Previously
"Come, Darth Ilianus."
Out of the shadows, a dark figure stepped forth. It was a young woman, with raven colored hair. She had a thin figure, covered by a dark suit and long cloak. Her eyes were a bright grey color. They almost appeared to be dead. There was some sort of symbol tattooed by the side of her right eye. She kneeled before the dark lord.
"Yes, my master."
Sidious cackled as he stared at the girl. "The time has come."
Her piercing grey eyes looked up at him as she smiled. Bowing her head, she stood.
It was finally her turn to shine. Too long had she been stored away in the shadows. She would make him pay.
... Do Angels Die? ...
He who was Darkness himself would have never guessed that there was something darker. He watched silently as the shadow slithered down that path. To darkness never before achieved. He should have been happy. Maybe even proud. Instead he felt only the claws of envy come over him. But there was something more. There was fear.
As the shadow walked down his dark path, it dared not look back. For behind him was the light. And the light was what he feared. He left a trail of blood behind him. Spanning, feet, yards... miles, in length. The blood furthest away was tainted by evil. Dried up and forgotten in memories. Slowly and surely becoming fresher, more innocent, as the gap between the beginning and the shadow closed.
Normally trails of blood made Darkness cackle over with pride, but not when it was his own. He could smell the betrayal in the blood resting carelessly on the ground. No sin could express the feelings that Darkness was having at this moment. The foreseen deception tore through him. The sent of lust in the blood much too powerful for him to withstand.
He had to end the life of this said shadow. He could not allow it to keep walking down the same path. Darkness, for one, would not let trust become his demise.
He sat back on his extravagant chair. What a waste. He had molded this shadow together since the first time he had laid eyes on him. So much effort and time put into it. All to end this way. He felt no remorse for this shadow, for there were many more shadows roaming all around. Avarice had long ago taken any compassion he may he felt.
He continued watching the shadow as it limped down the path. His injuries clearly visible. And what stood out the most, was its heart. It had been ripped out of its body and laid tossed in the puddles of blood behind it. Forgotten.
Darkness clenched his fists together as the shadow stopped in its tracks. He was unsure of what it was doing. The shadow turned, letting Darkness gaze upon it. It's eyes were a bloody red color, a mirror image of wrath itself. His stare bore a hole through Darkness. Ripping him in half. Not letting him fade into the light however. No. The shadow took his place.
Palpatine recoiled in his chair, his eyes springing open. What have I created?
He felt the time would come soon for the ultimate act of betrayal. And perhaps even the end of the galaxy as he knew it. Only one question sprung in his head however. Why? What had gone wrong? This vision was something he had not foreseen in the past. In fact, it was suppose to be quite different. He had foreseen twenty years! Yet things seemed to have fallen apart in only six.
The Sith Lord sat pensively, his well-known patience growing dangerously thin. He needed to figure out what the cause of everything was. Maybe then another path could unfold as it had before.
"I want you to keep a very close eye on him." Sidious instructed.
The hooded figure kneeled before him and bowed its head. "As you wish. Will that be all?"
"Yes. Yes. Anything and everything that seems out of place, you will report to me immediately."
"Yes, master." The figure stood and turned to walk away.
"Darth Ilianus..." His voice slithered.
The young girls eyes flashed a quick glow of yellow before stopping in her tracks.
"There will be no room for failure. Do not let him discover you. If he does, your head will pay the price."
She smirked and continued to walk forward.
As Ilianus left the Emperors throne room, she wondered what it was his apprentice could have possibly done to cause such an action. She for one knew that trust was never too high, but there was no need for spies. Either way, she would make sure to condemn him. He was unworthy for the position he held. It should have been her. She should have been the one standing loyally behind the emperors throne.
Ilianus had always stood in the shadows of her master. Since she was but a mere infant. He was all the she ever knew. And he was all that she would ever want to. She admired the dark aura that he always seemed to be radiating. It gave her strength to continued with her training. To become stronger. The strongest. Proving her worth to him.
And when she finally had, the pitiful excuse of a man known as Vader had come along. He all too quickly took that which was hers. Her master had always told her to embrace her anger and hate. Well now she would. With all her might. She swore to bring him down even if it was the last thing she did.
And then her master would realize his mistake. Realize that it should be her at his side. She was the rightful heir to the throne in the future to come. Not Vader.
She tossed back and forth. Entangled in the web of lies that was her bed sheets. Looking over to her side, she noticed the empty spot besides her. The one that had never been filled by any soul other then that of her husband.
Sighing, she detangled herself and got up from her bed. Her bedroom was surrounded by darkness. Shadows prancing freely all around it. She did not let it bother her. She would never let the darkness bring her down again. She would never let it extinguish the only bit of light she had left within her.
She shuddered as a loud blast of thunder followed by the bright shock of lighting cut through the darkness. It had began to rain a few hours ago. And no matter how hard she had attempted to ignore it and sleep, she couldn't.
The storm going on outside was much like the one she had seen in her dream. That's the part that bothered her the most. It was not often that rain came to this little planet. It didn't need it. Even without rain, the planet always seemed to bloom.
She let herself believe that dreams were just dreams. She told herself that was a well known fact. But she knew the truth inside. Something was going to happen whether it be today or the next day. Her heart began to race at the thought of it.
Padme could not risk the safety of her children. She had to do something to prevent that dream from becoming a reality. Leia.. Luke...
She asked herself what would happen if he were ever able to find them. She knew he would be mad. He had always had a temper when it came to secrets. But would he have the heart to hurt them? To kill them off like he had the younglings in the Jedi temple. His own children. No. She told herself firmly. He could never. Anakin Skywalker would never.
Anakin Skywalker was dead.
Padme's eyes began to sting as unshed tears developed. She didn't want to cry. Long ago she had told herself she would never again. So why now? Why was it all coming back to her. With every thought of him she died a little more inside. And even thought she tried to put it all behind her..she didn't want to forget him. The man she loved. The man she loves.
Not caring that the rain was pouring down on her, she walked out to the balcony in her bedroom. Her tears were now flowing freely, confused with the rain. Padme looked up at the stars. There were millions of them. She and Anakin had always loved to look up at the stars and just watch time pass by. Forgetting that they would have to return to wearing their fake masks afterwards. Nothing mattered back then. Not the war, or politics.
"Anakin.." She called out his name. She knew it was useless. She had tried many times before, but nothing ever happened. This Force forsaken planet made her, and everyone else, appear to be dead. It was both a blessing and a curse.
She felt that Luke especially was feeling the weight of not having his father around. Especially after all that he had been told about the famous hero of the Republic. She knew that he would grow up one day. Her fairy tale would have to be exposed. The ending finally told.
"They need you Ani.." She pleaded to the brightest star of them all.
The heavens continued to cry for all those who had been lost. Showering its people in a bittersweet blanket of salt water. All of its pain being released in pure shocks of bright light. Cutting through the darkness of the night. But no matter how many tears the heavens were willing to shed.. or how much light they were willing to radiate.. the lost could not be again found. Even as the heavens roared out to them, their only reply was darkness.
"Are you an angel?" The innocent voice of a little boy called out startling her from her thoughts.
"What?" Padme asked confused. She had felt a smile creeping up on her features however.
"An angel. I heard the deep space pilots talk about them."
Padme gave him an amused look as she stepped closer to the curious little boy.
"They are the most beautiful creatures in the universe. The live in the moons of Iego, I think." The little boy finished.
"You're a funny little boy. How do you know so much?" Padme replied. She watched contentedly as he tinkered with some strange contraption in his hands.
"I listen to all the traders and star pilots who come through here. Im a pilot you know and someday im going to fly away from this place."
"You're a pilot?"
"Mhm. All my life." He replied.
"How long have you been here?"
He put the contraption down and looked at her directly in the eyes. "Since I was very little. Three I think. My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us betting on the podraces.
"You're a slave?" she asked. A hint of confusion and doubt on her face.
"Im a person." He retorted with a louder stronger voice. "And my name is Anakin."
Vader's restless form stirred in his bed. He was pouring in sweat, panting deeply. Another night and another dream. Everyday he seemed to be haunted by some past memory. Constantly reminding him of who he used to be. He would not give in however. He could not afford to do so.
As he steadied himself back into a restful position, his head began to ache. He bit his lower lip and closed his eyes shut as the pain intensified. What is this? Images began to blur in his mind. Faster and faster. Unknown voices became louder and louder.
"you've grown more beautiful..."
"You've changed so much..."
"I am not going to give in to us."
He brought his hands up to his head. Holding it tightly as if to squeeze out the pain. Vader rolled himself into a little ball on his bed as his pants for air became wails of pain.
"I'm not afraid to die" Her voice pounded in his head over and over again. "I'm not afraid to die" It mocked him. Each time becoming louder. Clearer than before.
"I'm not afraid to die..."
Vader jumped out of his bed. His eyes were still clenched shut. He stumbled over to the far wall, banging roughly against it and falling to the floor.
"I feel lost."
"He could actually save people from death?"
"So love has blinded you?"
"Anakin... You're breaking my heart." He could feel the force radiating all around him as objects began to shake on their shelves. Falling to the floor and breaking. Such fragile things.
"You're not all-powerful, Ani."
"We live in a real world, Ani. Come back to it."
Vader cried out in pain. Wishing for the visions to stop. To go away. He didn't know how much longer he could stand them. Each one bringing more pain back into his heart. Stabbing him over and over with a sharp blade and watching him bleed to death on the floor.
"SHUT UP!" He cried out.
"You can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting."
"Are you allowed to love?"
"The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is."
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"To be angry is to be human."
"You were my brother Anakin. I loved you."
"Something wonderful has happened. Ani, I'm pregnant."
"What have I done..."
"Stop. Stop now. Come back. I love you!"
"GO AWAY!" He screamed so loudly that he could have sworn the muscles inside of his throat collapsed. He could taste fresh blood in his mouth. He panted loudly as everything around him came to a stop. The voices he had heard were no longer there. Objects floating in the air came crashing down with a loud bang.
Looking all around him, Vader saw nothing but darkness. Emptiness.
He stood up and walked over to the large window that served as a wall. He placed his hand roughly on it as his breathing began to steady. Below him the busy life of the Imperial city continued as if nothing had happened at all.
He closed his eyes and slowly sighed. When would these nightmares stop?
"They need you Ani..." The whisper of a ghost startled him. His skin went pale as he looked all around him, but there was no one in sight. This was no memory like the others. This was her voice. He did something he had not done in years. Reaching out in the force, he looked for her. He felt nothing however. There was an empty space in the place where she should be.
She's gone. He reminded himself.
"Padme.." He whispered back. Who needs me?
Silence...
End Chapter 5
PLEASE READ THIS!
This chapter was originally suppose to be longer..there's still like another two sections of things that are suppose to happen missing from it.. but ill have to add them in next chapter. See, im going on vacation this Friday.. and I will be gone for a week..so I wont be able to update. And I just wanted to leave this updated before I left. :)
Poor little Anakin :( no?
anyways.. send me those reviews with thoughts/concerns :D and thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter.. and to those of you who just read it.. I hope you guys are enjoying it so far.