"I don't believe you. That doesn't sound at all like, Obi-Wan."
Padmé was sitting on the bottommost stone step at the edge of the lake, her legs dangling over so that only the tips of her toes touched the water. It was a spectacularly sunny day on Lake Varykino, and her and Anakin had spent the better part of the morning sitting in a shady spot under the trees by the water. He had wasted no time in starting their day together, banging on her chamber doors just as the sun broke across the lake's water. She suspected he had another nightmare, but having slept soundly all through the night, had no way of knowing for sure and decided not to inquire. His behavior at breakfast certainly didn't suggest that he had. On the contrary, he seemed more relaxed than he had since their departure from Coruscant.
A couple leaves fell from above. Anakin had climbed a nearby tree and was now comfortably straddling one of its branches. He sat upright, looking out onto the lake. He was still wearing his sleeping tunic and the fabric rippled across his chest as a light breeze passed.
"Ask him yourself!" he said confidently. "Obi-Wan and I didn't exactly mind meld when he took me as his padawan."
"I don't doubt that. But to nearly drown you – that, I do not believe."
Anakin was already shaking his head. "He will never in a million years admit to it, but he did. Listen," He shifted on the branch, readjusting his position. "To be fair, Obi-Wan had already racked up a fair amount of noteworthy, uh, incidents and disciplinary meetings on my behalf in just the first few months, and to suggest that maybe he couldn't stomach one more is probably not an untrue statement.
"Obi-Wan – he scared me. Terrified me. He was so different from Master Qui-Gon. I could never tell what he was thinking. All he did was meditate and drink tea. Lots of tea. He never got angry, but he never seemed too happy with me either. It drove me insane never knowing what he was thinking. What he was feeling...
"So when he told me to jump, I sort of froze, you know? I knew I couldn't swim, but I didn't want him to know that. Well, I guess I must have taken too long because next thing I know I feel this hand on my back and I'm flying headfirst into the water."
"He pushed you?" Padmé exclaimed, eyes widening.
"Yup!" Anakin said enthusiastically. "And I hit that water hard. I think that's what threw me off more than anything. Well, anyway – I just sank . And all I could think about was my mom and Qui-Gon and how this would look to them. And I start flailing around, not even sure what direction I'm pushing myself in, and then something grabs me by my hair and yanks me upwards."
"Obi-Wan," Padmé said.
"Yes, Obi-Wan. Looking every bit annoyed and not at all concerned that he had just nearly lost his apprentice." He considered this, and added, "Probably disappointed…"
"Then what happened?" Padmé prodded, ignoring him.
"Well, turns out my flailing had kind of propelled me forward so we weren't that far from shore. So he drags me the rest of the way, tosses me onto the shore, and before I can even catch my breath, he has me on my feet, slaps my back and says, 'Let's go.' And just like that, he's gone."
Padmé's mouth hung open in astonishment, looking like she was on the brink of laughter.
"So I just stand there like a drowned lothcat and Master Windu is still there too. And he kind of gives me this look, like he wants to say something, but instead he just shrugs and runs off after Obi-Wan."
Padmé started giggling. Anakin's stomach somersaulted at the sound.
"I think that was the first time I ever saw Master Windu's expression change," he added with a laugh.
"Sounds to me like Obi-Wan saved your life," Padmé said.
"That's one way of looking at it," he scoffed.
"Can you swim now?"
"You bet I can!" he said, and he pulled his tunic off over his head in one swift movement.
"I didn't mean right now ," Padmé said exasperatedly.
Anakin wasn't listening, however. Or he simply did not care what she had meant. He tossed the shirt aside and looked at Padmé, whose expression looked as though she was trying very hard not to laugh – not exactly the reaction to his bare chest he would've hoped for. Not that he was hoping for anything, obviously. "What?" he asked, a note of defiance coming through.
"You look ridiculous," she said gesturing to his ruffled hair.
Frowning slightly, he peered into the lake trying to get a look at his reflection. "Sorry, your highness, not all of us have an entire staff dedicated solely to their hair. Maybe I should have Teckla try something on me." He looked over at the handmaiden, who was a little ways away clearing their abandoned breakfast from the table out on the stone patio. "What do you think, Teckla? Think you could improve my look?"
Teckla, who had been listening in on their entire conversation, looked up from her balancing act of plates and smiled at him. "It would be a tough job, but I think I'd be up to the task."
Anakin clapped his hands together. "Wizard! I'm thinking I'd like to go more edgy."
Teckla raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought perhaps you'd want to take the same route as Master Kenobi and go with the – uh – feathered fluff."
"You've been talking to Sabé," Padmé chided, pursing her lips amusedly. Teckla shrugged, but didn't correct her.
Anakin nose wrinkled at these words. He gave his reflection another look, this time attempting to style his hair in a manner representative of anything other than the alleged "feather fluff" handmaidens swooned over.
"Obi-Wan would not be amused," Padmé said in a very matter of fact tone.
"All the more better," he said flashing her a sly grin and ruffling his hair back to its natural state. Padmé shook her head and turned her attention back toward the water. She glanced down at her toes and saw her reflection smiling back at her. Perhaps this was the great threat Obi-Wan spoke of. An unauthorized Jedi makeover and an over-relaxed senator. Yes, this would send the Order into a frenzy.
"M'LADY!"
Padmé instinctively jumped to her feet and went to grab her blaster, which, of course, was not there, as she was wearing only a sheer, summer gown. She whirled around. There on the patio was Teckla skirting across the length of the veranda, waving her arms frantically above her head. The pile of dishes that had once been so meticulously balanced upon her hands, were now whizzing through the air in a sort of choreographed dance. Momentarily stunned, Padmé gaped up at the spectacle. Then, realization struck her. She turned to Anakin.
"Ani!" she shouted, taking a couple angry steps towards him as though she might climb up the tree and throttle him herself.
He smiled more broadly, his eyes still concentrating on his masterpiece. The plates were now swirling in a figure eight.
"Anakin!" she repeated more forcefully.
He gave her the merest half-glance. His brow creased as he raised his hand slightly. The assembly of dishes was now forming a single line, which zoomed around Teckla, causing a couple fallen leaves on the stone patio to fly into the air. The dishes did one last lap around the veranda before flying into the house, leaving the frightened handmaiden to stand alone on the veranda. A distant clattering came from inside indicating that they had - hopefully - made it to the pantry all in one piece.
Teckla gaped at them both looking thoroughly disheveled.
"If I could control him, I would!" Padmé insisted apologetically, breaking the silence, her voice shrill and pleading.
Teckla scurried into the house without a second look. Padmé rounded on Anakin, frowning.
"What?" he laughed after a moment.
Padmé grabbed a small rock from the ground and threw it hard at him. "Why must you torture her so?" she asked with a pleading look. He waved a lazy hand, redirecting the stone so that it zoomed away from him and skipped out onto the lake's surface, creating a series of ripples, each growing bigger one right after the other.
Padmé crossed her arms and said briskly, "Not very dignified for a Jedi Kinght, isn't it?"
"Ahh but don't you remember?" Anakin began as though he were speaking to a youngling. "I'm only a mere padawan. Who knows how many years of wasted potential I have left?" He swung both his legs over the side of the branch, letting his body hang limply from the tree.
Padmé blinked dully at him, as he dangled in front of her, grinning stupidly. "I wouldn't worry about that," she said darkly. She turned away from him and climbed several steps before settling herself on one of the mossy stones. Anakin dropped down from the branch onto the ground below.
There was silence between them for a long moment. Anakin watched her, a shy expression playing on his face. "Want to push me in the lake? I hear it's cathartic."
Padmé said nothing.
"Not dignified enough?" he offered.
Padmé huffed. "I've already used up my undignified years as a handmaiden."
"Pushed in Panaka one too many times?" he said offhand. He had meant it as a joke, but when she didn't say anything, he gave her a curious look.
"Perhaps…" she said finally. Anakin grinned as he watched the corners of her lips curve into the faintest of smiles, perhaps reliving what must have been a treasured memory. He would have to remember to ask her to tell him more about it when she was less angry with him. Though, the way this trip had been going so far, it seemed like she was getting angry with him more often than not.
"I'm sorry," he said. She finally looked at him. She didn't appear upset. She simply studied his face for a few moments. Then, she gazed out at the water.
"Do you see that island?" she asked, raising a hand and pointing to ahead of them. Anakin peered out over the water. He nodded.
"When I was young, we used to come here for school retreat," she said, and her voice was heavy with nostalgia. "We used to swim there every day. We'd lie on the sand and let the sun dry us and try to guess the names of the birds singing…"
Both of them said nothing. Birds were chirping in the greenery all around them. Anakin raised his eyebrows questioningly at her.
"Pelikki," she said with a knowing smile, answering his unspoken question. He nodded, genuinely impressed by her. He loved everything about her.
"I miss those days," she said faintly. She was still smiling reminiscently out at the island, but there was a sadness in her eyes. And although Anakin always thought she was beautiful, he did not need to lean into the Force to sense the weariness hanging about her. Anakin sometimes forgot that Padmé was once a child, just like him. She had a childhood, a family, schooling. When he first met her, she was like a dream. Something born from stars. Among the Jedi, he sometimes felt he was encouraged to grow up faster than he wanted to, or thought he should. Padmé, however, chose to grow up. And she didn't choose it because she felt that was what she needed to be, but because she knew somewhere deep inside her that was what the people needed her to be. The more time he spent with her, the more certain he felt that she would have made a better Jedi than him. She was selfless. He did not know how to be this person. But when he was around her, he wanted to be a better man. And even then, he knew he was still being selfish. Because in these quiet moments, it was not the Jedi he wanted to be better for. It was for Padmé.
"Anakin…"
He turned to Padmé, who was now looking at him curiously. Perhaps she had read something in his face as well. This unnerved him for some reason. Without saying anything, he stood up abruptly and walked several steps closer to the edge of the lake. He pretended to have seen something jumping out of the water, but really he just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything showing in his face. He peered down at his reflection. Yes, he looked as ordinary as ever. He shook his head as his face in the water looked glumly back at him.
All of a sudden, something thumped him on the back, and before he could register what was happening, he went flying into the lake. There was a magnificent splash and he was enveloped in water. Pushing himself swiftly upwards, his head broke the surface.
He whipped his soaked face from side to side. "Padmé, what the - ?" he sputtered, before breaking off. Water dripped down his face and into his eyes, blurring his vision. He blinked furiously.
There, standing at the water's edge staring down at him, was not Padmé, but Teckla. He gaped up at her. He couldn't believe it. She said nothing, and simply gave him one last withering stare and turned on her heel. She offered a small bow to Padmé before ascending the stone steps leading back to the homestead.
Padmé was beside herself. Her laughter rang out through the garden, causing a couple birds to fly out of nearby shrubbery. Anakin pulled his drenched body up onto the stone edge with ease, looking over at Padmé darkly.
"You call that 'dignified'?" he muttered tersely.
"No, certainly not," she said, managing to compose herself momentarily. "However, she showed a brilliant display of stealth. Well – she showed me; you, on the other hand, didn't see a thing coming."
She started laughing again and Anakin turned back to the lake rolling his eyes.
"She does not know what she just brought on herself," he said dramatically.
"Oh Ani," Padmé breathed exasperated.
"No," he said sharply, turning back around to look at her so ferociously that she froze, eyebrows raised. "This is war. You handmaidens may know how to get a laugh, but I've been training for this kind of showdown my entire life. I've pulled way bigger stunts than this back at the Temple. Just ask Yarael Poof."
"Who?"
"Not important. The point is, she is going to wish she never pushed me into the lake after what I do to her next."
He looked so serious and so smug, that Padmé had to make an effort not to laugh at the ridiculousness of what he was saying. "I don't know, Anakin. I wouldn't mess with a Naboo handmaiden."
"A handmaiden against a Jedi? I think I'll be just fine."
"Well, you're force sensitive and didn't even realize someone was sneaking up behind you to push you into the lake, so I'd say there's cause for concern."
"That's different. I was distracted."
"Distracted," Padmé repeated.
"Thinking," he expanded.
"So you do do that every now and then," Padmé teased. She was beaming up at him, her eyes glittering.
"Sometimes… when it's worth my while…" He trailed off. Something in his voice suggested that he was thinking about more than just practical schemes. Padmé was quick to change the subject.
"You want to race to the island?"
Anakin jumped slightly. Thinking, again. "Sure. I mean – if you want to."
"Oh, I would," she said at once. She stood up and slipped her feet out of her slippers. She bounded gracefully down the stone steps, the trail of her gown flowing in her wake. She stopped at the water's edge. She breathed in deeply and let out a satisfied sigh, and in one fluid motion, she dove into the water. Hardly making a splash, she shot underneath the water's surface like a serpent. Anakin watched her swim farther and farther away before he could no longer see her beneath the blue water. Just as he was about to go after her, she re-emerged.
"What are you waiting for, Skywalker," she called to him, "someone to push you?"
She plunged headfirst back down into the depths the water and before Anakin could reply, she was gone. Not bothering to take off his already soaked tunic, he jumped to his feet and was soon back in the lake, swimming as fast as he could to catch up with her. This turned out to be a near impossible task. She was a very good swimmer. Every now and then he caught a glimpse of her coming up for air with the sunlight reflecting off her tiara, but she remained a fair distance ahead of him. Even without the head start, he suspected she would have made a formidable swimming opponent. He was several yards away from the island when he saw her trudging up the sandy shore. He kicked harder and was propelled forward, and shortly thereafter, he was making his way out of the water.
Small, frothy waves brushed up on shore, and Anakin saw that Padmé's footprints were barely visible and had already been swept away by the lake. She was laying a short distance away from him. He trudged up the shore towards her. It didn't take him long to reach her, as the beach was not all that big to begin with. She did not acknowledge him right away. Her eyes were closed and the expression on her face was of absolute contentment. She was still wet and little water droplets rested on her skin, glistening in the sunlight.
Padmé breathed in deeply. She could sense a new presence standing close to her. Without opening her eyes, she murmured placidly, "Aren't you going to lie down?"
When no one answered, her eyes blinked open. Straining to see, she saw Anakin silhouetted against the sun. His hands were resting on his hips and he was gazing out across the lake, an odd sort of expression on his face.
"You can see the mountains in the water," Anakin remarked, shaking his head and grinning. The water was still, the light just right, so that the mountains in the lake seemed almost perfect replicas. "Whenever I see this much water, every detail of it… I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed by it." He paused, and then said quietly as though it was an afterthought, "I guess it comes from growing up on a desert planet."
He peeled off his shirt and tossed it aside before lowering himself down next to Padmé. They lay there in silence. The birds Padmé had spoke of were chirping nearby, however, he did not know what they were.
He sighed, but not in a way that suggested he was relaxed. Padmé turned her head to look at him. He was staring directly up at the sky, frowning at the sun.
"I don't like sand," he murmured. "It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere."
Padmé watched him as he continued to frown at the sky, unsure of what to say. Anakin was… a curious boy. Always had been. Though she considered herself to have a better understanding than most on the Jedi ways, Anakin felt oddly removed from their world. Perhaps it was because of his past or that it had been ten years since she had seen him, but it seemed like there was so much in him that remained untouched.
Neither of them spoke for the rest of the morning. It was only until the lake's tide began to tickle their toes did Padmé first speak.
"There's a place I know where all you can see is green that's surrounded by the most beautiful waterfalls. I can take you there."
Anakin's eyes shot open and he looked over at her. However, her eyes were still closed, her face basking in the sunlight, her expression serene. The hair on the back of his hand stood up and the sensation rippled up his arm; he could feel how close his hand was to hers. He wanted to reach over and hold it, feel how warm her skin was, how soft…
He grabbed a fistful of sand and let it slip through his fingers.