Title: Always
Author: XVIII
Rating: PG13
Setting: A/U
Pairing: Obi/Ami
Summary: Obi-Wan and Amidala meet for the first time.
Archive: Ask me first!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story. They belong to Mr. Lucas.
Chapter 1: First Glimpse
"But master! I-"
"Padawan. This training will help you become a great Jedi someday."
"But this is so boring!" Fifteen-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi glared resiliently at his Master.
Qui-Gon Jinn smiled gently at his apprentice.
"I was just like you when I was your age. But you mustn't forget how old you are turning soon…"
Obi-Wan sighed.
"Sixteen, master."
"And what happens when a padawan learner turns sixteen?"
Obi-Wan bowed his head in defeat.
"My first solo mission. I understand now, master."
"Good. Then we must get back to training."
~ - ~ - ~
"But it's so boring!"
"Young lady, training is essential to becoming a good ruler." Lt. Panaka reprimanded the newly turned fifteen girl in front of him and received a glare in return.
"How hard is it to be queen anyway?! Its not like anything ever happens in this damn city anyway!"
"Your highness, you must learn to control your language."
Princess Amidala stood up, knocking her chair over.
"I am a princess. You are a lieutenant. You listen to me. You can't tell me what to do!"
With that, she stormed out of the room, making the two droids attending the door scramble to get out of her way.
Lieutenant Panaka sighed as he watched her retreating back and wondered what the earliest eligible retirement age was.
~ - ~ - ~
Obi-Wan fumbled with his robes as he hurried to ready himself for the party. His master, Qui-Gon Jinn was right beside him.
"Why do I even have to go to this thing anyway? I don't even like Kithara!"
"Padawan, a Jedi's initiation is a-"
"-very sacred thing, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. But still, we don't like the guy, and it wouldn't even make a difference if we were there or not!"
"I'm sure it would make a difference to the girls there who have heard so much about the 'hot' padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi from the girls at Coruscant." Qui-Gon nudged his apprentice in the ribs as he said this.
"Hmph. I'm sure the Coruscant girls are better than the girls at… um…"
"Naboo."
"Right. The Coruscant girls are better than the girls at Naboo!" Obi Wan said.
Qui-Gon laughed. You obviously have never been to Naboo.
Obi-Wan blanched.
"What?! You mean that you- you did- oh gods I did NOT need to know that… oh my- ARGH!"
Qui-Gon chuckled silently but didn't say anything the rest of the way to the airship.
~ - ~ - ~
Princess Amidala sighed. How much more boring can life get? She was at a boring party for some boring guy that she didn't even know, and all the boring Jedi were there. The music was boring. The food was boring. Even Panaka was getting boring. She stood up to stretch her legs. Maybe a trip to the refreshment table would liven up this party for her. Heck, she thought. ANYTHING would liven this stupid thing up.
She was on her way to the table when she bumped into two Jedi. One had long brown hair that she could see was graying. He was also very tall. His partner was shorter, closer to her height. He also had brown hair, but he had a small braid while the older man's hair flowed freely. They both carried the Jedi weapon – lightsabers.
They passed each other and didn't look back for a few moments until both the princess and the padawan stopped abruptly and did an about-face to face each other. They looked each other up and down until their eyes met, time stood still, and all either of them could think was
wow.
~ - ~ - ~
Obi-Wan snapped back into reality when the band changed tunes to a waltz. The crowd was bustling around, everyone trying to find a partner to dance with. Obi-Wan turned back to the girl, who was now being moved away from him and frantically trying to reach him. He started pushing people out of the way to reach her. He just had to dance with her!
All of a sudden, he was jostled by a fat nobleman and his lightsaber hilt went flying a few feet away. Obi-Wan dove after it. It was being kicked around by people, and Obi-Wan was getting tired of near misses. His impatience finally got the best of him and he grabbed his weapon using the Force. He gave a cry of triumph, but when he looked up, the girl was gone.
Obi-Wan cursed silently and trudged away to find Qui-Gon.
"I didn't even get her name!"
~ - ~ - ~
"No! I didn't even get his name!"
Amidala was getting pushed further and further back. She had to dance with that boy! She felt the jolt of electricity that passed between the two when they looked into each other's eyes. They both could feel the magnetism pulling them closer to each other. She knew he was the One. She knew it.
Even though she tried frantically to reach the Jedi boy, her efforts were futile and she ended up where she started – at the refreshment table. She trudged back to the thrones, where the king and queen were, while she was deeply immersed in thought.
She had no chance.
The figure looming in the shadows behind her grabbed her, covered her mouth, and whisked her away in only a few seconds. No one saw, and her screams were silenced by the hand covering her mouth. She could feel a needle being inserted into her arm. She was being drugged. She couldn't struggle under the man's grasp, and she was getting so sleepy…
No! I have to fight it! I have to…to…~ - ~ - ~
Obi-Wan fell to his knees as the pain engulfed him. He tried forcing himself to calm down, but the pain soon engulfed him. He was on the verge of unconsciousness when he felt someone pulling him back. He opened his eyes to see Qui-Gon's concerned face hovering over him.
"Padawan! Are you alright??"
Obi-Wan groaned.
"I think so. That was weird…"
"What happened?"
Obi-Wan shook his head.
"I don't know. I was just walking, and all of a sudden my head started hurting! Was it maybe a-"
"-disturbance in the Force? I don't think so, because only you felt it."
Obi-Wan's brows furrowed as the thought.
"Must've just been a headache. Nothing important. Sorry to worry you, master."
Qui-Gon nodded. He wasn't so sure it was "just a headache", but for now, he would put it aside and have some fun for a change.
Together, master and padawan walked to the dance floor, both hoping to find someone to dance with, and both unaware of the danger slowly creeping upon them and the rest of the galaxy.
