Part IV – Reunions
Padme was waiting for Luke and Anakin in the main square of the village of Imp Ire, and the moment the dragon had landed and Luke had dismounted she ran forward to embrace her son.
"Welcome back, Luke," she told him. "It's so good to see the young man you've become."
"It's good to see you, Mom," Luke replied.
Anakin resumed his human form, then strode over and took both of them in his arms. "We're a family again," he breathed.
"Almost," Luke corrected. "Leia."
"Leia," Padme said wistfully. "How is she? Anakin told me she was a leader in the Rebellion."
"She's fine," Luke replied. "I gave her a copy of the game. I thought it might be able to help her deal with her anger – after all, playing the first time helped me deal with mine." He winked.
"Your sister can be stubborn – and she comes by it rightly," Anakin told him. "It will take a very long time for her to let go of her anger, regardless of what world she's in."
A diminutive door opened, and a tiny green head poked out, staring at the three humans with wide anxious eyes.
"Is it safe?" the imp asked.
"The cat-apult's gone," Padme assured him. "It's safe to come outside." To Anakin she said "I explained that you could change shape while you were gone. That way they wouldn't panic and shoot when you landed in your dragon form."
"I appreciate that," Anakin smiled.
Every door in the village opened at once, and imps came swarming over to surround the three of them, cheering wildly. Parents carried their children on their shoulders that they might better see the heroes of Imp Ire, and many citizens climbed up trees or atop buildings to get a better look. The entire populace of the village seemed to be present to celebrate the Walker of the Sky's victory over their goblin foes. Luke was sure that the only thing preventing them from carrying him away on their shoulders was their size.
At last the Imp-eror stepped forward to greet Luke.
"The Walker of the Sky has returned," he said with a smile. "Your parents speak quite highly of you."
Luke blushed, and Anakin clapped his shoulder warmly.
"We are grateful for your return," the monarch went on, "and further indebted to you for rescuing Lieutenant Imp Act and ridding us of the menace of the cat-apult."
"You don't owe me anything," Luke replied. "You gave me more than enough last time."
"You would be doing us a great disservice by not allowing us to repay you for your deeds," he insisted. He motioned sharply to one of his red-robed guards, and the imp bowed and hurried off.
Luke offered the monarch a bow of his own. "A year ago, I faced the Emperor of our galaxy. He was a horrible tyrant and kept the entire galaxy in fear. It's amazing to see the differences between his Empire and your Imp Ire, even if they appear similar."
"Your father told us much about your world's Empire," the Imp-eror replied with a scowl. "If we must share similarities with your former government, then I'm thankful those similarities we do share are of a superficial nature."
The guard returned, bearing a sword almost as long as he was. He offered it to Luke hilt-first.
"Silversword plants are extremely rare, both here and in Mundania," the Imp-eror explained. "They grow only in volcanic soil, I suppose so the heat can temper the blades they produce. The plants bloom once, produce a sword if they grow in Xanth, and then die. We harvested a few swords on our last expedition to the Region of Earth, and as a token of our gratitude, we give one to you. May it aid you in your quest."
Luke was a bit skeptical – after all, he had a lightsaber, so why did he need a sword? – but he accepted the weapon anyhow. "Thank you, your Highness."
The Imp-eror laughed. "And now, let us celebrate the Walker of the Sky's victory!"
A great cheer went up all around, and the imps broke out into dancing and singing. Lieutenant Act pulled out a set of pipes and struck up a tune, and Anakin took Padme in his arms and swept her away for a dance, being careful to avoid trampling the imps. Luke, having no dance partner, simply clapped in time to the music.
"What's the matter, hot stuff?" an oddly familiar voice demanded. "Too proper to dance?"
He whirled. "Who the… Metria?"
The demoness flashed him a smile, her red dress and black hair as disheveled as ever, a challenging look in her eyes.
"Metria!" He stepped into the trees, mostly ignored by the reveling imps. "Boy, I never thought I'd be so happy to see you again."
She put her hands to his cheeks and planted a steamy kiss on his lips. "Who said I was Metria?"
He pulled away, confused. "You aren't Metria?"
"Metria got married, received a soul, and fell in love, in that order," she replied. "She and her husband now summon the stork umpteen times a day, but so far the stork hasn't gotten the hint." She rolled her eyes, and in the process they fell from their sockets and rolled around on the ground for a few seconds before flying back to their proper places. "I'm her worse self."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Demons aren't meant to have souls!" she humphed. "I tried and I tried, but I couldn't get it through her head, and now look what's happened! She's married, the fun's over, and I got so fed up with Metria being a goody-two-shoes now that I split up with her."
"You… excuse me?"
"Split up. It happens. If a demon gets a soul, but part of the demon still wants to be his or her same soulless self, that part fissions off. Essentially, I got Metria's personality before she got the soul, but minus the speech thing."
It took Luke a few minutes to think that through, but in the end he finally got it. He couldn't think of this creature as Metria, but more of a long-lost twin sister… no, more of a clone. "It's a shame. Metria's speech impediment was part of her charm."
"Oh bother," she sniffed. "Well, I suppose if you want me to have Metria's imperative…"
"Impediment?"
"Whatever."
Luke smiled. "So what do I call you?"
"Mentia. Demoness Mentia."
"Pleased to meet you, Demoness Mentia."
"Pleasure's all mine, handsome," she purred, becoming a cat for a split second. "So, you up for a little… fun? We can sneak off…"
"No thanks." Well, at least that hadn't changed. "Come join the party?"
"Luke, who are you talking to?" Anakin inquired, coming over to investigate. "Who's this?"
"This is Demoness Mentia," Luke introduced. "She's… how do I put this…"
"I'm Metria's worse half," she explained. "Metria got a soul, so all her soulless qualities fissioned off of her in the form of me."
Anakin groaned. Evidently he'd hoped he wouldn't have to deal with the demoness this time around.
"Who is he?" Mentia demanded, nodding at Anakin.
"Anakin Skywalker. He's my father."
"What! I thought Darth Vader was your father! At least that's what Metria told me!"
"Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader," Luke explained. "But he's not anymore."
"Ah, so the same thing happened to him that happened to Metria and I," she noted. "His better half fissioned off instead of his worse half."
"No, that's not it…" Luke protested.
"It is, in a sense," Anakin replied. "Darth Vader and I parted and took separate paths. Vader died aboard the second Death Star, while I came to Xanth to continue life."
She raised her eyebrows. "Interesting. Didn't think it was possible for that to happen to mortals." To Luke she said, "So whatcha doing back in Xanth, flyboy?"
"Playing the game again. My father's my Companion this time around."
"Oh, pooh," she grumbled. "I should've been a Companion choice. Then we could have had some demonly fun together…"
"Not with my son, you don't," Anakin said sternly. Apparently that hadn't changed either.
"Oh, come on! Your son could use a girl in his life. Besides, if I hang around, I could be useful to your group…"
"Let her stay, Father," Luke requested. "Remember what good Metria was able to do last time."
Anakin sighed. "I'm a Companion, Luke. I'm required to let you make the decisions. I can't stop you from letting Mentia tag along, but I don't like it at all."
"Oh, you're just jealous," Mentia said with a sly wink.
Break…
Hours later, Luke, Anakin, and Metria said their goodbyes and set back out on the path. Padme hadn't been very thrilled to hear that a demoness would be accompanying her husband and son on their journey, but she had agreed with Luke that she might come in handy on their journey.
"Wow, those imps sure know how to throw a party," Luke noted, combing his fingers through his hair to rid it of stray pieces of confetti and flowers.
"They're good people," Anakin replied.
"Pretty tame, if you ask me," Mentia grumbled. "Demons throw wilder bashes."
Luke pulled the sword from his belt and gave it a few test swings. He'd expected the weapon to be clumsier and heavier than a lightsaber, but surprisingly it handled quite well. It felt almost weightless in his hands – except when he'd slashed at the handy target of a rotten tree stump, at which point it struck the wood with a great deal of weight.
"If the silversword plant is magic, it makes sense that the sword it produces is enchanted as well," Anakin observed.
"This world never ceases to amaze me," Luke marveled. "So where to next?"
"If you seek to win the game, then the Good Magician's castle would be the next stop," Anakin replied. "However, I highly doubt we'll get there by nightfall."
"Then let's set up camp," Luke suggested.
"Very well." He motioned ahead. "There should be a game campsite ahead."
Anakin had been correct, and within a few minutes they had set up tents and started a fire. Luke found a pie tree growing nearby, and he harvested a few meat pies and set then near the fire to reheat. Mentia, predictably, got out of work by announcing that she was going to scout the area for monsters and vanishing.
"She's probably looking for a new conquest," Anakin said resignedly. "Seeing as she hasn't been able to seduce you yet."
"I liked Metria," Luke countered. "Just not in THAT way."
"Mentia's not Metria, Luke."
"I know." He sat down next to his father and stared into the flames. "But I missed this place a lot. And having Mentia around… it reminds me of her. She was a friend."
Anakin placed an arm around Luke. "Sometimes, when there is a void in our lives, we seek out a substitute and latch onto that. But the substitute can never fully fill the void."
Luke turned to stare at his father. He was hinting at something, he knew, and not just at the Metria/Mentia dilemma. He was speaking about his past.
"Tell me, Father."
Anakin's eyes took on a faraway look. "I had no father, Luke."
"Did he die? Or did he leave you and your mother?"
He shook his head. "No, it wasn't that. I actually had no father. I was born of the Force."
Luke felt his jaw drop.
"I was the Chosen One, one prophesied to bring balance to the Force by doing away with the Sith. Remember what Chang was told by the Good Magician, that he had to seek out the Chosen One? It was I he was supposed to seek."
Things suddenly clicked into place. Chang Centaur had sought his heart's desire, and he had been told to find the Chosen One and was subsequently assigned to aid Luke and Vader in their quest. Then Wara Werecorn had joined their party, having fallen in love with Luke through a mishap at a love spring, and Chang had fallen in love with the unicorn girl. It had seemed an irresolvable problem… until Wara had blundered into a forget-whorl and lost her memory.
"You helped Wara regain her memory," Luke realized. "But you didn't mention the love spring. You helped Chang find his heart's desire by getting rid of the affect of the love spring so she could reciprocate Chang's love."
Anakin nodded. "It was quite unintentional, but it worked out. The Good Magician truly does know everything. But we're getting off the subject."
"Sorry."
"Don't be." He picked up his pie and broke it open to let the contents cool slightly. "All my life I wanted a father – someone tangible, living, someone to turn to in my rough times, someone to be a guide and a mentor. When I was a boy, a Jedi Master named Qui-gon Jinn came to Tatooine, where my mother and I lived, and I 'adopted' him as a father figure. But he died shortly after I came to know him, slain by an apprentice to Palpatine.
"Obi-wan promised the dying Master he would train me, and for a time I saw him as the closest thing I could have to a father. But Obi-wan seemed to keep me at a distance, preferring our relationship be that of teacher and student than of father and son. Besides, the Jedi Order forbade love, and family was something relatively unknown to them. So I turned to another source for a father figure… Palpatine."
Luke stared, intent on his father's words.
"He alone seemed to sympathize with me. He alone seemed to care about my feelings. He offered me guidance and advice, and over time I came to trust him more than I could trust any of the Jedi… even my Master. In the end, when I feared for your mother's life, it was Palpatine who promised me the opportunity to learn how to save her… through the dark side. Foolishly, blindingly trusting, believing he truly loved me as a son, I accepted the offer to be his apprentice."
Tears were flowing down Anakin's face now, and he buried his face in his hands. "But she died anyway… I killed her…"
"You couldn't have killed her," Luke insisted.
"She came to me… trying to change my mind… Obi-wan stowed away on her ship… I thought she was on his side… I went mad with rage… I… I…"
It was like a blow to the gut, like the catwalk on Bespin all over again. Luke stared, unbelieving, at his father, his mind reeling. He couldn't be saying… he couldn't have hurt her… not the woman he loved…
"After the duel… after my surgery… the Emperor… told me what I'd done…" Anakin was overcome with emotion by now, barely able to get the words out. "I died that day… at that moment… I had nothing left… my wife… my unborn child… my mentor… the Emperor took them from me… he betrayed me… he killed me…"
At that, Luke made a decision. He couldn't hate his father. Not now, and not ever again. True, he had made his choices. But he had made them trusting the Emperor as a child would trust their father, and the Emperor had manipulated his trust and used it against him, turning him into a slave to the dark side. Anakin had been a victim of Palpatine's treachery every bit as much as the rest of the galaxy.
Besides, Mother had forgiven him. Even though he had hurt her badly, she still loved him. If she could extend forgiveness, Luke could too.
"I'm here, Father," Luke told him, putting his arms around him. "You have me. You will always have me. I swear it."
Anakin inhaled deeply, getting a grip on his emotions. "Thank you, my son. You truly have your mother's heart…"
"Sorry to break up this bawlfest," Mentia announced, appearing on the other side of the fire, "but Luke might wanna come and see this."
"I'm not falling for that," Luke told her.
"Who said I wanted to get some stork action, sicko?" she demanded. "It's some guy from your galaxy. He's stuck in a tangle tree, and he's really mad."
"Our galaxy?"
"That's what I said."
Luke stood and went to investigate, Anakin close behind. The two men ignited their lightsabers for extra illumination as they progressed. There was a great racket in the jungle ahead of them – branches on metal, the creaking of wooden limbs, dismayed shouts, gunfire…
The light of their sabers revealed some sort of struggle before them – a good-sized tangle tree fighting to subdue its prey.
Luke nearly dropped his saber. "Boba Fett!"
"This is indeed a day for strange reunions, isn't it?" inquired Anakin.
Fett ignored both of them. Working his weapon-arm free of the constricting branches, he fired again and again at the tree. The blast-her fire barely charred the thick bark of the tree.
"Hold still," Luke advised. "I'll have you out in a second."
"I don't need your help, Jedi Skywalker," Fett snarled.
"I think otherwise," Luke replied, cautiously stepping closer. Never mind that the last time hunter and Jedi had met, it had been as foes. He couldn't let anyone suffer the horrible fate of strangling to death. He had to cut him loose… but he couldn't use his saber. He'd risk burning him. So he extinguished the blade and drew his sword. Fett's armor would protect him from the blade, reducing the risk of injury.
Several minutes of hacking later, Fett emerged from the mess of splintered branches, covered in wood chips and sticky sap. Luke attempted to wipe his sword clean on a corner of his robes, but the cloth only stuck to the sap-gummed metal. In the end, he gave up.
"How did you get here in Xanth?" inquired Anakin.
Fett holstered his blast-her. "Evidently the same way you did. The cursed game."
"I see." Anakin studied the ruins of the tangle tree. "Where is your Companion?"
"Don't have one."
"Surely you were assigned one."
"Since when did I give you permission to ask me obnoxious questions?" Fett snapped, brushing himself off as best he could.
"I'll be your Companion," Mentia offered in a sultry voice, inhaling deeply.
Fett looked her up and down, then shook his head sharply. "I work alone."
Luke slid the sword into his belt. "If you're traveling alone, you'd better join us. Xanth's dangerous if you aren't familiar with it."
"I can take care of myself," Fett growled, and he began to stalk off.
"Let him go, Luke," Anakin advised when Luke began to protest. "He'll be just fine. After all, I'm sure he's familiar with the rules of the game. Not to mention the laws and bylaws of Xanth."
Fett's footsteps slowed. Luke couldn't help but smile at his father's tactics.
"And of course he knows of the Adult Conspiracy," he went on. "And how to handle such menaces as demons and ogres and Com Pewter. Such hazards can only be bested a certain way, but I'm sure he'll figure it out."
Fett turned around. "Who are you?"
"Anakin Skywalker," he replied in a tone suggesting he wanted this over with quickly. "You know me as Darth Vader. After my death I came to Xanth, and I am serving as Luke Skywalker's Companion in the game."
Fett's gaze moved from one man to the other. Luke could almost see the mental gears at work, putting two and two together. But he didn't remark on the possible relation.
"Very well, Anakin and Luke Skywalker," he growled. "I'll accompany you for now. But keep the tramp away from me."
"Aw, tramps can be fun," Mentia told him. "I'll show you sometime…"
"There he is!"
The four of them whirled at the sound of that voice. Directly behind them was a party of goblins.
"That's the imps' precious Walker of the Sky!" their leader snarled. "The one who chased off our cat-apult! Let's get him!"
Anakin acted fast. Within an instant he'd taken on dragon form, and Luke leaped onto his shoulders. Fett stared at the dragon in shock for a fraction of a moment, but when the goblins began closing in for the kill he elected to face the lesser of two evils and mounted behind Luke. With a powerful thrust of his hind legs Anakin was airborne, leaving the goblins behind.
"That was close," Luke noted, looking down. Their flight was taking them directly over the Gap Chasm now. The Good Magician's castle wouldn't be far.
"Oh sure, leave me behind," huffed Mentia, appearing behind Fett and snuggling up to his back.
Anakin bellowed. /We have company/
A flock of the biggest birds Luke had ever seen soared after the dragon, hooked beaks and cruel talons gleaming wickedly in the moonlight. Anakin turned to face this new menace, roaring a challenge. The lead bird gave a battle cry of its own and swooped in for the kill.
"What are those?" demanded Fett.
/Rocs/ Anakin replied. /Everyone hold on tight. Things are going to get rough./
As the lead roc extended its talons to slash at Anakin, he opened his jaws and bathed the bird in fire. Screaming in its death agonies, the roc plummeted to the ground. But its brethren were by no means put off by the death of a comrade, and they struck with claw and beak in an attempt to drive Anakin out of the sky. Fett pulled out a blaster and began firing, but the bolts that found their marks only managed to singe a few feathers. They were far too big for such a puny weapon to do much damage.
A rock swooped down to tear Luke from Anakin's back, and Luke drew his lightsaber. But Anakin twisted in midair to fight the bird, throwing Luke off-balance. Another roc swept in from behind, and with a swipe of one massive wing it knocked Luke and Fett from the dragon's shoulders.
Break…
Jenny looked exhausted by now, and Leia didn't blame her. This game had been pretty tiring for her too – mentally tiring, of course. There were so many puzzles and puns to unravel…
"Oh my," Jenny breathed. "Poor thing."
Leia forced her stomach to remain where it was. The "poor thing" before them was the body of a giant bird, covered with flames.
WHAT IS THAT?
"It's a roc. I wonder what killed it."
Leia examined the sky. I THINK I KNOW WHAT KILLED IT.
Jenny looked up and screamed. A tremendous battle was being waged between several rocs and a fire-breathing dragon, and it looked as if the rocs had the upper hand – or wing. But as Jenny and Leia watched, two much smaller bodies fell from the sky… and toward a gaping canyon just ahead. One of the falling forms activated some sort of jet pack and shot upward to rejoin the battle. The other continued to hurtle toward the ground, shouting for help.
LUKE? That voice sounded strangely like her brother's…
Jenny gasped. "It IS Luke! It has to be!"
LUKE! Without thinking Leia rose from her chair. What was Luke doing in this game? And what was happening to him? If he were to be injured in any way…
She ran forward, toward the canyon, her path illuminated by the roc-bonfire just behind her. She was breathless by the time she reached the edge of the gorge, but she didn't care.
Luke was about three meters down, clinging for dear life to a small ledge.
"Leia!" he exclaimed, a joyful expression overcoming his fear for a moment.
"Luke! Hold on! I'll get you out!"
"Hurry!" he urged her.
"Here, use this," Jenny suggested, handing her a long tree limb.
Leia took the branch and lowered it toward Luke. It was just barely too short, he could barely touch it…
A deafening roar split the air, and the dragon dove for the canyon… and for Luke.
"NO!" she screamed, jerking the branch up and wielding it like a club. The monster wouldn't touch Luke if she had anything to say about it!
The dragon yelped in surprise as she swung, striking it in the nose. It backed away, hovering over the canyon, its gaze still fixed on Luke.
"Leia, no!" Luke shouted. "That's…"
The dragon reached for Luke again, but she rapped its paw as hard as she could with the makeshift club. It shrieked again as if trying to get her to understand.
"Jenny, find a longer stick!" Leia ordered. "Help Luke up…"
But it was too late. Luke lost his grip, and with a cry he fell.
"LUKE!"
The dragon screamed, and it folded its wings and plummeted after the young Jedi. Dragon and human vanished in the mist-shrouded depths of the canyon.