disclaimer: I don't own star wars...or Leia's hairstyle.

"Ow, that hurts!"

"Just hold still, we're almost done."

"But mother, couldn't you just do this later—"

"No, you know today is special, and I won't have extra time to finish."

"Don't you think I don't need to look so fancy for this?"

"Of course you do! I've even got a beautiful dress for you—one I used to wear when I was your age."

Leia huffed and decided to close her mouth. There was no winning against her mother and troubles with long, tangled hair. Every time the brush hit a knot and made a ripping sound she tried not to wince. Working from the bottom of her hair up to the scalp still wouldn't help Leia's situation, especially after times when her brother Luke thought it was funny to stick something to her head. Either way, there was some form of temporary pain.

Both daughter and mother had been in the sitting room for exactly half an hour, talking about the reason seven year-old Leia must have her hair pulled and twisted on this day. There was a banquet on Naboo being held for all of the former queens still living. For her contribution to society, Padmé Amidala was being honored, and had been allowed to take her daughter along. As much as Leia was uninterested in politics, her mother thought the banquet might be both an educational and social experience.

To Leia, the event only sounded exceedingly boring. The only interesting thing would be meeting the hordes of past and future royalty.

"How many people are going to be there?" Leia asked.

"Well…there'll be some senators, other politicians, earlier royalty…the queen herself…and probably some young women hoping to be in her seat someday. I can't tell you the number but there's going to be a very large amount. You'll have to remember everything I've told you."

"Like speak only when spoken to?"

Padmé laughed. "Only not to talk during the dedication! This night is just as much yours as it is mine." Leia was not sure she believed that statement, but her mother continued. "I want to show you what it's like, and I know you'll learn so much. You have the opportunity to pursue anything you want to be."

"I know…" Leia dropped her gaze to her hands folded in her lap.

Truthfully, she would have rather been a Jedi with the company of her brother. Yet she had no reason to when she had not felt the presence of the Force so powerfully as he had. Her father insisted she needed time and encouraged her of the possibility, telling her stories of when he was discovered by master Qui-Gon and trained by Obi-Wan. Even master Yoda had thought him too old. However, Leia had resigned herself at an early age to the debates and political life of her mother—perhaps she was predestined for it.

Padmé pulled on her daughter's hair again as she separated the strands into two large sections. Sunlight pouring into the room revealed tiny stray hairs on the girl's head that were floating up towards the ceiling. Dipping her hand inside a bowl of water, Padmé flattened her palm against Leia's cranium to slick the hair for easier handling. Then she began to twist.

Her daughter's hair had always been thick and difficult to manage, but she knew, somehow, this particular technique was going to work well. If it was one thing Padmé knew about, it was styling.

Taking the right side of the two sections she had divided out, Padmé turned her wrist to the left—again, and again, and again. Leia gritted her teeth.

"How long is this going to take?"

Padmé smiled. "I'm not sure. Just be patient…besides, no matter how much I pull, none of it will fall out."

"Alright." Leia closed her eyes and practically felt the right side of her head shrinking. She wished her father was here so he could distract her with questions or embarrassing stories about his former master. Instead she had to sit with her mother while she pulled her eyebrows to the top of her forehead. While Leia loved spending time with her mother she felt these "mane missions," as her father called them, always got a bit out of hand.

"Is father going to be home after a little while?"

"I don't think so, probably later tonight. But we'll be gone, remember?"

The twisted segment of Leia's hair was making it's way to the side of her head and she noticed that her ear was being completely covered by what must be a giant bun. How am I supposed to hear through this? she thought.

A dozen pins must have been used to keep the extravagant coil in place. "Make sure you don't shake," said Padmé, "because now it's time for the other side."

Just as Leia was preparing to have another head shrinking episode, her brother stepped into the house, out of breath, talking at the speed of light. Both stopped and turned towards the door where the blonde head was poking in.

"Hey mom I need to get some water because dad was being overconfident and got his hand stuck in the speeder—"

"Hold on Luke, slow down. I thought you had left for the station already. What happened?"

The boy sighed. "Dad got his hand stuck in the speeder when he was trying to repair something and the old cables were too sharp."

"Which hand?" said Padmé, looking concerned.

"The left one. The one that doesn't have parts of protocol droids in it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Mom, dad isn't that dense. He knows not to put mechanical things against other mechanical things when the other mechanical things are broken and sparking everywhere."

"Alright, alright. Well, let me know if anything else happens."

"Okay," he called as he began to run away again, "good luck with that thing on your head, Leia!"

"Hey!" she protested. The girl rolled her eyes as she heard Luke run the sink before sliding out the door.

"Mother, sometimes I wish we could just let Obi-Wan take Luke. That way I'll be an only child."

"No, I'm afraid we can't," her mother laughed, "you're stuck with him forever."

"But Jedi shouldn't be infuriating."

"You'd be surprised."

Somehow Leia assumed her mother was speaking from experience.

…

chapter two coming up...