New chapter! Yay! Managed to get this done - phew!
Happy reading!
Chapter Four. The Poisoned Chalice
Part one of chapter four
Not for the first time in her life, Ventress thanked the fact that she knew how to enhance her powers through magic and the Force. It was certainly a skill to have, especially when she wanted to get certain things done. Like now, for instance. She took hold of a flower – a yellow, small one that she had chosen with great care. To the typical passerby, it looked nothing more than a wildflower – but Ventress knew much more of its uses.
Its deadly uses, that is.
She plucked out a petal of the flower and stirring it in the water of her basin, started chanting to herself – if her plan was to work, she'd have to wipe out that wretched Obi-wan first.
"Obi-wan," she murmured under her breath, and withdrawing the petal back out of the water, which had now turned into a ghostly, translucent white, gently placed it in the inside of a chalice – something she had taken from a kingdom not too far away from her hideaway. A smile flit across her face – Obi-wan would never know what was coming.
xXx
"Coruscant welcomes you, Lord Bayard of Mercia," Ventress heard King Palpatine say. He extended a hand to the man in blue cloak standing in front of him – the Lord Bayard – who returned the gesture by shaking the hand. "The treaty we sign today marks an end to war and a beginning to a new friendship between our people."
At those words, the room – filled with people of Coruscant and people of Mercia – burst into applause. Ventress watched from Mercia's side – dressed in the traditional blues and light reds of the kingdom. From her position, she blended beautifully with the other citizens. Her eyes ventured around the room – she could make out Prince Anakin standing by his father's side…she could see a few handmaidens and the Lady Ahsoka…and of course, Obi-wan Kenobi, the manservant.
Nothing but a manservant, Ventress thought to herself, almost amused by the fact. And a Force-user as well.
This would be great fun to play around with indeed.
xXx
"Why do I always get the donkey work?" Obi-wan muttered to Qui-Gon, dragging along the sack of armor he had been carrying in the last few minutes. The physician smiled as the younger man placed it down in the middle of the corridor. The entire kingdom was in frenzy – with Lord Bayard of Mercia coming to Coruscant, man and maidservants were constantly running around the halls, trying to get this and that ready. Obi-wan happened to be one of them. "You're a servant, Obi-wan – it's what you're supposed to do," he said simply. Obi-wan sighed and holding his arms out in front of him, muttered, "My arms will be a foot longer by the time I'm finished with this."
"It's character-building," Qui-Gon chided. "As the old proverb says, hard work breeds…" His voice drifted, unable to find an end to the so-called proverb. Lifting an eyebrow expectantly, Obi-wan asked, "Yes?" There was a beat of silence between the two. Then, Qui-Gon finished, "A harder soul."
"There is no way that's a proverb – you just made that up," Obi-wan tsked, shaking his head.
"I didn't!" Qui-Gon retorted, but before Obi-wan could shoot back a response, one of the maidservants suddenly dropped between the two, cloths and fabrics falling out of her hands. "Sorry," she murmured, instantly gathering the materials in her hands. Obi-wan's eyes flicked up to Qui-Gon, daring him to say something. "That's alright," he replied.
"Excuse me," the maidservant apologized again. Qui-Gon tilted his head in confusion, to which Obi-wan responded with a, "Let me give you a hand with that." Ignoring the older man's gaze, Obi-wan bent down to help the maidservant with the cloths. It hadn't even passed a full second before both Obi-wan and the maidservant looked up to meet each other's eyes – and paused noticeably.
The maidservant had startling pale blue eyes, framed with dark, sharp lashes. Her skin, very much like her eyes, was pale as well – streaked with a few interesting-looking purple tattoos – maybe it was a custom in Mercia? From what Obi-wan could tell, the maidservant didn't have much hair, either – her head was covered with a turban, not unlike the ones that most maidservants wore in Mercia. Her looks were – without a doubt – rather sharp and attentive, undoubtedly making most manservants turn their heads once in a while to stare at her. (It wasn't like Obi-wan was one of those manservants. No, of course not.)
Obi-wan slowly stood up, a small smile spreading across his face. "Hi," he said, cloths still in hand. The maidservant mirrored his movements, standing up and smiling back. "I'm Obi-wan," he added, extending his other hand. The young woman took it, saying, "And I'm Asa." She examined him with her eyes, her lips twitching into a fuller smile than before. "You're Anakin's manservant. That must be such an honor."
Obi-wan avoided looking at Qui-Gon as he replied sincerely, "Oh, yeah, it is." He gave a quiet laugh. "Well, I mean, someone's got to keep the place running."
"Hm," Asa nodded. "Thank you, Obi-wan."
"What?" Obi-wan asked, blinking. Asa only nodded down at the cloths in Obi-wan's hand. Feeling the back of his neck heat up in embarrassment, the young man managed a grin. "Oh, yeah," he said with a sheepish chuckle. He placed the cloths over Asa's arms, he mumbled, "Er…yeah. No problem."
"It was nice meeting you," the maidservant said lightly, shifting the cloths around. She gave a small bob of her head and smile never leaving her face, walked out of the way.
"Shouldn't you be busy running the place?" Qui-Gon asked once she was out of ear-shot. Obi-wan blinked and the sense of embarrassment renewing, only smiled dryly back at the physician.
xXx
Ventress – no, Asa – hurried down to Lord Bayard's chambers. The smile had faded off her face, replaced by a pleased smirk to herself. She already had Obi-wan reeled in – she had noticed that. He was a young man, undoubtedly foolish and not yet mature or wise in the ways of who or what to deal with.
The chambers weren't occupied when Ventress stepped inside, which only made the job that much easier. She walked forward, careful to close the door behind herself. Placing the cloths on the table, she reached over and opened up one of the jeweled boxes sitting on the surface. Placed in the delicate velvet were two chalices – the two chalices that would be drunken out of by Prince Anakin and King Palpatine as a sign of peace.
Ventress lifted the corner of a cloth, revealing another chalice – one identical to the one of Prince Anakin's. The flower petal she had placed inside was practically invisible – no one would sense that something was in it unless they actually examined it, and Ventress had made sure that that wouldn't happen.
As quiet as ever, the woman took out Prince Anakin's chalice – and replaced it with her own. She closed the box and then, picking up the cloths again, slipped back out of the room.
xXx
Obi-wan grimaced as he placed Anakin's clothes on the table. "When was the last time these were cleaned?" he asked incredulously, taking a quick step back. He forced himself to take one of the articles – a jacket, shaking it out before him with bated breath. Anakin's voice was unimpressed as he replied, "Last year sometime, before the feast of Beltane."
Obi-wan cringed, making his way around Anakin. "Did it end in a food fight?" he asked, handing the jacket to the prince. "Don't all feasts?" Anakin countered, putting it on. Obi-wan pressed his lips together. "I wouldn't know," he replied. He fixed the collar around the jacket, adding, "The airs and graces of the court are a mystery to me."
"Not tonight, they won't be," Anakin said simply, picking at a loose thread. Obi-wan stared at the back of the prince's head, stunned. "I'm going to be at the banquet?" he asked. Anakin turned around, taking the jacket back off. "Not quite," he said. "You'll be there to make sure my cup doesn't run dry." He folded the jacket over his arm, muttering, "If I have to sit through Lord Bayard's boring speeches, I don't see why you should get out of it."
Obi-wan rolled his eyes as Anakin handed the jacket to him. "Be sure to polish the buttons," the prince added dismissively. Obi-wan nodded and walked over the table to throw the jacket along with the other clothes. As he did so, Anakin asked, "Do you want to see what you'll be wearing for tonight?"
Obi-wan frowned, looking down at his own clothes. "Won't this do?" he asked. Anakin popped his head out from behind the changing screen. His eyes flicked up and down Obi-wan's figure and then, with a shake of his head, replied, "No. Tonight, you'll be wearing the official ceremonial robes of the servants of Coruscant." With that, he disappeared back around the screen.
Obi-wan blinked. Well. Ceremonial robes? He supposed it couldn't be that bad.
A second later, Anakin stepped back out, his hands clutching a long, red robe, acquainted with a –
"You can't be serious," Obi-wan said, his heart sinking steadily to his stomach. Anakin's smile was smug as he nodded in confirmation.
xXx
The sound of Padmé Amidala giggling forced Obi-wan to turn around. The maidservant's cheek was hollowed from biting the inside of it so hard. "Nice hat," she commented, her eyes dancing cheerfully. Obi-wan pressed his lips together. "Thanks," he replied dully. The hat – if one could call it that – was disastrous. Large, colorful plumes of feathers erupted from the already-bright fabric of the hat, giving Obi-wan the impression of an awkward, beaky looking bird. (At least, that was his own opinion.)
As if sensing his discomfort, Anakin turned around from his place at the center of the dining hall. He, very much like Padmé, looked incredibly pleased with himself about the clothes Obi-wan had to wear. Anakin's eyebrows lifted, a wide smile already on his face. Obi-wan only shook his head in response.
And if that wasn't bad enough, Asa was in the room as well. Every once in a while, the woman's eyes would look curiously over at Obi-wan, causing him to prickle all over with annoyance at Anakin and annoyance at himself for ever agreeing to wear this stupid thing. As Asa looked back at him another time, Obi-wan quickly took off his hat. He might as well try to get the most conspicuous article of clothing off.
Padmé, obviously taking note of Obi-wan's action, followed his gaze to Asa. Her smile faded and shifting her weight from foot to foot, murmured, "She's pretty, isn't she? For a maidservant, I mean." Obi-wan grinned. He turned to Padmé, saying, "She's pretty enough to be a princess, let alone a maidservant."
"Mm," was Padmé's only response. She quickly turned on her heel and strode away from Obi-wan, leaving him rather confused and surprised. He took a few seconds to watch her stand by Qui-Gon instead – and then inwardly shrugging to himself, turned back around as Lord Bayard started his speech.
"People of Coruscant," the ruler started, "for a great many years, we have been mortal enemies. The blood of our men stains the ground from the walls of Camelot to the gates of Mercia." As he said this, a maidservant rushed forward, carrying forth a jeweled box. Bayard gave the maidservant a nod of acknowledgement and continued, "And though we remember the dead, we must not allow any more to join them." He turned to the box, opening it with careful hands. "As a symbol of our goodwill, and of our new-found friendship, I present these ceremonial goblets to you, Palpatine," he gestured to the king with one handsomely-carved goblet, "and to your son, Anakin." He pulled out another goblet, this one just as beautiful as the other. "In the hope our friendship may last."
"Obi-wan," a frantic voice said, causing Obi-wan to rip his gaze away from the ceremony. "I need to speak to you." The owner of the voice was Asa, who looked just as panicked and anxious as she sounded. Obi-wan's lips turned downward as he asked, "What is it?"
"Not here, please," Asa responded, tugging at his arm. "I don't know who else to tell."
Obi-wan looked around the room – and for a brief second, Padmé's eyes locked onto his. She turned away quickly, staring determinedly at Lord Bayard and King Palpatine. For another time that hour, Obi-wan wondered what the sudden cold shoulder was for. "Of course," he said to Asa.
The two rushed out of the dining hall and down the corridors until there weren't any other people to listen to whatever words were going to be said. "It wasn't until he gave the goblet to Anakin did I realize," Asa started, but Obi-wan held up his hand. "Slow down," he said patiently. "Start from the beginning."
Asa sucked in a breath. She glanced over Obi-wan's shoulder to see if there might be anyone eavesdropping – and then, lowering her voice anyways, replied, "Two days ago, I was bringing Bayard his evening meal. I was supposed to knock – he didn't expect me to walk in."
"What are you trying to say?" Obi-wan asked, brow furrowing.
Asa's face fell. "If he knows that I said anything, he'll kill me!" she whispered. Obi-wan shook his head. "I will not let that happen," he said quietly. "I promise. Please tell me what you saw." Asa drew herself up, her lips pursed and head shaking. "Bayard is no friend of Coruscant," she said. "He craves for the kingdom himself."
"Asa," Obi-wan breathed, "tell me – what has Bayard done to the goblet?"
"He believes that if he kills Anakin, Palpatine's spirit will break and Coruscant will fall," Asa replied, eyes broadening. Obi-wan tried his best to keep the frustration out of his voice as he repeated, "What has he done with the goblet?" Asa bit down on her lip. "I saw him putting something in it," she replied.
The blood in Obi-wan's veins ran cold. "What was it?" he asked.
"I shouldn't – he'll kill me," Asa said worriedly.
"Please tell me," Obi-wan replied, stepping forward. But Asa's lips were closed tightly. The fear on her face said enough. Obi-wan let out a long breath and then, scanning through his head, searched for an answer. Bayard, according to Asa, had put something in the goblet – something that could kill Anakin. After a few heart-pounding moments, he asked, "Is it poison?"
Asa slowly nodded her head.
That was all the information Obi-wan needed. Without another the word, he raced back to the dining hall.
xXx
"And may the differences of our past remain there," Bayard was saying. He held up his own goblet to the king of Coruscant. "To your health, Palpatine," he toasted with a nod, "Anakin, the Lady Ahsoka, the people of Coruscant." He gestured grandly at the people around the dining hall, who all murmured their replies and agreements. Palpatine, too, lifted his goblet. "And to fallen warriors on both sides," he said.
Just as all of the goblets were being lifted, Obi-wan burst into the dining hall. "Stop!" he shouted. "It's poisoned! Don't drink it!" He ran towards Anakin and quickly pulled the goblet away from his hands. Anakin stared at Obi-wan, frown on his face and eyes astonished.
"What…?" King Palpatine started to say, but Anakin quickly recovered. "Obi-wan," he said dubiously, "what are you doing?"
Obi-wan turned around to look at Lord Bayard, who looked just as confused as Arthur and Palpatine. But then again, didn't everyone try to fake their expressions before getting caught doing something wrong? Clearing his throat, Obi-wan held up the chalice and announced, "Bayard laced Anakin's goblet with poison!"
The reaction, needless to say, was immediate.
"This is an outrage!" Bayard hissed, unsheathing his sword. However, before the blade could even fully make its way out of the leather, the knights of Coruscant already had their swords out and pointing at him, along with the knights of Mercia, only their own weapons were pointed at the people of Coruscant. But before any other actions could break out, another group of Coruscant knights were called into the dining hall. "Order your men to put down their swords," Palpatine said coolly from his seat. "You're outnumbered."
Bayard's eyes darted back and forth between the Mercian and Coruscanti knights. "I will not allow this insult to go unchallenged," he growled. Palpatine didn't acknowledge the ruler's words – instead, he turned to Obi-wan. "On what grounds do you base this accusation?" he asked.
Before Obi-wan could respond, Anakin grumbled, "I'll handle this." He walked around the table and heading to the manservant, said, "Obi-wan, you idiot!" He grabbed Obi-wan's shoulder and dragged him to the table, asking loudly, "Have we been at the sloe gin again?"
"Unless you want to be strung up," Palpatine declared over Anakin's words, "you'll tell me why you think the goblet is poisoned – now."
"Bayard was seen putting it inside," Obi-wan replied, unwavering. "By whom?" the king asked in a low voice. Obi-wan's eyes turned downward to the floor. "I can't say," he murmured. He would keep his promise to Asa – he wasn't going to give her position away, especially with Bayard in the same room.
"I won't listen to this anymore," Bayard hollered.
Palpatine still ignored the other ruler's words. He walked around the table, saying, "Pass me the goblet." Obi-wan did as he was told – he handed the goblet over to the king. Once it was in his hands, Palpatine looked up at Bayard. "If you're telling the truth," he started.
"I am," Bayard responded confidently.
"Then you have nothing to fear." Palpatine said, holding the goblet out. Bayard sighed. He let go of his sword and leaning forward, gestured for the goblet. "Go on then, shall I?" he asked, seething. "Give it to me and I'll prove it to you." Palpatine shook his head gravely. "No – if this does prove to be poison, I want the pleasure of killing you myself." He responded. He turned and goblet still held out, fixed his gaze on Obi-wan. "He'll drink it."
Anakin startled beside Obi-wan. "But if it is poisoned, he'll die!" he protested. Palpatine didn't look at his son as he replied, "Then we'll know he's telling the truth." He nodded down at the goblet, signaling Obi-wan to take it.
Obi-wan could hear his pulse in his ears as he slowly wrapped his hand around the goblet. He took it towards himself and pressing his lips together, stared down at the contents. For a brief second, he hoped that Asa wasn't telling the truth – but then if she wasn't telling the truth, then Obi-wan would be punished all the same. The situation…wasn't looking too good for him.
"And what if he lives?" Bayard asked. "Then you'll have my apologies," Palpatine answered. "You can do with him as you will."
"Palpatine, please, he's just a boy – he doesn't know what he saying," Qui-Gon said harshly from his position next to Padmé. His expression – and Padmé's – were both filled with worry and uneasiness, but the king wouldn't hear any of it. "Then you should have schooled him better," Palpatine shot back, making his way back to his seat.
"Obi-wan, apologize!" Anakin said, shaking Obi-wan's shoulder. "This is a mistake!" He lunged at the goblet. "I'll drink it!"
Obi-wan lifted the goblet out of Anakin's reach, saying quickly, "No, no, no, no – no, Anakin." He looked up at Bayard, trying his best not to blink. "It's alright." He stepped away from Anakin and hand trembling slightly, he lifted the goblet to Bayard. Obi-wan looked back at Qui-Gon and Padmé, who remained as shell-shocked as ever. He let out a breath – and brought the goblet to his lips. Obi-wan tried not think about what was going to happen to him as he drank down the wine in the goblet – tried not to think about whatever might happen to him in the last second – tried not to think about anything…
Finally, Obi-wan looked up from the goblet. There was a tense silence all around the dining hall – all eyes were fixed on him. He shuddered and waited for a second – two seconds – three seconds…until finally, he muttered, "It's fine." A collective, relieved breath escaped out of everyone.
Palpatine sat down. "He's all yours," he said, nodding to Bayard.
xXx
Anakin was ready to pretend that this event hadn't happened, and he was ready to tell his father to let Obi-wan off on this disturbance. The idiot might have been fooled by someone – he certainly seemed to be the type of person. Whatever would happen, Anakin figured that everything could go back to normal.
But then Obi-wan started gasping.
Anakin whirled around to see Obi-wan's face paling, his eyes squeezed tightly in obvious pain, struggling for air. The prince started to walk forward, his footsteps almost automatic. He reached out an arm, as if that could stop anything, as if that could slow down whatever process Obi-wan was going through.
Hand clutched over his throat, Obi-wan let out another strangled-sounding breath and fell to the floor.
"It's poisoned!" Palpatine shouted, and swords were drawn out once more. There were cries echoing around the dining hall and Mercian citizens wailing, but Anakin didn't pay attention to them. He rushed forward to Obi-wan, who had stilled in the last few seconds. He knelt down beside him, trying to search for any signs of life, when he was quickly joined by Qui-Gon and a maidservant – Padmé, he recalled.
"Obi-wan," the physician said, placing a hand on the younger man's forehead. "Can you hear me?" When no response came, he shook his head. "We must get him to my chambers," he urged. Anakin nodded, standing back up. He gathered Obi-wan's seemingly lifeless body in his arms, already surging out of the dining hall.
A/N - This is going to be my favorite arc to work on. Heh. XD
Reviews are always great! Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not.