She was about to lock the screen and push it to the side when she saw a message pop up in the corner—not from any Rebellion ties but from her older sister.
"Mon?" Dormé asked, hearing the notification as she moved to peek at the screen.
"No," Padmé replied, allowing herself a momentary personal exchange now that her nerves had been soothed. "Sola."
She opened the message titled 'You Never Tell Me Anything Anymore!' while rolling her eyes at the dramatics her sister used to get her attention.
A HoloNet article was attached to the message, featuring Padmé's picture at the top of the page. Her eyes widened as she looked at the photo, a snapshot from the party the night before. She stood in the left corner of the frame, her gaze directed toward Darth Vader, who stood on the opposite side. The Emperor and Bail Organa, who had been nearby, were barely visible in the picture, positioned on the side from which the photo was taken.
Padmé hadn't seen the member of the Press who had snapped the cringeworthy photo, but she groaned, realizing that someone had truly caught her in the act of such preoccupation- and she dared to say that she even looked like she was somewhat smitten with the Sith– as if that fact were even a possibility.
Peeling her eyes away from the picture, Padmé skimmed the article, rolling her eyes at the false praise for the Emperor and the exaggeration of the party's grandeur. However, the final paragraph caught her attention; her own sister was quoting the article just below the end of the attachment.
It truly was a night to remember, and if that was not enough, the invited guests were delighted with the presence of Lord Vader himself, who was a surprise guest in attendance, though perhaps not the largest surprise of all. In addition to Lord Vader himself, it seems even the beloved Senator Amidala had come out of hiding to attend the event, stunning everyone with her beauty and grace as always. We hope to see them both at more events soon.
Not if I can help it, Padmé thought, before moving onto the rest of the message.
It sounds like a hell of a time, but at least you look smoking. Why am I just learning about this from HoloNet? Make some time to call your sister!
Love you,
Sola
Padmé smiled at the rest of the message and typed a quick reply. It was truly a HELL of a time. I'll call you soon. Give Mom and Dad a kiss for me, as well as the girls and Darred.
Padmé x
After hitting send, she scrolled upwards and examined the photo again. It had been taken just moments before all hell broke loose. Moments before she had made a fool of herself. Moments before Vader displayed his raw power, or even worse, his anger. Still, gazing at that picture, a strange wave of emotion washed over her, just like it had at the party.
Padmé shook her head and pushed the datapad away, urging the strange feeling along with it. Closing her eyes, she rested her elbows on the table and leaned her weight into her hands, massaging her temple as if it would erase the memory.
"Milady?" Dormé implored. "I can't help but notice that there seems to be something else troubling you… besides the obvious, of course."
"It isn't the time, Dormé." Padmé spoke to her desk, refusing to allow such imprudent and foolish thoughts to dictate her mind, especially when serious official matters were at hand.
"Well, my ears are open if you change your mind," Dormé said, adding, "And we're supposed to continue living our normal lives, so it's only fair if you want to discuss something unrelated."
Padmé sighed, leaning back into her seat as she turned to face Dormé. "Honestly?" She exhaled, shaking her head at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. "I'm just starting to wonder how my life ended up like this."
Dormé laughed, still a bit tense, yet letting some of her usual carefree lightheartedness shine through. "You mean crazy?" Padmé laughed, too, but it was a chuckle void of happiness. "Well, yeah!" She shook her head, drowning in the memories of her life. "I think we both know my life has never been normal, but I wonder if it will ever feel like mine again."
"You've always been for the people, Padmé," Dormé said, trying to comfort her friend. "You have always wanted to lead a life of purpose. Sometimes, that simply requires a great deal of sacrifice."
"It's not that," Padmé replied, turning in her chair to meet the gaze of her most loyal and closest companion. "And it's not just today either. I used to feel so confident. So sure." She shook her head. "But now everything is so distorted. It doesn't even feel real. Nor does my life. I don't even feel like myself anymore."
Dormé frowned and took a step forward. "What do you mean?" "Nothing feels like it's going right," Padmé began, lost in the memory. "I mean, you know, these last few months... the last few years, really, haven't been the best for me. And last night was rough, really rough. It was like a reminder of all the wrongs I have done. I made a fool of myself. I didn't sleep well, and to make matters worse, I overslept, which caused me to be late today." Padmé shook her head again, breathing out an exasperated sigh. "On the only day that I have ever overslept in my life, this kind of hell breaks loose, and I'm left in the dark."
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Padmé," Dormé replied. "No one expected this to happen. You're only human."
.
.
.
👓☕️Consider supporting me and enhance your reading experience with the ready-to-read PDFs I have on my Ko-fi.☕️👓
🎯https://ko-fi.com/bstories🎯