A/N: Here is the next chapter!

…~oOo~…

Chapter 9: Fashionistas and Flirtations

Though technically termed the Royal Drapery, Rab's workshop, as I called it, was like walking into a craft store gone jumbo-size. Stacks of fabric of a dazzling range of colors stood on either side. Yards of yarn, pre-embroidered silks, and sashes were rolled up on various racks. Beads and jewels both fake and real sparkled in boxes stacked on shelves. Mannequins sporting various kingly-looking outfits stood on either side of the room, as if acting as sentries to their master's machinations.

And, tonight, in the center of the whirlwind of fashion stood Rab, passionately lecturing one of his underlings. "No, no, no. I said salmon silk. This is coral. Coral. Look. Salmon. Coral. Salmon. Coral." He held two swatches of fabric, switching them at lightspeed to punctuate his point. They looked exactly the same to me—a light pinkish color.

But clearly not to Rab, who plowed on relentlessly, "Coral means death and destruction to all things good in this life. Salmon means peace and prosperity. The entire Peace and Prosperity line of clothing I am making for His Highness depends on this sash being salmon, or it is all ruined!

"Now, Mr. Ilsin, you are dear to me. I can't do this without you. But if you make a mistake like this again… I will have to take action. Mistakes like these shame the king before all Naboo!"

"Yes, sir!" the terrified man squeaked. "I'll fix it immediately."

Drawing in a deep breath, Rab pocketed the swatches of fabric. Still unnoticing of my presence, he calmed a bit, and then patted his underling on the cheek. "I know you will, Ilsin. Now, go on. Yes. Go, go. Mmhm." He turned around—

And came face to face with me.

So—Rab still intimidated me. The past week hadn't helped. This scene hadn't helped. But I was still his king, and knew I had to act like it. "Rab," I said, using my most formal and monarchical tones with him, "I require your aid readying myself for the banquet."

All anger left him. "Right away, Your Highness! I just completed the design! Five layers. You will love it. Thank you for coming personally. I'm honored."

I tried my best to smile, but it surely came weakly. I was glad to make Rab happy by coming myself; I'd been hoping I would. Really, the boy was proving an amazing fashion talent. But—

Five layers?

Here we go…

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The five layers were, as predicted, cumbersome, but not so stifling as I expected. Apparently, Rab had developed some way of making fabrics more breathable and (comparatively) lighter. "It's still imperfect, of course!" he had cheerfully explained as he finished up with smoothing the last layer of my robes. "But it should be a great deal better than what you had to suffer through during the election. Honestly—designers up to now had no vision…"

Because of his help, I was able to walk into the banquet with dignity, at least not flushing beneath the layers of makeup as I had so many times on stage during the election—not out of embarrassment or stress, but out of sheer stifling heat from the clothes. Once I arrived in the room, the twelve delegates took their seats, and then the other twelve guests took theirs. These latter twelve were made up of some trustworthy advisors, honest members of the legislative body of Naboo, and two of my manservants—though, this evening, they were palace pages.

I'd arranged for the meal to center around fish, while also offering a variety of other culinary options in terms of fruits and vegetables. The fish showed off the core of Naboo cuisine without overwhelming guests with seafood as I so often had been overwhelmed myself. The initial two courses were served, and then the final, desert. Desert was an out-of-date kind of iced cookie which Sashan had informed me was traditional for Kings in their prior reigns. It harkened back to that era, a tribute to it, while reminding guests things weren't the same as they'd been before on Naboo. Any sign, no matter how small, that things had changed in the formerly corrupt system was important. From the way Bibble smiled at me briefly when it was served, he got the message.

I ignored the small pang of guilt.

Harlan dominated the conversation. Since Amidalo wasn't the type to be a good dinner host, I felt deeply thankful. Admidalo remained regal, set apart. Gracious, yes, but not like the bubbly young humanoid who proved quite the raconteur as he regaled the group with a tale of fleeing a stampede with his cousin. "And then we scrambled up the tree as fast as we could, and we just managed to avoid them!" Several others jumped in with questions and chatter, including Tobruntie.

By the end of the evening, a certain camaraderie had been forged among us. As the dinner concluded, I felt satisfied how it had gone, and nearly broke character by smiling on my way back to the royal apartments. Eirtam had had to stop by the library to pick up some information for Rab, and Yan had briefly hung back to finish a discussion with Bibble. For the second time today, I was, very briefly, alone. My boots clicked and clacked on the floors as I walked, constituting the majority of the sound.

And then, I heard voices.

"—your regular job?" someone was saying. I thought I recognized the voice. Oh, yes! Harlan!

Well—best not to seem like I was sneaking up on him or eavesdropping. The transition would be awkward, but just showing myself would be better than not. I moved to do so, only to stop when I heard Tsaben reply in a somewhat flirtatious voice I'd never heard from him before,

"Sometimes. The King asks me to do a variety of things."

But if Tsaben's tone was somewhat flirtatious, Harlan's was shamelessly flirtatious. "Well, I'm officially jealous that he has you all to himself."

Tsaben chuckled. "Oh, stars."

"Will I see you around at the Summit?"

"I don't know," said Tsaben honestly.

"Here's hoping," replied Harlan.

They walked away in opposite directions, and I could only stand there, breathing as softly as possible through my surprise, praying neither went this way. Thank the stars, they didn't.

Later, I had to pretend complete nonchalance when Tsaben came in, apologizing for running late, a light flush to his cheeks. I offered a breezy reply, then sought his help in getting ready for bed. It was none of my business what Tsaben did in his spare time. All I really wanted to know was whether he genuinely liked Harlan or was simply pressing an advantage. But I couldn't ask that, not without pulling rank. My relationships with the manservants had been going so well, too.

As he finished adjusting my bedcovers, Tsaben remarked with a smile, "You know, I think this Summit might be more interesting than I imagined."

"Oh?" I remarked lightly. "Why?"

He replied with utter smoothness, "Because of the chance to help change the corruption Queen Veruna brought to the planet, of course."

Disappointment hit me like a fist. I flushed, but regained control in an instant. I would just have to trust that if or when the time came to discuss something, Tsaben would come to me. It didn't make it any easier to wait in silent and unshared knowledge, though.

…~oOo~…

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed reading!

Challenge 1. Favorite part and/ or line? 2. Who thinks salmon and coral are basically the same color like Padmee does? 3. How similar do you think I should make Harlan and Tsaben's dynamic as compared Harli and Sabé's from Queen's Peril? I am planning to change it up a bit, in that maybe they stay together longer or something. How do you feel about that?

Thank you all for your support.

Until next time,

Rivkah