Chapter Fifteen
The Neimoidian transport was escorted into the Theed hangar by two yellow Nubian fighters. When the transport's passengers exited the ship, Padmé was stunned to see the columns of security and palace personnel who stood waiting to greet her. Her eyes immediately sought out two familiar faces -- Steward Palpatine and Captain Panaka.
She then turned to look at Obi-Wan who stood directly behind her and received a brief warm smile and wink in return, giving her the support she needed to continue walking, although her knees were threatening to buckle beneath her.
She approached Palpatine first.
"Steward."
"Your highness! I am so pleased to see you alive. Welcome back." He grasped her hand and shook it gently and Padmé could not help but notice how cold his hands were.
She then turned to the captain of the guard, Panaka. She wanted to smile at him as his face brought back so many fond memories. He had been a trusted advisor to her parents and a loyal friend as well. But for some reason, a smile refused to come. In fact, now that she thought about it, she hadn't smiled since that night in the cargo bay.
"Captain."
"Mi'Lady. I served your mother and father, and I shall continue to serve you as well. It is good to have you home at last."
"Thank you. These are my rescuers, Master Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi." Padmé motioned to the pair of Jedi who stood directly behind her.
"We owe you a great debt of thanks." Palpatine replied, bowing slightly, to which both Jedi responded with their own bows.
"No thanks is necessary. Our concern now is to secure the Queen and to help make the transition for her as quickly and as comfortable as possible." Qui-Gon stated, rising to his full height above the steward.
Obi-Wan noted the usual intimidating tower of his Master did not seem to affect the steward at all, as an oily grin spread over Palpatine's face. "Yes, of course. If you'll come with me, we can move to more comfortable accommodations and begin this transition you speak of." He motioned toward the exit of the hangar.
"First, I would like to freshen up a bit." Padmé interrupted the silence of their passage through the hangar.
"Then we shall escort her highness to her rooms first and meet in one hour." Palpatine motioned toward an opposite hallway.
"I believe I know the way." Padmé replied curtly and began moving away from the silent crowd she had been walking with.
The columns, the arches, the multi-paned windows, the glossy marble floors, and the rows of towering statues. It all seemed like a dream. They were familiar to her, but then again, they were not.
She could see herself playing hide and seek as a girl behind the massive columns, and poor Captain Panaka pretending not to be able to find her. Her childhood had been a lonely one. No sisters or brothers, no children to play with. Palace personnel were her only friends, and the closest friendshe had had was the captain of the guard.
As she opened the wide double doors leading to her chambers, the thought occurred to her: Her childhood had indeed been a lonely one, and it appeared that her adult life would be as well.
She missed her mother and father. And for the first time since hearing about their deaths, Padmé sank to the floor and began to grieve for them.
A timid knock on the door some time later caught her by surprise and she rose from the floor to answer it. A young girl, about her age and height entered the room.
"My name is Cordé, your highness. I'm here to help you prepare for the security council meeting."
During the meeting, whose attendees consisted of Palpatine, Panaka, the Jedi, Cordé, and another young woman who looked remarkably like her, Padmé listened intently as the group argued and planned her future.
"Until we have discovered who was responsible for this kidnapping, the Queen is still in danger and certain security measures must be established."
"I agree," Panaka followed the steward's statement. "We still don't know who this perpetrator is. They could still be on-planet, or even in the palace." His eyes moved directly to glare at the two Jedi.
"Then we are in agreement that the protocols we have set forth today will be routinely followed." Qui-Gon ended with a glance toward Padmé.
"We are agreed." She nodded her approval and rose to exit the room, immediately followed by the two young women dressed in identical outfits of lilac.
Padmé returned to her chambers. After excusing Cordé and her near twin, Padmé held up the datareader and went over the meeting's notes.
She sighed heavily as she tossed the reader onto the expansive bed. Her life in the palace would not be as it was before. Even Palpatine would soon be leaving, having accepted a senatorial position on Coruscant.
"Handmaidens….disguises….bodyguards." She murmured. Things definitely would not be the same – not even her name.
"Amidala." Padmé rolled the name around her tongue.
"Queen Amidala." She repeated.
"Queen Padmé Amidala." She repeated once more.
For her own protection, they had not even let her keep her birth name of Naberrie.
She collapsed into a velvet lined chair as one of the handmaidens knocked gently and entered the room, carrying what appeared to be a tray filled with powders, kohls, and rouge.
An hour later, she glanced into the mirror and hardly recognized her image. Her hair was piled high into a spikey adornment made of lace and crystal, with a matching lace gown that she could barely breathe in, much less move in. But it was her face that was the most shocking. Heavily made up, her skin was now ghostly white with two red dots adorning each cheek, her upper lip dark red, and a red slash vertically across the lower. The pattern was created from references to ancient royal Naboo customs that Padmé vaguely recognized from her childhood history classes.
Well, it appears that some customs never die, she thought as she turned her gaze away from the ornate mirror and practiced walking in the elaborate gown.
She found herself soon standing in front of the many arched windows in the room, staring down at the lush gardens below. She remembered playing in those gardens when she was younger, and how upset her mother had been when she had dug up some of her favorite flowers while looking for buried pirate treasure.
The memory brought her little comfort.
"Come in." She called out in answer to yet another knock on her door, although this one a little louder than the ones before.
She glanced at the reflection in the mirror, saw a hint of dark brown nerfhide robe and immediately spun to face her visitor, her heart leaping in her chest, a smile nearly coming to her face. But her mouth quickly turned back to its solemn line as she recognized the figure before her as the Master and not the padawan.
"Master Jinn?"
"Your highness." Qui-Gon bowed elegantly before her.
Yet another thing she was going to have to get used to.
"You look quite regal, mi'lady."
"I look like a complete fool." She replied, turning back toward the window.
Qui-Gon stepped up to her side. "A necessary measure, I'm afraid. You're safety is our priority."
"And what about my convenience?" Padmé noted, taking advantage of the little time she felt she had to complain.
"You have at least a half dozen handmaidens at your disposal, and they will assist you in whatever way you deem fit."
"I've only met two of them so far. Cordé and Sabé. They seem very nice."
"They were handpicked by Captain Panaka and are highly trained bodyguards. They will keep you safe."
And with that, the tall Jedi Master moved away.
She turned to watch him, chewing her bottom lip roughly. Knowing that their job here was complete, the Jedi would be leaving Naboo, and she had something she just had to say to him before they left.
"I wanted you to know that Obi-Wan did not betray his Jedi vows."
Qui-Gon stopped and turned to face her from across the room, his face remaining completely serene.
"I know he didn't."
She hesitated and then held her chin up proudly. "I love him."
The Jedi Master nodded his head and grinned slightly. "So do I. Obi-Wan will be a great Jedi Knight one day, as you will a Queen. He made the right decision for you both."
She contemplated his words for just a moment, and then a small smile mirrored his own. "I know he did."