I'm feeling super motivated with this story right now. So far, my outline indicates this might get up to 30 or more chapters! Exciting but YIKES! I got a lot of plans for this story and I hope I can write well enough to live up to those plans.


Chapter 9

The sheer curtains floated in the morning breeze as sunlight slowly started to peek into the large bedroom. The light rolling of the waves and the smell of the lake was alluring to Padme as she fought the urge to wake up and greet the day. All her life duty had compelled her to be an early riser but here, she was always more than willing to fight it off just to enjoy the comfort of her bed just a little longer. Rolling onto her back, she arched her back and stretched, sighing as she breathed in deep. It was going to be a beautiful day. The weekend market was a popular attraction for locals and she was looking forward to enjoying the market stalls with Anakin. If dinner last night had been any indication, he would love all the food stalls filled with fresh baked goods. The never ending quantities of food should be enough to sate his appetite while she enjoyed the fine craftsmanship from local jewelry makers, weavers and artists. Back in Theed, while she had access to any number of priceless works of art from the most renowned painters in the country, her favorites and especially the ones in her rooms, were made by either lesser known artist or even those still unknown to the world. Such works had a character to them that she found interesting.

Rising from the bed, she pulled on a thick blue robe and carefully walked towards the double doors that led onto the terrace. Standing against the railing, she saw Anakin leaning on his hands as he stared out at the waters. His face looked content and relaxed as his eyes were closed, letting the wind pull at his hair. He looked as if he had just woken up as well, his eyes still a little puffy and his shirt rumpled as if it had spent the night on floor. She smiled as she slowly walked to join him, standing beside him as they looked out at the water together.

"I think I might need to move," He said. "I'd love to wake up to this every morning."

"It is pretty great," She agreed, leaning forward on her elbows. "If I didn't have so much to do in Theed, I'd probably come stay here more often."

He gave a small shrug, "Then… why not do a little less?" He suggested. His voice sounded a little nervous, as if afraid his words might offend her. And if it had come from someone else, it might have.

It was clear he was asking out of a genuine curiosity and for that, she couldn't possibly take offense. "Because the Queen can't possibly do everything herself, it is the duty of the family to stand in for her on smaller matters to show that the crown is taking an active stance on issues. It's a matter of leading by example," She explained.

"Even still, you are entitled to a break every now and then."

She smiled. It was nice to talk to someone about this who cared more about her wants and needs rather than the nation. She liked having him around. "You know…" She started, "this is the first real vacation I've taken in a long time."

"Me too," He said. "I've been saving up vacation days for awhile. I wanted to visit my mom a few months ago, but couldn't get the time off. So I was planning on a surprise trip for a few weeks from now."

"Where does your mother live? Does she still do translation work?"

Anakin shrugged, "A little. Not as much as she used to. She lives in Cairo now and works remotely most of the time. Every once in awhile she'd be called to go to Algeria, but that hasn't happened for some time now." His gaze fell to his hands as he let out a slow breath. "I haven't been able to go see her since she moved down there," He admitted. "And that was three years ago."

Padme reached across and took his hand in hers. She really had no idea what to say, or if she should say anything. Instead, she gave his hand a light squeeze and watched the small smile grace his handsome face as he looked to her. "So," He started, looking to change to subject away from his mother. "When does this market open?"


Reports from the construction site came in regularly as Sola had requested. She didn't have much time to dedicate to the project, and so for majority of the time, the reports were left to her handmaidens to read through and let her know if anything was wrong. So far, no problems were delaying the project, for which Sola was quite proud of. At this rate, it even looked as if they might finish early. She smiled as she sat at her desk with a cup of tea and read over the notes for her next meeting with the agricultural minister to discuss crop yields. It should be a routine meeting just to keep her informed on the season's predictions so that she may consider how much to plan to import if necessary. But if her notes are accurate, they won't really need to worry too much about that.

In the hallway outside her office she could hear what sounded like an argument. Her brow furrowed as she tried to listen more but couldn't identify the voices clearly. She didn't have to wait long to find out as a servant came in and bowed. "Your Majesty—" He began but was cut off as the man he was presumably arguing with marched in.

"Do you have any idea what is happening at the construction site?" He asked, not even showing her the proper respect by bowing or greeting her politely.

"I'm sorry?" Sola was clearly confused as the man growled and opened the file in his arms and laid out a series of pictures on her desk.

"The site for the new children's house," He clarified, pointing at the images of a busy construction site with workers.

Sola took a quick glance at the images, and having no idea what she was looking at or who the man in her office was, she looked to her servant. "I'm sorry, but who is this?" She demanded.

"Darred Janren," The man answered. "My company gave you the initial quote."

Now she knew who he was. Though why he was here and how he got in was beyond her. It was clear that he was angry, and she knew well enough that it was best to try and defuse the situation. "Well, clearly we decided to go in another direction," She said diplomatically. "The contracts are signed, and the funds have been transferred, so there is nothing more to be discussed."

Mr. Janren shook his head, "Lott Dod is a crook!" He declared. "They'll take your money and pocket 75% of it, and the remaining 25% is going to go into shoddy work, with shoddy materials." He pointed at the pictures again, "You can already see that happening! Quarry Cement is the cheapest stuff on the market. It's used for small patch jobs, not a full sidewalk. And the insulation they have piled there has been sitting out for days! That stuff isn't meant to be exposed to the elements. It compromises the integrity and makes it prone to mold." He paused to take a breath as Sola looked at the pictures.

She really had no idea what he was talking about though. She wasn't a contractor. For all she knew, he was just making this stuff up to try and make a deal because he missed the first one. Well, Sola wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. A good Queen knows to stand by her choices. "Mr. Janren, I have spoken personally with Lott Dod prior to beginning this project. I have full faith in their abilities," She said. She gave a small gesture to her servant to kindly escort him out. "If you'll excuse me, I do have other matters to take care of."

He scoffed and pulled his arm free from the servant. "People are going to get hurt it you let this continue," He said. "Children will get hurt. I hope you realize your mistake before that happens." Without another word, he left.


The bustling weekend market was arranged along the main road that ran along the waters edge. People filled the street as they shopped and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather. Children laughed and played on several amusement attractions that had been set up for their entertainment. There were blow up bouncing houses, slides, and a large obstacle jungle gym that kids could play in while their parents sat across the way at a small pavilion that housed some of the food and drink stands. Padme smiled as she watched the children play. She'd always loved children and wanted to one day have a few of her own. But that seemed a bit far off for her.

Beside her, Anakin munched away on some pastries he had bought at one of the small stands. He had a bag full of other snacks he had bought and as she had predicted he was very happy with all the food there. Her arm was linked through his as they walked, talking about little things and simply enjoying everything the market had to offer. At first, she was a little nervous about walking so close to him and showing such a small gesture of her affection for him. But there were so many other people doing the same, and no one really even noticed them at all. It seemed safe enough to assume their anonymity was safe.

Farther down the road, they entered the crafters section of the market. Glass blowers had set up kilns in the back of their tents so that they may continue working and even offered custom works of vases and pendents and other works of beauty. Artists had their easels and paints and pencils set up so that they could work when inspiration struck them or to show off to the crowds. And weavers had looms sitting in the back of their tents as they sat working on blankets and tapestries. Each tent had their works on display with prices listed nearby so people knew what was for sale.

Anakin's attention seemed to be drawn to one of the stalls, as he let her go and said, "Be right back," Before disappearing into the crowd with a skip in his step.

Padme shook her head as he wandered away and took the moment to browse one of the metal worker's stands. The table was full of small cases and boxes that had jewelry inside with barely an inch of the purple blanket they were set up on visible. She eyed a set of bracelets that were made of twisted metal that all met in the middle to form a small lotus flower. It was made from a combination of stainless steel, bronze and hints of rose gold which was intricately joined with the lotus design for detail. It was beautiful. And such a unique piece that she couldn't resist paying the small bit of money for it. By the time the transaction was finished, Anakin had returned with a small wrapped parcel in his hand and a large grin on his face.

His arm wrapped around her shoulders as they continued through the market. "What exactly did you get?" She asked, curious as she eyed the package again.

He merely shrugged. "Nothing special."