On the Wings of Valkyrie

Chapter CXVIII

"Now, Luna, I want the honest truth: What's going on?" Padmé asked. There were a number of reasons that question left her mouth, but in the end, she found that out of all the possible responses—like why Anakin was acting upset yet apologetic, eying the girl or why the Jedi hadn't come home the night before and the girl had stayed up or just what was happening in in general, what was going to happen—there was only one she really wanted at that moment:

What was going on in Luna's head.

Because that mask the senator had been spending weeks trying to peel fragments off had snapped fully into place. But Padmé could see past it. Not easily and not well, but she could.

So she could see the fear and terror and worry that was eating away at the teenager standing in front of her. The confusion, the lack of direction, as though Luna was watching some sort of natural disaster happen in front of her, helpless to do anything.

So what was happening that made Luna look at the world around her as though she was simply waiting for a tsunami to sweep her into its ever growing undertow?

"Anakin learned something that I already knew. He's a bit upset," the girl stated, her eyes looking past Padmé, seeing something else.

This is why the woman needed to be more specific.

"It was to be expected."

"That's not what I meant," Padmé quickly said. Something had changed since the night before when he had dropped the girl off and now. Padmé could sense it, and while she feared that Luna's hidden knowledge may be doing more harm than good at the moment, it could not explain what she was seeing. Yes, it hadn't been much of a secret that Anakin hated things he wasn't privy to, and the fact Luna had so many, mostly because of necessity, was not something the Jedi Knight was completely fond of. Yes, he would be upset, but at this point he should know better than to get after the girl. There had to be something else to it. Something to explain the sudden distance between the Senator's husband and the teen girl.

"Luna, what happened after Obi-Wan took you to the Temple this morning?" There. That flash of emotion though Padmé couldn't pinpoint its origin. She'd hit something.

But....instead of opening up, Luna shut down: "Nothing happened. What makes you think that?"

Perhaps the fact the girl appeared to be attempting to be as distant from the Jedi as she could despite? More distant than when they'd first met and been strangers?

Padmé needed to talk to Anakin. It was clear the girl wasn't going to say anything, but maybe he would explain. Help her make sense of this seeming stranger wearing Luna's face that he'd brought home.

Speaking of the Jedi, he'd come up behind her. A fact Padmé knew for a mixture of reasons, but mostly because Luna had shifted ever so subtly, as though to place the Senator directly between her and the Jedi.

She was....scared of Anakin? What in Shiraya's name?

"I'm going to go read," Luna stated. She didn't wait for a response, already turning to race down the hallway. Padmé watched the hasty retreat confused.

"Anakin, what happened?" Her voice held the authority of Queen Amidala, and while said name held no royal authority anymore, it more than got the fact she fully expected a complete answer across

"I got a bit mad at her earlier," Anakin admitted, running a hand through his unruly hair as he moved to a nearby window. Padmé turned to look at her husband, finding he did indeed feel guilty. "Don't know my own strength."