Star Wars One-Shots

Flight Path

Author's Note: This is a gift for Sinvulkt for the 2023 May 4th Disaster Lineage Appreciation Exchange! I know you're gonna love it! :D

BEHOLD! The long-awaited sequel one-shot to Bygone! :')

You don't need to read Bygone first, but... it might make more sense if you do? Idk. Lol. Anyway, enjoy the fluff! ^-^

~ Amina Gila

Sidious never let him fly, preferring to keep him chained, and even though Anakin was trapped as a dragon for decades, losing his humanity and memories for a time, he has not lost his love for flying. It's taken months for him to recover, and now that he and his family are taking a trip to Alderaan, he has the perfect opportunity to test his wings again.

Anakin hums as he looks through the viewport, watching the mountainous peaks of Alderaan up ahead of them. "It looks the same," he remarks, as he angles the shuttle down to land.

Leia's expression is wistful as she stares out at the world where she grew up. Maybe the Organas were forcibly removed – and her adoptive parents publicly executed as rebels – but she is still the princess of his world. For all that Anakin regrets he was unable to raise his children, he's just grateful that they had a good childhood. The Organas were good people, and Anakin knew Bail personally even if they weren't friends. The Lars are his stepfamily, and they, too, would have given Luke a good life. It's more than he can ask for.

"It does, doesn't it," she murmurs, leaning closer to the viewport, staring at the snow-capped peaks in the distance as the shuttle lands.

A tendril of excitement worms through Anakin as he rises from the pilot's seat, ushering everyone to the ramp to disembark. He didn't realize how much he missed flying ships until they left Coruscant to come here for a short vacation from the chaos in the galaxy. Ahsoka had insisted on it, saying that they should all take some time for themselves to just be together, and Anakin had agreed. Together, the two had persuaded everyone else – Obi-Wan, Luke, Leia, and Rex – to come along, too.

But for all that Anakin has missed flying ships, he has missed flying in his other form even more. Maybe he shouldn't, but as a dragon, flying was always so freeing for him, feeling the wind rushing past him as he swooped and soared. He hasn't shifted again since his children first forced him to shift back to his human form, and he feels a certain nervous anticipation at the thought. On one hand, he's admittedly scared, because he was trapped as a dragon for so many years. But on the other hand, he... loves being a dragon. It offers a freedom and power that's unmatched by anything else, and as a dragon, he has saved so many people, so many friends. He was a dragon just as much as a man during the Clone Wars.

The fresh air is crisp and cool, and Anakin inhales deeply, feeling the peacefulness of the planet and the nature around him seep into him. He still struggles a lot, especially with depression and his own actions. He knows what he did after he Fell now, vaguely at least, through reports and whatever information he's weaseled out of people, but he doesn't remember it. He doesn't know why. Why he Fell, why... any of it. No one knows anymore, and Anakin is only grateful that no one harbors any negative feelings against him for it.

It – he has lost so much time, and physically, he's hardly any older than his children are now. It's weird, and even though it's been months, he's still struggling to adjust to a galaxy that is the polar opposite of everything he remembers.

And maybe that's partially why Ahsoka suggested that they come here, so he could get a break from the stress of everything and have a chance to relax somewhere where he can feel safe.