*Princess*

Chapter 1

Somewhere near the center of the labyrinth of bushes in a secluded garden behind the palace of the Hutts blazed a small flame. The smoke emitted by the flame was a dark indigo with a hint of pink at the base of the cloud. Sitting on her knees facing it was a young Gungan woman mumbling strange, almost inaudible words. Strangely, she was dressed like a Twi'lek. She even wore a Twi'lek headdress that, even though it obviously had been adjusted to suit the strange shape, pulled her ears up to either side of her head, like a little girl's pigtails. She pulled a small vile of red liquid out of a pouch hung around her neck, almost covering a small silvery chain with her name engraved onto a small elliptical disk.

She carefully let a small drop of the fluid on to the flame. More words. Then the flame shot up into a straight and narrow pole shape and turned a brilliant orange color before dropping back down to the small flame it originally had been. She put her hand down to the flame and just barely touching it with the tip of her finger, reduced it to a cluster of tiny blue spots floating up like bubbles. Then she leaned over the flame and blew directly into the center. The flame turned a yellow-green color and spun into a funnel shape, like a miniature cyclone. She smiled at the miniature whirlwind before suddenly bringing her palm down onto the flame, extinguishing it. Then she lifted her hand, unsinged, put the small vile of red fluid back into her pouch, and stood. She put her foot onto the spot where the fire had been and again spoke several strange words. When she again lifted her foot, the charred spot was gone. She reached the end of the labyrinth a few minutes later, for she knew the path very well as it had been traveled many times over. She took the pouch and hid it in the bushes at the edge of the wall of foliage. Then she heard it:

Rustle-rustle-crack-scrape-rustle-crack.

She stopped, suddenly fearful. She wondered how long whoever it was had been out there and if they'd seen her magic. Getting caught would be disastrous. She couldn't even fathom what the master would do to her if he caught her. She'd been doing enough wrong already lately. Why had she come? But she had to practice and she reminded herself of that. If she didn't keep using it, the Power faded. Besides, she thought, they couldn't have seen me anyway through the leafy, thorny labyrinth walls. "Who's out there?" she called into the dark, sounding more audacious than she felt. The low voices stopped at the sound of her voice. She thought she saw a flash of white reflecting the soft light of the moon. "Hey, what are you doing out there?" she called once again. Suddenly there was a swooshing sound and a man flipped out of the bushes and knocked her to the ground. She stood up shaken. Who are these people? she thought as two more figures stepped out of the bushes. Suddenly a light saber came into view and it hit her like a bolt of lightning. Jedi! What were they doing here? The master isn't going to be happy. He hates them. As the light saber drew near, her head swirled with thoughts. Is he going to kill me? What's he going to do? She backed up into a stone garden bench by the pond and almost fell over it, but ended up sitting on it instead. The light saber came closer. It was so close now it was starting to hurt her eyes. She tried to look away but found her eyes entranced by it. It was now inches from her neck and she could feel the heat radiated from it as her assailant threatened to burn her head off her shoulders. Then he stopped.

"Watch what you're doing with that thing," she said with more courage than she felt. She reached up her hand and touched the laser beam with the tip of her finger. A sharp burning feeling cascaded over her whole hand. "Ay!" She yelped in pain. "Nifty little gadget you got there, heehee," she giggled nervously.

"Anakin!" A stern voice came from the shorter of the other two figures.

"She knew where we were master! She must've been spying! Shall I kill her or should we take her hostage?" The young Jedi had been jumpy all night and the thought of someone catching them put him even more on edge.

"Anakin you can't just run around threatening to lop everyone's head off just because you're nervous. Now put the light saber down. We are here on patrol, not carrying out death penalties." The other voice was reasonable and somewhat scolding. "I am terribly sorry, Miss, for our rude intrusion."

"I'm sure I'll get over it," she snapped, staring daggers at Anakin and rubbing her hand to recover the feeling. She was rather used to this kind of treatment, but not generally by total strangers. In fact, most strangers shrank away from her for fear they'd anger her master.

"Well, all the same, it wasn't right." He gave Anakin a fierce glare of disapproval before turning back to the Gungan. "I am Obi-wan Kenobi, this young fellow is my Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, and this is Jar Jar Binks." Jar Jar came forward out of the shadows and gasped. She's a Gungan, he thought. But she walks and talks like the rest of the people on Tatooine. Her ears! What happened to her ears?

Her surprise was just as complete if not more. He's like me! But what is he? What am I? "I'm Vitaliny, handmaiden to Jabba the Hutt. Everyone calls me Tawny," she told them.

"Well it's been a pleasure making your acquaintance, Vitaliny."

"Tawny," she corrected, a broad smile creeping around her platypus-like mouth.

"Yes of course but we really must be on our way." Obi-wan turned to leave and the rest followed.

"Well, do you need a place to stay for the night?" Tawny offered, watching Jar Jar sub-consciously. "I'm sure the rest of the servants would be happy to take you in tonight."

"Are you sure? We don't want to give you anymore trouble than we- I already have," Anakin said sheepishly. It had been almost eight years since the passing on of his original but un-official trainer, Qui-gon Jinn and the little eight year old boy from slavery had grown into a young Padawan Jedi Knight of 14 going on 15.

"Oh yeah, I'll work you in somehow."

"Alright, if you are sure." Obi Wan agreed.

"Follow me. I'll find you someplace to rest your heads tonight, but there's only one thing I have to warn you about." Her smile faded from her face. "Make sure you are gone by the dawn and be far from this place by noon." For a moment she wondered if it was a mistake. Such a warning always brings that one question:

"Why?" came the question from Jar Jar.

"I was afraid of that." Obi Wan folded his arms across his chest. "Thank you Tawny for your hospitality. We are grateful for beings like you who would put their career-their very life- on the line like this." He looked at his Gungan comrade. We'll talk about it later Jar Jar."

She thought for a moment, then chuckled softly as she began to lead them out. "I'd be happy to put my career on the line, but I'm afraid being unemployed or executed wouldn't exactly be the consequence for disobeying. I'm a prized treasure to the Master. He shows me off and for some reason thinks it's special. He tells me I should be honored for being such a treasure. But he doesn't really care about me. I'm just here to serve him and to make him look good. It's a living, though." They came to the huge door to the palace and exited the garden.

When they got to what would be their room, Tawny smiled like any good host would. You almost wouldn't know she was a slave. Her mannerisms are almost- regal, Obi-wan observed. Meanwhile, Tawny continued. "I'll wake you in the morning. Sleep well." She smiled good night to them all and then was gone. Jar Jar waited until he heard her padding footsteps in the hall before whispering to Obi Wan.

"Wha'sa goin' on? Yousa said weesa talk about it later Obi, now tell me. Why weesa got to leave before the sun comin' up? Sheesa not bad, is she Obi?"

"Appearances can be deceiving. Her heart may be chaste and selfishness may foreign to her, but her master, Jabba the Hutt is a fiendish leader corrupted by power and wealth, and cares little about anything else. It is clear that she doesn't enjoy her work here, but I think it's something else that makes her restless."

"So I remember." Anakin scowled.

Jar Jar had been thinking hard about the Gungan since he first noticed what she was and a memory from long ago was gnawing at the corners of his mind until he caught it.

"Oh me gusa!" he almost exploded, as the idea began to take shape.

"What is it Jar Jar?"

"Well, yousa may not be knowin' this but a long time ago, when I was just a smallen, de Boss Nass was up on land with his daughter one day. She was just a smallen too meesa guessin'. Probably as old as me, maybe a little smaller. Nobody really knows what happened exac'ly, but de Boss Nass came back down- without his daughter."

"Well then what?" Anakin asked, intrigued.

"Well, he called his guards." Jar Jar went on. "Desa went back topside to fight with whoever took her but when dey went back up, dere wasa nobody dere. De Boss Nass wasa posertive dat de Naboo took her. Dissen maybe wasa one of the reasons he didn't want to talk to dem when dey- when we needed dere help. Meesa guessin' he just thought de Naboo leaders weren't responsible for de kidnapping and dey probably didn't even know about it. Dat it was probably a crook from da eastern part of da planet. And I was jus tinkin'... Tawny looks about as old as me, maybe a little smaller..."

Obi-wan thought about it. "Are you sure about this? I don't see any family resemblance."

"Dersa two races of Gunan," he explained. "Dersa Otolla Gungans, like mees an' Tawny. Den dersa Ankura Gungans, like de Boss Nass."

"But wouldn't Tawny be the same as the Boss Nass if she's his daughter?" Anakin asked.

"Hersa mother wasa Otolla Gungan," Jar Jar sighed. "Shesa was culled Tanrae. Shesa died jusa little time after Tawny was born. Peoples sayin' shesa shouldn'ta had Tawny, dat it tooken too much outta hers an made hersa weak."

"So, you're saying it's her? Jabba's prized handmaiden is actually the heiress to the Gungan throne?" Anakin scoffed.

"Not to be exact, jusa posserbility." Jar Jar suddenly felt stupid. "Why my even brings dis up? Meesa probably wrong anyway as usual", he mumbled under his breath.

"Well the chances are slim, but it is a possibility." Obi-wan said thoughtfully. "I have heard the story and though implausible, I think you may be on to something Jar Jar."

Jar Jar sat up and shot a complacent smile at Anakin, who responded hotly. He ignored Jar Jar and turned to Obi-wan.

"I can't believe you would take something like this into consideration. We are patrolling for smuggled goods. This isn't what we came for."

"If yousa tink about it, shesa was smuggled." Jar Jar responded calmly enough to irritate the young Padawan. He grumbled to himself and just refused to hear anymore on the subject.

Jar Jar and Anakin had grown farther and farther apart. Jar Jar didn't like the boy's aggression. It made him uneasy. His kind were all pacifists- unless provoked. They were eminent warriors when they had reason. True they were a little ignorant when it came to edification, but they didn't get the drive to fight everything when they got angry.

Anakin constantly thought about his mother and when- if ever- he would see her again. With the demands of being a Jedi and having to maintain a clear mind at all times to keep your senses and feelings sharp, it was almost too much. Sometimes he was even angry with himself for divulging his dreams of becoming a Jedi. He had left Jar Jar behind as a childhood playmate. He had once been his friend, and perhaps still considered himself one, but Anakin just couldn't tolerate him anymore. He looked down on him now. Jar Jar was older but, as did most of his people, still had the mind and some understandings of a child. Things took a long time for him to comprehend and Anakin just didn't have that kind of patience anymore. Anakin couldn't imagine how Obi-wan put up with him for all those years. Why did they still have him anyway? He was made a general in his land, so why didn't he stay there? Some general, Anakin thought. They still recognize him as one too. They have it so easy. Why does our culture have to be so complex?

These thoughts came like a whirlwind to Anakin. It would just happen to him sometimes. Still thinking about the subject, he didn't even become conscious of the darkness of sleep creeping up on him until it was too late.

What could be getting into him? Obi-wan wondered. He rememebered his conversation with Yoda and the rest of the Council about how fear, anger and hate was the path to the Dark Side. He knew the boy feared for his mother. He saw the young man become engulfed by his fiery temper. He and Jar Jar used to be so close when he was younger. Now he wondered if he even cared about him at all.

And then there was this matter of the Gungan princess. What would become of her if they left her there? How could they even be sure it was her? But then, how often do you see a Gungan walk, talk, dress and act all in the same manner as a world she is obviously not from? She acted nothing like Jar Jar. Even her skin color was different. It was darker, tanned by the suns of this planet as opposed to Jar Jar's shady, underwater Otoh Gunga. Nevertheless, he thought. She doesn't belong here and she knows it. Where did she learn the magic she was practicing in the garden? Only the most experienced Gungan medicine women knew of the Power. Her calling must be strong or she wouldn't have learned it all on her own.

Obi-wan had been the only member of his party to notice the colored flame and smoke and he'd been the only one to investigate. He guessed it was something she practiced in private, especially when he'd seen her hide her magic pouch in one of the many tangled brambles of the labyrinth. He considered going back and examining the pouch but then decided against it as he might be better off questioning her in private rather than running the risk of getting caught. He didn't like the thought of making her angry after what she'd done for them already that night.

I wonder what Jar Jar thought of her. Obi-wan smiled at the thought. Well, he hadn't been around his native Otoh Gunga City for over a year now and you don't just catch a Gungan walking around just anywhere- especially a female. I wonder if he's even ever had a mate, even if it wasn't in that way. Had Jar Jar ever had an interest even? Probably. After all, the Gungans are one of the most sexual animals in the known universe- aside from the Twi'leks of course. It just didn't seem possible though. As childish as they act it's amazing that it even crosses their mind.

Still she was an issue he had to consider. Like he said before. You don't see Gungans roaming the planets especially those of the female sex. They're actually the least likely to be seen outside of the city…

Jar Jar and Tawny? Obi-wan could see it now. Ears entangled, platypus-muzzles pressed tightly together in hot passionate kisses. Obi-wan almost snorted. I'm sorry, he thought to himself, but that's funny.