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Snow crunched and twigs cracked beneath Ezra’s boots as he ran, weaving between the trees. With Maul close on his heels, there was no time to slow down and cover his tracks. He just had to keep running, try and lose his pursuer in the cover of trees.
But that cover was thinning rapidly. Soon enough Maul would have a clear line of sight on him. And he could feel himself wearing out after running for nearly a mile after he’d finally escaped the cave that had become his prison after the Sith kidnapped him.
If he didn’t lose Maul soon, he was kriffed.
He whipped past another tree and skidded to a halt when he saw what lay in front of him.
The river.
The water was covered by a thin layer of ice, but he could see the current still rushing beneath it. If he tried to cross on foot, he would fall through for sure.
But maybe he could jump.
There was no time to doubt his decision. He could hear the crash of Maul’s footsteps on the frozen ground growing closer. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a dark figure sprinting through the trees, relentless and furious.
He had to move now. If he could just make it across the river, he might stand a chance.
Heart racing, Ezra took a few steps backward, ran toward the riverbank, and jumped.
Sheer relief washed over him as he soared through the air. He was almost there. Almost –
And then something grabbed hold of him. He twisted in the air, pushing back against the Force grip. Maul was standing on the opposite bank of the river, his hand outstretched and fury in his eyes.
Ezra had no idea how he managed to break free. He only knew that one moment he was hanging in the air, and the next he was plummeting downward.
A wall of cold slammed into him as he crashed through the ice. He gasped reflexively, letting frigid water flood his lungs. He thrashed frantically as he was swept further beneath the ice, but the current was too strong for him to swim, whether with it or against it. The ice was thin. If he could reach it, he might be able to break through. But he didn’t know which direction was up anymore and it was so cold his mind felt numb and –
Light exploded above him and he gasped, air flooding his lungs. He scrabbled frantically at the ice, but cracks were already spreading out from every point of contact he made.
No. Desperate, terrified denial was all that filled Ezra’s mind as he felt the ice begin to give way. No, no, no.
He fell.
Cold surged up around him, swallowing him whole and dragging him beneath the surface once more. Ezra’s lungs burned with desperate hunger for air. He thrashed and kicked, his limbs growing heavier by the second. Terror overwhelmed every corner of his mind until there was nothing but cold and fear.
Ezra went limp, his struggles stopping as he lost the strength to fight. The current dragged him along, pain exploding through his body as he was slammed against the rocks.
Something was grasping at him. Something that a distant corner of his half frozen mind knew to fear more than the icy current. Light and air struck him from all sides. He coughed and retched, gasping for breath as he was dragged out of the water and dumped onto the ground.
His heart leapt into his throat as he saw Maul standing over him.
“You foolish boy,” Maul growled, just shy of shaking with anger. “Were you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Bet… better than being st-stuck here with you,” Ezra said breathlessly through chattering teeth.
He rolled into his side, coughing ferociously as he fought to expel the water from his lungs. Every muscle in his body was trembling. He was only just realizing how kriffing cold he was, lying there on the snowy bank, freezing wind whipping through the trees.
Maul seized his arm, dragging him to his feet. Ezra weakly struggled, more on principle than because he thought he had any real hope of escaping.
“Get moving,” Maul snapped, tugging viciously at Ezra’s arm.
Knowing there was no other option, Ezra obeyed, trudging alongside Maul.
The Sith set a punishing pace as he forced Ezra back through the woods. Every step was exhausting, his waterlogged clothes and boots feeling like hundred pound weights tied to his body. He staggered with nearly every step, drawing angry growls from Maul when he stumbled into the man’s side.
When they reached the cave where Maul had set up camp – in an area so isolated he’d thought Ezra couldn’t escape – Ezra’s minimal strength gave out as the adrenaline wore off. He stumbled again and Maul threw him to the ground beside the bare firepit. Ezra curled in on himself, hugging his knees to his chest. He was so cold it hurt, his bones feeling like they were turning to ice. His teeth rattled together as he shivered. Still he kept himself on high alert, watching every move Maul made as he quickly built a fire. He knew falling into a frozen river wasn’t going to save him from retaliation for his escape attempt. But Maul ignored his presence completely until the fire was built and he was once again standing over the young Jedi, this time with a blanket in his hands.
“Remove your clothes,” Maul said, his voice harsh.
Ezra blinked, fear hardening in the pit of his stomach.
“Absolutely not,” he said flatly. He didn’t care if his soaking wet clothes were steadily leaching the heat from his body, the idea of being naked, of being that vulnerable in front of Maul was terrifying and revolting.
“This is not a negotiation, Ezra,” Maul snapped, clearly losing patience. “You have hypothermia. If you do not remove them, it will only get worse.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Ezra said, glaring at the Sith Lord.
For one long moment, Maul stared down at Ezra, and Ezra wondered if the Sith would just leave him be. Let him learn his lesson by freezing until he nearly died.
Then Maul reached out. And Ezra couldn’t breathe.
He cried out as he was slammed back against the ground. In a split second, Maul was on him, pinning Ezra’s legs beneath his own as he seized the hem of the boy’s shirt.
“No!” Ezra shrieked, grabbing at Maul’s wrist and digging his nails in as panic gripped him.
He tried to fight as Maul yanked his shirt up, but his plunge into the freezing water had left him weak. Maul easily overpowered him, breaking free of his grip and grabbing his elbow, starting to pull his right arm from the sleeve. The soaking wet fabric clung to his skin, a sickening feeling that only added to the whirlwind of unsettled panic that roared through Ezra’s mind. He thrashed and struggled beneath Maul, his legs kicking ineffectually at the ground beneath him.
“Stop!” Ezra pleaded. “Stop, I’ll –”
But his pleas were suddenly, violently muffled as his shirt was wrenched up over his head. Maul quickly pulled it away and tossed it aside. Freezing air hit Ezra’s skin in full force, making him gasp from the shock.
And then his legs were free. And Maul’s hand was closing around his waistband.
Ezra’s heart leapt into his throat as for one terrifying moment he found himself paralyzed by fear. Some distant, logical part of his mind knew he probably didn’t have to fear… to fear that from Maul. But that part of him was drowned out by terror at the fact that he was pinned down, too weak to fight back effectively, while someone was pulling his clothes off.
“No!” he shouted. “Don’t! Please!”
He kicked wildly, managing to catch Maul in the chest. The Sith snarled, releasing Ezra long enough to draw back his fist and slam it into the boy’s face.
“Don’t be a child, Ezra,” he snapped. “If you had agreed to do this yourself, none of this would be necessary.”
He seized Ezra’s waistband again, wrenching his pants down. Ezra fought, but once more his struggles did nothing to save him. He choked on tears as Maul pulled them off, along with his boots, discarding them all in a pile near the fire. Ezra could only lie there, frozen in fear, unable to form a coherent thought. Suddenly that harsh, punishing grip was gone from his body and a heavy blanket was dropped over him.
With a pained groan, Ezra sat up, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping the blanket tightly around himself. Still he felt horribly exposed. Violated, even though Maul had done nothing but remove his clothes.
Ezra flinched as Maul grabbed his chin, his hold tight enough to bruise as he forced the boy to look up into his eyes.
“The next time I give you an order, you will follow it,” Maul hissed, fingers tightening viciously around Ezra’s face. “Is that understood, apprentice?”
“Kark off,” Ezra snarled, his voice breaking as fresh tears formed in the corners of his eyes.
The blow to his face came so fast that Ezra barely even realized Maul had released him before the Sith’s tattooed hand was closing around his jaw again.
“Is that understood?” Maul repeated, voice heavy with danger.
Ezra glared up at Maul, silently daring the man to hit him again. The Sith held his gaze, fury sparking in his eyes. Suddenly Ezra was even more aware of just how vulnerable he was. He was so cold he could barely move. Even if he managed to run, he wouldn’t get far before he succumbed to the cold all over again.
Right now, Maul could do anything to him and there was nothing Ezra could do about it.
“Yes,” Ezra muttered. It was almost physically painful to say, the word clawing at his throat as he forced it out. But he wouldn’t give Maul what else he wanted.
He would never call the Sith Master.