The Death of a Friend (a short vignette of Cordé's death)

TITLE: The Death of a Friend (a short vignette of Cordé's death)
BY: Jedi Bounty
SUMMARY: This is a short one poster of Cordé's death. It is told from Padmé's viewpoint. While mourning for Cordé, she also is mourning for Versé, another handmaiden we hardly see in the film.
RATING: G
DISCLAIMER: The Great Flanneled One created Padme, Corde, Verse, Dorme, Sabe, and Captain Typho. All quotes come from the book Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones, by R.A. Salvatore. I'm definitely not making any money on this fic, but I do take feedback in place of it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Cordé!" I cry out, gathering her in my arms.

"I'm sorry, M?Lady." she gasps, struggling for each breath, "I'm... not sure I..." she pauses and lies there staring at me. I stare back at those rich brown orbs, so like my own. I notice the fire that always burned in her eyes is dying. The tears are running freely down my face and I hope I'm just imagining what I see. I wipe my eyes and look again. The fire really is going out, her will to live is disappearing. Just as I think she's given up and is letting go of this life, I feel her take a breath.

"I've failed you."

"No!" I cry out. Dear Cordé, you could never fail me!

She continues to stare, but not at me anymore. Her stare is fixed on something past me, something the living cannot see. The fire in her eyes wanes. I feel her body relax and go limp in my arms. She's dead! My dearest friend and handmaiden is dead! I was just talking to her a few hours ago, how could she be dead?

"Cordé!"

The tears now run freely down my face. I don't care who sees me cry, who sees that I'm more than just a senator, that I'm more than just a queen. Anyone who sees me now would realize that I am a person. That I am still just a twenty-four year old girl. One who didn't even have a childhood. I've been grown up my whole life; my emotions have been kept secret and hidden from people. What does it matter if they finally are revealed here, on this landing platform?

Someone is crying out, "No! No! No!"

The sound of the voice, the pain and despair, bring me out of my grief for a second. Who is it? Who can I hear? The voice is familiar, yet strange. So twisted in agony I hardly recognize it. The voice is mine. But what little justice do my words do for the feelings inside of me.

I remember when I met Cordé, a week after being elected as senator for my planet. I was to get three new handmaidens to replace the five I had as queen. When they were all first brought to my quarters so we could meet, Cordé was the first one to snap out of her awe. I guess I was a very intimidating person, the former Queen of Naboo, and that was part of why, for those first awkward moments, all they could do was stare at the walls, the ceiling, or the floors. She had taken a deep breath a looked up at me, then introduced all of them. I recognized then that she was the backbone of the three. Versé and Dormé would always look up to her.

She had looked the most like me and had gotten to know me the best. That was why she was chosen to be my decoy; it was she who took Sabé's place.

After Sabé had died I had thought I wouldn't have need for a decoy again, my term as queen was nearing its end. I hadn't wanted another decoy after Sabé, one who would take her place. I didn't think I would be able to stand one, I had loved Sabé so. Cordé had understood this, she had been my shoulder to cry on and she hadn't tried to take Sabé's place, she knew she couldn't. She had mourned with me, comforted me, and had known when to leave me alone.

But now she was dead! Both Cordé and Versé were dead! I am sick of people dying for me! I am sick of losing the ones I love! I used to have three handmaidens, now I have only one.
But poor Dormé! Cordé was her friend, the mother figure in her life since taking the dangerous position of protecting me. Cordé had been a mother to all of us. She had always been there for anyone who needed her. My poor Cordé! How could I have let this happen?

 

Please leave me some feedback on this. If it's horrible, tell me. If it's good, please tell me. Let me know what you like about it, what you don't like about it.

I look forward to every kind of feedback, good or bad. It all helps me write better.

 

Jedi,
This is an excelent written piece. Also not one I have seen done before. You alow the emotion of you character to come out in both thought and spoken word. It allows the reader to see a whole other side of Padme. Great Job!

Padawan Velvet Elfin

 

JB - That was brilliant! Sob! That is such a short scene in the film but the background you gave everyone was wonderful.

I don't look back and I don't falter. But deep in my heart I vow to find who did this.

Poor Padme! Sends chills down my spine.


Sabe126

 

Wondeful, JB! You added such depth to that scene which, as was noted, came and went so quickly. I though Natalie, however, did a great job of showing her pain and guilt, and you with your fic, let us get into her thoughts. I thought it so touching when Corde said she had failed. Thanks for writing this!

 

Excellent vignette, j b, and nice to see you back. You really brought forth Padme's pain and anguish in that one and it wouldn't surprise me if that was what Padme was really suppose to be thinking we she went to Corde's side at the beginning of AOTC.

And you killed off Sabe, too. It would be interesting to see you write up something about how that happened.

Once again, great job.

 

Excellently written Jedi Bounty!! I thought you captured Padme's angst at the situation very well!!

I love how Padme remincses about the Handmaidens and how she first meet the three new ones, Corde, Dorme and Verse, very nicely done. Gives a good deal of backgroud within a short span of time! Great job!!

Wonderful job!

~Obischick

 

Jedi!!!!your back to writting and you give us such a wonderful piece of work that made me chock up. I loved this the pain you express seemed to fit perfectly in those short moments she was there, trying had not to beleive her beloved friends, and bodyguards were dead. It was so touching.

Great Job Jedi B.

Yoda

 

Velvet Elfin Thank you so much!

Also not one I have seen done before.

I was trying to think of something I could do that everyone else hadn't already done, and I had just found a new love for Padme's handmaidens, so this came along.

And I'm glad to see that it did what I wanted it to. I wanted to show a different side to Padme(she has many), and I'm glad you saw it.

Sabe Thanks Ya, I wish that we could have seen a little more of all the handmaidens in Episode II, they're such interesting characters when you think about it. But hey, if they had a set background, what would there be for us fan writers to do?

Arwyn I agree, Natalie did do an awesome job of showing a great amount of mixed emotions in one very short scene. I'm glad I was able to add a little more depth to it. Thanks for your comments.

KA Thanks. And I'm glad to see that you decided to read this when you saw it and not running away screaming out that I destroy all good star wars characters(I wouldn't blame anyone who did).

it wouldn't surprise me if that was what Padme was really suppose to be thinking we she went to Corde's side

The hardest part of this was trying to know what Padme would be thinking. So what did I do? I put myself in her shoes. But I had another problem. I've been lucky and the only person I've lost who's really meant a lot to me was my dog. And she wasn't a real human being. And as to killing Sabe. I've always had this question, 'Why did George get rid of all the handmaidens from Episode I and give us brand new ones for Episode II?' I thought, well maybe they died inbetween movies or something. And if it was Sabe who died, what were the other ones supposed to do? They'd have to find another person who looked like Padme, so they found one and decided that the other handmaidens had all put their lives on the line enough and deserved a long break. I hope that explains my thinking.

And I just might write up something about Sabe and the others. It would be a good way for me to answer my own questions.

Obischick Thank you so much! It means more than you know to hear that from you(I read your Eirtae fic and you are so good at giving the handmaidens backgrounds).

Yoda Thank you. I'm so glad I actually expressed what I meant to instead of messing it all up.

And as to being back to writing. Well, I've been playing around with ideas and starting a few things just to see how I like them. I have a really awful habit of starting things and never finishing them. But I really wanted to write something, so I decided that short and sweet(well, maybe it's more bitter sweet) might be best. And as you can see, it worked!

Thanks to all you guys for reading this!

 

And I just might write up something about Sabe and the others. It would be a good way for me to answer my own questions


Oh good! Please do!

Sabe126

 

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