The Duchess of Mandalore burst into tears, her shoulders shaking violently. It had been so hard not to run into Obi-Wan's arms and press her lips to his, so difficult to hold back her tears.
Now she let them flow. She let them flood as she wailed. Satine wanted to drown in the throne room, drown in her tears for her Padawan, but she did not. She tore through her brand new corridors and hid her face from the servants and guards.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
"What happened, Duchess Satine?"
She ignored them all until she finally reached her giant room, and then she collapsed onto her big bed, fit for a queen. Satine did not feel like royalty, though.
She hurriedly grasped around the edge of her bed, looking for the hidden compartment. When her hands located the notch, she wrenched it open and pulled out a jar. There was a purple flower within, casting a lovely glow onto Satine's face.
The tears came even harder now as she opened the jar with shaking hands and pressed the flower to her chest. "Obi-Wan..." she gasped. There was no response. The duchess was alone.
She should have told him that she forgave him, that she understood why he had fought. Maybe he would still be here, lying next to her. But it was for the best.
Satine was done with dreaming up dreams that would never come true. Done with creating crazy delusions in which her Padawan sat on a throne beside her. He had his duties as a Jedi, and she had her obligation as a duchess.
She remembered when Obi-Wan had taught her how to use a blaster and when he had created a ballroom for her in the jungle on Draboon. The young Jedi didn't know it, but Satine had decorated her new ballroom with the same magical flowers, just as she had placed one in her special jar. Obi-Wan had asked her to never forget their time together, and she wouldn't. She remembered everything.
The duchess also recalled what Obi-Wan had said to her so long ago. He had reminded her that they were not dreamers. They were leaders and examples for the galaxy, and he was right.
But there was just one thing that the Duchess of Mandalore allowed herself to dream about as she put her flower away and swiped at her tears before applying new makeup. Just one dream that she knew would come true.
She looked at herself in the mirror. "We shall see each other again, my dear Obi-Wan."
YOU ARE READING
The Delusions of Dreamers
Science FictionMaster Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to Mandalore to protect Duchess Satine from assassination. They run from Old Mandalorians and bounty hunters, traveling from one dangerous planet to the next. There is no escape from the...
