"Your daughter Padmé?" Anakin repeated.

"Ye- yes," said Ruwee.

"If you want a rose for your daughter she shall have it.  However for the price of the rose she must come here."

"No!  I- I don't need the rose.  I'll just be on my way." said Ruwee, backing away towards the door.

"You will take the rose, and your daughter will come here.  If she doesn't, I will kill you.  No matter how far away you would go, I will kill you if she does not come her to pay for your foolish behavior."

"Please, kill me.  Take my life instead.  Don't kill her." said Ruwee suddenly.

"SILENCE," Anakin yelled, "THERE ARE NO NEGOTIATIONS OVER THIS!"

Ruwee backed away, cowering.

"Anakin," came Siri's voice, "Here's the rose," she said, laying it on the ground in front of his feet.

Anakin nodded, and gestured for Ruwee to pick it up.

Ruwee moved forward slowly.  He bent down, picked it up, and began to back away towards the door.  "Please, kill me now, just don't harm Padmé!" he said one last time.

"She will come here!  And within the next two weeks too!" Anakin replied, pushing Ruwee out the door and slamming it.

"Anakin!  Was that necessary?" Obi- Wan asked incredulously.

Anakin glared in response.

"Hm, save us all he may just have." Yoda spoke, bringing illumination to the dimly lit room, "If coming here a girl is..."

"Then we're all saved!" Siri finished, a hint of a smile gleaming across her porcelain features.

Anakin nodded vaguely.  "It wouldn't work."

~*~

Padmé was outside feeding the chickens and Sola was watering their small garden when Ruwee came back. Although it had been a surprise to him, it appeared as though the harsh winter he had endured just the previous day had some how turned to spring.  The two horses he had with him were panting, and he himself looked quite startled. 

"Father, what is it?" asked Sola, looking up.

"Its- its," and Ruwee collapsed as he tried to get down from his horse.

"Father!" Sola and Padmé cried at once, running to him.

"I'm- I'm alright." he said, looking around, "but maybe we had better go inside,"

~*~

"And he- he said that you would have to come to the castle, Padmé." Ruwee finished, nearly in tears at remembrance of the events of the morning's events.

Both Padmé and Sola remained silent.  "I will go," Padmé said, "It is what must be done."

"You are not going!  Heavens knows what he might do to you!" Ruwee exclaimed.

"It is what must be done," Padmé repeated, "I will go."

"No, I will," Sola said, "This...  Thing will never know that I am not Padmé."

"You aren't going either, Sola.  No one is.  We'll pretend this never happened-"

"I'm going." Padmé insisted, "You have work to do," she said to Ruwee, "and you're getting married soon." she added to Sola.

"Padmé you-"

"I'll leave in a week," she said, "Who knows how long it might take me to find this place.  And he'll kill you if I don't go."

"But Padmé-"

"I'm going." she said.

~*~

Over the next week, Ruwee and Sola tried their best to convince Padmé not to go, but Padmé would always insist that it was what must be done, and who knew, this...  thing might let her come back and forget about the whole ordeal.

Padmé wasn't afraid of going.  She figured that this thing couldn't be any worse than the monsters and bad guys in all of the stories she had read.  She would miss Sola and her Father, and she would miss her life here at their home, but she wasn't afraid.  Change could be good, but it could also be bad.  Who knew what kind of change this one would be, but Padmé forced herself into believing everything would be okay in the end.

The week was over before any of them realized it.  They had decided that Padmé would take the horse that Ruwee had received with her.  It could perhaps keep her company.  She also would take a few sets of clothes, as well as some possessions that were important to her.

"Oh Padmé!" cried Sola, hugging Padmé tightly.  "Please be careful."

"I will." Padmé said truthfully, "I'll miss you,"

"Oh!  I'll miss you too," said Sola, nearly in tears.  "I really wish you wouldn't go though."

"Don't worry," said Padmé, managing to smile, "I'm sure I'll be home soon."

Sola nodded, and let her go.

"Padmé," Ruwee said, approaching his youngest daughter, "We're going to miss you a lot." he said, hugging her.

"I'll miss you to, Dad." she said.

He kissed her forehead, "Are you sure about this I could just-"

Padmé shook her head, "I'll be fine," she insisted.

Ruwee closed his eyes and said "I know,"

And with that, Padmé drew out of his embrace, and climbed into the saddle of her horse.  She rearranged the saddle bags, and her horse began moving.

"Bye!" she called, "I love you!"

"We love you too, Padmé," Sola called after her, now in full fledged tears.

~*~

Padmé forced herself not to look back, or she just might cry too.

"Well, here we go," she said to her horse.  "I suppose I ought to name you as I suppose you'll keep me company quite a bit."

The horse did nothing, but in Padme's mind she was listening.  "How about...  Juliana?"  she said out loud, "Yes, that's fitting enough."  Juliana was the name of the heroine in one of her favorite books.

Before Padmé realized what she was doing, Juliana entered a forest close to their town and home.  They rode around in what seemed like circles when Padmé thought she saw a glimpse of an iron gate.  She pulled Juliana to a halt and rode through a cluster of trees.  Sure enough, a huge, stone castle loomed into view.

"Juliana," breathed Padmé, "I think we've found it."

Padmé climbed down from Juliana's back and cautiously opened the iron gate, not knowing the fate she would meet in doing so.  She unconsciously took Juliana's reins into her hand, and began to walk up the path leading to the castle.

_*_

AN: Like it?  Please review!

- Sarah