The General and the Duchess (Star Wars Obitine)

Family/Friends

Duchess Kyrze politely excused herself from a conversation with a well-meaning but very long winded Rodian and deftly maneuvered through the crowd, smiling here or shaking a hand there, until she found a small table off to the side.

She sat down and let out a long breath. These political events could go on for hours and even the most dedicated diplomats occasionally needed a respite.

Her moment of peace was almost immediately broken by the sound of someone pulling over a chair.

"Duchess, may I join you?" asked a young man with unruly hair and dark clothes better suited to perhaps a pirate than Coruscant's political elite.

"Of course," Satine answered graciously, since he was already sitting beside her. Then, recognizing him, "It's good to see you again, General Skywalker."

"Oh, you can call me Anakin," he flashed a wide grin.

Anakin waved down a passing server droid and snagged a pair of glasses, handing one to Satine.

"Thank you, Anakin," Satine said cautiously.

"So. How are things on Mandalore?" Anakin asked.

"...Things are well," Satine said, wondering where he was going with this. She didn't have to wait long.

"You knew Master Obi-Wan back when he was a Padawan, right?" Anakin asked, taking a swallow of his drink.

Satine nodded, "Yes, I first met Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn...it must be thirteen years ago now. At the time I was in political exile and they were sent to protect me."

"I know. Obi-Wan told me. You all were on the run from bounty hunters, living hand to mouth, not sure what each day might hold." Anakin said, flashing another smile, "It sounded like quite an adventure."

Satine covered her surprise by taking a drink. What exactly had Obi-Wan told him? "Yes, I suppose it was an adventure."

Anakin leaned forward intently, "So tell me, what was Obi-Wan like back then?"

He seemed genuinely curious. Satine considered for a moment. Despite his rougish appearance, Anakin did have a bit of charm. And he was Obi-Wan's former student, so what would be the harm in reminiscing a little?

Anakin flagged down another round of drinks before she was even halfway through her first glass and before long she was telling him all about her and Obi-Wan's adventures in the badlands of some Outer Rim world she had long forgotten the name of. They had gotten separated from Master Qui-Gon and were on the run from a group of Trandoshan bounty hunters.

"How did you get away? Didn't you say they called for backup before Obi-Wan took out the group following you?" Anakin was totally engrossed in the story.

"I was still shaky from the stun grenade, so Obi-Wan carried me on his back and we set off across the swamp. By then the sun was getting low and all the night creatures started to move around. It was eerie, to say the least," Satine explained, for a moment transported back to that night.

"We were nearly at the rendezvous spot where Qui-Gon would meet us. Then all of a sudden, Obi-Wan dropped me!"

"No!" Anakin exclaimed, laughing.

"He did! I fell and hit a thorn bush. I still have a scar on my leg from the cut. Meanwhile Obi lost his footing and he went sliding into this pit of dark, grainy sludge. He started sinking really fast, almost like he was in water. His head went under and I kept thinking, any second he'll come back up."

"It was quicksand, wasn't it? We have it on Tatooine too. Almost impossible to see unless you know what to look for. What did you do?" Anakin asked.

"Fortunately I found a long branch nearby and held it out over the pit, letting the end sink a bit. He managed to grab on and I pulled him out!" Satine told it like it was all one big adventure, but she still remembered that moment of desperation before she felt Obi-Wan grab the branch, before he burst out of the muck, gasping for air.

Anakin was shaking his head in amusement, "That's classic Obi-Wan for you. Shows up to save the day only to get himself in worse trouble than you had in the first place! What happened next?"

What happened next, Satine remembered, was sitting in the dirt beside Obi-Wan while he caught his breath. He tried to wipe the mud off his face but only managed to smudge it around.

The way he turned to her and gave her his classic Obi-Wan smile and she knew he was about to say something, but after nearly losing him the last thing she wanted to hear was his trademark gallows humor. Before she knew what she was doing, she held his face in her hands and kissed him square on the mouth.

She quickly pulled away, hoping that he couldn't see how red her cheeks were in the fading light.

'What was that for?' Obi-Wan had asked, blinking in surprise. Like he'd never been kissed before.

'You almost died, stupid!' Satine had answered, punching him in the arm.

Obi-Wan ducked his head but she caught a hint of a smile.

"Then Master Qui-Gon showed up in a speeder. He took us back to the village and gave me first aid and we all got cleaned up. Or tried to, anyway. Poor Obi smelled like swamp for a week."