Chapter Text
The beat of a drum.
The hum of a deep voice singing along.
Step after step around a crackling fire.
A rising rhythm into the clear night.
Jango took a deep breath as he looked at Kal and Feemor after the call had been made. “I can’t wait long…we must have a plan to get him out…if I can stop an outright war from happening I will do so. Too many of those with magic have been lost due to this kingdom already,” he said, having no shame in glaring at Feemor who had the decency to duck his head in shame.
“I think we can sneak in…but we have to do so at night…during the day it would be to easy to spot us all…” Feemor spoke calmly.
“Can’t you just get us in because you are a prince?”
“My younger brother wants me dead. There is no telling the lies he has spoken. For all we know, we could end up on the executioner's block if I so much as take a step into sight…” Feemor spat and scowled.
Kal had to snarl. “I want to kill him…” the dragon spoke.
“You will get your chance too, I am sure…” Jango said. “All I care about is getting my mate…” he says. Even if the two would never be together.
“Then this is what we have to do…” Feemor began as he began to explain the layout of the palace. “There is no doubt that he would be in the dungeons….”
“Then how do we get there…” Jango said coldly as he looked at the prince who took a deep breath and began to tell the layout of the palace and its dungeons to Jango.
He just needed a way to get in and to get out, but he would do his damndest not to cause a stir. Too many had died. But if a battle came, he could only hope that someone would come. That someone had listened and they would come in time.
“We should wait…” Kal said again. “They will come…”
“Should I wait? Until they have killed him then?” Jango snarled at Kal who stood back and put his hands in the air.
“If they do not arrive by sunset, we will go in by ourselves…” Kal offered.
Jango could only scowl at that and then crossed his arms as he glared at the high walls of the Jedah palace. He wanted to get his mate and leave. Even if they never did more than speak a few words after, that was all that mattered. Getting his mate out.
----
Obi-wan woke with a start as he looked around the darkened cell. Ever since the incident earlier that day, the kingdom had been on high alert. He knew easily that guarding him was not their priority since there was now only one guard standing down the hall that led to his cell.
But what had that been? He blinked tiredly and looked around before he took a deep breath. More than likely nothing. It had to be nothing, and yet. He reached up with his free hand to press it to his chest.
It was like before. Like the one he had once dreamed of every night. Like the dreams of the past when the song had once been so beautiful. But why? After all he had done, he did not deserve such things. And yet…the drumming in his ears was there. As if to silence everything else while he was awake.
Something big was happening. And it was going to involve his…his soulmate. The one he had scorned in the past. Maybe if he could get out. He could warn him. He could tell the other to stay away. To stay safe. Like he deserved.
The man took a deep breath. Everything still ached from the torture but he had to do something.
Obi-wan looked to the darkened sky outside the window he could not reach thanks to his chains and he took a very deep breath. There was something he could do. There always was something. As he looked at the chain holding his wrist ( his father had called it a courtesy to only have his arm chained and not his entire person ) and his idea came to mind. He knew it was a risk.
So he got to work. He had to get out of the cell. Had to get out so he could warn them. Whoever was coming wasn’t safe. The Mandalorians here…he knew they would kill whoever came. They would kill the dragons.
Obi-wan bit down on the cloth in his mouth and then looked at his arm, the shackle held tightly to his wrist. He took a deep breath, and got to work. He had to get out. He had to get out of here and warn them. To tell them of what he knew.
The good thing about his idiot brother being just that, and idiot, was Xanatos’ inability to not gloat. Gloat about how once Obi-wan was dead, he’d use the excuse to have their father killed. He hated his father, but he didn’t want the man dead.
And Xanatos could not sit on the throne. If he did, then all hope for this world would be lost. And Obi-wan, he couldn’t see that happen.
He would not let Xanatos and Monstross’ plans come to fruition. Taking a deep breath after the first attempt, the pain racing up his arm had to be ignored. So he did it again. And again. It would take some time but he would get released.
The pain could be barred as his felt his blood ooze from the wound on his wrist from the cut of metal into his flesh.
He would get out and he would warn them. That was all he could do.
---
Jango had been trying to get inside. The fact that Kal and Feemor were helping had done a great deal to get them in but he felt something off in his gut.
Feemor and Kal were keeping themselves hidden but Jango had to follow the song. He had to follow wherever it was leading him.
But it was not easy. Ever since he had made his Call, the entire palace was on higher alert. Even with Feemor and Kal going to get a distraction going, he had to work quickly. He had to get there and out but he could not help the feeling that something was wrong.
That this wasn’t going to end as well as he had hoped it would.
Jango could only growl as he knocked out the body in the way.
Gabbing the body to keep it from clattering to the stone tile and causing others to come running. As he set the man to the ground, his nose caught the scent and his entire being wanted to roar with rage.
The scent of blood. A blood that should not be spilt. Even if it hurt him to think the other would do the same to him. But he shook his head. The drumming was only louder now as he worked from cell to cell until he found it.
“You…” Jango said in shock and he heard a sharp intake of breath from, inside.
Jango couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The man that his true mate had become. Covered in tatters and bandages…and struggling to get out of a chain holding him to the wall.
“H…how…” croaked out a soft voice and Jango didn’t care how it looked as he grabbed the bars of the cell and used his strength to bend them to get inside.
The other was in no shape to even fight him, let alone attack him again.
“Lets get you out of here…” Jango said, ignoring the shocked look on the copper haired man’s face.
“Why?”
“Your brother is rather persistent on getting you out of here…” Jango grit out, lying through his teeth. He wanted to get the other out but the idiot prince Feemor was a good excuse. He wouldn’t let the human hurt him again. He couldn’t.
Obi-wan couldn’t believe it as he looked at the man who was his soulmate. At the one he had hurt all those years ago. He had to think. Think back to the words he had asked Rex to teach him.
“Ne…ceta…” Obi-wan spoke weakly, already feeling the tears start to fall again.
Jango froze as he looked at the human and then he had to scowl and shake his head. “We need to get you out of here…” he spoke firmly as he worked to get the chain off of the human.
“Ne ceta…” Obi-wan spoke again.
Jango grit his teeth and he moved to pick up the frail human after snapping the chain. “We will get you out of here…” Jango spoke.
“Your brother is worried about you…” Jango huffed as he moved to carry Obi-wan out of the cell.
“Well what do we have here…” spoke someone and Jango’s blood turned to ice with his rage.
“Monstross…” Jango snarled.
Monstross could only grin as he looked at the two. “I was wondering what had happened to make you leave the first time all those years ago…but now I know why…”
Jango snarled and moved to put Obi-wan behind him.
“No wonder you ran away…to think that a Jetii could be a dragon’s mate of all things…” Monstross laughed.
“You shame your oaths,” Jango snarled.
“My oaths are to myself…” Monstross sneered as he pulled a sword.
“Get them…” the mandalorian spoke before the men behind him charged.
Obi-wan was in no shape to defend himself but Jango had to get them out somehow. But his rage…his rage to this man for what he had done. For killing his buir. For taking his people away from him.
Jango snarled and lunged forward to try and fight Monstross, but an arrow slammed into his shoulder from behind Monstross.
“Isn’t this just perfect…little brother…” Xanatos said with a grin on his face.
Jango snarled and ripped the arrow from his shoulder but he could tell something was off.
“What did you do?” Jango hissed, trying to get in front of Obi-wan even as the man was rushing to his side to stop him from toppling over.
“Just something I’ve been working on…isn’t it perfect? It’s meant to bring a dragon to its knees…” Xanatos spoke with a grin on his face just as Jango’s body felt like it was one fire.
Jango couldn’t breathe.
“Get them!” Monstross snarled and the men rushed forward.
Jango’s head was heavy, growling as he tried to fight, but whatever the toxin was that the vile human had used was fast acting.
The last image he had was of Obi-wan getting slammed to the ground as he had to catch himself from falling face first as well.
“We will kill them both at sunset…” Xanatos spoke.
“I will kill him now…” Monstross snarled.
“You will wait…if you want the Mandalorians to think of you as their king…what better way than to kill a dragon to start your new era?” Xanatos spoke with a smirk on his face.
Monstross scowled and looked at Jango on the ground before he spat on the dragon.
“So be it…” he said. “Truss them up in the palace training grounds…” he ordered his men.
Xanatos could only smirk as he grabbed his brother’s head. “I will be king…” he whispered to his idiot little brother.
---
Jango woke to the chill of the air and he groaned in pain.
“You should have stayed away…” a voice to his left spoke.
Jango could only grunt his response.
“I’m not worth this…I was never worth this…” Obi-wan spoke weakly as he kept his head down.
“You’re my mate…”
“You deserve so much better than me…I’m a monster…” Obi-wan said weakly.
“Not denying that…” Jango said, ignoring how the huff of amusement from Obi-wan made him want to smile.
“I am still so sorry…If I had not let my prejudices blind me…” Obi-wan started.
“You kept hearing it…” Jango was stunned.
“It changed….and it was horrifying. What I had done…the things I did to you…” Obi-wan said weakly.
“If you hate me…it will be what I deserve…” Obi-wan added softly.
Jango had to watch Obi-wan. At how he had clearly suffered for his own actions and then he had to scowl. Curse his own bleeding heart.
“When we get out of this, you can make up for it…” Jango said and turned his head to the side. “And when you do you can be my mate…” he offered.
Jango heard a soft sniffle and his eyes widened as he turned to Obi-wan again. “Why are you crying?”
“Because you can’t go giving false hope like that, you idiot,” Obi-wan said but he could help but laugh.
“You hear it don’t you…the drumming…what makes you think it’s false…” Jango grinned.
“You’re an idiot…” Obi-wan said again but he leaned his head on his arm that was tied above his head.
“You’ll be able to prove your forgiveness…” Jango said again. Jango had to sigh as he looked up at the sky, wondering what his buir thought of all of this. How stupid it all was.
He could only hope that someone would have answered his call.
Or they were both going to be dead after sunrise.