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Chapter Text

The halls of the Naboo Fae Court were about as noisy as ever. Which means that they were nearly silent, with the exception of rustling leaves that reached through open windows and the hushed conversations of various courtiers. The wide halls were filled with sunlight, and birdsong echoed.

Until all that serenity was viciously killed by a random lady running into the throne room, yelling like some kind of woodpecker on drugs. “My lady, my lady!”

Sabé stopped the hysterical woman before she could get within ten feet of Padmé. Hand on the hilt of her sword, her eyes narrowed. “State your business.”

The fae looked between Sabé, the other handmaidens (who were also ready to draw their weapons), and Padmé. The queen gave a regal nod. “Speak. There is no need to fear, as long as you do not wish me harm.”

“May you reign forever, my queen,” she quickly stammering, falling into a quick curtsy.

Quickly getting tired of all of this, Sabé tightened her grip on the sword. “Then what’s the matter? Surely you didn’t run all this way just to flatter her majesty?”

“Of course not.” The fae looked up, eyes wide with remembered fear. “There’s a human in the forest.”

“A human?” Padmé asked, rising from her throne.

Sabé frowned as the others began to inch closer towards the queen. “Humans know better than to go into our woods. Perhaps what you saw was a misshapen log.”

The woman shook her head, leaves flying out of her hair and scattering themselves on the tile. “It was so strange, I believe the man was tied to a tree. I don’t know for sure – I didn’t get close enough to check. You know how dreadful those creatures are.”

“Yes,” her eyes narrowed, “I’m aware. Where was he?”

“The Northern Bog.”

Taking a breath, Sabé forced herself to let go of her sword. “Is there anything else you wish to discuss with the queen?”

Realizing that her time in the spotlight was over, the woman curtsied again. “No, your ladyship, that was all.” She looked over Sabé’s shoulder to Padmé. “Thank you for your time, your majesty.”

“And thank you for your warning. We shall look into this sighting immediately.” Padmé smiled gently, and then they were left alone.

“I don’t like this.” Saché had a dagger in hand, carefully testing the edge with her thumb. “Smells like a trap.”

“The only thing you’re smelling is yourself,” Rabé shot back with a smile. “You stayed out with the horses too long again. If this man is tied up, he was clearly robbed or something.”

With a frown, Versé joined the conversation. “Maybe there’s a reason he was tied up and left for dead. What if he’s dangerous?” 

Padmé’s voice cut through the chatter. “There’s only one way to find out.”

“You’re not coming,” Sabé ordered, knowing already that it was a lost cause. She had to keep up appearances, though. “This is too dangerous. Even if it isn’t a trap, who knows what this man is capable of.”

The queen rose from the throne and picked up the sword waiting at the side. Placing it in its customary spot on her waist, she began to march through the hall. “Then it’s a good thing that you’re coming with me.”

Rolling her eyes and ignoring the snickers of the others, Sabé followed, like she always did. “Let’s just hope that he’ll save us the trouble and already be dead when we get there.”

They quickly saddled the horses and made their way to the bog. To be honest, Sabé had thought that it would be harder to find one human in the midst of all the wilderness, but it was like there was a giant flashing sign pointing out where he was.

Eirtaé poked the pastry that someone had left hanging in a tree, then looked at the long line of them leading to the seemingly-unconscious man. “Should we be offended?”

“What kind is it?” Rabé asked with a smirk. “Anything less than a cake is a punishable offense.”

For some reason, the humans had gotten it in their head that Fae liked sweet and shiny things. Usually, that didn’t pose as a problem, but now it was just confusing and unnecessary. “We’ll have to send people out to take these down,” Sabé sighed. “Who knows if the humans poisoned them.”

“But Sabé,” Saché groaned, “they look so good.”

“They could kill you.”

Throwing her arms out, the other handmaiden yelled, “Then let me die happy!”

Sabé rolled her eyes and pushed her horse closer to their target. “You’ll die when I say you can die, and not a second sooner.”

“You’re no fun,” she heard grumbled behind her.

“Which is why you’re still alive,” Sabé shot over her shoulder. “You’re welcome.”

The lady from earlier was right, the man was tied up. Specifically, his hands were tied around the tree so that he was stuck in a ‘t’ position. His feet were bound together and he was gagged…and also unconscious.

Sabé dismounted and kneeled beside him. He had a spectacular black eye, and his dark hair was a disheveled mess. With a quiet hum, Sabé went behind the tree and looked at his hands. His knuckles were bruised and cut open. “Who did this to you? And more importantly, why?”

She looked to Padmé. “What do you want to do?”

The queen frowned as she looked the man over. “You’re not the only one that wants to know why this happened. We also need to know why they decided to dump him here.” She turned to Rabé. “Until then, I want increased security on the border. No more random men being tied to trees.”

The handmaiden nodded. “I’ll inform Captain Panaka as soon as we get back.”

“Go ahead of us. Have someone prepare a room for our guest.” Padmé pulled out a dagger and began to work on the ropes at his feet while Rabé jumped on her horse and rode for the castle. “Sabé, if you could get his arms?”

“Got it.” She hissed when she pulled the ropes away from his wrists. The skin was raw, red, and weeping. “He’s a fighter.” The ropes were thrown to the side. “I want to stay with him until he wakes up.”

“Sabé-” Padmé began.

“No.” Sabé ripped off part of her cloak and began to wrap it around the man’s wrists. As bindings went, they were still secure but less painful than the ropes. “This man could be dangerous, and I’m not going to put anyone else in harm’s way until we find out what’s going on.”

The queen sighed. “Fine.”

Wincing internally about how heavy this guy must be, Sabé lifted him over her shoulders. “Let’s go, big guy.” Getting him to lay across her horse definitely wasn’t the most graceful thing she’d ever done, but it was effective, and they were headed back to the castle within a few minutes.

Hopefully when he woke up, they’d be able to get some answers.

Chapter Text

He was laying on something soft. Something soft that didn’t smell like massifs and old socks. That wasn’t right.

It was then that the memories began to flood in. Fox, begging to be taken in his place. Palpatine, watching as he was tied to the tree, listening as Thorn yelled that his brothers would come after him. The Chancellor himself putting the gag in place. He had grabbed his chin and said, “Do you really think they’re going to look for you, Commander? How naive.”

Then hours and hours of waiting, hoping that someone would come. He had been sure that Fox would come after him, would at least send someone to look. Thorn had rubbed his wrists raw trying to get away, hoping to meet his vod’e halfway. But he never broke free, and his brothers never showed.

But things were different now. His wrists and ankles ached, but it was manageable. That soft thing he was laying on felt like a hug. Where was he? Did someone find him? But wait, the only thing in these woods were –

“I know you’re awake.”

There was no use in trying to hide now. He wrenched his eyes open, only to shut them again when sunlight blasted him right in the face.

There was a small laugh that came from beside him. It travelled to the other side of his bed before stopping. “I’ve pulled the curtains shut. It’s safe.”

He tried again, and this time she was right, the light was much more manageable. A woman, a fae, stood at the end of his bed with her arms crossed and a sword hanging at her side, her long brown braid reaching almost to the hilt. A silver circlet set above pointed ears, and her gaze was sharp and assessing. “How do you feel?”

“Alive,” he croaked.

Her eyes darted to the table beside him. Thorn looked and saw a glass of water. As if reading his mind, she said, “It’s not enchanted. I give you my word.”

The promise of a fae was supposed to be binding. And even if it wasn’t, it’s not like he could avoid eating and drinking forever. Thorn took the glass. The water tasted sweet, but he felt the same. Good. She wasn’t lying. “Thank you.”

The fae nodded. “You want to tell me why you were tied to that tree?”

He looked at his wrists. They were bandaged, and if he were a betting man, his ankles got the same treatment. “Why did you rescue me?”

“Because you needed it. Because we need to make sure that more humans aren’t going to-”

“I’m a clone.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What’s the difference?”

“According to the senate, a lot.” He shrugged. “The Chancellor decided to punish my brother through me. I thought…thought he was going to rescue me.”

“Your brother.”

“Yes.” Thorn closed his eyes, trying to forget the look on Fox’s face as he was dragged away. “My older brother. If he didn’t come, it means he can’t. He wouldn’t have let me die, not like this.”

The fae sighed. “I’ll let the others know to be on the lookout for more random men wandering around the woods.”

“Fox doesn’t wander,” he laughed humorlessly, “he marches. And you would’ve seen him already. Palpatine must have done something.” He sobered. “He must be in trouble.” There was no telling what Palpatine may be doing to Fox, even now. That slime-ball was capable of so many atrocities, what was one more to someone that didn’t even classify as sentient?

“What did your brother do to deserve this kind of punishment?” She moved to sit beside him again, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Thorn took another sip of water, trying to figure out the best way to word his answer and trying to not think about what was happening to Fox. “He…didn’t follow orders. Palpatine wanted a senator executed, Fox let them get away. A life for a life.” He paused. “What are you going to do with me?”

She filled her own glass. “That’s not up to me. The queen will decide your fate.”

Right then, a story he had heard as a cadet flashed through his mind. It was crazy, but it just might work. “I want to make a bargain with you.”

That took her by surprise. “What?”

“A bargain. Isn’t that what faes like? Bargains?” He pushed himself off of the bed and onto his knees. “Please. I’ll give you my name; I’ll give you anything.”

The fae frowned and put her hand on her sword. “What exactly is it that you want?”

“Save my brothers. That’s it.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How do I know this isn’t some kind of trap? That you’re not lying to me?”

“I thought you couldn’t lie to a fae,” he stammered. This had to work. She had to agree to help him. “I’m being honest, I swear on my life. Do you have a brother?”

“Sisters.”

He prayed that she would understand, that she would agree. “What would you do if they were in trouble?”

They stared at each other for an eternity. Finally, she nodded. “If you’re serious about this, then I don’t want anything from you. I want your brother.”

“What?”

“I want your brother. Give me his name and I’ll help you save all of them.” She looked down at him. “What was it you said, ‘A life for a life’?”

This wasn’t part of his plan. Thorn scrambled for something, anything, to fix this.

Something in her eyes shifted. “If you’re telling me the truth and your brother really is in danger, I’ll release my claim on him. I swear.” She knelt beside him. “My sisters are going to have to join us on this rescue mission. This is what I can do to make sure that we aren’t about to be led into a trap.”

Thorn thought about it. This fae hadn’t given him any reason to mistrust her, but fae weren’t exactly known to be reliable. Although, she did just swear to let Fox go. “Alright. How do we make this bargain?”

“Like this.” She sat back on her heels. “I, Sabé of the Naboo Court, swear to rescue this man’s brothers in return for his older brother.” A thin gold band appeared on her wrist like a tattoo, joining two others. “Now you state his name and that you’re doing this of your own free will.”

He gulped. There was no going back from this, was there? “I freely give my brother Fox, CC-1010, to Sabé of the Naboo Court in return for all of my brother’s freedom.” There was a slight burning sensation on his own wrist as an identical band appeared.

“It is done.” She held out her hand and pulled him to his feet. “Now we just have to explain this to Padmé.”

“Padmé?”

“Did I forget to mention?” Sabé asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I’m the Chief Handmaiden for the Fae Queen of Naboo.”

The Naboo. Supposedly the most vicious, cunning, and crazy fae there was. “Kark me.”

The fae laughed, not understanding why he was so shocked. “She’s not that scary, I promise.”

He looked at her with a newfound appreciation and fear. Just what had he gotten himself into? “I hope so.”

She looked over his shoulder, a wave of her hand opening the curtains. “There are still a few hours till sundown. I assume your brothers are in the Republic Citadel?”

“How did you-”

The light in her eyes was back, this time paired with a fanged grin. “Do you really think we don’t have spies in the capitol?” Sabé grinned and pulled him into the hallway. “Let’s go see Padmé.”

Thorn tried not to gawk as they walked to the throne room, but he was certain that he was failing spectacularly. There had always been stories of the fae, but no one had ever lived to tell the true tale.

The ceiling was high above him and appeared to be made of intertwined branches. Marble tiles stretched out before him, the fae’s bare feet not making any noise compared to his clunky steps. Light shined from large windows set on either side of him and flowers bloomed in nearly every conceivable place.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Thorn clamped his gaping mouth shut. “Yes, my lady.”

She shook her head with a small smile. “Please, we’ve made a bargain. And more than that, I’ve decided to like you. When it’s just us, you can call me Sabé.”

The attention of a fae was rarely a good thing, but maybe he and his brothers would make it out of this alright. “Why do you like me?”

With a hum, she fingered the hilt of her sword. “You were willing to give up everything for your brother.”

Before they could continue, they reached a set of doors that seemed to stretch on forever. They were etched with images of flowers, animals, and all kinds of fae creatures. Hand on the door, Sabé turned to him and grinned. “Ready?”

"Nope," he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, "but let's go, anyway.”

Chapter Text

Sabé opened the doors, distantly wondering if her human was about to pass out. Hopefully he would at least hold on until after meeting Padmé.

Who was currently giving her a very imperial raised eyebrow from her golden throne. “Chief Veruna, what have you brought into my court?”

She quickly scanned the room, noting that there were only handmaidens present. Amazing, she could cut out all of the kark. “I made a bargain with the human, his name is Thorn, and I’m going to go rescue his brothers.”

Versé crossed her arms and smirked. “Has the human enchanted you, Chief? I thought you were going to guard him to keep the rest of us safe. Instead, you seem to have involved us in his problems.”

“You don’t have to come.” Realizing that Thorn hadn’t come any closer than the doors, she grabbed his arm and brought him in front of the throne. “He was tied to that tree because his brother didn’t assassinate a Republic Senator.”

“How is that our problem?” Saché asked, casually flipping her dagger and catching it. Thorn gulped, and Sabé stood between them, just to make him feel better.

This time, Padmé was the one who spoke up. She looked at Thorn. “I assume that you and your brother are a part of the Republic military? Or are you mercenaries?”

The man peeked over her shoulder. “My brothers and I are Republic soldiers, your majesty.”

“Much better than mercenaries.” She nodded. “And how many of you are there?”

“A few hundred, ma’am.” He paused for a moment. “There are more, but their jedi take care of them.”

He shrunk back when he saw the look that Padmé shot to Sabé. “A few hundred?”

Trying to act like she had known how many there were all along, Sabé shrugged. “You were talking about how empty the castle felt since the Winter Feasts ended.”

Rabé gave Thorn an appraising look. With a shake of her head, she said, “I pity your mother.”

“Oh, we don’t have a mother.”

Saché’s eyes narrowed. “Were you born from a raindrop, then?”

The others began to chime in. “Or the first spring breeze?”

“Maybe a particularly pretty flower petal.”

“Or a really nice-looking rock.”

“Well,” Padmé asked with a small smile, “which is it?”

“We-we were created by magic, your majesty.” Thorn fiddled with his thumbs, then, realizing what he was doing, shoved his hands behind his back. “At least, that’s what I was told.”

That changed things. That changed things a lot. Judging by the look Padmé had on her face, she knew it, too. “It wasn’t jedi magic, then.”

“We were told it was,” his brow was furrowed, and he quickly added, “ma’am.”

“The jedi and the Court of the Naboo have always had good relations,” Padmé began. “If they were going to make an army using magic, they would’ve consulted us first. Making a flower grow is one thing, making a fully-functioning human is another.”

The queen turned to Eirtaé. “Send a messenger to the jedi temple, let them know that we’re taking matters into our own hands. If there’s a sith running around creating armies, then we need to put a stop to it.”

Thorn’s brows scrunched up, but he stayed silent.

“What is it?” Sabé asked, wondering if he would have the courage to speak truthfully.

A hundred different expressions went across his face all at once until he finally settled on resigned awkwardness. “All due respect, but if you’re right and we were made by a sith, wouldn’t the jedi have found out? And even if they are wrong, how are you going to find this guy?”

“Excellent questions.” Sabé grinned, hoping that the man would stop being so skittish. It wasn’t like they were going to eat him. “The jedi are very nice, but they are also very dumb.”

“They tend to see the world in black and white,” Padmé gently interrupted. “But this can affect their ability to see danger before it strikes.”

Saché snorted. “It’s a miracle they haven’t been wiped out. I’m telling you, the whole temple could be destroyed by a single good con-”

“Wait.” The dots began to connect. Sith-created clones, jedi who led them, a war they apparently knew nothing about. It was starting to make sense. “What’s the one thing that sith love to do more than kicking puppies?”

“Tricking unsuspecting victims.” There was a new urgency when Padmé gave her next order. “Eirtaé, get the messenger on a horse and to the temple. We need to find the sith…now.”

She turned to Thorn. “With your permission, I’d like to see if there have been any sith enchantments placed on you.”

Thorn sent a harried glance to Sabé. “Unless, you’d like me to do it?”

“A bargain,” he stammered. Apparently that was the only way he knew to deal with the fae. They’d have to work on that. “You promise not to hurt me and I let you look.”

“Enchantments can sometimes be painful when removed.” She frowned and tried to convey her sincerity. “But I promise not to hurt you beyond the pain of that.” Another golden band appeared on her wrist.

“Then I allow you to do it.” The band on his wrist pulsed for a moment before settling.

Sabé nodded. This was going to be challenging, considering he was apparently made of magic. If she tugged at something too hard, he may unravel in front of her. “Let’s do this.”

She closed her eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. Physical contact usually helped in these situations. Then, she reached out.

Finding the magic that made Thorn was easy, but something was off. Usually, when something was made of magic, there was an overwhelming sense of the creator. There was no trace of the sith, though, just all Thorn. It would seem like Thorn, and maybe all of the clones, had made some magic of their own. It would be interesting to see if they could do anything serious, like casting enchantments or illusions. But that was a problem for another time.

She dug deeper. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, she was almost ready to give up. Then a tendril of black malice appeared. Sabé followed it, tugging it away as she went. Sith magic may be strong, but it was nothing compared to the fae. As she worked, she began to hear the words whispered into the incantation. “Good soldiers follow orders” and “destroy the jedi”.

Ripping the last bit out as gently as she could, she opened her eyes. “Well, do you want the good news or the bad news?”

Thorn winced and then looked down at his wrist, where the second band had disappeared. “Both at once.”

“I removed the enchantment, but the sith that put it there created it as kind of a mind control. It would’ve made you follow any orders, including killing the jedi.”

“Are you serious?” he asked, eyes widening in fear.

“Unfortunately.” She turned to Padmé. “We’ll need to take the sith out before he can make his move.”

“Are you sure that we can’t remove the enchantments from the men first?”

Shaking her head, Sabé gripped her sword. “It takes too long to find, and Thorn has too many brothers. We should cut the snake’s head off.”

“Then let’s go snake hunting.” Saché came through the doors, fae armor and weapons in hand. She began to hand them to Thorn almost faster than he could put them on. “If we hurry, we can even make it back before lunch.”

Chapter Text

Thorn and the fae peeked through the bushes, looking down at the castle below. “There’s something wrong.”

Sending a glance in his direction, Sabé frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Look at how they’re marching.” He gestured towards the rows of men moving back and forth in front of the citadel. “It’s too stiff. Like they’re being controlled.”

“The enchantment.” Padmé had gotten out of her elaborate dress and opted for a pair of pants with a tight blouse. Armor, of course, covered everything.

Rabé whistled. “That’s going to make things harder.”

“No, I don’t think it will.” Sabé watched as a child accidentally got in a squad’s way in pursuit of their ball. The clones just parted around them. “Yeah,” she said, “we’re fine.”

Thorn looked at her, biting his bottom lip. “I…have a question.”

“What is it?”

“If we’re made of the sith’s magic,” he began, “and we’re going to kill the sith, will that kill us?”

“You’ll be fine.” While she talked, Sabé began to study the citadel itself, trying to figure out the best entry and exit points as well as where Palpatine was probably hiding. “When I was digging that spell out of you, I noticed something. You may be made of the sith’s magic, but you’ve turned it your own. I’d bet that your brothers have, too.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So that means…”

“That you may have some magic of your own.” Sabé spared him a grin before continuing her plotting. “We can test it out when we get back to the court, but for now, just know that you and your brothers are going to be fine once that piece of crap is dead.”

Thorn reminded himself that fae couldn’t lie. Find and use loopholes as good as Fox? Definitely. But there wasn’t a lot of wiggle room with a statement like that. He chuckled. “You know, you remind me of my brother.”

“Quite the complement.” She nudged his shoulder with her own. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

He couldn’t help the smile that began to grow on his face. “He’s going to be so karking mad at me, and you know what? I can’t wait for him to ream me out.”

“Then let’s go get him.” Padmé looked to Sabé. “You made the bargain, Sabé, I assume you have a plan?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Eyes narrowed, she tracked a squad as they entered the castle from a side entrance. “I have a plan for everything.”

“Oh,” Thorn laughed, “you and Fox are going to get along just fine.”

-------------------

Their little group picked their way through the underbrush, stopping just before they reached the cobbled streets of Coruscant.

“Ready to see what a real fae illusion looks like?” Sabé asked, eyeing a corner of the plaza. That would be the perfect place for their little distraction.

Thorn was still a little scared of them, there was no doubt about it, but he put on a brave face and nodded. “Let’s rescue my brothers.”

With a flick of her fingers, a woman appeared in the middle of the square. She raised her fist in the air and screamed, “Down with the Republic! Down with the Chancellor!”

Every clone’s attention was suddenly turned on her. They began to pursue, but it wasn’t like they ever had a chance of catching something that wasn’t there. Just to make it last longer, she had the woman run out of sight.

“That’s some distraction,” Thorn whistled, quickly catching up when he realized that the handmaidens were already running to the door. He pressed himself against the wall while they worked on the lock. “Kark, you’re fast.”

“Benefits of being a fae,” Saché grinned.

The door opened with a whine of the hinges while Eirtaé swapped out her lockpicks for daggers. “Let’s hope that’s enough. Thorn, stay close.”

The man immediately moved next to Sabé. “Why?”

“Long explanation short, we’re going to cast an illusion to make ourselves look invisible.” Padmé unsheathed her sword. “Everyone ready?”

There were nods all around before each of the fae cast their enchantment, Sabé putting one over Thorn, as well. “We’re good to move.”

They crept through the hallways, passing the patrols who were none the wiser. Sabé hissed. “I can smell the sith from here.”

Curiosity beating fear, Thorn whispered, “What does he smell like?”

Padmé answered for the chief. “Rotting wood, decaying flesh, and skunk.” Her nose wrinkled. “I can’t wait to kill him just so I don’t have to smell this ever again.”

Eirtaé, who was their rear guard, had just stepped off the staircase when Thorn stopped dead in his tracks. “Fox,” he gasped, sword lowering to his side.

Sabé followed his gaze and landed on a tall clone standing at attention in front of the doors where the stank reeked the most. There was paint on his armor, but it was chipped. Dents littered the metal. But the thing that worried her most was his eyes.

They were dull and lifeless. He stared at the opposite wall, not moving and barely blinking. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve said that he was a statue.

Suddenly, Thorn grabbed her wrist. “Please, save him. He can help us fight Palpatine, I promise that he won’t be-”

“Thorn.” He stopped his rambling, staring at her with a mix of worry and hope. “I’m going to save him. Not because he can help us, but because he’s your brother.”

She turned back to look at Fox. “Not all fae are bad. Padmé, take over Thorn’s illusion for me.”

As soon as Padmé gave the go ahead, Sabé crept out of the shadows, letting herself be seen. But the clone in front of her never even looked in her direction. You would think an armed, armored fae would warrant more attention.

The enchantment around the commander was thick. Luckily, that would just make it easier to rip out. Sabé pulled on the first layer.

And that was when things went south. The commander went from standing still to attacking within a heartbeat. Sabé dodged his first blow and then blocked the second. “Get Palpatine. I’ll handle Fox,” she ordered, knowing that the others were about to join in. If they were going to surprise Palpatine, they needed to do it now.

She pushed Fox down the hall, leaving the door unguarded. Padmé ran inside, followed swiftly by everyone else.

Sabé was then able to focus all of her attention on her own battle. The only sound was of their swords clanging against each other, Fox not making any noise.

Even with her enhanced strength and speed, it was difficult for Sabé to keep up. If she doubted that the clones had the capability to use fae magic, she definitely didn’t now. She needed to end this…fast.
Fortunately for her, she came prepared. Taking a risk, she reached into one of her belt pouches and pulled out a handful of seeds. Throwing them in the commander’s general direction, they immediately began to sprout, turning into thick, tangling vines that encircled his body, holding him in place.

He still fought, but there wasn’t much for him to do against a giant plant.

“Hang on, Commander,” Sabé said, reaching up to touch his temple. He immediately went still when she made contact. Was he fighting the enchantment? It was definitely a possibility. “I’ll get this off of you in no time.”

Now that she knew what she was looking for, Sabé was able to make quick work of the enchantment surrounding Fox. Relatively speaking, of course. It still took her a few minutes.

When she was finished, she pulled away and looked at the commander’s face.  “Commander Fox? Are you there?”

He opened his eyes slowly and blinked twice. Then, he gave her an assessing look, cataloguing her pointy ears and shining armor. With a sigh, he sagged slightly in the vines, resigned. “Thorn bargained with you, didn’t he?”

Sabé grinned and released him. “It’s almost like you know him.”

“What did he give?” he readjusted the grip on his sword and began to run with her towards the throne room. “Whatever it is, let me pay the price.”

The sounds of fighting grew closer. “I wouldn’t worry about it, Commander. He promised me you.”

They turned the corner, just in time to see Padmé drive her sword through Palpatine’s chest. A wave of power immediately washed through the room, sending them all to the floor. Shakily getting back to her feet, Sabé threw a glare in the queen’s direction. “Couldn’t leave anything for us, could you?”

Padmé just shrugged with a smile, her hair in complete disarray. “You got to save the commander.” She looked at the pile of ashes that used to be the chancellor. “We should probably get the rest of Thorn’s brothers and leave.”

Just to make sure he was really gone, Fox kicked the ashes. “Couldn’t agree more.”

Before the commander could even turn back to the door, he was nearly tackled by Thorn. Fox returned the hug and then ruffled his younger brother’s hair. With a raised eyebrow, he asked, “Fae, assassinations, strange armor. Just what have you gotten yourself into this time, vod’ika?”

The other clone shrugged, tears in his eyes. “Nothing much. Got rescued by the fae, made a bargain, helped kill a sith. You’re welcome.”

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3 weeks later…

Fox tilted his head, looking at the golden band on Sabé’s wrist. “I thought that would’ve disappeared by now. You rescued us.”

The chief handmaiden shrugged and continued to look out over the lake. The castle had gotten extremely crowded these last few weeks, so finding somewhere quiet was a luxury she was going to take full advantage of. “Your brother exchanged your life for the freedom of every clone. And there are still people out there that would like to enslave you.”

“But the bargain was made to free us from Palpatine, and you gave up your claim on me as soon as we got here.”

She glanced in his direction with a small smile. “I never do anything by halves.”

“Neither do I.” Fox frowned thoughtfully. “I talked with the queen last night. She says that we can stay as long as we like. My brothers say that they’d like to stay forever.”

“Naboo is beautiful,” she agreed. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

He was silent for a moment. “I’d like to make a bargain.”

Sabé raised an eyebrow and leaned on the balustrade. “And what kind of bargain is that?”

He pulled back his shoulders. “I, Commander Fox of the Coruscant Guard, promise my loyalty in exchange for a piece of the action.”

“Are you sure that you’re okay with working closely with a fae?”

“I’m not asking to work with a fae, I’m asking to work with you.” He stuck out his hand. “Do we have a bargain?”

Sabé shook his hand, another golden band appearing on her wrist. “We do.”