you are my hope | a.s. x oc

prologue

Too bright.

I try to open my eyes but the twin suns of Tatooine blind me for a second.

When I've finally acclimated to the brightness of the suns, I recall the events of the night before.

I was almost caught.

I've been on the run for the past two years, after upsetting some slavers on this planet and another.

Having been on my own since the ripe age of five, I've grown quite good at holding my own, excellent, even. I've made few enemies, considering how long I've been on my own. I've had to beg, steal, trade, gamble, all of it. You name it, I've probably done it.

I hear the busy streets around me begin to get louder, meaning that people are getting their day started.

That means I need to move.

Being found sleeping on the ground here is almost an open invitation to be swept up and taken.

I get up and straighten out my clothes, ready to head out to find something to grab quickly to eat. I begin my trek down the busy street, eyeing my surroundings.

Bingo.

I've spotted a woman and her son, I'm assuming, walking my way. If I time it perfectly, I can "accidentally" bump into the woman, use the stand just to my right to steady myself, and snatch up some bread.

As the woman is just about a foot away from me, I position myself just on the cusp of her shoulder, bumping into her and causing us to almost topple over all together.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. Here let me help you." i help the woman to her feet, leaning back on the stand as she assesses her son. "Again i am so sorry."
"It happens to the best of us dear, don't hurt yourself over it." She reassures kindly.

She walks off with a kind smile as I continue going the way she was coming.

When I'm far enough away, and everyone's attention is diverted back to whatever they were doing, I look down to see what exactly I scored.

Three loaves.

Go me.

I stroll for a bit, browsing in some shops and stopping for some breaks when I see a familiar face just up ahead of me.

Oh kriff.

I quickly slide into an alley just adjacent to me before I'm seen.

It's the slaver from last night.

I wait a few seconds until I know he's walked past before I slip out of the alley to proceed on my walk. I turn back to make sure he's gone, only to find him looking right back at me.

My eyes widen in realization of what's about to happen.

I have to run again.

Kriff me.

I quickly turn back and break off into a quick sprint, not really sure where im gonna go. I keep running, turning back every few seconds to see how far i am.

So far I'm no further than I was before.

After what feels like forever, I feel like I've gained some good distance on him, so I hide behind some stands where there's a lot of action and movement, hoping to not be seen. While i'm here, i devise a simple plan to just let him pass me, think ive just gotten so far ahead, and go back the way we came.

Seems easy enough.

But I couldn't have been more wrong.

As soon as I see him pass, I slip out behind him, to go back the way we came. I get a good two feet away from where I was hiding when im harshly grabbed by the arms by a man about twice my size.

Wait, I recognize him.

Oh my god, he wasn't alone. I recognize him from last night. He was after me. How many men are really here today? Right now? Looking for me?

"Gotcha now, little girl."

I want to be scared, but I know in the end I can best him. I can tell right now, he's a big dummy just doing what he's told.

So I use my favorite feature of mine–my wit.

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Better watch your tone you–"

I don't give him the chance to finish as I swing myself up onto his shoulders.

How I managed to do that, I have no idea.

I grab a piece of material off of my clothing and pull it back against his neck. When he's too stunned to do anything to get me off of him, I manage to flip off of him, and I run and run and run back in the direction I came from.

After what feels like hours, my sprint comes to a halt as I bump into someone.

"Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry." I say in a panic to whoever it is I've bumped into.

"Hey, hey, it's ok." she says, searching my panicked face. "Are you alright?"

"Um, yeah. Yeah I'm ok, excuse me." I go to leave but she grabs me lightly by the arms, and on reflex, I flinch.

"Are you sure you're alright? You seem awfully scared. Are you running from someone?" she asks worriedly. I can't bring myself to tell her I'm in danger, let alone speak at all, so I simply shake my head.

Though, the tears I now feel streaming down my face say otherwise.

"Ok," she says softly. "Captain! Can we please escort her to the ship, she needs help. Fast, please." she instructs. We are quickly escorted to a big ship towards the edge of the village, and brought inside.

"My name is Padme. This is Captain Typho, my security." she says once we've settled in some chairs. "Are you in danger?"

I finally decide to nod.

"Do you have somewhere you can go? Someone to help?"

"No, nothing." I say meekly. It may have been so quiet i'm not even sure if they heard me.

She turns to Typho, the two whispering non adherent things back and forth before turning back to me.

"Ok, how would you feel if we brought you back to coruscant? We can give you shelter and safety, anything you need." she offers kindly.

What?

I'm confused, but desperate. So I accept.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a/n - here we go:)