Anidala Week 2020 | Day 01: Headcanon/Missing Scene or Favorite Scene
"[Anakin] drew her back from the edge of the veranda, but made no move to enter the apartment. “How are you feeling?” Her smile was radiant as Tatooine’s primary as she took his flesh hand and pressed it to the soft fullness of her belly. “He keeps kicking.” “He?” Anakin asked mildly. “I thought you’d ordered your medical droid not to spoil the surprise.” “Oh, I didn’t get this from the Emdee. It’s my …” Her smile went softly sly. “… motherly intuition.” He felt a sudden pulse against his palm and laughed. “Motherly intuition, huh? With a kick that hard? Definitely a girl.” - Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith
Anidala week 2020: day one ≡ missing scene or favourite scene
Ani, I want to have our baby back home on Naboo. We can go to the lake country where no one will know... where we can be safe. I can go early and fix up the baby's room. I know the perfect spot, right by the gardens.
He can feel it from out in the hallway; it feels as though his teeth are rotting from at all.
Sheev Palpetine - Darth Sidious - is heading towards the Skywalker-Amidala home for dinner. In his hands he carries a happy little basket, filled with goodies.
For babies.
Because he’d timed all of his grand schemes...all of his big plans under the assumption that Senator Amidala’s pregnancy would come to term on time.
And not an entire month early.
He feels foolish. Because the Senator is not a large woman. She is tiny, and the idea that two children could fit in there for much longer was apparently ludicrous.
Or the children themselves had thought so.
Because just as they were getting back from killing Dooku, they found out that she had already given birth, and Anakin Skywalker had not had time to spend with the Chancellor. Not had time to listen to his opinions…
To have the nightmares Palpetine had planned for him.
So now, Sheev Palpetine stands in front of their door. Basket filled with baby booties and onesies and little hats.
And all he wants to do is burn this entire building to the ground.
“Chancellor!” Anakin cries happily when he steps inside. “Thank you for coming!”
Padme smiles at him as well. She’s sitting in a very comfortable-looking chair, one of the babies draped over her shoulder. “Good evening. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come for dinner.”
“Yes, it is very good to see you at a happy occasion.”
That’s Kenobi, sitting on the couch next to Padme with the other baby tucked into his arms, every inch the proud uncle.
“Yes,” Sheev says slowly. “I was...I was quite surprised to get your invitation. With the war still raging and the Senate in turmoil…”
“One night won’t kill us,” Anakin shrugs. “And I’ve been suspended from the Order. Because...well…” he gestures towards the babies. “The Council is debating on what to do with me next.”
“I see,” Palpetine nods.
“But until then, I get to play stay-at-home dad while Padme handles things with the Senate.”
“I took the afternoon off,” Padme admits sheepishly. “There’s so many people coming over for dinner tonight, and I knew Anakin wouldn’t be able to cook and watch the twins...and I missed them.” She cuddles the one in her arms, smiling.
“And...who...else is coming to dinner?” Palpetine asks.
“My former Padawan, Ahsoka is back from Mandalore,” Anakin explains. “As is Rex, the Commander of the 501’st. And Master Yoda wanted to meet the twins, so he’s stopping by. As well as the Duchess of Mandalore, who came back with Ahsoka and Rex to speak at the Senate.”
A flush creeps up Kenobi’s face and Palpetine doesn’t know whether to scream or kill them all.
“That’s...that’s all very nice,” Sheev nods. “I have brought gifts for the children. Just some nice things that I thought would be helpful.”
Anakin beams and takes the basket. “Thank you, your Excellency. That’s very kind.”
That smile.
That Force presence.
Palpetine knows there will be no way of turning him now.
“Would you like to hold one of the babies?” Anakin asks, still smiling as he heads over to Kenobi and lifts up the child. “Chancellor, this is Leia.”
The moment the child is plopped into Sheev’s arms, the little brat starts wailing; crying for all she’s worth. Wiggling violently, until Kenobi swoops in, taking her back.
“How strange,” Padme says, getting to her feet, looking concerned as she passes the other child to Anakin and takes Leia from Kenobi. “She’s not like that with anyone else.”
“Yes,” Palpetine says quickly. ‘Quite...quite strange. Anakin, may I speak with you in private?”
The younger man looks confused, but agrees, passing his son to Kenobi, and follows him out onto the balcony of the apartment.
“Yes, Chancellor?” Anakin asks.
“I wanted to speak with you about your feelings in regards to your suspension.”
“Oh,” Anakin says quietly. “Well...I’m not happy about it, but...but I have broken the code aggressively. And it’s giving me quite a lot of time with the children. They’re amazing, Chancellor. I’ve never felt peace like this.”
“But aren’t you angry?” Sheev snaps. “They’ve discarded you again! In the middle of a war!”
“We knew if our marriage were discovered, things would be complicated,” Anakin shrugs. “We’re very lucky that the Senate has decided that our relationship and the twins are good for morale and PR. She gets to keep her seat, even if I lose mine.”
“And what if you are expelled?”
“Then…” Anakin gazes out at Coruscant sadly. “Then I suppose I would no longer be a Jedi. But…” he grins a little. “I wouldn’t be bored.”
Sheev can feel his blood pressure rise; can feel his anger start to boil, but he doesn’t get a chance to respond; a speeder pulls up, and Yoda steps out of the passenger door, using his little stick to help him over to them from the platform.
“Good to see you, it is, Chancellor,” Yoda says. “And you, Young Skywalker.”
Anakin bows his head in respect. “Thank you for coming, Master Yoda.”
“See your children I will,” Yoda says gently. “And eat some of your bantha stew, perhaps.”
Anakin grins nervously as he follows the old little goblin inside. “You’re in luck on both counts.”
Palpetine growls under his breath, and follows them back into the apartment; the Duchess and the Padawan and the soldier have all arrived, taking turns with the babies, chatting happily.
It’s like chewing on foil, watching all of these happy people. Even Yoda seems in good spirits as Anakin sits on the floor with the children in his arms, letting Yoda meet them up-close.
“Strong they are in the Force,” Yoda says. “A bright future, I see for them.”
The smile on Anakin’s face makes Palpetine’s blood boil again, and he looks around, realizing that the Padawan is staring at him curiously.
“Chancellor?” she asks. “Are you alright?”
“Fine,” he says quickly. “I am fine, but I realized that I have much to do,” he says, his tone as apologetic as he can force himself to make it. “And cannot stay longer.”
“That’s a shame, Chancellor,” Padme says. “Perhaps another time?”
“Yes, my dear,” he nods, as he looks at all of these...happy people. “Another time, indeed.”
As he’s leaving he can hear the Padawan girl muttering to the others, and he knows that his days are going to be short.
Anidala Week 2020 || Day Three ~ Mythology: Lancelot and Guinevere
Lancelot, as Arthur's most gifted Knight, becomes the Queen's champion, the Knight sworn to defend her life and honor. His greatest temptation comes when he falls in love with Guinevere, a love that she will return - which will result in not only their downfall, but that of Arthur and his kingdom.
The talented, brash Knight and the beautiful Queen he champions - even at its most surface level the parallels to Padmé and Anakin are obvious. It is an obligation to duty, an oath both have sworn to others - in Anakin and Padmé's case, it's the Republic and Jedi Order; in Guinevere and Lancelot's it is Arthur and Camelot - that makes a union between them impractical and forbidden. For a time, Lancelot tries to escape his maddening passion for Guinevere, the torment the temptation of such feelings brings him - but soon both give in, embarking on a secret affair, stealing interludes with one another. While sometimes tricked into bed by other women's sorceries, Lancelot's heart never belonged to any woman but Guinevere, and was always her defender whenever her loyalty or fidelity to Arthur was challenged. Guinevere herself faithfully continued in her duties as Queen, refusing to leave her husband, whom she did love (but was not in love with). In both cases, the pairs involved could have chosen to cast their duties aside and run away together, but instead choose to attempt to balance their forbidden feelings with their sworn obligations, knowing there would be dire consequences if they were discovered.
In some versions of the legend, the affair is discovered almost immediately. In others, it goes on for years until they are publicly confronted. In either situation, the public revelation of the affair - often by Arthur's wicked bastard son Mordred - is their downfall. Arthur is forced to banish Lancelot from Camelot, and sentence Guinevere to death for treason, though Lancelot rescues her, and she lives out the rest of her days in exile. The conflict shatters Arthur's order of Knights when Arthur is pushed to declare war on Lancelot for his treachery with the Queen, a war in which Arthur and Mordred end up killing one another. And since his affair was with a married woman, it costs Lancelot the purity he would have needed to achieve the Holy Grail, which had been the ultimate quest for Arthur's Knights.
Though the pair themselves are doomed to misery, Lancelot himself does gain a small measure of redemption in the form of his son, Sir Galahad (the result of one of those tricked seductions). Pure, chaste, and noble, Galahad succeeds where his father fails, achieving the Holy Grail.
