Chapter Thirty-One
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They were late.
As Aalea looked out the cockpit window at the approaching landing field of the capital city of Sylvonna, she felt waves of frustration coming from Obi-Wan. Her shields against their Force bond were up, so she wasn't sensing his feelings, but it was apparent he was anxious. His brow was furrowed, his mouth set in a firm line, and all his responses to her questions had been in clipped, one-word sentences. But she knew he wasn't angry at her; he was angry at himself.
Honing in on the coordinates provided by the Sylvonnan dockmaster, Obi-Wan piloted the skipship to their designated landing area. Aalea saw that it was quite small. The entire spaceport was crowded with hundreds of ships of assorted sizes and designs. The guests for the wedding, she surmised. For a moment, Aalea was afraid Obi-Wan wouldn't be able to squeeze their ship into the tiny space set aside for them, but Qui-Gon was right. Obi-Wan was a good pilot. Their skipship landed next to a large transport with more than enough room to spare.
Once the ship was on the ground, Obi-Wan let out a deep breath. He stared for a moment out the window.
"We're not just late," he finally said. "We're very late."
"Yes, Master," Aalea agreed.
He glanced over at her, his eyes questioning.
Aalea suspected he thought she was still teasing him, but she wasn't. She had stopped playing that silly game of responding to him by constantly saying the word master hours ago.
"It's not your fault we're late," she said.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We were supposed to be here yesterday. This is not a good start."
Aalea didn't know what to say, for she agreed, it was not a good start. But the fault was not Obi-Wan's. The skipship's nav computer had crashed. As a result they'd had to search for a suitable planet where they could land and make repairs. That had taken a few hours. Once they had found one, a deserted little ball of dust which didn't even have a name, only a number, it had then taken Obi-Wan six additional hours to reprogram the nav computer. As a result, as Obi-Wan had observed, they were not only late, they were very late.
As Aalea looked out the window she saw a grossly overweight Sylvonnan, dressed in a dazzling array of brightly colored robes, running at a dead heat towards their ship. He waved at them with a fat hand weighed down with rings that sparkled madly in the sunlight.
Obi-Wan followed Aalea's gaze. He groaned softly.
"Oh, no." He quickly unbuckled his seat straps. "Come on."
"What's wrong? Who is that man?"
Obi-Wan didn't answer. He ran out of the cockpit towards the ship's entrance. He quickly keyed in the code which would open the door, Aalea behind him. The door swung up and the landing ramp extended.
Aalea looked out. The fat man stood at the bottom of the ramp, peering anxiously up at her and Obi-Wan.
"Oh, thank the Great Lover, you are finally here! Come, come, we must hurry." He waved frantically at them to exit the ship.
Obi-Wan and Aalea ran down the ramp.
"You are the Jedi Guardians, correct?" he asked quickly.
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry we're so---"
The man shook his head and grabbed Obi-Wan and Aalea by the arms dragging them from the ship.
"No time. No time. We must hurry."
"Wait." Obi-Wan jerked back, forcing the man to stop pulling him and Aalea. "Who are you? Where are you taking us?"
The fat man glanced angrily over at Obi-Wan.
"My name is Marni and I am the King's Major-Domo and Chief Eunuch. I am taking you to the reception which is being held to welcome the wedding guests. The reception, by the way, which started hours ago and for which you two are terribly late. Now, if you don't mind," and he reached over and grabbed Obi-Wan's arm. He had not let go of Aalea's.
"All right, you can take us," Obi-Wan said as he pulled his arm free from Marni's grasp, "but we will not be dragged."
Marni rolled his eyes. He reached into his voluminous robes and pulled out a heavily scented silk handkerchief. He wiped at his bald head which was drenched with sweat.
"This is terrible, terrible. Look at me. I'm sweating like a Tarkasian sow. Fine, have it your way, you terribly late Jedi," he said angrily. "But we must hurry!"
Marni turned and ran, his robes flapping about him.
Aalea was amazed at how quickly Marni ran, for he was possibly the fattest man she had ever seen. She looked over at Obi-Wan. He shrugged and then ran after the eunuch, Aalea beside him.
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Aalea's heart beat hard in her chest. She stood next to Obi-Wan in a large atrium in the palace of the King and Queen of Sylvonna. Around her milled hundreds of Sylvonnans. The combination of the heat from their bodies, the scent of their heavy perfumes, and the sound of their mingled voices had all combined to give her a terrible headache.
She glanced over at Obi-Wan who stood quietly at her side. His arms were folded within his robe and he stared stonily ahead. They had just learned that they, as Guardians of the Peace and Honorary Bodyguards to the bride and groom, had been scheduled to enter the Reception Hall first. That had been hours ago. Now, as a result of their arriving late, they would enter the Hall last. This was not an auspicious beginning to their mission. No doubt Master Yoda and the Jedi Council would hear of it.
Aalea looked down at herself. She wished she had had a chance to shower and change into fresh clothing, but Marni had vehemently denied her and Obi-Wan's request they at least be allowed to go to their quarters first.
Instead he had hurriedly escorted them to this atrium just outside the Reception Hall. He had then quickly instructed them on the correct procedure with which they were to enter the Hall and greet the King and Queen. With a final reproachful glance at them, and a disdainful sniff as he had looked up and down at their dusty clothing, he had scurried off on his plump legs, waving his hands and calling after some other heavily perfumed and overly dressed courtier.
Aalea took a deep breath and then wished she had not. The Sylvonnans seemed to be deeply in love with perfume. Dozens of different scents--musk, floral, and herbal---assaulted her nose. Her head swam and for a horrifying moment she felt faint. She then realized it had been hours since she had ate. She wondered if she should mention how she felt to Obi-Wan, but looking over at him and noting the firm set to his mouth and the deep furrow in his brow, she decided not to. He had enough on his mind.
Finally, the great doors before which Obi-Wan and Aalea stood swung open. They entered the Hall and a cacophony of fanfare blew around them. It was an enormous room, the largest Aalea had ever seen. The blue and white tinted ceiling soared so far above it seemed to merge with the sky.
As Aalea walked with Obi-Wan towards the dais upon which the King and Queen sat, she made the mistake of bending her head back as she looked up at the ceiling. Suddenly she became dizzy and lost her sense of direction.
She stumbled slightly. Then she felt someone grab her arm and steady her. She looked over. It was Obi-Wan and his eyes were boring into hers as if to ask what did she think she was doing.
From the dais Aalea heard the distant tinkling of laughter. She blushed. Obi-Wan squeezed her arm and glared at her. Then he let go of her, adjusted his robe, frowned, and gestured with his head that she continue to accompany him to the dais.
Humiliation spread through Aalea. Could this day get any worse? Finally, she and Obi-Wan arrived at the foot of the dais.
Before Aalea even had a chance to look at the King and Queen, she bowed as she had been instructed by Marni. Again she felt herself growing dizzy, so she held her bow a few moments longer than required. She closed her eyes and inhaled, then exhaled a deep cleansing breath. Rising up, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Obi-Wan, who had risen seconds ago, was staring irritably at her.
Tears stung Aalea's eyes. She couldn't help it if she felt faint. She was so hungry and there were so many people and it was so hot. Her robe pressed down on her like a great weight. She glanced frantically about her. Then she saw, seated on a small throne on the dais, a girl who looked to be about sixteen. She had vivid green eyes and bright red hair. She was staring at Aalea, but her expression was friendly and she had a sympathetic smile on her pixyish face.
Suddenly, a loud crack drew Aalea's attention away from the girl. She glanced over and saw Marni, who was standing to her right, pounding a great staff on the floor.
"Our Dread Lord and Lady," he cried out in a loud high voice, "before you has come, in great supplication and humbleness, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Aalea Ve'Red, Guardians of the Peace, representatives of the Galactic Senate and the Jedi Council, and Honorary Bodyguards to their Royal Highnesses Princess Nadira of Sylvonna and Prince Ishan of Tarkasia."
Aalea looked up at the thrones upon which sat the King and Queen of Sylvonna and gasped. They had to be the two most beautiful people she had ever seen. King Tahal was a broad shouldered man with thick black hair and dark brown eyes. He had a neat goatee which he stroked slowly as he gazed down at Aalea. Queen Samar was blond with large blue-green eyes. She wore a tightly fitting gown with a plunging neckline which showed off every curve of her magnificent figure.
Obi-Wan stepped forward slightly.
"I bring greetings to the Dread Lord and Lady of Sylvonna from the Senate of the Galactic Republic and the Council of the Jedi Order." He then bowed and moved back next to Aalea.
The king and queen said nothing, but then Queen Samar leaned over and whispered something to her husband. He grinned broadly at her words. Then, raising a hand, he gestured towards Aalea to come closer.
At first Aalea wasn't sure he meant her. She even turned around to see who he was pointing at. When she turned back, the king gestured at her again, smiled and nodded his head.
Aalea glanced over at Obi-Wan. He didn't look at her, but nodded his head curtly, giving her permission to approach.
Aalea did so, aware that hundreds of eyes were locked on her. She walked up to the dais, and then, because she still felt faint, climbed slowly up the steps.
She stopped in front of the king and queen. She was afraid to bow, for fear she would fall over, so she lowered her head in supplication.
"Come closer, little one. We won't bite. At least not yet," King Tahal said. Then he laughed as if he had made a joke and Queen Samar laughed softly with him.
Aalea moved closer until she was standing directly in front of the king. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it would leap from her chest.
"They're terribly late, wouldn't you say, my dear," Tahal said to Samar.
She nodded. "Most inappropriate."
Fear pulsed through Aalea.
"Please, your most dread majesties," she began in a soft voice.
King Tahal's eyebrows shot up and Aalea feared she had violated some code of behavior by speaking. She wished she and her master had been assigned to diplomatic missions. It was so hard to know what was permitted and what was not.
Tahal leaned forward. "Do not be frightened. You may speak."
Aalea cleared her throat. "Please, your majesties, there's a very good reason why we're late." She glanced down at Obi-Wan who was staring curiously up at her.
She moved nearer and lowered her voice. Tahal seemed to take great delight in her moving close to him. He and Samar bent over so that the three appeared to be huddled in a secret conference. Both Tahal and Samar were now so close to Aalea she could smell their perfumes. The combination of the musky scent of the king's and the floral scent of the queen's made her even more dizzy.
"The nav computer on our ship crashed," she continued. "It sent us off course. My master had to reprogram it and, well, considering he accomplished in six hours what normally would have taken twelve, I--" and she stopped for Tahal and Samar had both moved away from her and were sitting back in their thrones, watching her intently.
Aalea stepped back, her thoughts churning. What was wrong now?
"She's quite the beauty, isn't she, my dear?" Tahal said to his wife.
Queen Samar gazed at Aalea, her blue-green eyes large and warm.
"Yes, my love, quite. And here I thought the Jedi were all so unattractive." She glanced down the dais at Obi-Wan and her brows lifted in appreciation.
"And the eyes," the King continued. "Extraordinary. Such an unusual color. One feels as if one were looking into the eyes of Sera, the Great Lover herself, wouldn't you say?"
Samar drew her gaze lazily away from Obi-Wan and looked deep into Aalea's eyes.
"Oh, yes, my love. And her mouth, like a warm, ripe fruit," she purred. "Just waiting to be plucked and tasted."
Aalea was growing more and more uncomfortable with what was happening. Tahal and Samar were talking about her as if she were some kind of specimen. And what was Obi-Wan making of all this?
"Is she acceptable, my dear?" Tahal asked his wife.
Samar nodded. "More than acceptable. She will make a fitting honorguard for our daughter's wedding."
"You may step back now," Tahal told Aalea. "And do not worry, little one. Nothing will be said about your arriving late. After seeing you, it was well worth the wait."
Aalea inclined her head and then, carefully, for she felt more lightheaded than before, she turned and left the dais. As she walked back over to Obi-Wan, she was almost afraid to look at him. But she did and was surprised to see, not the irritation she had expected, but a look of puzzlement on his face. She wondered if he had heard what the king and queen had said about her.
Marni struck the floor with his staff.
"To the Jedi, I present she who is the heart of our world, the Rose of Sylvonna, the Princess Nadira."
Aalea glanced up and saw the red-haired girl nod slightly. The Reception Hall rang with applause and cheers. Nadira's green eyes gazed about her with delight. Then she glanced over at Aalea and smiled, her round cheeks deeply dimpled.
Marni thumped his staff. "The royal family will now retire."
Tahal, Samar and Nadira rose from their thrones and moved slowly from the dais.
As Aalea waited next to Obi-Wan she felt as if her head were floating away from her body. The room was sweltering. Sweat poured down her back and her legs trembled. She took a deep breath, hoping to clear her head when, suddenly, she felt herself pitching towards the floor, darkness and silence overwhelming her.
To be continued...