Note - I am aware that there isn't a forest that resides next to Padmé's lake house. But I always try to make my stories as original as I can to make it a different experience for the readers than other stories and the movies or shows. So there will be times I don't follow certain things or maybe you'll notice I make something up. That's just how I like to do things and it's not because I don't know the proper lore, but because it makes it fresh (: trust me, I know way more about this universe than a person should lol

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High Ground

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(Y/n)'s POV
I rushed into the house with my newfound knowledge and headed straight for the dining room, hoping he was still there discussing safety protocols with Captain Typho. But as I entered the room, I saw that he was nowhere in sight.

Captain Typho, the Senator, and Moteé ceased their conversation and glanced in my direction after I pushed open the door, "Sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but do any of you know where my Master is?" I asked.

The Senator knitted her brows in confusion, "He left a few minutes ago saying he was going outside to find you."

"Oh," I uttered with slight surprise. I never saw him on my way in here, unless he was in a different part of the tree-line looking for me, "My apologies, I must have missed him, sorry again for interrupting." I smiled politely and turned on my heels to leave, but the Senators soft voiced stopped me.

"(Y/n) wait," She said, and I obliged by pausing in my tracks and turning my head to look at her from the corner of my eye, "I wanted to apologize for last night. I'm afraid I might have made things a bit awkward. I was only trying to mend things with Anakin, but it seems he doesn't want to." Her voice was low and sad, "So I'm sorry you had to witness our dispute."

I waved it off, "Trust me Senator I am fully aware of the kind of pretentious jerk my Master can be, so your apology isn't necessary."

She then smiled with a short laugh, "He's not all bad, he has a very genuine side to him, it just hasn't come out much since his mom-" She paused mid-sentence and almost looked afraid, like she knew she was saying too much, "Never mind that," She awkwardly chuckled, "Just know that there is a lot of good to him, it will only take time for him to really show it. He's very reserved."

"I've noticed," I rolled my eyes playfully, then pointed towards the doors with my thumb, "I should go, I'm sure he's still looking for me and we wouldn't want him to begin tearing this place apart." Like the dramatic man that he is.

"Of course, I hope we can talk more later." She said with a sweet smile.

"I hope so too," I gave her a final nod of respect before leaving the room to go find him.

I really did hope I got more time to talk to her, she seemed like a sweet woman and whatever it was that happened between her and Anakin - I only hope they can somehow fix it. She seems to genuinely care about him, despite his consistent attitude towards her, so I doubt whatever it was, was intentional.

I went back outside and peered around the empty field surrounding the house. The warm breeze flowed through the grass and the trees, and he was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't even hear him anywhere calling my name, nor could I feel his presence which began to worry me. But before I could react or go on a hunt, I began to sense him.

In a split second, I jumped and rolled to the side just as Anakin singed the floor where I was once stood with his lightsaber. He shot his head up and glared at me with a smile through the curls covering his eyes. This little devil just jumped from on top of the house, "Nice dodge Padawan, but can you continue without the use of your lightsaber?" With the force, he unclipped it from my belt and tossed it away into the grass.

This is why he came out here to look for me, he was trying to throw a surprise training session at me to see how I'd handle a spontaneous attacks. I have to admit, he did surprise me, and words can't describe how excited I am right now for this. I'll tell him what I came to tell him after I shove his face in the dirt.

"Do you get to have yours?" I asked curiously as we both moved around in a slow circle, our gazes locked in an intense stare.

He nodded, "The greater the challenge, the more skills you'll learn." He said simply before charging at me with fast speed.

I dodged him again with another tuck and roll before making my way towards the tree-line. I darted through trees and I could hear him running after me from behind as I jumped over tree roots that stuck out from the ground.

I quickly jumped down into a small stream, creating a splash that dampened the bottom of my pants, "Running can only work for so long Padawan!" His voice bellowed through the forest, scaring a few birds from their nests and I was able to watch them fly away.

I smiled to myself, I already had a plan, one that was easily thought of thanks to him allowing me to be on my own this morning, so I was able to search a small amount of this place first before finding that lightsaber mark. So now I know this area just a little more than him.

I ran through the water that was barely an inch or two high and climbed up a small ledge before stopping just in front of a tall tree. I turned around and scanned the area to make sure I had lost him, before climbing up about ten feet from the ground and hiding within the branches and leaves.

Seconds later I watched him climb up the same ledge I did and walk just below me, his lightsaber no longer ignited, but still in his grasp. He trudged slowly as he eyed his surroundings for me, and then he stopped and closed his eyes. I knew what he was doing, he was using the force to look for me. I was currently hiding my signature, but with his strength, he'd be able to break through my efforts soon enough.

Now was my only chance because it was just going to take him a few seconds for him to sense that I was just above. So I adjusted myself on the sturdy branch and bore a mischievous smile as I glared down at him.

And then, I jumped.

I was careful so I wouldn't hurt him — too much — and knocked him down to the ground, while also stealing his lightsaber from his hold. Anakin fell onto his back with me on top of him, now straddling his waist with his ignited lightsaber close to his neck, "Has no one ever taught you the importance of the high ground Master Skywalker?" I smirked victoriously.

He smiled up at me, "I knew you were there." He said confidently.

"No you didn't." I called his bluff, he just doesn't want to admit defeat.

"Yes I did," He lightly sniffed the air without moving much since I did still have a deadly weapon close to his skin, "You have this smell to you, it's lemony with a hint of lilac — it makes me nauseous."

Now it was my turn to smile, "Well it's better than smelling like ass, which is more than I can say for you," I faked sniffed with a grimace.

He then laughed and before I could ask him what was so funny, he spoke, "You're so easily distracted," In one swift motion, he got the upper hand and twisted me so I was in my side. He was attempting to have his win and pin me down just as I did to him, but I wasn't going to allow him - not today.

So I fought back and we both began to roll together like a tumble weed until in the desert before we fell off the ledge and landed in the stream, soaking our clothes.

Then, I heard him laugh.

A real and genuine laugh that made me laugh with him as we both laid there on our back in the water, our heads tilted to the side so our eyes were on each other. I heard him laugh that day he was intoxicated with Master Kenobi, but this is the first time he's laughed with me.

But then, our laughter slowly died and we were left in complete silence, our eyes never leaving each other. I got a light fluttering my stomach that I chalked up to nerves, and if it wasn't for the snapping of a branch that caused me to shoot up from the floor and look at my surroundings - I'm not sure how long we would have remained in that position.

"What is it?" He asked as he sat up as well.

"I-" Just ahead of me, I saw a black cloak disappear behind a tree, "There's someone there." I said as I quickly got to my feet and ran, completely ignoring his demands to come back and allow him to check it out. I ran through the tress faster than I thought I could to catch up to the person before stopping when I reached a ledge that would drop me down a large height into raging waters, "Woah," I took a step back with a heavy racing heart.

I looked around and saw nothing, there was no one here — did I imagine it?

Moments later, Anakin came into sight with an irritated glimmer in his eyes, "Are you freaking deaf?"

"Unfortunately no, I can hear you quite well." And now it was as if that small moment where we actually got along never happened, and we were back to our normal bickering selves.

He rolled his eyes as he walked towards me, "I specifically told you not to run off, and now look, you almost ran off a cliff."

"I did not almost run off a cliff," Okay maybe I did, but I hated admitting anything to him, "As you can see I'm perfectly fine. I thought I saw something and I was wrong, now let's go back." I attempted to walk past him, but the gloved hand he placed on my chest stopped me.

"What is it you think you saw?"

It was now that I remembered I had something to share him; the mark, the man in the vision, and the fact that I even had a vision. And so I explained everything to him, from the beginning to the very end without leaving out any details. Including what I felt from this individual in the vision, how I didn't sense anything dangerous until it came to him.

He furrowed his brows in through as he brought hand to his chin, "You said you got this vision from a single touch?"

I nodded with a smile, "And before you ask, no it's never happened before." To say that I was ecstatic about this newfound ability would be the understatement of the century.

"(Y/n) I need you to listen to me," He stepped forward and placed his hands in my cheeks, his eyes burning into mine, "Don't tell anyone about this, only I can know, do you understand?"

I knitted my brows in confusion, "But why?"

He sighed with a slow head shake, "This ability is called psychometry, or force echo to be less complicated," He explained something I already knew, "And it is frowned upon by the council, they believe it has too many emotions involved and makes the force user more susceptible to the influence of the dark side."

My expression fell into one of disappointment, "So I can never use it then?"

He dropped his hands down and my cheeks grew cold where his warm touch once was, "I didn't say that, I said they didn't have to know about it. I'll just need to help you learn how to use it and control it properly to avoid any of that."

I smiled and also raised a brow, "Do you even know where to begin?"

"No," He answered honestly with a sigh, "But I'll figure it out."

"Why would you do this for me?" I asked. I would expect him to tell the council about this, it would be another way for him to take a jab at me. But here he is, wanting to teach me — a man who didn't want to teach me anything in the first place.

"You're already being watched for not having a Master for so long, they're questioning if your time alone has affected you in anyway. So I think it would be in your best interest not to give them something else to look at." He answered honestly, taking me by surprise and my feelings were also a little hurt. And not because of anything he's done, but because he just told me that the council doesn't fully trust me like I had hoped they did.

I glanced to the floor, "Of course," I said low with a sigh, "I won't tell anyone." Except Ahsoka...

"Don't let it get to you Padawan," He placed his finger under my chin and lifted my gaze up, "They don't trust anyone, not even their own chosen one," He admitted, before removing his finger and taking a step back, "Let's get back to the house, and I'm going to need you to explain the vision to me one more time. I was too busy thinking about the actually ability to listen." He turned back towards the trees to head to the house.

"Wait," I grabbed his wrist and turned him back around, "I can just show you instead of explaining again," I placed my hands on both sides of his head as he knitted his brows with intrigue, "This is one of the last things Master Ti taught me, and I want to show you that I can do it." I pulled out faces close together to rest my forehead against his, and he let me. Our gazes locked with each other's and I watched him swallow thickly, "Just close your eyes with me." I instructed.

He nodded and closed his eyes first, then I soon followed.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter loves ❤️
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