- CASTLES CRUMBLING (A.S.) -

- 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄 -

i'm sorry if i say i need you

STARING OUT AT THE WATER that flowed directly in front of her, Regina had time to take in the beauty of the lake country. Trapped on Coruscant for a good portion of her younger years, Regina was always enthusiastic about seeing a new world, and Naboo... It was definitely something. Especially out here, in the middle of no where. One could forget all the worries of the galaxy in this very spot.

Regina took a deep breath of the fresh air as the wind gently ruffled her hair. She'd gotten here before Padmé and Skywalker, and was enjoying the time to herself. Since Padmé had gone to visit her parents briefly, she had sent Regina on ahead to secure the country mansion and ensure that it was prepared for her arrival, leaving Skywalker with the her for protection.

But now that the place was secure, Regina had time to herself since Padmé and Skywalker still hadn't arrived.

But her peace and quiet was short-lived.

Regina sensed the arrival of the boat before she heard it. She could clearly sense his presence too. But he was alone.

Regina continued to stare out at the lake, determined to have this time to herself. These moments were so precious and far-in-between. She knew it was selfish but—

"Padmé told me that I would find you here," came Skywalker's voice. Regina fought the urge to sigh with exasperation. Regina didn't reply and kept her eyes trained on the waves in front of her. In the distance she could see a small island, complete with lush greenery, trees, and all kinds of wildlife. She could probably swim out there if she really wanted. "Sitara?"

"Padmé told me that she used to come here a lot when she was younger," Regina commented, determined not to ruin her moment with talk of what she had to do. "I can see why. It's beautiful."

She could sense him approaching, and for some reason found him annoying and comforting at the same time. But she also discovered that the annoyance was wearing off and it made it all the worse. What's more, she began to feel the familiar tug of destiny again, the impending doom. It caused so many emotions she didn't know what to think.

"She told me that, too," Skywalker nodded, coming up beside her. He put his hands on the stone railing and turned to face her, gazing into her face as she began to speak again. Regina ignored him, but her heart was racing all the same.

"Why didn't you bring Padmé with you?" Regina questioned without looking at him. She knew that if she did, it would be game over. So she kept her eyes straight again, staring at the island directly in front.

"She was tired," Skywalker explained. "I did try to convince her to join me in retrieving you, but she insisted that she needed to rest. I relented only because she can be very stubborn."

Regina had to smile at that.

"Did you leave Artoo with her?" she inquired.

"Yes."

"Good."

"What, do you think I'd leave the senator unprotected?" Skywalker smirked—she didn't have to look at him to know that he was smirking.

"I wouldn't put it past you, Skywalker." Regina chuckled, shaking her head.

"I don't know if I should feel insulted or not," he replied, a smile on his lips. He looked down at the stone rail beneath his hands and out of the corner of her eye, Regina could see him picking at a loose spot on the stone. "I like it here. It's so different from Tatooine and Coruscant."

"It's peaceful," Regina agreed. "I can't wait to see a sunset." They stood there in silence for a second, watching as a bird soared past high overhead.

"Everything here is beautiful," Skywalker commented as soon as it was out of sight, tossing away the small piece of stone he'd scraped off the main part of the rail. "Everything and everyone."

It hit home. He—in a messed up way—had indirectly called her beautiful. She knew she should cringe, to feel disgusted. But it didn't bother her. In fact, she wanted to hear him call her that again. Destiny.

Regina could feel him gazing at her—and for some reason she didn't feel uncomfortable. She turned her head slightly, meeting his eyes.

His hand inched toward hers, but she kept her own head right where she had it. As their eyes locked onto one another, Skywalker leaned forward.

Against her deepest instincts, Regina remained exactly where she was, watching as he slowly closed the gap between them.

Seconds later, his lips met hers.

And she found herself kissing him back.

She knew this was what she wanted. All she wanted.

Yet—Destiny and doom called.

"No."

She pulled away. This was wrong. She was a Jedi. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. No attachments, no falling in love. Especially not with someone who was supposed to be her enemy. And even though these feelings had slowly developed, she was not about to give into them. Plus, she had a ticking clock in her brain. And when she'd kissed Skywalker, it had started ticking faster, almost as if time was running out. She knew she should never have let this happen. This was it, it could go no farther. She couldn't think about him like that.

Not again.

It killed her, but Regina turned her whole body away from Skywalker, forcing herself to stare back at the lake.

"I shouldn't have done that."

Skywalker didn't say anything for a moment, standing erect. Awkward, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he said a moment later.

Regina knew he wasn't.

In the moment their lips had met, Regina had felt a feeling stronger than she had ever felt for Skywalker—stronger than any animosity she had once held for him—and she had this aching feeling that whatever she had felt, Skywalker felt it ten times more. How she knew that, she didn't know. But she did, and the knowledge of that hurt her.

Because she realized that her words had hurt him. And she didn't want him to be in pain.

"We should go," Regina turned toward him, looking up at him. He stayed where he was, and then Regina knew that her fear was reality. "Skywalker."

He didn't reply.

"Padmé's probably getting up from her nap," Regina reminded him, resisting the urge to put her hand on his arm. It would only encourage him, she knew.

And anything between them had to stay here in the pavilion. It could never go any further than what had happened today. It couldn't.

"Let's go," Skywalker replied, turning. As he did, he met her eyes. But instead of defeat, Regina could see that he had a new sense of confidence in his eyes, as if he was formulating a plan.

And Regina knew from experience that whenever Skywalker got an idea in his head that there was no getting it out.

As he led her toward the other side of the pavilion toward boat, Regina felt butterflies pounding in her stomach, even in hindsight of her surface desires. She could feel them mirroring the clock, the representation of time, given to her by the Force, in her head.

And deep down, she knew this was a fight that he would win. But she was not about to go down without fighting him. Herself.

Destiny.

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