Chapter Text
Padmé was going to scream if her father asked about marriage one more time. She does not want his horrid marriage candidates. They were all the same: power hungry, horny, or plain stupid. She thought the emperor, her father, would be smarter than this; how simple did he think her taste was?
She frowned at the thought of the men; she bit her cheek as her haidmaiden pulled the strings tight of her dress, making her feel even more suffocated. The Emperor had a favorite, Rush Clovis; of course, he’d be a complete and utter spoiled brat. She swore there was nothing but stars in that man's head.
He was a complete and utter fool; he was the leader of a Banking Clan. She was surprised he even got that far. He constantly spent money on useless toys and trinkets that he tried to impress Padmé with, yet she wasn't amused.
Her father thought he was amazing; Clovis had money, a good name, and good genes… disgusting. Padmé would rather throw herself into Bantha poodoo than sleep with him, much less get pregnant by him. She wanted to gag at the thought of him touching her.
She heard a knock at the door. She knew it was Clovis; he was escorting her to a ball her father was throwing. Her handmaiden, Rabé, gave a few last finishing touches to her hair and makeup before Padmé got up and opened the door; she didn't even bother hiding her frown from Clovis.
He either ignored her frown or didn’t notice, as she watched him ogle at her dress. Force, this was going to be a long night.
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Padmé had never felt so angry in her life. He had proposed to her! What the kriff!? Padmé knew for a fact that her father had known too; she had seen his damned smirk. Her father thought he could just bombard her with a marriage at a ball, thinking she wouldn't dare say no in front of thousands of people, but he was dead wrong!
She didn't care how many gasps there were when she denied Clovis’s gaudy ring or how fast she saw her father's eyes narrow. She was completely and utterly done with this marriage crap! She would stay single for the rest of her father's life for all she cared!
She had stormed out of that ball as her life had depended on it, and it basically did! She was now stomping through the halls of the castle in Naboo. She turned a corner, making her way outside, desperately needing air.
“Kriff!” She yelled as she kicked a table, knocking it down with an echoed thump, grasping the balcony desperately as she felt her eyes beginning to burn.
“Miss?” Said a voice from behind her, she wiped her eyes quickly and whipped around.
“What! Can't you see I’m busy?” Padmé said strongly, not even bothering to be kind at this point.
She came face to face with him…she expected one of her father's fools, he called troopers, but it was a mechanic.
She could easily tell, by the uniform, the grease smeared on his face, and the box he was carrying, full of what she presumed to be metal. Her eyes flicked to his name tag, ‘Anakin.’ Maybe he was new? She’d never seen him before.
His stormy blue eyes were covered by shoulder-length curly blonde hair…his eyes slightly wide from her outburst. “Oh! Uhm, I just heard someone yell and thought I’d come check, I can go-” He stammered out quickly, turning back to leave her alone.
She only rolled her eyes as he left…men..she swore they were all foolish. At least he had good looks for him to fall back on, she mused to herself…She shook her head to rid the thought as she pushed off the balcony. She needed a long soak and a very, very long nap.
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Padmé sighed as she sank into the warmth of her bath, steam rising around her. Her hair tied up, the room smelling of lavender, and the room quiet and warm, this is what she needed desperately.
She closed her eyes, resting her head back on the tub…she thought about Clovis’s smug smile as he dropped to one knee, that huge ring she knew would get caught and snag on everything.
She opened her eyes once again, sitting up slightly to reach her wine glass, taking a long sip, and she settled back down, trying to will herself to calm back down. She’d deal with the repercussions tomorrow; for now, she just needed to relax.
Padmé pursed her lips as she thought about the man from earlier. She had been annoyed by him earlier, but thinking back, he wasn't the worst. He left her alone when she asked, didn't even prod, check, or check.
What? What was she thinking! She didn't even know the guy; the only things she knew were his name, job, and that he had a pretty face. Was her mind this desperate?
Though he seemed shy, and Padmé would be lying if she said that he didn't check another box…She only sighed to herself as she took another sip of her red wine, enjoying the bitter taste.
She thought back at her father's face when she denied Clovis, how his eyes narrowed, his hands clenching. She knew he’d be fuming because she’d embarrassed the family and Clovis.’ Force, who cared about Clovis’s feelings when she was the one being trapped here!
After soaking until the water lost its warmth, she got out, wrapping herself in her robe as she walked to the closet to grab a nightgown, until she had an idea…
Her father was so desperate for her to get married to Clovis. Padmé was okay with the idea of marriage, but hated how he’d pushed Clovis onto her without even speaking to her, so what if she got married…just not to Clovis?
She dried her hair quickly, pulling on her nightgown and a pair of slippers, and left her room. She walked down the halls quickly, not wanting to accidentally run into her father or Clovis.
Force this was a crazy idea, but it was her best shot at freedom. She walked through the fortress, the halls quiet and still, but as she got closer to the garage, she heard faint noises of drills and engines.
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She walked down the steps to the garage, where there were a bunch of people working on different ships and engines. She walked down the rows as she kept an eye out for that dirty blonde hair.
She stopped in her tracks when she spotted him, hunched over a speeder working. Padmé quickly walked over to him, but he didn't notice her until she spoke, spooking him and causing him to jump.
“Excuse me, Anakin, right?” She said with a straight face, ignoring his startled yelp.
“I uh, yes! Yeah, I’m Anakin.” He stuttered out, a hand on his racing heart, “Can I help you with something, miss?”
Padmé looked at him through narrowed eyes, really thinking if this was her best shot at freedom.
Taking a deep breath, she finally blurted out, “Wanna get married…tonight?”