'Will you two stop?' King Frane roared. 'I am the injured party here! My kennels were almost destroyed! And you,' he said to Taroon. 'Do you mean to tell me that you recruited a squad, invaded a planet, and formed a plan to incriminate your brother in order to rule?'
Taroon nodded.
King Frane froze for a moment. Then he tossed back his head and suddenly broke into a shout of laughter. 'How do you like that! He is a leader! Such treachery! Such wiles! You will make a fine ruler. Am I not wise, to raise such a son?' He pounded Taroon on the back. 'All you lack is a queen who will fight with you every day, as your beloved mother did with me. What a warrior she was!' He eyed Drenna. 'Well, perhaps if you are lucky you will find such a queen nearby.'
Drenna looked away, her cheeks flaming as her blue skin flushed with pink. Taroon was equally red. Leed looked from one to the other, a look of surprise on his face. Then, slowly, he smiled.
'Perhaps there will someday be a way for Senalis and Rutanians to be at peace, after all,' he said.
'And us, brother?' Taroon asked, turning to Leed. 'Are we at peace? Do you forgive me?'
Leed grasped both of Taroon's forearms in a gesture of affection. 'I understand and forgive you, brother.'
King Frane's eyes misted, and he cleared his throat noisily. 'I, too, would like peace. Already I am tired of these threats and counter threats with Meenon. It interferes with hunting and feasting. I say Leed will be the first ambassador for both worlds. He will foster understanding and trade between the two of us.'
'That is a wonderful idea, Father,' Leed said, joy entering his voice. 'And you will allow me to leave Rutan?'
King Frane waved his hand dismissively. 'I am also weary of your sighing and your constant sorrow. It has been very depressing to have you around.' He beamed at his two sons. 'Now I see that I have two sons who are growing to manhood unafraid of taking what they want. I have done well.' He turned to the Jedi. 'I forgive you for destroying my droids. Again! Am I not generous? And I invite you to my feast.'
Qui-Gon bowed. 'We would be honored.'
The next day, the Jedi took off with Leed in a transport that King Frane insisted on giving them to replace the starship he had destroyed.
The blue-green world of Senali glittered as they flew closer. They landed and walked with Leed back to his home. The Banoosh-Walore clan spilled out of their home and raced toward Leed, crying out their love and welcome. He instantly disappeared in a flurry of hugs and embraces.
'I thought I had already learned what I needed to know about how personal happiness can conflict with duty,' Obi-Wan said, watching Leed. 'At first I thought Leed should remain here. Then I thought just as strongly that he should return to his own world. And now I feel that he belongs here after all.' Obi-Wan sighed. 'I spent much of this mission in a state of confusion.'
'That is good, Padawan,' Qui-Gon said. 'It means you are learning.'
'When I think about how I left the Jedi order, the memory is so painful,' Obi-Wan said slowly. 'It's hard not to feel discouraged that I have so much more to learn.'
'It should not be cause for discouragement,' Qui-Gon said gently. 'Life is both learning and relearning. You can confront the same issue over and over, and find a deeper meaning each time. The learning deepens, and that is what nourishes us. You should take comfort in the fact that life will always surprise you. You taught me after Melida/Daan that my own ideas needed to expand. I have my own lessons to learn.'
'Well, it is good to hear that you don't know everything,' Obi-Wan told his Master with a smile.
'Not nearly, Padawan,' Qui-Gon said. 'Not nearly enough, I suspect. Even with sureness, there must be doubt. It is the Jedi way.'
