Amidala paused by the door leading to Sabé's hospital ward, feeling a sudden chill creep into her bones. A sudden fear gripped her heart and she quickly swiped her pass card through the lock. The door hissed open and she ran inside. "Sabé!" she yelled, heart hammering in her chest.

The room was empty, except for Sabé herself, sitting up on her bed, looking at Amidala in sleepy wonder.

"Are you alright?" Amidala asked, trembling a little. The chill felt so real. Could she have just imagined it?

"I should be asking you that." Sabé returned, becoming fully alert now. The two stood in the darkness for a while, as if trying to decide whether there was a phantom around or not.

"I thought I felt a presence…" Amidala shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Well I am no Jedi. Perhaps it was nothing. Moonshine."

"Are you ill? You look pale, but not of fright." It was Sabe's turn to be concerned.

Amidala shook her head. "No, not ill. Just worried about many things." The room brightened as Amidala plopped down the seat near Sabé's hospital bed, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. "By the way, Sabé, Jedi Kenobi has sent you a note. Here it is." She drew an envelope from one of her dress' concealed pockets. She grinned mischievously as Sabé took it from her. "I hope it's not anything dirty." She commented

"Amidala!"

"Just kidding, just kidding."

Sabé let that comment slide, mostly because of her excitement of getting a note from Obi-wan. "When did he hand this over to you?" she asked, opening the envelope carefully.

Amidala shrugged. "Just an hour ago, I think. He seemed pretty preoccupied with his thoughts when he handed it to me. I think it's because I look like you. He was looking at me like this." And she put on a dazed expression as an example. "Really, Jedi are weird."

But Sabé wasn't listening. She was poring over the little note, which simply said:

My dear Sabé,

Please meet me under the Great Chippernimt,

Where the reddest blossoms fall.

Ben

She read it twice before folding it carefully and placing it on the table that stood nearby.

She imagined Obi-wan writing the note, somehow sensing his troubled spirit. She looked at Amidala, who had fallen asleep in the chair. A small smile forming on her lips, Sabé stood up and threw a blanket over her friend's tired form. She went back to her bed and twisted around fretfully, wishing she could will the hours to pass more quickly.

~~**~~

In the heart of a planet such as Coruscant, it was hard to imagine a place that remained unadulterated by the rise of technology. But such a place existed, claiming its place before the settlers came. It was the Great Chippernimt, so old and big that it was widely believed that is very roots pierced the very core of the planet. Its branches, big trees in its thickness, reached out to the sky, heavy with small leaves and orange-hued blossoms as wide as a human's palm. Underneath it a huge shadow was cast, and only a few thin rays of light passed through the thick leaves.

The Chippernimt was respected not only by Coruscant dwellers, but also by the whole galaxy, it seemed. It was well known, and many tourists came to see it. For Coruscant was not only marked by the glittering lights, but also of the orange blossoms that could also be seen in space.

Many people visited the Chippernimt, staying where younger Chippernimt trees grew under its great mother. Here visitors relaxed—climbing the trees and gathering the younger trees' blossoms, for its flowers could be used as medicine, or food.

Yet famous as the Chippernimt may be, people seldom went deeper into its shadow, where the soil lay empty for the great Chippernimt's roots claimed it completely, not allowing another plant to grow there. For some mysterious reason, the air 'inside' was dark and solemn, as if many eyes were watching. It was dimly lit by the sunlight that passed through the thick leaves of its branches. The orange blossoms glowed in the dark, adding more mystery to the place. For some reason, the blossoms were redder when they grew closer to the stalk of the tree. Many legends of spirit dwellers and horrible curses were connected to the place, making people avoid the area around the trees bark even more.

Yet Sabé and Amidala were there. It would take more than urban legends to frighten them of a tree's shadow. Sabé was still a little pale, for she just got out of the hospital. Amidala was the one excited for her friend.

"Your relationship seems to be going for a good turn." Amidala said, grinning. "I should be surprised if he completely left the Jedi Temple for you!"

"Oh, do not be silly, Amidala." Sabé scolded, hoping that was not the reason why Obi-wan asked to meet her there. It was such a secret place, after all. At the same time, she was glad he picked such a place—she wanted to talk to him alone as well.

"Sabé, you know it is just this silly part of me speaking." Amidala replied, her face becoming serious again. "Whatever the outcome of this talk will be, be sure to inform me!"

"You'll hear it first, kissing and all." Sabé held up her hand in mock salute, and then she suddenly reddened. Obi-wan had never kissed her before. She kicked herself. Why in the galaxy was she thinking like a stupid little girl?

"I will be hearing a lot then." Amidala nodded seriously, her brown eyes twinkling.

~~**~~

Obi-wan paused for a moment, watching Sabé from a distance as she conversed softly with Amidala. The two seemed to be alerted by his presence, stopped talking, and turned to him. Obi-wan approached them and greeted Amidala politely, thanking her for accompanying Sabé.

Suddenly, images and sensations rushed through his mind. A pounding fear, a cold chill—someone has been watching Sabé. Amidala's memories came to him unbidden, as if warning him of something that she herself could not explain. Amidala, however, was wholly unconscious of her revelation and greeted him in return. She soon took her leave, explaining that she had work to attend to.

Now Obi-wan could study Sabé more carefully, and admire her beauty and fair face. Even in under the shady Chippernimt one could easily see that. Her hair was unbound, falling in gentle waves past her waist, bound loosely by a piece of golden cord. Her dress was colored leaf-green; yet Obi-wan was pleased to see that she was wearing sensible and sturdy tall boots ('Jedi boots' as Sabé called it) underneath. Sabé was walking around, craning her neck in an effort to see the great tree's branches, which of course was impossible to do. With a resigned sigh, she looked back at Obi-wan and started in surprise.

For Obi-wan was no longer wearing his brown (and dowdy) Jedi robes, and was clad in ordinary civilian clothing, which suited him quite well. Blue looked good on him, and Sabé's heart started hammering wildly again. Wordlessly, he drew her arm into his and the two began walking. (They really love walking do they. Good form of exercise!)

"Something troubles you, my dear Ben." Sabé finally said, looking up to the face that revealed nothing. For a moment Sabé wished that she were a Jedi and could read his mind at will. She bit her lip, wishing she had not been so blunt.

"I talked to the Council yesterday." He said quietly. He felt Sabé tense at this but he squeezed her hand in reassurance. "The Council is strict, but they do not oppress a person's free will. I wanted to be with you, so here I am."

After a moment's silence, he went on. "I wanted to talk to you that's why I met you here." He drew her closer to him. "And I have something to confess, Sabé. I do not know if it was fate or chance that led me to you but I am grateful, nonetheless. I have always regretted leaving you seven years ago, meekly agreeing with you about our responsibilities. It is a great honor to be a Jedi, I am happy with my place, with the trials that I face. I realized only recently…" here his hand held on more tightly to hers as he remembered that fact that he would have lost her if he came too late. "…That the happiness with my place in life does not compare to the happiness I have with you. I have been thinking of this of late, especially when we were stuck under the rubble, and you were sleeping in my arms."

Sabé turned red at this confession, and was only too glad that the darkness hid it from him.

"So I have left my robes for this time, and decided to meet you as myself; Ben Kenobi, if you wish to call me. All thoughts of being a Jedi Knight I have left at the Temple, and I hope you will still be able to accept me as I am." At this Sabé's hands flew up to his face.

"There is no need for that." She said softly. "Truly, Ben. You don't have to say this to me. You knew my answer a long time ago."

He pressed his lips to her as his reply. It was a soft, delicate kiss—like a man drinking out of rare and precious stream of holy water. Sabé was a rather shy kisser and soon it ended. The two stepped apart, happiness and love reflected in their eyes. A strong wind passed overhead, knocking the Chippernimt's orange blossoms off its branches and raining gently upon them, like a fiery shower.

He took her hand. "My mind is in turmoil, but my heart is with you."

~~**~~

"I was surprised when Master Windu told me that piece of history about Master Jinn." Obi-wan said as the two settled on one of the tree's great roots. "And nothing has ever surprised me about Master Jinn before." He added, plucking one of the sky-blue blossoms of a plant that had grown out of the soil deposited in the tree's bark.

"I wonder if he ever regretted it." Sabé said.

"I think he did." Obi-wan caressed her cheek gently. "I know I had."

They both were silent as they contemplated their situation. Their troubles were far from over, but for now Obi-wan just wanted to enjoy her company.

"Your mother was very beautiful." He told her softly. "I've seen her in your dreams. She looked very much like you."

"My mother." Sabé murmured, dimly recalling the dreams she had while she lay injured and unconscious. Was it a dream…or a recurring memory? Her mother was crying, and telling her to go…go where? She knew it was only a matter of time before their ship crashed. She tried harder to remember, but no more memories came.

"What was her name?" Obi-wan inquired.

"Aladora. My father's name was Vriel Mabérrie. Uncle wouldn't talk about them much." Sabé said reflectively, looking down at her feet, which had disappeared under the collected blossoms. "I have this impression that my ancestors weren't from Naboo, that's why my parents were so unpopular in society. I think they liked it here better on Coruscant. Well, I wouldn't know, would I?"

"You would." Obi-wan said solemnly. "Even though you don't remember, you know."

"Here's an interesting fact," Sabé said, brightening a little. "Uncle told me that he gave me my name when he volunteered as my guardian. But perhaps my parents have already given me a name—it has been three years. I wonder what my real name is?"

"So there's still hope that I can call you Greta?" Obi-wan laughed softly.

"Yes. But I hope that's not it." Sabé replied, sticking out her tongue.

"Your uncle is lucky. You must have been a cute child!" Obi-wan said with unusual gaiety.

"I was a terror. You wouldn't want to hear about it." She made a face. "Especially with Padmé—Amidala hanging around. She was a perfect angel, and I was her exact opposite. She got into a lot of scrapes, thanks to me."

"You two are good friends, just the same. You took her last name, did you not?" Sabé nodded.

"Not really, but close to it. Since we looked so similar, it was such a romantic notion." She was laughing, but there was a hint of pain in it. She had so desperately wanted a family then. "If it wasn't against the law, I would be Nabérrie instead of Mabérrie. Her family is so lovely." Then the sadness was gone. "Wonderful—here I am being called Sabé Mabérrie, but it is not my real name. Not even close!"

"But it is yours. Very truly yours. No one can take it away from you."

"Yes, and that is my only comfort." Her eyes grew soft and sad for a while, then a thought suddenly struck her. "Say, Ben?"

"What is it? You have a question?

"You guessed right. And a very silly one at that. Did you ever suspect that I wasn't the real queen, that I was just filling in for Amidala's place, all that time we were stuck in Tatooine?"

"So it's question and answer today, isn't it? Well, I would answer that question if you would answer my question, which I will ask later. Deal?" Sabe nodded.

He thought deeply for a moment, recalling the past events that had seemed before like a very simple mission. Then he broke into a wide smile. "Actually, I knew it from the moment that you told me that Sabe had fallen ill due to…what was that…food poisoning. That was a rather desperate attempt of covering up, isn't it?"

"It is." Sabe agreed, turning red at the reminder of her silliness.

"I saw right through the lovely Handmaidens' bluff but I was too kind and generous so I said nothing of it." Obi-wan sighed heavily, placing his hand over his chest, looking tragically dismayed.

"I thank you for your kindness, Obi-wan Kenobi." Sabe said solemnly, in the voice she used when she was playing decoy queen. Then she broke into a smile herself and shook her head.

"Now it's my turn."

"Fire away."

"It's not a question, actually. I would like to ask you a favor, Sabé."

"Anything, Ben."

"This is quite selfish of me—"

"Oh, forget about that." Sabé interrupted. "I said, 'anything', didn't I?"

Obi-wan smiled at this, but the serious look never left his eyes. He took a deep breath.

"I would like you to come with me and see my family."

She studied his face for a moment. "Your family? What do you mean?"

"Council has given me leave to visit them and sort out my thoughts for a while." Obi-wan admitted, plucking some more blue flowers from the massive trunk. "I would like to visit my father, in Tatooine. I would like him to meet you. They also wanted someone to accompany me. I think they meant you."

"That's wonderful news. Of course I will come with you." Sabé answered, feeling surprised, honored and touched that he had asked her to accompany him in such a meaningful trip. The younger Sabé would have said no immediately, but this was a sadder, wiser Sabé now. "Is this the first time you will meet him?" he nodded. "But what about Anakin?"

Obi-wan smiled at the mention of his Padawan's name. "He asked the Council to accompany me to Tatooine, too. The Council refused him, saying that it was my personal trip, and would do him no benefit." He was also thinking that the Council did not want Anakin to be reunited with his mother, not yet. "He will stay at the Temple, under the eye of the Council. He will be kept busy."

"I feel sorry for him. He must have been greatly surprised when he heard that you were also from Tatooine." She remarked.

"We have surprising similarities, my apprentice and I." He agreed. "He is always optimistic and cheerful, yet…insecure at times. He has much to learn." He sounded proud of his Padawan despite the slight downplaying. "I have promised him to bring something from his mother on the trip back."

He smiled at her, with loving eyes. "Come. It is about time we stopped hiding in the shadows."

~~**~~

"The Jedi Council never intended to control the followers of the Code. Our situation is not an uncommon one as I have discovered." Obi-wan said, in jest, but his face was serious (that's the problem with Obi-wan. His facial expressions never do keep up with his joke, that's why they fall flat).

"Master Qui-Gon." Sabé knew very little of the deposed Jedi Master, and she felt a keen regret of not grabbing the opportunity to know him better when he was alive. Obi-wan sensed this, and shook his head. "Even I did not know him as well as I should have, Sabé." He said, regret and reassurance in his voice.

"It must be very hard for beautiful Jedi like you to resist women's charms. You have…ahh…met many interesting ones, yes?" Sabé was joking, but Obi-wan took this seriously.

"No!" he shook his head, eyes adamant. "I have never been interested in women before I met you." Then he relaxed and smiled wryly. "I always thought that women were confusing and fretful creatures, so I never bothered."

"I think I ought to punch your nose."

"Then I met you, and everything else just melted away." There was an expression in his eyes that made Sabé blush and say hastily:

"Flowery words, Jedi. Are you sure that you had no experience in women before I?"

"Do you want me to prove it to you?" his face was coming closer to hers, and she held her breath, waiting for the thrilling moment when he would kiss her. Then he cracked into a wide grin. "Actually, I fully agreed with the Council back then about how Jedi should try not to get emotionally involved with anyone, especially on missions." He pulled away and chuckled at Sabé's indignant glare.

"You are really annoying when you want to be." She grumbled.

"I have a good teacher." He replied, tweaking her nose.

"What do you plan to do now, my Knight?" she inquired, deciding to change the subject.

"Oh, so it's 'my Knight' now, not Ben." He threw an amused glance over her. "We shall leave for Tatooine as soon as we can, for I cannot bear to leave Anakin unsupervised for very long. Does that satisfy you, my Lady?"

She nodded, then a shadow fell over Obi-wan's face. "I know that my wish is very self-serving. But I do not think I can do this without you, Sabé."

"You know me better than that." Was her only reply. He understood, and kept his peace.

They came now to the forest of young Chippernimts, where humans and aliens were now roaming about. Laughter and chatter of different tongues filled the place, chasing away any worries that were clouding the minds of the two. Some human children ran by, and a little boy ran up to Sabé and gave her a Chippernimt blossom. His companions laughed at him, and he blushed to the roots of his hair. Smiling, Sabé bent over and kissed his forehead, making him blush even more.

"I dare say, I think I'm jealous." Obi-wan commented, as the children ran off. He was pleasantly surprised when Sabé turned to him and kissed him on the cheek, too. People passing by looked on in interest and approval, for Sabé and Obi-wan made a beautiful sight together.

"Ah, she's too pretty for 'im!" someone commented loudly. This broke the spell and made Sabé laugh. Even Obi-wan had to grin wryly at that.

~~**~~

They parted ways soon after that. Obi-wan went back to the Jedi Temple for last minute instructions for Anakin while Sabe decided to inform her uncle and Padme of her 'abrupt change of plans'. As she expected, it was not taken calmly.

"Tatooine?!" Bibble's eyes bulged, and Sabe was sure she has never seen her uncle so shocked since the Neimodians came over for their temporary invasion. "Are you losing your mind?!"

Amidala was calmer about it, but she was not a staunch supporter. "Tatooine is a dangerous place, Sabe." She said seriously, her hands folded neatly across her lap, a habit she has taken from being a queen. "I have seen it for myself."

"We all knew that, but you still went along." Sabe replied. "Please understand me. I know this is not the proper way of asking your blessings, but now I must do it. It's important to me."

"Did that Jedi do something to your head?" Bibble growled. "You don't know what you're talking about. You should hear yourself talk. Dropping everything for him, going away to a forsaken planet like Tatooine. All this for a man you THINK you love. All this for a man you THINK loves you. How could you be so sure of that? A few conversations with a handsome young man—and you were pining for him as soon as he left! I thought you had more sense than that. You sound like a silly little girl."

Sabe was quiet long after Bibble's tirade was finished. Amidala looked at her friend closely, wondering if her friend would get angry, which she rarely did. Unlike Bibble, Amidala did believe that Obi-wan and Sabe loved each other, and, come to think of it, perhaps Bibble did, too. Maybe he was unable to accept the fact that Sabe was no longer truly under his wing. True, this decision of hers came as a shock to Amidala, but perhaps it was a good thing more than a bad one. She was finally setting out on her own, and she was not afraid.

After a while, Sabe looked up, and Amidala noticed that she had a small smile on her face, and one thing that she hadn't seen in her friends' eyes for the longest time, not since Lorien's death:

Serenity.

She was beautiful, with that peaceful look in her eyes. "You are right, Uncle." She began. "For I know only what I know, and though it may not be wise, it is true, nonetheless." She looked thoughtful and continued. "I am going, but not for the reasons that you think, but I have my own personal reasons quite different from yours.

"I completely understand why you would doubt me now, but I ask you to trust me, more than ever." She stood up and headed for the door. Her tone had a finality to it, her spirit resolute. Yet she paused for a moment.

"Obi-wan and I…we have no played-out love story to tell." Amidala was sure her friend was smiling. "But I wonder if other people's stories are as interesting as ours." With this, she left, closing the door behind her.

~~**~~

THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ONE….

"…That the happiness with my place in life does not compare to the happiness I have with you. I have been thinking of this of late, especially when we were stuck under the rubble, and you were sleeping in my arms." à WHOA. That sounds…sounds so dirty. Hehehe. ^_^; Or it's just me.

I did throw them in a sort of silly situation, didn't I? Oh well, I'll explain the exploding buildings soon enough. Okay, I admit it. It was ME! I made the buildings explode so that Obi-wan could save Sabé from turning into a pancake! It was all my deviousness that caused it! TAKE ME NOW!!! Actually, somehow, that is true, isn't it? ^_^

Well, they're together! Together! Yeyyy! You know, I never really planned that they would go to Tatooine together—they have their own minds, I think.

For all those who have been reviewing, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Your reviews keep me going…in spite of school and everything. Yes, I still have school, that's why progress has been…slow. Anyway, keep on reading. Maybe you'd like to check out my other Sabé fanfic, Remember. It's connected with this one, and has the *mysterious* Lorien in it.

A friend of mine commented (I know she's reading this, hi BlackCat/SixWingedAngel! ^.^) that, somehow, Obi-wan and Sabé's relationship happened quickly. I know what she means…I've been flaying myself alive trying to figure a solution to that problem. Ideally, the two would have close interaction in the duration of Episode I, or in my case, the first chapter. Yet all I came up with was their talk, their ONE TALK while waiting for Padmé and Qui-Gon on the Marie Celeste and finally, their talk while Sabé was keeping vigil over Qui-Gon's ashes.

Let's just put it this way. I'd like to think that the two formed a bond, and fell in love…well, in an unconventional manner. As I have mentioned here in my story, Obi-wan does not really notice women (which might be true for his character) and even if women cast themselves on his feet, he would not care (But I will still try, if I get to meet the real one ^_~) . What would make Sabé different? Not physical attraction, certainly, for this just plays a secondary role. They're a pair who don't really do what people expect them to do (Obi-wan IS Qui-Gon's padawan, after all; Sabe being a social outcast) and one would expect a different kind of 'falling in love' story. Okay, at least that's an explanation/excuse for me.

I'll just sum it up in Sabe's words:

"We have no played-out love story to tell. But I wonder if other people's stories are as interesting as ours."

-Sabé to Sio Bibble

PS: If you're wondering, no, I didn't get Sabe's dreams of her mother from Harry Potter. I wrote this even before I read that. I have to admit, though, that I have taken some lines from CS Lewis' The Magician's Nephew. It was Mace Windu's line, "Ours is a high and lonely destiny." Uncle Andrew and the White Witch said that (shudder—sorry Mace!) I also draw great inspiration from The Corrs, my favorite band! ("It's crazy but…sometimes I feel like I want to run away. Sometimes I feel like I want to get away.") I'm an unoriginal jacka**, so there. That doesn't prevent me from using more, so expect more borrowed lines. But I will be all listing them down, so don't worry.

~~**~~

"I said to myself, 'That's it, I'm quitting the Jedi Temple and be a writer instead! So I can watch can-can dances without Master Yoda preaching in my ear.'" --Obi-wan Kenobi, on how he got into Moulin Rouge