Saga First Impressions (a Saché story) Updated 3/17!

Owing to a recent obsession of mine - namely, Queen Amidala's handmaidens - my good friend Sache8 has encouraged me to write my own series of handmaiden stories, because we certainly can't have enough of them.
This story is the first installment of a five-part series about the handmaidens from The Phantom Menace about halfway between Episodes I and II entitled At the Queen's Pleasure. So without further ado (because goodness knows I'm way too talkative ), enjoy. This is reposted from the old fan fiction stories board, and will continue here.

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Special thanks to beta and brainstormer extraordinaire Sache8, who not only gave me the plot bunny to begin with, but alternated between pestering and encouraging till the story was ready to go.

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"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

*~*~*~*

Frost had formed on the windowpanes of Theed Palace on a chilly morning in early spring. When Saché Drianna awoke to see it, she knew that it didn't bode well. But there was no avoiding it, so she quickly rose and dressed, hoping that the day's activities would not take her much out of doors. As a handmaiden to Her Highness Queen Amidala of the Naboo, Saché found that much of her day was spent inside, attending to the Queen as she went about the business of ruling the planet. But it would be her luck than on a cold, frosty day, when her nose was running, the Queen would have business that would take them to the other side of the planet. With a sigh, she picked up the datapad next to her bed and scanned the contents of the day's schedule. Nothing outside today.

As the first lights of dawn filtered into the palace corridors, Saché and her fellow handmaidens, Sabé, Yané, Eirtaé, and Rabé, were gathered at the entrance to the Queen's chambers. From experience, Saché knew that Amidala was already awake and going over the morning's news. A few minutes after the handmaidens arrived, the Queen would call them into the room to brief her on the day's schedule, as well as dress her and apply the tedious layers of makeup that she always wore in public.

This had been Saché's routine for nearly five years now. She, along with the other handmaidens, had been selected from a wide range of candidates for the position when the Queen was elected, having to prove themselves in a broad spectrum of abilities, as the position was a compilation of bodyguard, advisor, and companion. There had been Royal examinations for all the candidates, encompassing not only general knowledge of the galaxy, but also things as disparate as hand-to-hand combat and musicianship. Saché, whose father had been a technician for the planetary HoloNet service, had had the fortune to have grown up around galactic news, unlike many of her more aristocratic competitors. Indeed, it was to Saché that the Queen turned for advice on matters of politics, and culture within other societies. In return, Saché had now seen more of the galaxy than anyone in her family had ever dreamed of seeing.

She and the other handmaidens were chatting quietly outside the door when a chime sounded, bidding them to come in. In single file they entered, Sabé, the decoy, first, followed by Yané, Rabé, and Eirtaé, who attended to the Queen's appearance, and lastly Saché, carrying her datapad containing the Queen's briefing.

The Queen was still in her nightgown and robe, her long dark curls cascading down nearly to the floor as she sat on a low stool. "Good morning," she greeted.

"Good morning," the five replied in unison, each curtseying before her.

The handmaidens immediately took their places, Sabé standing to the side while Eirtaé, Yané, and Rabé moved in to help the Queen into the elaborate gown she would wear during the day. Saché stood where she was and lifted her datapad. "Your Highness, shall we begin the morning's briefing?"

Amidala nodded an affirmative as Ya

 

*~*~*~*

Prince Bail Organa, Viceroy of Alderaan, had lingered in his cabin for most of the morning on which he was scheduled to arrive at Theed. As he read over various reports from across the galaxy, he had turned on the sound system in the cabin. Most people would consider the soft sound of the clavaria to be background music, but even as Bail focused on the galactic news, he was acutely aware of the technical prowess of the performer, the elegance of the piece's progressions and cadences. All of it was taken in by a part of his mind which seemed to always be attuned to the artistic threads that surrounded him.

When he had read through the news, the Viceroy leaned back in his chair and sighed. As if on cue, one of his favorite pieces began to play, and Bail smiled. A vocal piece accompanied by clavaria, it told the story of a servant girl who eventually married a prince. Bail didn't care much for the love story itself, thinking it rather unlikely and feeling that such folk songs should be more representative of true society, but the music was beautiful. The clavaria in the recording was the same rare plucked instrument from Naboo which he would be purchasing from the Queen. Its timbre was very relaxing, and the soprano singing with the instrument had nearly the same crystalline quality. Bail knew that he would have to find someone to sing this song once he returned to Alderaan with the instrument.

A knock on his door interrupted his reverie. Sitting up, he pressed the com button on the desk before him and said, "Enter."

The door slid open, and Bail's aide, a young man of about twenty with blonde hair and grey eyes, rather rare for an Alderaanian, appeared in the doorway. "Your Highness," he greeted, bowing.

"What is it, Aeron?" Bail asked.

"The pilot respectfully requests that you join him in the cabin for landing," the aide replied.

Bail raised an eyebrow. "We will be arriving rather early, then."

The aide nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. We are running ahead of schedule by approximately half a standard hour."

The Viceroy turned to his desk and let his finger hover over the controls of his sound system. After the final cadence of the song, he pressed a button and stopped it. "That is good to hear."

The aide stepped to the side. "After you, Your Highness."

A few minutes later, the small party aboard the Alderaanian royal transport Crystal Rose were strapped in and entering the Naboo atmosphere. The view of the terrain was spectacular. Bail had holos of the beautiful lake country and waterfall regions, but they were nothing in comparison to the actual landscape. Seeing it for the first time, he could easily understand why the people of Naboo were so staunchly pacifist. War was ugly by definition, and they were constantly surrounded by beauty.

When Bail disembarked, he was surprised to see no group there to meet him. He had not expected Amidala herself, but he had expected her to send someone to greet him, at least. Some mechanics and technicians approached him, bowed, and began to work on his ship, but it was fully five minutes before a short young woman dressed in blue ran into the hangar and looked around. Spotting Bail, she ran a hand across her hair, looked over her shoulder at something, and approached him. "Are you Prince Organa?" she asked breathlessly.

Bail had to smile at her appearance. The hood of her outfit had flown back as she ran, revealing a young, pretty face, with hair strewn about. "I am," he replied with a regal nod. "Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name, since you already know mine?"

The girl curtseyed and said, "I am Yané, handmaiden to Her Highness Queen Amidala." She straightened and met his eyes. "My lady apologizes for not meeting you herself, but she has had to deal with a delicate and unexpected issue."

Bail merely nodded. "It is no matter," he replied. "Such matters must come first, of course."

The girl paused for a moment, probably collecting her thoughts. "The Queen suggested that you could person

 

*~*~*~*

The long walk to the afternoon dining hall was punctuated by occasional snippets of conversation about everything ranging from art and music to politics and warfare. The Prince seemed to be an excellent conversationalist on any subject, but Saché could not quite help feeling a little uncomfortable around him. He was certainly attractive - she could not deny that. He was quite obviously brilliant, as Saché could clearly perceive from just a few minutes of conversation. She could have listened to his delightfully cultured accent for hours, talking about any subject, but just under the soothing quality of his voice was a layer of something she hadn't expected.

It was an excruciatingly subtle and irritating arrogance. While no one could doubt that he had every right to be proud of himself, he didn't necessarily carry himself in a way that would endear him to most people. Saché had been sincerely flattered by the seemingly genuine attention he had paid her, but that magical moment had been shattered when he had rather derisively laughed at her fondness for legends and folk tales. Saché couldn't imagine being so calloused in life as to not want to immerse herself in the fantastic.

They were still conversing about Kuati politics when they arrived at the antechamber to the dining hall. The Queen and the other handmaidens were waiting for them, and Saché was moderately surprised to see that Amidala had chosen to host the Prince in far less formal attire than usual. The theatrical makeup was gone, and the Queen was wearing a relatively simple gown. Her easy appearance made Saché feel much better about being around this arrogant Prince any longer, but then she looked over at Sabé, who had an eyebrow raised.

Saché blushed at the expression, knowing that Sabé had immediately seen her and Prince Organa enter the room and found a point at which she could tease. With a curtsey to the Queen, Saché resumed her post beside Sabé, who whispered as Amidala addressed Organa. "Did you find something to do while the rest of us were bogged down in a security problem?"

"Sabé, hush," she whispered back. "If you're dying to know, ask me later."

"If I'm dying to know, I won't be alive long enough to ask later. So what is the Prince like?"

Saché decided not to answer, but instead listened to the Queen. She was finished with her formal addresses and had devolved into pleasant conversation. But Saché could not help but notice that the Prince's eyes often drifted away from Amidala and rested on her instead, behind the Queen and to the left. Though she was far from hungry, she had never been more grateful for mealtime as when Her Highness announced that it was time to dine. Prince Organa's watchful gaze was making her uncomfortable.

They filtered into the cozy dining room, with its warm brown walls, high ceilings, and one wall of glass - not transparisteel, but real glass. Glass was of the most uncommon building materials in the galaxy, probably second only to natural wood. However, after having looked through both, Saché could tell a definite difference between the two materials, but understood why transparisteel was the more common of the two, even though it wasn't as clear and beautiful. Glass was costly.

In the center of the room stood a table that had once seemed large to Saché, but now seemed very small in comparison with the more grand, formal dining halls of Theed Palace. But for this party, it was quite enough, even as decked with food and ornamentation as it was. However, Saché was a little surprised that they were using this room; the table was round, which set each person at the table on an equal level. The Queen rarely used this table for formal functions - obviously in this case, she wanted to put Saché and the other handmaidens at a level equal to herself and the Alderaanian Prince.

The group settled into arbitrary seats around the table, but Sabé managed to leave Saché, the last one into the room, the seat next to His Highness. Saché turned a look of extreme displeasure on Sabé

 

*~*~*~*

Prince Organa had not officially set a departure date for his trip home to Alderaan. This visit to Naboo was strictly pleasure, and so far it had been very pleasurable. But nothing had been more pleasurable than his first few minutes on the planet's surface, when he had first heard that ethereal voice. Even now, alone in one of Theed's famous gardens, he could almost imagine that he could hear the voice again.

For some reason, it had ensnared him, and from that, he had found himself entranced. He had made a hobby of seeking out beauty, but he had never come across such beauty as this handmaiden named Saché. Even her name was exquisite, reminding him of a fine wine, something to be savored on the tongue. She was very pretty, with a loveliness of a delicate sort that made him want to watch her for hours, just to see her grace. There was a charm to her bashful silence, but an indescribable elegance to her voice. Her speaking voice as well as her singing voice sounded effortless, and she had a way of averting her gaze that made him want to draw her eyes back to him.

"Milord," a soft voice said from behind him.

Bail smiled as he turned around, recognizing Saché's voice immediately. "Milady," he replied, approaching her.

She curtseyed, and he extended his hand to her. She placed her hand in his, and he continued as he brought her hand to his lips. "Might I be of service?"

"No, Your Highness," she said, her cheeks flushing a soft pink in the moonlight. "The Queen wishes you to know that she has been called on urgent business to a meeting. She apologizes for not being able to conclude the evening properly."

Bail ran his thumb across the spot on her hand which he had just kissed. "It is no matter. Most likely I would have come back here anyway."

Saché withdrew her hand. "The gardens here are very peaceful, are they not?"

He nodded, then turned and extended his arm to her. "Will you walk with me, milady?"

Silently, she placed her hand on his arm, and they began to meander through the garden. As they took a turn deeper into the garden, he said, "I believe I understood the Queen to say that you are from the lake country, near where she grew up."

Saché nodded. "Yes, milord. I knew the Queen when we were very young, though it had been several years since we had seen each other when she was elected. But the others all came from towns - Sabé is from Kaserta, Eirtaé from Keren, and Yané and Rabé from smaller towns in the southern hemisphere."

"The lake country is a beautiful region, I am told."

"Oh, yes," Saché replied. "My family's estate is less than a kilometer away from some of the most spectacular waterfalls on the planet. From the house, you can barely see the town on the horizon line - the rest is just fields and fields of wildflowers." She shook her head. "But I cannot do it justice in words. Someday you must see it for yourself to understand."

Bail smiled. "Perhaps someday I will." He paused for a moment. "You mentioned your family's estate - do you have any siblings?"

She nodded. "I have three sisters, one older and two younger. My older sister is to be married within the next year." She looked at him. "Do you have any siblings?"

He met her gaze, and for a moment he was captivated by a pair of fine eyes. "Yes, I do," he replied, rather absently. "I have a younger brother and sister." She looked away from him, and he found himself more able to converse normally. "I am certain you will meet them when the Queen travels to Alderaan later this year."

They stopped walking a few minutes later on a footbridge that spanned a brook. A large tree with hundreds of drooping branches draped over them, lightly swishing in the breeze. "The Queen mentioned that you are her chief political advisor," he said, "so I fear you and I have much in common."

She laughed, a sound as pleasing as tinkling bells. "I learned politics on my father's lap," she said. "He's a technician for the HoloNet in that part of Naboo. He would take me to work with him o

 

*~*~*~*

"Saché, so good of you to join us," the Queen remarked dryly as Saché and Sabé entered the room where she and the other handmaidens waited, along with Captain Panaka.

Saché lowered her head. "My apologies, Your Highness."

"Now, I need you to watch this," Amidala said, standing and walking around her desk. She walked to a console on the wall and entered a passcode. From the length of it, Saché knew that this was something terribly important, and that worried her. Did it have something to do with the security problems of late?

An image appeared on the holoscreen before them, and the Queen backed away. The image was fuzzy at first, gradually clearing to an image of what was plainly an act of sabotage, a masked human setting an explosive in a darkened corridor. Saché's breath caught in her throat. "Your Highness, what has happened?"

The Queen shook her head sadly. "I fear I do not know, Saché," she said, pressing a button to repeat the recording. "We did not even know for certain where it was when we first received the recording, though we now suspect that this is the Senate building on Coruscant."

Saché glanced to Sabé, who shrugged. "Why would someone attack the Senate building?" she asked. "How would they get past the security? And why would this concern us?"

Amidala closed her eyes slowly as she pressed another button. A HoloNet news story began to play, and the text across the bottom of the screen read, "Naboo Senator among dead at Senate blast - seven other Senators among injured."

Saché watched with horrified confusion as reporters came and went, reporting on the explosion. It had been centered around the office of their Senator, and many others were gathering there for a meeting concerning a piece of legislation to be drafted for the next legislative session. After several minutes passed, with information coming in and automatically being processed, Saché was suddenly aware that the seven others in the room were staring at her. She looked at the Queen and asked, "Your Highness, where did you get the first recording?"

"It was sent to us, Saché," Amidala replied.

Saché's eyes widened. "When?"

"Five minutes before the explosion."

Saché winced. "No," she whispered. She looked back to the holoscreen and asked, "Have they said what legislation Senator Morena was helping to draft?"

"It had to do with the standardization and regulation of transport of various goods in the galaxy," Eirtaé said.

Saché looked up at the Queen. "This cannot be the Trade Federation," she said. "We are too well protected in the Senate for them to try that . . . Could it be the Commerce Guild?"

"It is possible," Amidala replied. "The Trade and Transport Regulation Act would lay to rest the trade problems that have arisen in recent years due to the Commerce Guild's meddling in transportation. The Guild has always set the costs of using their transportation for goods at outrageous rates, but recently they have been imposing a high tax on all entities who contract other transportation services when dealing with the Guild. These tariffs have begun to choke out the smaller transport companies, and even the larger ones are beginning to suffer.

"Senator Morena was the leader of a group of Senators who contracted an independent analysis of the Guild's current economic status. Those economists came to the conclusion that this was an attempt at monopoly. This bill, if made into law, will take transport out of the hands of the Guild and put it in the hands of independent transport companies, unrelated to the Commerce Guild."

"Then this would have prevented the Commerce Guild's attempts at a vertical monopoly," Saché said.

The Queen nodded. "That is correct." She looked very sad, and older than her years as she continued, "This is all speculation, of course, but who is involved is of little importance at the moment. The larger issue is that we have a dead Senator."

"Your Highness, it does matter who is involved," Captain Panaka interjected. "If we are dealing with the

 

*~*~*~*

The lonely hours passed with only the sound of a speeder's engine to keep Saché company. The Queen had offered her a pilot and escort, but she had refused. The reason she had given the Queen was that she did not wish to inconvenience anyone, but her real reason was that she wanted something to keep her mind off the recent events as she traveled several hours to the lake country, and that something would be flying a speeder. So far, that tactic had been largely unsuccessful.

The beautiful Naboo landscape flew past Saché as she traveled, and she was surprised when she arrived at the magnificent waterfalls near her family's estate. It was nearing nightfall, so she hurried home, racing the brilliant red sun. The first stars of evening were just beginning to twinkle and shine as she arrived at home.

Just as she was shutting down the speeder, a young woman arrived at the door of the house. Saché smiled broadly at the sight of her youngest sister, Loré. "Saché!" the girl cried. As she got out of the speeder, her sister turned back to the house and shouted, "Mother! Father! Reané! Kallé!"

Saché embraced her sister with a little surprise. "Hello, Loré," she said. "Is it just me, or are you taller than me now?"

Loré smiled broadly. "Yes! I'm the tallest now, save Father, of course."

"Hard to believe," Saché replied, "but I'm glad you inherited Father's height. The rest of us seem doomed to being short."

Loré laughed. "What are you doing home so early, Saché? We weren't expecting you for another three weeks."

Before Saché could answer, the rest of her family appeared at the door. "Saché!" her mother cried. "Saché, what a surprise!"

After exchanging embraces with her parents and other sisters, she explained, "After the terrorist act yesterday, Captain Panaka would not let Her Highness leave the palace. She asked me to move my trip up a few weeks so I could meet with Senator Morena's widow."

She looked at her father, whose expression was very sad. "It is a sad business," he replied as the family made its way into the house. "Does the Queen suspect anyone?"

"As of yet, no one has claimed responsibility for it," Saché said. "But we suspect the Commerce Guild."

Her father nodded. "A wise suspicion. That is what I would have recommended."

They entered a small sitting room, and Saché took her usual place on her father's right. "Has there been any news in the last few hours? I did not listen to the reports on the way here."

He shook his head again, but before he could reply, Saché's mother interrupted. "Saché, you just came home. Can you not wait a few minutes at least before you discuss your job with your father?"

Saché smiled sadly. "I wish I could, Mother," she replied, "but the Queen has asked me to stay informed during my visit here."

Her mother shook her head. "Honestly, Saché, you would think that the Queen would let you have some real time off."

"Mother, this crisis will hopefully be over soon, the culprits responsible apprehended, and I will have some real time off," Saché replied patiently. Her mother respected the Queen greatly, Saché knew, but she also wanted her daughter to have time to herself, and time away from work. It was a delicate balance at times.

"Oh, it is no matter," her mother replied. "The Queen only wants you to do what is best for the planet, and if this means working from here, I can allow it. Come, it is time for dinner."

*~*~*~*

Later that evening, Saché began to unpack her belongings as she attempted to absorb more of the things she had watched after dinner. There had been more horrifying images - a security camera recording the actual explosion itself, the footage of dead and injured being transported to hospitals, and the burned-out ruins of Senator Morena's office. Saché was amazed that anyone had survived.

She spent much of the next few minutes trying to compose her thoughts on what to say to Morena's widow as she removed clothing from her bags. She had difficulty keeping focused, and she had jus

 

*~*~*~*

The next morning, Saché awoke to find several messages from the Queen. During the night where Saché was, Amidala had chosen Morena's successor - not surprisingly, she had selected Tolwe, Mayor of Theed and former Representative in the Naboo Parliament. Included among her messages was a set of new security measures. Saché sighed as she read them. The Queen and Sabé were most certainly bristling under the restrictions these measures brought.

Her trip to Thalien passed with little incidence. Senator Morena's widow was relatively calm, but she had gone into deep mourning. All the words Saché had come up with on her way to Thalien seemed trite when she saw the widow, so the two merely talked for several hours about many things. When Saché finally said that she had to go, the widow thanked her for her time and condolences, and said that her support would always be behind Queen Amidala.

Back at home, Saché found herself cloistered for the rest of the day, except for dinner. She spent most of the day in her room, attempting to read, or merely sitting on the window seat and staring out at the waterfalls in the distance. Finally, very late that night, she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said, remaining at the window.

She looked over her shoulder to see her youngest sister Loré at the door. "What is it, Loré?" she asked.

The tall young woman entered the room and sat in a chair. "How did your meeting with Morena's widow go?" she asked.

Saché shrugged. "It was all right. We didn't talk about the Senator much, and I got the impression that she appreciated that."

Loré nodded. "Most of her visits have probably been centered on the Senator's death. She was probably happy to talk about something else with someone."

"I think you may be right," the older sister said. "I was happy to talk about something else myself. I'm tired of seeing the news reports."

"Then don't watch them."

Saché laughed. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way."

Loré smiled, and a long time passed before she said, "Saché, I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"Certainly. What do you need?"

"Well, I'm sure you know that I was accepted to the University of Theed," Loré said, a broad smile on her face. "I'd like to visit the campus sometime before school starts."

Saché smiled. "I will arrange it for you in the morning, Loré."

The younger girl stood up, crossed the floor and took Saché's hand. "You're such a dear, Saché. I wish you could be around more."

She looked up at the girl. "Thank you, Loré, and I wish I could be here at home more too. But the Queen needs me, and I serve at her pleasure."

Loré did not look entirely conviced. "Well, as long as you're happy doing what you do, I guess that's the important part. But I will be able to see you more often when I am at school in Theed."

Saché stood, and the pair headed to the door. "No, for you will be working very hard at the University. But I do hope to see you while you are there."

"Good." Loré kissed her sister's cheek. "Good night, Saché."

"Good night, Loré."

Saché went to bed not long after, hoping that the rest of her stay here would be relatively uneventful as she looked forward to her return to Theed and subsequent visit to Alderaan.

*~*~*~*

A few weeks passed quietly, and Saché found herself becoming more and more eager to return to Theed, where she would be of some use to the Queen. But as it was, her stay in the lake country was hardly uneventful, though less active than her life at the palace.

Just a few days before she was set to return to Theed, her younger sisters convinced her to take a day trip with them into Thalien. Saché was rather reluctant to do so, but at the very least, she would be giving Kallé and Loré some supervision, which, according to Reané, was becoming more and more necessary. For Kallé, it was not so completely imperative, but Loré could sometimes be quite a handful. Saché could only hope that her youngest sister would calm down before coming to school at Theed, where t

 

*~*~*~*

Navinos Calana was as charming as could be expected as they walked from the speeder garage up to the house. There was a covered walkway leading up the hill, but on such a beautiful day, Saché preferred to take the long way up to the front of the house. Navinos made a few comments about what had and had not changed.

Saché's sisters reached the house first, and she heard Loré call out to her mother and father. She saw her older sister through the door, coming down the stairs. "Loré," Reané said. "Please, there's no reason to yell."

Saché and Navinos walked in, and Loré said, "Oh yes, there is, Reané, and I'm sure you'll agree when you see who we found in town."

Reané looked over at Saché and smiled. "Someone you met in Theed, Saché?"

Saché laughed. "No, sister, this is someone we knew a long time ago. Perhaps you remember Navinos Calana?"

Reané stopped on the bottom step and stared. "Navinos? Little Navi?"

"Hello, Reané," the man said.

She stepped off the bottom stair as he walked up to her. "Oh, Navinos, it's so good to see you again!" Navinos hugged her politely, and she said, "You have to tell us what you've been doing since you left. We've missed you so much!"

He laughed. "I believe I understood from your youngest sister that you are to be married."

Reané blushed. "Yes, the wedding is in six months."

"I suppose you have everything planned already, if you're anything like you were as a little girl."

All four girls laughed. Saché answered him. "Navinos, I'm afraid that Reané wants everything to be perfect for her wedding, so she keeps changing her mind."

He laughed. "I think I can understand that."

Reané smiled. "Navinos, our family is about to have dinner. I for one would be delighted if you would join us."

Navinos grasped the eldest sister's hand and kissed it. "The delight is all mine."

*~*~*~*

After dinner, Reané proposed that she and Saché and Navinos watch the late sunset from the waterfalls, but before they could leave, Reané's future mother-in-law contacted her. Saché and Navinos went alone. As comfortable as Saché had been with the man in the company of her family, she was more prone to being quiet, as she usually was, now that they were alone.

Yet it wasn't until he took her hand to help her out of the speeder and their eyes met that she felt truly uncomfortable. She remembered his eyes very clearly, and now there was something in them that bothered her. She knew better than to expect him not to have changed at all over the years since he had left Naboo, but the open honesty she had come to expect from people she knew was missing. It was as if he was hiding something, though she knew not what.

They stood on the towering cliffs that banked the waterfalls for a long time, and the sun had nearly set before Navinos spoke. "So what do you do to occupy yourself, Saché?" he asked.

"I am a handmaiden to Her Highness Queen Amidala," Saché replied.

"Well, that is indeed impressive," Navinos said. "How long have you been in her service, then?"

"Since the beginning," she said. "I was with her at her first inauguration."

He smiled. "I understood that to be her only inauguration."

Saché swept her gaze across the vast medows below them. "We do not expect her to find much opposition when she runs again next year. As of now, Governor Marsenne is the only person to have filed to form an election committee, other than the Queen, of course."

Navinos seemed more intent on watching her than the sunset, but Saché tried her best to ignore it. Somehow she had no desire to give such attentions any notice, but she also knew that he would be persistent, if nothing else. But he did not pursue romantic subjects, as she had expected; instead, he asked, "What does a handmaiden do, anyway?"

"We are above all to serve at the Queen's pleasure," she replied, easily. "Beyond that, we are her companions, her aides, and her guards."

"Then you lead a strenuous life," he commented.

"At times, yes," Saché said, "but it is worth

 

And finally something completely new.

*~*~*~*

In the days leading up to the Trade Summit, the entire palace at Aldera was abuzz with excitement. Prince Organa managed to run the preparations with comparable ease, but as the day approached when the first delegation would arrive, he found himself as eager as anyone else in the palace.

The Queen of Naboo would be arriving a few days early. Officially, it was to discuss some galactic issues that concerned the pacifist allies, but most of it was just a social call. Of course, among the Queen's entourage would be the handmaiden Saché. She was an interesting person, and one of the few women he had ever met who was at once very feminine and yet still able to competently function in politics, a world dominated by men. In this she was much like her Queen. Bail had to admit that she hadn't occupied his every waking moment since his return, but barely a day had passed when he hadn't been in his conservatory and thought about the clavaria that the Queen would be bringing. Attending those thoughts were, naturally, thoughts of the handmaiden who played it so well.

Bail was in the conservatory on the morning when the party from Naboo was to arrive, and his brother found him there, taking him by surprise. Bail addressed his brother cautiously. "Is there something you need, Marek?"

The younger Prince was silent for several long moments. "Bail, I think you know what I want to speak with you about," he finally said.

The older man bristled. Among the many things that had distracted his thoughts from the charms of the young Naboo beauty and her musicianship was a problem with Prince Marek. He had spent nearly a year on the other side of the planet, and in the interim he had met a young woman of low birth and little fortune. Marek now believed himself to be in love with her, and he wanted to marry her. Such a marriage was totally unacceptable in the royal house of Alderaan, but Marek did not seem to understand that. "You know my opinion on the matter, Marek," Bail replied. "I will not waver."

His brother closed his eyes. "Bail, you used to be reasonable."

"Marek, you used to be sensible!" Bail exclaimed. "Now you've allowed yourself to be ensnared by some foolish infatuation, and you're ready to ruin the family with it."

"Ruin the family?" Marek repeated, walking up to Bail and talking very softly. "Bail, what happened to you? Why this pride?"

The elder Prince glared at his brother. "I do not answer to you, Marek. I have to greet the Queen of Naboo. If you care to join me, you are welcome to do so, but otherwise I must ask you not to waste any more of my time with your childish pursuits."

The brothers walked in silence to the landing plaza, which had been secured for Amidala's arrival. Several members of the Alderaanian parliament were already there, gathered around their mother, the Queen. At the appearance of the Princes, the Senators stepped aside. "Bail, Marek," the older woman said.

Bail took his mother's hand and kissed her cheek. "Good evening, Mother."

So far the Princes had been able to keep the affair with the girl out of the public eye, and out of their mother's knowledge, but they had not been so successful in keeping it away from their younger sister, who was just joining the group. Princess Nayeli was tall and beautiful, like most things on Alderaan, but she was also stubborn, outspoken, and at times a nuisance to her brothers. In public she was perfect, everything a Princess should be, but in private she had no qualms about telling her brothers what to do. Nayeli had always been able to convince Marek of things, so Bail had half-hoped that she would side with him on this issue. Unfortunately, she did not.

As the royal family and the Senators attending them waited on the cobblestone plaza, a familiar chrome ship appeared on the horizon, above the collonade that surrounded the clearing. Several minutes later, the ship landed, and Bail and those with him approached it. The ramp descended, and out stepped

 

Hurray! I've caught up again! And I'm very glad I did... it's been far too long since I read one of your Naboo stories, Mely my dear. Somehow they always seem so poetic and beautiful, like the planet itself. Your writing is, as always, descriptive and graceful. And even though I've never known how to play an instrument other than a CD player, I adore how you've intertwined music into the story. Just adds to the beauty of it all.

Hmm... wonder what the deal is with that Navinos guy... and shame on Bail for not keeping his eyes to himself. Also, I love the way you've written Saché; she's really believable, and of course I feel for her, having to get up in front of all those people and play for them. Poor lass.

Fantastic job!

 

Starting to see the connection between this and Jane Eyre... the princess almost being Blanche Ingram... and Sache comparing herself to her like that...

 

This is great Melyanna.

 

"The handmaiden wanted desperately to refuse, but when she made the mistake of looking up at Prince Organa, she saw that he was in earnest about it."

"He is in earnest."

"In most profound earnest."

"And hath challenged thee."

"Most sincerely."


Okay, the context of that was a little off, but... still.


Oooh, methinks Sache will not be happy about Bail's conduct in the garden if he ever finds out his attitude towards his brother having feelings for a commoner

 

Oooh, cool. Bail Organa is going to seem like a hypocrite anytime soon...but will he escape being misunderstood?

 

Hmm, do I see a parallel here? Bail chides his younger brother for 'believing' that he has fallen in love with a girl of low birth and little fortune. Their mother, the Queen of Alderaan, has not ordered places to be set for the Handmaidens, probably believing them to be equally unworthy of regard? I liked the way that it was Prince Bail, not the Queen, who gave orders to the servants to rectify the 'oversight'.

I can't wait to see what his mother will say about Bail falling for one of those Handmaidens. Would I be wrong in wondering if his 'pride' came from her?

It was rather funny, the way Saché was singing about the ascension of a humble servant to Princess of Alderaan -- right there in front of the royal family -- with Bail obviously delighting in the song, and then his little sister teasing him. And after the song, he keeps looking at Saché -- wonder what his sister is going to say about that! Little sisters can be the most awful teases, and Nayali sounds exceptionally spritely.

Looking forward to more, as always!

 

Hi Melyanna, I've been meaning to read this for a while now and I'm very glad that I finally did. You're telling a lovely and descriptive story here, and I can't wait to read more of it. I love your characterization of Saché, and your descriptions of the clavaria. Keep up the great work!

Re the latest post: I wonder if Bail realizes what a hypocrite he sounds like.

 

Okay, I don't have time to do individual replies right at the moment, but thank you all for reading - especially those of you who are new!

Ooh, a post so soon? I spoil you.

*~*~*~*

Late that night, Saché found herself wide awake, which was not an unusual occurance for her. She tended to keep later hours, especially when away from the palace at Theed. Even though she knew she needed her sleep for the next morning, when Queen Amidala had a full schedule, Saché left the room she shared with Sabé and quietly slipped through the hallways, exploring the palace and trying to find a place to sit and think. Unfortunately, the only place she actually knew of was the sitting room where she had entertained the Alderaanians that night. That was the last place she wanted to go now, so she had to wander around.

Saché was about to give up entirely when she walked into a short corridor and saw a woman standing at the end of it. She turned around to quickly retreat, but a voice called out to her. "Can I help you?"

Saché froze, wanting desperately to just disappear, but she turned around anyway. To her surprise, Princess Nayeli was at the end of the corridor. "No, Your Highness," she said. "I apologize for disturbing you."

The beautiful Alderaanian smiled broadly. "You have not disturbed me, Handmaiden." After a short pause, she added. "Will you not walk with me?"

Saché knew better than to affront royalty, so she nodded and silently joined the taller woman. The Princess eventually said, "I fear I did not learn your name earlier this evening."

The handmaiden replied. "My name is Saché, milady."

"That is a lovely name, Saché," Princess Nayeli replied, "but do handmaidens on Naboo not have last names?"

Saché smiled. "Not to the public, milady," she said. "It is largely a matter of security. The Captain of the Queen's Royal Guard would prefer it if no one knew our names, save Her Highness."

"Is your job so very vital that such security is needed?"

Saché had heard that question many times in her life, but Princess Nayeli's voice conveyed curiosity rather than the disdain or skepticism the question usually implied. "Much of our work for Her Highness is classified, milady," she replied. "Certainly, we help her with her appearance, but we are also her aides in all areas."

The Princess was genuinely interested, and Saché couldn't help but reflect how very different she was from her oldest brother. "Do you have specialties, Saché?"

"We were chosen for our varied backgrounds, if that is what you mean, Princess," she replied.

"What is yours?" Nayeli continued.

Saché straightened her shoulders slightly. "I am Queen Amidala's chief political advisor, milady."

"Then I must compliment you," the Princess replied, "for I am certain you had your hand in the selection of Senator Tolwe."

The handmaiden nodded. "Yes, milady, we all did. Thank you."

"My brother would be most interested to hear that, I believe," Nayeli continued. "He has spoken of you to me before, but only as a talented musician."

Saché blushed. "My work as political advisor is largely private, Your Highness."

"I see." After a short pause, the Princess added, "I hope someday that your abilities in the world of politics can take a more public role."

"Thank you, milady," she murmured, unsure of how to reply to that.

She found she did not need to, for the Alderaanian soon spoke again. "My brother has that same gift, as did our father." She laughed softly. "If you combined the personalities of my brothers, you would have the perfect Viceroy."

"Whatever do you mean, Your Highness?" Saché asked.

"My eldest brother is an ideal Senator, Saché, but he lacks certain . . . social graces that the younger of my brothers possesses."

Almost before she realized that she had opened her mouth, she said, "I can well believe that, milady."

Nayeli laughed, a sweet, silvery sound that reminded Saché of home. "And what did my brother do?"

Saché froze in place; all she could remember was the night

 

""I hope someday that your abilities in the world of politics can take a more public role."

Gimme an F!

Gimme an O!

Gimme an R!

Gimme an E!

Gimme a SHADOWING!

What's that spell?!?!

FORESHADOWING!!!

**cough** Um... yeah. I was a cheerleader in another life. Then again... that's not very likely


Gotta love those observant sisters.

 

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to have heard you say that I have no tact,"

Ha! Gotta love the teasing between siblings. Nayeli seems like a nice sister, maybe she can knock some sense into Bail's head.

Great post!

 

You like her, Bail, just say it... Hehe... hope Sache can accept the social differences if not Bail...

 

A new post so soon? You're spoiling us, Melyanna -- keep it up!

I liked the detail that the Handmaidens' last names were kept secret for reasons of security.

And Princess Nayeli should be careful what she wishes for. I think it won't be too long before Saché's abilities in the world of politics can take a more public role.

I also liked the detail of Nayeli's laugh, how it was sweet and silvery and reminded Saché of home. Home ... sisters ... Nayeli could become a sister-in-law soon ...

But best of all was Nayeli teasing Bail, and him getting all stuffy, and then this statement: but this reaction was the one that told her she would eventually win this argument.

Wonderful!

 

Inwardly, she smiled. Nayeli didn't know if her brother had ever figured this out, but this reaction was the one that told her she would eventually win this argument. "You like her," she said, allowing a small smirk as she walked off.

To her delight, he didn't deny it.

Excellent posts Mel! The twist of Marek's 'infatuation' certainly adds some interesting dynamics to the drama. The conversation between Bail and his sister was so intriguing, I can't wait to read some equally heated dialogue between Bail and Marek.


Beautifully written and ever so fun to read!

 

nice

 

To her delight, he didn't deny it.

Muahaha.

Aaaand UP!