Chapter Three

Padmé boarded a refugee transport ship accompanied by her Jedi protector, Kit Fisto. The Council had advised her to take public transport in order to remain as inconspicuous as possible. As much as Padmé liked the idea of returning to Naboo, she hated the thought of possibly missing the crucial vote. She had reluctantly left Jar Jar Binks in charge, with the serious hopes that the vote would be stayed until she had returned. However, considering that whoever wanted her dead was more than likely in the senate, it was almost a certainty that she would be absent for the vote. And that bothered her tremendously. While Jar Jar was an adequate assistant, he lacked the political savvy and common sense to be trusted with such a huge job, and she worried that he would be swayed by the opinions of others in her absence.

The first place they went to upon arriving at Naboo was the palace of the new queen, Jamilla. She was very concerned about Padmé's safety, and was relieved that the Jedi had been wise enough to provide her with a Jedi Knight as her protector. Fisto said very little during the meeting with the queen, just as he had during the voyage from Coruscant. Padme realized that her stay on Naboo was not going to be a pleasant one. Her only hope was that it would be short one.

Having left the palace, Padmé insisted upon visiting her family before they went up to the remote lake district. Her parents were surprised and yet very pleased to see her, but quite surprised to see that she had a Jedi body guard.

"What is going on, Padmé?" her mother, Jobal, asked as they sat down to share the evening meal. "Why do you need a body guard?"

Padmé was about to reply when Fisto spoke up. "Senator Amidala's life is in danger," he said. "There was an attempt made against her life two days ago."

Padmé shot him a dirty look, resenting his lack of tact.

"What!?" Ruwee Naberrie cried. "Why is someone trying to kill you? Who is trying to kill you?"

"Dad, please," Padmé said. "It's not as bad as that," she stated.

"Is our daughter's life in danger?" Jobal asked Fisto.

He nodded. "Yes, even if she doesn't want to admit it," he said, sensing Padmé's anger.

"Padmé, when are you going to give up this life?" Jobal asked. "What is it going to take for you to realize that public life is just too dangerous?"

"Mom, you know that I've been doing what I love," Padmé replied, trying to remain patient. "My work is very important to me. I am making a difference, can't you see that?"

"All we see is that someone is trying to kill you," Ruwee stated flatly. "The rest doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"Well I don't happen to agree," Padmé replied. She sighed, regretting her snappish comment. "Can we just drop the subject, please? I'm only here for a short time. Can we just have a pleasant visit without going through all this again?"

Jobal and Ruwee looked at one another. "I suppose we can do that," Ruwee said at last. "It's nice having you home," he added.

Padmé smiled, trying to relax. "Thanks Dad," she said. "It's nice to be home."

Two days later...

Anakin Skywalker made his way to Naboo and proceeded to the home of Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie. He did not expect Padmé to be there; it was too obvious. It was his hope that they would know where she was. He reasoned that it would be fairly easy to read their thoughts; they would lead him to her without even realizing it.

It wasn't difficult to find the Naberrie home; they were a prominent family in the small village community outside of Theed. When he arrived there were two small girls playing in the courtyard behind the house. He watched them for a moment, wondering idly who they were. He put the thought out of his mind. He had a job to do. The two girls looked up when they saw him approaching, though Anakin sensed no fear in them, merely curiosity.

"Hello," he said, smiling at them. "Is your mother or father at home?"

The girls looked at one another, trying to decide what to say. They had been taught not to speak to strangers; but this young man was so pretty, so nice. Surely he could be trusted.

"No," the elder of the two girls said at last. "Our grandma and grandpa live here."

Anakin nodded, looking up at the house. "I'd like to speak to them, please."

The girls ran into the house as Anakin stood watching. He folded his arms over his chest, waiting for them to return. They did not, however; but shortly after they had left him a man in his fifties appeared. He looked at Anakin suspiciously.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I hope so," Anakin replied, pouring on the charm. "I'm here on behalf of the Jedi Council," he said. "I have a message for Senator Amidala. Is she here by any chance?"

Ruwee looked closely at the young man. How do I know this is not the assassin? What kind of a fool does he take me for?

"I can see that you are not sure if you can trust me," Anakin said, seeing what was in Ruwee's mind. He pulled back his cloak to reveal his lightsaber. "Would I have one of these if I wasn't a Jedi?"

"Probably not," Ruwee replied. "Unless you killed a Jedi and took it from him."

Anakin was careful not to let his annoyance show on his face. "Very true," he said. "You are wise to take such precautions where your daughter is concerned. Perhaps you can just give her a message for me when you see her."

Ruwee did not reply, but just watched Anakin closely.

"Tell her that the investigation into who tried to kill her is going very well," Anakin continued. "And that she should be able to return to the capital very soon."

Ruwee registered surprise at this. "It will gladden her to hear it," he said. "I will see to it that she gets the message."

Anakin nodded, probing the man's mind quickly while Ruwee's thoughts were of his daughter. He saw a large stone home on a lake; it was round, with a large terrace….

"Thank you very much," Anakin replied with a smile. Then he turned to leave.

"What name should I give her?" Ruwee called back.

Anakin turned back to him. "Obi-Wan Kenobi is my name," he said.

Ruwee nodded and then watched as Anakin walked away.

Anakin returned to Theed, determined to find the location he had seen in the mind of Padmé's father. He walked through the market, hoping to find something to eat, when he saw a vendor selling pallies. Memories from his childhood flashed through his mind, memories of home, of his mother….

Palpatine had done his best to purge all memories and associations of Shmi Skywalker from his young ward's mind; but he had not been fully successful. Anakin's mind was stronger than Palpatine realized, and even though he never openly spoke of her, or thought of her in his master's presence, the memories of his beloved mother were still buried deep within his mind. Seeing the simple delicacies from his home brought to mind the times when his mother had bought them for him on the rare occasions when she had enough money to manage it.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Anakin looked up at the vendor. Ironically he had more than enough money to buy the small pastries; but the thought of eating them now only saddened him now.

"I was hoping you could give me some directions, actually," Anakin replied at last. "I'm not from around here."

"I'll do what I can," the woman asked, disappointed not to have made a sale. "Where are you trying to get to?"

"A house, a house of stone," he replied, remembering the image he had seen in Ruwee's mind. "On a lake. There are no other houses nearby, and it is a very large house."

The woman frowned. "Well, there's nothing like that around here," she said. "Sounds like the lake district."

"Lake District?" Anakin asked, "And where is that?"

"Oh, I'd say a good one hundred kilometers north of here," she said. "Lots of lakes up there, very mountainous, very beautiful. And quite remote if I'm not mistaken. You'll need to take a boat."

"That's alright," Anakin replied. "I have a vessel."

"Oh there's a no fly restriction up there," she told him. "I guess the wealthy people who live up there don't like the noise and pollution of air craft."

Anakin nodded, frustrated. "Thanks," he said. "I'll take three of these," he said, indicating the pallies.

The woman smiled. "Of course sir," she said, wrapping up the pallies at once. "Good luck with your search."

"Thanks," Anakin said.

Later that same day...

Padmé found herself lonely in the large house, wishing she had brought one of her hand maidens with her for company. The servants here were efficient, but none of them were like friends to her, not like Dormé, Sabé or Cordé…the thought of Cordé brought a lump to her throat as she thought of the horrible way her friend had died. Her Jedi protector was certainly dedicated, but he was a solitary figure, and only spoke to her when necessary. And so Padmé spent most of her time alone, which afforded her a lot of time to think about her situation and wonder what was going on back on the capital.

It was sunset and the waters of Lake Varykino were calm. A beautiful evening, but Kit Fisto could not enjoy it. He watched as the gondola approached the island, preparing himself for the impending confrontation. Paddy Accu had contacted Fisto and asked him if he ought to allow a Jedi knight by the name of Obi-Wan Kenobi to approach; Fisto knew that Obi-Wan was off investigating the identify of Senator Amidala's assassin. Not only that, Fisto could sense that the man approaching was not a Jedi. There was a very strong Force presence about the man, the strongest that Fisto had ever experienced; but it was a dark presence, as though the man were a sith.

The gondola reached the dock at last, and Anakin stepped off of the small craft onto the stone. He looked up at the house, pleased that he had been able to find it with very little effort. He sensed the presence of a Force sensitive being nearby, and reasoned that it must be Amidala's Jedi protector. No doubt the Jedi had already sensed Anakin's approaching presence as well, and was preparing to confront him. This did not concern Anakin; killing a Jedi was something he looked forward to.

"Stop where you are, Skywalker," Fisto said as Anakin appeared on the terrace. "I won't allow you to harm the Senator."

Anakin merely smiled in response. "If you intend on protecting her you'll have to kill me first, Jedi," he announced, brandishing his lightsaber.

Fisto produced his own saber. "If you insist," he said with a smile.

Anakin attacked first, his red blade flashing furiously as he came at Fisto with remarkable speed. Fisto was not prepared for the skill or the ferocity of the attack, and fell back, allowing Anakin to push forward.

"Your Jedi skills are pathetic," Anakin taunted. "Is that the best you can do?"

Fisto redoubled his efforts, coming at Anakin harder this time, but again he was thwarted. Anakin flipped over him, forcing Fisto to take the defensive again, but before he had a chance to defend himself, Anakin sliced his crimson blade through his midsection. Fisto staggered back against the railing. Anakin used the Force to give him one last push, forcing the dying Jedi over the railing and plummeting to his death on the rocks below.

Anakin watched as the body fell, a grim sense of satisfaction filling him as he saw it break on the rocks. He then turned his lightsaber off and headed inside.

Padmé left the fresher, having washed up before retiring for the night. She walked into her bedroom and opened a drawer of the dresser, pulling out a nightgown. Pulling it over her head, she let her hair down from its tight chignon and commenced brushing it out. She sat on the edge of her bed, yawning as she brought the brush through her long tresses. Standing up again, she set the brush down on her dresser, and then returned to the bed. She pulled back the blankets and was about to climb in when she heard someone outside her door.

"Who's there?" she called. When she received no answer, she began to grow alarmed. She looked quickly about the room, trying to decide if she ought to confront who was there or lock the door. She decided upon the latter, and walked to the door, her heart pounding in her chest. Before she could get there however, the door burst open. She screamed and stepped back, allowing the invader to enter the room.

"Good evening, Senator," Anakin said, stepping into the room. "You are looking very beautiful tonight."

Padmé became acutely aware of the way he was looking at her in her nightie, and took another step backwards. "How dare you enter my room," she said coldly, trying to master her terror. "How did you get in here anyway? Where is …"

"Your pathetic Jedi protector is dead," he said, advancing upon her. "He offered very little in the way of a fight," he added with a smile.

"What do you want from me?" she asked softly.

Anakin's smile grew as he looked her up and down appraisingly. "A great deal actually," he said. "But ultimately, your life, Senator. You are a traitor to the Republic, and are hereby sentenced to die."

Padmé did her best to remain calm in the face of his cold pronouncement.

"I am not the traitor, Anakin," she retorted. "You are. You and your master are the real traitors."

Anakin frowned, advancing up on her again. "Your noble martyr act won't work on me, Senator," he said coldly. "We are aware of your collaboration with the Separatists."

"You can't be serious!" Padme cried in outraged disbelief.

"I'm dead serious," Anakin replied. "Your opposition to the formation of the Republican army speaks volumes, Senator. My master is certain of your guilt."

"I see," she said. "I'm disappointed that you aren't more of a man that that, Anakin," she said. "I thought you would have more courage than to blindly follow orders."

This angered Anakin and he advanced upon her quickly, grabbing her by the arms. "Shall I show you how much of a man I am, Senator?" he asked threateningly. "I know how much you enjoyed our encounter at the theatre the other night," he added with a smile.

Padmé grew furious, hating him for rubbing that humiliating experience in her face. She tried to wrench free from his iron grip, but to no avail. So she did the next thing that came to mind, she brought up one of her knees and connected as hard as she could with his groin. Anakin had not expected this, and howled in pain, releasing her abruptly. She fell back against the floor as he doubled over in pain. Scrambling away from him, she turned to crawl away only to feel herself immobilized by an invisible hand.

"Not so fast," he said. "You're going to pay for that, Senator!"

Padmé turned back to see him advancing upon her, a look of blind fury in his now yellow eyes. She screamed as he reached her, expecting to die or be violated at this point. To her shock, he stopped. She watched in astonishment as his eyes turned from yellow to blue again as they stared at her. But it wasn't her face that held his fascination. She looked down to see the front of her nightie open enough to see the pendant she wore around her neck. It was the Japor snippet pendant that he had given her when they were both children. He looked up at her, confusion clear in his eyes.

"You remember this, don't you?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I have worn it every day since you gave it to me, Anakin," she said. "You may not believe it, but it's true."

Anakin frowned, the emotions within him confusing and troublesome. Nothing made sense to him anymore; everything he had believed for the past eleven years of his life was being turned upside down by her. He looked up at her face, the thought of what he was about to do making him feel uneasy and ashamed all of a sudden.

Padmé shook her head sadly. "What happened to you, Anakin?" she asked. "What happened to the sweet, generous little boy who I knew all those years ago?"

Anakin frowned. "Don't you dare ask me what happened to that boy," he retorted angrily. "You of all people know! Wasn't it you, Senator, who ignored my pleas for help when the Jedi cast me aside? Wasn't it you who turned your back on me just when I needed you the most?"

"No, of course I didn't!" she cried in response. "I spent weeks searching for you, Anakin! I even went to Tatooine to see if you'd returned there! It wasn't until months had passed that I found out that you were living with Palpatine."

Anakin listened in silence, knowing that she was telling him the truth, but hating what that truth meant. "You lie!" He shouted.

Padmé shook her head. "Why would I lie?" she asked in exasperation.

"To try to save your life," he replied. "Why else?"

"Oh Ani," she said softly. "I …"

"Don't call me that!" he shouted angrily. "Don't ever call me that again! You have no right to use that name!"

Padmé could see that there was more to his anger than a mere name. She decided she had nothing to lose but push him further, knowing that her life was forfeit at this point no matter what she said. "I wanted to bring you here, to Naboo," she told him. "I had even asked my parents if they would take you in, you and your mother. It broke my heart when you disappeared the way you did, Anakin."

Anakin turned away from her. "I don't believe you," he said, the anger ebbing, being replaced with an empty, hollow feeling.

Padmé could see that her words had reached him, and she stood up and approached him cautiously. "What would your mother think of what you have become, Anakin?" she asked him. "Don't you ever think about that? About her?"

Anakin did not reply, not wanting to think about her.

"She loves you so much," Padmé pressed on. "She was so proud of you- do you think she would be happy to know that you have become a paid assassin?"

Anakin frowned, her words getting to him more than he could deal with.

"Palpatine has done his best to make you forget about her, hasn't he?" she asked. "He doesn't want you to think about her, does he? And do you know why that is? Because he knows you could never do the things he needs you to do if you were. She represents the good in you, and he is doing everything he can to keep that goodness from ever seeing the light of day again."

Anakin turned to look at her. "What makes you think you know anything about me?" he asked acrimoniously. "Or her? You will say anything it takes to save your life, Senator."

Padmé sighed; disappointed that he was still too immersed in darkness and anger to consider what she was saying.

"If you knew me at all you would know that isn't true," she said at last. "But if you insist upon killing me, then do what you must. I can't possibly defend myself against you, Anakin. I won't even try. That probably will take some of the pleasure out of killing me, but I won't."

Anakin turned to her again, his sense of purpose not as clear as it was when he entered the room.

"I…I would take no pleasure in killing you, Padmé," he said, using her name for the first time. "In fact, I'm not even sure I can do it."

Padme could see the change in his demeanor, and slowly stood up. "Why is that?" she asked. "Tell me what you're feeling."

"I don't know," he said, turning away again. "I don't begin to understand any of this."

Padmé went to him and faced him. "I think you do," she said. "You know exactly what it means. It means your master has been using you all these years for his own purposes. He has lied to you about everything, and that isn't an easy thing to come to terms with."

Anakin did not reply, but she could see that he was terribly confused and needed answers.

"I have been dreaming of her a lot lately," Anakin admitted to her. "About my mother."

"You miss her," Padmé said.

Anakin nodded. "I've tried to forget her as my master has requested, but I can't do it. I can't stop thinking of her, Padmé; and now I'm convinced that she is in trouble."

Padmé frowned. "Bad dreams about her?"

"Yes," he replied. "I've been trying to find a reason to go to Tatooine to see her, but my master sees through all my reasons. And I cannot go against his wishes…."

"Maybe it's time you did just that," Padmé interjected. "Maybe seeing her will make you realize how wrong it is that Palpatine wants you to forget her."

"What are you suggesting?" He asks.

"That you go to Tatooine to see her," Padmé replies at once. "If for no other reason than to see that she is alright, to allay your fears."

"And what about you?" he asks.

She knew what it was that he was asking; will you go to the Jedi and tell them what happened here today? Realizing that he still did not trust her completely, she decided upon a rather radical course of action. "I will come with you," she said.

Anakin was surprised by this. "Why would you do that?" he asked.

Padmé smiled. "Trust me, Anakin," she replied. "Would you try to do that?"

Anakin considered her request, and then nodded. "Very well," he said. "I don't suppose I have much of a choice, do I?"

"There is always a choice," Padmé told him. "Don't ever forget that, Anakin."

Anakin nodded, growing more and more bewildered by the turn of events and by her reaction to them. By right she should hate him for what he had tried to do tonight; but she clearly did not. It confused him that she could feel that way, that she could still see the boy she once knew inside the man before her. Is there anything left of that boy? he wondered. It had been so long since he had thought of his life before coming into the care of Palpatine, since he had of his mother. He found himself excited at the prospect of seeing her again after so long.

"We'll go in the morning," he told her at last.