An update for May the 4th!
May the 4th be with you!
Chapter 5
She wished she could go back to the day before. She wished they were back at the secret path behind the waterfall rather than walking along the round balcony of secondary dome of the palace. This was a part of the palace few guests were allowed. It gave them some much needed privacy for a decent goodbye on this last day before he was to leave. It was strange to her how much she felt like she would miss him. Only just yesterday she had allowed him to kiss her, and for the rest of that day they had done little more than just sit around and talk about nothing of any real importance. She liked it. It was so simple, and his ease at making jokes around her, and even at her, was refreshing. To him it seemed, she wasn't a princess needing to be respected or revered. He treated her like a woman; an equal.
As they walked, he was telling her the story of how he broke his arm climbing the side of a building to test out a pair of wings he had made out of cardboard and a crudely sewn shirt. The very idea sounded insane, and the way he talked about it confirmed it. He laughed and shook his head, "I saw it as one step closer to making a jetpack," He said with a shrug. "If I could fly for even a few feet with that thing, all I needed to do was get an engine that could propel me farther."
"You're crazy."
Anakin cocked his eyebrow and smirked, "Maybe," He said. "I mean, I did jump after all. Didn't work nearly as well as I thought it would." He motioned with his hand his flight pattern which was nothing more than a takeoff followed immediately by direct crash which he illustrated by slapping his hand down on his other, mimicking the crash. "My mom was not happy," He hissed.
"I can't imagine why."
"It was stupid, I know. But, I learned a very important lesson."
"Don't jump off buildings?"
He laughed, "Wait for wind before you jump."
Padme rolled her eyes as they both broke out in laughter, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her waist. By this time they were at a section of the balcony that gave them a perfect view of the capital city. The sunlight danced on the green domes and yellow-orange stonework that was classical Naboo architecture. A light breeze picked-up making her shiver and felt as Anakin's arms came around her to keep her warm. She smiled and leaned into him as she sighed. "I wish we had more time," She said.
Anakin was silent as he looked out straight ahead. "We could," He whispered. "I mean… I could… stay a bit longer. If you wanted."
She stared at him in silence, unsure what to make of his offer. Was he serious? Did he not have a job to do back in Coruscant? "I couldn't ask you to do that," She said. Besides, she would be busy. She had public openings to attend, speeches to make, obligations that would make it difficult to spend any amount of time that would make his stay worth whatever storm he would face when he got back home. Not to mention was it really wise for her to spend so much time with him? Right now, people thought she was coordinating with the hosts of the National Horse Association Annual Show, making sure she had the right names of important spectators she needed to acknowledge when she arrived, that she knew the arrangements for lunch, and know who was presenting awards with her. It was a small lie as she was going to speak with them later this evening, but sneaking around to meet with Anakin for this short amount of time, was not something she could keep up with should he stay longer. And if he was to stay, there was little doubt in her mind that tongues would start to wag. Tabloids were always looking for some scandal and royals were at the top of their list of people they want to gossip about.
Anakin smiled then turned to face her directly, one hand still on her waist. "Then don't ask," He said. "Just… tell me, if that's something you want." He smiled and took her hand in his. "I know I do." He really was sweet. And kind, and funny. And real… and the way he looked right now with the sunlight haloed in his golden hair… he truly was quite handsome. His cheeks started to burn a little red as a panicked look took his eyes and he took a small step back, his hand that had been on her waist dropping away from her and climbing to scratch at the back of his neck. "Uh, I mean as a friend. Because what else would I mean. Right?" He stumbled over his words with awkwardness and uncertainty as he seemed to be trying to take the pressure off her.
Padme shook her head and placed her hand on his arm, rubbing up and down in a soothing movement as she looked up at him. "I do," She said, leaning up on her toes to kiss his cheek as a way of reassuring him. He relaxed instantly as his hand returned to her waist and he leaned down to press his forehead to hers. "I just don't want to get you into any trouble."
"Hey, Ben is the least of my worries," He scoffed, "And anything he throws at me will be over with after he mopes around for a week or two."
She shook her head and pulled her head back to look him in the eye. He made things sound so easy, it reminded her that he came from a completely different world than her. A world where he was in the background and could come and go as he pleased, where problems could easily be solved by waiting them out. Her world was not like that at all. "Ben isn't who I was worried about," She said. "If you're seen with me, the press will want to know everything about you. They'll tear you apart just to get any kind of dirt on you."
His face fell, "You don't want to be seen with me?"
"Of course I do. That's not what I meant." Padme tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear as she took a breath. "I like spending time with you," She said. "What I don't want is the press to come to some kind of conclusion about us when I don't even know what that means."
He pulled back again and turned to look over the balcony. She could tell he was thinking hard on what she had said and Padme couldn't blame him if he wanted to step back and keep things at a distance. She remembered what her friends at school had gone through as they grew up. Being close to the royal family was not as easy as movies made them out to be. To some they were little more than cheap entertainment or tokens to barter with. And as much as she understood, she really didn't want to push him away, but she couldn't let him walk blindly into her life — it wouldn't be fair to him.
Anakin turned back to her, a determined glint in his eye. "I'll stay for a week," He said, holding up a finger. "I'm sure I can fly under the radar for a week. We talk, hang out… maybe sneak out to do some sightseeing—"
"It'll never work," She said. "I have obligations I am committed to. And I'm too well known in the city to be able to remain undetected."
"Then we won't stay in Theed," He said, as if the solution was obvious. Padme opened her mouth to object, but he cut her off. "Come on, I'm sure there are others who can take over your duty for a week. Or you pretend that you're sick. No one would bother you then, right?"
The opportunity was tempting. It was… rebellious — something more in Sola's area of expertise — and the thought of breaking away even in something as small as spending time getting to know someone thrilled her. She didn't know what possessed her to even consider it, but for once, she decided to simply let go. She gave one small nod of her head, and it was all the confirmation Anakin seemed to need for he charged her and wrapped his arms tightly around her, lifting her and spinning her with joyous abandon. It caught her so off guard that all she could do was hang onto his shoulders and laugh, letting herself be swept off in the carefree moment.
Dinner was served at sundown just two hours after the last of the guests had left to return home, thus freeing the family to enjoy a casual dinner in the small breakfast room in the royal residence wing of the palace. Sola was the last to arrive. Without having any need to dress up, the three of them had all opted to dress down for the evening. Padme still wore her skirt from earlier in the day with a pair of slip-on flats but the matching jacket was gone, and the crisp white sleeves were now rolled past her elbows while her hair was tied back loosely by a woven hairband. Their mother was probably the most dressed up, as she wore all the trappings of her day outfit, save for the footwear which was a fancy pair of slippers instead of her heels. As for Sola, she had changed out of her dress and into a pair of plaid pajama bottoms, an old Beatles t-shirt, and an untied silk robe. Her hair was done up in a messy bun and she took her seat lacking all the grace of a monarch as she sat with one knee bent up with her foot resting on the seat. Her eyes were a little puffy, a clear indication that she had just woken from a nap.
Sola let out a yawn as she stretched her arms high over her head "I am so glad things are finally going to be back to normal," She exclaimed as the three of them sat around the small intimate dining table.
"Not exactly normal, dear," Their mother said gently as she smiled at her girls.
Sola rolled her eyes, "Well, of course not exactly normal, but… a sort of normal."
"I know that. I'm just… pulling your leg." She said, reaching over and pulling on Sola's ankle until it wasn't on the seat anymore.
The three of them laughed joyfully as Sola righted herself. A knock on the door alerted them to the arrival of dinner and a finely dressed server entered with a tray held high and his arm folded behind his back. With an elegant and respectful bow of his head, he went about serving their dinner. A fine seasoned roast chicken with fresh greens, the scent wafted as the lid on the tray was lifted and he set the main dinner in the center of the table and set up the place settings for the three women, starting with Sola, then their mother and Padme being the last. The settings were simple, with floral ceramic plates and white cloth napkins. There was no need for their meals to be already served as it was just them. It was one of the small little things the family liked to do when they were alone. The server left just for a moment before he returned with a silver wine chiller and a bottle of red from the family reserve. He poured each of them a small glass before leaving the wine in the chiller. With one final deep bow, he took his leave, allowing the women to enjoy their meal in private.
Sola's mouth watered in anticipation of the meal and quickly went about cutting her piece first. She took a section of the breast and a cut from the leg as well as a serving of the greens and dug in as soon as she was finished, not waiting for the others to get their food.
"I hope you don't plan to do that with the Minister of Finance this week," Padme said jokingly as she finished serving herself.
"If I choose to serve hamburgers and onion rings, maybe I will," She countered, just as jokingly.
"Could you imagine his face if you did?" The sisters laughed at the thought of how the old man would react to his first dinner with the Queen only to find fast food instead of the finely catered delicacies that were known by their chef.
"He'd try to eat it with a fork and knife." Sola chuckled. "I've missed this," She said. "These past weeks have been so crazy. It's nice to have the palace all to ourselves again."
Their mother smiled, "Well, not all to ourselves," She said, turning to look at Padme. "That boy from the Coruscant delegation is still here."
Sola shot a surprised look at her sister and watched the younger girl's cheeks flush a light pink. "And you didn't invite him to dinner?" She asked in shock. She had been hoping to corner him during his visit and get some idea about him, and maybe threaten him with the prison tower if he hurt her sister; but that hadn't happened. And now she found out he was still here? Curious.
Padme kept her head high as she took a bite of her dinner, "He wanted to give us some family time," She answered. "He was more than happy taking dinner in his room."
"Or you just didn't want him to meet us," She countered.
"You've already met him. Plus it was his idea."
Sola scoffed, "I met him as a secretary. I never met him as my baby sister's boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend." She said defensively.
"Then why is he still here?"
Padme was silent as she ate quietly for a moment. Sola wanted to continue her line of blunt questioning, but their mother got to it first. "I heard you were giving the horse show and education foundation appearances to Sabe," Their mother said.
"What!" Sola's voice rose as she leaned forward in her seat. Their handmaidens were trained to potentially act as decoys for a security measure. There had been times where they had been useful, allowing the royal family a chance to be seen without being in any real danger. But they seldom used them without reason. It was strange for Padme to make arrangements to use her decoy without a good reason.
Padme cleared her throat, "Well… Yes. I was meaning to tell you about that…" She said as she sunk a little in her seat. It was only a small bit, and would have barely been noticed by anyone who didn't know her well. Sola leaned closer, eager to know what her sister was planning, and knowing that she was on the verge of spilling. She wanted to shake the answer out of her, but didn't want to ruin the set up their mother had planned. Padme took a breath and glanced between her mother and sister before she spoke. "I invited him to the lake house," She said. "It's secluded, away from public scrutiny… Plus it is the perfect example of Romanticism architecture in Naboo and has all the facets of our culture without the mess of all the tourist stuff."
Sola rolled her eyes. Sure that was the reason she was taking a trip with him. She could see what was really going on even if her sister couldn't. It was just a matter of when she would figure it out as well. It was oh so tempting to just tell her what was happening… but she was also curious how long it would take her to figure it out for herself. She smiled and relaxed back in her seat, shifting her attention back to her chicken. "Okay," Sola said, watching the confused look on her sister's face. This was going to be interesting.
