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Padmé looked up at her handmaiden, a smile on her face at how light it felt without the usual caked-on makeup. She looked into the face of Sabé, her mirror.
Sabé’s brow furrowed in concern, “We are not sure that you should do this.”
Padmé bowed slightly, picking up a helmet to tuck under her arm. “We are brave, your highness.”
“It is not your bravery that we doubt,” Sabé said in a soft voice as she gently placed a hand on Padmé’s shoulder.
“So it is our army that you doubt?” Padmé asked, a brow raised and a slight smirk on her lips.
Sabé shook her head, “We shall not dissuade you.”
Padmé nodded and settled her helmet on her head. Then, she snuck into the ranks of troops in front of her majesty’s dais, waiting for her to address the crowd. She watched as Sabé snuck back to the stairs and made her grand entrance.
“We have faith in our forces, and we know that you shall do well to protect us,” Sabé said in the queen’s slight monotone. “We look forward to seeing you all come home in victory soon.”
The troops all cheered. Padmé looked around and joined in, a rush of excitement going through her. This is where the fun begins.
The battles dragged on, and Padmé soon found herself becoming close with her fellow soldiers. She was always careful about undressing so that they wouldn’t discover her true identity. In fact, only a precious few had seen her without her helmet on. One of them was her tent mate, Major General Kenobi. She had quickly risen in the ranks, having shown her battle strategy and earning her place as his aide-de-camp.
“Naberrie, can you get me my-” he trailed off as she placed a cup of tea in front of him. He looked up from his reading, “Ah, yes, thank you. And my-”
Padmé placed an apple on his table.
He frowned, “I was hoping for a biscuit.”
“You need to be healthier. Can’t have you falling down in battle before you’re due,” Padmé teased.
Obi-Wan fixed her with an intense look before smiling, crinkles forming at the corner of his eyes. “You’re too good to me,” he chuckled as he picked up the apple and the cutting knife next to it. He wagged the knife at her slightly, a weird look of sadness in his eyes, “I’m sure you’ll make some woman very happy someday.”
Padmé blushed slightly at his words. “I just want to make sure you’re ready for the battle tomorrow, General. I would hate for you to rendezvous with General Jinn when you’re not at your best.”
“I thought I was always at my best, Captain,” he winked.
“Or so you would like to think,” she shot back.
He blushed slightly and looked down at his teacup. “You’re dismissed for the night, Captain Naberrie.”
“Are you sure, Sir?”
He nodded, “Get some sleep. If I am to be at my best, then I need my aide-de-camp to be at his best in order to make me look even better.”
Padmé saluted him before giving him a shake of her head. “Good night, General.”
“Good night, Captain.”
Padmé removed herself to her side of their tent. With great care to her uniform, she slowly took off the cumbersome pieces until her ensemble was comfortable enough to sleep in. As always, she pulled her hair into a tight, low ponytail as was fashion amongst the ranks. She slipped into her cot for the night and let exhaustion take over her.
Obi-Wan stayed up into the late hours of the night until his candle started to die down. When the wax started to spill onto his table, he decided to go to bed. As he passed by his Captain’s cot, he had a weird look in his eyes as he noticed how his Captain’s hair haloed his face in tendrils. He looked so peaceful when he slept. Obi-Wan caught himself staring and blinked, shaking his head before going back about his business.
Padmé stirred slightly when she heard the General’s cot creak under his settling weight.
The next day, the General’s troops packed up camp and prepared to meet with General Jinn. Padmé rode on her horse next to General Kenobi until they met with them at the top of a battlefield.
Destruction stretched in front of them. She swallowed at the loss of life.
“Ah, General Kenobi,” General Jinn smiled, “It’s about time you showed up.”
General Kenobi shared a smile, “It’s good to see you, too.” His gaze took over the battlefield. “We are losing.”
“You’ve come in the nick of time with my reinforcements,” Jinn commented. “We’ll push forward with the siege.”
“With all due respect, General, but if that is what we have been doing, then perhaps we should change the strategy,” Padmé commented as she surveyed the field.
“And who are you?” Jinn asked.
“Captain Naberrie,” Obi-Wan introduced, “My aide-de-camp. He has quite the head for battle.”
Qui-Gon appraised her, and Padmé could have sworn she saw a glint of intrigue in his eyes. “I’m sure he does. What do you think, Captain?”
Padmé swallowed as she turned back to him from the field. “I think we should separate the troops into two groups and outflank them by going through the forest. Their colors would stand out, but we would blend in.”
“A veritable strategy,” Qui-Gon commented. “I see why he keeps you around. I’ll inform the men to retreat so that we may regroup and follow your strategy, Captain Amidala.”
Padmé bristled, but Obi-Wan hadn’t noticed the slip up.
“I think you’ve impressed him,” Obi-Wan commented when they were alone. “That’s no easy feat.”
Padmé smiled at him as she tugged on her horse’s reins, “And you knew him from before.”
“He was my professor at the academy,” Obi-Wan explained before nudging his horse back to the rest of his men.
The battle was fierce and long, but the amount of men lost was minimal in comparison to the previous strategy. Although, the wounded were many. When Obi-Wan breached the enemy lines and sent them into a retreat, he turned triumphant towards his aide-de-camp to find that they were not there. He turned, eyes frantic to find that Captain Naberrie was on the ground meters behind him, having been thrown from their horse after being shot. Quickly, he dismounted and went to his Captain’s side.
“Stay with me, Naberrie,” he murmured as he knelt down. With all the care in the world, he scooped Padmé up and took her back to base to be seen by a medical professional.
Soon enough, he was pacing outside the tent as a professional tended his Captain’s wounds.
Qui-Gon dismounted outside the tent, “Are you trying to wear a path into the ground?”
Obi-Wan paused and saluted, “General.”
“At ease. What happened?”
“The Captain was shot at and thrown from his horse,” Obi-Wan informed him, worry apparent on his face.
Qui-Gon frowned, “If she’s wounded, you’ll have to take her home. The battlefield is no place for a lady.”
“She?” Obi-Wan said incredulously.
Qui-Gon looked at him with a smirk, “You’ve shared a tent with her majesty and didn’t recognize her this entire time?”
“You’re telling me that Captain Naberrie is....” Obi-Wan trailed off. “Oh heavens, she’s been serving me when I should have been serving her!”
Padmé chose that moment to get out of her cot and throw open the flap, wincing at the movement, “I can assure you, General, you serve me well enough with your military campaign.”
“Your highness,” Obi-Wan said as he bowed.
Padmé tilted his face up to see hers. Softly, she murmured, “At ease, General.”
Obi-Wan locked eyes with her and swallowed the lump in his throat before straightening. “As you wish.”
“Obi-Wan, I’m giving you new orders to escort the Queen back to the palace,” Qui-Gon said, interrupting their moment.
“Absolutely not,” Padmé protested, “I’m needed here.”
“Your majesty, you are not safe here. We must get you home,” Qui-Gon replied with only a touch of exasperation, “What will your people do if you perish? Sabé cannot take over forever.”
Padmé opened her mouth and then promptly shut it before going back into the tent to sit. She couldn’t leave Sabé in charge. Sabé hated politics. Padmé sighed, “I’ve already left her in charge long enough, haven’t I?”
Obi-Wan smirked, “Long enough to make Captain.”
She smirked at him, “I had an inspiring General.”
“The palace is about two day’s ride to the south if you don’t stop,” Qui-Gon informed them. “You are to leave immediately before the enemy catches wind that the Queen is even here. You’ll take the messenger’s horse. It’s the fastest.”
“What will the messenger use?” Padmé asked.
Qui-Gon smirked, “He’s got feet, hasn’t he?”
Obi-Wan shook his head, “You’re horrible.”
“That’s ‘you’re horrible, General’ to you,” Qui-Gon winked, “Now get out of here.”
In an instant, Obi-Wan scooped Padmé up in his arms and carried her towards the corrals.
“I can walk,” Padmé murmured.
“You took a nasty tumble earlier,” Obi-Wan replied.
“Obi-Wan, you know I’m capable,” she replied in frustration. “Treat me as you always have.”
Obi-Wan looked down at her, “Your majesty, it’s hard to just go back to that.”
“Why?” She asked as he placed her in the saddle and swung up behind her.
“Because of who you are and the type of person that I am,” he replied before setting the horse into a run.
Padmé sighed as she leaned into him and settled into the trip. A silence settled around them.
General Kenobi looked down at the woman in his arms. He was nervous, but most of all, he was confused. He’d always though his Captain was a handsome man, but now faced with the truth that she was a beautiful woman, he was left reeling. He considered him, nay, her to be his best friend on that field. She was brilliant in a way that most couldn’t even come close to touching. He didn’t know what he was to do without her. She kept his life in order and held him together in more ways than he dared to admit. Now, he was faced with the issue of returning her home. He felt awful for not waiting on her instead of the other way around. Most of all, he felt foolish that he hadn’t realized it sooner, and hurt that she hadn’t told him.
“You’re quiet,” she ventured finally, “it’s unlike you.”
“Is it?” he asked softly. “Perhaps we both don’t know each other quite as well as we thought.”
Padmé stiffened in his hold before turning to look at him over her shoulder. “General, that’s a lie and you know it.”
“Do I?” he asked, a slight edge to his voice. “Because everything that I thought I knew, I apparently did not.”
“Obi-Wan, I never lied to you,” she replied adamantly.
“You lied about being a man!”
“You never asked,” she shot back.
“And your name.”
“Naberrie is my maiden name,” she replied.
“Oh.”
They walked on in silence for a few strides before Padmé sighed.
“I am sorry,” she murmured.
“You don’t have to apologize,” he replied. “I understand why you would go to such lengths. It’s actually admirable that you care so much about your people as to risk your own life to ensure theirs.”
A quiet understanding enveloped them, then. The knowing that although it may have been started under false pretenses and conclusions, their friendship was still real. It was still valid. They had still been through a war at each other’s side, and nothing would change that.
The rhythmic pitter patter of rain on the forest canopy above could be heard. It started gradually before growing in strength to the point where they were shouting to be heard above the din.
“We should stop for the night!” Obi-Wan yelled as thunder clapped above them. He had taken his cape and held it over their heads to try and protect them from the downpour. “If we go on like this, we’ll get ill!”
“We’ll stop at the next in!” Padmé yelled back.
Obi-Wan pulled up to the next inn they came across, holding the door open for her once they arrived.
“There’s only one room left,” the innkeeper said as he slid the key over. He gave Padmé an odd glance at her choice in outfit and she looked down to find she was still in her uniform.
“I ran out of clothes,” she explained quickly.
His eyes narrowed, but he nodded, satisfied with her answer. “Third door on the right.”
Padmé gave him a gracious nod and started down the hall with Obi-Wan. When they reached the room, she started up the fireplace out of habit.
“You should let me,” Obi-Wan said as he took the prod from her.
“If you wish, General,” she sighed before she started to peel off her layers as they clung to her skin.
“Y-your majesty?” Obi-Wan stammered.
“Obi-Wan, our clothes are soaked. If we don’t let the majority of them dry then we won’t have anything to wear,” she replied as she draped her clothes over the back of the chair until she was just in her undershirt and underwear. “You, too, General. I won’t have you getting sick on my account.”
Obi-Wan sighed, “That’s not proper.”
Padmé rolled her eyes and moved to undress him. “I will not have my friend catch his death due to modesty.”
He looked down, watching as her nimble fingers unbuttoned and peeled off his jacket. He stopped her when she went towards his pants. “I can handle that,” he murmured, unbuttoning and sliding them down until they matched in states of undress.
Together, they sat on the couch, trying to dry the clothes they were still wearing by the warmth of the fire. Obi-Wan draped his arm around the back of the couch. Padmé leaned into his side for his body heat, leaning her head on his shoulder.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked softly.
“Would you have let me stay?” she asked seriously.
“Maybe,” he sighed, “I already don’t know what I’ll do without you, if I’m being honest.”
“I’ve become that important to you?” she asked, tilting up to look at him.
He looked down at her with a small smile, “You’re indispensable.”
Padmé felt her cheeks heat up from his words and not the fire, turning away from the intensity of his gaze. Reaching up, she touched her shirt to find that it had dried. “We should get some rest,” she murmured.
“I’ll take the couch if you want. Or we could share the bed if that’s not odd,” Obi-Wan murmured.
“Why would it be odd? We’ve shared both bed and tent before,” she replied as she got up to cross the room.
“Yes, but that was different. It was before...”
“Before, what, you knew who I was?”
“Well, quite frankly, yes,” he replied.
“Does that knowledge really change so much between us?” she asked in exasperation as she threw back the covers and got into bed.
“Yes,” Obi-Wan replied seriously as he gently got into his side of the bed.
“Why?” She asked, turning to face him in bed.
“It makes my attraction to you less awkward,” he admitted.
Padmé blushed, “Attraction?”
“Yes,” Obi-Wan murmured as he gently took her hair out of the low ponytail she had it in. He cupped her cheek with his hand before tucking hair behind her ear.
Padmé looked up at his eyes that were so intensely focused on her lips, “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t mutual.”
“Oh?” he asked in amusement.
“You’re capable, charming, and handsome, General. What’s not to like?”
“Please, your majesty. Call me Obi,” he murmured.
“And you may call me Padmé. You’ve more than earned the right, Obi,” she murmured as she felt his arm wrap around her. She slowly drew nearer. As her nose bumped his, she let herself melt into him as their lips connected. She closed her eyes to heighten her other senses, feeling his lips move firmly against hers as his hands slipped into her hair. She kissed back harder and harder. Their motions became desperate until she pulled back for air.
Obi-Wan took stock of how flushed her cheeks looked and how rosy her lips were from the kiss. He had kissed his Queen. His eyes widened slightly with the realization.
Padmé opened her eyes to her General. He had kissed her, and she had kissed him. Most of all, she’d liked it. He looked at her so intently. It was a way that made her feel seen. She hoped he’d always see her. The thought thudded in her chest: Did she love her General? Her eyes widened in the realization as she swallowed a lump in her throat and immediately turned over in bed.
“Good night, General.”
“Good night, your majesty,” Obi-Wan sighed, running a hand down his face as he faced the other direction.