"Destiny"
By EsmeAmelia
AN: Hey all, thanks for reviewing!
Chapter 3
Once the ceremony ended, nearly everyone retreated to the recreation room for the following reception. Some lingered behind to chat with each other, but one exited alone, heading away from the rec room, down one of the many hallways, not knowing exactly where she was going.
"Rianna Trenn...Skywalker," she whispered to herself, building the words hesitantly on each other, the combination sounding completely foreign to her ears and yet at the same time welcome. "Rianna Trenn Skywalker..." The second time she put extra emphasis on the last word. "Rianna Trenn Skywalker..." The third time a sense of irony entered her head as she remembered how that last word was once the only name she would address him as.
"Rianna Trenn Skywalker..." Her voice became louder, the words beginning to sound sweeter, rolling off of her tongue as if they were part of a new and exciting language she was only now beginning to understand.
"Rianna Trenn Skywalker...Rianna Trenn Skywalker...Rianna Trenn Skywalker..." Her body seemed to levitate with every step down the dimmed hallways, her shoes echoing off the stone walls. She waved her hand in front of her eyes, letting herself get only glimpses of the glistening stone that adorned her finger, her illogical side fearful that if she took a close look at it the ring would vanish.
I'm engaged.
Those two words seemed to be flowing through her veins in place of blood, making her heart work extra-hard to keep her body nourished. It seemed as though in all the twenty years that she had been alive, none of it had prepared her for this moment, nor would any of it ever shine as brightly as this moment. Her times with Luke were blurring through her mind, from their initial struggles with each other to this climaxing day.
With almost no awareness on how she had gotten here, she found herself in one of the classrooms. Her footsteps slowed to the even pace of a woman walking down the aisle on her wedding day, her eyes taking in the many lightsabers hanging on the wall, constructed by Luke and Leia for use by the students. The silver tubes distorted her reflection, enlarging her cheeks.
The first time she held a lightsaber danced in her head, how she had gone through her first training session in darkness, overtaken by Palpatine's spirit. It was as vague as a long-ago dream now, yet the thought still caused her to shiver. Luke had given her more lightsaber training sessions since then - she had actually become quite skilled with the blade...but there always seemed to be something alienating about that weapon. She had refused when Luke offered to make her one of her own.
Now she stared at one that was hanging level to her eyes. Her fingers twitched, aching to feel that cold metal between them, her body yearning for the blade's heat. Almost without thinking, she stuck out her hand, harnessing the Force to grab the tube. It flew off the hook and landed neatly in her outstretched hand. Almost immediately, her thumb pushed in to activate it.
A bright purple stream of light emerged from the tube, the blade's soft humming tickling her ears, emitting heat that blazed her face. She squinted from the glare, yet she had no desire to look away. "You control the blade - it does not control you," Luke had said once, the first time she held a lightsaber since conquering the dark side, yet she was never sure if she believed it.
She took a step forward, swinging the blade to her right, assuming a stance that was almost battle-like. After holding the pose for a few seconds, she whipped the blade around her as if fighting an invisible enemy, launching herself into a sort of dance with the lightsaber, gracefully mimicking the moves of a duel.
"Rianna?"
She froze, the weapon trembling in her hands. It was with great difficulty that she forced herself to turn around and face the one who addressed her - it took the effort of jumping into cold water.
Padme was standing in the large doorway, giving no indication of surprise. "Rianna, you're wanted at the reception - Luke wants to toast your engagement."
Rianna stared at her future mother-in-law, making no movement except deactivating the lightsaber. Her green eyes widened, scarcely blinking, her body waiting for Padme to make the first move.
Padme walked closer to the younger woman. "Rianna, what are you doing?"
Rianna felt like her vocal cords had forgotten how to function. "I...was just...just..."
Padme smiled, her eyes looking upward as her head shook slightly in a smug manner. "You're talking as if I didn't just see you holding a lightsaber." Before Rianna could respond, the ambassador strode up to her and plucked the lightsaber from her hand, holding it up as if examining it.
"Don't tell Luke..." Rianna muttered.
"Why not?" asked Padme, looking at her distorted reflection in the lightsaber's handle. "He knows you don't want to be a Jedi, doesn't he?"
Rianna swallowed. "Padme..."
"You can call me 'Mom' if you want to," Padme interrupted, hanging the lightsaber back on its hook. "You're going to be marrying my son, after all."
The ex-queen felt that she was probably blushing. Her now-empty hand waved in front of her face, her eyes fully staring at the engagement ring for the first time since Luke had presented it to her. The gem sparkled, briefly flashing all imaginable colors. How much did it cost Luke to obtain? Did she want to know?
"Strange..." she murmured, "...I've been engaged less than an hour and I'm already wondering..."
"Wondering what?"
Rianna turned her hand, letting Padme see the ring. "How much this cost, for one thing."
Padme laughed. "Well, I'm sure it didn't put Luke in too much debt." She reached over and ran her finger over the ring. "Now the wedding itself - that might be a different story."
Rianna snickered through her nose. "Well...that's not all I'm thinking about." She rotated her hand, letting herself once more look at that stone. Her mind saw herself spending an eternity with Luke, which brought her both exhilaration and anxiety.
Padme patted her future daughter-in-law's shoulder. "It's natural to have doubts, Rianna. I'd be worried about you if you didn't have doubts, but if you love him - and I'm sure you do..."
"Children," Rianna said suddenly, shocking herself as much as she appeared to shock Padme.
The former senator's eyebrow lifted. "Well...yes, you'll probably have children, but think about the wedding before you start worrying about them..."
Rianna's hand slipped down to her stomach as if she were already pregnant. "What if we have children...they'll be...well, like us, won't they?"
"Force-sensitive?" asked Padme. After the younger woman gave a hesitant nod, Padme added, "Rianna, you shouldn't let that scare you. Look at Leia. She had children."
"Her children only have one Force-sensitive parent," Rianna said in a louder voice. "Mine will have two." Her green eyes widened at her future mother-in-law. "Padme, you don't know what I went through - not even Luke knows that. For all your witnessing of the dark side, you've never actually experienced it." She gave a heavy swallow. "How...how could I put my own children in danger of that?"
Padme sighed gently. "Rianna, to exist as a Force-sensitive isn't a curse."
"But what if our children are different even from other Force-sensitives? It wasn't common for Jedi to breed with each other, was it? Suppose it makes our children even more susceptible to the dark side."
Padme sighed again. "Well, I can't say I'm an expert on Force genetics, but I can say you shouldn't let fear determine whether or not you have children."
Rianna's eyes drifted back to the ring. Luke would want children - she was almost certain of that. And if she was completely honest with herself, she would too. But what danger would a child of two Force-sensitives be in?
Padme gripped both of Rianna's shoulders, letting her feel the gentle pressure of her future mother-in-law's hands. "Rianna, there will be plenty of time to think about that later. Right now, you've got a public and a future husband waiting for you."
Those words let the former queen momentarily forget her concern. She gave a tiny smile as she nodded. "You're right. Lead the way...Mother."
