Disclaimer: They're not mine; they're George's and I'm only borrowing them, I promise.
Chapter 1
Queen Sabé looked on as her handmaiden, Padmé Naberrie Amidala, was being dressed in her best handmaiden robes, and her long, silky brown hair was pulled back into an elaborate style appropriate for the Naboo nobility.
"Your Highness," Rabé said, poking her head in the privy chambers. "The Jedi have just come out of hyperspace and will be arriving within the hour. Is her ladyship ready?"
"Almost," came the queen's reply. Padmé stiffened at the announcement as the servants finished tying her hair back.
"Padmé," the young queen said. "If I was in your shoes, I'd be nervous too, but this must be done. It will show that we are loyal to the Republic."
"Marrying a Jedi Knight I don't even know," Padmé mumbled. "As political as you can get."
"Marriage, unfortunately, is political." Sabé said, patting her friend's shoulder. "Look, if they're agreeable, we can wait until your seventeenth year to celebrate the marriage. And something tells me they're going to be agreeable to that."
Padmé nodded, looking at her reflection in the mirror. A beautiful young woman stood in place where a young girl of fourteen just starting to come out of her coltishness had been.
"How old is the Jedi Knight?" she asked fearfully.
"He's just passed the trials," the queen replied. "I've heard that he's twenty-four, and he's very handsome. I've seen some holopics of him."
Padmé nodded, taking a deep breath. He'll be here soon, she thought. I need to make the best of an awkward situation.
"You seem a little on edge," Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn commented as the skiff came out of hyperspace. Newly conferred Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi sat stiffly next to his former mentor.
"You're trembling, Obi-Wan. Relax, take a deep breath."
"Easy for you to say, Master," the younger Jedi retorted. "You're not the one entering into a marriage contract with a girl you don't even know. How old is she anyway?" Obi-Wan had done his research on the Naboo people. Once they hit the age of fourteen standard years, they were considered adults, so marriages were contracted early. He didn't feel comfortable wedding and bedding a girl who was barely coming out of childhood.
"She is fourteen, but the Naboo queen is agreeable with waiting for the two of you to celebrate the marriage when the bride's a little older." Qui-Gon shrugged. "I've seen holopics of Padmé Naberrie Amidala, that's the handmaiden you'll be wed to. She's quite pretty." He sighed. "Look, Obi-Wan, this marriage is good for the Republic and the Jedi Order. By marrying Padmé, you ensure that Naboo will remain loyal to the Republic and the Jedi. All you can do is make the best of what will be an awkward situation. If it were me, I'd be hesitant as well."
Obi-Wan nodded as the skiff landed on the landing platform in front of the palace in Theed. Taking a deep breath, he walked with the older Master as they were escorted into the palace to meet his bride-to-be.