#you ever have a deep melancholy about padmé amidala?

[soapywankenopy]

Oh, Padmé, you didn't deserve it...

Oh, Padmé, I'm so sorry

[angelrider13]

Naboo Queens

Title: Skywalker Chapters: 2 / 2

Summary: Luke meets the Naboo Queens.

FF | AO3 | Master List

Luke was quiet as he followed behind General Rieekan.

The man hadn’t said much other than there was someone who wanted to meet him. It wasn’t the first time it happened – though it was the first time that the General came to escort him personally to a private meeting – and Luke figured it wouldn’t be the last. He’d grown quiet popular since Yavin IV. People wanted to know him.

But this was different.

Luke couldn’t really tell how, but something about this was important.

The air around him sang in a way he was coming to associate with the Force.

It made him restless.

Rieekan led him to one of the smaller briefing rooms. Inside, there was a person waiting for them. She was seated at the table, facing the door, so Luke could see her face. She was human, though her face was white, two red dots adorning her cheeks. Her upper lip was red, a single stripe of red painted down her lower lip. She had long, dark hair that was pulled into six strands that were held together with silver clasps. She was dressed in winter gear that most of the base wore, though her coat was longer and came to her knees. Her dark eyes caught and held his and Luke felt his breath catch.

She was one of the Naboo Queens.

It seemed so long ago that he had seen news holos of them back on Tatooine about them.

“Luke, this is Agent Amidala,” Rieekan introduced, “She’s one of our best operatives and a founding member of the Alliance.”

Luke struggled not to fidget under her gaze and dipped in a shallow bow. “It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am.”

Amidala’s face remained impassive, but Luke caught the amusement that flashed across her eyes. “You as well, young one,” she said.

Her voice was deeper than Luke was expecting, but it was calm and composed as the rest of her.

“Thank you, General,” she continued, turning to Rieekan, “I would like to speak with him alone.”

Rieekan tipped his head in acknowledgement and left the room. Amidala gestured to the chair next to her and Luke sat. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say to this woman and had no idea what to make of the way she looked at him.

“Thank you, Luke,” she said after a long moment, softer than it had been before, but no less commanding.

Luke blinked, caught off guard by the sentiment. “Ma’am?”

Amidala’s lips quirked up into a shadow of a smile. “For your actions on the Death Star,” she clarified, “Alderaan had long been a friend to us. The galaxy is darker for its loss.” Her eyes were filled with the deep sadness of one who had seen too much. It was something Luke was seeing more and more often and he didn’t like it. “Leia is dear to us. Thank you for helping her.”

“It was the right thing to do,” Luke said softly.

Amidala gave him a real smile then and it was beautiful. She placed a hand over his. “The right thing is often the most difficult choice one can make, little one,” she said, “If the right thing were easy, everyone would be doing it.”

Luke gave her a shy smile. “I wasn’t the only one who helped.”

Her smile dimmed some and her fingers curled around his hand instead of pulling away. “Yes,” she said pausing for a moment, seeming to debate what to say before continuing, “You knew Obi-Wan well?”

Melancholy filled his chest as he shook his head. “Not really. He was a stranger for most of my life, but he always seemed to be there when I was in trouble. I knew him as Ben.”

Amidala huffed. “Trouble, was it?” she mused, eyeing him with a knowing gleam that he didn’t understand, “Your name is Skywalker.”

It wasn’t a question, but Luke nodded anyway.

Amidala didn’t look surprised. “Trouble has a tendency to follow Skywalkers,” she said and Luke suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe, “You look so much like them,” she whispered, eyes glassy.

“Did you…did you know my parents?” he asked, voice hushed, but filled with desperate longing.

“What do you know of them?” Amidala asked instead.

“I…well, I don’t know,” Luke said, a little thrown by the question, “Uncle Owen said that my father was a pilot who died in the war. Ben said that he was a Jedi.”

Amidala tilted her head in acknowledgement. “What of your mother?”

Luke shook his head a little helplessly. “Aunt Beru said they only ever met her once and it wasn’t for that long. I…I don’t know anything about her,” he admitted feeling a rush of shame. He didn’t even know his mother’s name. He knew nothing of her.

Amidala hummed thoughtfully. She looked disappointed but not surprised by what he said. “Your father was an incredibly gifted Jedi,” she said, “Very strong in the Force as I understand it. As his child, it stood to reason you would be just as strong. I suspect that is why Obi-Wan hid you away.”

Luke stared. “Hid me? What – Why?”

“Though he is very good at hiding it, the Emperor is a Sith,” Amidala said gravelly, “They are the opposite of the Jedi in every way. He is responsible for the slaughter of over ten thousand Jedi – including children. He wouldn’t have thought twice about a newborn.”

Luke swallowed, throat dry. Jedi had only ever been stories before. Before the Death Star and Leia and Ben. Now, he knew why they had never been something more. “So Ben – Obi-Wan, I mean…”

“He was very close to your parents,” Amidala admitted softly, “He was your father’s teacher and a very dear friend to your mother. The three of them were together often. Looking back knowing what I do now, I suspect the only reason he didn’t give into despair after their deaths was because he had you to look after.”

Luke turned that over in his head. Ben had been very isolated, very quiet. He had carried an air of sadness around him like a cloak. He remembered the way he’d been trapped in a sandstorm when he was young only to wake up at home with no idea how he’d gotten there. Uncle Owen had been angry, of course, and Aunt Beru had been beside herself with worry. But neither of them had been the one to fetch him and he certainly hadn’t made it back on his own.

“He was a good man,” he said.

Amidala gave him a sad smile and squeezed his hand once more before finally letting go. He’d forgotten she was even holding it. “I will miss him very much,” she said, “But he is likely happier where he is now. Returned to those he had lost.”

Luke nodded, though he wasn’t entirely sure he understood. It had been months, almost a year now, and part of him still ached over the fact that Ben was gone. Amidala was watching him carefully and her makeup made it very difficult for Luke to read her expression.

“Your father’s name was Anakin Skywalker,” she said after a long moment, her words making Luke straighten, “Your mother’s name,” she continued softly, eyes holding his, “was Padmé Naberrie Amidala.”

Luke stared at her, eyes wide. “Are you – ?” he faltered, unable to voice the thought.

Amidala shook her head. “No,” she said softly, “The name Amidala was given to me by others because my appearance is very close to hers, but I am not her. Padmé has been dead for almost twenty years now.”

Twenty years.

As long as he’d been alive.

“What was she to you?” he asked softly.

She released a long, slow breath, eyes going distant. “She was my friend,” she said, “She was my sister in all but blood. She was my Queen.”

Luke’s brow furrowed at the last part, confused and more than a little stunned. “Will you tell me about them? About my parents?”

Amidala grinned and the expression looked odd on her painted face. “Of course,” she said, standing and beckoning him with a hand, “Walk with me.”

Luke rose to follow her, eager and anxious. “Who are you really?” he couldn’t help but blurt as she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.

She smiled. “My name is Sabé,” she said, “And I only ever dreamed of meeting you, Luke.”

Luke was overwhelmed.

Sabé had led him back to the living quarters and to a room filled with twelve other women. They were all women he’d heard stories about. Some of them were still wearing their famous makeup others were not and the rest were in the process of removing it. But there was no hiding the fact that they were all like Sabé.

They were all rebels. They were all Naboo Queens.

And they all looked at him with adoring, wonder filled smiles.

Sabé introduced each woman.

Eirtaé was the only blond among them and she had hugged him tight. “You have your mother’s smile,” she whispered to him.

Yané was mute but beamed at him when introduced, gesturing with her hands as Saché stood by her side and translated her joy into words Luke could understand.

Umé took his hand in both of hers and held fast. “You have no idea how happy we are to meet you, Luke,” she said softly, eyes gleaming.

Fé cried openly at the sight of him. “You look so much like them,” she said, “But nothing like them at all.”

Dané pulled her close and Hollé smiled at him while Fé curled close and cried into Dané’s shoulder. “What she means is that we can see both of them in you,” Hollé explained after seeing his confusion, “But you are enough of both of them that you are neither of them. You are your own person, Luke. And we are so glad about that. So glad.”

Moteé and Ellé each kissed both of his cheeks.

“It’s a traditional Naboo greeting,” Ellé explained.

“Your mother was from Naboo,” Moteé said, “Her culture is yours as well.”

Miré took his face in both her hands and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I don’t care about culture,” she said, “I just care about you.”

Dormé rolled her eyes at all of them. “Honestly, stop invading his space,” she chided, “He’s barely known all of you for three minutes.”

Rabé snickered, handing Sabé a damp cloth that she used to wipe the makeup off her face. “You know better than that, Dormé,” she said, a teasing lit to her voice, “Sorry, Luke, but you’ve been claimed now and there is no getting out of it.”

And Luke found that he could do nothing but grin at them, helpless to do anything else. “You know, I think I can live with that.”

Rabé laughed.

Sabé drew him farther into the room and they all found various seats – it was crowded, but not in an uncomfortable way.

“We all worked for your mother, once upon a time,” Eirtaé started, “When she was fourteen, your mother was elected the Queen of Naboo. We were her handmaidens.”

Luke blinked. “Queen? You mean, I’m - ?” Luke was baffled by the mere thought of being royalty. He wasn’t suited for that, not like Leia was.

Rabé shook her head, a slight smile on her lips at his no doubt panicked expression. “No, no. Royalty isn’t hereditary on Naboo. It’s an elected position that is held for set terms.”

Luke couldn’t help the sigh of relief that escaped him, ducking his head at the chuckles the action earned.

“Was she a good queen?” he asked.

“The best,” was the response from more than one mouth.

“But that’s not really what you want to ask,” Sabé said from her place next to him, her gaze knowing.

Across the room Fé grinned. “Oh, we should tell him the story he wants to know then.”

Luke tilted his head. “Which one is that?”

Eirtaé’s smile was sly and teasing. “How your parents met of course.”

Luke grinned.

“It was during your mother’s first term as Queen,” Dané started, “The Trade Federation had just invaded…”

Luke listened, entranced, as they spun him a tale of droids invading, a blockade, of the suffering on Naboo. How they finally came for the Queen – his mother – only for two Jedi to show up and steal them away. He was surprised to learn one of those Jedi was Obi-Wan.

“Your parents and Obi-Wan all met each other around the same time,” Sabé said, “Theirs was a bond forged in fire.”

He listened as Sabé spoke of taking his mother’s place as they escaped. How their ship was damaged and how they had no choice but to stop on Tatooine to look for parts to fix it.

“Padmé was curious about different planets,” Rabé said, “So she demanded to be taken along by Master Jinn.”

Eirtaé huffed. “Do you remember the fit Panaka threw over it? He was furious.”

“You are a Queen!” Rabé cried, dropping her voice in imitation of someone else, “And no Queen is going to walk into that cesspit of Hutt waste!”

Luke’s lips quirked up as the others dissolved into giggles. “Well he wasn’t wrong,” he pointed out.

Sabé snorted. “Like that would have stopped Padmé.”

Umé was shaking her head, expression fond. “Your mother was a force of nature, Luke. Once she made up her mind, there was no changing it.”

“A trait I suspect you’ve inherited as well, knowing our luck,” Miré said, eying him suspiciously.

Luke grinned innocently back at her.

“Oh Force,” Dormé groaned, “That’s the expression Anakin always made right before someone found out he crossed all the wires in the building.”

Ellé laughed. “I remember that! You should have seen Senator Taa’s face – ”

“Alright, alright,” Sabé called, “We’re getting off track.”

“I don’t think Luke minds that much,” Dané said, looking at Luke.

“Ah, sorry,” Luke said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He was happy and he knew that he was most likely sitting here grinning like a complete fool listening to these women talk about his parents and he couldn’t help it. “It’s just, I mean, I never thought I’d get the chance to hear about this stuff and here you are telling me about it and it’s just – amazing, and I – ”

Eirtaé chucked, reaching over and giving his shoulder a squeeze. “It’s alright, Luke,” she said, “We’re not going anywhere. Let’s get through one story at a time, hm?”

Luke beamed.