The Dark Handmaiden | Anakin Skywalker

12. Family

{Grab yourself a hot drink and a snack, this is a long one x}

Is this really me? Valis thought as she eyed her reflection in the mirror.

It wasn't that she didn't feel pretty. It just wasn't what she was used to. Blood red was her colour of choice, or perhaps midnight blue or black. Like a true Sith, she thought amusingly, how cliché.

But here she was wearing a dress made of sage green satin.

The dress was light and free-flowing, with a full length skirt that was soft and delicate. From the waist down it was a plain dress, but the bodice and off-shoulder sleeves were wrapped in a thin layer of silvery mesh, embroidered with tiny lilac forget-me-nots.

For the idyllic landscape of the Lake Country, it was a wise and complimentary choice. She felt like some kind of pretty wildflower, freshly plucked from a sea of long grass.

When she met her companions at the palace's air taxi terminal, luggage in hand, Anakin's eyes widened a little, even daring to quickly skim her body from head to toe and back again. She was striking. Perhaps even as beautiful as Padmé, albeit in a different, hauntingly ethereal kind of way. If Padmé was a butterfly, then Valis was a moth.

The realisation struck him unexpectedly; for years he had thought of Padmé as the epitome of beauty but Valis' existence seemed to suggest that he had grown up blindsided or at the very least, blissfully unaware. Tatooine had not hosted many pretty faces. He wondered, if he had met Valis all those years ago, would he have thought that she was an angel too?

Feeling the brief dance of the Jedi's blue eyes on her, Valis bit back a smug smile and continued to the hovering vehicle ahead. Instead of acknowledging his presence as he stood with R2, she chose to greet the Senator warmly.

Padmé's face beamed when her handmaiden arrived at her side. 'You look lovely,' she said kindly, giving her friend's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Their journey to Varykino Villa would be broken up by a stop at the Naberrie residence. As it was on the way, Padmé  had insisted upon visiting her family. A quick hologram call to her parents had revealed how thrilled they were at the prospect of having dinner together and the plan was thus set in motion.

~

'My father built this house with his own hands,' Padmé announced, as they stood on the cobblestoned street, looking up towards the sky. A shadowy stone archway had led them to the foot of a staircase which curved gracefully towards the entrance of the building. It was a tall but humble townhouse that looked as rugged and as natural as the bright pink flowers that oozed out from the cracks in the sand-coloured bricks.

'It's a pretty house,' Valis replied simply, her eyes snaking from the sun-bathed stone to the faces of her companions. She saw that Padmé's face had lit up with pride, her eyes creasing as she smiled wonderfully at her home. Anakin, on the other hand, was not so moved. His expression was blank, his arms held behind his back, hidden by the dark brown fabric of his Jedi cloak. He was unwillingly displeased by the harmonious sight, and Valis thought that perhaps he felt jealous, in the same way that she did.

She turned again to Padmé. 'You are lucky to have grown up here,' she said truthfully.

There was no time for the Senator to respond. Childish giggling erupted from the top of the stone staircase, soon followed by the appearance of two little girls with wide, beaming smiles. Valis raised her eyebrows in surprise as the children raced down the stairs, their arms reaching eagerly for Padmé. They must be her nieces, she deduced, seeing as Padmé had no kids of her own.

'Ryoo!' The Senator exclaimed, lifting one of the girls into her arms and spinning her around joyfully. Valis watched as they became a happy blur of blue velvet, curly hair and laughter and unconsciously the corner of her mouth twitched into a small smile.