Anakin paced restlessly, the hem of his dark robe swishing over the colored marbles paving Senator Jamillia's sky terrace. The golden fountain bubbled cheerfully and beyond it the city lights were beginning to come on as late afternoon shaded into dusk.
"How long does it take for a bunch of politicians to say 'hello, glad you're back'?" Anakin asked a gilded statue rhetorically. His shoulders slumped as he answered himself; "Forever apparently." turning he sat down on one of the two curving, cushion heaped sofas and tried to compose himself. 'Be aware of the moment,' he admonished silently, 'Don't anticipate, immerse yourself in the flow of the Living Force.'
It wasn't working. He was too keyed up to focus. Maybe he should have joined the welcome party after all. But he'd felt a public reunion, where they'd have to pretend to be 'just friends', would be too hard on both of them. He gave up his attempt at meditation. "Patience is not my best thing."
"I know." said an infinitely sweet and very amused voice from the long vaulted passage to the dining hall.
He twisted around. "Padme!" He didn't move, couldn't move, he just sat there and drank in the sight of her.
Her gown and cloak were patterned with feathers, smooth and shining as satin and glimmering with all the colors of the spectrum, with an explosion of plumes around her shoulders and in her hair. But she wasn't wearing the royal make-up, it was her own face shining at him from its setting of feathers and jewels, and she was laughing at him. "What? No hug, no kiss?"
"I can't move." he said honestly.
"Good thing I can." she glided across the floor, one hand working at the jeweled clasp holding her cloak and letting it fall. His eyes followed her helplessly as she came towards him then curled herself sinuously into his lap tucking her head under his chin with a little sigh of contentment. "How I've dreamed of this moment!"
His arms went around her. "Me too."
"I can't believe it's over." she murmured into his neck. "The war, my reign - all over and done with!"
"Me either." Anakin mumbled, ruthlessly crushing his doubts.
"So now we're free to live our own lives at last - or almost." She lifted her head to look him in the eye. "I want to be with you when you break the news to the Jedi Council, I want to take my share of the blame."
He grinned, misgivings forgotten. "Too late, sweetheart. I told them yesterday. I am now, officially an ex-Jedi Knight."
"Oh, Ani!" she straightened up, a look of distress on her face. "Was it very bad? Were they awful to you? What did they say?"
He pulled her back down against him. "They said I must follow my feelings and the Force would be with me. The Temple isn't a prison, you know, Jedi stay because they want to stay - not because they're made to."
"They weren't angry?" she asked doubtfully.
"Of course not! The Council isn't like that, Padme. They're my teachers, my friends. They might be sad to see me go but never angry!"
"I guess I'm just feeling guilty." she admitted ruefully, and wriggled off his lap. She went to pick up her fallen cloak then turned back to face him with a shamefaced smile. "I feel as if I'm stealing you away."
He laughed out loud. "Hey, lady it's me who's doing the stealing here!" he caught her up in his arms and swung her around. "Sweeping you off your feet, right under your subjects' noses, and carrying you away." she clung, giggling, to his neck as they spun. "By the way, where am I sweeping you off to?"
"Upstairs. Jamillia's giving me the penthouse suite again."
"No." Anakin said, beginning to climb the stairs up to the bedroom floors. "I mean do you have any ideas about where we're going to live?"
"I thought we'd spend most of our time at the Varykino Lake Palace," she answered, "But we can go to Pyrgo, it's on the river just below Theed, whenever we feel the need for a little society."
"Huh?" Anakin stopped on a landing to look down at her in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"Our new houses." she answered. "The legislature gave me Varykino - in fact that's my new title Duchess of Varykino - and Pyrgo for a townhouse. It's right on the river and almost as beautiful as the Lake Palace. I'm sure you'll love it."
"Duchess?" he repeated blankly.
"My honorary title." she said patiently, then laughed. "Really, Ani, the look on your face! Did you think the Naboo were going to turn me off with nothing but the clothes on my back and a ticket to Coruscant?"
"Well no, not exactly." he said hesitantly. "But I thought we'd be like regular people - you know; with jobs and an apartment and stuff like that."
The laughter went out of her face. "Put me down, Ani, we have to talk seriously." she looked through the archway and saw the stair lobby was empty, then led him to a couch and sat him down.
"Now," she said, sitting beside him and taking his hand, "on Naboo when a King or Queen retires they are granted an honorary title, the use of two or three royal residences and a pension."
"So now you're Duchess of Varykino and we get the Lake Palace and this other place to live in." he said, trying to assimilate it.
"Right. And 500, 000 a year to live on."
His eyes popped. "Five hundred thousand dactaries!"
She laughed a little. "Believe me, Ani, it's not as much as it sounds. Not with two houses to keep up, a staff to pay, entertaining, clothes -" she broke off to eye him speculatively. "I must say I'm looking forward to buying you a decent wardrobe."
"I guess I'm going to be needing some new clothes at that." he said slowly, then apprehensively: "Padme, I'm not going to have to be a Duke or anything am I?"
She smiled reassuringly. "No. The ducal title is a lifetime honor for me alone. I can't share it with my husband or pass it - or any of my other benefits - on to my children." a roguish glint came into her eye. "Of course if you'd like a title, or a pension or anything else I'm sure Queen Apailana would be happy to oblige. We still owe you for that droid command ship."
"No!" he said in lively alarm. "No thanks."
She turned serious again. "Anakin, we don't have to accept any of it if you'd rather not. I'm just a farm girl at heart, you know. If you want live with your family on Tatooine it's fine with me."
"No it's not that - not that at all." he assured her quickly. "I love the idea of living at Varykino. But I've been a Jedi all my life and the thought of owning stuff makes me uncomfortable." then he grinned. "But it's not mine, it's yours, which makes it all right."
She smiled back. "It's not really mine either, Ani. We royals don't really own anything any more than the Jedi do. Everything we have, right down to the clothes on our backs, is held in trust for the Naboo - we're just the temporary caretakers."
Holding hands they moved back towards the stairs. "Padme," Anakin said suddenly, "these things you're holding in trust - do they include that sweet little yacht?"
She smiled demurely. "They could -if you want it."
"You bet I do! I loved that little ship." he enthused. "And we'll be able to hop over to Tatooine to see Mom and the rest of the family any time we feel like it."
"I'd like that too." her smile widened into a mischievous grin up at him. "I have a feeling I'm going to be needing lots of good advice from wise old married women like Shmi and Beru."
The penthouse landing opened directly onto the suite's two bedrooms. They found Sache, Yane and Eirtae in Padme's room unpacking the five trunks lying on bed and floor.
Padme gave Anakin a sultry, sidelong look. "Why don't I slip into something more comfortable?"
Was it his imagination or were the girls smirking? "I wish you would." he said a little too loudly. Nerves.
Padme smiled and gave him a little shove towards the door. Sabe and Rabe were in the sitting room, arranging the knick-knacks, throws and pillows Padme had brought with her to make the borrowed room more home-like. They greeted him with smiles.
Cee Threepio was more articulate: "Master Anakin! How good to see you again. Shall I tell her ladyship you're here?"
"She already knows, Threepio." Anakin assured him, sitting down on one of the couches. "You're looking good."
The shiny golden droid preened himself a little. "Thank you Master Anakin."
"I left Artoo downstairs in the speeder bay. Why don't you go say hello."
"I would like that - if you're sure you and my Lady won't be needing me, sir?"
"Not for several hours." Anakin said firmly.
"Real smooth, Anakin." Sabe said, eyes brimming with laughter.
He grinned back. "Thanks. So what do I have to do to get rid of the two of you?"
the handmaidens laughed. "Nothing at all." Rabe assured him. "part of our training is when to make ourselves scarce."
"Like now." said Sabe
"Definitely." Rabe agreed. After giving the crystal statuette she was polishing a final flourish she tucked the cloth in her sleeve and headed for the anteroom and the handmaiden's quarters.
Sabe stepped back for a final look at the flowers she'd been arranging then turned to follow. Impulsively Anakin called her back. "Sabe." she looked at him expectantly and he pushed down a momentary qualm. Obi-Wan would thank him for this - he hoped.
"Sabe, you like Obi-Wan don't you?"
She blinked, puzzled. "Of course."
"That's good," Anakin said, all his carefully taught Jedi tact and diplomacy deserting him. "because he's in love with you."
The dark eyes, so like Padme's, widened and pink flooded her cheeks. "he is?"
"Yup, for years now. I wouldn't have said anything but he's leaving the Jedi too, he'll be going to Naboo with us." Anakin ended lamely. "I thought you should know."
Sabe was glowing, almost as beautiful as her mistress, the great eyes sparkling. "Oh, yes. That's the kind of thing a girl wants to know. Thank you, Ani."
"Please don't tell him I told you, he'd kill me." Anakin said hastily.
"I won't." she promised with a dazzling smile, then followed Rabe.
A few minutes later Padme wafted in, loosely draped in rose colored gauze glittering with tiny crystal beads all suspended from a great red jewel at her throat.
Suddenly Anakin's mouth was as dry as Tatooine's deserts. "That's more comfortable?" he managed as she floated towards him.
"Oh, yes. It lets my skin breath."
It sure did. She flowed up against him, winding her arms around his neck. "How about that kiss?"
He obliged with enthusiasm.