A/N: This chapter is dedicated to SwordFreak92 for giving me the idea to have her see Zaalbar. Thanks a bunch! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Oh, and review...if you read it, you might as well review it! It adds to my morale which means better chapters and faster updates for you!

Disclaimer: I don't own zip, zilch, nada.

Chapter 17: A Promise to the Dead

The flames danced around, casting shadows on the solemn faces of everyone that stood silently around it. Not a single person spoke a word...even the crackling of the fire had stopped. Amira stood alone and was the closest to the fire. Her face was constantly being thrown into the light and then the dark in a constant battle, as her emotions raged within her. Her cheeks were stained with the tears that reflected her pain and her eyes were red from shedding those numerous tears.

But the pain that Amira felt was nothing that could be compared to mere tears. She had brought this ill fate to herself...when she had decided to defy the Jedi and fall in love with a man that was destined for death. If she had the chance to go back and redo history, would she change the choices she had made? Amira knew that she would change a single moment. A few of those many memories, those precious moments, which she had spent with Mical, would remain with her for the rest of her life.

The man that was lying in the midst of the raging fire was not the man that she had loved. He was pale and cold. There was no life within this man. Her husband had been lively and gentle. This man was the polar opposite. This man was not the one that she wanted to remember...this man was not Mical. She could not accept, nor would she, accept that the man being consumed by flames was her love, her darling Mical.

No one made eye contact with Amira. All eyes were focused on the flames that were now beginning to eat away at the man's funeral robes. His blonde hair was being engulfed by flames, slowly. The heat emanating from the fire should have warmed her but instead, a cold dread filled her senses. The same cold that would always remain with her for the rest of her life. It would be her constant companion...the one that would never leave her side.

Amira opened her mouth and merely mouthed the one word that would be forever displayed on her lips. Mical. She needed him with every fiber of her being. But now she was alone...and the same feeling of loneliness consumed her. This was the second time she had lost the only person that mattered to her. It was also the second time that it was her fault. She could have stopped it...and she didn't.

Mical died and it was her fault. All those who tried to get close to her or tried to love her...were lost. Gone...whether physically or mentally. They were all lost to her. Amira thought back to Kreia's dying words. She had been right. She should have left all those who she loved alone...and gone to search for Revan. She shouldn't have married Mical...because when she did marry him, she had sealed his fate. A fate that decreed that he would die a miserable death. A fate that also said that she would be destined to be kept alone. Love was strong but death had again proven that it was stronger.

In a battle, death always came out as the victor. Amira could not move; she was trapped in this moment. It was almost like a dream...no, a nightmare. A nightmare that she would never be able to awake from. So she would build her own world to escape into...a world where Mical was still alive and with her. She needed something to remember him by. Something that was not just a material item...something that would forever connect her to Mical.

Amira wanted to scream, but her voice was gone. She wanted to cry, but no more tears would come out. She wanted to die, but her heart continued to beat. Her heart did more than just beat...it cried. It cried and it screamed and it did everything that Amira wanted to do. Her heart was the only thing she had left that kept her going...her motivation had died with Mical.

Bao-Dur stood near her, he made no effort to comfort her, and Amira was thankful for that. She had lost the one she loved and no amount of comfort or apologies would change that. Amira clenched her hands together so hard that blood dripped between the cracks of her fingers. It was the only thing that made her feel alive. The pain was her only connection to reality. Without it...Amira was dead.

What was the point of living if the one that made life worth living is gone? That would be the question that would haunt Amira's thoughts until the day Amira died. A day that Amira prayed would come soon to her. For then she would once again be reunited with her love. One person can take only so many heartbreaks before they simply stop caring...and await the death that eludes them.

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Reliving the past was becoming almost unbearable. She didn't want to remember; she wanted to forget. She wanted to lose herself and completely and totally. Amira was slowly losing her mind. She couldn't take all the pain and heartbreak anymore. Too many things had happened and Amira could no longer take all of it in. All those traumatic experiences were wearing Amira's mental stability thin.

Amira initiated the landing gear and the ship landed swiftly on a landing pad that was located on the top of a mighty tree. Shortly after exiting her ship, Amira was greeted by several massive wookies.

"Greetings. I am here to see Chieftain Zaalbar." Amira said as she bowed respectively.

"He wasn't expecting you, but I am certain he will be happy to see you." The largest wookie said in Shyriiwook, their native language. "I will take you to see him."

Amira was led to the wookie village; along the way she couldn't help but admire the giant forests. The planet was quite amazing, yet the creatures that lived here were even more amazing. The wookies were huge and massive creatures but had a golden heart. They were also so very gentle and compassionate. A trait that Amira admired from any sentient.

"Ahhh, the Exile. It is good to see you again. Have you had any luck finding Revan?" Zaalbar asked.

"I have not. I have been...busy, as of late." Amira said, a trace of pain in her voice.

"I see. Well, what brings you here to our peaceful planet, Exile?" The great Chieftain asked.

"I have come in hope that you would allow me to stay here for a few days until I decide what my course of action is going to be." Amira explained.

"Action?" Zaalbar queried.

"Yes, there has been a murder and I am going to investigate this and bring the murderer to justice." She said, unmoving.

"Then anything I can do to help, I will. You may stay here and you will be under the protection of every wookie here." Amira bowed and left.

What was her plan of action? She had no clue as to where the killer was. She didn't even know why she wanted to stop at Kashyyyk in the first place. Something just told her that it was her best chance to find the killer. Amira's heart ached...after that last dream; Amira was now more motivated than ever to get her revenge. She hungered for the murderer's blood. She couldn't wait until he or she was dead.

Amira headed back to her ship and sat down in the pilot's seat. She slammed her fist angrily on the control panel. She had no clue what she was going to do! Just then a small compartment opened and a letter slid out. Amira leaned down and picked it up. On the front it had her name...and it was written in Mical's handwriting. She dropped the letter as if it were scalding hot. She had forgotten about this letter. She picked it up and began reading it.

My Love,

The Council is sending me on a training mission with a couple of padawans so I will not be able to see you for a while. I do not have time to see you or give you this letter so I am leaving it here on the nightstand. I hate the fact that the Council continues to send us on these missions because every moment I spend away from you is torture. I love you more than the stars, the planets. I want you to know that I would choose you over the Republic, over millions, and gladly anyday. From the moment I met you, I have loved you and thought about you everyday. I know that I don't say it as often as I mean to so I want you to know that I do love you. I love you more than you can ever know. It is almost time for my departure so I will have to bid you farewell. I will be back in a couple of days. Perhaps we can catch up then.

Forever Yours,

Mical

Amira sat there, and as she read, tears began to fall from her eyes. This was the thing that Amira had prayed for. The one little connection to Mical. It made her intensely happy and sad at the same time. Mical had loved her...this note confirmed it. They had been so happy together, and Amira felt grief-stricken once again. She wanted to be with him again. This letter reminded her of the happier times. The times she got to spend with him.

"Once your killer is dead, Mical, I will be with you again. I promise." Amira whispered silently to herself.

A/N: I want to take this time to thank everyone who has reviewed this far! It means a tremendous deal to me that you take the time out of your no doubt busy schedule to read and review my story. Thanks a bunch and keep reviewing!