Recap: Chapter 1: Obi-Wan received an assignment in his Current Affairs class. The assignment is to read an article handed out by the instructor, research the topic and write an argumentative essay. Qui-Gon felt a slight disturbance through his bond with his padawan and went to check on the boy. And in so doing, the two discussed potential viewpoints of the topic at hand. Obi-Wan seems to think the topic may have to do with him.
And now, on with the story… Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 2
She watched her children play in the garden beneath her window, her thoughts drifting back to a time that she could never truly forget.
The grounds outside the mansion were occupied by both friends and family, state, local and foreign representatives, all waiting to welcome the new Governor of their hemisphere. The servants bustled around the house readying the refreshments and the meal to be served at midday; chaos was the order of the day.
"Jace, I need you to help Ben find his shoes while I dress Ty!"
The boy in question stopped at the door to his parent's room, a rather distasteful frown on his face. "Do I have to? I wanted to go downstairs and see my friends."
"Please do as I asked; there will plenty of time to see your friends during the party."
"Why can't Anen do it?"
"Because I asked you to do it." She picked up the tunic that lay beside the infant and sat him up so she could slip it over his head. When she noticed her elder son still standing in the entrance to her bedroom, she said, "Go on now. The sooner you help him find his shoes the sooner you can go see your friends."
The seven year old turned around and ran down the hallway toward his younger brother's room. When he stepped inside, he smiled at the site that greeted him. Little feet were all that stuck out from under the bed. Grabbing hold of the bare appendages, he pulled the wriggling little boy out from under the bed and reaching down, picked him up and set him on his feet.
"Where'd you last see your shoes?"
Ben pointed toward the floor and kneeling down looked under the bed. "The bed ate 'em."
"It did not, besides that's impossible. Things don't eat things." The child stood with his hands on his hips. "Did you check the closet?"
The two year old shook his head and pointed back to the bed. "It ate 'em."
"Ben! The bed can't eat things; you just forgot where you put them." Walking over to the closet, Jace opened the door and getting down on his hands and knees began crawling around to make sure he checked every inch of the floor.
Backing out, he leaned back on his feet. "They're not in there." He scratched his head and looked around the portion of the room he could see.
"Did you play in Ty's room yesterday?"
Ben nodded. "And Ane's rum, and momma's rum and the pay rum and…."
"All right, I get the picture. Did you wear your shoes in those rooms?"
"Yesh."
Jace shook his head in frustration, his eyes wide as if asking 'well?' When he didn't receive an answer, only an inquisitive look from the younger child, he blew out a frustrated breath.
"C'mon, lets go look." He stood and taking Ben by the hand they went around their residence checking every room Ben had said he played in.
After searching, Jace took his little brother to his parent's room. "Mom, we can't find them anywhere. We checked everywhere Ben played."
"Thank you, son. Now run along and go see your friends." She held out her hands to her two-year-old. "Come here, Ben."
When he ran over to her, he squealed as she picked him up and hugged him. Drawing back a bit, she kissed his cheek. "Let me lay Ty in his basinet and then I'll help you find your shoes."
Ben leaned toward his mother's ear and whispered, "The bed ate 'em."
Nyla chuckled. "I see. Well, then I'll just have to let you wear your new ones." Carefully lifting her infant son, she stopped by his basinet and laid him inside. Walking over to her closet, she opened the door and stepping inside and to her right she took a box off the shelf and reentered the bedroom. She was just about to help the toddler with his shoes when Anen appeared in the doorway.
"Can I help you with anything, Milady?"
Nyla smiled at the elder woman; Anen had been her nanny when she was a child. After she married, the older woman had asked to stay on to care for the children that were to come. "We're fine. I'm just helping Ben with his shoes."
The older woman grinned when she saw the new box. "Did the bed eat them again, Master Ben?"
The little boy smiled as he nodded that was what indeed did happen.
"Are you sure you didn't toss them out your bedroom window again?"
Ben's eyes widened as he watched his sometime caretaker and then looked at his mother to see if she had heard. Nyla mocked frowned at her son before slipping into an easy smile. "I think we know what happened to the wayward shoes now, don't we, Ben?"
The toddler nodded. "They fly."
Having laced up the shoes, Nyla picked her son up and set him on the floor. "Go with Anen, I'll get Ty and be right down."
"You're thinking about it again."
Nyla turned toward her husband and offered a sad smile. "Today's the anniversary." Turning back toward the window, she watched her oldest son entertain her youngest.
Rayfe slipped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder as his eyes were drawn to the garden.
"I spoke with Jace this morning; he wants to attend the university on Coruscant."
Nyla shook her head. "It's too far."
He shifted his face so his nose briefly dug into her shoulder before releasing her to stand at her side. Taking her hand, he replied, "Nyl, you can't keep them locked up like they're prisoners. Jace is twenty; the legal age on Tarmas is twenty-one. Next year he won't need our permission to leave if he so chooses."
"He won't. He wouldn't do that to us."
Rayfe closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was in the middle again; his son on one side wanting to have a life outside the safe confines that his parents had designed for him when his younger brother had disappeared, and his wife, a woman he loved with every fiber of his being and yet they both still mourned the loss of their middle son. He had learned long ago how to deal with the pain: being a public servant didn't allow him the freedom to express his grief. And with two children to care for and a wife who had suddenly stopped living for a while, he had had to be strong and pick up the pieces in order for the family to move forward.
Here they were thirteen years later, refusing to give up hope. The galaxy may be a large place, but sooner or later someone would actually pay attention to the article they had published every three years since Ben's disappearance. They needed closure, no matter what form it came in. And he hated to think of how it could come.
"There's a Senate seat opening for Tarmas. I was thinking of taking a shot at it."
Nyla turned her focus away from the boys and looked at her husband. She reached over and pushed a stray lock of his brown hair off his forehead. He in turn pushed her reddish brown hair back off her shoulder. "If I get elected, we could all move to Coruscant; Jace could attend University and we'd still be near enough to him should he need us."
The now older woman considered the compromise. "How long before you have to put in your bid?"
"One week."
He had asked for this opportunity years ago, but she hadn't wanted to make the move just in case Ben was found. But now, there really was no reason to hang onto the past anymore. The mansion would still be theirs and they could always return home during the Senatorial breaks for a visit. Looking out the window and then back to her husband, she asked, "Could we find somewhere with a garden perhaps?"
Rayfe smiled. "Coruscant is a city planet, love. But perhaps we could bring some plants with us."
Nodding her consent, she suddenly felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
