I've been working on various versions of this story for a loooong time, and I'm so excited to finally start posting it! It'll be about 15 chapters, so decently long :D I've read many an arranged marriage fic with dark!Anakin/Vader and light!Padme and loved every one of them, but I've always been intrigued by the possibility of a role-reversal...so, this fic! Just a few notes on the backstory:

1. To be honest, I don't have a 100% clear version of EXACTLY what happened before the fic started, but bits of backstory are scattered around here and there throughout the fic. If you have a question about backstory that doesn't eventually get answered, you can probably assume I just don't know the answer LMAO

2. Anakin was still found by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and Tatooine when he was nine and taken back to Coruscant for Jedi training, but they ended up there during some other mission not related to Naboo or Padme. Anakin and Padme have never met when this fic starts, though they've heard of/recognize each other.

3. Padme is NOT secretly Palpatine's daughter or whatever, he just selected her as his heir because he doesn't have any biological children and Padme's been a protege of his for a long time.

That's it for now I think...happy reading!

Anakin knew he should never have returned to Tatooine. Nothing good ever happened on the sandy hellhole of a planet. It was where he'd been a slave. It was where his mother had died. It was where he'd fled to after escaping the Jedi purge had made him the most wanted fugitive in the galaxy. And now it was where he was being chased by Stormtroopers.

As a Jedi, Anakin could run faster than the Stormtroopers, but there were more of them. Many more; even his skills with a lightsaber wouldn't be enough to defend himself against all of them. He didn't know where he was running to, just away. He'd been hiding out in the wastelands for Force knew how long—at least a year, maybe two—and now he was sprinting across the barren terrain with nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, nothing but sand for miles and miles. Anakin just hoped to the Force that he'd soon come across another system of caves like the one he'd been living in.

He was getting tired, and they were getting closer. How was half an hour of running tiring him out so quickly? He used to have much better endurance. Then again, he'd been far less physically active during all his months of hiding, not to mention that the scorching double suns and sand tripping him up and getting in his eyes and lungs weren't exactly favorable running conditions.

And then, the fatal mistake: Anakin slipped on the sand and fell flat on his face. He quickly scrambled to his feet again, but the precious few wasted seconds meant that he no longer had any hope of outrunning them. He ignited his lightsaber.

Anakin was immediately bombarded with blaster fire, and he used his Jedi reflexes to move his lightsaber impossibly fast, deflecting the bolts. But he'd never quite perfected doing it one-handed, and there was far too much blaster fire for him to evade all of it, and a shot got past his defenses and hit him in the leg. Anakin hissed and stumbled, then fell to his knees just as he heard one of the Stormtroopers shout, "Stop! She wants him alive!"

Anakin barely had enough time to wonder who "she" was before a blaster was aiming directly at his chest and firing. The world went black.

When he woke up, the first thing Anakin registered was the ground vibrating underneath him, and after a few moments he could hear the sound of an engine rumbling. He knew that sound. He was on a starship traveling through hyperspace. But that didn't make any sense. Wasn't he dead?

He cracked his eyes open, blinking several times to clear his vision. His heart dropped into his stomach as he realized he wasn't alone.

He was lying on the floor of a round room with a white domed ceiling, and against the center of the back wall was a chair—almost a throne. There were two young women standing on either side of it, and a third sitting on it. Her clothes were surprisingly simple compared to the ridiculously elaborate getup she usually wore to public events: white formfitting shirt and pants, practical boots, a blaster on her belt, face free of makeup, and hair done in a bun at the nape of her neck. But even without all the ceremonial trappings, Anakin would recognize her anywhere.

Lady Padmé Amidala, former queen of Naboo and current heir to the Empire.

Anakin instinctively reached for his lightsaber, only to realize two things: one, his hand was bound in a stun cuff (which, in lieu of being attached to a cuff on the other hand, was chained to one around his ankle), and two, his lightsaber was no longer attached to his belt. He flailed around a little and tried to use the Force to free himself, but the connection he usually felt to the Force had gone dead and he realized it must be a Force-dampening cuff.

"Relax," Amidala said. "No one here is going to hurt you." Her voice was higher pitched than it sounded in the speeches Anakin had seen holorecordings of, high and lilting and almost…sweet. It was unsettling.

He tried to scoff or insult her or say something bold, but all he managed was, "Aren't I dead?"

She laughed, and again, the sweetness of the sound caught him off guard. "Of course not. The blaster that hit you was set to stun. As I said, I don't want to hurt you, and I certainly don't want you dead."

"Dead" or "hurt" were really the only two things Anakin could think of that the imperial heir would want one of the last Jedi to be, so he frowned at her in bewilderment. "Oh, really? Then why am I here?"

Amidala nodded at the other two women, whom Anakin assumed to be her handmaidens. "Leave us," she said.

"My Lady," one of them protested.

"I'll only be a moment. He poses no threat," Amidala replied, which offended Anakin, though admittedly he really couldn't do anything without his lightsaber and with a Force-dampening stun cuff binding his hand. Maybe he could do it the old-fashioned way and punch her in the face? Though he was sure that wouldn't end well for him.

The handmaidens pursed their lips disapprovingly but nevertheless obeyed their mistress and left the room, leaving Anakin alone with Amidala. "I thought we could negotiate," she said. "I'm offering you safety and a way out of the bounty on your head."

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "And in exchange you want…?"

"In exchange for your safety, you are going to marry me," she said calmly.

Anakin gaped at her, brain struggling to make sense of the words. "You're joking," he said after a minute.

"I assure you, I'm not."

Indeed, her expression was perfectly serious, not even the hint of a smile on her features. "Okay," Anakin said, deciding to play along with this absurd scenario for a little while. Maybe he was asleep back in his cave on Tatooine and this entire day was some bizarre dream. "Why in all the Sith hells would you want to marry me? We're enemies, unless I missed something major in galactic politics while I was in hiding from all the lackeys you sent to kill me."

"The Emperor sent them, not me," Amidala said, utterly unfazed by the perfectly reasonable objections to a marriage between them.

"Same thing," Anakin said.

"Not quite. As for why I want to marry you, perhaps the Empire wants to use your power for our benefit rather than wasting it by killing you. Perhaps I want my heirs to be as strong in the Force as you are. Perhaps it will crush the Rebel Alliance's morale once and for all to see the Chosen One himself allied with the Empire." Amidala smiled at him, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Or perhaps I merely find you handsome and that's all there is to it."

Anakin snorted; as if Lady Amidala would ever do anything without an ulterior motive. Though her allusion to heirs made his stomach twist into knots. Heirs that he would provide her with… "What makes you think I would agree to this?" he asked. "If the alternative is my death, that's fine with me. I'd rather die than marry you."

"My, you certainly know how to charm a woman," Amidala said dryly. "You aren't the only Jedi who survived, you know. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano are still at large, too."

Anakin's heart stopped. "What are you saying?" he said slowly. He hadn't known whether his former master and Padawan had survived, though he'd held out hope that they had because surely he would have felt their deaths in the Force, would have felt his bonds with them snapping—unless their deaths had been lost among all the others on that terrible day. And since then he hadn't risked trying to contact or locate them, deciding it would be safest to lie low for a long time before attempting any regrouping. Here at last was confirmation that they were still alive, though he had a feeling he wasn't going to like what came next.

"If you don't agree to the deal I'm offering you, you will tell us where they are and you will watch them die," Amidala said simply.

Anakin's stomach filled with dread. "I don't know where they are," he said, truthfully.

She cocked her head and studied him. "I may not be able to tell whether or not you're lying, but I'm sure the Emperor will be able to read your thoughts," she said at last. "I doubt even the Chosen One would be a match for a powerful Sith Lord with decades of experience and who, unlike you Jedi, has no qualms about permanently damaging your mind in the search for information."

"I don't know where they are!" Anakin insisted, more desperately this time.

"And if that truly is the case, the Emperor will force you to contact them and determine their location."

Anakin glared at her. "He'll never be able to control me, not if he uses all the mind tricks he knows."

Amidala sighed, looking almost bored. "You really are making me layer on the threats, aren't you? If you refuse to marry me, you will tell us the whereabouts of Kenobi and Tano or contact them to discover their whereabouts if you don't already know. And if you refuse to do that, then we'll have no choice but to pay a visit to the Lars moisture farm on Tatooine, the exact coordinates of which we do already know."

He went cold all over. "W-what?"

"You have family there, don't you? Your stepbrother, Owen Lars, and his wife Beru. A sweet couple."

Anakin should never have gone to the moisture farm when he'd first arrived on Tatooine after the Jedi purge—he'd known it might put them in danger if the marriage of Owen's late father to a woman named Skywalker hadn't already done so—but he'd had no food, no water, nowhere else to go. He'd only stayed two days, long enough to gather supplies and come up with a scrap of a plan. Long enough to realize how willing Owen and Beru were to endanger their lives for someone they barely knew all in the name of family.

"You would threaten a pair of innocent farmers?" Anakin said, unable to keep his voice from shaking a little. "Just when I thought you couldn't possibly sink any lower."

"Believe me, I take no pleasure in threatening or killing the innocent," Amidala said. "That was merely my last resort to get you to cooperate. I don't want to hurt the Lars family, and I'm sure you want that even less, so it would be better for everyone involved if you'd just agree to marry me and have done with it."

Anakin stared at her, heart sinking. His hands were tied—literally and metaphorically. Amidala had managed to threaten every single one of the very few loved ones Anakin had left in the galaxy whom the Empire hadn't already destroyed. Perhaps Obi-Wan and Ahsoka would be able to stay safe if he resisted Palpatine's mind invasion, but the Lars family—if Anakin made a single wrong move at any time from here on out, if he tried to escape, if he even tried to warn them that they were in danger, the Empire would kill them. They probably already had Stormtroopers hiding near the moisture farm unbeknownst to Owen and Beru, waiting for Amidala to give the signal.

He had no choice.

"Fine," he snapped. "I'll…marry you." He didn't bother masking his disgust as he said the words. He still could hardly even believe this was happening, though he no longer thought it was a dream. His subconscious wasn't capable of coming up with such a nightmarish scenario.

Amidala smiled at him again. "Wonderful. We'll begin preparations for the wedding ceremony as soon as we arrive back on Coruscant. I'll be handling as much of the planning as I can, but I am very busy so some of it will fall to you."

Anakin scowled at her. "I really couldn't care less about the ceremony." This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening, this wasn't happening…

"Well, my handmaidens will be in charge of preparations, so I suppose you won't really have to do much if you don't want to."

"Good." Anakin held up his cuffed hand and said sarcastically, "Am I allowed out of this now? Or is kidnapping your intended, taking him prisoner, threatening him into marriage, and keeping him bound in stun cuffs some Nabooian courtship ritual I'm unaware of?"

Amidala pursed her lips, but to Anakin's surprise, she came over and removed the cuffs. "I hope I can trust you not to attack me or any of the other people on board this ship. And also not to do anything foolish once we arrive or at any point afterwards."

"Don't worry, I'll play the part of obedient husband if the alternative is watching everyone I care for die." Anakin's tone was still laced with sarcasm—it was his only defense at this point—but inside, he felt sick. He was a slave again. Still. Watto had bought him from Gardulla the Hutt. Qui-Gon and the Jedi had won him from Watto. And now Amidala and the Empire had captured him again, and they were dangling his friends and family over his head to make him complacent, just as the Tatooinian slave masters had put a bomb inside him so he wouldn't defy them.

He spent the rest of the trip wandering restlessly around the ship; he couldn't decide if it was worse to stay in the back area alone with Amidala and her handmaidens or to be in the cockpit with the Stormtroopers who had been shooting at him some unknown number of hours earlier (Anakin realized he had no idea how long he'd been unconscious). Although there were fewer of them on the ship than had been chasing him on Tatooine. They must have brought enough Stormtroopers to merit multiple ships, which was flattering in a perverse sort of way. The Empire may have beaten Anakin, but at least they hadn't underestimated his power. He might even have been able to escape yet again if not for the damned sand.

At one point he asked Amidala where his lightsaber was, to which she replied that she was "keeping it safe" but that he wouldn't be getting it back anytime soon, she was sure he could understand. Anakin was tempted to ask if he'd ever get it back, then decided he'd rather not know the answer.

It was a long trip, but when they dropped out of hyperspace and Coruscant's glittering surface came into view, it felt like it hadn't been nearly long enough. Anakin watched nauseously out the viewport as they entered the atmosphere, the bustling cityscape becoming larger and larger during the descent.

Once they landed, Amidala approached him once more. "I hope I don't need to put these back on," she said, holding up the stun cuffs.

Anakin glowered. "No."

"Good. Try not to make a scene, please."

Amidala passed the cuffs off to one of the handmaidens, then looked expectantly at Anakin. He gave her a blank look in return, so she sighed in exasperation and took his arm herself rather than waiting for him to offer it to her.

So they walked off the ship arm-in-arm, and Anakin still was half-convinced he was dreaming. A Jedi and the imperial princess. A fugitive from the Empire and the heir to the Empire. And now here they were, walking together, physically touching, soon to be married. What was going on? He almost wished she'd suddenly pull a blaster on him, at least if she was trying to kill him it would be less confusing than this.

He tried to distract himself by gazing up at the imperial palace. Anakin had to admit it was the most impressive and beautiful building he'd ever seen. It was constructed out of a white metallic material that sparkled in the sunlight, and there were dozens of tall spires and balconies, hundreds of large windows. The red and black imperial banner hanging in front rather ruined the beauty of the architecture, though.

Anakin next turned to observe his surroundings. They'd landed on a landing platform just outside the palace, and it seemed to be a private area given that there was no one else in sight other than their contingent. Amidala had probably wanted to return as discreetly as possible so that she could publicly announce some lie about why Anakin was marrying her before anyone saw them together.

Could he make a run for it? He didn't have a weapon, but he was a very fast runner, especially compared to the Stormtroopers who'd be slowed down by their clunky armor. Maybe he could make it back to the ship and escape? But then with a jolt Anakin remembered Owen and Beru. Even if he managed to escape successfully—which was unlikely, he was surrounded by a large number of Stormtroopers who'd be able to shoot him before he got to the ship—the Empire would kill the last remnants of his family. He just couldn't risk it. Not now, not ever.

And so Anakin resigned himself to staring straight ahead and going where Amidala led him, grimly acknowledging that this was going to be the rest of his life.

Once they entered the palace they parted ways with the Stormtroopers, and Amidala and her handmaidens led Anakin down a twisty maze of corridors. He tried to keep track of where they were going but quickly became confused and gave up. They'd probably designed it that way on purpose, so no one could escape. Despite the beautiful exterior, the inside of the palace was decorated gloomily with mostly red and black. He almost made a snarky comment about it to Amidala, then decided he'd prefer to interact with her as little as possible.

At long last, they went through a grand set of doors and ended up in what could only be the throne room. The ceiling was impossibly high, with windows almost as tall. Red-robed imperial guards lined the walls, ready to kill anyone who tried to attack the Emperor. At the end of the long room was a raised dais with a throne on top. And on that throne was Emperor Palpatine.

Anakin's hand instinctively clenched into a fist, and the warning look Amidala gave him told him she must've felt his entire body tensing up. As much as he hated her, he hated Palpatine a thousand times more. This was the man responsible for the destruction of the Republic, of the Jedi. Anakin had lost dozens, hundreds of friends and comrades because of him. And he was the one prolonging the war with the Rebellion instead of trying to negotiate peace because he refused to give in until the Empire had crushed every last Rebel under its heel, no matter how many innocent citizens and planets were destroyed in the violent conflict.

"Ah, my dear, I'm glad to see you've returned safely," Palpatine said, his voice ringing through the huge silent room and sending chills down Anakin's spine. "And with Skywalker too. Excellent work."

They approached the foot of the dais and, rather than ascending the stairs to speak with Palpatine on the same level, Amidala knelt in front of them and tugged Anakin down with her. The handmaidens did the same behind them.

"Thank you, My Lord, though I'm afraid I can't take the credit. The Stormtroopers were the ones who brought him in," Amidala said. "I was merely along for the journey."

"You're too modest, Lady Amidala. After all, it was you who tracked Skywalker to Tatooine when not a single one of my military advisors was able to do it."

Anakin looked over at her accusingly—so it was her fault he'd been found—but her expression was still pleasantly neutral. "Once we successfully accessed the Jedi archives and discovered that Tatooine was his home planet, it wasn't difficult to guess that he would go there after fleeing Coruscant," she said. "Hiding in plain sight."

"A job well done all around," Palpatine said. "Please, rise." They did so. "Now, if you will leave him to me to deal with—"

"Actually, My Lord," Amidala cut him off. "I had an alternate plan for him in mind."

Palpatine stared at her with a piercing gaze for a long moment. "An alternate plan," he said at last, and his tone of voice made it feel like the temperature in the room had suddenly dropped several degrees. "You doubt my own plan? You feel that you know better than I do?"

"Certainly not, My Lord," Amidala was quick to say. "I just thought that, perhaps, in your eagerness to eradicate all the Jedi, you did not stop to consider that Skywalker could potentially be a useful tool for us."

"A tool," Palpatine repeated.

"Yes, My Lord," said Amidala. "After all, he is the Chosen One. It seems like a waste to kill him right now rather than using his power for our own advantage. But of course, you know better than I what Skywalker is or isn't capable of, so if you feel that keeping him alive would be unwise, I will not question your judgment."

Anakin was watching the exchange with marked interest. So the whole marriage thing hadn't been Palpatine's idea? He'd originally intended simply to kill Anakin once he arrived on Coruscant? But instead, Amidala had gone rogue and cooked up this plot behind his back. Perhaps she wasn't a mindless extension of the Emperor the way Anakin had always imagined. Though on second thoughts, he wasn't sure Palpatine's heir having a mind and ambitions of her own was any better for him. Or for the galaxy.

Amidala launched into an explanation of the plan she'd outlined to Anakin during their trip, including all the threats she'd layered on to make him complacent. By the time she was done, Palpatine was smiling in a way Anakin didn't like at all.

"Very clever, my dear. Once again you have proven I wasn't wrong to choose you as a successor," Palpatine said. "We will do as you say, with one more condition."

"Name it, My Lord."

"I would be remiss if I didn't also take advantage of this opportunity, having the Chosen One himself living in our midst. I will train him as my apprentice and teach him the ways of the Dark Side."

Anakin was so horrified that he forgot he was supposed to keep his mouth shut. "I'll never turn to the Dark Side!" he burst out.

Palpatine gave him a look that chilled him to the bone. "You will," he said calmly. "In time."

Anakin was panicking again. Marrying Lady Amidala was one thing. But becoming the Emperor's Sith apprentice? How could he betray the Jedi, the Light Side, himself like that? And Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan had been his master, he wasn't going to let anyone else fill that role, let alone Palpatine.

But as Anakin glanced back and forth between Palpatine and Amidala and beheld their matching expressions of smugness and cold determination, he realized, yet again, that he didn't have a choice.

So much for being the oh-so-powerful Chosen One. The last time he'd felt this powerless was as a slave back on Tatooine.

I'm pretty sure that in canon the imperial palace is the Jedi Temple, but in this fic I think the whole temple got destroyed and the imperial palace is a brand-new building. Hope you liked the first chapter!