DESTROYER OF WORLDS

lagaudiiere.

_{STRANDED ON HOSTILE PLANET, SEEMINGLY OUT OF OPTIONS — she’s reminded of another time, a kinder one for sure ( & then she had not been alone, then she had company — & her queen. ) She had nearly made it home, the thought of the planet causing an ache to spread within her chest to join the one brought about upon the memory of a past not that long ago, yet belonging to another lifetime — to the life of a decoy, the queen’s protection & confidante. While confidantes they remain, her queen is now a senator turned rebel ; a mother of two, a friend. She misses both home & Padmé ( little Luke & Leia ), yet she has duties to uphold still & that meant returning home — something she can’t do while here, with no protection or means of getting out.}
_{SHE SHOULD REMAIN BENEATH HOODED CLOAK she knows, so as not to draw attention yet those who hide beneath darkness are oft perceived to be a danger & all she wants is some water & perhaps an excuse to rest for a short while — yet glass is nearly dropped upon retreat at the sound of another ( almost voicing the name in her thoughts ) close enough to feel their breath along the nape of her neck. Back stiffens, yet tension gives way to confusion & narrowed gaze as her name is spoken instead. She turns & is met with a stranger — yet those eyes take her back to the little ones, to appellation nearly spoken & realization hits her with sharp clarity, & it’s only due to its razor-edge that she knows it unwise to speak his name. ❛ I could ask you much the same. ❜ & that same sharpness bleeds into her words, interlaced with everything else — relief, confusion, denial? How long have they been looking for him ( how long has she, the unspoken name between them, been looking for him, still hasn’t given up! Does he know? ) ❛ I am not here by choice. ❜ Are you, Anakin Skywalker? ❛ My ship & protection — ❜ it’s too long a story, one she dismisses with a light shake of her head &, in its stead, she gives him a shorter one ( as well as an answer to the question he may not ask, but she knows he wishes to hear the answer to. ) ❛ I am alone. ❜}

_{the resemblance is striking , knocks out the air inside his lungs. for many days , months , weeks — ages , he’s dreamt about her ( so similar , so alike this woman. remembrance arrives with pain : of a land far away , where a young boy and a handmaiden had met. sabé had been there , too , decoy posing as a queen. picture of another life , such distance he doesn’t even recognize it as his own ) only to grasp thin air. but here stands she , an unexpected connection , invisible thread clenching broken soul. IT IS THE CLOSEST HE’S BEEN TO PADMÉ IN A LONG TIME. spine stiffens , worried stance of lithe frame , fingers pulling up his cloak as he takes a seat besides her. ❛ this place isn’t safe. ❜ not for stranded women , not for someone shining with delicacy. here hide troublemakers ; fugitives of the empire whose head is valued in millions. a heartbeat and she has not answered — seconds pass , a delusional hope taking hold of his heart , that perhaps she is not alone. interwined comes fear , too. how could he ever begin to apologize , without sounding untrue ? in a thousand lives he could not make up for it , not anymore. her feelings ( her words ) tell a different story , and anxiety dissipates , new hollowness crumbling down ribcage walls. ❛ were you attacked ? ❜ no other explanation can he find : question is posed in a neutral tone and a raised eyebrow. gaze wanders away ( from her face and the memories it evokes ) in search of danger , tongue clicking against caged teeth. ❛ you shouldn’t stay here for long. ❜}