Highness || anakin skywalker [REWRITTEN]

|five|

Sometime in the early morning, Corinna jolted awake in a sweaty haze. Her heart was racing, begging to burst from her chest for an unbeknownst reason. Her breathing was heavy as if she had just ran a marathon. Corinna tried to take a deep breath and then exhaled, attempting to regulate it. A nightmare had startled her awake and now that she was up, it would be difficult for her to fall back asleep. 

Corinna slipped from her bed and quietly opened the wooden door, a slight creaking sound filled the corridor. She walked out of her room and down the hall to a few rooms away. She stood outside of the room debating on whether or not she should knock on the door. Everyone in the castle was fast asleep and she knew Anakin would be too but for some reason she felt compelled to wake him. 

As she lifted her fist to knock on the door, it swung open. Corinna jumped back, not expecting Anakin to be awake. However, upon looking at his face, she could see he had just woken up. 
"Sorry...I-uh-did I wake you?" she stammered while giving him a once-over. Anakin's torso was bare as he was only wearing thin dark grey pants. Corinna felt a ball in the back of her throat form while her heart rate picked up again. His brown hair was in a scrambled mess but Corinna still found it attractive. 
"I sensed you outside of the door." he grumbled, his voice lower than usual.
"I'm sorry, I just had a bad dream and couldn't sleep." Corinna's eyes fell to the floor before she stepped back, wanting to turn away and go back to her room.

Anakin followed her actions, stopping her from leaving his doorway. 
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, extending his hand. 
"No, it's alright." Corinna cringed internally as she headed back towards her room. What was she doing? Her steps were hasty, almost turning into a run but Anakin was hot on her trail. 
"Corinna wait." he called quietly. 

Corinna stumbled into her room, Anakin following closely behind her. She closed the door as he walked in. 
"Are you feeling okay?" Anakin gave her a puzzled look. Corinna nodded as a response, barely being able to speak. 
"I want to show you something." Corinna uttered softly, still speaking quietly in fear of waking anyone else up. Anakin furrowed his brows before a grin appeared on his lips. 
"Let me get dressed." Anakin slipped out of the room again and headed back to his to change. 

Corinna sighed to herself, rushing to the closet to find something to wear. Her gown of choice was a pale cream colored dress with lots to tulle and off the shoulder puffy sleeves. The dress was decorated with accents of gems and flowers to match her personality. Corinna changed quickly and left her hair down to rest on her bare back. 

Anakin had changed just as quickly and had snuck back into her room. His eyes fell on her instantly causing him to smile wider.
"Where are we going princess?" he teased. Corinna grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room without saying a word. 

The two snuck out of the castle and down the stone path, heading towards the lake at the base of the mountain. The sun had just started to rise and wake all the plants. Corinna lead Anakin all the way to the lake, some sand crunching beneath their feet. Anakin cringed at the feeling. 
"Sorry." Corinna said when she noticed his face. 

She pulled him onto an old wooden dock with a small row boat tied to it. The wood creaked under them which made Anakin weary. 
"Is this safe?" he asked. 
"Of course." she replied, not actually knowing if it was still sturdy but hoping for the best. Corinna climbed into the boat and waved Anakin in. The Jedi followed the orders and sat across from her as she handed him the two ores. 
"Will you?" she begged, giving him a look with those two big blue eyes. 

Anakin didn't have to argue, he would do whatever she asked if she just looked at him. 
"Where to?" Anakin asked as the boat began to move away from the dock. 
"About the middle of the lake."

He rowed and rowed until they reached a couple of yards out. 
"Stop here." Corinna instructed, looking out towards the east. 
"Why here?"
"It's a great place to watch the sun rise." Corinna pointed at the slow growing glow illuminating behind the trees. Anakin followed her gaze, smiling at how beautiful it was.

He found himself thinking about how simple life had felt every time he was with Corinna. He felt comfortable around her and life felt...peaceful. 
"It's beautiful." Corinna leaned on the edge of the boat, resting her chin in her hand as she watched the sun get higher and higher. Anakin stared at her, unable to take his eyes off of her. 

Anakin knew that whatever he was feeling right now was against the Jedi Code. He knew this could lead him down the wrong path but something about her was so addictive. 
"Very..." he whispered to himself. 

Corinna finally turned her head to look at him, their eyes catching one another. 
"I enjoy spending time with you Anakin." she blurted out, not really knowing why she wanted to tell her how she felt. 
"I enjoy spending time with you too...not that I really have a choice though." he laughed. Corinna chuckled, shaking her head from side-to-side. 
"I know you have to, but I'm glad it's you. I really appreciate all you have done for me." Corinna gushed.

She felt silly for being so soft for someone who would inevitably leave one day. Once they find the Sith, Anakin and Obi-wan would be gone and Corinna would never see Anakin again.
"You're not as bad as I thought you'd be." Anakin admitted. Corinna's eyebrows raised as her eyes widened. A mouthy grin on her face. 
"Wow! What did you expect me to be like?" she pressed.
"Snotty, bratty...Rude maybe? Just a spoiled princess." he chuckled. 
"Have you met many princess?" Corinna laughed. 
"No, a few but none of them are as sweet as you are."

Corinna blushed but thankfully it was still too dark for Anakin to notice. 
"I am fortunate to be in the position I am, but I will never let that get to my head. I plan on ruling this planet with as much love and dignity as I can." 
"That is a wonderful plan princess. Your people are lucky to have you." 

Silence fell on the two but it was a peaceful silence. Comfortable. Anakin and Corinna found themselves sitting closer than before, their legs touching. Corinna felt warm inside whenever they touched, even if it was just a grazing of skin. She felt an urge to jump on him and engulf him in a hug, but she restraint herself. 
"Anakin?" she turned to look at him, their faces only inches from one another. 
"Yes?"
"I think I like you." she divulged. 
"I like you too." he laughed, not understanding fully what she meant. 
"No Anakin, I mean...I like you." she stressed. She had no idea how to flirt or even tell someone how she felt.

Anakin's smile fell to a frown which made Corinna feel anxious. 
"I- Corinna...I'm a Jedi." he stammered, not sure what to say. 
"I like you Anakin, I like spending time with you and I always find myself drawn to you." she tried to explain but Anakin quickly tried to stop her. 
"Corinna...I can't, it's against the Jedi Code."

Corinna's face fell in embarrassment. 
"Jedi Code?" she questioned, this was the first she's heard of such a thing.
"The Jedi follow a code of living. Emotions and passion can lead Jedi on a path to the dark side."  Anakin explained. Every word he said made Corinna was to curl in a ball and disappear. 
"Oh...I'm-Please forget I said anything." 

Her eyes landed in her lap as she fiddled with her fingers out of nervousness. 
"Corinna, please know that this doesn't mean I don't like you." he pleaded, his hand reaching for hers. She tore her hand away from his and tucked some hair behind her ear. 
"I shouldn't have said anything, I just feel stupid now." 
"Don't, we are still friends." Anakin could sense how she had felt, she was uncomfortable and embarrassed. Corinna turned away from him and cleared her throat. 
"We should get back to the castle before everyone wakes." Corinna uttered softly, clearly disappointed. 

Anakin nodded his head before rowing back to land. The two were silent all the way back to the castle, Corinna didn't even say anything as they both returned to their rooms before anyone else in the castle woke.