Chapter 4 - The Story of a Young Amidala

(AN/: I just want to say that this is fanfiction, so it will be AU. I really don't know too much of the nitty-gritty of star wars lore, so I decided to just take my own spin. It will still follow the events of the movies and shows, but there will be major differences. I am trying to make sure everything makes sense, so please bear with me. Other than that, enjoy my take on StarWars.}

{Padme's POV | 1 Year Before the Battle of Naboo - 33 BBY}

It's been 3 years. Three very long years. Today is the anniversary of my little brother's death. I can still feel pain in my chest whenever I think of him. He was only 4 years old. Those 4 years brought so much joy to my life. But it was ripped away by those kriffing terrorists. I'm only 13 years old, but I already feel so old. The memory is still bright and sharp, yet feels so old. I guess being a Queen at the age of 13 does that to you.

As I look out into the window of my room, I see the beautiful sight of the capital city. So magnificent and peaceful. A far cry from 3 years ago.

On that day, it felt like just any other day. Another day full of studies to prepare for my life in the high circles. My parents were out working, my mother left to her office where she manages the finances of the Naberrie House. My father was away managing the politicals that come with being the head of a noble house.

Halfway through the day, I was walking down the streets of Theed, taking my time as I walked home. All of a sudden an explosion rang out.

*Boom*

An explosion that was followed by many more. All through the capital, panic ensued.

The people of Naboo were slowly becoming a peaceful one. Our ancestors were warriors, and so were many of the Noble Houses of Naboo. We were not as skilled or feared as the Mandalorians, but we were strong and stood against the tide of time. But today's peace and the hardships of the path of the warrior made our people weary. We decided to turn over towards peace. Our father's father put down their weapons and picked up the pen. We became philosophers and scholars. It was a joyous time. But not all families wished for that. Some of the Noble Families wished to walk down the path of our ancestors. They were few but powerful, but over time we won the debates in the halls of the palace and strove our way towards peace. Our family was one of the main forces that drove us toward peace, and we were proud of it. Today was the day when our people finally became peaceful people. But some families did not like that. So chaos ensued.

People ran in every direction as the few soldiers we still had put up a fight against the terrorists. Blaster bolts flew across the streets, reaping the lives of many. People dove for cover, but I stayed still, looking in the sky. A plume of smoke rose from the direction of the Noble House of Naberrie. As screams and explosions rang throughout Theed, I did not hear anything. All I could hear was my own thoughts. The thoughts of my brother. As a blaster bolt hit the ground in front of me, I snapped out of my thoughts and broke into a sprint towards my house.

I prayed, I wished, I shouted at the force to keep my brother safe. As I ran down the streets of Theed, all I could think of was him. His silver locks of hair. His sky blue eyes. The cuteness that radiated from his very being.

I ran and ran. I ran till I could not breathe and ran some more. Finally reaching my house I collapsed. The door was open. The guards dead.

Fear struck into my very being. I tried not to think about it. Fearing that if I thought about it, it would be true. I ran into the house screaming his name.

Please. I thought. Please still be alive.

Running through the halls towards his room I saw evidence of a fight. Blaster marks on the floor and walls. Bodies spread across the area. My heart pulsed in fear, as my hopes began to dwindle.

Running into his room I see a big hole in the wall leading outside into the garden. I quickly search the entire property, yelling his name. He was gone.

He wasn't here.

I collapsed onto the floor, my chest heaving, pain stabbing into my very being. He was gone. He was -

He was gone. There was no body. That means he might still be alive. He must be. I need to find his tracker.

Quickly running back into the mansion, I went into my father's office. Behind one of the paintings was safe. I ripped the painting off and hurriedly punched in the combo and let it scan my DNA. When it finally opened with a quiet beep, I reached in and brought out a case. Opening it up, I saw a holo grid of the planet. And on the grid were 4 dots. He was still alive.

With that realization, my body relaxes and slumps to the ground as the adrenaline wears off. Exhaustion catches up to me, and my body starts to feel the soreness and ache from running around for several hours. My joints refuse to move quickly and ache as if they were dislocated and put back in place. My throat raw from hours of shouting refuses to produce any sound. I start to feel the pull of sleep and my mind starts to slow down.

Refusing to fall asleep before I make sure my brother is safe, I look up to the holo display once again and realize that the dot that represented my brother was in the sky, or more specifically on a ship. Thinking that he was pulled off onto one of our or our allies ships, I let sleep take me believing that he was safe.

As I fall into darkness, his dot flickers, then disappears.

I woke up to the sobs of my mother. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked at her to see her in a miserable state. She was at the edge of my bed her hands gripping the sheets tightly. My father was at her side, his face was grim. It was how his face looked if he was thinking of something seriously that either pertained to the fate of our house or our family.

Looking around the room once more, I realized something was missing. Someone was missing. Along with a spark in my heart. My head was swarmed with a flurry of thoughts as a path opened up. A path to an idea I was denying to be possible.

"W-Where is *****?" My horse voice asks.

My father looks away as my mother's sobbing redoubles. My logic told me that what I feared had happened. But my brain was refusing. I needed an answer.

Once more I asked.

"Where is HE?" I said firmly this time. My eyes boring into my father's skull. He turned to face me, eyes filled with emotion.

"Your brother, h-he..." His voice died off as his fist tightened, blood dripping from his nails.

"H-he..."

"What about HIM!"

I needed to know. He couldn't be... No, he was alive. He had to be.

I was clinging on to the last vestige of hope, my brain refusing to accept what was right in front of me.

"Your brother... our son... he died."

I fell into shock. Subconsciously I knew that he was dead. I could feel it. But I didn't want to believe it. But my father just confirmed it.

I sat there, in bed, frozen in shock. Without knowing, tears were already streaming down my face, my heart beating at an incredible pace, my breathing rough and heavy.

And then, I fainted.

Later, I came to learn that my brother was taken hostage by a group of terrorists that had attacked our house. They boarded a ship in order to put some distance from our soldiers in order to make demands against Naboo becoming a peaceful world. One group of elite soldiers from our house managed to get on board the ship and were fighting their way towards the engine room where my brother was held, hostage. As they were on their way out, reinforcement had pushed them back into the engine room. The two sides fought and their battle heavily damaged the hyperdrive, causing it to implode on itself, taking the majority of the ship with my brother with it.

With the death of my brother, I had thrown myself into my studies. I decided that we had to become peaceful people. We had to because my brother had died because of it. If not for any logical reason, just purely to make it worth it. I know it sounds bad. And it is. It's quite a terrible and twisted logic, and I realized that. But I don't care. So I dived into my studies. Learned how to act within the noble world. Dabbled with politics, pulled the weight of my family in order to ensure we would become the most peaceful people. And so, here I sit on a throne as Queen Amidala. A Queen who lost my brother.