Fic: Veil of Shadows, 7/13, PG-13
Title: Veil of Shadows
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Category: AU, angst, romance
Timeframe: OT; around time of ANH
Summary: A strange tale where the good guys are bad, the Empire has won, and a Sith adept pursues the girl of his nightmares.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
~~
7. Whisper
Eight Years Ago
“I’ve seen you sleep.”
Luke frowned at her over his spoon. “No you haven’t.”
Leia nodded somberly. “I have. In my head.”
Luke put the spoon in his mouth, gulping down porridge that was already too cold. She pretended not to notice him gag it down. “I don’t believe you,” he declared loudly, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “I think you’re lying.”
She glanced over to his right where Kyle and Corran were sitting silently, watching them. Kyle nodded his head at Luke and smirked at Leia. Luke felt his face grow hot at the older boy’s approval. He had waited so long for this.
But Leia didn’t back down or draw inside herself. Instead she leaned forward and whispered in Luke’s ear.
“I see you cry for your mother. You don’t even know who she is.”
Luke slammed his fists on the table and stood up, shoving his face close to hers. “Take that back.”
“Whoa there, easy, Starkiller,” Kyle said with a laugh. “We haven’t even finished breakfast.”
Leia stared unflinching into his eyes. I see you cry.
I’ll kill you.
You will try.
Leia smiled at him, a peculiar little smile that he had never understood the meaning of. Maybe it was mocking him. How dare she mock him? So what if she knew who her parents were? So what if she happened to remember them? Everyone knew they were Rebel traitors, the worst kind of scum. If he could have killed her with a look he would have done it right there.
“You’ll pay for that, Organa,” he hissed, placing special emphasis on her treacherous family name.
Leia shrugged. “Perhaps.” Then she walked away.
~~
Now
He watched Mara’s shoulders sway with each breath. She was much smaller lying there than she had been while awake. He crawled slowly across the cave and sat down at her side, staring at her tightly-bound red hair. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but something stopped him. Just this morning he had been so consumed by his desire for her that he had flown halfway across the galaxy to see her. He would have given anything to touch her, to hold her. As one of the chosen adepts, there was little that was denied him. And now here she was, centimeters away, and he couldn’t give in.
Luke shook his head and returned to his side of the cave. He leaned against the wall and gently smacked the back of his head against it. “Stupid,” he muttered in disgust. “Weak, stupid…” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After five seconds, he exhaled forcefully and allowed himself to sink into a slightly more comfortable position. Within a few minutes, he was asleep.
~~
As soon as Starkiller began to snore, Mara opened her eyes. It had been difficult to conceal that she was awake, especially when he had approached her like that, getting close enough that she could feel his breath across her skin. Another minute or two of that and she would have had him in a headlock.
Mara remained still, letting her gaze wander about the cave. The dying fire cast pale tendrils of light across the walls. The aggressiveness of those tendrils sent a shiver through Mara’s spine, and she reached instinctively for her abdomen.
“It’s okay,” she whispered softly. “Everything’s going to be all right.” The words were mostly for her benefit; there was something oddly reassuring about talking to the thing that was growing inside of her.
It’s not a thing, she reminded herself. It’s a baby.
It was still hard to believe, but she was more accepting of it now than she had been back when her master had given her the news.
Mara extended her senses across and beyond the cave. Everything was quiet. She could feel distant hints of violence and aggression, but for once they were directed elsewhere, perhaps at each other. She hadn’t planned on sleeping tonight, but after two straight days of vigilance, she could feel her body giving in.
Good night, little one, she whispered through the Force, touching the tiny lifeform as gently as she knew how. Mara wrapped one arm around her midsection and closed her eyes.
~~
The hunter smiled. Dawn was approaching.
~~
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Category: AU, angst, romance
Timeframe: OT; around time of ANH
Summary: A strange tale where the good guys are bad, the Empire has won, and a Sith adept pursues the girl of his nightmares.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
~~
7. Whisper
Eight Years Ago
“I’ve seen you sleep.”
Luke frowned at her over his spoon. “No you haven’t.”
Leia nodded somberly. “I have. In my head.”
Luke put the spoon in his mouth, gulping down porridge that was already too cold. She pretended not to notice him gag it down. “I don’t believe you,” he declared loudly, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “I think you’re lying.”
She glanced over to his right where Kyle and Corran were sitting silently, watching them. Kyle nodded his head at Luke and smirked at Leia. Luke felt his face grow hot at the older boy’s approval. He had waited so long for this.
But Leia didn’t back down or draw inside herself. Instead she leaned forward and whispered in Luke’s ear.
“I see you cry for your mother. You don’t even know who she is.”
Luke slammed his fists on the table and stood up, shoving his face close to hers. “Take that back.”
“Whoa there, easy, Starkiller,” Kyle said with a laugh. “We haven’t even finished breakfast.”
Leia stared unflinching into his eyes. I see you cry.
I’ll kill you.
You will try.
Leia smiled at him, a peculiar little smile that he had never understood the meaning of. Maybe it was mocking him. How dare she mock him? So what if she knew who her parents were? So what if she happened to remember them? Everyone knew they were Rebel traitors, the worst kind of scum. If he could have killed her with a look he would have done it right there.
“You’ll pay for that, Organa,” he hissed, placing special emphasis on her treacherous family name.
Leia shrugged. “Perhaps.” Then she walked away.
~~
Now
He watched Mara’s shoulders sway with each breath. She was much smaller lying there than she had been while awake. He crawled slowly across the cave and sat down at her side, staring at her tightly-bound red hair. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but something stopped him. Just this morning he had been so consumed by his desire for her that he had flown halfway across the galaxy to see her. He would have given anything to touch her, to hold her. As one of the chosen adepts, there was little that was denied him. And now here she was, centimeters away, and he couldn’t give in.
Luke shook his head and returned to his side of the cave. He leaned against the wall and gently smacked the back of his head against it. “Stupid,” he muttered in disgust. “Weak, stupid…” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After five seconds, he exhaled forcefully and allowed himself to sink into a slightly more comfortable position. Within a few minutes, he was asleep.
~~
As soon as Starkiller began to snore, Mara opened her eyes. It had been difficult to conceal that she was awake, especially when he had approached her like that, getting close enough that she could feel his breath across her skin. Another minute or two of that and she would have had him in a headlock.
Mara remained still, letting her gaze wander about the cave. The dying fire cast pale tendrils of light across the walls. The aggressiveness of those tendrils sent a shiver through Mara’s spine, and she reached instinctively for her abdomen.
“It’s okay,” she whispered softly. “Everything’s going to be all right.” The words were mostly for her benefit; there was something oddly reassuring about talking to the thing that was growing inside of her.
It’s not a thing, she reminded herself. It’s a baby.
It was still hard to believe, but she was more accepting of it now than she had been back when her master had given her the news.
Mara extended her senses across and beyond the cave. Everything was quiet. She could feel distant hints of violence and aggression, but for once they were directed elsewhere, perhaps at each other. She hadn’t planned on sleeping tonight, but after two straight days of vigilance, she could feel her body giving in.
Good night, little one, she whispered through the Force, touching the tiny lifeform as gently as she knew how. Mara wrapped one arm around her midsection and closed her eyes.
~~
The hunter smiled. Dawn was approaching.
~~