I am expected to be respectful. That is what my mother always told me when I was growing up; she said the same things every day when I was at schools that taught me to be a proper lady, since I refused to learn what it was like on my own.
Sit up straight, make eye contact, keep your expressions neutral, and hold your tongue as often as possible. And that is what I have done my entire life. I wear the dresses she tells me to wear; I do my hair the ways she wants me to; I follow her orders to a strategic perfection. I have always been looking to achieve greatness in my mother's eyes. I strive to be a diplomat, just like her. Mina Bonteri; beloved senator of Onderon/wife/mother.
My father was a great man; the best there ever was serving for our Confederation. But that life was cut too short, sadly. He was a great soldier for the Separatist armies, a high ranked General. But he was no match for the perfectionist clones that took his life when they attacked his stationed base. He was killed in action. It's very hard for me to be mad at the clone army, though. They were just doing their job, right? Yes, they murdered my father, but this is war. Lives will be lost to achieve peace… At least, that's what I choose to believe.
Jedi are the ones that are good, correct? Jedi are the keepers of the Force that they bend to their command; the wielders of energy; the conquerors of systems. I admire the Jedi for what they do and how they do it. They are… fascinating to me.
That is why when my mother told me Ms. Padme was visiting with a Padawan learner escort, I was very excited. But I didn't show it. Keep your expressions neutral. I listened to my mother quite well.
Before they arrived, my friends stopped by. And it was an ironic coincidence that they begin to blame the Jedi for this war. Yes, there's a plethora of deaths in the outer rims of the Galaxy and it's dangerous, but are the Jedi to blame? They're the good ones, right…? What they told me did make a lot of sense… I don't know who's good and whose evil anymore. It's like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I see the ship set down on the landing pad and my mother returns to the ground with Ms. Padme; I haven't seen her in so long. She looks beautiful, even with that ridiculous cream colored cloak on her. And them, I see a Togruta female. Her skin is a beautiful golden orange and her face markings makes it look like she has wings on her cheeks.
Her outfit was a beautiful short skirted dress with a sash belt and black leggings with a diamond pattern climbing up the side. Just below her knee were maroon tinted brown boots that fitted around her tiny feet. She had fingerless brown leather gloves and brown arm guards. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of baby blue and almost hypnotizing to look into. For someone that sees many battles, she had that elegance and beauty look to her.
My mother called my name. "Lexie, come help our guests with their luggage, please," She said to me. I jumped from the railing I was perched upon, my skirts curling around my tall legs and I flattened it out slightly before walking down the stairs, my black heeled boots clicking and smacking with every step.
"Allow me, Ms. Padme," I bowed to the Republic senator and took her bag from her. Gently, I approached the Togrutan female and bowed down, reaching for her hand that contained the bag handle.
"May I?" I said as gently as I possibly could. She pulled it away. "I can handle it,"
Oh, I don't doubt that you can, miss. I thought in my head as she glared at me. Clearly, she was not a big fan of meeting separatists. All I could do was smile a bit, my pink lips curling up slightly. She stalked off with a frustrated look on her face as I just continued to smile at her. I could not help myself; she is beautiful!
I carried Ms. Padme's bag to her room and gently placed it on her bedsheets that I had prepared in the morning. I take pity on our handmaidens; they have to take care of everything. I can help out once in a while, although my mom does not like that.
Once that was taken care of, I decided to go back outside into the courtyard and play my harp. My mother deems the harp a suitable musical instrument for a young lady, and it has always sounded so beautifully when she played it for me. So I play the harp in her footsteps. I strummed chord after chord, listening to its delicate melody.
It distracted me for a bit, that is, until I saw the Togrutan girl retreating down our courtyard steps. I did not mean to stare directly at the girl's hips, but something kept shining in my eyes. I had to find out what in Force's name was so blinding—ah, it was her lightsabers.
"You're a Jedi, are you not?" I asked aloud, smoothing down my front skirt carefully. She turned to look at me, finally, with a non-angry expression on her face.
"Yes," She answered calmly. "Why do you ask?"
"Before the war, my father always said Jedi were good. He called them the keepers of peace," I said, feeling the hurt of my father once more.
"And now?" She questions where my loyalties lie; I just know it.
I gently pushed myself from off of the wall and stood with my hands behind my back and my eyes down towards her.
"I'm not sure anymore. My friends say there's a long list of bloodshed out there. A lot of 'killing'. And they say the Jedi are to blame. I didn't agree at first, but some of their ideals sort of make sense," I told the beautiful female.
"I'm the first Jedi you've ever met, aren't I?" She said with a smug grin. I loved it so much.
"Well, yes you are," I couldn't help the shrug. She is the first I've ever met and I don't know how the others can live up to this simple Padawan.
"Look at me," She held her arms out a little before crossing them over her chest and tilting her head to the side, smiling a little. "I'm not so bad, am I?"
Very slowly, my eyes traveled from the base of her heeled boots all the way to her tall horns. She didn't look bad; quite the opposite. She looked incredibly sweet and very nice; not to mention beautiful and graceful.
"No, miss," I said with a neutral facial expression but my eyes sparkled as I knew they would. "Not bad at all."
"Well," She said with a smile. "It seems manners can be taught by Republicans or Separatists." I didn't very much appreciate that answer. I chased down the staircase, holding my skirts in my hands and trailing behind her.
"Wait!" I said, sharply. She didn't wait, so I continued to trail after her. I stood next to her, finally. I was a few inches taller than her, even with those tall horns atop of her head. I saw her sharp teethed headdress glint in the sunlight and it shined in my eyes. I squinted slightly and picked up the pace to get in front of the glare.
"How many Separatists have you met?" I said, dropping my skirts and walking in front of her.
"What?" Was that a confusing question I asked? Should I rephrase it?
"Well, miss, I get the feeling that you believe us to be on the evil side… But how many of us have you actually met?" I asked again, but stopped to add another one. "And droids don't count."
"Well," She began. "Other than Military Officers like Grievous and Ventress… None, I guess," She wasn't making eye contact with me. But then finally, she looked up at me and her brilliant blue eyes shined in the sunlight. "You and your mother are the first."
That was a pleasing answer. I stepped in front of her and spun on one of my heels, my long flowing skirt layers spinning around my legs as I did so.
"Well, miss… Look at me? Am I so bad?" I questioned. She looked into my eyes, which gleamed with a silver tint inside. It was pleasant for me that she seemed to shy away from the answer. I simply gave a giggle.
"You don't have to answer me, miss," I picked up my skirts and bowed in the most elegant way I knew.
"But, if it isn't too much trouble… May I ask your name?" I wanted to know the Togrutan beauty's name so badly. I wanted something to refer to her by for the next few days when I spy her in the halls or when I see her in the courtyard.
"Ahsoka," She held out her hand for me to shake. I took her hand and simply bent my knees, closing my eyes and bowing my head.
"Lovely to meet you, Ahsoka. My name is Lexie," I responded while releasing her hand and standing back up straight.
"Would you care to join me? I would like to show you the gardens and our stables," I said, holding out my arm in the direction that led to a beautiful white stoned path that carried over a bridge that sat atop a stream of sparkling water.
"Sure," Ahsoka agreed to accompany me on my little walk. I walked beside her, my skirts catching under the toes of my heels every once in a while. Ahsoka watched my movements with confusion and saw how I gripped my skirts in my hands so I wouldn't continue to trip over it.
"Can I ask why you wear that dress? Doesn't it get in the way?" She said.
Well, I might as well be honest with her. "Yes, it does; constantly. But my mother insists I become a proper woman. My father expected me to be the young lady he always dreamed I would become," I twirled the skirts around myself a little bit and just shrugged.
"It's not all bad, though. These dresses compliment my figure; at least, that's what my mother tells me." Mother always says that the dresses complimented my curves, especially with the corset and dark stockings that I wear. The heels make me a few centimeters taller and they have helped my posture.
"Well, it is a very nice dress," Ahsoka complimented me. It made my heart flutter.
"But what is nicer? Just across this bridge, miss Padawan." I said, smiling a little as Ahsoka walked just behind me. As I stepped out of view and allowed her to see the beautiful gardens that me and my mother tended for years at a time.
All kinds of flowers: Everlilies, Century Flowers, Hydra-flowers, Orchids, Roses, Asyrs, Bachani, Blueblossoms, Floating Archidia, Snowblooms, and my all-time favorite, Nova-Lilies.
The greens around the flowers and patches of moss across the stones in the ground gave the trails even more life as the vines from nearby rose bushes wound their way up tree trunks and wove through the branches, beautiful white roses blooming within the leaves of the trees.
The mist from the waterfall in the far of the garden created a delicate mist that allowed a rainbow to bend the light through it. Exotic fish swam through the streams and I used to sit there for hours on the banks just watching the fish swim in a dance pattern.
Ahsoka stared at the scenery around her and smiled wide at all the beautiful flowers and colors around her. I turned around and saw a Nova-Lily with a beautiful blue and white pattern, all of the swirls and gentle curves of the pattern looked simply exquisite; but not as exquisite as her.
I plucked the lily from the root and grabbed at my skirt with one hand. Very suavely, I curtsied down and offered the Nova-Lily to the beautiful Togrutan. Her stripes almost darkened at my gesture.
"It's beautiful," She remarked and accepted the lily. But only half as beautiful as you.
I stood up straight once again and smiled brightly at her. This girl is… something else completely. She's a different magnificence than anything I have ever seen before… the Snowblooms in my gardens cannot compare to such a rare flower as her.
Our walk continued on towards the stables and our beautiful Dalgos that we raise and as soon as their full-grown, we transport them to Onderon. The Dalgo population on Onderon is quite low, sadly. Dooku allowed us to retrieve a few young Dalgo from the planet and opened breeding lines for the species.
The Dalgo are in dangered due to the surplus of Bomas on Onderon. My mother tried to open negotiations with the leader on the moon of Dxun, but it didn't go all that well. If anything, the Boma population increased afterwards and the Dalgo were all but extinct from the surface of Dxun.
Lucky for us, a few Dalgo survived on the far side of the moon, migrated to the very old Dark Jedi temple on the far side of the moon's lagoon. We retrieved them and cared for them for many months before reintroducing them to their home planet. Now, the Dalgo population is flourishing. Sometimes, I have good ideas.
I walked up to a particular stall and opened it, clicking my tongue. "Here, sweetheart, c'mon," I said in a cool tone. Very quickly, a small little Dalgo pranced from his stall and towards my outstretched hand that contained a small amount of fresh grass. He chewed on the green and licked my palm. I scratched the creature under the chin and it pranced around. Ahsoka stared at the little creature curiously.
I held out my hand for hers and took it slowly. She squeaked in fear and pulled away. I just giggled.
"Don't worry, Ahsoka… He's a gentle little thing," He snorted in response and stared at her hand. Very slowly, I held her wrist in my hands as her hand spread out, her fingers slowly approaching the Dalgo's snout. Her fingers caressed the young beast's nose and up to its head fins.
The Dalgo chirped at her and licked her fingertips, making her snicker, looking up at me. Gosh, those eyes…
I lead the creature back into his stable and held out my arm for her to take. Ahsoka accepted it, grateful that I was her personal guide. I led her back towards the courtyard and towards my house once again, walking up the stairs with my skirts in hand. Ahsoka had her arm wrapped around mine and had her hand gripped around my wrist. I saw the Nova-Lily in her other hand and she held it tightly. I couldn't help my smile.
I opened the door for her and let her inside and saw my mother and Miss Padme.
"Why hello, you two. Enjoy the walk, my dear?" Mother asked Ahsoka.
"Yes, Mrs. Bonteri. Your garden is beautiful," Mother spied the Nova-Lily I had pulled from the garden for her.
"And I see my daughter has given you a souvenir."
I giggled nervously and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Nova-Lilies stay alive for many moons, Mother. I think we might be able to part with just one… Especially when the holder of the flower is as elegant as the lily itself," I realized what I said and my face went completely red. Uh oh, that's embarrassing…
Ahsoka turned around and gave me a strange look but she was smiling as she did so. I didn't feel so embarrassed anymore. My mother smiled and nodded once. "Of course, sweetheart."
I'm so glad she agreed! I didn't want to have to replace that lily; that would be months of hard work. I smiled and clasped my hands together in front of my face. It's just chance my mother is a wonderful person, is it not?
"Would you like me to show you to your room, Ahsoka?" I really wanted her to see the room that we selected for her. I can only imagine that Jedi don't have beds, but just mats on a ground… This might be a change she likes.
Ahsoka agreed and followed me up the staircase to her room which was across from Miss Padme's. I opened the door and she gaped at the giant room.
The bed itself was a good portion of the room; the sheets silky satin and a beautiful purple color and a black hypoallergenic comforter lying atop the fine quality sheets. The pillows were long and while there were only a few of them, many more were just down the hall. The golden thin curtains swung freely around the bed and draped over the entirety of it, making a perfect place for privacy.
The bed sat atop a black and purple rug that felt like a cloud under your feet at night. The dressers across the room were made with the darkest red of cherry oak wood and each had very high mirrors. The walls themselves were a solid purple, along with swirl patterns of silver and gold to the ceiling where a crystal chandelier hung from a large chain on the ceiling. I flipped the switch and the entire room danced with different colors from the crystal.
"Whoa…" Was all Ahsoka had for me. I took it as a good thing.
"I'll leave you to get settled. If you need anything, I'm just down the halls. My door is the only black one, you can't miss it." I winked at her and grinned from ear to ear before closing the door and heading to my own room. I opened the door and closed it behind me, leaning against it once it was shut.
"Oh, help me…" I muttered with a smile on my face as I placed one hand over my heart. Good gosh, that Jedi…
