The rest of the day was fairly uneventful for Zekk. After meeting with Tenel Ka he headed for the central office for the royal security force. As personal bodyguard, Zekk had only to answer to the Queen Mother herself, but he had to oversee in some way the rest of the force.
He could feel the tension as soon as he entered the door. The others seemed to know why he was there, who he was and the women did not offer him a warm welcome. Zekk didn't really expect one. Instead of staying any longer than he needed to have a look around Zekk decided to familiarize himself with the palace. The last time he was here life was so different. There hadn't been much time to explore. And anyway, it was getting near lunchtime and Zekk was starving. He was a bit surprised when he saw someone hustling his was as he left the security offices. The young woman approached Zekk, bowed to him and spoke through gasping breaths.
"Her Royal Highness, Tenel Ka, requests your presence for mid-day meal. If you would follow me, Master Zekk, I will take you to the private dining chambers," she said quickly.
Zekk chuckled at being called Master and nodded at the girl, urging her to lead on. As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, Zekk was glad he got an invite to dine with Tenel Ka, to see her again so soon.
As they walked Zekk noticed the lightsaber at his waist drew quiet a bit of attention from everyone in the palace. Apparently having a Jedi Knight for a Queen didn't fully change Hapen attitudes toward the Jedi. He walked silently trying to ignore the hatred and fear launching at him from passer bys. He wasn't here to change minds. He was here to do a job, to help Tenel Ka. Maybe in doing so, his actions would change ideas.
The woman led him through a series of manned and unmanned security check points and into the private parts of the palace. This was where Tenel Ka had Zekk reside but where he was going was new to his eyes. The palace was bigger than Zekk first thought.
Much like Tenel Ka's private office, these hallways were much quieter that the public halls. There was also a major decline in traffic as well. Only servants and other close members of Tenel Ka's staff padded down these maroon carpeted hallways.
After a few hundred turns it felt like, Zekk was completely lost. There were no sings, no landmarks, nothing to alert you to your position. People kept comings and going from hidden doors in the walls. Hoping there as a map he could get his hands on to memorize, Zekk just allowed himself to be led to their destination.
Finally, after walking over ten minutes the young woman stopped in the middle of the hallway they were currently traveling along and turned to face the wall to her right. Zekk knew there should be a door somewhere in front of them but he couldn't find it. Before he could use his Force talent for finding mechanics the woman took a hold of Zekk's left hand and planted it flat, palm down in the middle of the wall. There was a red glow around Zekk's hand and he felt a bit of warmth slowly crawl up his arm. The wall sunk back a bit from his touch and slid to the left, opening to a small room. He felt pulled inside, hoping to see Tenel Ka again. The door slid shut behind his with a slight wind and Zekk found himself alone.
One end of the small room was dedicated to a programmed holoscreen showing a garden somewhere in the palace. Zekk had to remind himself that he was probably in the bowels of the palace, not on an upper level overlooking these plants. The rest of the walls were paneled, dark red wood. A small, four person table in matching red wood sat in the middle of the room. Two large chairs sat at opposing ends of the table while benches finished the seating. A bit uncomfortable as to what he should do or where he should sit, Zekk decided to stand near the holoscreen as if to figure it out.
Tenel Ka only kept him waiting a few minutes. She entered from the opposite side of the room from where Zekk had, surprising him a bit. He pushed off the wall where he was leaning as Tenel Ka came quickly around the table toward him. He was aw struck at her beauty as she got closer, a heat rising from his gut to darken his pale cheeks. He quickly bowed, hoping to hide his blush. Tenel Ka put her right hand under his chin and attempted to straighten him. Her touch sent a spark of electricity through Zekk and he resolutely stayed still. After a bit he realized he couldn't fight her, he came out of his bow but kept his face toward the ground.
"Zekk? Have I offended you in some way?" Tenel Ka asked, worried at her friend's odd behavior.
"No, Your Highness. You could never offend me," he quietly responded. His voice was barely above a whisper hoping to hide his emotion.
"If you call me Your Highness one more time, anywhere, I will slap you across the face, Zekk," Tenel Ka said her voice rising in feigned anger.
Is that a promise Zekk thought to himself.
"Understood, Your Highness," he replied, testing her resolve.
Like promised Tenel ka quickly raised her right hand to strike his cheek but he was to quick for her. Instead he caught her wrist and held it aloft and he looked deep into her eyes, a serious expression on his face. He was overjoyed to see her eyes were dancing with something… happy. Joy? Maybe. This caused his heart to flip and his grip to lessen on her wrist.
How did Jacen pass her up Zekk asked himself.
To cover his recent thoughts Zekk smiled once again and reached out to the table with his left hand, the right still firmly holding Tenel Ka's wrist down near his hip. "Shall we?"
Tenel Ka nodded a bit as she gently pulled her hand out of Zekk's. He followed behind her to her seat and pulled it out for her to sit. She took the offered seat but pulled it in behind her, herself. Zekk smiled at this defiance and quickly crossed to the other side of the table and sat down, never taking his eyes off Tenel Ka.
"Did you have any trouble finding the room, Zekk?" Tenel Ka asked, casually placing her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand. She looked almost childish that way, a side of her Zekk had never seen. He guessed that her position was taking a toll on her, more than anyone knew, and she had begun to let her guard down a bit.
"Well, I had a guide. Otherwise I'm not sure I would have made it past the first turn. Is it supposed to be this confusing?" Zekk asked without inhibition as sounding stupid. He'd known Tenel Ka for years and didn't need to feel dumb around her.
"Actually yes it is. The fact that there are no signs, landmarks or real doors is supposed to confuse potential kidnappers or assassins. Sometimes it's works, sometimes it doesn't. It takes a while to get use to. I'll have a map sent to your quarters after lunch for your review this evening."
"Thanks. I sure would appreciate that," Zekk answered with a genuine smile. They both fell silent as a third hidden door slid open and a servant entered carrying two plates. She sat one down in front of Tenel Ka with a bow then sat one down in front of Zekk. He noticed the bow he received was just as deep as the one Tenel Ka was offered. Being the personal bodyguard had its perks.
Zekk followed Tenel Ka's lead, removing the lid from the plate to reveal… something he wasn't expecting. Instead of some fancy meal there was a plate in front of him containing nerf sausages and other typical things more common at his old apartment. He guessed Tenel Ka wanted to make him feel a bit more comfortable by offering something a bit less foreign as she didn't seem too excited at the faire in front of her. She gently cut up a few of the sausages and slowly ate them, her eyes lowered to the table. Zekk took this time to study her closer than he'd been able to yet.
While there were no real visible signs of the acid attack that had cost Tenel Ka some of her eye sight, Zekk could see the scars around her eyes, especially her right one. They were faint pink traces, like the reflection of water on a wall. It didn't seem to bother her as she just kept blinking and eating, her eyes following her movements on the plate. There was also a faint scar running along her left cheek from her hairline down to her jaw. Zekk wasn't sure how Tenel Ka had received that injury but he had a pretty good idea. It had to be from the Myrkr trip, when the Vong had captured the Jedi Strike team and the proceeded to physically torture them. There had been many scars on that trip, physical and mental, that would never heal. This one had, but Zekk wondered how many Tenel Ka carried around that still bled as fresh as when they were created.
Tearing his eyes away from Tenel Ka, Zekk turned to his meal. He thought it rude to not eat, so he dove into the meal with glee. He was hungry and the meat filled his mouth with some of the most wonderful tastes he's ever experienced. Sure, it was just simple nerf, but it was prepared in such a way to envy almost any chef in the whole galaxy. Before he knew what was happening, Zekk had finished his meal, side dishes and all, and sat back into his chair to wait for Tenel Ka to catch up with him. She noticed he was finished, put down her own utensils and fixed him with a warm gaze.
"How are you enjoying yourself here on Hapes so far? I hope your room is comfortable for you," Tenel Ka said, her hand falling to her lap, lips lightly pursed.
"Oh, it's wonderful. Much better than where I came from. The bed is so warm in the mornings it's hard to get out. Not to mention the rest of the accommodations. You guys really outdid yourselves," Zekk answered excitedly. He wanted to build excitement so that maybe Tenel Ka would stop by to see his suite.
"I'm glad you're comfortable, Zekk. I hope it's not to much. If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask. The Palace is your home while you're here, treat it as such."
Just then the third door slid open and the same servant came back in to pick up the plates. Tenel Ka fell silent as she watched the woman out of the corner of her eye. The woman bowed low again to both of them then hustled out of the room leaving them alone.
"If you'd like, I would be more than happy to give you a personal tour of my home. You might learn more that way. Then again, I admit I know very little about the history of the Palace and it's fountains," Tenel Ka suggested, her gaze warming even more now that she new there would be no more interruptions.
"I would like that very much, if it's not to much to ask, Tenel Ka."
The barest hint of a grin flittered across Tenel Ka's face as she stood. Zekk followed her to the wall opposite from where he had entered the room from and stood just off her left shoulder, behind her slightly. He quickly realized he should have stood on her right side, so he could escort her arm in arm down the hall and blushed just a bit at the thought.
It was at that moment, that thought of his skin coming in contact with hers, that a massive wave of passion swept over Zekk. Something he'd been holding back all morning. Before he knew what he was doing, before he could stop himself, he reached out with his right arm, wrapping it around Tenel Ka's slender waist. The fabric of her dress was so smooth on his forearm as he pulled her toward him. He closed his eyes and quickly planted his lips upon hers, passion flowing out of his body and, hopefully, into her. She fought for a moment, a bit stunned at the sudden event, but soon enough Zekk felt her body loosen under his touch and her hand snake around behind his neck, deepening the kiss.
They held each other for what seemed like an eternity, until Zekk pulled away, satisfied. They looked deeply in each other's eyes for a moment before Tenel Ka did something that surprised both of them.
She returned the kiss, harder than before.
After what seemed like an eternity, Zekk finally let go of Tenel Ka. He quickly opened his eyes to monitor Tenel Ka's reaction. Her eyes were still closed, as if she didn't want the moment to end. Zekk ran his hand along her right cheekbone which cause her eyes to flash open. Their gazes met and held for an intense moment before Zekk lowered his to the ground, respectfully.
"I…I… I'm sorry, Tenel Ka. I don't know what came over me. It will never happen again," Zekk sputtered out, unsure of what was really going on.
"I would not wish for that to happen, Zekk," Tenel Ka replied softly, a slight red tinge gracing her cheeks.
Zekk was unsure how to answer. His gaze rose once more to Tenel Ka's, searching for what he should do next in her face. Finding her normal visage had returned, Zekk turned to the only thing he could think of.
"Um… how about that tour?"