EIDOLON | A. SKYWALKER

OTTO

"No!" Adhara begged and tried to break free, "Please, take me; let them go!"

The Count tsked. "You?" he sounded astonished. "I cannot afford to make a prominent leader of the Pacifist Faction out to be a martyr."

"I still will never join you."

As if on cue, roars from numerous creatures echoed throughout the arena. Adhara's chest heaved with panic when she saw three beasts being unleashed. An Ackley, a Reek, and a Nexu. Their ravenous eyes glued on her friends.

"At the cost of the lives of your friends? What would your sister think?"

Adhara winced at his words. Below, the creatures wrestled in the bonds from their handlers.

"If it makes you feel any better," the voice of a familiar Neimodian suddenly spoke up. "I voted for your execution."

"Oh, joy." Her eyes locked on the pillars below, shifting between her friends. She struggled to get closer to the ledge.

From across the stadium, she swore that she and Anakin locked eyes, but she couldn't tell. Her chest ached; she couldn't bare to watch but couldn't look away. She had spent so much time with him on this journey. She lost so much time with him in their time apart.

There wouldn't be a chance to make up for the lost time. Instead, their last words would be part of a cold-shouldered conversation about negotiations and diplomacy that would prove fruitless and fateful. All the while, they shied away from talking or even acknowledging that night on Naboo.

The night out on the lake came to mind. The night that changed their relationship. She couldn't recognize it then, amongst her stress and preservation of herself and Anakin. But, looking back now, that night, she felt content, protected, and...

Loved.

It made sense now. Undoubtedly she always cared about him, but it became more than that since they reunited. The caring and other feelings she had for him were deep. Deeper and more profound than she had ever felt for someone else. It was different from the familial type of love she was used to.

Anakin was a breath of fresh air for her. Despite the circumstances, the trip was a break from the things that always occupied her. It felt freeing. Free from politics and diplomacy, being one of the faces of her homeworld. A moment to be selfish, to have a moment for herself.

By the stars, she loved him.

Now she was being forced to watch his demise. Even so, something within her told her not to be afraid or give in.

The creatures were released, and it took everything inside of her not to scream at the Count to stop. But it would be in vain unless it meant she was also signing over Mandalore's freedoms.

Shying away from the scene in front of her, she kept her focus down on the binders holding her. "She can't do that! Shoot her or something!" Gunray abruptly exclaimed.

Adhara perked up; she noticed Padmé scaling the side of the pillar. At the base laid a dazed Nexu. Anakin managed to free himself and somehow tamed the Reek as he rode it through the stadium. Guards trailed behind him as they pursued him. Master Kenobi fought off the Acklay while swiftly avoiding the creature's legs as it stabbed at the ground.

In one swift motion, the Reek slayed the Nexu. Padmé jumped from the pillar behind Anakin. Master Kenobi managed to distract the green beast and joined the two. Hope began to creep in until droidekas rolled out of the tunnels, surrounding them.