Chapter 66

Laetitia got up quickly. She looked around, panicking. What was she supposed to do? If this Darth Vader saw her, he would know that she is a Force-sensitive just by looking at her. Even if by some miracle he didn't, he would still ask questions.

Her first instinct was to grab her lightsabers and attack rather than hide. But this wasn't a situation she had 6 years ago. She wasn't the person she was 6 years ago.

How am I supposed to fight a powerful Sith without my lightsabers?!

She was running out of time. She decided to hide behind the coffin. It was a good hiding place, the only hiding place in the tomb.

She went there and shrunk herself as much as she could. She heard the footsteps and breathing closing in. Closer, closer and …

The footsteps stopped. Darth Vader was in Padme Amidala's mausoleum, staring at the coffin, where the bodies of his beloved were.

A cluster of flowers grabbed Vader's attention. He sat on the ground.

Jasmine flower? Padme's favorite? But no one except family knows that. Has someone been here recently?

He saw some drops of water on the ground. They looked to be crying tears. Whoever they were, they were so sad because of her loss.

Not as sad and miserable as I am.

He almost felt bad for the relief he felt, thinking that out there, somewhere in the Galaxy, someone was lost in their world without her as he was.

It was probably her parents.

He put down his own flower and sat on the ground. Leah could feel he wasn't moving. It was like … he was saying thing he wanted to say but was just thinking about them. He was too afraid and ashamed to say them out loud.


(note: everything that Vader says in "" is without sound and like talking telepathically.)

Meanwhile, Vader had just been staring to the coffin but was saying his words.

"Hi, Angel. It's me."

"You probably don't recognize me in this suit. Even if I wasn't in it, I'm unrecognizable now. Have nothing in common with the man you fell in love with, the man who was Laetitia's father."

"I know you've been waiting for me. I should have come here sooner. I mean, what kind of sinner waits 6 years to come and ask for forgiveness to the people he has wronged the most?"

Suddenly, he found himself crying under his helmet. His eyes had not met tears for 6 years but being with his dead family brought back old memories and regretful decisions.

"I am so, so, so sorry, Padme. I know I have no right to even think about you but I can't help it. I wish we had done things differently. Yes, mistakes were made but you should have tried to see things from my perspective."

I love you!

LIAR!

Ana…! [Padme gasping for air]

He scoffed "And now I'm making excuses. I should have gone with you as you told ... begged me to. It would have been enough for me to help you raise our child, watch Leah grow up to be a strong woman I know she would have been. She is … was. Was so much like her mother. "

"I want you to know, I didn't mean for things to end up this way. I just did it to save Laetitia, our family. I loved you!" he paused "I love you. I hope one day, if we meet again, you forgive me."


He stood up and walked slowly to his daughter's 'grave'.

He sighed sadly.

You would have been 11 now, Little.

He read the gravestone.

He chuckled sadly under his helmet.

Martyr and victim? She would've loved that!

The thing Leah hated the most was to be considered a victim and yet, it was written here that she was one. She had always hated being a victim. It made her feel helpless and she hated that.

Maybe that's why she … did what she did. Because she felt helpless, that she couldn't do anything to stop me.

He had turned her into the thing she hated the most. He didn't even do anything and just watched when Palpatine had insulted Padme by making her 'the Martyr of the Empire'.

"I am so sorry, Little. I want you to know, I don't blame you for what you did to me … on Mustafar. I never did. I pushed you to do it and I pushed you to … I am just sorry."

"I hope, in another life, you get the life you deserve. The father you deserve. I am sorry I didn't trust you enough to make the right decision. I should have but I was just … scared of losing you."

He bowed a bit, paying his final respects.

"Goodbye, Padme. Goodbye, Laetitia. Forever. I will never come here again. I just hope wherever you are, you are together and happy." He said and left.


Laetitia slowly came out of her hiding place when she sensed the Sith Lord was gone.

It was weird. When he was standing beside her 'grave', she could have sworn she had heard her dad's voice. Saying he was sorry and that he forgave her.

And what the hell was that? Why was I feeling bad when that … thing, monster, was feeling bad?

It wasn't even the first time. The first time she had seen Sidious' new apprentice on the HoloNet, she had felt suffocated because of him.

But why? And why would he come to mom's grave, at all? He didn't even know her.

Leah looked down. There was one black rose. It wasn't there before, so that meant the Sith Lord had brought it.

In Naboo custom, each color in picking flower had its own meaning.

The yellow symbolized a solid friendship. Blue, the eternal legacy that person left that has influenced you. Dark red, deep love and pink, pure devotion. But black …?

Black flowers represent the grief, regret, agony and the pain that loss of the person has brought you.

But why would a Sith Lord, who had no idea who mom was, bring flowers that show his grief? Aren't they supposed to be emotionless? Just angry and unable to love or feel anything?

One question just kept going in Leah's mind.

Who was the person inside that monster? And how do I know him?

Done :)