Warrior's Heart
By: Muse of Scrolls
It was late afternoon when the doors to my training chamber opened, allowing my mother access to the large room. Striding through the doors, she wore a long, royal violet dress with a silver triangle of armor stretching across her chest. Her long, brown hair was bound to her head in a series of braids that dangled in a squid-like design.
"Amira," she stated my name even though I had already acknowledged her by dropping to one knee, still keeping my dark hazel eyes on her.
"Mother," I said, lifting my head a little. "To what do I owe this audience?"
Giving me a small smile as she narrowed her blue eyes at me, my mother replied,
"I trust you have completed your training for today."
"Yes," I affirmed, with a slight nod.
"Good, because we have some guests that will be arriving by nightfall," she declared.
Raising my head all the way, one of my eyebrows lifted in puzzlement as I inquired,
"Who are the guests and what is their purpose here on Haadiak?"
"Lord Palpatine, one of our greatest allies, is coming to Haadiak to speak with me on...certain matters. He assured me his visit will be rather long, so we have little time to prepare for his arrival," she explained.
"That is well and good, Mother, but what do I have to do with this?" I asked, still slightly confused and annoyed.
"I want you to bathe and dress in your warrior gown. And make sure it is the light-weight gown," she answered. "We have to show off your strong attributes somehow, while hiding the...unpleasant ones."
As my mother left through the doors, I grimaced as I looked down at my body. Although my form was solidly built with muscle, I had rather wide-set hips. Fortunately, they were balanced out by my shoulders, giving me not a proper but decent royal figure to display. Unlike me, my mother, Queen Volaria, had a rather slim, yet muscular figure, as all proper Haadiakan queens possessed.
Shrugging and shaking my head, I knew this was no time to complain about my body's flaws. Following my mother's orders, I immediately left the training chamber through a door opposite the one my mother entered. Stepping through, I began to undress before entering one of the portals leading to a bathing column.
Warm water sluiced through my long, dark blonde hair as I poured a small bottle of min-jase soap on my head. Running my fingers through my hair, I stood under the waterfall again, rinsing off the lather. Glancing over at the wall, I pressed a button which turned the falling water blue. Soapy residue gathered on my body as the fresh fragrance of the lumarian flower settled against my skin.
Touching another button, the water ran clear again, rinsing off any excess soap on my body. With the flick of a switch, the water ceased flowing and warm air gusted down on me, drying my skin and hair. In a matter of minutes, I was finished and stepped out of the portal into another room, my sleeping chambers.
Placing a sky-blue robe over my naked body, I went into my large closet and selected the lightest warrior gown possible. Like all of my clothes, this sleeveless dress was a dark shade of indigo. As the warrior princess of Haadiak, I was required to wear only blue garments while my mother, as warrior queen, wore shades of violet. At least it made selecting clothes easier.
Sighing, I removed a pair of black, skin-tight fighter's pants and pulled them over my legs. Then, placing the gown over my head, I smoothed the cloth down until the skirt reached its full-length to my ankles. The bodice of the dress hugged my curves nicely as the skirt flowed freely. Slits on either side of the gown extended the entire length of my legs almost to my waist. This allowed the freedom of movement when one fought. And as everyone knew, all royals of Haadiak were warriors in body and spirit.
Striding over to the mirror and vanity, I grabbed my thick brush, and ran it several times through my hair. Once all of the tangles were removed, I bent over and tied the mane into a long, wavy tail. Binding it with a silver clasp, I rose to my full height of almost six feet. The clasp was slightly raised on my head as the hair fell to my waist.
Nodding in satisfaction, I pulled on my black, mid-calf high boots before buckling them in place. Then, I placed matching metal guards with the Haadiakan royal symbol on my forearms and wrists. Last, but not least, I tied my leather belt around my waist loosely before slipping my twin, metal sai-blades into the belt. It was rare to find proper metal weapons anywhere in the galaxy, but these were made of a metal that would withstand any force against it. Out of all my weapons, these were two of my favorites. However, as a usual precaution, I removed eight small blades from my weaponry wall and placed four in each boot. Now, I felt prepared to greet Lord Palpatine properly.
'Who are you kidding, Mother?' I asked myself with a smirk on my face. I knew very well that she intended on showing off my skills to our guest. And the only proper way to display talent is through a demonstration with attackers. This was the reason for arming myself with so many weapons.
Striding through the open doors of my chambers, I locked the keypad so that no one would enter against my will. The only way one could enter otherwise was through my balcony, which was several stories from the ground. It was another way of deterring anyone from trying to see me without my permission.
The long corridor stretched throughout this sector of the castle, and I knew that with dusk approaching I had to hurry. Along the way, a protocol droid strode towards me and greeted,
"Good evening, your highness."
"Good evening, J-2LR," I hailed the droid out of politeness.
"Your mother, Queen Volaria, sent me to inform you that the meeting with Lord Palpatine will take place in the east wing arena. Also, she trusts that you know about the demonstration and entertainment you will provide this evening," J-2LR told me as he walked in double-time to keep up with my swift pace.
"Yes, that was to be expected, J-2LR," I drawled, rolling my eyes. "Mother has her own subtle ways of informing what is expected of me."
"Indeed, your highness," J-2LR agreed. "Also, if I might add, your highness, there will be seven droids in the arena along with two guards."
Raising an eyebrow at that statement, I thought, 'Mother must really want to impress Lord Palpatine to pit nine warriors against me. Hmph! I'm sure she knows what she's doing.'
"Thank you for that information, J-2LR. No doubt it will be useful," I told the droid with a slight grin.
Approaching the east wing arena, J-2LR bowed to me before departing from my side and disappearing through a side door. Glancing towards the open windows, I noticed the fading sunlight as the golden orb set below the horizon. Before I turned my head away, I caught a glimpse of a sleek, black fighter vessel on the hangar. 'They've arrived already. I'd better take my place.' Taking a deep breath, I walked inside one of the side rooms of the arena where I was to wait until it was time for the demonstration.
Closing my eyes, I meditated in half-consciousness so that I could listen for my mother's signal. From what I could hear, mother was on the right side of the arena conversing with what sounded like one of the droids. Then, I heard her prominent greeting resound to the end opposite hers where, no doubt, Lord Palpatine entered.
Opening my eyes, I waited patiently focusing all of my concentration on the fight ahead. There was no reason for me to be nervous. I had battled and sparred with eight to twelve fighters before. The one difference in this demonstration was the fact that it was a fight to the death. I knew that when mother included live guards, she intended on them to either kill me or be killed. Otherwise she would have just used the battle droids.
"And now, as entertainment, my gracious lords," I heard my mother declare, and readied myself to enter. "I have prepared a fighting demonstration for you."
Upon her words, the doors slid open, signaling me to enter the arena where, just as J-2LR said, seven battle droids stood at ease all around the arena. The two guards stood a few meters in front of my mother and two hooded figures. I guessed the one closest to my mother was Lord Palpatine, but the other, I couldn't really place. Both of their faces were shrouded by the long hoods of their black cloaks. That was all I had time to surmise at this point, for once I was in the center of the large arena, all seven droids entered battle positions and drew their weapons.
Already, I scanned among the droids and found three of them had blasters, two electric whips, one twin set of machete blades, and one katehna, a long, translucent sword with a deadly blade. Although this weapon appeared as if it would shatter if anything touched it, it was this blade I wanted to avoid. It was able to slice through almost anything, except for certain metals and energy swords, like a lightsaber.
Instantly, the seven battle droids began circling me as though they were stalking prey. My mouth turned up at the corners for this "prey" would give them more trouble than they were worth. I remained relaxed despite this supposedly intimidating tactic the droids were trying. This tactic was supposed to make me panic and run towards at least one of them, or that was the purpose of this technique.
Suddenly, two Blasters charged from opposite sides, one from the front and one from behind. As energy beams flew towards me, I raised both of my forearms, deflecting the blasts with my guards. Not only were they deflected, but I aimed the blasts towards the third Blaster and one Whip, taking one's head off while the other suffered internal damage.
At this time, the remaining Whip began running towards me, bringing the weapon up and down towards my head. Bending down, I rolled out of the path of the whip before using my arms like a spring and flipping into the air. Removing one of the small blades from my right boot, I let it fly into Whip's head and severed it from its base making it fall to the floor in a heap.
Seeing me descending to the floor, the two remaining Blasters shot more energy beams at my body. It wasn't too difficult to dodge the blasts as I twisted my body out of the firing range before landing. Using my powerful leg muscles, I propelled myself into the air once more towards the closest Blaster on my right. Before it could react, I slammed my foot into its head in a sharp sidekick.
Righting my body, I found that the Blaster had only a twisted head, but hadn't shut off yet. Glaring at the droid, I heard another approaching from behind and saw the other Blaster rapidly closing the distance between us. Removing one of my sai-blades, I jabbed it into the twisted Blaster before swinging and crashing the droid into the other. Both fell to the floor in a sizzling pile.
Hearing the whistling sound of a weapon thrown through the air, I lifted my eyes and knocked the machete blade aside with my sai-blade. Machete was already advancing too close for comfort. Giving the droid a harsh glare, I extended my hand to the other machete sliding along the floor. Reaching for it with my mind, I signaled it to come to my hand. As the machete sailed through the air, I snatched the handle and brought it against Machete's other blade.
Fighting with Machete before, I knew how this droid worked. Shoving down against me with all its weight, the droid was trying to free its weapon. Shaking my head slightly, I pushed up with my legs, broke free, and slashed down from Machete's right shoulder to its left hip. The upper half of the droid fell to the floor followed shortly by the lower half.
Standing back, I saw Katehna and the two guards still in their original positions in the arena. Taking a breath, I relaxed my body as I dropped the machete to the floor with my first sai-blade. Raising an eyebrow, I was surprised when none of them advanced to attack me. Then, I knew what would get them to come. Dropping to one knee, I lowered my head to where I couldn't see them.
Keeping my ears open for any noise, I heard Katehna shifting around slightly while the guards moved away from the spectators. It would have been unnerving for any amateur warrior to wait so long, but I was more experienced and knew better. Patience was the key factor in any similar situation, and I had learned that from the very first day of my training when I was four years old.
Suddenly, I heard one of the guards yell as he pounded towards me in his attack. Looking up swiftly, I saw his weapon, a siksor, a spear with a sickle pointed straight up, bearing down upon me. Removing my second sai-blade, I positioned the three prongs above me. One thrust and the siksor was caught in my metal weapon, surprising the guard. Twisting the sai-blade slightly, I shattered the sickle-like blade from its place on the wooden pole.
Glaring down at me, the guard hooked his foot around my left ankle, forcing me to the floor. However, thinking ahead, I caught his ankle in the same process, causing him to fall on his back. Circling my right leg over him, I slammed my heel into the guard's stomach before flipping to my feet.
While the first one gripped his abdomen, I turned my head in time to jump clear of the other siksor-bearing guard as he swiped it down to the floor. Widening my eyes slightly, I felt Katehna behind me and ducked almost too late as the edges of some of my hair fell to the floor. Glaring at Katehna as he brought the blade down towards me again, I blocked with my right forearm guard.
Instantly, energy from both forces, the katehna and my metal guard, exploded towards both the droid and me. The shock wasn't too bad as I stilled my breathing for a mere second. However, it took its toll on Katehna for the droid fell as the blast short-circuited its mainframe.
Rising to my feet, I glared once more at Katehna and kicked the droid across the floor, thinking, 'That's what you get for trying to sever my hair, you electronic imbecile.' But, I realized I made a mistake in turning my back on the two guards while I was still recovering from my small shock.
Within minutes, my arms were pinned behind my back by one of the guards while the other brought a fist towards my stomach. Widening my eyes again, I spat saliva into my attacker's face to distract him before bringing my foot up and kicking him where it hurt. As he went down, I slammed the back of my head into my captor's face, forcing him to release me.
Turning swiftly to face the guard behind me, I brought my leg high and around, kicking his head with such force, his neck broke. As he fell to the floor dead, I returned my sight to my attacker as he held the siksor staff in his hands in defense. Reaching into the boot on my right, I removed two small blades and held them up for the guard to see.
Then, making his way towards me in attack, the guard brought the pole around low, trying to trip me. Leaping into the air, I threw one blade straight into his left upper arm, and I heard him cry out in pain. Landing on one foot, I kicked the pole into the air before catching and twisting it around my body, then, settling into a wide stance with the wooden pole in my right hand behind my back.
Yanking the blade out of his arm, the guard growled angrily as he charged at me with the blade. Swiping several times, I dodged the first few before striking his hand, knocking the blade away. Then, bringing the staff around, I smashed it into the guard's jaw, but not so hard that it would knock him off his feet. Shoving the blunt end of the pole into his stomach, I backhanded his head, sprawling the guard on the floor.
Returning to my wide stance as I faced my mother, I brought the pole around once more in a defense position in front of me. My chest rose and fell as I inhaled and exhaled to calm my rushing blood. All in all, the demonstration didn't cause me to lose my wind, and I only felt slight perspiration along my forehead.
"Well done," my mother declared in actual pride, which surprised me greatly. She never gave me sincere praise before, so it was something I wasn't used to hearing from her. "Come, Amira," she beckoned me towards her and the two hooded and cloaked figures. "I want you to meet our esteemed guests."
Rising out of my stance, I tossed what remained of the siksor to the floor before striding over to where the three stood. Standing next to my mother opposite our guests, I waited as she made the introductions.
"Amira, this is his Excellency, Lord Palpatine," she declared, motioning towards the first hooded figure. He stood about half a head taller than me, but I still couldn't see his eyes beneath the shadow of his hood.
"And this," she continued, "is Lord Maul."
Turning my eyes upon the second figure, who was only about three or four inches taller than me, I saw him nod his head. In reply, I nodded my head to him, but then was surprised when he lifted his face to where I could see him. I was totally unprepared for the sight I saw hidden beneath the long, black hood.
Red and black markings stretched all over his face, and I wondered if they were tattoos or perhaps his natural skin coloring. But, it was his eyes that shocked me most. As we locked gazes, I found his eyes were bright gold rimmed with fiery red. It was as though his gaze burned like an eternal inferno. I couldn't bring myself to tear my eyes away from his, and it was only after Lord Palpatine spoke that I broke from the trance.
"Volaria, your daughter is one of the strongest fighters I have ever seen within the galaxy," Palpatine declared as he seemed to be looking at me. "I am surprised that you have not given her the test to challenge you for the throne."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mother's jaw harden as she clenched her teeth. Then, she said,
"Well, usually one must be twenty-four in order to be challenged for the Haadiak throne, my lord. Amira is only twenty-one, but very skilled for a warrior her age."
"And yet she lacks true skill," a deep, velvety voice stated.
Both my mother and I turned to look at Lord Maul as he stood beside Lord Palpatine. Hiding my glare, it was then I noticed how he carried himself. His posture was relaxed, yet set arrogantly with his head held high and his shoulders back. 'Who does he think he is?' I thought quietly to myself, but started when he looked straight at me, saying,
"I merely believe the warrior princess could use improvement in harnessing her skills."
It was like a slap to the face, and my cheeks flushed pink as I released the air in my lungs through flared nostrils. He had no right to insult my skills when he had not even displayed his own skills. From what I could tell, Lord Maul was a fighter, but the only weapon he carried on his person was...I stopped.
Glancing down at the weapon hanging from his belt, my thoughts were confirmed as I saw a lightsaber. A double-ended lightsaber to be correct. Anyone who could use that blade properly was probably one, if not the greatest of fighters. Closing my eyes, I surrendered to Lord Maul's judgment of my skills as I nodded my head.
Meeting his eyes again, I saw almost the hint of a smirk on his face as he stared at me. Still, the slight presence of arrogance was in his face which made my blood boil in my veins. As he was a guest, however, I had to display the proper manners of a royal.
Hearing my mother clear her throat, she asked,
"Shall we help you get settled, my lords?"
"That won't be necessary, Volaria," Palpatine replied with a wave of his hand. "Merely show us to our chambers, and we shall settle ourselves."
"As you wish, my lord," Mother told him with a low bow.
As my mother and Lord Palpatine led the way, I fell into step behind them with Lord Maul at my side. Striding down the corridor, I didn't make eye contact with him the entire route to their chambers. Since he remained silent, I was sure he was content without our conversing as I was.
After seeing to the visiting lords, I started for my chambers, but my mother stopped me. Her cold blue eyes flashed harshly at me as she said,
"I understand that Lord Maul hasn't made the best impact upon you, Amira, but you must keep in mind that he is with one of our greatest allies. You will keep him happy while they stay on Haadiak."
"Yes, Mother," I told her as I rolled my eyes in a slight glare.
Instantly, I felt her fingers grip my lower jaw fiercely and turn my face sharply as she ordered,
"Forget any pride you have, Amira. Now is not the time for it. You will make sure that Lord Maul is given anything he desires...even you, if it comes to that."
Widening my eyes, I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but knowing my mother, it wasn't too surprising. Sighing, I consented to my mother and my queen for she knew what was best for Haadiak. The only way things could change would be after I defeated her in the Warrior's Challenge and became queen.
"Yes, Mother. I will do as you order," I said, keeping my eyes locked on hers.
"Good," she nodded in satisfaction as she released my jaw. "Now, return to your chambers. I'll have your evening meal sent to you."
Bowing to her, I waited until my mother departed down the opposite side of the corridor before continuing towards my chambers. One good thing about my rooms was that they were on the west wing while the arenas were on the east. This gave me plenty of time to think while I walked back towards my sector. However, now wasn't really the time to ponder about any of today's occurrences. I was rather tired from my training and the demonstration, and all I wanted to do was relax.
Punching in the code to unlock the keypad, the doors to my sleeping chambers slid open. After they closed behind me, I turned towards my bed with a sigh as I rubbed one of my shoulders. Looking at my bed, I frowned in bewilderment as I discovered my sai-blades on the edge of the large chamber bed. I grasped one of them in my hand while glancing around the room, prepared to punish anyone who dared to enter my chambers.
"I thought that you would want them back as soon as possible," a familiar deep, yet smooth voice stated behind me.
Turning in that direction with sai-blade ready, I put the blade down at my side as I saw Lord Maul, eyes closed, leaning against the headboard of my bed. Still frowning at him, I saw his eyes flick open and look at me, saying, "Weapons such as those should be cared for properly, your highness. No metal weapon is more dependable than those blades."
"I appreciate you returning them to me," I said as my frown slackened. "But, I would like to know how you entered my chambers."
One side of his face drew up in a slight smirk as Lord Maul replied,
"I have my ways. I come and go wherever I desire."
The calm manner with which he spoke was intriguing, but his posture still stated arrogance. There was also the fact of him entering my private rooms without my consent. Still, I remembered what my mother ordered me and stilled my temper.
"Do you desire something, Lord Maul?" I inquired as I placed the sai-blade back on my bed.
Keeping his gaze on me, the dark lord answered,
"I do not desire anything at this moment, Princess Amira. I only wanted to return your sai-blades to you personally."
At this moment, I noticed that the long, black hood was down behind his head. Many short horns grew all around his head, ten in all that I noticed. Despite the manner he carried himself, Lord Maul had a fair muscle build...unless that was merely his cloak and robes. Also, I would have to say that he was rather handsome in a very unique way, but still striking nonetheless.
Suddenly, someone knocked on my door and a voice asked,
"Is everything alright, your highness?"
As my eyes darted to the door, I turned back towards Lord Maul, whispering,
"You must...hide."
However, I found no one standing where the dark lord once stood, and I allowed the servant access to my chamber. It was J-2LR carrying a tray of food and a vessel of sweet junin, made from native berries, at least that's what I could smell of the liquid. Setting the tray down on the table opposite my bed, J-2LR said,
"I heard that the demonstration was a complete success, your highness. You must be very proud, just like your mother."
"Yes, I suppose so, J-2LR," I agreed, still scanning my room for signs of Lord Maul. "But, I could have done better. I need to improve my skills; otherwise I'll never be able to defeat Mother in the Warrior's Challenge."
"I am sure that your skills are sufficient, your highness. You've been training since you were four years of age, and you fight like any elder Haadiakan warrior," J-2LR told me in pride.
"Still, J-2LR, I think I will train harder and try to become even stronger," I stated to the protocol droid. "Thank you for the food. I bid you good evening."
"Oh. Well, yes, of course, your highness," J-2LR said with a bow before leaving my room.
Shaking my head, I didn't mean to be so terse in telling J-2LR to leave, but I really wanted to see where Lord Maul had disappeared. The only way he could have entered or left easily would have been my balcony. Striding to the railing, I looked down and above my chambers, but discovered nothing in the night sky. 'He couldn't have come in this way, unless...' I stopped in mid-thought. 'Perhaps that is the reason.'
With a shrug of my shoulders, I went back inside towards the table and saw the variety of meats, fruits, and bread. Taking a small piece of a dark brown meat, I bit into the flesh as I poured a glass of junin. Sipping slowly from the glass, I gingerly picked a few more choice pieces of meat before choosing two medium-sized huneh fruits. These were especially nutritious yet sweet to the taste.
After a quick rinsing, I changed into a soft, light blue nightdress that reached my ankles, like most of my dresses. As a princess, I also had to be humble and not show too much of my legs. But, as a priority, I did own several short dresses, both fighting and sleeping garb.
Taking my hair down from the metal clasp, I ran the brush through it once more and remembered that Katehna droid had sliced off some of it. Frowning in self-disgust at allowing it to get that close with the blade, I removed a shear from one drawer and cut off about three inches of uneven hair. It was still fairly long and reached the base of my back. Now, it was even again, but I would have to make sure to be more careful. In swift pace, I weaved a thick braid out of my hair and bound it at the end.
Yawning and stretching my arms, I moved the covers back on my chamber bed and slipped underneath the sheets and quilts. Haadiak's nights were usually cold, which was why every bed in the palace had several layers of sheets and quilts. Sinking into the soft mattress, I laid my head on the pillow and slowly fell asleep, still thinking about the mysterious, dark Lord Maul.
During the middle of the night, I don't know what forced me out of my slumber, but I awoke with an uneasy feeling. Opening my eyes, I glanced around the room in caution, searching the shadows for any intruder. Raising my upper body, I held the blanket close to me as I scanned my chamber once more.
Once I discovered nothing out of the ordinary inside my room, I sighed as I settled back against my pillow. Maybe I was just being a little jumpy because of the literally close shave I received during the demonstration. Closing my eyes, I tried to get back to sleep again.
Suddenly, I felt a gloved hand clamp down on my mouth, and my eyes opened wide as I halted the yell rising in my throat. Once my eyes readjusted to the dark, I saw the face of Lord Maul staring at me as he removed his hand. Giving him a puzzled look, I opened my mouth to question him, but he placed his fingers against my mouth again, whispering,
"Stay silent, your highness. I'm not here to bring you harm."
Taking his fingers from my mouth, I realized Lord Maul was sitting on my bed leaning over me. How this man could get around the palace with such stealth was far beyond my knowledge. Crossing my arms, I tried to sit up a little straighter in order to hear to what he had to say.
Before he said anything, Lord Maul gave me a rather...intrigued look as his eyes met mine. Staring straight into those eyes, they appeared to dance like flames as I was once again mystified by the fiery orbs. A little curious about what emotions I could find, I widened my own eyes a little. Calm fire seemed to be present in the greatest amount, but as I looked further, I thought I saw passion and desire hidden deep in those eyes.
Blinking his eyes, Lord Maul broke the trance as I blinked twice to clear my head from what I believed to have seen. Then, he softly stated,
"I heard what you said about wanting to train and become stronger than your mother. If you really want to do what you say, I will train you myself. The question now, Princess Amira, is this: how much do you want to defeat your mother?"
Raising an eyebrow as he said this, Lord Maul seemed to be searching my own eyes for my answer. The truth was that I wanted to defeat my mother so much to prove to her that I was a true warrior. Although she trained me from an early age, her praise died within a few years, and she now criticized me more than ever when she chose to observe me train.
"I want to be able to know I can defeat her," I whispered in soft reply.
Giving me what appeared to be a smile on his lips, Lord Maul nodded as he said,
"We start at dawn. Be in the corridor, and I will find you. I suggest you rest, for I am almost certain you will need it, your highness."
Smirking slightly at him, I looked away from the dark lord for a moment, and when I returned my gaze towards him, he was gone. Somehow, I knew Lord Maul would vanish just as he did before. Pulling the quilts over me once more, I had to sleep in order to rise at dawn.
Closing my eyes, I placed a hand against my mouth where his hand had touched me. Even though he wore his gloves, I could still feel the heat pulsing through Lord Maul's palm against my mouth. What was this strange feeling that came and vanished within moments of Lord Maul's presence? It was something to ponder over, but not now. Now was the time for rest, as sleep enveloped me once more.
