Title: The Island
Pairing: Maulidala. Ha! Maulidalas rock. Don't even deny it.
Summary: Darth Maul is transporting the young Queen of Naboo to an undisclosed location when his ship is attacked. He and his prisoner crash land on an unpopulated island in the midst of an unknown planet, leaving them isolated and alone… except for each other.
Rating: PG-13 now; may raise to R
Warnings: Well, it's a Maulidala, and a Maul romance. Generally those aren't so good, but I have done my best to make this a piece of awesome, so enjoy it anyway.
Genre: Drama/Romance
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the island.
- - - - - - - - - - -
The Sith Infiltrator cruised smoothly along through the vast blackness of space. The ship, although spacious, contained only two passengers. One of these was the ship's pilot, the mysterious and frightening Darth Maul. The other was his prisoner, the former Queen of Naboo: Padmé Amidala.
This second passenger was staring silently at the blurred stars as they made their rapid passage through space. She was alone and terrified, but she would certainly never admit that - at least, not to her captor.
After the Trade Federation had taken over Naboo, Amidala had been forced to sign the treaty. Control of the planet had been handed over to the Trade Federation and ultimately to Darth Sidious. In the meantime, Darth Maul had been assigned to transport the young queen to a secluded, undisclosed location. Only the two Sith knew exactly to where Amidala was being taken, and neither of them would say a word about it.
Of course it was rare for Lord Maul to say anything at all, Amidala thought dryly. He had spoken perhaps three sentences to her in the hours that they had spent together on this ship, and they had only been sharp, short commands at that. She awaited his arrival nervously inside a tightly locked room, but, fortunately, he appeared only three times a day to give her food. Otherwise, she was left alone.
Being alone was not entirely a bad thing, but she had no one to talk to. Often she had to resort to speaking aloud to herself to keep from running mad. Recently, she had begun to think talking to Maul might even be better than this torment.
She was afraid for herself, but more so for her people. She wanted to know what the Trade Federation would do to them, and why they had demanded control of the planet. She had no doubt that she was being taken to her death, but she certainly wished she knew where it was she was intended to die. Sometimes she wanted to die aboard the ship, just to have it over with, but really she would rather have had some place more beautiful where at least one person might care that her life had been taken.
There was no such person aboard the ship. There was only her and the Sith and the painful echo of her own voice bouncing against the slate gray walls.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Maul did not bring her dinner at the usual time, and as Padmé was immensely tired she decided to sleep. She had fallen asleep on a small, flat, uncomfortable sleep mat, covered in a thin blanket. As she had slept she had a strange dream. She had returned to the Theed Palace and was lying on the throne room floor, but everything around her was rocking crazily. She clung to the floor as droidekas and battle droids came bursting in, firing blaster bolts at her head. She heard a very loud explosion by her ear, and suddenly she was no longer in the throne room. Instead, she was in the sky, falling through the clouds, spiraling eternally downwards…
- - - - - - - - - -
When she awoke, the room around her was completely dark. She sat up, startled, and began to grope about the floor, seeking some sort of light or switch. Before she had even gotten off of her sleeping mat, the door to her cell shattered inward. Padmé gasped sharply and fell back against the wall. "Who - Lord Maul?"
Maul stepped into the room, a burning stick in his hand. "Who else?" he asked scornfully. He walked over to her and pulled her roughly to her feet. "Come," he said icily, turning away. "We must survey the damage."
Padmé stared at him curiously. "The damage? What happened?"
He turned back to her incredulously. "Surely you felt the blasts hitting the ship?"
"I was asleep."
Maul raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "You sleep soundly," he said, slightly amused. "The ship was attacked by space pirates. We have crashed on a planet. We must see how much damage has been done."
Padmé bit her lip. "We did well for crashing out of space," she said. "How did -?"
"The Force is greater than any power, including gravity," Maul said shortly. He turned his back to her again and said, "Come."
"But where are we?" Padmé demanded, bewildered.
"I don't know."
"Can't you check your star charts? There must be some readouts telling you - " she tried again.
"The ship has no power."
"But the back-up generator -!"
" - Was shot by the pirates. Stop asking questions that are of no concern to you."
"No concern!" Padmé cried. "My life is at risk, and so are my people! How can you tell me that this is not my concern?"
Maul spun around rapidly and caught Padmé by the throat. "It is not your concern," he hissed directly in her face. He held her neck a little longer and then dropped her, turning on his heel and walking towards the ship's ramp. It was tightly closed, but he raised one gauntleted hand and it exploded into pieces.
"What will you do if we need to use this for our shelter?" Padmé asked fearfully. "The entryway will be left wide open."
Maul paused long enough to glare at her and then leapt down from the ship. Padmé stared a bit nervously at the ground; it was not a horribly long drop, but it was enough of one to make her hesitate. Shutting her eyes, she leapt off the edge - and was stunned when Maul caught her. He dropped her neatly on her feet and then strode purposefully past her to inspect the shots on the ship.
Padmé had a little technical knowledge, but not enough to help fix the ship. She stood passively by while Maul walked around the ship, studying it carefully. When he finally came stalking back he was frowning, his yellow eyes narrowed to near slits. He said nothing to her, merely walking past her once more. "How bad is it?" she managed in an almost-whisper.
He didn't say anything. He bent his knees and leapt straight up in the air, apparently using the Force to propel him. His fingers caught the side of his ship and he flipped on top of it. He walked the length of the ship and back before flipping off and down once more. "We can't leave," he informed her, his voice a low growl.
Padmé sighed heavily. She wasn't really surprised; the damage had appeared great to her inexperienced eyes. "I see," she said. There was a heavy silence while Maul stared angrily at his ship and Padmé watched him nervously. Finally, she asked, "Aren't we going to look around? We might be able to find help."
Maul did not look pleased at this notion. "We should not," he said. "My master does not wish me to be discovered."
"But then how -?"
"Do not concern yourself with it," he said coldly. "You will remain in the ship for the time being."
Having said his piece, he walked back to the open entryway and leapt upwards again. Suddenly, Padmé felt herself lifted from the ground. She was carried to the entryway and dropped just inside it. She collapsed limply and then made a small effort to stand. She looked up just in time to catch Maul's disgusted glare as he turned and walked away.
She waited until he was out of sight and the tap of his boots on the metal floor could no longer be heard, and then, out of pure instinct, she turned and jumped back out of the entryway.
Her fall was hard, but not hard enough to cause her too much pain. Propelled by her own fear, she leapt to her feet and began to run as quickly as she could away from the ship. It might be her only chance to escape. Surely someone on this strange world could protect her and return her to Naboo.
The ship had crashed on the edge of a highly forested area, and now Padmé was rushing through that same forest, pushing past heavy and thick foliage. The heat was immense, but she did not dare pause. With his Force powers, Maul would surely notice she was missing before long, and Padmé was positive that he could run faster than almost any other being in the galaxy.
This thought spurred her to run more rapidly. She had to get out, before it was too late. Her punishment for running would surely be swift and terrible if he were to catch her.