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T W E N T Y  F O U R

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T W E N T Y F O U R

When Clary opens her eyes, Luke is nowhere to be found. She sits up, still feeling the ghost of his presence surrounding her. The hut they had spent solitude in feels empty without him. His words echo in her ears, making her feel faint; I'll always come back to you. I love you, Clary. That's how I know I'll come back to you.

She pulls herself to her feet, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, ignoring the ache she feels in her chest as she exits the hut. The minute she steps onto the wooden bridge connecting the rest of the huts together, she sees Han and Leia emerge from the large hut, followed by two furry Ewoks who Clary recognizes to be Wicket and Paploo. Leia's murmuring quietly with Han, but upon noticing Clary, she tears away from him, rushing towards her. Clary barely has the chance to say anything before Leia is wrapping her arms around her, holding her tightly.

"Are you okay?" Leia asks.

Clary hesitates. "I'm fine," she finally answers. Leia pulls away from her, her hands still gripping tightly onto Clary's shoulders. She holds her gaze, analyzing her for a moment, before a soft smile crosses her lips.

"You're getting worse and worse at being convincing with that, you know," she tells her. Clary opens her mouth to retort, but Leia's hugging her again. She's silent for a moment before whispering in her ear, "Luke will come back to us — to you. I know it."

The ache Clary had felt since she woke returns again, now stronger than ever. She swallows the lump forming in her throat, wrapping her arms around Leia's small frame as she embraces her just as tightly. She only nods, unable to say anything.

Leia pulls away again, but as before, she doesn't let go of Clary. She holds onto her shoulders, scanning her face, her expression indescribable. Clary holds her gaze, confused.

"Leia, what's wrong?"

Leia sighs, forcing a smile. "I don't know if he wants me to tell you this," she says. "But you deserve to know. Luke is —"

"Hey, Clary!"

Han's shouting interrupts Leia, cutting her off before she can finish. Clary glances between the princess and Han before shooting Leia a short smile, pulling away from her grasp as she makes her way towards her brother. Han stands next to Wicket, who's chattering loudly with Paploo, and upon Clary's arrival, the two furry Ewoks look up, jumping up and down as they surround Clary, tugging on her clothes as they inspect her.

"What is it?" Clary asks as Wicket pulls at her legs before grasping onto one of them, hugging her tightly. Clary stumbles from his sudden grip, and Paploo moves to her other leg, chittering alongside Wicket.

"Look, I know I told you before I don't want you anywhere near danger," Han starts. Paploo turns, grabbing onto Han's leg, and he struggles to fight against the furry creature and continue with his conversation as he adds shortly, "But I decided that I'd rather have you with me than out of my sight, so you're coming with us to the shield generator."

PANIC CORD ━━━ l.skywalker   ¹Where stories live. Discover now