Ghost of You - Anakin Skywalker x Reader (BOOK 1)

Chapter 78

"I... I..." Anakin stutters. "I couldn't stop myself."

My eyes shift from his trembling hands to the carnage left by his anger. The body of Count Dooku and his severed head is a sight I will never quite be able to forget.

"You could've if you tried," I state with a tone I don't quite recognise.

I don't know how I'm feeling. I'm angry that Anakin allowed the Chancellor to sway his decisions. I'm shocked that he chose to go down that path. Most of all, I'm devastated that I couldn't stop anger from controlling the actions of the man I love.

Anakin raises his hand toward Chancellor Palpatine and pops the restraints loose on his chair. The Chancellor rubs his wrists momentarily before moving in our direction.

"You did well, Anakin. He was too dangerous to be kept alive," The Chancellor applauds.

His resentment of Dooku is justified. As the Chancellor, he has seen the evil he has created. The problem is, he should not have used that to cloud Anakin's judgement. 

"Don't encourage it," I snap.

"He was an unarmed prisoner," Anakin responds, his voice weak and regretful.

"It is only natural. He cut off your arm, and you wanted revenge. It wasn't the first time, Anakin. Remember what you told me about your mother and the Sand People," The Chancellor says.

My mind enters a state of shock. Anakin and I agreed to never tell anyone about what happened with his mother and what he almost did to the sand people. Now I feel betrayed.

"You told him about the Sand People?" I question.

Anakin goes to speak but no words come out. If he truly felt that he could trust the Chancellor with that, then he is far more attached to the man than I thought. Force knows what else he's told him about.

The ship begins to tilt to one side, showing the extensive damage of the explosions. If I want to survive this mission, I need to put aside my feelings and work alongside them both.

I hurry to Obi-Wan and kneel beside him yet again. His pulse is still steady which is a good sign. Anakin kneels beside me and begins to lift Obi-Wan.

"There is no time. We must get off the ship before it's too late," The Chancellor states.

I turn my head to look at the origin of the horrific suggestion. Simply looking at Palpatine makes me angry. I stand up from the ground and glare at him. There is much I want to say, or rather shout, but I restrain myself. 

"I hope you are joking," I reply.

"He seems to be all right. No broken bones, breathing's all right." Anakin explains.

"Leave him, or we'll never make it out." The Chancellor argues.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is selfless, brave, and true. He has risked his life for the Republic and the Chancellor countless times. He deserves more than what he is getting.

"You're deluded if you think we're going to leave him behind. His fate will be the same as ours. I trust that you have no further issues with this, Your Excellency," I counter.

Anakin picks up Obi-Wan and slings him over his shoulder. I'm glad that he put his better judgement over the Chancellor's this time.

 The three of us then head for the elevators. I hit the elevator button multiple times, causing the doors to open. The problem is, the shaft is empty. I'm willing to bet that the damage to the ship deactivated it.

I activate my comlink, "Artoo, Arthree, can you activate elevator 3224?"

The ship suddenly tilts completely forward. The Chancellor is thrown to the ground while Anakin and I jump to the frame of the elevator. I look down into the shaft and there is still no sign of the elevator. The shaft, however, has turned into a corridor of sorts with this new angle.