Opps! Sorry, guys, I realized I uploaded the wrong draft…I have four drafts of every chapter and instead of uploading the fourth (this one) I uploaded the third draft (pretty close, but not entirely perfect). Anyway, sorry about that! If you already read the other draft, then don't worry, there's hardly anything changed. At most a few words and stuff. If you haven't, then good! grins Anyway, here is the correct draft…
Oh my goodness you guys, I am so sorry…this isn't the main site I post at and so even though I'm on this site daily, I don't tend to think about my own fics here…bad Jennie, bad. Anyway, you will be pleased to know that I have up to chapter 3 written and I'm writing chapter 4 and I promise to never fall so behind again. At least only at this site- could happen that I simply can't write for a period of time or something, but in any case, this site will from now on receive the same treatment as the other sites.
Agentjedi Well, already replied to you… but thanks again for the review!
LVB: Thank you very much. I love your own work (though I'm a horrible reviewer- but I'll work on that, I promise!) and I'm thrilled that you like this. Yes, I had the novel at hand when I was doing the dialogue in that chapter…you'll also notice that bits of it is distorted…which was purposefully done…Padmé herself is a bit distorted, which you'll see as the fic goes on.
Emma Laraliean: Thank you!
Queeny Thank you, I was trying to be original. I'm glad I succeeded.
Amylion: Thank you very much!
Kede Diem: Thank you!
GuardianofWinds Thank you. And as to how I did this…I don't know? Actually, that was the third draft of the chapter…it finally just hit me how I wanted it to go and I went from there… But thank you very much for your praise!
ChristyS Here you go, the continuation.
Doreen: The continuation awaits.
bineYou're in Hamburg? I used to live in Niedersachsen, by Oldenburg and Bremen. Now I live in Baden-Würrtemberg, between Heidelberg and Karlsruhe. And lucky you- I was planning on seeing ROTS on the 18th as well, in Mannheim, but then I ended up going to the US, so I couldn't. I ended up seeing it on the 20th in my friend's living room. Still have to get around to seeing it in theatres. And yes, the ending really was sad…I wish she had ended up living too. Oh well, at least I can still continue my fic where she does…
Kristiana: Per your request, the next chapter!
VadersGurl: Thank you!
Blood Raven1: Here's the next chapter. And thank you very much for your comments.
And because I forgot last chapter, here is the official disclaimer:
Disclaimer: All Star Wars characters belong to George Lucas, but the plot and any original characters that may appear (in this case Sairia and the rest of the staff) are mine. Please ask before taking, be it plot or characters. Thank you very much.
Chapter 1: Sleeping Beauty
It had, as expected, started out as a normal morning. Bail Organa, Senator to the Empire (and how it made his skin crawl to think of that) and Viceroy of the peaceful planet Alderaan, woke up, kissed his sleeping wife, got ready, had a cup of café as he read the Intergalactic Times and was debriefed by his chief Aide, before taking his morning stroll through the Palace Gardens. Bail had the same routine for every morning and rarely did he fail to follow it. He liked the consistency of it, especially with all that was happening in the Galaxy at the moment.
Palpatine had founded his Empire and things were not going well. The galaxy was forced into a state of oppression and people were put on trial and imprisoned for the smallest offenses. Every morning at his debriefing he was faced with the horrid details of the still young Empire and he liked, no, needed a soothing walk through the Palace Gardens to settle his mind and remind himself that there were still beautiful and peaceful things left in the galaxy.
"Daddy, Daddy!"
Like his daughter Leia.
Leia truly had been a gift from the Force. At two years-old, she was a cute little girl, very bright for her age and she loved to talk. People chuckled and said that she'd take after her father in the Imperial Senate.
Bail hoped not.
He was one of the few people in the galaxy who knew the truth behind Lord Vader's identity, the fact that Darth Vader had once been Anakin Skywalker, the fabled Jedi Knight who apparently met his death in the Clone Wars. And he hoped more than anything that his little darling Leia would never grow up and resemble that man. For, no matter how much he loved Leia and doted over her, the fact remained that Leia Amidala Skywalker shared the same genes with Lord Vader.
But that was not something he could tell strangers. That was not even something he could tell his friends. After returning from Polis Massa, with an infant in his arms, he had met his wife as he embarked from the Tantive IV and had handed her their new daughter, swearing her to silence immediately, not even daring to speak about Leia's parentage as they stood surrounded by loyal subjects on the docking platform…
His wife awaited him at the landing pad, her regal robes blowing in the wind created by his ship. As soon as Antilles opened the hatch, she rushed into his arms- or at least that is until she noticed the young child he cradled in his arms.
He would forever remember that look of adoration, as though she sensed the child's purpose. It had been a blow to them both when they realized they could not have children. One of their dreams had been to have a daughter, their own little princess to nurture and care for. And to have that dream whisked away from them- there had been nothing more devastating. Even sitting in the Senate earlier and listening to Chancellor- no, he corrected himself, Emperor Palpatine hadn't been as devastating as learning that he and Breha would never have their own child.
And therefore they had begun talking about adoption. The child would receive the best of care- a princess of Alderaan, with all the privileges and advantages tied to the title and, most of all, she would be loved. He and Breha would love her as their own flesh and blood and no one would know the difference. Their child would be their legal child, in name and love and that is all that would be matter. Genetics weren't important.
And it truly had been a gift of the Force when he was allowed to take in Leia. The two last Jedi knew that he would raise his dear friend's daughter to the best of his ability and he was ready to prove that fact.
"You leave to attend a meeting of the Senate and come back with a child?" She laughed softly. "But what a glorious child she is…" He handed Leia to her new mother and Breha glanced down at her, smiling.
"Her name is Leia," Bail began to walk to the Palace's main doors, Breha following him, cradling the little young one in her loving arms.
"Leia…" Breha whispered the name. "Could that be Naboo in origin? Don't tell me you traveled to Naboo as well."
"No…nothing like that." Bail felt intimately tired at the moment, the shock and wear of the last days finally resting on his shoulders. "It's- we better go inside, I shouldn't be talking of this out here."
And so the Royal Alderaanian couple entered the Palace for the first time as a family of three.
Before he could sink into his memories even more, a small being had thrown itself at his legs and was holding on tightly. Bail looked down in amusement at his darling daughter, who was looking up at him through her chocolate brown eyes in adoration.
"I love you," she said, burying her head into his knees.
It wasn't that Bail wasn't pleased to hear such a statement, for it did warm his heart. But he also knew that Leia used that phrase when she wanted something or was trying to get of trouble. And when he spied Myría, Leia's nanny, running through the gardens, covered in mud, Bail had a fair idea of what could have provoked Leia's declaration of love.
Leaning down, he scooped her up in his arms, realizing too late that she herself was covered in mud. His eyes twinkling, though he had curled his lips into a frown, he held her out from him. "What did you do now, Leia? And why are you and Myría covered in mud?"
Leia's eyes widened and her mouth turned a pout. "I didn't mean to," she said, "But I wanted to play."
"In the mud?" Bail asked, raising his brow. "And what did Myría have to say about this?"
Leia looked sheepish. "She didn't want me to."
With a roll of his eyes and a slight chuckle, Bail leaned down and set his daughter back on the ground as Myría came running up, her face flushed, her normal pristine appearance splattered with mud. "My lord, I am sorry, but her Highness-"
"It is nothing, Myría. I understand as well as anyone that Leia can be a bit mischievous." Straightening up, Bail regarded the young woman kindly. "Though I would be interested in knowing exactly how she got so much mud on her…and on you."
Myría blushed. "She fell, my lord, and when I leaned over to pick her up, she held onto my legs and I tripped. My fault entirely, I-"
"Please, Myría," Bail held out a hand to stop her apologies, "There is no need. I am simply surprised to see you in such a state."
"Very well, my lord." Myría curtsied and then turned to her small mistress. "And you, my princess, are going to go inside and get cleaned up. It isn't proper for a little girl of your stature to be running outside, covered in mud."
Bail watched in amusement as Myría scooped up his daughter and carried her towards the entrance of the gardens. Myría was a kind and intelligent young woman who did her job of minding Leia very well. Born in the country, Myría had wanted a position in the city and had applied at the Palace mere days after Leia had been brought there herself. She was also one of the few people who knew that Leia was, in fact, adopted, though the identities of Leia's 'real' parents were still hidden from her. Bail and his wife trusted Myría greatly and were very happy with her service as Leia's nanny.
Smiling to himself over seeing Myría covered in mud, he continued his walk around the gardens. He had no real agenda during his walk- it was merely a time for him to be alone, to think and to remember. He remembered what the galaxy had once been like- what the Republic had been like, what it had once stood for. He hated raising a child in the Empire, but at least he could keep Leia as far away from Coruscant as possible.
No, he reminded himself, not Coruscant. Imperial Center. Even more 'loyal' citizens of the Empire had a hard time remembering the new name of Imperial Center, often resorting back to calling the capital of the Empire Coruscant. A name that had lasted for over a millennia was not easily changed in two years, though the Emperor did his best to force the old memories out of the minds of the peoples of the galaxy. And of course his servant Vader was always there to help reinforce.
Bail felt his hand clench as he thought about the name of the man who had once loved his close friend and who had fathered her children. It had been a shock to learn that not only had Skywalker and Amidala been involved, but also that they had consummated their relationship and conceived two children. Twins…
One of which was his darling Leia.
Bail would sometimes wonder how young Luke was doing, in the care of his aunt and uncle on their homestead on Tatooine. He wondered if the Lars' loved the young boy as much as he and his wife loved Leia and he wondered if Luke was receiving the same privileges that were being doted on Leia.
He doubted this and it saddened him. No matter what the circumstances of the Lars' might be, a family of moisture farmers living out on a homestead in the desert world of Tatooine would not be able to provide the same care that Leia, as Princess of Alderaan, would receive. This did not mean that Luke was being neglected or any less loved. But the truth was that Leia had servants and would receive the best of everything- be it clothing, food, education or anything else. Luke, on the other hand, while still being in a loving environment, would not simply know the comfort that Leia knew every day. And this in a way caused Bail some guilt.
But there was no other way. The twins must be separated and kept that way. Perhaps as adults they would someday be allowed to meet and their bond as twins as well as their bond in the Force would be nourished and grow. But in the meantime, it was too risky. The galaxy thought that Padmé Amidala was dead and only very few knew of her pregnancy at the time of her 'supposed' death. But the two people who were to be kept away at all costs- Vader and the Emperor- were also among the few. If even the slightest notion should enter their minds that perhaps the children had been saved, they would stop at nothing to track them down. Therefore Leia was passed off as the daughter of Viceroy and Imperial Senator Bail Organa and his wife, Queen Breha Organa, and Luke was sent to live with his father's step-family on a planet that the two remaining Jedi were sure that his wayward father would never return to.
At least Leia is safe, his mind tried to reassure him. Vader and the Emperor would never think to look for her on Alderaan, where she has been right under their noses the entire time. She is safe and she will continue to be.
Yes…she is safe.
But for how long?
Shaking his head, trying to clear his mind of his conflicting feelings, he plodded on down the path, trying to ignore his fears. Leia was safe and that was all that mattered. Not what might happen in the future. Leia was safe for the moment.
He stopped in front of a stone bench and lowered himself onto it, sighing as he took in the fragranced blossoms surrounding him. Alderaan was a planet of peace and though it, along with any other planets in the galaxy, stood under the control of a Regional Governor, it was largely left alone. Bail watched his steps very carefully and played his Sabbac cards well. He was a patient man. He would wait until the time was right and then would he take action.
The Co-Chief of the Rebel Alliance would let nothing endanger his daughter or people, not when there was still breath left in his body.
He wasn't sure how long he ended up sitting there on that bench, but when he finally stood and left the hidden thicket of blossoms, he was immediately met by a young man, Erikín, who was one of the servants in the Palace. Frowning, Bail stopped before him as Erikín caught his breath.
"My lord, you must come immediately- I have been searching the entire gardens for you- you were nowhere to be found-" he panted, and Bail instantly became concerned. For Erikín to be in such a state was strange indeed- the servant was known for his composure in any circumstance and as Assistant Steward it was also rare that he left the inside of the Palace, usually sending errand boys to find the Viceroy for him.
"By the Force, Erikín, what is it?" Bail put his hand on his shoulder and leads him towards one of the outer benches placed sporadically in the garden, where he sat him down. "I have never seen you so riled."
"My lord," Erikín panted, "as I said, you are needed immediately by Sairía in the Palace."
Bail motioned for one of the other servants to bring him and Erikín refreshment and then turned back to the young man. "Sairía? What does she want me for? And why would she send you?"
Sairía was the head maid, the wife of Tekrín, the steward, and, along with her husband, presided over the Palace, making sure that the other servants did their jobs and everything ran smoothly. She was also a woman who did not take Erikín's position lightly and would not send him out like a common errand boy for no reason. Yet if the situation was bad enough to merit the assistant steward, Sairía would believe that it was bad enough to warrant her own person. Something had to be wrong, Bail decided. There was no other explanation.
"Sairía- she said she received a transmission just now. The- 'Le Dormiena' has awoken! 'Le Dormiena' sleeps no longer."
And Bail felt all his strength leave him.
'Le Dormiena'- The sleeper, in the ancient Alderaanian tongue, was the name Sairía had given his houseguest when she first arrived, those years ago…
"My lord- what would you have me do with our…guest?" Bail looked up from his wife and new daughter and saw his brother-in-law standing just outside their sitting room. He had just finished telling Breha about her new daughter's parentage, something that Breha had silently accepted in her own way and now he was trying to deal with the news himself. He hadn't had the time before to really think what this meant for the rest of the galaxy…and now he found himself feeling a mix of emotions.
"Our guest?" Breha looked up as well, her arms tightening around her new daughter. "What guest?"
"Breha, my lord," Captain Antilles cleared his throat, "I am referring to the Nubian Senator currently 'sleeping' in my ship- what should I do with her?"
"Senator Amidala is alive?" Breha stood up in a fluid motion and Bail had to admire his wife's inherent grace. "I thought you said she was dead," she said, addressing her husband now. "We can't possibly take in her daughter when the mother still lives. You said that she was lost to us, Bail. You said that-"
"I know what I said, Breha darling." He took a deep breath. "It is a complicated matter- I will explain to the best of my ability. But first we need to move her from the Tantive. She cannot stay there any longer."
He left the room in stride, noticing Sairía standing in the hall, reading a data pad. "Sairía, would you please come here a moment?" He called out, motioning her over.
Sairía looked up from the pad and nodded, sticking it into her skirt pocket and curtsying to the Royal Family and Captain Antilles. "What can I do, my lord?"
"I would like to introduce you to my new daughter, Leia, first of all." Bail motioned towards the bundle of blankets his wife held and Sairía curtsied. "And then I need your assistance. I do believe you are familiar with the ancient secret rooms and passages within the Palace?"
Bail referred to the rooms and corridors that had not been used in years-centuries, even. They had been built within the Palace back when Alderaan was in a period of Civil War, to protect the Royal Family. After the Civil War had passed and Alderaan became a peaceful planet once more, swearing off weapons and the like, the passages were seldom used or even thought of anymore. Each Viceroy or Queen of Alderaan knew of their existence, but no one really knew where they exactly were anymore. Only the steward and stewardess knew exactly where they were and held the keys to open them.
"Of course I do, my lord. It is my duty to know where they lie, should the need for them arise again." Sairía looked confused and then troubled as she realized what it could mean. "Please do not tell me that you are in danger, my lord- that would be such a horrifying thought-"
"Nothing like that, Sairía. I have something that needs to be hidden and kept hidden for an undeterminable amount of time and those secret rooms would suit the purpose perfectly." Bail had already started to continue his journey to the docking pad.
"I see, my lord. I will do whatever you require-." However, when examining Sairía's face, it was quite evident that she did not see- nor understand- at all.
"Then come along." She nodded and raced to catch up.
It wasn't until they were on the Tantive itself that the two women fully comprehended what was happening and the desperate need for secrecy.
A young woman, pale and very beautiful, was lying on a bed in the cabin, sleeping. Her hair fanned out around her face, her arms folded on her stomach, which still bore roundness from her pregnancy, dressed in a flowing gown- she resembled an Alderaanian folk tale of a sleeping princess who fell once into a deep sleep and never awoke.
Breha's eyes began to tear as she clutched her new daughter to her chest, hardly able to bear seeing a friend and the mother of her new daughter in such a deathly state. But it was Sairía who spoke as she looked over the sleeping woman, saying the words that were on everyone's mind.
"She is the 'Le Dormiena'".
'She is the sleeping princess.'
How true those words had been.
How true they were even now.
Yet something had now changed. Something had caused the impossible to happen.
Padmé had woken up.
The room is strange to her, yet familiar at the same time- a paradox she does not understand. Her eyes hurt and she closes them before opening them once more. The room has not changed. It is blurry; she cannot make things out very well. She sees shapes, looming at the walls, twisting and turning and morphing into different shapes. She sees muted colors, wavering lines; a secret shadow world all her own.
She feels weak, too weak to even lift a hand from her side. She feels cold, yet also hot, shivering and burning at the same time. She feels alone, as if there is nothing left for her now. Something…something has happened. Something happened to Anakin and now she finds herself here.
But what?
She closes her eyes again, trying to call up his image from the depths of her mind, but she can't. She tries to remember- how she got here, what happened, anything- but she cannot. Her mind is blank. She sees without seeing, hears without hearing, speaks without speaking…
Anakin.
She reaches out her mind, trying to find his. But the connection that they once had- the connection that allowed them to feel another's presence, even when an entire galaxy separated them- is gone. She cannot feel the warmth of Anakin's mind anymore, just as she can no longer see him. Just as she can no longer see anything, her mind reminds her. Somehow her sight has been stolen from her. These hard, cruel shadows she sees are not real.
They can't be real.
Otherwise…otherwise… she simply won't let them be real. They stand there, mocking her, as she yells at them to go away.
Go away, she commands.
Leave me alone.
Have I not been through enough? Must you also mock me besides?
What have I been through? The thought suddenly appears in her mind. What has she been through? For that matter, where is she?
Who is she?
A small little girl with brown hair splashes a girl a few years older than herself as they play near a stream.
A girl, now old enough be attending school accepts a piece of paper from a smiling woman as people applause.
An adolescent bows down in front of a crowd of people as she is welcomed.
A teenager is crowned before a great hall of people, dressed in ceremonial dress.
A girl enters a shop with other travelers and speaks to a young boy.
A young woman speaks before a large group of people, animated with her speech as people begin to applaud.
A woman and a boy- no, a man stand before a lake, gripping hands as the sun sets.
A man presents a woman with a golden droid, as a friend.
A woman embraces a man as he presents her a braided lock of hair.
A woman places a hand tenderly on her stomach, as she looks out into the sky.
A woman and a man embrace as though they had been separated for an eternity, and then he puts his hand on her stomach.
A man stands before a woman, a city in the background as they tenderly embrace.
A man stands before a woman, with a mountain of fire behind them…
And then she is falling.
Deeper.
Deeper.
Until her eyes fly open once again. Yet this time, instead of seeing the shapes that mock her, her vision has cleared- or at least to a certain extent.
She can now see the bed she lies in, the machines surrounding it. She can see the flowers in the vase on the table by the bed. She can see the bed now, the bed that she is levitating above. She can see the walls, painted pale lavender, with their white designs. She can see the cables and wires that connect her to the machines and the…force-field…that levitates her and she can see the door.
She sees the woman standing inside the door.
"My lady- you're awake."
The woman is dressed simply, like a servant. Her blonde hair is tied back with a kerchief and she holds a data pad and a ring of old-fashioned keys in her hand- keys that only the Ancients used, many a millennia before. Yet there is something kind about her as she moves closer to the bed and flips a switch on a machine. Padmé can feel herself being lowered onto the bed as the force-field dissipates around her.
"I-" No sound comes out. "I-I am awake?" She tries again, but can manage only a silent whisper.
The woman smiles at her and comes over to the bed, placing the keys in a pocket and the data pad on the table. "My name is Sairía. Do you know your name?"
She blinks, trying to remember. Her name…she had so many…one for each personality, someone had once said…someone important…Anakin…
"Anakin..."
The woman, Sairía, she tells herself, smiles at her again as she reaches over and flips another switch on a machine. "Anakin is your name?" She softly asks.
"N-no." Padmé fights to get the words out. It feels so strange to speak… The words won't come to her and when they do, she can not bring them forth from her mouth. "An-Ana-Anakin- I-I ne-need him." She tries to swallow but finds that she can't and her eyes grow wide in fear. What has happened? Why can she not speak anymore?
Sairía must sense this, for she slowly lays a hand on her forehead and slightly strokes it. "Shh… You must be calm, my lady. And you must not worry. Everything will be fine. You just have to wake up more."
"Wa-" She tries again.
"Wake up?" She nods and Sairía continues. "You have been asleep for a very long time. It was not known if you would ever awake again." Sairía continues her stroking with one hand, placing her other hand on Padmé's own. "You are in the Palace in Aldera, the capital city of Alderaan. You are in a secret room and only I and a few others know of your existence."
"W-" Padmé tries to speak again. "Why-"
"It wasn't safe for you anymore. I am a mere servant, my lady, but my lord, Viceroy Organa has had me keep watch over you."
"Bail?" She manages to say the entire word now in one try, though her voice still is only a whisper.
"Bail. Yes, my lady. Bail Organa. You remember?"
"Little." Padmé forces out. "Bail- friend-Senator. Work-worked with me."
"Very good, my lady." Sairia finally removed both her hands and smiled at Padmé. "I'm going to lift you into a sitting position now." She reached over and flicked another switch that was connected to the bed and then took gentle hold of Padmé's shoulders and lifted them up.
He grips her shoulders tightly, fiercely, with power.
You'll hurt us…
Padmé begins to shake and Sairia instantly lowers her back down again as she hurriedly presses a button on the wall by the bed and a droid springs to life.
She is shaking. She can feel herself shaking, though she cannot stop it- it is out of her control. Nothing seems to be under her control…
As she lies there, shaking, she can see a figure- a droid, her mind supplies- come over to her and take a hold of her shoulders as another droid comes and takes a hold of her ankles. She knows that they are holding her down, although she does not feel it. She can only feel the shaking- and the pain, the immense pain from his grip on her shoulders. Anakin is angry with her- he thinks she has found someone else- but how could she find another? Anakin means everything to her- they have become the same person in the course of their marriage, bonded together so deeply. They are one being, not two separate beings.
But Anakin isn't here. Anakin is gone. Where is Anakin? What has happened to Anakin?
Anakin?
Anakin?
Anakin!
"Anakin!"
Bail raced through the Palace to the secret room where his old and dear friend lies; finally free of the coma she had slipped into those years before.
And he could hear the screaming.
The screams spurring him on, he reached the door that was slightly open and dashed inside, his eyes taking in the sight. Padmé was deathly pale, dressed in a white nightgown, her long hair flying around her shoulders as she thrashes about, her eyes clenched shut as she screamed 'Anakin'.
"Anakin!"
"Anakin!"
"ANAKIN!"
Her screams started hoarse but have grown louder each time she begins anew. Two droids had been activated by Sairía, who was standing off to the side, watching the spectacle. The droids stood at her shoulder and her legs, holding them down as one of the tubes that connected Padmé to the machines beside her dropped a golden liquid into her chest.
Bail watched as he screams quieted and so did her shaking, before turning to Sairía. "What happened?"
"She is very confused, my lord. If possible, I believe that we should procure a doctor. She has woken from a very long coma that we doubted she would ever awake from. She is beginning to remember details, but the machines read that her senses have not yet fully come back yet. Except for the seizures, she is also very weak and will not be able to move on her own. She needs help, my lord, and medical attention."
Bail sighed, his eyes on Padmé, who had finally settled down back into sleep, while the droids ran tests with the machines. "She is thought to be dead; Sairía and it must stay that way. I wish to help her, in any form possible, but I do not believe that a doctor can be called. Can the droids not care for her?"
"Well, yes, my lord. But she needs human contact as well. The droids can monitor her, surely, and stimulate her limbs and senses. They have done a well enough job already-if not for the fact that she is so pale, there would be no way to tell by looking at her that she has spent so long in a coma. But…" Sairía trailed off, turning to face her employer, "She cares only for this 'Anakin', my lord. I asked her name and she told me his. She asked about him, saying that she needed him. I do not know who he is-"
"He is her lover." Bail cut in, rubbing his temples. "Or was her lover, I should say."
He couldn't bear to think about his poor friend, waking from near death, the only thing on her mind her fallen lover. He couldn't bear to think what would happen when she awoke again and when her senses and memories came back. He couldn't bear to see the woman who had been so strong in body and character, fighting for what she believed in with everything she had, lie so weak and so broken.
And he couldn't bear to see her destroyed again.
For Bail knew that the knowledge of what happened to her lover would destroy her-as it once had.
He hated thinking back to that fateful day, yet he felt his memory pulled there for the third time today.
He had accompanied Yoda down the hall, to watch Obi-Wan plead with Padmé to keep on trying, to keep on living, a feat that was slowly becoming too much for her to bear. Obi-Wan shook his head at them both, signifying that the prognosis was not good, before he had been shooed away himself by the medical droids the Polis Massans had constructed for their use.
After giving Obi-Wan sufficient time to mourn, for it was obvious that he needed it- Bail and Yoda had met him in the hall. Obi-Wan held out the small carving that he had occasionally noticed around Padmé's neck. While Yoda and Obi-Wan were trying to think of the origin, Bail kept his silence. He had asked Padmé about it once, for it was not the normal necklace a Senator would wear- rather primitive in design, made out of cheap materials. She had replied that an old, close friend had given it to her and that it meant the galaxy to her. But she had said nothing else and since the two Jedi Masters had already decreed that it was important and that she should be buried with it, he kept his silence as well.
They had moved to the Tantive IV and had already discussed what they were going to do with her body and her children. The two remaining Jedi explained to him what had happened with Anakin and also Padmé's relationship with him. Or more Obi-Wan did the explaining.
"Anakin and she were very close, Senator. More than that- they both tried to hide it, but it was obvious to me that they loved one another and were having relations. Or, well," Obi-Wan had blushed at this point, letting forth a watery chuckle, "I wasn't sure about the level of intimacy- but I knew they were in love. And though it was against the Code, I- I ignored it. Perhaps I should have brought it to the attention of the Council, or confronted Anakin about it. But I felt no need to at the time…
"It wasn't until just before she and I left for Mustafar that I learned that she was pregnant. I had told her about Anakin-"
"I still am not entirely clear on what happened to Anakin, Master Kenobi," Bail interrupted. "I'm sorry, but you're saying that Palpatine's new protégé, Vader, is actually Anakin Skywalker? The Hero With No Fear?" He noticed how the both Jedi cringed when he used Anakin's unofficial title. "And that you ended up dueling with him and killing him?" He addressed Master Kenobi. "This is- it's simply unbelievable…"
"I know." Master Kenobi clenched his teeth. "I was there and I can barely believe it. I watched my former Padawan, my friend, my brother Force-choke the one woman he loved, the same woman who was pregnant with his children, and then throw her to the side, before he attacked me. It is hard to understand, Senator. It may be impossible to understand. But Anakin Skywalker died the moment he attacked his pregnant lover and Darth Vader died in a burst of flame not too much later."
"So you are sure that he is the father?" Bail asked once again. "And how did you find out?"
Kenobi sighed, shaking his head. "I confronted her about Anakin, asking if she had seen him. She denied it and told me that she wasn't going to help me kill him. After she said this, she became faint and I caught her. It was only then that I noticed that she was pregnant and when I asked if Anakin was the father, she did not answer and I took that as confirmation."
"I-" Bail cleared his throat. "I knew that she and Kni- Skywalker were friends and occasionally met to do things with one another, but I had no idea about the extent of their relationship. Though I had noticed these past few months that Padmé had become distant and, well, ill. But I thought it was simply stress- the Force knows that it would have been understandable to become sick from it. I asked her a few times how she was feeling, but left it alone once she answered. Perhaps I should have-"
"No good, it would have been. Still deceived, Senator Amidala would have." Yoda interrupted, shaking his small head. "And now gone, is she, along with her lover." He paused before continuing. "To Naboo, send her body…"
The conversation continued as fates were decided and it was only after Bail excused himself to contact his wife that he was intercepted by a Polis Massan. He was unaware of the name- the two Jedi Masters had handled most of the negotiations, but he still stopped and greeted him.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" He asked. Perhaps he wanted to say something about the twins or something. Or perhaps he wanted to wish them well on their way. The Polis Massans were a curious folk…
"The woman- she is not dead."
And the world dropped on him.
"Ex-Excuse me? You say that the woman is alive? The woman we brought, who bore two children?"
"Yes! She is only sleeping. Sleeping very deeply- almost dead, but not. In a comaNot know when she awake, if ever. But she still is alive." The alien nodded his head as he spoke, energetic and convinced that Bail should follow him.
"Wait- I must gather the others and then we will come." And he rushed off to find the two Jedi Masters.
They gathered in the surgical theater where Padmé's body- no, he corrected himself, Padmé lay, hooked up to many different machines and monitors. The Polis Massans were standing to the side, watching her chest rise and sink as a respirator regulated her breathing.
"See! She is alive. She was only very, very tired after having children. Thought she was dead, but she wasn't. Slipped into coma, stopped breathing, but now breathing again. She live. She maybe only sleep, but she still alive."
The three humans regarded one another and the two Jedi stretched out with the Force.
"Curious, this is," Master Yoda finally spoke. "Alive, the Senator is. One with the Force, she has not yet become."
"I sense it too, Master Yoda. I also sense that there is something keeping her there…keeping her tethered to her body, as it might be. But I cannot sense what it is." Obi-Wan Kenobi sighed. "I am not sure what would have been better- knowing that she had died, or knowing that she is alive, but will never wake."
"But-she could wake, could she not?" Bail finally spoke. "She's in a coma- there's a chance that she might wake someday."
"Yes, small chance there is, Senator. But likely she will die it is, or that she never awakens."
"Yet she still lives- we cannot kill her, not when she's like this!" Bail said, becoming angry at the two Jedi. Padmé was a dear friend and now that there was still the small chance of saving her, they wanted to kill her? He searched his mind for an answer, trying to come up with some solution.
"I understand that it is doubtful that she will wake. Yet she still does live. I would be willing to take her to Alderaan with me, Masters, if that is permissible. I will keep her hidden there and care for her. Should she ever awaken, I will also care for her future needs. But even if she doesn't- and I myself do not expect her to- I cannot just allow you to let her die like this. Let me take her to Alderaan. She will be safe there."
Eyeing one another, the two Jedi reached out in the Force and even Bail could feel it. Finally Yoda spoke. "Very well. Take the Senator to Alderaan, you will."
Bail nodded, bowing to them. "Let me contact Captain Antilles and we will move her to the Tantive ."
Bail had played in his mind with the scenario of Padmé finally waking, but he knew that deep down, there was no hope. But he still cared for her and charged Sairía with her care. And even in the scenarios in his mind, he had never thought that the first thing out of Padmé's mouth would be Anakin's name. Truthfully, he had rather hoped that she would forget his existence entirely- it would be so much easier on her that way.
Yet the Force seemed to have other ideas.
And as he saw the condition she was in, so frightened and weak and unable to remember anything but Anakin, he wondered if his decision in Polis Massa had been wise. Perhaps it would have been better for her to die there than to awake now in a galaxy torn, a fallen Republic, a new Empire- with her lover in the middle of it all.
Perhaps death would have been better.
Sairía brought him out of his thoughts. "Her lover?" She questioned, frowning at the woman lying there.
Bail sighed once again. "Yes- for what else could he be? She loved him and he loved her- at least to a certain extent. We know that they were intimate with one another- Leia is proof of that," for Sairía was one other person who knew of Leia's relation to Padmé, "but there is no other explanation. They could not have been married."
"Perhaps they were married in secret." Sairía mused softly, as she slowly stepped over to the bed. "If they hid their love for so long, a marriage would have been no different." She softly stroked Padmé's hand, which was now lying at her side. "But it does not matter. All that matters is that she wants this 'Anakin' and he is apparently…gone."
"Gone is one way to put it, yes." Bail followed her over to the bed. "In any case, it is impossible for him to come to her and I fear what will happen when I have to tell her that."
"Then don't- at least not at first." Sairía turned to him, her eyes boring into his. "She does not need this, my lord. She needs a doctor. I understand that she is thought dead by the rest of the galaxy and that you wish to keep it that way. But she needs help."
Bail nodded, turning back to Padmé. "I know, Sairía. But it is too dangerous to bring a doctor here."
"Then find someone else then! But she needs someone. Droids cannot do it all and I do not know enough about medicine to properly care for her. You need someone who has an idea of medicine, my lord. Someone who has a chance of healing her- not only her body, but also her mind and spirit."
And then it came to Bail. He knew now what to do and who to call. He turned abruptly on his heel and strode out of the room, ignoring Sairía's calls for him to come back.
He had to make a call.
To Obi-Wan Kenobi.