Reassuring Lord Vader
By: Cariel
Part One
A/N: This is a companion piece to Jody’s Tears from the Sky, taking place six years after Padmé’s death, four years into Vader and Dormé’s marriage. Yes, I’m still working on the next chapter of Vader’s Dark Angel, but after reading Jody’s ficlet, I couldn’t help writing this! You know how evil plot bunnies can be!
Springtime on Delaya was, to Dormé, the most magnificent season. Though she had visited the Alderaani Sector many times before, it was on diplomatic matters to Alderaan accompanying her former mistress, Padmé Amidala. She recalled looking out the large windows of their temporary quarters, gazing up in the atmosphere to the mysterious planet. Delaya was so close to Alderaan that one could see it with the naked eye.
The first time Dormé visited Delaya was with her beloved. The vast forests and expansive oceans were gorgeous to behold and reminded her of her home planet of Naboo. Though she preferred the bustling life of a city such as Coruscant, part of her longed for the peacefulness such a location provided. It was not too long after their first visit that her best friend and dearest love surprised her by showing her the lake house he had commissioned for her.
Dormé grew up in a lower-middle-class family and always admired the glorious life the other handmaidens had been blessed with. It was almost surreal to Dormé the first time she set foot in the palatial estates of the senator all those years ago. Now, all of this and more belonged to her. Her childhood dreams became reality. Dormé wore the finest gowns and jewels, lived in the luxurious suite on Coruscant, and now had a second home in this lake house on Delaya.
Even if this were not the case, if she did not have the gowns and jewels or the extravagant homes, she was richer in spirit for she held the heart of her soul mate and he held hers. She had never been so happy as she was when she was with her Dark Knight, the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. As a handmaiden, she was used to wearing the drabber robes and gowns without jewellery or fine things and would easily live without such fineries so long as she was with him.
Presently, Dormé was busy organizing the wardrobes after making notes for decorating their bedroom. She knew it was not Anakin’s cup of tea, but enthusiastically took up the task. Upon taking a break from her work, she spotted Vader pacing the living room in front of the extensive windows on which the rain pounded fiercely. It had been so nice the past few days, very sunny and bright, the flowers in the gardens sprung up quite nicely and smelled lovely, but today it was raining. Dormé did not mind the rain, knowing it was both essential for the life surrounding their estate, and to cool the coming summer days. It was also very soothing to hear the rain pattering on the roof, something that added to the ethereal and relaxing atmosphere of this planet.
Peaceful was not, however, how she would currently describe her husband.
She watched him for a moment as he paused in front of one of the windows, gazing out into the darkening sky. He wore a black, cloth shirt over leather trousers he was fond of wearing. The shirt was partially untied in the front as if to accentuate his disordered state of mind. She approached, slipping her arms around him from behind, resting her head against his back. ‘Something’s troubling you,’ she observed softly.
He exhaled, seeming to relax slightly in her embrace. ‘It’s nothing,’ he replied in similar tones.
Dormé knew well enough not to bother enquiring further for he would tell her whenever he was ready. She never pushed him. When he shifted slightly to face her, she judged from his expression that this was not something too serious. She raised an eyebrow curiously. ‘If that’s so, why were you pacing like a caged animal?’ she teased, give him a light poke.
‘It’s too childish to even bother with,’ the twenty-nine-year-old replied.
Her expression grew sympathetic as she began piecing things together. He had been perfectly fine before the rain started up. ‘It’s the storm, isn’t it?’ she asked gently.
As the Sith Lord’s scarred cheeks warmed, Dormé knew she was correct before he even spoke.
‘I guess I’m still not used to seeing so much rainfall,’ he admitted sheepishly.
Dormé touched his cheek, smiling tenderly as she said, ‘I imagine rain isn’t something you’ve ever had a chance to grow accustom to.’
He fell silent for a moment and she drew him closer.
‘It only rained on Tatooine once in all the years I lived there,’ he confessed. ‘I was about five years old and it was nothing like I had ever seen before.’
Dormé listened to him intently as his voice grew softer but more intense.
‘It literally destroyed everything and what it didn’t destroy, it choked out with its plague afterwards.” He paused, his expression showcasing the darkness of his thoughts. ‘…I almost lost my mother because of it… Ever since then, rainstorms have always made me…uneasy.”
He had not spoken of his mother in quite awhile and Dormé knew just what he was inferring by this. Tightening her hold on her lord as she rested her head against his chest, she murmured, ‘You never have to fear losing me to the rain, Anakin.’
Instinctively holding her tighter as well, he released a shaky sigh. ‘I know it’s just—I always lose what I love,” he explained, his voice laced with concern.
Gazing up at him as she gave him a squeeze, her eyes shone with love and understanding, though still bearing a hint of amusement. She never made light of his dreams or intuition, but he was speaking of the past and not of present concerns. For this reason, she assured him, ‘We cannot change what has passed, but I believe that everything that happened is what led us to be together. We are here now because we were meant to be.’
He seemed to relax slightly at her determination.
‘Besides,’ she added, a grin playing about her lips once more, ‘it would take more than a bit of water to lose me. I am, after all, a native of Naboo.’ She winked at him before rising on the balls of her feet to give him a kiss.
Smiling mischievously, she added, ‘Rain isn’t something you need to be concerned about. For my part, I think it is an ideal excuse to partake in far more…pleasurable activities.”
Vader raised a brow in amusement which was soon accompanied by his signature lopsided grin.
With a coy smile and a knowing look, she took his hand, leading him to the inner rooms of the lake house, hoping she had eased his concerns of the storm and making a silent promise to herself that she wouldn’t stop until she was absolutely certain she had succeeded.
onto part two
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