Beyond - Legends A Journey of Discovery-Bk.2: Pledge (L/M, H/L, OC's) Completed 4/2/04

bye, bye angry natives, may you live long and prosperous lives.

So sure, are you, that you've seen the last of them?

More angry natives? Where?

 

J_M_Bulldog: I had Kelly in mind.


Stormtrooper_Shrink: Don't worry, you'll all find out today, so no more gloating.


Kazzy: Don't count out angry natives until L&M are safely offplanet.

---

It's my birthday, and I'm feeling generous. So how about a whole chapter today? :D :D :D




[b]Chapter Eighteen[/b]





Luke had felt the danger only moments before hearing the deadly whistle. His lightening-fast reflexes sent him jerking upright, but he wasn't quick enough to completely avoid the arrow that flew his way.

"Luke!" Mara cried in alarm, sensing him stagger in pain behind her. She spun around to see him clutching his leg, his lightsaber already ignited with his free hand.

"Get down!" he shouted, waving his blade slowly as he scanned their surroundings.

"Speak for yourself," Mara bit out, moving to defend her injured husband, her own azure blade poised to fend off further attacks.

Another arrow whistled out from the trees, and Mara easily batted it aside.

"Who's there?" she growled loudly, knowing this was no hunting accident. "Show yourselves!"

Luke stood back to back with Mara, doing his best to ignore the burning pain in his thigh. "What do you want?" He put as much force into his voice as he could, directing his shout toward the direction the last arrow had come from.

A nasty laugh echoed from the trees. "We want yer woman," a coarse voice snarled. "Move aside, whelp, so we don'na hafta hurt her too."

"Hate to disappoint you, Pruden," Luke returned, instantly recognizing the voice, "but you can't have her. I thought we made that ...," he paused as only a slight movement sent a jolt of agony through his leg, "... made that clear at the pub."

"Come out into the open, cowards!" Mara called, her eyes narrowing in anger. "Quit hiding behind the trees."

"So ye can swipe at us with yer magic sticks?" A loud guffaw of contempt came from the trees opposite to where Mara was facing, prompting her to swing around in readiness. "Do ye think we be fools?"

"Stand still, Mara," Luke ground out in a hoarse whisper. "I've got this direction."

"You're barely able to stay upright," Mara bit back. "Get down and let me handle this."

"They've got us surrounded," he argued. "You can't cover ... all sides at once." He easily intercepted a third arrow, this one aimed directly at his chest.

"So what do we do? Stand here till you collapse?"

"You keep 'em talking, while I think of a way ... out of this," he panted. "If they're talking, they'll be less likely ... to be shooting."

"What?!" Her previously sarcastic tone turned to indignation. "You think I'm incapable of solving this dilemma?"

"Mara, please ..." Luke didn't have the time or energy to soothe her wounded ego.

Mara muttered a word of acquiescence, her concern for Luke overriding her natural tendency to refuse to take orders from anyone, including him. Swiveling around in a huff, she called out in a loud voice toward the probable location of the group's leader. "How can you possibly think you can have me, Odus Pruden? I'm married."

"And ye'll soon be widowed," came the scornful snicker.

"But I'm a witch," Mara choked out the distasteful moniker. "Aren't you afraid I'll ... I'll turn you all into rishhares or bog-toads?"

Pruden's answer came in the form of a fist-sized rock landing just shy of Mara's feet. "Let's see ye turn that into a bog-toad."

With a flicker of the Force, Mara sent the stone flying back toward its sender. "How 'bout a hawk-bat instead?"





Half listening to the poor excuse for a parley behind him, Luke studied their surroundings. "There's a ridge ... just ahead," he murmured over his shoulder. "We can climb ... up there, and be in a better ... position ... to defend ourselves."

Mara spared a glance at the small hillock he had spied. "You think you can make it that far?"

Luke took a deep breath to steady his voice. "Of course I can. I'll go first and watch our sides; you follow right behind me ... and cover

 

Those Pruden brothers are REALLY dense! LOL! And very, very, lucky, too!

 

The Pruden brothers remind me of the Adumari. They really do.

I liked the post very very much...

The bridegroom opened one eye as he felt his wife unzipping his flightsuit and running her hands over his bandage. "Sleep? With you pawing my thigh? Sleep is not the state into which you're inducing me."

"Mind out of the gutter, Jedi." Satisfied that he hadn't resumed bleeding, Mara carefully rewrapped the wound.

"Hey, I'm on my honeymoon." Luke relaxed back against the ground, one arm casually resting across his face.

"You'd better keep your day job of fighting darksiders and saving the downtrodden," Mara said with a snort. "I don't think you'd make it as a honeymoon coordinator."

Lovely and very very funny...

 

I keep checking to see how far you've gotten with the posting here. I can't wait until you start to post the third book.

 

Happy Birthday, Michele.

I love getting presents of complete chapters. It was a great chapter too.

 

Happy Birthday, Michele! And how nice of you to give US the present!

This is definitely one of my favorite chapters. I love the path Mara's thoughts take as she's tracking the Prudens. She still has those instincts and they're not going to be easily sloughed off. But the fact that she realized that her mindset was not something Luke would have approved of and she consciously tries to modify it is a very good sign!

Mara quickened her steps behind him. "You are a stubborn bantha, you know that?"

"Takes one to know one," he shot over his shoulder.

"Takes one to love one," Mara muttered under her breath.

I loved that little exchange! And maybe if she'd made sure that Luke heard her say the last part we wouldn't have had the agony of the following part!

He couldn't have wounded her more if he had plunged his lightsaber into her heart. He's sorry he married me. He's sorry ... The thought reverberated in Mara's mind like a vibroblade, piercing her soul over and over.

He welcomed the throbbing pain in his leg; it almost distracted him from the dull ache in his heart. She was sorry they'd married? What thoughts had been running through her mind to induce her to even ask him such a question? Had he really snapped at her that harshly?

Aaarggh!! For two supposedly intelligent people, they can really be quite dense, can't they?

But, thank the Force, you don't keep them that ignorant for very long! Luke offering to give up being a Jedi for her...what an incredible thing for him to say! Not that I think it would work, being a Jedi is what Luke IS, but for him to even offer should show her how much he loves her. And what an amazing thing for Mara to ask as well, wanting Luke to train her to be a Jedi. It will finally be her completely repudiating everything that Palpatine ever taught her.

And then he falls asleep with his head in her lap, bringing back fond--er, kinda fond--memories of their escape on Coruscant!

I can't wait for more!! And we're getting so close to Book 3! I just know it's gonna be marvelous!

 

Happy birthday Michele! May everything you wish happens.


Two posts for me! And one, a whole chapter!


Chapter 17 B:

I liked L/M's talking. They are so sweet together.


Mara stopped suddenly, jerking Luke to a halt also. "Didn't you tell me Yoda pretended to be someone else when you first met him?"

A little chuckle escaped Luke as he thought back to his first landing on Dagobah. "Yeah, he rummaged through all my gear, and he and Artoo had a tugging match over a lamp."

"That doesn't sound like dignified behavior to me."

Mara is excactly what Luke needs, ground him when his naivete and his farmboy trusting become too much and give him some more self respect when the Skywalker inferiority complex take the lead...

And the end... Thanks god the family trip for the weekend and I didn't past my weekend eating my nails, you evil...




Chapter Eighteen:

Oh! Those Pruden brothers! I really hate them. They want to kill Luke and take Mara... And I think they will not quit, since you keep them alive. I am with Mara.
"Eliminate them. What do you think I mean?"
Luke is too good for his own sake!


He couldn't have wounded her more if he had plunged his lightsaber into her heart. He's sorry he married me.
...
Luke was constantly being put in a position to overlook her faults, to push aside his morals when they conflicted with her lack thereof. Let's face it, Mara thought. I represent everything he's been taught to abhor.

What? Is this Skywalker inferiority complex infectious? This is farmboy's thinking.
But when you are in love, jedi or assasin it is always the same.


And Luke is thinking the same? Well, that's not a surprise, not at all. But Mara?


"Maybe this is what love does to a person ? makes you addle-brained," Mara replied, laughing. "Or maybe we're both just too good at shielding. But never again," she continued, turning serious. "No secrets, no barriers, no conjuring up groundless speculations."

So all is solved. Good for me! I'll have all my nails tommorow...

 

I'm with Jedi Blue, can't wait for the third book, then I'll be posting proper. I remember reading Book 1 on Club Jade many moons ago. Always was a fav. I scoured the net looking for the sequels. Oh I'm so excited

 

Happy birthday J2B! Great post!

He stood when he should have fell over....

 

WOW! Happy birthday and thanks for the gift! A whole chapter. I wonder how many are left. This was great and I like to see the doubt and then the overcoming of the doubt. Good job! ^_^

 

Happy birthday, Jedi-2B.


*growls at thickheaded Pruden brothers* Kelly! Saber! Have fun!

Whew, for a moment there I thought you were going to have them thinking the other didn't want to stay married for the rest of the book. Glad they talked it out earlier.

Why do I get the feeling we haven't seen the last of the Prudens?

 

Mara and Luke were so cute in this chapter. Even though Luke was bleeding, but that's a mere detail. You can still be cute while bleeding, huh? He does it admirably!

 

Happy birthday!!

This was a great chapter. Mara should have killed them! Poor Luke! I hope he'll be all right, Oh well at least he has Mara.

 

Methinks the Pruden brothers are digging a hole...........

 

*obediently sticks tongue out at Stormtrooper_Shrink*

*pats Stormtrooper_Shrink on the shoulder consolingly* See, now you know what happens too.

Mara did not bother to remind him that she was not a Jedi. Instead, she found herself thinking that for an Imperial assassin to be ambushed by a sneak attack was unpardonable.

Now that rings very true to the mindset that Mara would have grown up with.

It wasn't until she was halfway down the slope that she realized she hadn't been thinking in past tense when labeling herself as an assassin.

Very revealing, that. Well, it's only been a few months. It's a lot to assimilate.

Not so much as a twig snapped as Mara stole from tree to tree. From the direction of the voices earlier she knew the approximate location of which attacker she wanted to zero in on first, and she wasted no time heading that way. Direct, no nonsense, no wasted movements. Mara was in her element, and she felt exhilarated.

Can't blame her. I'd feel the same way under those circumstances.

A slight smile came to her lips as she recalled once hunting down a renegade moff while dressed in a U'rasdi-original ballgown.

What a plot bunny that is!

Effective, efficient, professional. Wouldn't Luke be impressed?

Mara pulled up short, taking a deep breath. Sith, no, Luke wouldn't be impressed. He'd be dismayed.

Poor Mara. She really is trying hard.

"I didn't work with partners as a rule, and on the rare occasion that I did ... Well, if they were so incompetent as to get hurt, I figured that was their problem." She didn't look up from her work, not wanting to see the frown on her Jedi husband's face at her flippant remarks. "As to my targets, I made sure all injuries were fatal, of course."

You've got to love that Emperor's Hand attitude.

"I can carry my own load, Mara," Luke objected, pulling the gear out of her grasp. "You already have two bundles."

"Nonsense. You're injured."

"I'm not an invalid."

Men.

"You are a stubborn bantha, you know that?"

"Takes one to know one," he shot over his shoulder.

"Takes one to love one," Mara muttered under her breath.

Exasperating, but sweet.

"I thought you only asked because you were sorry we married." Luke's wide-eyed expression melted into one of relief. "Stang, Mara, don't scare me like that."

Good description of their insecurities! Very believable, and they're cute making up.

"That's not long enough," she objected.

"A half hour," he repeated, closing his eyes. "Apprentices must obey their masters."

"You!" She would have kicked him if he hadn't been injured already.

LOL! That's great.

"You'd better keep your day job of fighting darksiders and saving the downtrodden," Mara said with a snort. "I don't think you'd make it as a honeymoon coordinator."



Mara never imagined it could feel so wonderful to belong to ? no, belong with ? another being.

 

Happy Birthday! Hope you had a great day.

Thank you for the whole chapter. It was wonderful.

Those darn Pruden boys. Always causing trouble. And hurting poor Luke. An arrow through the leg is no fun.

Mara and Luke starting to doubt each other was silly, but I guess understandable. Must be tricky for them.

I still think they just have to wait until Leia gets her hands on them.

 

Ooohh, lots of replies to get to. And thanks to all of you for the birthday wishes. Got the Mos Eisley Cantina Lego set!

GreatOne: Those Pruden brothers are REALLY dense! LOL! And very, very, lucky, too!

You'd think they would've learned a lesson back in the pub, wouldn't you?


LumiKuningatar: The Pruden brothers remind me of the Adumari. They really do.

Maybe we should send in the Rogues or Wraiths to take care of them, then.


Jeditheskyisblue: I keep checking to see how far you've gotten with the posting here. I can't wait until you start to post the third book.

Oh, my! I'd best get cracking on writing Book 3, hadn't I?


RebelMom: I love getting presents of complete chapters. It was a great chapter too.

Thanks!


kayladie97: I love the path Mara's thoughts take as she's tracking the Prudens. She still has those instincts and they're not going to be easily sloughed off. But the fact that she realized that her mindset was not something Luke would have approved of and she consciously tries to modify it is a very good sign!

Yes, she has a ways to go, but she's trying so hard!

I loved that little exchange! And maybe if she'd made sure that Luke heard her say the last part we wouldn't have had the agony of the following part!

Have to throw in at least a tiny bit of angst between them.

Aaarggh!! For two supposedly intelligent people, they can really be quite dense, can't they?

Hey, I could've left that as another cliffhanger.

Luke offering to give up being a Jedi for her...what an incredible thing for him to say! Not that I think it would work, being a Jedi is what Luke IS, but for him to even offer should show her how much he loves her.

For some insane reason, this reminds me of a scene from a rerun of Friends the other day, where Ross offers to drink a glass of fat just to prove to Rachel how much he loves her.

I can't wait for more!! And we're getting so close to Book 3! I just know it's gonna be marvelous!

If I ever finish writing it, that is.


JediArwen: Mara is excactly what Luke needs, ground him when his naivete and his farmboy trusting become too much and give him some more self respect when the Skywalker inferiority complex take the lead...

And Luke is what Mara needs. They complement each other so well.

Oh! Those Pruden brothers! I really hate them. They want to kill Luke and take Mara...

As if they have any chance of taking Mara!

And I think they will not quit, since you keep them alive. I am with Mara.

I'm thinking you would've made a good Imperial assassin yourself. Just kidding!

So all is solved. Good for me! I'll have all my nails tommorow...

I'd better check ahead to see what today's post entails... Hmmm, I don't think I'll leave it with too much of a cliffhanger. Depending on your point of view.


Reesie: I'm with Jedi Blue, can't wait for the third book, then I'll be posting proper.

You people are really putting the pressure on me, aren't you? It's only been, what, a year and a half since Book Two came out?


Rivad_Bacar: He stood when he should have fell over....

Luke readily admits he doesn't always do the smart thing.


ShortySC22: A whole chapter. I wonder how many are left.

Two chapters left, which probably will mean four posts, which means we could wrap this baby up this week. Egads, I'd really better get to work on Three!


J_M_Bulldog: Whew, for a moment there I thought you were going to have them thinking the other didn't want to stay married for the rest of the book.

I'm not quite that mean to them!

Why do I get the feeling we haven't seen the last of the Prudens?

Jedi hunch, perhaps?


Stormtrooper_Shrink: Mara and Luke were so cute in this c

 

(Remember that Force dialogue is within asteriks.)


Chapter 19-A





Luke shivered slightly, gripping the blanket tighter around his shoulders. It was several minutes before his sleepy mind wondered when he'd acquired the warm covering. Lifting his head and rubbing his eyes, his focus shifted to the shadowy figure a few meters away.

"Mara?"

"Ah, good. I was just about to wake you."

"That didn't feel like only a half hour nap." Luke eased to a sitting position, wincing as stiffness and a dull ache radiated out from his left leg.

"It's still the middle of the night," Mara said with a shrug, as if that fact negated his directive on how long to let him sleep.

"Mara ..."

"You needed the sleep," she said. "You'll be able to travel much faster now that you've had some rest."

Luke shook the leaves and dirt off the blankets and began folding them into compact squares. "I could have gone into a healing trance if I'd known you were going to ignore my request," he grumbled.

"If you'd known I was going to ignore you, you wouldn't have lain down at all," Mara rejoined. "Just admit I was justified and we can be on our way." With a slight quirk of her eyebrow, she held out his makeshift crutch.

"All right," Luke muttered reluctantly, positioning the support under his arm. "Maybe we can make better time now. But we still need to hurry." He looked back in the direction of the village. "No sign of the Prudens, huh?"

"Not a peep," she assured him as she hoisted her gear onto her back. "Good thing, too. We're like sitting mynocks in these blasted flightsuits."

"How was I to know that you'd have boyfriends after us?"

"Boyfr? Aughh!" Mara's indignation turned to amusement as she observed Luke's struggle to keep from laughing. "Very funny, farmboy."

"Just because they're out of range of our senses doesn't mean they've given up," he pointed out, making a valiant effort to take their pursuers seriously.

"I know, I know."

Her weapons once more in their proper places, Mara pulled on her heavy gloves. As welcome as the warm hand coverings were, she hadn't wanted to risk their cumbersomeness taking the edge off her efficiency if trouble had shown up while Luke was asleep. With both of them now alert and with the cold night air having a biting sting to it, Mara felt she could afford the risk. Frozen fingers wouldn't be very efficient either. She glanced to the side, where Luke's ungloved right hand rested lightly on his lightsaber, and smiled to herself in satisfaction. It was his turn to take point duty anyway, she decided.



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Mara and Luke continued their trek into the next evening, pausing only for brief rest breaks. Luke was eventually able to shift his crutch's usage to that of a walking stick. True to his earlier assertion, he obliterated their tell-tale footprints in the snow behind them. But neither of them voiced aloud the verity that his actions were no guarantee of their eluding any followers.

As the weary pair passed a stone outcropping, Luke paused, looking back over his shoulder at the natural formation.

"Hmmm ..." He retraced his steps and bent to gaze beneath the overhang. "I thought so."

"What are you gawking at?" Mara mumbled, stifling a yawn.

Luke straightened up, a crooked grin lighting up his features. "You don't recognize the luxury suite I brought you to after your little ... uh, mishap?"

Mara pulled aside a clump of protruding branches and peered into the dark hole. "You could be right." She glanced up at him. "Break time?"

"Sure." Luke pulled out a glow rod and waved his wife inside. Shining the light around, he surveyed the bare cavity. True to their orderly natures, not a shred of evidence remained of their previous visit, but there was no doubt in either of their minds that this was the same small cave.

Mara wasted no time spreading a blanket out on the hard ground. "Smoked meat and narberry bread sound all right?" she asked, pulling cloth-wrapped packages out of the half-full rucksack of prov

 

Wow! Those dense dudes are very persistent!

 

Humph! For a Jedi and an ex-assassin they sure are sound sleepers...

Rule one: Escape first, romance second!

 

Yeah, bad Prudens

 

Nice, very nice!

 

I'm thinking you would've made a good Imperial assassin yourself.
Hm! Tell this to my students! It will help keep them in order and make them reading more...
In one of the tests I have a Vader picture saying "Your teacher is not as forgiving as I"! And do you know what? I don't know if the threat worked but they have a better result in this test than the previous one, that with master Yoda.



To the post:

"Handle me?"

"Uhh ... take care of you?"

No better. Mara's foot began to tap impatiently.

"Adore you? Worship you? Grovel at your feet?"

Mara called on all her training to retain her dangerous expression as Luke continued to blink at her with his penitent blue gaze.

"Love you?" he whispered.

"Ahh, there is hope." She knelt back down, leaning over to give him a kiss. "Those worshiping and groveling ideas don't sound bad, either."

That's my girl, Mara! Go on! That's the way you should handle men. If you want no headaches!
The present ones on the thread are excepted...


"I think it would be safe for us to sleep together." He gently tugged her to a reclining position. "Don't you?"

"Together? Uhh ..." There was no mistaking the desire burning in her husband's steady gaze. "Are you sure that's a good idea? The Prudens?"

As it is, Mara is right, of course. But since she is her honeymoon too... she leave the lead to the reckless farmboy...
To be honest, I would do the same...
And have the same result...

Another cliffie, my friend. All right, I think me and my nails can last till tomorrow.
Just till tomorrow! Not any more!

 

Good grief, there is stubborn and then there is just down right obessive. I think those brothers have done gone and passed that line.

Ooooh, did Luke say company. Could it be that some of the villagers realizing they were wrong are coming to apologize to them? And in doing so help them? Or is the Falcon about to make its apperance?