"So, this farm, did you find it?" Anakin asked, watching Giac pour a glass of alcohol.
Giac had finished the bottle by this point and after grumbling incoherently, he'd walked over and pulled another out of a cabinet on one side of the room, grabbing a crystal glass from another cabinet after. How Giac had known it was there, Anakin didn't know, but he had to hand it to Giac for not getting very drunk yet. The Selencian King's tolerance to the amount of alcohol was starting to worry Anakin. Did he really drink so often his body was used to it by now? Anakin doubted it was all down to his Selencian DNA.
Then again, Anakin couldn't exactly blame him. If he had gone through what Giac and Obi-Wan had, Anakin doubted he would be sane let alone so kind and compassionate like both of them were. Drinking was probably Giac's way of dealing with it so he was actually able to tell the story.
"Yes, we did, well Obi did. Thank the force." Giac answered, falling back into his seat, somehow miraculously not spilling any of the alcohol in his glass. A bottle was in his other hand, which he promptly put on the floor while he took a sip out of the glass itself. Anakin just observed him, Ahsoka, Cody and Rex doing the same.
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, frowning. Giac just sighed, setting the glass of alcohol on the table beside him. His hand came to his forehead to massage it, a pose Anakin had seen Obi-Wan do a lot when he was feeling exasperated, probably because of Anakin and Ahsoka themselves.
"Lets just say we were having a bad few days." Giac answered, wincing at the particular memory.
-Flowtheim Forest, Selencia-
The rain continued to hammer down on the Selencian earth, water rushing across it as it ran into the rivers and streams. Clouds thundered overhead, blocking out nearly all the light, especially now that the evening was quickly descending over the vast forest.
Two brothers walked together through it, both thoroughly soaked to the bone and moods just as miserable as the weather. They had been walking for hours and quite frankly, they were getting sick and tired of it, Obi-Wan especially.
He didn't complain though. Obi-Wan had never been one to whine and complain, instead getting on with whatever he needed to do. Plus, he doubted whining would solve the problem and it certainly wouldn't lighten Giac's sour mood which had heavily intensified as the wound on his side only continued to aggravate him more. The aching hunger the two of them had become victims to didn't exactly improve their situation either.
Of course, the situation had to get worse.
Giac suddenly slipped on the mud under his feet, loosing his balance completely and falling to the floor, gravity pulling him down the small hill they had been trekking upon. His body rolled repeatedly, hitting stones and branches resulting in even more bruises and scratches. When his body finally rolled to a stop, his face flat on the muddy, water clogged ground, he let out a loud groan, face contorted in blaring agony. His hand instantly came to hold his side as now even more blood spilled from the wound, the make-shift bandage made out of a torn part of his shirt offering little protection. It had stopped bleeding a little thanks to his Selencian DNA but now it seemed the gushing bleeding was back in full force and the risk of infection that came with it.
"Giac!" Obi-wan rushed down the slope, his feet skidding a little as he tried to keep his balance. He managed to miraculously stay on his feet, racing over to his brother who rolled onto his back. Obi-wan instantly helped him sit up, using a tree trunk near them as a back rest and the much needed support Giac needed. Obi-wan examined the wound; Giac looking down at it with him, taking in how fresh blood was seeping into the fabric at an alarming rate.
"The fall must have widened the wound. For Force's sake!" Giac banged his head on the tree trunk behind him in frustration, eyes closing as the rain continued to slam into his face. Obi-wan only squatted down beside him, a worried frown upon his face as he observed his brother.
"Can you walk?" Obi-wan asked hesitantly. Giac only sighed in response, trying to stand. His effort was for nothing though, as seconds later after moving to stand, he cried out, sliding to the ground again. He clenched his jaw as he bit down the pain. The familiar taste of iron was in his mouth, whether that was because he bit his tongue during the fall or whether he was bleeding internally he didn't know. He hoped it wasn't the latter.
"No." Giac ground it out, eyes closing again. A wave of anger settled over him, helplessness taking hold. He should be stronger than this – he should be better, especially when Obi-wan was watching. However, he somehow managed to push it to the side, his powerful will and need to protect his little brother overcoming it, even if it was a challenge. "Obi, you're going to have to go on ahead and get help." Giac decided, looking at Obi-wan. His little brother's eyes widened, instantly shaking his head franticly.
"No! Giac, I am not-"
"Obi-Wan." Giac interrupted him, his harsh tone stopping Obi-Wan mid-sentence. Never did Giac call him Obi-Wan. It was always 'Obi' or 'little brother' and on rare occasions, if Giac was trying to be deliberately annoying, 'Ben'. Only his Mother could call him Ben, Obi-Wan had made that abundantly clear, though Giac had ignored him and turned the nickname into a way of annoying him, much to his displeasure. That didn't matter though because Giac had called him Obi-Wan, which meant it was definitely serious. The realization made Obi-Wan's stomach twist with anxiety and fear.
"Giac –"Obi-Wan pleaded, his eyes begging Giac to listen, to not ask him to do this. He didn't want to leave Giac, not now. Was his brother crazy? Giac needed him right now; he couldn't leave him. They had left their Mother and then - and then… No. He wouldn't think about it. It wasn't going to happen to Giac and Obi-Wan was definitely not leaving him. Never.
"No, Obi listen. You need to find help. I can't stand, let alone walk. Find that farm, f-find help." Giac ordered, stammering as the pain, combined with the wet and the cold that accompanied it, overpowered him. He watched as his little brother stared at him, eyes wide and full as fear, as he told him what to do. Giac didn't like his own idea either but they didn't have a choice. Obi-Wan had to go ahead and find help. "Go, Obi." Giac pushed Obi-Wan away a little, trying his hardest to ignore the look of complete hurt that flooded his brother's face.
"But Giac-"
"Look, it's not like I'm going anywhere right?" Giac joked, though it did nothing to comfort his younger brother. In fact, it looked like it had only succeeded in making Obi-Wan pale further, the idea of Giac going anywhere not exactly improving Obi-Wan's emotional state. Giac in response sobered again, his expression turning serious when he realized light-hearted humor had failed. "I won't go anywhere, Obi. You run, get help and run straight back. I'll be waiting." Giac reassured, observing Obi-Wan for a reaction. His younger brother's brow furrowed, heavy over his eyes as he thought about it, the fear and panic in his eyes deflating, if only a little. Giac felt a bang of nostalgia as the familiarity of the thoughtful expression hit him in full force, an expression that Giac had seen on his father's face countless times when he had watched him debate laws and new regulations with the Selencian Council. Giac instead just pushed it aside, trying not to think about it. It didn't help that Obi-Wan was a startling image of their Mother.
"Promise?" Obi-Wan asked, his tone giving Giac hope that maybe, just maybe, this one time Obi-Wan would finally listen to him.
"I promise." Giac firmly replied, meaning every word. "Go, hurry!" Giac added after a few seconds, pushing Obi-Wan further away. His brother started to run just as Giac had ordered him to, though after a slight hesitation, glancing back at Giac immobilized form a few times. "And for force's sake, Obi-Wan, don't do anything stupid!" Giac called after him. However, even as the distance between them increased, Giac still heard his brother's angry, and definitely laced with sarcasm, reply.
"Yes, because taking three Zygerrians on by yourself isn't stupid all!" Giac knew his brother's comment was probably meant to anger him but Giac couldn't help it. Even with a gaping hole in his side and the treacherous rain hammering down on him, cold and exhausted, he still smiled. Yes, the now so blatantly obvious resemblance to his parents hurt but then again, who would have it any other way? After all, in a way, their parents would always be with them and the two of them would always stay together. Giac silently vowed that, even if at this point in time they were separated, that would be the case. He would survive for Obi-Wan. And the force's will could go rot in the worst Sith Hells for all he cared.
Ob-Wan ran as fast as his feet could carry him, following the trail him and Giac had been walking along for hours already. He rushed past trees and vegetation in a blur, weaved himself under hanging branches and leaped over boulders and fallen tree trunks. Obi-Wan found himself slipping and skidding across the ground numerous times, the rain turning the soil muddy and the moss damp and slippery.
He had to find that farm; had to find help. Without it, Obi-Wan was afraid of what would happen. He remembered his father telling him multiple times that fear could lead to the dark side and right now, that thought just made him even more scared. However, his mother's words somewhat comforted him as she had also said that fear wasn't always a bad thing – being afraid meant you would do something about. It was all about balance.
Obi-Wan just hoped he could find help in time.
Him and Giac had deliberately not fled to the nearby villages because they knew their Uncle would search for them there first, but that didn't mean their Uncle's men wouldn't find them. The Zygerrians they had encountered was proof of that. This was why Ob-Wan didn't stop for anything, even when his lungs began to protest from the ever increasing fatigue. It was also the reason why he didn't stop in time when he reached the edge of a cliff.
Obi-Wan, in his panic, skidded on the earth beneath him as he lost his balance in an effort to stop. It resulted in him falling onto his back, the slippery earth still making him slide towards the edge. He rolled onto his stomach, hands franticly reaching for something to grab but the momentum still sent him off the edge, and if he hadn't grabbed the white rock of the cliff face, he would have fallen to a very painful death. Not that he was safe yet, hanging precariously on the edge of a cliff with rain ramming into him with the force of a tsunami, the white rock hard to get a good grip on because of the water running across it.
Obi-Wan, against his better judgment, looked down to only see a wide valley hundreds of feet below. A few tiny pieces of rock and stone fell of the cliff face as he tried to get a secure grip, falling down to only hit the ground far below. It was at this point that Obi-Wan decided he never had had liked heights.
His arms already aching, Obi-Wan tried desperately to find a way to get out of the mess he was in, concluding that climbing back up was out of the question when he nearly fell after trying to do so. However, it was then that he noticed lights flickering in the distance out of the corner of his eyes.
It was the farm.
It was quite a quaint country cottage, made out of stone from what Obi-Wan could see, a thatched roof sheltering those inside from the torrential rain. Warm yellow light flickered out the windows, the only light except for the soft glow that came from the plants and trees now that night was descending. Other buildings, some bigger and some smaller, were scattered around it, probably containing cattle and farm produce. A few fields occupied the space that was left within the valley, wooden fences dividing them into equal areas of space. A river ran through the middle of all of it, passing quite close to the cottage and the other buildings.
A part of Obi-Wan leapt with joy upon seeing it, especially since he couldn't see any speeders that indicated that the Zygerrians or his Uncle's men had got there before he had. The joy soon passed though when he lost his grip on the cliff face again, falling down a few meters before finally grabbing another handhold again. He had to move. He had to get down to the valley.
He could jump but even with being force sensitive, Obi-Wan didn't know if he could survive the fall by using the force. He was only nine after all which meant he hadn't actually fallen of a cliff yet and so he had no idea how to go about it. Of course, there was always a first time for everything.
Obi-Wan looked down again, taking in the long drop to the ground. He gulped at the sight, unconsciously gripping the rock tighter. He quickly looked away, dizziness and the feeling he was about to be sick filling he head. All right, maybe jumping who knows how many feet wasn't his best idea…
After forcing himself to look down again, Obi-Wan scoured the cliff face for a ledge that he could jump down to instead and maybe climb down the rest of the way. It seemed the force was on his side for once because he actually located one, down several feet to his right. Even better, a tall blue pine tree wasn't far away from the ledge, its towering form meaning he could easily use the force to jump across to it before using it to climb to the ground.
Obi-Wan shifted his weight, moving into a position that made it easy for him to jump down to the ledge. His face was set in concentration, gathering what little he knew about the force to help him. Then he jumped.
His body slammed into the ledge, his hands scrambling for something to hold onto. He nearly fell but he managed to catch himself at the last moment, breathing a sigh of relief when he had a firm grip on the ledge. After a few minutes just hanging there, catching his breath and listening to his erratic heartbeat, Obi-Wan finally heaved himself onto the ledge fully, leaning back against the rock of the cliff face to rest for a few seconds. Then the relief of making the jump hit him and he couldn't help but burst out laughing. It started as a light chuckle and completely transformed into uncontrollable laughter. Anyone watching probably thought he was crazy.
He thought he should be panicking now but he had a terrible feeling he would have to get used to these kinds of situations. It only made him laugh harder at the absurdity of it all. Here he was, the second heir to the Selencian throne, sitting on a ledge that overhung over a what? 30 foot drop? Add that to the fact that his Uncle wanted him and his brother dead, along with his own people in slavery, made him really not able to believe it all. His nine-year-old mind shouldn't even be able to imagine those facts, let alone actually think about how to deal with them. It was probably why he was acting a so hysterically.
When he recovered from his sudden bout of hysteria, Obi-Wan mentally noted to be more optimistic and humorous on his next life or death experience. It had felt good to get it off his chest and to be perfectly honest; he'd rather die cracking a smile if it came to it.
Alarmed at what had just gone into his mind like it was normal, Obi-Wan shook his head as if to expel the thought of dying. He stood up on the ledge, backing up a little bit so he could have a small run up before he jumped yet again. When he did, he used the force again to throw him further, his hands reaching out for the mass of branches and pine needles that rushed towards him. Obi-Wan didn't slip this time, grabbing onto a large, thick branch first time round. He hesitated again before he let himself drop down to a branch below; wobbling a little as he tried to gain his balance, arms stretched out at his sides to help balance him. Obi-Wan repeated this multiple times before he was comfortable with jumping down the rest of the way, not wanting to test his luck when it came to the slippery moss that layered the branches. He didn't want to fall and break his leg when he'd got this far after all.
He leapt down from the tree, landing in a crouch like he'd seen his brother do, instantly standing and sprinting towards the cottage. Water splashed up as he ran through the puddles, the same happening when he ran across certain muddy spots, drenching him further but he took no notice. His clothes were already coated in mud and grime, the colors they once were barely recognizable, while his face and hair was in much the same state. Obi-Wan could still feel the blood on his hands from when he'd helped Giac up, which only made him run faster. Giac needed help – needed him.
When Obi-Wan finally made it to the door, he completely ignored the doorbell, a small button that accompanied the rest of the door lock pad, the lights glowing in the darkness. Instead, he slammed his fists onto the door, screaming for them to open up. He heard footsteps coming to the door but he still didn't stop. A terrible feeling had flooded his body, the bond he had with his brother telling him to hurry. His mind screamed at him just as loud as he was screaming at the people inside to open up: Giac's in danger, Giac's in danger, hurry up!
The door finally slid open with a hiss, Obi-Wan staggering backwards as he took in the tall man that stood before him. Middle aged with a face full of laugh and frown lines, he eyes shone with heavy experience. He was bald and clean-shaven, though broad shouldered with every inch of meat on him full of muscle. His clothes were what Obi-Wan probably would have expected if he had been in a better mind set; worn and well used, they hugged his body tightly, the rough overalls typical for a Selencian farmer.
"What in the blazes is-"The man stopped his yell of anger short upon seeing Obi-Wan, only nine, staring up at him soaked to the bone, his dirty auburn hair plastered to his forehead. To the man, he would have looked a sight, especially with Giac's blood on his hands and some parts of his clothes, mixing with his own from when he had earned his fair share of scrapes when climbing down the cliff face and then the massive tree.
Obi-Wan looked up at the man, tears forming in his eyes again as exhaustion overwhelmed him, mixing with fear and panic. He was shivering from the cold and adrenaline, the rain still mercilessly crashing into him.
"Help me. Please."
Giac tried to concentrate on controlling his breathing in an effort to distract himself from the pain in his side. It had stopped bleeding again, thank the force, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt horribly. The tree he was leaning against was sheltering him from the rain too, which was a small comfort. It was a good thing Selencians had a higher body temperature than humans because that was another problem that was creeping up at him – the freezing cold. He could only hope that he didn't get a fever after this.
The Selencian prince closed his eyes, fatigue pulling at his eyelids as leaned his head back. A part of him knew the fatigue was because of the blood loss but he was too tired to care right now. Just five minutes rest, that's all he needed…
The sound of voices made Giac's eyes snap open, his body going rigid. Instantly on alert, he strained his ears to try and catch the voices and where they were coming from. When he recognized the tones and how horribly familiar they were, he mentally cursed. Today was not his day.
Marko and his leader, along with four other Zygerrians, were trekking through the forest, murderous expressions on their faces. The fact that Zykhan wasn't with them was probably the reason for that, along with the bruises Giac had given them earlier.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Giac hissed to himself, slamming his head back on the tree trunk in frustration. He applied more pressure to his wound before trying to stand up again, knowing he had to move before they saw him. He moved too late.
"Down there, sir! Down that hill! There's the brat!" One Zygerrian called out, alerting the others to his position. Giac cursed again, attempting to run for it but his body was against him. He barely made it past the tree he had been leaning against before he tripped over his own feet, falling to the ground. Again.
Giac groaned, trying to get up but in the end he gave up. Their footsteps were already too close and he could barely stand in the state he was in. 'Hurry up Obi!' He mentally sent through the bond.
"Well, well… What do we have here boys?" Giac groaned as he felt the speaker loom over him. It just had to be him, didn't it?
After turning to look up, Giac was met with the Zygerrian leader's sneer, eyes wild with fury. He noticed he was no longer wearing his helmet and blood was still matted in thick clumps of his fur, particularly the fur surrounding the back of his head. Giac winced a little, realizing Obi-Wan had probably been the cause of that when he'd slammed the Zygerrian into the tree with the force.
"A big cat scared of water?" Giac couldn't help supplying to the Zygerrian, his common sense totally leaving him. He blamed it on the blood loss.
Snarling, the Zygerrian grabbed Giac by the collar and dragged him to his knees, causing Giac to cry out from the sudden movement that aggravated his wound. The Zygerrian yanked at Giac's hair, causing his head to yank to the side with it while the Zygerrian's claws dug into his face from where the Zygerrian's hand gripped his jaw.
"For a pathetic prince, you don't have much respect do you?" He growled as he spoke to Giac, the prince in question defiantly staring back at him. When Giac didn't answer, it only made the Zygerrian leader's rage spike, this time grabbing Giac by the throat and throwing him through the air. Giac landed with a thud, not being able to stop the scream that escaped his lips when he landed. Again, was it just him, or did the force actually hate him?
When the Zygerrian leader grabbed him again, lifting him to his feet, Giac struggled this time, even though his Selencian enhanced strength didn't make any difference. In the end, he spat in the Zygerrian's face, blood mixed in with the saliva. The Zygerrian immediately dropped him, reeling back as he tried to wipe the blood and spit out of his eyes. When he recovered, he glared at Giac with raw rage.
"Hold him." The other Zygerrians obeyed their leader's command, two coming forward (one being Marko who looked like he wanted to murder Giac) to hold Giac by each of his arms. The Zygerrian leader stormed forward, stopping in front of Giac to glare down at him. "Where's your brother boy?"
"Gavae manchma infernos!" Giac spat in his native tongue, not even caring that they couldn't understand him. The Zygerrian snarled again, grabbing Giac's jaw in a vice-like hold.
"Answer me in basic, you sniveling wretch!" The Zygerrian roared at him, though Giac only glared, defiant even in the eyes of defeat. Kenobis never did quit. Or give up apparently.
Furious that Giac wouldn't answer him, the Zygerrian punched him in the face, before grabbing his throat, yanking the boy out of the other Zygerrian's grips. He lifted Giac up in the air, making the thirteen-year-old's feet kick uselessly as the ground left him. It was then that Giac realized he'd probably pushed a little too far. Angering the leader so much that he resulted in choking him wasn't his brightest idea.
"Put the boy down." All the Zygerrians turned at the sound of the new voice. Giac glanced to the side, struggling to breathe now, though he still managed to make out a large man standing calmly in the shadows, Obi-Wan standing behind him. The Zygerrian seemed to notice Obi-Wan too and his face instantly morphed into a chilling grin.
"Or what, Selencian?" The leader sneered back, still not dropping Giac as his gaze turned to the Selencian. The man didn't answer immediately, though Giac was sure he felt the force flare in anger.
"Or I'll kill every single one of you." Came the calm reply. There was no anger in it, but there wasn't any doubt either. It wasn't a lie.
All the Zygerrians didn't seem to realize that though, instead howling with laughter. The leader actually dropped Giac, shoving him the floor. Gasping for breath, Giac quickly moved out of the way when the Zygerrians formed a line in front of him, drawing whips and viroblades. Marko stayed by Giac's side though, forcing him up onto his feet and out of the way.
The man didn't seem intimidated though, instead standing more obviously in front of Obi-Wan protectively. It was only then that Giac realized that the Selencian had his hand on a lightsaber that was attached to his belt. Of course, Giac doubted the Zygerrians noticed that either.
"Give me the boy, Selencian. Maybe then we won't kill you." The leader threatened, waving his viroblade at Obi-Wan. Giac was sure Obi-Wan glared at the Selencian at that but he couldn't be sure because the man pushed Obi-Wan behind him more.
"Last chance Zygerrian. Let the boy go." The man warned again, eyes narrowing. Giac turned his gaze to the leader, noting how the Zygerrian's sharp teeth were visible as he growled.
"No." Giac felt the change in the force as soon as the words left the Zygerrian's mouth. The force went deathly still, a dangerous anger swirling in its depths. When Giac looked at how the man's eyes had narrowed into slits, lips set in a straight line; it dawned on him that the emotions were coming from the Selencian.
"So be it." The Selencian stated, a frosty tone lacing his voice while his eyes were as hard as durasteel. His lightsaber leapt into his hand, the metal cylinder instantly activating. Two white blades of light shone from either end, glowing eerily in the darkness.
Not just a Selencian farmer then. He was a former Grey Jedi.
Upon seeing the lightsaber, the Zygerrians instantly stopped smirking, probably coming to the realization that maybe they should have agreed to the Selencian's demands. Anxiety and cold fear rolled off them in waves, the heavy rainfall being the only sound in the stunned silence. Then the leader, being the idiot he was, attacked.
Giac watched as the Grey Jedi spun his lightstaff, easily blocking the Zygerrian's blow, before moving so fast, all Giac saw was a blur. The next thing he knew was the Zygerrian leader had been impaled by the end of the former Grey Jedi's blade.
The Grey Jedi defeated the others in similar ways, screams filling the air as his lightstaff cut through flesh and bone. It was then that Giac remembered why they were called Grey Jedi. They were not like Jedi, merciful and never seeking revenge. The Grey Jedi dealed with the light and dark side of the force, balanced and exactly what the force had created them to be. They sought revenge, though they made sure they always pulled the light around them like a shield when doing so. The dark side was a comrade but it was by no means an ally.
At some point during the fight, Marko, who was still gripping Giac, gave into his fear and ran. It was a futile effort though because the Grey Jedi saw him run, instantly using the force to snap the Zygerrians neck before continuing to finish off another Zygerrian, spinning his lightstaff before plunging it into the stomach of the Zygerrian behind him. When the limp body fell to the ground, adding to all the other bodies that had lightsaber holes through them, the Grey Jedi stood up straight and after assessing the threat was gone, he deactivated his lightstaff and clipped it back to his belt. Then he turned to Giac.
"Are you alright?" Giac just stared at the Grey Jedi in response, too stunned to speak.
"Umm…Yeah I'm fine." Giac replied slowly, ignoring how hoarse his throat was. Obi-Wan looked at him worriedly, knowing his brother was lying. The Grey Jedi didn't look awfully convinced either.
"You're bleeding." The Grey Jedi stated, frowning at Giac's gaping wound. Giac followed his gaze, taking in how yes, it was bleeding yet again. His chest hurt too, along with his arm, which he only just realized had a large gash across it. And that was before he even started on all the burns and bruises he had got earlier when the Zygerrian leader had attacked him with that bloody whip.
"Oh. That explains it then." Giac muttered, though the Grey Jedi caught the words.
"Explains what?"
"The stabbing pain in my side." Giac answered, aware of how his vision was beginning to swim. His legs gave out under him, his body no longer able to keep him up right. The Grey Jedi was fast though, catching him before he hit his head as he fell. Giac was faintly aware Obi-Wan had cried his name out, terrified. When Obi-Wan appeared next to him, Giac managed to give him a weak smile. "Good going finding a former Grey Jedi, Obi." Giac praised, though Obi-Wan was too frantic to take the words in, especially when speaking made Giac cough.
"Don't speak, son. You need to rest." The Grey Jedi ordered, just as Giac felt him heal his wound a little bit using the force. When Giac opened his mouth to protest, the Grey Jedi lifted a hand to Giac's forehead, frowning in concern and concentration. "I said rest, son. Sleep."
Giac knew it was a force suggestion and a part of him was angry that the Grey Jedi would dare use it on him, but he was tired. Really tired. He felt his eyelids close, his mind too weak and exhausted to fight off the simple force suggestion. Then the darkness swallowed him, sending him into a blissful healing trance.
For those of you who were wondering: Gavae manchma infernos = Go to Hell
Also, sorry for the fairly dark and violent chapter. I did rate this story T just to be on the safe side. I promise it'll get lighter from here on out!