The room was eerily silent as Leia perched on the edge of her bed tensely, waiting for her daily training to begin. She was getting anxious because she seemed to be waiting for far too long. Leia feared the worst was yet to come.
Her training the past few days had been mysteriously cold and civil. Leia had expected exploding anger and intense punishment from either of her masters, but instead they acted as if nothing had happened.
Leia's heart pounded and her hands trembled to the point where she figured it was dangerous for her to hold a lightsaber.
But soon her mind wandered to her evening with Han a few nights ago, and her body instantly relaxed as warmth filled her. They hadn't kissed again since that night, but the attraction between them was palpable. Leia was trying so hard not to fall for him, trying with all her might to resist love, but she craved it. She hadn't realized how much she missed being loved until she was given a little sliver of it again.
Leia could tell Han was so nervous about her impending punishment. Every day he would look at her with crazed eyes when she opened the door and ask if she was all right. Leia was relieved that the Emperor hadn't done anything to Han, since he was involved in the whole situation. But Leia supposed she couldn't fully relax yet.
Suddenly, Leia's door slid open and made her jump. In the quiet of the room, the door sounded as loud as the engine of a Star Destroyer.
Darth Vader towered in the entryway, his breathing cutting through the air. Leia rose quickly and smoothed her Sith robes.
"I am here to escort you to the Emperor now, Tochter."
Leia nodded slightly and followed Vader into the dark, sterile hallway. The whole space station seemed too quiet, the sound of Vader boots hitting the floor ringing in her ears.
She gulped as they approached the Emperor's chambers, and she tried to mentally prepare herself for the pain she was about to receive.
But Vader kept walking right past the chambers. Leia stopped with confusion and blurted out, "Isn't this where we're going, my Master?"
Vader spun around and glanced at the doorway to the chambers. His mask then moved to face Leia, and she almost felt like his eyes were staring straight into hers. Chills trickled up and down her spine.
"No. We are going somewhere you have never been before." With that he turned and continued marching in the direction of their unknown location.
Finally they entered a large control room, with officers working panels of buttons all around. The Emperor sat limply in a chair positioned in the center of the room. Leia noticed Alderaan out the window of the control room and her blood ran cold.
"Darth Tochter. Please, come forward," the Emperor commanded.
Leia stood frozen, staring at Alderaan. Vader gave her a slight push on the shoulder which woke her up from her trance and propelled her forward.
The Emperor grinned, exposing his decaying teeth as Leia bowed reluctantly before him. "Why have you brought me here, my Master?"
"Ah, an excellent question." Palpatine paused, allowing suspense to hang in the air. "Following your defiance the other day, I had to rack my brain for a new way to motivate anger in you. You are rather resilient, Tochter, and have been very difficult to train. But eventually, I came up with a strategy that I hope will consume you with darkness and prepare you to face your brother."
Leia eyed Alderaan warily and shivered. The Emperor noticed and chuckled. "Ah yes, it seems I have struck a chord. You still love your father and mother, and your people. I think you still have hope that one day this pain will all be over and you can go home. But perhaps if there is no home for you to return to, you will be more compliant to my methods."
"What do you mean, 'no home to return to?'" Leia asked in a panic.
"The Empire built this battle station to be the ultimate weapon in the universe. However, we have not yet had the opportunity to test its powers of destruction. This opportunity was almost too good to pass up," the Emperor drawled.
"What?!" Leia leapt up and screamed. She knew she had to do something, anything to stop them. Grab her lightsaber and kill the officers working the controls, anything! Anything to save her planet. Her family. Her home. But she was petrified with fear.
"Vader, turn her towards the window and hold her in place," the Emperor said.
The Dark Lord came up from behind Leia and took her arms in a stunningly strong grip. Leia fought desperately to free herself, but his mechanical strength was no match for her.
"You may fire when ready," the Emperor stated simply to an officer standing by.
"NO!" Leia wailed. "No, please!"
She could hear the sounds of the controls engaging and tears started to sting her eyes. Her ears closed off until all she could hear was the sound of her racing heartbeat.
"Please, please don't do this!" She begged. But before she could finish her plea, Alderaan was gone. Blasted into billions of fragments floating around the galaxy. Her insides felt numb, and she couldn't comprehend all she had suddenly lost. Her eyes darkened as she stared into the black abyss that was once Alderaan.
Han stood patiently outside Leia's door for what seemed like a long time after he knocked. At first he figured she was in the bathroom, but now he was gripped with worry.
"Leia? Leia, are you in there? Are you all right?"
A faint voice from behind the door said, "Come in. It's open."
Han opened the door to find Leia curled in a ball on the bed, her head tucked underneath her arms as if she were shielding herself.
"Leia!" He rushed to the beside. "Leia, what happened?!"
The former princess' tear-streaked face lifted to look at him. "It hurts. Han, help me, it hurts so bad."
Han rubbed his hand affectionately over Leia's arms. "What? What hurts?"
"My heart," she whimpered.
Han stared at Leia with confusion. "W-What do you mean? What happened?"
"Alderaan. It's gone. They destroyed it."
Han's face blanched and his mouth ran dry. He took Leia up in his arms and let her drown him with her tears. He knew he had to try and contact Obi-Wan the first chance he had. If he still existed.