Chapter 149

"This is beautiful," Leia remarked as their boat neared the lake retreat. "It reminds me of Alderaan in some ways."

"A bit different but I guess I can see it," Han remarked.

This drew Leia's attention. "You never told me you went to Alderaan."

"Years before I got mixed into the whole rebellion thing. And you never asked," Han shrugged as the boat reached the dock.

Leia got off first, not bothering to wait a hand being offered to steady her. The others paused, waiting for Ari who was just staring at the Lake Retreat. Somehow, she knew this place. She realized she must have come here with her mother at some time but she couldn't remember when or why. That was the only way she could have been here. Or had it been a dream she forgot? A vision of the Force?

No matter the reason, it was breath taking. If she strained her ears, she could hear the distant roar of waterfalls. The architecture of Naboo was shown in all its grandeur at this place. A retreat, but one untouched by war. Ari saw the flowers were in full bloom and all of a sudden, felt something bittersweet. She was back on Naboo, in one of the most beautiful places, yet there was something that felt wrong.

"You're not the young girl you used to be." Luke's voice startled her out of her thoughts and she gave a nod before stepping onto the dock. She saw a few servants, some coming to the dock to get their bags and Ari realized the Queen must have either quickly sent them or that they were always there. The Queen had invited them to stay as guests and the Naberrie family would be coming the following day. They had spent the night as guests in palace quarters. The Naberries had invited them all to stay, but four humans, a Wookie and two droids seemed like too many guests.

Though the rooms had been luxurious, Ari had found it hard to sleep. Being on Naboo was wonderful, but it made her ache for how things used to be. Innocence that was gone forever. Security she hadn't felt in a long time. And, of course, her family. She missed them terribly and seeing all of the familiar places, while soothing old pains, new ones arose. She had mediated for half of the night. The feelings made sense and she had released them into the Force which had allowed her to sleep, yet she had a feeling those feelings would keep appearing here on Naboo.

Luke used the Force to help the droids out, just so they wouldn't fall in the water and then he followed with Han and Chewie.

"This truly is beautiful," Leia said as she walked up the stairs, pausing at a railing to look out over the water.

"The Lake Country is known for its natural beauty," Ari said, pausing beside her. She felt the Force all around her, in the water, the flowers, in the air and everywhere. She felt a shift as Luke helped the droids on the stairs again. Threepio was busy stating facts about humans and Gungans as well as facts about the flowers and even the retreat. Ari heard all of this, though she didn't say much since she knew a bit about all of this information.

"So is there a lot to do around here?" Han asked.

"It's a retreat," Leia countered before Ari could answer. "It is a place to get away from everything. Relax."

"There are things to see though. The waterfalls are breath taking," Ari offered, remembering them from her childhood. She thought about everything she saw, then paused, remembering one place her mother had taken her to, though they had to go when no one else was watching, slipping away from the festivals at night. Padme Naberrie's gravesite. It was said to be in one of Padme's favorite places. She hesitated, and then added. "Your mother's gravesite."

She felt Leia stiffen and she could tell even Luke was a little surprised.

"I didn't remember until just now. My family had come for a festival and as things were ending, my mother took me there to see it and told me about your mother. I didn't know her personally, but Aunt Sabe did talk about her as an old friend. And the site, it is a beautiful memorial. People loved her and my mother told me things while there, which is why we went at night. No one else would go at night, finding it hard to find if they didn't know where it was."

It was silent for a moment then a voice spoke up. "We apologize to not meet you at the dock, we just had much to get ready for your arrival."

Everyone turned and saw a woman, probably in her early thirties standing there. She was smiling at them and seemed genuinely glad to see them. "I am Tane and if you need anything, please let me or anyone else know. We're getting your things ready. We have five bedrooms ready and our services are available to your droids."

"Thank the Maker," Threepio responded.

She laughed at this. "Is there anything else can help with?"

"Is there land transportation available for our use?" Leia asked.

Tane nodded. "Of course. And any of us would be willing to tell you of some lovely places as well."

Leia and Luke shared a look before Leia spoke again. "Could you perhaps tell us where to find Senator Amidala's grave?"

Tane seemed a little surprised, and then nodded. "Of course. It's fairly close, though perhaps you would care for lunch first," she offered.

"I almost never turn down a meal," Han spoke up.

Chewie gave something that sounded like a laugh then replied.

"Yeah, I did once," he protested. "That one time with Lando."

Han and Chewie argued the entire way inside. "The quarters for the ladies are this way," Tena motioned for Ari and Leia to follow while another person came to show Luke, Han and Chewie to their rooms.

Ari saw her bag on one of the rooms and entered, letting Tena show Leia the other one. She sat on the bed, noting how comfortable it was. There was a nightstand and dresser in the room as a mirror hung on the wall over the dresser. There was closet built into the wall and a desk and chair were in the corner. All of these were made of a deep brown wood that Ari had a feeling came from Naboo. Natural sunlight came through the window and she looked out on the water. It was a beautiful view. In fact, the entire arrangement was nice and she knew that the others probably had similar rooms. She was glad they weren't filled with various items. The natural state of the rooms really showed how people wanted to get away from the hectic lifestyles of politics. She could understand that, though she had not taken part in a lot of the political meetings.

Deciding that they would be staying for awhile, Ari did something she had not done in a long time. She unpacked her bag. There wasn't much in it, but it felt nice to feel as if she had a place to call home, even for a few days.

"Lunch is ready," a voice spoke up from the doorway.

Ari turned from where she was sitting, looking out the window at the water. Even though they had been on planets with water, they weren't like this. It was almost foreign to her after so long, though she had the overwhelming urge to go swimming. Maybe there would be a chance.

"Thank you," she said to the woman standing there. It was the one who had shown Luke, Han and Chewie to their rooms. "What is your name?"

"Sarne," the woman responded.

"Thank you, Sarne," Ari smiled as she got to her feet. She glanced once in the mirror and though not every hair was in place, she looked alright.

When she got to the table, she saw the others were already there, Leia and Han arguing about something.

"Of course that was what it was," Leia remarked.

"It was not," Han sighed, sounding exasperated. Chewie spoke up with a few barks. "You're not helping," Han told him.

"Since Ari is here, could we perhaps keep from bickering for now and enjoy this meal?" Luke spoke up. His voice was not loud, but it carried weight to it, though Ari saw a very brief smile cross his features.

Ari took her seat and was pleased when she saw some of the food. It looked and smelled good, making Ari's mouth water. Though she hadn't had food from her homeplanet in a long time, she remembered the names, which she shared with the others at the table. The meal passed without too much conversation, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was soothing to sit down and have a real meal instead of eating rations on a ship.

When the meal ended, Tane appeared again. "A speeder is ready to take you. Your droids would have trouble, so they will be staying."

Ari knew it might be hard for the droids and she thought about R4 who would be coming with the Naberrie family the following day since the droid needed a little work done in the city. She looked forward to seeing her droid again.

Chewie made a few growling remarks and everyone turned to Han to translate. "Well, I'm sure." He turned to Tane. "Is there any way that he can contact his family back on Kashyyyk?"

This surprised everyone at the table. Ari could tell from the ripples in the Force as Tane nodded. "We can arrange that."

"Chewie, you have family on Kashyyyk? You haven't mentioned them," Leia spoke up.

Chewie barked an answer and Han translated. "He said that he knew he needed to stay with us more. And the life debt, though I have insisted it has been paid back many times over." Chewie seemed about to protest, but Han shook his head. "I still say you did."

This made the Wookie sigh then he said something else. "He suggested we go and he can contact his family," Han translated.

"Are you sure?" Ari asked. "We could wait."

Again, Han translated. "No, he said we should go. Besides, speeders made for humans are too cramped for him."

The four humans said goodbye to Chewie, then went outside. Ari took a deep breath of the air, enjoying it. The smell of flowers and grass, of the water from the lake. The sun was warm on her face, not harsh like the twin Tatooine suns.

Then, she turned her attention back to the others. While this was her homeplanet and she knew many mourned the loss of Senator Amidala, she had a feeling none would be affected like Luke and Leia.