Neville's Guardian by Sharpe34
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Chapter 11: Of such dreams:
Dae hissed softly as Rika tore his tunic, exposing the long gash on his side. His ribs were chipped, but the lung wasn't touched. Rika carefully removed bone chips, metal fragment, and threads from his clothing. She made soft angry sounds, as she cleaned the wound. She pondered a Kolto pack, and actually had it in her hand when Dae stopped her, and pointed to the suture kit. She cleaned the wound with a mild antiseptic, then started stitching. Headmaster Dumbledore watched impassively and waited as the worst of Dae's wounds were tended.
"That mirror, it shows one's heart's desire?" Dae asked.
Dumbledore nodded. "It's a dangerous, artifact. Men and women have often fallen prey to it's influence, starved to death gazing into it. Lost all will to strive for what they saw. It fell to me over a decade ago, and I've tried to keep it safe, but like any cursed item, it draws victims to it." He fell silent for a moment, and poured three mugs of mulled cider spiced with wine. He moved to the couple and set two mugs beside them. Soft "thank you's" from the both of them.
"Please, I know part of your story, but, the vision it showed you... it doesn't exactly match with the story you've told me." He paused, and looked slightly uncomfortable. "I need to know if I've once again embraced a viper. It looked to me as if you wish to rule over a Galaxy spanning Empire. I'll be blunt, I'm afraid you're using my students as a power base. A core of loyal, fanatical, followers in your war of conquest in your Empire."
Dae hissed in pain as another stitch was pulled tight. "No," he gasped softly, "as you said, it's my heart's desire, and I am no starry-eyed dreamer. I'm not sure how to explain it all to you, so I guess I'll have to start from the beginning." Dae leaned back and Rika cut open his pants, she glared at Dae.
"There's tendon damage here, I'm using a pack, like it or not." She slapped a green pack over the oozing wound and dared Dae to try to stop her. It frightened her more that he didn't, than his usual temper tantrum ever could. She started pumping tons of drugs into his arm to fight infections.
Dae wondered where to start exactly, and figured, 'flark it.' "I was born on Dromund Kass. It's the capital world of the Empire. My family was poor, badly positioned, and I was sold into slavery at the age of eight. I spent years cleaning gutters, and crawling through ventilation shafts to clean them. Not a great way to grow up, but I did it. There's been a simmering war between the Sith Empire and the Republic for years. Sometimes cold, sometimes hot, but it's been going on for years. When I was 12, the war went hot. The losses were so high on both sides... everybody did the same thing. Anybody with even a trace of Force sensitivity was shipped off to learn how to use it."
He took a sip of wine and stroked Rika's cheek, she curled up at his feet and started to gently wrap his thigh with bandages. "I was genetically marked as 'Force Sensitive' ...so the Empire ordered me to Korriban." He shook his head. "The Sith have a caste system, and slaves are used for target practice, sword practice, or just fed to beasts. I was lucky. I had a knack for fighting, and at 13 years old, I was larger than a lot of the other acolytes." He smiled at the memory. "Long story short, after a few years training, I found Rika, was sent off-world to fight for a Lord of the Sith, and we made a good pair. Love, can I?" Rika nodded and started cleaning up the mess of medical supplies.
"Rika is from a heavy gravity world, almost 2G. That's why she's so agile and tough. They sent her to the slave pens as a pleasure slave. That didn't work out, and she was sent to Korriban as beast food. We've been together ever since." He stroked her face and she smiled, kissing his filthy palm.
Dumbledore could always see the affection behind the pair's playful teasing, but this, this was so dangerous. He knew they would kill anyone for the other. No one could stand between them and survive. No oath, nothing... they would commit horrors for the other, and it chilled his blood.
Dae looked at the old man and nodded, somehow reading either his face, body language or mind.
'Or he was just that intuitive,' thought Dumbledore. Rika was a creature of controlled appetites, but could be reasoned with. This man, who raised himself from a slave to an Imperial Assassin, and the top of a closed social structure... Dumbledore shivered again. Dae would do anything. "So you escaped your Masters, and..."
Dae nodded, feeling his wounds dragging at his mind. "We fought the Emperor Reborn, an old legendary Jedi, hundreds of battles, you don't have a frame of reference for Galactic war. It's something that sounds so simple, but it truly isn't. Then about a year ago, after we dealt with the Jedi, a new force entered the picture, and decimated a couple of fringe worlds. They weren't just conquered, they were destroyed. Jedi, Sith, criminal cartels, civilians, everything that could carry a sword or blaster was murdered."
Dae shifted in his chair and Rika gently straightened his leg to point outwards. "We were out, Rika and I. We had some companions, but we were out of it, we've done enough. Darth Marr called me back in, used a favor I owed him to get me back into the fight. You know how that ended up." Dae pointed to the floor. "That thing down there, it shows your heart's desire, but it's also a liar. Jedi will never follow a Sith leader, and the Eternal Empire, they'll never swear allegiance to an outsider. And the woman, that's Satele Shan. The Jedi master who leads the order. We have a working relationship, but given half a chance, I think it would be a race to see who would gut the other first."
Dumbledore considered the information and made a decision. "Well enough, I'm sure you're not a viper, my friend." He paused for a few seconds, deep in thought. "I will have to have the mirror moved you understand. It's not an insult to you, but it has a siren's call few can resist."
Dae laughed and shook his head. "Personally, I'd like to smash it to a million pieces and melt it to slag, but go for it, if that's your plan." He drank deeply then shot a glare at Rika.
"You need your sleep, and a mild sedative will be good for you. I'll take the classes for the next few days."
Dae sighed and looked at the older man. "I have just a couple of questions. Are trolls ever smart?" Dumbledore shook his head no. "Do they do tribal tattoos? Two of them had a dagger and skull symbol, on their foreheads I know for sure, not too sure about the rest. How about yours?"
Dumbledore went pale, his hand shook ever so slightly. "Are you certain about the tattoos? Most of the heads were rather badly damaged, and we didn't see any sign of such a thing. The troll Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley took out had no such marking on it."
Dae was setting his mug aside then stopped. He grinned evilly. "Wait, wait, wait, the troll was taken out by three first years?"
Dumbledore had a war going on for control over his face. Finally pride won out. "Why yes indeed, three members of the Gryffindor house bested a troll in combat." He tried not to sound smug, but failed.
Dae struggled to his feet, and leaned heavily on a cane Rika found somewhere. He laughed giddily and pondered slamming it to the ground and calling forth the God Thor. Damn he was stoned. Luckily since it was a holiday evening Sybill would be toking up the good stuff. Thank the gods for bad ventilation.
"Final thing Headmaster, fire Quirrell, that ass said "troll" when there were six. Also he didn't even pop up a ward to try to keep them in the dungeons. And the last troll said to me, 'Little teacher, you dare intervene? Know now, you are marked, and your death shall be painful!', it kinda messed with my head a little."
Both men stared at each other, each knowing the other was keeping more to himself than the other suspected.
"I'll take it under advisement," said Dumbledore softly.
.§..§.
Rika helped Dae to their rooms, and they sank onto the oversized futon they used as a bed, and she stripped him bare. "Oh damn, I'm going to need new sheets now. You're bleeding all over my nice cotton ones. Looks like you're going to Hogsmead to get me some with the older members of the dozen this weekend. Rowena needs your advice on some school problems and wants to do it off campus."
Dae moaned. "Why'd it have to be Snakes?"
Coming soon, Chapter 12: Honest, it's a roll of quarters.