A shuddering breath exhaled from my lips as Padme placed the veil over my dark brown tresses. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she smoothed the lacy white material into place. Placing her hands on my shoulders, she gently guided me to the mirror so that I could see her handiwork. A gasp ripped free of my throat as I gazed back at myself.
"See? You're absolutely radiant, Jetta." Padme said, smiling at me warmly through our reflection.
The gown was stunning, pure white and created of intricate ribbon, lace and pearl beads. The sleeves dipped just below my elbows, the hem a beautiful scalloped lace while the veil was flower-embroidered with wax-drop stamens. The train of the gown trailed behind me like a waterfall while the rest of the material fell in voluminous folds at my feet. It was breathtaking.
Padme's handmaiden, Yane, had designed it herself overnight at the Senator's special request. Spinning around to face her, I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding.
"Padme, I never can thank you enough for putting all of this together for Anakin and I. And for keeping the secret. I know it's asking a lot, I-" I began but she cut me off with a sisterly squeeze to my shoulders.
"Now don't start that again. You know you've become like a sister to me over these past few months, Jetta. And Anakin's been my friend since we were children. I'd do anything for you two," she assured me with a smile, her brown eyes shining in the last rays of sunlight filtering in through the Varykino villa's windows.
The familiar sound of footsteps made both our heads turned to the entryway where C-3PO had appeared.
Sunshine glinted off his new gold-plating as he spoke, "It's time, Miss Jetta, Miss Padme."
Glancing over nervously at Padme, she sent me a small smile before shuffling me out the doorway. Walking slowly through the narrow hallway that led to the balcony where Anakin and I had almost shared our first kiss, Padme held the train of my wedding dress. Anakin came into view then, the sun lighting up his features as he turned.
His cerulean eyes lit up and joy was written all over his face as he smiled at the sight of me. Padme moved off to the side to stand beside C-3PO and R2-D2, taking her place as a witness, while I stood across from my fiancée.
"We are gathered here today to join Anakin Skywalker and Jetta Aroo in holy matrimony, " the Nubian holy man began to intone, gesturing to each of us before continuing, "Before you declare your vows to one another, I want to hear you confirm that it is indeed your intention to be married today. Do you both come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to each other in marriage? If so, answer "I do."
Never taking our eyes off each other, we both repeated the words in unison.
"Anakin, do you promise to cherish Jetta always, to honor and love her, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, to be true in all things until death shall part you?"
"I promise to cherish you, Jetta, always, to honor and love you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, to be true in all things until death shall part us," Anakin repeated solemnly, his cerulean gaze alight with the fire of love.
"And do you, Jetta, promise to cherish Anakin always, to honor and love him, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, to be true in all things until death shall part you?"
"I promise to cherish you, Anakin, always, to honor and love you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, to be true in all things until death shall part us," I spoke the words in earnest, the nerves in my chest melting into elation.
"Now for the marriage vows," the holy man said, taking a step back.
Anakin took a deep breath before speaking his, "Jetta, my angel...from the moment we met, all those years ago at the Jedi Temple...I knew that we were destined to never be parted. But I never would have dreamed we would become all that we are now. That you would become the love of my life, the woman I can't live without. Despite the obstacles I know we'll face in the coming years, I promise with all my heart to love you to my last breath."
Tears pricked my brown eyes at this beautiful declaration of love before I began my own vows, "Anakin, my love...the first time we met, I knew you would be in my life for a long time. At least, I hoped you would. Then, I never would have thought we would come to this moment, even though I wanted it desperately. And now that it's here, my heart feels full to bursting - that's how much I love you, Anakin Skywalker. And I promise, no matter what, I will always, always love you with every breath in my body and every fiber of my being."
The look of love Anakin sent me was overwhelming as the holy man asked us to repeat the words after him.
"You are the moons, the suns, and the stars in my life. As the celestial bodies above are eternal, so shall our love be. From this day until the last, I vow this to you."
After we repeated those words, Anakin and I joined hands before our lips connected amid a shower of falling rose petals. The kiss was soft, gentle, and sweet - a promise to love and cherish one another forever. There was a beauty in that word - forever - that resounded in my head as our lips pressed together in perfect harmony.
Yet as we pulled away and Anakin gazed back into my eyes with a look so full of love, it was nearly blinding, I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander back to the very words I had spoken to oppose this love what seemed so long ago.
Were we committing taboo?
But in that moment, gazing up at my husband whom I loved more than life itself...I found that I cared about nothing but him.
Taboo or not.
Author's Note: What did y'all think of the marriage vows? I created them myself along with a bit of tweaking from some actual vows LOL <3
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𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐎 || 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐤𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫
FanfictionAnakin and Jetta had been best friends for most of their lives, so alike in their rule-breaking behavior yet never addressing the electric chemistry crackling between them. But when the pair are ordered on a joint mission to Naboo to protect Senator...
