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crack_van2006-02-15 06:32 am
imadra-blue.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2006-02-15 06:32 am
Entry tags:
"And the Stars Be Our Witness" by Wendynat (PG-13)
Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Qui-Gon/Shmi
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wendynat
Author Website: Profile at Digital Quill
Why this must be read: Because it is one of the few fics thatever made me actually cry. This is a poignant tale, beautifully woven into the events of The Phantom Menace, of the romance between Qui-Gon and Shmi. It brings out their subtle chemistry displayed in the film, and will totally touch your heart -- and possibly rip it out. It's just wonderful to watch Wendy unfold the tale, things you might have suspected happening on the periphery, and put it all together so perfectly. It is tasteful and the romance is done just right, so it's not overdone.
Qui-Gon nodded, his eyes once again on her. His gaze was intense, considering, perceptive... and she wondered what she looked like through his eyes. Old, she knew. Aged far beyond her years, lines of sun and hard life on her face-
"They are your beauty," he said. She tilted her head, startled, and he smiled. "I could feel your thoughts. I didn't mean to intrude, but it is difficult not to hear them, at times."
She returned his smile. "You may. I have nothing to hide, though I don't agree with you that these lines are a beauty."
"You doubt the word of a Jedi?" he asked, feigning surprise. She laughed, and he smiled gently. "An enhancement, then. The Force shines through all of us, and what is inside is what appeals to a Jedi. To this Jedi," he added. Raising an eyebrow, he leaned down. "The lines on your face are from wisdom and life, and therefore are beautiful."
"To one who knows the Force."
Qui-Gon nodded, turning to look out over the city. His profile was strong, and wise, holding a beautiful sort of gentleness that was edged by durasteel. A formidable man, indeed. The first man who hadn't looked at her as property, or even as just Anakin's mother, in many years. And her entire being yearned for more of that feeling.
He has seen stars beyond stars, and traveled among the beautiful and powerful. What could he see in a slave woman, when a hundred women of society would gladly smile in his direction?
"A smile from one who has never known sorrow is an empty thing."
She jumped, this time truly startled by his voice, and he smiled softly, still staring out at the stars. He didn't turn in her direction, but she could sense that his attention lay only on her, on her reaction, giving her the chance to back down from the path she was trying to lay.
"You see much. Much more than I would expect." She took a deep breath, still hesitant. He would leave tomorrow; she would have no other chance. Courage and strength found her at the thought, and she took the long step off of that cliff. "You know, don't you, why I came to you."
"A Jedi does not form attachments; it is forbidden." He turned to her, then.
"A slave cannot form attachments," she said simply. "Not long-term attachments, at least. Mother and child, that cannot be denied. But everything else… a slave lives only in the moment, because we know that the next, everything can change."
Silently, he raised a hand to her cheek, stroking it softly. A caress that was so different from the type of touch she had become accustomed to. It reminded her of the time before the slavers had taken her; it awakened the memories of a lifetime ago, when she had been simply a woman, not a mother... or a slave.
"Yes. In the next moment, everything can change. Duty and desire…" He closed his eyes, seemingly fighting with himself, and she stared at him, wondering what debate raged within him. Then he let out a breath, and opened his eyes, his determined gaze locked on hers. "I will try to free him, with all of my power. I pledge this to you. I will try to free you both."
And the Stars Be Our Witness
Pairing: Qui-Gon/Shmi
Author on LJ:
wendynatAuthor Website: Profile at Digital Quill
Why this must be read: Because it is one of the few fics thatever made me actually cry. This is a poignant tale, beautifully woven into the events of The Phantom Menace, of the romance between Qui-Gon and Shmi. It brings out their subtle chemistry displayed in the film, and will totally touch your heart -- and possibly rip it out. It's just wonderful to watch Wendy unfold the tale, things you might have suspected happening on the periphery, and put it all together so perfectly. It is tasteful and the romance is done just right, so it's not overdone.
Qui-Gon nodded, his eyes once again on her. His gaze was intense, considering, perceptive... and she wondered what she looked like through his eyes. Old, she knew. Aged far beyond her years, lines of sun and hard life on her face-
"They are your beauty," he said. She tilted her head, startled, and he smiled. "I could feel your thoughts. I didn't mean to intrude, but it is difficult not to hear them, at times."
She returned his smile. "You may. I have nothing to hide, though I don't agree with you that these lines are a beauty."
"You doubt the word of a Jedi?" he asked, feigning surprise. She laughed, and he smiled gently. "An enhancement, then. The Force shines through all of us, and what is inside is what appeals to a Jedi. To this Jedi," he added. Raising an eyebrow, he leaned down. "The lines on your face are from wisdom and life, and therefore are beautiful."
"To one who knows the Force."
Qui-Gon nodded, turning to look out over the city. His profile was strong, and wise, holding a beautiful sort of gentleness that was edged by durasteel. A formidable man, indeed. The first man who hadn't looked at her as property, or even as just Anakin's mother, in many years. And her entire being yearned for more of that feeling.
He has seen stars beyond stars, and traveled among the beautiful and powerful. What could he see in a slave woman, when a hundred women of society would gladly smile in his direction?
"A smile from one who has never known sorrow is an empty thing."
She jumped, this time truly startled by his voice, and he smiled softly, still staring out at the stars. He didn't turn in her direction, but she could sense that his attention lay only on her, on her reaction, giving her the chance to back down from the path she was trying to lay.
"You see much. Much more than I would expect." She took a deep breath, still hesitant. He would leave tomorrow; she would have no other chance. Courage and strength found her at the thought, and she took the long step off of that cliff. "You know, don't you, why I came to you."
"A Jedi does not form attachments; it is forbidden." He turned to her, then.
"A slave cannot form attachments," she said simply. "Not long-term attachments, at least. Mother and child, that cannot be denied. But everything else… a slave lives only in the moment, because we know that the next, everything can change."
Silently, he raised a hand to her cheek, stroking it softly. A caress that was so different from the type of touch she had become accustomed to. It reminded her of the time before the slavers had taken her; it awakened the memories of a lifetime ago, when she had been simply a woman, not a mother... or a slave.
"Yes. In the next moment, everything can change. Duty and desire…" He closed his eyes, seemingly fighting with himself, and she stared at him, wondering what debate raged within him. Then he let out a breath, and opened his eyes, his determined gaze locked on hers. "I will try to free him, with all of my power. I pledge this to you. I will try to free you both."
And the Stars Be Our Witness
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