One Path Chapter 7-Beginnings
Title: Beginnings
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: She wrapped her arm around him again, wordlessly guiding his head onto her chest.
Rating: G
Length: Around 1500 words
Category: Angst/Hurt-Comfort/Romance
Pairings/Charaters: Obidala
A/N: One Path Chapter 7. Set during TPM,during and after Qui-Gon's funeral.
Beginnings
The funeral pyre burned, and Obi Wan stood silently beside it. Dressed in the stately robes of her office, Padme watched through unshed tears as the smoke rose, consuming the Jedi Master who had been her protector and her cherished friend's teacher and partner. Like Obi Wan, she had not always seen eye to eye with Qui-Gon Jinn, but she had come to respect and trust him.
The drums beat on, and she stilled an irrational urge to silence them. For her, letting go was not a one time act, over and done with in a simple moment of decision. Letting go was a process of release and a continual action; it didn't lessen the pain she felt, nor did she believe it should. She had tried to voice these things to Obi Wan the day before, but he hadn't seemed to hear. Watching him now, though, she knew that, though the new Knight's mind might have understood that his Master was now "one with the Force," his heart would still require time and healing.
His eyes seemed almost haunted, and there was a new set to his features which, though it added an effect of maturity, saddened her with the loss of the bright humor and easy manner that she had come to rely on in him. She could only hope that his battle with the Sith Lord and the responsibilities of Knighthood would become part of the Obi Wan she knew rather than making him an unrecognizable and unreachable wall the way it appeared that many of his fellow Jedi could be.
At last the drum beat ended and the doves were released. Anakin, close to tears himself, turned toward Obi Wan and looked up questioningly at him. The Knight looked back, holding the silence for a breath, and Padme knew that he was struggling for his own voice.
"He is one with the Force now, Anakin. You must let go," Obi Wan said quietly.
"What will happen to me now?" the boy asked.
"I am your Master now. You will be a Jedi, I promise you," came the reply.
Anakin seemed to accept that news with a solemnity that stung Padme almost as deeply as the change she saw in Obi Wan. Becoming a Jedi was what he had most wanted; becoming a Jedi at the expense of Qui-Gon Jinn, to be trained by a man whose initial reception of him had been so blatantly unwelcoming and whose caring now was still often couched in a Jedi's detachment and sternness must have been a painful blow.
Abruptly, though, the air of detachment that Obi Wan had retreated into wavered. The service had ended, and those in attendance began to drift off, murmuring softly as conversations picked up. Yoda and Mace Windu still stood quietly to one side, talking amongst themselves, but Obi Wan either didn't notice or didn't care.
He started to lead Anakin off and froze, turning back to the now empty bier. Silently, he stared at the char and ash which had been his lifelong friend and mentor, and Padme felt the tears he didn't shed begin to run down her own cheeks. She quickly stepped forward, rested a hand on Ani's shoulder, and bent to whisper for him to go with Jar Jar back to the palace.
The boy nodded understanding and impulsively reached to clasp his new Master's hand before following the Gungan. Padme gestured dismissal to her handmaidens and the remaining guards, then slipped her arm gently around the Jedi. Obi Wan offered no reaction, waiting until even Windu and Yoda had paid their last respects and gone. Then, still without speaking, he lowered himself to the ground beside the cooling bier and hugged his knees to his chest.
With tears streaming her once perfect make up, Padme knelt beside him. She wrapped her arm around him again, wordlessly guiding his head onto her chest. He didn't resist, and rested there as the last of the sun's rays disappeared from the sky. For a long time, there was no sound or motion but their breathing and the soft rise and fall of her chest. Finally, she let her cheek come to rest against the top of his head, and although she couldn't see it, she knew that he finally allowed a few tears to fall.
***
He felt her there before she stepped into the doorway of the quarters that had been given to him and Anakin at the palace. His heart began to thud, but he didn't turn away from the railing of the balcony on which he stood staring out at the night sky. Padme stepped inside quietly, moving across the floor to join him with a soft step meant not to wake the boy.
She joined him, silently leaning on the balcony rail for a while. After a few minutes, she reached to cover his hand with hers. A bit sadly, he turned his wrist to lace his fingers through hers. He had long since realized that Padme did not share his romantic interest, but he had decided that it was better she didn't and was grateful for her friendship.
"Are you all right?" she asked softly.
"I'm not sure I can do it," he confessed. "I told Yoda that I would train Anakin whether the Council allowed it or not. I meant it--I gave Qui-Gon my word. But I don't know if I can train someone that Yoda himself wouldn't."
"You can only do your best, Obi Wan," she murmured encouragingly.
"I promised Yoda I would do that," he nodded.
"And what did he say?" she asked.
"That as long as I remembered that promise, it would be sufficient," he sighed.
"Then let it be," she told him.
"Padme, I'm afraid I'll fail him the way I failed Qui-Gon," he said.
She turned quickly to face him. "You didn't fail Qui-Gon!"
"I couldn't save him," Obi Wan said.
"No you couldn't," she shook her head. "But you did what you had to do. What he would have expected you to do."
"But is that enough?" he persisted.
"It has to be," she replied.
He closed his eyes in acquiescence, hearing his Master's words again. There are times one can succeed and fail at the same time.
***
The banquet hall at the palace in Theed was alive with music and dancing. Earlier that day, there had been a grand parade in celebration of the newly won freedom of the people of Naboo. Now that celebration continued in a rich feast presided over by Queen Amidala. Having changed her hair and clothes, Padme stood somewhat apart from the festivities, looking on with an air of regal approval.
She smiled faintly as Anakin approached her. Then he bowed low, offering his arm. "Your Majesty, would you care to dance?" he asked with practiced formality.
She couldn't help but let her smile widen as she stepped forward and slid her arm through his. His Master, watching from across the room with a cluster of Jedi who had come for Qui-Gon's funeral, gave her a private smirk. The crowd on the dance floor parted for them, and she carefully took the boys hands to guide him through the steps.
She quickly discovered that, while Ani might have learned the proper manner of requesting of a dance through observing the adults at the celebration, he had a lot to learn about the practice of dancing. His Jedi reflexes didn't seem to prevent him from stepping on her feet, and although Padme tried hard not to wince, his clumsiness embarrassed him.
"Here," she whispered, quickly picking him up and placing him atop her own feet for a few more turns around the floor. He grinned happily, letting her carry him through the steps. Then the music ended, and a few couples moved off the floor to be replaced by others as the strains of a slower and decidedly more romantic song began.
Padme cast a desperate look over the boy's shoulder, and finally, mercifully, Obi Wan excused himself to Yoda and made his way through the other couples toward them. He tapped Ani's shoulder, and with a somewhat disappointed look, the Padawan stepped away to allow his Master to continue the dance.
"Thank you for the rescue," she whispered as Obi Wan swept her gracefully off.
"Always," he promised, "Although someday I would like to be rescued by you, Your Highness."
"Of course," she agreed, glad to see a genuine smile on his face again. And if he seemed a trifle warm as their cheeks touched, she thought only that the room was crowded. Still, though her people had peace, there was a faint uneasiness in Padme's heart. She closed her eyes, slipping her arms around Obi Wan's neck as they continued to spin across the dance floor, glad at least of this unexpected friendship and the familiar, constant strength of the Jedi's arms around her.
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: She wrapped her arm around him again, wordlessly guiding his head onto her chest.
Rating: G
Length: Around 1500 words
Category: Angst/Hurt-Comfort/Romance
Pairings/Charaters: Obidala
A/N: One Path Chapter 7. Set during TPM,during and after Qui-Gon's funeral.
Beginnings
The funeral pyre burned, and Obi Wan stood silently beside it. Dressed in the stately robes of her office, Padme watched through unshed tears as the smoke rose, consuming the Jedi Master who had been her protector and her cherished friend's teacher and partner. Like Obi Wan, she had not always seen eye to eye with Qui-Gon Jinn, but she had come to respect and trust him.
The drums beat on, and she stilled an irrational urge to silence them. For her, letting go was not a one time act, over and done with in a simple moment of decision. Letting go was a process of release and a continual action; it didn't lessen the pain she felt, nor did she believe it should. She had tried to voice these things to Obi Wan the day before, but he hadn't seemed to hear. Watching him now, though, she knew that, though the new Knight's mind might have understood that his Master was now "one with the Force," his heart would still require time and healing.
His eyes seemed almost haunted, and there was a new set to his features which, though it added an effect of maturity, saddened her with the loss of the bright humor and easy manner that she had come to rely on in him. She could only hope that his battle with the Sith Lord and the responsibilities of Knighthood would become part of the Obi Wan she knew rather than making him an unrecognizable and unreachable wall the way it appeared that many of his fellow Jedi could be.
At last the drum beat ended and the doves were released. Anakin, close to tears himself, turned toward Obi Wan and looked up questioningly at him. The Knight looked back, holding the silence for a breath, and Padme knew that he was struggling for his own voice.
"He is one with the Force now, Anakin. You must let go," Obi Wan said quietly.
"What will happen to me now?" the boy asked.
"I am your Master now. You will be a Jedi, I promise you," came the reply.
Anakin seemed to accept that news with a solemnity that stung Padme almost as deeply as the change she saw in Obi Wan. Becoming a Jedi was what he had most wanted; becoming a Jedi at the expense of Qui-Gon Jinn, to be trained by a man whose initial reception of him had been so blatantly unwelcoming and whose caring now was still often couched in a Jedi's detachment and sternness must have been a painful blow.
Abruptly, though, the air of detachment that Obi Wan had retreated into wavered. The service had ended, and those in attendance began to drift off, murmuring softly as conversations picked up. Yoda and Mace Windu still stood quietly to one side, talking amongst themselves, but Obi Wan either didn't notice or didn't care.
He started to lead Anakin off and froze, turning back to the now empty bier. Silently, he stared at the char and ash which had been his lifelong friend and mentor, and Padme felt the tears he didn't shed begin to run down her own cheeks. She quickly stepped forward, rested a hand on Ani's shoulder, and bent to whisper for him to go with Jar Jar back to the palace.
The boy nodded understanding and impulsively reached to clasp his new Master's hand before following the Gungan. Padme gestured dismissal to her handmaidens and the remaining guards, then slipped her arm gently around the Jedi. Obi Wan offered no reaction, waiting until even Windu and Yoda had paid their last respects and gone. Then, still without speaking, he lowered himself to the ground beside the cooling bier and hugged his knees to his chest.
With tears streaming her once perfect make up, Padme knelt beside him. She wrapped her arm around him again, wordlessly guiding his head onto her chest. He didn't resist, and rested there as the last of the sun's rays disappeared from the sky. For a long time, there was no sound or motion but their breathing and the soft rise and fall of her chest. Finally, she let her cheek come to rest against the top of his head, and although she couldn't see it, she knew that he finally allowed a few tears to fall.
***
He felt her there before she stepped into the doorway of the quarters that had been given to him and Anakin at the palace. His heart began to thud, but he didn't turn away from the railing of the balcony on which he stood staring out at the night sky. Padme stepped inside quietly, moving across the floor to join him with a soft step meant not to wake the boy.
She joined him, silently leaning on the balcony rail for a while. After a few minutes, she reached to cover his hand with hers. A bit sadly, he turned his wrist to lace his fingers through hers. He had long since realized that Padme did not share his romantic interest, but he had decided that it was better she didn't and was grateful for her friendship.
"Are you all right?" she asked softly.
"I'm not sure I can do it," he confessed. "I told Yoda that I would train Anakin whether the Council allowed it or not. I meant it--I gave Qui-Gon my word. But I don't know if I can train someone that Yoda himself wouldn't."
"You can only do your best, Obi Wan," she murmured encouragingly.
"I promised Yoda I would do that," he nodded.
"And what did he say?" she asked.
"That as long as I remembered that promise, it would be sufficient," he sighed.
"Then let it be," she told him.
"Padme, I'm afraid I'll fail him the way I failed Qui-Gon," he said.
She turned quickly to face him. "You didn't fail Qui-Gon!"
"I couldn't save him," Obi Wan said.
"No you couldn't," she shook her head. "But you did what you had to do. What he would have expected you to do."
"But is that enough?" he persisted.
"It has to be," she replied.
He closed his eyes in acquiescence, hearing his Master's words again. There are times one can succeed and fail at the same time.
***
The banquet hall at the palace in Theed was alive with music and dancing. Earlier that day, there had been a grand parade in celebration of the newly won freedom of the people of Naboo. Now that celebration continued in a rich feast presided over by Queen Amidala. Having changed her hair and clothes, Padme stood somewhat apart from the festivities, looking on with an air of regal approval.
She smiled faintly as Anakin approached her. Then he bowed low, offering his arm. "Your Majesty, would you care to dance?" he asked with practiced formality.
She couldn't help but let her smile widen as she stepped forward and slid her arm through his. His Master, watching from across the room with a cluster of Jedi who had come for Qui-Gon's funeral, gave her a private smirk. The crowd on the dance floor parted for them, and she carefully took the boys hands to guide him through the steps.
She quickly discovered that, while Ani might have learned the proper manner of requesting of a dance through observing the adults at the celebration, he had a lot to learn about the practice of dancing. His Jedi reflexes didn't seem to prevent him from stepping on her feet, and although Padme tried hard not to wince, his clumsiness embarrassed him.
"Here," she whispered, quickly picking him up and placing him atop her own feet for a few more turns around the floor. He grinned happily, letting her carry him through the steps. Then the music ended, and a few couples moved off the floor to be replaced by others as the strains of a slower and decidedly more romantic song began.
Padme cast a desperate look over the boy's shoulder, and finally, mercifully, Obi Wan excused himself to Yoda and made his way through the other couples toward them. He tapped Ani's shoulder, and with a somewhat disappointed look, the Padawan stepped away to allow his Master to continue the dance.
"Thank you for the rescue," she whispered as Obi Wan swept her gracefully off.
"Always," he promised, "Although someday I would like to be rescued by you, Your Highness."
"Of course," she agreed, glad to see a genuine smile on his face again. And if he seemed a trifle warm as their cheeks touched, she thought only that the room was crowded. Still, though her people had peace, there was a faint uneasiness in Padme's heart. She closed her eyes, slipping her arms around Obi Wan's neck as they continued to spin across the dance floor, glad at least of this unexpected friendship and the familiar, constant strength of the Jedi's arms around her.