"She's yours."

Vader stumbled, and the lightsaber fell to the floor at Obi-Wan's feet. Reva's eyes widened in disbelief, and she also drew back automatically. Vader stared at Obi-Wan, and for the first time, he could feel the gaze of Anakin.

For a moment, not a single one of them dared to speak. Obi-Wan looked down at the lightsaber. Suddenly, Vader snapped back. He snarled, and the lightsaber instantly flew back into his gloved hand. Obi-Wan swallowed as he began to circle predatorily around him again.

"Impossible," Vader sneered. "I have no children."

"Anakin Skywalker does."

The lightsaber swung at his neck, hitting the shackle and causing it to glow bright red with a shower of sparks. Obi-Wan cried out as he felt the hot metal burn him, but forced himself not to move.

"Anakin Skywalker died ten years ago," Vader spat, watching Obi-Wan choke on the hot shackle. "He could not have left any descendants."

"He had a wife," Obi-Wan panted, "Who was pregnant at the time."

Vader swung at him again, this time hitting the shackles holding his arms. Obi-Wan let out another cry of pain.

"How dare you speak of her."

"I-"

"How dare you taint her name with your lies."

"Anakin, I'm not lying-"

"If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't have died. If you didn't come, she would still be here."

Obi-Wan swallowed. "Padme-"

"You don't deserve to speak her name!" Vader screamed, and the entire prison cell shook violently.

Reva gasped and fell to her knees, dropping her lightsaber. Vader swung around and made eye contact with her. Eyes widening, she screamed and immediately crawled away from him as he slashed his saber at her. Reva cried out loudly and Vader stomped towards her, swinging madly.

"What are you doing? Leave her alone!" Obi-Wan shouted. Vader ignored him and swung at Reva's head. She immediately ducked. "She's not part of this!" Obi-Wan screamed.

Vader threw his blade forwards, jabbing it directly towards Reva. The lightsaber landed between her shoulder blades and she cried out, falling forwards onto the floor. As she groaned, she watched the dark silhouette approach her from behind and started to hyperventilate, shaking all over.

"Stop this, stop this madness!" Obi-Wan shouted, straining his neck against the burning shackle. "Anakin!"

Vader raised his lightsaber high, ready to strike.

"Anakin! What would Padme think?" Obi-Wan screamed, desperate to divert him. "Look at yourself!"

Vader turned around, his aura dark and more menacing than ever.

"Padme is DEAD!" He screamed furiously. "You killed her!"

With that, he stomped back towards him and pointed the lightsaber directly at his throat. Obi-Wan breathed unsteadily, looking at the glowing laser. Reva let out a quiet whimper and collapsed.

Obi-Wan looked up, finally making eye contact with Vader and noticing the light emanating from the lightsaber was shaking.

His arms were trembling.

"I have heard it said before," Vader hissed, "That her life could have been saved, if I exchanged it for my soul. I would have given it again, a million times over. If it only meant that this time, she would have lived. Only for her."

His voice began to shake.

Obi-Wan stared at him, wishing he was not shackled, that he could reach out and take his brother into his arms.

"But it was all a lie."

Obi-Wan swallowed.

"It was all a lie. And now she is dead."

Obi-Wan bowed his head.

I'm sorry.

I wish I could say she wasn't.

"Since that day, I have sealed that hope away and cut it out of myself. I refuse to be deceived again."

Obi-Wan watched closely as the blade slowly lowered itself from his throat. He wondered if he could see the tears streaming down his face.

"Tell me, how is it possible," Vader demanded in a whisper. "Tell me how a dead woman could bring a new life."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, but all that came out was a hoarse grunt. Glaring, Vader turned back around to Reva. "Remove his shackle," he growled.

Reva stared at him, her eyes still wide with fear, her whole body trembling.

"REMOVE IT!" Vader shouted, and she immediately put her hands before her face defensively. A few seconds passed, and she shakily lowered them.

As they watched, she slowly reached towards her belt and shakily withdrew the key for Obi-Wan's shackles. Vader snatched it, and stomped back towards him, inserting it into the beskar shackle at his neck. With some effort, it clicked and the entire heavy iron piece fell off, landing in Obi-Wan's lap. He stared down at it, trying to comprehend how something so thick and heavy could have fit around his neck.

"Speak," Vader demanded.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.

"Padme...Padme didn't die on Mustafar," he swallowed. "I thought she would, but she survived for a little longer afterwards. Long enough to give birth to...to Leia," he winced.

"I was told that she could not be saved," Vader sneered. "Are you saying that was a lie?"

"I...I don't know who told you, Anakin," Obi-Wan frowned. "But whoever told you that, was not telling you the full truth. Yes, she died because of you, but it was not when you used the Force on her. It was because she could not go on without you. I used every medic droid that I could find, and each one told me that her vitals were all fine. It was the heartbreak that killed her."

"What proof do you have that this is not yet another lie?"

"I will wager my other leg on it."

Obi-Wan met Vader's eye defiantly.

"If the girl is not of your own blood," Obi-Wan said, "Then you may cut off my other leg, and my arms if you wish. But I know that she is the same child who I helped give birth to."

Vader stood still.

"And what if she is?" he hissed. "Why shouldn't I kill her?"

Obi-Wan inhaled shakily, choosing his next words carefully.

"I know you will not," he replied. "Because she is what remains of Padme."

Vader breathed in sharply, his vocoder emanating a strangled noise. He stumbled back, and looked behind him at Reva. Reva looked fearfully back at them, her eyes illuminated by the saber's red light.

"You should spare her," Obi-Wan exclaimed, and Vader turned towards him as if regarding him with suspicion. "She could be good with children," he offered.

Reva glowered at him, but the snarl was quickly wiped off her face when Vader approached her, breathing menacingly. She stared up at him, eyes wide.

Vader sneered and grabbed her by the right arm, roughly hauling her to her feet. Both of them stared at each other for a moment, then she glared at him and removed her arm from his grip.

"Go fetch the girl," Vader said. "She has to be moved."

Reva scowled.

"I am not a babysitter," she said, but he grabbed her shoulder and tightened his grip until she cried out in pain.

"You are not in a position to refuse any orders, Third Sister," he threatened. "You will do exactly as I say."

Grimacing, she waited until he let her go and backed away. "Fine," she hissed, and stomped away.

Vader turned back to face Obi-Wan. "You are not free to leave. But do not despair. If you are telling the truth, then your honesty will be rewarded."

Obi-Wan swallowed.

"However, if you are lying, I will find out. And I will kill both of you together."

With that, Vader turned around and walked away. Obi-Wan watched as as the black boots and long black cape strolled away and then disappeared entirely from his vision, leaving him in complete darkness.

Groaning, he fell back against the wall, letting out a breath he had been holding for much too long. As he stared up at the pitch blackness above him, he inhaled sharply, his veins still pumped full of adrenaline from the experience.

He had finally gambled his last card. But whether it was a winning ace or a killing blow, he did not know.

I'm sorry, Bail, he breathed. I'm so sorry.

Suddenly, his body became aware of the exhaustion that it had been warding off for so long. He collapsed against the wall, his neck slumping on his shoulder now that it was free of its shackle.

As he slept, he dreamed of a gentle hand stroking his cheek, the same way he had done on Mustafar to check on her. The brown-haired young woman in his vision peer intently and frowned at him, somewhat dismayed by the state he was in.

"He knows now," he told her. "He finally found out."

All she did was look back at him. He expected pity, disbelief, anger, even disgust. But instead, her expression was calm.

"I know," she said simply.

"Let go of me!" Leia screeched as Reva roughly grabbed her arm and lead her down the hallway. LOLA flitted after her nervously, growing anxious every time Reva gripped her too hard.

Reva turned around and glared back at her, increasing her pace. "No," she said. "Lord Vader has ordered me to move you."

"To move me?" Leia stared at her with wide eyes. "Are you...are you taking me to Ben?" she asked.

Reva shook her head and used her other arm to push a door open using the force. A few Purge Troopers who were standing guard flinched and turned to stare at her. "What are you looking at?" she shouted angrily, and they all immediately backed away.

Leia struggled to keep up with her. "I don't want to go," she cried out. "Take me back to the other room!" she yelled.

"You can't go back," Reva hissed.

They came across another staircase. Reva pushed her in front of her and made her walk up. Leia struggled, grabbing onto the stair railing with both hands. It was a struggle to walk up the tall steps with her smaller legs. She trembled, worrying that Reva would shove her, but they made it to the top and she simply grabbed her hand again. As they walked down another hallway, Leia stopped and turned towards her.

"Am...Am I going to be killed tonight?" Leia asked, her lip quivering.

Reva stared at her, eyes indifferent. Then, she turned away. "No," she replied.

Leia's eyes widened, and Reva tugged on her hand again, pulling her along. They continued to walk for a long while, and Leia began to feel tired, her pace growing slower. However, she was too afraid to ask Reva if they could stop. After some minutes, they finally came across a room that was secluded from the rest, kept behind a door carved out of pristine white marble that stood out against the drab black and grayness.

Leia took a deep breath. "Is this...my new room?" she asked.

Reva nodded silently, and waved her hand. The door opened instantly, revealing more darkness. LOLA vibrated and then settled on her shoulder, flitting her wings to let her know that she was there. Leia gulped, looking up at her, then slowly approached it. Reva followed her and closed the door after them. She then flipped a light switch, and the dark space was suddenly filled with light.

Most of the lamps in Fortress Vader were drab and utilitarian, just like the rest of its architecture. Vader preferred to keep the Fortress as dim as possible, and thus scorned the traditional setla lamps for bloggin-oil ones that barely cast any light. However, this room was illuminated by delicate, perfectly spherical wish globes that spun slowly. Some of them were framed by delicate gold cages, some floated in the air on their own, and two of them were held up by the bronzium hands of a metal statue depicting a winged goddess that she did not recognize. Leia could not help but reach out and put her fingers on one, half-expecting it to be hot, but instead it the surface was smooth and cool to the touch. LOLA flitted about and settled on one, buzzing peacefully.

Leia stared silently at the rest of the room. In the back was a large, tall bed, furnished with light-colored synthcloth linens. As she walked around, she realized that the room itself was in the shape of a circle. The walls were also made of white synthstone instead of obsidian. She had been expecting another claustrophobic cramped space, but the room that Vader had picked for her was enormous.

"What room is this?" she asked, confused. It looked nothing like the other parts of Fortress Vader. If anything, it reminded her of the architecture back on her home planet.

Reva looked back at her, eyes weary and worn out. The dark circles underneath them had begun to show even more.

"It is the only room in which Light still shines," she replied. "The room dedicated to the memory of Anakin Skywalker's secret wife."

"Anakin...who?"

"Vader's real name," Reva replied coldly.

Leia stared at her, incredulous. Neither of them spoke for several minutes.

"Why am I here?" she asked, confused. "I don't understand why I'm being given such an important room."

"Neither do I," Reva replied coldly. "But Lord Vader has insisted on moving you to a larger room. This will have to do."

Leia bit her lip nervously and looked down. LOLA buzzed. "Is...is Lord Vader still planning to interrogate me?" she asked.

"Yes."

Leia breathed in.

He must be trying to bribe me, she realized. There's no other reason why he would put me here.

"I won't give him any information about Ben," she said stubbornly. "I don't like him. I hate this room, he can have it back. Everything is too big for me."

"Oh, he doesn't care about him. You are all that matters."

"Me?" Leia asked, shocked.

"Yes, you."

"Why?"

"Because he thinks you are his daughter."

Leia immediately froze.

"No," she whispered, horrified.

Reva just looked back at her, tired.

"No," Leia said louder, then scrunched up her face with anger. "He can't be my father, there's no way-"

"I thought so too," Reva replied, "That Kenobi was desperately trying to make up a lie to save you. But he seems to believe it. It appears he really regretted the role he played in his wife's death." She sneered, looking a bit more like her usual self. "I suppose he must have loved her a lot, considering how much of her junk he kept around."

Leia frowned, confused. "But...if he loved her so much, then why would he kill her?"

"I don't know."

Leia backed away, trying to calm down, but she felt her heart shaking wildly.

I wish Daddy was here, she thought to herself, and her stomach lurched unpleasantly.

But he's not your father, a voice in the back of her mind spat. And you're not his real daughter.

Suddenly, she felt nauseous. She looked up at Reva, her vision slightly blurry.

"What?" Reva snapped, and Leia stared back at her with unfocused eyes.

Leia tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. She took a step forward and stumbled. Reva had to step forward and catch her. LOLA immediately flitted off of the wish globe she was resting on and zipped over to her, buzzing with concern.

"Hey!" Reva shouted, grabbing at her and trying to get a response from her. "What's wrong? Why are you-"

Leia's eyelashes fluttered open and shut as she tried to remember to breathe, but all she could feel was overwhelmed.

There's no way. He's not my father. Daddy is.

But you don't know that, the voice insisted. You never even met your real father. You don't know who he is.

LOLA made worried beeps into her ear, trying to call her back to consciousness. Leia blearily reopened her eyes to see LOLA flying right next to her face and Reva shouting something, although she couldn't make out the words. It took her a few seconds to register what she was saying.

"Stop doing that!" Reva yelled, her eyes wild with panic. "You can't do this to me! Stop acting weird!"

Leia blinked, and suddenly she became conscious of Reva's hands gripping her shoulders, digging into them painfully. With some effort, she forced her legs to work and got back up, using Reva to support herself. Reva watched her closely as she stood up straight, breathing deeply and brushing herself off.

"You can't do that," Reva said angrily. "I thought you were going to die!"

"I'm...sorry," Leia said, still breathing heavily. "I...I just felt weird," she said slowly.

Reva glared her. "Well, don't do it again!" she snapped, then turned around and stomped out angrily. She slammed the door shut loudly, and LOLA immediately let out a buzz of surprise and started to fly around her shoulders, checking up on her.

"I'm fine, LOLA," she said, although she was not completely truthful. LOLA continued to buzz anxiously for a few more minutes, until she finally shooed her away and she settled on the statue of the winged goddess. Leia stared up at it, trying to determine if it was some anonymous goddess, or if it was really the likeness of her mother. She could not tell.

He thinks you are his daughter.

She shook her head again. "I'm not," she said aloud, to no one in particular. "I'm Leia Organa, daughter of the Queen and Viceroy of Alderaan. I am not his child," she yelled. Her words echoed slightly off the synthstone walls, bouncing back to her. Overwhelmed, she sat down on the floor, staring up at the winged goddess.

"He will never be my father," she said, determined. "I hate him. I hate him. I hate him."

She wanted to tear the silk linens from the bed and rip them into pieces. She wanted to grab the spinning wish globes and throw them against the walls, breaking them into a million little pieces. She wanted to push the bronzium statues onto the floor and kick them away. She wanted to scream and throw all of them back at Vader's face and tell him what she really thought of him. His generosity was worthless to her, not while he still kept Ben and Ahsoka prisoners.

In a fit of anger, she stomped over to the winged statue and put both of her hands on it, trying to push it over. But it was too heavy. Annoyed, she grabbed one of the wish globes that it was holding and held it up, ready to throw it on the floor and smash it.

I suppose he must have loved her a lot.

She froze and stopped, lowering her hands so she could look at the wishglobe. She could see her reflection in its glowing surface, staring back at her with unsure eyes.

She was still angry and full of hatred towards Vader. But she could not bring herself to destroy the beautiful decorations that his wife had loved with all of her heart.

She turned to stare the statue of the winged goddess, the one which she did not know if it was based on her mother's likeness or not. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to destroy your wish globe... I'll put it back."

Carefully, with LOLA's help, she placed the wish globe back in its hands, and it started spinning again on its own.

Embarrassed, Leia wiped her face and walked slowly to the bed.

Anakin...Skywalker.

My name is Skywalker.

Leia scrunched up her face again, conflicted. "No. My name is Organa," she said. "I am an Organa."

But she could not deny the curiosity that was now welling up inside of her.

Many hours passed, and Vader did not come for her. A Purge Trooper came by with a tray of food and helped install some simple synthetic fiber-grown furniture that was more suitable for her small size, but no one else sent for her. The polymer fiber chairs did not seem particularly stable, but since she barely weighed anything, it did not matter. Leia ate her dinner by herself at the flimsy fiber-grown table and then wrapped herself with several layers of synthcloth blankets, rocking herself back and forth, trying to remain calm.

What will he do now that he thinks I am his daughter?

Will he take me with him? Or is he going to try to kill me?

What will he do if he finds out the truth? Will he kill Ben?

Worried, she crawled back into bed and covered her face with a pillow.

Ben...Ben, she cried silently. I wish you were here.

That night, she slept fitfully. As she did, she alternated between dreams and nightmares. In the dreams, she ran back to her father and hugged him, hiding her face in his chest. Then, she ran to her mother and kissed her on the cheek, seeing Ben watching over her shoulder. In the dreams, Ben smiled warmly and had no burns or scars on his skin. When she ran to him, he picked her up and held her tightly in his arms, rubbing her back reassuringly to let her know that he was there. Ahsoka was there, too, smiling and no longer in any pain.

In the nightmares, she tried to run to her father and he pushed her away, looking at her as if she was a stranger. "You're not my real daughter," he said. "I don't know you." She screamed and cried, grabbing onto his clothes, begging him to remember her. "I am, I am!" she insisted, but he shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't know you." And when she looked up at him, he had transformed into Vader, tall and menacing and clad entirely in black. She tried to run away from him, but he grabbed her with that horrifying gloved hand and refused to let her go. In those nightmares, Ben and Ahsoka laid at her feet, cold and dead, not responding to her cries for help.

During the nightmares, Leia let out small cries and gasps, thrashing in the bed and sitting up in a panic. She tried to lie back down and go back to sleep, but every time she found herself back in the same place, screaming herself awake. Still trying to find some rest, she laid back down and covered her face with the blanket, trying to block out her surroundings.

I'm never going to sleep, she thought to herself, frustrated. However, she closed her eyes again and made another attempt.

This time, her dreams were different. She was no longer surrounded by her family, or Ben and Ahsoka. Instead, she was lying in an open field, surrounded by beautiful flowers. Next to her, she felt someone stroke her hair softly. At first, she flinched, thinking it might be Vader, but this person's touch was gentle and calming. She stood still, and they continued to brush out her hair, letting it loose from her usual braids.

Mom, she wanted to say. Mom. Mom!

Leia tried to turn around, to see what she looked like, but she could barely see. All she got was a faint impression of a very beautiful woman. She opened her mouth, trying to call her name, but the woman just smiled at her mysteriously and brought her finger to her lips in a secretive motion.

Placated, Leia turned back around and laid her head in her lap. She did not know why, but she trusted the strange woman. And so, she let her continue to touch her hair, and did not move. They stayed together for a long time. Leia's eyes eventually fluttered close, and she finally was able to sleep for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Reva herself knocked on her door and walked in holding her breakfast. "Lord Vader is back from his mission," she said. "He will speak to you once he is ready. Eat fast."

Slowly, Leia got off her bed and walked to the table where Reva had deposited the tray of food. She picked up a spoon and started to eat the plain root paste, then hesitated and put it back down.

"When he's done interrogating me, is he going to kill me?" she asked.

"I don't know."

Leia swallowed. "I'm not hungry," she said. "Take this away, please."

Annoyed, Reva grabbed the tray from her. "I'm not a service droid," she warned. "If you get hungry afterwards, there won't be anything else to eat."

With that, she stomped out, leaving Leia by herself.

Leia took a deep breath and looked in the Coruscantium mirror, fixing her braids so they looked more presentable. Once she was finished, she sat down to wait. LOLA activated and flew over to her, landing in her lap. She stroked her wings absentmindedly, thinking about the dream she had last night.

I wonder if the woman from my dreams was my mother, she thought to herself. Did Vader really love her? If so...why would he kill her?

Her throat felt dry. She swallowed, realizing the inevitable.

I guess the only real way to find out is to ask him myself.