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(a/n): Your first helping of ✨spice✨ will be served in this chapter🥰

(y/n) POV:

I was once again stopped in the hallway on my way to see Aero, this time by Obi-Wan. I thought nothing of it at first, until he bluntly admitted that he knows who I am. I didn't even think that I had heard him correctly.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, signaling for him to repeat himself.

He tilted his head amusedly at my bewilderment, "I know your true identity, Queen (y/n)." He teased lightheartedly.

My heart dropped to my stomach in shock—initially out of fear—because despite the fact that I've always trusted Obi-Wan and considered him a friend, I can never be too sure who to trust with this kind of information.

"How could you possibly know? And how do I know I can trust you?" I asked in a whisper-yell, paranoid about eavesdroppers.

He held out his hands in a placating gesture, "You can trust me, (y/n). I apologize for my blunt revelation but I figured that was the best method to get it out of the way." He explained, defending himself.

I nodded slowly, but my eyes were still narrowed in confusion, "Okay....but how do you know this? And why am I just finding out now?" Yoda told me that he was the only Jedi who knew my identity. Does he know that Obi-Wan knows?

He nodded, "I'm sorry to spring all of this information on you, but I believed this was a good time since you're already here in Alderaan. The reason I know this is because I was already on a mission in Alderaan before your father was assassinated. I found almost right away that you were strong with the force, so when the time came, your mother...." He smiled softly, "Your mother entrusted me to contact Master Yoda so he could help me in bringing you to the Temple. She made it very clear that if anything happened to you, my head would end up on a stick." He chuckled at the memory he was recalling.

I chuckled at the mention of my mother—who I've been learning more and more recently used to be a lot like me when she was younger—and felt myself relax, realizing that Obi-Wan is on my side. He's telling the truth.

I sighed in relief, "I believe you. But why didn't I know this sooner? This is critical information, and as the Queen, I should be informed of this if someone else knows about me."

Obi-Wan chewed the inside of his cheek uncertainly, "That's just it, (y/n). One of the reasons I'm telling you this now is because, when you were a child, Master Yoda and I decided it would be best if you believed only he knew who you were. That way, you would treat your identity as more of a secret, and wouldn't assume that more Jedi knew about this." He explained slowly, picking up on my dubiety.

I closed my eyes and sighed in irritation. Based on what Obi-Wan just told me, they were just trying to play it safe so that I didn't waltz around telling all the Jedi about my identity. Still, it's upsetting that this was kept from me my whole life.

I opened my eyes and waved off my indignation, "Whatever, I'll talk to him about that later. What was the other reason for why you're telling me this now?"

Obi-Wan nodded and smiled amiably, and pulled out a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his robe, "Just before your father passed on, he handed me this letter, which he requested be given to you before your time comes to officially rule Alderaan."

I grabbed the letter from his hand, examining it in awe. I could tell it was quite long, and had been folded up four or five times. My father wrote this. For me. Aside from my Mom and this kingdom, this letter is the last remaining fragment of my father that I have left. I almost wanted to cry.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan." I mumbled while still gazing down at the fawn-colored letter in my hand. I carefully put it in my own pocket, planning to take it straight to my room, "I'll read it on the day my time to lead comes." I smiled gratefully up at him.

His soft blue eyes shone at my appreciation, and probably because he knew now that I trusted him. "You truly are a mix of both of your parents. You have your fathers courage, resilience, and compassion. And you have your mothers wit, stubbornness, and confidence."

I beamed at his comparison of me to my parents, "It seems like you knew them pretty well."

He nodded again, "I did indeed...." He smiled as he stared into the distance, seeming to relive memories of the past. Then he cleared his throat and shook his head, "But enough about me. Your mother asked for me to stay here a little while longer. Are you alright with that? I'll stay out of your way unless you need me—"

I laughed and interrupted, "Of course it's alright, Obi-Wan. But since you're already here, and you know who I am, then why is Anakin still here? He's the odd man out and if we send him back to the Temple, then there's less risk of him finding out who I am." I get that Anakin is a strong and skilled Jedi, but so is Obi-Wan. He can protect me just as well.

Also, a big part of me is too embarrassed to be around Anakin right now.

Obi-Wan smirked at the mention of Anakin, "I'm afraid you'll have to ask Yoda about that."

"I have asked him, and he hasn't really answered it." I crossed my arms and tilted my head, furrowing my brows shrewdly, "Why do I get the feeling you know something that I don't?"

He shrugged coyly, "Possibly. All you need to know is that right now, everything is as it should be." With that, he ended the conversation, and purposely nodded a hasty goodbye before I could even think to say another word.

??? POV:

I snuck over to a storage room; where I knew there would be no cameras, and likely no one passing by. Though I was extremely cautious, I almost laughed at how easy this was. No one will suspect a thing.

I pulled my wrist up to my lips, turning on the secret comlink attached to it, "My Lord, are you there?" I asked quietly, coughing from how dusty this small closet was.

"Yes. Are you ready to proceed with the next step?" King Alastair asked.

"I am." I responded confidently. Everything was already going according to plan.

"Good." He responded, "We need this to be dangerous enough to convince the Queen to return to Coruscant. You'll need to sacrifice yourself to sell this." He instructed candidly.

I blinked, putting my wrist down. Everything was going according to plan, until he said that. I brought my wrist back up, stammering, "But—but what about the deal you made with me? Your promise?" Alastair never said anything about a sacrifice.

He scoffed over the other end, "I never made any deals or promises to you. I gave you a solid 'maybe', which I'm now deciding is a no. Is that clear?" He asked harshly.

I clenched my jaw furiously, "Yes, my Lord." I said through gritted teeth.

He hummed approvingly of my compliance, "Good. Now carry on, and keep me updated." With that he hung up, ending the call just as soon as he answered it.

If Alastair thinks I'm going to comply with his new rules and sacrifice myself, then he's just as dense as the rest of these gonzo's. I'll still continue with this plan, but from now on, I'm doing it my way.

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1 day later

(y/n) POV:

Anakin and Obi-Wan spent a lot of time catching up yesterday, so much so that I didn't have to do story time with Anakin because he and Obi-Wan stayed up past midnight, after ransacking the kitchen for all the cookies.

And keep in mind, this is also after Obi-Wan told me and Anakin to not steal any cookies. That traitor.

Anyways, it was convenient timing since I'm still too nervous to be around Anakin. And I hate feeling that way. The truth is, my feelings about him have changed. And it's not just because of the fact that I literally woke up in his bed. Yesterday I had time to think about us; our dynamic, everything that's happened recently, as well as from the moment we first met. It's weird though because I hated him back then, and a part of me still hates him because of all the ways he's treated me over the years. But when I really took the time to consider it all, I realized that we both have changed since I started helping him. And it's scary because, I know exactly how I feel now. But I can't admit it, not even to myself, because I'm afraid. Afraid that the affection he's shown me recently is just a front; his way of making me believe he has these feelings for me when really, he still hates me.

I shouldn't even be thinking about this at all, I have bigger issues to worry about.

Like how, for instance, my Mom and Avery are going to be hosting a masquerade ball at the palace tomorrow. Apparently it's something Alderaan does every year to celebrate its people, and the kingdom. And even though no one else supposedly knows that I'm here, this party is also a way of bringing any ill-intentioned people into our view, so we can get a better idea of who to trust. Stereotypically, there's types of parties are where the villains strike. I have both Anakin and Obi-Wan to protect me if need be, and I know where all the emergency exits are.

It may not be the smartest idea, but it's not like we really have any better options right now. I convinced my Mom to let me stay at the party for some of the time because she's too worried about me being lost in the crowd the whole time in case something happens.

One of the hardest parts about being a Queen is that you have to spend all of your life looking over your shoulder.

"Are you excited for the ball tomorrow?" Aero asked curiously, as we maundered through the garden behind the palace.

I shrugged as we sat on a cement bench beside the large circular pond, which was stippled with a menagerie of beautiful flowers. At the bottom of the pond was a floor of quartz rocks, enchanting the bright shades of the flowers.

"I guess so; it sounds fun, but I have to make sure that I don't let my guard down at all." I sighed.

Aero laughed and patted my shoulder, "Don't worry, I know you won't let me down." He teased, playing on my words.

I rolled my eyes and gently kicked his shin, "Ha ha, very funny." I smiled at him gratefully for his unfailing ability to make me laugh. He's been such a great friend to me.

"What about you?" I asked, "Are you going to tell Avery how you feel?"

Aero blinked, looking up at me in confusion from my bluntness. Then he shrugged, and kicked a lone pebble on the ground, "I don't know. It seems like there isn't really any point since she's clearly smitten with my brother." He admitted with a tinge of bitterness in his tone.

I shook my head, "I can tell you really care about her, and I think it would be a good idea to get this off of your chest. You and I both know that she won't react negatively."

Aero told me that the reason Luca is with Avery is because he started doing everything that aero was already doing; bringing her food, getting gifts, making her laugh. It makes me wonder how she feels about Aero, since both of the brothers were doing the exact same thing to win her affection. Could she love them both, and just not know it yet? 

Before Aero could say anything, our attention was turned to another presence walking up to us; the sound of boots against the ground filled our ears, and a sweet vanilla scent filtered through my nostrils.

I felt myself becoming timid, as the scent instantly took me back to the way I woke up in Anakin's arms yesterday. When we were in that position, his fragrance was the only thing I could smell. And now it always reminds me of that morning.

"May I have a word with my Padawan? Alone." Anakin's eyes never left mine as he spoke.

I looked over at Aero, silently pleading for him to not leave. But, noticing the look in my eyes, he smirked deviously at me, before standing up. "I'll leave you both to it." He winked at me where Anakin couldn't see, and I glared daggers at him while he walked away back into the palace.

I sucked my teeth in and smiled, "You know what?" I stood up, and began walking in the same direction as Aero, "I just remembered that I need to rethink my life choices."

Anakin scoffed and grabbed my arm, gently guiding me back in front of him, "Nice try, you can do that some other time." He smirked.

I sighed, attempting to clear my mind of any thoughts that would make me flustered around him, "What do you want?"

His expression became neutral, and he tilted his head back towards the palace, "We still have work to do today inside, and yet you're out here slacking off."

I shrugged, "Well what if I don't want to work today?" I asked defiantly.

If I annoy him like I usually do, then maybe he'll act like his normal self again. I want to prove my theory that he secretly still hates me, because then that way I won't be led on into something that isn't actually real. I don't want to believe he feels for me as more than a friend if he truly doesn't.

His eyebrows rose when I tested him, and he turned fully towards me once more. He crossed his arms slowly and advanced in my direction, causing me to back away. I stopped moving when I reached the edge of the pond. He looked down at me in disbelief when we were only a few feet away, like he was stunned that I had the audacity to question him like that.

"Do I need to throw you over my shoulder? When I tell you we need to work, I expect you to listen to me." He spoke in his authoritative voice.

I scoffed as I struggled to maintain eye contact with his strict and....attractive, gaze. His icy blue stare seemed to hold me in place, and now I felt like I couldn't look away.

Damn it. Well, there goes my plan to not get flustered.

With a pink tint undoubtedly forming on my cheeks, I couldn't seem to conjure up a witty response like usual. Instead, I rolled my eyes, "You're so annoying. Can't you go plague someone else with your presence?"

He smirked arrogantly when he noticed that I didn't have anything clever to say, "I'm annoying? I guess that means that you're rubbing off on me."

I glared up at him, half angry that he came up with a witty response and I didn't, and irritated with how smug he's being. But even though I was angry, part of me actually liked this moment; our daily argument, the unspoken tension. I pushed that crazy thought away, though. He can't know that he has this affect on me.

He took a step back from me to give me some room, "Now, let's get to work. Don't make me say it again." He eyed me sternly.

"No you knob head. I'm staying here." I spun around to face the other direction away from him, looking straight out to the pond. I was hoping to push him to his limit, so he would get angry enough. I've heard that when people are the most angry, that's usually when their true feelings come to light.

"Alright." He chuckled from behind me, "I guess we're doing this the hard way."

I furrowed my brows in confusion; he didn't sound angry, which isn't what I had hoped for. But I still kept my back turned, even though I had no idea what he meant by that.

Suddenly I felt his front press up against my back, as well as strands of his blonde hair on my neck when he bent his head down into my ear, "Remember I said that I would get you back for that remark you made yesterday?" He murmured directly into my ear, his lips grazing the shell of it as he spoke. And even after he was done talking, he kept his same position; his chest against my back, his hair tickling my neck, his lips ever so lightly brushing my ear, causing his breath to silently expel into it.

My own breath became stuck in my throat, and I felt like I couldn't even breathe now because of how close he was to me. All of my nerves were on fire, sensitive from his touches. I nodded, uncertain of where this could possibly go next.

He didn't say anything else, but instead—still in the same position—placed his strong hands on my hips, taking me by surprise. I gasped at the intimate contact, and was about to ask what in the world he was doing, thinking this was going somewhere into uncharted territory.

But instead, before I could do anything, he did something that I didn't expect at all.

He shoved me forward by my hips, causing my body to fall straight into the cold pond water. Thousands of bubbles were created by the splash, making them glitter in the sunlight. The perfectly placed flowers drifted to the edges of the pond as my splash created layers of waves. I came up gasping for air, since the surprise literally took my breath away. I looked over to see Anakin grinning ear to ear while laughing. Anakin. Laughing. That's a rare sight.

The butterflies that were previously in my stomach disappeared, and was replaced with determination. "You're so dead." I laughed, and heaved myself out of the pond to prepare chasing after Anakin, while he already began moving around the pond to keep a good distance between us.

But I barely made it a few steps after leaving the water, because I saw something fall right before my eyes. I looked down in horror as my eyes landed on my now drenched bandage, which was mangled beyond repair. That means that my scar—however atrocious it looks—is now in view for anyone to see.

I couldn't have that, I wasn't ready for it to be seen. I'm not even ready to see it myself. But now that the bandage is off, I'll have to see it. Maybe I can get a new one before anyone else notices the scar.

I quickly reached down to grab the bandage which was now falling apart because of how soaked it was, and ran as fast as I could into the palace. I heard Anakin call my name in confusion, but it only made me run faster. I myself was also drenched from the pond water, so there was no doubt drips of water left in my trail as I ran through the halls, slipping every now and then.

When I got to my room, I slammed the door shut and made a beeline to my mirror. I was hyperventilating at this point, fearful of what I would see.

When I got to the mirror, and my scar finally came into view, I choked out a sob at the sight; my scar was very similar to Anakin's, but it was higher than his. It's started near the top of my forehead, and went down until the edge of my brow next to my eye. Thankfully it wasn't bleeding or showing any signs of infection, but it was a deep red color, and some of the old blood was all chipped up and stuck to it.

I need to find a new bandage, now. I can't have this scar, I'll never look the same way as I used to. Am I the first Queen to have a scar like this? Will people find me too repulsive to look at?

I was too busy ransacking my whole room that I didn't even hear my door opening, or someone coming inside. I startled myself when my eyes glazed over to the other side of the room, where Anakin stood; looking concerned.

I froze in place, staring blankly at him even though my heart was beating faster and faster by the second because of how easily I got startled.

"What's wrong?" He asked after a long period of silence. I knew I couldn't lie to him, so I just shrugged casually and crossed my arms, "I