Fifteen Years Old
"Look, I don't CARE whether the orders came from your governor or a bantha, let me through." Princess Leia Organa Skywalker cried to the general in frustration. "You don't know how much like my father I can be," she warned in a cold voice.
"Y-y-yes, your Highness," came the reply from the now frightened general. "Let her through," he ordered the men he commanded. Leia strode purposely to the prisoner. The captive shrank back from the tall and powerful looking teenager.
"Come with me," Leia ordered the girl. The redhead followed the other redhead through the corridors, eyes wide with terror of what was to come. She looked at her surroundings, watching the transition from the Imperial Standard gray halls to baby-blue walls and silver floor and ceiling patterns. Leia led her into a large room with a floating bed in the middle and the broke down laughing. "Oh, Mara!" Leia cried with glee. "It is SO good to have you back!" The two teenaged girls flopped onto the very fluffy blue bed.
"Hah! Did you see their faces when you yelled at that dude?" Mara asked her friend. Leia nodded, unable to speak, while Mara exclaimed, "It was soooooo hilarious!" Leia and Mara hugged again and then Mara took a step back to look at the princess. "You dyed your hair red, didn't you?" Leia just looked at her own hair and nodded.
"Actually, I just had some chic put red streaks in it, cause I couldn't bear to get rid of that really nice natural brown color I have." Mara nodded understandingly as Leia explained. "So, how did your 'mission' go?" Leia asked seriously. Mara just sighed.
"You'll be happy, but the Emperor won't be," Leia looked happily at Mara and gave her another hug. "The Jedi had fled long before I got there and from what I heard, there were many of them and no one knows where they went!" Mara had been sent on a mission to find the location of the Jedi group that had supposedly survived the Emperor's purge. Mara, Leia, Luke, Jaren, and even Darth Vader himself were hoping that the Jedi wouldn't be found. The Emperor would be discouraged now, and perhaps that meant that he would cease his search for those whom escaped his bloodbath and focus more on the governing of his Empire.
"Well Mara, you'll be happy to know that Luke was absolutely dieing of a broken heart cause he was missing you so much," Leia teased her friend although she was telling the truth.
"I missed him too, Leia," Mara replied with a wistful look in her eyes. Leia's face fell in a small way, remembering a few years ago when she felt that way about someone . . . but no use thinking about that now. "It's ok Leia. We'll find you some nice hottie who'll care about you," Mara hugged her friend in reassurance. The two girls fell silent for a few minutes before Leia perked up and decided to turn up her CD player.
"Ok, how about some . . . Eminem?" Leia cried as she jumped off the bed and onto the floor, ready to sing and dance as soon as words hit the speakers.
"Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up? Please stand up? Please stand up? Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?" When the two girls sang, they transformed the song into a classical song; such was the beauty of their voices. All of a sudden, they were interrupted with a knock on the door to Leia's room.
"Hold on a second, hide, k?" Leia whispered to her friend. Leia got up off the floor and over to the door in a few liquid movements. "Yes?" she called as she opened the door a few inches.
"Um, your Highness, I am to inform you that we will be heading towards Coruscant with your approval," Leia looked at the frightened man and nodded her head before closing the door and turning up her music again. Mara stealthily crept out of her hiding place and attacked Leia, sending them both to the floor giggling.
Mara stepped into the gym and was immediately swept up into a bear hug by her boyfriend, Leia's brother Luke. "I missed you so much," he whispered in her ear.
"I missed you too," she replied before tenderly kissing him on the lips. Luke hugged her more tightly and kissed her back with such emotion that one might think that they would never see each other again. Leia looked away in sadness and grief, remembering a time when she might have enjoyed such love.
"Long time, no see," A voice interrupted her reveries; a voice that she knew so well and had longed to hear.
"Jaren?" she called out, knowing who would be standing behind her, blue eyes twinkling. She turned and found herself staring at his chin. She lifted her eyes and saw that he still had his hair slightly long, but cute long. "Missed you," it was a whisper, but she still said it.
"I missed you too, Leia," She always got a thrill when he said her name like that. He reached to hug her, but she beat him to it. "So I guess that it's back to classes again," he mumbled, somewhat bored. He stared into her brown eyes for a bit and then spoke up, "You jealous of them." It was stated as a fact, not a question. She resisted the urge to turn and see that her brother and Mara were getting close to making out.
"A little, I guess," was her whispered reply. He traced her jaw line with his finger, sending chills throughout her body. She looked at her feet, then into his eyes. She waited for him to ask. He did still care about her, didn't he? She thought that he did, but could she be sure after two years?
"Meet me here tonight at nine," he whispered before making his way to greet his old friend, Luke. Leia stared after him, her heart light and fluttering in her throat. It seemed that Luke and Mara had finished their make out session and both seemed happy to see Jaren, although Mara glanced at Leia to see how she was handling it. All she saw was a very dreamy eyed Leia staring wistfully at Jaren's back.
"Hey, chica, he back," Mara exclaimed as she walked over to Leia.
"Yeah, guess he is ain't he." Leia replied, almost sadly.
"Get happy girl," was her friend's only reply.
An hour later, around 7, Leia and Mara had retreated to Leia's room in the Imperial Palace laughing and talking. Leia had slipped out of her silver jumpsuit and had changed into jeans and a silver tube top/tie in the back thingie. Mara was changing out of her green jumpsuit as she was talking to Leia. "You know, how he asked you to meet him at nine tonight?" Mara asked, trying to help Leia decide what to do.
"Yeah, what about it?" Leia replied as Mara stepped into the room wearing a green miniskirt and a gold belly shirt thing. "Hey, that looks nice. Meeting Luke somewhere?" Leia asked knowingly.
"Actually, yeah," Mara replied as she twirled around the room. "I'm meeting him at the gym at nine tonight," she continued.
"He asked you and Luke to be there, didn't he?" Leia wondered aloud.
"No, Luke just thought that you would be more comfortable with us there, even though we probably won't be available for chatting," Mara smiled mischievously as she said this.
"You naughty, naughty children," Leia laughed. "Mara, what should I wear?" she asked with sudden horror, realizing that she hadn't gone shopping for a month. Mara just laughed in reply. "What is so funny?" Leia asked as she tackled her friend, sending them both into fits of laughter. When the laughter and horseplay finally died down, a knock on the door sent both girls scrambling to open it (the door).
"Jaren has returned from his mission, I hear," Lord Vader's deep voice would have sent shivers down any Imperials back, but not those friends to his children.
"Yes Daddy, he showed up at the gym today and joined us in our classes and drills, he said he's back in the program," Leia exclaimed all in one breath. Mara just nodded her head in agreement.
"I remember the last time you saw him; he left you in tears," Vader just had that way of bringing back peoples' worst memories. He could tell that his daughter was upset, as she looked at some spot on the wall behind him instead of into his eyes.
"Me too," she replied. Mara patted her shoulder (Leia's) to reassure her.
"Make sure you don't let him do that again," Vader warned. Leia nodded and hugged her father before he left. Mara looked at her, then the clock.
"Oh, Sith!" she exclaimed. "It's 8:30," Mara laughed as Leia started scrambling around the room, trying to find her makeup.
"Mara, what am I gonna WEAR?" Leia was getting frustrated.
"Just wear what you have on, it looks wonderful!" Mara replied, laughing slightly.
"Jewelry, oh gosh, where did I put that necklace? And the bracelets? What about my earrings? Oh and makeup. Kreth, I am not READY yet!" Leia was frantically searching for the needed articles of fashion as her friend looked on in mirth. By the time Leia had finished getting ready, she looked dazzling. Along with the jeans and tube top, she had found glitter for her neck and face, bracelets and anklets, a simple silver choker, and several silver hair clippies. All in all, she looked like a princess on vacation, which she was in a way.
"You look great, now let's get going!" Mara cried as she raced out the door. "It's 5 'til 6!" Neither girl was wearing shoes as they raced out of Leia's room and to the gym.
The two guys heard their girls coming long before they actually saw them. "I guess that's them," Jaren laughed with Luke as they heard the distinct sound of people running barefoot on Imperial tile.
"I would say so," Luke replied. Almost at that moment, two figures in green and gold, blue and silver burst into view.
"Definitely them," Jaren commented.
"Yeah, only they would be crazy enough to be running around Imperial Palace without shoes!" Luke laughed as Leia and Mara looked at each other, wondering what the guys thought was so funny.
"What you think is so funny?" Mara asked as Luke folded her into his arms. "Hey, handsome," She laughed as Luke bent to kiss her. Leia just stood an arms length away from Jaren, trying not to watch as Luke carried Mara into the darkened gym.
"I still say you jealous of them," Jaren prompted the conversation as he often did. Leia looked for a moment into the dark gym, unable to see anything, but heard laughing and whispers.
"I guess I am, but what I gonna do about it?" she said to no one in particular.
"Care to sit?" Jaren asked as he moved to plop onto the floor. Leia didn't speak but followed suit. She was silent, wondering what would happen next, a little upset that Mara had abandoned her like that, but happy to be alone with the object of her dreams. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out before," Jaren said, looking straight into Leia's eyes.
"Me too," Leia replied. "But, there is nothing that can undo what was done," Jaren let out a little sigh.
"We were both too immature, too inexperienced, too whatever to make things work," Jaren spoke; this time dropping his eyes a bit. "But if I remember right, though, Luke and Mara hated each other two years ago," he was trying to make a joke, to lift the seriousness of the night.
"Yeah, I guess we were too young. But that's not to say that we haven't changed any," Leia came as close as she dared to asking Jaren out, suggesting that they might work, but she was too shy to take her prompting any further.
"Would you, I mean, can we, Sith I can't even talk right tonight," Jaren sheepishly tried to say what he longed to say, to ask. Leia nodded, she knew the feeling too. "What I want to say is that, would you like to try again? To see if we can make things work?" he held his breath, fearing the rejection she might deliver.
"Jaren, I, I, I would love to," Leia stammered for one of the few times in her life. When the words were out of her mouth, she felt the conviction in the words; she meant it with her whole being, and that things WOULD work out this time. Jaren drew her to him, kissed her lightly on the lips, and took her close to him in a warm and loving hug. Leia hugged him back, feeling the strength of his body.
"Whaddya say we go to the gym where we can have a bit more privacy?" Jaren whispered in her ear. When Leia nodded, he picked her up in his arms and carried her into the dark gym and into their budding relationship.
The next morning found Mara leading a dreamy eyed Leia out of the guys' rooms and back into their own.
"Force, girl," Mara exclaimed, "Did you two have sex already?" That snapped Leia to attention.
"For your information, no we did not," She protested, although blushing deeply. "And it's not like we are planning on it any time within the next year," she added for good measure.
"Look, I don't CARE whether the orders came from your governor or a bantha, let me through." Princess Leia Organa Skywalker cried to the general in frustration. "You don't know how much like my father I can be," she warned in a cold voice.
"Y-y-yes, your Highness," came the reply from the now frightened general. "Let her through," he ordered the men he commanded. Leia strode purposely to the prisoner. The captive shrank back from the tall and powerful looking teenager.
"Come with me," Leia ordered the girl. The redhead followed the other redhead through the corridors, eyes wide with terror of what was to come. She looked at her surroundings, watching the transition from the Imperial Standard gray halls to baby-blue walls and silver floor and ceiling patterns. Leia led her into a large room with a floating bed in the middle and the broke down laughing. "Oh, Mara!" Leia cried with glee. "It is SO good to have you back!" The two teenaged girls flopped onto the very fluffy blue bed.
"Hah! Did you see their faces when you yelled at that dude?" Mara asked her friend. Leia nodded, unable to speak, while Mara exclaimed, "It was soooooo hilarious!" Leia and Mara hugged again and then Mara took a step back to look at the princess. "You dyed your hair red, didn't you?" Leia just looked at her own hair and nodded.
"Actually, I just had some chic put red streaks in it, cause I couldn't bear to get rid of that really nice natural brown color I have." Mara nodded understandingly as Leia explained. "So, how did your 'mission' go?" Leia asked seriously. Mara just sighed.
"You'll be happy, but the Emperor won't be," Leia looked happily at Mara and gave her another hug. "The Jedi had fled long before I got there and from what I heard, there were many of them and no one knows where they went!" Mara had been sent on a mission to find the location of the Jedi group that had supposedly survived the Emperor's purge. Mara, Leia, Luke, Jaren, and even Darth Vader himself were hoping that the Jedi wouldn't be found. The Emperor would be discouraged now, and perhaps that meant that he would cease his search for those whom escaped his bloodbath and focus more on the governing of his Empire.
"Well Mara, you'll be happy to know that Luke was absolutely dieing of a broken heart cause he was missing you so much," Leia teased her friend although she was telling the truth.
"I missed him too, Leia," Mara replied with a wistful look in her eyes. Leia's face fell in a small way, remembering a few years ago when she felt that way about someone . . . but no use thinking about that now. "It's ok Leia. We'll find you some nice hottie who'll care about you," Mara hugged her friend in reassurance. The two girls fell silent for a few minutes before Leia perked up and decided to turn up her CD player.
"Ok, how about some . . . Eminem?" Leia cried as she jumped off the bed and onto the floor, ready to sing and dance as soon as words hit the speakers.
"Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up? Please stand up? Please stand up? Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?" When the two girls sang, they transformed the song into a classical song; such was the beauty of their voices. All of a sudden, they were interrupted with a knock on the door to Leia's room.
"Hold on a second, hide, k?" Leia whispered to her friend. Leia got up off the floor and over to the door in a few liquid movements. "Yes?" she called as she opened the door a few inches.
"Um, your Highness, I am to inform you that we will be heading towards Coruscant with your approval," Leia looked at the frightened man and nodded her head before closing the door and turning up her music again. Mara stealthily crept out of her hiding place and attacked Leia, sending them both to the floor giggling.
Mara stepped into the gym and was immediately swept up into a bear hug by her boyfriend, Leia's brother Luke. "I missed you so much," he whispered in her ear.
"I missed you too," she replied before tenderly kissing him on the lips. Luke hugged her more tightly and kissed her back with such emotion that one might think that they would never see each other again. Leia looked away in sadness and grief, remembering a time when she might have enjoyed such love.
"Long time, no see," A voice interrupted her reveries; a voice that she knew so well and had longed to hear.
"Jaren?" she called out, knowing who would be standing behind her, blue eyes twinkling. She turned and found herself staring at his chin. She lifted her eyes and saw that he still had his hair slightly long, but cute long. "Missed you," it was a whisper, but she still said it.
"I missed you too, Leia," She always got a thrill when he said her name like that. He reached to hug her, but she beat him to it. "So I guess that it's back to classes again," he mumbled, somewhat bored. He stared into her brown eyes for a bit and then spoke up, "You jealous of them." It was stated as a fact, not a question. She resisted the urge to turn and see that her brother and Mara were getting close to making out.
"A little, I guess," was her whispered reply. He traced her jaw line with his finger, sending chills throughout her body. She looked at her feet, then into his eyes. She waited for him to ask. He did still care about her, didn't he? She thought that he did, but could she be sure after two years?
"Meet me here tonight at nine," he whispered before making his way to greet his old friend, Luke. Leia stared after him, her heart light and fluttering in her throat. It seemed that Luke and Mara had finished their make out session and both seemed happy to see Jaren, although Mara glanced at Leia to see how she was handling it. All she saw was a very dreamy eyed Leia staring wistfully at Jaren's back.
"Hey, chica, he back," Mara exclaimed as she walked over to Leia.
"Yeah, guess he is ain't he." Leia replied, almost sadly.
"Get happy girl," was her friend's only reply.
An hour later, around 7, Leia and Mara had retreated to Leia's room in the Imperial Palace laughing and talking. Leia had slipped out of her silver jumpsuit and had changed into jeans and a silver tube top/tie in the back thingie. Mara was changing out of her green jumpsuit as she was talking to Leia. "You know, how he asked you to meet him at nine tonight?" Mara asked, trying to help Leia decide what to do.
"Yeah, what about it?" Leia replied as Mara stepped into the room wearing a green miniskirt and a gold belly shirt thing. "Hey, that looks nice. Meeting Luke somewhere?" Leia asked knowingly.
"Actually, yeah," Mara replied as she twirled around the room. "I'm meeting him at the gym at nine tonight," she continued.
"He asked you and Luke to be there, didn't he?" Leia wondered aloud.
"No, Luke just thought that you would be more comfortable with us there, even though we probably won't be available for chatting," Mara smiled mischievously as she said this.
"You naughty, naughty children," Leia laughed. "Mara, what should I wear?" she asked with sudden horror, realizing that she hadn't gone shopping for a month. Mara just laughed in reply. "What is so funny?" Leia asked as she tackled her friend, sending them both into fits of laughter. When the laughter and horseplay finally died down, a knock on the door sent both girls scrambling to open it (the door).
"Jaren has returned from his mission, I hear," Lord Vader's deep voice would have sent shivers down any Imperials back, but not those friends to his children.
"Yes Daddy, he showed up at the gym today and joined us in our classes and drills, he said he's back in the program," Leia exclaimed all in one breath. Mara just nodded her head in agreement.
"I remember the last time you saw him; he left you in tears," Vader just had that way of bringing back peoples' worst memories. He could tell that his daughter was upset, as she looked at some spot on the wall behind him instead of into his eyes.
"Me too," she replied. Mara patted her shoulder (Leia's) to reassure her.
"Make sure you don't let him do that again," Vader warned. Leia nodded and hugged her father before he left. Mara looked at her, then the clock.
"Oh, Sith!" she exclaimed. "It's 8:30," Mara laughed as Leia started scrambling around the room, trying to find her makeup.
"Mara, what am I gonna WEAR?" Leia was getting frustrated.
"Just wear what you have on, it looks wonderful!" Mara replied, laughing slightly.
"Jewelry, oh gosh, where did I put that necklace? And the bracelets? What about my earrings? Oh and makeup. Kreth, I am not READY yet!" Leia was frantically searching for the needed articles of fashion as her friend looked on in mirth. By the time Leia had finished getting ready, she looked dazzling. Along with the jeans and tube top, she had found glitter for her neck and face, bracelets and anklets, a simple silver choker, and several silver hair clippies. All in all, she looked like a princess on vacation, which she was in a way.
"You look great, now let's get going!" Mara cried as she raced out the door. "It's 5 'til 6!" Neither girl was wearing shoes as they raced out of Leia's room and to the gym.
The two guys heard their girls coming long before they actually saw them. "I guess that's them," Jaren laughed with Luke as they heard the distinct sound of people running barefoot on Imperial tile.
"I would say so," Luke replied. Almost at that moment, two figures in green and gold, blue and silver burst into view.
"Definitely them," Jaren commented.
"Yeah, only they would be crazy enough to be running around Imperial Palace without shoes!" Luke laughed as Leia and Mara looked at each other, wondering what the guys thought was so funny.
"What you think is so funny?" Mara asked as Luke folded her into his arms. "Hey, handsome," She laughed as Luke bent to kiss her. Leia just stood an arms length away from Jaren, trying not to watch as Luke carried Mara into the darkened gym.
"I still say you jealous of them," Jaren prompted the conversation as he often did. Leia looked for a moment into the dark gym, unable to see anything, but heard laughing and whispers.
"I guess I am, but what I gonna do about it?" she said to no one in particular.
"Care to sit?" Jaren asked as he moved to plop onto the floor. Leia didn't speak but followed suit. She was silent, wondering what would happen next, a little upset that Mara had abandoned her like that, but happy to be alone with the object of her dreams. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out before," Jaren said, looking straight into Leia's eyes.
"Me too," Leia replied. "But, there is nothing that can undo what was done," Jaren let out a little sigh.
"We were both too immature, too inexperienced, too whatever to make things work," Jaren spoke; this time dropping his eyes a bit. "But if I remember right, though, Luke and Mara hated each other two years ago," he was trying to make a joke, to lift the seriousness of the night.
"Yeah, I guess we were too young. But that's not to say that we haven't changed any," Leia came as close as she dared to asking Jaren out, suggesting that they might work, but she was too shy to take her prompting any further.
"Would you, I mean, can we, Sith I can't even talk right tonight," Jaren sheepishly tried to say what he longed to say, to ask. Leia nodded, she knew the feeling too. "What I want to say is that, would you like to try again? To see if we can make things work?" he held his breath, fearing the rejection she might deliver.
"Jaren, I, I, I would love to," Leia stammered for one of the few times in her life. When the words were out of her mouth, she felt the conviction in the words; she meant it with her whole being, and that things WOULD work out this time. Jaren drew her to him, kissed her lightly on the lips, and took her close to him in a warm and loving hug. Leia hugged him back, feeling the strength of his body.
"Whaddya say we go to the gym where we can have a bit more privacy?" Jaren whispered in her ear. When Leia nodded, he picked her up in his arms and carried her into the dark gym and into their budding relationship.
The next morning found Mara leading a dreamy eyed Leia out of the guys' rooms and back into their own.
"Force, girl," Mara exclaimed, "Did you two have sex already?" That snapped Leia to attention.
"For your information, no we did not," She protested, although blushing deeply. "And it's not like we are planning on it any time within the next year," she added for good measure.