Disclaimer: Characters belong to George Lucas.
Notes: After a looong mental block, I was finally able to go back and complete this fic. It hasn't been beta'd. Reviews are appreciated. Please ask permission before archiving elsewhere. Thank you.
Warning: Slight swearing in the lyrics
I’m standing on a bridge
I’m waiting in the dark
I thought that you’d be here by now
There’s nothing but the rain
No footsteps on the ground
I’m listening but there’s no sound
Padmé stood on the little bridge that crossed the creek where she and Palo had first met. Though it was now too dark to see much of anything, the twelve-year-old girl stared into the creek’s waters the way she had been doing for hours. Earlier that day, Palo had told her that he liked someone else, a girl who was fifteen like him and not, as he said, “a kid” like Padmé was. In her misery, she had come here, thinking that Palo might change his mind and come after her. He had never shown up. To make matters worse, Naboo’s normally blue skies had turned gray during her wait, and a light but constant rain was making her cold and wet.
Isn’t anyone trying to find me?
Won’t somebody come take me home?
She wondered what her family was doing right now. No doubt they were worried about her, even outside looking for her, but she wasn’t sure they’d be able to find her way out here in the countryside. She hadn’t told anyone about this bridge. It had been her and Palo’s secret and now she was worried she wouldn’t be able to find her way back home in the dark and rainy weather.
It’s a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won’t you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don’t know who you are
But I, I’m with you
I’m with you, mmm
She heard footsteps approaching from behind and whirled around, hoping against hope that it was Palo. Her heart sank when she saw it wasn’t him, but her disappointment turned to fear when the most she could make out of her visitor was a tall figure wearing a hooded cloak that concealed his or her face.
“Who are you?” she asked, not allowing the fear she was feeling to show in her voice.
“Do not be alarmed,” the stranger answered, the pitch of his voice identifying him as a male. “I will not harm you.”
“Why should I believe that?”
In response, he pulled one side of his cloak aside to show her a cylindrical handle clipped to his utility belt. “Because I have sworn to keep peace and uphold justice in this galaxy.”
“You’re a Jedi,” she said in realization. “What is a Jedi doing on Naboo?”
“At the moment, this particular Jedi is admiring the stars.”
I’m looking for a place
I’m searching for a face
Is anybody here I know?
‘Cause nothing’s going right
And everything’s a mess
And no one likes to be alone
While they had been talking, the rain had stopped, and now the man pulled back his hood. It was too dark to see his features clearly, and all Padmé could make out was his silhouette, which showed that he was clean shaven and had a long, thin braid that hung from the side of his head.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, tilting his head to look up at the sky.
“I—I was waiting for someone, but…he never came. I would have gone home, but I’m not sure I can find my way back in the dark.”
“Where do you live?”
“On a farm. It’s at the edge of the city.”
“I came here from the city and passed some farms on the way. Would you like me to escort you there? If none of them are your family’s farm, perhaps the people there could tell us where to go next.”
Isn’t anyone trying to find me?
Won’t somebody come take me home?
It was a tempting offer, but Padmé was hesitant to accept it. This man, even if he was a Jedi, was still a stranger. And she still clung to the possibility that her father or mother could find her if she stayed put. She was jolted out of her thoughts by a stiff wind that suddenly rose up and caused her to shiver as it chilled her rain-soaked clothes.
A hand grasped hers, and with a gasp, Padmé found herself pulled against the Jedi’s side.
Warmth descended on her as he covered her shoulders with part of his cloak.
It’s a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won’t you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don’t know who you are
But I, I’m with you
I’m with you, yea
“We must hurry,” he explained. “The rain will catch us again if we do not leave.”
Still holding his hand while her free hand kept a hold on her side of the cloak, Padmé nodded, and they began running, their backs to the bridge. At first, the scenery flew by in an unrecognizable blur, but eventually, her surroundings looked familiar again as they neared the outskirts of the city.
Oh, why is everything so confusing?
Maybe I'm just out of my mind
Yea yea yea, yea yea
Yea yea yea, yea yea
Yea
As they approached Padmé’s neighborhood, and she saw the warm, inviting lights of her family’s farmhouse, she stopped and looked up at the young man beside her. What would her family think if they saw her returning with this mysterious stranger? Even if they showed gratitude to him for bringing their daughter safely to them, Padmé herself didn’t want him to meet her relatives. For some reason, she wanted to keep their time together to herself.
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won’t you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don’t know who you are
But I, I'm with you
I’m with you
“I live just up the road,” she told the Jedi, “so I should be fine on my own from here.”
She kept a hold on his hand for a moment longer before reaching up and embracing him with her free arm.
“Thank you,” she whispered into his ear, before releasing him and walking up the path to her family’s farmhouse.
Her companion watched her go and made sure she was safely inside the house, fretted over by her worried family members, before turning and pulling his hood over his head again.
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don’t know who you are
But I, I'm with you
I'm with you
The Jedi walked long into the night, and it was almost dawn by the time he reached the city to meet the person he was traveling with at their inn.
“Where have you been?” his friend asked as the Jedi took off his wet cloak. “Spending time with another local girl?” he teased.
The young man smiled at the joke. “You could say that.” He remembered the farewell embrace that Padmé had given him and suddenly became serious. He said again, more softly, “You could say that.”
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don’t know who you are
But I, I'm with you
I'm with you
I'm with you...
-fin- |
