"Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker," the king announced as soon as the door on the shuttle ship opened. The balmy air of Elyria washed over the exposed skin of your arms and legs, coating your newly freshened skin in a soft warmth. It was already midday on Elyria, the middle of their summer, and already you could tell this was going to be a toasty mission.
No wonder all of your dresses were so lightweight and flowy. You could see a wave of heat coming up from the ground, and citizens outside the palace window fanned themselves lazily with whatever they could find.
You were glad for the choice in clothing now, walking down the ramp and clutching your small bag of medical supplies while Anakin grabbed your luggage and followed you. He was wearing his full Jedi uniform, seemingly unbothered by the already intense heat, while your hairline was already starting to bead with sweat.
You don't know what you were expecting. He had grown up on Tatooine, after all, so desert heat was in his blood. You, however, were from a planet where the default was grey clouds and a slow drizzle, so you were exactly the opposite.
You stood before the king and queen of Elyria, stumbling slightly at their beauty. The king, with hair the shade of midnight and eyes a deep purple, had a face cut from stone, as if each dip and curve had been chiseled meticulously by the galaxy's greatest sculptor. He stood tall and proud, a cape of furs on his back and dressed head to toe in expensive silks.
His wife, no less beautiful, had a soft pink shade of hair and eyes that sparkled red like gemstones. She wore an elaborate gold gown, shimmering in the light of the sun, but the sparkle of both of their skin seemed to drown it out anyways. It looked like they had galaxies swimming around in their veins, and you couldn't tear your eyes away, even to curtsy like you were supposed to.
Anakin tugged on the scarlet ribbon tied around your wrist-- one that matched his own tied around his flesh arm. A symbol of your "union", is what the Elyrians called it, and allowed for you to be seen with and interact with each other in public.
"Pleased to be at your service, your honors," Anakin dipped into a bow with you.
"Please, call me Vagabo. And my wife--"
"I am Samira. We are so thankful to have a Jedi Knight and an accomplished medic such as yourselves to help our dear Corina," her voice was like honey straight from the jar, and you found yourself slightly enchanted by it.
"Y/n here is the best medic Coruscant has to offer. I'm sure she can find a solution to all of this."
"That's wonderful. We've been so worried ever since Corina fell ill a few days ago. She's never had so much as a cold, and now..."
"Could you show us to her room?" you asked. "I'd like to evaluate her symptoms as soon as possible. And if you don't mind, I have a few questions to ask you as well."
On the walk over you learned that Corina stopped eating two days ago, began to look pale, and then collapsed on the floor of the library. A servant found her and brought her to the bed, where she's been too weak to stand ever since. She can barely lift her head anymore, her skin hot to the touch, and she complains of being thirsty but refuses all water.
You plugged this all into your mental checklist: loss of appetite, weakness, fatigue, fever. It could be any strain of anything, so that didn't narrow it down very much.
"Have your healers come to any conclusions?"
"They've tried every cure they could think of, but nothing seems to be helping," Samira said.
You saw for yourself soon, reaching Corina's room. She was laying down in bed, the covers pulled up to her chest, wavy pink hair perfectly fanning out around her. She looked like she was something straight out of a fairytale-- even ill, her beauty was impossible. Sparkling skin, face shaped like an upside teardrop, eyes so big and glittering and sparkling red like a garnet-- princess Corina was the spitting image of her mother, as was the woman sitting at her bedside.
"Corina, Enid," her father introduced the two girls. "This is Y/n, the medic here to help you, and her husband Anakin Skywalker."
You blanched at that phrasing, but schooled your face enough to look over Enid. She was taller and more slender than Corina, definitely an older sister that you weren't aware existed. She looked to be around your age, maybe a little older, but the unnatural beauty she possessed made it hard to tell. She, too, shared similar features to her mother and sister, only her eyes were amethyst gems and her lips were flushed a healthy, rosy red.
"A Jedi," her voice was like twinkling starlight, and the air seemed to shimmer around her as she stood to regard Anakin personally. "Are you a Knight, or a Master?"
"A General more than anything these days, unfortunately."
"Hm. Unfortunate indeed," the princess looked him up and down, bright eyes taking him all in. Your skin began to itch, blood running hot. Then she noticed the red ribbon on his wrist, and the matching one on yours.
"You're the medic who's going to cure my sister?"
"I'm going to do everything I can," your rehearsed reply came. Never promise an outcome, the rule had been hammered into your brain since you were a child. She seemed dissatisfied with the answer.
"You have one job. I want her cured." then to Anakin, "is she always so unsure of herself?"
"She's the most capable medic in the galaxy. I have full faith in her, but medicine is tricky. She'll do whatever she can."
You didn't like the way Enid was practically eye fucking him as he spoke, especially in front of her ill sister and her mother and father like this. Before she could say anything else, someone new came barging into the room.
"Are they here? I've received word that they're here!"
"Blaire," his father steadied him with a hand to the shoulder. His loveliness knocked the air out of your lungs for a second, shocked at how each person you met grew more and more increasingly attractive. Blaire looked like his father, the same thick, dark hair and shining skin, but he had his mother's garnet eyes. The red was striking against the contrast of his skin and hair, the gemstones piercing into you as they found you at the foot of Corina's bed. Your palms began to sweat on the handle of your bag.
"You must be the medic," he rushed up to shake your hand, and you cringed at how sweaty he could probably feel your palm was. If he noticed he didn't say anything, panting lightly, the faintest rosy blush on his cheeks from running through the halls probably. You looked up at him and nodded, still trying to wrap your head around the insane perfection of these people.
"I'm Blaire, Prince of Elyria," he introduced quickly. "I must say, I'm extremely grateful for your presence here. My sister, Corina, she's so sick and hasn't been able to get up for days-- no one knows what's wrong with her--"
"She's all caught up on that, Blaire," Enid rolled her eyes, and her father put a hand on her shoulder.
"He's just worried, Enid."
"Yeah, yeah. Well if there's nothing else I can do here, I think I'll show the general around the palace," she was reaching for Anakin's hand and dragging him out of the room before anyone could stop her. He looked back at you, apology in his eyes, but you knew he couldn't resist-- upsetting the royal family would not bode well on the Jedi's behalf.
You stood there, stunned for a second. What about the whole 'no touching, talking, or looking at males who aren't yours' rule?
"Sorry about my sister," Blaire noticed your confusion and anger. He stood back with you as the king and queen went to check up on Corina and change her blanket for a new one. "The ribbons don't apply to royalty. We are allowed to choose whoever we want, regardless of whether or not someone's already been tied."
You had read all about their meticulous matching ceremonies, where the elders chose those who had come of age and paired them with people of a similar ranking to be "tied" with. It was all very backward, you thought, but it wasn't your place to judge their way of life. Still, you wished you hadn't read the part that said, "the royal family is exempt from the ceremony, and are free to choose who they like. Notably, they are notorious for choosing the most beautiful partners."
No wonder Enid took a liking to fucking Anakin.
Blaire noticed the disgruntled look you were giving him, stewing in anger. "Don't worry, she won't try anything. Enid knows not to ruin a perfectly good union."
Does she?
You could only have faith in what he said, as you had nothing else to go off of. You decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, and Anakin the benefit of the doubt, because surely they both couldn't be stupid enough to mess around with each other an hour into the mission.
Not that it was forbidden, technically. You knew Jedi were allowed to have sex despite the "no attachment" rule. It was frowned upon, but as long as there were no feelings involved... Plus, it wasn't like you and Anakin were actually married or anything, so it wouldn't be cheating.
But still. If that girl laid a hand on Anakin--
"Her fever hasn't let up at all since last night," Samira worried by the bedside, hand on her daughter's forehead. You returned back to the matter at hand, nodding politely at Blaire in acknowledgement before approaching Corina.
You introduced yourself and told her you were here to help, but it was like she barely heard you. Her eyes fluttered softly, a small moan leaving her lips. You set your bag down at the foot of her bed and began pulling supplies out, getting to work running tests.
The younger princess did, in fact, have a high fever, as the thermometer indicated. Her lymph nodes were swollen and her lungs crackled with fluid that she weakly coughed up every so often. You took some blood and analyzed it on the small med-computer you were allowed to bring, and found that her nutrients were very low from not having eaten enough for the past few days. You set up an IV right away to replace lost liquids, as she wasn't drinking water either. And most notably--
"Her saliva's thickened," you pinched the sample swab between your thumb and forefinger, watching a droplet ooze down the side of the test tube you had put it in, matching the consistency of molasses more than anything.
"What does that mean?"
"Not sure yet," you told Vagabo, but you were starting to get an idea. Taking another swab, you collected some sweat from her forehead and put it in another test tube. It was a little difficult to see, but holding it up to the light revealed that the sweat was a stickier, thicker substance than what was normal.
Now onto something, you pulled out the sample of blood you had taken earlier. Yup, exactly as you had expected. After being revealed to the air, it was already starting to clot.
"I know what's wrong with her," you sat back. "Back on my home planet, we call it The Drip."
"What is it, exactly?"
Blaire asked this, and he looked nervous as you began shoving the test tubes into the compartment of the med-computer to test for the specific virus. The screen flashed green, and you preened victorious at how quickly you managed to narrow it down. If your father could see you now...
"It's a bug that's quite common outside of Elyria, most known for the way it thickens all body secretions. I'm sure a few cases have managed to pop up here unnoticed, but it's not very contagious so it wouldn't have spread very far. She must have caught it going into town or something."
"Is it deadly? Can you cure her?"
"It can be fatal if left untreated, especially if the fluid in her lungs continues to build. Most of it is managing the symptoms, but the virus can be killed with a few ingredients..." you started scribbling a list down from the top of your head, and then handed it to Vagabo. "Do you have any of this here on Elyria?"
"Many of these can be found in the markets," he read the list over, rubbing at his beard. "The other herbs... they're wild crops to us, so they mostly grow in the uninhabited parts of our forests."
"If you give us a map, me and Anakin can--"
"No need," the king shook his head, and then took your hand in his. It was large and rough and surprisingly very warm and pleasant to hold. "You have already done so much for us-- I cannot express my gratitude. Blaire and I will take some men out to search the forests immediately, as we're more familiar with the terrain. That way you and your husband can go to the markets and get the rest. It'll be easier on the both of you, and you can stay closer to Corina if she needs anything."
You nodded, growing weak at the relief in his eyes. This feeling-- the peace and hope that you could offer people-- it's exactly what made your job so worth it.
"Y/n, thank you again," Samira was taking your other hand now, equally as pleasant as Vagabo's but much softer. You looked down at them, puzzled to not find that there was not a single flaw marring their smooth, glistening skin. "I'll show you to the carriages now. We'll pick up your husband and Enid on the way."
●●●
"What are they called again?" Anakin was peering out the window of the carriage curiously, unable to sit still.
"Horses," you answered. He had been trying to catch a glimpse of them ever since Samira found him and Enid walking past the ballroom, and had shown you to the horse-drawn carriages to get a move on with things. His face had morphed into one of childish curiosity, never having seen a horse before in his life.
"They're so..."
"Big, shiny, majestic," you threw around the words people usually used to describe them. You had seen your fair share of horses on Noxella, even forced to learn how to ride as a child so your mother could show you off to all of her other wealthy friends, so it wasn't a new concept to you. It made Anakin's astonishment all the more cute, though.
"They're so powerful."
"They have to be, to pull carriages like this."
His eyes were glued to the white animals outside, following the flex and strain of their large shoulder muscles, the flow of the wind in their long manes. In the big, wide galaxy, he'd seen a large array of creatures that ranged from disgusting Hutt slugs like the ones on Tattooine, to the cute, fluffy Ewoks on Endor. But never had he seen something as strong and beautiful as these.
The path into town was among a dirt road, the carriage rocking over the roots and pebbles along the path. You found the motions soothing as you read over your list again, familiarizing yourself with what you needed to gather.
Soon, the carriage came to a halt and the door was opening. Anakin jumped out first and turned around to offer you his hand. If you weren't in public, you'd roll your eyes and playfully push it away, jumping down beside him yourself. But the scarlet ribbon on his wrist reminded you that you were supposed to be together, so you offered your hand for him to close around his own, helping you steadily out of the carriage.
Damn the eruption of butterflies in your stomach from that simple little action. You hated how the smallest act of kindness from him could get you all worked up.
"Ready to go, snookums?"
And... he ruined it.
"What the hell did you just call me?"
"What, you don't like that one? What about snugglepuff?"
"That's even worse."
"Honeybun?"
"No! Where are you even coming up with these?"
"I've been brainstorming," he admitted, grinning impishly. He knew what he was doing.
You huffed, faux-annoyed but secretly thinking of some names you'd rather he called you. Of course, you weren't going to tell him, but maybe if he was smart enough he'd actually land on one...
Taking your list out, you smoothed over the crinkles and read it again. "First stop is the brewery," you told him, and then began walking down the cobble-path road.
"Ah ah ah, get back here," he grabbed your hand before you could get very far, and you looked down pointedly when he didn't let go. He nudged his chin to the people all around you, bringing your attention to all of the eerily beautiful beings that were all holding hands with another. "We're supposed to be married, remember?"
"Yes, yes, how could I forget?" you rolled your eyes, pretending to hate the feeling of his hand interlaced with yours. Your veins were singing with glee. "First stop is the brewery, my darling husband."
"Better," his lips twitched with withheld laughter, and then the two of you were off.
You quickly noticed that everyone was literally flawless on this planet, and they all were either holding hands, hugging, or making out on the corners of the streets with an equally perfect partner. Their matching system certainly worked, and you wondered how everyone seemed so damn happy here. Their unions were all arranged, but they were all so in love with each other, as if it had been their choice all along.
You also learned that the people were very friendly. When they passed you on the streets, many couples would look down at your intertwined hands, see the matching ribbons, and then smile and nod in congratulations. Love was celebrated here as if it were a living goddess, and the atmosphere bled a much-needed happiness into your bones.
Of course, the leisurely stroll through town was short-lived. When Anakin was on a mission, he was on a mission, so you were out of breath literally all afternoon running around with him from shop to shop. He also had this awful habit of swinging his arms while he walked that you personally didn't do, so you were stuck there with his arm wrenching your own out of its socket, being pulled along by his side because he took gigantic steps, and his legs were already so much longer than yours--
"Can we sit down somewhere?" you panted, wiping a layer of perspiration off your forehead with the back of your free hand. The sun was beginning to go down in the sky, so it was beating right on you. Anakin nodded and then began looking around for a bench or something with shade.
"There," you pointed to a shop tucked into the side of the road, a bunch of vines and stuff growing over the signs in the front so you couldn't exactly tell what kind of stuff it sold. But the lights were dimmed and there seemed to be some sort of chair in the window, so Anakin let you pull him toward the shop, holding all the stuff you had bought in his other hand even though you told him you could carry some yourself.
"What kind of husband would I be if I let my wife struggle with the bags?" he replied cheekily, earning another eyeroll.
Upon entering the shop, you were mercifully met with a blast of cold air from the cooling system. A little bell tinkled as the door opened and closed behind you, and your eyes took a moment to adjust to the items in front of you.
"Oh, Maker..." Anakin chuckled.
It was a sex toy shop.
You turned on your heel to march straight back out of there, eyes blown wide with the copious amounts of dildos your eyes had just managed to take in, but Anakin held you fast, refusing to let you leave.
"Where are you going, we can at least browse a little bit..."
Your face was positively steaming hot.
"Anakin, what could you possibly need from here?!"
"You never know what you can find," he answered matter-of-factly, dragging you behind the massive wall of dildos to an equally massive wall of vibrators. He turned to you teasingly. "See anything you like?"
"Anakin, please--" you covered your eyes. There were too many penis-shaped objects, or shapes that you can only imagine what species they belonged to, surrounding the two of you and you were so unbelievably humiliated, you couldn't even look at him.
"What? Why so shy?" he tugged at the hand covering your face, and you glared at him. He was having way too much fun with this. "Look, this one's pink. You like pink, right?"
"Stop."
"Ooh, this one vibrates," he dangled another one in front of your face, and you snatched both of them away. He was already wandering over to a glass case full of mannequins in various lingerie sets. He hummed appreciatively and stopped before a couple dressed in head to toe latex, the female on her hands and knees while the male held her up with a leash attached to her neck.
"We could pull that off," he said, looking to you for approval. You shook your head, miserable, but not one willing to pass up on the opportunity--
"You'd be the one on the leash."
His eyes widened in shock, and he laughed as you wrenched him away. "Okay, I see now, I didn't know you were into that--"
"I'm not."
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Y/n. We've all got our things."
"Would you just shut up already?!" you were heading back for the door again, winding in and out of the shelves stocked with various multicolored tools, bottles o f lubricant, skimpy underwear, and posters displaying images that burned scars into your brain. He was finally allowing you to pull him along.
"I thought you wanted to sit down for a moment," he gestured to the swings in the window, which you could now see clearly were sex swings. That stupid look on his face came back. "I can help you into one of these, if you'd like."
The image of him actually doing that had your blood heating up far too quickly. You had to turn away before he could see, and hurriedly went to push the door open.
"Wait, hold up." What now?? "Are you gonna buy those?"
You looked to what he was pointing at, and this time you couldn't hide the embarrassment. You were still holding the dildo and the vibrator he had pulled out.
"No, take them!" You cried, dumping them into his arms, and he set them on a random shelf before following your darting body out of the shop.
"So jumpy," he remarked, catching up to you outside and matching your pace effortlessly. "For someone so familiar with alien anatomy, you're awful squeamish about it."
"I'm not, I've just never been in a store like that before."
How could you explain to him that it wasn't the images or materials themselves that had you feeling this way, but the fact that you were in there with him? As soon as you stepped through the door, unwelcome thoughts of him using all that stuff on you were bombarding your brain and you could do nothing to stop it. And his stupid little flirty comments certainly didn't help.
"Relax, sweetheart," he noticed some couples looking at the tension between you two, and grabbed your hand to slow your pace. Your eyes widened at the nickname. "You're going to overheat."
"I'm fine," you schooled your expression, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing you actually liked that nickname he'd just used.
"You sure? We can find someplace else to sit if you need."
"We can just start heading back to the carriage now, we've got everything we came for."
"As you wish," he relented, and began swinging his arm again. It was going to take ages for your face to cool down.