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Did we make it?
Yes.
I think I'll go faint now.

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ROTFL! I love it!

 

Great story!

Uppers.

 

Yeah, I'm back!!!!!



Anel?de opened her eyes, gazing across the campfire at the restless figure of Qui-Gon Jinn. She smiled her wise smile. ?He is safe. And he sends his assurances.?

?I knew the latter,? Qui-Gon muttered. He frowned at the Jedi woman, who seemed to be able to connect with almost any life form. ?Do you know where he is.?

It is curious,? Anel?de said. ?He is on the far side of the Great Wall. Seems that his detour led him through Torneh.?

Qui-Gon watched her closely. ?There?s something else, isn?t there??

The woman smiled again and glanced up at the stars. ?I?ve heard about you Qui-Gon Jinn, from the other Jedi who have come here in search of peace or an answer. Do not worry. Your Padawan seems to have picked up a strong trait of yours.?

?That,? Qui-Gon said. ?Is what I am worried about.?

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A fine morning mist had settled over the stream. Few animals scurried around the edge of the wood and the white horse hugged close to the campfire. Karigan stirred, then opened her eyes. It was a chilly, gray morning, promising a hot day to come. A storm would arrive in a few days. Perhaps she would be safe in G?ladheon by then.

The princess rolled over, searching for the . . . well, not mysterious, rather strange traveling companion. He was already packing for the day?s ride. Karigan sat up, pushing off the blanket and rubbing her arms. She wasn?t about to be attended to today, she was now fit and strong. With silent efficiency, she rolled up her bedroll and filled the canteen. Then she whistled to Raven and quickly saddled the horse.

?I?m taking the reins today,? Karigan said as Obi-Wan fastened the saddlebags on. She waited for him to protest or challenge her, but he simply nodded.

Karigan mounted and then held her arm out for leverage. He mounted smoothly, taking a light hold at her waist. ?Any idea where to go?? he asked.

?Can you get us to fly over that wall again?? Karigan asked, only half joking.

?Not from a stand still,? Obi-Wan said.

?Okay, then,? Karigan said. ?We?ll run along the wall. Maybe there will be a breach before we reach the end.?

?How long will that take??

?A week, if we hurry,? Karigan shrugged. She clucked to Raven and the stallion moved forward at a trot. The princess smiled and settled into the feel of the horse?s stride and the freedom and control she possessed. The feel of the well-oiled leather in her hands and the soft sound of her horse?s hooves was soothing to her. She could almost close her eyes and heel the horse into a mad gallop, streaking across some pasture with the wind blowing her hair in disarray. But no, she was not free, there was no pasture. She couldn?t fly with the wind. The wall kept her prisoner and the man sitting behind her would prevent her from the personal bliss.

The morning mist soon burned away as the sun rose into the sky. The wet air became sticky and Karigan felt beads of sweat form on her brow. Raven?s white neck became slick and dark. She thought of crossing the creek and taking shade in the woods, but the old superstitions held her at bay. Obi-Wan was quiet behind her, probably doing his trance thing, she supposed.

The sun was straight overhead when she finally pulled to a stop. She reached for the canteen that slung across her shoulders, took a long drink, and moved the container back to Obi-Wan. He took a drink, then replaced the cork. ?Do you want to stop to eat?? he asked.

Karigan frowned and glanced at the wall. It would be nice to soak her feet in the cold stream and re-fill the canteen. She nodded. ?Yeah. Raven needs a rest.?

Obi-Wan let go of her waist and slid off the horse. She dismounted smoothly and reached for the saddlebags. Her hand brushed something besides food. Frowning, she peered in and withdrew the cylindrical object. It was cold and weighed in her hands. It was suddenly snatched out of her hands.

?You don?t want to mess with that,? Obi-Wan said, his voice a quiet warning. He took the tube

 

Oh I love this story. It is sooooo awesome.

 

Chapter Six


They rode into the tiny village. It was mostly empty. ?Farmers are out in the fields,? Karigan had explained. They both dismounted and hitched Raven to the side rail of the sutler store. Obi-Wan stayed outside while Karigan purchased their supplies. She knew the local talk and understood the pricing range. While she was preoccupied, Obi-Wan stretched out with the Force, getting a sense of the bandits.

They were too far out of his range, which was a comfort. Obi-Wan sat on the sturdy rail, patting Raven on his sweaty neck absently. It was a hot day and he could not wait for it to end.

Raven pricked his ears and snorted, turning his head towards the end of the small street. Obi-Wan hopped off the rail and looked over the horse?s back. A man on a gray horse was leading a chestnut mare into town. The riderless horse was fully tacked and equipped with saddlebags. It took Obi-Wan a moment to recognize the mare. Then a grin split his face. The Jedi hurried across the street, waving at the rider.

?What can I do for you, son?? the man asked. He wore a black beard and wore a floppy hat.

Bluebird whinnied and bobbed her head, straining against the lead shank. Obi-Wan nodded towards the excited animal. ?I came to claim my horse.?

The man laughed. ?That your beast??

?Yes, sir,? Obi-Wan said. ?Ran off on me one night.?

?Heck, son, that devil was hell to catch,? the man said. He frowned as Bluebird tugged on the rope again, snorting and pushing her nose to Obi-Wan. ?Yup, guess it is yours.? He scratched his beard. ?Could use a couple coppers for keeping this thing.?

?Agreed,? Obi-Wan said, amazed on how easy it was to get the mare back. He dug into his pockets, drew out two coppers, and handed it to the man. He grinned and released the lead line. Bluebird neighed and trotted right up to the Jedi, bobbing her head. ?Thank you, sir,? he said.

The bearded man shook his head. ?Hope you last in the saddle more than I did.? He kicked his horse and rode on down the street.

Obi-Wan pushed Bluebird?s butting head away. The mare neighed again and chopped at her bit. He led her over to the post beside Raven. The horses blew hot breaths at each other. Bluebird nipped Raven?s white neck, then scratched her head against him.

?What?s this?? Karigan called, coming out of the sutler, laden down by her purchases.

?My horse,? Obi-Wan said.

?That nag? Don?t tell me you just bought her.?

?Fine, I won?t.?

Karigan groaned and came up to Bluebird. ?How many coppers??

?Two,? Obi-Wan shrugged.

?I don?t believe you,? the princess scoffed. ?She?s probably loco.?

Obi-Wan patted Bluebird. ?It?s amazing. Bluebird here was my mount before I decided to intervene.?

?Your ride, not mine,? Karigan shrugged. She began to pack her supplies into her saddlebags.

Obi-Wan checked his saddlebags, knowing there wasn?t much. There were two slabs of jerky left, his canteen, a fresh shirt, and seven coppers and one silver. They divided the food and supplies and Obi-Wan transferred his robe from Raven to Bluebird.

Then they mounted and rode out of town. Obi-Wan checked and their hunters were still out of range. He settled back into the feel of riding the horse by himself without gripping Karigan?s waist for security. Raven?s strides were springier and the stallion appeared relieved to only bear one rider. They traveled three leagues before they came to another fork in the rode.

Karigan halted her horse and looked over at Obi-Wan. ?Where are you going now that you have your horse back? Surely, you wouldn?t want to tag along with a princess. Especially with one that carries the death mark.?

Obi-Wan glanced back down the road and shrugged. ?Two against a whole mob is better odds than one against them all.?

She raised an eyebrow at him, then nodded towards the road on the right. ?This will lead us to G?ladheon.?

 

Go right! Go right! .... oh wait a minute. Sorry, didn't mean to try to influence the characters. *grins sheepishly* More, Amidolee, please?

 

He only had three of his men left. Stave was not a superstitious man, but he was ready to believe in the old tales of demons with swords of fire. The demon that had captured the princess and slay his men was no doubt of those legends. Lord Amilton would not be pleased to here this. There was nothing else to do but send some men to pursue and others to return to Torneh and deliver the message to the angry lord.

Stave couldn?t decide which would be worse.

 

This story seems to drop rather quickly :_( Sigh, oh well. Some good news. I've finally got "Portrait" completely archived on my site!!!! It takes forever because you have to go in and put all of the HTML codes in, even if you saved it in that format on word!!

Pretty soon I'll have Lilith's hitch-hiking story up . . . and maybe one of Daphne's!!!!

 

Any Lurkers out there?????? Sorry, I'm impatient and greedy for replies. I think all the interest in my Sabe Saga stuff has turned me into a spoiled brat.

 

I'm here. I'm reading. I thought I was posting. I guess I wasn't.

BTW I love your signature.

 

Same here! I like what you've got here...

--Mr. P

 

::waves hand wildly::

I'm here! You know I'm here.

 

I'm still reading and enjoying both of your current fan fics. BTW thanks for the encouraging words about my story!

 

Oh, Amidolee, I am reading this like crazy. Don't stop! I only read at work so I keep your stories up from 8-5.

 

Mesa happy now!! I've been working on Embers and the USJS, but I have to get back to work on this because there is only 2 more posts written, so I better get crackin'!!!!

Guess what? I've had bouts of insomia lately. Too many stories in my head I guess. Sigh, oh well.



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G?ladheon City was a bustling fortress. Qui-Gon and Anel?de arrived late in the afternoon three days later. The Jedi woman claimed Obi-Wan would arrive here and that the best thing to do was wait for him. Qui-Gon hated waiting. Although he would preach and preach the importance of patience to his Padawan, the Jedi Master knew he should teach himself the lesson.

The horses were tired and in need of rest. Anel?de found a cheap but pleasant inn and livery stable. The horses were boarded and fed.

?A walk in the city streets will ease your worry,? Anel?de concluded.

G?ladheon was surrounded by a great stone wall that rose into the castle at the crest of the hillside. It was a cheerful city, with people of all sorts and backgrounds bustling about. It was a city that spoke of wealth and beauty. The city?s square was full of livestock for sale and even a few men were sparring with swords for money.

Anel?de followed Qui-Gon?s gaze to the sparring men and she smiled. ?Care to have a go, Qui-Gon??

The Jedi Master smiled at the woman. Her head was still covered by her hood and shawl, but her eyes sparkled at him. ?It would be an unfair advantage for me,? he shrugged, glancing again at the small circle of bystanders. Two young men hacked at each other, no finesse or calculated movements, just flashy slashes and swipes. Maybe it would be fun to teach them a thing or two.

The tall man strode confidently across the square. He stood at the edge of the crowd and watched the shorter of the duelers lose his sword. The crowd clapped and cheered as the victor bowed.

?Anyone else?? the broad man called. His blonde hair was greased and matted, his manner arrogant. ?Three coppers! Anyone else??

Qui-Gon smirked as the young man turned towards him. ?How ?bout you, sir?? the blonde asked, waving his rusty sword at the newest arrival. ?Would you care to have a go??

?It wouldn?t be fair to you, young man,? Qui-Gon replied cheerfully. ?You are obviously an amateur.?

The crowd laughed. The blonde fighter pretended to shrug it off. ?Can you prove that you are greater than I, old man??

Qui-Gon stepped forward as the crowd parted for him. His own sword came unsheathed and he bowed gracefully before his foe. The cocky young man made an elaborate sweep with his sword and tossed his long hair away from his eyes. Qui-Gon stood with his sword pointed down, relaxed and watching the young opponent. Blondie rushed forward, slashing for Qui-Gon?s hips. The Jedi Master suddenly sprang to life, sword up and parrying the wild move. He stepped away easily and watched as the fury ignited.

It was almost too easy for him. Obi-Wan always presented a bit of a challenge when they sparred together. The young man was unpredictable and fierce in battle. This young man was just showy and inexperienced. Deciding to end this, Qui-Gon disarmed the man in an eye blink.

?How?d you do that?? he gasped.

?Simple,? Qui-Gon said, tossing back the rusty sword. ?I studied you, did not attack in anger, and I?m simply an old man of experience.? He patted the other?s shoulders. ?I thank you for that refreshing duel.?

Then the Jedi Master turned and parted from the crowd.

 

Yup. Good as ever.

 

Amilton was furious. Nothing was working according to all of his careful planning. The lord paced silently before the kneeling man. The mercenary sent to him, bearing bad news and the death mark. The Fire Demon? Amilton had thought those old tales to be superstition and what-not. Surely his magic was not turning against him? Testing his strength with this new opponent.

His black cloak swished around him as he paced; the only sound in the chamber. The mercenary kept his head down, but watched as the lord?s booted feet pace. Amilton would kill him, there was no doubt of that. The only question was would he torture him?

Amilton suddenly smiled. Yes, that was it. He was simply too great and strong. The gods had sent him a challenger, one that would be defeated soon. The cat-like smile glinted in the light of the flickering candles. It was time to step up his plans.

Amilton snapped his fingers. Two guards approached and bowed. Amilton glanced down at the trembling mercenary. ?Take him away. I am done with him.?

He watched, the grin spreading as he listened to the sweet scream of agony from the mercenary as he was swiftly executed.

 

Um, sorry to bring you bad news guys, but uh, I sorta have to leave tomorrow morning and won't be back until Sunday night. See, I have this Civil War reenactment to go to and they didn't have computers back in the 1860's.

If you beg, I might put another post up before I go.

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Karigan finished cleaning the small cut along Raven?s foreleg and straightened. The princess wiped her forehead on her sleeve and patted the stallion. He barely noticed her, too busy greedily eating the small portion of oats she had purchased. The mare, Bluebird, was in a similar euphoria. She smiled and then turned towards the small camp where Obi-Wan was busy cooking slabs of jerky.

Her mouth watered and she licked her lips in anticipation. As much of a hurry they were in to put distance between them and the remaining posse, both had agreed that the animals were too tired to go all night. Obi-Wan had volunteered to stay up and keep a look out. Karigan had protested for a good hour until he had finally pulled to a halt, dismounted, and gave her a no-nonsense look. Then he had calmly explained that he could go several nights without sleep, it wasn?t a problem, and that he had had more sleep the past few nights than usual, so she would just have to put up with it and stop arguing like the royal brat she was.

How could she argue with that?

?Smells good,? Karigan greeted.

?I may be completely ignorant about the royal court,? Obi-Wan said, his eyes on the cooking meat. ?But I do know a few things about survival of the stomach.?

She grinned and rubbed her hands together. ?All right, then, fork it over.?

?Patience, patience,? Obi-Wan chided, smirking a little.

?Ah, to hell with patience, I?m hungry,? Karigan scoffed, reaching over to take the prodding stick from him.

He caught her hand before it ever reached the meat, smiled pleasantly, and retrieved the meat, settling it on the tin plate. Then he took a bite, chewed loudly, and swallowed. ?Hmm, good. The fire?s free, so you can cook yours.?

?Why you little snipe!? Karigan cried. She let her mouth gap for a moment, staring at him in disbelief. He couldn?t be that cruel, could he? ?You are the most ugly, rude, uncouth, ill-mannered, rodent to ever walk the face of this earth!?

That impish smile never left his face and those blue eyes danced merrily at her. Karigan fought to keep hold of her anger, but found herself suddenly bubbling with laughter. She suddenly blushed at her outburst. Had she just sounded like the bratty princess? //Oh, no, he did that on purpose!//

?Believe what you want to believe, Princess,? Obi-Wan said airily, taking another bite of the juicy meat.

?If you hadn?t saved me I would smack you right now,? Karigan said in a disgusted tone.

?That?s right, you?re indebted to me,? Obi-Wan said thoughtfully.

?Don?t get any ideas,? she said sharply. Karigan held her hand out, giving him a hard stare. Obi-Wan shrugged and placed the plate of hot jerky between them. She took a slab and bit into it. ?Imbecile. I bet your mother hated you.?

?I never knew my mother.?

Karigan looked at him sharply, half-expecting to see sadness in his handsome features. There was none, just a calm acceptance. She frowned and swallowed her jerky. ?Oh. I?m sorry.?

?Don?t be,? Obi-Wan shrugged.

The rest of the meal was ate in silence, both famished from the long day?s ride. Then Karigan laid down, arms crossed under her head, knees bent towards the sky. The small pinpricks of stars twinkled through the canopy of the trees. She smiled softly to herself. ?Have you ever wondered what?s up there?? Karigan asked quietly. ?What the stars really are, if it?s more than the heavens up there.?

Obi-Wan snorted and coughed. Karigan turned on her side to glower at him from across the campfire. ?It isn?t funny. Don?t make fun.?

?I?m not,? Obi-Wan said. He leaned back against the saddlebags and looked up at the night sky.

?Then why did you laugh??

Obi-Wan glanced across the

 

Looking forward to reading more! Have fun on your trip!

 

That was great.

Quote:
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They didn't have computers in the 1860's
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LOL I suppose they didn't. Hope you have fun though.

 

I'm open to reading another post before you go, if you have time, Amidolee