Chapter 4
Night had fallen over the kingdom and it was a sombre mood within the castle. Anakin and Jacen were missing. They hadn't arrived at the temple and search parties failed to find any trace of them. Obi Wan had never felt so helpless except when he had seen his brother falsely arrested by Palpatine and then he was falsely arrested. He wanted to be out looking for his brother and his son but the guards forbid him from leaving.
Padme was visibly distraught and hadn't said a word since finding out what had happened. She refused to talk to Obi Wan and instructed all the search parties to keep searching. It wasn't looking good especially when Obi Wan and the council members were unable to sense Anakin and Jacen with the force.
As the search parties returned for what seemed like the 50th time that night, Obi Wan found his wife in Kiara's room. Padme was sitting at her daughter's window in her nightdress, with her arms around her daughter who was clutching her favourite doll. Obi Wan slowly moved into the room and over towards them. Padme, her eyes red from crying, seemed to be staring out in a trance. He gently lifted Kiara from her arms into his and moved across towards her bed.
Kiara softly spoke up "Mommy's sad, daddy" she tells him as Obi Wan felt his heard break once more. He usually was strong and hard to break down but knowing his son and brother were lost and possibly captured, tore at his heart.
Obi Wan gently kissed his daughter's forehead before he looks down at her. He didn't want to alarm her so he chose his words carefully
"She's just missing your brother and uncle" he explained "But everything is going to be fine. They'll be home soon" he promises. Kiara tilts her head confused right at the moment he heard Padme scoffs as she was on her feet glaring over at him
"How can you say that, Obi Wan!" she cries "Our son is missing!" she reminds him "We don't know where they are and no one can find them, not even the Jedi council!" she snaps "I should never have listened to you or never let him go!" she exclaims. She then stormed from the room as Obi Wan sat there, hurt by his wife's words.
Kiara then placed a hand on his leg as she snuggled close to him "I love you daddy'" she whispers as he wraps an arm around her holding her close. Now, he felt helpless and alone but he would stay strong for his little girl.
His body ached and burned from the lighting and his arms ached as they still hung in their cuffs above him. Jacen sat to the side, too scared to move for fear Shira or Thalia will hurt him or Anakin once more. Thalia was standing beside Anakin. She seemed to be tending to his wounds which confused Jacen. They captured them, why would they be tending to the wounds they inflicted.
Anakin winced in pain as he slowly lifts his head before he spoke "Why are you doing this?" he asks her "Why do you care if my wounds heal?" he asks her as Thalia smirks
"For years, my mother told me about what happened to my father and has trained me so that one day we will finish his work and take back the kingdom and you're going to help us" she explains as Anakin scoffs
"I told you already. You won't turn me against my brother or his family" he replies. He screams in pain as she dug her nails harder into one of his wounds. He screamed in pain as Thalia then decided to try a different approach, one that may gain sympathy from him.
She moved away from him and towards the young prince. "My mother has trained me for as long as I could remember. I know she loves me but at times I feel like she won't completely love me until I succeed in finishing her plan" she confesses. Anakin looks over at her. What was this witch doing? This had to be some kind of trick. He remained silent as she went on. She looks down at Jacen who sat frightened and scared. She then knelt before him
"I don't want to hurt you, little one" she admits as he pulls back from her. She sighs as Anakin spoke up
"He's not easy fooled, witch" he spat "He's young but he knows who to trust and who not to trust" he warns her. Thalia smirks to herself. That is what she was counting on to help in their plan. Thalia then goes on
"When I was a little girl, I loved my mother and she loved and protected me but as I grew older and the harder she trained me, I realised she is using me to complete her plan" she confesses. She turned towards him and Anakin saw an innocence in her that he had seen him and Obi Wan have when they were younger, perhaps she did have her childhood stripped away but he remained strong
"I've never even left this village" she goes on "I don't have many friends other than my teachers and my mother who train me but I've never encountered a Jedi or any male before. Males don't do well here" she reveals. Jacen shook his head
"Uncle Anakin's stronger than you think!" he snaps as Anakin smirks at his young nephew and he was not falling for this girl's tricks. She was holding captive for their plans to go after their family. Thalia then decided to add something else.
"I mean, you're very handsome and yet you're just a royal guard" she reminds him "My mother said how you had feelings for the Princess and you should have married the princess, yet you fought in your brother's name and he married her" she recounts.
Anakin stiffens. He hadn't thought about that day and a part of him never wanted to remember it. Sure, he loved Padme but from their time on Courscant, he knew her heart belonged to Obi Wan and now he was happy being the fun uncle Jacen and Kiara had come to love. Thalia was now behind him, one hand on his shoulder as Shira watched her daughter from outside.
"It must have been hard to see someone you also loved, marry your brother" she heard Thalia say as Shira smirked. She had been trained well and listened to her. Thalia then went on. She had one hand on his cheek. "Those lips, how can any woman resist" she smirks as he pulls back.
"Padme is my friend and sister, Obi Wan is my brother. I'm happy for them" Anakin tells her as Thalia grins
"You can't lie to me" she tells him and with that, Jacen watched as Thalia forced her lips onto his in a tender kiss with an stunned Anakin as Jacen could only watch on in upset.
The eyes bled yellow as they stared directly at him. His wife laid unconscious meters away whilst his little girl was nowhere to be seen. His lightsaber was activated in front of him. This figure looked like his brother but he sensed his brother was lost. He swung his lightsaber towards him forcing Obi Wan to block his attack before jumping back
"Anakin!" he cries "This isn't you, don't do this to us!" he goes on as Anakin only moves towards him pressing his lightsaber against Obi Wan's once more
"You got everything!" he angrily snarls before he then knocks him flat onto his back. Obi Wan started up in horror. He spotted two figures in the distance watching as Anakin brought his lightsaber towards him then blackness
Obi Wan's eyes snapped open as he lurched upright in bed. He didn't expect to fall asleep after he carried Kiara to their quarters where Padme was sitting by the window. Kiara was still asleep against him as he wiped the sweat off his forehead before he found Padme beside him on the bed.
She had been crying again and hadn't slept. She took his hands in hers "Something's happened to them Obi Wan. No one can find them" she tells him as he sits up squeezing her hands
"We will find them Padme. I promise" he assures her "The Jedi won't rest until Anakin and Jacen are found" he reminds her as Padme rests her head against his chest as he wraps his arms around her. Both Obi Wan and Padme wanted to be out there searching but knew they needed to be with their daughter - Obi Wan couldn't understand why he couldn't sense his brother in the force, whoever had captured them was prepared and he feared for his family's safety and the kingdom's fate.
Jacen had never seen his uncle look so broken. Thalia had released him from his cuffs and now he laid on the floor. Hands still in their force resistant cuffs, but at times he barely moved. Thalia was with her mother at the moment so Jacen cautiously moved over towards his uncle. He shook him hoping he would wake him up.
"Uncle Anakin?" he softly asks shaking him "Wake up" he sniffs. He shakes him until he hears him moan before he lifts his head. Jacen could see Anakin's eyes were bruised and dark underneath and blood had dried around his lips and face.
"I'm sorry I've failed you Jacen" he says as Jacen throws his arms around him.
"No, you haven't uncle Anakin" he tells him cuddling up against him "I'm scared without you" he confesses referring to when they had been briefly separated after being captured. Slowly, Anakin attempted to pull himself. He wrapped his arms around the little boy.
Jacen sniffed "I want to go home. I miss mommy and daddy" he cries as Anakin held him close.
"I promise you, we will get back home" he assures him "These witches won't keep us here" he adds as Jacen snuggled up against him as Anakin shifted as much as he could with his hands still cuffed. Anakin never liked to break his promises but when it came to family, he would keep them but Shira and Thalia would ensure what came next ensured that it would be a broken promise.
Thalia watched her mother as she went over her new spell which when enacted would allow them to finally take down the Queen and King. Thalia wanted to show her mother she was strong and willing but after her sudden kiss with the Jedi, she was feeling something for him and she wasn't completely lying to him when she said she had never met anyone else outside the clan.
"It is time, my dear" Shira spoke up as Thalia looked over at her "It is clear that Anakin Skywalker won't willing turn against his family and so he will unknowingly help" she explains. She then turns to exit the hut "Follow me, sweet child" she says moving over towards where the prisoners were kept. As they entered, the young prince was asleep however Anakin was awake and gave them a cold stare at Shira and Thalia.
"I will not turn against my family so you may as well leave" he informs them. Shira only smirks before she quickly and suddenly rips the young prince from his arms. She hands him to her daughter as Anakin attempts to stand however Shira waves her hand knocking him onto his back
"Uh, uh, ah, not so fast" she smirks as she looks over at Thalia "Watch and learn my girl. this is how you get things done" she explains and with that, she moves a hand over Anakin's chest where she plunged her hand into his chest! He gasps in shock, powerless to move or fight as minutes later, she pulls out his heart. It glowed red in her hands. Anakin stared at her.
"What are you doing?" he asks "You going to kill me?" he taunts as Shira laughs once more.
"Oh, that time will come but I have use of you yet" she assures him, waving her hand as Anakin felt himself pulled to his feet, arms above his head once more secured to the chain above before he watched Shira leave with his heart followed by Thalia not before she placed him back down on the bed. He was unaware just what plans she had in store for him with his heart.
Whilst back inside the castle, the mood once more was dim, sombre and cold. Advisors were already discussing the possibility that the royal guard and the young prince were dead. Padme couldn't stand being around all the negativity and decided to head out to the marketplace with Obi Wan and Kiara.
It was a place she felt more like herself and less like the queen. The people loved and admired her and accepted her new family. She smiled at one vendor who brought out a beautiful purple necklace for Kiara
"For the little princess, your highness" he says as Kiara's face lit up excitedly
"Mommy it's beautiful" she gushes as Obi Wan smiles kneeling beside his little girl. He takes the necklace from the vendor to put on his little girl. Padme laughs. Kiara had her father wrapped around her finger and he could never say no to her as she paid the vendor, tipping him a little extra as Obi Wan looks over at his daughter
"Thank you daddy" she smiles "Pretty" she adds making Obi Wan and Padme both chuckle right when Obi Wan felt a dark, threatening presence. Obi wan lifted Kiara into his arms and stood back up wrapping an arm around Padme.
"What is it?" she asks as Obi Wan looks around the marketplace. He found no one suspicious but the locals going about their business. He then started to lead her from the marketplace
"I don't know" he replies "But we need to get back to the castle" he informs her. It had been days since his brother and their son had gone missing and something told Obi Wan soon they would discover what happened to them.
Jacen felt a gentle stroke on his forehead something he hadn't felt in a while. "Mommy?" he whispers as the voice gave a small sad chuckle
"Not yet" he whispers as Jacen slowly opens his eyes seeing Anakin looking down at him. He looked terrible although some of his wounds had been healed but there was still dry blood on his face and hands. He still gave him a small smile "But soon you'll see them again" he insists as Jacen slowly tilts his head
"Are we going home now?" he asks as Anakin nods
"Yes" he replies as Jacen's eyes widen in delight
"Home to mommy and daddy!" he cries jumping into his uncle's arms as Anakin held him close. Anakin knew what else had to say but still felt tears in his eyes before he went on.
"Jacen, there's something I need you to do for me when we get back" he starts to tell him as Jacen looks confused as Anakin goes on "Jacen, you cannot trust your parents or Kiara anymore. They haven't cared about us nor even bothered to come rescue us" he reminds him as Jacen shakes his head
"No, mommy and daddy love me" he sobs as Anakin lowers his head holding him close as Thalia watched from the entrance whilst outside Shira, holding Anakin's heart in her hand, spoke once more "They were going to let the Jedi keep you after the tests. They had Kiara and she would be a princess like her mother" she explains as Thalia, arms folded over her chest, watch the tears begin to fall from the young boy's cheeks. She wanted to feel something but in the end, this was their plan - to avenge her father's death.
"Mommy wouldn't-" she heard Jacen say as Anakin shakes his head
"I'm sorry but she lied and I wanted to argue but their minds were made up. Your father convinced your mother it was the only way" he reveals. Jacen, tears flowing down his cheeks, wanted to not believe it, but this was his uncle and he would understand his parents more than anyone else. Perhaps he was telling the truth. Anakin looks back at him "So, when we get back home, stay close to Thalia, Shira and I, alright?" he asks. Jacen nods quietly as Shira smirks
"Now, bring the boy out here and let us make our journey to the palace" she orders and with that Thalia escorted Anakin with a upset Jacen in his arms outside of the hut. They were heading home but it wasn't going to be pleasant.