The Knight
Part Eight:
Padme drank thirstily from the cool, clear water of a stream. Daylight was beginning to penetrate the forest.
Obi-Wan had finally fallen asleep and she didn't dare wake him.
She had been lucky to find a stream. If it had taken a few minutes longer, she would have turned back. The water felt so good. She wished she had some way to carry water back to Obi-Wan.
She cautiously made her way back, eyes dancing over everything. At any slight rustle she was prepared to run or hide, fearful of the man she had seen on the cliff- was it really just yesterday?
She peered over the ferns to where she had left Obi-Wan as she approached. Not seeing him right away, she began to run, hoping she'd looked in the wrong place. Scuffed leaves marked where they had stayed the night before.
She unconsciously held her breath as she searched the forest in all directions, hoping to find him.
Hearing a metallic click, she slowly turned around to see the man from the cliff walk out from behind a bush pushing forward a stumbling Obi-Wan, blaster pressed against his temple.
"Hello there, Pretty," he said as he kneed the Jedi in the back, causing him to fall to his knees.
Even in his weak state, Obi-Wan had put up a fight, as was visible by the dried blood on his right temple. He looked at Padme, his eyes telling her how sorry he was. Sorry that he could not protect her. Sorry that he could not help her. Sorry that he had failed her.
As she stepped forward, the bounty hunter twisted Obi-Wan's arm behind his back even more, using his blaster barrel to put pressure on the Jedi's head, showing that he was prepared to kill.
"I wouldn't move, if I were you." The man had sandy blond hair and a scar that ran by his left eye. His icy blue eyes shone in tormented delight.
Obi-Wan seemed to be able to see his face. "If you hurt her, I'll-"
The man quickly hit him on the side of the head with the butt of his blaster. The blow sent the young Jedi to the ground.
"You'll what?" he laughed.
Padme couldn't move. Her mind raced through her possibilities.
"I asked you a question, boy!" He kicked Obi-Wan on his injured side and the Padawan yelped in pain.
Hot anger suddenly rose in the handmaiden. She knew that by giving into this anger she would loose her ability to think logically and act on impulse. She didn't care. As the bounty hunter sneered and prepared for another vicious kick, Padme yelled.
"Don't!" her voice echoed in the eerie stillness that seemed to have settled on the forest.
The dark man stopped and cocked his head curiously at her. "Don't?" he looked at her for another long moment. "I'd shoot you now if I didn't have orders to do otherwise." His cold eyes shone with anger. "You, on the other hand," he roughly pulled Obi-Wan back onto his knees by his collar. He pointed his blaster at the weak and injured Jedi. "I can kill you whenever it pleases me."
He turned back to Padme. "Unfortunately, I have to take you back to the palace. Mr. Gunray has some questions for you on the whereabouts of the queen."
Her eyes were still glued to Obi-Wan. "Pathetic being" he muttered under his breath as he holstered his blaster and pulled out an electro-jabber. "I've never bagged me a Jedi before."
Padme's eyes widened in horror as she realized that the sinister man before her planned on torturing the young Jedi to death.
"I'm going to enjoy this," he smiled wickedly as he released his hold on the Jedi and activated the electro-jabber, aiming for Obi-Wan's heart.
Padme was frozen in terror and her muscles tensed, ready to run, at the man or away from him she did not know. Obi-Wan was prepared to fight until the end. He gathered his strength as he prepared to elbow the bounty hunter wherever he could when a blaster shot sounded and the bounty hunter staggered forward. He looked at Padme, eyes wild with fear and surprise as he fell to the ground. Dead.
The handmaiden looked up to see captain Panaka standing across the clearing, blaster raised. Obi-Wan was able to weakly turn around before steadying himself by falling on his right leg.
After a small moment of shock, Panaka raced across the clearing to the weary handmaiden, two of his guards not far behind. One on them yelled something that became slurred into an incomprehensible moan in Obi-Wan's barely conscious mind.
Taking in her filthy and bruised appearance, Panaka put his hands on the handmaidens shoulders. "Are you all right?!" He touched her face and she slowly nodded, her mind slowed by the shock of what had just happened.
The queen and the tall Jedi appeared around the corner. Her majesty stopped at the edge of the clearing, taking in the scene.
"Padawan!" the older Jedi shouted as he raced to his shaking apprentice.
In what seemed like a blur of bodies, motion, and shouts, the real world came crashing down on Padme. She tried to look to Obi-Wan. Through the shifting bodies she could get a glimpse of him. His master was kneeling in front of him, but the young Jedi's attention was trying to focus on her. Before she knew it she was being pushed away by the many prodding hands, away from Obi-Wan. She tried to see him, but Panaka and the guards were in the way, asking her countless questions, none of which she was even paying attention to. The "queen" was suddenly before her and she came back to herself. The two looked at each other for a moment, then fell into a relieved hug.
Obi-Wan had been trying to look through the the sudden wave of people and noises that had invaded his mind to see Padme. "Padawan." He could hear his master's voice saying his name. "Padawan!" He slowly turned to Qui-Gon. He could read the concern in his master's face. His hand was on Obi-Wan's cheek, trying to bring the boy's apparently wandering mind back to him. Qui-Gon's intent stare searched his apprentice's face. "Obi-Wan?"
He locked eyes with his master for a moment, then fell to his side as he lost consciousness.
TBC