In the dark, it was hard to see where he was stepping, and his heavy armor didn't really help at all. Nevertheless, he put one foot in front of the other, looking back every now and then to make sure that his men were still behind him. Of course, his fellow general, Anakin, was usually going against orders and wandering off somewhere, increasing his chance of getting killed, but that didn't seem to bother him. After several hours of trekking, they had finally made it to the enemy's fortress where they were holding one of their hopefully soon-to-be-ally's leader. If this rescue went well, the chances of them joining would surely increase. That wasn't the only reason for Obi-Wan's haste, though. She was more than just another potential ally, she was a close friend, one he hadn't seen in about twenty years. He smiled at the thought of seeing her again.
"Obi-Wan, how are we going to go about rescuing the duchess undetected?" Skywalker asked, raising his visor so he could see clearly.
"I don't think we will necessarily go completely unnoticed since she will be under incredible security," he responded, observing the top of the fortress where several guards paced about, keeping a constant watch. When they were shooting distance of the wall, Obi-Wan signaled for the men to halt. He turned to his second-in-command. "Cody, have the archers ready in case something goes wrong. The odds of that are pretty high since I'm going alone."
"No, you're not," came Anakin's voice from far off.
"In that case, make sure they're extra ready," Obi-Wan mumbled under his breath. "Have them spread out into groups, and tell them not to shoot them flaming ones unless I specifically give the order. If we aren't back soon, send some men."
With a nod and a customary "Yes, sir" he was off, gathering the archers. Anakin already knew the plan, and Obi-Wan was grateful that he didn't have to go over the whole thing, they couldn't waste much time. Making as little noise as they could, they scaled the wall and waited until the guard had walked by to pull themselves up. When the structure holding their target was within throwing distance, they made their way back down the wall, this time inside the fortress. They ran over to the side of the prison where there was a collection of trees to hide them, and crouched down
"What's the easiest way to get into a prison?" Obi-Wan murmured, mainly to himself.
"Get arrested," Anakin suggested, earning what probably was a look of disappointment from Obi-Wan. He was glad he kept his visor down most of the time. "Actually, that could work."
"Yes, and then they would search the area to see if there were more of us, and most likely find our men, and slaughter them on sight," Obi-Wan said dryly. "We can't be foolish about this, Anakin, think." Looking up, he saw two gargoyles on either side of the wall. "Do you still have those spare arrows?" he asked Anakin. Raising an eyebrow, he reached into his quiver and pulled out multiple arrows. Obi-Wan grabbed two of them. "Give me a boost."
Anakin made his hands into a stirrup and heaved his friend up, who grabbed onto the high branches of the trees. Once he managed to make his way to the top of the tree, he jabbed the arrow in the wall, and tested it to see if it would hold his weight. Amazingly, it did. Anakin never did settle for second best weapons. Silently, he made his way up and grabbed onto the gargoyle, which he used to get around the part of the wall that jutted out. Catching his breath, he walked over to the wooden hatch that would lead straight into the duchess' cell. Unfortunately, it was locked from the inside. If he tried to bash it open, that for sure would attract unwanted attention. Seeing no other option, he bashed it open, then quickly jumped down. The fall was much farther than he thought it'd be, so he landed with a tumble. A familiar face loomed over him, and his stomach fluttered. She raised his visor, and they stared at each other for a while after he sat up and she crouched beside him. He smiled at her breathlessly.
"A-Are you all right, Your Highness?" he asked, coming back to his senses.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "That voice... Have we met before?"
Pain flashed across his face. Had she forgotten him so easily? "Yes, Duchess. About seventeen years ago. I'm-"
"Obi-Wan," she breathed, disbelief in her voice. "Is it really?" She reached her hand out to touch his cheek, and brushed her thumb across his beard. The way he sheepishly looked at her when she did that answered her question. "It's been a long time."
"It has, Your Highness." He smiled, his cheeks and neck coloring a bit. He took off his helmet so she could see him better. "It's good to see you again."
"It's good to see you, too, Obi." She hadn't called him that in a long time. "Although I'm sure we would both prefer more pleasant circumstances."
"I would do anything to see you again, Your Highness," he blurted, then immediately wished he hadn't.
"Ever the gentleman, aren't you?" she mused with a smile. "You haven't changed much." She brought his face closer with every word. "Except for the beard, I'm still not too sure about that."
"Wh-Why?" he asked, blushing furiously. "What's wrong with it?"
"It hides too much of your handsome face," she said, closing her eyes as Obi-Wan's hand tangled in her hair.
"Well, I'm quite fond of it..." His voice drifted off as their lips were about to meet. They never did meet, though. The cell door flung open, three guards standing outside. "Blast," he mumbled under his breath, drawing his sword.
"Well, well," the first guard laughed. "Apparently this one doesn't follow the code of chivalry."
Ignoring the jab (and forgetting his helmet), Obi-Wan rushed from the duchess' side to engage them. Anakin, however, was right behind them, taking one of them down. Metal clanged against metal as Obi-Wan brought his sword down on his opponent's weapon. A roar rose all around them, and Anakin smiled at the guards as his men poured out from everywhere. Needless to say, those two guards were also taken care of. Obi-Wan went back inside the cell and grabbed his helmet, smiling at the duchess as he put it back on. She stood up and he scooped her into his arms as he ran to catch up with the rest of his men. However, they had left, and The enemy was charging at him from the other side of the hallway. Thinking quickly, he took off to the other end of the hallway and jumped feet-first into the stain glass window, dropping down several feet. Luckily, an enemy conveniently broke his fall. Catching up with his men, they were all able to escape the fortress and took off on horse back.
Once they were a safe distance away, they set up camp and Obi-Wan was finally able to talk to the duchess.
"I'm glad that you made it out okay," Obi-Wan told her.
"Thanks to my knight in shining armor," she pointed out with a smile.
He looked up from the map on the table. "Well, yes, I suppose that is true," he replied, giving her a childish grin. "I'd do it all over again if it meant seeing you... to safety."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're a curious man, General Kenobi," she commented as she walked over to him. "I have yet to figure you out, and I doubt I ever will."
"Being honest, I don't think I've figured myself out quite yet." He laughed and returned his attention to his work. Stroking his beard, he ran his hand across the map and pointed. "If we could make it to here at this time tomorrow, then we could mot likely have you back in three more days."
Standing beside him, the duchess nodded. "Sounds good to me. I'm just glad I'm away from that dreadful place."
"So am I, Your Highness. Hopefully, you won't be going back any time soon." Sighing, he gestured to the course he had marked. "We had to take a detour instead of going straight back, because then they could find us much too easily. I might send a messenger out ahead of us and tell them you're all right, but it might be too risky right now."
"Analytical as ever," she teased.
"I'm just being cautious, is all," he explained, meeting her eyes. "Your safety is my top priority, Your Grace, and I am not going to take that lightly."
"You never did," she recalled. "I still remember you wouldn't let me go out on the balcony when we stayed in Prince Jerik's castle."
His ears turned slightly pink, a trait the duchess still found to be cute. "Satine, there could have been-"
"An assassin, yes, you told me many times," she mused. "You worry too much."
"There's no such thing as worrying too much when it comes to you, my dear," he told her.
"Whether there is or not..." She took his bearded chin in between her thumb and pointer finger. "I know that it will all turn out good, whatever the circumstance. Worrying doesn't do anything but hinder your thoughts, Obi-Wan."
A faint smile crossed his face. "Yes, I know. Qui-Gon would probably say that again now if he was here, wouldn't he?"
"Knowing him, yes." She pushed a lock of his hair off of his forehead, causing his cheeks to redden. "Well, I should probably leave you to your work. Goodnight, Ben." She didn't give him any chance to respond as she took his face in her hands and kissed his lips. His eyes widened at the sudden move, but his arms slowly wrapped around her waist as her hands held his head in place.
A cough sounded at the entrance of the tent. Quickly, they disentangled themselves from the embrace to see an amused Anakin standing there with his arms crossed. Face completely red, the duchess exited as Obi-Wan stuttered a "Goodnight" in response to hers. Anakin raised an eyebrow and pointed his thumb in the direction the had duchess left.
"So, what was that all about?" he asked, trying not to laugh.
"W-Well, she was, um, just leaving and telling me goodnight-"
Nodding, he said sarcastically, "Mmhmm. Right. You never told me you had a girlfriend."
"Anakin, she's not my..." Obi-Wan grumbled. "Never mind all that, let's just try to get something done."