On the Wings of Valkyrie

Chapter CLXXVI

The sky was clear and the sun was bright when the Shadow landed on Chandrila. Luna found herself disliking the lovely weather, silently hating how bright the sun was and how cloudless the sky had decided to be. Leia and Han were waiting with some Rebel guards on the landing pad to welcome them. They looked content.

Luna tried to be happy for them despite the sour taste in her mouth, falsifying an expression of normality while she had the droids grab the prisoner. The girl had managed a believable smile by the time she descended the ramp and was welcomed by the couple, the Rebel guards taking over Ramsey's guard in the background.

Time seemed to warp around her. Physically Luna was there as she and Padmé were led to their new quarters. Distantly she heard that Luke and Ahsoka would be arriving that afternoon.

Then the afternoon was there. It was like time travel, but only forward.

Ahsoka arrived first on the Artemis Illusion; Cerberus in tow. He didn't seem to recognize Luna, a fact which managed to stab what was left of her heart with a blunt knife and crack her crafted expression. It was with great effort of will that the girl didn't burst into tears then and there.

Later, came Luke. A family dinner was held, making Luna feel ever more like a detached stranger. She didn't fully know what everyone was up to, and in full honesty didn't care enough to listen. Physically, Luna was sitting at the table with them, but mentally she was lost somewhere in space. The girl just wanted to be alone in her room. Her social battery had been drained long ago.

"Hey, Luna, could you hold up a second?" Luke asked, drawing the girl in question out of the fog of her mind and pausing her escape down the hallway towards her room. Dinner had ended, though she didn't know about much else, if there had been any after dinner plans. Regardless, she wasn't going to stick around.

"What?" Luna asked, barely managing to make herself not sound annoyed.

"I just want to give you something," he said, striding to her side in less than a moment. He was holding a wooden box, looked almost like a large jewelry case. "Here. We thought it would only be right for you to have them."

Them? Luna repeated in her mind, a small frown of confusion briefly dancing over her features as Luke passed the decorative wooden case to her. She opened the box to find two lightsabers laying inside. This time, Luna couldn't stop the tears welling in her eyes because she knew them on sight.

How could she not know her Master's lightsabers?

"Thank you," Luna managed to choke out in something resembling a normal speaking voice, struggling to hold it in for a moment longer.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here to listen. We all are," Luke told her. The girl forced a nod as she shut the box.

"I'll.... I'll keep that in mind," Luna said, her voice shaking. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he returned, but she was already walking down the hall, barely keeping herself from running.

The moment the door to her room closed, Luna sunk to the floor, holding the box to her chest as though it was a lifeline as sobs shuddered through her.