Misconception | Anakin Skywalker x Reader17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwmLi0EchP
- summary: while putting together the last details of your wedding, you find that Anakin often disappears from the scene, and along with him, Padmé. as the days stretch on and the ceremony draws nearer, you can’t help but question Anakin’s loyalty.
- warnings: themes of distrust and disloyalty, worry, angst, arguments, fluff
- word count: 8.5K (I'm not even sorry)
- music: The Living Sculptures of Pemberly by Dario Marianelli & Benjamin Wallfisch
You adjusted the placement of the last votive before stepping back and admiring the colors and quaint decorations that accompanied it. The candles were cream-colored and sat primly within golden glasses that alternated in height along the width of the emerald green table runner which spanned the table. In the center sat a tall vase filled with white lilies and smaller native flowers that stretched their stems and blossoms outward in a tender manner. Across from you sat two other round tables that were just large enough to hold the display of altering decorations, contrasting each other in their color palette and design. You took a step back to admire them closely and settle upon your final decisions.
The second table to the left was draped gracefully with an eggplant shade of gossamer silk that flowed downwards from a large round platter in the center of the table. The centerpiece was ornamented with a glass terrarium that contained living Rominaria flowers that stood around a small log with moss adorning its bark. The flickering of a thin strand of golden lights twisted around the perimeter of the dome. Along with the tablecloth, little bunches of moss and blossoms had been sprinkled around the small white votives. It was an elegant and warm setting.
The third table that sat to the right had royal blue silk flattened on the thick dark wood, enriching the hues of the natural grain and mimicking the cool pleasure of the waters of Naboo. The pistils of white flowers lay scattered along with the cloth in between small silver votives. The haphazard setting gave off the effect of flowing water. It was a calming culmination of carefully set decorum.
Your graze lifted from the décor as you glanced out one of the many terraces that lined the edge of the elongated ballroom, fixing your eyes on the deep blue lake and the lustrous green hills that spanned the horizon. The faint murmur of voices nestled in the air as servants of the queen bustled about the room, dusting furnishings and finishing the preparations for areas of the ceremony that had already been decided upon.
Various types of flora from the Royal Gardens of Theed adorned the large columns along with the room and flowed heavily from the walls like billowing drapery, their fragrant scent sweetening the atmosphere. The chandeliers that suspended from the vaulted ceilings had been uncovered and their usual empty sconces had been fitted with slender cream-colored candles. A few footmen were busy on top of ladders, carefully winding vines over and through the golden arms of the fixtures and trimming the wicks of the fresh candles.
You shook your head as a feeling of amazement rose within you as you took in the astonishing décor that had already been prepared for your much-anticipated wedding. When you had informed Padmé Amidala, who had been Queen of Naboo at the time, of your plans to marry Anakin Skywalker, she had been overly ecstatic about your news. In fact, she had been so elated to hear that two of her dearest friends were meant to wed, that she, in all her persuasive authority, had managed to oversee much of the planning for you, with your eager consent.
Even after her reign had concluded and she stepped in as Senator, she had managed to convince the current Queen to open the main ballroom a season early for the occasion. You assumed that Padmé had been able to do so not only because of her position as Senator of Naboo but also because of the fondness her people felt for her since her successful reign.
You had been utterly astonished the day she had informed you of the new Queen’s approval of the ceremony; you hadn’t expected anything more than a simple ceremony in the cramped gardens of your parent’s home, or perhaps in the courtyard of the Jedi Temple located on Coruscant. A gallant wedding in one of the most beautiful palace’s to ever exist was most certainly not what you had planned for the celebration of your nuptial – but it was everything you had silently wished for.
A blissful smile brightened your solemn features as you recalled the day that Anakin had proposed to you, just minutes after he had confessed his love for you for the first time, despite the codes that bound his heart from forming attachments in his life. You had been overjoyed and had confessed your requited affections, but in a mere moment your smile had disappeared as a greater realization dawned on you; it was forbidden for a Jedi to know love, much less entertain such a relationship. You had expressed to Anakin that you wouldn’t jeopardize his path in the Light, that you would pack your things and leave the Queen’s council, returning home to the quaint villa you had grown up in until both of you could move on.
It had taken no more than a few seconds for Anakin to decide upon a solution as your hands had begun to slip from his grasp and his eyes followed your silhouette as it began to drift away from the balcony that overlooked Coruscant’s busy traffic as it flickered by in a hurried daze.
“I will leave the Order, then,” he had said, “I’ll leave the Order and I’ll marry you.”
You had spun around on your heel with a drooping mouth and stern expression that was teeming with questions. You had studied his features in the dim light of the city for any sign of hesitation or flippant countenance. There had been none. He was completely sincere.
“What?”
He had taken large strides across the balcony to close the gap you had derived between you. “I’ll put away my saber and I’ll end my training. I’ll leave my past behind if it means I can spend the future with you!”
“You can’t do that, Anakin! You can’t just abandon what you’ve trained your entire life for! Not for me, not for anything. It’s far too important! It’s your destiny!”
He had taken your hands in his; caressed the skin of your soft knuckles. “Not as important as you are, (Y/n). Not to me.”
“I’m not worth giving up your entire life for, Ani. You’re too important to the Jedi – to the entire galaxy.”
“You are my entire life, (Y/n). That’s what you’ve become to me; you’ve overtaken every aspect of my mind, my heart, and my entire soul. You’ve consumed every part of me.”
“But-…,” you stuttered, having glanced down at your entwined hands and back into his gaze, “But you’re The Chosen One! You’re supposed to bring balance to the Force! How can leaving the Order to accomplish that?”
“Maybe being a Jedi isn’t the only path I can take to bring balance. There might be something here for me, for both of us; we can make a difference on our own. You can still change the world, even if you lead an ordinary life.” Silence had fallen between the two of you as his hands trailed to your forearms, rubbing them tenderly. Your eyes had dropped to your ring-adorned hands, symbols of your service to the Naboo government and the Queen herself, as hundreds of variables and outcomes had run throughout your mind. And when you had finally looked back up, Anakin was patiently smiling.
“Ani, are you sure about this? Because I would understand if you decide to remain in the Order. I wouldn’t hold it against-“
He had cut you off by pressing his lips ever-so-gently to yours, sealing the promise and the fortune of his love with his fond touch. In the days that had followed, you had entertained a private audience with the Queen, who had been Padmé at the time and had received her full blessing to go on with the engagement.
The Jedi Council hadn’t been so understanding. However, with time, they came to understand that for Anakin, you weren’t a debatable factor, and this choice was healthier than living a lie in deliberate disobedience to the Code. Soon enough, he had gained their favor again, although not as fellow Jedi and masters, but as friends. Especially that of his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Your cheeks flushed red as you recalled that tender kiss that had taken place nearly a year prior. Your fingers grazed over your lips subconsciously as you recalled it in perfect clarity – it had been the first of many you had shared after that evening his promise had been made. Your smile faltered ever-so-slightly and was replaced with a look of anticipation as you remembered your agreement to meet with Anakin in the ballroom to discuss the choice of decorations. An excited laugh escaped your lips, adjoining the growing sound of approaching footsteps.
With the eagerness to strike a conversation with the approaching person, you turned around with the sound of a giddy “hello, Ani,” on your lips, but stiffened as you saw a stranger; one of the servants bustling about the room. Before he could pass you by completely, you quickly strained your eyes to read the time on the small-scale pendulum clock located in the entryway of the ballroom. It read sometime afternoon.
You dropped your hand to your chin and acquired an inquisitive expression toward the servant passing by. “Excuse me, have you seen Anakin Skywalker?”
“No, miss, I have not.”
“Oh. Well, have you seen Senator Amidala anywhere?”
“No, miss,” he replied solemnly. The disappointed expression on your face seemed to stir something charitable within him, and he raised his tone to a friendlier one and replaced his sullen attitude with a jovial one. “But I did hear that someone had seen her make her way to the southern gardens; something about upkeep before the arrival of the wedding guests.”
“I see…Well, thank you anyway.” You smiled at the man as he gave you a quick bow. Without a second thought, he dashed away to complete one of the many tasks that had yet to be done. You tried to hide your displeasure as you looked over the sample tables once more, arms crossed and your chin resting in one hand, completely overwhelmed with even the simplest of decisions.
You fancied the centerpiece of the second table the most, but preferred the rich green tablecloth of the first, and thought the smaller votives and pistils on the third were quite beautiful. However, amongst all of your preferences, you feared the green would be mute against the colossal amount of greenery adorning the room, that the terrariums would overwhelm the lighting around the guests as they sat in front of it once the sunset, and that the smaller décor would cause a problem for any platters being placed on the tables.
For more than half an hour, you stalked around the tables, making small adjustments and acute observations about the colors and shapes, the compatibility with the rest of the décor in the enormous ballroom, and whether or not Anakin would have a preference. You assumed he would like the blue tablecloth and the vase full of flowers as the centerpiece, but you couldn’t be sure. There were tiny details on each table that you thought he might enjoy – and he wasn’t exactly known for being predictable.
You tapped your arm in impatient anticipation and caught sight of the clock again, which read that it was close to one o’clock. You sighed and took a glance around the room, looking for any sign of either one of your companions. You reasoned with yourself in your mind, knowing that wherever Anakin was, it must have been important to draw him away without explanation. And of course, you couldn’t blame Padme’s absence, since she was busying herself with other arrangements for you.
You caught sight of a middle-aged woman tying the silk ribbons to the back of a chair that was nestled perfectly in the aisles of immaculately spaced chairs for guests. With a final sigh of acceptance, you made your way to her and tentatively caught her attention.
“What can I do for you, miss?” She politely asked, rising from the ground and dusting off her skirts. Her eyes were big and bright with gentle creases at the corners, marking the evidence of a happy life. Her hair was thick and streaked with gray, bound at the base of her neck in an ornate bun surrounded by complicated pleats. Her clothing was simple and light green, accompanied by a beige apron that synched at her neck and waist.
You jutted a finger over your shoulder towards the tables behind you. “Do you mind giving me your opinion on these decorations?”
“Oh! O-Of course, miss, I would be much obliged.”
Something in the way she acted surprised at your request led you to think this was somehow improper of you, to ask someone other than the officiated wedding planners to offer their opinion on the matter, or perhaps it was because she was a member of the staff and in no way involved in the planning. But you didn’t mind; the only other wedding planners apart from yourself were Anakin and Padme, who were both busy.
You supposed you could wait for them even longer than you already had, but it would be too stressful to wait anymore on the decision, and you didn’t want to delay the servants’ hours and inconvenience anyone. On top of that, you still had a few things to figure out before your part in the planning was concluded. It was best to just make a decision and make any minor adjustments later on.
You turned around and led her to the tables, gesturing to each table with open arms. “You see, my fiancé was supposed-“
A sudden gasp of excitement escaped the kindly woman next to you. “You must be the bride, then, yes?”
“Yes! Yes, I am,” You laughed, holding your interrupted explanation on the tip of your tongue.
“Congratulations, miss! The ballroom is beautiful! I’ve never seen it so garnished.”
“Thank you very much,” you smiled graciously, “but you see, I’ve run into a crossroads, here. He was supposed to meet me here an hour ago, but he hasn’t come yet, and my friend was supposed to be here, too, but I think she’s working on something else, which leaves me here to pick the setup of the tables,” you took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, “But I’m conflicted. I don’t know what to go with.”
“Well, what do you like, miss?”
“I like the green tablecloth,” you fingered the embroidered linen gingerly as it caught the light streaming in from the balconies, “But don’t you think it would seem rather muted against all of this?” You gestured with an extended arm to the avid amount of greenery that had practically flooded the room overnight. You pictured the dining hall in your mind with each table covered in green. It felt bland. You watched as she took a gander about the room and then back at the cloth in your hands.
“I think you’re right,” she nodded thoughtfully and turned to the table draped with purple, “What about this color, miss? It complements the flora quite well.”
“I thought so too at first, but I just don’t think it feels right, you know? It doesn’t feel like a wedding color to me; at least not for our wedding. But I do love the centerpiece.”
“It is lovely, isn’t it?” She asked, peering closely at the carefully arranged terrarium sample. She turned back to you and leaned to her left slightly, peering at the blue cloth across from the green table. “What about the blue?”
“That’s the one I think my fiancé would prefer; it matches the color of something that was very dear to him…but he’s very unpredictable sometimes. I never know for sure what he might prefer.”
“I think it works with the decorations even better than the purple, if I may say so. It brings out the colors of the room.” She sounded wistful as she gazed around the room with her hands clasped at her waist, taking in the details. You followed her eyes and noticed all the blue flowers dotted throughout the room, dangling, draped, and potted amongst other colorful vegetation. When you caught sight of the glistening blue lake just beyond one of the balconies, the decision seemed to fit into place.
Another half-hour passed as you talked through your preferences on the décor with her, discussing the differences in votives and how they paired with the blue cloth, the perfect centerpiece for the bright hue and the differing height it would need to be, and many other details that seemed to surface as you inspected the tables.
Finally, you scribbled down your final choices on the list you had written up earlier in the morning as you spoke. “Alright, it’s settled then. We’ll go with the terrarium centerpiece, the golden votives, and the blue tablecloth with the white pistils. And let’s add some vases of Rominaria on a few of the tables so we can alternate between centerpieces,” you paused as you wrote out the remaining notes before standing to face the woman who had assisted you, “How does that sound to you?”
“It sounds lovely, miss. Your wedding will be one to remember, I’m sure of it.”
You thanked her cordially and set about organizing the rest of the day’s tasks after she left your company to complete her own work.
You sipped different flavors of wine as you sat alone at a small table in the palace kitchen, drafting the help of one of the cooks to help you decide upon a year and taste that would pair well with the food that had already been picked. After that, you were fitted into your finished wedding gown by Padme’s personal tailors to make sure the dress fit perfectly. When it did, you felt a mix of emotions as you gazed in the tall mirror and took in every small detail, but a faint tang of disappointment settled within you as you realized Padméand Anakin had never shown up – not even for the dress fitting, which Anakin had pleaded to be allowed to attend.
You had no quarrels with showing Anakin the dress early, seeing as it was a simple gown and you, too, were far too excited to wait another four days to reveal it to him. Neither of you minded the superstitions that surrounded the idea of a groom seeing his bride outfitted before the ceremony; it was just an evening dress, a lace veil, and a pair of white shoes. Your relationship was based upon a solid foundation of earnest friendship and playful banter, so any apprehensions of seeing anything wedding-related simply didn’t exist. You wanted to share every part of it with each other along the way.
But that didn’t matter – they hadn’t come.
You shucked off the dress carefully and removed the veil, thanking the tailors for their hard labor, and returned to your chambers in the guest wing of the palace. You tried not to dwell too much on the unexplained absence of both Anakin and Padméand decided instead to eat your meal in bed with a good book for company. You had a busy few days ahead of you.
For the next two days as you scurried about the ballroom and were ushered around the palace to make the last preparations, you saw very little of Anakin and Padme. Your short consultations with them included rushed sentences, hasty steps, and a chaste kiss on the cheek from Anakin as he scurried off somewhere beyond the ballroom and down the hall.
You gradually grew more frustrated as you embarked on the concluding details on your own, losing your sense of patience and understanding in their absenteeism. Hadn’t they agreed to help you make all of the decisions? To make this a memorable process and not just another set of stressful obligations? You could understand if Padmé found herself occupied elsewhere, being in her political position as it were, but you weren’t even offered any explanation of her absence or whereabouts. You were simply left to wonder.
And Anakin! Hadn’t he promised to share every aspect of the wedding with you? Hadn’t he been the one to suggest the wine tasting, the cake samples, and the idea of having your clothes tailored together? Yet he was nowhere to be seen, nor did anyone you inquired to know where he was or where he had been. You hated to seem like a selfish bride, but you believed you had a right to feel at least a little upset about being left alone in the very process Anakin had pleaded to be a part of. You felt abandoned, in a sense.
This only tainted your excitement for the ceremony itself as you were left to question Anakin’s true desire and motivation to go through with the wedding.
As you helped twist ribbon around the rails of the marble steps that lead up to the ballroom, the voice of one of the hired decorator’s pulled your attention from the green silk that slipped in between your fingers. “Miss, we finished laying out the decorations for the tables. Would you like to see them before we give the final word?”
“Yes, please,” you knew that the lack of a smile on your face probably seemed odd to the poor man, but you couldn’t help it. You were led back into the ballroom, where several elongated tables spanned half of the enormous room, accompanied by one smaller one at the head of the assembly; the bridal table. Your lips parted into a wide smile as the gorgeous blue table runners brought out the lovely array of flora woven throughout the grand hall.
“It’s lovely…” Your voice was breathless as you spoke.
“Then we can conclude the decorating, madam?”
“Yes, yes, it’s perfect,” you touched his arm gently, taking another gander about the room, “Thank you.”
“Our pleasure, miss. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get to the kitchens to make sure everything is on track for tomorrow’s banquet.” He began to depart from your side with a polite bow, but you caught his forearm with a gentle cadence as he turned away.
“Have you seen Anakin Skywalker anywhere, by chance? Or the Senator?”
He seemed to struggle with the question before he managed to speak, as though he had to sift through his thoughts to surmise his answer. He was uncomfortable. “I-I heard that Senator Amidala was ensuring the arrival of the guests and the preparation of their rooms.”
His silence about Anakin’s whereabouts told you he knew nothing.
“Thank you.” You nodded, turning again to the glorious reception area set up before you. You wanted nothing more than to enjoy it and savor every carefully decorated square inch, but a twisted discomfort had knotted your stomach and pulled your smile into a solemn frown.
You hadn’t wanted to do all of this alone.
With slow contemplative steps across the floor, you admired the tables and their beautiful details up close. There were still a few groups of servants still working here and there, making last-minute adjustments and preparing the banquet table for the food that would arrive the next afternoon. You took comfort in their ignorant presence, savoring the quiet company.
Your fingers grazed the grain of the wood and the tiny details in the stitching of the table cloth; you knelt to take in the scent of a vase of Rominaria, savoring the delicate scent that smelled like powdered babies. Many more things were carefully observed by your wandering eyes as you contemplated the turn of events that the week had taken, as well as what would be taking place tomorrow evening. You absentmindedly fiddled with the bow of one of the chairs, buried deep within your thoughts.
“Shouldn’t the bride be getting some rest before the big day?”
You turned with a jolt to find none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi taking poised strides in your direction. His hands were bound together behind his back, his light auburn hair carefully combed back, and his scruffily beard neatly trimmed.
“Obi-Wan!” You exclaimed, closing the gap between you with open arms. He returned your embrace with a jovial laugh, murmuring kind congratulations over your shoulder. When you parted, you held him by his arms, overcome with the need for companionship. It had been so long since you had seen each other. “I didn’t think we would see you until tomorrow!”
“I decided to have a look around for Anakin and yourself to congratulate you before the big day, but I had no luck in finding him, so I came to take a peek at the reception hall – I figured at least one of you would be in here.” He explained, gingerly grazing your forearms with his fingers; a tender touch of friendship. He stepped to the side and turned you with him, leading you along with him as he stepped forward to face the open hall and the entirety of its splendor. “It’s magnificent. I’d say you two have outdone yourselves!”
“Thank you. I can hardly believe it myself,” your voice became softer as you humbled yourself, “I never expected anything like this for us. I thought we would use my parents’ small gardens behind their home in the village, or perhaps in the temple courtyard, but… but never this.”
Obi-Wan’s gaze fell from the grandeur of the vegetation around the room and studied your contented and obviously overly-appreciative expression.
He smiled to himself with a light chuckle.
He had to admit, he hadn’t been the biggest supporter of Anakin deciding to leave the Order for his attachment, what with everything he was foretold to be and the peace he was destined to bring to the galaxy. However, after a few days of contemplation, he began to understand his padawan more than he ever had before. Even he, the unwavering Master Kenobi, had felt the delicate pull of love before, and he had been ready to do just the same.
His understanding only grew when he considered who Anakin had proposed to marry.
Obi-Wan had known you for several years as you followed your father’s lead into membership of the Queen’s council. Your instatement had begun with Padme’s reign, and he understood that you were her closest advisor and her most successful negotiator.
As he looked at you now, humbled and completely in love, he felt himself relax for the first time in many years where Anakin was concerned. He was always worried, apprehensive, or anxious about the boy, feeling completely responsible for his life and his successes. He always worried over the way Anakin would react to things with such a fire in his heart, with such emotion, or the way he seemed doomed to remain reckless. He saw now that you had taken the edge off of Anakin’s dangerous habits and pulled him from a very uncertain journey in his life.
You were the best path for Anakin - and Obi-Wan fully supported his former padawan’s decision.
Obi-Wan stepped away from you as he took a closer look at the terrarium on the nearby table. His tone dropped to his usual dignified self. “Where is Anakin?”
“I’m not sure, actually. I haven’t seen him since breakfast.”
“Really?” Obi-Wan looked back over his shoulder at you, toiling with a small blossom in his hand. “I thought he wanted to have a hand in the planning with you.”
“I thought so, too,” you glanced down at your hands, fighting the frustration as it swelled with you, “But he’s been absent for the last few days. I’ve only seen glimpses of him here and there.”
“Hm,” he straightened his posture as you joined him at his side again, walking down the rows of tables, trying his hardest to not show his skepticism, “typical.”
“I know. He’s always running off and busying himself, which is one of the things I love about him. He doesn’t let a minute of his life go wasted. He’s always learning, inventing, or planning something…”
“But?”
“But I thought this would be different for him! Planning our wedding, testing the cakes, having our opinions on things…creating a few more memories of the whole process…”
“And?”
You looked up at Obi-Wan, suddenly unable to withhold the coursing emotion from your tone. You gestured with your hands as you spoke in an effort to express the urgency of your confusion. “And I thought that was what he wanted, too! He even pleaded with me to let him see the dress before the wedding while I had the final fitting, but he never showed. In fact, I had to choose the table decorations, and if it hadn’t been for the help of a kind servant-woman who was working on the chairs,” you gestured to the bows on the wooden furniture as you passed by them, “I would have been completely lost. I tasted the wine by myself, ate six different cakes, and spent three hours picking the right shade of frosting – all on my own, which wasn’t supposed to happen. We were supposed to do this together!”
“Have you spoken to him about this?”
“I haven’t had the chance to,” your voice softened, “not that I would mention it now, anyway. I don’t want to start something unnecessary and risk ruining the ceremony.”
“Would you rather go through with it feeling the way you are now?”
You mulled over his words and let them soak into your thoughts, realizing soon enough that having this frustration weighing on your mind would inevitably tarnish the experience. You needed to have a discussion with Anakin before the ceremony took place the next evening.
“I suppose you’re right. I need to speak with him beforehand.”
You walked in silence, both of you considering the situation and its implications. As you neared the end of the setup where the banqueting tables were, the chatter of the servants and decorators grew a little louder. You were mindlessly aware of their nearing you both as a few of them began to take their leave of the ballroom for the night.
“What if I’m making something out of nothing?” You whispered.
“If it’s bothering you, (Y/n), then it is most certainly not ≪nothing≫. Anakin would agree with me.”
“I hate it when you both do that.” A smile broke across your features, encouraging a stifled laugh to quietly escape your lungs.
His dimples formed from under his beard. He stopped short and donned an incredulous expression. “Do what?”
You laughed freely as you paused next to him. “Use each other as a means of getting me to d-“
“I heard one of the handmaidens say she saw the Senator make off for the royal gardens with the groom last night!”
You both whirled around as the unexpected pitch of feminine voices clipped your conversation to a jagged end. You listened as they joined together in a strain of ungodly gossip. It was impossible to continue your train of thought with their words buzzing in your ears as they skirted around you both, taking no note of who you were.
The groom? Were they talking about Anakin?
“And I heard they had been seen in the villa this morning – walking together.”
“Isn’t it grand? A real scandal happening right under our noses!”
You looked to Obi-Wan, whose eyes were already trained on yours in skeptical shock. Your brows puckered together as you turned your head to the left, straining to hear their conversation as they began to distance themselves from you the two of you.
“I know, nothing ever happens here.”
“I bet they’re having an affair! He’s hardly been seen with the bride since they arrive…” The young girls’ words faded from earshot as their little group shuffled toward the large doors. Your eyes stayed magnetized to the marble floor as your mouth fell open to some extent, feeling the sudden reality of their conversation dawn on you completely.
Among every worry, curiosity, and frustrated bewilderment you had had about his and Padme’s absence in the last few days, an affair was not something you had considered even a remote possibility. However, as you stood with your head ducked, wringing the growing anxiousness from your hands, and your stomach churning with vicious ferocity, it all seemed to fall into place. You blinked away the shock and the faint tingling of tears, clearing your throat.
“It’s nothing to worry about, (Y/n). A simple misunderstanding, I’m sure of it. You know Anakin; he would never be one to do something so reckless.”
Your eyes lifted from the floor and into his gaze in a pensive eloquence, where he realized his choice of words was less than appropriate. He sighed inwardly, targeting the error in his vocabulary, and working quickly to correct himself. Anakin is reckless. But was he reckless enough to do something like this? Obi-Wan knew that he wasn’t – he couldn’t be, but he feared you would take more convincing on the matter after the last week’s turn of events.
Your (e/c) irises bored into his, pleading for some other explanation, for proof that none of this could be true. “Not that kind of reckless, (Y/n). This is nothing more than a story concocted by busy bystanders who have nothing better to do than contrive unrealistic scenarios about innocent people,” he touched your shoulder with a comforting amount of pressure, stroking over the fabric of your clothes with his thumb. “Anakin loves you, he would never do anything to break your trust, much less jeopardize your relationship.”
“Thank you, but- but I-um…I think I’m going to retire for the night, Obi-Wan, if you don’t mind. I’ll…I’ll see you in the morning?”
He gave you a nod and bid you a quiet goodnight. He watched you make your way to the doors and slip through them and down the hall, pure heartbreak emanating from your very core. He was astonished by your calm composure, but he knew there was much brimming beneath the surface. He could sense the fear, the jealousy, and the confusion that coursed through you. He could also sense you trying to fight it, but even the strongest people are sometimes overwhelmed by the weight of their emotions.
“For your sake, Anakin, I hope it isn’t true.” He murmured to himself.
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIl9OMPU9JD
You made large strides back to the stairwell of the palace, trying to even your breathing as it tore through your lungs and ravaged in an uneven flow through your airways. As you neared the end of the corridor toward the open-balcony walls that sat adjacent to the stairs, you caught glimpse of a pair of silhouettes in the moonlight, starkly contrasting the glowing hue of the native flora. Chancing a double-take, you peered closer. Your breath hitched in your throat as your heart dropped into your stomach, pulling all gravity with it.
You recognized the silhouette as your fiancé, and the other, as your Senator and close friend.
They stood close to one another as Anakin, with his head lowered, spun the stem of a radiating flower between his fingers. You watched as Padme’s delicate hands enclosed around his forearms and her head dipped forward as she tried to see Anakin’s face.
You turned away abruptly, feeling suddenly as though you had witnessed something that you weren’t meant to. You rushed up the flight of stairs and through a series of corridors and courtyards until you reached the guest wing of the palace, all the while that this was all a treacherous misconception, or at the very least, a horrible dream.
Having requested that the guard, who made his rounds in the hallway where your quarters were located, would summon Anakin when it was most convenient, you paced around your room in a blinding flurry of emotion. The tears that had been tempted to fall only minutes prior had faded with the onslaught of your growing confusion. You had begun to attempt to reason with the situation as time wore on while you waited, trying to piece things together in a way that made the gossip unreliable.
But it didn’t work.
You couldn’t deny that every time Anakin had left you, Padmé had been quick to follow. Each time either of them would return, whether, for mealtimes or just to check in on the progress, the other soon followed. There hadn’t been a moment when one had been alone by your side or elsewhere – they were either present or gone together.
For two hours, you tried to busy yourself in your room by changing into sleepwear, flipping through books, and slowly pulling a brush through your (h/c) tendrils. But in every avenue of distraction, you attempted to pursue, your foot bounced against the cool floor and your lips curled inward with tight restraint. Anxiety was riddled throughout your body.
When a knock finally rapped on your door, you were standing on the small balcony overlooking the northern hills, watching the moon’s reflection over the lake as it rippled under the late breeze. Without consent, the door inched open, and Anakin peered around the edge of the doorframe. He smiled giddily when he caught sight of your grey nightgown swaying in the breeze, mimicking the fluttering of the sheer curtains that hung in the archway of the balcony.
He made his way to you as quietly as he could with the hope of catching you off guard. As he neared the edge of the balcony, you barely turned your head to the side, acknowledging his presence. His childlike excitement deflated at the failure of his surprise.
“You wanted to see me?” His voice was like velvet as his hands settled on your shoulders from behind, placing a soft kiss on the supple skin of your cheek. You wanted to savor his touch as you basked in the moonlight, but the ever-present uncertainty of his loyalty plagued your heart. You slipped out of his grasp and returned to the haven of your room, mindlessly picking up a book from the nearby dresser and picking at the edges of the cover. Your silence perturbed him.
He mimicked your footsteps back inside. “Is something wrong?”
“I have something to ask you.” You forced yourself to look up into Anakin’s eyes, knowing you could no longer avoid the confrontation. His clueless expression made you doubt your jealousy even more – but you had to be sure.
“Alright, ask away.”
“I heard something today while I was in the ballroom…something that troubled me.”
“What was it? Did someone say something to you?”
“No, I overheard a conversation,” your expression became unreadable to him as you continued, “about you and Padme.”
“What about us?”
Your shoulders dropped as you set the book down, having hoped he would have caught on to your inquiry by now. His ignorance somehow made your doubt grow again. Did he really not know? Or was he playing dumb?
You let out a sigh as you rubbed your forehead, squeezing your eyes shut. You hated this. You hated not being completely sure about Anakin. You hated feeling afraid and vulnerable. You hated that you weren’t sure and you hated even more that you were even considering this to be a possibility – but what were you supposed to think?
You turned to face him slowly, taking a moment to regain your composure. When the words refused to come out articulately, you simply spit them out.
“Are you and Padmé together?”
His expression grew even more oblivious. “Together?”
You huffed. “Are you cheating on me with Padmé?”
A heavy silence fell as Anakin processed your words and the accusations that came with them. When he finally looked back up at you, you could see that he was hurt, and utterly lost.
“What?”
“Are you?!”
“N-no! For heaven’s sake! Where did you get that idea!?”
You were silent as you studied his face and the tone of his voice, probing him for any hint of deceit. He simply stared back with the most perturbed expression he had ever worn.
“What brought this on, (Y/n)!?”
“You haven’t been around me all week, Anakin! You never showed up to help me with the table decorations as you promised, or with the wine and the cakes! You didn’t even come to the fitting after begging me for weeks to let you see the gown before the ceremony!”
A look of recognition dawned on his face, which only fueled your frustration.
“You said we would do this together, and here I was, making all of the last decisions by myself, and with no explanation for it!”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I didn’t even think about how it would look. But you have to understand-“
“And Padmé was nowhere to be seen either! Every time she left, you left with her, or visa versa!”
“Hold on,” Anakin’s face contorted into one of disbelief, “Just because we left at the same time, you assumed I was disloyal to you!?”
“No!”
“Then what other reason is there!?”
“I heard the servants talking about how they had seen you and Padmé together in the gardens and in the villa, all while I was being told that she was making preparations for the guests, and you- you were off no-one-knows where!” Tears sprung from your eyes as you explained, forfeiting the persona of your anger with a rampage of hot tears. Your voice broke as you spoke. “And I saw you in the gardens earlier, giving her a flower. I saw her touch you.”
“A flower?” He murmured, racing through his recollections of the evening. He stumbled upon the incident in his memories, and he realized what you had seen.
Oh, no. No, no, no, he thought to himself. You had it all wrong! He pinched the bridge of his nose before running his hands through his hair and rubbing his face. His hesitation made your heart race, giving the impression of a confirmation.
“So it’s true?”
“No, of course not! I wasn’t giving Padmé a flower, we were picking-…picking…”
“Picking what!? What, Anakin?!”
“Picking flowers for the ballroom!” He reluctantly exclaimed. “We’ve been trying to pull together something special for you.”
“What are you talking about?”
He was quiet for a moment as he pulled together his clarification. “I know how much you love bioluminescent plants, so she and I have been trying to pick the perfect species to go with the decorations you picked, but they weren’t in season, so we had to go through this whole ordeal with the Queen’s council to convince them to allow us to propose a single-party trade with a neighboring planet. Without you being present to cast a vote, they refused us at first,”
Your tears had begun to slow as relief flooded your heart, silencing the pang of jealousy and the expounding burden of hurt.
“And I missed the tables, and the wine and the cake because I was trying to help Padmé with organizing the whole thing, which took a lot more convincing than either of us expected. A few of the decorators were in on it, so we asked them to make up something on the spot if you or anyone else asked about us. We were trying to be discreet so we could surprise you. And then we had to find a time to do it when you weren’t around.”
“So-so you weren’t…you weren’t-?”Another tear slipped from your eyes as you realized what he had been doing for you, introducing another wave of emotion – but this time, it was an embarrassment. You felt outright foolish.
He shook his head gently. A smile spread across his face and lifted the tension from the room, siphoning the anxious rigidity from your bones. “No, of course not.”
“What about the gardens earlier? What did I see?”
“We were out there making sure all the flowers had been brought into the hall before you saw them. There were still a few cases of them being brought in, so I picked one to keep for your journal; the one with the dried plants in it?” he glanced down at his hands, feeling uneasy about his next words. Your mouth parted in shock, for you had been completely wrong. “And I told Padmé that I wasn’t sure I would make a good husband to you…that I didn’t think I deserved you. She was trying to convince me otherwise. That’s all that was, (Y/n.)”
“What did she say?” You breathed.
“She told me how much you loved me, and how long you had been waiting for this to happen. She said you told her years ago when you had seen me for the first time that you wanted to marry me, and th-“
He watched as you dropped your face into your hands in an attempt to hide the fresh onslaught of tears. An estranged sob leaped from your lungs, releasing the unbearable weight of fear and growing heartache that had begun to poison your hopeful spirit.
“Come here,” he whispered, drawing near you with open arms. You melted into his embrace and burrowed your head into his chest. His cheek nestled against your hair as he dotingly stroked your back with his hands. He allowed you to regain your composure before he quietly asked, “Don’t you trust me?”
Sniffling away the moisture gathering in your eyes and nose, you raised your head and wiped your tears. “I do, Anakin, I truly do. But…don’t you see how it appeared? And after not knowing anything to hear what those girls said?”
“Yeah, I see it,” he stifled a laugh, shutting his eyes in disbelief that he had been blind to how his absence would have been perceived, “I understand. I’m sorry I wasn’t there this week, I really am, but trust me; when you see the ballroom tomorrow night, you’ll understand why I had to sacrifice our planning for it. I didn’t mean to make you feel alone. I just wanted to give you something you would always remember…I guess I should have thought about how it would look to you, or anyone, really.”
“No, no…you have nothing to be sorry for, Ani.”
“You don’t either.”
“Don’t I, though? I accused you of being unfaithful and I made you feel-“
“You didn’t accuse me; you asked me.”
“I-…I just can’t bear the thought of losing you Anakin, especially not like that.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, (Y/n). I’m not going anywhere.”
You wound your arms around his back and felt yourself relax against him. He savored your touch as the minutes wore on, inviting his senses to bask in every aspect of the moment. The breeze swept in from the balcony, fluttering through your clothes and tracing your skin with its cool fingers. The curtains rippled with a calming sound as they were pulled forward and back to the rhythm of the wind. Anakin’s heartbeat synced with yours, binding your thoughts and emotions together as one.
“Would you like to see it?” He whispered, pulling you from his chest gently.
“Tonight? Really?” Your flushed cheeks regained their color, welcoming the childish smile that accompanied your fiancé’s.
Anakin had whisked you through the halls and courtyards, briskly making his way to the ballroom with growing excitement. When the two of you stood before the large wooden doors, you felt your heartbeat surge through your fingertips and toes. You could barely contain your anticipation. He needn’t ask if you were ready from the impatient expression you wore. He wound his fingers around the handles of the doors and flung them open, sending a calm tidal wave of air throughout the room and igniting an iridescent reaction along the walls.
Your mouth fell open and your eyes grew wide as the blue hue of the luminescent vegetation radiated all around the ballroom. The beams of moonlight that flooded the balconies enhanced the alluring appeal of the enormous space. You could feel life teeming around the room.
Every draped and potted cluster of vegetation that had already been set out was now accompanied by the careful distribution of various species of fungi and blossoms, shining with the essence of breathing life, blooming and glowing in the darkness. You recognized the very same flower you had seen in Anakin’s hands; it had been multiplied around the room and tucked in every corner. It was a beautiful azure blossom that shimmered with an iridescent radiance in the dark.
You took your first few steps inside with Anakin’s hand under your arm, leading you into the wonderland he had created for you. You were speechless as you turned to look at his joyful face.
Somehow, this wonderful young man had taken something that was already more beautiful than you could have hoped for, and made it into something unfathomably transfixing. He had brought your dreams to life without them ever having been spoken.
He caught your hand in his unexpectedly. “Come on! I want to show you something!”
He led you to one of the tables that were decorated with a terrarium centerpiece. You noticed little glowing pistils had been sprinkled over the blur cloth you had picked, mixing with the white buds. They leaned towards you as you passed by them, following you with serene curiosity.
You looked away as Anakin waved his hand over the glass. You watched as a dozen or so pairs of wings began to glow with the sudden intensity of a match being struck, igniting their luminous beauty as they took flight and fluttered around the expanse of the spacious dome. He pulled you across the aisle and to another terrarium.
“You try it this time,” he took you by the wrist and guided your hand near the dome, “They’re sensitive to movement, so they’ll glow like this while the guests are sitting.”
You followed his eager instruction and slowly hovered your hand along with the glass, igniting the same transfixing reaction. An excited laugh leaped from your lungs, which encouraged Anakin to do the same. Your adjoined merriment echoed around the ballroom, waking every fluttering insect in each terrarium and sending a wave of light across the walls as the sound reverberated and reacted with the living plant life.
“Ani, this is- this is…” your vision blurred as you took a turn around the room, “this is more than I thought possible. It’s like a dream.”
“So you like it?”
“Like it?” You laughed, throwing your arms around his neck. “I love it!” His chuckle resounded against your chest as he returned your embrace, lifting your feet from the ground. When your toes dipped onto the floor, he pulled away and took your cheek into the palm of his hand. The blue glow of the room reflected in his pale eyes and gave a cerulean hue to his light skin.
“Thank you.”
“Anything for you, (Y/n).”
“I can’t believe I get to marry you in a place like this tomorrow night.” You whispered. The smile on your face elevated your gleeful tone. Anakin pressed his lips to yours, banishing any doubt you had ever felt from your body. He smiled against you and opened his eyes gently. You could have sworn there were tears collecting in his glimmering blue eyes.
“I can’t wait.”
and then Add to home screen.