Oh my! I accidentally skipped a post! Go back to Ch. 11, please, and make sure that you didn't miss anything! hits head against computer

Here's some chocolate for Eleanor Smith who guessed correctly! A Modest Proposal was written by Jonathon Swift (Did anyone not sleep during British Lit classes?) Basically, it discussed the rift between British protestants (I believe…) and the Irish Catholics. As a SPOOF, he said that the Irish population could be controlled by eating Irish babies. Yeah, it's nasty, and I kept reading it literally- five times later, I realized that he really didn't mean that.

I thought that it was appropriate considering Palo- get it? Modest Palo (not)

"But, depend upon it, Mr. Collins," she added, "that Lizzy shall be brought to reason. I will speak to her about it directly. She is a very headstrong, foolish girl, and does not know her own interest but I will make her know it." Mrs. Bennet to Mr. Collins, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.

Chapter 14: A Modest Proposal

Due to the fact that she'd been unmercifully teased for having danced with Anakin, Padmé had gone to bed angry and had consequently woken up still tired and in a rotten mood. Fortunately, her companions had noticed this shift in mood and had decided to leave her well alone. Even Madame DesLauriers, who was grumbling and moaning because of a sever hangover, told a chattering Eirtaé to shut up.

Thus preoccupied, no one noticed Palo enter the dining room with a large bouquet of flowers in his hand. He loudly cleared his throat and waited for them to 'joyously' greet him, but when not even a single lady looked up, Palo continued the act.

Finally a sleepy Padmé noticed him but immediately turned her attention back to her food before he could notice.

Palo eventually realized that he clearing his throat was going nowhere, so he hastened over to the large headmistress' side. "Ahem!" he said, causing the large woman to glare and cover her ears though she did not see him. "I was wondering if I might have the pleasure of speaking with Miss Padmé… alone."

Further down the table, Padmé dropped her spoon in her soon and exchanged frightened looks with Sabé. The other woman gave her an equally frantic look.

In the meantime, all the other young ladies had started giggling and were smirking at the furiously blushing Padmé. When Madame DesLauriers realized the meaning behind Palo's words, an explosion occurred. "Oh, dear me!" she cried out, suddenly animated and nearly knocking the entire table over in the process. "Mr. Palo wants a moment alone with our Padmé!" Jumping to her feet, she pointed at the door. "Everyone to the drawing room- quickly, please!"

Still laughing, most of the young ladies quickly left.

Suddenly, Padmé wasn't hungry anymore, which happened to be a good thing- her soup bowl had landed on her lap when the table had moved so forcefully. "It's alright, Headmistress," she said in a panicked way. "Palo has nothing to say that can't be heard by everyone else."

"Nonsense child!" Madame DesLauriers cried out, shoving Padmé back into her seat when the young woman tried to flee. Not in gentle way, she pinched her charge's cheeks. "Mr. Palo wants to see you alone, so he shall…"

Reluctantly, Rabé avoided Padmé's pleading eyes and left.

Please stay Padmé now mouthed to Sabé.

Madame DesLauriers saw this and pulled the sympathetic Sabé out of the room. The large woman winked at Palo before shutting the door behind them.

It was then that Padmé realized how alone she was…

Except for Palo, of course.

Staunchly refusing to look at her tormenter, Padmé instead concentrated on dabbing at her ruined robe. She did not look up even when he purposefully stepped towards her and placed the bouquet next to her plate.

"My dear Padmé," he said in a tight voice before nervously smiling at her, "I merely wanted to let you know that, form the moment I laid my eyes on you, I singled out as my life companion."

Padmé frantically looked away from his creepy and penetrating gaze. "Palo…" she started to protest gently.

"You shall have your turn to speak, but I wish to first outline my motives for wishing to marry you. " Out of the corner of her eye, Padmé saw him hold up his right hand upon which he began to tick off fingers.

"Palo, I…"

"Firstly, I wish to marry you because, over the course of this past week, your overwhelming gentleness and generosity have caught my attention- I need a dutiful wife, and you were surely meant for me…"

By then, Padmé had begun to loose her temper. "Palo, I can assure you that you and I will never make a good couple and that we were NEVER meant for each other…"

"I…"

"This entailment…"

"From this day forward," Palo interrupted, getting rather red in the face, "we shall not mention money- a sure motive for the both of us," he said quickly. Had it been any other situation, Padmé would have been amused. "The second reason why we should marry is because of the urgings of my dear patroness, Lady…"

It was then that Padmé realized his no enthusiastic tone conveyed his true feelings towards her. "Palo, I cannot and will not marry you!"

"You are just being humble, but that is no surprise, my dear- it is the game of courtship that the members of your gentle sex are so fond of," Palo seemingly murmured as if to convince himself of it. "The lady always refuses but secretly wishes to say yes just to torment her lover…"

At this, Padmé stood up and shrieked, causing him to jump in alarm. "Palo, I am not doing this to impress or 'torment' you! That is my final word on this matter!

"Surely…" he stammered.

"No!" she screamed, angrily snatching the flowers off the table and throwing them at his stunned form. From behind the closed doors, Padmé heard a dozen hushed giggles. This infuriated her further, but when Palo opened his mouth to protest again, Padmé hitched up her stained skirt and fled to the door.

Upon opening it, she found a furious Madame DesLauriers and many of her classmates crowded around it.

With tears running down her face, Padmé ran out of the palace and towards the lake.

She had not believed it possible, but her day had actually become worse.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mace Windu was an orderly person. Though he had resided in his new quarters for a mere day, the Jedi had arranged it to his liking and was sitting at the desk sorting through datapads when a booming sound interrupted his solitude.

Reaching out through the Force, he felt a most disturbing presence on the other side of the door.

Madame DesLauriers.

Before he could even blink, the door slammed open so forcefully that he, a great Jedi Master, jumped in surprise.

A tall, angry woman glared at him. "You must come quickly!" she managed to gasp out, obviously having run the entire way to him. "Palo just asked Padmé to marry him but she won't have him!"

Peeved, Mace glanced down at the datapads that were now strewn all over the floor. "And why do you need my help?" he asked dubiously. To no one would he admit it, but the Jedi Master was alarmed by the towering woman who stood planted in front of his desk.

She completely ignored his question and said breathlessly, "You must come and convince her that she wants him!" This statement ended with a dramatic gesture that knocked the remaining books off his desk.

"I cannot force her into wanting something her heart does not."

"We are all in an uproar!" the woman cried out.

Dubiously watching her, Mace Windu did not doubt the truth of her words.

"I will not leave until you come."

Now that you put it that way…

Soon, Madame DesLauriers was leading him out of the palace in the direction that Padmé had fled. Sulking at the entrance was Palo. Evidentially, it had never occurred to him that Padmé might reject him.

"Don't worry, Palo!" she called out as they rushed by. "We'll talk with Padmé and bring her back to marry you."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tears had stopped flowing down Padmé's face and she now angrily paced before the lake and muddied her slippers in doing so. Humiliation and betrayal filled her, and Padmé was seriously considering quitting the Academy and returning home to her family.

But the thought of how smug Anakin would be gave her second thoughts.

"Padmé!" Madame DesLauriers boomed out, making the young woman jump.

Whipping around, she saw that the headmistress had brought along some support.

"Padmé, you will march right up to the Palace and apologize to Palo and tell him that you will marry him," the giantess commanded, crossing her arms over her chest and stomping her foot angrily as she said so.

So far, Mace had not been so supportive- he just silently stood ther.

"I will not marry him!" Padmé screamed so loudly that her body hurt.

"Stop being selfish! If you marry him, you will get his house…"

"I do not want it!"

"You will save your friends from destitution…"

"I do not care!"

"Master Windu, do something!" the headmistress begged. "The girl is being irrational."

The Jedi gave her a withering look.

This only infuriated the woman further. "If you do not marry him, I shall never speak to you again, Padmé Neberrie. You will not be allowed to return back to the Academy."

"I do not care," Padmé whispered, weeping again. Her body began to shake. "I do not care- I do not need the Academy to become a politician…"

"Miss Padmé," Mace interrupted shortly, causing Padmé to let out a pathetic sob, "today, you must make a choice- one that you will have to live with for the rest of your life. You must choose between your two supporters- if you don't marry Palo, you shall loose this woman's friendship and your place in the Academy, but…" he paused, taking in a deep breath and cautioning a glance at the smirking Madame DesLauriers…

"But…" Padmé protested before he held up a hand in warning.

"But, if you choose to marry Palo, the Jedi shall never welcome you back into our Temple and will not support you in your endeavors."

Suddenly, the smirk left Madame DesLaurier's face.

Padmé gaped at him in incredulity. "Oh, thank you!" she wept. In a moment of pure elation, she threw her arms about the stoic Jedi and cried into his hard chest.

He was equally baffled by this and decided to glare at the headmistress in retribution.

"Thank you," Padmé said again gratefully, joyful tears now staining her pretty face. Eagerly, she shook his hand before running up the path.

Much to a passing Anakin's surprise, she waved enthusiastically and said hello before dashing off.

"Padmé!" the headmistress screamed. "That's it- I will never speak to you again." As an afterthought, she added, "And I am not joking this time!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spoiler for the next chapter: The Dastardly Deed

"I came to tell you the good news," Rabé said, swallowing nervously. By her manner, what the woman had to say was not good news. She took another deep breath before speaking again. "I am to be married."

Padmé found that she could do nothing but gape at her friend. Very studious, Rabé had shown interest in many a man, but she'd never found the time to be in a relationship before. To find out so suddenly that her friend was to be married was certainly… startling. "To whom?" Padmé finally managed to gasp out. The datapad she'd been holding fell to the ground but she did not move to pick it up.

Refusing to look at Padmé, Rabe whispered, "."

Yeah, I know I'm evil!