Luke and Leia - Twins [1]

4: Stealthy Escape

Luke woke with a start, gasping and jolting awake. He'd had a nightmare that he'd gotten lost in the desert, and there was a sandstorm, and he and Leia had been captured by sand people, and...

Looking around, Luke realized in horror that it wasn't a dream. He was actually inside a camp for the sand people. Oh poodoo. He thought to himself, swallowing hard and trying to stand up. But he didn't get very far, as he realized his hands were tied behind his back and his head hurt really badly.

"Ow." Luke muttered, trying to rub his head but being reminded again that his hands were tied. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim-lighted area he was in, Luke looked around and searched in vain for Leia. He figured that she wouldn't be in the same area as him, but there was no harm in looking.

Luke's eyes were adjusted fully now, and he looked around to find himself in some sort of small tent or a temporary, small home. A fire lit the room, casting shadows that crept up the walls, and in the distance Luke could hear the sand people talking back in forth in their intimidating language. He shivered, suddenly cold. What if he never got out of here?

No. Luke thought profusely. I have to think positive. That's what Uncle Owen always said if anything ever happened to me. Just think positive and I'll get out.

Suddenly, Luke heard footsteps, and his fear spiked. He started shaking, and pretended to be asleep, closing his eyes and resisting the urge to squeeze them shut.

He heard footsteps enter into the little hut he was in, and tried to calm his hitched breathing and rapidly beating heart, afraid that everyone in the camp could hear it because it was so loud.

As suddenly as the person, or people, entered, the footsteps faded away, and Luke tentatively opened one eye to see that everyone had left. He opened both eyes now, and focused on how to get out.

Luke wriggled back and forth to squeeze his hands out of the cloth binders, but if anything they just left burns on his wrists. Looking around, Luke spotted something sharp a few feet away, and in the light he couldn't identify it but as long as it was sharp he was perfectly fine with it.

But the problem was that a few feet away meant a lot when his hands were tied. Luke tried his best to wriggle to where he was mostly laying down and reaching with his feet, but because he wasn't lying all the way down and couldn't lie down he was too short.

Luke exhaled frustratedly, searching for another way to make himself longer, or to bring it closer. After a few agonizing minutes of stretching so far he thought he would break in half, Luke sighed and situated himself back to sitting, glaring at the sharp piece. How can I get myself to stretch further? There's gotta be a way...

As Luke resigned himself to sitting and thinking, he heard a shift in the sand, and turned to find the sharp piece exactly where it was before, but the noise came from that area. Luke scoffed. He was just dreaming up things to cope with being trapped in a hut.

But the noise was made again, and Luke looked back, studying the sharp piece with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, it moved again. Luke jumped back in shock, but realized for some reason that it was moving towards him and stared at it some more, hoping that maybe if he just looked at it it would move again.

It didn't move for awhile, and Luke narrowed his eyes again, frustrated. But just as he was about to give up and look for an alternative it moved, much closer this time. Luke took his chance and spread himself out again, this time being able to reach the piece with ease with his feet.

He dragged it up to where the rest of him was, and carefully picked it up in his mouth and dropped it near his hand, hoping it would land near his hand. Luckily, it did, and Luke grabbed it and tried to situate himself so that he could cut the cloth.

After a few failed attempts, Luke finally situated it right, and resigned himself to a long time cutting away at the cloth.

:-:-:-:

Luke didn't know how long it was, but the cloth suddenly loosened around his hand and he pulled one free, looking at it happily and feeling a rush of satisfaction. Besides his wrist being a little burned and the inside of his hand being cut because he held the sharp piece tightly, his hand was perfectly fine, and he went to untie his other hand.

The other hand untied easily now that Luke had a free hand to do it with, and after rubbing his wrists and wincing as they stung a little, Luke crawled tentatively out of his hut, checking to make sure the coast was clear first.

"Leia?" He whispered, swallowing hard when he heard nothing but silence in the entire camp. Everyone must be asleep. Now's my chance to try and save Leia.

Luke peered into the hut closest to the one he left, and stuck his head inside and allowed his eyes to adjust. There was a small fire in that hut as well, and in the shadows he could see a figure in the corner bundled together.

Gasping as he realized it was his sister, Luke crawled over quickly to her, tapping her cheek. "Leia?" He whispered, shaking in fear and looking around again to double check that they were the only ones in the hut.

"Leia!" He whispered urgently, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them. "Come on, wake up!"

A small cough escaped Leia, and Luke sighed before hearing her say something muffled. "What's that?" He asked quietly, feeling around her face to realize her mouth was bound too.

"Hang on." He instructed, reaching around the back to untie the knot. As soon as he had removed the cloth from Leia's mouth she had started coughing profusely, and Luke quickly covered her mouth and whispered "Shh" until she was done.

"Are you okay?" He asked concernedly after she was done coughing. Luke didn't know what would have happened to either of them if he'd gotten out later, and he definitely didn't think about the things that may have happened to Leia. He understood that the sand people were monsters, and he quickly searched Leia for any injuries of any kind before untying her hands.

"You never answered me." He said quietly, looking at her in concern. "Did they do anything to you?"

She shook her head no, and Luke breathed a sigh of relief before helping her stand and peeking out of the hut. "Come on, the coast is clear."

Luke and Leia exited the hut, both of them trying not to sprint out of the camp in horror as soon as they could. Instead, the twins quietly walked out of the camp, waiting until they were at least a mile away from it to breathe easily.

"So what now?" Leia said, hushed, and Luke was just glad to hear her talking again. Normally, he couldn't shut her up.

"I dunno... I guess we find the cliffs and go from there." He replied, walking towards where massive structures were outlined in the moonlight. He pointed to them. "That's the cliffs, right?"

Leia nodded, and the two started to walk in that direction, both hoping that she was right.