The heavy door was closed. One of the warriors took out a horn and blew on it. A watchman popped his head at the top of the gate but refused to open the gate to the strangers.
The warrior showed him the ring, which again took time because the watchman was standing too high. Anakin was getting impatient, how he wished he could take out his lightsabre and get things done fast. But he knew that wouldn't achieve much. The Queen needed help; at the moment these people were her only hope.
At last the door opened slowly, it was the watchman. He came over to Anakin and looked him over, Anakin showed him the wounded Queen. He wanted to know if she was Anakin's wife. Anakin was really loosing his patience.
"She's a friend of Chief Wakabu!" he retorted angrily.
The Watchman scratched his chin and looked the two over; he pointed to the lightsabre at Anakin's hips and demanded he be disarmed. Anakin promptly threw the thing away, saying now let me in or she'll die! The watchman finally motioned the warriors to let him in.
"Take me to the doctor!" Anakin shouted to the warriors on the scooties, but they just turned around and drove back into the forest. A young boy about twelve years old escorted him through the village running ahead of him, Anakin followed on the bike.
He saw thatch roofed houses under huge trees. Women working out stopped their work to look at the strangers, clearly strangers were not a common site out here. The boy led them to a remote corner of the village and stopped in front of a hut with a low roof.
The doctor came out immediately and helped Anakin take the patient in. There was a clean bed in the corner by the window; Anakin laid the groaning Queen gently on it. She seemed to be coming to. Anakin held her hand as the doctor went to work.
"Hena!" He called out to his assistant as he tore Amidala's sleeve and examined the wound. He was nodding his head, saying this is not good. At the same time a thin brown skinned woman came in carrying a bowl of warm water and a clean clothe.
The doctor cleaned the wounds and gave Hena some more instructions. She came again with some bottles and an iron rod. She kept the rod in the fire, which was burning in the corner fireplace where a metal pot was hanging from an iron chain.
"The wound needs to be sealed!" the doctor announced Anakin was aghast as the truth hit him.
"No!" he said, "you're not going to brand her! She's the! She's the…" but he did not want to give away her identity, he could not do that before he met the chief.
"I have to do what I have to. To save this woman's life!" the doctor said. Hena cleaned the blood from the queens face and neck, then undid her shirt and freed her injured arm from it, she applied some medicine on the wound and covered her with the sheets again.
Amidala was hot with fever and sweating profusely. Shaking her head from side to side deliriously. Hena cleaned the sweat from her face from time to time.
As he removed the seething red rod from the fire, Anakin was not sure how the queen was going to take it when she came to. The doctor assured him that a scar was better than an amputated arm.
"Now please be kind enough to hold her for me." Anakin held her shoulders down and Hena helped to hold her feet.
Trained as he was for all kinds of emergencies he couldn't help turning away as the doctor reached out the angry rod carefully towards her arm.
Thanks to her fainting spells Amidala did not suffer much, she just passed out as soon as the rod touched her. In a split it was over. Anakin had to admit the doctor was good at this. The wound was sealed from end to end in a neat long seam.
The warrior showed him the ring, which again took time because the watchman was standing too high. Anakin was getting impatient, how he wished he could take out his lightsabre and get things done fast. But he knew that wouldn't achieve much. The Queen needed help; at the moment these people were her only hope.
At last the door opened slowly, it was the watchman. He came over to Anakin and looked him over, Anakin showed him the wounded Queen. He wanted to know if she was Anakin's wife. Anakin was really loosing his patience.
"She's a friend of Chief Wakabu!" he retorted angrily.
The Watchman scratched his chin and looked the two over; he pointed to the lightsabre at Anakin's hips and demanded he be disarmed. Anakin promptly threw the thing away, saying now let me in or she'll die! The watchman finally motioned the warriors to let him in.
"Take me to the doctor!" Anakin shouted to the warriors on the scooties, but they just turned around and drove back into the forest. A young boy about twelve years old escorted him through the village running ahead of him, Anakin followed on the bike.
He saw thatch roofed houses under huge trees. Women working out stopped their work to look at the strangers, clearly strangers were not a common site out here. The boy led them to a remote corner of the village and stopped in front of a hut with a low roof.
The doctor came out immediately and helped Anakin take the patient in. There was a clean bed in the corner by the window; Anakin laid the groaning Queen gently on it. She seemed to be coming to. Anakin held her hand as the doctor went to work.
"Hena!" He called out to his assistant as he tore Amidala's sleeve and examined the wound. He was nodding his head, saying this is not good. At the same time a thin brown skinned woman came in carrying a bowl of warm water and a clean clothe.
The doctor cleaned the wounds and gave Hena some more instructions. She came again with some bottles and an iron rod. She kept the rod in the fire, which was burning in the corner fireplace where a metal pot was hanging from an iron chain.
"The wound needs to be sealed!" the doctor announced Anakin was aghast as the truth hit him.
"No!" he said, "you're not going to brand her! She's the! She's the…" but he did not want to give away her identity, he could not do that before he met the chief.
"I have to do what I have to. To save this woman's life!" the doctor said. Hena cleaned the blood from the queens face and neck, then undid her shirt and freed her injured arm from it, she applied some medicine on the wound and covered her with the sheets again.
Amidala was hot with fever and sweating profusely. Shaking her head from side to side deliriously. Hena cleaned the sweat from her face from time to time.
As he removed the seething red rod from the fire, Anakin was not sure how the queen was going to take it when she came to. The doctor assured him that a scar was better than an amputated arm.
"Now please be kind enough to hold her for me." Anakin held her shoulders down and Hena helped to hold her feet.
Trained as he was for all kinds of emergencies he couldn't help turning away as the doctor reached out the angry rod carefully towards her arm.
Thanks to her fainting spells Amidala did not suffer much, she just passed out as soon as the rod touched her. In a split it was over. Anakin had to admit the doctor was good at this. The wound was sealed from end to end in a neat long seam.