'Have you ever thought about buying a speeder?'
'Why would I need to? Where do I need to be that can't be reached in a ship?'
Sol rolled her eyes and shook her head as she looked out to the city. In her yellow speeder, she sat in the passenger seat while Anakin sat in the driver's seat. When they were together, Sol never found herself in driving. In her Padawan days, she was reluctant to let the arrogant Skywalker drive one of the few belongings Sol had. But when Anakin would walk around to her door and hold it open for her, Sol stopped putting up a fight.
'Where would Artoo go in one of these?' Anakin leaned over to gesture towards the boot that was the colour of a sunflower, and Sol tried to focus on his attempt at a joke. But she was too busy beaming at how close Anakin was.
With his neck stretched to peer to the tail of the speeder, Sol was able to smell the freshness of his chest. In his twisted position, she noticed how his gloved hand relaxed on the controls. Coruscant's city lights reflected off his tanned skin and when he turned to face the windshield, Sol was taken by the vibrance of his eyes and the length of his hair. The blonde tips curled and had grown past Anakin's ears, making Sol think to suggest seeing a hair styler to sharpen them up. But when he turned to catch her stare, and the edge of his lips threatened to grow into an uncontrollable grin, Sol threw out the idea in an instant.
'What?' Anakin asked, and Sol leaned her head back in the chair without moving her stare.
'Nothing... just thinking.'
'Thinking about what?' he reached out and took hold of her hand that sat on her knee. With her fingers bare from her gloves, Sol felt the warmth of his skin. She thought about how amazing it would had been to have Anakin's body heat in the icy base on Hoth.
'About Ahsoka.'
The hitch in the corner of Anakin's lips sagged and the width of his eyes reduced. Anakin's face was a picture of his emotions, and Sol knew that she had reminded him of his sorrows.
They had arrived on the rooftop of a building far from the Jedi Temple, and Anakin had been in a better mood since this morning. But Sol needed to talk with him about his recent rant about the Jedi Order in Padme's apartment. The topic of Ahsoka was an unavoidable conversation, hence why Sol had asked Anakin to take them to a quiet rooftop away from the busy speeder lanes that ran through skyscrapers.
'If you want to talk about it, Ani, we can,' Sol said with care in her voice. She held the man's hand in hers and wanted to show that she was all ears. They would be heading back to the temple for dinner soon, and if he was in a bad mood in front of Obi-wan, Sol knew it would be a painful meal.
'What else is there to talk about?' he shrugged with his eyes on his lap, reverting to his teenage behaviour. Sol couldn't let him block himself off, as she wouldn't get anything out of him.
'What about what you said at Padme's?' Sol prompted. 'About the Order?'
There was a pause before Anakin's head lifted to look at Sol. She gave an expression that she hoped showed that she wouldn't judge him. With her violet eyes soft and blinking, Anakin saw that Sol wanted to listen to his rants. Just like Chancellor Palpatine, Sol wanted to play the listener, and Anakin could let his troubles out to her and her alone.
'I didn't mean it when I said I didn't know if I wanted to be part of the Order anymore...' he started, his words slow and careful. 'I want to be a Jedi. I want to keep fighting in this war, because I'm good at it. I just feel like... I take one step forward and start to feel like I'm doing good, until something sets me back, again. The Council... I know they don't trust me.'
Sol knew how that felt.
'And the bombing and Ahsoka's trial just showed how backwards the Order is,' Anakin gripped Sol's hand as he felt the familiar flare of anger build in his chest. 'They want peace, but they create chaos. They fight for the good but will accuse their own. They want us to have passion in the Force, but don't want us to love.'
His eyes dragged from the windshield where they were troubled and flaring, to the passenger seat where they lightened. The heavy creases in between his eyebrows smoothened and the love that he mentioned blossomed where the hate attempted to build in his heart. Sol's long hair cascaded down her shoulders and the small braid at the back of her head reminded Anakin of when they met as Padawans. Anakin could feel the coolness of her Force signature as it remained in its white flame, and he felt his shoulders relax at Sol's soothing presence.
'The Order fight for what they think is good. It's the Jedi way,' Sol replied while Anakin stared at her with longing eyes. 'But I understand your frustration. I spoke to Master Yoda today for the first time in months, and I have to say that he didn't reveal too much-'
'Marry me.'
As if the planets stopped spinning and all the stars paused their twinkles, Sol froze. With her hand still clamped in Anakin's, Sol sat with her eyes wide, and lips parted in shock. The far away honks of speeders and the starting of ship engines dulled to a combined hum. The sinking sun's heat felt unbearable on Sol's skin, and she became aware of how the leather seat felt underneath her.
'W-What-'
'After the war, I mean,' Anakin cut her off before she could assume. 'We'll go far from here. A different system entirely, and we'll get married.'
'Ani...' Sol took a deep breath. 'I don't know what to say...'
'You want it, don't you? You want it so bad, but you just can't say it.'
Sol had never thought that this would be true. When she felt forbidden feelings for Anakin, she was so overwhelmed with his intense presence in the Force and in person, that she never thought of how they could progress their relationship. She thought that the feeling of Anakin's orange glow, and the feeling of stroking his sharp cheekbone while laying beside him, was all that she needed. But the thought of marriage, of taking Anakin's name and being forever bound to him, was a new euphoria for Sol. A ceremony where they held each other's hands and said they would protect each other to the very end sounded wonderful, and the final kiss would signify their bond. Nothing sounded better to Sol, but it was forbidden.
'I... that sounds amazing, Ani,' Sol turned in her seat to face him completely. 'But... what would we do about the Order?'
'We don't have to stay. When the war is over, there will be peace in the galaxy, and we won't be needed anymore,' Anakin did the same as Sol and took his right hand off the controls to grab her free one. The black leather was rough against Sol's skin, but she let him grip them firmly and looked into his eyes. They were hopeful, the most Sol had seen in Anakin's azure irises, and she couldn't help but want to be just as eager about the idea of marriage.
'But one of us is the Chosen One... we still need to bring balance to the Force-'
'Forget the Force. Forget the prophecy and all that the Jedi Council have said,' Anakin pulled his hands out of Sol's and Sol thought she had upset him. She recoiled slightly, but watched as Anakin grabbed the end of his black glove and yanked it downwards. In quick movements, the limb that Sol had been wanting to see was revealed. But she didn't have the time to admire it before its solid, metal fingers enlaced with hers. Sol's hands were encased by Anakin's once more and the cold silver felt unfamiliar against her skin.
'You see that? That's what the Sith left me, and the Council tried to fix it. But it's not the same, and I don't think anything will ever be the same, now. Ahsoka is gone and even though she was the snippiest Togruta I've ever met, the Order won't be the same without her. So, Solaris, when this is all over, will you leave all of this behind, and marry me in a galaxy far, far away?'
This was Anakin's proposal. With his hands gripping hers, Anakin offered Sol a life out of the Jedi Order. All the moments Sol treasured were memories that the Order would be desperate to erase. When she laughed at Anakin's jokes, when she embraced Ahsoka, when she found out that Revan Shan was her blood-cousin, when she felt like Obi-wan was listening to her troubles like a father would, Sol felt her happiest. But these were all things that the Order didn't stand for.
But if she left the Order, she could be her happiest all of the time. Sure, she would not see Obi-wan or Revan as often, but that didn't mean she had to never see them again. She could find Ahsoka, embrace her a thousand times over, and be nothing more than Sol Shan (or Skywalker), ex-Jedi and wife of Anakin Skywalker.
'Yes... Ani, I want to marry you... I want to be with you forever.'
Anakin grinned, his teeth showing for the first time today, and he leaned forward to place his forehead against hers. Sol didn't hesitate to connect her skin with his and squeezed his hands. She felt the sides of his metal joints dig into her bone, but she didn't care. Sol took the time to admire Anakin's bionic arm that she had longed to see. The sun reflected off its panels and Sol could see how his arm bent into his elbow underneath his robe's sleeve. Without the muscle or skin to hold its form, Anakin's sleeve hung thinner than his left. But it didn't matter, because the metal was a part of him; just like how she longed to feel a part of him when they were married.
'Just a little more to go, then,' Anakin whispered. 'It's coming to an end. I can feel it.'
With Anakin's sweet words, Sol almost forgot about something that Satele mentioned. Even though Anakin and Sol had agreed that they would make their own way after the war, Sol still felt the dread of the oncoming dark times. Through the reaches of the Force, Sol felt an impending doom. It was unshakeable, but perhaps shapeable. For now, she would think of Anakin, and their life together at the furthest reaches of the galaxy.
---
'I really am sorry, Sol, but the Council were adamant on the cancellation.'
'It's fine, Obi-wan. Master Yoda was clear with his explanation. Transmissions can be tapped. It is what it is.'
The trio of Jedi sat at their table with their trays nearly empty. Their dinner had been filling, and Obi-wan had spent the entire time apologising to Sol about her cancelled meeting. Sol and Anakin sat next to each other on the bench, while Obi-wan faced the two younger Jed Knights. He had saved the table and made sure to voice his guilt to Sol as soon as they sat down.
'Yes, but wasn't there more you wanted to talk about? Like about Master Yoda's training from when you were a Padawan?' Obi-wan looked concerned and Sol took a sip of her blue milk that had been today's desert.
'We talked about it. You know what Master Yoda is like with information, so it wasn't much, but it was satisfactory for now,' Sol shrugged.
Anakin was quiet as he sat with his elbows on the table and his blue milk untouched. He had covered his bionic arm with his glove when he and Sol arrived back at the temple, and he did his best to act as if everything was normal. He had to face his ex-Master and best friend like he hadn't just asked Sol, the woman who sat with her knee touching his under the table, to leave the Order and marry him. To reduce the risk of looking too giddy or being overly affectionate to Sol, Anakin found it was best to stay silent and listen to small bits of Obi-wan and Sol's conversation.
'Are you sure, Sol?' Obi-wan leaned forward in disbelief. 'You seemed so upset this morning, and rightfully so! Did Master Yoda really give you the answers you wanted?'
'Yes. Thank you for being concerned, Obi, but I'm fine.'
It was true. Obi-wan could sense Sol's content through the Force. He was surprised, but if Sol was happy, then he was happy. Perhaps Sol had come to a resolution with Master Yoda, and it wasn't Obi-wan's place to question that. With a nod and a smile, Obi-wan took to his blue milk and became oblivious to the foam that stuck to the ends of his moustache.
'On the talk of meetings, the Chancellor has requested a meeting with you, Solaris,' Anakin spoke up and turned to the woman beside him. Both Sol's and Obi-wan's eyebrows shot up and their cups of milk were back on their trays within seconds.
'The Chancellor?' Sol repeated. 'Why would the Chancellor want to meet with me?'
'I've told him about your influence in the war. He had heard about you from Grand Master Yoda, of course, but I mentioned your use of the Force and how you showed me to use it like you do. I think it would be insightful for you two to meet.'
Sol was aware of Obi-wan's shifting gaze and she made sure to keep her confusion with Anakin short. She eyed Anakin, looking for the hint of a joke, but saw that he was serious.
'Are you sure about this? You didn't tell the Chancellor, did you?' Sol asked through the Force.
'It would mean a lot to me.'
Sol pursed her lips and nodded. She didn't want to voice her concerns in front of Obi-wan, or Anakin for that matter, so she turned back to her blue milk. Obi-wan met Anakin's eye before they both turned to their trays and brought up another conversation for the rest of the meal.