Chapter 3- Rabé
Rabé Nupola smiled as Padmé hugged the life out of her. The poor woman. She had to live here with Dormé and the two of them with next to no contact with the rest of the world.
Smiling like a mad woman, Padmé finally stepped back. "You have no idea how glad I am to have you here, Rabé." She gestured for them all to take a seat. Once settled, she continued. "So how long have you been on planet?"
"Well, I've been in the backroom for about an hour or so, so perhaps four hours?"
"I suppose I can forgive you then for a prank like that. Now tell me, how's Naboo? More specifically, how are you and Sabé?" Padmé asked, leaning forward, a hungry look in her eyes.
Rabé leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. "Well, the planet's doing fine, considering. Sabé's the same as ever, joking around until seriousness is an absolute necessity. And me? Well, Gars," she paused, an uncustomary flush coming to her cheeks. Padmé looked encouragingly at her. "He proposed and we got married a couple years ago. Which reminds me,"
Smiling, she stood up and quickly left the room. Going back to the room where she had come from, she smiled down at the sleeping girl there. Picking her up gently, she turned around and headed back out to the Outer Room. Blinking her eyes, the girl yawned and started to wake up.
"Padmé, I'd like you to meet Katé, Gars' and my daughter."
Padmé's mouth dropped open with shock. "You have a daughter? Congratulations! Wait why is she here? You know how dangerous it is, Rabé!"
Katé blinked sleepily and glanced at Padmé out of the corner of her eye. "Mama, who's this? She looks like Aunt Sabé."
"That's your Aunt Padmé, sweetie," Rabé glanced up quickly at her. "We've made all the handmaidens honorary aunts. Hope you don't mind the extra title."
Padmé shook her head, a silent 'it's alright.' Rabé watched as her daughter clambered off her own lap and skipped across to Padmé. "You're really pretty Aunt Padmé? Mama's showed me holos of you before." She reached out her arms, an invitation to pick her up that was taken.
"She did now, huh?"
"Yup! Do you have any kids like me?"
Rabé winced inwardly as she saw a pained expression briefly cross Padmé's face before disappearing. "Yes, I've got a son and I've got a daughter who are your age."
Katé's mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide. "You do? Really? What's her name?"
Padmé smiled slightly. "Her name's Leia."
Katé frowned slightly. "How come her name's not like ours?"
Rabé hid a grin as Padmé looked over Katé's head questioningly at her. "It's the é," she mouthed silently, tracing the letter in the air.
Padmé nodded. "Well, because she'd an Alderaanian princess so I decided to give her an Alderaanian name."
"But Mama said you were queen of Naboo, not Al- Alda- Aldera- Alderaan!"
Rabé chuckled inwardly at her daughter.. Well, she was raising the girl to be smart and watchful and everything that a handmaiden was if nothing else.
"Well, she's living with another family now and that makes her a princess of Alderaan."
Eyes still wide, Katé nodded slowly. "So she has two mommies and daddies?"
Padmé titled her head to the right slightly, as if she were considering it. Another flash of pain crossed her face before disappearing. Rabé looked sharply over at Dormé, a question in her eyes. Dormé nodded slightly and mouthed 'later.' Rabé nodded in return.
"I guess you could say that, Katé," Padmé answered slowly.
Coming to a decision, Rabé stood up and scooped her daughter up. "That's enough questions for now, sweetie. You can talk to Aunt Padmé tomorrow."
"Aww! But," a yawn, "Mama!"
"She'll still be here tomorrow, Kay-Kay." Shifting her on to her hip, she smiled slightly at Padmé. "Dormé, could you show me the way to that room again?"
Catching her drift, Dormé nodded. "Of course. I'll be back in a moment, Milady."
The two women left the room, headed towards the back room. As soon as they were out of earshot, Dormé turned towards Rabé.
"Why did you bring Katé to Alderaan, Rabé? It's dangerous here, it's why I commed you and Sabé."
Rabé sighed and shifted the once more sleeping Katé to her other hip. "Because I thought that if Padmé could not be with her own children then a moment with my daughter might do her good."
Dormé remained silent and nodded after a moment. "So you'll be alright while I'm gone?"
Rabé chuckled and nodded. "I'll be fine, Dormé. I may not have been an active handmaiden for a few years, but I still remember how. Oh that reminds me, will you take Katé with you when you return to Naboo?"
Dormé nodded. "Of course. I'm leaving at 0800 in two days."
"Are you just bringing back Sabé? Or are more coming back here?"
"So far, just her, but the more, the better. I was thinking of trying to find Yané, Saché, or Eirtaé, but I have no way of contacting them, not with out being caught at least.
Rabé gently laid her daughter back down on the bed and turned to face Dormé once more. "None of us ever had the chance to teach you the code, did we?"
The older handmaiden frowned slightly and shook her head. "Not that I can remember."
"Well you tell me your message to Yané and I'll send it to her, and teach you the code and give you the comm frequencies later."
"Sounds like a deal," she frowned slightly once more. "I can't believe I've never heard of this code before."
"You weren't in our generation of handmaidens, young one. You came after us fabulous five," Rabé replied jokingly, smiling broadly. The two started to head back to Padmé.
"Young one?" Dormé's tone was indignant. "I'm a full year older at least than the rest of you girls!"
The two laughed as they reentered the room. Padmé looked up at the two laughing women.
"What's so amusing?" she inquired.
"Oh, nothing Milady, just comparing notes," Dormé said innocently.
"And I still think that the Fabulous Five can take on the Terrific Three any day and win!" Rabé added mirthfully.
"I'm sure you could, as the alive numbers are currently five to one," Dormé retorted, her tone a bit more sober now.
Silence reigned for a few moments before Rabé finally said, "Come on Dormé, we'll teach you the code now. Maybe Padmé can help me."
Padmé grinned, nodded and the two began to instruct Dormé on the handmaiden speaking codes.
Rabé Nupola smiled as Padmé hugged the life out of her. The poor woman. She had to live here with Dormé and the two of them with next to no contact with the rest of the world.
Smiling like a mad woman, Padmé finally stepped back. "You have no idea how glad I am to have you here, Rabé." She gestured for them all to take a seat. Once settled, she continued. "So how long have you been on planet?"
"Well, I've been in the backroom for about an hour or so, so perhaps four hours?"
"I suppose I can forgive you then for a prank like that. Now tell me, how's Naboo? More specifically, how are you and Sabé?" Padmé asked, leaning forward, a hungry look in her eyes.
Rabé leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. "Well, the planet's doing fine, considering. Sabé's the same as ever, joking around until seriousness is an absolute necessity. And me? Well, Gars," she paused, an uncustomary flush coming to her cheeks. Padmé looked encouragingly at her. "He proposed and we got married a couple years ago. Which reminds me,"
Smiling, she stood up and quickly left the room. Going back to the room where she had come from, she smiled down at the sleeping girl there. Picking her up gently, she turned around and headed back out to the Outer Room. Blinking her eyes, the girl yawned and started to wake up.
"Padmé, I'd like you to meet Katé, Gars' and my daughter."
Padmé's mouth dropped open with shock. "You have a daughter? Congratulations! Wait why is she here? You know how dangerous it is, Rabé!"
Katé blinked sleepily and glanced at Padmé out of the corner of her eye. "Mama, who's this? She looks like Aunt Sabé."
"That's your Aunt Padmé, sweetie," Rabé glanced up quickly at her. "We've made all the handmaidens honorary aunts. Hope you don't mind the extra title."
Padmé shook her head, a silent 'it's alright.' Rabé watched as her daughter clambered off her own lap and skipped across to Padmé. "You're really pretty Aunt Padmé? Mama's showed me holos of you before." She reached out her arms, an invitation to pick her up that was taken.
"She did now, huh?"
"Yup! Do you have any kids like me?"
Rabé winced inwardly as she saw a pained expression briefly cross Padmé's face before disappearing. "Yes, I've got a son and I've got a daughter who are your age."
Katé's mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide. "You do? Really? What's her name?"
Padmé smiled slightly. "Her name's Leia."
Katé frowned slightly. "How come her name's not like ours?"
Rabé hid a grin as Padmé looked over Katé's head questioningly at her. "It's the é," she mouthed silently, tracing the letter in the air.
Padmé nodded. "Well, because she'd an Alderaanian princess so I decided to give her an Alderaanian name."
"But Mama said you were queen of Naboo, not Al- Alda- Aldera- Alderaan!"
Rabé chuckled inwardly at her daughter.. Well, she was raising the girl to be smart and watchful and everything that a handmaiden was if nothing else.
"Well, she's living with another family now and that makes her a princess of Alderaan."
Eyes still wide, Katé nodded slowly. "So she has two mommies and daddies?"
Padmé titled her head to the right slightly, as if she were considering it. Another flash of pain crossed her face before disappearing. Rabé looked sharply over at Dormé, a question in her eyes. Dormé nodded slightly and mouthed 'later.' Rabé nodded in return.
"I guess you could say that, Katé," Padmé answered slowly.
Coming to a decision, Rabé stood up and scooped her daughter up. "That's enough questions for now, sweetie. You can talk to Aunt Padmé tomorrow."
"Aww! But," a yawn, "Mama!"
"She'll still be here tomorrow, Kay-Kay." Shifting her on to her hip, she smiled slightly at Padmé. "Dormé, could you show me the way to that room again?"
Catching her drift, Dormé nodded. "Of course. I'll be back in a moment, Milady."
The two women left the room, headed towards the back room. As soon as they were out of earshot, Dormé turned towards Rabé.
"Why did you bring Katé to Alderaan, Rabé? It's dangerous here, it's why I commed you and Sabé."
Rabé sighed and shifted the once more sleeping Katé to her other hip. "Because I thought that if Padmé could not be with her own children then a moment with my daughter might do her good."
Dormé remained silent and nodded after a moment. "So you'll be alright while I'm gone?"
Rabé chuckled and nodded. "I'll be fine, Dormé. I may not have been an active handmaiden for a few years, but I still remember how. Oh that reminds me, will you take Katé with you when you return to Naboo?"
Dormé nodded. "Of course. I'm leaving at 0800 in two days."
"Are you just bringing back Sabé? Or are more coming back here?"
"So far, just her, but the more, the better. I was thinking of trying to find Yané, Saché, or Eirtaé, but I have no way of contacting them, not with out being caught at least.
Rabé gently laid her daughter back down on the bed and turned to face Dormé once more. "None of us ever had the chance to teach you the code, did we?"
The older handmaiden frowned slightly and shook her head. "Not that I can remember."
"Well you tell me your message to Yané and I'll send it to her, and teach you the code and give you the comm frequencies later."
"Sounds like a deal," she frowned slightly once more. "I can't believe I've never heard of this code before."
"You weren't in our generation of handmaidens, young one. You came after us fabulous five," Rabé replied jokingly, smiling broadly. The two started to head back to Padmé.
"Young one?" Dormé's tone was indignant. "I'm a full year older at least than the rest of you girls!"
The two laughed as they reentered the room. Padmé looked up at the two laughing women.
"What's so amusing?" she inquired.
"Oh, nothing Milady, just comparing notes," Dormé said innocently.
"And I still think that the Fabulous Five can take on the Terrific Three any day and win!" Rabé added mirthfully.
"I'm sure you could, as the alive numbers are currently five to one," Dormé retorted, her tone a bit more sober now.
Silence reigned for a few moments before Rabé finally said, "Come on Dormé, we'll teach you the code now. Maybe Padmé can help me."
Padmé grinned, nodded and the two began to instruct Dormé on the handmaiden speaking codes.