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Chapter 49 Sometimes in her dreams she was thirteen again, as she had been when he died, and sometimes she was her current age. Always he was there in one way or another. Always she feared him, wanted to fight him but lost. This time it was different. She was young again, even younger than thirteen. She sat on the floor of the nursery, playing with one of her baby siblings. The younger child giggled and squealed with joy as Katrina teased her with the rag doll. It was not something she remembered ever doing but in the dream it seemed natural, routine. The baby grabbed the doll and hugged it close to her body. She was grinning and Katrina couldn’t help but smile in return. Her happiness was contagious-until a dark cloud shadowed everything and an all-too-familiar voice spoke. “You spoil the child,” Palpatine sneered from where he now stood, behind the baby. He ripped the doll away and it burst into flames in his hand. “You are a disgrace.” Katrina raised her arms to her face as her father moved to throw the burning toy at her. She knew instinctively that she could not avoid it, only to try to minimize its damage. “She is no longer yours to punish,” a deep, heavy-breathing voice said with an air of total authority. Katrina lowered her arms in surprise. Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith stood at the Emperor’s side, one gloved hand resting on his master’s shoulder, as though to stop him. The baby at Katrina’s side began to wail, arms outstretched for her doll. No one seemed to notice it but Katrina was older now. Part of her stunned mind realized that she was long past puberty and none of the three before her were as they appeared still. That unspoken realization did something to Palpatine for he let out a blood curdling scream before disappearing, fading away. The doll dropped to the ground, undamaged and no longer aflame. The baby crawled to it and began cooing as she petted the drawn on face and ragged string hair. Vader’s hand dropped to his side and he looked down on the pair still sitting on the floor. Katrina looked up at him, feeling locked in his gaze. “Thank you, Lord Vader,” she swallowed hard, nearly choking on her words and surprise. “Come with me, Katrina,” he said, nearly gentle in tone. Unable to refuse the man, and unsure that she actually wanted to, Katrina stood and followed him from the nursery. The corridor was empty as they passed through the compound. There was no sign of the other children or the nurses, droids, or guards working there. Vader’s cape swished as the door to his private chamber opened and he turned to step inside. Katrina followed several steps behind; unsure as to why she was there. The door shut silently but its lock clicked loudly. Vader kept his back to her but raised his hands to the shiny black helmet he was known galaxy-wide for. It hissed quickly, like air escaping into space, as he pulled it off his head. He raised it high into the air, letting the back of his head show to the girl. Instead of the pale, scarred, hairless mass she had expected to see she saw a mass of short black hairs, trimmed just long enough to fall over under its own weight. One hand fell back to his side, still holding the helmet, as the other moved around to his face. Another hiss preceded the sight of his right hand falling to his side with his trademark mask. Katrina mentally steeled herself when he began to turn. She tried to close her eyes, so not to see the face she knew should have been hidden beneath it all, but she couldn’t. Her eyelids refused to move and she stood transfixed on the man. He turned to face her and she gasped. Instead of the disfigured, broken man she knew Anakin Skywalker had been when he was reborn as Darth Vader, Katrina saw a relatively young-looking man who appeared content if not happy. He had dark hair and stunning brown eyes. His lack of scarring was noticeable as her eyes searched his face and his slight tan was amazing. “You are well, I hope,” he said solicitously, stepping forward to take her hands in his. It was then that Katrina noticed that he wore not the black suit but brown and green robes and clothing of a coarse fabric. “I have wondered about you many times, Katrina. I feared you were lost.” Katrina stared at him. Had it not been a dream her jaw would be resting solidly on the floor. She felt as though she could not breath, did not need to breath. She was so still that she doubted that she was even trying to take in breath. He smiled, a charming, intoxicatingly shy smile that showed just the smallest hint of white teeth. Katrina smiled back, not meaning to but unable to stop herself. Something inside of her felt strange, she liked and disliked it all at once. Anakin/Vader bent slightly and Katrina knew for sure that she had indeed caught her breath. She awoke suddenly, gasping for breath. She sat up in the dark, desperately needing air. Her fingers went unconsciously to her lips and she closed her eyes, once again seeing his eyes, his face, everything about him. Katrina let herself fall back on the bed, her palms covering her eyes. Things were growing far too complicated and strange, she decided with a sigh. |
