Note from the Author:
Sorry for the short length of this chapter. I was going to continue, but each of the planets on their honeymoon tour is going to have something big go on, so they should all have their own chapters. I'm actually pretty stoked. Relaxing as Alderaan is, I'm ready to get on to some more interesting places!
{trinity6diversia}
Chapter Nine
"Senator Amidala! How will your marriage affect your role in the Senate?"
"Master Skywalker! Will you be returning to military duty any time soon?"
"What news is there on the rumored pregnancy?"
"Senator! Should you be traveling in these early stages of pregnancy?"
"Master Jedi! What caused you to make adjustments to your honeymoon locations?"
As the questions continued, Anakin reached for Padmé's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She returned the gesture with a smile, to which the paparazzi rushed to photograph. Within half an hour, the pictures of the happy newlyweds smiling adoringly at each other would be on every holonet across Coruscant. Some who saw them would be happy. Most would not. The little girls would screech and point at the screens, dreams of being a real princess running through their innocent minds. Their fathers would grimace in disgust, the only thing they could accept being how Anakin Skywalker was not man enough to stop this.
The Hero with no Fear… had been whipped down to nothing, by fear.
It was like Bail had said. The people would love Anakin more if he fought against tyranny, if he exercised his right to freedom. But right now, they just couldn't. They couldn't love a man who stood by and did nothing.
Yet, thought Anakin. I haven't done anything… yet.
And still he smiled, and waved, and leaned down to kiss Padmé on the cheek, and did everything they told him to. Everything he was expected to do. He was playing right into their little game, and he knew it. But it wasn't time to fight. Not yet.
The interviews went perfectly. Anakin and Padmé could have been actors, paid to portray people other than themselves. They smiled, lied, dodged pregnancy rumors, knowing how much that would drive the Chancellor and his minions crazy. They smiled adoringly, and did every gesture that was appropriate for a couple under the public eye.
And when the cameras suddenly started translating their words into an unfamiliar military code halfway through the interview, no one knew. Anakin knew. It was all he could do not to break down laughing. And that half of their interview was lost. As were the cameramen, who were fired as soon as the glitch was discovered. On the cameras, no glitch was found, but the tapes were garbled beyond recognition. And a series of lines warped the image so much that the interview could not be televised. When Padmé discovered what happened soon after, she had no doubt in her mind who had caused it, but Anakin would only shrug and say nothing.
Every interview which passed on Alderaan was ruined in this way, except one. Anakin respected the Interviewer because of their no funny business policy, and their good track record. So he did nothing to mutilate their tapes. A press interview towards the end of their stay was ruined by all media standards, although Anakin doubted an hour-long game of fetch with Thunder and Lady during the conference could have ruined the tapes all that much. It infuriated Master Windu, though, and Anakin received quite the lecture as a result.
After every interview was a short relaxation period, in which Anakin and Padmé could eat their midday meal and enjoy the quiet before they had to launch themselves back into the public eye. This short time usually involved Anakin catching up on the latest sports scores and updates from the military front, and Padmé reviewing diplomatic dealings from Coruscant. They had no time for anything else, and the more they both caught up on their respective non-marital duties, the more they would go about the rest of their day in that state of mind: that they were here to do one thing and one thing only.
Following the rest period, Anakin and Padmé launched into their "public viewing" mode, which required little more than public displays of affection on the parts of the newlyweds. The first day, they walked through the gardens with the dogs, holding hands and gazing at the flowers. The next day, they took a boat ride out on the lake, but within easy access of the paparazzo's fancy cameras. And the last day, they relaxed poolside, with Padmé purposefully arraying herself in a midriff exposing bikini top with a lace shroud tied at her waist to provide a small level of modesty to her attire. Anakin gave a desirable amount of attention to his gorgeous wife to please the cameras, but spent most of his time in forced meditation: one could not be in the presence of a bikini-clad Senator Amidala without loosing his mind, not even General Skywalker.
Padmé knew the effect she was having on her young husband, and it made her laugh. Just looking at him was enough to take the fear away and make her forget real life for a while. Then she would see the paparazzi, their cameras pointing at the newlyweds, and the moment would pass. She could feel the emotions return like a hurricane, and when she glanced at Anakin, the creases on his forehead told her that he could sense it.
"Anakin?"
"Mmm?"
"Do you know what I'm thinking?"
"No."
"Can you read my mind?"
"I would never read your mind."
"But… you can, though, can't you?"
"I could, but I won't."
"But you can tell what I'm feeling, right?"
"Generally speaking, yes. Your Force signature is more prominent than others. It's hard to ignore."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For being an emotional wreck." Padmé shrugged and closed her eyes, enjoying the sun on her face. "You can't get away from my emotions whirling around in the Force."
"Nonsense. I enjoy them. They keep me focused. And… I have a distinct advantage over other guys. I actually know when I should avoid my wife."
Padmé turned on her side to face him.
"I don't think you'd ever want to leave, even if I were about to bite your head off."
"No, it's true. I wouldn't." He gave her a mischievous look and she laughed.
Early the next morning, in the dark before dawn, Anakin slipped out of bed, got dressed, then gently shook Padmé awake. He left her to finish packing the last few things, then went out to check on the Whispering Winds. Bail had cleared the paparazzi from around the palace, so slipping off planet would be easy. After Anakin had gotten R2 started on the pre-flight checklist, he returned to the palace, where he found Padmé cooking a small breakfast in the palace kitchen. It wouldn't do to wake the cook at that hour. Leaving her to finish up, he took their luggage and stowed it on the ship, then returned to the kitchen.
Bail was there by then, and the three ate the fare Padmé had mixed up. Bail devoured his food amid exclamations over Padmé's cooking, to which she blushed and tried to appear humble. Anakin took his time, reading over the astromech charts in preparation for their departure, and after Padmé had cleared the table, the three started on deeper discussions.
"You've made quite an impact in the media over the past few days," said Bail as he leaned back in his chair. "Chancellor Palpatine seems pleased, and that's all you have to worry about. If you keep this up, you'll avoid problems when you return to the Capital."
"You mean we have to keep doing this for another week and a half?" asked Padmé, a wave of exhaustion showing on her face before she skillfully hid it. Anakin saw. Anakin always saw.
"No, it will get better," assured Bail. "Security on Mandalore is at it's highest right now, so there will be less media attention on you. Corellia was already going to be an off-limits location for the paparazzi, by order of the Chancellor. You'll get a lot of attention on Naboo, obviously, but that's to be expected." He inclined his head towards Padmé, who took his meaning. You can't be Queen of a planet without having undo amounts of attention on said planet.
"We'll get through it," said Anakin, his voice calm as he met Padmé's eye. "We'll be old news before we make news."
"Well said, Skywalker," answered Bail, raising his hand to acknowledge the comment.
And with that, the three parted ways. Within minutes, the Whispering Winds was lifting off her designated landing platform, silent as a breeze, just as her name suggested. And by the time the media hounds woke up, Anakin and Padmé were far from Alderaan.