Amidala felt much stronger after she had eaten. She looked herself over, she was a mess. She decided to clean herself up at the brook inside the cave that Anakin had mentioned. Groping on the wall to steady her, Amidala made for an opening in the side of the cave from where she heard the babbling of the brook. She picked up Anakin's thick cloak along the way.
After she had finished her bath she wrapped Anakin's cloak around her. It was way too big for her, the hems dragging behind her, but was soft and warm.
She hurried back to the main cave tripping on the cloak just as she entered. Anakin caught her before she fell. She clung to him, wallowing in the security of his strong arms. An uneasy hush pervaded the cave as the two stared up at each other, the air around them seemed almost to crackle with the tension. Then suddenly she broke away and scampered to the pile of branches that was her bed.
Amidala was Silent reproaching herself for her gushy behavior. "What's come over you," she scolded her self. Hugging her arms to stop the shaking that had over taken her. "You're the Queen she reminded herself not some love struck teenager. She sat on the makeshift bed with her back to the man still standing there in the middle of the cave.
"Your highness you should have informed me before you went off like that," Anakin said in an effort to dispel the awkward silence.
"I would have notified you if you were my handmaiden, she said turning to him.
The dappled rays of the sun coming through the bushes painted a geometric design of light and dark on his face. Through the light she noticed the brave Jedi, hero of Naboo blush red from ear to ear.
"Ah! She thought I've embarrassed him, that's a bit heartening, she thought to her self knowing that she was not the only one to be so unsettled. "Wonder what he would've done if I'd asked him to scrub my back."
Amidala smiled at the thought then burst out laughing. Anakin cringed. His hulking frame seemed to shrink as he looked himself around, for something out of place.
"What's so funny?" He asked.
" Oh force I do hope the cold water hasn't given her a brain fever or something." He'd never seen her act so..so.. Goofy!
"Oh it's nothing she said composing herself again. "I just remembered something, I'm sorry if I made you uneasy," She answered, reprimanding her self for acting so un-queenly. Nevertheless Anakin suddenly felt the spacious cave too tiny and cramped his journey too long and his burden too heavy.
He had never exactly been at home with females other than the ones in the temple. The jedi whether male or female did not believe in giving one's self to this silly emotion.
The Queen hadn't disturbed him much; he was very much at home with the cool and collected monarch. She had always been professional and business like with her interaction with him. Which had suited him fine.
Padme! Well, she was another thing altogether, his little shining star in his little secret world. No one knew she existed-except Obiwan maybe. She had always been in his dreams. Seeing him through his most terrifying and lonely moments. When he was younger, She would sleep by his side and comb her fingers through his hair. He could never imagine sleeping without holding her hand. As he grew he was no longer afraid to sleep alone, but he could not think to sleep without holding her slender body close to him, feel her soft lips against his. A Fantasy, but one which meant a lot to him.
Strangely enough Padme-never changed, she was still the same petite fourteen years old in his dreams, she even wore the same sack clothe dress that he'd seen her wearing on that fateful day in Wattoo's shop. Over the years he had given Padme a personality all her own, so much so that when he did meet Amidala for the first time over a year ago-after nearly nine years, he was surprised to note that he did not associate her in any way to his Padme.
"No way," he thought to himself "can this stiff, masked women be his Padme." Her aloofness helped to enforce this view. Amidala was his Queen and sovereign, untouchable to any common man. And he considered himself a common man-better than a slave, but still a common man. So that's how things stood between them, until now that is.
But Anakin could have sworn he had seen a glimpse of Padme, just for a second and then she had gone. He had been shocked, mesmerized speechless and dumbfounded. Strange warmth had pervaded his body, and emotions that were not in his power to control.
Anakin knelt down besides her with the first aid box. He stoically began to dress the wound on her arm. Avoiding any eye contact. The Queen made small talk to put him at ease, but she sensed the tension in his rigid body language, "its all my fault." She thought.
"Go to sleep, your majes…,"
"Please call me Amidala," she interrupted. "I'm not in my court any more so please do away with the protocol."
"That makes things more difficult." Anakin thought to himself.
Amidala was tired after the effort of taking a bath and was soon asleep on her pallet
Anakin stared at the sleeping queen's face.
"She is the Queen! Anakin not your Padme," An inner voice warned him. "What can you offer her? Padme the peasant girl, wants you always for what you are and expects nothing in return." The voice reasoned. Anakin squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists till it hurt. "Padme! I love you," he whispered.
After she had finished her bath she wrapped Anakin's cloak around her. It was way too big for her, the hems dragging behind her, but was soft and warm.
She hurried back to the main cave tripping on the cloak just as she entered. Anakin caught her before she fell. She clung to him, wallowing in the security of his strong arms. An uneasy hush pervaded the cave as the two stared up at each other, the air around them seemed almost to crackle with the tension. Then suddenly she broke away and scampered to the pile of branches that was her bed.
Amidala was Silent reproaching herself for her gushy behavior. "What's come over you," she scolded her self. Hugging her arms to stop the shaking that had over taken her. "You're the Queen she reminded herself not some love struck teenager. She sat on the makeshift bed with her back to the man still standing there in the middle of the cave.
"Your highness you should have informed me before you went off like that," Anakin said in an effort to dispel the awkward silence.
"I would have notified you if you were my handmaiden, she said turning to him.
The dappled rays of the sun coming through the bushes painted a geometric design of light and dark on his face. Through the light she noticed the brave Jedi, hero of Naboo blush red from ear to ear.
"Ah! She thought I've embarrassed him, that's a bit heartening, she thought to her self knowing that she was not the only one to be so unsettled. "Wonder what he would've done if I'd asked him to scrub my back."
Amidala smiled at the thought then burst out laughing. Anakin cringed. His hulking frame seemed to shrink as he looked himself around, for something out of place.
"What's so funny?" He asked.
" Oh force I do hope the cold water hasn't given her a brain fever or something." He'd never seen her act so..so.. Goofy!
"Oh it's nothing she said composing herself again. "I just remembered something, I'm sorry if I made you uneasy," She answered, reprimanding her self for acting so un-queenly. Nevertheless Anakin suddenly felt the spacious cave too tiny and cramped his journey too long and his burden too heavy.
He had never exactly been at home with females other than the ones in the temple. The jedi whether male or female did not believe in giving one's self to this silly emotion.
The Queen hadn't disturbed him much; he was very much at home with the cool and collected monarch. She had always been professional and business like with her interaction with him. Which had suited him fine.
Padme! Well, she was another thing altogether, his little shining star in his little secret world. No one knew she existed-except Obiwan maybe. She had always been in his dreams. Seeing him through his most terrifying and lonely moments. When he was younger, She would sleep by his side and comb her fingers through his hair. He could never imagine sleeping without holding her hand. As he grew he was no longer afraid to sleep alone, but he could not think to sleep without holding her slender body close to him, feel her soft lips against his. A Fantasy, but one which meant a lot to him.
Strangely enough Padme-never changed, she was still the same petite fourteen years old in his dreams, she even wore the same sack clothe dress that he'd seen her wearing on that fateful day in Wattoo's shop. Over the years he had given Padme a personality all her own, so much so that when he did meet Amidala for the first time over a year ago-after nearly nine years, he was surprised to note that he did not associate her in any way to his Padme.
"No way," he thought to himself "can this stiff, masked women be his Padme." Her aloofness helped to enforce this view. Amidala was his Queen and sovereign, untouchable to any common man. And he considered himself a common man-better than a slave, but still a common man. So that's how things stood between them, until now that is.
But Anakin could have sworn he had seen a glimpse of Padme, just for a second and then she had gone. He had been shocked, mesmerized speechless and dumbfounded. Strange warmth had pervaded his body, and emotions that were not in his power to control.
Anakin knelt down besides her with the first aid box. He stoically began to dress the wound on her arm. Avoiding any eye contact. The Queen made small talk to put him at ease, but she sensed the tension in his rigid body language, "its all my fault." She thought.
"Go to sleep, your majes…,"
"Please call me Amidala," she interrupted. "I'm not in my court any more so please do away with the protocol."
"That makes things more difficult." Anakin thought to himself.
Amidala was tired after the effort of taking a bath and was soon asleep on her pallet
Anakin stared at the sleeping queen's face.
"She is the Queen! Anakin not your Padme," An inner voice warned him. "What can you offer her? Padme the peasant girl, wants you always for what you are and expects nothing in return." The voice reasoned. Anakin squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists till it hurt. "Padme! I love you," he whispered.