A/N: Hey everyone! Chapter three now up and running. Bit of an emotional one this time...
Trinity Day: Nice suggestion...but I've already written all the other chapters lol. Basically the situation's gone out of control because the general public are making it into a huge deal, and there are extremists. Neither the prince or the princess are able to stop them really, and they haven't done anything to encourage it. Hope that makes a little more sense.
Blossomlite: Not for a chapter or so yet. What kind of a story is this if it has no miscommunication? Hehe.
Thanks to ShalBrenfan, szhismine and noxavis for your reviews! Keep reviewing! And everyone else, please review too.

Chapter Three

"…I mean, it sounds really interesting," Telisse was saying.

Anakin forced a smile, and kept his concentration on piloting the speeder. Not that he needed to – but it helped to tune the princess's chatter out. All day long he had had to listen to her explain the election to the Teidonese citizens, and then he had to listen to her make conversation and answer her endless questions while they made their way from place to place. She had not stopped talking since they had left the palace early that morning. It was now late afternoon and they were making their way back to the palace.

"So is the Jedi Code hard to follow?" she asked.

Anakin didn't respond – he was sensing a strange disturbance in the Force. Something was going to happen…

He brought the speeder to an abrupt halt and got out. He began to circle the vehicle, reaching into the Force to find out what was wrong.

"Why have we stopped? What's going on?" Telisse asked, hopping out of the speeder.

"Something's wrong with the speeder…" Anakin answered briefly, focusing his mind.

"Wrong? What's wrong with it?"

He sighed. "I don't know. That's why we've stopped."

She blinked and looked up and down the length of the vehicle. "How strange – there wasn't anything wrong with it yesterday. Maybe something broke? Well, if it did, I'm sure you can fix it. You'd be able to fix anything, I'm sure. I wonder if –"

"Your Highness, please!" Anakin interrupted. The exasperation in his voice was clearly audible. "In order to find out what is wrong with the speeder, I have to concentrate. And I can't concentrate when you're talking to me!"

He turned back to the speeder, but if he had kept his head up a second longer, he would have seen the hurt on her face and the tears slowly welling up in her eyes.

"I'll – I'll just get out of your way, then," she said, her voice wavering.

Anakin detected the tremor in her voice, and sighed. I suppose I should apologize, he thought. Even though it was true.

"Princess, I'm –" he began.

But when he looked up, she was gone.

Obi-Wan was meditating quietly in the palace when his comlink beeped, interrupting his concentration. Kimmel turned around briefly at the noise, and then turned back to the window.

"Master," Anakin's voice came through. Obi-Wan frowned. His Padawan sounded tense and slightly panicked – something was wrong.

"What is it, Anakin?" he asked, concerned.

"It's Telisse. She's – gone."

Kimmel jerked his head around sharply at the sound of these words, and Obi-Wan could see the fear in his eyes.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked.

There was a slight pause. "We were returning to the palace, when I felt a strange disturbance in the Force – something was wrong with the speeder. I got out to find out what was wrong, and when I looked up, she had disappeared."

"Kidnapped?" Obi-Wan questioned, worried and apprehensive. Kimmel crossed the room swiftly to stand beside him, his fear for his sister radiating off of him.

"No, Master. She just – ran off."

"What do you mean, she just ran off?" Kimmel demanded angrily. "What did you do? What did you say to her?"

"I just told her to be quiet so I could concentrate on what was wrong with the speeder," Anakin said defensively.

"How could you just lose her like this? And why aren't you looking for her right now?" Kimmel was getting angrier and more distressed by the second.

"Kimmel, please," Obi-Wan said, holding out his hand in a reassuring gesture. "I'm sure Anakin is doing all that he can."

"That's not all, Master," Anakin added.

"There's more?" Kimmel exclaimed incredulously. Obi-Wan gave him a warning look.

"The damage to the speeder appears to be intentional. The brakes have been tampered with. Another few minutes of travelling and they would have broken down," Anakin continued. "Someone sabotaged the vehicle."

"Sabotage?" Obi-Wan said sharply. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Master."

Obi-Wan glanced at Kimmel, whose eyes were wide with shock and fear. "All right, Anakin. I will find out who could have tampered with the speeder. Go and find Telisse and contact me when you have her. Bring her back here as quickly as possible – she is still in danger."

"Yes, Master."

Obi-Wan shut off his comlink and turned to the prince. "She will return safely, I assure you," he said.

Kimmel nodded grimly. "She had better."

Telisse tried to brush her tears away as she ran, but they just kept falling. She could hardly see where she was going, but she knew the city so well that her blurred eyes had no effect on her feet. She turned a corner and paused for breath, leaning against the stone wall beside her.

"What did I do wrong?" she asked the empty air, her breathing shallow from crying and running. "I just wanted him to like me…"

She slid down the wall and put her head on her arms, a fresh wave of tears swamping her eyes.

All I wanted was for him to see me as someone interesting, someone he would want to get to know. And I tried so hard to be that girl – but it was all for nothing. He thinks I'm a chatterbox who never shuts up and is always happy. He'll never like me for me. He'll not even want to get to know the real me now anyway.

These thoughts only made her cry harder, soaking the sleeves of her tunic. After a few minutes had passed, she drew a hand across her eyes and sniffled. She thought of what her father used to say to her – "Don't worry about crying, Telisse. Let it out and send those tears away. Then dry your eyes and move on."

She stood up and dusted her tunic off. All right, dad – I'll move on, she decided. I'll go somewhere I can feel happy. I'll go do something that I love. And maybe I can forget Anakin and the stupid way I've been acting around him.

Hopefully.

She walked on, moving briskly as if she were trying to shake off her feelings and memories. When she reached the door of her destination, she hesitated and looked down at her clothes. She wasn't dressed correctly – she might stand out. But then she shook her head – she didn't care what she looked like, as long as she got inside.

And as Telisse ducked into the building, she did not notice the black-clad man with a blaster pistol slip in unseen behind her.