Before - Legends One Wing - Qui-Gon Jinn vignettes

Title: One Wing
Author: River_Stone
Timeframe: Before, after, and during the JA series, but before TPM.
Characters: Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a few others.
Genre: Angst
Summary: A couple of Qui-Gon vignettes based around his time spent in the company of a fledgling.
Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to George Lucas. One scene in this story belongs directly to the JA series by Jude Watson (though my interpretation of it is slightly different to hers).

This story was written for my amazing Master, who:
1) Tolerates constant PMs which are both annoying and badly spelled, and yet never complains;
2) Was wounded chasing the scrumptious Liam Neeson over the hills and is still nursing the injury ;
3) Is a constant inspiration and doesn?t even realise it.


Diane, this is for you.

~~~~~~~~~~(88888)~~~~~~~~~~

The Living Force.

That was what Master Yoda had called it, the music that sung through his veins. It spoke to him in honeydew whispers, in hymns drawn from the dawning sun and the chilled winds ruffling the distant sea. It had created the chorus that had led him here, drawing him away from the stuffy confines of the lecture hall to this unspoilt pocket of nature, deep in the heart of the Permius forest.

When the Living Force spoke, he obeyed.

For Qui-Gon Jinn lived in the moment.

And the moment lived in him.

He was only five years old and yet the distance he had tracked through the forest did not worry him, nor did the mud smeared across his tunic and clumped in drying knots in his hair. Here, the Living Force was a blanket concealed beneath a visage of bracken and towering pines. It was in everything, from the shadows slung amongst the branches to the trees slipping close behind him, from the sunlight slicing through the canopy to the sparkle of dew waters dripping from the leaves. It was everywhere and everything, and he would follow its siren, because they were one and the same, and neither could exist without the other.

He scrambled over a moulded trunk collapsed across his path and entered a clearing. There he stopped, midnight eyes aflame with awed intensity as he spotted a circlet of bracken and weed sitting lopsided upon a carpet of dark green moss.

?Oh, wow!?

The Living Force pulsed a wordless message, and Qui-Gon obeyed without question. He ran to the nest and knelt down beside it, his eyes growing wide and excited as he saw, amidst the slick vines and tethered leaves, a tiny bald fledging.

*Chi, chi cheep*

?Hi there,? Qui-Gon greeted happily, cupping the naked form in between warm hands. With clumsy tenderness he lifted it from the mangled nest. ?My name?s Qui-Gon. What?s yours??

*Chii cheep*

?I?m going to call you Nichan,? he instructed merrily, drawing the bony form to his chest and tucking the small body in the dirty, heavy folds of his tunic. The fledgling?s head twitched and turned, its large, black eyes blind beneath the heavy pink lids.

*Cheep.*

?Don?t worry,? he said, stroking the fledgling?s body beneath the fabric. ?I?m going to look after you.?

It was an eager promise, one that would not be dislodged by the unnatural stroke of silence that befell the choir of the trees or the ominous crunch of bracken as it breaks beneath some heavy weight. Curious, Qui-Gon stood and scanned the clearing, the fledging held gently against his chest. There, on the boarders of the clearing, he saw the gigantic form of a panther, almost three times his size and creeping towards the glade.

Qui-Gon bolstered the fledging to his chest, unconcerned. He was the panther and the panther was he; they were the trees and the sky, the earth and the air, twin participants in a moment that bore no menace. The Living Force still sung beneath the drapes of silence.

Whilst it did there was no danger.

There was only the now, the moment.

Qui-Gon turned his attention back to the fledgling, chirping and shivering aga

 

When the Living Force spoke, he obeyed.

For Qui-Gon Jinn lived in the moment.

And the moment lived in him.

I think those three lines summed up Qui-Gon's character as well as I've ever seen it done. Amazing! I know Dianthx is thrilled with this!

 

Oh this was juz breath taking!! Wonderful job!!! I surely bet diane is going to be so tickled!! *warm fuzzies*

These two were my fave parts

Dooku leant backwards on the bench, his expression blank and open but his words carrying a hidden edge of authority. ?You followed the Force, Qui-Gon; that is never wrong. However, this is an aspect of your training that it would be ill of us to ignore. You must learn to read the ripples to your actions: it can prepare you.?

Qui-Gon considered his Master with confusion. ?For what??

?For the future, ? he answered simply, ? and your role within it. The Unifying Force can reveal the direction of our path long before we set foot upon it. You must be mindful of your actions. Everything has a consequence.?




?I loved him,? he whispered.

Tahl?s grip did not waver. ?Sometimes that isn?t enough.?

He turned shattered eyes upon her, broken and brimming with dense despair. ?Then what is??

Her gaze was soft and certain, as bright as sunlight reflecting off a field of marigolds. She squeezed his hand, their fingers locking together with seamless perfection. ?Faith that it will be.?

 

Loved this story, River_Stone

I think my favorite line was this one:

And so he had lived, plunging into the river of the Living Force, never thinking, never realising, that someone, somewhere, would be caught in the waves of the consequence, and be pushed away.

I just keep thinking of the Council scene in TPM - it fits so perfectly. Sometimes the Force is a harsh mistress

 

I am absolutely thrilled with this. You did such a lovely job with going through his life. I loved how you hopped from one point in his life to another all the while with the bird theme going through it.

Loved this. It is so perfectly Qui-Gon Jinn. Expressive and simple and oh so beautiful.

When the Living Force spoke, he obeyed.

For Qui-Gon Jinn lived in the moment.

And the moment lived in him.

Love how you wrote Dooku, that he was elegant yet intrigued by this disregard for the rules. I can certainly see him saying that!
?Do not let it concern you, Padawan,? he ordered lightly, his tone hinting how he felt about the crèche Master?s behaviour. ?I was aware of your exploits before I made the decision to train you; if anything, they were what bought you to my attention. Such reckless disregard for the rules is worthy of recognition.?

And then his interactions with both his Padawans. Wonderfully done.

He saw the brilliant eyes of an initiate shine in the midnight hours, and his tender gift received in the following days.

But most importantly he saw himself, and wondered how he had forgotten.

?Qui-Gon, wait!?

He lowered his light-sabre, Obi-Wan copying with slow grace soon after.

?Everything has a consequence,? he reflected, and he breathed his first breath in what felt like weeks, crisp and cool and refreshingly clear. A realisation spilled free within him as he surveyed his apprentice, as powerful and simple as autumn winds that tumble across the still waters of the sea. ?You?re it, for me.?

Loved that.

Quite wonderful! Thank you so much for the gift!

This story was written for my amazing Master, who:
1) Tolerates constant PMs which are both annoying and badly spelled, and yet never complains;

Not so. Never annoying and rarely mis-spelled!

2) Was wounded chasing the scrumptious Liam Neeson over the hills and is still nursing the injury ;

Well, at least that was true.

3) Is a constant inspiration and doesn?t even realise it.
May you always find inspiration in your life, from the tinest drop of water to the glorious eternity of the cosmos.

Bravo.

 

Ah, there's that unique brand of incredibly beautiful, powerful description the boards have been missing for awhile. Very good to have it back.

Qui-Gon considered her, the way her gaze trembled over the others with a dying concern and awakening pain, as if struggling to find some shared emblem of their previous existence spear through the slumped bodies and eroded faces.


I just can't get over the way you detail things. Your word choice blows me away every time.

You portrayed Qui-Gon so perfectly, R_S. I loved how the story went through different stages in his life, but there was an underlying current of his gentleness, and his connection to the Living Force. It was a beautiful way to express his compulsion to care for fledglings, whether they be tiny birds or Jedi apprentices.

Just beautiful.

 

I'm completely breathless. Such powerful and vivid imagery you have woven... LOVED how the you showed Qui-Gon at different stages of his life with his Living Force.. .I am so envious of Diane

It's quite obvious you have her way with words, I only hope it doesn't take you as long to pick them out

 

Awe man that was wonderful! Lovely ingsights into his character. I just wish there was more. Great work!

 

Your master's incredibly lucky. You have a way with words, my dear, that's beautiful, descriptive, and fulfilling. I couldn't ask for a better way to describe Qui-Gon, in this. You've traced the patterns of his life so very well- from one end of the emotional spectrum to another. Bravo!

That beautiful fledgeling - that begins the path of his life. So very gentle, and warm. You've captured an enigma so very well.

Tahl?s grip did not waver. ?Sometimes that isn?t enough.?

He turned shattered eyes upon her, broken and brimming with dense despair. ?Then what is??

Her gaze was soft and certain, as bright as sunlight reflecting off a field of marigolds. She squeezed his hand, their fingers locking together with seamless perfection. ?Faith that it will be.?

Wonderful! May you always produce such wonderful pieces.

 

Oh wow! This was such a wonderful story, River_Stone, you are an excellent writer! I loved your characterization of Qui-Gon through his various ages, and the end had me all kinds of teared up, with a lump in my throat and everything. The parallels between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan as children was great, and the conversation with Dooku had me smiling. Overall it was just a great fic!

He bid a mental and final farewell. With tenderness, he released the bird into the sky.

And for the first time, he flew.

He flew past the stone walls of the lecture hall, circled with unpractised grace around the statues, curved and arced until he touched the sky.

And Qui-Gon was there with him when he did.

I don't know why that gets me, but my heart just felt like it was being squeezed.

Bravo!

Stormqueen

 

~pouts~

Now this really isn't fair!

Why wan't I informed!?

Or was I and did I loose it?

Oh, well... better late then never!

This was beautiful, and I'm really sorry that I don't have more time to come up with some loverly words to discribe yo0ur work... I'm afriad this meager thing will have to do.

Wonderful!

Seven

 

Absolutely gorgeous. I loved the parallels between Qui-Gon and the wounded bird, the way he had to let go in order to be free. Little Obi-Wan was very sweet and fey--just perfect.

I could go on and on and on . . . but this keyboard has a sticky spacebar, which is making this difficult. Keep writing! I can't wait to read more from you!

 

Ah, I despair.

Lovely, LOVERLY piece of work. Excellently done. I loved it.

Just Jill

 

Hello all

VaderLVR64: ?I think those three lines summed up Qui-Gon's character as well as I've ever seen it done.? That?s how I see Qui-Gon: always acting in the moment, doing what he must to follow the Force. Sigh...

Kynstar: Hi Kyn, glad you liked the story. I was quite worried about writing Dooku as he?s quite a difficult figure to capture on the page. I?m relieved that you thought it was ok. He?s a hard character to write, that one.

nd_jedi: ?Sometimes the Force is a harsh mistress.? It is. Qui-Gon follows the will of the Living force with such faith and it's heart-breaking to see some of the consequences of it. Thanks for reading.

dianethx: I am both honoured and amazed to have you as my Master. ?May you always find inspiration in your life, from the tiniest drop of water to the glorious eternity of the cosmos.? You?ll be the first to suffer through the products of this inspiration, believe me! Poor thing...

LuvEwan: That means a lot to me coming from you. Do you know how good you are at writing? ?I just can't get over the way you detail things. Your word choice blows me away every time.? I've always had a penchant for imagery. I'm trying to cut down. I've got an imagery patch and everything

Layren: Ah, thank you ?It's quite obvious you have her way with words, I only hope it doesn't take you as long to pick them out.? Um, would you believe me if I said no? I am afraid that I?m a very slow writer, especially at the moment. I'll try to quicken up!

Arwen-Jade_Kenobi: ?I just wish there was more.? There isn?t any more to this story, sorry. I could offer you a cake, though? Thanks for reading and I?m glad you liked it.

Princess_Arulmozhi: ?May you always produce such wonderful pieces.? If I had just the slimmest trace of your talent I would be ecstatic. You are wonderful, my dear, in every conceivable way. Thank you

stormqueen874: ?I don't know why that gets me, but my heart just felt like it was being squeezed.? Hee hee, I was hoping to achieve that. I?m mean . I?m really glad you liked it. I don?t like to write children if I can help it. They are strange little things...

Seven: Partner, you are never meagre, no, no, no. You are a talented person who should give us more stories. Oh yes! It is decided! What do you mean, ?no?? Don?t make me tie you up beside your Master! I?ll do it, too... (waves stick around threateningly)

Healer_Leona: Thank you. I was worried that Qui-Gon seemed out of character in places but I seem to have got out of it ok! Thank you for reading it.

maychorian: ?I loved the parallels between Qui-Gon and the wounded bird, the way he had to let go in order to be free.? He did, and he was free of the grief and pain because of it, and open to live his life as he must. Thank you.

Just_Jill: ?Ah, I despair.? Wonderful! I mean, er, that?s bad. Yes,bad. Very bad...(looks around in a shifty manner) Thanks for reading!

 

Oh that was absolutely perfect.

beautiful work.

Obi-Wan offering feathers so Qui-Gon could give Nicher a wing...

That was just so precious and sweet and perfect!

And then him saying in perfect innocence that the bird was not the one hurting but Qui-Gon was...

 

Sorry for falling behind, Kateydidnt. The whole bird concept originated from the quote "A bird never flew on one wing", and it just kind of made sense to me that Obi-Wan would be the one to help Qui-Gon get that back. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.