AN: This chapter was hard to right. I lost my brother recently, and the character of Dral was inspired in part by him, and now I'm having a hard time writing his character.

But I don't want to burden you guys with my problems, here's the next chapter, it's a bit longer than previous chapters.

Chapter 15


Sabine's head was reeling. Sitting in front of her was a woman, whom until a few days ago didn't know existed in the abstract concept of someone her father had a relationship with. In that time frame she had found out about her little brother, his fate and her father's hand in it, and now meet the woman who birthed him.

She had a million questions she wanted to ask her, about her father, where he was , why he'd done what he'd done, but the first thing she asked was.

"What was Jaden like….before."

Kira looked her dead in the eye, and for a minute Sabine didn't think she would answer her, but then she spoke.

"Before I sent him to live his father…your father, he was a very quiet boy, but he was a good boy. Always did what I asked him to, never complained, and he smiled, that's what I remember most about him, he smiled, all the time…." With that she voice faded off and her stare drifted away from Sabine.

For a moment Sabine thought she was just lost in thought, but then her eye's snapped back to her, and Sabine asked the other question that was gnawing at her. "Why send him away?"

For the briefest moment Sabine thought she saw tears in Kira's eyes, but it looked to disappear as quickly as it appeared.

"The Witches of Dathomir are matriarchal society Sabine, I know the outside galaxy, out there, with his father, I thought he'd have a chance at something more than a second rate citizen, I wish I had never sent him away, but now I have a chance to make it right."

Sabine didn't know if Kira knew it or not, but she had help Sabine kill two birds with one stone. Jaden's fate had been worrying her ever sense she had found out his identity. Now, there was hope.


Back at Village Square

Ezra watch Dral as he attempted to grab a fence post, and watch his hand close on open air. It took him a moment for him to realize he was trying figure out depth perception with a missing eye. Ezra would have thought it was funny if it weren't for the fact of how badly Dral was beaten up at this point. His eye and two of his fingers were gone, not to mention a plethora of other injuries.

The guy was crass and a bit of blowhard, but not really all that bad if he thought about. His hygiene could use some work though, he didn't seem to care as much about be clean as the crew of the Ghost. He didn't know if it was just because he really didn't care, got used to being alone or just didn't realize what he smelled like.

He continued to watch Dral make another attempt to grab the fence and this time succeed. Dral gave out a quiet "Hah!" victory, and for some reason he couldn't explain, that made Ezra smile.

Ezra continued to watch Dral for some time as he tried to figure out his depth perception, until the return of Sabine, along with Kira drew his attention away.

Kira spoke to the crew of the Ghost, Urai, and Dral "You three." She said in a voice much louder than the one she spoke with in the tent, causing everyone who wasn't already looking at her to turn their eyes on her. Ezra knew who she meant by "you three" and walked to her, and heard Dral follow behind him.

"I've decided to give you the opportunity to prove yourself," she gestured to another witch "Follow sister Seyda, she will take you to the trial ground, I must speak with your leaders."

Ezra looked to Kanan for support, but Kanan nodded "Go on Ezra, we'll be here, don't worry."

As he and Dral made their way to meet up with Sabine Kira spoke "Good luck, don't make me look bad in front of the elders."

He wanted to ask her what she meant but decided it would be best to just move as quickly as possible in this situation and follow the witch Seyda.


On the path to the Trail Grounds

"You three will face one of three trails at the ground, Trial of the Mind, Trial of the Sword or Trial of the Soul." Seyda said as she lead them through the village.

"Well which one?" Dral asked from the rear of the group.

"That will be up to chance, the power of fate and destiny control all of us, and they control your fate today as well."

"Great…."Ezra muttered to himself. He could only guess what each trial meant, but if he had to choose he bet Trail of the Sword would be there best bet.

They continued to walk on through the village, until the housing became more and more sparse, until their weren't any dwelling left and they approached a large leveled dirt field, looking to be a perfect square about fifty feet long on each side. While it was dirt field, rocks still were strewn about it, varying in size from pebbles to near human size, as if they didn't want the field to look to unnatural.

What looked like a dozen woman were lined up on the side they were now approaching, all looking like shadows do to the large fire they had built behind, Ezra didn't exactly feel comfortable at this. These weren't run of the mill people, the Witches of Dathomir were famed in the galaxy as second only to Jedi and Sith in force abilities.

What looked like to be the leader of the group stepped forward and held up, what looked like to Ezra, three identical spheres." Each of these contains a different chemical that will cause the fire to change color." She proclaimed to them holding them out to them. "Green is trail by Mind, Red is Trail by Sword, and Blue Trial by Soul. Whatever color the fire become will determine what trail you will face." She said before she started to shuffle the balls in her hand.

"Don't exactly stand on ceremony do they?" Dral whispered in Ezra's ear. It wasn't really funny, but Ezra cracked a smile as the witch selected a sphere and tossed it into the fire.

For a second Ezra held his breath as the fire crackled, then in a flash of sparks it flared up and turned a brilliant, almost unnatural shade of red.


"Trail by sword." The witch proclaimed, becoming them forward.

Dral looked over the witches, licking his lip compulsively, they felt dry to him despite the humidity. He was going to bet Trail by Sword didn't involve puzzle solving or finding a hidden treasure. He wasn't afraid of a fight, but he was hardly in top condition, mentally or physically for any sort of real exertion. Truth be told Sabine didn't seem in top form mentally either, as it stood only Ezra was going to be in top condition. If it was one on one fight and nothing else, he was going to volunteer Ezra for it. He may not like it, but that stood as their best chance.

The witch who had been speaking spoke again "Each of you now must face trail by sword, or trial by combat. Two of you must best our warriors in single combat"

Dral cursed inwardly, he wasn't in the mood to get his head kicked it.

She spoke again "Our warriors will draw lots to determine who will face whom." She gestured to the assembled warrior behind her. The effect of the blood red fire was casting them in a sinister light, and while he would go to his grave before he admitted it but it made his blood run cold.


The warriors all drew small wooden disk from a bowl. Sabine didn't know the exact rules of this ritual, but she didn't like they were excluded from the act, even if it was still left to chance.

From the looks of it, Sabine could guess the three that had been picked. One looked older than the other two, and while the facial tattoo's made her a bit hard to place age wise, Sabine would have guessed she was about forty standard years old. The second Sabine would have guessed to be in her thirties, she looked more worn out than the other two, like she experienced more physical hardship than the other two. The last was the youngest looking, maybe a little younger than Kanan, but more wild in her appearance and body language than the other two, she walked back and forth like a predator ready to hunt.

That one made Sabine nervous. She didn't believe these battle would be lethal in nature, although she had no solid reason to think that, but that one looked like a number of people she'd seen in her life, here eye's reminded her of those people. They the eyes of a killer.


The haggard looking warrior stepped forward.

"Sabine Wren, you will face Malani."

Then the oldest of the three chosen warriors stopped forward while the elder spoke.

"Ezra Bridger, you will face Orcina." She said gesturing towards the woman.

Dral cursed under his breath, he knew who he got, and she looked like the hardest killer of the three, the youngest maybe, but her eyes were of someone who loved to fight.

"Dral Rahm." The elder said the youngest and wildest looking warrior stepped forward "you will face Siliri."

He looked at her scowling, and she just smiled at him, then winked at him.

She was very attractive, Dral could say that objectively, and most men might be flustered by this, but Dral just started to grind his teeth, she thought he was going down quick and easy. What really irritated him, she was probably right. He had no depth perception, could hardly use one hand and had a litany of other injuries that hadn't fully healed.

"Sabine…Ezra." He said in a whisper, and both turned to look at him "You two better win, cause that one there." He said gesturing at Silri "she's gonna take me apart."


"You'll have fifteen minutes to prepare. You may choose a weapon from our arsenal, or use your own." The Elder said while gesturing to a weapons rack of primitive looking staffs, blades, and clubs.

"What do you mean she'll take you apart!?" Sabine hissed under her breath at Dral, not wanting the witches to hear her concern, although she thought that might be pointless if they could feel it in the force.

"Look at me!" Dral hissed back as he headed to the weapons rack looking over his options. "I can barely see and have half a hand, look at her." He said pointing to Silri "She lives for this, I can barely function, you two are gonna have to win the first two fight's or we're done."

Sabine didn't want to agree with him out loud, but she thought he was right. In his current state Sabine didn't think Dral could beat any one of the warriors put forward.

So she kept her silence and looked to the other side of the arena. The three warrior where doing warm up exercises with their weapons. Her opponent Malani, had a staff with what looked like stone weights at both ends, she twirled it with grace and speed that made Sabine nervous. She could fight up close if she had to, and if she was honest with herself she was quiet good at it, but Malani was clearly above her in that regard.

Her strategy was simple in theory, but not necessarily easy to pull off. She fought at range, and she needed to keep her at that distance. As she thought the elder approached them.

"I must ask you all, if you have energy based weapons, to set them to stun or turn down the intensity, this is not a death match."

The made Sabine feel better before she realized it was a death match in a way. If they lost, they were as good as dead.

Adjusting her blasters, Sabine turned back to watch the witches warm up, she watched as the whipping light spring from Silri's hand and whip threw the air and cut her target in half, followed up by a powerful force blast the sent the two piece flying.

"Holy Crap!" Dral cried out "She' not allowed to do that in the fight is she?!"

The elder turned to look at Dral. "No, she is not."


Malani and Sabine stepped into the field. Sabine wasn't sure what the procedure was exactly, but she kept her eyes on the elder for a sign to start, but her eye's kept shifting towards Malani. She wanted to tag her as soon as she could in order to keep her way, if she closed the distance this fight would get much harder.

Suddenly the elder shouted "Begin!"

Malani charged her with speed Sabine was not expecting, but she still fired several stun bolts at Malani. That's when Sabine remembered this was force user, her senses where enhanced, at long rang she probably wasn't hit her, she needed a different strategy and fast.

Sabine ducked just in time to avoid the blow to the head. She could feel it wiz over her head, ruffling her hair. But she got no respite, as Malani swung and jabbed her staff at her. She was preternaturally fast and her movements were fluid, it was like every strike built upon the one preceding it, making it almost impossible for Sabine to find and opening.

She made a few attempts to get a couple shots off but Malani kept knocking her blaster to the side and her shot kept going wide.

This wasn't working, sooner or later Malani was going to land a hit with her staff and with the stones on the end, it would probably be all she needed. It wouldn't kill her, but it would injure her badly enough that she couldn't fight.

But something was starting to dawn on her. Malani wasn't as young her, and the earliest signs of fatigue were starting to show. Her style of attack was incredibly high energy, there was no way she could keep up at the current pace she was setting for herself. But what was more, Sabine didn't feel any exhaustion at all. Not low levels, none at all. That shouldn't be possible, even with her youth, training and adrenaline pumpng she should at least feel something.

As she dodged another strike aimed at her head she realized what it was. The drug Tyber had given her, Ezra and Dral. It optimized the human body, curing all disease and making the body function more effectively. It was keeping her body from experiencing exhaustion.

Ironic that very thing they were trying undo was helping them undo it. But now her path was clear, keep dodging, let Malani wear herself out enough to where she could get a decisive attack in.

That's what she did, duck, dodged and slip attacks from the witch. She couldn't tell how much time had passed, but then she saw it. Malani slipped, nothing major, just a minor loss of footing, if she had blinked she would have missed it, but it was what she had been waiting for.

Taking aim at leg she saw slip, Sabine let loose a quick volley of blasts at Malani's feet. Sabine could see the sudden switch in tactics had caught Malani off guard, and she slipped again.

Pressing her chance, Sabine fired at shot at Malani's center of mass, but the Witch was still quick, and managed to block it with her staff, but even on low intensity it still burned the wood of the staff. She shot a few more times, again Malani blocked with her staff, but the word was starting to smoke.

Another three volleys and the staff broke it two, smoking where it the heat had caused the wood to splinter. The burning smell reached Sabine' nose just as Malani switch fighting stances. Now holding one half of the broken staff in each hand, the look of real concern crossed her face for the first time sense the fight had started.

Sabine knew she was in a good place, she felt perfectly fresh, Malani was getting tired and she had pushed her opponent into a secondary fighting style.

Malani attacked again, but this looked much less coordinated than her earlier attacks, and Sabine slipped the swings of the broken staff and took the opportunity to kick her opponent squarely in the diaphragm.

As Malani doubled over, winded from the attack, Sabine leveled her blasted at her head, and shot a bolt squarely into her forehead.

Had her blaster's power not be turned down, this would of come off as a rather ruthless and brutal execution. But as it was, Malani just collapsed to the ground in pain.

Sabine was so keyed up that she almost attacked again, but the elder over seeing fight shouted to stop.

"Sabine Wren wins." She said as Malani got up and walked back towards the other Witches.

"Ezra Bridger, come forward." She called out.


Orcina stepped into the arena as Ezra made to enter, before Sabine stopped him.

"Ezra, listen, drag the fight out as long you can, that stuff Tyber drugged with, I think it's improving out stamina, I don't feel tired at all."

Ezra looked at her questioningly, but before he could ask for clarification for her thoughts the elder called him again.

Stepping into the area, Ezra Noted Orcina's weapons, they were either daggers or short sword, and he didn't know if that was good or bad. He himself was trained in sword fighting, but she looked older than Kanan, she may be better at it than his teacher. But she wasn't in her prime anymore, that he was sure of. Granted she didn't look that old, middle aged maybe, but if Sabine was right he just had to tire her out. With that in mind, Ezra charged, igniting his lightsaber.


It didn't take Sabine more than half a second to groan at Ezra's choice of tactics. She told him he wouldn't get tired, but rather than doing what she did and letting her opponent come at her and waste energy on attacks, Ezra looked like he planned to batter Orcina's defenses until she just broke.

The problem with that is Sabine, and Ezra by extension, didn't know if the effects of the drug would extended vigorous activity.


Ezra couldn't help but think if he had his saber set to full power that the blades Orcina was using to block his attacks would be lying in pieces right now. But as it stood, she kept blocking or deflecting his attacks.

It wouldn't be long, or so he thought, before she started to fatigue, then he could go for the winning shot.

He had her on the ropes, and he was sure before long he'd end this.

Glancing back towards Sabine and Dral to see the looks on their faces. Dral was still scowling, but Sabine look concerned, that puzzled Ezra for a second before he felt a bolt of pain shoot up his arm.

With a shock of horror, he realized he'd let himself get distracted, and Orcina hand hit him hard on the wrist. If the blades hadn't been blunt, he would of lost his hand, as it stood now, he was pretty sure she had dislocated something.

What was worse he'd dropped his lightsaber.

Reaching out with the force to try pull it into his other and, before he could he felt a blazing pain in his temple, then it all went dark.


"Ezra, wake up…come on get up." The voice said.

Ezra opening his eye's, everything looked cloudy as he saw Sabine over him.

"Did I win?"

Instead of answering him, she smacked him in the side of his head, sending another bolt of pain through him.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You lost! And it was because you let yourself get distracted!" Sabine hissed at him.

Ezra didn't answer, but he knew she was right. He could have won that fight, what's more he should have won. But he didn't take it as seriously as he should of, and now, they had to rely on Dral, who on his best day might not be able to win.


Dral was breathing heavily, his nerves were off the charts. He was going into this fight crippled, with a weapon he didn't really know how to use, again a blood thirsty woman.

"Dral." Sabine said into his ear. "Let her come at you, just focus on dodging."

Not great advice, Dral thought to himself, he wasn't exactly the most nibble guy in the galaxy, but the drug would help keep him from tiring. He still hurt from his more severe injuries, but he supposed without that poison in his system, he might not even be able to walk.

Although if it wasn't in him in the first place, he wouldn't be here.

Hefting the weapon he'd picked, a hammer, he walked into the area as Silri steeped in. Her weapon, a whip, not the energy one she used to split the dummy in half, but a normal one, was in her hand.

She was smiling at him. He felt his stomach drop out of him.


She was on him before he knew what happened and the whip wrapped around the hammer he was holding and jerked it out of his hand before he knew what happened.

As his weapon soared out of the arena, Dral heard the whip lashing back at him. He tried to dodge it, but felt it wrap tight around his ankle. Before he could think of what to do, he was on his back, groaning.

Even before he could catch his breath, Silri's weapon cam lashing back towards him. Dral rolled and this time he heard it cracked just to his right.

Continuing his rolling on the ground as lash after lash came in at him.

Well, he was dodging, just like Sabine suggested. Only know he didn't have a weapon, and he wasn't going to get close to her.

He needed some space, put some distance between him and that whip.

Just as it cracked near his ear, Dral Jumped to his feet and tried to back pedal, but this time he felt the whip wrap tight around his fore arm. Before he was yanked forward, he looked up into Silri's face, and she was smiling like a maniac. She was having the time of her life.


Ezra was running his hand over his head in frustration. Dral was right, he was getting picked apart, Silri was playing with him at this point. He winced as Silri clubbed Dral in the stomach with the handle of her whip.

This was it, they were going to lose. Why had he let himself get distracted? He could have won, then they wouldn't be in this mess. What's more, Dral wouldn't be getting knocked around this sadist.

They were going to have to try and find another way to get the cure.


Sabine wasn't sure how long Dral had been fighting, but he wasn't going down. She wasn't sure how much of it was the drug and how much of it was Dral's natural toughness, but he wasn't going down.

Then again Silri was clearly playing with him, so she may not be actively trying to end the fight like the other two Witches.

She sighed as Dral made a wild swing at Silri, who side stepped it with all the concern of some avoiding a bug, and wrapped her whip around his arm.

Taking control his movement, she threw him to him knees. It looked like she was saying something to him, Sabine couldn't hear what she was saying, but Dral's response was totally unexpected.


On his knees, Dral looked up into Silri's face. His left arm was tied up with the whip, and currently twisted into and angle to keep him from standing up.

"Dral Rahm, you are a surprising resilient opponent, submit and I won't have to really hurt you."

Dral looked at her, with pure rage on his face. She could have knocked him out if she wanted, the few times she hit him that that handle was enough to make him certain of that. She wanted to humiliate him as well as dominate him.

He spoke to her, but whispered it.

"What was that? Do you give up?" She said, smirking.

He said it again, and again she could hear.

"Speak up, if you don't, this farce of a fight will continue."

He said something again, and still she didn't hear it, and she leaned in close to his mouth, turning her head to nearly press her ear to his mouth.

"Screw you." He whispered, and before she could react, Dral swung with all his might, and punched Silri squarely between the legs.


Sabine couldn't believe what she just saw. She was sure it was a trick of angles and light, there was no way he just did that.

But Silri's reaction, doubling over her hands clutching the area Dral had punched. Sabine had hed been attacked there before, she knew that would really hurt a man but to try it on a woman that was clearly the act of a desperate man.

At this point she didn't care, it was the first forward movement in the fight, she'd take what she could get.


The look on Silri's face read as a person who just couldn't believe what had just happened. It was probably just as much shock as it was pain that caused her to let him go of him. At any rate he was certain he's knocked the wind out of her for a moment.

Before she could recover, he groped around on the ground, and found what he was looking. Grabbing a stone about twice the size of his fist, he spun around on Silri, who through pain and shock had not gotten over the fact the Dral has punched her between the legs.

Taking the stone in hand Dral swung it at hard as he could at the side of Silri's head.

With a sickening 'thunk', the stone made contact with the side of her head, and she fell to her side motionless.

Looking at her Dral dropped the stone, looked at the elders. "I win."

He said as he walked back to Sabine and Ezra.


"That was dirty move." Ezra said as Dral got back.

"It worked didn't it?" Dral snapped.

"I'm not complaining, just….man talk about quick thinking."

Dral looked at Sabine, she just looked at him and said "I can't believe you did that."

Before he could ask for clarification, the elders approached them.

"Despite your….questionable methods, you have won, you have earned your chance."


AN: Okay, tell me what you think.