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❝𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯? ❞

❝𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘍𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. ❞

❝𝘖𝘩, 𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥.❞

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»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐉𝐔𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓 cheers erupted all around me as Anakin, my brave little friend, raced over the finish line, finally declaring and finalizing himself as the winner.

By the end of my loud cheering and leaping up with excitement, my throat was sore and my legs felt like jello, but it was worth it to get to cheer Anakin on.

He had basically given my planet a chance of freedom with his daring racing win, and I owed everything to him for that.

To celebrate my friend's victory, I raced over to Padmé and jumped onto her smiling form, my arms wrapping around her slim waist.

"He did it, Paddy," I mumbled in her navy tunic, "I knew he could do it."

Padmé just laughed and jokingly replied, "No one doubted him for even a second, Clarie."

I pulled back slightly to look up at her with a deadpan expression, knowing full well that she had doubted him on multiple occasions. Padmé simply chuckled at my expression, finding it hilarious for some reason, although I wasn't really sure why.

I looked over at Qui-Gon to find him hugging the mother of the winner in his own form of celebration.

I smirked at the two, wondering if I could get away with teasing my Jedi friend about it on our way to Coruscant, but thought against it, considering the fact that I would most likely be wrapped up in diplomatic meeting after meeting.

Another time, perhaps.

But then a horrible thought struck me right then and there.

Another time... I wouldn't be back on Tatooine after today. I would be in Coruscant, with the Chancellor and Senate, pleading my case. I wouldn't get to see Anakin and Shmi after today.

And suddenly I felt my sick to my stomach, not liking our predicament, not wanting to leave my good friend and his kind, selfless mother.

It all felt awful, and unfixable.

But everything was truly fixable, in its own way. Nothing could not be fixed. Everything had a solution, and a light side to the problem. I just had to be optimistic.

And that is what I told myself as Threepio from behind me whispered in shock and disbelief, "I can't believe it."

The two headed announcer who could speak Galactic Basic reported in an enthusiastic, perky voice, "The crowds are going nuts!"

To say that the crowds were going nuts was a complete and utter understatement, as everyone in the stands stood up and started to clap viciously for the boy who had won it all.

Speaking of that very same boy, he quickly flew up to the center of the boneyard, hopping out and immediately looking for someone, by the looks of it.

My friend's search for his desired person was cut short when Kitster ran up to the young boy, and embraced him tightly, making me think that Anakin's circulation was cut off from the amount of sheer pressure and force Kitster was putting on the fellow slave.

The rest of our group speed walked (I of course ran) over to the victorious blonde boy, who still continued to look around for someone as he returned Kitster's congratulating hug.

Once we had all made it down into the depths of the boneyard, hundreds and hundreds of eager and loyal spectators gathered around Anakin and hoisted him up into the air by his shoulders, chanting his name as they whisked him further away into the sandy pit we were all currently standing in.

Anakin, despite all of this, still looked around for a certain someone, using his newfound height to his advantage with the upper ground on his side, his eyes trailing around until they finally, without any effort, landed on mine.

I widely smiled at the blonde boy, my teeth surely glimmering in the bright Tatooine sun, giving him an excited little wave in return, happy to finally have his attention.

His bright blue eyes lit up with extreme happiness at the sight of me, prompting him to yell in my direction, "Clarissé! I did it! Yeah!"

Somehow, Anakin had leapt off of his position up in the air, which was on the shoulders of a burly alien with large biceps, bundling his way over to me, an excited gleam in his captivating eyes.

Once he reached me at the edge of the crowd, he barreled into my smaller frame, his arms securely wrapping themselves around my tiny shoulders. With a smile, I returned the hug by embracing him by his waist, gripping tightly onto it. I could feel the majority of the crowd's attention on the two of us, but I could care less. He was alive and that was all that mattered to me in that moment, not the major win he had made for my planet, although I did really appreciate it.

I had never wanted to let him go.

We eventually pulled away from each other, with reluctance at first, his shining eyes staring into my own pair, his hands gripping onto my shoulders with a soft yet demanding pull.

"I knew you could do it," I softly responded to the ensuring silence following us, "I knew you would win. And you did. You saved my planet, Ani. You have no idea what you've done or how much this means to me. Thank you."

My quick and quiet ramble was cut off when Anakin scooped me back into the same warm and comforting embrace from before, this one being even better than the last, somehow.

An embrace I never wanted to leave as we stood there, nothing but each other as we stood together among the departing crowd.

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»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 deserted pod hanger, Jar Jar bundled over to my blonde friend, hoisting him up into the air by his slim waist, exclaiming childishly with a glint in his slitted pupil, "Great job, Ani!"

It was Padmé's turn to thank and congratulate Ani next as she begrudgingly and stubbornly stomped her way over to the anticipating podracer.

I could tell she was resisting the urge to roll her dark eyes at my friend as she grumbled, "Thanks for saving Naboo and the Queen... I guess."

I leapt over to her with the speed of a solider and the elegance of a queen as I elbowed her harshly in her already sensitive ribcage, causing Padmé to yelp out in pain and start to rub her probably bruised and aching, pulsing ribs, whimpering slightly at the unwanted contact. She glared at me from the corner of her eye while I continued to smile like an idiot at Anakin, my eyes prolonging that of a doe's.

"What my dear sister means," I started, smiling kindly at Anakin as I leaned up to him to give him a full, filled out hug, "is that we owe you everything, Ani. We are forever grateful."

I fully let go of my friend as we continued to smile dreamily at the other, becoming immersed in the other's presence until Shmi swept in and rushed Anakin into her own motherly embrace, pulling back and kissing him firmly on the cheek, the action making Anakin embarrassed and blushing with a fierce intensity, most likely because of the guests he was currently having, including me.

And here I thought that I was one of the worst, most vibrant blushers in the whole galaxy.

Guess I was horribly wrong.

"It's so wonderful, Ani," Shmi wistfully proclaimed, her eyes holding an excited, proud look in their dark irises as she looked over her son's dirty face with pride overflowing from her worn features, "You have brought hope to those who have none, like Clarissé and her sister. I'm so very proud of you..."

Anakin bashfully looked down in half embarrassment, half admiration for his mother. Nevertheless, I smiled at the heart warming interaction.

"Ah..." Anakin mumbled when Shmi pressed another kiss to his forehead, causing me to burst out into laughter.

And at that moment, I was convinced that everything would be alright in the end.

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»»-----------►Ｆｏｒｃｅ

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 the abandoned hanger, Clarissé and Anakin were the only ones left, their small frames sitting down on the sawdust scattered around the dusty floor, neither one caring about the mess they created from sitting, sunlight streaming in through the large skylights on the ceiling.

Only caring about Clarissé's sudden departure from Tatooine.

The two let the silence engulf them as they didn't want it to be true. They didn't want to separate from the other. It seemed wrong and horrible to have to force the brand new friends apart like that.

"Do you really have to go?" Anakin started, plucking the bravery out from somewhere within.

Clarissé sighed with reluctance and mumbled a tiny, "Yes."

She hesitated after her mumbling before exclaiming, "I don't want to leave you. I've only just met you and yet I already feel as if we've been friends for years, but I have to go back to Naboo, or rather Coruscant. I have to protect the queen."

Oh how badly the young girl wanted to spew out the truth to her friend, telling him that it was her, Clarissé Amidala Naberrie. She was the rightful queen of Naboo.

But she couldn't. It wouldn't be smart, or safe for either of them, or Naboo.

Anakin sighed with distaste at the sad reality of what was about to occur, feeling depressed beyond belief at the idea of Clarissé leaving him. He wanted nothing more than to have her stay, or even better, he could go with her. Him and his mother.

"We could run away and get our own starship, go anywhere in the galaxy we want," Anakin whispered like he had a secret to tell as the thought of them stealing a ship and running away together came into his mind, "Just you and me, and maybe my mother and your sister, although she can be a real pain in the rear sometimes."

Clarissé giggled slightly at the last sentence, agreeing with it wholeheartedly, although her giggling didn't last very long as she thought about the plan more and more. It was slightly crazy to her that she would actually, genuinely run away with Anakin, Shmi, and Padmé if she had the chance, but she didn't, and in her bright little mind, she knew that deep down.

"As much as that sounds wonderful," she continued to mumble, the saddened quality in her usually perky voice making her even more melancholy, "I couldn't do that to my parents or Sola and Darred. I couldn't do that to Indirá, one of my fellow handmaidens. I couldn't do that to Naboo. It would be wrong of me to put my own personal wishes before Naboo's."

Anakin still didn't understand why she was so hung up on saving her planet, considering she wasn't the queen or anything, but he still respected her thoughts by staying silent on the matter.

Clarissé, on the other hand, couldn't stand the silence and boldly leaned forward, leaping onto Anakin as she curved her arms around his slightly larger frame.

"I'm gonna miss you," she whimpered, sniffles present in her teary voice, "I don't think I'll ever miss anyone as much as I'll miss you."

She pulled back a tad as she looked at Anakin and whispered, "Someday, when I'm older, I'm gonna fly back to Tatooine, and come see you, or better yet, free you from Watto. You and your mother. That way, you can come live on Naboo with Padmé and I, or we could go explore the galaxy more. Whatever you want."

Anakin smiled wistfully as he reached a hand up and brushed the back of his small, slightly calloused hand across Clarissé's otherworldly eyes, wiping away her translucent, watery tears.

"We'll see each other again, Clarie. Just you wait."

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

❝𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐎, ❞ Panaka softly guided as he gently lifted my small frame off my stubborn Uopie, setting me down in front of him, brushing his hands off as he firmly sat them on his hips.

While Padmé and Jar Jar had ridden together, I chose to ride with Qui-Gon, who kept a tight grip on my little waist, making sure I wouldn't fall off. I didn't make much small talk with the Jedi, not feeling the need or want to talk. My mouth had felt numb after my conversation with Anakin.

Qui-Gon stayed on the Uopie for a while longer while I was with Panaka, the older Jedi no doubt observing my interaction with the dark skinned man.

As I stood in front of Naboo's best captain, rubbing my wrists together with pure sadness in my usually vibrant eyes, Panaka smiled, not taking note of this and greeted in a hushed tone, "Welcome back your Highness. How was your trip?"

I gazed up at him through my thick, dark eyelashes, smiling sadly at my dark skinned friend.

"It was wonderful. I got to learn so much. I even met someone..." I trailed off, my mouth fitting back into a depressed frown.

That certain someone was someone that I was never even going to see again.

Panaka, at the sight and sound of this, frowned himself, confused at my melancholy attitude. Either way, it concerned him greatly that I wasn't bubbly or curious anymore.

"Are you okay, Clarissé?" He asked, his head dipping up as he knelt down before me, lifting my fallen chin to reveal my tear stained face, causing his eyes to widen in even more concern for my mental state.

I hastily wiped the forbidden droplets of water from my puffy eyes with the back of my soft hand, not wanting Panaka, one of the strongest people I knew, to see me in such a fragile state.

"I'm okay..." I trailed off, thinking of an excuse on the fly, "I think it must be my allergy to sand. You know how puffy and teary I get when I encounter the deathly grains of sand." I chuckled nervously at the end, to further convince him.

Panaka, who deadpanned comically at me, clearly was not buying my façade in the slightest.

"Last time I checked, your Majesty," Panaka responded to my unconvincing chuckling, "You are not allergic to sand in the slightest. I don't even think you've been around sand like this in your entire young life. Tell me what's really wrong-" he lifted a finger menacingly in front of my face, warning me to not lie like last time- "The truth this time."

I sniffled a laugh, finding his ordering persona apparently amusing at my moment of sadness.

"Let's just say I have to leave behind something very special today. For the sake of Naboo."

The dark skinned captain smiled sadly at my cracking words, his eyes holding a boatload of sympathy in them.

"I'm sorry, Clarissé," my older friend reiterated, pulling me into a nice hug, "You'll find it again. I know you will."

I nodded my partial agreement in the crook of his neck, pulling back to smile my thanks to him. He smiled his acceptance right back at me.

Padmé and Jar Jar, right at that moment, strolled up by their camel like animal and got off of their own Uopie, the former helping the latter off the timid animal.

At the sight of Panaka and I, myself being shown to be in no harm or danger whatsoever, Padmé visibly relaxed, her shoulders not as tense and her jaw not as set.

Throughout our entire time on Tatooine, she had been stressed beyond belief at the possibilities of what could happen to me, so I enjoyed seeing her take a little break from that responsibility.

"Are you okay?" My sister called over to me as she walked her way over to Panaka and I, wondering if my Uopie trip was alright.

"I'm fine," I lied, not wanting to worry her anymore. She had bigger problems than me and my current depressed state. My sister, who knew me almost better than anyone else, stared at me strangely, as if she didn't believe me.

"You sure?" She questioned for extra measure, not letting the subject go. I couldn't blame her though. She was just looking out for me and my newfound, fragile state of mind.

I swallows thickly and rawly, causing my throat to tingle as I lied once again to my best friend, "Positive."

Padmé side eyed me as she mumbled, "Whatever you say, Clarie."

With that, she trailed after a very excited and ambitious white and blue astro mech (Artoo had also noticed my melancholy attitude and asked me if I had felt fine on our Uopie journey, to which I of course told him I was, in fact, feeling completely and utterly fine, as my favorite little droid refused to leave my side by rolling next to my Uopie), and a bumbling Gungan, disappearing into our sleek Nubian cruiser, and out of our sight.

While my sister and my two very different friends entered the cruiser, Obi-Wan, the apprentice of Qui-Gon, exited our escape pod, strolling up to meet with his superior.

"Well," Qui-Gon started, filling his youngling in on what happened, not paying very much attention to Panaka and I at the edge of the conversation, "we have all the essential parts we need. I'm going back... some unfinished business. I won't be long."

I tilted my head with curiosity at that statement, immediately wondering what Qui-Gon would have to return to.

Was it... Could it be... No. There's no way.

Obi-Wan must have had the same thought process as me as he stated in an annoyed, irritated yet slightly interested tone, "Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic life form?"

The young apprentice's statement made me slightly angry at the fact that he had basically called Padmé, Anakin, Shmi, and me "pathetic life forms".

I could confidently assure him that none of us were pathetic in the slightest.

Qui-Gon, who had finally acknowledged my presence by looking over at my awaiting figure with Panaka by my side, turned back to his youngling and loudly claimed, "It's the boy who's responsible for getting those parts-" my eyes widened significantly at the mention of Anakin- "Get this hyperdrive generator installed."

Obi-Wan nodded while obeying his master's orders by affirming, "Yes, Master. It shouldn't take long."

"You mean it?" I cried out in a shaky voice, my soft palms becoming increasingly sweaty and calmly at the mere mention of the blonde Skywalker, "You're actually going to get Anakin? You freed him from Watto?" To this day, I still do not truly know exactly how Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi before his time, in my opinion, managed to get through to Watto's thick, selfish brain and free Anakin Skywalker.

Qui-Gon nodded with assurance as he attempted to walk back towards the distant town of Mos Espa without my gaze on him or my feet moving towards his steps.

"Can I come?" I eagerly asked, skipping over to him with my hands clasped behind my back as I bounced up and down on my heels, a wide, surely gorgeous, demanding smile on my porcelain face.

Something I had learned from personal experience with my parents and politicians around Naboo, was that whenever I tilted my head upwards just right, and I widened my eyes a certain way, I could get anything I wanted. I just simply preferred not to use my manipulative gift on other people.

Qui-Gon audibly sighed as he shook his head, his gaze tilted towards the floor to avoid looking at my pleading, big eyes.

"No," he deadpanned, looking over my shoulder to find Panaka smiling with amusement.

He knew what I was capable of, as I used it on himself all the time, and was currently fearing for Qui-Gon's upholding bargaining.

"Oh, please, Master Qui-Gon Jinn. May I please come with you to free my dear friend, Anakin Skywalker? I promise I'll be wonderful, and extra good. I won't get into trouble." I grinned toothily, making sure to make a show of my pearly white teeth, the small little pieces of hard bone in my mouth gleaming and twinkling in the sunlight.

Qui-Gon looked as if he was having an internal battle with himself, mumbling quietly