𝗙𝗔𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 | anakin skywalker

✰ 8: your pain is my pain

"Put the ship down!" Anakin yelled to the pilot.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan yelled back, turning away from the open side of the ship as they watched Senator Amidala and Akya roll down one of the dunes, unconscious from the impact. "Don't let your personal feelings get in the way!"

Anakin turned to watch Akya get smaller and smaller as they flew further away. "Follow that speeder," Obi-Wan told the pilot.

"Lower the ship!" Anakin yelled once again. 

"I can't take Dooku alone!" Obi-Wan protested. "I need you.  If we catch him, we can end this war right now!  We have a job to do!"

"I don't care!" Anakin fought back. "Put the ship down."

"You will be expelled from the Jedi Order!"

"I can't leave her!"

"Come to your senses!"

"What do you think Akya would do were she in your position?"

Anakin tilted his head and let out a huff, turning away from Obi-Wan.  "She would do her duty," he said, calmer than before.  They continued on their path after Dooku.

— ★ ✰ ☆ —

Akya woke up to the uncomfortable feeling of sand surrounding her from every side.  She groaned after opening her eyes and feeling the light from the sun flood into them, blinding her shortly and giving her a headache that did not go away.  She turned her head to find Padmé Amidala also awakening slowly, as the clone soldier that had fell with them ran over.

"Are you two alright?" he asked Akya, helping her up. He then did the same for Padmé as Akya began brushing the sand off of her robes. 

"Well enough," the Senator replied.  She put her hand over her eyes and looked around, finally staring in the direction of the way the ship had gone. 

"Where did they go?" asked Akya.  She didn't see the ship anywhere, yet wasn't worried that they didn't make it to Dooku— she knew they had. 

"They have to be there," said Padmé, pointing to an opening in one of the tall, orange rock formations that had a landing deck off the side of it.  "That's where Count Dooku was heading."

"Then let's go find them," Akya said.

"We can't possibly walk so far, ma'am," said the clone soldier.  "I think we should go back to the forward command center."

"We can start," she said.  "We have to go to the hangar. Someone will see us and take us when we start walking.  We won't be seen hiding behind this giant dune." She gestured beside them to the hill of sand.

"I agree," said Senator Amidala, turning to the clone. He nodded.

"Let's move out, then," he said. They began walking down the side of the dune.

"How's your head, Senator?" Akya asked the Senator. "Because mine is pounding."

"The same," she said with a smile, using her hand as a hood over her eyes. "And there's no need for formality. You can call me Padmé."

"Oh," she said. "Alright."

"You know, Anakin talks about you very often," she said.

Akya looked down at her feet. "And what does he say?" She didn't know what Anakin told her, whether he talked about their lessons, or perhaps even the kiss. But Padmé didn't seem like the type to tell secrets that weren't hers.

"I think that he likes you a lot more than he likes everyone else in the world," she said. "I heard the way he called your name when we fell."

Akya blushed.