There once was a boy named Anakin Skywalker, who was found to be very strong in the Force, the energy which gave a group of people called Jedi special powers. Among the most well known were mind tricks, telekinesis, as well as precognition. But a lesser known power some did possess was growing plants, although that power took not quite as much concentration, and it was manly reserved for Jedi who took care of the gardens where they grew fruits and vegetables they used to feed themselves, as well as medicinal plants.

Anakin, however, was not like most of the Jedi. You see, most of the Jedi living in the Jedi Temple now, they arrived when they were just little babies because they had a rule that members of the Jedi Order could not have attachments, and that included their parents. Anakin was nine years old, which meant he could remember his mother, and it would likely take longer for him to master the appropriate Jedi skills to become a great master someday.

The Jedi Council was reluctant to take the boy in, but a kind man named Qui-Gon Jinn saw potential in Anakin, and was adamant that the boy be trained. While the other masters said he was dangerous, Qui-Gon agreed that to some extent they were right; if he wasn't trained properly, his abilities would be dangerous if left in the wrong hands. And not everyone was qualified to take on such a task, but Qui-Gon had faith in Anakin, and he had faith that Obi-Wan could teach him as well, if for any reason Qui-Gon could not. And that turned out to be a good thing because Qui-Gon was now gone.

None of the Jedi sensed Qui-Gon to be dead, but he wasn't the only one to vanish; Anakin's mother Shmi Skywalker vanished too during a battle against a Sith named Darth Maul. No one knew what happened to either of them. The Jedi and Queen Amidala sent out search parties to find any clue to either of their whereabouts, but no one found any clues. Little Ani was devastated, and to make matters worse, he'd been matched with a beautiful blue jewel pegasus pony named Sapphire Beauty, only to be told by the Jedi that she couldn't stay with him.

Sapphire was equally devastated that she wasn't allowed to stay with Anakin. So, she gave Anakin her hair ribbon for him to remember his friend by.

Anakin was left in the care of Qui-Gon Jinn's former student Obi-Wan Kenobi, but the latter wasn't alone. Before his disappearance, Qui-Gon requested Obi-Wan introduce Anakin to Kara Talhin, whom Anakin was shocked to learn was his big sister.

Kara was equally shocked by this. All she knew was that according to Qui-Gon, just before he vanished, he'd sent her a message that she had a little brother. Neither she nor Anakin had any idea how that was possible. Kara didn't look anything like Shmi, and Anakin was pretty sure his mother would've told him if he had siblings. Although, they did theorize they just had the same of one parent, making them half-siblings. Either way, Kara became a second guardian to Anakin while Obi-Wan was teaching him how to be a Jedi.

Obi-Wan didn't show it in his face, but he was terrified, because not only had he rushed to Jedi Knight status, but he met his next biggest challenge yet: parenthood.

Despite being nine, Anakin was not always easy for Obi-Wan to take care of. Obi-Wan had no trouble feeding him; being a former slave, Anakin was used to having not a lot of choices in his meals, but Obi-Wan was also a good cook, so Anakin enjoyed whatever he fed him... except asparagus. Anakin hated asparagus. And at bathtime, Anakin was always splashing and getting Obi-Wan wet. Bedtime was also hard. When Anakin was little, his mom would sing him a lullaby and tuck him in. Obi-Wan wasn't really big on that because Anakin needed to let go of his attachment to his mother. But... Kara would sing him the song because apparently, she knew it too.

Kara was a great big sister. She tutored Anakin whenever he had trouble, and helped him learn to find his way in the temple (that place was like a big maze to anyone unfamiliar with it). Anakin was surprised the Jedi didn't need a map just to find the bathroom in there. But most of all, Kara was there to help Anakin when the other kids were picking on him.

Anakin was a gifted child, but because he was different, all the other younglings were always snubbing him or making fun of him, and that made Anakin angry. Since he had no transmitter in his body anymore, he felt free to let his anger out, but it didn't usually end well. That was why Kara always rushed in to break up the fight whenever Obi-Wan wasn't present.
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As time went by, Anakin began to grow.

It wasn't long before Anakin began to outgrow his first Jedi robes and his boots.

Kara and/or Obi-Wan measured Anakin every so often.

"Look how tall you're getting!" Kara smiled.

Thirteen-year-old Anakin cheered when he saw how big he was getting.
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And while he was getting taller, he was also getting faster, stronger, and smarter too. But all the while, Anakin was lonely. He missed his mother, as well as Qui-Gon, Sapphire, but one he also couldn't stop thinking about since he hit puberty was Padme. Maybe it was hormones talking, but Anakin felt deep down that he and Padme were meant to be.
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One day, sixteen-year-old Anakin was just laying on his bed, feeling bored. Obi-Wan was away on a mission, and Kara was training younglings today. Anakin was supposed to be meditating, but he hated meditation; he never liked sitting still for hours at a time, except when sleeping. He looked in the mirror and pulled out the blue heart diamond amulet Qui-Gon had given him with a sigh.

The amulet was beautiful, but Anakin wasn't sure why it was so important. He only knew it was valuable and Qui-Gon was adamant that Anakin made sure he never lost it. And over the years, he'd brainstormed all kinds of theories to its importance. Was it a gift for someone? Did it hold some kind of power to fight Sith with? Was it a trinket for financial security? Did it hold some historical significance of some kind? Unfortunately, Anakin had to keep this thing a secret from the other Jedi.

Aside from Obi-Wan, Kara was the only other person who knew about it because she had one like it, but with a red ruby. Anakin had asked her if she knew why these amulets had to be protected, but she didn't know why either. She only knew Qui-Gon had made her promise never to take it off so she wouldn't lose it.

While Anakin was learning to be a Jedi, Padme continued to be a leader to her people. She was in her second term as queen of Naboo, and everyone loved her work. Mostly everyone, anyway. The stories of her brave leadership during the invasion by the greedy Trade Federation spread throughout the galaxy.
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Shortly after the celebration, however, Padme had come across a depressed Sapphire, and she asked her what was wrong. Sapphire explained to Padme what happened with the Jedi and that she had to return to Equinaro.

Padme felt awful, and she consoled Sapphire for a while. Then, curious, she asked Sapphire to tell her about where she was from.

Padme was intrigued when she learned about the Enchantra system, but she also couldn't believe it when she learned that system tended to stay away because many of the kingdoms there were taught that ordinas (people without magic) were extremely dangerous. But Padme learned the rulers of the many kingdoms were great people.

Unlike the Republic, Enchantra was mainly run by monarchies, but even they had specific rules for choosing an heir. In many of the kingdoms, you had to earn the title of heir, rather than be the firstborn child. But Sapphire also shared that Darth Maul wasn't the first Sith she'd encountered.

Apparently, Sith had come to the Enchantra system once or twice, but each time, the Enchanteds fought them off because, similar to the Jedi, they had special powers, only theirs was ten times stronger and a bit more complicated, which the Sith couldn't handle. This gave Padme an idea. Before Sapphire left, Padme gave her a message to take to her queen.
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Queen Valentina was surprised to receive such a message. In the message, Padme said...

I understand our systems are very different from one another, and I understand many of your people have been taught that ordinary people are dangerous. However, I also understand that we have a common goal for our people: to protect them and help them thrive. Recently, my kingdom was attacked by a greedy group of people, who aligned with dark forces, whom we might not have survived if Sapphire Beauty had not come to assist. Unfortunately, she was not allowed to stay with the boy she was assigned to because he is now a Jedi. However, if you and your allied would be open to negotiations, I believe the leaders of Enchantra and the Galactic Republic would do well to form an alliance.

Sincerely,

Queen Padme Amidala

Queen Valentina spread this message to the other kingdoms, but like a lot of negotiations, it took a while to convince everyone, if any, to agree to a first meeting. There were lots of powerful kingdoms in Enchantra, and a few different planets.
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On the planet Mythiria existed a powerful aligned group of kingdoms known as the Nine Kingdoms. There was Lefintiscia, a kingdom of sorcerers whose magic specialized in matters of the mind; Plumalas, the kingdom of plumammals, creatures that were half-mammal-half-bird such as griffins and hippogriffs; Maamoh-Yah, the kingdom where a lot of genies lived; Elementara, a kingdom whose magic specialized in earthly elements; Vulgardia, a kingdom of more unusual combinations of animals; Frianieve, a frozen kingdom inhabited by many winter sorcerers and snow dwelling critters; Spirituo, a kingdom of nymphs, fairies, and sprites; Pearlaqua, an underwater kingdom of mermaids; and of course the equine Equinaro.
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After years of negotiations, Enchantra's lawmakers, the Enchantra High Commission (EHC) , agreed to a meeting with the Senate. Naturally, the ordinas were a little worried, knowing the members of this commission had various powers of sorcery. One of them was revealed to be a phoenix, a fire bird, and she could take on a human form.

Knowing some of the creatures of Enchantra breathed fire, had sharp claws, or could turn invisible, it scared some senators, but Padme pointed out that plenty of dangerous creatures existed within the Republic as well, and the Sith were plenty dangerous as well, and they were a common enemy between the Republic and Enchantra.

So, with more aggressive negotiations and some decent chatting during meetings, eventually they came to an agreement.

Chairwoman Carlotta Laverne of the EHC signed a peace treaty, as did Chancellor Palpatine, as well as three other Senate members and three other members of the EHC. And voila, an alliance!

Of course, according to the tradition of many kingdoms in Enchantra, they always held a ball when an alliance was sealed.
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The Naboo Palace was decorated beautifully for a royal ball that was filled with many, many guests. Monarchs from many worlds of Enchantra, senators from the Republic, as well as the Jedi Council were in attendance of this historic event. And it wasn't just the Jedi Council, however. Obi-Wan and his Padawan Anakin were invited to the ball as well, and so was Kara.

Anakin was excited that he'd have a chance to see some of the majestic beasts he'd read about in folklore books over the years, and even more ecstatic when he found out Padme was the one hosting the ball. The Jedi were pretty curious about Enchantra themselves.

The Jedi had been called magical themselves, and they thought perhaps forming an alliance with actual magical creatures would be helpful to protecting their galaxy. But Anakin also thought... maybe Sapphire would be there too and he'd get to see her again.
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Padme looked so beautiful in her new gown. It was midnight blue with sparkles that looked like stars and her hair was done in a beautiful side ponytail.

Kara helped Anakin fix up his fine Jedi robes.

"Kara!" Anakin whined.

"Hold still." Kara said.

Anakin rolled his eyes. Sometimes Kara behaved more like she was Anakin's mother than his sister.

"Now, Anakin," said Obi-Wan. "Remember, best behavior, and do not provoke any of the royal families, especially any with claws and four legs."

"I know, Master." Anakin rolled his eyes.

Everyone was suddenly silent as Queen Amidala stood up to give a speech.

"On behalf of the people of Naboo and all allies of the Republic, I would like to personally thank everyone, especially all of our visitors from the Enchantra System for attending tonight's ball." Queen Padme smiled. "In accordance with the tradition of throwing a ball in celebration of this newfound alliance, I feel inclined to agree with the Enchantra High Commission that this is an occasion worth celebrating. Everyone here is from a unique land, all of which I'm sure we can learn from, and they can learn from us as well..."

Anakin looked around at all of the royal families as Padme gave her speech and then got to meet them personally. There were all kinds of creatures present, was a royal family of griffins, a beautiful alicorn queen, a well-dressed group of minotaurs, and a king and queen who looked like an odd combination of animals. The queen looked to be a light blue wolf with the wings of a gray falcon, while the king looked mostly like a lion with pegasus wings and a horse's tail. They were part of a race of creatures called viventias, and they were indigenous to the kingdom of Vulgardia.

"We are very pleased to be allies," said the queen of Vulgardia to Padme. Her name was Carnatia Bizarra. "On behalf of Vulgardia, my mate King Leofric and our family hope we can be good friends."

"I hope so as well, Queen Carnatia." Padme said, holding out her hand to let Carnatia sniff it. And the wolf-like queen licked it as a sign that she liked her.

"Huh, funny way to seal a friendship." Anakin said.

"Anakin, these kings and queens are of different species." Obi-Wan said. "It would be best not to offend any of them."

That was when Anakin felt some odd tickly feeling by his boot, and he looked to see a creature that looked like a smaller version of Queen Carnatia there. Only, this one looked to have the back end of a horse, probably from King Leofric's side, and she was sniffing Anakin.

"Um... hi?" Anakin said, slowly trying to back up.

"Hi," said the little creature. By her voice, she sounded either five or six. "I'm Vivian."

"Hello, Vivian."

Anakin wasn't sure what this creature wanted, but then he held out his hand like Padme did with the queen. And, like her mother, Vivian sniffed him and then she jumped up on him and started licking him, to the Padawan's disgust, and the amusement of some others nearby.

"Nice job, Anakin. You made a friend already." Kara chuckled.

"Okay, that's enough licking, Vivian." Anakin laughed as Vivian continued to lick him. "Stop it! It tickles!"

"Vivian, let that boy up." Carnatia said.

Vivian paused her licking and got off of Anakin, allowing him to pick himself up and wipe off the slobber with his sleeve. And the child sat down like a well-behaved dog.

"Sorry about that," said Queen Carnatia. "Vivian just loves to pounce."

"I can see that," said Anakin.

He looked at the queen and bowed to be polite. But Anakin didn't notice his amulet hanging from underneath his shirt.

"Ooh! Pretty."

Vivian's eyes lit up when she caught sight of the shiny necklace, which prompted Anakin to quickly hide it again.

Anakin decided to try and to talk to Padme. She was speaking to the alicorn queen, the new ruler of Equinaro, Queen Reigna Saddleheart.

Queen Reigna tossed back her flowing pink mane and said, "On behalf of Mythiria's leaders, we are very honored to be your guests, Queen Amidala."

"And we're honored that you could join us, Queen Reigna." Padme said. And she gently stroked the gold and magenta mane of Queen Reigna and King Orpheus' five-year-old daughter Fantasia. "And little Princess Fantasia is just beautiful."

Fantasia snorted playfully at Padme.

That was when Anakin arrived, and he bowed to the royals.

Padme was happily surprised to see Anakin present at this ball. He was so much bigger than the last time they'd met, and he was a handsome young man too.

"Ani, you're just in time to meet the royal family of Equinaro, one of Planet Mythiria's nine most respected kingdoms." Padme smiled. "Everyone, this is Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker, an old friend of mine.

Queen Reigna's husband, a huge golden brown pegasus named Orpheus, started sniffing Anakin's hair. Anakin remembered Sapphire doing this when she first met him, but he never asked her why she did that.

"Um... what's he doing?" Anakin asked, standing still as Orpheus sniffed his hair.

"In Equinaro, sniffing each other's manes is how we familiarize ourselves with new friends." Queen Reigna explained. Then Orpheus snorted a little air onto Anakin. "And that's Orpheus' way of saying he likes you and will let you pet him."

"Okay. What's the best spot to do that?"

Anakin hadn't interacted with a horse in a while. He remembered Sapphire's favorite petting spot was on the side of her neck, but wasn't sure where Orpheus liked being pet.

"Most of us like it best if you stroke us on the muzzle." Orpheus said. "Including myself."

As Anakin stroked King Orpheus's muzzle, his attention turned to Queen Amidala. He still believed that someday he'd marry her, and he couldn't deny she looked stunning tonight. Despite it being against the Jedi Code, Anakin loved Padme very much, and wanted to prove it to her in any way he could.

Anakin looked around and saw how loving many married couples in the royal families appeared to be toward each other. So, Anakin thought, why not ask them how they found each other.

King Ignatius and Queen Griselda had quite a special story; they'd met during a war time, and the latter saved her then future husband's life. Since then, Griselda had been the one woman to set Ignatius' very soul on fire in her own special way.

The minotaurs had a unique way of finding a mate. In their kingdom, when the calves were old enough to find a mate, they endured a ritual in which they camped and foraged through a maze of rocky mountains. The girls entered at sunset and camped on their own and the boys entered at dawn to search the land for the girls, and whichever they encountered first, that would be their partner for a series of challenges, which if they passed, proving them skilled in cooperation, leadership, and resourcefulness, it confirmed them to be a match, and eventually they get married.

King Coralos' story was a little different. Before he met his beautiful Saphira, he'd been engaged to another mermaid. But days before the wedding, he had cold fins and he ran off to try and cool himself down, only to get lost and to injure his tail to the point where he could barely swim. Then Saphira found him and she nursed him back to health, and she helped him find his way home in time for the wedding, but it was then that Coralos learned his fiancé was more concerned about the status of the wedding than the groom's safety and well-being. Thus, he dumped her right before the ceremony and realized that the one who was there for him was Saphira, and since there was already a wedding set to occur, Coralos asked her to take the bride's place.

Anakin thought all the royal families seemed to have some great stories of their own, especially in the name of finding love. They had all kinds of different ways they found their perfect match, but Anakin still questioned how they knew. But they most often told him that when it's meant to be, the guy and girl will often find that even without trying, they'll find themselves crossing paths again and again. And it appeared every couple endured challenges before they reached the altar, and for some, their love stories taught them important things they never realized they were missing.

Another interesting royal family had to be the royal family of Maamoh-Yah. The queen, referred to as a sultana, wife to the sultan, was named Lanaisha, and she was actually a genie. According to her, she and her husband, Sultan Khalid Harischandra, met when he found her lamp many years ago and freed her from it. And, he used his three wishes to escape a forced marriage, set a new law abolishing enslavement of genies, and used his final wish to free her so they could get married. It sounded so romantic to Anakin.

Now if only I could be with Padme as easily.

"How did you know she was the one?" Anakin asked the sultan. "If your Majesty doesn't mind me asking."

"I wasn't much older than you when I knew it, Padawan Skywalker." said Khalid, he looked at his wife and began wrapping his arm around her. "But, how I knew Lanaisha was the one for me... I fell for her during a dance. As I held her close by me and looked into her eyes, my heart raced in a way no other girl ever made it do. Somehow, even though I couldn't explain it, I just knew she was the one."

"Back then, it was forbidden for humans to fall in love with genies, but that didn't stop us from pursuing our destiny." Lanaisha said, gazing at her husband's eyes. "When you're with the right person, you're willing to take risks just to prove to them how true your love for them is."

Anakin thought about what the sultan and sultana told him for a while, and he knew that that was just how he felt about Padme. He was still two birthdays short of being the legal age for marriage, but he figured it wasn't too early to start showing Padme how much he loved her.

Finally, Anakin worked up the courage to ask Padme to dance.

"Padme, I know I'm just a Padawan..." Anakin began, and he nervously held out his hand. "But I was hoping... may I have this dance?"

Padme seemed a bit surprised by Anakin's request. Anakin seemed to grow more nervous as he waited for her response. Then, she took his hand and said, "I'd be delighted, Ani."

Anakin escorted Padme to the dance floor, and together they started to waltz.

(Cue: "Blue Danube Waltz")

Initially, Anakin expected that at any moment he would trip or accidentally step on Padme's foot. But he didn't. And with each passing second, Anakin felt less nervous as he danced with Padme, and he felt even better as he gazed into her eyes. It looked so romantic as they danced together. They were so effortless, so flawless, and each time Anakin twirled the young queen, it looked and felt as though they were dancing in the clouds.

"I never knew you were so light on your feet, Ani." Padme smiled.

"You'd be surprised what Jedi training does to you." Anakin twirled Padme again, this time holding her in a dip.
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While others were dancing, some folks stopped to have some punch. One of them was a green pegasus, a duchess named Cordelia from Equinaro. She took a sip of punch, only to spit and sputter.

"Ugh! What is this, a ball or a common school dance?" whined the duchess.

Cordelia picked up a bottle of a strong drink with her mouth and poured it into the punch, taking tastes to see if it changed the flavor. But it didn't until she poured about two bottles in.

"Much better."

Now that she was satisfied with the taste, she took a cup for herself. Except, she didn't realize that the punch was being served to everyone as Queen Amidala proposed a toast.

"To a great alliance, friendship, and a peaceful future."

Padme raised her glass, and soon everyone drank the punch.

Shortly after drinking, however, people started to feel kind of dizzy and act all loopy, including the Jedi.

"Ani," sighed Padme as Anakin caught her, albeit dizzily. "My knight in shining armor."

"No fear, my lady." Anakin said dizzily. "Your true love is here."

No one seemed aware of what they were doing or saying for the rest of the ball. Some folks were acting crazy, others just dancing around, and some just fainted and fell asleep.

Anakin, on the other hand, found himself dancing with Padme again until they got to her private quarters, where they fell on the bed together. The two looked at each other and held hands,

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment." Anakin said.

"Stop talking." Padme said, and she got on top of Anakin and puckered up.
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Anakin found himself feeling pretty dizzy later, and he felt a warm sensation on his lips he found he didn't want to stop. But as he felt a sharp pain hit him, he ended the kiss and collapsed.

Except, when Anakin opened his eyes, he yelped, waking Padme.

"What happened?" Padme said, albeit covering herself with a blanket.

Anakin quickly realized he didn't have a shirt on, and he quickly realized his shirt wasn't the only thing missing.

"Did we just...?" Anakin gasped.

"I don't remember," said Padme, equally shocked.

The Jedi and the queen quickly got their clothes on and left the room as discreetly as they could. However, they found that they weren't the only ones in an awkward position.

There was a griffin nesting in one of the chandeliers, Queen Reigna was curled up on the stairs, and outside, Obi-Wan found himself up a tree with King Leofric on a branch.

"How did we get up here?!" Obi-Wan gasped.

That woke the lion viventia king up. Talk about a cat up a tree. A very big cat up a tree.

No one was sure what had happened, but thankfully no one appeared seriously hurt. Just hungover and dizzy.

Anakin looked at Padme and said, "We don't have to tell anyone about this morning, do we?"

"No, we don't." Padme said. "I'm sorry to have put you in that position, Ani."

"I'm not complaining." Anakin leaned a little closer.

"Anakin!"

Anakin backed off, his face turning red.

"Sorry."
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Weeks went by, and Padme went back to her duties as queen. Except, Padme wasn't quite herself about six weeks after the ball and the incident.

Padme was sitting in a meeting when suddenly, she felt sick.

"Your Majesty, is everything all-"

But Governor Bibble didn't get to finish his sentence, as Padme ran off to the nearest washroom and could be heard throwing up from the end of the hallway.

One of Padme's handmaidens arrived to help out, but Padme didn't feel much better. She felt nauseous almost all day. And the next day, she had an odd craving for poached eggs with bananas, spinach, shuraa fruit, and broccoli with a cinnamon donut. Then, Padme began to notice she was having trouble fitting into some of her clothes, and that she'd been gaining weight too.

Padme tried working out and eating healthier, but she found herself feeling tired all the time and sometimes snapping at her staff, which she normally never did.

Padme was very worried, so she decided to consult a doctor.
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"Congratulations, Your Majesty." said the doctor droid. "You are carrying a healthy heir to the throne of Naboo."

Padme was flabbergasted. She was pregnant?! But how was that possible? And then, Padme remembered when she woke up with Anakin.

Padme didn't know what to do. Anakin would only be seventeen by the time the baby was born. He was too young to be a dad, and Padme knew that if people knew who the father was, not only would Anakin get in trouble with the Jedi, but it would be a huge scandal not just for Naboo but for the Jedi as well. But she had to let Anakin know about this. What if the baby was Force sensitive like its father?

So, Padme sent a secure message to Anakin, telling him that she just found out that she was pregnant with his baby. But she asked him if he could send a DNA sample just to be sure it was his. They had both blacked out, after all; anything could've happened.

"Are you sure?" Anakin had said over holo-chat.

"Positive. I triple-checked." Padme said. "It's yours."

Anakin was shocked by this revelation. He couldn't stop thinking about how he was too young to be a dad. He'd never had one himself, so how could he be a father? But then he thought again.

"What are you gonna do?" Anakin asked Padme. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Well, people are already talking about Naboo having its first second generation heir." Padme rubbed her stomach. "It's a big deal, but so is my baby's health. I want to keep the baby, but I wasn't sure how you would feel about the baby."

Anakin told Padme he was ready to do what he had to. He figured, once he was old enough, maybe he and Padme could get married and raise the baby together as a family. Padme wasn't sure that was such a good idea; he was a Jedi no; he'd worked too hard to give that all up, even for a baby. But Anakin was adamant that he had to be a part of the baby's life, even if he had to do it in secret.

"Look, Padme. I don't doubt you'll be a wonderful mother, but I never had a dad growing up." Anakin said. "I won't let my kid go through the same thing I did. Besides, I want to do this. I may be young, but I can do it. I'll get a job if I have to."

Still, Padme told Anakin he needed to stay in the Jedi Order to complete his own training. If the baby did turn out Force-sensitive, she'd hope his or her father could teach them to control their abilities.
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After the call, Anakin could only think about what Padme told him. He had to tell someone about this, and after making her promise on a big sister's word that she wouldn't tell anyone, Anakin told Kara all about it.

"I'm gonna be an aunt?" Kara gasped.

"Yup." Anakin said simply.

"How did this happen?"

"Well, when a man and a woman love each other very much-"

"You know that's not what I meant!"

"Long story short, the ball, the punch was spiked, and I woke up with the queen the next day."

That surprisingly made sense to Kara.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Kara asked.
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Eight months later...

"Push!"

Anakin held Padme's hand the whole time, and stayed right by her side as she was prepared to give birth.

"Don't worry, Padme. You've got this." Anakin said.

The doctors guided Padme through her breathing and the entire process with the contractions. It had felt like days until it was finally time to push, and Anakin's hand felt like it would break at any minute. It took nearly all of his strength not to scream in pain.

After more than fourteen hours of labor, Padme pushed and pushed with all her might, screaming in agony.

"Keep going! You're almost there!" Said the doctor.

"I can't! I can't push anymore!" cried Padme.

"You can do it, Padme." Anakin said as calmly as possible. "You've got this."

Anakin screamed as Padme squeezed his hand even tighter.

"You have no idea what I'm going through right now."

"You're almost there," said the doctor. "Just one more big push."

Padme took a big breath, then with all her might, gave the biggest push she could muster, and the sound of a baby crying soon filled the room.

"It's a girl!" The doctor announced.

Padme sighed with relief as she heard the baby was finally born and healthy. Anakin was equally relieved to hear his child was healthy and alive.

The doctor soon returned with the baby girl. She was so tiny, all bundled up in a pink blanket. The new baby was so beautiful. Dark chocolate brown hair (of which she already had a lot), light peach skin, but the new parents couldn't tell her eye color because her eyes were still closed, and she was still crying. Padme held the new baby dearly in her arms, keeping her close to her body for warmth and gently bouncing her to soothe her crying.

"Hello, Sweetie. I'm so happy to finally meet you." Padme told her new baby daughter.

Padme gently kissed the baby's head, and the newborn slowly stopped crying. The new baby yawned and began opening her eyes, much to the new parents' joy, and as she curiously looked at her parents for the very first time, her eyes were revealed to be a beautiful green, like two shiny emeralds.

"Oh, she's looking at us." Padme giggled. "Hi. Nice to meet you, Baby. I'm your Mommy."

"Do we have a name?" asked the doctor.

Padme looked at the baby and thought about names she and Anakin had discussed. It was long and hard process agreeing on names, but in the end, they decided to call their baby girl...

"Gabriella Rosella Amidala-Skywalker."

"But we'll call you Gabby, for short." Anakin said to the baby.

That was when the baby started to coo a little bit.

"Hello, Gabby." Padme smiled.

"Look at you," said Anakin, also smiling. "Aren't you just a little angel? Our little Gabby."

The baby looked at her parents and started to smile at them each time they said her name.

"Look at that," said Anakin. "She knows her name already. She's so smart."

Padme smiled and held the baby towards him. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Sure." Anakin got a little lower and carefully took his newborn daughter into his arms.

Baby Gabby looked curiously at her father, and he smiled sweetly at her, feeling as though he'd been blessed with Heaven's most beautiful little angel. Anakin gently kissed the baby's forehead and nuzzled her tiny nose.

"Hi, Gabby." Anakin cooed. "I'm your daddy."

Anakin gently stroked the baby's soft cheek with his finger and smiled lovingly at her. He chuckled as Gabby gripped his finger and started sucking on it.

"You probably won't understand this at first, but no matter what, I'm always gonna love you, my baby girl," said Anakin. "And I will never let anything happen to you."

Seeing the joy in the baby's eyes, Anakin was more determined than ever to be a part of Gabby's life, to protect her, and to be with her as much as possible. However, Anakin's thoughts were interrupted as Gabby started crying when he removed his finger from her mouth, as she was hungry for her first feeding.

"Your Majesty, I believe it's time to feed the baby," said the nurse, entering the room.

Anakin gave the baby girl back to her mother so she could feed her and reluctantly left the room. He knew now that even if the Jedi didn't learn that he was the father of this new baby, being her father wouldn't be easy. With the no attachment rules, he would either get expelled, or just be separated from his daughter all the time, and she might never get to know him. Anakin couldn't bear the mere thought of his daughter growing up without a father like he did. But then, another thought crossed his mind.

Jedi were often in danger when they defended others, and the children were in even more danger because they were more susceptible to the Dark Side, which would attract the attention of Sith Lords. The children of royalty and politicians were always being targeted by high-end criminals and bounty hunters looking to collect a ransom. But a child who was half-princess and half-Jedi... that was a once in a millennium rarity! Every bounty hunter, Sith Lord, and crime boss in the Galaxy would be after Gabby if they knew she was Anakin's daughter, especially with him being the supposed Chosen One meant to bring balance to the Force. Now Anakin knew no one could ever know that Gabby was his daughter. At least, not until she was old enough to defend herself and completed her training. For now, Anakin was going to enjoy every moment with his dream girl and their new daughter.
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Anakin met Kara in the waiting room. They'd come up with a cover story that Queen Amidala summoned them on important business so Anakin could be there to see his baby being born.

"Well?" Kara was eager to hear the news.

"It's a girl." Anakin smiled. "Her name's Gabriella."

You can bet, Kara was ecstatic to meet her new baby niece and hold her for the first time.

"Hello, Gabby. I'm your Aunt Kara." cooed the older Jedi. "Yes I am. I'm your aunt Kara."

Gabby cooed up at her aunt as she smiled down at her.

Kara, however, thought it might be a good idea to do a midichlorian count before they did anything else. So they did.

To Anakin and Kara's great surprise, Gabby was found to have a count of almost twenty-thousand like her father. You can probably guess what that meant they had to do.