Just a few minutes later General Skywalker lead you into the main room of the small inn, your mother following with the Captain, whose name you had not yet learned.
“If you’ll allow, my lady, I will arrange the rooms while you wait with Captain Rex”, the General said. He turned around to look at the other man and you did the same.
Of course you had noticed him from a distance, but from up close you could see that his eyes were not dark, but a light caramel brown and even hints of brown roots where his hair was growing out.
“I will be just fine with the Captain. Thank you, General.”
Only a moment after General Skywalker left another man approached you. He looked so much like the Captain, you assumed they must be related somehow. He bowed to you and your mother before turning to the Captain to tell him something in a quiet tone. “
“Alright, Fives”, the blond agreed after a while. Just as the other man turned to leave, however, your mother asked him to escort her back to the carriage to get some personal belongings she didn’t want anyone else to get their hands on.
“You don’t mind waiting here for me, do you, darling?”, she asked you. You shook your head and just a second later you were alone with the Captain.
You tried your hardest not to look at him and inspect your surroundings instead, but you could feel his eyes on you. His stare, though burning, felt protective and comfortable rather than threatening, but after a while it made you face him nonetheless.
“Is there something you want to say to me, Captain?”, you asked in your best Duchess voice, a tone you still needed to practice a lot more based on the glint in his eyes.
“Nothing at all, your Grace.”
You nodded. A small smile graced his handsome face and there was a certain warmth in his eyes you did not expect from someone in your husband’s guard.
“I must admit, you are not like I expected you to be”, he finally said after a moment of silence.
You knew it wasn’t his place to say such things, and based on the shadow that took over his features he knew as well, but you couldn’t help but be intrigued.
“I do hope that’s a compliment”, you said with a smile. The first real smile, you suddenly realized, in weeks.
The Captain nodded.
“It most certainly is. You are younger than I expected, kinder, and more beautiful as wel-”
“Captain”, General Skywalker interrupted his kind words.
Any warmth disappeared from the Captain’s face as realization set in. He stood up even straighter than before as he turned to face the General.
“I am sorry, sir. I should not have said those things.”
Even though you barely knew the man you could tell General Skywalker was fighting a smile and there was a hint of amusement behind his sinister expression.
“You should apologize to the Duchess, not to me, and hope she was not offended by what you just said.”
The Captain turned back to you with a blush on his face. He wore a schooled look of remorse and respect, but there was just a hint of fear in his eyes.
“I was not offended, Captain Rex. Quite the opposite, you paid me very kind compliments and I should hate for you to be punished for that.” Your last words were directed more at the General than the Captain.
“T- Thank you, my lady”, the blond stuttered with a look of utter relief on his face.
You would have liked to say something else, maybe even compliment him in return, but your mother’s arrival destroyed any thought of that.
“I would like to be shown to my room now”, she said.
Her words, her posture and her tone made you realize how inappropriate your conversation with the Captain had been. A Duchess should demand respect and not talk to her guard as if he were her friend, even if that guard was good looking and nice and made her feel like a person for the first time in a while.
You stood in front of the grandest and most beautiful house you had ever seen in your life. How this could be called a house instead of a palace was, quite frankly, beyond you. There were more windows than you could count, a polished facade and flowers growing all around it.
You could hear a soft “oh” coming from your mother, who stood a few feet behind you. It would take you a while to get used to the fact that your mother, being a lady, would now always stand behind you, the Duchess of Empireshire.
In front of the house stood the servants, from the butler and the housekeeper to the gardeners and kitchen maids. As if on command they bowed or curtsied the moment your eyes landed on them. When they came up again a good looking man with a well kept beard approached you, followed by a beautiful woman with the kindest eyes you had ever seen.
“Allow me to introduce myself, your Grace. I am the butler, Obi-Wan Kenobi. And this is Satine Kryze, the housekeeper. Welcome to Senatehall.”
You gave both of them a smile you hoped looked graceful, even though you felt incredibly out of place. In this moment you were supposed to have your husband by your side, to take your hand and guide you to your new home. Though you supposed being alone was favorable to having Palpatine with you.
“Thank you, Kenobi, Kryze.” At least you knew how to address your new employees. “Thank you for this kind welcome. I am very much looking forward to exploring this breathtaking house, but for now all I want is to retire, preferably with a cup of tea.”
You could almost sense your mother’s nod of approval. This was how a Duchess was supposed to behave, not getting lost in a Captain’s eyes in a roadside in. A Captain you had not even seen all day.
“Certainly, my lady”, Kryze, though you couldn’t help calling her Satine in your mind, said. She waved and a young woman approached. She could not be much older than you were, though you considered her to be a whole lot prettier.
“This is Padmé. She will be your lady’s maid, unless of course you brought your own with you.”
You shook your head to tell her that you had not. In fact, you had never even had your own lady’s maid and had shared one with your mother your whole life.
“It is nice to meet you,Padmé.”
She smiled.
“Nice to meet you too, my lady. Would you like me to show you to your rooms?”
With a single nod from you Padmé ushered you inside.
Though you could see how beautiful and expensive everything was on the inside, you were too tired to actually pay attention to anything.
“I hope everything is to your liking. I took the liberty to redecorate a bit, but of course you’re free to change anything you like”, Padmé said as she opened one of the doors in the very long hallway. She stepped aside to let you enter and you found yourself in a stunning sitting room.
Two small sofas were in the middle of the room with a table between them. The walls were lined with shelves, some filled with books, other with small trinkets or flowers. Next to the huge windows overlooking the park stood a small writing desk with nothing but a picture of your husband on it, which you decided to ignore for now.
“Padmé, it is beautiful”, you told the other woman.
She lowered her head in thanks, but you could see a smile gracing her lips.
“I am glad. Would you like to see the bedroom and the bathroom before your tea arrives?”
The bedroom was just as beautiful, though a bit smaller. Two wardrobes stood on both sides of the door, a vanity table next to the window and a small nightstand with a bouquet of flowers next to the bed. The bed, however, took up most of the room. It was gigantic, bigger than any bed you had seen before, and beautiful with its soft pink blankets, matching pillows and canopy hanging around it. But it made you nervous as well. You hated thinking about what would eventually have to happen in that bed, and who it would happen with. One night had been more than enough and your husband had not hurt you, it had been nothing like the sweet and romantic experience your friend Nova had described to you in whispers after her own wedding night.
Other than the bedroom and the sitting room, the bathroom was nothing special. Still pretty, but mostly practical.
“You’re tea is here, my lady”, Padmé called from the sitting room, but you barely registered her words.
The other woman entered the bedroom just a second later.
“Are you alright, your Grace?”
It was only when you felt her hand on your shoulder that you were awaken from your trance.
“I’m fine, thank you. Could you help me loosen my corset, though? I can barely breath in this thing.”
Padmé got straight to work. She helped you undress and loosed the string of your corset a bit. Immediately you felt freer and could actually take deep breaths.
“Is that better, my lady?”
You nodded in relief.
“Much, thanks. Though I wish you’d stop calling me that, I am (Y/N).”
Though Padmé stood behind you, you could see her from the vanity mirror. She shook her head, but a smile was on her lips.
“I don’t think I can to that. It’s not proper.”
You turned around. Being alone with someone your age, having your corset loosened and finally realizing your position made you desperate.
“I know. Believe me, I know. But we’re going to spend a lot of time together and I would be more comfortable if you called me by my name. Plus, I need a friend since I don’t know anyone here and I’m hoping you might be that friend and friends call each other by their first names.”
This time Padmé saw no other choice but to agree.
Being alone for the first time since the wedding and the warm tea in your stomach made you more relaxed than you had been for a while and before you knew it you were asleep.
When you woke you didn’t remember even falling asleep, nor why you had woken up. Only the warm and secure feeling the dream gave you remained, until your growling stomach made even that disappear.
You sat up from the rather uncomfortable position on the sofa and looked around the room. The moon outside was illuminating most of it and a small fire did the rest, nonetheless you were shivering.
Quickly you made your way to the bedroom, where you found a warm, soft robe folded at the foot of the bed. You slipped it on while your stomach growled again.
Back in the sitting room the clock on the bookshelf told you that it was already half past nine. Which was way past dinner time and made you wonder why no one had woken you up to eat. But you decided not to dwell on the though, instead you opened the door and slipped into the hallway.
It was dark, only a few candles were lit along the walls, but they gave you enough light to find your way downstairs to the entry hall. From there on, though, you had no idea where to go. Finally, after trying to remember whether Padmé had even told you what direction the kitchen was in, you headed down another hallway.
This one was darker than the one upstairs, and colder as well. You shivered in your thin dress and robe, but didn’t want to give up your search for the kitchen.
“Who’s there? Reveal yourself!”, a stern voice sounded from your right.
Though you knew it wasn’t the smartest move, you yelped and turned around with wide eyes.
“I- Miss (Y/N), no, wait! Duchess (Y/N)”, you remembered your new title.
Suddenly a door opened and illuminated the hallway. Due to the sudden brightness you didn’t recognize who stepped out, you only saw a tall, muscular man. You opened your mouth to scream for help, hoping someone would wake up and hear you, when the man spoke.
“Your Grace, you really should not be here this late at night.”
“Captain Rex?”, you asked, recognizing his voice.
The Captain stepped closer so that you could finally see his face. His eyes seemed to be glowing in the dark hallway, though his eyebrows were crunched in confusion.
“What are you doing here?”, he asked in an almost hushed voice and suddenly you realized how inappropriate the situation was. Though you were still dressed, your corset was looser than you were used to, you hair had come loose and parts of it hung down your back, not to mention that you were alone with him.
“I was looking for the kitchen. I missed dinner because I fell asleep and now I’m awake and I’m hungry and I was hoping there might be some leftovers in the kitchen, or maybe at least some fruit. Maybe a couple of strawberries. I love strawberries, don’t you?”
You knew you were rambling, but you had no idea why. This was now your house and you shouldn’t need excuses to be wandering the halls, no matter what time. You stood up straighter, prepared to tell the Captain as much should he say anything else. But he didn’t question you any further, instead he let out a low chuckle.
“You’re as far from the kitchen as it gets. It’s downstairs, and that’s quite a maze itself. But if you let me I could guide you back to your room and you could send someone to get you a snack.”
You had no idea what made you blush, his words or the sound of his laughter, but you felt your cheeks heat up and suddenly had the desire to pull the robe tighter around your body.
“I actually don’t want to bother anyone, the servants should be asleep by now and-”
“You really think they’re asleep already?”, he interrupted you. As soon as the words left his mouth his eyes darkened. “I’m sorry. I should not have interrupted you. Forgive me, your Grace.”
As much as you disliked Padmé calling you “your Grace” and “my lady” hearing the Captain apologize was worse.
“Please, feel free to interrupt me whenever I speak untruths. It’s a service, not an offense.”
He nodded, but didn’t say anything else. Neither did you for a moment.
“I still don’t want to inconvenience anyone. I will just go down to the kitchen and get a piece of bread or something. Perhaps you could point me in the right direction”, you finally said.
The blond looked at you with raised eyebrows. He seemed to be thinking about what to say.
“With all due respect, my lady, I don’t think you will find your way to the kitchen by yourself.” He stopped for a moment. “I could show you, if you want.”
“Lead the way, Captain”, you said with a relieved smile.
He didn’t lead the way, instead he walked right beside you, closer than he probably should. You kept glancing at him from the side. There was no denying that he was good looking, and nice as well, but he was just so stiff, as if he was afraid that putting a single toe out of line would get him punished.
“Is General Skywalker very strict?”, you asked after a while. Partly to break the silence, but partly because that would explain his constant apologizing.
For a millisecond the Captain stopped before he continued on his way.
“He’s not. He is a good man, a bit reckless at times, but we are lucky to serve under him.”
That statement only confirmed your suspicions. The General had not seemed strict, but rather kind, but what other explanation was there for the Captain’s behavior? Though maybe it was just in his character to be safe rather than sorry.
“Where are you from, Captain?”
From the corner of your eye you could see him raise an eyebrow.
“Kamino. It is a small village in the North.”
At first it seemed as if he wanted to add something, but he stayed silent and just kept walking. By now you were close to the entry hall again.
“Do you have family?”
As you walked through the entry way, which had better lighting, you could see more of his face. He was smiling, just a little bit, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes that almost made you reach out to touch his arm. You had already lifted your hand when you realized that that would make the already inappropriate situation even worse.
“I have three brothers. Fives, Echo and Kix.”
The first name sounded familiar and made you remember the other guard you had seen yesterday.
“Fives is a guard as well, isn’t he?”
The Captain nodded. He finally stopped in front of a door you almost didn’t see, it was half hidden behind a statue and painted the same color as the wall. He opened it and let you pass through first.
You found yourself on top of a dark staircase, only a torch on the wall gave a bit of light. It was colder than in the main house, which made you wrap your robe tighter, and everything was stone, no carpets covering any of the surfaces. The Captain grabbed the torch and asked you to go on down the stairs.
“He is. Echo as well. Kix is studying to become a doctor, though, like our father.” His voice got more and more quiet with every word, letting you know his father was dead without ever saying the words.
“You must be proud of him. A cousin of mine studied medicine and told me how difficult it was.”
Since the blond was now behind you you couldn’t see his face, but you could swear you heard a smile in his voice.
“I am proud of all my brothers.”
Before you knew it you had reached the bottom of the stairs and a moment later the Captain was beside you again.
“Almost there”, he told you, to which your stomach responded with an embarrassingly loud growl.
The closer you got to the kitchen the stronger the smell of fresh bread and warm tea got.
Finally you stopped in front to the opened door to the largest kitchen you had ever seen. The room could probably fit a dozen cooks and three time as many kitchen maids, but right now there was only one present. A girl with her back to you stood in front of the last gleams of the oven fire and cut some fruits or vegetables.
“Ahsoka”, the Captain said.
The girl turned around. You could now see that she was pretty as well and started wondering whether everyone who lived and worked in this house was good looking.
“Rex and, oh my! You’re the new Duchess!”, she exclaimed and fell into a deep curtsy.
The look the Captain shot her had you imagining him with his brothers or disciplining guards.
“You were not out front when I arrived”, you told the girl.
Ahsoka shook her head before letting it hang low.
“You know how they say children should be seen and not heard? Turns out a kitchen maid should not even be seen. I mean, I understand that I’m not much to look at in this dirty dress and ugly apron, but it’s not my fault I only get old hand-me-downs from the other maids. I still think I should get to see my new employee, since Duchesses usually don’t visit the kitchen”, she said with a sly smile.
Next to you you felt the Captain stiffen, making you realize just how close you were standing to him. Though you blamed it on the cold, you had probably instinctively gotten closer to share body heat.
“Ahsoka, you shouldn’t s-”
“It’s fine, she’s right”, you interrupted the Captain before he could scold the girl without reason.
You stepped closer to her, farther from the man next to you.
“I was actually hoping to get a snack. I missed dinner, you see.”
Her eyes lit up.
“You want me to make you something to eat? No one ever wants me to make them something to eat.”
You weren’t sure if her words meant you should rethink your decision, but she was so eager you couldn’t help but nod.
“Why don’t you go over to the servants hall and I’ll bring you some food in a minute. And tea as well?”
You nodded once again, but before you could finish the motion Ahsoka was already preparing a plate. You felt the Captain’s hand on your arm, making you turn and face him. He was closer than ever before, so close you could feel his breath on your face. Slowly you closed your eyes, just for a short moment, before opening them again and looking right into his.
“Let’s sit down, Ahsoka will have your food ready soon.”
Without another word he lead you by the elbow, out of the kitchen and into a room just across the hall.
This room was darker and colder than the kitchen, no fire was burning and the space seemed sad and deserted.
“Usually it’s full of life, but everyone else is asleep. Thanks to you not showing up to dinner there was a lot less work”, the Captain explained. His tone was far more casual than a few minutes earlier, he seemed more relaxed.
Ahsoka entered the room before you could say anything, carrying a tablet with a steaming pot of tea, cups and a plate.
“I’m afraid the food is not the dinner you’re used to, my lady. This late there is often not much left”, she said as she sat the plate filled with bread, cheese and fruit in front of you.
Your eyes grew wider as you saw a couple of big, juicy strawberries and as if to tell you to eat them already your stomach growled once again. With a sly smile, hoping the others had not heard how desperate you were for food, you bit into the biggest strawberry. A loud moan escaped you and your face instantly blushed to match the fruit. If a growling stomach was something no one should hear, this sound was indefinitely worse. To your horror the Captain looked at you with wide eyes and even bit his lip, until he noticed you looking at him at least. Ahsoka, on the other hand, laughed.
“Seems like you love strawberries as much as Rex here. I remember one time last summer he came rushing into the kitchen because he could apparently smell the strawberry marmalade we were making all the way from the stables. You should have seen the look on his face, it was-”, suddenly she interrupted mid sentence. She looked from Rex to you and back again, while you tried your best not to look at the Captain as well.
“I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry, my lady.”
She cast her eyes down as she started pouring a cup of tea, focused on the dark liquid in front of her.
It took you a moment to realize what she had just apologized for. Having been raised in a much smaller and poorer house as a lord’s daughter, not a duchess, you were used to talking with the servants, being friendly, even if you weren’t exactly friends.
“Please stop with the constant apologies, both of you. I’m glad to know more about the Captain and loving strawberries is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I am much worse than the Captain. When I was little I once escaped from my governess to go to a nearby strawberry field. I picked and ate strawberries for what felt like hours, until I fell asleep. By the time my father found me my white dress was stained pink and I later got sick because I ate so much. After that I wasn’t allowed any strawberries for a month.”
A smile grew on your face from the fond memory. It had been a good time, before the talk of balls and husbands had started.
The little story had lightened the mood, because Ahsoka went on to tell about that one time she had climbed a tree to get the biggest apple and then fallen, resulting in her breaking her leg. Even the Captain jumped in and told you about his first time falling off a horse.
You liked to know these little things about your servants, it made them more like people and less like employees. And you really enjoyed how Ahsoka’s voice changed throughout the story, it got louder and quieter, faster and slower, making you really feel what she must have felt in that moment. But the Captain was a whole other story. It wasn’t as much his voice that changed as his face. There was a light in his eyes and the corners of his lips, which you tried not to look at, lifted whenever he talked about his brothers. His chuckles made your insides turn warm and when his eyes landed on you you felt as if you were on fire. Though you didn’t know why he had that effect on you, you knew it was thrilling and comforting and dangerous, but mostly you knew you should ignore all of that, because it went beyond anything you should feel for the Captain of your husband’s guard.
Ahsoka was in the middle of telling a story about General Skywalker when low bells interrupted her.
“Shit, is it midnight already?”, she exclaimed.
Out of the corner of your eye you could see the Captain open his mouth, probably to scold the girl for her language, but before he could say anything you stood up.
“I should go. And you should get to bed, Ahsoka”, you said.
The girl nodded. She drowned the last of her tea, which must have been cold by now, and reached for the empty plate.
“I’ll clean this up and then I’ll go”, she told you. For a moment she halted in her movement and looked at you. “It was very nice meeting you, your Grace.”
There it was, the reminder that you had not just made friends, but were talking to your servants. No matter how good you thought you got along, you would never know whether they enjoyed your company or were just pretending in order to keep their jobs. And in that moment you wanted nothing more than to tell Ahsoka, tell the Captain, to call you (Y/N) and to let them know how much you had enjoyed the evening with them, but you knew you never could.
“Let me walk you back to your room, my lady”, the Captain said.
You just nodded, suddenly more tired then you were moments before.
“Good night, Ahsoka”, you said with a smile you hoped was kind rather than sad.
The two of you walked in silence. Though the way back was shorter, since you didn’t make any detours or got lost, it seemed to last an eternity. Finally you reached the top of the stairs and turned down a familiar hallway.
“I had a good time tonight”, you said as you were nearing your door.
It wasn’t until you actually stopped in front of said door that the Captain answered.
“Me too.” He paused to look at you. You felt his eyes wander from your disheveled hair to your eyes, your nose, your reddening cheeks and finally your lips. A strange tingling in your stomach caught your attention, but you decided to analyse that later. For now you were quiet happy standing in a dark hallway close to a handsome and kind man whose breath you could feel on your face. It smelled of the strawberries you had offered him earlier.
“You know it can never happen again, don’t you?”
You closed your eyes at his words. Though there was a new familiarity in the tone, and he hasn’t even used your title, they felt colder than anything he had said that night. Like a goodbye.
“I know it’s... I know it’s not exactly proper... But it’s not really improper either, is it? It’s not like we were alone, we had Ahsoka with us.”
As soon as the words left your mouth you realized that in that moment you were alone. Alone in a dark hallway and closer than you should be to any man who is not your husband.
You could feel the Captain taking a slow, deep breath. His hand brushed yours, whether accidentally or on purpose you couldn’t tell, and his eyes fluttered close for a moment.
The tingling intensified and you braced yourself for what was to come, though you weren’t sure what exactly that was. But then he took a step back.
“Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
There was a new emotion in his eyes, one you couldn’t read but were convinced you never wanted to see again.
“I’m sorry, I... I suppose... I guess I still need to adjust to all of this.” You lifted your hands and pointed down the corridor. “And you...”
You decided it was probably better to end your sentence there, you didn’t even know what you wanted to say, so instead you reached out your hand to open the door. You stepped inside your sitting room, still facing the man in front of you.
“Goodnight, Captain”, you said with a smile. He mirrored your smile, though it looked somehow sad on his face. When he didn’t say anything for a few seconds you started closing the door and it wasn’t until it was almost shut all the way that you heard him softly saying “Goodnight, (Y/N).”
With a sigh you leaned against the now closed door.
“Goodnight, Rex”, you whispered into the cold, dark, empty room.
