The Fall | Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

Chapter Twenty Nine

After stopping a few times to ask for directions they finally arrived at the Tusken camp. It was nearly morning, the sun would rise soon. Alina looked down at it from a ledge high up. There was a series of tents (she counted twenty one) they were illuminated by small fires decorated around the encampment, she could see the silhouettes of Tusken Raiders as they stood guard in front of a few of the tents with their Massifs.

Anakin jumped off, using the force to cushion his fall. Alina jumped after him, she didn't know how to do that but she trusted Anakin to stop her from breaking one of her legs. Once she was on the ground he silently motioned for her to follow, pointing to a shadowed tent at the very edge. She nodded, following him. Anakin pointed his lightsaber at the tent and began cutting it open.

Hearing a snarl Alina froze but relaxed once she realized that the Massifs hadn't spotted them, they were just arguing amongst themselves over a bone. She turned back to the tent as Anakin kicked in the circle he'd cut out, giving them an opening.

Alina walked in after him, immediately spotting their mother. She looked just as badly cut up and bruised as she had in her dreams. Cuts decorated her face and her hands were red with blood, tied up against a wooden cross. Anakin started freeing one of her hands while Alina rushed to the other, her hands fumbled unable to release it properly, nearly all thoughts went to the odd dream she had.

The different one that made her decide to abandon her mission to find their mother. She did manage to untie it in the end, hearing a small groan from their mother as she began to wake. Anakin cradled her in his arms while Alina crouched beside him. "Ani?" She whispered "Lina?" She reached up to touch her children's faces "Is it you?"

"Yeah, it's us Mom" Alina said, forcing a small smile onto her face. "We're here Mom, you're safe" Anakin murmured back. Their mother kept repeating their names as she gazed at her children. She reached up to cup Anakin's face "You look so handsome" she said before looking at Alina "My little baby girl, you've grown so beautiful" she extended a hand towards Alina who leaned into her touch, pressing her face against it. 

Their mother caressed both their face "My children. My grown up children... I'm so proud of you two" she murmured. "We missed you" Anakin murmured "A lot" Alina agreed. "Now I am complete" The older woman murmured, though it looked as if it pained her to speak. "I love y..." She trailed off "No, mom, don't speak. Save your energy" Alina said quickly, she did her best to ignore the way she felt her mother's heart slowing down through the force.

"Stay with us Mom. Everything-" he was cut off as Shmi tried to speak again "I-I love..." Her words were cut off with her life. Her head hung back limply. "No, no no no no" Alina squeezed her hand "Wake up Mom, please. Wake up" she sobbed. A tear rolled down Anakin's cheek as he reached to close their mother's eyes. The two siblings sat in the tent, tears streaming down both their cheeks. Alina felt a shift in the force from Anakin. She thought nothing of it until he suddenly stood up and ignited his lightsaber and moved out of the tent.

She saw the bodies of the two guards fall to the ground, dead. A sudden realization hit, her dream. It wasn't about her, it was warning her about Anakin. One part of her knew she should go out there, stop him, talk some sense into him. The other half was angry and bitter 'Let him kill them. They deserve it' it said. It relished in the screams that came from outside the camp. It basked in the suffering of those who caused her mother suffering.

'No. Such thoughts are dangerous. They lead down a dark path' she told herself. 'And who decided that? The Jedi Council? If they had just freed her then none of this would have happened' Before she could come to a decision she heard footsteps as two Tusken Raiders entered the tent to see a girl, crouched over a broken body with tears streaming down her face. As they raised their staffs to strike a killing blow, anger and a dark instinct won over. Her actions put her in a trance of sorts, one that was broken by an exceptionally loud yell.

The moment it was broken she wished she could go straight back into it. She trembled uncontrollably as she stared at what she had done. What once were two Tusken Raiders was spattered all across the tent in a bloody, sickening mess of blood. The dark red liquid stained the walls, turned the golden brown sand crimson, it stuck onto her in a crimson mess.

She could have sworn she saw bits of internal organs mixed in with the blood. The angry voice had abandoned her, choosing complete silence. She felt sick. Her lungs seemed to have stopped working. She stumbled out of the tent from the opening Anakin had made, she was on all fours as she gasped for breath, still shaking.

All she could see was the blood. Red and thick. All she could hear was the screams. Loud and ear piercing. All she could smell was the stench of death. Strong and unwavering. All she could feel was the sand under her. Rough and dry.

She was in some sort of trance again, she couldn't bring herself to look at anything. She was about to bring her hand to wipe the blood off her face but froze, spotting the crimson liquid on her hands too. Slowly trickling off it onto the sand. Her breathing grew heavier as drop after drop of blood fell onto the sand. What had she done...? What had she done? She didn't even know she could do that but nevertheless she had done it. She'd taken the life of two living beings.

And worst of all for a moment, just a tiny, sick moment after she'd blown them up she'd felt satisfied. She'd felt a surge of power like nothing before ...And she liked it. She heard a scream of a Tusken and looked up, it stood over her with its staff raised above its head, ready to strike. Ready to kill. But before the staff could make contact with her body the Tusken's head flew off its shoulder, landing a few feet away from her.

She scrambled away from it, panicked. The body fell right where she was just a few moments ago. She looked up at her brother who stood over the body. Staring down at it before looking at her. The normally soothing hum of his lightsaber was now the last sound Alina wanted to hear. She kept thinking back to her dream. The blue lightsaber. The blood pooled off her hands and all around her. The bodies piled up.

She didn't realize Anakin was crouched by her side until she felt his hand on her arm. Her first instinct was to flinch away, which she did. Anakin frowned, looking almost hurt when she tugged her hand away from him. "I killed them" she croaked, moving back into her brother's embrace. "I know" he murmured, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer "I did too"

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I'm sorry, this came out really late...

But either way I'm really proud of this chapter! I think it's one of my best chapters yet! It's also very angsty so bonus points lol. Anyway, let me know what you think and I hope to have the next chapter published sooner!