Before I begin, it is my obligation to thank the wonderful people who have read and reviewed this story... Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi, Lincoln Six-Echo (Hey, I like your screen name!), and Kenobifan. I hope you'll still keep reading and liking this fic...
As you read this chapter, I want you to swirl back your mindand startreminiscingAttack of the Clones because I'm taking Obi Wan and Pooja to the place where Padme and Anakin first kissed...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!
4
They quickly jumped into Pooja's ship. Through the journey, he could only sit back on his chair beside the pilot's; Pooja's. She said nothing along the way, so he spoke not. The travel turned out to be a short one, and it was less than an hour, but Pooja had already landed the ship comfortably.
When Obi Wan stepped out of the ship, what he saw was one of the most appalling views he had ever seen. Trees crumbling everywhere, swamps, dirty soil, animals' waste… Even the sky above was darker than it was anywhere else.
Said Pooja, "Now Ben, I believe you've been here before. Or at least, you've been to this planet."
Obi Wan didn't know what to say. He was sure he had never been to a place so eerie. He scrutinised his surroundings once more. The thought of something that Pooja told came back to him; something she said about the Emperor ruining her planet.
"This is…," he paused for some moment, not wanting to believe what he himself just found out and half wishing his guess would be wrong.
"Naboo?" he finished the words, finally.
Pooja merely smiled grimly. Obi Wan couldn't believe his own eyes. Where did those green leaves go, he thought. The blue waterfall, the colourful buildings?
"I barely recognise it myself."
She looked to Obi Wan; his jaw dropped and he was still staring at the cruelty before him. She continued, "Do you know where are we exactly?"
"No. No, I don't."
"Lake Country. That's where we are, Lake Country,
"When you told him to protect my aunt, this is where they hid. Where they fell in love, where they got married…,
"At 24."
"As old as you are now."
"Yes,
"During her refuge, my aunt once wrote me a letter, saying she went into hiding here. She told me not to tell it to anyone,
"How she loved this place, she told me once she did want to get married here,
"When I did my research, I went to a priest, and he confirmed my wild guess. They did get married here. He said he remembered it, because their wedding was the only one whose droids as its witness."
She led Obi Wan through the cracking stones to, what seemed to him, stony fences. When they reached the fences, Obi Wan just realised that they were actually standing on some kind of a balcony. Before them, meters below, was the black lake. They rested their weigh on the fences. It looked fragile, yet it was still able to support both of them safely.
"Sometimes, I went here just to write. This place inspired me. I can feel their presence here. I feel them,
"Like, for instance, I know they were here before. She was standing right at where I'm at now. And he was standing where you're standing now,
"They must be talking. I'm not sure about what, but I know that, suddenly, they can help their feelings. They looked one another, and then, they kissed,
"But my aunt pulled away. I know she would. She must be talking about her obligation and work and those nonsense she had to speak about to deny her feeling. She was always like that."
"You seem to know her really well. No wonder you're so detail about that main female character of yours,
"Every time I read your book, I feel like knowing her,
"Beautiful, brave, and generous."
"Not just her. I mean, I know I only met Anakin once, but when I sat down here and started to write, I felt something, like I have known him for a lifetime,
"I know he's made the greatest mistake in his life by turning to the dark side, but to me he's just this ordinary man, the man who has good in him, the man in my book,
"Caring, loving, kind..."
They stopped. Lost for words. They stopped to see at each other's eyes. And at that time, they knew.
At that time, she realised, the gentle look she always imagined to write about the man in her book wasn't the look of Anakin's. That the mild touch she pictured when she wrote wasn't the touch of Anakin's. That the calming voice she heard when she wrote her book wasn't her uncle's.
At the other hand, he realised that the round brown eyes he thought about when he read about the woman in the book wasn't the eyes of Padme's. That the warmth he sensed when he read wasn't the warmth of Padme's. That the courage he knew the woman in the book had wasn't Padme's.
When she looked at him, she realised that the look, the touch, the voice belonged to the man standing next to her.
And when he looked at her, he realised that the eyes, the warmth, the courage belonged to the woman beside him.
At that time, they realised they had fallen in love. And when they had accepted the fact, they kissed.
Their kiss was smooth and long. And when they finally broke apart, he felt a smile forming on his own face. The smile that was completely gone soon after he saw that the same smile in her face slowly vanished.
"We shouldn't've done that. It was wrong. We shouldn't do it!"
"But why? If I had known it would feel this right, I would've come to you long ago."
"You mean you wanted to be like your apprentice? Is that it? You want to be like Anakin, falling in love and betrayed all of us?" Her tears broke off.
"Pooja, I'm different. I know I won't be like him…"
"For goodness's sake! You're a Jedi! You're not supposed to fall in love!"
"Pooja, I love you… I didn't know, but now I do…"
"No, you can't. We cant."
"Pooja, listen to me..."
"I don't want to hear anything!"
"Won't you just listen to me!"
"I'm getting married!"
Silence.
"What?"
"I'm engaged. I'm going to get married in 2 days."
"Is he Marius?"
When she didn't answer, he moved on, "Do you even love him?"
"Does it matter? Look at Padme! She married the man she loved, look what happened to her!"
"Then why did you write! You wrote about love and its power, but here you are! You don't even believe what you wrote!
"Maybe you shouldn't even write! It's useless!
"Your book is useless!"
None of them spoke afterwards. The moon was beginning to emerge when Obi Wan talked, "I'll ride."
He walked fast, leaving Pooja behind. He heard her footsteps tailing his. He waited for her to climb in to the ship and sit, awkwardly, beside him before he launched the buttons and flew the ship.
Just like before, the trip back to Tatooine was filled with silence.