A Love That Turned Evil
Chapter Four
Jedi Knight
Padme went to bed exhausted. She fell asleep right away, unmindful of the buzzing engines of the planet.
Little did she know that one of those buzzing engines belonged to the speeder of her husband.
Anakin raced his twin engines in between the slower craft, leaving their ears ringing. He accelerated and zoomed faster, almost crashing into another speeder. Two memories attacked him at once.
"You've never even finished a race?"
"I'll finish this one."
He was reminded of the podraces back home, and how the other kids thought he was insane.
"Anakin, pull up. Pull up, Anakin!"
He pulled the speeder up just in time to stop from crashing headlong into the ground.
"Anakin, you know I don't like it when you do that."
"Sorry, Master. I forgot that you don't like to fly."
Anakin didn't want to have a master, a master that he had to obey. Obi-Wan was letting have a vacation, but as soon as he returned he would have too face the Jedi Council and face the trials.
He was his own master.
Padme woke with a start. She was unaccustomed to sleeping in this hard bed; she missed her mattress back home.
Wait. Where was Ani?
Padme pushed off the covers and slid off the bed. Ani was not in the bed. He was not in the washroom either.
She pushed open the doors that led to the main suit, and Anakin stood with his back to her. He looked very tall, very strong, and almost evil.
"Anakin?"
The figure whirled around. The light glinted off the lightsaber blade.
"Anakin, what are you doing? Did you ever come to bed?"
"Yes." He lied, his voice satiny smooth.
"Why are you dressed?"
"I couldn't sleep. I thought I might visit the Council."
"Are you going back? To become a real Jedi Knight?"
"Yes. So I can rid myself of Obi-Wan and the burden he places upon me."
"What is this burden that you speak of, Ani? Obi-Wan Kenobi is your Master."
"Exactly!" Anakin looked angry. "Obi-Wan is my Master. That's the point, Padme! I have to follow his orders or I won't become a Jedi!"
Padme stared at him, not knowing what to think. Should she be sympathetic? Anakin had always been rather independent, except from his dear mother. He hated following orders. He was his own boss.
"Are you going to the trials?"
"As soon as I can."
Padme pondered the thought of being married to a Jedi Knight. It was forbidden. Anakin had not really convinced her that Jedi were encouraged to love that day, such a long time ago it seemed. But that was when she realized that she was madly in love with this boy that had grown so much since she had last seen him.
It was after the parade…
"When will I see you again, Padme?"
"I don't know Ani. I'm sure it will be soon."
"Do you still have the amulet?"
"Yes, I'll always keep it."
"Good-bye, Padme."
Padme shivered.
"Obi-Wan."
Anakin was transmitting a message through the hologram he had brought with him to Coruscant.
"Anakin! How good to see you."
"Obi-Wan, I'm here on Coruscant. I want to begin the trials."
"Do you believe that you are ready?"
"Do you?"
"I'll talk to Yoda. "
Anakin switched off the hologram. He decided not to tell Obi-Wan that he had married Padme. Obi-Wan would not let him become a Jedi if he did tell him.
"Master Yoda?"
"Enter, Master Kenobi."
"Master Yoda, my Padawan is ready for the trials."
"Just yesterday, you were a Padawan yourself, Master Kenobi." Yoda wriggled his ears wisely. "Skywalker is ready for the trials, you believe?"
"Yes, Master Yoda."
"Very well. The council, I shall summon."
A few days later, Anakin stood before the Council. The Jedi Council was made up of the finest Jedi there were- Adi Gallia, Mace Windu, Yoda…
Anakin took a deep breath to calm the tightness in his stomach.
"Let the trials begin."
"What were the trials like, Ani?" Padme asked.
"We're sworn to secrecy."
"Oh."
Anakin touched his lightsaber blade and withdrew it from his belt. He turned it on. It made a soft whirring sound as he twirled it about. It was ice blue.
"It's beautiful."
"It's deadly." Anakin shut the blade off and thrust it deep into his cloak, all too reminded of the Sand People.