Part 1 - The Captain's Rescue
Luke and Leia walked along the shore, silently, with the little girl. Luke
and Leia hadn't talked about what happened in the dark forest and the little
girl hadn't spoken at all. They'd asked her for a name, but she'd given no
answer. She simply silently followed them wherever they went.
They felt different, because there hearts were no longer filled with the joy of
childhood adventure. It was like it all had been sucked out of them. Their
child-like body felt like shells again and their minds were alive with the worry
of of there true self, their adult self, and all the people worried sick about
them. And they resented themselves for allowing their hearts delight in
childhood whims.
Leia still only felt like half herself, pulled to someone beyond herself.
Vanassi. She didn't bother to tell Luke, every time she closed her eyes she
heard the evil witch calling her. She didn't want to tell him, to reveal that
she was weak.
"Do you hear something?" Luke asked, seconds before Leia was about to say it.
A faint sound, like singing, had reached the children's ears and disturbed their
thoughts. The small girl looked from one face to the other for instruction. They
decided to move cautiously toward the sound and the smaller child took the cue
from them. As they got closer, the sound of drunken singing got louder. They
moved back into some shrubbery to disguise themselves from what could easily be
a potential enemy. From there hiding spot they saw a group of men in tattered,
dirty clothes who behaved as drunk as sounded. But all these drunk sailors had
various items of gold. One was wearing a crown, another a solid gold walking
stick. One had a sword with a gold hilt. And there was a man wearing gold
necklaces that seemed to trace the beard on his face. There were at least 3
chest fulls of gold coins and other treasure open in there campsite. They looked
like a pleasant lot, but that may have been because of what they were drinking.
"Do we sail tomorrow cap?" one man asked.
"Yes, but tonight we party," the captain said patting the man back. He was one
of the few who didn't seem to be drunk.
Luke tapped Leia on the shoulder and pointed to the large ship that was docked
near the campsite of the sailors.
"Harmless Treasure Hunters or dangerous criminals?" Leia asked in a whisper.
"I don't know, but I think it's better to take a chance with them than hope for
a better option... but when their sober and their minds are clear," Luke
replied.
The twins and the smaller child slipped into a sitting position and listened to
the partying continue. As the night wore on and the men continued to sing, the
children slipped off to sleep.
In sleep, Luke found himself back in one of the most beautiful places he had
ever been, the Greenmoore. He was back in the main room, the place where he had
first felt the life in it. He ran through the halls looking for it's inhabitants
and possibly Majus, but found no one, until he returned to the place where he
had begun.
In that once empty room was now someone, someone who's beauty seemed too amazing
to be real, she seemed to be an angel. But as he got closer to her, he got an
all new feeling and her beauty seemed more mortal. And he was suddenly struck by
an overwhelming feeling of love. He had only felt this once before, and absent
of that experience he wouldn't know who he was seeing now. For that first time
it had been Leia and for a few years he had believed it was romantic love. But
it wasn't, it was deeper than that and so was this.
"Mother," he said.
He wanted to cry. This was the thing he had wanted since he'd come to this
strange world, to see his mother. He ran to her and tried to hug her, but found
his arms went right through her.
"The time for hugs is not now my son. Joy will come, but only when the Shadow
Sith is gone."
Luke had waited so long just to see his mother, he hadn't thought how strong the
desire to touch her, to be held, would be. How could his dream deny him that
illusion.
"But it's my dream, why can't I touch you?"
"It is a dream and much more than a dream. I feel you getting close to me and
somehow we connected."
"Are you with Leia too."
"No, that's what bothers me, I can feel you, but I can't feel her. Darkness has
gotten to her and here, the Shadow Sith is darkness. If we lose her to the
shadow, we all lose."
"But I saved her from Vanassi. She took her, but I saved her."
"You got away from Vanassi, but maybe Leia has not. Your sister is proud, she is
probably fighting a battle alone inside that you know nothing about. Look out
for her, you need her, I need her, this world needs both of you, united, to win
this battle against evil."
"But how can I save her?"
"You'll have to find these answers on your own. Just try to remember, Love is
the reason this world exist, not hate, and love is the reason you are here."
Then she was gone. No flash, no evaporating, she was just gone like she was
never there at all.
"Mother, Mother," he called.
"Luke, Luke," a little unfamiliar young voice called. He found himself back in
the waking world and staring into the face of the until now, silent, little
girl.
"You can talk?" Luke asked.
"Your sister, she went after him."
"After who?" Luke asked getting up as the little girl pointed to the campsite
they had been watching the day before.
The sun had hardly risen but there was light enough for Luke to see the
horror scene before him. All, except two of the party, had been killed. The
murderer had obviously slit the drunk men's throats in there sleep. Now the
murder, one of the two still alive, was approaching the sleeping captain. It was
then Luke saw Leia emerging behind the man. He was too mad with the greed to
hear anything that might have alerted him to the girl's presence. You could see
it in the man's eyes.
He was still coming down from the euphoria of the dream while taking in the
scene. Luke wanted to do something to help, without putting his sister or the
only survivor in harm's way. Leia had stolen a knife from one of the dead men,
he noticed, just before she leapt on the murderer. He was shocked and it worked
to Leia's advantage. She managed to tighten her grip around his neck, until he
fell. The captain woke up just as Leia had jumper on the man. He was obviously
confused by the scene in front of him. And then she lunged at his throat with
the knife. It was only then Luke noticed the murderous gleam in her eye.
"Leia don't!" screamed Luke running toward her and revealing himself.
Leia looked away and in that moment the murderer pushed free and ran for his
life.
"You were going to kill him!" Luke said shocked.
"Look at all the people he killed."
"So you become evil to fight evil?"
The captain seemed perplexed. They clearly were children (to his eyes) but
something about them, and there argument, was nothing like children at all.
"Children, what happened?"
Leia explained what the man who fled had done.
"You saved me?" he asked. Leia said nothing. "What is your name?"
"Leia," she replied.
Luke wondered if they should try and mention the whole children of the 'angel
queen' thing, but decided to drop it for the moment.
"They're all dead," the captain said, grief obviously flooding him. He knelt
down to what seemed to be the youngest of them all. "This was his first voyage,"
he said speaking to the air more than the children. "I promised his mother he
would leave a boy and return a man. I thought I would return him a rich man." He
looked at them. "He's my nephew." He picked up the sack of gold beside the boy.
"It almost doesn't matter anymore."
He offered the bag to Leia.
"No thank you. What we really need is a ride across the sea. We're trying to get
to the castle of the angel queen, The tenth circle is mostly water and we need
to get to the ninth."
"Whatever you wish."
"We'll help you properly burry the dead first, if you wish," Luke added.
"He's your friend," the captain questioned.
"Brother," Leia answered. "Twin brother."
He looked the boy over.
"Really?" said the captain. "And the little one?"
"I don't know. I saved her from this... from a bad woman, but she doesn't
speak."
"You're a regular little hero," he said with a smile."
"I don't know about all that."
He took another look at the dead bodies. "We shall burry them. I will take you
where you want, then I shall go to each man's family and give them his share of
the treasure. It's only fair."
***
Before they knew it they were at sea. Luke noticed, the little girl, who hadn't
spoken another word, stuck close to him. For some reason he hadn't bothered to
tell Leia that the girl had spoken to him. The captain was very taken with his
sister and spent a lot of time with her. It was through her he learned there
story and discovered they were the children of the Angel Queen. He had taken to
calling them prince, princess, your highness and all kinds of royal terms. As
they traveled, Luke felt the distance developing between himself and Leia. And
he began to see something different in her eyes, as if they were becoming
unfamiliar.
One day as he sat on the ship alone with the little girl, he chanced talking to
her again.
"Do you have a name?" he asked.
For a long time the girl didn't answer. It seemed she would continue not to
speak. But just as Luke was about to try another question.
"Mia..." she said.
"Why won't you speak when Leia's around."
"Vanassi's in her blood. She is still hers."