For hc-bingo
Aug. 25th, 2020 06:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTitle: Grotesque
Summary: Ben wasn’t the only one whose head Palpatine was messing with.
Prompt: Assault
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Sleep should have come easy to Leia. But in truth, she dreaded it as much as her son did. She didn’t know how much to tell Ben, if she was to be perfectly honest. How did you explain to a four year old that their mother struggled as much against the demons in her head as he did?
To a little boy, the monster under the bed or in the closet was scary enough.
Ben didn’t know that Leia’s monsters looked different.
“You okay?” Han said to her even as she climbed into bed with him. Ben was down for the count after playing with Poe; Leia could tell how much Ben worshipped Poe, even quietly.
Leia sighed. “It was a bad meeting,” she said. Sometimes she swore she would scream herself hoarse and no one would care. Was that what politics was like? Was that what her mother went through, for that matter?
“Sorry to hear that.” Han squeezed her hand. “Look, sweetheart, you don’t have to do this all on your own...”
“I guess.” Sometimes Leia felt alone. She knew that much.
And the voice, the Beast in the Dark —
She had to protect Ben from him (it?). Ben was too young to worry about voices like that. Far too young.
“I’ve got you,” Han said.
Leia turned to look at him. “Me too.”
***
In her nightmares, she was standing among the shattered ruins of Alderaan, on the First Death Star. It had been a few years, and Leia still felt that terror that had stood out to her too clearly as a nineteen year old. She seemed to keep returning here, to the graveyard of her mind, that still echoed with the failure to save her foster parents.
Her real parents, as far as she was concerned.
“You think you’ve won...”
The Emperor’s voice, slippery as an eel. Leia didn’t turn around. Turning around let the Emperor knew that he won.
Turning around let the Emperor know he was alive, even in her nightmares — and she couldn’t have that.
“You’re dead,” Leia said flatly as she looked out the window of the Death Star. “You’ve lost. Vader killed you. The only good thing he did.”
A chuckle. Leia could swear it was one of the most awful things she’d ever heard.
“Are you familiar with Jorak Uln, and his saying that a true Sith never dies? You’ll find it’s the same with me. I am here...” The voice shifted towards Vader’s, deep and resonant. “Inside your head, forever and ever.”
“You’re just a figment,” Leia said.
“You really don’t know, do you, child?”
Leia turned around just then, only to see the Emperor — bare-chested, which was bad enough, but there were faces straining against the bare skin. Sith that she had only heard of, in stories when she’d trained with Luke...it was like they were trapped under there, begging, howling for release.
“What have you done?” Leia said softly. She didn’t scream, but she swore she could feel revulsion starting to inch up her spine, freezing her in place.
“I am all the Sith, child,” the Emperor sneered. “The souls of the Sith...they are mine to command. And under my command...”
He got up. Leia drew her lightsaber in her nightmare — and barely blocked the stream of lightning coming her way.
“You’ll fail,” the Emperor sneered. “You will lose everything...and then Skywalker’s feeble bloodline will be no more...”
***
“Leia, it’s me! It’s Han!”
Leia shot awake, only to see the most welcome sight imaginable. Han. Honestly, any anchor to the waking world was welcome at this point.
“Thank the Force.” She forced a feeble smile. “I’m okay. Just a bad dream.” She could feel the Beast retreating, more likely out of pragmatism than mercy.
“Is there anything I can do?” She could feel Han’s worry, his helplessness. He was no stranger to nightmares. That Leia knew. She still wondered what he would think about hers.
“Just stay,” she said.
There were times, she knew, she couldn’t do it on her own.
Summary: Ben wasn’t the only one whose head Palpatine was messing with.
Prompt: Assault
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Sleep should have come easy to Leia. But in truth, she dreaded it as much as her son did. She didn’t know how much to tell Ben, if she was to be perfectly honest. How did you explain to a four year old that their mother struggled as much against the demons in her head as he did?
To a little boy, the monster under the bed or in the closet was scary enough.
Ben didn’t know that Leia’s monsters looked different.
“You okay?” Han said to her even as she climbed into bed with him. Ben was down for the count after playing with Poe; Leia could tell how much Ben worshipped Poe, even quietly.
Leia sighed. “It was a bad meeting,” she said. Sometimes she swore she would scream herself hoarse and no one would care. Was that what politics was like? Was that what her mother went through, for that matter?
“Sorry to hear that.” Han squeezed her hand. “Look, sweetheart, you don’t have to do this all on your own...”
“I guess.” Sometimes Leia felt alone. She knew that much.
And the voice, the Beast in the Dark —
She had to protect Ben from him (it?). Ben was too young to worry about voices like that. Far too young.
“I’ve got you,” Han said.
Leia turned to look at him. “Me too.”
***
In her nightmares, she was standing among the shattered ruins of Alderaan, on the First Death Star. It had been a few years, and Leia still felt that terror that had stood out to her too clearly as a nineteen year old. She seemed to keep returning here, to the graveyard of her mind, that still echoed with the failure to save her foster parents.
Her real parents, as far as she was concerned.
“You think you’ve won...”
The Emperor’s voice, slippery as an eel. Leia didn’t turn around. Turning around let the Emperor knew that he won.
Turning around let the Emperor know he was alive, even in her nightmares — and she couldn’t have that.
“You’re dead,” Leia said flatly as she looked out the window of the Death Star. “You’ve lost. Vader killed you. The only good thing he did.”
A chuckle. Leia could swear it was one of the most awful things she’d ever heard.
“Are you familiar with Jorak Uln, and his saying that a true Sith never dies? You’ll find it’s the same with me. I am here...” The voice shifted towards Vader’s, deep and resonant. “Inside your head, forever and ever.”
“You’re just a figment,” Leia said.
“You really don’t know, do you, child?”
Leia turned around just then, only to see the Emperor — bare-chested, which was bad enough, but there were faces straining against the bare skin. Sith that she had only heard of, in stories when she’d trained with Luke...it was like they were trapped under there, begging, howling for release.
“What have you done?” Leia said softly. She didn’t scream, but she swore she could feel revulsion starting to inch up her spine, freezing her in place.
“I am all the Sith, child,” the Emperor sneered. “The souls of the Sith...they are mine to command. And under my command...”
He got up. Leia drew her lightsaber in her nightmare — and barely blocked the stream of lightning coming her way.
“You’ll fail,” the Emperor sneered. “You will lose everything...and then Skywalker’s feeble bloodline will be no more...”
***
“Leia, it’s me! It’s Han!”
Leia shot awake, only to see the most welcome sight imaginable. Han. Honestly, any anchor to the waking world was welcome at this point.
“Thank the Force.” She forced a feeble smile. “I’m okay. Just a bad dream.” She could feel the Beast retreating, more likely out of pragmatism than mercy.
“Is there anything I can do?” She could feel Han’s worry, his helplessness. He was no stranger to nightmares. That Leia knew. She still wondered what he would think about hers.
“Just stay,” she said.
There were times, she knew, she couldn’t do it on her own.
