I'm going to be starting school soon again and figured, well until school starts, why not update this every day until Monday, especially because of all the reviews? (You all really know how to make a girl happy in that area by the way. Cue the anime eyes with big sparkling hearts in them). But seriously, my computer time is going to be seriously crippled when I start school. I'll be back to at least four classes, but thankfully they won't last two and a half hours. So after Monday, I'll be updating this every other day or so. Depends on what kind of homework I have and how mean my teachers are and if I have to study. I've gotten by not studying much so far but I might be forced to with this political science I have to take. Anyone want to tell me what political science has to do with English? Anywho, a million thanks for all the reviews.
Now one thing. I seriously considered taking out the part in the medbay completely but decided to leave it. You'll see what I'm talking about. Alright on with the next chapter. I may post the next chapter if I have time later, after I update Light of Liberty. Read, Enjoy, and Review!
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Chapter Three
Luke was the only one who knew about Leia's nightmares, and although he had teased her when she first asked, Leia had taken to sleeping in his room on the couch. Otherwise, the nightmares returned. She hadn't had nightmares steadily in years, not since she was about twelve, and she hadn't had any at all since she was fourteen.
But tonight, Luke was somewhere on Hoth, probably freezing, with Han and Alex. So to avoid having a nightmare that night, Leia decided to stay awake and get some paper work done for the rebellion.
She sighed and looked at the time. Two o'clock… It was time for another cup of coffee. She was exhausted. Leia poured another cup of coffee and began to sip on it.
Leia…
She dropped her mug and turned around.
"Who's there?" she asked and when no one returned her call she grabbed a towel to clean up the coffee and pick up the broken pieces of glass.
"Maybe I do need some sleep," she said and dumped the towel with the glass in it in the trash. She clicked off the light and looked at her bed cautiously, as though it might jump up and eat her.
Leia laughed at her silliness and got into the bed. She didn't know how tired she was because she didn't remember falling asleep. She did remember the nightmare though.
"Leia," someone was calling, demanding more like it.
Leia didn't know what was going on.
"Leia!"
"Leave me alone," Leia said terrified of whatever it was.
"You're mine and you can feel it. You shouldn't disobey me little one," the shadowy silhouette said. Leia rounded a corner and gasped when she came upon a door. She ran to open but knew before she twisted the knob it wouldn't open.
"Leia Skywalker," the person said rounding the corner. "I've been looking for you for a long time."
"Leave me alone," Leia said sliding down the wall crying.
"Leia," a softer voice said in her head, a male voice. "It's alright. She's not going to hurt you. I promise."
"But she's the bad woman," Leia replied trying to scoot further away from the person that was slowly making their way toward her.
"Don't worry. I'm here Leia. I love you."
Leia recognized that voice. "Daddy!"
"Yes Leia."
"Daddy help me!"
"I can't."
The figure reached out to her. "I've got you now princess. From now on, you can call me Master."
"No!" Leia screamed as darkness engulfed her.
"No!" Leia screamed and shot out of bed. She looked around and realized she was back in her room on the rebel base. She felt seven years old all over again.
Leia got out of bed trembling and went to her bathroom to throw some water on her face. She hadn't had that particular dream in years. She first had it when she was seven and it hadn't stopped until she was about fourteen. She didn't know what it was about that year. It was somewhere around the time Alex had visited Pemé when they were on Alderaan that they went away. She had been grateful.
However, after the destruction of the death star they had started up again. First they were scattered and then more frequent. Now they came to her every night. She probably looked a mess and then there was that shadow, the bad woman.
Not much scared Leia. In fact, hardly anything did. She had never been the conventional princess. She had loved speeders and swoop bikes and getting her hands dirty. Sure, she had grown into liking dresses and getting her hair done (so long as it wasn't the one where they wrapped her hair around her ears) and acting like a future queen should, but her aunts were never satisfied with her-what they called- masculine tendencies. Leia rolled her eyes at the thought and so had Pemé, especially when her aunts insisted that she didn't need to know how to shoot a blaster. She had courage. That was for sure.
But nothing had shaken her like the bad woman did, even if it was a figment of her imagination. Something about the woman was dark, and she didn't like it. She felt trapped with no way out in those dreams. It was almost like she was dying.
Leia yawned again. She was still tired, but it was only three o'clock, and she didn't want to go back to sleep. It was time for her to put on another pot of coffee.
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It took Anakin much effort to keep Padmé and Leia at bay when he and Han brought Luke back into the base the next morning. They immediately took him to the med-center. He had to be fully submersed in bacta for twenty-four hours before he was well enough to simply recover in bed.
When he was awakened Padmé rushed to the med-center with Leia and engulfed him in a hug.
"We were so worried about you dear?" Padmé said beginning to inspect the wounds on his face. "Those are horrible. Hopefully they won't leave scars."
"Really Pemé," Luke assured. "I'm fine."
"How are you feeling Luke?" Anakin asked coming into the room followed by Han.
"Alright I guess," Luke said. "I feel like I'm forgetting something very important though. Something to do with something I saw in the snow."
Anakin frowned and exchanged a glance with Padmé before Leia spoke.
"Whatever it is, forget all about it. You need to recover," she said fixing the sheets on his spread.
"Yeah," Han muttered. "Her highnessness has been worried sick about you. She was practically checking on you through your freaky twin force bond every five minutes."
"What are you still doing here anyway?" Luke asked. Last he heard, Han was supposed to be leaving.
"Well," Han said. "I couldn't very well leave without knowing if you were alright for sure and the other reason is because of princess over there."
"I had nothing to do with it," Leia replied. Padmé gave her a smug look that said she obviously didn't believe her but Leia pressed on. "General Rieekan thinks it's dangerous for any ships to leave the system until we've activated the energy shield."
Anakin rolled his eyes deciding it wasn't worth his time to follow their banter. He rather them argue than act out on their feelings though. He turned to Luke.
"We have to talk later alright?" he asked.
"Sure Alex," Luke said clearly enjoying Han and Leia's arguing. "How much do you want to bet they end up making out in the next week if they keep arguing like this?"
"Over my dead body," Anakin said glaring and then suddenly Leia was in front of him.
"Well I guess you don't know everything about women yet," she snapped and then looked at Pemé.
"Forgive me," she said and the pressed her lips to Anakin's.
Anakin would have rather died a painful death in a sarlaac twice over. When Leia pulled away she turned on her heel and stomped out the room.
Anakin was dumbstruck. Luke was laughing his head off. It was just what he needed to feel better. Padmé was scowling with her arms crossed, and Han was practically turning red in frustration at the game while muttering something along the lines of, "Her highness must have a fixation with men much older than she is..."
"Well, at least she got her impulsiveness and boldness honestly. Don't you think so Alex?" Padmé asked leaving the room herself even though Luke could feel her amusement.
An alarm sounds overhead and Han bid Luke farewell while following Artoo, Threepio and Chewie out.
"That couldn't have come at a more perfect time," Anakin muttered sitting on the bed still disturbed by the fact that his own daughter had kissed him, unknowingly and in innocence yes, but still…
"What is it?" Luke asked. "You seem bothered by something,"
"Tell me about what you saw in the snow yesterday?" Anakin said.
Luke thought back and then gasped. "I thought it was a dream. It was Ben, but it was weird. He was transparent and glowing kind of blue. He told me to find Yoda on Dagobah…" Luke trailed off as he detected the older man's frustration and displeasure at something.
"What's wrong Alex?" he asked.
Anakin took a seat next to Luke. "You weren't dreaming. When Obi-Wan died he became one with the force and through a special training we went through he can return intact to talk to us."
"Really?" Luke asked. "Can you do it?"
"Yes, but I'd like to think my death is a long time from now," said Anakin with a smile.
"So what did he mean about finding Yoda,"
"Yoda was the grand master jedi of the order before the purges. He, along with me, is the only jedi left from then. Anyway, the council wants you to find Yoda so that he may complete your training," Alex explained.
"The council? Aren't they dead?"
"Luke, no one every truly dies. The force just calls them home. When we are sleep or in meditation, we can be brought to their realm and speak to them."
"So they want Yoda to train me?" Luke asked just to be sure. He wasn't sure he liked that idea and he could tell for some reason, neither did Alex.
"Your father wasn't happy about it," Anakin said through his teeth.
Luke almost jumped out of bed. "You saw my father?"
Anakin sighed. He wished he could just tell Luke who he was. But if he did that… he wouldn't put it past the jedi to somehow keep him and Padmé from the twins in the name of the greater good.
"Yes and he doesn't agree with you being trained by Yoda and neither do I."
"Why?"
Anakin proceeded to explain to Luke about the code and how attachments, especially personal relationships, were banned in the order.
"Your father broke the code by marrying your mother and I did as well. The council wants to build the order the exact same way it was and we don't agree with it. The order's been the same for the last thousand years while the entire galaxy has changed and adapted in that time. We've challenged that aspect of the code and the council has decided to talk about it," Anakin paused and then continued.
"Your father and I don't want you to feel obligated to become a jedi and live up to that. Following that is a lonely life and we'd prefer that it be changed before you really get into your training and Yoda indoctrinates that into you. Unfortunately we can't wait for them to come to a decision. We must start your training."
Luke leaned back on the bed in thought. Alex was right. That did seem like a lonely life, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be part of it when it was put that way. Not that it seemed bad, it was just a lot to sacrifice. Not loving was like sacrificing a part of his humanity. But this was bigger than him. He didn't only need to become a jedi for himself, he needed to become a jedi for the sake of the galaxy.
"I'll do it," he finally said. "To be honest, I can't make this decision based on my personal feelings on the matter."
Anakin felt himself swell up in pride. Luke was so much like his mother in that respect by putting his duty before his own desires. He then knew that no matter what he preferred, Luke would become a jedi and a great one at that. He had his mothers unending love and selflessness for people in general.
"Besides," continued Luke. "I can always just break the code like you and my dad did if I meet someone one day and it feels like the right thing to do."
Anakin nodded. "Exactly. You do what feels right in the force. Many jedi have made the mistake of serving the code before the force, and it crippled their potential. Always serve the force first, even if it means abandoning the code."
Luke nodded and felt almost like he was talking to his own father. He had always felt that way around Alex and it had nothing to do with knowing him for a long time. He had never felt this around his uncle.
"Oh yeah. What about Leia. Will she be trained?"
Anakin frowned. "Until this matter on emotional attachments and relationships is decided on, your father will not allow the council to make Leia pursue further training in the force. Besides, she seems happier in the political arena."
Luke became a little more solemn and glanced at Anakin before turning away with his arms crossed.
"What is it?" Anakin asked.
Luke sighed. "She doesn't want anyone to know, but since she won't be trained yet…"
"Tell me."
"She's been having nightmares lately," Luke explained. Anakin didn't say anything as he waited for Luke to continue. There was obviously something else.
"She's been having them for the last three years. It's odd that they suddenly started but she says nightmares are nothing new to her. She used to have them all the time when she was younger. I thought she was just spooked by some nonsense until she told me what was in them," Luke added.
"What are they about?" Anakin asked, cold gripping his heart. It seemed like Leia had inherited a lot more from him that just his temper.
Luke couldn't really describe it except for how Leia had told him.
"The bad woman" Luke said simply.
"Who?" Anakin asked in confusion. It sounded like something a seven year old would say.
"Leia's been calling her that since she was seven."
Anakin gasped. "That long?"
"They stopped when she was fourteen and now they've started up again. In that dream, this bad woman is chasing her and she can hear our father's voice."
"Your father?" Anakin said. "How does she know?"
Luke shrugged. "She remembers him telling her he loved her when she was a baby, only a few days old. I remember too," Luke added avoiding the older man's gaze. "Our mother was so sad and our dad was heartbroken over Darth Pesinoé. Anyway, our father is telling her that this bad woman isn't going to hurt her, and that she should trust him and go with her. That's only one of her dreams. She has many more."
"How many?" Anakin asked.
"At least two more. The bad woman is always in them. In some she's chasing her and in some the bad woman has her and is fighting her. We can never make much out of them. But Leia always says she feels like her mind is being invaded somehow. Like someone is trying to reach her."
Anakin sighed. This was hauntingly familiar to him. Only one possibility came up in his mind, but he was hesitant about saying anything about it. Maybe if he didn't say anything it would pass, but he wasn't so sure. Luke sensed his hesitancy and scowled.
"I'm not a child. You can tell me what's going on, especially if it has something to do with my sister," he demanded.
"Sometimes, ignorance is a bliss Luke."
Luke crossed his arms and decided then and there Alex was hiding something more than just the meaning of Leia's dreams from him. It wasn't bad, but there was something else and he intended to find out what.
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AN: Yeah so... I'll admit I was going to take out the part where Leia kissed Anakin, but I figured she didn't know Luke was her brother in that point in the original canon trilogy, but I'm pretty sure she saw him as a brother by that point and did it anyway. I had mixed feelings on it, but I thought I'd bring it up later as a moment to laugh about. I can't wait to put up the next chapter! Pesinoe makes another appearance and she and Anakin duel! Yay! That's why I said I may post the chapter later today. You've all been waiting so patiently for that scene. I can't deny you of it. Hope you enjoyed. Review Please!