Meanwhile, a certain young prince had a lot on his mind.
He paced around his room, thinking to himself.
Ever since that day with Princess Padme, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He didn't know how, but somehow, he knew he was meant to be hers.
He thought more about how Padme talked to him after their dance, about how the queen treated her. According to Padme, her sister didn't even know how bad she had it because she never told her, out of fear that Queen Morpha would try to harm her and her own family. And during events where she had guests, Queen Morpha forced Padme to stay in her room or work in another part of the castle, and she told guests either that Padme was feeling sick or that she was facing consequences for bad behavior. That second one, anyone who'd actually met Padme wouldn't believe, though. Not that they'd let the queen know that.
"I gotta go find her." Anakin said, heading to the stables to find his royal horse. "Damsel in distress or not, I'm gonna prove to her I can be the man she deserves. And I'm gonna marry her."
Sometime later, at the castle of Naboo...
Queen Morpha sent out a party of royal guards to make an important announcement for her: Princess Padme is dead.
Obi-Wan, however, after a quick stop at the butcher shop, left an important message in the guards' quarters for them to find, letting them know that everything the queen told them was a lie, and explaining that instead of killing the princess, he told her to run and hide in the woods. And in the meantime, he'd packed his things and was quickly getting his family out of the kingdom so Queen Morpha wouldn't be able to harm them.
"Come, Darling." said Obi-Wan under a cloak. "We haven't much time."
Obi-Wan gathered his wife Satine, and their children Korkie and Olivia, and they began taking a path out of the kingdom.
Prince Anakin soon arrived in one of the villages of Naboo, when he came across a crowd of people who were gathering to hear an important announcement from Guard Captain Mace Windu.
"Citizens of Naboo." said the guard. "Queen Morpha regrets to inform you that the kingdom has suffered a grave loss. Our beloved Princess Padme Naberrie has been killed."
People gasped at that announcement, including Prince Anakin.
"Unfortunately, we do not yet know what is next for the kingdom. Hopefully, we shall have new information soon. For the time being, Princess Padme, may she rest in peace."
A grave sadness filled the air as people mourned the loss of their fair princess, whom they'd believed would become a wonderful queen someday.
Prince Anakin felt tears in his eyes, and he rode off on his horse, crying.
However, as he came to a bridge that led outside Naboo's borders, he ran into a family and nearly rammed right into them.
"Oh! I'm so sorry." Anakin said. "Are you alright?"
"Prince Anakin?" said one figure. "What are you doing here?"
"Guard Kenobi? I should be asking you the same thing."
"We have to hide. The queen will be furious with me when she learns what I've done."
"What do you mean?"
Obi-Wan explained to Prince Anakin how the queen wanted her stepdaughter killed and ordered the former to do the job. But instead, he sent her into the woods to hide and bought some time for him to get his family out of the kingdom before the queen would punish them for his deeds.
Anakin was filled with so much disbelief, but he also felt a spark of hope filling his heart.
"So... Princess Padme isn't dead?" Anakin asked.
"I don't know. Hopefully she's managed to find a safe place to hide." Obi-Wan said. "But until the queen can be dethroned, she must remain hidden."
Anakin, however, became more determined to find Padme. Once the queen learned of Obi-Wan's deeds, even if she didn't find him to punish, Anakin felt he had to find the princess before the queen did. Otherwise, who knows what she'd do.
Sometime that night...
Queen Morpha held the chest she'd previously given Obi-Wan and presented it to the magic mirror.
"Magic Mirror on the wall, who now is the fairest one of all?"
"Beyond the Timber Terf of the woods, past the seventh fall, in the cottage of the seven Batchers dwells Padme Naberrie, fairest one of all." said the mirror.
"Princess Padme lies dead in the forest." Queen Morpha said, opening the chest. "Guard Kenobi has brought me proof. Behold her heart."
"Princess Padme still lives, the fairest in the land. 'Tis the heart of a pig you hold in your hand."
As Obi-Wan predicted Queen Morpha was furious when she made this discovery.
"The heart of a pig?! Then I've been tricked!"
Queen Morpha held out a hand, a white butterfly landing in it. She turned the white butterfly into a black and red moth.
"Fly my little moth bite." said Morpha. "Find the princess and show me the way to her."
Queen Morpha decided it was time to take matters into her own hands.
So, she went downstairs, deep below the castle floors to her magic workshop.
"I will go to the Batchers' cottage in a disguise so complete no one will ever suspect." Morpha declared, grabbing a book from a shelf.
She decided to go with a disguise of great beauty that no one would believe could be dangerous. And I know what you're thinking, why doesn't she just use one of these spells to make herself prettier than Padme or turn Padme into a hideous beast or something?
Well, the thing about beautification spells is that they don't last forever. And the more one casts them, the more they age once the effect wears off after every other time it is cast. Especially when cast by patrons of the dark arts.
A lamb's blood to make her young. To make her hair golden as sunshine and her clothes sparkling and gorgeous, light of day. To enhance her voice, a siren's song. To brighten her smile a pearly white and innocent, essence of children's laughter.
"A howl of wind to fan my hate and desire." called Morpha, a strong wind blowing and then a thunderbolt. "And a thunderbolt to mix it well."
The potion was turned to a bright green bubbling potion in a glass chalice.
"Now, begin thy magic spell."
Morpha drank the entire potion in one single gulp. She gasped as she felt the spell taking effect, dropping her cup in the process. She felt her already aging manicured hands transform into very youthful hands with skin soft as silk, her silver hair turning gold like the sun.
"My voice. My voice!" Morpha tested, and vocalized a beautiful tune, sounding as lovely as a beautiful siren.
And she looked at herself in the mirror.
"Ah, a perfect disguise." said Morpha, admiring what a youthful beauty she made herself appear.
A beautiful young woman with golden hair, rosy cheeks, and a crown of daisies up on her head.
"And now..." Morpha got out another book. "A special kind of death for a special princess."
Morpha looked through her book of poisons and found a recipe for a poisoned apple. Sleeping Death.
According to the book,
One taste of the Poisoned Apple, and the victim's eyes will close forever in the Sleeping Death...