Bittersweet Devotion [Star Wars x Anakin Skywalker]

epilogue

"Once you start down the dark path, it will forever dominate your destiny." - Yoda

She was dead.

Rain was dead.

Anakin stood frozen, the weight of that realization pressing down on him like the very walls of the collapsing Death Star. The room, which had just moments ago been filled with the chaotic clash of lightsabers and the malevolent presence of the Emperor, now seemed eerily silent. The only sound that reached his ears was the faint hum of his own breath, ragged and shallow, as he stared at Rain's lifeless body lying crumpled on the cold floor.

How could this be? After everything they had endured, after all the battles they had fought, how could her life end now, in this moment of victory and despair? They had been so close to finding peace, to starting anew with their children. Yet here she lay, still and silent, the spark of life that had burned so brightly within her extinguished far too soon.

And she was dead.

Anakin staggered back, his hand instinctively reaching for her, desperate to hold her one last time, but something stopped him. He hesitated, knowing that once he touched her, the finality of her death would become real—too real. His heart was a storm of grief and rage, a maelstrom that threatened to consume him whole. He was drowning in the agony of her loss, the unbearable weight of it pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

No, he told himself. She can wait a few minutes more.

With trembling hands, Anakin tore his gaze away from Rain and forced himself to turn toward the living. His children, their children, needed him now. They had already lost their mother—he couldn't bear to let them feel abandoned by their father, too.

He moved first to Leia, his beautiful, strong daughter, who was bound and gagged, her eyes wide with unshed tears. Gently, Anakin reached out, his fingers shaking as he removed the gag from her mouth. He then proceeded to untie her hands, his movements careful, almost reverent, as if she might shatter if he wasn't gentle enough.

As soon as she was free, Leia hesitated, her eyes searching his face, filled with a torrent of emotions—grief, confusion, and an aching need for comfort. She was torn between the need to grieve her mother and the overwhelming relief of still having her father beside her. Then, as if all at once, the dam broke. Leia threw herself into his arms, clutching him tightly, her tears soaking into his tunic.

Anakin was momentarily stunned by her embrace, but he quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her just as tightly. He could feel her trembling against him, her sobs shaking her entire body, and he couldn't stop the tears that began to fall from his own eyes. He pressed his cheek against the top of her head, the familiar scent of her hair mingling with the bitter taste of salt from his tears.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I'm so, so sorry."

Leia didn't respond, but her grip on him tightened, and for a moment, they simply held each other, father and daughter united in their shared grief.

When Leia finally pulled back, her eyes were red and swollen, her face streaked with tears, but she managed to offer him a small, broken smile. Anakin returned the gesture, though his heart ached with the knowledge of what he had to do next.

Turning away from Leia, Anakin moved to Luke, who had been watching their exchange with a mixture of sorrow and determination. Luke's expression was one of understanding, as if he already knew what Anakin was thinking, but he wasn't ready to accept it. Anakin quickly untied him, and when Luke was free, he didn't hesitate. He threw his arms around his father, holding him with all the strength he could muster.