THE FORCE OF LOVE
Luke Skywalker had fallen to his knees in the courtyard of the Jedi temple at Yavin. His entire mind, body and soul were wracked with overwhelming grief. Mara was gone. He had lost his love, his life, his light. Not only taken from him but by his own flesh and blood. Jacen Solo or Darth Cadeous his Sith name had viciously cut her down. Luke’s shoulders shook and his throat and eyes burned from gutwrenching sobs. How could he go on? So many memories spun through his mind as he mourned his beloved wife.
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He still saw Mara as she looked on their wedding day. She glowed with a happy radiance as she glided down the aisle. Dressed in a simple sleeveless gown, made from a sheer silky fabric, that hugged her curves as she approached her new husband. He could not take his eyes off her and found it next to impossible to concentrate on the words of the minister as he drank in every feature of his stunning wife. Somehow he managed to reply when the minister asked if he was willing to bond his life, his heart and his soul to Mara. He murmured, ‘I am’ without taking his eyes from the extraordinary brilliance of her emerald eyes.
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Their fifth wedding anniversary had been a memorable night. Mara had decided to surprise Luke with a home cooked dinner. Cooking had never been her strong suit. But the effort she had put into the meal touched his heart. As they sat down to eat a shrieking alarm sounded. Suddenly their apartment door was slammed open as emergency droids charged in wielding fire suppression canisters. They headed for the kitchen where plumes of smoke were billowing from the pot Mara had left on. By the time the fire had been doused and the entire apartment reeked of the suppression powder used by the droids Mara sat at the table looking distressed. Luke smiled at her trying to cheer her up. Suddenly he could contain his laughter no more and burst into peals of laughter at the hilarity of the situation. Mara glared, for a moment he feared for his life. Then he saw her lip quirk up and shortly both of them were rolling around on the floor overcome with laughter. Their laughter only ended when Luke passionately kissed his wife and soon the mess in the kitchen was forgotten as more pressing needs took their attention.
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He remembered the months of torturous worry that followed Mara being infected with a spore virus. The regular trips to the Coruscant Medical Centre when her health would spiral downward. The hours that Luke sat at her bedside holding her hand and praying to the maker to spare her. Then his overwhelming relief and joy when she not only recovered but discovered she was pregnant.
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The birth of their beloved son Ben still stood out in his mind as one of the most joyous and humbling experience of his life. He was unable to stop the tears running down his face as he gazed at his beautiful wife and small, perfect son.
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He remembered their shared pride when Ben showed early signs of remarkable force ability. He was so proud of his small family as he watched Mara teaching Ben the physical defensive techniques that had protected her for most of her life. Ben drank in everything they taught him eagerly. Luke knew at a very early age that Ben was going to be a powerful Jedi. He just hoped his son would develop the judgment and the discretion to use his abilities wisely.
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So many memories, so many amazing moments. The passion they shared heightened by their joint force ability kept their marriage eternally fresh. The connection they shared through the force had never ceased to amaze him. He could not help but remember his disastrous relationships with Gaerial and Callista. Both of those women had possessed force ability and although he had cared deeply for them he had never experienced the type of bond he shared with Mara. Both of them knew each other intimately, their hopes, their fears, their failures and their joys. Luke often thought this bond was the definition of true love, to know everything about another person and not even consider turning away. Now he had lost her. From a simple act of malice and greed. It had been Mara who had first discovered Jacen had turned to the dark side. It had also been Mara who had decided to hunt him down before he destroyed the lives of those closest to him. And Mara had paid the price.
Luke rose to his feet, exhausted from his emotional catharsis. He turned and slowly walked inside the temple. His shoulders were still slumped and his feet felt like they weighed a ton as he struggled to move forward. Quite unconsciously he found himself entering their bed chamber. He stared at their large bed as a massive lump came into his throat. Walking to the bed he could not stop himself from taking the pillow Mara had used and hugging it to his body. The scent she wore rose to his nostrils and triggered his crushing grief again. He threw himself onto the bed, his body wracked with sobs. Finally when he had cried himself out he became aware of a change in the force. He slowly sat up glancing around their darkening chamber. His breath caught in his throat as he saw an ephemeral vision of his wife sitting on the sofa they had spent hours cuddling each other and sharing their love. Luke rubbed his eyes sure his grief had created a hallucination. But she was still there, a small smile playing about her lips.
‘Mara’ he murmured rising to his feet and rushing to where she was sitting.
She held a hand up stopping his momentum. ‘Luke you know you can’t touch me in this state.’
He stood and nodded staring at her trying to imprint her vision into his memory. He lowered himself onto the other end of the sofa. She smiled at him,
‘So farmboy what are you thinking?’
Luke shuddered, ‘What am I thinking?’ he replied, ‘I’m thinking I want to grind Jacen Solo into bantha fodder.’
Mara sat forward her eyes locking on Luke’s, ‘You taught me to never use the force in anger, fear or aggression.’
He snorted derisively as he rose and began to pace, his hand dragging through his hair until it stuck up everywhere. Mara smiled as she watched her husband. His gentility, his sensitivity and his honesty made him the most unlikely spouse for her she could imagine. But she knew two people had never been more perfect for each other. Her heart ached for the months of grief and loneliness she knew Luke was about to go through. But she also knew if he went ahead and attacked or killed Jacen Solo for revenge he would never forgive himself. While Mara really didn’t care what happened to that loathsome little Sith she adored her husband and she never wanted him to spend one moment of his life hating himself for his actions. Mara had been down this road, her role as The Emperor’s hand had led her to perform acts she could not forgive herself for. It was only Luke’s love that helped her to feel comfortable with herself again. She also knew that Ben was going to need his father more than ever now. This knowledge made her determined to reach Luke and try to help him find his centre.
‘Luke,’ she said softly, ‘please stop pacing.’
He turned gazing at her a mixture of pain, frustration and anger in his expression. Mara rose and slowly walked toward him until only a few inches separated them. Luke felt a cold wave over him but he did not, would not step away. Mara raised her hand palm outward. Luke slowly did the same and moved his hand forward until they were almost touching. Mara’s spirit glowed and he felt a surge of love, comfort and warmth flowing from her force energy to his. For the first time for days since finding Mara’s body Luke felt his back straighten. He knew the days, weeks and months ahead would be a difficult and painful time. But now he knew he had the strength to cope with it. The strength he knew he would need to be there for their son.
Mara smiled at him knowing that he had found the strength to go on. She stepped back away from him and stood for a moment gazing at the man who had changed her life,
‘I love you Luke, don’t ever forget that.’
Luke nodded, his throat constricted again. She turned and slowly walked away from him her image gradually fading as she was absorbed into the force.