FORCE OF NATURE ( A. SKYWALKER ) [2]

XV.

"Well, this rescue mission really didn't go the way I thought it would," the Corellian girl murmured as she watched the Geonosian soldiers prepare the chariots that were to be used to lead them into the arena. The young girl truly regretted entering the droid factory unprepared, but she wasn't really expecting to go face to face with danger that early in the rescue mission.

Needless to say, the three friends had to fight the numerous amounts of droids and soldiers while narrowly avoiding the death traps in the damn factory. They were captured almost immediately, but they did try to fight back for a little before they were soon overpowered by the sheer number of droids and soldiers combined. She breathed out a long sigh, peering over her shoulder to check on her close friend, who was placed in the chariot right behind hers and Anakin's.

Padmé noticed Layna's concerned stare, urging her to send the younger girl a reassuring smile in order to ease the female Jedi's nerves. But it did very little to calm Layna's nerves, as she knew the danger that they were going to face in the arena. She was not afraid of getting hurt, or dying, as she knew that being a Jedi meant that there is a chance of dying with every mission. The reason behind the younger brunette's worry was because of the people she cared about - all three of them. They were all going to be present in the arena, in this fight to the death, and she didn't know whether all of them could survive this.

She was terrified of any of them getting hurt, and she was even more terrified of the thought of losing every single one of them. She knew that she was not all-powerful, she could not stop any of them from dying but she can try to protect them. She'd rather lose her life than lose any of the people she held dear to her, she couldn't bear losing someone she loved. Not again. Twice was enough.

Layna turned back around, facing the entrance of the arena as she inhaled sharply in an attempt to ease her worries. She could feel the fear of losing her lover, her best friend and her brother welling up inside of her, overwhelming the small flicker of hope burning deep inside her heart. She felt her lover drew near her, his elbow brushing against her arm as he moved towards her, leaning in to whisper to the younger girl softly. "Don't be afraid," he told the eighteen year old as his electric blue eyes peered into her chocolate brown ones.

The Hale girl shook her head slowly, returning her lover's gaze as she responded to his words, "I'm not afraid to die. I'm afraid of losing you." She felt her lips quiver as her dark gaze flickered towards the entrance of the arena, where they will soon go through to begin their fight to the death - in other words, their execution.

"Hey, hey, you're not gonna lose me," Anakin reassured the brunette standing next to him, nudging her side to get to her look his way once more as all three of them were now restrained and cannot use their hands.

Layna turned her head to the side, her dark eyes meeting her lover's bright ones once more as she swallowed the huge lump forming in her throat. Shaking her head with a heavy sigh, she felt the tears well in her eyes as she answered her lover, "I've already lost you once, when I told you that we cannot be together. I'm not gonna lose you again, Ani, I swear it."

Anakin drew closer to the brunette girl beside him, his head tilting to the side as the distance between them slowly diminished. "And I'm not gonna lose you," his whisper was barely audible but Layna still caught in nonetheless, and even though she knew that Anakin could not guarantee his words, she still found herself believing in them.

"We will make it through this together," the young girl murmured as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks upon feeling Anakin's warm breath fanning on her face. Images of the two of them together flashed into the eighteen year old's mind, filling her heart with happy thoughts that made her believe in Anakin's words even more. She could see the two of them hand in hand, smiling at one another as they basked together under the sun in Padmé's homeland. She could see just how happy they were with one another, and that was what Layna truly wished for from the bottom of her heart. She only wished to be with the man she loved, with no fear or worry about losing each other just as they did everyday. She wanted to live in a time where she could be with him without the fear of losing him, or anyone else she cared about.