she remembers some of their switches so vividly. she had served her, & served her well, becoming not just her most trusted handmaiden but also an organic extension of Padmé herself. she had learn to rely on not just her Queen’s judgment, but her own as her observations had often been just as valuable if perhaps a bit more blunted than her much more diplomatic counterpart. they had become a pair to be reckoned with, even if that process had occasionally been painful for the both of them.
she had… lost out on opportunities to explore her individual identity, & she knew too much of her was probably wrapped up in the other to the point that she didn’t know where Padmé ended & Sabé began. Tsabin was a ghost who barely existed in more than a memory anymore. Sabé would have to admit she preferred it this way; now that the two of them are back in proximity, it was only natural they’d have fallen back into similar routines & patterns without having to speak of it & she had grieved the loss of this on Tatooine like a limb.
‘ I’m alone, ’ Sabé says, barely restraining the smallest of smirks as she sinks down to sit by the other, absently continuing to check her over until she’s sure everything is in place & in order. Padmé looks… frazzled in a way she hasn’t seen her in a long, long time. at least, not since the heavy brocades of the Queen’s wardrobe had hung from her shoulders. it made sense, given the tragedy with Cordé, but… something told her there was more.
‘ I don’t, ’ Sabé says after a moment’s deliberation, finding it to be mostly true; she HADN’T thought of the young boy much in the years since the Trade Federation’s blockade & subsequent invasion, though she had often thought of the Jedi Qui-Gon. his sacrifice had enabled them to overcome the barricade, & topple a Sith, though it had cost the Jedi his life. Naboo had honored him accordingly & Sabé felt her thoughts turn to his strength in sacrifice nearly as often as they did to her Queen’s for the same qualities. two sides of the same coin, perhaps.
she could not say that the young boy had left any more of an impression, thought she knew that Padmé’s time in his home on Tatooine with him & his mother had left quite an impact, & had influenced her desire to free the slaves there. ‘ in truth, I suppose I had quite forgotten him until you mentioned him. why? ’
it was so easy to be in the presence of her most beloved handmaiden - the dearest friend she had ever and would ever have. it was also easy to forget the issue that had drawn the once-queen to the apartment in the first place, but she pinched herself in the leg to stop herself from being too distracted by the comfort and warmth that Sabé offered. with her fingers wound together over her thighs, sitting tall and proper even now that she was not the head of state, Padmé thought long and hard about the reason for her visit.
for a long moment she wanted to close the distance, to tuck herself into the comfort of the other’s arms on the bed and forget her woes, but no. they had decisions to make and responsibilities to answer. ❝ i’m glad it’s just you. i admit, this is a matter for my closest companion alone. ❞ there was a hint of playfulness in the senator’s tone as she settled into their dynamic. ❝ his mother was part of the inspiration for my work against slavery on Tatooine and the Outer Rim, because when he was taken as a padawan she was forced to remain a slave on the planet. most thoughts i’ve had of him have been in passing when i think of her to be truthful, but after the attempts on my life, the Senate and the Jedi Council recommended i have protection. he was the assigned Jedi. ❞
allowing time for the other to absorb the information, padmé sighed out a breath of air and cast her eyes over at her double, before she decided just to be blunt. ❝ now you have the backstory, you get to know the strange part. he-he told me he’s been in love with me since he was a boy, Sabé, and that he wants to disobey the Jedi Council and marry me. it was so out of the blue i’m still feeling some whiplash from it. i’ve never seen him as anything but the little boy who liked to fix things and race pods on Tatooine. brotherly, perhaps, but no more. certainly not as a potential match. ❞
in truth Padmé had never seen herself marrying at all, too dedicated to her work. she and Sabé, arm in arm over the many years together.
❝ to be truthful, i can’t say i can shake the image of him as a child out of my mind. but he-he wasn’t exactly pleased when i said no. said that i was letting the Council influence my decision. i don’t want to hurt him, but he seems quite intent on the idea that we are soulbound. destined in some way, as is his role in life. that i’m supposed to play the role of his other half. that he plans to protect me from all harm. i don’t quite know what to do, and i don’t particularly want to keep being shot at in a Senate that has become so corrupt it is impossible to understand any longer. so i suppose i’m coming to you for advice, for your perspective. for the words of my most cherished to help me choose my next steps more wisely. ❞