Scarlet

By Sapadu

As the Louse sat on his pulpit of darkened wisdom, the awaited woman, with her Imp and Demon Child, entered the room, for his inspection of aid. His sleepless eyes, full of lustings of revenge, landed on the little ones, with a maddening glee of triumph and arrogant certainty.

But he smiled with a deception that only one who knew him could unmask, and greeted the two with cheer that was only thinly veiled as his hellish joy.

"Good Morrow to ones so young and new to this world. If it should not be your mother who brings you, I wonder where your father might be…" The Louse received them, and Padme, being borne of shame from the letter she wore did not speak against his questions.

It was hardly necessary, for the Imp Child, Leia, sprung forward as her Demon Brother clung behind his mother's skirt in a cautious examination of the enemy as his sister made her first attack.

"What does it matter to us who the father should be? Mother suckled us finely enough that a father would only be fit to tear apart and feast upon as extra food." She rebutted, with a sweet, smiling innocence that would have made any other gasp in the horror of her words. The Louse, however, knew no disgust to this idea, for he, himself fed on the suffering of other living things.

"In that meaning, then, that you have no father that you know or care of?" Questioned the Louse, with a determination to find the person responsible for the existence of these two that betrayed no caring for the fate awaiting that miserable wretch.

"That would depend- give me the nature of a father, and I shall tell you how we do." Leia replied, sharply, "For Mother is our Father- if such a thing truly exists- and what purpose would an extra body serve if he could not be a Mother at the same time." It was here the Louse frowned, and rose from his chair to hobble over to the Imp Child, and an aura of imposing menace that reeked of his appetite for blood could be smelt in his wake. Only this hellspawn creature could stand firm as her mother recoiled- oh yes, and her Demon Brother, too.

It was for this reason that Leia's twin came forward, in all semblance of an angel on descent, a grip on his sister's arm pulling her away in the slightest, and halting the progress of the advancing Louse.

"My sister means no offense to you, Emperor- she is overly honest with what she believes at times when passion overtakes her senses. But please be assured that we have no intensity for anything that would cause our Mother trouble, and for that reason, we are contented to be with one parent and each other as family company. It's reasons such as these that give Leia difficulties on the condition of a father, and I would hate to see her suffer any abuse for such a simple reason." Luke explained in a soothing voice of consolation, with a bold gesture that placed himself in danger of the Emperor's path.

The lurking menace stopped before the twins, with a look directed at them desiring knowledge of the bond they shared, which neither of the siblings would disclose.

"So it is apparent," Conceded the Louse, then turning his questions on the boy as Padme stood behind, unable to interfere, "I don't suppose I could ask any questions of similar curiosity to interests of yours?" And Luke tipped his head innocently.

"I fear that all the asking on my part could not derive an answer which does not exist to me." The Demon Boy replied, in an honest twist of what he truly knew, but as the Louse had no suspicions that these children had taught each other and themselves the art of deception so well, it went unnoticed.

The Louse turned away, in mild disappointment, to receive one of the authorities to his left, a schoolmaster, and gave him rule to hold ground before the trio of audience. Purpose discovered or not, the plot had brewed for long among all remaining loyal to the Emperor that this specimen whose adultery bred such should be separated.

"So, would the two before us be standing the children discussed in length, Sir?" He inquired, giving the two a mere glance, "Or should they be little sprites sent to prank us, and the scarlet woman behind them a witch?" The harmless taunt made Padme cringe, for the daily abuses piled upon her by the old women whose eye she remained under constant surveillance had often referred to her in this corrosive manner.

What she did not realize was that her haloed little boy had observed many an old hag back to their lairs before enacting a powerful vengeance of vicious truths that poisoned the wretches' socials and estranged them even further from hospitality than his own dear mother. Indeed, for the cherub-faced boy smiled at his inquirer and replied with ready wit.

"If Mother be a witch, then I am not a sprite, but a wolf-boy sent to protect the Queen of Witches, and eat the liver of any who insult her, such as thine words." Luke declared, proudly, as his Imp Sister watched the Louse behind his throne, preparing for a new attack. The men in the room shared a nervous laugh, as Padme hung her head in shame for inability to control her children's manners. Leia, the imp, with her all-seeing eyes, gave her Demon Brother a nudge, and sent him to tend to their injured Mother whilst she entertained the floor.

"And if my brother be a wolf-boy, then I am simply a trick of light and a breath of the wind, come to play jester for the queen, and a spy for the king, to be learned of the ills cultured in this room. And I must learn quickly, or else my sufferings will be great." She devised her charming smile and radiant glow of character and clever words drawing a spotlight over her that her brother easily evaded to keep their mother upright. The mention of a king, anyway, drew all attention to her speech.

"A king, is there? Why, what kingdom does he rule, and where beast his palace?" Inquired the master, with all bending obedience to the Louse who fed on him, "Surely he must be a great ruler to have such an excellent spy."

"Oh, but he is great- for the greatness in a king is measured only by his intelligence of his own safety. The great king of witches is a marvelous masked man- for he appeared to me once as a little broken doll, then the next time a dog of pure black that stood over our house to keep it from the rain. He speaks only in numbers, and he has never shown me where his palace is, for I could never reach it anyway. His palace is in the sky- the walls are made of the clouds that bring storms, and a carriage of bones drawn by thousands of giant, poisoned snakes brings him to and fro, wherever his heart desires!"

All of the Imp Child's speech was entirely fabricated and embroidered with the design of a young child's imagination and dreams. It was all too soon that the Emperor Louse slumped in defeat and the Master turned his attention from the story in disappointed failure. It was before long that he suggested that Leia tell the story before a class, and let them judge if she may fit with her peers, and possibly a new mother in a clean, warm dwelling and filling food.

Upon this offer did the twins and their inflicted mother realize the intentions of the men before them. And how did Leia respond? But with a laugh and a new tale.

"Oh, but the story is true- the king gave my brother and I to our own Mother as she became queen, with this warning that I tell thee: For else we are kept to her, if stolen or lost, whomever at fault shall bring our king's wrath upon them. Brother dear, tell these mortal beings of their own fates awaiting those who steal us away!" Leia turned to her fair brother with a grandiose gesture, inquire that he come forth. Luke had no means of protest, but willingly continued his Imp Sister's exaggerations.

"It's the truth- the king himself decreed that my sister and I belong only to she who he gave us to, and so our bond is such that every scar Mother bears, we must share it, twice over. And if any ploy pries apart our melded hands, it only sets them free to tear the plotter's head from his neck."

The room echoed with silence, an awe of fear to those words coming from such an innocently smiling little boy, and an even worse dread spreading in their mother's busom that her own babes might spring truth into these subtle threats. And it was with an impending viciousness of doom that a dismissal from the conference was granted to the three apart.

Outside, Padme scolded her two for their wickedness before what little was left of democracy in that room, and Luke and Leia nodded in pretense of obedience, though their bonded devious minds plotted ill.

It was at this time that the pastor, Skywalker, observed the merry chase of children and mother, watching with a suppressed fondness for the family. He had been on the other side of the wall, a spectator of the grim tale Luke and Leia had spun for the Louse's court, and found this time appropriate to meet the little ones, permitting their mother's gaze.

He found himself received with great intentions, for Padme did not recoil while her children boldly sheltered themselves behind their mother's skirts, as though awaiting the father's punishment for their tales of witchcraft from within.

"Too long has it been since to see you standing firm, my love." Father Skywalker said, with a hint of charm which steeled Padme's face as she assumed a defensive cover over her children.

"This is your own doing, as the decency of Republic crumbled under your influence. And, were it not also for your husbandry, but lack of fathering, Luke and Leia would not be in their predicament." She replied, only to alert the demon twins of their monitoring.

A/N: I am SOOOO sorry… but college… eh…