***

I should have saved all those leftover dreams
Funny, but here's that rainy day!
Here's that rainy day they told me about
And I laughed at the thought that it might turn out this way.
Where is that worn-out wish that I threw aside
After it brought my love so near?
Funny how love becomes a cold, rainy day…
Funny. That rainy day is here.

"Here's that Rainy Day" - Frank Sinatra

*

Even though his mind was still weary, the newly-knighted Jedi grew restless. He had spent twenty days in his suite in deep mourning for Master Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan finally took a cue from his body and emerged from his rooms, determined to face the open air again. Granted, it was an hour after midnight, so he probably wouldn't have to face any people, but it was a step in the right direction. Obi-Wan made his way out of the Palace buildings, headed for the waterfall that the queen had pointed out to him.

Ten minutes later, he stood on a boulder near the waterfall. Obi-Wan listened to the water rush over the edge, the white noise buzzing through his mind. He closed his eyes and imagined that the river that fed the waterfall was running through him, cleansing his spirit of his failures.

It didn't work, but it was worth a shot. Obi-Wan glanced over the side, down to the Southeed Plain. Fog obscured most of the view, but he could just make out the dark, serpentine river that continued hundreds of meters below. Then something caught his eye about twenty meters down. A plateau jutted out from the cliffs. Hundreds of tall bushes had been planted on it in a regular pattern. It was a huge elliptical maze, and he could see an obelisk in the center of it. It had to be over twenty thousand square meters in area.

Perfect. The waterfall was forgotten as Obi-Wan searched for the top of the steps. Once found, he trotted down the switchbacks carved into the side of the cliffs. Obi-Wan entered the maze as soon as he reached the plateau. The hedges were in full flower, reminding him that it was summer.

Obi-Wan had sought something to keep his mind occupied – well, here it was. The moon peeked through the clouds and illuminated the maze as he stepped in. Obi-Wan jogged through the paths, not really caring where he was going, and let the memories of his friend and surrogate father flood his mind. He ran faster through the maze, turning corners and racing down corridors, tears sliding down his cheeks.

Thunder sounded. He hadn't noticed the clouds moving in. Obi-Wan had no idea where in the maze he was; the thick fog obscured any light source that might have told him which way the cliffs were. He couldn't even see the obelisk. The Jedi felt a raindrop on his hand and hissed in irritation; he had no desire to spend his holiday fighting pneumonia. The rain began in earnest a minute later; so did his efforts to find an exit. He rounded a corner and was fairly certain that he saw an outlet through the torrent. Obi-Wan sprinted toward it.

About halfway to his goal, he caught a glimpse of someone else emerging from another corridor. He'd been so preoccupied with getting out that he hadn't sensed her presence. Even with his exceptional reflexes, Obi-Wan was too close and going too fast to stop or dodge, and so was this other person. They crashed into each other at full speed. He bounced face-first into a hedge. The other person was much smaller – he had sent her flying.

Obi-Wan laid facedown in the mud. A myriad of small abrasions on his face, ears, and hands began to bleed. He spit out a leaf and raised himself to his hands and knees, looking to his left.

The person with whom he'd collided had crashed into another bush, then fallen to the ground, too. He wiped mud and rain out his eyes. It was one of the queen's handmaidens. Or, he remembered, it might be the queen herself. He shook his head to clear it and got to his feet, staggering, then collapsed with a graceless thump in the grass beside her. "Are you all right?"

"Ouch," she gasped. She looked up just as lightning illuminated the area.

Blast, he thought. "Your highness?" he shouted over the thunder. She nodded, biting her lip. Her pretty face was contorted. "What is it?"

"My chest hurts," she panted.

Obi-Wan nodded. He stood and made sure he was stable on his feet. "Let's get you inside," he said, loudly enough to be heard over the rain. Then he crouched down and gently gathered the young woman in his arms. She moaned in discomfort, but didn't say anything.

*

The healer on duty in the palace exclaimed at the sight of the young man and handmaiden, both of them wet with rainwater, mud, and blood. Obi-Wan set the girl down on a bed as gently as he could, but she still wheezed. The healer rushed to the queen's side as the Jedi turned to go. "You," barked the healer. She gestured to the next bed. "Sit."

"I'll be fine, I just need to have a bathe, is all," Obi-Wan protested, staggering.

"Sit," snapped the healer again. He complied meekly, dripping on the sheets. The healer placed a screen between him and the next bed and began to remove the girl's clothes. "Who are you, and what happened?"

His face grew warm. "I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi," he began. The healer nodded in comprehension. "I was running in the garden, trying to get out of the rain. She came out of nowhere," he finished lamely. He heard an exclamation of pain from the next bed. "Will she be all right?"

"Hmmm." Silence, then a sound of disapproval. "Your highness, you have three bruised ribs. Let's get you wrapped up." Obi-Wan sat, head in his hands, and listened to the queen wheeze in discomfort as she was being treated. He heard the hiss of a hypospray, then silence.

The healer moved the screen aside. Queen Amidala was lying in her bed, covered by a blanket. She looked a little dazed. "Yes, she'll be all right," said the healer. "Shall I inform Chancellor Bibble?" she asked the queen. The monarch nodded and closed her eyes.

Then the healer really looked at Obi-Wan. "Yech. You do need a bathe." She rummaged through a closet and pulled out a towel and robe. "Go clean up and then come back here. The refresher is through that door." Obi-Wan held the clean garments away from his body and shuffled off, still dripping.

When he emerged, the healer clucked over him as she settled him back in the bed, which was covered with fresh linens. She examined him, then applied ointment to his scrapes. She bandaged his right hand, which had lost the most skin, then ordered him stay there for the night. Obi-Wan hated being babied like this, but he settled back on his pillow and looked around as the healer turned out the light. He caught a glimpse of a serious, wide-eyed face gazing back at him before the room went dark.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into the darkness.

"It's not your fault," she replied. "Poodoo happens." The Jedi chuckled. The queen began to laugh too, but that was quickly replaced by a grimace. A moment later she said, "I've been worried about you, Master Kenobi."

He frowned. Master Kenobi. Jedi knights traditionally worked solo for their first decade or so, not taking padawans until they were much older and had more experience in the field – that was when the title of knight-master was conferred. The gravity of what he'd committed to do hit him.

"Hey. You awake?"

Obi-Wan shook himself out of his reverie. "I'm sorry, your highness. I was just thinking."

"Did you enjoy it?" she teased. He snorted. She tried a different tactic. "Will you have dinner with me?"

He was surprised. He found his voice and replied, "Yes, your highness."

She breathed in raggedly. "As soon as we're both feeling better?"

"I look forward to it." He could hear her breath even out as she began to doze. She turned her head, a flash of lightning illuminating her finely-shaped nose and long eyelashes. He laid awake for a long time and watched her sleep. But Obi-Wan's tired body overwhelmed his busy mind, and sleep finally overcame him, too.

*

The sun woke him a few hours later. Obi-Wan groaned and pressed his hands to the bed to push himself up, but was rewarded with sharp protests of pain. Remembering where he was, he looked to his right. Queen Amidala lay on her bed, still asleep. Only she didn't really look like a queen – just a young girl of fifteen or sixteen. Refracted sunlight illuminated a large bruise on her cheek.

He winced. Obi-Wan didn't want to be here when she awakened. The young Jedi got out of bed, took his dirty cloak and put it on, bundled his clothes under his arm, and crept out of the room. A minute after the door shut behind him, he felt a stab of disappointment through the Force.

***