Crimson Eyes ~ Sequel to: The Valkyrie, An Obi-Wan Story (completed)

Chapter 5: The Council

The air in the room got harder to breathe with every second that passed. It felt thicker with each breath, warmer, like the room itself was trying to choke me. It was probably the nerves that wrecked through my body that made me feel this way, this hunted. My fingers tangled in my hair as I ran them through it repeatedly, pulling on the threads in frustration. I had been sitting there, waiting, for literal hours.

How long exactly I wasn't sure. The only light that seeped into the room came from a small window barely larger than a book. The one thing I was sure of was that when I was imprisoned, it was midday. Now, it was dark outside, the light that shone through the glass originating from the big city lights in the distance.

In the beginning I'd heard multiple voices conversing outside my room. I'd recognized Ahsoka's worried pleas and Anakin's frustrated complaints but Obi-Wan's I hadn't heard. I had been waiting for it, for his soothing accent to calm my nerves yet he never came. Now, it was silent, like everyone had left and forgotten about me. I was left to nothing but my own thoughts.

"You're fine." I tried to reassure myself, even though I knew perfectly well that the council was deciding my fate a few chambers down the hall. If anything was sure, it was that I hadn't left a good first impression. The only hope I had was that Obi-Wan's report on me was enough to convince them I wasn't a sith.

I didn't understand why that holocron had called out to me the moment I arrived in the temple, nor how all those locked doors opened the moment I tried to pass through. Maybe my initial feeling was right and this was all a trap but how could I convince the council of that? Master Windu in particular seemed so sure of his view on me that I was afraid I had little chance to sway him.

How could I be a sith? I had spent my entire life taking care of people and not to forget, sacrificed it in order to save an entire planet. I would be the last one to be considered evil. Yet, was that not the exact thought most evil men possessed? Were not all villains convinced of their own goodness, so sure that they were doing the right thing? After all, the definition of good and bad was different for everybody. My good could be considered evil by another and I wouldn't even know.

I wasn't perfect. There were moments when I was driven by emotions. Moments where, dare I admit, I allowed the anger to take control. It was moments like that I needed people like Aidan, my brother, or Obi-Wan to remind me who I really was or what I was doing. Was it bad to not be able to do it on your own? Was it bad to need help every now and then?

"-darkness of power, -" The same voice I had heard in the chamber underneath now again echoed through the room, shaking me from my thoughts and making me lift my head from the safety of my hands. My eyes darted to each corner but saw only the light brown shade of the walls.

There was no one else in the room yet I felt this presence in there with me. It was looming in the dark corners, watching my every move. "Beware one who is not who he seems." The whisper suddenly came from right behind me, making me jump onto my feet within a second.

"Who's there?!" I raised my arms defensively yet was held back by the metal cuffs still positioned around my wrists. Yanking on the cuffs, groaning in frustration, I turned and turned around but saw nothing. All that was behind me was but a blank wall. Instead of the voice I heard a mad giggle, vibrating through the room and making my limbs freeze in place. There were no means to defend myself.

"Crimson eyes shall awaken, - " As the voice continued I straightened my back, eyes knotting together as I recognized the phrases. That same prophecy that had lingered in my head unfinished was now being whispered back to me by something dark and unseen.

"Show yourself." Even though I was eager to hear it continued, my fear got the best of me. Another chuckle went through the room, followed by a loud thud which made me turn around again and jump into a defensive pose with my eyes narrowed.