Day 8-- Wishes Are Horses Today
Title: Wishes Are Horses Today
Author: Patriciatepes (Patricia de Lioncourt FFNET and PatriciaLouise TTH)
Fandom: Star Wars
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Set pre-series to both Buffy and Star Wars (pre the original trilogy, that is, probably ignoring much of the EU in the process). Palpatine's anger was great, even at a young age. So great, that it reached out across the galaxies to a very particular demon.
Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Star Wars. All the characters belong to their respective owners, making no money here.
Word Count: ~900
A/N: Found this pairing, D'Hoffryn and Palpatine, in the FFA and this is what spawned. Also, I'm using this to fill my hc-bingo square, abuse. And I was really worried I wouldn't be able to come up with a Star Wars xover this year… glad I was wrong about that.
Wishes Are Horses Today
D'Hoffryn would have never expected this. Not in all his years of existence-and that was quite a long time. No, he primarily operated in the Milky Way galaxy. But this cry of anger… this unfiltered need for vengeance traveled through space. It touched D'Hoffryn as surely as if the person was on Earth, instead of a supremely distance planet known as Naboo. This, D'Hoffryn had to see. For this, he would not reveal himself immediately. He had to see the cause of such anger for himself.
He arrived, hidden from normal sight on a plane of existence just slightly out of tune with everyone else, and found himself in the middle of a fine dining room. The space was very open, a long table set in the middle of the grand room. The place where a wall should have been erected had, instead, nothing but columns, opening up the space to the beautiful sights of a large, glistening lake. But D'Hoffryn had little time to take in the scenery. Instead, he was focused on the two men in the room… well, man and child. The child was on the floor, his right hand clasped over his right cheek, eyes stinging with tears he was unwilling to shed-judging by the set of his jaw-as the older man-clearly the boy's father as they both shared the same eyes, red hair, and jaw-line-loomed over.
"Pathetic. Is that the sort of image you want for our House? We have a great name to protect, but all my eldest wants to do is run off to join the Jedi. They overlooked you for a reason, son. They'll not take you now, as they didn't take you then."
The younger boy seemed to mull over his words, gingerly taking his hand away from his face. The skin was already turning purple and swelling. He pursed his lips, glaring up at his father.
"You would've been proud to have your eldest son become a Jedi. I've heard you say it to Mother. But now you deny me the right to travel to Coruscant and ask for a second chance?"
The boy's father pulled back his hand, balling it into a fist as he brought it across the boy's other cheek. The boy cried out with the impact, falling back completely on the floor. D'Hoffryn shook his head. He'd seen enough.
The demon made himself scarce until later that evening, when the boy was outside on the veranda, completely alone. He was leaned over the small wall, staring blankly out at the lake that still seemed to glisten in the moonlight.
"Has your father always treated you so?" D'Hoffryn asked, appearing just behind the boy.
He gasped, turning. D'Hoffryn knew that his appearance, while alarming on Earth, would not bother the boy. After all, the other species of the planet were an aquatic race. He folded the arms of his robes together, moving to stand beside the boy, whose eyes-both healing thanks to the very advanced medicine of the planet-never left him.
"What's your name?" D'Hoffryn asked the boy, since he had not spoken yet.
"Cos," he spat. "But I'd rather you call me Palpatine."
"Your familial name? Now, that's surprise, considering…"
Palpatine turned, crossing his arms over the wall. He seemed to stop caring where D'Hoffryn had come from, which was fine by the demon. Decisions like that often made his job easier. He turned so that he faced out toward the lake as well.
"My family is a great one. My father is the only problem. He's weak, spineless. He wants power, but will do nothing to achieve it."
"Bark worse than his bite sort, huh?"
Palpatine's brow furrowed, clearly not understanding the phrase. D'Hoffryn pressed on.
"So he beats you. Because he is disappointed?"
Now, Palpatine turned back to his visitor.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"My name is D'Hoffryn, and I felt your pain. Your great anger. It is truly powerful. It pierced galaxies."
If the demon wasn't mistaken, he saw the boy's chest swell with pride just then. When the moment passed, Palpatine turned back toward the lake.
"And? That means nothing."
"Nonsense. It means power. You are strong. And you can have everything you'd ever want… including vengeance on your father's mistreatment of you."
He considered his words, eyes never leaving the water. D'Hoffryn watched him closely. The demon had been in the business of vengeance for eons, and he could tell when a wish was about to come true. And that moment happened with Palpatine. D'Hoffryn saw it. The exact moment when the boy dared to hope for everything he'd ever dreamed of and more. He saw it when the boy's eyes drifted upward, toward the star-dotted sky. The demon smiled.
"What is it that you wish, young Palpatine?"
A smile spread over his face, and a dark light lit his eyes.
"I wish… for the power to achieve my every ambition. I wish for it all. I want nothing less."
D'Hoffryn grinned. "Done."
He left, as he always did, after the granting of a wish. But, when he last checked in on Palpatine, so many years later, he discovered a handful of things. A couple of which had been Palpatine's father's untimely death and his election to the Senate as the representative of Naboo. It warmed D'Hoffryn's heart when a wish went just right.
End Notes: I did extensive searching for Palpatine's first name… and landed on a fan favorite. So, yeah, there it is. Also, while Palpatine was busy making the galaxy miserable as Emperor… you've gotta admit that he, at least, was probably happy.