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(a/n): Finally some POV changes in this chapter! All of them are very important and I want you guys to get to know the other characters better🥰

(y/n) POV:

"You did what?" Avery asked, followed by a short laugh.

Me, her, and my Mom had all finally sat down in some carved wooden chairs inside of the office-like room we met up in. Though the three of us already knew quite a bit about each other, we actually got to talk about the little things in our personal lives; everything we loved to do, the food we loved to eat, the things and people that made us happy, our satisfactions, our darkest moments, and the peeves that annoyed us.

And of course, I explained that I got the bandage on my forehead from when Anakin almost sliced my head off. Good times.

Right now, I was telling them about the time about a year ago when I replaced one of his cologne bottles with a random bug repellent spray I found in Yoda's quarters.

"I tore off the label to his usual cologne bottle and placed it on the bug spray. He actually fell for it and ended up smelling like chemicals for the rest of the day." I laughed, remembering that memory.

My Mom shook her head at how immature the memory was, "To your own Jedi Master? Weren't you punished for that?"

I shrugged as I recalled how our inevitable conversation went after he quickly realized I was the one to dupe him, "He talks a big game but then forgets to actually play. As usual, we had a petty argument where he ranted about me disrespecting my superiors, and then I complained that he was being too uptight. That was it, though, and then we just went back to hating each other."

Flashback (1 year ago)

I folded through all of my clean laundry, making sure the towels were set in their proper place, and my socks and underwear were put in their correct drawers. This wasn't an ideal way to spend my afternoon, but it was better than picking up trash in the cafeteria.

Once I was done sorting through my clothes, I left my quarters and entered the living room. I then went to the door to leave so I could return the laundry basket to the laundry room.

But as soon as I pressed the button to open the door, I was greeted with the sight of my short-tempered Master, who looked more pissy than usual, and smelled like he had just been on a hike in the jungles.

I smiled casually, "Hey Anakin, I was just on my way out to do laundry." I spoke cheerfully as if I didn't replace his cologne with bug spray.

I tried moving past him but he grabbed my upper arm and shoved me back inside, closing the door behind him. His icy blue eyes never left mine as he stood in front of the door to block my path.

Biting the inside of my cheek so I wouldn't smile, I pretended to be clueless, "Did you go camping in the forests? There must've been a lot of bugs." I rose an eyebrow, acting like his scent was too strong.

He crossed his arms, ignoring my question, and got up in my space, "What makes you think you can treat your superiors so disrespectfully without facing any consequences?" He spoke intimidatingly.

Respecting my superiors? Says the guy who regularly disobeys the Council and plays by his own rules.

I took a step back and scoffed, "Lighten up, will you? It's not like I poured toilet water over your head. I'm saving that for Windu." I smiled mischievously up at him.

His expression of disdain faltered for a moment at my words, and he looked thoughtful, almost as if he wanted to laugh. I know he doesn't like Windu, so that idea is probably pretty intriguing to him.

Then he eventually shook his head and sighed in frustration, "Whatever. I'll deal with you after I've showered." He glared at me as he suddenly retired to his quarters, leaving me alone in our living room.

I was utterly confused as to why he just left like that so quickly, since our arguments usually last longer. But I wasn't going to complain; at least I was off the hook for now.

Flashback ends

Its true, I didn't have to pull that prank on him, but it but it was one of those days where he was being extra moody—though I never knew why—so I wanted to make that day more entertaining for myself.

Avery tilted her head to the side when I finished talking and rose an eyebrow curiously, though I could sense that she was amused for a reason I didn't know.

"What's that look?" I asked with a laugh.

"What look?" She countered defensively, but didn't do a great job since I could see her biting back a smile.

I pointed at her, "That look. I know you want to say something."

Finally she laughed and looked up to the ceiling, then back to me, "It's just, for someone who supposedly hates this guy, you seem to talk about him a lot." She gestured to me, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

I rolled my eyes, "I do hate him. But since I'm his Padawan, and the fact that I hardly leave the Temple, he's the one person I'm forced to see every day. Really, he's the only thing I can talk about." Even though I'm a Jedi who's perfectly capable of handling myself, Yoda has always kept Anakin and I together as much as possible because he knows that if someone tries to attack me, then Anakin could easily protect me.

She has a point though. I'm talking and thinking about him way more than I should be. I wanted to relish in this moment I had where he wasn't here to plague my mood with his cocky attitude.

Luca, one of the twin guards, told us that Anakin instantly fell asleep in his new room once he got to the bed.

I wasn't surprised, considering how tired he was this whole morning. But this is good, because now—for at least another hour—we don't have to worry about him getting suspicious of why I've been gone so long.

My Mom sighed, her eyes sympathetic, "(y/n), eventually you'll have to get along with those who aren't very easy to deal with."

I nodded, aware that she was referring to the uncertain future ahead of us, concerning whether or not I would take her place here permanently. I knew that from there, the people and political leaders I would have to fight and work with would be more difficult than I've ever experienced. It made me realize once more how much I still had to learn and do in such little time. Negotiations, treaties, laws, employment opportunities, foreign aid, and so much more. Not that I'd be on my own; I would still have them with me as well as the guards and some royal advisors.

"Speaking of people who aren't easy to deal with," I began, smoothly changing the subject towards the ominous topic that's been looming over us for a few days now, "we should talk about....him."

The happy and lighthearted tone in the room shifted, as they both caught on to what I meant. Suddenly it seemed like layers of eye bags had just appeared under my Mom's eyes.

"Yes, I suppose this can't be avoided any longer." She sighed sadly, causing a pang to hit my heart.

Avery bit her lip awkwardly, probably not knowing how to fit herself into this conversation. She then stood up slowly, "I'll get some tea for us." She smiled, tucking a strand of her ginger hair behind her ear.

I gave a quick 'Thank you' to her before turning my attention back to our distressed Mom. I noticed that she was narrowing her eyes at my sister who was already opening the door, "Don't go sneaking around with that boy again. Now is not the time for dillydallying." She spoke in a warning voice.

My eyes widened as I whipped around in my seat, "Boy?" I rose my voice significantly, a small forming on my lips. I didn't know that my Mom was being serious on our call about my sister talking to boys.

Avery looked offended as she glanced back and forth between us, "First of all, I wasn't going to do that." Her cheeks flushed as she glared at our Mom, and then she turned to me, "I'll tell you more later when we can get some real sister bonding time."

I giggled at her choice of words, feeling joyful all over again that I could be here in person with her. Blood or not, she'll always be my sister.

"Sounds good," Though I knew Mom could still hear us, I put my hand beside my lips and leaned over my chair to whisper, "And steal some cookies so we can make a secret stash." I winked at her.

I'm making it my personal mission to get all of the cookies before Anakin can.

I heard Mom sigh from behind me, "What am I going to do with you two?"

Avery and I both laughed at her mostly unamused expression. We knew it was all in good fun, though, considering Mom has her own stories of sneaking through the palace in the middle of the night to steal cakes and cookies. There's just something about taking snacks and desserts from palace kitchens that somehow makes them taste better. It also adds to the thrill of sneaking around when you're not supposed to.

As Avery opened the door to leave, I mouthed to her, 'Get the cookies.'

She gave me two thumbs up and nodded her head with a fake serious expression. Once she was out of the room, I turned back towards my Mom and shifted my mindset back into our complicated reality.

Avery POV:

I took a heavy, deep breath as I walked through the long echoey halls. It was so weird seeing (y/n) in the flesh for the first time. All my life, I've only seen her as a hologram. When I was younger I didn't even know if she was real or not, because we never saw her in person, so my childish mind believed that she was just an imaginary friend.

But none of that matters now; she's here and I'll finally get to spend some time with her like sisters should. The palace can often get pretty lonely if I'm not with my Mom or the guards, but that's mainly because we have a limited amount of staff and royal council members.

Traitors, I thought bitterly, they have about as much sense as a headless droid to go join King Alastair.

I've done what I can—given speeches, provided relief, hosted parties—to keep people on our side, and most of my efforts have worked, but many people still couldn't be convinced. It's disappointing but, some people's half-witted brains are just beyond my abilities to change.

As I entered the sweetly scented kitchen, which was empty since lunch was over, I zeroed in on one of the cabinets that I knew was filled with teacups.

But as I began reaching to open it, I felt two hands spin my body around and lift me onto the counter by my hips. I let out a short squeal from the surprise, and then smiled when I saw who it was.

"Hey there, Princess." Luca, my personal royal guard and secret boyfriend, greeted me.

And I say 'secret' because my Mom has no idea that we're dating. Yet. She thinks that we're just talking, flirting, whatever it is that adolescents do. I'm planning on telling her eventually, I just have this fear that she won't approve of this relationship since Luca isn't a Prince or Nobleman.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and played with his soft blonde hair, "Hello, my handsome royal guard." I fluttered my eyelashes sweetly, causing us both to chuckle.

Our relationship is still pretty new; we began developing feelings for each other after he offered to bring me macaroons from the kitchen whenever I was studying or had a political science lesson. If there's any way to win my heart, it's through food.

He began rubbing his thumbs over my dress against my thighs, making me shiver as I leaned my forehead against his own. "How's your sister doing?" He asked softly.

I nodded against him, "Surprisingly good, considering she's been away from her family for most of her life. Although, I think the Jedi Temple was a good home for her." I remembered the way she talked about Yoda, the little green Jedi Master who's pretty much like a father to her.

"Although, something just seems....weird to me." I leaned away so I could look properly into his green eyes.

"What is it?" He asked curiously, taking my hands in his and intertwining our fingers. I shrugged as I struggled to find the words I was looking for. To be honest, I didn't really know what I was trying to say.

I sighed, "I don't know if this is just my overactive mind creating crackpot theories but, (y/n) says she hates her Jedi Master. What was his name again? Andrew? Annabelle?" I asked.

Luca laughed and shook his head, "It's Anakin."

I rolled my eyes playfully, "Close enough. Anyways, even though she's told me that they both hate each other, she talked about him a lot just now. And....I'm probably just talking nonsense, but I have this feeling that she doesn't hate him as much as she says." I shook my head, not knowing how else to explain what I was feeling.

It's probably nothing, I think I'm just overthinking things which is something I'm already notorious for doing.

Luca nodded thoughtfully as he helped me off of the counter and grabbed the teacups for me that I tried reaching earlier, "Well, they just got here. I'd wait a bit before you put together a full hypothesis." He teased, handing me two teacups while holding a large teapot.

I rolled my eyes again and gently nudged his stomach with my elbow, "Shut up and help me get the tea ready."

We both walked over to the fire and prepared to hang the pot over it, when we suddenly heard the sound of a door closing. We both turned our heads in the direction of the kitchen entrance, but saw no one there. It was as if the noise was in our imaginations. "What was that?" I asked.

Luca scanned the room cautiously, and walked around the island table to make sure no one had come in. When he returned next to me, he shook his head, "I'm not sure. This palace is old, so it was probably a draft."

The sound of that door seemed too strong to be a draft, but I didn't have any other ideas, so I nodded in agreement and focused back on the tea.

(y/n) POV:

Unfortunately, the difficult conversation with my Mom about Alastair didn't really get us anywhere. After Avery brought us all some tea—and a box of cookies that she left outside with her guard—we all discussed what we could possibly do to be prepared for the future. The problem though, is that we still don't know what we're preparing for. All we know is that we don't want a repeat of what happened seventeen years ago, so we decided to prepare for that type of incident first.

Tomorrow my Mom and sister, as well as the guards, are going to check every room in the palace for any bombs or weapons that shouldn't be there. That was what started this whole mess all those years ago; apparently a traitor had planted a bomb and after that, the whole palace and kingdom was in an uproar. Disorder ensued, and one thing led to another before it could be stopped.

After the long trip here, and that tiring conversation, I decided to get some R&R and find my room. I didn't want to think about anything else for the rest of the day.

As I left the office-like room, I saw Aero already waiting for me at the end of the hall, and when he noticed me, he quickly moved his hand behind his back which I noticed was holding something.

"Hello, m'lady." He greeted as he began inching towards a trash bin.

"Whatcha got there?" I asked curiously, pointing to his arm that was still held behind his back. He sighed and stopped moving towards the trash bin, then moved his arm forward to reveal a gorgeous blue flower in his hand, as well as a bag of biscuits attached to it.

I blinked in surprise at what I was looking at, "Who are these for?" I asked as I looked up at him.

He shook his head, and I could sense that he felt dejected and slightly betrayed for some reason, "It doesn't matter. I was going to give these to someone special but....I don't think she wants this from me." He sighed sadly.

I stared at him thoughtfully, wondering who he could be talking about; obviously I felt bad, and the optimist in me wanted to help him out in some way, but I didn't know him well enough yet to know if that was something he'd even want.

Probably thinking my blank expression was one of disappointment, I felt his fear rise, "Are you mad? I'm sorry, this is a really unprofessional conversation." He went to throw the flower and biscuits into the garbage.

"Wait, no." I grabbed his arm to stop him. "I'm not mad. If anything, I'd be more upset if you threw away the flower and that perfectly good bag of biscuits." I chuckled, hoping it would lighten the mood.

He smiled warily and retracted his hand from the bin. A thought then popped into my head as I eyed the contents in his hand, "Actually, if you're not planning on using those anymore, could I have them?"

I don't know what I'll do with the flower, but if I was going to be reading stories to Anakin tonight, then I'll definitely need some snacks. And I might share them with him if he decides to not be a douche.

He shrugged as his sad expression returned, "Sure. I don't really care who has them anymore." He handed them to me.

I felt awkward, and didn't know what to say to make this better. It sounds like he doesn't actually mean what he's saying. Like I said, I don't know him well enough to discern what brings his mood up. Remembering our conversation when we introduced ourselves earlier, I nudged his arm, "So, your name isn't short for aerodynamic. What about....aerolase?" I asked with a grin.

His features twisted into one of disgust as he shook his head, "Please don't say that again." He chuckled.

I laughed as we began walking to wherever my temporary room was. From there, we engaged in normal conversation and I got to learn more about him and his life before becoming a palace guard. It was nice to get to know someone who wasn't a Jedi or in a royal family. Once I got him to open up, and not worry about upholding formalities around me, we talked and laughed as if we'd been friends for our whole lives.

Alastair POV:

Tedious.

If I had to choose one word to describe this day in particular, that would be it. Nothing is as exciting as it used to be. Sure, I've spent many nights indulging in the finest wines of my palace, as well as finding pleasure in random harlots from the streets. But none of those pleasantries are satisfying anymore.

I needed more.

You'd think having my own kingdom and a planet all to myself would be enough, but it truly isn't. I never understood why a monarchy was the decided government for Dantooine; it's hardly even a planet anymore. As of now it's virtually a land of ruins and abandoned forests. There's hardly a kingdom to rule, but that's exactly what I needed.

As if right on cue, my empty throne room wasn't empty anymore as one of my servants came rushing through the door.

This servant—whose name I can't remember—specifically was someone who answered calls and various requests for me, so I wondered what could possibly have him in such a tizzy.

"M-my Lord," He stuttered as he bowed before me, "I have acquired very valuable information from your spy."

And suddenly I wasn't so bored anymore.

I sat up straighter, clawing my nails into the armrests of my throne, "Well, spit it out." I urged.

He straightened his posture and folded his arms behind his back. He took a deep breath, "The Queen is there. She's in Alderaan, and we've learned that she is also a Jedi."

A devious smile slowly began to form on my lips as I let this information sink in.

I chuckled, "Huh. In Alderaan? Now? I guess idiocy runs in that family." I noted, remembering how her father died, based on what my own father told me.

I'd have to reminisce another time, though.

It seems my plan is working better than I anticipated. I know she'd never openly go back to Alderaan without good reason, so it's clear to me now that she's there because of my threat. How foolish; does she honestly believe that everyone in Alderaan is on her side? This is going to be too easy.

"Uh s-sir would you l-like our soldiers to get into battle formation?" My servant asked nervously from below me, like he thought he would get into trouble for asking. I don't blame him for being frightened, I've been known to dispose of some staff people who annoy me or step out of line.

I held my hand up to him, "No, don't do anything until I say so. Is that clear?" I asked in an authoritative tone.

His eyes widened in fear as he nodded quickly, "Of course....but what would you like me to do, then?"

A smirk returned to my lips as I crossed one of my legs over the other, and leisurely leaned back into my throne, "For now, nothing. Let them worry, let them helplessly wonder what I've been planning. The best way to conquer your enemies is to place the fear of the unknown on their shoulders."

Now that I know where she's been hiding for all these years, my plans may....change. I'm not sure how, yet, but an array of possibilities are beginning to run through my mind of all the ways I could do what my father couldn't. He failed to take over their kingdom, which is exactly what I plan to do.

Whether or not she accepts my hand in marriage is of little importance. Either way, she'll be mine soon.

(a/n): I know that Anakin didn't make an appearance in this chapter, but I promise he will in the next one, which I'm very excited for hehe. Let me know your thoughts on the characters so far! I loved reading all of your theories from the last chapter💕 Also, I'm curious to know what you guys think Alastair looks like👀

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