The slightly apprehensive audience silenced as the chamber's double doors slid open and Dormé entered the room, followed closely by Padmé, who stopped halfway down the steps leading to the stage below, her eyes fixed upon the Jedi Master she had been forced to put her trust in.
Yoda nodded a couple of times in order to offer her some courage, and Padmé negligibly shook her head in response.
How in the galaxy was she going to get through this?
According to custom, Anakin approached her and bowed, rose and offered her his hand. She hesitated, bringing her attention quickly to his face. His wink and small smile eased her worries somewhat, but she noticed when she raised her hand to place it in his, for the first time today, it was shaking.
Anakin leaned forward and down, placing a kiss to her left cheek and then to her right. "It's going to be all right, Padmé." He whispered before he withdrew.
Padmé attempted a smile, but it faded quickly. Her eyes once more sought out the ancient Jedi Master.
Padmé's bondmatch escorted her down onto the stage, which was covered with a detailed carpet designed after the symbol of the Shidoki. She and Anakin stood on the lightsaber hilt pattern toward the front, while Obi-Wan stood to the right over one of the wings and Dormé on the left on the other wing pattern. Yoda approached them slowly to stand on the area designed after the crystal.
"A mystery, sometimes the Force is." He began. "Guides a Jedi in all things of life and love. Gathered here today because the Force bonded two people together, you are. This bond, after today, broken it cannot be. Once revealed, witnessed, and accepted, these two life forces, tied together forever will be. Understand you this?" Master Yoda looked up at Anakin.
"Yes, Master Yoda."
The ancient Jedi then looked to Padmé, waited a moment and was pleased to hear her hushed reply.
"Yes."
"If a true bond has been made," Yoda continued. "The Shidoki crystal, reveal to all it will."
Yoda then turned to his left, facing Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi? The Shidoki medallions you have?"
Obi-Wan reached into his pocket and withdrew two shining medallions, each embedded with half of a crystal. When held together, the two medallions formed the symbol of the Shidoki, revealing to all that these two separated brought together become one through the Force.
He handed the medallions hanging from their long silver chains to Yoda and stepped back to his former position.
Yoda held one medallion up for Padmé to take and the other he held up for Anakin.
"What the Force brings together, separate, no power can." He then nodded to Anakin who held out his medallion.
Padmé held hers out as well and as one, they joined the two pieces together.
And nothing happened.
The crowd began murmuring and the young couple tried it again, but to no avail. The crystal in the two medallions was dormant and dark.
Obi-Wan was soon peering over his apprentice's shoulder.
"What's wrong?" he whispered to the youth.
"Nothing's happening!" Anakin whispered back over his shoulder.
"Something's wrong!" Obi-Wan hissed back a little louder. "It should be glowing or something! Are you doing it right?"
"Yes, I'm doing it right, Master!" Anakin replied with a trace of irritation edging his words.
"Obviously not or it would be working, padawan."
Anakin noticed that lately whenever his Master called him by his title, it sounded just a little too critical.
He spun to face the older Jedi. "Then you do it!" He practically yelled as he thrust the medallion out in his hand.
Obi-Wan glared at the young man for a second, grabbed the medallion and then stepped toward Padmé who seemed frozen in place like a statue, her mouth slightly ajar, mirroring many of the faces in the audience who seemed stunned due to the uncharacteristic outburst of the two Jedi.
"You just take the two medallion pieces and put them together like this." Obi-Wan demonstrated, gently grasping Padmé's hand in his and joining the two crystals.
The room was immediately filled with a blinding white light that caused all of the onlookers in the room to shield their eyes. Obi-Wan pulled his half of the medallion back in shock and looked down to Master Yoda who did not appear surprised in the least. In fact, he was wearing the largest grin he had ever seen on the little green troll. Mace Windu also was smiling, and he had the suspicion his padawan was as well.
He turned around and confirmed just that, before he faced Padmé. Her face revealed nervousness and a little bit of that feeling was seeping through his shields.
Obi-Wan consciously lowered those shields and for the first time, felt all the emotions that the young woman before him was experiencing: Nervous anticipation, hope, and love.
Love.
And not love for Anakin, but for him!
Still in shock, he rotated around to once more look at his padawan.
"You knew, didn't you." His voice was low and filled with an emotion he couldn't quite yet name.
"Yes Master." Anakin smiled, reached up and squeezed Obi-Wan's shoulder.
Not yet fully realizing what was happening, Obi-Wan turned to look upon Yoda. The wise Jedi merely cocked his head, perked his ears, and waited for his question.
"How…Why didn't you tell me?" Obi-Wan's words weren't angry. He was just baffled as to how he could have been so blind. How had he misinterpreted what the Force had so clearly revealed to him? "In the hallway, you said…"
"I said, that young woman, solved your problem, she has." Yoda replied. "And she has."
Master Yoda waited as the significance of his words and the memory of their conversation in the hallway sank in, and watched with slight amusement as a myriad of emotions displayed on Obi-Wan's face, slowly erasing the evidence of irritation and stress that had been so prevalent over the past few months.
Obi-Wan slowly turned once more to face the woman standing patiently in front of him, the worry still evident in her entire countenance.
"Padmé." He whispered. "I'm so sorry. I've been a damn fool."
"Shhh." She responded as a small grin crossed her face. "No more talking."
The broad smile that appeared on Obi-Wan was short-lived as Padmé reached up and pulled his head down to claim his mouth with her own. It was a kiss as sweet and demanding as the ones he had experienced in his dreams, but in reality was so much better. He pressed against her soft lips more firmly, daring to seek out her tongue with his own and when he did, a soft moan vibrated against his mouth.
The sudden intruding sound of applause interrupted their intimate embrace and both blushed slightly as they pulled back from one another, becoming aware once more that they weren't alone, but would be soon if Obi-Wan had anything to dowith it.