Latibule (n.) a hiding place; a place of safety and comfort
The private water gardens located within the confines of the Theed Palace were one of Padmé's favorite places to be alone. When she was a young Queen she often hid here to find a few minutes of solitude from her crowded royal retinue for a few brief moments; before her duty as Queen forced her to leave its tranquil isolation.
The water gardens were filled with lush greenery, brimming with verdant life. The sweet fragrance of flowers flitted through the air, and calmed Padmé's frazzled nerves with their delicate scent. The most impressive feature of the garden was the large marble pools of water; the fountains provided the faint dulcet tone of running water. Padmé was seated on a hard backed alabaster bench in front of a small pool of water near the neatly trimmed hedges that lead towards a small maze; the center of the pool featured a marble statue of the goddess Dema, the goddess of victory.
Padmé wasn't a girl Queen anymore, but the multitude of people shoved into the great ball room of the palace caused Padmé to become claustrophobic, and the heat brought a flush to her cheeks. She slipped away from Typho, who normally watched her like a hawk; to the same corner of the gardens she could find peace in when she was a girl.
The cool air felt wonderful on her flushed skin; she tore her eyes away from the brightly lit fountain to the night sky. She kicked off her shoes and buried her toes in the wet grass. She let out a small sigh of relief at finally being alone and took a sip of the sweet champagne out of a long-stemmed crystal glass.
Anakin was somewhere in the party; Palpatine had requested him as his bodyguard for the night. Padmé thought it was a frivolous show of power; Jedi should be fighting to recover order to the galaxy, not playing babysitter at a Queen's birthday party. She was instantly ashamed of her own thoughts, it wasn't the Jedi's burden alone to end the conflict; it should be the responsibility of the government that allowed this kind of fracture to happen to restore peace throughout the galaxy. Besides, Padmé thought, she should be happy to see her husband, it had been two months since she had seen him last, and she missed him so much. At least sometimes she missed him, other times she was grateful for the space between them, the freedom to do what she wanted without him pitching a fit whenever she wanted to go for drinks with some of her colleagues instead of staying in the apartment with him. That thought made her feel even worse, Anakin wasn't away on a pleasure trip; he was fighting a war, when he came home could she blame him for wanting to spend time with her?
She let out another sigh; this time more troubled than relieved, and covered her eyes with the back of her hand. The light sound of footsteps through the grass caught her attention; she removed her hand from her face, and languidly let her head roll to the side to gaze at the intruder; not caring if a foreign dignitary saw her in such an unbecoming position.
Padmé looked into the familiar face of her husband, and gave him a small smile. He had made noise on purpose, to get her attention; he knew she hated it when he snuck up on her. She rolled her eyes back up to the heavens, and tried to pick out the constellations her father had taught her before she had moved into the palace. She could see him out of her peripherals, hovering by the bench; watching her.
She patted the hard stone, inviting him to sit next to her. He wordlessly sat down on the bench; keeping a respectable amount of distance between them in case anyone would happen upon them. But she knew the gardens better than he did, and knew that most people weren't even aware this corner of the garden existed, so she held no fear of discovery when she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.
His arms quickly wrapped around her small frame, and pulled her closer. "What are you doing out here?" He questioned.
"It was getting too stuffy in there, so I came out here to be alone." She must have had more to drink than she thought, her eye lids were growing heavy, and she had to fight against the steady thump of his heartbeat that was lulling her to sleep.
"To be alone," he echoed. "Does that mean I should leave?" She knew he was teasing her because he made no move to get up from the bench.
"No you can stay; I can be alone with you here." She tried to tease him back, but her voice had an edge to sadness in it that she didn't mean to let slip.
Anakin was silent for a moment before jostling his shoulder, forcing her to lift her head up.
"Hey, who is she-the girl in the fountain-what's her deal?' She was confused by his question, and unexpected interest in The Naboo Gods, but answered anyway.
"Oh, that is Dema; the goddess of victory. She is said to have been born when the blood of the enemies of The Naboo mixed with her mother's tears."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"You asked, besides she's a goddess, they don't have to make sense."
"Oh, well now all my suspicions have been confirmed." He voice was light, and she was glad to see him like this; he had seemed so much more subdued after Ahsoka left.
She raised her head off his chest to look up at his face in confusion, "What suspicions?"
He tilted his head down towards her, and said with a mock serious expression, "Well now I know you must be a goddess; you never make any sense to me."
She let out a tiny burst of laughter, and pinched his side. She laughed harder when he jumped and let out a small grunt, "I call you a goddess, and this is the thanks I get? How cruel."
She buried her head in his chest to muffle her laughter, "Shut up, Ani." She was happy to see him in such high spirts that she didn't bother asking him what he meant when he admitted, "She didn't make sense to him."
She would never admit it, but she loved the elaborate declarations of love, the blasphemous comparisons her made between her and saints, or angels and goddesses. With anyone else it would feel like a line to get her into to bed, but Anakin was always so sincere and without pretense; it made her heart beat faster to be loved in such a way.
She hoped he knew how much she loved him, even though she could never reciprocate beyond the words of "I love you", she hoped he understood that she had never felt this way about anyone.
Padmé's head was still on his chest when he tilted her chin upward, and he lowered his head towards hers. For a brief moment their lips hovered inches apart before he pressed a light kiss on her mouth. She opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, and could feel his chapped lips against her softer ones; she could taste the blood where he bit his lip, and had torn the skin off.
Padmé closed her eyes, but she could feel his steady gaze as he studied her. His right hand cradled the back of her neck while the other slowly slid up the length of her torso and stopped just below her breast. Her skin was hot again, and she could feel her heart as it pounded rapidly in her chest.
She opened her eyes when they pulled apart both gasping for air; she caught his dark gaze, and a small thrill went through her. Anakin pulled her on top of him; her knees straddling him, and she ground her center against him. He released a ragged breath, and whined her name.
She was about to reach down to unclasp his pants when the sound of loud laughter disrupted them. They broke apart hastily; Padmé smoothly attempted to disengage from his lap, but instead had her feet caught in the long hem of her dress and slipped on the silky train of the gown. She heard a loud rip, and landed hard on her ass on one of the marble stepping stones that decorated the garden.
Anakin and Padmé stared at each other with equally shocked expressions before they burst out in laughter. They tried to stifle their giggles in their hands with no avail, until a sudden and closer than before bark of laughter forced them to shut up. Padmé rose a little unsteadily and quickly grabbed her shoes and Anakin's hand before running into the nearby hedge maze.
She led him through the maze, and didn't care that she was becoming hopelessly lost. The grass tickled her feet as she sauntered through the labyrinth and the breeze on the back of her thighs where her dressed had torn cooled her fevered skin, and held her lust at bay momentarily. Anakin walked behind her, easily keeping up with her footsteps, and refusing to relinquish her hand. When she led them to a dead end she turned to face him, she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and stood on the toes of his boots.
"I think I'm drunk." She whispered into his ear, and then let out a faint giggle.
He removed the glittering headpiece and tossed it on the ground before he threaded his fingers through her thick hair. He pulled her head back and forced her to look at his face. Sometimes Anakin is too much like the sun and she cannot stare directly at him without the fear of going blind. She moved her eyes to gaze at a point behind him.
"I think I am too." He admitted before lifting her up and slowly kneeling down on the soft ground. He placed her gently on the cool grass and sat on his knees between her bent legs. His hands slowly grazed up her legs, and sent shivers of anticipation through her. His hands gripped her waist tightly, and the fabric of her dress pooled around her hips; exposing her lacy underwear.
Padmé felt weightless; as if her bones had slipped from her body, and she was nothing but a bundle of nerves. Her arms were stretched lazily over her head, and she watched the starry night sky as Anakin skimmed her underwear down her thighs. His hands trailed back up her legs and found her center, she was already wet and his middle finger slipped in her easily, she bit the back of her hand as she tried to contain the noises she made when he added another finger, and began to pump them slowly in and out of her. His thumb briefly grazed her sensitive clit, and she couldn't hold back the breathy moan that ripped through her. He smirked at her reaction but pointedly avoided any more contact with her sensitive bud no matter how much she pleaded.
She grew impatient at the slow pace he was taking, and suddenly rose to a sitting position and pushed him to the ground. His expression was stunned, but behind the surprise was an undercurrent of satisfaction.
Padmé stared down at her husband; drinking in his features with her eyes, he looked tired, and his cheekbones jutted out sharply beneath his skin. Gone was the little boy from Tatooine she had comforted on their way to Coruscant, even the young man that courted her in Varykino was vanishing. But he was still her Anakin, he still had the faint dusting of freckles across his nose, and his eyes were the same striking shade of blue.
Despite her scrutiny Anakin didn't look uncomfortable at all; in fact he seemed to be preening under her attention, like a big carnivorous cat. She shouldn't have been surprised, Anakin loved attention, and he particularly loved it when she gave him all of hers. After she had her fill, Padmé reached to unclip his lightsaber holster from around his waist and was careful not to fling it into the hedges. Next she forced him to sit up so she could remove his leather jerkin and black tunic over his head. She felt the warmth of his chest bleed through the thin fabric of her dress, and felt chills run down the length of her arms and her back.
Anakin reached up to slide the thin jeweled strap down her shoulder and exposed her right breast to the chilly night air. She gasped when he brushed his thumb over her nipple, and then again when he bucked up against her center. The light of the moon shone down on them and illuminated his features; giving his eyes an eerie glow.
"You're so beautiful." He spoke reverently, though his breathing was coming out in pants.
"So are you." She flirted, and brushed his hair from his eyes; it was getting longer. Under the moonlight she could see a blush rise to his cheeks, and he averted his eyes before moving them back to her face. Padmé knew that he knew how handsome he looked, but she rarely told him how stunning she actually thought he was in an attempt to keep his ego from growing too big. It didn't work very well; his ego still grew, but it gave her the chance to relish his reactions when she finally told him.
She grasped the other delicate strap of her dress and let it slip down her shoulder, and let the rest of the silky cloth gather at her waist. She pressed another kiss to his mouth and drew his lower lip between her teeth. Padmé lowered her hands to his waist and deftly unbuttoned his pants. She tried to help him shimmy out of them but their actions were halted by his boots. He quickly, and with the help of the Force, kicked off his boots followed swiftly by his pants. Anakin fell back on the ground and watched her hungrily. She braced her knees on either side of him and felt them dig into the dirt. Padmé hovered over him for a moment, a sliver of doubt wormed inside her alcohol-muddled thoughts; this was foolish what they were doing now, if anyone caught them there would be no way for them to explain themselves. Padmé knew that the Jedi didn't have to remain celibate, but there would still be a scandal if they were discovered. As soon has that thought came it was gone when Anakin growled her name low in his throat.
She lowered herself onto him with a gasp and sighed when he was completely inside her. She gave herself time to adjust before she began to move, she kept a slow, easy rhythm and felt her eyes slide shut.
"Padmé…?
She heard someone speak her name, but it wasn't Anakin. The voice sounded familiar but she couldn't quite place it.
"Padmé, wake up." The voice was coming closer, but Padmé ignored it wanting to stay here with Anakin.
"Padmé!" The shrill voice of Ahsoka near her ear startled Padmé awake and she jumped up so fast she banged her head on the low ceiling of the bunk she slept in.
"Oh Force, Padmé I'm so sorry."
Padmé rubbed at her sore head and waved off Ahsoka's apologies, "It's okay, what did you need?" Padmé asked with gritted teeth.
Padmé's vision swam as she peered up at Ahsoka, "Nothing, I just wanted to make sure you were still alive." She replied sheepishly.
Padmé was annoyed for a moment at being awoken from her pleasant dream, but her aggravation melted into appreciation of Ahsoka; she was grateful to have a friend like her, the past years were filled with solitude and only a brief night of companionship with a stranger.
Padmé gave her a wry smile, "Still alive; for now at least." She joked, but some days she wondered how much time she had left. Padmé sometimes believed it was her destiny to die on that birthing table on Polis Massa.
(And sometimes she wished she did)
"Don't say things like that, Padmé. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you." Ahsoka vowed firmly.
Padmé felt a pang in her chest; she remembered when Anakin made a similar promise to her once. She placed her hand on her throbbing head and squeezed her eyes shut tight as she waited for the pain to fade.
She felt Ahsoka carefully perch on the bed next to her and place a comforting hand on her back. They sat like that in silence; Padmé with her head in her hands, and Ahsoka next to her rubbing soothing circles onto her back. She released a deep breath and opened her eyes, "Sorry about that; I'm still kind of out of it from the concussion. And-you know-the other thing."
It was almost unreal to her; after all this time and half a galaxy between them, he was still able to find her.
"Don't worry about it. Speaking of the other thing, I thought meditation might help."
Padmé couldn't help but snort, "You Jedi's and your meditation."
"Hey! I'm serious. Whenever my mind feels all jumbled and I feel like I'm going crazy it really helps. Besides, I'm not a Jedi anymore." Padmé watched as a slight frown graced Ahsoka's face before she lowered her head to hide her expression.
I guess some wounds never truly heal.
Padmé didn't know how to comfort Ahsoka; she imagined she must have felt immense guilt over what had happened; she may have even felt responsible for not being able to help Anakin. Padmé wanted to tell her there wasn't anything she could have done, that Anakin made his own choices, but the words were stuck in her throat.
Padmé cleared her throat and offered, "Do you want to try mediating now? I know how to a little, and Obi-Wan taught me some mental exercises to block out…what did he call them?" She could hear his clipped accent in her head has he instructed her, but the words evaded her.
"Invading and probing minds." Ahsoka finished for her with a smile.
Padmé sat up and snapped her fingers, "Yes! That's what he called them."
"Yeah we can start right now. We have about an hour until we finally reach Pantora. Jeez, this trip seems to have taken forever."
Ahsoka rose from the bed and sat on the cold floor; she patted the spot across from her, "Sit right here."
Padmé obeyed her request and gently eased herself down on the hard floor; the cold seeped through her pants and chilled her, chasing away any last vestiges of desire from her dream. She could still feel the trace of fingertips across her naked skin, and the sounds of a bubbling fountain in the distance.
It wasn't a dream at all; it was a memory actually. One of the last happy memories she had of her husband. He left for the front lines that night, and she didn't see him again until he returned to Coruscant with Palpatine and she was in the last trimester of her pregnancy.
"Just close your eyes and take deep breaths," Ahsoka instructed in a soothing voice, "Feel all the tension run out of you, and clear your mind."
Padmé began to feel a calm flow through her and wash away all the fear and anxiety from the past four days. She took another deep breath and began to formulate a plan of action. When they landed she would try to contact someone from the Alliance; the news report made no mention of anyone else from the Alliance, Padmé assumed she was the only one who was exposed. It would have to be Mon; Bail and Padmé swore to cut off contact if she was ever discovered to protect Leia. She needed to know without a doubt that it was Pryia who sold her out, and why.
Padmé felt more like herself again, she tried to construct the mental barriers in her head. She imagined she was building a wall in her head; brick by brick, and then imagined a she was building another wall, and then another. She didn't understand how this could help, but like most things that involved the Force she didn't think too much about it.
She was so focused that she didn't notice that Ahsoka had left the room. She was only jolted back into reality when a blast hit the ship and knocked her over painfully onto her side. She quickly jumped into action and ran out of the room and barged into the cockpit.
"What's going on?" She demanded forcefully. She took note of Rex and Ahsoka and observed that neither of them seemed particularly worried.
"Just a bit of friendly fire, Milady." Rex informed her, "It was an accident; nothing to worry about."
Padmé relaxed into the seat behind the co-pilot and inquired with a raised brow, "And why shouldn't I be worried?" She looked between Rex and Ahsoka hoping for an explanation.
"Riyo still has some connections with planetary security so we can land without having to check in, but one of the rookies got nervous and his trigger finger slipped." Ahsoka couldn't keep a straight face when she finished her sentence and broke out into a fit of laughter followed by Rex.
Padmé ignored their chortling and looked out of the viewport to the planet Pantora. She had only been here before twice; once as a Queen and then as a Senator. The planet reminded her of Naboo a little, with the swamps and humidity in the summer, though Pantora lacked the vibrant flora that inhabited her home world.
They were landing on the eastern hemisphere of the planet; far away from the capital and most major cities. Ahsoka informed her that Riyo was offering them asylum in a safe house buried deep within the marshlands. Riyo no longer held any political power, but she was still influential enough to have a considerable amount of sway over local authorities, Padmé also suspected she bribed Imperial officers for information.
Padmé knew she wasn't an official member of the Alliance; she was too vocal against Palpatine in the fledgling years of the Empire, but Riyo would pass information along to rebel sources if she felt it was valuable enough. Padmé was honestly surprised she had managed to survive this long without Palpatine sending his thugs to finish their work and kill her.
Rex landed the ship on a plateau overlooking the flat marshes, the sky was gray and the clouds hung low, the sound of thunder rumbled in the distance. When they exited the ship a red speeder was waiting for them with a Pantoran man who leaned against it. He pushed off the speeder and walked over to greet them at a leisurely pace.
"Welcome, I am Quan'tay Padraig. Our mutual friend sent me out here to fetch you."
"Hello Quan'tay, I'm Ahsoka, and these are my companions Padmé and Rex. Thank you for taking the trouble to come out here and escort us."
Quan'tay made a large sweeping gesture towards the land speeder and urged, "Shall we proceed then?"
The journey was quick through the muggy wetlands; Quan'tay flew so low over the water that when Padmé leaned over the side of the speeder she could gaze down at the wildlife that lived in its shallow depths. The thunder followed them all the way to the safe house that was hidden deep within a thick forest. The trees were narrow and loomed large enough to block out most of the remaining light. Lightning cracked loudly above their heads while Quan'tay hastily ushered them into the dark, damp house that reeked of mildew.
The shelter had no windows save for a panel on the door that could be slid open, the wooden floor was warped in certain places, and when Padmé peeked around the rooms she observed what she declared must be the smallest 'fresher in the galaxy. But despite flaws in the interior design the building was safe, remote, and had a secure comm line so that Padmé could contact the Alliance in private.
"Riyo said that she'll try to come as soon as she is able to slip away without her guards noticing." Quan'tay explained. His voice was light and carried the Pantoran accent. Padmé observed he was very handsome with his blue shaded skin and angular features.
"I'm sure we can manage until then." Ahsoka replied as she dug through the overhead cabinets.
Padmé walked over to stand in front of Quan'tay and reached out to shake his hand, "Thank you for taking your time to aide us, and for bringing us here. We are most obliged."
He was young too, Padmé guessed, when he bashfully averted his eyes when she flashed him a grateful smile. "It's no trouble, Milady. Riyo spoke very highly of you-of all of you."
He suddenly released her hand and performed a swift bow, "If you will excuse me, I am needed elsewhere."
Padmé watched him with an appreciative gaze as he abruptly turned and strode out of the dank safe house.
"Check it out Rex, looks like Senator Amidala has a crush." Ahsoka teased.
"I do not," she protested, turning around to face them. "I was just being nice."
Rex and Ahsoka shared a good natured laugh at her expense, but she didn't mind. She ignored them as she walked towards the communication terminal where she could try to contact Mon.
"If you two could control yourselves while I make this call I would be most appreciative." She used her "Senatorial Tone" as Anakin liked to call it, the one she used when she needed people to shut up and listen to her.
Ahsoka and Rex raised their hands in mock surrender, "Of course milady, anything for you." Ahsoka joked, her expression was wily, and Padmé tried to keep a straight face but failed.
"Stop, this is serious. I need to know how they found me on Onderon." Padmé said around giggles, until a wave of guilt engulfed her when she thought of what may be happening to Flint at this moment and her mood plummeted.
Ahsoka and Rex straightened up and their expressions immediately turned grave. The air frivolity surrounding them evaporated and was replaced by the serious nature of a soldier.
"You're right, Padmé, this is serious." Rex stated in a remorseful tone.
Padmé gave them a small smile as she wordlessly shook her head. She typed in the secure comm frequency, and watched as Ahsoka followed by Rex walked towards the bedroom.
"We're going to go take a nap. Wake us up if you need us." Ahsoka informed her with a hushed tone.
Padmé waved her off and focused her attention back to the terminal, after a few minutes a notice popped up and informed her that a connection couldn't be made and she should try again later.
Padmé released a frustrated sigh and rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands until she saw stars behind her eyelids. She felt blind; not knowing what was happening was driving her insane, she had so many questions that needed answered as soon as possible. The calm she had acquired during her meditation was rapidly evaporating, and was being replaced with irritation. She removed her hands from her eyes and began to pace around the cramped area that served as the sitting room and kitchen.
Padmé soon felt something bite the back of her neck and reached around to kill the offending annoyance. She eyed the tiny green insect with curiosity before brushing it off her hands. She wiped her hands on the back of her pants before she walked over to the small kitchen area to find something to eat. The cupboards were mostly filled with non-perishable items such as canned fruits and vegetables, and dried out meat sealed in air tight bags.
Not exactly what I would call a grand feast, but it will do.
Padmé reached for a can of fruit, not really caring what kind it was, and pulled the tab of the can off and began to eat. She couldn't find any utensils so she was forced to eat the syrupy, slippery fruit with her fingers, which proved more difficult than she would have previously guessed. After barely catching another piece of fruit that almost fell onto the dusty floor she heard a sound notifying her that someone was attempting to comm her. She rushed over to the terminal; can of fruit still in hand, and hurriedly pressed the button to accept the transmission. The willowy form of Mon Mothma bathed in blue light filled her vision, and Padmé couldn't remember ever being more excited to see her old friend.
"Thank the Force you are safe, Padmé! We have been so worried, we feared the worst." Mon's normally serene and collected disposition seemed to be frazzled, which worried Padmé.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't able to make contact with anyone these past few days. What's going on?" The transmission began to become fuzzy, and Padmé had to lean in closer to understand what the woman was saying.
"You, along with that Jedi and clone are wanted for questioning; your capture is top priority over at high command. My contacts within the Imperial ranks have informed me that Vader has hired bounty hunters to search for you, and the price on your head is very steep. I'll bet every bounty hunter in the galaxy will be searching for you." Padmé felt the small last bubble of hope burst in her chest; she couldn't deny it now, Darth Vader was on her trail, and Padmé knew once he had set his mind to something there was no stopping him.
Before Padmé could reply another crack of lightning struck the sky followed by more thunder. The rain was beating down mercilessly on the roof of the safe house, and Padmé feared the worsening storm would knock out the transmission. And just has that thought occurred to her, the small figure of Mon blurred before it blinked out of existence.
Padmé felt like screaming; she internally cursed every god and goddess she knew in several different languages. Finally, after she cursed the Force she released a shuddering breath and leaned the back of her head on the wall behind her. She folded her hands and placed them on her stomach and slowly breathed in and out. The wall building exercise that was once comforting to her now only made her more aware of the situation she had found herself in. She wanted to believe that she could run from Vader forever, but she knew it wasn't possible. And a small part of her treacherously thought,
Do I even want to run anymore?
The wall she built in her mind was no longer keeping others out, but instead to her it felt like it was closing in and trapping her. The galaxy that once seemed so vast was slowly becoming smaller and smaller.