archaeology and history in Telunost Belundi, the resident magical university in Illearia, threw her hands up in exasperation.
"I do not really care too much about her feelings at the moment. Listen, if she has a problem with this arrangement, tell her to take it up with me because I am suggesting this for her own protection! I've seen a few of the lords from all elven realms eying her as if she was a fresh piece of meat now cooked to perfection and cooling on the counter-top waiting to be eaten! They will tear her apart if she doesn't have people around her!" Laurel exclaimed.
The elven queen suddenly looked very tired and very defeated. She wandered over to her desk and sank in her large, dear-pelt chair with a hand covering half of her face and her elbow resting against the dark oaken wood. She took stock of her office, the place where she could find solitary comfort when she needed to get the particulars of ruling her large queendom taken care of. It was filled with shelves upon shelves of legal books, paper maps that covered the walls and two other chairs where any guest could sit in front of her desk while discussing business. A moving picture, framed, rested on her desk in front of her where she could always look up and see it, of her late husband. She smiled ruefully when her blue eyes fell on it.
"Erugyr would have protected her, himself, and damned the consequences of offending anyone. He would have chased suitors away and sent her to the dwarf realms to learn metalwork," she muttered more to herself than to Laurel.
The tall red-head's forest green eyes softened a fraction before sinking into one of the chairs opposite her queen's desk.
"My lady, what would you have me do? Erugyr's no longer among the living. He can't protect your daughter, so we must find someone who can," she said gently.
Queen Miriel sighed, "Beyond the stars? Those Jedi from the Republic? I thought you despised them."
The professor snorted, "Most of them. I have one particular Jedi in mind who, if he's still alive, will fit the bill perfectly."
The queen straightened herself with interest, "You have met the Jedi, then? What is this particular one like?"
Laurel smirked, "A pain in the Jedi Council's ass. He makes them think. While he doesn't radically challenge their code like Sith do, he can be a bit… eccentric."
Queen Miriel grinned from behind her desk and leaned forward; folding her hands and resting them on its surface.
"Either he and my daughter will get along or there will be rows every night?" she asked.
Laurel smirked, "Ah, but Miriel, Jedi do not have emotions and keep them well bottled-up. He's the picture of serenity."
They shared a laugh. When they calmed themselves enough to speak again, the queen reached into a desk drawer and drew out a long sheet of parchment and a white feathered quill and jar of ink. She began to carefully draw out the letter of formal request as well as the amount-
"What currency do the Republic use?" she inquired curiously.
"I can exchange any gold, silver or bronze that you give me for Republic Credits when I read Coruscant. They should still have my account. Besides, I'm due for another ambassadorial journey there," she rolled her eyes at that last part.
The queen merely nodded and continued writing.
"Who am I requesting?" she asked after jotting down a few more lines.
"Jedi Qui-Gon Jin and his padawan. I don't know who his current padawan is or even if he has one, but I rather not separate master and apprentice if I can help it," she told her majesty.
The queen nodded and continued to write for a bit longer in silence. Then, when she completed her final line, she signed the letter, waved it in the air to dry, and then rolled it up into a scroll. She handed it to Professor Laurel Moruni.
"Ready your things. Your new cycle as ambassador will start tomorrow morning. I will arrange a ship for you. May Eru protect you on your swift journey," blessed the queen.
Laurel nodded and bowed low and muttered, "Yes my lady," and then departed.
"No," came the sharp negative from behind the changing screen.
Laurel Moruni rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. It would figure it was inevitable that she trained a headstrong elleth to become the next ruler of Illearia. Of course headstrong was what she figured the planetary kingdom needed. As much as she loved the queen as a ruler and a little sister (or daughter sometimes), Miriel had not the strength to stand against the rest of the nobles and back hand them into some sort of agreement without becoming a tyrant. Of course, she had married the late king who only inherited the thrown and the duel status as ruler with his wife, and Laurel knew that such was a bit of defiance the rest of the Rhune elves hadn't anticipated or forgiven their queen for. Bellethiel needed to be strong and it helped that she favored her father more than her mother.
"Your mother's already written the formal request and I will be leaving for the Republic's capital in a few hours. You cannot escape this, Belle. You need the help. I know you like to think of yourself smarter than the other elf lords but you forget that I have known them far longer than both you and your mother. Yleara and Aduna's high lords and ladies will especially be looking forward to marrying you to one of their sons in a hope that you will copy your mother. While I do not necessarily mind this and neither will your mother the Rhune Elves will not be so lenient this time. I fear that they may attempt to force an engagement out of you and force you to submit to their will. I'm a teacher and I can't always be here to protect you. These Jedi are the next best thing," Laurel was as calm in dealing with the daughter as she was with her mother, but only because should a shouting match occur, the elleth knew she could easily argue the girl into submission.
Princess Bellethiel wasn't a legal adult yet. She still had time.
Said princess finally revealed herself from behind the changing screen dressed in a green tunic. The hem of the green tunic reached her knees and her legs were covered in soft brown cotton that gently clung to her slight frame. Like her mother, she was slight. Unlike her mother, the young princess was short; very short and only stood five feet and one inch from the ground. Her skin was pale peach, like her mother's, but her hair was a mix of brown, red and blond creating a burnt metallic look. In the fashion of all elves, the princess' hair was long and wavy and the ends of her hair reached her lower back. Her eyes were teal, the mixture of the beautiful blue of her mother's and the soft forest green of her father. Like all other elves, Bellethiel's ears were pointed and her beauty was not that of mortals.
Professor Moruni smiled softly at her student. The girl would soon become her queen, that much was certain.
"Belle, you have grown into a beautiful, strong and confident young elleth. The planet needs your strength to guide them through their troubled times. It will not hurt to have some help," she told the girl.
The princess seemed to deflate this time and her instructor watched as her charge's shoulders sagged in defeat. The professor knew she had worn the child down, finally. The girl was becoming a very good debater and it had taken the professor everything up her sleeve and then some to combat the girl's sheer will. Laurel almost, but not quite, smirked at this. Her highness was not quite her equal yet. It would take some millennia of living for that to happen.
"Why Jedi, out of curiosity?" asked the princess while she stood in the middle of her chambers with a figure resting on her chin.
Laurel smirked, but not at her charge's expense, "They will not expect Jedi and they will not know what to do with them. It's a tactical move."
"The Jedi won't know much about our culture," warned the princess.
"I'm a history teacher, Belle, I can teach a few incompetent Jedi the basics of Elven culture!" replied the professor in exasperation.
"Master, I thought elves were mere myth?"
Qui-Gon Jin glanced at his young apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and sighed. It seemed as thought the boy had yet to wrap his head around the current elf-factor. He, unlike his visibly stunned/disbelieving padawan, knew about the race of elves that lived beyond the Republic in a small planet at the outermost rim of the galaxy. In fact, if he heard the name of the ambassador correctly, he knew exactly who their visitor was.
"The elves have made their presence known in the Republic before, Obi-Wan. They make regular twenty-year visits to Coruscant to maintain a diplomatic relationship with us," explained the Jedi Master.
Obi-Wan seemed to think about this for a moment, his blue eyes narrowed in concentration. His master wasn't surprised that his young padawan knew nothing of the race. He hadn't even been born the last time one visited. In fact, if Qui-Gon was correct, Professor Laurel Moruni's visit was seventeen years ago- a year before his apprentice was born. Qui-Gon hadn't been a Jedi at the time, but a Padawan under the instruction of Master Dooku.
"Master, the elven ambassadors are three years early," commented Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon's brown eyebrows furrowed and his brown bearded face contorted into a slight frown. His apprentice had a very good point. Professor Moruni was coming to Coruscant a bit earlier than she normally did and, from what he had heard from his master, the female was very particular about regularity.
"If that is the case, then I believe it will be safe to say that all is not well on the planet of Illearia. We must ready ourselves for bad news should it come to pass," advised the master.
Obi-Wan glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow, "I sensed no disturbance in the Force."
His master smiled at the tone coming from the young padawan. It sounded more like a reprimand than a question.
"Obi-Wan, elves do not exist within the Force. They have no Force sensitivity and do not adhere to the will of the Force, or so Professor Laurel Moruni likes to remind the Council every time she visits. If something is wrong, it will be the ambassador who will tell us."
He sensed that his apprentice was trying to hold back the retort of how impossible it was for beings to exist without the Force. When it became apparent that the boy wasn't going to press the issue all Qui-Gon felt was relief. He did not know enough to better explain any questions that his apprentice was bound to have.
"Why are we needed? Master Windu seemed most troubled when he came to see us an hour ago," inquired Obi-Wan.
"I cannot say," replied the older man.
And that was true. The elves kept to themselves and seldom asked for aid from the Republic. If the professor felt the need to summon two Jedi to an audience with her and not go to them herself she was obviously going ask something of them.
Neither master or apprentice were startled at the sudden appearance of a young boy, about ten years old, appearing before them with wide, innocent, amber eyes. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan turned their attention to the boy with identical raised eyebrows.
"Master Yoda wishes for you to enter," announced the child with little ceremony.
Qui-Gon inclined his head, "Thank you, you may go."
When he boy left he turned to Obi-Wan.
"Be prepared my young padawan. Elves are not usual creatures from this world. Do not let the professor's appearance startle you and I can promise that she is something you have never seen before. Steel yourself and your feelings. You will need everything in your power to contain yourself," he told his increasingly bewildered student.
"You speak as if we are about to do battle," exclaimed Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon smiled grimly, "We are. Come."
With little more ceremony, they entered the council chambers.
As it had been sixteen years ago Qui-Gon was almost left dumbfounded in the presence of the tall, red-headed elven woman standing before him. She stood beside an unaffected Master Yoda tall and regal. Her face was like a hatchet with two severe eyes cool and calculating. Those eyes were the same forest green he remembered from his days as a young padawan. She wore the traditional traveling garb of her race; knee length dark green tunic and light grey leggings. At her hips hung a belt with an assortment of small pouches and bags attached on the sides and back. Her feet were adorned with brown leather traveling boots.
She smirked, "Master Qui-Gon is it now? I see I was right to anticipate you having acquired for yourself a student."
Qui-Gon bowed to her, something that surprised everyone but Yoda and Mace Windu in the council. It was well known that the Jedi Master rarely bent his back to anyone accept Masters Yoda and Windu. The reactions, the whispers and surprised gasps, were what the man expected.
"It does my heart well to see you again, Professor," he greeted.
She raised an eyebrow and replied, "Eru has blessed our meeting, or cursed it, however you wish to put it. I'm afraid I am not here to discuss pleasantries with you, old friend. There is a matter of great importance that I must discuss with both you and your padawan. The council have already given me leave to ask this of you."
Qui-Gon nodded, "By all means discuss. My apprentice and I are at your disposal."
She smiled at him a smile that would be the downfall of civilizations. There was something to be said about the beauty the elves had. With age, the professor seemed to shine brighter with each passing year- an angel in the presence of mortals. She held up her hand that was, until recently, hidden behind her back. In it was a parchment scroll. She walked forward and handed the paper to him with a small nod.
"Read it," she told him.
Qui-Gon unfurled the scroll and realized that it was a letter. He scanned its contents several times before meeting the elf's gaze.
"Protect the High Princess of the Elven race? Forgive me, professor, but do you not have your own kind for that particular job?" he asked.
She snorted as she accepted the letter back into her possession and replied, "Clearly you're not used to being around the pompous asses that are the Elven lords and knights with their carefully hidden agendas. Not all are bad, but many are easily influenced by those most cunning and, in many cases, older. They all want the throne and while the Yleara and the Eduna are ready to take part in a fair, political, race the Rhune are not. We Eldar can grunt and growl all we like about their ferocious conduct, but the Rhune still claim dominance over the rest of the race and each one knows the other's capabilities; magic. Jedi do not mold magic, they mold and craft the Force, a power available for the mortal races. They will not expect you nor will they know what you can do. Besides the level of competency you still seem to posses from what I have read from Yoda's letters, it is imperative that I acquire your services as a tactical move. Besides, you are not as much of a threat to the princess, so there is a possibility that she will warm up to you. Mind you, it is only a possibility. I taught her as Miriel raised her, to be sorely independent and stubborn as a mule. She has common sense enough, but not to the point where her pride is at stake and she rarely asks for help. Her highness is going to be difficult, if I hadn't already made that fact clear."
"You have. As she is a princess I assumed she would be. Merely," he added hastily, "as a precaution to dispositions generally given by those of royal blood."
"Right," she replied in a tone that left no doubt about the fact that she didn't believe a word he just said.
"You and your padawan," began Windu, "will go to Illearia and guard the princess. We may have our differences, but the elves were always our allies. If there is corruption in their ranks, it will be up to the new queen and her advisors to uproot them and drive them out. The elves have helped us in the past. We will extend the same courtesy to them."
"Yes, Master Windu," Qui-Gon accepted.
Yoda took this time to say his piece, "A dangerous game this is. Carefully you must tread. Rely on instinct and logic you must. Only in battle will the Force help you."
"We will do our best to protect your princess," promised Qui-Gon to the professor.
She nodded, "That I do not doubt, but I hope it will be enough."
With that the two Jedi took their leave.
Qui-Gon never laid eyes on the starships that the elves used, so when he was confronted with the large, sleek, seemingly seamless vessel he wasn't sure where to start. Obi-Wan solved that problem for him when he circled the large shuttle-like vehicle.
"How do we get in?"
Qui-Gon was about to answer a negative to knowing when their elven escort appeared behind them with an answer, "The word 'open' in the language of my people tends to work. First, though, you need to establish a psychic connection with the ship so that it knows you're one of the passengers. Simply touch the side."
This person was a male elf. He wasn't all like Professor Moruni and his coloring was completely different than the rest of the elves that accompanied the elf-woman. His hair was dark, near black, and his eyes were a deep brown. His skin wasn't simply pale; it was white with a silver sheen. He was thin and slight, not stocky in the way many males as short as he would look. As was normal with his race, his face was handsome and alluring, but not in the normal, high cheekbone, way. In many ways, Qui-Gon felt that the male elf before him resembled a sort of animal.
The male bowed, "Greetings Master Jin, I am Lorn, uncle of the princess, Bellethiel ven Aldura. It will be my honor to escort you to, Illearia. Please, establish connection with the ship and we will enter."
Both Jedi visibly stunned they did as they were told unsure of what else to do. Neither had ever heard of a ship that could get into the minds of the people flying them. When all passengers were finally on board, Lorn took the time to carefully explain things.
"The ship is different than most human inventions. The elves forge a ship as we would our weapons and take great care to weave our magic into our work. We find, especially when we journey to the Republic, that it is the safest course of action. We are currently in good relations with the dwarf kings of the mountains and they have supplied us with the strongest metals to ever be found in the galaxy to construct our weapons, armor, spacecrafts, and jewelry. Sometimes our elvensmiths become creative and mold and shape the metal into small strands of thread so that our weavers and seamstresses may make us protective clothing."
The explanation was long and Qui-Gon noticed his padawan's mind wandering a bit. Lorn, when receiving word that all things were secure and in place, readied them for launch while explaining to Qui-Gon how the controls worked. When they were in the air and all technical explanations ceased, the older Jedi conceded that he didn't really understand a word the elf said.
"If I may, sir Lorn, why is it that you and Professor Moruni look different than the rest of the elves that came with you?" asked Obi-Wan after they launched into hyperspace.
Lorn glanced over at the young Jedi with a small smile etched on his face as he answered, "I am from the deep forest realms of our planet. My people are known as the Aduna. We are the hunters and the protectors of our realm as well as the least known. I am one of few who ventured out of our deep forests. My late brother, the king, was the first. Professor Moruni is of the Eldar or firstborns. She represents what our race once was and is the hope of what our race might one day be again. The Yleara are another sect of our kind whom I doubt you will ever see. They may be more accessible, but they rarely venture into the woods and the capital. Trees upset them. The elves you are asking about are the Rhune. They are the queen's kind and part of our princess' ancestry. The Aduna are also a part of her."
"If the Rhune and the Aduna are willing to intermingle with the other than I do not see what the danger is," stated Obi-Wan boldly.
Qui-Gon, who already knew at least some of this, remained silent and allowed his padawan to discover on his own. Lorn looked uncomfortable.
"Ah, yes, that is the problem. The queen took my brother as husband against the wishes of her people. The Rhunic nobility never approved of the match and will be making certain that another one doesn't happen. They want to keep the royal line as… pure as possible," he explained.
Obi-Wan looked horrified. Qui-Gon was contemplative as he digested some new information he just received. He had not known that the queen married outside of the Rhunic peoples.
"Who else, besides Princess Bellethiel, will stand to gain the throne should the princess die?" inquired Qui-Gon.
Lorn's smile became wry, "She has two or three very distant cousins, but her mother is of a long line of only children for at least four thousand years, seven generations. All of the former kings and queens died in unusual circumstances and many of the nobility from both clans loyal to the royal line suspect fowl play. It is these cousins we must watch for. They are the sons, daughters and grandchildren of elves who were of a bad disposition. I suspect they would have taken over by now and established a new line, but their claim on the royal throne is so small that I doubt they could take over. They will, however, push to have my niece choose one of their offspring as hard as they can. They've done so before which is part of the reason why Princess Bellethiel has no close relatives."
"Why would that make any difference?" asked Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon knew the answer to this question, having asked the professor earlier, "The royal line of succession is bound by deep magic that has existed for thousands of years. It keeps it to the descendents of one family and only one family. Should the last royal die, the race will be placed in grave danger. The queen and her ancestors have made their family valuable enough the idea of de-throning the current family in power became unthinkable. Princess Bellethiel is the only heir to the throne with firm claim. Should she die, the race could fall from civil war."
"Which places her in danger of a political marriage instead of a well-matched one," said an understanding Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon nodded and Lorn laughed, "Miriel had hoped to break the strategy once Bellethiel became of age, but then Erugyr was unexpectedly killed by a black dragon from the swamplands. They tried to blame the Aduna, but the council of the Eldar hadn't believed them and neither did the queen. For twenty years there has been a push from a certain group of the Rhunic nobles for the queen to take a new husband, but she has refused."
Qui-Gon frowned at that. Such rebelliousness had probably put the queen in danger now especially that her daughter would come of age in the coming months.
"How long does her highness have before her birthday?" asked Qui-Gon.
"A month."
"And we will remain a year after?" asked Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon nodded, "So it would seem."
It struck Qui-Gon that Illearia was a lush planet. The forests, thick and thin, weaved a careful green hue that blended rather well with the savanna gold plains and pine green to snowy white mountains and created a picturesque vision from space. Like the original world that the elves came from many thousands of years ago, Illearia was the fourth planet in its solar system and orbited a new sun. It was also the only one habitable.
"I have never seen a planet this fertile before," observed his padawan from the seat next to him and to the right behind Lorn.
The elven hunter, as he later told them he was, laughed heartily, "Illearia hadn't appeared so when our people first landed here. Our magic cultivated and cured the planet and turned it into the home we have today."
"Its beautiful," complimented Obi-Wan.
Lorn snorted, "From here? You should spare your compliments until we have landed. The beauty of our capital will most please you I think."
The descent was light and without much turbulence. Lorn even mentioned that they returned on a good day since the late spring thunderstorms were due within the month and entering and exiting this area of the planet would not be wise. Through a communication link, Lorn announced that it was himself and the Jedi entering the planet and aiming for the capital. Another male voice, high tenor that was pleasant to the ears, replied and instructed the hunter elf to which landing platform he was to finish his descent. They were also told that the queen and the princess would be personally meeting them with the White Council.
Even Qui-Gon was at al loss of who the White Council was, but Obi-Wan beat him to asking.
"White Council?"
"The ring of advisors to our race. They are made up of the oldest of the Eldar. There are five in all, one of whom is currently in Coruscant," explained Lorn while concentrating on landing.
Before Obi-Wan could inquire further, his master indicated to one landing platform where a small group of elves waited for them. Qui-Gon observed them keenly as they passed. The queen was obvious. She was easily the tallest elf there and the most reserved. The reservation, he noted, was not of steely resolve, but of a timid person. She had all of the appearance of strength without actually having it. Her daughter, he noted, was a different story. She had her mother's cheekbones, slight but defined features, and posture. She did not have the elf-queen's straight hair and pleasant complexion. In fact, she looked a mixture of the two. Her hair was caught between deciding whether it wanted be blond or brown and ended up becoming a burnish metallic bronze and her skin was a shade past peach, but not quite white or silver. The princess' arms were crossed and a look of reserved annoyance was plastered on her face.
He had no doubt that she was going to be difficult.
Lorn was chuckling and brought Qui-Gon out of his reverie.
"My niece was glaring at us. You wouldn't have seen her when she was, but I saw enough to know that her royal pain is definitely not pleased," commented the amused uncle with good humor.
"She's shorter than all of them," observed Obi-Wan.
"Takes after her aunt, Artemis, and her only living grandmother, Dione. I see that we will be acquainting ourselves with the full White Council. You will like them. Possibly the few sane elves in this capital, let us depart," with that Lorn went to help them with any belongings they brought with them.
When it became apparent that the Jedi only brought a few changes of clothes and some emergency survival packs for just-in-case purposes, Lorn allowed the Jedi to carry their own. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan followed him out into the presence of the Queen, her daughter and the White Council.
When master, apprentice and elven hunter stepped out of the ship and into the presence of royalty all three bowed.
It struck Qui-Gon how beautiful the elves really were. Professor Moruni had a worn beauty about her that was constant and old. It wasn't surprising given how old the elf-woman was, but it was a plainer beauty nonetheless. The queen was a golden light among her people and her daughter was her shadow. Still, it was the daughter he found his eyes drifting more towards. It was the daughter who made more of the lasting visual impression in hi mind whenever he turned away from glancing at her. It was a beauty of innocence that struck Qui-Gon. He knew how old the elf-princess was. Lorn had made certain that both master and padawan knew. Her beauty was softer, as well. It wasn't striking, merely present, and didn't endeavor to outshine the rest of those in the room. It was probably why, in his opinion at least, he felt her to be the one most pleasant to look at.
The Queen stepped forward as regal and serene as ever, but Qui-Gon, through years of practice at detecting people's emotions through visual observation, detected a hint of fear in her sky blue eyes.
"You are the Master Qui-Gon Jin I have heard so much about?" she asked.
"Yes my lady," he replied in his bent form, "and with me is my padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi."
She smiled at him in what he knew to be was a relieved smile, "Rise, then. And Lorn, I have said time and again that you should not bow before me as you are brother to my late husband and uncle to my daughter."
Qui-Gon sensed that this was a conversation often had. Lorn seemed rather amused by being verbally called out by what her knew to be a timid elf-woman.
"Of course, so may I call you Miri in front of the White Council?" he asked.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan shared a look when they saw the slight tick of annoyance on the queen's face. It seemed as if the daughter inherited more from her mother than simply looks.
"Certainly not. Miriel will suffice."
"Miri?" piped the princess from behind her mother.
The queen flushed slightly but refused to acknowledge the question.
"Greet our guests, Belle," she instructed.
The princess Bellethiel pursed her lips before turning her attention to both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Her arms remained crossed and her striking teal eyes revealed the irritation the elf-girl felt at their presence.
"Greetings," she said stiffly.
Obi-Wan coughed to hide the snort that almost welled up. Qui-Gon, who held more mastery of himself, hid the smile that almost crossed his lips. Lorn and Laurel hadn't been kidding when they told him and the Jedi Council that the princess was a defiant one.
"Bellethiel ven Aldura you will greet our guests properly," calmly reprimanded the queen.
"I thought they were my guards and not guests, mother," replied the princess with a steady voice.
"They are guests to Illearia and your guards and you will treat them with respect," chided the queen.
The princess actually scowled, "I was being respectful."
Qui-Gon's lips quirked into a slight smile; he had no doubt at all that she was holding back hostility. The queen fixed her with the practiced look that all mothers managed to send their daughters when they know for certain that they were being willfully rebellious. The daughter met that look for a moment before finally lowering her gaze and inclining her head a fraction.
"Forgive me, mother," she muttered.
"Perhaps," began one of the other elves in the group; a female with black hair and a peach complexion, "we should continue personal discussions when our princess' new guards are taken care of. Their rooms must be sent for and elven cloths must be fitted for them. A modest look, I think."
One of the other female elves, a tall, auburn haired elf with milk white eyes, shook her head.
"That will not be necessary. I have already spoken to the tailer. They will be dressed in elven robes that will resemble their normal attire as best as possible. This is," she turned and looked directly at Obi-Wan who had been about to ask, "so that you may blend in just enough so, while it is evident you are human, they will not be entirely aware of what you are. Only the White Council knows of the presence of Jedi as of now, but I am certain that will change."
The way she seemed blind, but could still see was disconcerting for Qui-Gon as it was for his apprentice. What also disturbed him was the fact that this elf-woman seemed to be able to see the future, yet he couldn't sense even a small amount of her presence. He figured that this was a fact he would simply have to live with.
"That will be most appreciated, thank you. My padawan and I will place our current robes on hold for training," he told her.
She nodded and studied him for a bit. Qui-Gon suppressed a shudder at her supposed blank stare. The elf was looking right through him and he could feel it.
"You are Gui-Gon Jin, challenger and rock to those who consider you their friend. A Jedi Master of his own right with skills beyond most of those on your Council. May you find knowledge that you not seek here. Beware your heart. It will be taken. I am the Lady Ailya, high seer of the elven race. I work with our resident historian, though Laurel Moruni's talent lies beyond that of document gathering. It pleases me to finally have the chance to meet you," with that last bit she bowed.
The raven haired elf-woman stepped forward and bowed as well, "I am Lady Neldie, teacher of magic. Forgive Lady Ailya's oddness, the future constantly runs through her head and while her mind is well catalogued some things are bound to slip through."
"Only the important things, Neldie," said the seer primly.
Both male elves walked forward and bowed before the Jedi. Both looked identical in every fashion save their eye color and their manner. One seemed calm and collected while the other seemed impatient and on edge.
"I am Athrad Lord of Law and Code. This is my brother, Lord Maethor the greatest warrior in our race. He trains our soldiers and turns them into honorable young men," greeted the blue eyed one.
"Together, with Laurel, we make the White Council," finished Maethor.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan returned their bows with their own and Qui-Gon replied, "Thank you for your words of greeting. They are welcomed."
The queen nodded to Lorn, "Please, brother, take Bellethiel with you so that the both of you may go over the rooms and where our Jedi will be sleeping as well as nightly and daily rounds for their guard. I have things I must discuss with… Lord Rusc and his clan concerning certain… topics."
With that the queen and the White Council departed and left the two Jedi in the presence of the princess and her uncle.
"Topics concerning how he can get one of his males into my marriage bed no doubt," muttered the princess under her breath though not soft enough for Qui-Gon not to hear.
The older human had to choke back the laugh that threatened to escape his throat. There was a bright side to this. At least the princess was well aware of the type of people they would be protecting her from.
Bellethiel was silent during the walk to her rooms. Her uncle, Lorn, did the talking. It was what she preferred. She didn't want to have anything to do with these Jedi and she most certainly didn't want them breathing down her neck every day for the next year. They treated her like a lost child half of the time. In fact, her mother and the professor seemed to be convinced that she couldn't handle a group of self-important elf lords with the morals and emotional capacity of a teaspoon. The realization that her elders didn't trust her enough to put up with the bastards irritated her.
She ignored most of their conversation. It wasn't about anything important, really, merely the other races who lived in the capital. Bellethiel reached her rooms first and slipped in silently while leaving the door open for the rest of the group to enter. She made a beeline for the chair and desk by the window where her books and writing utensels rested. She was immersed into her a large, ancient, leather volume when Lorn entered with the two Jedi.
"Belle, pay attention while I show which rooms they'll be in. Then you can study, alright?" asked her uncle.
She turned around and fixed her teals eyes on him intently while pointedly ignoring the other two. Lorn lifted his eyes to the ceiling for a second before fixing his attention back to the older human, Qui-Gon, she believed he was called.
"Master Qui-Gon, you will be in the room to the right of my niece's chambers and Obi-Wan you will reside in the rooms to the left. This is the main room. Breakfast usually begins in the seven o'clock hour and ends at eleven. The princess should be kind enough to show you where sustenance is to be obtained, but I've known my niece long enough to be aware of the fact that she is well-known for leading people on wild-goose chases for her own personal amusement. It may be best to find a servant and ask for directions," explained Lorn dryly.
Bellethiel looked a bit offended at that, "My former guards rather enjoyed our 'wild-goose chases' as you put it. They had bets going on how easy it would be for them to be fooled the next time."
Lorn sent her a look, "Yes, of course."
"It is true!" she insisted.
Her uncle pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a tired sigh, "Belle, make an attempt to take your clear and present danger seriously."
Bellethiel crossed her arms and glared at Lorn. This was getting ridiculous!
"For heaven's sake, uncle! You, mother, the professor and pretty much everyone else the the span of my guardianship seem to have it in their minds that these morons we call nobles are even slightly intelligent! And it also seems like you have no confidence in my capabilities to battle with them accordingly," she snapped.
Lorn slapped the back of the couch he was standing next to in a sudden fit of anger that startled her and the two Jedi in the room.
"Dammit, Belle! You're still a child compared to them! A very arrogant and overconfident child might I add! Your life may not be in immediate danger, but your sanity and mentality and strength of will are! You take these ellon for morons. You're right, a few of them are, but the ones you must worry about the most are smart enough to appear the blithering idiots you mistake them to be!" he took a deep breath and then continued in a considerably softer voice, "We will not have this argument again now, Belle, not in front of our new residents. I will leave now. Please take care to instruct them when and where dinner will be. Try to make friends."
With that her uncle left the room and Bellethiel remained in her seat silently fuming and humiliated. She didn't want to make friends! Not with people who were supposed to hound her every waking moment! She was reduced to a prisoner in her own home, the very thing her mother and father promised never to do.
She glared at the two men standing awkwardly with their arms folded in their brown robes.
"You need not wait for my dismissal, sir Jedi. It will not matter in the days ahead anyway," and with that she turned around and glared angrily at the page she was reading earlier, not seeing the words.
She heard them take their leave and was slightly startled to note their soft, almost silent, movements. Bellethiel had to admit, the Jedi were going to be hard to avoid. She smirked. Hard, but not impossible.
Qui-Gon sifted through the five full sets of clothing he would be wearing for the duration of his stay in Illearia with a concentrated frown on his weathered features. The clothes were different shades of white, grey and tan and the feel of their cloth was slightly metallic. It seemed that the White Council had been very particular concerning the type of cloth he and his padawan would wear. With a certain amount of curiosity, he drew out and activated his lightsaber. The blade hovered over the sleeve of one of the white inner shirts for a second before the Jedi Master tapped the material with the tip of his laser blade. The light distorted, shifted and scattered causing the man's eyes to widen with shock.
Lorn did not jest when he said many of Illearia's metals were the strongest to be had in the galaxy.
There was a knock on his door and Qui-Gon moved to open it. Obi-Wan stood awkwardly outside
"May I?" he asked.
Qui-Gon nodded and stepped aside to allow his padawan in. Obi-Wan gratefully hastened into the room.
"What do you make of her highness?" asked Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon's lips quirked ever so slightly at the mere mention of the headstrong princess.
"She is prideful to the point where she understands the danger she is in and believes herself capable to handling it on her own. For a princess she has been given much independence. Notice the closet near the middle of the room in between a few bookshelves? Full of cleaning supplies. The elves do not treat their royalty as specially as other civilizations do. With us she will no longer have true personal time as I suspect she did with her former guards. This prospect has not improved her temper and she is angry," Qui-Gon analyzed.
Obi-Wan nodded and sat in one of the chairs that rested near the wall.
"I thought her to be spoiled," inserted the padawan.
Qui-Gon nodded to that. His apprentice was right, the princess was most likely indulged more than she ought.
"Reality will become known to her soon enough," reassured Qui-Gon.
That though actually depressed him slightly. There was something about her that conveyed a sort of confident naivety of the world. She walked and talked in a way that said, "I'm not afraid of you".
"Do you think she is capable o defending herself?" asked Obi-Wan successfully starting him out of his thoughts.
Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow, "Why do you ask?"
"Well," began Obi-Wan, "I thought so at first because of how she carries herself. I would say she is a hunter like her uncle since he carries himself in the exact same way. Then you mentioned her pride and it made me wonder if, possibly, since she can defend herself she feels angry that her mentors who should have faith in her abilities felt the need for us."
Qui-Gon did not reveal his startled expression. Such an observation had not occurred to him. He did, however, reveal some of his pleasure at the acute observation his padawan exhibited. For Obi-Wan to point to a possibility he never even considered was cause for celebration. It meant that his apprentice was maturing as a Jedi and was one step closer to becoming a fully fledged knight.
"And what drew you to such an observation?" he asked.
Obi-Wan inclined his head and continued, "I placed myself into her shoes and wondered how I would feel if it was you who felt the need to assign two personal baby-sitters to me. I believe that I would feel the same resentment as well."
Qui-Gon was very impressed. His padawan had thought well.
"What do you suggest we do?" he asked.
"Be present but not invasive and attempt to befriend her as best we can. We need to show her that invading her privacy is the last thing we want to do and will also not happen. She needs to be reassured of the fact that we think of her as an equal and not someone weak and submissive. Her highness will not respond to anything less," suggested the young padawan.
Qui-Gon took this into consideration. He had no doubt that he would have arrived at the same conclusion at a later time but he had a feeling that the said later time would have been too late to repair much of the uneasy alliance he would have with his charge. Obi-Wan's observation was mere speculation, yes, but he could see it. In any case, there were ways to test such theories out.
"I have an… idea," he said.
Bellethiel was immersed in her work when Master Jin walked out of his room. The apprentice Obi-Wan had left the older man's room several hours earlier in want to catch up on sleep before braving the next day. She was well aware of the fact that it would be the master who would be guarding her this first night and she wasn't entirely happy about that.
She noticed the movements of her guards but noted that neither of them attempted to talk to her. She did see the master Jedi setting up cameras around the main room from the corner of her eye and raised an eyebrow. The man noticed her questioning glance and turned fully to her.
"I am setting up viewing cameras around the perimeter. I felt that it would be best since neither my apprentice or I can sense your or your people through the Force. If it will not bother you, I would like to install motion sensors around your bedroom window and balcony?" the question in his voice ringed.
She sighed, "They would have to be virtually undetectable. An elven assassin can de-assemble technology with a word if they must."
His bearded lips twitched into a slight smile as he regarded her for a moment.
"That is why I was hoping to defer to your knowledge about integrating elven magic and technology. Surely there is a way to make the sensors untraceable or unable to disengage easily?" he asked.
Bellethiel turned to fully face him. She felt confused. Normally those who were to guard her did not feel the need to ask her about what she felt would be needed for her safety. They tended to simply do whatever the hell they wanted to and damn the consequences of losing her trust. This was a nice change though she would never admit it out loud.
"I'll look into it," she said stiffly.
They were trying to be accommodating and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Master Jin inclined his head to her and returned to his work with the cameras. Belle turned back to her work and attempted to become lost in the information and knowledge that her book contained. She suddenly found herself distracted by the sounds of the man working quietly around her. It wasn't even like he was that noisy or loud, she was just suddenly aware of him.
The princess scowled at the page she was attempting to read and willed herself to re-immerse herself into her work. It was to no avail. She found that she could concentrate no longer. Her curiosity concerning what he and his Jedi padawan had planned for her peeked and she found herself bursting with inquisitive questions that she forced herself to swallow. She would not give in.
Bellethiel's teal eyes wandered to the Jedi working just to the right of her setting a very small camera in place over her window. She couldn't help but note that he was already in and elven tunic and pants they provided for him and his apprentice. She wrinkled her nose a bit. Tan? Of all of the garments he could choose from (and ask for) he chose the plainest one?
Her gaze inspected him more closely and discretely as he turned around to inspect the other side of the window with a slight frown of concentration on his brown, bearded, face. The intensity of his brown eyes struck her and she found herself stealing glances up at them.
She returned her full attention to her books and note taking the moment she realized what she was doing. Bellethiel let out a curse in elvish when her quill broke from her applying too much pressure while attempting to write with it. She sat back in her seat and glared forlornly at her unfinished work. There was no way she would be able to concentrate now. Her mind was too aggravated.
"Have you tried meditation?" he asked from where he stood surveying the area outside of her window.
She willed herself not to glance over at him when she answered, "Never could clear my mind. Professor Moruni tried it with me once sixteen years ago after her last visit to Coruscant, but we could never figure out how to calm my mind."
There was a short silence between them before he asked, "Is there nothing that brings you calm?"
Belle's teal eyes softened and all of the tension and bitter resentment faded into a sense of hopelessness. Calm wasn't a part of her vocabulary and she wished that it was. She was always too active. Her mind never stopped thinking. Professor Moruni, when she realized that Belle's mind was always constantly at work, taught her to refine her thought and think on her feet. Unfortunately, things like magic came hard to her because of this and there were only certain types of spells she could focus long enough to perform. This was why she trained in other things, sword fighting and hunter skills. Having to constantly keep her mind occupied with strategic planning gave her a sense of quiet that her mind needed. Occupying her mind with books and learning helped as well. Did she ever know peace and serenity? Never once.
"No," she finally answered, "that gift has never been granted me."
"Not once were you ever in a state of peace?" he asked.
Bellethiel wanted to answer 'no', but knew that would be a lie. She had been when her father was still alive, but that had been forty years ago.
"I barely remember it if I had been," she replied truthfully.
She was starting to get annoyed again. Why was he digging like this? Why couldn't he leave her alone?
"My padawan and I train in the mornings. You are welcome to join us. Your powers may not be with the Force, but I am certain that there are things we can help you with," he offered.
"You're trying to make friends," she pointed out bitterly.
"Yes," he replied.
"Why?"
"Why not?"
Bellethiel wasn't sure how she felt at this moment. The Jedi was being very annoyingly infuriating with his answers.
"You are my guard. Guards don't become friends with their charges, they guard them and take bets on how long it will take them to give said guards the slip," she said.
He snorted, "I am afraid that Obi-Wan and I will not indulge your definition of what a guard should be. We were not asked to merely guard you from physical attacks, but also the mental. To do that we must learn to tolerate and trust each other lest you end up in a situation you cannot get out of."
She turned and glared at him, "There you go assuming that I can't take care of myself!"
"And you are willfully stubborn about doing everything alone," he retorted calmly.
She was about to reply but caught herself just in time. He was attempting to rile her up. She would not give in and she would not give in to him! She turned away from him and glared back at her book.
A feathered quill suddenly appeared in her line of vision, startling her. She blinked and followed the length of that quill to a lightly tanned hand, up the sleeved arm attached to it and met the soft brown eyes of the person hired to be her protector.
"Yours broke. Here is another," he offered.
At a loss for what to say or do, she simply thanked him and took the quill. After blinking at it in dazed surprise she returned back to her work. She tried to stay angry and resentful, she really did, but that unobtrusive bit of kindness chipped away at her temper and softened her opinion of at least Qui-Gon just slightly.
To be continued...