A/N: BLESS QUEENOFASWAN FOR BEING THE BEST READER/REVIEWER EVER! also: as always bless Cassi's soul for being my beta even when I try and murder her with feels! Possible trigger warning for cutting, although its not really self-mutilation I'm putting it out there anyways. I know these first couple chapters Anakin has seemed kind of... light sided rather than dark, but that will be evolving as the story progresses!
"Come on Regina, let's get out of here," Anakin said climbing onto the wing of the fighter to help her up. She begrudgingly took the gloved hand he offered her.
"Get in the back," He said indicating the co-pilot seat. Regina raised a defiant eyebrow at him.
"Why do you get to sit up front?" She pouted, holding her bleeding arm. Anakin groaned in exasperation. This girl was more than a handful. He took a deep breath, recessing the urge to yell at her.
"Well, your highness," He began sarcastically, "You have any idea how to pilot this thing?" He asked with a cocky arm wave at the fighter they were standing on.
Regina glared at him. "Of course not," She said icily.
"Then please would you just get in the back already?!" Anakin asked voice rising slightly. "We need to get your arm looked at before you lose it altogether." He said as she raised her middle finger at him before climbing into the back.
After making sure she was properly strapped in, Anakin started up the engine and said, "Hold on! And don't touch ANYTHING," before jetting them up out of the clearing.
Regina sucked in a breath as she looked around as the ground beneath them grew further away. She shrieked when he flipped them upside down momentarily, before twirling right side up again. Regina felt like she was going to be sick.
"Anakin!" She cried over the headset, clamping a hand over her mouth, hearing his laughter she glared daggers at the back of his head. Fucking show off, she thought. She forced herself to swallow the vomit continuously rising in her throat. "ANAKIN ARE WE ALMOST THERE?" She yelled in response to her stomach's disagreement to flying.
"Yeah, why?" He asked over the headset, still audibly grinning.
"Uhh, n-no reason…" She stammered trying to hold it down. She was unwilling to let him see her weakness, nor willing to clean up her own puke off this monstrosity.
"Oh Force, you're gonna throw up aren't you?" He said in realization to her request.
"N-no I-im—" Was all she managed to get out before she threw up on her knees.
"Ahh fuck," He swore from the headset. "Hang on Regina, we're coming up on my ship now."
Regina wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked up and her eyes grew as large as moons as she saw the group of large ships that surrounded an even larger ship. She saw the man in the white armor piloting the fighter Anakin had arrived in flying next to them. She watched as they began approaching a large opening and heard Anakin tell someone a numbered code and to deactivate the shields, whatever those were. And within moments the blue transparent hue that covered the opening they were approaching was gone and they glided in. Regina groaned. Her arm was throbbing and now she was wearing her wedding dinner…
Anakin hopped out of the front after opening the cockpit and handed her his black robe. She gave a sheepish smile, before saying "My bad," and letting him slide the oversized robe onto her shoulders.
"Don't worry about it, maintenance will get it taken care of." He said giving her a warm smile before leaning close to her ear and whispering.
"Don't forget only call me Anakin when we're alone. Around everyone else its Lord Vader remember?" He said giving her a wink. She nodded in understanding and let him help her down off the small aircraft.
He took her hand gently and walked purposely through the hangar bay and towards a set of doors and when they opened he stepped inside while Regina stood firmly outside.
"It's just an elevator. It takes you up and down so you don't have to walk up and down stairs," He explained, chuckling at her wide eyed expression.
"Its… small." She said quietly. She didn't like small enclosed spaces, she'd had a mild heart attack when the cockpit had closed on top of her, but at least she'd been able to see where she was still.
"It'll be over before you know it, I promise." He said encouragingly, tugging her gently into the elevator.
"You're lucky that I trust you," she muttered as the doors hissed shut and they shot upwards.
Within seconds the doors opened again and she followed him into a brightly lit white corridor.
"Where is this place?" She asked feeling really out of place as mechanical things walked and moved around them.
"These are the Halls of Healing. We're gonna get your arm looked at." He said patiently. She gripped his arm as a robotic figure floated towards them.
"What is that?" She hissed, gripping his arm tightly, not worrying about her wounded arm pressing against his.
"Relax, it's just a droid. That's what all these are called, droids. There are many different kinds. But this one is just going to work on your arm." He said gently.
"How may I help you my Lord?" The droid's robotic voice said blankly, bowing slightly.
"The Queen has had an injury, some kind of dart I think," he said stepping behind Regina a little and gingerly lifting her arm up for the droid to inspect.
"Arrow," she croaked out at the pain at lifting her arm.
"What?" He asked quickly at the grimace she gave him.
"It's called an arrow. Darts are smaller. And thrown most of the time," She bit out.
The droid led them over to a table where she was instructed to lie down on. She gripped Anakin's hand as he stepped away from her.
"No! Please don't leave!" She whispered, scared.
"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm just getting out of their way so they can help you more efficiently." He said giving her a warm reassuring smile and kissing her hand softly.
She smiled back at him, he had such a beautiful smile, she thought. Though sometimes she could tell it didn't always reach his eyes. She wondered what had happened to him, he seemed so worn out for someone so young.
He watched from a distance as the droids began working on Regina's arm. She let out a hiss of pain as one of the droids attempted to poke at the entrance, before hearing Anakin's voice yell, "What the hell are you doing? Give her some anesthetic!" Clearly infuriated at the sight of her pain, Regina tried calming him down.
"We're sorry my lord, but we do not wish to give her anesthetic due to the possibility of it thinning her blood. As you can see her species blood is a much different consistency. One we have never seen before." The droid explained calmly.
"She's a human you worthless waste of spare parts. She can have the damn anesthetic!" He roared back, looking at the blood oozing freely from her arm, clot broken up by the droids inspection.
"A-Lord Vader," Regina corrected herself, "Its… Its fine, I just didn't prepare myself for it. I can handle it… I can handle it, really," she repeated at his angry expression towards the medical droid.
"Fine, but if it hurts too much, or you so much as let out a single cry they WILL give you that anesthetic." He said pointedly, not looking at her, but at the droid before stepping back against the wall.
Regina didn't want the medical servants to get in trouble so she clamped her jaw down fiercely as they worked quickly to remove the arrow shaft she'd broken off. She groaned as quietly she could through clenched teeth, willing her body not to arch up off the table in pain. As the cold metal of the droid's fingers spread the wound open further, she felt her body tense and her vision go black. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Anakin pacing silently along the wall watching her intently for any signs of distress.
Slowly, her arm began to stop throbbing and she opened her eyes again to the dim light of wall sconces and she was lying on a soft bed shaped like circle.
She sat up, alarmed at her new surroundings. She was still dressed in her sleeveless white satin night gown, except it was visibly ripped right above the knee. She pulled up the vine leaf shaped lace strap that crossed one her shoulders. She looked at her shoulder and saw a neatly wrapped white bandage now graced her arm.
"You're awake," A man's voice murmured from beside her. She jumped, turning to look at Anakin who sat in a comfy looking chair beside the nightstand on her left.
"You scared me!" She gasped, putting a hand over her heart in alarm. "Where am I? What happened?" She asked looking around the room. On her right she saw a large window that almost compassed the entire wall, where stars glowed like fireflies outside.
"You lost consciousness. You didn't tell me you were in pain Regina. I told you to tell me!" He said clearly upset. She frowned, not sure if he was really angry with her, but the look on his face said there was something deeper behind the surface.
"What's wrong? I'm fine, look!" She said, moving her arm around to prove her point.
"That's not the point! I can't sa—I can't help you, if you don't tell me when something is wrong!" He said getting up to walk to the window and stare into space, lost in his own thoughts.
She slithered off the bed, shivering slightly as her sore, scratched up feet touched the shiny black floor. She walked over to him, crossing her arms against the cold and followed his gaze.
"It's so beautiful, but you're ruining it," she teased gently.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's nice I guess," he said smiling. Another smile that didn't reach his eyes, she noted.
"What's bothering you?" She asked quietly.
"Nothing…" He muttered, looking at his boots.
"I'm not a child Anakin. And I'm not stupid either, you aren't fooling anyone with that expression," She said.
"I just… I went a little… crazy back there." He said nodding his head towards the door.
"Why? I just passed out, I wasn't dying…" She said confused.
"Yeah, well… I didn't like it. I thought I was going to lose you and you were in pain and you didn't tell me, so there was nothing I could do to save you." He said quietly, once again staring out the viewport.
"W-what do you mean you went "crazy"?" She asked, unsure if she really wanted to know.
"Uh, I might've… broken a few things… some droids." He said almost too low for her to hear.
"Anakin! They were just trying to help!" She protested.
"Well I told them to give you the anesthetic, then you passed out and I just lost it! I don't even know all what I did, I just saw red… I don't even really remember bringing you here. Next thing I know I was sitting here watching over you." He said shaking his head, like he was trying to remember and finding nothing but haze.
She stepped back a little, unsure of whether or not to push him further. She sensed something, like pain and despair, but it wasn't hers and she didn't know where it was coming from. But, judging by his pained face it was his…
"Brrrr, its cold up here," she said changing the topic.
"I know it is. I can adjust the thermostat if you'd like," He said quietly moving away from her over to the wall panel.
"Sure, although I'm sure it has something more to do with my lack of attire than the actual temperature," she kidded.
"Well we are about to make the jump to hyperspace on our way to Coruscant. When we arrive we can get you all the clothes you desire, and more if you'd like." He nodded, returning her smile.
"Coruscant?" She asked, still confused by her new surroundings.
"The capital system of the Empire." Anakin responded politely, before grimacing and swearing under his breath. "I'm sorry Regina, but the Emperor has arrived on board... Would you be up to one visitor?" He asked, genuinely concerned about her feelings.
She nodded bravely, before pulling down what remained of her dress, self conscious all of the sudden of the amount of skin she had showing. Some way to meet an Emperor, Regina... Wouldn't mother be proud of you now? She thought sarcastically to herself.
"Wait here," he said leading her into a common area with a sleek circular black leather couch. "Regina, be very, very mindful of your thoughts. The Emperor is very powerful and you may be intimidated but you have nothing to fear from him. I will be right here, and he's the one who sensed your distress and sent me to find you. Everything will be fine, you'll do great." He said, sensing her nervousness in her posture as she situated herself as modestly as possible on the couch.
A few moments passed and Anakin walked to the door, opening it as if he could sense the man on the other side of it.
"My lord," he said as he knelt on bended knee.
"Rise, Lord Vader." The Emperor said ominously before turning his gaze towards Regina. "Ahhh your highness, we finally meet in person!" He said almost cheerfully.
"I-in person? Do I... Do we know each other somehow?" She asked confusedly.
"Alas we do not, but I know who you are, I had sensed a large disturbance in the Force and I sent Lord Vader to rescue you. But... it seems I was too late to prevent your... scars." The Emperor said, with a thoughtful pause.
Regina crossed her legs self consciously. How did he kn-
"Be Mindful of your thoughts Regina!" Anakin's voice echoed in her mind and she clamped down on those feelings of hurt, shame, and anger.
"I-It's a pleasure to meet you my Lord, and thank you for sending Ana-Lord Vader to help me," Regina said also bowing slightly, correcting her mistake. She kept her face poised and frozen like stone, while inside she was panicking.
"My Lord I have a request I would like to discuss in private?" Anakin interrupted quickly at her resolute facial expression. Clearly she was not fooling anyone.
"Of course, you two are headed for Coruscant, yes? I imagine the Queen has a great deal of shopping to do," The Emperor said smiling as Anakin followed him from the room, motioning for her to stay put.
The second they were out of sight, Regina bolted for the bathroom, ready to throw up. He knew, but how? How could he know about her scars? He couldn't possibly see them, or maybe he meant emotional, but either way the knowledge he had about her made her nauseated and ashamed.
She pulled up her dress and looked at the thin white lines that criss-crossed her inner thighs. She shuddered and bit her lip to keep from crying. Stay strong Regina, she demanded. She's gone. She can't hurt you ever again!
"Regina? Regina? What did he mean by you having scars?" Anakin's inquisitive voice came back from the common room. She quickly lowered her dress once more and blinked away the glassy tears that threatened to spill.
She failed. The tears came and she hated herself for it. Slowly she sank to the floor in a sobbing mess. She didn't want to explain.
"Regina?!" Anakin called out, pounding on the door at the sound of her thud to the floor.
He used his master override to unlock the door and bounded inside where Regina sat huddled by the toilet, head in her hands.
"Regina! What's going on? What happened? Is it your arm?" He asked alarmed at the sight of her break down. He glanced down at her bare legs, where he saw them. Scars. Thin, long, white lines criss-crossed her pale skin. There had to be over a dozen of them, he thought.
"Regina how did you get these? Who did this to you?!" He asked, enraged.
"I-I don't wanna t-talk about it!" She spat back at him, pushing him away from her and hurrying to cover up her legs.
He gripped her uninjured arm firmly, holding her still. "Regina, you must tell me what happened. How did he know?" He asked her, looking her dead in the eye.
"I don't know!" She cried. "And I don't have to tell you anything!"
"Regina, shh! Relax, you're safe with me, you can tell me!" He protested, still holding her, even as she struggled against him.
Eventually she stopped moving, the fight slowly leaving her as her sobbing subsided.
"Regina? Please? Please tell me what happened to you," he almost whispered as he held her close to him, her head leaning on his chest.
She sniffled, "Have you ever been in love?" She asked quietly.
He froze, his jaw locking tightly, "Yes, once..." he said simply.
"I was... a long time ago. He was the one, you know?" She whispered, before continuing. "My mother never approved… Sh-she killed him. She r-ripped his heart out and crushed it into ash." Regina said bitterly, her lip quivering with rage.
Anakin felt his body tense up with anger, boiling hate for someone who could do something like this to Regina. It was odd, feeling so protective of her...
"After he died, I was betrothed to the King, but I was determined to run away, but I n-needed... money." She said, moving her head slightly so he couldn't see the expression on her face. "I would sneak out to the village and sleep with the men there in exchange for money, supplies I would need..." She trailed off, clearly embarrassed.
Anakin pulled away from her slightly, "So you were a prostitute? While engaged to another man?" He asked incredulously. She instantly froze her face into a look of pure bitch and he felt a stinging sensation hit his cheek.
"Don't. You. DARE! You have no right to judge me! I had to get away, I had no choice!" She spat hatefully, glaring at him with fire in her eyes.
"Everyone has a choice Regina," he said, touching his cheek, trying to keep his anger under control. She stood up, backing away from him, a look of intense anger and hurt clouding her face.
"You think I wanted that? You think I enjoyed selling myself to another man?! You don't- You know nothing about my life! You don't understand what it was like, living with that bitch!" She screamed at him, pointing a condemning finger at him. "You think it was FUN, getting caught by my mother? Having her use magic to immobilize me then take a straight razor to my thighs?!" She asked, yanking her dress up to show him her scars more clearly, her lip quivering with rage.
Anakin froze with realization... her mother had done that to her? Her own mother? He stayed where he was, crouched on the floor... He put a gentle hand up as a peaceful gesture to calm her down.
"I-I'm sorry, Regina... I didn't... I had no idea your mother did that to you... I'm sorry." He said, frowning. "I'm so sorry," he repeated as she stayed defensively in the corner.
She looked away from his gaze still hurt and angry by his abrupt judgment of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, determined to not break down again until she was alone. Anakin sensed this, and vowed he would never leave her alone. He would stay with her so she wouldn't try anything stupid, that he would hold her as long as she needed if she was willing to let him.
His rage bubbled under the surface though, he enjoyed the thought of hunting this horrid woman down and torturing her until Regina was thoroughly satisfied and vindicated.
She soon sank back down onto the floor near the giant black jet tub. She looked, defeated, worn out.
"Ho-how," she croaked, "How did he know? About my scars?" She asked, in reference to the Emperor's statement.
He moved closer to her, but she held up a hand to stop him from coming too close.
"I don't know," he said quietly, shaking his head. "But I promise you, Regina, I will find her. I will make her pay for everything she did to you... everyone she took from you," he finished.
Regina just gave a sad smile and said forlornly, "You can try, but no one's been able to defeat Cora. I tried... But, really... I just pushed her through a fucking mirror." She trailed off, sighing.
They sat together in silence, neither of them looking at each other, unmoving, for what seemed like forever. Anakin looked over at her and saw she'd fallen asleep, her head leaning away from him, against the wall.
He sighed before slowly reaching over and picking her up gently, carrying her bridal style back into the bedroom. He placed her on the bed and resumed his post in the chair. They would be arriving at Coruscant soon and he hoped she would be alright.
He wanted vengeance for her suffering; he wanted to make her pain go away... The Emperor had touched a nerve, one that would not be easily forgotten. She would have scars for life, and there was nothing anyone could do about that...