What's in a Name?

Part 3

Despite the wind and the insistent rain, the stands of seats that lined the square were already filled to bursting when they arrived there the next morning. Constable Zarquo guided them to a specially reserved bench at ground level and as they sat down, Obi-Wan watched him mount the platform and stand at one end of it, between a table and a large, flat wooden box. He also could see two bars about as far apart as a man could reach with outstretched arms, both with wrist manacles on short chains dangling from them, and wondered vaguely why there were two.

A moment later, Bodar and a woman, probably his wife, approached and sat down next to them after nodding a greeting. Nurno arrived soon after with a girl at his side, as beautiful as Tai�hal was plain, though he thought he could see a family resemblance. This must be her sister Ren�hal. Shortly after they had seated themselves, there was a sudden, piercing sound, a single note from a horn, long and high. When it had died away, the guards entered the square, leading Tai�hal between them.

They had taken her warm, colourful clothing away. Instead, she wore a strip of black cloth with a hole cut in it for her head, held together only with a belt, over a pair of baggy black trousers. She did not even have a hat to protect herself from the rain, and her hair hung loosely down her back. As she went up the steps to the platform, Obi-Wan could see that she was barefoot and that they had also bound her hands behind her back. She walked stiffly upright, almost arrogant in her determination not to droop, and it made her look as vulnerable as a small child. Obi-Wan watched uneasily as the guards forced her to kneel on the wooden box. Then the horn produced a lower note of shorter duration, and Constable Zarquo spoke, his voice resonating throughout the square.

"Mistress Tai�hal, the daughter of Bodar of the House of Krata�an, contracted to marry Nurno of the House of Freda�un, has refused this marriage before three witnesses. She will be punished according to the law for breach of contract. After this punishment, her name will be erased, to avenge the insult to the House of Freda�un.�

A muffled sound from his right made Obi-Wan turn his head slightly. The woman beside Bodar had pressed both hands to her face as though to smother a cry, and her eyes were bright with unshed tears. In a gesture of tenderness that he had not shown to his daughter, Bodar placed a comforting hand on her thigh. Obi-Wan turned his attention back to Constable Zarquo, who had signaled a third guard, obviously higher in rank, to come forward.

The guard took a pair of scissors from the table and began to cut off Tai�hal�s hair close to her head, dropping the long tresses heedlessly on the platform where an occasional gust of wind blew them away. Keeping her neck stiff throughout, Tai�hal refused to bow her head, even when the guard tried to push it forwards. He did not shave her head when he had finished, merely left the uneven stubble and laid the scissors down. The two guards set her on her feet again, then undid her belt and lifted the cloth over her head. Guiding her to the bar, they unbound her hands, lead her arms to the manacles, and clasped the cuffs around her wrists.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth in astonished recognition. It was her. With her hair now short, he could no longer deny it. A sudden glimpse through the Force made her plain features seem suddenly beautiful, because it was showed him that there was no darkness in her being, no anger or hate, only great sadness and the heartache of betrayal. This was indeed the girl he was meant to marry, and because he had not been willing to see it before, she was about to be punished now. Why hadn�t he listened to Qui-Gon and looked at her before? Why hadn�t he trusted the Force and asked her to marry him before they�d flown back to the city? He could have spared her all this if he hadn�t been so insistent about her looks. He felt sick.

"The punishment for breach of contract for a woman is twenty lashes,�Constable Zarquo proclaimed. There was a curious double note from the horn, and when it died away, the guard raised the whip and struck immediately.

Tai�hal fell forwards with the force of the blow and her scream had barely died away when the guard lashed her again. To Obi-Wan�s surprise, he then laid the whip on the table and turned to Constable Zarquo. The horn blew the double note again, and the constable announced,�Mistress Tai�hal has paid ten percent of the price. Is there anyone here willing to take mercy on her and take the rest of her pain upon his own body, receive her remaining lashes as though they were his own? No part of her blame will be attached to him and the punishment will be forgotten as though it had never happened. Anyone who is willing to take mercy on her may step forward before the horn sounds again.�

Later, Obi-Wan would discover that the question was traditional, part of every public spectacle since Pira�a had become civilized and that not once in a thousand generations had anyone offered to take mercy on the lawbreaker. But now it seemed as though Constable Zarquo was offering him a chance to make up for his mistake. Without hesitating, Obi-Wan stood up and took the steps to the platform two at a time.

Constable Zarquo stared at him in amazement as the horn sounded, and the guards looked first at him and then at each other.

"Padawan Kenobi?�

"I am willing to take mercy on her,�Obi-Wan announced loudly enough so that those in the first rows could hear him, and a murmur of surprise went through the crowd.

"Objection!�shouted Nurno, standing up as well.�Objection! She should be punished, not him! She broke the contract, she insulted my house! He is a Jedi, not even Pira�an!�

"Objection overruled,�said the constable.�The invitation is part of the law and must be spoken. It is also open to everybody who hears it, whether or not they were born on this planet. Sit down, Master Nurno.�

Chagrined, Nurno sat, and Constable Zarquo turned to Obi-Wan, covering his microphone with one hand.�Padawan Kenobi, do you fully understand what you are agreeing to? You will be whipped eighteen times as though you yourself were the lawbreaker.�

"I understand. I only wish you had asked earlier, so that I could take the entire punishment from her.� Obi-Wan glanced over to Tai�hal, who was holding her head fiercely upright but crying with pain as silently as she could, her tears indistinguishable from the raindrops that poured down her face.

"There will be medical attention afterwards, for both of you,�the constable nodded. Removing his hand from the microphone, he announced to the crowd,�Jedi Padawan Kenobi is willing to take mercy on Mistress Tai-hal.�

He made a gesture with his hand, but the guards only stood there, looking at him and at each other until the constable covered up the microphone again and quietly commanded,�Strip him!�

Removing his waterproof cloak, the guards folded it carefully onto the table. One of them undid his equipment belt and laid it on top, eyeing the light saber appreciatively. Obi-Wan felt strangely light and bereft without it, but the guards were already stripping him of the different layers of shirts, placing them neatly on the table as well. The rain and wind were cold on his naked skin and Obi-Wan shivered, wishing suddenly that they would hurry up and get it over with. Then one of the guards whispered apologetically in his ear,�We have to take your boots off, Padawan.�

To make it easy for them, he sat down on the wooden box and extended both legs. They pulled off his boots and his socks as well, and then led him to the bar directly across from Tai�hal. He raised his arms, and they fastened the broad cuffs around his wrists in unison.

All at once, he felt so incredibly relieved to be doing the right thing at last that he couldn�t help smiling. Tai�hal just looked at him.

"I want to m--�Obi-Wan began to say, but the double note from the horn drowned out his words, and in the next instant, the whip sliced across his back.

*****

When it was all over and his last scream had died away into a moan, Obi-Wan hung trembling from the chains, his knees too weak to support himself. His back was on fire and every movement, every breath was so agonising that he found himself wishing for unconsciousness or any other escape from the pain. Instead, he heard Constable Zarquo announce,�The price has been paid. Let us stand up now and turn our backs on Tai�hal, daughter of Bodar of the House of Krata�an. Her name is erased, struck from every record as though she had never been born. No one by that name exists, or ever has existed. This girl is unknown to us. She is not a member of any house or guild on Pira�a. She has no family, no friends. When we turn around again, we will see only Padawan Kenobi and the stranger that he took mercy on.�

There was a long, low note from the horn. With an effort, Obi-Wan lifted his head in time to see everybody, including Qui-Gon, stand up and turn away from the platform. He hadn�t expected his master to participate in the ritual, and for a moment, he imagined that Qui-Gon was turning his back on him. The thought hurt as much as a whip lash, and he looked at Tai�hal. She hadn�t been able to watch. She�d turned her head away and stared off into the distance, but he had seen her flinch at every blow. Now she was looking in the direction of her father and he saw the same shocked look on her face that he had seen when Bodar had agreed to Nurno�s demand. His heart ached for her, and he let his head hang again, ashamed that he had not been able to spare her this.

*****

When the horn repeated the long, low note, she watched the crowd turn around again and then start to leave because there was nothing more to see. She watched Nurno and Ren�hal walk away, talking earnestly with their heads bent together, and then Bodar and his wife, also arm in arm, but silent, their eyes looking in different directions. None of them even glanced at her, and as they disappeared through the corner exit, she whispered, �My own father...�

"Stranger, you have no father here.�Constable Zarquo was at her side, freeing her right wrist while another guard fumbled with her left.

She opened her mouth to reply, but the fact that he was right left nothing for her to say.

The guard dressed her in the cloth again and tied the belt around her waist, keeping the fabric loose in the back. She glanced over to Padawan Kenobi. He had been released as well and was now sprawled over a stretcher, all but unconscious. As she watched, the guards placed a medicated bandage over the red, raw mass of flayed flesh and blood that was his back, gathered up his arms and legs, and wrapped him in blankets. Then Constable Zarquo stepped in front of her, tucking a warm, comforting blanket around her own shoulders, and guided her down the steps of the platform. The mud was cold under her bare feet.

They climbed into one side of a covered ground vehicle, and the guards followed with the stretcher, securing it on the other side. Just before they shut the door, Master Jinn slipped in, holding the bundle of his Padawan�s clothing against his chest with one arm.�Where are you taking him?�

"To the infirmary,�Constable Zarquo replied, and the Jedi nodded, seating himself matter-of-factly on the last bit of bench.

The vehicle hit a piece of uneven ground and she was thrown backwards against the wall. Gasping with the pain, she leaned forward to prevent it happening again, holding herself steady on the edge of the stretcher. They were jolted again, and a groan from Padawan made her skin crawl. She�d never been able to bear the suffering of others. She hadn�t even been able to watch him being whipped--she�d had to turn her head away, but the sound of every whiplash had made her cringe. Now she surreptitiously moved her hand a little bit farther until she was touching the Padawan�s shoulder through the blanket. Despite the sharp ache of her own back, she found it easier to concentrate on his injuries this time. For a moment, the agony of his flayed back almost made her pull away, but then she went deeper, initiating repairs, and the pain vanished as the Force flowed vigorously through her.

He opened his eyes and smiled up at her, and in that instant, the vehicle stopped with a jerk. The doors were flung open from the outside and the stretcher removed. As she got out, she watched the guards run with it down the hall of the infirmary into a treatment room. Constable Zarquo followed, giving instructions to the medical personnel, and for a moment, she was left alone with Master Jinn.

"I felt you use the Force,�he said.�Did you heal him?�

She nodded.

"Did you heal yourself?�

She shook her head and whispered,�I can�t.�

"You can�t heal yourself?�

She shook her head again, unable to explain. Constable Zarquo returned then and led her into another treatment room where there was a woman in medical colours.�This is a stranger who has been punished.�

"Let�s see,�said the woman briskly, unwrapping the blanket and flipping up the strip of cloth.�Oh, only two. That�s not so bad.�

The woman sprayed something over the welts that dampened the pain, then pulled the cloth back down and tucked it in.�That will help it heal. Try not to do too much for a few days.�

The girl nodded and wanted to reach for the blanket again, but Constable Zarquo was already folding it up.

"Stranger,�he said,�you are free to go.�

She stared at him for a moment, not comprehending until he opened the door and indicated that she should leave. Then she turned and walked back into the corridor, shivering.

"You�re cold,�said Master Jinn, coming towards her as the constable pushed by towards the exit.�Here.�

He set the pile of clothing down on a nearby bench and and stripped off his coat, helping her into it. On the inside, it was comfortingly warm with his body heat. As she pulled it tightly around her, the door of the other treatment room opened and Padawan Kenobi came out hastily, talking to someone behind him and waving his hand in a familiar Jedi gesture.�No, no more tests. I�m fine. I�m perfectly fine, and I�m going now.�

He caught sight of Master Jinn and the girl, and grinned.�They think I healed myself and they can�t believe it. Come on, Master, let�s get out of here before they put me on permanent display.�

Gathering up his clothes and boots, he led them out of the infirmary into the wind and the rain. Constable Zarquo and one of the guards met them outside.�Master Jinn, Padawan Kenobi, this transport is at your disposal.�

"Take us to our ship,�said Master Jinn told the guard, holding the door for the girl to climb in.

"Thank you for your help, Master Jinn, Padawan Kenobi,�said the constable suddenly, bowing at them. �May the Force be with you.�

"May the Force be with you,�Master Jinn replied, also bowing.

They rode in silence to the landing strip. Padawan Kenobi pulled his socks and boots on first and then his shirt and vest, fastening it with his equipment belt before getting into his waterproof coat. When the ground vehicle stopped and they got out, he flipped up the hood and muttered,�Doesn�t it ever stop raining on this planet?�

"In the winter, it snows,�the girl said without thinking, and he looked at her and laughed.�I love you. Will you marry me?�

"What?�she asked, dumbfounded, and Master Jinn frowned.�She�s still in shock, Obi-Wan, and not in a position to decide anything.�

His smile faded instantly.�You�re right. I�m sorry.�

They went up the landing ramp and the Padawan pressed the control to close it behind them, then turned to the girl.�Shall I try to heal your back?�

"It�s all right,�she said dully.�They gave me something at the infirmary. It doesn�t hurt very much anymore.�

All she wanted to do now was curl up in a blanket--many blankets--and get warm, then fall asleep forever.

"Get permission to take off, Obi-Wan, then take us back to Coruscant,�Master Jinn said. Looking disappointed, the Padawan shed his coat and dropped it over the nearest seat as he walked to the cockpit.

Master Jinn transferred the coat to another seat, then made her sit down and placed his hands on her shoulders.�Perhaps you can tell me how you do it?�

His touch made it impossible for her to resist anymore, and she searched for words.�I let the Force flow out until I feel the pain...then I go beyond the pain...into the cells. I always just know what to do then...I can feel how it was, and how it should be, and then everything just...moves into place.�

After a moment, she felt the Force swirling around her, more powerful and controlled than she had ever felt it, but it seemed that an eternity went by before her back suddenly started to tingle and the pain disappeared. She felt strangely exhilarated at first, but then the feeling faded to simply good.

"Is that it?�

"Yes. Thank you.�Her mind was clear again, and she no longer felt so sleepy.

"You�re still shivering.�

"I�m so cold.�

"Come with me and I�ll find you something to wear.�He led her to the tiny cabin she�d slept in before, and opened a drawer under the bed. Pulling out various articles of clothing, he said,�Obi-Wan�s things will fit you better than mine. They�ll keep you warm until we can get you some of your own.�

After he�d gone out, she stripped off the black punishment clothing with a suddden feeling of revulsion, then pulled two pairs of socks over her icy feet and fastened a pair of overlong trousers around her waist. She didn�t bother to sort the different shirts, just pulled on one layer after another. They hung loosely on her, and after a bit of searching, she found a spare belt to complete the outfit.

"We�re in hyperspace now, Master,�the Padawan was saying as she came out, hugging her arms tightly around her chest and feeling as though she might just get warm eventually.

"Good,�Master Jinn nodded, looking at the girl beyond him. Padawan Kenobi turned around, saw her, and smiled. As she came towards them, he plucked at her shoulder, then ran his hand over her head.�You look like a Padawan now.�

The touch of his fingers on her shorn hair brought tears to her eyes and she put her hands over her face, biting down on her lower lip and turning away so as not to cry in front of him. To her surprise, he put his arms around her and pulled her gently to his chest.�I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to make you cry.�

She tried to resist his embrace, but he didn�t let go, and she could not help starting to cry. The sheer comfort of his touch eventually calmed her a little, and when she could trust her voice not to break, she put her hand to her head and said,�My father, my own father did this to me! He cast me out for nothing more than a promise that might never be fulfilled. I loved him. I loved my father, and he betrayed me!�

She gulped, then admonished herself,�I mustn�t think of him as my father anymore. He�s not my father. I�m not his daughter. He�s Bodar of the House of Krata�an, and I�m a--a stranger now, only a stranger.�

"It�s not always easy to leave an old life behind and start a new one,�Qui-Gon said. He had sat down on the other side of the table.�But eventually the pain will go away, believe me.�

She hardly heard him, beginning to sob again, and the Padawan continued to hold her close. Slowly, he moved backwards, taking her with him, until he was sitting on the chair with her on his lap and her head against his shoulder. He held her without speaking until she was finally able to stop crying. Drying her eyes on her sleeve, she sniffed a few times.�I�m sorry. I�m sorry.�

"No, I�m sorry,�said the Padawan.�This wasn�t your father�s fault. It was mine. You were the girl in my dreams, but I didn�t want to recognise you. You weren�t what I�d expected. I dreamed that you were beautiful. I wanted you to be beautiful. If I�d only trusted in the Force and accepted you the way you were, I could have prevented all this. You lost everything and it�s all my fault. I was stupid, and I did you a great wrong. I�m sorry. I�m very sorry. Forgive me, please.�

"Is that why you took mercy on me?�She leaned back to look him directly in the face.

"I deserved the punishment, not you. If only I�d asked you to marry me before, you never would have needed to break the contract. You never would have had to go through that.�

"No, it wasn�t your fault. Master Nurno would have found a way to punish me, no matter what. He wanted to see me suffer for making him look like a fool on his wedding day.�

"I would have protected you. Do you forgive me?�

"Yes,�she said slowly, feeling a sudden rush of relief as she said the words.�Yes, I forgive you.�

The Padawan smiled, then put his hands around her neck and kissed her on the lips. Surprised, she pulled back, but he followed, and kissed her again. It felt nice, not at all like the experience with Master Nurno, and she kissed back shyly, the pain of betrayal forgotten for a moment.

"Will you marry me?�

The good feeling faded instantly to misery again and she lowered her head.�How can I? I have nothing! I have no dowry, I have no clothes of my own, I don�t even have a name that you can call me by.�

"The Force is so strong in you,�Padawan Kenobi said simply.�What more do you need?�

She had had to use the Force in secret for so long that she had never thought of it as an asset. Now she discovered that the Force was the most important thing for a Jedi, and everything else was secondary.

"And you can pick a new name. Pick any one you want.�

"Just like that?�

"You�re not on Pira�a anymore. Who�s going to stop you?�he asked with a smile.�How about Leia?�

"No...�

"Carina. Carina Kenobi sounds good.�

"It sounds like wagon wheels.�

"What?�

"In the old language that we still use on Pira�a, it sounds like wagon wheels.�

The Padawan laughed.�Well, you choose one, then.�

She remembered a wish she�d had as an adolescent to change her name, and after a moment, she even remembered the name she had chosen so long ago. Hesitantly, she said,�Taedano.�

"Taedano?�It was the Padawan�s turn to grimace.

"It means beloved wife.�

"Does that mean you�ll marry me? Taedano?�

"Yes, Padawan Kenobi, I will marry you.�She felt happy all of a sudden, endlessly light-hearted.

"Obi-Wan,�he corrected her.

"I can�t--�Taedano choked back a laugh.�I can�t call you that!�

"Why not?�

"Because it means garbage heap! I mean, it sounds like obuwon, and that means garbage heap.�She was joined in her laughter by Master Jinn. Indicating him, the Padawan demanded,�And what does Qui-Gon mean?�

"Bright lake,�Taedano replied instantly, and they both laughed again at his irritable scowl.

"But you can�t address me as �Padawan Kenobi� all the time.�

"I could call you Ben,�Taedano suggested, reaching up and running her hand shyly down the side of his face.�It means husband.�

"Not Taeben?�he asked, taking her hand and kissing her fingertips.�Beloved husband?�

"That�s implied. Women who don�t love their husbands just call them Dan.�

"Ben,�he said, considering it with a slow smile.�Ben Kenobi. I like that. Ben.�

*****

Opening his eyes again, Qui-Gon stood up and moved discreetly into the cockpit, reluctant to spoil their kisses by letting Obi-Wan see his suddenly serious face. It was almost time to bring the cruiser out of hyperspace anyway, and his hands moved automatically over the controls as his mind raced. The vision of Taedano and the two boys lying murdered on the floor didn�t have to come true. It was a possibility, nothing more. The future was always in motion, and any one of a thousand decisions could change it irrevocably. If he saw it again later and thought it more likely, he might warn Obi-Wan privately, but until then, he would say nothing and let them enjoy their happiness without overshadowing it.

Hearing a noise behind him, he glanced up. Obi-Wan came into the cockpit, holding Taedano by the hand and looking a bit sheepish.�I�m sorry, Master. I didn�t realise we were so close already. You should have said something.�

Qui-Gon smiled tolerantly.�I�ll overlook it, just this once.�

"Is that Coruscant?�Taedano indicated the brown planet on the screen.

"Yes,�Obi-Wan replied.�Take a good look, Taedano. That�s your new home.�

They had got close enough now to see that the entire surface of Coruscant was one big city, without forests or mountains or even oceans, and Taedano cried out in dismay,�But it�s ugly!�

"You can learn to love something, even if it�s not beautiful,�Obi-Wan chided her.

Yes, thought Qui-Gon, smiling tolerantly as he heard them kissing again. You certainly can.

The End

written September to December 1999

Title Page
More Star Wars Stories

Liked it? Hated it? Tell me!