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The sky above Theed Palace was blue and cloudless, extending out over the green domes of the palace and the massive crowds surrounding it, in anticipation of the coronation of their new Empress and Emperor. Padmé Amidala-Skywalker’s lips soften into a smile at the sight of her home planet of Naboo, and all of its citizens showing up for her.
She sees all this through a window next to the door she is waiting in front of, leading out to the balcony where her coronation will take place. It is not quite time for her to make her entrance. Coronations are often exercises in political theatre, but she is too full of anticipation and hope to have performance anxiety. Padmé is certain that her and Anakin’s dreams for what the galaxy could be will be realized in this new order, purged of the gridlock and squabbling that infested the old.
She runs her hands over her full skirts, the dress reminiscent of the dresses she wore as Queen of Naboo all those years ago. However, her makeup does not resemble the makeup she wore back then, serving to make her features more visible to the crowds below rather than creating a persona that her handmaidens could don if necessary.
Padmé doesn’t feel the need for the safety of a distinct persona anymore. The Separatists are diminished and disorganized from the loss of their leadership, and no one in the former Republic would stand against her and her husband, not after they eliminated the late Emperor Palpatine.
The door in front of her opens, her cue to move. As she passes through the door and walks to the middle of the semicircular balcony, the roar of the crowd reaches a crescendo. She takes in the crowd up close, without the barrier of the door, and their cheers only reinforce her conviction that her decision to take up the mantle of galactic leadership was the correct one.
Padmé turns away from the crowd, and comes face to face with Anakin. His handsome face breaks out into a smile as their eyes meet. In contrast to her precisely styled hair, his brown curls hang loose down to his shoulders. He’s wearing the outfit she selected for him to wear. Choice of clothing and what those choices convey is of great importance in situations like this, and Padmé is more experienced than Anakin in this regard. The indigo cloth covering the expanse of his shoulders matches her own dress, and forms an appealing contrast with his eyes, yellow now rather than their previous sky-blue.
The change was unsettling at first when she found him on Mustafar, but she’s more used to it now. Despite having heard that yellow eyes were the mark of the Dark Side and the Sith, Anakin didn’t behave as the Jedi said those who used the Dark Side would. He remained by her side through the tumultuous times that followed, ever loving, ever devoted. It lends more credence to his claims that the Jedi were lying all along, about the will of the Force and her and Anakin’s place in the galaxy.
Padmé breaks eye contact with Anakin and spots the two crowns that have been placed on the table beside them. The freedom from having to keep her love for Anakin a secret is intoxicating, but she should really be getting back to the coronation ceremony. She takes the crown closest to her, and prepares to place it on her head.
The crown of the Empress is made of deep purple stone, with spikes extending up from the base. The light of the sun winks off its polished surface as Padmé sets it upon her head.
As they had agreed beforehand, after she has crowned herself Anakin takes a knee so that she may place the second crown, alike to hers in every way, upon his head. She takes the crown and sets it on his head, resisting the urge to tangle her fingers in his luscious brown locks.
He rises to his feet, now officially her Emperor. The coronation is complete, and even though Padmé knows that their rule was assured ever since she made her speech before the then-Republic Senate, telling of the death of Palpatine and the betrayal of the Jedi, completing the ceremony makes it feel more real. There is not going back, and she doesn’t want to. The Republic was all too corrupt for her hopes for the future of the galaxy to ever be realized, but as Empress, with Anakin by her side, she has the power to ensure that the Empire will be different.
At the thought of Anakin she looks up to meet his eyes again. So taken by the radiance of hope she feels inside herself and sees in his face, she does not notice who took the steps that brought them closer together. She reaches for his arms, takes his hands in hers, and kisses him. Joy flowers within both lovers’ souls as Padmé kisses Anakin, like all the crowds and hovering holocameras aren't there. At the sight of the kiss, the crowd’s cheering becomes even louder than before. As Anakin moves closer, deepening the kiss, Padmé relishes her freedom to demonstrate how Anakin is hers before the entire galaxy.