Chapter 12

Obi-Wan woke up in a soft bed. The room was darkened and cool. He didn't know where he was, but it was nicer than anywhere he had been in a very long time.

He felt lightheaded but the pain he had got so used to feeling throughout his body was dulled. When he looked down at his arm it was bandaged in white. He tried to move his fingers, but he could only make them twitch and that brought on a wave of pain that made him stop.

He looked to his other arm and cringed at the state of his skin. His journey through the desert started coming back to him and he assumed he was covered from head to toe with the worst sunburn he had ever had. Judging by the state of it though, he must have been out for a while.

A doctor came to see him twice a day and servants came in with food and drink. None of them spoke Basic, so Obi-Wan learned the words for water and various food items quite quickly. The word for pain came up a few times too.

He didn't see Maison again until he was back to health enough to walk around the room. He had figured he must be in the company of someone wealthy and it didn't take a genius to figure out that person was Maison.

Obi-Wan didn't even know how to thank him for saving his life. But Maison didn't look particularly interested in a conversation. He looked Obi-Wan over, top to bottom and all the way around as if he were admiring a piece of art that he was considering buying.

Obi-Wan didn't think that thought was far from the truth when Maison mimed taking his shirt off and then watched him expectantly.

"You want me to…?" His sentence drifted to an early end. He wouldn't understand the question anyway. So he took hold of his shirt and when Maison nodded encouragingly, he took it off.

He didn't particularly like the way Maison looked at him thoughtfully. Had he simply traded one master for another? He took a slightly closer look at the ugly scar on Obi-Wan's arm. But with no other comment or request, the man left again.

Later that evening the servants brought him more food than they had been bringing so far. Obi-Wan looked down at himself. He had definitely lost plenty of weight on Kessel. Was that what Maison had been looking at him for?

After that, tutors started turning up, trying to teach him the native language like you would teach a child. Obi-Wan had picked up the basics relatively quickly. He was just glad to have something to do.

The doctor visited occasionally to check up on him, even though Obi-Wan was feeling better than he could remember ever feeling. He didn't have complete control over his left hand, and he didn't think he ever would again. Taking the chip out had done a fair amount of damage the doctor didn't seem to have been able to reverse.

Obi-Wan still dreamt of Kessel. He dreamt of waking up there again and when he woke to find himself in what he now knew to be a palace, he could still feel the pain in his arm. That was when he got up and started reading.

By the time he got to see Maison again, he knew he was supposed to address him as "Exo Koro". He was the King.

"I hear you learn quick," he said as he looked Obi-Wan over like he had before.

"I try," Obi-Wan replied.

Obi-Wan watched the King closer than he had before. He looked about 20 years old, and he was taller than Obi-Wan by a little more than a head. He had light brown hair, bleached out by the sun no doubt, but it was still darker than the others' on Beimeni. His skin was tanned a rich caramel and his eyes were a cool brown.

His expression had been hard to read but he smiled as if he knew Obi-Wan was looking him over. When Obi-Wan blushed, his smile grew.

"You like what you see?" He asked. His voice had a way of sounding like he was simply stating facts. Obi-Wan could have mistaken it for indifference, but he didn't think that was it.

The question threw him slightly. It wasn't something he had ever really thought about before. He wasn't even sure whether he had understood correctly. But now that he did think about it, Maison certainly had something attractive about him.

"I do." Maison said, without waiting for Obi-Wan's reply, "You're rasiva."

"Rasiva?" Obi-Wan frowned, he didn't know the word.

Maison stepped forward and cupped Obi-Wan's cheek, surprising him. He held his breath slightly but didn't move away. Maison's fingers traced the shape of Obi-Wan's face lightly and then he simply repeated, "rasiva," with a slight smile.

Obi-Wan's blush deepened as he was sure the King was calling him handsome.

..oOo..

"Every oasis has a source. A pocket of water to keep it alive. The one under Solice is what legend calls the fountain of youth. Rivers kilometres below the surface carry its waters all around the planet. That's why people here live longer than they should. The effect gets stronger the closer you get to the centre of Solice. You've probably felt its effects."

"That's why you look 16?"

Obi-Wan nodded slightly and then tipped his head to the side, "sort of. There's a ritual that I did when I became the King's Zhelan. That's what stopped my age. Only the King and his chosen companion do the ritual. Everyone else does age. Just more slowly. The full power of the water lies in the source and only he and I have access to that."

"So, you could live forever," Anakin's eyes were wide in awe.

"As long as I don't get killed that is." Obi-Wan crossed his arms and pulled a face but Qui-Gon wasn't paying much attention to them, he had stood up and started pacing.

"So that's what the Chancellor thinks is so important to the war? He probably simply doesn't want to age."

"The Chancellor isn't that vain," Anakin defended.

"No? Then why did he send us here?"

That, Anakin had no reply for. "I'm sure there's a good reason," and then he turned on Obi-Wan again, "so the water keeps you young? I don't see how that should be vital to the Separatists either. Sure, Dooku's getting old but how is Beimeni a game changer?"

"Because that's not all it does. It can heal," Obi-Wan's thumb smoothed over the skin where his scar had been, "when I got to Beimeni I could barely use this hand and now I don't even have the scar anymore." He moved his fingers without difficulty and then closed his hand into a fist. "On Coruscant they probably would have just taken my arm and replaced it. That was how much damage I did."

"There," Anakin made a gesture as if Obi-Wan had answered all his questions, "with water like that. We could save people. That's what the Chancellor wants."

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon shared the same doubtful expression.

"It's not that simple. You have to go through the ritual and then it takes time. The problem is, as soon as you start, when do you stop? When do you decide, you're healed enough now? Because the water makes you feel good. It takes away pain that will come back as soon as you leave. Beimeni will fill with people and then people will start fighting over it. Because who wouldn't want to be young and healthy forever?"

The look that passed between the Jedi showed Obi-Wan that they saw reason.

"That's why the fountain must stay a secret."

They nodded, lifting a huge weight off Obi-Wan's chest. "So, you'll help me?"

"Wait," Anakin looked at him carefully, "when I sedated you. You said I had drunk the water."

"No doubt you found it whilst snooping around my room."

"But how did you know? What else does it do?"

"The water straight from the source strengthens your connection to the Force," he admitted reluctantly, "the effects wear off quickly unless you drink it every day, you're already back to normal. But imagine if the Sith had that… Not only would they wipe out Beimeni for it. It would give them enough power to wipe out the Jedi."

All three of them sat there silently until Qui-Gon stood up and called the clones to them. "Pack up your things, we're headed back to Solice. Now."

o-O-o

Maison licked his bottom lip, tasting the blood there. The old man yanked him up by his hair, pulling him towards two of his droids. Maison tried to struggle but their grip was too strong.

He hated droids. Droids had no sense of loyalty. Anyone could change their programming. The men who now littered the floor after fighting to defend him. They had known loyalty.

"Your Majesty. You are in the presence of the Separatist leader, Count Dooku." The mechanical voice of a translator droid announced. Maison winced at it. Another reason why he hates droids. Their voices. He much preferred listening to his Zhelan. He had an adorable accent. But Obi-Wan had betrayed him. It would seem even people could lack a sense of loyalty. They could deceive and that hurt even more. If he ever saw Obi-Wan again, he would kill him himself.

"Beimeni is neutral. Keep us out of your war," he spat back, and the droid translated, unfazed.

"You know why we're here. Tell us where the fountain is."

Maison laughed. "There are four in this room. Pick one."

The old man lifted his hand and Maison felt his throat close. Dark spots danced over his vision and then it suddenly stopped. He coughed as he gasped for air. Jedi.

"Try again."

"I don't know what Obi-Wan told you. But the boy is a delusional liar."

The old man who called himself Dooku frowned as the droid translated for him, but all Maison got was the same question.

"Where is the fountain?"

Maison knew he couldn't stall for long. At least Obi-Wan hadn't given away the location but as soon as the droids started searching thoroughly enough, they would find it. He had managed to protect the fountain for over 800 years. Now everything was suddenly on the verge of falling apart.