Before - Legends Far From Home - from the Qui challenge, cover art added

Indra Thanks! The ball is in this post.

Kynstar I thought a young Qui-Gon would be drawn to living things, so that is how I wrote him.

maychorian That's why I've had so much fun writing it! Stress free, well almost.

Bekah_k A baby Qui-Gon is both harder to write than I thought and easier. Hard to explain!

PadawanKitara All of my kids were great at two, but when they hit three WATCH OUT!

Princess_Arulmozhi Yes, run and hide this is all your fault. Qui doesn't get to go to the ball, but he's still in this next chapter!

mouse2 She's no shrinking violet, or whatever the SW equivalent is!

Mistress_Renata Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying this. But I don't think anyone could enjoy reading it more than I've enjoyed writing it.

dianethx Of course, many of those days are a blur!

---

[b]Chapter 6[/b]



Amri pulled at his collar and grimaced. Lenora glanced at him with an indulgent smile. No matter how strongly he had argued that they should attend this function, he was now finding out first hand just how deadly dull such things were. And he was discovering how very uncomfortable the required clothing was.

She could remember many, many hours spent in shoes that pinched and dresses that made breathing difficult all in the name of society. There was a good reason she had never pined for the social life her parents had provided and that was because she didn?t miss it ? not one bit.

They were now mingling with the stuffy crowd, something she could do with her eyes closed and hands tied behind her back. That thought brought an inappropriate grin to her face as she considered tying Amri?s hands and kidnapping him away from this supremely boring affair. She felt his hand on her elbow and prayed that he was going to direct her out into the garden. At least there she would be able to breathe without smelling some cloying perfume that had been applied with a too liberal hand.

But as she turned she saw that it was her husband?s friend, Shim Absolon. He had at his side a Jedi Knight. As soon as Amri saw who Shim?s companion was, he began to shift from foot to foot in excitement.

?Welcome, Amri,? Shim said with a smile and a nod to Lenora. ?And you look lovely tonight, Lenora. Which is no surprise at all,? he said in his husky voice as he gave her a gallant bow. His eyes went back to his friend and a twinkle appeared in them. ?May I present Master C?Lyn Bortan, representative of the Jedi Order and a visitor to our fair planet.?

Amri cleared his throat and could barely seem to force words past his throat. He had been raised on the heroic tales of the Jedi and to him that Order represented all that was still good and noble in the galaxy. Lenora had teased him more than once about his unswerving adoration of the Jedi, and he had taken it in stride. Amri liked to believe the best of everyone, but to him the Jedi occupied a special place in the galaxy. It might somewhat be unsophisticated of him, but she knew deep in her heart that his naïve belief in the inherent goodness of those around him was one of the things she loved best. No matter how much evil he saw, there was a deep, immutable core of endearing innocence in her husband.

?Master Bortan, it is a high honor to meet you,? Amri said fervently.

Lenora glanced around and saw some of the politicians snickering at her husband?s obvious awe of the Knight. They considered themselves too urbane to feel anything but boredom, so his earnestness was a source of amusement for them. But the Jedi Master merely ignored the laughter and mocking smiles. He grasped both of Amri?s hands in the traditional handshake of close friends and gave him a warm smile before giving him a small bow.

?And it is a high honor to meet you as well, Amri-Lon Jinn.?

A flush of pleasure washed over Amri?s face and the tall Jedi clapped a hand on his shoulder. ?You?re a fine man, honest and forthright,? he said and his gaze flickered to the crowd. ?That

 

That's cool; Amri admires the Jedi Order. How cool is that?

Awwww loved how Qui interacted with the Master. How cute too!! Oh oh! I loved this!!

For a moment the Jedi did nothing more than stare at the little boy. The two of them looked deeply into each other?s eyes and the baby was unusually quiet. Then he leaned forward and placed his forehead against the man?s broad chest.

C?Lyn ran his hand through the boy?s brown curls. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them to stare at Amri and Lenora.

He gave them a smile that was both sad and amazed at the same time.

?You have a very special son.?


*Warm fuzzies* That's so sweet!

 

<Runs, hides behind the bush beside which baby Qui has plopped down, and sends comment via the Force>

Awww....I echo Kyn's comments about warm fuzzies - I went ga-ga over the master and soon-to-be Jedi initiate Qui bit. Lovely.

Also liked the bit about the so-called high society, which ignores the big 'lummox', and then decides that his friendship has to be cultivated the moment they see the Jedi talk to him. <swats them>

Master Bortan seems an excellent rep of the Jedi - strong, calm, serene and powerful. Is he going to be the one who takes Qui away??

Also, that bit about Amri having a core of innocence in him - that part gets handed down to his son straight, doesn't it?

<settles down beside bush to admire baby Qui some more>

 

I love baby Qui. He's got that touch that when you hold him the day is that much brighter. I have a feeling that Master Bortan felt it too.

He gave them a smile that was both sad and amazed at the same time.

?You have a very special son.?

I got warm fuzzies, but I my heart also wrenched too at the thought that he could be the one to take Qui away from his loving family.

But I still want more!

 

I loved that Amri really admired the Jedi order. Those snobs could use a lesson in politeness. Just because Amri is nice to the Jedi, everyone is giving him more status - not that he doesn't deserve it but the crowds are only seeing the facade whereas the Jedi sees beneath the surface.

And now the Jedi realizes that Qui has the gift. I don't think they will be too happy to hear that their son may be gone soon.

Looking forward to more.

 

Ohhhh, beautiful.

I had a huge smile on my face through that entire post. Loved Amri's deep admiration of the Jedi, and Master Bortan's genuine pleasure in greeting them. He's a noble Jedi, all right. And such lovely interactions in the garden.

Just perfect, VL. Though I notice a hint of sadness creeping in.

 

Loved Master Bortan, but I hate the thought of what's coming!

It tickled me how much Amri admires the Jedi. That makes sense and will hopefully make handing over Qui-Gon a little easier. For him at least. But what about Lenora?

 

I love the way your OCs are developing! And the gentle satire of "society"... lots of folks around here are like that... if you can't answer "So what do you do?" with something suitably impressive, they lose all interest...

I love Amri's open-heartedness and honesty. I can def. see him as QG's dad!

 

aw, now that is too cute. I love the interaction between the Jedi and baby Qui, really endearing to be honest. I can't ait to see what happens to them all once they figure out just how special lil Qui-Gon is!

 

Absolutely wonderful. I can't wait for the next post, although I hate to think what's coming.

Amri and Lenora are going to be heartbroken.

 

warm fuzzies - I like that description it fits this post

edit: even if my typing doesn't

 

This is a wonderful love story, even if it wasn't about Qui-Gon's parents. Their relationship seems so real and their love for their son is obvious. While I know Qui-Gon is destined to be a great Jedi, I know what heartache waits for them and it breaks my heart. Master Bortan was a great representation of all that is good in the Jedi Order.

 

The slight angst in letting Qui-Gon go to the Jedi is about to start isn't it?

I think they will be honored in learning that their son has great potential and I think Amri will want Qui to go and become the very thing he holds in such high regard, even though he will miss his little boy. But I think Lenora may be a bit harder to convince, as so far, Qui is their only child.

 

He gave them a smile that was both sad and amazed at the same time.

?You have a very special son.?

Loved this VaderLVR.....Excellento so far

 

Awwww, baby Qui is so cute! I love how close Amri and Lenora are with each other and Qui. It'll be so sad when the Jedi take Qui I think it will help that Amri admires the Jedi so much, though. I really like Borton too, by the way. He really seems like the ultimate Jedi, seeing through everyone. And the scene of him with Qui is so sweet!

Wonderful story!

 

Kynstar Glad you liked it. I thought it would be appropriate for Qui-Gon's father to admire the Jedi!

Princess_Arulmozhi I was thinking more along the lines of a swift kick in their... Okay, never mind. Yes, you had better hide. You gave me a plot bunny that bites...hard!

mouse2 This chapter was the hardest to write!

dianethx I wanted a very noble Jedi, because I thought that they would give their son to nothing less.

maychorian Angst galore in this next post. Consider yourself warned!

AnakinsHeir Their difficulties are described in this chapter. And it killed me to write it!

Mistress_Renata Society tends to look at it that way. My husband works with a lot of doctors so you get that a lot! Of course, if I was a Jedi that would really shut them up, wouldn't it?

Kylie_Jinn They're about to find out! And thank you for reading.

Kadi Yes, there's no easy way to do this.

PadawanKitara I'll take warm fuzzies and be thrilled!

LukesTheMan They are very much in love and hopefully that will help them through the coming hardships.

Bekah_K You'll see what they think of their son's possible future. It won't be easy, that's for sure.

-DarkSaber- Thank you!

Jedi-Tigris I was going for the "ultimate Jedi" so I'm glad he came across that way.

---

[b]Chapter 7[/b]

In all the years that came after that day, she could never recall the words Master Bortan said exactly. She did not remember the walk to their rooms or sitting down and speaking with the Jedi while Sarta watched the baby in another room.

She did remember clutching Amri?s hand and feeling the dampness of it. Lenora also recalled that the big hand shook as it held hers.

Through an odd rushing sound in her ears, she tried to take in the words that the Jedi spoke. At times she could see his mouth moving and knew something important was being said. But she could not make out the words above the anguished voice screaming in her head.

From a distance she heard Amri ask C?Lyn Bortan questions. But what those questions might have been, or what the Jedi responded, she could not say. Long afterward, she and Amri would discuss that meeting and she found that holes existed in his memory as well. Together, they reconstructed the meeting as best they could. Though they would always wonder if they remembered it correctly at all.

It took a long while, but Lenora finally quieted the cries in her mind and focused her attention on the almost apologetic Jedi Knight.

Master Bortan held out his hands as he spoke. ?Your son is very strong in the Force,? he said quietly. ?He seems to show a remarkable affinity for living things,? he added. ?It is a trait that will be valuable to him if he should become a Jedi.?

?But you would take him now?? Amri asked, still unable to wrap his mind around the idea of never seeing his son again. He could get no farther than that concept.

Bortan?s shoulders slumped and he nodded. ?Yes, I?m afraid that is the way things are done.? He glanced at Lenora. ?The life of a Jedi is not an easy one, milady; I will not lie to you.?

Lenora nodded stiffly; suddenly aware of every centimeter of her skin which now seemed raw.

?And it is a lonely life at times,? he admitted. ?But there are great rewards as well,? he said as he turned to Amri. ?Your son will be a part of the Order that has safe guarded the galaxy for thousands of years. It is a worthy tradition to which he will dedicate his life.?

Amri and Lenora could do no more than sit silently. Words did not have the power to convey what they felt and so they did not speak them.

?Young Qui-Gon has the potential to be a gifted Jedi,? he said. ?He shines in the Force,? he added, and even the dazed parents could sense his awe. ?It is a rare gift, not given to many and utilized to its fullest by even less.?

?But we will not see him again,? Lenora came back to the only thought that she could comprehend

 

How heartbreaking!

Amri and Lenora are stronger than I could ever be. I don't think I could do something like that. But in the end it is what's best for Qui-Gon, but I'd still have to be put in the looney bin if anything happened to my two little ones.

I can't wait to find out what happened to Amri and Lenora! Their strength just astounds me.

 

Why did I read this on the same day I'll be going to see ROTS??

I guess to give the tear ducts a good work out?


I can't wait to read the epilogue and find out what happened to them. I hope it's good.

 

Ohh, that was so beautiful and sad. I love Amri and Lenora's interactions in that post, though my heart breaks for them.

Hopefully they will have other children, just as beautiful and wonderful. But no one will ever replace Qui-Gon in their hearts.

Great job on this!

 

Uh, is anyone willing to take a quick look at the epilogue for me? I had a question...

 

Sure, I'll take a look! Not sure what help I could be, though.

 

I like how unselfish they were and how they put Qui-Gon's needs before their own. I hope they have more children, not to replace Qui, but to add more happiness to their lives.

Great job with this and I look forward to the Epilogue!

 

Awwwwwwwwww VaderLVR that is so sad! I love how strong Amri and Lenora both were... I'm not sure I could have done the same as they.

What's your question? I'd be happy to look at anything you need

 

Aw man, stumbled onto this one and I'm so glad I did! Qui-Gon's parents are marvelous characters, I would love to see more of them. They have some amazing strength to be able to give that adorable baby up so he can have the life he's meant for.

Excellent writing!