Here's chapter 21. My apologies for the long wait. I had told myself I couldn't work on this story until I posted a new chapter for Interesting Meditations and because I don't like that story anymore, it took me quite a while to write a chapter.
The time wasn't completely wasted. I replanned significant portions of this story so things would make sense and I finally have a climax. I also may have made a couple of my AN notes concerning plots to be false. Sorry.
Anyway, here you go.
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Syrena woke from her uneasy sleep as she heard the door slide open. Leia's presence washed over her and she turned to look at the girl. It had been awhile since Leia's last visit. Stumbling forward, Leia looked at her while weak sobs wracked her body.
Pleading, "Syrena, I can't sleep."
Leia's desperate voice made her look at the girl in surprise. Leia was so strong. More powerful. Slowly, she engulfed her friend in a hug. It was a strange feeling to have another person pressed up to her. Another's heartbeat thumping against her chest. It would also be so simple to end Leia's life: to rid herself of a competitor.
Instead: "What's wrong?"
Tears began to run down Leia's face. "I keep seeing Daddy. And his head." She gasped for air and leaned against Syrena. "I don't want to see him die again."
Forbidden memories threatened to rise again. Memories of traitors and death. She remembered the screams that had burst from her throat as Lord Vader threw her into the dark room. The torture of being alone. Traitor. She shook her head. "It's going to be all right Leia."
The pain would go away. She knew from experience. Leia nodded, but refused to let go. Thankfully, the sobs began to subside. Awkwardly, "Do you want to stay the night?"
She couldn't imaging the girl wanting to. Upstairs, she had a better room. A room with a bed and lights: luxury. Leia nodded. And together they descended on the hard floor to sleep. In the morning Leia was gone.
She spent the rest of the day trying to decipher her feelings. She felt unusually confused and frustrated by the emotions that Leia evoked in her. Anger was to be her friend, yet she found herself filled with longing for Leia to return and fill the dark abyss with her bright presence.
The darkness was soon disturbed again, admittedly by a rather unwelcome presence. Lord Vader stood in the hallway and she wondered if she should tell him about her visitor. Her people had died because they'd been disloyal. She was loyal to him, yet… her mouth didn't open. Meekly, she approached him and let the syringe enter her neck.
Sleep claimed her and pain woke her up.
Her eyes flew open as she stared at Lord Vader standing above her, his foot on her hand. The air felt different here: darker and… hot. She could feel agony humming through the walls and Lord Vader simply stood there, seemingly impervious to it all.
"Who are you loyal to?"
His voice was dark and menacing. It promised pain and misery if she failed, so unlike Leia's. "The Empire my Lord."
The foot ground down on her hand. "Do not lie to me."
But she wasn't. Was she? Her eyes gazed up at his mask again and her stomach clenched. She could fight, escape…. and die for thinking she could defeat someone of his power. "You."
He almost seemed startled, but the answer seemed to appease him. His power commanded her, but she wasn't willing. Otherwise, she'd have given up Leia already. Releasing her hand, he turned away from her. "Good. But from now on you'll always kneel in my presence."
She shuddered, but shakily pushed herself up onto her knees. "Yes my Lord."
He turned around and pressed a button on his wrist. Behind her, she could hear the door opening and footsteps approach, but she didn't dare to turn and look. "You're training begins now," he gestured at the new comer, "this is the Fourth Brother. He will be your teacher until you prove to be of some worth."
She bristled at the insult, but remained still. Soon, they'd all see that she was worthy. Lord Vader left and the lights began to brighten considerably making her blink in pain. The Fourth Brother looked down at her sinisterly. His gaze promised pain.
"Now," he began as he walked around her, "I have been given the dubious honor of training a worthless piece of chit." He kicked her and she fell to the ground. "But before we can commence training, you need to learn your place 137."
His attacks rained down on her body and she curled up, desperate to protect her vital organs. Every part of her ached in agony as he struck again and again. It had been one thing when Leia had defeated her, the girl embodied power. Yet, the Fourth Brother was weak. She could sense that, but he still had power over her. It was confusing.
He grabbed her head. "Who is your Master?"
"Lord Vader."
He frowned. Again, she had given an unexpected response. "Lord Vader is all of our Masters, but he doesn't have time to waste on you. Until you're ready, I'm the Master. Understood?"
She nodded bitterly. "Yes Master."
He smiled and his red skin rippled. "What's your name?"
Hatred boiled inside her, begging to be released. "137… Master."
He stretched out his hand and she watched in amazement as two long sticks zoomed towards him. He grabbed one and handed the other one to her. "Defend yourself."
Once again the blows rained down on her. And so it was, every session. Bruises upon bruises, while she tried to figure out how to hold a staff without losing her fingers. Then he'd leave and she'd fall to the ground and sleep as her body desperately tried to recover. She tracked the passage of time through the torture sessions. If she was lucky, he'd leave some food and water when he was done. The Fourth Brother was a terrible teacher.
A small gasp woke her from her slumber and she sprung away from it as quickly as possible. Danger! "You're hurt."
Leia. Sylena stared at her in amusement. It had been so long since their last meeting, where Leia had slept in the same room. Small, gentle hands aided her in sitting again and thrust a bottle of water at her. "Drink."
As she gulped down the water, she watched Leia's face in amusement. It twitched and shifted. Her eyebrows moved in a strange manner, her nose crinkled, and her lips were twitched.
"I didn't think you'd be so injured. I'll bring some bacta next time." Leia pushed forward a plate. "Here."
"Thank you," she whispered and she was. There was pasta, meat, salad… It melted on her tongue and she could feel her body responding to the influx of nutrients. She hadn't realized how hungry she was.
A hand gripped her hand and she looked up at Leia. "Slowly Syrena, slowly."
It felt wonderful to hear her name. The soft spoken syllables and accents. So much better than 137. She turned and looked at Leia. Her dress was white again, but Syrena could see dark shadows under Leia's eyes.
"You okay?" she asked between mouthfuls of food.
Leia shook her head and gave a slight shrug. "The nightmares got less. But I hate this planet. It feels terrible. It's been a rough month and father has been pretty much keeping me within arm's reach."
A small wince appeared and vanished as Leia mentioned her father. She felt as if she was a missing something, but food was more interesting so she filed it away so that she could dwell on it later. "Where are we?"
Nose crinkling, "Mustafar. It's literal hell. There's lava and everything. I haven't been outside in ages!" Leia stopped suddenly and looked sheepishly at her. Sighing, "I'm sorry… why do you have so many bruises?"
Syrena didn't mind. She'd also like to go outside, but it seemed that escape would be a terrible idea. There was no way to survive on a lava planet. "The Fourth Brother. He's supposed to teach me."
Leia's gaze swept over. "Teaching usually doesn't mean looking like a Gamorrean punching bag."
A small chuckle escaped her and she stared at Leia fondly. "He's not the brightest. He keeps hitting me with a stick."
"Are you supposed to defend yourself?"
"Yes," she admitted. There really had been no progress on that front. She was, if anything, getting worse.
Leia sighed and retrieved one of the sticks. "Show me."
And it began. Leia slowly and gently corrected her grip, her stance, and gave her exercises to improve on. When the Fourth Brother came by again, her fingers remained safe. The next time Leia came, she brought bacta and slowly her wounds began to heal with Leia's aid. She didn't know how she would survive without Leia. She was always there. Her warmth washed away the sores and hatred that arose. Leia was her anchor, and her lifeline.
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"School?" Leia looked across the table at her father incredulously. He had walked into the room as she ate breakfast and dropped the holopad next to her. When she had unlocked it out of curiosity, she hadn't expected to find brochures for various schools.
"A place where you go to learn."
Leia glared at him and crossed her arms. "I know what a school is. But why now?"
"You hate it here," he stated as if it explained everything.
Rolling her eyes, she looked back down at the holopad. "We've been here for a couple months. My birthday passed. Not that you noticed because you spent the entire week sulking and then left for the celebrations on Naboo."
The feeling of guilt and regret washed over her and she sighed. Her father sat down and crossed his arms. "I'd prefer to keep you as far away from the Emperor as possible. And trust me… the celebrations weren't anything you'd have enjoyed."
Leia put the holopad aside and focused on her breakfast again. Bitterly she muttered, "It's the principle of the matter."
"I'm sorry."
Her head shot up and she looked at her father again in amazement. He sounded sincere and his force presence washed over her. She could feel the honesty of the remark. Nevertheless she raised her spoon and pointed it at him. "We're doing it properly the next time. It can be the week after, but you're not going to pretend that I don't exist for an entire month."
He stared at her and nodded slowly. "You know you were a much sweeter ten year old."
"You weren't my father then," she shot back. Taking another bite of roll, she looked back at the schools. "But you do know these are all military academies?"
"So?"
Outraged, Leia glared at him again. '"I'm not going to a military academy. A: Because I'm not interested in joining the military. B: Because they suck. And D: I'm not going."
Her father remained unimpressed. "You do know that besides A, those aren't real reasons."
Leia resisted the urge to stick out her tongue. "Fine. What about E: I don't want to attend an Empire certified propaganda institution."
"Careful," he rebuked. "Besides, these are fine schools. It'd be an honor to attend any one of these."
She pushed her plate away. "Did you hear anything I just said? I don't want to go to a military school."
She could practically feel his glare through the helmet. "And I told you that you didn't have any valid reasons."
"By your own admission, I had some," she retorted. A victorious smile played on her lips.
"You're way too much like your mother," he mumbled, before turning his head to stare at her directly. "You're going. You can pick the school, but it's not healthy to be here all the time."
Leaning back in her chair, she stared at her father defiantly, "You do know you have the resources to, I don't know, move. And either way, that has nothing to do with me attending a military academy. It's the military."
"You do know who you are talking to?"
She ignored him. "Besides there are plenty of other fine, and less fine, normal schools. In fact, they exist in greater abundance and teach you how to think for yourself."
Standing up, her father walked up to her. Not wanting to talk to his chest, she craned her neck upwards. She hated being short. Maybe she had inherited his height. She could only hope. "I'm the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy. That comes with certain privileges. Mainly enrolling you in school with no questions into your background."
Her mouth was open, ready to argue, until the last part registered. "Wait what?"
"No one is to know who you are! Understood?" His tone was almost threatening and Leia was reminded that he was still very much the fear inducing Lord Vader that had children believing he would eat them.
"But why?" She stared at her father. Trying to understand his rationale. She didn't want to lie. It would make having friends… difficult.
"I have enough people trying to kill me. I'd like to keep attempts on your life to a minimum."
Her mouth opened and closed. There really was nothing she could say against that.
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Life was lonelier when Leia left for school. She still returned home one day of the week, but opportunities for Leia to visit were rare. Syrena strongly suspected that Leia wasn't supposed to meet her. Regardless, during breaks, Leia often spent hours in the room.
"Cindy and I worked for hours on the project. It was nice working with her. I think we may become friends," rambled Leia happily, "but she doesn't know if she's staying. See, she's on a scholarship and all the teachers hate her because…"
Syrena smiled and let the words wash over her. She valued the time they had together. Sure, it would be better if Leia would teach her more, but listening was relaxing. She could forget her troubles and simply bask in Leia's presence.
Interrupting Leia, she asked the question that had been bothering her for the past weeks. "Are we friends?"
Leia paused. "Definitely. But I think we're something more."
Happiness flared inside her. "Yes. You're my little sister."
She smiled shyly and watched in amazement as Leia hugged her tightly. "I've never had a sister Syrena." Leia looked up and grinned. "Thanks… but enough about me. What about you?"
The past training sessions flashed past in her mind and she deliberated on what to say. "The Fourth Brother is trying to get me to use the Force. I'm bad at it. He says I don't feel my hate strongly enough."
Leia shook her head and she could feel worry tainting the Force. "Hate is dangerous. Lots of people go insane because they just use hate."
Syrena's brow furrowed. "Then how am I supposed to use the Force?"
Leia laughed. "You already are. You just need to learn how to call on it actively. Meditation helps."
And so their next lesson began. She meditated until the Fourth Brother entered the room. His presence immediately drew her back to reality. "Master."
He walked up to her and kicked her in the side. "Get up 137. Let's see how much you fail this time."
The usual anger rose in her chest, but she let it out. Anger would blind her, she needed to be rational and focused. He walked behind her and tied the blindfold around her eyes. The clattering of wood on stone, told her he had once again kicked the wooden staff over. As she groped for the staff, she could hear his snort of disgust and contempt.
The moment her fingers closed around her weapon, he attacked. And, surprisingly, she blocked. He was more skilled, but she could feel the Force guiding her and his angry, swift strokes were no longer able to clobber her… until he disarmed her.
Defeated, she kneeled and let him dole out his punishment. "You're still weak… You have no anger. How do you expect to be an Inquisitor if you can't harness your anger." Spit landed on her. "You're disgusting."
Anger tore through her body and she stared up defiantly. There was no winning in this situation. He held all the cards. He was her jailor, but defeating him proved nothing. No, she had to be smarter. Deceit would be her best friend because she didn't owe him anything. The only person that mattered was her… and maybe Leia.
Power rushed through her limbs and she called the staff back to her hand. Leia's words echoed through her head and she resisted the urge to completely give in and lose herself. Her eyes met his and she smiled grimly. She struck.
Ten minutes later she was once again on the ground: defeated. Satisfaction. She had never survived that long.
"You have improved." The Fourth Brother commented as he gazed down at her. "Maybe you're not completely hopeless."
Syrena looked up at him. She would be the best fighter. That would be her skill. To everyone she'd be abysmal in the Force. Her greatest weapon would lie in the element of surprise.
The Fourth Brother lifted her arms and stared at them appraisingly. "You're too skinny."
She didn't reply.
"And too stupid," he paused and stared at her again, "I can make you into a fighter. Run around the room." Startled, she looked at him in confusion. "Go!"
Her feet began to pound the ground and she recoiled as he threw a stone at her. "What do you say 137?"
"Yes Master!"
Thirty laps later her lungs burned and she wheezed in desperation to get more air. Every time she slowed down, the Fourth Brother threw stones at her. Bruises riddled her body.
"30 pushups!"
"Yes Master."
Her arms quivered and she began her pushups. And when she was done, it was more laps, sit ups, planks, and pushups. She took back everything she had said. That hadn't been hell, this was.
Overtime her body became stronger and she lasted longer. Of course, having decided that she was stupid, the brother had brought a stun baton to create more effective punishments. The only bright side was that with her fighting skills on hold, she had more time to devote to learning about the Force from Leia.
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Sweat ran down her brow as Leia focused on levitating the various practice objects her father had set out for her. It was difficult, boring, and to make everything worse, she could feel her father's impatience. Everything fell to the ground. His foot tapped.
She whirled around. "Could you stop that! It's distracting."
The two of them stared at each other awkwardly and her father shook his head. "This isn't working."
It definitely wasn't. While her father seemed to have no problem teaching her military tactics or lightsaber combat, the Force had quickly become a topic that both of them hated. She didn't want to say her father was a bad teacher, although his sink or swim attitude was annoying. He definitely had experience, but his presence set her on edge whenever she tried any technique. It also didn't help that he completely refused to do any of the light sided techniques. The only area she had talent with were the mental arts. But since she refused to practice on anyone out of fear she could hurt them, that also left them at a dead end.
Sharing her frustrations, Lord Vader crumpled one of the probe droids. "I'll arrange for another teacher."
Her mouth dropped open. "What?"
"Another instructor."
Her mouth closed and she waved her hands. "Yeah I got that part. But what about the entire Emperor could find out thing."
Tonelessly, "He's dead"
Leia sat down and stared at her father. "The Emperor? When did that happen?"
"No, your teacher." he replied and looked away, "He's supposedly dead, but his ideals will prevent him from betraying you to anyone."
"And where do you find someone like that?"
"He's my prisoner… I'll introduce you tomorrow."
The only sound in the room was from the respirator. Slowly, Leia nodded. She felt confused, and partially horrified. Her home shouldn't be anyone's prison. It was already terrible enough with Syrena and the Inquisitors. Nevertheless, she waited at her father's office door in the morning, curious to meet her new teacher… and the source of her father's terrible mood.
The door slid open and a bearded old man stepped out, followed by her father. He didn't look impressive, nor could she feel his Force presence. She turned away from the old man and looked back at her father.
"Leia, meet your new teacher. Obi-Wan, meet my daughter. You'll will be teaching her once a week from ten to three. When I'm not here, you'll also be teaching her in the afternoon. Caden will escort you back to your cell." He paused and stared down at Obi-Wan, pointing his finger. "Don't try anything."
"No, I won't Darth. You've been quite clear about the consequences."
Leia winced as she felt her father's anger roll over her. His hands clenched tightly together. "Leia. I'll see you at four."
He strode off, his footsteps echoing along the the hallways. Curious, she turned and looked back at the stranger. Upon closer inspection, she could identify bruises almost hidden by the tunic. "So… what now?"
Obi-Wan stared at her, his eyes searching. "I was hoping you could tell me."
She shivered under the weight of his gaze. It was curious, yet almost accusing. f you ever need help, you need to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. Was he Obi-Wan Kenobi? The air was awkward between them and she was reminded of the dinner parties her dad had to attend. She stretched out her hand and put a polite smile on her face. "I'm Leia," she paused, unsure of the last name to use, "Vader."
He accepted her handshake and she could feel his grief emanating from him. "I know."
His arms were pale and sickly: the muscles in a state of atrophy. "Why don't we get lunch… and I guess discuss what we'll do?"
He nodded and she stepped forward awkwardly, letting him trail behind her. What had her father meant with that he'd be her teacher? It made no sense. She didn't want a teacher, especially not the ones her father seemed to find. Syrena's teacher was awful. His constant presence would also make it even harder to sneak off to see her friend.
They entered the kitchen and Leia grabbed a bar, before sitting down. She wasn't that hungry, although her companion seemed to be starving. "Thank you Leia."
She nodded and took another bite of her bar. "So you're Obi-Wan?"
He took a slight mock bow. "Obi-Wan Kenobi at your service."
Her dad had broken down when she mentioned his presumed death. The Emperor surely thought he was dead. "So… you're a Jedi?"
"Was," he replied succinctly. "There are no Jedi anymore."
That was true. Her dad had been of the same belief. "Then how are you alive?"
"Darth hasn't told you?"
She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "No. My father has a communication problem. Although I do know that he'll kill you, very painfully, if you keep calling him that."
He snorted. "We compromised. I call him Darth instead of An-"
"Anakin," she finished for him. Obi-Wan's worried expression told her that he hadn't intended to let that slip. Ignoring his strange expression, she latched onto the important element. "You knew my parents?"
"I shouldn't."
She leaned forward and let her eyes slightly water. "Please?"
Sighing, he wiped his mouth and glared at her. "Yes I knew your parents. I'd say we were even friends before the Empire."
"And?"
Another glare. "We saved each other's lives on multiple occasions. Your father and I were both active participants on the front. We," he shrugged carelessly, "had a couple run-ins."
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You wouldn't know who he was if it had been a couple run-ins."
He shrugged again. "He told me?"
Leia crossed her as and leaned back in her seat. "You're lying. Besides, if you didn't know father well, you'd probably be dead."
His jaw tightened and his eyes darkened. "Plenty of people who knew him, are dead because of him."
"And you aren't," she whispered.
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Vader stared at the door in trepidation. It had taken all of his willpower to not warily watch Obi-Wan as he interacted with Leia. Would his old Master poison her mind against him? He could try to kidnap her or decide that it'd be better if she was dead. This had to be his worst idea, ever… The things he did to teach Leia the Force.
The door slid open and Leia walked in. She smiled at him shyly and he could detect a hint of amusement from her. She didn't hate him. Not yet at least.
"All's good father. Got my limbs and humor."
His mind wandered to Ahsoka. Leia's attitude would only get worse. Great. "What did you do?"
He felt her amusement flare and then the feeling of guilt. "We… talked?"
He wasn't reassured at all. "About what?"
"Things?"
"Amusing. And would those things include anything substantial? Did you meditate? Or did you discuss the Code?"
One blink. Two blinks. "Um… he's supposed to teach me the Force?"
He breathed out deeply. "Yes. Wasn't that… obvious?"
"Nope."
Exasperated, he stared at her. "What did you do for five hours?"
She looked down at her feet. "Well because you didn't specify what we'd be doing, there were a quite a few moments of awkward silence. And we talked."
He had been right. This was a terrible idea. "About me."
"Yesss?" He glared at her. "You and mother. Like wow, you must have really been close once. Although…"
The two of them should never had been let close to each other. He had been clear with Obi-Wan to not discuss the past. On the other hand, Leia still had the galaxy's most disarming puppy face. "Yes?"
"I want to know what happened when the Empire rose. What happened to you and mother? Obi-Wan refused to say anything."
Unwillingly, he felt thankful that Obi-Wan had kept quiet. The tale would've alienated his daughter for quite a while. But should he continue to let her be taught by Obi-Wan, she would eventually hear about that day. And all the moments he'd rather forget.
"If you promise to leave the past alone, I'll tell you."
Reluctantly, she nodded. He stared at her for a moment, contemplating how he should tell his side. There were aspects of his life she wasn't ready for: parts she wouldn't understand. Was it possible to explain to an eleven year old the horror of war and uncertainty. No. It wasn't.
"You need to understand that I loved your mother very much. We married at the beginning of the Clone Wars in secrecy. Every time I was called to the front we worried that that would be the last time we saw each other. She kept me alive…"
Backing up, he sat down. Padmé. She had been wonderful. Leia sat down beside him, her eyes staring through the mask. "The Jedi Order didn't allow attachments so nobody knew of our marriage. It was… awkward."
"What happened?"
He looked down at her. Her body curled against his side and her eyes, unprepared for the truth. "I began to dream… I dreamt she would die in childbirth. It was terrible. I knew that she'd die and I'd be alone. I couldn't bear the thought and I became… obsessed. I tried the Jedi way, I sought the Grand Master's advice." His voice turned bitter and he spat out the next few words. "He told me to let go. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not." He took a deep breathe and let the hiss of the respirator fill the room. "Palpatine came along and he promised to teach me how to save a life if I pledged myself to the darkside."
Whispering in horror, "You lost control."
He remembered how he warned Leia of the dark side's consuming power. It was so easy to lose oneself, especially if one was unprepared. The addictive nature of the darkside meant the Inquisitors were unpredictable and often insane.
"Not immediately. All I could think of was Padmé as I swore myself to Palpatine." He remembered the feeling of power and desperation that consumed as he mounted the stairs to the Jedi Temple. The screams, the cries, and the dead eyes that asked, "Why?"
"What happened?"
He looked away from Leia's boring gaze. "I came here to kill the leaders of the Separatists: to end the war. Your mother… she followed me here. She wanted to run away… to live in solitude and raise you in peace. But I… I was so entrenched in the dark side and so afraid. I was afraid that I had a mistake, and as she spoke, I was afraid that she'd leave, leave and still die. I couldn't focus on her anymore… All I could hear was the darkside promising me that I'd have everything. And I wanted it so much… When Obi-Wan showed up, my control snapped."
"Why was he there?"
Right. He had almost left out his Master entirely. "He had been my teacher. In hindsight he probably snuck on board to find me."
She scoffed slightly. "You never asked him?"
"I didn't know where he was."
Leaning back and crossing her arms, she replied exasperatedly, "You've had him as a prisoner for quite a while now."
His annoying daughter had a point. He stared at her, unimpressed. "It's not important. His presence tipped me over the edge and I lost myself to the darkside. I lost control and attacked your mother. I just wanted her to be quiet, out of the way from Obi-Wan, but the dark side twisted that desire and made me lash out violently." He could feel her daughter's horror. He didn't dare to look at her face. "Obi-Wan and I dueled… the dark side made me overconfident. I was so sure of victory that I lost all my limbs. He left me there to die and took Padmé. Palpatine rescued me and put me into this suit. In the end it didn't matter because Padmé still died."
Leia shifted closer to him. Sadness pushed against his mental shields and they took a moment to mourn. "You thought you killed mother."
He twisted his neck to look at her. "How did you know?"
"Remember that story you told me? You said I reminded you of two people and how the day the Empire rose they died… including their legacy. You thought you killed us both."
He hung his head. "Yes. That was what Palpatine told me."
"Bastard." He smirked beneath his mask. Bastard indeed.
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Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner. I'm afraid that this chapter was rather filler and the next one will be similar. I realized that if I don't want a 100 chapter story, I need to move faster. :) These chapters set up a lot of stuff that will turn out to be incredibly important. A lot of Vader and Leia bonding as well as Syrena's personality development.
To help keep the pace, I'm not going to do into depth with Leia's schooling. Those sections will probably become a side story. I feel like they are important, but in the end will distract from the main story.