The Delusions of Dreamers

Sixteen

Mandalorian armor.

Satine and Obi-Wan had been searching the ship for food and other supplies when the duchess had stumbled upon the armor in a secret closet. She just stared at it for a while, all kinds of emotions going through her head.

Should I put it on? she wondered. We might run into trouble on this new planet. But it was against everything Satine stood for, everything she believed in. So the duchess shook her head and closed the door before walking outside to meet the Jedi.

This planet wasn't terrible... at least not yet. Draboon was warm and very green, the sunlight filtering in through the thick leaves and trees. They reached high into the sky and were filled with birds and other noisy creatures. The sounds didn't bother Satine, though. They were actually quite comforting.

The group had landed the ship in a clearing near the edge of the jungle so that they were somewhat hidden, and the duchess joined Obi-Wan at the edge of the trees.

"Padawan." She poked him in his side.

"Duchess," he chuckled, nudging her with his elbow. "Qui-Gon went to make sure there are no hostile creatures or people around. And he wanted to see if there are any abandoned buildings or villages, too.

Satine sighed, looking up at the blue sky. "I miss civilization." She curled a lock of hair around her finger. "I... I miss a lot of things."

The Padawan laid a hand on her shoulder. "Like what?"

"Well..." she glanced into his piercing blue eyes. The two were good friends now, but that didn't mean she had told him everything already. Satine decided not to hide this from him. "I used to help my mother bake sometimes." The duchess felt her knees grow weak, and she slumped onto the forest floor, Obi-Wan settling beside her. "Even though she was the Duchess of Mandalore, she loved to cook in the royal kitchens, and I loved to come with her." She rested her head on the Padawan's strong shoulder. "We would make everything. Pies, pudding, cakes, cookies, brownies... you name it."

Obi-Wan stroked her golden hair. "That sounds wonderful," he murmured.

Satine smiled sadly. "It was... and so was ballroom dancing with my father. I would wear a big, fancy dress and shiny slippers. I was his date to every ball, and I would have to put my feet on top of his because I didn't know how to dance." The duchess laughed mirthlessly. "I think that's what I miss the most... little moments like that with my parents." Suddenly, she sat up and scooted away from the Padawan. "Sorry—I don't know why I felt the need to tell you all of that. I guess—"

"It's okay!" Obi-Wan held his hands up in a pleading gesture. "It's alright. I understand, Darling." Satine relaxed then. She didn't know how the young man beside her always managed to say the right thing. "You know... I never really knew my parents. I was taken away from them at a very young age in order to become a Jedi. I don't know where they are now or if they're even alive, but that's probably for the best, considering we Jedi aren't allowed to have attachments."

Satine furrowed her blonde brows. "Why is that? Why can the Jedi not have attachments?"

The Padawan opened his mouth and then shut it, thinking for a moment. "I believe... I believe it is because attachments can blind us. They can stop us from doing the right thing sometimes. And because we Jedi are the protectors of the galaxy, we must always do what is right."

"Hmm," the Duchess hummed in thought. "So... you can't fall in love?" They both looked at each other then, something flashing in Obi-Wan's blue eyes.

"Well, you can," he grinned. "but you must never act upon those feelings, and you must never let those emotions take control of you."

"Wow," Satine breathed. "That must be difficult."

Obi-Wan seemed distracted for a moment. Then he laughed. "Oh, it is."

That's when rustling sounds came from the jungle, accompanied by the stomping of Qui-Gon's boots. "I didn't see anything, although there appears to be pretty big caves here and there. I don't know what's in them, so we will have to be wary."

The Padawan nodded. "Of course, Master."

Then everyone set about doing their own thing. Qui-Gon went to prepare dinner and Obi-Wan seemed to disappear. And Satine was tired, so she decided to go to bed very early, curling up on one of the mattresses in the Mandalorian ship.

It felt like she had just fallen asleep when a warm hand caressed her cheek. "Satine, my dear," someone whispered. "Wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open to reveal Obi-Wan hovering above her, his Padawan braid tickling her cheek. "What is it?" she slurred, still groggy from sleep. "What time is it?"

He smiled down at her and helped her sit up. She noticed a small bulge in the sleeve of his Jedi robes. Qui-Gon must have wrapped up his shoulder wound from the blaster. "It's just past midnight, but I need to show you something. I think you'll like it."

Satine slipped on her boots but didn't bother with tying up her hair before following Obi-Wan outside. The Padawan grasped her hand and lead her through the woods in comfortable silence. Eventually, he stopped and covered her eyes. "Don't peak," he murmured. She giggled.

He guided her several steps forward, and she heard the brush of leaves and creaking branches right before Obi-Wan uncovered her eyes. She gasped.

A small clearing lay before them, decorated with little purple, pink, red, orange, and yellow flowers, but they weren't ordinary flowers—they glowed. A stump stood near the edge of the clearing, and two logs were placed near it. One of the logs had a little metal disk on it, and when Obi-Wan pressed a button, soft, beautiful music flowed from the device.

"Do you like it?" he beamed at her hopefully, and she threw her arms around his neck.

"Yes!" she squealed. "It's wonderful!" She let go of him and gazed into his ocean blue eyes. They seemed to shift like waves in a storm, but why? What was he struggling with?

He rubbed the back of his neck and threw a shy smile her way. "I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. The baking and the ballrooms... so, I tried to make a ballroom for you."

"Well, I love it!" Satine gushed. She had gone from tired to ecstatic, twirling around in her night dress that she had found on the ship. "This is even better than the royal ballroom."

Obi-Wan cleared his throat and held out his hand. "Shall we dance, then, my dear duchess?"

She dropped into a curtsy before taking up his offer. "Indeed, we shall."

And that's what they did. They spun in time to the music, coming together and fanning apart, throwing their hands up into the night sky and catching each other in their arms. The duchess had improved greatly from when she was a child, and she was surprised that the Padawan could keep up with her.

"Where did you learn to dance?" she inquired as Obi-Wan dipped her low to the forest floor, his strong arms grasping her waist.

"I take it upon myself to learn useful things," he smirked and lifted her back up so that their faces were almost touching.

"I can tell," Satine responded, but she was suddenly lost in thought. She wasn't in the jungle anymore—instead she was in the Mandalorian Palace, prancing about with her father, who had blue eyes just like Obi-Wan. He smiled down at her, telling her everything would be okay before turning to dust, his ashes fluttering around the ballroom.

"Satine? Satine?" something was patting her cheek, and the duchess came back to her senses. She could feel the rivers of tears flowing down her face. "Why are you crying?"