| �Padm�, will you marry me?� I grimaced. No, that sounded too casual. Try a little more formal. �Padm� Amidala Naberrie, would you consent to be my wife?� I shook my head. Still not right. I tried a few more, none of which seemed right, then realized that my master had been watching me. I could feel my face turning crimson. Obi-wan laughed at my discomfort. �You have to kneel, Anakin. You�re nearly a head taller than she is, you can�t expect her to reach up for the ring. It would look silly.� �Oh, like you�re such a great authority on how to propose,� I growled, embarrassed. �You don�t seem to be married.� My master shrugged. �True, but still, it would look rather silly.� �By the Force! I�m planning to propose to her in the Temple Gardens! In case you haven�t noticed, it�s winter out there! Like, snow on the ground!� Obi-wan laughed. �Jedi do not feel pain.� �But this particular padawan does feel cold, rather readily.� �If you�re ready to take your knighthood tests, you should be able to block it.� �But that�s different from actively seeking out torture.� �Then that means you�ll propose indoors.� I made a face. He said, �Well, if you aren�t going to practice popping the question any more, would you like to come have something to eat in the refectory?� He pushed open the door. I started to reply, but then cut off as a saw a familiar figure waiting in the hallway. �Hi, Padm�,� I managed. Suddenly, all the smooth, suave greetings I�d imagined fled, leaving my tongue feeling like a clumsy brick. She smiled, and said, �Hi, Ani. It�s been a while, hasn�t it?� I smiled broadly, �It�s been, what, a year and a half now?� �Twenty months.� �Much longer than I want to think about.� �Ditto.� �So, how�ve things been going on Naboo?� I asked. �Well, okay. No rebellions, no natural disasters wiping out nine-tenths of the population�� �No invasions, I hope?� She laughed. �Nope, none of those either. And if there were, I�d just ask you and Obi-wan to come and you two�d stop them in their tracks, just like last time.� �Well, I�d rather not have the necessity. I like peace just fine, thanks.� �Me too. By the way, Sab� says hi too. She wants to know when you two are going to come visit Naboo again.� �Did she come?� �No, she�s holding the fort back home.� �As herself, or as you?� �As herself.� �Just making sure. Oh, by the way, did you hear that the Coruscant Theatrical Company is performing King Lear at the area theatre?� �Really? That�s cool!� �Would you like to go?� My heart was pounding slightly as I asked. �Sure!� �Good. I got two tickets already, so we�re guaranteed good seats.� My relief would have been quite palpable to a Jedi, and I found myself thanking my lucky stars Padm� wasn�t Force-sensitive. ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ As we made our way to the theatre later that evening, I remarked to Padm�, �Padm�, I�m going to get knighted month after next.� �Really?� She smiled. She looks so radiant when she does that. �That�s wonderful. But�� and now she looked disappointed, and I braced myself for her to say something dampening, �But then you won�t have that cute little padawan braid anymore! What�ll I use to lead you around with?� She was still smiling, but now it was a mischievous smile, a joking one. �And you won�t have the spiky padawan �do anymore!� she protested. �It�s so tickly.� She reached up to rub my traditional padawan haircut. The one I think looks like it�s been chewed off. �But that�s good, Anakin, really,� she said. �Once you�re a Knight, you�ll have more time free to visit Naboo�right?� �Definitely. I�ll have discretion, then, I�ll be able to choose the assignments I want, and I�ll be able to come and visit a lot.� �Good. I�ve missed you, Anakin. A year and a half is far too long.� �I couldn�t agree more, Angel.� She smiled at the nickname. �So, can I come to your knighting ceremony?� �Certainly. You and Obi-wan are the two people I really want to be there.� But there�s someone else who should be there, I thought, without telling Padm�, I wish my mother could be there. The thought sobered me. Every time I�d thought of my mother, ever since I�d left Tatooine sixteen years ago, the thought had made me sad, and, sometimes, a little angry. It wasn�t right that I could never see her again. My fellow padawans� parents came often to see their children, and some of my friends had remarked on the fact that no one other than Padm� ever came to visit me. We arrived at the theatre then, and the two tickets I�d gotten turned out to be some of the best seats in the house. I�ve never seen King Lear before, but I knew Padm� had, and I knew she liked it. It was a story about a nice old king who was manipulated into turning against his loving youngest daughter. At the very end, after he�s been deluded for many years, he, on his deathbed, realizes that she�s never really done anything bad, that he was really fooled by other people into turning against her, and the ending is very touching and sweet. It�s tragic, but very beautiful. Supposedly, King Lear was written long before humans developed space travel, making it ancient beyond imagining. Padm� and I discussed that, as we left, about how it seemed almost amazing that something that old would still be considered a classic. I took Padm� out to dinner after that, a small, somewhat inexpensive place, for while Jedi are paid a certain amount by the government, individual allowances are not great. And there was a little something else I�d bought that nearly bankrupted me. But the restaurant was quiet, private, and almost empty. Perfect. After we were done with our meal, Padm� said, �Thank you, Anakin. That was�well, to say it was delightful would be like saying that a planet tends to be larger than an insect. The word doesn�t even begin to cover the idea. It was like a dream.� �If this is a dream, I never want to wake up.� After I�d paid the bill, we left, and walked together back to the apartment complex near the Senate Hall provided for visiting dignitaries. We could have ordered a hovercab, but I wanted to walk, because I had a very important subject to bring up. Padm� leaned her head on my shoulder, and I put my arm around her. �Anakin?� she murmured. �What?� I looked down at her, smiling fondly. Despite the fact that there were fully five years between us, we still loved each other. �What�s going to happen after you get knighted?� she asked. �After you aren�t a padawan anymore, you�ll be allowed to get married. What�s going to happen to our friendship if you start going out with some Jedi girl?� I smiled. Perfect opening. �That�s something I was intending to ask you about, Padm�.� I knelt in front of her, and pulled out the box that contained my last year and half�s saving�in the form of a ring. �Padm� Amidala Naberrie, will you, once I�ve been knighted, marry me?� My heart pounded, uncomfortably loud in my ears, as Padm� stared at me in shock. Her amazed look gradually transformed into a dazzling smile. �Yes,� she whispered. �Yes, Anakin, I will marry you.� She took the ring, pulled off her winter gloves, and slid the ring onto her finger. I leapt up, completely ignoring the fact that my tunic trousers, from the knee to the top of my tall boots on my right leg, were completely soaked from the snow. I flung my arms around her, and her arms wrapped around my shoulders. For an instant, we just held each other, then we kissed, passionately. |