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padme-amitabha · 3 years

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Anidala Week 2021

Day 1: Missing Scene or Favorite Scene(s)

Anakin Skywalker could not take his eyes off the girl. He noticed her the moment he entered Watto’s shop, even before Watto said anything, and he hadn’t been able to stop looking at her since. He barely heard what Watto said to him about watching the shop. He barely noticed the strange-looking creature that had come in with her and was poking around in the shelves and bins. Even after she noticed he was staring at her, he could not help himself. He moved now to an open space on the counter, hoisted himself up, and sat watching her while pretending to clean a transmitter cell. She was looking back at him now, embarrassment turning to curiosity. She was small and slender with long, braided brown hair, brown eyes, and a face he found so beautiful that he had nothing to which he could compare it. She was dressed in rough peasant’s clothing, but she seemed very self-possessed. She gave him an amused smile, and he felt himself melting in confusion and wonder. He took a deep breath.

“Are you an angel?” he asked quietly. The girl stared. “What?”

“An angel.” Anakin straightened a bit. “They live on the moons of Iego, I think. They are the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They are good and kind, and so pretty they make even the most hardened space pirates cry like small children.”

She gave him a confused look. “I’ve never heard of angels,” she said. “You must be one of them,” Anakin insisted. “Maybe you just don’t know it.” “You’re a funny little boy.” The amused smile returned.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, looking upset and embarrassed. “I don’t fully understand, I guess. This is a strange world to me.” He studied her intently for a moment, thinking of other things, wanting to tell her of them. “You are a strange girl to me,” he said instead. He swung his legs out from the counter. “My name is Anakin Skywalker.” She brushed at her hair. “Padmé Naberrie.”

Both Anakin and Padmé were laughing now, and their laughter increased as they saw the look on the unfortunate creature’s long billed face. Anakin looked at Padmé and the girl at him. Their laughter died away. The girl reached up to touch her hair self-consciously, but she did not divert her gaze. “I’m going to marry you,” the boy said suddenly. There was a moment of silence, and she began laughing again, a sweet musical sound he didn’t mind at all. “I mean it,” he insisted. “You are an odd one,” she said, her laughter dying away. “Why do you say that?” He hesitated. ” I guess because it’s what I believe…” Her smile was dazzling. “Well, I’m afraid I can’t marry you..” She paused, searching her memory for his name. “Anakin,” he said. “Anakin.” She cocked her head. “You’re just a little boy.” His gaze was intense as he faced her. “I won’t always be…” he said quietly.”

— Terry Brooks, Star Wars : Episode I - The Phantom Menace

This is one of my favorite Anidala scenes ever because their story starts so sweetly. This scene is so unique to them and after watching the OT, it’s fascinating to see a young Darth Vader as a sweet and innocent child. His interactions as a slave boy with a young queen in disguise is also fits with the fairytale-ish tone and themes in Star Wars. Anakin and Padmé’s first meeting is just precious.

This is probably the only time, Anakin and Padmé can be themselves without older figures telling them what to do. This is one of the few times Padmé is Padmé Naberrie - not Queen Amidala or Padmé Amidala. It’s interesting to see two young people from different social classes and vastly different cultures and worlds sharing a genuine moment of connection.

I can add very little to this scene but Anakin proves he has enough clairvoyance (as Admiral Motti mocks him in ANH) to be certain he has met the girl he would marry someday. Even in TPM, little Anakin Skywalker is just as much a slave to Watto as he is to the Emperor in ANH.

Even Padmé is somewhat surprised by his intensity at such an young age. Anakin also emphasizes on his identity as a person so this scene has dark undertones and references to Darth Vader.

Another scene I love is the chilling visual parallels with Vader and Padmé in ROTS. The stark contrast between their “deaths” but also the similarities show that they are still connected even while their lives hang in balance.

Padmé gives birth to life and Anakin loses his humanity. She is in a well-lit medical facility and he is in a cold, dark one. Even their heartbeats are in sync as if they are connected via the Force (which could very well be true, since she was slightly force-sensitive from carrying the twins).

As the mask lowers on Vader, he whispers (since his vocal cords are badly burnt), “Padmé, help me” and Padmé, always on Anakin’s side, hears his plea and tries to tell that to Obi-Wan with her dying breath. It’s very likely that she heard him through the connection they shared like their connection during the ruminations scene and how Leia felt Luke in ESB and but she was unable to respond as she had given birth and probably lost the temporary force sensitivity.

As Anakin takes his first breath as Vader, Padmé takes her last.

Vader rises like Frankenstein’s monster and Sidious marvels at his new “creation”. Padmé dies all in white, like the angel Anakin believed her to be. The parallels are also reminiscent of the “Death and the Maiden” motif.

Anakin has always felt connected to Padmé since he met her and this is the last time he feels their connection. And that’s how he knows Padmé is truly dead and he has lost her forever.

Even the chorus “I am a Sith Lord but I could not save her” (even though the lyrics are actually Sanskrit) is haunting. This is where the colors of the republic fade and the black and white symbolism of the empire begins.

Anakin is now Vader - more machine than man - and stands beside Sidious to assist him in building a tyrannical empire while Padmé dies and takes with her all the colors, love, laughter, cultural beauty, and freedom of the Republic era. Padmé was the personification of the Republic - a flawed but well-intended system and her death represents the democracy whereas Vader represents the Empire.

Her funeral arrangement makes it seem like she’s drowning like Ophelia - implying that she’s returning to where she belongs. (Her planet Naboo is mostly associated with water and Padmé has often expressed her love for water and lakes in AOTC).

Padmé dying of a broken heart is also fits in with the fairytale whereas Anakin finds himself in a very different world after he wakes up - a world where most of the Jedi had been slaughtered and the survivors were declared traitors, a world where democracy doesn’t exist anymore. And he finds himself kept alive my machinery and he cannot die like his beloved, even if he wishes to. He is now very much a part of the new empire - with his humanity and limbs lost - and he gradually accepts his role as the imperial enforcer.

Anakin and Padme’s story comes to a conclusion here as their reverse arcs are completed. They have both come a long way since TPM and Padme’s experiences mold her into becoming more emotional and in touch with her feelings from the stoic, reserved Queen Amidala whereas Anakin’s dreams, compassion and search for his identity are lost as he becomes his master’s servant and becomes colder and more stoic. Padmé’s journey was to become more human and learning to put love and family over duty and transition from Amidala to Padmé as Anakin’s unfortunately was to become more inhuman and machine-like, from Anakin to Vader.

These scenes are where the prequel trilogy ends and the originals begin.

#anidalaweek2021 #anidalaweek #anidala #anakin skywalker #padme amidala #darth vader #vaderdala #anakin x padme #vader x padme #the phantom menace #tpm #novelization

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politicalpadme · 3 years

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Anidala Week Day Two: Favorite Canon Work

I truly, deeply, love you. And before we die, I want you to know.

I have frequently called Episode II the prettiest movie ever. The colors, the costumes, the settings, the music, the effects, the framing, the emotion... it's a stunningly beautiful film.

The Phantom Menace is my favorite for Padmé, and Revenge of the Sith is my favorite for Anakin. For Anidala, it's Attack of the Clones.

#anidalaweek2021 #anidala week #anidala #anakin x padme #star wars prequels #aotc #padmay2021

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sonoftatooine · 3 years

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Anidala Week 2021

Day 7: Free Day >> Anidala + physical affection

#star wars #star wars prequels #starwarsedit #swedit #anakin skywalker #padme amidala #anidala #anakin x padme #padme x anakin #anakinedit #padmeedit #anidalaedit #anidala week #anidalaweek2021 #mine #my gifsets #sfw

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helbertinelli · 3 years

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AniDala Week 2021 - Day 4: Favorite Trope

One True Love - Padme and Anakin were soulmates and they were so close and so important to one another that it’s almost impossible to think about Padme without Anakin or about Anakin without Padme. Even after Padme’s death, Anakin continued to love her just as much and if there’s some sort of way that Padme’s spirit lived on after death, she most likely still loved him even after death.

#anidala #anidalaweek2021 #anakin skywalker #padme amidala #my posts

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giggles-and-freckles · 3 years

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anidala week day 1: headcanon/missing scene

*hehe trying my hand at some ✨romance✨ this week.*

“You left in a hurry this morning,” she says lightly, brushing his shoulder as she walks behind where he is sitting on the couch. Hunched over, a ball of tension and fire.

“I wasn’t aware I had another option.”

He hears her feet shuffle to a stop and, without looking, he knows she’s at war with herself. Deciding whether or not she should pick this fight. A part of him twists in guilt, but the larger part of him–the dragon–roars and drowns out the humanity. He wants to fight.

She continues walking and Anakin sighs in frustration. Not at her. None of it is ever at her, but he needs her and apparently so does the Republic. That infuriates him. He doesn’t care about the Republic. He just wants Padmé.

“You left this,” she says, coming to sit by him on the sofa. She places a small, black book in his hand. It’s leather-bound and torn in too many places, but it’s ragged appearance does nothing to quell the onslaught of memories that accompany every touch of this book.

“Sorry,” he says quietly, moving to shove the book in his waistband.

Her hand catches his. “I didn’t know you were still drawing.”

He lifts an eyebrow. “You went through it?”

Immediately, something flashes across her face and she recoils into herself. “I’m sorry. I...I didn’t–”

“No,” he says. Then, “No. Padmé, I’m not...I’m not mad. Just surprised. I didn’t…” He sighs heavily and runs a hand down his face. “I’m exhausted. Sorry.”

She grabs the hand before it falls back into his lap and raises it to her lips. “I know,” she whispers, before dropping a kiss on his knuckles. “I miss you.”

He closes his eyes and fights the pricks of darkness that press at the edges of his mind with those words. It shouldn’t affect him like that. I miss you. Those words are good and pure and he’s so tired of feeling guilt and shame and so, so much fear.

Something is wrong with him. He’s known it for a while and so has everyone else. But no one is willing to help him.

“In the back of the book, there was…” Her voice is quiet and he immediately knows. “I just wondered if you’ve thought about trying to reach out again. It might mean something to her. TO have a physical memory of her–”

“She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“That’s not true,” Padmé says immediately. “She’s trying to figure things out on her own. She’s just–”

“She left me,” he grits out.

Padmé pauses. “She did not leave you, my love. She…” Another pause and he knows she’s frowning. “Ani. Stop.”

He hears her voice, but can’t seem to respond.

“Ani, come back. Stop that.”

She squeezes his hand and he blinks quickly. His eyes refocus on her and he tries to pull a smile. Her eyes are wide with concern. But not fear–never fear.

The Force has reserved it’s full load of that particular emotion for him.

“I wish they would let you rest,” she says quietly.

Anakin pulls a chuckle. “I’m not the one carrying a baby.”

Her face softens, as it always does when they’re discussing their child. Anakin watches her, enraptured by her easy beauty. Padmé Amidala is many things–a leader, a politician, an advocate. But he thinks mother might suit her better than any of the other things.

“How is she?” he says, and moves a hand to her bump.

Padmé laughs, laying her hand over Anakin’s and moving it. “So sure it’s a girl, huh?”

“I told you–”

“The kick,” Padmé finishes just as the baby proves Anakin’s point with a sharp jab. He grins widely.

“I can’t wait to be right.”

“Oh, like your ego needs any more of a boost,” Padmé rolls her eyes, smiling.

He leans back into the sofa and moves an arm around her shoulder, pulling her back with him. Her chin rests on his shoulder, watching him. It feels nice, to be on this side of a longing stare.

“I have a confession.”

“Me, too.”

Padmé blinks in surprise and sits up a bit. “You do?”

“Yeah,” he says easily, nodding his head, “the truth is, Padmé–I’m married. Married to this Senator from Naboo. She’s a real nut, especially when it comes to pens, but I’ve gotta tell you. She’s hot. And–”

She swats at him, laughing. “Oh, stop it. And I’ll have you know, Anakin Skywalker–my pen obsession is valid! Certain pens don’t write the same way!”

“Blah, blah, blah,” he mimics, poking her cheek as he pulls her back down to his shoulder. She settles there with an exasperated huff. “Now, my pen-obsessed-super-mega-smoking-hot wife,” – he ignores the shove into his chest – “what was your confession?”

“I kept some of the drawings,” she says in a tiny voice, her mouth muffled by his tunic.

“Hm?”

“Your sketches–I…” She reaches behind her and withdraws two pieces of flimsi. “I kept these two from your book.”

He takes them into his hand and studies the first one.

“Oh,” he says quietly.

“I just...Ani, I’m...what? Fourteen? Fifteen? In that sketch, it’s…”

“I drew it on the ship back from Naboo.”

“You…” her eyebrows furrow in confusion. “What?”

He looks at her with a small smile. “I’ve always loved you, Padmé.”

She rewards his praise with a deep blush. “Go to the next one,” she says, quietly.

He shuffles the first photo behind the second.

“Is that…”

“Leia.”

“Leia?” she asks.

“Our daughter,” he says, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “We don’t have to call her that, obviously. That’s...it’s just something I thought of. But I–”

“I love it.”

“Well, I–” he freezes, then turns. “You do?”

“I do,” she gives a small nod, wrapping her arm around his and pulling herself closer. She uses her free hand to point to the picture. “Right there...where are we?”

“Naboo,” he says. “I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d be any happier. When this is all over...the war, the Separatists–”

“Yes,” she breathes.

“What?”

“Yes,” she repeats, a bit louder. “As soon as this is over. Let’s leave. We’ll have the baby and–” She scrambles out of his arms so she can look at him properly. “Ani. We’ll be a family.”

“We are a family,” he says, but he’s smiling, too. He looks back at the sketch. It’s rough–a torn edge on one side and stray pencil marks all over. But the idea is clear enough. Padmé stands on the left, in a dress that he’s always loved; he wishes he had pinks and yellows on the transport he drew this on. The edge of the lake laps at her bare feet, because that’s the thing about Padmé–she’ll negate shoes any chance possible. He loves that he’s one of the only ones who knows that. Makes him feel like a real husband.

In the sketch, he’s to her right. One arm, the metal arm, concealed behind her back, as he holds her close to him. But his eyes aren’t on Padmé for once. The little girl in his arms–tugging at one of Anakin’s curls and offering him a gummy smile–holds all of his attention.

“She looks like me,” Padmé says in wonder, her hand absentmindedly trailing up and down her stomach.

“Well, she’ll have my charm, obviously,” he says.

“Obviously,” she snorts. “Though I hope she gets my talent for diplomacy.”

“Hey, my diplomacy is great, thank you very–”

“Lightsabers don’t count!”

“Well, neither do blasters!” he throws back.

She opens her mouth to reply, but closes it. Then, smiles wide, cheek to cheek.

“A family,” she squeals.

He drops a kiss on the crown of her head and takes a breath. As always, she smells of vanilla, nagi-berry, and a twist of mint. Like home.

“Soon,” he sighs, happily. “I can feel it.”

anidala week 2021 themes

#my fic #anidala #I know I know #its ROMANCE bleCH #but just bear with me this week please #:')#anidalaweek2021 #also happy may 4th woohoo!

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skywalker-romance · 3 years

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Anidala Week Day 5: Favorite Quote

Padmé Amidala: “Something wonderful has happened. Ani, I'm pregnant.”

Anakin Skywalker: “That's... That's wonderful.”

Padmé Amidala: “What are we gonna do?”

Anakin Skywalker: “We're not gonna worry about anything right now. All right? This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life.”

#anidalaweek2021 #ANAKIN X PADME #anidala #panakin #Anakin Skywalker #Padme Skywalker #Padme #Padme Amidala #star wars #Revenge of the Sith

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anidalalover99 · 3 years

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Anidalaweek 2021 Day 5: Favorite quote: Padme to Anakin in the Phantom Menace.

" Many things will change when we reach the capital, Ani- but my caring for you will remain."

@anidalaweek

@langerclyde @swprequels @thehamsterjedii @sonoftatooine @darthvadeh @princessxkenobi. I take no credit for the wonderful gifs you have created. They are yours. I am grateful to all of you for providing them.

@anidalaweek

I love this quote because to me, it describes Padme's steadfast, unwavering feelings towards Anakin throughout the Prequel Trilogy. Unlike the Jedi, Palpatine/ Sidious and even Obi-wan, she loves Anakin Skywalker unconditionally. She is not attracted to his status, power or skill etc. Padme loves Anakin for Anakin. She comforts him when he needs it because he is not recieving the support he needs from the Jedi , nor is he recieving the healthy NON -manipulative support he needs(looking at you Palpatine). Padme wants what's best for Anakin. Even when he is confused and consumed by the Dark side, Padme still believes in the good inside her husband at the end of her life. Padme's care for him is friendly and platonic at first in the Phantom Menace and then it blosoms into romance into Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the sith. She cares for him in both ways of friendship and as a wife to her husband. Anakin is blessed to have someone be a literal light for him amidst how others treat him. It is this same literal light from Anakin and Padme's son, Luke that aides Anakin and brings him back.

#star wars #anakin skywalker #padme amidala #anakin and padme forever #Anidalaweek2021 #day 5 favorite quote #attack of the clones #the phantom menace #revenge of the sith #luke skywalker

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trashforanidala · 3 years

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Anidala Week 2021!! Day 2 - Canon Divergence OR Favorite Canon Work

Basically Ani leaves the Jedi after finding out Padmé is pregnant and fully embraces his trophy husband status. Also, Padmé is suspicious of Palpatine so runs for Queen again in order to gain more power and simultaneously protect her people just in case.

Pure self indulgence cuz I wanted Prince Consort Ani btw XD Hope you enjoy!!!

#anidala #anidala au #anidalaweek #anidalaweek2021 #anakin and padme #anakinxpadme #Anakin Skywalker #anakinskywalker #fanfic #starwars fanfic #fanfiction #Padme Amidala #padmé amidala #padme amadala #queen padme #trophy husband ani #prince consort ani #simp ani

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queenaryastark · 3 years

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Anidala Week 2021 || Day Seven:Free Day ↳Anidala and FinnRey Parallels

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whitesunlars · 3 years

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anidala week 2021 - day six: time travel

The first time he woke up again, he thought the previous three days had been a force vision. He played the three days through exactly as he had before. The second time he woke up again, he was confused. He asked his new Master what was happening, but go no answer. By the third time, Anakin Darth Vader woke he realized what was happening. He was stuck in a timeloop. Three days exactly. He would wake up on the first day, the day he would go on to pledge himself to the Dark Side his wife curled up beside him in bed. On the third day she would be dead and suddenly he was waking up again. By the twenty-first time, Darth Vader was trying everything. He lost track of how many times he lived through those three terrible days by the thirtieth time around. At one point he just swung his lightsaber at Yoda, killing him in an instant. Many other times, he watched Obi-Wan burn in the lava of Mustafar. The one thing he refused to change was pledging his loyalty to Darth Sidious. How could he, when it was the only way he could save Padmé? But she kept dying. And he kept waking up again, three days earlier.

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padme-amitabha · 3 years

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Anidala Week 2021

Day 2: Canon Divergence or Favorite Canon work

Padmé Amidala.

The name resonated in young Anakin’s heart and soul. He hadn’t seen her in a decade, not since he, along with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, had helped her in her struggle against the Trade Federation on Naboo. He had only been ten years old at that time, but from the moment he had first laid eyes on

Padmé, young Anakin had known that she was the woman he would marry. Never mind that Padmé was several years older than he was. Never mind that he was just a boy when he had known her, when she had known him. Never mind that Jedi were not allowed to marry. Anakin had simply known, without question, and the image of beautiful Padmé Amidala had stayed with him, had been burned into his every dream and fantasy, every day since he had left Naboo with Obi-Wan a decade ago. He could still smell the freshness of her hair, could still see the sparkle of intelligence and passion in her wondrous brown eyes, could still hear the melody that was Padmé’s voice.

Anakin, though, didn’t see either of them. He focused on the third person in the room, Padmé, and on her alone, and if he had ever held any moments of doubt that she was as beautiful as he remembered her, they were washed away, then and there. His eyes roamed the Senator’s small and shapely frame in her black and deep purple robes, taking in every detail. He saw her thick brown hair, drawn up high and far at the back of her head in a basketlike accessory, and wanted to lose himself in it. He saw her eyes and wanted to stare into them for eternity. He saw her lips, and wanted to ...

Anakin closed his eyes for just a moment and inhaled deeply, and he could smell her again, the scent that had been burned into him as Padmé’s. It took every ounce of willpower he could muster to walk in slowly and respectfully behind Obi-Wan, and not merely rush in and crush Padmé in a hug ... and yet, paradoxically, it took every bit of his willpower to move his legs, which were suddenly seeming so very weak, and take that first step into the room, that first step toward her.

“Annie?” she asked, her expression purely incredulous. Her smile and the flash in her eyes showed that she needed no answer. For just a flicker, Anakin felt her spirit leap.

“Annie,” Padmé said again. “Can it be? My goodness how you’ve grown!” She looked down and then followed the line of his lean body, tilting her head back to emphasize his height, and he realized that he now towered over her. That did little to bolster Anakin’s confidence, though, so lost was he in the beauty of Padmé. Her smile widened, a clear sign that she was glad to see him, but he missed it, or the implications of it, at least. “So have you,” he answered awkwardly, as if he had to force each word from his mouth. “Grown more beautiful, I mean.” He cleared his throat and stood taller. “And much shorter,” he teased, trying unsuccessfully to sound in control. “For a Senator, I mean.” Anakin noted Obi-Wan’s disapproving scowl, but Padmé laughed any tension away and shook her head.

“Oh, Annie, you’ll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine,” she said, and if she had taken the lightsaber from his belt and sliced his legs out from under him, she would not have shortened Anakin Skywalker any more.

Padmé sat at her vanity, brushing her thick brown hair, staring into the mirror but not really seeing anything there. Her thoughts were replaying again and again the image of Anakin, the look he had given her. She heard his words again, “... grown more beautiful,” and though Padmé was undeniably that, those were not words she was used to hearing. Since she had been a young girl, Padmé had been involved in politics, quickly rising to powerful and influential positions. Most of the men she had come into contact with had been more concerned with what she could bring to them in practical terms than with her beauty, or, for that matter, with any true personal feelings for her. As Queen of Naboo and now as Senator, Padmé was well aware that she was attractive to men in ways deeper than physical attraction, in ways deeper than any emotional bond. Or perhaps not deeper than the latter, she told herself, for she could not deny the intensity in Anakin’s eyes as he had looked at her. But what did it mean? She saw him again, in her thoughts. And clearly. Her mental eye roamed over his lean and strong frame, over his face, tight with the intensity that she had always admired, and yet with eyes sparkling with joy, with mischief, with ...With longing? That thought stopped the Senator. Her hands slipped down to her sides, and she sat there, staring at herself, judging her own appearance as Anakin might.

Padmé’s mind whirled as she tried to sort out Anakin’s thoughts, and his motivations. He was surprising her with every word, considering that he was a Jedi Padawan, and yet, given the fire that she clearly saw burning behind his blue eyes, he was not surprising her. She saw trouble brewing there, in those simmering and too-passionate eyes, but even more than that, she saw excitement and the promise of thrills.

She looked over at Anakin, who was sleeping somewhat restlessly. She could see him now, not as a Jedi Padawan and her protector, but just as a young man. A handsome young man, and one whose actions repeatedly professed his love for her. A dangerous young man, to be sure, a Jedi who was thinking about things he should not. A man who was inevitably following the call of his heart above that of pragmatism and propriety. And all for her. Padmé couldn’t deny the attractiveness of that.

“Naboo,” he said again, looking back to Padmé. “I’ve thought about it every day since I left. It’s by far the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”

As he spoke, his eyes bored into her, taking her in deeply, and she blinked and averted her own gaze, unnerved. “It may not be as you remember it. Time changes perception.”

“Sometimes it does,” Anakin agreed, and when Padmé looked up to see that he was continuing to scrutinize her, she knew what he was talking about. “Sometimes for the better.”

Anakin smiled as he recalled the ornate outfits Padmé had often worn as Queen of Naboo, huge gowns with intricate embroidery and studded with gemstones, tremendous headpieces of plumes and swirls and curves and twists.

He liked her better like this, he decided. All of the decorations of her Queenly outfits had been beautifully designed, but still could only detract from the more beautifully designed Padmé. Wearing a great headpiece only hid her silken brown hair. Painting her face in whites and bright red only hid her beautiful skin. The embroidery on the great gowns only blurred the perfection of her form.

This was the way Anakin wanted to see her, where her clothing was just a finishing touch.

Anakin studied the holograph a moment longer, then looked up and laughed, seeing Padmé wearing that same long and stern expression. She laughed as well, then squeezed his shoulder and went back to her packing.

Anakin put the holographs down side by side and looked at them for a long, long time. Two sides of the woman he loved.

“It’s like that on Tatooine—everything’s like that on Tatooine. But here, everything’s soft, and smooth.” As he finished, hardly even aware of the motion, he reached out and stroked Padmé’s arm. He nearly pulled back when he realized what he was doing, but since Padmé didn’t object, he let himself stay close to her. She seemed a bit tentative, a bit scared, but she wasn’t pulling away.

“There was a very old man who lived on the island,” she said. Her brown eyes seemed to be looking far away, across the years. “He used to make glass out of sand—and vases and necklaces out of the glass. They were magical.”

Anakin moved a bit closer, staring at her intensely until she turned to face him. “Everything here is magical,” he said.

“You could look into the glass and see the water. The way it ripples and moves. It looked so real, but it wasn’t.”

“Sometimes, when you believe something to be real, it becomes real.” It seemed to Anakin as if she wanted to look away. But she didn’t. Instead, she was falling deeper into his eyes, and he into hers.

“I used to think if you looked too deeply into the glass, you would lose yourself,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

“I think it’s true ...” He moved forward as he spoke, brushing his lips against hers, and for a moment, she didn’t resist, closing her eyes, losing herself. Anakin pressed in closer, a real and deep kiss, sliding his lips across hers slowly. He could lose himself here, could kiss her for hours, forever ...

But then Padmé pulled back, suddenly, as if waking from a dream. “No, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I’m sorry,” Anakin said. “When I’m around you, my mind is no longer my own.”

He stared at her hard again, beginning that descent into the glass, losing himself in her beauty.

Padmé gave a helpless little laugh. “Are you going to use one of your Jedi mind tricks on me?”

“They only work on the weak-minded,” Anakin explained. “You are anything but weak-minded.” He ended with an innocent, wide-eyed look that Padmé simply could not resist.

Orange flames danced about his silhouette, dulling the distinction between Anakin and eternity. Padmé had to consciously remember to breathe.

He stared at her intensely for a moment, then looked back to the fire, seeming defeated.

“No, you’re right,” he finally admitted. “It would destroy us.”

Padmé looked from Anakin to the fire. Which would destroy her—destroy them—she had to wonder.

The action or the thought?

Anakin stared at her, hardly believing what he was hearing. He couldn’t resist, though, and his smile, too, began to widen. For some reason he did not quite understand, the Padawan found a good measure of justification in his abandoning the letter of his orders now that Padmé was in on, and agreeing with, the plan.

“Home again, home again, to go to rest,” Anakin recited, a common children’s rhyme.

“By hearth and heart, house and nest,” Padmé added.

Anakin looked over at her, pleasantly surprised. “You know it?”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“I don’t know,” Anakin said. “I mean, I wasn’t sure if anyone else ... I thought it was a rhyme my mother made up for me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Padmé said. “Maybe she did—maybe hers was different than the one my mother used to tell me.”

Anakin shook his head doubtfully, but he wasn’t bothered by the possibility. In a strange way, he was glad that Padmé knew the rhyme, glad that it was a common gift from mothers to their children.

And glad, especially, that he and Padmé had yet another thing in common.

“I want him to know that I care about him, Threepio,” Padmé said quietly. “I do care about him. And now he’s out there, and in danger—”

“No, I’m a Jedi. I know I’m better than this.” He looked at her directly, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“You’re like everybody else,” Padmé said. She tried to draw closer, but Anakin held himself back from her. He couldn’t hold the pose of defiance for long, though, before he broke down again in sobs. Padmé was there to hold him and rock him and tell him that everything would be all right.

The tunnel was dark and fittingly gloomy, and quiet, except for the occasional echo of cheering from the huge crowd gathered in the arena stands beyond. A single cart was in there, an open oval with a sloping front end that somewhat resembled an insect’s head with the top half cut away. Anakin and Padmé were unceremoniously thrown into it, then strapped in place against the framework, facing each other. Both of them jerked as the cart started into motion, gliding along the dark tunnel.

“Don’t be afraid,” Anakin whispered.

Padmé smiled at him, her expression one of genuine calm. “I’m not afraid to die,” she replied, her voice thick and soft. “I’ve been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life.”

“What are you talking about?”

Then she said it, and it was real and genuine and warm. “I love you.”

“You love me?” he asked, overwhelmed. “You love me! I thought we decided not to fall in love. That we would be forced to live a lie. That it would destroy our lives.” But her words had brought a wash of contentment over him.

“I think our lives are about to be destroyed anyway,” Padmé replied. “My love for you is a puzzle,

Annie, for which I have no answers. I can’t control it—and now I don’t care. I truly, deeply love you, and before we die, I want you to know.”

Padmé leaned against her restraints and craned her head forward, and Anakin did likewise, the two coming close enough for their lips to meet in a soft and gentle kiss, one that lingered and deepened, one that said everything they both realized they should have spoken to each other before. One that, to them, mocked their false heroics in denying the feelings they’d had for each other all along.

On distant Naboo, in a rose-covered arbor overlooking the sparkling lake, Anakin and Padmé stood hand in hand, Anakin in his formal Jedi robes and Padmé in a beautiful white gown with flowered trim. Anakin’s new mechanical arm hung at his side, the fingers clenching and opening in reflexive movements. Before them stood a Naboo holy man, his hands raised above their heads as he recited the ancient texts of marriage. And when the proclamation was made, R2-D2 and C-3PO, bearing witness to the union, whistled and clapped. And Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

— R.A. Salvatore , Star Wars : Episode II - Attack of the Clones

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