Duchess' Homecoming - Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Chapter 10

Finally, it was time for the opera. Elya would finally find out where she belonged. Before she and Farr arrived, Echo and Fives were talking to each other outside the theatre. Echo was pacing and Fives was trying to calm him down.

"We've got nothing to worry about. She's the Duchess...", Fives told his brother.

"I know, I know, but-.", Echo got cut off.

"No, no, you don't know. I was... the clone. The one who helped her escape. The one that caused her to... fall out of a ship... and forget who she was. She's the real thing", he explained.

Echo's eyes widen.

He gasped, "Then that means, Elya has found her family! We've found the true Duchess of Naboo!... And you..."

"Will walk out of her life forever", Fives told him.

"But-."

"Echo, Duchesses don't marry soldiers."

"I know, but... Fives, she loved you before", he pleaded with his friend.

"Even if she did... she's a different person now. She'd never remember me... We're going to go through with this as if nothing has changed", Fives told Echo.

"You've got to tell her!", he persisted.

"Tell me what?", Elya asked as she and Farr had just arrived.

Fives looked at her for a moment, amazed, "... how beautiful you look", he told her with a sad smile.

Elya blushed and he walked her inside. As they walked inside together, people all around were whispering and staring at the couple. Elya could feel Fives tense up so she gave his hand a small squeeze and whispered, "Everything's going to be fine."

The opera was beginning so they took their seats. Farr pointed out Padme across the hall from them and instead of the opera, Elya was looking at the Senator from afar. Fives noticed her fiddling with her necklace again as she did and, like the girl did minutes before, held her hand and whispered to her, "Everything's gonna be fine."

During the interval, Echo and Fives joined Elya and Farr to the Senator's box.

"I'll introduce you first. Just wait out here", Farr told her before going in.

Through the door, Elya could hear their small discussion before Farr announced, "My dear, it is my greatest pleasure to present to you, Duchess Enasti Amidala."

"Wish me luck", she whispered to Fives as she walked in.

Elya stepped in and as soon as she laid eyes on Padme, she felt something so familiar, she was sure she knew this woman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you", Padme greeted her.

"I assure you, my lady, the pleasure is all my own", Elya curtsied before the Senator.

The two sat down in the box.

"I must say, you do bear a very striking resemblance", Padme commented, "But I must be fair and I cannot let nepotism cloud my judgement."

The Senator asked questions to the girl all through the interval.

"Finally, how did we escape during the siege of Coruscant?", she asked.

"This may sound mad but... I believe it was a clone who helped us escape. I recall he told us to run... We made it to our ship but, as foolish as it was, I refused to leave without him. I cannot think of much after that, I apologise", Elya told her.

Padme nearly had tears in her eyes. She slowly stood up with her hands over her mouth, walked over to the girl and held her in her arms. While she was, Elya smelled her perfume. The girl stepped back.

"That perfume...! I remember... I loved the smell... So much, you got me my own bottle... but I never wore it... because-", Elya started weeping.

"You said... 'It's better on you'", Padme was weeping as well, "Oh, my Enasti, my girl."

"Padme."

Outside the room, Fives was listening to everything unfold, smiling to himself, before starting to walk away. Before he could leave, Echo grabbed him by the arm.

"Are you sure you want to do this?", he asked his brother.

Fives nodded, "I've got to go find Rex, don't I?"

"Alright. But just stay at least until it's public?", Echo pleaded.

Fives sighed, "Fine. You're lucky you're my best friend."