- CASTLES CRUMBLING (A.S.) -

- 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 -

now you'll never see me cry.

REGINA PARTED FROM SKYWALKER soon after. It wasn't that she wanted to leave him. Rather, she'd wanted to stay with him, a drastic change from her original feelings toward the Padawan. Actually, he'd been the one who suggested that they part ways.

They needed to sleep on it, devise a plan in the morning. And it was, quite frankly, the best idea Skywalker had come up with in days. Years, maybe.

They mutually agreed to the plan and separated. Besides, who knew when Padmé or one of the droid-servants would appear and witness something? Not that the senator would say anything; to be honest, Regina had a hunch that Padmé had had a hand in all of this.

Regina fell asleep easily, her mind relaxed for once. This evening had removed all doubts, and now there was no going back. There was a lot to worry about, but it could wait until the morning. Whatever plan she and Skywalker came up with, they'd follow through with. They had time, anyway. They were stuck on Naboo with Padmé—and more importantly, each other—for the foreseeable future. Time was their ally.

But, despite how easily Regina fell asleep, she had trouble staying that way.

Throughout the night, she was aroused from sleep by the sound of shouting. Half asleep, she believed it was part of a dream she was having, but when she was awakened around five in the morning, she knew it wasn't her having a dream.

The shouts were coming from Skywalker's quarters.

He was having a dream again. Or, more likely, a vision.

Lying in bed with her face toward the ceiling, Regina felt a stab of pity. She knew what it was like when the Force sent visions; they were usually horrible depictions of the coming future. But with Skywalker...

From where Regina lay in her bed, she could hear the sound of footsteps headed down the hallway. And then they faded into silence.

It had to be him.

Regina stayed in bed for a while, thinking. She could go to him, comfort him, give advice or--the better plan most assuredly--was to do absolutely nothing. To stay in bed.

Let him ruminate.

But she couldn't.

She knew he'd been having night terrors; she'd already had to waken him once. She couldn't leave him like that.

Besides, he was suffering and she wasn't about to let someone she cared about go through something alone.

There it was: attachments.

Damn the Order and its ridiculous rules, Regina thought as she slid out of her blankets and off her bed. Standing slowly, she wrapped a robe around herself and headed out of the room, unconscious that she had no shoes on her feet.

As soon as she left her room, Regina was met by Padmé who groggily stepped out of her quarters, a robe wrapped around her body as well. Regina looked at the senator.

"What are you doing up?" Regina practically scolded. She was the one who was ensuring that Padmé was taken care of properly, after all.

"Anakin," was all Padmé replied, giving Regina a worried look that exactly mirrored what Regina herself was feeling.

Regina gritted her teeth. She wasn't supposed to be feeling anything. Yet she had already professed her love for her former enemy. And she'd already rebelled against the Order. Nothing good ever came from Regina acting spontaneously, and here was a perfect example. Complications. What are we going to do?