Hazel Eyes (Wishes of Wind)

By Serena

A/N: Wow, thanks again for all the reviews! I had a lot of people wondering what's happened to Padme, and why Leia is with Bail... but all shall be explained in this chapter, I promise. :)

NOTE: My YA sci-fi/fantasy novel OCEAN OF EMPTINESS is available on Amazon. If you would like to read a sample chapter, please visit my website by going to my profile and clicking on my homepage.

Also, I'd be hugely appreciative if you become a fan of me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter to see my art. If you'd like to, check out my profile.

Background: Set 19 years after "Brown Eyes." The Empire and the corrupt Rebel Alliance are at war with each other. However, a third, secret organization is quickly growing, determined to bring both parties down.

Disclaimer: Don't own, never will.

Chapter Two: Close Edge

The morning on Rodia was typical for the planet: foggy, polluted, and loud with hung-over men, after-hour bar brawls, and early morning poker showdowns. To most outsiders, the capital city was one of the dirtiest, most foul places in the quadrant. However, to one Princess Leia, she hardly noticed any of it. Standing on her balcony, she let the wind whip through her long, satin, deep brown hair and inhaled deeply, just drawing it all in. She closed her eyes, just felt. She didn't hear the sounds separate - she heard them all together - a constant hum in the back of her mind. She focused on the elements... on the sun struggling to peak through the smoggy clouds... on the ground beneath her bare feet... of the wind whispering across her body.

And she remembered. She remembered him. She remembered his smug, cocky grin, his shaggy brown hair, and his pants that fit just a tad too well for him. She remembered his swagger, his banter. She remembered his eyes. Flashing, filled with emotion. They were so wild, so untamed, and so free.

And more than anything, Leia wanted to be free.

She rolled her shoulders back, leaned her neck forward to stretch, hoping that this morning would last for just a bit longer.

"Leia!"

Leia stiffened. Unfortunately, it was not to be. She resisted letting out a curse and sighed through her nose, gritting her teeth. She opened her eyes and turned around to face her mentor, who stormed towards her in his fine, elaborate morning robes. Not wanting to move, she folded her arms over her chest and stood stubbornly, wishing not for the first time that she were a good six inches taller.

"Leia Organa," Bail thundered, sweeping out onto the balcony, "Can you tell me what on earth you were thinking last night?"

"I'm sure I don't remember everything I was thinking, but if you give me a few minutes, I'm sure I could remember something," she retorted dryly.

Bail's face grew red. "Coming in with a strange man? Kissing him?"

I should've given him a real kiss. That would've really set you off, you heartless sithspawn.

"On the cheek," she said, cross.

"It doesn't matter!" Bail roared, storming up to her. When she looked away, he sighed and bent over her, taking her hands in his and caressing them gently. "Come inside, my dear. It's far too dirty out here." He moved back towards the doorway, but she didn't budge.

"I think it's nice out. You know I like my mornings outside."

"Leia, you will get sick. Now, come." He tugged her towards the door; and, after a moment, she reluctantly followed his orders. Once the glass door closed behind them, he sighed and looked down at her sternly. "My dear, I'm only looking out for you and your reputation. It doesn't look good… civilized."

And what would you know about "civilized," Bail? Leia thought bitterly. Does the pointless murder of five hundred Sullustians count as "civilized"?

"I'm trying to help you, my dear," Bail continued, "but you have to let me." He guided her to the nearest couch and sat down with her. "I am doing my best, but I will need your help, here."

Leia wouldn't look at him. She found herself wishing she could slash her lightsabers across his chest… across his arms... across his thick, meaty neck...

Stop it, Leia. Stop it, right there.

She forced herself to look up at him and gave him a doleful stare.

"Leia, you came to me looking for an opportunity, and you are emerging as one of the most influential and enchanting young politicians ever to grace the Imperial court," Bail told her with a smile. Taking her chin in his hand, he added, "I promised to look after you, and I will. I have even bestowed upon you the title of my own heir, Princess of Alderaan. But you must let me help you."

Leia sighed, nodded slowly. Right now, the only thing she wanted were his hands off her. "You're right, Uncle, I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time," she told him dutifully.

Bail patted her cheek. "There. Now, I've arranged for brunch to be served in an hour. Governor Tarkin and his assistant will be joining us for a peaceful meeting about the opportunities Rodia presents to both parties. Make sure to put on something nice." And he swept out of the room.

Leia glared coldly after him, rose slowly, fluidly to her feet, and moved out again onto the balcony, shutting the door firmly behind her. After a moment of angry pacing and resisting the urge to throw something off the balcony, she growled, flexed her fingers, and pulled out her comlink. She dialed a number, then waited, then dialed another number. Finally, someone on the other line answered.

"Report."

"It's me," Leia said sharply.

"What news?"

"Organa's been working hard trying to maintain his double life," Leia informed her contact. "He's a crafty one. He's having Tarkin for brunch this morning to assure the Emperor of his devotion. But I sneaked into his office the other night. They know we're real, and they're planning to attack you, and then the Executor after." She paused, knew that the next news wouldn't be taken well. "Bail made Djarin talk. I did everything I could... but it was too late. I didn't even know... They killed him."

There was silence on the other line, before the other person said in a low voice, "I was afraid of that. Djarin wasn't ready." Another pause, then, "But it's too late for that now. We'll have to tell everyone on Dantooine their position is compromised."

"Understood."

"Are you all right?" the person asked in a more serious, yet gentle tone.

Leia nodded, shifting her shoulders back. "I'm well. Wanting to be home, but well. It's been… an interesting last few days." Her thoughts drifted back suddenly to the man she'd met in the casino last night. He'd been irritating to no end, but… Those eyes. She'd been instantly drawn to them and found herself unable to pull away. Even she had to admit she couldn't believe her rash behavior – kissing him! – but she realized that she hadn't felt that comfortable around someone in a long, long time… Not since her family, anyway.

"You'll have to tell me about it," said the other voice.

"I will. Leia out."

"Uma ji muna, Leia."

Leia couldn't help but smile faintly. "You, too." Hesitating, she turned off her comlink and faced the city once more.

Princess Leia wanted to be free. Free like the wind that blew through her. Free of all this... free of the corrupt Rebel Alliance... and mostly, free of the snakelike Bail Organa who watched and pressed her every move. Leia wanted to be away from of all of this. She wasn't tired of it... she was just impatient. She wanted to be free to be home. She wished more than anything to be free to be at her family's side.

A wish of wind, she thought, letting her mind drift far away to her true home.

But Leia knew she was playing things close to the edge. She just wondered if her father knew how close.

On the other end of the comlink, a man draped in shadows slowly clicked off the small device and let his head go down. After a moment, he rose to his feet and waved a hand at the on-base communicator. It had only been a matter of time, he mused, before Dantooine was discovered. He'd sent out newer Underground members to the base, and, despite their heavy level of secrecy, not everyone could be strong. The drugs the Alliance and Empire were coming out with were more powerful than he'd anticipated. But they would adapt.

"Attention," said he to the comlink. "Our base on Dantooine has been compromised. Prepare for evacuation and rescue of any soldiers in need. Skywalker out."

General Anakin Skywalker strode out of his office and down one of the private corridors of their base on Anzat, a dark, dangerous planet that every single outsider feared to go: not because of the planet itself, but because of its inhabitants. The Anzati were likened to the mystical "vampires," and deadly to anyone that they wished to kill. However, such was not the case for Skywalker and his Underground army. The Anzati provided several things: protection from Imperial and Rebel interference, trust, and the perfect planet for which to have a vast, underground base. The base was now over twenty years old, and still growing. Where once only several people had existed, now thousands were joining the secret network, one by one. The Underground was the most well-kept secret organization in the galaxy, and Skywalker wanted to keep it that way.

Because once you joined the Underground, you joined for your lifetime.

Skywalker moved through the corridor and entered one of the conference rooms, where he found his old mentor and closest friend, General Obi-Wan Kenobi, standing in front of a hologram of the base on Dantooine.

"You're late," said Kenobi in his usual dry tone.

Anakin didn't smile or glare at Kenobi, being used to chastising remarks such as that. Instead, he merely joined Kenobi at the hologram table and leaned forward, placing his hands on the outer circular rim, staring down at the hologram.

"I'll be sure to let my daughter know that you're the one cutting me off the next time she and I have a conversation," replied Anakin.

Obi-Wan glanced up at his old friend and stroked his beard. "How's she holding up?"

Anakin's jaw tightened. "Holding up."

"You sense something amiss," observed the older Jedi General.

"Obi-Wan, there many things amiss," Anakin replied grimly. "However, she is more amiss than others. There's something going on... something she's not telling me. I can feel it. She's holding something back from me... something I should know."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Any idea what this something is?"

"She's only hiding it because she doesn't want to appear weak," Anakin said, shaking his head. "She's being stubborn, like her mother."

"I was going to say like you, but it works both ways. Could you try to convince her to tell you?"

"No. Not over comlink. She's determined to see out her mission, and, obviously, I couldn't be more proud of her," the former Sith lord admitted. "But I don't want her willingness to please me and the rest of the Underground putting her at more risk than she should." He straightened, focused on the base. "But we need to focus. Where's Vos?"

"He went to check on the new flight trainees. A few of them are still shaky on one of the starfighters." Anakin's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the base that would now be evacuated. "We have to be more careful next time."

"If word keeps getting out like this, there won't be a next time," Obi-Wan said sharply. "We need to send out better prepared men."

"Piett's the finest we have," Skywalker said. "I have complete faith in him to command the base, and evacuate with precisicion."

"I was talking warriors, Anakin. Your son, for example."

Anakin stiffened, shook his head. "We've been over this. He needs more training."

"He's not a boy anymore, Anakin. He's a young man, and a strong one at that. We both agree that we've never seen anyone learn as quickly as he does. He is truly a marvel. We should take advantage of this."

"I'm not going to risk him being discovered by the Emperor. He's sending out too strong a signal to other Force users at this point," Anakin argued, shooting a glare to his friend. "He needs to learn how to mask it better. But he's just so full of energy and life - there's almost no way to contain him. But you and I both know that that energy can be used against him - and us. If Sidious got his hands on him..."

"He wouldn't, and he won't," Obi-Wan replied firmly. "You're not giving him enough credit. I've trained Luke for years, and so have you. We both know his strengths and weaknesses. He's ready. If Leia is, than so is Luke. Or do you think Luke is stronger than Leia?"

"Leia's better at hiding it than he is," Anakin said. "Luke is a beacon of light - both you and I can sense that. He's a raw, immensely powerful force of light energy, and if that were to be used against us..." He trailed off, not wanting to think of his only son as an agent of darkness. "I can't risk it. Not now. He's too strong... and yet, not ready."

"You feel him to be more powerful than you?" Obi-Wan asked calmly.

Anakin didn't nod, but that was enough for the older Jedi General.

"It should take approximately thirty minutes to evacuate the base with the minimum amount of supplies needed," Anakin said, changing subject. "If Organa's already discovered it, their troops will be there soon." He tapped on the control panel attached to the holo. "Skywalker to Piett," he said shortly.

"Piett here, sir," said the former Imperial officer. "Sir, we've begun the evacuation. The completion time will be within twenty-five minutes. Unfortunately, we're going to have to leave behind more weapons than I'd like, sir."

"Save what you can, and detonate once you reach the lower atmosphere."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry for this, sir."

"Not your fault. You're doing an exemplary job. Skywalker out." Anakin turned off the comlink and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. It had gotten a bit darker and just a hint shorter as the years had passed, but still a deep golden brown, with several streaks of gray running through the waves. Padme hadn't wanted him to cut it at all, but after he had entrusted her to cut it for him, now she was the only one that would touch his hair.

Speaking of his beloved wife...

Anakin stepped away from the holo. "Keep me posted," he said to Obi-Wan, and turned towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan demanded.

"I have some business with Seii," said Anakin. "But before that, I need to speak to my wife."

"You'll find her with Satine," said Obi-Wan. "Apparently they were looking over a new trade agreement with one of the territories on the outer rim."

Anakin smirked. "Always the negotiator."

"And here I thought that was my title," said the General dryly.

"Oh, it is."

Anakin found his wife with the Dutchess Satine in one of the larger conference rooms, animatedly discussing one of the things he despised: politics. Because Padme loved it so much, he admired her all the more for it. And still, she could be an aggressive negotiator if she wished to be. Over the years, he'd seen her become more than a strong-willed Senator: she knew how to fight. Bold, determined, headstrong, and still just as enchanting as the day he'd first met her, Padme Amidala Skywalker was one whom he respected above all others: as a wife, a woman, a politician, a leader, a warrior, and a mother.

When he entered, neither of the ladies even seemed to notice him. However, although Padme was not facing him, she suddenly said, "Anakin, we need your help."

He still didn't know how she did that. "With what?" He folded his hands behind his back and came up beside her.

"We're trying to figure out if we should include twelve cartons of nutrients, or ten in the bartering agreement. The only dilemma is that we won't be able to get in another shipment of nutrients for another two months, but they might not agree to ten."

"Make it an even eleven," Anakin suggested.

"But they were very firm..." Padme frowned and glanced at her close friend, Satine. "What if we included several energy providers as well?"

"They didn't seem to want any more technology," Satine said in her soft, accented voice.

"And we can't give up any more tech, especially the energy providers," added Anakin. "If we're going to make the new base work, we're going to need as many as we can get."

Padme turned to look up at him. "So we're going through with this?" Her voice carried a definite edge.

"It's out of the way and almost impossible for scanners to detect anything on the ground," Anakin said firmly. "I know you don't like the idea, but the Generals and I agree it's the most practical strategy at this point."

Padme stiffened, licking her lips, and looked away. "It's too far."

Anakin's eyes hardened. "Anzat may not protect us forever, Padme," he warned. "In case of emergency, we need to be ready to evacuate."

"Yes, but there? So far away from..." She bit her lip, shook her head.

Satine, sensing a private conversation, murmured, "I'll go check on Obi-Wan," and quietly slipped out of the room. Once she had left, Padme rounded on Anakin, furious. Her eyes were blazing, and her cheeks were flushed.

"Anakin, she's my daughter!"

"You don't think I realize that?" Anakin demanded sharply, growing irritated with the fact that they had had this conversation many times before. "She knew what she was getting into, Padme. She wanted to do this. She offered."

"She's only eighteen!"

"She knew the risks."

"Did she? I don't think you give Bail enough credit, Anakin," Padme hissed. "The man is a disgusting, vile pig. At least the Emperor doesn't try to hide the fact that he's evil - but Bail plays the good card, and he can get away with it!"

"She's been training for this ever since she was born," Anakin said grimly. "Even before she was born."

"I don't like my children being destined by Bail Organa and the Emperor, Anakin," Padme snarled. "I want them to live their own lives."

"What did you expect?" Anakin said in a low, dangerous voice. "We're fugitives, Padme. All of us. Until I get rid of the Emperor, our children will be living as we live. As I recall, you chose to come with me all those years ago. You knew the risks as much as Leia does, Padme. What if she had been in your position? Starting a relationship with a mass murderer? The second most powerful man in the galaxy? Was I any less evil than the Emperor, Padme?"

Padme gazed up at him, suddenly silent. After a long pause, she slowly reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. "Of course you were. Or else I never would have seen Anakin Skywalker hiding behind that mask." She sighed, closed her eyes, and slowly placed a hand over her stomach. "I don't want to lose her, Pilot," she said in a whisper. "I can't lose another child."

Anakin's jaw flexed, and he took her into his arms and held her tightly. Although it had been seven years, the pain was still as fresh now as it had been when their baby girl had been pulled out of Padme's arms - stillborn. The doctors had been unable to do anything to save the child. It was the first time that Anakin had ever felt the pain of true loss. Just thinking back to it now sent jolts of white-hot agony through his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. He let out a long breath and pressed his lips to Padme's hair.

"We won't, Smuggler," he murmured firmly. "We won't."

No Han, I know... But don't worry, he'll be in the next chapter. :) I wanted to give you a little more of the Skywalker story.

Let me know if I should continue! :)

-Serena