- - - Chapter Five: The Newlyweds - - -
Padmé and Anakin got married a week later at her family's countryside estate, Varykino. The ceremony was small and intimate just like they wanted. It was only the two of them, the priest, and Padmé's staff as witnesses. Anakin wore a simple black suit while Padmé wore an absolutely stunning white lace dress. She later claimed it was a bit old fashioned and out of style, but it was something that had been in her family.
"You've could have gone been out there naked," Anakin said, "and I still would have gotten weak in my knees."
"And tight in your pants," Padmé teased. "But let's save the nakedness for tonight, hmm?"
The staff had created a wedding feast for them of roasted pig and a delicious cake. The newlyweds didn't linger for long as they soon slipped away upstairs. There were a few shouts and whistles that followed them from two from the maids that had too much of the wine. Never had he heard them so outspoken, and he couldn't help but blush as he led Padmé up the stairs to their bedroom.
Finally alone, he was able to run his hand all over the lacy dress.
"Done getting handsy with me?" Padmé said as she lazily wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Oh, I haven't even started yet," he purred.
She raised an eyebrow and smirked at him. "Is that a promise?" she said in a low voice.
"It is," he said.
He bent over and kissed her lips. Her arms tightened around him. His lips didn't stay linger on hers long. He started to leave a trail of kisses across her cheek up to her ear. He sucked on her ear and nibbled at it.
Then in a low deep lusty voice, he whispered, "And I always keep my promises."
He bent over, laced his arms under her backside, and picked her up. She giggled as she held on to his neck. Her round stomach pressed against him as he carried her to the bed. He carefully placed her down. He grabbed her skirts and slowly started to pull it up. She squirmed on the bed in anticipation as more and more of her stocking legs were revealed.
He laid on the bed beside her. His hand slipped between her thighs and slowly inched upwards. It didn't take much to part her drawers open and slip his fingers into her. He leaned into her and captured her lips. She was eager to return his kisses. She moaned as he continued his ministrations. He started to move faster and harder. She gasped and moaned, but he never let her lips escape his for long. He would gently bite them or suck on them to bring her back to him.
Finally, she came completely undone. Her back arched and moaned loudly as her body writhed from his touch.
"Was that handsy enough?" he murmured softly.
"It was," she said. Her hands grabbed his jacket and started to pull it off of him. "But I want more."
They returned to Coruscant House after spending two wonderful weeks at Varykino. Duke Palpatine said he had a wedding present for the two of them. Padmé was quiet the entire coach ride. Her head rested against Anakin's shoulder, and she dozed on and off.
"Are you alright?" Anakin asked after they had arrived and met the duke. She looked pale. "Shall I call for a doctor?"
"I am fine," Padmé said. "I am just tired and need some rest."
She placed her hand on her swollen stomach and gently rubbed it. The worry in Anakin had yet to ease.
"You go rest, my dear," Palpatine said. "If you need anything, please let my staff know."
"Thank you, your grace," she said.
Anakin took her hand and kissed it. She smiled at him, then walked away leaving Anakin and Palpatine alone.
"Anakin, let me show you the wedding gift," Palpatine said as he led Anakin into the library.
Palpatine walked over to his large desk and picked up a thick piece of paper. He handed it to Anakin, who read over it.
"What is this?" he asked.
"A marriage certificate," Palpatine answered.
"Yes, I know that. But the date is wrong."
It was dated several months back instead of only two weeks ago.
Palpatine sighed. "You have a lot to learn my boy about the life of nobility, but I imagine it can't be too different from that of a knight. Sometimes one must pick their battles." He waved at the paper. "In this case, one must choose their scandal. No matter what, Padmé's pregnancy and marriage will cause people to talk. However, the story has yet to break and thus we can control what story we want to tell. Going off and eloping with a handsome Jedi knight and then getting pregnant is better than getting pregnant before the marriage. Oh, there will still be a story, but hopefully one less damning."
Anakin nodded. He knew Padmé was concerned with how her pregnancy and marriage would affect her position.
"I see," Anakin said slowly. "Thank you, your grace. This will mean a lot to Padmé."
Palpatine nodded and smiled. He took the certificate back and placed it on the desk. He walked up to Anakin and clapped him on the back.
"I wanted to take you on a tour of Coruscant House. You barely got a chance to explore its majestic beauty last time," Palpatine said as he led Anakin out of the library.
Palpatine was a good tour guide. He knew the house and his family's history well. He talked about the paintings, who was who in it, how this vase had been gifted from the royal family, or how this statue had come from the crusades, and so on. The tour continued outside to the manicured gardens and well-kept yard.
"There is some great game out there," Palpatine said waving out at the tree line. "Perhaps we shall go hunting before you leave."
Anakin mindlessly nodded.
"Have you given any thought to what you will do now that you've left the Order?" Palpatine asked.
The question took Anakin a bit off guard. "I . . . I haven't," he answered honestly. "Not sure what I can do." What good were his skills as a vampire hunter in the normal world? "Though I want to help Padmé as much as possible, especially once the baby is born."
Palpatine nodded. "Well, I would like to formally offer you a job to come work for me."
Anakin stopped and looked at the old man. "Come work for you? Doing what? I'm not sure how useful I am."
Palpatine laughed. "I can find many uses for your talents."
"Like what?"
Palpatine stepped closer. His voice was lower. "Anakin you know I am quite involved with the Order. I provide information about vampires. Where do you think such information comes from? I have agents who gather this intel."
"And you want me to be one of your agents? I . . ."
It sounded like the perfect job for him, but what would it entail? Would it be like when he did missions for the Order? Would he be sent away for months at a time? What about Padmé? What about the baby? He had left the Order so he could be with her and their child.
"I need to hear more," Anakin said, "And think it over. Talk to Padmé as well."
"Of course," Palpatine said. "I shall have something written up for you. In the meantime, please enjoy my estate. Everything here is free to use."
Anakin checked on Padmé and found her napping. He decided not to wake her and went for a walk. He was feeling restless. The feeling had started back at Varykino. He had loved spending time with Padmé, but there was this energy inside of him he couldn't quite dispel. He had taken to swimming in the cold lake next to Varykino to help get some of that energy out, but it always came back the next day.
He left behind the gardens and walked along a well-used path that followed the tree line. Eventually, it turned into the woods. The woods were peaceful with the chirping of birds and the scuffling of leaves as animals scurried around. He paused as he noticed the ground ahead of him was disturbed. It looked like drag marks. He glanced around. Nothing else seemed out of place.
He shook his head and kept walking. He had to stop thinking like a Jedi. He no longer was one. That was behind him. But he couldn't help looking for more drag marks, and he did see more. Then he saw the first stain of blood. It was nothing, he repeated. It was most likely from a hunt. Palpatine had said there was good game to be found out here. He kept walking and soon came across a small stone hut.
Was it a game keeper's hut? Perhaps a wood cutter's home? A rest station for hunting? He noticed the drag marks and drops of blood leading to the hut. He followed it to the closed wooden door. The hut was small. Perhaps too small for someone to live in, but it was possible. Anakin pushed the door open. He was just going to satisfy his curiosity, he told himself. If he ran into someone he would just play stupid and pretend he was lost.
The door opened, and he peered into the windowless bare room. There was nothing. No bed. No shelves. No hooks or racks for placing game on to. It was empty except for the drag marks that disappeared right as soon as they entered the hut.
Anakin knelt down and felt at the floor. Sure enough, he could feel the slight indentation right where the drag marks ended. There was something there. Most likely it was a hidden door. He dug his fingers into the dirt and slowly was able to get his fingers under the ledge allowing him to grip the door. The door was heavy and it was hard work with only one hand, but he was eventually able to lift it up.
There was a rectangular hole in the ground with a ladder disappearing into the dark depths. Anakin hesitated. He shouldn't go down there. He was being foolish. It wasn't human blood. Those weren't the drag marks of a body. His mind was still trained on being a Jedi. He was about to shut the trap door and forget all about this when he heard a faint scream echoing up from the hole.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He knew screams. He had heard plenty of them, and his gut was telling him that was the scream of a person. Someone who was deathly afraid. All hesitation gone, he climbed down the ladder and found himself inside a dark tunnel. The tunnel was tall and large enough where four people could walk abreast. The ground was a soft cold dirt that kept Anakin's approach quiet. The walls were made of stone brick with reinforced wooden beams, but most of it was covered in dirt and grime.
This tunnel was old. He wondered if perhaps it had been built as part of the old castle, especially as he realized the tunnel was taking him back towards Coruscant House. Every now and then he would hear a horrid scream. The closer he got to the house, the louder and clearer the screams became. By the time he reached where he assumed the gardens must be, the tunnel opened into a large round chamber. The roof stretched into a dome with a small grated window at the top. He could just make out the grey sky above. The chamber had several other tunnels stretching out in other directions, and Anakin headed towards the largest tunnel leading towards the house.
This tunnel was perhaps just as old as the previous one, but it looked nicer. The floor was smooth stone tile, and the walls were free of dirt and cobwebs. Someone saw to it that this place was kept clean. There were no screams. They were replaced with whispers and the distant sounds of feet and shuffling fabric. There were people down here. Was this perhaps the basement to the house? Was this where the servants lived?
The tunnel again came to an opening. It was a hollow tower with a spiraling staircase that wrapped around the outside. The middle was hollow and extended both up and down. Anakin assumed if he took the stairs up, he would find himself back in the house. He looked down. It extended down several stories.
He debated about going up and telling Padmé about his little adventure. He could laugh it off and spend the afternoon with his wife. He turned to make his way up but froze as he saw a plaque on the wall. The plaque was wooden with a black stone symbol on it. It looked like an ankh, the old Egyptian symbol of life. It also looked a bit like a Christain cross, but the top arm was a loop. However, unlike an ankh, this symbol had a small upper arm that extended into the loop and ended in a pointed diamond shape.
Vampires.
It was the symbol of vampires. A mix between the holy cross, a sign of rebirth, and the ancient symbol of life. He turned around and headed down the steps. His ears straining for any noise. He had gone down about two levels when he heard voices above him. He flattened himself against the wall hoping that whoever was above him wouldn't see him.
"Lady Amidala has finished her meal," one voice said.
"And Lord Sidious?" another said.
"We are preparing his meal now," replied the first.
The voices faded away as quickly as they had come. Their owners must have simply passed by the stairwell instead of taking the steps. Anakin's head was spinning. Had he heard correctly? Had they mentioned Lady Amidala? She was considered vampire royalty. And Sidious . . . the leader of the vampires. Were they . . . here?
Anakin went back up the stairs to where he heard the voices. He turned down the hallway and was thankful he saw no one. Warm light was spilling out of an open door, and Anakin crept quietly forward. He has long since mastered how to move silently on his feet. The light flickered as shadows moved in the room.
"Is everything prepared?"
Anakin knew that voice. It was Palpatine's.
"Yes, my lord," replied one of the voices he had heard earlier.
"Good. good," Palpatine replied.
Anakin had made it to the door. He carefully peered into the room. He recognized Palpatine, who was standing with two robed figures. Then a second door opened, and a large man dragged an unconscious person into the room.
"Lord Sidious," the large man said in a deep voice and with a bow of his head.
Palpatine stepped forward with his mouth open and two distinct glistening fangs growing longer and longer.
Anakin didn't wait to see any more. He moved as fast and as quiet as he could back down the hall and into the tunnels. His heart was pounding as he made his up the ladder back up into the small hut in the woods. He paused outside the building, his breathing labored. What was he going to do? Palpatine was a vampire! And not just any vampire, but Darth Sidious!
He had to . . . he had to inform the Order! He may no longer be a knight, but he couldn't ignore this. He went back down the path, but instead of taking it back to the house, he ran on to the road. There was a village nearby. He remembered passing it on their way to the house. He was sweating and out of breath by the time he barged into the post office.
"I need to send a letter," he gasped.
The post officers looked at him with a mixture of fear and uncertainty.
"Certainly, s- sir," one stammered. "Just hand us your letter . . ."
A sudden cold washed through him. He didn't have a letter, and he had yet to learn to master his handwriting with his left hand. He had improved . . . some, but it was still slow going and very bad.
"I, uh, can you write it for me?" he asked.
The officers exchanged a look with one another. Anakin held up his stump arm. His right sleeve hung loosely.
"Listen, I'm not a fast writer since I lost my hand. I need a letter sent to London. Now."
"We can help you, sir, but the mail has already gone out today."
Anakin marched over and grabbed the postman by the collar and shook him.
"Did I not make myself clear? This is an important message! I don't care how you do it, it needs to get there as soon as possible!"
He let the man go and dug in his coat. He pulled out a handful of banknotes and slammed it on the counter. The men eyed the money. It was a lot. Way more than a simple letter would cost. Possibly more than their paycheck. Padmé had insisted he carry money around with him.
"Yes, sir!" one of the officers said. "How can we help?"
The sky was turning orange as he hurried up the steps to Coruscant House. The staff were cordial as always. They bowed or nodded their heads at him. Greeted him as Lord Skywalker. He ignored them all and hurried up to the guest bedroom. He burst through the door. One of Padmé's maids let out a small yelp of surprise. Padmé had been laying in bed but sat up from the noise.
"Anakin?" she asked.
"Leave us," Anakin barked.
The maid looked confused and looked back at Padmé, who nodded her head. The maid gave a short bow, left the room, and closed the door behind her.
"Anakin, what's wrong?" Padmé asked as Anakin hurried to her side. He sat on the edge of the bed. Her cool small hands were instantly resting on either side of his face. "You're all sweaty."
"I had to go to the village," he said as he tried to get his breathing even.
"To the village? What for? And you walked there? You could have taken the carriage or a horse. Or even sent a servant out."
He took a deep breath. He reached up and took one of her hands and lowered it to his chest. No doubt she could feel his pounding heart.
"Padmé," he said. "We need to leave this place at once."
Her brown eyes were so wide. Her pink lips were pulled down in a frown. "Why?" she asked. "What is going on?"
"Vampires," he said.
"What? Vampires? Where?"
"Here, Padmé. There is a whole secret layer under this house."
"Anakin. Are you sure? Here?"
"Padmé, please believe me. I know what I saw. I saw him! With fangs and sucking the blood out of someone!"
"Him? Him who?"
"Palpatine! He's a vampire! A very powerful one too. We have to leave. It isn't safe here."
"Anakin, you're talking nonsense. Palpatine isn't a vampire."
"He is! You have to believe me! That's why I went to the village. I sent a letter to the Order."
"You did what?" she asked.
"That's why we must leave and now."
Her eyes searched his. He could feel the doubt lingering in her. He squeezed her hand tighter.
"Please," he begged. "I need you to be safe. Both of you." He looked down at her round stomach. She placed her hand on top of it.
"Very- very well," she said softly. "Can you go get my maids? They can help me get dressed and get our things packed."
"Of course," he said.
He knew that at least one of them was waiting in a nearby room, and he found two of them. They followed him back to the room where they were instantly at Padmé's side.
"My lady, what's wrong?" they asked.
Anakin had opened one of their traveling trunks and was starting to put clothes into it. Padmé was giving soft whispered instructions to the girls.
"I understand, my lady," one maid said as she scurried from the room. Most likely she was going to have the carriage prepared.
Padmé walked over and placed a hand on his back. "I need to talk with Sheev," she said. "We can't just leave without talking to him. It would be rude."
He turned around and placed his hand on her shoulder. "No," he said. "If he suspects anything . . . "
"Anakin, everything will be all right," Padmé said.
"Padmé, you have no idea what vampires are capable of."
"Don't I?" she said in a dark voice. "You think I don't remember the vampires attacking my family's carriage when I was twelve? Watching my parents and sister be bitten and drained of their blood? I know exactly what vampires are capable of."
"And that is why we can't stay here a moment longer."
She sighed. The fight was gone from her eyes replaced by weariness. She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his chest.
"Anakin," she murmured softly. She leaned heavily against him.
"Padmé," he said softly as he wrapped his own arms around her. "Everything is going to be fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to you or the baby. I promise." He leaned his head down and kissed the top of her head.
She looked at him. Her brows were deeply furrowed. "Oh, Anakin," she said. Her voice wavered. He could only give a small smile of reassurance. "I am so sorry."
His smile fell. "Sorry? Sorry for what? You have nothing you need to apologize for," he said.
Her face scrunched up. Her eyes glistened as tears started to well up. He started to raise his hand to her face before she started to cry, but his hand felt so heavy. He could barely lift it. His hand fell and hung loosely at his side. He started to waver on his feet.
"Pad . . . mé . . . " he muttered.
Drugs. He had been drugged. When? How? Who? Had they gotten to Padmé? He tried to reach for her, but instead, he fell backward. He landed awkwardly on the floor. Padmé was at once kneeling down beside him. Her cold hand stroking his hair. Tears were running down her face.
"Forgive me," she cried. "Please, forgive me."
"You have done well, my dear."
Padmé looked up to see Palpatine entering the room. A smile on his face as he looked down at the unconscious Anakin.
"Everything is going perfectly to my plan," he said. "Anakin's message to the Order should arrive in London tomorrow morning."
"Then they'll come here," Padmé said softly. She continued to stroke Anakin's hair.
Palpatine laughed. Not his nobleman laugh, but the laugh of Darth Sidious, lord of all vampires. A crooked laugh.
"With what army?" he asked. "They are spread thin. Many are off in America, while other agents are scattered across the continent. Who is left at the London Temple? Windu? A handful of high ranking knights? Whatever they send to us, we will crush. Then the London Temple will be left unguarded. The end of the Jedi Order has come."
"And what of Anakin?" she asked.
Heavy footsteps were heard from the hall. Soon two large men walked into the room. Palpatine waved them forward. They walked over, picked Anakin up, and carried him out of the room.
"His time has come as well," Palpatine said in a pleased voice. "Time for him to join his rightful place as a vampire for it will be him who leads our attack on the Jedi Temple."