Have You Come to Fight the Monsters?

In which Luke enters the cave on Dagobah for a second (or third) time
Set between 5ABY and 11ABY

Luke didn't know what he'd expect this time.

Last time he came down here he saw the vision of the masked dark warrior. Little did he know that the cave was telling him that Darth Vader was his father.

As he stepped deeper into the cave he felt the presence of something… vile. Nasty words, name calling, hurt feelings; the kind of things that ruin a childhood.

He didn't know what he saw next, a spirit of some kind. Black, ghostly ribbons whirled around him.

"Freak! Demon! Worthless!"

He ignited his green lightsaber, preparing to defend himself.

"Monster! Scum! Thing of evil!"

He watched on as the ghostly black demon circling around him, getting closer and closer.

"Stay away! We don't want you! Keep away from my children!"

As soon as the demon was close enough, he lunged forward slicing his blade through its centre, sending it back into oblivion while it screamed banshee-like cries. He had no idea what kind of a metaphor that was.

"Are they gone?"

Luke turned around to see a small girl peering out from behind a rock.

But that wasn't just a terrified seven-year-old.

Her white hair was tied back into a pony tail, her green eyes were wide with terror.

He turned his lightsaber off, attaching it to his belt as he suddenly felt weak in his guts and knees.

"Are the mean people gone?"

He slowly walked over behind the rock and crouched down in front of the little girl. It was so strange seeing her like this, before the prime of her life and in one of her weakest forms. She grew up like this… of all things that happened to her it was this…

As soon as he was in front of her she cowered into the back of the rock, not trusting the man in front of her.

"Hey," Luke held out his hand, hoping he'd earn her trust. "They're gone. I sent them away."

The little girl looked at him in disbelief. "Are you a good man?"

He found it very hard not to smile. "I try to be."

She looked at his offered hand, realising his proposal and reluctantly placed her tiny hand in his.

Luke looked at how small her hand was. She was a tiny person, even at this age. He could sense the vision's thoughts; a sense of reluctance and insecurity.

"It's ok." He clasped his other hand over the top of hers. "I'm a friend."

"Friend?" she said the word like it were a foreign language.

"Yeah. Friend." Luke glanced down at how her tiny hand still somehow managed to fit perfectly in his larger ones. She's so afraid, so alone…

"Have you come to fight the monsters?" she asked gingerly in her small voice.

"Of course." Luke answered immediately. "I'll protect you."

The little girl let out a cute giggle as Luke wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.

Moving over to the side of the cave, Luke slid down the side of the wall and sat down with the girl in his lap.

No more words were exchanged between the two. The little girl nuzzled her head into the crook of Luke's head as he ran his hand through her white hair. The girl's eyes drooped closed and her body went limp. Luke kept stroking her hair to keep her calm, until he too felt drowsiness overcome him.


Luke didn't know how long he had been asleep in the cave, but when he woke the vision of his little girl was gone. Wearily, he stood up and his bones cracked as he stretched.

He rubbed his forehead in anguish as he made his way to the exit.

The girl waiting for me back home needs more than a hug.


I know I posted the last one a few minutes ago but then I realised this was still on my computer. I wrote this back when I was still writing Young Blood. NOSTALGIA!

- yoda-is-cool