Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader (Disney Junior Novel (ebook)) by Windham Ryder

Author:Windham, Ryder [Windham, Ryder]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Young Adult - Fiction
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2014-05-04T04:00:00+00:00

“Ani, I’m pregnant.”

Still in the shadows of the Senate Offices hallway, Anakin suddenly felt light-headed. Padmé stared into his eyes, waiting for him to say something. “That’s—” he began, then sighed and looked away. With the sudden realization that their marriage could not be a secret much longer, his first thoughts were of how this development would impact on their lives. Padmé might be recalled to Naboo, and I’ll be cast out in disgrace from the Jedi order. It will be a scandal.…

Then his gaze met Padmé’s again, and he saw how frightened she was.

“Well,” he said, “that’s won—that’s wonderful!” He smiled.

Less than assured, Padmé said, “What are we going to do?”

“We’re not going to worry about anything right now,” Anakin said, holding her tight. “All right? This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life.”

Later that night, in Padmé’s apartment in Galactic City, Anakin had a nightmare so terrible that he nearly shouted when he awoke. He tried to ease himself out of bed quietly so Padmé would not be aware of his absence, but she woke up too and found him standing on the terrace, watching the air traffic glide past her apartment windows.

“What’s bothering you?” Padmé asked.

“Nothing,” he said. Padmé was wearing the good-luck charm that Anakin had carved for her shortly after they’d met. He reached out to touch the charm and said, “I remember when I gave this to you.”

Padmé gave him a hard stare and said, “How long is it going to take us to be honest with each other?”

Anakin took a deep breath. “It was a dream,” he admitted.

“Bad?”

“Like the ones I used to have about my mother…just before she died.”

“And?”

“And it was about you.”

Padmé moved closer to Anakin and said, “Tell me.”

Anakin moved a short distance away. “It was only a dream,” he said, but as soon as the words had been uttered, he felt them to be untrue.

It wasn’t just a dream. It was real, and it’s going to happen.

He turned to face Padmé and said, “You die in childbirth.”

Padmé tried not to cringe. “And the baby?”

“I don’t know.”

Padmé moved again to Anakin’s side. “It was only a dream,” she said, now trying to convince herself as well as placate Anakin.

“I won’t let this one become real,” Anakin vowed.

“This baby will change our lives,” Padmé said. “I doubt the queen will continue to allow me to serve in the Senate. And if the Council discovers you’re the father, you’ll be expelled.”

“I—I know,” Anakin stammered, trying to push away those realities. “I know.”

“Do you think Obi-Wan might be able to help us?”

“We don’t need his help,” Anakin said, and glowered as he imagined his Master’s reprimands. When he noticed that Padmé looked frightened by his expression, Anakin shifted his features into a gentle smile and said, “Our baby is a blessing.”

Anakin thought about the dream again, hoping that it wasn’t an accurate depiction of things to come, but somehow knowing in his heart that it was. Fortunately, he knew someone who was something of an expert on premonitions.

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