They walked to the greenhouse in amicable silence, as if they were completely comfortable with each other.

Which we are, Obi-Wan thought with a bit of surprise.

The long years spent in solitude, and the need to be always alert against possible bounty hunters and Imperial spies had made him wary of being in company of someone.

He had come to like his solitude and to dislike when he had to break his isolation to go to Mos Espa to buy food or other stuff he needed. That's why he felt ill at ease in the Rebel base.

He was no longer used to having so many people so close, and that was why he had decided to work out early in the morning. He had hoped to avoid drawing a crowd, as had happened the previous day.

However none of his idiosyncrasies came up when Leia was concerned. In fact he quite liked to be in her company. She was witty, charming and intelligent, with a personality as strong as her Force signature.

It was a pity she was not aware of her strength in the Force and that he could not train her as he had started doing with Luke, but he did not think he had the skills to train two apprentices at the same time.

Obi-Wan smiled ruefully at himself. Until a few years before, he had even doubted he had enough skills to train a single Padawan, given what had happened with Anakin—but now he knew better.

Qui-Gon had made him see that, while it was true he had committed mistakes with Anakin, they were not serious enough alone to lead his Padawan to his downfall. It had been Anakin's decision to turn that had ruined the young man.

Obi-Wan's blindness and complete trust in his 'brother', the Council's suspicion and mistrust regarding his Padawan, Palpatine's subtle poisoning of the young man's mind and heart would have not caused anything had Anakin not decided the life of a woman was more important than his integrity, the Jedi Order, and the freedom of a whole galaxy.

It had taken a lot of time and shared meditation with Qui-Gon to arrive to this point, but now Obi-Wan felt at peace with himself and ready to teach to his second Padawan.

"Here we are, Obi-Wan."

Leia's voice brought him back to the present, just in time to see the young woman open the doors of the greenhouse.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened. He had not expected such a large space and he had not seen so much, different vegetation since…blast, he could not even remember the last time he had seen so much green!

He stepped inside and took a deep breath, closing his eyes to better bask in the pulsing Living Force surrounding him.

"It's beautiful here," he said after a while, remembering his companion. "The perfect place to meditate."

Leia laughed softly, a pleasant sound that caused a shiver along his spine. "We use it to grow food and medicinal plants and to enrich the air with oxygen. It's also a good place to take a walk when living cloistered underground becomes too hard to bear."

Obi-Wan nodded, thinking about the extensive gardens of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and he felt a pang to his heart. He wondered if the building was still standing or if Palpatine had ordered its destruction.

Searching for something to say as they strolled between the vegetables and the bushes, Obi-Wan asked, "May I be so bold to inquire why you have trouble sleeping?"

Leia smiled. "Yes, you may. I keep on thinking of my father and Alderaan. I cannot help but believe it was all my fault that my planet was destroyed."

Obi-Wan stopped and regarded her intently. "Why do you say so?"

Leia looked at her feet for a moment, then raised her head, her brown eyes seemingly larger than they were. "Because Tarkin took the Death Star near Alderaan to threaten me, to make me tell him were our base was located. I told him it was on Dantooine, but it was already too late. We were in Alderaan's orbit and he used it as a target to give a demonstration of what that damned machine can do. Had I directed them to Dantooine sooner or, better, had I been smarter and avoided being captured by Vader, all of this would have not happened."

"You cannot know, Leia. And in any case, it's not your fault if Alderaan was destroyed. You didn't give the order. You didn't push the button. You just tried to protect the Rebellion and those you cared for. I am sure Bail would have done the same."

Leia swallowed hard, before smiling weakly. "Did you know my father well?" she finally asked, her voice a little unsteady.

Obi-Wan smiled back. "Yes, I did." He resumed walking, and the young woman fell in step with him, clearly eager to hear more.

"I have never had a great fondness for politicians, but Bail was one of the few I liked and trusted. He was honest, honourable, and ready to fight for what he believed into. During the Clone Wars he took part to several diplomatic missions, and he was one of the first to voice his concerns about all the power Palpatine was gathering in his hands. Unfortunately, by the time he and other senators began to organize to act against the Chancellor, Palpatine was already too strong." Obi-Wan took a deep breath before continuing, "The night Palpatine gave the order to destroy the Jedi Temple, Bail was the only politician who bothered to go and see what was happening. He was almost killed because of it. He then helped me and another Master escape from the slaughter, and gave financial support when it came for me to retire on Tatooine. As I said the other day, he was a good friend, and I don't use the word 'friend' lightly."

Leia nodded, her eyes still bright. "May I ask why you retired on Tatooine? Why didn't you stay with Father and help him and the Rebel Alliance? They would have used a tactician of your calibre."

There had been a hint of accusation in her voice, and Obi-Wan wondered how to best answer her without saying too much.

He knew that nobody was aware of Palpatine and Vader's true nature. The word "Sith" had no meaning for Leia, as it had not for Luke. So how could tell her he had retired on Tatooine to watch over the boy that, hopefully, would one day free the galaxy from the Sith once for all?

How could he tell her the Rebellion, no matter how organized it was could not hope to defeat the Sith without the help of a very gifted Jedi, and that the Jedi in question happened to be Vader's own son?

There was no way he could tell her that. So Obi-Wan chose to reveal only part of the truth.

"After the destruction of the Order, I wasn't in the condition to help anyone, myself included. I had failed my duty as a Jedi to protect the Republic, and I was a broken man who had lost everything and everyone he cared for. Also, the Emperor was hunting the surviving Jedi and my presence near Bail could have put his life and the just-born Rebel Alliance in danger. That's why I retired to Tatooine, a planet not controlled by the Empire, to heal and wait for a better time."

"And now that time has come?" Leia asked, her eyes locked with his own.

"Yes, it has come. Luke…Luke is an extraordinary young man, and once fully trained, he will become a great asset against the Empire. Training and protecting him is my most important duty."

"Oh."

Obi-Wan saw Leia's expression darken. It was not necessary to use the Force to understand it had not been the answer she had wanted to hear.

"I told you back in the gym Leia, I am a Jedi, not a soldier. Although we both strive to reach the same goal, our ways are different. I cannot be the active member of the Rebellion you wish me to be."

Leia glared at him for a moment, before speaking, her voice cold. "I understand, Master Kenobi. Now forgive me, but I have to return to my quarters to get ready for the day."

Obi-Wan bowed and watched her walk away, back ramrod straight, but her gait a little stiff. She was angry with him. Disappointed. She felt betrayed.

It pained Obi-Wan to know he had wounded her, more than he thought, but he could not do otherwise. Luke was too important and, hopefully, one day Leia would understand why.