The Dark Uprising
Prologue
Lightning flashed, a narrow streak across the darkened
sky. The wind came, howling like an accursed beast with ravenous spirits. I
rose from the ground. The silvery shards of molten steel fell in torrents, dampened
my cloak, and worsened my spirits. It seemed as if the earth was competing against
my puny self, and that, in itself, had created a mood fouler than all imagination.
The roar of hungry ogres could be heard well up in
the sky. Thunder. That magnificent yet stubbornly adamant fiend refused to budge
from its resting place. There it went again, a roaring tyrant, rumbling deeply
in the hollow sky. I stared with glazed eyes, my mind in a rush. The clouds,
the swirling formation was coming into place. Soon, the heavens would open,
and my time would finally come.
Yes! It was at the right moment. I yelled, taunting
the very presence of Mother Nature. "I have known your earth to be so full of
faults. For my part, I have walked the land, submitting myself into the perilous
night. Thus unbraced, as you see, I bare my bosom to the thunderstone. Let your
cross blue lightning open, and I shall bear myself in the very aim and flash
of it." Following that, there was a flash, and that, was the end.
The florescent rays radiated the room, my home in
Naboo. I rose, astonished at my absurd lateness. Fortunately, I had no duty's
calling today. While engaging myself in the morning rituals, a thought suddenly
struck me. Frantically, I dashed out into the corridor, and swiftly made my
way to the upper floors.
"Your Highness, I have arrived." My current condition
was much unbecoming of a Jedi; especially one the elders say is destined to
be the balance. A Jedi would not be gasping with breathlessness or be late for
an assignment.
"Jedi Skywalker," The Senator rose from her lavishly
adorned seat in front of the dressing table. "You are late."
"I am sorry, your Highness."
"According to protocol, Skywalker, you are not allowed
to call me Highness. That title reserved for the Queen, and the Queen alone."
"I am sorry, your Highness." Oops, major blunder.
The Senator smiled understandingly. "Take care to ensure
such does not happen again."
"Yes, my lady."
Clasping her hands together, she reverted into her
commanding tone. "Now, Jedi Skywalker, I would like to have you accompany me
for a very late breakfast."
"Finally," I breathed a sigh of relief. "Those high
and mighty moods of hers usually lasted for hours. She must be up to something."
Glancing upwards from the dining table, I stared into
the deep brown eyes of the Senator. Even though we were tied by wedding vows,
her presence remained intoxicating. One look and I was entrapped. "Jedi Skywalker,"
the Senator spoke coyly. "Is it possible for you to dine without glaring at
me with that menacingly irresistible look?"
"My lady, I am afraid that I cannot…"
"And why is that so, young Jedi Skywalker?"
"In a man's heart there is a secret nerve that responds
to the vibrations of beauty."
"Why, Jedi Skywalker," she replied. "Is that an insult,
or is it flattery?"
"My lady, I wouldn't dare."
"You had better not."
And so, the conversation continued, with Padme Amidala
easily overpowering my less fluent self. It remained enjoyable, however, for
so long as she was there, life was only beginning. True joy was indeed, found
in the people you love.
Padme. My mind could not cease to see her ethereal beauty. She was like a flower, no, more delicate than any flower. Her face shone with youthful elegance, reminding me of her sweet happiness in the plains of Naboo. She was a rose blossoming in summer's end. She was the uplifting breeze of the evening star. She was the oasis in the maddening sands. She was indeed, more than a flower. She was… my Padme. And I would never let go.