The doors opened then, and a woman stepped in. She was young, and had short brown hair that covered her face and black and red robes. When she looked at him, the boy felt even colder, like something dark had crawled up inside him. Her eyes were yellow.
"What's the matter?" the woman asked sweetly, but the boy had a feeling she probably wasn't very nice. He blinked.
"I'm thirsty," he said, sullenly. "And cold. Where's my Mommy?" he asked plaintively.
The woman sighed and walked over to him as the door closed behind her. He backed up closer to the wall, and she paused, as though to show that she wouldn't harm him, then came closer slowly. When she was directly in front of him, she stooped down closer to eye level, and wiped the tears from his face. "Your mother was bad, little one," she said softly, smiling sympathetically at the boy's wide eyes. "She tried to hide you from your Emperor, tried to make you weak," she said, and stroked the boy's face. "But you're okay, now. You're with me, and I'll make you stronger," she said.
The boy was confused. "Why would Mommy make me weak?" he asked. The woman shook her head.
"I don't know why anyone would do something like that to such a strong little boy like you," she said, and smiled. "You do want to be strong, don't you?" she asked him.
The boy nodded. His Daddy was strong, and he wanted to grow up to be just like his Daddy. "Can I get some water?" he asked.
The woman laughed lightly, stroking the boy's hair. "Thirst is maddening, isn't it? You know exactly what you need, yet you can't get it. You spend your time dreaming about water, thinking, if you could just get one drop, the madness would be over, you'd be able to think again. On Tatooine, water is worth more credits than some jewels. But you're from Naboo, aren't you?" she asked him. The boy nodded. "What's your name?" she asked.
The boy answered, "Thomas," he said.
The woman's face fell, and she shook her head. "That's not right. That's not your name. I'm sorry," she said, and took him by the hand. "Come on... let's get you something to drink," she said.
The boy was more confused than ever. His name was Thomas, it really was. He would have insisted this to the woman, but she was taking him to where he could get a drink.
The furthur down the corridor went, the worse the smell got. He could hear water, dripping from the walls from the moisture this low, but knew it wasn't good water. It was the sewer. Was this where she was taking him? Soon they got to an opening, a dark room that seemed to have no end, whose floor descended into a deep pool of putrid water. Realization dawned on the boy, and he looked back at the woman.
Her eyes were almost kind as she lifted him up and put him inside a cage. He knew it was a cage only when she closed the door to it. It wasn't wide enough for him to sit down, he had to stand up. She pushed a button on the wall, and the cage started to lower down into the stinky water. The boy started to cry. He shrieked as the water level inside the cage went higher and higher, afraid he would drown.
The cage descended until the water was up to his chin, and then it stopped. His tear-filled eyes met hers, and she smiled down at him. "There, I brought you something to drink. Now, what do you say?" she asked, much like his Mommy did when she gave him a cookie.
The boy screamed. "Let me out! I want my Mommy! Let me out!"
The woman sighed, shaking her head sadly. "It wasn't very nice of your Mommy to make you so impolite. You're not a very nice little boy," she said.
The boy scowled. "You're a mean lady! You're not nice at all! Mommy's a lot nicer than you!" he shouted at her.
The woman sighed and turned around, walking away. "Wait! Don't leave me here! Please! I want my Mommy!" the boy shouted, but she continued to walk, until he could see her no more.
Next Chapter?
Imperial Palace, Chapter 5
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