As you probably notice, I changed the title into only: A Story of A Lady. I have someone to thank for that. So, thank you lazy.kender. Seriously, you're a wonderful person! Thanks for your kind review. About the spelling errors.. Well, I guess the F7 button didn't really work, ya? Haha! I hope you'll still be reading the fic. Personally, I don't really mind about the number of the readers. I just wanna share my story. If I didn't do it, I could probably die... :p
Sorry it took a long time for me to update. I just got back from hospital.. Typhus! Duh!
Without further ado, here it is.. Chapter 9!
9
And so, the lessons began. Obi Wan and Padme were to meet at the ground where the fallen tree trunk was. They should've finished at afternoon, or at dinnertime at 6 o'clock. But the lesson had to be stopped long before that, for Padme's physical condition forbade Obi Wan to teach her much further. Her pregnancy had cost her her strength and she became easily exhausted and unable to move on. Yet, Obi Wan assumed that Padme was so preoccupied with her own thoughts she quickly lost her concentration. He began to doubt the effectiveness of the lesson.
On the night after the first lesson, Organa and the two Jedi missed Padme's presence after the dinner had finished. That night, something weird was rushing along Obi Wan's mind. It told him to set out for the 'dry ground'. He was there today, he and Padme. He thought he would be alone this night, but he was wrong. He had, at last, discovered her hiding place. Obi Wan stood still -reluctant to mar her peace- behind her, who sat as still as if she was made of an ice. She looked upwards at the dark blue sky that was decorated beautifully with million stars.
Obi Wan was about to walk away when all of the sudden, she, sensing his presence, turned her head very, very slowly. When she was eyeing him, he, once more, noticed the tears in her eyes, but not on her cheeks. More slowly than the way she turned around, she opened her mouth to utter, "I'm not going for another tonight," thinking that Obi Wan wished her to continue this morning's lesson.
He was glad he had stopped himself from leaving her earlier as he now appeared beside her and replied, "You know what? Teaching you how to use your Force is important, but I just decided, reminding you how to smile is not so much different."
He did approach her to state this words to her, but he did not look at her at the face. Hence, he wasn't aware that she was actually at between the lines of bewilderment and amazement. So bewildered and amazed at the same time that she stared at his temple and dropped her jaw. He felt her gaze and turned his own into her eyes, which suddenly, had looked away at something else. She started to look at the stars again, but his staring tickled her nerves and she had no other option, but to stare back at him. But he, then, had fixed his eyes on something else, too. He still sensed her eyes on him a couple of seconds later, so without actual warning, he shifted his object from the darken swamps, which he didn't actually looked at, into her brownish eyes. The tears remained still. Even the feeling of shock and shame for having caught red handed by him, couldn't make them fall. She quickly was back at her stargazing activity once more, leaving no choice for Obi Wan but to do the same. Her cheeks were blushed as the result of losing the childish game she and her tutor just played. But the childish game had undeniably opened a door, which the winner thought he would never be able to unlocked.
The next day, Padme looked more relaxed and less reserved. She still kept her silence, but the lesson hour was now seemed longer, because after the lesson were halted for dinner, they would be continued by the moment of solitude between the lady and her Jedi. She would fill the silence with observing the stars. Yet to Obi Wan, she looked as if she merely wanted to look up rather than to look at them. Her eyes wandered undirected and Obi Wan wondered what she was thinking of.
Perhaps she just tired of being quiet, Obi Wan didn't know. But what he knew was that night; she unexpectedly parted her lips to ask, "What will happen?"
Obi Wan was much more perplexed at her sudden change than the question. She, of course, didn't know this. So, when he who she inquired to answered nothing and eyed her instead, she repeated, "To my baby? What will happen?
"The thing that scares me the most, other than…," she looked uncertain before she moved on. Obi Wan could have guessed what or whom she was referring to.
"Is if anyone takes my baby away from me. I mean, that's what happens, right? You're gifted with Medichlorians, or The Force, or whatever. And they take you away from your mother, just like A… Just like you,
"Don't you ever miss them?"
When she finished, she finally turned around to meet him staring attentively at her. He coughed before he could answer, " We Jedi never…"
But she had stopped him from continuing his words, "Never distract their minds with unessential things. Yes, I know that."
She was, of course, right. He knew it, and she knew it also. She sighed at hearing her own words. Her movements signalled him that she was about to return to her seclusion. And suddenly, the urge to hinder her came out of nowhere from him.
"I… did try searching for them."
She looked back at him. Her frowned brows indicated that she was interested to know more. "And?" she encouraged.
"I found them," he continued. "I was 14 and you know how 14 year olds are,
"You know how you were when you were 14,
"I ran away from Qui Gon as soon as I succeeded tracing their home. They lived not far away from the Temple actually,
"When I got there I dared not to knock on the door. I hid myself on the corner of the street, behind a tall building, hoping that one of them would come out at any time. It must've been hours, but they did finally come out,
"First it was my father, then my mother followed."
"And then?"
"And then nothing. Her belly was as round as yours now. And I saw her smiling as glee as my father. I knew afterwards I had to go back,
"When I turned my head, Qui Gon was standing behind me. God knows how long he had been standing there. He touched my shoulder slowly and gently spoke, 'Let's come home, Son.'"
"You never saw them ever since?"
"No. Seeing them on that instant moment and knowing their names are good enough for me."
"You know their names? What are they?"
"My father is Luke and my mother's Leia."
"Those are beautiful names."
"Thank you, M'Lady."
"Obi Wan," said she, sounding upset, "how long have we known each other?"
"From the time you first became a princess, to the time you first crowned as a queen, and to the time you first expecting your first born."
"Stop calling me 'My Lady', then."
"What should I call you?"
"Padme! What else? I'll just call you…," her eyes strolled around, looking for some inspiration. A thin line of faded smile appeared once in a while on her lips, but the eyes still mirrored with tears.
"Ben!" she exclaimed finally.
"Ben?"
"Yes, Ben. It's nice. And finer than Obi Wan or Master…"
The faint smile was lost abruptly as she reminisced the man who used to name the man he was now with as 'Master.'
"I think I better go to bed now," Obi Wan sullenly suggested, "you should, too. Tomorrow morning will be as hard as today,
"Good night," he said as he moved away from her. He didn't expect a reply, but somehow, he felt on top of the world when he heard she saluted back,
"Goodnight, Ben!"
He left her with a grin on his face. A grin whose origin he didn't know. Was it joy? Was it satisfaction? He left her with a grin on his face. But she whom he left, suddenly succumbed at the feet of despair. And she looked up at the dark blue sky, at the stars. She returned to her thoughts once more.