The man took the young girl's hand and placed it on his heart. "Do you hear the sound of my heartbeat?" he asked.
She nodded. "Good," he smiled, "now, just focus on that. Nothing else. Don't let them take you away from me."
"I-I'm t-trying," she gasped. Her sapphire eyes stared at his. He stroked her cheek in a caring manner. He loved her, and the Empire attempted to take her away.
The girl tried to say something, but the man cut her off. "Don't waste your voice, my dear." The girl then pointed at her wound. The hole was located on the left side of her body, in the middle of her lung. It was bleeding profusely. Her eyes showed the fear that she had.
"Do not worry, darling," he soothed, "the doctors will be right in." Even though he was trying to be as calm as he could, he was a wreck on the inside. He wanted to cry, to punch a pillow, to be weak, but he could not. He thought that he had to be strong for her. He was strong in front of her for all of her life. After all, he was like her father.
Her biological father abandoned her at a very young age, and he left his daughter in the hands of his young friend, the man who was with her when she was dying. He raised her. He taught her about kindness and humbleness. When her biological father came back to ask for her help, she didn't refuse, because the man who raised her also taught her how not to hold grudges. But, in her eyes, her biological father was never her real father. Her real father was the one who raised her, the one who was there through thick and thin, and the one at her side, trying to hold it all together.
The doctors raced in to help the girl. "What happened, General?" one of the doctors asked the man.
"She was attacked by the Emperor," he said, without even looking up to acknowledge them, "The Emperor was killed by her, but not before he did some damage."
The doctors looked at the wound. "You call this some, General?" one of the younger doctors asked him.
"Now, now, Raj," the first doctor said, "please don't get aggressive."
Raj sighed. "Sorry, General. I know that it has been hard."
"It is alright," the man replied, "I understand that you are under stress as well." The girl's eyes were slowly closing. The man was on the verge of losing his control over his emotions.
The doctors started prepping for surgery to close the hole. Out of nowhere, though, the girl started to speak to the man, stuttering about every other word. "It's o-okay i-if you c-cry. You d-don't n-need to be-e strong. Be we-eak. Ju-ust, o-one la-ast thing."
"Yes, darling," he choked out, trying to control his sobs, "what is it?"
"I l-love you."
His tears started flowing. He couldn't control his emotions any longer. "I love you too," he sobbed, holding her hand that was on his heart. Her eyes closed, and he knew that the doctors were too late. She was gone. The Empire took her away.
The doctors tried to comfort the man, but nothing work. He cried and cried. Even though he was raised to not mourn the death of someone and to celebrate their life, he couldn't help it. His best friend, his strongest ally, and his beautiful daughter was dead. And there was nothing he could do.