***Disclaimer: See previous chapter

Chapter 1: The Princess and the Jedi

            Princess Talisa Yshanti, heir to the throne of Bèodor, screamed as she fell out of her bed, awakened by the nightmare that had plagued her since she could remember. She sat up and gently rubbed her bruised head, frowning as she did so. The frustrating thing was not all the bumps and bruises she continually received from flailing about during her sleep; no, an ice pack and healing salve could cure that. The frustrating thing was that although she was always frightened to the point of tears over the blasted dream, she could not remember what it was about!

            Annoyed, Talisa got to her feet and unceremoniously flopped down onto her bed. The dream was coming more steadily now, unlike the sprinkling that had spread out during her younger years. And more puzzling was that she could see part of her dream, albeit fogged up images, in her mind even after awakening. She didn't like this, but was more annoyed and frustrated than scared.

            The door to her private chambers suddenly burst opened, startling her. A whole barrage of people came flying thru the doorway, all armed and ready with blasters. If Talisa hadn't been so annoyed, she might have laughed at the sight of her uncle's personal guards searching her room.

            "Talisa, are you alright?" her uncle, King Jhavì Yshanti, demanded, hurrying into the room. He immediately went to her and gathered her into his crushing embrace.

            Embarrassed, Talisa nodded. "I'm sorry, Uncle," she apologized, "I had a bad dream and fell out of my bed in the process." She pointed to the darkening bruise on her forehead. "I didn't mean to cause such a stir," she added, sincerely.

            Jhavì instantly looked relieved. "Thank the stars!" he exclaimed, "When you screamed, I thought that-" As if suddenly realizing what he was saying, he abruptly stopped. "Yes, well," he said, flushing a bit, "All is well now. Captain?" He now looked to the captain of personal security, who was out on the balcony. The young man turned at the call and Talisa saw him give her uncle a small shake of his head. She raised an eyebrow, questioningly, but her uncle did not acknowledge it.

At that, Jhavì relaxed even more. "Good, good," he said, "Well, now that everyone thing has been, uh, take care of, I will return to-"

Footsteps suddenly approached the room, announcing a pair of newcomers that Talisa hadn't expected to see. They were Jedi Knights, Talisa could see, complete with the brown Jedi robes and light-colored tunics. They were both tall, but one stood almost a head taller than the other. The taller one, she guessed, was the master, judging by the touch of gray in his brown hair and the air of respect and serenity he emanated. The younger one was obviously the apprentice, complete with the short, cropped hair and braid that hung over his shoulder. Both, however, were looking quite concerned.

What are the Jedi doing here? She wondered.

"Is everything alright, Your Highness?" the master asked, his voice slightly accented. Despite her knowledge in manners, Talisa found herself staring at him. He was a very handsome man, with a leonine face, a strong jaw line, and a muscular build that matched his height. His eyes reminded her of the aquamarine jewels her aunt had stored away in her jewelry box.

Jhavì nodded. "Just a bad dream," he reported, "Nothing really. Just fell out of her bed, that's all." He turned back to his niece, then explained, "Talisa, this is Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker."

They both nodded. "A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," Qui-Gon said.

Talisa blushed. "I would say the same, Master Jedi," she said, smiling a little, "But it seems I'm not really in the position to formally greet you." She pulled the covers of her bed up to her chin, covering the thin nightgown she slept in. "Perhaps if you and my uncle would adjourn to the sitting room, I will be able to join you in a few moments," she invited.

Jhavì laughed. "Forgive me, niece!" he said, getting off the bed, then kissing her forehead. To the Jedi he said, "Come, sirs! We will return to my office and await Talisa's arrival." He walked towards the door, shooing all the guards out as well.

Qui-Gon once again bowed. "I am glad that you are safe, Your Highness," he told her, softly. She felt a chill shoot down her spine at the sound of his voice and hoped that the Jedi master did not notice her shiver. To his apprentice, he said, "Come, Anakin." A few minutes later, Talisa found herself alone in her room.

"Well, that was embarrassing!" she said aloud, throwing off the covers. She didn't know if it was because two strangers, two Jedi, had seen her nearly naked, or because she'd nearly melted under Master Jinn's beautiful azure eyes…

At this thought, Talisa rolled her eyes. "Stop it!" she told herself, getting out of bed and crossing over to her vanity, "He's old enough to be my father…if I had a father, that is." She sighed and slumped down into her chair.

She'd been a baby when her parents had died, so she couldn't recall much of her early years. Her uncle, who was not really related by blood but by friendship, had taken her in and legally adopted her. She'd been named heir to the throne and had been raised as a princess.

But, Talisa never stopped wondering and thinking about her mother and father. Images, clouded ones, much like those from her nightmare, plagued her, skirting out of her fingertips when she grasped for them. But, she did know that her parents had loved her; with every thought of them, came the warm, wonderful feeling, like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold night.

She caught her reflection in the mirror and stared at the young woman before her. She often wondered if her parents were reflected in herself, wondered if her long black hair was reminisce of her mother or if her dark brown eyes were identical to her father's. Who did she resemble the most? Did she chew on her bottom lip like either of them? To many, these might sound like silly questions, but Talisa desired the answers. She wanted to know, because it was a part of who she was.

Shaking her head sadly, Talisa drove these thoughts from her head. The matter at hand, she thought to herself, was to find out why her uncle was acting so strange. She picked up her brush and began to untangle her hair when another thought popped into her head: the Jedi. She was sure her uncle's actions were somehow connected to the presence of the Jedi. And, why were they here? She knew that the Jedi were dispatched only for planetary disputes and negotiations, upholding peace and justice in the galaxy. Bèodor was such a small planet; she was sure if there were any disturbances in the kingdom, she would have heard of them by now.

"This should be interesting," Talisa said, quickly dressing. If there was anything she liked more, it was solving puzzles. And this was definitely a puzzle, complete with questions and Jedi.