A/N: Thank you to Si-Fi fantasy fangirl, BronzeHeart92, Provider of odd things, and Zahard for your thoughtful reviews, favorites, and follows. Your encouragement matters much.

Hopefully you all enjoy what comes next for Amidalo and the manservants.

…

Chapter 5: Manservants

With my official coronation as King complete, the time came to choose my other manservants. In total, I would have nine, with a select five residing in the so-called "inner circle". (On Naboo, odd numbers were considered to be lucky. Thus the tradition of picking an odd number of hands.) Tsaben was already my closest manservant, as my Principle Hand. But there still remained eight total more for me to pick, four for the Inner Circle.

For a week day now, the other candidates had resided in the Hand's quarters, awaiting my arrival. They'd been toured around the palace and hopefully had settled into their temporary rooms. Today, they would meet their King.

"I'll be honest," I told Tsaben as he helped me ready. The makeup brush tickled terribly. I'd actually let loose a giggle a time or two during election prep, but thankfully had control of the urge by now. "I don't know about this."

"What don't you know?" Tsaben moved with meticulous grace as he applied the Marks of Remembrance. A few days ago, he had confessed to me his past as a background ballerino, which I could now see quite clearly. His life was a living dance of sorts; but he also knew how to fade into the background. In other words, he made the perfect principle manservant.

That didn't mean the other candidates would be so obligingly spectacular, however. "I mean… what were they like? When you trained with them?"

"I wasn't very close with the others."

It was honest, but entirely unhelpful. "Oh." Then I felt like a jerk, because Tsaben's face fell.

"I'm sorry, I—" he began.

I waved a hand. "You were being honest. Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness."

His eyes widened like I'd said something disturbing. But all he said was, "Right. I'm s—I mean… uhm… okay. Thanks?"

I had to laugh. "I'm not sure if there's much to thank me for, though it is good advice. Not that you'd know any when you got it."

He jabbed back, "Really? This coming from the boy—I apologize, the King—who got so mad at one of the advisors yesterday he had the room cleared?"

"He's an idiot."

"I don't disagree."

And just like that, we weren't fighting anymore. Really, we hadn't ever been. This was our way of maintaining informality. Acting like two normal guys who were friends. If we fully acknowledged the obvious Kingly aspects and all it entailed… well… protocol would grow very uncomfortable after a while. So, we'd agreed to be less formal when we were together like this.

I supposed I would have to be the same way with the others soon. The ones who joined the Inner Circle. But I couldn't imagine being as comfortable with anyone else the way I was comfortable with Tsaben. Maybe that was because we'd turned out to be very compatible. Or maybe it was because I knew everything about him.

My checks had been thorough, the answers I got back just as. In sum, Tsaben Reecen was cleaner than clean. If ever puppies and kittens belonged in some boy's care, they did in his. Though I did also learn something else. Something… interesting. And sad. Something Tsaben hadn't yet found fit to mention.

Like why he had ended up in dance.

It had been after his mother's death. After his mother had passed away, Tsaben went to his far older cousin who lived all the way up into the northern regions. I imagined he'd taken up the sport as a way to process, but couldn't ask. He must tell me in his own time.

After all, there were things I wasn't telling him. I had to be fair. And as much informality as we might feign in the private hours, he was still my hand, and I was his King. A fine line to walk.

A tightrope I hadn't known I was on.

…~oOo~…

After the usual contingent of the four guards on duty had stationed themselves outside the Hand's quarters, I strode inside. Tsaben followed at a correct length, his teal robes so dark they were almost black, hood drawn up over his face, throwing it into shadow. The quarters were large, centered around a vast parlor I imagined varying activities of relaxation and unwinding took place. Some more beautiful art pieces were up, mostly centering around manservant subjects.

It was an interesting point of view, focusing on the ruler's shadow rather than the ruler themselves.

The candidates were led into the parlor by Panaka. After a bow to me, he moved aside to let me greet each one, announcing the names as I went. They formed a vertical line, stepping to the side after their moment in the sun.

"Your Highness." A bow.

I followed with the candidate's name and a nod of acknowledgement. The names passed and quickly. Eirtam Anidalle, Rab Vili, Sashan something, Yan Saverrie, Felan something, Adan Thule and Holl Mirten, four who made no impression whatsoever, and two whose eyes were entirely shifty.

After it was done, I intoned, "It has been an honor to meet each of you." I used the politician's trick of seeming to make eye contact with each of them at once. "I look forward to interacting with you all throughout these next few weeks."

The replies were along the lines of, "We do as well, Your Highness," and "We look forward to serving you, my lord."

"Thank you for this opportunity." That was Adan Thule. The reply was individual, which made me respect him, but it also single him out. There was no room for an individual in work such as this. I would have to watch him these next few weeks.

These next few weeks. Now this, this was what I really hadn't been looking forward to. Over the next ten days, the thirteen candidates would shadow me in various activities of state. Also, they would try out various roles different manservants took on. This way I could observe them just as they could show me their skills and try out the lifestyle for themselves. No doubt they would also seek favor with Tsaben, my quickly chosen Principle. Usually, the monarch took more time with the choice.

Of course, they'd want to know what he'd done so right. Maybe they had asked him already. He hadn't mentioned it, but now that I reflected he had seemed more stressed lately than when we first met. As he resided with me now in the royal apartments, they couldn't henpeck him any longer, but it was worth considering.

Just as each candidate was worth considering. These choices would take time and effort. Every bit of it was worth it. These candidates constituted the backbone of my rule; though in the shadows, manservants were everything to a King.

This was a time for careful consideration.

…~oOo~…

Unfortunately, my advisors didn't seem to get the memo that I was in the midst of a rule-altering contemplation. No. They were far too preoccupied squabbling amongst themselves about some debate between factional artists. Once, this debacle had been a rather small thing. Now, it had been blown up both by the factions and my advisors, particularly the idiotic one from the western reaches. The same one I'd nearly broken character with a day prior due to said idiocy.

Finally, I cleared the room again, the better to avoid tearing out my hair in large clumps. "Idiot!" I fumed. "We all agree he is a fool, right?" I demanded to no one in particular. The only other occupants in the room were the four guards, who remained stoic no matter what, and Tsaben and two of the shadowing manservants, Adan Thule and Holl Mirten.

Embarassment stuck me like a fist. Not Padmee. Amidalo. Amidalo can't rage. But then… Adan began offering soothing nonsense, talking until I calmed down. Then, Tsaben gave reasonable advice, both on the feud and the advisor. The artists' feud was foolish, and so was the advisor, but these two young men certainly weren't.

Maybe Adan could stay after all.

…

A/N: Please review if you liked reading! If you didn't, let me know how I could improve. So long as it is constructive, I welcome all feedback :).

Challenge 1. Favorite part and/ or line? 2. Will the manservants take on names similar to Padmee's in order to blend more? Or do you think this tradition should be different for Kings? 3. Who would you like to see become a part of Amidalo's inner-circle of manservants?