A FEW HOURS LATER, Hera and Anakin stepped off of the private water speeder that they had been provided. Anakin was the first to step off before turning and helping Hera, who now wore a pastel short wrap dress. The colors started at white, faded into a yellow, pink, and then purple. She wore some gold heels that added a few inches to her height. Her hair had been left in it's half-up half-down state, but she had added a gold tiara that resembled her royalty.
Hera led Anakin up a set of stairs that led to a beautiful terrace that overlooked the garden a nd the small beach. The blue water crashed against the sand as a few birds flew above. A handmaiden followed furthur behind with their luggage. They stop at the balustrade and lean against it. Hera looks out across the garden and the lake, remembering some memories from when she would visit her family. Anakin, however, was to busy staring at Hera.
"When I had first become an apprentice, I used to come here with my siblings for a small reunion. See that island?" hera asked, pointing directly in front of the them where there was a small island in the middle of a lake. "We used to swim here every day. I love the water."
"I do too," Anakin repsonded, still looking at her while trying ot catch her eyes, but she refuses to look at him. "I guess it comes from growing up on a desert planet."
Hera, fully aware of Anakin's stare, tries to look at everything but Anakin. "...We used to lie on th esand and let the sun dry us... and try to guess the names of the birds singing."
"I don't like sand," Anakin said, causing Hera to glance his way but not look directly at him. "It's coarse and rough and irritaiting, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything's soft... and smooth..."
Anakin begins to caress the skin of Hera's arm, causing small goosebumps to form on her skin. She let out a small shaky breathe as she begins to come receptive to the way Anakin was looking at her.
"There was a very old man who lived on the island. He used to make glass out of sand - and vases and necklaces out of glass. They were magical," Hera said softly, closing her eyes for a second before opening them.
"Everything here is magical," Anakin said, almost whispering as he looked deeply in her eyes.
"You could look into the glass and see the water. The way it ripples and moves. It looked so real... but it wasn't," Hera said, trying to look over the edge of the railing to see the reflection of herself in the water edge.
