The Moons of Iego: The Padmé Amidala & Anakin Skywalker Website

FAN FICTION : CLASSIC TRILOGY ERA

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Legacy

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Disclaimer: I don't own SW or any of the characters, places etc. That is all George's property. I'm just having a little fun with it. I am making no money off of this, because let's face it who'd pay. I just ask that I don't get sued 'cause to be honest I don't have anything to take.

This is just a little bunny that has hopping around in my head for awhile looking for a place to rest. Ever since I first saw AOTC, I had been wondering what kind of relationship Padmé and Leia would have had. When I saw Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, this little bunny decided it would not leave me alone until I played with him.

Blessings and many thanks go out to my "Master" or other Brain Paulie-Gon. (a.k.a. Darth Breezy). She is the one who kept the blaster to my head and forced me to work on this little piece of prose. I also want thank my fellow love story aficionados who provided me with much insight into these characters.

Thank you also to my fellow SWC and helpful beta reader Calthea. I'm glad one of us seems to have a grasp on the English language. I've only been speaking it for 32 years. You would think I would have learned something by now.

The rating is PG at most. I love sap, but there isn't anyplace for smut in this piece. (not that I don't mind a good smut piece every now and then)

Holly-Wan

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Prologue

In the burnt out ruins of what had once been a quaint little family home, a strange necklace was discovered. It looked like it had been carved out of Japor. On the back there was what appeared to be a disk of some kind, it looked like someone had made a recording and then decided to hide it. There was no way to identify who it belonged to, but then the old woman looked closely at it and saw the names. The names that brought back memories of another time, a name that told her exactly what she needed to do.

Leia saw the strange looking object on her desk, the woman who had delivered it to her had insisted on giving it to her in person. This woman was someone she had never met, and yet some how she felt like she should know this person. There was a connection there, but for the life of her she couldn't but her hands on it. She put the disk in to R2, not sure what to expect. What she saw was the last thing she had ever expected in a million years. There had been so many people who had claimed to know who their mother had been, so many false leads. But one look at the sad woman sitting cross legged and cradling a baby triggered a memory in her. This was real. She knew the woman before her was her real mother, and the baby in her lap was her. She couldn't believe her eyes. She knew she should share this with Luke, but she couldn't move. All she could do was watch, and cry.

My Dearest Daughter Leia,

I know you will probably never read this, and if you do you will most likely be an adult with no memories of me. If you are reading this then it means Emperor Palpatine is no longer a threat and it is safe for you to know the truth. Unfortunately, it also means that I am gone, and that I was not able to get to your father, Anakin. I only hope you will someday be able to forgive both of your parents.

Bail will make an excellent father, I can tell he loves you very much already. He has been a friend of our family for years. I have known him since I was a small child and he was always like an older brother to me. . He will treat you like his own, make sure that you are well cared for and will give you the happy life we would wish for you. Please know that everything was done out of love for you and Luke.

You looked so lost, when we first came here. I know you are only 2 months old, but I could swear you know that your brother is gone. You seemed so sad, after he left with Master Obi-Wan. Please know that he will be safe. For your own protection, I had no choice but to send you to live with different homes, it was too risky to have it any other way.

I wish that I could be there to see the two of you grow up, to see the adults you will become. I wish that you would be able get to know your father the way I knew him. That the four of us could be the family we so desperately wanted. Your father is not the monster many think he is. I know there is still good in him. I will never believe that the Anakin I loved isn't somewhere deep inside of him, hiding. He has done some terrible things, but I still love him. I can't explain it any more than I can explain the meaning of life itself.

My first duty was to make sure my children were safe and protected. As long as I have the ability to breathe I will not give up on Anakin. I know if I can talk to him, I can reach him. There is good in him, good that Palpatine could never destroy. Master Obi-Wan has given up on him, he tried to tell me he was dead, but I just won't accept that. I have to see it for my own eyes. Masters Obi-Wan and Yoda both refused to let me go after him, they tried to tell me it was too late, that I could do nothing. However, like your father, I never let a little thing like that stop me from doing what I feel I must do. I must try to reach him and bring him back; I owe him that much. I know I can reach him if I can get to him. The Anakin I loved is still alive inside someplace. I will always believe that.

The Senate has been reduced to nothing but a puppet gallery, purely for show, I know that now. Palpatine played us all for fools and we were blinded to his true intentions until it was too late. I knew something wasn't right, but I couldn't place my finger on it. Even Masters Yoda and Windu were blinded by his manipulations of the Dark Side. My home planet of Naboo, once a lush and green paradise, has been reduced to a dead, barren and scared battlefield. I have nothing left. Everything I believed in, and everything I have loved, it has all been destroyed, or taken from me. The only things Palpatine could not destroy were my children and my love for their father. For now, I am forced to place my children in separate homes where they will never know each other or who they really are. Despite this, I will not sit by on my hands and watch as my husband's light is extinguished by evil. I will not have my children grow up to hate their own father.

I look back at events and wonder what could I have done differently? Could I have saved him? Part of me says yes, it was my fault that it happened. If I hadn't left that day, if I hadn't gone to meet him, the ambush would never have happened. He wouldn't think he had lost the most important thing in his life. If I had loved him better I would have known something, was wrong. I should have been able to help him. I should have known that he needed me more. I shouldn't have let him break his Jedi vows for me. It was because of me, that he fell. I loved him so much; we were doomed by feelings we never should have had. Sometimes I feel that fate stepped in and punished us for falling in love. The truth is, despite it all, I wouldn't trade those three glorious years we had together for anything. We didn't have much together, but we loved each other every minute and took every opportunity to be together. No, loving him was not a mistake, and I will never regret marrying Anakin. He was my light in the darkness, my eye in the storm. He was my life, and I was his.

Part of me wants to blame Obi-Wan. He should have known, he should have been able to do something, anything, to prevent things from going so wrong. He was like Anakin's father, Anakin looked up to him; he should have been able to reach him. He should have been a better mentor. He should have seen what was happening.

Part of me thinks I should blame Master Yoda for not being able to see more clearly. He should have been able to see through the dark side. He should have known what Palpatine was up to.

Part of me even desperately wants to blame Qui-Gon for ever taking him away from that awful place, away from his mother. He was a slave, but he would have been safe.

The truth is that I am only lying to myself, your father made his own choices. Guilt and blame are not the answer. It wasn't anyone else's fault. Anakin made the choice to give in to his hatred and his grief, allowing his anger to consume him. He was seduced and overwhelmed, the feeling of power and his need for control were too great. We are responsible our own choices we make, and follow must the path we make for ourselves, no matter how comforting it is to believe otherwise.

Some day when you grow up, you may meet somebody and be lucky enough to fall hopelessly, passionately in love. When that day comes, I hope you will be in a position to understand a little better what happened. I am not sure I understand it myself. I just know when the man you love as much as your own life is in terrible pain, the only thing that seems to matter at that moment is making it better any way you can. When you see that light, which once burned so bright start to flicker and fade, nothing else seems to matter at that point and sometimes your judgment may become clouded because of this. The thought that you may loose that light, that is just more than you can bear.

Your father was the last person I ever thought I would fall in love with. This wasn't like the fairly tales told to children. It wasn't love at first site. At least it wasn't on my part. I felt something special but at that point it wasn't love. Or rather it wasn't love at first site for me. Your father, however, knew. Somehow, even though he was only 9 at the time, he knew I was the one.

I remember that day as clearly as I remember yesterday. I was 14, and recently elected Queen of Naboo. I was traveling from my home to the Capitol at Coruscant to get help for my people. Our ship was damaged and we barely managed to make it as far as Tatooine. Rather than stay with the ship, I chose to assume the identity of one of my handmaidens. I set out along with Master Qui-Gon and a Gungan named Jar-Jar for the city of Mos Espa. We came to the first junk shop that looked like it might have what we needed. While Master Qui-Gon bargained with the owner I stepped inside the shop to wait.

I had no idea that I had just stepped into a destiny that would have far reaching consequences both for me and for the entire galaxy.

"Are you an angel?"

Those were the first words your father ever said to me. I looked over to see who said this and found not a man, but a young boy, who sounded much older than his nine years. He and his mother were slaves to a nasty Toydarian named Watto and had been working at the shop since he was three. He was a plucky determined little boy, who wouldn't let a little thing like slavery stop him from reaching the stars one day. I remember his reaction to me when I realized that he was a slave.

"I'm a boy and my name is Anakin Skywalker!"

He was so alive and full of hope. Even now I refuse to believe that the fire which once burned so bright inside of him has been completely extinguished. To quote your father, "It's not fair".

Since we had no money and Republic credits are worthless on Tatooine we ended up in a convoluted scheme to get the parts from the shop owner. I won't go into all the details, but your father was once known as the only human with the skill and talent necessary for the dangerous sport of pod racing. And he did it to help us, a group of strangers, with no thought of anything being in it for himself. He had no idea that when he was racing to save my planet and me he was also racing for his own freedom. Thanks to a bargain made by Qui-Gon, when your father won the race, not only did he acquire the parts we needed, but also the chance of a lifetime to leave that awful place, and see his dreams come true.

This also meant that he had to leave your grandmother behind. He knew that he might never come back, but he needed to take this chance. This was a chance for a better life, and both he and his mother knew it. It wasn't until many years later that I heard the words "Chosen One" and the prophecy of one who would bring balance to the force. It was then that I realized why Master Qui-Gon had been so adamant about Anakin being trained as a Jedi.

He was tested and questioned by the Jedi, but at first they judged him too old, as Jedi usually begin training as infants. After Qui-Gon was killed by a Sith named Darth Maul during the battle with the Trade Federation, they seemed to feel that they had no choice. Obi-Wan made a promise to his dying master, and reluctantly the council agreed to let him take Anakin as his Padawan learner.

At Qui-Gon's funeral he looked more lost than I have ever seen anyone look. Obi-Wan didn't look any better than Anakin. These two had known each other for all of two days and now they were suddenly thrown together in one of the most important relationships in a Jedi's life. Anakin never talked a lot about those early days, but I did get the feeling it took along time before he and Obi-Wan really trusted each other, and to some extent I think they never fully did. I can't help but wonder if Qui-Gon's death had a greater effect than either of them may have realized. After the funeral they left to start Anakin's training and that was the last I saw of him for ten years.

During those ten years while Anakin was training at the Jedi Temple under Master Obi-Wan. I served two terms as Queen and was then asked by Queen Jamillia to serve as Senator. It was an honor I couldn't refuse. I had to serve my people. It was during this time that your father returned to my life. It was shortly before the Clone Wars started and after a number of attempts on my life, The Jedi Council decided I needed protecting. I didn't agree. I knew who was behind the attacks, but the Council refused to believe that a former member of the Jedi Order would be involved in an attempt at murder. They were very wrong. Sadly, it wasn't the last time they would make such a fatal error in judgment.

Obi-Wan and his apprentice were assigned to be my protectors. I couldn't believe it when I first saw Anakin again. I almost didn't recognize him. Gone was the cute little boy I remembered. In his place, was a handsome young man. Who am I kidding? He was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen in my life. It took all of the control I had not to let it show.

That night, there was another attempt on my life. Two Khouns were sent to my room with intent to poison me. However your father and Obi-Wan managed to kill them just before they would have succeeded. One minute I was sound asleep and the next thing I knew your father was kneeling on the bed over me with his light saber in hand, raised defensively over his head. Quicker than my mind could grasp what was happening, Obi-Wan jumped out the window hanging on to the assassin droid, and Anakin took off to go after him. It wasn't until Dormé ran in to see what had happened that I realized what was going on.

After such a blatant attempt on my life, the council decided I should be forced to hide out. I had been working for over a year to fight against the Military Creation Act. Just when it was finally time to vote on the measure, suddenly I was to be conveniently out of the picture. I thought it was suspicious at the time, but I kept my thoughts to myself. I believed the Separatists, who were being led by Count Dooku, were behind it, but for them to want me out of the picture seemed to be so contradictory. Yet somehow, I knew that he was involved. I was partially right. The truth turned out to be far more sinister than any of us would have believed. Not only was Dooku behind it, but the person he was working for was the last person any of us would have ever suspected.

The Council decided, for my own safety, that I should return to Naboo. Palpatine used his influence to make sure I followed orders. No one was to know that I had left the Capitol. Jar Jar Binks the junior senator from Naboo took my place in the senate, and Dormé my trusted handmaiden would still act as my decoy on Coruscant. Your father was assigned to be my personal bodyguard, while Master Obi-Wan was assigned to find out who was behind the attempts. We left the capitol disguised as refugees traveling under assumed names. At least we had R2 with us, as your father jokingly reminded me.

Neither of us really knew what to expect on this trip. We hadn't seen each other in ten years. While your father was quite clearly still very interested in me, my feelings were a mystery even to myself. Now when I look back I realize I was scared of feelings I had never dealt with before. At the time, however, I didn't know what was happening to me. Every logical cell in my brain was telling me that this could never be. Jedi were not allowed to love romantically, they were not allowed to marry. Personal attachments of that nature were quite clearly forbidden by the Jedi code.

I had spent almost my entire life in public service. I was used to people who needed me in some official capacity to serve their own personal needs. I was quite used to the dance of politics. I was not ready for the dance of hearts. I knew there was something happening in me. I just couldn't, or wouldn't admit it to myself.

The first hint I had that something was going on inside me was when I was packing to leave the Capitol in the first place. Anakin was standing guard, and the conversation eventually turned to his frustration with his Master, Obi-Wan. There was something in the way he looked at me. It was almost like we could see through each other, into those private places that no one is allowed to go. It felt very uncomfortable, yet not all together as unpleasant or intrusive as one might think.

Shortly after the transport ship took off, we were able to relax. It was going to be a long ride, as it was an older transport designed more for cargo than passengers. Anakin managed to fall asleep, and I was able to relax in relative silence. I couldn't' believe the way my eyes kept wanting to look over at him. What was wrong with me? I kept trying to tell myself that he was just a bodyguard assigned to protect me, that he was a Jedi. But I knew there was more, a lot more. I just wasn't' ready to face it yet.

I tried my hardest to pretend I didn't feel what I was feeling. I tried so hard I almost convinced myself. Unfortunately I was the only one I seemed to convince. My family knew in a matter of minutes, even Queen Jamilla quickly became suspicious. I tried to distance my self from Anakin, but it came out all wrong, like I was trying to put him down. He of course objected to my sudden superiority complex, and before we knew it we were fighting like a couple in front of everyone. It was over as quickly as it started, but after effects seemed to linger like a bad odor. In order to preserve our illusion of distance Anakin gave in and we ended up hiding in the Lake Country where I grew up.

I first became aware of the effect Anakin was having on me when we got off the skipper at the Lake Retreat. We walked over to the edge of the balcony and were enjoying the view over the water. To this day I can not remember what we were talking about. I looked up and found that I was drowning in those deep icy blue pools of his. My mind kept trying to fight it, but my body had a life of its own. I couldn't' move, I couldn't fight it. Deep down inside I didn't want to fight it. My brain was saying no, but my lips wanted only to taste his. I knew I shouldn't be doing it, but I didn't care. It seemed like an eternity passed before I could regain control of myself. I had to fight this. I couldn't give into it, and I couldn't seem to fight it either.

We were treading on some very dangerous ground. I knew that Jedi were not allowed to marry, and romantic attachments were strictly forbidden. Having an affair with a Jedi Padawan, wouldn't' exactly have done wonders for my own career in the Senate either. We both knew the consequences of our actions could be far-reaching, we tried desperately to fight it. But we were powerless, almost like there was some unseen force drawing us together. I tried to put up a wall between us, but I simply could not maintain it. We simply were meant to be, damn the rest of the universe. How can love be wrong? If I hadn't loved him I wouldn't have two beautiful children. And my children were not a mistake. I will never believe that. The two of you were meant to be.

Looking back over the past, with the help of time I can see that the signs of his dark side were present even back in the beginning of our courtship. Not in the way he treated me, he was a perfect gentleman. He always seemed to look at me like he couldn't believe that I really loved him back. In some ways I almost felt like I could never love him enough. It was as if part of him felt that he didn't deserve me, that I was too good for him.

To the outside world, and even I fear to Obi-Wan he gave off an air of being arrogant and over confident, but they couldn't' see what I saw. I saw a very hurt and desperately scared young man, who needed something that no one could seem to give him. Something he had to find with in himself, but didn't seem to be able to locate it.

The first and biggest sign I had of just how deep he could hurt was when Shmi, your grandmother, was killed by a band of Tusken Raiders. I only met her once, the same time I had first met Anakin. She was a very strong and kind, woman, who cared very deeply for her son. I was struck almost immediately by how close they were. It was almost as if in her eyes, Anakin could do no wrong. They were slaves with next to nothing and yet she managed to somehow make a home that was warm and almost happy. They both knew Watto could have sold either one of them, like a piece of property, and yet they she never managed to let this stop them from making the most of things. Anakin however seemed to harbor a deeply hidden anger about the situation, an anger so intense it overwhelmed everything.

Looking back now there were some serious clues I missed. I should have seen that even then he was fighting not to let the darkness overcome him. But when I looked at him all I could see was that my beloved was in pain and he needed me. He seemed to be shattered to his core; I couldn't grasp the reality of what he was telling me. It wasn't until much later that I realized the significance of what happened that day. If only I knew then what I know now. I would have realized that he was terrified of his own anger, overwhelmed by his own power and rage. Part of him had been shattered beyond repair, by what he had done. He needed more than I could give him. He needed help from some one experienced in dealing with Jedi matters, someone like Master Obi-Wan or Master Yoda. I thought my love would be enough, sadly it wasn't, but then hindsight has always been 20/20.

Anakin had been having dreams of her for sometime, but finally they got to be so bad, he couldn't' take it anymore. He had to go back. It was a direct violation of his orders to stay on Naboo and protect me, but he looked so lost and so hurt that I didn't hesitate to support his decision. In the back of my mind I felt something but I couldn't put my finger on it. Once we got to Tatooine, we found Watto and learned that a man named Cliegg Lars had freed Shmi, and then married her. On top of that, he now also had a stepbrother Owen. Part of Anakin seemed happy that his mother had managed to make a good life for herself, yet I can't help but feel that part of him was also hurt. He leaves and his mother has another son to occupy her. I also got the feeling Owen was less than thrilled to see Anakin show up. The tension between them was thicker than Dagobaian fog. The good son meets the prodigal son, and neither knew quite what to make of the other.

The reason I am explaining this is because in spite of anything else, Owen and his fiancée Beru are good hard working people. They will give your brother a good home, and he will be safe there. She will love him like the mother I wish I could be. He won't have an easy life, but he will be loved and will have a family. He will be treated like one of their own.

Shortly after arriving at the Lars homestead, we learned the awful truth. Shmi had been out picking mushrooms and had run into a band of Tusken Raiders on her way back. According to Cliegg, thirty men had gone out to rescue her and only four had even returned. He would have returned himself in a heartbeat, but the rescue attempt had left him with one leg missing and the other one badly damaged. Anakin had never looked more lost than he did at that moment. Having only been to Tatooine once, I was not sure what a Tusken was. I remembered seeing one at the Pod Races ten years earlier and they were shooting at the racers. How terribly awful they must be. I could not imagine what horrors were going thru Anakin's mind. That night he left to go after her. I wanted so much to tell him then that I loved him, but all I could do was hug him for dear life, and pray for his safe return.

I didn't sleep at all that night. If I hadn't used C-3P0 as an excuse to take my mind off things, I surely would have gone insane. Everything I thought I knew no longer made sense. All I knew was that I loved Anakin and I had never seen him so lost and hurt. I felt scared for him, guilty for having put the brakes on our relationship, and worried about what would happen when he came back. I knew he would need me, he had nobody else. I felt I could handle what would come, I had no idea that my love was blinding me. That all the love I had for him, would not be enough to fix what was wrong.

It was all like a dream, a very bad dream, the kind of dream where you want to wake up but you can't. It doesn't feel like it is real, yet you know it is not just a dream. I tried to talk to him, I knew he was in pain. But there was so much more to it. It was deeper than grief, it was like part of him went to the Tusken camp and never returned. I heard what he was telling me, about what he had done, how he had taken his vengeance, but it was almost unreal. My shock wouldn't allow me to absorb what I was hearing. I just wanted the Ani I loved to come back to me. The bright light that had shown through so much darkness was dangerously close to being extinguished completely. There was nothing I could do but hold him and let him cry.

Later, we had left Tatooine and had traveled to Geonosis. There, the Separatists captured us and sentenced us to death in the Arena. I still remember his face the moment I finally gave in to my heart and told him how much I loved him. He looked like a child who had just been handed the keys to the universe. Even though we were chained in a cart and faced a certain death, the only thing on his mind was me. When I looked up and jumped into those icy blue pools, I knew everything would be okay.

Suddenly life didn't seem so hopeless, it was like my strength and my reason for being had suddenly found a new source from which they were continually refreshed. I felt like a child reborn in a strange new world. Everything was new and dangerous, yet exciting and wondrous. Suddenly I felt like I could take on anything, I was almost invincible. I think Anakin felt the same way. Even though we were in the middle of a losing battle, somehow we were more alive than either of us could remember being.

After that getting married just seemed like the next logical step. We couldn't go back; we didn't want to go back. With the Clone Wars in full swing, we knew we would be pulled apart by our duties. Marriage was forbidden by the Jedi code. We had to keep it a secret, for both of our sakes. We couldn't be together, but we didn't want to be apart either. Marriage was a way to be committed to each other above all else, and it made the separations seem a little more bearable. It was not the way I pictured my wedding day, but when I looked up and saw your father looking back at me, nothing else seemed to matter. I just wanted to hold him and be held by him, forever.

The Clone Wars dragged on for three endless years. Anakin was away fighting with the Jedi for most of that time, but he did manage to get several leaves. My senatorial duties occupied all of my free time. But whenever we could find a moment to steal off somewhere, we would have the most glorious times. These moments were few and far between, but I treasure every single one of them. Somehow we managed to pack an eternity into those short stolen moments.

We only managed to make it back to our meadow a couple of times, but those were the happiest moments in my life. Even though they only lasted a couple of days, it seemed like forever. Whenever I would feel sad or lonely I would take a trip back there in my mind, and I would feel happy. We would bring a lunch, but I don't think we ever actually ate. Just being together seemed to be all we needed. After that my strength and spirit would be renewed. At least for a little while. Then I would start to miss him again.

The hardest part was the good-byes. Neither of us wanted to say it, we would just lie there and hold each other till the last minute. Then we would silently get up, kiss each other good-by, and turn away so we could both pretend we were stronger than we were. That way we could pretend not to see each other cry.

I'm not sure when it happened or how it started but after we had been married for about two years, something in your father started to change. He was still the Anakin I knew, but there was also something different. The only way I can describe it is that he lost another part of himself. His wounds seem to cut thru to his very soul. He was more distant. We had been able to talk about anything, and now I felt like my husband was becoming a stranger before my very eyes.

He would look off in to the distance, like he was searching for something. I had no idea what he was looking for or what he felt was missing. I tried to help; there was nothing I could do. Whatever was going on, it was something Anakin had to work out for himself. He would pretend for my sake that everything was fine. I knew it was anything but fine, yet for his sake and our limited time together I allowed the illusion to go on. I regret that so much. I had no idea what he was going through, and I couldn't get him to tell me.

By then I had my suspicions that Palpatine was not at all what he appeared to be. He seemed to always be just a little too ahead of the game. It was almost like he knew what was going to happen before it did. I got a sense that he was working everything according to some master plan. I had no idea just how right I was. Bail was the first to notice and point out just how wrong everything was. The Clone Troopers, the manipulation of Jar- Jar Binks to get into power, it was all too convenient.

Instead of actually solving anything all the Senate seemed to do was bicker over the same old issues that had divided various factions for years. Actual issues that needed to be dealt with always managed to take second place. Instead of leading us out of war, Palpatine was subtlety encouraging it. On the surface he appeared to be the concerned leader, trying to work out a solution, but that was only a ruse. I had no evidence, but my instincts told me this man was much more than meets the eye. I got the distinct impression that he had two very different faces.

It was the other face I should have been worried about. The truth was more sinister than I or the Jedi would ever have believed. Not only had we been duped, but the truth was hiding directly under our noses and we never suspected a thing until it was too late to stop it. Not only was the dark side becoming stronger, but the one person the Jedi never even considered an issue, turned out to be their most dangerous adversary they would ever face.

Palpatine's outside image was one of a kindly old man who believed in democracy, his true personality was so sinister that even today I cannot believe none of us saw it. Right under our noses, the Republic was overturned by a Sith Lord, and even the Jedi Council was totally unaware of who they were fighting, until he had already won.

I wish I knew the answers to what happened after that. Unfortunately we may never know. I don't' know what happened with your father. I am sure Palpatine was manipulating him, but why Anakin allowed himself to be manipulated is something I may never understand fully. I have had plenty of time since your birth, to do nothing but think and no matter how hard I try I can't come up with any answers. All I know is that Anakin always felt everything so much deeper, than anyone I have ever known. He tried to put his emotions aside, to live by the Jedi code, but he was never able to achieve that goal. Instead of controlling his emotions, it seemed more often than not, that his emotions were in control of him. I may never know what happened. Sometimes the most difficult questions we have to ask don't have any answers. We may never know why. I can only speculate.

The Anakin I knew and fell in love with was a good hearted and decent man. He loved me so much; he was willing to risk everything for us. This is the man who was your father; this is the man I loved more than anything. He was thrilled when he found out I was pregnant. He never got to see his children; he never knew there were twins. But it was his idea to name our child Luke if it was a boy or Leia if it was a girl. He wanted you to have names that meant something to him. Luke is light, because a son would have been a light in our darkness. Leia means meadow, because that was where we spent our happiest times together. This is what I want you to remember.

Please find Luke, share this with him. Together the two of you may be able to find some answers for yourselves.

I don't know when it will be safe for you to at last know the truth, but you must so I am leaving this and the necklace Anakin carved for me with my sister, Sola.

Even though I am gone, I will always be with you. I love you both more than words can ever say.

Your Mother

Padmé Amidala Naberrie Skywalker

Epilogue

As she sat there barely able to move or think, Leia fondled the strange necklace in her hands. It was a most unusual piece of jewelry. She turned it over in her hands and there on the back she saw it, it was a simple inscription but it made her heart stop beating. "Forever yours, Anakin."

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