FanFiction.Net - unleash your imagination|
Author of 45 Stories |
After parting ways with Anakin—whose finally comment went ignored by the young princess—Dormé expected she would have a hard time falling asleep, however, it was not long after her head met the pillow that she fell into an exhausted sleep. She was far too tired to dream and when she awoke the next morning, she was very groggy. Though it was a bit disorienting awaking in this smaller room, she remembered the events that led up to this change of sleeping arrangements and frowned deeply.
Dormé threw the covers back over her head, sighing and not wanting to face everyone, knowing people would be talking. The servants might be seen and not heard, but they heard plenty the night before. Anakin and she hadn’t quite mastered the ability of stealth yet, at least not when it came to personal matters. She had to remind herself that as a member of their royal family now, she had a persona to uphold and the way she handled the situation last night ought to have been with more tact.
There was a knock at the door and Dormé jumped slightly, finally rising from the bed to grab her robe. She thought it would be Anakin and tried to put herself in a proper frame of mind. As she struggled to, she heard a woman’s voice.
‘Milady?’
‘Enter,’ said Dormé, recalling how her own mistress behaved. She vowed she would become a proper courtier in her own right and someday, empress.
The serving girls surrounded her and began dressing her for the day. Though she was used to this as decoy and during the time she spent trying on various wedding gowns, it was far different now that she was officially a princess...at least in her mind. After dressing, she entered the dining hall with her train of handmaidens who formerly served the empress.
With much reluctance, the young prince finally stumbled out of bed and went to wash up. He looked awful and it showed but the day was beginning and as much as he wanted to just return to bed, Anakin had duties to complete. Once he was dressed and looking somewhat civilised—though there was little way to hide the bags under his eyes that marked his exhaustion—Anakin departed for the dining hall.
Upon entering the grand hall, Anakin caught sight of Dormé with her entourage and couldn’t resist a hint of a smile. It would be so easy to forget the fight from the night before to just approach and embrace her. However, he refrained unsure how she would react and not really wanting to risk finding out either. But she looked lovely and every bit the empress she would soon be and despite the events of the night before, he found his mood taking a turn for the better at the sight of her. Glancing to the handmaidens, Anakin decided they weren’t necessary as he wanted to enjoy this morning alone with his beloved and politely ordered them to leave.
It was a bit disconcerting how easily these handmaidens seemed to be able to switch their loyalties from the deceased empress to Dormé and she was glad when Anakin had them dismissed. She could tell from the older women’s eyes that they didn’t fully trust her, let alone like her and Dormé hesitated to order them to do anything. Though she was well-rested and thinking straighter than the night before after having some breakfast, she could tell Anakin had a rough night. Normally such an observation would fill her with regret, but today, it felt justified. Even so, she didn’t smile or offer polite conversation because she was thinking very hard about what had happened.
Anakin was hardly hungry due to his lack of rest and his distracted thoughts but attempted all the same to eat a little. The tension between them was thick and the young prince was hesitant to interrupt Dormé’s thoughts for he almost feared to know what was going through her mind. For a moment, their eyes met and immediately Anakin felt a rush of shame as he could sense her emotions. He wasn’t used to seeing her behave in such a timid fashion certainly not in his presence and this added to his concerns. It was as though she were unnerved by his presence and if he was honest with himself a little frightened even. Furrowing his brow, he debated speaking up but refrained as he glanced down at his own plate feeling rather ugly but not entirely comprehending why.
His actions were justified were they not? Didn’t he have a right to avenge his mother? Surely everyone knew if he hadn’t killed the Tuskan younglings they would have only returned later for revenge of their own. Mentally he tried to defend his actions from Dormé’s judgment of him, though in reality he was trying to justify his actions to himself. However, it was harder to convince himself of the lies now that the darkness within had subsided. He wished he could go back and make things as they were before it all fell apart. Or at the very least make it so things between Dormé and himself were mended. But this was an impossibility and as he studied her in silence his expression grew both awkward and sad. ‘What can I say or do to convince you that I’m sorry?’ he said, breaking the silence in a soft voice.
When Anakin spoke, Dormé glanced up at him. ‘Sorry for what, Anakin?’ she asked, wondering if he had any clue yet about what exactly he had done. ‘If you’re only sorry because of the outcome of your callous actions, then I don’t think I can accept your apology yet.’ Dormé resumed eating, a little forceful that necessary with her fork and spoon.
The young prince didn’t know what to make of her words and remained silent as he studied her in frustrated confusion. ‘No, it’s not just that—’ Anakin pleaded before giving a tired sigh as his eyes fell to his plate. ‘Why are you so convinced I purposely did this to you? That I was trying to ignore you? I’ve already tried to tell you that I wasn’t myself,’ he continued quietly as he found the last of his appetite fading away as the memories returned. ‘I channelled too much of the dark side to exact my revenge—to bury my pain and lost myself in the process. If I hadn’t been so consumed, I would have heard you. I know I would have,’ Anakin admitted softly.
And if you had would you have stopped? Or would she too have died in your bloodlust? a small voice whispered into his thoughts causing the young prince to grow ashen as he bowed his head.
This time, he really had gone too far and he knew it. But he was not used to admitting he was wrong and so once more he attempted to run in circles denying what he knew to be true, because it was easier than to face the facts. ‘It’s not like they were human,’ he whispered in defence of his actions. ‘They would have only grown up and exacted their own revenge on us,’ Anakin continued in desperate but futile tones. ‘I had to do it, Dormé, otherwise who knows what could have happened if I hadn’t?’
His words found Dormé torn. She was afraid of the fact Anakin had been so consumed with the dark side that he hadn’t been able to hear her, that he said he might of hurt her. She also wanted to press upon the point that innocent lives fell to his blade that ought have been set free. ‘Anakin, those who committed no crime against you should have been allowed to live. Unless you can admit that it was wrong of you, whether you were consumed or not by that power, then I think we have a serious problem.
Anakin wanted to deny the fact his actions weren’t right that his actions were in fact justified but as Dormé continued to speak the last of his excuses melted away. He bowed his head as he furrowed his brow struggling with his ugly thoughts that tried to tell him that she was casting judgment, that she didn’t understand, that he was innocent.
‘I think learning to control whatever this dark side thing is, ought to be a priority...you said yourself you might have—’ Dormé stopped herself short, no longer feeling hungry anymore.
Pushing back his chair Anakin rose to his feet as he struggled to ignore the rising guilt that was brought on by the truth of Dormé’s words. Glancing away he could only weakly nod to her final remarks before letting his eyes linger on Dormé as she fell silent suddenly. ‘I won’t let that happen. I can’t,’ he said a little too quickly to deny his obvious fear of the opposite occurring. Falling silent once more, he began to pace this time out of concern rather than anger. ‘Where can I go to properly learn how to control my powers? It’s not like I can speak to my brother about it and the Chancellor—’ he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. ‘I know he likes to read up on what he calls the arcane, but he’s not Force sensitive, so even if I asked him for advice, I really doubt he can help,’ Anakin concluded in frustration. He knew what he had to do and as much as he was loathed to admit it the young prince knew he had little if any choice in the matter. ‘It would seem I really do have no choice but to stop using the dark side. Otherwise—’ he fell silent as he swallowed hard at it finally hit him just how monstrous his actions had been. That despite the fact he believed the Tuskans to be less than sentient he had butchered innocent lives and for no reason but to satisfy his bloodlust.
Dormé didn’t know what Anakin might be able to do with his powers, what he was capable of, let alone where he could possibly get help in controlling it. It was hard for her to understand things she could not feel or touch. Neither of them were aware that in touching the darkness, he had inadvertently killed the priestess on Humbarine.
Reality hit Anakin hard and it left his mind reeling as he struggled to refrain from falling into a state of panic. His thoughts continued to play out worst case scenarios while he vaguely recalling real events from the night before. He could only imagine how monstrous he had to have looked in Dormé’s eyes when he slaughtered the younglings. The ground beneath his feet began to spin and instinctively he placed a hand to his forehead as he felt almost dizzy with fear and horror. Turning his back to her Anakin drew in a shaky breath as he struggled to once more clear his thoughts to regain his composure. ‘Otherwise I— I’m going to become a monster,’ he breathed in horror realising that only mere hours ago he had fulfilled this role.
Noting the change in Anakin’s point of view, Dormé studied him from across the table. She slowly rose from her chair to approach him. Dormé wanted him to promise that he wouldn’t kill younglings or innocents again, to promise her that he would control this, but when he called himself a monster, she rested a hand on his arm.
He drew in a sharp breath as his attentions snapped back to reality and onto Dormé who stood before him. For a brief moment, he foolishly believed she was going to offer words of comfort. He couldn’t have been more wrong.
Looking him straight in the eyes, her voice was low and steady, yet powerful as she mandated, ‘If you ever used your powers to hurt me, Anakin, I would leave you.’
Dormé’s words would remain forever etched on his heart, like an invisible warning and reminder that while she had the power to cradle and hold his heart she also had the power to crush it should he break the one commandment given. His eyes wavered at her statement as tears began to fill them but didn’t fall. Nodding slightly in reply to her words Anakin struggled to hold her gaze. ‘I understand and would expect no less of you,’ he said in barely audible tones feeling awful that she would feel it necessary to clarify this to him. Yet at the same time, there was a part of him that knew that it was indeed necessary, though he didn’t allow himself to dwell on this, lest he openly succumb to despair and shame.
His response to her words tore at her heart, just as the possibility he might do something like that might come true. It was a foreboding thought that she couldn’t ignore, no matter how much she wanted to. Silence followed for a moment, but she tightened her grip on his arm as though she was fighting against someone or something else to hold onto him, as though she was saying Anakin was hers, no one else’s. But after the moment passed, once Anakin knew he had been wrong and that something needed to be fixed within himself, Dormé was not about to abandon him. He would not be alone.
The silence between them said all that needed to be said and Anakin never felt more the monster that he had allowed himself to become as he had in that moment. Bowing his head, Anakin tried to ignore the strange sense of desperation he felt when Dormé tightened her grip on his arm. For a moment, he felt like he was a drowning man, that Dormé was his life preserver, the only thing to save him from a storm he could neither see nor fully understand. He wanted to slip his arms around her, to pull her close, but couldn’t quite bring himself to do it as something within him caused him to pause. It was as though some part of him knew there was more to her gesture than what met the eye though what that was he couldn’t say.
She touched his cheek. Her eyes spoke volumes that could not be put into words.
Anakin’s eyes met hers once more and in her gaze held all he needed to know. His expression softened as he studied her in silent adoration and respect once more reminded just how fortunate he was to have Dormé. Nevertheless, a servant arrived to inform them of the funeral rites and immediately his heart sank once more reminded of the sorrow that for a brief moment had been forgotten. His eyes briefly drifted to the servant but he said not a word as Dormé nodded her agreement. Once her attentions return to him the young prince moved his left hand to wrap around her small waist just as hers slipped into his gloved right hand. Feeling her give it a squeeze Anakin leaned in and for a brief moment buried his face in the crook of her neck.
Though he said nothing the shuddering sigh that escaped his lips spoke of his fears and his gratitude just as his tightened embrace marked his almost desperate need to keep her forever by his side. He knew without Dormé he was nothing and that he would do anything in his power to ensure that things would never reach a point where they would part ways.
Anakin struggled to keep his emotions to himself and was most grateful to Dormé for her silent support. However, in the end, the tears came, despite his best efforts and Anakin soon slipped off half way through the funeral rites to silently mourn. Though his stepfather was far more reserved, his sorrow was obvious as well and while he didn’t need to excuse himself to tend to his emotions, his prompt departure to Coruscant marked his silent suffering. While Anakin knew that the emperor was mourning, he couldn’t help but feel bitter towards him for not intervening to save his mother. In the end, however, the young prince soon blamed himself for not intervening sooner and cursed himself for not being more aware of the fact his mother was in danger. Such thoughts served no real purpose outside of making him miserable and it was only Dormé’s silent presence that kept him from truly falling into despair. Despite all that had happened between them before the young princess remained ever by his side and it was only at her silent persuasion was he able to make himself eat.
Though he wanted to return to Coruscant, his wife knew him better than he knew himself and guided him back to their chambers so they could retire for the night. Yet Anakin was so exhausted and lost in his thoughts of sorrow and guilt that he even momentarily forgot where he was or that Dormé was near. In fact, he was so distracted that when he climbed into bed his fingers immediately slipped to his Padawan braid, while his other hand wrapped around his waist marking the fact he missed Dormé’s touch so much that he needed to mimic it to rest.
Seeing Anakin like this, in such pain he didn’t even seem to register she was there, it made her heart bleed for him. Watching as he recline on the bed, touching his braid in a way she so often did, it made tears come to her eyes, though she did not shed them. Without speaking, Dormé lay next to him, her hand slowly moving over his metallic one to take up the occupation of threading the braid through her fingers. Her other arms wrapped over his that rested on his torso. She kissed his temple as she stroked his waist as if to remind him of her presence and that, if she had her way, she never leave him.
Though he was completely exhausted, his thoughts were racing and his body was tense, that was until Dormé’s kiss and silent reassurance reminded him that she was near. It was only then that his mind and body was able to relax. It wasn’t long before the young prince was turning around to bury his face in her dark hair while one hand slipped to her long locks. Instinctively twisting the silky hair between his fingers, he let his other hand slip around her petite form as he held her close. It was only then that Anakin was able to finally drift off to sleep.
Dormé watched him with loving concern for many hours, thinking about everything that had brought them here to this moment. Though there had been many trying times and the most recent tragedy, she couldn’t say she would change anything. Little did she know that she would later look back on this moment as a testament to their resilience.
As morning came, Anakin’s thoughts soon surfaced leaving him to slowly awaken from a dreamless sleep to find himself just where he wanted to be, in Dormé’s embrace. In silence, he drew back slightly so as to properly gaze at her while letting his fingers gently pass through her hair. After all they had been through, it felt so good to be back in her arms where he belonged once more.
Nearly all of the former staff had been fired, replaced by those of Palpatine’s choosing and during the day when Anakin was at the Temple with his Master, Dormé was quite often alone. At first, it was extremely disconcerting to be wandering the palace alone, hardly ever seeing a servant of any kind or anyone stopping her from entering rooms. It was so much quieter and her every step echoed in the halls.
After speaking with the chancellor about this, he had clone guards placed more frequently through the halls, but this just seemed odd to her. However, as the days passed, she became more used to being alone and often spent her time training or going for a swim, biding her time until Anakin returned. Without her duties as a handmaiden, she found she had a lot of free time on her hands.
This afternoon, she returned to her chambers after a hard training session, ready to shower and freshen up before Anakin came home. The guards normally outside the door leading to her private rooms were no longer there and she took note of this, but entered nonetheless.
When her lights did not turn on, she reached for her sword but found herself being gagged by and unseen attacker. Another larger man was behind her, attempting to pull her arms behind her back. Using defensive techniques she had trained vigorously in during her first years as a handmaiden, she kicked and stomped her way into freeing her arms, finally getting a hold on her wakizashi and slicing the two attackers. Making her way through the room as the wounded groaned and bodies fell to the floor, the lights near the pool turned on automatically.
It was then she was able to see the rest of them. Samukaa. Her grandfather’s private army, the policing force of Uriash. Dormé didn’t have a chance to ask what they were doing there.
It was in actuality a pathetic attempt to bring her back to Naboo to gain some sort of reward for her. They had been ordered not to harm her and as such, used blasters set to stun instead of their swords.
Slashing with a ferocity that mimicked Anakin’s in his revenge against the Tuskan Raiders, Dormé stopped at nothing to make sure that none of them would leave this room alive. That would send a message to her progenitor! Down to her last few Samukaa, she caught one by the arm, sending him careening into the pool. She then forced his head under, yelling Uriashian curses at him for his crime. The last Samukaa she thought she had killed was only wounded and shot at her. He succeeded in stunning her left arm, which only fuelled her rage.
Leaping from the pool, with her sword in hand, Dormé used both hands to send her sword piercing through the Samukaa’s heart, killing him with that final stab. Dormé was breathing hard. Water dripped from her training clothing and her hair was wild. Some of her auburn locks stuck to her face from sweat as she surveyed her kill.
On this particular afternoon, Anakin couldn’t ignore the fact that something was wrong. Throughout his training, the young Padawan found his thoughts growing distracted and divided as the darkness within him seemed grow without cause. Though he was sparring only with his brother and mentor, in his mind the young prince felt as though he was fighting something or someone that was after Dormé. As such his attacks already vicious grew even more fierce and powerful while his temperament grew increasingly dark to the point of almost as Anakin was about complete a rather complicated attack that he hoped would leave him victorious in his spar, his right hand went numb. Immediately, the lightsaber deactivated before slipping through his fingers and clattering to the floor. Startled by this turn of events Anakin cursed loudly as he felt a rush of rage at the fact his mechanical hand didn’t function to his command.
Fortunately for Anakin, his brother was far too skilled to let such an unexpected turn of events to affect his actions. This was hardly noted by the young prince who was so enraged that he used the Force to draw his lightsaber to his left hand so as to continue the spar. However while his rage gave him strength his weak hand was no match against a real master swordsman and soon the spar was brought to an end. It was then that Anakin finally registered his actions and realised to his horror that something had happened or was happening to his beloved. Haunted by the memory of his mother’s death and of Dormé’s imprisonment and torture Anakin swiftly departed from the temple without a word of explanation to his brother. Heading back to the palace as fast as he could Anakin prayed to the Force to protect his beloved, just as he prayed that he would make it in time.
However as he tore through the hallways of his home, he felt Dormé’s emotions and a wave of relief at the fact he couldn’t sense any real pain from her. He also felt another wave of concern and rage pour over him at the realisation her life had once more been in danger and he was no where to be found. But as he used the Force to open the door to their private sanctuary, the Jedi prince found himself staring in disbelief at the sight before him.
Lifeless bodies lay strewn about as though part of a macabre tableau where beauty and horror comfortably intermingled. Yet it was the sight of Dormé, who looked dishevelled, but not harmed that truly caught his attentions. Rushing forward towards her, Anakin pulled Dormé into a tight hug as relief at her safety overrode his concern and curiosity at what had happened.
It took a moment for Dormé to remember where she was, let alone registered what happened. When the door slid open, her clear thoughts became fuzzy and had his arms not slipped around her, she would have collapsed. Her sword clattered to the floor as her arms wrapped around him in turn. It was only then that she fully understood what she had done. She convinced herself it was out of self-defence, that if she hadn’t killed them, they would have tried coming after her again. She knew there were more, so many more of them, but hoped her grandfather would get the message without it coming to that. ‘Anakin,’ she gasped, pulling him tighter as she was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Anakin could feel her disorientation through the Force and his heart went out to her all the more for it. He wasn’t used to seeing her like this and it frightened him to think of how close he had come to losing her once more. Gently rubbing her back with one hand, the young prince let his other hand slip to her hair in the hopes of easing a little of her tension. As his eyes flickered to the bodies lying about, he couldn’t help but grow even more concerned. This was organized of that he was certain but he had yet to comprehend just who would have done this, as it was obvious that the Separatists weren’t behind this attack. However as Dormé gasped his name Anakin’s thoughts immediately returned to her and kissing her brow he tried to send her soothing thoughts through the Force hoping this too would aid in some small way. ‘It’s okay. Everything is going to be all right. You’re safe,’ he murmured softly as he held her close.
Part of her wanted to know why Anakin had not come sooner, wishing he would have been there to alert her to the threat. Her body though rigid, was beginning to relax under his touch. She didn’t even realise a few tears escaped out of relief that she was safe now, that they were dead and Anakin was here. ‘How could they have—gotten in here?’ she wondered.
Anakin tried to ignore the shame he felt upon realising that once more, he was too late, that it had taken Dormé’s training and self defence to save her once more. Not only was it his desire but he also felt it was his duty to be there for her in these dark moments. However, it was too late for such thoughts and now the young prince focused most of his attentions on helping her in what way he could now. Though her tears were of relief, Anakin couldn’t help but feel sorrowful at the sight of them. Gently, he wiped them away as she wondered how they managed to slip past security. Frowning, he studied her intently before glancing back to the dead bodies. ‘I don’t know, but I’m definitely going to find out and whoever is responsible for this is going to pay,’ he said in dark tones.
As much as he wanted to hold her near, to comfort her, Anakin knew that Dormé would most likely not wish to remain here with the memories and moving his arm to her shoulder he softly suggested they return to his private quarters. ‘I’ll have security tend to this. In the meantime, let’s get you something warm and dry. You must be freezing,’ he said empathetically deciding that only once Dormé was fully recovered he would then ask about the symbols on the attackers uniforms.
Dormé couldn’t deny the dark thrill that rushed through her briefly when he said he would find out the responsible party and make them pay. She also couldn’t deny that she wanted to be there when he did so. But the feeling was fleeting and at his suggestion they leave, she could only nod. The smell of the blood began making her dizzy, just as her thoughts became increasingly murky. Grabbing onto his arm, she leant on him as he guided her around the bodies and out of the room.
Thoroughly concerned for the safety and health of his wife, Anakin was quick to take control. Though he had many questions pertaining to the events, he knew it could wait. As she bathed and changed, he remained near to offer what help he could. Afterwards, he could tell she was in a far better state of mind and this eased a little of his worries.
She knew Anakin wanted to know about the attack, as much as it shamed her to speak of it. It was a delicate subject, but Anakin had always known her true past and didn’t hesitate to explain the Samukaa to him. ‘But what I don’t understand is why they would be here to attack me. What does he want?’ she asked, gesturing wildly as she paced in front of Anakin. ‘It doesn’t make any sense. They didn’t say a word, just tried to bind and gag me.’
The more she explained, the more furious he became toward her family and more importantly her grandfather. ‘It sounds like he wanted to hold you for ransom. He wants money, I imagine, although I’m surprised he would be so willing to place his name on the line like this, especially considering, as you said, that these Samukaa are renowned on Naboo. Any fool would know better than to broadcast such information,’ Anakin fumed as he folded his arms wanting nothing more than to kill the old man for daring to harm his wife and wanting to kill the fools in security for letting them slip by in the first place.
‘Haven’t I done enough to ruin his name?’
Anakin frowned at her words as he shook his head. ‘He brought it all on himself and by the time I’m finished with him he’s going to wish he had never heard your name,’ the young prince growled before his expression softened as Dormé spoke of the Naboo’s thoughts about her.
‘I’m not exactly the most popular person on Naboo now that it will no longer by part of the empire because you didn’t marry the queen,’ she said, feeling quite negatively about the whole situation. Dormé sat down with a huff, frustrated and not caring that she had killed them even if they were only trying to abduct her. There had been enough abductions as of late and she was hardly going to allow it to happen again anytime soon!
Anakin joined her side as he slipped an arm around her and began to play with a strand of her long hair. ‘Whose to say that the Naboo won’t become a part of the Empire? There are more ways to unify two worlds than just marriage,’ he said gently. ‘Besides I have faith in your skills and know you are going to make a wonderful Empress. With you by my side, I just know worlds will want to join our empire without our even asking,’ he said with a reassuring smile that didn’t hide the admiration in his eyes.
‘I know,’ she sighed, when Anakin stated there were other ways for planets to join the empire. But with his arm around her, she felt some of her confidence return and she looked him the eyes as he continued speaking. The way Anakin was looking at her filled her with such joy and humble gratitude for having him in her life. Dormé closed the distance between them, giving him a gentle kiss.
The young prince furrowed his brow feeling bad that he had unwittingly complicated things for Dormé. Though he couldn’t care what others thought of them he didn’t want Dormé to feel out of place. Despite this, he was confident that once she became an empress they would learn to see her as the wonderful woman he knew her to be. Studying her in admiration, the young prince soon found himself leaning in just as Dormé did to meet her lips. Tightening his embrace, Anakin purred softly in reply as once more he couldn’t help but feel so utterly relieved that she was all right and safe. However, he also knew that it would only be a matter of time before her grandfather would try something this foolish again. It was at this thought that Anakin decided he would tend to the old man the first chance he had. No one would ever hurt his beloved again. Of that, he would see to personally.
Dormé nodded her agreement and walked with him to the large and tastefully decorated office. ‘I was hoping to have a word with you myself, Chancellor,’ Dormé replied.
Ever since the Uriashian Samukaa attacked the young woman before she became a princess, Palpatine took notice of her, seeing her as more than just a way to get Anakin to turn to the dark side. Seeing that beautiful masterpiece of destruction, the pools of blood surrounding the Samukaa corpses, he knew there was more to her than being an emperor’s trinket. Since becoming princess, she had shown her worth, encouraged the darker tendencies in young Skywalker. In no time, the boy would become his new apprentice and the Empire would be his to command.
Pulling out a seat, he gestured for the princess to sit down.
Dormé declined the offer, preferring to stand and watched as the chancellor moved behind his desk. ‘I was hoping to speak with you about increasing the level of security. I would speak to the emperor directly, but with the situation being as it is, I felt it would be easier to ask you.’
Palpatine smiled kindly at her. ‘I have already assigned more clone troopers for your level.’
‘I was thinking more along the lines of personal security,’ Dormé explained.
‘You certainly seemed to be able to handle those Samukaa yourself wuite nicely,’ he said smoothly. ‘I know you were highly trained in the martial arts under Queen Amidala.’
‘Yes, Chancellor, but I even so, I believe it would be wise for the palace in general to have tighter security. They shouldn’t have been able to enter the palace without anyone knowing.’
Palpatine frowned, nodding his head, pretending to consider the princess’s request. In truth, before her display, he had encouraged the attack, along with the emperor. Cliegg wanted the girl out of the palace, out of their lives for causing Shmi’s death and Palpatine knew how infuriated Anakin would be if she disappeared or died. But now…now Palpatine knew just how useful this girl would be. ‘I will increase our security team, Milady. After all, you will soon be empress. We wouldn’t want you to have to dirty your hands with petty Samukaa guards.’
Glad she was finally getting her point across, she smiled slightly. ‘Thank you, Chancellor.’
‘Tell me,’ he added before she had a chance to leave, ‘have you ever had a chance to spar with your husband?’ His voice was filled with authentic curiosity.
‘Spar?’ she querried, turning back to face the older man once more.
‘Yes, with swords,’ he explained.
‘Oh, no, we haven’t,’ she replied, though now the suggestion was planted in her brain and she found it quite intriguing.
‘You might want to give it a try sometime. I’ve heard he’s very skilled with a lightsaber.’
‘Do you spar?’ she wondered, figuring that was why it held his interest.
A dark smile crossed his face. ‘In my youth. After all, what use is an old man like me in a spar anyway?’
Dormé apologized as though she had somehow unintentionally offended him by asking, but the older man place a gentle hand on her shoulder as though to tell her not to worry.
He watched her as she left the office, knowing just the right turn of events would lead Anakin straight to him. This little empress could stick around awhile until he needed that last push for Anakin to turn.
The emperor did not intend to replace his loyal intelligence and the two fought long and hard about the matter. In the end, the young prince departed in a fit of rage all the while hoping that the Chancellor who was now speaking to his wife would be more sympathetic to their plight. After all, if anyone could convince his idiot stepfather of the importance of protecting the Empress to be it would be him. Anakin was in a foul state of mind and decided it would be best to blow off some steam in one of the training halls as he knew he wouldn’t be due back to the temple for a bit yet.
The young prince could sense Dormé’s approach and immediately felt his frustrations beginning to melt away. He could tell by her approaching Force signature that she wasn’t nearly as troubled as she was in the morning and took this to be a good sign.
She promptly informed him of the good news and of the supreme chancellor’s suggestion. Eyes dancing with mischief, she asked, ‘Are you up for it?’
This was even better than he could have ever imagined and the suggestion was far too intriguing to resist. At her question, he gave a lopsided grin, ‘I’d love too,’ he replied as he moved to the back wall where a series of elegant and even antique blades hung from the supports designed specifically for them.
Dormé beamed when he agreed to try sparring with her and bounced over to the blades, examining each of them with her eyes. She hadn’t seen them this up close before and was drawn to a particular one with a red tassel, though she didn’t dare touch it.
Anakin watched her intently taking in her reaction to the blades with curiosity. He noticed that she seemed drawn to a blade with a red tassel as her eyes lingered on it for longer than a passing glance. ‘Would you like to try that one?’ he offered as he went to retrieve it from its supports.
It was still difficult for Dormé to remember that they were married now which meant that she was at liberty to test these blades out and didn’t need permission. Thankfully, Anakin knew what was on her mind and she didn’t have to say anything.
‘Although I have to admit I haven’t used a blacksmith’s blade since I was a youngling. Any suggestions?’ he offered as in his mind the blades all looked the same and trusted her experience in the matter far more than his own.
At his question, she turned her attentions to him. ‘Oh,’ she said, blushing. ‘I forgot you—well, what do lightsabers feel like?’
Her blushing cheeks brought a smile to his lips. He couldn’t resist kissing her cheek, as she looked too cute not too.
‘I usually go by weight and balance...how it feels in the grip...’
‘That’s not too different from how we choose the design for our lightsabers,’ he admitted before adding, ‘although I imagine handling a metal blade is much more complicated than handing a lightsaber. Especially given that one needs to balance the weight of the blade with the hilt,’ he said obviously looking for advice as he offered the red tasselled blade to her.
‘Lightsabers aren’t weighted?’ she asked, her brow furrowed in curiosity as she took the blade from his hand. ‘That doesn’t make sense to me,’ she said, stepping back to give the blade a practice swing, ‘but, I suppose, neither does the Force, so I can’t say anything...’ She winked at him with a teasing grin.
‘The hilt bears weight but that’s it. And even that is lighter than a metal blades hilt so the attacks I imagine are quite different by comparison.’ he said in serious tones before giving a lopsided grin as she tested the blade. It suited her in his opinion and he wondered why he hadn’t thought of sparring before and decided she also was in need of a blade of her own. ‘Once we’re done sparring I’ll show you,’ he added in reference to showing the weight of a lightsaber by comparison to a normal sword. At her teasing and wink, he couldn’t resist a chuckle. ‘Even as a Force sensitive I don’t always understand how it works so you’re not alone,’ he admitted before grabbing a blade that had caught his eye. At Dormé’s suggestion, the young prince promptly tried the other blade and noticed the difference immediately. Giving her a grateful smile he proceeded to try some of the more basic moves that he normally used on his lightsaber and found that while it was awkward it wasn’t as bad as he feared.
Dormé’s grin widened at his chuckle, but when he grabbed a sword that was, in her opinion, going to be too awkward for him, she suggested a slightly heavier one, whose weight was more in the grip, which was closer to what he was describing a lightsaber was like. Once they decided on their blades, she got into position across from him, bowing formally before moving her weapon into position, her eyes remained locked on her opponent.
Moving into position, he watched his wife—now his opponent—closely and at her bow, just raised a brow curiously. ‘You’re an empress now, Dormé. There is no need to bow to me,’ Anakin replied obviously having long forgotten the traditions of the Naboo.
‘You’re supposed to bow to me too,’ Dormé replied, sending him a you should know this look. ‘Jedi don’t bow before fighting someone in a duel?’ Dormé wasn’t aware that the bowing was a tradition of showing respect to a person’s opponent.
‘Oh,’ came Anakin’s simple, but obviously embarrassed, reply as his cheeks warmed to her look. At her question he just shrugged, ‘Not really usually we just know when to begin so we don’t need warnings like that,’ he said figuring now this was a means of warning.
‘Oh,’ she replied, not really buying his explanation as to why he didn’t remember to bow.
Getting into position the young prince furrowed his brow feeling every bit a youngling who had flubbed up a technique and politely bowed back. ‘Better?’ he offered with a boyish smile as his eyes danced in mischief before he moved to attack although with some struggle, as he wasn’t used to the weight differences.
‘Yes, that’s much better,’ Dormé replied in an amused tone. But soon this gave way to her instinctive block and counter attack. He was moving slow, and she knew it would take time for him to get used to the new blade, but that didn’t mean she would go any easier on him.
Not wanting to admit that he never paid enough attention to spars to remember the traditions Anakin was quick to shrug it off but knew at Dormé’s reply that she saw right through it. But it wasn’t a thought that lingered and at her amused reply to his attempts to bow the young prince just gave a lopsided grin. As he moved to attack, he was caught off guard by the weight of the sword and soon grew frustrated at how sloppy it left him feeling. Dormé on the other hand moved about as though the blade was an extension of her arm. Had he not been so focused on blocking her attack the young prince would have been most enthralled to watch her in action. However because of his lack of experience with metal blades it took all of his attentions and efforts just to fight in the basic style he had long since mastered when he was a youngling, nevermind the more complex moves that was signature to him.
Seeing that she clearly had the advantage, Dormé couldn’t help showing off. From her mentor, she had learnt, quite harshly, that extraneous flair and flamboyancy only hurt a person in a duel. Instead of serving to distract, it merely left a person open to attack. In this case, however, she wanted to impress her husband. It really wasn’t a fair duel and after a bit, she decided to end it, disarming him and kicking his blade away, though as a Jedi he could easily call it back. The tip of her sword aimed dangerously at his chest while she smiled impishly at Anakin.
Anakin soon found himself on the defence as his wife proceeded to reveal that not only was she comfortable with a blade but incredibly skilled as well. In awe—and a hint of fear—he could only watch helpless as she proceeded to beat him without even breaking a sweat. As his blade was promptly tossed away from him and kicked aside, Anakin could only raise his hands in mock surrender as her sword was now aimed at his chest. ‘This has to be a first! Never have I been beaten by a non Force sensitive!’ he admitted before returning the impish grin as he added, ‘Now you must show me how you did that,’ he said refering to her flamboyant attacks.
Rewarded by the astonishment written in his features, Dormé happily agreed to showcasing some of her better moves. First, she walked over to pick up his blade and handed it back to him. After going through a few variations on a similar move in slower motion, she just shook her head.
Politely taking the blade from her, Anakin immediately took on the role of the Padawan learner as Dormé showed him some of her moves. Though the attacks were simplistic in design, they were powerful and already he was wondering how to incorporate them into his repertoire of attacks with his lightsaber. Following her movements, he soon began to have a feel for them and offering her a grateful smile he thanked her before giving her a quick kiss.
‘I know it’s nothing compared to what I’ve seen you do...like that time with Count Dooku...that was amazing, really... This is just simple choreography compared to that.’
‘It’s not really that hard it just looked impressive because the attacks had the Force influencing them,’ he sheepishly replied feeling oddly conscious of himself at her admiring words. ‘This, on the other hand, requires true skill because you have nothing else to depend on but yourself to achieve your success,’ he admitted as his expression turned admiring once more.
‘Then I certainly must be skilled if I was able to defeat a Jedi,’ she surmised, albeit poking fun at him, more than accepting the compliment. She gave him a kiss and winked at him.
Anakin raised a brow in amusement to her teasing before grinning at her wink and returning her kiss.
‘Do you have to have Force sensitivity to activate a lightsaber?’ she wondered. ‘Or to use one?’ Dormé wasn’t sure what they involved or the difference in weight and balance. She was just as eager to learn about them as she was to teach Anakin more about using blacksmith’s blades.
He just chuckled as he shook his head before gently taking her blade and putting it back on the supports along with his own. Then returning to her, the young prince unclasped his lightsaber from his hilt and offered it to her. ‘Anyone can handle a lightsaber you only need to be Force sensitive to create one and even then I think its more about tradition than anything else,’ he explained before showing her how to activate it.
Dormé carefully accepted the hilt from Anakin and listened carefully as he explained. In truth, she hadn’t ever been this close to one, let alone held one before. When she activated it and it hissed to life, she gasped, clutching it tightly with both hands. She was a little scared, knowing the harm this blade of light could cause and was glad that Anakin was nearby, for she was afraid she might hurt herself.
Anakin was careful to remain both near and watchful of Dormé. He could sense her fear as well as her awe and as she activated it he moved behind her. The slipping his hands over hers the young prince adjusted her grip so it wasn’t as tight. ‘There that’s much better,’ he murmured softly before kissing her cheek.
‘It’s so light,’ she commented in awe, though she was afraid to move.
At her words of awe he gave a soft chuckle in reply. ‘It is a bit of a contrast isn’t it? I know it takes some getting used to,’ he admitted before gently guiding her body to mimic one of the more simple attacks he had learnt years ago.
Dormé’s grip was extremely tight because she knew just how much damage it could cause. The most vivid memory was not of the Tuskan Raiders who fell to his blade, rather, it was the memory of Count Dooku slicing off Anakin’s own hand. Though the blade she carried had the same affect and she had just recently caused similar damage to Samukaa guards, for some reason the lightsaber was intimidating to her. ‘Yeah,’ she said, breathily, finally able to loosen her grip with Anakin’s prompting. With Anakin guiding her, she relaxed enough to learn a simple attack formation which made her a little more comfortable, but still very wary of the blade.
‘But in time it just becomes natural,’ he continued with a soft smile. Anakin loved Dormé’s fascination with the lightsaber and though she was nervous, he could already tell she would be good with one. Gently he showed her some of the simple attack formations guiding her as best he could and remarking about the similarities and differences between this formation and the one’s she used with the tasselled blade.
‘I think it’s the sound, the humming that’s a bit frightening,’ she admitted. ‘I’m not used to my weapons making noises at me.’
Pausing, he glanced to her as he bit his lip before getting an impish smile. ‘I have an idea. It’s not much, but it might help you with the sound. Although it does involve touching your thoughts so I’d need your permission first,’ he admitted not wanting to do anything she wasn’t aware of or would desire. In reality, all he wanted to do was touch her surface thoughts to distract her from the sound so she could focus on her movements instead. It was a very mild and almost entirely un-influential form of mind suggestion which he promptly made quite clear to Dormé lest he cause her to feel uncomfortable.
‘OK,’ she agreed, thinking it might help her not be so afraid of it. ‘While you’re in there,’ she said, referring to her mind, ‘you can read my thoughts about defeating you just now, if you want.’ Though Dormé was only teasing, she wasn’t sure what all a Jedi could do with their mind tricks and suggestions, unaware that the chancellor had just did so with her less than an hour ago.
Anakin gave her a lopsided grin and a wink, ‘Don’t worry, I won’t be doing that sort of probing. I’ll just be touching only your surface thoughts. Just enough to tune out the sound. That’s all,’ he assured her before falling silent as he cleared his thoughts and gently touched her own. As he did, Anakin could sense something was wrong. Though he couldn’t be entirely certain the young prince thought he could feel the fingerprints of another Force user on her thoughts. While he didn’t recognise who it was Anakin knew without question that someone had been in her mind. The marks were everywhere like silent warnings or blatant challenges. It was obvious the person responsible wasn’t expecting that they would be caught, either that or even cared if they did.
Unaware of who had invaded her thoughts, Dormé was pleasantly surprised at how much more comfortable she was with the lightsaber once the noise was no longer affecting her. Dormé began to like how the blade moved so swiftly, though the grip was a little awkward for her smaller hands.
Anakin decided to keep this to himself as he didn’t want to unnecessarily scare Dormé and knew he would need to look into this further. He had yet to comprehend that it was none other than the Chancellor who was speaking to her before that was responsible. So pushing this disconcerting thought of his mind Anakin began to focus on tuning out the sounds of the lightsaber from Dormé’s thoughts while beginning to show her another simple formation.
After going through a few formations with Anakin’s help, she got up the confidence to try it on her own. She was very conscious of where the blade was at all times and after a bit, it was tiring. ‘I feel like I have to concentrate so hard not to hurt myself,’ she said, smiling sheepishly as she deactivated it. ‘I guess that Force sensitivity helps with that too.’ She handed it back to him. ‘Thank you for letting me try it.’
Anakin did his best to keep his thoughts off his concerns and fears knowing that until he learnt more about the matter it would do little if any use to worry. Still he felt incredibly protective of Dormé and decided he would speak to his brother about the matter first chance he got. Obi-Wan was far more trained in such matters and would certainly know what to do.
Dormé was catching onto his lesson quite well and this pleased the young prince who knew she would be a natural. Watching her in silence as she tried to handle the lightsaber on her own Anakin couldn’t help but smile proudly she was indeed a quick learner and despite her fears, she was doing quite well.‘I think you did wonderfully myself. You have a natural talent for handling it despite the fact it wasn’t designed for your needs,’ he said proudly as he took the lightsaber that was offered back to him.
‘I don’t know about that,’ she said, blushing to his compliments.
He reattached it to his utility belt. ‘Thank you for teaching me how to handle a blacksmith’s blade,’ he said in reply before adding with a lopsided grin, ‘We must do this again and soon! After all its going to take more than one training session for me to master these metal blades.’
‘I promise I won’t beat you as badly next time,’ she teased before giving him a kiss. She then placed the weapons back in their resting places, stepping back to admire the collection once more. She knew Anakin would have to leave soon for his training and thought she just might have to surprise him with a new dish this evening when he returned. She smiled as she looked back at him with a knowing glance.
‘We need to find a proper blacksmith to make a blade for you,’ he commented in thoughtful tones as his expression softened to her smile. ‘It wouldn’t do to have us sparring on a regular basis without you having a proper blade to call your own,’ he admitted as he moved to slip his arms around her. Though he knew he’d have to leave soon to train, his thoughts were already looking forward to his return.
Upon his departure, Anakin’s thoughts immediately returned to the memory of what he had felt in her thoughts and with it came a rush of concern and fear. He wanted to know who it was that was touching her mind and why. It was disconcerting and the young prince wish he knew of a way to ensure it wouldn’t happen again.
:
:
:
:
