A/N: I know, I know. I can't write, but I had fun writing this. I probably will write two more parts to this story to finish it up. I'm not sure yet.
Leia Organa had an order.
Leia wasn't keen on orders or on following orders, but this one was different.
This order in particular was given to her by her daddy.
Stay in the library. Don't come out until I send for you. Do you understand? He had stressed this several times to make sure she fully understood, as he always did when he had Empire guest over.
Well, that wasn't exactly true. She didn't have stay in the library or her room or the playroom when just any of the old Empire people came to discuss business with daddy. She had in fact met a few of them. One who stuck out in her mind was a sour faced older man with graying hair and sunken in brown eyes. Sir Tarkin his father had called him and Leia hadn't cared much for him at all. The rude man had barely spared her a glance on their first meeting and on their second meeting had told her father that he should keep her on a shorter leash after she had accidentally slid into the tall man's lanky legs while trying to catch her fleeing puppy Rebs.
She hadn't meant any harm by it, and it had been an accident. She was just trying to catch Rebs, but Tarkin acted as if it were the biggest offense in the world. That time daddy had gotten a maid to take Leia out of the room but not before Leia heard Tarkin say something about the stench of filthy rebel scum on him. After that incident daddy made sure Rebs was put up in his kennel when Tarkin or any of the Empire came over, and Leia made it her goal to act more dignified, if only to prove to Tarkin and the others she could and that she or her daddy certainly weren't filthy rebel scum, whatever that meant.
Today however it wasn't just Rebs who was put away from strange eyes and ways, but Leia as well. That man had come to speak to her daddy. Leia had never seen him with her own eyes, but she had heard enough about him that she was certain she had a clear picture of what he must look like. She heard he was tall, abnormally tall. Monstrously tall. He'd undoubtedly dwarf her. He was said to always be dressed in the darkest pitch of black, complete with a menacing helmet in which you couldn't even see his eyes through. If he even had eyes.
Truthfully Leia wasn't sure the thing known as Darth Vader was even human. He sounded more like a machine to her. A machine that, according to witnesses, that had problems breathing Alderaani air. Or maybe just air in general?
What does he sound like? When he breathes? She had asked one of her maids, Tess, one day about the mysterious man daddy insist she never meet. For some reason she didn't fully understand this unseen figure who haunted her hallways intrigued her greatly. Like the devil himself gasping for life, Tess had told her, and little Leia had gave her a disgruntled look, before saying sternly, almost admonishing the woman, Devils aren't real. And around that time another servant, one Leia didn't like very much named Margot felt the need to interject, I'd rather sell my soul to the devil himself than spend one moment in Darth Vader's presence.
And that was how Leia learned the mysterious man's name some months ago. Up until then everything outside of his basic appearance had been a guarded secret. She wasn't even sure what he was to the Emperor, but finally having a name to go along with the idea was something she was grateful to have for whatever reason.
"It's been two hours..." Leia grumbled into her hands. Between tiny fingers she peeked at the holoclock to see her correction. It had been three hours. No one had come to get her yet. Darth Vader still must be present.
Briefly Leia wondered if Vader had hurt her daddy, if that was why she hadn't been called upon. After all would it be so odd for the man some called the devil to harm another? Fear didn't have time to lace hold of her because she quickly realized that she would know if something was wrong. She wasn't sure how she would know, but she would. She had a sixth sense about these sort of things that no one, not even her father could explain.
No, her daddy was fine. She just had to be patient a bit longer.
And then she heard it; footsteps!
Faintly she heard footsteps approach her tightly shut door. Finally, she silently cheered. She would be relieved of this boredom and get to go about her day. Finally she would -
Her breathing stilled in her chest as she edged off of her seat and tiptoed closer to the large ornate door that separated her from the expansive hallway. The footsteps were getting louder, they were definitely coming in her direction, but that wasn't what had her so intrigued. Not at all. Instead what had her pressing her ear intently against the white wood door was a faint hissing sound that grew louder with every footfall until she could make it out to be raspy breathing.
Like the devil himself gasping for life.
Leia's eyes grew big as realization dawned on her that just a little way outside of the room she stood in was Darth Vader, the mystery himself. Her fingers twitched and palms began to sweat as she wondered if she could sneak a peek outside, only for a second to see the figure for herself. Technically she wouldn't have disobeyed daddy, she would still be in the library after all.
Something pulled at her and goaded her on to take a swift look-see, while another part of her warned against it gravely. So intent on her internal struggle with what to do that she didn't even comprehended what the voices outside were talking, much less what they were even talking about. She didn't recognize one of the voices speaking to be her father or even that the almost mechanical voice that was with him was the first time she actually heard Darth Vader speak with her own ears. If she had realized this she probably would have chalked this moment up to something important, why she wouldn't be sure.
Look. Look. Look. Just one peek. Look. Look. Look. Her mind practically chanted to her. Biting her tongue she tried to decide quickly because the footsteps were already growing distant yet again, headed in the opposite direction from which they came. It won't hurt. She finally said to herself with certainty before latching onto the door handle and cracking the too-large door open a fraction.
An inquisitive brown eye peered out to the hallway intent on being unnoticed. Her intention quickly fell short when the figure who had it's back turned towards her suddenly snapped around, as if pulled by some unseen force and gazed directly at her. At least, she believed he was looking at her. It was hard to tell with such a midnight black helmet on.
You can't even see his eyes. Leia gulped nervously. If he had eyes.
Darth Vader fell out of step with her daddy and began to walk towards the library, her sanctuary. Darth Vader certainly had eyes, and he certainly had saw her. Suddenly feeling a lot less brave and less curious about the omnious figure who was taking long strides towards her Leia hurriedly closed the door on his face but not before she caught a glimpse of her father's own horror stricken appearence.
She did the only thing she could think of. She braced the door with her small frame, as if her body could stop a monster like Darth Vader from forcing his way into the room. Stupid! Stupid! There was a reason daddy wanted you to stay hidden! Leia berated herself.
Her ears were pounding with blood but above the drumbeat she could hear her father's panicked voice, "Lord Vader, would you like me to show you - "
"Is that your daughter, Organa?" the labored voice breathed out from behind the mask on the other side of the door. Her father must have nodded because the next thing Vader said was, "And you keep her locked away like a wayward pet?"
"My apologies Lord Vader but - "
"Come out." Darth Vader completely ignored her father and spoke directly to her through the door. She knew he must have known she made no move because after a moment he repeated, this time more sternly, "Come out, your highness."
He spoke with such calm authority but Leia could practically feel the undercurrent of a short fuse about this man - this monster. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing she had never opened that damn door.
"Leia..." her father's voice called her out from her lamenting. She could nearly hear the sigh in his voice and thinly veiled fear. "Come out, sweetheart."
Gathering up her courage Leia gently opened the door and slipped out to stand beside her father. Brown eyes stayed locked on her shoes. She didn't dare look at Darth Vader, the man-monster who only moments ago she was dying to see. Too stricken with fear and suddenly feeling like she very well might die if she did look up that she stayed so focused on her feet and floor.
She felt the thing behind the mask looking her up and down, as if appraising her, judging her like Tarkin once did, but for some reason this felt different. Tarkin had looked at her with unhidden disgust and repulsion as if she were a disease that needed to be stamped out. Darth Vader, though whatever his true face was hidden by a mask, seemed to gaze down at her with an intense curiosity. Maybe somewhere in his stare was hostility as well, after all she was an Organa and the Empire weren't keen on her family of this she knew but she wasn't sure why - but he did a good job at masking his contempt if he felt any.
This close to him she felt the rumbles of his voice reverberate through her. "She looks nothing like you or your late wife, Organa."
Daddy began to stutter as he struggled for something to say. Leia had no idea why he was fumbling so. Momentarily forgetting her fear and wanting to save her father from his difficulties Leia briefly looked up, very briefly, before averting her eyes back to the floor, but not before saying "I was adopted."
"Leia!" Her daddy hissed quietly to her. Suddenly his hand descended upon her shoulder and gripped her tightly as if he were afraid she might evaporate if he didn't hold onto her for dear life.
"Daddy..." Leia winced at his too-tight grip. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her, but that didn't stop the pain from coursing through her body.
"You are hurting your daughter, Organa." Darth Vader spoke again as he watched the scene before him with keen eyes.
"She was supposed to be studying." Leia's father mumbled as if it explained everything.
Seemingly realizing his harsh grip on his daughter he suddenly let go. "Leia, sweetheart, go back and study some more." Daddy lied as best as his frazzled nerves could.
She knew something was happening. Something, but she wasn't sure what. And though Leia disliked orders they were more tolerable when they came from her father, especially in what felt like dire situations such as this. Nodding she put her hand on the door handle. Before she could open the door and bar herself inside Darth Vader spoke again. This time directly to her. "Will I be seeing your at dinner, Princess?"
"Dinner?" Her daddy repeated.
"Dinner?" Leia mimicked and without thinking turned to look at Darth Vader. She gulped nervously looking into the blackness of his eye ports but couldn't turn away this time. She stood stock still with a million thoughts running through her brain and exactly none at the same time.
Her father brought her out of her trance. "You are staying for dinner, My Lord?"
For some reason unknown to Leia Vader had been staring at her intently as well and only turned to look at her daddy when he spoke to him. "I wasn't planning on it." Vader grumbled. "But I think I might. Surely that isn't a problem, Bail?"
Leia saw her father grit his teeth and she was certain Vader saw it too, but he made no comment. "Of course not, My Lord."
"Good." Vader hissed. Any semblance of almost-friendliness gone from his mechanical voice. He regarded her father for a moment silently before turning to look once more at Leia. "Until then, Leia," his voice held something that made her skin crawl and made her daddy take a sharp intake of breath.
With that Darth Vader continued on his way down the hall alone before disappearing around the corner.
"I'm sorry." The words were out of Leia's mouth as soon as the man in black vanished from eyesight.
Her father looked down at her with tired, worried eyes but said nothing.
"Why was he staring at me like that?" she voiced her concern.
The man known as Bail Organa to the galaxy but simply daddy to her placed a much gentler hand on Leia's small shoulder. "I think...he thought he saw a ghost."
Leia looked up at her father with clear confusion written across her face. "I don't understand."
"Good." Daddy stated simply, which only caused Leia more confusion.
Realizing she was going to get no answers Leia asked timidly, "Do I have to go to dinner with...him there?"
Her father slowly nodded his head. "Yes, I'm afraid so."
Bending down Bail placed a kiss on his daughter's forehead and brushed a strand of silky brown hair behind her ear. "I love you, Leia." Even Leia's untrained ears could hear the slight waver in his voice as he gazed down on her with what seemed like unfathomable sad eyes.
Again Leia felt something.
Something was happening.
Something that had daddy scared.
Something that had her afraid as well, but Leia Organa wasn't sure what.