Authoress' note: So this was originally a chapter I discarded from the rest of the story, but I decided to put it in for lore explanation. And thank you to everyone who followed and review! Always appreciated. :)
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"Don't regret what is the past, and don't trust in your own righteousness."
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Why did the blonde padawan and the Dark-armored warrior always stand in the same spot?
In her dream she ran through a garden, both outside yet inside. Everything looked so big, and so tall. The crystal glass ceiling felt like it was miles above her. Men and women in tan and brown robes towered over her like giants as she ran by. Flowers the size of her hands danced in her handmade crown as she ran, releasing pedals into the air. The world went by in a blur of yellows, greens, reds, and blues. Everything felt bright, warm, and alive.
But then Amerna stopped, her bare feet kicking dirt into the air as she struggled to maintain balance. She thought she was alone this deep in the garden, but she saw a small figure sitting on the white marble of a fountain. His back was facing her, his blond padawan braid barely peeking out of his short hair.
"Hi!" Amerna squeaked. The boy turned to face her, his blue eyes startled.
She skipped up to the boy, pedals continuing to fly about. The boy's eyes frowned, almost offended by the disturbance.
"Who are you?" He asked.
Amerna bent over a nearby flower grove and picked a bright blue flower, one that shaped like a small bell. She raised her head to look at him. "I'm—"
Amerna gasped. The boy had vanished, along with the garden and all its bright warmth. The soft grass and dirt beneath her feet was replaced with mud that sneaked through her boots. The bright sunlight above was now a monochrome sky that huge raindrops fell from. Her crown was gone, and the blue flower in her hand was replaced with a humming blue blade.
And where the boy once stood, a giant dark knight dressed in medal armor towered over her. It made a noise that seemed to try and fail to mimic something alive, like a machine trying to imitate breathing. Its presence was like a black hole in the Force, sucking the life out of everything in a blind rage. It held a crimson blade in its gloved hand.
Amerna struggled to step back, but something in her mind screamed no. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew of the steep ravine that left a scar on the surface of the planet. It was a long, sharp way down.
"Who are you?!" She shouted, holding back a sob.
"You will never know." It said as it raised its saber. Acting purely on instinct, Amerna tried to run, but her feet only hit thin air. She felt gravity pull her down. The organs inside her seemed to lurch to her throat as she tried to scream, the looming figure shrinking as she fell into the abyss.
Amerna woke up, finding herself facing the wooden ceiling of her home. She had kicked off the blankets in her sleep, leaving her shivering in the cold, tiny room.
She felt the mattress under her, breathing hard as she gripped the fabric. For a moment her mind wondered how she had fallen so far when her ceiling was only a few meters above her, but then she remembered.
A dream. It was just a dream.
The woman laid in bed a few more minutes, allowing her mind to slowly return to reality. She focused on the warmth of the pillow beneath her, the low hum of the heat generator that desperately needed fixing. She looked at the rich-colored wood of the walls, and the various trinkets she had hung up over the years. She always put up a new one every few months as reminders of the current time she was in. Her eyes focused on the most recent edition, a small silver bird statue sitting on her dresser. That's right, she was in the present age because she bought that bird two months ago, that bird didn't exist twenty years ago, so she must be in the present. The little thing faced the bed, as if to say good morning to her.
Finally Amerna sat up, popping her neck and arms and letting the stress melt away. She pulled her thick socks from under her bed and put them on her cold feet before touching the wooden floor. Her old generator made a clanging sound, complaining about its inability to fight the winter chill. Amerna walked over to her only window and opened the blinds, letting the morning sunshine light up the room. Her little birdy sparked.
Amerna looked out the window before slouching her forehead on the glass. It's been years since she's had that nightmare. Even though she knew that she was perfectly safe in her home, her mind was still back on that bleak planet, staring at that mask.
"You will never know."
Amerna scoffed. For almost two decades she didn't know who he was, this phantom killer that destroyed everything in its wake before vanishing. Sometimes she thought he might have been a fragment of a nightmare that got smashed into memory.
It wasn't until he learned his name when his existence truly felt real.
Darth Vader.
The monster had a name, an identity, and witnesses who had survived him. She had met one— Luke Skywalker. Apparently he had survived Vader several times, and knew a bit about his history.
He was a Jedi, apparently.
Which made Amerna wonder; did she know him? Had they ever crossed paths in the temple? How old was he?
Her thoughts drifted back to the nightmare. The faint memory in the Temple garden resurfacing. She tried to brush it off, saying that it was just because she had talked about it recently that her brain remembered. But she couldn't shake the feeling. She didn't know if it was Anakin, Luke's father, in the garden that day. What if it was Vader, as a young child? What if she had told Luke a memory of Vader? Luke wouldn't know, perhaps it was best to leave it be. But she felt like she would be lying to Luke. How important was this anyway? A silly memory, that's all it was.
But if that memory was by chance Vader, then that meant she remembered Vader as a child. It was strange, seeing a different side to that monster. She almost pitied him. What could have possibly happened that drove him to this?
Amerna rubbed her eyes, trying to get the morning gunk out. It doesn't matter. She told herself. Vader made his choice, whatever drove him to do it.
Besides, today was too important to think of such things. Today Luke would be visiting. Or more like an extensive visit. He had been given leave from the Rebel movement he was a part of for "health reasons."
Heh. How convenient of Luke to get health problems right after facing Vader. Luke hadn't talked much of the battle over the com, and Amerna knew not to ask. She didn't like talking about her battle either.
But that all didn't matter. What mattered was that Vader would never find them out here.
Amerna looked out her window, fresh snow sparking in the street outside. A mischievous smile spread across her face as she stroked her chin.
You know… since Luke will be staying here for a while, this'll be a great time for him and Mari to get to know each other better.
Her smile grew, images of the future dancing in her mind.
I might have grandkids after all.
