Qui-Gon was unsure of how to respond to how his girls were acting right now. Shmi, at the moment, was sewing a tapestry with images of the family on it, Kara in the center holding hands with each of her parents. He started to think to himself.
Anakin and Carmine didn't get scolded nearly as much as Kara did. In part because Anakin was second in line for the throne as the oldest twin, and Carmine was third, and Kara being the first biological child of Qui-Gon, the rightful heir after his predecessor Queen Miranda, was naturally first in line, and thus had the most pressure put on her to be a great leader. But, from what Qui-Gon could see in the story his daughter told him and Shmi, Kara felt like she was more of a slave than a princess.
Qui-Gon sighed. He was so busy being king all the time, he forgot to be what he should have been first and foremost above all else: a father. He might have made a promise to be loyal to Shmi when he remarried, but he also made a promise to his late wife and first love Tahl that he would take care of Kara, and it seemed to him that she was too much attention from Shmi and not enough from Qui-Gon.
Qui-Gon began to think he probably should've noticed this a lot earlier. After the twins were born, Qui-Gon and Shmi were both very busy taking care of the new babies. Even with the nannies helping, it was still a lot of work, and Qui-Gon thought Kara's behavior might have just been a classic case of new older siblings having trouble adjusting to a new baby in the house. Or in this case two, and that Kara would grow to love being a big sister. Sadly, that was not the issue.
"I made a promise to my first queen." said Qui-Gon, looking at a necklace he held dearly in his hand. The very necklace Tahl wore when she died. "If there were ever a time to ensure I keep that promise, now is that time."
Kara was using a metal blade to fix some extra details onto the little wooden statues she'd carved with her lightsaber, when she heard a knock at the door.
"Go away!" Kara said angrily.
"Kara, it's just me." Qui-Gon said.
"What do you want?"
Qui-Gon entered the room and saw his daughter was holding a sharp blade. He gently took her hand and took the blade from it and placed it in a drawer.
"Kara, I understand you're feeling upset right now-"
"Upset is an understatement." Kara said.
"Kara, Dear. Let's talk about this."
"What is there to talk about? You've been taking your wife's side all these years, and now you're going to have me up as some prize to some man who has no clue how to treat a woman?"
"Kara, you haven't even met the suitors."
"Exactly! That's the point! How do you expect me to be a leader of this kingdom if my future husband and I don't even get along? And have you even met these suitors yourself? Do you know what any of these guys are like?"
Qui-Gon shook his head and confessed he didn't know the suitors himself.
"And has it never occurred to you that the suitor who does win may be abusive? Or a slob, or wants to rule the land for himself like the prince in that legend? What then?"
"Okay... those are all things I didn't think about. But, what exactly are we supposed to do?"
"Call off the Gathering." Kara said. "You're supposed to be the man of this palace, and you never stand up to your own wife when she steps out of line. And I would think controlling every aspect of your daughter's life and forcing her into marriage would be way out of line."
Qui-Gon started to think about what his daughter was saying. He and Shmi had never once stopped to think about the potential risks that came with allowing a stranger to marry their daughter and become the new king. What if the winner of the games really was a power-hungry psyho like the prince in the old legend? But, if they called off the Gathering, there was also a chance that the other three clans would declare war with each other and clan Coruscant. And that was the last thing they wanted for any of their children or their subjects.
This was a quandary. But then, Qui-Gon came up with an idea for a compromise.
"Kara. I'm afraid we cannot call off the Gathering. But, according to the customs and he rules, the princess may determine the challenge to seek her hand. And, given that you haven't met these suitors, you shall meet them. You can decide then which suitor is the one for you.
"And if I don't like any of them?" Kara challenged.
Qui-Gon was silent. He didn't know what he'd do after that.
"I'll make it pure and simple." Kara said. "If marriage to one of those suitors is what I must do to be queen, if I find I like none of the suitors, I'll willingly abdicate the throne for my brothers to be the next rulers."
"Kara, you know we have rules for a reason." Qui-Gon said.
"Yes, and rules are meant to be changed when they prove unreasonable. A man is not required to marry in order to inherit the throne. Your parents chose your first wife for you without even asking if you were ready for marriage, and you were fortunate to fall in love in time. But other couples in arranged marriages are not so fortunate. Why should females be forced to marry in order to inherit the throne?"
"Get some rest, Kara." Qui-Gon said. "The suitors arrive tomorrow."
Qui-Gon left the room without another word.
Kara groaned in frustration once more. And then, she had an idea. The rules just might be exactly what she needed to fix this.