These characters are not mine, they belong to Disney and Lucasfilm. Please enjoy, this is my first time posting, I am hoping that the force is with this one.
Standing on the edge of the balcony gazing towards the sky, Anakin wrapped his hands around the waist of his beloved, took a deep breath and buried his nose in her hair. He smiled, allowing a sigh to escape his lips. …
Leia is standing at the front of the ship, gazing towards the sea of navy blue. The stars twinkle back at her, showing the way to a non-existent home. She recognizes how they dance and lead the way to a bright sun sitting in a place that once offered light to families and homes. Carving a path well-worn and known only to her, the last of her people, floating alone in space.
Luke is balancing on the edge of a great sand dune, gazing into the sky. A deep longing filling his heart that he is unable to explain. As he watches the sky, the twin suns of Tattooine dip below the horizon, painting it a glorious and melancholy rainbow. He wakes up to the quiet hum of the ship and the knowledge that he is still in space, moving towards the next rebel base. He takes a deep breath swallowing his sadness. He has made time to mourn as all those on Tattooine do, and he has moved on. In his mind he allows the sands of his desert home to smooth over the rough edges of old memories and move everything else away in the wind.
Padme stands on the edge of a balcony, alone now, gazing into the vast expanse of the force. She watches her children weave their threads through the great tapestry of the force. She turns her attention towards Vader, her once husband, now Sith Lord. He bullies his way through the tapestry, slashing and tearing apart threads, daring any who stand in his way to cross the blade of his lightsaber. She watches as familiar threads fall apart piece by piece and fade into the force. Her old friends and enemies. She sighs.
Anakin screams inside the prison that is his mind. He is standing on the edge of a precipice, begging the Sith Lord that holds him captive to release him, to jump over the edge. But the Sith laughs and replays everything that they have done, every hurt, wound, and death that they have caused. Anakin shrinks back into himself, unable to maintain the force to push the Sith out of his mind. The laughter bounces around in his mind and he shudders accepting his fate.
One day he wakes up to a cool breeze that smells of fresh mountain air and salt water. Vader dissipates into a clean nothingness, allowing Anakin a small moment of control. And within his dark prison, the mask that brings terror and sadness into all that see it, he sheds a tear. A tear for the shame, for the lives he has taken, and for the knowledge that he may never be able to come back. He whispers to himself, "I'm sorry, Angel. I'm so sorry."
Leia is already crying. She has been able to hold her strong façade for weeks but now she allows her mask to slip. She is still turned towards the sky, as she weeps for the loss of her family, of her friends, her people, and her home. She hears their screams in her head, feeling guilt move through her body and soul, the knowledge that she is alive and well within the rebellion creates a new wave of sobs. She is startled by a sudden breeze of mountain air and salt, hesitating for a moment as memories of her home drift through her mind and then other memories that are not hers. Someone holding her hand. A sea, a lake, a waterfall. A field of flowers blowing in the wind. She takes a last sob and gazes back at the stars, not for sure whose memories they are but is grateful for the relief and comfort that they bring, not unlike a hug.
Luke is in the hangar taking apart Artoo – Detoo and cleaning the droid, going through his memory banks, getting out sand that is still stuck in his gears and reminiscing. He remembers wanting nothing more than to leave home and traverse the great galaxy, fighting and flying. He smirks with irony, knowing that a year ago, if he had told his uncle what he was doing now… his smirk falls away and his hands still, remembering the corpses of his aunt and uncle laying in the Tattooine suns. He is grateful that Ben had been there, grateful for the human companionship at the time. And then his mind drifts to the old man, sad and nostalgic, another piece of his home, his upbringing, torn from his grasp. He feels a soft breeze in the hangar and pays it no mind, being used to the shifting air patterns of the ship. The smell however, stops him and he sits for a moment trying to decipher what it is, the new scent standing out clearly from the dank and musty odor of the hangar bay. He is unable to decipher what the smell is but he thanks the force for a breath of fresh air. Artoo – Detoo whistles back to life startling him out of his reveries and he gets back to work.
…
Luke wakes up groaning from old muscles and a headache that he can't shake. As his eyes open he has to blink them because the sun is so bright. Wait, the sun? It was setting wasn't it? As he gets up he feels a hand on his shoulder. His father is beaming down at him and a young woman stands to the left, gazing fondly at him. He lets his eyes move around taking in the scene before him. Old Ben, but not Old Ben, younger than he ever remembers seeing him and filled with life. He sees Han and so many others walking around and enjoying the peace of the field. And for once in his life he smiles and allows himself a modicum of peace, finally willing the work to be done.
Even though I know that forceghost!Padme will never happen, I love the idea of it and accept it. She has been through enough and I think that she has earned it.
May the Force Be with You, my dear readers.