sidestep↠luke skywalker

V: Chapter 4

Malia was involuntarily up before dawn. Nightmares awoke her from her slumber. She wasn't sure what was worse, the dream itself, or the terror of waking up without Luke.

By the looks of the sky it was just past 3 AM. The rain had let up, so Malia decided to step outside and look around.

The balcony she stood on was completely made of marble. Circular gold details were carved in the center, and lines were painted delicately upon tall columns.

This place was huge. Malia had never seen anything like it in her life. Her quarters were enormous. The bed was circular, and alone it was large enough to comfortably fit Han,Leia,Luke,herself, and maybe even Chewie. It was probably the nicest bed she had ever slept in.

The lavish lifestyle was foreign to Malia. She wouldn't want to live like this forever, but she could stand a few days.

Her brain was fried from hours of endless thinking, so she thought of simple things. Like what she might eat for breakfast, or how she might explore the planet after the sun rose.

Fingers ran across the cold railing of the balcony. Her brunette hair was disheveled, and one strap of her black tank top was beginning to slip off. Looking up at three moons, Malia sighed.

It was when her gaze dropped slightly downward she noticed something peculiar.

Smoke.

The same tugging feeling she got on Tatooine made a reappearance. She had to go. Quickly, Malia grabbed the brown jacket she had brought with her. The scoundrel had to leave through the back entrance to avoid being spotted by guards.

She hiked through hills and up the mountain side as if it was nothing. When she emerged from a forest, there was a small village.

The few residents crowded around a large bonfire. They were humming a song. There was an immense sorrowful feeling. She put one foot forward, almost in a trance like state from the ritual like behavior.

"Who are you?" An elder woman spoke up, making Malia realize she was actually there and not just observing on a holo-projecter.

The Scoundrel blinked a few times. "I'm Malia, what is this place?" She said, her voice somber. The brunette hated the feeling she got when she was here.

"Saolas. I'm Synalbra, leader of this village." The elder spoke up. She stepped forward, the light from the fire making her features more apparent.

Synalbra had brown hair, and dark black eyes. Her profile was strong. The villagers eyes Malia, waiting for response. Her eyes were fixated on something else.

Directly in front of the young woman was a hut. The one from her dreams. "Nausikaa?" She muttered under her breath. "What did you say?" Synalbra asked, her harsh demeanor wavering.
"Nausikaa, where is she?"

"Dead. For at least 17 years now."

"Oh."

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Malia."

The villagers shifted. "You're her." Synalbra stated. Malia was used to this reaction in Cantina's or while she was working, but the context of this interaction confused her.

"Nausikaa. She brought you here when you were just a babe." Synalbra explained. "The Empire killed her, didn't they?" The words were bitter in her mouth. Yet again, someone significant to Malia was taken by the Empire.

"This is how we pay rememberance to her. We hold this ceremony in rememberance every year. We owe Nausikaa more than we got to repay her. She founded and protected this village." A girl slightly younger than Malia interjected. "That's my daughter, Faryn." Synalbra clarified.

Malia cleared her throat, "May I uh, look around?" Synalbra nodded, "Go ahead, you are a friend to us."

The brunette nodded her head in thanks. The community returned to singing their hymn. She head straight to the hut.

The moment she entered, she felt a piercing pain. Images from the night Nausikaa was killed flashed into her head. She clutched her head in pain as if that would make it stop.

The alarming images vanished from her mind. Malia took a moment to breath and regain composure. As she looked around the home she noticed everything was dusty. It looked untouched, blood still stained the rugs. Perhaps the people of Saolas refused to occupy the hut or clean it.

Behind her Malia heard the door creak open. In the frame stood the stout figure of Synalbra.

"Be careful dearest Malia."

More images invaded her mind. They weren't just of Nausikaa, it was Nausikaa and a younger version of her mother. She tried to mask the disturbance.

"Pluv is loyal to the Empire. Do not let the royal family discover you came here in search of a Jedi."

"I have to go."

"Tell your Mother I say hi." Synalbra chirped.

"She's dead."

Malia pushed the woman out of her way and ran directly from the village. When she got to the Forest her mind was intruded once again.

She saw her mother slipping down a hill straight into her father. To the left of them she noticed another boy impatiently watching.

Malia wanted to scream for these images, memories, or whatever they were to get out of her head.

She continued to run to the Palace. When the young woman reached the Castle, another vision popped into her mind.

She saw her mother,Ranah, murdering another woman. She jumped out of a window.

Malia rushed to her room, and when she reached the bedroom she collapsed on the floor.

She was a sobbing mess. She was confused. She was angry. She was maybe even scared. She didn't understand why she was seeing the past in a waking state instead of nightmares. None of this felt real. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be with Luke.

The sun began to rise, and there was a knocking on the door. The person let themselves in. It was Angelica.

"Good Morning Queen Malia! We have a long and busy day ahead of us!"