Disclaimer and such in Part 1
I don't know why, but I picture Illyria with an British accent. Anyway, read down and see what you guys think. ENJOY!!!
Padme and Obi-wan looked around in amazement. From the texture of the circular wall around them, it was obvious that they actually were inside the trunk of the tree. Padme stared behind her at the nonexistent door they had come through. Unless one knew it was there, there would be no possible way of guessing. The wall seemed flawless. Looking around, they saw that they were in a one-room sitting area. In the middle of the space were two small couches and a spacious plush chair on top of a large area rug. Placed in the center between the couches and chair was a low wooden table polished to a beautiful shine. Sporadically along the round wall hung various paintings, some of Iagonian inhabitants, some of the wildlife, and some of historical events. In what would be the four corners of the room if it had been square, stood four tall light sources that the small female Iagonian had lit when the three had entered.
Still very wary of the intentions of their new found "savior", Obi-wan and Padme gripped their lightsabers tightly at their sides, ready to use them at any moment. The native looked at them with curiosity for a moment then gestured with her hand for them to sit down on one of the couches. They sat down with a bit of reluctance, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the woman in front of them.
"Like I said earlier, I am not going to hurt you." She said to them over her shoulder. Perking up an ear, she leaned towards the invisible door to the outside. After listening for a few moments she turned back to the two Jedi sitting on the couch.
"They're moving away from this area," she paused, "at least for now, but they will be searching for you all night." She walked over to a small counter and reached into a cabinet to take out two wooden cups and a jug of some sort of clear liquid.
She set the cups on the center wooden table and poured the liquid into them, then sat down onto the couch opposite Obi-wan and Padme.
"You really ought to stay in here a while."
Obi-wan leaned forward towards the woman, trying to get a reading from her as to what her true intentions were.
"Who are you?" He asked while scrunching up his brow a bit.
The woman appeared to smile again.
"My name is Illyria. My husband is what I think your race would call the town magistrate or leader." Padme's eyes widened in surprise at Illyria's divulgence.
"You two are strange looking creatures," She eyed Obi-wan up and down, "What are your names?"
"My name is Padme and this," Padme lifted her free hand towards Obi-wan, "is Obi-wan."
"Illyria," She continued after a moment, "if your husband is the magistrate of your village, then why did you help us?"
Illyria's face lost its airy quality at Padme's words. They were starting to get into serious topics of discussion.
"Well," She started slowly, "I guess I first should tell you that I am a scientist and am always looking for ways to expand my culture's knowledge."
Padme and Obi-wan listened silently, waiting for her to continue.
"But the real reason I have decided to help you is that I completely disagree with how foreigners to Iagone are treated."
Obi-wan's eyebrows shot up.
"You mean there have been others before us."
Illyria let out a small laugh, the mirth returning to her features.
"Why, of course there have been others. Where do you think we learned our language?" A sad shadow then crossed her face, "Unfortunately, though, none have survived long enough on this planet to report back to their superiors any of their findings."
A short silence fell over the group as Obi-wan and Padme considered Illyria's grave words. Illyria broke them out of their trance, however, with a slight cough.
"Well, yes, it was quite sad, at least I believe so. I doubt any of my other colleagues would agree upon that fact." She shook her head slightly to refocus her train of thought, "Anyway, the point is, I do not want to see the same fate fall upon the two of you. I will help you in any way possible."
Padme shyly looked up from her thoughts as Illyria finished her monologue.
"Illyria," She started quietly, "isn't that dangerous for you? I mean, if your husband found out..."
Illyria cut her off by raising a fur-covered hand.
"There are always sacrifices one must be willing to make for just causes." Again, a silence fell over the group.
After a few moments had passed, Illyria stood up and cleared the untouched cups. Walking back to the counter, she paused to look at a small clock-like structure on the wall.
"It will be nightfall in a few hours. I really ought to get you two some provisions for your stay here."
Obi-wan started to protest saying that it really wasn't necessary, but Illyria wouldn't hear any of it.
"Stay here until I get back; it may take quite some time."
Padme and Obi-wan gave her one last look before she headed back through the invisible door.
Obi-wan stood up from his seat on the couch. Running his hand through his short cropped hair, he paced the floor for a few moments and then turned his searching eyes upon Padme.
"Do you think we can trust her?"
Padme sighed.
"I don't know, Obi-wan." She left the couch and started to examine the door to find the seams.
"I would like to trust her, "She continued after dropping her hands from the wall and giving up on finding the seams, "and I feel nothing from her but a genuine want to help. Still..." She trailed off in thought.
Obi-wan nodded absently as he considered Padme's words and walked the small circle of the enclosure. He, too, had only felt compassion emanating from the small woman, but something about the whole Iagonian race set him on edge.
"Obi-wan," Padme brought him out of his reverie by placing a hand on his forearm, "what about when we drew the Force around us to conceal ourselves. Those five men seemed to latch onto that right away."
Obi-wan frowned. That was something that he had noticed and was bothered by as well. He had tried to write it off as a coincidence, but he knew better. The thought of the natives of the planet being able to hone into any creature that used the Force brought an uneasy feeling to his stomach.
"I don't know Padme," He brought his gaze to her uncertain eyes, "I wondered about that myself. Perhaps Illyria will be able to inform us better of the capabilities of her race."
Padme nodded and turned to sit back onto the couch.
"Either way, though," Obi-wan grabbed her hand to bring her back to his side, "we probably shouldn't use any facet of the Force until we find out the answers to our questions." He squeezed her hand in reassurance and let her continue her course towards the couch.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in silence, as each Jedi contemplated their situation.
It wasn't until a couple of hours passed and nightfall came that Illyria returned. Thinking she was an enemy when she walked through the invisible door, Obi-wan and Padme stood up immediately and ignited their sabers. She held up her hands in surrender.
"I give." Illyria said with a slight smile, but Padme could see the fear she held in her eyes when she looked at their sabers.
When they saw that no one had followed the small Iagonian through the door, the two Jedi slowly lowered their weapons.
Illyria moved away from the door, nervously glancing back and forth between the Padawans. She first walked to the small counter where she had stored the cups earlier and set down the large woven bag that was slung over her left shoulder. Second she moved to a small armoire that was situated behind the couch Obi-wan and Padme had been sitting on. She gingerly grasped the door handle and swung it open to reveal the objects contents.
"I'm not quite sure how your bodies adapt to weather, but if you need something to keep yourselves warm tonight, there are some cloaks in here." Illyria then moved back to the bag she had placed on the counter.
Obi-wan and Padme glanced at eachother. The drastic change in Illyria's mood and personality was very strange. Before it had seemed like she regarded them as friends, but now it was more like she viewed them as serious threats. The Jedi didn't mind much, though, that the Iagonian had developed a slight fear of them. It actually helped comfort them, knowing that she wouldn't try to hurt them with that fear in her mind. Padme hoped, however, that something bad hadn't happened to their new found friend when she had gone back into their village.
All thoughts were interrupted, though, when Illyria snapped out of her distanced state and regained her friendly composure.
"Now," She started and turned to the two Jedi with a large smile on her face, "I managed to sneak some really fine dishes out of my kitchen tonight. I hope your species' dining tastes are similar to ours."
She unpacked five polished wood containers and laid them out on the small center table. Next, she took out the two cups and the clear liquid again along with two plates and some eating utensils and set them next to the containers.
"My kind generally eats various types of meats, but there are some fruits and vegetables that we consider food." She started to remove the lids of the containers, "I have brought you two main course platters, one consisting mainly of one of our native birds and the other consisting of one of the rarest, and tastiest, fish we have here on Iagone."
Illyria removed the lids of those dishes to reveal two scrumptious looking meals. The scent of each was positively delicious and enough to make even Obi-wan's mouth water.
"In these three," She lifted the lids of the remaining three, "Are some of wild fruits and vegetables." They too looked amazing.
Despite the look and smell of all the food, and the loud growling present in their stomachs, Obi-wan and Padme were more than wary about eating the offered rations. If they didn't even know if they could trust Illyria, how could they trust food that she brought for them.
In an attempt to figure out if the food was poisoned or not, Padme reached out to probe Illyria's mind.
"I would not do that if I were you." Illyria spoke and looked directly into Padme's eyes. Obi-wan jerked his head towards Padme in surprise.
"If the hunters sensed what you were about to do, they would be upon us in no time." She spoke matter-of-factly and turned back to preparing dinner plates for the two Jedi.
With that, Padme and Obi-wan's questions were answered. The Iagonians could definitely sense the Force and they, along with Master Jinn and Master Antol, would not be able to use for the duration of their stay on the planet.
"Come now, and have some dinner." Illyria looked up after a moment when both Padme and Obi-wan made no move to sit down and eat.
"Oh really, for the last time I will not nor never try to hurt you." She stood up and huffed to get her own cloak that had been hanging on a hook by the invisible door.
After a moment she seemed to calm down and compose herself.
"You may stay here for the night," She said while straightening out the creases in her cloak against her body, "The search party will be out all night, so I would not even think about leaving until dawn if I were you. And when you do leave, be absolutely sure to travel not by the treetops but by ground. Trust me, my kind is not too fond of the solid earth and will not venture down there long to chase you."
Padme frowned. They would have to stay in that room all night, and without use of the Force. Sure, she was very grateful for the sanctuary Illyria offered them, but she wished she could at least send a telepathic message to Qui-gon to inform him of her and Obi-wan's situation.
She sighed.
"I wish I could contact my Master." She whispered to Obi-wan and went to sit down on the couch.
Illyria's ears perked up and eyes widened.
"You two are slaves?" She questioned with a shocked look on her face.
Padme and Obi-wan couldn't help but laugh at that comment.
Obi-wan grunted softly and tried to hide a smile.
"Sometimes it feels like it." He said under his breath. Padme snorted and gently elbowed him the ribs.
"No, actually..." She started and then went in to explaining to Illyria the Jedi and their hierarchical system. Illyria was very intrigued. She loved the idea of a way to harness the life force that resided in and around every creature. She was also very surprised to hear that the Jedi were keepers of the peace. When Obi-wan explained that that was the reason why they were on Iagone in the first place, Illyria got a sad look on her face and profusely apologized for her kind's actions.
"I cannot apologize enough for how you have been treated," She looked down with shame, "To think you were only coming to extend the hand of peace. I truly hope you do not believe that all of my brothers and sisters are such savages."
Padme placed a hand on Illyria's fur-covered one.
"Not at all." She said with a smile. Illyria smiled back. She seemed only then to realize the time.
"Goodness!" She abruptly stood up and grabbed her empty woven bag and slung it over her shoulder, "I must go now." She appeared to be very frightened.
"My husband will have my hide if I don't make it home before curfew." She was about to walk through the door, but realized her manners and turned back to say goodnight to the two bewildered Jedi, "Please, come here anytime you need help. You see that large rope button over there," She pointed to Obi-wan's left, "if you press it I, and only I, will be informed immediately that you are here and I will arrive as soon as possible."
She then turned to leave.
"Illyria," Padme's words stopped the small cat-like woman. Padme paused a second to smile to her, "Thank you...for everything."
lllyria's eyes brightened.
"It was my honor." With that she stepped through the invisible door and was gone.
Obi-wan and Padme turned to eachother after Illyria's exit and then glanced back at the table that held the various delicious looking entrees. The grumbles that erupted from both of their bellies at the sight of the food made each of them laugh with delight and head towards the small table. When they were sure that there was nothing wrong with the food, Obi-wan and Padme sat down to eat. It tasted as wonderful as it had smelled. Afterwards, they had to agree that what they had just eaten was one of the best meals they had ever had.
When they were finished eating, Obi-wan stood up and cleared the plates and containers and set them on the counter. After trying to arrange them as neatly as possible, he gave up and turned to face his fellow Padawan.
"We should really get some sleep." He said while walking over to where Padme was seated.
"I'll take the first watch." He looked down at her, "Why don't you get some sleep."
Padme could tell that Obi-wan was stressed about not being able to contact Master Antol, but without the Force she didn't know what she could do to calm him down.
"Come here." She said stretching her hand out to him. He took it with a curious look on his face and let her lead him to a sitting position with his back to her on the floor in front of her. Placing her hands on his shoulders, Padme felt the hard knots in his muscles gathered there. She started the deep tissue shoulder massage with a grimace.
Obi-wan sighed and closed his eyes as he let Padme's fingers work their magic. It was just what he needed after all that had happened to them during the day. He loved the fact that Padme had the uncanny ability to know exactly what what he needed at any given moment. It was almost like they shared the same brain at times. Obi-wan opened his eyes at that thought. When had he and Padme become so intimately close that they knew eachother's thoughts? His brow furrowed, but didn't have any further time to think about the subject as Padme opened a conversation.
"I'm glad that you're the one here with me, Obi-wan." She said with an unfocused gaze as she continued her ministrations.
Obi-wan's eyebrows twitched in wonder. He was touched by her words, but didn't know why it would matter who she was in their current situation with. As he thought it, though, he realized that he felt the same way. He wouldn't want anybody else with him either.
"Me too Pad." He smiled and started to think about what would happen to them when they returned to their treetop home.
"I am not looking forward to lectures we're going to receive tomorrow, though, when Masters Antol and Jinn find out how we got ourselves into this sticky little situation."
Padme groaned and leaned forward to rest her forehead on the crown of Obi-wan's head. She had completely forgotten that they would still be at the house they called home if they had not ventured out and decided to show off to eachother. She knew Qui-gon would go ballistic.
"Well," She started hopefully, "maybe they won't make us do our hard time until we get off this planet."
Obi-wan laughed at the comment. It was extremely wishful thinking.
"We'll see." He reached up and placed a hand on Padme's, "Okay it's time to for you to get some sleep so I can get to my watch."
He stood up and walked over to the armoire and retrieved a thick black cloak.
"Here." He said while gently covered his friend's form as she fully stretch out onto the couch.
"Don't forget to wake me up midway through the night." She reminded with a smile.
"Oh, don't worry," He smirked, "I plan on sleeping sometime tonight."
She laughed and closed her eyes, "Goodnight Obi-wan"
Obi-wan's eyes warmed up at the sight of her peaceful form.
"Goodnight Padme." He whispered, while leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. He didn't know why he decided to kiss her, it had just felt like a natural and perfect thing to do at the moment. Nonetheless, he presently didn't know how to define what their relationship was and how he viewed it, which confused him quite a bit.
Obi-wan gently smoothed out Padme's hair and turned to sit on the other couch on the opposite side of the room. Sitting down, he began his vigil and silently wished he could mediate to clear his mind and focus his thoughts.
'Oh well,' He thought with a sigh, 'I'll have all night to do this the old fashioned way.'
With that he closed his eyes and opened his ears to keep watch over the little sitting room, all the while trying to work out his changing feelings for the woman sleeping no more than two meters in front of him.
tbc...
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING THIS!!! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!!!