Sorry for the late posting - I was really busy. Keep the reviews coming in - you guys are amazing!


The school children departed in their transport, leaving Luke and Leia about to board the Naboo cruiser. The guards had stepped inside and the two siblings sat facing their mother in the lounge. Padme smiled at them as they gave each other sideway glances. Luke's arm was across his pocket, hiding the bulge of his discovery.

"He's lying," Luke spat as soon as they had jumped into hyperspace to the Expansion region as the pilots prepared for the long flight back to the Mid-rim planet of Naboo.

"How so?" Padme kept a straight face.

"He said the Jedi were selfish. That they were ruthless murderers," Luke's anger was visible, and it sent waves to Padme. She was surprised. Anakin…what do I do?, she thought. Our children are just like you…they are force-sensitive, but much more than I thought.

Leia was, however, silent. Her mind was racing with thoughts. Her father was not a bad man, she just…knew it. It was like she could feel who he was. Kind, warm and above all protective.

Luke fiddled with his jacket and for the rest of the journey, the family was silent.

When they arrived back on Naboo, it was beginning to grow dark. Padme stepped off the ship with her children beside her and they walked to their quarters, leaving the guards saluting by their door.

As the siblings tucked themselves into their two beds, Padme lingered for a moment by the door. She hadn't forgotten that Luke and Leia had snuck off. She checked that all the communication devices or recorders were off and sat in the chair between the two beds.

"Luke."

"Yes mother?"

"What is inside your jacket?"

Luke shifted a little but stayed facing the opposite wall, away from his mother. If Padme had saw his face, it would be stricken with guilt.

"I know you two snuck off," Padme said. Her voice was stern but there was a sense of amusement. Leia sighed and rolled out of bed. She opened the closet and reached inside, before retrieving the metal cylinder they had found. Padme froze. She had seen her children sneak off, but she hadn't seen what they had retrieved.

Leia handed it over to her and sat in bed, looking equally as guilty as her brother who was sitting up as well. Padme, to their surprise, smiled and chuckled.

"This is an old weapon," she said, admiring the handiwork. It was an elegant metal hilt, light and strong. She had never seen it before, but it was similar in function to what Anakin and Obi-Wan had used.

"It is a lightsabre," Padme said, as Luke's eyes lit up.

"Like, a real one," he said in awe.

"Yes."

Padme ignited it as a soft blue glow lit up the dark room. It was exactly the same colour as Anakin's.

"I will hide this and keep it safe. You must never tell anyone about this."

"Yes, mother," the children said together.

"Get some sleep. It will be a big day for you two tomorrow," Padme smiled.

"Why?" Leia asked, shuffling back under her blanket.

"You'll see." Padme left the room, closing the door with a gently hiss as she tucked the lightsabre between her robes.

Luke and Leia woke up early as Padme opened the door and shook both of them awake.

"It is time," she said. Luke rubbed his eyes. His hair was tousled, and he felt groggier than ever.

"It's so, early," he grumbled as he got dressed. Leia, on the other hand, was wide awake and taking a dress out of the closet.

"Not the dress, Leia. It is not an outing. Wear these." Padme handed over tight-fitting trousers and a sleeveless tunic.

Luke put on a similar outfit and together, they followed their mother to a part of the palace they had never been too. They could hear yelling and the sound of punching getting closer. Padme greeted the soldiers at the door and stepped inside a quiet training room. It was smaller than the others, but it served its purpose.

A trainer was waiting for them. Padme smiled and greeted him.

"Are these the children?" he asked, studying Luke and Leia.

"Yes. Train them well."

Padme gave him a secretive wink and left the room.

"Alright, let's see what your made of."

He made them run 10 laps around the room, attempt to do pushups and sit ups, recording their progress on a chart.

"Good start, you two." Leia and Luke were panting, their bodies drenched in sweat. "Go take a shower and rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

The two children walked, breathless out of the room and back to their quarters where Padme was waiting.

"Why?" Luke asked as Leia walked straight to the showers.

"Trust me, Luke" Padme said.

Everyday, the siblings trained. They soon began working on the punching bags and basic combat. Luke's muscles began to show, and Leia was taller, faster and stronger than before. Padme came to one of their sessions and watched in pride as her children completed the exercises easily. The trainer, Red, was a soldier and everyday he trained them in hand to hand combat until the siblings equalled each other.

A year later, after they had both turned 16, Red brought in a stack of weapons. They ranged from blasters and batons to staffs and pikes.

"You will train with the blasters first, and then you will choose which weapon you want to continue with," Red said. The siblings looked at each other in glee.

Luke was a natural with the blaster, and so was Leia. After a few weeks of practice, they never missed the target. Red was pleased with this and allowed them to finish blaster training earlier than expected.

Leia looked at the weapons curiously. She had no interest in the multiple blasters that Luke was admiring. She wanted something light, fast and powerful.

Then, her eye caught on a blade in the corner. It was a staff with two blades on the end, that could be detached. Luke picked up a knife and a blaster as Red looked in curiosity at Leia's weapon.

"That weapon is used by the guards of the emperor," he said. "I can help you, but I cannot perfect you." Leia nodded. The blade felt familiar and warm in her hands.

Luke's training was simple – he learned basic combat with the knife and blaster combined before he was finished and was left unsupervised in the training rooms. Leia, on the other hand, took longer. She trained herself in both staff and double-handed combat until Red couldn't teach her any longer. While Luke left the training room earlier, she stayed to practice and develop new skills. After many months, she was faster than anyone could imagine, jumping from side to side, launching surprise attacks with the staff before suddenly switching to two blades.

Padme watched this with interest. Luke was able to fend for himself by now, but Padme knew that Leia could do so much more. After all, she came from a bloodline of force-sensitive users. Padme knew that she could do something about that, and one night, she called Leia to the training room herself.