The Lost Archives of a Sith Warrior

[Arianwin]

"And so begins my legacy."—Arianwin Malav

 

He sat with his back towards me. Tense. Alert. The door clicked shut behind me.

 

Even through the walls, I could hear the confused whispers of the doctors and nurses around us. No one knew who I was. My form was shrouded to prevent infection from attacking the weeping scars along my skin.

 

My awareness sifted through the memories of a nearby nurse. She had never treated Quinn directly but knew of him. Imperial soldiers had found him half buried in rubble clinging stubbornly to life. Recovery had been slow; she'd heard he was a difficult patient. A hollow smile flickered across my lips when I came across an incident involving Quinn and an alarming number of medical packs.

 

I measured the number of paces it would take for my hand to reach his throat. It would be so easy to choke the life out of him from where I stood but I wanted to look him in the eye when he died. He owed me that much at least.

 

"Quinn."

 

He shot to his feet and spun around. The sudden motion disoriented him, and he cracked his shin against the chair.

 

I frowned when he angled his head to try to zero in on where I stood. Something was wrong. His hospital room was well-lit but his gaze remained unfocused. When I saw the deep scars around his eyes, I cursed. I would recognize the scorch marks left behind by a lightsaber anywhere. Draagh must've toyed with my Captain, blinded him, before leaving his body behind to rot.

 

Diving into Quinn's mind for answers, I teased apart the dark tendrils in his consciousness and found…nothing.

 

He was gone.

 

I flinched. His body may have healed but his memory had been permanently damaged. He barely remembered his own name, let alone the events that occurred over the last year.

 

"At ease," I barked. Whatever there was left of him, my Captain still retained some memory of being a military man. He visibly relaxed at my words.

 

I should've killed him right then and there but I remembered the darkness that surrounded Yonlach's creature back on Tattooine. Quinn's mind had been held captive then. Perhaps I could figure out a way to lift the sickness that gripped him now.

 

Pulling out a chair, I invited him to sit next to me. Something told me this was a darkness that couldn't be conquered by strength alone.

 

Instead, I began to tell him my life's story: my mother's death on Nar Shaddaa, the night I became Baras' apprentice, my victory over Rathari and Yonlach. I continued long after my lips began to peel and my voice grew hoarse.

 

And as I talked, I wandered through the empty labyrinth of his mind. Certain words would spark a response, and I focused on those particular memories that seemed to resonate with him.

 

I told him how I'd given him all of me the night he took me hard and fast against my ship. I talked about his betrayal, the crew's death, and Fury's destruction. Without mincing words, I told him he should've died a horrible death on Hoth. He cringed and began to wring his hands as if my words pained him.

 

When I told him about our daughter, his restlessness stilled.

 

"A daughter?" Quinn's voice cracked. "I have a daughter?"

 

His hands fumble for mine as he struggled to shake off the fog clouding his mind. To prove I was telling the truth, I placed his hand over my growing belly.

 

When he felt our daughter kick, he fell to his knees in front of me with a cry. His mind surged to life, and for a moment, I was held in thrall by the extent of his anguish. He buried his face into his hands as he grappled with the terrible knowledge of what he'd done. "My Lord, I've betrayed you and conspired with your most hated enemy. I don't expect your mercy."

 

I remained silent.

 

"But I beg of you, let me live long enough to hold my daughter in my arms. Permit me to stay in your charge, and you will never have cause to question my dedication again."

 

"You betrayed me once. I would be a fool to allow you to do it again."

 

"I will earn your trust," Quinn swore. "I will protect our daughter the way I should've protected you."

 

Coldness seeped into my soul. He would've foreseen the consequences of his betrayal. He would've known what his decision costed me, and he went through with it anyway.

 

"There's nothing we can't achieve together," Quinn continued. He leaned over and clumsily tried to embrace me. "Marry me, my Lord. After all we've been through, the good and the bad, you will never have cause to question my dedication to you and your legacy again."

 

He had no way of knowing how much his touch burned. Excruciating pain shot through me like my body had been set on fire again. As I sat shuddering within his arms, I felt the shadows whispering in his mind and knew his clarity would eventually disappear. It was only my presence that kept his sickness at bay but my Captain would soon be lost to the darkness again.

 

My fingers caressed his face, memorizing all the little details that would have to sustain me for the rest of my life. Pain mingled with regret when he pulled me against him as if he would never let me go.

 

"Marry me," Quinn breathed.

 

He pulled me onto his lap. For a moment, my body remembered the feel of him inside me, and I burned with a fever that rivaled the pain rippling across my skin.

 

"I will marry you, Quinn," I whispered.

 

I arched my back and rubbed against him. My mind joined with his, and we danced in the shadows of his memory with our souls entwined as one, our bodies whole and healthy without the scars from what was yet to come.

 

[Note from the author: Things get a little steamy for the rest of this chapter. If you want to keep going, I've posted the full version here. And this is the end of my fanfic by the way so hopefully you'll click on the link to finish the rest. If you've made it this far, I hope you enjoyed yourself. FOR THE EMPIRE! ]

 

The End

[AquaticAncestral]

Hey, you have brought some beautiful writing and deep messages to all of us. The opening of the story, of reflecting on how your character killed it's mother, ..... that was deep. Looking forward to reading more of your work. Thanks for sharing.