The Mark of the Crown(4)

Obi-Wan shot Qui-Gon an impatient look. Queen Veda stared down at the mosaic, lost in thought. She had gone back to the past, Qui-Gon realized.

Long moments passed before she raised her head again. “I admire your patience, Qui-Gon Jinn,” she said quietly. “I wish I had that gift.”

“It is not a gift, but a lesson to be relearned daily,” Qui-Gon responded with a smile.

She smiled back at him, nodding slightly. “Yes, I am learning that. Which brings me to my story. When my husband, King Cana, was young, he fell in love. Our marriage had been arranged, you see. I lived in another city. We had never met. King Cana broke his vow to me and secretly married another woman. She was one of the hill people. Naturally, the Council of Ministers was outraged. They had already arranged our marriage. And the fact that King Cana had married a hill person was unacceptable. The Ministers’ influence was great. They forced him to relinquish the woman. When he told his wife that he had decided to obey them, she left the city and returned to her people. He did not know it, but she was with child.”

The Queen smoothed the mosaic with a hand that shook slightly.

“King Cana later discovered this. Still he did not search for her. I knew nothing of this at the time. I arrived for my wedding and was married. If there was a shadow on my husband’s heart, I never understood why it was there. Until the last year of his life. He told me the story. It was his greatest regret, he said. He had never recovered from the loss of his true love, or his cowardice in not seeking out his child.”

“He may have acted wrongly,” Qui-Gon said. “It is good that he recognized that before his own end. But I must ask you: What is its relevance to today, Queen Veda?” He asked the question, already knowing the answer.”Elan is his daughter,” Queen Veda answered quietly. “The past lives in the present always. “

“And why have you told us this?” Qui-Gon asked.

“Because now I, too, am dying,” the Queen answered. “Elan is my last secret. I want to do justice before I die, justice to Elan. She should know her birthright. She is the true heir to the throne, not Beju. She must have the Mark of the Crown on her,” the Queen finished softly. Her gaze became unfocused again, as though she were back in the past.

“The Mark of the Crown?” Qui-Gon prompted.

“The mark of succession,” Queen Veda explained. “It’s not an actual mark on the body. Only the Council of Ministers can identify it.”

“Prince Beju doesn’t have it?” Qui-Gon asked.

“If what my husband said is true, he will not,” the Queen replied.

“It is not in the Council’s best interests to test him. As you may imagine, most are not happy about the elections. Whoever becomes governor will have the right to open the Council to elections as well.”

Qui-Gon nodded. The Council would naturally back Beju in order to retain their own power. “What would you like us to do?” he asked.

“I cannot contact Elan,” the Queen said. “Obviously, she wouldn’t meet with me. But if you could send a message to her and request a meeting… most do not refuse a Jedi request, you must admit. The hill people often jam communication to the outside. I could send someone with your message. Travel in the hill country is difficult and dangerous.” The Queen looked down at her clasped hands. “And there’s something else I haven’t told you. The Council didn’t want you to come. I had to negotiate with them. Under the terms of our agreement, you are forbidden to leave the city of Galu.”

“That makes things more complicated,” Qui-Gon observed neutrally.

“Yes, but not impossible,” Queen Veda said eagerly. “Perhaps you can…”

Suddenly, the ornate metal door to the chamber was thrown open with such force that it hit the wall with a loud clang. Prince Beju strode in, with a tall, bald man in a silver robe at his side.

The Prince pointed a finger at Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.

“You must leave Gala at once!” he cried.

The Queen rose to her feet. “Beju, explain yourself,” she ordered, her voice shimmering with anger.

Beju slowly circled around the Jedi, his gaze contemptuous. He was a solidly built young man the same approximate height and weight as Obi-Wan, but with shoulder-length hair that was so pale it was almost white. His eyes were the same ice-blue as his mother’s.

In his short encounter with the Prince, Obi-Wan had been granted a full picture of the boy’s arrogance. He kept his own gaze steady but neutral. Qui-Gon was right. They should not antagonize the Prince any further.

“They call themselves Jedi, but they are nothing but troublemakers,” Prince Beju spat out. “Have you heard about their doings on Phindar? They meddled and sowed discord. As a result, there was a great battle. Many were killed. Do you want that to happen on Gala, Mother?”