In a little village somewhere, there lived a beautiful young woman named Padme Naberrie.
Padme was a very beautiful and bright young woman. She was as kind and strong as she was gorgeous, she loved to read books and teach as many children as she could to do so as well. But to the villagers, Padme was perceived as, well... odd.
Padme was unlike many villagers. She was the only bookworm in town, and unlike the typical woman of her provincial little town, she didn't believe she needed a man to take care of her. From her perspective, it appeared the other way around for a lot of men she'd met. Her father was one of them.
If her mother weren't around to rescue him when he got stuck in one of his inventions, he'd be dead or just really badly scarred by now.
Today, Padme walked into town with her latest book to bring to the bookstore.
Padme:
Little town, it's a quiet village
Every day like the one before
Little town full of little people
Waking up to say...
Townsfolk:
Bonjour
Bonjour
Bonjour
Bonjour
Bonjour
Padme walked through town, seeing everyone doing their jobs as usual. The seamstresses selling clothes, the salon workers beautifying patrons, market salespeople selling stuff, and the bakers... well, baking.
Padme:
There goes the baker with his tray, like always
The same old bread and rolls to sell
Every morning just the same
Since the morning that we came
To this poor provincial town
"Good morning, Padme." said a male Twilek baker.
"Good morning, Mr. Baker." Padme greeted.
"Where are you off to?"
"The bookshop, I just finished the most wonderful story," Padme opened her book. "About a beanstalk, and an ogre, and a-"
"That's nice. Marie the baguettes, hurry up."
And so, Padme continued on her way through the village. Many of those she passed by openly voiced their opinions of how strange they thought she was.
Townsfolk:
Look, there she goes
The girl is strange, no question
Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?
Man: Never part of any crowd
Woman: Cause her head's up on some cloud
No denying she's a funny girl, Padme
Man 1: Bonjour
Woman 1: Good day!
Man 1: How is your family?
Woman 2: Bonjour
Man 2: Good day
Woman 2: How is your wife?
Woman 3: I need...six eggs
Man 3: That's too expensive!
Padme: There must be more than this provincial life!
Padme soon arrived at the bookshop, where she met her old family friend Onaconda Farr.
"Ah, Padme." Ono smiled.
"Good morning, Uncle Ono." Padme smiled. "I've come to return the book I borrowed."
"Finished already?" the Rodian chuckled.
"Oh, I couldn't put it down." Padme looked around the shelves. "Have ya got anythin' new?"
"Not since yesterday."
"That's alright. I'll borrowww," Padme saw a familiar book she loved. "this one."
"That one? But you've read it twice!"
"Well, it's my favorite: far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!"
Padme acted out her description with the book in her hand.
Ono chuckled and said, "If you like it all that much, it's yours!"
"But Uncle?!"
"I insist!"
"Well thank you, thank you very much!"
Padme happily left the bookshop and began reading the book Ono gave to her. And once again, villagers voiced how they thought Padme was strange.
Townsfolk:
Look, there she goes, that girl is so peculiar
I wonder if she's feeling well
Girls: With a dreamy, far-off look
Men: And her nose stuck in a book
Townsfolk: What a puzzle to the rest of us Padme
Padme:
Ohhhhhh...isn't this amazing?
Padme came across some of the village children and some little horses sitting by a fountain, and she opened the book as they curiously came by, they little ones always loving when Padme told them the stories she read in her books.
It's my favorite part because...you'll see
Here's where she meets Prince Charming
But she won't discover that it's him
Till chapter three!
Padme later walked by a beauty shop, where other girls looked at Padme, many of them envying her undeniable beauty. Her brown hair with not one strand of frizz, her perfect skin, and no need for makeup to enhance her beauty, as it seemed very plain compared to her natural beauty.
Woman:
Now it's no wonder that her name means "lotus"
Her looks have got no parallel
Shopkeeper:
But behind that fair facade
I'm afraid she's rather odd
Very different from the rest of us
Townsfolk:
She's nothing like the rest of us
Yes, different from the rest of us Padme
At another part of the village, there was a not bad looking man by the name of Rush Clovis, the wealthiest man in town. And he had his eyes set on Padme.
Clovis headed through the village with his family friend Lok Dod.
"No girl in the village can resist you, it appears, Clovis." said Dod.
"It's true Lok Dod, and I've got my sight set on that one." Clovis said, motioning to Padme.
"The inventor's daughter!?"
"She's the one, the lucky girl I'm going to marry"
"But she's-"
"The most beautiful girl in town"
"I know but-"
"That makes her the best! and don't I deserve the best?"
"Well of course you do, however-"
Clovis: Right from the moment when I met her, saw her
I said she's gorgeous and I say
Here in town it's only she
Who has caught the heart of me
So I have a plan, I shall marry Padme
However, there were three village girls who also had their hearts set on Clovis, and always wished he would notice at least one of them
Silly Girls:
Look there he goes! isn't he dreamy?
Monsieur Clovis! Oh,he's so cute!
Be still, my heart! I'm hardly breathing!
He's such a tall, dark, strong, and handsome brute!
Padme continued to pass through the village as people went about their day, while Clovis tried to get to Padme so he could woo her and get her to fall in love with him.
Man1: Bonjour
Clovis: Pardon!
Man2: Good day
Man3: Mais oui!
Matron: You call this bacon?
Woman1: What lovely grapes!
Man4: Some cheese...
Woman2: ...Ten yards!
Man4: ...One pound..
Clovis: `Scuse me!
Cheese merchant: I'll get the knife
Clovis: Please let me through!
Woman1: This bread...
Man5: Those fish...
Woman1: ...It's stale
Man5: ...They smell!
Baker: Madame's mistaken!
Padme: There must be more than this provincial life!
Gaston: Just watch...soon Padme will be my wife!
Townsfolk:
Look there she goes...a girl who's strange but special
A most peculiar mademoiselle
It's a pity and a sin
She doesn't quite fit in
Cause she really is a funny girl
A beauty but a funny girl
She really is a funny girl...Padme
Padme continued to read her book as she walked in the direction of her home, when she was approached by Clovis.
"Greetings, Padme." Clovis smiled. "Looking lovely as ever."
"Hello, Clovis." Padme said as Clovis playfully snatched her book. "Clovis. That wasn't funny when we were kids and it's not funny now."
"How can you read this with hardly any pictures?" said Clovis, looking into the book.
"Some people use their imagination." Padme said.
"Perhaps it's time you took your head out of those books and paid attention to something more important."
Clovis threw the book, but it was caught by another girl. Padme's neighbor Caroline, the blacksmith's daughter.
"You really shouldn't treat books that way." Caroline said. "And more importantly, you could've hit someone with this."
"Apologies, Miss Caroline." Clovis said as Padme passed him to get her book back.
"Thank you for rescuing my book, Caroline." Padme said.
"The whole village is talking about it." said Clovis. "They're surprised you haven't married one of those books by now."
"Well, some of us have more important concerns than getting married."
"This isn't the fifth century, Clovis." said Caroline. "We women do more for ourselves now."
Clovis, however, wrapped an arm around Padme and said, "Padme, what do you say we take a walk, come with me to the Inn for a fine meal?"
But, Padme declined, and Clovis' three not so secret admirers couldn't believe what they saw.
"What is wrong with her?" said a human girl.
"She's crazy!" said a Togruta girl.
"He's gorgeous." sighed a Twilek girl, fluttering her eyes.
"Please, Clovis. I can't." said Padme, stepping away. "I have to get home to help my parents."
"That geezer needs all the help he can get." Dod joked.
Clovis laughed with him, but Padme got angry.
"Don't you dare talk about my father that way!" she said.
Clovis then turned to Dod and said, "Yeah! Don't talk about her father that way!"
Dod just looked dumbfounded by that.
"My father is a very hard-working man." Padme said. "And my mother works just as hard."
And Padme walked away.
"See, this is why no smart woman would go out with either of you." Caroline said. "Any girl who knows what's truly good for her would never settle for someone so low in standard."
"I am the wealthiest man in the village." Clovis said. "And the most handsome, I might add."
"You can be the world's most famous royal and neither Padme nor I would be interested. Unlike some girls here, we know what kind of man is truly worthy of either our hands in marriage."
Meanwhile, Padme soon arrived at her family's cottage, where her parents were hard at work.
"Mother, Father. I'm home." Padme called.
"How was the bookshop, Dear?" Padme's mother, Jobal, asked, pouring some tea for her husband Ruwee as he was putting the finishing touches on his latest creation.
"It was wonderful." Padme said. "That's a beautiful music box, Daddy."
"I should hope so." said Ruwee. "I designed it based on the love I hold for the most perfect woman I know."
Ruwee and Jobal kissed at that moment.
"Mom? Dad? Do you think I'm odd?" Padme asked.
"Our daughter? Odd?" Ruwee chuckled. "What ever gave you that idea?"
Padme shrugged.
"Oh, I don't know. It's just that I never felt like I fit in here. Besides Caroline and occasionally Sola, there's no one here I can really talk to."
"What about that Clovis fellow?" Ruwee suggested. "He's a handsome fellow."
"He's handsome alright," said Padme. "But a little off. A bit self-centered, secretive, and rude. Oh, he's not for me."
"At least we know I raised you right." Jobal smiled. "I always knew you could do better than him."
"Well, with these music boxes, they'll be a start of a whole new life for us." said Ruwee, finally finishing his music box. "Would you like to do the honors, my little lotus flower?"
Padme smiled as her father handed her the music box. She turned the wind-up key, and the music box opened to reveal a little spinning lotus flower as it played the melody of "Waiting in the Wings" (from Tangled series).
"It's even more beautiful inside." Padme said.
"You know what they say..." smiled Ruwee. "True beauty is found within." He took his daughter's hand and kissed her cheek. "And someday, you will find a man who sees the inner beauty that matches your outer beauty, Dear Padme."
