Chapter 2 – Protect the innocent
Artur continued to drive, Zahra was on the her phone, speaking with her mother as well as trying to think of a reasonable excuse as to why she was out so late. In the back, Christine's heart beat had become ecstatic as adrenaline continued to pump through her veins. The man's masked head rested on her lap, with her right hand Christine held him securely, and the other glowed lightly as she hovered it over his body, building a mental image of his hounds hidden underneath his clothing. Relief engulfed her as they pulled up the driveway. Once more, Artur helped carry the man into the manor. "Quickly, we need to get him to my room", she breathed, and they carefully manoeuvred the unconscious body up two flights of stairs. The man was lain on the bed, and Christine thanked her friends; "You to have done more than enough. Go down to the kitchen and get something to eat. I can deal now". Once the two left, Christine quickly went to work. She braided her long her quickly so that it would not get in her way, and rummaged through drawers to retrieve a pair of sharp scissors. She removed the man's boots, cape and gloves. With trembling hands, she moved to the man's strange helmet. Her finger tips ran over the helmet's smooth surface, finding two clasps at the sides. Christine removed the mask slowly, and she had to admit, she was shocked. From his dress, she had been expecting an alien-like life form, and was surprised to find the face of a man. He was still unconscious, with dark black curls and pale skin, a thin scar cutting through his face. Christine clasped the scissors, cutting through his black tunic to reveal his rather serious wounds, a deep gash sliced through his abdomen, and at once Christine was almost appalled by the horrific sight, there was so much blood. She forced herself to dismiss her disgust, and using magic, cleaned the wound effectively, and managed to stop the blood flow. From her alchemy chest; Christine retrieved jars of herbs with magical properties, setting them down on the bed beside the man's leg. As gently as possible, she poured the elixirs into the wound, chanting as she did so,
Erco sanzaz messa rulcanshol.
Marco nass, revoum lactesa, trelimblo nass.
Christine let out a sigh of relief, as she saw the wound slowly began to heal. The man's chest was littered with cuts and bruises, all of which were but minor scratches. She fetched a bowl of warm water from her bathroom, as well as a flannel. It would have been a waste of herbs to heal the superficial cuts, therefore she decided to simply clean them. So many questions filled her head, it took a lot to remind herself that the man lying in her bed was not from her world, perhaps not even her galaxy. She wished that he would wake up, Christine had proved to be a very inquisitive woman, and she desperately wanted to know the man's identity. Against her better judgement, Christine decided to use magic to will the young man awake. She lay a hand against his cheek, summoning the power within her. You will awaken. Christine allowed the energy to flow through her body, giving a small amount of her life force to the man. What is mine is yours. Awaken. You must wake up good sir. Christine removed her hand, feeling defeated. She sighed, getting up from the bed. The space traveller most likely needed to save his energy, his body in a coma-like state. Just as Christine was about to leave the room, a loud groan emanated from behind her. She froze stiff, air catching in her throat. You are not a child Christine, calm yourself. Christine spun on her heels, seeing the man had awoken. The man was of course, an injured Kylo Ren, who found himself in a state of confusion. The last thing that he could remember was speaking with Captain Phasma, after that his memory was blank. He ached all over, particularly just below his chest. He gazed down to see a fresh thick scar etched across his abdomen. Not another one, he thought. He made attempts to sit up, a great pain shooting up his spine.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you"
Kylo Ren almost jumped at this new voice, he shot upright, this time ignoring the pain completely. A female human stood in the doorway, Christine. His critical eyes scanned the length of her body. She was extremely pale, with large hazel eyes. Her dark brown hair fell in a loose braid, and her clothes, hands and face were covered in blood. She stood, leaning against the wall, arms folded over her chest. He noted that she watched him with an equal amount of scrutiny. "Who the hell are you?" he rasped, his throat aching, from what he now assumed to be smoke inhalation by the shakiness of his voice. He clamped a large hand around his throat, willing the force to soothe it. The girl continued to watch him with a strange fascination. "I'm surprised you can talk", she said coolly, "after what you've been through". The girl's remark brought fourth many questions for Kylo Ren, especially once he became more aware of his surroundings. He had been defrocked in a sense. Majority of his clothing was gone, save for his black trousers. He lay on a bed that was not his own, in an odd room with the walls painted a deep purple. "Who are you?" he questioned abruptly, "were am I, what happened?"
The girl chuckled, "Slow down before you hurt yourself more. My name is Christine La Vedette, I rescued you from your crash. You, Monsieur, are on planet Earth". Christine answered his question as she walked forward slowly, she was acting rather cautiously for fear of frightening him like a hunter would a forest animal. In her eyes, Kylo Ren was another innocent in need of her help. Kylo repeated the information in his head. Earth sounded extremely familiar. In a moment of clarity, Kylo Ren somehow managed to regain his briefly-lost memory. Earth was the planet that Supreme Leader Snoke had sent him to. It all appeared clear to him, he had entered Earth's atmosphere too fast, and wound up crashing in a remote forest. This was all he knew before he had lost consciousness. "May I ask you your name? I am at a disadvantage, now that you know mine". Kylo was still unsure upon whether he could trust the girl painted in blood, but she was correct, she had given her name freely enough, it was only dutiful that he do the same. "I am Kylo Ren". Christine smiled lightly, "Well now that the pleasantries are out of the way, tell me this; what are you doing here?"
"Excuse me?" he growled.
"I am not dull, you are not from this world, you crashed in a UFO for god sakes", she snapped in return. Christine, like most witches, was very well trained in controlling her anger, but for some strange reason, she found it very difficult to hide her annoyance at his rudeness. For a moment, Kylo Ren debated with himself. He doubted that a local of this planet would be too helpful if he was going to steal from them. He grunted, why was he wasting time on the girl? A simple mind trick would be sufficient. Ignoring the pain, he got up from the bed, he easily towered over her, but Christine did not back down. Mind tricks, as they were known, were not limited to Jedi Knights, and Kylo Ren had been skilled in their use. "You will take me to my ship, and will not question me".
Christine remained silent for a moment, before erupting in laughter. "What are you trying to do, hypnotize me?" she cackled. Kylo felt his anger rise quickly and his face grow hot as the girl laughed blatantly in his face; mocking him. Thankfully, Christine sensed the major change in his emotions towards her, and calmed herself. "You are not my prisoner Monsieur Ren, you are free to leave whenever you wish. However, I would suggest leaving your search until the sun rises, you need to regain your strength". Kylo Ren at once decided that he had a strong distaste for the annoying native girl, but reluctantly knew that she was right. The serious injuries he had received had been healed by her hand, and he was unaware of how effective it would prove, or how long it would last. For that moment in time, he needed her. Christine's forced smile did not waver. She found Kylo Ren rude, obnoxious and cynical, to her chagrin. This was her first experience with an alien life form, a small part of her had hoped that it would be similar to E.T. The two found themselves in a deafening silence, Christine drumming her fingers against her folded arms. "Well, what are you going to do?" she questioned. Like most times in his life, Kylo Ren was unsure how to proceed. He wanted his mission completed more than anything, however he was no use to anyone in a weak state. "Fine", he snapped, "I suppose it would be wise to stay".
"And what in the name of the Gods makes you think that you are welcome".
Christine's blood froze in her veins, her entire body rigid within a second. She turned slowly, her father was behind her, a vein throbbing in his forehead, fists clenched and looked ready to massacre. Monsieur La Vedette had not walked in on his daughter in the most flattering situation. She looked like hell, his daughter was caked in blood, standing in her bedroom with a shirtless young man inches away from her. For a traditional man like the Vicomte, the entire situation was obscene and extremely inappropriate. Taking Kylo Ren to be nothing but a mere mortal, he reacted, as any father-witch would; badly. Kylo Ren what been taken off guard as he was flung into the wall. He almost yelped as he hit the concrete hard, he then feared, these people could use the force! Kylo Ren attempted to move, but a jolt of pain shot through his abdomen. In that moment he was helpless. Christine's father lunged forward, ready to finish the boy off, his path blocked however, by his daughter.
"Dad no!" she screamed, using her body as a shield for Kylo. She was trembling, for she hard never seen her father look so angry, she also felt deeply confused, what in the name of the Gods what possess her father that would make him attack an innocent? "Christine you will move aside or so help me you will regret it", he seethed. "What the hell has gotten into you? He is an innocent dad, I won't let you touch him", Christine barked in return. She felt torn in two, was it not her father that taught her to protect her charges no matter the cost? She knew that it was the will of fate that she had crossed paths with the insufferable Kylo Ren, just as all her charges had somehow manage to find her. It was her purpose in life as a witch to help and guide those in need, and of all people, it was her father trying to inflict harm. "He is not of this world father. He needs our help, will you deny him that? Why is it that you attack him?" she screamed. Vicomte La Vedette had never once questioned the judgement of his daughter, a powerful sorceress in her own right. She had always been a model child, but only now had he realised how closely he had sheltered her.
"Fine, toss him out. If he is not of our world then he is not of our concern, we deal with only our home", he commanded.
"No, you only deal with 'our home'. An innocent is an innocent, no matter where they hail from. Help me if you wish, but know this, dad, touch a hair on his head, and you will regret it; dearly", Christine seethed. The Vicomte did not heed the threat from his daughter, taking it as empty words, nothing more. She would never defy him, not her father. He stepped forward, hand ablaze with a green flame so as to finish the man protected by his misguided daughter. He advanced no further as Christine shrieked and eyes glowed a golden colour. A wave of red energy emanating fast from her body, striking her father down to his knees. He gasped, both defeated and humiliated. Christine's breath was ragged as she stumbled back, bringing her hands to her mouth upon realizing what she had done. "Dad, I'm so sorry I didn't mean –
The Vicomte raised himself to his feet, unable to bring himself to look at Christine. "You knew precisely what you meant to do Christine. I am not your master, do what you wish". His words were solemn and lacked any emotion, although inside, Garadox La Vedette felt defeated, he hand been reminded of how powerful his daughter had become with a simple outburst. Despite being Regent of their coven, he knew that his daughter had surpassed him, no longer needing his protection.
As her father left the room, Christine felt her heart swell with emotion. Her father and herself rarely bickered, let alone fought. And they had never, ever even dreamed of using their powers against one another. All the events of the evening quickly took their toll on her, and hit her fast. Christine tried to push most of her turmoil to the side, she had more pressing matters at hand. She turned to help Kylo Ren from the floor, who himself was at a loss for words. What he had witnessed was most definitely not the use of the force, and was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Once more, he had a newfound trust in the native girl. Despite only knowing him briefly, Christine had defended and protected him unconditionally, even at the expense of defying her father. Most of all, the native had proved herself to be a fearsome foe, capable of feats unknown to Kylo Ren, and he had hence decided to remain on her good side. "Thank you" he muttered, "that was very brave of you".
"Don't thank me yet", she sighed, "My father is a lot more stubborn than you think, I doubt that this will be the end of this". Christine bit her lip, her head ached tremendously, and inside she dealt with a whirlwind of emotion. Kylo Ren sensed her sadness and confusion through the force, which admittedly was not strong on the planet. "If it is any condolence, I believe that I have misjudged you, Christine, you appear to be a strong warrior". "Thanks, I guess", she mumbled. "I suppose you must rest now, especially after that. You may have my bed, for now I'm going to have a shower", she yawned, "no offense or anything, but being covered in your blood isn't exactly a dream".
Kylo Ren was startled, he had no idea that his injuries had been that severe. The girl had managed to heal them without the use of a medical chamber … what exactly was she?
Kylo Ren climbed back into Christine's bed, feeling too tired to argue. Laying back, he slid his hand into his trouser pocket, his fingers brushing against the small object that was hidden within. The words of Captain Phasma echoing within his mind; Remember, once the energy source is located, activate the device. Others will join you to extract it and return you to the base. Do not fail.
There was little more that he thought of before he drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, and everything went dark.