When Destinies Meet, part 1: In the wake of discovery

Author's Note: Once more I must appologise, but health came in the way! Though now we are swiftly moving to the end of TPM..and the end of the first book!


Chapter Thirteen: Matters of state

Tatooine was slowly becoming very boring and quite the annoying type of planet for the Nabooans on the Nubian cruiser, when, finally, Padmé and Qui-Gon returned, with parts to get the ship started again. For the sake of remaining undiscovered, Sabé and Padmé remained in their roles for now. It would have been hard to explain where one handmaiden disappeared to, since you could only hide so much on one ship. And it wasn't that big of a ship either.

Arwen was quite happy that things were moving forward. Her lifeline was slowly growing ever shorter, the longer they stayed upon the desert planet. But she hid it well, and no one recognised her weariness to be that of perhaps being mortally-wounded, but simply the effect of climate and everyone deemed she would recover in the coolness of her room, or better yet, once they were off Tatooine. The elleth was thankful, for she was in no real mood of explaining why the sight of vast oceans of sand slowly kills her, moment by moment, and that she longs for nothing more than a breath of cool air and the feeling of wind on her cheeks.

Qui-Gon had also brought someone else with him, though: a young boy, named Anakin Skywalker. He was eight years of age, but extremely clever and resourceful, which made him grow immediately in Arwen's eyes. Next to Padmé, the kind elleth was the first person the young boy could relate to and talk without having to be more than he actually was. Arwen took immediate liking to him and the two became fast friends. She did not reveal it, though, but she had seen the boy before. Being the daughter of Elrond, she had been gifted with the Sight, and sometimes she had visions which predicted far more than she would wish. Anakin's face was not unknown to her, for she remembered him from a vision in the Naboo Hangar, but the only other thing she could remember was the fact that it was disturbing.

Finally the crew were able to fire up the engines once more, and Olié could take off, skillfully guiding the cruiser out of Tatooine's atmosphere and into orbit. Everyone seemed generally pleased, because they'd all grown weary of the planet. The only one displeased was Anakin; he had left his mother behind, and left for the unknown, large universe. Arwen took pity on him and sat with him for long hours of the night, talking about various things to keep hi sever-working mind occupied.

It was during one of these talks, that she discovered the boy to be far more perceptive than she had thought.

They sat together upon the bed in her chamber, pleasantly speaking about nothing in particular, actually commenting on how different the orbital temperatures were to those on Tatooine, when Anakin fell silent, his brow growing wrinkles, as he fell into deep thought. The elleth dipped her head to the side and her clear gray eyes watched him with interest, yet she was silent.

His voice was small when he posed his question: "You're not from Naboo, are you?"

The question caught her slightly off-guard, for she had certainly not expected it! For a moment, she was at loss what to answer, but like all the Eldar, she could read many hearts, and that of Anakin knew no shadow. Thus, a small, sad smile spread across her lips.

"No, I am not. Your eyes see much more than there is, young Skywalker," she replied in a soft voice. And as Anakin looked into her eyes, he saw the thousand sparkles of the universe reflected within her gray depths, and suddenly the woman sitting opposite him seemed older…not in looks, no. He couldn't exactly describe it. There was something in her eyes that spoke so much…that she had seen far more than he ever would, ever could. Those wise gray eyes looked down to him and when he blinked, the stars were gone.

"Your eyes…" he spoke, mistified, and extended her hand as if he wished to touch them, though he quickly recovered from his initial shock and withdrew it. Arwen smiled at him.

"What about them?" she asked kindly, although she knew what he would tell her. The reaction of those who saw an Elf for the first time in their lives was always the same. Always, they commented upon the eyes, for an Elf's eyes are the mirror to his soul; they share all the knowledge he had gained up to that point. Arwen was well of 3000 years old then.

The boy pondered his words carefully. "They shine with the starlight..although there is none in this cabin," he finally spoke truthfully, and he had hit the mark quite well. The elleth chuckled softly.

"Indeed they do. Anakin, let me tell you something that I have told very few people – in fact only Padmé, the Queen and the other Handmaidens. But you must promise not to tell anybody. This will be our little secret." The boy, eager to learn as much as he could about this kind, enchanting lady, who was overshadowed only by Padmé in his eyes, nodded eagerly and crawled closer. Arwen seated him on her lap.

"Let me tell you a story," she said and lifted her gaze to the wall, although her eyes held the images of what she was about to tell…for in her mind, she returned to Middle Earth, to the land she was born and raised in.

"Far away, even farther than Tatooine, is a group of planets. That is perhaps the farthest point of the Outer Rim teritories. Three are the planets that are there; the names aren't as original as Tatooine or Naboo or Coruscant…but they serve their purpose. The first, and largest planet, is called Upper Earth. Its twin, the lowest, bears the name Lower Earth. And the middle planet, smallest and most fair, is called Middle Earth. And that is where I come from."

"You come from a planet that's in the middle?" asked Anakin, absorbing the new information. Arwen smiled, absent-mindedly.

"To you it seems so; to me, it is my home, the only planet that exists truly. I was born there, in the land under my father's rule, although I grew up in the land of my mother's kin. We know nothing of hyper speed, lightsabers or technology for that matter."
"Your father rules a land? Then you're a princess!" exclaimed the boy and rose to look at her eyes. Arwen laughed tenderly; yes, for her people, she was the princess, descendant of Lúthien, and the last in line for the Noldorin throne in Middle Earth. On Naboo, she was nobody.

"Wait a minute," said Anakin then, and she focused her gaze on him once more. He seemed puzzled. "You don't know about technology? How do you live, then?" She smiled.

"Technology isn't all, young Skywalker. We do not need it. Ours is the realm of water, sky, fire and earth. To some even metal. We live by the laws of the land, with nature, harkening to the calls of the spirits that surround us. Technology would be of no use in my world," she concluded, an amused smile appearing on her lips as she tried to envision Glorfindel handling a comlink.

Anakin was far from satisfied. "Living from nature sounds pretty boring to me," he said, "don't you know speeders or anything? How do you have fun?"

"We have fun differently, Anakin; instead of speeders we use horses – you use banthas. We play in nature, hiding and seeking each other, dance in the meadows, pick the early summer fruits, braid flowers in our hair, help the men run the choirs of te household," she told him, "and in the evenings we tell each other stories, and sing songs. Many a night I have sat beside my father and sung to him and the household."

The boy's eyes turned large suddenly, sparkling with a silent wish. "Will you sing for me?" he asked in a pleading tone. Arwen smiled.

"Make yourself comfortable," she whispered into his ear, and he did, nestling against her lap. The elleth smiled at him, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then, softly, her voice rose and embraced Anakin like silk, weaving a cocoone around him which kept him safe from harm. Arwen sang the song of Elbereth, in an understandable language first, then transfering to her native Sindarin and finishing with Quenya. She sang with all her heart; Elbereth probably could not hear her, but one never knew. Perhaps, by some hidden magic, her prayer would be harkened too. And as she went into Quenya, she felt Anakin's head grow heavy and lean against her upper arm. When she looked down, the boy was fast asleep. Smiling, she brought a blanket over and covered him, laying him gently on her bed, never ceasing to sing. And beside the door stood Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, listening, enchanted, to the song of the Elven-maid, having passed by just in time to hear it.

Thus they travelled onward to Coruscant, where they were greated by Supreme Chancellor Valorum, Senator Palpatine and some other delegates from the Galactic Senate. Sabé, still posing as Queen Amidala, played her role nicely, while Padmé kept an eye on both her, the other Handmaidens, and Anakin. The cheeky boy was on Coruscant for the first time, and he watched, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at the numerous traffic within the air and the tall buildings that rose above the clouds. Arwen was unmoved by the sight, as she had been here before, but rather, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of cool wind upon her face as they took a taxi to the tall building where the Senators made their homes.

Here, and only here, did Padmé and Sabé get a chance to switch roles again, and it was decided that the handmaiden would remain behind, in their quarters, while Amidala conversed with Palpatine. Rabé and Eirtaé would accompany her, as well as would Arwen. For the occasion Amidala chose a regal gray gown, while the handmaidens donned heavy red cloaks. For Arwen, Amidala chose a gray gown as well, although far less elaborate and in a deeper shade. It had no sleeves, but embraced the figure softly, with a loose silver belt and an elegant shawl that was used to cover the hands and neck. Rabé pulled her hair swiftly into a heavy braid and plaited it around her head.
Thus they went before Palpatine, to his suite, where Amidala took a seat, with Eirtaé and Rabé on either side of her, and Arwen inbetween them.

Palpatine's words were grave, and the hearts of all those gathered were covered with fear of what may come.

"The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates who are only looking out for themselves and their home sytems. There is no interest in the common good...no civility, only politics...its disgusting. I must be frank, Your Majesty, there is little chance the Senate will act on the invasion," he sain in a fairly blunt way. Something in his voice made Arwen's eyes narrow and observe him carefully.

The Queen met his gaze squarely: "Chancellor Valorum seems to think there is hope." Silently, the trio behind the Queen cheered for her small victory. Yet Palpatine remained unconvinced otherwise.

"If I may say so, Your Majesty, the Chancellor has little real power...he is mired down by baseless accusations of corruption. A manufactured scandal surrounds him. The bureaucrats are in charge now."

The words rang heavy in the ars of the gathered; Amidala had put high hopes to the Chancellor, and thus did Arwen as well. Even after seeing him she was convinced he was a stronger man than Palpatine said him to be. And yet, a shade of doubt had settled within their hearts. What if the Senator was right?

"What options do we have?" asked Amidala calmly, yet in the way that she asked it she made it clear that she was slowly losing hope of gaining the Chancellor's help.

Palpatine's answer was immediate: "Our best choice would be to push for the election of a stronger Supreme Chancellor. One who will take control of the bureaucrats, enforces the laws, and give us justice. You could call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum."

Amidala sat back in shock: "He has been our strongest supporter! Is there no other way?"

Palpatine sighed heavily: "Our only other choice would be to submit a plea to the Courts.."

The Handmaidens and Arwen stiffled a groan. The Courts were slower, far slower than the Senate! And if the Senate held no power over the Trade Federation, then the Courts had even less of it.

Amidala voiced their thoughts in an icy voice: "The courts take even longer to decide things than the Senate. Our people are dying, Senator...more and more each day. We must do something quickly to stop the Federation."

Palpatine smiled sadly: "To be realistic, Your Highness, I'd say we're going to have to accept Federation control for the time being." An outraged gasp came from Rabé, although none present acknowledged it, and she quickly stiffled her horror.

The Queen turned a somber face towards the Senator: "That is something I cannot do." With that she rose and walked past him, dignified, Arwen and the Handmaidens in tow. The conversation was over. Their next stop was the Galactic Senate.

Arwen's thoughts turned to Obi-Wan as the group made their way silently to the Queen's chambers. She scolded herself for allowing her thoughts to turn that way. This nonsense with the Jedi has to come to a stop – and fast! Best now, when he was at the Temple.

The Queen threw her sash off onto the bed the moment the doors closed behind her. Sabé looked up with surprise. Without a word, the Queen disappeared to discard the rest of her gown and prepare for the meeting with the Senate. Arwen shook her head at the Handmaidens and followed the Queen.

Not much is to be said about the time inbetween the two conversations, except the fact that Anakin came to say farewell – he was accepted into the Jedi Temple to begin his training. A good thing for the boy, although the girls were sad to see him go. Arwen gave him a piece of her discarded Imladris gown for remembrance. Then he was gone, and the group itself was on the way to the Senate. This time, everyone went, even Panaka. Amidala looked magnificent in the rich red and golden gown with the heavy black cloak cast over it all. The elaborate hairstyle made her seem a lot taller than she actually was, the facial make up hid her youth, and the Naboo sovereign medal upon her forehead reminded all of who she was and the power she wielded.

The handmaidens wore dark turquoise petite gowns, covered with black cloaks, somber and silent. Arwen's gown had been carefully chosen by the Queen once more – striking contrast to her usual gowns, this one was in the define Naboo monarch style – a shade of deep wine-colour with intricate golden designs set upon it. It had two sets of sleeves, tight-fitting undersleeves heavy with golden threads, and heavy, but cut open at the elbo sleeves on top, with little or no golden design. Two sets of sleeves spoke of two different gowns – for indeed, it was a two-piece set. The lower one was heavy with golden, while the upper was almost without ornament, save for the Naboo emblem. Her hair had been elaborately done, parly up and partly down, held in place by the same piece she had worn with the other red dress on their flight. She felt constricted yet she lifted her chin proudly and faced the Senate without fear – for, as the daughter of Elrond, she was used to dealing with public.

That which was said in the meating with the Senate is recorded elsewhere, perhaps somewhere within the chambers of Valorum himself. We do not need to repeat it here, the only thing we must know is that Amidala's last orthodox action to win the freedom of her people failed, and that she was refused by the Senate. But she did heed Palpatine's advice and called for the infamous 'vote of no confidence'. Thus, a new Chancellor would have to be elected. And among the candidates was also Palpatine, Senator of Naboo.

But to Amidala, all of this meant little, for she had lost the battle, but the war was not over yet. She changed for the third time that day, choosing a somber black gown. Arwen alsotook off the heavy senatorial garb and donned a soft gray dress. The situation was far from brilliant, and none knew what was on the Queen's mind, when she spoke to Jar-Jar, the Gungan, by the window. When news came that Palpatine was probably the one who would replace Valorum on the seat of Supreme Chancellor, Amidala's only answer was silence, as she looked upon the old man that was her mentor. She stepped aside and moved to the door, her assistants following. Palpatine watched her in shock. At the door she turned to him.

"Senator, this is your arena. I fear I must return to mine." And with that she was gone. The die had been cast, the pieces set. The Queen's heart was bent on only one goal: free her people from the Federation's grasp. And she could only do that if she was on Naboo.

TBC

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