Chapter 9:

It was an exciting day for the young princess. Mindful of her aunts' instructions on maintaining royal comportment at all time, Leia did her best to stay dignified, but it was very difficult. She was almost giddy with excitement as she was taken to each public appearance and ceremony. For her, this was the first time that she had done this many public events; usually, it was her mother who represented Alderaan. Leia knew how important and serious her role was, she was a royal ambassador representing her home world, but the little girl in her could not help but find the entire process incredibly fun.

After spending most of the afternoon traveling around Coruscant, Leia was a little disappointed when she was taken back to the Alderaanian consulate. Then, the princess remembered the Royal Ball, and her disappointment faded with the promise of being able to go to the event she had been begging her parents to let her attend for the last four years.

She knew that part of the reason that she had to attend was to give the oath of fealty to the Emperor. Leia had never met the supreme leader of the Empire before and was apprehensive. She knew that her parents were not thrilled with her having to give the oath in the queen's stead. Her mother had sworn Alderaan's loyalty every year since the beginning of the Empire, and through various overheard conversations, Leia knew that it was something Breha hated doing.

"What did you think of today?" Bail asked as they entered the consulate's main entrance.

Leia smiled broadly, "I loved it! It was so much fun." Then, the princess remembered that she was there to fulfill her royal responsibility, not have fun. She put on an expression that, she hoped, showed responsibility, not childish glee. "Of course, it was an honor to represent Alderaan in any manner required of me."

Bail laughed heartily. "You know, a princess is allowed to have fun occasionally, as long as she never forgets her duties and who she represents."

Leia laughed, "Thank you Father. I will never forget."

"I know you won't."

"When does the ball begin?" Leia asked, a little more subdued, but still with a childish enthusiasm.

"O-eighteen-hundred and it will last for several hours. It will be a late night for you." Leia could hear some concern in her father's voice. "I wish you had time to rest beforehand, but you need to get ready soon."

Leia furrowed her brow in annoyance at Bail's comment. She hated being treated like a baby. "I'll be fine, I don't need a nap."

Bail laughed, "When you are older, believe me, you will wish you had more naps."

The pair made their way to one of the reception rooms off the senator's office. Bail turned to his daughter, "Leia, I need you to stay here a few minutes. I have a communication to make. Also, I'm going to get someone to help you prepare for the ball. Just wait right there."

When Bail disappeared into his office, Leia sighed in annoyance as she sat down. Oh great, more communications. How long will he make me wait this time? Leia tried her best to sit still, but that task was becoming increasingly difficult with each passing moment.

After a few minutes, she heard someone enter the room. Hoping it was her father, she looked up to find a woman staring at her. "Hello."

"Hello Princess. I saw you sitting her all alone; you looked like you could use some company." The woman smiled.

The princess recognized her from the day before. "You are Ambassador Komour's wife?"

The woman walked up to the princess and gave a respectful curtsy. "Yes, I am. My name is Sabé. It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Leia."

The princess was thrilled to have some company. Leia liked this woman immediately; she could tell she was kind. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Komour."

The former handmaiden laughed. "Princess, you can call me Sabé. I only use the title at official functions."

Leia smiled, she liked this woman even more. For some reason, she felt a connection with her. "Call me by my first name too. It's what my friends call me."

Sabé took a seat opposite of the princess. "I assume you will be attending the ball tonight?"

"Yes, I will have the honor of representing Alderaan at the Royal Ball this evening." Leia replied with a speech that she had practiced; she hoped it sounded dignified enough.

Sabé nodded, Leia could tell that she was trying to cover up a chuckle. The princess could not blame her, it probably did sound silly. "I see. I'll be attending as well, escorted by the ambassador. I've never been to the Royal Ball on Coruscant; I heard it's the social event of the year."

"I've never been to something this big before. I usually only go to smaller events on Alderaan. Have you ever been to a ball before?"

"Yes, I've been to a few of them in my lifetime."

"I'm sure Ambassador Komour's position requires him to attend many events like that."

Sabé nodded, "True, and I attended many functions when I was younger."

Leia brightened slightly at the mention of Naboo. "Oh yes, I remember you telling my Father about how you were a handmaiden to the queen of Naboo."

"Yes, I was a handmaiden for eight years during the reign of Queen Amidala."

"Last year, my tutors had me choose a planet to study, I chose Naboo." Leia informed Sabé.

Leia heard Sabé mutter something under her breath that sounded like, "of course you did," but the princess decided not to comment. Leia could tell that the woman was not very comfortable with the new turn in the conversation. The princess could see a sad look in her eyes. She wondered why the mention of her home world caused pain.

"I remember reading about Queen Amidala, but there's not much written about her. You must have been close to her, if you were a handmaiden. My mother has three handmaidens and they are her best friends."

"Yes, I was very close to her." Sabé answered quietly, seemingly deep in thought. "Maybe someday I'll tell you about her."

Leia smiled, "I'd like that." Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by the door of Bail's office opening. When he walked out of the room, his eyes quickly found Sabé sitting there with his daughter. Leia could see that her father was uneasy. "Hello Father."

Not taking his eyes off the former handmaiden, Bail responded, "I see you found some company." The senator gave a formal bow. "Hello, Lady Komour. Thank you for looking after my daughter."

Sabé stood to greet Bail. "It was no problem, Senator Organa. I was happy for the company."

Bail looked at Sabé thoughtfully for a few more seconds before turning his gave upon Leia. "We have to go. Your gown has been prepared; I'm trying to find someone to help you get ready."

"If I may, Senator," Sabé interjected. "I can help the Princess prepare for the ball. I have experience in these matters."

"Oh please Father, can Sabé help?" Leia begged.

Bail turned back to Sabé. Looking up at him, Leia could see a strange look on her father's face. "I do not want to trouble Lady Komour with matters that are not her concern. I'm sure she has better things to do."

"It is no trouble. I would be honored." Sabé answered.

Bail sighed, "All right, thank you for your help."

"You're welcome. Come Princess, let's get you ready." Sabé took Leia's hand and the pair departed, leaving Bail behind.

"I heard about what happened last night, is Leia all right?" Mon Mothma walked up to Bail as he was walking through the Senate Complex and began speaking immediately.

"I was just on my way to your office."

"Me too, let's go together." As the senators walked purposefully down the corridors, they continued their discussion. "Is Leia all right?"

Bail turned toward the senator from Chandrila. "How did you find out about it?"

Mon laughed knowingly, "It's the most popular topic of conversation today."

I should have known. "Leia is shaken up, but she seems otherwise unharmed."

"That's good." Bail could tell that the other senator wanted to say more, he waited until she got the courage. "I wonder why Vader wanted to speak to her. It seems like questioning a lost child would be something he wouldn't bother with."

Where is she going with this? "I don't know; Vader's reasons are usually mysterious."

"That they are." Mon stalled for a few more seconds before continuing. "I wonder if Leia being questioned by Vader had anything to do with who her father is."

Bail's head turned sharply toward the other senator. By the Maker! "What do you mean?"

"Bail, you are not anonymous. You have been under suspicion since the formation of the Empire, as have I. Do you think that may have had something to do with Vader's questioning?"

"I don't think so. I think he only questioned her because of where she was found."

Mon nodded as she led Bail into her office. Repeating a ritual that had begun even before the formation of the Empire, she went to her desk and brought out an electronic device. After pushing a few buttons and looking at the readout, she put the device away. "All right, no bugs detected, we're free to talk."

At least the ones that machine can detect, we're dead if the Empire invents a new type of listening device. Bail had never completely trusted that their personal offices were completely safe places to discuss Organization business. Bug finder equipment had made him a little more comfortable, but never completely so. In these perilous times, being free of unease was impossible, especially on Coruscant.

Instead of briefing him Organization business, like Bail expected, Senator Mothma continued their hallway conversation. "Bail, I'm very concerned about this. With everything that's going on, with terrorists threats, and with the constant surveillance that we are subjected to, it looks really bad that Leia was found in one of the most restricted areas in all of Empire."

Bail stared straight at Mon, his eyes challenging her. "What does that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean, Bail. Your daughter's adventures at the Jedi temple could subject you to more suspicion, and more surveillance. This could expose all of our efforts."

Bail was livid, partly because the other senator had brought his daughter into this and partly because he was not certain she was wrong. "She got lost."

"That's not what I heard. I heard that she broke away from her security detail, just to take a look at the temple. This is a dangerous habit for the daughter of a counter-revolutionary." Mon's voice got louder with each sentence. "Most likely Leia will be helping us eventually in the Organization, if things go as planned."

Bail had thought about his and his family's future in this insurrection that they were planning. He did not want Leia involved. However, with her position as the High Princess and heir to the throne, it was most likely inevitable. He hoped that the Empire would be gone by the time she came of age, but the realist in him told Bail that was wishful thinking. "That day may come." Bail began with an angry tone that few ever heard from him. "Until it comes, we will not speak of Leia as an Organization asset. As far as I'm concerned, what happened last night was absolutely none of its business. It was a family matter."

"Fine, just don't forget, people like her are our future."

"I never do, and I never will." Bail decided that he had had enough and he changed the subject. "You told me you had something else to discuss."

A little surprised by the sudden intensity she saw in Bail, Mon allowed the subject to be changed. "Yes, I got a report from a few of our informants. It seems that the Empire has not even issued an internal security alert in response to Soldiers of the Republic's threats."

"That doesn't make any sense." Security alerts were common since the formation of the Empire, and usually for things that, in Bail's opinion, did not warrant them. Now that an actual threat had been made, the Empire did not seem concerned.

"I know, and it really troubles me."

Maybe Palpatine used his powers and determined that the group posed no real threat. "Our informants may be wrong."

"Of course, that is always a possibility. I just think we need to be on guard."

Bail sighed loudly. "When are we not on guard?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He did not want to sound like he did not take what she said seriously, he did. However, with everything that had happened since the day before, Bail did not want to have one more thing to worry about. "I apologize, I respect what you are saying and I agree."

Mon nodded sympathetically. "Don't worry about it. I know you've probably been through hell since last night. I know you will never let us down."

I wish I had her faith in my leadership. "Thank you."

Thinking the meeting was over, Bail turned to leave. "There's one more thing."

Please, I don't think I can take 'one more thing.' Bail faced Mon again and asked weakly. "What is it?"

"I received some troubling news from some of our associates." That was the term that the Organization used in referring to members of the Imperial Senate that shared their views. "A few of them are saying that we should throw our support to Soldiers of the Republic."

Bail wished that he could have been surprised, but he was not. A few members of the Organization had been complaining that work to overthrow the Emperor was moving too slowly and they should begin an armed resistance. The senator from Alderaan knew that an armed resistance was most likely going to be necessary, despite his pacifist philosophies; but he knew that it was too soon for that. Impatience would get them all killed. "They're wrong; Soldiers of the Republic are now threatening civilians. We can't get involved in a terrorist organization."

"Some would say that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." Reacting to Bail's look of outrage on his face, Mon tried to calm the situation. "I don't think that Bail, I agree with you completely. I just wanted to let you know what is going on."

"Thank you for making me aware of the situation." Bail wanted nothing more than to end this conversation. "If you excuse me, Senator Mothma, I must be on my way." Not even waiting for a response, Bail quickly left the office.

"You're really good at this, Sabé." The princess exclaimed as she was getting her hair expertly styled by the former handmaiden.

Sabé smiled as she maneuvered another long lock of hair into position, "Thank you, Leia. I have had many years of practice." The hairstyle she was creating was very elaborate, and almost eerily similar to the styles she had seen on Padmé. It was not until Sabé was half way finished that she realized the hairstyle was so similar.

"When you were a handmaiden, you did this a lot? My mother has several handmaidens, and they all have different jobs. One of them styles her hair, another prepares her gowns, things like that."

Yes, your mother did have many handmaidens, and I was probably one of them. Sabé was nearly convinced that Leia was the biological daughter of Padmé Amidala. In the short time that she had spent with her, she had seen too many of the former queen's mannerisms in Leia for it to be a coincidence. "I did style Queen Amidala's hair a few times, and I've styled my daughters' hair many times as well."

"How many kids do you have? How old are they?"

Sabé noticed that Leia seemed to brighten with the knowledge that she had children. The poor girl was probably lonely for company and was excited at the possibility of a playmate her age. "I have three children, two daughters and one son. My son is nine years old, my first daughter is six years old, and my second daughter is four years old."

Leia smiled. "I'd love to meet them."

"Certainly, I know they'd love to meet you." Adding one last pin to the princess' hair, Sabé declared herself finished.

Leia was very pleased with the results. "It's so beautiful; I wish I could wear it like this every day!"

Thinking about the many times she had to wear such an elaborate hairstyle when impersonating the queen, Sabé could not help but laugh. "You'll probably have a different opinion by the end of the night. Those hairpins can get very irritating." She then added with mock seriousness. "Don't even think about taking them out before you leave the ball."

The princess laughed, "I promise; I won't.

"All right, let's get your gown on." Sabé grabbed the formal gown and began to help the princess into it. It was a very traditional white gown favored by Alderaanian royalty. She herself was going to be wearing a gown similar in style. Sabé's marriage to Jorran had made her, not only a citizen of Alderaan, but since he was a cousin to Queen Breha, a member of the royal family as well. Sabé had never regretted giving up her Naboo citizenship.

The planet had not been the same since Queen Amidala stepped down from office. After the clone wars, Naboo received much attention from her most famous native son, Emperor Palpatine. The democracy that Naboo had fought for had been replaced with control by a regional governor, answerable only to the Emperor himself. Sabé was disgusted by Naboo's appeasement. The few statements that were released from the government of Naboo were full of praise for every action of the Emperor. In Sabé's opinion, the queen, the senator, and the other representatives were all equally guilty.

Sabé understood the realities of Naboo's position. They were a peace loving people under the thumb of an oppressive dictator; Alderaan was in the same situation. However, her adopted homeworld did not go to the lengths that Naboo went to praise Palpatine's every move. The entire situation had made Sabé very bitter against the world of her birth. Despite the many requests from her family to return home for a visit, she had not stepped foot on Naboo for over six years.

Finally, Sabé finished with Leia's gown. After smoothing out a few wrinkles and making sure the fabric hung correctly, she turned the princess to the mirror. "What do you think?"

Leia gasped when she saw herself. She had worn formalwear before, but never something this beautiful. She felt almost grown up in this gown. Sabé noticed that her posture seemed to get even more regal, and she held her head higher. It was at that moment that any lingering doubts over whom Leia's mother was vanished. Wearing the elaborate gown and hairstyle, the resemblance to Padmé was striking. She carried herself with the same grace that Sabé had seen in her friend. Oh Padmé, you would have been so proud of her. You should have been here. She cursed the cruel fate that took Padmé from her daughter and the rest of the galaxy. Why did she have to die?

"Thank you so much for helping me." Leia turned from the mirror to the woman standing behind her; she frowned slightly when she saw her face. "What's wrong? You look sad."

Sabé quickly wiped the tear that threatened to fall and smiled; she did not want the princess to see her like this. "Oh nothing, you just reminded me of an old friend."

"Was it Queen Amidala?" Leia asked.

Sabé nodded, "yes, you remind me of her a great deal."

"What was she like?"

The former handmaiden wanted nothing more than to tell Leia all about Padmé, but she did not trust herself enough. She was afraid that, in her eagerness, she would blurt out something she should not. Sabé knew herself enough to know that she was not ready. "I'll tell you someday. Meanwhile, we need to get you to your father. You are going to have to be at the ball fairly soon." Sabé took the princess' hand and took her back to Senator Organa.

Afterward, Sabé returned to her and her family's living quarters to get herself ready for the ball. As she was putting on her own gown, Sabé thought back to how the senator acted when she returned Leia. She remembered that Bail seemed very uncomfortable with her being around the princess; she did not blame him at all. If she were in his position, she knew she would feel the same. Sabé understood that Senator Organa did not want his adopted daughter around someone who was so very close to her biological mother. He doesn't need to worry; I won't tell Leia the truth. That's his job to do someday.

Leia could not stop chattering in excitement. Bail knew that the Royal Ball was something his daughter had been looking forward to for months, ever since she found out she would be attending. Even though he was dreading the event, he could not help but be amused by Leia's antics. He was glad to see her acting like the child that she was. It hurt Bail to know that, because of her position, Leia would not have much of a childhood.

He and the queen had striven to make Leia's childhood as normal as possible. However, despite the hard work, their daughter had little time to be carefree. To Bail, it seemed that Leia's trip to Coruscant had forced her to grow up even more in such a short time.

The speeder stopped in front of the entrance to the Imperial Palace where the Royal Ball was being held. The construction of the grand palace had begun not long after Palpatine's reign began. It was the senator from Naboo who proposed that it be built. The massive structure was sickeningly ornate. However, something about the building was not right. Bail could not put his finger on it, but something about the architecture seemed wrong.

At first, the senator believed that what he knew about the Emperor's true nature that colored his perceptions of the palace, but he realized he was not alone in his feelings. Children living in the surrounding buildings thought the palace was haunted and used it as a setting for many ghost stories. Everyone else, it seemed, saw nothing off-putting about it. It was even hailed in the galaxy's main architectural digest, as a "masterpiece of design which perfectly mixes modern with the traditional." Bail sometimes wondered if he and those children were the only ones who saw something wrong with the palace.

Lieutenant Sobrel disembarked the speeder first, only one security escort was allowed per party. Earlier that day, Bail had spoken a great deal to his trusted head of security regarding the incident the night before. After grilling him for two hours, demanding every detail of his confinement by the Empire, the senator was convinced that Sobrel had done all he could; and he, nor any other member of his team, could be blamed for what happened.

Senator Organa got out next, and helped his daughter get out of the vehicle. Leia, who had never seen the Imperial Palace before, stared at the massive building in front of her. "This is the palace?"

Bail nodded, "yes, I know it's very different than anything you've seen before." Leia had seen, and lived in, palaces before. However, the style favored by Alderaanian architects was free flowing and more in-tune with nature. The colors were less severe as well, usually soft white. Everything she had seen before was the complete opposite to what Leia was seeing now. The Imperial Palace was harsh and cold; the architecture could never be interpreted as free flowing by any stretch of the imagination.

"Yes, very different." Leia agreed, seemingly deep in though. Bail wondered if the palace disturbed her as much as it did him.

Bail held out his arm dramatically for his daughter to take. "Well Princess, shall we enter the ball?"

Leia giggled slightly before covering her mouth in embarrassment. She took his arm and looked up at her father. "Yes, we shall."

When Leia looked up at him, Bail was struck with how much she looked like Senator Amidala. He had seen it before, but something about her wearing the elaborate formal gown and hairstyle made the resemblance much more pronounced. He hoped no one else could see it.

With Lieutenant Sobrel following closely behind, the senator and the High Princess of Alderaan made their way into the Imperial Palace. Like every other guest, their arrival to the ball was announced as they entered the main hall. Bail could see that Leia was thrilled by this new experience, but was trying her best to hide it and remain poised. As they walked through the massive hall, Leia's smile was radiant as she took in the sights and sounds of this new experience.

Bail was less impressed, in fact, he was sickened and disturbed. Every year it was the same, the Grand Hall, with its oppressive opulence, was filled with nearly a thousand royals representing the monarchies of various planets. Only human worlds were represented; it had been that way since the first Royal Ball six years ago. It was never officially announced that only humans would be allowed into the ball, but it was plainly obvious that was the Emperor's intent; non-humans were just not invited. The first year, Palpatine's decision was surprising and controversial, but six years later, it was an accepted part of life in the Empire.

The Emperor's throne was situated in the center of the massive room. The purpose of this event was painfully obvious. Palpatine wanted to be worshiped; he wanted his underlings to show deference to him and him alone. Royal after royal went up to the hideous creature and swore their unending devotion. Most did not see anything wrong with it, and that was what frustrated Bail the most. The fealty oath was just seen as a simple matter of protocol—just words.

Bail knew that words had immense power. When someone gave the oath, they were essentially saying they were giving up any rights to govern their own worlds to the Emperor; he would be their supreme ruler. Any power they may have was at Palpatine's discretion and could be taken away at his whim. Bail was not sure what he hated the most, the oath of fealty or the fact that so many gladly went along with it because it was the "social event of the year."

He felt a sudden tension in Leia's arm that was linked to his. He looked down and saw that her bright smile was gone, replaced by wide-eyed terror. "What is it?"

Leia's eyes shut tightly, as if she did not want to see the horror that was coming. Bail did not understand, he could see nothing that might be frightening to her. Then, he heard the sound that always heralded bad things, Vader's breathing. The sound of it entered the room before he did; Bail wondered how Leia could have known that he was coming before she heard the breathing. That's a stupid question, Organa. Of course she would know.

The crowd seemed to part when Vader walked through the room and made his way to the Emperor's side. No one wanted to be around him; no one wanted his shadow to fall on them. Why is he here? He never comes to this event. That confusion was echoed by many in the room. Bail heard many hushed conversations speculating as to the reason why Lord Vader had arrived.

Bail knew that Leia was absolutely terrified. He led her to the side of the grand hall and knelt down to face her. "Leia, I'm so sorry about this. I was not aware that Lord Vader would be attending."

The princess opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "I know Father, I'll be fine."

Bail glanced over to the throne and saw Vader standing beside Palpatine. He wanted to take his precious daughter away from all of this, but it was impossible. He turned back to Leia, and took her small hands in his. "I'm sorry, but we have to go up to the Emperor now."

Leia nodded, "I know, I can do this."

"It will be very quick, just say the oath and the Emperor will most likely dismiss you immediately." Bail wondered if it was Leia that he was re-assuring or himself.

"I know, Mother and I practiced before we left." Leia put on a resolved look that Bail had identified as her "brave face," one that was the exact duplicate of a look he had seen on Senator Amidala on many occasions. "I'm ready."

With great reluctance, Bail escorted Leia to the center of the room and entered the line of those wishing to give their oath. Bail looked down and noticed Leia looking intently at something in front of her. He looked up to see Vader staring in her direction, and Leia was staring right back. Bail was proud of the princess for not letting herself be intimidated by Vader; very few people looked directly at the Dark Lord. What is Vader looking for? Does he see an echo of his dead wife? Does he see a bit of his former self? Knowing that he had to be careful of his thoughts while in the presence of the Sith Lords, he forced his mind off that subject.

The line moved too quickly for Bail's taste, it was now Leia's turn. He stopped about fifteen feet from the throne and Leia released her arm from his. Only the one giving the oath was allowed to approach the throne; he as the escort would have to remain behind. Maker, give her strength.

Leia looked one last time at Bail and smiled, she was determined to be brave. She then took the short walk to the throne and approached the two Sith Lords alone.