Edges of the World

Chapter 38

There were dresses everywhere.

They were in the room Leia had poked her head in that first day here, the one with the mirrors in the corner.

Even more dresses than she had seen when she first looked at this room had been produced from... somewhere. The space was packed with the things, as well as several wigs and all manner of jewelry.

Members of Padmé's staff were moving about the space, opening even more boxes full of dresses as if there weren't enough here already.

For her part, Padmé was already fully dressed in an expensive yet tasteful gown, although it was clear her hair and makeup had not yet been finished.

"Leia! I wasn't sure what your taste tended towards, so I had a broad selection of options brought up. Not just the dresses I've purchased for my daughter and she ignores, but also some of my own outfits - we should be around the same size. Hopefully there is something here you will like, and if not we can always -"

Leia cut Padmé off. "I am sure I will find something to wear in this selection, it's perfect." There were so many dresses. Looking at them all, it was easy to forget they were merely going out for dinner, and not attending a state function.

How did she always forget how lavish the tastes of the Naboo tended to be?

There were so many layers to these dresses, each one embroidered with fine details that were only apparent when viewed close up.

So different from how they liked to do things on Alderaan, where the fashion was far more simple. Muted. Occasionally Leia or her mother would dress in a more extravagant gown, but never anything like this!

There was a hushed titter from the bustling women in Padmé's employ. It was clear they wanted to laugh but were holding themselves back. Leia turned towards them, smiling at their palpable excitement. "Is the other me really so bad that dressing me is that exciting?"

One of Padmé's employees - a pale blond woman who stood out due to how little she resembled any of her coworkers - let out a full throated guffaw. "You have no idea. The last time we tried to dress the Chancellor's daughter, well... there is a reason we all gave up on seeing how she looks when dressed up nice when she was still a child."

"Ah, so my suffering for fashion will be educational for you then. This here is what Leia looks like when done up like a prize show-anooba, that sort of thing?"

"Can you blame any of us?"

Another woman held up a holocamera. "On that note, I wanted to know if you'd consent to us taking pictures of you after we are done. We'd all really like to savor the memory of how gorgeous you're going to look."

"It's like an army of organic TooVees. Alright, I'll freshen up, and then you can all do your worst."

One of the women drew close, talking excitedly about some of her ideas. She asked Leia for permission, and began grabbing various parts of Leia's current outfit, announcing her ideas for what she could wear. For her part Leia smiled indulgently at the woman, amused by her planning. That is, until one of her hands started to reach towards Leia's hair.

Leia moved quickly, grabbing the woman's wrist and holding it tight. "No! You can't... no one is touching my hair. Sorry. Should have been more clear about that."

Padmé drew close, placing a hand on Leia's shoulder and the other on the arm Leia was holding. Leia let go, and Padmé gave the woman Leia had grabbed an apologetic smile. "Remember, we talked about this, this Leia was raised on Alderaan. The people of Alderaan have all sorts of cultural rules surrounding their hair, and I think after that little display it is safe to assume that Leia observes all of them."