Times of the Past

A Day in the Fields

     The next day, the three of them woke up a bit before dawn and got their things together to head down to the homesteads where people would soon head out to work in their fields.

     The night before, they had agreed that their best option currently was to meet some of the locals and see if anyone would be willing to hire some extra hands, or at least allow them to work in exchange for food or lodging.

     It took a little while to get down to the base of the cliff and head to the houses and farms, but they were just in time when they arrived, as a few people were just beginning to exit their houses. When they approached the nearest home, they were lucky they were spotted quite quickly.

     "Excuse me," Qui-Gon spoke to the first man that stopped. "We happen to be looking for work. Do you know anyone who could use a hand around here?"

    The man gave him a weary smile in return.

    "Everyone around here could use some help, but I'm afraid no one would be able to pay you, at least not very much."

     "Well, that's alright. Do you know anyone who would consider giving us food and a place to stay in exchange for work?"

     Scratching his head, the man turned to look back at his neighbors' houses, as if trying to see who had the most room. Then, he pointed to a house about four lots down on the opposite side of the dirt roadway.

     "Donix and his wife, Merida, might have the space. They're older; their children have all moved away. They'd probably be happy to have you. Just tell them Isel sent you."

     Qui-Gon nodded gratefully. "Thank you very much. We appreciate the help."

     Together, the three of them moved on, allowing the man to return to his own work. 

     At the door of Donix and Merida's home, Obi-Wan watched as Satine stared at the houses and people of the area, wondering what she was thinking, but before he could ask, the door swung open.

     The man that greeted them had a haggard appearance and white hair, but he smiled at them immediately, despite the fact that they were strangers.

     "You must be Donix," Qui-Gon spoke up. "Isel sent us to speak with you. Do you have a few minutes to talk?"

     He nodded and allowed them to enter his home. Then, just as the door closed behind them, his wife, Merida, appeared.

     "Hello," she greeted them with a smile as well. 

     "What did you want to talk about?" Donix asked, gesturing for them to sit down for the moment in some wooden chairs.

     "Well, the three of us have been traveling a lot recently, but we are looking for a place to stay and food in exchange for work. We spoke to Isel, and he suggested that we speak with you about this."

     "You've come to the right place," Merida said, wiping her hands on her apron. "We've helped others in your situation before. We'd be happy to have your help."

     Donix nodded again. "Do you know how long you plan to stay?"

     Qui-Gon glanced at Obi-Wan, but shook his head. "I'm afraid we're not too sure at the moment, but definitely no longer than a few weeks at the most."

     "That's alright. As my wife said, we'd be happy to have the help. Do any of you have experience with work on a farm or in gardens?"

      "Sadly not, but I think you'll find that the three of us are rather quick learners."

     "Good," the man replied, then waited a beat. "Are you ready to start now?"

     The three of them shared another glance, but they each nodded.

      "Well, if you two would like to head out with me, I can show you around," he looked between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. 

     His wife turned to Satine. "And I can show you where you'll be staying before we head outside."

      They all stood up once again, and they split apart, but not before Satine shared one last look with Obi-Wan.

*****

     After Satine had seen the house and been shown a small garden and a few pens where she'd be spending a lot of time, she couldn't help but feel grateful to know that there were still people on her planet that were willing to show kindness, despite the fact that this was not a wealthy area, which she had noticed while looking around earlier.

     "So, Rachi, are the three of you family?" Merida asked kindly while the two of them pulled weeds that were surrounding some vegetable plants.

    Satine blinked, remembering their cover story with a bit more fondness than usual. "Well, Rhoc is my husband, and Weth is his father. So, yes, you could say that."

     "Oh," Merida said with a little surprise reflected in her eyes. "I see. My daughter was young when she got married too."

     Satine didn't know what to say to that, so she simply hummed in response. 

     Merida was a bit more curious, however. 

     "So, your father-in-law mentioned you have traveled a lot. Do you think you'll be settling down in the future? Although, I suppose you will be leaving here soon enough too."

     Satine considered the question, deciding to entertain the thought. "Well, it's not really up to me at the moment. Some days it seems like we're ready to stay put for a while, and some days we just continue moving."

     Laughing, Satine added. "I think we're becoming nomads."

     Merida smiled. "It's not a bad thing to go out and have some adventure. Donix and I were ready to make a home together when we met, but our children wanted to see what else is out there. I guess it's just a bit of a bad time right now though."

     At the last sentence, Satine's smile faltered. "Yes, it is."

     Noting her slight shift in mood, Merida switched to another topic. "Do you think you'll want to have children though? I know you're young, but you are married now."

     It took a brief period for the question to register in Satine's mind, but when it did, her face reddened.

     Merida chuckled. "You don't have to be shy. Trust me, what's said in this garden doesn't leave this garden. The men stay way over there."

     Satine looked off to the middle of the field where Donix was showing Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon how to effectively collect some sort of leafy greens in woven baskets, and she eyed the youger Jedi for a minute out of the corner of her eye.

     His clothes were a dusted tan, just as her own were, and he looked a little flushed from the warmth outdoors this morning, but Satine's eyes drifted across his muscles and caught on the way the light shone on his hair. She could have laughed at the situation they kept finding themselves in where they were told to act as a couple but have nothing serious between them.

    While thinking of this, Satine turned back to her work.

     "Yes, I do want children. I'm just... not sure how things will turn out for us."

    "Well, have hope. Fate is a funny thing."

     They were silent for a bit, finishing up the row they were on and moving on to another type of vegetable plant.

     Finally, Merida couldn't resist speaking again. 

     "Just think though, a baby with his bright hair and your features. That'd be so sweet to see."

     Satine glanced over at her and quickly found that the woman's smile was contagious.

     "Yeah," Satine said softly. "It would."