When Qui-Gon had described the duke to her, she pictured him to be at least twice her age. So, it surprised her greatly when he turned out to be only a year older. He certainly didn't look like a ruler of a planet infested by war, and was constantly running from countless bounty hunters and extremists. No, he looked like an ordinary man. Most Mandalorians were blonde haired, so she wasn't sure what to think when he turned out to have auburn hair. His blue eyes were much deeper colored than her light blue ones.
"Not what you expected, hmm?" Qui-Gon asked as they were walking through the halls of the palace.
Satine shook her head. "Not at all, master. He looks so…"
"Innocent," he offered. "Yes, I was also a bit surprised as well. Although, he certainly talks like a politician. Maybe you could learn a few things from him."
The Padawan didn't know if she should be offended or embarrassed by his suggestion, so she elected to ignore it. However, he certainly had a point about him sounding like one, and his posture indicated that, too. Once you got past the babyish face, it made much more sense. Perhaps if he grew a beard… No, that certainly wouldn't look right at all, she thought to herself as she pictured him with facial hair.
They arrived at his personal quarters, two armed guards at either side. For a pacifist, he certainly did have a considerable amount of armed people around him. The duke opened the giant double doors and greeted them with a dashing smile.
"Ah, you came sooner than I expected," he admitted, running a hand through his slightly tussled hair. "I forgot that Jedi don't take as long getting settled in as normal guests. Please, come in."
His quarters were much more bare than most she had seen. It reminded her much of her own, but that was simply because it was usually frowned upon if Jedi had a lot of things in their rooms. Apparently, he had a thing for art and music, as there were many framed paintings and instruments symmetrically placed about the main room. She'd found herself staring at what must have been his family portrait. The father had stormy grey eyes, a clean-shaven face, and hair just like the duke. The mother had flowing dark brown hair and the some of the darkest blue eyes she had seen. Standing in front of them were two boys who looked to be about eight and nine, and she thought they were twins at first.
She risked a glance over at the duke who was conversing with her master, trying to take note of every feature of his face, then looked back at the portrait, only to still have no idea.
"Can't figure out which one is me, hmm?"
The question caught her off guard, and she felt her cheeks reddening as she looked back at him and shook her head. He sauntered over, excusing himself politely from Qui-Gon, and stood next to her, scanning the picture.
"Yes, my brother and I were asked many times if we were twins," he told her. "The only real difference between us was our eyes. His were just grey like my father's, mine are a combination of both of them."
Studying his eyes, she saw that they were indeed a perfect mix, but she saw something else in them. Pain, longing. When he mentioned his brother, he had said were, not are. She wanted to ask, but knew that it was a terrible idea, and wouldn't get them off on the right foot, so decided to leave it be.
"Well, my lord," Qui-Gon said, interrupting them. "now that we've got the pleasantries over with, I think it's time we discuss what you brought us to Mandalore for."
Told you so, Obi-Wan wanted to say to her, but he could see that she felt extremely guilty for dropping him. Now here they were, sitting in the middle of a forest on Draboon, her tending to the gash he had obtained from a conveniently placed tree root. He'd told her not to carry him, mostly because he didn't think she could do it, and if she could, he had a feeling this would happen.
"I'm so sorry," she murmured to him for what must have been the sixth time.
Sighing, he shifted his weight to his other arm and watched as she applied bacta to his side. "It's all right. You were just… trying to protect me. I honestly didn't think you were strong enough to pick me up."
She managed a smile as she took some bandages out of the med kit. "Yes, well, being a Jedi does have its advantages."
"I suppose so," he agreed, wincing and taking in a sharp breath as she touched his wound. "Ow." She opened her mouth to apologize yet again, but he silenced her by putting a finger up to her lips. "You don't have to keep saying that you're sorry."
Blushing, she started to wrap the bandages around his midsection. "It's a habit, Your Highness. I should've listened to you."
"Obi-Wan," he corrected.
The Jedi knit her brows together. "Beg your pardon?"
"That's my name," he explained, locking eyes with her. "I don't like being called by titles all the time."
"I imagine that would get pretty tiring," she replied, finishing wrapping his wound. "There, good as new. Well, almost."
He chuckled a bit at that, and she smiled at him. She loved the sound of his laugh, and he didn't do so very often, so she enjoyed it as much as she could. Over the past few months, they'd grown close. Out of necessity, of course, but there was also some deep, unexplainable attraction between them, and Satine had been careful not to linger on that. Neither of the had really acknowledged it with the other, but Qui-Gon had brought it up on a few occasions, which sometimes ended up in them having a dispute. She'd always apologize later that day, saying she realized he was only trying to protect her.
Taking his hand in hers, he brought it up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss into the back. Satine froze, not sure whether to pull her hand away or to kiss him. All coherent thought flew from her mind when he brushed his other hand across her cheek and tangled his fingers in her messy hair. Everything she'd learned from the Jedi screamed at her to stop, but something told her that this was right.
"Thank you," he whispered, his voice shaking slightly.
And with that, he closed the little space that remained between the two of them and kissed her. Shocked by the sudden move, she just let him, not bothering to return it for a while until she regained her senses. When they pulled apart, they simply gazed at each other, finally accepting their mutual attraction, but realizing that they could never be together.
"I sense some anxiety from you about the duke," Anakin said as the lift doors closed. "He couldn't be in safer hands."
Seventeen years had passed, and to both of them it felt like fifty. And of course he had grown a beard within that time, but it certainly suited him. She herself hadn't changed that much. Just like the time that they first met, she didn't believe that it was him. He'd aged incredibly well, physically and mentally.
"I'm not anxious, Anakin," Satine said, not sure of what she really was feeling.
"Well then why are you so much more protective of him-"
"Because he's an old friend," she snapped, narrowing her eyes at him. Sooner or later, he was going to find out their past, and quite possibly their feelings for each other.
Her apprentice's mouth turned up into a smile. "Oh, so you're close to him?"
"We knew each other," she corrected. "About two decades ago."
Swirling his drink in his hand, he looked up at the two Jedi that entered the room. Satine bowed respectfully, and he nodded in return.
"Ah, Master Kryze," said Orn Free Ta, the large Twi'lek senator. "The duke was just telling us about you."
"All good things, I assume?" she asked him, giving Obi-Wan a quick playful glance. "I'd hate for a terrible first impression."
"Is there anything bad to tell?"
"Oh, I'm sure there's something you disliked about me within that year." Satine felt a nudge in the Force from Anakin, and she did her best to ignore it. If he was going to do that the whole mission, she just might have to push him out into the vacuum of space. "But enough about me. This is my former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker."
Anakin smiled a bit at Satine as he stepped beside her. "At your service, my lord."
"An honor to meet you, General Skywalker," Kenobi said, an amused look on his face. "However, I did expect you to be a bit older, given your reputation."
Shrugging, he gestured to Satine. "Well, I guess that's what happens when you have an outstanding master. I was lucky enough to learn from one of the best generals."
"Hmm. It's a shame that the Jedi should learn about the ways of war, considering their labels as peace keepers."
Satine resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he was going to point that out.
"We are protectors, my lord," Anakin explained. "Currently yours. We fight for peace."
The duke smirked and took a sip of his drink. "An ironic statement. I'm surprised so many Jedi are willing to lay down their beliefs to serve a corrupt government."
Resisting the urge to scoff, she coolly met his gaze and crossed her arms. "Simply because we don't share the same beliefs does not mean who we serve is corrupt."
The tips of Obi-Wan's ears turned pink, as did his cheeks. "So apparently it's not corrupt to attempt to occupy a neutral planet?" he asked, standing and making his way to her.
"We're simply trying to find out the truth, Your Highness," she retorted, their faces now inches apart.
Satine could sense everyone's unease as they stared at each other, their brows knit together. Anakin sent another wave of teasing over their Force bond, and she did her best not to roll her eyes.
Tal Merrik cleared his throat. "Duke, Master Jedi. Perhaps we could use some rest after this tiring trip."
"Hear, hear," said Senator Taa. "Now, let us put politics aside until after dinner."
The couple waited for a few moments, silently challenging the other. "Fine!" they both said. Obi-Wan, as diplomatically as he could, gently shoved Satine out of his way and briskly walked out of the room, leaving Satine to stare at his back as he left.