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Of all the planets in the vast, great galaxy, Alderaan was by far the best. It had a variety in climate and terrain--from frigid winters to balmy summers, mountain peaks that extended past the clouds to white sandy beaches buffeted by crystal blue waters. It was home to a proud, peaceful people whose cultural contributions from fine wine to stirring operas had been spread throughout the Core and beyond. That was not to say it didn’t have its own problems--there was still some inequity between the noble houses and the common citizens, not to mention the growing refugee population. But there had not been open war on Alderaan for centuries. Even their local peacekeeping corps only carried batons, not blasters.
It was idyllic. It was home.
“Princess Leia, if you please.” If droids could be cross, then the N7 nanny droid certainly was that towards the young princess. Eight-year-old Leia managed to stop stamping her feet in the sand long enough for the droid to bend slightly and spray her with the UV-protectant. “And you must wear a flotation device if you go into the water.”
“But I am an exceptional swimmer. And I have two guardians who are both trained in several forms of combat and life saving procedures.” Ignoring the droid’s continued words of caution, Leia dug around in the bag they had brought and found a bright red bucket and matching spade.
“Are you planning to battle the ocean today, Princess?” Mr. Niment was an imposing figure: tall and broad, dark-skinned, bald, with eyes always hidden behind very dark sunglasses. Though today he had exchanged his usual dark-colored professional attire for lighter colors and sleeves rolled up to his elbow. He still wore his sunglasses--this time perhaps for their intended purpose. Leia had always liked his smile, when he decided to show it.
“If I have to,” she answered with certainty. “I will let you know if I require assistance.”
The nanny droid continued to protest as Leia bounded off towards the water, sand kicking up behind her. She thought she heard Mr. Niment chuckle, but that would be impossible.
Leia fell to her knees right where the sand was wet from the gentle waves rolling back and forth. Her spade stabbed into the sand and lifted shovelfuls into her red bucket, over and over until it was piled all the way to the top. When it was ready, she hopped back up to her feet. With waves licking at her heels, Leia squatted over the now-heavy bucket and dug her fingers underneath it. She let out a small grunt as her arms hefted the bucket upside down. A ring of escaped sand sat around the overturned bucket, but when she carefully pulled it away, there was a bucket-shaped pile of sand standing upright. Her hands clapped happily and she dropped the bucket to the side. Spade in hand once more, she knelt next to her pile and started to carve little ramparts and windows.
In the background she could hear the rush of the water, in and out, back and forth. Leia didn’t much think of it. Occasionally, it would nip at her toes and bottom as she sat on her knees with the makings of her sand castle. She didn’t pay the ocean any mind until a large and sudden wave knocked into her. Her spade fell from her hand as she braced herself against the sand as the wave washed around her. She sputtered as the salty water splashed against her lips. A quite un-princess-like thing to do, but she didn’t much care for the taste of the sea.
“My spade!” she cried as the plastic, red tool started floating behind her, rushing back towards the ocean with the receding wave. She thought she heard the nanny droid call out her name, but honestly, she was fine. She just had to get that naughty spade that thought it could run away from her.
“Got you!” She grinned as her fingers wrapped around the handle and snatched it before it could float out too far. She turned and waved back at Mr. Niment who had begun to walk slowly down towards her. See, perfectly fine. Oh, no. “Bucket!”
Her steps were large and slow as she tried to move quickly through the knee-deep water and catch her bucket that was also trying to escape. Another wave came and she remembered what her father had told her about waves. Her knees bent and she hopped as it came towards her and avoided getting pushed over. But she had lost sight of her bucket. Must have filled with water and been pushed under. Her eyes glanced frantically out. She should have been able to see it in the clear water, but there were other kids splashing and kicking up a froth along with the waves.
Leia’s fingers clenched around her spade and her frown deepened. She couldn’t build anything without a bucket. If she had lost the spade, she could have used a cup or her hands, but the bucket was the most important part.
“Did you lose this?”
Her eyes came to rest on the red bucket dangling from the stranger's fingers and a smile spread across her face. “Yes! Thank you!” As Leia took the bucket, she looked up at its rescuer. A woman, tall, very pretty. She had long, curly brown hair hanging over her shoulders and she wasn’t quite dressed right for the beach. The woman wore a simple white dress covered with a purple robe with gold trim. It looked more like bedclothes than beachwear, but it would be rude to say so. Leia simply nodded and trotted back to the section of beach where she’d placed her castle.
“I’m afraid your castle was washed away by the waves, Princess.” The woman had followed her. Maybe not followed her, but took the several paces in the same direction away from the water. “I could show you a trick to protect it, if you wish?”
The proper thing to do would be to politely decline, let the woman go back to her day at the beach and not make her feel like she had to help her princess. But selfishly, Leia wanted the help. It was rather disappointing to almost lose her bucket and spade and have her almost-castle demolished by the water. Plus, this woman seemed nice enough. She had rescued her bucket after all. And there was something about her… something kind, and warm, and comfortable. Leia glanced up the beach towards her nanny droid and Mr. Niment, but the droid was busy setting out lunches and Mr. Niment was just standing there as he always was, watching. When he caught her looking, he nodded his head at her, but that was it. Well, if he didn’t see it as a problem, neither did she!
“Yes, please!”
The woman smiled, so wide and thankful, it struck a strange chord in her young heart. Like Leia had given her some great gift, just to let her assist in some childish amusement.
Leia didn’t let the odd feeling deter her, however. First, the woman showed her how to dig out a moat, to protect their towers from the waves (and bold invaders). Leia smiled at her as she got down into the sand with her and dug out the moat with her fingers. There was a noble air to the woman, despite the fact that she was at the beach in her (very nice) pajamas. Not stuffy and afraid to get her hands dirty like some of the people from Alderaan’s other noble houses. Leia liked that.
“Shouldn’t we try diplomacy first, rather than drowning invaders in our moat?” Leia asked as she scooped fresh shovelfuls of damp sand into the bucket to remake the castle.
“Of course,” the woman replied with another smile and a nod. “Diplomacy should always be our first option. But that doesn’t mean we give up our defenses. We must still plan for every outcome.”
“That’s what Father says.” Leia flipped the bucket over, making a new bucket-shaped pile of sand and then started to work filling it back up again.
“He’s a very smart man.”
“Have you met him?” Leia didn’t look up as she asked the question, just continued to scoop sand into the bucket. There was a slight change in the air between them that Leia swore she could feel. It was like a gasp or a sigh. The question she had posed out of polite curiosity was perhaps not the sort of thing she should have been asking.
“Many years ago,” she said after a moment. She sounded sad, but she was still smiling. Leia hated it when adults did that. Didn’t understand why their outside emotions didn’t match their inside ones.
They made a second pile-tower and then a third. The woman dug her long fingers into the towers to make little windows while Leia used her space to cut squares out of the tops for ramparts. A few waves came close to their fortress, but the moat protected it, just like she said it would. They talked mostly about the beach and the ocean. Leia made small talk about a book she was studying. The woman was attentive and thoughtful, clever and also funny. Leia decided that despite the odd feeling the woman still gave her, she very much liked her.
The castle was nearly complete, so Leia hunted around nearby for the best shell to put as its banner. She found a rather nice one, a little large, but pink and purple and shining in the sunlight. Proudly, she placed it on top of the middle tower. The woman clapped her hands together, that smile still having never left her face.
“I’m Leia of House Organa.” Leia placed her right foot behind her left and bent her knees slightly. It occurred to Leia that politeness and tradition dictated they should have introduced themselves at the beginning of their conversation. Actually, she should have introduced herself to the princess first, but Leia realized that if this woman was of a oppositional House or a rival in the Senate, such a conversation would have fallen even farther out of the realm of propriety.
The woman stood and bowed her head and bent her knee, mirroring the formal gesture. “I am Ms. Naberrie, Princess. Thank you for indulging me.”
The name had a strange sort of familiarity to it. As if she had heard it before somewhere, but couldn’t quite place it. Something inside her told her that it was important, but she couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t a name Leia recognized as another of Alderaan’s noble houses, and not one she remembered from lists of politicians. “Thank you for your assistance. I did rather enjoy it.”
Ms. Naberrie smiled again and nodded. There was a hesitation in her turn to leave, to walk away, but Leia stopped her. Leia wasn’t quite ready for her to leave yet. “How did you know my father?”
“We worked together in the Senate, but as I said, it was a long time ago.”
“Before the Emperor?” She had always been too clever. Too bold, too spirited. Traits she knew her parents were proud of because she had been told they would serve her well in the future. But all qualities that her tutors and aunts had found un-princess-like. With the way Ms. Naberrie’s face fell, Leia knew she had guessed correctly.
The smile returned to the woman’s face, but a bit sadder than before. She had that aura about her, like she was trying desperately to be happy, but she would always be sad. She took a step back towards Leia and crouched down in front of her. Her hands came up, like she wanted to reach out and touch her, but that would be inappropriate, so she settled for grasping her own hands together.
“You are luminous, Leia. You will outshine all of us, I know it.”
Leia didn’t quite understand what she was implying, but the woman was earnest. Whatever it was that she meant, Leia believed her.
Ms. Naberrie stood, bowed her head again, and walked down the beach. Before she disappeared into the crowds of colorful swim outfits and towels and umbrellas, she turned and smiled one last time.