A/N: Sorry that I haven't updated for so long! I fell and broke my right foot while hiking and I've been laid up from a little bit. I was still writing, but not able to get to a computer. Thank you for the reviews, I hope you will enjoy the next few chapters of the story.

Night had fallen and three crescent moons appeared high above Hesperas when our ship landed. The stars seemed so much brighter here than they did on any other world that I had ever visited. The cool breeze carried with it traces of moondew flowers and elusive night-blooming roses that were native to this planet.

Breathing in deeply, I savored the fresh air.

No matter what else happened in my life, I was safe here. The great black marble palace of Jos'El'Saleel sat silhouetted against the argent streams of moonlight that fell all around us like blazing, mirrored shards. Every light in the palace was illuminated and cast a soft golden glow from each window like some ethereal, mystical castle of old.

I wanted to fall to the ground and press my lips to the soil in gratitude of being home, but a Nafora showed dignity at all times. To do otherwise would be to embrace dishonor and that was something my father had cautioned me against all my life.

Footsteps echoed against the boarding ramp behind me. The approaching presence was one of peace and yet... and yet I could sense something dark swimming just below the surface this man-child. My heart was hammering against my ribs; pounding out a frightened rhythm that I prayed would not betray me before him.

How can he be the one? A Jedi? A youth just emerging from his boyhood?

The questions roiled about my brain as I turned to look Anakin Skywalker in the face. It seemed so unfair to me that my heart and my spirit were being guided toward him of all males in the galaxy. I remembered the tales my Aunt Teresea had told me when I was a little girl that the Force would one day bind me with my true mate.

Teresea had herself never married, but she truly believed the teachings of old that each sentient being in the universe had been split in two at their spiritual creation; these two spirits occupied separate bodies for the duration of their physical lives and would only know true joy when rejoined with their spiritual mate.

Unlike so many of my people, Aunt Teresea had approved of my father's marriage to my mother. She had told me that they were one beneath the flesh and their union was preordained. Honored for her great wisdom, Teresea was none the less considered by the other Royal Houses as moved by pity for her brother when she blessed my parents joining.

I nodded to Anakin and tried to calm my nerves. "Welcome to Hesperas, Padawan Skywalker."

"Anakin," he corrected as his eyes scanned the palace and the line of soldiers facing us.

I lost my chance to refuse the familiarity politely.

"Kadal! My lady!"

I turned and laughter bubbled up from my chest despite my best efforts to suppress it. There, running past the palace guard and hiking her long skirts above her knees, was my cousin and best friend, Elenya.

Elenya Galavox was Jarus' younger sister. We had grown up in one another's company and despite the rampant prejudice of even my closest kin to my blood status; Elenya had never cared one whit that my mother was an outworlder.

On Hesperas, physical touch was deeply frowned upon both in social circumstances and in the private world of one's home. Indeed, the only true time touching was permitted was between married couples in the privacy of their bedchamber and between parent and child; especially when the child was in their youth. Physical contact was unavoidable during martial training and military exercises and so was tolerated for purposes of combat.

Elenya had never really cared for that particular rule either and threw herself into my arms. "I've missed you so, Kadal! You must tell me all the gossip from Coruscant!"

I noticed that several of the guards were staring in disgust at our display and I cared not; instead I hugged her even more tightly and breathed in the familiar light, floral perfume that Elenya had worn since her youth.

Drawing back from her, I laughed and squeezed her shoulders affectionately. "Elenya, my dear one, I have missed you as well! Come, let me introduce you to our guest." I turned and smiled at the young Jedi who was watching me with mirth dancing in his midnight eyes. "Elenya Galavox, this is Padawan Anakin Skywalker. Padawan Skywalker, my cousin, Elenya."

Elenya's startlingly blue eyes grew wide and she stared openly at the now smiling young man before her. She was only a few years his senior and she had never seen an outworlder herself. "Are you really a Jedi?"

"I am," he confirmed with a grin. "Please call me Anakin."

She bowed her head and smiled at him in return. "Of course, Anakin. Have you eaten yet? The harvest feast will begin soon and I know Uncle Yllian would wish you to join him."

Anakin looked toward the palace and I heard the faintest angry gurgle break free from the region of his stomach. "I should report to Master Yoda… "

I barely suppressed a chuckle as he looked to me as though unsure. "Please, find your master, Anakin. I will be at the feast later myself and I hope that you will accept our hospitality."

"As you wish, milady," he answered with a curt bow before heading toward the palace. I found myself staring after Anakin; horrified by the desire I had to follow him.

I was not surprised when he came to a jerky halt and turned to stare at me with a quizzical expression. My cheeks warmed in the pewter starlight and I was glad he could not see just how very pink my face had become. He raised one golden eyebrow and turned, shaking his head, before marching straight down the marble path leading to the palace.

You had best learn to control that mind of yours if you intend to keep any privacy at all around the Jedi! My mind hissed in warning.

Sighing, I turned only to find Elenya watching me with a gleam in her eyes. I raised my brow in question and she smiled innocently. "What?" she questioned playfully as we fell into step beside me.

"What indeed?" I muttered before shaking my head as I was treated to a gale of merry laughter.

Hands trailed through my hair, gathering up long locks and neatly braiding them in quick succession. Expensive cream was applied to my hands, arms, neck, and face that gave my skin a soft, ethereal glow; the current fashion in Hesperasian cosmetics was to use a special skin cream imported from Ryloth that boasted ground crystal as one of the ingredients.

I looked in the mirror as my servant, Shalani, finished with my hair. The effect was both serious and flattering; each small braid was gathered to the back of my head and secured there with diamond hairpins in the shape of crescent moons.

Our eyes met in the mirror and Shalani nodded brusquely. "Come, the lady wishes to be alone with Princess Elenya." The two younger girls giggled as they wiped their hands on rags and retreated, bowing several times between them, from the room under Shalani's dark glower.

Though bright and more than capable, I despised Shalani as much as she loathed me. Our mutual animosity ran deep and stemmed directly from my tainted bloodline. She enjoyed taunting me with her expression of superiority and I took pleasure from reminding her in subtle ways of her place.

Elenya came to stand beside me and fiddled with a long lock of her chestnut-colored hair as we watched each other. "I am sorry that you feel so indifferent toward Prince Organa. He seems very kind and he truly cares about you, I sensed this quite clearly."

I shrugged and stood. "Father will not be swayed. Mother beseeched him to release me from this obligation, but he holds fast to his decision." Looking at the woman facing me in the mirror in her ornate, gold brocade gown, perfect coiffure, and flawless make-up, I felt a bit ill at the thought of what was going to happen tonight.

Turning, I walked briskly from the room and Elenya fell easily into step beside me. "The betrothal will be sealed tonight," I murmured. "You have no idea how I dread the ceremony, Elenya."

The betrothal ceremony was an exchange of rings and of promises to wed before an assembly of the entire Nafora House. There would be thousands present and to renege on such a promise after it had been made was considered unthinkable. The actual marriage ceremony was precisely one year to the day of the formal betrothal and was a very intimate, private affair with only close family in attendance.

Elenya nodded thoughtfully, her lovely face filled with concern. "Do you feel anything for him?"

"Friendship," I confided in a soft voice. "but nothing more than that. He isn't the one for me and I cannot explain to you why."

The corridors in this part of the palace were painfully bright and I felt the familiar, tiny spasm in each of my eyes that signaled the descent of the protective lenses over each eyeball. I wished, not for the first time, that I had inherited my mother's average Corellian eyes.

Nodding to the guards that now lined the intricately carved marble walls, we passed them by in silence. It was only upon arriving at the throne room that Elenya laid her hand on my arm tentatively.

I drew up short and stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"You must not marry Erron Organa if you do not love him," she whispered as she drew close to me. "To do so would be a grave injustice to you both."

I closed my eyes to seal them against the sudden hot tears that threatened to break free. "I know, but father… "

Cool fingers tipped my chin downward and I opened my eyes to stare deeply into Elenya's intense gaze. "Your father will forgive you in time, Kadal. Remember, you are a Hesperasian and no Hesperasian woman will ever be forced into a loveless marriage after the Sith; it is our way."

I opened my mouth to respond, but a cheerful male voice interrupted.

"My lady, you are looking particularly lovely tonight. I'm gratified to see that you are wearing the gift I brought to Hesperas."

Elenya drew back from me with a cool, neutral expression. She smoothed the blazing copper silk of her gown and nodded at the handsome man now standing so close to us. "Your Highness, we meet once more. Forgive me, but I need to meet with my brother."

"Something I said?" Erron asked with a smile as he turned to me.

I shook my head and allowed myself to smile in return. "No, Elenya has not had a chance to speak with Jarus yet since he returned with father from Coruscant." I twisted my fingers together nervously as Erron took a step closer to me. "Thank you for the gown, it is lovely."

Erron Organa was my height and we found ourselves staring into each others eyes. He had the most intriguing hazel eyes; flecks of green and gold dotted haphazardly across the irises in an intricate, yet random pattern. Tanned and now sporting a closely cropped goatee, Erron had chosen to wear his naval uniform and looked quite dashing. There were constant comparisons between him and his older cousin, Senator Bail Organa, as the two bore a striking resemblance.

He flashed a large grin at me and bowed. "It was my pleasure, Kadal. I have thought of you often since our last meeting."

"Your Highness… " I began to stutter and cursed myself for my own foolishness. "Erron, may we speak frankly?"

Erron frowned briefly, but nodded and followed me into a darkened alcove. The shadows shielded us from unfriendly eyes and I knew that we could speak uninterrupted. My heart told me quite clearly what must be done, but I was loathe to act upon my impulse. I watched as my mother passed by with her ladies-in-waiting, resplendent in deep purple satin and bedecked in the jewels of the House of Nafora, and remembered her words from the previous evening.

"I cannot advise you on whether or not to break off your betrothal to Erron Organa, Kadal. You alone must decide to follow what is your heart."

Erron Organa was not in my heart and I could not imagine a life of marriage to him. I liked him, I respected him, and I cared about him, but I did not love him and I knew that I would never love him as a wife ought to love her husband.

Fear pulsed through me; thick and choking. I wanted to run as far away as I could from the palace and all the problems I knew would follow.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I drew a deep breath. "Erron, I cannot marry you."

He did not seem surprised; in fact, he smiled at me. His eyes carried sympathy in their green-gold depths and Erron shook his head before relaxing against the wall behind him. "Thank the merciful Force," he muttered in rich, deep voice. "I have never been fond of all these ridiculous courting rituals."

"What?" I blinked in surprise. Was I hearing him wrong?

Erron laughed and wiped a hand over his face before standing once again. "I have to confess that as delightful as I find you… I would much prefer having a wife that might actually love me one day." He shook his head. "Bail convinced me to pursue you and your father was as eager for the match as my cousin was. I think Alderaan and Hesperas will be able to forge a strong alliance without our marriage."

I found a slight grin stealing over my lips. "You are a wise man, Erron Organa. Friends?" I offered him my hand in the custom of the Core Worlds.

Erron looked at it for a moment before gripping it in his own. His hand was large and warm, like his heart, and I knew then that we would carry a special bond until the day we died. "Friends," he agreed in a soft voice. "Allow me to break the news to your father. I believe that if I plead an excessive love for my career that he'll be a bit more forgiving."

I didn't have the heart to correct him. "Perhaps, perhaps."

The throne room of the Nafora family was magnificent. The entire room was set in carved panels of gold-brown agate quarried not far from the palace of Jos'El'Saleel. A huge chandelier of gold and champagne-colored crystal was set in the center of a ceiling that was itself a mosaic of the night sky; each small tile of the mosaic was a semi-precious stone such as Corellian lapis or Alderaanian onyx. The floor under our feet was gold-veined marble that seemed to glow in the rich, ambient light that filled the room. The throne was simple black marble and carved with the Hesperasian design of vines and set upon a small raised dais.

Indeed, the very name of the palace, Jos'El'Saleel, meant in Hesperasian, the jeweled place. It was a very appropriate name.

Guards clothed in black and gold lined the walls and three stood on either side of my father. My mother, because of her status as an outworlder, was forced to stand, not beside my father's throne, but far behind him; shrouded behind a silken, gauzy curtain that gave only the vague hint of her figure, but none of her features.

My heart boiled in my breast at the unfairness of it all.

Jarus stood at the bottom of my father's dais clothed in crimson and wearing an appropriately subdued expression. He was every inch the heir to the Nafora line as he indeed was. My father had wasted no time in naming Jarus his heir and settling the surname of Nafora upon him. Jarus was a Galavox no longer and now my adopted brother. It would be he who would lead the Nafora family when my father died and it would be he who could decide my fate and that of my mother when the time came. Though he was kind and like a brother to me, I shuddered at the thought.

The pronouncement took me by surprise and I stared in shock at my father, but I knew enough to hold my tongue. Father had every right to choose a successor and I was not considered fit by our people because of my mixed blood.

Thunderous applause from the hundreds of clan members around us reminded me sharply how very deeply the old ways were embraced. This was not likely to change any time soon.

Looking sideways, I was not surprised to find Anakin Skywalker watching me. The ancient Jedi Master, Yoda, stood quietly at his feet, leaning on his gimmer stick and scrutinizing the Hesperasians celebrate father's announcement.

"Lady Kadal Nafora and Prince Erron Organa have petitioned to speak before you, Your Majesty," Jarus announced in a smooth, emotionless voice.

Father nodded and stared at me with intense interest. I felt the barest pick of his mind brushing casually against my own and I clamped down tight on my thoughts. He frowned, but nodded. "Speak Prince Organa, for I sense that you burn with the desire for discourse."

Erron seemed only mildly surprised. "King Yllian, I must beg pardon from you, but I must withdraw myself from the betrothal to your daughter, Lady Kadal, for reasons of unworthiness."

The people in the crowd fell deathly silent and my father's face was as expressionless as stone. He turned to me with flashing eyes and I could feel his mind brushing against mine with urgent insistence, but withdrawing when I refused to give way.

Father sat as still as one of the statues in our gardens; his eyes flickering from me to Erron and back again. His voice was cool and his tone dull, as though he were bored, when he finally spoke. "Pray tell, Prince Organa, how is it that you deem yourself unworthy to wed my daughter?"

"I cannot resign from my post in the Republic Navy. Kadal would not be able to dwell onboard a naval ship and the marriage would therefore be in name only." Erron looked at me briefly before returning his attention to my father. "Lady Kadal deserves more than an empty marriage."

"What does Senator Organa think of your decision?"

Erron shrugged. "He will be unhappy, but Bail will understand my reasoning."

Father turned to me, his gaze piercing my flesh and seeing straight inside my very soul. His handsome face twisted and he relaxed against the rigid back of his throne. "Very well, I cannot mandate that you marry if you do not feel Kadal will be fulfilled. As you are undoubtedly aware, Prince Organa, to force my daughter to wed someone who is unwilling would break our laws and customs."

"Is it not also against our laws to force a woman to marry against her own will?" I asked softly.

I was aware of hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at me in disbelief.

"A valid point," my father conceded softly, a dangerous glint in his eye. He turned to Jarus. "I wish everyone to leave aside from yourself, the Jedi, General a'Alvas, and the Ladies Nafora."

Jarus nodded solemnly. "N'aer soola k'end vimmna."

Ten minutes later only seven of us remained and my mother stood close beside me; a deep worry etched into her face that shamed me. The last thing I had ever wanted to do was to cause my mother any pain.

Father stood and came down to stand in our midst. He appeared old to my eyes once more and very, very tired. Glancing around at all of us, he did not allow his eyes to linger on me and my attempts to sense his feelings were rebuffed at every turn. It was then that I realized how very hurt, and possibly angry, he was at my rebellion.

"I will not delay the bad news any longer," he began. "Count Dooku has contacted me and he has also contacted Prince Arzian Ullaasi with the repeated offer to join the Separatist Movement."

"Bad this is," Yoda stated quietly. "contacted your greatest rival he has."

Arzian Ullaasi, leader of the House of Ullaasi, was the second most powerful man on Hesperas; He lusted after the title and station of King of Hesperas. With the strength of the Royal House of Ullaasi, Arzian would push for the other five royal houses to pledge their support to him. If he decided to follow through on his ambition.

Father nodded. "Indeed, I feel that this could conceivably spark a civil war on Hesperas. That is why I must ask you, Master Yoda, to work closely with General a'Alvas. Whatever the truth is concerning the death of my sister, you and Padawan Skywalker must discover it."

"We will," Anakin stated in a soft, yet deadly strong voice.

Yoda nodded thoughtfully. "Need your daughter will we."

"WHAT?" Anakin and I shouted nearly at the same moment. I would have been amused if the circumstances had been different. Anakin appeared as shocked as I was.

Father's brow rose and his eyes darkened. "Please explain, Master Yoda."

"Learn about your culture we must and an expert Anakin will need. Work I will with General a'Alvas." Yoda appeared completely indifferent to the shock and then the appalled expression that crossed the young padawan's face.

Anakin deliberately kept his attention on my father and I was very relieved. "I think that I will be just fine… "

"No," father declared in a slow, decisive voice that left no room for debate. "Your master is right, Padawan Skywalker. On the morrow you will take my daughter and leave Jos'El'Saleel. I believe that you will want to start your investigation where Queen Teresea was assassinated."

Yoda shot a look at Anakin that promised a private discussion later. "Have much to learn still do you, padawan."

I was filled with hot angry sparks of rage that burned across my heart. "Father, you really cannot be serious in sending me with this Jedi!"

Yllian Nafora drew himself up to his considerable height and stared down his nose at me as though I were a small, annoying insect. "Oh, I am very serious, my child. You need to be ready to deal with outworlders, Kadal. Now, go and seek your rest as I expect that Padawan Skywalker will want to leave early in the morning."

I felt suddenly very, very small in stature and my face burned with humiliation. I knew better than to argue and I left the room with the uneasy feeling that my father's concerning outworlders held some sort of a warning and a promise.

My heart was heavy that I should be sent alone with the boy who had haunted me in dreams for months on end. It felt like a punishment and I was deeply afraid.