A/N - I do not own Star wars or the characters! Enjoy this new story! :)
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'New Beginnings Are Often Disguised As Painful Endings' - Lao Tzu.
She contemplated Death, why wouldn't she? losing the one you love is a far greater pain that anything death could have offered her. She wasn't afraid of death, she never had been, the countless threats against her life since she was just a young girl proved that, but here she was, laying on the hospital bed, in pain, terrible pain but not just physical, oh no, this pain burned within her, deep inside her like a thousand knives straight to her heart. The eyes of her conflicted yet frightened husband, the eyes of a frightened boy from Tattooine, her one true love, her only love. Her last moments on Mustafar with her husband haunted her, ached her ways she couldn't begin to comprehend, stole her breath as quick as he could give it, the pain in his eyes, the determination to save her, he was lost, lost to it and she had lost her Ani.
She was ready, ready to give her life away despite her being able to continue living in this galaxy, a galaxy now full of pain. She couldn't take it. But then, a relief came over her, an emptiness in her stomach and a pull back to her reality, the cries of an infant fresh from the womb, an infant she was so afraid to have yet an infant she loved more than anything. "Luke..." she whispered out moving her fingers to rub the soft cheeks of her newborn son, the son of Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, this was real, this was her reality and now that contemplation became even more conflicted for her. Then another wave of relief, she couldn't explain it, she felt empty but complete - well, as complete as she could be given the situation. "Leia..." She whispered once more, a second baby? A twin? she didn't know, the daughter of Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, this was real, this was her reality and now, that contemplation had disappeared from her thoughts, her sole focus was on those two tiny humans, fresh from her womb, birthed into a galaxy filled with such anger and hatred, a galaxy destroyed by a man she loved so dearly. It was only in this moment she was afraid of death, now after 27 years of living fearless of the inevitable, it was only now she feared taking her last breath, she couldn't, not now, she couldn't give up, those tiny humans needed her and if she was being completely honest, she needed them. The breath she once lost came back to her instantly, almost as if it was forced into her lungs, the pain she felt became a soothing pain, still there but not so deep, those babies needed their mother and she knew that was her destiny.
Where does she go from here? an exhausted yet broken Padme sat with the two Jedi masters and her good friend Bail Organa. Physically she was sat with them, but she was not with them, no, instead she fixed her stare on the two sleeping twins in the bassinets across from her, she held onto the jappor snippet her Ani had made her all those years ago, and she listened to the muffled words of the three men in the room as they discussed the next steps. Luke stirred in his sleep, and as she looked down to her knees, in a silk night gown and a robe around her, the perfectly carved jappor snippet in her hand, as she looked down she watched as her wet tear fell onto the necklace, causing it to temporarily darken, before swallowing hard, wiping her tear and looking up. She knew what she had to do. "The children and I must die." She said not literally. She watched the confused look come across her companions in the room. "I'll take them to Tattooine, raise them under new identities, begin a new life...Senator Amidala died in childbirth, along with her unborn child..." She paused at the break in her own voice. "That is how it has to be..." She added before looking back down to her knee as more tears silently fell down her face.
"Agree with you, I do. Find the children the Sith must not." Yoda simply added, Bail sighed at the heartbreak his friend was going through, he had worked alongside her for many years, this was hard for him, and now, now he would have to pretend that same friend was dead. "Into Exile I will go, safer it is." the green Jedi Master added, in that moment it didn't take Padme more than a second to acknowledge the fact that she hadn't just lost everything, Master Yoda had lost his life, his Jedi order that he devoted his life too, his fellow Jedi. Obi-Wan had lost his padawan, a man he considered a brother, a man he had to fight against. Bail had lost his life in the senate on Coruscant, many planets and many friends, and the galaxy? They had lost all hope, they had lost everything the Jedi and senate fought so hard to protect and why? because of her own selfish doings. "I will exile on Tattooine, watch over the senator and the children." Obi Wan said softly, he knew he had to protect them, he would be failing Anakin once more if he did not.
The next words of Padme refused the ability for any of them to respond to Obi Wan's words. She cut them off completely, as she mentally began paying the price for her actions. "I'm so sorry.." She whispered out through water filled eyes, looking up to the three men. "I have caused so much pain, caused so much loss...so much hatred, I am truly sorry." She whispered out again in a broken whisper, yet another tear falling down her face. Obi Wan sighed sensing the intense pain and guilt she was feeling, Bail didn't know what to say either, both Anakin and Padme had gone against the laws, and as a result, this. "Apologise you should not, meant to be it is, let go of your pain you must, succumb to the dark side Anakin did, but your fault it was not." Yoda reassured her before bowing his head to the former queen to express his condolences.
That evening felt like it had gone on forever, the 5 hours that had passed since Padme had give birth felt like a life time to her. She was sat in the medical quarters alone with her new children, in sadness, this was supposed to be a joyous moment, looking to her children who were no longer blessed with the privilege of carrying their father's name, for their own protection. She sighed looking to the sleeping babies as she rest her hand on their tiny stomachs, vowing to herself she would not mess this up like she had everything else. Anakin could no longer be in her thoughts, Anakin could no longer be her priority, her love, it was her and these babies and that was all she had to focus on. "The ship is ready Padme." Obi Wan said to her softly as he came to the door to announce they were ready to depart to Tattooine and leave everything behind. After saying goodbye to her old friend and Senator, she packed the remainder of her things, as she watched him leave for Naboo, ready to prepare her funeral, a funeral that would destroy the galaxy that bit more. Carrying her two babies protectively in her arms, she took one deep breath before walking onto the ship, with Obi Wan, Threepio and R2 - who had been reprogrammed to not remember anything about the events happened, to not know that Anakin was the father of Padme's children and to know Padme under a different name, a different identity. She lay her children in the bassinets once more, keeping them close to her as she watched from the window Polis Massa becoming smaller and smaller with every mile they flew.
Broken from her thoughts as Obi Wan put the ship in auto pilot to sit next to her, "They will do great things Padme, I sense it." He said softly, hoping to bring some light to the conversation, and for the first time in days, Padme smiled, not a big bright smile that Anakin often caused for her, but a smile, a half smile as she looked to her babies. "I know.." Was all she said softly, she sensed it too. "Upon arrival my lady, whom should I refer you too?" Obi Wan asked knowing Padme was to completely change who she was. Padme looked to her friend, her husband's former master and thought about it. She hadn't thought about it, she could never have imagined this was the case, but she closed her eyes and thought about it letting out a soft sigh. Opening her eyes she looked to him and swallowed the lump on her throat, "Annie...Annie Varla." She said softly before looking down once more. Annie from her nickname she gave Anakin, Varla being her mother's maiden name. Obi Wan swallowed hard, it was difficult to hear that and would take some getting used to, he couldn't begin to imagine how hard it was for her, but he extended his hand. "Annie...it is an honour to meet you, I am Ben...Ben Kenobi." He said softly, Padme once more gave him a half smile before taking his hand. "It's nice to meet you too...Ben." She said softly, wiping her eyes once more and looking over to her twins. Her sweet Luke and her Precious Leia.
Padme Amidala Naberrie, Queen of Naboo. Padme Amidala Skywalker, Senator of Coruscant and wife to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Padme Amidala Skywalker, Mother of Luke and Leia Skywalker, may their souls rest in peace.
Annie Varla, mother of Luke and Leia Varla...citizens of Tattooine and the galaxy's last hope.