FORBIDDEN ATTACHMENTS ─ star wars

LXXII. The Queen Of Taris

Two days later...

Chapter Seventy-Two
Aiden

I wish I could block out the memory of today, I wish I could burn every image and forget this ever happened. But I can't, I know far too well that I will remember this day forever.

The explanation for Genevieve's death worked, everybody believed it. I was immediately sent back to Taris with her body to make preparations for her funeral. Padmé came with me, she wanted to be the one to get her best friend ready for the ceremony. I worked with the high priest and the local villagers to set up the capital; we set up lanterns along every path, covered the ground in leaves from the trees, invited senators and leaders from all over the galaxy.

Sola and Ruwee helped Padmé with Genevieve. Sola and Padmé picked out her outfit and dressed her; they picked the same navy blue gown that Genevieve wore for her coronation. Ruwee watched Leia while this happened, keeping her occupied while the other two worked. Sola and Ruwee are both happy to have a new member of the family, but at what cost? The cost for this small bit of happiness is far too great.

When Genevieve was ready in her outfit, I helped them lay her down in her coffin, the one we will bring around the entire capital for the people to mourn and honor her. We put leaves from the trees in her hair, which is let down and resting around her shoulders. Padmé wondered if we should place her mother's necklace on her or not, and I suggested we send it to Jayce. I think he should have a piece of his mother since he will have to grow up without her. I promised I would send it after the funeral.

The funeral itself was the hardest part. We pushed her coffin out the doors of the palace, and as just before we began the ceremony, the high priest placed her crown on her head. After all, there will never be another queen, another Daulton ruler. This crown belongs solely to her, no one else.

Everyone on the planet mourns our queen's loss. As Genevieve's open coffin was paraded around the capital, I watched as our people cried for her, felt her loss as if they had lost a member of their family. As senator I had to walk right behind her coffin, with Padmé by my side. Genevieve's uncle was right behind us, with Sola and Ruwee trailing behind, little Leia sleeping soundly in her grandmother's arms.

I recognized fellow senators during the funeral; Senator Barrett, Senator Organa, and Senator Mon Mothma among others. The Emporer, as Palpatine is calling himself now, did not attend. But he made sure his advisor sent his condolences. There was no sign of Anakin either, but I wouldn't have recognized him even if he had shown up. So I don't know for sure.

The funeral ended at the high priest's temple, which houses a crypt of all the fallen kings and queens, where Genevieve will now rest. The high priest said a tearful farewell to our queen, speaking our motto loud and clear as he closed her coffin, escorting her body into the tomb to lie next to her parents.

After the ceremony was over there was nothing left to do but try to bear the weight of her absence. Padmé and I would have to bear it harder than others, as would Sola and Ruwee. We all loved her like she was family, like she was blood.

We loved Fallon the same way. The four of us buried her body next to her parents in the graveyard outside the capital. We had a very swift ceremony for her, saying a few words and mourning her loss as deeply as Genevieve's. Leia slept through her mother's funeral, not having a single clue what she had lost. I only wish Luke could have been there, to be there when his mother was buried as Leia was. I wish Obi Wan and Jayce could have been here also, but it's far too dangerous with so many people here, so many senators.

Shortly after we laid Fallon to rest I was called to the palace to greet our new ruler. As soon as I received that message I felt like hurling, felt sickened to the very marrow of my bones. But I tried to keep myself calm. I am still the senator, even if it will only be for another few minutes.

Here I am now, walking through the doors of the palace, walking through the same long hallway to the throne room. I stop as I reach the double doors, daring to glance up at the wall and find Genevieve's portrait there, which was painted the day she was coronated.

I fear I will cry if I stare at it any longer, so I push through the doors, finding a stranger sitting on Genevieve's throne, making my stomach churn.

He looks onto a few years older than me. He is slender in build, is wearing a black suit with a red off shoulder cloak. He has a handsome face, long black hair that falls past his shoulders, and the darkest brown eyes I've ever seen, almost black.

He notices me come in and stands up, approaching me with an air of confidence and superiority. "You must be Senator Parr." He says, his voice commanding and deep, one that couldn't be ignored even in the loudest of rooms.

I nod once. "Yes, sir. I take it you are our queen's replacement?"

He smiles every so slightly, extending his hand out towards me. "Elon Warren," he introduces himself, to which I grip his hand and shake it firmly once. "I was senator for Bos Pity up until the war's end. The Emporer has named me the prime minister of Taris, affective immediately."

Bos Pity was a separatist planet, it's no wonder I've never seen him before in the senate. Warren seems all too happy to be here, it makes me feel on edge. He notices this, giving me a very forced apologetic look.

"Of course I am given this title under very unfortunate events. What a pity it is to have lost Queen Daulton, I know many people loved her." He says, his voice filled with lies and false compassion.

I force down my anger though and give him a courteous nod. "She was a great queen, the whole planet feels her loss very deeply."

Warren makes his way back towards the throne, practically draping himself over it as he says to me smoothly; "You served your queen and Taris well, but now I need new leadership to bring Taris into the future, to shape it to the ways of the Galactic Empire."

I knew this was coming, but it doesn't make it any less painful. I remember being skeptical about being senator when I was first appointed, but over the years I have grown rather good at my job. In fact, I actually love being a senator. But whether I stay one or not isn't up to me. It's up to him.

"I understand, sir." I reply, my voice extremely low.

"For your services I am willing to give you and your wife a nice house here on Taris, with servants and a compensation of credits."

I shake my head, another wave of nausea hitting me. "My wife and I are going to be living on Naboo from now on. Taris has too many painful memories with Queen Daulton gone."

That wasn't really why I have chosen to leave Taris. When things got bad here, and my people began to starve, I started a rebellion to save my people. No rebellion is going to help me now. Elon Warren and the Emporer are going to do whatever they want with Taris and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I refuse to sit by and watch the planet I love go to ruins.

Master Yoda said that our hope for the future is in the children, that the light in all this darkness is in Luke, Leia, and Jayce. If that's true, then there will come a day that Taris will rise from the ashes of the Empire and be born again. I have to live to fight another day, bide my time until the time is right. Perhaps a rebellion won't help me now, but I have a feeling it will someday.

I force a smile Warren's way, bowing my head to him. "Excuse me, Prime Minster, I need to return to my family."

Elon Warren gives me a half bow of his head, not truly caring what I do. But he will someday. As I leave the throne room, as I walk away from my life as a senator, as I leave my home, I make a promise that one day he will regret becoming Prime Minster of Taris. Because we are one, as our motto says, and he's no match for Taris, he's no match for all of us together.