IC: Draven Nethervoid & Solisius Kira
Iziz, Onderon, 146ABY
Morning had come and the sun was sitting high in the sky, young Draven awoke from his sleep, heading to the refresher to get ready for the day. After some time he reemerged, clean and dressed in the simple garments he'd come accustomed to wearing, boots, black pants, and a top. Sometimes his top matched his black pants, other times it was white, or beige, or even an earth tone green. Today his top matched the rest of his outfit. Heading back into the chamber that had been his room, he gathered his weapons. Long had the time passed when he once used a training saber, now he relied on the Force and his twin crimson colored lightsabers. The twin sabers being the only connection he had from a time before learning under the eye of Dzoun.
Dzoun, he thought of the man occasionally. He had been a teacher and guardian to the young boy, and the only other person he'd known. Dzoun had taught him a great many things, how to hunt, how to fight, how to use the Force itself, and to be prideful of who he was. The most important thing Dzoun had taught him was how to survive. It had been a year and a half or has it been two years now, since that dreadful day. The day their home had been disrespected and Dzoun had been killed. That was the day that Draven finally understood what the power of the Force truly was. He hunted down those that were responsible for the death of Dzoun, and he made them pay. The Force was power and it was his to wield and command. That day seemed so long ago now.
His stomach rumbled, his body craving food. It had been three days since the boy had last eaten anything. Hunting trips had come up with no prizes, and he was out of credits to use at any of the shops down in the city of Iziz. He knew that he had to eat something, his body felt weak. He had no energy, he knew that he couldn't last much longer if he did not eat soon.
There was another option available to him but he didn't like it, it was risky. He could steal a few piece of fruit from one of a few different markets. He wasn't a fan of the thought of stealing, but it was either take the chance or die of starvation. When it came to survival, there was no question. He would steal what was needed to keep him alive for the time. Double checking his lightsabers that hung from his sides, he retrieved a cloak and made sure to conceal the weapons. No need for any unwanted attention or questions. He raised his hood over his head and left the temple. Making his way to Iziz.
“Wake up, Solisius,” Korrian’s voice pulled the young princess from her sleep, and she groaned lightly. Partially from her severe lack of sleep, but also from the pain that radiates from her back.
“Do you have bacta? The wounds opened up again,” she said, her voice light. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the bacta in her maid’s hand, and smiled. “Thank you.”
“We’ll get you all fixed up, then it’s off to music lessons. Your tutor should be here soon, so we must make haste,” she said, but Solisius knew what she really meant. If she was late for any of her lessons it’d be another beating, and the bacta would need time to work.
She pushed the blanket down to allow her maid to apply the bacta. She was gentle, and tried her best to prevent causing any more pain to the young girl, but she still winced every few minutes. Once they were done, she helped her get dressed and a guard guided her down the hall.
“Is my Father home today?” She asked him.
“Yes, Princess. I believe he is going through the cases for prisoners today.”
Dread pooled in her stomach, but she only nodded at the man.
He'd finally made his exodus to the hustling and bustling capital of Onderon, the great city of Iziz. The journey wasn't a difficult one, but with no food to nourish the young boy, it was long and tiring. The city itself seemed as if it were alive, moving the rhythmic flow of people passing by, coming to and fro. The sight of the city was beautiful. There were businesses such as the Cantina or as one sign read, Garn's Modest House of Sin, whatever that was. There were small merchant stands in the plaza and even bigger shops that sold almost anything you could ever want or need. And of course at the head of the city sat the Onderon castle, that was home to the ruler of all the Onderoneans, King Jak.
Dzoun wasn't a fan of the King, nor did he ever speak fondly of him from what Draven could remember. He did remember that Dzoun had once said the King Jak was once a fair and fierce ruler, until he let his fear corrupt him and his judgement. Dzoun told him that the King despised the Force and all those who weilded it. So anytime he and the boy went into the city before they had to conceal their weapons and be sure not to use their power. I must remain hidden. Thank you Dzoun. The boy thought to himself before venturing onwards into the heart of the city.
For as many civilians as there were, there was just as many guards patrolling the city. Members of the Onderonean military forces, patrolling and surveying the city for any signs of trouble. Where was the best place to get some food? The larger markets were to risky, having to sneak in and out with his stolen goods. The merchant stands in the plaza was also risky but being in the open and with so many people, but perhaps it would be easier to remain unnoticed with a larger crowd. There were risks in both scenarios, yet having a crowd to use as cover seemed the safer choice.
The young boy quickly made his was to the merchants market within the heart of the plaza. It was busy, so many people, voices, it was almost overwhelming. Still, it provided the best cover and multiple routes of escape to get out of the city with his treasure. With his hood drawn, weapons concealed, Draven moved with a decent sized crowd that was making their way from stand to stand. They stopped to look at everything each trader was selling it seemed like. No matter, the next stand was a produce stand, the owner shouting out about how he had the only fruit from seven different systems. It was a decent size stand and Draven had been eyeing it before the group made their way over.
Once they arrived at the stand, Draven still just stood and looked over the various goods like the rest of them. Before reaching out quickly to grab a few pieces of fruit of different varieties. Hopefully the merchant was busy trying to convince the others to buy his goods and seen nothing. The boy turned and started to break away from the group and walk off back towards the way he came, but it was too late. "STOP! THEIF!" The merchant called out at the young boy, his heart dropped and panic set in. He threw a glance over his shoulder to see the owner of the stand coming around the corner of the small stand towards him and guards approaching, reacting to the merchants yelling.
He froze, what was he to do? His body felt heavy, as if his legs were being weighted down by durasteel. "I got you now, theif!" The voice came from behind, it was close, a hand touched his shoulder, he was caught. Suddenly as if out of instinct the young boy reacted. His young legs moving on their own. His feet pushed off the stone ground beneath them and he was running, no, he was sprinting to save his life with his food still in his arms. He has to be quick, he had to get out of the city. He knew that if he made it past the city and into the wilderness he'd be home free, but he had to get there first. He couldn't simply run back the way he came that would be to obvious. He'd have to lose the guards first. Sprinting as fast as he could, he ducked around multiple corners and turns. Running down alley ways and anywhere he thought might help him escape.
Apparently the first set of guards had sent out a holomessage to the others across the city because it seemed as if every patrol available was hunting for him. He never let up, he stuck to his plan and took one last corner, his escape was just around the corner. He turned the corner and slammed right into the midsection of a guard. His face colliding with the uniformed soldiers chest. He bounced off the larger man and fell on his back to the ground, his stolen fruit scattered about. He must have hit his forehead on a medal or pin since blood now ran down his face. The guard stood over him, weapon drawn at blaster point. Luckily between the positioning of his body and the way his cloak fell, his lightsabers remained hidden. "We got you now, Normally you'd be headed off to the dungeons! But lucky for you street rat, King Jak is passing judgement on all criminals. You won't have to wait long for your execution!" Giving an evil chuckle as two more guards grabbed the young boy from the ground, placing him in restraint cuffs, before leading him to the castle to face judgement with the others.
She had been playing the piano for an hour, her fingers ached and cramped. The melodious tune echoed through the room and down the hall, blocking out any of the commotion happening.
Until she hit the wrong note, and stopped. “I haven’t eaten today, could I please have a break to get food?” She asked, keeping her tone as polite as she could. All of her tutors were friends with her father, and all lived in the palace. This one in particular was very stringent with her Father’s rules, constantly berating her on any wrong note she might hit.
“Our lesson isn’t over for another two hours, you will eat then,” He said, barely looking over at her from his side of the room.
“I didn’t get to eat yesterday, I don’t feel well. Please, no one will see me,” She pushed, she needed food. He sighed, placing the holo pad he was looking at down.
“Fine. Let’s go,” He caved, and she sighed in relief. They walked out of the room, his hand on her back guided her through the halls. Not that she didn’t know where to go, it was more of a security measure to make sure she didn’t make a run for it.
But as they walked, Sol noticed they hadn’t turned where they were supposed to. “Where are we going?” She asked, and her tutor’s hand moved to grab her arm, tugging her along.
He was taking her to her Father.
"Keep moving!" The lead guard shouted at him, physically pushing the young boy forward, causing him to fall face first to the ground. "Ugh get up street rat! I didn't tell you that you could rest."
"I wouldn't be resting as you call it had you not shoved me!" The boy retorted, anger building in his voice. The guard didn't take kindly to the young boy's attitude, and with a swift motion the guard cocked his leg back and kicked Draven straight in the ribs. A cracking could be heard coming from the small young child's frame, ribs broken and fractured. The boy gasped as the air quickly left his body. His breathing sounds more like a wheezing sound of a dying man than a ten year old child. He cranked his head to the side to look at the guard, his eyes a piercing crimson color that burned with a hatred far beyond his years. With a rasped breath he assured the guard that had kicked him, "I will get out of these restraints at some point, and when I do, I'm going to end your life."
The guard let out a hardy chuckle of almost disbelief. "You, kill me? That's hilarious kid. The next time you're out of those restraints you'll be on the executioners block. But still I suppose..."
"Hey what's with his weird eyes?" One of the other guards called out laughing as his statement left his mouth. "You the result of some weird mountain people incest or something?"
"I will kill all of you!" The boy shouted.
"Oh really? Did you hear that boys?" The lead guard asked the others that now surrounded the boy. "This one here just threatened military personnel, twice now. Not smart boy!" The two other guards kicked him repeatedly. His sides, shoulders, face, arms, legs, back, all of him. He was battered and more bloody than before. The main guard knelt down to the boy, putting the blaster to the back of his head, as he leaned down to whisper in his ear. "You're lucky there's so many witnesses in the daytime boy. If this were after night fall, well...bang. You get the idea. You wouldn't make it to the castle at all." He stood back up instructing the other two to get the prisoner up. They stood him up, he felt as if he'd collapse, his head hung low.
"All of you are going to die." Was all he made out, his voice soft and low as a whisper. He wasn't able to speak another word before he felt it. The guard pistol-whipped him with the butt of the blaster. The strike to the back of his head making his vision blurry, he was trying to hold on before feeling his body fall forward, the guards on each side cathing him and holding him up. The last thing he seen was the castle coming into view as his feet were dragged then there was only blackness.
He threw her on the ground and Sol looked up slowly, realizing immediately what room they were in.
The Throne Room.
“What is my daughter doing in this room?” His voice boomed, and he locked with hers. ‘Kriff’ she thought to herself, and her stomach rumbled. She knew it’d be like that for a while, there’d be no chance of her getting food today.
“She kept interrupting our lessons saying she was hungry, your Highness,” he said behind her, and she cursed again. Her father stood, the heels of his shoes clicking against the floor.
She looked down, her body shaking. She should have stood immediately, she left her self too open by lying there. From her side, a sharp kick came and she rolled over, letting out a soft cry.
“Get up,” He demanded and she obeyed, her hands shaking as she stood. Her chest ached, and she stood slightly lopsided from the pain.
“I’m sorry, I was just hung-“ She began to say, but her fathers smack across her face cut her off. She placed her hand on her cheek, the sting sitting there.
“King Jak, the next prisoner is ready,” A guard from across the room said.
“Well, Solisius, I guess you’ll just get to help me carry this punishment out,” He said through gritted teeth, and she gulped. Through the doors, appeared a young boy who couldn’t have been much older than her, being dragged in by the guards.
“Who is this boy, and what is the crime he has been charged with?” Her father said as he grabbed Sol’s wrist and moved across the room, tugging his daughter behind him.
The words intruded his mind like a nightmare, his eyes slowly opening with hazy vision. His body felt heavy and pain raced over him. He winced in response to it. His head pounding, the taste of blood filled his mouth, his lungs burned as if they'd been set a flame within his chest. His head was heavy, barley able to raise his neck as his vision slowly cleared, long enough to view the King dragging the young girl across the room.
"This street rat has been charged with stealing valuable and exotic goods from a merchant's stand in the market place plaza, as well as threatening multiple Onderon military personnel, your Majesty. His threats of indefinite bodily harm occured multiple times even in front of witnesses." The lead guard that had ordered the assault on the young boy stated. His tone one of arrogance and superiority. "State you name for the King, boy!" He spat venom towards the prisoner. "His Highness the King demands to know your name, you pathetic street rat. You will answer him immediately!"
The young prisoner didn't even lift his head, he made no attempt to even resist the guard's hate filled demands. He had no strength to fight. His physical body had reached its limits. With no food and after being beaten he felt defeated. Opening his mouth the words fell to the floor, barley a whisper. "Dra-ven."
"Draven. Draven. Draven, are you listening to me?" The voice and words of Dzoun racing through his mind. The memory of a lesson forcing itself to the surface. "The Force is more than just a guide that the Jedi believe. And much more than a mere weapon that the Sith tend to believe in. The Force is a gift as much as it is a curse. It can do great things, and it can do terrible devastating things. The Force is a tool, how you use it is up to you. Take pride in that Draven. You are a weilder of the Force, a commander of the power. The Force is a tool, and you are the architect. Remember to alway take pride in knowing that. More importantly always take pride in who you are. Stand tall with that pride."
The brief memory of Dzoun flashed in his mind, Draven remembered the words of his Master clearly. It was more than a lesson about the Force that day, it was a lesson about life and knowing who he was as an individual. The words of his old Master resonated within himself, and it was as if a new flame had been lit. He raised his head up to look the King in the eye, his eyes burned with the intensity of a supernova star. "I am Draven Nethervoid." He stated in a tone and a voice that almost sounded to seasoned to be his own for one as young.
As Draven mustered up the strength to say his name, the King stopped, his grip on his daughter’s arm tightening. He looked to the guards and then to the girl, smirking. He threw her forward, and she stumbled down as she landed a few feet away from the prisoner, looking at him horrified.
“One of you, give Princess Solisius your blaster. She will be carrying out his execution,” he said, and one of the guards lowered their hand to offer the Princess their blaster.
She looked to the boy across from her, her lip quivering. She reluctantly took the blaster and stood, her hand shaking. Sol could tell he had been hungry, enough to risk stealing from the merchants. She had been begging for food herself, it would be as if she was punishing herself.
“Please don’t make me do this,” She begged, tears falling from her eyes. “He’s a boy, a hungry boy that was just trying to get food.”
“We didn’t say what he was stealing, your Majesty. Just exotic goods,” One of the guards said almost immediately after she spoke, and she turned from the boy and faced her Father, the blaster laying relaxed in her hand. She barely gripped it, only enough to keep it from falling.
“He’s clearly hungry. As King, you should care about your people. Please Father, show the young boy mercy. He was only trying to get food.”
The young girls tears and words to her father had come as a surprise to the prisoner. It was clear that she understood compassion, and perhaps forgiveness. Beyond revealing his connection with the Force and trying to escape, she seemed to be his only hope. "Princess," the boy muttered, "please, forgive me. Allow me to go free and I'll never steal again." He pleaded with the young girl.
His words were free of any deception. Even if he had been better trained in the art of swaying the influence of another, it would do him very little here since she seemed to already be on his side. Yet the King was a different story.
"Shut up, you criminal!" The Guard Captain shouted at him before introducing the prisoners forehead with the stock end of his blaster riffle. "You will remain silent until the King addresses you again."
The boy's face covered completely by a crimson veil as blood poured from the wound of the riffle. The crimson liquid quickly ran down and covered his face as if it were the marking of some scarlet letter branded to him. Draven looked at the Captain, his eyes never wavering away from him, "you'll be the first to die when I have my revenge."
"I told you to shut up!" The Captain shouted, followed by a back hand across the young boy's face. He turned on his heel in a military fashion to face the King. "Your Majesty, you have heard it yourself, he once again threatens our very life. I suggest we show him no mercy and he be executed immediately."
“Stop!” Sol shouted at the guards, taking a step towards them. Behind her, she heard her father race towards them. She stopped her movement, pausing to look at the boy briefly, and then shot her head back to look at her father. He seethed with anger as he looked down at his daughter, the daughter he hadn’t wanted to begin with.
“I gave you an order. As my Heir, you are expected to follow it or face the punishment he is facing tenfold!” He shouted at her, his hands clenched at his side.
“Please,” She whimpered, her lip quivering. But he kept his stare, and she looked over to the boy slowly. She raised the blaster, her hand still shaking. The boy was bloody and badgered, she felt horrible for him. She locked eyes with the boy, and almost pleaded with him. If he had a way out of this, it might be his only chance.
She held the blaster there, hesitating for a moment, trying to think of a way out of this for the both of them.
The situation grew worse, it was clear there was no other way out of the situation. He had to either expose himself as a Force user or he would surly die. The girl was just as much a prisoner as he was, she couldn't help him. At least not in a way he'd prefer, but she could still be helpful in another way.
Draven twisted his body as hard as he could to the left, using his legs to push off the ground as hard as he could, colliding with the guard on his right, causing him to stumble backwards and fall to the ground. With his hands now facing the guard to the left, he called upon the Force to unleash a blast of telekinetic energy, pushing the guard back into the far wall. Turning back with a furious speed he reached out to grab the Captain by his throat with the etheral hand of the Force, quickly snapping his neck with a sickening cracking of bone. His lifeless body fell limply to the floor, his head turned in an unnatural angle, looking past his shoulders.
Reaching out again the hand of the Force gently wrapped itself around the Princess, spinning her around to face her father, before she was brought back to the prisoner. His still bound hands raised and her back met his torso as he lowered his arms. She still held the blaster in her hands, as Draven quietly whispered to her so that only she could head him. "I'm not going to hurt you, but please you have to trust me. This is our only way out."
She dropped the blaster, looking to her father with shock. Behind them, guards rushed the room. Her father raised his hand to stop them, clearly trying to deescalate the situation himself.
“How did you do that?” She whispered back to him, but was interrupted immediately by the familiar loud boom of her fathers voice.
“We shall follow the Princess’ orders on how she wishes to proceed with the prisoner!” He said, more so to the guards than the two in front of him. He was being smart, planning his next move in the matter of seconds.
“My Father does not lie. Trust me,” She said, and pulled away from him as she walked back towards her father. She stopped once she was in between them.
“This young boy has been brought here on the grounds of stealing food. We shall not punish someone that was only trying to fight for their own survival,” She paused, looking to her father to read his face. He looked… horrified. As if seeing what the boy had done truly did terrify him. But why?
“We will have him brought to the infirmary to treat the injuries caused by these guards. No matter the crime, hitting a child is not permitted by the Crown,” She continued and then paused again, glaring at her father and then turning back to face the guards and Draven.
“He will also be given food, his actions have shined light on an even greater problem that I’m sure is common throughout Iziz and beyond the walls of our city. King Jak will make it his top priority to make sure this problem is laid to rest.”
She nodded to the guards, who all put their weapons away. Two of them approached Draven, “We’ll take you there, boy.”
As they walked out of the room, her father’s voice came from behind her, “All of you, go back to your stations now.” He said, and Sol turned to look at him.
Later that day, Draven found himself laying in an infirmary bed, a tray of food had been delivered to him. It wasn't much, but it was more than he had and it would help him survive for at least a while longer. The small meal consisted of a grilled meat entree, a side of fruit, and some bread, and served with water. The King was "generous" enough to allow the boy to have as much water as he liked. Draven took advantage of the free water as much as he possibly could.
The food, while not much, was delicious. He took his time eating it, chewing slowly and enjoying every flavorful bite he had. Truthfully the meal wasn't much different than what he was accustomed too, meat and fruit. It was what he knew from living off the land. But this, this was a meal prepared for royalty. The flavor was astonishing to the young boy, and the water was pure and cleaner than any other water on the planet.
After he ate his meal, drank his fill of water, and had his injuries treated he felt better than he had in the past few days. Minus the pain of his injuries, but pain was something he had come to know in his young years. With his bandages, stitches, and belly full, he drifted off into sleep appreciating the the soft bed he'd been provided. It had all been because of the princess, and he would never forget it.
Sol ventured down to the infirmary, sneaking past the guards to do so. There laid Draven, whom she smiled at. Her eye was severely bruised and puffy, but he had looked much better than he had when the guards had dragged him into the room.
“Hello.” She said to him, taking a seat next to his bed.
Her gentle voice crept through his ears and into his mind, he could hear her, even without seeing her with his eyes, let alone being awake. His hand reached out to take hers and hold it. "Thank you." He said as he slowly opened his eyes, turning his head to look at her. His red eyes met hers and the bruise on her face was obvious. He moved using his hands to help him sit up as quickly as he could. He winced from the pain slightly. "You're the Princess. What happened to your face? You didn't look like this before. Someone must have done that to you!" His mind was racing with a million questions, what happened and why? Was it because of what he did? Was it because she chose to show him mercy?
His face showed sadness, there was no point in trying to hide his emotions. He had already exposed himself as being able to command the Force, there was no point in hiding now. He felt sorry for what had happened to her, a guilt over coming him. He knew that he had to make it right. "Who hurt you? This is my fault isn't it? Because you spared my life.... I'm sorry. Please, tell me who did this."
“Don’t worry about it,” She started, but quickly realized he wouldn’t be satisfied with that. Her face ached, but her back had hurt worse. He couldn’t see those marks, she had been surprised her father had hit her face at all.
“My father is a cruel man, it’s always been this way. I would have faced the same outcome if I hadn’t defended you, I had already broken his rules today. I was able to help you, which made anything he did earlier or will do later worth it,” She said, taking his hand and smiling at him. His red eyes were strange, but she supposed her bright blue eyes must have been strange to him.
“How did you do the…” She paused, and moved her hands in the air in a circular motion, “The hand thing? When you killed the guards and moved me? We must talk quickly, I’m sure a guard will be here soon to get me.”
"You're cute" he laughed at her gestures as she waved her hands around, "and funny." His sides hurting with pain as he laughed trying to be quiet. As much as it hurt, the laugh was well needed after the events of today. "All I did was use the Force. I'm sorry if I scared you when I used it. But I promise you that you were never in any danger from me."
He shot her an innocent smile. A smile of reassurance as a way of telling her that everything would be ok. Although truthfully Draven didn't know if it was actually for her or for himself. "Your eyes are really pretty. They shine like the stars in the night. They're the bluest thing I've ever seen and your hands are softer than anything I've ever felt." His compliments were genuine and he delivered her another big smile.
"Princess, you know that we're friends now, and I want you to have this." The young boy removed his hooded cloak, making sure to keep the weapons on his belt hidden. "Here, this is for you. That way you'll always remember me. And you can use it to hide from the guards when you don't want them to find you." He extended his hand out, offering the Princess his cloak.
"Hey next time I come to the city, I can show you more of the Force now that we're friends. But right now I'm just really tired. I just want to get past the city walls and make it back home. But you should probably go before a guard finds you and you get in trouble for being with me. Give the cloak a try. It's one of my favorites, but you're my favorite and only friend so I'm happy you have it now."
Draven had meant every word he said, he hadn't lied to her at all, yet he also wasn't openly truthful either. As soon as she would leave, he was going to set things right. The King was a cruel man as she had said, to hit his own daughter was horrible. She had saved his life, maybe he could do the same for her.
“Thank you, I’ll have someone bring you a new one before you leave,” She said, folding his in her lap. She had a million questions, but the top one had to have been what came out of her mouth next.
“What’s the Force? I’ve never heard of it,” She asked, but a look of panic spread across her face. No sound could be heard, but she knew her father had found out she’d been missing.
“You’re right, my father has started looking for me. I have to go. I hope we see one another one day, but it won’t be any time soon. You see, my father has never let me leave the Palace. Ever. Any record of me in the public’s eye is if I’m seen on our balcony during an event, but I’ve never left. He won’t let me. He says that… never mind. Make yourself scarce of the Palace, unless I am to know about your presence he will not show you mercy again.”
She stood, and walked across the room quickly to check the hallway. It was clear, if she were to make it out so he wouldn’t know where she’d been it would have to be now.
“Goodbye, Draven Nethervoid,” She said, offering him a smile before leaving, rushing through the infirmary.
The scared look on her face and the fear induced exit of the Princess further verified what she had told him about her father. He was a cruel man indeed. He never let her leave the palace? How could that be? Why, why was he hiding her away? How had she never heard of the Force? Is it, is it because the King hated the Force? Or was he scared of it, had that been the fear Dzoun had been talking about? It didn't matter, Draven knew he had to get out of the infirmary if he was to attempt to make things right.
The boy stood to his feet, his body crying out in pain. But he was determined. His belly was full, and his energy restoring. He knew he'd be fine as long as he didn't have to fight for a prolonged amount of time. He made sure to pay attention to the path that the guards had taken when they led him from the throne room to the infirmary. All he had to do was retrace the path backwards and stay hidden until he would make his move.
He made his way out of the infirmary, making sure to stick close to the wall. He traveled down the long hallway, coming to and end, he took the turn to the left. Once that he was at his next split off point, he peaked around the corner checking to see if the path was clear. Luckily it had been. Down a corridor here, a turn there, another hallway coming to an end. He was close to being back at the throne room. It was odd that for a palace so large that he hadn't seen any guards.
At the next pass, he had been carless and started to round the corner when he caught sight of two guards patrolling. Draven quickly back pedaled around the corner he'd just started to take. He put his back against the wall and took a few steps back as the guards just continued their patrol lost in their meaningless conversation, passing by the intercepting hallway and paying the boy no mind.
Once they had passed and made their way further down, Draven quickly darted around the corner and down the walkway. With one last turn he was back at the throne room. A quick glance from his cover showed that the room was empty. The King wasn't there, luckily neither were the guards. On the far side of the room was a stairway, presumably leading to private living quarters or perhaps the King's private chambers.
Then again there was the entrance just pass an archway, he could simply leave the palace and the city all together to go back home. No! The Princess saved my life and she took the punishment for it. I have to repay her kindness. After quickly making his decision, he rushed across the the room, making his way up the stairs. The top of the stairs ended in the middle of another hallway with a set of double doors directly in front of them. There was no sign of anyone. As he approached the double doors, he could hear the loud thundering voice of the King. It sounded as if he was yelling at someone.
Draven opened one of the doors and silently slipped inside.
With each sound of the whip, Sol sobbed. A small amount of blood began to soak into the sheets of her bed, but her father never cared about that.
“I’m sorry!” She cried out, but he swung the whip again, either opening an old wound or creating an entirely new one.
“You disobeyed my rules! You put everyone in this palace at risk because of that boy! He could have killed you, killed all of us!” He said, and another slash came down.
“I know, I’m sorry,” she whimpered, gripping the pillow under her head. She hated this bed, the whip, the white shirt her father forced her to change into so he could do this. She hated all of it, she hated him.
“You are wicked and evil, Solisius. We should have killed you at birth!” He shouted, but no whip came down.
“Inject her. Now.” Her father’s voice came again, and a needle poked into her neck.
“No please, I don’t want to sleep. I can be good, I promise! I’m not evil!” She cried, but the medicine already began to take its affect. In less than a minute, she was out.
The doctor looked to King Jak, who nodded in approval. “Korrian, make sure to apply bacta every few hours. Guards, keep this room locked down. She’ll be awake in a few days,” He commanded his daughter’s maid, and turned to walk out with his guards and the doctor.
As Draven made his way down the hall, the yelling became louder and louder. All he had to do was to follow the sounds of the King's voice. Once he was close enough, he could hear another voice crying out, it was the Princess! Though the words were muffled he knew it was her. As he was approaching the door where the voices were the loudest, he felt it, a lashing pain ripped across his back. It had felt as if the skin itself had been ripped from his back.
Whatever this pain was, it was worse than any physical pain he'd ever felt in his life. He fell to his knees, tears building in his eyes. He sat there on his knees in a state of shock. There were no voices, there was no movement, there was nothing, only the pain. It was as if time itself has stopped all around him. Then suddenly it was as if everything was back to normal, when the sound of a door just a few feet ahead of him opened.
There he was, the King. He was there in front of him, he'd found his target. Suddenly the pain across his back didn't matter, it was gone. All there was now was anger. The King was the first out the door, followed by another man that Draven hadn't seen before, and then a small group of guards filing out of the room. It didn't matter how many of them there was now. The King, her father, her supposed caretaker and protector had hurt his friend. And not for the first time. But he was determined that this would be the last time.
Draven was quick to make it back to his feet and he felt as if something was taking him over. It was the same feeling he had when Dzoun had been killed. It was the feeling of power that the Force had lent to Draven that terrible day, and clearly it was here again to offer itself to him. A gift and a curse to be sure. While he got stronger, he lost who he was. It didn't matter to him now.
"You!" He shouted down the hallway, every bit of his anger filling his throat as he spat the word like venom. He didn't even wait for them to react to him, he cared less if they seen him or not. He stretched both arms out together, then quickly spread them in opposite directions. The two guards at the rear were thrown in opposing directions. One being thrown into the wall, the other being thrown back into the door he'd just closed. Both guards bounced off their destined targets with hard thuds, as their bodies fell to the floor.
Not giving the opposition any chance to take up a counter attack, Draven was on the move to close in the gap before stopping just short of the door and using every bit of anger and strength the Force allowed him to feel and he unleashed the biggest, most devastating blast of Force energy that he could summon forth. Guards, the unknown man, and the King, all sprawled out across the floor just beyond the door. Draven approached, walking down the parted sea of bodies that laid thrown across the hall, his eye solely on the King. He reached out once again with the etheral hand of the Force, to grab the King by his throat and pulled him towards himself, his own physical hand held in a claw like fashion as he applied pressure to the royal throat. He kept the King on his knees, eye level with the boy.
Draven reached back and pulled a hilt from his belt and commanded the blade to live with the switch of the activator. The crimson blade responded in obedience to it's master and sprung to life with a snap-hiss. The energy based weapon emitted heat that greatly reflected the young boy's hatred he felt.
"You hurt my friend!" He shouted, his voice a guttural growl. "You hurt the Princess! She's your daughter, you're supposed to protect her, not hurt her! What kind of father are you? You hurt her, now you will feel her pain!" He shouted one last time as he drew his lightsaber back, ready to strike out like a venomous serpent at its prey.
“You know nothing about my daughter,” Jak said through clenched teeth, looking at the boy.
From behind them, guards flooded the area, all with blasters in hand. One shot at them, shooting towards the boy. It was enough to break his focus, and they swarmed him, restraining him immediately.
The room became… cold. As if it had been cut off from the world, from the force. A few guards had some large lizards restrained. “Ysalamir. I had them brought back up from the dungeons after your little stunt, I wouldn’t want her to be exposed to any more of this.”
He stood and took a step towards the boy, his jaw clenched. “Now you listen here. You know nothing about her. She is pure evil, she came out that way. She will always be that way. I am doing my best to keep her contained, lest she kill us all. Her mother saw it, and was horrified enough to run away with her brother. Now, it is my responsibility to deal with her. I will do that as I see fit.”
The guards pulled the boy to his feet and began moving him out of the castle. “Stay away from here, Draven. If I hear word of you causing any trouble, either here or in Iziz, I will personally see to it that you are killed on sight. Do not come anywhere near the palace! Consider yourself banish
from Onderon!”
The world was cold, he didn't know what had happened, it was like he was suddenly in a cold vacuum of a void. Suddenly all of his strength had left him, and nothing made sense. The King's words all he could focus on. "Banished from Onderon!" Where would he go now? It was like the world itself was falling apart. He had just lost his home and everything he had ever known in a single day, all because he was hungry.
The guards had escorted him from the palace and taken him all the way to the spaceport on the King's orders.
After a while and a handful of conversations that the guards had with different ship captains and owners, he was finally set free of the guards and pushed aboard a cargo shuttle. He was stunned, he had no idea where this ship was going or where he would end up at. Let alone who the people were on bored the ship. He had been thrown up a loading ramp and into a cargo bay. Before long, the ship had broken through the atmosphere of Onderon, and for the first time in his life Draven Nethervoid seen the planet from space and realized how much bigger the galaxy actually was.
Before the ship broke for hyperspace, one last thought passed through the young boy's mind. One day I will return to my home, and I will repay the Princess for what she did today. I'll never forget it. If it means killing the King when I return, then so be it.
The stars out of the viewport grew odd and long shaped as the blackness of space seemingly changed into a kaleidoscope of various colors of blues and purples. His home was gone, and now so was he. He was alone in the Galaxy, left to survive on his own. He wasn't sad or scared, only a dreadful feeling of hatred sitting inside him, waiting to be released. Leaving a craving for more dread and war.
Sol awoke a few days later to her father’s voice pulling her out of her deep sleep. “What happened?” She said, her voice hoarse. Her father handed her a small cup of water, and she sat up to drink it.
“You’ve been asleep for a few days. I’ll have Korrian bring you in food, are you feeling okay?” He said, his voice shockingly… calm. She had no recollection of anything, only remembering leaving with her tutor for food.
“I think so,” She said, still clearly confused. Her father sat on the end of her bed, looking at her with clear concern.
“When you came to get food, there was a prisoner loose in the palace. He attacked you, Solisius. Threw you against wall after wall. Took down at least 10 of my guards. Some sort of assassin, I suppose. When we finally got control of him, we were finally able to find you,” He said to her, but she still looked confused. Had that really happened?
“I’m sorry,” She said, her apology pointing towards leaving her tutoring in the first place.
“This is why I keep you here. This is why I have such strict rules. To keep you safe from others and from yourself. One day you’ll understand,” He said and stood, turning to leave the room.
“I’ve canceled your tutoring for the day. Rest up, Solisius.” He spoke again, and was gone. She sat there, confused at his kindness and what he had said. How could she not remember any of it?
Korrian brought her food, sitting and talking to the girl as she ate, and she rested for the remainder of the day. Thinking about what her father had said, trying to remember for herself if that has truly happened.
And under her bed, unbeknownst to her or her Father, laid a folded cloak from the boy she could not remember.
(OOC: A very big thank you to @skira for all of your wonderful help on this!)
Iziz, Onderon, 146ABY
Morning had come and the sun was sitting high in the sky, young Draven awoke from his sleep, heading to the refresher to get ready for the day. After some time he reemerged, clean and dressed in the simple garments he'd come accustomed to wearing, boots, black pants, and a top. Sometimes his top matched his black pants, other times it was white, or beige, or even an earth tone green. Today his top matched the rest of his outfit. Heading back into the chamber that had been his room, he gathered his weapons. Long had the time passed when he once used a training saber, now he relied on the Force and his twin crimson colored lightsabers. The twin sabers being the only connection he had from a time before learning under the eye of Dzoun.
Dzoun, he thought of the man occasionally. He had been a teacher and guardian to the young boy, and the only other person he'd known. Dzoun had taught him a great many things, how to hunt, how to fight, how to use the Force itself, and to be prideful of who he was. The most important thing Dzoun had taught him was how to survive. It had been a year and a half or has it been two years now, since that dreadful day. The day their home had been disrespected and Dzoun had been killed. That was the day that Draven finally understood what the power of the Force truly was. He hunted down those that were responsible for the death of Dzoun, and he made them pay. The Force was power and it was his to wield and command. That day seemed so long ago now.
His stomach rumbled, his body craving food. It had been three days since the boy had last eaten anything. Hunting trips had come up with no prizes, and he was out of credits to use at any of the shops down in the city of Iziz. He knew that he had to eat something, his body felt weak. He had no energy, he knew that he couldn't last much longer if he did not eat soon.
There was another option available to him but he didn't like it, it was risky. He could steal a few piece of fruit from one of a few different markets. He wasn't a fan of the thought of stealing, but it was either take the chance or die of starvation. When it came to survival, there was no question. He would steal what was needed to keep him alive for the time. Double checking his lightsabers that hung from his sides, he retrieved a cloak and made sure to conceal the weapons. No need for any unwanted attention or questions. He raised his hood over his head and left the temple. Making his way to Iziz.
“Wake up, Solisius,” Korrian’s voice pulled the young princess from her sleep, and she groaned lightly. Partially from her severe lack of sleep, but also from the pain that radiates from her back.
“Do you have bacta? The wounds opened up again,” she said, her voice light. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the bacta in her maid’s hand, and smiled. “Thank you.”
“We’ll get you all fixed up, then it’s off to music lessons. Your tutor should be here soon, so we must make haste,” she said, but Solisius knew what she really meant. If she was late for any of her lessons it’d be another beating, and the bacta would need time to work.
She pushed the blanket down to allow her maid to apply the bacta. She was gentle, and tried her best to prevent causing any more pain to the young girl, but she still winced every few minutes. Once they were done, she helped her get dressed and a guard guided her down the hall.
“Is my Father home today?” She asked him.
“Yes, Princess. I believe he is going through the cases for prisoners today.”
Dread pooled in her stomach, but she only nodded at the man.
He'd finally made his exodus to the hustling and bustling capital of Onderon, the great city of Iziz. The journey wasn't a difficult one, but with no food to nourish the young boy, it was long and tiring. The city itself seemed as if it were alive, moving the rhythmic flow of people passing by, coming to and fro. The sight of the city was beautiful. There were businesses such as the Cantina or as one sign read, Garn's Modest House of Sin, whatever that was. There were small merchant stands in the plaza and even bigger shops that sold almost anything you could ever want or need. And of course at the head of the city sat the Onderon castle, that was home to the ruler of all the Onderoneans, King Jak.
Dzoun wasn't a fan of the King, nor did he ever speak fondly of him from what Draven could remember. He did remember that Dzoun had once said the King Jak was once a fair and fierce ruler, until he let his fear corrupt him and his judgement. Dzoun told him that the King despised the Force and all those who weilded it. So anytime he and the boy went into the city before they had to conceal their weapons and be sure not to use their power. I must remain hidden. Thank you Dzoun. The boy thought to himself before venturing onwards into the heart of the city.
For as many civilians as there were, there was just as many guards patrolling the city. Members of the Onderonean military forces, patrolling and surveying the city for any signs of trouble. Where was the best place to get some food? The larger markets were to risky, having to sneak in and out with his stolen goods. The merchant stands in the plaza was also risky but being in the open and with so many people, but perhaps it would be easier to remain unnoticed with a larger crowd. There were risks in both scenarios, yet having a crowd to use as cover seemed the safer choice.
The young boy quickly made his was to the merchants market within the heart of the plaza. It was busy, so many people, voices, it was almost overwhelming. Still, it provided the best cover and multiple routes of escape to get out of the city with his treasure. With his hood drawn, weapons concealed, Draven moved with a decent sized crowd that was making their way from stand to stand. They stopped to look at everything each trader was selling it seemed like. No matter, the next stand was a produce stand, the owner shouting out about how he had the only fruit from seven different systems. It was a decent size stand and Draven had been eyeing it before the group made their way over.
Once they arrived at the stand, Draven still just stood and looked over the various goods like the rest of them. Before reaching out quickly to grab a few pieces of fruit of different varieties. Hopefully the merchant was busy trying to convince the others to buy his goods and seen nothing. The boy turned and started to break away from the group and walk off back towards the way he came, but it was too late. "STOP! THEIF!" The merchant called out at the young boy, his heart dropped and panic set in. He threw a glance over his shoulder to see the owner of the stand coming around the corner of the small stand towards him and guards approaching, reacting to the merchants yelling.
He froze, what was he to do? His body felt heavy, as if his legs were being weighted down by durasteel. "I got you now, theif!" The voice came from behind, it was close, a hand touched his shoulder, he was caught. Suddenly as if out of instinct the young boy reacted. His young legs moving on their own. His feet pushed off the stone ground beneath them and he was running, no, he was sprinting to save his life with his food still in his arms. He has to be quick, he had to get out of the city. He knew that if he made it past the city and into the wilderness he'd be home free, but he had to get there first. He couldn't simply run back the way he came that would be to obvious. He'd have to lose the guards first. Sprinting as fast as he could, he ducked around multiple corners and turns. Running down alley ways and anywhere he thought might help him escape.
Apparently the first set of guards had sent out a holomessage to the others across the city because it seemed as if every patrol available was hunting for him. He never let up, he stuck to his plan and took one last corner, his escape was just around the corner. He turned the corner and slammed right into the midsection of a guard. His face colliding with the uniformed soldiers chest. He bounced off the larger man and fell on his back to the ground, his stolen fruit scattered about. He must have hit his forehead on a medal or pin since blood now ran down his face. The guard stood over him, weapon drawn at blaster point. Luckily between the positioning of his body and the way his cloak fell, his lightsabers remained hidden. "We got you now, Normally you'd be headed off to the dungeons! But lucky for you street rat, King Jak is passing judgement on all criminals. You won't have to wait long for your execution!" Giving an evil chuckle as two more guards grabbed the young boy from the ground, placing him in restraint cuffs, before leading him to the castle to face judgement with the others.
She had been playing the piano for an hour, her fingers ached and cramped. The melodious tune echoed through the room and down the hall, blocking out any of the commotion happening.
Until she hit the wrong note, and stopped. “I haven’t eaten today, could I please have a break to get food?” She asked, keeping her tone as polite as she could. All of her tutors were friends with her father, and all lived in the palace. This one in particular was very stringent with her Father’s rules, constantly berating her on any wrong note she might hit.
“Our lesson isn’t over for another two hours, you will eat then,” He said, barely looking over at her from his side of the room.
“I didn’t get to eat yesterday, I don’t feel well. Please, no one will see me,” She pushed, she needed food. He sighed, placing the holo pad he was looking at down.
“Fine. Let’s go,” He caved, and she sighed in relief. They walked out of the room, his hand on her back guided her through the halls. Not that she didn’t know where to go, it was more of a security measure to make sure she didn’t make a run for it.
But as they walked, Sol noticed they hadn’t turned where they were supposed to. “Where are we going?” She asked, and her tutor’s hand moved to grab her arm, tugging her along.
He was taking her to her Father.
"Keep moving!" The lead guard shouted at him, physically pushing the young boy forward, causing him to fall face first to the ground. "Ugh get up street rat! I didn't tell you that you could rest."
"I wouldn't be resting as you call it had you not shoved me!" The boy retorted, anger building in his voice. The guard didn't take kindly to the young boy's attitude, and with a swift motion the guard cocked his leg back and kicked Draven straight in the ribs. A cracking could be heard coming from the small young child's frame, ribs broken and fractured. The boy gasped as the air quickly left his body. His breathing sounds more like a wheezing sound of a dying man than a ten year old child. He cranked his head to the side to look at the guard, his eyes a piercing crimson color that burned with a hatred far beyond his years. With a rasped breath he assured the guard that had kicked him, "I will get out of these restraints at some point, and when I do, I'm going to end your life."
The guard let out a hardy chuckle of almost disbelief. "You, kill me? That's hilarious kid. The next time you're out of those restraints you'll be on the executioners block. But still I suppose..."
"Hey what's with his weird eyes?" One of the other guards called out laughing as his statement left his mouth. "You the result of some weird mountain people incest or something?"
"I will kill all of you!" The boy shouted.
"Oh really? Did you hear that boys?" The lead guard asked the others that now surrounded the boy. "This one here just threatened military personnel, twice now. Not smart boy!" The two other guards kicked him repeatedly. His sides, shoulders, face, arms, legs, back, all of him. He was battered and more bloody than before. The main guard knelt down to the boy, putting the blaster to the back of his head, as he leaned down to whisper in his ear. "You're lucky there's so many witnesses in the daytime boy. If this were after night fall, well...bang. You get the idea. You wouldn't make it to the castle at all." He stood back up instructing the other two to get the prisoner up. They stood him up, he felt as if he'd collapse, his head hung low.
"All of you are going to die." Was all he made out, his voice soft and low as a whisper. He wasn't able to speak another word before he felt it. The guard pistol-whipped him with the butt of the blaster. The strike to the back of his head making his vision blurry, he was trying to hold on before feeling his body fall forward, the guards on each side cathing him and holding him up. The last thing he seen was the castle coming into view as his feet were dragged then there was only blackness.
He threw her on the ground and Sol looked up slowly, realizing immediately what room they were in.
The Throne Room.
“What is my daughter doing in this room?” His voice boomed, and he locked with hers. ‘Kriff’ she thought to herself, and her stomach rumbled. She knew it’d be like that for a while, there’d be no chance of her getting food today.
“She kept interrupting our lessons saying she was hungry, your Highness,” he said behind her, and she cursed again. Her father stood, the heels of his shoes clicking against the floor.
She looked down, her body shaking. She should have stood immediately, she left her self too open by lying there. From her side, a sharp kick came and she rolled over, letting out a soft cry.
“Get up,” He demanded and she obeyed, her hands shaking as she stood. Her chest ached, and she stood slightly lopsided from the pain.
“I’m sorry, I was just hung-“ She began to say, but her fathers smack across her face cut her off. She placed her hand on her cheek, the sting sitting there.
“King Jak, the next prisoner is ready,” A guard from across the room said.
“Well, Solisius, I guess you’ll just get to help me carry this punishment out,” He said through gritted teeth, and she gulped. Through the doors, appeared a young boy who couldn’t have been much older than her, being dragged in by the guards.
“Who is this boy, and what is the crime he has been charged with?” Her father said as he grabbed Sol’s wrist and moved across the room, tugging his daughter behind him.
The words intruded his mind like a nightmare, his eyes slowly opening with hazy vision. His body felt heavy and pain raced over him. He winced in response to it. His head pounding, the taste of blood filled his mouth, his lungs burned as if they'd been set a flame within his chest. His head was heavy, barley able to raise his neck as his vision slowly cleared, long enough to view the King dragging the young girl across the room.
"This street rat has been charged with stealing valuable and exotic goods from a merchant's stand in the market place plaza, as well as threatening multiple Onderon military personnel, your Majesty. His threats of indefinite bodily harm occured multiple times even in front of witnesses." The lead guard that had ordered the assault on the young boy stated. His tone one of arrogance and superiority. "State you name for the King, boy!" He spat venom towards the prisoner. "His Highness the King demands to know your name, you pathetic street rat. You will answer him immediately!"
The young prisoner didn't even lift his head, he made no attempt to even resist the guard's hate filled demands. He had no strength to fight. His physical body had reached its limits. With no food and after being beaten he felt defeated. Opening his mouth the words fell to the floor, barley a whisper. "Dra-ven."
"Draven. Draven. Draven, are you listening to me?" The voice and words of Dzoun racing through his mind. The memory of a lesson forcing itself to the surface. "The Force is more than just a guide that the Jedi believe. And much more than a mere weapon that the Sith tend to believe in. The Force is a gift as much as it is a curse. It can do great things, and it can do terrible devastating things. The Force is a tool, how you use it is up to you. Take pride in that Draven. You are a weilder of the Force, a commander of the power. The Force is a tool, and you are the architect. Remember to alway take pride in knowing that. More importantly always take pride in who you are. Stand tall with that pride."
The brief memory of Dzoun flashed in his mind, Draven remembered the words of his Master clearly. It was more than a lesson about the Force that day, it was a lesson about life and knowing who he was as an individual. The words of his old Master resonated within himself, and it was as if a new flame had been lit. He raised his head up to look the King in the eye, his eyes burned with the intensity of a supernova star. "I am Draven Nethervoid." He stated in a tone and a voice that almost sounded to seasoned to be his own for one as young.
As Draven mustered up the strength to say his name, the King stopped, his grip on his daughter’s arm tightening. He looked to the guards and then to the girl, smirking. He threw her forward, and she stumbled down as she landed a few feet away from the prisoner, looking at him horrified.
“One of you, give Princess Solisius your blaster. She will be carrying out his execution,” he said, and one of the guards lowered their hand to offer the Princess their blaster.
She looked to the boy across from her, her lip quivering. She reluctantly took the blaster and stood, her hand shaking. Sol could tell he had been hungry, enough to risk stealing from the merchants. She had been begging for food herself, it would be as if she was punishing herself.
“Please don’t make me do this,” She begged, tears falling from her eyes. “He’s a boy, a hungry boy that was just trying to get food.”
“We didn’t say what he was stealing, your Majesty. Just exotic goods,” One of the guards said almost immediately after she spoke, and she turned from the boy and faced her Father, the blaster laying relaxed in her hand. She barely gripped it, only enough to keep it from falling.
“He’s clearly hungry. As King, you should care about your people. Please Father, show the young boy mercy. He was only trying to get food.”
The young girls tears and words to her father had come as a surprise to the prisoner. It was clear that she understood compassion, and perhaps forgiveness. Beyond revealing his connection with the Force and trying to escape, she seemed to be his only hope. "Princess," the boy muttered, "please, forgive me. Allow me to go free and I'll never steal again." He pleaded with the young girl.
His words were free of any deception. Even if he had been better trained in the art of swaying the influence of another, it would do him very little here since she seemed to already be on his side. Yet the King was a different story.
"Shut up, you criminal!" The Guard Captain shouted at him before introducing the prisoners forehead with the stock end of his blaster riffle. "You will remain silent until the King addresses you again."
The boy's face covered completely by a crimson veil as blood poured from the wound of the riffle. The crimson liquid quickly ran down and covered his face as if it were the marking of some scarlet letter branded to him. Draven looked at the Captain, his eyes never wavering away from him, "you'll be the first to die when I have my revenge."
"I told you to shut up!" The Captain shouted, followed by a back hand across the young boy's face. He turned on his heel in a military fashion to face the King. "Your Majesty, you have heard it yourself, he once again threatens our very life. I suggest we show him no mercy and he be executed immediately."
“Stop!” Sol shouted at the guards, taking a step towards them. Behind her, she heard her father race towards them. She stopped her movement, pausing to look at the boy briefly, and then shot her head back to look at her father. He seethed with anger as he looked down at his daughter, the daughter he hadn’t wanted to begin with.
“I gave you an order. As my Heir, you are expected to follow it or face the punishment he is facing tenfold!” He shouted at her, his hands clenched at his side.
“Please,” She whimpered, her lip quivering. But he kept his stare, and she looked over to the boy slowly. She raised the blaster, her hand still shaking. The boy was bloody and badgered, she felt horrible for him. She locked eyes with the boy, and almost pleaded with him. If he had a way out of this, it might be his only chance.
She held the blaster there, hesitating for a moment, trying to think of a way out of this for the both of them.
The situation grew worse, it was clear there was no other way out of the situation. He had to either expose himself as a Force user or he would surly die. The girl was just as much a prisoner as he was, she couldn't help him. At least not in a way he'd prefer, but she could still be helpful in another way.
Draven twisted his body as hard as he could to the left, using his legs to push off the ground as hard as he could, colliding with the guard on his right, causing him to stumble backwards and fall to the ground. With his hands now facing the guard to the left, he called upon the Force to unleash a blast of telekinetic energy, pushing the guard back into the far wall. Turning back with a furious speed he reached out to grab the Captain by his throat with the etheral hand of the Force, quickly snapping his neck with a sickening cracking of bone. His lifeless body fell limply to the floor, his head turned in an unnatural angle, looking past his shoulders.
Reaching out again the hand of the Force gently wrapped itself around the Princess, spinning her around to face her father, before she was brought back to the prisoner. His still bound hands raised and her back met his torso as he lowered his arms. She still held the blaster in her hands, as Draven quietly whispered to her so that only she could head him. "I'm not going to hurt you, but please you have to trust me. This is our only way out."
She dropped the blaster, looking to her father with shock. Behind them, guards rushed the room. Her father raised his hand to stop them, clearly trying to deescalate the situation himself.
“How did you do that?” She whispered back to him, but was interrupted immediately by the familiar loud boom of her fathers voice.
“We shall follow the Princess’ orders on how she wishes to proceed with the prisoner!” He said, more so to the guards than the two in front of him. He was being smart, planning his next move in the matter of seconds.
“My Father does not lie. Trust me,” She said, and pulled away from him as she walked back towards her father. She stopped once she was in between them.
“This young boy has been brought here on the grounds of stealing food. We shall not punish someone that was only trying to fight for their own survival,” She paused, looking to her father to read his face. He looked… horrified. As if seeing what the boy had done truly did terrify him. But why?
“We will have him brought to the infirmary to treat the injuries caused by these guards. No matter the crime, hitting a child is not permitted by the Crown,” She continued and then paused again, glaring at her father and then turning back to face the guards and Draven.
“He will also be given food, his actions have shined light on an even greater problem that I’m sure is common throughout Iziz and beyond the walls of our city. King Jak will make it his top priority to make sure this problem is laid to rest.”
She nodded to the guards, who all put their weapons away. Two of them approached Draven, “We’ll take you there, boy.”
As they walked out of the room, her father’s voice came from behind her, “All of you, go back to your stations now.” He said, and Sol turned to look at him.
Later that day, Draven found himself laying in an infirmary bed, a tray of food had been delivered to him. It wasn't much, but it was more than he had and it would help him survive for at least a while longer. The small meal consisted of a grilled meat entree, a side of fruit, and some bread, and served with water. The King was "generous" enough to allow the boy to have as much water as he liked. Draven took advantage of the free water as much as he possibly could.
The food, while not much, was delicious. He took his time eating it, chewing slowly and enjoying every flavorful bite he had. Truthfully the meal wasn't much different than what he was accustomed too, meat and fruit. It was what he knew from living off the land. But this, this was a meal prepared for royalty. The flavor was astonishing to the young boy, and the water was pure and cleaner than any other water on the planet.
After he ate his meal, drank his fill of water, and had his injuries treated he felt better than he had in the past few days. Minus the pain of his injuries, but pain was something he had come to know in his young years. With his bandages, stitches, and belly full, he drifted off into sleep appreciating the the soft bed he'd been provided. It had all been because of the princess, and he would never forget it.
Sol ventured down to the infirmary, sneaking past the guards to do so. There laid Draven, whom she smiled at. Her eye was severely bruised and puffy, but he had looked much better than he had when the guards had dragged him into the room.
“Hello.” She said to him, taking a seat next to his bed.
Her gentle voice crept through his ears and into his mind, he could hear her, even without seeing her with his eyes, let alone being awake. His hand reached out to take hers and hold it. "Thank you." He said as he slowly opened his eyes, turning his head to look at her. His red eyes met hers and the bruise on her face was obvious. He moved using his hands to help him sit up as quickly as he could. He winced from the pain slightly. "You're the Princess. What happened to your face? You didn't look like this before. Someone must have done that to you!" His mind was racing with a million questions, what happened and why? Was it because of what he did? Was it because she chose to show him mercy?
His face showed sadness, there was no point in trying to hide his emotions. He had already exposed himself as being able to command the Force, there was no point in hiding now. He felt sorry for what had happened to her, a guilt over coming him. He knew that he had to make it right. "Who hurt you? This is my fault isn't it? Because you spared my life.... I'm sorry. Please, tell me who did this."
“Don’t worry about it,” She started, but quickly realized he wouldn’t be satisfied with that. Her face ached, but her back had hurt worse. He couldn’t see those marks, she had been surprised her father had hit her face at all.
“My father is a cruel man, it’s always been this way. I would have faced the same outcome if I hadn’t defended you, I had already broken his rules today. I was able to help you, which made anything he did earlier or will do later worth it,” She said, taking his hand and smiling at him. His red eyes were strange, but she supposed her bright blue eyes must have been strange to him.
“How did you do the…” She paused, and moved her hands in the air in a circular motion, “The hand thing? When you killed the guards and moved me? We must talk quickly, I’m sure a guard will be here soon to get me.”
"You're cute" he laughed at her gestures as she waved her hands around, "and funny." His sides hurting with pain as he laughed trying to be quiet. As much as it hurt, the laugh was well needed after the events of today. "All I did was use the Force. I'm sorry if I scared you when I used it. But I promise you that you were never in any danger from me."
He shot her an innocent smile. A smile of reassurance as a way of telling her that everything would be ok. Although truthfully Draven didn't know if it was actually for her or for himself. "Your eyes are really pretty. They shine like the stars in the night. They're the bluest thing I've ever seen and your hands are softer than anything I've ever felt." His compliments were genuine and he delivered her another big smile.
"Princess, you know that we're friends now, and I want you to have this." The young boy removed his hooded cloak, making sure to keep the weapons on his belt hidden. "Here, this is for you. That way you'll always remember me. And you can use it to hide from the guards when you don't want them to find you." He extended his hand out, offering the Princess his cloak.
"Hey next time I come to the city, I can show you more of the Force now that we're friends. But right now I'm just really tired. I just want to get past the city walls and make it back home. But you should probably go before a guard finds you and you get in trouble for being with me. Give the cloak a try. It's one of my favorites, but you're my favorite and only friend so I'm happy you have it now."
Draven had meant every word he said, he hadn't lied to her at all, yet he also wasn't openly truthful either. As soon as she would leave, he was going to set things right. The King was a cruel man as she had said, to hit his own daughter was horrible. She had saved his life, maybe he could do the same for her.
“Thank you, I’ll have someone bring you a new one before you leave,” She said, folding his in her lap. She had a million questions, but the top one had to have been what came out of her mouth next.
“What’s the Force? I’ve never heard of it,” She asked, but a look of panic spread across her face. No sound could be heard, but she knew her father had found out she’d been missing.
“You’re right, my father has started looking for me. I have to go. I hope we see one another one day, but it won’t be any time soon. You see, my father has never let me leave the Palace. Ever. Any record of me in the public’s eye is if I’m seen on our balcony during an event, but I’ve never left. He won’t let me. He says that… never mind. Make yourself scarce of the Palace, unless I am to know about your presence he will not show you mercy again.”
She stood, and walked across the room quickly to check the hallway. It was clear, if she were to make it out so he wouldn’t know where she’d been it would have to be now.
“Goodbye, Draven Nethervoid,” She said, offering him a smile before leaving, rushing through the infirmary.
The scared look on her face and the fear induced exit of the Princess further verified what she had told him about her father. He was a cruel man indeed. He never let her leave the palace? How could that be? Why, why was he hiding her away? How had she never heard of the Force? Is it, is it because the King hated the Force? Or was he scared of it, had that been the fear Dzoun had been talking about? It didn't matter, Draven knew he had to get out of the infirmary if he was to attempt to make things right.
The boy stood to his feet, his body crying out in pain. But he was determined. His belly was full, and his energy restoring. He knew he'd be fine as long as he didn't have to fight for a prolonged amount of time. He made sure to pay attention to the path that the guards had taken when they led him from the throne room to the infirmary. All he had to do was retrace the path backwards and stay hidden until he would make his move.
He made his way out of the infirmary, making sure to stick close to the wall. He traveled down the long hallway, coming to and end, he took the turn to the left. Once that he was at his next split off point, he peaked around the corner checking to see if the path was clear. Luckily it had been. Down a corridor here, a turn there, another hallway coming to an end. He was close to being back at the throne room. It was odd that for a palace so large that he hadn't seen any guards.
At the next pass, he had been carless and started to round the corner when he caught sight of two guards patrolling. Draven quickly back pedaled around the corner he'd just started to take. He put his back against the wall and took a few steps back as the guards just continued their patrol lost in their meaningless conversation, passing by the intercepting hallway and paying the boy no mind.
Once they had passed and made their way further down, Draven quickly darted around the corner and down the walkway. With one last turn he was back at the throne room. A quick glance from his cover showed that the room was empty. The King wasn't there, luckily neither were the guards. On the far side of the room was a stairway, presumably leading to private living quarters or perhaps the King's private chambers.
Then again there was the entrance just pass an archway, he could simply leave the palace and the city all together to go back home. No! The Princess saved my life and she took the punishment for it. I have to repay her kindness. After quickly making his decision, he rushed across the the room, making his way up the stairs. The top of the stairs ended in the middle of another hallway with a set of double doors directly in front of them. There was no sign of anyone. As he approached the double doors, he could hear the loud thundering voice of the King. It sounded as if he was yelling at someone.
Draven opened one of the doors and silently slipped inside.
With each sound of the whip, Sol sobbed. A small amount of blood began to soak into the sheets of her bed, but her father never cared about that.
“I’m sorry!” She cried out, but he swung the whip again, either opening an old wound or creating an entirely new one.
“You disobeyed my rules! You put everyone in this palace at risk because of that boy! He could have killed you, killed all of us!” He said, and another slash came down.
“I know, I’m sorry,” she whimpered, gripping the pillow under her head. She hated this bed, the whip, the white shirt her father forced her to change into so he could do this. She hated all of it, she hated him.
“You are wicked and evil, Solisius. We should have killed you at birth!” He shouted, but no whip came down.
“Inject her. Now.” Her father’s voice came again, and a needle poked into her neck.
“No please, I don’t want to sleep. I can be good, I promise! I’m not evil!” She cried, but the medicine already began to take its affect. In less than a minute, she was out.
The doctor looked to King Jak, who nodded in approval. “Korrian, make sure to apply bacta every few hours. Guards, keep this room locked down. She’ll be awake in a few days,” He commanded his daughter’s maid, and turned to walk out with his guards and the doctor.
As Draven made his way down the hall, the yelling became louder and louder. All he had to do was to follow the sounds of the King's voice. Once he was close enough, he could hear another voice crying out, it was the Princess! Though the words were muffled he knew it was her. As he was approaching the door where the voices were the loudest, he felt it, a lashing pain ripped across his back. It had felt as if the skin itself had been ripped from his back.
Whatever this pain was, it was worse than any physical pain he'd ever felt in his life. He fell to his knees, tears building in his eyes. He sat there on his knees in a state of shock. There were no voices, there was no movement, there was nothing, only the pain. It was as if time itself has stopped all around him. Then suddenly it was as if everything was back to normal, when the sound of a door just a few feet ahead of him opened.
There he was, the King. He was there in front of him, he'd found his target. Suddenly the pain across his back didn't matter, it was gone. All there was now was anger. The King was the first out the door, followed by another man that Draven hadn't seen before, and then a small group of guards filing out of the room. It didn't matter how many of them there was now. The King, her father, her supposed caretaker and protector had hurt his friend. And not for the first time. But he was determined that this would be the last time.
Draven was quick to make it back to his feet and he felt as if something was taking him over. It was the same feeling he had when Dzoun had been killed. It was the feeling of power that the Force had lent to Draven that terrible day, and clearly it was here again to offer itself to him. A gift and a curse to be sure. While he got stronger, he lost who he was. It didn't matter to him now.
"You!" He shouted down the hallway, every bit of his anger filling his throat as he spat the word like venom. He didn't even wait for them to react to him, he cared less if they seen him or not. He stretched both arms out together, then quickly spread them in opposite directions. The two guards at the rear were thrown in opposing directions. One being thrown into the wall, the other being thrown back into the door he'd just closed. Both guards bounced off their destined targets with hard thuds, as their bodies fell to the floor.
Not giving the opposition any chance to take up a counter attack, Draven was on the move to close in the gap before stopping just short of the door and using every bit of anger and strength the Force allowed him to feel and he unleashed the biggest, most devastating blast of Force energy that he could summon forth. Guards, the unknown man, and the King, all sprawled out across the floor just beyond the door. Draven approached, walking down the parted sea of bodies that laid thrown across the hall, his eye solely on the King. He reached out once again with the etheral hand of the Force, to grab the King by his throat and pulled him towards himself, his own physical hand held in a claw like fashion as he applied pressure to the royal throat. He kept the King on his knees, eye level with the boy.
Draven reached back and pulled a hilt from his belt and commanded the blade to live with the switch of the activator. The crimson blade responded in obedience to it's master and sprung to life with a snap-hiss. The energy based weapon emitted heat that greatly reflected the young boy's hatred he felt.
"You hurt my friend!" He shouted, his voice a guttural growl. "You hurt the Princess! She's your daughter, you're supposed to protect her, not hurt her! What kind of father are you? You hurt her, now you will feel her pain!" He shouted one last time as he drew his lightsaber back, ready to strike out like a venomous serpent at its prey.
“You know nothing about my daughter,” Jak said through clenched teeth, looking at the boy.
From behind them, guards flooded the area, all with blasters in hand. One shot at them, shooting towards the boy. It was enough to break his focus, and they swarmed him, restraining him immediately.
The room became… cold. As if it had been cut off from the world, from the force. A few guards had some large lizards restrained. “Ysalamir. I had them brought back up from the dungeons after your little stunt, I wouldn’t want her to be exposed to any more of this.”
He stood and took a step towards the boy, his jaw clenched. “Now you listen here. You know nothing about her. She is pure evil, she came out that way. She will always be that way. I am doing my best to keep her contained, lest she kill us all. Her mother saw it, and was horrified enough to run away with her brother. Now, it is my responsibility to deal with her. I will do that as I see fit.”
The guards pulled the boy to his feet and began moving him out of the castle. “Stay away from here, Draven. If I hear word of you causing any trouble, either here or in Iziz, I will personally see to it that you are killed on sight. Do not come anywhere near the palace! Consider yourself banish
from Onderon!”
The world was cold, he didn't know what had happened, it was like he was suddenly in a cold vacuum of a void. Suddenly all of his strength had left him, and nothing made sense. The King's words all he could focus on. "Banished from Onderon!" Where would he go now? It was like the world itself was falling apart. He had just lost his home and everything he had ever known in a single day, all because he was hungry.
The guards had escorted him from the palace and taken him all the way to the spaceport on the King's orders.
After a while and a handful of conversations that the guards had with different ship captains and owners, he was finally set free of the guards and pushed aboard a cargo shuttle. He was stunned, he had no idea where this ship was going or where he would end up at. Let alone who the people were on bored the ship. He had been thrown up a loading ramp and into a cargo bay. Before long, the ship had broken through the atmosphere of Onderon, and for the first time in his life Draven Nethervoid seen the planet from space and realized how much bigger the galaxy actually was.
Before the ship broke for hyperspace, one last thought passed through the young boy's mind. One day I will return to my home, and I will repay the Princess for what she did today. I'll never forget it. If it means killing the King when I return, then so be it.
The stars out of the viewport grew odd and long shaped as the blackness of space seemingly changed into a kaleidoscope of various colors of blues and purples. His home was gone, and now so was he. He was alone in the Galaxy, left to survive on his own. He wasn't sad or scared, only a dreadful feeling of hatred sitting inside him, waiting to be released. Leaving a craving for more dread and war.
Sol awoke a few days later to her father’s voice pulling her out of her deep sleep. “What happened?” She said, her voice hoarse. Her father handed her a small cup of water, and she sat up to drink it.
“You’ve been asleep for a few days. I’ll have Korrian bring you in food, are you feeling okay?” He said, his voice shockingly… calm. She had no recollection of anything, only remembering leaving with her tutor for food.
“I think so,” She said, still clearly confused. Her father sat on the end of her bed, looking at her with clear concern.
“When you came to get food, there was a prisoner loose in the palace. He attacked you, Solisius. Threw you against wall after wall. Took down at least 10 of my guards. Some sort of assassin, I suppose. When we finally got control of him, we were finally able to find you,” He said to her, but she still looked confused. Had that really happened?
“I’m sorry,” She said, her apology pointing towards leaving her tutoring in the first place.
“This is why I keep you here. This is why I have such strict rules. To keep you safe from others and from yourself. One day you’ll understand,” He said and stood, turning to leave the room.
“I’ve canceled your tutoring for the day. Rest up, Solisius.” He spoke again, and was gone. She sat there, confused at his kindness and what he had said. How could she not remember any of it?
Korrian brought her food, sitting and talking to the girl as she ate, and she rested for the remainder of the day. Thinking about what her father had said, trying to remember for herself if that has truly happened.
And under her bed, unbeknownst to her or her Father, laid a folded cloak from the boy she could not remember.
(OOC: A very big thank you to @skira for all of your wonderful help on this!)
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