5BBY

i.  three faces

Elayne Antares had many faces.

There was the face of the cold and fearless Queen Antares, righteous ruler of Naboo, the voice of the people. The face of Elayne the handmaiden (the queen in disguise), hidden beneath the hood of her hot-orange gown. They were roles to play and statutes to be watched.

Her true face, however, the face only her family ever saw, was that of Elayne Citala. The quiet girl, soft-hearted and strong-willed, always with her mind somewhere in the stars. The dutiful daughter, raising her brothers on her own, for her father was too busy and her mother dead.

It had been a long time since she'd been Elayne Citala. Ever since her first election, there was no space for the girl she used to be. The last time she had been only Elayne Citala (before she carved herself in two) was at fifteen years old.

It had been around four years since her first coronation. Four years since Queen Antares had been invented by her and her friend Kaleyne, her first handmaiden and her shadow.

The first year as queen had been difficult. All the power belonged to the moff of Naboo, Panaka, appointed by emperor Palpatine. Not to her.

The captain of her security forces, Gerick Typho, advised her to not act against Panaka or the empire. They were related in some way, and Typho knew him well. They would mistake any form of challenge as defiance. Frustrated, Elayne did everything she could for the Naboo with the limited power she held.

She nourished the relations to Naboo's neighbours and whenever Moff Panaka wanted to discuss her actions, she easily convinced him that it was in the best interest of the Naboo and the will of the emperor himself (Palpatine was, after all, Nabooian).

It was hard to gain Panaka's trust. But with care and kindness (and a little bit of deceit) she slowly won him over.

She had him blindly agreeing to it all by the time her second term came to an end, and soon he stopped interfering with her political decisions.

She dared to go behind his back now and change the laws to make the life of the Naboo easier again, like it had been in the days before the republic fell.

And then, One year ago, her second coronation took place, and all of the Naboo had been ecstatic.

Proud smiles and happy tears on their faces, everywhere in the crowd. All of them had wanted Queen Antares to run again.

Important people from faraway planets came to witness the coronation. The leaders of Naboo's neighbours, and even the senator of Alderaan, Bail Organa, attended.

Bail, who quickly became a good friend to her. A few months into her third term, she was invited by him and his wife, the queen of Alderaan, to celebrate her name day on their home planet.

Bail, who was more than just the senator of Alderaan. He was a kindred soul, and his heart was big enough to love the entire galaxy.

He was her door to intergalactic politics. He was her tie to other planets, planets far more powerful and closer to the core of the galaxy than Naboo. He was her mentor and her pillar.

He gave her hope, and the idea to form a secret resistance movement of her own. She had networked a lot during her third term as queen, and now she wasn't just the monarch of Naboo — she was the leader of Naboo's resistance against the empire.

Her greatest work, and her greatest secret.

She had carved herself in two, but over the years, the line between Elayne Citala and Queen Antares had blurred. Perhaps Elayne had gotten colder too, her heart stronger. She was a leader now more than a daughter or an older sister.

Elayne Citala had disappeared, like a slowly-dying fire, and in its wake, Elayne Antares had been born.

The galaxy only knew Queen Antares. The Naboo only knew Queen Antares. Nobody but her family and her closest allies knew her real name.

"Thank you for coming, your highness," her good friend Mon Mothma, senator of Chandrila, smiled warmly, as they walked down the platform to the royal vessel of Queen Antares.

The upper roads of Coruscant were busy with traffic. Speeders and other cruisers buzzed through the space above and beneath them. The sky was grey and dim, the sun just rising above the skyline.

"It was an honour, Senator." Kaleyne, dressed up as queen Antares, returned. Her voice stony and monotonous, naturally.

The traditional traveling gown flowed down to her feet, the sleeves adorned with pearls and detailed silvery patterns of the crest of the royal house of Naboo. Her face pale as the stars, her cheeks dotted with red circles, her lips bearing the famous scar of remembrance.

The other handmaidens, hidden beneath their hot-orange robes, walked behind her. Elayne, disguised as one of them, walked closest to her decoy.

"May you have a safe journey back to Naboo," Mon Mothma told her as they came to a stop near the starship's ramp. "And remember, Chandrila stands behind you. I will always be there for you, if you need any help."

Elayne understood the unspoken truth behind her words. The red-haired woman wasn't just another defeated politician who'd given up on democracy, and silently watched from the sidelines of the senate as the galaxy suffered.

Bail Organa had introduced them to one another, before Elayne had known about their covert operations. She was a secret fighter, the leader of an entire secret rebel cell.

"Thank you, senator."

Mon Mothma bowed, and Kaleyne gave a curt nod, before she turned around to board the ship, her entourage following right behind.

"Farewell, senator." Elayne heard Captain Typho say, before she heard his footsteps behind her.

They went to the royal quarters of the ship, captain Typho informing them that they would be taking off shortly. The automatic door slid close behind them as they entered.

The royal quarters were spacious, equipped with bunkbeds for the handmaidens and a single bed for the queen. A large drawer stood besides the door, containing every garment needed for the detailed costumes of Queen Antares.

The vessel was the royal starship of the queen. It was at her disposal for formal state visits to other planetary representatives, and for royal events on Naboo itself.

It had been in her possession ever since her first coronation. By Naboo tradition, Elayne got to personally name it — Lightbringer.

It lived up to its name, the artisans that had hand-polished it with royal chromium, said. The design exemplified the philosophy of blending art and function that Naboo technology was famous for. The Naboo citizens considered the entire ship a work of art.

It had been carefully crafted by the finest engineers and artisans of Naboo, not by automatons or in a factory, reflecting the values of the Naboo and their love for beauty and grace.

Silence lingered between the girls until the ship jumped into hyperspace. Outside the windows, the stars faded and they were surrounded by a bright blue light. They all sat either on the ground, a chair or their beds.

"Senator Mon Mothma was such a lovely host," Saleyne said softly, running a hand through her silky silver hair.

"I agree, she was the best," Heleyne, the dark haired one, agreed. She rolled her eyes, "Her husband though, is a different story. She deserves better."

Girlish giggles echoed off the white walls of the room. Heleyne was the greatest gossip of them all.

"I've never met someone as tactless as him," Maleyne said dryly. She was the bookworm of the group, dreaming of becoming an author one day.

"Did you talk to her daughter at all? She seemed so withdrawn." Heleyne asked into the round. Kaleyne gave her a soft, but stern look.

"No, we are not meant to talk to her, Heleyne."

She sighed, "Yes, of course you're right, sister. I was simply wondering about her animosity."

"I don't think she was that hostile," Ruleyne interrupted from her criss-crossed position on the ground. "She smiled at me."

"She's also very young. Only thirteen, no?" Saleyne stated. The girls nodded collectively. "Don't you remember when you were thirteen?"

They hummed in unison, agreeing with her statement. Maleyne's eyes widened.

"This year I will be turning eighteen." She realised, staring off into space. Aging, for her, had always been a scary matter. Elayne smiled, fondly looking at all her friends.

"We're all becoming adults, sisters," her gaze softened.

"Except Ruleyne," Heleyne joked, gazing towards the youngest of them. The others chuckled as Ruleyne tilted her head at her, lightheartedly rolling her eyes. Though, with a small grin on her lips.

Silence settled in between them again. They were all worn out from the last few days and still a little tired, so they rested, enjoying the peaceful company of one another.

Until the starship shook uncontrollably, suddenly leaving hyperspace. They all stared at each other as it seemed to drift through space without demand.

Elayne and her decoy shared a look, a silent conversation, before they both rose up to leave the royal quarters.

"We are not going to wait," Kaleyne spoke, her voice that of Queen Antares's again. The handmaidens got up to follow them, but halfway on the way to the cockpit of the ship, they walked into Captain Typho.

"Your highness," he blurted out, bowing. "I was just on my way to you."

He met Elayne's gaze, before it flickered back to Kaleyne disguised as queen.

"What happened, Captain?" She spoke calmly. He urged her to follow him, and so she did, the other girls right behind. They walked down the corridor he'd came from.

"We do not know precisely, as of right now. But our crew is getting to the bottom of the matter." He explained, sighing. "It seems to be the hyperdrive that is causing troubles."

"Do you know where we are right now?"

"The ship seems to have jumped out of hyperspace in the Morlani system." Captain Typho stated, and Elayne frowned. Morlani system. She'd never really heard of it, only that it was very much aligned with the empire.

Captain Typho put his com-device to his ear as someone's voice sounded through it. He hummed, staring at the ceiling.

"Okay, thank you, Sundet," Typho replied to the muffled voice. He turned back towards Kaleyne. "It is the hyperdrive, your highness. Apparently, its broken."

"Broken?" Kaleyne asked monotonously. They'd learned to hide their emotions, to wear a mask, when portraying the role of Antares, early on in their training.

"Yes, but our crew is already on to fix it. We will be on our way again soon." He said, soothingly, as they reached the throne room of the ship. "I will keep you informed, your highness, but for now, please remain in this room with your handmaidens while the problem is being solved."

Kaleyne shared a discreet look with Elayne.

"We will stay here. Keep me informed on everything, Captain." She instructed.

⟡ AUTHORS NOTE ! ⟡

✴︎ first chapter! sorry that it took so long to come out 😩 but i'm so excited to finally write elayne and cassian's story 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ I hope the thing with the names of the handmaidens isn't too confusing for you guys, you can always go back to the intro chapter to check who is who 💕

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter!! let me know what you think so far and any tips 🤍🤍

love, maia