Falling Stars (Anakin Skywaler x reader/OC)

PROLOGUE

ERRA'S POV

The corners of my vision blur, adding to my disorientation as I breathe. Hot air burns my lungs--no not air, power. Scorching, raw power burns through me as I try to figure out what I'm doing. All I can feel is confusion. And anger. Suffocating anger that I don't remember.

"Erra!" My name feels so far. "Sierra, breathe!"

I turn my head too quickly. Everything blurs and I am lost to darkness.

--

I wake up with a choking gasp, barely registering the sheets tangled around me as I sit up. I am not living the worst day of my life. I know that because I'm not in an empty ballroom, I'm in my bedroom. And I'm not in that black gown--I'm in the most comfortable nightgown I own.

It wasn't real. Not this time. I wipe my eyes with my fingers. A smart person would suck up their fear and go back to sleep. I'm not a smart person and there's no point in pretending I am. Pushing myself out of bed, I walk towards my window. The tip of the horizon is vaguely pink, hinting at sunrise.

Tomorrow morning is an important day. It's the first day since my incident that the Union Leaders are letting me train with the rest of my family. And because of that, they're going to be watching.

I respect all that the Union Leaders do, they're the only elected body in Rotasol, and they decide which descendant of the noble families will ascend to the throne when it's time. But they've scared me my entire life. My family is the current ruling family, and we have been for the last six generations. If the Union Leaders pick one of the members of a different bloodline, my father may never forgive me. He was hesitant to claim me considering that my mother was never his wife or of noble blood, and now I have to prove him right.

Especially since the Union Leader's favorite, my half sister, is gone now. So young and dead--it's unnatural. And ever since Katara passed, the Union Leaders have been watching me. They hope I inherited that natural goodness, that natural perfection. I don't think I have, but no one can ever know that. I liked my place at Katara's side--the Union Leaders would have likely used me as both a princess and ambassador and Katara would have been an excellent queen.

But now none of that will happen, and all I can do is try to make my father proud and make sure Juniper and Octavia never get the chance to take the throne. They'd be cruel leaders, urging our tiny planet that's more water than anything else to involve itself in conflicts it has nothing to do with.

Sighing, I drop the curtain and turn to my closet. If I'm going to be awake, I might as well be productive. Normally the handmaiden that practically raised me, Mina, would help prepare me for an occasion like this, but I'm glad to be alone. She's always comforting, but right now I need my edge.

I pull my nightgown off over my head and change into deep grey leggings and a training shirt. An extra hour or two of practice will help. I haven't been allowed to do anything since the incident and all of the other noble children have been allowed to train. They've all had two weeks to train and I've had nothing. They've all had time to grow worse than me, especially Octavia. I almost shudder at the thought of the most cutthroat of the noble children as I tie my hair up.

I pull the top half of my dark hair into a ponytail and then do the same for the bottom half. My waves hide the extra elastic in my hair, making my hair look longer while also feeling more secure. I'll come back upstairs and change into more Union Leader worthy sweats before the actual training begins. Perhaps I'll braid my hair instead of tying it up like this.

I leave my room silently. Extra training isn't exactly prohibited, but my life is easier when I don't draw attention to myself. I don't like when people ask questions. The training center is beneath the royal suite floor of the palace. I take the stairs carefully, the dim night lights doing little to illuminate my path.