Chapter One
Theed Palace was an extraordinary place to be, especially when the Queen was throwing a ball. And this was no ordinary ball. It was the fifth anniversary of Naboo's victory over the Trade Federation and it seemed as if the entire galaxy was arriving for the event.
Ship after ship arrived, carrying only guests for the ball. And before long, the event was in full swing. Delicate music filled the room as some guests swayed to the music and others chatted fervently. However, all attention was turned to the entrance as the last two guests arrived.
Applause thundered through the room as the Jedi weaved their way through. Many of the guests rushed to them, attempting to shake the hand or even just to touch the legendary Anakin Skywalker. He was the one everyone had been waiting for. The hero of Naboo.
Before Anakin realized what was happening, a throng of girls seemed to throw themselves at his feet and grabbed at his Jedi robes. He politely shrugged them off and desperately looked to his Master, Obi-Wan, for help. Obi-Wan couldn't respond, as he was being bombarded by his own followers, and he could only shrug his shoulders in defeat, telling Anakin that he would just have to grin and bear it.
Anakin grimaced in response to Obi-Wan, then his eyes widened in horror as one the girls ripped a piece of his robe off for herself.
"That's it!" He muttered a little too loudly and proceeded to push the girls off of him. He darted for any exit he could find, looking wildly behind him to assure himself that he wasn't being followed.
Without even realizing it, he found himself in Theed's gardens and nodded to himself with satisfaction. No one would find him there, that was for sure. He leaned gratefully against a tree and rubbed his aching forehead. He definitely hadn't expected to be received that way. It wasn't as if he had saved Naboo yesterday. There had to be a bigger celebrity on that planet than himself, but somehow, he knew that he would always be one there. The savior of millions of lives doesn't just fade away. The thought made him groan and made him wonder just how long he would have suffer this way. The attention from the adults didn't bother him much, but those girls…with their hands…grabbing like he was a one of a kind item on sale…he couldn't handle that.
He didn't really have any interest in girls either. Maybe he just associated all girls with the ones he had just encountered, but either way, he didn't want anything to do with them. Besides, Jedi teachings forbade what those girls wanted from him. Not that he would ever consider giving it to them though. There was only one that ever meant anything to him, and she was no where in sight.
Anakin shook his head, as if to awaken himself from his thoughts and decided to take a better look around the gardens. He knew that they were lush and deep and that one could get lost almost immediately within them. Absolutely perfect.
He started walking and quickly found that the gardens were a much better place to be than the stuffy ballroom. He could breathe here and the sights surrounding him were no cause for complain either.
Suddenly, he stiffened, feeling another presence through the Force. He closed his eyes in defeat, thinking that he had been found and opened them to see a very familiar face.
"Hello."
His heart beat quickened as he realized that that was the first time he had heard that sweet voice in five years. She didn't look much different to him, just older, more beautiful perhaps, but it was still her. As he looked at her, he realized that his own appearance had changed drastically in the years they had been apart and that she didn't recognize her old friend.
"Your highness."
He heard his own voice echo through his mind and felt like he was in a dream. Now, having had to come to the ball wasn't so bad at all.
"You were hiding, weren't you?"
He looked up and met her soulful brown eyes. He surprised himself by laughing out loud. "As a matter of fact, I was. I ran for the first exit I could find and this was it."
She laughed to and it was music to his ears. The sheer sound of it sent his mind reeling.
"I can't blame you."
He smiled brightly at her, and she smiled back. She had been sitting alone for almost an hour having fled the boring ball in favor of some solitude. But now, after seeing this handsome stranger in front of her, she was grateful to have someone to talk to.
His eyes shone as she spoke again: "I was hiding too."
Now, he was slightly surprised as this was not what he would have expected from her, let alone a Queen. He brushed it off and quickly decided to keep talking, since he definitely didn't want the conversation to end.
"You don't like these stuffy parties either?"
She nodded. "I'd rather be anywhere but in there. Don't laugh at me, but I think I'd rather be at one of those Senate conventions than in that ballroom."
He smiled at her and she quickly smiled back.
"Well you know, I was being followed everywhere. Senators talking my ear off about some bill they're trying to pass, and there was this one just wouldn't leave me alone. He followed me around like a puppy or something!"
He was laughing now and she felt her face flush, in spite of her white ceremonial makeup. She normally didn't care for male attention, for some reason, she felt like her whole world would come crashing down if he walked away from her. She took that moment to survey the young man in front her. He was lean and tall, sandy blonde hair with piercing blue eyes. With just one look, those eyes made her knees weak and she had to sit down.
She gestured for him to join her on the bench and it was then that she finally saw the padawan braid. Who was this young padawan? She had to know, even though she knew that there could never be anything between them, she had to know his name. Her thoughts faded into the back of her mind as she realized that he was talking to her again.
"Sometimes I wish that all of this would just go away. You know, we could just get in my ship and go somewhere. Anywhere, as long as we could get away."
His eyes were twinkling now and she couldn't help but smile. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Isn't it? Just think of it. We could leave all these boring people with their boring conversations and leave all those girls…"
"Wait, what girls?"
He smiled sheepishly, knowing he might have given himself away. But he knew he had to keep her talking, and he was afraid that she wouldn't care about him once she found out who he was. Why would she care about a former slave?
"Uhh, did I say girls?"
She laughed and he smiled back at her. "Yes, you did. Now tell me, what girls?"
"Well, let's just say that I've been getting a little more attention from them than I would like. That's mainly my reason for coming out here. I had to get myself away from them with their hands…"
Her eyebrows raised slightly at the mention of their hands and she folded her arms across her chest as if to tell him that he'd better explain himself.
Not knowing what else to do, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear: "Are you an angel?"
Her mouth dropped open in shock and she turned her gaze towards his waiting eyes.
"Anakin?"
Her mouth curved into a smile and she threw her arms around him. He felt immense relief wash over him and realized that he was now holding her in his arms. A wave of emotions washed over him and he realized that this was one of the best moments of his life.
"Why didn't you tell me who you were right away?"
"I don't know."
She laughed again and soon, their eyes locked in an intense stare. He licked his lips and leaned closer while she closed her eyes in anticipation.
"Anakin!"
And suddenly, the spell was broken. Anakin looked up and felt Obi-Wan's presence near by.
"I need to go, that's my Master."
"Obi-Wan?"
He nodded and bit his lip in thought. "Padme…it's alright if I call you Padme, right?"
She nodded and he decided to continue. "Padme, would it be alright if I saw you again?"
She looked up at him and met the eyes of a nervous young man. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself. She couldn't bear the thought of this being the last time she could see him, especially now that she knew who he was.
"Anakin, I would love to see you again."
He couldn't contain his smile and couldn't stop himself from leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. He quickly turned and headed back for the ballroom before he changed his mind. Padme, on the other hand, couldn't move her feet. She was rooted to the ground, her head reeling from the experience she had just had. He wasn't a little boy anymore, that was for sure, and now, the only words that echoed through her head were ones spoken to her long ago:
"I'm going to marry you someday."
