Sorry for the delay, jeep broke down so got to spend a few days longer away from civilisation than planned!
for disclaimers see part one
Part Three: Restoring
So it was that two days later Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan were on their way to Altara. Qui-Gon had suggested this planet once he had been informed of the healers' opinion. Altara was a sparsely populated planet and the Jedi had a retreat there used for training purposes. The pair would be able to remain there for as long as was necessary.
The healers had told him not to remove the device that held Obi-Wan away from the Force until he was sure that Obi-Wan understood where he was and what had happened. He has also been told that the process could take a very long time. * Or not at all * Qui-Gon thought grimly. Obi-Wan had recovered enough to be able to walk but he did not do anything for himself. If Qui-Gon led him he would follow, but he never initiated anything himself and seemed unaware of his surroundings.
A week passed on Altara without any sign of change in Obi-Wan. Although they had been to Altara only once before Qui-Gon knew how much Obi-Wan had enjoyed the place and he had hoped their return might have provoked a reaction in his Padawan. During this week they had begun to settle into a routine. After forcing Obi-Wan to eat some food, Qui-Gon would lead him down to the lake and they would spend the day outside, returning to the cabin only to eat and sleep.
At first Qui-Gon had tried to keep talking to Obi-Wan but as the days wore on he too had become silent. Now he noticed they had sat by the lake until it was very late and they ought to return to the cabin. He stood up and stretched slowly and then reached back down to pull Obi-Wan to his feet.
He was shocked when he felt resistance from his Padawan, who gaze remained fixed on the lake in front of them. Slowly Qui-Gon sat back down next to his apprentice. They continued sitting for hours into the night, until at last Obi-Wan fell asleep. Qui-Gon pulled Obi-Wan close to him and wrapped them both in his cloak, his heart soaring with hope once more. It was a small start but it was a beginning.
*-*-*-*-*
Obi Wan was in pain. He could hear the guards, they were coming for him again, and they were going to…. His mind turned away, hiding from the pain, fear and anger that enveloped him. Then he had caught a glimpse of something else and for a moment he had been sure he was no longer in the cell, he was by the lake at….
His mind protested at that telling him that he had always been in this cell and he would never leave the pain and the image fled from him. Yet another part of him argued that what he had seen had been real. He tried to piece together his thoughts but everything seemed so vague and distant. He could sense nothing and even his thoughts were fleeting.
He slowly drifted off to sleep, waiting for the guards to return. When he woke up he was sure he was dreaming still. He realised that he felt cold, yet also safe, a feeling he had almost forgotten. He tried to sit up, to see where he had been taken but he could barely move.
His mind began to panic but a voice in himself made him calm down. He was not trapped merely tangled in a blanket. He slowly untangled himself, his muscles weak from lack of use. He could see he was outside next to a lake. Somehow he thought he recognised this place but he brushed that impossible thought away.
As he disengaged himself from the blanket he noticed the man sleeping next to him. He saw no one else around and fear enveloped him as he wondered why the guards had brought him here and what this man would do to him. At that thought he took one more look around, searching for some hidden trick or trap and then ran.
Even as his mind screamed that the guards would only capture and punish him something deep inside him forced him on. He hoped he could get far enough away that the guards would not find him. He would find a place where he was safe. He did not know how he had escaped, but he had. He had won and would escape and find his way home.
*-*-*-*-*
Qui-Gon eventually woke up. The days of looking after and worrying about his Padawan had left him more exhausted than he had realised and the relief of seeing Obi-Wan's reaction last night had caused him to oversleep. At the thought of his apprentice Qui-Gon sat up quickly. Obi-Wan was nowhere in sight. At first Qui-Gon rejoiced. Again Obi-Wan had shown independence of thought and thus signs of recovery from the trauma he had suffered.
He must have returned to the cabin for food. Qui-Gon got up and walked to their cabin but when he arrived he could not find his Padawan. Soon he had searched everywhere he could think of and had grown hoarse from calling his Padawan's name. But Obi-Wan was nowhere to be found.
*-*-*-*-*
Finally Obi-Wan stopped moving. He did not know how long he had been travelling, but now he was hungry and so tired. His body was very weak and although he had forced his trembling muscles to carry him for some time, he felt that he could go no further. He could see the sky getting dark and overcast and he shivered as the wind suddenly sent a blast of cold air across his body. He had to find shelter soon. He felt drawn in one direction and began to follow his senses, still keeping a lookout for any sign of the guards, still not believing that he could have escaped.
He halted as he stared at the cave opening, which had appeared in the hill he was climbing. Somehow it appeared familiar, he was wary of this feeling but another blast from the cold wind convinced him that this cave would suffice. He settled into a corner of the cave and drifted into an uneasy sleep, images from his memory teasing at his mind.
*-*-*-*-*
After an hour of searching Qui-Gon was forced to give up. His Padawan might be injured and confused but he still retained the many years of lessons in how to move in the wilderness without leaving a trace. He finally headed back to the cabin to contact the healers on Coruscant, hoping to find some explanation for his Padawan's behaviour before he set out searching again. Within minutes he had explained the situation, forcing the concern out of his voice to give a calm report.
The healers quickly discussed the events and the turned back to Qui-Gon. Calne'rel spoke first, "It would appear that his mind has returned to a conscious state. This is a good sign. It could be that the trauma of the last few weeks has affected his memory, it is possible that he could be trying to find somewhere he feels safe. Is there anywhere you went on your first journey to Altara that you have not searched?"
Qui-Gon thought quickly, "Only the cave we spent the night in once, during a storm, I'll check there next".
"Be careful, when you find him, " another of the healers warned. "He is very unstable at the moment."
"Of course. I will update you when I have found him." Qui-Gon finished, eager to be off.
"May the Force be with you", the healers replied as one broke the connection.
Quickly Qui-Gon gathered some blankets, food and a medical kit. The cave he had mentioned to the healers was a long way from the cabin and it would take him until gone nightfall to reach it. He hoped that Obi-Wan had gone there, that he would realise he was safe, that he was free.
*-*-*-*-*
Obi-Wan woke up suddenly. He felt even colder than before and shivered miserably, then groaned as his muscles protested at even that minor action. A loud crash of thunder rang out and he jumped violently, pressing back against the rock, his heart racing in sudden terror. He tried to calm down and slowly he crept to the front of the cave as the crash echoed around. As he watched a lighting fork flashed across the sky followed almost immediately by another rumble of thunder.
Obi-Wan stared at the sky and then held his head as images surged through his mind. He saw himself and the man he had run from, saw them here sheltering in this cave, saw them together side by side. He cried out hoarsely as his memories came flooding back. Obi-Wan curled himself back in his corner and cried brokenly as he felt the memories wash through him, remembered all that he was, all that he had been.
He had betrayed all that he was, he thought in despair, his anger and fear showed that he could never be a Jedi, and he rocked at the shame he felt at running from his Master. He lay on the cold floor of the cave, not caring if he ever saw daylight again.
*-*-*-*-*
Qui-Gon increased his pace as the thunder crashed again. He was only a short distance from the cave now but the storm was close to breaking. He remembered the last time they had been on Altara. He and Obi-Wan had been planning on camping but when the storm had come they had had to find shelter. It was Obi-Wan who had found the cave where he was headed now.
Qui-Gon prayed that this was where his Padawan was. He would need shelter from this storm. Just as the first rain began to patter down he found the cave entrance. Setting up his lamp quickly he scanned the cave. At first his hopes sank as he thought it was empty but then he saw a small bundle in the corner, nearly completely hidden from sight. He quickly went over to his apprentice.
At first Obi-Wan tried to curl up into a tighter ball when he felt the touch on his shoulder but he was so exhausted he was barely able to resist and felt himself being gently turned over.
"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon questioned gently, swallowing as he saw the new cuts and bruises Obi-Wan had collected during his flight. Yet his eyes seemed to contain the spark of life that had been missing from them in the past week.
Obi-Wan stared back at Qui-Gon. He had never felt so unworthy of this man, yet he forced himself to reply, "Master?"
At that reply Qui-Gon hugged the young man close to him, relief choking him beyond words. He stroked his Padawan's head, the spiky hair only just beginning to re-grow, the braid Obi-Wan had earned the right to have missing.
Then Obi-Wan spoke again, his voice cracked and broken with emotion, "I'm so sorry, Master. I've failed you, I've failed you…." His words trailed off as tears started to flow silently down his pale face.
Qui-Gon looked in amazement at his apprentice. No matter how much pain he was in, Qui-Gon had never seen Obi-Wan cry before and his pained words shook Qui-Gon to the core. "Padawan, look at me", he replied gently, yet firmly. Once Obi-Wan had reluctantly raised his eyes he continued. "Obi-Wan, you have not failed me. What has happened is not your fault, do you understand me?"
Obi-Wan dropped his eyes again, unable to believe his Master's words.
Sighing Qui-Gon reached for the medical pack. If he removed the implant he could convince Obi-Wan that his words were true and he could help his apprentice heal from this trauma. Yet this path was also dangerous. Qui-Gon was not a trained healer and he knew that if he linked their minds too deeply there could be serious consequences.
He found the equipment he needed and then turned back to his Padawan. "Obi-Wan, I'm going to remove the device behind your ear. Do you understand me?"
The only reply he received was a slight nod, but Obi-Wan did not resist as Qui-Gon gently moved him until he was sitting in front of him. The device was not difficult to remove, if one had the right equipment, and it only took Qui-Gon a few minutes before the device was resting in his hands.
Obi-Wan shuddered as he felt the Force returning to him, the emotions he had experienced in the past weeks made him feel so unclean that he dared not reach out to touch the Force, which had always comforted him. Qui-Gon sighed in relief, as he felt Obi-Wan's essence return to its place in the Force. The trauma had left Obi-Wan without shields and Qui-Gon shuddered slightly at the images Obi-Wan was broadcasting.
Reaching out gently through the Force Qui-Gon sent a small tendril towards his apprentice. //Obi-Wan, can you hear me?// He sent waves of reassurance and his caring for his Padawan through this tenuous link.
Obi-Wan gasped slightly and then reached out blindly towards Qui-Gon, needing physical, as well as mental reassurance. Soon Qui-Gon had settled him in his arms and then gently sent //Show me what happened to you, Padawan //
At first Obi-Wan refused, unwilling to share the shame of what had happened to him, but his Master continued to send him reassurance and slowly Obi-Wan began showing Qui-Gon what had happened to him, holding nothing back but unable to put anything into words. Qui-Gon grimaced at the images and feelings he saw, and had to fight down the anger he felt at the men who had done this. They would pay, he promised himself, even as he continued to listen to the horrific story.
Once Obi-Wan had finished Qui-Gon held simply held him and then gently showed him what he had done, during the time they had been apart. He allowed Obi-Wan to feel the anxiety Qui-Gon had felt, how frantic he had felt when they could not find Obi-Wan, the anger he had felt at the Gagh when they did, whilst constantly reconfirming his pride and affection for his Padawan.
Finally, Qui-Gon reduced their link, convinced that his Padawan was on the way to being healed. He wrapped his cloak around the frail body and then covered them both in blankets. Obi-Wan allowed himself to be covered and huddled close to his Master, his joy in the knowledge that he had not failed his Master making him almost ready to forget the past few weeks.
*-*-*-*-*
The next morning Qui-Gon was the first to wake up. He looked down at his Padawan, whose head was resting against his chest. As if he sensed he was being watched Obi-Wan chose to wake up, arching his body to stretch his cold muscles. Qui-Gon smiled gently down at him, confirming his affection for his Padawan, before the question was even asked. It would take some time, but things were going to be alright.
The End
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Reviewer responses
Kenobisaqt – thanks for reviewing both chapters, hope you liked this one!
Snow-Glory - thanks for the review, hope the update was quick enough for you!