The Five Sense of Dormé
Skin
By: Jody
Author's Note: This tale takes place in the universe of Cariel's tale 'The
Empire.' This tale contains spoilers! You have been warned ;)
----
I am...fine
I am covered in skin
No one gets to come in
Pull me out from inside
I am folded,
and unfolded,
and unfolding
----
It was the first time they made love since the loss of their daughter and
it was a moment Anakin would never forget for as long as he lived.
Hours later he could still feel the taste her tears on his lips as they made
love. Anakin could still remember kissing them away as they spilled down Dormé’s
cheeks, not caring that his own was mingling with hers. Her body, silky soft
like the petals of the idaceae that decorated their bedchambers, was still
intertwined with his flesh. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him, just
as his own held her with equal fervency. It was hard to ignore the desperation
of their embrace, the unspoken understanding that Anakin didn’t dare
dwell upon but couldn’t deny.
Much like the way Anakin couldn’t ignore the feel of her bones beneath
his lips where soft flesh once was when he kissed her body, how fragile she
felt in his arms.
If he could use one word to describe this delicate moment, the only one that
would come to mind would be bittersweet. It were as though they were souls
drowning in an ocean of despair and sorrow with only each other to cling on
to in the desperate hope that one day the storm would finally end and they
would be saved.
Wrapped in Dormé’s arms—like a second skin protecting
him from his broken heart—Anakin, for the first time in what felt like
an eternity, was able to find a moment’s rest. Yet as the sun began
to peer through the shades of their bedchambers, the young Sith Lord knew
that this moment of silent security would soon draw to a close. Deep down,
he knew that the events of last night was more than just a gesture of love,
it was the mark of two broken souls beginning to heal.
Though the storm was far from over, and hope just a distant dream, Anakin
could already feel the results of Dormé’s healing touch taking
effect. The tears he shed was like a healing balm for his wounded heart, just
as the taste of hers was like medicine for his shattered spirit. Dormé’s
touch, so gentle and so fragile, did more for him than anything in the universe
ever could and never in his life was Anakin more grateful to be able to have
her to hold as he was in that moment.
But as he studied her frail and delicate form in the gentle sunlight, Vader
instinctively tightened his embrace around her. It was as though he feared
that his beloved would fade away like the passing of night to day.
Holding her tightly to him, the young sith lord bowed his head and softly
begged the Force to protect his beloved, to watch over her, to help her heal.
Then when the silence that answered his plight wasn’t enough, Anakin
began to speak softly to Dormé’s sleeping form. Though she couldn’t
hear him, it was oddly comforting to speak of all that weighed so heavily
on his heart. While she couldn’t consciously register his words, Anakin
knew deep down that she would understand. This too was a comfort. And when
the words finally ran dry, Vader gently played with her long hair before drifting
off to sleep in her arms. It was the first time he was able to peacefully
rest since Aené’s passing; with Dormé’s healing
touch, it wouldn’t be his last.
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