The next court event was far more lavish than the previous one. Leia had to wear her traditional Alderaanian gown, an unrelenting white, which she hated. What if she spilled something on herself?
Mara Jade arrived, dressed in a crimson gown so dark as to be almost black. Her red hair out of its braids, in wild waves around her head. "Are you excited?" She asked.
Leia shrugged, "Should I be?"
"I thought you would be. Isn't your father a senator?"
Leia felt joy jolt through her, "Is it the opening of the Senate session already?"
Mara nodded.
Leia could not believe she had already been here a whole month. The days passed so quickly with events and training. She would finally get to see her father tonight!
His most recent holo messages had been strained, as if there was so much he wanted to say, but couldn't. He looked ashen, peering into the Holo lens as if begging Leia to forgive him.
That made her worry. But there was nothing for it, she'd see him soon and then she'd find out what was going on.
"Lord Vader is actually here!" She nudged Mara as she saw the towering form of Vader, watching the milling crowds of senators and dignitaries.
"Yeah, I think the emperor ordered him to attend. It's a pretty important event."
Vader had been teaching them lightsaber everyday for the last two weeks. He had not said he was 'glad' about anything, which was good, because that had been too bizarre. He stared at Leia sometimes, and her burgeoning sense in the Force told her he was filled with conflicting emotions. But he was at least acting for what passed for normal, for him.
"Please Mara, tell me I don't have to sit with Tarkin tonight."
Mara giggled, "You really hate him don't you? Yeah, no, you get to sit with your father, and me, and um, Lord Vader."
Leia couldn't help but shiver. "Does he even eat?" She whispered.
Mara looked thoughtful, "I have no idea. Why don't you ask him over dinner?"
Leia rolled her eyes, "Thanks for the tip, I'll tell him it was your idea to ask."
Mara grinned, "I will deny everything."
They found their table, and her father was there, a smiled plastered on his face. He rose, his robes rustling around him. Then he was embracing her so tightly she could barely breath.
"I missed you, Daddy."
Bail Organa drew back, looking at her with moist eyes. "And I have missed you too, my dear girl. Are you alright?"
Leia sat down next to her father, leaning in to whisper to him, "I'm fine, Daddy. Is everything okay at home?"
He nodded, the tense look was there in his eyes at it had been in the holo messages. "Everything is fine Leia, your mother and I… we didn't know what to think. It is a tremendous relief to see you looking so happy."
"I have so much to tell you." Leia whispered, then glanced up, the familiar sound of Vader's respirator. Vader sat down opposite them, gauntleted hands fixed on the table, watching.
"Good evening, Lord Vader." She greeted her teacher and felt her father squeeze her hand tightly.
Vader inclined his mask. "Princess." He looked at her father, "Viceroy." How could Vader put so much anger into just one word? In the Force he was so cold, his anger nearly brimming over. Externally, he sat stiffly, watching them, but said nothing further.
The first course was served. No plate was placed in front of Vader, she was dying to say something to Mara about that, but this was not the time or the place. As it was, Mara kicked her very lightly under the table and she could see her friend smirking in her peripheral vision.
She turned back to her father, "Father, this is the friend I told you about, Mara Jade."
Bail leaned in and looked at Mara kindly, "I'm glad my Leia has found such a good friend here at the Imperial Palace."
Mara glowed.
There was the sound of leather squeaking against leather. Vader shifted in his seat, his hands had curled into fists but were still resting on the table in front of him. Leia felt sorry for him, forced to attend a meal he couldn't eat.
Vader's mask turned slightly to stare at her, but he said nothing.
Bail leaned in to speak directly into her ear. "I love you no matter what."
Leia wanted to cry. She knew her father loved her, but what was so wrong in the galaxy that he needed to say it like that, at a state dinner, in front of Lord Vader? She examined her father's sense in the Force. He was an absolute bundle of nerves. She hoped she'd get to speak with him privately after the dinner was over and find out what this was all about.
Then everyone was standing. The emperor had arrived and was taking his place at the head table, next to theirs. They all bowed and waited for Palpatine to take his seat. He remained standing however, clearly intending to make a speech.
The emperor's voice was low and reedy but managed to project across the entire ball room. "My friends. It gives me great pleasure to greet you at the advent of another session of the Imperial Senate. Your voices are an essential component of my Empire."
There were brief applause.
"We have come far since the Clone Wars ended thirteen years ago. We have brought peace to hundreds of divided worlds, and now their representatives are with us here today. We are an expanding Empire governed by a single infallible rule of law. Eat and drink, my dear friends. Your service and loyalty is what makes this Empire strong."
There were more applause and the emperor seated himself, so everyone else could sit down too. Unless Leia was very much mistaken, Palpatine had been looking in her direction as he finished his speech.
Her father let out a pained sigh, but began eating his meal, as if it were his last. She really needed to find out what was wrong.
The meal progressed slowly, and awkwardly, both her father and Lord Vader were angry about something, though neither of them gave an outward sign of it. Finally, the emperor rose to leave, ending the meal. When they stood for his departure, Palpatine's procession stopped in front of their table. The emperor gave Bail a long look but said nothing, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, just visible below his cowl. Then the procession moved onwards.
Her father held her hand tightly, and she squeezed it back, trying to radiate reassurance. Instead of following the crowd towards the exits, Bail sat back down heavily in his seat. Leia followed suit, was he ill?
He moved to hold both of her hands in his own, "You are the light of my life, Leia."
"Enough." Vader in a tone of deathly cold, he stood peering down at them, radiating menace.
Bail tensed and so did Leia. She felt Mara grab her shoulder, telling her silently through the Force to be strong.
Bail looked down at Leia, "Be good." Then he did something that didn't make any sense. He put his hands in the air. Then there were storm troopers all around them. Leia was being pulled away from her father. It was Mara, looking sad but resolute, dragging her away. Leia rounded on Vader.
"Is my father under arrest?" She couldn't believe this was happening, she felt sick.
Vader stared at her, his mask tilted, considering, "Bail Organa is a traitor to the Empire. I must take him into custody."
"What?" Leia gasped. Mara's hand was like a vice on her wrist.
"You have to stay calm." Mara hissed in her ear. "Don't say anything."
Leia clenched her jaw, aching to do something, but forcing herself to just stand there as Vader led the stormtroopers escorting her father out of the ballroom. Then she was alone with Mara. She wrenched her hand free of the other girl's grip.
"Leia." Mara whispered. "Let's go back to your apartments."
Leia let herself be led in the opposite direction as Vader had taken her father. Once they were out of the ballroom they were joined by Venn, and the six stormtroopers who seemed to trail her everywhere she went these days.
Back at her apartments, Venn bid her goodnight, and took up a station outside of the door to her suite. Did Venn do that every night, Leia wondered?
Inside, she ripped off her sweltering Alderaanian formal robes, tossing them into a pile on the floor. She pulled on a thin dressing gown, then she rounded on Mara.
"What just happened?" Leia felt angrier than she ever had before, she looked around for something to destroy. Her gaze settled on a spindled-legged end table which probably cost ten thousand credits. She lifted it in the Force and sent it smashing into a fancy mirror which adorned the opposite wall. The mirror shattered spraying glass across the floor. Leia sighed and sat down on the sofa. Venn and the Stormtroopers came rushing in, alert to some imagined danger. Leia smiled at Venn tightly, "Everything is fine. Just a little accident." She poured every ounce of her will into the words.
Venn's expression became placid. "Yes Ma'am. Shall I send a droid to clean up?"
"Later. I'm not done destroying things. Please leave."
Venn spun about, leading the Stormtroopers out into the hallway.
Mara was staring at her, open mouthed. "That was awesome."
Leia turned to face her friend, she was still angry but it was an icy sort of anger now, "Vader just arrested my father for treason."
Mara nodded, "Yeah."
"Did you know that was going to happen?" Leia bit out.
Mara's eyes widened, "No, of course not. I sensed Vader was angry, of course, like really, really angry. I kind of thought Vader would attack him outright."
Leia breathed out slowly, "They were both so angry, and my father was so sad. I think he knew it was going to happen. But why? Why did Lord Vader arrest my father?"
Mara shook her head, "I don't know. He said he was a traitor to the Empire."
Leia stood, lifted what looked to be a priceless art piece, and launched it across her sitting room, it hit the window with a dull thud. She hadn't really expected the transparasteel to break. The statue shattered, however, which helped salve her anger just the tiniest bit.
No stormtroopers can barging into her room this time. Good.
"Will you stay here tonight?" She asked, desperate not to be alone.
Mara nodded, "Of course I will. Tomorrow we will figure it all out."