Love can blossom like a Rose, yet its thorns can purge its darkest Secrets...
As the early evening air rolls in along the vast lakes of Naboo, it engulfs the city's inhabitants with a refreshing coolness and a sweet fragrance of flowers, permeating its gentle breezes. It truly is a remarkable and yet majestic paradise, full of vivacious splendor, from its magnificent seas to the bountiful meadows that encase this wondrous planet.
Still entranced in their own private universe, Padme' and Anakin rest their heads together and lovingly gaze into one another's eyes. The couple remains in the confines of the shadows, cast by the shuura trees lush, leafy branches. Anakin affectionately fondles Padme's silken fingers, as he cradles her soft hands in his. Gently he nuzzles them to his chiseled jaw line, then slowly and passionately he caresses her palms with his warm lips. Padme' can't help her impulsive swooning and finds herself melting, more and more to his alluring gestures. Yet she has an uneasy sensation in the very core of her stomach, filled only with sorrowful dread, leaving that empty pit to gyrate with queasiness. It didn't take her gifted husband long to realize that something else consumed her thoughts other than his seductive flirtations.
" What is it? What's wrong?" Asked Anakin. "
His query was filled with impatience and concern. He knew she wasn't well, though he didn't know its cause or the severity of its origin. Padme's hesitation only added to his anxiety.She abruptly let go of his hands, wrapping one arm around her own waist and placing her other hand firmly on her graceful neck. Padme' felt nauseous as a lump formed in her throat, making it difficult to swallow, let alone breathe.
"I don't know where to begin, or how to tell you...." Padme's words trailed off as tears pooled in her large, dark, wistful eyes. The very thought of telling Anakin that another precious life has been taken from him without his ability to contain it or control its destiny, chilled her to the bone and dimmed her soul.
"Whatever it is, I can fix it, I'm here now, you no longer have to worry, about anything." Anakin's voice was deeper and louder now, almost demanding in tone.
No matter the extremity of her illness, he would be able to remedy the infection, injury, or complication. If necessary, he would call upon the force to heal her completely.
Looking at him directly, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew he loved her and only wanted to help her, but he was clueless to the severity of the situation. His whole demeanor, of being able to fix whatever was broken, left Padme' baffled and agitated.
"Ani', I'm not a speeder in need of repair. Nor am I a droid that needs to be rewired. Some times there are things that no ONE can fix!" Burst Padme'.
She knew her voice was cold and her words were harsh, yet she felt her outburst would be the only way to get her point across and through his arrogance. Even so, not a single moment after her explosive verbal lashing, did she regret it and wish to turn back in time. The look on his face alone was enough to pierce her heart and stop it from beating. She reached out to him, laying her hand along his cheek until his eyes found hers once again.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You're only trying to help me. I love you all the more for that, but what has happened to me cannot be mended." Padme's voice was tender and only a shy away from a whisper, laced in tears that spilled over her eyes and cascaded down her radiant face.
"I want to make you well. Let me help you? What can I do?" Anakin was desperate in his need to overcome their obstacles; it was a need to prove himself, never to fail again. He pulled her close, tightening his embrace around her, nestling his face in her lush, coiled mane. It was at that precise moment, he felt something; a distinct, all too familiar feeling, one he never wished to feel again. His insides twisted, and his blood seemed to grow cold, as he shuddered in the depths of his own fears that never ceased to haunt his soul. Everything around him seemed to move in slow motion, like something out of a dream as she began to tell him the painful truth surrounding her health. Padme's face was buried into his chest, as her soft, sobbing, and woeful voice spoke to his heart.
"My body wasn't responding to the change. I didn't even know what was happening at the time. I never even knew I was carrying our love's gift until I lost it....Anakin, I miscarried." Padme' couldn't hold her normally unfaltering poise any longer; she grew weary and collapsed in Anakin's arms in an uncontrollable state of sobs. In a brief moment of shock, he froze, holding her limp body to his paralyzed, hard exterior. Blinking feverishly, he awoke from his daze, swooping his arms under and over his mourning wife and lifting her up, resting her tightly against his chest. Next to the shuura tree, was a small, marbled and decorative bench, where he finally sat and cradled her slumped, feeble body. Averting his eyes upward, toward the heavenly skies of Naboo, he silently asked, "WHY?" How could the force not help in matters such as these? How can the force itself be found within all things and yet cannot be controlled? Then his thoughts wandered farther, to a time that seemed so long ago, to a small hut in Mos Espa. There he remembered and heard a voice, gentle, and sweet; it was singing to him. He could almost feel her strong, yet tender hands, massaging his shoulders as she sung her lullaby to ease his sorrows away. Lost within the memory, he too began to sing and sway as he did when he was wrapped in Shmi's soothing embrace.
Padme' looked up in astonishment, was this really her Ani' singing? It was beautiful! She never knew that he could sing; and so well, too. She gazed at his incredibly handsome face. It was as if he were somewhere else, in a different time perhaps, for his brilliant blue eyes were tightly shut, leaving only his long, lush, dark lashes to line the curves of their glorious frame.
As the comforting tune came to a close, Anakin returned to the here and now, only to find his wife quiet and staring up at him in amazement. Taking a minute to realize what had just happened, he blushed in embarrassment. Padme' couldn't help but to smile up at him and stroke his warm, soft, face.
"That was absolutely beautiful, Anakin. Where did you learn to sing like that?" Padme' was intrigued and captivated by this new found talent of his.
"Um...my Mother. She, well, WE always sang together. It was the one thing we could do that didn't cost us anything." Answered a very red and flustered Anakin.
"Thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot to me." Padme' graced him with a tender kiss on his cheek as an added thank you.
No sooner did Anakin receive this precious kiss, did they hear a voice calling Padme's name, beckoning her to come inside. Looking at each other in bewilderment, they quickly shifted their bodies around, she remained seated and he stood tall, at attention. Anakin turned his sights back to Padme', he seemed to be hesitant in his movements before he continued onward toward the house. "Padme'?"
"Yes, Anakin."
"Do they know? Your family, do they know what happened?"
"No. My health records are confidential."
"What DID you tell them?"
Padme' gazed long and hard at Anakin's fretful eyes. As concerned as he was for her safety, he also worried about their secret surrounding their forbidden love.
"Appendicitis. The truth would prompt too many questions, ones I do not wish to answer, especially to my family." Answered Padme', in an almost shameful whisper.
She despised being deceitful to her family, especially about her health, for she knew how much her mother worried about her. Knowing this, and her disgustful feelings soaring through her, she knew it was time to part company and leave her family's home.
"Ani', please take me to my apartment, outside the Palace Plaza?"
"When? Now?" Anakin couldn't hide the excitement behind his voice, even though he tried to contain it.
"Tonight. Let's at least have dinner with my family, all right?" Suggested Padme'.
Anakin bowed slightly, and extended his hand to her. As she accepted his hard, mechanical hand, she rose before him, taking her place by his side.
"As you wish, Milady." Mused Anakin, as he tenderly kissed her hand and then placed it under his arm, pressing it firmly against his newly defined biceps. Padme' couldn't help but to giggle at his playful antics, for it was refreshing to laugh, at least for a little while.
Together they walked, arm in arm, and mirroring one another's steps, they strolled up the cobbled stone path to the glass veranda door. "Soon" she thought, "I'll be alone with my Love, my Ani', my Husband. "
"Possibly" she thought some more, "we might even be able to enjoy Theed's Festivities later this evening." Just the idea gave her stomach a tingling appeal, and her face showed her private joy, for it glowed, crimson and bright, just like one of the Twin Suns that graced the atmosphere of Anakin's home planet, Tatooine.
Still entranced in their own private universe, Padme' and Anakin rest their heads together and lovingly gaze into one another's eyes. The couple remains in the confines of the shadows, cast by the shuura trees lush, leafy branches. Anakin affectionately fondles Padme's silken fingers, as he cradles her soft hands in his. Gently he nuzzles them to his chiseled jaw line, then slowly and passionately he caresses her palms with his warm lips. Padme' can't help her impulsive swooning and finds herself melting, more and more to his alluring gestures. Yet she has an uneasy sensation in the very core of her stomach, filled only with sorrowful dread, leaving that empty pit to gyrate with queasiness. It didn't take her gifted husband long to realize that something else consumed her thoughts other than his seductive flirtations.
" What is it? What's wrong?" Asked Anakin. "
His query was filled with impatience and concern. He knew she wasn't well, though he didn't know its cause or the severity of its origin. Padme's hesitation only added to his anxiety.She abruptly let go of his hands, wrapping one arm around her own waist and placing her other hand firmly on her graceful neck. Padme' felt nauseous as a lump formed in her throat, making it difficult to swallow, let alone breathe.
"I don't know where to begin, or how to tell you...." Padme's words trailed off as tears pooled in her large, dark, wistful eyes. The very thought of telling Anakin that another precious life has been taken from him without his ability to contain it or control its destiny, chilled her to the bone and dimmed her soul.
"Whatever it is, I can fix it, I'm here now, you no longer have to worry, about anything." Anakin's voice was deeper and louder now, almost demanding in tone.
No matter the extremity of her illness, he would be able to remedy the infection, injury, or complication. If necessary, he would call upon the force to heal her completely.
Looking at him directly, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew he loved her and only wanted to help her, but he was clueless to the severity of the situation. His whole demeanor, of being able to fix whatever was broken, left Padme' baffled and agitated.
"Ani', I'm not a speeder in need of repair. Nor am I a droid that needs to be rewired. Some times there are things that no ONE can fix!" Burst Padme'.
She knew her voice was cold and her words were harsh, yet she felt her outburst would be the only way to get her point across and through his arrogance. Even so, not a single moment after her explosive verbal lashing, did she regret it and wish to turn back in time. The look on his face alone was enough to pierce her heart and stop it from beating. She reached out to him, laying her hand along his cheek until his eyes found hers once again.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You're only trying to help me. I love you all the more for that, but what has happened to me cannot be mended." Padme's voice was tender and only a shy away from a whisper, laced in tears that spilled over her eyes and cascaded down her radiant face.
"I want to make you well. Let me help you? What can I do?" Anakin was desperate in his need to overcome their obstacles; it was a need to prove himself, never to fail again. He pulled her close, tightening his embrace around her, nestling his face in her lush, coiled mane. It was at that precise moment, he felt something; a distinct, all too familiar feeling, one he never wished to feel again. His insides twisted, and his blood seemed to grow cold, as he shuddered in the depths of his own fears that never ceased to haunt his soul. Everything around him seemed to move in slow motion, like something out of a dream as she began to tell him the painful truth surrounding her health. Padme's face was buried into his chest, as her soft, sobbing, and woeful voice spoke to his heart.
"My body wasn't responding to the change. I didn't even know what was happening at the time. I never even knew I was carrying our love's gift until I lost it....Anakin, I miscarried." Padme' couldn't hold her normally unfaltering poise any longer; she grew weary and collapsed in Anakin's arms in an uncontrollable state of sobs. In a brief moment of shock, he froze, holding her limp body to his paralyzed, hard exterior. Blinking feverishly, he awoke from his daze, swooping his arms under and over his mourning wife and lifting her up, resting her tightly against his chest. Next to the shuura tree, was a small, marbled and decorative bench, where he finally sat and cradled her slumped, feeble body. Averting his eyes upward, toward the heavenly skies of Naboo, he silently asked, "WHY?" How could the force not help in matters such as these? How can the force itself be found within all things and yet cannot be controlled? Then his thoughts wandered farther, to a time that seemed so long ago, to a small hut in Mos Espa. There he remembered and heard a voice, gentle, and sweet; it was singing to him. He could almost feel her strong, yet tender hands, massaging his shoulders as she sung her lullaby to ease his sorrows away. Lost within the memory, he too began to sing and sway as he did when he was wrapped in Shmi's soothing embrace.
Padme' looked up in astonishment, was this really her Ani' singing? It was beautiful! She never knew that he could sing; and so well, too. She gazed at his incredibly handsome face. It was as if he were somewhere else, in a different time perhaps, for his brilliant blue eyes were tightly shut, leaving only his long, lush, dark lashes to line the curves of their glorious frame.
As the comforting tune came to a close, Anakin returned to the here and now, only to find his wife quiet and staring up at him in amazement. Taking a minute to realize what had just happened, he blushed in embarrassment. Padme' couldn't help but to smile up at him and stroke his warm, soft, face.
"That was absolutely beautiful, Anakin. Where did you learn to sing like that?" Padme' was intrigued and captivated by this new found talent of his.
"Um...my Mother. She, well, WE always sang together. It was the one thing we could do that didn't cost us anything." Answered a very red and flustered Anakin.
"Thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot to me." Padme' graced him with a tender kiss on his cheek as an added thank you.
No sooner did Anakin receive this precious kiss, did they hear a voice calling Padme's name, beckoning her to come inside. Looking at each other in bewilderment, they quickly shifted their bodies around, she remained seated and he stood tall, at attention. Anakin turned his sights back to Padme', he seemed to be hesitant in his movements before he continued onward toward the house. "Padme'?"
"Yes, Anakin."
"Do they know? Your family, do they know what happened?"
"No. My health records are confidential."
"What DID you tell them?"
Padme' gazed long and hard at Anakin's fretful eyes. As concerned as he was for her safety, he also worried about their secret surrounding their forbidden love.
"Appendicitis. The truth would prompt too many questions, ones I do not wish to answer, especially to my family." Answered Padme', in an almost shameful whisper.
She despised being deceitful to her family, especially about her health, for she knew how much her mother worried about her. Knowing this, and her disgustful feelings soaring through her, she knew it was time to part company and leave her family's home.
"Ani', please take me to my apartment, outside the Palace Plaza?"
"When? Now?" Anakin couldn't hide the excitement behind his voice, even though he tried to contain it.
"Tonight. Let's at least have dinner with my family, all right?" Suggested Padme'.
Anakin bowed slightly, and extended his hand to her. As she accepted his hard, mechanical hand, she rose before him, taking her place by his side.
"As you wish, Milady." Mused Anakin, as he tenderly kissed her hand and then placed it under his arm, pressing it firmly against his newly defined biceps. Padme' couldn't help but to giggle at his playful antics, for it was refreshing to laugh, at least for a little while.
Together they walked, arm in arm, and mirroring one another's steps, they strolled up the cobbled stone path to the glass veranda door. "Soon" she thought, "I'll be alone with my Love, my Ani', my Husband. "
"Possibly" she thought some more, "we might even be able to enjoy Theed's Festivities later this evening." Just the idea gave her stomach a tingling appeal, and her face showed her private joy, for it glowed, crimson and bright, just like one of the Twin Suns that graced the atmosphere of Anakin's home planet, Tatooine.
posted by Viago Angel at 6:57 PM
6 Comments:
hey great posting..... i like your style of pulling the attention of a blogger for this long blog. you seem to believe in love. so am i.
Bravo once again! This chapter ties so many things together so very well, and helps explain a lot of things!
Sean Carter,
Wow! Thanks, that means a heck of a lot to me, seriously.
Yes, I do believe in love, though I wish it were as romantic as it is thought to have been, back in the days of chivalry.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
M2YP,
Thanks Sweetie! *smooches* so glad you liked it!!
XOXO Angel
Great story! Especially brilliant is the part where Anakin sings - I just finished reading the novel "The Approaching Storm" (where it's revealed that Anakin can sing very well) and it's amazing to know that Anakin is such a good singer ^_^ It's easy to imagine him sharing his beautiful singing voice with Padme on occasion during their marriage.
The story is so heartbreaking when the miscarriage happens... but it only seems to bring them closer together ^^ That convinces me that, in a relationship, miscarriage is one of those things that can either end a relationship or make it stronger - of course it would be the latter with such a strong couple as Ani and Padme.
Keep up the great work, and thank you for such a good story!
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