Star Wars the Clone Wars: Legends Never Die

Chapter 1

"Padmé, are you out here?"

The brown-haired girl peeps her head around the tree trunk. Her nana's stood on the porch, shielding her eyes from the Nabooian sun as she looks out over the lake.

Padmé giggles, clamping a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. It's late in the afternoon, and she's been studying all morning. Nana has been relentless in preparing her for boarding school which she'll attend in a few months.

Her parents think she'll be a good politician someday.

"Padmé, dearest!" Her nana calls again, stepping onto the freshly cut grass. "Where are you?"

She takes a small step backwards and scans the tree towering above her. If she can sit at the top, she'll be able to see the waterfalls.

"Ah, there you are!" Nana calls, "Come down from there, sweetheart!"

"No, nana!" Padmé calls back, panting slightly as she lifts herself onto a branch, dirt already staining her white tights.

She huffs, pushing her hair back again. Nana likes to braid it, but Padmé doesn't like that. It hurts and makes her head look disproportionately large.

"I won't ask again, Madam." Nana's beneath her now, arms crossed sternly. "We have a lesson to be getting on with."

"I'm tired of learning, nana!" She whines.

"Tired?" Nana repeats, shocked, "My dear Padmé, you should never grow tired of learning."

"Well, I am." Padmé pouts, straddling a branch.

Nana sighs, "How about a story, sweetheart?"

Padmé rolls her eyes. Most of nana's stories are dull or have predictable endings, but it's better than reading romantic poetry, so she gets ready to climb down.

"Padmé!" Nana shouts when her foot slips off a branch.

She's falling for a moment, and then she feels her nana's arms swooping around her. Padmé takes a shuddery breath as she's lowered to the floor, "Sorry, nana."

"You must be more careful." Nana scolds, kneeling to look the girl over, "Beautiful girls like you cannot have bumps and bruises. What would your parents say if I brought you back into the house with a broken leg?"

Padmé says nothing, taking her nana's hand and following her indoors. Her thumb finds its way to her mouth again, and she can smell the tree bark on her skin.

"You'll make your teeth go wonky." Nana says as she holds the porch door open, swatting at Padmé's hand. "Toddlers suck their thumbs, not young ladies."

"Nana," she whines, wiping her wet thumb across her skirt, "I don't want to be a young lady anymore."

Her nana looks down at her, amused, "Why, Padmé, being a young lady is a wonderful thing for a girl like you to strive for. You won't find a better purpose in life than being a gracious host and a pretty face."

"What if I want to be more than that?"

Nana laughs, petting her head, "Don't be silly, dearest. Now, sit down whilst I tell you a story."

"Okay," she mumbles, plonking down onto the rug and masterfully avoiding the that's-not-ladylike look that nana gives her.

"I want to tell you a story about the Mandalorians." Nana says, sitting gracefully in a wicker chair.

Padmé frowns, "I thought papa said no more stories about Mandalorians?"

"Well, papa is away on business, isn't he?" Nana bends down to cup her cheek, smiling, "It's important to know about other culture's histories, Padmé, don't you agree?"