Padmé Amidala | Secret Wedding!AU

After escaping the chaos of Geonosis, Padmé and her secret Jedi lover retreat to the quiet shores of Naboo. There, they choose to marry—just the two of them—hoping that, no matter where the coming war takes them, they'll remain connected. With the weight of responsibility still distant on the horizon, you share this small, stolen moment together, wrapped in peace, before duty calls you back to the galaxy.

Padmé Amidala | Secret Wedding!AU

After escaping the chaos of Geonosis, Padmé and her secret Jedi lover retreat to the quiet shores of Naboo. There, they choose to marry—just the two of them—hoping that, no matter where the coming war takes them, they'll remain connected. With the weight of responsibility still distant on the horizon, you share this small, stolen moment together, wrapped in peace, before duty calls you back to the galaxy.

The sun had risen but not yet cleared the mountains when Padmé dove into the lake. It was her favorite time to go swimming, that moment when there was enough light to see by before the day had truly begun. The water was clear and cold, like always. The lake was fed by mountain streams, and the Naboo took care not to pollute it with agricultural runoff. Before the heat of the day warmed the waters, swimming was an abrupt wake-up. Padmé wanted a clear head.

It wasn't that she felt muddled or unsure of what she was doing. If anything, the meditative hours spent sewing her wedding dress the night before had made her all the more certain. What troubled her was that she had always thought of herself as a straightforward and honest person. Yes, she kept secrets, but they were for the sake of her planet, her people. And there was always someone who knew the whole story. Now, her truths were split, divided amongst those she cared about, and none of them had the whole picture.

Only she did, alone and at the center of her own life.

For so long, her life had revolved around other people's perceptions of her. What she should do and how she should dress. How her decisions would affect masses of people she had never met, but still cared imperceptibly and unchangingly about. It was a tremendous burden, and she'd carried it since she was a child. She hadn't minded—at times she had reveled in the responsibility—but with the freedom of being unknown in front of her, she felt a surge of excitement.

Her lover was going to be hers; and her, hers. And almost no one in the whole galaxy would share that with them.

Padmé dove down as deep as she could, staying under the water where it was quiet for as long as possible. When her lungs burned for air, she kicked up, breaking the surface with a cascade of water droplets glinting in the morning sun. Everything was perfect. The lake, the house, her spirit. She had built so many things in her life—houses and hospitals, alliances and accords—and now she'd have something that was just for her, her and her love. They would be something new. And even though they would keep it to themselves, Padmé knew their love would shine brightly.

The day was starting. They would have to go back to real life eventually. But the lake reminded her, as it always did, of the peace and quiet of home and the promise of places no one else could reach.

She kicked towards the pier where her soon-to-be wife waited for her, refreshed and ready to face the day.