Saga The Forces of Love

This is a fic I wrote about how I think Anakin makes a decision about proposing to Padme. It's a one-poster. All characters belong to Lucas.

*****

"They wish to dissuade me
From all that the forces of Love urge me to do
They do not understand it, and I cannot explain it to them
I must then live out what I am
What Love counsels my spirit
In this is my being: for this reason I will do my best."
--Hadewijch

The events of the day left Anakin Skywalker's head swarming.

A medical droid had given him an injection to ease the pain and was now working on temporarily bandaging his severed arm for the journey back to Coruscant, where the Temple healers would work on either re-attaching the arm or finding a replacement for it. However, in spite of the painkiller, in spite of Anakin's attempts to use the Force to quiet his mind, thoughts still swarmed around his head, bumping into each other, buzzing loudly like the insect-like creatures he had just encountered on Geonosis. He could not get a grip on one thought long enough to ponder on it for longer than a few seconds. So many emotions were attacking him at once--fear, anger, shame, joy, and yes, love--that he was left with only one real feeling that he could put his finger on--confusion.

One look at the bandaged stump of his arm made him angry. Dooku. How dare he? No one made a fool out of Anakin Skywalker--no one. Anakin had prided himself in his superior sword-fighting skills--he considered himself better than any other Padawan in the Temple; in fact, better than most of the Masters. Yet Dooku had cut him down like any Creche initiate handling a lightsaber for the first time. Who was this guy anyway? Where did he get his power? Anakin wanted to know, and he wanted to know now. He suspected that the Jedi knew. What other secrets did they keep from him? Maybe if he had the power that Dooku had, so many Jedi wouldn't have died today. Maybe he'd still have his arm. Maybe Obi-Wan wouldn't be injured.

Obi-Wan. His Master--always and forever intent on keeping Anakin from reaching his full potential. And today they had both paid for it. Dooku took both of them down at once--two talented Jedi mercilessly defeated by one...whatever Dooku was. Master Yoda--900-year-old, three-foot-tall Master Yoda--had to come to their rescue. And even he couldn't kill Dooku. Yoda was busy saving Anakin and Obi-Wan when Dooku escaped in his ship, on his way back to...wherever he was going.

Two hundred of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy fought in the Battle of Geonosis, and 180 were killed. Anakin had once thought it impossible to kill a Jedi. Oh, what the past ten years had shown him! What the past few days alone had shown him. He knew now that the Order he had dreamed of, the Order he had given half his life to, was so weak that it needed the help of cloned soldiers just to survive.

Where had things gone so wrong?

But there was some good left in the world, and Anakin had proof of that. Padme. The thought of her brought a smile to his face in spite of his anger, sadness, and physical pain.

She loved him. She truly, deeply loved him.

He had known, as soon as he laid eyes on her again, how deeply in love with her he really was, and always would be, no matter what. However, ever since the day at the Naboo lake retreat, when she told him that having a secret relationship would be impossible, he had resigned himself to the fact that he would always love her from a distance.

Until today. She rekindled his hope, gave him reason to live even as he was being led to his death in the Geonosian arena.

Anakin had told her not to be afraid--he wasn't finished protecting her yet, and he would use whatever means necessary to save her life, even if that meant forfeiting his own in the process.

Her answer surprised and confused him.

"I'm not afraid to die," she said. "I've been dying a little ever since you came back into my life."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I love you," she said.

He felt his heart skip a beat. "You love me

 

Oh wow.
*Claps*

I knew you were good but you've outdone yourself here...

 

Ahhhhhhhh, lovely.......

 

darla and Breezy: Thanks!

 

Once again, another fabulously written short of one of the unseen scenes from Attack of the Clones. Really beautiful writing, once again, anakin_girl. I really am impressed. You have captured all the emotions of these characters and succinctly inserted them into what we see in the movies. Fabulous job!

 

I like it a lot!

 

Maybe if he had the power that Dooku had, so many Jedi wouldn't have died today.
I couldn't agree more -- this is exactly what Anakin was thinking after Geonosis. And it's a nice, straight line from here to Darth Vader...

Nothing will happen to you, or to us, again, as long as I have breath, Anakin silently vowed.
Eek! What foreshadowing.

Great post!