"My daughter, I have not forgotten the tragedies you have suffered. I simply cannot bear the thought of harm coming to you. As my apprentice, Maul can be replaced. You, on the other hand, cannot be," As usual, my father was far too good at defusing my anger.
My shoulders fell and I walked a few steps away, my back now facing him. The adrenaline hadn't quite worn off. I rubbed my arms and paced.
"Sit," My father steered me to a chair and, reluctantly, I sat.
"These people will not drive us from our home. Maul's strength will be restored by morning and from that point, until this matter is resolved, he is not to leave your side," I propped my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands. This wasn't the way I had hoped to spend more time with Maul.
"Erith," My father crouched in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "You will be protected and we will have revenge. This path will not be easy and you may have to do things that frighten you in order to remain safe. Maul may have failed once, but I do not believe it will happen a second time. You must do whatever he asks of you," I nodded with a defeated sigh.
"Now come," He took my hand and lifted me to my feet. I hesitated and slid my gaze over to Maul. His face was contorted and a droid was inserting an IV into his arm.
"I should stay," I insisted without bothering to veil the concern in my voice.
"I am sure he would benefit from your company," My father said with a soft smile. "I will have your meals and books sent to you, and guards will be posted at the door," He pecked me on the cheek before leaving me alone with Maul and the droid.
"I do hope you realize your presence is of no benefit to Master Maul's health," The droid stated as I pulled a chair up to the bed.
"Perhaps," I pulled my knees up to my chest and watched Maul sleep. He looked very different than he had when I found him earlier. His mouth was slightly agape and his face twitched and contorted. It looked like he was in pain or having a nightmare.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, replaying the attack with a clearer mind. The fall had actually been more painful than I realized. My hip felt bruised and my arm ached. The full weight of the fact that I literally had someone willing to take shots for me sunk in. I reopened my eyes and reached out a hand, touching it gently to Maul's cheek. A muscle twitched under my fingers and his face suddenly fell into serenity. I knew then that I had made the right choice by staying.
I spent the rest of the day reading and watching every time Maul moved. He never remained settled for long. He tossed and turned and twitched and groaned. When his arm lifted I decided to focus on him for more than a second. He reached for his chest, fingers splayed. He patted his chest, grimaced, and then drew his fingers in, scraping his nails across his skin. I reached out to stop him and placed his hand back at his side.
Just as I started to move away his fingers tightened around my hand. I froze, looking from our hands to his face. He groaned and his head tilted in my direction. I took his hand in both of mine and leaned my elbows on the edge of the bed. I examined and traced the markings across his fingers until my mind was elsewhere.
I must have been so far from the room that I fell asleep without even realizing. My own knuckles were pressed uncomfortably into the side of my face. I lifted my hea up just a bit and rubbed my sore cheek. I realized then that I'd been holding something. The days previous events came rushing back and I turned to check on Maul.
"You have no obligation to remain here," Maul was wide awake, his eyes boring into me.
"You saved me again," I sat up, stretching my stiff back and rubbing my tired eyes.
"It is my duty to preserve your life," His voice sounded pleasantly rough. He turned his head away from me and lifted his arm, examining the IV.
I groaned at his dismissive attitude and leaned back in my chair. "Why can't you accept my kindness?" Getting through to him was much more exhausting than I'd expected, though I did have a feeling it was my own fault.