Title: Misstep
Author: Katieelessar
Rating: G
Time Period: JA, Obi-Wan's 14
Characters: Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon
Category: Drama/Fluff
Summary: Post-Melida/Daan. It's Obi-Wan's first mission with his master after being reunited after the events of Melida/Daan. However, a slight misstep causes a certain Jedi to have a few difficulties along the way.
Author's Note: Writer's block has kept me from writing my WIP To Choose Between, so this little idea popped up out of nowhere and I decided to take a stab at a hurt/comfort/little Obi's sick fic. Enjoy!
Misstep
Obi-Wan Kenobi grasped the ends of his thick scarf and pulled it tighter around his neck, emitting a small frothy sigh of agitation. His companion looked down from his large height to see the Padawan learner staring gloomily at the sky. The frigid wind of the mountains had whitened his skin and tingled his nerves so that each gust of driving air felt like a million pinpricks of pain scattering in and about any open pockets. Try as the youth might, shivering did nothing to quench the winter's chill nor did the three layers of thick clothing he had put on prior to this 'short' walk around the mountain paths.
He and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, had arrived on Irid only three days prior but to him it had felt like eternities. The days had been spent with nothing but research, elongated meetings of bureaucrats and grand feasts of nearly inedible food—from Obi-Wan's point of view at least—and this walk through glaciers and ice unknown was the last thing to drive his nerves to the edge.
But he kept to himself, remaining silent and observant while his master conversed with the politicians and pleased them as being someone who at least enjoyed the little walk. Obi-Wan knew he should be doing a better job being the steadfast learner that Jedi apprentices' were so notorious for, but every time he tried to stand a little taller or raise his chin a little higher, the brusque wind would snap it back down or push him back. Thus, here he was, on his first mission with Qui-Gon since Melida/Daan and Telos, trying to be the perfect padawan when all the elements were subduing any attempts of that.
As he gazed wearily up at the sky, he felt his master's eyes staring at him. If his face would have allowed it, a small flush rose in his cheeks and he quickly looked down in shame. Perfect, Kenobi, just perfect. He thought bitterly. You've made it evident enough that you would rather spend your time somewhere else than with your master, yet again. Well you better do something quickly or Qui-Gon will see it as disobedience.
Obediently, he willed himself to stand up straighter and gazed across his master to the jabbering Prime Minister of Irid. The Irinian had luckily not noticed Obi-Wan's lack of attention and continued to talk of the history of the great falls they were passing and how the I'tehl river they were about to cross was the largest and fastest raging river in the city. Obi-Wan made sure his focus was placed entirely on the politician, questioning when it was needed, commented when the time seemed befitting and finally doing something that respected his master's teachings. He was glad to feel a more relaxed aura from his master after a few minutes of the said activities and he allowed himself to forget the surrounding elements to become actually enthralled with something the minister was saying.
All too soon, they reached the end of the trail and began to head back down the descending and winding footpaths to the river. The steep climb was easy enough for Jedi who had had years of balance training at hand, but the icy ground and steep incline was harder to tread for the Irinian leader and his associates. The two guards that had followed them had been slightly more pragmatic than their superiors by wearing spike clad boots and steadied some of the Irinian's with their balance and the Prime Minister and his assistant were left to the Jedi.
At one point, Obi-Wan had ended up walking next to the leader of the Irid and was appropriately placed to be his 'balance.' The old Irinian was grateful for the Padawan's concern and assurance and, once situated, began making their careful descent down the cliff side.
Obi-Wan glanced at his master behind him and gave a small grin. The older Jedi looked like an overgrown giant compared to the tiny Irinian assistant. The meekly-looking man hobbled like an unsure kitten down the slope, never certain whether the next step would be just as solidly as the last. Qui-Gon was ready to place a steady hand on the man's shoulder, should the need arise but Obi-Wan found the whole thing a little funny. He turned away again, but not before he saw the vague action of his master rolling his eyes. His small grin spread and a whisper of a chuckle reached his lips.
They were nearly to the flat riverbank when everything went, what Obi-Wan would later recall as, entirely wrong.
He did not hear the scraping of the boots but he would later remember that perhaps it was during one particular gust of wind that it had occurred and his thick clothing had hindered his hearing. Even so, he was deaf to the chaos around him and it was not until the Irinian assistant bumped into the Prime Minister and cased the three to fall down the cliff did he realize something terribly wrong had happened.
All of a sudden, he felt himself rolling quickly down the rough and choppy skin. Bruises and cuts marred any open skin as he tried to place his incoherent mind into action. The coldness of his skin seemed to place his nerves on fire, rather than numb them and every bump or jostle was magnified in pain. But he had to forget all of that. If he didn't act quickly, the three tumbling forms would end up soaking in the water below that was so cold it seemed only seconds away from freezing.
He swiftly rolled onto his feet from his back and did a half dive half roll to his left where the assistant was. Using the Force and his own strength, he pulled the man to a beleaguered halt and had him sit there as his master came up. Without another thought, he flew down the hill to the Prime Minister who had not yet been able to stop his descent and was moving at a dangerous speed towards the raging currents of the I'tehl. Using a Force enhanced run, Obi-Wan sped just as quickly over the icy terrain just as the man was seconds away from falling into the speeding river.
Yes, he said to himself as he grasped onto the man's cloak, but a split second later his heart filled with an overwhelming amount of dread. He quickly realized his mistake just as he began to topple over the side of the cliff bank. The ice the minister had landed on was firm and solid with the ground below it as a foundation but the ice Obi-Wan had stepped onto only had the illusion of being deeper than it was. With a sickening crackle and pop, the facsimile ground fell beneath him and he fell headlong into the icy river below.
TBC…
A/N: This is just random garbage and it won't be some long epic. Two maybe three chapters will suffice and I will write be writing this whenever I please.: D But if you liked it, please review, they're very encouraging. More Obi bashing ahead….and emotional fluff, so fret not. :)
Kind Regards,
K.Elessar