Promise of an Angel
Prolouge
"I will not differ! I have come to resolve this attack on our sovereignty now! I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee!" A young woman's voice rang around the Senate. Vader stopped in his tracks; he turned and went to look through the closest viewing window. The screen in the area was focused on the woman talking; her features were covered with chalk white makeup with two red dots on her cheek bones, her upper lip was enclosed with red lipstick, which continued in in a thick line on the middle of her lower lip. The underdress was a glossy bright red, with a high collar decorated with ornate gold stitch work and dangling beads. She wore a maroon cloak over this, with intricate orange hems decorated with fine needlework. The shoulders and bottom of the cloak were smocked in a crimson fabric, and lined from above with a golden, triple-braided soutache. The remainder of the cloak was stitched with embossed rosettes, and sported long, billowing sleeves. Above this she wore a dark, thick, faux fur cloak with wide, exaggerated shoulders. To complement this dress and to make her more visible in the vast chamber, her hair was dressed in a wide arc centered by an escoffiate headpiece with golden hairbands to keep her hair's shape. This arc was decorated with dangling orichalc suspensas capped with golden hair tip ornaments. The medal of the Royal Sovereign of Naboo served as the centerpiece of this elegant hairstyle. She was trying to conceal and distract attention from her beauty, Vader could tell, but he was dazed by how angelic she was. She looked up towards him and chocolate eyes met yellow, which faded to sky blue, for a fraction of a second before she redirected them towards the Emperor. In that moment Vader swore that she would be his.
"Master, I was wondering who that girl was in the elaborate attire in the Senate meeting today?" Vader was walking beside Sidious in the ImperialPalace. Sidious cackled and Vader flipped his light brown, almost blonde, long hair out of his sky-blue eyes.
"Queen Amidala, the elected queen of Naboo. She's been queen for almost five years now. She'll finish her last term two years from now. She's been the best queen in centuries. You noticed her beauty even with the distractions from it didn't you?" Vader slowed down. "Do not let yourself get distracted by her Vader, she isn't like the other girls you've been distracted by, she'll pull you in."
"Yes, it seems I let her for a moment. Isn't Naboo your home planet?" Sidious nodded. "She seems hard to control." Vader indicated, Sidious' mood darkened
"Yes, she has been stubborn, overly compassionate, diplomatic and headstrong. She's been running the planet of her own ideas, although I must admit she's doing a fine job. She's been queen through the Clone Wars, The Rise of the Empire and now she's dealing with an invasion and a blockade from the Trade Federation. You will meet her later this week at a reception I am holding in her honor, if that is your desire." Vader bowed slightly, smiling.
"Thank you, Master, I am most ecstatic."
"Although, if you can think you can bend her to your will, I say go ahead." Sidious dismissed Vader; he turned and walked towards his quarters. On his arrival he stripped himself of his heavy black cloak and dark brown and black utility tunic. He went into his meditation chamber and sat on a rounded chair, closed his eyes and began to concentrate on Queen Amidala. He had been practicing entering a person's waking mind as he had already achieved to penetrate the sleeping mind. When he locked on Amidala's life force signature he noted that she was very strong minded and so it would be difficult to get in. He kept trying, and then finally after almost an hour, he burst in.
"Get this cloak off me!" She yelled in desperation, two handmaidens came up behind her and peeled the cloak off and backed up. A third with a huge resemblance to the Queen came up beside her,
"Milady, the Emperor had invited you to a reception in your honor in two days, you don't seem to have any commitments for that night; would you like to attend?" The Queen lowered herself gracefully down on a couch and the handmaidens took their places behind her.
"As it's in my honor Sabé, I don't really have a choice. Tell him I will be delighted to attend, and thank him for hosting this." Sabé laughed softly and nodded. She typed the Queen's response into a data pad.
"Is there anything else Your Majesty?"
The Queen pondered that for a moment, "Yes, it seems that Darth Vader was watching the session of the Senate today. Could you get me some information on him; he will likely be attending the reception, yes?" Back in his body, Vader smirked. Sabé began typing on and touching the screen of the data pad.
"Darth Vader is the Emperor's Sith apprentice; he is the one mainly responsible for the purges. It is his constant mission to rid the Empire of Rebels, renegade Jedi and traitors to the Empire. He does so by the cruelest of means, his favorite seems to be crushing the windpipe." Amidala shuddered and another handmaiden came up beside Sabé,
"I've also heard that he owns property on more than eight planets and is the Empire's most eligible bachelors." The Queen raised her eyebrows at the last bit of information.
"Are you hinting at something Eirtaé?" The handmaiden blushed.
"My apologies Milady it's just," Eirtaé fiddled with her cloak, "You're almost twenty and you still haven't given much thought to marriage and my concern is simple for your happiness!"
The Queen smiled softly. "Eirtaé, I thank you for your concern, but do you think that Darth Vader would be a suitable choice?" Eirtaé blushed, shook her head, bowed and backed away. The third handmaiden returned with one of the Emperor's guards.
"Milady, the Emperor would like to hold a private audience with you within the hour. This gentleman is here to convey the messages." The Queen rose and folded her hand delicately.
"Thank you Rabé, I will receive his highness here whenever he wishes." She sighed and looked back to Eirtaé who came to her side then followed her into her private quarters.
"Milady, I'm so sorry for my forwardness! I was out of line, impetuous, inconsiderate and undiplomatic." Queen Amidala took her seat in front of a very large and impressive vanity. Eirtaé removed another one of The Queen's cloaks, this time the maroon one, and draped it over a chair nearby.
"I'm not troubled Eirtaé, you just got me thinking. It's evident that Palo Corrino has romantic ideals on me and he seems to be the only male that I am even the slightest bit, personally close to. And yet I know that I could never marry him, not only that he is utterly the wrong choice for a former queen and politically involved woman but I don't think I could ever feel for him in that way." She sighed. "And I stand by my testimonial that Vader is utterly the wrong person but you do have a point, I would be protected, I'd be living a lavish, even if miserable, lifestyle, I could easily protect Naboo and perhaps when the Emperor passes on I could maybe have enough influence to change some of the Empire's tactics." Eirtaé raised her eyebrows, Queen Amidala wasn't finished yet. "Yet, the downsides would be: I would have to produce an heir to the Empire, I'd be married to a cruel, mass-murderer, I'd be absolutely miserable, I wouldn't be able to do as I please and I'd be living as a prisoner." Eirtaé nodded.
"Those are all very good arguments Milady." She began to touch up the white makeup around the Queen's hairline.
"I can do this myself Eirtaé, thank you for your assistance." She caught Eirtaé's hand and smiled.
"Milady, I can't but help to have this feeling that we're being watched, I'm not going to leave you alone; it's not what I was trained to do."
Vader pulled back into his own subconscious and flexed his robotic hand. Queen Amidala thought the worst of him, the Emperor was right; she was stubborn, diplomatic, overly compassionate and headstrong. This however didn't sway him from his plans; it just made him want her more knowing that she would be harder to break.
Vader shifted to a different foot, he was standing behind the Emperor's throne waiting for the Queen's arrival. Sidious too was becoming uneasy as the Queen was late and you could hear whispers from the Senators that maybe the Queen wouldn't show. Vader leaned down to whisper to Sidious, "I have a feeling she isn't coming."
Sidious looked up at him, "Queen Amidala has a way of making an entrance, now she knows that since she's late, when she does arrive everyone will be anxious and all attention will be on every detail of her."
"Interesting" Vader returned to his standing position and one of the Queen's handmaidens, Rabé entered the hall.
"I present Her Royal Highness Queen Amidala of Naboo!" Rabé stepped aside as the two doors opened to reveal the Queen. She wore a black, coned velvet dress, with spider web knitting on her chest, arms and through the middle of the full skirt and the base of the dress was ornamented with gold Naboo symbols. Over her head she wore a black hood that surrounded her face; on the side over her ears were two gold half-spheres that held her hair in buns underneath them. Attached to the back of this hood were multiple feathers which fanned out above her head. Across her forehead were eight stringed red jewels with a triangular pendant in the middle. The whole room went quiet as the Queen, with her three handmaidens following her made her way across the ballroom. Vader watched captivated by her grace, as she stopped in front of the Emperor and sank down into an immaculate curtsey, despite this she held the Emperor's gaze with passionate eyes. He bid her to rise and the band returned to playing, the guests took in the Queen for a few more moments before returning to mingling, drinking and dancing. Queen Amidala took her seat beside the Emperor and almost directly in front of Vader.
"Queen Amidala, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Vader kissed her hand, gazing into her eyes, which were unwavering. In that tension filled moment Vader could feel her urge to pull her hand away.
"Lord Vader, I've heard quite a few things about you." Her face and emotions were unreadable.
"All of commendation, I imagine." He smiled dangerously, only then did the Queen look away.
"Modesty is a trait I admire Lord Vader." She said, and looked to who Vader recognized as Sabé, who smiled. "Excuse me Your Majesty; I'd like to speak to Senator Organa." The Emperor waved her away, and Vader watched as she hastily made her way to Bail Organa.
"You're going to have to find new tricks, Vader." He looked down at the Emperor.
"Master?"
"She's has experience with men who approach her by making her feel uncomfortable. You see Rush Clovis?" Vader nodded. "Two years ago he approached her, this was before he was a senator, and she didn't give him a second look even when he was on his knees begging, and she was only fifteen." Vader raised his eyebrows, he knew that Clovis had been obsessed with a woman from Naboo who had broken his heart, he had never guessed that it could have been the Queen he now watched converse with Bail Organa.
"Oh no, that's too much!" Bail laughed softly, Queen Amidala had just told him of her first encounter with Darth Vader.
"I'm entirely staid Bail, when you kiss a lady's hand you press your non-puckered lips to her fingers for not even a second and don't look at her, but him," She laughed "he did the full on deal and stayed there for a few seconds and kept looking at me." They stayed in silence for a few seconds. "You're more influential than my planet's senator, can you help me?"
"Milady, it would let the Emperor know that we are close and if he finds out that I," Bail gave her an intense look "you know, and then he'll come after you too."
"Bail, my people are dying, the Trade Federation is starving them and not to help them is against my Royal vows." She looked up to him with glossy, pleading eyes. He shifted a bit.
"For seventeen you are an extremely good politician, I'll help but you owe me" Her face lit up and she thanked him and returned to her seat.
"Your Majesty, may I speak with you?" The night was almost over and the Queen had hardly spoken a word since her encounter with Bail. This surprised Vader, he had figured that she would have remained quiet for the remainder of the evening.
"Yes, Amidala you will always be permitted to speak freely around me." The Emperor smiled sickly, the Queen ignored that.
"You know as well as I that the Trade Federation is on Naboo and they will stop at nothing to have me sign that treaty." The Emperor nodded. "My people are dying, Your Majesty, they're being starved, they have no time to wait for this Senate to decide. They are your people too; you were once one of us. Please, the senate has no power anyways; send the storm troopers to help, I cannot bear to know that the Nubians are suffering and I am not there to give them hope." The Emperor stiffened at the mention of the state of his home planet. "Your Majesty, I will be returning to Naboo the day after tomorrow." Vader, too quickly looked down at the Queen, shocked.
"Milady you cannot, you'll be taken hostage and forced to sign the treaty!"
"I have my decoys Your Majesty; I assure you I will be completely safe, I can only hope that you send assistance before I am forced to sign the treaty." She stood, and curtseyed to Sidious and left the party.
"You seem to have a soft spot for your planet's Queen." Vader pointed out.
"She's seventeen, although naïve and frustrating, she needs to be kept safe. She's kept that planet stable and out of senate affairs, which I like, and she could be controllable if I find her weakness. Organize a legion of troopers to go with her and send Piett to command them."
"Yes, master."
ent here...