Unexpected Reunion

Leia could not stop herself from staring at the young man's gloved hand as they trekked through the forest. He finally became annoyed when she glanced at his facial scar for the tenth time.

"Is there something you want to know?" he asked.

Leia felt a bit embarrassed. "Sorry. I was just wondering why you're wearing a glove, and where that scar came from."

"Over here, there are no old injuries. Everything is real and functioning, so to speak. I deliberately took this appearance because this is how I looked at an important time in my life."

"Fair enough." She kept in step behind him as they climbed a small hill. They stopped at the top long enough to survey the area. Her companion pointed to a mountain range in the distance.

"There," he said, "is where I must take you to get you home. It won't be a straight trip. We'll have to take the scenic route."

"What is the purpose of this journey, and what is so special about those mountains?"

"I don't know. I only know that I have to get you there to get you home."

"You have to? You make it sound like some sort of life mission."

"What if it is?" He did not wait for a response before continuing the hike. "I have long ago decided not to question the wisdom of the Force."

"I don't understand."

The man took a few more steps in silence before abruptly stopping. His arm shot out to the side to signal Leia to stop. They waited quietly for something to happen. Then Leia sensed it. There was something hostile in the woods around them. The man withdrew his lightsaber and activated the blue blade.

"Get ready," he ordered Leia. She shook her head. "Just trust in the Force," he assured her. "It won't fail you. Especially here."

Leia nodded and activated her lightsaber. Without thinking, she turned and pressed her back against her companion's. They sensed the hostile presence circling them as if it were still undecided about which direction to attack from. Leia felt her muscles tense with anticipation. She twitched slightly when several screeching creatures threw themselves from the trees and surrounded them. They were scaly six legged monsters that stood upright on four of them. Double tails flopped around on the ground, which sent vibrations under their feet.

One of the creatures stretched its serpentine neck towards the man. It released a guttural sound that could have been a laugh. "I see you are still trying to find atonement, Anakin Skywalker."

Leia nearly dropped her lightsaber in shock. Anakin shifted his weight to keep her from losing her balance. "I will not go through this with you again. Get out of my way."

The creature laughed again. "That is not my duty." It hissed and lashed forward. Anakin's lightsaber sliced cleanly through its neck. The rest of the creatures lurched forward. Anakin extended his hand to Force push them back.

Caught in anger and the condensed Force surging through her, Leia brought her lightsaber down onto the head of the nearest monster. She swung wildly through everything that placed itself in front of her. She plunged the lightsaber into the heart of one creature and finished it with a stab to its head. The next one knocked her to the ground with its tail. It raised its foot to stomp her into the ground. Anakin's lightsaber spun through the air and severed the leg. Leia froze with fear as she watched the severed leg fall towards her. With a boost from a Force sprint, Anakin sped towards her and pushed her to safety.

Three of the creatures were still alive. Anakin leapt into the air and fell upon its head. Before the severed head hit the ground, the next one was split in half through the thorax. Anakin waved his hand at the third one. It slammed into the nearest tree and fell onto its back. Anakin heard its neck snap as it hit the ground.

Anakin sighed in relief. "Leia, are you all right?" She didn't answer. Anakin slowly turned to face her. He wasn't surprised to see her brandishing her lightsaber at him. "What?"

"Darth Vader," Leia said with obvious hostility. "Give me a reason not to at least attempt to destroy you right now."

Anakin looked straight into her eyes. "That doesn't sound like something becoming of a Jedi. You should know better."

Leia thought about it for a moment. She deactivated the lightsaber. "Why didn't you tell me your name?"

"Because of how you would react. I was informed to keep my mouth shut."

"By whom?"

"The Force." Without waiting for her, he picked up his lightsaber and marched on towards the mountains.

Leia felt a twinge of uncertainty. She took a last look at the carcasses around her before following him. "What did you mean when you told that monster that you didn't want to deal with it again? Has it harrassed you before?"

"In a way, yes. I encountered him in previous trials of redemption. His job, basically, is to make me miserable for spiritual purposes. It's not what you think."

"I'm sorry about what I did back there," Leia said after a moment. "I didn't expect you to have been . . .him."

"You mean Darth Vader."

"Basically," she answered, though she knew it wasn't a question. Leia felt the Force swirl around her. She was hit with a confusing mass of anger, guilt, and pain from Anakin as she followed him. She kept her eyes off Anakin as they neared a rapidly flowing river. Leia could not tell how deep it was. All she could hear was the roaring as the water rushed downhill. There was a feeling of careless power within the river. Leia could not tell if it were hostile or just wild.

"It is only wild," Anakin said as if she had spoken. "There is nothing hostile about the Force in its natural form."

"How do we get across?" she asked while still not looking at Anakin.

Anakin motioned towards a series of small boulders that formed an unreliable path of stepping stones. Using the Force, he jumped and landed neatly on the nearest stone. Leia watched him hop further along before stopping to wait for her. Leia took a deep breath before making the first leap. She took her time; before each jump, she paused to make sure she had a good grip on the Force. She continued until she had caught up to Anakin.

Anakin jumped to the next boulder. Leia moved to follow. Her boot slipped against the stone, but it felt as if someone had pushed her. Leia shrieked as she fell into the raging river and was dragged underneath.