Chapter Text
“Padmé please, hang on.” Obi-Wan said quietly, as he held her newborn son in his arms. “Your twins need you. Please...”
Padmé heard his words, but they were growing fainter and fainter as the seconds ticked on. The last thing she wanted was to leave her children. Her precious little newborns, Luke and Leia. But deep down, the loss of her husband caused something to break inside of her, and the pain was too much for her to bare. With one last breath she reached out to gently lay her fingertips against Luke’s forehead, his soft skin warm under her touch. A tiny hint of a smile formed on her lips as her hand dropped to her side, her head falling back against the pillows, her chest heaving once, and then all was still.
-
Padmé thought this was death. If it was, she accepted it head on. She was always told of force from Anakin, and how a Jedi could become a force ghost. She wondered if she could do that, even though she wasn’t force sensitive. She opened her eyes as she was surrounded by darkness. It was unnerving, but she couldn’t feel anything.
Images began to flood her vision. A boy on a desert planet staring up at two suns. A girl on a ship being held against her will. A monster in a dark suit, his breathing a mechanical hiss. A huge moon- no, a giant circular ship, obliterating an entire planet as the girl watched in dismay.
The monster cutting off the boy’s hand.
Padmé held her hands to her head and screamed, her eyes shutting tightly, begging the visions to stop. Who was showing her these images? Why?
“I know you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father.” She hears the boy say.
“That name no longer has any meaning to me.” The deep monster’s mechanical voice responded.
Padmé at last opened her eyes. She was smart, and she was wise. But it made no sense.
“You want me to change things?” Padmé asked no one, the images fading. She was left in darkness.
“How can I change anything? I’m one person. I can’t change the fate of the entire galaxy!” She exclaimed. The darkness now seeped into her vision, and she was falling, down and down, till she could think of nothing.
-
Padmé’s eyes snapped open. Her back aches as she sat up, placing a hand to her forehead. She felt healthy, and strong, and youthful. Padmé glanced around at the tan walls that surrounded her, saw the rise and fall of the dark-haired woman’s chest as she slept on the bed in the tiny room.
Padmé felt her stomach flip. She was back on Tatooine. She was fourteen again, and she was once again the Queen.
The image of the planet being destroyed crossed her mind. She shook her head and stood up. What was going on? She glanced once more at Shmi asleep and smiled. The woman had been kind to her and her companions, and it was reliving to see her alive. Padmé slowly made her way outside of the small room, trying not to wake up the mother of her future husband.
“Hi!”
Padmé heard the small boy’s voice before she saw him. Her heart flipped and beat faster in her chest.
I’m going to marry you.
His words echoed in her mind. She hasn’t realized at the time, but he had been right all along. The little blonde boy was sat at the table, eating. She watched him for a moment before shaking her head. If she was to change the future, she had to start somewhere.
Padmé moved to sit next to the boy. “Good morning, Ani.” She said quietly. Her voice was light and soft, and she offered him a small smile.
The mechanical breathing echoed in her ears and she tried to ignore it. This boy would not fall, if Padmé had anything to do about it.
“Have you seen Qui-Gon?” She asked calmly.
“He said he was going outside to contact your ship.” Anakin replied. Padmé nodded as she stood once again. “Thank you.”
She made her way outside the tiny hut, blinking in the soft twin sunrise. A warm glow covered the sand buildings, and if they weren’t housing slaves, it would have been a lovely picture.
She saw Qui-Gon leaning against the side of the home, his arm up, speaking quietly. She barely saw his mouth moving. Her tiny footfalls made their way over to him.
Change the future.
“May I speak with you?” Padmé asked. Everything she was about to do was wrong, she knew it deep down. She took a breath before continuing, “In private?”
Qui-Gon glanced down at her and lowered his arm. “You seem on edge. Is everything alright?”
Padmé was a master at shielding her emotions, she had learned it from a young age. She simply nodded, not letting any emotions show on her face. “Of course. I just need to speak to you.”
He led her down an alleyway, where the sun didn’t hit. It was cold in the darkness, and Padmé raised her arms to her cross them over her chest. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath before saying:
“I am Queen Amidala.”
She let the words leave her lips without a second thought. Qui-Gon eyed her carefully. Her gaze was steady and unwavering.
“I see. So, the woman on the ship...”
“Is a decoy. My protection. My bodyguard. My handmaiden.” Padmé responded. The words leaving her lips was a breath of fresh air. She hadn’t spoken them the first time, and only revealed her identity back on Naboo, to gain the Gungans trust. But now she needed to gain Qui-Gon’s trust.
“Why are you telling me all of this?” The Jedi master questioned.
“Because I need you to trust me.” Padmé said quietly. “When the boy wins his race, you must free his mother as well. I will keep her safe with me, while Anakin trains to be a Jedi.” Padmé said quietly. There were more lives she could save by changing the past, Padmé realized. Anakin losing his mother was a source of pain for her husband, one that not even she could fix. But if Shmi was alive, Anakin wouldn’t kill the entire Tusken Raider camp. He would be free of that source of darkness.
“Watto won’t accept that.” Qui-God responded. Padmé only shook her head.
“Then gamble with me.” Padmé couldn’t give up. “Get the boy and use me as bait. He wins, he gets me. You win, you get Shmi.” Padmé voice was strong and brave, because she knew that Anakin would win the race. He wouldn’t let them down, and he didn’t the first time.
“What has come over you?” Qui-Gon’s voice was full of confusion.
“Let’s just say the future is a scary place.” Padmé answered, her voice low and full of angst. If Qui-Gon wanted to say something else, he held back.
Finally, he agreed. “If this goes badly, your highness, you could become a slave. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”
Padmé looked up at the Jedi master. He had saved her life the first time around, protecting Naboo from the Sith Lord. He had given his own life. Perhaps she could save his life this time?
“Yes. I am.” Padmé responded. She would need to, to change the future. To save her husband from falling.