Work Text:
They met in the garden at the same time the following evening, just as the sun came slanting through the low-hanging trees. Obi-Wan walked along the cobbled pathway, following it to the spot where he and Satine had arranged to meet with a Force priestess. The women were already waiting for him, the Duchess draped in a flowing burgundy cloak that trailed on the ground behind her. As he approached, Satine took the fabric and shifted it back over her shoulders revealing a white gown with a high lace neck and long ornate sleeves that ended in engraved silver vambraces.
Obi-Wan stepped forward and took her hands. “You look beautiful,” he said quietly, his chest growing tight with emotion as he realized how far they both had traveled, enduring a great many heartaches, to reach this moment in their lives.
“Thank you,” she said with a gentle smile. “You look very handsome.”
He glanced down at his usual Jedi attire. He hadn’t even removed his armor. “I’m sorry my clothes aren’t as fine as yours.”
“You’re perfect just as you are,” she said, giving his fingers a squeeze.
“Are we ready?” the priestess, an older woman with kind eyes, asked as she moved closer.
The Jedi and the Duchess nodded.
“Very well.” The priestess took their intertwined hands and cupped them in her own. “Let us begin with silence.”
Obi-Wan felt the Force come alive around him as he focused. He watched the sunlight play across Satine’s face. He felt the lovely evening breeze tousle his hair. He had peace in his heart for the first time in months. He concentrated on every detail, committing each sensation to memory; he never wanted to forget this moment, he never wanted to forget how Satine looked when she became his wife.
“Now,” the priestess spoke, “our hearts are prepared.” She took a step away from the couple and, using her cane, drew a line in the dust in front of Obi-Wan and Satine’s feet. “You have chosen not to make a public declaration. Only the Force will be your witness. This ceremony will unite your living energy; it will bind you through the Force for all time. Do you understand?”
The two nodded.
“In that case, Duchess, I ask that you please pledge your oath.”
Satine took a deep breath then looked into Obi-Wan’s eyes with unwavering conviction. She never thought she would need Mandalorian wedding vows; she had grown used to the idea that she would be a Duchess and never a wife, especially if she was forbidden from marrying the man she loved most. But as she gave her promise, she felt a deep connection with her people and her history. “Strength, honor, love, and loyalty I pledge to you until death. We are one whether we are together or apart.”
The priestess turned to Kenobi. “And you, Master Jedi, please pledge your oath.”
Obi-Wan had been at a loss when he first tried to come up with his vow. The Order forbid attachment and did not approve of marriage, therefore to pledge himself to Satine as a Jedi seemed wrong. He finally found comfort when he thought of Qui-Gon and how his Master had always held the Force in higher regard than the Code. Qui-Gon’s wisdom had once again shown Obi-Wan the way. He tightened his grip on Satine’s fingers. “All that I am is yours. My honor and my heart I place in your hands. In the name of the Force, I pledge my protection, my compassion, and my love to you for all time.”
“Master Kenobi,” the priestess said, “are you willing to take the traditional Mandalorian Blood Oath?”
“Yes,” he replied without hesitation.
The priestess pulled a small dagger from a sheath on her hip as Satine helped Obi-Wan remove his gloves. Then both Jedi and Duchess held out their right hands palm up. The priestess scraped the blade across their skin, drawing a thin line of blood. Obi-Wan took Satine’s hand in his and pressed their bleeding palms together as the priestess wrapped a Mandalorian rushnyk around them, tying the fabric in a firm knot.
Once again cupping their hands in hers, the priestess spoke. “In the name of the Force that resides within us all, by the life that courses within Obi-Wan’s blood and the love that resides within his soul, does he take you Satine to his hand, his heart, and his spirit, to be his wife. To desire you and be desired by you without shame, for shame cannot exist in the purity of love. Obi-Wan, do you promise to love Satine wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where you shall meet, remember, and love again? Do you promise to respect Satine, her beliefs, her people, and her ways as you respect yourself?”
“I do.”
“In the name of the Force that resides within us all, by the life that courses within Satine’s blood and the love that resides within her soul, does she take you Obi-Wan to her hand, her heart, and her spirit, to be her husband. To desire you and be desired by you without shame, for shame cannot exist in the purity of love. Satine, do you promise to love Obi-Wan wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where you shall meet, remember, and love again? Do you promise to respect Obi-Wan, his beliefs, his people, and his ways as you respect yourself?”
“I do.”
The priestess unwrapped their hands and carefully folded up the rushnyk. “Do you have tokens to exchange?”
“Yes,” Satine said. She pulled a long chain from around her neck, and there at the end dangled her personal crest. “I give you this token as a sign of my love, so that I will reside near your heart. Wear it always.” Obi-Wan bowed so Satine could slide the chain over his head. She smoothed it down his tunic until the pendant lay perfectly in line with his heart.
He put his hand over hers for a moment, holding the pendant in place beneath their palms. “I will never be without it,” he promised.
“Master Kenobi, do you have a token for the Duchess?”
He pulled something from a pouch on his belt and held it up. A tiny green crystal glowed, wrapped in a simple metal setting hanging from a leather cord. “This kyber crystal belonged to Qui-Gon, then belonged to me after he died. It will protect you and connect you to the Force; I hope it will help you feel closer to me when I am far away.”
Tears welled up in Satine’s eyes at the mention of the Jedi Master she had grown to love all those years ago when she was a girl. “I wish he was here now,” she whispered as Obi-Wan slid the cord over her head.
“He is,” Obi-Wan said as he caressed her cheek with his thumb.
Understanding him, Satine touched a finger to Kenobi’s heart. “Always.”
They turned back to the priestess. “Now you are bound one to the other with a tie not easily broken,” she said. “Grow in wisdom and love. May your marriage be strong, may your love last in this life and beyond.” She reached out and, once again taking the couples’ hands in hers, gently pulled them forward, forcing them to step over the line she had drawn in the dust. “Your first step into a new world.” The priestess used her cane to scrape away the line she had drawn, completely erasing it. “You cannot step back. From this moment on you must move forward, together.” She smiled. “You are now husband and wife.”
Obi-Wan was beaming as he looked down at Satine. She gave a little croak as a tear escaped her lashes. He pulled her close, brushing the back of his fingers up her cheek. “Are these happy tears?” he asked quietly, his voice low and warm. She nodded, leaning into his touch. He hooked a finger under her chin and gently lifted her lips to his. He kissed her slowly, savoring his first embrace with his wife.
When they pulled apart they were both smiling, barely able to hold back their joyful tears. She cupped his face in her hands and he rested his forehead against hers. “I love you,” he whispered.
“And I love you,” she replied before kissing him again.