The Knight and The Duchess (Star Wars AU) (On Hold)

8.Visions

*Satine's P.O.V*

I fell into a black void, which illuminated as I landed on its now charcoal-gray floors. I braced myself against the dusty ground when the plane of reality tilted back and forth. Back and forth. And then it stopped, just as quickly as it had started. I marveled up at the sky above, which was spotted with thousands of tiny stars of many colors. A distraught whisper echoed around me, "So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause..." I attempted to stand up and find the source of the voice, but my short skirted nightgown was glued to the ground, leaving me half-sitting and half-lying down. I struggled, locking my arms and legs against the powder-covered floor, but the fabric held fast.

The walls began to fade, changing from dusty gray to an expansive hall lined with metallic discs, each supporting two people. A roaring voice from the central disc proclaimed, "I hereby established the New Galactic Empire!" The voice from before returned beside me, singing with the voice of an angel:

"So this is how liberty dies... You clip my wings I cannot fly... So this is how liberty dies... So this is how liberty dies..."

The scene faded, replaced with a battle between man and machine across a desert covered in auburn sands (the same color as Obi-Wan's hair). Many robed Jedi crowded in circle as metal warriors encroached upon them from all sides. A single fighter stood out among the rest, mainly because she was wearing a, now ripped, white jumpsuit and wielding a blaster. The song returned, gaining a lower pitch:

"I was a fighter... I was a warrior... That's who I was and who I always had to be..."

The setting changed more rapidly this time. The overcast orange skies were replaced towering skylines and a small meeting room. On the left side of the table, the angel warrior returned, looking more like a princess than a soldier. She pointed at the cloaked Jedi sitting across from her. Her eyebrows arched and she scowled, seemingly demanding something.

"And maybe that's why... I was the first to fall..."

An image of the woman in a casket, her chocolate brown hair spread around her head decorated with little flowers and the same flowers surrounded her flowing blue gown. Her hand grasped a small hand-carved charm and rested on her chest, above her bulging stomach.

"The first one to show it... The first one to blow it..."

All the images returned, surrounding me, the angel warrior, the princess, and the queen laid to rest. The song retained its higher pitch and began: "So this is how liberty dies... You clip my wings I cannot fly... So this is how liberty dies... So this is how liberty dies..."

The scenes faded and the charcoal-gray walls remained, for a brief moment. I tried stand up, pulling very hard on my dress, until it warped and stretched. Frustrated, I collapsed to the ground. The small apartment reappeared, now cast with an sunset glow. The angel warrior stood by the window, looking more like the queen, wearing a long flowing gown and with her hair cascading down her back in little ringlets.

"So I'm here now... And I'm waiting... For the ball to drop... For it all to stop..."

The scene in the window became clear. A battle raged on the other side of the glass, setting skyscrapers aflame. A small explosion rocked the building, from a star fighter's destruction nearby, and she didn't flinch. She remained standing, rubbing the wooden charm between her fingers. Staring out into overcast skies, she began to sing:

"And I'm waiting... For a side to win... Oh where, oh where, do I begin?"

"So this is how liberty dies... You clip my wings I cannot fly... So this is how-"

The room blackened and my nightdress finally released its hold on the floor. The plane of reality tilted and I, now standing, stumbled off the edge and fell into what seemed like a-

I gasped and my eyes flickered open. I took a deep breath and rested my head back on my pillow. I relaxed, until I heard:

"So this is how liberty dies... So this is how liberty dies..."

I rolled over onto my side to confirm my suspicion, Obi-Wan was singing. There was single-seating couch sitting against the wall of my room and Obi-Wan was lying there, curled up in a ball. His eyes were locked shut, maybe he was dreaming. Just like me. But there's one problem, Jedi don't dream.

"So I wasn't a fighter... So I wasn't a warrior... I was just... The Duchess and The Queen..."

Me? Why was he singing as if he were me?

"So my way fell... It all went to hell..."

"The war front came... And I was to blame..."

I was right, the Jedi don't dream. They have visions, premonitions. Was this a vision? Why did I have it, too?

"So this is how liberty dies.. You clip my wings I cannot fly... So this is how liberty dies... So this is how liberty dies..."

"We all had to run... We all had to burn... Death ran amuck and razed us all in turn..."

"I wouldn't flee... So they came after me..."

"They struck me down... And stole my crown..."

"So this is how liberty dies... You clip my wings I cannot fly... So this is how-"

Enough! I screamed internally. I shook Obi-Wan by the shoulders and he woke up with a start, whispering, "So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause."