Chapter 8: The Princess and the Angel
After his conquests at the ball, Padmé thought he would have been in a better mood, but when they returned to his apartments, she found that he was in even a fouler mood than before. It had been unspoken, but he had made her tend to Leia, something she did most willingly, before he said, "I want to see you in my quarters at the end of this hour. Until then, tend to our daughter." Giving her a grim look, he whipped around and strode off.
Puzzled by what he'd said and more than a little worried, Padmé had remained motionless until the door had clicked shut before she remembered that she wasn't the only being that was at risk. At her side, little Leia alternately wept and yawned, rubbing her little brown eyes with her fist. Instinctively, she had clutched at the folds of Padmé's morbid dress even after Vader had left.
Vader had somehow known and once more she was being pulled into his intricate trap.
"Hello, my little one," Padmé said quietly, kneeling down in front of the little girl.
It took Leia a moment to remember that Padmé was the kind lady who, at the ball, had told her how adorable she was, but upon doing so, her crying receeded. "You gunna hwurt me?" she whispered, her wide eyes conveying just how frightened she was.
"No, I would never do such a thing," Padmé assured her. "I'm your real mommy." Not able to look even her own child in the eye as she confided this, she slowly started to undo the buttons on the jacket Leia wore. Tears filled Padmé's eyes as she thought of how lovingly Breha must have given it to her daughter.
"My mommy is my rweal mommy," Leia protested, her face scrunching up with confusion.
"No, your mommy raised you for me because… because I was sick," Padmé said slowly, feeling that it was partway true. Sick at heart, maybe.
"But mommy always called me her little gwirl," Leia insisted.
"Your mommy knew that I would take good care of you because you're my baby," Padmé said lovingly, praying that her daughter would accept her for what she'd become. "I love you, my little one, and someday, someday, we're going to get away from here and be a happy family."
The connection she had shared with her children when she had carried them had not diminished for, after a minute of looking Padmé deeply in the eyes, Leia slowly nodded. "Why we not happy now?" she asked curiously.
"Because of that mean man in there."
It seemed that Leia was just as frightened of Lord Vader's wrath as she was, but after nervously biting her lip, Leia shrugged and smiled. "I was going to have a baby brother," she said proudly, causing Padmé to smile in spite of herself. "Do you have any babies?" she excitedly asked, her eyes dancing. It seemed that her lack of nervousness was causing her to speak more clearly.
Pain hit Padmé like a sharp knife. Her mind filled with the images with children that should have been but, due to their father's fall to the Dark Side, would never exist.
Blinking, Padmé prayed that the little girl hadn't seen the conflict within her weary orbs. "No," she said softly. "No," she repeated, gently placing her hands on Leia's shoulders. "Do you want a baby brother or sister?"
The princess nodded eagerly and Padmé feared that she might be getting her wish sooner than what the woman wanted.
The door suddenly flew open, making both Leia and her mother jump. It was Jixton, and he beamed down at them. "It seems that Uncle D has gone done it again," he sighed before returning back to his usual cheerful manner. "We have another prisoner for this cell?"
"Unfortunately."
"Well, the Lord of this Dungeon has requested your presence in his quarters," he announced.
"Just a moment," Padmé pleaded, silently turning around to face Leia. "You remind me of someone I once lost," she whispered cupping Leia's face. The eyes were her own, but her former husband was the one who gazed through them. A sob escaped her mouth as she was filled with a hundred wishes and hopes that would never be gotten. "I need to go for a little, but I will come back," she promised. Last time, she hadn't come back and…
"My Lady, you do not want to upset him further," Jixton interrupted. "His Lordship has got his black boxers in a bunch for some odd reason."
Slowly, standing up, Padmé kept her hand on Leia's shoulder. "Will you take care of her for me?" she whispered.
The man nodded before gesturing for her to leave.
Giving Leia one last reassuring look, Padmé went to go
meet the man who had taken the childhood that the little girl had
deserved.
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Hesitantly, Padmé slipped into Lord Vader's quarters a minute later. It was as black and morbid as she remembered, but nothing in the surroundings could even compare with it's owner.
Sitting in a chair with legs splayed and a bored look on his arrogant face was Vader. As she stepped closer to him, his eyes narrowed and his gaze became even more cold.
"Come closer," he snapped, making a slight gesture with his hand.
Finally, she stood unmoving before him.
A cold arm snaked about her waist as he pulled her close. Before she could pull away, he had placed his other hand and head on her stomach. "I sense nothing from you, but even the greatest can be fooled by the force."
"Even you," she challenged.
Still resting his head against her, he hissed, "Even me. Not even Master Palpatine could do so."
"Pity. You would have been ashamed to have seen what your future had in store for you."
"The only shame that I have is that of my prior weakness."
"Do you mean me?" she whispered.
"Perhaps," he replied tersely. "You are certainly less compliant that most any other woman I could find."
"Are there any other women?"
"That will depend on you," he said tersely before moving his head back to its original position and closed his eyes.
Knowing that he was deep in the Force, Padmé just stood there stiffly, her hands down at her side but, without really realizing what she was doing, she lifted her hands and slowly touched his hair. Maybe it was because, from her position, she couldn't see his face and terrible eyes, but during that brief moment, he didn't seem like Vader. It could have also been the fact that she missed the intimacy that should have been theirs to enjoy during their marriage and her first pregnancy, but for some odd reason she momentarily forgot about who he had become.
Her wistful daydreams were shattered as his eyes flickered open and he roughly pulled away from her, nearly causing Padmé to topple to the floor. Only his rough hands on her waist kept her from losing her balance.
"It has been nearly a week," he hissed into his ear, his strong gloved hand pressing against her stomach so forcefully that she nearly cried out in pain. "Have you been taking any… pills, my dear?"
"I would never sink that low," she spat, attempting to get away from him but failing to do so.
"Oh, you can sink lower," he threatened. "No, it has been long enough- why have you not conceived?" Angry, he grabbed her face and forced her to look into his.
"How can the gods smile upon such a vile action?" she whimpered. "Doing so would be a mockery to creation and all things good."
Lightning dangerously flashed in his eyes and Padmé finally broke free of his grip.
"Don't you dare lecture me about what should and should not be," he snarled. "I never deserved to be born into slavery, I was the innocent victim of the Jedi Order's lies…"
"And you beloved Master has never caused you to doubt," she snapped back, watching the fury rise in his eyes.
"I trust him more than I do you," he said in a very low voice, holding up his gloved hand, smirking as she instinctively flinched. "That is why you shall not leave your quarters unless you have my permission." With a flick of his hand, the door slid open. "If I need you, I will let you know." There was a double edged tone to his voice, one that made her blanch and become rather embarrassed all at once.
Taking this as a sign that she could leave, Padmé hesitantly walked through the doorway but she paused just outside the door. "Lord Vader," she said quietly, causing him to look suspiciously up at her from where he once more reclined in his chair, "you were right- you are not all knowing- if you were, you would have known that it takes longer than a week for a woman to conceive."
