Chapter 33: The northern woods
Above the final design for our dear Lyanna. Might do one of Aidan or Arthas soon if you guys would like to see them!
When the sun rose the next day the two jedi and their troopers were ready to go as soon as they received their gryphons from Finn. At first most of them had difficulty handling the fierce beasts, but with some practice and some advice from their Valerian friend they were soaring through the sky. Lyanna guided them over the vast forest, over the steep northern mountains with its narrow mountain passes and cliffs. The air got colder with each hour they travelled, replacing the warm forgiving weather of the southern areas of the tropical planet. The nature grew wilder and darker with each mile they journeyed.
As the wind became harsher Lyanna continued to skilfully manoeuvre her way through the cliffs. Obi-Wan watched in amazement as she seemingly effortlessly flew over every single mountain ridge and glided on the wind that changed directions with every cliff they passed. Never once did she falter, her wings carrying her swiftly and elegantly. Above all he could feel her worries falling off her shoulders as she enjoyed the freedom she experienced in the air. The poison of the deathshot had definitely worn off. Every now and then she would show off her skills by falling dangerously fast, performing tricks near the edges of the razor rocks or just by facing the unforgiving northern wind.
"Gotta hand it to her, she does know her way around." Anakin commented as she performed yet another trick way ahead of them. He laughed as Obi-Wan cringed when she almost plummeted to her death, unwrapping her wings just in time to avoid being pierced by the trees.
"She reminds me of you." Obi-Wan sighed deeply, his nerves getting worse each time she increased her speed. Every time she did anything besides flying straight his heartbeat fastened remarkably. He grasped his gryphon a bit more tightly, trying to urge it to go faster to catch up with her. "And the way you crash each ship you fly."
The setting sun cast warm shadows on her distant figure, making the golden tips shine brightly in the light as she slowed. When he squinted his eyes, Obi-Wan could make out the mountains on the horizon where their destination lay. It was still too far to reach that day, just like they had discussed before.
"More like crash each ship that attacks me." Anakin remarked offendedly. He pulled on the reins of his gryphon rather clumsily when Lyanna landed in a clearing surrounded by a thick forest and tall mountain sides. His eyes focused on the ruins of what seemed to be an old farmstead surrounded by broken walls.
"We'll camp here." Lyanna nodded at them when they landed before her. She had already taken off her thick cloak and scouted the area for anything of interest.
"What was this place?" Obi-Wan asked as he looked at the broken towers surrounding the area. Nature had overgrown almost each part of the stone walls and even inside the barns creeks flowed wildly.
"An old outpost from before the second war." Lyanna said as she guided them to the barn they'd be resting in. She rubbed her hands together and softly blew warmth into them after being exposed to the northern winds for so long. "The war between Fireheart and Blackwing took down most of these sites. But that isn't anything new to you. I suspect you've already seen what war can do to a planet."
"More than you know." Obi-Wan commented sadly as they followed in her footsteps. Compared to the war that was going on in the galaxy, this one seemed rather peaceful still. In a weird way this felt like a vacation to the two jedi, trading a galaxy-wide war for a small, civil war on a distant planet. As soon as they'd arrived the clones made a campfire and decided on who should take which watches during the night. They shared tales of their wars and traditions as they ate their supper, laughed as Obi-Wan told about the numerous blunders Anakin had made during his training and shared fond memories of their youth.
When midnight had come most of the troopers were vast asleep, including Anakin. Obi-Wan however tossed and kicked but sleep wouldn't come. He could feel the emotions that whirled within him. Doubt, fear, sadness, all emotions he had never learned how to cope with. His mind went haywire when thinking of the anger that was hidden within his Valerian friend and how he recognized that emotion too well. The yellow eyes haunted him still. Sighing deeply, he'd closed his eyes for the hundredth time that night but was waken up when he felt a soft tuck on his arm.
"Lyanna?" He mumbled quietly when his eyes focused on her figure looming above him. She smiled slightly as his tired eyes fought against the urge to close again, only to pull on his arm one more time.
"Wake up." She whispered and almost pulled him on his feet. She seemed to jump excitedly as she looked behind her to see if she had disturbed anyone else from their sleep. "C'mon, Kenobi, I've got something to show you."
"What is it?" He yawned but obliged quickly, following her quiet footsteps through the barn and into the warm night air.
"You'll see when you get there." Lyanna smiled devishly, grasping his hand as she guided him through the thick bushes. She seemed to almost float over the soft moss as she walked through the dense forest, her red hair being the only reason Obi-Wan hadn't lost himself in the darkness yet. He protested against the numerous twigs and leaves that got stuck in his hair and clothes whilst Lyanna seemed not to have any trouble at all.
"I really hope this all is worth-" His breath got stuck in his throat when Lyanna suddenly pulled him down closer to the ground, crouching behind an overgrown fallen tree as their eyes focused on another clearing in the midst of the forest. A small waterfall was visible with a lake that originated from it, surrounded by numerous flowers and plants of different origin. The air was filled with fireflies and other creatures Obi-Wan didn't recognize which illuminated the space Obi-Wan would simply describe as one from a fairy tale.
That wasn't the best part though. In the midst of the clearing enjoying the sweet water of the creek stood a small adolescent dragon. Its scales were white and shimmering with numerous colours, its wings made out of a strong white leather as they rested on the grass. "By the force..." Obi-Wan muttered as his eyes grew wide. "I didn't think they still existed."
"For the record, you didn't even know we existed." Lyanna chuckled softly as she looked at him. Her smile grew wider when she saw the wonder in his eyes. Her heart warmed as he struggled to keep himself from trying to get near the creature, afraid to spook it. Something else did though. A small branch broke on the other side of the clearing, scaring the dragon away as he swiftly flew up in the air towards safety.
"Blast it." Obi-Wan sighed in disappointment, standing up and dusting off his tunic while he walked into the clearing, trying to see if he could still spot the magnificent creature. When he didn't find it, his eyes followed Lyanna's figure as she twirled around excitedly, trying to catch the fireflies in the air as she laughed. He frowned, remembering the state she was in just one day ago. Worry replaced the excitement he felt almost instantly. When she finally looked at him again with one of the biggest smiles he'd seen from her yet, he motioned for her to sit down with him on the soft moss next to the small lake.
She frowned slightly, noticing the worried look on his face, but sat down right in front of him, mimicking the way he folded his legs before him and rested his arms on his knees. "I'm going to show you something." Obi-Wan said carefully. "And I need you to take it seriously, and I need you to try."
Lyanna's eyes narrowed slightly as her eyebrows knotted together but she nodded nonetheless. "I can feel that the force is strong within you, and it will only get stronger if you find an echo tomorrow. We need to prevent it from getting out of control like it did yesterday." He watched her carefully as he spoke, afraid that he'd anger her. Her eyes didn't betray anything she was feeling though and even through the force he didn't detect any emotion from her. "No matter what we find out tomorrow you need to stay in control of your emotions."
Lyanna sighed deeply as she looked away, knowing what he was hinting at. "I'm not a jedi, Obi-Wan. I am permitted to be angry." She said boldly and bit the insides of her cheek. "And the force works differently in us. We don't meditate."
"Just trust me, okay?" The desperation in his eyes seemed to convince her as she nodded again. "Follow my lead." Obi-Wan said slowly as he closed his eyes. Lyanna did as she was told, closing her eyes and straightening her back. "Focus on the force. It surrounds us, penetrates us and everything around us." She breathed in deeply and felt the power around her. It came more easily than she expected and soon she was in deep concentration.
"Let go of everything you feel, everything you know." Obi-Wan continued as he felt her relax remarkably. Even with Anakin he'd never experienced someone learning this quickly. He was utterly thunderstruck by the speed by which she learned things. "Focus on the balance." Their slow breaths synchronized as they concentrated, unifying them in a way Obi-Wan hadn't thought they would ever be.
As she got lost in the force swift images suddenly played out in front of her. She frowned as she heard voices that were mingled together, too soft to make out what they were saying but they were getting louder and more chaotic. One was clear enough for her to make out. "Remember my dear Obi-Wan, I have loved you always, I always will." Lyanna stilled for a moment, afraid of what might happen if she continued to dwell in these visions. Her curiosity got the best of her though so she delved in deeper without a second thought.
Her eyes opened swiftly when a loud crash rang through her ears, her vision soon clearing. She was surrounded by fire and loud screams of agony. Only she wasn't just anywhere, she was standing in a ruined Eagle's fall filled with dead bodies. She continued to turn around swiftly as her eyes glided over the blood-covered streets and the burning buildings, ashes falling down in a thick grey cloud. "There is no justice, no law, no order, except for the one that will replace it." Above her a dark figure flew over, temporarily clouding her vision until she was standing somewhere else entirely.
"You turned her against me!" It was a different planet it seemed, for she had never before seen a desert this big. As far as her eyes could see there was only sand and an unbearingly pressing heat pushed down on her. Her breath accelerated until she spotted a small white hovel where a man protected from the sun by a familiar dark brown cloak was handing over a baby to a stranger. "Obi!" Recognizing his brown beard she tried to run to him, extending her arm until she suddenly tumbled over her own feet.
As she struggled to get back up her eyes soon focused on a dirty street that reflected the different lights and panels of the boards above her. She stood up, numerous people bumping against her as they passed her on the busy street. Even if it wasn't for the thick crowd that was scurrying away, her breath was taken away when she saw an entire army of clone troopers in a different kind of armor marching through the street with their weapons ready. She tried to follow the crowd away until her eyes focused on certain wanted posters plastered on the walls. "This ship is going down and those men, my brothers, are willing to die and take you and me along with them."
It wasn't only her they were looking for, but also her brother, Stefan and Obi-Wan were displayed on the paper canvasses. Suddenly she could hear heavy breathing. When she felt a hand on her shoulder she quickly turned around, only to be met by dark eyes covered by a black helmet in a clean, black prison cell. She fell backwards as she yelled in fright, watching the black dressed machine-like man as he loomed above her with his red lightsaber ready to strike. "You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind, until now, until now you've become the very thing you swore to destroy." As she held her arms before her to protect herself, she heard her name being called loudly.
When she opened her eyes again she was standing in the middle of what seemed to be a marketplace. Again, she was surrounded by dead bodies only these were Valerian soldiers. Their armor was scorched black and blood covered the paved streets. "Don't think any different of me, when you find out." Her father's voice rang through her head as she looked down at her hands. Only they were covered in thick blood. "A king is only as good as the sacrifices he makes for his people." A younger version soon followed. Her breath continued to accelerate when blood continued to drip down from her fingers and flooded the floor, seemingly coming from nowhere.
"Lyanna!" He seemed to pull her from the vision almost instantly as she opened her eyes wide again only to be met with his blue eyes staring right back at her. Lyanna panted loudly as she took in her surroundings, the fireflies dancing around her like nothing had even happened. As her breath calmed slowly she frowned deeply and looked at her hands before her. The skin was slightly pink, but other than that she didn't detect any redness like before. She closed her eyes again and breathed in deeply, banning the images from her head as she collected her thoughts.
"Where did you go?" Obi-Wan worriedly glanced at her. Lyanna thought deeply, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Nowhere, it was nothing." She quickly spoke, her voice still slightly trembling. Taking in a deep breath to calm herself she collected her thoughts and numbly looked back at the jedi before her. "I just got distracted, is all." Telling him about the disturbing images would only worsen his fear for her getting out of control, she decided. After all, they were just images, right? They didn't even have to mean anything. Time was ever moving and destiny was never set in stone. Lyanna simply shrugged as he continued to stare at her. "You were saying?"
Obi-Wan scoffed softly but let it go, closing his eyes again. "This time, try to concentrate." He said, an irritated hint laced through his musky voice. While Obi-Wan easily jumped back into meditation, Lyanna continued to stare out in front of her as she tried to figure out what the visions meant. Now they seemed just one big blur, too many images to make out what they were even meant to resemble. The redness of all the blood on her hands was still clear though, the disturbing image printed inside her head.
She focused on Obi-Wan, trying to distract herself from the voices that had rung through her head. He was oddly boring as he remained calmly seated, not even in the least distracted by anything going on around him. Leaning forward, she grasped a tiny branch from the ground and tickled his neck with it.
She saw his nose scrunch up slightly and his eyebrows drawing together but he refused to acknowledge what she was doing. Chuckling softly, she got up on her feet and stalked behind him, earning a frustrated sigh from the jedi master. "Lyanna, please stop." He said calmly and remained upright and still as she tickled his sides relentlessly. "I'm trying to teach you something here."
"Well, maybe I don't want to be taught." Going back to her former position after the lack of response she sat down on her knees in front of him. Huffing loudly and resting her head on her knuckles she watched as he continued to meditate while her other hand softly traced the small waves of the lake. A soft drizzle came from the sky, so without any doubt Lyanna unwrapped her wings and hooded Obi-Wan to keep him from getting wet until an idea arose. She leaned forward, her hands reaching out for the sides of his head as their faces neared. Just before she could plant her lips on his, his hands grasped her wrists and tumbled them over using his weight to his advantage, pinning her on the ground in one swift move as he lay on top.
"You are one disobedient apprentice, you know that?" Obi-Wan blew a strand of hair away from his face as he loomed over her. His eyes were still narrowed as he stared down on her only to be greeted by a satisfied grin.
"Good thing I'm not your apprentice, master jedi." She smiled devishly as she skilfully locked his lower body in place with her legs, keeping him from leaving. His grip on her wrists tightened remarkably as he pushed her to the ground but he couldn't stop her upper body rising up to his as her eyes bore into his. "It would certainly make things even more complicated."
His heartbeat fastened immediately but on the outside he remained calm. His mind raced as he looked down at her, the red hair that was sprawled all over the forest floor, the freckles that covered her fair skin and the crashing green eyes that continued to challenge him. "I'm afraid things can't get much more complicated than they are now." Obi-Wan slowly spoke but made no attempt to get away from her.
"Are you afraid of me?" As absurd as the question sounded to him, Lyanna seemed to genuinely wonder as she looked at him questionably and worriedly. It was true, the night before the anger inside of her had scared him. Yet he was sure that that person wasn't her, and that he couldn't judge her on her actions that night. She had just lost her father, her city and her people in one day.
"Are you?" Obi-Wan asked instead of answering himself. Lyanna sighed and let her head fall back on the moss in between her pinned hands as she looked at him.
"I am." She answered truthfully. "I am afraid of who I might become." Continuing, she narrowed her eyes in thought. "When I find out who I was all this time."
Obi-Wan smiled softly as he released her wrists and instead let his hand rest on her cheek while the other supported his weight. "You are Lyanna, just like you've always been. Nothing will change that." His thumb gently traced her skin. "Unless you let it."
Lyanna visibly calmed and nodded, speaking up after a few silent moments. "Then I guess I'll remain a pain in the ass for you." Obi-Wan chuckled at that response, dropping his head slightly as the vibrations went through his chest. When he looked at her again his heart warmed, knowing that he could trust her with whatever she might find tomorrow. He leaned down and without any hesitation kissed her lips gently, relishing in the softness of the skin as they enveloped his.
Lyanna gratefully wrapped her arms around him almost instantly, pulling him down, closer to her and waving her fingers through his hair. His hands went down to her hips and held on firmly when he deepened the kiss and enjoyed the warm embrace of her body and the way they seemed to fit almost perfectly. He relaxed but still tried to hold himself back from going any further, while some voice in the back of his head kept telling him to just let go. When her tongue entered his mouth, his grip tightened and his fingers dug into her skin, trying his best to remain in control.
It was like he was hanging by a thread that could snap at any moment. What was beneath his feet he didn't know, but he was also not sure if he wanted to find out. When he felt her soft hands directly in contact with his skin on his hips, dragging him down to meet her while her legs pushed him closer against her, his eyes snapped open. The blood was rushing through his body while his heart thumped wildly, realising he had already lost control when he felt something he rarely felt. He tried to stall the slow agonizing movements she made with her hips by pushing her down and tried to suppress a moan at the back of his throat.
His cheeks reddened as he drew back from her lips, his bewildered eyes focusing on hers. At first it seemed like she had just woken up from a dream, her eyes still slightly closed, until she had realised what he was trying to prevent. A big smile started to play around her lips as she slowly released her grip on his lower body.
"Sorry master, I didn't think you..." She cocked her head to the side in thought, one of her hands rising to his neck to check his pulse and confirm her suspicions. She didn't really need to, seeing the redness of his cheeks. "were sensitive to that kind of, well, emotions." For a few moments she continued to smile devishly, as if she had just accomplished something, until she slowly unwrapped her legs from around him. "Maybe I should just let you meditate again."
"No, wait." While trying his best not to crush her beneath his weight his hands went down to her thighs to keep her legs in place. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he enjoyed her body beneath him far too much to let her go this soon. "Just... stay like this for a while." Lyanna frowned as she saw the conflict in his eyes. Obi-Wan softly scoffed at his own actions, groaning in frustration as he dropped his head slightly to try and avoid her eyes.
"You know, I can always cool you off." Her eyes met his again when he looked up. "Do you, do you need to cool off?" Without any hint of deceit in her innocent voice she stared at him, waiting for him to answer as she batted her eyelashes.
"Depends on what you're planning?" Obi-Wan frowned in confusion, but when she placed her hands on his waist with an even bigger grin and pushed him to the side realisation hit too late. Or rather, something else hit him. Water. Cold, dirty, lake water. Lyanna had managed to push him into the lake where he now resided on the bottom. He could hear her laughter even while submitted, his eyes narrowing in determination when he saw the blurry image of her red hair emerging above the water.
He quickly emerged from the water and grasped both her arms, dragging her underneath the water with him and then grasped her waist tightly as she struggled and laughed. "Alright, alright!" She chuckled when they emerged again and shook her head to get the moist hairs out of her face. Water droplets flew everywhere and the former silent clearing was now filled with sounds of joy. When Obi-Wan tried to submerge her again in an act of revenge, she shrieked and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Alright you win!" Lyanna tried to hug herself closer to him, trying not to go underwater entirely again. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her head in the crook of his neck, wrapping her legs around him again to find some warmth in the cold water when a light breeze froze their upper limbs. "Just don't pull me under again." Lyanna pouted. His chest vibrated when he chuckled in response.
Lyanna stalled for a few moments until she was sure the danger had passed, drawing back so she could look at him again. "So, have you..." Another smile played on her lips when she noticed the numerous droplets caught in his beard. "You know, cooled off?"
"Definitely."
Phewwwww so that was a lot of everything in this chapter. Hope you enjoyed! I'm going to start a little game and it goes as follows: the person who gets all the references from the visions (who said it and when) will get a dedication next chapter. Let's make this a little bit more exciting :P
Next chapter we'll be exploring the caves! Lyanna's backstory, here we come. I've been imaging this scene for literal years so I hope it comes out right. Comment your theories and maybe you'll see them confirmed soon enough
Anyways, hope you enjoyed and don't forget to hit that vote button! The number of votes had dropped drastically sadly and I was hoping we could fix that :))
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