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(a/n): Okay this chapter turned out a lot longer than expected (about 5.5k words) so take breaks if you need💕

Also y'all aren't even ready for the spice in this chapter🥵✨

(y/n) POV:

"This is gorgeous." I breathed to myself in awe.

I was currently looking at myself in the mirror, admiring the ball gown given to me by my Mom. I had never seen an outfit like this in my entire life; a long black dress scattered with thousands of miniature sparkles. It was strapless, leaving the skin of my shoulders and upper back bare. The shoes—what I assumed were high heels—were an elegant gold color, and I was impressed with how they perfectly enhanced the grandeur of the dress. I also had a mask, which was black and patterned mysteriously.

(This is what I had in mind, but imagine the style however you want😌💗)

In this outfit, I truly looked like a Queen. And I felt like one too.

I had left my scar uncovered, just like Anakin wanted me to. And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised now that I was looking at it after he said I looked beautiful. It actually looked pretty badass. I mean, I still have to get used to it seeing as it'll never go away. It will fade, but the mark of it will always be there. Maybe it won't be so bad though. After all, I would be the toughest looking Queen in the galaxy.

With a last breath of my sudden burst in confidence, I left my position in front of the mirror and sauntered out of my room.

Aero was already waiting for me, and guided my down the hallway as I linked arms with him.

Everyone coming tonight would be dressed with great splendor; including Anakin and Obi-Wan. Jedi only wear clothing like this if they're undercover, or invited to a fancy event, which is pretty rare. I couldn't help but wonder as I approached the ballroom; how handsome would Anakin look in a suit? And what would he think of me, in this dress?

My confidence slowly dissolved into nervousness, as I found myself fretting over how I looked. I'd never do such a thing normally, but these new feelings I have are prompting me to want to look my best around Anakin. I've been subconsciously fixing my hair, and checking my makeup through any reflective surface I find.

I swept those thoughts away and distracted myself with another nerve-wracking topic. Despite the fact that I was over-the-moon excited for tonight, I had a really bad feeling.

I tried meditating, hoping to get some sort of vision of the future or at least a push in the right direction, but I was left with nothing. I can't explain it, I just know something disastrous will happen tonight. I wanted to talk to Obi-Wan about it, but I couldn't find him out and about today. And there was no way I would go to Anakin. So, I feel stuck with this right now.

"You ready?" Aero asked with a small smile as we finally approached the doors to the ballroom.

I took a deep breath before putting on my black mask, and smoothing out my curled hair. "Yes."

I unlinked arms with him so that when we went in, people wouldn't immediately assume that I was royalty. It was practically custom for a guard to walk a royal almost everywhere, so I planned to walk way ahead of him while he stayed behind with a good enough angle to be able to keep an eye on me. After all, I was basically undercover.

When he opened the large doors for me, the first thing I noticed was the swarm of people already inside the grand room. I stood stunned for a moment and gazed around dumbfoundedly. I thought I would be early, but I guess I took longer to get ready since I spent a lot of time—literally—contemplating life.

The ballroom looked as elegant as ever; gold and white walls decorated with the finishing touches of our black and white theme. The chandeliers hung beautifully, spilling fluorescent light onto the hundreds of guests below. A smile tugged at my lips when I noticed instantly that everyone was either engaged in conversation, or just enjoying themselves.

"They're all looking at you." Aero
whispered to me.

My heart began to beat so fast when I noticed some of the eyes in the crowd turned to me. When they locked on me, many people murmured in surprise, probably at the sight of my dress.

I chuckled nervously, "So it seems." I didn't want to focus on the eyes that were currently on me. I've never had this kind of attention before, and it felt weird. Not necessarily bad, but not good either. I just wasn't used to it; I'm always used to blending in the background of everything.

But the one thing that fully got
my attention was was another face at the side of the room, and even through their mask I could tell they were staring right at me.

It was Anakin. And just as I expected, he looked hot in a suit.

But the other thing I noticed that made my heart warm was that the blue hibiscus flower—somehow still in good condition—was attached to his suit on the right of his chest. I knew that was something men typically did; putting flowers up on their formal attire. I was just shocked that he had kept the flower after I had given it to him that one time.

My mouth parted slightly as I took in the rest of his appearance, subconsciously staring at him as if I was put under a spell. Even from here, I saw that cocky smirk rise upon his lips when he caught me staring at him. I blushed from under my mask and turned my head away, hurrying further into the crowd to hide myself.

Eventually I got to the long tables of food and drinks, where I stopped to grab some crackers. Aero appeared beside me and grabbed the last cracker out of my hand, then popped it in his mouth, making me feign an annoyed expression, "How dare you? Now I'm going to starve." I huffed.

"I'm terribly sorry, your Majesty. Please don't cut my head off. I'm quite attached to it." He pouted slightly with an innocent expression, which then caused both of us to burst out into laughter.

He looked at me more seriously when we stopped laughing, "Have you seen Avery by any chance?" He asked hesitantly.

I shook my head, feeling a heavy weight tug at my heart. "No. Not since this morning." I saw her a couple of times pacing outside, and then pacing inside, but she never stayed in one place long enough for me to get to her. The way our last conversation ended didn't sit right with me at all, not to mention the fact that I still don't have answers about Luca. I tried looking for him today as well, but didn't see him at all, which completely unsettled me.

Honestly, maybe I'm just being paranoid. This whole thing isn't even a big deal, but I just wish I had some reassurance that everything was alright.

Aero nodded, and looked like he was lost in thought contemplating something. I chewed my lip, wondering silently if he was actually going to confess his feelings tonight.

He then looked above my head and smiled, trying to hold back a laugh but failing. "I'm going to go look for her. It looks like you have some company coming." He winked playfully and idled away from me.

A few seconds later, a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist and spun my whole body around until I was chest to chest with someone, whose other arm snaked around my waist tightly before I could try escaping.

"Anakin." I gasped in shock while looking up at him, instinctively placing my hands on his chest.

I didn't even hear or sense him coming. His mask was off, so now I could see all of him more clearly. Being this close to him awakened the nervousness inside of me, increasing my heartbeat, and turning my legs to jelly. His scents completely penetrated my nose; the signature vanilla, cinnamon, and roses. That's always what it was. Those scents are who he is, at this point.

He used the hand that grabbed my wrist to lift my mask up, resting it on top of my head. He smiled warmly when he saw my face, "Aren't you a sight?" He eyed me up and down in astonishment.

I wrapped the strap of the mask around my wrist, then gazed back up at him shyly. "You're not half bad yourself." I joked, hesitantly placing my hands around his neck, feeling the softness of his blonde hair. He brought both of his hands to my waist, and then slowly slid them down to my hips as if feeling out my curves, making the butterflies in my stomach return from the intimate gesture.

"You're right, I'm much more handsome then all the other men here." He smirked
arrogantly, while gently swaying our bodies side to side, transitioning into continuously patterned steps.

I rolled my eyes, "Keep telling yourself that, Master." I tried to make my comment seem like a joke, even though I completely agreed. He is the most handsome guy here, outshining everyone else. It feels like no one else—and nothing else—exists in this moment, just us, slowly dancing together. Like fallen leaves dancing in a nighttime breeze, or flames in a fireplace dancing in sync as their sparks surface, making them so much brighter.

I cleared my throat, regenerating some of my infamous sass, "So, did you come over here to tell me everything I'm doing wrong, or give me an insipid lecture about ballroom protocol?" He scoffed in amusement and hoisted my body off of the ground for a moment before putting me down, perfectly timed just as the background music reached its pinnacle.

"No." He repositioned our hands to grab one of my own and back away from me so he could twirl me around. "But I do have a question." He said after he spun me into him so that my back was against his front. His large hands held my hips tightly against his own, and I instinctively placed my hands over them. I felt his head bend down so that his soft lips brushed against the skin of my temple, ghosting a gentle kiss over it, and making me freeze in place as I remembered our encounter yesterday by the pond.

"Why didn't you come last night?" He asked against my temple. His voice was so quiet—like he was telling a secret—that I almost couldn't hear it over the soft buzzing chatter of the guests. While he waited for my answer, we swayed rhythmically side to side in this position, following the beat of the lovely background music. His breathing brushed across my skin, giving me a ticklish feeling.

I gulped down a lump that formed in my throat, preventing me from speaking correctly. "I....I couldn't. I was busy." I squeaked out.

One of the hands on my hip moved up and he traced his index finger along my bottom lip, while the rest of his fingers caressed across my chin. "What did we say about lying, (y/n)?" He asked, his lips still against my temple. His fingers glazed over my bottom lip teasingly while he waited for a response.

I felt like I couldn't even breathe now, as I usually did when I'm this close to him. My body felt like it was completely under his control, that he could make me feel however he wanted without even trying. It was like torture, but it felt so good at the same time and I couldn't take another second of it. So I forced myself to snap out of the trance I was in and break out of his hold. Not looking back, I ran through the crowd, desperate to find someone—anyone—else.

I shakily placed my fingers over my temple where his lips were, faintly missing his soft touch. My breathing was was so heavy now; what was that? Is he trying to seduce me, or something?

Well, whatever he was trying to do clearly worked. I thought I would melt into his hold if I hadn't run away when I did. I couldn't do that, especially not in front of all these people. I groaned in utter embarrassment; I can't believe I just ran away like that. He's definitely going to be annoyed with me. I seriously need a distraction.

"Would you care to dance?" A voice I didn't recognize asked from behind me.

Perfect timing.

I turned around and was greeted with a charming looking man, who was currently holding one hand out for me to take, while the other was behind his back. He looked like a decent guy, not that I particularly wanted to dance with him, but it will definitely distract me from my haywire emotions and hormones.

I nodded, giving him a friendly smile, and slowly placed my hand in his, "Ah, why not?"

He brought my hand up to his lips, "I must say," He pulled me forward to place his other hand around my lower back, "I feel so honored to have stolen a dance with the prettiest woman in the room."

I laughed uncomfortably, putting my other hand on his shoulder. I won't have to do this for too long, I just need to do something to shake off my nerves.

We began slowly dancing, and the man tried to make flirtatious small talk with me. I indulged him for a while, and I think he probably told me his name at one point, but I wasn't paying attention anymore. I became quite bored, he didn't have anything interesting to talk about. And I myself didn't have anything interesting to say.

Dancing with him was nothing like dancing with Anakin. The chemistry was already there with Anakin, and the way we moved together, the way we touched, our interactions; it was all so perfect.

And speaking of my short-tempered Master, I eventually took my eyes off of the guy I was dancing with, and met a pair of familiar eyes burning holes into me. Anakin wasn't just annoyed, he was angry. I could feel it from the opposite side of the room where he was standing. I turned my head away from his glare; is he jealous? No, that can't be it. Right?

I shook that silly thought away and continued dancing and making pleasant conversation with the guy. Anakin is always angry about something, so I shouldn't read too much into it.

Obi-Wan POV:

"This is truly a magnificent party." I complimented Lilliana, who was overlooking the crowd anxiously. Her eyes never left (y/n), who I noticed was dancing and conversing with someone I didn't recognize in the crowd. I wasn't even surprised when I saw Anakin not too far away, looking as broody as ever while glaring in her direction. I swear, those two are so oblivious of each other.

I sighed when the nervous Queen next to me didn't reply, "Lily, your daughter is one of the bravest, most capable Jedi I know. Trouble will always come, that's just how this world is. But I am fully confident that (y/n) can handle herself no matter what situation she may fall into."

This time she glanced over at me with palpable admiration in her eyes and chuckled, "How do you always find the right thing to say?"

"As I'm sure you're aware, my Queen," I gently grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor, "I have quite a way with words, among other things." I placed my other arm around her lower back as I spoke.

She shook her head in amusement, putting her arm over my shoulder, "The night has barely begun. Don't tell me you're already trying to seduce me."

I grinned sheepishly, "Who, me? Never." I shook my head, as if her comment was a ludicrous accusation.

She rolled her eyes as we moved skillfully in sync with the music, reminding me nostalgically of the time I was in Alderaan all those years ago. Even back then when I was merely her Jedi protector, we had danced together at parties like this whenever she wasn't occupied. To her, it was just a fun gesture. But to me, it was so much more. Seeing her lovely smile brighten and hearing her contagious laugh is what began to draw me in, until I was too deep to pull myself out.

And even now, after all this time, I'm still in too deep.

Avery POV:

I chewed my nails anxiously, leaning against an extra table in the corner of the room. The mass of cliques in the room drowned out my presence,

After Luca stormed off this morning, I was shocked to no end. I didn't know what to think, or what to assume. When I told him that (y/n) was skeptical of him, I swear he turned so pale as if he had just seen a ghost.

I tried running after him, but he was already gone by the time I left the room. So the whole day I've been pacing and overthinking like a maniac. Part of me wanted to tell (y/n) what happened, but the other part of me still wanted to prove her wrong and believe that nothing ill-intended was going on, and that Luca was just sneaking out to do whatever it is that boys do when they're alone. And if it's that, then it's probably better that I don't know.

But ultimately, this whole situation is unnecessarily complicated because I don't have any proof that Luca is doing anything bad. So I'm now left with total uncertainty on what to do next.

"What are you doing all by yourself?" A voice asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked over in surprise and saw Aero, standing a few feet away from me and looking concerned.

Not wanting to talk about my issues, I gave him a fake smile and patted the table behind me, "Oh you know, checking for dust bunnies." I hummed and brought my fingers close to my eyes to pretend like I was inspecting them, "Looks like there's none over here."

He smirked amusedly and shook his head, clearly seeing through my charade, "You know you can tell me if something is wrong, right?" His blue eyes met mine with complete sincerity, making me smile.

I've known Aero for quite a while, so I also know that he is a very empathetic and emotional person. The difference between us is that I'm not one to typically talk about my feelings. It's not my style; I prefer to express myself in pretty much any way besides actually saying how I feel. So even though I appreciate the gesture, I waved him off and chuckled awkwardly, "Thanks, but everything is good."

I mentally slapped myself for how awkward that was. I didn't expect him to believe me, but I hope it's clear by now that I don't want to tell him anything. Aero is a sweet guy, and has always been kind to me; if I told him my worries about his brother, it would definitely stress him out. And I don't want to put him through that, especially if my concerns end up being for nothing.

Hesitantly, he nodded in acceptance of my answer. Then he walked towards me, his metal armor clanking softly with each footstep. His smirk returned as he held out his hand, "May I have this dance?" He asked almost inaudibly. He but his lip as he waited for my answer, making me wonder why he had gotten shy so quickly.

Feeling warmth glow in my chest, I took his hand in my own and let him lead me out towards the music where we began dancing. I was already having so much more fun than I did when I was alone in the back of the room. All of my anxiety seemed to fade as the present moment took over. I didn't realize it until now, but Aero's radiant and comforting energy is exactly what I need.

(y/n) POV:

It was unfortunately time for me to change out of the dress and back into my Jedi clothes. The rest of my experience in that party was pretty fun; I talked to some more people, danced with some as well, and got to learn a little bit about the citizens of Alderaan. I felt so lucky to be able to experience a night like tonight, it felt so magical and surreal to be apart of.

So all in all, it's been a lovely ball so far. I have no doubt that this will definitely be a night to remember and look back on in the future.

After I changed, I planned to go back to the ballroom with my lightsaber and comlink ready to act as a regular Jedi keeping watch. Though the halls themselves were silent, I could faintly hear the jovial chatter of all the guests from the other side of the walls.

"Hey." A harsh voice snapped from behind me, abruptly making my heart drop when I realized who it was.

I froze in place, afraid of what would happen if I turned to face him. If I was forced to look at him, to talk to him again, I'd melt into a puddle. My heart would race and I would no doubt stumble over my words. And then he'd definitely know somethings up. Back in the ballroom was already a close call; I had almost completely fallen for his charisma and would've spilled my own secret if I hadn't found the willpower to stop myself.

"What do you want?" I responded while still turned around. I did my best to make my tone sound annoyed rather than nervous. That's the only way I'll get out of this.

I shut my eyes tightly to compose myself when I heard his soft footsteps approach me from behind. Even though I couldn't see, I knew he was very close to me.

"Turn around. Now." He commanded angrily.

Gulping down a lump in my throat—definitely loud enough for him to hear—I slowly turned towards him. My heart leapt to my throat as I made eye contact with him, realizing how close he was to me already. He was also back in his dark Jedi robes, and I could feel his emotions strongly boiling through the force. I had no idea why he was this upset. I tried to think of something I could've done to irk him, but nothing came to mind.

"What are you playing at?" He seethed, slowly advancing towards me as he spoke.

I backed away to maintain a safe distance between us, but stopped moving when I realized that we were at the end of the hallway, so I was left with no way out. "I don't even know what you're talking about, dipwad." I spat.

"You know what you did back there." He accused angrily, completely disregarding my defense.

I shook my head with an expression of utter disbelief, "What, dancing? Having fun? If I recall correctly, that's what you're supposed to do at a ball. Not all of us want to sulk in the corner like an old dullard."

He looked even more pissed off than before, if that was even possible. He stepped closer to me, prompting me to back up until my back was pressed up against the wall. He towered over me menacingly, "You're in so much trouble." He pointed down at me, "You deliberately did that just to piss me off."

I laughed wryly, "What are you gonna do? Put me on timeout?" He was treating me like a youngling, which he knows I hate. And I still don't know what he's even referring to that's made him so provoked.

Anakin brought his face closer to mine, "That would be appropriate, since you're acting like a child." He rose his voice.

"I'm the child?" I poked his chest roughly, "This is coming from the guy who always finds a way to make everything about himself. Is it so difficult for you to consider that maybe I was simply trying to have fun? Or is that concept too complicated for your halfwitted hollow brain?" I asked crossly.

He shook his head and backed away from me, "That wasn't what you were doing. First you just up and left without answering my question, and then you do that. I saw the way you kept looking in my direction, and how uncomfortable you were when you danced with him." As he looked down at me, I saw in his eyes a mixture of frustration and hurt.

That's what this whole argument is about? He's throwing a tantrum just because I danced with someone? Unbelievable.

I scoffed and threw my hands in the air, "You know what? Fine, go cry about it. I don't care anymore. I'm done with this conversation, and I'm done with you." I was fuming. He has no right to get pissy with me about something like this. All I wanted to do now was leave before I had to stay and endure another second of his venomous attitude.

I tried walking around him but he moved in front of me to block my path, and his stature made him seem like a brick wall. He clenched his fists and looked just as angry as me now, "You're not going anywhere."

Something changed in that moment, I became bolder. My vision was fogged with fury as I marched forward and raised my fist, firing it straight at his cheek. But I didn't make it. Somehow, he was quicker. He caught my fist, held it in his own flesh hand, which was huge compared to mine. He looked at it in shock, as if what I just tried to do was the craziest thing he's ever seen. Then he directed his eyes to mine. Blue fire was all I saw as he repositioned his hand so that it now grabbed my wrist. He then swiftly used his gloved hand to grab my other wrist but kept it held at my side. He moved me backwards so that my back hit the wall with a loud, echoey thud; one wrist was pinned above my head while the other was pinned down by my side.

My heartbeat was so loud, almost deafening against my sternum. I looked up at him, and my breath got caught in my throat as he leaned closer. Unable to lean away, I struggled to maintain eye contact with him during this strangely heated moment. He stopped when his nose was almost touching mine, but I could feel the ends of his bangs pricking against my forehead. His breathing was heavy, just like my own. His grip on both of my wrists tightened at the same moment I saw his eyes gaze downwards at my lips.

He looked back up into my eyes, and the tinge of fury that burned in them didn't scare me, but instead awakened an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Don't ever....do that again." He uttered in a low voice.

I let out a shaky breath, and swallowed back another lump that formed in my throat, "Or what?" I whispered.

Anakin's pupils dilated ever so slightly that you could barely see their sizes change, but I could tell because of our close proximity. His adam's apple bobbed up and down once as my boldness seemed to greatly affect him. He then tilted his head up more so that I could feel him breathing against my cheekbones. A small gasp escaped my lips when I felt his soft lips graze the summit of my cheekbone, "Those are dangerous waters you're treading, Padawan." He growled quietly.

He moved his head back to its original position so that we were making eye contact once more, and our noses were about two centimeters from colliding. The patent tension was building with every second we gazed passionately at each other; our emotions clashed in a whirlwind of fury and desire.

I let out a shuddered breath as the replayed memories of what just happened left my head and made their way down into other areas of my body.

"What are you going to do about it?" I whispered boldly, purposely sticking my neck out more so that our noses would touch.

His grip on my wrists loosened slightly so that they were just resting over mine, and I could move around more. His eyes darted up and down. I knew what he was thinking, I knew what he was looking at. I could feel conflict raging within him. My heart began beating so much faster when I saw him leaning even closer to me. I didn't know what was real anymore, time seemed to stop around us.

His nose was touching mine, his lips were so close to mine that I felt like I could hardly breathe. Every single nerve was on fire. All of my morals and every single rule and code I've ever been taught vanished, leaving room for nothing but how I felt in this moment. He wasn't moving, because he was waiting for me to make the next move. Whatever I did next could change everything, or maybe it would change nothing. I didn't know anymore.

But here's what I do know; I'm a Queen. I take what I want.

I closed what little distance laid between us, and quickly pressed my lips to his. It was only a mere spell of time, but in that time, my body internally erupted with euphoria. Memories of all our fights, arguments, and sweet moments came rushing through me as my body was filled with adrenaline. His lips tasted so sweet, like a foreign desert that not many people have tried or know about. They were soft and plump, creating a swell in my heart that made me feel the safest I've ever felt in my life. This felt right, this felt amazing. Not even the most powerful fireworks could outdo through sparks I felt in every inch of my body. Everything seemed to fall into place, like a puzzle piece finally finding its spot after searching for so long. For once the world was in harmony with our souls, and we complimented it perfectly.

I gently pulled away and searched his beautiful features. I've never really appreciated how handsome he is until recently. His expression gave away nothing that I could easily read, and for a few long seconds, it didn't change.

So, I did the only thing that seemed rational in that moment.

For the second time tonight, I broke out of his hold and ran away as fast as I could, leaving a faint cloud of dust in my trail.

(a/n): Thoughts on this chapter? I was really unsure at first and it took me a while to get past writers block, but I think in the end I was satisfied with it🥰 I promise the time for confessions will come soon hehe. And this was super long because I wanted to get all of those POV's in before the next chapter. Anyways I hope you all liked it; I adore reading all of your comments!

Also just a reminder; we all know that Anakin a moody a-hole right now, but keep in mind that he has no idea how to properly express his emotions, so when things don't go his way, he immediately resorts to anger.

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