The Hands of Fate

The Twin Suns

Leia Organa was changing by the second.

Her once carefully braided hair lay at her waist, matted and unkempt, swinging back and forth with every step she carefully took in those marshy wastes. Likewise, the pristine white jumpsuit that entered Dagobah with was a hideous mixture of grey and caked with mud, all around. She washed them every few days – even bathed in a makeshift pond she built herself. She dug the well herself after rigorous weeks of training – the intense physical labor hardening her muscles and conditioning her mind. Through the Force, Leia lifted balls of water from the swamp and layered them delicately into her little bath. It took some practice but she soon learned to master it. But no matter how hard she tried, that sickening hue never seemed to be able to come out of the cloth.

"It's about time I tried being something other than a Princess," Leia stated, lowering herself into the pond. Everyone who knew the Princess knew this about Leia; she loved to wrestle around in nature, getting her hands and arms dirty as she tinkered and explored. Being in the Senate, where every other motion she claimed got stomped and battered out of existence, was difficult. She longed to act. Even when acting as a leader for the Rebel Alliance, she rarely got the chance to see the real combat. As the Princess of one of the most important worlds to the cause, her survival and symbolism meant more than anything else to many of the leadership; doubly so, since the loss of her homeworld.

She wondered how they would react when she returned. Mon would probably be furious at the dangers she put herself in by learning the ways of the Jedi and the Force – and, would she be in her position, Leia probably would be just as upset. War is more than violence and the soldiers that give and lose their lives. It is also about the cause, hope, and the belief in something righteous and greater. The Princess of Alderaan had a very important role to play and Leia Organa would have to give in again, someday.

For now, however, Leia was a disciple to an ancient cause. The Jedi Knight that she would soon become had another important role to play, one that was desperately needed to end the Empire. There were powers at hand far beyond what the Alliance council could imagine; disturbing magic that could bend and control the will of a space battle and the morale of their troops. The Emperor was a dangerous man, far more dangerous than Leia knew.

The duality to her role in this war stung close to her heart; The Princess would soon be needed. However, that was not a title she could claim just yet – not until her role had been completed. Leia wished that there were some way she communicate to them, give them the advice that they needed, and boost the brave individuals that risked their lives day in and out. There had to be someway.. someway to get in contact with them without risking her position and her Jedi title.

Leia dunked her head underneath the murky depths, closing her eyes as she stilled her breathing and calmed her heart. The Princess enjoyed basking in the warm waters, the Force sustaining her life as she pondered in the stillness of water. It allowed her to think – feel – without the distraction of everything else. Her hair floated and twirled above as she buried herself beneath the current, her fingertips scratching softly against wet earth. Here, there was no sun, no stars. There was just being.

Look deep.

This meditation brought solace to her confused and wondering heart. Buried beneath this wave of water, Leia felt as if she weren't even Leia anymore. It was just so much clearer, more distinct. The feelings that pounded and throbbed next to her brain were instantly deafened. This, to her, was the true Force that Yoda and Luke spoke of; it was a higher level of understanding that reached out just past oneself. The Princess sensed all kinds of life – the floating bacteria basking in the warmth of the swamp, the microscopic insects that danced with her presence in the bath.