𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | Anakin Skywalker

five

Anakin left Padmé safe in her beautiful mansion with her family as he ventured to the Naboo waterfalls.

"You are following me?"

Anakin stops with a smile, "I should ask you that."

"You know, I always wanted to see the Naboo waterfalls" Erin tells him after a few minutes of silence, "my parents came to Naboo just to get married, it was my mother's dream and my father fulfilled it"

Anakin listened carefully, Erin never talked about her family, even when she was too drunk she didn't talk about it.

"They told me about it every day since I was born," Erin recounted, then pointed to where the sun lit up the waterfalls, "and on top of that, the little rainbows."

Anakin demonstrated the event, the waterfalls lighting up so beautifully that his lips parted and his eyes lit up. He looked past her to Erin, admiring the calm way she looked, it was even more beautiful than the illuminated waterfalls, more beautiful than anything else.

"Who knew that you can be silent for more than an hour?" Anakin tells her, he hates to interrupt the moment.

Erin laughs and gives him a shove, "always so timely."

They both sat on the grass letting the sunset pass.

"And what's she like?" Erin tells him.

"Who? Padme?"

Erin nods, "is she still as pretty as you recorded her?"

"Yes, Padme was always pretty, only now she has grown up, before she was a queen and now she is a senator" Anakin tells her.

"What's wrong, you don't like senators?"

"I like two or three" he replies, "I don't think the system works"

Erin ran her fingers through the grass feeling a slight tingle, "How would you make it work?"

"I would make a system where politicians sit down to discuss the problem, decide what is good for the people and do it."

"That's what they're supposed to do," Erin tells him with a small laugh, "I think the problem is they never come to an agreement."

"They should force them"

Erin laughs, "oh Ani, that would be a dictatorship"

"Well, if it works" Anakin says with a mischievous smile.

"That I didn't listen to you, Obi-wan, or he will think that someone is influencing you badly"

Anakin puts on his sly smile again, and Erin looks at him, tilting her head.

"I'm not a bad influence!" Erin yells, "I'm just having fun"

"Of course you do, I love your concept of having fun ending up with you in a place you don't remember going to"

Erin gives Anakin a push with her hand and he captures her arm, "not a complaint at all, just if you stay safe more often" Anakin tells her before placing a soft kiss on Erin's knuckles.

"Silly," Erin tells him without taking his arm.

Anakin laughs.

• • •

"I guess I should have known at the time, he gave a lot of signs of where his ideals would take him," Erin scratches her forehead, "but I just ignored it."

"It's not your fault," Leia tells her.

"Anakin needed someone to run it well, he should have done better," Erin says sourly.

"Wasn't that Obi-wan's job?" Luke says with raised eyebrows, "Wasn't he his master?"

Erin settles down on the sofa, "it's not Obi-wan's fault", she replies to Luke, "he just..."

Erin stops letting out a deep breath as she runs her hand over her face, she was tired.

"You know what? We have to get some sleep, let's continue tomorrow. You can stay, I'll get you some blankets," Erin tells them quickly, walking down the hall before they can remember anything.

She reached her room as he closed the door and leaned against her, trying to calm her breathing. In the distance, on the nightstand, she cast a small light from the oil lamp fire. Erin walked over and recognized the locket.

"Oh Ani, why?"