FanFiction.Net - unleash your imagination
| FanFiction.Net - unleash your imagination |
|
| Home Just In Communities Forums Beta Readers Dictionary Search | Login Register Extras |
Obsession
Co-written by Cariel and Jody
Obsession is like a disease.
It starts small and then this nagging in the back of the brain
Keeps pressing its way to the surface until it takes over your every waking thought.
It becomes undeniable and then you’re drowning with no escape, no way to surface.
The line between passion and obsession is a thousand shades of grey.
Under Chancellor Palpatine’s suggestion, Senator Amidala was spirited away to Naboo with her Jedi protector, Padawan Skywalker. Dormé was left as decoy to ensure Padmé’s safety and to uphold her position in regards to the Military Creation Act. Dormé was worried about portraying her accurately and worried that somehow someone would know she wasn’t the senator...that they would go after her mistress and kill her. Dormé wasn’t worried about her own safety. She ought to have been.
But his dearest love, Padmé, was hardly as friendly or kind as he remembered her and truthfully Anakin was a bit shocked by her cold composure. He missed the beautiful woman who could make his heart melt with a mere smile. However as they departed for Naboo Anakin found that his angel warmed up to him a bit and this gave him much hope.
Head pounding, Dormé awoke, having difficulty opening her eyes to register where she was. She was on a ship, she assumed, for the sounds she heard in this small room seemed like an engine. ‘There is no escape, Senator,’ the low voice of her helmet-wearing captor hissed at her.
‘At least he believes I’m her,’ she thought grimly, struggling to maintain consciousness.
Dormé then wondered why, for the sake of appearances, she hadn’t been granted her own Jedi protector.
HR
On Naboo, Padmé awoke to her emergency comm, signalling the captain trying to get ahold of her. Her first question, after finding out about the abduction, was whether or not Dormé had a chance to see to it that the Military Creation Act was defeated. The answer was that the Chancellor postponed the vote once more. Frustrated beyond belief, Padmé began trying to find a way to return to Coruscant without her bodyguard.
Anakin awoke early due to his nightmares and sensed that Padmé was also up. He was far more interested in spending time with her than meditating as Obi-Wan would have suggested, so he went to see her. He found Padmé sitting at a desk in one of the main chambers. She was already dressed for the day. ‘So are you usually up this early?’ he asked, trying to start a conversation with her.
‘Not if I can help it,’ Padmé replied before going back to her work.
‘I’m sorry if I woke you because of my nightmares.’
‘I didn’t wake up because of them. Can we talk about your nightmares later?’ Padmé said, trying to get him off her case so that she could find a way back to Coruscant.
‘My mother is dying!’ he suddenly exclaimed. ‘I have to go to Tatooine to save her!’
Padmé looked at him sympathetically. ‘I’m sorry, Ani.’ She didn’t exactly believe his nightmares boded absolute truth or if they were symbolic of other events. Either way, she didn’t have time to think about that at the moment. ‘Listen, Ani, my comm. went off and there’s a situation I’m trying to deal with right now.’
Anakin fell silent momentarily at her words, but nodded, though she couldn’t see it. ‘What situation?’ he had to ask.
‘Preventing the Military Creation Act from going forward,’ she curtly replied. ‘I must get back to Coruscant.’
‘But we just left—’
‘The situation has just become more complicated.’
‘But what about my mother?’ Anakin asked in concern.
‘Go to Tatooine, then. I’ll just tell them that I left without you, all right?’ She gave his hand a squeeze before rising to her feet.
Furious, Anakin yelled, ‘Return to Coruscant for all I care! And don’t bother changing your mind because I’ll be halfway to Tatooine by then!’
Padmé resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she headed for her ship.
As much as he wanted to remain here, keeping watch over his fallen mother’s burial site, Anakin knew if he stayed here any longer he would soon fall prey to the desert suns. With much reluctance, Anakin silently returned to the ship he had stolen. To his surprise and horror, there was a message waiting for him by none other than the members of the Jedi Council. How they managed to find the ship shouldn’t have been surprising, but for the Padawan who was still out of sorts from his use of the dark side, it was a shock. He respectively received the message and did his best to try and explain the situation. Needless to say, the Council members were hardly pleased and soon Anakin was departing for space once more. This time to find Amidala and the bounty hunter that had seized her during her journey back to Coruscant.
The coordinates pertaining to the abduction made no sense to Anakin, but he knew better than to question the Council, at least not when they were this angry with him. Though the additional information provided was far from solid, it was enough to prove accurate. He finally managed to track down the bounty hunter in question.
When the ship was within range, the Padawan began to fire shots at the main thrusters, ensuring that the bounty hunter would have little if any choice but to land. Anakin remained ever near to ensure that if anything went wrong, he could still step in and save his angel from a premature death. He had already lost someone he loved more than life itself; Anakin didn’t dare risk losing another.
The bounty hunter did not have time to reach for his blaster as she put her hands in the exact position she need to break his neck.
Now that she was free, her eyes turned to the blinking lights and the view ahead. She was going to crash on whatever this planet was. It was hard to make out where exactly they were, for she didn’t read Mandolorian and the torrential rain made the location hard to detect.
Unleashing a series of curses in her native tongue of Uriashian, Dormé tried pressing random buttons in an effort to land this ship.
Anakin watched as the ship spiralled out of control, leaving the Padawan cursing violently as he knew damned right well he didn’t hit anything that would cause the ship to lose that kind of control. Something had definitely gone wrong and now it was up to him to stop it. Suddenly a shot was fired off, forcing Anakin to swerve the starship before swiftly firing off more shots to render the blasters useless.
Dormé cursed her luck and the fact she hadn’t waited until landing before killing her captor. She accidentally caused the ship to fire, though she didn’t think or care if she had hit anyone or not. But she had, for shots were being fired at her!
Anakin scanned the controls before giving a sigh of relief upon discovering that it indeed had a grappling device of sorts. Though it wasn’t meant to handle such a large ship Anakin had little choice but to use it. Once the device had caught the ship Anakin soon discovered that the planets gravitational pull made controlling his ship as well as the bounty hunters nearly impossible. Even worse was the fact the planet they were being drawn into was entirely made of water. Anakin’s eyes widen in terror at the hellish sight as frantically he struggled to regain any semblance of control. It was a lost cause and as their ships crashed into the water Anakin screamed in fear as he struggled to find a way out of the ship while hoping that there would be land within reach.
Thankfully, the ship didn’t crash as the water cushioned the fall. ‘Praise Nisaba!’ Dormé exhaled before struggling to find a way out of this sinking ship. Finally accessing the door controls, she dove from the ship only to see the ship that had been firing on them, floating nearby, though slowly gaining water. She treaded water, looking around and spotting a platform in the distance. Despite the fog, it didn’t look to be very far.
Anakin in his panic rushed for the exit and immediately opened the side hatch causing a rush of water to throw him against the back wall before shoving him back out of the ship. Screaming at the top of his lungs the padawan attempted to grasp onto the rapidly sinking ship only to find his fingers slipping from the force of the water that was pouring into the opened hatch. It was then that he caught sight of another in the water. Her Force signature didn’t read like Padmé’s which normally would have confused him Anakin was too panicked to care and was soon crying out for their help between Huttese curses as he didn’t know how to swim.
Dormé slipped out of the heavier gown that was over her shift, as it was weighing her down, but she was unable to get off the headgear that was practically stitched to her head. Deciding to just head for land, she heard someone crying out and looked to see the young man panicking. Drawing closer, she saw that it was none other than Jedi Skywalker.
‘It’s all right,’ she tried to tell him. ‘Land’s not far. Just calm down and head in this direction—’ But Dormé’s words seemed to fall on deaf ears, as he was barely swimming, let alone listening to her.
Anakin screamed to the heavens and cried out the Force in his native tongue but as the waves began to pull him under he began to cry out for his mother. As though the gods, the Force or the heavens had heard his plea Anakin heard a voice crying out to him in the distance.
‘Jedi Skywalker—Anakin!’ she yelled, trying to get him to listen.
Though he couldn’t make out what they were saying the Padawan heard his name and focusing his attentions on it Anakin struggled to stay above the water. However he was no swimmer and as another wave crashed over him the Jedi Padawan succumbed to the undercurrent and began to be pulled under. Flailing under the water, he tried to return to the surface but his boots were heavy, as was his utility belt. But in his panic this went missed and as Anakin’s lungs burned with the lack of oxygen all he could think of was the strange accented voice that called his name.
Please save me, whoever you are, goddess, angel, nightmare please... were his final thoughts before the inky blackness of unconsciousness consumed his mind.
As soon as she reached the struggling Padawan, Dormé knew he was not able to make it. The stormy waters kept trying to drag him under and it was all she could do to focus on his location. She grabbed him by his belt, hoisting him back up as the waters threatened to take him home. He was unconscious and she thought he might have suffered a head wound during the crash. But there wasn’t time to inspect him. She needed to get the both of them to dry land.
The Jedi was heavy as she attempted to get him on her back so she could swim with one arm to the shore in the distance. She was exhausted by the time she got them to land, but was concerned for him. She didn’t think about why he was here or that she had been captured. The only thing on her mind was to revive the Jedi. After what seemed like hours of slipping and sliding, trying to heave the Jedi Padawan up the inclined structure, she finally laid him on what appeared to be a landing pad.
Anakin registered none of Dormé’s actions though in his dreams and state of unconsciousness he did feel someone pulling him upwards and felt cold air hitting his body.
‘Jedi Skywalker—Anakin—’ she said as she rested him on his back, checking for a pulse and signs of injury. Finding that he had no visible wounds and that his pulse was beating rapidly, she titled his chin back and administered rescue breathing.
Coughing violently, the Padawan struggled to gasp deep gulps of air. As his eyes took in his watery surroundings, Anakin began to panic and swiftly scrambled backwards until he was pressed against the back wall. His eyes were wild and rolling as he stared ahead as for the moment he had yet to register the one who had saved him or be reminded of the mission he was supposed to be on. But in time his eyes settled on Dormé and staring at her in fear he began to ramble in his native tongue once more. ‘Where are we? Get me out of here, I can’t swim, the sea monsters! They’re coming!’ he rambled aimlessly on.
The Jedi was speaking in a tongue she had heard before, but did not understand, though she could tell he was panicking again. This was hardly going to get them off of this planet and though she was frustrated, she knew she had to calm him down—or at least get him to speak in Basic.Clothed in only the sheer gown worn underneath the heavy senate gown she shucked off in order to swim, Dormé crawled over to him and put her hands on either side of his face. ‘Look at me,’ she said commandingly. She spoke kindly, but loud enough to be heard over the thunder. ‘Breathe, Anakin...’
Feeling the stranger’s hands on either side of his face Anakin’s snapped back to reality though his breathing was quick and in short gasps. His eyes focussed on hers as he weakly nodded though it was a struggle not to look down at the water all around them. ‘I can’t...The water...everywhere...I can’t swim...’ he mumbled this time in Basic between gasps of air. But the more he studied Dormé the more confused he became. ‘Who are you? Where’s the Senator?’ he stammered as only now the memory of his mission returned to him.
Dormé had a feeling it was because of the ordeal and that the water scared him that the Jedi failed to recognise her. ‘According to that bounty hunter I am the senator,’ Dormé replied. ‘I’m Dormé. We’ve met before, though I wouldn’t expect you to remember me.’
Anakin’s eyes widened at Dormé’s confession and he could only stare at her in shock as she explained herself. He could only stare as she brushed back his braid behind his ear. ‘Oh Force,’ he finally breathed. ‘She never told you where she was going? And you were her cover? That means the Council doesn’t know where she is either and sent me after you thinking you were Padmé,’ Anakin thought aloud before a new wave of fear poured over him.
As the rain pelted down on the pair, Dormé brushed his braid behind his ear. ‘And according to everyone else, I’m the senator—though shouldn’t you be with her right now? I thought you were assigned to protect her.’
‘Iquicha-we,’ he muttered as his eyes flickered to the rain. ‘That means she could be anywhere and Force only knows what kind of trouble too!’ Rising to his feet he glanced around quickly. ‘We need to find a ship and get off this hellish place as soon as possible!’
‘She told me she was going to Naboo with you under the guise of being working class people, remember?’ Dormé said, rolling her eyes. ‘I’ve been her cover ever since!’ She couldn’t believe the Jedi was truly that dense. It had been his job to protect Padmé, so why would she have any clue where Padmé was right now?
Anakin frowned at her reply as he gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Yes, yes I’m well aware of that. But she never tried to contact you after she took of from Naboo? At the very least did she tell you where she was going?’ he continued in agitation.
‘No, she sort of couldn’t contact me,’ Dormé retorted. ‘I was a little busy fending off attacks and being abducted...as you can see.’ It would soon become extremely annoying how obsessed the Jedi was with her mistress.
Anakin turned crimson at Dormé’s statement realizing she was correct. ‘She only said she had to leave because something happened with the senate., but I had to go to Tatooine because my mother—’ he glanced away quickly trying to bury the memories this encouraged before forcing himself to continue. ‘We got separated to say the least,’ he concluded stiffly before raising a brow at her statement.
‘These people obviously put out for my—Amidala’s—capture, but if there’s any way off this planet it would be through them,’ she said. Dormé rose to her feet as well and looked around. It seemed as though they were stranded. They would have to speak to the locals. Water surrounded them. At least the Jedi was conscious and somewhat coherent.
She headed for the entryway ahead of them and stepped inside, adjusting the gown that clung to her and diadem that was slipping, but not quite falling out. She could only wonder what sort of impression she would make on these people who had obviously ordered her capture.
‘How do you know it was these people who wanted the senator?’ he asked curiously as he chased after her only to pause as they stepped inside. ‘Furrowing his brow he took in the factory like setting and blinked in confusion and curiosity. ‘What is this place anyways?’ he murmured.
Dormé quickly headed inside, ready to see about asking the locals what they wanted with her and how she could return to Coruscant. She looked at him when he mentioned being separated and that he said he needed to see to his mother. At any rate, whatever was going on, they needed to get off this planet. They were both dripping wet and the inside of the facility was hardly warm. Folding her arms around herself, she shivered as they began making their way through the building. ‘How do you think I know?! Obviously they wanted me—her—for some reason. Why else would my captor bring me here?!’
‘But your captor didn’t bring you here on purpose; they only did that because I shot out their controls and thrusters. I forced them to make this crash landing. For all we know they could have been taking you somewhere else entirely!’ the Padawan tried to argue before once more chasing after the petite woman who walked even faster. How someone who was so short could move so fast was beyond him.
She rolled her eyes, trying to walk faster to keep warm. ‘Does it matter?’ she replied, getting annoyed with all of his questions. ‘We just need to find a ship and—’ Dormé stopped dead in her tracks as she looked around to see all of the armed and armour-wearing men, not registering they looked the same. Grasping Anakin’s arm in fear, she prayed his lightsaber was still functional, despite the dip in the ocean.
‘I never said it does! I just said how can you be so sure they are your captors!?’ Anakin grumbled before falling silent as he stared ahead at the millions of soldiers. The first thing he registered was that they all bore the exact same Force signature and this alone sent a chill down his spine and shortly there after he noticed that even more eerie was the fact they looked exactly the same. It was only when he felt Dormé’s hand against his arm did he remember to breathe once more.
‘By the Force they’re all the same!’ he gasped in horror. His eyes flickered to Dormé as he shook his head preparing to leave. ‘Maybe we should find another entrance,’ he murmured before the door slid open behind them causing the Jedi Padawan to jump.
Why this Jedi felt he had to talk her ear off instead of figure out a way off this planet was beyond her. Dormé was about to yell at him to shut up when they entered a larger room and stumbled upon the soldiers. ‘Good idea!’ she agreed before the doors opened. Dormé whipped around to see the strange creature approaching.
‘My apologies that we weren’t able to come to your aid sooner,’ came a polite voice that briefly fell silent. Anakin was unaware of the fact the towering female was taking in his garb and had come to the conclusion that he was from the same Order as Master Kenobi, marking him as an ally. As for Dormé she was unfamiliar with her and believed she was someone that the young man had rescued. She had no idea that it was in reality the other way around.
Dormé straightened up, though not moving an inch from the Jedi’s side. She suddenly felt extremely short.
Anakin whipped around about the same time and stared in wide eyed wonder to the towering form that stood before them. ‘That’s quite alright. But we are—Senator Amidala—I mean—is in need of transport home as her ship had been abducted and now sits on the bottom of your world. fortunately her abductor is now lost along with it,’ Anakin said thinking quickly as he remembered how Obi-Wan would could politely negotiate his way out of almost anything.
The Kaminoian woman studied them both curiously but was already aware of the situation as security had informed her of the ships that had crashed near to the factories. ‘Of course we will assist you as best as we can though you will have excuse us as it will take a bit to procure a ship that will be suited for the two of you, master—’ she paused.
‘Padawan Skywalker,’ Anakin reluctantly admitted. The tall woman gave a smile as she nodded. ‘Of course Padawan Skywalker and Senator Amidala this way please,’ she said politely moving to guide them away from the factory to a more peaceful location where she informed them they would rest until they found them a ship.
Dormé followed the woman, trying to appear official and commanding like her mistress, though she was distrusting of the Kaminoan. She found herself in a minimalist living area with two bedrooms a kitchen and fresher. It seemed as though they would be staying awhile. Though she hoped this wasn’t a trap, it seemed to be growing into one quickly.
Anakin had no idea what to make of the woman as her Force signature revealed nothing threatening, despite its unusual formation. But he was familiar with the fact that non human’s held different designs and auras and thus paid it little mind. It was only Dormés guarded aura that kept him focussed on the Kaminoan woman’s thoughts. Which for the most part were distant but entirely civil. It would seem she regarded Anakin as an ally and wanted to treat him and the Senator properly.
‘How long can we expect to hear about the transport?’ she enquired after briefly glancing around their accommodations.
Anakin tried to hide his concern over the many massive windows while Dormé spoke to the towering woman who politely explained to her that they would have something properly prepared for them by morning.
‘And would it be too much to ask about additional clothing or a means of drying ours?’
She grew apologetic as she politely explained the only garbs they had for humanoids were for males but she would see if she could conjure something up for the Senator to wear while they dried their other garbs. ‘I will return shortly with something appropriate for you both.’
‘Thank you and for your hospitality,’ Dormé replied graciously, giving a slight bow to the tall woman. She wondered why this place would hold so many men, such a large army of them, but kept these questions to herself as the woman left to fetch them something to change into. Paying little heed to the Jedi, she went toward the mini kitchen to look for something to warm them up. There were few items she recognised and most were of Mandalorian origin, which did not surprise her. It did, however, add to her suspicions that her captor had in fact intended to bring her here, though for what reason, she could not be certain.
Anakin poked around in the rooms and found all of them had large windows all of which revealed his deepest fears. Frowning he returned to the kitchen which was the only one that seemed to lack windows and remained there until the Kaminoan woman returned.
When the woman returned, Dormé politely thanked her once more before handing over the male garb to Anakin. ‘Here.’
Anakin promptly stripped down before the two women and clambered into them. ‘They’ll do,’ he said with a polite nod to the shocked Kaminoan woman who wondered if Master Kenobi was as brazen as this Jedi.
Examining her own and finding it incredibly revealing, too long for her short frame and hardly warm-looking, she surmised, ‘It’ll suffice until our clothes have dried...’
The Kaminoan gave a polite smile and informed them that should they need anything further not to hesitate to contact one of their servants who would be more than happy to assist them. Then without another word spoken she departed.
Once alone, Anakin looked at Dormé oddly. ‘How come you’re not changing?’ he remarked curiously before adding with a smirk. ‘Or do you enjoy running around in soaking wet clothes?’
Dormé was more concerned with being polite and keeping up appearances of Senator Amidala than changing, so she waited until the woman left before setting the enormous gown on the edge of a nearby chair. At his question she raised a brow at him, noting he had already changed. ‘You’re fast,’ she said, shocked at how quickly he changed. She then set about stripping down, only to find the gown was just as she expected. ‘All right,’ she decided, ‘I am not wearing this.’
Anakin shrugged and gave a lopsided grin before picking up his sopping clothes as Dormé changed before him. Once she was done the Jedi Padawan took one look and burst out laughing. ‘No kidding. You look like a complete fool!’ he remarked between laughter.
To Dormé, it felt awkward and she wasn’t about to hold the skirt up and haul it around while trying to cook. It just wasn’t going to work. Instead, she shirked it off once more and padded into the nearest bedroom.
Snickering, Anakin promptly gave his wet things to a droid who would dry them before sauntering off to the kitchen. Upon opening cupboards and the refrigeration unit Anakin soon discovered there was nothing premade or even remotely edible that didn’t involve some semblance of cooking skills, which he didn’t come close to having.
In the bedroom, Dorme found a sheet which she skilfully wrapped and tied around her like a sleeveless gown. ‘Much better,’ she said, grinning, proud of her accomplishment. She then tended to putting their clothes in a droid that would dry them before returning to the kitchen.
Upon her return, Anakin paused as he studied her in surprise and admiration. ‘You made that?’ he asked obviously impressed.
Emerging from the bedroom, Dormé raised an eyebrow at the impressed Jedi Padawan. ‘What?’
‘It certainly looks far better than that silly outfit they gave you,’ he remarked with a smirk.
She just shook her head at his comment as she set about fixing something for them to eat. ‘I have no idea what that is,’ she commented, tossing it back in the refrigeration unit.
‘Me neither,’ he admitted before taking a seat on the counter as he watched her pull out some ingredients. ‘Want some help?’ he offered feeling the need to at least make himself useful in some small way.
‘I think I’ve got it covered,’ Dormé replied politely, though she would soon come to realise it would take more time to cook when Anakin decided to help. At any rate, the meagre dinner was fixed and consumed, though Dormé unconsciously hoped, for some reason, that the Jedi wouldn’t assume this was the best she could do in the kitchen.
Eventually, they had to settle for something bland, rather than mistakenly poison themselves with a foreign substance. Dormé figured it was better to be safe. The storm continued raging outside, but Dormé was unaffected by the rain. If she had her way, she would have only wished for warmer weather so she could wash her hair outside.
The dinner itself wasn’t Anakin’s favourite but it was good and given that he was hungry certainly helped. Afterwards he lingered about in the kitchen while doing some mild Force training techniques as he didn’t want to be witness to the storm outside. But when it was time to retire for the night the Padawan was hesitant to go into the rooms. Both were filled with windows and neither seemed peaceful by his standards.
Once it was time to retire for the night, she asked him which bedroom he would prefer, for she didn’t mind either way.
‘Whatever one has the smaller windows,’ he said finally at her offer. Once a room was chosen he was swift to use the sheets and blankets to cover the windows in the hopes he’d be able to sleep without nightmares of sea creatures devouring him.
Dormé chuckled when he chose the room with smaller windows, but remembered her undergarment gown that was now dry and took it with her to her room. She slipped out of the sheet and into bed, sleeping naked as she was accustomed to. However, her sleep was interrupted when Anakin cried out loudly in the next room before she heard a loud thud.
Just when Anakin was about to drift into sleep, a loud crash was heard as the water hit against the glass causing him to scream aloud in terror. In an attempt to fly from his bed Anakin got tangled in his sheets and promptly fell face first onto the floor.
Springing from her bed, she drew on the gown and swiftly as she could before darting into his room.’
Anakin struggled to get out of his sheets but in his panic he completely forgot to use the Force to rid himself of them. As such when Dormé opened the door to his quarters Anakin could do little else save looking up even though his mouth was mostly covered in sheet. ‘Stupid echuta damned sheets,’ he grumbled in agitation before adding in equally muffled tones, ‘Iquich-we Forcesaken planet, cursed water dump,’ he grumbled while attempting to disentangle himself as he caught Dormé’s words of concern. ‘Does it look like I’m okay?’ he hissed before another clap of thunder that was in actuality water splashing against the glass caused him to scream once more as he practically scooted his cocooned form under the bed.
Dormé was more shocked and concerned than amused at first. He was cursing and grumbling, but she wanted to be sure the Jedi was all right. ‘Are you OK?’ she asked, going over to his tangled-in-sheets-form. ‘Anakin—’ Then the ocean water splashed against the window and she put two and two together. She fell to her knees, peering under the bed at the Jedi. ‘Are you going to sleep under there? It doesn’t look very comfortable... Come on out of there, Anakin.’
Only when he was out from under the bed that he registered this and looking to the ceiling he uttered another curse in Huttese. While he had no qualms about his body, he had long since learnt from his Master that being naked while in a lady’s presence was hardly appropriate. Even if it was obvious to him that Dormé had no problems about being naked around him. ‘This just gets better by the minute,’ he groused before catching Dormé’s offer while dragging the sheets from under the bed.
The last thing Dormé wanted was to have to crawl under the bed to fish him out lest there were bugs of any kind underneath it. Dormé was deathly afraid of creepy-crawlies of any sort and though the place they were staying in was incredibly clean, she wasn’t about to take any chances. Recalling what one of the other handmaidens had done when Ellé was afraid her first night on Coruscant, she kindly offered, ‘I can stay here with you if you want...’
Glancing back to her, the Padawan gave a shy smile as he nodded. ‘I’d like that,’ he admitted sheepishly before returning to the task of finding his lost boxers.
If anything about this situation was amusing, it had to be the fact that he was cocooned in sheets, cursing and struggling to get out of them. She offered to stay with him if it would help him sleep as he struggled to look through the sheets for something. Dormé had no idea that he was looking for his boxers and assumed he slept in the nude as well. He said he preferred her to stay, so following his example, she removed her gown and moved to help him straighten out the sheets, which is what she assumed he was doing. As she set about flattening the sheets, she noticed something of a startling different colour and went to pick it up. It was only when she had it in her hands that she knew what it was. ‘Ah...I believe these are yours?’ she said, grinning.
Anakin didn’t notice that Dormé had already shucked out of her gown and quickly looked through the sheets with the intent of retrieving his boxers. As much as he didn’t mind being naked he didn’t want to reflect badly on Dormé as ultimately it would reflect the Senator’s opinion of him. Dormé however found the boxers before he did and at her words his eyes widened as he snatched them from her. ‘There they are!’ he remarked as his cheeks grew even warmer. It was only then that he realized she was as naked as he was which caused him to glance over to where her gown now rested. ‘Oh,’ the Padawan stated simply before grinning in relief. ‘I hate sleeping with these things on anyways, always gets tangled up in the sheets—as you already can tell,’ he said as he tossed the boxers aside.
Dormé eyed the red boxers with amusement. Though she couldn’t say she didn’t find them fascinating, the Jedi quickly tossed them across the room. She smiled at him, glad to see they were of the same mind about sleeping arrangements and that neither of them had an issue about clothing.
‘Were you serious? I mean about keeping me company for a bit,’ Anakin asked sheepishly.
She turned her head to the side, wondering why he asked.
‘I think being here would be more bearable if I at least had someone to talk to,’ he continued in almost shy tones. Gone was the cocky Padawan who couldn’t be silent if he tried and in its place was the little boy who was terrified by rain and large bodies of water because of the memories it encouraged.
She bit her lip before nodding. ‘If you’d like me to,’ she replied.
Anakin gave a shy smile at her reply as he nodded. ‘I’d appreciate it,’ he admitted before collecting the sheets and returned to the bed. ‘I’ve always been frightened by large bodies of water and thunderstorms,’ he said sheepishly before quickly adding. ‘But not many know this so please don’t tell anyone. Please don’t tell the Senator, I’d die of embarrassment if Padmé knew.’
Dormé helped him straighten out the sheets, as was her original intention. She then climbed in next to him. At his confession, she gave his shoulder a squeeze. ‘Your secret’s safe with me,’ she said.
Anakin studied her intently and at her words and touch he smiled in gratitude and appreciation. ‘Thank you,’ he said quietly before further admitting why which left him realizing something else entirely.
As his eyes flickered to the windows now covered by blankets, he continued quietly, ‘Where I’m from, heavy rainfall means flooding and death. But that’s only because on Tatooine it never rains and when it does, it’s known to destroy entire cities,’ Anakin said softly. ‘I almost lost my mo—’ he fell silent suddenly as he quickly glanced away and gave a deep sigh forcing himself to steady his thoughts. ‘My mother almost died from the floods when I was still a youngling.’
Her eyes widened upon hearing about his fear and the reason behind it. She had only heard the name Tatooine in passing, and knew it was in the Outer Rim, but that was about it. Her amount of travel consisted mostly of Naboo and Coruscant, rarely accompanying the senator anywhere else...or at least not until Cordé died.
‘You know, I’ve actually never told anyone that before. I know Master Kenobi knows I’m terrified of large bodies of water and of rainstorms but I think you’re now the only one who knows why,’ he admitted shyly.
‘Where I’m from, the rain was the only thing that made anything grow...the only thing that made it look pretty,’ Dormé said softly. ‘When there was a drought, it was so dreary and lifeless...’
Anakin fell silent. It was hard to imagine a place where rain wasn’t frightening, where only life was left in its wake not death. Though the thought of being caught in a rainstorm still frightened him Anakin found himself curious to witness Dormé’s version of rain. He wondered if he’d ever witness it, and if it would frighten him as much as this place did.
Dormé’s thoughts turned dark and she decided it would be a good idea to talk about something else. reclining back and adjusting the pillow behind her, she asked, ‘Have you heard any tales of Naboo before? Whenever I wanted to escape from—’ she began, but stopped herself short before beginning again, ‘When I was little I often daydreamed about running away or being rescued and so once I became a handmaiden and learnt to read, I began collecting tales...’
He felt her mood shift and was about to ask her if she was alright but his new friend was soon getting comfortable and changing the subject. Shaking his head at her question he grew intrigued and was about to ask if she’d share some with him when once more Dormé faltered. Her next words only confused him all the more. ‘You wanted to run away? Why?’ he blurted unaware of the taboo topic he had stumbled upon.
Dormé was caught off-guard when the Jedi questioned her. ‘I didn’t want to—I did,’ she admitted softly. ‘It’s not something I talk about...it’s...well, not many people know—no one really knows the truth...’ She fell silent for a moment as she exhaled, before meeting his eyes once more. He had told her his secret, hadn’t he? It was only fair she told him hers in return. ‘Since I was a youngling I worked in the factories...’ Dormé went on to explain how she saved up to leave and finally made it to the palace, grateful to be accepted into service to the queen who soon became the senator.
Anakin’s eyes widened in surprise at her admittance. Truthfully he thought she was just teasing him when she suggested that she wanted to run away. Like the many times he wanted to run away from the temple because he hated how strict it was, though of course he never did. But this was real and very serious and as her eyes met his own Anakin found himself unable to respond when she admitted to having worked in the factories as a youngling. He knew what it was like to be a slave but had never known the kind of hardships Dormé spoke of. In fact, as she explained how she had to save up for her escape and how she had finally made it to the palace Anakin slowly began to realize just how fortunate he truly was. All this time he believed himself to be a knight in the making, a true warrior but now he knew the truth and it humbled him. The petite woman beside him was everything he wanted to become and in that moment Anakin suddenly felt incredibly unworthy to be in her presence.
She didn’t tell him that they didn’t know her true background yet, for she didn’t know how much she could trust Anakin. She shrunk down a little, feeling her cheeks burning.
Anakin finally registered her embarrassment and shame immediately felt terrible for encouraging her to speak of things she didn’t want to discuss. He slipped his arms around her and drew her into a tight embrace. ‘I promise I won’t tell anyone either,’ he said quietly before adding in sheepish tones. ‘But to be honest, I think you are really incredible.’
Dormé’s cheeks flushed as he hugged her, but it contrastingly gave her courage to return it. She knew she was unworthy of his words, but couldn’t explain why she wanted to believe it anyway. As they pulled back slightly, she looked into his eyes and had the urge to kiss him, but she refrained, a bit surprised by this desire. After all, she hadn’t even considered him in that way after how this all came about.
Anakin gave Dormé a squeeze before pulling back slightly though for some reason he was almost hesitant to do so as though there was a sense of peace and something else he couldn’t quite explain in her arms. But when their eyes met the confusion only worsened as though some part of him deep within was stirring to life and was trying to make him aware of something.
‘That’s not all...you can’t tell anyone, least of all my mistress...’ She was ashamed of this fact even more than her background. ‘I’m not a Jaffa,’ she said, as though the name would mean anything to anyone who was not from Naboo. Dormé explained her mother’s disinherited state and the reason for Dormé’s use of her grandfather’s name. ‘So you can see I’m hardly incredible,’ she admitted ruefully.
He blinked when she admitted that she truly wasn’t a Jaffa. How that was important he couldn’t say but it obviously was as Dormé was very shamed by it for some reason. As she furthered explained the reasons the history behind why she lied about her title Anakin grew even more confused. ‘I think it’s terrible that you have to pay the price for your mother’s actions! And what kind of grandfather is so mean he wouldn’t even try to help his own granddaughter? Yes he’s angry at your mother but how is that your fault? You didn’t even do anything!’ Anakin said fiercely feeling incredibly protective of his new friend. Sighing deeply he began to calm as he stretched out himself and unconsciously began to play with Dormé’s long hair.
‘Personally, I still think you’re incredible and a far greater person than either your mother or grandfather. They should be proud of you for your courage and bravery if you ask me,’ he said in sincere tones.
Anakin’s exclamations surprised Dormé, for she had little sense of self-worth before becoming a handmaiden and for anyone to be defensive of her or backing her up was almost surreal. It was as though this were a dream and she had yet to wake up. But the more she thought about it, the more she realised that it was because he wasn’t from Naboo. That had to be the only reason why he would not think horribly of her for what she did. Her eyes drifted to where his fingers played with her hair. Though they were no longer touching, to Dormé it felt as though he had touched her far deeper than anyone else in her life. His words only served to confirm this. It would be rude to reject his concluding words, so she remained silent, but looked back into his blue eyes and smiled.
Anakin could feel her emotions through the Force and was confused by them. It was as though she both disbelieved his words and yet longed to believe them. However upon learning what little he had of Dormé’s past Anakin couldn’t blame her for it. As their eyes met once more he shyly returned her smile and silently slipped his arm around her petite waist once more. Though he barely knew her Anakin felt a connection with the petite handmaiden and while they both came from very different backgrounds the Padawan couldn’t deny the fact she was like a kindred spirit to him. Though if asked he wouldn’t truly be able to explain why. But in that moment it really didn’t matter either as he was just happy to have made a new friend. Just as he was so grateful for the distraction she provided from the rain.
The waves crashed against the windows he covered up, but her thoughts drifted to the stories that often allowed her to escape in her mind.
Without asking him, she began recalling aloud a tale of the Old Guard, fantastic adventures, and maidens in distress. Though she changed it so it was about Uriash instead of Theed or another ancient capital city, her voice was low and smooth.
As Dormé spoke of the Old Guard Anakin listened in contented silence as he continued to play with her long hair. Her voice was soft and rich with the soft lilt of her accent adding a sense of mystery to her words and despite his wish to stay awake and listen to as many tales as possible Anakin in time began to drift off to sleep in her arms. Such a peaceful rest he had never known and wouldn’t soon forget.
Dormé enjoyed the feeling of his fingers in her hair and his other arm wrapped securely around her. It was all she could do to return the gesture as she continued her tale. It was awhile before Dormé noticed her new friend had fallen asleep. She figured at first that he was just resting his eyes but as he softly snored, she knew he was asleep. This brought a small smile to her face as she concluded the story.
Listening to the rain, Dormé’s eyes became heavy as well and as she fell asleep, she snuggled up closer to him and was soon in the world of dreams. Dormé had never felt so peaceful nor as reluctant to wake as she did this evening in the arms of the most unlikely person. Her dreams of the Old Guard contained a face this time, her knight being none other than Anakin Skywalker, though she would not remember these dreams when she awoke.
She did not regard him in the same light as her lovers. At eighteen, she was far more experienced than most girls the same age as her. However, what she had in experience, she lacked in maturity. This night would become something sacred in her mind, in a place no one could touch.
The reason this fic is rated M is for sex/sexual abuse and violence.
Coming up-- Senator Bail Organa receives some startling news and Padmé returns to Coruscant.