Chapter 1 – Ship Crashes
The ship was ice-cold, stale, and un-moving. Not a whisper could be heard, not a breeze to be felt. It was almost melodic to Arabella's petite ears, and she was accustomed to living with loud audio ranging as her surroundings.
The sheer silence was almost comforting to her, as if it were a blanket, warm to her heart and companionable. Truth be told, it'd been some time since she'd felt so at peace, since she was 13, her life had been a hectic mess of lies and illness. The only comfort she was ever circumferenced to was the embraces her half-sister Elan gave her. Not even Arabella's own mother, Veda, offered such comfort, and this disappointed Arabella.
Her mother favoured Arabella's brother over her! The same brother that had betrayed and tried to overthrow Veda! It was infuriating to Arabella, and this unsettled the peace that had overcome her.
She had been sent on a trip to Coruscant as an ambassador of her mother, who was Queen of their planet of Gala. Galu, Gala's capital city, was on a shortage of refined Thorilide, which was used for the manufacturing of their starships. The substance made the shock absorber for the turbo laser canons, and without a large supply, Galu would run short of starships.
The trip was a necessity, though Arabella wasn't keen on having to make the trip herself, but her duties were hers, and one day her mother simply wouldn't be around anymore, so Arabella required this practice.
Suddenly, the audio of blaring sirens rang throughout the entirety of the ship, and two guards rushed into the common room of which Arabella confusedly sat in.
"What's happening?!" she shouted in her maximum volume, in hopes that the guards would hear her. In that moment the ship shook, sending Arabella flying in a tumbling motion to the floor. The lights continuously blinked on and off, and panic thrust underneath Arabella's flesh, and danced in her veins frantically.
A guard rushed to her side and raised her from the pristine polished floor before he yelled back "the ships under attack, Milady!"
She could barely hear his voice over the alarms that sounded like the horn of a juggernaut. Blaring. Unceasing. Crippling her thoughts and assaulting her ears, though she managed to make out his speech, and she flushed in fear.
Her face drained of colour, resulting her in a shade paler then the skin of a ghost. What starts as a contortion of her stomach becomes a feeling of being smothered by an invisible hand. Her breathing becomes erratic, deep, and then shallow. She fights it. She fights the feeling as her body writhes to be free or shut down entirely.
Ignoring the guards be forth her, she bolts down the crew passage and inside the cockpit, the pilot and his co-pilot were frantically flicking away at switches when she entered. Peering out the cockpit window, she captures a glimpse of a dark ship, of which overshadowed the smaller ship that she flew in. It loomed over their transport, and casted a dark shadow throughout the entirety of the ship. Fear pulled within her heart, but as did adrenaline, so instead of cowering in fear, she took action.
"Try and get out of their sight!" she demanded loudly into the pilots ear, as the alarms screeched throughout the cockpit.
He barely heard the Princess' yell as their vessel swerved to avoid the onslaught of enemy fire, but the pilot and his comrade were far more used to piloting slimmer, and speedier freighters, and the bulkiness of this one led to their downfall, quite legitimately, as one of the bolts clipped the discuss centre, sending them into a downwards spiral.
"Hold on!" the pilot yelled, trying to stabilize the engines but failing horribly as the isolated land grew closer and closer to impact. Arabella came to the realization that it was end, there was no possible way she could survive this, and so she braced herself for the impact.
As the ship finally made contact with the ground and it exploded around them, sending Arabella into a world of blackness and numbness. The force of the explosion expelled herself and the crew through the transparisteel pane of the cockpit.
She was disorientated before she even sustained the concussion that had her drifting in and out of consciousness. She was fleetingly aware of the bloody taste in her mouth but she couldn't figure out what it was. Constantly she was rewarded with more pain, and she soulfully prayed that she would die already, and be free of this devastating pain. Eventually she faded into darkness, oblivion overcame her and she no longer had the sense of feeling. With that she drifted into unconsciousness.
She didn't know she may have just changed the course of history.
XXX
She lived in the Grand Palace of Gala, an impressive, sprawling white building with two tall towers. Surrounding the windows and inlaid in the tower spires were sparkling blue azurite crystals and gems in mosaic patterns. The roof was gilded. Together the gold roof and glittering mosaics made the Palace shimmer, as if it weren't quite real.
13-year-old Arabella awaited the Jedi at the threshold of the house, at the top of the stairway that led through the front doorway.
She was dressed in elegant attire. Boring a lavender and baby blue maxi gown with long billowing sleeves. On her petite feet was a similar shade of baby blue hued slip-ons, trimmed with a golden palette. Her waist was embraced with a silver band, and on her neck she wore a shimmering golden choker. Her short, platinum blonde hair shook in the breeze, and she bore a kind smile as the two Jedi made their way up the staircase.
She noticed how they were of opposing ages, the eldest circa his late 40's, and the younger seemed to be her age. The height difference wasn't as dramatic as their ages, though, as it seemed the younger Jedi was quite tall for his age range.
Cute she also observed of the younger one of the two. He had stunning blue eyes, and as he waltzed through the cascading gleam of the sun they faltered to a more hazel shade. He was well proportioned to, she came to notice, and had auburn coloured hair that was trimmed closely to the head, and tucked behind his ear was a braid.
Arabella may have had her icy-blue eyes dancing over the younger Jedi maybe a moment to long, because in an instant the situation grew awkward. In an attempt to waver it off, Arabella played the role her mother had given her.
"Welcome, Jedi" she bowed lowly, showing her recognition of their superiority.
Respectfully, they bowed just as well "thank you, your majesty"
Arabella was a Princess after all – she was just as superior as the Jedi were.
"I trust your walk here was pleasant?" she questioned in a polite manner, recalling how they had declined the offer of being driven to the Palace in one of her mother prized cloud cars.
"Indeed, they weather is particularly nice today" the elder of the Jedi awed, his grey-blue orbs flickered as they gazed into the clear blue sky.
"Yes, it is. I suppose your awaiting to meet with my mother?" Arabella kindly asked, not wishing to small talk any longer.
The elder Jedi simply nodded, and Arabella led them away from the Palace threshold and down vast hallways to the receiving room, where Queen Veda of Gala awaited them. She was dressed in a gown of shimmersilk that appeared to change colour as she moved. Varied shades of blue and green were sewn in fluttering panels that appeared and disappeared as she strode forward to great the two Jedi. Her golden headdress was studded with turquoise and emerald crystals.
As her mother made her way across the room elegantly, Arabella noticed how the elder Jedi radiated a rather shocked depiction on his face. And it wouldn't take a genius to know why.
The Jedi bowed to the Queen respectfully and in greeting.
"I welcome the Jedi to Gala" the Queen announced. Regardless of her situation, her voice sounded with firm authority.
"We have brought a shipment of bacta as a gift," the eldest Jedi announced, and Arabella sighed lightly in relief. Recently, Gala had a shortage of bacta, the medicinal product that healed and saved lives. Without bacta on Gala, the Galacians simply would be doomed. "We left it at the space-port loading dock".
"It is desperately needed here" Veda praised in a glad tone "thankyou, I'll arrange to have it distributed to the med centres".
Her ice-blue eyes, the shade of ice shadows, just as Arabella's, read of only relief and gratitude.
Suspiciously, Arabella subtly eyed the eldest of the two Jedi, who wore his shoulder-length brunette locks into a half up half down doe. He seemed quizzical, and it seemed Arabella wasn't the only one who'd captured the Jedi's stare. Boldly, Arabella's mother captured his gaze, with sharp knowing eyes.
"Yes" she assured him softly, "you are right, I am dying".
Arabella shifted on her feet, uncomfortable, and sorrowful. All she was was sadness, every other emotion pushed from her being. Where there was the love, the light, the laughter was an aching hollowness. When the sadness comes her previous appetite is ash on the floor. The urge to cry comes and goes, chaotic, powerful, spilling hot tears. In-between the floods it sits heavy on her heart. She desperately craves to curl up and refuse to move like her body wants. Because the most terrifying and sad thing in the world is hearing your own parent, of whom you'd thought was invincible, announce that they're dying.
Arabella had only discovered this recently, and ever since she'd been quieter, her often bubbly personality vanished like water to a flame.
"My condition simplifies meetings such as this" the Queen continued, waving a jewelled hand "I can be direct, and I hope you will be the same".
"We are always direct" Qui-gon responded. Veda simply nodded, lowering herself into a gilded chair and gestured for the Jedi to do so as well.
Time to get to business.
XXX
"What is your name, Jedi?"
Arabella approached the younger Jedi in the eating area, who hadn't seemed to notice her presence. Mildly startled, he swiftly turned his head, and their eyes met for a few seconds before either spoke.
His pupils seemed rather large in the dark lighting, as evening had overcome Gala. It depicted a dreamier gaze in his eyes, yet earlier when she'd first seen him he'd had a more electric look in his eyes. She'd confirmed with herself that she found herself liking both.
"Obi-wan kenobi, your highness"
Obi-wan, she hummed within her thoughts – she liked the name.
"Please don't call me that" she protested against the superior title, she preferred to be treated equally to other inhabitants of the galaxy, and she found that she would never feel that way unless her pupils gave her a regular title. "Call me Arabella".
"Very well" he agreed without protest "Arabella".
She liked the way her name sounded in his voice, is sounded… almost sweet.
She approached him further "when did you become a Knight, Obi-wan?" she questioned in hopes to trigger a conversation.
He immediately shook his head "oh, I'm not a Knight yet. I'm still a Padawan"
Quizzically, Arabella tilted her head lop-sidedly, she knew nothing of these Padawans.
"A Padawan is a Force-sensitiveadolescent whose trained in the Jedi Orderto one day become a Jedi" Obi-wan began, and when Arabella nodded, beckoning for him to continue, he gladly took the opportunity "Padawans begin as Jedi younglings, and are trained in classroom settings with multiple students and a teacher. After reaching a certain age, Padawans are normally apprenticed to a Jedi Knightor Jedi Master, just as I'm apprenticed to my Master, beginning their one-on-one training. Apprentices often go on missions with their masters as part of this one-on-one training, which I suppose is what I'm doing at the moment. Padawans have these braids" Obi-wan paused to tug at his auburn braid that tucked behind his ear "in recognition of their apprenticeship, when they take the trials and become full fledged Jedi Knights they cut it off with a light saber".
As shocking as it was to Arabella, she found what Obi-wan was saying interesting, maybe it was just that it was him saying it that made her so intent on listening, but she was fascinated.
"Intriguing" she admitted to him, quirking a defined eyebrow.
His grey-blue orbs brightened at that "really?". At the temple, it seemed that no one wanted to hear what Obi-wan had to say, not even his own master.
Who is this girl? He thought, sure, he knew very well who she was, but she was so different from what he'd been expecting from the Galacian princess. He'd suspected her to be similar to her brother Beju, not so.. genuine... not so kind.
And so shall it stay put, a smile eternally stained upon his lips, whatever it was, this girl triggered a joy within him he never usually had the pleasure of feeling, and it seemed she triggered it by simply existing, by simply being within his presence.
"Tell me about yourself, Arabella" he returned the enthusiasm she offered him, but politely she declined.
"No, I'd much rather hear about your story"
He hesitated at first, what if she judged him on his anger issues, but then, what if she helped him. She didn't appear to be the type of girl to judge, the aura that billowed amongst her was pure and humble.
"Please" she added.
For a moment, they stared into one another eyes, and he wasn't looking at a privileged princess – no. He was gazing down on a distraught young girl with a dying mother, a girl desperate to be seen as an equal. He realized in that moment that she was not only physically attractive on the outside, but her soul was coated in a shimmering gold paint of purity and genuiness. Her soul was even more beautiful then her face.
And he found that he could never decline her pleads.
"Sure" he replied.
XXX
Hey guys!
Enjoyed this chapter? Favourite, follow, and review! It feeds my fingers to write and gets you guys chapter in a nick of time.
Arabella is my OC, but her family, planet etc is real, not canon, but expanded universe.
I've gotten my idea from the Star Wars Jedi Apprentice story The Mark Of The Crown. And her flashbacks will mostly be from that timeline.
Hopefully I'll have another chapter soon, but until then, REVIEW! ~ BB