The queen and the Fallen Jedi
by: Kathi Skywalker (kathiskywalker@compuserve.de )
Darth Vader entered the palace of Alderaan. He never liked Bail Organa and KNEW that Prince Organa had connections to the rebellion, he just had no proofs, and as long as that wouldn't change, he had to obey the wishes of the emperor. This visit was one of them.
Bail Organa came down the stairs.
"Lord Vader, what a great honour. What is the reason for your surprising visit? Not that your not welcomed." He added fast.
"Not that you have any saying in this." Vader aswered watching the still remaining smile on the face of the other one, knowing it was nothing more than just a good charade.
"You know very well why I'm here. The Empire has got some information that the house of Alderaan has allied with the rebellion."
"My Lord?" Organa asked shocked. "This must be bad gossip. I'm senator in the imperial senate!"
"I know very well who you are, Organa, and if your words are true you don't have to fear the imperial investigation."
Organas face went pale. "An investigation my Lord?"
"You heard right senator. An investigation under my personal observation."
"Don't you think this is a bit…overreacted?"
Slowly the Dark Lord turned towards Organa.
"Never question me again."
Bail Organa watched the dark figure walking out of the palace again.
~
A half hour later
Lord Vader stood in the great main hall as he heard a child giggling on the floor running towards him. It was a young girl with brown eyes and hair running after a little cat.
"Stop!" she screamed. "Stand still and I promise I will never try to bath you again, ok?"
But the cat ran further into the room and than the girl stood still noticing all the men in the room searching for something in the datapads.
Vader stared at her. Surprisingly she didn't fear him like most people did who met him at first. The fact that she was just a child made her even more attractive to him. She went straightly up to him knowing instinctively that he was the one in charge. Smart girl. He thought waiting for her to speak.
"I'm Leia Organa. What are you searching for? Maybe I can help you."
"So you are the daughter of Bail Organa and his wife?"
Leia smiled. "Yes and I know a lot about our data-bibliothec."
"I'm sure you do but I don't think you know about that special information, little one."
"I'm not little! I'm already 4 and a half year old!" she showed him with her fingers and her eyes smiled at him. Vader grinned behind his mask. She was definatly not like her father. Indeed he liked her. Bail Organa would not be lucky to hear his own daughter offering her help to finally destroying him and his reputation. But she couldn't know about that in her age.
The little cat came back to her running around her legs.
"You should not be here Leia. I'm sure your mother is already searching for you."
Leia noticed the change in his voice.
"You want me to leave?" she asked sadly looking once more around the room. This was so much more interesting than everything else ever happened in this damn palace.
"I'm pretty sure your parents wouldn't allow you to be here."
"Why?" Her eyes were so innocent. How could he make her leave without hurting her? He wasn't used to have children around. But this much was for sure; she wouldn't leave by her own.
"Ok, Leia, I'll try to explain it to you while I bring you back. Deal?" Leia looked around again and made a decision.
"Deal."
~
"So the man daddy works for – the emperor- wants to check his work? That's the reason why all these people are here?"
"Yes, Leia, that's right. It's a little bit more complicate but all in all you got it." Leia smiled.
As they turned around a corner Leia started to run towards prince Organa and a woman in white.
"Mama!" Leia screamed and the woman in white turned and stood there stunned staring at the figure in black.
Vader felt completely shocked. Slowly he walk up to the woman who now took Leia up into her arms.
"My Lord." Prince Organa bowed lightly.
"As I see you found our little angel Leia. May I introduce you to my wife Amidala of Naboo." Vader couldn't draw his gaze of her.
"There aren't many things left that surprise me, Ami. But you're still one of them."
Bail looked clumsy back and forth between Vader and his wife.
"You know each other?"
Vader now found the strength to look at Bail.
"Yes we know. You could even say we were…close." Amidala went pale. No Ani not.
"I didn't know that." Bail said apologizing.
"Almost nobody knows. But I must congratulate you to your choice. With her Alderaan has not only a very competent ruler but also the most beautiful woman in the whole galaxy as his queen."
Before Bail could manage an answer of this unexpected and very rare compliment of the Dark Lord Amidala interrupted him.
"Thank you, Lord Vader." Leia released herself form her mothers arms and looked up to the dark lord.
"I want to show you something." She said suddenly.
Vader shook his head and turned around. He wanted to leave the room as soon as possible.
"No Leia, and I want you to stay with your parents, even if I know how curious you are of what goes on in the bibliothec, all right?"
Leia looked at the floor and bit her lips. No wonder he had liked her. She was a part of her. His Amidala. Now it was so obvious.
"Ok." She promised. A gloved hand cared her brown hair as he left the room.
~
53 hours later
Amidala woke up with a scream. "No!" Bail turned to her. "What's up, darling? One of your bad dreams again." Amidala stood up feeling her tears on her cheek.
"Anakin?" he asked. She nodded. Bail stood up and walked towards his wife wrapping his arms around her.
"He is dead Amidala. There was nothing you could do. Let it go." He felt her crying uncontrollably now. His lips ran down her spine.
"I love you." Bails lips searched for her mouth but Amidala stepped away from him.
"Don't." was all she could manage to say.
"I'm sorry. I know it wasn't the right moment. I know you got a lot of stress in the last time and the appearing of the Empire didn't make it any easier and I want to apologize for it."
Amidala shook her head.
"Bail, it's not that easy for me."
Bails face darkened. "And what about me? What about my feelings? I'm in love with a woman whose heart belongs to her dead husband! That's ill Amidala!"
"That's not fair Bail! You know that you're dear to my heart!"
"I always knew that I loved you more, Amidala, and I thought that just to be with you was more than I deserve anyway. I love you and our daughter…I always will."
Amidala couldn't stand this any longer and fled out of their bedroom.
"Amidala don't leave! Amidala!" But she knew she needed time to think now. Time to be alone.
~
Amidala stood on the great balcony looking at the stars, tears in her eyes. She slung her nightgown tighter around her as she felt a cold breeze coming up. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes as she suddenly felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Ani." It was no question.
"You shouldn't be out here, Ami."
She leaned back on him feeling an arm around her wrist.
"I like to watch the stars." She said. "Leia told me once she wanted to show me 'her' star. It was Tatooine." She laughed. "She found it beautiful because it was the lightest of all of them."
"She would change her mind soon if she had to life there for some years like I did."
"Don't be so sure about it. She's as stubborn as her father."
Amidala felt him letting her go and walked inside again. She followed slowly and sat down in the living room belonging to the balcony.
"I was really surprised to see you today. I can't feel you through the force anymore."
Amidala looked up to him.
"Obi-Wan made a barrier to disconnect me from you."
"Because of Organa?"
God knew she was thankful for this force-block now. If he had been able to read her mind now she had fallen for him for sure.
"No." She said truthful and swallowed.
"It's hard to accept you being his wife."
"Yeah, sometimes it's hard for me, too. It's not quite the way we both wished this to end up."
"That's true. But maybe it's for the best." He tried to hide his jealousy as best as he could. God damn it, he hated Organa. He had everything he adores. And they had found absolutely nothing today that would give him the right to take it away from him.
"Leia." He said finally. "I don't know how HE managed to create something so wonderful. She's special you know? She will be a great leader. Just like her mother."
She's yours, Ani. Can't you see?
"She's my angel. I adore her."
"Amidala, after I left you…I thought but…after my accident I just don't…" Why was it so hard to tell her? To ask her?
"Ami, am I allowed to ask you a private question?" Amidala tensed. He knows! She thought but said: "Surely. Everything you want to know."
"Do you love him?"
Amidala cried again. "Ani….I missed you so. Bail and I." She shook her head.
"Than leave him. Come with me. I never stopped loving you Ami."
"Ani, don't do this to me."
"I'm not the man you married seven years ago and I can't give you what Bail already gave to you, but I'll give my heart – no – you already have it. At least what's left of it."
"Anakin, Bail is my husband and he's Leias father. Anyway apart of what I might feel right now I have to take care of my child, of my people."
"I would never force you to separate from Leia. She's your daughter, a part of you."
God what have I done? Her mind screamed. Obi-Wan was wrong. I have hurt Ani by leaving him alone while he needed me most. The galaxy had paid a high price for her fault. She had hurt Bail by marrying a man she doesn't love, she had hurt Luke by giving him away and she hurt herself. But she wouldn't hurt anyone anymore.
"No Ani. It would break her heart. Leia adores her father. She wants to become a senator just like him. I can't break her world into."
Silence filled the room.
"Then this is the end."
Amidala stood up and walked to him.
"Yes, this is the end of a tragic fairy tale. 'The Queen and the fallen Jedi'."
She wrapped her arms around him and placed a light kiss on the side of his mask. As he left her alone she was sure she would never see him again.
THE ENDA/N: Please review and tell me what you think about it!