A/N- Sorry that this chapter is kind of short. The next one will be longer. Enjoy!
Chapter Eight
The door opened by itself. She sneered at Vader, who had obviously used the Force to accomplish that. He stepped through first before waving a hand towards the castle. She stepped into the door, which was enormous, standing almost five meters tall.
A high-vaulted ceiling was plated in black and grey tile. It formed a kind of dome-shape, sloping down to the equally dismal floor, which was empty except for a few walkways. Stairs sloped up the sides at the back, and corridors lead off to different places.
She felt his eyes on her back. She did not turn, determined not to speak or look at him.
"What do you think?"
She shook her head, looking up at the giant ceiling, hearing the raindrops from the clouds she had seen earlier, pregnant with acidic water.
"I will show you to your room," Vader said with what she was barely able to recognize as a hint of uncertainty in his voice. She nodded and waited for him to move, noting the fluid ease and grace with which he walked.
They passed by many rooms, some of which she was able to peer in to. Her blood chilled when she saw a circular room in which there were chains and other unspeakable torture devices.
They finally made it to her room. She doubted she would remember the way to and from it in the winding corridors. She opened the door, which was considerably heavy and thick.
The room was considerably plainer then most she had seen. There was a large window that looked out on the world, which had some ugly puce drapes pulled over, casting a purple hue over the room. There was some kind of stone on the floor with a rug on the floor that matched the drapes. The bed had a cover of the same sort of what she guessed to be fine silk. Closet doors were at one side of the room, opposing what she took to be a 'fresher door. It was a bland, ugly room, and she surveyed it with one sweep of her eyes, needing to do nothing else.
She sensed him waiting impatiently behind her for some sort of acknowledgement. She turned to him, her eyes as cold as ice.
"It is acceptable," she said frigidly.
He gave a slight nod, but still did not leave. She suddenly felt tired, tired of having to deal with this man who was not her husband, tired of feeling despair, tired of the ugly room. She wanted to scream at him, to rip off his mask until she could see the face of Anakin, until she could look into his deep blue eyes. She did not want this demon that seemed barely even to be human.
"What now?" She asked the question in an even, flat voice, without any kind of emotion.
"I have matters to attend to," he said. "We will meet later."
He hesitated for a moment before striding away, powerful footsteps resounding off the walls.
She stood for awhile, standing in the doorway before going to and lean herself down on the ugly, soft bed. She laid there for a few moments, gazing up at the ceiling. With nothing to occupy her, her mind lead her along a dangerous path, twisting through a maze of things she could not afford to contemplate.
He is not Anakin, she thought to herself. Not the Anakin that I loved. He is something else, something hideous and strange. He is right, she thought, finally bitterly resigning herself to the truth. He is Vader.
She drifted to another subject, which was no less depressing. Palpaltine knows, she thought with subdued horror. What will become of my children now? Her eyes fluttered shut as she whispered their names. Luke, she thought. Leia. I have betrayed you both. I am so sorry. She whispered a silent prayer, wishing for them to be safe, kept hidden from the Emperor.
My husband changed beyond recognition, my children doomed to their father's fate, she agonized numbly. She did not weep; all her tears had already been spent. Instead, she crossed the room and opened the curtains, staring out dimly at the sky, noting that each raindrop hissed as it reached the ground, killing all hope of life.