Disclaimer
George Lucas: Owner of Star Wars.
Me: Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.
See the difference? 'Nuff said.
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"NO!" screamed Leckura as Wid fell over.
She was instantly on the ground, holding his head in her hands. Tears ran down her face.
"Markaen, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed.
"What?" asked Aro-Ken.
Anjos was equally shocked, but he did not say anything.
Leckura hugged Wid close, not caring about the blood that stained her dress.
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out. "Danya!… Danya, no!"
Del-Mon's head turned to the sound of the voice. He recognized it immediately, but knew there was no way Elias could be inside the building.
"It's coming from outside," Anjos said.
Instantly Del-Mon took off, Aro-Ken at his heels. Behind them, Dahna, Mattan, and Anjos followed.
They arrived on the balcony, and could hear Elias's voice booming over the crowd.
"E-Elias… I… I'm so… So sorry," came another voice. Del-Mon recognized it as Danya's.
He began to scan the still furious battle below, but even with his keen eyesight the Jedi couldn't see Elias anywhere.
"No, Danya, don't be sorry! You… You can't die just like this, it's not real!" Elias's cried.
Slowly, the fighting began to stop below them.
Del-Mon looked up, and saw a swoop hovering high above the heads of the crowd. He could faintly make out Elias's eye patch. In his hand he held what looked like a hologram projector. From it the voices were booming out, echoing over the now still battlefield.
"Elias… You… You are right… We don't need more… Fighting… It has to stop," Danya's voice said.
"No, it's all right, it's all right! Really! This isn't happening, it can't be! Don't die, please don't die!" said Elias.
"I love you, brother… I… I'm sorry… You were right… You were right."
"No! You can't die, you can't! Not after this! I can get you to one of our medics, he can save you, and then…" Elias's sobbed.
"Elias… Good-bye," came Danya's last words.
"Danya? Danya! No… NOOO!" Elias's voice roared. Then the recorder went silent. Elias switched it off.
He put it in his pocket, and then began to yell in his deep, commanding voice. "You all heard that. It was my sister Danya's last words. She was killed just after seeing my point of view. We don't need to fight. Danya died for that cause. If you all can't see that, then this planet will be destroyed. We have to stop this war.
"This is something I'm sure Crixxians and Atheists alike can agree on. Look at yourselves! I'm sure we have brother fighting brother fighting brother, over and over again! We cannot let it go on! Please, I beg of you, don't let my sister have died in vain. We've got to stop this before it gets any worse."
Elias looked over the teeming masses below him hopefully.
A voice rang out. "He's right!"
Inspired by that person, others began to speak. "Yes!" "We don't need to fight!" "We've got to stop it now!"
Before long, every person in the grounds below was cheering, shouting, and clapping. The noise was nearly deafening.
A single tear rolled down Elias's cheek. "Thank you."
- - -
The smile on Anjos's face was unrivaled as he gazed down at the celebrating people below. Suddenly, he remembered something.
"Leckura!" he cried. Instantly he spun around on his heel and returned to the room he'd left his wife in. No one followed him.
He arrived and saw her still on the ground, holding the dead man's body close.
"Leckura?" he asked.
She lifted her tear-streaked face to look at him. "Anjos, I'm sorry," she said.
"I'm sorry also. Tell me, who is this man?" asked Anjos.
Leckura took a few deep breaths. "His… His name is Markaen. He is my son."
Anjos looked at her awestruck for a moment. "Your son?"
"Yes," she replied.
Anjos sat down next to her in disbelief.
Leckura planted her lips to her dead son's forehead for a moment before turning back to Anjos.
"I… I should have told you this long ago," she said.
Anjos fell instantly silent, intently looking at her as she began to speak.
"You know how we had never met before our marriage, don't you?" she asked.
"Of course," Anjos nodded.
"Well, I… I was secretly in love with another man before the wedding was planned. His name was Manx. He saw me every night, when my father was asleep. Father was a Prime Minister, I know he would have had Manx killed if he found out.
"When the marriage was arranged, I had to leave Manx to come to the palace. We were both distressed, but still wrote each other and sent messages. When I arrived at the palace, I found out I was pregnant. And I knew that Manx was the father of my child, not you, Anjos," said Leckura.
"You mean… But you told me that I was the father," Anjos said in shock.
"I had to! The Prime Ministers would have killed Manx and the child if I'd revealed that he was the real father! I couldn't bear to see it happen!" Leckura cried.
"All right, I understand that much. But why was I led to believe that the child was dead?" asked Anjos curiously.
"The Prime Ministers instructed the nursemaids to do a DNA test of my child. The found out that the DNA only matched me, not you. They told the Prime Ministers, and they said I should kill the child and tell you that he was dead. So I went to the highest tower of the palace with him. I was… I was going to drop him from it!" Leckura said, tears beginning to drip down her cheeks again.
"Yet I see you didn't," Anjos said, controlling himself much better than his wife was.
"No. I couldn't. I just held him in my arms and looked at him, and then I just knew that I couldn't kill him. He was so young and helpless, it just wasn't fair.
"So I took aside one of the nursemaids, and cleared out one of the big rooms near the top of the palace, and told her to care for him from there. I had food left outside the door for her to bring inside," Leckura explained.
"You told me that you were clearing out the room so you would have somewhere to relax by yourself," said Anjos.
"Yes, I did. I'm so sorry for lying to you, but I was so scared! I didn't know what you would do if you found out about Markaen!" Leckura cried.
"So have you been keeping him in there for the past twenty years?" asked Anjos.
"No, only about fifteen. I'd visit him every night. I'd told the nurse to be sure he never yelled. He was a very quiet boy. I'd bring him things, little treats when he was very good and presents on his birthday. Until the very day he turned fifteen. That's when the Prime Ministers found out about him," Leckura answered.
"Go on," Anjos bade.
"They knew I was leaving every night, and followed me. This was shortly before Darmick came to power. Prime Minister Relfen's spies managed to see inside the room when I entered, and they saw Markaen.
"The next day was Markaen's birthday. I remember the evening so perfectly. I was in the room with him and the nurse. He'd just hugged me. Then the door opened, and three guards came in armed with blasters. Markaen fought them and tried to protect me, but they seized him and dragged him away.
"I asked where they were taking him, and they told me that he was going to be thrown in prison for the rest of his life. About a month afterwards I slipped out of the palace and went to the jail. I told the guards that you had sent me to do a routine check of the prison and they let me in. I found Markaen, discovered that they were torturing him. I told him that I was going to get him out the next day. I came back as I had promised, but he was gone. They told me there had been a prison break. I didn't know what to do, so I went about my life as I normally would have. I've had no idea of my son's whereabouts for five years," Leckura sadly looked down at the dead man.
"And now it's too late! He died to save me, and I couldn't even protect him from those guards five years ago!" she sobbed.
Anjos sighed, and put an arm on her shoulder. "Leckura… I have a confession to make too."
For the better part of the next hour, they sat together, talking and apologizing over and over again.
Finally, they just looked at each other.
"You still love Dahna, don't you?" asked Leckura.
Anjos looked at the ground. "Yes."
"And I still have strong feelings for Manx. I know he would never marry anyone but me," Leckura said.
"So… What are we going to do now?" asked Anjos.
"I don't know. But we can't be married while we each love another," said Leckura.
"Then you propose a divorce?" asked Anjos.
Leckura looked down.
"Leckura, it is the only solution," said Anjos.
"Yes. Yes, you are right," said Leckura.
After staring at each other for a moment, the king and queen hugged each other for the last time.
- - -
As King Anjos turned and ran back inside the palace, Del-Mon, Aro-Ken, Mattan, and Dahna remained on the balcony.
Elias's swoop steered down towards them.
"It's over," the one-eyed man said with strong relief in his voice.
"Yes. Elias, I congratulate you. That was very skillfully handled," Del-Mon said to his friend.
"Thank you. I see you invited the whole gang to the closing speech," Elias said.
"Oh, sorry. Elias, this is my apprentice, Aro-Ken Rumos," said Del-Mon, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Pleasure," Elias said, firmly shaking Aro-Ken's hand. "What about them?" he asked, pointing to Dahna and Mattan.
"I'm not quite sure who they are either. Aro-Ken, some introductions please?" Del-Mon asked.
"Oh, right. Del-Mon, this is Dahna and Mattan," Aro-Ken said, pointing out each of them in turn.
Elias swung his legs around to the side of his swoop that faced the balcony and jumped onto it.
"Hello, miss," Elias said, taking Dahna's hand and kissing it daintily.
Dahna smiled at him, and Mattan wandered to the edge of the balcony to examine the swoop. He looked over it with intense fascination.
As Elias immediately struck up a conversation with Dahna, Aro-Ken turned away and spoke to Del-Mon.
"Master, I've been meaning to speak to you about Mattan," he said.
"What about him?" asked Del-Mon. He all ready knew the answer to his question.
"He is Force sensitive. I know for a fact," said Aro-Ken.
"Yes, I feel it too," said Del-Mon.
"What are we going to do then?" asked Aro-Ken.
Del-Mon thought a moment, watching Mattan as he curiously examined the swoop. "The choice is your, Padawan."
Aro-Ken blinked. "Mine?"
"Yes. You are the one who discovered him. You know him best. I've only just met him. What do you think we should do?" asked Del-Mon.
"Well… The Council will say he is too old to be trained," Aro-Ken said.
"Yes, but that does not mean they will stay with their decision. You will find that if you negotiate reasonably with them and remain calm, the Council will listen to you," Del-Mon said.
"Listen to me?" asked Aro-Ken.
"Yes, you. The Force is very strong with this boy. I felt it the instant he entered the hangar. He must be trained. The Council will be reluctant to pass up such great talent. You know him best. First off, do you think he'll want to?" asked Del-Mon.
"Definitely. He'll do it without hesitation," replied Aro-Ken.
"Do you think his mother will agree to it?"
"She wants what it best for Mattan. If he really wants to, I don't think Dahna will object," Aro-Ken truthfully answered his master.
"Then you've just made the decision. I will leave it to you to speak to them both," said Del-Mon.
"Are… Are you sure?" Aro-Ken uncertainly asked. He'd never really been trusted with such a responsibility.
"I have great faith in you, Padawan. You are old enough and mature enough to handle such a situation. In the meantime, I have to go find the king and queen and talk to them," said Del-Mon.
"Master!" called Aro-Ken as Del-Mon began to walk away.
"I will seek you out when I am finished," he called over his shoulder. "Elias, we must find the king and queen and speak to them."
The one eyed man flashed a grin at Dahna and walked away without an objection.
Aro-Ken sat on the balcony railing, and gestured for Dahna to join him. She was seated next to him.
"Dahna, as I have told you several times before, your son is very special," Aro-Ken said.
"Yes," Dahna agreed as she watched her son.
"I know why he has these abilities. It is the Force," Aro-Ken told her.
"The Force?" Dahna asked in slight disbelief.
"Yes. He is a very strong potential Jedi. He would do very well if he was trained," Aro-Ken said.
"You want to train him?" asked Dahna.
"Well, probably not me personally, but he would be trained. I'd doubt the Council would turn down someone with so much talent and potential," Aro-Ken said.
Dahna looked at her son and sighed. "I see nothing wrong with the training, but there is something I would like to do first."
"And that is?" asked Aro-Ken.
"I'd like him to stay until I work things out with Anjos. I want him to know his real father," said Dahna.
"Of course. Take as much time as you need," Aro-Ken said.
"Thank you, Aro-Ken," said Dahna.
"For what?" he asked.
"For everything," Dahna replied. She wrapped her arms around him in an affectionate embrace, and then rose and walked away to sit near her son.
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