A/N: girls night out? GIRLS NIGHT OUT !
Ameera had been expecting a lot of things when she arrived by Padmé's penthouse — a battlefield in the middle of the apartment; a ten years old dead body decaying in the backroom; two girls bathing in wealth — but none of her expectations prepared for what she came to find.
She entered the place without announcing herself — Padmé had told her she would leave the door open for her to come in without a fuss — and the only warning of her presence there was the thud of the backpack she dropped to the floor carelessly. Still, as she strode towards the kitchen to place the several bags of groceries over the counter, she had yet to be noticed.
That was when she came across the most absurd scene her brain could ever create. No, scratch that — nothing would ever lead her to willingly conjecturing such an image, and the sight of it alone terrified her.
So, with her eyes wide and bags still hung by her arms, she stopped right behind Padmé, who stood on her back to her and announced herself.
"Are you aware you've got a fucking princess cleaning up your kitchen?!"
The sudden voice of the Twi'lek when she had been so distracted was all it took to Padmé physically jump and have her heart start pounding inside of her chest. She looked at Ameera with frightening eyes.
"Sith, Ameera, a little warning next time?!" Padmé lectured her, "I'm old. You'll give me a heart attack and end up being responsible for my death."
"You're not that old," Ameera scoffed, at last dropping the bags of groceries all over the counter as she turned her head towards Leia, who was ostensibly unaware of her presence there. She repeated, "Why do you have a princess cleaning up for you?"
Padmé shrugged. It had been a long day, it had been an emotionally exhaustive day, and even though she did her best to carry out their day as normal as possible, one time or another she would find Leia blankly staring at a wall while one or two tears ran down her cheeks. Residues of saying those words aloud for the very first time, Padmé knew, and Padmé couldn't do anything but to give her the space to cry in peace. And when Leia suddenly found herself with cleaning products expired for two decades now, scrubbing every dusty layer in attempts of distracting her mind from the darkness it always took her back to, Padmé simply let her be.
"We're just biding our time," Padmé said, "Praying we wouldn't starve to death before you finally decided to show up."
"Yeah, speaking of which," with a face, Ameera gestured towards the groceries. "I have no idea what royal food is. Before today, I didn't even know if royalty ate."
Padmé rolled her eyes until they disappeared, and she was terrified to ask, "What did you end up buying, 'Meera?"
"Pretty much all the junk food I came across with," she replied with a proud smirk, motioning with her hand so Padmé would go see it for herself. "Making up for all the time in the rebellion we spent eating crappy rations."
Sighing in disbelief, Padmé went on to investigate. Ameera wasn't lying; she found all sorts of chips, and cookies, and chocolate, and soda, and nachos, and so much more that left Padmé with a headache. Then, she frowned to herself — it had been such an unorthodox day, maybe eating their sorrows away was all that they — especially Leia — needed.
Still, she couldn't help herself but tease Ameera, "I'm assuming Duaa was the one responsible for shopping for groceries?"
"Obviously," Ameera grunted, unbothered as she followed ahead to grab a seat. "The maniac over there is suddenly obsessed with cleaning. What are you doing?"
"Well," Padmé started with a squeal, walking up to the Twi'lek but remaining on her feet. "I'm cleaning after her."
For several moments, Ameera simply stared at her, waiting for the words to make sense — they didn't. "You're what."
"Cleaning after her," Padmé repeated with a shrug, "You see, perks of growing up in a palace is that you'll always have someone to do the cleaning for you, you'll never have to pick up a broom out of your volition. And that… leaves you lacking in certain — areas of expertise."
Ameera snorted loudly. "So you're saying she's cleaning up, and she's cleaning up so badly that you have to clean up everything that she already did?"
"Something like that."
"You know, I can hear you."
The sudden sound of Leia's voice only perked up Ameera's laughter, and even Padmé joined her in her chuckle as she followed with a piece of cloth towards the spot that Leia had just been cleaning.
Upon seeing Padmé's deeds and realizing that that had been exactly what she had been doing for the best two hours, Leia crossed her arms in protest. "You're the worst mother ever."
Padmé snorted, leaving her eyes focused on her chore. "I might be. At least I know how to clean, though."
Shaking her head at her audacity, Leia threw her own cloth at Padmé, who caught it by surprise. "You could have at least told me, so I'd learn from my mistakes and improve."
Concluding that there would be no more cleaning for the rest of the night, Padmé placed both cloths down. "There's nothing wrong with being bad at something. You already excel at everything else."
Ameera watched the scene unfolding with amusement. "I, myself, find it adorable, Tiny Princess. Personally, I can't wait to tell Luke Skywalker that his prodigal sister fails at the art of sanitation."
Leia widened her eyes in pure horror. "You're going to tell him?! You're supposed to be on my side…!"
"I am," Ameera certified, "But when you are unsuccessful at the most basic human chore while leading an entire rebellion through war… Well, that leaves me too much ground to mock you with."
Padmé turned to Leia with a face, "You see what I have to deal with every day?!"
Snorting, Leia good-heartedly rolled her eyes.
"Did you bring my stuff?" Leia asked Ameera. "I'm desperately in need of a shower."
"Why, did all this sick excuse of cleaning leave you sweating?" Ameera teased, not understanding why Padmé's face started to twitch all of sudden. She frowned but didn't comment on it. "Yeah. They're by the entrance."
Either failing to notice their reactions or choosing to ignore them, Leia bowed and walked out of the kitchen.
"What was that all about?"
"Hush," Padmé denounced, going out after the daughter and leaving Ameera no other choice but to follow if she didn't want to be alone. She didn't.
They found her with a giant backpack spread over the couch. "Gods, Ameera, did you tell Han that I'm spending only one night away? There's enough stuff here to last me a month."
Making herself at home, Ameera threw herself down at the couch, which led a cloud of dust to go up in the air after the thud of her body. "Of course I did, but your boyfriend is miserable. I think I must have waited an hour or so as he ran from side to side in that stupid ship of his making sure he had packed every little thing that you might need."
Leia smiled, looking down at the contents of the bag; three bottles of shampoo, hair conditioner, her favorite hairbrush, at least three sets of dresses for different occasions, the japor snippet that Padmé had given her, an old shirt of his. He had obviously gone out of his way to make sure she would have a good night, and it didn't surprise her in the slightest.
"Did he bring you here?"
"You know, I was going to ask, but I was afraid he would take it as an invitation to park up outside the apartment and guard the place all night long," Ameera said, "Turns out going to Luke wasn't that good an idea either since he all but cried when I told him we were having a girls party and he wasn't invited, but at least he's easy to threaten."
Leia laughed; that sounded exactly like her brother.
"Like, tears were streaming down his face as he dropped me off and I told him to scram away," Ameera exaggerated, "I don't think he ever regretted being born a boy as much as at that moment."
"You, of course, didn't help and were being unnecessarily mean to him," Padmé inferred, her hands on her hips in a figure of authority.
If only her authority meant anything to Ameera. "I merely told him to stop whining before I cut off the very part of him that forbade him from attending our girls' party."
Padmé's eyes widened in horror; Leia's laughter intensified both at her reaction and at Ameera's innuendo.
"Suits him right," Leia gently commented as she picked up the bag from the couch. "Padmé, may I use the same fresher as before?"
Padmé nodded, gesturing so Leia would lead away — because even if her presence wasn't required, she followed the daughter to make sure she found everything she needed. She wondered, deep down, whether Leia had found a certain connection in the Force to the room she unconsciously chose, the room that had once belonged to Padmé and Anakin when there had been several rooms for her to choose from.
"Do you need anything?" Padmé asked as Leia dropped her bag over the bed.
"Not anything that your two decades abandoned house might have to offer," she joked, but soon after offered Padmé a sweet smile. "I'm fine, thank you. Han's got me covered."
Padmé nodded, her hand pressed to the door, ready to close it and give Leia some privacy. "Well, if you do need anything, just shout or whatever."
Her smile softened and she nodded. "I will."
Padmé lingered there for a while longer, watching as the princess started to unpack a few things, just waiting for Leia to ask her for anything — she absolutely despised the feelings of impotence, all she needed was something tangible to do.
"Padmé," Leia called, aware of her presence there even if her gaze remained down. "I know you tell Ameera everything—"
Padmé took a step inside. "There's quite a difference between telling my friend about my frustrations and about a story that does not belong to me," she said. "I won't tell her, Leia. You can trust me."
With waves of anxiety creeping over her, Leia nodded vigorously.
"What I'm saying is…" she tried, her words struggling to leave her vocal cords, "You can tell her, if you want to. I understand that this is as hard to hear as it is to talk about, so… if you need to vent or lash out or anything… you can tell her. Because I can't bear to hold your grievance as well, when mine is already too much to deal with. And… Ameera's a girl. She's gone through something similar when she herself was enslaved and… She'll understand."
Padmé crossed her arms uncomfortably, trying to make sense of Leia's true sentiments behind her words.
"Wouldn't you like to tell her yourself?"
Her hands lost grip of the towel they were holding and it fell to the bed.
"No…" with a deep breath, she raised her head to look at Padmé with pleading eyes. "Please don't make me go through that twice in a day. Telling you was already exhaustive enough."
"Leia, I—" Padmé started and immediately came to a halt before she sounded too defensive. She sighed to calm her composure. "I will encourage and I will support you and I will hold your hand whenever you decide to tell someone about this. However, I will never force you to. As I said, this is your story. Only you get to decide who you want to learn about it."
Appreciative of the answer, Leia returned her eyes to the bed, and when she started to fumble with the same tower as before, Padmé understood she was no longer welcomed there.
When nothing but silence prevailed, Padmé stepped out and closed the door with a tight heart, walking back to where she had left Ameera with a hand pressed against her temples as she felt the promise of a headache lingering in.
Ameera, very much to her essence, was inelegantly lying down on a couch too small to fit her, in a way that left her legs loosely hanging over its arm. She was clearly at home by now, and not even the possibility of Padmé reprimanding her as she walked back into the living room made her shift her position.
But when Padmé dropped herself to the couch opposite from her without any class or grace, her eyes lost, Ameera frowned and raised her body in the slightest.
"What is that all about?"
"Hm?" it took her a while to connect Ameera's words to their meanings, "What?"
"You," Ameera pointed accusingly, "Your body language — is all wrong. Ever since I arrived here."
Padmé exaggeratedly exhaled, trying to force herself to relax. "It's been a long day."
"Has it?" her frown remained, "Because your rapport with Leia seems to be as good as it has never been. I don't understand while you're suddenly all hesitant to even breathe next to her."
"It's—" Padmé choked on her words, "Complicated."
"Yeah," Ameera replied sardonically, moving to a sitting position. "Welcome to life."
Padmé anchored her back against the soft old cushions. "It's just — as of the last few days, Leia and I are reaching a point in our relationship where she's comfortable enough to slowly reveal to me the things that happened to her during the war," she took an uncomfortable pause, "It's not… Pleasant, to hear about it. It makes me sick to my stomach, and I get stuck with this nerving sensation that I couldn't protect her, I… I'm her mother, I brought her to life, and I couldn't protect her from life."
Ameera listened, understanding Padmé needed more to get it all out of her chest than to have unuseful advice thrown back at her.
"She… She gave me her blessing to tell you the things that she underwent, if I needed someone to talk to," she said nervously, "But I… I don't think I can, or want to. Those are her pains and I don't get to be the one who needs support, I need to be the strong one, to hold it together, for her. The only thing that I want is to rewrite the past, and that's the one thing I can't do."
"Padmé," Ameera spoke gravely, and Padmé doubted she had ever seen her so seriously. "I'm not ignorant to what happens to girls who are enslaved by Jabba the Hutt."
"Oh," Padmé's eyes sparkled with water.
"Jabba had a — a fetish, if you get to call it that, for Twi'lek girls. More often than not he would send his henchmen to Ryloth to find his next servant. His next slave," Ameera said crudely, "The hardest thing about growing up as a Twi'lek under the Empire is that you never knew when someone was lurking in the shadows, ready to capture you and sell you as a slave to the highest bidder. I have always been fortunate to hold tight to my freedom — even if it was momentarily stolen by Grand Moff Tolruck — and even then I was lucky enough not to have been made a sex slave like so many of my kind. It pains me deeply that Leia had to go through those horrors herself."
"Yeah," Padmé conceded, her voice weak. "I just wish there was something I could do. I feel so… useless."
"Padmé, the first thing you need to understand is that there is virtually nothing you can do, or could have done," Ameera said, "You can, and you will be there for her. Trust me when I say that means more to her than any action you might want to take. I've been there."
Padmé pulled her legs up the couch. "You refused to accept help from anyone while you were healing from your captivity."
"Yes, out of my own volition," she argued, "Now, looking back, I realize things might have been a lot easier to bear if I had just let anyone in. Leia is just realizing that for herself, and you have to give her the space to understand these things for herself while also refusing to leave her alone. When you met me, you crawled up to me like a plague, and even if I might whine about it to you all the time, it was the best thing that could have happened to me. You… You practically saved me, Padmé, you taught me how to love myself and appreciate myself once more, when I had been so lost within me. Now, you have to do the same for her. Show her you won't give up on her, and it'll help give her the strength not to give up on herself."
Padmé smiled faintly, taking the words to her heart. "I'm happy you're in my life as well, Ameera."
Ameera scoffed. "Of course you are. I'm a bliss of a person to be around."
She tilted her head. "One might argue with you there."
"You're not one, are you?"
"No, but you make it very easy for me to become," Padmé teased, chuckling when Ameera gave her the tongue like a spoiled child. "I hope you'll never forget that even though I'm so often caught up in my personal dramas, you will always be family. And not just to me," her head wandered towards the hall that led to the bedroom where Leia was settled, "They're your family too."
Her lips became a thin line, and she sniffed as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. "I know."
"Good," Padmé nodded, although her gaze remained lost in the scenery. "You're not alone. You've got us now. Don't ever think we would turn our back on you if you came at us for help, so don't be afraid to reach out in your times of need."
"I know."
Padmé looked at her again, smiling tenderly at the sight of how vulnerable amidst her feelings Ameera appeared to be. Getting up, she walked up to her and gave her shoulder a tight squeeze, feeling her shiver underneath the touch and letting her hand linger there until Ameera accepted it.
Once she did, even if Padmé came to physically break their bond, the powerful meaning of her message would always be there.
"Did you bring my stuff?" Padmé asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Ameera ran a hand against the corner of her eye to fully regain her composure and step back to her usual persona. She pointed towards a small corner table, "It's right there."
Padmé, squinting, followed the direction of her finger, and when she found it, she accused, "You mean that small paper bag, barely big enough to have a hairbrush there?"
"Hey, you never specified," Ameera argued, finally standing, "You just told me to grab your stuff,"
Padmé went through the contents of the bag skeptically; there was a pajama, clean underwear, and toothpaste, all cramped up together in a wrinkled mess. She sighed, "Would it have killed you to channel your inner Han Solo?"
"It would have," Ameera snapped, offended.
Rolling her eyes, Padmé left the bag on the table and followed back to the kitchen, determined to fix them all something to eat with the sick excuse of a meal that Ameera had brought them. She found bowls and cutlery exactly where they used to be and dropped them all to the sink.
"Do you know how to clean?"
Ameera scoffed, "Of course. I'm not royalty."
"Then get to work."
She did, doing the dishes with some very questionable two-decades-old soap. Padmé herself found some other chore to do, and they entertained themselves with small talk while waiting for Leia to show up.
When a long time passed and she hadn't returned, Padmé allowed herself to worry.
"Maybe I should go check on her."
Ameera gave her a sideways glare, "I said not to leave her alone, not to suffocate her."
Nodding, Padmé made up her mind. "I will go check on her."
Rolling her eyes, Ameera let her go and Padmé soon found herself outside of Leia's bedroom. She listened for the shower, and upon realizing it was off, she took the liberty to knock on the door. Softly, not meaning to startle, and only when an answer didn't come that she dared to knock a little more lively.
When only silence once again prevailed, Padmé's conceptual worry became tangible. She called Leia's name, to no avail, before going against her better judgment and turning the knob over to enter.
Padmé immediately felt bad when she found Leia sound asleep, curled up in a fetal position in the middle of the bed, the lights still on and everything. She wore some dark sweatpants and a man's shirt — obviously belonging to Han — and the japor snippet hung from her neck. Dreading to disturb the daughter even further, she quietly followed towards the wardrobe to fetch for a blanket, and after smelling it for mold, she judged it safe enough to lay it over Leia.
What she hadn't expected, though, was Leia's immediately opening in alarm at the simple touch.
"I'm awake."
"No, you're not," Padmé said, placing her hand over Leia's shoulder so she would lie back down and relax her body. "Go back to sleep."
"But— It's our girls night in—"
Padmé tilted her head, unaware until now of how much Leia was looking forward to their night, where she would be free of her responsibilities as a Princess and high ranking member of the rebellion and just allow herself to be.
"We can have a girls day in, it's okay," she reassured, "You're tired, let your body and mind rest."
"But—"
"You will go to sleep now," Padmé ordered, very much like a Jedi trying to play a trick on the weak-minded. Leia snorted at her attempt.
"I will go to sleep now," Leia conceded and closed her eyes again, pulling the spare pillow close to her. Padmé bent down and tenderly kissed the top of her head, then turned on the lamp on the nightstand so Leia wouldn't wake up disoriented if she were left in the dark. She walked and pulled the door, but not closing it before stealing a last glance of hers.
The privacy of sleeping on her own was a luxury that Ameera hadn't known for a long time — and now, upon the chance of having a room all for herself to spend the night on Padmé's insanely big penthouse, she found herself wide awake, unable to fall asleep within her solitude.
She couldn't remember the last time she had slept on her own. Duaa had always been there next to her, with her annoying snoring and her early morning habits. Then, after her death, she had found solace in sleeping at the women's lounge in whatever rebel station she was stationed at — and while she would gladly kill all of them for just a moment of silence, she found that the noise kept the bad thoughts away. As of lately, Padmé had come along and offered her the chance to share a bunk with her, where silence and peace reigned — well, when Padmé wasn't going through one of her family crises — while she still had the presence of another living body next to her.
Lying down on a kingsize bed all on her own, with only the lights from the Coruscanti civilization to illuminate the room, Ameera found herself restless, having turned and tossed over the most comfortable mattress she had ever laid on, unable to sleep. Every time she allowed her mind to stray, it took her to unrealistic scenarios that brought tingles of anticipation down her spine.
When she finally had enough of her uneasiness, she threw the blankets far away from her body and stood up, determined to go to the kitchen and find herself something to eat while watching a holoshow or reading a novel or just anything that she could find laying around Padmé's place to pass the time until the morning came and she could get her day up and running.
She didn't expect, however, to have the startle of her life as she stumbled distractedly into the living room and found the silhouette of somebody sitting on the floor, in the complete dark, and staring at the opposite wall without moving. Ameera couldn't help herself as her heart nearly jumped out of her chest and she loudly cussed.
"Sith—"
The penthouse had been so silent in the dead of the night that the sudden sound of Ameera's swearing was all it took to give Leia a heart attack as she defensively turned around to find the source of the noise, ready to take down whatever threat was creeping behind her with her bare hands, if it came to it. Only when she noticed it was only Ameera that she allowed herself to breathe again.
"Is that how you announce yourself to traumatized people?"
She had been teasing, Ameera could hear it in her tone, just like she could hear the edginess that the startle had left her.
"Sorry," Ameera said earnestly, taking cautious steps towards where Leia was settled. "In my defense, I am also a traumatized person and I am not emotionally prepared to find people lurking in the darkness."
Leia chuckled lightly, allowing herself the peace to anchor her head back against the foot of the couch. "I'm sorry, too."
Shrugging her apologies away, Ameera sat next to her, leaning back on the sideways couch. "What are you even doing here? Staring at nowhere at all?"
"I was," Leia started, then frowned to herself; she couldn't remember what she was doing before the scare, her mind was a haze of thoughts. "Staring at the fireplace."
Ameera grimaced, leading her eyes towards the fireplace in question. "It's — It's not even burning."
"I can see the flames with my mind."
"And you don't think that's weird?"
Leia snorted. "What are you doing up? It's the middle of the night."
"Well, I could ask you the same question," Ameera prompted.
"I couldn't sleep."
Nodding, Ameera stretched out her long legs. "Me either."
Of course, the party wouldn't be complete without three, and Padmé soon emerged from her bedroom at the sound of all the commotion. This time, at least, both girls were aware of her approaching.
Placing her hands on her hips, Padmé looked down at them cluelessly, "Why are you sitting in the middle of the dark?"
"What are you talking about, Padmé," Ameera innocently asked, "The fireplace is burning."
Padmé looked at her friend with dead eyes, failing to notice Leia placing her hand over her lips to hide her sneer. "What."
Ameera feigned her worry. "You mean you can't see the flames of the fireplace? Oh no, we must take you to see a medic!"
Padmé threw both her hands in the air, "You know what, forget I asked."
Ameera laughed loudly at her defeat, while Leia did it discreetly.
"Is there a way to light this thing up?"
"It's a gas fireplace," Padmé commented, "You just have to press a button."
So, she kneeled in front of it, and moments later the light of fire had taken over the place. She smiled to herself, turning around to properly face the two women. Ameera wore a tank top and leggings, while Leia still had the outfit of before, the pendant loosely hanging down her neck and a blanket wrapped around her legs. There was no ceremony; it was just — them, in their most intimate essence.
"Did we wake you up?" Leia asked.
"I wasn't asleep," Padmé commented. "I heard someone loudly cussing in the middle of the night and came to check it out," she offered Ameera a dirty look.
In return, Ameera silently pointed at Leia.
"The cussing wasn't coming from her."
"It was all her doing, either way," Ameera shuddered. "Why weren't you sleeping?"
Padmé sat down comfortably on the spare couch, opposite from Ameera, knowing her back would never forgive her if she decided to sit down on the floor with them. "I couldn't sleep."
"Hm," Ameera huffed, "Join the club."
Padmé eyed them mystified; the last time she had seen Leia, she had been so tired that she fell asleep moments after laying her head down the pillow, and Ameera had always been a fast sleeper. What had suddenly spiked all the insomnia around the house —?
"Why can't the two of you?"
She asked and nobody answered. Ameera visually pretended she didn't care, as it didn't bother her, while Leia looked down to her lap and started toying with the blanket over her legs. Silence became heavy.
"I can't sleep when I'm worried," Padmé confessed, revealing something she had never told anyone before. "I just — can't. When there's too much on my mind, I simply can't turn it off. It's been like this ever since I became Queen of Naboo; now, I don't even bother myself trying to get some sleep when I'm having nights like that. I'd just rather do something useful with my time, than to lay back down and allow my every worry to solidify."
They listened, and Ameera was the one to ask, "What were you doing? To pass the time?"
In response, Padmé vigorously shook her head. "I'm not saying. You'll make fun of me."
If only that hadn't been the only thing to spike Leia's interest — and confidence? — enough to look back up.
"Oh no," Ameera denounced, "Now you have to tell us."
"I do not—"
"Yes, you do," she insisted, "These are the rules. Leia, tell her."
Leia's eyes widened, "I have no idea what the rules are—"
"Leia, tell her."
Throwing her hands up, she conceded, "Well, Padmé, I guess those are the rules."
Clasping her hands together a little self-consciously, Padmé admitted in a low voice, "I was… knitting."
"You were knitting?!" Ameera did her the favor of speaking it loud enough so the entire neighborhood would hear. Then, she laughed, "That's just adorable."
Meanwhile, Leia was looking at her with curiosity. "You knit?"
Smiling, she agreed. "I don't know how many onesies I must have knit you and your brother. I know pregnancies are supposed to be peaceful, but it was very hard not to worry when you were watching a Republic crumble down."
Leia nodded, before returning her eyes to her lap once more. She didn't need to ask what was the sudden reason behind Padmé's concern.
They allowed silence to linger for a while. Padmé had never intended for her personal anecdote to coerce the other girls into talking; she only wanted them to understand that that was a safe environment to be vulnerable.
And Ameera did.
"I don't know how to sleep alone anymore," she admitted in a whisper. "I didn't know about this, not until today when Padmé gave me a whole room for myself. It is — very quiet, and quietude makes way for loud thoughts. Ever since my sister died, I've been seeking loneliness as a new mantra. Turns out, ironically enough, I'm terrified of solitude."
They listened, and there was no judgment there.
"Why didn't you come find me," Padmé asked softly, "Even if you didn't know I wasn't asleep, I—"
"Because it's pathetic, Padmé," Ameera snapped, her animosity directed at anyone but herself. "I'm a grown woman. I'm a 27 years old who's incapable of sleeping on her own? It's so — childish."
"It's not pathetic," Leia breathed out quietly, still looking down. "Nor childish. Little things, like the sound of somebody sleeping next to you, are so comforting. There's no shame in that. If that's how you cope, then embrace it. Don't allow yourself to belittle what makes you feel better."
Ameera looked at her intently, as did Padmé, even if Leia still refused to look at either of them. "Is that what you do?"
Leia shrugged, pulling her legs close to her chest.
"I've had constant nightmares, ever since I was held prisoner in the first Death Star. About Vader, about Alderaan, about—" she breathed out heavily, "About my treatment there. I've grown accustomed to the nightmares, no matter how bad they are. I can handle them, I think. What I couldn't deal with, however, for a long time, was the idea of anyone being with me while I slept, because sleeping exclusively means I will wake up out of breath, or sweating in panic, or, in the worst days, screaming. I don't enjoy people pitying me, or looking at me when I'm vulnerable, and that's how they'll react when they find you like that."
She took a brief pause, taking a deep breath. "Or, that's what I used to think. It must have happened once or twice, when I was away in missions, and those occasions were all it took for me to adopt unhealthy mechanisms of just staying awake when I was in the company of others. Then, the Empire tracks us down in Hoth, and we have to flee in a hurry, leaving me stranded, with Han, on the Millennium Falcon for forty days straight, because the hyperdrive was broken and we couldn't travel at lightspeed. This was back before Han and I had even confessed our feelings for one another, we had barely had our first kiss and… Even though we had known each other for three years, we were still raw to one another. The idea that I would have to sleep in the same cramped ship as him, when I wanted him to like me, made me panic. So I thought to myself, if I just went as much as I could without getting any sleep, I would eventually become so tired that I would enter a dreamless sleep, and I would survive the journey without having him see what it was truly like to be me. And when I finally gave in to the exhaustion, I had been so stressed and scared that it led to me having such a bad nightmare, enough to leave my lungs husky from my screaming. I was just so embarrassed to come back to my senses and find him there, holding my hand, brushing my hair, happy enough to simply be there until I was alright again. I wanted to run away and hide from him forever, both impossible to do in our situation. But Han… Slowly, Han helped me see for myself that there was nothing wrong with being vulnerable, and there was nothing wrong with having someone to help me through it," she choked a laugh, "Mostly, he was just mad when he learned of what I had been trying to do to keep the nightmares astray; mad at how badly I was taking care of myself for his sake. That was when I realized, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with that man. Ever since he showed me the beauty of being vulnerable, and having someone you love be vulnerable with you, I have found peace in sleeping next to him, and having him take care of me when I wake up out of breath. I don't know what it's like not to have him there anymore, and I don't ever want to relearn the crudeness of solitude."
They listened, and Leia felt like she could touch the tension in the air with her fingertips.
"I'm sorry. I seem to have talked a lot."
"Don't apologize," Padmé quickly inferred. "It makes me happy, Leia, that you have found someone with whom you can be comfortable. Love, no matter how strong, is meaningless if you don't know how to show vulnerability."
Leia shivered and said nothing more.
"Is that what happened?" Ameera abruptly asked, "Why you can't sleep tonight?"
"If you're asking if I've had a nightmare, yes," she said, then forced a smile towards Ameera's direction. "It's fine. I'm used to it."
Padmé smiled sadly; those statements shouldn't coexist. Leia being used to it didn't necessarily mean that she was fine. However, she also understood that Leia wasn't one to easily talk about her feelings, and she had already shared so much over the past day. Out of respect, Padmé let it go.
"Well," she slammed her hands to her thighs, "I think this night calls for a well-deserved bottle of wine."
Leia perked up her brows, interested. Ameera, however, looked at her suspiciously, "I didn't bring wine."
"Lucky for us, wine is about the one thing in this house that hasn't expired," Padmé smirked, and was soon after on her feet, following to the cellar.
Unconvinced, Ameera gazed at Leia. "Is she trying to poison us?"
Leia laughed. "No, I think we're safe."
Scoffing, Ameera was obliged to go after Padmé, leaving Leia behind.
The Twi'lek found her on her tiptoes in a small room by the back of the kitchen, going through a cabinet while two or three bottles of wine had already been set over a small counter there.
"Do you need help?"
Padmé smiled in appreciation, handing her the bottle she had just picked up. "I am just going through the storage, looking for the most suitable wine for the evening."
Placing the new bottle next to the other ones, Ameera eyed them skeptically. "Is there a difference?"
Padmé glared at her sideways. "Of course there is."
Ameera shot her shoulders up and down. "They all look the same to me."
"You haven't even tried them yet," Padmé complained, picking up yet another bottle to choose from.
"Nor do I intend to," she replied. "I hate wine."
Padmé lowered herself from her tiptoes just to snap, "You've got to be kidding me."
"Nope," Ameera crossed her arms, "Wine is disgusting. It tastes like someone's rotten piss."
Padmé stared down at her with commotion. "That's because you haven't tried the right wine yet."
"Bullshit," she said, "All wine tastes the same. I'd much rather drink some decaying beer you have on your fridge than to have a glass of wine."
Rolling her eyes, Padmé caved in, "Suit yourself," and went back to her chore of finding the perfect wine for her and Leia to enjoy.
Distractedly, Ameera picked up bottle after bottle, reading their labels and trying to smell them through the closure. Every now and then, Padmé would hand her another bottle, to which Ameera would roll her eyes. Padmé just had to be showing up her collection; there was no way anyone could actually believe there was so much different in this tasteless beverage—
"Oh my…"
Ameera turned her head towards Padmé upon the sudden change of her tone, and she found her holding another bottle with tight hands, like her life depended on it. Her body suddenly became tense and oxygen seemed to have been stolen from the tiny room.
"Padmé?" Ameera frowned, "What is it?"
"It's…" Padmé struggled to say, her eyes barely blinking as she stared at the bottle. "This wine. It's from Alderaan."
Ameera's face fell. Padmé gazed at her with a blank expression.
"This might be one of the few bottles of Toniray left in the galaxy."
"Well," Ameera swallowed uncomfortably, "How do you want to proceed?"
"I — I don't know," she confessed. "Does she want to have this? Or would this only come as a reminder of everything she's lost?"
"You've been in a situation similar to hers," Ameera argued, "What would you do?"
She returned her eyes to the Alderaanian wine. "I… I would like to have it. One last link to my past."
"There you go, then."
Nodding, Padmé cleared her throat and shouted Leia's name.
Leia turned her head towards the sound of her name, being so adrift in her thoughts that she assumed her mind was playing tricks on her. She waited for them to call her again, or to have either of them coming back to the living room, and when neither happened, she forced herself to stand and go after them.
When she found them, she noticed that their expressions were amiss. Grimacing, she asked, "What's going on?"
Unable to say the words aloud, Padmé simply handed her the bottle.
Frowning, she accepted it into her hands. She read the words on the label, and she read them again to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her, and only then she felt the weight of the words over her.
"I…"
She tried to speak when the right words didn't exist.
"Your father gave it to me," Padmé said, unsure if that would only do more harm. "I don't remember the exact context, but… He told me we would share a glass of it once we had finally won the Clone Wars. And once I was no longer pregnant, he made sure to make that clear."
Her attempt at humor passed straight by Leia, who was holding the bottle with unsteady hands. Padmé knew she wouldn't let it fall, though. Not when she was holding Alderaan in the palm of her hands.
"I… I never thought I would see something from home again," Leia said with a tight heart, tears fresh in her eyes.
"It's yours," Padmé said, gently placing her hand on Leia's arm. She knew just how much a little thing such as a bottle of wine meant to her daughter. "Share it with someone you love. With someone you wish you could show your home."
She was thinking of Han when she mentioned it, based on their conversation of how Leia wanted to know what her home would think of the unconventional man she had chosen for herself. Hence why Leia's next words surprised her so much.
"Would you?" Leia shyly asked, unable to look at either of them in the eyes. "Share it with me?"
Padmé smiled sadly at her, "You're not under any obligation to share it with us. There's plenty of wine to choose from."
"I know," she replied apprehensively. "But you're giving me a gift, you're giving me an heirloom of my home when there are no heirlooms left, and… You're my friends, and I would like to share a taste of the home that means so much to me with you."
Padmé gently squeezed her arm. "It would be an honor, Leia."
Leia slightly gazed at Ameera, expectantly, and only after Padmé kicked Ameera in the foot that Ameera said, "I'd love to, Tiny Princess."
They soon found themselves back in front of the fireplace, in the same exact position of before, several bowls of junk food thrown around them, each one with a glass of Alderaanian wine in their hands. It took Leia forever to bring herself to taste it, as she stared at it for a whole eternity, like she feared it would disappear — ready to have it disappear before she was reminded of the taste of Alderaan it would bring her.
When she finally did, she closed her eyes, blackening all her other senses to focus solely on its taste. She was glad she had because sipping it was all it took for the tears to resurge back in her eyes.
"It… It tastes just like home," she said, emotionally, holding her thin glass close to her lips. Her mind being flooded with old memories. "I never thought I would have the chance to experience this sensation again."
Feeling sad for Leia, Padmé said nothing, instead taking her first sip of the wine. Ameera did the same, only to make a face of disgust at its taste — which Padmé reprimanded with a glare, content that Leia hadn't seen it.
"Thank you, Padmé," Leia said for the millionth time; there was just no proper way to show how grateful she was for such a little thing. "You don't understand how much this means to me."
By then, Padmé had simply given up dismissing her gratification.
"I do," she commented gently, "It's a stupid comparison, but… That's how I felt when I learned you and Luke were alive, and I found my way back to you."
Self consciously, Leia lowered the glass to her lap. "I'm sorry, I… I was so cruel to you regarding it. I should have tried to understand you better."
"You were never under any obligation to accept me," Padmé sighed, pulling her legs up the couch.
"That didn't give me the right to act like an asshole," Leia accused herself. "I was raised better than that. My parents never deployed physical punishment as a means of correcting my behavior, but I don't doubt that my mother wouldn't slap me in the face if she saw the way I treated the woman who gave birth to me."
At that, Padmé laughed. She raised her glass, "To your mother."
Leia joined her chuckle. "To found families."
Dreading to be left out, Ameera hopped in, "To environments free of testosterone."
Their laughter intensified, and they toasted to it. Ameera, hoping to get rid of her torment in one go, drank the remaining of her wine in one sip; Padmé rolled her eyes at her as she placed her glass down in victory.
Padmé would only laugh at her if the wine got to her head too fast.
"Hey, Ameera?"
Ameera traced her eyes towards Padmé, her head in the clouds.
"What are you going to do once the New Republic is fully established and there's no need for a rebellion anymore?"
They couldn't tell whether Ameera's overthinking came from the wine or the pondering of what would come next.
"Well…" she started, "Live on the streets. Hope I don't starve."
Padmé scoffed.
"Would you like to move in with me?" she asked, "It's too big a house just for myself."
Pouting, Ameera took her time to weigh the possibilities — even if the other side of the coin had her living on the undergrounds of Coruscant.
"Will I have to pay rent?"
"No, but you'll have to clean up after yourself."
"That doesn't sound too hard."
"No?!" Padmé instigated, "You're incapable of tidying up your side of the minuscule room we share."
"She's the one who doesn't know how to clean," Ameera accused Leia with a censuring finger. "I just — delegate my chores to when I'm actually in the mood to do them."
Padmé gave her a look, "You mean, you delegate your chores so I will do your dirty work."
Ameera threw her hands in the air in defense. "Hey, I never once asked you to clean my mess. It just happens that every time I come back to your room you've already tidied it up to your taste."
"If you insist, 'Meera, from now on I'll just leave it for you to clean up."
"Okay, Padmé. We'll just see how capable you are of doing that."
Padmé puffed, taking in her dare gladly.
And the two of them entered a staring match, until Leia finally raised her voice to say, "I do know how to clean, by the way."
And their stares turned to her, belittling her.
Leia's cheeks turned red; she hid her face behind the glass of wine.
"Can we talk about something else?"
"Sure," Ameera conceded, "Do you know how to cook?"
"Yes, I'm an excellent cook," Leia affirmed.
Ameera offered her dirty eyes. "For some reason, I don't believe you."
"Fine, whatever," Leia snapped, having Padmé laugh at how easily she caved in. "I'll have you know that there's no need for stressing yourself with stuff of the sort when you have a naked hot man cooking delicious meals for you."
Her statement was so bold that it made Ameera change her tone, "Your Highness —!"
Leia blushing once more at the intrigue behind Ameera's voice only made it funnier.
"I hope your hot naked man and his cooking aren't mutually exclusive," Ameera commented, unable to let it go. "I'd hate to see an accident happen."
"Ameera, be nice," Padmé scolded, although there was the hint of a smirk in the corner of her lips that she couldn't get rid of.
"You blush when you talk about sex, Tiny Princess," Ameera carried on, "It's adorable."
To corroborate Ameera's point, Leia became redder. Ameera loudly laughed at her, then lied on her back against the hard floor, her infinitely long body spread all over the place, and she used her arm as a pillow.
"My first time was catastrophic," Ameera commented, chuckling to herself. "There was a fireplace involved. It did not go well."
Padmé looked down on her, "What did you do, Ameera?!"
"Well, I did what I was supposed to…!" she defended herself, "Or, well, what I thought I was supposed to do. I guarantee you that neither of us knew what we were doing, we were just… exploring, you know? Learning."
"How old were you?" Leia asked.
"Fifteen."
"That's young," Leia commented, although she bore no judgment.
"Yeah," Ameera shrugged, "You happen to grow up a lot faster when you don't have parents, though."
Silently, she nodded; she understood the sentiment all too well. She had been all but a naïve child when she left Alderaan for the last time on her mission to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, and her youth had been stolen from her the moment she was brought to the Death Star and genocide weighed on her shoulders.
"Anyway," Ameera continued, "I had snuck out of home to meet with her. She was a wealthy human, about my age, and her parents were off-world, so she invited me over when we were already having — a thing. We cared for each other, a lot. Alas, we were also horny teenagers who couldn't wait to make it to her bedroom and just had to do it on the floor of the living room, right in front of the fireplace."
"Why do I feel that will not end up well," Padmé noted.
Ameera ignored her. "I went down on her first. Took my time, making sure she saw the stars and everything beyond, you know? I wanted to show her I knew what I was doing, even if I didn't. I probably sucked at it, but I was having fun, and, well, she got to where she was supposed to so at least I know I did something right. Then — my turn."
Her brief pause was all it took for Padmé to hold her breath, "I am genuinely scared for what's going to happen."
Clumsily, Ameera hit her foot against the couch where Padmé was lodged to shut her up. "I laid back down and she started to work on me. And, mind you, neither of us were experienced, but she — she was something else. I don't know for how long I just lied there, but I was bored the hell out of my mind. She just couldn't do it! So, I sighed, and she noticed my discomfort and raised herself, leaning her body far back to stretch her muscles. Now, one part that I should really point out is the amount of hair she had. Like, down to her waist length. And of course, as the stupid teenagers that we were, we didn't think to tie it up as she went down on me, and… well. When she stretched back, well, her hair was all loose and all over the place and… It got caught in the fireplace."
Leia raised her hands to her in pure horror, while Padmé had her jaw fallen over in mock amusement.
"She didn't."
"Oh, she did," Ameera snorted, "She didn't even realize it, not until I asked why it suddenly smelt like something was burning. Then, all hell broke loose. She started screaming and running and saying, 'help, help, help', it was peak comedy."
"Not for her," Padmé pointed out.
"Well, duh. And not for me at that moment either. I could only sit there, unable to do anything but to watch as she ran from side to side, naked, with her hair on fire. Until she had the brilliant idea of opening the sink on it, and it all calmed down. Well, ish. As she walked back to me, her once beautiful hair all torn to ruin, she was clearly panicking, and… Well, I—"
"Here it comes."
"—I broke into laughter at the sight of her."
"Of course you did."
Ameera grunted, unable to blame Padmé for her comment when she had been so stupidly mean. "Safe to say that she rightfully kicked me out, and I never saw her face again. When I got back home, I just had to tell Duaa what had happened, even if she would yell at me for sneaking out. She did, of course, but not before we spent a good half hour laughing about it."
Padmé shook her hand in reprimand, and she turned her head to see Leia's reaction, she found her with her hands desperately hanging to her head, petrified.
"You broke her, Ameera."
Ameera raised herself on her elbows to see what Padmé was referring to, and she broke into laughter at the sight of Leia.
Swallowing hard, Leia said, "I've had nightmares just like that."
Ameera scoffed, "Of what, having a bad sexual experience, Your High and Mighty?!"
"Of having my hair catch fire!"
That only intensified Ameera's laugh. "Now you'll know never to have sex near a fireplace, for your sake."
Leia blushed again.
"Well, my first time," Padmé announced, stealing the focus of the conversation to her to save Leia from Ameera's incessant mocking. "I was 19, representing Naboo in the Galactic Senate already, and I wasn't that interested in sex, not at the expense of my duties as a Senator. However… I was slightly curious to know what the fuss was all about."
Ameera huffed skeptically. "I can't believe you lost your virginity out of clinical curiosity. You're so annoying."
"I think it's a valid reason," Leia said.
"And I think you're just as annoying as her."
"Hush, 'Meera, I didn't interrupt on your story."
"Except that's basically all that you did."
"Whatever—anyway," Padmé commanded the room with her voice, "There was a Senator who worked closely with me. He wasn't all that much older, I'd say around 22 or 23, and one thing I knew of him was the crush he had for me."
"Aw, look at her go," Ameera sang, "Stealing hearts of people in the Senate."
"I was smart, I had a beautiful body and a pretty face, what was there not to fancy?" Padmé retorted, hoping it would be enough to silence Ameera. "He had a crush on me, and he didn't try to hide it. So, like the good politician that I am, I exploited his weakness."
Leia bowed her head, impressed. Ameera rolled her eyes.
"Only you would encourage this."
"I think it's very smart of her," Leia said, "She had a very clear goal in mind, and she critically analyzed the means to achieve it."
"So annoying," Ameera repeated.
"When I asked him out for drinks, he was so eager it didn't take him two seconds to accept my invite. So, we went out, got to know each other a little bit better, and… Well, I was a lot nervous, and at the same time I just wanted to get over with it. I will never forget the look of astonishment on his face when I asked him if he wanted to come over to my apartment — an apartment that I shared with four handmaidens and two security guards, by the way, so bringing a man over that I didn't really know wasn't all that dangerous, considering the amount of people there to kick his ass if he tried anything."
"Okay, but all those people then knew you were going to have sex," Ameera pointed out, "That sounds so embarrassing."
Leia conceded with her head. "I'm with Ameera on this one."
"Finally."
Padmé made a face, "That's because you're a prude," she jokingly said, and Leia gasped at the boldness of her statement. Ameera scoffed. "I had really good rapport with my handmaidens. I told them everything, and they were meticulously aware of my plan long before I put it into action. When we arrived, they were all waiting for us by the entrance, and each death glare they gave him was funnier than the other."
Leia leaned her back against the couch, at ease. "That must have been nice. The sorority you shared with those girls, I mean."
Padmé glanced at her curiously, wondering what was going through her mind. "It was. They were my best friends, and they made everything so much easier. Acting as a Queen and a Senator would have been a lot more difficult if I didn't have them by my side."
Leia smiled at that.
"Don't you have anyone like that, Leia?"
Leia was caught aback, not anticipating the question. Ameera turned her head to look at her expectantly.
"Well, I—I had my mom," she said timidly, "My mom was," she sighed, "My best friend. She was such a force of nature, and she never allowed any barriers to come between her and me, you know, that typical conflict that arises between mothers and daughters. She made sure I knew that she would always be available, so even if I've always been a reserved person with matters of my heart, I always counted on her for everything."
She lowered her head, smiling to herself at the sudden memories of love that came to her.
"Well, you have us now," Ameera said gently, extending her arm to touch Leia's knee. Padmé was surprised at the abrupt show of affection coming from her friend, but it lasted for too little, as Ameera immediately after said, "Back to Padmé's awkward sex life now."
Padmé rolled her eyes, but Leia looking back up at her gave her the reassure to continue.
"When I took him to my bedroom, I took the lead, of course," Padmé said, "I might have had no experience, but I still recognized that sex came with power, and I'd be damned if I would let him have any power over me."
Once again, Ameera grunted. "Sooooo annoying. Enough with the politics, give us the juicy details."
Leia made a face. "I'm not sure I want to know that."
"Oh, come on, it's not like she's the mother who raised you," Ameera snapped.
"Still awkward."
Padmé chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't be sharing that much," she assured, ignoring Ameera's look of disappointment. "My first time… It was alright. No, it was really bad, but it paved the way for the good that would come years later as I came to a deeper understanding of my body. And that made the good even better."
"Aw, how adorable," Ameera said in mock amusement.
"The best part of my story is kicking him out immediately after," Padmé remembered fondly, "He was so ready to take a nap, to spend the night, right next to me, but I wouldn't have any of that. I had gotten what I needed him for, so he suited me no purpose anymore. I will never forget how hurt he resembled when I forced him out."
Ameera raised herself on her elbows again to give her a look of approval. "You took full advantage of him and threw him out the second you were done with him. Wow, I am so proud of you, your old hag."
Padmé laughed. "It was a very empowering moment."
They chuckled, and silence reigned for a while before the both of them turned their gazes to Leia.
"What?" Leia innocently asked, bringing her wine to her lips and feigning ignorance.
"You know exactly what," Ameera accused. "It's your turn to share how bad your first time was."
As she suspected Ameera intended, her cheeks burned like fire. "Oh no, Ameera. Didn't you hear Padmé? I'm a prude."
"Ameera, leave her be," Padmé scolded. "If she doesn't want her there, it's fine."
"None of that," Ameera said, "You want sorority? This is where the magic happens, Tiny Princess."
"I — It'll be embarrassing," Leia tried.
"And? Haven't you heard our stories?"
"I mean—" she wrinkled her nose. "For you."
"Whatever does that mean?"
"Well," she looked up at the ceiling so she wouldn't have to look at them. "My first time — was pretty good."
Ameera laughed so loudly she could have awoken all of Coruscant. "Bullshit."
"Not!" Leia defended herself, "It was… magical."
"It is scientifically confirmed that nobody has a good first sexual experience," Ameera stated, "You're no different."
Leia shook her head, laughing. "Mine was. Of course it wasn't the best sex of my life, far from it, but… It was good."
Ameera was about to protest when Padmé lectured her, "Let her speak, Ameera."
Grunting, Ameera conceded.
"I was always — afraid of sex, you see. As Padmé said, sex is a power play, and given my own position of power, I've always been afraid that people would just try to take advantage of me. Because I was a princess, because I was rich, but never because they genuinely cared for me. I understand that sex doesn't necessarily mean emotional attachment, but… It's still the most intimate and sacred part of ourselves, and I only ever wanted to share it with someone that I cared for, with someone who cared for me. After Alderaan, I was so shut off to the rest of the world that I'd never think myself capable of establishing that sort of connection with anyone, not when the risks of losing them outweighed the possibilities of joy. Then… Han entered the picture."
"Wait—" Ameera interrupted, "Our Han?"
"Yes," Leia said, not giving her the room for further inquiries. "When we were stranded on the Millennium Falcon for days… Well, feelings started to emerge. Feelings that had probably been there for a long time that we — that I was too scared to give voice to. So, we had our first kiss, and, naturally, afterward, I ran away from him. I was terrified of intimacy, let alone intimacy with a man that was always threatening to leave. What if I let him in only to have him leave and take what was left of my heart with him?"
She paused briefly, dwelling in the memories of the past.
"When I told him that I had never had sex before, I expected him to take pride in that — that he would get to deflower a princess. Instead, he was just so sweet about it. He didn't look at me differently, or belittled me because he had years of experience in advantage. He simply smiled, and told me it wasn't his prize to claim — nor anybody's else. As our relationship evolved and I finally felt comfortable enough to consummate our act, he was happy, honored that I had trusted him, and just that. He was gentle, and he took it slowly, and he let me guide it on my own tempo. He always made sure that I was comfortable, he kept asking me questions, if it was hurting or if he was going too fast — metaphorically speaking," she quickly added before Ameera had the chance to make a quirky comment, "And, well. It felt good. Above all, it felt right. As Padmé said, it empowered me, and it showed me that I didn't have to be afraid of sex…"
Leia abruptly stopped there, like she had got caught in her own line of thinking. Padmé looked at her with a heavy heart, knowing where her mind had taken her, and although there was so much she wanted to say, she remained silent.
"How old were you again?" Ameera asked, unaware of the unspoken tension in the air.
"Hm? I was 22," Leia replied, her mind taking a little while to fully return to the living stratosphere.
"22—" Ameera gasped, "And you're telling me that Han is the only man you've ever been with?"
Leia simply nodded.
"Oh—See, this is why nobody likes you," she accused, "You and Han — you're so perfect together you're disgusting."
Leia smiled at that.
"She does have a point, though," Padmé spoke up, "Her story certainly made me look embarrassing."
"Right?!" Ameera agreed. "So unfair that you're living straight out of a fairytale."
"Cheers to that," Leia raised her glass, "Although — I do feel it's important to point out that I'm the princess in shining armor, not the other way around."
The three of them loudly laughed, and Ameera raised an invisible glass, "Cheers to that."
A/N: personally, i love this chapter because nothing happens and yet emso much/em unfolds. also, for context, I am Brazilian, I live under the burning sun of brazil - I have no idea how fireplaces actually work, so I apologize for any innaccuracy.
heads warning: I most likely won't be updating next week, due to updating day falling exactly on the festivities, which is also just two days before the anniversary of carrie's death and carrie has been my idol ever since I was a child so that day takes a lot on me yeah. so, all things considered, i'll see you guys on the other side!
psa~ if you wanna scream about the latest episode of the Mandalorian on the comments, go ahead
