When I posted Land and Sky: Episode I--Happy Endings, my introduction mentioned that there would be a series of interconnected shorter pieces written between episodes. They're similar to the "missing scenes" that I occassionally do for One Path. I plan to write sets of them that are related but not interdependent. Meaning that while they are connected to one another and have a continuity and a chronology, they can also be read as stand-alone pieces as long as one is familiar with the basic premise of the AU. This is the first of those, in which Padme tells Anakin another story to help him sleep.

It was written for various writing challenges and fic requests on LJ. I had a request a while back specifically using the prompt "Once Upon a Time". Then my friend Sarah asked for another fairy tale. I'd planned to do more like this, as well as to do some actual re-writes of fairytales using Star Wars characters, so since Sarah needed to be cheered up, I have decided to post this now. There is a third installment where Padme tells the ENTIRE story over for Obi-Wan's family, so you will eventually get to find out where Yoda is. That won't actually get written until I've been able to really introduce Obi's family within the context of Land and Sky Episode II, so I tried hard to make this a complete, emotionally satisfying little piece as it stands. Also, she knows there's no such thing as a jazzberry and so do I, so no one has to tell me. That was one of my most annoying writing prompts and I've been trying to find a way to use it for some time.

I have not forgotten the other people to whom I owe requests. Thanks for your patience with it; things have not been cooperative for a while, but I have everyone's requests recorded and I know what I'm doing.

"The Saga of the Red Knight" which is quoted for Inalia's epigraphs in these chapters, is a sort of mix of three fairytales: Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. I planned for Inalia to write the story herself at some point within the telling of Episode III, but out of all the fairytales we've talked about using in this story, I think the Red Knight thing is my favorite. I really wanted to include it in this story somehow, because in my head the stories that Padme tells here are linked with the stories her daughter tells later, so I sort of cheated and found a way to do so.

"Loch Etive" by Mychael and Jeff Danna is one of my favorite Celtic instrumental pieces. (Land and Sky loves Celtic music; she won't be written to anything else.) In the opening of the song there's an actual recording of the natural sounds Padme and Obi-Wan are hearing in "Shine." I don't really feel like I did an adequate job of describing it, but I thought perhaps some of you would be interested in knowing about the musical aspect.

Oh. One more thing. My original vision for this story was that Qui-Gon died saving the baby and became the equivalent of the fairy-godmother. Given the context in which Padme's telling the story and how soon it was after Qui-Gon's death in the AU, I didn't think that would be appropriate for her story. So, when I get around to those actual re-writes I mentioned, it probably WILL be Qui-Gon as the fairy-godmother rather than the person it turns out to be here.

The Birth of the Prince

A long time ago, in land far, far away, there were heroes called White Knights and Red Knights. This is the story of how they learned to see the best in one another. The White Knights were wise and powerful, and they lived in a great ivory tower where they kept themselves wholly dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, justice, and peace. The Red Knights, it was said, were not so wise because they had no home and travelled the countryside seeking out those in need. Sometimes, a Red Knight would find a place and a people, marry, have children, and then become the sworn protector of that village or city. They knew less of the things that one learns in quiet contemplation, and they were not always so peaceful, but they understood the ways of the heart. Which way was wiser? Well, that depends on your perspective…

— Excerpt from The Saga of the Red Knight by Inalia Kenobi, Chronicler of the Ch'lliear

Anakin, predictably, couldn't sleep on their first night in Theed. The unaccustomed luxury of the rooms that Padme had arranged for him in the palace would probably have been enough to keep him awake on an ordinary night. He was alternately fascinated and overwhelmed by the idea of having so much space to himself, and Obi-Wan had to admit feeling much the same way. Then he said that he couldn't sleep on the feather mattress because it was too soft and he felt like his head was going to keep be sucked into the pillows and he would suffocate. Added to the material strangeness of the environment was the excitement and uncertainty of their future here.

There had been a flurry of activity and attention all day. First they had to face all the excited questions, concerned faces, or congratulations from her handmaidens. Then there was arrival of Sio Bibble and a gaggle of aides and advisors to add their questions and concerns to the already bubbling pot; Panaka's insistence upon discussion of security issues relevant to the wedding of Naboo's reigning monarch; and messages being sent to and from Padme's parents. Her family was, to say the least, surprised about his sudden change of heart, and while she said that they wouldn't oppose any marriage that would truly make her happy, Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel anxious about whether or not they would really accept him or Anakin. The boy, of course, picked up on his worries despite the effort he made to keep his thoughts centered in the present.

Padme solved the problem of his physical discomfort by suggesting that he strip the blankets off the bed and sleep on the floor. Then, once she and Obi-Wan had helped him settle himself there—disregarding the pillows entirely—she slipped onto the blanket beside him, tucked her feet under her, and suggested another bedtime story. Anakin lay on his side, head propped on his elbow as he looked intently up at her. There wasn't a hint of sleepiness in his expression or the way he held his body, and as Obi-Wan moved onto the edge of the bed to listen, he wondered if this particular story was going to have the effect they wanted.

Anakin insisted that he wanted one with Jedi in it, and most stories that Obi-Wan knew involving Jedi were either pedantically boring, having been told to him by his instructors at the temple for strictly educational purposes, or did not have particularly cheerful endings. She thought about it for a minute or two, her fingers moving in an absent rhythmic pattern over Anakin's hair, and then began.

"Once upon a time, there were a king and queen who loved each other very much. But they were unhappy because they had no children. Year after year, they hoped for one, but the queen never conceived. What they didn't know was that the royal advisor, who was wicked man and wanted to rule their planet for himself, was secretly slipping a jazzberry powder into the queen's breakfast every morning that kept her from having children. Finally, the queen's mother came to see her daughter and told her that she should make a pilgrimage to an ancient temple where their family had once served as clerics. The journey was long and could only be made on foot. Tradition held that only the woman, her husband, and a single companion could go along.

"So, the royal advisor tried very hard to convince the king that he should be the one to accompany them, but the king, being a wise man, thought that they should have a protector in case the journey proved to be dangerous. He had a good and loyal friend who had fought beside him years before when he was still a prince and invaders had come to their world. This friend was a Jedi Knight who had come to help them, and the king would have no other guardian for his wife. He sent a message to his friend, who came as quickly as his duties allowed, and the three set out—"

"Can the Jedi be Qui-Gon?" Anakin interrupted.

"Qui-Gon?" Padme asked in surprise. "You don't want him to be Obi-Wan?"

Anakin shook his head.

"Oh, thank you," sighed Obi-Wan dryly.

Smiling, Padme reached up with her free hand, fluttering her fingers in a beckoning motion. Obi-Wan shook his head a little in resignation and slipped his hand down to link his fingers with hers. He was mildly surprised at how natural the gesture seemed to him, but a smile touched his lips.

"Don't worry," Padme promised with a wink. "If there's a Qui-Gon in the story, there has to be an Obi-Wan. Right, Ani?"

"Of course," he nodded. "And an Anakin."

"Naturally," Obi-Wan agreed.

"Now," said Padme. "The pilgrimage took many months, and in all that time, the king and queen ate only what Qui-Gon prepared for them—"

"So, they lost quite a bit of weight," remarked Obi-Wan.

"Obi-Wan!" Padme scolded.

"Well, he wasn't a very good cook," he shrugged.

Anakin snorted.

"All right, stop interrupting," Padme shook her head.

"We're sorry," Obi-Wan apologized.

"Fine. Where was I?"

"I think the queen was going to conceive," he said.

"Right. So, not long after the king and queen returned from their pilgrimage, the queen gave birth to a son, who they called Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon was still visiting, and with his Jedi powers, he perceived that some might soon befall the prince. So, he stayed close by his friends, always keeping a watchful eye on the baby.

"He sensed that the royal advisor was not who he appeared to be, but what he didn't know was that the man was also learned in the ways of the Force. He had two apprentices, so one night, he sent one of them to attack Qui-Gon and the other to kill the royal family. Qui-Gon knew that the real danger was directed at his friends, so he led his attacker through the halls to the doors of Prince Obi-Wan's nursery where the other one was about to reach the baby…" she trailed off as Anakin giggled at the idea of Obi-Wan in a crib.

He rubbed his eyes but kept silent, listening to her descriptions of lightsaber combat and trying not to smile, since he was sure that doing so would earn him a dirty look at the very least. Truthfully, they weren't all that bad. He had a hard time with the notion of Qui-Gon so casually leading his opponent exactly where the Sith apprentice was supposed to be preventing him from going, but it was a children's story after all. He was rather surprised when Qui-Gon didn't actually defeat the two Sith but wrapped the infant prince in his cloak and jumped out the window, narrowly escaping his own death in the process.

The two Sith pursued them of course, forcing him to flee the planet with the baby. Anakin started to drift off as the space chase dragged on, so eventually, Qui-Gon tricked them into believing that they had destroyed his ship. Once they had given up, he took the infant prince back to the temple, where, surprisingly, Yoda was not present. Padme made no mention of the Grand Master, saying that the only person to whom Qui-Gon revealed the prince's identity was Master Windu. Together, the two of them decided to change Obi-Wan's name in order to better conceal his survival from the evil advisor. This seemed reasonable to him until the Jedi pinned the baby with the moniker of "Cinder-Wan."

"Cinder-Wan?" he demanded, forcing his voice to a whisper in order to keep from disturbing Anakin, who was blinking and struggling to stay awake by now.

She grinned and shrugged. "Well, it was supposed to be a princess named Elle and the people who raised her called her Cinderella, but you know he likes princes."

"Marvelous," he raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"What are you complaining about? You get to be a prince," she pointed out.

"Oh, yes. I guess you're right. I'm quite lucky, aren't I?" he smirked. "So, are you going to tell me where Yoda is hiding?"

"Well," she said, her smile becoming playfully secretive as she looked from him to Anakin. "It looks like Ani's finally ready to sleep, my prince, so you'll just have to wait until tomorrow."

"But—"

"Be patient," she chided him teasingly. Then she bent to kiss Anakin's forehead. "Good night, Ani."

"Night, Padme," he murmured sleepily.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Good night, Anakin."

"Night, Cinder-Wan."