Tales from the Temple

Chapter 10: The Duchess of Mandalore

Shaak was combing Luminara's long black hair in silence. She seemed deep in thought, so Luminara let her get lost in the repetitive movements. She had learned a long time ago that doing her hair was more than just an activity shared between them for Shaak, it was like a bonding ritual that again and again strengthened their friendship. It all started in their youngling days when, intrigued by her hair, Shaak took a liking to combing it for her. It soon became their custom, and Shaak found great pleasure in braiding her hair in intricate patterns and yet easy to cover.

"You have such beautiful hair," Shaak broke the silence after a long while, and Luminara hummed in acknowledgment. "They say that the Duchess has hair like the fields of Lothal. They say she is an exceptional beauty."

"That they say," she agreed. The Duchess of Mandalore had been a popular topic lately. The story of Master Jinn and Obi-Wan going into hiding with her to protect her life was a tale of adventure and mystery that kept the imagination active. However, the colorful tales did not engage everybody's imagination the same way, and Shaak's worry for Obi-Wan was growing day by day. And it seemed it was not just for his safety.

It was understandable, Luminara pondered. It had been months since any concrete news came through, and the masters were unusually tight-lipped about the whole affair. And it seemed that the boundless accounts of romantic adventure were eating away at her dear friend's soul.

She regarded Shaak in the mirror as her friend devoted all her attention to her already perfectly combed hair. She was not jealous; Luminara knew that; she was preparing to let Obi-Wan go if he decided so.

"But I doubt that Obi-Wan had noticed that."

"What?" Shaak looked up, and their eyes met in the mirror.

"Your worries are unfounded, my dear." Luminara smiled. "Obi-Wan has ever had eyes for you. And he is hopelessly clueless when it comes to others'... appreciation of him. Long blond hair and a pair of blue eyes won't turn his heart away from you."

"I know," Shaak gave her a small, self-conscious smile. "It's just that everybody thinks that they are perfect for each other. Those stories..."

"Are nothing more than that," Luminara turned around at last, effectively stopping Shaak's movements, and gathered her hands into hers. "Only stories. Made up by the active imagination of those who do not know the first thing about him. He is nothing if not wholly devoted to you. As you are to him."

"You are right," Shaak smiled, squeezing her friend's hand gratefully. "I should not let idle chatter disturb me so, especially when I know Obi-Wan's heart. Thank you, Luminara."

As it turned out, it hadn't been for another five months that Obi-Wan sat foot again on the Temple's grounds. When he and his master returned, an excited crowd waited for them despite the apparent disapproval of the Council. Everyone wanted to know what had happened.

Luminara stood silently behind the crowd, her hands hidden in her dark robe. Quinlan was standing next to her with a hardly concealed smirk on his face.

"Force, he should really watch those shining blue eyes of his lest it won't be the rumors of the Duchess which got him into trouble," he remarked with amusement as he watched Obi-Wan scan the crowd, paying little attention to the commission around him. He was looking for Shaak.

"I do indeed wonder how the two of them could keep their feelings hidden," Luminara mused with a small smirk of her own. "You should go and put him out of his misery."

"I should," Quinlan's smirk turned into a full-blown grin, but he did not make any move to do so. He was enjoying the situation immensely. His grin quickly faded, though, when he noticed the disapproving look on Luminara's face. "On my way, darling," he quickly added and left, followed by Luminara's affectionate smile.

"Where is she?" Obi-Wan started without any preamble as soon as Quinlan stopped by him. He raised a bemused eyebrow but didn't take offense. "She is not here."

"Of course, she is not here," Quinlan stated matter-of-factly, and he didn't need to be Force-sensitive to realize Obi-Wan's disappointment.

"Oh, of course," his shoulders fell. "It's been over a year..."

"Yeah, and those rumors about you and the Duchess..." Quinlan drawled, taking more amusement from the situation than he probably should have. If it was possible, Obi-Wan's shoulders sagged even more.

"You are such an idiot," Quinlan sighed, and Obi-Wan looked at him, confused. "She is in her quarters," he elaborated with an exasperated sigh. "She didn't want to meet you for the first time in front of the others."

"Why?" The confusion didn't disappear.

"Only the Force knows," Quinlan shrugged. "But if I had to guess, I'd say she wants to jump your bones as soon as she sees you." He wriggled his brows for good measure.

"Oh," Obi-Wan acknowledged absentmindedly. "Oh," he added when comprehension downed, and a goofy grin appeared on his face.

"Oh, for Force's sake," Quinlan groaned, looking around to see if anybody was paying any attention. "Get out of here before everybody would guess what you are up to." And he stressed his point with a push to his friend's shoulder. Obi-Wan was all too happy to comply as he disappeared from sight.

THE END

Thanks for reading!