"Lyanna?"

I heard a vague noise in my head but paid no attention to it, being too focused on trying to figure out who was a potential candidate for being the traitor. Commander, brother, stable boy, teacher, maybe even our cook?

"Lyanna!!"

I nearly jumped off my chair as I looked around in bewilderment, finding out that everyone's gazes were fixed on me. "So-sorry, what were you saying?" I stuttered and then looked at my father who had awoken me from my thoughts.

"I was asking you what you saw during your capture." My father clarified with an irritated glint in his eyes. "You told me that there was something important that we ought to know."

"Yes, yes I did." I straightened up in my chair and folded my hands together. After a few moments of collecting my thoughts my voice filled the silent room. "The Jedi who captured me they... They told me that they were sent here because they had intel about a weapon of mass destruction which was supposed to be located in Velen."

"What a pile of rubbish." One of the councilmen laughed with dead eyes. "We, Valerians, in possession of a weapon?"

I locked my eyes with my uncle who was staring numbly back at me. "I tried to tell them that it was very doubtful too." I continued after taking a deep breath. "But then they took me to see it for myself."

I closed my eyes. It's now or never, Lyanna. They will find out no matter what. It's better you tell them now while they can still do something about it.

"It was hidden beneath the throne room in a large cave." I collected all my courage. "When I arrived they had already turned it on. There were lots of their troopers with some of their equipment build around it. I guess they were trying to figure out what it was. Of course, only a Valerian would recognize it."

I looked back at Derik as I paused. He shook his head no, trying to stop me from telling the next part. "I believe they found Arthas's prison and are currently trying to set him free." I continued, earning gasps from almost all of the councilmen.

"Arthas Blackwing? Are you sure?" Aidan's mouth was wide open as he looked at me.

"I'm sure." I nodded and clenched my jaw. "It was just like the myth describes: a dark cave covered in tales, hiding the blue crystal that contains his body: frozen in time."

"It that's true, we need to put a stop to it right now!" Stefan stood up abruptly, his fist leaning on the table. "If there's one thing for sure about Arthas it's that he doesn't like the Stormrages or peace."

"Are you crazy?" Aidan stood up too, frowning at Stefan. "Arthas may be our only way of defeating those Jedi. Let them make their own downfall, let them destroy themselves when they set him free."

"You really think he would stop after the Jedi?" Stefan scoffed. "After he defeats them he will come right back for us!"

"If that's so, we will be ready for it. Let him come." Aidan crossed his arms before his chest and narrowed his eyes. "We defeated him before, we can do it again."

"You forget that they had timeturners and we do not." Stefan objected. "They died out centuries ago."

"Then we make a deal with him, give him some land or whatever he wants and in turn he will defeat the Jedi for us." Aidan put both his hands on the table. "You wanted a choice which would provide minimal casualties of our people. This is that choice, Arthas can and will be able to help us in this war."

"No." I simply said as I was sitting in my chair. I felt everyone's eyes on me after I remained silent. "Arthas won't stop after the Jedi. You know about his lust for revenge, he won't stop till every one of us is either killed or captured."

"Then we will think of something after we've dealt with the Jedi!" Aidan looked at me furiously, obviously not content with my different opinion. I was completely baffled by his passionate will to free Arthas, especially considering the fact that my father told us all the stories about the bloodbaths that he caused.

"Those Jedi-" Deciding that I should stand up too considering that everyone was doing it, I got up on my feet and tried to look strong. "They're smarter than you think. Even they know that something's not right, that someone has tricked them. They won't just let Arthas break free, they will take precautions."

"Tricked them?" The sage spoke up as he looked at me in confusion.

"We're all being tricked here." I stated. "Someone, who is probably in this very room right now, has betrayed us and taken the republic here for a weapon that does not exist. He or she probably want us to go to war with them or he wants to set Arthas free. We can't let either happen."

Everyone remained silent as they thought about my words. I took it as a sign to continue. "My previous captor was a master Jedi called Obi-Wan Kenobi. He wasn't like the stories we all heard about the Jedi; instead of the evil, malicious warriors I met a gentle, kind and wise man that tried everything to make sure there was no need for violence. He doesn't want to fight, all he wants is to secure Arthas's prison which they suspect to be a weapon. They never wanted to hurt us."

"If that's true, why didn't he listen to you and stopped the machine?" Stefan spoke up. Aidan on the other hand was pacing and scoffing frequently, his eyebrows set in a permanent frown.

"They had orders." I looked down at the table, knowing that that was the weak point.

"And they will continue to have orders until they take over our planet!" Aidan took his chance to continue his argument.

"They won't do or try that!" I protested and groaned in frustration. "Look, all we need to do is take back that prison and make sure Arthas doesn't break free. I'm sure that if the king proposes it, the Jedi will negotiate with him."

"There's been enough time for negotiations." Aidan growled. "And look where that got us; 23 Valerians dead and 44 wounded including one of my best warriors, you got captured and barely escaped and our main city is in the hands of republic forces! We need to act now!"

I fell silent as I casted my eyes down from his intense gaze. He was right, things had gotten out of hand. Yet he was seeing everything in black and white whereas I saw everything in many different colours.

"Derik, brother." My father broke the uneasy silence. "You've been awfully quiet."

"My king, I don't think there's much for me to say." My uncle said. "Our choice is clear in my opinion. Those Jedi need to be defeated before everything gets out of hand."

"They are not evil!" I objected immediately. "Why won't you listen, we need to find the traitor-"

"That's enough Lyanna!" My father's loud voice startled everyone. We all looked down in respect as he stood up. "Our main priority is to make sure Arthas doesn't break free-"

He held up his hand when Aidan tried to speak up, giving him a warning glare. "- and the only way to do that is to secure that prison regardless of the fact if the Jedi are innocent. When that's done we will think about the possibility of a traitor, if there even is one."

I swallowed the lump that was growing in my throat. Obi-Wan was right, I should've stayed. Maybe that way I could've at least convinced someone of the truth. Now we were going to wage war with the republic. A war which we were most likely going to lose.

"Tomorrow after sundown we will invade Velen and take that prison back here." My father stated. "Stefan, you lead the main assault from the north. You will serve as a distraction so that my children, Lyanna and Aidan, can get that weapon out of there and get it here. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your highness." Everyone obediently murmured.

"The time for running is over." My father sighed as he sat back down. "We gave them a chance to prove themselves. Now it's time for us to act."

~

The sun was already setting in the east when I was hidden behind a tree close to the city of Velen. I had vision on my own balcony, hoping that someone would come. So they did, or rather he did. Obi-Wan walked onto the balcony and gazed in the distance with an absent look on his face. He looked stressed out with big dark circles under his eyes.

Interrupting his small moment of silence, I shot an arrow on the balustrade right next to his fingers with a note attached to it. I could see his confused look before I ran back into the forest, towards the place that I hoped he'd meet me.

Sometime later when the last rays of sunshine shone through the branches, I heard the twigs break beneath his feet as he neared me from behind. We were a few miles away from the city in the heart of the forest. I could hear the buzzing of his lightsaber that was ignited and the way he tried to be silent. That made me regret the fact that I had dropped my bow and quiver near a tree, a place where Obi-Wan could see them.

I suspected that he was trying to make sure that I was alone, just like I did. After a few moments I didn't hear his footsteps anymore but instead heard the shutting off of his saber.

"Princess." His velvet voice interrupted the silence. I was surprised that he knew it was me considering I wore a black cloak with a hood that covered my whole head.

Turning around and taking off the hood, my eyes met his. He was standing a few feet away; still wearing his light brown tunic and the white armour that covered the upper half of his chest. Only his right bracers were replaced with bandages. Obi-Wan's eyes looked at me with wonder and confusement, a mixture that I hadn't seen before.

"Master Jedi." I nodded at him but then widened my eyes when he started to walk towards me in a fast pace. It wasn't the fact that he had his lightsaber within reach that scared me, it was the determined look on his face and the way his eyes didn't leave mine.

I backed up but he kept on coming until my back collided with a tree behind me. I let out a soft whimper when he suddenly put both his hands on the trunk right beside my face and stood dangerously close to my body.

I could feel his hot breath on my skin as his eyes examined mine carefully. As I shivered under his gaze, one of his hands travelled down to my waist and grasped the small cylinder that was my sword from my belt.

He frowned and glanced down at it when it did nothing as he grasped it, twisting and touching my weapon in his hands.

"It uuh..." I stuttered and swallowed loudly, still flustered due to his proximity. I could even make out the separate hairs of his beard. "It only reacts to my touch."

His eyes suddenly shot back up to mine, making me jump slightly and shiver even more.

"You're afraid." He simply noted when he felt my shivers beneath his touch.

"That tends to happen when an armed, very dangerous looking man has you cornered up against a tree in the middle of nowhere." I chuckled nervously.

"Dangerous?" He raised one eyebrow as the corner of his mouth lifted up a little.

"Not specifically dangerous, of course." I swallowed loudly when he came even closer with my weapon in his hand. "But, you know what they say about the gentle people-" obi-Wan laughed softly at my nervous state. "-they are the scariest when angry."

Obi-Wan's smile didn't falter as he threw my sword a couple feet away. "I'm not going to hurt you."