Chapter 2 – Naboo

The waterfalls were refreshing to both Padme and Obi-Wan as they walked up to the palace. The river that ran through the city was clear and the jedi remembered all too well the little journey he had years ago. When he looked up at Padme he realized she must have said something because she was looking at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry M'Lady what did you say?"

Padme smiled and wove her arm in his. "I simply asked if Naboo had changed much since the last time you were here."

"Oh. No, it hasn't your majesty." He said looking up at the palace.

"Padme, Obi-Wan. I'm not the queen any longer and I thought we agreed to call each other by our first names."

"Oh yes." He said and ran a hand over his face, smoothing his beard. "When you were growing up, did you ever dream you would be living in the palace?"

Padme shook her head, a smile on her face. "No. I wanted to play my whole life. I wanted to have dreams but never really fulfill them. Does that make sense to you?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "It does. After you reach your dreams you would just have to create a different one."

Padme was lost in thought as she climbed the stairs. "Do you have dreams you never want to come true?"

When she wasn't answered right away she looked up at the profile of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. She was shocked that she had never noticed it before. He was handsome. His eyes were a beautiful light blue; his nose and mouth were placed perfectly on his face. He had just the right amount of facial hair to make him look more mature then his real age. He was muscular and Padme knew of the rigorous training jedi had to go through. His body left little for the imagination.

"Well, sometimes M'….Padme."

She shook her head remembering the question she had asked not too long ago.

"Hmm." She said and he opened the door for her.

Anakin was walking with one of the Kaminoian's as she explained the clones that he recently found out were created for the republic. He thought it was odd that a jedi master had put in the order for the army.

"What do you do with the host?"

"Oh, we keep him here."

Anakin nodded and walked the white halls till he found the room that held Jango Fett and his 'son', an unaltered clone named Bobba Fett. He met the son first and the dad second they looked alike very much so.

After some idle chit chat Anakin started asking the appropriate questions.

"Have you ever been as far in to the interior as Coruscant?"

"Possibly."

"Recently?" Anakin asked, not missing a beat.

Before the man asked he said something to his son in his native language. "Can't say I have."

Anakin decided to end the conversation there. "Thank you for your time Jango." He said and bowed.

"Always a pleasure to meet a jedi."

Obi-Wan held the door open for Padme as they entered the palace, looking around the jedi got the distinct feeling that something was wrong. The feeling was coming from a person. Quickly he probed Padme's mind, nothing wrong with her then he felt it again, this time a little stronger.

"Mother, father!"

Obi-Wan looked up to where Padme was calling and sure enough he felt the piercing gaze of Padme's father. Padme hugged them both and then introduced Obi-Wan as her guard.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mister and Missus Naberrie." He said and bowed out of respect. Padme's mother smiled at him.

"There is no need for formalities Master Jedi, call me Hilda. Are you two hungry? Dinner is almost ready."

"Oh that would be wonderful mother thank you." Padme said and R4 whistled. "I will show Obi-Wan to his rooms mother so he can put the luggage away and then we will join you."

"Why not let Sabe show him? That is why we still have her on staff." Padme's father, Cornelius said clapping his hands. Instantly the handmaiden that Obi-Wan remembered as Padme's decoy arrived. "Show Master Kenobi to his rooms."

The handmaiden nodded and bowed before motioning for Obi-Wan to follow her. Cornelius put an arm around his daughters shoulders. "Now my darling I want to hear what you have been up to."

Obi-Wan followed Sabe to his rooms that contained a very nice sitting area, bedroom, bathroom and another empty room that he would use for meditation. Sitting his luggage down he opened the huge double doors that he found lead to a balcony overlooking the lake. He smelled the sweet scent of Naboo's natural beauty before changing his robes to something more appropriate for dinner with the Naberrie's.

Padme gave a short smile to Obi-Wan when he came to join them for dinner, he was wearing much the same as when they came but they were almost bran new and he had taken a shower. Spotting the empty chair across from the senator he sat and nodded to all three. The table was short and held the four people who were their comfortably.

"Tell me Master Kenobi, how long have you been a jedi?"

Obi-Wan looked to Padme's father who he assumed was all business. 'As he should be.' A little voice said in the back of his head. He almost missed Mrs. Naberrie's eyes roll at her daughter who giggled.

"I have been a jedi as long as I can remember. I was taken to the temple when I was two years old. After some general training I was taken as an apprentice by Master Qui-Gon Jinn when I was thirteen. Ten years ago I was made a knight and now I am a master as I am training an apprentice myself." Obi-Wan said as if it was rehearsed.

"Where is your apprentice now?" Cornelius said as if trying to get Obi-Wan to admit he was a bad master by not knowing the whereabouts of his young padawan.

"He is on Kamino looking for the bounty hunter that tried to assassinate your daughter."

The two parents became quiet and looked at their daughter who was eating her food as if nothing was wrong.

"And why does the jedi, council is that right? Think you are the best one for the job of protecting my daughter?"

Padme had heard about enough from her father and she decided to come to her friend's aid.

"Father, Obi-Wan is a very capable jedi. I have seen him fight with his lightsaber and I do say I've never seen anything quite like it. Also, when the little droid was leaving my window that night I was in danger he simply jumped out the window in order to find my assassin."

Obi-Wan looked at her for a while before turning back to his food.

"It seems you are the perfect one to protect my daughter master jedi, and I thank you."

"You are very welcome Mrs. Naberrie, and it is my pleasure. Your daughter will be safe with me."

When the dinning room had been cleared and the four retired for the evening Hilda scolded her husband.

"That is a very nice man Cornelius, you let him be. He is simply doing his job for the galaxy."

"Well I don't what him to get any thoughts about my daughter in ways I wouldn't see fit. I know his kind. Everyone thinks jedi are so loyal to their code and their way of life. Do you know they are supposed to be celibate? Well eventually all that lust that they hide away will come out on some unexpected woman who is simply infatuated with them. I don't want what happened to my sister to happen to my daughter.

Hilda looked at her husband in shock. What was he talking about?

TBC