AN: A few have mentioned how fast this story is moving. This was originally written as a one-shot. This a prompt provided to me by Praetor-Canis. However, the one-shot got longer and longer, so I decided to cut it into chapters.
Of course Anakin found it. Somewhere within Cassus's journal Anakin found the secret location of Kesh. Padmé's stomach was in knots the entire journey.
"What if this goes wrong?" she whispered. The ship had just exited hyperspace. The two stood in the cockpit looking down at the planet. Anakin leaned over and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it.
"I'll protect you," he said.
He piloted the ship down towards the planet. It was very odd there were no hail calls to their com. Then again it didn't seem like the planet got much interstellar travel. It wasn't until they were in the atmosphere that a call finally came through asking who they were. They were directed to fly towards a massive castle that sat on a cliff.
The structure stole Padmé's breath away. Never had she seen anything like it. A tall tower stood in the center. Walls swirled out from it and spun into smaller towers. It gave everything a certain organic look as if the castle had been grown instead of built. It was mostly built out of a light grey and white stone, but large areas were made of golden metal and an opaque white crystal. When the sunlight hit the walls, the crystal seemed to glow while the gold bounced the light around.
"Gods indeed," Padmé whispered. Anakin flashed her a smile as he brought the ship down onto a manicured lawn in the middle of an ornate garden in a courtyard of the castle.
It wasn't long until lines of troops wearing dull silver amor marched up to the ship. Leading the group was a human-looking man. Hanging from his belt appeared to be a lightsaber. Padmé looked over at Anakin. He was quiet and studious.
"Now what?" Padmé asked.
"Wait here," he said.
Then he was gone. She watched as he confidently walked out onto the lawn and approached the lead man. The two talked for a while. Padmé wished she could hear what they were saying. The Keshian man seemed surprised and then angry, yet Anakin always remained calmed. Eventually the Keshian man calmed down and nodded. He waved his hand at the ship. Then Anakin turned and waved giving her a clear signal to come down.
Padmé was unnerved at how easily the Keshians seemed to welcome Anakin. They smiled and gave introductions. They welcomed their 'lost son' home. They gave the two of them nice luxurious rooms in the palace that were next door to each other. They even supplied elaborate clothing in the Keshian style. She tried to deny the clothes as she had brought her own, but the servants insisted that she wear the clothes for dinner. Padmé relented and had them dress her.
She regretted it. The dress was tight all the way down to her knees where it flowed out in a wide skirt. Gold beading completely covered the dress in intricate designs that brought out her curves. She wore a heavy necklace that was draped with white crystals. Her hair was spun up into in a fancy headpiece that also draped golden beaded strands that ended in teardrop crystals.
When she met in Anakin in the hallway, his eyebrows shot straight up. Then a huge goofy grin spread across his face. She scowled at him. However she did note he had also been dressed up. Like her, he wore all gold. A thick heavy metal collar hung around his throat. A long gold cloak fell from it. Underneath it he wore a very tight gold shirt and dark gold pants. The fabric of his shirt was like liquid and easily showed off his muscles underneath.
"Gold is the color of the Skywalker family," he said. "These outfits are from family's vault." His eyes traveled up and down her. "Though I can't imagine my mother ever wearing such a daring outfit."
He took her arm and the servants led them to the great hall. A huge feast had been prepared. The hall was filled with other humans all dressed in elaborate outfits. All in only a single color. No one else wore gold. They were then introduced to the Grand Lord, the ruler of the Skyborn. She was a middle aged woman who wore all bright purple. She introduced herself as Malini Duskbreaker.
"And so the Skyborn are graced with a new Skywalker," she said. "We thought the line lost, but here the fates have delivered you back to us."
Anakin bowed deeply. "Thank you, your grace," he said.
"Tell me what are you plans now that you are here?" she asked.
"Nothing ambitious," Anakin said. "I merely wished to know my family's history. Know our customs. I have no interest in reviving the Skywalker house. I have a life now beyond this planet."
He glanced down to Padmé and smiled. Malini followed his gaze as well.
"You are most welcome here amongst your kin," Malini said. "Please stay for as long as you wish."
That night Padmé pulled Anakin into her room. "Something is wrong here," she hissed. "They're far too trusting."
Anakin smiled. "Oh I know that," he said. "They want something from me."
"They do?" she asked. "Like what?"
"I don't know," he mused as he placed a hand on her hip. She shivered. "But I'll find out."
His other hand wrapped around her waist as well. He leaned over and kissed her.
"How long did it take you to get into this?" he whispered against her lips.
"Too long," she replied.
"I bet taking it off will be a lot quicker," he said with a devilish smile.
As their days continued, Padmé and Anakin often spent their time apart. She spent her days with the other Skyborn ladies, especially those not of the seven high houses. They were far more open and eager to talk. Each night after dinner, Anakin would come to Padmé's room and they would share what they had learned.
So far they learned that Anakin's father, Ananta Skywalker, had been the previous Grand Lord. The Skyborn were governed by the Circle of Lords, which was made up of seven Skyborn families. Only those from seven high houses could be elected as the Grand Lord. Yet despite that, the Skywalkers held the title far more than any other house. In fact it was rare when a Skywalker didn't hold the title.
Padmé had learned from the ladies of the lower houses that Ananta Skywalker had been murdered. The blame had been placed on the Starkiller family, another high lord house and rival to the Skywalkers. The Starkiller family had been eradicated for their crimes. Yet none of the other Skyborn seemed too phased by this. In fact they seemed glad that the Skywalkers had been ended.
"What about Ananta's wife? Anakin's mother? Why couldn't she lead the Skywalker family when he died?" Padmé had asked. The ladies all shared a look.
"It is custom that when a Grand Lord dies, the Grand Consort most follow him in death," one lady explained.
"She was pregnant," Anakin said when Padmé told him the tale. "So she ran. Somehow she got on a ship and fled the planet."
Padmé was sitting next to him on the bed. She ran a hand through his hair. He was tense. There was a fire in his golden eyes that made them seem to glow.
"She did it for you," she whispered.
He took a sharp breath. "I know," he said as he released his anger. "I know."
There wasn't much left of the Skywalker estate. Much of their fortune had been divided amongst the other high families. Even their grand house had been handed over. The only thing that remained were the clothes as no other family dared to take up gold as their family color. Padmé wondered why they hadn't simply thrown the clothes away. Perhaps they were kept as reminders or in case someone else decided to use the gold.
Anakin's first guess as to what the Skyborn wanted from him was his ship. They wanted a way off the planet.
"Why not just kill use and take the ship then?" Padmé asked.
"Who would fly it?" he asked. "They have no idea how to fly a spaceship."
Kesh was devoid of ships, but it left a rather big mystery as to how Anakin's mother had found one and gotten off planet. The ladies loved to ask Padmé about the galaxy beyond Kesh. Apparently Anakin got asked a lot of questions as well. But they never asked about the ship or how to fly it. Plus even though the Keshians did seem curious, they also seemed to be a bit uninterested in the wider universe.
"They like what they have going on here," Anakin said one night. "They have power and wealth. If they go beyond this planet, they may lose all of that." So they were still left wondering why they wanted Anakin to stay.
Padmé had discovered the castel's library. It appeared the Keshians stuck to flimsi books. She guessed they didn't have the resources to make a lot of holonovels. Perhaps they never had the technology. Regardless, the library was filled with paper books. It was huge, multi stories, and rivaled some of the large holo archives she had visited in her lifetime.
Just browsing through the library she learned a good deal about the Skyborn and the Keshians. There were large sections on the history of the Sith and the Skyborn in various formats. Some were very dry simple recounts. Some were long-winded poetry with tons of flowery language. There were plays talking about Sith wars of old, all of which the Sith were eventually victorious. There was a clear bias in these books.
As far as fictional stories went, there was a good selection, but they mirrored the non-fiction material. Again it heavily featured the Skyborn. Very little focused on non Skyborn including the purple humanoid native Keshians or even other races. The planet clearly at one point had established intergalactic travel. Though they were few in number, there were a few other alien races such as Wookies, Twi'leks, Rodians, Weequays, and Ithorians.
Of course Padmé had found the romance books. Many featured lovers of different families falling in love and having to overcome their families to be together. One or two even had members within the same family falling in love. She found a book called the The Eternal Embrace
In it the story, the high lord was from the Tempestmaker family. However, he was poisoned by a servant and died. His wife was forced to follow him in death and was killed as well. Their daughter was taken in by another family, but her she was treated poorly, as if she was a slave. Before her parent's death, she had been in love with another Skyborn youth. A young man who was a commander in the military. The young man also loved the woman.
However, to marry the young Tempestmaker girl would be social suicide due to her family's fall from grace. His family urges him to marry the current High Lord's daughter instead. This girl is also in love with the young commander, but knows he is in love with the Tempest girl. In the end the commander and the Tempestmaker girl run away to be together, but are caught. The two were buried alive together. Sometime later the tomb was reopened and they found the two skeletons holding each other.
She found a small piece of flimsi paper tucked deep into the book towards the end of the story. She took it out. It was a handwritten note. Most of it was smeared, but it she could clearly read a part of it: To my beloved Shmi. 32-5-6-7. -MS
Shmi? As in Lakshmi? Anakin's mother? The note reminded her of the notes Anakin would leave her in the bookstore. Had he gotten the idea from his mother? Who was MS? Anakin's father was named Ananta Skywalker.
She kept the note and showed it to Anakin that night. His eyes went wide and sparkled.
"I'll admit," he said. "I got the idea of a scavenger hunt from my mother. These numbers tell where the next book is located in the library."
"But who is MS?" Padmé asked.
"I'm not sure," Anakin said. "She never mentioned anyone with these initials."
About their sixth day on the planet, Padmé was sitting in a small garden with the Skyborn ladies. She was trying to figure out the library code of where to find the next book, when an elderly woman arrived with a small retinue of handlers and servants. At once everyone jumped up and bowed.
"High Lady Cloudweaver," they greeted.
Padmé followed suit as she didn't want to insult anyone.
"I've come to meet Lakshmi's offspring," Lady Cloudweaver said as she walked up to Padmé.
"I'm not Anakin," Padmé explained.
"I know that girl," Cloudweaver snapped. "But you are carrying his children." She pointed to Padmé's stomach.
At once Padmé felt the color drain from her. Her hands went to her stomach and she glanced down.
"Ex-excuse me?" she asked.
"You did not know?" Cloudweaver asked. "I suppose you wouldn't since you not a Force sensitive. But you are pregnant with Skywalkers. They shine so brightly in the Force it is hard to ignore."
"They-they?" Padmé managed to squeak out.
"Twins, girl," the lady said. "There are two of them inside of you."
The other ladies all whispered behind their hands. Padmé excused herself and hid inside her room for the rest of the day. When Anakin finally came, she was upon him the moment he stepped into the room.
"Did you know?" she snapped.
He was unphased. He crossed his arms across his chest and smiled.
"Congratulations to you too," he said.
"Did you know?" she asked again her anger rising.
"Yes," he said. His smile had yet to fade.
"Since when?"
"Since the night you gave me the journal."
"That long?" She couldn't believe him!
"Padmé," he said softly as he walked up to her. His hands were outstretched ready to take her into his arms.
"No!" she shouted. She marched right up to him and put her arms on his chest. She pushed him.
"Padmé?" he asked with a small chuckle. "What are you doing?"
"Out!" she shouted as she pushed him through the door and slammed it.
She didn't leave her room the rest of the day. The next morning Grand Lady Malini Duskbreaker came to Padmé's room. She stood with a straight back and looked over Padmé. She looked unamused.
"Lady Padmé," she asked. "Are you married to Lord Skywalker?"
"Married? Gods no," Padmé replied.
Malini flinched. "This is strongly against our values," she said. "A proper Skyborn must be born to wed parents."
"I am not a Skyborn," Padmé reminded them.
"Clearly," Malini said with her voice dripping with disgust. "Regardless a wedding has been planned in two days time."
"What?" Padmé shouted. "A wedding? Now wait! You cannot-"
"I can," Malini said, her gold eyes flashing. "I am the Grand Lady here. You will obey my orders and that of the Circle of Lords. It has been decided." With that she sharply turned around and left Padmé alone.
It wasn't long before Anakin came to her room. She said nothing. Just glared at him.
"Padmé," he said. "I understand you're upset." He paused as he looked at her. "But-"
"Don't you dare say it!" she hissed at him. "I can't believe you actually want to go along with this!"
He sighed and shook his head lightly. "Padmé," he said softly. "I think it's for the best that we do. It's not like it will be for real. This isn't the Empire."
"But it's still a wedding," she snapped.
He slowly walked over to her as she was a dangerous animal ready to bite at any moment. He stopped right in front of her.
"I think whatever it is these Skyborn want, has to do with my father. My family. My blood," he explained. Padmé sucked in a sharp breath as a coldness settled inside her stomach. "My family descends from the captain of the Omen, Yaru Korsin. He was the first Grand Lord. When they mentioned you were pregnant . . . well there were whispers and exchanged glances."
Padmé took a small step forward and Anakin quickly wrapped his arms around her. "What do you mean?" she whispered.
"I think my family had a secret," he said. "They had access to something only those of their bloodline could access. When my father was killed and my mother fled, they lost access to whatever it was. This is why they have welcomed me back so openly."
"But if they have someone else of your bloodline, someone they don't need to convince . . ." she said in a hushed tone. She stopped and stared up at him. His face was pulled down into a frown.
"We can leave," she said. "Right now. We can jump on the ship and leave this all behind. Leave this planet and the Skyborn and whatever treasure your family had."
"I can't," Anakin said.
She stepped away from him. "Why? Why stay here? Why go through the wedding? Don't you care about our children?"
"I do," Anakin said. "And this is exactly why I must stay. Why we must stay and go through the wedding. I intend to find whatever this treasure is and then I will destroy it."
He clenched his hand into a fist. His eyes burned gold. The room seemed to grow colder and Padmé shivered.
"Anakin," she said softly. "Are you . . . Are you a Sith?"
She had asked him this once, and he had avoided the question. Here on Kesh the high families prided themselves on being Sith. Each head of the high families held a lightsaber. And Skywalker had been one of those families. No doubt Ananta Skywalker had held a lightsaber.
Anakin titled his head. He was no longer as angry as he was. "And if I said I was?" he said in a dark smooth voice. It sent a shiver up Padmé's spine. "What would you do?"
"You can't be . . ." she whispered. "The only Sith in the Empire are the Emperor and Darth Vader . . ."
He stepped up to her, closing the gap between them. "Hmmm," he purred. "That is true."
His hand came to rest right on the base of her neck. Then he leaned over and kissed her neck. And kissed and kissed.
"Anakin, stop," she said weakly. He was sucking on her neck. "You're going to leave a mark."
He pulled away. There was a dark smile on his lips. "I know," he said in a low voice. He leaned back over and started kissing her neck again.
But her mind was tumbling over itself as she recalled the previous time he had done this. How she had to hide the hickey. How Darth Vader had pulled her collar down and laughed.
"Anakin . . ." she whispered. Her voice barely coming out. "Are you . . . are you Darth Vader?"
His kisses started to go up her neck. Then to side of her chin and on to her cheek. Then his lips found hers. Then finally he leaned back with a perfectly satisfied look.
"Yes," he said.
A soft gasp escaped her lips.
"But . . . that would mean," her eyes glanced down at her stomach. At her children. His children.
"That these two little ones are the heirs to the Empire?" he asked with a smile.
Her mouth hung open. She wanted to say something, anything, but she had no words. What could she say? She had been sleeping with Darth Vader? And now was pregnant with his children?
"I won't let anything harm them," Anakin said in a soft voice. His hand rested on her stomach. "Or you. This is why I need to destroy the Skywalker treasure or whatever it is." His other hand rested against her cheek. His thumb gently caressed her. "Please, Padmé," he whispered. "Believe me. I'm trying to do what is best. Not just for me, but for us."
She was still at a lost of words, so she nodded and rested her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a long while.