(Star Wars) ~ Come Closer

fourteen

"Pardon me, your Highness..."

The Emperor turned his attention away from his beautiful empress and their meal to see D9G3 standing there, a clone trooper flanking the protocol droid. "What is it, Dee-Nine?"

"My clique caught a child trespassing through the palace grounds, Majesty." The clone bowed at the waist, his voice gruff as it came through the helmet's vocalizer. "Shall we imprison her for trespassing or let her go?"

"Did you say the trespasser was a child?" The Empress raised a brow at the cloner; it was the annoying droid that answered her. "He did indeed, Empress Vader." Her husband glared at the droid before turning his attention back to his wife, his gaze softening instantly. "What do you think, my Queen?" His voice lost its edge completely, feeling his fingers slip into his. "Should we release her or see how she got in?" She glanced down at their hands, silent as she thought for a moment. "It's a girl?"

"Affirmative, ma'am." The captain stood at attention, eager to serve the Imperial couple. The Emperor and Empress rose from their seats at their dinner table, the matriarch being the one to speak. "Go ahead and have the child to the throne room." Her husband brought her hand to his lips then turned to the captain. "We'll join you there shortly, Rex." The droid and clone bowed to them before hurrying off to perform the task at hand. Once they were alone, the couple began their stroll at a leisurely pace.

"Ani... how could a child get onto the palace grounds?" Padmé spoke softly, allowing her husband to pull her closer by her waist. "I thought our security was better..."

"Something's special about this child, I can sense it... She must've found some way to get past our guards." Anakin reasoned, shocked the child's presence in the Force was so fierce. It was weak but vibrant at the same time, like a star that only twinkles once in the night sky. "Hopefully, this child won't be much trouble. for us." He cast his eyes down towards his wife, admiring her profile. "I have a bad feeling about this... What if she's hurt or something, Ani? Oh gods, the poor thing..." Her mind was reeling, thinking of all the possible states they might find this child in. "Relax, Angel. We haven't even seen her yet, perhaps she's perfectly healthy and just lost." He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Let's figure out who she is before we worry about her, okay?" The Empress merely nodded, leaning into her husband's side as they walked.

~

About ten minutes later, they finally made it to the throne room. Captain Rex was kneeling in front of the child who'd curled up into a ball on the dark red runner. She sobbed softly, hugging her knees to her chest. "Captain." Rex quickly got up to his feet, both the troops flanking the child also standing straight. "Emperor Vader."

"This is the child who trespassed?" Vader walked up to his throne, lending his wife a hand as she blindly climbed the platform's steps. Padmé's brown eyes were trained on the thin alien crying ahead of them; she had bright orange skin with navy bands on her Lekku from what the Empress could tell. "Aye, Majesty... She won't say much and has been crying since we found her outside the east hangar." Rex reported, fighting the urge to kneel down beside her again. "Right... What is your name, child?" Vader addressed the girl for the first time - only to be met with silence. "Child, I'm talking to you."

"Allow me, your Highness." Padmé laid a hand on his arm, drawing his eyes to her. "It's obvious her...ordeals have upset her. Allow me to...gently handle this." He sighed, nodding his approval. His wife stood up from her throne and descended the steps. "Pardon me, Captain." She smiled at the clone and approached the child, gracefully dropping to her knees in front of the girl. "You're safe, my dear..." Padmé's smile grew a touch when the child looked up at her, bright blue eyes wide with fear. "My name is Padmé, can you tell me yours?" The child swallowed hard, the tip of her button nose now visible as she started to crawl out of her shell.