Chapter 14

Drengin found Anakin in the cockpit the next day, just before Anakin pulled the ship out of hyperspace.

The boy gaped in amazement at the planet in front of them. Eyes wide, he eagerly absorbed everything he saw as the distance between the ship and the planet decreased.

The planet, with its blue seas and green land, was like a sparkling jewel in space a far cry from the desert world of Tatooine. As Anakin landed the ship on the outskirts of Theed, Drengin's excitement grew. "It's very," Drengin began, searching for the right word. "It's pretty."

Anakin landed the ship gracefully, and then turned to look at Drengin. "Did you eat breakfast?"

"Yeah. Can I go outside and look around now?" Drengin asked impatiently.

Anakin looked back at the consol and made a few minor adjustments before answering. "Go ahead, but stay close to---"

Drengin didn't wait for Anakin to finish as he raced out of the cockpit to the ramp.

"The ship," Anakin finished with a shake of his head. He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.

Maybe coming here is a bad idea. Why would she ever want to help me? How do I know that she doesn't actually despise me? Sure, I contacted her before via the comm unit, but that was only for several minutes. Even before that, I had talked to her multiple times, but still. Anakin took the japor snippet out of a small pouch on his belt and looked at every line, rubbing his fingers along the smooth edge.

I'm not a child anymore, I'm a Sith, was a Sith, in training and she is a Queen. She will consider me an enemy, she'll want me to leave, but she'll have no choice. The Sith own everything and everyone, all fear us. Is that why she talks to me for those brief minutes? Just to avoid the anger of the Sith? No, no she wouldn't do that. Why am starting to doubt now when I have talked to her over the years?

Anakin clenched the pendant tightly in his hand, his eyes squeezing shut as tears threatened to give way. What of Kitster? How would he see me? Would he still be my friend? Is he my only real friend? A friend with whom I shared dreams and longed for freedom with? Does he think I'm dead? Does he even remember me? Is he even alive? I will never know, now that he is out among the stars, still a slave. Still a slave.

Anakin opened his shining eyes and quickly wiped the tears away. I'm just a tool, a pawn. One without hope, family or friends. Just someone to be used for another's gain.

He opened his hand and gazed down at the pendant. If my mom was killed by the Sith, then I have betrayed her with my actions. Betrayed her memory, betrayed her love, betrayed her words to me. Unable to continue looking at the pendant he had lovingly carved for his mother, he tucked it back into its pouch and placed it back into his belt.

Outside, eager to go into the city he had seen as they were landing, Drengin impatiently called for Anakin to hurry up.

Slowly, Anakin rose from his seat and headed for the ramp. He seems so cheerful, as if the conversation we had last night never happened. How does he do it? Does he simply conceal his real emotions? I saw a different side of him last night, quite the opposite from how he is right now.

Grabbing his cloak, Anakin put it on as he descended the ramp. As he pressed a small remote control on his belt, the ramp closed behind him. Drengin ran up to him, excitement in his eyes.

"This is better than Coruscant and Tatooine," Drengin proclaimed with a smile.

Anakin managed a weak smile before drawing up his hood. "We are going to the palace. I want you to behave properly – do not speak unless spoken to. Understand?"

Drengin nodded as he tried to be calm. "I understand," he answered, fidgeting noticeably.

"And don't fidget. It's unbecoming of an apprentice," Anakin instructed sternly.

Drengin nodded and followed behind Anakin.

As they entered Theed, Drengin was so fascinated by all the sights, sounds, and smells that Anakin had to use the Force to give him a push to get Drengin's attention several times.

Half an hour later, they reached the palace and were met by Captain Panaka.

"Greetings. This is an unexpected surprise," Panaka began.

"You will take us to Queen Amidala immediately!" Anakin commanded him.

A muscle in Panaka's left cheek twitched but before he could respond, a woman's voice came from behind Anakin and Drengin.

"May I ask who it is that wishes to see her?" Sola Naberrie asked in a soft, unsure voice.

Anakin and Drengin turned to face her, missing the look of disapproval Panaka gave Sola. "No one questions a Sith – they only obey," Anakin answered, his blue eyes hardening with irritation.

"No one who is bold enough will dare to question a Sith Master. A Sith takes pleasure in his name being spoken with respect born out of fear. So how can that happen when we do not know your name?" Sola responded as she pushed away her fear.

"I am Anakin Skywalker."

The woman bowed and let down her yellow and orange hood. "The people of Naboo greet you, Anakin Skywalker. It is an honor. I am Sola, the Queen's sister."

Drengin looked up at Anakin questioningly but didn't receive a response, for Anakin was just as bewildered as Drengin was.

"My sister is not at the palace, I'm afraid. However, if you would join us for lunch, the Naberrie family would be honored," Sola continued, her nervousness fading completely. "I have a speeder waiting."

Anakin nodded, not saying a word, and followed her to the speeder. Drengin followed behind them, even more confused than before.

Sola drove them to the Naberrie residence, which was about fifteen minutes away from the palace. During that time, there was total silence in the speeder. Drengin was admiring the buildings and landscape as they passed by them, while Anakin sought the Force for answers to this odd set of circumstances.

Ten minutes into the drive, Anakin broke the silence with a question. "Why is the Queen not at the palace?"

Sola pressed her lips together in a thin line before she answered. "Does she have to be? The palace is not a prison."

Anakin kept silent for the rest of the ride as he contemplated her words.

When they arrived, Sola parked the speeder a few feet from the house that was lined with blooming yellow and orange flowers and with a small water fountain that sat in the middle of the pebble walkway causing the path to momentarily split and then join together again once the path was clear.

The door opened and out bounded two little girls who ran over to Sola and hugged her tightly.

Sola smiled and planted a kiss on top of one brown and one blonde head, and then looked over to Anakin and Drengin. "These are my children, Ryoo and Pooja.

The girls looked toward their guests and grinned when they saw Drengin. Ryoo pulled on her mother's dress and looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Can he play with us?"

Meanwhile, Pooja had already run off to Drengin and was pulling on his hand. "Come on, let's go play in the garden."

Sola's cheeks turned red and her nervousness returned. "Children, what have I told you about when we have guests?"

Pooja let go of Drengin's hand and walked back over to her mother. "Please?"

"You said for us to be on our best behavior, and to hang out with the guests' kids if there are any, and to let them choose what to play," Ryoo answered.

"And he's a kid," Pooja added.

Drengin looked uneasily up at Anakin whose face was unreadable. "Have them show you around, Drengin," Anakin said, his voice low and emotionless.

Drengin looked at the girls and then back at Anakin. "Really?"

"Drengin would like to be shown around. I'm sure your daughters will provide an adequate tour for him," Anakin told Sola and motioned Drengin forward.

Sola nodded and told her children to show Drengin around the house and the garden.

Without hesitation, Pooja ran back up to Drengin and pulled at his hand. "I'll show you my pet."

Ryoo grabbed Drengin's other hand. "No, let's show him Grandfather's paintings first."

As soon as they disappeared around the corner, Sola looked at Anakin apologetically. "I'm sorry about that; they don't understand your ways."

Anakin listened with half an ear as they entered the house, and let his hood down. The walls seemed to echo with the past as the two humans walked down the hallway. One particular holo picture caught his eye and he stopped to look at it.

Two girls about ten and eight-years-old sat in a field of flowers. The girl on the left was watching a small bug crawl up a flower while the other girl seemed to look straight at him. Her eyes looked familiar as he stared; her smile was bright and warm.

"The girl on the left is me. The one on the right is my sister, Padme," Sola answered his unspoken question. "Things were so simple then when we were younger."

"Tell me about her," Anakin said, his eyes still on the picture.

"She loved serving the community – ever since she was six-years-old she would do little things that some people wouldn't think of right away. Here in this picture she wanted to go pick some flowers for those that were in the med center. We must have picked hundreds of flowers that day." Sola grinned and shook her head. "She even started a flower club. My eldest daughter, Ryoo, is part of that very club."

"She makes quite an impact. I suppose it's no wonder she was elected as queen," Anakin commented.

"Yes," Sola answered. "She did," she added softly to herself.

Anakin turned and looked at Sola. "She still does."

Sola turned away and continued down the hall to the sitting room. "She is not the queen anymore."

"What? Why?" Anakin responded in shock.

"Padme told us a lot about you. Well, what she knew, anyway, and what she thought personally," Sola said, changing the subject.

Anakin sat down in a chair while Sola went into the kitchen to fix some iced tea. "What did she say about me?"

"Lots of things, but to sum it all up, I had the distinct impression that she was falling in love with you."

Anakin was glad that Sola was out of the room and could not see his stunned expression.

"Of course, I had to ask her if it was true. Imagine my shock when she told me that she truly did love you."

Oh, I can imagine all right, Anakin said to himself.

"I mean, come on now – a Queen and a Sith in love? Well, actually, she didn't know if you loved her too but she held hope that you did. Why, I can't understand and perhaps never will. As any concerned sister would, I tried to reason with her, but she was stubborn, countering my every argument."

Padme loves me, Anakin repeated, the words like a soothing balm of hope for his soul.

Sola came back into the room with a wooden tray that held two cups of iced tea and two tea cakes and set them on a small table.

Anakin had regained his composure by the time she returned to the room, and found his focus wavering. "I wish to meditate. Is there a room I can use so that I'm not interrupted?"

Sola nodded and pointed to the stairs. "Just go up the stairs and follow the hallway until you get to the last room. No one will disturb you there."

Anakin stood up and headed for the room with much to think about. He entered the room and found himself in a bedroom – Padme's bedroom.

After the girls had finished showing Drengin around, they dragged him to a small field of flowers. Drengin felt uncomfortable and out of place around them. The girls were happy and carefree as they romped through the field while he just watched from a distance.

Ryoo noticed that he was not following and came running back to him. "Come on, play with us. We're done showing you around and now it's time to have fun."

"I don't play," Drengin admitted.

"You don't?" Pooja said in a small voice as she came over to them with flowers in her hand. "But all kids play."

"Well, I don't!" Drengin answered, a little more harshly than he intended.

Pooja's lip quivered and tears appeared in her eyes. "You don't like us?"

Drengin didn't know what to say as Pooja began to cry and Ryoo went over to her sister to comfort her.

"He said he doesn't play – that doesn't mean he doesn't like us," Ryoo explained, giving Pooja a hug.

"But he doesn't play," Pooja replied between sobs.

"Well, then we can teach him to play," Ryoo suggested.

Pooja immediately perked up and smiled. "We could."

Drengin swallowed hard and soon found himself running in the field, chased by two girls. "I don't play!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"But you are playing," Ryoo replied.

"We're playing tag!" Pooja informed him as she ran as fast as her short legs could carry her.

Seeing a tall tree, Drengin used the Force to jump up to an overhanging branch and began to climb.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Ryoo protested as she stopped at the trunk of the tree and watched Drengin climb.

Pooja came to a halt beside her sister and looked at her. "Get him."

Ryoo shook her head, her blond curls flying. "I can't climb."

"But he did it and he's about our age," Pooja countered, tears in her eyes.

"I'm not going to climb after him," Ryoo declared firmly.

"Please," Pooja begged, putting on her best sad face.

Ryoo looked at her sister and immediately regretted it. Groaning, she found a low branch and began to slowly make her way up the tree.