LITTLE RICH GIRL
Chapter Five
Anakin put on his cloak, and
Qui-Gon came in. "We’ve dined with the rich before, so it shouldn’t be
much trouble. Just mind your manners," he said.
"You think they’ll like
me?" Anakin asked.
Obi-Wan came in. "They will.
Just be the good Jedi that I know is in there," Obi-Wan said, and Qui-Gon
went over to fix Anakin’s cloak.
"And don’t chew on the bones
and give yourself away. There." Qui-Gon looked at his friend, the son he
never had. "Go and have fun. Just make sure you’re back by eleven. We need
to check the messages, if any." Anakin smiled and was off.
He was about to open the door
himself when a man in a suit did it for him.
"Good evening, sir,"
the man greeted him. Anakin nodded his head, and already felt lost. He walked
down a grand staircase and looked around at the people. They were all dressed
up. The women had feathers in hair, and the men wore some kind of cologne. He
leaned against a wooden pole, waiting for Padmé. He could hear music playing,
which to him was torture. He heard some people behind him talking and heard the
name Bail. He turned around and saw Bail and Jobal walking with a group of
people. But they were washed away when he saw Padmé coming down the stairs. She
wore a black and purple dress, black heels to match, and black gloves. Her
dress trailed behind her, tied in the back and with a low back, and her hair
was pulled back into a loose bun with a chain wrapped around it. He could see
that she wore makeup, but just enough to enhance her beauty. She walked down
and met him. He took her hand, kissed it, and smiled.
"I saw my master do that
once, and I’ve always wanted try it," he told her. She smiled. She stepped
down to the main floor. He held his arm, and she took it and laughed a little.
She met up with her mother, Bail, her sister, and her brother-in-law.
"Darling…darling," she
said to Bail. "Surely you remember Knight Skywalker," Padmé said.
Bail turned around and smiled.
"Of course. I can never
forget anyone who saved my future wife," Bail said.
Sola came up. "Well, if
anyone had to save you in that moment, Padmé, I don’t think you’d get luckier
than a Jedi--and a handsome one at that," Sola said.
"Anakin, this is my sister,
Sola." Padmé smiled.
"Oh, and this is my husband,
Richard." She pulled a man close to her. "Richard, this is Anakin.
Padmé’s been talking about him lately." He nodded. "I wish you could
meet our two little girls, but they’re in bed."
"You have two girls?"
Anakin asked with a smile.
"Yes, a five-year-old and a
three-year-old," Sola said. Anakin smiled. He had always dreamed of having
daughters. Padmé smiled, the group shifting. After walking a little more, they
went down more stairs. Padmé’s family went up to an older couple, and Padmé
looked around to see if Anakin should know anything about anyone. She found
someone.
"There’s Queen Aurora,"
she pointed out. "And…um…" She turned around and saw a man.
"That’s Governor Sio Bibble and his mistress, Leann." Then she turned
and saw two more people. "That’s the Countess Nicole Delancre and her
sister, Margaret Delancre. Margaret will be getting married to Senator Thorn in
a few months. He’s away right now. Her sister, Nicole, is just two years older
than myself." The two turned to the couple that her family was talking to.
"And over here we have Louse and Lousel Gordon. Louse is part of the royal
court, and Lousel designs the most beautiful dresses and…um…naughty lingerie,
among her many talents." Anakin smiled, and Padmé waved to them as they
waved to her. A man came up from behind.
"Well, enjoying yourself,
Anakin?" It was Ruwee. Anakin smiled, and they walked into the dining
hall. The queen, Padmé’s family, Rick, the Delancres, and Sio Bibble and his
wife sat a huge table. Anakin noticed that Ruwee and Jobal sat far away from
each other. Ruwee was next to him, instead.
"So, Knight Skywalker, tell
us of the Jedi. We don’t see them here much," Jobal started off.
"Um…Knight Skywalker?"
Bail asked, and Anakin nodded. "Knight Skywalker was of some assistance to
Padmé, and to reward him, I invited him to dinner. But, yes, we would like to
know about the Jedi. I’ve come across one or two in my life," Bail said,
taking some fruit. Anakin didn’t know where to start; he could go on for hours
talking about the Jedi and still would not cover everything.
"Well, ma’am, sir…" He
was using his best manners. "What would you like to know?"
"Well…" Ruwee was going
to ask the first question. "How did you become a Jedi?"
"I was telling Padmé this a
few hours ago. In most cases, a Jedi is taken from their family at an early
age, usually before a year old. Then they train, learning the basics, like
tapping into the Force, meditation, basic saber skills until they’re about ten.
Then a Jedi Master will take them as a Padawan and train them until they pass
the trials and become a Knight. And if the High Council sees that they are
proficient enough, then they will become a master. But I’m different. I was
found on a remote planet and taken at nine. But I was a slave and was not
allowed to leave."
The queen shook her head.
"That’s impossible. There is no slavery in the galaxy anymore."
"But, your highness, where I
came from, the Republic doesn’t have much influence. I did win my freedom. I
won the Boonta Eve Classic," Anakin said. They looked at him oddly.
"Pod racing." A few of the men smiled.
"You must be very talented.
Most humans can’t do it. And you were nine?" Richard asked.
Anakin nodded. "I was the
only human who could do it. I won, and I was free. But the Council almost
wouldn’t let me become a Jedi because I was too old. But I got lucky. And
hopefully, I’ll be a master soon." Everyone was impressed.
"Are you one of the best
Jedi?" Sola asked.
"If you go around the
Temple, they would say I’m the best star pilot in the galaxy. I don’t know
about the best Jedi. They say I might be the Chosen One. The one who will bring
balance to the Force."
"I’m impressed," Nicole
said, smiling.
"So, are there any rules to
follow?" Jobal asked.
"Yes, there are. One has
been changed, the rule about relationships. We can have those now. But most are
still the same."
"Tell us some," Bail
said.
"Well, possession is still
somewhat forbidden. Attachment was one, and the same with passion. Compassion,
which I define as unconditional love, is most important in our lives. We are
encouraged to love. And that is what took out the rule about falling in love
and marrying. But I thought the rule was okay to have, because Jedi will always
have enemies, and those enemies will try to hurt the ones we love." Anakin
glanced at Padmé.
"I think that works
out," Jobal said.
"But now we must be careful,
because a Jedi shall not know hate or anger."
"We all should not feel or
know it," Rick said.
"We are the peacekeepers. We
never engage in battle, except for defense. Fighting is a last resort for
us," Anakin said.
Sio Bibble nodded. "And it
should always be like for everyone," he said.
"What are you fighting for?
Or what did you swear to fight?" Sola asked.
"I swore to fight the Dark
Side and its followers, the Sith. The Sith are the opposite of the Jedi,"
Anakin said.
"Of course everything has an
opposite," Ruwee said.
"I swore to protect and
serve the Republic and its people at any and all costs."
"Well, I will sleep soundly
tonight," the queen said.
Padmé wanted to ask about
something that she heard. "Anakin." He turned to her. Her heart
leaped in her chest. "Is there a saying that goes ‘Fear is the path to
the Dark Side. Fear leads…’"
"’…to hate, and hate
leads to suffering.’ Yes, that is true, Padmé. A Jedi must not be angry
about losing something. Because it turns to jealousy, and that turns to fear of
losing it. If we do lose something, we must let it go."
"Well said, Anakin,"
Ruwee said.
"Hear, hear," Rick
said.
The group was laughing out loud
at stories. Anakin had to laugh at some. Padmé leaned toward Anakin.
"Next will be brandies in
the smoking room," she said.
Sio Bibble stood up. "Well,
men, join me for a brandy?"
Padmé laughed. "This is when
they sit under a cloud of smoke to congratulate themselves on being masters of
the galaxy." Padmé leaned back in her chair.
"Ladies, thank you for your
company," Rick said. Bail stood up, stood behind Padmé’s chair, and
whispered into her ear.
"Shall I escort you
back?" he asked.
"No. I’ll stay here,"
she said. Anakin stood up.
"Joining us, Knight
Skywalker?" Sio Bibble asked. "You don’t want to stay out here with
the women, do you?"
"No, thanks. I need to head
back," Anakin said.
"Might be best." Bail
came up to him. Anakin somewhat had to look down at Bail because he was so
tall. He was almost twice Bail’s size in muscle, as well, and some of the women
at the table had been impressed at that. "Nothing but money and politics.
Something you might not be interested in." Bail shook Anakin’s hand and
started to walk off. "Oh, and Skywalker, good of you to come."
Anakin walked to Padmé.
"Anakin, must you go?"
"Time for me to go back to
protecting the galaxy," he said with a smile. Padmé smiled back. He took
her hand and kissed it. "Good night, Countess Padmé." As he pulled
away, he left something in her hand.
It was wrapped in tissue paper.
She unwrapped it, and in was a note and a carving of some type with a string
hooked to it. She read the note.
It’s a japor snippet. It will
bring you good fortune.
She smiled and saw him walking
away. She sighed. He was perfect, and never had she met a man with blue eyes
like that. She sat there, watching him walking away, as if she were in a dream.