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‘Long time no see, Ani.’
Her voice, melodious and sweet and disarming as ever, made him jump as he spun around. She’d made no sound as she appeared, stalking silently in her long black dress and cloak. It spilled out onto the ground, engulfing the small perch of rock in her dark thrall.
His knees shook at the sight of her, at what she had become. His knuckles bruised ivory as he gripped the blaster, remembering what he had been sent here to do.
She was even more beautiful than he remembered. She was simultaneously wrong. Her hair, usually bound in intricate braids or woven beneath headdresses, now flowed down her back freely underneath a glittering obsidian crown. Her porcelain skin gleamed in the reflection of the crackling fires surrounding them as he edged warily away, not daring to take his eyes off her for a second. A tiny piece of molten rock crumbled away beneath his feet, tumbling into the blazing, bubbling depths and melting within seconds.
Despite knowing there was no humanity left behind those twilight eyes, he still found himself searching their unnaturally dark depths for any trace of the woman he’d loved.
‘Past tense? Ouch. I’d almost be offended if you weren’t lying to yourself.’
And there it was. The undernote of steel, the derisive laugh, the sneering quality to her tease, hinting at the monster which now lay beneath that perfect visage.
‘Sorry Padmé, but siths don’t exactly do it for me’ Anakin drawled, sounding immeasurably calm. The tension in his body, pulled taut like a bowstring about to snap, spoke otherwise.
‘That’s not what you thought last night.’
Anakin’s skin burned as he felt the phantom touch of her small clever hands stroking up his spine, curling into his hair as they had done only mere hours ago, ghosting over his skin-
‘Stop it.’
The edge of her lip curled.
‘I’m not doing anything, Ani. But I don’t blame you for being distracted. It was a wonderful night.’
Unbidden, their rumpled sheets and tossed pillows rammed into the forefront of his mind, whispered praises and loving touches exchanged as they gave themselves to each other.
‘Get out of my head!’ Anakin growled through gritted teeth.
‘Don’t pretend like you don’t enjoy it, darling.’
He screwed his eyes shut as memories from only a few hours prior burst through his feeble barriers, their prone bodies twined around each other in a heady blissful blur.
‘Must you go?’
She sighed as she played with the new baby hairs at the nape of his neck, lighter than the burnished bronze strands which she so adored.
‘The Senate calls, my love. I can’t put it off any longer-’
‘-Not even to hear my news?’
Her fist tightened in his hair, clutching playfully as she pulled him down into another kiss. The mattress sagged as they fell back against the headboard, moments away from another round-
‘No.’
He broke away, his eyelashes fluttering against her cheek. Pressing a swift kiss to her forehead, he rose from the bed and began to look for his long-discarded clothes.
‘As much as I’d love to, I have a speech to prepare and a planet to protect. Not to mention Bail will have my head if I’m late again.’
Padmé huffed, admiring her husband as he hurriedly dressed in the dim, intimate light of the bedroom. As beautiful as he was in her bed, he was unbelievably handsome in his senatorial clothes and gold circlet.
‘I don’t know why you’re worried. You have the most accomplished Jedi by your side. No one, not even Bail, would ever dare to disagree with you if they knew-’
‘-Which, of course, can never happen.’
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Anakin was the most impulsive, daring person she’d ever met, so she found it ridiculous that he was so set on keeping their marriage a secret.
His reckless, passionate nature was what had initially attracted her to him, and ironically made him the disdain of much of the senate as he stubbornly stood by his morals while others tried to sway him to their side. In contrast, her balanced, composed personality was perfectly suited to the Jedi order. Her unmatched skills and considerable power in the Force, potent ever since she had been recruited from Tatooine as a young child, made her a valuable asset.
If anything, she had more to lose if anyone were to find out about their secret wedding. Her whole life depended on being a Jedi. Anakin, on the other hand, had his family and his well-respected name. They were two polar opposites, pulled together from either end of the galaxy by the mysterious ways of the Force until they became one, and Padmé had never been surer of anything in her life.
They’d been married on Naboo after a near death experience in a Geonosian arena and a showdown with the traitor Count Dooku, in which Padmé had lost her arm. Thankfully, her expertise in mechanics and engineering had quickly helped her modify her cybernetic replacement. Truthfully, she was grateful for the whole incident- not only had it proved to the Jedi council that she was ready to become a Master, but it had brought her and Anakin even closer together.
As they exchanged vows against the backdrop of the sunset glowing embers onto the rippling lake, Padmé knew that her life had irrevocably changed. Anakin came first, above everything.
Even the Jedi.
So why did Anakin still put the Senate first above her?
‘We can’t keep it a secret forever, Anakin. Sooner or later, someone will find out.’
She had a sneaking suspicion that Palpatine already knew, though she wasn’t about to let that slip to her husband. The chancellor certainly knew more than he let on. Being a master of disguise herself, she could see through the harmless old grandfatherly façade he presented to the Senate.
He was a true snake, shifting with the changing tides and shedding his skin depending on his audience, and had Padmé not been who she was, she would have almost been impressed. He’d sensed her power from the beginning of course, taking her under his wing and treating her as if she was special, as if she didn’t already know. She was the most powerful being in the galaxy, but she needed to bide her time. If she continued to play her cards right, he wouldn’t be a problem to her any longer.
Most importantly, he wouldn’t be a threat to Anakin.
‘I know. But right now? Just as we’re winning the war, just as peace is about to be restored…’
He trailed off, and she frowned at the lines beginning to crease along his forehead. The clone wars were a pretty distraction from her masterplan, which was beautifully playing out in front of everyone’s eyes without them even realising- but she hadn’t realised how much sleep Anakin was losing over it. She made a mental note to pull some strings and ensure that Anakin was conveniently excluded from the large vote due to take place soon. Her love needed his rest, and to take a break from the pointless conjecture of the Senate.
She’d never seen the point in a lot of people sat around discussing the problem. Actions were what yielded results, and she intended to follow through once she’d ousted Palpatine from his seat.
‘You’re right, of course,’ she said lightly, subtly sending soothing thoughts into the Force and inwardly smiling as Anakin’s forehead smoothed over again. Her control over the Force was so absolute that she could manipulate any situation to her favour without anyone noticing- even Palpatine. ‘Don’t let me hold you up, my love. The news can wait until you’re home.’
Except Anakin had never come home.
The old fool had been careless, rushed his plans, forcing her to save face in front of Windu. The Master had always been more suspicious of her than the others, and when he discovered Palpatine had been the Sith Lord all along, he’d jumped into action with Padmé in tow- not realising that the true threat had been living under his roof since she was a youngling.
Padmé had hoped to keep him around a bit longer. After all, gaining his trust would seal her approval with all the Jedi, making it much easier to turn them all to her side. But after Palpatine’s idiotic coup had gone wrong, she’d been forced to kill both of them and enforce Palpatine’s order 66. A handful of senators escaped, including the infuriating Organa, and they’d unwittingly sent her poor Ani to find the true Sith mastermind.
The Jedi slaughter hadn’t been her priority- she’d rather hoped she could keep some of them as they may have been useful soldiers later on once re-educated- but no matter. The universe had no shortage of Jedi children- as the kicking in her belly currently proved.
The motion made her slip up, stroking one hand over her curved stomach almost absentmindedly. It was barely noticeable to the naked eye, as she still looked as slim as ever in her tight bodice with hollow collarbones and slender throat on display.
But Anakin was no fool.
The blaster dropped to the ground with a clatter as he staggered to his knees, his eyes large with disbelief and terror.
‘No-no… it can’t be!’
She smiled softly, taking another step closer. The panther stalking her prey.
‘Let’s not waste time, Ani. We both know you can’t kill me- especially not now.’
The Force billowed from her in sheer pleasure at her words, yanking the blaster from the ground and tossing it into the molten pit below as she slowly but surely cornered him. For all his physical skills, his true powers lay in his words, and held no weight against Padmé.
She had always been powerful- more so than Palpatine. But now, with the two small, precious lifeforms within her, she was unbeatable.
The hope, brittle and flickering like a dying kyber crystal, faded from Anakin’s eyes.
‘I didn’t want to believe it. Not you. You could never be capable of…’
He sucked in a breath, grief flashing over his face.
‘All those children… how could you?! Windu, Obi-Wan-’
His voice rose with unbridled rage, his shoulders steeled for combat. Once again, she cursed Palpatine- or rather, wherever his blackened soul had gone to once she struck his head from his shoulders. He had screwed the whole thing up, and now he’d upset Anakin.
‘I didn’t want to, Ani. Just like I don’t want to fight with you now.’
It was a lie, just like most things she said. Windu had been a thorn in her side for far too long, and she abhorred Obi-Wan. The man was one of the rare few that posed a real threat to her. Powerful, strong and wise, he’d thought he could monopolise Anakin, and she was admittedly jealous of the hours they spent together without her company.
There was no need for jealousy any longer.
Anakin scoffed hollowly as she reached out for him, holding out her slim manicured hand.
‘Don’t touch me. You… I don’t even know you anymore.’
Annoyance crept up her spine, and she forced herself to remain calm. He simply didn’t understand all that she had done for him, but he would.
She would make sure of it.
‘I’m exactly who I’ve always been, Anakin. I haven’t changed.’
‘Then I was kriffing blind-!‘
‘-Either way, it changes nothing,’ she said sharply, the Force pushing Anakin back to his knees as he tried to stand. He glared at the ground, unwilling to look at her any longer, and she burned with indignation.
‘Am I no longer beautiful, Anakin? Does your Empress not please you?’
She caught his jaw and pulled his face up to hers, revelling in the luminous blue eyes she loved so much. Now, of course, they were filled with hate- but he would soon see reason.
‘Answer me, Anakin.’
Her grip tightened on his jaw, tight enough to bruise, as their eyes fought a silent duel.
‘You’re no Empress of mine.’
Her face didn’t change. Her heart, what was left of it, shattered.
Without releasing him, she brandished her lightsaber from within her robes. The blood red shone in the pale pallor of Anakin’s cheekbones, and she watched as he bravely swallowed back the terror of seeing the weapon that had slain his precious Obi-Wan.
‘The Senate is no longer. Palpatine is dust. You are the consort of the Empress. You are the father of my children. Nothing can change that. Unless…’
The Force released Anakin from its bonds and pulled him to his feet, thrusting the lightsaber into his shaking hands.
‘The choice lays before you Anakin. Either you kill me- and your children- or you join me at my side. Which will it be?’
The triumphant gleam in her eyes proclaimed his answer without any words, and Padmé reflected- not for the first time- how splendid he would look in black.