Later that night, I lay awake in bed, thinking about everything that Padmé and I had talked about. I realize that I never asked her what she thought about all of this. Oh well, some other time then. I roll over in bed and look at the space where my staff usually is. It's gone. I sit up in bed, and think. Oh great, I must have left it in the conference room. Well, I can't sleep anyway, so I might as well go and get it.

I slide out of bed and into the dark hallway, taking care to be very quiet. I pad softly down the hallway, and notice light coming out from under Padmé's door. Maybe I'll go and ask her now, anyway. I start towards the door, when I suddenly sense someone behind me, and next thing I know, something hits my knee hard and I'm pinned against the wall. By my staff. Hmm.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a voice asks in a quiet tone.

I recognize the voice immediately. "Obi?" I whisper.

"Zanni? Is that you?"

"Naw, it's Qui-Gon, yes it's me!" I hiss back. I grab my staff and push him away. I start to walk back towards my room, but when I step on my right leg, the onewith the hit knee, I stumble in pain.

"Do you need some help?" I hear come from behind me.

"No." I quickly reply.

-------------------

I shouldn't have kissed her! I shouldn't have pushed her away! If I hadn't kissed her, I wouldn't have had to push her away! I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have!

I walk slowly down the hallway, carrying Zanni's staff. She had left it in the conference room, so I took it to give back in the morning. It's very finely crafted. I toss gently from hand to hand as I walk. I can tell she's mad at me, and I don't blame her. I had acted so foolishly.

As I near the queen's room, I sense someone coming up the hall from the other direction. It's pitch black so I can't see a thing. Instinctively trying to protect the Queen, I use the staff to hit the person in the leg, and then pin them against the wall with it.

"What are you and what are you doing here?" I ask quietly and steadily.

"Obi?" comes the whisper.

I recognize the voice immediately. "Zanni? Is that you?"

"Naw, it's Qui-Gon, yes it's me!" comes the sarcastic reply. She grabs her staff and pushed me away. Now in the light coming from under the Queen's door, I can vaguely see her. She takes a step and stumbles on her right leg.

"Do you need some help?" I offer.

"No." comes the quick reply. She stands shakily, putting most of her weight on the staff, and tries walking again. Once more, she collapses.

------------------

"Okay, fine!" I say reluctantly. I don't want any help, but I must admit I need it.

He comes over and helps me up, putting his arm supportively across my back, and puts my arm across his shoulders. Together we start clumsily down the hall.

"You know, I had injured this knee and just finishes healing it a week ago, damn it! And now here you come along screwing it up again."

He remains silent, helping me along. We walk the rest of the way not saying anything.

We get to my quarters, and Obi opens the door. Suddenly I find myself being scooped up into his arms, and I can't help but laugh as he carries me over to my bed. He smiles and lays me down, setting my staff near my bed.

"How bad is your knee?" he asks.

I try to move it and wince. "Pretty bad, I think."

He kneels beside the bed, and pushed the material of mysleeping pants up past my knee. Carefully touching my knee, he examines it.

"This is going to hurt a little."

I nod and brace.

He snaps the knee cap back into place, and I draw a deep breath at the pain. I can feel that some of the tissue is still damaged, and will take time to heal, and I tell him that.

"Take time? Is a couple of minutes too long?" he asks, placing both of his hands delicately over my knee.

I look at him questioningly as he closes his eyes, and then I realize what he's doing. I can feel the energy flowing through his hands to my knee, healing the tissue. I lay back and relax, closing my eyes. The tissue heals, and Obi pulls the material of my pant leg back down.

I open my eyes a sliver and look at him, and he's looking at me. "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to use such powers in any situation as frivolous as this."

"How do you know so much about Jedi rules?"

I shrug. "I've known quite a few of them."

"Well, I don't think they'd mind too much if it was just this once. And besides, you need your knee to ensure the queen's security tomorrow.

------------------

It's true, she does need the use of her knee. And anyway, it's my fault that it was injured. I feel so horrible about everything that's happened.

Zanni closes her eyes again. She looks so peaceful, and so beautiful. Without thinking, I reach over and brush a strand of hair out of her face.

I stroke her hair gently, just watching her. "I'm sorry," I whisper.

She doesn't respond. I stand slowly and leave, turning out the light and closing the door behind me.

---------------

When the lights go out, Zanni opens her eyes. A second later, she falls asleep.

---------------

The next morning I decide to go back to Zanni's room to see how she's feeling. I walk down the hall, debating whether or not it's to early.

I turn the corner but quickly drop back out of sight, and peer back around the corner. She's coming out of her room, dressed in loose-fitting clothes and carrying only her staff. She looks quickly around and then takes off in the opposite direction down the hallway. I wait a few moments and then follow, treading silently.

I follow her outside. The town is silent, the sun just peeking above the horizon. A light mist lays gently over the land.

I have to be more cautious in following her, and watch her head into the nearby woods. I follow a little while later. When I enter the woods, I realize that I may have waited too long, for she's far out of sight, and I decide to trek almost blindly after her into the woods.

Soon I enter a clearing and stop at the scene before me. Zanniis standingat ease in the center of the clearing, here eyes closed, meditating. The thin mist and gentle sound of water nearby give the serene scene a slightly heavenly feel. Afraid to breathe, lest I disturb the woods, or mist, or her, I hold perfectly still, just watching.

I'm not sure how much times passes, but eventually the silence is parted when "Good morning, Obi" comes from her lips, the rest of her unchanging.

I don't know how to reply, and simply stand there, the silence wrapping around us once again. A few moments later, her voice gently parts the silence again. "Well, didn't you learn to reply when someone greets you?"

"Good morning," I reply, my voice seeming to shatter the silence that had resettled in that brief moment.

She smiles and opens her eyes. "Out for a morning stroll?"

"Sure, why not?" I shrug.

She walks over and picks up her staff, and walks over to me. "We should get back, we've got a busy day today." She walks past me, and I follow.

-------------

We return and Obi leaves to join Qui-Gon while I return to my quarters to change.

We all meet for breakfast in the dinning hall. The Queen sits at the head of the table, her chief advisor to her right, myself just after him. To her left is Qui-Gon and then Obi-Wan, placing Obi across the table from me. We start the meal in silence, but soon the Queen starts speaking about the security precautions that have been set up. She leaves out, however, our plan to use a decoy. We've decided that no one beyond her, myself, and her handmaidens shall know.

My foot hits someone else's foot under the table, and I look up. Obi looks up then, and I figure it's his foot. I smirk and push his foot out of the way, placing my feet where his were. He scowls back at me, and pushes my feet away. I push back, and we begin a little "foot battle" under the table, trying hard to seem as though nothing is going on. Suddenly his foot slips and kicks the advisor next to me, who starts.

I put my napkin to my mouth to cover my smile, trying very hard not to laugh, and Obi straightens his face. Qui-Gon throws a quick glance at Obi, but the Queen continues talking, and nothing happens. Obi and I finish our meal in silence, glancing at each other every so often, sometimes stifling laughter.

---------------

After breakfast, Zanni leaves with the queen, and I go with Qui-Gon. When we're alone, he speaks to me.

"Obi-Wan, your performance today was unacceptable."

I lower my head. "Yes, master. I apologize."

"In fact, you have been slipping quite a bit lately, padawan."

I look up at him.

"Is there something going on with you and this woman Zandra?"

"Master, don't you remember Zanni? That day you came, when you found me, she was there. You know, my best friend. You said it was too dangerous to train her, so we had to just leave her there? Don't you remember?"

"Ah." Qui-Gon nods. "Yes, that young girl. That's she?"

"Yes, master. She and I are, were, best friends."

He smiles slightly. "I see. Be careful, Obi-Wan. Emotion can be very dangerous when it becomes strong. The force uses it, and in dangerous ways."

I nod. I've heard this lecture many times before.

------------------

Queen Amidala, her handmaidens and I all go to the queen's private quarters, where we're going to make the switch. Dormé is already there, dressed in one of the queen's gowns, identical to the one the queen is currently wearing. One of the handmaiden's dresses is laying on the bed, ready for the queen.

Amidala sits down at her vanity and very carefully removes her makeup, while Rabé starts to do Dormé's hair in the fashion of the Nabooian queens.

I stand idly near the door. "Okay, now remember you are from this point on to address Dormé as you would the queen, and address the queen as," I glance at her, "Padmé."

"Yes, yes, we know. Don't worry." Rabé rolls her eyes at me.

Padmé had finished removing her makeup, her face very beautiful underneath it all. She slowly starts taking down her hair, as well.

"Come here, could you hold this?" Rabé motions me to come over.

I go over and she has me hold some of Dormé's hair in place while she pins it. "There, all done. Now for your makeup."

I walk back over near the door and continue to stand idly.

The Queen has taken down her elaborate hair, which is long and flows quite a ways down her back. She stands and picks up the handmaidens dress that's on her bed. "Okay, here we go." She walks behind her changing screen. After a few moments, her voices come out to us. "So Zanni, what was with your antics this morning at breakfast with the padawan?"

I can feel myself blush a little. But I have to laugh. "What about them?"

"You two sure flirt non-stop."

That takes me by surprise. I'd never even thought of that as flirting. "What do you mean? That's the same kind of stuff that we've always done." I look quickly at Rabé and Dormé. Maybe I shouldn't be talking about this in front of them. Too late now.

The queen reemerges, now clothed as Rabé and the other handmaidens. She quickly puts her hair up as the others have theirs. "So, how do I look?"

I smile. "Beautiful, my lady."

She frowns at me.

"Ah, right. Sorry. Beautiful, Padmé."

Rabé puts the finishing touches on Dormé's makeup, and Dormé stand to look in a mirror. She looks exactly like the queen.

"And how do I look?" she asks.

Padmé smiles. "Perfect, my lady."

Dormé smiles. "I sure could get used to this 'my lady' stuff."

The switch has been made. We leave the queen's chambers.