SON OF THE CHOSEN.
Sequel to 'Tortured Soul'.
Palpatine kidnapped Rexan to escape when he was exposed; fourteen years later, Rexan Skywalker returns. He is angry, resentful, withdrawn_
Is he just a troubled, tortured, young man? Or is he something more sinister?
Rexan: 3 -17.
Luke/Leia: 14.
CHAPTER NINE.
"Don't you come near me!" Rexan screamed, his tiny body trembling with fear, "you're evil, you took me from my Dada!"
Lightning shot out at him, knocking him to the ground as he screamed in pain, then it was gone.
A hand gripped his throat, lifting him to his feet, "you will do a I say." Palpatine glared at him, "your father betrayed me and abandoned you_"
"No he didn't you stole_" Rexan choked, gasping as the hand tightened around his throat, he was lifted off the ground wit ease and thrown hard across cave floor...
Rexan gasped surging upright as he woke, he shook with fear at the memory of his dream - which was a memory itself. His breath came in shaking half sobs as he gaped in horror; in the memory he had been six or seven, he had known the truth, how could he have forgotten?
Standing, Rexan swallowed, still shaking uncontrollably - he remembered everything now, Palpatine had hurt him, beaten him, shocked him with Force Lightning time and time again.
Walking out of his room, Rexan strode down the small flight of stairs to the living area_
His father, and his mother were talking, they looked up as he entered, his father was already on his feet, walking towards him.
"Rexan, are you ok?"
Swallowing, Rexan shook his head and, closing the distance between him and his father, threw his arms around him and buried his face into his chest, his shoulders heaving with sobs at the horror he had relived.
"You're shaking..." Anakin held Rexan close, his heart clenching at the fear he felt tearing through his son. "Rexan, what's wrong?" Rexan shook his head again and held him tighter.
Padme's face was creased with concern as she walked to the pair, laying a hand on his shoulder she gave it a gentle squeeze. "Rexan?"
"He hurt me..." Sobbing, Rexan could barely raise his voice above a whisper, "I knew the truth and he hurt me whenever I told him he'd kidnapped me..." His breath shook as he put an arm around his mother and clung to his parents, "how could I have forgotten how much he hurt me...? How could I have forgotten the truth?"
xxx
He was flying to the Jedi Temple when he hear it.
A shrill, terrified scream. Luke slowed his air-speeder and used the Force to pinpoint her location_
He saw her, a lone girl no older than himself, running from three men wielding blasters. Swinging the air-speeder around, he dived down towards her and pulling out of the dive between her and the men. "Get in!"
The girl didn't hesitate, leaping into the speeder, she ducked down low, screaming as the men fired at them.
Pushing the thrusters forward, Luke swerved into the traffic, and out of their range. Turning to his passenger, Luke smiled. "Are you ok?"
"I-I th-think so,' sniffing, the girl took deep breaths as she tried to control her sobs, "they tried to kill me..." Staring at Luke, she smiled slightly, "you saved me, and I don't even know your name so I can thank you."
Luke held out a hand and shrugged, "I'm Luke." He said said, smiling at her, "Luke Skywalker."
"Mara Jade," shaking his hand, Mara wiped away her tears, "and thank you Luke," she smiled prettily, "thank you for saving my life."
"Your welcome," Luke glanced behind them and frowned, the men had disappeared. "Why were those men after you?"
Mara shook her head, "I don't know, when they came at me I ran." She closed her eyes as tears filled them, "I don't know why they were trying to kill me."
"It's ok," Luke smiled at her gently and took her hand, "you're safe now, Mara, you're safe."
xxx
"You in a terrible situation Rexan, you were being hurt and you did the only thing you could do to make it stop ." Padme stroked her son's face gently, she and Anakin sat on the couch, with Rexan between them. "You did what you had to, to survive."
Rexan sniffed, "but why did I forget?" That was what he really didn't understand, "how could I forget everything he did?"
It was more than that though, so much more, his chest heaving, Rexan closed his eyes as the words tore from within him as tears slid down his cheeks. "I Believed him! He made me feel safe!"
"I trusted him too," Anakin told his son, "there was a time, before I learned who he was, when I trusted him - believed in him - explicitly." Shrugging at Rexan's shocked look, Anakin sighed. "Everyone was fooled by him, we all thought that he had the galaxy's best interests at heart. And then, I found out the truth."
"What did you do?" Rexan stared at him, "when you knew what he was?"
Anakin took a deep breath, "i went and informed Master Windu. He and four other members of the Council had been going to Palpatine to make him give back the emergency powers he had been given, and when I told Master Windu that Palpatine was a Sith Lord, they went to confront him."
"I was too confused - and at that point, afraid - too help them, so I started to go to the Council Chamber. then I felt your terror through our bond_"
"That was when he took me?" Rexan guessed, at his father's nod, Rexan closed his eyes.
Anakin cupped his son's cheek, forcing him to look at him. "You didn't do anything wrong, do you hear me?" Hugging Rexan close, he felt Padme lean against him on the other side, "he's the only one to blame. Not you," no, his son was innocent; his son had done no wrong, he had spent fourteen years with the most evil man in the galaxy and had somehow remained as good and pure as he had been before he had been taken.
xxx