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The Rogue in Hiding

Summary: AU-Five years after Phantom Menace Anakin runs away from the Jedi

This is a story idea that's been bugging for awhile now. This chapter is a very short one and just the beginning of the whole plot. I plan this to be a somewhat extensive Saga with four parts to it. The Rogue in Hiding is just part one. Please let me know what you think.

Chapter 1

Queen Amidala had a few moments to herself. It was a rare occasion when she let the burdens of her office fade to the back of her memory so that she could enjoy being young for once. She wandered along the creek listening to the sounds of the birds and the crickets. Every few steps she would crouch down and gently feel the cool water of Spring glide gracefully over her hand. Alas, this vacation was to be short-lived. It was a lovely place, but the Royal Gardens are still within the great Palace of Theed, and Queen Amidala still had to go over the latest bills.

It was a relatively slow era to be the Queen of Naboo though. The major reconstruction work following the Trade Federation invasion was mostly finished thanks to her nonstop efforts that past five years. The people were content, regarding their peace as an exquisite jewel no longer to be taken for granted again. Relations between the Naboo and the Gungans had never been better as members of the two species slowly diffused into each other's worlds.

There was still work to be done, she knew. Things may seem peaceful now, but their peace must be achieved through constant maintenance. She could not sit back and watch another crisis tear apart her world. Preparation was…

"Your Highness." An aide walked into the room.

"Korta, what is the matter?" Somewhere deep within her heart she trembled.

"There is a man here to see you."

"Who is it?"

"I do need to know. He says he knows you." Korta's eyes were blank as he seemed to be reciting his lines. "He is here to see you."

The situation seemed very suspicious. "Thank you. Tell the guest to wait outside and I will meet him momentarily."

"As you wish Your Highness."

Queen Amidala reached under her desk and found her tiny blaster. She hid it inside her dress and cautiously walked outside into the lobby. There was a man hidden in a cloak with his back to her. Korta was gone and Amidala wasn't pleased. How could he leave her unprotected in the presence of a stranger, a stranger he shouldn't even have let in this deep into the Palace in the first place.

The cloaked figure spoke without turning in a deep voice that seemed feigned. "Your Highness, I came to see you."

"Then why don't you turn around so I can see your face." She readied herself to grab her blaster and wondered if anyone would be able to hear her screams for help.

"Padme, you don't need that blaster. I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was softer now. Higher, and more vulnerable. He turned around and the hood dropped.

"Why did you address me as Padme?" He was only a kid, barely into his mid-teens, Padme thought. His blue eyes sparkled with an intense sadness. His hair was short except for the long braid hanging on the side. He was oddly familiar…"Anakin?"

A soft smile crept onto his face and Padme knew she had guessed right. Unknowingly she reached for the Japor Pendant still hanging from her neck.

"You still have that?"

"Of course I do. How could I not wear the necklace given to me by my future…" husband. She couldn't say that now. It was a joke from a long time ago, made by a little kid. The kid was grown now. As she ran up to him and the two old friends embraced each other for the first time in five years, she realized how much he had grown. He was slightly taller than her now, and still growing. How old was he now? She did the math in her head.

Anakin Skywalker clung to his angel. He never wanted to let go. He was taller than her now, he realized, but he still felt like a little kid in her presence. A little kid clinging to his protector, his last hope.

She finally released him from the embrace and spoke. "This is quite the surprise, Ani. A pleasant one, but still a surprise. How'd you get here? And where's your master," she reached into her memory, "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Um, Master Kenobi is still back on Coruscant. I've got some time to myself. The Jedi are letting me take a little vacation."

She knew he wasn't telling the truth, but there seemed to be a desperate reason for it so she didn't inquire further. He will tell me when he is ready. "How'd you manage to get past the guards and convince Korta to let you in?"

"Jedi tricks," he grinned mischievously, and the sadness disappeared from his face for a brief second. "Works on the weak-minded."

"Well, I guess I learned something new about my aide today then. Do you Jedi know of any tricks to strengthen your minds?"

"Meditation maybe, but that's really boring stuff."

"Wow Anakin, I can never imagine you being bored," said Padme with a playful look. She had always remembered that little boy who was fascinated by everything in the galaxy.

"I'm bored because they're chores the Jedi make me do, and they prevent me from doing what I need to do, seeing who I need to see."

He had a very distant look in his eyes as he spoke. His eyes looked not at her but beyond her in what seemed to be a vast wasteland of despair. She realized that she had a lot of catching up to with her old friend.

"Come on Ani, let's get out of here. I've had enough of Queen-business for today and I want to hear all about what you've been up to these last five years." She grabbed his hand and gave him a subtle tug and Anakin assented to her request silently, his mind still lost in the deepest voids of space.