Chapter Text
- approximately three decades earlier -
Obi-Wan Kenobi was dragged into the throne room by two very sizeable Mandalorians. Many other fully armored Mandalorians were gathered in the long and tall room, which was fully made of glass and accented with the iron heart motif. Directly across from the double doors sat a throne, reserved for the Mand’alor. But to Kenobi’s horror, someone else was there.
Seemingly back from the dead– it was the red Zabrak Sith that Obi-Wan thought he’d killed 12 years prior.
Darth Maul lounged carelessly as if he owned the throne he sat upon, grinning smugly. A second Zabrak, Maul's brother, was posted at his right shoulder. At Maul’s left shoulder, however, knelt a tall and lean woman with blonde hair, soft blue eyes, and an angular face that bore an expression of grief and fear. She was unarmored, instead in a blue dress intended to be accompanied by regal accessories that had long since been ripped away. Duchess Satine was someone who had always stood proudly and surely– a bold ruler that the galaxy had come to know well. She had always lived up to the reputation of House Kryze, but now she kneeled with her head bowed, her brave spirit forcibly broken.
The revolting sight made Obi-Wan’s stomach flip.
"Your noble flaw is a weakness shared by you, and your duchess," Maul addressed his nemesis as he suddenly lifted Satine by her throat through the Force. She struggled and choked mid-air, grasping for the invisible hand squeezing her oxygen away.
The scene was like a nightmare come true. Impulsively, Obi-Wan made a sudden attempt to break free and rescue Satine from the fierce hold upon her trachea, but he was held firmly in place by the rugged warriors flanking him. Their gloved fingers painfully dug into his shoulders as they shoved him back down.
"You should have chosen the dark side, Master Jedi," Maul taunted, stalking closer as the duchess choked and clawed at her throat, her floating body trailing beside him in a cruel display of skill. "Your emotions betray you."
Behind a scowl, Obi-Wan’s blue eyes nervously darted between Maul and Satine. His cheeks and ears were growing hot as he became more frustrated. This was a feeling he never let himself indulge in. Adrenaline raced through his veins, and if not for the other Mandalorians posted along the walls of the throne room, Obi-Wan was sure that he could behead the half-cyborg before him. Maybe even drive his saber through the skull for good measure, too.
"Your fear, and yes, your anger."
Obi-Wan bared his teeth. He absolutely could not let himself give in. All of his training had led up to this moment– he had to remain in control. Emotional regulation had become a subconscious act, but now he was feeling everything all at once. It was overwhelming. He suddenly realized that the explosive magnification of his emotions was due to his feelings for Satine. This was why attachment was forbidden. Shame flared beneath his cheeks.
"Let your anger deepen your hatred!" Maul bellowed.
Obi-Wan would not let this shallow-minded Sith turn him from the light, for his entire existence was devoted to serving it. There was absolutely no choice but to stay true to everything he’d pledged himself to. But for the briefest of fleeting moments, Obi-Wan found himself tempted to give in to dark impulses. For how could one not become angry at the sight of their lover suffering at the hands of their archenemy?
"Don't listen to him, Obi–" the Duchess struggled to say between gasps.
"Quiet," Maul growled at her with a deep, feral sound.
Hearing those words from Satine’s lips helped to anchor Obi-Wan. His mind calmed, and his quivering body stilled. A deep inhale, and the light once again freely flowed through him. Every moment of his training had lead up to this encounter with Maul. All at once, he quelled his fear and anger, replacing it with certainty and bravery. If one could see the Force, Obi-Wan would have been brighter than twin suns. Defiant prose easily rolled off his tongue: "You can kill me, but you will never destroy me. It takes strength to resist the dark side. Only the weak embrace it."
"It is more powerful than you know!" Maul proclaimed.
"And those who oppose it are more powerful than you'll ever be."
This enraged Maul, evoking a deep snarl.
Deep down, Obi-Wan knew that Maul was convinced that darkness was the only way, and nothing in the galaxy was ever going to change his mindset. But for the sake of Satine's life, he continued to try to reason with the Sith. "I know where you're from. I've been to your village. I know the decision to join the dark side wasn't yours. The Nightsisters made it for you."
"SILENCE!" Maul’s yell reverberated through the large room, bouncing off the glass panes and metal framing. "You think you know me? It was I who languished for years thinking of nothing but you. Nothing but this moment." He pointed at the Duchess, who was still suspended and hopelessly choking for air. "And now, the perfect tool for my vengeance is in front of us."
It suddenly clicked. Obi-Wan realized with horror why Maul had continually asked for him specifically, and why he had dragged Satine into this too. It was never about controlling the Mandalorians. It was about enacting revenge. His stomach suddenly dropped through the core of Mandalore faster than lightspeed.
"I never planned on killing you. But I will make you share my pain, Kenobi."
Satine's eyes widened in fear. Her coughs became rougher and more desperate as the chokehold on her neck was tightened. Horror seized her features as she watched her Jedi lover keel over in pain as he was suddenly kicked into the ground.
In one swift move, Maul ignited the Darksaber and brought Satine flying forward into the blade, brutally piercing it straight through her abdomen, stopping only when the cold Beskar hilt reached her skin. She reached out for Obi-Wan with a cry of inconceivable pain.
Obi-Wan could not believe his eyes. He could not bear to be made to watch her suffer any longer. With a sudden surge of power, he broke free of the Mandalorian warriors holding him down and dashed across the room. “Satine!" he cried.
The Darksaber deactivated as he ran, the shimmering black blade pulling out of Satine's gut. She limply fell to the foot of her former throne with a sickening thud. Obi-Wan skidded on his knees to a stop before her and quickly pulled her into his lap, cradling her dying body close as she struggled to breathe. He watched with despair as he felt her life began fading away.
With a cruel chuckle, Maul sauntered back to the throne and retook his seat, smirking at the sight. One of the galaxy’s most powerful Jedi was crumpled in an emotional heap on the floor, and the Mandalorian Duchess was dying by an icon of the civilization she once ruled– Both by his hand. This day was one he would remember fondly. He rested his chin on his hand and watched with a smile as if what occurred before him was nothing more than a scene from a play.
"Remember, my dear Obi-Wan..." Satine said, shakily lifting her hand to hold the Jedi’s cheek. He gently tilted his head into her grasp, eyes bleary. "I've loved you always. I always will." There were so many things left unsaid between them, but at least that was not one of them.
The image of a young daughter that Obi-Wan did not know about crossed Satine’s blackening mind. If she was going to die, Bo-Katan was going to be the only family left to keep her safe. Her last thoughts were spent wishing she had told him of their child, although she knew very well why she hadn’t. He would have left the Order for them, and most likely without a second thought to his career or his importance to the galaxy at large. She had desperately wanted her dear Ben to continue on his chosen path, unburdened by her selfish love and their child that shouldn’t have even existed. But she always imagined that there would have been more time. That perhaps eventually as they got older, he might’ve wanted to settle down and hang up the saber. That the threat to her planet and her sovereignty would pass and she could safely let little Adinla into her title and role as a Kryze princess. That maybe, just maybe, she could have the family she’d always dreamed of. She wanted to tell him all of this, but her mutilated body simply didn't have any more strength left. All she could manage was a tear streaking down her cheek as she struggled to continue to hold Obi-Wan’s gaze with her own.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, the strong and careful leader, wept as he watched Satine’s soft blue eyes close. She was the only woman he’d ever let himself love. Her body relaxed, then went fully limp in his arms. He hugged her close as his mind raced through everything they’d been through together. That fated first meeting, the year spent together fleeing from the Civil War, their candid reunions, and those secret, passionate nights. Wet, hot tears freely flowed down his cheeks as he savored the last kiss he’d ever place on her hand. How he wished he weren’t so righteously noble. He was a damned fool to have not chosen her love. Now he was left to forever wonder what could’ve been.