"Leia." Bail called gently. "I asked you a question. Did you like my flowers?"
Leia's focus was becoming clearer and she was still shocked to see her father standing before her. "I don't understand how this is happening. I thought you were dead."
Bail frowned. "Does this mean that you're not happy I'm alive?"
"That's not what I meant. I'm just trying to understand this. Where were you this whole time? Why didn't you come to me sooner?"
Bail smiled. "I was being held as a prisoner since you were kidnapped on the Death Star. I escaped, however, and stayed low until the Empire was destroyed. I heard everything that has happened, that Darth Vader informed you that you were his daughter. It was then that I decided to get my revenge."
Leia's eyes were startled. Her father was alive this whole time and now he wanted revenge on her other father. Suddenly, a thought came to her. "What about Mother? Is she alive too?"
Bail sighed sadly at Leia's hopeful expression. "I'm afraid not. Your mother was on Alderaan when it perished. She is gone. But, I heard you have been reunited with your biological mother, Padme Amidala."
A tear rolled down Leia's cheek after hearing her foster mother's death confirmed, but nodded her head about her reunion with Padme.
"I am happy for you, Leia. Your mother was a remarkable woman. Your father, on the other hand, needs to pay." A dark look came to Bail.
Leia shook her head, bewildered. "I can't believe this. You would never poison someone. It's not in your nature."
"I didn't harm someone innocent. Vader is a monster."
"He changed. He's Anakin Skywalker now and he feels remorseful."
Anger flashed in Bail's face. "What good is his remorse now? Now that millions of people, millions of families have been destroyed? He can never repair that kind of damage. He's the reason you lost both of your mothers."
"You don't understand." Leia said, weakly.
"Understand? What more is there to understand? My wife is dead because of him. I lost the love of my life. She was everything to me. I am lost without her."
Leia looked sadly at her father. He did look lost. The pain in his eyes was evident. She knew how much he loved Breha. "It was Tarkin."
Bail looked distracted from his thoughts as he heard Leia. "Excuse me?"
"It was Tarkin. He's the one that ordered the fire at Alderaan. It was because of him that Mother was killed."
"And what was Vader doing? He is just as powerful, if not more so, than Tarkin. Surely, he could have vetoed this decision."
"He wasn't himself. Emperor Palpatine manipulated him. He was having visions of my mother dying in childbirth. It wasn't like he just became evil and greedy for power all of a sudden."
"If that is the case, then he is even worse than I thought."
Leia blinked. "What?"
"He knew what it was like to lose someone you love, and yet he inflicted that kind of pain on so many people, including me. Ignornance is never an excuse, but at least it's a reason. For him, ignorance isn't even a reason. He knew the kind of horror he was inflicting on people. He had the ability to love and care, yet he dismissed that ability."
"Father, Anakin thought that Padme was going to die along with his child. Palpatine told him he would help him save her if he joined the dark side. He was confused and afraid. And when his wife did die, he couldn't live with himself anymore so he detached himself from his identity as Anakin and became consumed by Vader. Darth Vader and Anakin are two different people."
"No, they're the same. It seems that Darth Vader had gotten to you, made you believe that he should be excused from his crimes."
"It's not like that--" Leia began.
"He used his family link to you to get to you. Leia, just because he's your biological father doesn't mean you should be loyal to him. After all, look who was the one that raised you and took care of you."
"Father, I am not saying that you didn't. You were an amazing father and I have always loved you. But Anakin has become a good person again and he is sorry for all the things he has done. I want to help him make up for his mistakes. But I also want you in my life too. Please, Father, please end this vendetta you have against Anakin. I know you're hurt over Mother's death, but nothing you do to Anakin will bring her back. So, please, stop this. Stop it now."
"I will not stop! I will not rest again until I have my revenge! I know I cannot bring your Mother back, but I will make Vader pay for what he did!"
Leia was now frightened of Bail. "Father, what are you going to do? Are you going to kill him?"
"Not yet. I want to torture him first. If I had wanted him dead, I would have given him a more powerful poison."
"You mean you didn't intend to kill him when you gave him that?"
"No, I just wanted him to suffer. Your father will be revived shortly, if not already. And I shall torture him further."
Her father must have gone crazy. That must be it, Leia thought. The loss of Mother and his imprisonment must have driven him over the edge. "How did you give him the poison?"
"Ah, through Mara Jade, of course."
Leia's eyes widened. "Mara?"
Bail nodded. "Yes. I followed her to her hut a few days ago. I snuck inside and drugged her. Since then, she has been following my orders."
"Your orders? What did you do?"
"First, I made her give me a potion that would make me invisible."
"Invisible?"
"Yes. That was how I snuck in that night when you were at the Democracy Restoration building to have that secret meeting. You had your ID out on the table, and I stole it without anyone noticing."
Leia was startled. "Why?!"
"After delivering the first threat to Anakin, and no one was able to see me of course, I threw your ID on the floor."
"You wanted to make it look like I did it?" Leia asked, uncertain what could be Bail's intention there.
"Yes, I did. I was hoping that would cause some tension between you and Anakin and that you would cut him off when you realized that he would suspect you."
"You were trying to turn us against each other?!"
Bail continued, ignoring Leia's question. "The following morning, when you went back to the building to attend your regular meetings, you thought you dropped a bunch of papers and files on the ground."
"What?" Leia asked, confused as to what Bail was talking about.
"When you were searching for your ID at the front desk, a bunch of papers, files, and mail fell onto the floor."
Leia suddenly remembered, but what did that have to do with anything? And how did Bail know? Leia gasped as she realized what happened. Bail was there, invisible, and he must have knocked all that stationary onto the floor. But why? "Why did you do it?"
"One of the envelopes dropped was the second threat I sent to Anakin. You had just placed your fingerprints on them. I was wearing gloves when dealing with the envelope."
Leia was stunned by Bail's confession. "You couldn't..."
Bail ignored her again and continued on. "I sent the third threat when your parents were having lunch. However, you have arrived to the place and had an alibi. You were no longer suspected."
"So what did you do then?"
"I used Mara again. I sent her to your parents' place and had her tell them that she would be able to find out who was threatening your father by the use of magic after obtaining all their evidence without their examinations. Of course this was just a ploy so your parents wouldn't observe any new evidence and be able to discover who was really behind this. That same day, Mara slipped the poison into Anakin's medication."
Leia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What about the time when we were attacked?"
"Ah, yes, that was me. I came there to take you, but I was thwarted. I then went to the hospital where Mara was and spilled the green liquid that protected me on her clothes. That way, the blame would go to her."
Leia shook her head, with tears falling from her face. "How can you be so sick?"
Bail never got to answer as the door to the cell had bursted open. Anakin stepped in with Luke, Padme, Mara, and Han behind him. "It was you!" Anakin said, astonished.
Bail snarled at him. "Yes! You're going to pay for all that you have done."
Anakin stared at Bail. "I know I did terrible things. But, what you're doing now is wrong."
"Is that right?"
"Yes. Killing me isn't going to solve anything. And you are hurting your daughter."
Leia stepped in front of Bail. Her dizziness was now all gone, whether that was due to time or her shock, she did not know. "Father, don't do this. Please."
"I am going to avenge everything that has happened to you, to us." Bail said, determined.
"Father, you need help. Let me help you. We can all help you. Just stop this madness."
"No! I do not need help!"
"Bail, how could you?" Padme said as she stepped forward.
"Miss Amidala." Bail acknowledged. "Or should I say, Mrs. Skywalker? It's great to see you alive again. I am sorry for what has happened to you. But, now I will get rid of this horrible monster and your daughter will be safe."
"That horrible monster is gone. Anakin would never hurt Leia." Padme declared.
"He already has. And now I will get my revenge on him."
"This is enough! Let Leia go! Now!" Luke said.
"Leia is free to go whereever she wants. But that choice is up to you, Leia. Do you want to go with them or will you stay with me?"
"Don't do this, Father."
"You have to choose!" Bail said, this time with more force in his voice.
Leia sobbed as Anakin, Luke, Padme, Han, and Mara looked bewildered, not sure what Bail was going to say or do next.
"Will you choose your real father, the man who has hurt you? Or will you choose the father that has raised you and took care of you all these years?"
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