is the first story which describes what the Spring Festival holiday means and how Padmé and Anakin's stay on Naboo goes.

Padmé and Anakin had been married for three years without anyone knowing or suspecting. Only Obi-Wan had a sneaking suspicion that there was something more than just close friendship between the two, but he couldn't read Anakin's mind, his mental shields were strong and always kept up, even when he slept. Strangely enough, he couldn't penetrate the senator's mind either. Her minds were also protected by the shields. Someone must have taught her this defensive technique. Anakin. Obi-Wan knew there was no point in asking Anakin about his true relationship with the Senator, he wouldn't get an honest answer. Anakin wouldn't lie, he would just evade and do so very skillfully. He wouldn't be able to talk to the Senator about it, it would be impossible, either, only if she was about to harm Anakin, but she didn't. Well, he had observed just the opposite. Every time they returned from a mission and Anakin secretly left the temple at night, he was in a good mood the next morning and surprisingly well-adjusted. Obi-Wan remained silent and watched, and not only that, he thought that if the Senator had been Anakin's anchor since he lost his mother, then he should not take him that, even if it was a violation of the Code. He loved Anakin like a brother, and that was against the code, too. He occasionally remembered his love for Duchess Satine Kryze and how he left the Order because of her. Well, that was short-lived until he came to his senses and returned, but Anakin couldn't be expected to come to his senses, he was different, less responsible. Obi-Wan laughed inwardly, it was his padawan.

On the nineteenth day of the fourth month after standard calendar, Anakin turned twenty-two years old, and that should be celebrated. It wasn't exactly the custom in Order to celebrate lavish parties; they celebrated on a small scale and invited a few friends over to eat and drink.

As a knight, Anakin had a nice, large room, Obi-Wan as Master had an apartment, so he suggested celebrating at his place, there was more space and it was tidy. Unlike Anakin, Obi-Wan was a decent person. In Anakin's room, no matter where to, you had to fight your way first. There were tools and craft parts he was working on everywhere. Padmé didn't mind that sort of thing. Whenever a rare opportunity arose to visit Anakin in the temple, she easily found the way to his bed to make love to him. They were addicted to each other, no wonder considering how little time they could spend together because Anakin was almost constantly on duty. It seemed that their marriage consisted only of occasional short episodes in bed. Sometimes they were desperate and cried together, only to draw hope from their love in the next moment that there will be better times and that it is worth being patient.

So, Anakin ordered the food and drinks from the Dex Diner...and, above all, plenty. He only invited Padmé and a few Jedi, there were ten people in total. Everyone was hungry, but even more thirsty. The mood was exuberant. Padmé used the fresher one, and Obi-Wan saw Anakin following her. He followed and saw Anakin enter the fresher and close the door behind him. He stopped in front of the door and heard quiet giggles. Well, the matter was pretty clear. However, Obi-Wan decided to keep this secret. Risky. If he reported this to the Jedi Council, Anakin would have to leave the Order, but if he didn't report it and Anakin's relationship did become known, then they would both have to say goodbye. Regardless, Obi-Wan chose to remain silent. The only question was whether he should let Anakin know that he knew. Not for the time being.

After a few minutes, Padmé and Anakin emerged from the fresher, visibly satisfied. They smiled at each other, Anakin would occasionally put his hand on her shoulder, touch her back or arm, he looked happy. No one except Obi-Wan noticed Anakin's subtle gestures; a lot of alcohol had already been consumed. What also caught Obi-Wan's eye was that Padmé often placed her hand on her stomach, and anyone who knows a little about that this is an intuitive gesture of pregnant women. Well, that was quite worrying. A flirtation was one thing, but a child with a Jedi...the magnitude could not be estimated. Obi-Wan chose to remain silent, once again. OK. , those were just guesses at the moment, or did he see something that wasn't there. Hm?

Shortly after Anakin's birthday, a threat became known that was not only made to the Senator, but was also broadcast on the holonet. What no one knew, was, that the threat came from the Chancellor himself. He instructed the Separatists to threaten the Senator so that he could persuade her to leave Coruscant temporarily, for her own protection, of course. The threat happened to be made just before the military spending bill was voted on. She had been working for a year to prevent the spending increase from passing, and now she is expected to stay away from the Senate.

Jedi Council decided to provide her with a Jedi Knight to protect her. It should be Knight Skywalker again, as he had successfully completed the task several times in the past. Again, the wrong knight, or the right one, depends on which point of view you look at it from.

Of course, Padmé was angry, but on the other hand, she was happy to be able to spend time with her husband, time together was in short supply.

Padmé handed the business over to Jar Jar Binks, packed the things with Dormé's help and boarded the Naboo-cruiser.

Anakin steered it as quickly as possible, looking forward to the exuberant togetherness with his wife. Every hour counted because no one knew how long the stay on Naboo would be, and no matter how long it was, it was always too short.

"I can't wait to be alone with you. You and me on Varykino, in our bedroom, in our bed."

"Yes Ani, but first we have to pay my family a three-day visit. It's Spring Festival, that galactic holiday celebrated big on Naboo. My family expects me to stay for the festival. I'm sure you'll like it too, you've never been on Naboo during these celebrations."

"You could tell me."

"You have to experience it, Ani. We'll still have time enough for us."

"It's never enough...and when the baby comes, and I'm gone and..."

"We can do it."

"You always say that, but you ask me so often what kind of husband I will be, what kind of father I will be. I will leave the order."

"We're still at war, the Republic needs you."

"As what? As cannon fodder? Padmé, I'm seriously thinking about it."

"We'll talk about it when the baby comes. OK. ?"

"And if I lose my life somewhere, on some battlefield, and don't see my child…"

"Don't be so pessimistic, Ani, we'll get through this. The war will soon be over and then everything will be different. But now we want to celebrate with my family."

Former Queen Padmé Amidala's Naboo-cruiser had pride of place in the palace's hangar bay, so Anakin ended up right there. Some members of the royal guard greeted her warmly and, as always, she had a few kind words for them.

Droids reloaded the luggage, and Anakin steered the speeder to the Naberrie family home. The welcome was warm, Padmé's parents were happy to see their daughter as she had not been on Naboo for months.

"Oh Dear, we are so glad to have you here…and you too, Master Jedi. Luckily, you're here to protect Padmé, there were threats again, right?"

"Yeah, that's why we're here Mama, I had to leave Coruscant. But I'm at least happy that we can celebrate the Spring Festival together, we haven't had that for a long time."

"Yes, the celebrations start tomorrow, but you're probably tired. I finished the two upstairs rooms."

One room would be enough, Anakin thought, well he couldn't say that, their marriage was still a secret. He thought about how he could find the way to Padmé's room that night because if not, it would be another lost night for their love, and they got so little out of it. He thought and she acted. She came into his room and snuggled up with him.

"The bed is not as big as ours on Coruscant, but still bigger than your bed in the temple. Take me now, Ani, I'm burning with longing."

"You shouldn't, I'm all yours."

He quickly took off her pajamas and lifted her nightgown. He didn't have any more time because he was burning as well. A few quick rubs and he was inside her.

"Good, my Angel?"

"Yes, exactly like that," she whispered in his ear. "…and then again and again, until tomorrow morning."

"You have become insatiable."

"It's normal, I'm pregnant."

"Your husband gives you everything you need."

After the third time, they fell asleep. Padmé woke up early, kissed her husband, and snuck into her room to avoid suspicion.

The next morning, they were all at the breakfast table, Jobal preparing a lot of typical Nabooian delicacies that were eaten at the spring festival; Homemade flower-bread, honey, cheese, ham, hard-boiled eggs which were painted, various fruits and much more. Padmé ate a little of every single dish, and Anakin didn't know how much of all the delicacies he could tolerate. In the temple the diet was different, on the missions there were only energy bars...all without taste. He only ate properly when Padmé cooked for him, but that was rare.

"Eat, Master Jedi, the table in the temple is certainly not so richly laid out," Jobal offered.

"It's not as plentiful as here, but we eat healthy, and we don't go hungry, believe me...and just tell Anakin to me, we've known each other long enough."

"Good, then you can call me Jobal."

"And I'm Ruwee."

"I'll join in." Sola said "...and we welcome you here like a member of the family." And she grinned on Padmé.

That seemed ambiguous, and Padmé wondered if her sister suspected something. Sola was smart.

We will now get dressed and go down to the promenade. The queen will start blessing the river with flowers in two hours. We still want to get good places."

Anakin stayed in his Jedi robes, but everyone changed their clothes, choosing something colorful and cheerful.

Spring Festival as a galactic holiday... one might wonder why it is celebrated as a galactic holiday when the planets were so different and there was not a spring on each of them. Some were icy worlds, others desert planets. Perhaps Spring Festival was celebrated as a symbol of awakening.

Oases existed on desert planets where one could observe how the little water, a precious resource that came to the surface there, caused vegetation to sprout precisely in spring.

Icy worlds, on the other hand, were not always covered in ice, it was only temporary, each planet experiences warm and cold periods after its evolution. For example, on Hoth there were thermal springs under the ice. The warmth broke through the ice and formed a microcosm where one could observe changes over the course of the year that were not visible on the surface.

However, a festival like Spring Festival was perfect for Naboo. People celebrated a lot on Naboo. There were three major galactic holidays and many others that were not celebrated on every planet, they were not public holidays, except on Naboo.

Naboo was a beautiful planner with oceans, lakes and rivers, had lush forests, wide meadows and many fertile agricultural lands. Their cities were populated by hardworking and happy people, as well as Gungans. The planet was known for its prosperity.

The Spring Festival was celebrated on the first day of the fifth month. Days beforehand, the windows and doors of the houses were decorated with colorful wreaths made of fresh flowers. In the capital Theed, many people gathered on the waterfront to watch the queen throw flowers into the river for a whole hour, which then went plunging along with the clear water over the cliff behind the royal palace.

The whole Naberrie family and Anakin, or that Padmé was no longer Naberrie because she was now a Skywalker...it was so confusing, as were a lot of things through that secrecy...however, everyone found a good spot on the waterfront to watch the spectacle.

Jobal was standing next to Ruwee, but little Poojy squeezed between them. Sola and Darred stood next to Jobal and Ryoo wanted to stand next to her aunt. Anakin didn't stand next to Padmé, he stood behind her and draped his arms around her, which he placed on the balustrade so that she was practically between him and the stone pillars.

"Tight grip, Anakin," Sola remarked.

"I protect her with my body…with my life. She is the most precious thing in the galaxy." …and for me, he thought, but of course, he didn't say.

Sporadically, he pressed his erection against her lower back. The Jedi cloak covered his movements perfectly.

"So pleasant, Milady?"

"Perfect, Master Jedi."

And every time he leaned down to whisper I love you in her ear, Sola strained his ears to hear at least part of what was being said. Unfortunately, it was too loud around them.

Accompanied by her servants and guards, Queen Jamillia appeared at the old bridge that leads from the fairground in front of the royal palace to the promenade of Theed, and began to throw many colorful flowers into the river. The flowers floated on the surface, almost covering it in full, only to disappear behind the cliff after a short journey on the waves.

After an hour, it was over and everyone was talking about their impressions and what they were going to do next. The Naberries went to the zoo with the girls. Afterwards it was time to eat in one of many restaurants. Ryoo and Poojy loved Shaak steak with vegetables, and so did Anakin.

The family spent the afternoon in the garden with tea and cake.

"Tomorrow is market day, we have to visit it. That's our custom, Anakin. There are so many stalls, everyone can find something…especially children," Jobal said.

"I'm looking forward to it…and what do we do the day after tomorrow?"

"We three women will cook and bake, and then we will eat together and enjoy the beautiful weather on the terrace. The day after you go to Varykino, unfortunately."

"Yes perfect."

...he said but thought, thank God, then I can finally be alone with my wife. Although he was tired of this game of hide-and-seek, he knew that if the marriage wasn't a secret, they would have to spend even more time with the family.

He had done marital duties that night, and more than that. He was just wondering what hormones can do to a woman, not that he would complain about it.

On the second day of the celebrations, the breakfast table wasn't so opulent, they wanted to go to the market and there were endless stalls offering Nabooian delicacies that you couldn't resist.

Dressed nicely, slowly and on foot, the whole family made their way to the market. Naberries' house was in the downtown Theed, not far from the promenade where the stalls were set up, some could still be found in the side streets, there were hundreds of them.

Theed was a large city, and it seemed all the citizens were at the market. This demanded double attention from Anakin. He just didn't know that there was no real danger. Still, he was on alert, even though the Force remained calm.

The first stalls they passed offered simple clothing, scarves, gloves, hats and caps. Anakin stopped, as did Padmé. Sola watched as Anakin picked out a long red scarf and placed it around her sister's neck. They exchanged a few words that Sola couldn't hear, but saw Padmé's eyes light up. What Padmé said was:

"That's not my color at all, Ani."

"It still suits you well and is like your fire of love that burned last night." He whispered in her ear.

They stopped at every stand that offered interesting goods and examined the items. Jobal bought some clothes for her granddaughters and some dolls.

At a jewelry stand, Padmé stopped and looked at beautiful work by the jewelers. Friendship-bracelets were currently in fashion; almost everyone wore them, regardless of whether they were men or women.

"Do you have two of the same ones with crystal, gold and sapphire?" Padmé asked the seller.

"No, but I could make it for you."

"How fast?"

"In an hour...if you can come by again...and I still have to take the measurements. Is this for you and the Lord?"

"Yes."

The saller took the measurement and they moved on.

"A friendship-bracelet, huh?"

"We can't wear wedding rings and besides, you're not just my husband and lover, you're my best friend."

At that moment, there was a scuffle somewhere nearby, loud screams and clanging could be heard. Sola watched the way Anakin immediately pulled Padmé close and placed his cloak over her, like a protective shield with magical powers. The activated lightsaber was already humming in his hand.

As quickly as the argument broke out, it was over as quickly as it did. The security guards were efficient. It was just two drunk men.

"Thank you, Anakin, for protecting my daughter."

"No thanks, Ruwee, that's my job."

After a few minutes, when the excitement was over, they moved on. They approached the stalls where freshly prepared delicacies were offered. You could smell roasted meat, sausages, fish, seafood, but you could also smell the freshly baked pastries and that was what everyone liked, especially the girls. Bodies of still-warm flower-bread were piled up at a small stand.

"Take it, Milady. You won't find better flower-bread anywhere in Naboo. My husband picked the flowers from the meadow by the waterfalls last night."

Padmé and Anakin looked at each other and smiled. They both remembered Anakin's first independent mission and how it started.

"We'll take one, here are the credits."

"Here Milady…you are the former Queen Amidala. It doesn't cost anything, it's a gift."

"Dear Lady, you definitely need credits, take it."

But the woman didn't want to take the money, she insisted on giving the flower-bread as a gift.

"Then, we thank you." Anakin said.

"Here's another bowl of honey, Master Jedi."

She recognized a Jedi Knight because no one else wore a lightsaber so openly?

Anakin broke off a small piece of bread, dipped it in the honey and put it in Padmé's mouth. It wasn't just a gesture of affection, it was gesture of pure love.

"May the gods protect you and grant you happiness."

"We thank you."

The woman is not blind either, Sola thought.

They strolled for another hour or more, Jobal and Sola found a few little things for the house that they may or may not need because it was mandatory to spend a lot of credits at the market that day to support local crafts.

Coming back to the jeweler, they examined his perfect work, the friendship-bracelets were the same down to the last detail. The wire was made of elastic, transparent durasteel, as was the clasp. Once put on, you could only open it with a lightsaber.

Padmé placed the friendship bracelet on the wrist of Anakin's left arm, he did the same and whispered:

"Our wedding rings, whether on the finger or wrist. I love you."

In Sola's eyes it looked like a promise, but she said nothing. Her parents didn't even notice.

They had lunch in a restaurant on the promenade, it was pleasantly warm, and they sat on the terrace. Afterwards they took another walk around the market, looking for the stalls that they hadn't seen yet. Feeling the long day in their legs, they went home, even the girls were tired, but not tired enough to unpack all the nice things they had been given.

Anakin marveled at the energy children had and wondered if his child would be as alive, especially since he expected him to also be Force sensitive. How will Padmé deal with him not being with her? Suddenly, he became afraid; Hide and seek, missions, force sensitive child...he had a lot on his mind.

"Is everything okay, Anakin?"

"Yes, everything is fine."

She knew that wasn't the truth.

The coming night gave him other thoughts; Padmé was with him again.

The third day of celebrations, always family-related, passed a little more slowly. Padmé was busy helping her mother and Sola, and Anakin retreated to do his katas and meditate. Despite the balance after the meditation, he could not wait for the day to be over, and he could leave for Varykino with his wife.

This day also passed, and the night before departure was full of tenderness as a foretaste of the days of togetherness that would follow.

They said goodbye to the family, who wanted to know when Padmé would be back, but she didn't know and couldn't promise anything.

They docked a small speeder boat at the pier at Naberrie-Villa on Varykino. No one was there like Padmé wanted, except droids, of course.

"Alone at last, Ani."

"I'll take the suitcases into the bedroom, and you'll follow me...right?"

"Our bedroom, our bed."

...and there they spent almost the entire time of their stay on Varykino.

After seven days, when the vote on increasing military spending was over, the threat was also gone, somehow, and no one noticed what game Palpatine was playing. Only Padmé became suspicious and told Anakin. At first, he couldn't believe it, but when he compared and thought about several events from the past, a suspicious number of coincidences emerged.

"Hello Anakin."

"Hallo Master. Something new?"

"Yes. It's over, someone who claimed responsibility for the threat has been caught. You and the Senator can return to Coruscant. We're going on a mission in three days. More in the temple. See you soon."

"See you soon."

"So, my Angel, the good times are over. We have to go back, and I have to go on a mission right away."

"We will keep these days in our hearts, Ani."

"What if I don't come back?"

"You always come back to me. This time, two of us are waiting for you. Promise me you'll come back."

"I promise it."

That same day, they boarded the Naboo-cruiser and flew towards Coruscant.

.

Best regards from Germany