The Wanderer, her hand resting on her weapon's hilt, found herself inside yet another village beneath the murky sky, the village being just as poor as the others. Not a soul from the Bounty Hunters' Guild came after her, likely due to hearing about what happened to Princess Mayaana. If she couldn't take her down, an attempt from anyone else would be suicide.
However, the Bounty Hunters' Guild of Kyotara wouldn't be the only group of people interested in her bounty. She'd need to stay vigilant, on the lookout for an ambush at any point. A bounty as big as the one on her head would attract those from other planets and systems.
Going on the run wasn't anything new for her, hence the nickname 'the Wanderer'. She once fled from the Jedi, as did she flee from the Sith. Fleeing from a few bounty hunters would pale in comparison.
With her note in hand, the Wanderer checked it one last time, double-checking that she was in fact in the right location marked on the map drawn on the back of it. "Looks like this is it..." she whispered to herself, finding herself in front of a small cantina of sorts.
The Wanderer walked inside, immediately getting those same fearful glares as always, though perhaps her bounty made those glares even more apparent.
The cantina itself was rundown and only as big as some wealthy people's bedrooms, but it got the job done for the people who lived in that village. Scanning the room for any threats, the Wanderer sat down at one of the stools at the bar in the back before pressing a few credits on the table. "Bantha Chai, please."
The owner of the bar took the credits, looking at the woman as if she were a ghost before preparing what she ordered. As she waited, she asked the owner a question. "You know anything about the Fletsnow family? I got a note sayin' to come down here... but what would a Fletsnow be down here for?"
The Fletsnows were the wealthiest family on the entire planet. The village she found herself in was around a multi-day speeder ride away from their estate. The village itself was far beneath the type of place a royal family would ever dare step foot in.
"I haven't seen not a single Fletsnow 'round these parts." the barkeeper told her with a similar drawl in his voice to hers, pouring Bantha milk into the Wanderer's tea before sliding the glass over to her. "I did hear that one of the ladies caught the prince's eye, the village elder's daughter. Thinkin' that was just a rumor though."
"Hm... Guess I'll find out soon enough." the Wanderer told him before placing her lips on her cup to take a sip of her tea, still scanning the room around her with her lone eye.
After a few minutes of waiting, a voice called out to her from the cantina's entrance. "The Bloody-Eared Raven... So you came."
The Wanderer turned around partially, side-eyeing the man as he approached her and sat at the bar next to her. "I take it you sent the note. You don't look like a Fletsnow." she told him, noticing the rags and unkempt hair on his face and head.
The old man chuckled. "I am not a Fletsnow, but I was the one that summoned you. You see, the Fletsnows and I have a deal that involves my daughter and their son... He wants to marry her!"
The old man seemed excited that his daughter had been seemingly proposed to by a man of such status, however, the Wanderer was not entertained, staring at him blankly. "And... what's that gotta do with me?"
"The Fletsnows need someone to transport her to their estate for the wedding. They will pay you one million credits to do so. They would send someone here, but..." the man's voice trailed off, and he broke his eye contact with the Wanderer.
"But what?" she asked him, impatiently tapping her glass with her finger.
"It's a dangerous road to travel this time of year. Any starship taking off from this planet wouldn't last any longer than you can say 'crash landing'." The old man sort of chuckled with those final words, though once again, the Wanderer was seemingly not entertained.
"Why don't they just send one of theirs to come get her in a speeder or something?" she asked him, taking another sip from her drink.
"That would be possibly a over week-round trip... the groom doesn't want to wait any longer. He wants my daughter there as soon as possible. Besides, it isn't just the skies that are dangerous. We need someone capable of protecting her and a few royal guards wouldn't cut it. Please... they could change your life if you play your cards right. They're rather powerful." the old man placed both hands together, practically begging her to take his daughter to the Fletsnow estate.
Inskako was a rather dangerous planet, having very unsafe roads between cities and villages due to the roads being filled with pirates and raiders.
However, these pirates weren't fools. They'd heard the stories of the Nameless Wanderer. They knew about her strength. After being on the planet for five years, her reputation for being capable of destroying whole armies on her own had been built.
The Fletsnows and the old man knew that having her escort the Fletsnow prince's future wife would be their safest bet. Upon seeing her crimson earrings, no pirate or raider would dare touch her without reason. However, they failed to account for the newly placed bounty that was placed on her head, giving the pirates all the reason they needed.
'Hmm. They could even clear that irritating bounty on my head. Lookin' over my shoulder every two seconds is getting old.' she thought to herself. Despite her knowing about her bounty and the fact that hunters may try to collect during her mission, she knew she could get the job done. Even if the girl died, it wouldn't have truly mattered in the end for the Wanderer. There was nothing to lose.
After taking one last long gulp from her cup, the Wanderer slammed it down on the table and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I got nothing better to do. Y'all got a speeder ready to go?"
"We do, back at my home. Then you can take my daughter and be off." the man told her, smiling excitedly.
The Wanderer looked at him with a skeptical glare. "That's it?" she asked, finding it odd how he spoke of his daughter as if she were nothing more than cargo.
"That's it!" he told her.
"Alright... let's go then." the Wanderer got up first, walking to the entrance before waiting for the old man to lead the way. The village was small, so it was only a matter of minutes before they were in front of their small, wooden home.
Being the village elder, his home was the least raggedy one she'd seen thus far, though it was still a testament to how poor the village was. The wood was falling apart due to the constant rain, and the roofing was patchy, having its flaws covered by cloths.
Upon entering the home, the Wanderer saw an older woman, presumably the wife, sitting next to a young woman, comforting her. 'And that must be the bride... She's young.' the Wanderer thought to herself. 'Looks about four or five years younger than me.'
The young woman wore a reddish kimono with a floral pattern on it, one of surprisingly high quality. The skin around her eyes was painted red, and the rest of her skin was incredibly soft and youthful. Her silver hair was tied behind her head with a pink and white floral brooch stuck into the side.
Upon seeing her, the Wanderer knew exactly why the Fletsnow prince had taken a liking to her. She was beautiful, looking as if she didn't even belong in such a village.
"Coramari, come introduce yourself!" the father told his daughter, prompting her to walk over to the Wanderer and bow respectfully. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Coramari, but I like to be called Mari." she spoke with a soft, kind voice, one that matched her appearance perfectly.
As she bowed her head, Mari's eyes noticed the Wanderer's missing arm. "Oh... What happened to your arm?" she asked, only for her father to step in.
"Coramari! That's a rude thing to ask! Apologize right now!"
"Oh- I'm" Mari started to bow once more and apologize, only for the Wanderer to stop her.
"That's okay. Enough with all the being formal stuff." Being from a farm, being addressed in such a formal matter made her uncomfortable, almost reminding her of her time as a Jedi. She'd been taken in at an older age than usual, so her accent and way of speaking had already been implanted into her. Being a Jedi for all those years didn't change that.
"You two better get going! Can't keep the prince waiting!" the old man told them, leading them back to the front door as if he were truly in a hurry to get rid of his own daughter.
"The speeder?" the Wanderer asked him.
"Out back!" the man told her, smiling as he watched the Wanderer stare back at him. His daughter didn't even look at him, standing by the entrance with her back facing him.
The Wanderer leaned forward as if she were waiting for him to say something, looking at him before her eye darted over to Mari. "Go on ahead!" the father told her.
With her eyebrows furrowed, the Wanderer started for the front door. "I guess we're going. C'mon, then." the Wanderer instructed, walking out of the door as Mari followed closely behind her. As they left, her parents didn't even say goodbye, which the Wanderer found odd.
Despite it being odd to her, for Mari, it was to be expected.
The two of them eventually found themselves standing in front of an old, beaten-down X-34 landspeeder. Though it had all the necessary parts, being equipped with a propulsor on the back and one on each side, the body of it was rusty and dirty. The front bumper looked as if it were about to fall apart.
"Uh... Is this the speeder he was talking about?" the Wanderer asked, though the answer would be obvious once Mari hopped inside it as if she owned it. "Guess so..." the Wanderer muttered.
The Wanderer then walked over to the driver's side and jumped in, looking around the inside for the ignition. It took about a minute of searching before Mari looked over with a confused look on her face. "Have you never driven a speeder?"
The Wanderer chuckled to herself. "Well, not this model." she told her, acting as if she'd driven anything else for more than a mile. Eventually, she found the ignition, which was a simple switch below the steering mechanism, and flipped it.
The landspeeder then lifted about a foot off the ground and began to hum. "There we go. You ready, girlie?" the Wanderer asked getting a sort of worried nod from Mari.
The Wanderer then pressed the accelerator, though she used so much force, and the speeder jolted forward. After speeding up and slowing down uncontrollably a few times, the Wanderer eventually got the hang of it and steadily took off toward the Fletsnow estate.
Despite the ride being smooth for the time being, Mari only had one thing on her mind due to the Wanderer's shoddy driving skills.
'We're going to die.'