IX: A Last Chance
The king's office was quiet and dark; cold in spite of the fire from the chimney, grim thanks to the two powerful men in it, unbearable for Jyn as she served them.
"I just can't believe it," Governor Tarkin was saying as he sat in front of the king, his arms clasped together and his frown never leaving him.
"And yet, it's true," King Palpatine said, slowly and ironically.
"At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the princess herself was a spy for the rebels!" Tarkin exclaimed, mockingly
"Now is not the time for jokes, Governor," Palpatine said, menacingly. "I want to find out what's happening. And how it is that the rebels managed not one but two traitors among me!"
"Two as far as we know," Tarkin pointed out. "How do we know there aren't more?"
Palpatine rubbed his aged forehead. "We don't, that's the problem."
Jyn sat as far as possible from them, yet she never lost track of their conversation.
"May I propose something, Your Majesty?" Tarkin said, respectfully and curiously.
The king nodded.
"How about a cleaning of the castle? I propose you to rid yourself of all servants, guards, everyone! And get an all new staff. One who is better processed."
The king considered it. "Miss Erso!" he cried.
She pretended she hadn't been listening to them, acted surprised, and approached them with a bottle of wine.
Palpatine lifted his golden glass and waited for Jyn to fill it. "That's enough," he said as the liquor almost reached the top. "Want more, Governor?"
Tarkin nodded and also lifted his silver glass. Jyn likewise filled it till the man said so.
Jyn was about to get away from them again, when the king again said her name.
"Miss Erso," he said.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" she asked, hardly disguising her dread.
"Did you prepare my tea for when I go to sleep?"
"Of course, Your Majesty," she said, confused as that was not the question she had expected.
"You see, Governor," the king spoke freely and comfortably. "Every night I drink a tea that makes me sleep soundly, like a baby almost. For the tea to work, you have to cut the plant, which is called Stardust, and leave it on hot water for at least two hours. That part is very important because otherwise the Stardust might give you some terrible side effects, like hearing lost, dim view, even pain of stomach… etc."
"Your point, Your Majesty?"
"Patience my friend!" the king cried, seemingly unoffended. "This young lady," he put his wrinkled fingers on her arm. "Has been giving me that tea for fourteen years! And never, not one night, mind you, has she failed to do it correctly! She cleans my clothes, she fixes my room. She feeds me every day. I've seen her grow from child to the lovely woman you see today. And do you think I could let go of her?"
Tarkin finally understood the king's babbling, he thought him a fool but yet smiled at him. "Your Majesty, you seem to trust her!" he joked.
Palpatine laughed, long and acidly, making Jyn's skin curl. "Ha, ha, ha! I suppose I do."
Jyn looked down, wishing to be free from their presences.
With a hand movement, Palpatine indicated her to leave them alone. She went to her lonely dark corner, where she was out of their sight, yet she could peak at their conversation.
"I want as many soldiers as possible in Theed's Square by tomorrow!" Palpatine said. "I want them to parade themselves across the kingdom. May every man, woman and all in between see them and fear them! I want people to know they should still fear me! The fiasco at the banquet, and the rumors of the traitors in the castle could stir all the wrong opinions. I trust you to make people fear me again!"
Fear, fear, fear… Jyn thought. Why can't he realize people can't fear him any more than they do already? All he's feeding is their hatred for him…
"Your Majesty, shouldn't the soldiers stay here and protect you?" Tarkin questioned, angering the king.
"Do not doubt me, Tarkin!" he cried. "I know what I'm doing. Fear mongering is the key to all Empires! Do as I tell you! I want at least a dozen stormtroopers on every street of Theed. All around Naboo, do you hear me?"
"It will be done, my Lord," Tarkin accepted though he didn't agree with him.
"I've faith in my Ruling," Palpatine said, disgustingly excited and proud. "It will only grow bigger and more powerful. And though I may not live to see it, I know in name all Worlds will be mine! My son will rule everyone! Everyone will fear my creation. My dear Vader!"
That name took his attention completely; he wandered off, making Tarkin feel uncomfortable, at last, the Governor of Theed asked if he was needed still, Palpatine said no, and let him go.
When the king and Jyn were alone, he said: "Miss Erso."
She rolled her eyes in exasperation, hating her own name on his lips. She put on her more blank face and approached him.
"You put my son to sleep?" he asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm sure he's still sleeping."
"Good," he breathed. "Good. He's in his crib?"
"Where else? Of course."
He laughed. "Sulky child. Come with me."
She blinked many times. "Pardon me?"
"Come and check on my child."
She felt sweat down her back, chilly and dirty. Luke's crib was in Palpatine's bedroom; she entered that place every day, but she had never gone in at the same time as the king.
She held her head high, kept her expressionless face, and followed the king.
Princess Leia could hardly feel the incredible cold of her room anymore; in the middle of the darkness she had found a light in Mr. Yoda, hearing his strange laughter caused first a shiver down her spine, a trembling fear of the unknown. The uncertainty of who will be there with her. The last time she saw him, he had taken her dreams away, he had abandoned her. And she remembered still, vividly, the angry expression on his aged alien face, as he yelled, as he accused her, as he frightened her almost as much as the creatures that attacked her during her failed quest.
So as she saw, his kind and almost child-like smile, she couldn't help but to run to him; he looked exactly as the first time she laid eyes on him, on the Labyrinth: sweet, calm, and friendly.
"Mr. Yoda!" she said as tears found her sad eyes again.
She crumbled on the floor, and Yoda put his green arms around the little girl, appearing to be moved by her pain. "There, there," he said as he stroked her hair, softly. "Alright, everything will soon be…"
She cried on his brown Jedi robes. "Oh, sir!" she sniffed. "No! No, it will not! You don't know all that's happened! You don't know how wrong everything has gone since the last time you were here—"
"Madam Naberrie," Yoda interrupted her loud and savage cries. "Gone, she is." He wasn't asking, he was stating the fact, which caused Leia's rapid heartbeat to increase.
Hearing the truth about Padmé made the little princess drown completely in her pain, it hurt deep in her chest, since she really hadn't the tears enough to release and cure the pain she felt at losing her dear mother.
On the floor, she had her arms wrapped around her knees, her face buried there, causing her to wet her black mourning dress. She then felt a finger on the top of her head, and another on her chin, making her raise her head again. She did it, expecting to see Yoda's face, when instead, she was graced with the fairies' presence.
She smiled, cleaned the tears from her face, and offered her arm and hands, so the fairies could lay there. They did, they sat on her skin, dropping little shiny dust on her. Her melancholic smile grew wider.
"Broken your spirit, they haven't yet…" Yoda muttered.
Leia turned her attention on him.
"Never would they… never could they! Your Majesty, Princess Shmi…"
Now her eyes went wide.
"I thought you—"
"Perhaps," he interrupted her again. "Acted rushed I might have…"
A sense of wonder and bewilderment attacked Leia.
"Sir?"
"Your Magic Quest, you should regain."
Her breathing was now as fast as her heartbeat. "Sir? But I thought—"
"Ah, on one condition, of course."
She narrowed her eyes, suddenly remembering how sometimes she didn't trust him.
"If you're to be allowed another chance, a promise you must make."
Her world opened to a world of possibilities; after thinking her life to be over! Oh, it almost appeared too good to be true! The chance of escaping! Of never seeing the king again! Of leaving the hopeless World of Naboo behind. All pain, all suffering, she could still escape it! She could still be a princess, in a better place. She could find peace and security. She could be a Jedi Lady! She'd be Princess Shmi, free and happy in the World of Alderaan
"Oh thank you so much!" she cried, jumping excited before he even said the words.
"Just a minute, Majesty!" Yoda said. "The promise you will make?"
"Oh yes, yes! Absolutely!"
A strange joyous groan escaped him, making Leia stop her happy jumping.
She was willing to do literally anything he could ask from her. She truly was too desperate to ever refuse him again. Yoda was his only chance, his only hope, without him, the poor orphan would be really abandoned to the cruelty of Palpatine.
"You will NEVER disobey me again. You will NEVER question me." Yoda pronounced.
She nodded and said yes, thinking she was acting how he wanted her to, which only made her surprise greater when he groaned and screamed loudly at her.
"I mean it!" he exclaimed. "The task must be done, exactly to be right. Otherwise, it will fail, and returning to Alderaan, you will not."
"I'll do everything you say, sir."
"Do not fail us, Majesty. Oh not again!" he sounded strangely sad. "If you do fail: Never Alderaan you will see. Never your true family will you meet. Never the Force will with you be… and we," he had the two fairies by each side. "Disappear from all worlds, we will."
She looked shocked. "I will complete my quest, sir. No matter what, I will. I promise you. And please tell me, even though I am afraid of the difficulty of the task, what must I do?"
She figured he feared for her to fail giving how hard the third task probably was. And she shuddered as she waited for him to explain her, what she had to do. She imagined the worst… and almost screamed! What could be worse than the Black Shadow in the cave? Or the Creature called Jabba from that awful palace?
"The hardest part, I assure you, Majesty," Yoda interrupted her fearful thoughts. "It is past you. And no danger at all, will come to you in this task."
"What must I do?" she pressed.
"Be brave, and obey me."
She stood up and walked to him.
"The night after this," Yoda said. "In the Labyrinth go and meet me."
She waited for his words with a patience she didn't have.
"Why can't we go now?" she asked, almost rebelliously. She really couldn't help it. She wanted to leave Palpatine's castle as soon as possible.
He pointed an angry and small finger at her. "Patience! The key to everything it is. Wait till tomorrow night, Princess. The fairies won't come for you like usual. So it is all in your hands. We'll be waiting. And Princess Shmi."
"Yes, sir?"
"Bring your brother with you."
She suddenly shook her head, confused. "Luke? Why?"
His sleepy eyes went wide. "Ah, no, no, no! Highness! Said you wouldn't question me!"
She was afraid of angering him and change his mind. "Oh, of course not! I'll bring my little brother. I promise."
He took her trembling white hand and squeezed it. "Trust you to do the right thing, I do, Your Majesty. Till tomorrow!" and he disappeared behind the shadows, as did the fairies.
"Beautiful, isn't he?" the king asked as he stared at the crib where the baby was sleeping.
"He is," Jyn accepted, her nerves not yet getting the best of her.
"Miss Erso, do you think I loved the Queen?" Palpatine asked and Jyn's knees almost failed her.
She lowered her head. "Your Majesty, a servant shouldn't pry into such things."
He laughed and she reached for the knife she hid under her dress, wishing to silence him forever.
"Well, I did. In my own way at least. She was gorgeous, wasn't she, Miss?"
"Truly."
"And she gave me the greatest gift in the world. My son."
Humph, fool you think!
"Someday I might miss her, Miss. But not today."
You killed her, you scum! Her thoughts burned her head. How could you kill the doctor when your wife was ill and pregnant!
"Have you ever loved anybody, Miss Erso?" he then asked. "A man in particular?"
She was silent.
"None of my business, of course."
The baby started crying and Jyn was thankful for that. She ran to pick him up.
"Pity," Palpatine muttered. "Another time, perhaps…"
She rocked the little boy, hoping to get him quiet but failed.
"I shall have no sleep with such a loud baby!" Palpatine cried. "Put him into the princess's old bedroom and stay with him, Miss."
"Yes, sir."
She was by the door already when he called her back.
She walked to him with the baby crying more loudly.
"My Stardust tea, Miss?"
She took a deep breath, laid the baby for a second, and served the king his usual tea. She then fled the room with Luke in her arms. But instead of taking the baby to Leia's old room, she took him to her current one.
The princess was sleeping on the cold floor; Jyn lifted her and laid her on the small bed next to her brother. She covered the two Skywalkers with warm blankets, kissed both infant foreheads, and ran to the forest.
Deep, deep inside the woods, she cried as all rebels heard her, "We have one last chance!"
