- CASTLES CRUMBLING (A.S.) -

- 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 -

i'll hold you when things go wrong, i'll be with you from dusk 'till dawn.

STEPPING OUT OF PADMÉ'S silver H-type Nubian yacht, Regina was immediately blinded by the brightness that was Tatooine's surface. Regina allowed her eyes to adjust to her surroundings before getting a good look at what lay before her.

They were nestled in a small space dock in Mos Espa—Skywalker's former hometown. The place in which Skywalker had landed their ship was an enclosed, circular lot full of droids and the workers.

They'd been left alone for the most part but Regina knew that Skywalker had ordered some work done on Padmé's ship. In fact, Regina could see two droids arguing about something under the bridge of the starship.

Regina shook her head and diverted her gaze to Skywalker as he spoke.

"If you two wait here, I'll get us some transportation," Skywalker said as Padmé emerged from the ship. Regina glanced at the senator who was nodding at Skywalker in agreement. "I'll be back."

Regina opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Skywalker started away, toward the inside of the repair shop. Regina watched him go.

She needed to talk to him. They'd had no chance, and it was vitally important that they did. After they'd asked Padmé what she thought about Skywalker's quest—she'd been more than eager to help him find his mother—they'd had no time alone. And Regina knew how bad that was. They needed to have a conversation.

"Quite the change from Naboo, isn't it?" Padmé remarked, pulling her grey hood over her face, shielding herself from the scorching sunlight that beat upon them.

"I can't imagine how anyone can live here," Regina remarked, shielding her eyes with an outstretched hand.

It explains a lot about Skywalker, she thought to herself.

At that moment, Regina could see his form walking back in their direction, this time accompanied by a small cart, pulled by yet another droid. Beside her, R2-D2 chirped warily, as if wondering how all four of them were going to fit into the cart.

"I'm with you, Artoo," Regina muttered. From the looks of it, the thing wasn't large. If they squished, perhaps they could fit in the very, but that was a big "if."

"Do you know where we need to go, Ani?" Padmé questioned as Skywalker came to a halt in front of the two women. He nodded in response.

"It's quite a walk from here," he explained. "Which is why I brought the cart. If you both will come with me, we can be on our way."

With another look at each other, Regina and Padmé followed Skywalker and the cart to the outside of the compound, R2 not far behind.

Once outside, and on the direct heat of the sun, Skywalker helped Padmé into the cart. As she settled herself, Skywalker glanced at Regina.

"We need to talk, when this is all over," he whispered, offering her his hand.

"That's what I was thinking," she whispered back, accepting his gesture. He gave her a worried look before helping her into the cart. As soon as Regina was seated, Skywalker slid into the spot beside her. Like Regina had predicted, it was a tight fit, but they made it. 

"Stay with the ship, Artoo," Skywalker instructed the blue-and-white astromech. That order received a string of stubborn chirps, but the droid relented and rolled back into the building.

"Where are we going?" Padmé questioned as soon as the droid started pulling the cart along.

"To see my former master," replied Skywalker grimly with no small amount of resentment in his voice. Regina shot Skywalker a look out of the corner of her eye, trying to get a read on him. This had to be difficult. Growing up in the Temple, Regina had heard the stories about Skywalker and how he'd been a slave before being rescued by the now-deceased Qui-Gon Jinn and his then-Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Because of those rumors, and because of Skywalker's age when he'd joined the Order—along with other reasons—he'd been excluded and gossiped about by a majority of the Padawans. While Regina didn't necessarily participate in the excluding, she certainly had heard the stories.