*********************************************
For two weeks Sabé, Yané, Eirtaé, Rabé and Panaka waited for word from Padmé. With growing worry they heard the reports of Palpatine's increasing hold on the Republic military. With horror they heard reports of Anakin – or Darth Vader, as he was now known – hunting down and destroying the Jedi. As worried as she was for Padmé, Sabé grew more and more sacred and worried as they heard reports of Jedi falling – even Masters and members of the council.
Sabé didn't shed a tear, even when she heard of the death of Mistress Adi Gallia, her friend and mentor. She remained calm and serene for her people, reassuring them that they would be safe. She kept all news from Callé, a decision which was unanimously supported by her friends.
And then one day a ship almost crashed onto Naboo. Sabé had felt Obi-Wan, Padmé, Dormé and Versé in it long before they reach the planet, and so she had security guards to escort them to the palace in complete secrecy.
When Padmé arrived at the palace, Sabé couldn't help but show her shock and surprise. Padmé was pregnant. When the friends met eyes, Sabé nodded silently, and hugged her tightly. Then she kissed Obi-Wan as Yané, Rabé and Eirtaé greeted their friend. She nodded to Dormé and Versé, and led them all up to her rooms, where Callé was asleep.
"What do you need?" Sabé asked with no preamble. Padmé's hand drifted down to her stomach. "Protection," she replied tightly. "From Anakin and Palpatine. Neither of them know that I'm pregnant."
"Her twins are extremely Force-sensitive," Obi-Wan interjected. "Once born, if they stay together Anakin will find them. We can't allow that to happen, Sabé."
Sabé nodded. "How far along are you?" she asked calmly. Padmé replied seven months. "So we hide you here until they're born, then Obi-Wan takes them and separates them – maybe take one to Alderaan, he despises the Organas, and maybe take the other to Tatooine – you know he swore he'd never set foot there again after his mother died."
"I wouldn't be able to see them," Padmé murmured. Then she nodded resolutely. "I'll go and stay with the Organas for a while," she decided. "And Obi-Wan, would you look over my child on Tatooine? We can leave him or her with the Lars', but they won't…" A sob cut her off, and her handmaidens, former and present, converged on her.
Except Sabé. Sabé was standing, her arms hugging her upper body, by the window, blank eyes gazing out at the dark city of Theed. As her friends in the room finally realised that Sabé was standing there, they fell silent and looked up at her. Sabé didn't acknowledge them at all, turning only when the door to Callé's room slid open and the dark-haired girl stepped sleepily through.
"What's going on?" she complained, rubbing her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she let out a cry and moved to hug Padmé. Padmé hugged her 'niece' back, and smiled gently at her.
"Callé, go back to bed," Sabé said tiredly. "It's late, you have school tomorrow." Callé moved back from Padmé confusedly. "What's going on?" she repeated. Padmé wouldn't meet her eyes, neither would any of the other women. Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably on his feet, but looked at Sabé. They all knew this was her call, whether or not it would affect Padmé more.
"Go to bed, Callé," Sabé repeated. Callé shook her head. "Not until you tell me what's going on," she insisted. Sabé turned back to the window abruptly. "No, Callé," she snapped. "This is nothing to do with you."
"If it's to do with you all, of course it's to do with me," Callé reminded her mother angrily. "Shazit, I'm your daughter!" Sabé whirled around, her eyes blazing. "Yes, Callé, you are," she agreed. "And it's because you're my daughter that I don't want you to have anything to do with this!"
She took a moment to calm herself. "Go back to bed, Callé," she ordered. "Don't get involved with this." Callé stared at her for a moment more, then turned and angrily flounced out and into her bedroom. Sabé turned back to the window, again ignoring her friends.
"You should have told her," Dormé spoke up. Sabé didn't acknowledge the words, but her eyes closed as a silent tear fell. Then she wiped it away and turned resolutely back to the room.
"We need to find somewhere safe for you," she told Padmé. "You can't stay here, Anakin wouldn't think to here first." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "There's a safe house, about three miles from here. No one knows anything about it – you could go stay there with Dormé, Versé, and Obi-Wan."
"No," Obi-Wan spoke up. Sabé glanced at him. "I'm not leaving you here defenceless, Sabé. Not again." Sabé shook her head, a small smile on her face. "I'm hardly defenceless," she reminded him. "And I can't leave here."
"If it will make you feel better," Yané spoke up, "Rabé and I can stay here." She raised an eyebrow at Sabé. "If that's okay with everyone, that is?"
"I'm staying too," Eirtaé said determinedly. "I can't leave either one of you in this situation, and you know it."
"I know it," Sabé murmured. She looked up and met Obi-Wan's eyes again, trying to smile. "See?" she told him in a small voice. "I'll be fine." Then she took control of her feelings again. "Padmé, you'd better go now, before anyone realises you're here. Dormé, Versé, you both go with her." The handmaidens nodded instantly. "Rabé, Eirtaé, Yané, you're fine to stay here tonight? Your old rooms are waiting for you." The three smiled and nodded.
"I'm staying here tonight," Obi-Wan spoke up. Sabé looked up at him and nodded. "You go tomorrow," she cautioned. He nodded. "Let's get moving," she ordered then. Instantly the room was a bustle of activity as Dormé, Versé and Padmé put their cloaks back on and Sabé found a data-map and highlighted their destination. Rabé, Eirtaé and Yané moved into their respective rooms, and Obi-Wan removed his cloak and lightsaber.
When finally the room had emptied of all but Sabé and Obi-Wan, she allowed herself to relax in his arms. "Gods, I missed you," she murmured. "I was so worried, Obi-Wan."
"I know, my love," he soothed. He smoothed her hair back from her face, and managed a smile. "I missed you too." Then their lips met, and they moved through to Sabé's bedroom.
********************************************************************************************
Two months later, Padmé Naberrie-Skywalker gave birth to two babies, whom she named Luke and Leia. As Sabé, Yané, Eirtaé, Rabé and Versé helped Padmé recover from the difficult birth, Obi-Wan took Luke to Tatooine to Anakin's step-brother Owen Lars, and Dormé took Leia to Bail Organa on Alderaan.
Sabé sat by Padmé's bed as her friend gradually woke up in the early morning. Across the bed, Yané, Rabé, Eirtaé and Versé all sat, making sure their friend was still fine. Sabé anxiously watched the chronometer; she had to get back to the palace before anyone missed her.
"You ought to go," Rabé spoke up, voicing Sabé's thoughts. Sabé nodded. "Not until Padmé's awake," she said firmly. A feeling of nausea rose up in her, and she hurriedly stood, reaching the 'fresher just in time to throw up her breakfast.
When she returned to Padmé's bed, she looked even paler than she had before, if that was possible, and she sat down weakly in her chair.
"What's the matter?" Yané demanded. "Are you sick?" Reluctantly, Sabé shook her head. "No," she replied. "I'm not ill." She paused. "I'm pregnant."
The four opposite her stared, and she was glad when Padmé stirred, opening her eyes and smiling weakly up at her friend. "I heard that," Padmé croaked. "Congratulations." Sabé smiled faintly. "Thanks," she replied softly. "I appreciate that."
She leant down, pressing a kiss to Padmé's forehead, and helped her friend sit up. "I'm hungry," the senator confessed. "Can I get something to eat?"
"You must be feeling better," Versé remarked, standing up. "What would you like?" Padmé shrugged. "I don't mind," she replied. "Oh, and can I get up?"
Sabé rolled her eyes, rising, then froze. "Oh Gods," she murmured. "He's here." Her eyes met the others' eyes, then she made a decision. "Padmé, can you walk?"
Padmé gave a small shrug. "I will even if I shouldn't," she said. Sabé nodded, and Rabé helped her friend stand shakily, helping her into a tunic and leggings similar to the ones the women were all wearing.
"Padmé, can you reach the wood?" Sabé demanded then. Padmé nodded. "Good. There's a Gungan platform there. There should be a bongo and at least one Gungan; get down to Otoh Gunga and stay there until one of us comes."
"No, Sabé," Padmé protested. "I can't ask you to do that." Sabé's eyes flashed. "You're not asking," she said abruptly. "I'm ordering. The Gungans adore you, they'll protect you no matter what the cost." She met Padmé's eyes and tried a different argument. "If he sees you, he'll know you were pregnant," she reminded her friend. Padmé nodded reluctantly.
"What do we do?" Eirtaé asked quietly. Sabé smiled tightly. "Stall him," she replied. "Let's go."
Within minutes Padmé had left shakily, and Sabé was leading her friends through the deserted streets of Theed. She could feel Vader coming closer, his presence like a black spot in the Force, and urged her limbs to move faster.
When they finally reach the palace, they moved through to the Palace Wardrobe, where the old handmaiden robes were stored. Yané instantly understood what her queen had in mind.
"Eirtaé, we'll have to die your hair," Yané smiled tightly. "And quickly." Eirtaé nodded, and the two grabbed their old flame-coloured robes and sprinted through the palace to their rooms to die Eirtaé's blond locks to a dark brown and to insert brown lenses over her blue eyes.
In the Wardrobe, the women quickly pulled their robes onto them, understanding what Sabé was planning. They painted their faces as Padmé had always when she was queen, white with the red dots and Scar of Remembrance, and made their way to the Armoury, ignoring stares they elicited, and grabbing at least two blasters each.
Then Sabé took them up to her rooms, where Yané and Eirtaé were waiting for them. Versé handed them four blasters, and Sabé retrieved her lightsaber from her room.
"A last reserve," she promised her friends on their looks. She took a breath. The dark blot that was Vader's presence drew even nearer, and
then she could feel him landing and closing in on the palace. "Show time, girls."
Moving swiftly, instinctively knowing where to stand, the six formed two lines. They walked out of Sabé's rooms, and started through the palace.
Panaka was rounding a corner when he saw them. The astonishment on his face was enough to make Yané giggle nervously. Five identical faces rounded on her, and she bit her lip.
"What's going on?" Panaka demanded.
"Sabé?" Reluctantly, Sabé
stepped forward. "Vader is here," she
revealed. "We're covering for
Padmé. Get as many people out of the
palace as you can, Mark. Don't stay."
Then she returned to her place in the block, and they moved past him, hearing him contact the Security Office to start evacuation procedures.
They moved silently through the palace to the throne room, then halted. Sabé could feel Vader come ever closer.
"Won't he be able to sense us?" Versé demanded. Sabé gave a tight smile. "Not if I shield us," she replied grimly. "Everyone, take your seats."
Without another word, they all split and went to their old seats behind the throne. Sabé could feel all their contrasting emotions, then she Force-blanketed them all so Vader could not tell them apart.
And then they waited. The seconds ticked by, seeming like minutes to the waiting 'handmaidens', and Sabé could help twitching occasionally. Then the dark shadow of Vader's presence swooped closer, and Anakin stepped into the thrown room.
Instantly the faces of the six women were impassive, revealing nothing, just as they had all been taught so many years before. They scarcely breathed as Anakin stopped short on seeing them, and they kept absolutely still as he stalked closer to them.
"How very funny," he remarked. His voice had changed, Sabé realised, even if his appearance had not. His voice was slightly deeper, silkier, more evil, if that was even possible. "Five handmaidens, all in a row. But there aren't five of you. And I know you all."
None of them spoke.
Rabé, to the far right, struggled to regulate her breath as Anakin moved
closer to her, smiling slightly. "Let's
see," he mused. "Not Sabé, I'd know
her…not Yané either…that means either Rabé, Dormé or Versé." He moved back, surveying them all. "Unless, of course, one of you is Padmé,
which I highly doubt."
Still they remained silent, and now Yané could see that he was growing more angry, more frustrated. He turned back towards the door, then without warning threw up a hand and the chairs around the table scattered. Versé flinched. Eirtaé glanced warningly at her.
"Talk to me!" Anakin exploded. "Where is Padmé?" As one, as though they had decided this before, the five women rose. Anakin halted when he caught sight of their motion, but they still didn't speak.
Then they broke ranks and ran for the door, blasters out and shooting at him. Sabé couldn't be sure, but some of the shots came perilously close to hitting him. then his lightsaber was out, the green blade deflecting the shots, and then the handmaidens were running through the corridors, splitting up, allowing their training to take over their actions.
Yané and Versé moved together, Eirtaé and Rabé together, and Sabé moving alone between the two pairs. Anakin was following Eirtaé and Rabé, but he was vaguely following the other three as well. Sabé silently trailed him, keeping the Force-blanket over her friends and her hand resting on her blaster.
Then he stopped, and turned sharply down another corridor, moving towards her. She licked her lips, then drew her blaster and levelled it at his head as he came into her sight.
"I wouldn't come any closer, Anakin," she told him, her voice easily falling back into the regal tones that Padmé had taught her years before. "I'm a good shot."
He nodded slowly in satisfaction. "I know you are…Sabé." Sabé smiled grimly; out of the corner of her eye she saw Yané, Rabé, Eirtaé and Versé drawing closer, their blasters all aimed at Anakin. Anakin must have seen them too, but he didn't acknowledge them.
"Where is my wife?" Anakin demanded at last. Sabé smiled faintly. "You claim to know us so well, Anakin," she chastised him. "And yet you think we will betray her for you?"
"We betray her for no one," Rabé spoke up, moving to stand next to Sabé. "Least of all you." His eyes flickered with recognition, and he murmured her name.
"Where is she?" he demanded again. Yané moved to stand next to her friends, her eyes blazing as theirs did. "We tell you, Anakin," she ground out, "we will not betray her for anyone."
"And if we did betray her," Eirtaé added, "we would willingly die for it." She and Versé moved to stand next to the others.
Anakin nodded thoughtfully. Then Versé's blaster flew from her grip into his hand, and he shot her. The youngest of them didn't have a chance to scream as she hit the ground, dead. The hall was instantly full of blaster fire as the handmaidens, enraged, shot at the man they had once called friend.
They retreated back through the corridors to the front of the palace, several floors up. They could see people gathered at the bottom of the huge palace steps, but spared them no more than half a thought as Anakin followed them, his lightsaber easily deflecting the shots.
As the blaster fire and the ensuing cloud of smoke filled the huge corridor, there was a cry, and Sabé could see the green blade of Anakin's lightsaber cut through a shadowy form that she realised with horror was Rabé. She met Yané's eyes, and Eirtaé's, then stood from her crouch and faced Anakin again, her blaster aiming at him. She knew the shots would have found their target if he didn't have his lightsaber, but the fact was he had it, and there was nothing she could do about that.
Then, as she and the remaining two continued to fire, an idea came to her. She moved back, and motioned Yané and Eirtaé to follow her through a door, which she then locked, closing the blast doors after them.
"I'm going to face him," she said breathlessly as they heard his saber cutting through the door. "I can fight him, I beat Obi-Wan two bouts out of three."
"Anakin is better than Obi-Wan," Eirtaé hissed. "I am not letting you do this, Sabé." Sabé shook her head. "You have no choice," she insisted. "Yané, go to Padmé, get her off the planet. Eirtaé, get out of here, you have a family."
"So did Rabé," Eirtaé returned sharply. "I'm not leaving you, Sabé." Sabé met her eyes, then nodded. "Get out of here, Yané – get Padmé to safety."
Yané hesitated for less than a second, then she quickly embraced Sabé and Eirtaé and ran through the corridors to leave the palace. Sabé and Eirtaé gripped hands, then turned and faced the doors, which Anakin cut through in only a matter of minutes.
Sabé's lightsaber was gripped in her right hand, and she pressed the red button as soon as she could see Anakin's face, activating the deep blue blade. Eirtaé shot off a volley of bolts, which Anakin casually deflected with his blade. One of them tore into Eirtaé, and the handmaiden dropped with a gasp, writhing for a moment on the floor before growing still.
Sabé looked at Anakin, her face revealing nothing. As the Sith apprentice moved over to check which one he had killed, he raised an eyebrow. "Eirtaé," he mused. "I never would have known." He raised his head to meet Sabé's eyes. "But that was your intention, wasn't it?"
Sabé forced herself to shrug casually. "We are handmaidens," she reminded him stiffly. "We do what is necessary." He let out a laugh. "You're a queen," he reminded her. "Surely she ought to serve you, not the other way around?"
"I don't need to explain myself to you," she spat disgustedly. She raised her blade. "Come on, Anakin. Let's see which of us is best." He stood, still hovering over Eirtaé's prone body. "Very well," he said calmly. "I hope you're prepared to die."
"I always am," Sabé returned. Then he lunged, and she blocked his blade calmly. That started a complicated dance that neither seemed to be winning for a long time. Anakin pushed her backwards, then she attacked and pushed him back. Then she defended herself, allowing him to wear himself down with his useless attacks until he was tired enough for her to be able to slip a killing blow through his defence.
That moment never came. With a complicated move, he flipped her lightsaber out of her hands and kicked her to the floor. She gasped as she hit the marble floor, not falling as she should have, and looked up to see his blade coming down on her –
Only to be stopped by a blue blade, held by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anger flashed in Anakin's eyes as Sabé scrambled to safety behind Obi-Wan, calling her blade to her hand.
"Hurting her serves no purpose, Anakin," Obi-Wan remarked lightly. "Nor did the deaths of the others." Sabé flinched, then followed the command she heard ringing through her head.
Get to safety! She ran through the palace, following his silent command, and sending back one of her own, although she wasn't sure if he would hear it, as the battle with Anakin had already started. Be careful!
And then she was outside the palace, and in Panaka's safe arms, gasping and staring up at the palace windows, where she could see two dark figures and two glowing lightsabers, moving back and forth across the corridor.
"What happened?" Panaka demanded. "Where are the others?" Sabé turned dull eyes up to meet his. "Oh Gods, Sabé, not all of them – Rabé, Eirtaé, Versé, Yané?"
But Sabé shook her head. "Yané's getting Padmé to safety," she rasped. "She and Dormé and I – we're the last handmaidens left." She looked up again, and her heart wrenched as she felt Obi-Wan fighting body and soul with his former apprentice and friend.
"Obi-Wan and Anakin?" Panaka demanded, following her gaze. Sabé silently nodded, then turned as a woman came running up. "Dormé," she murmured. Dormé met her eyes and instantly knew what had happened. They fell into each other's arms, and wept for their friends.
*********************************************
