Read holiday short stories featuring characters from both of my book series' the Valiant Series and The Dragon Empire Series . I'll be posting them around each and every holiday, so I hope you guys can enjoy them! So far, it features only the Valian...
This year's Christmas prompt I got from Ghost's contest and challenges book with their prompt, to write your favorite character going through the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present or Future. I chose past, with my favorite character of all time, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Enjoy :)
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Darth Vader awoke from a restless sleep with nightmares filled with fire and agony. As he fully woke and sat up, imprisoned behind the black suit that fed him, gave him life, and even had sight for him, he realized that the pain wasn't simply a result of the nightmare. No, it was real and it coursed through his limbs, though they weren't there. Mechanical ones had been attached to both his leg and his left arm just a few short months ago.
Gritting his teeth, he limped off the bed and made his way to the door. It slid open with a sharp hiss, so he strode out into a narrow hallway. After a few turns, he found one of the lounges he had claimed for himself upon the Star Destroyer Annihilator. Alone, expression hidden behind his mask, he allowed tears to form in his eyes, though refused to let them fall. He stared through the mask's eyes out the window and into the void of space outside the ship. The mask's vision created a slight red hue to the world, which was just one of the many things Vader had been forced to grow accustomed to.
"Anakin..." a voice whispered.
It can't be, Vader thought as he whirled around. Only a year ago, his reflexes had been swift, giving him an edge in battle. Now, thanks to the suit and his mechanical limbs, he wasn't as nimble nor would he ever be again.
Standing before him, was a beautiful woman. Brown curls hung loosely down her shoulders against the light blue dress she wore. It did nothing to cover her bulging stomach and Vader could feel her presence as well as the presence of...
"Padme..." Her name left his lips in a whisper, but the mask's voice modulator made it sound deep and menacing. Once, his voice had been silvery, clear, and pleasant. Now, not only did the voice modulator deepen and mechanicalize it, but his voice was also filled with hatred.
Seeing his wife again nearly made his hatred leave. Nearly.
"How are you here? You... you're dead." Vader's voice would have choked, but the mask only made it sound flat and emotionless. When the exact opposite was true. He looked at Padme, his beautiful wife, his true love, gazing at her beauty, her face once again, and shame filled him. Disgust. Guilt. It tore at his soul, placing him in more agony than his physical wounds ever did.
He looked away from her, unable to bear it.
"I'm here to show you the past, Ani."
Vader cringed at the name, shaking his head. His eyes snapped back toward her as he took an involuntary step forward, feeling his anger return. Anakin had been weak! That boy had ruined Vader's life, had made all the wrong choices, had destroyed and killed everything he cared for. "Don't call me that. I'm not him anymore."
