Chapter 15
"How do you feel?" Padmé asked as soon as Obi-Wan finally left them alone. She had spent the last hour speaking with Bail and the other Senators as Anakin and Obi-Wan communicated with the Jedi Council about the disturbance they had felt. Anakin was sitting up now, nursing a steaming cup of tea after polishing off a plate of food sent up from the mess hall. She sat on the bed next to him, her head leaning easily against him while he had one arm wrapped around her shoulders, his fingers drawing tiny circles on her arm.
"Like I got trampled by a herd of wild banthas," he admitted with a weak chuckle.
"Well, in a way you were," she teased.
"I guess getting crushed by a building and being trampled could be considered similar," he joked.
"I'm just glad that you're all right," she whispered. "You had me scared."
"Sorry. I was just trying to keep my men alive, I didn't… I wasn't thinking about anything other than making sure they were all right," he said. "I didn't even think to go after her."
"I don't blame you for doing what you did Ani," she said softly. "In fact, I'm proud of you for doing that."
"You're not angry that I almost got myself killed?"
"Anakin, I felt it when you were injured. I felt pain shoot through my arm and I knew that something was wrong, that something had happened to you," she said, stopping the response she knew was coming by placing a finger over his lips. "And then when Obi-Wan told me how you had been injured I was upset but the more I thought about it the more I realized that you wouldn't be the Anakin Skywalker that I love if you didn't try to save the people around you before you save yourself. It's what you did for us, for me, when you were just a boy."
He used the Force to float his cup over to the small bedside table so that he could properly take her into his arms. "I love you," he whispered reverently, his eyes intent as they held hers. "And I hate myself for making you hurt."
"You mean more to me than I can ever truly say but I could never fault you for putting the lives of others before your own," she said softly. "It's who you are, it's who your mother raised you to be, and I love that about you."
"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he asked.
"You see me for who I am, not what I represent."
"It was that easy?"
"Well, you also happen to be quite handsome and you can be infuriatingly charming," she teased. "And you're mine so that doesn't hurt either."
He grinned at her words and brushed a kiss across her brow. "Have I mentioned how amazing you are?"
"Not lately."
"Somehow you understand me better than I understand myself and every time you do I realize that I would be nothing without you in my life."
"Don't say that," she said, a frown marring her forehead as she tenderly framed his face with her hands. "Don't ever think like that."
"Why? It's the truth," he insisted.
"Even if it is, I don't want to think about what a mess I could have made out of our lives if I had decided to not give in to everything you make me feel," she said, letting her hand slide along his jaw to cup the back of his head as she urged him forward to meet her lips in a kiss. He gathered her closer to him and leaned back against the pillows until she was lying sprawled out on top of him as they shared lingering kisses. When the kisses grew deeper, more passionate, she pulled back and whispered, "We shouldn't… Not here."
"I know," he murmured against her cheek as his arms held her closer to him, shifting her slightly so that she came to rest at his side. "But I like holding you, as long as that is permitted, my lady."
"I like having you hold me," she said, curling deeper into his embrace and burying her face against his neck. His arms tightened around her even more and she let out a content sigh. They stayed like that for a long time, safe in their own world, until Padmé began to drift to sleep. He smiled at the woman sleeping in his arms and tenderly brushed a stray curl from her face before he let himself relax completely.
The Coruscant that they returned to was in an uproar over the murder of the Separatist leaders at what appeared to be the hands of a Jedi. More systems had left the Republic to join the Separatist cause, proclaiming that the so called guardians of the Republic were little better than paid assassins. The Senate was in turmoil as they lost more voices and Palpatine was doing little to stem the tide that was swiftly turning against the temporary peace the aftermath of Geonosis had brought.
Anakin and Obi-Wan accompanied the Senators to the Senate and had planned on taking their leave once there but an emergency session was called. They stayed close to Padmé and Bail, joining them in the Nabooian pod as Palpatine announced that they were receiving word from Raxus.
The figure of a hooded woman flickered to life from the numerous holoprojectors around the Senate as a sinister voice began to speak, "The Separatist Senate and I send our greetings to the mighty Republic. By now you are aware that our leaders have ruthlessly been murdered in the middle of the night. I was handpicked by Count Dooku himself to take up his cause if ever he was killed and so it is with great honor that I take over his role as leader of the Separatist cause. My first act as leader of this cause is to declare war against the Republic. Where my Master failed, I will succeed."
"It's her," Anakin murmured as soon as the transmission ended and the Senate erupted in to chaos around them.
"Who?" Padmé asked, her hand clutching his tightly as she looked up at him.
"Ventress," he explained, glancing at the others. "The one I fought." Padmé sucked in a harsh breath and held his hand in an even tighter grip.
"We need to speak with the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan said, sharing a significant look with his Padawan. "I think it would be best if you two came with us."
"We can't," Padmé said, sharing her own resolute look with Bail. "We need to stay here and keep the Chancellor from declaring war on the Separatists. We just avoided this conflict and we cannot simply allow it to happen without a fight."
Anakin frowned at her words. "What are you going to do?"
"Whatever we can to delay any kind of action that would trigger violence," Bail said.
"But they already declared war on us," Anakin said.
"I will not let the Republic fall into this trap," Padmé said. "We have worked hard to maintain the peace and we will continue to work to do so."
"Come Anakin, there is little we can do here," Obi-Wan said. "This is their arena."
Anakin reluctantly nodded his head and started to follow his master but lingered long enough to whisper into Padmé's ear, "I will see you tonight." At her nod of understanding he continued on his way.
The Jedi Council had already met by the time they reached the Jedi Temple but Master Windu greeted them on the landing platform and ushered them to Master Yoda's private chambers.
"Troubling these developments are," Yoda said sadly. "Following this Ventress blindly the Separatists are."
"What do you mean Master?" Anakin asked.
"Meditated on this I have and discovered the presence that killed their leaders," Yoda said as he hobbled around the small room. "The very same presence that declared war on the Republic."
"Ventress did that?" Obi-Wan asked.
"It was after she fled Raxus," Anakin said as the pieces began to fall into place. "Of course. She told me that there was another, that Dooku wasn't only other Sith. She's working for the true Sith Master and betrayed her own to gain his favor. We need to figure out who that is and take him out."
Yoda and Mace shared a glance behind his back. They had agreed to not inform Anakin of the Chancellor's true nature just yet because he was not yet ready to face his destiny. He needed more time to become strong enough to face the Sith Lord and emerge victorious and they were not willing to risk their only hope too soon but they were willing to push him further down that path.
"Skywalker," Mace said, interrupting Anakin as he tried to plan out a new strategy in the fight against the Sith.
"Master," he said, instantly falling silent after that.
"Kneel before me young Skywalker," Yoda said as he climbed onto his meditation pallet. Anakin did as he was instructed and bowed his head out of respect as the Jedi Master ignited his lightsaber, in that instant Anakin knew what was about to happen. "By the right of the Council; by the will of the Force dub thee I do Jedi Knight of the Republic." His last statement was punctuated by a simple flick of his lightsaber as it easily severed the Padawan braid that had hung over Anakin's right shoulder for the last ten years.
Anakin caught the braid as it fluttered to the floor and clasped it tightly as he got to his feet and bowed his head to the two Jedi Masters. "Thank you," he said.
"Earned it you have," Yoda said and Anakin wanted to believe that he saw a glimmer of pride in the diminutive Jedi's eyes.
"You have proven yourself repeatedly in these trying times," Mace said. "Unconventional this Knighting ceremony may be but you have passed every trial the Force has given you. The Council is most pleased with your progress and the potential you are only now beginning to tap into."
"I will not let you down," Anakin said.
"Know that we do," Yoda said. "Now speak with your former Master we must."
"Yes Master," he said, bowing his head to the other Jedi as he left the room.
Evening had given way to night by the time Padmé was able to return to her apartment. Her head was aching and she felt as though she was ready to snap from all the tension that filled her body. She and Bail had done what they could to hold off any decision being made until calmer heads could prevail and all they had managed to achieve was postponing the vote until the next afternoon. She dismissed her staff as soon as they arrived at the landing platform for her apartment and walked up the steps leading to her bed chamber.
She turned on the lights and couldn't hold back the smile that stretched across her face when she saw Anakin sleeping in the middle of her bed. His boots and tunics had been cast aside, left in a pile at the foot of the bed, while he slept on his stomach, one arm being used as a pillow and the other seemed to be beckoning her to his side. She undressed quickly, silently grateful for simple traveling gowns, and slipped into her favorite nightgown before she walked over to the bed and gently sat down at his side.
He stirred when she tenderly caressed his cheek and then sleepy blue eyes met hers as he rolled over onto his back. "Hi," he said. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and leaned back against the headboard and he rubbed his eyes. "I came here as soon as I could get away from the Temple. What time is it?"
"It's late. I didn't expect to keep you waiting so long," she admitted. "The Senate was going crazy."
"Did you make any progress?" he asked, reaching out for her and she went willingly into his arms, curling up against his warm chest with a content sigh.
"We managed to get them to agree to vote when things had cooled down" she sighed. "But they were only willing to postpone it until tomorrow afternoon."
"Everything will work out," he said. "Somehow."
"I want to believe you but I have a hard time believing that it will. Everything is starting to crumble again and I'm afraid of what could happen should we follow through with this new threat of war," she said. She wanted to tell him about Palpatine and how he was manipulating everything but Master Yoda had made her promise to keep that information hidden from Anakin until he was ready to face such a reality.
"We'll find a way around this," he assured her. He had already begun to plan out a way to get Ventress before she could do any more damage and now that he had been Knighted it would be easier for him to slip under the Council's radar long enough to eliminate her. The biggest problem would be getting Obi-Wan and Padmé to go along with what he was planning.
She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him, frowning slightly when she noticed that his Padawan braid was missing. She reached up to touch the singed hair where it had hung from behind his ear. "You've been Knighted," she said breathlessly.
He nodded his head and grinned as he used the Force to bring the braid into his hand from where he had left it on the bedside table. "I want you to have this," he said, gently taking her hand in his so that he could lower the braid into her open palm. "Think of it as a devotion gift."
"I'm so proud of you," she said, feeling tears sting the backs of her eyes and she used her other hand to lovingly cup his cheek as she leaned forward to kiss him. "I'll put this someplace special."
His large hands framed her face, his thumbs brushing away the tears that had spilled over her cheeks, and he leaned forward to press his lips against hers again. "I love you Padmé," he whispered against her lips.
She placed the braid back on the bedside table and slid her arms around his neck, letting him gently roll her beneath him. "I love you," she repeated between heated kisses, losing herself in him and the love that they shared.
She knew that he was watching her as she pretended to sleep but she couldn't bring herself to roll onto her other side to face him. She shivered when his fingertips traced over her arm and felt her breath catch in her throat when he placed open mouth kisses along the back of her shoulder. It would have been so easy to give into him in that moment.
"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?" he murmured against her ear.
"It's nothing," she sighed, giving up her act.
"Why won't you tell me?"
"Because I'm afraid," she admitted brokenly.
"Of what?" he asked as he gently rolled her onto her back so that he could meet her eyes in the dim light. "Talk to me, please."
"You've been Knighted," she said, reaching for his hand so that she could hold onto him for reassurance. "And we're on the verge of going to war. Everything that we accomplished on Geonosis has been for nothing."
"It wasn't for nothing," he insisted. "The Separatists are weaker now because they don't have their leaders. I've faced Ventress before and I will succeed when I face her again."
"Anakin, you can't know that you will be able to defeat her."
"Have you lost confidence in me because of what happened on Raxus?"
"Of course not."
"Then why would you say that?"
"I'm just… I don't want to see everything I have worked so hard to preserve slip into chaos because she has a vendetta against the Republic."
"She isn't loyal to the Separatists."
"How could you possibly know that? She just declared herself their leader."
"She's the one that killed their leaders."
"What?"
"Master Yoda spent yesterday meditating in Dooku's cell and he was able to figure out that she was the one that killed them," he said. "He found her presence and linked it to her."
"If the Separatists knew that she was the one that did that they would turn against her and she wouldn't have them to back her up," she said. "We could still avoid a war if this knowledge was made public."
"Then use it."
She touched his cheek and he leaned forward to kiss her. "Thank you," she whispered.
"You know I'd do anything for you."
"I know," she said as she tangled her hand in his hair and pulled him back over her. "I want you."
"You have me," he promised. "Forever."