Star Wars: Remix version
Chapter two: Placement
Padme led Anakin into a small room and sat him down in a chair.
"Your Highness, Are you going to send me back to Tatooine?" He asked in a small voice. It pained Padme to hear the hurt in the young boy's voice. She shook her head and kissed his forehead gently.
"Do you trust me Ani?" She asked softly. Anakin looked a little surprised at the question than nodded fervently. "Than please, call me Padme. We are friends okay." He nodded silently. She smiled. "I have to go take care of business, okay. I want you to stay right here until someone comes to fetch you" Once she was gone, Anakin smiled. He hoped he'd never have to leave. Padme was so kind and gentle, just like his mom. He would only ever allow her and his mom to ever call him Ani.
Padme walked into the throne room where the captain and her handmaidens were waiting.
"I have called you all here to discuss the matter of Anakin" She said firmly.
"What do you mean your highness?" Sabe' asked, stepping forward.
"As you all know Anakin is 11 years old and came here in hopes of becoming a Jedi. The Jedi council has not granted him the right of becoming a Jedi, therefore they have considered sending him back to Tatooine to be a slave once again or having him work on a cargo ship" She paused to let the information sink in.
"He is just a boy" Panaka protested. "He deserves better"
"I know" Padme replied. "Which is why I have decided to take him under my wing until my term is up, after which, he will join me in my own home." Rabe' stepped forward.
"Excuse me, your highness, but you are only fourteen years old. How do you expect to take care of him?" She asked.
"Anakin is quite capable of taking care of himself. I just want him to know that he is loved and give him a comfortable place to stay. I want all of your support and I want him to be treated as you would treat me" There was a chorus of agreement through out the room. Anakin jumped up when Rabe' entered the room. In her hand she held a clean starched tunic and a pair of leather boots.
"Queen Amidala would like you to get dressed for the ceremony" She told him.
"Ceremony?" He asked. Rabe' nodded.
"We are celebrating the alliance between Naboo and the Gungans" She replied. Anakin smiled as she left him to change. As he put on his knew clothes, he felt wonderful. On Tatooine his clothes had been full of dust all the time and his shoes had been worn out. Once he was dressed and his hair was combed neatly, he left the small room and wandered about the halls trying to find Padme. Unfortunately, the Palace was so huge that he got lost. Finally, he slumped against the wall, feeling foolish and angry with himself. He closed his eyes and tried to relax.
"Hello there" Anakin's eyes flew open and he saw Padme watching him with a smile on her face. She was dressed in a pretty white gown. He quickly pulled away from the wall embarrassed.
"Are you ready?" Padme asked. Anakin nodded. As they walked down the hall, Anakin suddenly stopped.
"Ani, what's the matter?" Padme asked. He turned to face her.
"If you don't send me to Tatooine, where will you send me?" He asked, fearing the answer. Padme knelt down, not caring about her dress and hugged him.
"No where" She told him. He pulled back in surprise. "I want you to live here with me" She explained. A slow smile spread across Anakin's face at thought of being with Padme. He flung his arms around her.
"Thank you" He said happily. She laughed, but then turned serious.
"Anakin, I want to be your friend, not your boss or your mother. Okay" She said. He nodded and they resumed walking. When they reached the pavilion, Anakin saw lots of people, old, young and children. He watched as Padme presented The Gungan chief with the glowing orb of unity. Everyone cheered. It was a happy day on Naboo. Later that night, before he went to sleep, Anakin renewed his vow to one day return to Tatooine and free his mother. Life would be great living with Padme, and with that thought, his eyes closed and he drifted into a deep sleep. The next day, Anakin was playing in the palace garden when he noticed a shy looking boy peeking in. He beckoned for the boy to join him.
"Hi" He said cheerfully. "My name is Anakin" He introduced himself. The other boy smiled back.
"I'm Forsythe" The boy told him. "Do you live in the palace?" Anakin nodded.
"Queen Amidala is letting me stay with her" He replied. "Do you want to play" Forsythe nodded eagerly. As they played, Anakin told Forsythe about his life on Tatooine and his dreams of becoming a pilot.
"Are you going to go to school" Forsythe asked. This question stunned Anakin. On Tatooine slaves weren't allowed schooling, he knew Kister had gone to school, but he'd never really thought about it.
"I don't know, Padme hasn't told me anything about school" He replied. Suddenly Padme entered the garden. She was dressed in a simple gown with no ceremonial make-up.
"Hey Ani, I'm glad you made a friend. I wanted to show you something. You're friend can come too if you like" She said. Anakin smiled. Padme led Anakin and Forsythe to the lake where there was a boat tied to a post. She pointed to an island in the middle of the lake.
"See that island? When I was younger, I used to go to that island and have picnics and explore. I am giving this boat to you Ani, so you can explore the island whenever you want" She said. Anakin smiled brightly, and then he remembered what Forsythe had said.
"Am I going to school?" He asked. Padme sighed.
"NO" She said. "You will be taught just like in school, but I am hiring a private teacher." Well that was good enough for Ani, as long as he could learn, he'd be happy. He had a feeling that even though Qui-Gon hadn't been able to free his mother and he might never see her again, that he would be just as happy on Naboo with Padme.