Royal Palace of Alderaan

The Royal Palace of Alderaan, also known as the Mountain Palace, was the ancestral home of the Royal Family of the planet Alderaan. Located in the capital city of Aldera in a region, it overlooked a lake and was environed by snow-capped mountains. Near the palace was a wood where Princess Leia used to run away to as a child. Along with the rest of the planet, it was destroyed in 0 BBY when the Galactic Empire's Death Star battle station fired on Alderaan.
==History==
===Pre-Clone Wars===
Located in the region that contained Aldera, the most ancient parts of the Royal Palace were built over a thousand years before 3 BBY. From then on, additional chambers were added every few decades. In its last years of existence, the palace truly embodied the whole history and evolution of Alderaanian architecture, as well as the opulence of royalty.Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia For centuries, the palace throne room hosted the heir's Day of Demand ceremony, and in ancient times, the prince or princess fought their way to the throne room.
The palace was the childhood home of Breha Organa, who used to liken the palace's grand entrance hall to the inside of a seashell, due to its characteristics of being smooth, lustrous, and always slightly cool, even at the height of summer.
By 27 BBY,The main story takes place four years after the Invasion of Naboo, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places in 32 BBY. the palace served as the residence of Queen Breha and her consort, Bail Organa. That year, the Queen invited Bail's colleague, Padmé Amidala, senator of the Chommell sector and former monarch of the Naboo, to spend a week with her on Alderaan. Breha greeted the group in the palace throne room, and they moved to have breakfast on one of the palace balconies where Appenza Peak could be seen. During their visit, Amidala and her entourage were assigned several luxurious suites at the palace. Amidala's suite included a receiving room with a window view of Aldera. Amidala's handmaiden, Sabé, often snuck out of her own room to spend time in Tonra's room, with whom she was in a relationship.Queen's Shadow
During her stay in the palace, Amidala and Queen Breha discussed children. Breha explained that she and her husband's had decided not to have biological children, due to both the injuries she had suffered as a teenager and Bail's inability to take time away from the senate were Breha to become pregnant. Amidala expressed her desire to find something similar to what her parents, Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie, had found, or at least her version of it, rather than have a child without a partner like her sister, Sola, had done. Breha also pointed out that, because Naboo's monarchy was elective and Alderaan's was hereditary, Amidala's children weren't bound to politics the same way Breha's would be.
===The Clone Wars===
In 21 BBY, the palace hosted the Alderaan Refugee Conference to address the number of refugees growing during the Clone Wars. The conference was hosted by Bail, Senator Mon Mothma, and Amidala. During the conference, bounty hunter Aurra Sing attempted to assassinate Senator Amidala, but she was stopped by Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, who had accompanied Amidala on the trip after experienced Force visions of the event. Tano disguised a luxury droid as Amidala while the real Amidala spoke through a droid in another room.
In 19 BBY,Star Wars: Galactic Atlas Viceroy Bail and Queen Breha adopted the baby Leia Amidala Skywalker, daughter of their friend Padmé Amidala and former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who had become the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Bail presented the infant to her new mother for the first time on one of the palace's balconies.
Leia was officially made a member of the royal family on her Name Day that took place in the palace throne room. Her adoption was public knowledge, but everyone, including Leia, was told that her birth father died in one of the last battles of the Clone Wars and her birth mother was badly injured, living only long enough to deliver her. As a small child, Leia would revel in exploring some of the most shadowy and out-of-the-way passages in the palace, and by the time she was sixteen, Leia knew each hallway and door by heart. Growing up, Breha also attempted to teach Leia that life in the palace could be a very isolated one, stating that she was too young to understand how their happy home could ever be lonely. Due to the divide that existed between those who lived in the palace and those that did not, he knew the princess didn't have many friends her own age. Her parents were her main companions growing up, although she sometimes found friends in some of the cooks' children.
===Later years===
On one occasion when Princess Leia was a young child, she ran from her bath into the palace's formal dining room during a diplomatic dinner, causing her nanny droid WA-2V to chase after her. Bail Organa also had an aquarium installed into his office to amuse young Leia, who greatly enjoyed the brightly-colored sea creatures.
At one point, the thieving sisters Brea and Senni Tonnika broke into the palace in an attempt to steal the royal jewels. However, they were noticed because of their orange apparel—which they had mistakenly assumed would make them look like housemaids—and were forced to hide in a dumpster for two days.
Sometime after her fourth birthday, Leia received her "big girl bed," although she needed 2V's assistance to climb into it. She decided that she was too old to sleep in her parent's bed anymore, an action which she stopped, except when she fell ill and on one occasion when she watched a holo about undead gundarks.
Once during Princess Leia's childhood, she escaped the care of 2V in the palace gardens and ran into the arms of her mother, Breha, who was reading a paper book next to the astromech droid R2-D2, in front of a statue of Padmé Amidala. Breha then proceeded to tell Leia about Amidala, despite the fact that Leia was too young to remember her, including Amidala's time as an Apprentice Legislator and her untimely death. Breha finished by putting her daughter's hair into two buns on either side of her face and telling her that she had the same spark of hope inside of her that her mother had possessed.
In 10 BBY,The events of Leia, Princess of Alderaan take place shortly after Leia Organa's sixteenth birthday. Leia claims theses events happened seven years ago, meaning when she was 9 or coming up her ninth birthday. Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places Leia's birth to 19 BBY meaning theses events took place in 10 BBY. a week before her ninth Name Day, Leia hid behind the screens surrounding the palace's banquet hall, where her parents had been dining alone. Being young and self-interested, Leia assumed they would be discussing her gifts; in reality, they were laughing and flirting with each other. This resulted in Leia scurrying out red-faced in time to avoid an unwelcome lesson in what spouses did together in their private hours. The event caused Leia to not venture behind the screens again for seven years. Leia also ran away from the palace for the first time when she was nine, worried that her parents were going to arrange a marriage to her. She spent a week in the woods until she was found by her parents' guards.Star Wars (2015) 33
In 9 BBY, the palace hosted the visit of Queen Breha's sister, Duchess Celly Organa, and her family, including Celly's husband Kayo and their son Niano. Initially, Leia attempted to avoid attending the reception by asking her handmaiden, Agira, to impersonate her while she ran off into the woods near the palace to go shipspotting. Upon realizing what had happened, Breha collected Leia from the woods, and as punishment, Leia's toy droid Lola was turned off, although Leia managed to get her back while hugging Breha as she pretended to apologize. Leia was forced to change into her formalwear in the Alderaan royal speeder, and the pair met with Bail at the Aldera Spaceport to greet Celly and the rest of her family. He asked Leia about the ships she had spotted, but Breha told him not to encourage her.
The families and their entourages headed to the reception, where they were served by droids, such as C-3PO and Y-O. While there, Bail and Kayo discussed the Empire. Bail expressed his dislike of the Empire due to issues such as slavery and the taxation of the Outer Rim, but Kayo liked that his profits had risen due to the Empire. Kayo was more interested in eating Bail's food than discussing ending slavery, and told Bail to "save the bleeding heart" for the Senate. In order to avoid further confrontation, Breha offered Bail a drink.
Leia entered an argument with her cousin during the reception. Niano told her that the reason her parents never let her off planet was because they didn't want anyone to know about her, and he insisted she wasn't even a real Organa. Leia responded that he was simply scared of his father; he wanted to earn his approval, so he repeated what he said even when he didn't understand it. She pointed out that Niano thought emulating his father would make people scared of him, when in reality, he was the one that was scared, and he would never make any decisions for himself.
Bail and Breha took their daughter aside and attempted to convince her to apologize for her words, saying she must rise above. The princess simply responded that she would rather be digested by a jakobeast. On a balcony, Bail talked to his daughter about his childhood dream of living out past Kathou and chasing purrgil. He spoke about Leia's future at university, Junior Senate, and eventually as Alderaan's queen. He believed that Leia was going to be one of the greatest senators due to her lack of desire to become one. Bail also reassured Leia that she was an Organa in every way, after she expressed doubt over the matter, before convincing her to agree to apologize to her cousin.
However, rather than apologize, the princess ran back to the woods, dropping her purple overcoat as she ran. Leia unexpectedly ran into the mercenary Vect Nokru and his gang, who had been hired by Third Sister. The mercenaries managed to kidnap her and shoot one of the royal guards who attempted to come to the young princess' aid. Leia was eventually returned to the palace by her father's old friend, the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. Just prior to reuniting with Kenobi, Queen Breha found the princess wearing a holster that had belonged to Tala Durith, which Kenobi had given to Leia after Durith's death. Breha told her she loved it, and the two met with Bail at the Aldera Spaceport, where the droid Lola was returned to Leia.
In 3 BBY,Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places Leia Organa's birth in 19 BBY. The events of Leia, Princess of Alderaan commence just after Organa's sixteenth birthday, which places the events of the novel in 3 BBY. during the early days of the Rebel Alliance Queen Breha and Viceroy Bail Organa hosted dinner parties in the palace's banquet hall which were in fact strategy meetings. In that same year, Leia's Day of Demand was hosted in the palace throne room. A short while before the Day of Demand, Breha came to Leia's room and placed the Rhindon Sword on Leia's bed. The two had a discussion about love and duty, in which Breha reassured her daughter that Leia would be able to choose her own spouse when the time came.
The Day of Demand was announced months in advance, and aromas were prepared for the banquet which traveled throughout the palace halls. Prior to the ceremony, 2V assisted Leia in getting ready for the Day of Demand, settling on a simple white dress and cape and bold silver jewelry. 2V also did the princess' hair in a complex traditional style and placed a silver headband on her head, which fit neatly into her braids, its pearl charm resting on the center of her forehead.
On her Day of Demand, Leia carried the Rhindon Sword through the throne room and announced her challenges of the heart, mind and body. For her Challenge of the Heart, she would undertake missions of mercy; for her Challenge of the Mind, she would represent Alderaan in the Apprentice Legislature; and for her Challenge of the Body, she would climb the famous Alderaanian mountain, Appenza Peak, as her mother had done. Several of her father's colleges from the Senate attended Leia's Day of Demand, including Cinderon Malpe of Derella, Tynnra Pamlo of Taris, Mon Mothma, and Mothma's fellow Chandrilan senator, Winmey Lenz. Lord Mellowyn of Birren, a distant relative of Bail's, was also in attendance and kindly told Leia that she had been wonderful after the ceremony was over, though Leia was still upset as she believed her parents were ignoring her and no longer cared for her.
The day after her Day of Demand, Leia left for the planet Wobani, on a mercy mission as part of her Challenge of the Heart. Her plan was to force Major Tedam, the Imperial in charge of Wobani, to allow a hundred Wobani citizens to come with her. She returned with the citizens, whom she had hired as part of her crew. Along with an entourage to assist the refugees, Breha greeted Leia at the Aldera spaceport, demanding that she return to the palace with her. The two retreated to the private library where Breha berated Leia for her decision to go to Wobani without consulting either of her parents, leading her to Calderos Station immediately after a rebel attack. She criticized Leia for the trick she had played on Tedam, which had resulted in Breha receiving angry messages from Imperial officials who did not like the idea of a young girl tricking one of their own. Leia eventually snapped at her mother, asking what kind of person she was if she was angry at Leia for bringing people with her instead of leaving them there to starve. Breha explained that although Leia's actions showed compassion, courage, and ingenuity, they had also set back negotiations in which Bail, Mon Mothma, and several of their allies were advocating for resettlement of the Wobani population. When Breha said the setback was likely to be permanent, Leia was deeply horrified by what she had done.
After Breha left to further work on balancing the royal accounts, Leia momentarily stayed in the library, thinking about what she had done. She attempted to comfort herself with the knowledge that she had still helped a hundred people who would go to bed warm, well-fed, and happy, rather than cold and hungry. When she left the library, Leia walked through the corridor that was connected to Bail's office, in which Leia saw him speaking with Captain Raymus Antilles, and she assumed they were discussing the events on Wobani.
After another mercy mission, this time to Onoam, one of the moons of Naboo, Leia returned to the palace wearing the Jubilation dress lent to her by Queen Dalné. Leia went to the library to speak with her parents, asking them if they were involved in the recent death of Quarsh Panaka that she had just witnessed. The question angered Bail, and Breha took Leia to the palace gardens, where she asked Leia about her meeting with Panaka. Breha explained that the assassination was the work of Saw Gerrera and his Partisans, and it resulted from Bail's hesitance to further expand the rebellion. At a dinner party, the Organas and their allies discussed the recent assassination of Quarsh Panaka and whether or not the rebellion should incorporate higher levels of violence. Afterwards, Breha approached Leia in her room, where she was brushing her hair on her window seat. Amidst the discussion that followed, her mother commented her belief that it was good for a girl fall for a scoundrel now and then.
The Organas hosted another dinner party in the Royal Palace, with Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin in attendance. In an attempt to hide the true purpose of the dinner party, Queen Breha pretended to drunkenly accuse her husband of having an affair with his senatorial colleague Mon Mothma of Chandrila, implying that he'd had an affair the year before with a girl from Corellia.
A few months after her Day of Demand, Leia had her coronation to become Crown Princess of Alderaan by means of bestowing the Heir's Crown, following the completion of all three of her challenges. In attendance was Ress Batten and Mothma, along with Leia's friends from the Apprentice Legislature, Amilyn Holdo of Gatalenta and Chassellon Stevis of Coruscant. Leia also became a member of the Organas' rebellion against the Empire.
===Destruction of Alderaan===
In 0 BBY, while the planning was underway for the equinox festivities in three weeks time, Queen Breha was in a meeting with her advisor Visaiya to discuss her schedule, but she was unable to pay attention, as she was worried about Bail and Leia, who had been gone for a number of days. Visaiya noticed her anxiety and Breha asked her to cancel her appointments for the rest of the day. Breha attempted to retreat to the royal apartments, but on the way, she was unexpectedly ambushed by 2V, minister of finance Lintreyst, and Leia's old tutor droid, CZ-7OB.
Breha entered the apartments, where her youngest attendant, Falena, was practicing her lute, and the guards outside dropped their halberds to stop the others from entering. Breha then reminded Minister Lintreyst that the resources for the upcoming equinox gala had been allocated months ago. She told 2V that the draper could take one of her old dresses out of storage for Leia to wear, as it was possible the princess would not even attend the gala, not wanting to waste time on creating a new garment from scratch. Breha also agreed to 2V's request that the draper add embellishments to the dress. When she invited CZ-7OB into the apartments, the droid informed her that he had discovered a discrepancy in Princess Leia's diplomatic records—her profile stated she was fluent in both Huttese and Shyriiwook, while in reality, the princess was only proficient in Shyriiwook. Breha reassured the droid that he was not to blame for Leia's failure to study more rigorously, saying she couldn't imagine a scenario in which fluent Shyriiwook would benefit Leia.
Soon after, the pair were interrupted by Bail's arrival, who embraced his wife and dismissed CZ-7OB, instructing him to fix the record. The two discussed the recent rumors about the rebel events on Scarif and the dissolution of the Imperial Senate. Bail informed Breha that the Tantive IV had been destroyed, but Breha refused to believe that her daughter was dead and would not accept any report until she had seen the wreckage herself. The two attempted to comfort each other before going to bed.
Two days later, the couple's attempts to find the wreckage of the Tantive IV, as well as discover their daughter's fate, were unsuccessful. They received a rough holo-message from Captain Anderam, who informed them something was moving into position in orbit around the planet. The two rushed to the nearest balcony and saw an eclipse as the Death Star, a planet-killing battle station built by the Empire, hovered over the planet and blocked out the sun. The two realized that they were about to die, and they accepted their fates, reassuring each other in their final moments that Leia was alive. The palace, along with everyone and everything inside, blew up when Grand Moff Tarkin ordered Alderaan's destruction shortly before the Battle of Yavin and forced Princess Leia, who was held hostage on the Death Star, to watch.
===Legacy===
While on a mission with Evaan Verlaine, a former student of Breha's, to locate surviving Alderaanians following the Disaster, Princess Leia remembered a memory from her childhood in the palace when her father tried to convince her to eat ruica.Princess Leia 2
Following her engagement to Han Solo in 4 ABY, Leia thought of the loss of Alderaan, which ensured that the two weren't married in the palace, but rather in the far-flung forest moon of Endor. She often thought of the small things she had lost in Alderaan's destruction, such as the scent of flowers in the palace courtyard, the chipped stone on her bedroom balcony, and the sweetmallow cakes that used to be sent to her room.
==Layout==
The palace was located in Alderaan's capital city of Aldera, stretching into the clean mountain air, and it was situated near a large wood. Due to the constant additions of new chambers throughout the centuries, the Royal Palace was a massive, sprawling labyrinth, in which its more modern rooms, such as data centers and holochambers, coexisted with ancient stone rooms. Although the palace did have towers and spires, none of them were designed to dominate the landscape. In keeping with the exterior, the hallways of the palace were wide and welcoming, with nothing in their design that sought to intimidate. The palace housed the Rhindon Sword and an intricate water sculpture, as well as a landscape painting of Appenza Peak next to a lake, which was painted with bleak colors. The Crown of Alderaan was usually kept in a museum but would be occasionally displayed in the royal palace's throne room on special occasions, such as the heir's Day of Demand.
===Grand entrance hall===
The grand entrance hall had a gallery with high windows. Most of the interior masonry was silvery-blue, smooth, and lustrous. Even at the height of summer, the hall was always slightly cool. These characteristics caused Queen Breha to liken it to the inside of a seashell when she was a child.
===Throne room===
With a capacity of over two hundred people, the throne room was a large chamber featuring vast panes of stained glass. A blue-and-gold carpet traced a line directly through the room to a dais, where the golden thrones of the sovereign and their consort stood. The throne room had its own antechamber, which could notably be accessed via a shortcut through the palace's old armory. The back of the throne room held a door that led outside to a terrace with a magnificent view of the lake and the mountains. The room was illuminated using candledroids.
===Banquet hall===
The banquet hall was one of the palace's oldest rooms. In its early construction, everything was lit with lamps and candles, and servants were all living people instead of droids. The banquet room's walls featured ornately-carved screens of pale stone. Although they were fashionable at the time of their construction, the screens were designed especially for eavesdropping. The natural indentations and shadows in the stone hid minuscule openings, each of which was angled to amplify sound from the hall into small passageways between the carved screens and the inner walls.
===Royal library===
The royal library was a vast room with a high ceiling. The room featured long, narrow windows, a spherical hearth made of copper and stone at its center, and a long, low couch that curved around the east wall, as well as large leather chairs by the far window. One of the windows looked out into the palace gardens where the glow candlewick flowers could be seen. The entrance to the library had tall bronze doors. Though not as impressive as the public Royal Library of Alderaan, the private library housed datacrons from many worlds and eras, a set of shelves bearing antique paper books on subjects such as philosophy and history, and constellation globes of various star systems. The royal library was used a private area in which the royal family relaxed, allowing them more easily resemble a normal family, and the room held their personal treasures and memories.
===Palace gardens===
The palace gardens had a large central courtyard featuring intricately-designed beds offerns and flowers, including the night-blooming candlewick flowers, which bloomed during spring, and blue starflowers.Princess Leia: Royal Rebel Nestled within arrangements of ivy were statues of pure-white marble that served as frames. There were also polished stone benches which allowed the gardens' visitors to rest. One particular area of the gardens was a circular plot surrounded by a glazed wall, with a statue of Queen Amidala of Naboo at its center and a bench nearby.
Princess Leia found the gardens to be the most beautiful during winter, as the snow would resemble a "blanket of lace" over the garden. However, she also found it beautiful during late spring, when the candlewick flowers would be in bloom.
===Bail Organa's office===
The office of Viceroy Bail Organa was spacious enough to house a desk, chairs, and an aquarium full of brightly-colored sea creatures, which he had installed to entertain his daughter when she was young. Similar to many other rooms in the palace, the office had an old-fashioned door that opened and closed by hand.
===Monarch's stateroom===
The chamber that Queen Breha used as her private stateroom was bordered on either side by the private library and the vast chamber of the public stateroom. One of the oldest areas of the palace still in common use, the room was relatively small, with stone walls, exposed wooden rafters, and a fireplace that stretched nearly the entire length of the room and was deep enough to use as walking space. The stone floor was covered in thick hand-woven rugs.
===Royal apartments===
The corridor leading to the royal apartments was filled with plants. The tall, arched doors leading to the apartments were guarded by two armored, halberd-carrying sentinels that stood on either side. The apartments themselves consisted of an antechamber lush with plants and flowers, followed by a greeting salon and a short, curved corridor that led to a private balcony, the railing of which was made of marble. The balcony's view faced the Juran Mountains and the valley between the range and the palace.
===Leia Organa's bedroom===
The childhood bedroom of Leia Organa was located high in a tower.Bloodline It had a window seat with a view of Appenza Peak and a mantel where the young princess used to put her keepsake chest, which stored several childhood mementoes. The room also had a balcony on which a young Leia had become carried away with a mock sparring match, resulting in a chipped stone.The Princess and the Scoundrel
There was also a vanity table, where the princess' attendant droid, WA-2V, helped her get ready, and a jewelry cabinet, which included a pair of silver cuff bracelets, as well as a silver headband with a pearl charm that Leia wore for her Day of Demand. The bed was carved of priceless Glee Anselm hardwoods and inlaid with thin, curling lines of pure gold and silver. Although the bed was an artifact of a grander age when monarchies would waste money on splendor, the room itself was considered simple.
===Guest suites===
Luxurious suites were included at the disposal of the monarch's guests. Although some were larger than others, all suites were elegantly decorated in a beautiful minimalist style. One suite, used by Padmé Amidala in 28 BBY, included a receiving room with a window view of the city of Aldera.
===Meeting room===
A long, vaulted chamber at the north end of the palace was used by dignitaries, who would engage in serious political discussions around a long meeting table. Similar to the royal apartments, the room had a high-arched door. The nearest balcony to the room was one situated near the royal apartments.
===South terrace===
The palace's south terrace looked out over the River Wuitho and the smaller villages on the outskirts of Aldera. Vines of candlewick flowers grew around the terrace rails. The royal family occasionally enjoyed meals on the south terrace.
===Other rooms===
The shared bedroom of Bail and Breha Organa included an enormous bed, as well a centuries-old mural painted onto the ceiling which depicting old-fashioned spaceships soaring towards the sun. The palace's old armory had a shortcut which allowed access to the antechamber of the palace throne room.
The palace included a kitchen and cellar, as well as a landing pad and conference room and a courtyard with scented flowers. The palace also had a balcony where Bail Organa first presented Leia to his wife. There was a charging station for the attendant droid WA-2V, and at some point, the palace also had dungeons.
The palace housed a white-colored room in which handmaidens would assist Princess Leia as she dressed in formalwear. The room had a balcony with several potted plants and windows on either side of the balcony entrance. Nearby, a blue-and-gold stool sat in front of a desk decorated with gemstones, and the setup was mirrored on the opposite side of the balcony entrance by a bookshelf. The room's walls also included built-in shelves painted in a multitude of colors, and it was entered by means of an automated door. A bed with blue-colored sheets and lamps on either side was situated near the built-in shelving.
There was also a round reception room in a building that was separate from the rest of the palace. The room had a white-and-gold ceiling, several floor-length windows around the walls, a blue-and-gold pattern on the floor, and several potted plants.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
*Ultimate Star Wars 
*Star Wars: ABC-3PO
*Princess Leia: Royal Rebel
*Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia 
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*Dawn of Rebellion 
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*Star Wars 100 Objects
*Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
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==Notes and references==
Category:Palaces