Chapter 4

She walked with him slowly along the path up until they met the entrance to the hedge maze when she took his hand and pulled him along behind her as she navigated them through the twists and turns. He laughed despite not knowing where they were going, trusting her to know her way through it. Padme smiled and laughed with him, glancing back every now and again as if to remind herself that he was real. "Where are you taking me?" He laughed as she led him to a dead end.

Padme smiled and looked around, making sure no one could see them. "Trust me," She said as she released her hold of his hand and walked up to the large hedge wall.

"It's a dead end," He remarked, looking around himself, clearly unsure where in the maze they were.

She ignored him as she pressed her hand along the hedge, feeling through the brush for the slightest give in the branches. She felt the small gap and smiled, reaching with both hands and parting it slightly before sticking her leg through and glancing back at Anakin who stared at her in puzzled shock. It must be a sight to see a princess half being swallowed by a hedge, but she didn't really care right now. "Come on," She urged, turning back to push through the hedge completely. Behind her she could hear him grumble as he stepped through the same opening she had and struggled a bit to get through. He was quite a bit bigger than her so the fit was a little snug as he grunted and let out a muffled curse when a branch struck him in the head.

Padme covered her mouth as she giggled when he emerged. He had a twig sticking out of his hair and a flower stuck through the back of his jacket. Reaching to his head, she carefully reached for the branch, but was unable to reach it until he seemed to understand what she was doing and crouched lower so she could pull it from his head. His eyes were now level with hers and she felt a flutter in her chest as she stared into them. She blinked and cleared her throat, turning from him and looking at where she had led him. The hedge maze, relative to the rest of the palace was fairly new, having only been around since the mid 1700's. Before that, the grounds had been the location of a few older towers and complexes that had been a host of other things from guard barracks to a smaller private palace for either the monarch's consort or, more scandalously, housing for the monarch's lovers. Tearing down the complexes had been a decision made in support of a movement to preserve parks and gardens as the industrial revolution threatened to destroy some of the more beautiful landscapes across Naboo. The maze and the gardens were a symbol of solidarity from the monarchy.

This particular section of the maze was where one of the few remnants of one of those buildings. All that remained of it was the small rectangular room's stone floor and the faded outline surrounded by the hedge. Near the left hand corner of the space, was an old wooden door protruding from the floor. Padme walked over to the door and pulled it open. The door creaked as dust billowed out followed by the scurrying insects disturbed from their homes. Reaching into the dark space below, she pulled up a metal bar which she then hooked to the door, forcing it to stay open.

Behind her, Anakin was watching her with a mix of curiosity and caution as he tried to figure out what she was up to and why he was here with her. In truth, she wasn't sure what compelled her to show this to him, but they were already more than halfway there so she saw no reason to turn back now. Padme walked back to where he stood by the hedge they had emerged from and took his hand, "Come on," She said, "I want to show you something," She led him down the uneven stone steps through the trapdoor. The steps were winding and rough, forcing them to walk slowly or risk tripping and falling. The path was darkly shadowed, with the only light coming from the door they had entered and the small illumination at the bottom of the steps.

"Where are we going?" Anakin asked when they reached the halfway point, as a roaring sound became more audible and a light breeze could be felt. His eyes squinted ahead to see if he could get some idea where this stairway led to.

Padme smiled and continued to lead them down, "This used to be a pathway one of the prince's a long time ago once used to sneak his mistresses into the palace without his parents finding out," She explained. "It was one of the last additions made to this part of the land before the buildings were replaced with the gardens." They stepped onto the last step and encountered an archway overgrown with moss and ivy through which they could see the light from the other side. By now the roar was loud and the breeze was filled with drops of water that splashed on their faces. Padme parted the ivy, and watched as Anakin stared out in awe at the sight before them.

They were behind one of the large waterfalls that cascaded down the back of the palace. A cobbled path seemed to wind around the cliffside leading down to the water below. The path was railed by finely crafted stone rails that were etched with the emblem of the royal family. Every few feet there was a stone statue protruding from the railing depicting beautiful women in all sorts of poses that ranged from sensual and seductive to wise and inquisitive. The statues had long since become a host to a number of plants and moss, but there were clear signs that there was some small effort to uncover each statue along the path.

Padme walked out onto the path and leaned against the railing, her eyes closed as she breathed in the fresh air and relaxed as the water hit her face. Slowly, he came to stand beside her, his jaw parted as he reached out and touched the waterfall, letting the water slip between his fingers. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She asked.

Anakin turned to her and pulled his hand back, laughing a breathy laugh as he shook his head, "I don't think there is a word to describe this place," He said, looking all around at everything from the statues to even the motifs caved into the back wall.

"My sister and I used to sneak here when we were kids." She said. "Not many people even know this place exists. It's what made this place feel like something out of a fairytale."

Anakin shook his head, "Out of all the palaces and castles in Naboo… why here?" He asked. "This place is… amazing, there is no doubt… but no one can even see it."

She shrugged and looked to him as she spoke, "Beauty is not something that needs to be seen and admired by the masses. Its simple existence is enough," She said. "People may know the names and works of the great masters of art, but that doesn't mean they all know what makes the work beautiful and the masters geniuses. Sometimes the most beautiful things are even made by the lesser known artists who are lost in the shadows of the masters." She started walking down the path, her hand trailing behind her along the stone rail. Through the mist of the waterfall, she could see the glimmer of the small town below the capital city cast in the colors of the light rainbow formed by the waterfall. "My family can't always run to the countryside estates when things get hard," She said, "And even when we do, there is often still so many things that needs to be done. But here… it's easy to forget even if it is only for a short time."

"A chance to feel normal…" Anakin added in a small whisper as he came to stand behind her.

Padme turned toward him and shuttered at the close proximity of him. His hand was on the rail beside hers and her fingers trembled as she placed her hand over his. Their eyes were locked on one another as their fingers twined together, as if drawn by a mysterious connection that seemed to make the movements smooth and natural. His other hand came to her cheek as he brushed the backs of his fingers along her cheek, his pinky catching a curl of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. Her breath hitched as she reached up to take his hand in hers. Anakin swallowed stiffly as his eyes unmistakably flashed to her parted lips before looking back at her eyes. "I… I would like to kiss you now," He said, his cheeks flushed, "But I know—"

"Do it," She said, stepping closer to him so that her chest touched his.

He stiffened, but nodded his head as he slowly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It was chaste at first, with him pulling back slightly after the light contact, but as she leaned back in, he complied with her request and kissed her again, and again, and again. Their lips moved softly against one another, her hand finding his shoulder and his tangling in her curls as kissed beneath the ray of sunlight that cut through the waterfall.


Sola smiled and waved through the car window at the crowd that had gathered along the street as the driver took her home. The smile hid what she was really feeling, knowing that appearances needed to be maintained especially in these early days of her reign. The car pulled past the gates and through the roundabout, stopping at the center doors to the palace. An entourage of stewards, and a selection of her guests were there to greet her and welcome her back as she stepped through the doors and almost immediately she was swallowed back into political discussions. She maintained the conversations loosely, doing what she could to quickly quell their concerns and arrange times to tend to each of the individual issues they brought up. At this point she was willing to say almost anything just to get a moment alone and away from all of this.

As the last of the entourage dissipated when she reached the stairs to the royal family's living quarters, she took a moment just to make sure she was well and truly alone before sighing loudly and slouching her posture before kicking off her heels and continuing the walk to her room barefoot. She unbuttoned the first few buttons of her dress, letting the tight fabric open slightly and make it a bit more comfortable. She passed a few maids as she walked to her rooms. Most of them had seen her in worse states she she wasn't worried about appearances any more.

Opening her doors, she was relieved to see that her handmaidens had already laid out a tray of her favorite snacks and had the TV turned on to her favorite rom-com channel. These girls were a god-send. The girls helped her into more comfortable loungewear as the three of them crowded onto the large bed with the tray of junk food between them as they watched the movie playing. She didn't want to think about the Prime Minister, or Parliament, or the ambassadors, or anything. Why couldn't things be as simple as the movies?

The door opened a crack as another of her handmaidens slipped in, a folder held close to her chest. Sola groaned loudly, "Don't tell me…"

"Sorry, Your Majesty," The girl said, bowing her head slightly as she brought the folder over to her. "The Foundation for Children has gotten back to us with an estimate for the construction of the facility your father endorsed in Theed," She explained, "They need you to sign off on the funds before they can start construction."

Sola sighed and took the file, flipping it open and skimming through it just barely before turning to the last page which laid out the total sum of the project. She nearly choked on the number as her eyes landed on the £2.4 million estimate. "This is outrageous!" She said, thrusting the file back at the girl. She knew not to blame the messenger, but the number was much too large for what the project entailed. "Who gave them this estimate?"

"Uh, that would be the construction company… Eckner Contracting."

Her brow furrowed at the name of a private company being used instead of the state funded contractors. The latter would have been so much easier to deal with, but the terms of this deal had been struck before her coronation. "You tell them that their estimate is wrong, and that is must come down or we'll find someone else to build it." The handmaid bowed and departed to take care of it.

Rolling her shoulders, Sola relaxed back into he comfort of her bed with her friends, letting herself be immersed in the fantasy of the film that was playing, dreading all the while of the busy day that would follow.