Chapter 2

life is sometimes softly falling rain. A gentle comfort while we wait in anticipation for the sun.

-unknown

It was not too long after their encounter with the Queen in the hallway that Ben had felt the familiar turn in his stomach as the shuttle had dropped it's landing gear and then landed gracefully in the main space port of Kinsheak II. He hadn't seen or heard form the Queen since their meeting, and he had a distinct feeling that she was avoiding him. Not that he wanted any more run-ins with her.

An hour before they had entered the space around the planet from light speed, Ben had poured over all the information he could possibly find on the medium sized moon they were heading for. Besides the fact that it had been home to a strong Force-sensitive population when it was in its early development, Kinsheak II was just a normal rock floating around with thousands of rocks just like it. Birth and morality rates were normal for a moon of it's considerable size, cities sprawled for a few miles and then gave way immediately to dense wood and eventually beautiful snowy mountains. It was a typical moon where any typical diplomatic mission would be held. Why then, did Ben feel as if something was creeping up on him, preparing to strike when he had his back turned? The feeling had slipped away for a while, and he and actually been able to meditate for a few moments to refresh his mind and hopefully his body. Sleeping was not possible anymore, and Ben highly doubted he'd be able to anyway.

Coming back to his present situation Ben straightened his formal tunic and adjusted his belt slightly to better adapt to the weight of his lightsaber. He had dressed as he had been told to by Kiala's aid who had come to the two Jedi and informed them to dress as nicely as they possibly could for the arrival. Kyp had grumbled about how being stylish would inadvertently interfere with their mission of protecting the Queen, and should anything come up, the nice tunic would be the first thing he took off in order to protect Kiala.

Standing there now, waiting for the queen to arrive so they could walk down the ramp and into the palace they were staying in already, Ben shuffled his feet and pushed his hair back. He had unsuccessfully tried to cut his hair when Kyp wasn't looking only for the Jedi Master to yank the viroblade out of his hand and shout about him cutting off his hand or something. Ben had of course missed the implied joke and had instead snorted and left the bathroom to get dressed.

From around the corner of the bottleneck hall, Ben heard voices, soft, but rising in magnitude and not just because they were getting closer. Further down the corridor, Olie appeared, his hand on the viroblade hilt on his belt, and Ben felt a twinge of fury when he saw that the guard was wearing just comfortable gear, a simple leather chest plate for protection, a white long sleeve tunic, and padded pants. Looking down at his own ensemble Ben felt stupid and foolish for being dressed as he was. Then following her guard, the Queen of Onderon walked around the corner. She didn't walk though; she seemed to float. The long floor length blue green gown she wore flowed around her like a river, the sleeves fluttered slightly around her wrists and stretched up to cover her shoulders and then wrap around her neck in a choker collar. Her long blond hair had been curled delicately into soft ringlets that fell around her head and down her back like a halo, only her face was obscured slightly. Her eyes were drawn out to produce a startling affect of looking at a sparkling crystal.

Ben felt something stir in him at the sight of her, she looked, well… like an angel. She seemed to glow as she walked towards him and the stirring in his heart slowly reached down into his stomach and up into his throat as she stopped next to him. Slowly, Ben and Kyp dipped their heads in respect, returing their gesture with a smile, Kiala looked them both over. Turning her gaze on Ben she motioned for him to raise his head and Ben did so, as did Kyp a heartbeat later. Laughing lightly, Kiala looked over her shoulder at Olie and chastised, "why can't you be like Jedi Knight Skywalker, Olie, and follow orders? I asked him to dress properly for the occasion and he did so, you on the other hand did no such thing."

Olie turned his gaze from Kiala and set his hard black eyes on Ben who offered a smile and said, "I appreciate the complement your Highness."

Kiala's smile widened as if she had been giving permission to run wild, and turning to Olie continued, "did you hear that? That was chivalry, perhaps you should take a page out of the book that Ben read when he was younger and learn a thing or two." She laughed blithely again and then continued towards her aid who was waiting at the top of the ramp to escort her down. Olie watched her go and then turned on Ben quickly to hiss, "I don't know what magic you are pulling Jedi, but know that I am watching you, both of you."

He sneered slightly and then stormed over towards Kiala to stand at her right as her honor guard. Kyp glared at Ben and whispered, "I sensed that, you continued her provocation because you felt insecure about your position."

Frowning, Ben turned to Kyp, prepared to retort only to see the Jedi Master narrow his eyes and start towards their position behind the Queen, apparently an argument wasn't being invited. For a moment, Ben felt seriously insulted, he wouldn't dare try to insult the Captain of the Guard, but isn't that what he had done? He shrugged it off and then stepped up next to Kyp who appeared to be furious with him, so Ben narrowed his eyes and refused to meet the Master's eyes. He couldn't admit to the fact that he had been in fact insecure because of the guard position. As if sensing Kyp's eyes Ben sighed softly and then whispered, "I hadn't realized at the time that I was continuing the provocation."

"Of course you didn't, you subconsciously saw a chance to prove your dominance, no trouble there, except for your pride. Be mindful of your pride, Ben." Kyp whispered gently as he laid a hand on Ben's shoulder, surprisingly Ben smiled at him and then with a tone feigning confusion he replied, "wait, you're an actual teacher?"

"Oh shut up." Kyp growled as he boxed Ben's ear gently. With a smile Ben turned to him and whispered, "sorry Master Durron, I suppose I just forgot with all the teasing you have been doing with me."

"You keep talking with the level of disrespect and I will knock some serious sense into you," Kyp growled, feigning injury as they both turned to watch the ramp lower slowly. The light floated down from the outside, only to stretch up towards them and Ben saw Olie raise his hand to shield his eyes from the sudden change in lighting. Ben raised his hand as well to observe Kiala descend the ramp. Kyp sighed and then whispered, "pray to whatever deities you know that there are no senators that will recognize us."

Ben snorted softly and then followed the aging Jedi Master down the ramp. They stepped off into a large hanger, which had an open domed top, the source of the blinding light, and a white sandy floor, also the source of the light. When they finished descending Ben noticed the diplomate making his way towards them, dressed in official ceremonial robes, he looked as if he had run a marathon recently, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and probably collecting in the collar of his robes. He paused half way across the hanger when he saw the young woman standing there at the bottom of the ramp, but he continued as if nothing were out of place. He stopped and then dropped into a formal bow to Kiala. When he rose, he froze as he took in Ben and Kyp, then dipped his head quickly to them; Kyp and Ben returned the gesture. If the Jedi were here, then something must be wrong, the diplomate felt another bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck.

He raised his hand in welcome to Kiala and spoke confidently, although his Force presence betrayed the confusion he felt, "I apologize, we were expecting another."

"You were expecting my father up until a week ago. Unfortunately, he has passed on and left me in charge of this process. I am his daughter, Kialan'Oshena Olverde of the Onderon Royal House." Kiala spoke with a poise and confidence that made Ben glance at her in surprise. It had always amazed him how his aunt and other politicians could flat out lie about how they was feeling without betraying a whit of their emotions. Kiala had just done so, underneath those words he sensed that swirling maelstrom of emotion that resonated whenever she thought or spoke of her father. An intense mixture of guilt, agony, and fear washed over Ben making him look to Kyp to see if the Jedi Master had sensed anything. Kyp appeared to have sensed nothing though, his expression had hardly changed, that, or he had sensed it and was pretending not to. Ben frowned and then lowered his eyes to the dirt ground to try and dig a little deeper. Why did Kiala feel guilt over her father's death?

He glanced up and stretched his awareness out into the Force, trying desperately to sense why she felt guilt. He paused thought when he actually thought about it. For a just a flash of a moment he traveled back six years, to those dark tunnels on Kavan where he had fallen to his knees and sobbed next to his mother's body. He had cried at the unfairness of it all, but also at the guilt that had weld up inside of him. Guilt over not being there to save her, guilt over the fact that he hadn't done enough to show her that he loved her in the last days he had spent with her. In that instant he pulled away from Kiala's mind, realizing that if anyone pushed into his memories of those dark few hours spent in vigil at his mother's side, he would have probably turned and bore down on them with a vengeance. Those were his private moments of guilt and agony, they deserved to remain quiet.

Kyp knocked into his shoulder and Ben shook himself out, Kiala was beginning to walk after the diplomate and Ben stumbled as he caught up quickly. Kyp watched him softly and then whispered, "you sensed it too?"

"The guilt? Yes, I did," Ben looked away and then sighing he continued gently, "we should leave it alone, she deserves to greave in privet."

Kyp raised his brow in speculation, he was taken back, but at the same time he understood why Ben wanted to leave the young Queen alone. His mother's death was a wound that Ben sometimes slinked off to lick when no one was looking, or so he thought. Kyp rested his hand on Ben's shoulder and whispered, "Ben, just remember why she died."

The youth looked up in surprise and Kyp gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze as he whispered once more, "she died to give you a chance at life, a chance to not have to live the life she lived. Believe me, we all respected her sacrifice to the utmost degree."

Ben shook his head and then murmured under his breath so that Kyp had to strain to hear what he said, "no, she died to show everyone what Jacen had become."

He pushed past Kyp, who stopped to watch the youth follow Kiala. Ben had changed immensely since the day of Mara Jade's death, and the amount of maturity that he had to have everyday made Kyp grovel at his own actions when he was Ben's age. It couldn't have been easy being the son of the Grand Master, everyone expecting perfection when you were only human with no way to ever reach those expectations. Once more Kyp thanked the Force for his family not having any connection to the Jedi Order, he didn't know if he could take the pressure that Ben was probably under.

(/)

Outside of the hanger was a small diplomatic shuttle, large and strangely gray in the beautiful blues and greens of Kinsheak II's abundant plant life. It's hull glowed slightly in the high noon sunlight, making it shine like a beacon. Ben frowned softly and Olie appeared to notice the same thing as him because he growled and whispered in Kiala's ear. She glared at him for a moment and then nodded softly as she continued forward. The ambassador opened the door and then held his hand out and helped Kiala up, she took the hand gratefully and then thanked him softly as he helped her up. The aid was next, followed by Olie who managed to slam the door in Ben's face. Ben managed to leap backwards in time to avoid losing both his nose and almost all his hair. Kyp caught his arm when he landed and Olie dipped his head to the Jedi in the window, a greasy kind of smile dancing on his lips as he stepped away from the door. Kyp growled softly and then said, "he did not just lock us out-"

"I think he did."

They both turned around to see a middle aged, red-haired woman behind them, watching the spectacle with a rather bemused smile. She smiled at Ben warmly and then said, "good to see you, Ben."

The repulsor lifts on the shuttle started up and Kyp growled again as he looked over his shoulder to watch the shuttle take off. Ben sighed heavily and then turning to face Tenel Ka, smiled softly and inquired, "you wouldn't mind if we caught a ride with you, I suppose?"

The Queen Mother of Hapes smiled and then gestured over her shoulder to her shuttle that had not left yet. Kyp sighed in relief and then said, "wonderful, I suppose the Queen will be pleased to hear why we did not travel with her."

Ben shrugged and as they fell into pace next to Tenel Ka, she looked to Kyp and said, "a queen? Was that the young woman going into the shuttle?"

"Unfortunately yes, the young queen of Onderon." Kyp supplied the information offhandedly as he massaged his temples slightly. Already this mission was testing his patience, the guard had obviously been seeking revenge after the Queen's comments to Ben, and it infuriated him that he had been caught in the under tow of the whole thing. As they approached the shuttle, Tenel Ka glanced to Ben and whispered, "I have not seen her before, is she of a different royal house?"

Ben paused, his head tilting to the side slightly in curiosity as he said, "never?"

"Not that I know of," Tenel Ka whispered as she paused a few meters from her shuttle. Ben's lips turned downwards slowly as he whispered, "so that's what she lied about."

"I'm lost, sorry Ben." The Hapan queen frowned as well as she adjusted her tunic. "Who did she lie to?"

"Us, me, my dad, Mast Durron, she lied to us. Literally looked my dad in the face and lied." Ben's voice dropped in fury as it slowly dawned on him just how much the Queen of Onderon had lied about. She'd lied about knowing Tenel Ka, she lied about talking with the Queen Mother, which only meant that she knew things she shouldn't. Namely that the Jedi wanted to keep an eye on Allana. Tenel Ka seemed to sense the shift in Ben's mood and with a gentle tone whispered, "perhaps she has a reason to lie. I wish I could help you there, but I don't know anything about her, or her family for that matter."

Ben shook his head, the whole thing adding a new layer to the person Kiala was becoming in his eyes, and dammit, he was just starting to like her. "We don't know much ourselves. Apparently, her father was recently murdered and she stepped in to take his place." Ben's reply was soft, considering his turn of mood, and Tenel Ka smiled at him coyly causing Ben to draw away slightly as she whispered, "oh, well, I didn't realize you had a soft spot for young women like that Ben."

"I don't!" Ben rebutted, bringing Kyp's head around to him and a laugh from Tenel Ka. Apparently, the crisis was averted for the moment, that didn't mean Ben wouldn't be speaking with Kiala about it later.

They rounded the back of the shuttle and a flash of laughter sounded before a small projectile hit Ben full on, almost knocking him to the stumbled for a moment trying to right himself after the sudden change of momentum, before he peeled away from his attacker. Pushing them back a step so he could see them, he looked down into the face of Allana Solo. She laughed joyfully again and threw her arms around Ben's middle, shouting his name. He stiffened uncomfortably and then said, "I don't think this is proper behavior your Highness."

Allana looked up with a scornful look and chastised, "oh please, when have you ever had proper behavior?"

Ben opened his mouth to protest only to smile and wrap his arms around Allana saying, "it's good to see you too, Allana."

She peeled away once more from him and offered Kyp a bow before saying, "it's good to see you too Master Durron." She rose from her bow and smiled up at her mother who returned the same impish grin. She motioned Allana forward towards the shuttle and then whispered, "I'm afraid that we'll have to get going. They have to catch up to the Queen of Onderon."

"Wait! You guys are here for Kiala?" Allana cried out in surprise as she turned to look at Ben as her mother tried unsuccessfully to steer her into the shuttle. Ben frowned at the young Chume'da and whispered, "you know her?"

"Of course I do! I met her last year." Allana rolled her eyes, as if it were the most obvious thing. She was shuffled into the shuttle and as soon as she was sitting she motioned for Ben to sit next to her. He sat reluctantly and Allana leaned her elbows on the arm rest so that she was facing Ben and had his whole attention. She tapped her finger to her chin for a moment and then said, "where to begin?"

Ben sighed and then smiling gently he said, "I don't know, maybe with what happened to her father?"

Allana looked up curiously and said, "what, did he die or something?"

Kyp glanced over and said softly, "yes, he did. And it's rude to speak about death like that."

"Well how was I suppose to know? I mean, he looked fine last year. Kiala looked fine too. They all looked fine, a happy family and all that." Allana whispered softly, a drip of sympathy and guilt over her callous speech entering her voice. Ben smiled at her and then whispered, "much different from our own I suppose."

Allana looked at him gratefully for lightening the mood and then nodding she whispered, "she was really pretty too, I don't just mean pretty though, I mean pretty like making all the court ladies jealous pretty," Allana paused as if trying to remember something and then said, "like to dinner one night, she wore this really beautiful white gown, and one of the court ladies tried to spill wine on it just so that it wouldn't look so gosh darn good. She missed of course, but-"

"Do you know anything about her guard? Olie?" Ben inquired as he seemed to realize that Allana didn't know the Queen first hand, just in passing. Allana tapped her finger to her chin again and muttered the name under her breath as she tried to draw connections to it. It sounded impossibly familiar as if she had heard it before, but she couldn't put a face to the name. Something like a tickling in the back of her mind, made the name sound a little strange, like there was something she should know about it.

"Nope, can't say I do. Sorry." She eventually replied with a shrug, shaking off the premonition, it was probably just because Ben was feeling so strange about the name, like he felt there should be a reason to not like the it. Ben sighed softly and then turned to Kyp and said, "I don't believe that he has just become her guard, he knows her too well."

"I don't want to hear about your petty squabbles with her Captain of the Guard, Ben." Kyp murmured as he turned to speak with Tenel Ka once more. Ben huffed in annoyance and Allana turned to him and whispered, "do you think she's pretty?"

"Yeah, sure. She's pretty." Ben murmured as he leaned back into the chair, trying to think about what he could possibly do to learn more about Olie and Kiala. Allana raised her brow, suddenly interested. She leaned a little closer, a coy smile playing on her lips as she said, "oh? What about her eyes?"

"They're a nice blue."

Allana laughed out loud and Ben glared at her, and his face reddened slightly as he realized the trap he'd willing walked into. Allana poked his cheek softly and then said, "Ooo! Ben has a crush!"

"No I don't! Allana, stop saying that!" Ben tried to cover her mouth but Allana continued on, laughing all the while. Her mother glanced over and then sternly said, "that's enough Allana, a princess does not tease someone over their crushes and love life."

"Thank yo- wait! I don't have a crush on her! Why does it matter that I know what color her eyes are?" Ben shouted as he covered his face with his hands to hide the red that was swelling and darkening with each passing moment. Allana smiled at him and then said, "sorry Ben, I couldn't help it."

Ben narrowed his eyes at her and then running his hands down his face, he tried to suppress his embarrassment and failed miserably when he realized that Tenel Ka was covering her mouth delicately with her hand to hide her smile. Allana giggled slightly still and Ben eventually turned his face away from all of them, feeling all together furious over the fact that Allana had pulled him into that. It shouldn't have bothered him though, he didn't have any feelings except respect for the Queen of Onderon, it shouldn't matter that Allana teased him. It did matter though, her teasing had punctured something deep down inside of him, a place that Ben had barricaded to the point that it had almost become an obsession. A part of him that he never wanted touched again had been wounded once more, and Allana had scratched at it delicately with her taunts.

The shuttle decelerated and Allana leaped up to look out the crystal clear viewport. She smiled wildly and then said, "I love coming here, look Ben it's so pretty."

Ben sighed and looking over his shoulder, and sure enough, it was beautiful outside. Trees that towered almost twenty stories high, scraped the pale blue sky that was dotted with wisps of clouds. Everything was green and alive, the Force itself was buzzing with life, and it swelled up inside of Ben and made him feel at peace for the first time in a long time. Allana was bouncing in her seat in excitement, her eyes wide as she said, "it's so beautiful here, and so… serene."

Ben smiled at her, but he knew it didn't reach his eyes try as he might to make it. He turned his gaze back outside and felt a swell of intense fascination with the palace that rose into existence, tucked into the mountain side. Snowy peaks reached above it and a set of clouds was rolling towards the roofs threatening snow later in the day. Allana squeeze the back of the chair in excitement and then whispered, "it's ancient, almost thousands of years old! They hold this conference every year here, and they have dances and stuff. It actually feels like you're in the time of the Old Republic!" Allana's voice had risen to a slight squeal in her excitement and Ben rolled his eyes to hide his own rush of excitement. Kyp watched the palace closely and then spoke gently to Ben, "we should locate the Queen as soon as we land, we'll claim that they did not account for us when they closed the shuttle."

Allana flipped around and replied for Ben, "you shouldn't lie to her, Kiala has this thing where she knows if people are lying."

Ben frowned and then massaging the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb as he whispered, "with all the stuff she can do, I wouldn't be surprised. I also wouldn't be surprised if she was a Force-sensitive."

Kyp snorted softly, he had suspected that the Queen was a Force-sensitive, that didn't make her a Force-user though. The line between those two was blurry, just like the line between the Dark and Light side of the Force. Until they were certain of the Queen's Force abilities, they would not know which side of the line she fell on. He looked over to Ben suddenly curious to hear the youth's opinion. "Do you think she knows she's a Force-sensitive?"

"it's not very hard to notice, I wouldn't be surprised if someone had noticed and then pointed it out to her. If she doesn't know, we'll have to figure out if we want to tell her." Ben spoke distantly, his eyes still on the trees around them as the shuttle came in to land on the large metal landing pad.

The loud thump that resonated from the landing gear hitting the landing pad was the signal for them to rise. Kyp rose first, adjusting his robe and fixing his tunic, he said, "no games now Ben, we do what we came here to do and then leave with no questions asked."

Ben huffed at having to be told what to do on a mission, but rose all the same and fixed his tunic. Allana rose as well next to him, and straightening out her dress she said, "Kiala liked to flirt by the way, Ben, just a warning though."

Ben paused in the door way to the shuttle and with a smile he looked over his shoulder and replied, "thank you, your Highness, but I've already noticed that one."

With that, he turned and descended the steps and took his first breath of the mountain air. It was so fresh that it burned a cold trail down his throat, and sent a shiver down his spine. Running a hand through his hair, Ben followed Kyp at a quick pace in order to catch up, and as soon as they stepped into the shadow of the palace, he saw how busy the whole place was. Diplomates running around, greeting one another and forming alliances before the whole thing even began, ambassadors translating to others who couldn't speak the language, servants moving back and forth among each other like birds hopping from nest to nest. This all stopped though, the minute everyone saw the Jedi standing on the platform. Kyp paused and Ben did as well, both of them stood, both feeling the amount of tension they were creating by just standing there. Kyp huffed under his breath and then whispered, "you'd think they'd never seen a Jedi before."

Ben shook his head and replied, "nah, it's just my stunning looks. I mean they can't help but stare."

For a moment Kyp was silent with no way to respond to that comment. Then he shook his head, disguising a smile as he continued on, with Ben next to him. The diplomates all moved aside as if Ben and Kyp were wild animals that would attack if they weren't given enough space. Suddenly, someone burst through the crowd and Ben dipped his head with Kyp as Kiala stepped in front of them. She glared them both down and then hissed softly, "what in the name of Hell happened? Where were you two?"

"You should ask your Captain of the Guard, he would know." Kyp spoke, frustrated that the Queen was upset with them when she hadn't bothered to make sure they were with her. She pursed her lips into a tight line at Kyp's comment and struggled to find her patience for a second it seemed. Eventually she raised her eyes to Ben and said, "I was worried about you two. I don't know these people well-"

"Lying isn't a good trait to have your Highness," Ben interrupted gently as he rotated his bag to the other shoulder. Kiala's brow rose at that and she hissed, "who said I was lying-"

"Your Highness, it's so good to see you."

Kiala's eyes fell past Ben to Tenel Ka who offered a dip of her head. The young Queen of Onderon floundered as she tired to regain her loss of composer, and eventually managed to dip her head and whisper, "Queen Mother, a pleasure."

Tenel Ka smiled brightly and then continued past them to whisper to Kiala softly, "I hope to see you at dinner tonight. I was hoping to speak with you about how everything is."

Kiala looked away quickly and then replied softly, "of course, I wouldn't miss it."

Smiling, Tenel Ka nudged Allana along and continued inside leaving Ben and Kyp with the obviously shaken Queen of Ondeorn.

(/)

Ben and Kyp had been situated in a chamber two doors down from the Queen, at her request. To no one's surprise, she called Ben to her rooms as soon as he was done unpacking.

He now stood outside the floor to ceiling, intricately carved wooden doors. He raised his hand and knocked softly, but he still heard the sound resonate on the other side. The doors whispered open across the dark mahogany floors, making Ben shiver at the silence, it would be hard to hear if anyone was trying to assassinate the queen. Ben sighed softly, that meant light sleep or no sleep for a few days, maybe weeks.

Stepping into the room, Ben realized the extent of Kiala's emotional struggle. Her things were tossed around the room, with no exact reason, the only thing that appeared to be unpacked by choice was a simple pair of trousers, and a light, thin shirt, both of which were resting on the vanity next to the open balcony doors. The curtains around which swirled softly, letting in the cold chill that Ben had felt a moment ago. He frowned, wondering then how the door could have possibly opened with no one to open them, and as he glanced over his shoulder he saw a young woman standing there. She was eyeing the balcony as if a wild animal were perched on the railing. Ben sighed and then dipping his head he spoke, "is her Highness outside?"

The woman nodded tightly and then Ben smiled at her softly before saying, "I will handle it, I apologize for whatever happened."

The woman bowed to him and then slipped out of a small servants door, located near to the bed. Ben filed that away for later, and decide to try and find the servants door in his quarters. As soon as the door closed behind the woman, Ben sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he started towards the balcony. The Queen was obviously doing something bizarre, it wasn't everyday that someone around here must see a Force-user do something crazy. He paused before walking onto the balcony, startling her wouldn't do any good at all, so with a calm, soft voice, Ben called out to her, "you requested my presence your Highness, and I'm here now."

After a few second of silence, Ben frowned, deciding something was adherently wrong. He took a step, only to hear a sword unsheathed, and feel a cold blade up against his throat. He froze, and then slowly followed the blade with his eyes to see Olie holding the weapon out, leaning against the wall. He smiled slightly, it looked too much like a sneer for Ben who narrowed his eyes and said, "where is the Queen?"

"She's here, we were talking when you strolled out here like you owned the place," Olie growled. From down the way, Ben saw Kiala appear, she looked tired and he saw her holding her hand softly to her chest as if it were injured. Ben frowned and then softly reached up and pushed the sword away gently with the Force. Olie's eyes widened as he watched Ben push his weapons down, watched as Ben whispered, "I would be appreciative if you would not point weapons at my throat."

He passed Olie and whispered, "she is hurt, I hope that it isn't your doing."

For a moment the guard looked shocked and disgusted at Ben's words, but he covered quickly by growling, "I would not know, I do not have the Force."

Ben paused in front of Kiala and reached out gently for her hand, which was dropping tiny scarlet pearls onto the cream tile, and her dress. He sighed as he motioned to the bench seat that was resting against the wall. Kiala backed up and sat down softly, her eyes on Olie the whole time, even when Ben sat down next to her. Gently, as if he were reaching towards a frightened bird, Ben pulled Kiala's hand towards him, gently pulling her fingers apart to reveal the gash that ran through the center of her palm. It continued to drip blood softly, letting little drops of scarlet life roll off of Kiala's hand and onto her blue dress where they blossomed like devilish flowers. Ben glanced up at her then, wondering why she would have possibly done this to herself, or who would done this to her. He glanced over his shoulder at Olie, a silent invitation for her to answer quietly, but the Queen remained silent, her eyes on Olie as if he would shoo Ben away soon.

The guard stood near the doors still though, his shirt blowing slightly in the breeze that had picked up since they had landed an hour ago. His hair floated around him softly and he glared at Ben when he noticed that the young Jedi was staring at him. Ben narrowed his eyes as well before returning his attention back to Kiala's hand and her present situation. Gently as to not open the wound further, Ben opened her palm more and whispered, "did you cut it with something?"

"I drop a glass bowl and tried to pick up the pieces." Kiala's response was softer than the wind and Ben almost didn't hear it, spare the end where her voice pinched in pain as he opened the wound even further. He glanced up then and whispered, "I don't see any glass in the wound."

"Olie got it all out, he was about to wrap it when you intruded." Her voice was hardly bitter, in fact it sounded weak and fearful as she tired to turn and glare at Ben. He smiled up at her and then sensing her pain through the Force he lowered his eyes back to the wound and replied, "It's not too deep, it will require a wrap though."

He let go of her hand, and Kiala snatched it back quickly, as if Ben had burned it, and wrapped her other hand around it in protection. Ben glanced at her with a raised brow before he tore a piece his tunic fabric off, and reached out his hand for hers. She glanced down at his hand for a moment and then whispered, "You tore your clothes."

"I've torn many tunics to patch up cuts, one more won't kill me," Ben replied with a blithe smile as he reached for her hand once more. As if sensing his desire to help her, she held her hand out tentatively and watched as Ben cradled it and began wrapping it softly. She winced as Ben pulled the cloth tight to apply pressure, but she didn't pull away. Her eyes watched his work with an intense sort of fascination, as if she had never seen anything like it. When she pulled her hand back and ran her fingertips along the fabric and whispered her thanks.

They were silent for a moment before Ben rose and said, "if that will be all your Highness, then I should be going," she glanced up at him and then interrupted by grabbing his wrist and saying, "I was actually calling you to see if you and Master Durron had settled in."

"We have, thank you for your concern your Highness." Ben bowed his head as respectfully as he could and then backed away, letting Kiala's fingers fall from around his wrist. He turned and left the balcony then, trying to shake the feeling that the Queen had been trying to keep him there with her small talk. He frowned as he passed by Olie who glared at him openly, doing absolutely nothing to hide his annoyance at the fact that the Jedi had been the one to take care of his queen. With a reluctant nod he motioned towards the doors and said, "thank you Jedi Knight Skywalker, we will see you tonight before the dinner."

Ben blinked in surprise for a moment, dinner? No one had said anything about a formal dinner, let alone accompanying the Queen of Onderon to one. He frowned after his revelation at the fact that perhaps it had been discussed on board the shuttle that he and Kyp had missed, and with a smile that didn't really reach his eyes, said, "thank you for the warning, I'll be sure to meet you and her Highness at say… seven this evening?"

Olie frowned, apparently surprised that Ben had known anything at all about when to meet, with that thought his eyes narrowed as he realized that Ben had probably read into his mind for that information. Ben smiled at his conclusion and then turned and walked off the balcony.

As he walked through the room a second time, ruminating on what he was possibly going to wear since his tunic was now torn near the bottom, he stepped on something that cracked. He took a step back in surprise and then saw the soft glint of broken glass. His eyes narrowed instantly at where the glass could have possibly come from, until he looked up and saw the shattered hand mirror sitting on the bed. He reached out and turned the mirror over. It was shattered beyond belief, but the drops of blood were unmistakeable. He let out a sigh of displeasure and then crouched down to glance the floor over. Sure enough, there was a single piece that was stained with blood.

(/)

At seven in the evening sharp, Kiala exited her chambers, and to Ben's surprise she was dressed relatively casual for a supposed "nice" dinner. The ensemble she had worn that morning was long gone, replaced now with a simple green silk dress that was relatively modest. Olie followed behind, still wearing the same clothes and greasy smirk that stated he had gotten his way in something without anyone knowing. Ben dipped his head, as Kyp did, politely to Kiala who in turn, glanced away and then continued walking down the long marble hallway. Olie fell into step on her right and Kyp glared at Ben as they followed, hissing, "what did you do now?"

"I didn't do anything, something must have happened." Ben replied innocently, trying to hide the image of the blood on the floor of the Queen's chambers in his head where Kyp wouldn't be able to see it. The Jedi Master appeared satisfied with the answer and eventually turned his eyes forward to say to Olie, "is there a specific security concept you have in mind?"

The young man glanced around at them and with a glare that rivaled the icy outbacks of Hoth replied, "yes, stay out of my way, I am the guard here, you are present for emergencies only."

Kyp narrowed his eyes in response, emergencies were not on the agenda, from what the Queen had said, they were the security detail here. If the punk in front of them believed any differently, then he had a serious hit coming when lightsabers had to come out. If such an emergency as the young Captain of the Guard was possibly thinking did come up, and the odds of that happening at such a huge summit meeting where security had to be in the high hundreds-low thousands, seemed absolute ludicrous. Someone would have to honestly be suicidal if they wanted to try something like that. If one was looking at the facts, the odds were much too high that this trip would be uneventful and a waste of time. Kyp almost had a mind to grab Ben and snag a transport at least near the Shedu Maad, then get ahold of Ben's cousin or someone to come pick them up off some dust ball in the middle of nowhere. He had the mind to do it, but Luke had warned him that something was definitely wrong and he had to stay and keep and eye on everything. Besides, Kyp wasn't sure he would be able to drag Ben away from the Queen now. The kid had seen something when he went to speak with the Queen earlier, something had happened in there, because now the kid had an almost protective envelope around her. Maybe that was the reason the Queen walked with so much confidence now, like some unknown force was pushing her back straighter and her shoulders further back. As far as Kyp was concerned, there wasn't a trace of that guilt that he had sensed on the shuttle over. She walked like nothing had happened, but underneath all of the bolstered self-confidence, there was something else… something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Before he could get a real view on what it could possibly be, they arrived at the doors to the grand gallery.

The doors were swung wide to admit everyone inside, and as they passed through them, Ben's senses came alive with all the information flowing into the room. Everyone had some intent or another, none were dangerous, but all were mostly self-centered. Frowning, Ben turned his gaze to a group of older ambassadors who obviously knew each other well and watched as the exchanged greetings and then broke into pleasant conversation. Kyp snorted softly and then said, "if anyone tries to tell you that backwater planets are home to the scum and villainy of this galaxy, tell them to look inward at Corasaunt and all of these meetings."

Ben snorted softly to hide his laughter and Kiala glanced back at them momentarily, and then as if she were sneaking it, she smiled at Ben and then faced forward once more. From the right side, Tenel Ka appeared with Allana in tow. Both were dressed modestly like Kiala, and Tenel Ka bowed her head respectfully and then putting her hand on the back of Allana's head, pushed her daughter's head forward in the sign of respect. Kiala dipped her head as well and Ben didn't miss Olie bristle at the action. Tenel Ka took Kiala's hand in her's, and Kiala tried to pull it away, making the Queen Mother blink in surprise.

"I apologize Queen Mother, but I accidentally cut my hand on some glass earlier today," Kiala tried to offer a smile but the Queen Mother took her other hand instead and whispered, "A shame, I hope you are okay," she glanced at Ben and with a smile and a wink she directed the jib at him, "I would have thought your Jedi Knight would have kept that from happening."

"We were not in her presence at the time," Kyp covered quickly, as he glanced at Olie who in turn was glaring at Ben. Tenel Ka's eyes glanced to the Captain on the Guard and then directed her attention back onto the young Queen of Onderon to say, "my deepest sympathies to you though Kiala, if there is anything I can do to alleviate any of the pain you are going through, I will gladly do it."

Kiala appeared taken aback and Olie stepped in quickly to growl, "I assure you nothing is wrong that could cause your sympathies."

Allana narrowed her eyes at Olie and said, "of course there is! It's not nothing when someone's dad dies."

There is was again, that explosion of guilt and agony that erupted from Kiala, Ben noted carefully as Olie grabbed Kiala's arm and pulled her away from the Queen Mother and her daughter. "Who told you, it is classified information-"

"No one informed us, we just assumed with Kiala being here on her own-" Tenel Ka began only to be silence by Olie spitting, "that is Queen-"

"Enough, I don't think we need this to sprawl into a fight, besides, I believe your Queen has enough breath in her body to speak for herself." Kyp growled as he stepped between the agitated Olie and the furious Tenel Ka. The tension between the three people began to draw attention, and sure enough a few guards came over. One of them holding what looked like a nasty stun staff narrowed his eyes at Kyp and whispered, "is anything the matter?"

"nothing that can't be quickly fixed, thank you." Kyp replied, his tone inferring no further interjections. The guard's frown only drooped further until it looked like the look would become permanent. Kiala seemed to shake off her mood in time to whisper, "really, everything is under control, my Captain of the Guard just… overreacted."

Tenel Ka glanced to her, curiosity rolling off of her in waves as she looked the young queen up and down. Olie glanced over his shoulder at Kiala who stepped forward and nodding pleasantly to her guard said, "Olie, perhaps you should go cool down. I'm sure the Jedi can handle my security tonight."

For a second, Ben seriously thought that Olie would grab Kiala and drag her from the dinner in general. He braced himself to stop the guard only for him to narrow his eyes at Kiala and then nod his head silently, conceding the victory and leaving. Kiala turned back to the Queen Mother and then bowing her head she whispered, "if you will excuse me for a moment."

With that the Queen vanished into the crowd, not without Ben following her though. Keeping track of her in the crowd grew harder as the dress colors started to blend, and eventually, Ben realized that she was most likely trying to lose him, eventually he pushed his way through and saw her standing on the balcony alone.

The cold night air bit his cheeks as he walked outside, he paused through in the doorway, realizing she probably wanted her space and that was why she had tried to run from him. They stood in silence for a long time, Ben's eyes tracing the fading light of the sun on the horizon, waiting for the Queen to decide she wanted to go back inside. Eventually, a set of lanterns came to life, illuminating her so he could only see her shadowy figure. Standing there alone, she looked so solemn and sad that Ben almost backed off the threshold and stood inside to give her even more privacy. He had begun to turn and walk back inside when she whispered, so softly he almost didn't hear it, "Ben, what was your mother like?"

For a moment, he though he had misheard her, of course many people had known about his mother's death, he hadn't expected the Queen of Onderon to though. He stood frozen in the doorway then, unsure as to if he should respond of not, his throat closed up around the memories that flooded to the surface, until eventually he realized that he had to let it out or else he would collapse from oxygen deprivation. Softly, without turning he whispered, "she was… brave."

In the reflection from the glass window, Ben saw Kiala turn to look at him, one of her hands resting on the banister, the other resting on her heart; her eyes were eager to hear what he had to say, and eventually she tentatively whispered, "is that all you remember about her?"

Ben turned to look at her, his voice hoarse around the words as he whispered, "it's not something I like to talk about, I'm sorry your Highness."

For a moment, Kiala looked like she was going to drop it before she turned back to the horizon and whispered, "my mother was also very brave. She was beautiful too, I remember that well. I-I used to go to her rooms when she was gone on diplomatic summits and lie among her dresses so I could remember her smell. She always smelled like the ithian flower. She kept a vase of them on her night table next to a comb that she used to brush my hair with, and," Kiala appeared to be trying to recollect something and when she finally spoke her voice was barely a whisper , "a hand mirror."

Ben closed his eyes and turned away, could he really confined with the Queen? They were from different levels of pain, his a dull ache that he had been trying to push back for years, hers, still fresh as new fallen snow. The pain was so similar though, perhaps he could help her move past it and not have to push it away like he always had to. When he turned his gaze back to her, he sighed and whispered, "my mother was gone often, so was my dad. When they came back, she used to let me sleep with them so that I could just know they were there. When I got older she would bring me little trinkets back from wherever it was she had been. My favorite was a small token coin that was from the Outer Rim. It was… burned… when Corasaunt fell under Abeloth."

Kiala glanced at him over her shoulder, those blue eyes filled with tears that were starting to spill over as she confided in someone. Suddenly she reached out and whispered, "please, come here, I don't want you to grieve alone."

Ben felt the mental barriers he had set up when he was younger kick in at her comment, and swallowing his pain and emotion he whispered, "I stopped grieving a long time ago your Highness."

As suddenly as the moment between them had begun, it ended. There was a fanfare inside and Ben whispered, "you should return inside your Highness, people will want to speak with you."

With that he turned on his heel and walked inside, horrified that he had let the Queen of Onderon so far under his defenses where she unintentionally cut him the deepest.