Chapter Forty-Three

Obi-Wan, his arms folded within the sleeves of his robe, stood in the doorway to Nadira's outer chambers. He had just arrived on Sylvonna from Tarkasia and, after having seen that Prince Ishan and his family were settled in their complex, had come in search of Aalea.

Badalah, who was blocking the entrance, eyed him up and down.

"What do you want, pup?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "I'm looking for Aalea."

"She's not here. Did you check her chamber?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"The handmaiden you assigned to her didn't know where she was. I assumed she was here."

"Well, you assumed wrong," Badalah said crossly.

"Who is it, Badalah?" Obi-Wan heard a high clear voice ask.

"No one, your highness," Badalah said, narrowing her eyes as if daring Obi-Wan to dispute her description of him.

"Jedi Obi-Wan!" Nadira cried as she peered around Badalah. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into her outer chamber. "You have returned, finally."

Badalah watched with a dark frown as Nadira pulled Obi-Wan over to a settee.

"Sit, Jedi Obi-Wan," Nadira said as she flopped onto it.

Obi-Wan bowed, then sat next to Nadira whose green eyes were sparkling.

"Now, tell me," she said breathlessly, "what is he like?"

"Who, your highness?"

Nadira scowled. "My husband-to-be. Who else would I be talking about?"

"Oh, yes, Prince Ishan." Obi-Wan cocked his head. "He's, uh, very tall, your highness."

"Very tall?" Nadira mulled over that. "What else?"

"What else?" Obi-Wan repeated.

Nadira was watching him closely. Obi-Wan was suddenly uncomfortable. He wasn't very good at this.

"He's ugly, isn't he?" Nadira cried as Obi-Wan remained silent, her eyes filling with tears. "I have seen his holophotos, but I am thinking by the look on your face that they lied."

"No, your highness, he's not ugly, not at all," Obi-Wan said hastily.

"Then what's wrong with him?" Nadira wailed.

"There's nothing wrong with him," Obi-Wan said, his agitation rising. This was getting out of hand. "Please, your highness, where is Aalea?"

"Why do you want to see her so badly, pup?" Badalah asked, looking him up and down. "Need her to quench that fire in your loins? Didn't get a chance to put it out while you were on Tarkasia, did you? Or is it that you didn't want to? Don't blame you. I've heard that Tarkasian women are as bad in bed as the Great Prude himself."

"That is not why I want to see Aalea," Obi-Wan exclaimed in an outraged voice.

Badalah only crossed her arms and looked at him skeptically.

Obi-Wan decided right then he'd had enough of both of them.

He stood quickly.

"Your highness, please excuse me," he said, "but I must find Aalea. There are things I need to go over with her regarding tonight's banquet. The banquet where, I respectfully remind you, you will finally meet your husband-to-be and all your questions will be answered."

He bowed, turned and walked towards the door.

"She is in the gymnasium, Jedi Obi-Wan," Nadira said softly.

Obi-Wan turned and looked back at the princess. She was gazing sadly down at her lap. Obi-Wan went over to her, sat and took her hand.

"Your highness," he said gently.

Nadira looked up at him with a woeful expression.

"Please, don't worry," Obi-Wan said. "Prince Ishan is not ugly. Trust me. He's, well, I'd guess one could say he's quite handsome."

"Really?" Nadira sniffled. "Is he as pretty as you?"

Badalah snorted scornfully.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, then shot Badalah a quick glance of annoyance. He turned back to Nadira.

"I don't know about that, your highness, but I believe you will be quite pleased."

She nodded and squeezed his hand. Then she leaned close to him, her emerald eyes twinkling through her tears.

"I think Jedi Aalea has been missing you very much," she whispered.

Obi-Wan doubted that, but he smiled at Nadira and thanked her for the information.

He stood up, bowed and, as he turned to leave, noted Badalah was watching him with a curious expression on her doughy face. He wasn't sure what it meant and, not wanting to find out, quickly left Nadira's chamber.

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Obi-Wan finally found the palace gymnasium after having walked through what seemed to him endless miles of corridors. He still hadn't gotten used to being back among the Sylvonnans and their fondness for curving hallways which seemed to go nowhere and for giving the vaguest of directions.

He stood unnoticed in the entrance to the gym. A number of Sylvonnan guardsmen were inside exercising. But, Obi-Wan noted with dismay, an equally large number of them were lounging against the wall watching as Aalea went through a lightsaber practice routine.

Her hair, which she normally worn in a bun, was tied back in a long thick braid which snaked down her back. She was also wearing a dark blue body suit which, Obi-Wan noted, showed off every curve of her slender body. Instead of her lightsaber, she was using one of the longswords favored by the Sylvonnans.

The guardsmen watched with admiring looks on their faces as Aalea gracefully and fluidly moved through the Seven Forms of the Venerable Jedi Swordmaster D'aja. It was an ancient exercise and difficult to do. It involved not only sword-work, but flips and tumbles.

Obi-Wan was surprised Aalea even knew how to do it. But, as he watched her, he noted her stance was a bit off in the Fifth Form and in the last and Seventh form, her sword movement was incorrect.

When she was done, the guardsmen clapped and cheered. Obi-Wan watched Aalea closely to see how she would react. A frown flickered across her face, then she smiled and bowed slightly to them. The men cheered even louder but, just as they started to move towards her, Obi-Wan decided it was time to announce his presence. He could sense through the Force they meant her no harm but, like all Sylvonnans, they unquestionably had matters of the flesh on their mind and Aalea's beauty drew them like moths to a flame.

Obi-wan walked quickly into the gym. Aalea had turned slightly, so her back was to him, but she must have noted the suddenly wary expressions on the guardsmen's faces, for she wheeled around.

Her eyes widened when she saw him and, for a moment, Obi-Wan thought he saw something that looked like gladness in her face, but it was so fleeting he was sure it must have been his imagination.

"Master," she said, her expression solemn. "You've returned." She bowed to him.

"Aalea," he said curtly.

"Uh, I was just getting in some exercise."

"I see." Obi-Wan glanced over to where the guardsmen were eyeing him and Aalea. He frowned at them. Without a word, the group turned away.

Obi-Wan looked back at Aalea.

"That doesn't look like standard Jedi issue," he said as he scrutinized her body suit.

Aalea's eyes narrowed as she looked up at him.

"No, it isn't, Master. Cian bought it for me."

"Cian?"

"Yes."

"Well, I guess it's all right then."

Aalea inclined her head, but he noted her expression was tight as she looked back up at him.

"I noticed you were going through the Seven Forms of Master D'aja," he said.

"And you're surprised I know how to do it, aren't you?" she said, one slender brow arched.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I am. It's a very advanced exercise and you did it well, but your stance was off in the Fifth Form and your sword movement was incorrect in the Seventh."

Aalea frowned slightly.

"Here, let me show you."

Obi-Wan walked over to the side of the gym where he took off his robe and put it on a bench. He unclipped his lightsaber and laid it on his robe. He then took one of the longswords out of a rack and went back over to Aalea.

"Now watch," he told her. He moved quickly through the Seven Forms. He turned to her.

"Did you see the difference?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, you try it."

Aalea moved into the opening position for the First Form. Then, her face set, she went through the routine again, duplicating him perfectly.

"Excellent, Aalea. You're a quick study."

"So my master always said."

As Obi-Wan went over to retrieve his robe and lightsaber, Aalea called out to him.

"Master?"

He turned back to her.

"Yes, Aalea?"

"It's been a while since I've sparred with anyone. Would you mind doing so with me? I don't want to get rusty."

Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment. He had never sparred with her before and he wasn't exactly keen on doing so in front of the Sylvonnans but it was, after all, part of his duties as her acting master to help her maintain her skills.

"Of course, Aalea."

He went back over to her. She bowed. He returned it. He then raised the Sylovnnan longsword in salute. She repeated the gesture.

"Is there any particular style you'd prefer---?"

But before Obi-Wan could finish, Aalea was already on the attack. She moved towards him quickly, her sword swinging.

To be continued....