A Name is Dead
Summary: The name Padme Amidala Naberrie-Skywalker is dead, but does that mean so is bearer? A little bit about what happens to Padme after the abolishment of the Republic. one-shot
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A Name is DeadPadme… that was my name. To the Senate, to her people, she was Amidala. She was a Queen, and she was a Senator. But she was Padme to her family, to her husband.
…Her husband…
Tears fill my eyes at the thoughts of my Ani. I may no longer be either Padme or Amidala, but no matter who I am he will always be my Ani. My love…
He is no longer Ani, and I am not Padme. He is Vader, and I am Ana. I chose my new name as my final memoriam to my love. I bore his children, Luke and Leia. My two beautiful babies. My little Luke looks just like his father.
In the privacy of my ship, Lady Naboo, I cry. I cry for so long, so hard. I cry all the tears I have ever held in. Tears from Amidala, tears from Padme, tears from Ana. I cry for my people, I cry for my children, I cry for my galaxy, I cry for my Ani.
"Hey Ana, are you in there?" a voice can be heard from other parts of my ship. I quickly dry my tears, and regain my composure. No matter what I have done in my life, no matter what career, in none of them I can cry. Smugglers do not cry, Senators do not cry, Queens do not cry. Crying is for little girls, like the one I used to be. I tell the voice that I am in here, the cockpit. The voice belongs to a man whose his name is Benjamin. He is like the middleman. He tells me my latest shipment and the details. After he leaves, I think of all the things I have smuggled. I have smuggled spices, slaves, Jedi… the list goes on an on.
Smuggling Jedi, I remember well. Palpatine had made Jedi illegal, and those that escaped the beginning of the Purge needed places to go. I remember telling frightened younglings to hide in the hidden panels in my wall, spaces in my floors. I remember hiding the Masters, who appeared calm but were turmoil inside. Seeing some of them reminded me of Ani.
Oh, Ani. How you broke Padme's heart.
…How you broke my heart…
She loved you so much.
…I loved you so much…
You said you loved her.
…You said you loved me…
You were a traitor. You betrayed her.
…You betrayed me…
Oh, Ani. She still loves you. She still loves you, despite everything. Whenever I think of you, she whispers her love. She also whispers of how much she misses you.
…How much I miss you…
I may have been Padme, I may have been Amidala. For years, those woman lay buried inside of me, stirring every once in a while. But now, as I get ready to fly, I see on the holo another story that gives me chilled.
"Senator Koslaskis was found dead today. An autopsy has determined that, guessing by damaged tissue in the trachea, that the Senator was choked to death."
Although it is not said, I know that you did this. I know that you killed the Senator, Ani. Or should I refer to you as Vader now? I know that is what you would want. And if I was Padme, I would. Padme wouldn't care, as long as she was with you. Amidala, the diplomat, would be disgusted. But Amidala would understand, it's part of politics. But me, I just shake my head. This is what you have become. You say that Ani and Vader are not the same person, but I know they are. Vader is warped and twisted, and whether you like it or not, you are still Anakin Skywalker. He is still your DNA, he is still you.
But the thing is, Padme is no longer me. Padme died, and I arose in her place. I may still look like her, but I am not. Padme Amidala Naberrie-Skywalker was a Senator, a mother, a wife, and a former queen. Padme was fair. I am not.
I am Ana, a smuggler, a criminal. I am not a mother, not a wife. I follow no ones rules, I rebel against this government that took away everything I had based my life upon. I may not be Padme anymore, but her life was my life, a long time ago. I mourn for her, the mother. I mourn for her, the wife. I mourn for Padme Amidala Naberrie-Skywalker.
Because today, a name is dead.
