Chapter 4
Captured
Author's Muse: Well, as I suspected I would, I got sidetracked on a few LOTR pieces that will be posted sometime in the near future. Anyway, I'm still proud of the fact that I managed to update AGAIN without a three to four month long (or longer) gap between each chapter. Yay! Whether or not I will divert my full attention on the next chapter for the rest of this month, I do not know, but I am confident that I will at least get this to chapter six before I completely cop out. This story has captured my interest for now. Can't understand why, but I'm glad that I'm able to continue this without much hassle.
Anyway, like it? Hate it? DESPISE IT? Have questions about confusing parts or things that I just seriously did not make clear? Review and tell me all about it!
Laurel prided herself in being a very patient person when she wanted to be. She was good at getting what she wanted. Excelled at keeping her emotions in check and her prowess at manipulation would not leave anyone wanting for anything… sans the person she manipulated. It was to be expected that her initial patience with other politicians would become strained after prolonged exposure. She was used to dealing with nefarious little brats that came to her university to acquire an education and, hopefully, learn something from their experience. Most of them went on to become manipulative little buggers but were never anyone she couldn't figure out in a moments notice.
The Republic politicians were a different matter entirely. She never trained them. She never taught them to have the best interests of others at heart. She never taught them that things like lying and manipulation were to only be used when the lives of others were at stake. They never received the lecture from her about the difference between right and wrong, truth and lies, peace versus war.
So, it was incredibly hard for her to gauge the reasons behind Senator Palpatine's wish to become the Republic's ambassador to Illearia. Normally, it was a Jedi Knight on the verge of becoming a master who accompanied her back for six months and not one of the Republic's politicians. Palpatine assured her of his sincere interest in the races of Illearia and a wish to establish a direct correspondence between the Republic's lawmakers and Illearia's.
Laurel wished, she really did, that she could believe the man. It was not her ingrained disposition to immediately assume the worst of everyone as it was with her friend, Artemis. However, there was something dark about the man she couldn't wrap her finger around. Something was wrong. Something rubbed her the wrong way. Something made her happy to know that, after discovering the pending journey of Senator Palpatine and expressing a wish to check on their agents, Jedi Masters Yoda and Windu elected to personally accompany her.
When Mace informed her of those plans she almost kissed him in gratitude but refrained from doing so. He wouldn't appreciate it.
Now, though, she was stuck in audience with Senator Palpatine explaining elven custom, lore and the general history of Illearia. He was an attentive pupil, she had no trouble admitting that, but he was attentive in the sense that he seemed to take in the information and catalogue it for it to be later analyzed.
"Professor, I am a little confused about elven magic. Why is it so different from what our Jedi use?" he asked.
Laurel felt the alarms in her head go off again. This seemed to happen throughout any prolonged conversation with the man and she couldn't fathom the reason why. This question, though, was something that her people tended to want kept to themselves for various reasons. It would not do for any of the mortal races to find out what it was exactly that separated the Illearians from the rest of the inhabitants of their galaxy. Anyway, this was a question best answered by Ailya or Neldie and not herself.
"Its difficult to explain. You will have to wait for an audience with one of the other White Council members. They are better equipped to explain it," she said as pleasantly as possible.
"Ah, I understand. Forgive me I forgot that this was a general discussion and not an in depth one," apologized the man.
She nodded and continued, "We have the High Wizard Council which is made of three members. Each member is a half-elf of some sort and the eldest of their kind. Unlike the elves, half-elves age so our witches and wizards tend to be replaced every so often. Most wizards and witches are hermits and nomads. They interact with society only when they see fit to, as the White Council will. It is imperative that you understand how difficult our princess will be. She is a good sort, of course, but she has a no-nonsense stubbornness about her and will see through any political crap you attempt to dish out. No offense."
He smiled good naturedly, "None taken."
She carefully let out a breath. This was going to be a very long afternoon.
Princess Bellethiel was at her wits end. Day after day she was met with unwanted suitors even in her own personal time. She had little to no privacy. Her sparing sessions with Qui-Gon and her morning lessons with master and apprentice were being watched. By the time the three of them re-entered their common room, they were so worn out from the day's events that they simply retired for the night.
Four months since her name-day celebration and the only thing that gave her a semblance of peace was the little black wolf puppy her aunt gave her. The little pup was growing at a rate that left its owner in no doubt of the fact that she, for it was a she, would be a gigantic animal. Part of the peace that the little canine gave her was the time she was able to spend with Qui-Gon teaching her how to both hunt and attack.
Obi-Wan had been her first choice. Bainethiel had taken to making Qui-Gon's daily business her own and, in many cases, ended up crossing her personal time with Belle's in the most invasive fashion; invasive to Qui-Gon. The Jedi padawan, though, did not have a good way with animals. Sila, the wolf was called, hadn't taken very well to Obi-Wan and stoically tolerated his presence. Qui-Gon was a different matter with the animal.
Belle wasn't sure if Sila could tell whether or not her mistress held a certain regard for the man or not, but whatever the case was Qui-Gon was the favorite of her guardians. Such became evident when the female wolf allowed him to teach her various commands while said mistress was busy in court.
This all led to now where Bellethiel was about ready to suffocate from the constant barrage of people around her. It was so bad that she wanted a few hours away from Qui-Gon and Ob-Wan. After a hectic morning filled with meetings with various lords sons and a tense lunch between herself, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan (she wasn't mad at them) Belle whisked off into her rooms as fast as she possibly could followed closely by her two guardians. She didn't say a word to them as she greeted Sila upon entering the common room and made a beeline for her bedroom door.
As she shrugged out of the outer layer of her dress she sank into the covers of her bed, buried her face into her pillow, and let out the most frustrated groan she ever made. There were too many suitors! All they wanted was to attempt to woo her for the crown. All hopes for a match with her were political in nature and none of them actually considered getting to know her. She needed a break. She needed to ride her horse. Alone.
Which meant that she was going to have to sneak out since she knew without a doubt neither of her guardians would let her leave on her own.
The wolf was staring at him again with her imploring amber eyes. Qui-Gon glanced at the dark animal with a raised eyebrow and met the stare. The wolf's tail thumped against the red oak table and its head cocked sideways. He sighed glanced around to make sure that Obi-Wan wasn't looking, reached into a pocket of his elven tunic and brought forth a small piece of jerky. Sila, the wolf, blinked at him and tensed in excitement and he waited for just one moment. Then he flicked his wrist and the tiny piece of dried meat into the air. It soared to the wolf and began a fast descent to the floor but was hastily snatched out of the air by the powerful jaws of the ever-growing animal.
"Master, didn't the princess seem highly aggravated today?" asked Obi-Wan from the chair near the fire.
Qui-Gon nodded before replying, "I believe that the appropriate term is 'stressed' instead of 'aggravated'."
Obi-Wan seemed to be in agreement, "I don't think she's had one moment's peace for the past month and a half."
Qui-Gon let out a long drawn out sigh and sat back in the couch with a contemplative look drawn on his features. Bellethiel was stressed. Her eyes weren't as bright as they normally were and the strain from constantly having to battle suitors at every waking moment was getting to her. What annoyed him was the fact that the people bothering her the most were from the Egire and Undbegyr families. They sought her out and spent much of her valuable time attempting to convince her that one of them were right candidates for her marriage partner.
The thought of either ellon laying a hand on her did not sit well with his conscience. The very idea unsettled him and caused certain unpleasant emotions to well inside of him- a good portion of those emotions were an overwhelming sense of possession and protectiveness. Inwardly, the Jedi Master frowned. These thoughts and emotions worried him. They indicated something much deeper than an attraction to his charge. They were dangerous.
His blue eyes caught movement outside of the window and his attention drew to the view. A glimpse of bronze hair and pale skin with indications of brown leather casual clothes told him the identity of the figure.
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was only natural, of course, she would decide to sneak out at that moment!
The last time she eluded their presence was before her name-day celebration in the second week of his and Obi-Wan's guardianship of her. Obi-Wan had been furious with her when they finally found her, but Qui-Gon had kept his disapproval to himself. He thought that she understood the underlying message, but apparently not. Then again, he mused, she probably needed the space. In such a case…
He stood up after putting his book carefully to the side while silently mourning the loss of his data pad. Obi-Wan glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow from the book of ancient runes and writing systems he had open in his lap.
"Our princess has decided to escape. I'm going to fetch her," explained Qui-Gon.
Obi-Wan looked slightly taken aback though not entirely surprised, "I was… wondering if she would make another bid for freedom sometime or later."
The remark went over his master's head as Qui-Gon turned and slipped out of the common room. In the hall, he decided that not being seen would be the best policy. Bellethiel didn't need her personal time to be invaded and, to be honest, part of him understood her actions. Whatever the case was, he knew where to find her.
He grimly slipped invisibly through the palace with a concentrated frown on his bearded face. There was, he acknowledged, a slight feeling of aggravation coursing through him at that moment. The princess hadn't needed to sneak away. Just them knowing where she was and how long she would have been gone would have worked just fine. Qui-Gon, of course, would have kept an eye on her from a very far distance, but she wouldn't know he was there. She could have her rare time to herself; her semblance of freedom she so desperately craved.
But, he figured, if she didn't go for at least an entire two hours without anyone watching her or around her then she would not be the person he… highly regarded. There. He stopped himself before the thought could travel onto a path of no return. There were some things better left un-thought. It would make letting everything go less painful.
He found her where he expected her to be- in the sparse stables attaching the light-weight reigns on the horse she received as a name-day gift. He took a moment to watch her from the shadows of the stable door. Her hair was completely free of bondage. Her clothes were as loose as she was allowed- a brown leather corset (he found they were called) that bound a simple grey shirt to her chest and a brown leather belt that hung from her hips to better keep the blue-grey pants from slipping down her narrow legs. Her feet were adorned with simplistic riding boots and her hands were completely bare.
It was those hands that were gently stroking the head of the white horse she was about to mount. Her voice was speaking gently to the creature in her own tongue- such a melodic voice to match the smooth tongue of her people. Everything about this scene made his chest twinge with a dull, throbbing, ache that occurred every time he was privy to her soft and gentle side.
His feelings, however, did not blind him from other things about her he noticed. Her shoulders looked tense. Her movements were not as fluid or gentle as he was certain she liked. Her voice sounded strained as if she was barely containing it.
She looks ready to break, he thought with a surge of compassion.
The soft murmur of her voice ceased and her heard a sigh escape her lips.
"I can hear you breathing, Qui-Gon," she said loud enough for him to hear.
Not surprised by the fact she knew he was there, Qui-Gon approached her from behind. The two of them seemed to know when the other was near. It was why Qui-Gon found himself guarding her much of the time. There was an awareness the other had about each other that couldn't be explained. She always knew it was him even when she couldn't see him.
"You will not stop me, Qui-Gon," she ordered in a voice that was almost but not quite haughty.
His steeled demeanor softened slightly. He hadn't planned to.
"How long will you be gone and where?" he asked.
She turned to look at him with surprise written on her face.
"What?" she asked.
He raised an eyebrow. She hadn't been expecting his question.
"I ask because I would like to know what I should tell Obi-Wan. He will meet you here after your ride," he explained.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, seemed to catch herself and then closed it while fixing him with a dumbfounded look. The way her long, unruly, bronze hair framed her pale face seemed to add to her look. It was very endearing.
Qui-Gon did not expect her to hug him, though, but hug him she did. Bellethiel hadn't given an ounce of warning. She simply sprang into motion and wrapped her arms around his torso while burying her head into his chest. After a moments uncertain hesitation he returned the embrace as gently as he could. He wanted to hold her to him, bury his face into her bronze hair and become lost in her scent- a gentle and calming fragrance that reminded him of a few of the scented herbs she kept in the common room. Self-control was not easy for him at this point in time, but he managed to refrain from doing all of those very wrong things he wanted to do.
She drew back from him only a moment later and left him feeling stunned though he willed himself to remain as impassive as possible. The smile she sent him nearly dissolved that iron will of his.
"Thank you, mellon vell," she said while calling him friend in her own language.
He still had yet to divine the significance of that particular phrase. He inclined his head slightly and moved to one side to allow her room to mount her horse.
"I intend to ride for two hours in the woods just around the capital. I will not go far, I promise," she told him.
Qui-Gon nodded, "Be safe."
She inclined her head to him before spurring her horse into a steady trot out of the stable. The steed broke into a swift gallop when it entered the sunlight. He stared after her with his features marred into a concerned frown. He was in trouble.
The wind whipped through Bellethiel's hair as she rode Meldamiriel (Melda for short) into the forest surrounding the capital. The trees were wide enough that she was able to maneuver around them at full gallop. Her heart soared with each thud of Melda's hoof to the soft, green, earth. Every burst of wind that hit her face was the breath of life. The exhilarating experience slowly unlocked the caged bird that was her and freed her bound spirit into the air. There was no duty. There were no suitors. She was not the princess of the elven race. She was simply Belle and there was nothing else but Melda and Eru.
Belle smiled and allowed herself to channel the joy she was feeling into her ride. Weightless, timeless, freedom and love- all clasped in her hands that guided her swift steed through the valley and up into the beginnings of the foothills that escalated into the mountains of one of the dwarf realms. She slowed to an easy trot after thirty minutes and guided Melda to travel parallel to the elven capital.
As her eyes fell to her home a new love for it surged within her. The walls, the towers, the castle, the houses, courthouse, University, the Great Library of Illearia all melded into various stones, metals and woodlands to create a jewel of a city filled with the greens of the forest and the cultivated gardens of each inhabitant. Belle pulled Melda to a momentary halt so she could take in the beauty of her home before her. A soft smile played on her lips as the day's waning summer wind played softly with her now tangled hair and loose shirt.
She closed her eyes and sensed the world around her. All of her elven senses, sans her eyesight, were alert. She listened to the breeze rustling the trees and the chirping of each unique type of bird. The sounds of wildlife beyond her vantage point stirred around her and Melda, her beautiful steed, snorted and whinnied softly to convey her impatience. She wanted to continue the ride.
The land was peaceful and serene, letting its princess know safety without becoming smothered. A presence not of the land but of something more enveloped her and she remembered. With all grief and heartache gone she opened her eyes and looked to the sky above. Belle laughed.
"I remember the joy you give me. I will not forget again," she whispered as if speaking to someone unseen but still present.
Alone with her horse, Bellethiel became reacquainted with Eru and began to speak all of her hopes and dreams, cares and woes, and of friendship and love. But there was one thing she voiced specifically that weighed the most on her heart.
"Eru I have enemies who seek to harm me in the most personal way. Physical torture and death would be a blessing compared to what they have planned for me. I fear, Eru, that I will not marry where I love," she paused here as she considered her heart.
It was an old tradition among the elves for the unmarried of their race to find their love-match. That tradition was remembered among the peoples of Eduna and Yleara, but the Rhune elves, many of them with titles at least, seemed to have forgone that sweet tradition for a very disgusting one long since done away with by much of the known races. She couldn't speak for the humans, but Bellethiel knew for a fact that the dwarves, centaurs, mermaids and fair folk gave up such a tradition in favor of love. Why were the Rhune elves so adamant about encouraging among their nobles?
Her eyes softened as a certain thought came in to her mind.
"What is love?" she asked to the silent winds that swirled to comfort her.
The sad fact of her life was that she didn't understand the basics of romantic love. Well, she understood the idea behind romance and how to effectively go about it, Bainethiel's favorite subject was her pursuits of different ellon that caught her eye. She knew how to flirt, how to be endearing, how to flatter and even the mechanics of certain physical contact though she never had first hand experience with it. That wasn't the tip of her ignorance. What sort of feelings were associated with love? How would one know the difference between partial regard and deep, committed, selfless, unconditional love for someone not of their own blood?
She had so many questions concerning the subject and she didn't know who to ask. Her mother, certainly, never answered them or took the time to explain anything to her. She was in the dark.
Bellethiel sighed and looked to the horizon. This was part of the reason why she was currently seeking council from the one person she knew would never lie to her. Eru would answer her. He always did.
"Do I love someone now?" there was a ring of pleading in her voice.
The answer should have been a firm "no". She was too young; too inexperienced in the world and naïve in life to fall in love with any male at that moment. She did not plan on getting married within, at least, the next twenty years. There were things she needed to do and learn before she could take up any marriage contract let alone fall in love.
But what of attraction?
She thought of Qui-Gon and blushed. She had been so free with him- jumping onto him like that. It had been an intimate move rarely allowed among those of her race and she doubted that a Jedi, who spurned things like attachments and attraction and love, appreciated it.
She had embraced him. He was strong and comforting and when he returned the gesture her heart had nearly burst from her chest.
Qui-Gon understood her need. In fact, had she gone to him instead of feeling the need to sneak out of her room, he would have let her go. He let her go and she appreciated him all the more for it. He was always there, in the background, when around others but when they were alone he was open and upfront. He would tease her, muse with her, and sometimes even fight with her. He was gentle and always treated her with a warm familiarity that made her adore him all the more.
Surely she didn't love him after a mere five months acquaintance? It was a preposterous idea to behold! But she was very much attracted to him; that much she could tell. She certainly was not in love with him, right? It was a silly notion. Besides that fact, he was human! A match between a human and an elf was- well- they did happen, but they rarely worked.
She knew that her Professor married humans in the past, but never made the move to bind them to her and the immortality of their race. Maf was living proof of such a union. Professor Moruni had explained to her charge one day, when she had asked, why that was so. To give immortality to a human, to expect them to become fully bound to you in flesh, blood, spirit and life was wrong. Humans were finite creatures. They lived for death. Their fate was to die. It was the will of Eru for such to be so. For an elf male or female to violate such a law of nature would be torture to the human. Human and elven relationships rarely ended well. Professor Laurel Moruni made the personal decision to linger on beyond her mortal husbands' deaths (there were eight that Bellethiel knew of) and live. She never found the person who would be her life-mate anyway and she was never attracted to anyone from her own race.
Belle frowned at this. Was she going to follow in her mentor's footsteps? Would Qui-Gon be the first of many? She couldn't imagine so at that moment. She would have to wait until she fully comprehended her regard for the man before coming to a decision.
As Bellethiel spurred Melda into a canter she continued to think on the idea of marriage and marrying someone from her own race. Could that happen? Could she bring herself to swallow every feeling she had for Qui-Gon and turn her eyes to the more visually appealing males of her own race?
Her heart nearly stopped when the answer came to her and she fully realized it. Her surprise was so great that she almost fell off her horse.
I cannot!
She could rate every smooth or worn face from her race against that of her Jedi Master and easily come to the conclusion that he, instead of they, was visually the superior.
But he is not! He was never particularly handsome and he never will be, she thought.
But he was in her eyes.
"I must cease these thoughts before I go to a place I cannot return from," she muttered while feeling as if she were already there.
With that final thought on the subject of her feelings for Qui-Gon she immediately turned to her current crisis concerning the elf suitors attempting to gain her affections and consequently failing at each try. She wrinkled her nose at the thought. The ellon males of the five most notable noble families in the Rhune elves' eyes were practically battling for her hand in marriage. It was unflattering, undignified, and for the love of Eru if she didn't envy the times in elven history when the marriage of a prince or princess in the royal line never mattered. There had always been siblings, always cousins, always a brother or a nephew or niece or sister or… Belle let out a frustrated sigh. If only she could travel back in time and somehow stop the exodus of humans from Illearia. When humans lived on the planet everything had been sectioned off. The elves weren't as concerned with titles and constantly laughed at their human neighbors who were. Then humans began to search for their colonies that had set out before the burning of their first world. The humans slowly dwindled until all were forgotten and the Republic came into being.
And when that happened Illearia unified for the most part.
She began to make guide Melda back towards the capital. The houses she needed to worry the most about were the Undbegyr and the Egire. They were the ones hell bent on restricting her freedom and claiming the elven throne for power. The other three houses were not as… worried about controlling her as they were about gaining the title. She needed to do something to control them; something that would keep them from hounding her every waking moment.
Suddenly she smiled brightly. She had the perfect idea!
Obi-Wan waited for the princess to arrive back in the stables as the second hour since her departure drew to a close. He constantly questioned his master's actions regarding their charge ever since the Name-Day celebration for Belle, but now he was certain of something that he only suspected. Qui-Gon was in the process of forming a very deep attachment with the princess and she was reciprocating his master's feelings. Whether or not she felt it as strongly as his master did, Obi-Wan didn't know, but he knew his master well enough to know that Qui-Gon's heart was already lost.
And Obi-Wan did not know how he felt about that.
He remembered Master Tahl a few years prior to this fated mission in Illearia. He had turned fifteen during that trying time in his master's life. He remembered the pain Tahl's death had caused his master. He remembered how close to the darkside Qui-Gon was before returning to the light. He remembered the consequences of love and he wasn't certain if he wanted his master to experience the pain again.
It would have to come. The mid-autumn month would mark the halfway point until their departure from Illearia. Then they would have to leave and Qui-Gon would be heartbroken again. Obi-Wan was perceptive enough to know that this attachment was very deep. In fact, he was certain that it equaled to the love his master had for the late Master Tahl. If such was the case then… then his master was in trouble.
Obi-Wan heard the telltale signs of horse hooves thundering across the grounds. He straightened from his reverie and watched as the white horse plodded into the stable with her rider steering it into its stall. She sent him a friendly smile and Obi-Wan couldn't help but notice the very peaceful and almost enthusiastic look about her.
Uh oh, speaking of trouble, he thought with alarm.
A devious twinkle sparkled in her eyes as she worked the reigns off of her mare. The way she carried herself told him that Belle's ride had not only been relaxing, but also enlightening. He hoped.
"Well Kenobi, I have been able to finally clear my head and do some proper thinking," she said in the most cheerful of ways.
Obi-Wan's heart sank. He knew that tone of voice. Bant used it whenever she had an idea for a new prank.
"We're not pranking anyone, Obi-Wan," she assured him as if reading his mind.
"But?" he coaxed.
She removed the reigns and turned to fully look at him with the biggest grin plastered on her pleasantly pretty face. He almost groaned.
"No, we will not prank anyone. We are going to make the five noble families acquire some manners even if it kills them!" she said brightly.
He gaped at her torn between ending the conversation there and finding out what it was she meant by that exactly. She laughed a deep-throated sinister laugh that sent chills up his spine. When did she get this scary?
"Oh yes," she said, "we are going to regulate their access to the castle and my personal time."
He nodded with sudden understanding and felt himself relax. So, that was what this was about! Well, he had to admit that the initial reaction to such a declaration would be very… entertaining.
"How?" he asked.
"By convincing my mother to give written permission for both you and Qui-Gon to forcibly leave me alone if the need arises," she explained.
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. Both of them knew that the Queen would not willingly defy the five lords.
"I'm going to draw the document myself and then have her sign it. She never reads anything I ask her to sign, so I figured that this course of action would be easier. Besides, should the lords take things up with her, mother can look at the written permission herself and remember signing it. Her signatures are always different, you see?" she explained.
Obi-Wan had to admit that the plan was devious, brilliant, and beneficial. He also decided that, after this fact, he and his master needed to have a small talk with the Queen concerning her negligence in reading documents before signing them.
They left the stable fine-tuning the plan as well as discussing what they were going to put in the document. They entered the palace and were interrupted by a servant asking the princess about what she wished for Sila, the monstrosity of a wolf, to be fed that night. Belle gave instructions while Obi-Wan silently waited for her to finish before the two set off down the corridors again.
They were lightly conversing about the possible reactions of the five lords once they learned of their new boundaries around the princess when they came across a peculiar and alarming sight. In fact, if Obi-Wan articulated his feelings, he would say that he was absolutely dumbfounded.
His master was against the wall, as stiff as a board, being kissed by that annoying blond elleth named Bainethiel.
What the-?
He glanced at Bellethiel and observed the openly shocked and hurt look on her face. He noted how her emotions suddenly left her face to be replaced by haughty irritation and she placed both hands on her small, narrow hips. Obi-Wan considered running for a moment, but was too absorbed in the unfolding drama to give in to that basic instinct.
"Excuse me!" she snapped.
Baine slowly tore herself away from his master with a sickening sweet smile plastered in her beautiful face. His master looked more relieved than disappointed. In fact, there was no disappointment to be had in his countenance. He still looked tense.
"Forgive us, my lady, but Master Jinn and I were slightly busy," she said in a very condescending tone.
Obi-Wan glanced at his elf-friend and noted her near stern disapproving stare. He nearly blanched at the sight. She looked like a mother about to scold a wayward teenage daughter.
"I noticed! Baine, these are my halls and the rules of my family still stand. You cannot display affection in public! It is disrespectful to those that may see and is very rude. I suggest that the next time you and Master Jinn wish to become more… physically acquainted with one another you procure for yourselves a room. Now, if you do not mind, I have some affairs I must see to promptly!" with the most imperious look on her face, the princess stalked away from the scene.
Obi-Wan stood where he was and blinked in stunned silence for a moment. Bainethiel looked smug and turned her attention back to his master. Qui-Gon was staring at her impassively, but the fury boiled underneath his cool expression. In fact. His master looked cold.
"Obi-Wan, we will go. My lady, do not approach me again," there was steel in his voice.
The young Jedi Padawan followed his master away from the scene attempting to get the image of his master being somewhat intimate with the elleth out of his head. It was definitely going to be an experience he would file under the 'traumatizing' section of his brain.
Two hours prior to this fiasco, Qui-Gon had been attempting to meditate in one of the many gardens that were planted in the castle. He needed to think. He needed to understand. He needed to figure out a way to push his dangerously growing feelings for the elf princes out of his system before irreparable damage could be caused.
After repeatedly being thwarted by his unquiet mind, Qui-Gon walked the halls of the castle and its grounds with a contemplative frown on his face. Ailya, the seer, had been right. The bond he had with the princess was important. His feelings for her allowed him to be perceptive to her moods. He anticipated her needs and slowly worked his way into becoming a very close confidant to her in most matters. He knew the gory particulars of the deaths of her two closest friends who were her previous guardians, he heard every complaint about her mother as well as every fear regarding their dissolving relationship, he knew her fears, her wants and desires, her hopes for the kingdom and her methods for ruling. Much of her had been opened up to him and he found that the more she revealed herself to him the more his fondness and attraction grew in to something more.
Qui-Gon was not prepared to admit what it was. In fact, he was totally prepared to keep all of it to himself and allow it to fade after he and Obi-Wan left the planet. The last time her went down this road he nearly fell to the darkside.
Of course, he was very well aware of the fact that Mace Windu and his padawan would not be the only ones he would have to answer to if he actually fell to the dark side of the Force in this case. He could name several elves who would take such a fall very personally and, most likely, make certain that he was stopped in his tracks. The huntress, Artemis, would probably take pleasure in the act. There was also Bellethiel he had to consider. Even if something happened to her in the fashion of Tahl's demise or, even, injury he wouldn't put it passed her to come back from wherever elves go when they died and beat him into a blithering little pulp; assuming she felt the same way.
He had smiled at that thought.
Qui-Gon hadn't gone beyond that thought, though, when Bainethiel appeared before him with her innocently round eyes proclaiming that she hadn't anticipated running into him. He doubted the truth of such a claim. Normally when she was around attempting to distract him, her brother or one of the Undbegyr ellon were bothering his padawan and the princess.
This was not the first time beautiful females attempted to beguile him with their attentions. His attraction to Bellethiel only served to strengthen his resolve against giving in to temptation. There wasn't much in any case. Qui-Gon never committed half-heartedly to any attachment he made with another person. In any case, the elleth grated on his nerves. Her ceaseless chatter wasn't the problem. It was her need to talk about the most feminine things she could possibly think of.
He nearly rolled his eyes several times through their latest conversation. Did she notice that he was, very much so, a male?
Then the elleth would start to get flirty and he would spend the rest of their conversation attempting to fend off her advances. This time, though, she managed to corner him in a deserted corridor and… kiss him.
It had been an arousing and infuriating experience. Arousing because, despite his ultimate attraction to the princess, Bainethiel knew what she was doing and he, well, didn't. It was infuriating mostly because of how unwelcome the kiss was.
Unsure of how to remove her, Qui-Gon tensed and froze; completely shutting down and waiting for her to get off of him. If she didn't after a few seconds, he would have attempted to get away from her without hurting her. He wasn't going to make promises, though.
That was when Bellethiel and Obi-Wan happened upon them.
He had to admit that the look on her face was awe-inspiring as well as the way she handled the situation. He hadn't been to thrilled about the fact that she insinuated that he was partially responsible for the kiss. She was very cold and abrupt. He mirrored her feelings in regard of Bainethiel. He felt like the elleth had violated him.
The trek back to their chambers was silent. His padawan looked beyond traumatized and Bellethiel had swept away from the scene as quickly as she possibly could. Why she seemed to be so annoyed about the situation he didn't know. He was, though, going to speak with her so she would know that nothing had been initiated or encouraged on his end.
Why? Came a treacherous thought in his head.
It was a valid question. Why did he feel the need to justify himself with her? He kept his face neutral as he immediately stamped that question and its answer into the back recesses of his mind. It was a dangerous one to answer.
He was still going to explain himself. It was best that the princess and his padawan did not think he was acting improperly. The impropriety of the situation had been the initial reason for her very… royal reaction. The corners of his mouth quirked slightly at the thought. She would make a fine, strong, queen.
Qui-Gon glanced at his padawan for a moment before asking, "Are you alright, Obi-Wan?"
Startled out of what Qui-Gon figured was a disturbed reverie Obi-Wan glanced over at him with a shrug.
"I had not been aware that you liked Bainethiel at all master," his padawan remarked.
Qui-Gon smiled wryly, "I do not. She cornered me shortly before you and the princess rounded the corner. I believe that she must have heard you coming and acted."
Obi-Wan's brows furrowed with confusion, "Why?"
Qui-Gon inwardly sighed at that question. It was best to get everything over with. Obi-Wan was his padawan and deserved to know the state of his master's mind.
"I suspect it was to gauge the reaction of the princess and myself. Her attempts at seducing me are fruitless so she tried a different approach for, undoubtedly, various reasons," he explained.
Obi-Wan must have sensed that the remark left everything wide open because he replied, "Reasons that were an attempt to determine whether or not the two of you are attracted to each other."
Qui-Gon closed his eyes for a moment before nodding. He was not surprised that his apprentice suspected something of the sort and he was rather thrilled that Obi-Wan had been spot on with his assessment. It saved explanation.
"Yes."
There was an awkward silence between the two as they rounded the final corner and entered their corridor.
"And," began Obi-Wan, "am I right to assume that her reasons for seeking to study these reactions are well founded?"
Qui-Gon stopped his approach so as to stay as far away from their rooms as possible in case the princess might overhear.
"Yes, but as far as I know, it is one-sided," he said.
Obi-Wan seemed to consider something; wrestling with some sort of decision. He then nodded.
"And you are the one with these feelings?" he ventured.
"Yes."
The silence remained for a few seconds before Obi-Wan bowed, "I will keep this a secret, master."
Qui-Gon smiled fondly at his young apprentice. It was all he could ever ask of him.
They entered the common room silently and Qui-Gon immediately noted Belle's tense figure sitting at her desk hastily scribbling something down on a piece of parchment. A stack of blank parchment paper lay to her immediate right on her desk. This caused the older Jedi to blink in confusion. What was she doing?
He glanced an Obi-Wan with a raised eyebrow, but the Jedi Padawan raised his hands in the air, shook his head, and took his leave into his chamber. Obi-Wan, it seemed, wanted to give them privacy. Qui-Gon did not know how he felt about that.
He carefully approached her from behind taking great care to make sure she heard his footsteps. Startling her at this time was not wise. She only wrote furiously like this if she was angry. It would only be a matter of time before-.
SNAP.
"Dammit!" she cursed as the tip of her quill broke off.
Qui-Gon already reached for the stash of quills she kept in a basket on the shelf level with his shoulder. She really needed to place them within reach on her desk. He held the writing instrument out in front of her.
"What are you working on?" he asked genuinely curious.
She glared at the quill for a second before taking it and mumbling a tentative "thank you" and returning to her work. He couldn't read what she was writing. It was in her original language. He patiently waited for a few minutes as she determinedly ignored him.
SNAP!
She didn't curse this time. Instead she stared at the thing with a hopeless look on her face and bit down on her bottom lip. He reached up and withdrew another quill from the stack and handed it to her. She stared blankly at it for a moment before turning to look at him. She narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
He thought for a moment. It was a good question and one that deserved an honest answer. He gave her one of them.
"I am avoiding your elven lady who, it seems, is not so much of a lady as she would like the world to believe," he replied.
She looked confused.
"You-. She-. What was the incident in the hallway about, then?" she asked.
He thought for a moment before replying, "Self-control."
She gazed up at him for a moment before turning back around and taking the quill from his hands. She began to write again, this time with a new piece of parchment and at a much slower pace. He moved to the edge of the desk and knelt right beside her, like he normally did when she was working on something mindless.
"What are you working on?" he repeated.
A cunning smile suddenly made its way onto her lips. He raised an eyebrow.
"New rules to be signed by the Queen for my suitors," she replied proudly.
He chuckled. Apparently the ride had cleared her head enough for her to come up with a plan about them.
"I would include a bit about elleth who wish to either speak to you, myself or my padawan without appointment. I am not the only one who has dealt with seduction attempts these past few months," he said dryly.
She laughed at that and continued to write with a soft smile on her face. It nearly melted Qui-Gon's passive humor.
"How do you intend to get the Queen to sign this?" he asked.
Belle smirked, "She never reads any of the documents I give her. Why I do not know, but it will come in useful in this case. This way she is not outright defying the five lords and the blame will be placed solely on me."
Qui-Gon was troubled by that comment. He knew little about blood families, but he knew that if the situation was reversed and if he was Obi-Wan's father, he would do everything in his power to ensure that those wishing to hurt him stayed as far away as possible. Belle shouldn't be the one having to save her mother from the nobles. It should be the Queen.
She turned to look at him as if about to say something and stopped. Her brows furrowed and she leaned towards him slightly.
"What is the matter?" she asked in concern.
He smiled slightly feeling nostalgic. Unbidden, but seemingly compelled by some unforeseen force, he reached up his hand and cupped her cheek. Confusion and shock registered in her beautiful teal eyes and her lips parted slightly as if suddenly struck dumb.
"Do not worry. Write what you need to and get Obi-Wan when you are finished. I will be in my room meditating if you need me," he told her.
He pulled away and left as quickly as he could. Resisting temptation was becoming nearly impossible. These feelings, this fascination, with the princess needed to end and he needed to remind himself that said feelings led one down a path dangerously close to the dark instead of the light.
Queen Miriel was trying very hard to not burst out laughing at the total and complete look of poorly checked outrage shown on the demeanors of two of her five most prominent Rhunic lords. The other three were there as well, but their countenance concerning the matter was not angry, but merely curious. Miriel glanced down at the crumpled document Lanyar ven Egire thrust into her hands and read the contents. The copied signature and laminated seal of her house reflected from the fine printing paper that her people used to widely distribute reminders and notices for those elves who rejected the use (and need) for technology. Vaguely, she remembered her daughter sidling up to her desk a week prior to this moment with the parchment paper in hand and her neat rune calligraphy etched on it. She hadn't read the contents. She was never in much habit to read anything her daughter brought to her to be signed. Bellethiel followed laws and worked within them to get what she wanted done finished to her personal satisfaction. Professor Laurel Moruni had taught her well over the years.
Documents like these that directly defied the wishes of the five lords were reasons why Miriel never bothered to read her daughter's legal papers before signing them. While the Queen was bound by oath to never directly defy the lords ever again, her daughter had taken no such vow. Laurel had seen to that twenty years ago by spiriting the princess away to one of the dwarf realms to observe the dwarves and dragons in their natural habitats.
The blond queen looked up at the angry green eyes of Lanyar as he stared down at her severely. She smiled pleasantly.
"I do remember signing a document she gave to me a week ago, but I had not read the contents. She normally wants charity works and community projects so I never bother," she explained.
Vanyo's blue eyes suddenly gleamed at those words, "Does this mean that the document is not authentic?"
Queen Miriel nearly lost her composure and fell into fits of hysteric laughter at the remark.
"I can promise you that this is authentic. In any case, the order has been signed and I will not make it my business to defy my daughter's legal wishes for personal space. If you feel that it is your explicit right to invade her personal space, take it to the White Council. I will remain neutral in this matter," she told them emotionlessly.
She turned to leave with a smirk lightly dusting her striking features. Bellethiel was definitely her father's daughter.
"Remind your daughter of her duties, my lady. She must produce an heir," called the tenor voice of Lanyar from behind, "If she does not, you know that we will be forced to take steps!"
Miriel, didn't freeze. She continued to walk into the entrance hall of the castle. The amusement of the situation, however, faded from her eyes. This was getting dangerous.
The week had been total and complete bliss. Without the constant influx of unwanted suitors flocking her every waking moment, Bellethiel was able to clear her mind and focus on the things she knew she needed to accomplish. Training Sila was one of those things and, with the help of Qui-Gon, her beautiful wolf was growing into a strong hunter. It wouldn't be long before Belle would be able to take her out into the deeper forests to finish the last legs of her training- hunting dark creatures.
She grinned. Speaking of which her aunt and uncle wanted to take her on a patrol in the outer sector of the deep forests and for her to go she had to convince either Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan to let her. Her mother, of course, wouldn't care and had been very lax about what she was allowed to do ever since the lords and their families were forced to stay away from her.
Belle tapped the edge of her bed while thinking about how she could go on a hunters' patrol she hadn't been on in a year and a half. Qui-Gon let her go on her now daily rides alone, but she had to tell either him or Obi-Wan where exactly she planned on going and how long she intended to be gone. This wasn't the same. She wouldn't be alone even if she didn't take either of her guardians with her. She would. She had to. Still, being able to disappear into the trees, to look for the creatures of the night and make sure that they remained in the forests, was something she sorely missed.
She doubted Qui-Gon would let her go and even if he did and went with her, the man would be too much of a distraction. Unresolved attraction and regard tended to lead to that. Obi-Wan, though, he would go with her. In fact, he would see the excursion as a chance to get out of the capital for at least a few days. It would also be a learning experience for him and she had no problem with teaching him. In any case, it would also be the first time she would do anything with someone she considered a friend. It would be liberating.
With the decision in her mind, she threw on her dressing gown and made her way out into the common room. To her luck, Obi-Wan was there and alone meditating. Knowing that both master and apprentice did not like being disturbed while meditating, Bellethiel absentmindedly withdrew a book from one of her bookshelves and took a seat in front of the fire. Waiting for him to wake was the best policy.
She glanced down at her book and nearly raised an eyebrow. She had, in her hands, a book on the latest histories of the royal family. Belle smiled sadly. She never read it. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stomach the last two thousand years recorded in there. Knowing that she wouldn't get too far into the thick pages, Bellethiel opened the volume to the first page and began to read.
Thirty pages later Obi-Wan returned to the land of the living with a slight shift in his leg. Bellethiel looked up to meet his storm eyes with a smile.
"I can never guess if you actually sleep during your meditation or if you are actually awake," she commented.
He chuckled, "I am awake, but I can't feel you through the Force, so I didn't notice you until now."
"Ah."
"Did you need something?" he asked.
Belle nodded and explained her plans to him promptly. Beating around the bush never worked with him. Obi-Wan was intelligent enough to guess what she wanted.
When she was finished with the explanation of her pending excursion Obi-Wan looked thoughtful.
"I see no problem with it if Lorn and Artemis come with us, but I don't understand why you didn't ask Qui-Gon," he told her.
Bellethiel sighed. The boy was Qui-Gon's apprentice. It was best that he knew a semblance of the truth.
"Qui-Gon will be a distraction at this present time," she said carefully.
Obi-Wan's brows furrowed in confusion for a second before understanding seemed to dawn.
"Ah," he said.
She nodded, "In any case, I figured that this will give you some experience in patrolling, hiding and being altogether sneaky."
Obi-Wan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Bellethiel watched him mutely.
"I take it that you'll go anyway with or without me?" he asked.
She smiled and nodded. Obi-Wan held up his hands in defeat.
"Alight, but I will let Qui-Gon know. I'm not going behind his back about this and you shouldn't either no matter how protective he tends to be," he said pointedly.
Belle rolled her eyes and stood up with a wide grin plastered on her face.
"Thank you, Obi-Wan," she said and returned to her room with the book in hand.
Back inside the confines of her room she allowed the squeal of glee to release from her throat. It was soft, since she didn't want to wake anyone, but her joy at being allowed out of the capital was almost unparalleled. This would almost be better than riding Melda.
Qui-Gon frowned at his padawan as the boy relayed to him what Bellethiel wanted to do with her aunt and uncle and the nature of it. Every alarm in his mind and body went off and he made an attempt to relax. This idea was dangerous and though he had no doubt that Lorn, Artemis and Obi-Wan would protect her to the best of their abilities the nature of this outing left a lot of maneuver room for anyone after her. This was reckless. This was dangerous. This would not include him.
He had faith in his padawan's abilities, but Bellethiel was a risk taker and sometimes reckless to the point of irrationality. She needed someone to go with her who could easily anticipate her thoughts and actions and, if the need arose, talk her out of it.
He was torn between letting Obi-Wan go with her and forcing his padawan to stay behind and accompany the princess himself. The problem was that it seemed her highness had thought of everything to make him saying "no" practically impossible.
Qui-Gon sighed. His initial problem with the plan was his unease at letting her entirely out of his sight for three days. He didn't like leaving her alone for two hours when she went on her rides. Three days was too long.
"Alright, I see that I don't have much of a say in this," he told his padawan wearily.
Obi-Wan sent him a sympathetic look and replied, "Sorry master. I couldn't talk her out of it."
Qui-Gon nodded and glanced over where their charge was practicing with the wizard Maf lightcraft. They were working on the fire element.
"Master?" asked Obi-Wan.
He glanced at his padawan with a weary look. The inner battle was taxing him greatly. His attempt to quell the emotions of attachment and deep affection for the elf princess was failing. Maybe adding more distance between himself and Bellethiel was the right thing to do? The Force was not compelling this attraction, he knew. As far as the Force was concerned, Bellethiel didn't even exist. But he knew she existed. His very being felt her presence in the world even when she was not near him. In the dead of night while he slept his mind conjured images of her. She was a presence in his heart that would not leave him and he needed to be rid of her.
It was for the best. The distance was necessary.
"You will take the necessary precautions while on the patrol?" he finally asked Obi-Wan.
His apprentice nodded, "Of course, master. I will protect her."
Qui-Gon smiled, "I know you will, Obi-Wan. Its whether or not she'll let you that worries me."
They stood in silence for a few minutes. In the distance master and apprentice could hear Mafortion explaining the background of fire lightcraft to the princess who interjected with questions every few lines. Qui-Gon felt the unbidden smile grace his bearded face in relation to the scene before him. Her inquisitive nature, so innocent and guileless, was part of what contributed to his affection for her.
"Master?" ventured Obi-Wan.
"Yes, Obi-Wan?"
His padawan hesitated for a moment before he finally asked, "Do you love her?"
Pain washed through him the moment the soft question from his apprentice died in the breeze. How could he answer?
"I don't know," he muttered in reply.
Artemis was in her element. Belle could tell. The dark haired elleth was not originally ecstatic about Obi-Wan, a Jedi whelp, accompanying them on their patrol, but the more the padawan asked questions about certain maneuvers the more her aunt warmed to him. It was becoming clear to the huntress that the boy knew a thing or two (or ten) about covert operations, tracking, and hunting down criminals. The more things Artemis had to explain or correct or even demonstrate, the more enthused her aunt became about Obi-Wan coming with them.
Belle was pleased. It meant that this wouldn't merely be a family outing. She would have someone nearer to her age maturity-wise and be able to converse with them easily. Plus, Obi-Wan was a quiet version of herself; curious and always ready to learn something new while retaining a certain amount of stubbornness in his manner. Even if the Jedi weren't so keen on their padawans having a brain and thinking for themselves, the elves (at least those in her family) appreciated it.
Her uncle nudged her and leaned close to whisper, "The master is listening closely to what Artemis is saying."
Belle nodded before replying, "He came to make sure he knows enough to come and find us if anything goes awry."
Lorn chuckled, "He is going the extra mile for this situation. Surely Obi-Wan can handle himself?"
"I think precautions are more for Obi-Wan than for myself," she whispered with a soft smile playing on her features.
Qui-Gon was watching from a distance listening to the plans Artemis was laying out in terms of the patrol. Her aunt and Obi-Wan were speaking loud enough for him to hear, so he had not felt the need to venture closer to the group. Bellethiel frowned at this. Qui-Gon was acting odd around her, again. One minute he would avoid her like the plague and practically hold her at arms length and then the next he would… he would be different. She couldn't explain it. His actions were gentle, as if merely touching her would make her entire being shatter into a million pieces. His eyes would always meet hers and hold her gaze with his hypnotic blue depths. Then he would touch her in a way that was not invasive, but sweet- like he was reassuring himself of her presence.
In all honesty his bipolar actions towards her were beginning to drive her insane. She was in no doubt about how she felt about him now. The impromptu kiss that Bainethiel forced upon him a week earlier convinced her that she liked him far more than she honestly wanted to admit. That burning in the pit of her stomach when she saw the taller elleth's lips practically eating his face almost made her sick. It took everything in her power to force all emotion to shut down sans vague irritation. When he expressed displeasure towards the whole affair later on, Belle had resolved to never allow Bainethiel near her Jedi ever again.
Bellethiel blinked at the thought. Since when had Qui-Gon become hers? As far as she was concerned, he was still his own. The man belonged to no one but himself. He was his own person. It was one of the things she lo-.
STOP! Her mind screamed.
"You can't think of any other reason why he would feel the need to stand ten feet away from the main party watching us work out scouting routes that we have covered an hour ago?" asked Lorn with a slight suggestion hinted at in his words.
Belle tried not to show any reaction to her uncle's words, she really did, but a deep, red, blush appeared on her cheek anyway despite her efforts. Her uncle smiled gently at her.
"He likes you a lot," Lorn commented lightly.
Belle's face fell and a sad smile danced on her lips.
"Not as much as I do him, I assure you," she muttered.
"Oh Belle," breathed her uncle after a moment of silence while he processed the information.
She turned her smile to him. It didn't quite meet her eyes.
"I will not let it bother me. It is only an infatuation. It will pass," she assured him.
Three days of absolutely no Qui-Gon would do wonders, she knew.
One of the first things Obi-Wan learned on the hunter patrol was just how far ahead of him Bellethiel was in terms of stealth, tracking and agility. No amount of Force susceptibility could compensate the natural abilities of the elven race. It struck Obi-Wan just how much Ailya, the blind seer, had lost. Belle was a shadow. She moved among them as if she was as invisible as the wind.
She was, in all honesty, a tad bit scary.
The other two were just as mysterious and elusive. When it came time for the four to separate into groups of two, the brother and sister pair left the princess in his capable hands… or possibly the other way around.
Obi-Wan spent the first day with the princess being taught how to navigate without using the Force. It involved using his five senses, things known to betray one, and honing them to be aware of nature around him. She showed him how to use shadows to his advantage and instructed him in how to silently move through the forest ground and climb trees.
It was an informative experience and Obi-Wan found that, by the end of the day, he had enjoyed it. He told her as much while they prepared their beds under the roots of an old tree that grew out of a small hill.
She smiled at the veiled compliment.
"I am glad that you are finding this educational," she said in a light tone that indicated to him that she was slightly teasing him.
"It is an enjoyable experience as well," he added good naturedly.
She shrugged and began to cover the entrance of their hovel with dead leaves and branches to better camouflage their presence.
"It can be if you only patrol the fringe of the deep woods. This is only reconnaissance. We are establishing whether or not our borders are secure," she informed him.
He nodded and pulled the elven robe Artemis had bequeathed to him the hour before they left around his lean frame while he planted his head against his light travel pack. Obi-Wan had to admit that the sleeping arrangements could have been worse (and he had been in worse). He sighed and lay in his rudimentary bedding while thinking about the day.
"Is there a chance that we will run into anything… unnatural?" he asked.
Bellethiel finished checking the area around her before settling herself into a space for sleep. She remained silent for a few minutes and Obi-Wan wondered if she was recollecting an answer or merely not wishing to answer the question. It turned out to be the former.
"There was a time when that was possible, but now it is rare. However, my aunt always practices constant vigilance when on her patrols and always expects the worse to happen, so I would not be surprised if the occasional dark creature made its presence known," she said.
"Ah," came is monosyllable reply.
That was something to think about.
"How is your first impression of the dense woodlands?" she asked.
Obi-Wan thought for a second before coming up with an honest answer as he possibly could.
"It is rather dark," he said.
Her heard her light-hearted laugh from where she rested in the folds of her own cloak.
"The cities where the Eduna peoples dwell are much prettier to look at than the rest of the forest. Most of it is full of dying and decay- the realm of the Knight Elves," she explained.
"Knight Elves?" he asked still not entirely sure about what they were.
"Elves who have fallen into the snare of the Evil One and practice sorcery, necromancy and other, vile, forms of ritualistic dark magic. Their power is borrowed and not of their own. The more they use it the more they fall into the clutches of he who controls all evil. Your Sith would be a good example of what they are like. The Knight Elves, over time, evolved into their own race because their children were trained in the dark arts from a young age. It is possible, but rare, that we receive a regenerate Knight Elf. Most of the time, they are far too gone to be allowed to live. The longer they thrive, the more darkness they unleash into the land. If you haven't noticed, that darkness is poison to it," she explained.
"Sith tend to not submit to the will of the Force. Jedi, as far as I am aware, are not able to always feel their presence," remarked Obi-Wan.
"Obi-Wan, I have no doubt that the Sith adhere to the will of the Evil One as much as the Knight Elves do. The Evil One influences all around him and will stop at nothing to destroy everything in his wake."
"Artemis doesn't have an elven name," he remarked after a while.
She chuckled, "No, not from the Rhunic dialect. Hers is from an ancient human language her mother favored from her days on earth."
She must have known she would be confused because she immediately expanded, "The White Witch, as she is called, is my grandmother and also a bygone ancestor of mine. The current royal family has reproduced so often that our line has been watered down to the point where we were no longer considered immediate family. My father was thirteen hundred years old, the youngest of my grandmother's second marriage, when he met my mother and married into the family. The White Witch also married into the royal line thousands of years ago, so she is not considered a living heir."
Obi-Wan snorted, "This talk of ancestry makes me glad that I am not only mortal but also a Jedi. Attempting to keep track of my family background would drive me insane."
"It is a bit trying, I will give you that," she replied.
"What is her name? I'm assuming its not 'White Witch'," he inquired.
"Silmarien Elentari," Bellethiel told him, "and before you ask, no I have never met her. The five lords are mostly at fault for that, but she also never travels from beyond the forests of her home. I think she prefers her solitude with the few elves she has in attendance."
Obi-Wan digested this information while searching for any other questions that were probably on his mind. He figured that he shouldn't be this inquisitive, but he found that he couldn't help it. Illearia and its inhabitants was a world he had never encountered before and he wanted to understand as much of it as he possibly could.
"Who is this 'Evil One' you keep mentioning?"
The silence was deafening and Obi-Wan wondered whether or not he'd crossed the line in the asking questions department.
"I would tell you now, but I think that it may be best to utter his name in the confines of the capital's walls and not in this forest. Dark things become attracted to it and I would prefer that this trip goes without incident."
Obi-Wan understood and began to go through his normal meditation exorcises to quiet his mind. Minutes later, he allowed his mind to drift off into a comfortable sleep.
Princess Bellethiel's wish that the patrol end with nothing happening to her group was rejected on the second day. In hindsight, Obi-Wan figured that he should have known something bad was going to happen. He was with the princess, after all.
The day-long patrol began with little incident. It had frosted during the night and Bellethiel used her elemental magic to warm the two of them before setting out into the deep woods. Both were silent and Obi-Wan could feel the princess' eyes observing him whenever they executed one of the maneuvers they had practiced the day before. He felt the sensation, again, that in this scenario she was the one protecting him instead.
Midday was when everything began to go wrong. The princess was bending down to observe some tracks she noticed seemed off and Obi-Wan was attempting to listen to the world around them. The young padawan barely had time to shout an alarm when something dark, misshapen and clammy launched itself at him. The hum of his blue lightsaber filled the white noise that was the forest as he sliced at the thing attacking him. When the blade went through it, he nearly cried out in despair.
The princess kept a cool head and summoned fire. A great flame engulfed the shadow creature and it screamed.
Obi-Wan had to drop his saber and cover his ears. The scream was so high pitched and hallow sounding it nearly made his ears bleed. When the fire dissipated the black mist creature was gone.
When he finally regained some of his wits he turned to the deeply frowning elleth, breathing heavily.
"What was that?" he gasped out.
Bellethiel started out of her troubled reverie and stared blankly at him before replying, "That was a wraith. Wraiths are dark spirits summoned by the vilest of necromancy. They are a type of demon and have been known to possess its prey before devouring their soul."
He nodded dumbly and looked back at the place where the wraith used to be. He shuddered.
"How do you kill them, besides using fire?" he asked.
Bellethiel still looked troubled about something, but this time she answered his question immediately.
"Lightcraft. I can't fight them with that type of magic yet. Artemis, however, can and Maf, as I am certain you know, is one of the masters of this magic."
Obi-Wan nodded again and allowed another shudder to escape him. He had been around legions of Sith before, dealt with nefarious scientists as well as countless other Force sensing problems. He had never faced anything so horribly shaking as a wraith and he did not care to again. Bellethiel, from the look on her face, seemed to not be so sure this one was the last. In fact, if he was any judge, she looked very worried.
"Wraiths are not seen this far out of the Deep Woods. If they are here then that means we must be cautious. Knight Elves are abroad," she warned.
"Right," he croaked out as fear began to take hold.
They caught each other's eye and he knew that she was thinking the same thing as he was. Qui-Gon should have come with them.
"We need to find Lorn and Artemis. Now," she ordered.
He nodded and the two of them set out to search. They were more careful of their surroundings. She was meticulous about completely fading into the shadows and passing unseen.
Suddenly she froze and pulled him up one of the high trees and off of the ground. Realizing the gravity of their situation caused Obi-Wan to not make one sound of protest. They breathed lightly and waited.
Sounds of very light footsteps were hard and soft voices, male, drifting up through the dense foliage.
"Are you certain they went this way?" asked one.
"Quite," replied the other.
"Lord Lanyar will not be pleased if we miss her again," whispered the other.
Obi-Wan forced himself to remain calm and glanced at the princess beside him. She was clutching the branch she was resting her hand against so hard that he wouldn't be surprised if there was a resounding crack.
"Do you think Duon found the bitch's aunt and uncle?" asked the other.
"I would not be surprised to find those hunters dead when we catch the princess and her little lap dog," muttered the first.
Obi-Wan felt incensed by that remark. 'Lap dog'? Him?
He was turned to make sure the princess was okay, but he started when he noticed her gone. Panicked, he scanned the area for her and was dismayed when he couldn't find her. Where had she-?
She was in the next tree over with two arrows notched to her bow. Perplexed Obi-Wan watched as she aimed and then shot.
The two Knight elves died quietly with arrows embedded in the back of their throats. Obi-Wan gaped. The both of them slipped out of their hiding places to inspect the dead elves prone on the ground. The Jedi Padawan was still dazed by the move the princess made.
"You killed them," he stated.
She nodded, "They would have killed you and then taken me. Two less Knight Elves in the world the better."
Obi-Wan watched in dumbfounded silence as she inspected the bodies.
I think I'm beginning to realize a few things about hunters that I never wanted to know, he thought.
It was obvious that she had killed Knight Elves before. The fact that she lived for one hundred years was beginning to weigh on him. Artemis and Lorn took her on dangerous missions like these and obviously trained her as an assassin. Did she even think about the lives she took? Did she feel remorse?
He studied her in fascinated horror.
"We could have questioned them," he suggested.
She snorted, "I would like to think that, Obi-Wan, but they would have killed themselves before I could get anything out of them."
Oh, well, that makes sense I guess, he thought.
He wished it didn't. He wished that he could label what she did as murder, but he was beginning to see her side of the argument and accept it as actual fact. They were out for a kidnapping and murder of their own.
"We need to find my aunt and uncle as quickly as possible. It may be that they're already fighting this Ruon character," she said emotionlessly.
As they sped off something hit Obi-Wan's mind like a hammer and he almost stopped in horror.
"Belle, they mentioned Lanyar!" he exclaimed.
She did stop and her mouth hung open as she stared ahead in growing horror. Obi-Wan too felt fearful. This was not good.
"They planned this," she breathed out.
And then they were surrounded.
Obi-Wan barely had time to raise his lightsaber to deflect the burst of dark magic sent his way. Bellethiel drew her sword and whirled on the company of Knight Elves with a ferocity that seemed barely contained. Obi-Wan couldn't sense the dark being through the Force and had to greatly rely on his primal instincts to dodge and counter attack. He was ding rather well until a burst of dark energy grazed his side and created a large, welting, burn in his flesh. He gasped and stumbled. There was a glint of burnt metal descending towards him.
A flash of bronze, brown and green blurred his vision and a mithril sword diverted the assault while a small body collided into the ghostly white figure that was the Knight Elf about to attack him. Obi-Wan regained his balance and sliced the head off of the elf coming behind him to plunge a knife into his back. Unconsciously he reached out and searched for the Force. Three elves were thrown off of their feet and into a bushel of thorns.
He was about to help the princess when another flash of dark magic hit him squarely in the back and blew him off of his feet and to the ground.
Barely conscious Obi-Wan struggled to rise. His vision blurred and breath hitched. All strength left him and he slumped to the ground. Was that the princess calling his name? He couldn't be sure. All he knew after another minute was silence and a blissful darkness that swallowed him into sweet oblivion.
Artemis was hiding while holding her bloodied arm attempting to clean the wound while gaining a breather. Lorn, where was Lorn? Where was her brother?
She winced as the medicinal leaves she crushed against the gaping wound stung the inflamed area. Knight Elves! Where had they come from? How did they even know where to look? They were after Belle, that much she was certain, but how was she going to reach her niece with a pack of werewolves chasing after her?
She closed her eyes and let out a strangled sigh. This was not the first time she had been in a pretty pickle as this one. There were ways of combating a few cursed creatures!
Artemis shifted and listened for the telltale signs of angry growls and snapping teeth. Instead she heard voices.
"We have the uncle, Duon," said one female voice.
"Excellent, he will accompany us into the Tower of Fear. We will use him as leverage if the first plan does not work," rasped a voice that made her blood boil.
It wasn't just their subject matter, she knew who Duon was. Artemis bit her lip to stop herself from letting out a loud expletive. It wouldn't do to get caught now.
"My lord, we have the princess!" exclaimed a new tenor voice and the huntress' blood ran cold.
No!
"The Jedi whelp?"
"All but dead, my lord," came the eager reply.
Artemis clenched the hand with the poltace oozing the odd purple liquid. The pain that lanced through her nerves was helping with keeping her anger in check.
"What of the aunt?" asked Duon.
"We cannot say, my lord. Thron took a fall with her and that was the last time we saw the both of them."
"Then it is likely she still lives take a party of three and find her."
Artemis opened her eyes and blocked the rest of the conversation from her general hearing. It sounded like they were a good few miles from her, which meant that it would take them a while to find where she was. By then she would be long gone.
Her thoughts centered on finding a hopefully living Obi-Wan, Artemis wrapped her wound with a clean cloth and faded into the foliage. She didn't know how old these Knight Elves were, but she could guarantee that she knew these woods better than they.
Obi-Wan drifted in darkness. There was no light, no sound and no thought; just a sea of endless black. It was comforting, warming, beautiful and serene. Something nagged at him for a moment; a warning about something or other he needed to do. He couldn't put a finger on what that something was or why there was a warning for it so he allowed it to fly past him.
"Kenobi!" cried a sharp voice.
Who was 'Kenobi'?
Suddenly his body was jolted and pain like he never experienced before coursed through his body. He cried out and reality came back to him in a rush. The fight and those Knight Elves and the princess…
"Where's Bellethiel?" he rasped out and then coughed.
Thankfully there was no blood.
His vision was blurry as he opened his eyes. He was in someone's arms. Those arms were strong and slim, almost motherly. Who was speaking to him? The edges of his vision faded again.
Whoever held him slapped him on the back of his head and then everything cleared, including his vision. It hadn't hurt but…
Oh, his back and side were killing him! So much pain. He blinked and then focused his gaze on the midnight haired star staring down at him with concern evident in her green eyes.
"Artemis-," he was cut off when a water skin was forced to his lips.
"They have both my niece and Lorn, Kenobi. You were on the receiving end of two pain curses and I do not have the skill to remove them. We need to leave now. Can you walk?" she asked brusquely.
He opened his mouth but only a pained groan came out. She rolled her eyes and hoisted him to his feet.
"I thought as much," she muttered and began heaving him towards the capital.
Obi-Wan tried to object, "Leave me."
"Absolutely not! Your master will already have a coronary when he finds out that both my brother and niece are missing! I am not going to be responsible for your death as well! Come on!" she snapped irritably.
Obi-Wan leaned most of his weight against her though he attempted to relieve her from much of his bulk as possible. He noticed, even in his delirious state, how she was favoring her left arm. And there was some blood, now that he thought of it.
"Who… has…," he tried but she overruled him.
"Silence! Save your voice and concentrate on living, then we will speak of our enemies!"
Obi-Wan grunted and attempted to regain control of his body. When he realized that it was fruitless endeavor, he settled with letting the elleth practically drag him through the forest.
"We'll be out of here soon enough, don't worry," she told him.
He nodded.
To Be Continued...