Chapter Text
The call of the worrt rooster marked the dawn over Tatooine. As usual, people got up early in the Lars house, so that you could already hear Owen's footsteps going to check his vaporizers and Beru heading to the kitchen on the lower floor. Padmé was preparing to join her in-laws, but first, at the girl's request, she needed to braid Leia's hair into two side buns. Luke, however, decided not to wait any longer for his mother and sister and ran happily downstairs.
Sometimes she marveled at how quickly the twins had grown; it seemed like only yesterday when they were mere babies in her arms. Now they were a pair of little brats quite capable of causing major mischief on their own, much to the horror of her and their aunt and uncle.
Leia happily talked about how Owen had allowed her and Luke to help repair one of the farm's droids, which seemed to be her newest interest. Luke also liked droids, but his real passion was spaceships.
"I hope school goes by quickly," the girl said. She wanted to get back to help her uncle as soon as possible, though she feared math class would make this one of those days that went by slower than a bantha with injured paws.
"Don't get distracted by that all the time; pay attention to Aari's class," Padmé warned, finishing her hair.
"I will, Mama," Leia agreed, giving her most innocent smile, which could only mean she would not fulfill what was said.
Torn between exasperation and amusement, Padmé got out of bed with her daughter and went to help Beru with breakfast. Soon, the twins were tasked with calling their uncle to join them at the dinner table.
Beru sighed, shaking her head. "He has all day to do it, and he chooses as soon as he wakes up."
Beru routinely fretted about her husband's overwork, though her complaints were tempered by the fact that she herself was constantly working on machinery maintenance for others in the neighborhood. For many years, Padmé had helped them both with the farm work, but since Aari Stardurst offered her a job at a small school in Anchorhead, she had less time to devote as much as before, which constantly distressed her despite their assurances that she already did enough. However, at least it also meant the twins would have a free schooling place now and, more importantly, daily socializing with others their age.
As she placed the blue milk jug on the table, Owen, led by two smiling children, entered the room. The corners of Padmé's lips also ended up lifting in a faint smile, which seemed to cheer them both up even more, always determined to make their mother as happy as possible. Keeping an eye on the clock so as not to lose track of time, Padmé quickly ate her bread. Meanwhile, Luke divided his attention between food and the small toy ship he'd received from Obi-Wan the day before.
Owen eyed the boy's toy with displeasure; it was no secret in the family that the man harbored little affection for the Jedi neighbor. He was wary of any attempts at rapprochement from Kenobi, fearing that one day his nephews would follow the same path that led to their father's ruin. Although he had welcomed his sister-in-law without complaint, he had been relieved when the Jedi quickly found another place to live. His feelings were further justified by Padmé's latent discomfort around Obi-Wan, especially in those early years. Unfortunately, however, she had never forbidden him from interacting with the children.
Choosing to ignore her brother-in-law's concerns, Padmé refrained from commenting on the ship. It was moments like these that reminded her so much of Anakin, and as the twins grew, they became more and more frequent. They both looked so much like their father that sometimes it hurt. She imagined what it would be like if they could have been the family they wanted, her Ani would have loved them so much. Suddenly, her bread seemed much harder to swallow, her mind insisting on wandering far away. It was Leia who, noticing her mother's distant look, alerted her that they had finished eating and could go now.
"See you later, Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru," Luke said, waving to them both as he climbed into the speeder. A few moments later, the boy turned to Padmé and asked, "Can I help drive this time?"
"No way," she replied, ruffling his hair affectionately.
The school where Padmé worked was quite simple, located in the same place where Aari lived. The students were mostly children of farmers from the humidity and a few merchants from the city. The tuition wasn't that expensive, but it still wasn't easy for anyone on Tatooine to afford. Both she and Miss Stardurst were saddened by the fact, and if it weren't for they both also needed to support themselves, they would have liked to offer free classes. Padmé was especially concerned about saving money, determined to eventually get a small house to live with the twins without having to forever abuse the Lars' hospitality. Not to mention that the room they slept in would soon become inadequate for three people, and she didn't want to burden her in-laws with the expense of building new rooms in the house.
Her heart warmed at the sight of her students' faces, and she mentally congratulated herself on making the right choice when Aari approached her. Padmé was initially unsure if she could handle the position, having never worked with children before, but her colleague insisted on hiring her, arguing that there were few people as capable as her. She wasn't wrong; having previously worked as a politician, Padmé had received far more education than most people on Tatooine ever would.
"Mrs. Skywalker, will you be receiving the essays you assigned in last class today?" a young Twi'lek asked. The little girl's classmates quickly gave her reproachful looks.
"Yes, I will, so I hope everyone did," she replied calmly, receiving a few sounds of discouragement.
Yes, this was the distraction she needed from her daily life. When she arrived on the planet, Padmé was too depressed to care about anything, and each day she spent alive felt like torture. It was Owen and Beru's hard work and the love of her children that gradually lifted her spirits, so it was comforting that she had now developed a routine to fall back on.
To the dismay of the forgetful, the flimsi sheets from the galactic history essay were soon collected.
Luke found math incredibly boring, and if it weren't for his mother's insistence that the subject was indispensable for anyone interested in engineering, he wouldn't have bothered paying attention in those classes. This, and also because if he started doing poorly in the assignments, he was certain Leia would double down on her studies to surpass him, and there was no way he could let his sister win at anything. So the boy had no choice but to do his best to keep his eyes open, even though all he wanted at the moment was to play with Biggs.
"Let's ask to visit Uncle Ben after school," Leia whispered, leaning toward him as the teacher wrote on the board.
"Do you think he can make more model ships?" Luke asked happily. Visiting Ben was always fun; they usually got something or went home with the promise of a new toy. The man also told them stories about life outside Tatooine and, if they caught him on the right day, even let slip something about their father. Luke especially enjoyed hearing about his father, but he was afraid of annoying his mother and his friend by asking too many questions, so he clung to any little information they gave him. He wanted to one day become a pilot like his father and Ben.
"I hope so, you're the only one who got one this time. That's unfair," the girl said, grimacing resentfully.
"Maybe he likes me more," Luke teased.
"No chance, laserbrain," Leia replied, patting her brother on the shoulder.
When Miss Stardurst turned away, they went back to pretending to pay attention to the writing on the board. By the end, Luke was drooling with his head resting on his arms, while Leia daydreamed about Owen's droids.
Classes ended in the afternoon to ensure the students' safety. The desert was dangerous at night, teeming with dangerous creatures and sometimes hostile Tusken Raiders, and many needed to cross it to return home so they couldn't be released too late. This timing was actually quite common, even followed by Tibidon Station, where Obi-Wan currently worked.
Padmé gathered her materials in her bag and headed to the next room to fetch Luke and Leia. The children rushed to meet her and instantly bombarded her with the day's news, which consisted mostly of sad complaints about the Hutts' meaningless number system and how complicated it was to match their calculations to the galactic standard and Leia's jokes about how Mina Nightshade gazed passionately at Luke—all of which were met with indignation and embarrassment from her brother.
However, before they could leave, the twins began to glance at each other nervously, as if disputing who should approach her.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Padmé asked curiously, bracing herself for a confession about some past misdeed.
"Can we visit Uncle Ben before we leave?" Leia was the one who finally asked. Although visiting her father's friend was customary, they always felt a little intimidated to ask, acutely aware of their mother's complicated feelings toward the man, even if they didn't know her reasons. She wondered if the adults would ever trust them enough to tell them about all these things.
Padmé's gaze softened, and she agreed to the request as she always did. The truth was, she liked that Obi-Wan encouraged the children's dreams, and she wanted them to one day be able to go out into the world safely. But, like Owen, she worried that the Jedi was still planning to use her children as nothing more than a means to defeat the Sith. Besides, a part of her had never stopped resenting the man for killing Anakin. Padmé liked to imagine what it would have been like if Obi-Wan hadn't appeared behind her on Mustafar. For a moment, she thought she was almost able to convince her husband to change his mind.
They said goodbye to Aari and walked through Anchorhead to where Obi-Wan was picking up his eopie. The three arrived just in time, as the man appeared to be getting ready to leave.
"Uncle Ben, Uncle Ben!" the twins shouted as soon as they saw him, running to hug him.
"Kids, what a surprise. How are you?" Obi-Wan asked. His manner remained as affected as ever; to an onlooker, the man always seemed to be carrying a heavy burden. Her mother often looked the same, so Leia dedicated herself to cheering her up. She tried to do the same for Ben, too; at least he seemed happy when they visited.
"We're fine, and you?" the girl replied. "When we get home, we're going to repair a droid with Uncle Owen."
"Thanks for the toy ship, Uncle Ben," Luke added.
"You're welcome, Luke. I'm fine, Leia. I'm glad you're having fun."
Leia took the opportunity to comment on how only Luke had received a gift, and was soon assured that she would also receive a model ship. Padmé tried to scold her for not demanding things that way, but the man dismissed her concerns and assured her everything was fine.
They held Obi-Wan for a while longer, but eventually had to say goodbye so they could return before the end of the afternoon. Luke and Leia hugged him goodbye, while Padmé nodded in thanks. But just a few steps after leaving the place, two figures dressed entirely in black appeared, pushing their way through the crowd.
"Move, now," a male voice said. "Out of the way."
Padmé gripped the twins' hands tighter, her heart racing as she recognized the pattern on their uniforms. She had heard of these people before, the so-called Inquisitors. Imperial agents who used the dark side of the Force to hunt Jedi. The woman wondered if they had somehow discovered Obi-Wan's location. But whatever had brought them there, she now had to focus on keeping her children safe. She tried to relax, forcing herself to wear the expressionless mask she had perfected during her years as Queen Amidala.
Noticing their mother's agitation, Luke and Leia also fell silent and huddled toward her.
"You know why we are here. There's a Jedi hiding on this planet." With these words, Luke looked curiously at the stranger. At school, they sometimes told stories about Jedi, saying they had magical powers. Once, he asked his mother if they had actually existed; she said yes but didn't elaborate. "We need to know where he is; you will be rewarded well."
At that moment, the other inquisitor interrupted him and warned, "Or you will be punished!"
"Reva!" the man shouted, apparently also finding his partner unpleasant.
"Hands go first!" she continued despite her companion's indignation, then went on to describe in detail the punishment she would mete out to anyone who refused to cooperate.
"This is the Outer Rim," a woman in the crowd interjected. Padmé stared at her fearfully, realizing this wouldn't end well. "You have no rights here. We're not under the Empire's…"
With a single stroke, the Inquisitor fulfilled her promise and cut off the hand of the person who dared criticize her. The smell of burning flesh filled the air and the twins screamed in terror, clutching their mother tightly, while Padmé tried to keep them from looking. In the background, the Imperial continued speaking, but all she could think about was how unsafe they were. She hoped they would leave quickly, before she broke down and ended up exposing her fears to the Force.
However, luck was not on Padmé's side today, as the Inquisitor stopped and began to look directly at her. Using all her remaining self-control, she tried to keep her mind clear and her expression composed. She could only hope that none of the Imperials recognized her; it would be difficult to explain what a former senator, presumed dead, was up to doing something hidden on Tatooine.
"Do you know something?" the inquisitor asked her. Padmé simply denied, while the twins trembled at Reva's attention. "What's your name?"
Slowly, Padmé raised her head to look her directly in the eyes. "Veré.”