Nights on Mandalore were chillier than Satine had expected them to be. While she had spent years on the planet, usually when night fell, she was safely tucked away in her warm palace. But this was not a usual night.

She was not tucked in her bed in her palace when night fell. Instead, she was sitting in front of a small campfire in a cave, her knees pulled up to her chest in an attempt to stop herself from shivering.

At least she wasn't alone.

Master Qui-Gon Jinn had left she and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, hidden in this cave almost two hours ago. The men who had been tracking them had lost them for now, and Qui-Gon went off to ensure they were safe. Obi-Wan didn't talk much, even after spending so much time watching over her whenever Qui-Gon was away. He had explained why he was always so quiet, but she found it a bit hard to believe that the silence 'helped him focus'. Focus on what?

"It's unlike Master Qui-Gon to be away for so long."

Satine nearly jumped at the smooth sound of Obi-Wan's voice. She glanced over at him, her gaze returning to the fire a second later. What she had noticed was that he was sitting stiff as a rod, his eyes closed and his legs crossed as if he were mediating.

"I'm sure he will return soon." Satine said simply as she let out a deep yawn.

"You should sleep."

His voice was enticingly smooth, laced with a semblance of concern that caused her to look over at him again. She nearly shuddered at the intensity in his eyes when she realized they were open, and she wondered how someone as young as she was could hold so much emotion in their gaze. She shrugged in spite of herself, tightening her arms around her knees and resting her chin on them.

"I'm not sure I can sleep."

He offered no response, the two of them watching the world go by as slowly as it did outside their cave. The grass in the field outside swayed gently with the breeze, the moon illuminating each blade of grass in its own unique way. Satine's gaze drifted upward, and she found herself speaking in awe without realizing it.

"The stars are lovely out here…"

Her voice was soft and wistful, laced with a hint of sadness. She knew how it sounded, and couldn't say that she hadn't meant to say it that way. She loved her palace, it was where she could see to it that all of her people were well taken care of. But she longed for moments like this, where she could simply sit there and bask in the beauty of the universe above her head.

"You… you are the Duchess." He stated rather quietly. "You could come here and observe the stars whenever you wish."

"I'm afraid that would be rather lonely." She smiled a bit, her eyes not leaving the stars outside.

"Your guards would be with you."

"They… aren't much of a social presence."

The fire in front of them began to die down, and Obi-Wan went to add more wood. While he was busy, Satine stood up and walked to the cave's opening. He watched her quietly, nearly burning himself when he forgot how close his hands were to the fire as he finished adding the wood. He debated inwardly on whether or not to join her, but eventually found himself standing next to her anyway as she leaned against the opening of the cave… to protect her, of course.

"How do you do it?"

Her question was soft, nearly inaudible. But he had been listening for it and so he heard it clear as day.

"...do what, exactly?"

"Be a padawan. Knowing what you know. Seeing what you've seen."

She didn't need to explain further. He knew what she meant.

"It's for the greater good. I will protect people as a Jedi knight, like Qui-Gon protects you."

"I... I heard that Jedi aren't allowed to have friends."

Obi-Wan stiffened at that and looked away from her face, a wave of dread enveloping him. He had forgotten about that. Qui-Gon had said that attachments weren't allowed in the Jedi Order. They were dangerous.

"Attachments are frowned upon, yes."

"So you aren't allowed to have family? Or fall in love?"

He was glad her eyes were still scanning the scene in front of them, so she couldn't see the pink coloring his cheeks. He didn't need her being aware of the strange way she made him feel.

"No," he said quietly. "A Jedi must be able to make tough decisions. Forming attachments hinders that ability."

"Who am I to you?"

She still wouldn't look at him, and for some reason that made him more uncomfortable.

"You are… the Duchess, who is under my protection."

"I see."

"Is that not a satisfactory answer?"

"No, it's… a perfectly satisfactory answer. Not a believable one, but satisfactory."

Her eyes were on him now, the moonlight illuminating the blue in her eyes. A wave of some foreign emotion washed over him, and he found himself feeling a bit flustered.

"As a Duchess, I am not outrightly told not to form attachments." She looked away from him again. "I suppose I could do so as I wish. But neutrality is a complex stand to take. I will face opposition. Perhaps I should adopt that part of the Jedi Code to protect those I care about as well."

"...If you wish to do so." He said stiffly, a strange pang of regret needling at him. Part of him did not want her to avoid attachment as he was going to do. She was her own person. She should be able to do as she pleased. But wasn't he his own person as well?

They were silent again, the sound of the wind around them and the dirt shifting beneath them the only things breaking the silence.

"Obi-Wan?"

Her voice was soft and tentative, as if she were about to ask the most dangerous question in the universe. And in a way, she was. He turned to look at her, unsure of how to respond and offering a single raised eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Will you kiss me?"

His entire body went stiff so quickly that it took his mind a moment to register what she had just asked. Had she just asked him to...kiss her? Obi-Wan blinked in shock, his heart beginning to frantically pound in his chest. He nearly clutched at it, unsure of what to do with the very warm emotions he was feeling right then.

"I… I'm not sure I understand the… purpose behind…"

She didn't respond for a while, her gaze locked on the stars again. He saw the redness of her cheeks, saw the twitch of her fingers, heard the shakiness in her breathing.

"How are we to know that we want to avoid attachments if we do not understand the danger in having them?"

Obi-Wan was surprised to note that he saw her point. He was so willing to just throw attachments out of his life that he had never thought of how exactly they could be detrimental to him in the first place. Qui-Gon had explained it to him once before in great detail, but even then, he had walked away with doubts.

And yet here was a chance to understand. He would be learning something. Surely Qui-Gon would see this as a good opportunity to be taught something of relevance to the Jedi Code. That would justify this.

Nothing would be learned if he simply continued to stand there and stare at her in contemplation, and so he did what he had to do… to learn, of course.

Without any semblance of hesitation or concern, young padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi pulled young Duchess Satine Kryze into his arms, kissing her tenderly underneath the luminescence of a full moon.

A/N: OH NO THE CRINGEEEEEEE lol I hope this didn't make you cringe to death. I'm trying my hand at some prompt stuff since I literally can't seem to finish a single story apparently. I'm trying to finish up other fics but this one is a nice easy little break between those. Review please!