notes: Sorry it's taken so long to get this up. This chapter has actually been written for a while, but my second beta's been super busy lately. So busy, in fact, that she still wasn't able to beta this chapter. So if this chapter sucks more than the others, blame her. (I'm kidding, I'm kidding. All fault lies with me and my writing abilities, or lack thereof...) All the same, I hope you enjoy!


CHAPTER 11

It was a week before Leia used the Force again.

It was a struggle, every moment of every day, not to give into the Force's siren song. It called to her, the flame buried deep within her blood and bones and soul—it begged for her to touch it, to pull on it, to wield it. It was part of her—a deep-seated, inherent part of her that she had for so long only known of as the heat in her veins and the iron in her marrow, but now was a raging fire burning along limb and breath and thought—and it sang to her. It would be so easy, she thought, to tap into it—to sink her hands through the glass covering the flame and feel the fire burn through her body, electrifying and buoying her up, up, up into a stratosphere of power.

Ninth Brother and Thirteenth Sister taunted her, harsh words and harsher actions. They pushed her, and kicked her, and knocked her to the floor, calling her selfish and stupid and bitch. "You're nothing," Thirteenth Sister sneered. "No one wanted you, because you're nothing. You're no one. You're worthless."

Leia threw herself forward, fingers locked in claws ready to scratch at Thirteenth Sister's eyes and unprotected face. She drew blood and a scream, and was smashed against the wall with a backhanded fist of the Force. She landed on the floor with a grunt and a groan, fighting to draw breath into abused lungs, struggling to make her limbs obey her silent commands.

Nights were the hardest. Laying in bed, without insult or pain to force her rebellion, the siren song was the loudest and sweetest. It would be so easy, Leia thought, to reach for the flame buried deep within her—to pick up the hairbrush from the dresser, to turn the handle on the sink, to pull the blankets from her bed. It would be so easy to draw upon the power sunk deep into her soul, and it was alluring—so alluring, so sweet, so tempting.

But then Leia would remember the smile on the Grand Inquisitor's face as Ninth Brother struck the wall, would remember Shmi's soft voice warning her of what she could become, would remember the sick feeling in her stomach as Ninth Brother flew through the air. She would remember—and she would draw back, pulling away from the alluring draw of the Force, tamp it down and bury it back beneath the sheet of glass separating her from it.

She lost control, however, on the eighth day.

Sixth Sister led her into the practice court to see the Grand Inquisitor flanked by Ninth Brother and Thirteenth Sister. They watched coldly as Sixth Sister dragged Leia to the mats and dropped her there.

Leia crossed her arms and glared. The three Inquisitors continued to look down on her with cold eyes and lips thinned with displeasure.

At last, the Grand Inquisitor said, "Your stubbornness will only serve to bring you pain, 851. Thus far we have been gentle with you—but that will not remain the case if you continue to refuse us."

Leia frowned. Gentle? They had been being gentle?

"What is your choice, 851?" the Grand Inquisitor asked. "The Force—or pain?"

Leia swallowed the lump of fear growing in her throat and said, "I won't use the Force." Silently she added, I won't give in. Not again. I promise, Shmi...

Pain speared through her head, white-hot and agonizing. Leia fell back, clutching her temples and writhing against the floor. She tried to scream, but only a thin, hollow wail escaped her locked lips and jaw. It felt like nails in her brain, like daggers scraping away slices of her thoughts; it felt like fire, raging and roaring, ripping through her mind.

It didn't stop. Leia's wail fell into a whine, then a whimper. Blood beaded around her nails and trickled down into her hair. Something wet and sticky dripped from her nose. Her writhing stilled, until she was still and cramped on the wood floor, back arched and muscles standing out on her neck.

She was dying. Leia was convinced of that. She was dying, and the Grand Inquisitor was killing her. She had to do something—anything—but she couldn't even stand. Her thoughts, scattered and drifting, driven apart by the pain echoing through her mind, were desperate.

Please, she tried to say, only for no sound but the dying echoes of her scream to escape. Someone… Leia thought, anyone…

Help.

The fire in her roared, shattering the glass covering it. It burned through her flesh and through her bones, radiating out into her scream and into her head where the pain carved away thought and feeling and hope.

For a second there was a struggle. Leia felt it like pounding waves, one of midnight violet invading her from the Grand Inquisitor and one of bright, brilliant blue from herself. They surged and contended, each battling against the other for dominance, rising higher and higher and higher through her, cascading from skull to lungs to feet, running and racing along the avenues of her bones. It filled her, until she was nothing but power striving against power.

And then, with a scream that rose from her lungs to her throat to her locked lips, the bright, brilliant wave crescendoed and swept over the midnight violet wave, crushing it, smothering it, and at last casting it out of her body. The foreign power fell away, running from her eyes and ears and nose, leaving her weak and trembling and sobbing on the floor.

She picked herself up slowly, gingerly testing each limb before she moved it. A black and sour feeling ate at her stomach; she wanted to vomit, though whether that was from the fading residue of pain, or because she had failed—had broken her promise to Shmi—she could not say.

Leia looked around, expecting to see the Grand Inquisitor, Ninth Brother, and Thirteenth Sister standing before her, smiling or clapping or at least watching her. To Leia's surprise, however, none of them were where she expected them to be. Clambering to her feet, Leia turned in a slow circle—and felt a jolt of shock.

All three of them lay by different walls. The Grand Inquisitor was only just picking himself up, blood running from a clearly broken nose and front tooth. Once he gained his feet, however, he smiled, and walked slowly toward Leia, clapping.

"Well done, 851," he said, voice thick with blood. "Well done indeed. Not only did you throw me out of your mind, but you physically threw all three of us as well."

"I didn't—" Leia began. "I mean, I wanted…" She trailed off, helpless.

She felt terrible. She had failed Shmi again. She had broken her promise, and had used the Force—had used it against all three of the Inquisitors. The guilt and shame sat like a black lodestone in her stomach, eating away at her throat like bile and seeping into her mouth.

"Now," the Grand Inquisitor said, as Ninth Brother and Thirteenth Sister picked themselves up as well, "let's see if you can do that again."

There was more pain. Leia screamed, and tasted blood on her lips as it dripped from her nose. She fell to the ground, head clutched between her hands, and silently begged for help. She was dying—she was dying—and there was no one there to help her.

The glass shattered again, and again the Force rose in silent exultation to answer her pleas for help. The Grand Inquisitor, ready this time, was only flung halfway to the wall, and he landed in a crouch on the balls of his feet. His smile was no less wide when he stood, however, and he clapped again as he stood.

"Very good, 851," he said. "I think that will be all for today. Come, Ninth Brother, Thirteenth Sister. Let us have our wounds tended to."

Only then did Leia see that the other two were smeared with blood: Thirteenth Sister on the forehead, a long, deep gash weeping scarlet tears; Ninth Brother from the jagged ends of a bone peeking through the skin of his wrist.

They left, leaving Leia alone.

She curled up at the corner of the mat, pressing her back against the lip of the raised floor, burying her head in the space between her knees and chest, arms wrapped around her shins. She remained like that for longer than Leia could be certain of, trying to forget the lingering echo of pain in her head, and the black bile of shame and guilt creeping at the edges of her mouth.

She had failed Shmi. She had failed Shmi, and the galaxy. She hadn't even fought to keep from using the Force that second time—had let it happen, had let it rise and obey her silent command to force the Grand Inquisitor from her head. She had stopped fighting, if only for an instant.

Footsteps. Leia looked up past her knees, and saw Tobias approaching warily.

"Hey there, Leia Organa," he said, and settled down on top of his legs in front of her. Leia was reminded of a bird settling to roost.

"Hi," Leia said, very small.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

Leia sniffed and buried her face in her knees again. "I don't wanna talk about it," she said.

Tobias was silent for a moment. Then he said, "You might not want to, but I think maybe you should."

Leia thought about that. Then, quietly, she admitted, "I broke a promise."

"What promise was that?"

"I used the Force again," Leia said. "I promise Sh— I promised I wouldn't."

Tobias did not press her to divulge what she had been about to say before cutting herself off. Instead, he said, "That seems like a pretty big promise to make."

Leia shrugged her shoulders and kept her face buried. After a second, though, she said, "You know what the Force is?"

"I've heard stories," Tobias replied. "And I was alive when the Jedi were still here. I heard all about their adventures in the Clone War." He was silent for a moment, then he said, "Can you say sorry for breaking your promise?"

"Yes," Leia said. "Maybe. I hope so. But I don't know if that will fix anything."

"It probably won't. But I doubt that one broken promise is the end of the world."

"It might be," Leia said miserably.

"It won't help to dwell on what's past," Tobias told her.

Leia sniffed and shrugged her shoulders again. "Then what do I do?" she asked.

"You keep moving forward," he said. "You try to never break that promise again."

"But how?" Leia asked, plaintive.

"I don't know," Tobias admitted. "But I'm sure we can figure something out. Would you like that?"

Silent, Leia nodded.

"Okay then." Tobias was quiet for a long moment, then he said, "What does it feel like? The Force, I mean."

"Like fire," Leia said. "And it reminds me of the desert."

"Then next time you're tempted to use the Force," Tobias suggested, "maybe you should imagine rain. Rain puts out fire, and is the opposite of the desert."

"It rains in the desert sometimes," Leia said. Finally she looked up from her knees, resting her chin on top of them so that she could look at Tobias. "I read that in a book."

"Oh," Tobias said. "But still, it's not usual."

Leia shook her head. "I suppose not," she said. "I'm not sure how that would help, though."

Tobias shrugged. "It might not. But we have to start somewhere, don't we?"

For the first time since she had used the Force the week before, Leia smiled, tentative and small. "We do," she said.

Tobias sat forward and, reaching for her, gave her a quick, tight hug. "It's going to be okay, Leia Organa," he said.

"What else is it like? The Force?" he asked, sitting back again. "I've heard stories—I was a little kid during the Clone War, and I remember playing Obi-Wan and Anakin with my friends—but I've never actually talked to someone who has it."

Leia shrugged. "It's like there's this glass wall over it most times. But beneath that, it's all fire. And when I use it, it—"

She was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Tobias leapt to his feet, face bleeding white, and he stumbled away from Leia. Leia turned, and saw Sixth Sister standing in the doorway.

"You," she called, and pointed at Tobias. "What do you think you're doing?"

Tobias ran.

One second he was moving, and then the next he was jerked to a halt. He fell backward, as if a rope had been thrown around his neck and yanked taught, and landed hard on his back with a grunt. He tried to scramble to his feet, and made it halfway to his knees before he was flung forward. He landed awkwardly in a sprawl, hitting his face on the floor and sliding a few painful feet before coming to a halt.

Sixth Sister strode forward, face stormy and eyes brittle, her upraised arm falling to her side. She stepped down onto the mat and crossed to where Tobias lay stunned. Kneeling, she wrapped her hand in his hair and lifted his face to hers.

"What the hell were you doing?" she demanded.

Tobias was silent.

"We told you not to talk to her."

"Please," Leia said, half-rising. "It wasn't his fault. It—"

"Shut up," Sixth Sister snarled, glancing over her shoulder at Leia and glaring her into silence. She turned back to Tobias. "You knew what would happen if you talked to her," she said. "We warned you."

Tobias shook and did not speak. He was not, Leia realized, looking Sixth Sister in the eyes, but rather at her mouth.

Sixth Sister shoved him back to the ground in disgust. "Get up," she ordered. "And come with me."

Tobias obeyed slowly, clambering stiffly to his feet, head bowed and eyes downcast.

Leia could not believe his obedience. Why was he not fighting her? Why was he not trying to escape?

Leia remembered what Tobias had told her the first day they had met—that he could be killed for talking to her. "No!" Leia cried. "Please, don't hurt hi—"

Sixth Sister raised a hand and waved it at Leia. Leia flew across the mat and landed hard on her side. Leia coughed and struggled upright, desperate not to let her friend go without a fight.

"Please," she begged. "Tobias, fight her. Run away. Don't...don't—"

"Shut up, 851," Sixth Sister snarled. She walked over to Leia, lifted a hand, and slapped her. "Next time I break your hand. Understand?"

Leia sunk back and fell silent, knowing that Sixth Sister meant what she threatened.

Sixth Sister smiled. Then, turning to Tobias, she motioned for him to follow her. "Come on, slave," she ordered, and led the way out of the practice court.

Tobias followed her. As he passed Leia, though, he glanced up at her. For a second, Leia thought she saw him smile at her.

Then he was gone.

~oOo~

The next day, armed with Tobias's last suggestion, Leia faced off against the Grand Inquisitor. His face was cleaned of blood, and his nose was set straight, though both of his eyes were darkened with bruises. Ninth Brother's arm was in a sling, and Thirteenth Sister sported a line of bacta-stitches.

Think of the rain, Leia thought fiercely as she folded her arms across her chest and glared at the Grand Inquisitor. Think of the rain. Think of the rain…

"Well, 851," the Grand Inquisitor said, "are we going to be obedient today?"

"No," Leia said, jutting her chin forward.

The Grand Inquisitor sighed. "Very well," he said, and lifted a hand.

The pain struck, and Leia dropped like a stone. She screamed, her throat burning and mouth going dry, and she clutched at her head. In response, she felt the Force rise in her, responding to her silent plea and command for help.

No, Leia thought desperately through the pain. No. Think of the rain. Think of the rain. Think of the—

She imagined rain, soft and sweet and cool, falling on her upturned face. It ran down her cheeks and dripped from her chin, sinking beneath her skin and falling down, down, down into her blood, her body, her bones. She imagined it sputtering as it struck the fire that burned through her veins, imagined the steam rising from the flickering flames, imagined them dimming at first a little, then a little more, then a lot.

Slowly, slowly, the Force obeyed her silent command: Be still, she told it. Be calm. Do not save me.

The pain continued, but now Leia had a handle on the power still smoldering deep within her chest. Now, rather than it controlling her, she controlled it. And she buried it, beneath rain and beneath pain.

Blood dripped from her nose. Her voice went hoarse from screaming. Her vision darkened, until all but the very center of her vision was black. Her stomach cramped, her calves cramped, her neck cramped.

But still the rain fell on the fire of the Force; still Leia held it down, held it at bay, held it under her will and command.

The pain vanished. Leia blinked against the dark shadows crawling over her vision.

"Any more and I risk killing her," she heard the Grand Inquisitor say quietly, his voice sounding very far away.

"Then what now?" Ninth Brother asked.

Silence. Then, "Watch her," the Grand Inquisitor ordered. "I will return shortly."

Leia heard the practice court door close, and she sat up slowly. Her head ached, and the world was spinning slowly around her. She put a hand to her head, and groaned. Her stomach heaved, and Leia swallowed thickly against the nausea trying to reject the small breakfast she had eaten that morning.

"Careful," Ninth Brother ordered. "Take it slowly."

Grudgingly, Leia knew he was right. She could barely see, and what little she could was swooping around her sickeningly. Closing her eyes, Leia fought the vertigo and fought the nausea still climbing at her throat.

The world had finally stopped spinning when the practice court opened again, admitting the Grand Inquisitor and two others. Sixth Sister Leia recognized right away, but the second figure—dressed in a loose, shapeless cotton shift, with head shaved bare and bruises on his face and arms, blood staining the beige cloth, and a collar and chain around his neck—took longer for Leia to recognize.

When she did, the nausea returned ten-fold, and Leia's blood ran from fire to ice.

"Tobias," she called, staggering upright. "Tobias, what—"

The Grand Inquisitor lifted a hand and Leia's mouth snapped shut. "Silence," he ordered her, then turned to Sixth Sister, who was leading Tobias by the chain. "Take off the collar," he ordered, and Sixth Sister obeyed. "Kneel," he ordered Tobias.

Tobias knelt slowly, still not lifting his eyes to look at Leia, or at anyone else in the room.

"Use the Force, 851," the Grand Inquisitor ordered. "Or I'll kill him."

Tobias looked up. "Don't do it, Leia," he said, voice so soft Leia barely heard him. "They're going to kill me anyway. And you promised—"

Sixth Sister slapped him into silence.

"No," Leia said—begged, pled. "No, don't do this. Not this."

"Use the Force," the Grand Inquisitor ordered.

Leia began to cry. "No," she said again—but she didn't know what she was saying no to. "Please…"

"Use the Force."

Leia lifted a hand, and let it sink beneath the glass. The fire of the Force ran through her, warm and kind and enticing, and it whispered to her.

"What do you want me to do?" Leia asked.

The Grand Inquisitor reached into a pocket and pulled out a small ball. "Lift this off my hand," he ordered.

Leia stretched out with thought and feeling, the flames of power racing after her. She touched the ball, felt its scuffed leather surface, the way it shifted in the Grand Inquisitor's hand. Slowly, tentatively, Leia wrapped bands of fire around the ball and, raising her hand in tandem with the Force, lifted the ball free of the Grand Inquisitor's hold.

The Grand Inquisitor smiled. "Very good," he said, and nodded. "Very, very good. Now," he ordered, "I want you to go through the warm-up exercises with Ninth Brother and Thirteenth Sister. If you refuse," he added, seeing Leia's eyes flash, "I will cut off Tobias's left hand. Understand?"

Leia's shoulders deflated. She nodded.

Both smiling broadly, Ninth Brother and Thirteenth Sister led the way to the mats. They sat, and began a series of stretches, which Leia clumsily followed. They then jogged from one end of the practice court to the other, and went through a few basic strengthening exercises.

"Very good," Ninth Brother said when they were done, and gave Leia an encouraging smile.

"That will be all for today," the Grand Inquisitor said, once they were done. He motioned for Sixth Sister, who fastened the collar and chain back around Tobias's neck. He had remained kneeling for the entire duration of Leia's exercises, head bowed and eyes downcast. "We will begin again tomorrow."

Leia curled up in bed ten minutes later, hurting and afraid.

What can I do? she asked herself over and over again. What do I do?

She couldn't let them kill Tobias. She couldn't. But if she obeyed them, and did what they said, then Shmi's warning would come true—she would become a weapon against the galaxy, and would bring death and destruction to many. But if she didn't obey, then they would kill Tobias.

What do I do, Shmi? she asked, over and over and over again.

But Shmi did not answer, and did not appear.

At last Leia fell asleep.

She dreamed of the house by the lake, and of Luke.

"I saw you," she said eagerly, as soon as she had taken a seat on the bench that she found Luke on. It was on the veranda overlooking the water, and was carved from stone and wood.

Luke frowned, turning to her. "What?" he asked, confused.

"In a field of machines," Leia said. "You were carrying a toolbox, and had a bunch of droids with you."

Luke's face cleared. "That was you?" he gasped. "I thought— But how?"

"I don't know," Leia said, shaking her head. "It happened when I touched the Force."

"The Force?" Luke asked. "Isn't that what the old Jedi used to use?"

Leia nodded.

"But I thought all the Jedi were killed. That's what Aunt Beru has always said."

"They were," Leia told him, remembering her father's bedtime stories. "But there are still people with the Force. They're just not Jedi anymore."

"Huh," Luke said. "And you have the Force?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. That's cool."

Leia grinned. Then she sobered. "I have to be careful not to use it though," she said. "Sh— I was warned that if I did, bad things would happen."

"Like what?" Luke asked.

But Leia just shook her head. "I'd rather not talk about it," she said.

"Okay." Luke stood. "Then how about we race down to the water?"

Leia jumped up in reply, glad for the change in topic, and dashed for the steps leading down into the garden. "Last one there's a rotten egg," she shouted over her shoulder.

Luke laughed, gay and bright, and took off after her.

~oOo~

The next day Tobias wasn't there.

"Where is he?" Leia asked the Grand Inquisitor defiantly.

"He's been put to work in another building," the Grand Inquisitor told her. "Somewhere far away from you—but not so far that we can't have him summoned here. We will kill him if you do not cooperate with us. Do you understand?"

Leia nodded, all of the fight going out of her.

It doesn't matter what happens, Leia decided, turning to Ninth Brother and Thirteenth Sister. I can't let them kill my friend.

"Come here," Ninth Brother ordered. Leia obeyed warily, crossing to the mat and stepping down onto it, coming to a halt in front of Ninth Brother. "Now sit."

Leia sat.

"Follow my lead," Ninth Brother commanded, and lifted his arms out to the side as he took a deep breath in. Then, releasing the breath, he dropped his left arm and carried his right arm over his head, dropping it toward the floor on the far side of his body. He held that pose as Leia copied him, then counted to ten before reversing it.

Leia mirrored him as he stretched his sides, his back, his neck. Then they stood and went through a second series of stretches focused on the legs: thighs, calves, and ankles. Arms were next, along with wrists and hands, followed by stretches that incorporated the entire body, not just a focus on one part of it.

All of the stretches were ones Leia had done at home with Rebécca and Sabé, but now they took on a darker undertone, making Leia's skin crawl and her bones ache. She didn't know why, but doing them with Ninth Brother made her feel sick to her stomach, as if she was doing something forbidden.

"Come with me," Thirteenth Sister said, once they were done stretching. She led the way to the wall, then said, "Keep up with me—if you can." She started forward in a light jog, which Leia quickly matched. After the first full circuit of the practice court, however, Thirteenth Sister quickened her pace, forcing Leia to break into a run.

Every lap after that, Thirteenth Sister increased her speed, until Leia was sprinting to keep up with her. At last, Leia began to fall behind, panting heavily, sweat dripping down her face and between her shoulder blades, sticking her shirt to her back.

She dropped farther and farther behind, until at last she came to a staggering halt, tripping over her own feet and crashing to her knees.

"I can't," she panted, close to tears.

"Get up," Thirteenth Sister ordered, jogging back and coming to a halt over her.

Leia staggered to her feet, only to fall back to her knees as her wobbly legs gave out.

Thirteenth Sister snorted in disgust. "Weak," she said. "Pathetic."

"I'm sorry," Leia begged, fear for Tobias creeping up her shoulders and into her words.

What if they hurt him because I can't get up? she wondered.

"Please," she said. "I'm trying…"

"Get up," Thirteenth Sister said again. "Or we will bring the slave back in and punish him for your failure."

No, Leia thought. No, I can't… I won't…

Leia gathered her strength and forced her feet under her. Pushing herself upright, she locked her knees and bound her will to her legs, forcing them to stay strong—though whether that was because of her own strength, or because of the fury of her desperation, she could not say.

Thirteenth Sister smiled. "Good," she said, and nodded. "Now come with me."

She led the way across the practice court to the wood-paneled wall across from the door. She touched it, and the panel slid into the wall, revealing a rack of staffs of varying lengths. Thirteenth Sister turned and appraised Leia with an upraised eyebrow, then she selected a staff a little taller than her.

"Here," she said, handing the staff to Leia. "This will be yours from now on. Take care of it; it is your weapon until we deem you fit to bear a practice blade. Understood?"

Leia nodded dumbly. It was all so much so fast, and she was still wobbly on her legs.

Thirteenth Sister brought her back to the mats, where Ninth Brother joined them. The Grand Inquisitor remained by the edge of the room, arms crossed over his chest, gaze impenetrable as he watched the proceedings.

Ninth Brother stepped forward and adjusted Leia's grip on her staff, moving both of her hands closer together and tightening her grip. "Like that," he said, and moved the staff in a slow arc, allowing Leia to gauge what the it felt like in its movement.

It felt awkward and strange to Leia. She had practiced with a staff under Rebécca's tutelage—and she had been good at it. The movements then had felt natural and smooth, as if she had been born to wield a weapon like that—as if it was as natural as breathing, as running, and laughing. She would close her eyes and go through the katas, feeling the movement of the staff through the air and in her hands, and sometimes—sometimes, when she was the most in tune with her body and with the staff—it was like she could hear it humming.

Now, though, Ninth Brother kept moving her hands closer together whenever she tried to slide them apart. Thirteenth Sister had gathered up a staff of her own, and was working with Leia on basic attack-defense positions. They had quickly realized that she knew at least a little bit of how to wield the staff, and so had breezed through the initial foot- and hand-stances.

"No," Ninth Brother said at last, when he adjusted her hands for the eighth time, after a series of prescribed attacks and blocks. "We wield double-bladed weapons, not single-bladed—you need to learn how to fight with both ends."

Leia growled in frustration and tried again to move her hands outward. Again Ninth Brother moved her hands together.

"That's enough," the Grand Inquisitor said at last. He stepped away from the wall and came toward them, arms still crossed over his chest, expression inscrutable. Motioning for Leia to come to him, he sat down on the mat, gesturing for her to sit down in front of him.

He pulled from his pocket the same ball as the day before. "Think of the Force," he instructed, holding the ball out in front of him. "Now prod it. Let it fill you, complete you. It will feel as if you are being made whole."

Leia obeyed, and fought against the resulting rush of power. It begged to be released, to be used; it ate at her, gnawing on her bones and burning through her veins in a vain attempt to be freed. But Leia bound it tight, imagining rain falling on the passion of the flames.

It settled, and became bearable.

The Grand Inquisitor smiled. "Very, very good," he said, and raised the ball. "Now lift this out of my hand."

Leia did. It hovered over the Grand Inquisitor's palm for a long second, before collapsing back down. He smiled, and Leia panted, suddenly more tired than she could remember being.

"Well done, 851," the Grand Inquisitor said, clearly pleased. "Now do it again."

They practiced moving the ball around for an hour. By the end of it Leia was as exhausted as she had ever been—but it was a deep, aching exhaustion that crept through her bones and sank hooks into her muscles, not the needles and weakness of physical exhaustion.

"Here," Thirteenth Sister said curtly, and handed Leia a cup of water. She drank greedily, only noticing once it was gone that it did not have the sweet, heavy taste that she had become accustomed to.

After that they worked on strengthening exercises. From behind another panel in the wall Ninth Brother drew out handheld weights, which he carried over to Leia and placed before her.

"Pick these up," he ordered, pointing to two of the smallest weights.

Leia obeyed, then followed Ninth Brother's instructions on how to lift them, first to her shoulders, then out to each side. They repeated those motions twenty times, then when Ninth Brother saw that she could do so easily with the light weights, again with slightly heavier ones.

By the time they were done, Leia's arms were shaking.

"Now for your core," Thirteenth Sister said, and held Leia's feet while she did twenty sit-ups, then timed her while she held her body up off of the floor with her elbows and toes.

After lunch—chicken in lemon, fresh spinach, and nectarines—Leia practiced the basics of hand-to-hand combat. Again, she had already learned much from Rebécca and Sabé—had learned how to fall and how to make a fist, how to strike without breaking a finger and where to hit to do the most damage. She knew how to kick, and how to land on the balls of her feet, how to dance and weave.

Now they taught her how to kill.

"Hit the nose just right," Ninth Brother instructed, and showed her how to pull her palm forward so that the bone of her wrist was at the fore, "and you can send bone shards into the brain."

"Hit the chest hard enough," Thirteenth Sister added, and demonstrated a light blow against Leia's sternum, "and you can stop the heart."

After that they practiced kicks and blows against a padded target.

"Harder," Ninth Brother ordered.

"Harder," Thirteenth Sister snapped.

Leia hit harder, and harder still.

They took another brief respite, and Leia drank more fresh, clean water. She gulped it greedily, and even dared to ask for more. The Inquisitors laughed, but obliged.

The Grand Inquisitor again stepped forward, and sat down on the mat. "The Force," he began, once Leia was seated, "is an energy field that permeates the entire galaxy. Those who are strong in the Force—like me and you—can tap into that energy field and can wield it."

He droned on for another hour, two, two and a half. Leia listened as best she could, though she was exhausted and the practice court was warm, sending her into a dazed stupor. He lectured her on what the Force was, on proper Force technique, on what they were to use the Force for and what they were not.

Periodically he would stop and ask Leia to repeat back what he had just said. This dragged Leia out of her stupor just long enough to dazedly and half-heartedly attempt to recite what she had just learned.

Twice she earned a cuff on the side of the head. "Pay better attention," the Grand Inquisitor instructed.

Leia nodded, and tried—the fear for Tobias was still there, though muted by her exhaustion—tried hard, but still she slid in and out of the stupor.

At last, the Grand Inquisitor realized he had lost her.

"Take her back to her room," he told Thirteenth Sister.

Thirteenth Sister bowed. "As you command, Grand Inquisitor," she said. Then, "Come along, 851."

Leia followed doggedly, stumbling on her feet, trying to ignore the weakness in her body, the tiredness in her bones. It was difficult—so very, very difficult—and she kept tripping over her own toes, her body betraying her and nearly sending her sprawling to the floor.

Leia didn't know how she would be able to survive another day like today.

Dinner was waiting for her. Leia scarfed it down hungrily; it felt as if it had been years since lunch, and her stomach was gnawing at her spine. Then she readied for bed, and climbed between the sheets. Rolling over, she closed her eyes, and almost instantly fell asleep.

Shmi was waiting for her.

"Tobias is dead," she said bluntly, foregoing a greeting.

Leia frowned and shook her head. "No," she said. "No, he's in another building."

"He's dead," Shmi repeated. "They killed him for talking to you, and now they're lying about it to get you to do their bidding."

Leia shook her head again. "He's in another building," she repeated. "They told me."

"They were lying."

"But…"

"Ask them tomorrow," Shmi said. "Sense if they are lying."

"I will," Leia said savagely.

Shmi sighed then. "I'm sorry, Leia," she said, gentler. "I know this is hard for you to hear, and harder for you to bear."

"No," Leia said stubbornly, and stepped away when Shmi opened her arms in an invitation for a hug. "He's not dead. He's fine. You'll see."

Shmi's face fell into a sad expression, eyes deep and dark, mouth turned down into half a frown. "I ache for you, Leia," she said. "No child should have to bear what you have borne."

"He's fine," Leia said again, softer. "He's fine."

Shmi smiled sadly. "We shall see."

And then she was gone

~oOo~

Leia awoke early the next morning. She was sore and cranky, but was dressed and ready when Sixth Sister came for her.

"Let's go," Leia said tersely as soon as Sixth Sister opened her door, pushing her way past the Inquisitor and out into the hall.

Surprised, Sixth Sister followed Leia down the hall and into the lift. She took the lead again when they reached the floor of the practice court, but Leia was close behind.

"What's got you in such a rush today, 851?" Sixth Sister asked, halting in front of the door into the practice court and barring Leia's entrance.

"I have a question to ask," Leia said.

Sixth Sister arched her eyebrows, but let Leia past.

"Where is Tobias?" Leia asked, as soon as she was inside.

The Grand Inquisitor turned from where he had been conversing with Ninth Brother and Thirteenth Sister. "As I said yesterday," he told her, "he's been moved into another building."

Leia frowned. She felt his words—felt the shape of them, the sound of them, the weight of them—and listened to their unspoken edges. Her bones hummed and her veins burned, faint and fickle; Leia, accustomed now to the raging fire of the Force, barely felt it—but feel it she did, and suddenly she understood.

It was the Force that enabled her to tell when someone was lying.

Leia pulled back, alarmed, dousing the fire with rain. She couldn't use it—it was dangerous to use it. She would bring death and destruction if she used it.

But—but Shmi had told her to sense if they were lying. Shmi wouldn't have told her to sense if they were lying if it was dangerous. That meant it was alright to use the Force for this. Right?

Leia closed her eyes.

Just this once, she decided.

"You said he's in another building?" Leia repeated.

"That's what I said," the Grand Inquisitor said, voice creeping with a hard edge.

"So he's not dead?" Leia asked.

"No," the Grand Inquisitor said.

His word was slick and black like oil. It was hard to grasp, and harder to read.

Leia reached down through the oil, letting the fire of the Force burn a hole through it. The fire engulfed the oil, eating at it, ripping it to flaming shreds, devouring it until all that was left was the word as it was, imbedded and breathing with the intent of it. Leia looked at it, felt its shape and contour—and knew that it was a lie. It was twisted and rotted, a lie in its true form.

"You're lying," Leia whispered. "You're lying. He's dead."

"No," the Grand Inquisitor said. "He's not."

"Then show him to me," Leia demanded.

"We will do no such thing," the Grand Inquisitor replied calmly.

"LIAR!" Leia screamed.

The Grand Inquisitor stared at her, then sighed. He smiled, grim and humorless. "I should have expected this," he said. Then, "Yes, we killed him. He befriended you. And you can have no friends. Remember this, 851—anyone you grow close to, anyone you care for, we will kill."

Leia burst into tears. "But why?" she sobbed, hands in fists by her sides.

"Because we want you to Fall," the Grand Inquisitor said. "Because you need to Fall. Even more than you need to train, you need to drink of the Dark Side—need to let it fill you, control you. You are a bright light, 851; the Light fills you. But we will corrupt that Light, until there is nothing left of it in you.

"Do you understand me?"

"No," Leia said through her tears. "No, I...I don't."

The Grand Inquisitor smiled. "That's fine," he said. "You will. You will…"

~oOo~

"She is strong," Ninth Brother said mildly from his seat on the couch. The empty hearth stared back at him over his glass of brandy, dark and cold. The ring of couches and armchairs—all made from the same soft, red-stained leather—spread out to either side of him.

At the bar to the left of the hearth Thirteenth Sister snorted. "She's stronger than any of us," she said, pouring herself a finger of scotch. "Even stronger than the Grand Inquisitor, I warrant. I can't help but wonder why the Emperor is having us train the girl. Why not leave her training solely to the Grand Inquisitor, or even Vader?"

"He intends to use her to supplant Vader," Ninth Brother commented blithely, taking a sip of brandy. "I doubt the Emperor wants to risk her becoming attached to him."

Thirteenth Sister rolled her eyes. "As if that would happen. He's nothing more than a dog on a chain. You don't become attached to a dog."

Ninth Brother shrugged. "Many people in the galaxy do," he said. "Besides, Leia Organa has a heart the size of Alderaan. You've seen it."

"True. Good thing too," Thirteenth Sister said, at last coming around the bar, holding her glass. She took a seat on the arm of the couch on which Ninth Brother sat. "If it wasn't for that damned big heart of hers, I'm not sure we could have gotten her to train at all."

"I still don't think we should have killed that slave," Ninth Brother said, and took another sip. "We saw today what happened when she found out—and it was only a matter of time until she did." He stared into the empty hearth, brooding.

Thirteenth Sister shook her head and stood, coming around to stand in Ninth Brother's line of vision. "If we hadn't, we would have appeared weak and insecure. We warned the slaves what would happen if they talked to her. If we had backed out, we risked another slave breaking her isolation."

"That might not be a bad thing," Ninth Brother said, looking up at her. "It was the breaking of her isolation that ultimately led her to train."

Thirteenth Sister shrugged. "What's done is done," she said. "I personally think we did the right thing. But you've always been a philosopher." Her eyes glinted yellow in the soft lighting. "I suppose that's part of what's made you such a good Teacher."

Ninth Brother lifted his glass of brandy in a silent toast. "To training the Emperor's new war dog," he said.

Thirteenth Sister lifted her glass and arched an eyebrow. "To us being able to bridle and control her strength."

It was Ninth Brother's turn to snort. "I very much doubt that," he said.

Thirteenth Sister smiled. "No," she said slowly, and drained her glass. "No, I suppose not."


end notes: So what did you think? Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Was this chapter worse than the rest? (If so, I really need to know, that way I can make sure I don't post again until it's gone through my second beta...) Mostly though I hope you enjoyed!