The Handmaiden And The Queen
A handmaiden was an attendant. She styled hair. She helped put on beautiful but difficult-to-wear gowns. She ran errands and gave messages. She was a friend, a confidant who knew her Queen as intimately as a sister.
Sabé was also the Queen's decoy.
It was the hardest and most dangerous job for anyone in the Royal Court. Essentially her duty was to be captured or even take a blaster bolt for the monarch, a distraction meant to save the Queen's life. All of the handmaidens could fill that task but Sabé was chosen to be the primary decoy.
It was mostly thanks to the young handmaiden's more-than-passing resemblance to Queen Amidala, indication of perhaps a long ago genetic/ethnic connection. But Sabé's abilities as a mimic as well as her marksmanship and martial skills secured her the position. It was a duty she was called upon to perform for the first time when the invasion reached Theed.
"Your Highness," Captain Panaka had said, approaching the Queen with Sabé walking beside him. She had been staring out of one of the palace windows, sorrow apparent even on her alabaster face. "Quickly, we must switch you with the decoy. The invasion force will be here soon."
The plan was to not resist the invasion. The Naboo were virtually powerless to do so. Aside from law enforcement, palace guards, and a few pilots, there wasn't enough force to repel the attack. It was the price of being a peaceful world for so long. Their only hope was that the Jedi sent to negotiate were on their way. In the meantime, Sabé was to pose as the Queen while Amidala would pretend to be a handmaiden. As a handmaiden, she would better be able to assess the situation and perhaps even escape.
The two young girls went into the Queen's private chambers, the other handmaidens soon joining them. Panaka and the guards remained outside of the chambers' doors. What followed next was a flurry of activity as one group of handmaidens helped remove the Queen's distinctive makeup, heavy headdress, and gown while another team helped Sabé put on her disguise. It was an elaborate velvet and lace gown that looked heavier than Sabé's small frame though it was surprisingly comfortable to wear. Her hair was covered with black cloth and a jeweled piece along with some feathers completed her headdress.
Sabé sat in front of a vanity and began covering her face with alabaster foundation. Soon it was a ghostly white, turning her youthful face into a mask. She took the scarlet pigment used to make the dots beneath her eyes and the Scar of Remembrance. As she applied the pigment, she noticed in the mirror a handmaiden dressed in orange shimmering velvet standing behind her, looking on with amusement.
It took her a moment to realize the handmaiden was the Queen herself. Even this moment of distress, Amidala-or rather, Padmé-still could find the humor in a situation. But there was warmth in her smile too. "You'll do fine, Your Highness," she said.
When they were ready, Sabé took a deep breath and went into her role as Padmé assumed hers, getting into line with the other handmaidens, the guards accompanying them. It was time to confront the invaders.
The End