Written by Anne Blair
Based on some situations originated by George Lucas.
Darth Vader—now Anakin Skywalker
again—moved slowly through the forest, away from the ashes of his armor and
mortal remains. He didn’t know where to go or what to do now, but he wasn’t really
surprised that he hadn’t joined the Force at his death. After all he had done,
he would probably have tainted it with darkness.
He heard the sound of a
celebration in the distance and moved towards it. Fireworks burst overhead,
bathing the forest in light for a moment before fading away again.
The Emperor was dead. That was
what the celebration was about—the end of Sidious’ reign of terror—the end of
the empire he had built on the smoldering remains of a democracy already
nearing its end when he had taken power.
And he, Anakin Skywalker, had
killed him.
It had been one of the hardest
decisions of his life—should he stand at the side of the man who, in spite of
all the evil he had done, had been a father figure to him since he was nine
years old, or should he defend his son, the young man who had believed in him
despite his actions, who radiated light in the Force, who had been born of the
love he and Padmé had shared?
In the end, his son had won out,
and he had fulfilled his destiny, destroying both the Emperor and himself, and
in doing so, destroying the Sith.
But where did he go from here?
Were there others like him in the galaxy, or was he the only one? Was this the
ultimate fate of a Sith—to wander alone forever? Was this the immortality
Sidious had hinted at?
He stopped, startled, as two blue
figures shimmered into view ahead of him on a ridge overlooking the
celebration. Still keeping himself invisible, he crept forward, surprise
filling him as he realized who they were.
Obi-Wan and Yoda.
It seemed impossible. Obi-Wan and
Yoda had both been Jedi, strong in the light side of the Force. There had been
no darkness in either of them—none that he had ever sensed, anyway—and yet here
they were.
Neither had vanished into the
Force as he had always been taught that Jedi did.
He stepped up beside them, seeing
Luke gazing up at them. He wondered if he, too, should make an effort to become
visible, but the decision was taken out of his hands as the two ghosts sensed
his presence and, looking towards him, drew him into view.
Anakin looked down at his son,
smiling as Luke’s eyes met his, the expression in them unmistakable—gratitude
and pride in him, even after all he had done.
He stood there for a few moments
more, watching the celebration, before he felt a ripple in the Force and began
fading away, realizing that Obi-Wan and Yoda were no longer beside him.
He was surrounded by darkness
now, broken only by the twinkling of distant stars. He should have felt cold,
he thought, or afraid, but strangely, he felt neither. It was as though he had
finally found the serenity that Obi-Wan had tried so hard to teach him as a
Padawan.
Then, as he turned slowly, he
sensed something opening in the Force, brightening and lighting his way. He
turned fully towards it and found a beam of light, not the straight, focused
beam of a lightsaber, but something brighter and all-encompassing, beckoning
him onward.
No longer hesitating, he moved
into it, feeling it envelop him and push him forward, faster and faster, until
he emerged into a broad plain of green grass and flowers, not unlike the one in
which he and Padmé had picnicked so many years before when their love had been
budding and innocent, before wars and darkness and the lure of the Sith.
There was a lake nearby, just as
there had been in those days on Naboo. He started towards it, only then
realizing that he was not alone. A group stood nearby, waiting for him.
He moved towards them, smiling as
he recognized them. Yoda was there, but green and solid now, as he had known
him in life, a look of approval on his face—something Anakin had rarely seen in
his days as a Jedi. Obi-Wan stood beside him, no longer looking like the old
man Luke had known and Vader had killed, but once again the young Jedi who had
been Anakin’s mentor and best friend.
Beyond them stood the Lars—Owen
and Beru, Cliegg—and standing beside them, Shmi. She stepped forward,
enveloping him in her arms for the first time since he was nine years old.
"Ani," she murmured,
her face lighting in a bright smile. "I’m so proud of you. I knew you
would make it. I knew I would see you again."
Anakin was overwhelmed. He had
never expected to see her again, and she looked so different now from her
appearance in the Tusken camp—whole and healthy again, with no sign of the
agonizing injuries that had taken her life so many years before.
"Mom," he whispered,
returning the embrace with all his strength. "I missed you."
They stood that way for a few
moments before Anakin felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, finding Qui-Gon
standing there, his eyes twinkling approvingly.
"There’s someone else
waiting to see you, Anakin. She’s waiting down at the lake."
Anakin turned towards the lake,
seeing a dark-haired woman gazing out over the water, her curls cascading down
her back and her elegant gown billowing slightly in the breeze.
"Padmé."
She turned to him, smiling, and
Anakin hurried towards her, his steps slowing as he reached the shore, then
stopping a short distance from her. Was she really waiting for him? How could
she want to see him after all he had done? His turn to the Dark Side, his first
actions as Vader—all had been for her in a misguided attempt to save her life.
An attempt, he realized now, that had actually brought about her death.
Padmé saw his hesitation and
stepped towards him, taking his hand in her own and bringing him to her. She
touched his face, her eyes shining with a love that had never ended, no matter
what he had done.
"Ani." She drew him
into her arms, her eyes on his. "I knew there was still good in you. You
did it. You came back."
Anakin smiled as he leaned down
to kiss her, knowing that all was forgiven now. The past, the years of
darkness, were over, and he had truly returned to the light.
Forever.
The End.