A/N: I've decided to do the chapters in the pattern Jedi then Naboo, if
y'all don't mind. If you do, please tell.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine!
Tahiri sat next to Valin on the floor, watching Tionne explain the finer points of lightsaber battle. Tahiri wasn't paying attention, as she couldn't feel the Force anyway. The only thing she could still excel in was Jedi lore. She had nearly caught up with Tionne in her knowledge of the Jedi's history, but it was all for naught. Nowhere had she been able to find a way to bring him back to her. She knew everyone watched her and wondered when she'd get over her grief, but she had privately vowed to never feel the Force again unless he was there.
She caught a glimpse of Mara, Leia, Luke, and Ben standing in the doorway to the small room. What remained of the Jedi had been forced to an abandoned station tucked away behind the Imperial Remnant. She wished they would go away. Mara she could understand; Mara was her Master, technically. And Leia…well, Tahiri was her son's best friend, and Ben went wherever his mother was. But Master Skywalker…Tahiri couldn't stand to have him near. She knew he had lost much, through his life, but in the end, he still had the woman he was meant to be with and a son to carry on the family name. None of them knew the kind of pain she went through. Used to go through, she corrected herself. That part of her had died a long time ago.
A rescued Jacen and a cleansed Jaina had gotten up to demonstrate Tionne's instructions. Tahiri watched them circle, and then Jacen took the attack. After a few exchanges, Jaina parried again and turned her parry into a thrust, but she hit the button on her lightsaber before it could pierce Jacen's flightsuit. Tionne then directed the students to do the same, switching the roles of victor and victim. Tahiri climbed to her feet and ignited her amethyst blade, avoiding Valin's brown eyes. He turned on his molten bronze lightsaber and gently brought it up to meet Tahiri's.
"Which do you want to be?" he asked softly. Tahiri was often afraid he liked her. She would never be ready to move past him; she remained convinced that he was the only one for her, deep down in that place where her emotions hid.
"I don't care," she said tonelessly. "You need to practice. I'll be the loser."
Valin shrugged. "All right." He tried to meet her eyes once more before Tionne called out, "Begin!"
Tahiri pushed away everything distracting as she swung her blade down and forward. Valin easily parried it and answered with a blow that she barely managed to block. Cursing her clumsiness, she backed up a pace as he attacked aggressively. "Come on, Tahiri," he urged, "you can do better than this."
"Why should I?" she whispered.
"Because, you have to get up in the morning for some reason."
"I get up when I get hungry," she retorted, barely keeping her anger below his detection. After spending two years with only him, Sannah, and Mara trying to reach her, she had a pretty good idea of how far they could probe. Mara, of course, was the hardest to hide her emotions from; Tahiri tended to avoid her when it came to mind probes.
"We've noticed," he commented dryly, blocking another one of her half- hearted thrusts. "I would think you'd be hungry before dinner on some days."
Tahiri didn't responded to the mild rebuke. No one had any idea about her sleeping habits, although she believed Mara thought she suffered from insomnia from time to time, which was partly true. In any case, Tahiri didn't intend to confide her problems in anyone. Instead, she tried to focus on the duel at hand. Valin wasn't trying, she knew, and she wished he would work on getting better. She felt as if she was holding him back, and he didn't even have a reason for hanging around her.
"Enough," called Master Skywalker. "All right, now I want to see each pair fight. We'll have a tournament of sorts."
Tahiri knew Luke, on the whim of his wife, was trying to get Tahiri to work harder by provoking Tahiri's pride. She received confirmation when he said, "The first group will be Valin versus Tahiri."
With a sigh Tahiri walked up in front of the small group, happy to notice the only Masters in the room were Tionne and the Skywalkers. She saw Jaina grin at her and rolled her eyes inwardly while bringing up her lightsaber. Sighing, she carefully reached into her crushed ball of emotions and unwound a thread: Her wish for peace. It would serve well enough to help her in the duel. She still could barely feel the Force, and nobody would know she had exposed her emotions. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and settled herself into her emotional niche in the Force. She could barely feel Valin and his ideas floating through his head. She blocked his first thrust and prepared to block another when a sudden sensation in the Force caused her eyes to snap open, drop her lightsaber, and drop to the floor in a ball. Ignoring everyone's stares, she dug back to the feeling she had just felt. She knew it was most likely another false alarm, the hope inside her blossoming up as she opened her emotional shell just a crack, but—no, there it was. Her eyes opened again, slower, as she began breathe again. She hadn't been dreaming.
With a huge smile, she responded back to the call she had felt. Yes?
Oh, Tahiri, that is you. I wasn't sure. Man, am I disorientated or what?
Where are you?
I'm "not at liberty" to tell you. You have to come find me.
Are you alive?
Well, yes, I should hope so. I mean, I just breathed for the first time in what—two years?
Oh, yes, by about a day. YOU'RE ALIVE!
Hey, hey, calm down! Yes, I'm alive. I'm supposed to inform you that you have to come get me if you want me.
Huh?
Oh, just come to this planet and say, "Hey, we're here for Anakin Solo," and I'll be handed over. I suppose that coming over and getting me was part of the deal.
Deal?
To bring me back. I don't know. I'm confused. I'm going to go to sleep. Maybe she'll let me contact you again soon.
She—? Tahiri asked, but then she realized he was gone. She sighed, but then grinned again with the realization that Anakin was ALIVE, and that he was waiting for her to come get him. She scrambled up, half-aware that the people huddled over her were scuttling out of the way. She was halfway to the door before she realized everyone was gaping at her. "Come on," she said impatiently.
"Tahiri, where are you going?" Luke demanded.
"To go get Anakin."
Luke glanced at the twins and Leia, who shrugged. "Tahiri," he said good- naturedly, "may I remind you that—"
"Wait," Mara said suddenly, putting out a hand with a strange look on her face. "Didn't you just feel that?"
"What?"
"That—that thing, in the Force. Like—like a burst of light, or something." Mara seemed to be having trouble putting her feelings into words. "It was like a bright flash, a bright announcement."
"Now that you mention it," said Jaina, "I did feel something weird."
"Yeah," said Jacen.
"Well, he's alive, and I'm going to go get him."
"Wait," said Leia. "First I demand to know what he said to you." Quickly Tahiri recounted her conversation. Mara darted a glance at her sister-in- law, then to Tahiri. "Deal?"
"That's what I said," said Tahiri.
Leia suddenly brightened. "He did it."
"What?" said Han, coming into the room. "What's going on? Is that Tahiri smiling?"
"Anakin did it! Skywalker! He somehow got Anakin back!" Leia exclaimed, running over to her husband, who swung her around with a bemused look.
"So Anakin's alive?" he deliberated cautiously.
"Yes!" Tahiri said. "That's what I've been trying to say! And we have to go find the planet he's on and get him!"
"Okay, hold on," said Luke. "Let's plan this out first. Considering the Yuuzhan Vong still control over half the galaxy, this isn't going to be easy." Despite his heavy words, a huge grin had plastered itself to his face. One glance at everyone else confirmed that the look was on everyone's face.
"Well, let's go to the conference room!" said Tahiri, grabbing his hand and skipping to the door, dragging him behind her.
***
Anakin opened his eyes and looked back up at the girl. "They know," he said simply.
The girl nodded, her face not betraying any emotion. "Good." Glancing at the other figures around the table, she finally said, "Handé will show you to your suite."
"I get a suite?"
"You are an honored guest, Anakin Solo," the girl replied. "Good-bye. Dinner is at six."
With a nod, she dismissed everyone. They drifted away, all but one, whom Anakin assumed to be Handé. Her eyes were the color of honey and her hair was slightly darker. She handed him a jumpsuit. Without looking into his eyes, she whispered, "Get dressed."
It hadn't occurred to Anakin that he wasn't wearing anything, and he flushed deep red as she closed her eyes and turned around. With some attempt at modesty, he wiggled into his jumpsuit while remaining underneath the sheet.
Once dressed, he said calmly, "Um…it's okay. You can turn around now."
Handé did so. "Can you stand?" Her face was almost as controlled as the other girl's had been…the other girl…Anakin couldn't get her entrancing face out of his mind as he stood and took a tentative step forward. Handé reached out a hand to steady him. "It's okay," he said again, more to reassure himself. "I can manage."
She seemed unconvinced, but pulled her hand back and watched him evenly. Again, he took a step, feeling limp muscles contract and stay tight as they came back into use. He winced as he moved his arm. Pain shot through him, and he fumbled as he tried to hold it off with the Force. Grinding his teeth together, he took another wobbly step. His muscles refused to relax, no matter how hard he tried. His back ached as he moved his other arm. Suddenly, someone in the Force held off his pain for him. He noticed another girl standing in the door. She met Handé's eyes, and after a moment, Handé nodded before slipping away so smoothly and so quickly, it was as though she had never been there. The new girl came over and unhesitatingly grabbed his arms to steady him. Anakin started, causing more pain, which the girl in front of him pushed away for him.
"She was afraid you'd be stubborn," the girl said coolly. "You're too weak to try and do so much."
"Do, or do not do. There is no try," Anakin retorted, angry at having been intruded upon.
"And you can't do," she responded, ignoring his irritated tone. "Now I'm going to take you to your suite, and you relax and do your best to walk."
Anakin grated his teeth together. Obviously, this girl was going to get her way. She was wild, her hair and eyes black. She wore the same red robe as Handé, and as a few of the other girls. "I thought I couldn't walk."
"You concentrate on the walking, and I'll work on your pain."
"Don't you have some pain meds here?"
She looked him in the eye. "You've done pain-numbing practices in your training to become a Jedi, haven't you?" He was forced to nod. "Well, then. Come." With that, she released one of his arms and stood next to him, guiding him out of the medical center. He found himself in a wide corridor that contained many doors. Unhesitating the girl marched him down the hall and stopped him in front of a door. She said something he couldn't make out, and the door opened. "Through here."
They walked in silence for a minute, then Anakin said, "Um…"
She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "What?"
"What's your name?"
Without smiling she said, "Jennique. I'm considered the most stable among the Queen's Own."
"Queen's Own what?" he asked.
"We're the Queen's handmaidens. We serve Her Majesty to the best of our ability."
"I take it you aren't the court jesters."
She refused to smile. "There isn't a court."
"Don't you people ever smile?"
"Everyone smiles at least once."
"Is that a common philosophy?"
"It's a common truth."
"Well, Jennique, to become a handmaiden do you take a vow of non-smiling?"
"No."
"Then why won't you smile for me?"
Jennique stopped abruptly. Anakin found himself swung in front of her. She stared at him. "You want me to smile for you?" she said in disbelief.
"Yes…" he said slowly.
"Why?"
"It's a start," he said.
"To what end?"
Anakin thought back to the dark-eyed girl, in her plain khaki jumpsuit. He decided that her face would be very pretty if she graced it with a smile. "I want to see if anyone can measure up to my girlfriend," he said instead. He quickly
realized what he had said and blushed.
"Girlfriend?"
"Tahiri Veila," said Anakin. Jennique nodded and started walking again, still holding Anakin's arm.
"Go on."
"What is there to say?"
"Describe her."
"All right." Anakin's eyebrows raised and lowered quickly as he took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to describe Tahiri to someone who had never seen her. "Well, she's…eighteen now, I guess. Her hair is curly and blonde. She's got the clearest green eyes I've ever seen, and her face is tanned. She has three scars from where the Yuuzhan Vong captured her. She is…was, maybe…very bouncy, vivacious, wonderful, awesome, beautiful…"
"That's enough," Jennique said. "I have a very good idea of what she's like now." She stopped in front of a large wooden door. "This is where you'll stay. You are instructed to join the Queen for dinner; until then, REST," she finished firmly, before leaving him in front of the door. Anakin stared at it for a minute, the hesitantly reached out and touched the handle. The door swung open, allowing Anakin to wander inside.
As son of the Chief of State, Anakin had spent his childhood in the secure fortress on Anoth and in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. Even though he was a Jedi, he had usually gone home to finery, and remained well used to luxury. His suite turned out to be inlaid with marble in the refresher. All the other rooms had thick, dark red carpet he could sink his feet into. The furniture was plush. On his bed he found a note explaining how to use the locks on the different rooms, how to call for help, and other useful assets of his room. The only thing he didn't find was a map of the palace, which he wanted, but he resolved to explore the palace as soon as he was strong enough. With that in mind, he lied down on the bed and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
***
Amidala waited patiently for Frog to come back. When she did, the Queen announced, "I hereby call this meeting of the Council to order."
"This isn't a Council meeting," Allé objected.
"I was leaning toward Jedi Council," said Amidala. "So, Frog, report on the situation."
Looking slightly harried, Jennique rose and said, "He talks a lot. I said more to him that I do to most people in a day."
This was true. Frog rarely wasted words. "What else?"
"He thinks about you."
Amidala blushed. "Yes, well."
"Oh, come on," said Delphi. "Don't pretend you don't enjoy the attention."
"Yes, sorry to bust your bubble, but he's dating one Tahiri Veila," Jennique informed.
Challie leaned back thoughtfully. "The Yuuzhan Vong captive."
"Yes, that's the one."
Amidala sighed. "And she's the one he talked to."
"Oh, have we reduced ourselves to eavesdropping?" Challie teased.
Amidala Looked at her. "That isn't funny. It's not my fault he screams when he speaks."
"He obviously hasn't been trained in telepathy," Handé said thoughtfully. "We can work on that."
"Who says we're going to do that?" Jennique demanded. In her restlessness, she had lifted herself an inch off the floor and now paced there until Amidala gently pulled her to the ground.
"What else are we going to do with him while he's here?" Allé rejoined. "We've got to have something to do with
him. There must be a reason we were able to bring him back, or were asked to bring him back."
As the four argued, Delphi looked over to the Queen and caught the vacant expression on her face. Sighing, she said,
"Oh, look, Allé, she's gone into another trance. And we've got to get her back in five minutes, otherwise we won't have enough time to prepare her for the dinner."
"I don't see why it's so important," said Handé. "She can eat in her apartments and we can take care of Solo."
Delphi shrugged. She felt uneasy about disobeying the Queen's wishes, but on the other hand, Amidala seemed immersed in her meditation. As head of the Queen's Own, she was responsible for what happened next. "Agreed," she decided. "We'll take her back to her apartments and leave her there until she wakes up. In the meantime, we'll entertain Solo during dinner."
"She's not going to like this," Jennique said under her breath.
Delphi shrugged. "You want to try and bring her back, go ahead. In the meantime, girls, help me." They gently lifted the meditating Amidala and carried her back to the Royal Apartments.
Allé peeked at Delphi. "What did my question do?"
"Obviously, she considers herself honor-bound to find the answer." Delphi shrugged again, a barely perceptible shrug. "We'll find out when she wakes."
***
When Anakin woke up, three hours later, he was horrified to discover that it was nearly six o'clock. He hurriedly got out of bed, then collapsed on the floor as his muscles stopped again. Amazingly enough, Jennique came in at this exact moment.
"Ah, good, you're up," she said briskly. "Due to an important affair of state, the Queen will not be joining us at dinner this evening. However, we of the Queen's Own have been directed to entertain you. I'm here to make sure you are ready." She studied him. "I take it you're not."
"No," he managed. "I fell out of bed."
She nodded and let her eyes fall closed. In another instant Anakin felt his pain disappear. Go on, get ready, said a voice in his ear. Shrugging, he quickly showered and dressed, carefully remaining in the refresher until he was suitable for public display. He stepped out and Jennique opened her eyes. He was wearing a loose-fitting shirt and pants. She eyed him critically.
"You're wearing pajamas," she informed him, "and they'll all notice that. Tomorrow I am going to explain your wardrobe to you." She sighed. "Too late now. Come on, Solo." Without any further comment, she turned and left the room, walking at such a rapid pace Anakin had to run to catch up. She refused to talk to him, acting as though she had wasted enough of her daily allocation of words on him. As she led him into a dining hall, though, Anakin found himself amazed. Obviously, as the Queen wasn't joining them, they had chosen a lesser hall for his first meal in two years. Four other young women sat at the round table, all wearing the same red cloaks, though three had their hoods up. Handé and Jennique were the only ones wearing them down. Jennique sat down at one of the two unoccupied seats and indicated that Anakin should take the other. He did, feeling out of place. Someone served them something unidentifiable, and then the five handmaidens started to eat.
Anakin poked at his food. "Erm, what is this?"
"Nubian Quay fish," Handé answered, a smile gracing her wide face. "Since we live on a swamp world, we eat a lot of seafood." Jennique gave her a Look. "What? He's going to be here for quite some time."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Anakin demanded.
Handé shrugged as she chewed a bite of fish. After swallowing, she answered, "Well, you're here until whoever comes to pick you up picks you up."
One of the hooded girls shifted her head fractionally to look at Handé. Handé met the gaze. Anakin looked from the hood to the face, and said hesitantly, "I'm not a problem, am I?"
"Oh, no, now, don't you worry about that," said Handé hurriedly.
"Are you the official welcoming committee?"
She laughed. "I just happen to be the most social."
"Oh, right!" said one of the others.
"Hello!" said two cheery voices. Two girls stood on the threshold of the room. "Can we join you?"
Another hooded girl nodded and pressed a button. The table lengthened and formed an elliptical shape. The two girls drew up chairs and seated themselves near Jennique. Anakin looked from one face to the other and realized that they were identical twins.
One of them turned to Anakin. "Hello! What does it feel like to be alive again?"
"Tish!" said Handé. "Please, have some tact!"
The other girl giggled. Each had round faces with traces of baby fat in them and blonde ringlets. Their eyes were baby blue. Anakin decided they looked quite innocent as he gingerly tried his fish.
"Don't be dragged in by the innocent look," Jennique said abruptly. "These are two little devils, right here." This didn't stop a ghost of a smile from crossing her face.
"It feels painful but great," Anakin answered simply. "How old are you?"
"We're ten," said the first one. "I'm Tish, and that's Cass."
"We do the look-alike act on purpose," Cass added. Looking around, she added, "Where's Ami?"
"Meditating," said the third hooded girl.
"Has everyone introduced themselves? Or do we have to act all mysterious?"
One of the three girls sighed and pushed back her hood. Her eyes were murky brown-green and her hair black. "I'm Allé," she said.
"I'm Challie," said another, pushing back her hood to reveal almond eyes and chestnut hair.
"I'm Delphi," said the third. Of all the handmaidens, Anakin decided, she looked the most like the girl. Her eyes were almost as dark and her hair slightly closer to black. She had an air of command around her.
"Well, um, glad to meet you," Anakin said.
"Pleasure's all mine," said Allé.
Anakin tried another bite of fish and decided it wasn't so bad. "I told you you'd like it," said Handé suddenly.
Anakin looked up. "What?"
"You like the fish. I thought you would."
Anakin looked to each face, realizing his open confusion was amusing the others. "Am I missing something here?"
"You're not the only Jedi on this planet," Delphi said calmly. "We can read you like a book."
"All seven of you?" Anakin managed.
"How do you think I know where your pain is?" Jennique said in a neutral tone.
"I'm not feeling any pain," he said defensively.
"Yes you are," said Tish. "It's okay. We won't make fun of you."
The sincerity on her angelic face made Anakin relax. Slightly. The rest of him still stung from the "read you like a book" comment. Closing his eyes, he attempted to shield himself from them, but he cut off Jennique's pain control and force on his tightened muscles at the same time. Abruptly he fell out of the chair, curled in a fetal position. Dimly he was aware that his throat was constricted, and he wondered why no one helped him. This felt different from the first time he had died. Last time he had almost exploded; he had been gone before there was too much pain. This time he was acutely aware of his brain tiring, of his lungs—
Suddenly something forced its way through his barriers. His pain and his muscles' tightness disappeared. A faint tingle spread throughout his right hand, but that was all. Cautiously he opened his eyes and was surprised to see the girl from that afternoon standing over him, a concerned but distant look on her face.
"Are you all right, Ani?" she asked softly.
Carefully he got to his feet, finding her to be a few inches shorter than he was. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks. What'd you do?"
She just stared up at him for a long moment, then turned to the table. She seemed surprised to see the handmaidens at the table, but soon the surprise melted away into a cooler emotion. She then glanced to the side. "You destroyed my wall."
"Hm?" he said, following her gaze. A charred scorch mark covered part of the wall. "I did that?"
"When I expelled all that from you, it had to go somewhere." She shrugged and turned back to him, studying him.
When she spoke again, it was a comment. "You're wearing pajamas."
The handmaidens (excluding Jennique) burst out laughing. "We were instructed not to tease him about that," giggled Challie, "but now that you've brought it up—"
"I'm going to talk to him tomorrow," Jennique cut in. The girl nodded to Jennique, then looked Anakin up and down one more time.
"I suppose I will see you tomorrow." She turned and started to the door.
"When?" Anakin found himself calling, but she left without talking. He stood staring at the door for a long moment, visualizing her, before he became aware of Tish and Cass's giggles. He sat back down in his chair and glared at them.
"What?"
"You do set your sights high, don't you?" Tish sniggered.
"What?"
"Never mind," said Delphi with a stern look at the twins. "Do you feel better?"
Anakin assessed himself. Besides a bruise from falling on the floor, he deemed himself physically fit. He felt alive again (a grim pun, he decided) and energized. His barriers, which had been broken by the girl, were back in place, enforced as they had been before he had died. He could feel everything, now, from the fish in the swamps to the dazzling light in the girls surrounding him. With a smile, he replied, "Oh, sure. I'm alive, I can feel, and I'm surrounded by beautiful women." He winked at Jennique, who glowered in return. "What more could I want?"
There were several obvious answers to that question, but no one said anything else directed to him that evening. Jennique escorted him to his rooms again after dinner, reminding him that he would have to get up early tomorrow, for some reason she wouldn't disclose. Anakin, wearing pajamas, fell into bed and into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
*All right, review, review, and review…I want ten before I post the next chapter…*
Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine!
Tahiri sat next to Valin on the floor, watching Tionne explain the finer points of lightsaber battle. Tahiri wasn't paying attention, as she couldn't feel the Force anyway. The only thing she could still excel in was Jedi lore. She had nearly caught up with Tionne in her knowledge of the Jedi's history, but it was all for naught. Nowhere had she been able to find a way to bring him back to her. She knew everyone watched her and wondered when she'd get over her grief, but she had privately vowed to never feel the Force again unless he was there.
She caught a glimpse of Mara, Leia, Luke, and Ben standing in the doorway to the small room. What remained of the Jedi had been forced to an abandoned station tucked away behind the Imperial Remnant. She wished they would go away. Mara she could understand; Mara was her Master, technically. And Leia…well, Tahiri was her son's best friend, and Ben went wherever his mother was. But Master Skywalker…Tahiri couldn't stand to have him near. She knew he had lost much, through his life, but in the end, he still had the woman he was meant to be with and a son to carry on the family name. None of them knew the kind of pain she went through. Used to go through, she corrected herself. That part of her had died a long time ago.
A rescued Jacen and a cleansed Jaina had gotten up to demonstrate Tionne's instructions. Tahiri watched them circle, and then Jacen took the attack. After a few exchanges, Jaina parried again and turned her parry into a thrust, but she hit the button on her lightsaber before it could pierce Jacen's flightsuit. Tionne then directed the students to do the same, switching the roles of victor and victim. Tahiri climbed to her feet and ignited her amethyst blade, avoiding Valin's brown eyes. He turned on his molten bronze lightsaber and gently brought it up to meet Tahiri's.
"Which do you want to be?" he asked softly. Tahiri was often afraid he liked her. She would never be ready to move past him; she remained convinced that he was the only one for her, deep down in that place where her emotions hid.
"I don't care," she said tonelessly. "You need to practice. I'll be the loser."
Valin shrugged. "All right." He tried to meet her eyes once more before Tionne called out, "Begin!"
Tahiri pushed away everything distracting as she swung her blade down and forward. Valin easily parried it and answered with a blow that she barely managed to block. Cursing her clumsiness, she backed up a pace as he attacked aggressively. "Come on, Tahiri," he urged, "you can do better than this."
"Why should I?" she whispered.
"Because, you have to get up in the morning for some reason."
"I get up when I get hungry," she retorted, barely keeping her anger below his detection. After spending two years with only him, Sannah, and Mara trying to reach her, she had a pretty good idea of how far they could probe. Mara, of course, was the hardest to hide her emotions from; Tahiri tended to avoid her when it came to mind probes.
"We've noticed," he commented dryly, blocking another one of her half- hearted thrusts. "I would think you'd be hungry before dinner on some days."
Tahiri didn't responded to the mild rebuke. No one had any idea about her sleeping habits, although she believed Mara thought she suffered from insomnia from time to time, which was partly true. In any case, Tahiri didn't intend to confide her problems in anyone. Instead, she tried to focus on the duel at hand. Valin wasn't trying, she knew, and she wished he would work on getting better. She felt as if she was holding him back, and he didn't even have a reason for hanging around her.
"Enough," called Master Skywalker. "All right, now I want to see each pair fight. We'll have a tournament of sorts."
Tahiri knew Luke, on the whim of his wife, was trying to get Tahiri to work harder by provoking Tahiri's pride. She received confirmation when he said, "The first group will be Valin versus Tahiri."
With a sigh Tahiri walked up in front of the small group, happy to notice the only Masters in the room were Tionne and the Skywalkers. She saw Jaina grin at her and rolled her eyes inwardly while bringing up her lightsaber. Sighing, she carefully reached into her crushed ball of emotions and unwound a thread: Her wish for peace. It would serve well enough to help her in the duel. She still could barely feel the Force, and nobody would know she had exposed her emotions. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and settled herself into her emotional niche in the Force. She could barely feel Valin and his ideas floating through his head. She blocked his first thrust and prepared to block another when a sudden sensation in the Force caused her eyes to snap open, drop her lightsaber, and drop to the floor in a ball. Ignoring everyone's stares, she dug back to the feeling she had just felt. She knew it was most likely another false alarm, the hope inside her blossoming up as she opened her emotional shell just a crack, but—no, there it was. Her eyes opened again, slower, as she began breathe again. She hadn't been dreaming.
With a huge smile, she responded back to the call she had felt. Yes?
Oh, Tahiri, that is you. I wasn't sure. Man, am I disorientated or what?
Where are you?
I'm "not at liberty" to tell you. You have to come find me.
Are you alive?
Well, yes, I should hope so. I mean, I just breathed for the first time in what—two years?
Oh, yes, by about a day. YOU'RE ALIVE!
Hey, hey, calm down! Yes, I'm alive. I'm supposed to inform you that you have to come get me if you want me.
Huh?
Oh, just come to this planet and say, "Hey, we're here for Anakin Solo," and I'll be handed over. I suppose that coming over and getting me was part of the deal.
Deal?
To bring me back. I don't know. I'm confused. I'm going to go to sleep. Maybe she'll let me contact you again soon.
She—? Tahiri asked, but then she realized he was gone. She sighed, but then grinned again with the realization that Anakin was ALIVE, and that he was waiting for her to come get him. She scrambled up, half-aware that the people huddled over her were scuttling out of the way. She was halfway to the door before she realized everyone was gaping at her. "Come on," she said impatiently.
"Tahiri, where are you going?" Luke demanded.
"To go get Anakin."
Luke glanced at the twins and Leia, who shrugged. "Tahiri," he said good- naturedly, "may I remind you that—"
"Wait," Mara said suddenly, putting out a hand with a strange look on her face. "Didn't you just feel that?"
"What?"
"That—that thing, in the Force. Like—like a burst of light, or something." Mara seemed to be having trouble putting her feelings into words. "It was like a bright flash, a bright announcement."
"Now that you mention it," said Jaina, "I did feel something weird."
"Yeah," said Jacen.
"Well, he's alive, and I'm going to go get him."
"Wait," said Leia. "First I demand to know what he said to you." Quickly Tahiri recounted her conversation. Mara darted a glance at her sister-in- law, then to Tahiri. "Deal?"
"That's what I said," said Tahiri.
Leia suddenly brightened. "He did it."
"What?" said Han, coming into the room. "What's going on? Is that Tahiri smiling?"
"Anakin did it! Skywalker! He somehow got Anakin back!" Leia exclaimed, running over to her husband, who swung her around with a bemused look.
"So Anakin's alive?" he deliberated cautiously.
"Yes!" Tahiri said. "That's what I've been trying to say! And we have to go find the planet he's on and get him!"
"Okay, hold on," said Luke. "Let's plan this out first. Considering the Yuuzhan Vong still control over half the galaxy, this isn't going to be easy." Despite his heavy words, a huge grin had plastered itself to his face. One glance at everyone else confirmed that the look was on everyone's face.
"Well, let's go to the conference room!" said Tahiri, grabbing his hand and skipping to the door, dragging him behind her.
***
Anakin opened his eyes and looked back up at the girl. "They know," he said simply.
The girl nodded, her face not betraying any emotion. "Good." Glancing at the other figures around the table, she finally said, "Handé will show you to your suite."
"I get a suite?"
"You are an honored guest, Anakin Solo," the girl replied. "Good-bye. Dinner is at six."
With a nod, she dismissed everyone. They drifted away, all but one, whom Anakin assumed to be Handé. Her eyes were the color of honey and her hair was slightly darker. She handed him a jumpsuit. Without looking into his eyes, she whispered, "Get dressed."
It hadn't occurred to Anakin that he wasn't wearing anything, and he flushed deep red as she closed her eyes and turned around. With some attempt at modesty, he wiggled into his jumpsuit while remaining underneath the sheet.
Once dressed, he said calmly, "Um…it's okay. You can turn around now."
Handé did so. "Can you stand?" Her face was almost as controlled as the other girl's had been…the other girl…Anakin couldn't get her entrancing face out of his mind as he stood and took a tentative step forward. Handé reached out a hand to steady him. "It's okay," he said again, more to reassure himself. "I can manage."
She seemed unconvinced, but pulled her hand back and watched him evenly. Again, he took a step, feeling limp muscles contract and stay tight as they came back into use. He winced as he moved his arm. Pain shot through him, and he fumbled as he tried to hold it off with the Force. Grinding his teeth together, he took another wobbly step. His muscles refused to relax, no matter how hard he tried. His back ached as he moved his other arm. Suddenly, someone in the Force held off his pain for him. He noticed another girl standing in the door. She met Handé's eyes, and after a moment, Handé nodded before slipping away so smoothly and so quickly, it was as though she had never been there. The new girl came over and unhesitatingly grabbed his arms to steady him. Anakin started, causing more pain, which the girl in front of him pushed away for him.
"She was afraid you'd be stubborn," the girl said coolly. "You're too weak to try and do so much."
"Do, or do not do. There is no try," Anakin retorted, angry at having been intruded upon.
"And you can't do," she responded, ignoring his irritated tone. "Now I'm going to take you to your suite, and you relax and do your best to walk."
Anakin grated his teeth together. Obviously, this girl was going to get her way. She was wild, her hair and eyes black. She wore the same red robe as Handé, and as a few of the other girls. "I thought I couldn't walk."
"You concentrate on the walking, and I'll work on your pain."
"Don't you have some pain meds here?"
She looked him in the eye. "You've done pain-numbing practices in your training to become a Jedi, haven't you?" He was forced to nod. "Well, then. Come." With that, she released one of his arms and stood next to him, guiding him out of the medical center. He found himself in a wide corridor that contained many doors. Unhesitating the girl marched him down the hall and stopped him in front of a door. She said something he couldn't make out, and the door opened. "Through here."
They walked in silence for a minute, then Anakin said, "Um…"
She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "What?"
"What's your name?"
Without smiling she said, "Jennique. I'm considered the most stable among the Queen's Own."
"Queen's Own what?" he asked.
"We're the Queen's handmaidens. We serve Her Majesty to the best of our ability."
"I take it you aren't the court jesters."
She refused to smile. "There isn't a court."
"Don't you people ever smile?"
"Everyone smiles at least once."
"Is that a common philosophy?"
"It's a common truth."
"Well, Jennique, to become a handmaiden do you take a vow of non-smiling?"
"No."
"Then why won't you smile for me?"
Jennique stopped abruptly. Anakin found himself swung in front of her. She stared at him. "You want me to smile for you?" she said in disbelief.
"Yes…" he said slowly.
"Why?"
"It's a start," he said.
"To what end?"
Anakin thought back to the dark-eyed girl, in her plain khaki jumpsuit. He decided that her face would be very pretty if she graced it with a smile. "I want to see if anyone can measure up to my girlfriend," he said instead. He quickly
realized what he had said and blushed.
"Girlfriend?"
"Tahiri Veila," said Anakin. Jennique nodded and started walking again, still holding Anakin's arm.
"Go on."
"What is there to say?"
"Describe her."
"All right." Anakin's eyebrows raised and lowered quickly as he took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to describe Tahiri to someone who had never seen her. "Well, she's…eighteen now, I guess. Her hair is curly and blonde. She's got the clearest green eyes I've ever seen, and her face is tanned. She has three scars from where the Yuuzhan Vong captured her. She is…was, maybe…very bouncy, vivacious, wonderful, awesome, beautiful…"
"That's enough," Jennique said. "I have a very good idea of what she's like now." She stopped in front of a large wooden door. "This is where you'll stay. You are instructed to join the Queen for dinner; until then, REST," she finished firmly, before leaving him in front of the door. Anakin stared at it for a minute, the hesitantly reached out and touched the handle. The door swung open, allowing Anakin to wander inside.
As son of the Chief of State, Anakin had spent his childhood in the secure fortress on Anoth and in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. Even though he was a Jedi, he had usually gone home to finery, and remained well used to luxury. His suite turned out to be inlaid with marble in the refresher. All the other rooms had thick, dark red carpet he could sink his feet into. The furniture was plush. On his bed he found a note explaining how to use the locks on the different rooms, how to call for help, and other useful assets of his room. The only thing he didn't find was a map of the palace, which he wanted, but he resolved to explore the palace as soon as he was strong enough. With that in mind, he lied down on the bed and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
***
Amidala waited patiently for Frog to come back. When she did, the Queen announced, "I hereby call this meeting of the Council to order."
"This isn't a Council meeting," Allé objected.
"I was leaning toward Jedi Council," said Amidala. "So, Frog, report on the situation."
Looking slightly harried, Jennique rose and said, "He talks a lot. I said more to him that I do to most people in a day."
This was true. Frog rarely wasted words. "What else?"
"He thinks about you."
Amidala blushed. "Yes, well."
"Oh, come on," said Delphi. "Don't pretend you don't enjoy the attention."
"Yes, sorry to bust your bubble, but he's dating one Tahiri Veila," Jennique informed.
Challie leaned back thoughtfully. "The Yuuzhan Vong captive."
"Yes, that's the one."
Amidala sighed. "And she's the one he talked to."
"Oh, have we reduced ourselves to eavesdropping?" Challie teased.
Amidala Looked at her. "That isn't funny. It's not my fault he screams when he speaks."
"He obviously hasn't been trained in telepathy," Handé said thoughtfully. "We can work on that."
"Who says we're going to do that?" Jennique demanded. In her restlessness, she had lifted herself an inch off the floor and now paced there until Amidala gently pulled her to the ground.
"What else are we going to do with him while he's here?" Allé rejoined. "We've got to have something to do with
him. There must be a reason we were able to bring him back, or were asked to bring him back."
As the four argued, Delphi looked over to the Queen and caught the vacant expression on her face. Sighing, she said,
"Oh, look, Allé, she's gone into another trance. And we've got to get her back in five minutes, otherwise we won't have enough time to prepare her for the dinner."
"I don't see why it's so important," said Handé. "She can eat in her apartments and we can take care of Solo."
Delphi shrugged. She felt uneasy about disobeying the Queen's wishes, but on the other hand, Amidala seemed immersed in her meditation. As head of the Queen's Own, she was responsible for what happened next. "Agreed," she decided. "We'll take her back to her apartments and leave her there until she wakes up. In the meantime, we'll entertain Solo during dinner."
"She's not going to like this," Jennique said under her breath.
Delphi shrugged. "You want to try and bring her back, go ahead. In the meantime, girls, help me." They gently lifted the meditating Amidala and carried her back to the Royal Apartments.
Allé peeked at Delphi. "What did my question do?"
"Obviously, she considers herself honor-bound to find the answer." Delphi shrugged again, a barely perceptible shrug. "We'll find out when she wakes."
***
When Anakin woke up, three hours later, he was horrified to discover that it was nearly six o'clock. He hurriedly got out of bed, then collapsed on the floor as his muscles stopped again. Amazingly enough, Jennique came in at this exact moment.
"Ah, good, you're up," she said briskly. "Due to an important affair of state, the Queen will not be joining us at dinner this evening. However, we of the Queen's Own have been directed to entertain you. I'm here to make sure you are ready." She studied him. "I take it you're not."
"No," he managed. "I fell out of bed."
She nodded and let her eyes fall closed. In another instant Anakin felt his pain disappear. Go on, get ready, said a voice in his ear. Shrugging, he quickly showered and dressed, carefully remaining in the refresher until he was suitable for public display. He stepped out and Jennique opened her eyes. He was wearing a loose-fitting shirt and pants. She eyed him critically.
"You're wearing pajamas," she informed him, "and they'll all notice that. Tomorrow I am going to explain your wardrobe to you." She sighed. "Too late now. Come on, Solo." Without any further comment, she turned and left the room, walking at such a rapid pace Anakin had to run to catch up. She refused to talk to him, acting as though she had wasted enough of her daily allocation of words on him. As she led him into a dining hall, though, Anakin found himself amazed. Obviously, as the Queen wasn't joining them, they had chosen a lesser hall for his first meal in two years. Four other young women sat at the round table, all wearing the same red cloaks, though three had their hoods up. Handé and Jennique were the only ones wearing them down. Jennique sat down at one of the two unoccupied seats and indicated that Anakin should take the other. He did, feeling out of place. Someone served them something unidentifiable, and then the five handmaidens started to eat.
Anakin poked at his food. "Erm, what is this?"
"Nubian Quay fish," Handé answered, a smile gracing her wide face. "Since we live on a swamp world, we eat a lot of seafood." Jennique gave her a Look. "What? He's going to be here for quite some time."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Anakin demanded.
Handé shrugged as she chewed a bite of fish. After swallowing, she answered, "Well, you're here until whoever comes to pick you up picks you up."
One of the hooded girls shifted her head fractionally to look at Handé. Handé met the gaze. Anakin looked from the hood to the face, and said hesitantly, "I'm not a problem, am I?"
"Oh, no, now, don't you worry about that," said Handé hurriedly.
"Are you the official welcoming committee?"
She laughed. "I just happen to be the most social."
"Oh, right!" said one of the others.
"Hello!" said two cheery voices. Two girls stood on the threshold of the room. "Can we join you?"
Another hooded girl nodded and pressed a button. The table lengthened and formed an elliptical shape. The two girls drew up chairs and seated themselves near Jennique. Anakin looked from one face to the other and realized that they were identical twins.
One of them turned to Anakin. "Hello! What does it feel like to be alive again?"
"Tish!" said Handé. "Please, have some tact!"
The other girl giggled. Each had round faces with traces of baby fat in them and blonde ringlets. Their eyes were baby blue. Anakin decided they looked quite innocent as he gingerly tried his fish.
"Don't be dragged in by the innocent look," Jennique said abruptly. "These are two little devils, right here." This didn't stop a ghost of a smile from crossing her face.
"It feels painful but great," Anakin answered simply. "How old are you?"
"We're ten," said the first one. "I'm Tish, and that's Cass."
"We do the look-alike act on purpose," Cass added. Looking around, she added, "Where's Ami?"
"Meditating," said the third hooded girl.
"Has everyone introduced themselves? Or do we have to act all mysterious?"
One of the three girls sighed and pushed back her hood. Her eyes were murky brown-green and her hair black. "I'm Allé," she said.
"I'm Challie," said another, pushing back her hood to reveal almond eyes and chestnut hair.
"I'm Delphi," said the third. Of all the handmaidens, Anakin decided, she looked the most like the girl. Her eyes were almost as dark and her hair slightly closer to black. She had an air of command around her.
"Well, um, glad to meet you," Anakin said.
"Pleasure's all mine," said Allé.
Anakin tried another bite of fish and decided it wasn't so bad. "I told you you'd like it," said Handé suddenly.
Anakin looked up. "What?"
"You like the fish. I thought you would."
Anakin looked to each face, realizing his open confusion was amusing the others. "Am I missing something here?"
"You're not the only Jedi on this planet," Delphi said calmly. "We can read you like a book."
"All seven of you?" Anakin managed.
"How do you think I know where your pain is?" Jennique said in a neutral tone.
"I'm not feeling any pain," he said defensively.
"Yes you are," said Tish. "It's okay. We won't make fun of you."
The sincerity on her angelic face made Anakin relax. Slightly. The rest of him still stung from the "read you like a book" comment. Closing his eyes, he attempted to shield himself from them, but he cut off Jennique's pain control and force on his tightened muscles at the same time. Abruptly he fell out of the chair, curled in a fetal position. Dimly he was aware that his throat was constricted, and he wondered why no one helped him. This felt different from the first time he had died. Last time he had almost exploded; he had been gone before there was too much pain. This time he was acutely aware of his brain tiring, of his lungs—
Suddenly something forced its way through his barriers. His pain and his muscles' tightness disappeared. A faint tingle spread throughout his right hand, but that was all. Cautiously he opened his eyes and was surprised to see the girl from that afternoon standing over him, a concerned but distant look on her face.
"Are you all right, Ani?" she asked softly.
Carefully he got to his feet, finding her to be a few inches shorter than he was. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks. What'd you do?"
She just stared up at him for a long moment, then turned to the table. She seemed surprised to see the handmaidens at the table, but soon the surprise melted away into a cooler emotion. She then glanced to the side. "You destroyed my wall."
"Hm?" he said, following her gaze. A charred scorch mark covered part of the wall. "I did that?"
"When I expelled all that from you, it had to go somewhere." She shrugged and turned back to him, studying him.
When she spoke again, it was a comment. "You're wearing pajamas."
The handmaidens (excluding Jennique) burst out laughing. "We were instructed not to tease him about that," giggled Challie, "but now that you've brought it up—"
"I'm going to talk to him tomorrow," Jennique cut in. The girl nodded to Jennique, then looked Anakin up and down one more time.
"I suppose I will see you tomorrow." She turned and started to the door.
"When?" Anakin found himself calling, but she left without talking. He stood staring at the door for a long moment, visualizing her, before he became aware of Tish and Cass's giggles. He sat back down in his chair and glared at them.
"What?"
"You do set your sights high, don't you?" Tish sniggered.
"What?"
"Never mind," said Delphi with a stern look at the twins. "Do you feel better?"
Anakin assessed himself. Besides a bruise from falling on the floor, he deemed himself physically fit. He felt alive again (a grim pun, he decided) and energized. His barriers, which had been broken by the girl, were back in place, enforced as they had been before he had died. He could feel everything, now, from the fish in the swamps to the dazzling light in the girls surrounding him. With a smile, he replied, "Oh, sure. I'm alive, I can feel, and I'm surrounded by beautiful women." He winked at Jennique, who glowered in return. "What more could I want?"
There were several obvious answers to that question, but no one said anything else directed to him that evening. Jennique escorted him to his rooms again after dinner, reminding him that he would have to get up early tomorrow, for some reason she wouldn't disclose. Anakin, wearing pajamas, fell into bed and into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
*All right, review, review, and review…I want ten before I post the next chapter…*