The Fate of Angels

4. A Family Affair

"Where there is love there is life."

- Mahatama Gandhi 

The twins both grow quiet and backpedal the other way at the sight of these unwelcome visitors and Luke mutters something under his breath while Leia rolls her eyes slightly. "Would you be quiet? I was going to win this round anyway" She whispers while yanking on the tip of her brother's sleeve.

They are not going to make this easy. I slide down to knees to get on their eye level and study them intently, their innocent expressions of mirth dulling the anxiety. Vader and his company are watching this and they're probably having a good laugh at how feeble my attempts to make this mundane are but I'd rather keep the twins out of this or at least divert their worries. "Okay you two, we're going to play a fun game, it's like hide and seek but a little different. Your both going to run and hide somewhere in your room, make sure to lock the door and I'll count and give you lots of time to hide and then I'll come look for you. The trick of the game is that you can't open the door for anyone else but me, okay?" I explain, trying to at least sound like it's going to be a game, to get them interested. Luke and Leia share a glance between each other and nod eagerly, "We're pretty good at these games" Leia chirps as she turns to give me a quick hug before going inside. Luke follows more uneasily and I can tell he's not so easily fooled. They scamper inside and I watch them go, tearing my gaze away when their out of sight, hopefully locking the door in their room by now.

Truthfully, I've never really thought about what to do in a situation like this, I try to be optimistic and not even think about it as if thinking leads to it actually happening. Vader doesn't seem keen on hurrying things up as he's talking with a group of men. Obviously they've found reason to be suspicious, they wouldn't travel out here for nothing, not all the way out in the isolated parts of the grasslands. I shift uneasily as the second most powerful man in the galaxy raises his hand and the men go scurrying off in different directions and weirdly enough, none of those directions is my house. It's small and cozy, nothing grand but I'm relieved that they aren't going to go tearing things about, it would only frighten the twins and make a mess of things. Unfortunately the reprieve doesn't last long and Vader marches over, his black cloak snapping at his heels, the soft whir of the respirator carried on the breeze. Anyone that's ever stood in front of him would understand when I liken it to staring death in the face, practically no one has had a conversation with Vader and lived to tell the tale. 

"Identify yourself" He barks and it's hard to even pick up a trace of human in the automated voice that spills out of the mask but it's there, just a bit recognizable. Who's under that mask? Is it someone I know from the days of the Republic or a stranger? Probably better I don't know, I already feel bad enough for them as it must be a lonely life stuck inside that suit. I eye him for a minute before exhaling, I just need to make the most of this and stall for a bit, maybe they'll even forget about the twins and that's all that matters. "Rose Erian" It's a really dumb disguise name but I'd always liked the name Rose and when I was younger, Sola and I had imagined life with different names and I'd always chosen the name Rose. It had a soft sound to it and I'd even considered naming Leia Rose or Ryoo, after some sort of flower. I'd only ever told Anakin that I'd liked the name Rose and he'd laughed like it was the funniest thing in the galaxy, according to him, I did not look like Rose at all and that was a good thing because Rose was a weak name, whatever that means. It had sounded like a safe name, generic and boring but now after saying it aloud, it just sounded ridiculous. I can't see under the mask but from the amused note in his tone, I'm fairly sure he's smirking. "Okay, is that the name of your pet? Because I'm quite certain that's not your real name and it's not a good idea to lie to me" He rumbles, crossing his arms over his chest stiffly.  I debate over his words for a brief moment, deciding that I have nothing else to lose but he'll most likely think I'm lying as well since I'm about to give the name of a five-year ghost. "Padmé Amidala."