LITTLE RICH GIRL
Chapter Sixteen
Padmé saw the sleek ship come
into view on what was once again a gloomy day. It had been like this for the
past two days. It had only been two days since the attack happened, but it felt
like a lifetime. She was going back to Alderaan with Bail now. But going back
to Alderaan was not that bad. She had some friends and family there. And she
knew they were dying to see them after hearing what had happened to Naboo. The
ship landed, and a man all dressed up came out. Argh…it’s the head chairman,
Padmé thought to herself.
"Why, Bail, what happened to
your left eye?" the chairman asked. Padmé smiled to herself. She hadn’t known
she could punch that hard. The two men talked, and her mother joined in. They
started to laugh, but once again it was mindless chatter to Padmé. She stood
there as the wind blew and picked up the cloak up a little. The conversation
between Bail, the chairman, and Jobal died away in her ears. But from behind, a
word caught her attention.
"That Jedi--you know, the
one with blue eyes?" a clone trooper was saying. Padmé turned around and
walked over to the small group, still talking about some order that had been
given that they didn’t like.
"Excuse me?" She came
up to them. "My name is Countess Padmé Amidala. I…I thought most of the
Jedi went to other planets to help them get ready for the people from
here?"
"Yes, Countess, you’re
right, but I believe a few are still here," a trooper said.
"Can you tell me where I can
find them?" Padmé asked.
"Yes. You see those three
ships? They’re in one of those," the trooper said. Padmé nodded, smiling.
"Thank you." Padmé
started walking towards them, but stopped. She turned around and saw her family
still talking, but they didn’t notice she was gone. Padmé ran to the three
ships as fast as she could.
The first one was the biggest of
the three. She looked everywhere, but didn’t see what she was looking for. The
second, nothing, and the third, also nothing. She walked outside and saw a
small ship leaving. She knew it. That was the one she wanted. But he wasn’t
there. She could feel it. She walked over, sat on a rock, and watched the
troopers and people walk by. She could hear machines going through the rubble.
Padmé rested her chin in her hands and felt stupid. She had gotten her hopes up
so high, and found nothing. The wind blew through her hair, and she stood up.
There was nothing more she could do but leave with her family. But she could do
one thing.
Padmé walked out to the site were
the palace rubble was. She stood there and looked around. It was so desolate
here. No one was out here. The only sounds she heard were the waterfall and the
wind blowing softly. She let a tear fall and said a silent prayer and a thank
you. Padmé looked at the palace one last time.
"Padmé?" a voice asked.
She turned around, and someone stood before her. The wind picked up just a bit.
The two stood there, staring at one another. They ran to each other as fast as
they could. She jumped into his arms, and they kissed each other all over their
faces, necks, and lips. She let tears of joy roll down her face when she looked
at him. She saw a scar on his right eyebrow, and when he brought up his right
arm to touch her face, he was wearing a glove. She knew what had happened. But
it didn’t matter. He was alive. She hugged him and cried on his shoulder.
After a long time in his arms,
she heard people coming.
"Padmé!" It was her
mother calling. She opened her eyes from a dream and looked her family. She got
in front of Anakin, still holding his hand. "How dare you run off like
that, and…" Her mother stopped talking when she saw Anakin standing behind
Padmé. "He’s alive. How nice. Now, the chairman is waiting, so say
good-bye to your friend, and let’s go." Padmé stood there, looking at her
mother, and shook her head. "What do you mean, no?"
"I’m staying, and there’s
nothing you can do about." Padmé was standing up for herself now.
"Padmé you are courtier, not
a commoner," her mother was saying. "Commoner and commoner go fine
together, but not a courtier and a commoner."
"What bothers you more,
Mother, is that Anakin is common and competition," Padmé said, and her
father smiled. Her mother looked at her in disgust.
"So, that’s how it is? What
can this Jedi give you that Bail can’t?" Jobal asked.
"Doesn’t matter."
"The hell it doesn’t. You
are coming with us."
"I am going with
Anakin," Padmé told her mother.
"You’re going to live life
as a pauper!"
"I’d rather rot than be
married to that man over there!" Padmé shouted at her mother.
"Besides, you want to live a life of money. And if money is all you want,
then that is all you will receive. You marry him, since you love him so
much," Padmé said, Jobal looked at Anakin, who had a smile on his face.
Jobal walked away.
"Come, Ruwee, Sola."
She kept walking, but they didn’t move. Ruwee walked over to Padmé, and Sola
and her family followed.
"You can go," Ruwee
said. Jobal screamed like a little girl and stomped off. She turned around.
"You won’t last a
minute!" she yelled, and stomped off again. Sola laughed at that with her
two daughters. Padmé smiled and turned to face Anakin. Anakin looked down at
her, then pulled something out.
"I was hoping you could tell
me who the owner of this…well…rather beautiful hairpiece is." Anakin held
it out. It was a small comb that was attached to a butterfly, and in the center
was an emerald green diamond. Padmé looked at it. She walked past Anakin and
sat on a rock.
"It belongs to a commoner
who only pretended to be a courtier to save her family’s lives." Padmé had
tears in her eyes.
"I know, but…" Anakin
walked over to Padmé and knelt before her. "This belongs to a woman who is
my match in every way possible." Anakin took Padmé’s left hand, and her
eyes dropped as she watched Anakin put the little piece in her hand. "I
will soon be a Jedi Master…but…" Sola had a smile on her face and covered
her mouth in happiness. "I would truly feel like the Chosen One if you,
Padmé Nicole Isabel Amidala…would be my wife." Anakin closed her hand over
the little hairpiece. She cried. Anakin waited for her answer. She looked up at
him, smiled, and jumped into his arms. He swung her around. Sola, Richard,
Ryoo, Pooja, and Ruwee clapped.