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Sabé stared down at the bundle in front of her, both drained and energized.
Drained was an understatement. Her entire world had been killed for reasons unknown to Sabé, then dressed with white flowers woven into her hair, before taken to a mausoleum to never have sunlight grace her cheeks ever again. Part of Sabé was buried that evening with Padme. It was a deep part of herself that no one would ever understand except for the remaining handmaidens. She would never be able to explain it. Luckily, Tonra never made her try. He was wonderful that way knowing it was a world he would never fully be apart of, an outsider to their circle. The weeks since have seemed so long and yet so fast to her, but Tonra was there as her constant being. Mostly, he would be just close enough nearby so Sabé knew she wasn’t alone; he also didn’t speak much, giving her space.
Energized was an understatement. Sabé didn’t know what to think when Bail Organa asked her to come to his homeworld. He had been coy and guarded his words close. Once they arrived, he hadn’t said anything as he had led her into this room. He didn’t need to, because Organa knew that Sabé would understand what was before her.
Who was before her. Sabe could see the baby in the cradle had Padme’s eyes. The slope of their noses were the same. The bow in the child’s lip wasn’t as sharp as her mother’s, but it wasn’t so different that Sabé couldn’t tell where she got it from. She could see influences from the father, that huge secret that Sabé of course knew about. Again, the handmaidens knew more than most people. Skywalker wouldn’t have been able to fathom how much information Sabé had on him, confided to her by her friend. He probably wouldn’t have liked it. Sabé didn't care. He hadn’t been her favorite person.
“Leia,” Sabé finally breathed the name. The child shifted her bright eyes, inquisitive and curious about the stranger over her. The same look Padme used to get especially in her early days as queen.
As tears filled her eyes because the only person who could see her was the babe, Sabé had decided to stay. She would give Tonra the choice whether or not to join her. She wouldn’t hold it against him if he left. She never had before.
This child was everything. She would stay and teach her, protect her, and guide her. As Sabé made this choice, in her mind she heard the words that she had said many times. The same words the other handmaidens would speak to be unified. The words that were for Padme, and Padme alone:
We are brave, Your Highness.
Sabé would be brave now for Leia, her new Princess.