Chapter 11

I trashed against Obi-Wan and screamed endlessly in pain, with tears streaking down my cheeks. The pain was unbelievable: it felt as though my insides were trying to jump out of my skin. Correction – it was as though my insides were trying to tear my skin apart. I desperately looked up at Obi-Wan's concerned face.

"Please make it stop!" I cried to him, and all he could do was just try to hold me still against him.

"Ssh, it's OK." He whispered brokenly, "It will all be over soon."

"No-" I wanted to object, but screamed from the pain instead. At some point, Qui-Gon had come rushing in, a group of doctors and a stretcher following. A woman dressed in a doctor's robe, rushed to where Obi-Wan and I were sitting, and try to snatch me away. I hollered in protest, and firmly gripped at the Jedi's robes to prevent from being taken away, but he gently pried my hands off him.

"No! Please!" I begged through screams and tears, as I was taken to the stretcher and forced to lie down on it.

"Obi-Wan, don't leave me!" I called out before I was taken away on the stretcher. As I was taken into a large isolated ward, I kept screaming and my head thrashed from side to side. The pain was ten times worse than when Xanatos had given me those lashes, all those days ago.

A large male doctor then grabbed me roughly and sat me down on a cold, metal table. I kept trying to escape so I could run back into the safety of Obi-Wan's arms, but all the hands coming from various doctors, prevented me from doing so. Whilst some of these people examined me, others had succeeded to remove my shirt and pull onto me another shirt that covered my chest, but left my back exposed. I did not like this one bit. Suddenly, Obi-Wan appeared into my line of sight, and before I could say anything, he captured me in his arms. I relaxed slightly, as he held my trembling form tightly, one arm wrapped firmly around my waist, and the other holding my shoulders against him.

"Obi-Wan? What's happening to me?" I managed to whimper whilst trying to look up at him. As a response, his face came down to level mine, and pressed his right cheek against my right cheek.

"Ssh, it's OK," He repeated, "It will be over soon." He then gently put his chin on top of my head in a protective gesture. I had noticed that he had his eyes closed, and figured that he was probably using the Force to help lessen the pain, which had decreased but I was still in agony.

"Master Kenobi?" A voice came behind me, "Are you coming? The Metamorphosis is about to begin and-"

"I'm not going anywhere," Obi-Wan responded strictly, "The girl needs me here."

"But-" the voice tried to object.

"I told you that I'm not leaving!" The Knight barked, "I have made my decision. Now go!" I heard footsteps fade away and a door hiss shut. Obi-Wan leaned down and placed a faint kiss on my forehead.

"Don't be frightened, little one," He reassured, "This will all end soon." I nodded quietly against him. And with a final long, loud scream, my skin tore open and I sagged into the Jedi's arms before falling unconscious.


Harsh light. People shouting. Warm hand. I started to try to reconstruct my surroundings with all of my senses except for my sight, since the lights seemed harsh and intrusive to me. I figured that I was lying on my side, and that my back ached dully, yet it somehow felt heavier in a strange way.

There were people chatting quietly somewhere, but it seemed to me as though they were shouting to my overly sensitive ears. However, the warm hand that was gently stroking my cheek was not unpleasant. On the contrary, it chased away a lot of the pain in my head. That hand suddenly stopped, and I whimpered slightly in protest.

"Ssh, it's all over now, little one." I recognised Obi-Wan's voice coming softly, "You need to get some rest." His hand placed itself over my eyes, blocking out the harsh light, and that was all I needed to fall back into a deep slumber.


The next time I woke up, the lights were dim and no one was around. I slowly stretched my arms out, and was so glad to find that neither my back nor my head were in pain. With a soft sigh, I settled myself into the warm and comfortable bed, bringing the covers up to my nose. I sneezed when something tickled my nose, and looked down to see a white feathery mass lying on top of me. I frowned. What the…? I slowly sat up and yelped when the mass smoothly followed my movement. One of my hands snaked around my bare back to confirm my suspicions and I gasped audibly. I had grown wings. I then heard a loud chuckle coming from behind one of the curtains that sheltered my bed.

"I see that you have finally woken up," Obi-Wan's amused voice commented. Moments later, he stepped into the small "room" with a large grin. However, as soon as he saw me, his smile was wiped off and his cheeks began to redden slightly. He shut his eyes and clasped a hand in front of them.

"I'd cover myself if I where you." He managed to mutter, his skin flushing even more. Confused, I looked down at myself and with a startled cry I found out that my chest was totally and utterly bare!! My wings swiftly wrapped themselves around my torso, before I could do anything, and I blushed.

"Can I open my eyes now?" He asked wearily, his skin was now red.

"Yes," I managed to say. I was just as embarrassed as he was, and I buried my flushed face into my wings. He smiled lightly at this.

"I see that you have acquainted yourself with your new friends." He commented, whilst coming forth to gently stoke at the top of my left wing, "They are truly beautiful." He regarded me with a sad smile, and I now knew that what we were going to talk about was serious.

"Obi-Wan?" I probed gently "Is there something I should know?" He gave a small grin.

"Yes, a few things you should know, actually," He murmured. "And I think that I owe you an apology for not being completely honest with you." I smiled lightly.

"It's alright, you were doing it for a good reason." I accepted his apology. He then pulled a chair from outside and set it next to my bed.

"I think it's time that you and I had a little chat," He began as he made himself comfortable on the chair, before he revealed to me all that I had to know.