'I wish to leave behind a son with a life that is good.'
'Do you think he has a chance to win?' Qui-Gon asked.
The Queen frowned. 'There is still a core of royalist supporters. The Prince has been secluded for much of his life, since we feared for his safety. He was even schooled off-planet. Not much is known about him, and that can work in his favor. He might be able to squeak by. I do hope not.'
Queen Veda smiled at Qui-Gon. 'You are surprised at my honesty. When time runs out, you don't waste it by fooling yourself.'
'What about the other candidates, Deca Brun and Wila Prammi?' Obi-Wan asked.
'Is there a favorite?'
'Deca Brun is favored,' Queen Veda answered. 'He's a hero to the Galacian people. He promises them reform and prosperity. It won't be that easy, but he makes it sound so.'
'And Wila Prammi?' Qui-Gon prompted.
'She has more experience,' the Queen replied. 'She was an underminister here at the palace. Her ideas are sound and grounded in reality. Unfortunately, her palace experience hurts her in some quarters, and her bluntness hurts her in others. She has her faction, but is expected to lose.'
'Were you anticipating violence?' Qui-Gon asked. 'We ran into some supporters on the street. Tempers are running high.'
'Yes, there have been clashes,' the Queen admitted. 'But I believe the people want a peaceful transition. As long as they feel the elections are honest, they won't revolt, I hope.'
Queen Veda sat silently for a moment. Qui-Gon wondered if she was fading. Then he realized that she was gathering herself to say something. He knew that what she would tell them next was the real reason she had summoned them here. He glanced at Obi-Wan to make sure the boy would wait for the Queen to speak.
Obi-Wan nodded.
'There is a wild card,' the Queen said at last. 'Another factor that is important for you to understand. Elan.'
'Elan?' Qui-Gon had not heard this name before.
'There is a faction of Galacians known as the hill people,' Queen Veda explained. She smoothed the tiled mosaic of the table in front of her and a piece of blue azurite came off in her hand. She rolled it in her palm, her rings flashing in the sunlight that poured through the window behind her. 'Elan is their leader. The hill people are exiles who opposed the monarchy and gathered in the rough mountain terrain outside the capital city to live outside its laws.
They recognize no king or queen. They are rumored to be ferocious, unfriendly.
They never stay in one place for long. They raise their own food and have their own healers. They are rarely seen by outsiders. Yet they are greatly feared and hated. Elan herself is a legend, almost a ghost. I have not managed to find one person who has actually seen her.'
'Will they vote in the election?' Qui-Gon asked.
Queen Veda shook her head. 'No. They have refused. They were courted by both Deca Brun and Wila Prammi, but Elan refused to meet with them. She will not recognize the new governor, just as she never recognized King Cana or myself.'
'If this is true, why do you call Elan a factor in the election?' Qui-Gon asked.
'Ah,' the Queen said. 'The last piece slips into place.' She slid the piece of azurite back in the mosaic design. 'Now the picture is complete.'
Obi-Wan shot Qui-Gon an impatient look. Queen Veda stared down at the mosaic, lost in thought. She had gone back to the past, Qui-Gon realized.
Long moments passed before she raised her head again. 'I admire your patience, Qui-Gon Jinn,' she said quietly. 'I wish I had that gift.'
'It is not a gift, but a lesson to be relearned daily,' Qui-Gon responded with a smile.
She smiled back at him, nodding slightly. 'Yes, I am learning that. Which brings me to my story. When my husband, King Cana, was young, he fell in love.
Our marriage had been arranged, you see. I lived in another city. We had never met. King Cana broke his vow to me and secretly married another woman. She was one of the hill people. Naturally, the Council of Ministers was outraged. They had already arranged our marriage. And the fact that King Cana had married a hill person was unacceptable. The Ministers' influence was great. They forced him to relinquish the woman. When he told his wife that he had decided to obey them, she left the city and returned to her people. He did not know it, but she was with child.'
The Queen smoothed the mosaic with a hand that shook slightly. 'King Cana later discovered this. Still he did not search for her. I knew nothing of this at the time. I arrived for my wedding and was married. If there was a shadow on my husband's heart, I never understood why it was there. Until the last year of his life. He told me the story. It was his greatest regret, he said. He had never recovered from the loss of his true love, or his cowardice in not seeking out his child.'
'He may have acted wrongly,' Qui-Gon said. 'It is good that he recognized that before his own end. But I must ask you: What is its relevance to today, Queen Veda?' He asked the question, already knowing the answer.
'Elan is his daughter,' Queen Veda answered quietly. 'The past lives in the present always.'
'And why have you told us this?' Qui-Gon asked.
'Because now I, too, am dying,' the Queen answered. 'Elan is my last secret. I want to do justice before I die, justice to Elan. She should know her birthright. She is the true heir to the throne, not Beju. She must have the Mark of the Crown on her,' the Queen finished softly. Her gaze became unfocused again, as though she were back
