The Garden Of (Jedi please)

[Eden Field]

For as long as she could remember, Eden Field had sat at her fathers side. Raised simply to be married off, so that she could sit by her husbands side. Today was hardly different. She sat silently, a black cloth covering her face; ladies were always modest. The tight bodice of her formal gown made it nearly impossible to breath. As did the tradition of the outfit.

In the dimly lit room, there were four others. On her left, her father. Across the table, J'dever Monet and his son. And standing was the Jedi. The diplomat had been sent to negotiate a peace treaty. It had taken time and patience but the final draft was ready to be signed. The little room was silent.

It seemed that the warring nations were still exceedingly reserved around one another.

Clearing his throat, the girls father nodded at J'dever's son.

"I am sure that my daughter is pleased to see her fiance. Eden?"

For a moment she didn't say anything. And then, so low that it was almost inaudible,

"Stellar."

Blushing, the old man nodded furiously at the papers.

"Well then, Monet, we just need your signature and all is well and taken care of."

Monet nodded.

"As long as you keep to your end, all is well."

But as he raised the pen to sign the document, the papers moved. J'dever stared for a moment. Then he moved the pen forward. The papers moved again. He tried once more, and the same occured.

"What is this!"

He stood up, knocking his chair.

"Some kind of trick? I knew that something was going on! No more! I will hear no more of peace with these...commoners!"

Eden smiled behind her black prison. For a split second, she felt eyes on her, and turned her gaze to the Jedi.

The Jedi knew.

*************

It was well past midnight when the girl dropped from her window and onto the grounds of her estate. Her parents and siblings had long since been asleep, and now was her chance to leave.

Straightening her dress, Eden began to hurry, knowing that she had little time before the gaurd shift change ended. As she rounded a corner of the stone mansion, her plight came to an abrupt stop. With an 'oof' the girl fell to the ground, and found herself staring at someones legs. Scowling, she stood and looked directly at her halter.

The Jedi.

With a glare, Eden tried to make herself appear bigger, putting her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing walking about at this time of night?"

[Figrin D'an]

The blanket of night was now several hours old, but the Jedi Master had yet to sleep. The uproar during the treaty signing lasted for nearly an hour, and it had taken the remainder of the evening and into the early morning hours to renegotiate the primary points of the agreement. Accusations of false pretense and treachery were tossed about freely by both parties, and nearly lead to a physical confrontation between the two leaders. Fortunately, a clear glimpse of the lightsabre hilt attached to the Jedi's belt quashed the thoughts of violence in both men.

The treaty still wasn't signed, and that meant that the Republic still couldn't send in relief supplies. But, as Figrin D'an knew, the situation was far better than it had been earlier in the afternoon. The "disturbance," as it had been called by the Jedi Master during the treaty revamping, had nearly torn apart everything that he and James had worked for over the past two weeks. Up until that moment, things had progressed better than he could have hoped. Both sides seemed willing to cooperate, despite a clear contempt for one another. Writing of the treaty document, in accordance with the local law and custom, had been much easier than expected. And, to the delight of the Jedi Master, James had learned a lot about diplomacy. She was eager to volunteer for the mission when she found out about it, and Figrin had some concern about if she was ready to serve as a diplomatic aide. The padawan had done extremely well, though, and Figrin decided he would recommend her to the council for future diplomatic service.

Then the papers, literally, started flying. He had sensed a murmor in the Force just before it occured, and as it happened, it was clear that it was the daughter of one of the leaders, the one that was to be married as part of the treaty, who had been the source of the disturbance. Figrin knew little of her, but for a brief moment, he could see her thoughts with reasonable clarity. She was scared. She wanted to run.

He couldn't watch her himself... he was too busy trying to hold the delicate negotiations together. But James could.

"Keep tabs on the girl," he had told the padawan. "I sense that she may try something rash. Make sure she doesn't leave the estate."

That conversation was many hours ago, and Figrin had heard nothing from James on the matter. He was tired, and although he needed sleep before the next negotiation session, he decided to look for James and attempt to find out more about the mysterious girl known as Eden.

[James Prent]

James yawned lightly, leaning against the wall of the mansion that faced the gardens. If she extended herself a bit, she could just make out the girl's window. It must be nearly midnight. She resisted the urge to check her chrono, instead tucking her hands behind her back and leaning against them.

The treaty signing had gone...well, horribly wrong for her first try. They'd refused to allow the padawan inside the signing room, for one thing. She'd been relegated to a chair in the hall outside, which she'd not used, in favor of standing and looking at least slightly important. In the end all it did was make her feet sore.

Working out the treaty had been fascinating. Master D'an and she had met with both sides, and worked together on figuring out a wording that was acceptable to everyone involved. He'd not said as much, yet, but she'd thought that she'd done a good job. Diplomacy interested her, and getting the opportunity to work as an aide to Figrin D'an on this paticular one had been great.

She'd wondered about the arranged marriage. But this was a different culture than Coruscant, and Master D'an and she had gone along with the wishes of both leaders. Certainly a union between both families would be the best thing for lasting peace, but it appeared that the girl involved hadn't been consulted.

James yawned once more, and edged out to the corner once more, peeking around to look at the window. Looks normal. Then she looked again. The window was open, the curtains blowing gently in the breeze. She stepped out for a better look, and gasped as the girl came running through the dew laden grass towards her.

The slight padawan tried to get out of the way, but the other girl slammed into her. She'd had her eyes on the ground in front of her, watching her step as her pupils adjusted to the scant moonlight, and hadn't seen James until it was too late. The bride-to-be and the padawan both fell to the grass, the dew soaking into James' thick robes.

She scrambled to her feet as the girl looked up, and pulled herself to her full height. She stood taller than the five foot padawan, and emphasized it by putting her hands on her hips, trying to make James feel smaller. "What are you doing walking about at this time of night?"

James felt her mouth drop open, and then she quickly gathered herself, brushing her robes down with her hands under the pretense of getting loose grasses off. She found her comm and gave it a single click, to alert Figrin that something was going on. "I was about to ask you that same question. Eden, isn't it?"

[Eden Field]

"Miss Field, if you please."

Eden grit her teeth together tightly. Time was precious and any moment now one of the security gaurds would round the corner and discover them. From a young age all the children of the Field family had memorized the schedule. It was the only way they ever left the grounds.

The feisty youngster was quite agitated that her carefully thought out plan was coming apart already and she didn't hide it, glowering at James, sans the usually ever-present face covering.

"And I fail to see how it is your business what I am doing. This is my home, I will go where I wish."

Eden pushed by, peering with squinted eyes in the dark. Perhaps if she ran... but with the suffocating corset that melded her body underneath the dress, it was an impossible possibility. Which meant, plan B. A sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan escaped from her lips, and she spun around to face James.

"I suggest you go back to wherever your temporary living arangements are. If you're caught on the grounds, my father will be wakened. He does not appreciate that."

Walking briskly along the side of the manor, and then along the wall that it continued into, Eden suddenly stopped at a section that was heavily dressed with plant life. Tongue stuck between her lips in determination, the girl grabbed hold of the trellis that was hidden beneath the flora and hoisted herself up, grunting because her clothes added extra weight to her frail frame.

"If he thinks... ung, that I will allow myself to be.... bartered like some piece of livestock..."

She had to stop mumbling to herself, for she was running short of what little breath she could get whilst wearing the tight underbodice. Eden was dead-set against being married. And she would do absolutely anything to prevent it, even if she had to becmme a mad old maid, selling baubles on a street corner.

Even if.

[James Prent]

"Miss Field, then. Please don't do that..." James felt an edge of a whine creeping into her voice as the obstinate girl started scaling the garden wall. She was glad that she'd opted for clothing that didn't tangle around the ankles. James reached for her comm and gave it an urgent double click as she caught up to, and came to a stop under Miss Field. Master D'an, now isn't a good time to leave the padawan in the garden alone... She felt slightly sweaty at the edges as the peace treaty tried to get a leg up over the top of the wall.

James concentrated, and pulled gently with the Force, causing the girl to overbalance and fall away from the wall. Miss Field scrabbled at the trellis and clinging ivy, but came up with two handfuls of leaves and nothing but gravity between her and the grass.

Scratch that, nothing but gravity and James between her and the grass.

James frantically tried to slow Miss Field with the Force, but unfortunately still didn't have the hang of telekinesis just yet. The two girls ended up in a gasping pile of arms, legs, and fabric. As Miss Field tried to situate her lungs and her corset into some sort of working arrangement, James pulled herself off the ground and threatened to put her hand over the breathless girl's mouth.

"If you are found on the grounds, I'm sure your father will also be wakened. And I doubt he'll appreciate that either." The diminutive padawan put all the authority of a Jedi behind her next words. "You will accompany me to our temporary living arrangements, Miss Field."

[Eden Field]

Managing an outraged look with no breath was difficult, but Eden succeeded.

"I most...certainly...will not!"

The hand however, was a difficult adversary to ignore. Shooting daggers, the young woman sat up, almost fainting over again as she lost what air she'd had.

"This, is...it's..."

If there had been no danger in it, Eden would have screamed. Instead she merely ground her teeth together and shoved James' hand away.

"Fine. But I assure you that this will not go undealt with."

*****

Eden made a very unladylike entrance.

"I demand to know what right you've evoked in doing this!"

She'd followed the Jedi Padawan, fuming silently, until they'd reached the arranged staying area of the negotiators. Then she'd simply pushed by and burst through the door.

Pacing the floor irritably, Eden threw her hands up.

"I knew having the Jedi here was a mistake. I tried to tell my father, but he never listens. And now you've ruined everything!"

[Figrin D'an]

"I'd be most interested to here what exactly it is we have ruined."

After several minutes of searching for James, Figrin finally located her, and the young Miss Field in a conference room near the Jedi quarters. Both women turned as he spoke, slightly surprised. He calmly walked towards Eden, who was clearly angry. At the same time, however, she was still scared. Scared of what may happen to her.

Figrin rested his hands behind his back.

"So, it would seem you did chose a reckless path, as I anticipated," he said pointedly. "I wonder, however, how far you would have gotten before your father discovered your absence and sent security to find you. Fortunately for you, Jedi Prent was able to find you first."

[James Prent]

James finally took a seat, glad for the rest after a long night of standing in the gardens. Eden, or Miss Field, was pacing like a caged rancor, and her expression was pretty similar as well. Figrin was here, and with him all his wisdom. If left on her own with this spoiled brat, James would have certainly just turned her over to her father.

But perhaps that was what they were going to do anyway. "If I were going to run away, and meant it, I would have worn something a little more comfortable." Did you want to be caught? Perhaps it was all a ploy, an attention grabber to bring her to the forefront of her father's mind, instead of in the back with all the rest of his possessions.

[Eden Field]

Before she could reply to the newly-entered Jedi, who'd startled her something fierce, Eden's interceptor put forth a musing. Turning to face James, her eyes bright with anger, the girl's voice raised a notch.

"If you are implying that I was not entirely sincere in my attempt then you are ignorant as well as meddling!"

It seemed that Eden not only took after her father in looks, but she had inherited his sharp tongue as well.

She spun back around in a flurry of skirts to glare at Figrin.

"As for you, whom I'm sure is somehow behind all this, I would hardly call it fortunate that Jedi Prent disrupted me. And however interested you are in the full extent of my plan I shan't tell you; I intend to execute the whole thing just as soon as I can. So I suppose you didn't anticipate everything!"

Eden choked back anything else, turning her face to the wall to calm herself. When she was able to speak in an even tone she began to stride toward the door.

"I am spent and shall retire. Do not interfere with my doings again."

[Figrin D'an]

With an easy motion of his hand, the doors on the other side of the room closed and locked, as if blown shut by some unseen gust of wind. The young Miss Field was startled, then turned to once again turned to glare at the Jedi Master.

"I will not interfere with your doings, provided you do not interfere with mine," he said, a subtle cutting edge to his voice. "Or have you so quickly forgotten the quaint little uproar you caused earlier today during the treaty signing ceremony?"

He maintained his distance from the woman, but his presence remained powerful and intimidating.

"The agreement reached between your father and his opposing counterpart took many long hours of work by Jedi Prent and myself to complete," Figrin explained. "Your 'stunt' managed to nearly destroy the potential peace that was being forged. At the very least, I believe you owe us an explanation."

[James Prent]

Wouldn't have gotten very far from the wall if you're tired already. James remained sitting, trying to look alert. It must have been nearly two o'clock in the morning, and she'd been awake since six am the previous day.

Waiting for the fuming Miss Field to address Master D'an, James got to her feet and inspected one of the far corners of the conference room. Ah. Like all good conference rooms, this one had a hot water kettle and a neat arrangement of insta-caf. She flipped the switch on the kettle to boil the water, and dumped insta-caf into three mugs.

[Eden Field]

Eden was silent, shaking with unvoiced rage. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she stood gazing at Figrin, trying to stare him down. When, after a few tense moments, it did not seem to be working, she shook her head. A soft, almost unaudible, chuckle escaped her.

"For a Jedi, you're rather naive."

Taking a few steps away from the door the girl clasped her hands together in front of her, resisting the urge to fidget.

"Do you really think that this treaty would have changed anything? The last one was supposed to, that's why my sister Eve is married."

Her voice quivered on 'married' and Eden took a sharp breath before continuing.

"Look ahead ten years Jedi. Do you know what will be happening? I do. I'll be married, with six or so children, only I won't be able to see them because we're on the brink of war and my husband suspects me of betrayal. He'll have locked me in a room with gaurds posted outside, and I'll be sitting there wondering if taking my life with a rope made of threads from the drapery is the best way out."

She'd obviously thought about this a great deal. Eden smiled, a smile so quick that it might not have even been there. And then her controlled gaze became frightened.

"I'm sixteen. I don't want to be married..."

She stopped and looked away, and when she again met the Jedi's gaze the frightened child was gone again.

"So there is your explanation. Be aware that if I am in attendence again, I will disrupt the signing."

Eden smirked.

"Again."

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin shook his head.

"You seem so sure that is to be your fate," he countered. "You would be foolish to deny all possibilites because of your limited and jaded perception."

He could trade barbs with the young woman ad nauseum if he chose to do so. That was hardly his desire, though. He knew the terms of treaty, and of the young woman's role in it. Insults would do little to change the situation.

"I know what this treaty entails, madam," Figrin stated concisely. "I know of your scheduled marriage to Monet's son. I also know the history between he and your father. Despite the failure of the first treaty, the Republic feels that a second treaty is a worthwhile venture. Our task was to negotiate that treaty, under the laws and traditions of your people."

He pulled out a chair at the end of the conference table and sat down.

"Your solution of disrupting the treaty signing and then running away is hardly an effective one. You would become a fugitive, and under the terms of his agreement with the Republic, we would be required to aid in your recapture should your father request it. You can be assured that we would find you. Additionally, the treaty, in any form, would remain unsigned, which means that more lives are put at risk. Is that something that you want on your conscience?"

The question was rhetorical, at least in Figrin's mind it was. Whether or not Eden would see it that way, he couldn't say.

She continued to glare at Figrin, still attempting to exert her own will upon his own. Her efforts were proving futile, but she refused to give in. It was a quality that, in another time and place, the Jedi Master might admire.

"You may despise our presence here," he said plainly, as James set out the mugs of insta-caf, then took a seat at the table on Figrin's right, "but you'd do well to realize that your best hope for changing your fate, and that of this treaty and your people, lies with us. Childish pranks and running away will prove harmful to all involved."

He gestured to the open seat to his left, and the third mug, steam wafting freely from the hot liquid within.

"With your help, we may be able to find a better solution to this."

[Eden Field]

Eden stood rooted in her upright position. The words had stung with their truth but not enough so to make her any less unmalleable. She stared evenly, giving nothing of her thoughts away, as her gaze rested on the two at the table. Her stubborness and what little reasonableness she was capable of at the moment were having a fairly good go at each other. I did not pull a childish prank!...But if these Jedi could somehow end, even just delay, her sudden engagement...

Eden moved to the table and sat down silently. Had she been more like her sister Eve, shame of her actions would have caused her to sit in a more submissive poition; but Eden was not Eve, and she kept her head high, eyes up, and back ramrod straight.

Clasping her hands firmly together in her lap, the girl gave the tiniest of nods.

"May is the key word. But if you...anticipate that this is the way to solve the problem, then it can't hurt to attempt."

[James Prent]

James sat quietly, watching Master D'an as he got the stubborn girl to sit down at the table. She'd been pondering something, and wrapping her cold hands around the mug, James finally voiced her thoughts.

"It appears that marriages between two warring governments are quite normal in peace treaties in this system. However, with a little digging, perhaps I can uncover another viable arrangement." James' eyes watered as she stifled a yawn. "With your permission, Master D'an, I could go and look in the national archives right now." And find some real stimcaf. She finished off her instacaf in a few long swallows.

[Figrin D'an]

"It's late," Figrin responded to James' request, "but if you wish to start a search, I'll leave the task to you. I'll join you once I speak to representatives from each side. We'll have to postpone the treaty signing until we can fully research this."

"First, however," he turned back to Eden, "I'd like to hear more about your telekinetic abilities."

[Eden Field]

Eden did not bother to tell James that the archives were in terrible dissaray. Since the war had broken out nobody had seemed to think of them as very important. The girl merely sat stock still, sour expression unchanging. until...

"First, however, I'd like to hear more about your telekinetic abilities."

Her reaction could not have been more imediate. Eden jerked back from the table and out of her chair with such force that the seat toppled over, disturbing the relative stillness. Looking mutinously at Figrin she shook her head.

"That is none of your business!"

Her face had gone pale and a pain in her hands made Eden look down. She was gripping the table so hard that her hands had gone white; she let go, deep red lines from the edge impressed on her palms.

"That was a last resort and you will not speak of it!"

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin shook his head, disappointed by her response. She doesn't understand what it could me..., he told himself silently. He knew that convincing her to even see this from his point of view was going to be difficult.

"To be frank, Miss Field, you probably should have considered privacy before you chose to display your ability infront of a Jedi."

He took a long drink of the warm insti-caf. It wasn't the best... in fact, it tasted rather grainy, like it hadn't all properly dissolved. He would likely need more of it to make it through what was shaping up to be a long night. The Jedi cringed a little at that thought.

"Miss Field... you must understand, it's important that I know how developed this ability of yours really is. You may not realize it now, but left unchecked, you could be a danger to those around you, as well as yourself. The more forthcoming you are about this, the easier it will be for you to learn about your power, and others that of which you may not yet know."

[James Prent]

James looked at her chrono and knew Master D'an was right. It would be wiser to wait until the morning. Besides, it would attract less questions than a Jedi rooting through the archive rooms at two in the morning.

She watched the elder Jedi deal with the child in front of them, and kept her mouth shut for the moment. It was easier to learn when you weren't trying to get your two cents in. She hadn't been in the room to feel the surge in the Force as Master D'an had been, when the treaty signing had fallen apart.

Eden's people weren't known for having many Force adepts, although they had sent their fair share of young ones to the Temple in the days of the Old Republic. They were also not known telepaths or telekinetics. Miss Field was exhibiting signs of being a Force adept, and it was obviously a sore spot with her.

James tapped her fingers against her empty mug, the small sound filling the silent tension as the aristocrat fumed.

[Eden Field]

Any sign of composure was quickly dissapearing. Eden tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, shaking her head.

"No, you don't understand...If my father..."

The girl looked positively sick, her paled face taking on a terrified hue.

"My father thinks that anything...abnormal, should not be found in our people. If he discovers that I am...tainted, he will certainly have me executed. And that will be the excuse he's looking for to kill Ephraim."

Ephraim was the youngest of the seven Field children. He had not been breathing at birth, and while the octors had been able to save him, the little toddler suffered mentally. Ahab Field had been looking into euthanization ever since.

"I cannot risk speaking of it. There are alliances to my father everywhere, he would without a doubt find out."

Eden shook her head again.

"You will not ask me again."

[Figrin D'an]

"And what happens when you decide to use your abilities again?," he asked, looking directly into her eyes. "What happens if someone observes you disrupting another treaty signing? What if someone loyal to your father sees you moving an object without physically touching it?"

Figrin shifted in his chair, leaning forward, bringing his gaze closer to the young woman's face.

"What if... you are put into a situation in which you are forced to use your powers to survive? If you choose to run, the chances of that happening are immeasurably high."

Not deterred by her insistence upon secrecy, he pressed the issue further.

"You've tunneled yourself into a path that gives you two choices... stay here, allow the treaty to proceed as arranged, and spend the rest of your life as a token wife, or run, abandon your family... and your younger brother... and risk endangering them and yourself should you find yourself forced to reveal your abilties. I'm offering you a third path... one that may allow you to save yourself and the peace process."

She was still uncomfortable, but her true feelings were finally showing though. Her seemingly self-absorbed mentality had given way to the love she had for her family. She clearly cared about them, perhaps even more than herself.

"Eden," Figrin continued, the empathy in his voice now clear, "Don't you think it's at least worth the effort to try, especially if you could learn how to protect yourself and your family?"

[James Prent]

James folded her hands in her lap as she listened, not willing to move and perhaps break the carefully structured moment. Although another cup of stimcaf would go down a treat. She eyed Miss Field's untouched mug for a moment, and then resumed being attentive.

The poor girl was terrified. James had felt much the same way when she'd finally gone to the Jedi order out of desperation. She'd fallen asleep on the steps of the huge complex at four o'clock in the morning after being fired from her job. She could still remember how cold the steps had been. But she wasn't afraid...well she was afraid of different things now. Something to work on continually.

James caught her eye and allowed herself a small, reassuring smile.

[Eden Field]

Finally she could not hold back the tears, and their warm salty wetness slipped down her cheeks silently. Eden didn't answer the Jedi for long moments, trying to control the sudden, and unfamiliar, emotions. When she was able to breath the child--for really, that was what she was--nodded minutely.

"Yes."

Clearing her throat softly, Eden nodded again more definetly.

"Yes, I do. But if my father... If he knows I've been talking to you..."

Obviously the old man had a terrific hold on his children. In reality the old man had no kindness in him at all, demanding respect and obedience from his children, and recieving it be it through fear or...other means.

Eden trembled.

"He won't be able to contain himself if he finds out. I am not supposed to talk to anyone unless he's approved them, much less divulge personal secrets."

[Figrin D'an]

"Don't worry about your father," Figrin reassured her. "There's no reason for him to know of this conversation. For now, we need to focus on altering the treaty. Once we find a way to prevent you from being married against your will, we can deal with convincing everyone that the change is necessary."

He finished his mug of insti-caf in a large gulp, then stood, stretching out his arms and giving a slight yawn. The thought of sleep crept back into his mind, and his body seemed to ache and groan as if it knew that rest sufficient rest was not in the near future. He waved a hand at the door again, causing it's lock to release.

"I think it best that you return to your room for now, Miss Field," he instructed. "Get some rest, then get back into your normal routine to avoid drawing attention to yourself. I'll have James contact you when we find anything. She'll be able to move about more discretly and get information to you away from prying eyes."

[James Prent]

James got to her feet, and waited respectfully for Miss Field to leave. The girl had a lot on her mind. And now, so did James. The archives were in a separate building on the grounds, and she thought she had a pretty good excuse for poking around at two in the morning.

Everyone thought Jedi were weird, anyway. She folded her hands up inside her long sleeves.

[Eden Field]

Eden rose nodding, still unsure of whether or not she could trust the two. How could anyone convince her father, or even think of confronting him face-to-face? Even she had never dared to do it, prefering to take the sneakier, safer road.

She had only gone a few steps when her conscience stopper her. Eden turned around and cleared her throat.

"I..."

This was harder than she expected. Eden had never apologized in her life, it simply wasn't done, and now she found herself completely unable to. Her shoulders sagged ever so slightly before straitening.

"I appreciate this."

It was as close as she could get.

OOC: Sorry for the slow reply.

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin mearly noded, acknowledging her comment. It was clear what she was trying to say, and though her pride would still be an issue, it could be handle at a later time. She was making an effort to work with them now, which was a far better situation than just an hour before.

The doors closed and the young woman disappeared from sight, off for rest in what remained of the darkness. Figrin let his gaze linger out of the window that overlooked the massive garden that covered the front lawn of the estate. Much of the plant life, from flowers to vines, seemed to perk up slightly in anticipation of fresh sunlight. Day break was only a few short hours away, with much to be done if their efforts were to succeed.

"We'll have to watch her like hawks," he said quietly. "If she begins to feel that this isn't going to work, she may resort to her original plan."

He turned to look at James, who was calmly waiting for orders from the Jedi Master. Even in her diminutive figure, she seemed to be standing taller than when he had first met her. She wasn't just learning anymore... she was doing, and her confidence in herself and her abilties was growing. She was still young, but Figrin knew she had tremendous potential. Slowly, James was becoming less of that scared, uncertain girl and more of a woman and a Jedi. In many ways, she was evolving away from what Eden was now experiencing... uncertainty.

"For all my efforts," he continued, "I feel that Eden still does not trust me. I'm not sure she will until she is away from her father's influence. In her mind, she sees her father and me being cut from similar molds. Though I believe that to be far from the truth, it's a simple fact that she does not."

"You're closer to her age, James. Even though you're a Jedi, she can relate to you much more so than she can to me," he added truthfully. "You would have a greater chance of gaining her confidence."

[James Prent]

"Master D'an you flatter me. I'm only a padawan, not a Jedi ...yet." She gave him what might have started out as a saucy wink, but ended in a yawn. "But, if you think it is best, after I look for the archives, I will try to stay near her. Get to know her, that sort of thing."

James tapped her fingers together, and then rubbed her eyes sleepily. "I'll follow her now to make sure she gets to her room. I don't trust her yet." And then bed. And then the archives. Maybe a stimcig first... She hadn't had one in a week, which was quite an accomplishment for someone who used to chain smoke.

Figrin nodded his approval, and she ducked out the door, extending her senses tenetively until she felt the touch of the Force on Eden's moving body. At a distance so as to remain unseen, James walked along behind the girl, just to make sure she got back to her room safely and with no further incidents.

[Eden Field]

The girl did indeed return to her room, but sleep didn't come easily as she lied under heavy quilting on her sleepmat. Eden stared up at the ceiling, trying to ease the fluttery nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach as tendrils of sunlight began to stretch across the roof of her quarters.

Just as her eyes began to get heavy, and she thought she might drift off, a finger prodded her in the stomach. Eden sucked in a breath and sat up, blinking her dry eyes.

"Asher you stupid brat! You scared me half to death! Who said you could come in?"

Perched beside her was her other younger brother, grinning impishly. The boy shrugged.

"I wanted to come in so I did. You're late Eden. Father's going to murder you if you're not up in five minutes."

The girl groaned and sat up, simultaneously kicking her brother. She mumbled a 'get out' at him and then entered into the waiting arms of her nurse to be dressed and done up.

Eden was just fastening her veil when a sharp knock came. She stilled, hands lingering by her head.

"Who is it?"

[James Prent]

"It's James. M'lady, I was wondering if perhaps you needed some company..." James felt awkward speaking through the door. "Anyway, I was on my way to the archives and I thought I would check and see how you were doing after yesterday."

[Eden Field]

There was an awkward pause. Then Eden nodded to her nurse, who went swiftly to the door and opened it, ushering James in before returning to the girls side. Eden stood and gave a little nod.

"Jedi Prent."

She leaned to her nurse and whispered something, at which point the busty woman left, closing the door behind her. Eden watched her go and then sighed.

"As much as Jo'sech does for me, she is still employed by my father. It's not safe to talk around her."

She pulled off her carefully secured veil, disturbing the pinned hair to which it was attatched, and threw it carelessly on the bed. Though she had attempted to cover them, it was easy to spot the dark circles under Eden's eyes.

"I am tired, as you no doubt are."

A small amused smiled graced her lips.

"Did you enjoy the archives?"

[James Prent]

"I actually have not made it there yet. I took some much needed sleep, and was just about to start in." James unconsciously slipped her hands into the loose sleeves of her robes, folding her arms serenely in front of herself.

"Master D'an has gotten you excused from the talks today, and your father will not mind if you accompany me to the archives. Unless you'd rather sit at the table with him for the next eight hours...." James checked her chrono. "I believe they're starting their re-negotiations in five minutes. If you hurry you could make it."

There was a smile in her tone. Miss Field probably wouldn't be amused.

[Eden Field]

"No, I'm in no mood to see him."

'Him' was her fiance, and Eden nearly cringed just thinking about the man. She ignored the obvious humor that James was taking from the situation and pulled her lacy veil over her face. A few moments passed as the girl smoothed out the skirt of her gown and made it presentable. Eden then straightened and adressed James, once again formal.

"I desire to see my brother Ephraim. I shall look in on him, and since I have been freed of prior obligations, will acompany you."

Secretly Eden was exhilerated. She didn't have to be present at the assembly! It was a great relief, and she found that the butterflies in her stomach settled.

"Shall we?"

[James Prent]

"Certainly, Miss Field." James stepped aside to follow the girl out of the room, taking a moment to scan it before the doors closed behind her. It seemed normal enough for a girl's bedroom, and there were most likely no holocams or bugs planted in the fixtures, as Eden had not been called to task for her shenanigans the night previously.

"I'm afraid I don't know th'way to Ephraim's room, so I'll just follow you." James took up a position just behind the girl and to the right, eyes watchful even though she did not possess a lightsaber. There was one that had been provided for her by her master, Salemn Lysce, but it was tucked up in her quarters, hidden away. It had been pulling teeth to get Ahab Field to allow Figrin to carry his saber, let alone an 'untrained padawan.'

Apparently it wouldn't do to have a girl only a few years older than his daughter Eden running around the palace complex with a deadly weapon. To avoid conflict, Master D'an had decided to agree, and so James did not carry the loaned lightsaber. Still, she was not expecting any attacks on the way to Ephraim's room. But...you never knew.

[Eden Field]

As they neared her youngest brother's room, Eden found herself relaxing more and more. The days were few and far between that she was able to see the boy, so this occasion was a treat. She smiled as her shoes clicked on the marbled flooring, faster and faster until they came to an abrupt stop in front of two tall gilded doors.

"This is his. Before we go in..."

Eden paused and turned to James.

"Ephraim is not...he's not like most children. Not many in this household understand or accept that. So don't be surprised if he doesn't act like most kids his age."

With that out of the way, Eden pushed the doors open slowly and poked her head in experimentally.

"Eph? Eph, it's me."

There was silence. Eden walked fully into the room and looked around. No sign of anyone. She shrugged.

"Well I don't suppose he's here. I'll just be leaving then..."

A beige blur shot out from a closet on the east wall and collided into Eden's skirt. She giggled girlishly and crouched down, peeling her brother off. Ephraim Field was a small boy of three with tousled blonde hair and big brown eyes that didn't focus. His face was always very serious, but every once in a while one might guess that he was smiling. This was the little boy that Ahab Field despised, and that Eden loved more than anyone.

"Ede! Ede, I sawed you! I sawed you over there!"

Eden scooped up the boy in her arms and hugged him close, breathing in the smell of his hair.

"Did you? Your eyes must be getting better, to have seen me from way over there. Eph, Eph, I need you to listen..."

She set the squirming child (who was trying to unveil her) on the floor, crouching alongside with a protective arm around his shoulders. He stared in James' general direction.

"Ephraim, this is Jedi Prent. She's here to help with Father's work. She and I were just on our way to the archives."

Ephraim said nothing, but Eden continued normally.

"I won't be long, and then I'll come back and see you again. We can have Jo'sech bring us tea."

After a minute Ephraim shrugged and then stood rigidly.

"Bang!"

The little boy collapsed on the floor. Eden merely ran a hand through his hair and stood with a soft grunt. The girl leaned closer to the Jedi and whispered softly.

"He's pretending to be dead. He's had enough of people, he needs to be alone now."

[James Prent]

James watched the interaction between the two, and was reminded of Jax Tondry, the little three year old she often watched while she was at the Jedi Order. His father was a Jedi Padawan as well as being involved in the government, and so she helped out when she could.

"He's pretending to be dead. He's had enough of people, he needs to be alone now." Eden leaned closer to James and whispered.

James nodded, and the two left the nursery quietly. "He's adorable. Reminds me of one of the little boys I know on Coruscant... they seem to have so much energy at that age, y'know?" They were standing outside of the closed door, and the padawan looked both ways, trying to determine which direction to take towards the archives.

Looking sideways at the veiled girl, the shorter woman was temted to put a hand on her shoulder. "He's very special. I can sense your feelings for him." If Master D'an and I figure out how to get her to the Jedi Order... will we need to bring Ephraim as well? If the child is in danger from his own father...

[Eden Field]

"Yes he is special, to me at least. I try to see him once a week but lately things have been so busy..."

Eden was feeling less on gaurd around James, albeit only a tad. She nodded her head to the right and trekked on down the hall in the same direction.

"The archives are this way. Anyway, as I was saying, it's been so hectic around here that I've hardly seen Eph all month. Father rarely pays him a second glance, he's too busy with my older brother Gabriel. You'd think the galaxy revolved around Gabriel the way my father caters to him. If you ask me,"

Eden glanced around and leaned towards James in a conspirational matter.

"He's a spoiled dandy."

[James Prent]

James grinned at the terminology Eden used. "Well, I haven't been introduced to your oldest brother yet, but if I am, I won't be able to keep from remembering that." The two girls walked through the halls, passing servants and security personnel. James couldn't sense any danger from any of them, but she kept trying to stay alert, just in case.

"Perhaps we can convince your father to marry Gabriel to one of J'dever's daughters." James winked.

[Eden Field]

"Hardly. They're all much prettier than Gabriel, and he couldn't stand that."

Shyly Eden glanced at James through black gauze, studying the woman intently. The teenager was not yet mentally capable of having deep revelations, but she was suddenly struck by how different their lives were, and how oddly things had turned out with the arrival of the Jedi.

Before the girl could spend any more time wondering about James, they reached the courtyard that led to the archives. The limestone stretch was interupted in the center by a small, decorative garden. Eden hardly paid attention to the intricate, painstaking landscape of the outcropping; she had been raised in these surroundings and they held little beauty to her anymore.

"They are not in the best order..."

The heavy wooden door of the archives barely budged until Eden gave in a few good yanks, the wood having expanded in poor weather of the winter season. It creaked as it swung slowly open, and Eden grimaced when she saw the inside.

A musty, moldy smell met the two as they stood outside the dank archives. Shelves were overturned, records spilled on the floor, or piled high on tabletops. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, and there was obvious evidence that there was an infestation of some kind. A mouse-like creature with a long tail suddenly emerged from underneath the inverted spine of a record book and darted out the door, causing Eden to hiss and jerk away behind James.

"Why don't you go first?:

[James Prent]

James tried not to gawk at the tiny garden, almost a minature of the ones outside. Her gaze was drawn away as Eden tugged on the heavy wooden doors of the archives, and she stepped forward, helping the girl swing the door open. "Oh my gods..."

The room was a mess. Not only was it a mess, it stank. And then, if that weren't enough, there were creatures in there. James shuddered, remembering the tiny creatures that had attacked her on Coruscant when she'd helped Dasquian rescue Salemn Lysce. Batca treatment had cleared up all the bite and scratch marks, leaving only the tiniest of scars on her knee from the worst wound. She steeled herself against the thought of rodents, and stepped inside.

Wait a minute.. "Um...where are the datapads?"

[Eden Field]

"Pardon, the what?"

Eden leaned forward, wonderning if maybe she'd misheard. What in the world was a datapad? The girl had been schooled, yes, but only in subjects her father thought appropriate for a woman, and only just enough for her to get by. Eden hadn't a clue about any of the galaxies technological advances.

Gesturing with her arm at the bound volumes Eden shrugged. She had thought for sure that the Jedi would know what records looked like.

"...Don't they keep track of anything on Coruscant?"

[James Prent]

Visions of the sleek rows of lighted dataracks in the Jedi Order's Coruscant archives sprung to mind, and James sneezed. "Ah... a datapad...actually, never mind."

Books. And dust. Books had always made her sneeze. Something in the ink that did it. James stepped further in, almost as though her feet were dragging the rest of her body inside the dank room. Won't this be fascinating. A cursory study of the layout of the room soon revealed the section she wanted. James tried not to think about the contents of the dust her feet and hands were sending into the air.

"Are you familiar with the history of your planet, Miss Field?" James selected a book, opened it, sneezed, and closed it again. C'mon, you can do this.

[Eden Field]

Eden followed behind James, who seemed to be having a rough time of things. The girl did her best to avoid touching anything, but the long skirt of her dress brushed against the piles of books and papers, taking with them a layer of the grime and grit. Eden grimaced. Disgusting.

"Are you familiar with the history of your planet, Miss Field?"

Eden shrugged, glancing at a volume with mild interest.

"A little. I know who founded our city, and who built our estate. And I know that we've been at war much more than we've been at peace. Bits and pieces of other things. Besides that..."

She shook her head. It was muggy in the room and Eden's face was getting sweaty. With an irritated tug she pulled the black scarf away from her face and balled it up, preparing to toss it outside the door to retrieve later. James sneezed again and Eden hesitated. She held out the veil.

"Here, breathe through this. It might help."

[James Prent]

James looked up through watery eyes, and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, I think I'll give it a try." Eden helped her place the veil on her face, as James had no idea how to get it to stay on.

"The reason I asked about history is if we can find an historical reference to a different sort of treaty arrangment..." She looked up through the sheer black fabric and looked at Eden's unadorned face. She was so very young. Too young for marriage on Coruscant, perhaps, but not in this culture. "...well, then you'd be off th' hook, so to speak."

James turned a page, scanning for treaty signings. It was a book recording a certain war a few hundred cycles ago. Datapads were so mmuch easier. The Jedi Archives were all searchable from the consoles scattered throughout the great hall of 'books.' This was going to take forever.

[Eden Field]

Eden had shyly helped James put the veil on, feeling a little guilty after the way she'd been acting ever since the two Jedi arrived. Bits and pieces of the prior evening's conversation came back to her and Eden nearly winced. She'd sounded exactly like her father, only it seemed to her much ruder; her father was an old man, and she was a child. The feeling was short-lived however, for her blue-blooded reasoning ('well I am the lady of the house after all...') quickly dispelled any regret. She listened as James explained just what they were looking for, and felt her hopes drop. As far as Eden knew there were no alternatives, unless you counted the fairytale...

Eden paused.

"I wonder..."

Without a word to James the teenager hurried out of the archives and ran--as best she could in her dress--back to Ephraims room. Eden burst through the doors and immediatly dropped to her knees, looking under the bed. She couldn't see any little boys. The girl stood up again and just as she was about to give up looking for her brother, she spotted a pair of shoes sticking out from behind the long curtains of the window.

"Eph, I do not have time to play. I need to borrow something..."

The petite child stuck his head out from behind the draperies and looked at his sister with wide eyes. She lowered herself again so that she was looking directly at him and took his small hands in her own. Eden was very serious outwardly, but her heart was beating so loud that she was certain it would burst through her chest at any minute.

"Ephraim, I need to borrow your storybook. You know the one about Lord Nevvi and his daughter? Where is it?"

Knitting his eyebrows together Ephraim crossed the room and opened his closet door. He crouched down on all fours and crawled in, pawing at the pile of clothes and toys that lay in the bottom of the storage unit. In a few moments he emerged with a worn volume, a picture of a fierce looking man with bushy eyebrows on the cover. With a pout he held it out to Eden. She smiled and ruffled his hair, planting a kiss on his forhead.

"I promise I'll be careful with it. Thank you Ephraim. Love you!"

Then just as quickly as she'd burst in, Eden burst out and made a beeline for the archives. She arrived in a breathless mass, completely unnacustomed to the vigor of running. Eden thrust the storybook at James, panting.

"I think...I might have...found something."

[James Prent]

James watched through slightly bleary eyes as the girl dashed out of the archives, disappearing into the arched doorway of sunlight. Blinking away the moisture from her eyes, she bent back over the book, flipping pages and adjusting to the veil.

Eden was gone for ten minutes. During that time James became well accquainted with the book she was reading, enough to know that it didn't have in it what she wanted. She stood up, walking back over to the shelf she'd gotten it off of, and nearly dropped it on her foot when Miss Field came running back in.

Badly winded the girl said, "I think...I might have...found something." She thrust another book at James, and the padawan took it, trying to shove the much heavier tome on the shelf at the same time. There were a few moments of juggling, and then James looked properly at the book Eden had handed to her.

"A kids storybook?" James turned it over in her hands, getting a slightly uncomfortable feeling from the look of the man on the front cover. "Okay, I'll bite." She looked at the girl, waiting for her to catch her breath and explain.

[Eden Field]

"Well,"

Eden began, breathlessly.

"It's the story of Lord Nevvi and his daughter Opriella. He loved her very much, and it nearly broke his heart to give his daughters hand in marriage. To make a short story even shorter, she hated her fiance and was sick with nerves so her father took an alternate route. Instead of giving away his daughter, he gave her prospective husband an estate worth twenty percent of his entire wealth."

The girl wiped her brow lightly with the back of her hand and, with a quick glance over her shoulder, sat down on a stack of loose papers. Eden looked up at James hopefully.

"This version is just a story, to my knowledge, but Lord Nevvi and Opriella are real. He was the twenty-third ruler of our planet, and there's a chance that the book could be based on fact. If it is, then it would be recorded in the lineage books, in my father's study."

[James Prent]

"Twenty percent of his entire wealth?" James was hung up for a moment trying to figure out just how big an estate like that would be. "Wait, in your father's study? I heard women weren't allowed in there, but I could have misunderstood."

She straightened up as much as she could, and stretched. "If we're going to brave the study, I should probably give you your veil back." James grinned, turning the book over in her hands once more.

[Eden Field]

Eden took the veil, stared at the black cloth--a sign of stature in the household, as well as modesty--and then tossed it to the floor. She smiled at James shyly.

"It get's hot underneath."

* * * * *

The study was on the second floor of the expansive manor, and the trip up had been slow; climbing the stairs in full dress regalia had been quite a challenge for the young Field, who rarely ventured above the ground floor of her house.

Now however they stood outside the door, Eden nervously trying to hear any hint of sound coming from inside the office.

"Sometimes my father's assistants are posted in there..." she whispered to James. After a few tense moments Eden grasped the door and marched in; had anyone been inside it would have been easier to play the part of the demanding daughter, rather than the plotting sneak.

The two were lucky. The study was empty. Eden motioned for James to follow her to the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, and pointed at a row of navy blue volumes.

"Those ones will have Lord Nevvi in them. We've just got to find the right one."

She glanced at the door.

"Quickly."

[James Prent]

James followed Eden inside the forboding study after a moment of hesitation, and managed not to sigh with relief when the room was empty. But what a room! Floor to ceiling bookshelfs, and a huge desk designed to keep everyone at a respectable distance from the person sitting behind it.

The padawan looked at the section Eden pointed out, and then at the rolling ladder. Miss Field wouldn't be able to climb the ladder in her corset and petticoats, but the much simpler Jedi robes made James the best canidate for perching up and looking. She nodded at the younger girl, and resolutely scurried up the ladder, stopping and holding on next to the blue volumes.

"What year are we looking for? Roughly." James scanned the books, looking for the older tomes.

[Eden Field]

"The year of the ivy summer. It was right after the flood decade and--"

Eden stopped upon seeing the expression on James' face. The girl bit her lip and pointed at the books.

"It should be somewhere in the middle, closer to the end."

[James Prent]

"...thanks." James located the middle, and arbitrarily picking a book three closer to the end. She tossed the book down to Eden, who caught it awkwardly, and then she picked the fourth to the end and flipped it open. "Better scan quickly, Miss Field."

James looked for a table of contents, found none, and sighed. Lord Nevvi? Here goes nothing. She kept herself open to the Force, hoping it could guide her to the right page, or at the very least give her a little warning before someone walked in on them.

[Eden Field]

Flip... the battle of barellis... flip... Charter of Nue'ent... flip... crowning of Vall Nevvi... flip...

No, wait!

Eden hastily turned back the thick pages to the previous entry and read quickly.

"The young Vall was crowned... married nearby Baroness Reu... three children..."

Eden turned the page and found, to her surprise, that it did not continue. The girl spent a long moment looking back and forth, and then frowned. The volume didn't appear to have had pages torn from it...

On a very small hunch Eden turned to the back of the book, where the records of the harvest were kept. On the very last row at nearly the last page was a single sentence, scrawled in tiny archaic writing.

east field and manor to Lord Harr.l in lieu of matrimony

"Hah!"

Eden shrieked and slapped the page triumphantly.

"Here! Here, I think I've found it!!"

She looked up at James, flushed.

[James Prent]

James nearly dropped the book she was holding on Eden's head as the girl shrieked, but managed to put it back on the shelf before scrambling down the ladder. "Shh! You'll bring the guards in here, and I don't feel like tryin' t' explain what we're doin' here." She peeked around Miss Field's shoulder, trying to see what she was looking at.

[Eden Field]

Largely ignoring James' caution, Eden prodded the page emphatically with her index finger. She was jostling the book around so much in her excitement that it was harder to see the line of script, rather than easier.

"Right there, right there! That is it, that has got to be it!"

Eden handed the book to the Jedi and clapped her hands together.

"I can't believe it!"

[James Prent]

James gladly took the book from the girl, and peered at the page.


east field and manor to Lord Harr.l in lieu of matrimony

"Yeah, that looks like it." She grinned, and then frowned at Eden's celebration. "You better calm down or you're going to give yourself a fainting spell in that corset." The padawan tucked the tome under her arm, and quickly pushed the ladder back into it's original position.

She took Miss Field's arm gently and steered her towards the door. "Let's get you back to your rooms, and I'll contact Master D'an about this."

[Eden Field]

James' was right, she was getting short of breath. Eden didn't mind though; she would have gladly fainted a dozen times so excited was she.

Instinctively Eden jerked her arm away from James and marched on her own to the door.

"Let's get you back to your rooms, and I'll contact Master D'an about this."

Eden scowled.

"No, I want to come too."

[James Prent]

James shook her head, as Eden screwed up her face in a horrific scowl. "No, I have to go to the meeting chambers, and interrupt them. Do you really want to be ..." She looked at the girl's defiant gaze, and passed her through the doorway and into the hall, where she looked both directions. "Your father will probably be very upset to find out where I've been, and I think it would be better that you were not implicated in this."

As she walked down the hall, not looking behind her to see if Miss Field was following, James reached into her pocket and gave her commlink and double tap. Master D'an now would be expecting her.

[Figrin D'an]

"... because that was part of the original first article to which you both agreed."

Figrin had spent the better part of an hour going over the finer points of the treaty with Field and Monet. Even after dealing with the problems from the previous night, there was still dischord and disagreement that had to be handled. He had to stall as much as possible as well, to give James more time to find the loophole they were hoping existed.

"Gentlemen," he continued, "this is another instance in which you will each have to make concessions to reach a common ground. The structure for agreement is here, but your must be willing to see past minor differences to ensure a greater good."

More so, it was the Jedi Master using his skill to manipulate Field and Monet into seeing more of their common traits and needs than their differences. If Eden was to have a chance to get out of the arranged marriage, it was going to take understanding between all parties concerned.

At that moment, Figrin felt a gentle buzz from his comm unit. It faintly warbled twice.

James, he thought. Maybe she has found something. Or maybe Eden has done something foolish....

Either way, the padawan would arrive shortly, and things would surely become more interesting.

[Eden Field]

There was more than one way to skin a Horansi... or something like that.

In any event, Eden wanted to hear what went on in that room, and what Eden wanted, she usually got. The young woman knew the corridors like the back of her hand... including the private ones.

So as soon as James had disappeared from sight, Eden had scrambled (but gracefully) down in the opposite direction. Two corridors and three portraits later, Eden could hear the muffled negotiating.

The girl crouched down lower and pressed her ear to the "wall"-- the back end of a large tapestry that decorated the conference room--and listened intently.

Eden got what Eden wanted.

[James Prent]

Book tucked under her arm, James finally reached the anteroom to the discussion chamber which held Master D'an and the two noblemen. She walked straight towards one of the two decorative guards outside the door, and quietly requested that one of them tell Master D'an that she was there.

[Figrin D'an]

A tap on the Jedi's shoulder caused him to turn and see one of the guards, looking to speak with him.


"The younger Jedi is here to speak with you, Master Jedi. She is waiting outside the conference chambers."


"Very well," he replied. "Inform Jedi Prent I will be with her shortly."

"Gentleman," Figrin spoke, turning back to the nobleman and their diplomatic entourages, "perhaps this would be a good time for a recess. You both should examine your positions carefully and consider what concessions you may be willing to make. Let us reconviene in one half hour."

Field and Monet both seemed to agree with with Figrin's suggestion, and the groups quickly went their separate ways, leaving the conference room empty save for the Jedi Master. He moved towards the main doors, finding James waiting patiently outside.

"James," Figrin said hopefully, "how goes the search? Have you managed to find anything that might help us?"

[James Prent]

She hurried over to him, betraying a slight lack of patience in her excitment, and flipped the book open to the correct page. Her small finger showing D'an the place, James quickly recapped the sentance's importance. "It's a historical record of a treaty that did not involve a marriage, but a gifting of an estate instead. Lord Field would have to agree to give up some land to the boy Eden was supposed to marry...but..."

She looked up at Master D'an, "But it's all I could find. Miss Field assisted me, but I think it would be wise to leave that out. I found the archives in an awful state, but this book's from Lord Field's private study. I wasn't told to stay out, but I'm not sure I would have been welcomed had I been discovered." In her excitement she was afraid she might have left something out, or said everything backwards. The padawan let Master D'an take the heavy book, glad to be free of it's burden.

[Eden Field]

mufflemufflemurmer...recess....mufflemurmer...hist orical record...

Eden frowned, annoyed; the tapestry did little to allow sound to travel beyond it and it was proving to be rather dificult to eavesdrop, especially when the Jedi spoke mildly.

The girl leaned forward cautiously and pulled the hanging 'door' slightly to the side, letting a crack of light in. Ah, that made a difference.

"...I'm not sure I would have been welcomed had I been discovered."

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin examined the text carefully, lightly running his fingers beneath each line as he read. It wasn't much to go on; one instance barely could qualify as historical precidence. But it was at least a launching point for greater negotiation.

"This is awfully vague," he commented. "It doesn't provide much detail about the agreement, other than the mere fact that it did indeed happen. That's odd for something so out of the ordinary, given how many arranged marriages are in the Field family history. It's almost a footnote, as if the records keepers of the time didn't want to elaborate on it."

He turned back to James.

"But, it will have to do. As long as this record is valid, I can present this type of arrangement as an option."

"Although," he continued, his tone one of greater concern. "It is likely that neither side will react well to the idea of halting the marriage. They may not even wish to hear of it. And ultimately, if they will not agree to a different arrangement, there is little we can do."

[James Prent]

James felt a little glum after all the excitement she'd experienced after Eden had located the footnote. "Ah, yes Master, I understand. I will try to find something more concrete, but I fear... I mean, I think that I won't be able to find anything else."

She tucked her hands into her sleeves, and added, "As far as I know these are very valid records. If Lord Field cares at all for his daughter's feelings, he should consider this option carefully." James shook her head, "Although what I think means little in this situation, I know."

[Eden Field]

"...And ultimately, if they will not agree to a different arrangement, there is little we can do."

What?

Of course her father wasn't going to agree, she thought they'd known that! Eden swallowed and nudged the tapestry back into place. If this didn't work--she was sure it wouldn't--and the Jedi weren't able to do anything else than she would be forced into...

"marriage."

The panicked feeling again rose in the girls chest. Well, there was only one viable solution. She would wait for word of how the alternative suggestion had been recieved and if--when--her father refused... she would leave. Again.

[Figrin D'an]

"Field is a stubborn man, but he is not completely without reason, or without care for the well-being of his daughter," Figrin repied. "I will broach the subject carefully, and see how he responds. Small steps are the only way this will have a chance at succeeding."

He closed the heavy book, but left it on the conference table. He would need it later to validate the arrangement.

"For now, I think it's best that you continue to stay close to Eden," he said, looking to James. "Try to find anything else that can help her cause, and make sure she keeps a calm demeanor about her. If the negotiations do not go well, she may return to her original plan. After the session has ended, I'll join you and Eden, and we'll discuss things further."

[James Prent]

James nodded, "I left her in her rooms before coming here. I'll go back and see about getting lunch or something." Maybe a little trip into the city for lunch would be allowed. She smoothed the long robe she wore, and grinned, curtseying to Master D'an. "With your permission, I'll go back to her."

"Certainly." Master D'an nodded to her, and James left, heading back towards Eden's suite.

The hallways were fairly silent, servants were the only people she saw, and she made a point to smile and nod to each one of them. Now, as long as Eden had stayed where she'd been left. . . James lifted her hand to rap at her door. "Miss Field, I'm back."

[Eden Field]

"...Jedi Prent!"

Pant, pant. Eden came walking briskly up the corridor, a thin smile on her very red face. She'd run the whole way, hoping to bat James to the door. She'd have to think on her feet.

"I was just--deepbreath--just returning Ephraims book to him."

Eden put a hand to her head to cool herself.

"What did Jedi D'an have to say?"

[James Prent]

Her smile faded a bit as Eden appeared, flushed from hurrying from her brother's rooms. There was something suspicious about her now, something she hadn't sensed earlier in the day. James brushed aside the niggling thought, and answered Miss Field's question. "Ah, Master D'an is going to present the information to your father and Monet, and do what he can to persuade them to accept the alternative. The only problem I see is that they may not understand that an alternative method is the only way they will seal this deal."

James looked around the hallway. "Maybe we should go in your rooms to finish talking..?"