When Destinies Meet, part 1: In the wake of discovery

Author's Note: Again, SO sorry for the delay! But I had to finish the term...however, I am hoping to finish part one of these series by the end of July, or at least August, so bear with me please! And thanks to all my reviewers!

Chapter Twelve: Practise in the storm

All was quiet on the outskirts of Mos Espa. Not a single white cloud travelled across the sky, which was brightened by Tatooine's two suns. One lay slightly higher than the other, but that did not meant that it shone with any less energy. On the contrary, it seemed to burn with much more force because of the fact that it was farther away from the planet. The azure-coloured sky seemed like an endless mass, not a speck of another colour in sight. The rays of the sun poured down onto the san, heating it to boiling point. All around, images of distant lands, perhaps trees, rose from the ground, and yet they were no more than illusions, fractions of a tired, weary and thirsty mind. The very air shimmered with the heat, twinkling apparently with many colours.

One such image rose from within the mists of sand, lifted by a raising wind. It was the image of a great silver starship, elegant in design. It rested against the yellow sand, sparkling white with the light upon it. Dark patches stained it, and it was upon its beak, the windows of the cockpit, the glass of which had been saved from the initial heat by cooling darker material, which also kept the cockpit remarkably cool.

The ship itself was being cooled by its airsystem, and the inhabitants were happy that at least that remained intact after their escape from Naboo. Sabé stretched across her bed lazily, lying atop the covers in the undergown of her black dress, with her hair braided in one braid, and without the heavy facial make-up. It was decided that the Queen should retire, and thus the rest enabled the handmaiden to take off the many-layered, heavy gown, as well as hairdress. Make-up had been debatable, but in the end that was taken off as well, as it was discovered that Sabé was suffering severe heat waves underneath it.

Rabé and Eirtaé sat upon a pair of chairs, with their hoods down, thus allowing more air to reach and cool their heated faces. Neither of the handmaidens liked Tatooine, for it had prooven to be a dreadful, impossibly hot planet. After a few moments of silence, it was Sabé that broke it.

"I wish we were still in Imladris.." the only sounds that answered her were a soft whimper from Rabé and a melancholy sigh from Eirtaé. Sabé leaned upon her arms then and looked at her companions. "At least it was cooler there! And we had entertaining company.." Rabé nodded silently and with a weak smile, while Eirtaé's gaze remained fixed upon her hands. The Royal Decoy decided she had enough energy to tease her friend.

"Come now, Eirtaé, surely you admit you miss the place? And if not the place, then certainly you miss a particular Elf that had danced with you almost through the entire night.." Success! Searing red crossed the tall handmaiden's cheeks and she looked up with flaring eyes.

"Silence youngster! You know nothing of what went on then!" Sabé smiled meekly.

"On the contrary, I know that a certain Orophin was very interested with you and would not allow anyone near you so long as you graced his presence, and hung upon his every word…" A shriek broke her speech as Eirtaé found enough energy within her to launch towards her friend, and together they tumbled upon the bed, laughing and squealing.

"Ow, Eirtaé, you have my hair!"

"You're sitting on my gown, get off!"

"I see I missed some fun." The voice chimmed from the door and all three handmaidens looked up to see a smiling Arwen at the door, leaning on the wall with her arms crossed. Rabé stood.

"Thank the Force, Elana! I was thinking they'd kill themselves." Sabé and Eirtaé distangled themselves from one another and pouted.

"Come on Rabé, don't spoil the fun!" Arwen laughed and shook her head, then entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her, which slid shut without so much as a creak. The elleth walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, while all three of the handmaidens gathered round her, their eyes glittering with the hope of getting some spicy news which they might giggle about. They were, in the end, teenage girls, grown-up too fast, and yet clinging to their years before adolescence.

"Have you checked on the Jedi?" asked Eirtaé, thus speaking the mind of all three, basically, for neither of the handmaidens could deny the fact that they found Obi-wan Kenobi extremely hadsome. Arwen rolled her eyes and took her time correcting a stray lace upon her sleeve, while tension rose.

"Last I saw of him, he was folding his cloak and tucking away his boots while he was preparing for a slight nap," she finally said and all three girls squealed in delight and began speaking about anything their over-imaginative mind could conjure. Arwen smiled over it all in an amused manner; she remembered well her own days of growing-up, when she had sat with some of her friends on the high terraces of Imladris, preferably near the trainig grounds, where Glorfindel and other ellyn trained for war. Those days were now long gone, but she remembered them with fondness. And she also remembered the fact that neither of the ellyn had managed to capture her heart, although she'd had a slight crush on the mighty Balrog slayer until she was about ninety years of age, almost an adult. That was when she realised she could not imagine spending an eternity with Glorfindel. Both she and the senechal had had quite a fair share of laughs on her account since then, all in good humor.

Shaking out of her thoughts Arwen suddenly tensed, though none of the girls noticed it, too consumed they were with chit-chat. Something seemed wrong, though what, she could not tell. A steady feeling of unease crept into her soul, and the more she harkened to it, the less she could sit in silence and peace. Thus she rose suddenly and all three of the handmaidens looked up. Sending them a court smile, Arwen excused herself and hastened down the corridor.

Rabé looked at her companions with an arched eyebrow. "Where do you think she's going?"

Eirtaé shrugged, while Sabé smiled slyly. "Perhaps she's going to the Jedi again.."

"Sabé!" came Rabé's horrified voice, which sent the decoy into another fit of merry giggles, and it ended with a pillow fight.

In the mean time, Arwen had made her way down the corridor, only to meet Panaka and Obi-Wan closing the rampway and sealing the ship. One eyebrow arched as she looked from one man to the other with the silent question in her gray eyes. Obi-Wan looked to Panaka who sighed heavily.

"Sandstorm is about to hit in. I have not other alternative than to seal the ship. Hopefully, our friends were wise enough to seek shelter in town." With a court incline of his head, the captain excused himself and left for the cockpit to check with Olié, leaving Arwen alone with Obi-Wan. The elleth shook her head and rubbed her temples. Not good. She feared for Padmé – the Queen of Naboo was alone out there in the storm! If anything happened to her, Arwen would never forgive herself for allowing her to take leave of the ship in the first place.

"Worry not, Qui-Gon would have made all of them stay in town," came a low, soothing voice, and she looked up to see Obi-Wan smiling gently. Arwen offered him a hesitant smile in response before closing her eyes again, her long lashes brushing against her ivory cheeks.

"I fear for Padmé. She is unused to these kind of situations."

"Have no fear, my master shall not allow any harm come to her." His blue-green eyes watched her curiously, and for a moment Arwen feared that she had blown Sabé's and Padmé's cover, but luckily, the question he gave her was none of the sort.

"Might I ask where is the quietest and largest space of the ship?" Arwen lifted an eyebrow in question, but her mind was already searching for an answer.

"At the moment that would have to be the storage rooms. Follow me." She turned on her heel, and for a moment the scent of her hair reached Obi-Wan, and he closed his eyes. It reminded him of fresh summer flowers on a mornng in May, somewhere far away from this drasted planet. Focusing once more upon the retreating figure, the tall Jedi followed his hostess down the winding corridor and down a set of steps. At the base she paused, and he realised that they had come to the storage rooms. Well basically it was only one larger room but divided with light barriers into more. Many were filled with trunks, but some were empty.

"I hope this shall suit your needs," said the woman, and he nodded. "Might I be so bold to ask, however, as to why you will need them?" Obi-Wan smiled and unbuckled his lightsaber, whilst taking off his brown cloak with the other hand.

"I need to practise and meditate for a while – it shall ease my feelings and relax my body, since I must be constantly on guard." At this her face brightened in the knowledge and she nodded, then turned to leave. But he could see she hesitated.

"Would you mind if I watch you practise? I have never seen a Jedi work his way with a saber before," came then her silent, shy inquiry, and Obi-Wan was surprised to find that he was actually rather embarassed that she wished to view his practise session! But he could not deny her request, strangely so.

"I would not mind at all," came his soft reply, and Arwen sent him a smile, before taking a seat at the base of the stairs, also closing the door above them both, thus ensuring them privacy.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and concentrated, before pushing the button which ignited his blue lightsaber. The blade glittered inches in front of him, and he could feel the heat radiate from it, the familiar heat which placed a smile upon his face. He closed his eyes and emptied his thoughts. He could not practise with his thoughts in a jumble. Then, he slowly began to move.

Arwen watched, fascinated, by the fluid and graceful movements of the man before her, which reminded her very much of Glorfindel's own practise sessions, or that of her brothers. The buzzing sound of the blue blade soon became a welcomed one as her gray eyes followed the blue around the room. And in those quiet hours there seemed to come an understanding between Arwen and Obi-Wan, a silent message of friendship. She would remember that moment much later in her life when in need of peace, and he would always treasure it as an oasis for the serenity of his mind.

After about an hour the Jedi paused, his breathing controlled, yet difficult a little, and he pushed the button again. The blue light disappeared. Blue-green eyes met gray ones, and then suddenly, a curious notion dawned upon Obi-Wan.

"Would you like to try some moves?" he asked, not knowing why he did it – how could this woman possibly know how to wield a lightsaber? Most likely, the only knife she had held was a kitchen one. Arwen sat still for a moment, before her soft voice floated to his ears like a smooth, velvet caress.

"If you will let me.."

Obi-Wan nodded silently and beckoned to her, holding out the handle of his cherished weapon to her. The elleth stood and came to him, taking hold of the weapon gently, although as she did so, he could tell that she was no wholly unfamiliar with weaponry. He closed the distance between them and stepped behind her, guiding her hand into a position in which she may safely ignite the lightsaber without burning either herself or him. Her perfume was more than evident by then, and he needed to focus hard.

"A lightsaber is the life of a Jedi," he heard himself speak, while suddenly focused upon the braid of her hair. "We build it ourselves, and watch over it all our lives. It is an elegant weapon, and often used to protect us in these dangerous times." Her head bobbed up and down in understanding. Gently, Obi-Wan placed his caloused hand across her own, marvelling at the silken touch of her skin, and pushed the button that brought the saber to life once more. Arwen marvelled at the lightness and elegance of the weapon, as well as the shivers that ran through her hands down her spine, and the warmth that radiated from the Jedi behind her.
Obi-Wan slowly guided Arwen into a dance that was an easy practise session, and she responded to his moves fluidly, sometimes even before he could take the initiative. That caught him slightly off-guard but he continued none the less, and soon they were caught in the dance, two boides entwined, the Force floating all around them in the storage rooms, radiating through their bodies and tying the cord together, making it glow far more than before.

They stopped suddenly, the session at the end. Arwen's heart had quickened its pace, although she did not know whether because of the session or because of the Jedi behind her. Lightly, uncounciously, she leaned into him, enjoying the feel of solid muscle against her back. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and breathed in her scent deeply.

The moment was broken by Obi-Wan's comlink fluttering into life. The Jedi and the Elf sprang apart, the apprentice moving to his cloak and the elleth turning off the saber. Their eyes met and gazes held for a long moment, before Arwen turned around and walked back up the steps and disappeared into the ship. A soft groan escaped Obi-Wan, as he dug out his comlink and answered the call of his master.

TBC

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