Chapter 56: Explanations for Anakin

"Does anyone else know about Luke and Leia and who they really are?" Anakin asked immediately.

"Yes," Padmé replied. "As you know, my parents know."

"Who else?" Anakin asked.

"Sola, Shmi, Master Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the entire Jedi Council, Sabé, and Eirtaé," Padmé murmured.

Anakin's eyes widened. "Padmé, if the Council knows, they'll…" He began to protest.

"They wouldn't dare," Padmé replied coolly. "Not when they know I don't want any of them near the twins. Ani, you're now the only Jedi I truly trust."

"Hey!" Luke protested.

"Sorry, Luke, technically, you don't count yet, since, well, you don't actually exist yet," Padmé grinned at her son.

Luke rolled his eyes. "What about me?" Leia asked, from where she was sitting upside on the couch.

"Leia, sit properly," Padmé scolded. "And the same thing goes for you."

Leia obediently flipped over. "Whatcha doing?" She asked.

Padmé pulled out a holovid disk and popped it into the projector. "Before we left the palace, I had Queen Jamilla give me a copy of something I think all three of you should see," She murmured, keeping her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest.

Padmé entered the conference room and looked at the Jedi in the room. "Close your eyes and listen to the future," she ordered. "What do you hear?" She asked.

"Lightsabers and Sith Lightning," Master Windu said.

Padmé shook her head.

"Just the sounds of a lightsaber battle," Obi-Wan added.

Padmé shook her head.

"Lightsabers," Masters Koth, Tiin, Yaddle, and Fisto agreed.

Padmé shook her head.

"Blasters," Master Mundi said.

Padmé shook her head.

"Cannon fire from starfighters, X-Wing models," Master Plo said.

Padmé shook her head.

"The calls of a Sarlaac," Master Ti said.

Padmé shook her head.

"Calling me, the Force is," Master Yoda said.

Padmé shook her head. "That's not what I hear," she finally confessed.

"What do you hear then?" Master Windu challenged. He couldn't believe a non-Force sensitive could hear the future. In fact, none of the Jedi present had ever heard of listening to the future.

"A pair of twins, a boy, barely a man, and a girl, hardly a woman, orphaned and crying at the grave of their mother," she replied.

The Council nodded, uncaring. "The grave will be here on Naboo," Padmé continued. "It is the grave of Queen Amidala, my grave, at which the twins will mourn their mother."

Obi-Wan's eyes widened, stunned. Was Padmé implying her own death? And were these twins her children as well? "What about the father?" Master Windu demanded.

"Dead, as well, after all, they are orphans," she replied coldly.

The Council looked at each other and then Master Yoda spoke. "The Will of the Force, your vision must be," he said.

"Don't you give that crap," Padmé snarled. "If you believe that it is the Will of the Force that my Luke and Leia end up orphans, then you can forget about Anakin ever joining the Order. In fact, I promise you, if you don't get your act together and actually get it through your thick skulls that your code is a death warrant, you will never see the Chosen One or me again. I stand before you, not Padmé Amidala nor Padmé Naberrie, but Padmé Skywalker, mother of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, on their behalf. I speak for them when I say that the Force is very angry in their time. After all, is Anakin not the son of the Force itself? Luke and Leia are and will be the biological children of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, thus making them the very grandchildren of the Force. Kriff, I know why Anakin was never found until now and I'm not even Force sensitive. But you only see and hear what you want the Force to show you, vape it. The Force wants love in the Jedi Order. Anakin knows love. You Jedi, who are nothing more than emotionless droids, know nothing of love. Love can ignite the stars."

The Council and Obi-Wan remained impassive. Releasing an aggravated sigh, Padmé continued, "Let me tell you a story. There's an old legend told to children here on Naboo, a tale of two sisters, one the Snow Queen, the other, the younger princess. When her powers are revealed, the Snow Queen fled to the mountains. Out of love, the younger pursued the elder. When the elder strikes the younger's heart with her ice magic, the elder is nearly killed only to be saved by the younger's sacrifice and act of love. It was the sisters' shared love that freed their kingdom. For there is only thing that could have saved the younger sister—an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart. Love will thaw."

She glared at the Council, challenging each member. "You and Anakin must never see each other ever again," Master Windu spoke up.

A sense of pure rage filled Padmé. "Force damn it, Master Windu," she snarled at the Jedi Master. "Are you willing to steal my children from me before I've even gotten them? Is this what the Jedi Order has become—a bunch of hypocrites who steal people's children?! Force, I kriffing died when they were born and do you know why?"

The Jedi all shook their heads. "Because of Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi," she replied, shooting death glares at the two Jedi she'd mentioned.

"How many people did I kill?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Oh, plenty, Obi-Wan," Padmé snapped. "And then you kriffing lied to Luke. Vape it, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke trusted you. And you betrayed that trust, because you were too kriffing ashamed to admit the Force damn truth! Force, I thought he was going to die when he finally found out the truth. You and Master Yoda told Luke to kill his father! And if Luke failed, you were going to make Leia, who was Anakin's little girl, kill their father instead! As if she wasn't already hurting enough! You didn't give a kark about them at all or what would happen to their mental and emotional health as long as they killed both Sith Lords—Darth Vader and Darth Sidious. Force, I went to their time and, vape it, I thought Leia was going to kill herself. How many nights did I have to spend soothing her and standing over her as she took sleeping pills? Almost every single freaking night! How many times did I wake up to hear her sobbing? Every single kriffing night! How many times did I have to take her blaster from her and stand over her while she was shaving? Almost every single kriffing day! And nearly every time she told me that she was going to shave! Vape it, I practically had to stand over her when she was eating! I had to force her to eat! Luke, thank the Force he got my normally patient temperament, I'm just at the end of my patience with you Jedi, or I could have lost him too! Vape it, you bastards all forced me to nearly live my worst nightmare—I could have lost my twins forever! Tell me, what child would willingly kill its father, especially at the orders of the people who are responsible for the death of its mother and only care about what they think should be happening in the galaxy?"

"Tell Luke, what did Obi-Wan?" Master Yoda asked.

"That Darth Vader was Obi-Wan's second apprentice and that he betrayed and murdered Anakin Skywalker, when in reality it was Obi-Wan Kenobi who murdered Anakin Skywalker, by the orders of Jedi Grandmaster Yoda," Padmé replied, fighting the urge to punch Master Yoda.

"Order such a thing, I would not," Master Yoda replied.

"Well, you do," Padmé shot back, glaring at the elderly Jedi Master.

The Council looked at each other. Then Obi-Wan spoke up. "Masters, if I may speak," he asked.

"Permission granted, Obi-Wan," Master Plo said.

"Look, the entire Jedi Order has to earn Padmé's trust back," he said. "You see, the only Jedi she trusted was Master Qui-Gon."

"What about the boy?" Master Windu asked.

"His name is Anakin Skywalker," Padmé snapped. "And I would trust him with my life and the lives of my children before I'd trust any member of the Jedi Order with them."

With that, she turned and stalked out of the conference room, leaving behind thirteen very stunned and confused Jedi.

Anakin turned and stared at Padmé. "You were willing to abandon your duties as queen, for me?" He asked.

Padmé took a deep breath. "Yes, but I was also going to put the Jedi in a tough spot," she murmured. "The Naboo are family oriented. And there was no way the Council could reveal why I'd run off, with you, without revealing the circumstances of what had happened to our twins."

"So, in essence, you blackmailed them?" Anakin's jaw dropped.

Padmé nodded. "Yes, into letting me be a part of your life," she admitted.

Leia grinned. "So, is that running away option still on the table?" She asked.

"No, we are not going to Endor," Padmé told her daughter. "You and your brother will not be raised among Ewoks."

"Kashyyk, then?" Luke asked.

"Do you two have something against being raised on Naboo?" Padmé asked.

"Nah, we're just trying to think of backup planets, in case, you know, Sidious finds us here," Leia replied.

Padmé nodded in grim agreement.

Then another detail dawned on Anakin. "Leia, you aren't still…?" He asked worriedly.

"Not as much, I still struggle, but Luke's always checking in on me, plus I know that I have a place to come home to again," Leia replied. "And, in Luke's and my time, I told Aunt Sola and Ryoo and Pooja and Uncle Darred and they call every once in a while, check in on me, and Pooja and I go out to eat once in a while. Really, Anakin, I'm doing okay."

Anakin nodded. Then Leia turned to Padmé. "Mom, I…" The younger woman began.

Padmé sat next to Leia and pulled her daughter into an embrace. "I know, sweetie, I know, but the Council needed to understand how badly they'd hurt you, how badly they'd hurt us," she murmured gently.

Leia nodded and snuggled into her mother's arms. Anakin and Luke quickly joined the hug. "So, how did I die?" Anakin wondered.

"You decided to fight Sidious on Mustafar, bad idea," Leia lied. "And he cut off your arms and legs and lit you on fire."

"Sounds extremely painful," Anakin said.

"Trust me, it was," Padmé replied.

"How would you know?" Anakin asked.

"Do you remember that time when I was fourteen and I had a nightmare?" Padmé asked. Anakin nodded.

"That was what the nightmare was about," she explained.

Anakin leaned over and kissed his fiancé's forehead gently. Then he asked, "Why do Sabé and Eirtaé know?"

"Sabé's my best friend, and, in the twins' time, Eirtaé is protecting them," Padmé revealed.