"Has Obi-Wan always been this uptight?" I wondered as Anakin and I followed my father, Stefan and the man we spoke off. They were walking somewhat further from us, leaving us able to gossip about his former master. As far as I could see the king and the Jedi were discussing important matters. After all the blood and screaming patients that day I wasn't exactly ready for any of that.

"He's been my master since I was a boy." Anakin chuckled lightly to himself. "Yes, he's always been this way. There are some moments though when he loosens up a bit, but those moments are rare. It grows on you though, I wouldn't wish for any other master."

"It's funny how you two are almost the complete opposite, in demeanour I mean. I wonder how you two were able to bear with each other all those years." I could see Anakin's wondering gaze on the side of my head. "You seem more reckless than he is, in a good way off course. Plus, you seem to be more open towards your troopers. Seem to treat them more like brothers. But I guess that when it comes to really caring for someone you're almost the same as him."

"That's where you're wrong." Anakin sighed deeply. He had tried to whisper it softly so that I wouldn't hear but I did.

"What?" I turned towards him and saw how his eyes widened in realization.

"It's nothing." He narrowed his eyes and his mouth turned in a scowl, but he couldn't scare me off that easily.

"There's a woman, isn't there?" My eyes lit up as a small smile formed on my lips. Judging from the way he was reacting and the loving gaze in his eyes as he probably thought off his woman I was sure that he had been hiding this from everyone. "Don't worry, I won't tell Obi-Wan." Anakin still didn't seem convinced enough to tell me. "After all, he's got nothing to say about it after what happened with him." I chuckled as I nudged Anakin in his side.

Anakin smiled at that and patted me on the shoulder. "You have a way of making people like you, don't you?"

"Well, you did try to kill me at first, so I guess I do." I looked at his eyes. "So, tell me, who's this woman?"

"She's a senator." Anakin answered and from the look in his eyes I concluded I would have to do with that.

"A senator, risky." I frowned a bit. "But I guess that's just your style." Anakin chuckled in response and then looked up when our precursors stopped before a large door. The crowd around us had thickened with other council members and commanders of our army.

"Where are we?" Anakin looked down at me, his height towering over me. Unlike before it didn't scare me. After what he had told me I realized that he was just another human. He may have powers that they call the force and maybe he's a bit handier with it than others but that didn't change his heart. He was just another boy looking for love just like everyone else.

"It's the council chamber." I answered as my father undid the numerous locks. "I don't know if you have seen the one in Velen, but this one is a bit bigger. With a bit I mean a lot."

When my father opened the doors to the chamber I heard Anakin take in a deep breath as he took in the sight before him. From the ceiling the clear water from the waterfall fell next to the with silver decorated walls. Using that water, the statues of my ancestors were made to look almost alive. Just like in Velen Anduin Fireheart had the largest statue of them all, towering above all the rest like a watch tower.

Obi-Wan waited for us to catch up whilst he looked at me. "Do you have any more surprises to show me?" He smiled a bit in wonder.

"This is just a part of what this planet has to offer, master Jedi." I smiled at him when he laid his hand on the small of my back to guide me into the chamber. "I'm afraid though that I won't be able to show you any of it in the coming months.'

"Another time then." He and Anakin followed me towards my own chair in the chamber and then looked utterly lost. After all, there were limited seats only meant for the respective councillor. "I guess we'll just have remain standing." Obi-Wan concluded as he took a stand next to my chair whilst Anakin did the same on the other side.

"Councilmen and women, please take a seat." My father's voice interrupted all conversations. His stern eyes looked at everyone as they took their seat. "I've requested this emergency meeting after the events in Velen. I'm convinced that every one of you has heard of the turnout." He looked at everyone as they nodded. "Then you won't be surprised that I've asked master Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and his former Padawan, Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker to join this meeting."

My eyes turned towards Aidan's who was on the other side of the table. He didn't seem happy with my father's decision as he was glaring at the two Jedi by my side. He then turned his gaze towards me, his eyes darkening even further. I couldn't hold his murdering gaze for much longer.

"Oh, I'm not surprised." A man named Dylan spoke up. He was leaning back in his chair while eyeing the Jedi suspiciously. He was the leader of one of our clans to the North, one that was famous for its arrogance. "I'm just disappointed you've confirmed my suspicions that you are no longer fit to rule our kingdom."

"Well, that escalated quickly." Obi-Wan muttered.

That immediately caused an outrage in the council. People were standing up furiously or shouting at each other in anger, mostly directed towards the bold remark of the commander. Another leader's voice raised above all others. "If we can no longer protect our kingdom on our own, then we are lost!" Some men agreed loudly, cheering for the man to continue. "Those Jedi ruined our planet not so long ago and now they're going to do it again. They brought all this turmoil with them."

Anakin tried to come in between all the noise. "All we did was try to help you!"

I locked eyes with my father who sat on his throne silently, his head leaning on his folded hands. He just seemed too tired to even begin arguing with the men or he was waiting for them to finish. When his eyes locked with mine though all I saw was pain. The noise died down a bit as the men continued to listen to this council man named Charles, the leader of the Western Woods clan that was known to be strongly bonded with Dylan's clan.

"Who decided to help them anyway?" His eyes glided along all the faces.

"I did." I spoke from my seat. Like my father, I was one of the few who remained calmly seated. My eyes went up to Charles's in defiance. "But you knew that, didn't you? After all, you were among the legions I was commanding. I didn't hear a sliver of protest back then."

"No, because I was busy cleaning up the mess you made." Charles hissed at me. Suddenly the whole chamber was dead silent. "We have all heard of the chaos in Velen, the way you were completely lost when Derik turned against us. There was no backup plan, no plan to get us back here alive."

"Yet somehow you did." Stefan spoke up as he glared at Charles. "Whilst Lyanna was trying her best to get the wounded and the troopers back here, you were busy running with your tail between your legs. Or was it not your troops that ran the moment Derik turned against us?"

"Everyone knows that the Western Wood clan are all cowards." Dylan chuckled lightly and then his eyes turned towards mine. "Yet, I keep wondering how you, a child that was rumoured to be stealing a tremendous amount of supplies who was picked up from the streets at the age of 14 is now in the position of commander." Again, everyone was dead silent except Obi-Wan who took in a confused breath. I could feel his questioning gaze burning on the side of my face as my heart seemed to clench in my chest.

"How does a child, with just a few years of training and even less years of experience get a position of power like that? She's a beggar, an orphan, a filthy thief." Dylan paused for a moment as he flipped one of his knifes in his hand. "I know I wouldn't follow a leader like that."

"She's worth more than ten of you, Dylan." Stefan countered furiously. "Not only has she learned how to lead in a limited time, she has also earned the title of Valkyrie before any of you could even master the technique of stitching. There's no wonder why our king chose her to be raised inside his own home, as his daughter."

A silence followed that was almost too long for me to bear. I shifted uncomfortably as all gazes turned towards me after I spoke. "This isn't about me." I said softly. Even though I wanted to scream at Dylan for his hurtful and pointless remarks I didn't want to avoid the real problem. "This isn't about the Jedi and their mistakes in the past. This is about how my uncle, a man that has been our trusted adviser all these years, has suddenly betrayed us all to serve Arthas. Or have you forgotten why we fought, Dylan?"

"May I speak, your grace?" Obi-Wan looked at my father who nodded in consent as Dylan and I glared at each other. "I think that you all have the wrong idea of the Republic's intentions here. Anakin and I were sent here with information about a weapon that was being held beneath your city. Our job is to make sure that no one can threaten the safety of the galaxy, especially not with weapons of mass destruction. We didn't want to destroy your city, we didn't want to kill those held dear to you. It was this man named Derik that set this whole thing up. There's no doubt that it was his men who fired at us the moment we landed."

"You're telling me that it wasn't you who started the attack?" Charles folded his arms before his chest as he raised his eyebrows.

"When we were on our way to Velen to search for the weapon, we were ambushed in the forest. We lost 20 men that day." Anakin spoke up. The furious scowl from the beginning of the council had remained on his face. "When we entered your city, it wasn't much of a different story. So yes, we attacked you so we could reach that weapon."

"We never meant to start a war with your people." Obi-Wan added. "We had a mission to secure the safety of the republic, just like you were trying to secure the safety of your people."

"We're lucky Lyanna forged an alliance with them, otherwise we would've all died in Velen and Derik would've won immediately." Stefan stated. "So, unless you want to join Derik and the rest of his traitorous band, I suggest you come to terms with the Jedi and Lyanna both."

"What can you do for us?" Eric finally spoke up after the beginning of the council. His gaze turned towards Obi-Wan. "How far are you allowed to meddle in our wars?"

"You spoke of Arthas as a man with unlimited power that would without a doubt try to take over the galaxy." Obi-Wan said. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but one could say the he is considered as a threat to the galaxy. That's the specific kind of threat that we Jedi are meant to defeat." My father nodded in response and turned his gaze away. "Now I don't care what you think of us. All I care about is taking this Arthas down. We could use each other's help in that."

"Lyanna." Oliver, another clan leader, called my name. "You were held captive by the Jedi after the battle of Velen, weren't you?" I nodded at him. "How were you treated?"

"The Jedi were respectful and didn't lay a hand on me. When I was wounded, master Obi-Wan even carried me back towards safety. He also took care of our wounded." I answered truthfully.

"I take care in judging people by their ancestors. I have decided that one of the best ways to judge a man's honour is to see how he treats his inferiors." Oliver explained. "These Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker have given me no reason to doubt their honour. I see no reason to doubt their intentions and hold grudges."

"Aidan." The king spoke up. "You've been awfully quiet."

"I have." Aidan confirmed as he rubbed his temple in thought. "I like this situation just as much as Dylan. Yet I don't think we have a choice concerning the Jedi." His eyes then narrowed as he stood up from his chair, putting both his hands on the table as he leaned over it. He glared at Obi-Wan. "If you even think about betraying us, if you give us even the slightest reason to doubt you or if the thought even crosses your mind I will kill you."

"Don't worry, you won't have to." Obi-Wan said as he shrugged.

"Then it is decided." Eric concluded. "The Jedi will aid us in the attack on Derik and after that they'll have to leave our planet for good." Soft whispers filled the chamber after that. I glanced at Dylan and Charles who were eyeing each other with contempt. "Before I end this emergency meeting though I wish to say something."

The mood suddenly drastically changed as my father's eyes narrowed threatingly. It seemed as if the lightning dimmed and the air thickened, making everyone grasp the table a bit more tightly. His voice dropped to a dangerous growl, his lips curled up in a snarl. Even though he was of an age, everyone knew that they had to watch out for him. He was and will always be one of the strongest Valarjar to ever live, no one in their right mind would ever doubt that.

"If you ever speak of my daughter in that way again," Dylan and Charles both took in a deep breath and sat upright in their chairs. "you will be excluded from the council and locked up in the deepest dungeon I can find in my whole kingdom until you start screaming in madness." The silence that followed stretched on for a long time. A slight shiver ran down my spine as I felt a soft hand covering my shoulder. Obi-Wan had probably sensed my distressful mood. "Am I clear?" My father barked when no one answered.

"Yes, your grace." Dylan mumbled.

"Good." He sat back in his throne again. "You are all dismissed."