Chapter Text
“It would appear you hardly needed my mediation skills after all, Duchess.”
The floors of the throne room in Sundari glowed with pastel hues as the setting sun cast rays through the stained-glass of the windows. The light was fitting as delegates from the neutral council filed out casually from the makeshift meeting space, their backs all turned to leave. All but one.
Satine allowed a small smile as she shifted her gaze to look at her one guest who had yet to take their leave.
“Says the Great Negotiator himself,” she couldn’t help a bit of snide as the man in front of her placed a confident step onto the first stair that led to the throne on which she sat.
“Was that a compliment I heard?” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, ascending to the next step.
“I suppose it could be interpreted as such,” she said, feigning an air of disinterest as she watched the last member of the council leave the hall, the large doors shutting behind them with an echo.
“You truly are a gifted speaker…compliment fully intended,” he continued, now standing at the step directly under the level of the throne, hands neatly folded behind his back.
“Yes, well,” she looked down, doing her best to ignore the warmth that she felt rushing to her cheeks. “It is only what is required in these sorts of summits.”
A scoff as his head turned to look out the window to his left, eyes catching the ray of green casting in through the stained glass.
It was moments like this that the regret that haunted steadily in the back of her subconsciousness felt heavier.
“Your uniform does not suit you, General.” The words came from her lips louder than she intended them, harsher than she intended them to be.
His head turned back to her at that, interrupting his own private world of thought as he stared past the window.
“I suppose not,” he offered, sadness lacing his tone.
Perhaps she was not the only one with regrets.
“Auntie- oh!”
The doors to the throne room were cracked open, a tuft of red hair peeking in. The boy was young, no more than fourteen, confidently entering without announcement.
Her stomach sank.
Oh, not now, not today…
Both of their heads turned to the unexpected visitor. The boy stood still near the door he had entered, one hand still on the door handle.
“I was unaware you were not through with your meeting. I can return later-”
“Nonsense, I was just on my way out,” Obi-Wan cut him off, giving a curt nod to Satine.
She could feel the air of confusion radiating from him. It wasn’t like him not to ask questions.
She released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Yes, until the next time, Master Kenobi.”
“Kenobi? As in… Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi? I’ve heard so much about you, sir!”
Obi-Wan straightened at that. “Oh?”
She had dreamt of this moment. Well, perhaps dreamt was putting it too lightly. She had been plagued by nightmares of this very moment, dreading the possibility of it becoming reality. Her eyes shot between the two of them, the stark similarities of the two men before her unmistakable. The same shade of reddish hair, the same tilt of the head, the same resting stance-
If it were this obvious to her, how obvious were the similarities to Obi-Wan himself?
Her vision felt as if it were going to blur as the conversation around her seemed to muffle, as if someone had placed stuffing inside of her ears. She couldn’t focus on what they were saying, only on the very pressing challenge of separating the two that stood before her.
Immediately .
“Yes! Auntie used to tell me stories about the Jedi, and my classmates at school have been learning about fellow diplomats and other important figures. I never imagined I would get to meet you in person, sir.” There was a smile across his face almost as wide as his mouth would allow, taking a few energetic steps toward the two on the other side of the room.
“Auntie?” Obi-Wan repeated, turning his attention back to Satine beside him.
If her lips were any tighter, they very well may not have existed at all.
“This is Korkie, my…”
A sigh.
“Nephew.”
Obi-Wan tilted his head, giving a quick glance between her and the boy in front of him.
“Pleasure to meet you then, Korkie,” Obi-Wan greeted, meeting him at the bottom of the stairs, extending a hand.
Korkie took his hand enthusiastically, giving it a quick shake.
As if being in the same room were not torture enough, now they had to be touching? Fourteen years of meticulous avoidance…only to be demolished by a two-minute, accidental interaction. Perhaps Obi-Wan had been blessed with the gift of innocent obliviousness, much like her dear Korkie…
“The pleasure is all mine, sir. It is quite the honor to meet you-”
She had to do something . She had no time for him and his Force sensitivities to catch on to her internal panic.
“Yes, well, Master Kenobi was just taking his leave,” Satine interrupted, standing from her throne as if to walk him out herself.
“Oh yes, of course,” Korkie murmured, dropping Obi-Wan’s hand and averting his eyes.
“I am not in that much of a hurry, Duchess, I could afford a few extra moments to properly meet your nephew.”
Insufferable .
“Korkie, I was under the impression that you were at the Academy today.”
“Oh, I am, Auntie, but tonight is my tournament…I know you’ve been preoccupied with the summit, and I thought it best to remind you in person.”
“Tournament?” No sooner had the words come out of her mouth than a quick stream of memories came to the forefront of her mind.
She didn’t get to voice her correction as Korkie was already throwing himself into a reminder.
“Yes, for the fencing club, tonight is the last qualifier before finals,” he said quickly, pulling at his sleeve a bit sheepishly.
“Oh, of course I remember, dear, I would not forget.”
“Fencing?” Obi-Wan cut in, looking back over his shoulder at Satine. “Not the activity I would expect from a pacifist planet,” he finished, a smirk toying at his lips.
“There is nothing wrong with partaking in a social sport,” she explained as she descended the rest of the stairs. “Besides, it teaches one crucial self-defense skill I thought you, of all people, would see the value in.”
“I am not questioning the value in it, Duchess, merely expressing my surprise at the choice in…sport.”
She paused.
Not long—barely a breath—but enough to raise a brow in response, holding back the urge to bite back a quick response. The faint hum of the throne room’s ventilation suddenly felt louder, more present.
Satine’s shoulders squared as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Obi-Wan’s eyes lingered on her a moment too long. With admiration? No. Not in suspicion, either. Just…observing. Taking her in. As if he could sense something was off and was waiting for her to betray it in a glance, a gesture, a twitch of the lip.
She didn’t blink.
Korkie, oblivious, rocked slightly on his heels, eager, excited. So like him. The resemblance was undeniable now that they stood side by side. Height, posture, even the way he smiled with half his mouth…she had never been able to compare them this closely.
Obi-Wan shifted his weight subtly, a hand resting on his belt, thumb tapping once against the metal. A habit. He was waiting, anticipating another smart remark. His eyes were no longer on her, though, but on the boy just a few steps away.
She moved between them possessively.
Protectively.
No one spoke.
And still, it felt like too much had already been said.
Korkie broke the tense silence first.
“You are welcome to come as well, Master Kenobi-”
Satine’s answer was immediate. “Master Kenobi is an incredibly busy man-”
“I would be more than thrilled to attend your tournament.”
The urge to escort Obi-Wan out herself was becoming more and more appealing.
(In truth she should have never allowed him to linger after the summit… damn her inner-romantic idealist.)
“That is…if your Aunt would be seen with a visiting Jedi.”
“No.”
Her tone was final, and she imagined her pointed glare only added to the emphasis of her answer. Yet, the longer she stared, the less she saw of Korkie and the more she saw of another boy…from long ago…
Another similarity. One she knew all too well.
He had his eyes .
She had denied him so much…how could she deny him this innocent request?
They hadn’t realized yet…and perhaps if they sat far enough back at the match…
“Well,” she sighed, admitting defeat. “I suppose I could take Master Kenobi along for extra security-”
“Oh, thank you, Auntie!” Korkie sprang forward, wrapping his arms around her before quickly pulling back and giving a nod.
“I mean,” he straightened his jacket, giving a quick glance at Obi-Wan, “…thank you. I look forward to seeing you both there. I must return to prepare.”
With that, Korkie turned to leave, giving a small wave as he reached the door before exiting, offering a quiet word of thanks to the guards.
The door shut with a resounding clang .
They were alone.
“I never knew that you had siblings?” Obi-Wan observed quietly, still turned to face the door.
Still turned away from her.
She swallowed.
“You never asked.”
He gave a short laugh, shaking his head. “Do you have siblings?”
“Yes…a sister…” The lie came easily.
(Well, not an entire lie. The minor detail that Korkie was not her sister’s child was…unimportant.)
“Was she…? I mean to ask…”
“A victim of the war.”
Again, not an entire lie.
Obi-Wan turned then, bringing his eyes to meet her once more, genuine remorse coloring his gaze.
“I’m sorry, that loss must have been difficult.”
She gave a curt nod, anxious to move on to the next topic.
Any topic.
“I do not wish to discuss it further.”
“Rightfully so, I apologize for asking-”
“Obi-Wan, listen to me. You do not have to come to Korkie’s tournament. I do not wish to keep you from your other duties,” she cut him off, careful to keep a calm disposition as she shifted the conversation back to the evening before them.
Obi-Wan shrugged, taking a nonchalant step toward her. “I have a few hours to spare, and I must admit I’m flattered you have told him so much about me. I assumed I would not be a topic that you enjoyed reminiscing on…”
Oh, how very wrong he was.
“I am sure you know how young, curious boys are…If I can not shelter him from all of the corruption of the galaxy…I may at least bend the stories to be of the one truly good Jedi I know,” she admitted, mirroring him by taking a step of her own forward.
Unspoken words were the only barrier between them.
Obi-Wan shook his head, giving another quiet laugh, his eyes years away. “Yes, I know quite a bit about inquisitive young boys…”
“I wish to hear more of him sometime,” Satine whispered, genuinely meaning it.
Something in her ached with the knowledge that he had become a father, in his own way.
Just not in the way that could’ve been.
(Should’ve been?)
“What time would you like to be picked up, Duchess?”
The question pulled her from her musings, her attention turning sharply back to the man who had been standing in front of her, but now stood further away, almost to the door.
“Oh…”
He was truly accompanying her, wasn’t he?
She fought back the groan that so desperately wanted to escape her lips.
“Two hours should suffice.”
He smiled, a new gleam in his eye.
“I will return in two hours, then,” He said before he slipped out the door.
Her shoulders fell, releasing the tension they had been holding as the door shut firmly behind him.
What had she gotten herself into?