Rise from the Dark

~1~

Anakin
My world is crumbling. Each day I question what the hell I've done. Everything I've lost - the people I've lost. But my loyalties should remain with the chancellor, I need to stop dwelling on the past and remain faithful to sidious. After all he's given me powers unlike any other.
  I stand in front of my mirror staring at my sea blue eyes, that were once filled only with love for senator amidala, my beloved padmé. But now I see evil, a quality I never thought I'd possess. I wonder how she is, whether she's heartbroken or moved on. It's been 2 years, and I don't know if my child is a boy or girl. I missed their first word and step and doubt I'll ever meet him or her.
  My soul aches just to hear my wife's voice, see her smile just one more time. But the last time I saw her I was using the force to clench around her throat. I could have killed her and everyday I hate myself for it.
  Someone knocks on the door and so I make my way through the apartment living room to meet them. False hope everything tells me it could be Padmé but when I answer the door im faced with merely a clone.
  "Darth Sidious requests your presence Lord Vader," he mutters. I wave my arm in acknowledgement and the clone leaves the room.
  I throw a black robe around my body, lifting the hood to cover my gold brown curly hair and leave the room myself.
  Sidious is waiting for me at the end of a long chamber with red curtains draping over the glass walls circling around me.
  "Naboo is a peaceful planet," he says, staring out of one of the winodws. "In fact almost too peaceful,"
  "It is a beautiful planet your excellency, one in my opinion should not be disturbed,"
  "You are thinking like a Jedi Vader,"
  "You could say I have an attachment to Naboo, I wouldn't want any harm to come to it, or anyone on it." In the back of my mind I wonder is Padmé is on Naboo, raising our child. She had a room all picked out that looked across the palace gardens and waterfalls, and you could hear the calls of the birds on the island not far away.
  "You think of your wife," sidious states in a dark tone. "This shows weakness my apprentice. She is in the past now and Naboo is of no importance to you."
  "She may be my weakness but she's not a weakness I am willing to let go of master," I explain, sadness and longing in my voice.
  "I sense you miss her terribly,"
  "Yes master,"
  "But would she be missing you? The one who killed most of the Jedi order, strangled her, left her alone with a child for the dark side," I am overwhelmed with sadness at his words and drop to my knees.
  "Please master, it pains me." I don't want to say I regret the decisions I made, that would show disloyalty. But I do.
"I sense her hatred towards what you have become and the power you have gained. There's no point going back to someone who simply doesn't love you," he adds maliciously. A layer of sweat covers my body at his words and veins start appearing in my forehead. I clench my fists so tightly I cut into skin with my own short fingernails.
"I want you to send an army to Naboo." I turn my face quickly to Sidious after he says these words, "don't worry, no harm will come to you're precious planet, I just want to give them a fright and find out what's going on, who they are serving for."
I hesitate to do so but I mutter a "yes master," and rise from my knees. I bow to the Sith Lord and exit the chamber through two large metal doors.
My heart is racing and I have to stop and steady myself or I might fall to the ground. The last two years have been torture. Although I am growing in power as the Sith Lord Darth Vader, part of me wants to keep Anakin Skywalker in the picture. The man that was once loved by senator amidala.
Once I am back in my own quarters I take off my robe and tunic, leaving my chest bare and try to go to sleep. I dream of Padmé. Of how happy she is without the inconvenience of our forbidden love, able to spend time with her child. But then she's suffering, because of the pain I caused her. I force my eyes open and for my mind to wake up.
The next morning I assemble the troops and load them onto the ship. It's quite a far journey from mustafar to Naboo but it felt 100 times longer on this occasion. For all I know my family could be there, I may be face to face with my wife. How will she react? What will she say? I could finally meet my child, after 2 years.
  My head starts to spin and I grab into a hanging wire to steady myself,
   "Are you alright Lord Vader?" A clone asks,
   "Yes soldier, how far until landing?"
   "Not long sir, we can see the border of Naboo in the near distance."
This was it. I'm brought back to my favourite place to be. But this time not for a vacation of romance.