Ballad of the Winter Rose
A SW Rebels/Doctor Who Romance
Written by: Nehru_Amidala aka FossilQueen1984
Genre: Gothic romance, drama, hurt/comfort, dark fantasy, slight horror
Cast list: Thrawn- Mads Mikkelsen, Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Konstantine- Mark Hamill, Kanan- Freddie Prinze Jr., Hera- Vanessa Marshall, Ezra- Taylor Gray, Sabine- Tiya Sircar, Zeb and Rex- Steve Blum, Paelleon- Mark Harmon, Lyste- Daniel Radcliffe, Admiral Rae Sloane- Octavia Spencer, Director Krennic- Ben Mendelsohn, Galen Erso- Lars Mikkelsen, Emperor Palpatine- Sam Witwer
Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva, beginnings of Ezra/Sabine, Kallus/Zeb and Krennic/Galen Erso
Chapter soundtrack: Mandolin Concerto RV425- Vivaldi, Glory to the Empire- Kevin Kliner, Blue Danube Waltz- Strauss
Chapter 38: Empire Day, Part 2
Invitations from Coruscant were sent out mid-July, ensuring timely arrival to all of the eligible officers stationed in the Outer Rim, Wild Space, and the Transitory Mists. Minerva was not expecting the gold plated cardstock with elegant calligraphy on it. She was aware that Thrawn and Lyste had received similar invitations, but they were wonderful for the eye to behold. She inquired to Thrawn if the stationary was mass-printed. To her surprise, the design was copy written by the Imperial Palace, and only people who were employed there could use it for business purposes.
Having never been to a proper ball before, Thrawn attempted to explain the protocol. Guests were expected to start arriving at the main gate by 7:30 PM. From there, liveried valets would examine their biometrics to confirm they were on the master guest list, and after that the couple would walk through the main corridor and be announced either one or two at a time. Since they were engaged, they would be introduced as "Grand Admiral Thrawn and his fiancée, General Minerva Hektor". Following their presentation, they would wait along the edges of the room. Palpatine would appear once the last guests had been presented, he would give a short speech, and the dancing would begin.
A sumptuous banquet would be announced later in the evening, around 9. During the interval, droids would come around with drinks and appetizers. Guests were free to mingle with whoever they pleased until the party started winding down, well after midnight. Blushing slightly, Thrawn asked Minerva if she would stay the night with him. Minerva agreed heartily to it.
Once the RSVP's were submitted, Minerva discovered she really did had nothing to wear. Being practical, she decided to surf the Holonet and see what she could find. Dress stores all over the Core worlds were having sales, and although Minerva could afford just about any dress she could want (or borrow from Lynette), she felt that this was a special occasion. The selection was amazing, how could she choose?
She eventually found the perfect gown, and it was from Corellia of all places. The undergown was silver colored, with a fine white mesh overgown covered with yellow flowers. The sleeves were narrow and the collar exposed her shoulders. The betrothal bracelet from Thrawn and her engagement ring were matching accessories. Her hairstyle was a different matter altogether. So used to using an army of bobby pins to keep her hair in place, Minerva was delighted to end when she discovered she could use her nascent Force powers to keep her hair in place. Her hair was piled into a bun, with her side locks braided over her ears. A young Queen Victoria had worn her hair in the same way when she had been a young woman, so it was appropriate for a royal fete.
Thrawn had a much easier go of it, from a fashion perspective. Dress protocol for these events called for dress uniforms and polished boots. Dress uniforms for Grand Admirals had epaulets on the shoulders, and Thrawn was quite certain Minerva eyed him closely whenever he wore it.
The grand day finally arrived, and shuttles ferried all of the higher ups from where their fleets were stationed to Coruscant. For those who did not have stylish apartments, hotel suites had been arranged for their stays. Minerva would be prepping for the ball in her old quarters from her time as a student. Her date informed her he would pick her up at 6:45.
Blushing wildly at what the night might possibly offer, Minerva took an early dinner and finished applying a light shade lipstick before the door chimes rang merrily. Glancing at the modular wall chrono, she could scarcely believe it was time. She was nervous, excited and giddy all at the same time. Who would she meet, who would ask about her upcoming nuptials?
Figuring she would deal with the naysayers at the fete, she had slipped on her dancing slippers when she walked over to the door to let Thrawn into the apartment. When she saw him standing on the threshold bedecked in an immaculate dress uniform, heavens! She felt herself flush, and at a loss for words, invited him in.
Pulling her close, Thrawn greeted her with a very long kiss. Once they broke apart, Thrawn offered his date his arm and asked softly, "Shall we go?" Nodding, Minerva managed to reply a soft yes which Thrawn took to be an agreement. Helping her into his speeder, off they went!
Because of the importance of the day, the air-traffic lanes were congested further in towards the Federal district, but Thrawn knew the back ways like the back of his hand, and they arrived with a few minutes to spare. When they arrived, Thrawn handed the speeder's key fob to a valet droid and gently escorted the love of his life towards the front staircase.
The former Jedi Temple was bedecked in Imperial flags and the scarlet-clad Imperial Royal Guards stood at attention at the very top, with legions of stormtroopers flanking the central row, acting as a military guard for the guests. As they made their way into the queue, Minerva observed Moff Tarkin speaking to Vizer Pestage and Armand Isard. They saw her and all parties bowed heads in a friendly manner. They also acknowledged Thrawn, although a few Army officers made faces as the couple passed, obviously dismayed Minerva was not marrying one of them.
The guards ushered them into a lavish, high ceilinged hall filled nearly to capacity with Imperial senators, officers and their dates. Minerva wondered if she would see Senator Organa and Leia, but Thrawn led her to a quiet area to speak to her.
"Don't seek out Leia or her father, the Emperor is already suspicious of them."
"I was just curious to meet them. Would that be out of line?"
"Yes and no. A brief introduction is permissible, but there are fears if the Doctor should get involved, the Rebellion will win the war."
"Even though we know Vader is eventually redeemed?"
"Even then, the destruction of Alderaan is a fixed point in time, as much as I hate to admit it. Leia Organa must not learn Vader is her father, not yet."
Sliding her hand into his, Thrawn gave it a gentle squeeze and smiled at her. As they maneuvered away from the alcove and out into the hall, they were greeted by none other than Director Krennic. A wine glass was in one hand, and the other was holding the hand of another man. Krennic's date was tallish with dark brown hair and a beard, he had kind eyes. He nodded to them reverently, "Good evening, Grand Admiral, General." Something in his voice sounded sad and distant. Minerva frowned, why was this man so downtrodden?
Neither she nor Thrawn were allowed to dwell on their initial observations because Krennic boasted to them, "Good evening Thrawn and Minerva. Glad to see you two make it, Lothal must be awful this time of year. Backwater planets with no nightlife, won't catch me spending time there, even if it's to promote peace. Oh? This is my boyfriend, Galen Erso." Galen nodded, and his eyes met Minerva's.
Before he could speak, Galen groped the other man's rear and Galen squeaked before giving his date a quick peck. Thrawn frowned after them, their relationship was decidedly one-sided. However, he was in no place to judge as plenty of his fellow Imperials probably felt the same way about his relationship with Minerva.
By now, the attendees were being positioned towards the main hallway that led into the gigantic ballroom. As they made their way up the staircase, Thrawn and Minerva could hear the Imperial Symphony Orchestra warming up. The couple ahead of them were announced, and suddenly it was their turn.
"Presenting from the Seventh Fleet, Grand Admiral Thrawn and his fiancée, General Minerva Hektor," the emcee droid announced. Gracefully leading his date it, all eyes turned towards the regal couple. Thrawn had a look of smug satisfaction on his face, while Minerva was blushing the entire time. Once they had descended from the staircase, they found themselves standing in a group of fellow officers from the Imperial Navy.
Among them was a woman a few years older than Minerva, and her skin was a rich cocoa color. Her hair was out and she was tall. Noticing Minerva, she smiled and extended her hand, "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? You're the mapmaker, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. I've been here in the Palace before, just not this room. I don't believe I caught your name."
"I'm Rae, Admiral Rae Sloane. Pleased to meet you."
She smiled warmly, and in a few minutes the two women made friends. Rae had worked with Thrawn before and considered him a work friend, and wanted to get better introduced to Minerva, when the Imperial anthem started up. All eyes turned towards the staircase, and there stood the Emperor.
Instead of looking like his regular wizened self, his visage was that of a kindly old man, which unnerved Minerva, Thrawn and Rae to no end. Raising his hands to greet the excited crowd, he waited for the music to finish before addressing the gathered throng:
"Greetings, my loyal Imperial Officers and Senators- the happiest of Empire Day to you all. I wish you all a good evening, and let the celebration commence."
No sooner had Palpatine taken his leave, when the band struck up its first number of the night, a waltz. Bowing to his date, Thrawn asked her for a dance and she happily agreed. As more couples joined in the dancing, Thrawn and Minerva were lost in their own little world. The waltzed effortlessly atop the tiled floor, and they were gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. Other couples did whisper about how odd they were, but they were jealous. Many couples there were in arranged marriages, some happier than others, and it was jarring to see the Chiss and the human so happy together, and after a long courtship to boot.
On the opposite side of the dance floor, Galen and Orson were also dancing. Unlike Thrawn and Minerva, the two men were only dancing arm and arm, their lower bodies not pressed together scandalously close. Galen was self-conscious of his sexual feelings towards men, and Orson was tiring of Galen's frostiness. He craved this closeness as he loved Galen dearly, almost as much as he loved Project: Stardust. As Galen twirled out again, Orson used his free hand and pulled Galen by his waist much closer so that their bodies were sandwiched together. Sighing happily, Orson rested his head in the crook of Galen's neck. The scientist sighed softly, and blushed as they continued to dance.
The waltz came to an end, and the next several pieces were faster paced tangos, foxtrots and at least three line dances rearranged for couples. It was about now, the buffet line had opened up, and what a feast it was! Winter green salad with buttermilk dressing, roast pufferpig dressed with figs, cashews and honey-mustard glaze, three kinds of nutbreads, and more drinks than you could imagine. The presentation was first-rate, and Thrawn admired how the main course had been turned out.
The main ballroom opened up to the central courtyard surrounding the Moff Council Tower (formerly where the Jedi Council had sat) for seating. Thrawn and Minerva sat at a medium sized table and were joined by Rae Sloane, Galen and Orson. Among the dinner conversations were the different fighting styles of the Rebel cells their fleets were engaging with, the best places to recruit new soldiers from and how the Emperor planned on taking out the entire Rebel fleet (even though Thrawn and Minerva knew this part already).
The moons were rising, such a wonderful evening!