New elements for both the Enchanted and Normal Realm. Enjoy!
A hay wagon being pulled by horses was trotting down a dirt road.
In the coachmen's seat was Kanan and Hera, who was holding the horse's reins. In the back of the cart, stacks of boxes were set up neatly with Sabine sitting in the midst of the pile, to make sure that no one would steal from them. Alongside the wagon, Zeb was on a separate horse but still close to his friends.
As they were moving down the road, Kanan and Hera were discussing their newest mission.
"So according to our intel, the Empire is planning on executing an entire village for not giving away our location,"
"Then we need to get them out of this kingdom as soon as possible," Kanan replied
"It's not that easy, love," Hera said shaking her head, "The Empire has already captured everyone, and sent them to the dungeon,"
Kanan sighed and processed the information, "Well how long do we have until the execution?"
"About three days at the most, probably sooner,"
As Kanan was trying to form a plan, Zeb came along aside them,
"Hate to interrupt but we have a problem," the older man said then pointed ahead in the road.
Hera and Kanan both turned forward and saw that their path was blocked by a large fallen tree. Hera quickly pulled the horses to a halt. Sabine turned away from her former position and move towards the front end of the cart, "What's going on?"
"Just a fallen tree," Kanan said as he leaped down from the wagon, "Zeb, can I get some help, please?"
Silently complaining, the man slid off the horse and followed Kanan towards the tree.
Everyone was unaware of the figure watching the scene from a tree above them.
Kanan pulled back on his long sleeves as Zeb cracked his knuckles, both preparing to move the tree.
As Hera and Sabine watched the two, the figure from the tree jumped down and landed skillfully on the ground just a few feet away from the cart.
The thief had a hood pulled low over his head to conceal his identity, and he silently crept closer to the cart.
When neither mother or daughter acknowledged his presence, the thief began to search through all of their boxes. Pulling out apples, jewelry, and gold coins he stuffed them all into his satchel.
Just a few feet away from the unacknowledged robbery, Kanan had spotted something unusual about the end of the tree. Running his hand over the strange markings, Kanan realized that they were from a blade. The tree didn't fall by nature, it fell by force.
Zeb noticed the panicked look on his friend's face, "Something wrong, mate?"
"Look at these markings," Kanan explained as he examined his surroundings, "This tree didn't fall, it was cut down," Zeb still seemed confused as Kanan turned towards the cart, "It's an ambush!"
The thief pulled a small leather pouch from a wooden chest, it was then that Sabine turned around and saw him stuff the pouch in his satchel, "Hey!"
Startled, the thief pulled yellow dust from his pocket and blew it into the girls face, causing her to fall asleep.
Hera turned around just in time to catch Sabine before she fell to the ground, and to see the thief jump out of the cart, "Stop! Thief!"
The cloaked figure ignored her as he tried to escape but was forced to a stop when he spotted Zeb and Kanan charging towards him.
Completely surrounded, the thief quickly jumped onto the horse Zeb once was riding, digging his heel into the horse's side, the thief rode as far away from the group as possible.
Zeb snarled as he stared at the disappearing figure, he was tempted to chase after him but he couldn't.
Kanan climbed into the back of the wagon to check how much the thief had stolen. Hera held her daughter in her arms as she checked her heartbeat and breathing.
"She will be alright," the mother sighed in relief, "This magic lasts only a few hours. How much did he take?"
Kanan didn't respond as he picked up a small and discarded box, the man's eyes widened when he saw it was empty. He stuck his hand inside the box in hopes he had just overlooked something but the box was empty. Horror filled his teal eyes, "No, NO!" Kanan yelled and shoved the box away.
"Kanan?" Hera asked but he didn't respond and instead glared down the path where the thief had gone, "Kanan, what's wrong?"
"He stole it," Kanan seethed and jumped down from the wagon.
"Stole what?" Hera called after him but Kanan ignored her and quickly unattached one of the horses from the cart before climbing onto it and racing down the path the thief had disappeared on.
Tearing down the path at lightning speed, it wasn't long before Kanan caught up to the thief. The man urged the horse to go faster so the two were riding side-by-side.
The thief's cloaked head turned to face him before facing forward trying to outrun his chaser.
Refusing to let him escape, Kanan leaned over, grabbed the thief around his waist and dragging him to the ground.
Both fell gracelessly onto the dirt as the horses pulled themselves to a stop.
Kanan recovered quicker and pinned the thief on his back before he could escape.
"Coward! Face me like a man," Kanan growled as he pulled on the thief's hood with his fist raised in a striking position but froze up when he saw who was under the hood.
A boy with tan skin, blue eyes, and hair. A teenager.
"You-you're just a kid," Kanan exclaimed in surprise.
"Hey, I'm going to be fifteen soon!" the young thief spat out.
Kanan had still been in shock with his age that he didn't notice the feet that were coiling beneath him before he was kicked away from the boy. By the time Kanan had pulled himself off the ground, the kid had gotten back on his horse.
"Have a good one!" he yelled with a mocking wave
"You can't hide from me!" Kanan yelled at him, "Whoever you are, wherever you go I will find you!"
The thief turned around and flashed him a smirk before turning back around and disappearing into the forest. Kanan growled as he turned back down the path that would lead to his family.
One way or another, he was going to find this kid.
Another day had begun in Lothal and was quickly coming to an end.
The sky above was beginning to turn a dark blue as nighttime began to near.
Near the edge of town, a car was driving down the night road towards the city cemetery. The car came to a stop in front of the large black gate and Officer Jarrus stepped out with a rose in hand.
Kanan had a normal and difficult day especially with the drama from the Mayor but he still wanted to visit his mother's grave.
"Sorry I'm late, Mom," the officer said as he stopped in front of a grave. Written on the stone was:
Depa Billaba
A Friend, A Mother, A Protector
Forever Remembered
"I almost didn't make it but I had to see you again," Kanan knelt in front of the grave and twiddled the rose around in his hand.
The moon began to rise as Kanan talked about what was on his mind.
"God, things have been difficult without you, everyone acts like they care but I don't need their sympathy." The officer paused for a moment before whispering," I just wish that I wasn't alone,"
Planting a gentle kiss on the rose Kanan gently laid it on the ground against the stone.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew through the air. The officer looked up at the sky and saw the leaves on a nearby branch shake from the wind.
The grown man raised an eyebrow in confusion but thought nothing of it, turning back towards his mother's grave.
Meanwhile, in Lothal hospital, a young nurse entered the room for her daily round around the hospital rooms. Same as every day.
As she walked towards the equipment attached to the patient, the nurse didn't even glance at the comatose boy as she passed by the bed.
The young woman jotted notes of his condition onto a clipboard when just outside the window, the leaves on a tree outside began to shake from a small breeze.
The nurse thought nothing of it as she continued writing. Without her noticing, the boy's finger gave a small twitch before his whole hand closed into a fist.
The closed hand traveled up the still body towards the slowly rising chest. The fingers began searching his own chest area as if they were trying to find something but was meet with nothing but the cloth of the hospital shirt.
With his eyes remaining shut, the patients head tilted slightly to the side and a small moan came from his mouth.
The nurse was interrupted from her notes when the machine on the boy's brain activity began to slowly spike. Meanwhile, the hand on the boy's chest reached towards his face and began struggling to remove the breathing mask from his face.
As every machine began beeping rapidly, the nurse spun around towards the patient and screamed in terror.
In a hidden hideout, the young thief was packing away all his belongings into a satchel.
After packing every last of his little belongings, the thief strapped the satchel shut and secured the strap around him.
On a low-hanging branch in front of the boy, there was a silver chain with a locket that was no bigger than a quarter. The young thief gently plucked the necklace from the branch and secured it around his neck.
Holding onto the strap of his bag, the boy pulled his hood over his head and crawled out of his hideout, a fallen hollow tree trunk that also served as his home.
After a silent goodbye to the fallen tree, the cloaked boy began to walk away.
However, he only walked a short distance, when suddenly the ground lifted him high into the air, he let out a small scream as he realized he was caught in a net.
He walked right into a trap!
The young thief began to thrash around trying to free himself when the sound of someone laughing filled the air.
Looking around he saw the man he robbed yesterday walk out from behind a tree. The thief growled at his amused face.
"I told you I'd find you," Kanan said stopping just a few feet from where the boy was dangling in the air "No matter what you do, I will always find you."
"Is this the only way a guy like you gets friends? Catching them in a net?" the thief asked, half joking and half serious.
Kanan responded with a small shrug, "It's the only way to catch a street rat,"
"Well, you're quite a prince, aren't you?" the thief scoffed, his eyes flashing with anger at the nickname, "Now, how about you be a real prince and turn me loose?"
"I'll release you only after you return the leather pouch you stole from me."
"Leather pouch?" the thief said sarcastically pretending to think about it before shaking his head, "Sorry, I can't seem to recall a leather pouch,"
"Inside the bag were jewels that belong to me and my family. Now, where are they?"
"I sold them."
"What?!" Kanan said, anger rising in his voice. The thief's amusement was quickly replaced with annoyance.
"What do you care? Don't you people have like dozens of other jewels?"
"Among those jewels was an amulet that was given to me by my mother and-"
"She died a few years back and that's all you have left to remember her by?" the thief said with a knowing smirk.
Hurt filled Kanan's eyes before quickly replaced with anger, "That is none of your business, now this is what's going to happen,"
"Okay?" whether the thief was really going to listen or not, Kanan didn't know.
"I'm going to cut you down, you are going to take me to whoever has those jewels, and then you're going to get my amulet back."
The thief just smirked, "Okay Mr, I'm going to explain this in a way that even you will understand it," Kanan's annoyance towards the boy continued to grow, "I don't help people, so why in the ever-loving realm made you think I would ever help you?"
Kanan smirked before sighing and shaking his head, "Nothing,"
The thief smirked in victory but it was short lived.
"Well, there was one thing that I thought might persuade you," With a smirk, Kanan reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, "Just a little thing called: The Empire,"
The boy's blue eyes widened as the paper was revealed to be a wanted poster, his wanted poster! Underneath the detailed sketch of the boy, was a list of all his crimes and a name.
Crimes Against the Empire:
Thievery
Treachery
EZRA BRIDGER
Ezra narrowed his blue eyes at the man, "You must really be desperate, threatening a child," he hissed
"You stole something from me that I care very deeply about and endangered the safety of my fam… of a member of my crew. So you have made me very desperate," Kanan seethed quickly that his slip up went unnoticed.
"Now, help me get my amulet back or I'll turn you over to Imperial forces,"
Ezra was surprised by his small speech before groaning loudly, "Fine, whatever you say, Sir,"
Kanan smirked as he put away the poster. In a fluid motion, he unsheathed a sword hanging from his hip and sliced the rope.
Ezra fell to the ground with a small yelp. He landed on the ground with a thump, causing Kanan to laugh again Ezra growled at him before standing up. Kanan made a 'follow me' motion and the two walked away.
The doctors and nurses at Lothals hospital had been trained for pretty much anything, but a teenage boy waking up after years of being in a coma suddenly waking up was not something they were prepared for.
Dr. Sumar was going through the notes the nurse had brought to him, trying to figure out how and why the boy had woken up now.
Just then, Officer Jarrus walked into his office. There were bags beneath his teal eyes, showing that he he did not receive enough sleep.
"Dr. Sumar, I came as soon as I could," the man said as he stepped in, "The call seemed urgent, what's going on?"
The doctor closed the file and released a loud sigh, "Officer Jarrus, have you ever heard of The Bridger Case?"
Kanan's eyebrows crinkled in confusion, "No, actually I haven't,"
"Well, for as long as I've been working at this hospital, there was a young boy named Ezra who had been lying in a coma from an assumed car crash that killed his parents,"
Kanan's eyes widened at the story, how long ago was that? He never heard of a car crash that killed two people and gravely injured a child. Who would forget a story that big?
"How- how long has he been asleep?" The officer managed to breathe out.
"Honestly, I don't know," the doctor answered sadly, "But what I do know is that he is waking up possible a dozen years after he had fallen asleep and is about to face the horrible truth that his parents didn't make it,"
Kanan inhaled deeply, remembering the pain of knowing his mother was gone forever. Poor child, the first things he hears after a lifetime worth of napping is that his parents are gone.
And he never got to say goodbye.
Suddenly, a nurse rushed into the room with a frightened expression on her face, "Doctor Sumar, you need to see this. It's the boy,"
Both the doctor and the officer glanced at each other for a second before racing out the room and towards the ICU room.
Both were expecting to see the teen boy crying or screaming in agony from the terrible news, what they weren't expecting was to see an empty bed.
"Where is he?" Dr. Sumar breathed out as he examined the empty room.
"We don't know," the nurse breathed out, "I left the room for a moment to grab something and when I came back he vanished!"
Kanan stepped into the room while Dr. Suman and the nurse rushed off to see if they could spot the boy leaving in their security cameras.
The officer tried to find any clues as to where the boy might have disappeared off to when he spotted a small strip of paper on the ground.
Bending down, the officer saw that it was the hospital's ID bracelet. The boy must have ripped it off before running off.
The bracelet said:
EZRA BRIDGER
DOB: UNKNOWN
Just then Dr. Sumar returned just as Kanan spotted something else that may be considered a clue.
"We didn't spot him anywhere in the cameras," the doctor breathed out, "He must still be somewhere in this room,"
"No, he left alright," Kanan responded and pointed upwards towards the roof. The doctor followed his finger and saw an air vent that had been left open.
"Smart kid," Kanan pointed out
"My God, we need to find that boy now!" Dr. Sumar breathed out
"What's the rush?"
"That boy has been lying asleep for years under constant supervision, feeding tubes, and life support. If we don't bring him back here right away," the doctor paused for a moment before continuing, "He may not make it far,"
A cold dread filled the officer's chest as he realized what the doctor meant. After glancing back down at the ID Bracelet, determination filled the man's eyes.
"Well then, let's get searching, there's not a moment to waste,"
Before the doctor could respond, Kanan rushed out of the room.
One way or another, Kanan was going to find this kid.
"This way," Kanan led Ezra to a small clearing, where the wagon and people he had robbed yesterday was waiting alongside a road.
Needless to say, he was not greeted with warm smiles.
"That's the kid?" Zeb scoffed with disbelief
"Problem?" Ezra asked as he climbed into the wagon and Kanan sat on the coachmen seat alongside Hera.
As soon as Ezra was seated, Zeb shoved him flat down on the wagon.
Ezra landed on his stomach on the wooden floor, he glared up at Zeb who shrugged innocently, "It's not my fault your wanted face is everywhere in these woods,
Ezra growled but stayed on the ground. As he adjusted himself on the ground, his foot bumped against a lumpy pile of blankets ... causing the pile to move!
The blankets fell away to reveal the growling face of a German Shepard.
Ezra stared at the dog with horror, it looked as though it was about to pounce when-
"Chopper, Down!" Hera yelled without having to turn around. Chopper stopped growling and went back under the blankets, but not before sending Ezra another small growl.
"Try anything and we send him after ya," Zeb snarled with a smile.
Ezra didn't know what he was more afraid of at this point: the dog or the fact that these people could turn him in at any time.
"So kid, where's this buyer of yours?" Kanan called from the front
"Raven's Point!" Ezra replied from his position.
With the destination in point, Hera got the horses moving and they were on their way.
Kanan rushed around the hospital trying to find another open air vent to give any form of clue as to where the teen had wandered off too.
Many of the patients and nurses looked at him as though he was crazy but he ignored them all, time was precious.
Dr. Sumar followed behind him, hoping that the boy was still in the building.
It took nearly 15 minutes but finally, the officer spotted an air vent that was left dangling open like in the ICU room.
"There!" Kanan almost shouted in victory, "He must have gone through here,"
Glancing around the room, Kanan confirmed this was where the mysterious "Ezra" had run off too because there were no cameras anywhere in the corridor, so they wouldn't have spotted him
There was a single door at the end of the hall that was left just a crack opened.
"That door, where does that door lead to?"
"The woods," Dr. Sumar answered with a groan, "It's way too massive, even with the entire police force searching through there, we'll never find him in time,"
Kanan hated to admit it but the doctor was right, they wouldn't find the kid so easily
A light bulb went off in Kanan's brain but there was someone who could find his much faster.
All throughout the journey, Zeb made it his job to make this ride miserable for Ezra
Every time they hit even the slightest bump in the road, he would "accidentally" kick Ezra in his side or stomach.
The thief glanced at Sabine for help but she looked away. Ezra glared back up at Zeb, only for him to smirk back down at him.
"You're really enjoying yourself aren't you?" Ezra asked, not expecting or receiving an answer. They were on the smoother road so Zeb left him alone, for now. Ezra occupied himself by fiddling around with his chain.
"Hey kid, what's that?" Sabine spoke up, Ezra grabbed the locket and tucked it beneath his cloak.
"It's none of your concern," he muttered loud enough for them to hear.
Just then, Zeb leaned over and snatched the necklace from Ezra's neck and sat back down before the boy could snatch it back.
"Hey, give it back! It's Mine!" Ezra cried
Zeb dangled it in the air, the sunlight gleaming off of its silver coating, "A locket? This look like it belongs to a little girl. Where did you steal this?"
"I didn't steal it," Ezra seethed before reaching into his cloak and pulled out a small bag, "Give it back or else!"
Zeb laughed at the kids attempt to act tough, "What is that?
"Dust," Ezra responded as he began shaking the tiny pull string bag.
"Dust?" Sabine repeated with a small laugh
"Not just dust, magic dust, dark magic," Ezra responded with a smirk, "It can turn its victim into a form that can easily be squashed,"
"How do we know you won't use it on us?" Zeb asked as he tossed the small locket to the kid.
Ezra caught the locket with one hand and cradled it to his chest like it was precious, "You're not worth it," the boy said as he placed the bag away and secured his locket back on.
After that, there was silence in the cart, which Ezra was happy for.
Further up the road, a bridge standing above a river came into view.
"Hold up a moment, please," Ezra suddenly called out.
Hera pulled the wagon to a stop, everyone watched as Ezra jumped out of the wagon and walked towards the river.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kanan called after him
"I'm thirsty, " Ezra said "If you all the same with you, I'd rather not die of dehydration before arriving at Raven's Point,"
"Fine," Kanan groaned, only to jump off the wagon as well "Just not without someone to keep an eye on you,"
"Aw, you don't trust me?" Ezra teased, earning him a glare that could kill.
The two walked a good three feet away from the wagon before Ezra bent down to scoop some water into his cupped hands and drank it quickly.
Kanan bent down to do the same, he lifted his cupped hand towards his face...
And then Ezra kicked his back, knocking him into the river. The others in the wagon heard the splash and looked over, they saw Kanan falling into the waters and Ezra running off into the woods.
Ezra ran through the mazes of trees trying to get as far away from those people as possible. He knew they would help their friend before chasing after him, so he had a head start. Plus no one knew these woods like he did, he could easily escape.
Ezra turned down a trail and began running away but pulled himself to a stop when he realized he was running straight towards a group of Imperial Knights!
"Well, well, if it isn't the little street rat," the leader said, the other two circled around him, preventing any chances of escape.
Crap! the thief thought as the dark knights grabbed him by his arms.
Ezra grunted he was pinned against the tree, the branches scratching against his face
"Hold him still, boys. I want to enjoy this," the leader said, then Ezra heard the sound of a sword being drawn.
He braced himself for impact, only to be met with a thump on the ground. Looking down he saw the knight on the ground with a knife in his back.
Kanan ran out from behind a tree with his sword drawn. The knights let their captive go before charging towards Kanan with their own swords out
Ezra looked around and saw a riderless horse with a sword in its side pouch. He ran towards it and was about to grab the weapon but he was grabbed from behind by a knight on horseback, he was thrown over the horse like a sack.
Kanan kicked the knight in the gut and he fell to the ground in defeat. Looking up he saw another knight riding away, with Ezra on the horse. He pulled out a small throwing knife and aimed, he threw the knife so it hit the knight on his chest. As the knight fell off the horse, Ezra slipped and fell to the ground as well. The horse just keep running
Ezra pulled himself to his feet, brushing off the dirt from his shirt.
Looking up he saw Kanan walking towards him with concern in his eyes, "You all right?"
Ezra looked at him with disbelief and shock, "You saved me?"
"It was the honorable thing to do,"
Ezra still seemed surprised, "Uh... I'm not that great at saying thank you"
Kanan nodded then stared at him expectantly "But?"
"That was it," Ezra smirked
Just then Hera came running behind the trees, a scared look on her face, "Kanan we just interrogated that guard. The execution, it's happening tonight!"
For Sabine, it was another long and boring shift at her mother's diner.
Right now, the young girl's hands were itching to paint something in her art gallery. All throughout the day, new artwork ideas filled her mind and it was hard to contain herself.
Sabine was refilling a customers cup of coffee when a loud commotion came from the backyard.
"Oh, that dog," Hera muttered under her breath, "Bean, could you go quiet him down,"
"Gladly," the teen muttered under her breath as she rushed from the diner towards the backyard.
Chopper, a German Shepherd dog, was clawing on the fence surrounding the backyard and barking madly as if he was trying to attract attention.
"Chopper, what is it?" The girl scolded as she marched towards the frantic mutt, "You're causing such a racket, you're gonna attract the cops again!"
Chopper ignored her and continued attempting to jump over the fence.
"Quiet down," Sabine tried again, this time grabbing the mutt by his collar and pulled him back.
Chopper whined and tried to pull back to the fence but to no avail, Sabine was much stronger.
As the girl released him, Chopper curled himself on the grass.
"What is wrong with you today?" Sabine muttered to herself as she made her way back into the diner.
Something very odd was happening today.
In the forest surrounding the castle of the Dark Lord, the wagon of rebels pulled up, hidden behind a large rock.
Kanan, Zeb, and Sabine jumped out of the wagon.
Zeb had his wrist bound together by rope and it was obvious that he was uncomfortable with them, "Remind me again why I'm tied up" he growled
"If they're gonna let us in we need them to believe that we're bringing in a prisoner, and no offense but you're the only one who seems to really for that title" Kanan explained
Zeb scowled, and Ezra trudged along behind the three, "Now can you explain why I have to tag along instead of waiting with Hera?" Kanan turned around and glared at him
"After that stunt you pulled, you're not going anywhere unsupervised"
Ezra was about to protest when Hera spoke up, "When you find them, meet me near the spot. I'll have the cart to take them to the docks ready to go,"
Hera then drove away, and the small group made their way to the front gate. When they got there they were confronted by a knight in white. Ezra quickly pulled his hood over his head to avoid being recognized.
"What're you here for?" the knight questioned
"Bounty," Kanan said "We're here to bring this traitor in"
The guard looked at Zeb, he took their excuse for consideration, "All right, I'll take him from here,"
"That's not necessary, we were told to bring him inside by another guard." Sabine protested
"Who told you that?"
While Kanan fumbled for a fake name, Zeb was bored of it, "Oh forget it" He broke off the ropes and punched the guard in his head. Knocking him down to the ground "I knew they wouldn't buy it"
"You didn't exactly give him a chance to buy it," Sabine said
"There's just something about the feel of their helmets on my fist," the man answered with a low chuckle.
Ezra stared down at the guard, that guy fell unconscious after one blow to the head, a heavily guarded head!
"Okay, you two know the plan. Move out" Kanan said and they raced away, Ezra followed behind as the three ran through the long hallways.
What surprised him was how well Kanan knew where everything was. Which hallway would be faster and how many guards would be where at what time
It was like he knew this place by heart.
"We're here," Kanan said breaking him from his thoughts.
Around the corner from the hallway they were currently in, was the door that leads to the dungeon
Ezra came up behind Kanan and whispered, "How do you know where everything is so well?"
Kanan seemed surprised at that question, he hesitated before regaining his stoic expression, "Not a good time for questions kid" he snapped, Ezra rolled his eyes but compiled
There was one lone knight guarding the door, Kanan looked up at Zeb who nodded.
Zeb walked right over and punched the man in his head, once again the man fell immediately unconscious to the ground.
Kanan walked forward and lead the way down the dungeon.
It was a long dark pathway with only a few torches lighting the way. Soon enough they came upon two large cells, holding a large number of people inside.
Ezra's stomach twisted when he saw a young boy crying in what seemed to be his father's embrace.
"Wullffwarro?" Kanan asked among the prisoners.
The man holding the child looked up "Yes?" he said, his voice was incredibly deep
"My name is Kanan Jarrus, we're gonna get you and the villagers out of here" Kanan then turned to Zeb and Sabine "Who's got the key?"
"I thought you had it?" Sabine questioned
"No, one of you two was supposed to grab it from the guard!"
"Well don't worry we'll just-" Zeb was cut off as Ezra pushed past him
"Move over," the kid pulled out a piece of metal from his pocket and used it to pick the lock
After a few seconds, the lock came undone, he pulled open the cell door ignoring the surprised looks from the prisoners and the three.
He began to pick the second lock, Kanan then spoke up, "Where did you learn that?" he whispered
"Not a good time for questions," Ezra responded not looking up, silently smirking as the lock came undone.
"Zeb, take the kid and lead the second group out the right side, me and Sabine will take the front gate,"
Before Ezra could protest being left alone with Zeb, he was grabbed by his hood and dragged down the hallway. He was released when Zeb had to knock out two guards at the door
"Head to the forest, now!" Zeb shouted to the villagers
The villagers quickly ran out the door towards the forest, Ezra was about to follow but was shoved back by Zeb.
Ezra gave him a death glare and was about to shove him in return when someone grabbed his hood and yanked him backward.
"Let go!" he cried, he was held against the chest of a huntsman. Zeb turned around and was about to help but two other knights with crossbows showed up and began firing at Zeb.
"Kid, get out of the way!" Zeb said as he hid behind the door
"I'm trying!" Ezra struggled more but was getting nowhere, regret shot in Zeb's eyes.
"Sorry kid" Ezra looked at Zeb with pleading eyes "You did good,"
Zeb then closed the door and ran into the woods
Ezra stopped thrashing and stared at the door with wide eyes. He left him, they left him behind.
He stuck his neck out for these people and now he was going to pay the price.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Near the twisted tree in the forest, Hera had two cargo wagons for the villagers ready to go to the dock.
Kanan and Sabine had already brought their group, they were all sitting in the first cart.
Zeb's group just arrived and was piling into the cart.
Wullffwarro the village chief, was talking to Kanan and Hera while holding his son in his arms
"I can't thank you enough. If you're ever in trouble just send us a letter," he said
"Of course," Hera replied
Wullffarro smiled and looked down at his son "I told you we'd be fine Kitwarr,"
The young boy hugged his father's neck as the man climbed into the wagon
Kanan and Hera stood there and watched the two wagons disappear down the path
After the wagons were gone, they walked towards their own wagon to wait for Ezra and Zeb
"Now that that's over with we wait on the kid, get our jewels back, bring the kid home and move on with our lives," Kanan said as he sat in the coachmen seat next to Hera
Zeb arrived and sat next to Chopper in the back of the wagon
"The kid did all right," Hera said
"He did okay," Kanan snapped and turned his head around but frowned when he didn't see the kid, "Where is he?" he asked turning to Zeb, who suddenly looked nervous.
"I...uh, thought he was with you"
Hera and Sabine then turned to look at him too, "Zeb, what did you do to him?" Sabine said
"I didn't do anything to him! The royal guards grabbed him" he muttered the last part"
"What?!" the three cried
"The kid got grabbed okay!"
"Garazeb Orrelios!" Hera said clearly mad, how could he leave the kid with the Empire?
"Oh come on! We already know where this buyer is, and we were dumping him after all of this. They'll go easy on him, he's just a kid"
Hera and Kanan looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
0-0-0-0-0
Ezra was sitting on the floor of a cell, tugging his cloak closer to him as he shivered in the cold cell.
A chain connected to the wall was secured tightly around his wrists, preventing him from leaving.
Under other circumstances, the boy would already be long gone but the guards had taken away the piece of metal he had, and his satchel was still on the wagon with the Rebels.
At the sound of a cell door opening, Ezra looked up and saw a huntsman entered his cell carrying a tray of food in his hands.
"Thought you might be hungry," The man said as he set the tray in front of Ezra, which the boy did not acknowledge instead just stared at the man as he spoke.
"My name is Alexsandr Kallus, I am a huntsman for this kingdom,"
"And I should care, why?" Ezra snapped, Kallus stared down at him with cold eyes.
"Your friends, they may have escaped with an entire village but they left you behind? A worthy trade,"
"They are not my friends, I just meet them today!" Ezra said with slight hope that he would be let go, no dice.
"You just meet them and yet you assisted them with such a vital deed?" Kallus laughed, then he kneeled in front of Ezra, "Whether you are friends with them or not, you're going to do us a favor,"
Ezra kicked the tray harshly causing the food to splatter all over Kallus, "I don't care how much food you try to bribe me with, I'm not telling you anything!" he shouted.
Kallus wiped the food from his front as he stood, then looked at Ezra with an amused smirk, "A bribe? Is that what you think this is?" he said with a cold laugh "I just thought a thief would like to get his last meal in,"
Ezra looked confused, then realization slowly hit him as Kallus pulled out his wanted poster.
"We've been after you for a long time now. A worthy trade indeed: the life of a village for the life of a street rat," Kallus then put the poster away and turned around.
As Kallus left the dungeon he turned to the guard and said, "He dies tonight," the knight nodded and Kallus left
Ezra sank to the ground, tugging his clock closer and raising one hand to grab his locket in comfort.
If didn't come up with something soon, he was going to die.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Back in the forest, the rebels were discussing their current situation.
"No no no, No way! You cannot be serious!" Zeb cried
"It's our fault he was there!" Hera argued
"Come on Hera! We just meet this kid, we're not going back for him!"
Zeb turned to Sabine for help, she turned away from him and said quietly, "They'll be waiting for us, we can't save him"
Hera was saddened at how they were unwilling to help him but she also knew it was not possible.
Chopper came up beside her and gave a bark. To the others, it meant nothing but Hera smiled
"What? What did he say?" Zeb demanded
"He voted with me, that's two against two. Kanan, you have the deciding vote"
Kanan looked down at the ground then back up as he made his decision.
Hera was finishing up a customer's order when Kanan suddenly came rushing into the diner. The woman sighed clearly aggravated, "Look, is this is about Chopper, I'm really not in the mood,"
"It's not about that," Kanan breathed out, "O need his help to find somebody,"
Hera's eyebrows crinkled in confusion, "Find someone? Who?"
"A boy from the hospital," Kanan quickly spat out, "He ran away into the woods and we need to find him. He's in a very critical condition. If we don't find him right away-"
Hera understood right away, "Oh my- Yes, of course. This way!"
Kanan was dragged by his arm to the backyard, to Chopper.
Sabine heard what was happening and began uniting her apron, "Sorry folks, we're closing early today. Please come back tomorrow,"
Ignoring the groans and protests, the teen followed the adults to the back of the diner.
Kanan pulled the hospital name tag from his pocket and held it in front of Chopper, "Okay, boy. Do your thing,"
Chopper gave the paper bracelet a quick sniff before bouncing onto all fours and rushed towards the fence howling
"By that bark, I'd say He's got the Scent!" Sabine cried out excitedly as she rushed ahead to unlock the fence.
"Oh, I hope the kid's okay," Hera said as she placed her hands over her heart in worry.
"If we don't find this kid soon, okay will become an understatement!"
Hera nodded and both the adults raced after Chopper.
Deep in the woods, the boy from the hospital was walking aimlessly through the woods.
His eyes were still closed, his arms hung limply by his side, and his face held no expressions.
It was as if he was sleep-walking.
The boy came to a sudden stop in front of a large hollow tree trunk that was covered in moss and dirt.
Inside the castle, the rebels were running through the hallways trying to find their way to the dungeon.
They stopped at a hallway, Zeb turned away from the group and went to a nearby window.
"Find Ezra, I'll hold off any guards," Hera said
"Found him," Zeb said from where he stood. The three went over to him with confused expressions and looked out the window.
In the large courtyard, a few Imperial knights were lined up in front of a wooden stake that was surrounded by hay.
Kallus stood in front of the stake with his hands held behind his back as two knights tied Ezra up to the stake.
Horror filled the rebels expressions as they realized what was about to happen.
"My God, we have to get down there before it's too late!" Hera gasped
"I don't think we can," Kanan replied without looking away, even as guilt grew in his eyes. He hadn't meant for this to happen.
What threw everyone off was how calm Ezra looked, there was not a trace of fear or sadness on his face.
A knight placed a bag over his head before stepping down from the stake.
"My God," Hera whispered, and Kanan wrapped his arms around her.
With a nod from Kallus, a knight struck a match and threw it into the hay. A large fire erupted all over the hat and the stake.
The group stood there and watched helplessly as Ezra disappear into the flames.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Deep in the woods, the rebels decided to camp for the night.
Kanan was lighting a fire as Sabine and Zeb were grabbing supplies the stuff from the wagon.
Guilt was painted on all of their faces.
Chopper had his head resting on Hera's lap as she sat in front of the fire. There was more guilt on her face than anyone in the group.
Besides Kanan, who blamed himself. He threatened the kid into doing what he wanted even though he didn't actually mean it. But it didn't matter, the kid paid the price because he lost himself to his emotions and dragged a child into the Empire's path of wrath.
Kanan sighed and sat back once the fire was starting to grow. A firefly appeared and began flying around his head.
The man swatted it away as he looked over at Hera, her face hadn't changed since they returned.
Shooting the bug away again, Kanan moved to sit next to her, "There was nothing we could do, Hera," he said softly.
"Kanan, a kid died today because of us," Hera said
Kanan sighed, he tried to think of something to say but his thoughts kept getting interrupted by the firefly.
"Hera, we tried to help him. We just. . . didn't get there in time" Kanan grunted as he swatted the firefly away again
"His parents are going to be devastated," Hera said in a soft voice " and it's all our fault"
Kanan placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
For a moment all was quiet until Kanan stood up and again swatted at the firefly.
"Are you okay, love?" Hera asked
"Yeah ...grr. Just an annoying insect" he said as the firefly flew away from him and landed on Hera's shoulder, "Stay still,"
Kanan picked up a stick, ready to squish the bug...
"Wait!" Sabine yelled out, she ran over and stood in between Kanan and the firefly still resting on Hera, "Don't harm it"
Kanan looked at her confused before she began explaining, "When we were in the cart earlier, the kid said he had fairy dust. Said that it could turn its victim into a form that could easily be squashed,"
"A bug!" Hera finished for her as she took the firefly into her hands and stood up.
"You think the kid turned himself into that?" Zeb asked as he walked over to the group who was looking down at the bug.
"Well, if he timed it right, he could have escaped the fire unharmed, faked his death, and then flown away," Kanan realized and dropped the stick he was holding.
The kid/fireflies glow began to appear more erratic as it caught sight of Zeb and it buzzed angrily.
"Yeah, that's him," Zeb said as the bug buzzed at him, "How do we bring him back?"
The buzzing slowed to a calmer manner as it turned towards the starry night sky.
"I think he's trying to say something," Sabine said
"He's calling for me" a female voice spoke up from behind the group
They all turned around to see a small beautiful fairy in a light blue dress fly towards them. (1)
"A fairy?" Zeb asked with a raised eyebrow
"Yes, and I can bring back the boy," the fairy said as she waved her wand.
There was a bright flash and the rebels took a step back. Once the light had faded standing in front of them was the kid.
Ezra turned and smiled at the fairy, "Thanks, Nubia," he said with a smile
"You're welcome, little one," Nubia said with a smile, "Stay out of trouble,"
With a blink of an eye, she was gone.
Ezra stared at the place where she disappeared when he felt someone punch his arm, "OW!" he shouted, turning to see Sabine standing next to him "What was that for?"
"For scaring the living daylights out of us!" she yelled back
Ezra rubbed his arm before smirking, "That reminds me,"
He quickly spun around and kicked Zeb in his shin. Zeb cried out in pain and hopped on one foot, cradling his throbbing leg, "What're you? Crazy?!" He screeched
"That was for ditching me!" Ezra yelled with no remorse
Chopper came up next to him growled at the boy. His angry melted into shock as he looked up at the group, "You all went back for me?
"How did you know that?" Hera said with an arched eyebrow.
"Chopper just told me," he said, uncomfortable with surprised looks he was receiving "What? I can understand animals, big deal!"
"Big deal? That's awesome" Sabine exclaimed
"Whatever, it's nothing" Ezra mumbled, "Shouldn't we be getting back on the road?"
"What?" Hera asked
"You want your jewels back right?" the group stared at the boy with disbelief
"Kid, you just escaped death and went through two transformations, shouldn't you rest?" Sabine said
"I'll be fine," Ezra insisted even though his eyes told a different story, "We should keep moving,"
"No! This has gone on far enough, we're taking you home," Hera said
"I'll go home on my own when I'm ready!"
"It is getting late," Kanan said looking at the rising moon, "We'll go to Raven's Point tomorrow,"
Ezra looked as though he wanted to protested instead he groaned loudly and walked in the direction of the wagon.
The group watched him walk away before following after him
0-0-0-0-0
A few hours had passed, the moon stood above the forest casting a pale light over the darkness.
In the clearing of the forest, the rebels were lying on the ground with blankets separating them from the dirt ground.
Among the sleeping group, Ezra was sitting up and staring at the moon lost in thought.
After a while, he looked down and grabbed his necklace. Carefully prying open the locket, Ezra stared longingly at the small cursive writing inside the locket.
As constant as the stars above, always know that you are loved.
"You okay, kid?"
Startled, Ezra snapped the locket shut and held it against his chest as he spun around.
Hera was sitting up from where she was sleeping, looking at him with concern. Ezra wasn't sure if she saw his locket or not.
"Yeah, I'm fine. A fire surrounding you is just your average near-death experience to keep you up at night," he responded with a sad chuckle.
Hera looked pained at his statement but shook it off as she sat up, "Well, tomorrow we're gonna bring you home, I'm sure your parents must be worried sick,"
Ezra's mood darkened as he turned away from her, he pulled his hood up as if trying to hide, "I don't have parents" he mumbled but the woman heard.
To say Hera was shocked was an understatement, this boy didn't have anyone? A realization suddenly came to her, "When you were stealing from us, you were just trying to survive,"
"That's half true. I'm trying to get enough money to secure passage on a ship to take me away from this land. Somewhere they don't know my name, where I can start a new life, preferably somewhere isolated,"
"That sounds kind of lonely,"
"Yeah well, it's better than being hunted down by people who want me dead or to use me,"
Hera sat up and placed a hand on his shoulder, she felt him tense up but he didn't shrug her away, "Kid, none of my business but what did you do that put you on the Empire's blacklist?"
Ezra hesitated before sighing and turned to face her, "It's not entirely about what I did, it's more about what my parents did. Like you guys, they stood against the Empire. They became a Voice of Hope for those who needed it. When I was seven the Empire found them and took them away, my parents hid me so I wasn't taken as well. I was young so I waited weeks for them to come back, but I learned the truth. I was too late, the Empire... executed them." Hera was shocked and saddened but she let him continued, "Somehow the Empire found out about me, and they've been after me ever since."
"They think you'll be the new Voice of Hope," Hera finished with a soft.
"Pretty much," Ezra said, "but it's not your problem"
Hera watched as the boy laid on the ground to fall asleep.
She sighed, tomorrow she was going to have to talk to Kanan.
Chopper lead the group further and further into the forest.
The setting sun was a reminder to Kanan that he was running out of time and so was the boy.
"Who is this kid anyway?" Sabine called out as she followed behind Chopper
"I actually don't know," Kanan responded, "Apparently, he's been in a coma for years after a horrific car accident,"
"How has nobody ever heard of him?" Sabine called out again before she and Chopper disappeared behind a large tree.
Kanan was about to answer but he had no answer, he was wondering the same thing when Dr. Sumar told him the story in his office.
"Kanan," Hera said in a panicked tone, she was kneeling close to the ground staring at something in horror.
Kanan knelt down next to the woman and gasped at what he saw.
A small piece of grass had blood trickling down towards the ground forming a small puddle into the dirt.
"He's running out of time," Kanan realized as he pulled himself and Hera back up.
Suddenly, Sabine's screamed in terror.
"Bean!" the mother cried out as she ran towards the noise followed by Kanan. Choppers barking lead them to the area.
Sabine stood frozen and her chest was heaving as she stared horrified at the young boy who laid still on the ground of the forest.
"Oh my God!" Kanan exclaimed as he knelt next to the kid. His skin was pale, and there was a cut on his shoulder that was bleeding out.
Hera pulled her daughter into a hug and turned her away from the scene.
The officer gently pulled the boy into a sitting position and had the kid's upper body lean against his chest. Kanan patted the boy's cheek gently as if he was simply sleeping.
"Kid? Kid! Wake up!" Kanan's calm manner faded as he began shaking the limp and cold body.
In a panic, Kanan laid the boy flat in his back and began performing CPR.
"Don't watch," Hera muttered into her daughter's ear as Kanan began pushing down on the boy's chest.
"Come on, kid," Kanan grunted as he pressed down rhythmically but nothing happened, "Come on, Ezra!"
Finally, electric blue eyes snapped open and the boy inhaled sharply, allowing fresh air to enter his lungs.
Sabine turned towards the sound of erratic breathing, both her and Hera stared with relief as they saw the light come back to the boy's skin.
Ezra's breathing began to slow down to a calmer matter and he laid back against the dirt, more relaxed than before.
After a second or two, Ezra looked up saw the three people and the Greman Shepherd.
"Who are you people?" he asked tiredly.
It was another day in the Enchanted Forest
The wagon of Rebels was going down a dirt path towards the shady part of Raven's Point
Once again Ezra was on the ground, even though the Empire thought he was dead they weren't going to take any chances.
What surprised him was how Zeb and Chopper left him alone, the silence was starting to annoy him.
The only noise there was in the wagon was the soft conversation going on between Kanan and Hera.
Ezra suspect that they were talking about his and Hera's conversation from last night but he ignored them
After a few minutes, they reached the shady part of the forest, Ezra sat up from his position
"Stop right here," he said in a low voice, the wagon was pulled to a stop.
As he climbed out of the wagon Kanan spoke up "What is it this time kid?" Ezra quickly shushed him.
"If these guys see a wagon full of people coming into this part of the woods they're not gonna give the jewels back. I'll handle it from here,"
"So we're just supposed to sit here? How do we know this isn't a trick" Zeb quietly called after him
"Guess you're gonna have to trust me,"
Ezra turned and began to walk into the dark forest he stopped when he heard the sound of someone following him, turning around he saw that Kanan was following behind him.
"Really?" he groaned and rolled his eyes, "All right just don't say I didn't warn you"
With Kanan in tow, Ezra walked into the darkness of the forest. They stopped at a small clearing surrounded by dead trees
"So where's this buyer?" Kanan asked starting to wonder if this was a trap, Ezra was digging through his satchel.
"Oh trust me, he's here." he pulled out a small bag of coins and shook it. The jingle of the coins echoed through the woods.
As soon as the jingling sound disappeared, dark silhouettes appeared from the shadows. Kanan was about to pull out his sword but Ezra stopped him.
"It's okay, I know them," he whispered
Two silhouettes came up behind them blocking a possible escape and a tall one stood in front of them.
The tall one had sickly pale/gray skin and sunken in cheeks that made the man look like a walking corpse.
Kanan seems horrified with the man while Ezra didn't seem phased. Instead, he greeted the man like an old friend, "Hello Slyyth"
Slyyth glared at Ezra, "Ezra Bridger, and here I thought the Empire did away with you," he said in a raspy voice "What're you doing back here? I thought we were done,"
Ezra gave the man a shrug, "I want to make another trade"
Slyyth then seemed to notice Kanan, "Who's this guy? I'm not talking if he's here,"
"No one, okay?" Ezra said nonchalantly, "He's with me" Slyyth scoffed
"With you? Why is this guy hanging out with a street rat like you"
Hurt filled Ezra's eyes as the two guys behind him chuckled, Kanan clenched his fists and resisted the urge to start a fight. Ezra shook off the hurt and continued
"I want to buy back the jewels that I sold to you,"
Slyyth didn't answer instead pointed an accusing finger at Kanan "Who the hell is he?!" he demanded
"I said don't worry about it okay? I'll give you all your money back just give me the jewels"
Slyyth looked at Ezra with suspicion before snapping his of the silhouettes walked forward and pulled the leather bag full of jewels out of his pocket and held it out.
"Thank you, we appreciate the help," Kanan said as he reached out for the bag, only for it to be pulled from his reach.
"He's too eager," the man said, "It's a setup!"
"No, it's not I swear!" Ezra cried
Slyyth grabbed him and held a knife to his neck
"Let him go!" Kanan yelled and pulled out his sword, the men gasped
"He's a royal!"
"Your time for trading is up Bridger! Seize him"
One man grabbed Kanan causing him to drop his sword. The other began to pat him down, he found Ezra's wanted poster in his pocket
Slyyth grinned at the sight of it "I knew there was something up with you, imagine how much the Empire will pay for your head!"
Kanan kicked his captor away and picked up his sword, he charged at Slyyth causing him to drop Ezra. The three men pulled out their own weapons.
"Go, I'll be right behind you!" he said to Ezra who nodded and ran away
Kanan began to fight off the buyers but is losing
"Follow me," Ezra says not realizing Kanan isn't behind him, "They don't know these woods like I do!" he turned around to see Kanan was still with Slyyth and his gang and was about to die!
Ezra looked at the forest path to the fight, he grabbed his necklace only to remember he used his dust to escape. He needed to think of something, now!
Kanan was forced to his knees in front of Slyyth, he raises his sword preparing to behead him
"One way or another, we'll have a head to trade today" he prepares himself to swing and
"STOP!" a voice cried out
They all turn to see Ezra standing there holding his arm back as if to throw something
"Lower your swords, in my hand is fairy dust that can turn you all into bugs. Let him go or I'll be scraping you all off the bottom of my shoe,"
Terror fills the men as Slyyth drops his sword and the two men release Kanan. One even offering his sword with shaking hands
"We don't want any trouble," Slyyth says with a shaky voice.
Kanan took back his sword and walked over to Ezra.
"Also give me a reason to forget any of this ever happened" Ezra threatened
With shaking hands Slyyth placed a pile of silver on the ground and the three disappeared into the shadows.
Ezra carelessly dropped the fairy dust onto the ground and picked up the pile of silver. When he turned around he was surprised to see Kanan staring at him.
"You saved me?" he asked, and Ezra flashed him a smirk
"It was the honorable thing to do,"
Kanan smiled at him then it faded with confusion, "I thought you used the dust at the execution"
Ezra chuckled and kicked at the dust on the floor, "It's just dirt, I trade with these guys because they're rich, not smart,"
Kanan chuckled, Ezra reached into his pocket and pulled out the leather bag then held it out to Kanan.
"I think this belongs to you"
Kanan grabs the bag and opened it to find what he came for, he smiled as he pulled out his amulet
It had a brown square charm with a blue diamond design in the middle. (2)
"Wow, that's a nice amulet. Your mom must have been a nice lady" Ezra said, Kanan looked up at him with a sad smile
"Yeah, she was," Kanan said as he placed the amulet back into the bag and put it in his pocket "So I hear you're planning on leaving this realm?"
Ezra almost kicked himself, he knew Hera told him about last night's conversation
"Yeah, I am. I should actually be getting to the docks now, tell your friends I said goodbye."
Kanan seemed upset which Ezra didn't understand. Why did he care if he left?
"Well, wherever you go . . . be careful. If... If you're in trouble-"
"You'll find me?" Ezra finished for him
"Always," Kanan said with a smile, Ezra nodded and gave him a sad smile
"I almost believe that,"
Kanan's smile faltered a little bit
"Well good luck saving the Enchanted Forest," with that said Ezra pulled his hood over his head and walked away
Kanan watched him and sighed
"Goodbye, Ezra Bridger," he said to himself
As soon as Ezra was gone Kanan walked down the path towards the wagon and his family.
In the ICU room, Ezra was back in his bed. A small breathing tube was attached to his nose and an IV needle in his forearm.
Sabine was keeping him company since the nurses have already done their tests.
"He's stable," Dr. Sumar explained to Kanan and Hera, "But we do need to keep him here for some time until his body can become more use to the outside world and can handle actual food, which may take some time,"
Hera sighed with relief and held a hand over her heart.
"Does he know about…" Kanan began but didn't know how to say it, "Well, anything?"
"We already told him about his condition but I don't think now's the right time to bring up his parents,"
Kanan nodded with understanding as well as Hera.
"Will he be okay?" Hera spoke up
"I don't know," Dr. Sumar responded, causing confusion to grow on his face, "We've never dealt with this before. We can only do our best and hope it's enough," The doctor was then called away by a nurse.
Hera sighed,"Well, I better get back to the diner,"
"Yeah, okay," Kanan nodded, "Oh and Hera, thank Chopper for me,"
Hera smiled softly, "Forget the whole leash thing and your gratitude will be well implied,"
Kanan chuckled to himself as Hera called for Sabine and the two left.
Kanan hesitated for a moment before stepping into the room himself.
Ezra looked up at the Officer as soon as he stepped in. There was a moment of silence before Kanan decided to break it.
"So, next time you decide to go for a walk after napping, at least tell somebody next time kid," Kanan said with a small smile.
A small smile came across the boys face, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize where I was going but I think I know what I was doing,"
Kanan sat himself down in the chair that Sabine had once been in, "And what was that?"
"I was looking," the kid responded quietly a distant look in his face.
Kanan forehead wrinkled with confusion, "Looking for what?"
Ezra turned his head towards the bedside table before stretching his arm out to grab the handle for the drawer.
Kanan tried to help but the boy refused and opened the drawer with ease.
"This," he smiled and pulled out a small silver necklace. The locket was just slightly bigger than a quarter and had a small blue gem that represented a star that was next to a crescent moon design.
Kanan looked closely at the necklace as the boy attached it around his neck.
"This was my parents," Ezra explained as he smiled down at the jewelry, "I just wanted it back,"
At the docks, there were multiple ships preparing to voyage out to sea.
Standing apart from the crowd was Ezra, he kept his head down so no one would recognize him
The ship he was supposed to go on was preparing to leave. He knew he should board it now but something was keeping him back
Suddenly his hands began to feel weird, lifting them to his sight he saw that his palms had a pale blue glow with small sparks
Oh no, not again, he thought
After making sure no was watching he closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon the sparks and glowing began to disappear, he sighed
"You know it's not good to hold it all in," A familiar voice behind him said
Ezra spun around to see the last person he expected, "Kanan?" he gasped, he was a little tired from holding in the magical burst, "What're you doing here?"
"To offer you a choice: You can get on that boat and escape this realm where you can run from your powers or you can come with us, come with me and I can show you how to control it, how to embrace it,"
Ezra looked at him skeptically, "You have magic?"
Kanan held his hand open and in a puff of smoke an apple appeared on his palm "Yes, I do."
Ezra looked at war with his decision, "Were you a knight?" he asked
"What?" Kanan asked, not understanding.
"Your sword, the designs are from an old kingdom that died before I was born. I thought everyone was wiped out by the Empire."
Kanan clutches his sword tightly, "Not all of us."
"So were you a knight or were you a royal member?"
Kanan hesitated to answer until a large horn filled the air. Signaling that the boat was about to leave
"Decide now kid," Kanan said
Ezra sighed looking back at the boat before facing Kanan and nodded.
Kanan smiled and led Ezra with a hand on his shoulder towards his new life.
Kanan was asked to keep an eye on Ezra to be sure that the boy didn't wander away again and until Sumar reports the situation to Fulcrum and they go from there.
Ezra had been sitting silently on the bed before taking a deep breath, "So, they told me that you saved me from death back in the forest,"
Kanan chuckled softly, "In a way, I guess I did,"
Ezra smiled back at him, "Well, I wanted to say thank you," the man smiled at the kid, "So, what do I call you?"
"Jarrus," Officer Jarrus said and extended his hand, "Kanan Jarrus,"
"Bridger," the kid responded with a smile as he accepted the response, "Ezra Bridger,"
In the center of town, there was a tall building with a large clock tower.
The clock had long been broken, never once had the hands moved from their position. The clock read 7:59 for as long as anyone in town could remember.
Until now, the little hand shifted to the side as well as the large hand over the eight time symbol/
The Mayor of Lothal was out on his evening stroll when he was pulled to a stop by the sound of the clock chiming.
"The boy," the man growled in a low voice, "He's awake,"
1. Nubia the Fairy is my OC
2. The amulet is Kanan's Holocron but like jewelry form, I described it terribly!
I hope this is okay. Most of this I wrote while half-asleep.
P.S: Raven's Point is from HTTYD
See you next chapter. I love you all
Good night, ZZZZZzzzzz