PADME AMIDALA

Padme walked through the beautifully carved underground cemetery, often stopping briefly to pay homage to a Queen or a noble who had played an important part in Naboo's history. But she couldn't forget how she was now a part of those people. Dead, yet lingering on through stories and songs and monuments.

She would have to duck behind a column or slip into the shadows of a doorway every time one of the night watchmen came around the corner. They were only there to make sure that any of Padme's enemy's in the Senate and elsewhere came to disturb her tomb, and she knew that unless someone had been buried recently, that they were quite a lazy bunch. They would go back to sleeping on their shifts the minute her tomb was sealed, and continue to do so until another important person died.

Then, Padme got down on one knee, and muttered a quick prayer. "Mother Goddess, Unknown Queen, hear my prayer." She tried to take a deep breath and continue calmly, but she was finally breaking down. "I'm so confused! The love of my life is out of my reach, all of those I care about think I'm dead, and... I don't know what to do anymore. Please, I need guidance, or a sign! Anything!"

She dropped to two knees, and curled herself up into a ball, sobbing. The pants of the white suit she was wearing became the recipient of her tears, which refused to stop coming.

Then there came a gentle humming noise, which steadily became louder. She looked up, wiping the salty water from her face. Suddenly innumerable and unearthly voices broke out into the most complicated of melodies, blending in with the beautiful, vibrating song. It was a combination of the most beautiful sounds in the known galaxy, and even some that probably belonged to the unknown part.

Then a voice, both as loud and rumbling as thunder and as gentle as a chord struck on a harp, cut through the innumerable melodies. "I answer you, my daughter."

Then the noise faded away. A light suddenly appeared in front of her, and even though no instructions were offered, when it began to move on down the stone passageway, she followed it.

It floated down hallway after hallway, turning down twisted flights of stairs and weaving around carved stone columns. It was on this journey that Padme began to consider the size of this place. It was remarkable that a cliff so full of caves was able to support the whole Royal Palace without collapsing. And the different ways to go... well, she would be unable to count them if she had tried.

Eventually, what felt like hours later, the glowing ball of white light stopped in front of a plain wall. It was perfectly smooth to the touch, and was framed by a pair of crumbling stone columns with a water lily design at the top. It was clearly several thousands of years old.

Then her guide went straight through it!

Padme gasped in surprise. "No, no, no, no! This isn't how it's supposed to end! Come back!" she yelled, and then realized that the night watchmen might have heard her. It was unlikely, since she had passed through passages that hadn't been used in years, judging by the amount of dust on the floor, but still possible.

She sank to the earthen floor, but instead of crying, all the came out were dry sobs. After two days of not eating anything except that old nutrition bar, and not drinking at all, her body had no water left to spare for her tears.

"Wake up, Padme," she said to herself when she managed to hush the sobs. "You're not someone who cries this often. You're Senator Amidala, you're Queen Amidala. You can take this!"

Shakily, she stood up and studied the wall intently. She could still remember where the ball of light had gone through. She put a hand up against it. Nothing. Then she banged her fist against it, partially to see if there was any old mechanism that was malfunctioning, and partially out of frustration.

Then she calmed down again, and brought her hand towards the wall slowly. Then, to her astonishment, it passed right through! That was the secret to opening the passageway! She didn't know how it was possible, but unless you passed through slowly, it wouldn't open.

Taking a deep breath, she set a slow pace, and walked through. There was a flash of white light, then she found herself in a dream.

*Okay, first off, SORRY I didn't post sooner, but, as I said in a previous post I don't have much time or pre-written chapters. Secondly, I have some references to site.

The idea of the ghost-Padme came from 'Redemption', the story here on Wattpad that I absolutely LOVE written by BlueEyePhantom. The humming noise is from the Chronicles of Narnia (by C.S Lewis) book one 'The Magician's Nephew', the one from which Narnia was born. I imagined that the one in my story would be something like that. The idea for the weird door is from 'Fairest', by Gail Carson Levine. The water-lily designs on the columns pay homage to the ones the ancient Egyptians sculpted, and the old passageway is based on the ones in the manor in 'The Secret Garden', by Fraces Hodgson Burnett.

Whew, that was LOOOONG! Well, now that you know where those are from, read on!*