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(a/n): Hey guys! I published another chapter yesterday, so if you haven't seen that then please check it out before reading this one💕

(y/n) POV:

I took the rest of the day off, and iced my forehead to alleviate the remaining feverish pressure I felt still lingering from earlier today. Avery told me that her, the guards, and Anakin continued their search in the palace rooms and thankfully didn't find anything. I felt bad that I stayed in here while they did all the work, but I doubt I would've been helpful considering how sick I felt and the fact that my nosebleed wouldn't stop for a while.

But I felt much better now, and nothing is permanently bruised or broken either. I got up from my bed and picked up all the blood-stained tissues that laid on the floor, and threw them in the waste bin. As I went back to lay down, I heard a few knocks on my door.

"Come in." I called boredly. It's probably just my sister or Aero.

But I jumped in surprise when I heard the door shut—almost slam—loudly. I turned around and furrowed my brows, only to see Anakin standing in front of the closed door, glaring angrily at me.

When I didn't say anything after his unexpected entrance, he sighed in frustration, "What were you thinking?"

I scoffed, assuming he was referring to today when I overpowered that guy by myself, "What, are you bitter that for once you didn't get the spotlight? I saved everyone, which is exactly what we came here to do." Of course he's mad about something, he's never satisfied.

"No, moron. I'm talking about that." He growled, pointing to my waste bin that was practically filled to the brim with red-splotted tissues.

I rolled my eyes, "It was just part of the fight, you clodpoll. I got a little scratched up." I still don't understand why he's upset about this. He's probably just looking for a reason to get me in trouble.

Anakin's eyes narrowed, and he slowly advanced towards me. His boots left echoey footsteps in their trail, and his harsh gaze continued to burn holes into my own, "You think I don't know when you're lying?"

I paused whatever thoughts were running through my mind and looked up at him with a dumbfounded expression. How am I supposed to respond to that? Also, what his he so mad for? It's not like anyone got hurt.

He sighed once more, "They told me you had a nosebleed." I nodded for him to continue. "You used that force technique I taught you a couple of years ago." He stated, still sounding angry.

I rose an eyebrow, "So what? Shouldn't you be happy that I remembered one of your humdrum lectures for once?" Like I said, he's never satisfied.

He crossed his arms, "That's not the point. You pushed yourself too hard, just like I told you not to. Do you realize how dangerous this could've been if you hadn't stopped in time?"

Okay, now I'm mad. I remembered what Avery told me earlier today, but that doesn't make the way Anakin is acting acceptable. I'm not going down this road again with him.

I got up in his space and shoved his chest with both of my hands, earning him a slight stumble into the door as well as a shocked look at my actions. "Yeah, you're right. It could've been dangerous, but why do you care? Oh wait, let me answer that for you. You don't. So stop acting like you do and just go back to being a jerk." I turned away from him, and crossed my arms, taking a deep breath as all the frustration of today came rushing back.

One part of me wanted to scream at him, and the other part just wanted Anakin to be happy with what I did for once. Yet just like the beginning from our very first meeting, he's never happy with anything I do.

"I heard that you fought that guy without any help." He spoke from behind me. His voice wasn't angry anymore, but instead, he sounded....impressed? I didn't acknowledge his words, but I was curious where he was going with this.

"Did you not turn your back on him when you fought him, like I told you?" I heard him suddenly ask.

I was confused at his question, considering that I thought the rant I just gave him would elicit a different response. But I still nodded.

Then he chuckled, and now I was absolutely bewildered, so I turned around towards him. He was smirking, and I could tell the tone had now shifted because I saw a playful look in his eyes. "You remembered my lesson and followed that rule? Who are you, and what have you done with (y/n)?" He asked in jest.

This time I smiled too, it just felt natural. It was nice to smile again, and it also felt good, strangely, to be getting praise from him. Does this mean he's proud of what I did?

I remembered Avery's words clearly now; "Anytime a guy acts like that, it means he does care about you, but he's too prideful to show it or put it into words."

Could this playful moment be his way of responding to my rant that he in fact cares? I don't want to get my hopes up just yet though. Maybe I'll ask later, but this moment of kindness from him is too rare to squander.

His eyes brightened when he got me to smile, "There's that smile I know and loathe." He joked, I think.

That made me laugh, because it felt like we were just being ourselves, but this time in a good, lighthearted way.

"Now," He suddenly stepped closer to me and held out his hand, "I believe I still owe you a dance, m'Lady."

I couldn't help but giggle as I remembered the little deal we made before my mini adventure this morning, and how I ended up winning since he didn't get his lightsaber back from me in time. I'm impressed that he decided to still hold up his end of the deal, and I'm also happy because now I'll finally learn how to dance.

"Actually, my Lord, I think your dancing skills are too subpar for me." I teased, and pretended like I was about to leave.

But right as I turned around to walk away, he grabbed my wrist and spun me back. He then moved his hands to my waist and effortlessly hoisted me off the ground, and spun my body in the air. I squealed and gripped his shoulders in my hands, afraid of being dropped, even though I knew he wouldn't drop me.

When I was brought back down, he grabbed my hand and twirled my body away from his, keeping our fingers locked. Then he spun me back and dipped my body, keeping one arm securely around my waist and the other was lifting my leg off the ground and holding me by my thigh. I grabbed onto his neck for support, and was absolutely stunned from how quick those last movements were. My eyes were wide as I stared up at him, and we were both breathing heavily as the exertion caught up with us. He loomed over me, and a grin slowly crept upon his lips.

"That was actually pretty cool." I breathed out and chuckled.

He shrugged, amusement glinted in his blue eyes, "What can I say, I'm a natural." He teased and lifted me up.

When I was upright, I became slightly dizzy from the spinning we did and how quickly I got up. I let out a breath I was holding in from all the unanticipated excitement that I just experienced. I wasn't expecting him to do that. Anakin saw and probably thought that I was hurt or something. He backed away for a moment, "You okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I just wasn't expecting—" A small gasp left my lips when I felt his arm snake around my waist once more. Since I was wearing one of my cropped nighttime shirts, his cold leather fingers contrasted significantly against my warm skin. He smirked and held out his other hand, motioning for me to hold it.

I lifted my left hand and intertwined our fingers. It felt weird for us to share physical contact that wasn't violence. I didn't know what to do or how to feel about it. "Put your other hand on my shoulder." He instructed.

I did as he said, and slowly placed my fingers over the leather padding of his shoulder. He nodded, "Good, now just follow my lead." He took a step back, and I instinctively took a step forward. We followed that same sort of motion, forward, left, back, and right. There was enough space in my room for us to move around like this, so it wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be since it's not as spacious as the ballroom. After doing two full squares, he used the hand that was holding my own to twirl me a couple of times. I laughed lightheartedly as a wave of giddiness consumed me, washing away all other inferior senses to make room solely for this moment.

When he pulled me back towards him, I moved too quickly and accidentally collided into him, causing us both to fall to the floor. I shrieked in half terror and half excitement as I landed on top of him, and he instantly placed his hands firmly on my hips to keep me from falling fully forward. As I hovered over him, I began laughing so hard that I couldn't breathe, just like last night when he choked on that biscuit.

He began coughing from the impact of landing on the floor, and "No offense, but the whole point of dancing is to not try and kill your dance partner." He smirked, entertained by my epic fail of attempting to stay on my feet.

"Well, right now you're my dance partner, so it makes sense if I try to kill you at least once." I joked.

He shook his head with a laugh, while I got up off of him. I helped him up from the ground and we continued with the same sort of routine, and occasionally I would step on his feet accidentally—most of the time, at least—but I was more surprised that I was actually having fun learning to dance with him. And there was no denying that he was having fun too. Both of our spirits seemed to lift for the rest of the night, and we made it through without another argument.

Who is this guy, and what has he done with Anakin?

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I didn't tell Anakin a story last night, because both of us were exhausted after the dance marathon we had, and he said he probably would've passed out the minute I started telling him a story.

I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or insult, but it was strange because I actually wanted to tell him another story. The last two times I told him stories were cool for me because for once I was the one telling someone else of the crazy theories people have made up about me. And I know that Anakin actually listens to them, and remembers small, distinct details about them that most people probably wouldn't.

He's more attentive than I thought, but I probably never noticed since he's always the one trying to teach me.

Anyways, my Mom got me up a bit earlier today so that we could interrogate the criminal from yesterday. I was interested to get confirmation as to who sent him here and exactly why, but unfortunately, he died from starvation in the night. So we were pretty much left with nothing.

Even though that much was a bust, I still think his words to me were enough to know that either Alastair is behind this, or at the very least, he knows I'm here. He must know, how else would that guy have known where to find me?

Right now I was talking to Yoda over my Mom's holo-table, and telling him about the whole incident yesterday.

"I don't know what to do." I admitted, and looked up to him for his usual dose of wisdom.

He shook his head, "A rogue attack, this must have been. Gave you a month to decide, the King did. Attack now, he would not."

I hummed in response; that makes sense. I mean, I wouldn't put it past him if he took advantage of the fact that he now knows my location, but Yoda has a point. I was given a month to consider his 'offer' for a reason.

"I guess you're right. It still doesn't take away the fear though, considering how vulnerable we are now." I sighed. I mainly hoped that this didn't put Alderaan in danger. I hardly just got here, I don't want everything this planet has worked for to be ruined already.

"Focus, not on what is beyond your control, but use what you currently have, you must." He instructed.

I rolled my eyes, "Okay, but what am I supposed to do with Anakin? Where does he fit into this complicated equation?" Him being here makes hiding my identity way more stressful than it already was back at the Temple. Because now, he's the only one here that doesn't know.

Yoda smiled at the mention of my Master, which made me narrow my eyes suspiciously. "Fine, he will be. Aloof, he is." Yoda did his funny giggle, which caused me to laugh as well.

I felt like we were two teenagers gossiping, by the way we were talking and laughing. That's what made it even funnier; the mental image of Yoda gossiping.

"Done today, what have you?" He asked. I sighed, "Well since that interrogation part went south, my Mom is going show me some of Alderaan's safe spaces; like caves, Temples, underground hideouts. Basically anywhere you'd go if you needed to hide."

He tilted his head skeptically, "Leaving the palace, you are?" I nodded, "Yes but we won't be getting out of the ship. And I'll have one of the guards with me as well." There's really no way for Anakin to come along on this, since my Mom will be there, and he might find it confusing as to why we're traveling the planet for hideout locations.

Yoda looked reluctant about my plans but still nodded in agreement, "Careful, you must be."

After a brief goodbye, I scouted the halls for Aero since he'll be coming with us today. I have no idea what the rest of the people will do here today, but it definitely won't be as cool as flying through the planet. I'm happy that I get to leave the Palace, even if we have to stay in the ship.

I found him at the end of one of the halls, leaning boredly against the wall and he looked lost in thought, staring at the opposite wall.

Not knowing how to start the conversation, I cleared my throat, "Lovely morning, isn't it?" I began.

He smiled when he saw me and nodded, "That it is. Though most people are the opposite, I like waking up earlier to watch the sunrise. The way it sheds light onto our planet with the promise of a new day gives me a feeling of serenity; like there's nothing wrong in the world, even if it's just for a moment, when all the colors are finding their way into the sky." He paused, and then laughed when he was done, "Sorry, didn't mean to ramble."

I shook my head, "No, I love that. That's a really great way of seeing it." I had no idea watching the sunrise was something he liked to do. It sounds like that's one of his favorite hobbies.

"You know, don't you?" He asked suddenly, with an amused smile. I blinked and glanced around the room, as if I was looking for the answer to his question, "Know what?" I asked.

"That I'm in love with her. With Avery." He replied, and went back to staring off in the distance. I stammered as I tried to put together a good response, "How....did you know that I knew?" I questioned curiously.

He shrugged and started messing with his sword sheathe, still looking away from me, "I could tell that you knew something but didn't know how to go about it around me. Your shoulders are tensed and you always curl your fingers." He smirked, and I let out an embarrassed laugh, "Wow, I didn't think it was that obvious." I also had no idea that he could read people so easily. Although, he told me that he used to study some books about the human brain and natural behaviors, so I guess it makes sense.

He sighed and shook his head halfheartedly, "The reason I was so frustrated yesterday is because I'm technically the reason she's with my brother. I didn't know he was also in love with her at the time, but he would always ask if I knew her favorite food, flowers, hobbies, and all the typical romantic gesture gifts. I thought he was just asking so that he could give her something nice to help her get through her studies or boring tasks; not because he felt the same as me. So that's why this is even worse, because I practically handed my opportunity over to my own brother." He muttered in a dejected tone.

It hurt my heart that he felt this way, and that there wasn't really anything I could do to help. Although it did make me wonder; if Aero feels so strongly for Avery, then she must also feel something for him too right? But on the other end, it's not like I'm a love expert. She seems perfectly happy with Luca right now, and I don't want that to be ruined either. It wasn't my business to begin with, and now that I've talked with Aero, I should stay out before I throw myself in the middle.

I walked closer and placed my hand on his shoulder, making him look over at me curiously. "I can't tell you what will happen in the future, but I am here for you. And maybe getting out of the palace will be a good distraction for you."

He smiled gratefully, and used his armored hand to wipe stray strands of his dark brown hair out of his eyes. We both then strolled down towards the large double doors, admiring how the light from the sun made the bronze halls look golden. It also illuminated the paintings, and the glass tea sets so that they glittered rainbow from the sunbeams.

"Isn't it so amazing how many colors can be made from the sun?" I asked in awe, plucking out every detail of color I could find in my surroundings.

Aero rose an eyebrow and hesitated in thought, but he also looked like he was biting back a smile, "Have....Have you ever been in love?" He asked, out of nowhere.

I furrowed my brows, and then chuckled, "No, I don't believe I have. Why?"

He gave me a surprised expression, his blue eyes looked more curious now, "Oh, it's just....in one of the books I read, it said that people who are in love start to see brighter colors, and even notice colors for the first time that they didn't notice before. Love does many bizarre things, and according to the book, it creates an effect on the brain where you'll naturally look for happy things, like vibrant colors." He shrugged, and gestured around the halls.

That sounds like something Avery would tell me. I wondered if he studied that type of psychology because of her. But I swept that thought out of my mind, and shook my head, "It's probably just a coincidence. I can assure you I'm not in love with anyone right now."

I almost laughed; the concept of love has always been an unspoken topic for me until a few days ago when I spoke to my Mom, and now with Aero. I've never thought about having romantic love before, not to mention that I don't even know what being in love is like. Could it be what Avery talked about with the soulmate thing?

He just continued to half-smile, as if he didn't believe me. "Whatever you say, Your Highness." He spoke my title in a teasing manner, because I told him he didn't have to call me that.

I watched in wonder from behind him as he walked to open the double doors, letting all the sunlight in as it pooled over my skin. I sighed contently and follows him out to the ship, clearing my mind of all the love talk for now. His color theory is definitely a compelling idea to ponder, but that's probably all it is. A silly theory, and nothing more than a myth.

(a/n): I'm so happy I got another chapter done quickly, and I hope you all liked it! I'm very excited for you guys to read the chapter after this as well😏💖 Let me know your thoughts!

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