Chapter 2 - Shadow

Summary:

Life on Imperial Center is full of Hope and Disappointment, Comfort and Betrayal.

And, one simple lesson—never trust anyone.

Written for Writer's Month – Day 16: Shadows

Leia nearly skipped as she headed for her refuge on the balcony. She couldn't wait to share her news with Echo. It had been over a month since the two girls first talked. Their tentative friendship had quickly expanded into something more enduring. True, they weren't as close as she and Winter were, but they were infinitely closer than she was to any of the other hostages. Like her classmates, Leia had to spend every waking moment watching what she said and how she behaved. No one could be honest about their feelings or intentions. The constant stress bled into their interactions with each other. With Echo, it was different. Leia found she could talk more freely, more honestly. While neither girl exchanged their true names or why they resided in the Imperial Palace, they trusted each other.

So, when Leia received good news earlier in the day, Echo was the first person she wanted to tell. She scarcely managed to focus on her lessons and she'd been told off more than once for fidgeting. Finally free from her duties for the day, Leia was ready to burst if she didn't share her news.

"You're glowing," Echo's voice drifted from the balcony above hers. This wasn't the first time Echo had made cryptic comments about Leia's presence, but Leia had learned to accept this as one of her friend's peculiarities. It was one of the topics they didn't talk about. Likewise they didn't talk about Leia's ability to sense the other girl along the edge of her mind. Somethings were better not discussed.

"I've got good news." With her knees pulled to her chest, Leia sat in the corner of her balcony under the spot where Echo usually laid on her own balcony. While it was a bit of an awkward position for both of them, they'd instinctively assumed these spots for a more direct line as they talked to each other.

"You're leaving?" A tinge of sadness shadowed Echo's words at the thought of Leia leaving.

"No. Nothing like that." A pang of longing shot through her heart at the thought of home. The definition of good news had certainly changed since her arrival on Coruscant. "My request has been provisionally approved."

"What request?" Curiosity danced in the question.

Leia hadn't dared voice her plan, not even to her only friend, for fear of building her hopes up. Now that it had been approved, the nascent hope swelled to something overflowing. "My birthday is in two weeks and since the Senate is in session, I asked to be allowed to spend the day with my father."

"Oh."

"What do you mean by that?" She wrapped her arms around her legs. The night air was starting to grow chilly and she didn't dare ask for a warmer jacket. As far as anyone knew, she had no reason to go outside.

"They're probably going to change their mind," Echo said warily.

"Why would they? It's not like I'm asking to go off world. My father is already on planet and so am I. It's a perfectly reasonable request." Mentally, Leia went over all her arguments to why they should allow her to see her father. She's offered a perfectly reasonable defense.

Echo sighed heavily. "Just don't get your hopes up, okay."

"Too late." Leia leaned against the railings. "I've got a day all planned out. We'll go to the pleasure gardens. We'll have lunch at this cafe my father told me about. They serve traditional Alderaanian cuisine. He likes to go there when he's homesick..."

Though Leia tried to keep her friend's prediction from ruining her mood, she couldn't help but worry that Echo might be right. After all, she'd lived in the Imperial Palace for much longer than Leia.

—

The balcony door slammed hard behind Leia as she stormed outside. She'd been holding in her frustration and hurt all day and this was her first opportunity to let it out. Balling her fist over her mouth, Leia screamed. It wasn't fair.

"Lelia?" Echo called from her perch above her.

Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, Leia pretended she was a Senator like her father facing down the opposing side with grace and confidence. "You were right."

"I'm sorry. I was hoping I'd be wrong." True sympathy laced Echo's words. "What happened?"

"They reminded me it was only a provisional approval and Senators are very busy people. He wasn't able to make time to fulfill my request," Leia spat out the word like they were poison. "When I pointed out my father would always may time for me, they countered that I have not been performing up to expected standards in class and therefore shouldn't expect any privileges. Which is a blatant lie if I ever heard one. I have the best marks."

"Never trust them. They won't give you anything unless it benefits them somehow.

"How do you know that?"

With a weariness of someone twice her age, Echo sighed. "Experience."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Leia pulled the shawl over her head. Not only was the cold growing more bitter, the light drizzle was turning to a true rainstorm. The clouds around the palace gathered in thick, ominous banks which rumbled with the dark promise of a lightning storm. It wouldn't be wise to linger outside tonight.

Great, just great. Happy birthday to me.

"I left something for you on your balcony," Echo raised her voice to be heard over the wind.

It was only then that Leia noticed the wrapped package lying in the middle of the floor. She glanced up to the balcony above her. "How did you get this here?"

"I have my ways." The mischief was bright in Echo's voice. "Open it, please, I want to know if you like it."

Leia pulled back the simple wrappings. Inside was a hooded jacket and a pair of gloves. Both were used, but clean and neat. Echo was like her in that they both had little else than what the Emperor deemed they needed. The gift was probably from Echo's own wardrobe. Leia slipped on the jacket and gloves. They were warm and snug and perfect for their evening visits.

"Thank you," Leia called. Tears stung her eyes. "It's perfect."

"Happy Birthday," Echo replied.

Thunder rumbled further down the valley and the rain increased its pace.

"We should go." A shadow of fear prickled along Echo's presence. She knew her friend didn't like the storms. Especially the lightning.

"Tomorrow?" Leia lingered. She didn't want to go in yet. It was a lonely way to celebrate her birthday.

"No. I have an assignment. I really ought to be preparing for it now, I just wanted to wish you happy birthday."

Leia imagined her friend standing at the door to her room. Echo never stayed long after she declared it was time to leave. "All right. Thank you. Good night."

"Good night." Echo's door slid shut.

Following her friend's example, Leia returned to her tiny, cramped room. While her birthday started as a disappointed and certainly paled in comparison to her celebrations last year, Leia felt a pleasant thrum of happiness in the wake of her friend's kindness.

—

Leia heard the light sniffling as she stepped out onto the balcony. "Echo? Are you okay?"

Leaning past the railing as far as she dared, Leia glanced upwards in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of her friend. There was no sign of the red-gold hair. It was the only thing she knew about her friend's appearance. Would she recognize Echo if she saw her in person?

"I'm fine." Echo's voice was scratchy and muffled.

While she might not be trained in reading people's emotions or whatever it was that Echo could do, Leia knew without a doubt that her friend was anything but fine. "Please. I want to help."

Echo let out a huff a breath which sounded more like a cynical laugh than a sob. "There's nothing you can do."

"I can listen," Leia offered. That was how she met Echo after all. Sometimes having someone willing to lend a sympathetic ear did a world of good.

"I…I displeased the Emperor," Echo whispered in a voice so low Leia had to strain to hear.

When she didn't continue, Leia prompted, "How?"

The silence swelled, until Leia wondered if she had pushed her friend too far.

At last, Echo's watery voice reached Leia's ears. "I'm a dancer. I was to join the troop performing at last evening's soirée." She didn't need to add that it was an event attended by Imperial Center's most influential citizens and the highest ranked military officers. Leia's father was also supposed to attend. "I messed up my…routine…I drew attention to myself. I wasn't able to complete my mission. The Emperor punished me."

Anger at the unfairness of her friend being punished for making a mistake seethed in Leia's gut. Piercing stabs of pain flared along the edge of Echo's presence. Leia breathed deeply, calming the sharp edge of her anger. Her parents had taught her to redirect the swell of intense emotion into something useful. To feel, but not allow her emotions to dictate her actions. At the moment, Echo needed comfort. As Leia calmed her emotions, so did Echo.

"At home, when I was hurting, my mother would sing to me. Would you like me to sing for you?" Leia offered.

"Yes."

Leia closed her eyes and dug back into her memories for her favorite song from when she was young. It was a folk song from Naboo which had been popular around the time she was born. The lyrics told the story of a beautiful Princess and her loyal Knight. Since she was royalty and he was a peasant, their love was forbidden. The couple didn't care about the strictures against their relationship, and against all odds, married in secret.

Like many of the folk songs Leia knew, there were several versions of the song. Most people preferred the version which ended with the couple running off together and living happily ever after on the Outer Rim. There was another version where they defied convention and ascended to the throne to rule together. But, Leia's parents had always opted for the most tragic ending. The Knight feared he would lose his Princess, so he made a deal with a Sorcerer. In the end, the deal cost the Knight his soul and the the Princess her life. Leia didn't know why, but this was this version she sung for her friend.

As the final notes faded into the night, Echo broke the silence. "That was beautiful."

Leia blushed. She wasn't a strong singer. To a dancer her voice probably sounded weak and unsupported. "I should have chosen a happier…"

"No. That song is special to you. I could feel it. Thank you for sharing."

There was shuffling above her as Echo must have laid down on the floor. Her red-gold curls escaped over the edge of the balcony as Echo reached her arm under the railing. If Leia stood on her toes and reached up as far as she could stretch, their fingers could almost brush.

"I think I've heard it before," Echo said.

"Where?" Outside of her family, Leia didn't know anyone their age who knew the song.

"I'm not sure. Around the Palace, I think." Echo's voice wavered as uncertainty crept in.

"It doesn't matter." Leia shrugged it off, it wasn't important. Instead, Leia poked at the edge of Echo's presence in her mind. "Are you feeling better?"

"Better enough to face tomorrow. Thanks for listening."

"Anytime," Leia promised.

—

A steadily rising level of trepidation permeated every nook and cranny of the classroom like it did every time the Emperor visited. Even their teacher, an Imperial stooge who saw no problem with keeping children hostage, fluttered around the front of the room in growing anxiety. Leia gathered her wits about her and breathed through the swell of uneasiness gathering in her chest. She built a wall around her thoughts as she kept her eyes focused on her desk in the pretense of studying her datapad.

At exactly 1300 Imperial Center time, the Emperor entered the classroom behind a pair of his scarlet robed Imperial guards. The scraping shuffle of the Emperor's footsteps was the only sound to break the deafening silence. Their teacher scurried to greet the Emperor with a obsequious bow and inane babbling about the class' progress. With only the wave of his gnarled hand, the Emperor silenced their teacher.

"Their parents have graciously entrusted their children to my care and guidance. I desire to observe their progress for myself." The Emperor proceeded to shuffle-step up and down aisles between desks arranged in military precision, while the guards stood in silent sentry at the front of the room and beside the door. Each student sat with their hands folded on their desktops and their eyes averted.

Despite the kindly, grandfatherly persona presented on the holonet across the galaxy, in person the Emperor appeared to be about three steps beyond death. Under the dousing of cloying perfumes, he carried the reek of the grave with him. Yet, despite his hunched posture and billowing cloak, whenever the Emperor was near, his presence filled not only the room, but pushed outward, taking up more space than one old man should possess.

Usually when the Emperor came to inspect their lessons, Leia felt herself balancing a precarious line. She refused to be cowed by the monster, but she could not allow herself to draw his notice. Despite the talks of fostering and building better relations between the ruling families of the Empire, Leia knew very well the tenuous nature of her position as hostage. If she stood out of line, it would be her parents' heads on the line. So, she kept her eyes downcast and her mind repeating significant dates of the galactic history.

This time, something was different about his visit. A familiar presence brushed along her thoughts. She raised her gaze just enough to see the corner of her teacher's desk. The Emperor moved up her row with deliberate slowness. He paused at the desk of the boy who sat behind her and questioned him about a recent battle which had occurred in his home system.

In the Emperor's wake, Leia saw her—a slip of a girl more shadow than girl. The girl's face possessed the preternatural paleness possessed by most long term residents of Courescant. There were few opportunities for natural sunlight living on the planetwide city. But, it was the fiery red-gold hair which drew Leia's attention. A hair color Leia knew as well as her own. At last, Leia had found her friend. Her echo.

For less than a second, Leia met the Echo's eyes. A flickering sense of recognition burned deep into her brain.

Leia mouthed a silent "Hello," not daring anything more overt.

A flicker of a smile caught at the Echo's lips before disappearing into a tight line. Echo gave the merest nod of her head in response.

As the Emperor continued his circuit, Echo remained at the same distance from him. No one else appeared to notice or acknowledge the girl's presence in the room. If Leia hadn't recognized the familiar brush of Echo's presence against her mind, she doubted she would have noticed her either. Echo appeared to almost fade in and out of focus.

Now that the shock of seeing Echo had worn off, a cold lump formed in Leia's stomach. She had often wondered how her friend had ended up in the Emperor's care, but never in a million years had she suspected this. It…it couldn't be. There'd always been rumors, but the reality was too terrible wrap her mind around.

She knew that Echo was a dancer. That she was part of a patronage program for aspiring young performers sponsored by the Empire. That she often performed with the dance troupes scheduled to entertain at high level functions. But, Leia hadn't known just how close Echo was to the the Emperor. One didn't walk in his shadow if they were just a dancer.

Leia wasn't naive. Children—girls—were often underestimated or ignored. When they wanted to, children could slip invisibly through crowds. If they were silent enough, still enough, they could eavesdrop on conversations with their target being none the wiser. It's what her parents instructed her to do while she was here. To keep her eyes and ears open. To learn everything she could—especially those things which the Empire didn't want her to know.

Those same tactics had been used against her. Echo had listened and observed, she'd befriended Leia. Now the other girl had a library worth of secrets she could turn against Leia at a moment's notice. How could she have been such a fool?

Without asking for permission, Leia dashed out of the classroom to the nearest 'fresher. She locked herself inside and proceeded to lose not only the contents of her lunch, but the scant hope which had kept her sane over the last few months as well.