Captain

8. Panic

A door unlocks open. Me and Obi-Wan break away immediately, both blushing. We almost kissed, we were so close. But we were stopped by someone leaving their room. I cross my arms and hold them over my stomach to try and calm the butterflies that are making me feel a little queasy. Obi-Wan takes a step back and leans against the wall. Out from the unlocked door Padmé exits. This time she wears her royal outfit, with her face covered in riyal makeup her maids put on her. 

"Adelita, I am so glad you are back." Padmé says sounding very on edge, her voice quite shaky. She disguises her voice as she notices Obi-Wan standing next to me. She looks at us both, probably investigating our blushed faces. Padmé doesn't make not of anything and grabs my arm. 

"Where have you been? You have been gone all day and I have an emergency to talk to you about!" She speaks in a rush, with her voice cracking. This means she is nervous and angry at the same time when her voice cracks. Padmé is like me with my anger. When she is too frustrated, we both cry. 

"I started off in the library whilst you were having your meeting with Senator Palpatine. Then I met Obi-Wan and he has been giving me a tour around the Jedi Temple. He walked me back here to my room as nobody showed me where it was before." I say to Padmé, trying to sound as if it was strictly business between me and Obi-Wan. I turn to face Obi-Wan. "Thank you Obi-Wan for the time. It has been lovely to see the Jedi Temple in person. I hope one day I get to see how amazing Coruscant is." I give Obi-Wan a quick smile before Padmé pulls me away into her room. I never saw or heard Obi-Wan's reaction. 

In Padmdé's room, she is pacing up and down. 

"What's wrong Padmé? Did something go bad in the meeting with the Senator?" I ask worryingly. 

"Senator Palpatine wants me to call a vote of no confidence about Chancellor Valorum. He believes that if we have Chancellor Valorum step down, he shall become Chancellor and he will stop the invasion in Naboo?"

"Why does he think he will just be able to stop the invasion? That just doesn't happen over night!" I say to my sister. She is just a teenager, like I am. This is a lot to deal with for such a young Queen. I fear Palpatine is manipulating her se he can have more power. I didn't trust him that much before, but now I really don't trust him. 

"I don't know. He thinks he will be more forceful, show the Trade Federation's army that he will not stand for the invasion in Naboo. He thinks he will be able to persuade the Viceroy to end the war in Naboo. I am so unsure what to do Adelita. Oh how I wish mother and father were here. They would know what to do." We both sigh in sync. I take a pause before I continue to speak to Padmé, needing to take a little break to think about what our parents would do and remembering just one happy memory with them to keep me going. 

"Do you trust Palpatine?" I ask her. 

"I do, yes. He has been the Senator of Naboo for a while. He worked with our parents for a short while. They seemed to really trust Palpatine. And because they did, I do too." My sister says confidently. 

"Well then, I think you have your answer. If you trust Palpatine as much as you say you do, then maybe he should be Chancellor instead of Valorum. Besides he hasn't done much at all to prevent any more invasions in Naboo. I shall support any decision you make, as your Captain and your sister."

Padmé runs over to me and gives me a big hug, squeezing me very tightly. 

"You're squishing me Padmé...I...can't...breathe" Padmé instantly lets go, feeling a little guilty. 

"I'm so sorry Adelita. I am just so thankful I still have you in my life. You are so wise, I don't know what I would do without you. I shall speak to Senator Palpatine in the morning and tell him I shall put in a vote of no confidence for Chancellor Valorum."

"Whatever you decide Padmé, I shall support you fully." I say to her. She plants a small kiss on my cheek. 

"Have you heard anything about Ani? Did the Council allow him to become a Jedi in training?" She asks. She looks more relieved now and I don't want to panic her even further. 

"No not yet, perhaps they are thinking it through over night. They have to make sure he is perfect for the Jedi role. I am sure they will allow him to become a Jedi. Don't worry about Anakin, he is in safe hands with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan." I blush slightly when I say Obi-Wan's name. 

"What was that?" Padmé asks. 

"What was what? I say guiltily. 

"That look on your face when you said Obi-Wan's name...You LIKE HIM!" Padmé says all excitedly. 

"No I do not" I say to her trying to stop her from some celebratory dance she's doing. "I'm only a teenager, I am too young for love. And besides, Obi-Wan is a Jedi, they can't form attachments, especially love attachments."

"But you still like him!" Padmé screeches. 

"I do not!! He has been nice and friendly with me. We have had a good time, but acquaintances is all we shall be to each other. When we get back to Naboo I shall never see him again. He will become a Jedi Knight and I will remain Captain of your guards. There is nothing going one between us. Absolutely nothing" I try to convince Padmé, but she is having none of it. She keeps making love heart hand gestures at me and making kissing noises. 

"While you are being so very childish, I am going to head to my room and sleep. We have a very important day tomorrow, so you should get some sleep too." I order my sister. I laugh a little as she frowns after I told her to stop playing around, before opening her door and leaving her room. I blow her a quick kiss before heading to my room. In I enter and I get ready for bed, laying down on my bed by the window and closing my eyes. 

"Noooo!" I shout in horror, sweating profusely. I am shaking, eyes full of tears. I try to calm down but it is no use. My anxiety is getting worse and worse and I can feel my throat closing in on me, stopping me from breathing. I can't go to Padmé, she doesn't know about my anxiety. If she did she would make me step down being Captain because she'll think it is too much for me. I'm trying to take in breaths, but my body is stopping me. I feel sick and I feel like I am going to pass out. I leap off my bed and rush out of my bedroom door. I race down the hallway trying to find his room. I try and sense which room he is in until I come across a door I feel strongly with his presence. Bang! Bang! Bang! I bash my fist on his door. I have no time to be quiet. I need him awake...I need him!

His door slowly opens. 

"What time do you call this?" I hear his voice as he opens his bedroom door. When he opens his door he sees me. His face drops with panic. 

"What the hell? Adelita are you ok?" He asks in fear. I try to speak but instead the sound of me struggling to breathe is all that comes out. He picks me up and takes me inside his bedroom, placing me on his bed. He pulls me into him, holding me tightly. His hand moving up to the back of mead, clutching my hair. Every now and then he gives me a little soft shush in my ear, trying to calm me down. He rocks side to side with me in his arms, my tears soaking his top on his shoulder. 

"It's ok. You are ok" He says in a whisper, not trying to startle me. "Just breathe Adelita, you can do it"

The sound of his voice begins to calm me once again. My breathing starts to slow, my heart rate matching the steady beating of his. He circles his fingers on the back of my head, making little patterns and stroking my hair. I lift my head off of his shoulder and look at him. Fear still in his face, but also calming down as I am breathing a lot better now. I try to speak, but he places one of his fingers over my lips, stopping me from saying anything. He knows I am still to anxious to form any complete sentence- he knows me. He knows what to do...he knows me. 

After a few moments, he wipes away a rogue tear. 

"Now, tell me what happened." He said calmly. I take a few deep breaths before answering his question. 

"I...had a dream. Well a nightmare. There was lots of blood, lots of death. A lot of fighting. Blasters going off everywhere. A guy with a red spiky face. He had a red lightsaber. There was a room, circular. And a big hole that stretched for miles into nothing but darkness in the middle of this room. I then looked over to this room and there I saw it...you, falling down this hole. I screamed and fell to my knees. And you never came back up. You died...

Obi-Wan, you...died."