The air in the room got harder to breathe with every second that passed. It felt thicker with each breath, warmer, like the room itself was trying to choke me. It was probably the nerves that wrecked through my body that made me feel this way, this hunted. My fingers tangled in my hair as I ran them through it repeatedly, pulling on the threads in frustration. I had been sitting there, waiting, for literal hours.

How long exactly I wasn't sure. The only light that seeped into the room came from a small window barely larger than a book. The one thing I was sure of was that when I was imprisoned, it was midday. Now, it was dark outside, the light that shone through the glass originating from the big city lights in the distance.

In the beginning I'd heard multiple voices conversing outside my room. I'd recognized Ahsoka's worried pleas and Anakin's frustrated complaints but Obi-Wan's I hadn't heard. I had been waiting for it, for his soothing accent to calm my nerves yet he never came. Now, it was silent, like everyone had left and forgotten about me. I was left to nothing but my own thoughts.

"You're fine." I tried to reassure myself, even though I knew perfectly well that the council was deciding my fate a few chambers down the hall. If anything was sure, it was that I hadn't left a good first impression. The only hope I had was that Obi-Wan's report on me was enough to convince them I wasn't a sith.

I didn't understand why that holocron had called out to me the moment I arrived in the temple, nor how all those locked doors opened the moment I tried to pass through. Maybe my initial feeling was right and this was all a trap but how could I convince the council of that? Master Windu in particular seemed so sure of his view on me that I was afraid I had little chance to sway him.

How could I be a sith? I had spent my entire life taking care of people and not to forget, sacrificed it in order to save an entire planet. I would be the last one to be considered evil. Yet, was that not the exact thought most evil men possessed? Were not all villains convinced of their own goodness, so sure that they were doing the right thing? After all, the definition of good and bad was different for everybody. My good could be considered evil by another and I wouldn't even know.

I wasn't perfect. There were moments when I was driven by emotions. Moments where, dare I admit, I allowed the anger to take control. It was moments like that I needed people like Aidan, my brother, or Obi-Wan to remind me who I really was or what I was doing. Was it bad to not be able to do it on your own? Was it bad to need help every now and then?

"-darkness of power, -" The same voice I had heard in the chamber underneath now again echoed through the room, shaking me from my thoughts and making me lift my head from the safety of my hands. My eyes darted to each corner but saw only the light brown shade of the walls.

There was no one else in the room yet I felt this presence in there with me. It was looming in the dark corners, watching my every move. "Beware one who is not who he seems." The whisper suddenly came from right behind me, making me jump onto my feet within a second.

"Who's there?!" I raised my arms defensively yet was held back by the metal cuffs still positioned around my wrists. Yanking on the cuffs, groaning in frustration, I turned and turned around but saw nothing. All that was behind me was but a blank wall. Instead of the voice I heard a mad giggle, vibrating through the room and making my limbs freeze in place. There were no means to defend myself.

"Crimson eyes shall awaken, - " As the voice continued I straightened my back, eyes knotting together as I recognized the phrases. That same prophecy that had lingered in my head unfinished was now being whispered back to me by something dark and unseen.

"Show yourself." Even though I was eager to hear it continued, my fear got the best of me. Another chuckle went through the room, followed by a loud thud which made me turn around again and jump into a defensive pose with my eyes narrowed.

"Your majesty." Master Windu had appeared in the doorway accompanied by two of the jedi sentinels. The moment I discovered the loud noise had been his entry, I coughed awkwardly and stood up straight again, diverting my eyes away from his prying gaze. "The council is waiting for you."

"Oh, so they're done?" My frustration seeped into my worried voice as I let them drag me out by my upper arms. "Only took them about five hours." I glared at the sentinels when they pushed me forward through the door. "Careful!"

Master Windy only shot me an unimpressed gaze over his shoulder as he guided me through the hall and towards the council chamber. His calmness irritated me beyond believe. That stoic stance, those reserved looks. It was like he was a robot, devoid of any human emotions. Is this what the jedi revered, is this what they wanted to become?

Before we entered his hand was placed on the doorknob, glancing back at me before opening the door. "Prepare yourself, your majesty. You might not like what you will hear."

I rolled my eyes, maintaining the disinterested facade I had built up around the scared, frustrated one. "There is a lot of that going around today." As I spoke Mace only scoffed and opened the door, revealing the other council members of the jedi order. For a moment I was left blinded by the lights that suddenly shone directly in my eyes, but as soon as my eyes grew accustomed they glided over the members in front of me.

Even Anakin was in the chamber, standing near one of the windows and glancing away from the view to meet my eyes. He was furious, that much I could deduce from his stance, but not at me. His eyes softened the moment they met mine. He shrugged his shoulders and motioned to the masters of his order, telling me without any words that he could do nothing to help me.

My gaze darted from him to Obi-Wan who was calmly sitting in his own personal chair. His legs were folded over each other, his body slumped slightly in the comfortable seat yet not nearly enough to be considered rude. Instead, he was perged almost elegantly as his mesmerizing eyes focused on my figure the entire time I walked inside.

I had this urge to go to him. What I wanted to do, I wasn't sure, all I knew is that the distance between us was something I despised. Every time I looked at him I saw him back in Eagle's fall, wrapped in the soft silk sheets with the pale moonlight shining on his bare body.

"So..." I spoke slowly as the sentinels placed me amid the chamber and then walked away, closing the door behind them. I had to tear my gaze away from him. "Is there something I can do for you?"

All the masters glanced at each other as they took in a deep breath, some wordless exchange between them as they contemplated on what to say. "Your majesty, do you understand the gravity of your situation?" Plo Koon, the jedi that had brought me here, interrupted the awkward silence, making me turn my head slightly in his direction.

Yet another jedi I thought I could trust before. The anger boiled inside of me but I had to be careful with my words, no matter how much I wanted to insult them. The lack of sleep was wearing me down and making it harder to stay calm. Even though I was a queen with all my rights, they had all the power and jurisdiction here.

"I understand, master, that there is a misconception about my intentions here." My eyes wandered over each member as I talked. "I came here because you called me here, nothing else. I didn't mean to intrude in your temple. I had no idea I was trespassing in those vaults until you found me."

"It is not the intrusion that is the main concern here. Your majesty, what you found was a sith holocron." Master Fisto explained. Unlike the others, his eyes remained sympathetic. "It only ever calls to dark force wielders. The only explanation for you finding it, is that you yourself are a, -"

"Let me stop you right there, master." I interrupted him before he could finish, trying to stay calm but flinching when I heard the anger laced through my voice like a dagger. "I am not a sith." All the masters eyeing me only seemed less convinced by my outburst. More frustration started to build in me as I shifted my weight between my two feet continuously.

"Queen Lyanna, accusing you, we are not." Master Yoda sensed the hostility radiating off me. He sat up in his chair, softly ticking the ground with his stick to get the attention. "Merely trying to understand the situation, we are."

"Well, it feels like you're accusing me." I bit back but then sighed deeply, slumping my shoulders as I felt defeat wash over me. Insulting them would get me nowhere. "All I know was that I heard a voice and I followed it. I wasn't going to touch that holocron for I was just as scared and confused as you are now." That made them think further, I realized, when their gazes glazed over in thought. After finally receiving a spark of hope, a familiar voice soon obliterated it entirely.

"A holocron only ever opens to a sith, that is a fact." Master Windu stated after a short silence. "So, how do you explain what happened when we found you?" A lump grew in my throat as I cast my eyes down to the floor. I had no explanation, no way to reason myself out of this situation no matter how much I wanted to.

"Lyanna, on Valeria you told me something." Obi-Wan's voice suddenly sounded through my ears. It was the only spark of light I witnessed at that moment, making me cling to it desperately. His accent, his low voice, it was the only thing I had thought about for a long time.

I lifted my gaze to his as he leaned forward in his seat, placing his elbow on his knee as he studied me. "You told me that a part of Arthas's soul lived within you." Kenobi continued, making me flinch back and glance around at the other council members. "He was a known sith lord. Is there a chance that that same part still lives within you now?"

"We read in master Kenobi's report that your father was a sith lord too." Another master spoke after I remained silent. I wasn't even trying to see who it was, for my gaze was locked with Obi-Wan's in a contest of hard stares. "Was he not?" The voice pressed on when no answer came.

My gaze remained unmoving as I stared him down, red hot anger flaring within me. I didn't know why, but all I knew was that that was personal. That moment, which had determined much of my personal life was not something I wanted these jedi masters to know of. I guess, in a way, I felt betrayed.

"That information was not something for master Kenobi to give away." Snarling, fire appeared in my eyes. Obi-Wan fidgeted nervously but his gaze remained vast, unaltering.

"Anduin Fireheart, my father, was a king who sacrificed everything for his people." I straightened my back. "He paid the price for saving his kingdom. He wasn't a so called sith lord. He was but a man doing what was best for his people when the jedi infiltrated our planet and your war ravaged our lands. His was an honourable sacrifice, one I would not stand to be degraded by the likes of you." I lifted my chin as I continued.

"But he became a sith when he came back from the dead, did he not?" Obi-Wan continued despite my current state. "There was a price to be paid, wasn't there?"

My vision flared red with anger. It was becoming harder and harder to contain it. "Your majesty, we are aware of the fact that you yourself went through the same." A voice spoke when I didn't react. "We are merely trying to assess the risks."

As if I myself hadn't been doing that. Ever since I came back something changed, that much was true. "To answer your question, yes, there was a price to be paid but that did not make me evil. I understand your fear after finding me, but a sith? I think you'd noticed already if I had become one."

There was no doubt left on my mind that all these people before me would now be reduced to ashes if they were right in their allegations. However, no matter how alluring, I would never purposely hurt anyone. After all this time the doctor's oaths were still my code, something I could always cling on to.

"Masters, I don't understand the point of this conversation. It is obvious you've already formed your opinion on this matter. What more do you want from me?"

They glanced at each other in silence, earning more frustration from me. "Listen, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to finish my negotiations with the Chancellor and return to Valeria post haste. I would be out of your hair and you out of mine. You can continue doing whatever you're doing, and I will continue living on my planet, far out of your reach."

"Understand your frustration, I do." Yoda spoke up again. I sighed deeply and turned my gaze towards his, waiting for the verdict he was probably going to give. "Yet, powerful in the force, you are. A great risk it is, to let you leave untrained. Study you, we will. To help you fight this darkness, find a way, we will."

"So, you're forcing me to stay?" I raised my eyebrow at him, feeling goosebumps arise on my limbs. This day alone had been more than dreadful which did not exactly give me a great amount of hope for the extended period of time they wanted me to stay.

"It is for your own good." Master Windu stated. "Until we can find a solution, I am afraid you will have to stay in Coruscant, under our close watch. Not to forget, you will not be allowed to use the... seidr, as you call it, outside the jedi temple."

"Oh, so you're babysitting me too now?" I turned towards him in one sweep, my voice raising. "Bloody hell, who do you. -"

"Lyanna." Obi-Wan interrupted me before I could spew more hateful comments. I had to take in a deep breath to calm myself, closing my eyes and trying to picture the calm sea in my head. After, I redirected my gaze to him and narrowed my eyes as far as I could. Oh, how I wished I could shoot daggers with my eyes or burn him with but a simple gaze.

"I don't think you realize how much worse it has gotten since we last saw each other." He raised his brows in sympathy as he leaned forward. "You saw what it did to your father. I would hate for it to change who you are, too." Obi-Wan's begging eyes almost made me forgive him on the spot. "My queen, we're only trying to help."

I casted my eyes down, sighing deeply as I tried to calm my breathing. "Can you at least get these off?" Lifting my bonded wrists before my body and looking at Master Windu, I gave in. There was no use in fighting them, not within their own city. With a sweep of his hand the cuffs around my arms opened and fell to the floor.

"You are not to use your powers in any way for the time being, not until we know what we're dealing with. Only under our supervision and inside the temple, understood?" Master Windu ordered.

I stood there, rubbing the sore spots around my arms. "Can I go now?" I almost felt like a child that was being scolded by her parents.

"We'll be expecting you back here at sunrise tomorrow." Master Windu said as he leaned back in his seat. "We'll have a lot of training to do."