Falling from Grace 16/16

by Christina, kenobijedione@yahoo.com

Rating: this chapter PG-13

Warnings, disclaimers, etc. in part 1

Chapter 16: There is no death...

Anakin intercepted Prince Daman in the hallway. Without a word, he gripped the Prince by the collar and pushed him up against the wall. Daman exhaled a sharp breath, clearly startled by the sudden force. He blinked rapidly, finally meeting the icy eyes of the young Jedi Knight. A rage filled him. He wasn't about to let some eighteen year old kid tell him what he could or could not do. And this undoubtedly had to do with the Princess. Nothing else seemed to provoke such animosity in the outwardly serene Jedi.

"Let go of me, kid," he warned, his voice surfacing tightly from his throat.

Anakin smiled grimly and shook his head. "Listen to me," he commanded calmly. His voice was low, almost growling, but he wouldn't allow the Prince to get a rise out of him. No, the Jedi decided. A friendly warning would suffice. Fighting would only serve to agitate the Princess.

"Let's come to an understanding, shall we?" Anakin asked, his teeth clenched tightly. "You leave the Princess the hell alone, understand?"

Daman laughed softly. "She's my fiancée," he reminded the Jedi of his lie. "I think that overrides your Princess rule-making status."

Anakin's eyes flashed. Frankly, he couldn't believe that Kalyia actually loved this guy. And part of him thought that maybe she really didn't. Maybe she'd convinced herself she loved him because that was what she was supposed to do. It was easiest that way. What didn't settle with the young Jedi was that Kalyia never did things just because she was supposed to or because it was easiest. That was what made her her. And if suddenly she was, she was compromising the most important thing, her heart. Anakin wanted to talk to the girl, but just hadn't had the heart with her health the way it had been. Apparently, the good prince didn't have the same consideration.

"I don't care what you are," Anakin hissed. "It's my job to protect the Princess and I'm telling you not to upset her again. If I have to send you away from here, I will."

"Are you threatening me?" Daman asked.

His muscles tensed under Anakin's hold and he pushed against the boy. Anakin pushed back, effectively slamming him back into the wall. The Prince uttered a soft 'whuff' as his back contacted with stone.

"I don't have to," Anakin muttered darkly, blue eyes flashing with undiscovered anger. He knew he was walking close to the Dark Side. Obi-Wan and Yoda had warned him of it many times. But he didn't care. He was angry.

"Anakin."

Obi-Wan's soft voice interrupted his thoughts, and he felt the probing of his former Master's mind against his. Embarrassed, Anakin released the Prince, taking several deep breaths and stepping backward. He relaxed his squared shoulders, not having realized how tense he was.

"Is Kalyia okay?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. His gaze flitted from the Prince to his former Apprentice and back again. "She's getting some much needed rest," he answered Anakin's question, dropping his voice even lower as he stepped further away from the room she was in, propelling the other men down the hallway as he did so.

"Anakin, may I speak with you privately a moment?"

The youngest opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Daman's quick reply. "No Jedi. If you have something to say regarding this situation, you say it in front of me. Especially if it has to do with Kalyia."

Regarding the Prince for a long, silent moment, Obi-Wan centered the Force around him and drew calm from it. He inhaled sharply, giving a mirthless look to his counterpart before he spoke. "I may speak with a fellow Jedi Knight privately when and about what I please," he asserted, ignoring the triumphant smile that emerged on Anakin's face. "I think the point that Anakin was making, however brashly, is a valid one. We must remain calm regardless of personal differences. Kalyia is in no shape to be around such bickering. The medics believe it is raised stress levels that are causing her to lose white blood cells, which in turn cause the headaches." He paused, eyes connecting with both his companions. "Are you listening to me?"

Anakin nodded immediately, almost a decade of training bred into him. "Yes, Master."

The chagrined Prince merely gave a gentle snort, looking down the hallway toward the room the Princess rested in. "Yes, I hear you."

Obi-Wan took a few steps toward the main room, stopped, and took a few steps back toward them. "Don't just hear," he commanded, leaving no room in his voice for argument. "Listen."

Both Jedi froze just then, danger senses pricking simultaneously. Anakin turned to his former Master, alarm further widening his already extensive blue eyes. The older Jedi nodded. "I feel it. The Sith are here."

"Excuse me?" Daman stepped a few inches closer to the younger Jedi, peering into his face as though he could read any expression Anakin may allow to pass his facade.

Obi-Wan was already pushing past the two, making his way toward the room the Princess slept in. "Try to get to the ship and get it started. I've got to get Kalyia out of here. Hover, circle, whatever you have to do then meet me at coordinates 87 south 34 east in forty minutes."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, Kenobi," Daman demanded, taking a few steps toward the room Obi-Wan was heading for. "You can't expect to take her alone. What if something happens? How are you going to protect her?"

Sighing, the Jedi turned, his robes swirling around him as he did so. "Tell me, Prince, can you start the ship, lift her into the air, find the exact coordinates of 87 south 34 east and hover there, all the while using the weaponry to shoot down Sith?"

He didn't wait for Daman to answer. "Okay then, I guess that leaves Anakin to do that, I'm going to get Kalyia out of here." He turned again. "They're coming."

"Kenobi!" the Prince demanded, practically charging down the hall after him. Anakin held out a hand, stopping the pursuer with a slight restraint of the Force. Daman struggled against it for a few seconds, then relented, throwing a murderous glance toward the younger Jedi. "I'm going with you," he decided, locking defiant eyes with Obi-Wan.

Shaking his head, the Jedi Knight chuckled softly. "You're right, Prince, it will be difficult to protect her since I put a Force sleep on her just a few minutes ago. Having to protect you at the same time would make it that much harder. Do what Anakin says and don't try to be a hero. I have to go."

With a final nod toward his former apprentice, Obi-Wan disappeared into the room in which Kalyia slept. He woke her slightly with the Force, unclipped his lightsaber and secured it in one hand, then gathered her into his arms. She groaned softly in pain, her hands fluttering briefly to her forehead.

"Hold onto my neck," Obi-Wan whispered, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before he stood from his crouch and made his way back to the door. As he passed through the hallway, heading for the back exit, he felt danger approaching the front of the cabin. In the back of his mind, he heard Anakin's lightsaber activate with a snap hiss.

May the Force be with you, Padawan, he thought silently before slipping out the exit and breaking into a dead run.

***

Anakin was growing weary. He found himself thanking the powers that be that Sith only existed in pairs. He had been fighting this one for what he knew was probably less than a half an hour, but what felt like an eternity. It was strong, it was fast, and it would not give up the offensive.

Skywalker was a good fighter. No, he was the best. The best in his class at the Academy, and, Yoda said, the best he'd seen since Obi-Wan. It was frightening how long this Dark Side Sith was holding out against him. It was, honestly, unheard of. The longer he was forced to fight, the angrier he got. He wanted to win. He needed to win. He had to be the best.

Turn right, left, block, block, block. They couldn't go on like this forever. Someone had to lose sometime. Anakin was trying to move himself and his opponent away from the cabin, out into the woods, closer and closer to where their shuttle was hidden. He figured there was no time to lose, and as soon as he rid himself of this evil, the closer he was to the ship the better. The Prince was still inside, dutifully where Anakin told him to stay and hide. He knew the guy was safe, since the other Sith had taken off after Obi-Wan and the Princess.

***

Reaching out with the Force was probably dangerous when running from a Sith. Obi-Wan wasn't sure, but he figured they could feel him feeling them. But he had no choice. It was getting too close. And Kalyia wasn't waking up, no matter how much he prodded her. He must have really put the whammy on her when he put her to sleep. Now, he was stuck carrying her.

Even a Jedi can't run all that fast while carrying a hundred and some odd pounds. He had to find a place to hide until he could double back. There had to be a way to throw the Sith off his trail.

Another quick brush of the Force told him there was a cave up ahead, about 100 yards. He'd have to cut through a small, rocky ravine, but it would provide him good coverage and hide him for at least long enough to wake Kalyia and get her moving. He took a few more steps then cut quickly to the left, keeping a tight grip on his cargo -- the girl and his lightsaber -- as he stepped over and through bulbous rocks and pounded up steep, shrouded inclines.

He wouldn't have even been able to see the cave if not for the help of the Force. Its entrance was covered with a curtain of moss. Obi-Wan pushed it away, careful not to disturb its natural state, having to crouch to fit inside the small cavern.

Breathing heavily, he lay Kalyia down, brushing her forehead with his hand as he did so. She stirred again, this time doing more than groaning in pain, she cried out so loudly, Obi-Wan froze, listening for sounds of his pursuer.

It was only the faint crack of a twig, but it was enough. His hiding place was not quite so hidden. The Jedi was about to have company. Pulling a holocube from his pocket, he recorded a quick message, then shrugged off his cloak and wrapped her body tightly with it. Pressing the cube into her hand, and his own hand to her cheek, he reached out with the Force again, this time using every ounce of power he had to bring her to consciousness. It would take a few moments, a few painful moments, but that was all he needed to lure the Sith away from Kalyia.

***

Pain exploded behind the Princess' right eye as she stumbled onto the ramp of the plane, allowing it to bring her up into it's safety. Daman met her at the door, pulling her inside and cradling her in his arms for a brief moment. She briefly forgot her anger and hugged him back until a moment of clarity hit her and she shoved him away.

"No!" she shouted, scrambling to her feet, ignoring the bullets of hot lead burning between her temples. A wave of dizziness washed over her and she stumbled again, seeing three corridors ahead of her instead of just one and wondering which one was the right way. Feeling in front of her with her hands, they hit smooth metal wall of the plane first, until she felt her way a few feet and found the narrow opening of the hall.

Using her hands as a guide for her rapidly decreasing vision, she felt her way down the narrow corridor and finally, triumphantly burst into the cockpit.

"Kalyia, thank the Force," Anakin exclaimed, turning briefly from the controls to glance at her before giving his full attention back to piloting the ship. He slowly rose it further into the air and gained speed.

The Princess grasped his forearms with shaky hands and forced him to look back at her. "No, Anakin, we have to go back for Obi-Wan," she said, tears clouding her eyes.

Anakin shook his head. "I have to get you out of here. He'll be fine. I'll drop you off on the next planet and go back for him. It won't be more than a couple hours."

Kalyia shook her head violently, crying out in anguish from the pain that rocketed though her.

"Are you okay?" Anakin asked, concern clouding his features. "You look like you're gonna be sick. Here--"

"No!" Kalyia's fierce shout startled the Jedi and he sank back, looking quietly at Daman who had appeared in the cockpit's entryway before turning his attention back to the frantic girl. "Do you hear me, Anakin? We have to go back for Obi-Wan now. He's going to die out there!"

Placing a soothing hand on Kalyia's wrist, Anakin sent a tendril of the Force out to her. She shoved him away, taking several steps backwards enabling him to reach her. "Don't you dare," she warned. "You have to listen to me. Obi-Wan is going to let himself die. Do you hear me? We have to get him!"

Anakin furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about?"

Frustrated, Kalyia put her own hands over Anakin's and shifted the controls back downward. Anakin resisted. "Kalyia! What the hell are you doing?" The plane shuddered violently but pulled slightly back up into the air.

"Damn it, Anakin! Listen to me! We're going back for him!"

Anakin started to shake his head but Kalyia cut him off. "Feel for him!" she insisted. "Do it, Ani. Feel for him."

Reluctantly, Anakin closed his eyes and reached out to the link between Master and Padawan. He felt nothing. A shred of worry began to rise in him. He tried again. Nothing.

"You don't feel him do you?" Kalyia whispered, tears streaming from her eyes. "He's in trouble, Anakin. He's going to die and he knows it. We have to get him."

Anakin seemed ready to agree when the Prince stepped in. "Now come on, Princess. Obi-Wan is a Jedi Knight. He is perfectly capable of taking care of himself--"

"You shut your mouth!" Kalyia shouted fiercely, drawing stunned gasps from both Jedi and Prince. She held out a holo cube in one shaking hand. Tears drowned her words but she spoke slowly, needing to be heard. "Obi-Wan gave me this. He put me in a cave when I passed out so I would be safe. And he left this in my hand."

Taking the cube from Kalyia's trembling hand, Anakin looked at both royalty, then activated it. A hologram of Obi-Wan appeared. Behind him was the lush forest of Salliaf. It was recorded that day, less than an hour before.

When you receive this message, I will be gone. Perhaps fighting battle for your freedom and honor, perhaps onto the next life, where I can guide Anakin better than I have in this one. Don't be afraid. Find him, there is a compass in the pocket of this cloak. Coordinates 87 south 34 east. You should be safe... if there are indeed only two.

The holo paused, flickered, and Obi-Wan's image looked around, as though judging how much time he had left.

If I am forced to leave this world before seeing you again, I know will be well cared for by your betrothed.

Kalyia looked hatefully at the Prince.

Please look out for Anakin for me, and be sure he does the same for you. Tell my Padawan that I love him, and that he has made me more proud than he could ever have hoped. And tell yourself, if I'm not back to tell you myself, that I love you, too.

The holo image faded and Anakin looked up at the Princess, visibly shaken. He handed the cube calmly back to her, then shifted gears, turning the ship swiftly around and using the Force to guide him back to the cave Kalyia had come from. The Princess breathed outward and sank into the co-pilot's seat.

"I still do not think it is wise--"

Whirling around, Kalyia stared daggers at the Prince. "Shut up!" she snapped. "You lied. You lied to Obi-Wan! For how long? How long has he thought you and I were to be married?" Her voice rose in tenor as she said it, as though the mere thought brought hilarity to her mind.

Daman frowned. Anakin turned slowly and stared at him.

"You mean you're not engaged?"

Kalyia faced him. "No!" she announced. "No way, not in a million years! I would never agree to marry a man I didn't love, no matter what my blood lines say!"

Anakin breathed outward. "Sith."

Kalyia began to shake again. "How long? How long, Ani?"

"Since we left Tatooine," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Kalyia," he repented quickly. "I didn't ask you because I didn't want to get into a fight--oh, Master Obi-Wan has been suffering all this time."

Kalyia dropped her head into her hands and a fresh arsenal of tears flowed. "God, how could I be so stupid? So stubborn? I love him, I've always loved him. But I was too cowardly to say it. I was too damn stupid to see ten feet in front of my face! It's always about me, isn't it? My pride, my feelings, my agenda. Why didn't I once think about Obi-Wan? Why didn't I think about what he was going through?" She began to sob freely now, and pushed Anakin away as he reached one hand out for her.

"No! I don't deserve comfort! The pain that's tumbling through my head, the dizziness and nausea, I deserve it all. I welcome it all. Because if Obi-Wan's dead--"

"Don't say that!" Anakin shouted. "No, he's not dead. I would feel it--I would--"

He stopped talking and listened to Kalyia's heart-wrenching sobs as he steered the plane into some thick foliage near the cave she'd been left in by Obi-Wan. He brought the sleek ship to a near soundless landing, grateful for the coverage of trees and brush. The wheels had nearly touched the ground when he threw on the brake and jumped out of the pilot's seat, igniting his lightsaber. Running down the gangplank, Kalyia followed the young Jedi, her heart beating like mad. The forest was still as she stepped onto the lush earth, no sounds of humming light sabers or blaster fire could be heard for miles. She saw Anakin ahead of her, standing still in the greenery, closing his eyes and reaching out with his senses. when she approached, he pointed to the left. "This way," he said softly.

About fifty meters away from where the ship had landed, they found his fallen body. At first glance he appeared dead, blood smeared across his face and soaking through his tunic, skin ashen and cold to the touch. Anakin leaned over and felt for a heartbeat and felt one, weak and uneven, but there. He looked up at Kalyia and nodded. He's alive. Barely. But alive.

Kneeling right there, Anakin took both his Master's hands in his and let the Force flow out of his body. It warmed Obi-Wan's skin instantly as it flowed into him. Anakin stayed like that, channeling the Force into his Master for almost fifteen minutes. Finally, he slumped over, devoid of energy. Kalyia rushed to his side.

"Anakin. Anakin, please don't pass out. You have to help me get Obi-Wan back to the ship." She felt Obi-Wan's pulse and saw that it was stronger than before. She felt Anakin's pulse. It too, was weak.

Looking frantically around, then straining her ears for any sounds of danger, Kalyia called for the Prince. After what seemed like an eternity, he came. She gestured to the two unconscious Jedi. Prince Daman picked Anakin up and began walking back toward the ship. "We'll come back for the other one," he said.

Kalyia shook her head. she wasn't leaving him. "You come back," she countered. "I'll be right here."

Daman stopped and turned, looking at Kalyia for a long moment before nodding resolutely and continuing the short path back to the plane.

Kalyia shifted herself, moving Obi-Wan's head into her lap. She brushed his hair back from his forehead and tenderly wiped the blood from his face. He was cut in several different places, a gash on his temple, one on his cheek and a cut on his lip. She winced as the pain in her own head pounded, reminding her without fail.

"Oh, Obi-Wan," she sighed softly, leaning down to brush his forehead with her lips. "I love you, don't you know that?" She laughed softly. "Of course you don’t know it. I've been a jerk to you." He'd been her friend, her lover, her savior, her protector, and she'd been terrible to him. "I'm so sorry, my sweet Jedi," she whispered. "Please stay with me. I will make it up to you, I promise. Just don't give up on me now. Please don't give up on me now."