Hi! Thanks again for your lovely comments. They make writing this story a
real joy! :) It may be a few days before I put up another post because I
need to take some time to determine the course of the rest of the story,
but I'll get the next post up as soon as I can, it just may be a few days.
Take care!
In Love and War - Part Thirteen
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Onara, her head bowed, finished her prayer. She looked up and over at the small shrine she had constructed to Sithara, the Ahjane goddess of death and birth. The shrine was located in the bridal chamber of the manor. The very chamber where she and Obi-Wan had participated in the blessing ceremony and had, as a result of her grandmother's machinations, conceived Ben.
The chamber was never used and had seemed the perfect place to build her shrine. No one knew of it, or what Onara prayed for every day she visited it. Not even Obi-Wan. Especially not Obi-Wan, for she did not think he would approve of what she was doing.
Bending over, Onara blew out the two green candles on the shrine. As shrines went, it was a simple one. Sithara was only one of the manifestations of the Great Creator. Therefore, there was no image of the goddess, but the Ahjanese, when calling upon her, usually placed a small sickle, a fresh grain of wheat and a handful of seeds on any shrine dedicated to her. The sickle represented death, the grain life, and the seeds rebirth.
Onara had also placed on the shrine some things that had belonged to Ben. A piece of fabric from one of his shirts, one of the Force toys Sinja-Bau had instructed him with, some of his favorites rocks and, lastly, the lightsaber Obi-Wan had constructed for him, for she had not, as she'd told Obi-Wan she'd done, put it in Ben's coffin. She had kept it, and now it lay here.
Onara sighed as she continued to kneel before the shrine. No, she was certain Obi-Wan would not approve. He believed Ben's spirit was one with the Force, and he would not want her to get her hopes up with regard to their son being reborn, as much as he probably longed for such a miracle in his own heart.
Onara's religion had taught her Ben was now residing in the House of Eternal Light, waiting for her to join him. But she also believed, needed to believe, that his spirit could be reborn. Thus the shrine. Not many Ahjanese believed in rebirth, however. The priestess who had officiated at Ben and Dalan's funeral was one of those who did.
It was she who had counseled Onara, instructed her on how to build the shrine, what objects to place on it, and what prayers to say. No one knew of the shrine, for Onara was afraid she would be thought irrational for yearning so much for the return of her child. And, perhaps, she was. But if there was even a chance her darling could come back to her, Onara was willing to take it.
Therefore, she went about her everyday affairs with calmness and composure, sometimes crying in Obi-Wan's arms when the sadness was too much for her, but basically giving everyone the impression of a woman who still mourned the loss of her child, but was moving on with her life.
And Onara was moving on with her life. She had no choice but to do so. But inside she mourned for Ben with a deep and unrelenting grief, and she knew in her soul he was not supposed to have died. Not like that, not so young. Something had gone terribly wrong, she sensed, some skein in the tapestry of the universe had unraveled when it should not have. So she prayed every day, alone, fervently, secretly. She prayed to Sithara to bring her son back to her.
Onara moved away from the shrine. Rising, she turned and opened the door of the bridal chamber, then locked it with a key only she had. Walking down the hall she made her way to the stairs that led down to the main portion of the manor. It was late morning and she heard the hustle and bustle of the servants as they prepared for the day.
Glancing at a clock as she passed by, she knew Obi-Wan was probably done with his morning swim in the lake and would be returning to the manor for breakfast. Her cheeks flamed as she recalled that morning she had joined him for a swim. Turning a corner, she made her way to the kitchen.
After they had come out of the lake, the two had lain on the shore and let the sun dry their bodies. Although Onara suspected Obi-Wan swam nude in the lake when he was alone, that morning he had worn swimming trunks and she her bathing suit. And, yet, they had come so close to giving in to their burning desire for each other, come so close to finally making love after all the years apart, that both had decided it would be best if Obi-Wan swam alone for the time being. At least until the situation with the Lenors was settled once and for all.
And it was that situation that was continuing to darken Onara's thoughts, in spite of the lovely morning. The Assembly was pressuring her to accept Gend Lenor's proposal of marriage. Onara did not need them to remind her of what was at stake, for it was her province and her people who would suffer if war were to come, but the Assembly, and rightfully so, was also deeply concerned regarding what would happen if the conflict were to spread. It had been Obi-Wan and Anakin's intervention five years ago which had brought about peace and kept the war between Onara's father and Edress from drawing other provinces in.
But, now, even though Ahjane was a member of the Republic, with all that was happening in the galaxy, the Jedi Order's peacekeeping efforts were being strained to the limits. It was a great cause of concern for the Assembly and, Onara knew, it distressed Obi-Wan greatly as he and Onara watched the growing and alarming reports of unrest within the galaxy on the HoloNet news. The Assembly, therefore, was strongly motivated to keep the peace on Ahjane. Onara's marrying Gend would do that, they hoped, no matter what it would do to her heart.
"Morning, milady," Jiah said as Onara walked into the kitchen.
"Morning, Jiah. Ummm, something smells good."
"It's a new recipe for an omelet I'm trying. I thought Master Obi-Wan might like it for breakfast."
"Has he returned from his swim?"
"Not that I know of, milady. I saw him earlier when he was feeding Ben's pet, but I haven't seen him since. Now, why don't you sit down and I'll get you a nice cup of kaf, and then your breakfast."
"Thank you, Jiah."
Onara sat down at the large wooden table in the center of the huge room. She usually had breakfast in her study so that she and Simtro could go over that day's business, but she loved this kitchen. When she was a little girl she used to spend as much time here as she could. It had also proven a convenient place to hide from her grandmother, the Lady Tsara who, thinking herself far above such common and dreary things as preparing food, never set foot in it.
Whenever her grandmother had scolded her for something, which was usually every day, Onara had escaped to the kitchen and stayed there until either her father or one of her elderly aunts came and got her. She was therefore familiar with its warm, comforting smells. Jiah set a steaming yellow mug of kaf in front of Onara, along with cream and sugar.
"Thank you, Jiah."
"You're welcome, milady."
The gray-haired cook put her hands on her lower back and stretched, grunting softly as she stared out the window.
"Are you all right, Jiah?" Onara asked.
Jiah tore her gaze from the kitchen window where, outside, the sunlight shimmered on the leaves of a large green and gold melora tree.
"Me, milady? Oh, I'm fine. Just getting old, as we all must if we're so lucky. No, I was just admiring the lovely morning."
Then, as the sound of someone whistling came through the window, Jiah looked over at Onara and smiled.
"Sounds like Master Obi-Wan is done with his swim."
She turned around and came back with another mug of kaf, which she placed next to Onara. Then she winked and went back to her cooking. Onara shook her head. Jiah was as bad as Auna when it came to encouraging the romance between her and Obi-Wan. Then, her heart began to beat hard as she heard Obi-Wan walking around the manor and towards the door that led from the gardens and into the kitchen.
She watched as he entered the kitchen and, as always, not only did her heart begin to beat faster, but the blood seem to rush through her body and her breath came quicker. He stopped when he saw her, surprise on his face. The sunlight glimmered on his red-gold hair, which was still damp from his swim. His beautiful blue-gray eyes were shining and then, suddenly, he smiled at her; a wide, happy, joyous smile.
And, as Onara gazed over at him, she knew it wasn't just Obi-Wan's physical presence that she loved, though she couldn't deny he had a beautifully proportioned and athletic body. It wasn't only his sun-kissed skin, or his firm but sensual lips that kissed her so tenderly and so passionately, his classically handsome features, or the tantalizing magnetism of him that sometimes made it difficult for her to get to sleep at night.
There was a spiritual aura about Obi-Wan that Onara was drawn to like a moth to a bright, warm flame. It was a spirituality that did not come just from his ability to wield the Force, because, although Onara had experienced the Force twice when Obi-Wan had channeled it to her, she knew it was something more that he possessed, some indescribable quality about him that her soul responded to and yearned for.
She had felt it the first time she saw him, when her father had brought her before him for the blessing ceremony. She had never told anyone, not even Obi-Wan, but just before she had fainted, when she had looked up into his strangely-colored eyes, she had been struck by a feeling so powerful, so potent, it had almost made her heart stop beating.
Because she had sensed, at that moment, that somehow, someway, she was going to be bound to this man, body and soul, forever, and, other than having her precious Ben back or having another child, nothing would make her happier than to spend the rest of her life loving and being loved by Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Now, as he walked over to her, his eyes gazing deeply into hers, though the two of them, because of the events swirling around them, had made it a point not to express their affection for each other in front of the servants, on this bright and beautiful morning, with her heart as full of joy as the kitchen was full of light, Onara did not care what anyone thought. She wanted her love in her arms.
She made to rise from the table so she could embrace him, but before she could, Obi-Wan walked over and fell to his knees before her. From the corner of her eye, Onara saw Jiah stop kneading her bread to stare at them.
"Onara?" he asked in a soft voice as he gazed tenderly up at her.
Reaching over, she caressed the whites streaks in his red-gold hair. "Yes, my darling?"
She watched as Obi-Wan showed her a small green box. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she heard Jiah draw in a sharp gasp, but Onara kept her eyes on Obi-Wan. He finally succeeded in opening the box because his fingers, she saw with a sweet pang of her heart, had been shaking so badly he'd been unable to get a grasp on the lid.
He looked up at her, his eyes shining with love as he held the open box out to her. "Onara, my love, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"
Onara gazed down at the beautiful ring where it lay snugly in red velvet inside the box. Then she looked over at Obi-Wan and smiled, her heart now a choir of voices singing joyfully.
"Oh, yes, my darling, yes!"
Obi-Wan's eyes shimmered with both happiness and tears. He took Onara's hand and tenderly kissed the palm. She shivered at the touch of his soft, warm lips on her skin. Then, taking the ring out of the box, he slipped it on her finger.
They held hands for a moment, then Onara helped Obi-Wan to his feet and, as she'd longed to do from the moment he first walked into the kitchen, she threw her arms around him. Obi-Wan held her close, then picked her up and swung her around the kitchen.
"Onara, my love, my sweet, sweet love. Are you truly mine?"
"Yes, dear one, I am yours, forever and ever," Onara cried happily as Obi- Wan continued to swing her around, Jiah laughing and clapping as he did so.
He twirled her around once more, then stopped, setting her gently on the floor. Gazing down at her, his own wondrous, lovely eyes reflecting both the light in the room and the love in his heart, he slowly lowered his head, his lips caressing hers. Onara trembled in his arms; then, gently, he covered her mouth with his, kissing her deeply, tenderly, completely.
"It's about time."
But Onara only heard Jiah's voice from a great distance as Obi-Wan continued to kiss her, claiming her body, her soul and all her tomorrows, and she heard nothing for quite some time but the sound of his name ringing blissfully in her heart.
To be continued...
In Love and War - Part Thirteen
--------
Onara, her head bowed, finished her prayer. She looked up and over at the small shrine she had constructed to Sithara, the Ahjane goddess of death and birth. The shrine was located in the bridal chamber of the manor. The very chamber where she and Obi-Wan had participated in the blessing ceremony and had, as a result of her grandmother's machinations, conceived Ben.
The chamber was never used and had seemed the perfect place to build her shrine. No one knew of it, or what Onara prayed for every day she visited it. Not even Obi-Wan. Especially not Obi-Wan, for she did not think he would approve of what she was doing.
Bending over, Onara blew out the two green candles on the shrine. As shrines went, it was a simple one. Sithara was only one of the manifestations of the Great Creator. Therefore, there was no image of the goddess, but the Ahjanese, when calling upon her, usually placed a small sickle, a fresh grain of wheat and a handful of seeds on any shrine dedicated to her. The sickle represented death, the grain life, and the seeds rebirth.
Onara had also placed on the shrine some things that had belonged to Ben. A piece of fabric from one of his shirts, one of the Force toys Sinja-Bau had instructed him with, some of his favorites rocks and, lastly, the lightsaber Obi-Wan had constructed for him, for she had not, as she'd told Obi-Wan she'd done, put it in Ben's coffin. She had kept it, and now it lay here.
Onara sighed as she continued to kneel before the shrine. No, she was certain Obi-Wan would not approve. He believed Ben's spirit was one with the Force, and he would not want her to get her hopes up with regard to their son being reborn, as much as he probably longed for such a miracle in his own heart.
Onara's religion had taught her Ben was now residing in the House of Eternal Light, waiting for her to join him. But she also believed, needed to believe, that his spirit could be reborn. Thus the shrine. Not many Ahjanese believed in rebirth, however. The priestess who had officiated at Ben and Dalan's funeral was one of those who did.
It was she who had counseled Onara, instructed her on how to build the shrine, what objects to place on it, and what prayers to say. No one knew of the shrine, for Onara was afraid she would be thought irrational for yearning so much for the return of her child. And, perhaps, she was. But if there was even a chance her darling could come back to her, Onara was willing to take it.
Therefore, she went about her everyday affairs with calmness and composure, sometimes crying in Obi-Wan's arms when the sadness was too much for her, but basically giving everyone the impression of a woman who still mourned the loss of her child, but was moving on with her life.
And Onara was moving on with her life. She had no choice but to do so. But inside she mourned for Ben with a deep and unrelenting grief, and she knew in her soul he was not supposed to have died. Not like that, not so young. Something had gone terribly wrong, she sensed, some skein in the tapestry of the universe had unraveled when it should not have. So she prayed every day, alone, fervently, secretly. She prayed to Sithara to bring her son back to her.
Onara moved away from the shrine. Rising, she turned and opened the door of the bridal chamber, then locked it with a key only she had. Walking down the hall she made her way to the stairs that led down to the main portion of the manor. It was late morning and she heard the hustle and bustle of the servants as they prepared for the day.
Glancing at a clock as she passed by, she knew Obi-Wan was probably done with his morning swim in the lake and would be returning to the manor for breakfast. Her cheeks flamed as she recalled that morning she had joined him for a swim. Turning a corner, she made her way to the kitchen.
After they had come out of the lake, the two had lain on the shore and let the sun dry their bodies. Although Onara suspected Obi-Wan swam nude in the lake when he was alone, that morning he had worn swimming trunks and she her bathing suit. And, yet, they had come so close to giving in to their burning desire for each other, come so close to finally making love after all the years apart, that both had decided it would be best if Obi-Wan swam alone for the time being. At least until the situation with the Lenors was settled once and for all.
And it was that situation that was continuing to darken Onara's thoughts, in spite of the lovely morning. The Assembly was pressuring her to accept Gend Lenor's proposal of marriage. Onara did not need them to remind her of what was at stake, for it was her province and her people who would suffer if war were to come, but the Assembly, and rightfully so, was also deeply concerned regarding what would happen if the conflict were to spread. It had been Obi-Wan and Anakin's intervention five years ago which had brought about peace and kept the war between Onara's father and Edress from drawing other provinces in.
But, now, even though Ahjane was a member of the Republic, with all that was happening in the galaxy, the Jedi Order's peacekeeping efforts were being strained to the limits. It was a great cause of concern for the Assembly and, Onara knew, it distressed Obi-Wan greatly as he and Onara watched the growing and alarming reports of unrest within the galaxy on the HoloNet news. The Assembly, therefore, was strongly motivated to keep the peace on Ahjane. Onara's marrying Gend would do that, they hoped, no matter what it would do to her heart.
"Morning, milady," Jiah said as Onara walked into the kitchen.
"Morning, Jiah. Ummm, something smells good."
"It's a new recipe for an omelet I'm trying. I thought Master Obi-Wan might like it for breakfast."
"Has he returned from his swim?"
"Not that I know of, milady. I saw him earlier when he was feeding Ben's pet, but I haven't seen him since. Now, why don't you sit down and I'll get you a nice cup of kaf, and then your breakfast."
"Thank you, Jiah."
Onara sat down at the large wooden table in the center of the huge room. She usually had breakfast in her study so that she and Simtro could go over that day's business, but she loved this kitchen. When she was a little girl she used to spend as much time here as she could. It had also proven a convenient place to hide from her grandmother, the Lady Tsara who, thinking herself far above such common and dreary things as preparing food, never set foot in it.
Whenever her grandmother had scolded her for something, which was usually every day, Onara had escaped to the kitchen and stayed there until either her father or one of her elderly aunts came and got her. She was therefore familiar with its warm, comforting smells. Jiah set a steaming yellow mug of kaf in front of Onara, along with cream and sugar.
"Thank you, Jiah."
"You're welcome, milady."
The gray-haired cook put her hands on her lower back and stretched, grunting softly as she stared out the window.
"Are you all right, Jiah?" Onara asked.
Jiah tore her gaze from the kitchen window where, outside, the sunlight shimmered on the leaves of a large green and gold melora tree.
"Me, milady? Oh, I'm fine. Just getting old, as we all must if we're so lucky. No, I was just admiring the lovely morning."
Then, as the sound of someone whistling came through the window, Jiah looked over at Onara and smiled.
"Sounds like Master Obi-Wan is done with his swim."
She turned around and came back with another mug of kaf, which she placed next to Onara. Then she winked and went back to her cooking. Onara shook her head. Jiah was as bad as Auna when it came to encouraging the romance between her and Obi-Wan. Then, her heart began to beat hard as she heard Obi-Wan walking around the manor and towards the door that led from the gardens and into the kitchen.
She watched as he entered the kitchen and, as always, not only did her heart begin to beat faster, but the blood seem to rush through her body and her breath came quicker. He stopped when he saw her, surprise on his face. The sunlight glimmered on his red-gold hair, which was still damp from his swim. His beautiful blue-gray eyes were shining and then, suddenly, he smiled at her; a wide, happy, joyous smile.
And, as Onara gazed over at him, she knew it wasn't just Obi-Wan's physical presence that she loved, though she couldn't deny he had a beautifully proportioned and athletic body. It wasn't only his sun-kissed skin, or his firm but sensual lips that kissed her so tenderly and so passionately, his classically handsome features, or the tantalizing magnetism of him that sometimes made it difficult for her to get to sleep at night.
There was a spiritual aura about Obi-Wan that Onara was drawn to like a moth to a bright, warm flame. It was a spirituality that did not come just from his ability to wield the Force, because, although Onara had experienced the Force twice when Obi-Wan had channeled it to her, she knew it was something more that he possessed, some indescribable quality about him that her soul responded to and yearned for.
She had felt it the first time she saw him, when her father had brought her before him for the blessing ceremony. She had never told anyone, not even Obi-Wan, but just before she had fainted, when she had looked up into his strangely-colored eyes, she had been struck by a feeling so powerful, so potent, it had almost made her heart stop beating.
Because she had sensed, at that moment, that somehow, someway, she was going to be bound to this man, body and soul, forever, and, other than having her precious Ben back or having another child, nothing would make her happier than to spend the rest of her life loving and being loved by Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Now, as he walked over to her, his eyes gazing deeply into hers, though the two of them, because of the events swirling around them, had made it a point not to express their affection for each other in front of the servants, on this bright and beautiful morning, with her heart as full of joy as the kitchen was full of light, Onara did not care what anyone thought. She wanted her love in her arms.
She made to rise from the table so she could embrace him, but before she could, Obi-Wan walked over and fell to his knees before her. From the corner of her eye, Onara saw Jiah stop kneading her bread to stare at them.
"Onara?" he asked in a soft voice as he gazed tenderly up at her.
Reaching over, she caressed the whites streaks in his red-gold hair. "Yes, my darling?"
She watched as Obi-Wan showed her a small green box. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she heard Jiah draw in a sharp gasp, but Onara kept her eyes on Obi-Wan. He finally succeeded in opening the box because his fingers, she saw with a sweet pang of her heart, had been shaking so badly he'd been unable to get a grasp on the lid.
He looked up at her, his eyes shining with love as he held the open box out to her. "Onara, my love, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"
Onara gazed down at the beautiful ring where it lay snugly in red velvet inside the box. Then she looked over at Obi-Wan and smiled, her heart now a choir of voices singing joyfully.
"Oh, yes, my darling, yes!"
Obi-Wan's eyes shimmered with both happiness and tears. He took Onara's hand and tenderly kissed the palm. She shivered at the touch of his soft, warm lips on her skin. Then, taking the ring out of the box, he slipped it on her finger.
They held hands for a moment, then Onara helped Obi-Wan to his feet and, as she'd longed to do from the moment he first walked into the kitchen, she threw her arms around him. Obi-Wan held her close, then picked her up and swung her around the kitchen.
"Onara, my love, my sweet, sweet love. Are you truly mine?"
"Yes, dear one, I am yours, forever and ever," Onara cried happily as Obi- Wan continued to swing her around, Jiah laughing and clapping as he did so.
He twirled her around once more, then stopped, setting her gently on the floor. Gazing down at her, his own wondrous, lovely eyes reflecting both the light in the room and the love in his heart, he slowly lowered his head, his lips caressing hers. Onara trembled in his arms; then, gently, he covered her mouth with his, kissing her deeply, tenderly, completely.
"It's about time."
But Onara only heard Jiah's voice from a great distance as Obi-Wan continued to kiss her, claiming her body, her soul and all her tomorrows, and she heard nothing for quite some time but the sound of his name ringing blissfully in her heart.
To be continued...
