Bittersweet Devotion [Star Wars x Anakin Skywalker]

30.

"Look your 'worshipfullness' lets get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person. Me!" -Han Solo

When Rain finally managed to peel her eyes open, she thought she was dead. Everything around her was bathed in a soft white light, like the ethereal glow of puffy clouds that stretched endlessly in every direction.

"This must be heaven," she thought to herself, her mind still foggy from the cold and the injury. But as her vision sharpened, the world around her began to solidify into something more tangible, more real. The soft white was not the afterlife, but rather the cold, unforgiving ice that surrounded her on all sides. The cave she was in was a natural cathedral of frozen beauty, with towering walls of crystalline ice that glistened in the dim light. Stalactites, sharp and foreboding, hung from the ceiling like the teeth of some ancient beast, their surfaces catching and reflecting the pale light in a dazzling array of colors.

She was in a cave, a shelter from the deadly storm outside, the remnants of which still howled faintly beyond the thick walls of ice.

But how did I get here? Rain wondered, her thoughts sluggish as she tried to piece together the events that had led her to this place. The last thing she remembered was the feeling of the ground rushing up to meet her, the wind whipping at her face as she plunged into the icy abyss. The memory of the impact made her wince, and she raised a hand to her head, feeling the rough texture of bandages wrapped tightly around her skull.

Someone had found her. Someone had saved her.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, she closed her eyes and reached out with the Force, seeking any signs of life within the cold embrace of the cave. The air was thick with silence, broken only by the occasional drip of melting ice and the faint crackling of a small fire nearby. For a moment, she feared she was alone, that her rescuer had abandoned her, but then she felt it—a presence, strong and familiar, yet distant and veiled, like a shadow standing just beyond the reach of her senses.

Someone was with her, watching, waiting.

With great effort, Rain carefully pushed herself up into a sitting position, every movement sending sharp pains shooting through her body. She dragged herself over to the nearest ice wall, leaning heavily against it as she tried to catch her breath. The cold from the ice seeped through her jacket, making her shiver uncontrollably, but the discomfort was nothing compared to the agony she felt in her ribs and head.

Her jacket was still damp from the snow, the cold fabric clinging to her skin. It dawned on her that she couldn't have been in the cave for long. Or perhaps the cold had kept her jacket from drying. She wasn't sure, but the urgency of her situation began to sink in. Luke and Leia must be searching for her, but without her radio or GPS, she had no way to reach them. Desperation gnawed at her insides.

"Dammit," she muttered, leaning her head back against the ice. The pain flared up immediately, making her groan aloud. She had forgotten about her head injury, and now it was impossible to ignore.

There was a rustle of movement somewhere deeper in the cave, the sound echoing off the icy walls. Rain's senses went on high alert, her heart pounding in her chest as she strained to see who—or what—was approaching. Her vision blurred slightly from the pain, but she could make out the silhouette of a figure cloaked in shadow, moving with a deliberate, almost predatory grace.

"Who's there?" she croaked out, her voice hoarse from the frigid air that had torn at her throat earlier.

The hooded figure emerged from the shadows, their face obscured by the deep cowl of their cloak. The firelight flickered across the figure's form, casting long, wavering shadows on the walls of the cave. Rain's heart raced, fear gripping her as she imagined the worst. Was this some enemy who had tracked her down to finish the job?