The meal was a lavish and private affair, with a wide variety of meats and side dishes served. Obi-Wan ate his fill and tried to truthfully answer all of the King's questions, of which there were many.
How long had he trained as a Jedi? When was he knighted? Who had been his Master? How many missions had he been on? What were his most difficult ones?
They continued talking long past the meal had ended, the atmosphere and easy conversation allowing the knight to relax.
Padmé seemed relaxed as well, he noted, as she sat across from him, but to his dismay, he found that she also was silent. She seemed content to sit and listen to their conversation, and Obi-Wan was disappointed that she had not participated in it. There was so much he wanted to know about her. Not wanting to raise suspicion, however, he kept most of his attention focused on the King.
The Lady of Lonessa, however, was anything but bored. She was secretly intrigued by every word the young man said, the way he said it, the way his mouth formed the words, the way his lip curled up into the occasional adoring smirky smile, and the way his aqua-gray eyes sparkled when he spoke of his past.
When he would occasionally glance her way to apparently try to include her in the conversation, she turned her head. Padmé was afraid that Obi-Wan would somehow see the interest and longing in her eyes.
Having wished Qui-Gon a good night, Padmé paced about in her room. She had declined Sabé's offer of sleeping medication, choosing to save it for Rabé, whose arm had been placed in a temporary cast, and was having difficulty falling asleep.
Padmé checked on the young woman, who appeared to have finally drifted off and then walked over and grabbed her cloak.
Her actions grabbed the attention of Sabé who had settled herself into a chair by the fireplace with a holobook in her lap.
"I'm going to take a walk." Padmé told the young woman as she moved toward the door.
"Would you like for me to go with you?"
She paused at the doorway. "No. I'll be in the courtyard…working out a few things."
Sabé knew exactly what that meant. Whenever Padmé was troubled or worried about something, she tended to run through a vigorous series of combat exercises to the point of exhaustion, after which she would return to her room and literally collapse upon the bed. Sabé had seen it happen several times before. The young handmaiden settled comfortably into her chair, knowing full well that she was going to be there a while.
Obi-Wan mentally withdrew from his evening meditation and stared into the orange and red flames of the fire that crackled before him.
What was he doing here? He should leave now before it was too late. But he knew that that time had already passed. He was completely infatuated, possibly even in love, although he was unsure. He had never been in love before, but he had read about it and he had seen it. His friend Garen at the Temple had been in love and had told him all about it. Obi-Wan knew the signs, and recognized some in himself. There was an unfamiliar yearning in his heart to be near her, to watch her, listen to her….to touch her.
How could this possibly work out? He argued with himself. Even if he could change her mind, what could she do but return to her people and planet, leaving the King broken-hearted and possibly even vindictive? His actions could only damage Lonessa's relationship with Naboo and he – a Jedi, a peacekeeper of the galaxy, would be responsible.
Besides, he may have been wrong where Padmé's feelings were concerned. She was obviously not as interested as he had initially believed. Perhaps he had been in the Rim too long. He obviously couldn't read women any longer.
Obi-Wan's mind wandered back to their time together in the woods. She hadn't shunned his affections, but she hadn't seemed all that receptive of them either. Had he forced himself upon her? If so, then his mistake was much more grave than he thought.
However, her respirations had increased, and her face was flushed when his kiss had ended. But perhaps that was due to her earlier exertion alone. She had just attacked the last of the Correllians.
That must be it.
Obi-Wan groaned in self-disgust as he rose from his kneeling position on the marble floor. His body was weary, but his mind was occupied with regret and remorse over what he had done and what he should have done.
Having previously meditated, Obi-Wan knew that there was only one other way to clear his mind so that he could find some rest this evening. He pulled back on his boots and grabbed his cloak, palmed open the door and left his quarters.
A stroll through the palace gardens and courtyards should help, he decided. And besides, he wished to see and experience the beauty of Naboo once more before he left for Coruscant first thing in the morning.