FIC: Promise (G)
I just updated Thwarted Fate at fanfiction.net and TFN.
I'm stuck in a major moment in this story and I haven't been able to move past it. So I tried to ease the writing wheels by working on a few of those ficlets I've promised people here and there...
Title: Promise (G)
Characters: Padmé Naberrie. Kitster Banai.
Timeframe: TPM. Canon?
Notes #1: For fialleril: Okay, I want to see something with Padmé and Kitster. How and in what capacity is totally up to you. :D
Notes #2: I tried to make this as close to canon as possible, but it's been a long time since I've watched TPM. (Sacrilege!) So, please accept this in the spirit with which it was intended.
It surprised Padmé just how deeply Ani’s victory moved her and not just because it made the journey to Coruscant and liberty for her people possible. Shmi Skywalker had said that Ani’s victory meant hope to people who had none. People like the slaves on Tatooine; but also people like Padmé, who until now had only realized just how despairing she felt towards her ability to influence the Senate, to save her people from the Trade Federation.
Ani had given her hope. Her heart was full as she knelt down to hug the other little boy whose confidence in his friend had never faltered.
“Good-bye, Kit. Thank you for believing in Ani. Thank you for everything.”
His face was strangely serious when she pulled away, the wide grin he had had at the end of the race had vanished somewhere in their hug. “Miss Padmé, can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she asked, surprised.
“Please just keep an eye out for Ani, will you?” He blurted out the words, took a deep breath. “He…” his voice broke off, and he cleared his throat twice, “he doesn’t always look after himself. He gets into things and he…” He coughed again and his dark eyes flashed away from her gaze. With a thrill of shock, she realized that he was close to tears. “He just he just keeps going and going and he doesn’t know when to stop. And being a Jedi is great and everything, but Master Qui-Gon won’t -”
“Kit, what are you saying?”
He lifted his chin and looked at her squarely, shining eyes and all. “I know you and Master Qui-Gon are Jedi. Ani told me.”
Padmé frowned, overlooking the erroneous assumption. That had been very dangerous of Ani. He meant well, but it was just a reminder of how much a child he was. What if Kit, in all childish innocence, had given this information to the wrong people?
“Kit,” she said gently. “You shouldn’t tell anyone this. It’s a secret, do you understand?”
He glared at her. “Of course, I understand. Why would I…? Anyway I won’t want to get Shmi into trouble. If anyone knew that Anakin had gone off to be a Jedi, it might be bad for her here.”
“Ani going off to be a Jedi… did Ani tell you this?”
Kit glared. “Isn’t that why you and Master Qui-Gon came here? To test him?”
Padmé shook her head, surprised at how completely the boy had misread the situation. “No, Kit. We told you about our ship, remember?”
He shrugged. “I thought that was just a lie,” he said simply, no hint of malice or insult, “to give Wattoo a reason for Ani to race.”
“No, we didn’t.”
He looked disbelieving. Padmé was torn between feeling insulted, amused or just relieved that the moment of near-tears had passed.
“Kit, the race was not a test. We really just had a broken down ship. We’re not taking Ani away.”
“Maybe not now.”
Padmé opened her mouth to deny it and surprised herself at how the words refused to come out.
There was a sad sort of triumph in little Kit’s face. “Please, take care of him,” he said firmly.
Padmé bit her lip. Nodded.
Kit gave her a long, searching look and she could never make up her mind whether he was satisfied with what it was he found. His face didn’t change as he turned from her to join in with the rest of the celebration surrounding Ani. Padmé watched the little blond boy half-turn to his friend, and swing an arm across his shoulder, effectively pulling him into the centre of attention. Kit grinned then, the too-adult seriousness in his face melting into an expression of pure childish glee. All the while, Ani hadn’t paused in his speech, his face vivid with animation as he entertained the gawking crowd, but Padmé thought she could see his back stiffen with confidence as his friend propped up his side. She caught him once looking around, probably for her, and she slipped into the shadows, towards the parts that Jar Jar and Threepio were loading onto the vehicle.
This was their victory. It was also their farewell. She would not intrude.
Like her earlier despair, her attachment to the little boy with bright blue eyes had crept up on her so gradually that she hadn’t realized just how powerful it was until she was confronted with it.
She stood in the fringes and watched them for as long as she could until Jar Jar murmured to her that they had to go.
fin
I'm stuck in a major moment in this story and I haven't been able to move past it. So I tried to ease the writing wheels by working on a few of those ficlets I've promised people here and there...
Title: Promise (G)
Characters: Padmé Naberrie. Kitster Banai.
Timeframe: TPM. Canon?
Notes #1: For fialleril: Okay, I want to see something with Padmé and Kitster. How and in what capacity is totally up to you. :D
Notes #2: I tried to make this as close to canon as possible, but it's been a long time since I've watched TPM. (Sacrilege!) So, please accept this in the spirit with which it was intended.
It surprised Padmé just how deeply Ani’s victory moved her and not just because it made the journey to Coruscant and liberty for her people possible. Shmi Skywalker had said that Ani’s victory meant hope to people who had none. People like the slaves on Tatooine; but also people like Padmé, who until now had only realized just how despairing she felt towards her ability to influence the Senate, to save her people from the Trade Federation.
Ani had given her hope. Her heart was full as she knelt down to hug the other little boy whose confidence in his friend had never faltered.
“Good-bye, Kit. Thank you for believing in Ani. Thank you for everything.”
His face was strangely serious when she pulled away, the wide grin he had had at the end of the race had vanished somewhere in their hug. “Miss Padmé, can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she asked, surprised.
“Please just keep an eye out for Ani, will you?” He blurted out the words, took a deep breath. “He…” his voice broke off, and he cleared his throat twice, “he doesn’t always look after himself. He gets into things and he…” He coughed again and his dark eyes flashed away from her gaze. With a thrill of shock, she realized that he was close to tears. “He just he just keeps going and going and he doesn’t know when to stop. And being a Jedi is great and everything, but Master Qui-Gon won’t -”
“Kit, what are you saying?”
He lifted his chin and looked at her squarely, shining eyes and all. “I know you and Master Qui-Gon are Jedi. Ani told me.”
Padmé frowned, overlooking the erroneous assumption. That had been very dangerous of Ani. He meant well, but it was just a reminder of how much a child he was. What if Kit, in all childish innocence, had given this information to the wrong people?
“Kit,” she said gently. “You shouldn’t tell anyone this. It’s a secret, do you understand?”
He glared at her. “Of course, I understand. Why would I…? Anyway I won’t want to get Shmi into trouble. If anyone knew that Anakin had gone off to be a Jedi, it might be bad for her here.”
“Ani going off to be a Jedi… did Ani tell you this?”
Kit glared. “Isn’t that why you and Master Qui-Gon came here? To test him?”
Padmé shook her head, surprised at how completely the boy had misread the situation. “No, Kit. We told you about our ship, remember?”
He shrugged. “I thought that was just a lie,” he said simply, no hint of malice or insult, “to give Wattoo a reason for Ani to race.”
“No, we didn’t.”
He looked disbelieving. Padmé was torn between feeling insulted, amused or just relieved that the moment of near-tears had passed.
“Kit, the race was not a test. We really just had a broken down ship. We’re not taking Ani away.”
“Maybe not now.”
Padmé opened her mouth to deny it and surprised herself at how the words refused to come out.
There was a sad sort of triumph in little Kit’s face. “Please, take care of him,” he said firmly.
Padmé bit her lip. Nodded.
Kit gave her a long, searching look and she could never make up her mind whether he was satisfied with what it was he found. His face didn’t change as he turned from her to join in with the rest of the celebration surrounding Ani. Padmé watched the little blond boy half-turn to his friend, and swing an arm across his shoulder, effectively pulling him into the centre of attention. Kit grinned then, the too-adult seriousness in his face melting into an expression of pure childish glee. All the while, Ani hadn’t paused in his speech, his face vivid with animation as he entertained the gawking crowd, but Padmé thought she could see his back stiffen with confidence as his friend propped up his side. She caught him once looking around, probably for her, and she slipped into the shadows, towards the parts that Jar Jar and Threepio were loading onto the vehicle.
This was their victory. It was also their farewell. She would not intrude.
Like her earlier despair, her attachment to the little boy with bright blue eyes had crept up on her so gradually that she hadn’t realized just how powerful it was until she was confronted with it.
She stood in the fringes and watched them for as long as she could until Jar Jar murmured to her that they had to go.
fin