Chapter Text
“Apprentice, do you sense a new presence as well?”
Savage shook his head.
Maul sighed. “It feels so familiar…”
He’d sensed this person before, that much he knew, but their presence was muddled enough that he couldn’t place who they were. Wait. Who did he know that could disguise their Force presence like that? It couldn’t be Sidious… A chill ran up Maul’s spine at the thought, and he gripped the arms of his throne involuntarily.
Glancing at Savage, he saw the older Zabrak looking at him curiously. Maul forced himself to relax, but he could tell the newcomer was approaching fast. He glanced at the hidden door in the floor behind the throne. Their only hope of escaping if it really was his Master.
“Come with me,” Maul whispered, making sure his voice sounded calm despite his pounding hearts.
Savage followed him.
“What is it? What are you afraid of?”
Maul silently cursed himself for letting his feelings show so obviously.
“I have a strong suspicion my Master has arrived on Mandalore and is approaching our location.”
Savage immediately reached for Maul’s hand. Maul pulled away, not wanting to appear weak in front of his apprentice, though he felt slightly guilty when Savage looked at him sadly.
As he slowly slid the stone covering off of the tunnel, something flared in the back of his mind. The newcomer’s presence had become clear—cold, dark, and terrifyingly familiar. His Master really had tracked him down. Maul’s breath caught in his throat, and he fought not to show it. The former Sith lost his grip on the door and it slammed to the ground.
Maul winced mentally at the sound, knowing he’d just ruined his chances of making Sidious think they weren’t around. He practically leapt into the tunnel, landing effortlessly on the hard ground, Savage immediately following. Maul quickly replaced the tunnel’s covering using the Force, though his grip on the stone block was weak. Maul glanced down at his hands. Even in the low light, he could see that his hands were trembling from the shock of his Master’s arrival.
Folding his hands behind his back to hide the tremors, Maul attempted to stand with the same confidence as usual. He heard the door to the throne room sliding open, and immediately he knew who was entering. His hearts quickened even more somehow, and he fought to keep his breathing steady.
Was he really going to keep running and hiding like this? Maybe there was a reason he’d failed as a Sith. Maybe he should have been abandoned…
A hand fell on Maul’s shoulder, and he inhaled sharply—no. A Sith did not flinch. He glanced up at Savage, making sure to keep his expression neutral.
“Brother,” whispered the other Zabrak. “Should we keep going?”
Maul glanced up at the ceiling, where he could hear footsteps approaching, and his hearts practically dropped to his stomach as he sensed his Master was looking for him, reaching out through the Force for his mind—
Maul nodded, quickly rushing into the large space off the side of the tunnel, meant for the castle’s occupants to hide out in case of an emergency. Savage followed, flipping a switch that closed the tunnel wall behind them, making it appear to passerby that there was no room there. Maul allowed himself to sit on the floor, barely managing to appear unaffected by the situation. Savage couldn’t see it, but Maul’s breathing was extremely fast and shallow, and he struggled to keep himself from visibly shaking.
He sensed Sidious’s presence reaching out for him, then that horribly familiar voice spoke into his mind.
I know you’re there. You cannot hide forever, my former apprentice. I will find you eventually.
A pair of cold hands rummaged through Maul’s thoughts, searching for his location. Maul immediately closed his mind off, praying that he hadn’t been too late.
“Brother!”
Maul’s eyes snapped open, making him realize that he’d squeezed them shut, and he’d actually huddled against the wall as if dodging a physical attack. Maul let out a shuddering breath and attempted to collect himself.
He couldn’t believe he’d reacted like that. He’d spent so much time training himself out of showing his emotions. Had he really become this weak?
Savage was still looking at him—Maul could see his eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
“Are you alright?”
Maul nodded, trying and failing to stop trembling.
“I—I sensed my Master searching for m-me… he almost f-found us…”
Maul closed his eyes, wincing at how weak and frightened his voice sounded. Savage’s hand once again fell on Maul’s shoulder, and Maul stiffened. He wouldn’t allow himself to appear as weak as he felt. Not in front of his apprentice. But there was something in his brother’s eyes, something almost like… kindness.
Maul felt a sudden pang in his hearts, though he chose to ignore it, making a mental note to teach Savage what a Sith would do in this situation. He couldn’t have Savage becoming soft… or making Maul soft by extension… Though he supposed Savage deserved to know about his Master’s past.
As soon as Maul felt safe letting his mental guards down enough to concentrate on other things, he began his story, grateful for the dim lighting that prevented him from looking his brother in the face—for some reason he felt like he’d practically break if he had to see Savage looking at him with any form of sympathy. Also Savage hopefully couldn’t see how pathetic his Master looked at the moment.
“I… I was raised as a Sith for as long as I can remember…”
He still remembered vividly the day Sidious had become a more permanent presence in his life, back when he’d barely been three years old.
“My training was… quite intense…”
Constantly being beaten and shocked, either by that droid or by Sidious, until he’d learned to block out the pain and ignore the fear.
“But I survived. I survived to become a Sith Apprentice…”
He shivered as the memories worked their way to the front of his mind.
“I fought on Naboo, and… and I was defeated, cut in half by the Jedi…”
Maul closed his eyes as his throat inexplicably tightened.
“I w-was certain my Master would come for me… but… but he n-never did… I had—I had been forgotten…”
Maul’s voice quivered as he finished his sentence, and he took a deep breath to soothe the sudden panic that had overtaken him. He wouldn’t let himself think about that. Not now. Usually his pain and fear lent themselves to the Dark Side, but for some reason that wasn’t working today. And if he couldn’t channel his emotions into the Dark Side, then he was no better than any other being, not fit to be a Sith. If that were true… then he’d deserved to be forgotten.
Maul swallowed hard, unable to look his apprentice in the eyes as he whispered, “When I sensed him returning today… I knew he would not approve of our actions…”
Maul blinked rapidly, noticing the dampness in his eyes and willing the tears not to fall.
“He would have killed you, if not both of us… I—I couldn’t let that happen.”
The room was silent for a moment as Maul realized with horror that he’d essentially just admitted to caring about his brother, a fact he’d always known was true but had tried to ignore as Sidious had taught him. He really was a horrible excuse for a Sith…
Abruptly, Savage wrapped his brother in his arms. Maul didn’t move, painfully aware of how much he was trembling, how close he was to completely breaking down. Savage certainly noticed, but instead of berating Maul for showing weakness, he simply squeezed his brother tighter, whispering, “I’m here now. You’re safe. We’re both safe. He didn’t get to us today.”
Maul still didn’t react.
“I—I am unworthy of being your Master.”
Savage pulled away, looking into Maul’s eyes with that intense-yet-kind gaze.
“I don’t know what makes a good Sith Master, so I might be wrong, but I think you’ve been a wonderful mentor so far.”
Maul shook his head, ignoring the tears welling up in his eyes.
“The Sith are strong, and they do not allow themselves to feel emotions such as fear without channeling them into the Dark Side… and they… they certainly don’t… care about their apprentices…”
Savage’s expression changed slightly, betraying his surprise.
“So you’re saying your Master never cared about you, and that’s why he abandoned you?”
Maul froze. He hadn’t thought of it that way. He’d always known Sidious didn’t care about him, but…
“He abandoned me because I failed as a Sith.”
Savage kept staring at Maul, his expression becoming more and more disturbed.
“A Sith Master never cares about their apprentice and will abandon them if they fail. And yet… you wanted to make me your Sith apprentice? Does this mean you never saw me as a brother? That you will leave me to die if I fail as an apprentice?”
Maul’s heartbeats quickened, and his voice quivered as he attempted to reply, not even sure what words to use.
“S-Savage—I—I don’t—”
He wasn’t sure why—or maybe he just didn’t want to admit why—but he didn’t want Savage to think he was like Sidious… nor did he even want to be like his Master, he realized.
Savage’s gaze softened, though he still appeared nervous.
“Or… is that the reason you feel unfit to be my Master?”
Maul’s entire body went rigid.
No. No, this was wrong. He couldn’t care about his brother. If he did, if he hadn’t turned out a proper Sith in the end… what was his training even for?
Savage gently placed his hands on Maul’s shoulders, and the younger Zabrak fought to remain still as he processed the surprisingly kind gesture.
“Because I care about you. I probably shouldn’t, if you’re so intent on becoming like your Master, but I do. I truly love you, Maul.”
Maul’s breath caught in his throat, and he stifled a sob, unable to respond without bursting into tears.
“You’re my brother, and I think you deserve a second chance…” Like you offered me, whispered Savage mentally, the emotional discussion having distracted him enough to reveal his thoughts.
Maul saw the face of another Zabrak, somewhat resembling both of the brothers, flash through Savage’s mind, followed by an image of the Zabrak’s small, lifeless body, and a wave of sorrow briefly passed over Savage—or was it Maul? He couldn’t tell anymore.
Without thinking about it, Maul placed his hand on Savage’s supportively, and he noticed a tear running down his brother’s cheek. Pathetic, whispered a voice in the back of Maul’s head, but Maul shut that thought down instantly. Besides, he’d begun crying as well, the tears he’d been holding back finally streaming down his face as if a dam had broken.
Savage wiped one of Maul’s tears away, and Maul allowed himself to move closer, burying his face in Savage’s shoulder and sobbing. Savage once again wrapped his arms around Maul’s shaking form, and the Sith felt himself beginning to relax slightly.
Maul didn’t allow himself to tell Savage he cared yet, not directly. But he did allow himself to admit it to himself. And he did allow himself to realize that perhaps the path of the Sith wasn’t for him. And if that was the case, maybe he could find his own path, with his brother at his side.