A/N: Thanks for the beautiful and heart-filled reviews! I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own SW or KotOR II. Shut up, I know.

Chapter 13: No Longer A Slave

Mical's hands continued to cover Amira's eyes. He had been determined to keep whatever he wanted to give her a secret. She had pleaded for him to tell her, considering she was the type that hated waiting for surprises. Amira was grinning ear-to-ear. She had to admit it; she loved it when her husband surprised her with different things. It kept their relationship fresh and lively.

"Can I look yet?" Amira asked quietly. Although her outward appearance made it seem as if she was mildly excited, inside she was as giddy as a schoolgirl.

Mical still didn't remove his hands. "No, we're almost there."

Amira smiled inwardly. She had no clue where she was, but she didn't care. She wouldn't even have cared if there were no surprise at all. Amira just enjoyed being with Mical. She loved him more than anything else in the galaxy. The former exile had never known this kind of love before she had met Mical. The Council had been her family but they didn't understand her. They weren't a part of her, like Mical was.

Then again, the Jedi were a part of her also. Yet, she had secretly defied them by disobeying the Jedi Code and marrying Mical. It had been the best decision she had ever made in her entire life. Part of her wanted to show everyone how in love that they were, but she also knew that it would destroy their lives if she did. If the Council ever found out about their secret marriage, they would be exiled for sure.

It had been a risk that Amira was ready to take. She honestly didn't know what she would do without Mical in her life. She was so used to waking up and looking over to see Mical's sleeping figure. She loved being so close to him...it gave them a certain intimacy that helped them work more in synch together. She, of course, knew that their time together was limited due to their duty to the Jedi Order so Amira was thankful for every minute she had to spend with Mical.

Amira could hear the trickling of water and the birds singing happily. Naboo was a planet that was always lively and yet, at the same time, calm and relaxing. Luckily, the Council had granted everyone a little time off planet. One could take Dantooine for only so long before having to take a break from it. The planet was all plains, herders, and plain boring. The perfect spot for a Jedi enclave.

"Ready?" Mical said softly.

Amira could hardly contain her excitement. "Yes, let me see already!"

"As you wish." Mical said, removing his hands.

Amira opened her eyes and saw a shop in front of her. A shop that had very expensive and delicate hand-made jewelry. It made no sense that Mical would bring her here. Perhaps he had made a mistake...she looked around to see if there was anything near here. It was mainly empty fields. She turned to look at Mical who just looked passionately in her eyes and smiled.

"Mical, what are we doing here?" She asked calmly.

"Shall we go in?" He offered his arm, which she gladly accepted.

There was a small man behind the counter. He was young, somewhere in his twenties at best. Amira noticed how the man smiled and his eyes twinkled. He was a good person, she could tell. Mical casually walked up to him and whispered something to him. The dark-haired man smiled cheerfully before shaking Amira's hand vigorously.

"I am Leonardo but you can call me Leo, Ma'am." He said politely. "It's a pleasure to meet a friend of Mical's."

"Mical, what were you whispering about?" Amira asked.

"I keep no secrets from my wife. All will be revealed soon enough." Mical said evasively. "See anything that you like, Ami?"

"Of course! All the jewelry is beautiful." She said admiring the details of one particular piece of jewelry. "Why?"

"Pick one." Mical said simply.

"What do you mean? I can't afford any of-" Amira began.

"It's on me, Ma'am." Leo said cheerfully.

Amira looked to Mical who simply nodded towards the case holding a bunch of different pieces of jewelry. "Consider it a gift. A gift to show you how much I love you."

"You don't have to give me anything to prove that." She blushed.

"Please, I insist." He said ushering her forward.

Amira smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "As you wish."

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The bright sun on Dantooine shown brightly through the window of her room. A small smile spread across her face...until she awoke. And as quickly as it had come, the smile disappeared. She once again woke up, and there was no Mical around. No movement in the room, no steady breathing beside her, nothing. It was just her. The fact alone made her feel even more lonely than usual.

She never would have imagined a life like the one she was living now. A life with no love, no peace, no point. It had become a worthless existence...the only point in continuing was so she could get her revenge. She hoped that in doing so, it would complete her and she would finally find the peace she hungered for. Failure would not be tolerated. She had to do this...no matter what happened, she would finish this.

She decided that there would be no more tears shed, no more mourning for the past. There would only be blood shed for the future. Darkness was already secretly infiltrating her mind and heart. Memories of Mical were slowly being absorbed by lust for revenge. She had always been afraid of the darkside before...now she awaited it. She awaited the moment it would take complete control of her and she would use it to accomplish her goal...or die trying.

Death. It had always been a frightening thing...now Amira impatiently waited for it. She waited for it to take her to the man she loved. She wanted to be with him no matter what. There would be no more pain...no more suffering. It would all end...and she would be with Mical. But it was not time yet. No, there were still things that needed to be taken care of.

"Amira? You in there?" Mira called through the thick steel door.

"Yeah, what's the matter?" Amira answered back before opening the door.

"The Council wants to speak with you." Mira said quietly.

"So they sent you? What, are you the new messenger?" Amira laughed dryly. "I'm busy...I don't have time for the Council anymore."

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger! Oh, and what exactly are you busy with?" Amira said folding her arms across her chest defiantly.

Amira rolled her eyes. "None of your business, Mira. Just leave..."

"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I really don't think the Council will like-" Mira began.

"Mira, don't you see? I'm not going to be a slave to the Council anymore. They want us to bow and call them 'Master' the whole time when we're the ones doing all the dirty work in the galaxy. While we're dying protecting the galaxy, the Council sits in the safety of the enclave. No more. They shall get no more respect from me. I am stronger than them...I will no longer take orders from them." Amira said, with a power hungry look in her eyes.

Mira stepped back slightly. "I'll pretend that I didn't hear that...for your sake. I'll tell them you're busy."

Tell them what you will...I am no longer theirs to command, Amira thought bitterly.

A/N: The next few chapters will be pretty critical to the story so I'm working hard on those. Please review!