FORCE OF NATURE ( A. SKYWALKER ) [2]

XVII.

An eighteen year old girl inhaled sharply as soon as her chocolate colored eyes landed on the full-body mirror that showed her how different she looked that very moment. The female Jedi Knight never would have imagined herself wearing such a beautiful dress the color of pure white, her hair falling in perfect waves with a flower crown affixed on top of her brunette head. She never would have thought that she'd have the opportunity to ever look like this, seeing as she had sworn an oath to the Order when she was officially knighted. She never would have thought that she would end up wearing such a gorgeous dress, looking positively dazzling herself, on her wedding day.

It was a week after the conclusion of the battle of Geonosia. The eighteen year old woke up with a splitting headache in her room in Padmé's home in the lake country, inquiring what had happened after she had fallen off the cruiser and passed out. Anakin, who was already by her side as soon as she woke up, filled her in on every single detail about the events that occurred while she was unconscious.

Anakin recalled how he and his Master faced against Lord Dooku by themselves, and almost dying in that battle if Master Yoda didn't arrive in time to save them. He also showed her his new prosthetic arm, which made Layna burst into tears upon realizing that she could have done something to prevent that if she hadn't fallen off the cruiser and it took her lover quite a while to calm her down and make her accept that what happened to him wasn't her fault at all.

The two lovers also discussed their secret wedding plans, with the help of their most trusted friend, Senator Amidala, and decided to hold the ceremony in Padmé's home in the lake country while the twosome were scheduled to take the former Queen back to her home planet.

Layna took a deep breath as she continued to stare at the almost unfamiliar woman gazing back at her in the mirror.

The reality of marriage was erased from Layna's mind when she decided to become a Jedi, just as her mother before her. She knew that she could not afford to find love, as it was forbidden for a Jedi to marry anyone due to the Code that everyone swore to follow when they become official Jedi Knights. She knew that she would spend the rest of her life without ever settling down with someone she would love, and she was perfectly fine with that, until the exact moment she realized that she had fallen in love with the boy she met years ago on Tatooine. She never knew the joy of being in love with someone, and being loved in return, before Anakin came around and showed her exactly how it felt to love and to be loved.

Layna could never understand why her mother decided to run away from her responsibilities and her duties as a Knight of the Jedi Order before. She didn't know why her mother would abandon everything she knew just for a man she had met, and fallen in love with. She didn't know why her mother would choose to be with someone rather than protect the peace of the galaxy, like she had sworn to do so.

But now that Layna herself knew how it felt to be with someone you loved, she could understand why her mother did what she did, even if it was just a little bit.

"Are you ready?" she heard her childhood friend ask from behind her, and the brunette clad in white turned to shoot the older brunette a smile. The Senator of Naboo gazed at the beautiful bride with a huge smile on her face, and she stepped towards the smiling Layna before reaching out to take her hands into her own. "I am so happy for the both of you, Layna, I truly am."

The Hale girl found herself blushing upon hearing the Senator's kind words, and she squeezed her friend's hands with a nod. Layna always knew that Padmé would be there to support her, seeing as she was her very precious friend. Ever since they were children, Layna felt a bond with the older brunette that she didn't share with anyone else. She was the very first person to break her walls down, and she might have felt it then, that Padmé would be someone she would hold dear to her even after several years. "Thank you, Padmé. I appreciate you doing this for us."