you were always stronger than i was

[only_hope]

Obi-Wan is not particularly pleased about the assignment to Ord Mantell to train some princess how to use the Force. Force-sensitives are meant to be pulled by the Temple early on so the child doesn't form familial attachments and since this young woman was meant to be married to some politician from Cerea, there wasn't a chance of her being fully trained and inducted into the Order. This was a goodwill mission, nothing more and nothing less, and Obi-Wan chafed at the assignment when there were more important things to be handled.

"Surely another Jedi - " he'd started, before being silenced by Yoda. "Important to the Republic, Ord Mantell is. Train the princess, you will, and then return to the Temple with a new ally."

It was diplomatic then, more or less. There's plenty of villainy on Ord Mantell outside of army protection to concern him, though, and much of Jedi training is conducted in the wilderness. How would a princess hold up in that? Obi-Wan decides there's no point in arguing it any longer and agrees, intending to perform his duty with grace.

He flies his own ship to Ord Mantell rather than waiting for a transport and lands somewhat away from the palace. When he announces himself, he's brought inside and he expects the usual pomp and circumstance Jedi get on diplomatic visits; he receives it and then some. He feels a presence in the Force, a white hot flame, and realizes it's coming from the slim woman alongside the King and Queen.

"Am I to understand you are Princess Anne, then? My pleasure to meet you," he says, bowing at the waist. "I'm Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and I've been sent to train you on behalf of the Jedi Order. Even if you have no intention of being a Jedi, you should be capable of using the Force to your full potential." He turns back to her parents and strokes his beard a bit, thinking.

"Most padawan training is done away from the temple. I don't think it'll do Anne much good if we keep her here in the palace and treat her with kid gloves. Do I have your permission to train her properly? She'll be in my hands and there is no way anything will happen to her. We'll stay within the sector." Her parents look skeptical for a moment before nodding their assent.

"All right, then. I suppose there's not much point in me settling in. Pack lightly. I have robes and tunics for you on board but I would suggest a sturdy pair of boots, if you have them."

Comments

[ajediqueen]

Unsure as to what she's said that's inappropriate, she merely raises an eyebrow, boards his ship, and nods to the women in a goodbye.

"Master Kenobi, then." Which means he won't be addressing her as 'royal highness' and she keeps her irritation to herself. Once aboard, she seats herself and listens to what he says. The sooner it's done, the sooner she's home, yes? His question about evaluation draws her eyebrows together as she shakes her head.

"No, of course not." She offers him a smile that borders on the playful before glancing out the window of his ship. "My father would never have agreed to even this if not for Master Yoda's suggestion. The family I'm marrying into wants the best political match and all that it entails. The Jedi —" She pauses and looks at him. "Until I met you, I'd never felt one before. But with you..."

She trails off, her expression curious.

[only_hope]

"You feel the connection, then, the pull of another Force sensitive mind? It's easy to recognize once you actually know what it is," Obi-Wan says. His tone is a little gentler now, not quite so brusque as he'd been before.

"I was found as a baby and brought to the Jedi Temple. I never knew my parents and my master was the closest to a father I ever had. You're different. We don't recommend training people who have close ties to family because they're unable to shake those ties, unable to commit themselves fully to the neutrality of the Order. It is only at Grand Master Yoda's request that I am here and I am bound by that the same as you are. There's terrible things going on in the galaxy right now, Anne, and I would be remiss not to tell you that you'd be welcomed as a combatant. It's not your place, though. Still, I can teach you a bit about what you should have learned and you'll be able to protect yourself."

[ajediqueen]

Protect herself.

Anne is aware of the diplomatic tensions all over the galaxy. She's studied them on her own and with tutors and, joining one of the more political families in her region, she's supposed to know appropriate topics and be versed in them for discussions at all the incoming dinner invitations and other fancy to-dos that she will, inevitably, be part of.  That she's enjoyed learning for learnings sake is another thing entirely and she understands what he's saying.

As he speaks of his own upbringing, however, her expression softens into one of light distress.

"You never knew your family?"

It's easier than discussing her possible role as a combatant or the connection she'd felt to him and the Force.

[only_hope]

"No. They prefer Jedi this way. Loyal only to the Order and no one else," Obi-Wan explains, ensuring their ship is on course and making the jump to light-speed. He knows he ought not be taking her out of the sector but he needs to properly train Anne in the Jedi way without oversight.

"If I had divided loyalties, I could be tempted by the Dark Side to do things I wouldn't normally do because of attachments. It's forbidden. We're to be selfless and serve the Republic neutrally."

[ajediqueen]

"Divided loyalties?"

She ponders him as he says it, listens to what he says about the Dark Side, and again — that pull against her is suddenly so strong that her entire being feels as if it's trying to be part of something (someone) else and she holds her breath without thinking until it eases.

"My loyalties are already divided," she says softly, meaning her family, her upcoming marriage, but feeling deep down that something else is causing her to mention it.

[only_hope]

Obi-Wan strokes his beard a bit, thinking that over. For a woman so young, it must be difficult to have divided loyalties. Was it divided in the Force for her or was it simply familial relations?

"I assure you that anything said between Master and Padawan is sacred," Obi-Wan says after a long moment. "And make no mistake, you are my Padawan right now. If you wish to talk about it, I am happy to listen."

Anne feels like a bright flame in the Force, something Obi-Wan is drawn to even if he shouldn't be. He's never felt such a strong bond with someone he's known for such a short time and he wonders at the why of it. Is she that strong in the Force and able to mask it somehow? That would make her more powerful than most Jedi Masters.

[ajediqueen]

"You know that immediately following this, I'm getting married." He has to know. "I have a family, soon I'll have a husband, children... how are my loyalties not divided?"

Her tone is gentle, but questioning.

"Now you're one more addition to that division and it feels..." She trails off as she watches him, her eyes on his. "I feel drawn to you in a way I've never felt drawn to anyone." He did assure her that it was a private conversation. "Why?"

Even more than being that strong and being able to mask it, she's unaware that she's doing it at all.

[only_hope]

"I don't know," Obi-Wan confesses. Just as her confidence is something he'll keep, he hopes she'll keep his in return. He has never felt a presence in the Force like hers, not even Anakin's, and it puzzles him.

"It's unlike anything I've ever felt before. I'd like to try something. I have a thought it might be something I remember my master telling me about once in passing but to test it, I need your trust. Do I have it?"

[ajediqueen]

He hasn't done anything to not earn her trust, but she feels apprehensive all the same. It's toying with forces (literally) that she doesn't understand. He's the master, of course, and that apprehension shows, then disappears before the trust she feels shows on her face.

There's something in her that knows, just knows, that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

"I trust you."

[only_hope]

"Relax your mind," Obi-Wan says quietly. "Imagine a door and let me in. I won't go poking around, I promise."

When he's beneath her walls, he very nearly staggers and has to grip the back of the cockpit chair to keep his balance. He feels as if he could manipulate every cell of her body and, in turn, she could do the same to him. There's a white room, blank, and he can see Anne there in simple clothes.

He reaches for her and touches her shoulder, then her cheek. "Do you feel it in your body? Even though I'm feet away from you physically?"

[ajediqueen]

"Yes."

It's quiet and sure, even as she tilts her head into his touch, bringing up her own hand to rest over his. Rather than being startled by the touch, it's warmth and gentleness leave her feeling as relaxed as if she were in a bath without a care in the world.

Testing, she moves her fingertips over his hand and down to the inside of his wrist, her touch light.

"Your touch is calming, Master Kenobi."

[only_hope]

"As is yours," Obi-Wan says, eyes closing when her fingers slide down against his wrist. He has been with women before, yes, but he feels like he's a virgin the way she's touching him; he's never felt like this before and it's dangerous. He's a master Jedi who sits on the council. He should be immune to this.

"I'm going to do something," Obi-Wan says, reaching for her hair. He separates a bit just behind her ear and pulls it forward, letting the rest stream back over her shoulders. He braids it deftly and fixes a set of lapis beads to the end of it to secure it."

"Now you have a proper padawan's braid. Not the haircut, as I couldn't bear to do that to you, but you're a real apprentice now. The beads used to be mine. When you finish your training, you can give them back if you want."

[ajediqueen]

It's entirely too intimate; he's in her mind, braiding her hair and though she feels the tug at her temples, she's loathe to break the connection.

All she sees is his standing in front of her in the room he's created for them, his fingers deftly working her hair, and as he finishes with the beads, she changes the scenery to her favorite garden from the palace. It's still devoid of anyone, naturally, but the sight brings a smile to her face. The greenery.

"I wouldn't want to keep something important to you," she says as he pulls back, a smile appearing on her face. "One day, I hope you see the gardens in the palace. I believe you'd enjoy them."

Before he can go far, she reaches up to touch his cheek gently, her fingers moving toward the edge of his beard.

"Do all Jedi invade the minds of others like this?" It's inquisitive, not accusatory, though she doesn't stop touching him.

[only_hope]

"No," Obi-Wan whispers. "Normally I can just pass an errant thought or influence someone weak-minded. I can have dreams or visions of the future without much clarity - I've never been inside someone's mind like this or seen someone who could change my mindscape. This is the place I go when I meditate," he admits.

"My master told me that the old texts mentioned something like this, two minds that were one in the Force and able to touch one another over long distances and affect physical environment. It's rare and it probably hasn't been seen for thousands of years."

[ajediqueen]

"You choose a white room with nothing in it to soothe your mind?"

Her hand trails over his jaw and down his neck to his shoulder before she goes on. "Whenever I've been forced into meetings or educational moments, I let my mind wander to the gardens I'd rather be in. These gardens. They calm me whether I'm in them or imagine them."

Anne lets her hand fall from his shoulder and watches as he explains. "I wonder if this is influenced by distance. You're not far."

[only_hope]

"What can I say? I'm quite boring," Obi-Wan says, laughing softly. It trails off when she touches his neck and shoulder and he has no idea what to do with these feelings. He hasn't been with a woman since before the war began and this woman pulls at him in a way that no other woman ever has. She's far too young for him - younger even than Anakin - but it doesn't seem to matter here.

"Come back to consciousness and speak with me in person. We'll have to test distance when we land."

As much as he's loathe to leave this snug, intimate place they have things to do other than link their minds and touch one another.

[ajediqueen]

It doesn't take much to return to what feels like a much harsher and colder reality but to see him several feet away when she'd just been touching him in her favorite garden feels off-kilter and she blinks several times to orient herself to the rush of space once more.

Anne focuses on the lack of view outside the ship, but finds her glance returning to Obi-Wan, the curiosity obvious.

[only_hope]

"That is not a normal experience in the Force. Even Jedi Masters cannot manipulate the sphere of the mind so deftly and someone with no training, certainly not. I will try to pull up the old texts in the Jedi Archives but as some of them are lost holocrons, I cannot promise results," he says. Obi-Wan has to focus on business at the moment because he wants nothing more than to link his mind with hers and stay there forever.

"I touched you there," Obi-Wan says, drawing close enough to touch the thin braid that's now flipped over her shoulder. "And it affected you here. Anne - I know you have a marriage arranged but I must urge you to consider associating yourself with the Order instead. This is unique."

[ajediqueen]

"That marriage has been promised for years," she tells him quietly, the urge to tip her head against his hand so strong she has to tighten most of the muscles in her body in order to not give in to it. "To break it would be a disaster that I cannot imagine. My family would be incredibly disappointed in me and his —" She inhales. "They're counting on the match to strengthen their name." A pause. "I've never met him."

Political only.

A moment later, she has to satiate her curiosity and reaches out herself, fingertips brushing over the hair on his face. Her smile returns. "It's just as soft as —" when our minds were linked, she thinks, but does not say, before moving her hand away from his face. She'd just needed to know.

[only_hope]

"We need the alliance to keep your two worlds from falling to the Separatists," Obi-Wan says. He closes his eyes when she touches him and exhales softly. It feels so good and he has no idea what he's going to do about it.

"I feel like i have to say I'm too old for you, Anne, among other things."

[ajediqueen]

"Too old to be my mentor?" Her tone is amused again. "You don't look at all old."

It's far easier to mention age in relation to the relationship they're supposed to have instead of the longing she feels when she's near him. The urge to touch him remains and, without entering the place that connects him, she reaches out into that magnetic hum and draws an imaginary finger down his spine.

Her eyes, of course, remain forward, focusing on the planet it looks as if they're approaching.

[only_hope]

"I could devastate you without laying a hand on you," Obi-Wan says softly. The feel of her fingers against his spine causes him to draw in a sharp breath and he tries to center himself as best he can. He cannot do this. He cannot risk losing Ord Mantell because he wants a woman.

"But we have to focus on your training, Anne. That's why you've come with me."

[ajediqueen]

Her training. Yes. It's why she's gone with him, why she's meant to call him Master Kenobi, but his reaction to her practicing what they've been doing (and isn't that a form of training?) causes her to realize that he's a man as well as a Jedi and he's not unaffected by what she's done.

The words are meant to be a question, but they come in the form of a command. Even as she says them, she imagines that same finger tracing a figure eight on his lower back.

"Devastate me, Master Jedi."

[only_hope]

Obi-Wan levels a look at her that's both a challenge and full of lust. He's got experience enough with women even if he's never been connected to one like Anne before and he slips beneath her walls, conjuring up the garden again instead of his blank, white room. The flowers are all in bloom and many glow in the deep twilight, painting a scene that Obi-Wan couldn't have called more beautiful.

Mindful that his actions here affect the real world, when he pushes her down onto a bench and works her trousers off, he takes care not to rip them. Once they're down past her knees, though, he slides his hands between her thighs and teases her open with slow circles of his thumbs. Another part of his mind is occupied with teasing her nipples into hardness.

"Devastated yet?"

[ajediqueen]

It's not what she's expecting, not at all. She'd attempted to close her legs when he'd moved to her trousers, but let him remove them with little effort and then — and then.

The sensation is nearly overwhelming. No one has ever touched Anne like he is, not even Anne herself. She feels her body responding to his touch as she arches her hips into his fingers, a soft moan escaping as her nipples tighten and she feels a sexual awakening unlike anything she's ever imagined. It's thrown at him through their connection; arousal, awareness, that touch and how it feels, and she leans into it with as much want and desire as she can.

"Yes," comes her breathless response, though she's nowhere near devastated enough, and her head drops back on her shoulders, both hands moving to his hair this time.