FROM THE ASHES
Chapter 22
"Anakin!" She cried in joy, pulling herself to him as he touched her bloodstained lips with his own.
"Anakin!" Obiwan almost laughed, crawling toward him. "I knew you could do it."
He pulled himself off Padme's lips long enough to respond."I wasn't so sure, Master. I couldn't have done it for myself. I did it for you, and for Padme, and the babies."
Padme was weeping. "I'm so sorry, Anakin, can you ever forgive me? I was so terrible to you, and now I know exactly how you felt. Everything that happened to you also happened to me." Anakin was touched but saddened by this. He didn't know what to say, so he only hugged her. "Anakin, they killed my mother, so I killed them, and not just the ones who did it, everyone around them."
Anakin was glad to hear her understand, but pitied her and was compassionate. "I am sorrry about your mother, I am sorry you had to go through that."
"You know, every time I did something bad, he had threatenened me that he was going to kill the babies!"
"I knew it was something like that."
"So, it's like what happened to you, I had to do it to save the ones I loved. But I still hate myself! Now I'm even blind like you. I can't help thinking this is what I deserve..."
Anakin put one of his black gloved fingers to her lips. "That's enough talk like that. Let's get out of here, there may be more of them." Her confession and apology meant more to him than he could say, but this was not a time or place for a deep discussion. As he helped Padme to her feet, he glanced once more at the body of Gerapaline. After hearing what Padme had just said, he regretting his brutality a little less. "I'm going to put this mask back on, so don't be surprised when you don't recognize my voice. If there is more gas or a trap ahead, it will do no good for me to go down while trying to rescue you. I'm not interested in going blind again, and if I go do, who's going to fly home?"
"You're right, Anakin." Obiwan walked toward him. "Do you think that you can show me the way, like I did for you when the babies came?"
"I was thinking the same thing." came the voice from the mask. "It will be hard for me to concentrate that deeply in the force while still keeping my mind on getting us out of here, but I'll do my best to see for you. It's going to look kind weird since I have this mask on, and maybe you should keep a hand on my cape in case I loose my concentration."
"I got it." He said, bravely taking a handful of the long black cape. Anakin picked Padme up and carried her, her long, now tangled and dirty hair flowing downward along with her tattered and bloodstained skirt. She put one arm around Anakin's shoulders and used the other to keep her dress closed. They left the room of doom and headed down the hall.
Anakin was very apprehensive, trying to see, hear and sense anything that might be ahead. For Obiwan and Padme, a new breed of fear had set in. While they were locked in a small dark room, it hadn't really hit them that they had actually lost their eyesight, now that sad fact became as overwhelmingly devastating to them as it had to Anakin. "I don't know if I can do it, Anakin." Obiwan said, sounding less confident than Anakin had ever heard him. This upset Anakin very much. Obiwan had always been there for him, had always been strong, had always had the answers. If he wasn't sure, Anakin was worried. He was going to have to be the one to take charge and be strong, because he had to.
"Can you see what I'm showing you?"
"A little bit, it comes and goes."
"That's because I can't completely clear my mind to concentrate on it under these circumstances. Keep holding onto me, and follow my footsteps and my voice. I won't leave you."
"Anakin, could you walk a little slower, I can't.."
"I'm sorry, Master. I know how it is when you can't see. I'll try, but we have to move as quickly as possible. Our lives depend on it." Padme was crying and biting her lip as she was trust bouncing through her own darkness as Anakin ran. At last they reached the door Anakin had entered, and they had encountered no more opposition. "I think I got them all." He said, but was still worried since he knew some of the henchmen had run in fear and had not been killed or immobilized. "Hold on, here we go." Anakin warned his two blind companions as he stepped out the door. "There's some steps here, take hold of the banister there, Obiwan. Hold on, Padme."
They had no sooner stepped out into the daylight than Anakin looked up to see several of the henchmen standing by the surrounding trees with very large blasters aimed at them. In his shock, he lost his telepathic connection to Obiwan, so he couldn't see it. "What has happened, Anakin, I can sense your fear." He spoke.
"This is not good." Anakin said back quietly. "Put the prisoners down and come with me."
One of the guards ordered. "You will all suffer for this outrage."
Anakin could have held them off had he been alone, but with the burden of two injured blind people, he knew if he put them down, they'd be killed. If he didn't, he'd be killed too. He didn't know what to do. He wished Obiwan could see and and his lightsaber so they could have used one of their hand signals, and he'd have a partner to fight with. Suddenly, Obiwan sensed a strong force presence nearby. "Anakin, did you bring someone with you?"
"No, why?"
"I sense Master Yoda." Anakin searched his feelings.
"I think I do too. Very strange. I don't see any sign of him or anyone else."
There was a calm silence for a few seconds as the guards watched to see what Anakin was going to do. Suddenly, the trees behind them rustled with activity, and a large number of Wookiee warriors charged out, roaring and taking every single one of the last guards prisoner before they could shoot back!" Anakin was laughing, and Padme and Obiwan asked what happened.
"Wookiees! Lots of them!" Just then, Master Yoda stepped into a clearing and looked up at Anakin.
"Told you I did, good relations with wookiees I have." He held out his arms and nodded his green head in their directions.
"Master Yoda, it is you!" Obiwan called out. Anakin remembered how Yoda had told him he'd help and send another ship if he could, and he came just when and where he was needed!
"Thank you, Master Yoda!" They all cheered. "Thank you, wookiees!" The wookiees took the guards inside and made sure they were locked up. They would be needed to tell the true story of Gerapaline's terror. A few stayed behind to guard them, others returned to the larger ship they had all come in. Yoda motioned for them to follow him, and Anakin walked along behind, still carrying Padme. Now that he was calmer, he was able again to show Obiwan the way to go, and he didn't even have to hold onto the cape much. Once inside, Anakin lay Padme down on a cot. Now he was able to remove his mask for what he hoped would be the very last time. He leaned his head back, ran his hands through his sweaty hair, and took a deep breath of air on his own. It felt very good. Then he sat down next to Padme, gently kissing her and brushing back her hair.
"You're going to be all right now, my love. We're going to get you to the med center for the same eye treatment I got, and you're going to get checked out."
"But, I can't..."
"Why not?"
"If I go to Coruscant, I am sure I will be arrested."
Anakin hadn't thought of that. He was so upset, he wanted to take on anyone who was going to try it, but he knew that would not help. "No matter what happens, you will not be denied medical care. Even if the worst happens, we will find a way to clear your name and get our babies back. Now you rest and keep your strength up." He kissed her one last time.
"Don't go.." She called out, grasping at the air in front of her in the direction she heard him moving.
"I have to fly the starfighter back, and check on Luke along the way."
"Yes, check on Luke, my baby..and what about Leia?"
"I think I know who has her. She is safe for now, but she will be ours again." He comforted her one more time.
"Take me with you, Anakin, I don't ever want to lose you again."
He touched her face again, his mouth so close to hers they could feel each others' warm breath. "Now, you have to go straight to the med center with Obiwan. Yoda and these wookiees will take good care of you. I'm going to go see our son," he kissed her, "then I'm going to come see you" he kissed her again, "then I'm going to get our daughter back." She whimpered "yes". Reluctantly, he then walked away.
One of the wookiees handed Anakin Obiwan's lightsaber, which had been taken from him after he was gassed. Anakin walked over to his blind friend and placed it in his hand. "You'll be needing this again soon."
Obiwan squeezed his hand around it and knew exactly what it was. "I hope so, Anakin."
"You will be back in action, I know it. You make sure you and Padme get the same forumula for your eyes they used on me. I will see you both very soon. The force will be with you." Anakin departed, and right behind him the Wookiee transport carrying the others headed for Coruscant.
Anakin made a stop by Tatooine and checked on Luke. He was doing very well, and had bonded with Beru. He hoped this would not be a problem. He thanked her again, and dashed as fast as he could fly back to Coruscant. As the Wookiee's transport ship, which was actually a confiscated freighter, landed at the med center, there was no trouble at all until someone recognized the patient a wookiee was carrying in as Padme Amidala, wanted woman. Yoda had to use his mind tricks to allow them to pass. Her getting medical care was the most important thing, other issues could wait. Obiwan explained to the droids about what had happened to their eyes, and he asked for the same formula that had cured Anakin. "You know" the droid told him, "the success rate for cures after scarring caused by the Naboo hospital is very low, Master Skywalker is the only one whose eyes have responded positively. There is a very large chance you and Senator Amidala will not see again, you must be prepared for that." Obiwan sighed heavily. He knew permanent blindness was a possibility but tried not to dwell on it.
"We are a different case, our eyes were not injured and treated incorrectly, he put some kind of powder in them."
The droid examined Obiwan's eyes. "I see they have been burned. They have hardly begun to heal, so no scarring has yet to set in. Your chances of recovery with our formula are excellent."
Obiwan was much happier now. "That's good to hear, thank you. How long?"
"I will treat and bandage your eyes. You will stay here for a few days to make sure things are going well, then you can be released. Return a week to ten days afterward. I cannot give a complete guarantee but I predict your eyes will do as well as Master Skywalker's. His were much worse, having scarred after the burns and being treated wrongly on Naboo, so yours are in less danger." He sat still while his eyes were washed and treated and bandaged.
"What about Padme?" He put his hand on the droid and followed him to Padme's bedside. Her eyes had been done the same as his, but her prognosis was not as bright. Her eyes were a bit more damaged because she had rubbed them and she risked losing part or all of her vision.
"Well," she spoke as she tried not to cry and wash out the treatment, "maybe all those people who are out to persecute and prosecute me will feel sorry for a poor blind lady." She faked a laugh.
"Don't even say that, Padme. Your eyes are going to get better, and we're going to clear you from all of this."
"But, I will never be free of the scars. I am damaged forever, in here." She said as she bit her lip, again fighting tears, and touched her hand to her heart, and her head. Someone very close to her would know exactly how that felt.