Happy May the Fourth, everyone! Hope you enjoy!
The North, the Wall
The longer that young Skywalker studied what lay before him, his eyes began to adjust to what littered the ground. Dotting the entire white blanket that was bestowed before him were various corpses, some areas of snow were bathed in a crimson where countless dead bodies lay. The boy's trembling breath caught in his throat at the horrible sight. Sticks stuck into the ground in an upright position, with soft feathers stuck at the end of them. Ignoring Artoo's low whistle in warning, Luke slowly knelt down, lifting a shaky hand to grasp the nearest wooden rod that was stuck in the ice. Carefully bringing the stick from the snow, Luke then held the object in both gloved palms of his freezing hands. Using a thumb to scratch snow and ice from the arrow-head tip, he nearly nicked himself from the sharp, cold point.
What in the Galaxy's name.. Luke's brow furrowed in a contemplating thought, trying to answer his own muddling questions that began to invade his ever curious mind. "Hey, Artoo, do you know what this thing is?"
He knew the Droid may have seen much more than him, and probably had a little idea what this little twig was. The Astromech gave a quiet chirp, approaching Skywalker. A retractable silver-metal claw emerged from one of the Droid's many pockets, taking the wooden craft from Luke's palms. Rotating the twig in his metallic claw gingerly, Artoo's domed head turned to observe his Master. The Droid beeped a few times, telling the boy of the primitive object what it was. "An arrow? That's something new," Skywalker sniffed.
Dressed in his garments from Hoth, with an added cloak, the young boy held a very stark contrast to what the other dead bodies wore. Looks like there must've been a battle here.. Luke mused. No wonder so many are.. dead..
He gulped. Luke's gaze was then brought back upwards. Observing what lay above, he found that a couple little shed-like constructs were established on the very top, overlooking the forest that lay behind him. From the white and light blue, stains of red could be seen on the towering ice. Blood. They tried to climb it? Well, looks like they couldn't. The young Jedi, realizing that he was exposing himself to those who may watch above, quickly slunk back into the shadows. He definitely did not want to bump into whoever stood above there, and he could tell by a few flickering lights he saw with his squinted eyes, that someone had to be up there. Artoo however remained behind, with the arrow sitting on the ground where he placed it back down. He never beeped a warning to him. Seems like Artoo was sharing his wonder with the boy. Which was a little surprising, given the fact that the Astromech had seen many things around the Galaxy. "Where are we..?" He whispered to himself softly in question. No answer was given, besides the singing whistle of the frigid wind.
Crouching low and taking refuge behind a thick bush, Skywalker's hands quickly searched for the comlink that was hidden in the pocket of his garments. Taking the small object out, the young boy pressed it quickly.
"Han! Leia! I've found something," He hissed quietly, taking care not to be as loud as a rancor.
"Luke? Are you alright? What is it?" The questing voice of Leia answered him, and he smiled at the sound of her. "Where are you?"
At that, the Astromech then began to shifted back and forth on his pedes, giving a few panicked beeps. He quickly rolled away to take refuge behind a thick-trunked tree, and Luke quirked his brow. Instead of asking what the Droid was up to, Luke immediately answered, "I dunno, Leia-but, I found this gigantic wall. It looks like it's made out of ice of some sort."
"Really? Well, I think it's better for you to come back to the Falcon," Luke noted the change in Leia's tone. "I.. I need to tell you something."
"What is it? You can tell me right now you kno-"
As he gazed at a square-shaped, black wooden door he guessed that was made out of wood, slowly raised open. The screeching of steel and groaning of wood could be heard even from where Luke was.
The sound of galloping hooves and whinnies called before him, followed by the gruff shouts of men. "Oh kriff!" Luke cursed underneath his breath.
Before the Princess had any chance to ask what was going on, Luke switched the comlink off. Emerging from what it appeared to be an entrance to a tunnel, rode at least ten black-dressed humans with cloaks that billowed in the wind. His stomach dropped at the sight. The Droid gave another few anxious beeps, but the boy hushed him, saying, "Artoo, quiet!"
Lowering himself down onto the snow, hoping that he would get swallowed by the powdery cold substance, the thundering of hooves grew closer, and closer. Shallow breaths left the young boy, misting into the freezing air. Daringly raising his blonde-haired head, he spied the quadruped animals that bounded closer, letting out weird sounds akin to tauntauns, but more whinier and high-pitched. Stuffing his comlink into the pocket of his upper wear in the snow, Luke's wide eyes continued to watch as the group neared his position. He didn't want to appear as a threat, but the imposing sight before him, alongside the growing, powerful feeling in the Force warned Luke otherwise. He was a Jedi, however. He will not pose as an attacker, despite the hardened-looking men that approached on their steeds.
He delivered one last look towards where his Droid was hidden, and very slowly, he lifted himself upwards, revealing himself. The beasts which they rode ceased into a stop, some of the animals pawing at the snow and tossing their heads. Skywalker's eyes widened at the sight of the ten men mounted upon their steeds. Frowns were spread across their worn faces, but one man who was settled on his saddle within the middle wore a neutral face. Five of the men guided their horses to slowly circle the Jedi, his young eyes flickered back and forth nervously as he watched the men encircle him.
"Never knew a odd-dressed green boy liked to prance through the haunted forest," One young man chuckled, face sharp with a mess of short-trimmed brown hair. "Wonder where he's from. Doesn't look like he's from around here."
Luke opened his jaw to reply, but he was interjected when the straight-faced man he observed before only a few moments ago. His hair was a curled jet-black, bearing a well-sculpted face. Dressed in furs, he said one word in warning, "Edd."
"Sorry Jon, but it's true, isn't it? Look at him!" A few chuckles were let loose after Edd's statement.
A short-haired middle-aged man shot him a look, silencing the immature fellow. The other men remained silent with intrigued looks in their eyes, but a few smirked, amused at young Skywalker. His eyes widened at the realization that he could understand what they were saying. They spoke Galatic basic?
"Apologies." Edd said.
"Tell me, boy, what are you doing here?" The one who glared at the man who was named Edd questioned. Jon remained silent.
Immediately, Skywalker answered, his gaze flickered up to observe him respectfully. "Look, I mean no harm. I was just exploring, that's all-"
"Exploring?" A deep voice sneered. "It's a wonder that you're not even dead."
"This little fellow a Wildling?" One young man asked aloud.
A thick-bearded man answered, "Nah, look at 'em. He ain't no Wilding."
The young boy took in a shivering breath. Yeah, he had to admit it was a wonder he wasn't. Ever since that thing had attacked him, he did manage to defend himself sufficiently. But the cold was biting through him, and he could barely feel the tips of his fingers. It was only then he realized that he was numb all over, and he took a trembling step back.
"I-I'm sorry that I trespassed. I won't come back, I promise." Luke said desperately, his hands trembling. He needed to get back to the Falcon now! A few men quirked their brows, but remained where they were. However, their mounts ceased their walk around him. He saw an opportunity to flee. Perhaps he could lose them in the forest?
The jet-blacked haired young man who was named Jon said, "I can see your genuineness, but you will come with us."
"No, I can't-" Luke tried.
"Like the Lord Commander asked boy, you will come." Another grumbling voice stopped him.
Lord Commander?
A few of the animals whinnied aloud and snorted. Luke began to back away. He knew that Artoo would be able to make it back, and he probably already had. But him? He would have to try. He saw that a few of the soldiers reached for their waists, but Luke didn't dare stay to watch what emerged from the sheathes. In a flash, Luke turned tail and ran, galloping through the snow without a second thought. He heard the voices of the men call after him, alongside shouting curses that he never knew of.
But he certainly didn't want to know their true intentions of keeping him. He could not lead them back to the Falcon, and he would have to just lose them in the shadows of this 'haunted forest.' The white ice flew from his boots as he bounded through, but because of how thick the blanket was, Skywalker grew exhausted and breathless. It wasn't long until he felt their presences close in on him through the Force. Quickly taking his Father's weapon into his panicked grasp, as soon as the thunder of hooves and belittling words of the primitives filled his ears, the young Jedi turned to greet them.
Unsheathing his Lightsaber, the men immediately halted. A few horses reigned up, pawing their hooves at the air and excluding roars. The blue rod of plasma light glowed against the growing darkness of the forest, painting Skywalker's face a luminous light blue glow. He saw the awed shock written entirely each of the soldier's faces, with Edd and Jon's lips open agape. Skywalker's grip tightened as he then eyed the unsheathed weapons that they too held, but they were nothing like Skywalker's own. They were primordial steel weapons, while the Jedi's a futuristic, awesome rod of plasma capable of slicing through durasteel.
"Like.. I said," He breathed heavily. "I don't want a fight."
"What in the god's name.."
"Look at that!"
"By the Seven!"
A chorus of astonished whispers resonated before him, focused entirely on the Jedi. Luke noticed Jon's black brows widen at the sight at his weapon. Skywalker shivered in the biting wind that shifted through. He reached out into the Force and closed his eyes, trying to find a sense of tranquil, like Old Ben had taught him. But then he felt something arise from the one named Jon. The Force that surrounded this man practically surged with power, but it didn't compare to Skywalker's. But it was still strong with might. He's.. he's a Force Sensitive!
"You're.." Strong in the Force. Luke didn't state the remainder of his sentence. A hard silence followed, and the mounts shifted on their hooves, nickering. The men continued to stare at the boy in amazement, but a selfish envy slowly began to arise in some of the gazes of other men as they stared at his Lightsaber. He saw the bearded, raven-haired man, Jon, swallow hard.
"I saw you before." The Lord Commander whispered, but it was loud for everyone else to hear. Heads snapped towards the young man, then slowly turned back towards Luke with a perplexed wonder.
North of the Wall
Trills and alerting screeches of the Astromech were sounded, bouncing on his pedes desperately. Head rolling clockwise and counter, Artoo spluttered a seemingly endless chorus of beeps. Standing before the Droid were four others that listened to his tale intently. Eyebrows were raised on Han and Leia's faces, while the towering Wookiee emitted a whimpering grumble. Han frowned grimly, carefully switching his gaze from the Rebel Princess then back towards Artoo. Threepio tried to interject Artoo's hurried speech in Binary, but Leia hissed a command for the goldenrod to keep silent.
"Luke's in trouble," The young woman looked to the comlink which was settled in the palm of her hand. "Do you know where he even is?"
Han grimaced, while Artoo replied once again, singing aloud trills. Leia swallowed hard, her brow creasing in a fearful concern. Now, it was Han's turn to question the Droid. Hands placed on his hips, the former smuggler shot, "A wall? Whaddya mean a wall?"
It seemed that Artoo grew frustrated, as the trills turned into growling whistles. Han curled his lip and hissed, "Don't get spunky with me, Droid-"
"Han!" Leia snarled. "He's trying to tell us where Luke is at!"
"I know Princess but-"
"Then shut your mouth, and let me do the talking," The Alderaanian threw a glare. "Artoo, tell us about this wall. Do you have the coordinates in order to get there?"
Artoo whistled his assent, then began to explain to the Princess about the Wall of the North. Threepio tilted his head, but remained silent for Leia. The Wookiee opened his jaws and bleated aloud, probably saying how he didn't want to enter any more snow again. Han rolled his eyes. Leia on the other hand, quirked a brow and nodded after the Astromech, and then asked, "So.. it's made of ice? Tell us what you can about these.. men. Who are they?"
Once more, keen beeps resonated throughout the Falcon's lounge. Chewbacca shook his furred head once the Droid began to describe who the primitive men of their mystery planet were. To add into the explanation, Artoo injected a very convenient holo-recording of their mounts and interrogating young Skywalker. The Princess grit her teeth, and her fists clenching. Upon hearing the rambling of the young boy pleading with them to take leave him be, Leia hissed, "Turn it off."
The blue figures disappeared.
She brought a hand to rub at her face, biting her lip. Han pursed his lips, fingers outstretched from his waist for a moment, then flattened. Suddenly, Leia stormed away towards the Falcon's cockpit, leaving Han with two Droids and his Wookiee comrade. "Where's she going?"
Chewie only rumbled a growl. Han checked for his blaster which was secured by the belt that surrounded his waist. After, he heard the quickened footsteps of the Princess approach near. At once, his gaze was glued to Leia's defender sporting blaster pistol that hung in her fingers. "Wait, you don't plan on goin' out there, do ya?"
"I do, and you're coming with me Han. We're getting Luke back," She pushed past Han, making a bee-line straight for the Falcon's exit. "If you want to stay, you can. But I'm going to get Luke!"
"Princess, I don't think that's a good idea!" Han called after her, before he ran for her, Han said the Chewbacca in a huff. "Yer stayin' here, alright? With these two. I'll be back."
Even before the Wookiee could protest, Solo heard the opening of the ramp begin. He quickly jogged off, barking Leia's name. Chewie bleated a roar, then spared a glance at the two Droids. Threepio said softly, "We're doomed."
Closing the ramp to the Falcon behind him, Han saw Leia quickly shuffle through the snow with her blaster in-hand. Han nearly stumbled as the blanket almost engulfed his knees entirely. "Princess!" Han barked again.
Leia heeded his call, and looked behind, stopping in her tracks. She was dressed in her thick Hoth attire to shield herself from the gnawing ice of the snow, mixed with the winds that filtered through the trees that surrounded them both. "We can't go right now!" Han heaved. "Look, it's already getting dark!" Han emphasized by pointing towards the darkening grey skies, the blanket of clouds that overrode the atmosphere released a flurry of snow upon the two of them.
She harrumphed in response. Scowling at the smuggler through flakes of ice that drifted slowly down, Han couldn't help but really take her in. She looked absolutely stunning standing there, even though a smile wasn't shown on her face. He didn't care, really. Leia always looked radiant in his gaze, but now? Whew. Leia retorted, "I don't care. We are both getting Luke back. And I don't care if I have to gun down any of those tauntaun-faced men that try to get in my way. I'll get him back," Fiery and determined as always.
Looking up towards the skies where Han pointed, Leia just rolled her eyes. Han replied, "Good luck with that. We don't know how many of those guys are out there," Han reasoned. "And maybe, just maybe you could stand a chance."
"Maybe I won't if I'm with you." Leia hissed.
"Well sheesh! I'm just tryin' to help out, Leia! Tryna tell you that we could also get caught up with Luke as well."
Leia didn't reply, as she turned right around and continued to march through the snow. Stepping into the shadows of the trees with her comlink in hand and another which held the coordinates which Artoo gave her. Han quickly jogged through the thick blanket after her. Finally catching up with the Princess, the smuggler walked by her side. "Fine. Fine. But seriously, m'lady, we could get into some deep bantha shit if we somehow manage to wind ourselves up where your little boyfriend is."
Han spat out the word 'boyfriend' from his mouth like it was vomit. Well, it certainly tasted like it on his tongue. The Princess' mouth was open agape, and she quickly snapped her head to look at Solo. She suddenly said, "Luke is not my boyfriend." She grimaced thereafter as she sauntered through the trunks and snow.
Jealousy laced in his words, Han growled, "Yeah right. Then why do you always give him that look, almost like you wanna kiss 'em?"
"What?" Leia nearly shouted. "I don't! I have no clue what you're even talking about! He's-he's like a brother to me."
She then swallowed, casting a downwards glance towards the ground, completely avoiding Solo's burning gaze. "Like a brother, huh? Never knew you were into that."
An enraged Princess Leia stopped dead in her tracks, and Han did too. Turning to face him, she blinked away a few flakes that invaded her eyes. She had absolutely no idea why Han was delivering hasty accusations concerning her relationship with Luke. Why couldn't he realize that she never really felt that way with Skywalker? Sure, he was pretty and all, and her age, but.. no! Suddenly, like a bolt of lightening that struck her mind as she came to a theory.
"You're jealous, aren't you?"
Han's face immediately ran red, yanking his face away from looking at Leia's. She quirked a brow, feeling a sense of giddiness and amusement arise inside. "You are!"
Yet, she was blushing too. She could recall gentle caresses from Solo, most where very rare and uncharacteristic from him. He grew bolder though with his movements, and she recalled that shared hug in the Falcon before Luke's departure. Licking her bottom lip, a silence fell between the two as Leia found nothing else to say. Now, amusement was replaced with nervous tension that began to build between them. Not to mention the warm feelings that twisted inside both of their stomachs. Walking by naked bushes and trees, it seemed to be an decade before Solo finally replied. "'Course I was. I somehow found myself to fancy a pretty, heroic, princess," Han swallowed. "And I'm just some smuggler. I'm not even fit to even remotely feel for someone like you."
Before Leia could even reply, Han continued. "I loved someone once before, and I hate myself to even say it, but I'm.. scared to love again."
"Why?"
"Because.." Han trailed off.
The young woman walked around him to fully stand before the smuggler. Bringing a gentle hand to cup the side of his flushed cheeks, she whispered, "You shouldn't feel scared, Han. You've shown support for me, shown.. love, and I dearly grew fond of you because of that."
A horrible, ear-piercing screech suddenly was emitted behind them. Instantly pulling away, Leia's eyes boggled at the sight before her. Han turned to face the sound, and a curse erupted from his lips, his eyes too widened in horror. What stood before them was a creature cloaked in rotting flesh, eyes a bright, inhuman blue. Skin peeled away from their muscles and bone, the thing's nose was only two slitted holes. No cartilage remained where its nose once was, and a few thin hairs stuck to the zombified creature's skull. Fleshless jaw agape, another haggard scream was ripped from what remained of its larynx. An arm of bone slowly outstretched towards the pair. It then leapt towards Han and Leia, wild with bloodlust.
The North, the Wall
"What?" Luke questioned, his alighted 'saber still secured in his shaky palms.
The men continued to stare at Luke, some of their lips straight in silence, while others were open, openly sharing their perplexity of young Skywalker. Jon still continued to stare at him, his intense gaze hard. The tension in the bitter air was closely reaching its crescendo, but the young man said repeated, "I.. I saw you in my dreams. I saw your sword."
Luke's eyes flicked towards his Lightsaber. "A sword?" He asked, with Luke quirking a brow at what his 'saber was named.
"Yes? Are you deaf, boy? What's your name?" A man sitting upon a hazel-furred stallion questioned.
"This isn't a sword. This is a Lightsaber, actually," Feeling a little bolder, Luke continued, "And my name is Luke. Luke Skywalker."
"Skywalker?" Various murmurs erupted, and another questioned, "The fuck's a Lightsaber? That lil' thing you got there?"
Taken aback by their obvious rough set that they had, Luke felt a little offended by what they said. Curling his lip, Luke retorted, "Yes! It's my Father's Lightsaber!"
"Who's your Father, eh?"
"Anakin Skywalker," Luke then realized that he could probably grasp information out the group. He then inquired, "Where are we? What planet is this?"
"Dunno who the hell that is. And don't you know? You are in the land of Westeros, sitting in the North by the Wall. Where are you from?"
Luke stumbled back when one of their beasts whinnied and stomped the ground near him, taking a step towards the trembling boy. The rod of light disappeared back into his hilt, leaving the darkness to Skywalker once more, except for the light of the torches that some men held. The 'snap-hiss' of the 'saber could be heard, and a few of the horses nickered, nervous. The men shared their anxieties as well, for they were never shown such a sight. They certainly didn't seem like agents of the Empire, for they didn't have the attire that they wore, or even acted like them! Feeling a little safe that he could answer honestly, he replied cautiously, "I-I'm from Hoth; a planet in the Outer Rim, home of the Rebel Allia-"
"Oh shut up. You're spitting out nonsense, but it's interesting nonsense," The elderly man said once again. "You don't raise your.. blade against us, we won't do the same. We keep to our words."
Jon regarded the man's sentence, but delivered Luke a reassuring nod. "We do," He agreed. "Keep your.. Lightsaber sheathed. I don't know what that thing is made out of, but it surely seems that it can cut your head right off."
Luke regained his stance, quickly clipping his 'saber to his waist belt. Eyes comically wide, the boy continued to stare at each of their stallions that they wore. Sparing a glance back, Jon asked tersely, "You got any more friends like yourself?"
A fear was induced into Skywalker, crawling over him slowly. He couldn't risk exposing everyone else on the Falcon, especially Han and Leia. Luke immediately answered, "No. No I don't. I'm alone."
Jon gave him an unreadable look for a few moments, while the rest of the men continued to stare at him, some of their hackles raised. Finally, after a tense silence, the man continued, "Alright. You will walk. Come with us."
Luke didn't realize that he was holding his breath until his lungs begged him for air. Taking in a deep, measured breath, Luke trembled. Dubiously following after the men who turned their mounts to walk back through the snow, two of their steeds walked behind Skywalker to secure the boy, knowing that he wouldn't have any chances of running away. Under his breath, the boy mumbled, "I have a bad feeling about this.."