Hi everybody! This is another AU, but this first chapter is a lot of set up for what's to come..

Background: Born in the Empire and raised by Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker is enjoying an Imperial ball held in his honor...

Standard disclaimers: I don't own any Star Wars characters or profit off this story..

The party currently occurring in the ballroom of the Imperial Palace was grand. Woman laughed as they sashayed around the room in their evening gowns, convincing men to dance. The couples far beyond the nonsense of staying out late and dancing the night away grouped near the drinks, gossiping and spreading rumor alike. The young children had been sequestered away to a separate place in the palace.

Luke grinned, sipping away at some foreign cocktail that had been made by the over the top caterer his father had brought in for this occasion. Despite having to wear his stuffy dress clothes today, complete with cape so he could hide his blade on his hip, he was indeed enjoying himself.

Lord Vader had even attended for a short time, spending enough time to wish Luke a happy eighteenth birthday and toast to a victorious Empire day and the Emperor had made his departure with only a few words of wisdom this time.

"Do not get too wild, child. You have a reputation after all." But do enjoy yourself. You've earned it. The words came after trailing through the Force.

"Yes, grandfather. Thank you for coming tonight, my Emperor." Luke answered, knelt before his grandfather's throne. I will.

Now it was time for the real fun to begin.

Locating his guards through the Force, Luke made his way smoothly through the crowd as he greeted his guests, searching for no one in particular except someone that would make a good dance partner.

Ah.

Lovely blue gown dripping in gems and pearls and decoration, with flowing brown hair pulled half up and dark lips that sipped slowly at a very dark, red drink.

"Your Highness," the group she was with greeted him formally, all bowing or curtsying low. Regarding his head, he smiled lightly.

"I do not believe I have made your acquaintance," he offered, the young lady trying to hide a blush.

"Your Highness," her voice was soft and gentle, like a bubbling brook, "I am Adelaide Dumount."

Vaguely, Luke remembered there was an Vice Admiral by the name Dumount aboard one of the smaller fleet ships.

"I wasn't aware Vice Admiral Dumount had a daughter your age."

Adelaide smiled softly. "I am the Admiral's niece. I am the daughter of his brother; we just happened to be visiting at the same time as the party."

"Lady Adelaide, would you honor me with a dance," Luke held out a hand, a white gloved hand placing itself in his palm.

"It would be I who is honored, your Highness," Adelaide answered, allowing him to lead her to the floor.

As Luke fell into the steps, he felt his usual stress begin to fade. The stress of being watched, the stress of being a prince, of always needing to be perfect. It was moments like these where he could forget, pretending that everyone was watching the beautiful woman before him and gossiping about how he caught her attention rather then the other way around.

"Your Highness, may I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, you can drop the title while we dance. Call me Luke," Luke grinned, watching her blush again.

"If I may, what about me caught your attention...Luke?"

"I've always had a soft spot for long brown hair I suppose," Luke teased, Adelaide's eyes sparkling. "No, I don't know...there was just something about you that I wanted to meet."

"Thank you. Well, I suppose now I know this dress works for me."

Luke laughed, taking her for another spin across the floor in answer.

The party was still in full swing, and it was well past midnight. Even knowing that he would still have to get up at a somewhat reasonable hour to start his own duties, Luke was loath to depart at the height of the entertainment. The alcoves positioned above the room were an excellent place to watch without being noticed and to take a quick breather. From a young age, Luke had noticed that people had a strange habit of never looking above themselves.

"Your Highness," a guard stepped out from the shadows.

Luke turned just slightly, a small tip of his head his acknowledgment.

The guard stepped forward. "There has been talk that the Rebel Alliance is in someway planning to infiltrate the party. It is suggested that you head to a more defensible location until we can locate the source."

Luke hissed. Always with these rebels. "Do my Father and the Emperor know?"

"Not yet, your Highness. I will send a messenger right away."

"Wait!"

The guard froze.

Luke licked his lips slowly. "I have faith in your ability to handle it. Do not alarm them with mere rumor - I will head back into the party to see what I find...let me know if you find anything else."

"Of course, your Highness."

Heading back into the party, he decided the best way to root out the rebels was get back into the middle of things. The girl he had been dancing with spotted him as soon as he came back into the room, as if she had been searching for him.

"Lady Adelaide," Luke greeted her warmly as she approached, two drinks in her hands.

"Your highness. I was hoping you would return!" her smile light and cheery.

Immediately, Luke stiffened as his hand took the proffered glass, his fingers brushing against hers. Forcing his back to relax, Luke took a small sip, the sweet flavor tangy upon his tongue. As soon as he took a sip, he felt himself begin to relax, the hard edge in his gut he'd had since discovering the rebel plot softening.

"It's a drink from Manaan – they have drinks from all over the galaxy here!"

Luke chuckled, taking another sip. "Yes, my father knows how to throw a party, despite never attending them."

Adelaide had finished hers, allowing a waiter to carry off her glass.

"Your...Luke, would you care to take a walk through the gardens? I've heard it is lovely, and this may be my only chance," Adelaide gestured towards the doors leading out.

"I'd love to," moving to finish the rest of his drink as well, Luke then held out his arm, allowing her to loop her hand through.

The gardens surrounding the palace were indeed, beautiful. They were based heavily off the landscape of Naboo, the air seeming fresher the deeper they wandered. It usually helped clear his head, but Luke mused he must have had a few too many drinks at the party, his thoughts feeling slightly muddled.

The greenery quickly changed as they wandered into another section of the garden, the trees and shrubs fading away to soft sand and waterfalls.

"I helped my father design this part of the gardens myself," Luke grinned at Adelaide's awed expression.

Brown eyes seemed to drink in the landscape around them, the white sand gleaming under the night lights of the city. "It reminds me of a sort of desert."

"That's because it is. It is supposedly the replica of a desert oasis. I do not know why, but I have always felt the burden of sand."

"You mean like being buried?" she asked, confused.

Luke laughed. "No...like there is a part of my life I cannot remember that involved sand. Originally, I wanted to bring in the yellow sands of Tatooine, but my father would not allow it. But I do not know...why..."

Luke blinked, jaw clicking shut. That is not something he would normally reveal on a whim to a stranger, or to anyone. Not even Piett knew of his strange obsession, his father and grandfather only knowing because they could read his impressions when he was younger.

"Perhaps, if this place is so burdensome for you, we could move elsewhere then?" Adelaide offered.

Nodding, Luke backed out of the oasis, allowing Adelaide to lead him further in until they came across a dark clearing.

Frowning, Luke mulled over the map of the garden. "That's strange...this should be lit."

"I suppose it should," something about Adelaide's expression had changed, but the heaviness in his limbs seemed to be weighing on his very brain.

As she pulled him down the steps into the clearing, Luke stumbled heavily, alarm suddenly blaring across his mind.

"Are you alright, your Highness?" Adelaide's expression was not one of concern anymore, or of polite aristocracy. It was cold and inhumane.

Pulling out of her grasp, Luke moved to stumble back, only to trip over his feet and land heavily on his right arm, shocked by the sudden pain radiating through him.

Both his father and grandfather felt his pain, alarm ringing through the Force, but his connection to it was dimming, Luke unable to grasp enough of a connection to communicate how in trouble he was.

"D...drugged," Luke was now unable to even sit up, the world spinning in lazy loops around him.

Adelaide's gown had been stripped off, replaced by a simple traveler's outfit. "Just catching on to that? I thought for certain you thought something was wrong when you took your first sip, but then you surprised me and finished the whole drink."

"How did...you know...?" Luke couldn't finish the question, his tongue seemingly going numb. Now would be a great time for those guards of his to show up, but he had a feeling that they were all somehow preoccupied at the moment.

Adelaide laughed. "How did I know that you'd approach me? I didn't. There were several of us here tonight, hoping that one of us would catch your attention. I just got lucky."

Luke only let out a low moan, fighting as the drug made him flash hot and cold, fighting to keep his eyes open. Normally, he would try and flush some of the alcohol and drug out of his system, but his mind was too unfocused to even touch the Force enough to communicate with anyone.

A hand was on his forehead. "Let it go and take a nap, princey. I wasn't expecting you to drink the whole thing, so I put in extra. It also suppresses the Force, so don't get any ideas."

The rest came in bits and pieces, the image of Adelaide beside him, one of the caterer's speeders slipping between the trees.

Then: darkness.