A Sun In Darkness

A Shrunken Skywalker

This, Luke decided, was probably the most comfortable he had ever been in his life. It felt as if an enormous fluffy cloud was cradling his entire body. He would have stayed in this peaceful slumber if the Force hadn't forced him to wake up.

He was too tired to notice the sheer urgency woven in the Force as he slowly cracked open his eyelids.

Light immediately poured in and a smooth, light grey surface filled his vision. It took him embarrassingly a full minute to realise he was staring at the ceiling.

That was odd, he thought to himself. The ceiling of the Rebel barracks was white.

Then he turned over to his side, only to see tall blue bars blocking his view. Was he in some kind of cage? What sort of cage did not even have a roof?

That wasn't all though. The insanely comfortable mattress he was lying on was decorated by multiple cartoonish shooting stars.

Confusion rained on him. This was obviously not his bed and not the Rebel barracks he had called home.

Where the kriff was he?

At that moment, as if on cue, Luke heard a door slide open. He squeezed his eyes shut instinctively, trying to pretend to be asleep. Meanwhile, questions rose to life in his mind. Was it a bounty hunter? An Imperial?

Footsteps echoed throughout the room, causing Luke's blood to freeze. Why was the dread in his stomach increasing with every step the newcomer took?

At last, the footsteps stopped, coming to a sharp halt in front of the strange cage he was in. Luke's heart pounded against his chest.

"I know you are awake", said a voice. Luke tensed but managed to remain still. It was a male voice, presumably from someone middle-aged.

But why in the scorching deserts did it sound so familiar?

"There's no need to hide", the voice continued, the tone now becoming more softer and far more gentle. "I won't hurt you".

Somehow, Luke felt the truth in those words. Could this person really be trusted? What if he was planning this all along ; to gain his trust and then break it once getting what they were after.

Suddenly he felt something on his face. A thumb possibly, tenderly running down his facial features. It felt...weird but oddly caring.

Until it began to tickle his skin.

A giggle escaped him before he had the chance to supress it. His eyes shot open in shock. Had that been his laugh? The last time he had checked, his was several octaves lower.

"Finally", the voice exclaimed, smug satisfaction layering it.

Luke realised he could now see the man,

It was a tall human male, dressed in a black nightshirt and matching pants. A marvelous crown of golden brown curls rested on his head, the strands nearly falling to his broad shoulders. A thin scar was located above his right eye.

Someone had tried to blind him, Luke realised. If it had been just another centimetre down, they would have succeeded.

Then, Luke spotted something.

The man's eyes were a light blue, as bright as the streaks of hyperspace. Sure, Luke had seen many blue-eyed individuals before but these...

They were exactly like the ones that stared back at him in the mirror every single morning when he got ready.