Chapter 1

"Padmé…Padmé wake up."

The young girl rolled over slightly, hearing the urgent whisper, which was almost a hiss in nature. She blinked a few times, unaware of her surrounding for a moment. Then it came back to her. They were in one of the tents were all of those in Theed had been brought, under constant guard of the Federation droids. They were told to shoot any beings that resisted and the fourteen year old had already seen many fall due to the command.

As her eyes got accustomed to the dark, her brown eyes met the eyes of one of her friends, Gregar Typho. The boy, who was seven years older, was more like a big brother. At first, he had disliked the young girl who followed him around, but grew to like her enough to allow her to continue tagging along with him.

"Gregar?" she asked. What was he doing here? He could be shot if he was found!

"Shh," he put a finger to his lips then leaned closer, lips close to her ear. "You need to dress in dark clothing, put on your boots and be silent."

Padmé paused before nodding. Gregar turned around to allow the girl relative privacy to change. It took Padmé just a few minutes to change into a navy blue tunic and black pants that were tucked into her nearly knee high boots. Her hair was quickly pulled back so it would not fall over her shoulders and get into her eyes.

She went to Gregar and touched his arm, then glanced over at her family. Her older sister Sola was still asleep, as were her parents, which was a relief. While she did not know what Gregar wanted, she was sure her parents would tell her she couldn't go. They were horrified when Padmé had mentioned that she wanted to become a handmaiden or soldier. They felt it was too dangerous and thought she should think about becoming something else like a teacher. Gregar was the only one who understood her want to protect the planet she loved as well as the people. He had taught her how to fight and how to shoot a blaster in secret.

Gregar led the dark haired girl outside of the tent and put his finger to his lips again and she did the same to show that she understood. They had to be silent. He would tell her what was happening. At least, she hoped he would. Sometimes she did not understand him, but he usually had a reason.

They snuck from one shadow to the next and Padmé was now glad for the tents. It would be easier to hide. There were many who did not have such places to cover their heads, but Gregar kept her away from the places were those people had met. He did not want anyone to see them.

As they got to the side of one of the buildings, Gregar froze and then pressed Padmé against the wall. The young girl wanted to protest, feeling like he was crushing her, but then she heard the sound of crunching and a little whirr that one could hear coming from a Federation droid. The lookouts were wandering, making sure no one tried again. She could one talking to another somewhere else in the area and Padmé held her breath, as if that would help them stay hidden.

After the droids had moved on, Gregar waited another moment before pulling back from her. "Sorry," he mouthed and she smiled in response to show it was alright.

He took her arm again and led her to a path that was barely visible, especially with so little moonlight. The sun would be rising soon, so it was the predawn darkness that offered them protection from sight. Padmé paused, glancing once more over her shoulder. If they were not back soon, her parents would be frantic with worry and Sola would feel horrible. Her older sister always tried to protect her and take care of her.

Her hesitation was only for a moment because Gregar tugged her arm and she followed after him.

"Gregar, where are we going?" she finally asked.

"Remember how you said you wanted to protect Naboo? The other day you said you wanted to fight the Federation."

Padmé nodded, reddening slightly. It had been unwise to say such a thing, but she had told Gregar that when she had seen him the other day. Her parents had overheard that and immediately told her to be quiet. They wanted Naboo free and while Padmé was sure they would consider fighting, they wouldn't want their daughters involved.

"Well, here is your chance."

"What?" Padmé asked, wondering if she had heard him right.

Gregar stopped and looked at her. "Queen Eirtaé has returned, in secret. The Jedi with her have convinced the Gungans to help and a resistance is being created. I think you should be a part of it."

Padmé just stared at him. She had seen Queen Eirtaé before, when she had been elected. When she was younger, her parents had suggested that she study and take the royal exams. She liked helping other people, but after seeing how the former King ran the planet, she did not think she would want to work with others like that. She was interviewed as a handmaiden, but her dark hair and brown eyes did not match the Queen's, though Padmé did not understand why that was important. However, she knew she might get her chance to help her planet another way. Besides, she had taken the test two years ago and though she knew she could have been a good Princess of Theed, or even Queen, apparently Fate had a different plan for her.

"So we are going to help?" she asked.

Gregar nodded. "We are meeting with the Queen, those with her and other leaders of the resistance. My Uncle got word to me and I know you will be great with this."

"Why?" Padmé asked. She wasn't anything special. She was just a girl who had been born in the country and moved to Theed with her family.

"Because you have the heart of a solider."