Title: The Birth
Author:Moonscribe
Feedback: MoonScribe
Rating:G
Category:Drama
Timeline:Inter-Trilogy
Main Characters:Queen Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sabe, Bail Organa
Disclaimer: All characters are owned by LucasArts and affiliates and no infringement is intended by this story. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and no profit is made by its creation

The door to Amidala's chamber in the palace of Viceroy Bail Organa on Alderaan opened and Sabe, Amidala's most trusted handmaiden, entered. When she reached Amidala's bedside, she touched the queen gently on her arm.

"How are you feeling, your highness?" she asked.

"Tired, but happy," Amidala replied. "I only wish Anakin----"

Sabe took Amidala's hand and squeezed it, her eyes brimming with understanding and sympathy. "Obi-Wan Kenobi is waiting outside, your Highness."

Amidala's eyes widened at that. "So soon," she murmured. "Let him in, Sabe." Sabe walked to the door leading to the outer hallway. She opened it and motioned to the guard standing outside. The guard stepped aside and Obi-Wan Kenobi came into the room, Sabe trailing behind him. When he reached Amidala's bed he bowed.

"Congratulations, your highness, on the birth of your children."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan glanced over to the crib where the handmaidens stood guard over the newborns. They watched him with wary expressions. "May I see them?" he asked.

Amidala motioned to Sabe. Sabe walked over to the crib and picked up one of the babies. Eritae took up the other one and they walked to where Obi-Wan stood. Sabe pulled back the blanket of the child she held.

"Her name is Leia," Amidala said.

Obi-Wan peered down into the little face. Leia's dark eyes were open. She gazed quietly back at Obi-Wan.

Eritae moved next to Sabe and unexpectedly placed the baby she held into Obi-Wan's arms. The Jedi was startled, but quickly recovered. There were tears in Eritae's eyes when she stepped back.

"And his name?" he asked Amidala.

"Luke," she replied. Obi-Wan looked down at the baby sleeping in his arms. He was fairer than his sister with wisps of golden hair on his tiny head. Even this young, however, Obi-Wan could see his strong resemblance to Anakin Skywalker. "Luke," he repeated. He held the baby a moment longer than gave him back to Eritae.

Unshed tears filled Amidala's voice. "Where will you take him?" she asked.

Obi-Wan moved closer to Amidala's bed. He leaned over and spoke softly. "I know a place where he will be safe. Trust me. It is best that you not know yet."

"I've tried so hard to understand why they must be separated," Amidala said.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I know it is difficult, your highness, but the Council---"

"The Council, "Amidala said bitterly. " You, Yoda, Windu, all of you Jedi with your plans within plans. It's all because of you that I have lost my husband. Now you want to take away my son. I want so much to hate you." She stared up at Obi-Wan, tears shimmering in her dark eyes.

Obi-Wan nodded but said nothing. He stood up, stepped back from the bed and bowed again. "Contact me when the child is ready. I'll be in Viceroy Organa's chamber." He turned and left Amidala's chamber.

Amidala waited until the door closed behind Kenobi. She then let the tears she had been holding back flow down her face. Sabe gave Leia to Sache and rushed to Amidala's side. She took the weeping Queen in her arms. As Sabe held the sobbing Amidala, Luke, still in Eritae's arms, woke up at the sound of his mother's crying and began to wail. Soon, his sister joined him and, for a time, Amidala's chamber in her wing in the palace of Viceroy Organa on the planet of Alderaan was filled with cries of anguish and loss.

----

Bail Organa poured gold Alderaan wine from a Sarkasian crystal decanter into two gold goblets. He handed one to Obi-Wan who sat in one of the Viceroy's bluewood chairs, his knee high boots crossed at the ankles, his Jedi robe hanging on the chair's back.

Bail lifted his goblet in a toast. "To her royal highness, Queen Amidala, surely one of the most beautiful of women. And to her children, Luke and Leia. Our hope for the future." Bail drained the wine from his goblet, but noted that Obi-Wan took only a sip of his.

He watched as Obi-Wan placed his goblet down on a table to his left.

"Straight to business, eh, Obi-Wan?," Bail asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I'm afraid so, Bail. I can not stay long. As soon as I got your message, I came as quickly as I could, but there is other business I must attend to."

"Then you truly mean to take the children away so quickly ?" Bail shook his head, poured more wine into his goblet. "That seems very cruel, Obi-Wan. Amidala has endured so much in such a short time."

"Yes, I know, but it cannot be helped. Either through his spy network or through his attunement to the Force there is a possibility that the Emperor may already know about the twins. We can only hope that he does not, but the longer we tarry, the more likely it is he will find out."

"And Anakin?" Bail asked.

Obi-Wan winced at the name. "What of him?" he growled.

"Do you truly believe that he has not sensed the birth of his own children?"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "I do not know, Bail. But, remember Anakin did not even know Amidala was with child when he turned and became the Emperor's apprentice. We must act under the assumption that he has not sensed them. Also, I suspect that Yoda and Mace have devised some way to use the Force to hide the children from him, at least until we can put our plan into effect."

"And what is the plan?"

Obi-Wan leaned forward, his hands clasped on his knees. "Luke will come with me. I've already discussed this with the Queen. I will take him someplace safe. I had both him and Leia tested and Luke's midichlorian count is equal to that of his father's. Therefore, it is imperative that he not fall into the Emperor's hand. Leia is not as strong in the Force as her brother, but I think it is just as important that she also be hidden."

Obi-Wan paused and took a deep breath. He leaned back into the chair and Bail noted that Obi-Wan had aged considerably since Bail had last saw him. There were streaks of gray in the Jedi's beard and in the hair alongside his temple and the lines that radiated from the blue-gray eyes were deeper and darker.

"I do not wish to cause Amidala any more pain," Obi-Wan continued. "Leia will remain here on Alderaan. But you, Bail, must raise her as your own daughter. No one must know of her true parentage."

Bail smiled. "It will certainly please and surprise my wife to discover that she now has a daughter. She has wanted one for so long." Bail's smile slipped away and he frowned.

"But, will Amidala go along with this? To be unable to publicly acknowledge Leia as her own? To watch her being raised by another?"

Obi-Wan stood up. His gray-blue eyes bored into Bail's. "I'm afraid she will have no choice."

Bail's frown deepened. "You assume much, old friend."

"I know. But Amidala is a ruler, a queen, a political creature, like yourself. She understands the demands and the sacrifices of policy."

"That may be true, Obi-Wan, but she is also a woman, a wife, and now a mother. She has lost much; her world, her husband; now, you ask her to give up her children." Bail shook his head. "I fear this time you go too far, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan took a step towards Bail and gripped the older man's arm in his hand. "I have already gone too far, old friend. And there is no turning back now. Amidala is not a ordinary mother and her children are not ordinary children. Amidala understands this, in her head, if not in her heart. She is a queen, will always be a queen, and it is her head that must rule, not her heart."

Bail nodded and placed his hand over Obi-Wan's and grasped it. "Yes, but remember, Obi-Wan, it is the heart that will hate."

----

Amidala smiled as Luke nursed quietly at her breast. She knew that Obi-Wan had left instructions with Sabe that Amdiala not be allowed to nurse, fearing that it would only make the parting to come that more difficult, but Amidala did not care. She would hand her only son over to the Jedi, because she knew what was at stake, but she would not let Obi-Wan take away from her the memory of this precious moment, of holding her son close to her, of smelling his sweet, baby scent, of softly rubbing her cheek against the soft down of his tiny head. She hummed softly, an old nursery song from her childhood. Soft evening light filled the windows of her chamber and in her crib near the window, Leia now slept, her stomach full.

Thinking of Leia, Amidala recalled once more Obi-Wan and Bail's plan that Leia be raised as an Organa. Amidala had nearly screamed when Bail told of her it. She had wanted to let go of her carefully controlled feelings, had wanted to shout at Bail, to demand to know from him and Kenobi how much more did they want her to give, how much more did they think she could bear. But she had not. Because she knew. Just as they knew. That to save what was left of the dream of the Republic, she had no choice but to agree to their plan so that neither the Emperor, nor the creature that had once been her husband, her love, could take her children and twist them to their dark purposes.

The door to her chamber opened and Sabe glided in. She stood next to Amidala's bed. In her arms was a creche filled with wrappings and blankets, a hooded robe and other nursery things. She showed the creche to Amidala.

"I have prepared everything, as you requested, your highness."

"Thank you, Sabe." She lifted Luke from her breast. "Here, take him. He's finished."

Sabe placed the creche on the floor next to the bed and gently extricated Luke from Amidala arms. While Amidala adjusted her gown, Sabe carefully lifted Luke to her shoulder and rubbed his back.

"Is Obi-Wan outside?" Amidala asked.

"Yes, your Hignhness."

"Then let us be about it then. There isn't much time."

Amidala swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She took the robe Eritae offered her and wrapped it snugly about her waist. Sabe quickly swaddled the now sleeping Luke into the hooded robe. Amidala noted that Sabe was trying very hard not to let her queen see that she was crying, but Amidala could hear her sniffles and see the tears stealing along the edges of her eyes.

The other handmaidens bustled about the chamber. Amidala walked over to one of the bluewood chairs and sat in it. She motioned for Sabe to sit in the chair next to hers, Luke still in her arms. Amidala carefully adjusted her gown. For a moment she even thought about putting on her ceremonial makeup and gowns, but thought better of it. Let Obi-Wan see her as she was now, a woman who was about to make the supreme sacrifice for the sake of the galaxy. And, she thought ruefully, I no longer have a world over which to rule. Such trappings now belonged to her past.

Amidala nodded to Eritae and the handmaiden ran to the door. She opened the door and motioned for Obi-Wan to enter. As Amidala watched him walk towards her, for a brief moment, she wondered if Obi-Wan had ever loved anyone. Oh, she knew that he had loved Qui-Gon and Anakin, but she was thinking of the love between a man and a woman. She wondered if Obi-Wan had ever held a woman in his arms and imagined what it would be like to lose her. Considering what he was asking her to do, Amidala doubted it.

Obi-Wan stopped two paces before Amidala's chair. He bowed.

"Your, highness."

Amidala turned and took Luke from Sabe's arms. She stood up and without a word placed her only son into Obi-Wan's arms. She lifted her chin and stared up into his eyes.

"I place into your care, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin and Amidala Skywalker. And unto you I place this charge. That you let no harm come to him, that you watch over him and protect him and guard him with your life. And know this, Jedi, that if you fail in this charge I have placed upon you, in this life, or in the life beyond, I shall be avenged against you."

Obi-Wan gazed down into the young Queen's eyes and his heart was full of grief and sorrow and pain. Amidala blamed him for what had happened to Anakin, he knew, but yet, even now, she still trusted him to do right by her son. All this Obi-Wan felt in his heart and knew was in his eyes because he saw it all reflected in the dark, beautiful, haunted eyes of the woman who stood before him; small, but strong, frail, but imperious.

"I swear unto you, Queen Amidala of the Naboo, that I take up this charge and by the Force I will let no harm come to your son."

Amidala nodded. She reached out and gently drew back the hood from Luke's head. Her hand cupped his tiny head and her fingers stroked his soft cheek. "Goodbye, my little one," she whispered. "Grow strong. And know that I will always love you." She leaned over and gently kissed his forehead. Straightening up, she turned toward Sabe. "Sabe, accompany Obi-Wan to his ship and assist him in preparing for his flight."

"Yes, your highness." Sabe gathered up the crech and waited for Obi-Wan near the door.

"I will contact you, your highness, once Luke has been safely hidden," Obi-Wan said.

Amidala only nodded. She was afraid to speak, afraid that instead of words, only howls of anguish would spill from her throat.

Obi-Wan turned and with a swirl of his robes walked quickly through the door, Sabe running behind him to keep up with his long strides.

Amidala's remaining handmaidens rushed to her side, but Amidala waved them away.

"I'm all right," she said. "Go about your duties." The handmaidens hesitated, but Amidala gave them all a soft smile and patted their arms. "Truly, I am fine. Luke will be safe. It's for the best."

She pushed her way gently through the press of them and walked over to the crib where her one remaining child slept the sleep of the innocent. "Leia" she whispered. "Oh, Leia, Luke is gone. Your brother is gone." She gently stroked Leia's soft warm cheek. Tears welled in Amidala's eyes and something hot and hard and dark lodged in her chest where her heart should have been. "They are all gone," she whispered. "They are all gone."

The End.