Blood In The Water

Chapter 26: The Wedding

A/N: Happy May 4th! May the fourth be with you all! Hope you are all doing well in these difficult times! Now without further ado, here's Chapter 26. Hope you enjoy! 

Once I left the Senate Building, I made my way to Jedi Temple. As soon as I walked in, Anakin, O-Mer, and Ahsoka rushed towards me. They were relieved to see me in one piece. 

"Master, you're alive!" O-Mer exclaimed.

He then wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in for a hug. I was rather baffled, but I returned his hug. After a few moments, he pulled away from the hug, wearing a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Master. I didn't mean to, I was just happy to see you."

"It's all right, O-Mer." I assured him. "I'm happy to see you all as well. Where's Obi-Wan?"

"He's in his room, he looks rather devastated." Ahsoka informed me. 

"Yeah, he told us you were on Grievous's ship, but after the second time you contacted him, he could no longer talk to you." Anakin chimed in. "I think you better see him."

With that, I rushed over towards Obi-Wan's room. I knocked on his door. In a matter of seconds, the door opened, revealing Obi-Wan with red puffy eyes. My heart ached upon seeing him. Poor Obi-Wan must've been worried sick for me. I felt guilty for not sending some sort of message to him while I was on Tatooine. As soon as he saw me, his eyes lit up. 

"Iretia! I'm so happy to see you!" Obi-Wan exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around me. "I thought the worst." 

"I couldn't leave you now, not when we agreed that we'd get married if we'd escape." I mentioned. 

Obi-Wan's smile grew at my words. "And that we will, darling." 

•••   

I paced back and forth, growing nervous. I looked over at the mirror to see myself wearing a beautiful white dress. Today's the big day, the day I marry Obi-Wan. At that moment, mom, dad, and Mektra walked in. Obi-Wan and I decided to get married on Lah'mu and to have my parents, Grason, and Mektra attend our small secret wedding. Tears filled my mom's and dad's eyes. 

"Oh Tia! I'm so happy for you!" Mom exclaimed. 

"Thanks mom." I said as I gave her hug. 

"My little girl's all grown up." Dad mentioned, fighting back the tears that were in his eyes.

"I can't believe this is happening." I commented. "I didn't think any of this would happen, but I owe it all to one person. The one person who never gave up on me." 

"Thank the Force for Obi-Wan." Grason chimed in.

"We know that you'll be happy with him." Mom stated. "He's a good man." 

"Now let's not keep your future husband waiting." Mektra advised as she handed me a bouquet of millaflowers. 

We then made our way to the shore and there in the black sand stood the marriage officiant with Obi-Wan by his side. 7-M8K and CMG-8 stood off to the side, watching as I approached Obi-Wan. When I laid my eyes on Obi-Wan, I was amazed. He always looked handsome, but now he was rather dashing. His hair was combed to the side and he wore a tuxedo coat over his elegant tunic. When I reached Obi-Wan, he gave me a warm smile. "You look beautiful, Tia." 

My heart fluttered at his words. I returned his smile. "And you look handsome, Obi."

The marriage officiant cleared his throat, causing us to both look over at him. Once we were both silent, the marriage officiant spoke. "Today we are gathered to witness the unification of Iretia Emestre and Obi-Wan Kenobi in marriage." 

As the ceremony went on, the time for the vows. I was up first. I took a deep breath before commencing. "Obi-Wan, when I first laid my eyes on you, I had no idea that you would change my life. You believed in me, even when no one else did. You gave me a second chance, even when I didn't deserve it. You helped me see through the lies of my grandfather and to find my family. I am here today because of you. You are the light of my life, Obi-Wan. I promise that no matter what happens to always love you, protect you, and remain by your side."  

Tears filled his eyes. Obi-Wan gave me a charming smile. "Iretia, that was beautiful." 

I returned his smile. "Thank you, my love." 

And now it was Obi-Wan's turn to say his vows. He kept his eyes on me as he took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not good with words, but I will do my best. Iretia, you are my everything, the light of my life. From the moment I laid my eyes on you, I felt a connection with you, one I couldn't explain or comprehend. But it wasn't long until you captured my heart. You are such a kind, loving, smart, beautiful, and talented woman."

"You may not see this, but I see it in you every day. You are too hard on yourself, darling. You have done things in the past that were terrible. But that was who you were. You are now a different person, a better person, and that's the woman I fell in love with." Obi-Wan continued. "I promise to remain by your side and to protect you, Iretia. I will love and cherish you for the rest of our lives."

Tears of happiness began to stream down my cheeks. I couldn't believe he just said that. My smile widened at his words. After the vows, we exchanged the rings. Then the marriage officiant concluded the ceremony. "I now pronounce you man and wife, you may now kiss the bride." 

Obi-Wan placed his hands on my waist before leaning down. As soon as our lips met, I felt several sparks fly around. Once we pulled away, Obi-Wan and I exchanged wide grins. Things will get better from here, and if they didn't, well at least I'd have Obi-Wan by my side to help me through. With him by my side, I could get through anything.