THE MEDITATION chamber could only ease the pain so much; and even the pain that it did manage to ease was only a physical one. The emotional turmoil he felt day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute…. it was impossible to soothe. No one in the galaxy would know how much the dark lord of the Sith carried with him; some days even the sheer amount truly eluded the Sith himself. It was only in times of solitude that he warred with himself.
HE HAD not meant to, but his mind began wandering to memories he thought he had long ago vanquished. Padme…. He let out a slow breath. Did he dare dive deeper into those memories? He shouldn’t. He couldn’t…. but a small part of him, hidden away by all the anger and fury, yearned for it.
A QUICKENING in his breath. Had he imagined that voice? Eyes flashed open as he looked around the meditation chamber. No one, as it should be. But there was no other explanation for that despised name to be heard - the Sith Lord would never allow himself to even think it. But that voice… so sweet, so soft, so warm. It could only be one…
“PADME…” he uttered, barely above a whisper, a tone so soft it was almost unfitting for the Lord.
A world of loneliness and utter pain is what he traded his life for. Though he’d been in a pool of anxiety and sorrow leading up to his inevitable downfall, this life wasn’t anything he’d have anticipated.. and he threw it all away for Padmé, or so he thought. He gave up everything he ever had, was willing to trade his life for hers, but in the end it never mattered. From the last time her eyes would light up on that ship, the last time he’d utter his name on Mustafar, tears rolling rapidly down her cheeks as she pleaded him to give up and come with her.. Her skin would never see the light of day again.
That was long ago. Ten years, in-fact. It was almost the eleventh anniversary of her death, and it was a few days away. When was the last time he’d even thought of her? Looked at her pictures.. Did he even have any? A response could be heard just mere moments after, but she wasn’t scared. Still, she used his name. Anakin Skywalker was dead now, this was no longer the man she once loved; they died together on Mustafar that tragic day, only she was buried alone.
❝ 𝙰𝙽𝙰𝙺𝙸𝙽, 𝙼𝚈 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 . . ❞ She whispered, finally showing herself once he opened his eyes.