It took six legitimate threats on her life before Padmé admitted to needing more protection than her usual guards could offer. There were places where they couldn't go, decorum to be upheld at state functions, and there was no way she could ever be relaxed with any of them in her bedroom... It was the last that had been the final straw, an actual attempt on her life that few knew about, and it was because of that event that she had insisted that Obi-Wan be the protector selected for this monumental task. Of everyone on the very short list agreed upon by the Queen's Advisory Council and the Jedi elders, his was the name that hadn't given her any hesitation. A friend to call companion while they both worked to make the galaxy a better place.

The large estate is quieter than she remembers, their footsteps echoing as they walked through the foyer and into the living spaces. She'd taken stock of the kitchen while he explored, making sure everything was as she'd requested, and then she'd poured the both of them a glass of wine. Holding one out for him to take, she lets out a deep sigh and finally begins to feel the slightest bit relaxed.

"Thank you." Two words that can do no justice to the gratitude in her heart for this man she'd called friend for so many years - not in the same way she'd been friends with her handmaidens or some of the others at the Senate, but still she counted him among that number.

"I don't think I've said that yet, have I? Thank you for agreeing to this arrangement, to pledging your life to protecting me when I know it's nothing like the life you'd thought to lead. I can never begin to repay you for this sacrifice."