The Mortality of a Goddess
By: Cariel
Another page I turn in shame.
And my decisions brought me to my knees,
I needed someone to blame
With the return of his Force powers Anakin felt as though he were once more on top of the universe. Everything seemed to fall into place in ways that he could not have ever hoped or even anticipated. First, there was the news of Moteé’s death—a passing that would have occurred years ago if he had his way. Anakin could not have denied his joy if he tried. He had always hated that wretched woman for the way she treated his queen and was most relieved to know she had met her end. Dormé however was hardly pleased by this turn of events and openly desired to seek vengeance on the one who committed this crime.
Hardly concerned about the murderer—whom in his opinion deserved a medal—Anakin’s thoughts rested more with his beloved’s security than anything else. He almost pitied the killer but knew better than to interfere with Dormé’s plans. Yet, as she departed, the Sith Lord could not ignore the emptiness the lingered at her passing. He had never been away from her for such a long period of time since they first learnt of their feelings for each other. It was a lonely feeling one that marked a transition that would in time grow into a rift between them that would not truly ever pass until their return to the light.
Soon his thoughts were turned to battle and the rebels and with it came a series of events that would lead to his greatest and most moving discovery. The Death Star’s destruction was an unnecessary annoyance, although Anakin could not deny the fact it resulted in the death or more than one person he wanted dead but could not because of his master. It also sparked many questions he was eager to have answered. It was because of this that the Sith Lord found himself repairing his ship as quickly as possible upon its crash landing and returning to Coruscant. He was determined to find out who was responsible for its destruction and could not quite wrap his mind around the fact it was a single pilot who achieved this. There had only been one who was capable in his mind of completing such a feat and that was none other than himself.
It left him utterly determined to learn who this mysterious pilot was and just why he felt such a strange familiarity to him. Vader also was most curious to discover why it was only now that this incredibly Force sensitive being had not been noticed by him or his master before. With the Death’s Star’s destruction, Anakin was unable to access anything related to security that could shed light on mysterious boy, outside of the fact he obviously knew his former Master Obi-Wan and that his name was Luke, a name that Padmé fancied at one time. It was a memory of the past that felt like a life time ago, serving to remind Anakin once more of what he had lost and all that he had gained from it.
The thought also made him think of Dormé who was now attending Moteé’s funeral on Naboo. He could only imagine the opulence that went into the procession—such a waste given the trash they were burying—but the thought brought a sigh that never left his lips. He missed Dormé for more reasons than he was aware and was already looking forward to her return. He never felt quite right when she was not around though this too was something he could not entirely register.
A soft chime from the comlink demanded his attentions and with it came messages pertaining to any and all recent Rebel activity. It was not their activity that he was concerned with, rather possible new recruits that had joined the ranks as of recent. His contacts for the most part proved useless in their information but in the end, it was a plant that had been set amongst the Rebel ranks that bore the details he sought.
‘I don’t know if this is of any use to you—’ the man began.
‘I’ll be the judge of that. Continue,’ Vader snapped to which the younger man gave a stiff nod as he spoke.
‘Three members of the Alliance were awarded medals for their direct participation in the Death Star’s destruction, personally rewarded by the Princess herself. There was one wookie and two humans—pilots, both of them,’ the man continued.
Had this been at any other time, Anakin would have already lost his patience and killed the man, but for now his curiosity was piqued and he knew he was on the verge of discovering what he sought. ‘What were their names?’ he snapped as the man apologised.
‘The wookie’s name, I believe, was Chewbacca. The two men went by the names Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.’
Anakin felt his blood run cold and his heart stop as he caught the last name. Furrowing his brow beneath his mask, the Sith Lord struggled with the rush of memories this name evoked. It could not be possible, could it? ‘Are you certain those were their names?’ Vader continued in deadly calm tones.
‘Yes, sir, I was there myself when the medals were being awarded. Apparently, it was Han Solo and Chewbacca who assisted in the princess’s rescue. It was Luke Skywalker who single-handedly destroyed the Death Star,’ the man concluded.
Ani, do you like the name Luke? I thought it would be a perfect name for a boy myelf... Anakin barely heard a word the man said as he recalled the memory of Padmé admitting the name she had chosen for their son. It seemed like another lifetime ago and yet he could still recall it as though it were yesterday. Suddenly, Vader began to think back on the young boy who cried out upon witnessing Obi-Wan’s death by his hand. Looking back now, he could not deny the striking resemblance between the boy and himself when he was about that age. And then there was his powerful Force signature that was so different and yet so similar to how his once was. If he had any doubts before about his relation to the young boy, he certainly did not anymore.
‘Milord? What are your orders, sir? Should I arrange the removal of the Skywalker boy as well as Solo and Chewbacca?’
Anakin’s thoughts snapped to the present and for the first time in his life, the Sith Lord felt the rush of defence only a parent feels for their child. ‘No, you will not. I will tend to this matter personally. If I learn that you have tried to take matters into your own hands, I will kill you with my own. Understood?’ Anakin growled as the man gave him a look of confused concern. There was no further argument and soon the communications ended leaving an ecstatic Sith Lord staring at a blank screen in disbelief and joy.
‘I have a son...’ he breathed feeling almost giddy as he spoke the words to no one. ‘By the Force, I’m a father,’ he continued as a smile crept into his features. With this wondrous discovery and unexpected news, Anakin’s thoughts were entirely distracted. Immediately, he thought of how he could make contact with his son of what he would say and how much he wanted Luke to meet Dormé. His thoughts continued to turn to such daydreams so that each one was more fantastic than the last.
Unfortunately, in his distraction Anakin failed to fully sense the danger that now surrounded his beloved. While his mind noticed it, the Sith Lord failed to take it seriously, for he knew he was prone to paranoia upon occasion. After years of nightmares that never became a reality, this caused the older, overly confident man to believe the warnings were nothing more than his fears playing tricks on him. But the feeling would not go away and, in fact, grew increasingly harder to ignore. Despite this, his mood remained light-hearted as he tried to reach Dormé to inform her of the wondrous news.
To his dismay, access to her usual channels were denied to him. Frowning, to himself the Sith Lord began to question the validity of his fears, though he promptly presumed that what he felt was nothing more than her unleashing hell on her prey. He smirked in pride at this before attempting once more to reach her. Once more, he found the comm. channels were denied. Growing concerned, he tried a highly secure channel that they used only when speaking to their contacts. It was a private link that very few were aware of and Anakin hoped Dormé would know it was he and answer it. Now the sense of danger surrounding his beloved had grown incredibly powerful, leaving Anakin in a state of utter fear and concern. Gone was the blissful daydreams of having a family with his beloved and ruling the empire together. Now his concern was for Dormé’s safety.
Just as Dormé was about to begin her artful, killing strokes, the secured comm. channel warbled at her, distracting her from her work. This caused her to cut herself slightly askew from what she had intended. Angry that she had messed up and that she had been caught off guard by the comms, she looked over to the panel. She would kill whoever it was that caused her this mistake. Clutching her bleeding side with one hand, she tottered over to the holovid display, seeing the flashing light which indicated it was from the most secured channel. She pressed the button to display whoever it was that picked such a choice time to interrupt her.
Anakin had now worked himself into quite a state as it had taken some time—or so it felt—for Dormé to answer the comm.
She gasped when she saw it was her beloved. Praise Nisaba, she thought to herself. The blood seeped through her rich gown as she looked upon the form of her beloved. He was still alive! Tears once again invaded her sight as she gazed at him.
At the sight of her, the Sith Lord felt his fears immediately fade only to become confusion once more, as he felt the rush of emotions pouring from her. Her joy and relief was powerful and her reaction immediately reminded him once more of why he was here and the original reason he tried to contact her.
‘My love!’ she exclaimed. ‘You’re alive...you’re alive...’ It was certain fate had intervened on their behalf so that her king had escaped and she would not kill herself. Dormé wished desperately that her beloved was here in person. She wanted to touch him, to hold him, and for him to comfort her, assuring her that her fears had not happened. When he asked about her wound, she merely said that she was so thankful he had survived. She told him of all the reports she heard, that it was uncertain what happened, and that she could only now breathe again.
He smiled from beneath his mask as his expression softened. Anakin felt bad for causing Dormé to worry and was quick to reassure her that he was fine. About to explain to her how he had survived the Death Star’s destruction and his discovery, Vader soon faltered. For from the corner of his eyes, Anakin noticed a dark stain forming on her gown. It was then that he registered the real reason he noticed the pain that riddled her Force signature. ‘Dormé, you’re wounded. What happened?’ he asked in concern. ‘Who did this to you? I will make sure they pay dearly,’ he stated as fear crept into his thoughts. There stain was so large and so dark marking the fact the wound was deep or so he believed.
She did not give him a straight answer about the injury because she was more concerned about reaching him.
‘You need to get help to tend to your wound,’ he continued as he cursed himself for not listening to his instincts. All the while, he prayed that his beloved was going to be okay, that she would make it. For without her it would not matter that Luke was his son or that together they could rule the empire. Without his queen, Anakin was nothing.
‘Where are you now?’ Dormé asked.
Anakin frowned at her words as his thoughts scattered. Though the joy of discovering his son still lingered in the back of his mind the greater part of him was more concerned about Dormé. He could feel the dull throb of pain in his own chest—a reminder of their bond—and knew this was no light matter. She was dodging the issue and this added to Anakin’s concern. ‘Dormé, nevermind about me, you need to get your wound looked at,’ he said, cursing himself for not contacting her sooner. He wanted to ask her once again about what happened, but knew it was obviously something she did not want to talk about on the holocom.
‘Are you on Coruscant?’ she continued as though she wasn’t thinking clearly. ‘We’ve just passed over the remains of the Death Star near Yavin IV.’ Her left hand was no longer strong enough to hold her sword and it clattered to the deck.
‘I’m on Coruscant now,’ he admitted before adding, ‘but I will be departing right away to meet up with you.’ His eyes widened in concern as he saw the blade slipping from her hand. In the back of his mind, Vader pieced together her words and slowly came to the conclusion he did not dare contemplate. Once more, he cursed himself for ignoring his instincts unaware that this would be only but the beginning of the rift that would form between them.
‘Dormé, please listen to me, you need to have your wound healed. Do not bother about me, I’m fine. Its you that I’m worried about, your wound...’ he said as he bit his lip beneath the mask as he struggled against his fears. ‘Please promise me you will have it tended to,’ he said in almost fierce tones. ‘Promise me you’ll be okay,’ he breathed as his fears took grip of his thoughts.
‘I killed everyone aboard, save the pilots,’ she replied with a dark, but pained smile. There was no way to tend her wound until she was on Coruscant anyway.‘Dormé, this isn’t funny, you’re going to die if you don’t-’ he faltered forcing himself not to let this thought reach its conclusion. Frowning deeply behind the mask the Sith Lord recalled how he could kill with just a look over the holocom. Perhaps—just maybe—he could help heal a little. He knew he was no healer in any sense of the word, but he had been able to tend to her wounds in the past. Of course, they were shallow and nothing as serious as this, but he had to try.
Dormé nodded to his words. ‘I will be fine, now that I know you’re safe.’
Vader’s eyes widened from within the mask at her words as he registered the meaning behind her statement. Oh, Force no! he thought in frantic fear as his eyes dropped to the growing stain on her gown. So much blood lost it was a miracle she was even standing.
‘Dormé, this isn’t funny, you’re going to die if you don’t-’ he faltered forcing himself not to let this thought reach its conclusion. Frowning deeply behind the mask the Sith Lord recalled how he could kill with just a look over the holocom. Perhaps -just maybe- he could help heal a little. He knew he was no healer in any sense of the word, but he had been able to tend to her wounds in the past. Of course, they were shallow and nothing as serious as this, but he had to try.
She swayed a little as he said he was going to try to heal her. Blood now dripped from the bottom of her gown, blood that was her own. Dormé could have sworn she had not cut that deep, but she had been in a zone, preparing for death. She had not expected she would need medical attention.
‘I’m going to try to heal a little of your wounds. I don’t know if it will work, but even if I can stop the bleeding...I have to try,’ he said in desperate tones that were twisted into a growl from the vocabulator. Struggling to clear his thoughts, Anakin tried to focus on the region of her wound, however, with the blood now covering much of the wound and the tear in the dress, it was hard. It was even harder because of the fact she was so far away and he was unable to channel the darkness through his fingers as he did in the past when healing her, nevermind the fact he was hardly trained in this field. Given his frantic state of mind, this made focusing much more difficult than ever before. Yet even so, he had to try; he would not forgive himself if he didn’t.
Feeling light-headed, Dormé’s knees buckled underneath her and soon her grip on the table slipped. She eased herself to the floor, telling herself she would not pass out. Anakin is safe. He’s alive. I have to fight this... Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake...
Anakin could see Dormé was on the verge of collapsing and struggled desperately to heal her. But if his attempts were having any affect, it did not show. All sense of focus was lost on the Sith Lord as Dormé slid to the floor as panic set in. ‘Hold on, Dormé, I’m coming...please, my love, don’t leave me...I’ll be right there...please hold on...’ he whispered before de-activating the link and rushing out of the war room where he once was and to his shuttle. Departing for the nearest star destroyer, Vader promptly took over and cancelled the mission that it was meant to embark on. He would tend to his master later. For now, he had only one thing in mind—to get to Dormé.
Lying next to her bloodied sword, Dormé focused all of her energy on staying conscious. He will be here soon, she assured herself. He’s alive, he’s all right...just have to stay awake...
His arrival to Dormé’s ship was not nearly as fast as he would have liked, though Vader pushed the ship to its top speed and kept it in this state until her ship in sight. Upon entering the ship, Anakin swiftly made his way through the halls and the dead until he reach his destination. His mind was a frantic mess of fear, sorrow and guilt. If only he had not been so distracted by the news of his son! Frowning, he fought back his despair, clinging desperately onto the hope that his beloved would be all right, that she would make it. Approaching her quarters, he did not bother attempting to activate it. Instead, he used the Force to cause it to part before rushing inside, her name on his lips.
She did not know how long it had been, but she heard his breathing and footsteps in the hallway. Unlike everyone else in the universe, aside from the Emperor, Dormé’s heart soared when she heard him. ‘Anakin,’ she murmured.
Upon seeing her lying so still in her own blood, the Sith Lord struggled to remain in control of his emotions. Moving swiftly to her side, he caught his murmured name and promptly moved to lift her up. It’s okay Dormé I’m here, everything is going to be alright. I have a medical staff with me. They’re arriving on the ship as we speak. I’m taking you to the medlab. Just hold on, he said urgently into her mind as he tried to send soothing thoughts into her mind as well.
Had he not been so lost to his emotions and fears, Anakin would have ordered one of the medical teams from one of the destroyers that was closer to Dormé’s ship to assist her. But in his state of panic, all he could think about was his own need to help her personally. This selfish mistake would come a price that would forever haunt the fallen Jedi to the end of his days.
The soothing thoughts he sent her did more harm than good because it eased her into sleep, thinking everything was going to be all right. Another mistake Vader made was attempting to carry her to the medical facility because the type of wound she had was only made worse by jostling, no matter how careful the Sith Lord was.
The longer it took for this wound to be treated, the less likely it would ever fully heal. Dormé was a professional swordswoman and even though she was distracted in her suicide attempt, the cut she made was still deadly. With Dormé in his arms, the Sith Lord proceeded to make his way to the medical labs on the ship only to run into the chief of the medical staff from the ship he had emerged from.
The elderly man was normally regarded, as a typical grandfather type figure was hardly amused or impressed to see the unconscious form of Lady Vader in her husband’s arms. In fact, he was downright concerned and downright angry. ‘What in blazes do you think you’re doing? Could you not wait the minute it would have taken for my arrival?’ he snapped causing Anakin’s blood to boil. The last thing he wanted was to be given orders and by a subordinate no less.
‘You think I’m just going to leave her on the floor in her quarters?’ The towering form growled.
The doctor blatantly ignored him, ordering his staff, that was now approaching with a gurney, to properly depart with Dormé. The members of his staff were hesitant to approach the furious Sith Lord but the elderly doctor was adamant warning them they’d have worse things to tend to if Lady Vader were to die because of their inaction.
Vader, on the other hand, believed that their professional help was not needed and was about to place the petite woman onto the cot himself, but fortunately for Dormé, the staff intervened. Had it been under any other circumstance, Anakin would have killed them for it, but the situation was too desperate and so he refrained.
The old man swiftly assisted in Dormé’s transport and was quick to tend to the blood loss during her transport. Upon her arrival to the medical lab, he swiftly began his work, only to find himself once more in the presence of a deeply concerned but ignorant Vader who would not depart. ‘Lord Vader, I understand your concerns for your lady, but your presence isn’t required here. In fact, I dare say it is almost detrimental. Now if you please—’ he motioned to the door quickly before continuing his work as he proceeded to clean and tend to the wounds.
Anakin would not budge and frowned beneath his mask as he folded his arms. ‘You are in no position to tell me what to do, Doctor,’ he snapped in deadly tones.
The other members of the medical staff were thankfully far too focused on Dormé to let Vader’s presence frighten them and thus continued their work. The head doctor, on the other hand, was comfortable enough to continue his duties and hold the conversation though it was obvious he did not want to.
‘Darth Vader, this is hardly the time or the place to have such a discussion. Your lady is dying because of a self-inflicted blade wound. One that could have been easily tended to had it not been for the lack of swift medical action, nevermind your foolish attempts to play hero—’
Anakin snapped at the man’s words and stepped forward as he forgot the fact that this man was in reality his last hope to save Dormé. ‘How dare you speak to me in this way! I was only trying to save her!’ Vader barked as the old man paused in mid action and whirled to face the enraged Sith Lord.
‘Your duty is meant to take life. Mine was meant to save it. You stick to your duties and I will tend to mine,’ the doctor replied in cool tones before turning his back on a stunned Anakin and continuing his work as though the discussion never occurred.
Now silenced and quite humbled, the fallen Jedi quietly left the operation room and waited with much impatience and fear for the surgeons to save his beloved. Matters were even more awkward upon their arrival to Coruscant. Though no one was foolish enough to say anything to his face, Vader could feel the Coruscanti Doctor’s annoyance with him as well as the droids. Normally he would have killed them all for casting judgment over his actions but instead he refrained. All he wanted was to help, to save his beloved, however, Anakin was no healer and this was something the old doctor did not hesitate to remind him.
As the surgical droid worked alongside the doctor, mending the deepest parts of her wound, Dormé felt it and moaned, though still unconscious. Before she had a chance to resurface, she was given a painkiller that knocked her out until they had finished.
Anakin could feel her pain through their bond but knew better than to interfere this time. He could not say why but the doctor’s words unsettled him more than he wanted to admit. Had he not been without his powers for that brief period of time, Anakin would have hardly been affected by the doctor’s words. But something deep within had been awakened, albeit briefly, and now after years of silence, Anakin found himself growing a bit more sensitive to the truth.
Though the wait had only caused further harm, the injury was treated as best as they could manage until she was transported to the elite Imperial medical facility on Coruscant. The doctor and medical droids there were also quite perturbed with the Sith Lord for his ‘attempts’ to save his lady. Any basic medical training would tell you moving a profusely bleeding body was not a good idea, nevermind what else he attempted through the Force to heal her...
The darkness always takes, never gives. A soft voice reminded him causing the Sith Lord’s thoughts to turn to briefly turn to confusion. The darkness was by far the stronger side of the Force, he knew this to be fact, yet in this moment there was a part of him buried deep within that could not help but question it. Because of this, Vader refrained from barging into the operation room where the remainder of Dormé’s wounds were healed.
‘I’m sorry, we’ve done all we can, but the damage has already been done. It’s a miracle that your wife was even able to survive this wound, most would not. If I were you I’d count my blessings while I can, for Lady Dormé is living on borrowed time now.’
Anakin fell silent at the doctor’s words. His mind struggling to wrap itself around the news given. ‘Are you trying to tell me that she’s still dying?’ Vader snapped while struggling to control the rising panic.
‘As I said before, it’s a miracle she even survived this. Most patients wouldn’t have lasted, certainly not with the complications—’
‘Complications?’ Anakin demanded more than asked interrupting the old doctor who frowned in reply.
‘Her wound was quite deep, Lord Vader, and the damage it caused was severe. If that wasn’t enough, her body had already begun to heal itself with unnatural speed. Which would have been impressive had the natural healing process not mended the wound improperly—thus worsening the damage,’ the old man said with a tired sigh.
From behind the mask, Anakin closed his eyes knowing fully well the reasons for Dormé’s unnatural healing and feeling utterly shamed for it. ‘I see,’ he said finally while struggling against his despair. ‘Is there truly nothing else that can be done to help her?’ the Sith Lord asked unable to fully hide the desperation from his voice. The old doctor furrowed his brow as he studied the towering masked form carefully.
‘I’ve done all I can. There is nothing left that modern technology can do for her now.’
Anakin fell silent once more, unaware of the metal ledge beneath his fingers that buckled and bent as he unconsciously crushed it. He could not believe that this was it, that there was nothing left to be done. It just was not possible. He could not let himself believe it was possible for such thoughts were just too painful to consider. But a single flicker of hope suddenly entered his mind and clinging to it, he spoke up once more. ‘What about natural forms of healing?’ he suggested suddenly.
The old doctor took this into consideration and gave a hint of a nod. ‘I’m not a follower of such things but it is a valid possibility. Though I can’t imagine who practices that method of healing anymore. Those who did, I believe, are now extinct, are they not?’ he simply replied, before watching as the dark lord stormed out of the medlab without another word.
The irony was painful, one that left him with no one but himself to blame. The only ones who could have saved Dormé’s life were the very ones who had long since fallen to his blade.
The past haunts the present, which in turns paves the way to the future.
The memory of wisdom given years ago haunted the Sith Lord as he returned swiftly to their chambers. While he normally cursed his mask, as tears escaped and trickled down his cheek Anakin found himself grateful for the shield it provided. Dormé’s life had become a race against time; one that Vader knew would be a losing battle.
Normally he would have remained in the medlab where Dormé lay healing and recovering from her wound, but being there to was far too painful. So instead, the Sith Lord found himself wandering the hallways despite his initial urge to return to their quarters. There were too many memories there as well, and wanting to clear his thoughts lest he succumb to the despair that had laid claim over his spirit Anakin had decided to refrain. He did not want to think about her -their years together, or the years that were now lost to them because of his foolish attempt to save her.
Yet in the end, the Sith Lord found himself back in their chambers alone and broken with no where left to run and no where left to hide. The entire destroyer held too many memories for Vader who soon realized he could not wander the corridors without being reminded of moments with his beloved. Even the stars outside bore too many memories of her for they used to spend hours watch them just talking. But returning to this place proved to be the most difficult of all as it reminded him of all his failings. For all the technology in the galaxy could not change the fact Dormé was slipping away from him. Or the fact those that could have saved her had long since become fodder for his blade.
The past truly had returned to haunt the present and now Dormé’s future was rapidly drawing to a close. It was then that Anakin decided he would do everything in his power to find their son. Even if it was to be his last gift to his beloved queen, he would give her the family they had both so desperately longed for. Dormé deserved to know happiness until the end of her days. Little did Anakin realize that in his need to bring her joy, he would, in turn, only give her more heartache.
Begging the Force to spare his beloved’s life, the fallen Jedi silently began to sob as though his heart were shattering under the weight of his sorrow. His greatest nightmare was rapidly becoming a reality, leaving Vader watching from the sidelines as all he loved paid the price for his bloodlust and greed.
Hours later after a bacta immersion, Dormé lay clothed in hospital garb, slowly returning to consciousness. She felt quite drowsy from the medication and hoped she had not dreamt that her beloved was still alive.
Pacing silently in the hallways outside of the rooms where Dormé was being taken care of, Vader tried to clear his thoughts of the nagging doubts. After much struggle, he managed to clear his mind and was able to wrap the dark side around him once more. It was only then that he registered that Dormé was regaining consciousness once more. This time, in a far more polite and humble fashion, he approached the room where Dormé now rested. Though they were hesitant to let Anakin see his beloved, ultimately it was the old doctor who chastised him for his foolishness who permitted his entrance.
Though the old man knew Vader could have easily killed him, he was also aware of the fact that the Sith Lord knew without him, Lady Vader would have surely died. Even so, the old man was not without a heart and understood what fear and desperation can do to a man’s common sense, even if that man was a monster.
Entering quickly, Anakin approached the drowsy Dormé and felt almost light-headed with relief. Though her Force signature was distorted, he knew it was because of the medicine and did not focus on it too much. Approaching her side, he paused once more reminded of the old doctor’s words. Hesitant to even touch her, Anakin swallowed before forcing his thoughts—that were once more plagued with the tiny but nagging doubts—to clear. Gingerly, he then reached out to take her hand before finding the nerve to speak. ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked softly though the vocabulator distorted his words to sound like a growl.
Dormé felt his familiar hand slipping into hers and though she was still drowsy, she squeezed it as she slowly opened her eyes. ‘Are you really here?’ she asked, knowing this must be real or else it would not hurt so much. To see that mask, the deep, low voice distorted through it, assured her Anakin was truly with her. He had not died and neither had she. Little did she know how shortened their time together would be because her wound had not been attended to quickly enough.
Anakin could feel Dormé’s gentle squeezing of his hand and drew hope from it. He told himself that she was going to be okay, that she was going to make it. Little did he realize that because of his selfish actions Dormé’s life was now on borrowed time.
As she opened her eyes, Vader’s own softened from behind the mask. Her words resonated within him and he realized he was feeling much the same, as though it were too good to be true that his beloved had survived. Nodding weakly in reply, he tried to ignore the lump that found its way in his throat as he bit his lip. He could feel as well as see her pain and cursed himself for it. If only he would have contacted her sooner, if only he would have arrived here sooner—if only...
‘I’m here my love,’ he said softly as he moved to gently touch her cheek and then softly play with her hair with his free hand. ‘You rest now. Everything is going to be all right,’ he said softly as for the moment, the discovery of his son was the last thing on his mind.
on to chapter sixteen
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