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Part Two

The assistant introduced herself as Antoya, and led him to her groundcar smiling deeply. She spoke in the same refined accent as himself, the first person Obi-Wan had ever met who did such a thing. She was very kind and gracious to him, bowing deeply and looking surprised when he did the same. She was silent throughout the trip, and Obi-Wan took the time to survey the landscape.

It was a barren land, save for a few clusters of trees that dotted the land. There was not much activity here. The two mountain ranges on either side of the road poised well above the clouds, their brown cliffs sharp against the cloudy sky. The smell that hit his nose was plain dirt, and he could smell a storm rolling in. He smiled.

He liked this landscape. It appeared to him open and free, and he found a Jedi-like peace in that. It was peaceful here, unlike most of the worlds he visited. This would be a break for him, a chance to get away from the hub of Jedi activity and relax. He thought it might be wrong to be thinking as such, but he couldn't stop the feeling of peace that had stolen home into his heart.

The road branched into two other roads, and Antoya took the road on the left. He wondered briefly what was on the right, but the thought vanished from his mind as greenery suddenly sprouted up as if by magic. Trees and grass lined the road, and for gave him the expression of being in a jungle. They were pulling into a city; the traffic was getting heavier, and housing complexes on both sides of the road were apparent for miles.

The road had changed from dirt to solid blacktop, and now more roads snaked to join this main one. There were freeways, now, too, heading off in different directions and higher in the air than the main road. Antoya continued on the main road for about fifteen minutes. Obi-Wan watched the streets, seeing children running and adults strolling. They were all human, and they all seemed to know each other. Many waved to Antoya as she passed in the groundcar, and she waved back.

The palace appeared on the right side of the road, a magnificent complex of a home. It was three floors, with a gleaming white exterior and so many windows the thing shone in the sun, as if silhouetted by light. There was a large courtyard surrounding the massive palace, and the entire yard was covered with grass and decorated with trees. A few children were running through it, and Obi-Wan saw that it was open for public use. He smiled.

Antoya drove through the finely carved gate that surrounded the palace and courtyard on a rocky road. He now saw another gate more closely set to the palace, and immediately knew it was wired. Cameras looked down at the groundcar as it came to rest by the entrance to the gate. The small booth to Antoya's left opened, and a young man looked at her.

"Antoya!" he said happily. "How are you?"

To Obi-Wan's delight, this being also spoke in the same accent as he.

"I'm great, Evan," his driver said. "But I'm busy right now." She slid her eyes very meaningfully to Obi-Wan. Evan's smile widened.

"I was told to expect you," he told Obi-Wan. "Welcome to Keliso, and to Harken more so. This village we call Wyster. Please enjoy it."

"I am glad to be here," Obi-Wan said, surprised by how much he meant it.

Evan bowed his head. "I'll admit you." He reached inside the booth and pressed the button. The gate in front of them started to fold upward. He waved. "I'll see you, Antoya."

She took the groundcar through the gate and into a gravel lot, parking it in the very front of the palace. She smiled at him. "We're here, Master Jedi," Antoya said, unlocking the doors and stepping out.

Heat flushed through him. "I'm not Master Jedi, Antoya," he said easily. "You can call me Obi-Wan."

She looked startled. "I'm sorry, sir," she said. "Such a personal thing is only reserved for the closet of friends. You may call me Antoya because you are an honored guest. If I can't call you Master Jedi, what shall I call you?"

He sighed. "Padawan Kenobi will do fine, Antoya," he said, and then brightened. "I do hope, though, that we'll become friends. I'm afraid "Padawan Kenobi" is too formal for liking. I want to change that."

She seemed unsure of what to say, but then smiled hesitantly and began to walk towards the entrance of the palace. The entrance was small, with an overhang that shaded it from view. Two guards were stationed there bearing blasters and force-pikes, but smiled when they saw Antoya. One even bowed, to which she shook off with a laugh and a shake of her head.

"This is Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi," she introduced. "He is our honored guest."

Now they both bowed to him, and he nodded, feeling a bit out of place. It seemed they were serving to him, not he to them. His was a life of service, and although he had been treated finely on many other worlds, these people seemed ready to get down on hand and knee and serve him. Perhaps they thought a Jedi from Harken was next to royalty.

He followed Antoya through the richly carved door, taking in the sight of the palace. It was very simple, nothing fancy, but very clean. It gleamed in that way, the wall a stark white and the floors polished to the point that they sparkled. Portraits hung in the hall, and as he stepped through he saw more of them, most aligning along the curved stairwell. Through the windows, he saw the storm coming in behind the mountains. The essence of home took his mind, and he almost jumped.

Home?Where had that thought come from? He was not home. Home was the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He shook his head quickly, thinking he had misread his thoughts. However, nothing could dampen the feeling of ease and security he felt right now… just as he felt in the Jedi Temple, in his home.

As he followed Anotya through the halls and down some steps, he realized that maybe it was okay for him to feeling such as he did. This was his homeworld. Didn't he have as much right as any to sink into it? He had come here to learn his culture. Knight Depa Billaba had learned the way of her ancestors, delving deep into Chatacalan history and study. She had told him herself she felt as much as home there as she did in the Temple.

He supposed it was okay for him to feel like that, too.

Antoya took his down a corridor line with doors, but at the end he saw two large, wooden doors that immediately told him it was the Throne Room. Antoya began to talk as they headed down the hall. "Although the Prince is away on business at the moment, the King and Queen are happy to greet you. Please, though, sir, agree with the King."

They reached the doors, and Antoya turned to face him. Her face, a calm mask until now, slipped away to reveal pain in her eyes and anguish in her pinched cheeks. "Please, sir. The King is… dying. He sometimes slips into delusions, and the Queen wishes to compensate him. Please… I am not to speak of things to anyone, but it helps when he is met in his delusions. He had led us well, and I ask that you appease his last months in the Living."

Her voice, so calm in its heartbreak, saddened him. Loss of any life was always poignant, but the loss of a life that so many loved… it was a blow to be felt by many, and eventually healed by less. He would respect this request, and he admired her for speaking for behalf of her King when it was so unmistakably forbidden to do so.

He bowed before Antoya. "Of course, Antoya. I will be happy to do so. It's only right that I appease my host in his time of need, correct?"

Now she smiled at him, her small brown eyes lifting. "Thank you, Padawan Kenobi. I shall step in and announce you, and then you may come in when I call. I trust you have learned the etiquette in the fact of royalty. I will call shortly."

She pushed open the heavy wooden door, smiling at him once more before she slipped in and disappeared from view. When the door closed, Obi-Wan breathed out a relaxed breath, crossing his hands behind his back. He stared up at the finely carved doors, admiring the intricate designs made by hand and blood.

He was calm within this center of the storm. His respect for royalty, toned by years of training, was already reaching up to take full hold of him. He allowed it, pushing all his excitement at learning his heritage out of his mind. He was surprised to be seized by so simple an emotion as excitement, especially at this. His mind still surprised him when he least expected it, but he did not resent it. It was a way of learning new things, and Qui-Gon always told him that when a day passed without getting better, he was only getting worst.

Hardly two minutes had passed when the door opened a crack, and Antoya's voice filtered through.

"They are ready for you, Padawan Kenobi."

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The Throne Room, as with most of the palace save the exterior, was quite simple. The floor reflected the overhead fluorescent lights, and if Obi-Wan had looked down, he would have seen his reflection in the black and white tiled floor. The room was not large, perhaps fifty feet in both directions. The only thing that distinguished this room as a place of honor was the slightly raised token against the back wall, decorated with two wooden thrones.

And, of course, the two glorious figures in the thrones set the place apart instantly. So was their bearing, which of nobility and grace, the room seemed to shimmer with regality. The Force was strong in this room, pulsing greatly behind his temple. Confused, he felt through the Force, feeling the Light in this chamber with a steady and gentle alarm.

Since setting foot on this land, he realized, the Force had glowed bright for him. He was accustomed to this, for the Force was always a constant ball of Light in his mind, but here… here on this planet the strength of the Force was just a hair below the intensity of the Force in the Temple. On Coruscant, the Force shone brilliantly, Light even where should have been Dark. And here… he could find the same relation, the same awe striking power.

He liked it here. It gave him cause to think that yes, this truly was his homeworld. However, it puzzled him with such a strong presence of the Force he was the only Jedi to have come from Harken. There was another Jedi, long ago, who had come from Keliso, but she had entered the Force long ago. Perhaps, maybe, these Harkens did not read the signs of Force-sensitivity. That would explain that.

But it did not explain the teeming of the Force on this planet. How strange.

He looked up at the two majestic figures now truly for the first time, bowing deeply while averting his eyes to the ground. He dropped to a knee, keeping his head bowed as he did so. It was silent in the room, save for the rustling breathing of the King.

"Arise, Jedi Kenobi," an accented, older female voice said. Obi-Wan took it to mean the Queen, and he arose, looking at them both again.

The Queen was magnificent in her ceremonial dress and defined jewelry. Russet hair wove in tight spirals down her shoulders and across her lined and tanned face. Eyes the color of a midday sky looked out intelligently at him, surveying him with a small warmth and iciness. She sat straight in her gold colored throne, looking every part the royal monarch she was. Her smile was cold, and did not meet her eyes the entire way, giving the expression she was smiling to appease someone, and when he looked to her right, Obi-Wan knew it was the King.

King Tyles may have been as majestic as his wife at one point, but he could tell he was a great many years older than she, and his sickness had ailed him. He was attempting to sit stiff as a board in his throne, but he slumped over to one side, grasping the armrest with elderly strength. His eyes, a vivid green, were kind but glazed, as if taken by drugs or sleep. The few graying strands left on his head were curly and parted perfectly, matching his white monarchical robes.

"Your Graces," Obi-Wan said. "It is an honor to be here."

Queen Makail sat still for a moment, looking at her husband out of the corner of her eyes, and then turning to Obi-Wan. "Please, Jedi Kenobi, the honor is ours. You must understand how… wonderful it is to have a Jedi come to such a small place such as Harken. We are of little recognition, and we thank you for what you have given."

"I thank you for that, Your Excellency, but I must say I have done nothing to deserve this thanks but be born," Obi-Wan said, bowing in confusion. "Perhaps that thanks should be diverted to those who had borne me."

The Queen frowned, but nodded at him. "Yes, of course, Jedi Kenobi," she said. "Now, if you would please, take a seat. We have matters to discuss with you for the purpose of this visit."

The Queen waved a hand, and Antoya, who had been standing in the back of the room, came forward with a chair. Obi-Wan took it from her hands immediately, taking it to sit close to the raised stage. Antoya looked flustered, but quickly bowed to Obi-Wan, then to the Queen.

"Antoya," the Queen said. "These are stately affairs, not meant for your ears to partake in. You may retire for the moment."

The assistant bowed again, nodded in Obi-Wan's general direction and eased through the doors. The Queen took a moment to speak, perhaps waiting for the King to speak up. The elder ruler was looking at Obi-Wan, his eyes kind and inviting, but still with the glassy look. He smiled at the King before turning back to the Queen.

"Jedi Kenobi, welcome," Queen Makail said. "Truly, I am pleasured to meet you. It is an honor. I have had very little contact with any of those other than on Harken and Jamirl, the island from which I hail, and I have not been back there for a long, long time." She smiled sadly at him. "I was a princess on Jamirl, the firstborn of my parents. You must understand they were under much pressure to pass along the throne to my younger brother.

"And they did pass it along, I'm afraid. Ours – King Tyles and I – we are an arranged marriage. The custom of the islands is for true love to win out, for the elder son to pick his choice of bride from the ladies of the land. However, my parents believed they could profit from my marriage to the ruler of another island." She smiled ruefully at the King. "Our islands build together and trade together; Harken and Jamirl are the most profitable islands because of it, and that earns us more voice on the Council. I am truly happy for that."

She sighed. "I have come to love Tyles, but he shall always be my brother for it. My pregnancy with the Prince Eyotal was a loveless thing, something we were both forced to commit to. I am glad, however, he was a male on the first try. A loveless love is very trying, and it would have been unbearable a second time around."

Obi-Wan allowed her the time she needed, truly sympathizing with her and understanding her cold eyes, her wan smile. She had lived a loveless life, and he supposed to one of her status, that was to be pitied. She was born of royalty, treated on hand and foot with delicately, and her love for a man was not what it should be. He did feel for her.

She gathered herself, looking quite embarrassed. "I am sorry to trouble you with these things, Jedi Kenobi," she said. "But our story is known by all on the island. I thought it right for you to know the same."

"It is not a trouble, M'lady," he responded. "Thank you for sharing such a thing with me. I realize it must be difficult."

"Very," said the King suddenly. The voice that raised from his frail body was an embodiment of the person: whispery, soft and cracking. The King stared at Obi-Wan. "She speaks the truth, young one. I feel the same for her. Long times have come, and long times have gone, but more to come, which is what I believe…"

Now the King trailed off, and settled back in his chair, looking content at saying his peace. Mindful of Antoya's wish, Obi-Wan said with great gentleness, "of course, my good King." The King smiled at his voice, sinking into the cushioned chair. Obi-Wan let a moment past, and then said, "I am sorry."

The Queen nodded, and now raised her voice. "You will meet Prince Eyotal when he returns. He is away on Jamirl at the moment, meeting with his betrothed." Now the Queen smiled genuinely, the smile lighting up her blue eyes. "I suppose you must also know about this. Because ours was an arranged marriage, the marriage between my son and the royal princess of Jamirl will be arranged. It has been foretold by the Seers since their birth. They are happy together; once my husband steps down, Eyotal shall rise with his Queen Candela. She is my niece, a fine young woman who will make a wonderful ruler."

Because Obi-Wan wasn't sure how to respond to that, all he said was, "I'm happy for the two of them, that they do love each other in such a marriage." The Queen looked deeply at him, and he understood she wished for him to speak more. He supposed he owed her that, since she had bared her soul for him. "As Jedi, love is forbidden by the Code."

Her eyebrows shot up. "How… strange. You sympathize with my plight of love, yet I do love my son, and I love my brother and my people. How terrible a life must be without even the slightest notion of love to someone?"

Obi-Wan had not wished for the conversation to take a turn like this, but he supposed he should have thought of that in bringing it up. He played words around in his head, wondering exactly what he should say. He knew that the Code was partly deceptive, for all Jedi to cross through the Jedi halls had loved. They loved each other as Jedi, loved their Masters or Padawans, and loved the Force itself. To be a Jedi was to love life so entirely they were willing to die so that such a wonderful entity could continue.

"I don't know exactly how to phrase this, M'lady," he said slowly, "without making it seem as if the Code lies. Please forgive any confusion; Jedi live by the Code and it has never been questioned. I do not like to say this, and I ask you not to spread this word, but the Code has been… manipulated to fit our needs."

She narrowed her eyes. "I see."

"All Jedi love," he said haltingly. "It is our nature to love life with our complete beings. Although the Code states we are not to love, Jedi simply cannot do that. We love the Force, love our fellow Jedi. I love my Master with my entire being. What the Code states, and what I believe, is that we are not allowed to let that love interfere with our missions and commitment. If I were to love, say, a woman not a Jedi, there would be a problem. I would yearn for her, wish for her and long to keep her safe above all others.

"As a Jedi, I cannot do that. If I were to love another Jedi woman, then we would both be aware of the consequences and that would be, not allowed exactly, but not disallowed. Attachment is frowned upon. Not the emotions that drives it." He paused, frustration crowding his calm features. "If that makes any sense at all."

The Queen wasn't sure it made sense, but she was not about to ask him to repeat all he had said. He seemed confused by his own thoughts, and he seemed winded by explaining it all to her, she who could, at the very least, almost understand his situation. "It makes sense, Jedi Kenobi," she said. "And I thank you for the insight upon the Jedi Order. I shall breathe a word of this to no one."

"How strange," said the King. "A life without love is not a life at all, isn't it? Because I love Makail, and I love Eyotal… it is this love that makes me want to live just a bit more. To see his marriage. To see him happy…"

Obi-Wan and the Queen allowed him a moment, and then Obi-Wan said, "Thank you, M'lady. And thank you, Your Highness, for the insight. It is very hard to comprehend beyond life in the Jedi Temple, and I do not envy the person who does intend to one day sort it all out."

The Queen looked troubled. "May I ask you a personal question, Jedi Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan could almost feel the question at the tip of her tongue, and he wasn't sure how he could answer. "You may, M'lady, if the nature of the question is not something I have been sworn not to answer."

"Have you ever loved outside the Code?"

Obi-Wan relaxed. This question he could answer without giving away too much of himself. He would be deceiving her to an extent, and although he could not tell her, he found the question rude. "No."

She nodded, satisfied. "You follow a set of rules, as do I," she said. "I am glad we have that in common." She waved her arm around. "Now, let us discuss the nature of this visit, for there is much more to Harken and to your culture than you can ever imagine."

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Question: are these parts too long? Would the majority prefer them to be shortened? Yay or ne?

List of what I know: Jedi Knight Padme left a review. Thank you so much, and glad to see I have your continued readership. ;)