Saga Saga - PT Saga - OT Love in the Naboo Lake Country (Padme/Anakin + Leia/Han for OTP Challenge #24)

Title: Love in the Naboo Lake Country

Author: devilinthedetails

Characters: Padme Amidala; Anakin Skywalker; Leia Organa Solo; Han Solo.

Genre: Romance; Drama; Fluff.

Timeline: First part is set immediately after AOTC. Second part is set after ROTJ during the New Republic era.

Summary: Two generations of lovers find romance and peace in the beautiful Naboo Lake Country.

Author’s Note: Written for the OTP Challenge #24, which is to write a story where a couple goes on any kind of trip together.

Lines that appear in italics and parentheses are borrowed from Taylor Swift’s gorgeous and haunting song “The Lakes,” which is about England’s Lake District, a place where I have enjoyed the experience of hiking myself. So we could say this piece is a tribute to my own travels as well.

Love in the Naboo Lake Country

(Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die.
I don’t belong, and, my beloved, neither do you.)

Sunrise painted the mountain lake and peaks in pastel pink and purple as Padme and Anakin watched dawn break over the Naboo countryside from their balcony the morning after they were married. Savoring the last moments of their time together. The last seconds of the stolen hours of their honeymoon. Their last shared heartbeats before Anakin had to leave the Lake Country and fly back to Coruscant.

Back to Obi-Wan and the war against the Separatists–orchestrated by the vile, cunning Count Dooku–that Padme had fought so hard to avoid. Advocating in the Senate for rationality and diplomacy to prevail. Risking assassination and all for nothing because the Republic had legions of clone troopers now despite her ardent opposition to the Military Creation Act, and her beloved Anakin would be on the front lines with Obi-Wan, whom she had come to consider a friend.

The thought of war–especially one in which her new husband would inevitably be embroiled–unsettled her. Hurt her very soul.

To distract herself, she tilted her head against Anakin’s chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Gazed out at the serene surface of the lake. Reminded herself that generations of Naboo’s best and brightest poets and artists had found refuge and inspiration in the bucolic, idyllic Lake Country.

That it wasn’t only politicians like herself that frantically sought solace and solitude in these breathtaking, rural environs. All the planet’s most gifted creatives believed this was the most tranquil location on Naboo. It was a rare subject on which there was universal consensus and no debate. A politician accustomed to the raging arguments in the Senate could certainly treasure that.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.

“It is,” agreed Anakin, combing her tangled brown hair with tender fingers. Teeth flashing in a mischievous smirk, he added, “I didn’t have much time to admire it last night.”

No, Padme recalled with a flush rising in her cheeks, they hadn’t spent much time drinking in the stunning scenery last evening. Nor had they wasted much time sleeping. They had been too busy with other, more pleasurable activities in the bedroom. Making their love known to each other in the deepest, most intimate way possible. Padme couldn’t regret an instant of that bliss. That euphoria that she had discovered in his arms.

Nudging him gently, Padme remarked, still in a hushed tone as if she were somewhere scared, and perhaps she was, “It’s so peaceful here, isn’t it? So peaceful it’s difficult to believe that a war has just broken out. That there is a war anywhere in the galaxy.”

“There’s always a war somewhere in the galaxy, Padme.” Anakin shook her head, and Padme supposed that as a Jedi who spent his life traveling from one violent galactic hotspot to the next, he should know.

“But this one feels different.” Padme bit her lip. Wondering how they had gone from talking romance to discussing warfare. How such a peaceful setting could provoke thoughts of war within her. “Feels as if it could engulf the entire galaxy.”

“That’s why we have to fight this war.” Anakin leaned over her. Kissed the worried wrinkles out of her forehead before they aged her fifty years. His lips burning the memory of each promise into her skin. Vows carved into her flesh. Never to be forgotten. “To preserve peaceful places like this. So that war doesn’t swallow the whole galaxy. That’s what Obi-Wan and I are going to do. Fight for the peaceful places like the Naboo Lake Country. Even if it means risking our lives. Even if it means dying. That’s our duty to the Republic and its people.”

“Don’t talk of duty to me now.” Padme lifted her mouth. Pressed her lips against his. “Talk of love. The way you did last night.”

“Isn’t love the same as duty?” Anakin’s words emerged in a breathless pant as he returned her kiss with fervor.

“Not between us.” Padme found that all notions of duty and obligation were fading from her as she melted into the warmth and joy that washed over her whenever she kissed Anakin. Whenever their mouths met and danced together. “Our love is the opposite of duty. We abandoned our duty to pursue our love.”

“And we don’t regret it.” Anakin’s kiss was a fierce proclamation. A defiant declaration of war against anyone in the universe who would condemn and judge them for their love.

“No.” Padme felt no shame, though maybe she should have. “We don’t regret it. We could never regret it.”

(And I want you right here,
a red rose grew up out of ice-frozen ground.)

Leia sprawled on the blanket beside her husband, soaking in the noon sun on a beach in Naboo’s famously beautiful Lake Country. A beach with sand radiant and golden as the sun’s rays streaming down upon them. A beach filled with couples laying on blankets like her and Han or strolling, hand in hand, along the shore, picking out shells for each other.

Glancing over at Han, Leia thought contendly that there was nobody in the galaxy that she would rather share this vacation–this escape from the tumultuous politics of the New Republic that could best be compared to birth pains–with.

Something strange must have been reflected in her face because Han arched an eyebrow. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have sand on my nose?”

“No.” Leia took advantage of the opportunity to tweak Han’s nose. Realizing that it was a bit scarlet and hot beneath her fingertips. “It might be time to put some sunscreen on your nose, though.”

“Sunscreen.” Han snorted. “A tough old Corellian smuggler doesn’t need any sunscreen.”

“Reformed smuggler.” Leia laughed as she withdrew a tube of sunscreen from her beach bag.

“Ah. Reformed smuggler. It’s the reformed part that makes me vulnerable to sunburn apparently.” Han rolled his eyes but his protests abruptly abated when she began smoothing sunscreen into his nose. Then his cheeks. Then the rest of his body. With deft, sensuous strokes.

“It’s a very peaceful place, isn’t it?” Leia asked as she rubbed sunscreen into his back.

“Yeah.” He grunted. Back rising and falling beneath her sunscreen-slick palms. “Nice to know the Emperor didn’t destroy every peaceful place in the galaxy.”

“He was from Naboo.” Leia’s lips thinned at the mention of the Emperor. Would always thin at the mention of the Emperor. Especially when the mention and memory of the Emperor intruded on what should have been a moment of beautiful peace with Han. “He even had a house of his own in the Lake Country. Many Naboo politicians do. It’s the same for their poets and artists.”

“So out of selfishness he preserved this place of peace?” Han glared at the beach almost as if it were the beach’s fault that the Emperor hadn’t ruined it.

“Yes.” Leia’s hands rose. Kneaded sunscreen into his neck and shoulders. “But the Emperor is gone now. The New Republic is in charge, and we have the power to restore more places to peace and beauty like this. So we can enjoy the rest of this vacation and not feel guilty about it.”

“Who said anything about feeling guilty?” Han turned to her with playfulness in his eyes, and she fell in love with her unrepentant rogue of a husband once again. For what felt like the millionth time that month. “This reformed smuggler never feels guilty about anything and is shamelessly selfish in enjoying whatever pleasures he finds in the galaxy.”

“Pleasures like me?” Responding to his teasing with some of her own, Leia locked her lips on his.

“There are no other pleasures like you in the galaxy.” Han increased the intensity of the kiss so that all other conversation between them was forgotten. Woefully neglected although different expressions of their love were not.

(I’m setting off, but not without my muse.
No, not without you.)

 

@earlybird-obi-wan As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting! I'm so glad that you liked how I had Padme and Anakin discussing the war and love because I really wanted to capture the contrast of that peaceful lake setting where Anakin and Padme are in love with the war and violence Anakin soon will be facing in the Clone Wars. That sort of tension and conflict between war and peace and love was such a big element of the first part of the story for me, and I am so happy that shone through for you.

Han and Leia always have the power to give me a good chuckle so I'm so pleased you found their section amusingAnd it was a joy to be able to write them finding their pleasure in each other and teasing each other as only they can! There is a reason they are one of my favorite Star Wars couples

@Emperor Ferus Thank you so much for the kind words! You are awesome too, my friend, and I am so happy that you thought this was great!

 

@amidalachick Thank you so much for reading and for the kind, detailed comment! I'm so glad that you thought the song was gorgeous since it is a favorite of mine. Just so beautiful and evocative, and I'm so pleased that you felt this was a gorgeously written story to go with it since I wanted to make this a nice little tribute to the song as well as to two of my most beloved Star Wars couples.

The Naboo Lake Country is just so beautiful that it felt really lovely to be able to visualize the scene (and hopefully paint it for my dear readers as well!), and it is awesome to hear that you felt I really captured Anakin and Padme's voices and that you could hear them in this piece. Since so much of the drama and emotion in that section to me came from their voices and trying to capture them.

I definitely envisioned this piece as being a very atmospheric story in terms of the beautiful and peaceful Lake Country, the intimate joy of a newly married Padme and Anakin, and a wider galaxy about to be swept up into violent turmoil. I really wanted to try to capture that atmosphere and the contrasts and tensions between the various elements of it. And I am flattered beyond words that this felt like a missing morning-after scene from AOTC since that was exactly the vibe I was hoping I could create

You highlighted one of my favorite lines since I was super proud when I came up with the "shared heartbeats" phrase, haha. I have a big ego, don't I?

I'm so glad that you liked the jump to Han and Leia in the future. I like to imagine the Naboo Lake Country as an enduring spot of beauty and tranquility in the galaxy far, far away, and it brought warm feelings to my heart to imagine that mother and daughter could in their own ways find love and peace in the Lake Country. That, across generations, this could be a sort of shared experience for them even if they didn't know the experience was shared. I just love those sorts of connections between Padme and Leia, so sometimes I can't resist inventing them for myself!

The banter and humor of Han and Leia is one of my favorite parts of their relationship, and one of the things that makes writing about them such a treat for me. So I am so happy you got a laugh out of that section and felt it was so perfectly them.

I am so grateful to this wonderful and romantic challenge as well as to the song that sparked this fic, and I'm so happy that you enjoyed it

Thank you again for the kind words! They are super appreciated as always!

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Great to see you around again, and, as always, thank you so much for reading and for the kind comment!I really wanted to capture all the beauty of the Naboo Lake Country (one of my favorite places in the Star Wars universe), so I am so glad that you appreciated the gorgeous details of the scenes. That mood of the couples being serious and playful by turns was also exactly what I was hoping to achieve. I wanted the couples to be aware of the broader politics and wars of the galaxy, but at the same time finding a refuge in their love and the delight that they have for each other. Carving out a sense of peace for themselves apart from the chaos and violence of the larger universe in the idyllic beauty of the Naboo Lake Country, and I am so pleased that feeling and atmosphere shone through for you

 

Oh, but this was so lush with poetical imagery and rich with such lovely sentiment - not that I would ever expect anything less from a devil story!


In particular, I enjoyed . . .

What gorgeous inspiration in both the song and drawing from your own travels - which is so fitting for a vacation prompt!

Lovely! All of Padmé's introspection was lovely, but I really enjoyed this bit in particular. This truly felt like the calm in the eye of a storm - taking refuge in a sanctuary both literal and figurative before diving back into serve the needs of the Republic.

That is completely fair.

I love your phrasing in these sentences!

It's very interesting that these proclamations of love do sound like a challenge - it's as if they are convincing themselves as much as each other and even the entire galaxy that would tell them otherwise. They both live lives defined by their duty and while they may not feel regret, per se, they know that this isn't exactly a hundred percent right, and that haunts their bond in a way.

Aw! I can't say enough how much I enjoyed that you showed two generations taking respite in the Lake Country in this story.

This was such a great line.

Aw! Our reformed smuggler has his moments, doesn't he?


This entire story was just beautiful from start to finish! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful response to the challenge with us.

 

@Nehru_Amidala Thank you so much for reading and commenting on my story War and love seem to be two constants of life that can tear the heart apart in their own ways (though love is certainly preferable!). It was really interesting for me to explore the contrast between those two ideas in this fic, and it was very much a treat for me to be able to set this story in the Naboo Lake Country, which I always felt was one of the most beautiful and tranquil settings we got to see in the Star Wars universe. So, to me, this piece became a tribute not only to two of my favorite Star Wars couples, but also to the gorgeous Naboo Lake Country that captured my heart and muse in Episode II. So glad you found this lovely, and thank you again for the kind words!

@Mira_Jade As always, thank you so much for reading and leaving such thoughtful comments on my storiesI really wanted this piece to be both a celebration of one of my favorite beautiful Star Wars settings and two Star Wars couples that have captured my heart so I am so flattered that you found this to be filled with lush poetical imagery and lovely sentiment. It is such a huge compliment for you to say that

Taylor Swift's "The Lakes" songs is one of my favorite both for how beautiful and hauntingly evocative it is so it was so exciting for me when it inspired this story. And the opportunity to pay tribute to my own travels and a place that will always have a special spot in my memory was just incredible and so true to the spirit of the vacation prompt as you say.

Writing Padme's introspection was very poignant to me, and I am so glad that it resonated with you as well. I think the eye of the storm like you mentioned is a perfect description of what Padme and Anakin experience in the Lake Country and in their love for each other. They are taking a brief refuge in a beautiful sanctuary before resuming the demands of duty in a divided, war torn galaxy.

Haha, so happy you got a chuckle out of that line! Couldn't resist having Anakin be a bit naughty there

I can totally relate to Padme's feeling of it being hard to imagine there is a war going on anywhere in the galaxy when she is in the beautiful Naboo Lake Country. Sometimes when I am enjoying a moment of peace and bliss in a lovely place, it is hard for me to picture there being pain and suffering anywhere on the Earth, but of course there always is. But in the moments of peace and joy surrounded by beauty, the suffering and the pain can often feel distant and unreal.

Those were some of my absolute favorite sentences in this story, so it is awesome to see they were highlights to you as well. Yay

Yes, I think there is an undercurrent of challenge in Padme and Anakin's declarations of love. I believe you are right that they are trying, on some level, to convince themselves as well as each other that they have no regrets. And I also think they are trying to defy the broader galaxy that would make their love forbidden and tell them that they should regret and repent their love and acting on that love. You are absolutely right that both Anakin and Padme have lives defined and shaped by duty, so I think they both feel an undercurrent of guilt about giving into their desires and about the deception necessary to keep their forbidden love a secret. That need to keep their love a secret is sadly going to continue to weigh on them I believe.

I have a massive soft spot for intergenerational fics so I was super excited when the inspiration to connect Padme/Anakin and Leia/Han through the beautiful Naboo Lake Country came to me.

I got such a chuckle out of writing that bit of banter between Han and Leia, and I am so thrilled that you got a laugh out of it as well

Oh, thank you, that line was another one of my favorites!

And, yes, our reformed smuggler does have his charming moments, which is how he managed to steal the heart of a princess!

I am just so flattered that you found this story beautiful, and so grateful to the lovely challenge that inspired it and got me thinking about some of my own travels and favorite music!

 

Man, how did I manage to miss commenting on this? You really rock these OTP challenges, and this one all the more so for the fact that you have a personal connection to a very similar place on Earth! (I envy you, because I hear the British Lake District is amazing!) Beautiful intergenerational approach here; love the idea of exploring two different couples, in two different eras, in the same beautiful spot that has nevertheless clearly changed so much (as we see from the multiple vacationers there in Han and Leia’s time). Padmé and Anakin are there at a fraught time in Galactic history, with war looming on the horizon, and they’re there in semi-secret, trying to navigate their not-totally-authorized relationship. But Han and Leia are there after the war has ended, and their relationship has been cemented by war and is completely above board. (And the sunscreen scene is priceless!) Beautiful work once again on a beautiful challenge entry!

 

@Findswoman Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Your OTP challenges are always an absolute joy for me to write for and I love the inspiration they provide me so much that it makes me so sad when Darth Real Life prevents me from completing even one of them!

The British Lake District is a truly gorgeous place to visit, and it is a place that I am truly grateful I got the opportunity to see in my lifetime. So it was wonderful for me to be able to honor that experience by using it as inspiration for this fic. Whenever there is that sort of personal connection for me, it is much easier for me to write, and the words can just flow out of me like a fountain.

I admit that I have a massive soft spot for intergenerational stories, so it was super fulfilling for me to take an intergenerational approach to this challenge, and explore the love between two sets of couples in two different times in the same breathtakingly beautiful spot that has still seen some changes in the ensuing years as you so keenly notice. There is a sense that not only have the people and the galaxy changed, but so too has the beautiful place (even though the beauty remains and can be treasured). It's a crowded vacation destination in Han and Leia's time. Less of a place of isolation and retreat as it is in Padme and Anakin's era. But still the beauty endures and survives despite Palpatine's reign of tyranny and terror.

Padme and Anakin are there at a fraught time both personally and politically as you note. A galactic civil war is about to break out in which Anakin will be on the front lines, and they have the pressure of trying to navigate their new, secret relationship. Their forbidden love. Whereas Han and Leia have the pleasure of visiting after the war with the Imperials is over, the Rebellion is victorious and transitioning into the New Republic, and their relationship can be wonderfully open and public, and has already been through the testing of warfare which they have survived. Which helps end this story on a more peaceful note because Han and Leia have found their peace and love in each other, and that just warms my heart as a Han/Leia fan.

Thank you again for the sweet support and for your challenges that serve as beautiful inspiration for so many of us fanfic writers! You're the best

 

@divapilot Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I'm so happy to hear that you found this to be a lovely story since I wanted it to be a tribute to a lovely setting and to a song I find hauntingly beautiful. And it is also awesome to know that you appreciated the parallels present throughout the story because I've always had a soft spot for such intergenerational parallels and it was a true pleasure to create some for this story of two couples taking a vacation in the beautiful Naboo Lake Country.

I think for Padme and Anakin there is the feeling that love is the opposite of duty because of the PT Jedi forbidding love and romantic relationships so every time Anakin expresses his love and attachment to Padme, he is going against his duty as a Jedi. So that naturally creates some tension and guilt for both Anakin and Padme, who are burdened with such expectations of duty as you note. But they are also both passionate people who cannot resist expressing their love for each other either and finding what comfort and joy they can in the stolen moments they can spend and savor in each other's company. So even their sweetest moments together tend to be tinged with a sense of guilt and sorrow. Which makes them one of my favorite tragic couples to write about because we know they won't get a happily ever after but we do hope they can find that happy ending even though we are well aware they won't.

And then for Han and Leia there is, as you note, the joy they can find in being openly together and not having to hide their romance or their love. The big battle of defeating the Empire is done, and now there is the happier work of establishing a New Republic to govern a new era of peace and justice in the galaxy. So their future feels touched by hope rather than shadowed by doom and darkness as Padme and Anakin's does.

So it really shows the differences in time despite the place remaining constant!

Thank you again for the kind and thoughtful words and for reading