Pawn of Darkness

Chapter 15
" NO ! " she screamed, again, this time igniting the lightsaber and spinning. With a surge of strength she plunged the blazing blue blade as hard as she could into the Baylan.
The lightning stopped abruptly as his hands flew to the blade embedded in his chest. A look of horror crossed his disfigured face.
" You have betrayed me. " he gasped, as he tried to gulp in oxygen vainly.
" No, father, you betrayed me. " she answered, calmly twisting the blade and withdrawing it smoothly.
She watched triumphantly as he slid to the floor and vanished, leaving nothing behind except a heap of black robes. The lightsaber fell from her hands and she sank to her knees as a rush of light flooded her body. The fear and darkness were gone, leaving behind only the memory of the awful crimes she had committed. Sobs racked her body. Her chest heaved as she gasped trying to fill her lungs with air. Hot, salty tears flowed down her face and fell to the floor before her.
A low, painful groan from the bed brought her back to reality. She stood and drew in several deep breaths. Then she paused only long enough to kick at the robes before turning and running to the bed.
Obi-Wan's broken form laid in a ball in the center of the mattress. She moved her hands over him rapidly feeling for any sign of life. His skin felt so cold, but his pulse was there, though thready and slight. She quickly grabbed the blanket from the floor and wrapped it around him. Then she set back on her heels and tried to draw in as much of the force as she could hold within herself. Her hands tingled and throbbed. Her head pulsed with the sheer amount of the force she had drawn into herself. Her eyes no longer saw anything but the blindly blue light of the force. She placed her hands on his barely moving chest and began to let the force pour from her, spinning it and twisting it around him, sending it directly where it needed to be. She opened herself further and felt his heart pumping softly, too softly. She pushed the force into it making it beat stronger and more steadily. She moved the force through him using it to breath life back into his almost lifeless body.
Finally with a shudder, he fluttered his eyes opened.
She let go of the force and regarded him carefully, not sure what his reaction to her would be now.
" Anna, " he rasped softly, reaching out a shaky hand and touching her shoulder. " Are you all right ? "
" I'm fine. You need be more worried about you. " she said, helping him into a more comfortable position. " He nearly killed you. "
Once he was upright he looked around the room searchingly. " Where is he ? What happened to him ? "
She hesitater a r a moment letting her eyes fall to the bundle of black in front of the balcony doors. " I killed him. He's dead. "
Obi-Wan reached up and touched her shoulder gently. " I'm sorry. " he whispered.
Arianna spun towards him again and looked at him incredulously. " You're sorry ? Why are you sorry ? " she asked.
" I should have protected you from him. I should never have left you with him twelve years ago. " he said pulling her to him
She yielded to his feeble urging and let him take her into his arms.
" I'm the one who should be apologizing. I allowed all this to happen and then I almost just stood there and let him kill you. You should hate me. " she said into his chest.
" I could never hate you, Anna. I love you. " he sighed.
The floodgates of tears she had been holding back finally loosened and she sobbed against him.
" It's okay. " he said soothingly brushing his hand through her hair.
" We need to get you to your ship. " she said, quietly sniffling. " I healed you as much as I was able but I haven't done it in so long, I'm not sure how well I did. "
He leaned away from her and smiled warmly. " I had no idea you were a healer. "
She returned his smile and wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "I was once, until he turned me into what I am now. "
Obi-Wan's smile wavered slightly. " He has done nothing to you that can not be repaired. We will deal with this, Anna. We will make it right. I think it's time you came home. "
She shook her head slightly. " I can't return to the temple now. Not after everything that has happened, everything I've done. The Order would never accept me back . There is too much darkness in me now. I'm tainted. "
Obi-Wan pulled back from her and took her shoulders in his hands. " Open yourself to me. Let me feel all of you. Let me feel this taint. "
Anna shook her head reluctantly. " We should get you to your ship. You're hurt. You shouldn't exert yourself. "
He took her face in his hands and held her eyes with his. " I need to know that you are all right before I can even think about myself. Please let me do this. "
She nd hed her head grudgingly and took in a deep cleansing breath. Then she closed her eyes and opened herself to the force.
Obi-Wan opened himself as well and let his force sense reach out to her. He wound himself around and through her. He could see everything she saw, knew everything she knew, felt everything she felt. He shuddered, coming to the part of her that held her feelings for him. He'd had no idea she felt as strongly for him as he did for her. He pulled himself away from those feelings and continued his way through her mind, looping himself through every memory she had ever experienced. The taint was there. He could feel its presence buried in the furthest recesses of her consciousness. He pushed his way deeper into her mind, trudging through the darkness of her memories.
Suddenly, his mind spun out of control for several seconds as it rebounded off walls in her mind so thick he couldn't hope to penetrate them.
He withdrew from her consciousness hastand and sat back from her.
" What happened ? " she asked, nervously.
He didn't answer for what seemed an eternity. " The taint is there. I can feel it, but there's more. There are walls. I can't explain why they are still there, but they are."
" I don't understand, why would the walls still be there ? "
He sighed, and shook his head. " I have no idea. I really can't explain it. We must get you to the Temple. There are Jedi there that can help you. "
She pulled away from him and stood from the bed, beginning to pace, purposely steering clear of the heap of black clothing on the floor near the balcony doors.
He turned on the bed and faced her. " Please, Anna, the Temple can help you. "
She stopped, glaring at him with unrelenting eyes. " Have you considered that perhaps there is no hope for me ? Maybe I am to far gone to be helped. Maybe the darkness is so deep inside me that it can never be lifted. "
Obi-Wan was beside her before she imagined he could be, his hands on her shoulders and freezing her with eyes that seemed to burn into her soul.
" I have been inside your head. I know everything about you. I have touched your very essence. You are strong with the force." he told her forcefully.
She averted her eyes from his with a great effort. " Maybe you should just go. Go and leave me here. " she whispered.
He shook her abruptly, making her eyes snap back to his. " What are you saying ? Can you hear yourself ? You are letting him control you still. This is exactly what he wanted. You are not responsible for his crimes. "
" I am not responsible for his crimes, but I am responsible for mine. I was the one that let him control me. I was the one that murdered all those people in cold blood. It was all me. " she cried, letting the tears overtake her again.
Obi-Wan pulled her to him, crushing her small body against his much more massive form.
" Anna, please, you can't let yourself see it that way. He was controlling you. He was the one that was evil, not you. " he answered, almost to the point of tears himself.
" I let myself be controlled. I let him corrupt me the way he did. I never fought him. I am not worthy of being a Jedi when I could be so easily manipulated, so easily turned. I would only be a burden to the Order. Especially now with everything that is happening. How long before it's me hunting Jedi ? How long before I'm the one you're running from ? "
He pulled back from her again, his face full of concern and fear. " Arianna, he was your Father. He had a hold on you the instant you were born. You were bonded from the very beginning of your life. If anything all this is the Temple's fault for having so vastly under estimated that bond. Please come with me and let the Order make up for the mistake it made. "
She tried to pull away from him, but he held her steady in his powerful arms. " Just let me go. I'm not good enough for the Order or you. " she cried as she struggled to free herself from him.
" Why are you trying so hard to push may ?ay ? " he asked, suddenly very suspicious.
She continued her vain attempts at escape, growing more and more furious by the second. Then he felt her body tense and she opened herself to the force. His mind whirled trying to figure out what she was doing. He let go of his force sense, capturing her essence with his, stilling her only seconds before his lightsaber flew into her outstretched hand.
He held her there for a moment, trapping her from the force. Her body trembled in his arms. She fell against him in a wild outburst of fists and legs. He held her tighter to him, never letting his shielding around her falter.
"Arianna, I love you. I'm sorry I have to do this. " he breathed, as he completely shrouded her with the force, making her incapable of any more movement. Then he laid his hand against her check and she heard him whisper a single word before darkness overtook her.
" Sleep. "