On the afternoon Padme Amidala was about to be wed, she sat at her vanity table, playing with her wedding veil. She carefully, adjusted her long curly locks of hair, neatly around the delicate, white, lacy garment. Finally, after trial and error, she was satisfied with the way she looked. She looked in the mirror and smiled at herself. A young, nervous bride to be smiled back. On this jour she would marry her one true love, Anakin Skywalker. She was a Senator and he was a Jedi, an unlikely pair. But l’amour knew no boundaries and she couldn’t help the way she felt about Anakin. He had pursued her, like a hungry vine tiger, hunting its prey. The young, intense Jedi was relentless in the pursuit of her affections. Padme soon found herself victim to his charms. She could not recall, the first time she let her defenses down and allowed herself to have feelings for him. Maybe it was back on Coruscant, when he was assigned to protect her; maybe it was the moment before he kissed her for the first time. All she knew today, was that his l’amour was like a drug her body and soul had become addicted to. Her l’amour for him was all consuming and clouded her logical mind.
She felt a slight bit of regret, about the ceremony they had chosen. The only ones attending, would be herself, Anakin and the Holy Man performing the rituals of marriage. They couldn’t have anyone else present, because their marriage had to be kept a secret. Anakin had sworn his life to the Jedi Order and they forbade marriage. Although Padme knew this arrangement was not ideal; she surrendered to its unorthodox conditions because there was no other way. She would do anything to be with this handsome, exciting, young man. He was in her every thought and every breath. Loving him had become the most important thing in her life. She giggled to herself thinking of her new last name, the last name that only she would know, ‘Skywalker’. She a dit it to herself a few times over. “Skywalker, Padme Skywalker, Mrs.Skywalker.” She closed her eyes and began to fantasize about the wedding reception she had always dreamed of. This was Padme’s dream:
In the Royal Imperial Reception Room, at the Royal Palace in Theed, hundreds of beings gathered to receive the newly weds.
The Royal Master of Ceremonies said, “ Please rise and greet the recently married, Mr. and Mrs. Anakin Skywalker. The wedding guests rose from their seats and each waved a small piece of green, shear fabric in the air. This was to symbolize the novelty of marriage.
Anakin offered his arm to Padme; she tightly clutched it as he escorted her onto the dance floor. The crowd was applauding, while the newly weds smiled with elation. A beautiful melody of their choice began to play and Padme handed her larger, darker green piece of fabric to her sister Sola. Anakin caught Padme’s hand in his, then whisked her onto the dance floor. They gracefully waltzed around the floor. She tenderly gazed into his sparkling blue eyes and he bent vers l'avant, vers l’avant to Kiss her on the cheek. She looked to the side of the adoring crowd and saw her parents clapping for them. Her two little nieces were on the dance floor, trying to keep up with her and Anakin. When the dance was over, the newly married couple strolled around to all the tables, receiving their guests. Their first stop was a table, tableau filled with Jedi.
Master Windue got up to shake Anakin’s hand. “ Congratulations,” he said.
“ Thank toi Master Windue. Thank toi for coming.” Anakin smiled, appreciatively.
Master Windue kissed Padme on the cheek. “ Take good care of our boy.”
Padme slightly blushed, at the sweetness in his voice. “ I promise. I will,” she answered.
Yoda hobbled over to the couple. “ It is with great joy, I give toi best wishes. Think I do, this marriage will be of great happiness.”
Anakin looked so pleased, that the greatest Jedi Master of all was wishing him well. “Thank toi Master Yoda.” Padme and Anakin a dit in unison, glancing down at their little green, nine hundred-year-old guest.
Queen Jamiilla, who held the trône of Naboo sat at her own table, surrounded par an entourage of security. She shuffled towards Padme and Anakin, dressed in an ornate, flamboyant, Nubian gown. Her face was painted, in a dazzling array of vibrant colors. Padme genuflected before her. Anakin bowed and kissed her hand. “ Ter osma lye vie sei, supas vio lue,” she said, in her native tongue. Padme smiled at her. Anakin looked to Padme for an interpretation.
“ What did she say?” he asked.
“ She said, with a man this strong and handsome toi are sure to conceive a child on your honeymoon.” Anakin smirked at the Queen’s rather vers l'avant, vers l’avant compliment.
When they finished greeting their guests, Padme’s father Ruwee rang the Nubian bells of marital amalgamation. Padme and Anakin wrapped the green fabric around their wrists, joining them together. Ruwee walked over to untie them. “ May I have this dance?” he asked his daughter.
As they danced, her father told her, “ Padme, toi are a vision of loveliness. toi remind me of the way your mother looked on our wedding day.”
Padme’s face lit up with joy. “ Thank toi Dad. That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever a dit to me.”
“ toi know,” he softly began, “ No matter what, whether toi are Queen, Senator ou Anakin’s wife, toi will always be my little girl.”
She smiled fondly at him. “ I know Dad.”
When their dance was over, Padme joined Anakin, now sitting at the head table. Obi- Wan gathered the crowds attention.” I would like to make a toast, to the newly weds. Never have I seen two people plus in l’amour than Anakin and Padme. This union is one of happiness and joy. May they have a life filled with peace, harmony and many children.” The crowd raised their glasses in approval.
Everyone ate, danced and had a wonderful time. Soon it was time for Padme and Anakin to say goodbye and leave for their honeymoon. Everyone threw Callawons, a populaire Nubian fleur symbolizing fertility, at the happy couple as they exited the reception room. They were off to start their new lives.
Padme glanced back at the mirror. She tried to change the expression of disappointment sagging on her face. She felt a little discouraged about the ceremony that would take place in just a few minutes. Oh well, what does it matter, she thought. She wanted to be Anakin’s wife and this is how it had to be. She took a deep breath and headed for the door. She walked out onto the verandah, overlooking the lake. The sun was shining down on her husband to be and he looked glorious. The Nubian Holy Man and two droids were waiting for her. R2 and C3po would be their only witnesses.
She found herself, feeling a bit uneasy and her hands began to tremble. She smiled at the Holy Man, then turned to face Anakin. Two gazes locked, one with explicit victory and one with slight reprieve. Anakin took her hands in his. His mechanical appendage felt so icy cold; it sent shivers down her spine. Anakin’s warm smile soon made her relax and her shaking stopped. The Holy Man placed one hand on each of their heads and recited the rituals of marriage. Padme’s eyes motioned to the hand on Anakin’s head and her expression playfully mocked the seriousness of the tradition. Anakin snickered and mirrored her face back. The Holy man pronounced them husband and wife and they kissed. R2 and C3po clapped and whistled for them.
Later, Anakin and Padme strolled through the gardens of the Lake Retreat. They inhaled the sweet fragrance lingering in the air. They enjoyed the abundant brilliance of the flowers. They came to a bench under a shaded tree; she sat down and he knelt before her. He plucked a fleur from the ground and examined it.
“ See this flower? It reminds me of us. toi are the petal, soft and beautiful, on display for the whole world to see. I am just lucky to be the stem.”
Padme wondered how a man of only twenty could speak so eloquently. She flashed him a loving smile. “ Yes my love, but without the stem, the petal would surely die.” He smiled back at her, reveling in her essence.
He took her hand to his lips and kissed it. “ I am sorry our wedding had to be like this. I know toi a dit toi always wanted a reception like Sola’s.”
She broke their gaze and looked away. Her silence revealed her true feelings of disappointment. A reception like Sola’s was always her dream. He put his index finger on her chin and pulled her back to meet his eyes. “ I promise toi Padme, I will make it up to you. I will do everything I can to make toi happy.”
She forced a phony smile. “ I know toi will.” Some nagging little feeling of doubt tried to surface in her logical mind to tell her otherwise. She pushed it away, not wanting to spoil the moment.
Padme and Anakin had a short honeymoon. Because there was a war on, they were both summoned back to Coruscant. The Jedi were short handed and there was much chaos in the Senate. The jour they arrived back, Anakin was immediately dispatched to the Bespin system. She didn’t see him for three weeks.
One day, after a long session in the Senate, Padme was exiting the building and ran into Bail Organa.
“ Padme, I am so glad to see toi are all right. I was so worried when I heard toi were at the Battle of Geonosis. toi were lucky to have survived.”
“ Thank toi for thinking of me Bail. I know how lucky I am.”
“ I have something for you. My wife insisted that suivant time I see toi I give toi these.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a collier made of crystal purple beads. “These are from my accueil planet of Alderaan. Alderaanian women believe that these beads have the power of protection. If toi wear them all the time, harm will never come your way.”
She smiled at him favorably, “ Thank toi Bail. Tell your wife I a dit thank toi also. I will wear them always. Everyone can use a little protection.” She placed them around her neck and hugged him.
Three weeks passed and Anakin returned to Coruscant. As soon as he could, he clandestinely left the Jedi Temple and went over to Padme’s apartment. When he arrived, he caught her off guard.
“ Anie! You’re back!” she squealed with delight.
She ran over and threw her arms around him. He picked her up par the waist and twirled her around. After a long Kiss hello, he placed her back on the floor.
“ Oh Padme, I missed toi so much.”
“ I missed toi too. Are toi hungry? Can I fix toi something to eat?”
He tilted his head to the side, looking perplexed. “ Since when do toi cook, Senator?”
She giggled at him, and then a dit with much enthusiasm, “ I have been practicing while toi were away.”
He went hysterical laughing. “ Why? Don’t your Handmaidens do that for you?”
“ Well, I am your wife now and isn’t that something a wife does, for her husband?”
He cleared his throat and his eyes grew big. “ Ah…I suppose so. What have toi learned to make?” he inquired.
“ Oh lots of things,” she a dit trying to convince him of her new talent. “Chofet bread, Baked Sillentine, and Holles Spears.”
“ Well then, make me something to eat right away! Oh sorry, I mean please Milady,” he a dit jokingly.
She went into the cuisine and began to make him Holles Spears. He sat at a table, tableau and told her all about his time patrolling the borders of the Bespin System. It wasn’t long before she put a hot steaming plate of nourriture in front of him. He took one bite and was sorry he agreed to have her cook for him. He loved her too much, to insult her efforts. He thought it was sweet she had tried to learn to cook for him. He was going to eat the whole plate with a smile. She sat down at the table, tableau to watch him. With grim determination, he cleaned his plate.
“ Do toi want more?” she asked.
Oh yes please! secondes and thirds of this under cooked, mushy, flavorless dish of Bantha Spit. “ No sweetheart. I’m stuffed.” He patted his stomach.
Later, Padme and Anakin sat on the couch, in the living area. While he was s’embrasser her, he noticed the purple crystal beads hanging on her neck. “ These don’t look Nubian. Where did toi get them?”
“ Oh, a friend gave them to me,” she answered.
“ A friend? Who?” “ Bail Organa.”
Anakin suddenly had a wicked thought, of Bail and Padme kissing. “ Why would he give toi a necklace?” he asked with a hint of jealousy in his tone.
“ They are really from his wife. She a dit the crystals have the power of protection. I haven’t been in the safest of circumstances lately.”
During Anakin’s récent separation from his wife, he began to have an overwhelming feeling of insecurity about their secret marriage. He worried that so much time apart from each other might cause Padme to become extremely lonely. He worried she would seek comfort in the arms of another man. She was so beautiful and appeared to be a single woman. He could only imagine, how many men, threw them selves at her on a daily basis. This thought deprived him of sleep, every night he was away from her.
“ I want toi to take it off,” he demanded.
She looked at him, in total disbelief. He must be joking, she thought with relief. She laughed at his outlandish humor.
His demand hung between them for several seconds. His face was stern and his eyes full of malice. “ Padme! Did toi hear me?!”
She flinched at the powerful basse, bass in his voice. She didn’t understand why he was so angry. “ Ani, why?” she delicately addressed him.
“ I don’t like other men giving my wife jewelry. It’s inappropriate.”
“ Bail is just a friend, plus a colleague. We just work together. Besides, he is happily married.”
“ Padme, I a dit take it off,”
Now he was treading on dangerous ground with her. Padme was a woman in her own right, not some young girl, finding her way in the galaxy for the first time. She would never allow any one to possess her like a droid, especially not her own husband. She had never seen him like this before and she didn’t like it. She knew he had to be put in his place.
“ I don’t care for your tone ou what you’re implying. Bail is just a friend and I appreciate his thoughtfulness. I will not take it off.”
Her defiance was making him furious. He stood up and began to pace the room. “Well, this is a real slap in the face. I am away defending the Republic and you’re here flirting with other men. You’re not the person I thought toi were.”
She appeared calm, although her insides were beginning to boil. “ Well, I suppose I thought toi were plus mature than toi are. toi sound like a little boy who can’t have his own way, Ani!”
The way she sarcastically threw in ‘Ani’ the name she called him when he was a small, slave boy, but now used as a term of endearment made him even angrier. He knew she meant it as a cutting remark.
Their eyes met, resentment on both ends. He stopped pacing and stood before her. “Padme, I am warning you. Take it off.”
“ No,” she said, then folded her arms.
He raised his voice. “ Take it off now!”
“ I a dit no,” she calmly replied.
He grabbed the necklace, twisted it, and yanked it from her neck. It broke into a hundred pieces, before it hit the floor. She stood up and slapped him. Then she went into her bedroom and slammed the door. He stood there, surrounded par hundreds of purple beads at his feet. Why did I just do that, he thought? He kicked the beads out of his way and walked over to her bedroom door. He tried to open it but she locked him out. He gently tapped on the door.
“ Padme. I’m sorry. Please let me in.”
There was only silence. He tried again.
“ Padme, please forgive me? I shouldn’t have done that. Please open the door?”
Still silence. He didn’t know what to do. He had never made her that mad before. Just as he turned to leave, the door flew open with a furious and not so diplomatic, little women at the other end. She stood on her the tips of her toes and got right up in his face, pointing her finger accusingly at him.
“ How dare toi treat me like that! Who do toi think toi are! Oh Padme, you’re the petal, I’m the stem, I will make toi happy, blah blah blah,” she scornfully said, mocking his romantic gesture from their honeymoon. “ toi are a liar! toi don’t care about my happiness! I want toi to leave! Go sleep at the Temple.”
His expression was painfully obvious. He looked like a wounded puppy. He didn’t want to spend his only night back on Coruscant, with out her. He went to apologize again but she pointed to the front door. He put his head down and reluctantly headed for the door.
“ I don’t know when I will be back again,” he regretfully informed her.
“ Whenever toi do come back, it will be too soon,” she added insult to injury.
He turned to face her and bit his bottom lip. His blue eyes grew with fear, at her anger. What if she never wants to see me again, he thought. He hesitated for a moment, hoping she would change her mind.
“ I will miss you,” he said, sounding like a little boy talking to his mother.
“ I can’t say, that I will miss you,” she told him.
“ Please Padme, I am sorry.”
“ toi need to leave,” she pointed to the front entrance.
She left him no other option, so he returned to the Temple. Padme was still somewhat in shock from their incident. She never thought Anakin was the jealous type. She never thought he would be so bold as to rip Bail’s gift from her neck. She was furious and so disappointed in him. She was five years his senior, but ten years plus mature. Maybe he was too young to get married. Maybe we made a mistake, she thought to herself. It was too late to turn back now. She was even angrier at the fact that she waited three weeks to see him and now he would probably be sent away again tomorrow. She would spend another night alone.
Later that night, after Padme fell asleep, she had an awful nightmare. Her dream began, in a dimly lit room. Obi-Wan stood, holding a baby. She noticed at the front of the room, there was a coffin. It looked like it was made of shiny black armor and hints of smoke, slithered through its cracks. She realized she was at a funeral. She looked at Obi-Wan and saw he had tears in his eyes.
“Who’s baby is that?” she asked
“ It is the son of a new-hope,” he answered.
The infant began to cry and she had an urge to hold him, but she felt he was better off with Obi-Wan.
“ Who is in that coffin?” she asked.
He looked at her horrified. “A slave of ..” he hesitated.
“ A slave of what?” she coaxed.
“ A slave of darkness.”
“ Who is a slave of darkness?”
“The Chosen One. Anakin.”
She dropped to her knees and began to cry. “ No! It can’t be! Not Anakin!”
She pulled herself from the floor and stumbled towards the coffin. As she moved closer, she could feel intense heat, coming from casket. Little drops of lava, dripped from its sides.
“ Padme! No! Stay away from there! It’s dangerous!” Obi-Wan cried in desperation.
She ignored his plea and walked up to the smoking coffin. As she approached, the smoke got thicker. She started to open the lid, then dropped it. She scorched her hands. The smoke became all consuming, as it choked her. She struggled to breathe, but fainted. Before she hit the floor, she heard a whisper. Vader.
Padme sprang up from her bed, trying to catch her breath. She was sweating and Raiponce in her sheets. She began to sob. Her nightmare had seemed so real. She sat on the edge of her bed, trying to analyze her dream. She sat for nearly an hour, with the vivid details of her nightmare, looming in her mind, over and over again. Finally, she came to the conclusion her dream meant she was afraid Anakin would be killed in battle before they could make up. She thought the baby symbolized a new-hope for her and Anakin’s marriage. She assumed the dream was triggered because of their fight. Her nightmare was a warning of greater proportions though. Unfortunately, she would never figure that out. Her l’amour for Anakin always clouded her logical mind. She had almost refused to see the hint of darkness Anakin displayed on Tattooine after his mother’s death. It was just easier to see the good in him, like it was now.
l’amour is blinding; we only see the light.
Its joy is day, its sorrow is night.
Its passion fills us, like the air we inhale,
taking us hostage, our logic does fail.
Our hearts will sing, only see the day.
The night will pain you, in its spiteful way.
Refuse the truth, of the vindictive night,
toi will end up alone, with nothing that’s bright.
She thought about how harsh she had been to Anakin. I can’t say I will miss you, not true, she missed him already. She regretted how unkind she had been, but it was too late to even tell him. The sun was coming up on the Coruscant sky. Anakin would probably be dispatched to somewhere in a few hours. What if he is killed in battle and the last thing I a dit to him was mean and hateful? Oh how grateful I would be if the Force would permit my l’amour to come back alive. Please come back to me Anakin, she prayed.
Anakin was sent into battle for two weeks. During that time, he never had an opportunity to secretly contact her. Every night, Padme would pace her room with worry that he would be killed. Every night, she would ask the Force to protect him. All her little prayers paid off.
One sunny afternoon, he magically appeared at her apartment. She had come accueil from a grueling jour in the Senate and found him fast asleep on her bed, boots on and all. She sat down suivant to him and watched him sleep. He looked at peace, as he lightly snored; she almost hated to wake him.
“ Ani. Ani wake up,” she gently nudged him.
His eyes opened and he smiled at her. His smile held a note of relief. Her eyes filled with tears and she was speechless. Without either of them saying anything, all was forgiven. He pulled her down to meet his lips, for a long over due kiss. The light in his smile was easier to see, than the darkness in his heart. Passion filled her, like the air she inhaled, taking her hostage, her logic did fail.
Later that night, after they fell asleep, Padme began to dream. Anakin took her hand in his. They gracefully waltzed around the floor. She tenderly gazed into his sparkling blue eyes and he bent forward, to Kiss her on the cheek. She looked to the side of the adoring crowd and saw her parents, sad and grief stricken. She looked back at Anakin, but found herself alone. Now, the room was dimly lit and ObiWan stood holding a baby. She noticed at the front of the room there was a coffin. It looked like it was made of shiny black armor and hints of smoke slithered through its cracks……
THE END
She felt a slight bit of regret, about the ceremony they had chosen. The only ones attending, would be herself, Anakin and the Holy Man performing the rituals of marriage. They couldn’t have anyone else present, because their marriage had to be kept a secret. Anakin had sworn his life to the Jedi Order and they forbade marriage. Although Padme knew this arrangement was not ideal; she surrendered to its unorthodox conditions because there was no other way. She would do anything to be with this handsome, exciting, young man. He was in her every thought and every breath. Loving him had become the most important thing in her life. She giggled to herself thinking of her new last name, the last name that only she would know, ‘Skywalker’. She a dit it to herself a few times over. “Skywalker, Padme Skywalker, Mrs.Skywalker.” She closed her eyes and began to fantasize about the wedding reception she had always dreamed of. This was Padme’s dream:
In the Royal Imperial Reception Room, at the Royal Palace in Theed, hundreds of beings gathered to receive the newly weds.
The Royal Master of Ceremonies said, “ Please rise and greet the recently married, Mr. and Mrs. Anakin Skywalker. The wedding guests rose from their seats and each waved a small piece of green, shear fabric in the air. This was to symbolize the novelty of marriage.
Anakin offered his arm to Padme; she tightly clutched it as he escorted her onto the dance floor. The crowd was applauding, while the newly weds smiled with elation. A beautiful melody of their choice began to play and Padme handed her larger, darker green piece of fabric to her sister Sola. Anakin caught Padme’s hand in his, then whisked her onto the dance floor. They gracefully waltzed around the floor. She tenderly gazed into his sparkling blue eyes and he bent vers l'avant, vers l’avant to Kiss her on the cheek. She looked to the side of the adoring crowd and saw her parents clapping for them. Her two little nieces were on the dance floor, trying to keep up with her and Anakin. When the dance was over, the newly married couple strolled around to all the tables, receiving their guests. Their first stop was a table, tableau filled with Jedi.
Master Windue got up to shake Anakin’s hand. “ Congratulations,” he said.
“ Thank toi Master Windue. Thank toi for coming.” Anakin smiled, appreciatively.
Master Windue kissed Padme on the cheek. “ Take good care of our boy.”
Padme slightly blushed, at the sweetness in his voice. “ I promise. I will,” she answered.
Yoda hobbled over to the couple. “ It is with great joy, I give toi best wishes. Think I do, this marriage will be of great happiness.”
Anakin looked so pleased, that the greatest Jedi Master of all was wishing him well. “Thank toi Master Yoda.” Padme and Anakin a dit in unison, glancing down at their little green, nine hundred-year-old guest.
Queen Jamiilla, who held the trône of Naboo sat at her own table, surrounded par an entourage of security. She shuffled towards Padme and Anakin, dressed in an ornate, flamboyant, Nubian gown. Her face was painted, in a dazzling array of vibrant colors. Padme genuflected before her. Anakin bowed and kissed her hand. “ Ter osma lye vie sei, supas vio lue,” she said, in her native tongue. Padme smiled at her. Anakin looked to Padme for an interpretation.
“ What did she say?” he asked.
“ She said, with a man this strong and handsome toi are sure to conceive a child on your honeymoon.” Anakin smirked at the Queen’s rather vers l'avant, vers l’avant compliment.
When they finished greeting their guests, Padme’s father Ruwee rang the Nubian bells of marital amalgamation. Padme and Anakin wrapped the green fabric around their wrists, joining them together. Ruwee walked over to untie them. “ May I have this dance?” he asked his daughter.
As they danced, her father told her, “ Padme, toi are a vision of loveliness. toi remind me of the way your mother looked on our wedding day.”
Padme’s face lit up with joy. “ Thank toi Dad. That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever a dit to me.”
“ toi know,” he softly began, “ No matter what, whether toi are Queen, Senator ou Anakin’s wife, toi will always be my little girl.”
She smiled fondly at him. “ I know Dad.”
When their dance was over, Padme joined Anakin, now sitting at the head table. Obi- Wan gathered the crowds attention.” I would like to make a toast, to the newly weds. Never have I seen two people plus in l’amour than Anakin and Padme. This union is one of happiness and joy. May they have a life filled with peace, harmony and many children.” The crowd raised their glasses in approval.
Everyone ate, danced and had a wonderful time. Soon it was time for Padme and Anakin to say goodbye and leave for their honeymoon. Everyone threw Callawons, a populaire Nubian fleur symbolizing fertility, at the happy couple as they exited the reception room. They were off to start their new lives.
Padme glanced back at the mirror. She tried to change the expression of disappointment sagging on her face. She felt a little discouraged about the ceremony that would take place in just a few minutes. Oh well, what does it matter, she thought. She wanted to be Anakin’s wife and this is how it had to be. She took a deep breath and headed for the door. She walked out onto the verandah, overlooking the lake. The sun was shining down on her husband to be and he looked glorious. The Nubian Holy Man and two droids were waiting for her. R2 and C3po would be their only witnesses.
She found herself, feeling a bit uneasy and her hands began to tremble. She smiled at the Holy Man, then turned to face Anakin. Two gazes locked, one with explicit victory and one with slight reprieve. Anakin took her hands in his. His mechanical appendage felt so icy cold; it sent shivers down her spine. Anakin’s warm smile soon made her relax and her shaking stopped. The Holy Man placed one hand on each of their heads and recited the rituals of marriage. Padme’s eyes motioned to the hand on Anakin’s head and her expression playfully mocked the seriousness of the tradition. Anakin snickered and mirrored her face back. The Holy man pronounced them husband and wife and they kissed. R2 and C3po clapped and whistled for them.
Later, Anakin and Padme strolled through the gardens of the Lake Retreat. They inhaled the sweet fragrance lingering in the air. They enjoyed the abundant brilliance of the flowers. They came to a bench under a shaded tree; she sat down and he knelt before her. He plucked a fleur from the ground and examined it.
“ See this flower? It reminds me of us. toi are the petal, soft and beautiful, on display for the whole world to see. I am just lucky to be the stem.”
Padme wondered how a man of only twenty could speak so eloquently. She flashed him a loving smile. “ Yes my love, but without the stem, the petal would surely die.” He smiled back at her, reveling in her essence.
He took her hand to his lips and kissed it. “ I am sorry our wedding had to be like this. I know toi a dit toi always wanted a reception like Sola’s.”
She broke their gaze and looked away. Her silence revealed her true feelings of disappointment. A reception like Sola’s was always her dream. He put his index finger on her chin and pulled her back to meet his eyes. “ I promise toi Padme, I will make it up to you. I will do everything I can to make toi happy.”
She forced a phony smile. “ I know toi will.” Some nagging little feeling of doubt tried to surface in her logical mind to tell her otherwise. She pushed it away, not wanting to spoil the moment.
Padme and Anakin had a short honeymoon. Because there was a war on, they were both summoned back to Coruscant. The Jedi were short handed and there was much chaos in the Senate. The jour they arrived back, Anakin was immediately dispatched to the Bespin system. She didn’t see him for three weeks.
One day, after a long session in the Senate, Padme was exiting the building and ran into Bail Organa.
“ Padme, I am so glad to see toi are all right. I was so worried when I heard toi were at the Battle of Geonosis. toi were lucky to have survived.”
“ Thank toi for thinking of me Bail. I know how lucky I am.”
“ I have something for you. My wife insisted that suivant time I see toi I give toi these.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a collier made of crystal purple beads. “These are from my accueil planet of Alderaan. Alderaanian women believe that these beads have the power of protection. If toi wear them all the time, harm will never come your way.”
She smiled at him favorably, “ Thank toi Bail. Tell your wife I a dit thank toi also. I will wear them always. Everyone can use a little protection.” She placed them around her neck and hugged him.
Three weeks passed and Anakin returned to Coruscant. As soon as he could, he clandestinely left the Jedi Temple and went over to Padme’s apartment. When he arrived, he caught her off guard.
“ Anie! You’re back!” she squealed with delight.
She ran over and threw her arms around him. He picked her up par the waist and twirled her around. After a long Kiss hello, he placed her back on the floor.
“ Oh Padme, I missed toi so much.”
“ I missed toi too. Are toi hungry? Can I fix toi something to eat?”
He tilted his head to the side, looking perplexed. “ Since when do toi cook, Senator?”
She giggled at him, and then a dit with much enthusiasm, “ I have been practicing while toi were away.”
He went hysterical laughing. “ Why? Don’t your Handmaidens do that for you?”
“ Well, I am your wife now and isn’t that something a wife does, for her husband?”
He cleared his throat and his eyes grew big. “ Ah…I suppose so. What have toi learned to make?” he inquired.
“ Oh lots of things,” she a dit trying to convince him of her new talent. “Chofet bread, Baked Sillentine, and Holles Spears.”
“ Well then, make me something to eat right away! Oh sorry, I mean please Milady,” he a dit jokingly.
She went into the cuisine and began to make him Holles Spears. He sat at a table, tableau and told her all about his time patrolling the borders of the Bespin System. It wasn’t long before she put a hot steaming plate of nourriture in front of him. He took one bite and was sorry he agreed to have her cook for him. He loved her too much, to insult her efforts. He thought it was sweet she had tried to learn to cook for him. He was going to eat the whole plate with a smile. She sat down at the table, tableau to watch him. With grim determination, he cleaned his plate.
“ Do toi want more?” she asked.
Oh yes please! secondes and thirds of this under cooked, mushy, flavorless dish of Bantha Spit. “ No sweetheart. I’m stuffed.” He patted his stomach.
Later, Padme and Anakin sat on the couch, in the living area. While he was s’embrasser her, he noticed the purple crystal beads hanging on her neck. “ These don’t look Nubian. Where did toi get them?”
“ Oh, a friend gave them to me,” she answered.
“ A friend? Who?” “ Bail Organa.”
Anakin suddenly had a wicked thought, of Bail and Padme kissing. “ Why would he give toi a necklace?” he asked with a hint of jealousy in his tone.
“ They are really from his wife. She a dit the crystals have the power of protection. I haven’t been in the safest of circumstances lately.”
During Anakin’s récent separation from his wife, he began to have an overwhelming feeling of insecurity about their secret marriage. He worried that so much time apart from each other might cause Padme to become extremely lonely. He worried she would seek comfort in the arms of another man. She was so beautiful and appeared to be a single woman. He could only imagine, how many men, threw them selves at her on a daily basis. This thought deprived him of sleep, every night he was away from her.
“ I want toi to take it off,” he demanded.
She looked at him, in total disbelief. He must be joking, she thought with relief. She laughed at his outlandish humor.
His demand hung between them for several seconds. His face was stern and his eyes full of malice. “ Padme! Did toi hear me?!”
She flinched at the powerful basse, bass in his voice. She didn’t understand why he was so angry. “ Ani, why?” she delicately addressed him.
“ I don’t like other men giving my wife jewelry. It’s inappropriate.”
“ Bail is just a friend, plus a colleague. We just work together. Besides, he is happily married.”
“ Padme, I a dit take it off,”
Now he was treading on dangerous ground with her. Padme was a woman in her own right, not some young girl, finding her way in the galaxy for the first time. She would never allow any one to possess her like a droid, especially not her own husband. She had never seen him like this before and she didn’t like it. She knew he had to be put in his place.
“ I don’t care for your tone ou what you’re implying. Bail is just a friend and I appreciate his thoughtfulness. I will not take it off.”
Her defiance was making him furious. He stood up and began to pace the room. “Well, this is a real slap in the face. I am away defending the Republic and you’re here flirting with other men. You’re not the person I thought toi were.”
She appeared calm, although her insides were beginning to boil. “ Well, I suppose I thought toi were plus mature than toi are. toi sound like a little boy who can’t have his own way, Ani!”
The way she sarcastically threw in ‘Ani’ the name she called him when he was a small, slave boy, but now used as a term of endearment made him even angrier. He knew she meant it as a cutting remark.
Their eyes met, resentment on both ends. He stopped pacing and stood before her. “Padme, I am warning you. Take it off.”
“ No,” she said, then folded her arms.
He raised his voice. “ Take it off now!”
“ I a dit no,” she calmly replied.
He grabbed the necklace, twisted it, and yanked it from her neck. It broke into a hundred pieces, before it hit the floor. She stood up and slapped him. Then she went into her bedroom and slammed the door. He stood there, surrounded par hundreds of purple beads at his feet. Why did I just do that, he thought? He kicked the beads out of his way and walked over to her bedroom door. He tried to open it but she locked him out. He gently tapped on the door.
“ Padme. I’m sorry. Please let me in.”
There was only silence. He tried again.
“ Padme, please forgive me? I shouldn’t have done that. Please open the door?”
Still silence. He didn’t know what to do. He had never made her that mad before. Just as he turned to leave, the door flew open with a furious and not so diplomatic, little women at the other end. She stood on her the tips of her toes and got right up in his face, pointing her finger accusingly at him.
“ How dare toi treat me like that! Who do toi think toi are! Oh Padme, you’re the petal, I’m the stem, I will make toi happy, blah blah blah,” she scornfully said, mocking his romantic gesture from their honeymoon. “ toi are a liar! toi don’t care about my happiness! I want toi to leave! Go sleep at the Temple.”
His expression was painfully obvious. He looked like a wounded puppy. He didn’t want to spend his only night back on Coruscant, with out her. He went to apologize again but she pointed to the front door. He put his head down and reluctantly headed for the door.
“ I don’t know when I will be back again,” he regretfully informed her.
“ Whenever toi do come back, it will be too soon,” she added insult to injury.
He turned to face her and bit his bottom lip. His blue eyes grew with fear, at her anger. What if she never wants to see me again, he thought. He hesitated for a moment, hoping she would change her mind.
“ I will miss you,” he said, sounding like a little boy talking to his mother.
“ I can’t say, that I will miss you,” she told him.
“ Please Padme, I am sorry.”
“ toi need to leave,” she pointed to the front entrance.
She left him no other option, so he returned to the Temple. Padme was still somewhat in shock from their incident. She never thought Anakin was the jealous type. She never thought he would be so bold as to rip Bail’s gift from her neck. She was furious and so disappointed in him. She was five years his senior, but ten years plus mature. Maybe he was too young to get married. Maybe we made a mistake, she thought to herself. It was too late to turn back now. She was even angrier at the fact that she waited three weeks to see him and now he would probably be sent away again tomorrow. She would spend another night alone.
Later that night, after Padme fell asleep, she had an awful nightmare. Her dream began, in a dimly lit room. Obi-Wan stood, holding a baby. She noticed at the front of the room, there was a coffin. It looked like it was made of shiny black armor and hints of smoke, slithered through its cracks. She realized she was at a funeral. She looked at Obi-Wan and saw he had tears in his eyes.
“Who’s baby is that?” she asked
“ It is the son of a new-hope,” he answered.
The infant began to cry and she had an urge to hold him, but she felt he was better off with Obi-Wan.
“ Who is in that coffin?” she asked.
He looked at her horrified. “A slave of ..” he hesitated.
“ A slave of what?” she coaxed.
“ A slave of darkness.”
“ Who is a slave of darkness?”
“The Chosen One. Anakin.”
She dropped to her knees and began to cry. “ No! It can’t be! Not Anakin!”
She pulled herself from the floor and stumbled towards the coffin. As she moved closer, she could feel intense heat, coming from casket. Little drops of lava, dripped from its sides.
“ Padme! No! Stay away from there! It’s dangerous!” Obi-Wan cried in desperation.
She ignored his plea and walked up to the smoking coffin. As she approached, the smoke got thicker. She started to open the lid, then dropped it. She scorched her hands. The smoke became all consuming, as it choked her. She struggled to breathe, but fainted. Before she hit the floor, she heard a whisper. Vader.
Padme sprang up from her bed, trying to catch her breath. She was sweating and Raiponce in her sheets. She began to sob. Her nightmare had seemed so real. She sat on the edge of her bed, trying to analyze her dream. She sat for nearly an hour, with the vivid details of her nightmare, looming in her mind, over and over again. Finally, she came to the conclusion her dream meant she was afraid Anakin would be killed in battle before they could make up. She thought the baby symbolized a new-hope for her and Anakin’s marriage. She assumed the dream was triggered because of their fight. Her nightmare was a warning of greater proportions though. Unfortunately, she would never figure that out. Her l’amour for Anakin always clouded her logical mind. She had almost refused to see the hint of darkness Anakin displayed on Tattooine after his mother’s death. It was just easier to see the good in him, like it was now.
l’amour is blinding; we only see the light.
Its joy is day, its sorrow is night.
Its passion fills us, like the air we inhale,
taking us hostage, our logic does fail.
Our hearts will sing, only see the day.
The night will pain you, in its spiteful way.
Refuse the truth, of the vindictive night,
toi will end up alone, with nothing that’s bright.
She thought about how harsh she had been to Anakin. I can’t say I will miss you, not true, she missed him already. She regretted how unkind she had been, but it was too late to even tell him. The sun was coming up on the Coruscant sky. Anakin would probably be dispatched to somewhere in a few hours. What if he is killed in battle and the last thing I a dit to him was mean and hateful? Oh how grateful I would be if the Force would permit my l’amour to come back alive. Please come back to me Anakin, she prayed.
Anakin was sent into battle for two weeks. During that time, he never had an opportunity to secretly contact her. Every night, Padme would pace her room with worry that he would be killed. Every night, she would ask the Force to protect him. All her little prayers paid off.
One sunny afternoon, he magically appeared at her apartment. She had come accueil from a grueling jour in the Senate and found him fast asleep on her bed, boots on and all. She sat down suivant to him and watched him sleep. He looked at peace, as he lightly snored; she almost hated to wake him.
“ Ani. Ani wake up,” she gently nudged him.
His eyes opened and he smiled at her. His smile held a note of relief. Her eyes filled with tears and she was speechless. Without either of them saying anything, all was forgiven. He pulled her down to meet his lips, for a long over due kiss. The light in his smile was easier to see, than the darkness in his heart. Passion filled her, like the air she inhaled, taking her hostage, her logic did fail.
Later that night, after they fell asleep, Padme began to dream. Anakin took her hand in his. They gracefully waltzed around the floor. She tenderly gazed into his sparkling blue eyes and he bent forward, to Kiss her on the cheek. She looked to the side of the adoring crowd and saw her parents, sad and grief stricken. She looked back at Anakin, but found herself alone. Now, the room was dimly lit and ObiWan stood holding a baby. She noticed at the front of the room there was a coffin. It looked like it was made of shiny black armor and hints of smoke slithered through its cracks……
THE END
