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Chapter 31

The sun descended over Theed, a beautiful evening on Naboo.

"I can't believe we're actually here," Kitster whispered, with some anxiety in his voice.

Anakin smirked at his friends. "I told you, Naboo is nothing like Tatooine. You'll get used to it."

As they approached the main gates of the rebuilt palace, they were greeted by the security presence.

The palace resembled little more than a temple with the amount of workers walking around, calculatedly placing the necessary bricks, and others continuing to store them.

Captain Quarsh Panaka, head of the Royal Naboo Security Forces, was stationed at the entrance with a group of his patrol. Dressed in his red uniform with notable tears, with a blaster at his side and an ever-watchful gaze, Panaka was on the watch.

"Hold up there," Panaka called out as the boys approached, not unkindly. The patrol around him didn't move, registering the two boys. Paranoia was what surrounded them.

Anakin stopped and stood tall, trying to appear as mature as possible. "We want to see Queen Amidala," he said boldly. Kitster's eyes went wide with the request, but he trusted Anakin implicitly.

Panaka raised an eyebrow. "Do you? And what business do two young lads have with the Queen?"

Before Anakin could respond, Kitster suddenly reached for his sleeve, his gaze locked on something — or rather, someone — behind the Captain and the guards. Anakin followed his friend's gaze, finding the one who had grabbed his attention. Eirtaé, dressed in her elegant robes with her long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, was speaking quietly to one of the security officers. The sun caught her hair, causing it to shine.

Kitster's mouth fell open slightly, and he barely managed to stutter, "She… she is beautiful…"

Anakin elbowed Kitster playfully. "You've got to stop drooling," he teased. "She's just a girl." Okay, okay, Anakin was being a little hypocritical here. He remembered falling head over heels for Padmé.

"Just a girl?" Kitster murmured, still looking at Eirtaé, who didn't know about his staring just yet.

Panaka, noticing Kitster's awestruck expression, allowed a chuckle to spill out of him. "First time seeing one of the Queen's Handmaidens, huh? They have that effect on a lot of people."

"Uhhh, can I say hi?" Kitster managed confidently.

"Sure," the Captain said. "Eirtaé, someone wants to see you."

Kitster walked up.

Eirtaé turned to look down at him. "Oh, hello." She smiled. "Is there something you need?"

"Are you an angel?!" Kitster squealed.

She blinked in wonder for a moment before her eyes widened as she realized what was happening, and she chuckled.

Anakin snickered. All of this over a girl! It could never be Anakin who did this...

Just then, another figure appeared at the top of the palace steps. It was Padmé Amidala, though now dressed in more modest attire, befitting her dual role as the Queen and the handmaiden Sabé. Her eyes lit up with joy when she spotted Anakin, and she moved just a bit faster until she was almost sprinting.

"Anakin!" she called out, her voice warm. Ah, so she remembered him. He wished he'd gotten to know her better last time.

Anakin's face broke into a wide smile as he ran towards her.

Panaka stepped aside and held up his hand, preventing them from stopping the boy. "Looks like you've got an invitation after all," he said good-naturedly.

Anakin ignored him and stared up at her. "Hi, Padmé!" he exclaimed optimistically.

Padmé knelt to meet Anakin at eye level, her hands placed gently on his shoulders. "I didn't expect to see you here today," she said softly, her brown eyes observing him. "I thought you'd be training with Luke."

"I've been training a lot," Anakin replied sincerely. "But I wanted to see how Naboo was doing… and you."

He still remembered what he felt. While it was pretty nasty, Luke had taught him how to begin accepting what happened. Meditation played a factor. The deaths of others didn't please his mentor. Anakin knew that Luke only saw it as a necessity.

Padmé smiled kindly. "Naboo is recovering, thanks to everyone's efforts. But it's slow going. The Trade Federation did more damage than we initially thought." She glanced back at the palace, where workers were tirelessly repairing the intricate stonework. "It's going to take some time before everything is back to the way it was."

Anakin nodded, his face serious. "I'll help. With the Force, I can do a lot. Maybe even rebuild the whole palace." He looked down and added sheepishly, "I think the Force is capable of that."

Padmé laughed lightly, her hand brushing a stray lock of hair from Anakin's forehead. "I don't doubt it, Anakin. But these people are trained, and you might be tired after all of that."

Padmé led them inside. Anakin moved to follow, but Kitster remained behind. The two looked. Anakin groaned out loud.

"Forgive him," he then added in a quip. "Come on, Kitster, you can look at Eirtaé later."

"Shut up, Anakin!" Kitster flushed.

"It's no problem at all. He can stay here," Eirtaé dismissed.

Anakin scoffed slightly and eyed Kitster, who gave him an "I beat you" smirk. He shrugged and followed Padmé.

Anakin continued moving with Padmé down the rebuilt palace. The boy noted the countless construction workers and how carefully they were working.

"Woah! Woah! Be careful!" A Nabooian male was cautioning two others who were trying to put up the long windshield glass. They both collapsed, and the glass soon followed.

Instinctively, Anakin reacted. He reached out his hand and caught both of them along with the glass, sensing more people come to the side, along with others. Anakin gently lowered them to the ground and placed the glass upright, allowing the two workers from earlier to react and begin attaching it, smiling in success when they saw it was hooked in.

The two began to climb back down as Anakin reopened his eyes and allowed the Force to leave his body.

"Thanks, kid," one of them said, leaving behind.

Anakin beamed at the praise. Luke would be so proud when he found out.

"You know how to leave a welcoming gift, don't you, Ani?" She quipped. Now being alone, she snickered. "Well, look at you. You've gotten stronger."

A laugh rippled out of him. He had noticed that in the almost year he had been under Luke's training.

Right, the gift he had gotten for Padmé. Anakin dug into his pocket and pulled it out. "I made this for you. I carved it from a japor snippet. It'll bring you good fortune."

Carved as traditional Tatooine sand symbols from a piece of japor ivory wood that Anakin acquired through trading, it was threaded with a string of jerba leather. That was what he had been doing last time when he managed to deactivate the ramp of the ship.

"Thank you, Ani," Padmé said, playing with the snippet within her hand. She wrapped it around her neck, and it fit her perfectly.

She led him into the newly constructed throne room and sat in the chair.

Padmé sat down. "So, how is your training under Luke?"

Anakin collapsed into his seat, smiling daintily. "Rigorous."

"Learning new words?" Padmé quipped.

"Luke makes me read dictionaries," he answered, and he enjoyed it, because there were so many words he wanted to practice and learn. Up until then, he only knew Galactic Basic due to his mother smuggling away lessons of her own and Huttese.

"How long does that take?" Padmé inquired.

Anakin chuckled. "It's not easy."

"I imagine it's for your benefit," her lips arched up into a crooked smirk.

The youngest chuckled. "It can be boring at times."

Not that Luke doesn't make up for it. To substitute for it, Luke dotted on them, helped with the lesser extreme part of training, and played with him. Kitster was welcomed into their family. When he saw that side of Luke, it reminded Anakin how he was a man instead of the instructor and teacher he had always been when training Anakin.

Luke taught him to control his emotions, but also taught him to occasionally draw on his powers—harnessing them and giving them a boost in battle. Anakin started favoring his resistance to the Dark Side.

"I might get my own lightsaber soon," Anakin informed her.

"Oh really, did Luke tell you that?" Padmé inquired.

"No, not really," Anakin shrugged, "but he's been happy with me. How is Naboo? Your family?"

Since Anakin had his mother, he knew that Padmé must have a family.

"They're doing fine. My father was injured before the Liberation of Naboo. Still recovering." Her angelic face scrunched, eyes closing in agony and loss, obviously reliving the horrifying events.

Anakin often fell into that state as well when he'd thought about the past. If he'd never seen Tatooine again, it would be too soon. But the slaves on Tatooine deserved a future. It wouldn't be that easy, Anakin knew when considering Republic's laws it wouldn't be that simple.

"I'm so sorry," Anakin murmured, and he was gripped by the impulse to hug her now.

She reopened them, clearly through a strain, and nodded, her eyes pained. She managed to crack a smile. "Sorry, Anakin, the mind tends to ponder a lot."

Anakin nodded once. "It's alright, Padmé, you know I tend to think about Tatooine a lot."

"It wasn't easy out there, wasn't it?" The Queen inquired. "I have been reading about slavery out there."

Anakin arched a eyebrow. "Yes?"

"They have been around since the Infinite Empire. There isn't much known about that period." Padmé answered. "They captured a large number of slaves to build their Star Forge."

Anakin grimaced. "Yeah, it's been pretty bad for a long time."

"How do you do it?" the Queen queried, struck by awe. "I know you're just a child, but how can you be so..."

"Happy?"

"Well, yeah, slavery must have forced you to grow up so quickly. That's what they mentioned about slavery..."

"It's painful sometimes. I never wanted a happy life. Just a simple one. I wouldn't replace my mom for anything in the galaxy, but I wish we didn't ever have to live as slaves. All the slavers did was hurt me, hurt Kitster, hurt mom, and they did the nastiest things to her." Unwanted memories filled his brain. It was the female slaves. Always the female ones.

"You're mature for your age," Padmé said softly. "So strong. Stronger than I ever could be."

"No," Anakin shot down, "you're leading an entire planet from scratch. You don't give yourself enough credit, Padmé. I bet it's hard, being Queen and having to do all this. Sometimes I see how much you have to deal with, and I wonder if it's too much."

Padmé's expression softened as she regarded the boy before her, a child in age but perhaps years above his age. "It can be hard," she admitted, her voice gentle. "There are days when the responsibility feels heavy, like a burden I can't put down. But then I think of why I'm doing it. The people of Naboo need me, especially after everything that's happened. They need someone to lead them, to show them that we can rebuild and be stronger than before. It's not always easy, but it's worth it when I see our world coming back to life."

Anakin was quiet for a moment, processing her words. "I think I understand," he said slowly. "It's like… when I'm training. Sometimes, it's really hard, and I don't always get things right. But Luke says that every time I push through, I'm getting stronger. It's like the Force helps me grow, even when I don't feel it."

Padmé nodded, her eyes shining with admiration for the young boy's insight, and possibly his usage of strong vocabulary. "That's exactly right, Anakin. It's the challenges that make us stronger. And I know you have the strength to become a great Jedi. You've already done so much more than most people could ever dream of."

"But what if I'm not strong enough?" Anakin asked quietly, voicing a fear he rarely shared. "What if I can't protect the people I care about?"

Padmé's heart ached for him, hearing the vulnerability in his voice. She reached out, cupping his cheek in her hands. "Anakin, you're already stronger than you know. You have a good heart, and that's where true strength comes from. The Force is with you, and so are your friends. You'll never be alone in this. And as for protecting the people you care about… sometimes, the best way to do that is to become the best version of yourself, to keep learning and growing. That's what will make you a true protector."

Anakin looked up at her. "I'll keep training, Padmé. I promise. I'll become strong enough to protect Naboo and everyone else I care about. I'll not let any more people die."

Padmé smiled. "I believe in you, Anakin. And no matter where your journey takes you, remember that Naboo will always be a home for you."

Anakin smiled back, the tension in his young face easing. "Thanks, Padmé. That means a lot to me."

He was so lucky to have friends like Kitster and Padmé.

Two hooded figures sat down in seats inside the diner, right across from each other, keeping their heads diverted away from any eyes that may have been staring at them. The clinging apprehension of being discovered by anyone lingered for both.

Unfortunately for the two, they arrived at the twilight of Coruscant, meaning a lack of customers as people were just finishing their senatorial duties, various other jobs that people have on Coruscant. Many families would go to restaurants such as this diner.

But it was the best the two could come up with to spend time with each other without making it painfully obvious to the rest of the Jedi Order that their attachments still ran deeply.

When it came down to it, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Siri Tachi couldn't dismiss the time they had shared with each other in the weeks following Naboo.

They have lost their battles with their feelings and what was right and wrong, and now they are sinking themselves into a deeper hole. For even Siri, who was a Maverick on the worst of days, couldn't make up for how strongly they felt about one another.

"This is new," Siri admitted, wiping her face with a napkin when the steak juices splattered all over it.

Obi-Wan, in the process of chewing his nerfburger, waited until he finished before asking, "Is it nice?"

"Yes," she admitted.

"I knew Dex wouldn't let me down," he said lightly.

"The relationship between you two is something I'll never understand," the female voice said.

He took a sip of the Moof Juice, relishing its lovely flavor.

"Dex can cook some of the best meals in the galaxy," Obi-Wan said. "I think he's probably the only one who could make something good from bad."

They continued eating, sharing glances at one another, before leaving.

As they walked through the street, Obi-Wan truly didn't know how to start a conversation. They were still new at this...

"Have you heard about Skywalker's latest service to the Republic?" Siri asked.

"That mess on Kalee? Oh yes, the news is talking about it. It would seem Skywalker plans to make a name for himself."

"Did you regret it?" she asked, her eyes locked onto his face.

"It?" He repeated, confused.

"This? All of this? This is a violation against the Jedi Code, and we haven't had much time to talk about it." Siri's bright, beautiful eyes bore into him with a crazy intensity.

"No, I didn't." He denied with a small smile. "I knew when I saw you again, sensing your injury, that I couldn't deal with my feelings any longer. For far too long, I have avoided, and you have avoided me, but I couldn't do it again. When I saw you on Coruscant after five years, it was too much to handle. Pure, agonizing torture. I just couldn't ignore you again. Maybe I'm not the best Jedi I thought I could be."

"If it's any comfort, you aren't alone in this," Siri responded sweetly, her beautiful face breaking into an even brighter smile, her scars following. Less and less, she had been feeling insecure about that. It soothed the ache within Obi-Wan's heart.

"I know, but I missed you, Siri," Obi-Wan confessed.

Siri buried her head against his shoulder, and Obi-Wan breathed, wrapping his arms around her, staying like that.

"I guess that's one thing we can thank Luke for."

"Maybe so," Obi-Wan said, unable to help his appreciation for the man, because if he had never given either of them those doubts, things could have still been as tense as they were now.

"Have you been feeling any pull back to the Dark Side?" Siri inquired, gripping his cheek.

Obi-Wan couldn't say he had been. Ever since this had been happening with Siri, and his Master's reconciliation with his Grandmaster, he had been thinking too much about his even worse violation. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Obi-Wan wasn't supposed to be attached to Siri. Not this deeply.

But... the taint of what happened to his soul had been mostly voided. There were still temporary times when he remembered those screams of agony, but they weren't as bad as before...

"No," Obi-Wan admitted. "I feel lighter."

"Do you... do you think Luke might have been right and the Council wrong? That we wouldn't have to stop this someday?" The female Jedi asked.

Weeks ago, Obi-Wan would have argued in favor of the Council.

Recently, Obi-Wan has been less... inclined to do so, another violation of the Jedi Code, as much as part of him hated to admit it.

"I can't be too sure. For now, it feels pleasurable. But we have been taught that the Dark Side feels good at first before it backfires against us." Obi-Wan reminded sympathetically.

He would never let this go.

Ever since they announced their inner feelings, Kenobi had more non-Jedi thoughts. Marriage, having their own kids, spending nights exploring their sexuality... all of them.

Did Luke Skywalker damn him or save him?

It didn't matter.

And yet, after they left in silence, receiving almost a knowing wink from Dex, in an abandoned apartment, Kenobi made sure she would know that.