All the Stars :: Anakin Skywalker

The Rings

"Ani?" I stepped into the room. I saw him come in here but I can't find him. "You in here?"

"No," Anakin sighed heavily. Bedroom. Should have guessed. I opened the door and saw him sitting on the edge of his bed. He sat up straighter when he saw me and his angry expression faded instantly into a smile. I blushed. "Look at you. They treated you well, I'd hope?"

"Especially after you told them to treat me as royalty," I blushed harder. "That might have been unnecessary."

"You're royalty to me. It's very necessary," He said and stood up, then took my hands into his. "You're breathtaking."

What is his deal with eye contact? Jeez, it's murderous.

"Thank you," I smiled. "I definitely feel like I fit in here a little better now."

"Good, as you should."

"M'kay, hey," I pressed my hand to his cheek and stroked it with my thumb. "What's the matter? Something's bothering you, I can tell."

His mood instantly dropped and he sighed. "There's a battle on Muunilinst. I'm supposed to command the aerial strike force above the planet."

"Oh," I frowned, feeling an intense radiation of negativity coming from his form in front of me. "That's... that's a big deal, isn't it?"

"Yes. I will be commanding an entire fleet of Acclamator-class assault ships. It's a very big deal."

Suddenly I grew fearful. Scared of his safety. If he'll be okay.

If he'll even make it back.

"It's only months after Geonosis," Anakin sounded tired. "And I just found you. I... I have to be more careful now. I have someone to come back to now."

"They named you a Knight for a reason," I told him, pressing my hands to his chest. "They wouldn't have made you commander of an entire fleet if you couldn't handle it. You're one of the best fliers they have if not the best. I have full confidence that you'll go win that battle and come back to me in one piece."

Anakin pressed his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. "I'm worried. I haven't been worried about a battle in years."

"It's because you have me now," I whispered. "It's okay. You'll come back. You'll go do all of your super awesome hero stuff and come back to me and I'll be here ready to congratulate you. I'll wait for you, Ani."

"Okay," He whispered. I kissed his nose. "Thank you."

"That's my job. To keep you grounded."

He sat back on the bed and sighed softly. "You'll start your training tomorrow. I get to train you. So, that will be fun."

"See?" I smiled and ran a hand through his soft, brown-blonde hair, loving how the curls wrapped around my fingers. "Positives. We have plenty of time to spend together. And you're going to be training me for a long time. So, you don't have anything to worry about."

He leaned into my touch. "The things you do to me... they're chemical."

"So you know what it feels like now," I smirked. "I feel the same way whenever you do something as small as look in my eyes."

"Really?" He looked straight into my eyes. "It's respectful. Jedi's are supposed to do it every time we talk with someone."

"Well, it kills me," I softly laughed. "Curse you and your pretty eyes."

"Yours are prettier," He fired back instantly.

"You..." I sighed with a laugh. "You're my favorite, Anakin."

"I'd hope so," He stood up to tower over me again. Then he kissed me, deeply. "What do you say we explore around a little bit? Maybe we could see the town?"

"Okay," I nodded. "Yeah, any time I get with you is time I'll take advantage of."

"Great. There's a few places I'm sure you'd love. But, there's something I need to do before we go out anywhere," He took my hands. "So we'll go there first, and then you'll be safe to take out."

"Safe?" I suddenly felt unsure. "Am I in danger?"

"No, no, well," He shrugged a little. "Until I... give you something. Yes."

"M'kay," I took his arm and leaned my head against him with a smile as we left his room. "I don't care, as long as I'm with you."

Anakin led me through the massive temple, up a flight of stairs, down another two hallways, and to a door. It was one of the spires I saw outside of the temple. We jogged up the stairs to the top and that's when Anakin turned around and took both of my hands into his.

He led me to the balcony and smiled when I marveled at the view of the city. Buildings and lights as far as the eye could see. The sun was already setting and the sky was faintly streaked with pinks and blues and purples. I can't wait to see what it looks like later.

"Hey," Anakin rubbed my hand lightly to get my attention. My eyes met his and my heart jumped. Just because he looked at me. "Ellie, the moment I saw you on Earth, I felt something. The Force changed within me, and I felt a longing. Something that was trying to tell me that you... you're different. And I've already witnessed it. Something is telling me that it's us. So, I wanted to officially ask you if you wanted to be mine. My partner. My girlfriend."

"Wh-" My eyes began watering. "Ani..." I bit my lip. "I don't want anything or anyone else.  It's always been you. Always," I kissed him deeply. His hands found my hips and they tightened there. And for once... I didn't push him away. "Thank you."

He kissed me again, then pulled away and took my left hand into his. Then he pulled a beautiful ring out of his pocket. My heart started skipping beats and I thought I'd pass out right then and there.

"I know you don't know what this means. Which is why I'm teaching you," He spoke in a soft voice. He slid the shiny ring onto my middle finger. Then another on his own. "It's a Jedi custom. When we find our partners. We wear these rings to show everyone else that we've been paired. Every Jedi has their own personalized rings, everyone knows what they look like. So when anyone sees you in public, and they see this ring, they won't only know that you're taken. But they'll know that you're mine. Because this is my ring design."

I had tears on my cheeks by the time he finished. I sniffled as he wiped my cheek with a gentle hand. My heart was overflowing with love for this man. I had to.

"I love you, Anakin," I softly cried. "I don't care how early it is. I love you. I've loved you for so long."

He lightly chuckled and kissed my head. "It's never too early. Those words are healing. I love you too, Ellie."

I slipped my arms around his waist and buried into his chest, my face turned towards the darkening sunset. He held me like that, closely, until he spoke again. But quietly.

"I know you've been hurt in the past," Anakin whispered. "But I'm never going to hurt you. It angers me how you've been treated, and I vow to do the exact opposite. You'll be treated with the most respect as long as I'm around. You're safe with me, Ellie. You don't ever have to be scared of me or anything that we do."

My heart smiled when he said that. And I melted into his arms more than I already had.

"I needed to hear that. I needed to hear it from you," I looked up into his deep blue eyes. "I trust you. Thank you."

"And that's all I needed to hear," He lightly stroked my cheek. "I won't ever betray that trust."

I turned back towards the sunset over the city and let out a steadying breath.

"Now," He began. "Let's go see the city, shall we?"

"Mhm," I didn't pull away. He laughed and smiled down at me.

"You gonna let me go?"

"I don't want to," I cuddled my head into his chest further. "You give good hugs."

"First time I've heard that one," He grinned. "I don't usually hug people."

"Well, now you have me. And I love your hugs," I pulled away reluctantly but hooked my arm into his.