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Anyway...This chapter is just a continuation of the previous flashback instead of going back to Anakin and his reaction, just so you know. A way of keeping the story moving I suppose! Hope you lot like it!
Obi-Wan shivered in his sleep, unconsciously hugging his body tighter as the cold gnawed at his bones. The cold, damp earth underneath him did nothing to remedy the cold penetrating his body, the same being said for the harsh morning breeze that swept into the little underground hideaway. His face was set in a frown, brow furrowed and eyes moving underneath his eyelids as he slept, the previous night's events still fresh in his mind, causing nightmares to plague every second he spent with his eyes closed.
Suddenly, a hand clamped on his mouth, causing Obi-Wan's eyes to snap open in alarm, waking him abruptly from his restless slumber. He struggled under the firm grasp that pinned him down, his groggy mind and the confusion that came with just waking up meaning he didn't recognize the figure looming over him. However, Obi-Wan soon came to his senses, recognizing the chestnut brown eyes that locked with his crystal blue ones, and he immediately relaxed because of it.
Giac released his brother, taking his hand away from his brother's mouth once he knew he wouldn't cry out. He raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for Obi-Wan to be quiet. Obi-Wan obliged, remembering their situation. After running and trekking through the forest for what seemed hours, him and Giac had finally found shelter in the form of a giant tree's roots, the roots themselves gnarled and long with a fairly large dug out space underneath them. Animals had obviously used the space as shelter before and the ground certainly wasn't comfy to lie on, but both him and Giac had been too exhausted to care. In fact, Obi-Wan believed they both might have just been running on autopilot, as he couldn't really remember speaking much to Giac at all. Although, he did remember Giac sending a subtle force suggestion over to him to get him to go to sleep, much to his own displeasure. Not only that, but Giac had insisted on keeping watch (much to Obi-Wan's protests), stating that their weren't out of the woods yet, figuratively and literally.
Obi-Wan mouthed a silent 'Why?' to his brother as he frowned in confusion, not understanding why Giac wanted him to be quiet. His older brother only gestured wildly in return, the meaning of the movements lost to even Obi-Wan.
"I don't know what that means Giac!" He hissed at Giac, annoyance lacing his voice. Giac only clamped his hand over his younger brother's mouth again, silencing him instantly as he sent Obi-Wan a glare. Giac eventually lifted his hand away, but more slowly this time, making the need for silence perfectly clear. This, like many things Giac did, only confused Obi-Wan more.
'What is it?' Obi-Wan mouthed at his brother this time, deciding to obey him for once. Giac only moved towards a gap in the winding tree roots above, a small hole that he had been using as a lookout, before signaling for Obi-Wan to come and have a look. Crawling over, Obi-Wan perched himself in front of Giac, holding onto the tree roots so he could hold himself high enough to see through the gap.
Outside of the their little underground shelter it was raining, water hammering down onto the forest mercilessly, drenching the vegetation and trees thoroughly. The smell of wet, blue and green grass wafted into Obi-Wan's nostrils, a scent that brought a wave of nostalgia. Memories of playing in the rain in the palace gardens, his father just as soaked as he was, chasing him around the sculptured hedges-
Obi-Wan forced himself to stop thinking about it, a ball rising in his throat. He surveyed the scene again, noticing all the vegetation around him in a variety of colors, water dripping off the ferns and shrubs surrounding him. Nothing out of the ordinary. He was about to ask his brother what in Selencia's name was going on, when his ears answered the question for him. The pitter-patter of the heavy rainfall wasn't the only sound that could be heard - there were voices too.
Obi-Wan watched as three Zygerrians emerged from behind some vegetation, the one in front (most likely the leader Obi-Wan noted) swatting the ferns and plants away with multiple swings of a vibroblade that he carried in his right hand. The two at the back weren't carrying vibroblades, though they did have blasters and whips clipped to their belts. They were all wearing the typical Zygerrian armor, the gladiator like design looking out of place in the wet but mild forest, along with those ridiculously large helmets that protected their equally large ears. As they walked, it became clear the voices was coming from the two Zygerrians at the back, chatting away as they continued on, and it was also quite clear they weren't particularly enjoying the little trek.
"I hate rain." One muttered, his fur soaked with water dripping down his face, his helmet proving inadequate at sheltering him from the constant driving rain. Cats had never liked water and neither, it seemed, did the Zygerrians.
"Shut up Marko." The other snapped back, equally dripping wet.
"Why? You hate the rain as much as I do, Zykhan!"
"Maybe, but unlike you, I'm not annoying." Marko growled at his larger comrade, reaching for his blaster. However, their leader spoke before he could carry out his threat.
"Shut your traps, you idiots! Those insolent brats could be close." Their leader growled at them, cutting some more plants out of his path. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan realized what all the fuss was about. These Zygerrians were obviously looking for them, their uncle probably behind it. With their father dead, the crown was instantly passed down to Giac and upon his death, it would go to Obi-Wan. To be King, their Uncle needed them both dead if he wanted the throne, especially if he wanted no opposition that could overthrow him in the future.
"Why are we even looking for them anyway? It's like you said - they're just a bunch of insolent brats." Marko's comment made the leader spin round, his face set in a snarl. He jabbed his finger into the smaller Zygerrian's chest while he growled out his answer.
"Those 'insolent brats' are what that nut job wants and what he wants, we want." Their leader explained, barely controlling his annoyance.
"But why?" Marko replied back, still confused. This only angered his leader further.
"Because, you idiot, that nut job, once he no longer needs us, will treat us with new slaves. Specifically, Selencian slaves. Imagine that! With Selencian slaves Zygerria could be brought back to its former glory! We'll be rich! Even the Hutts will want some of our stock!" As the leader explained, his eyes wild with glee and his twisted dream, Obi-Wan and Giac suddenly froze, their minds finally working out what their uncle had promised the Zygerrian King. In return for their services, their uncle had promised them slaves - Selencian slaves. Their people. Their friends. Their family.
Obi-Wan suddenly felt sick, taking in how the Zygerrian leader had called his people 'stock', like they were objects that could be bought and sold in some kind merchandise shop. Then the disgust evaporated, only to be replaced by a cold, overpowering fury. Hatred bubbled over, dark thoughts entering his young mind. Obi-Wan scrambled away from the lookout, heading for the exit of their little hideout with only one thought in mind - to kill them all.
Realizing what his brother was about to do, Giac scrambled after him, grabbing his waist before Obi-Wan could get out. His younger brother struggled in his grasp, kicking and hitting, Giac's hand clamped over his brother's mouth again. In retaliation, Obi-Wan bit his brother's fingers, causing him to curse and loosen his hold, giving Obi-Wan the chance to escape. Giac quickly recovered though, grabbing his younger brother's legs and dragging him back down into the hideaway. This time Giac pinned his brother down, fixing him with his own cold glare but Obi-Wan refused to meet it, still struggling.
'Obi, stop it!' Giac shouted telepathically through the force bond he shared with his brother. Obi-Wan only glared up at him, his small frame no match for his brother's much larger and stronger one.
'They're monsters Giac! They don't deserve to live! They burnt the temple, attacked our home and now they plan to enslave the people!' Obi-Wan yelled back over the bond, tears now staining his face as he broke down. The sight, mixed with the emotions he was receiving from Obi-Wan over the bond, made Giac's gaze soften, his eyes filling with a sadness of his own.
'That's true Obi, but you know what else is? Mother told us to make sure their actions don't blacken our hearts. We promised. Are you really going to break that promise?' At the accusation, Obi-Wan's eyes widened, realizing what he had done, or at least, what he had been about to do.
'Oh god, I wasn't thinking. Giac, I-' Giac shook his head, letting go of his brother in favor of instead bringing him in to a tight embrace.
'It's okay. Without you here, I probably would have done the same thing. In fact, unlike you, I might not have stopped.' Giac admitted through the bond. It reassured Obi-Wan, making him realize he wasn't the only one. He wasn't alone.
However, their scuffle hadn't gone unnoticed, much to Giac's fear. The Zygerrian's voices drifted into their ears, questioning and alert.
"What was that?"
"I don't know do I? Do I look like a droid that knows everything?"
"Shut up, the both of you! Go check it out. It might be them." The leader ordered, silencing the squabble. Soon footsteps could be heard coming closer over the sound of the rain, boots hitting the muddy ground. Obi-Wan and Giac kept silent, moving to the exit to peak out. They ducked back in when Marko walked past, the leader and his comrade, Zykhan, scouring the forest not far away. Giac met Obi-Wan's eyes, gesturing for him to stay there and keep quiet. Obi-Wan nodded, confirming he understood and seemingly satisfied, Giac turned, making his way out into the open. The Zygerrians would probably find them now and Giac figured it was best for it to happen on his terms.
Silently, Giac crept up behind Marko, unclipping his training saber from his belt. He had expected to get his real lightsaber when he turned fourteen, but since that was now never going to happen, his training saber would have to do. It wasn't as powerful as a real lightsaber and certainly wouldn't be strong enough to lob someone's head off, but it could definitely injure them.
The leader and Zykhan were still scouring the forest, unaware of the danger their comrade was in, or at least, they were until Giac stepped on a fallen branch. For not the first time, Giac really questioned whether the force had a personal vendetta against him, internally thinking of some very colorful language that, if his Mother had been here, would have severely punished him for. He didn't get to dwell on it though as Marko spun round at the sound, finding Giac (only 13-years-old) only a few steps away from him. The Selencia Prince didn't give the Zygerrian the time to react, instead punching him in the jaw before he could come to his senses. The thin male reeled back in surprise, his head snapping to the side only to be hit again by Giac's foot as he spun and delivered a perfect roundhouse kick. The Zygerrian was unconscious before he even hit the ground.
Hearing the commotion, the other two Zygerrians turned round, lips curling into a snarl as they saw their comrade on the ground, unconscious. Zykhan drew his blaster, aiming it at Giac without so much a second thought, obviously planning to fill the youth full of blaster bolts. Giac narrowly rolled out the way when Zykhan fired at him, activating his training saber to deflect the rest of the bombardment. The other Zygerrian didn't do anything except order Zykhan to kill him, which Giac mentally noted as rather rude. Giac decided to take out Zykhan first as, after seeing him up close, he looked not half as intimidating as the leader did and Zykhan was the one shooting at him, which said something. Sprinting forwards, Giac spun his training saber as he deflected the bolts, before kicking Zykhan in the chest as he jumped at him, using the momentum to somersault over the Zygerrian's head. As he fell back to the ground, Giac caught his training saber against the Zygerrian's back, causing Zykhan to cry out in agony as the blade burned his flesh, forcing him to the ground in a painful heap.
Giac didn't get the time to celebrate the small victory though, the Zygerrian leader pulling a whip from nowhere and activating it, whipping it straight at him. Giac dodged the first whip, but not the second, the glowing orange whip latching around his neck. Electric shocks were sent through his body, sending him to his knees as the pain filled his mind. Giac gritted his teeth, refusing to give the scumbag the pleasure of crying out. The Zygerrian grinned anyway, laughing at his misfortune.
"You can't beat a Zygerrian boy, especially me. I have killed Jedi before, did you know that?" The Zygerrian taunted, turning the whip's intensity up a notch. Giac did cry out this time, clamping his mouth shut afterwards as he glared up at his captor.
'I'm no Jedi." He ground out, before grabbing the whip with his hand, ignoring the horrible pain that pierced his body. Giac yanked the whip towards him, bringing the Zygerrian forwards with it, before elbowing the Zygerrian leader in the face. It made him drop the whip, the whip itself deactivating at the same time. Giac instantly moving backwards as he watched the Zygerrian stagger back, blood now dripping from his nose. "I'm Selencian." Giac added as he panted, his muscles still screaming in pain from the previous electrocution.
"You'll pay for that, boy." The Zygerrian spat as he looked at the blood on his fingertips that had come from his bleeding nose. His eyes filled with a promise for retribution, just as he raised his vibroblade. Giac doubted he had ever put it down.
The male swung his blade, Giac leaping back out of the way so that it wouldn't hit him. He had dropped his training saber at some point so he no longer had that to protect him, and Giac realized why his father had repeatedly told him that his lightsaber was his life. He realized now that it was actually code for 'don't loose your lightsaber or you'll die'. Not that it had done his father any good.
Giac didn't manage to completely dodge the next swing that the Zygerrian threw at him, the blade skimming his side. Taking advantage of Giac being distracted by the pain, the Zygerrian moved, giving him a punch to the jaw that sent him reeling, loosing his balance and falling to the wet, muddy and moss ridden ground. It was still raining all around them, the water having now thoroughly drenched Giac from head to toe as it slammed down on him. The Zygerrian rolled his wrist as he loomed over Giac, his vibroblade now lowered at his side. He smirked down a Giac, eyes cruel and void of compassion. He slowly lowered himself down to a squat next to Giac, wiping the blood off his blade by using Giac's tunic.
"Now boy, where's your little brother?" The Zygerrian asked, his voice low and threatening. Giac's face was set in a defiant glare, meeting the Zygerrian's cold gaze head on. He hadn't planned to answer at first, but then his eyes moved to something behind the Zygerrian leader, the object of his gaze making his face split open into a wild grin.
"Behind you." Giac answered, returning his gaze to Obi-Wan who stood behind the Zygerrian. Eyes widening, the Zygerrian himself stood up and spun round, just as Obi-Wan raised his hand, the force obeying his command. The Zygerrian was sent flying into a tree trunk, his head smashing into the bark. His body fell limply to the floor, the hit sending him into unconsciousness. Obi-Wan didn't say anything but then, Giac had always been the more talkative one out of the two of them. Now frowning, Giac looked up at his brother who was now looking at him with a concerned frown of his own. "I thought I told you to stay put?" Giac asked, making his younger brother frown harder as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"That's what you say? Not maybe 'thanks Obi' or 'good timing little brother'?" Obi-Wan asked offended.
"What's to thank? I had it all perfectly under control." Giac winced as he stood up, his hand coming to hold his side where blood oozed from the wound the Zygerrian had caused. His jaw was already beginning to bruise too, his skin also red and burnt where the whip had touched it, particually around his neck.
"Yeah, and I'm Revan." Obi-Wan sarcastically retorted as he watched his brother walk painfully over to where his training saber lay discarded on the ground, picking it after a pause. Sensing Giac was just going to ignore him, Obi-Wan only frowned harder, watching his brother wince in pain yet again when he straightened back up. "Do you want we to heal that?" He cautiously asked, gesturing to his brother's wound.
"No. You're not strong enough Obi." Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest against his brother's statement but Giac continued before he could do so. "And don't say you healed that cub. That only happened because father was there." Giac added quietly, remembering what happened to his father, the image of his body falling to the floor still fresh in his mind. Obi-Wan likewise quietened, but unlike Giac, he turned round, walking into the forest. Giac only frowned at his brother's behavior, eyes fixed on his retreating back. "Where are you going now?"
"Since I apparently 'can't' heal you, I suppose we better find someone who can right? There might be a farm or house around here somewhere." Obi-Wan called over his shoulder.
"And how exactly do you think we find said farm or house, hmm Obi?" Giac challenged, making Obi-Wan pause. He looked at the ground in defeat, scuffing his boot across the floor. However, that was when his demeanor changed, his face turning smug.
"Actually, judging by the river direction over there, the footprints I saw last night and the slight smell of manure in the air, I'd say there's one that way." Obi-Wan pointed in a west direction, all confident and smug. Giac only stared at him in disbelief, blinking rapidly.
"You worked that all out from a few deductions?" Giac quizzically asked, obviously not buying it.
"No, stupid, there's a fallen sign here on the ground." Obi-Wan picked up a plank of wood from the ground, wiping mud and moss away so Giac could see the Selencian runes painted onto it. "The rain must have washed the soil away and from guessing which way it had fallen, I think the farm might be that way." Obi-Wan pointed again to the direction he had pointed to earlier, before dropping the sign back to the ground. He rubbed his hands on his already messy jacket, more brown than blue now, just as he sent his brother an innocent expression. "Coming?" Giac only sighed, stepping forward to join his brother at his side.
"Show off." Giac muttered under his breath. Obi-Wan only grinned wider, the first true smile to grace his lips in what seemed like weeks but had only been hours.
"Prat." Obi-Wan retorted back, noticing the small smile that tried to cross his older brother's lips. They would be fine. After all, they had each other.
So, there you are. A bit of angst, a bit of BAMF and even a handful of fluff thrown in. And yes, Obi-Wan had a dark side moment but from what I've gathered from his days as a Jedi initiate and then a padawan, he wasn't always perfect. Plus, who wouldn't want to kill those Zygerrians right? As Anakin would put it, they're 'slaver scum' but don't worry, karma will come for them real soon...