The Empires reign in Naboo - an Anakin and Padmé story

Chapter 15

Silence.

That's all Padme heard.

Silence.

There was no sound of her children playing. Instead they slept, exhausted in their cribs.

No sound of someone walking around. She had her ear pressed to the door, listening, hoping, praying.

She heard nothing.

Lastly, there was no sound of someone knocking on the door. No sound of someone's voice speaking to her. None.

Since she had yelled at Anakin she had heard nothing to indicate he was still on the ship. Still alive.

It had been hours, since she had locked herself in and played with her babies. But even force sensitive children wear themselves out.

She would be damned if she went to him though. Sure her little outburst was uncalled for, inconvenient. Unnecessary even.

But Anakin was an evil Sith Lord, known and feared all across the galaxy. She was allowed to act like this. Allowed to have her moments.
Still, the silence ate away at her making her restless and guilty.

Guilty.

Standing up, Padme prepared herself. She was going to walk out of the nursery like nothing was bothering her. She had a right to.

She would show Anakin he had nothing on her. Even if it wasn't true.. She'd still show him.

Pressing her ear to the door one last time, Padme opened it, making her way to the refresher. She had needed it badly for some time now.

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Washing her hands Padme let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She hadn't run into Anakin since her journey from the nursery. The thought was comforting and terrifying at the same time.

Part of her had expected him to knock on the nursery door, part of her had hoped he would try and make her unlock the door and come out and talk to him.

But she had heard nothing. Nothing since she lied to him about their kiss.

Looking up to the mirror, Padme didn't recognize the woman in the reflection.

The woman staring back at her was exhausted, dirty, and looked desperate. Desperate for something. Someone.

She hated it, she hated that she probably looked like this hours before and Anakin still kissed her. She hated that the desperation she had felt for Anakin, the way she had secretly craved him for 6 months was now visible on her face.

Last of all she hated the simple white T-shirt she was wearing. It made her miss the elegant Nabooian dresses she would wear as a Queen and Senator. Hell, it even made her miss the handmaiden gown she'd found herself in the past 6 months.

She hated the fact that she was standing here in a blood covered shirt instead of wearing something that represented her country, her culture, her.

Blood.

She hadn't noticed it before, but it was there screaming in her face.

Bright red blood. Dried up and smeared aggressively across her white shirt. It looked like she had made out with a dying man.

She had made out with a dying man. And then she had left him, still bleeding out to rescue her daughter.

The realization, hit Padme like a tsunami. Anakin could very well have not knocked on the stupid Nursery door because he had bled to death.