All she felt in that moment was her arms falling out of their restraints. She was surprised, even more so when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her. She whipped her head around, trying to keep her bearings on where the Emperor stood, even as she was twirled away from him.
For a moment, she felt safe. She almost forgot where they were, what their situation was. All she knew at that moment was protection, something she had never had, and she loved it. Her arms were pressed against Luke's chest, and he held her against him, glaring at the Emperor, who stood up, a smile on his face. Then, he broke out into laughter.
"You have always failed to surprise me, boy," he taunted. Luke's embrace tightened around her, protecting her. Even though she didn't want to show the Emperor any sort of attachment, she let her head fall against Luke's chest. He frightened her, there was no doubt, and Luke's presence was soothing.
"She is not the one you want," Luke stated boldly. "Her power is not like mine."
"No, it isn't," the Emperor agreed. "You are much more powerful than she is, that is true. But she is still strong with the Force. Imagine, both of you as my protégés. You would draw off of each other, and become more powerful than you could ever imagine."
"Never," Luke spat, turning her away from the Emperor, as if he was trying to shield her from the Sith Lord's influence.
"Your compassion is your undoing," the Emperor stated again, sitting back down in his throne. "Morality is a weakness. One which will be trained out of you."
Luke ignored him, not wanting to show any emotion. He glanced down at Anna, his eyes searching her face for any sign of injury.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Fine," she lied. In truth, she was terrified. Even though she had not been hurt physically, her mentality was not nearly as strong as she wanted it to be, and that was the result of the fear that pooled inside of her. The Emperor was the one person she had truly felt fear for in a long time, and she knew he could sense it. It even pleased him, knowing how afraid she was.
She heard the steady breathing of Vader walk up behind her, and she felt his rough hands on her arms. He clutched her tightly, as if expecting her to fight, but she didn't. There was no sense in trying to shake him off, he would just overpower her anyway. Luke reluctantly let his arms drop from around her, and she was pushed back toward the throne, her arms lifted, and locked back into her restraints. She shifted her position, trying to make herself a little bit more comfortable, but that was nearly impossible. Luke wanted to walk over, she could sense it, but she shook her head. He was not going to put himself in danger for her again, she would not let him.
"Not for me," she said quietly.
He nodded in understanding. She didn't want him in harms way for her when he was the entire reason that they were here in the first place. Vader walked away from her to stand beside the throne of his master, who had turned his throne in order to look out the round window behind his throne. From what Anna could make out, he was looking out at the battle that ensued outside. Luke just watched her, trying to get himself out of the dangerous action he had just committed. Surely, the Emperor had figured out everything he needed to in order to make the young Jedi turn to the Dark.
"Come, boy see for yourself," The Emperor said. Luke lifted his head and hesitantly walked over to the throne. Anna watched him carefully, trying to anticipate his next move. However, she was worried that he too would let his emotions overtake him, just as they threatened to do with her in every conflict she had ever known. He had struggled to regain a level head, and watching the Alliance's fleet destroyed before his eyes was not helping the turmoil inside of him.
"From here, you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance, and the end of your insignificant Rebellion," the Emperor spat, and watched as Luke tried to keep himself calm, taking deep breaths, but he could sense the anger brewing beneath the surface. The young Jedi glanced down at his lightsaber, tucked safely under the Emperor's arm, on the armrest of the throne. The leader of the Empire noticed Luke's acknowledgement of the weapon.
"You want this, don't you?" he taunted. Anna shifted in her restraints behind them, wanting nothing more than for Luke to look over at her so she could warn him away from the feelings of the Dark side. However, Luke just stared out over the battle, and she knew he felt powerless, something he hated. He was in torment, and she hated to see him so conflicted.
"The hate is swelling in you now," the Emperor continued to taunt. "Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant."
Luke turned around quickly, his face twisted in all sorts of pain. All of it was in his head, but that didn't make it any worse.
"No," he said, but she wasn't sure that he even believed what he was saying.
"It is unavoidable," the Emperor said simply. "It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine."
Anna clenched her teeth in the way the old man said "mine", and she didn't know why. Something about Luke being a possession of the Emperor made her stomach turn. Even though she had no stake in the young Jedi, she couldn't deny that she was in love with him.
Her eyes closed as she finally said it in her mind. She wanted to avoid it, but now she wasn't entirely sure if she would be able to get a chance to tell him. Admitting it to herself was the first step, but it wasn't going to make anything else around her easier, not with their circumstance. What it helped her with was her internal struggle that she had been dealing with just a few hours before. Please Luke, please don't let him exploit your anger, she thought. She could feel the conflict in him, each side desperately fighting to surface. He flexed his fingers, doing his absolute best in order to keep himself calm.
"And you, girl?" the Emperor said, turning his throne slightly in order to have a better look at her.
She lifted her head, but refused to look at the old man. Instead, she kept her eyes on Luke, who was glaring at the Emperor out of the corner of his eye, completely untrusting.
"I have no stake in this," she answered, her voice surprisingly calm and powerful. She saw a flicker of pride across Luke's face, knowing how well she was holding herself together. For a moment, she felt his torment cease, as if she was the only thing that he could find solace in. She wanted to go up to him and hold him, but she couldn't, and it hurt to to see him in so much mental pain.
The Emperor turned his back to her once again to look out the viewscreens at the battle. Luke seemed to relax just a little bit, but he was still arguing with himself, she could see it. She tore her focus from him, just for a moment, to map out the throne room. Plotting an escape seemed like wishful thinking, but if she knew where everything was, it would definitely make it easier. In the dim light, she could barely make out anything, but she was able to see the stairs that led back to the elevator they had come from. The royal guards were still behind there, no doubt, and should she get free, they would try to subdue her. They were strong, but she knew she was stronger.
In that moment, she remembered something, her lightsaber. Vader must still have it, as he had only handed the Emperor Luke's lightsaber. She would not leave without her prized weapon, just as she wouldn't leave without Luke. She would not safe only herself if she had the chance to save him as well. She clenched her hand onto fists as the thought of losing Luke playing in her mind. She shook her head, knowing that she couldn't think that way. Her mind snapped back to reality once again as the Emperor's chilling voice spoke again.
"As you can see, my young apprentice, your friends have failed," the Emperor stated proudly. Anna winced behind them, hating the fact that the man was taking pride in this. He enjoyed watching Luke in his turmoil, and she wanted nothing else but to land a strike on him, anything that would ease Luke's torment.
She saw him wince as another Rebel ship exploded after hitting the shield, and she hung her head. The shield generator was not down yet, and she began to winder if things would be different had she stayed back on Endor. She could've helped them deactivate the shield, and maybe the loss of life wouldn't be as substantial as it seemed to be. Come on, Han, she thought. Anytime now would be good.
Then she remembered what the Emperor had said. "An entire legion of my best troops awaits them." He had said it with such power, such pride, and it made her sick. Was Han still alive? Was Leia? The droids? She couldn't feel anything, but then again, she was cut off from the Force. If anyone would know, it would be Luke, yet he seemed to be in his own little world, trying to fight off the influence of the Dark side.
"Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station!" the Emperor continued, and Anna jumped at the sudden power in his voice. He turned his head slightly to the side, pressing a button on the armrest of his throne. "Fire at will, commander," he said, and Luke glanced back at her, searching for something to lose himself in. She just closed her eyes, letting her head drop. He turned back to the viewscreens, watching horror at the events that took place.
Not long after the command was stated, a powerful green beam shot out from above them, and hit one of the large Rebel ships. Luke flinched, and Anna just turned her head away. This battle was not one they could win, not anymore. If the Death Star was operational, it would be suicide to continue to bombard it. The loss of life, of resources, would be too much, and he Alliance would be all but destroyed completely. All of that hard work in order to build up the fleet, gone with a single blast of the Death Star.
The Emperor seemed to be pleased with himself, and sat back in his throne. He was reveling in Luke's conflict, and knew it was only a matter of time before he would give into his anger. However, the one thing that had surprised him was the girl. It was true, their feelings for each other, whether they knew it or not. It was almost as if it was a gift that she had been brought here, as he had seen what had happened if he made any sort of threatening move toward her. He smiled at the thought. Young love, just how pure it was. He had used it as a tool before, and the end result was standing next to his throne, powerful in all aspects of the Force. Luke clearly cared for the girl, and that was a weakness.
One he hoped to exploit.