Author's note:So here I am dipping my toe back into the star wars fandom. Not abandoning my other star war WIPs but I had this idea and work saved in my documents on the site for a while now. If I could add a third category to this fic it would be sci-fi since it's so twilight zone-ish plot-wise.
Let me know what you think. Reviews encourage and motivate me.
.
.
.
With an audible gasp, Princess Leia of Alderaan was awakened by the loud screech of a bright red btori bird. Her dark eyes widened, darting around, discovering and absorbing her surroundings. She was in a completely different location than she had been just moments before.
She had been staring off into space a split second before, absorbed in thought about her frozen beloved Han Solo.
She was now sitting. Her back was squeezed hard and firmly against something. She raised her head and gaped at the view. She was sitting against a large tree. A wonderfully tall tree, no less than 400 feet tall.
She soon saw that her breath was visible and the sight of the vapor from her breath made her feel the coldness of her frigid surroundings. Large puffs of steam exited her lips and drifted in the air as she breathed irregularly in terror at the sudden and dramatic alteration that had transpired.
The btori bird's piercing screech once again sounded, startling Leia. She jumped to her feet with a terrified scream. Now that she was standing, she took in her surroundings once again. Crickets could be heard in the distance, and she could hear what sounded like a frog only a few feet away.
She was in the middle of a forest. A fog-shrouded forest. She was in a woods she didn't recognize. Tall trees, as tall as or taller than the one she was sitting against, were everywhere. They had vines tied to them, and she could see orange monkey-like creatures with four arms swinging from them. They looked at her inquisitively as the group passed by, their huge adorable golden eyes full of beautiful innocence. She forced herself to turn away from the creatures and craned her neck to stare up at the treetops.
She felt like an ant.
What am I doing here? How did I end up here?
She desperately asked the Force, something she had been doing more often since she had known Luke Skywalker.
"I see you're finally awake, your Highness."
The voice behind her was icy, rich, and condescending. It sent chills up and down her spine and body, and Leia's heart skipped a beat from the panic that rushed over her.
Vader!
She breathed hard, her lungs burning from the frigid air, and she spun herself around to face the shadow-like monster, wrath burning in her eyes alongside terror at the sinister sith Lord himself standing not too far away. He was roughly about a few feet from her. Leia gulped hard and hardened her features, her glare at the Sith becoming even more pronounced.
"Well, now this all makes sense! This must be your doing! The Empire's!" She accused Vader boldly, her eyes tossing daggers at him.
"I don't know how you or the empire managed to do it, but regardless, what does the Empire want from me? There has to be some reason you haven't killed me yet." She seethed. "Some order from the Emperor himself I presume to keep me alive?"
Must want to squeeze out information from me... Use me as bait to get Luke or others in the Alliance...
Vader's eyes narrowed back at the woman behind his mask.
"Do not think so highly of yourself, princess" he snapped venomously. "You're being hysterical and delusional. You've been unconscious for the entire ten minutes I've been here, So maybe it's hard for you to think clearly..." He sneered. "Use common sense: If the empire had the ability to gather rebels at will, would you would not be the first choice? No. There are as they say "far bigger fish to fry" ... No, instead I suspect and believe that this is the Force's doing."
Leia's strong expression had faltered at his words.
If the Empire could capture anyone they desired, she knew who would be their first choice.
Luke.
But still, to say this was the Force's doing..
There has to be some rational explanation.
Leia scoffed.
"Why would the Force have anything to do with bringing me here with you in this place? Unless I died and ended up in sith hades."
Vader rolled his eyes.
"I'm not all-knowing, your highness. You tell me. Since you are so intelligent, might you have a better idea?" He mockingly inquired. "How else would you explain how I managed to at one moment to be sitting in my meditation chamber and then the next be here, standing on this planet?"
His point was getting at her, begrudgingly and to her chagrin.
Leia responded to him with another scoff and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.
"I can feel it from the Force that what I'm saying is true." The Sith explained in annoyance.
Leia pressed her lips into a thin line, glowering at the dark Lord.
"Is that so?" Leia asked raising a brow menacingly.
Vader gave a slow nod, coldly.
"Well, Milord, you can tell me the diamond of Wasib is laying right behind me near my feet and won't believe it! I won't take a word that comes out of your mouth as truth, Vader." She sneered. "I haven't a clue why we're here, but I'm not going to wait and die here standing next to you. I'm going to see if I can find some help to know what rock we're on and find some way off of it. You...you can go find yourself a tree to rot under for all I care. Maybe afterwards one of those monkey looking animals can eat your corpse, that is if they can manage to peel off all that hunk of plastic and if they find the taste of evil to their liking."
Leia then had begun making her way speedily past the sith Lord fearlessly, much to her own surprise when unexpectedly suddenly her throat closed and she reflexively choked and coughed and ceased her moving.
"Not so fast, princess. I have my reasons for wanting you alive and well, so if you think you're going anywhere, it won't be alone. I need to keep an eye on you."
And with that said he released his invisible grip off the royalty.
Leia speedily turned around and faced him.
"You!" She hissed, once freed from his Force grip and was about to open her mouth again to speak profanities against the sith when he interrupted her.
"Careful, your highness. It's unbecoming of a princess to speak in such a way. I'm sure Your majesty, that your parents raised you better, didn't they?" He mocked, his voice colored with a malicious smile on his face behind his mask.
Leia was internally fuming. How dare he speak of her parents?
That monster! That scum! That..!
Mentioning them felt like he had just thrust a knife into her heart and twisted it.
Such a cruel unspeakably wicked offense.
Her hands clenched tightly into fists, knuckles turning white and her eyes burned with hatred again at him. Her mouth opened to speak, but then just as she was about to a sharp horrible pain shot from the top of her head and Leia let out a cry of agony.
Her hands reached up and touched her head at where the pain was coming from. She looked down at her hands that had touched the spot of the immense searing pain. There was blood all over her hands. She could feel the warm blood from her scalp start to seep from the wound on her head as her eyes looked down to see what it was that had fallen on her.
A large jagged hail stone, about the size of her fist lay on the ground.
That was the last thing she seen before her world turned black.
The dark lord was completely at a loss for words with himself as he ran in the dark cave he had spotted, escaping the downpour of the hailstorm outside, his ebony-suited arms carrying the unconscious princess.
When he had stopped Princess Leia of Alderaan, the infamous rebel from departing from his presence earlier, it had indeed been for her well-being, although not that her well-being was of his concern, save only for one reason, rather more appropriately..one person: his son.
His son Luke had an attachment towards the young woman, plainly he knew this through the Force. Though he knew not what type of attachment, be it romantic or friendship, nonetheless, he could sense very strong attachment regardless.
Thus, for his son's sake, he resolved internally with himself concerning the young woman to keep her safe. Maybe later he'd kill her, but then had not been the right time. Maybe, he thought to himself, if Luke joined him in the dark side, afterwards would be the right time. But for now he had bait in the form of a princess for Luke.
Vader had watched the large hailstone fall on the crown of the Princess's head and it had did so with a sickly audible thump.
He had been one to witness and cause gore for many of his years, both as a Jedi and as a Sith: but, something strange had happened to him when he saw her being struck and laying unconscious and bleeding that left him now completely dumbstruck and puzzled.
He had felt the normal expected satisfaction of seeing the rebel become wounded. The girl was an annoyance. Strong-minded and intellectual, he had to admit, but an annoyance all the same to him and to his master.
But something had caused the smile on his face to quickly die off as he watched her fall to the ground...
Something mysteriously stirred in the depths of his heart and when he saw her there after being stuck and laying there on the ground, before he knew what he was doing he found himself carefully and quickly lifting her up in his arms and seeking shelter for them as large hail started to pour out from the dark clouds above that had quickly formed.
The sith had felt every fiber of his being screaming to keep her safe.
His mind was still in disarray and confusion about his heart and behavior as he placed her gently on the stone ground of the cave. His hands as if possessed, of their own volition removed his cape from himself and folded it repeatedly into a kind of pillow for the princess.
One of His hands carefully lifted the royal woman's head. His other hand swiftly placed his cape underneath her head. Slowly and softly setting her head down on the cape, Vader after stood up and looked down at the Princess.
He could knew her wound needed stitches. A small scarlet stream of her blood started to flow on the floor proceeding from her injury confirming his thought.
Yellow eyes lay rested and narrowed at the unconscious young woman. Fire crackled away as the Sith subconsciously poked at the wood of the fire, strengthening the flame.
He gritted his teeth and in his anger, he cursed her in his heart.
What is it about you? He mentally demanded from her for the umpteenth time.
Why did I behave in such a way? Why did I ..care for you?
You..
I behaved against the natural way of the Sith. My heart betrayed the Sith for you. Why?
To care..
To have compassion..
TELL ME WHY!?
He furiously mentally shouted at her.
As if in response to his question the princess turned around in her sleep, facing him now. The flame of the fire in the cave illuminated her face, giving him the opportunity to look freely upon it, this time as if seeing it for the first time.
Ani, I'm pregnant.
.
.
.
The flutter of a kick from Padme's stomach hit his hand as it lay on his love's swollen belly.
"Oh, yeah. With that kinda kick, definitely a girl." He teased his wife as he felt another swift kick against his palm as if it was done with agreement to his words.
..
..
..
"Look what I got our little princess." He grinned, lifting up and showing Padme the stuffed doll he had bought.
"How adorable!" Padme gushed as she grabbed the doll tenderly from his grasp. She held it and examined it carefully in her hands, a big smile stretching across her face as she did so.
"You're so sure our baby is a girl." She muttered thoughtfully with a smile. "What if you're wrong? What if I'm right and it's a boy?" She playfully teased.
"I'm not." He lovingly teased back with mocking pride. "But, If I am wrong I'll love him just the same."
..
...
The old memories rushing from the Force and into his mind caused him to stand up quickly. He stumbled backward and nearly fell as the realization hit him. He stepped back and grasped for support from the cave's wall to keep standing.
His eyes surveyed her face and studied every inch.
Padme!..she looks like Padme!...
She's the baby!
Ours!
But how?