We reached Ithrec long after I had predicted. Night was wrapped around us like a thick shawl and the two Jedi wouldn't be able to speak with my father until the morning. I hated my stupid, injured legs. Time was precious and because of them I was wasting it. I felt like a huge let down as a medical droid tended to my wounds in. Later as I got into bed, the guilt continued to fester in my stomach as I tried to sleep. The sweet escape of dreaming didn't come to me for many, many hours. And by that time I was so out of it that it was more like being unconscious than asleep.
I woke late. My body was stiff as I dressed quickly. My maid, and best friend, tried to help, but I brushed her away.
"Delcesca, you must rest. There is no need to be in such a hurry," Elvestaid said, trying to keep my shoes from me. I leaped across the room at her and tackled her. We rolled around on the floor until I had her pinned and was able to grab my shoes. I put them on and then got up, huffing and puffing with her doing the same. We glared at each other for a moment and then burst out loud with laughter. We laughed for several moments before stopping to wipe the tears from our eyes.
"That was so unfair," Elvestaid said, sitting on my bed. "You've been trained."
I sat next to her. "You could have been too. You didn't have to become part of the help. I still don't understand why you did so."
Elvestaid brushed out the wrinkles in my sheets and avoided my eye. "I told you. I didn't want to be a burden on you and your father after my parents died."
"So you thought becoming part of the help would stop that? Not that you're a burden," I said. Elvestaid rolled her eyes at me, but didn't answer. We had been over this many times before and we each knew that we wouldn't be able to see eye to eye on the situation. I saw how it was beginning to upset her and decided to let the subject drop.
"Anyway, I need to get down to the main hall. I don't want to be late for—"
"Your father is in conference with one of the Jedi that came with you," Elvestaid said, cutting me off. "He told me to warn you not to disturb him." I jumped from the bed.
"No, he should have waited for me. He promised he would let me in on what was going on. He promised!" I yelled, rushing from the room. I ran down the many aisles with Elvestaid following close behind. I reached the main hall's doors in record time and tried to open them. The solid doors were locked. Damn!
"How could he do this to me?" I asked Elvestaid as she stepped up beside me. She put her hand on my shoulder.
"There are some things that must be kept from the princess. Even if she doesn't like it." She told me gently. I slumped to the floor and pouted.
"Well, it's not fair. Not one little bit."
"You're not the only one who isn't present in there," a voice called from the left of us. I turned my head along with Elvestaid to stare at the dark figure. I squinted at the voice, knowing it from somewhere, but my brain wasn't able to recognize where.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"You don't remember? That's sad," the figure chuckled. Elvestaid gave me a puzzled look. I shrugged, still trying to place the voice. Then all at once it clicked.
"Anakin Skywalker!" I exclaimed.
"That it is," he said, stepping from the shadows. His face was softer than it had been yesterday, and he looked relaxed (though his eyes were still too old for his age). I stared at the change. It was nice. I felt myself begin to warm toward him. Something I never thought would happen in a million years.
"Are you a Jedi Knight?" Elvestaid asked from the clear blue. Her face was covered in admiring awe. I had to laugh at her surprise. She had never seen a Jedi before. To her they were just rumors and stories spoken about when all of Ithrec was gathered around a bonfire to gossip.
"I'm training to be one," Anakin said, trying to hold back his smile. It tugged at the corners of his darkish pink lips.
"Wow! What's it like?" Elvestaid blurted out. I slapped her on across her arm. "Ouch!! That hurt!"
"Don't ask those things. It's none of our business." I said, though secretly I was wondering the same thing.
"It's no problem," Anakin told her while he gave me a funny look. "It's quite difficult at times, but I love it. I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's an honor to be defending the universe." I noticed how his face fell just a bit when he said this, and how the words sounded a little rehearsed. But why would he say it if he didn't mean it. I had to wonder what secrets he was hiding deep inside.
"Why didn't Obi-Wan take you in? I know my father would want to speak with you, also." Elvestaid glared at me for distracting him away from her. I had to hide my grin. I could tell that she was falling for him. Her eyes were wide like the tea cups we used for tea, and her face was glowing. I loved how cute she looked, and didn't want to pop her happy little bubble by telling her that Jedi weren't allowed to love. It would have crushed her into a thousand little pieces.
"My master believes that I am still too young to be involved in matters such as these," Anakin said with slight anger in his voice.
"Then why bring you with him at all?" I asked. I was getting mad, too. Anakin seemed like a very mature person for our age. Maybe a little too mature. It wasn't right that he was being treated like an eight-year-old. I think I would stop talking to my father if he did that to me. Wait. Wasn't that what he
was doing now? I folded my arms across my chest and slinked down farther along the giant pillar that I was leaning against.
"More pouting I see," Elvestaid teased me. I ignored her.
"Well, he is my master. I have to go where he goes."
"How does he expect you to grow and understand? If you're treated like a child then it will never happen. What kind of training is that?" I asked. I was steaming. Elvestaid rolled her eyes and got up.
"I can see that the two of you are going to be having a pretty intense conversation on how neither one of you are treated like the big thirteen-year-olds that you are, and I don't want to stick around to be bored. (No offense). Besides I have rooms to clean and things to wash." She turned to walk away. "Bye, Delcesca."
I waved at her back. "Bye."
"She is a…maid?" Anakin asked, after she had left. He looked very shocked. "How can you let her do that?"
I was taken aback. "You think I pushed her into being a maid?" I asked, not believing what I had just heard. "It was her choice. I tried to talk her out of it years ago, but she wouldn't listen to me. She can be very stubborn."
"Just like her friend." Anakin replied. I didn't let his comment bother me. I knew he meant well, and, plus, he was right. That was one of the reasons I hung out with Elvestaid. Her stubbornness was fun to challenge against mine. Yes, we got into quite a few fights over pretty pointless things, but our anger never lasted long. We understood each other, though I always had to wonder if something more than our stubbornness had brought us together. At a young age both of us had suffered some pretty harsh hardships. Maybe pain had bound us together. Maybe it was just Fate.
"How long have my father and Obi-Wan been in there?" I asked, changing the subject.
"I'd say a little more than an hour."
"Oh." I was hoping that it had only been a few minutes. If it had I would have gone racing through the doors and demanded to hear all that was being said. There was no doubt in my mind that my two older twin sisters, Triesa and Wilettal, were in there right now. It wasn't fair. Just because they were four years older than me did not make them more mature or smarter. I had been the one to find Obi-Wan and Anakin. I had brought them here to Ithrec. I was just as good as them, wasn't I?
"Don't look so sad. It makes the fire in your blazing green eyes go dim. I don't like it." Anakin said out of the clear blue. I gave him a startled look, and then blushed. I was never really good at receiving…compliments...from people. I always got embarrassed and turned a bright red, which caused me to get even more embarrassed. I guess it was because I preferred to either be by myself or in the
company of only one other person that my social skills weren't as tuned as they could be. I blamed my father. He never pushed me to be social with others. He probably never gave it any thought when I was little because I wasn't the next in line to take over the ruling of Ithrec. I was just a backup child in case both Triesa and Wilettal died, though I didn't really mind. They could rule all they wanted. I was content in being on the sidelines.
"I…well…thanks for the tip." Anakin nodded his head. All of a sudden the doors to the main hall flew open and my father, Obi-Wan, and sisters came billowing out. My sisters took off down the aisle that led to their rooms, staying close to one another and talking very quietly. Obi-Wan came over to Anakin and motioned with his head to for him to move away from me and my father.
"Good-bye," Anakin said as Obi-Wan carted him away. "It was fun talking with you. Maybe I will speak with you again before we leave tomorrow."
"Likewise," I called after him, and under my breath I mumbled, "I doubt that we will see each other again." My father came over to me and coughed. I jumped up on to my feet and stood before him. His brown and weathered face was creased into many wrinkles, and his hazel eyes were clouded with worry. Whatever the Jedi had told him seemed to be causing him much more pain then the poverty problems of Ithrec. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him.
"What's wrong, father?"
"Things that I could have never foreseen," my father answered solemnly. "We are in deep water, Delcesca. Very, very deep water."
"Can we wade it out and fight?" I asked. My father shook his head. "What did the Jedi have to say, father?"
"He brought news stating that the Confederacy is bound and determined to make us pay for the damage we caused them and the information that we stole."
I bit my lip. "Can't they help protect us?"
My father sighed. "They have such a huge list of other things to watch over at this moment in time, and sadly Ithrec isn't on that list."
Tears began to form in my eyes. "What can we do? What will we tell everyone?" I begged to know. My father's shoulders sagged with defeat.
"We tell them that the time has come for us to except our destiny, and we will meet them with all the force that our small nation can muster. I do not want us to go out acting like cowards. I will not let us be remembered in such a shameful way."