I wake in the middle of my first night back on Naboo to the sound of the front door opening and closing, too smoothly for it to have been moved by anything but the Force. Heart in my mouth, I grab the silver blaster from my bedside table and throw on a hooded robe.

"Padmé."

The voice is Obi-Wan's. I feel myself relax, but I don't yet step out of concealment. Handmaiden protocols are still drilled into me and Dormé insists we use them here for my protection, so I allow her to show herself first.

"Master Obi-Wan, I was not expecting you." Dormé's voice is low and cautious. A light flicks on in the living room. "What brings you here at so late an hour?"

"You are one of her handmaidens? I have come as fast as I can. Anakin came to Padmé's apartments on Coruscant, then left for Naboo in search of her. I managed to place a tracking device on his fighter. He is currently scouring the lake country."

I tuck the blaster away in the pocket of my robe and move into the light. "There is a reason I did not choose the lake country for my hiding place. Anakin knows it is my favourite part of Naboo, and we spent enough time there together that he knows his way around. But that also means he will soon realise I am not there. Are the handmaidens alright?"

Obi-Wan smiles grimly at the sight of me. "They are unharmed. We need to make a plan in case Anakin widens his search."

"After the lake country, he might try my family home. We have to warn them. If he believes they are holding me there and they refuse to let him in, he could become angry."

Suddenly my choice of hiding place, though clever, seems selfish.

"I could take our shuttle," Dormé suggests, "and see your family evacuated. Master Obi-Wan would do better at protecting you here than I could."

"Thank you, Dormé," I reply. "The question is where to evacuate them to. Queen Apailana might shelter the family of her Senator if asked, but she would find it an odd request. And Anakin is now acting on the authority of the Emperor, which she may find difficult to resist if she wants to protect Naboo as a whole by complying with Imperial rule… Obi-Wan, does Anakin know that I have left him for good, or does he only suspect that I have made a diplomatic trip?"

"I did not stay to hold council with the handmaidens you left on Coruscant, but followed Anakin's fighter as soon as Irdé gave me the tip off. But by the sound of her voice she was shaken, and she said he seemed angry." Obi-Wan smooths his beard, deep in thought.

"Perhaps," I offer, "we could come up with a reason why it would make sense for my family to visit the palace. Maybe they expect me to call on my Queen and have arranged to see me while I'm in the capital, as I don't have time for a prolonged trip. Still odd, but plausible, especially with Dormé as my representative. You could warn them tonight and have them to the palace by morning. If Anakin shows up there, they will at least be better protected than in their own home."

"And what of you, here?" she asks.

I meet Obi-Wan's gaze. "If anyone can protect me from Anakin, it is Obi-Wan. I trust him with my life. But we will all pray that we remain undiscovered. We will monitor Anakin's location using the tracking device and prepare accordingly."

He inclines his head. "A sound plan. I landed my fighter a little way off, concealed by a corpse of trees, so that will not give us away so easily. If the tracking device registers Anakin leaving Naboo, I will follow him, as I have still been tasked with confronting him. I would rather not do that where your safety is at stake; though if I must, I will."

Dormé is already packing a bag and throwing on a warm coat. I stay her with a gentle hand.

"Be safe, my friend."

"I will try my best, Padmé. I pray you stay safe too." Then she is gone.

Obi-Wan sets up his tracking device on the kitchen table. I watch the text blip every few seconds, recording Anakin's co-ordinates, still in the lake country. It feels like waiting for my doom. There is no way I will return to sleep tonight. I give Obi-Wan a tour of the house and show him the cellar, an underground hiding place that is so well concealed it would appear no one was home if I hid in it, and hope I will not need to spend long hours alone in the dark.

"Cosy," he remarks, eyebrows raised.

I sigh. "I was hoping it would be a last resort."

He claims a spot on the floor in the living room and meditates. Perhaps centring himself before a difficult task. Perhaps seeking guidance. Perhaps reaching out in the Force to sense Anakin's movements.

I envy his ability to access serenity. I wish I could pace up and down or perform some helpful task, but in my current state all I can do is sit and wait.

For both of us, duty has always come first. Though he tries to relax, I can see the tension in every line of Obi-Wan's body. Anakin is his brother, and yet Yoda has asked him to rid the galaxy of the threat he now poses. I am his friend, and yet my safety must be of secondary concern to the task he has been given. He will not let his heart rule him; that is not his way. But the thought that he could try to kill Anakin does not sit right with me. Surely he cannot siphon off all those years, all that love, and become only a creature of duty. Violence governed by reason is no less violence.

The blip of the tracking device falters and stops. That can't be good.

Obi-Wan's eyes snap open. "Anakin has discovered and destroyed the tracking device I planted on his ship. I think it's time you visited the cellar, Milady."

"To protect me? Or so I can't watch?"

Obi-Wan doesn't answer, though his face softens. There is a deep weariness in his features.

I return to my bedroom and change into practical, flexible clothing, donning a cloak for warmth, and take my blaster with me. Though if or how I might use it and whether it will do any good is questionable. But I refuse to sit in the dark, waiting for danger, defenceless. I pass the nursery on the way to the cellar and pause for a moment, remembering the sunset through its window, and try to take that warmth with me.

Obi-Wan helps me down the stairs and, before he secures the door above me, I whisper, "May the Force be with you." His footsteps thud softly as he heads for the front door.

I close my eyes, tears threatening, and pray as I have never prayed before. Crouched in a nest of cushions, hands on my bulging belly, I tell my children, "If we die, I want you to know, that I truly, deeply love you."