OBI WAN

Obi-Wan watched from him place by the window as Thalia spoke to the young girl who tucked under a warm blanket on the sofa. She was still crying and after a failed attempt at calming her himself, Thalia had stepped in and was now sitting on the edge of the sofa.

"Now, I want no more of that." She said sternly as the girl sniffed loudly. "Are you afraid?"

Korna shook her head.

"Cold? Hurt? Hungry?" Thalia asked and the girl thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Then there's no reason for any more tears. You're safe now, so get some rest. We'll be here to watch over you." She finished gently as dabbed the already drying tears on the girl's cheeks with the sleeve of her gown.

Obi-Wan watched the pair wistfully. It had suddenly dawned on him that this child would have been him if his parents hadn't allowed for him to be trained and taken to the temple. Seeing Thalia with Korna made him feel some way he'd never felt before. He didn't know what it was, but it was as if everything had suddenly fallen in to place. Why? He didn't know, but it was a feeling that only strengthened when Thalia smiled up at him. It filled him with hope of things to come.

Korna yawned once and the Princess pulled the blanket right up to her chin before standing, to join Obi-Wan at the window.

"That was amazing, what you did." He said and she shrugged humbly.

"I didn't know if it would work, i just had to try it." She replied.

"No, I mean just then." He corrected, nodding to the sleeping child. "I would have been too afraid to give her the 'get over it' speech."

"Tough love works most of the time. More often than not they just need to realise that the world is not going to end, no matter how much they cry." Thalia said with a distant smile. "I'm a teacher, so I understand the way the minds of children work."

"Hold on. You have a job?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, I don't get paid to be a Princess, just as I assume you're not paid to be a Jedi." Thalia pointed out and Obi-Wan looked out across the Palace Square as he digested this new information. He'd always thought that she would've been too busy or didn't need to bother with a regular job.

"What do you teach them?" He heard himself ask.

"Mostly Troska's history. You'd love the children." Thalia said, her face instantly lighting up as she spoke about them. "They're always asking questions, eager to learn and know everything."

"That sounds familiar." Obi-Wan chuckled, thinking about how eager to learn he had been, and still was in many ways.

It was silent for a while until Thalia asked the question he'd been dreading.

"So, that holocron. I know I already asked, but I just can't help but think I should be worried. It definitely wasn't the one with my Midichlorian count on it was it?" She asked hesitantly, almost embarrassed to ask and Obi-Wan knew her well enough to know that she was worried about sounding like she didn't trust him and that hurt him more than anything.

"No. It was another." He said and even he was surprised by how confident her sounded. He was getting better at lying, which only made him feel worse. "Master Qui-Gonn and I will leave to retrieve the Holocron in the morning to ensure it does not fall into the hands of the sith. We think it best you stay here."

"I agree. I don't particularly want to be around any more Bounty Hunters than I have to." She replied, clearly relieved she could stay behind.