The Tragic Jedi | Anakin Skywalker

𝓢𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓮 𝟐𝟏

❝𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙎𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚... 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙎𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.❞  -- 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙔𝙤𝙙𝙖

❈✱❉✤❈✱❉

Astrid had only meant to rest her eyes, not necessarily fall asleep. But she must've dozed off on Anakin's shoulder because when she was gently shaken awake, she found the sun was already halfway below the horizon, and the stars were beginning to glimmer in the sky.

"Astrid, it's time to go," Anakin told her gently from beside her.

She lifted her head from his warm, comfortable shoulder, and she realized how chilly it had gotten with the setting sun. She rubbed tiredly at her eyes, feeling perhaps more tired than she had been when she had first fallen asleep.

Anakin spoke quietly, "It's dark enough that I think we can get out of here without being spot by any lingering droids." He paused before saying, "I need to go to my mother before we go back to Obi Wan. She needs me."

Astrid nodded in understanding and said without pause, "I'll go with you." 

He hesitated a moment before dipping his head. "We will have to visit Watto, my old master. My mother should still be working for him." His voice was tinged with bitterness. Anger flashed like blue fire in his eyes as he added, "Perhaps Watto is the danger." 

Astrid rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder and suggested placatingly, "Let's just go see your mother, okay? Then, we'll see what the problem is." 

Anakin nodded begrudgingly, and Astrid moved into a crouch, pebbles rolling underneath her boots. She peeked through the two boulders and looked up and down the mountain. There was no sign of movement, so it must be safe enough for them to move without getting caught again.

Anakin moved into a crouch as well, and the two of them slipped between the two boulders and back onto the mountain trail. This time Astrid led the way, and she was careful to keep her footsteps quiet as she hurried down the mountain. 

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a starship taking off, and they ducked low to the ground and pressed themselves against the rock wall as they looked up at the sky. On top of the mountain, a Separatist ship rose into the air before it shot into the sky and disappeared within moments. 

"Maul," Astrid whispered, her heart racing even though she knew Maul probably couldn't see them. Anakin nodded. 

"He must be leaving because he knows his droid factory ruse is over."

They stood back up, and Astrid crouched to the ground as she gripped a corner of a boulder with a hand and swung herself down. Anakin landed beside her a moment later. It took them fifteen minutes to get down the mountain, and several times they had to stop when they came across another cave opening. 

Even though Maul had left, Astrid was surprised they didn't run into any droids on the way down. She thought Maul would have ordered the droids to remain and scour the mountain for the two of them. But maybe the droids had been doing that all day, and Astrid just didn't known because she had fallen asleep. 

Since Anakin and Astrid had been taken to the caves, leaving their skipper behind in Mos Eisley, they had to trek across the desert on foot. Astrid's feet sunk into the sand as she walked beside Anakin, and she wrapped her arms around her body to tug her cloak tighter around her as the temperature plummeted with the suns.