❝ Don't you dare look out your window, darling, everything's on fire
The war outside our door keeps raging on
Hold onto this lullaby even when the music's gone, gone ❞
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A New Dawn
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A gentle breeze reminded Cori'iana to breathe as she stood in front of her people for the last time. She smiled brightly and waved affectionately to all the citizens of Naboo that had turned up to the ceremony for the peaceful transfer of power. The tradition was something that had always happened in Naboo's existence. For it was best not to let all the power belong to one person for too long. It was a notion with which Cori'iana agreed for it was a better strategy to represent the people, in her opinion.
Senator Sheev Palpatine then announced her to come forward to speak to her people for the final time. The older man hadn't been one of Cori'iana's favorite advisors during her time as queen. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about him that she couldn't bring herself to fully trust. Perhaps it was all the meetings with Kodo before and after the last election. Maybe it was the whispers he shared with her grandmother behind her back. It could even be the fact that he had pressured her to take a firmer hold on Baethea. But perhaps it was simply because he had been senator far too long and it would be better for someone with a fresh vision to represent Naboo and elicit change.
He had never spoken unkind words to her nor had he done anything deliberately awful to her. Then again, it wasn't easy to earn Cori'iana's trust and if you earned it and burned that bridge, it was lost forever. More so when she became queen. She had meant her words to Padme to be careful whom she because friends with and trusted. Being queen made people hide their true identities in favor of the ones they wished to be seen.
Making eye contact with Senator Palpatine, Cori'iana nodded her head toward him before approaching the dais from where she was to speak. It truly was a bittersweet moment. Cori'iana had spent the last week memorizing her speech, but the words that had been written on the page hardly seemed important enough now. So, she made the decision, at the last moment, to speak from the heart rather than the speech that had been prepared for her and edited to suit everyone else's expectations.
"Dear citizens of Naboo," Cori'iana spoke. "Or rather, if I may be permitted to call you, my friends." Cheers erupted from the crowd and Cori'iana dare not look at her grandmother, lest she lose her drive to speak from the heart. But she could practically feel her grandmother's stern glare upon her.
"Over my past two years as queen, I feel that I have come to know many of you as friends rather than simply the people to whom I serve. Friends share their ups and downs together. They grow side by side and continue to hold hope even when it seems like there is none to be had. We have been through much together these last couple of years and I will forever be grateful for the support you have shown me."
