Luke and Leia - Twins [1]

9: Aftermath (Part 1)

It was Leia's turn to make breakfast.

She woke up bright and early and quietly tiptoed out of the room, not wanting to disturb Luke. Her eyes were still blurry from sleep deprivation because they had gotten home so late last night, and she could only speak softly because of her throat, but besides that she was perfectly fine. Physically.

The door to the kitchen creaked just slightly, and Leia winced, looking back at Luke to make sure it didn't wake him. Just looking at his sleeping face gave Leia a twinge of guilt so powerful she had to look away, and she did.

She walked out of the room and up the stairs, all the while making sure all the doors and windows were locked. She remembered as a young teen loving early mornings because she had the house to herself. She used to love the quiet. Now it made her paranoid.

Sighing softly, Leia rubbed her shoulders. It had gotten a bit colder during the last week, which meant that the harvest was due to happen any minute while the food was still ripe and could be shipped. Which also meant that there would be a food sale in Toche Station, a crowded food sale. In the cold.

Leia chopped up some vegetables and put them in the steamer, and while they were steaming she took the opportunity to keep chopping up other commodities that could be used for breakfast. She didn't take a break; taking a break meant that she'd have time to think, and she didn't want to think.

The vegetable time went off and Leia quickly hushed it, knowing that her and Luke's room was very close to the kitchen and she may wake him up if she wasn't careful. He needed his sleep after last night.

No. Stop. Stop thinking about it. Leia reprimanded herself, but even though she put up a strong barrier against the events of the night before they started seeping through the cracks. She was ashamed to admit just how bothered she was by the entire night. The fact that Malo had gotten close, that Luke could've gotten seriously injured, that she wasn't able to defend herself and needed help.

Leia felt her chest constrict just thinking about it, and her hand massaged her still sore throat where Malo had squeezed hard. She quickly put her hand down and stuffed it into her pocket, with her other hand tapping the counter anxiously.

"I can't do this." She breathed, and walked quickly outside. Everything was closing in and she needed fresh air. Now.

She practically burst outside and felt herself start to relax immediately as she saw the dark sky mixed with hues of orange and pink, signifying the rising sun. The wind gently blew past her face, leaving a few strands of hair in her mouth that had been undone from her braided bun. The wind carried on to the sand, causing millions of grains to skid past her feet with a sound that calmed her slightly. 

Leia exhaled quietly and sat on the edge of the crater, with her feet dangling down into it. She picked up sand and let it drain through her fingers. She never was a huge fan of sand and it's grittiness, but it was all she knew. She knew there were planets with only water and lush green forests and lava and practically everything she could imagine, but none of it was for her.

She picked up another handful of sand, but instead of letting it drain she held it, letting her thumb trace patterns in it. All she ever received was sand. No green, no blue, no plants. Just brown, coarse, rough, irritating sand.

Leia threw the sand down into the crater and watched it sprinkle down with satisfaction. She guessed the universe didn't love her or her brother very much, because it had decided to place them parentless on a desert planet the furthest away from any interesting or beautiful thing in the galaxy. She loved Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, but she also felt the burning desire to leave Tatooine and see the rest of the galaxy. She knew Luke felt it too, and he had been very vocal about his traveling desires to her, but she had been extremely quiet about hers, figuring that the Skywalker-Lars family only had room for one silly daydreamer.