Hot, steaming food. How delicious it was. Luke had never tasted anything so divine in his whole life. Eating like an animal, he shovelled down mouthfuls and barely took the time to chew. Strength returned to his limbs and his light-headedness faded completely. Beside him at the table, Leia was retelling the events of the past few days to their mom, who was listening and watching them eat with concern written all over her face.
When they had run into the room earlier, his sister had been beside herself with anxious tears. Apologising over and over, she explained how she had broken Dumbon's arm and revealed she was at fault for everything that had occurred since then. But to his surprise, mom hadn't been angry as they'd predicted. Instead, she'd just held her even closer, immediately forgiving everything and placing kisses on her head.
So it was with great relief that they finally sat together, reunited and Leia forgiven. Eating his vegetables with a relish he'd never had before, Luke was feeling very optimistic. Mom didn't have to worry now. They were finally together and soon they would rescue dad and go back home.
Leia gulped down her drink noisily and then continued the story. "And then he took us to see this ugly old man-"
"The Emperor?" she breathed, looking stricken.
"Yeah, he was all wrinkled and grey like when you sit too long in the bath," she said, clearly enjoying telling the story. Mom would've usually checked her behaviour for calling someone ugly, but she didn't, instead she was listening carefully to everything Leia was saying. "He was telling us about the Force, about how to use anger and fear to make it stronger. Dad never taught us about that. But then he…" her confident story-telling voice went quieter and they remembered what had occurred.
"What did he do?" mom said, leaning forward, her eyebrows etched deeply with concern.
"He made me strike with his lightsaber at Darth Vader, then he picked us up using the Force and threw us."
"When he…threw you," she spoke through clenched teeth. "Did Vader even attempt to help you?"
"No, why would he?" Leia said quietly.
"When are we going home?" Luke asked.
She leaned back in her seat with a sigh, her anger dissipating. "I don't know."
"Mom…Leia left something out of the story," Luke said, finishing his last mouthful of nerf-steak. "Darth Vader told us something strange before we met the Emperor…he said that he was our real father. The Emperor said the same thing. But surely it's a trick, he's wrong isn't he mom? They lied didn't they?"
She gave them both an unreadable look. "I have some things to tell you both, but first things first. Let's finish eating, get cleaned up, get some fresh clothes on, and we can talk about it all properly, alright? And the things I will tell you, they happened a long time ago. So please don't worry, okay?"
Exchanging a glance with Leia he nodded and got up from the table to put his dishes away in the amazing high tech kitchen. After, the twins took turns to have a bath.
Luke sat in the warm bubbly water, pouring out soap into his hands. Mom called through the door to remind him to scrub the dirt off, not just rinse it. So he scrubbed himself clean and washed his hair. The bath water was dark brown by the time he was finished, with a layer of sediment sitting at the bottom of the tub. He had no idea he had been so dirty.
Taking a fluffy towel, he dried off and wiped the steam from the mirror where he could reach it, examining his face. The bruises from the stormtrooper were more prominent than he realised. Purple blotches decorated his face and his lip had scabbed over where it had split. Leia had sported a few black eyes over the years when she got in fights at school with Dumbon and the other boys, much to his parent's concern, but he'd never been in a real fight with anyone before that trooper. It wasn't pleasant to look at, but he did feel brave for earning some battle scars. There were some bacta packs under the sink that he would use after sleeping. He rubbed the towel over his wet hair and then changed into the fresh clothes that were provided, already feeling a million times better than when he had been dropped off earlier.
Dressed in a plain long sleeve shirt and utility trousers, he headed back into the main living area and Leia, holding her clean clothes, swapped places with him for her bath time. He held out the dirty clothes and remains of his slippers to his mom and she gasped at seeing his face.
"Oh Luke. Your face was so filthy I barely saw," she placed a kiss on the top of his head and he hugged her tightly around the waist, though his arms didn't quite reach around her middle with the baby bump there. "Who did that to you? Was it Vader?"
"No, a stormtrooper. But it's okay, I was protecting Leia."
"You've both been so brave. I am so proud of you," she said, stroking his damp hair and placing another kiss there, holding him close like he was still a baby, but he didn't mind. Luke felt the worry and love radiating from her and hugged her even tighter, never wanting to be apart again.
"Where's dad?" he asked.
"I was just telling Leia," she said, looking down at him and placing a tender hand on his bruised cheek. Her eyes shone with sadness at seeing his injuries. "He's safe with some of our friends now, but he was injured quite badly. We came to rescue you, you see, that's why I'm here on Vader's ship. But he'll be alright I hope, he just needs time to recover."
"When can we see him?" he asked, desperate to see his father and have his Force presence nearby again.
"It may be some time Luke, but just know that he's safe alright?"
He nodded, leaning against her stomach. The bath had left him feeling sleepy and he yawned. Guiding him to the large bed so they could sit, mom asked him some more questions about his and Leia's travels and then she told him about where she and dad had been, though she wasn't too specific on locations and names. His parents were always like that when telling stories.
Leia finished in the bathroom and came to join them, sitting cross-legged in front of mom to have her hair detangled with her fingers. She made faces as the knots were worked through as there was no brush to use. As she was detangling, she began to tell them a story to answer their questions.
"A long time ago, before you were born. I met two very special people. One was about your age, the other in his early twenties. I was just a girl myself at the time. I was fourteen and I was a queen."
"A queen?" Leia exclaimed, turning around.
"Yes, a queen," she smiled as she worked through more knots. "And my real name is actually Padmé, not Priya. That's the name my mother and father gave me, the name I used until you were born. Anyway, I made friends with the boy and with the man that I met at that time. It was many years later that I met them again when I was working on Coruscant as a politician. The boy had grown up by now and the man had grown older as well. They were both very skilled Jedi, the best I'd ever met. The young man was called Anakin Skywalker, and the older man was called Obi-Wan Kenobi, also known as your father, Ben Kayla."
Luke listened, taking in every word with rapt attention despite the tiredness he felt. Mom had never talked about her past before, all he and Leia knew was that she had grown up on a beautiful planet far away.
"Anakin Skywalker was a good friend of mine back then and we spent a lot of time together. He was kind-hearted and brave, and he was fun to be around, taking me away from all the pressures of being a senator. Despite having a very hard childhood, Anakin was a good man with a big heart. He was very loyal and protected the people he loved. Obi-Wan was also my friend, he was a very honourable and gentle man, and he still is. Back then, I was escorted to my home planet, Naboo, by Anakin. We fell deeply in love and got married. Towards the end of the clone wars, I found out I was pregnant with the two of you, though we thought it was just one baby back then. This man, Anakin, was a very good and loving man. But children, something terrible happened…"
His mother's pain was tangible and her voice sounded like it was going to crack with her emotions. Luke moved to rest his head against her and Leia looked over her shoulder, her eyes full of concern. "Are you alright mom?"
"Yes I'm okay Leia, it was a long time ago. But when your best friend does something bad to you, it breaks your heart doesn't it?"
They both nodded in understanding and she continued. "Well, Anakin was my best friend and I loved and cared for him more than anyone in the whole galaxy. But there was another man, an evil man, who wanted Anakin all for himself. This evil man is the one you met, the Emperor. He wanted to make Anakin his slave, to rule over him and to give him dark powers, and he succeeded. Anakin was completely taken over by this evil man, he became lost and deluded and the man I loved disappeared from my life. He became… a monster. He…he killed most of the Jedi and turned against everybody who had ever loved him. He betrayed everybody for power. I was heartbroken for Anakin and so sad at the terrible things he had done. This man, Anakin Skywalker, is the man inside Darth Vader's suit. The man you were with."
The twins looked at each other, their mouths open. He had not been expecting that. Darth Vader was once a normal man, a man who was married to his mom and became evil? That he was truly his father? It was very hard to absorb and Luke frowned, feeling his head spinning. The young boy was not able to fully comprehend such a thing. Surely, this couldn't be true?
"Anakin was so lost, he didn't know what he was doing and he…hurt me. He almost killed me. I was in a bad state, but after giving birth to you two, Obi-Wan looked after me and we started a new life on Bakura, away from Anakin, who is now Vader, and his new master, the Emperor. Obi-Wan's friendship helped me recover, and we worked hard to build a happy home for you two to grow up in. We fell in love and I got married for the second time. And I truly love your father Obi-Wan with all my heart," she finished detangling Leia's hair and his sister turned around on the bed to face their mom. She gathered them both in her arms, speaking seriously to the two of them as they sat cuddled up together.
"Before Anakin turned into Darth Vader, he was very excited to be your father. He loved you both so much…" a tear fell from her cheek and Luke wiped it away gently.
"Please don't cry mommy," he said softly, using the name they called her when they were smaller, wishing the pain would leave her. He hated seeing her cry.
She sniffed and took his hand and kissed it. "He loved you…but when he became Darth Vader, he chose power over me and the two of you. Do you understand? Anakin loved us, but he died when he came Vader. Darth Vader doesn't love us, or anyone else. He only loves the dark side of the Force, he loves using his power to hurt others," she said as her tears subsided. Luke struggled to imagine anyone choosing power over their family.
"Why did he want power so much? Why didn't he want us?" he asked.
"He did want you when he was Anakin. He wanted you both so much. But the Emperor corrupted him to the extent that his mind was completely lost. He…murdered people my love, he hurt me too. He was not fit to be your father anymore."
"Why didn't dad just kill the Emperor and save Anakin?" Leia asked, looking up.
"I'm afraid it wasn't that simple. The Emperor is too powerful. Your dad did try to save Anakin, but he had lost his mind by this point. He was too far gone to be rescued."
"Did Obi-Wan want us?" he asked, suddenly feeling like maybe his dad didn't love them as much as he thought.
"Of course he did," she held them close. "He has been by your side since the second you were born. Obi-Wan loves you both without limit. He is what a true father is. Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped in and brought you up with love and care, protecting you and working hard to provide a safe and happy life for us. It's what Anakin would've wanted, back when he was a good man. Obi-Wan loves you so much that he would die for the two of you, do you understand? He would never choose anything else over you."
They nodded, understanding that no matter what had happened in the past, their parents loved them without question. Luke felt his eyelids drooping but he still had one last question to ask.
"Darth Vader told us that he thought we were dead," he yawned, leaning into the material of his mom's clothing and her hair. "He said to us that now things will be how they should be. What did he mean?"
She was silent for a moment. "I imagine he plans to keep us here against our will. I don't know if we will be going home anytime soon. But don't lose hope," she looked down into his eyes. "Promise me you'll be careful around Vader, you can't trust him, not even for a moment."
Luke nodded and yawned again, his eyes closing of their own accord.
Mom got up and dimmed the lights so it was dark in the apartment and the only illumination came from the glittering wall of stars in the window. The three of them got under the covers to sleep. She lay on her back with Luke nestled up to one side of her and Leia the other. Minus the presence of his dad, it reminded him of when he and Leia experienced nightmares and they would snuggle up with their parents where it was safe. In the dark stillness of the room, Luke pondered everything he had just learnt.
He was deeply shocked at hearing the truth of who his father was, but at the same time, all he'd ever known was Ben Kayla, or Obi-Wan, as he now knew he was called. There was no other man that he looked up to, and even though he knew the truth, it didn't change much of the feelings in his heart. Maybe he was too young to process everything, but all he knew was that his parents loved him, and he loved them. He hated how Vader had broken his mom's heart and chosen the Emperor over them. Luke agreed with her, he could not be trusted. But he couldn't help feel curious about Anakin and what he had been like before he became evil. Would he have liked him?
Finally warm and safe, with a stomach full of steak and with clean clothes and soft bed linen surrounding him, Luke felt himself succumbing to sleep within seconds despite his curiosity about Anakin. He snuggled closer to his mom as she gently stroked his hair, lulled by her familiar smell and the distant white noise of the star destroyer's engines. For now, nothing mattered but sleep and being close to her after so long being apart. Just as he was drifting off, Leia asked a final question, rousing him.
"Will Anakin Skywalker ever come back?" she asked, her voice breaking the silence of the dark room.
She didn't answer for a while, and he thought maybe she hadn't heard, but then she spoke quietly. "I know it's hard to get your head around, but Anakin has done such terrible things Leia. I don't think it's possible that any of that good man is left. He's truly dead now."
"Okay," she whispered. "Good night, I love you."
"I love you too."
Luke's eyes closed again and within moments he was dreaming. Unbeknownst to the three of them, a recording device implanted in the room's ceiling stopped relaying audio as the family fell asleep and all went silent. Further away on the ship, Vader pressed a button on his chest to end the audio transmission. He had heard everything.