Chapter Text
Leia wanted to scream. Everything was a million times harder without the Force. It had been three months and not a drop of her old awareness had managed to seep through whatever block the Jedi had put in her mind. But she hadn't given up hope that whatever the kriff the kriffing Jedi had done, it was something that could, eventually, be undone.
Mara was no help at all. Not only was her former best friend still furiously mad at her (with good enough reason, Leia supposed) but she was also unstinting in proving her superiority at physical combat. But Mara hadn’t killed her yet and that meant that she didn’t really want to, probably. Hopefully.
Leia understood. She certainly hadn’t been planning to do what she’d done, but she also didn’t regret it, not one bit. Her father was Emperor now. That was… She smiled. Vader was singularly unsuited to diplomacy, even Palpatine’s version of it which tended domination and conspiracy. But that was fine. If Vader wanted access to any of the top military or political minds of the Empire, they were his to command, as was the Imperial Navy. If only he had somewhere to point it. He was a creature of war, but the obvious enemy, the rebellion, was lying low.
She didn’t envy her father his position and outright refused to get involved with his government. She was, she supposed, a part of it by default, as the Imperial Heir, but so what? Vader wasn’t going to make her do anything she didn’t want to do. Luke could have the job for all she cared. Let the Empire be a Jedi Empire and she’d just, well, retire to Wild Space or something. She wondered if she, too, was a creature of war. She’d certainly known what her mission was, when she served Palpatine. Everything had been so clear cut, and she’d thought the only direction she could go was up.
The kriffing Jedi, this was entirely their fault and she should gear up and destroy them. Okay, so maybe she had been slightly ‘out of control’ when she went ‘full dark side’ as Ashoka Tano had called it. But it had felt so good, no hesitation, straight and unimpeded like a blaster bolt through a line of Gizka.
She needed to kill something. Maybe she should go and deliberately provoke Mara into a fight, it would hurt, but at least she wouldn’t feel so frustrated with everything.
Mara, snake that she was, wasn’t not in her chambers. Leia decided to head underground. At least she could kill some combat droids. But the training room was not empty. Mara was working out, and so was paragon of the light, and Imperial Prince, Luke Skywalker. Lovely. The last thing she needed was for the two of them to start something.
“Leia!” Her ridiculously enthusiastic brother greeted her warmly. He had gone through none of the trials she had. He’d barely even met Palpatine. Kriff, the worst thing that had ever happened to Luke was probably that time when Leia threatened to blow up Chandrila and its ten billion inhabitants if he didn’t agree come with her. And even that had turned out well for Luke.
“So now you two are training together?” She asked doubtfully. Mara Jade rolled her eyes and kept on lifting weights. If Mara still had the Force Leia be worried about incoming projectiles, but as it was, she should be okay as long as she didn’t turn her back on her former friend.
“Now it can be the three of us!” Luke said with far too much optimism.
Luke was doing lightsaber katas, and Leia fell in beside him. This was good, it was calming. Everything was fine.
Leia broke off the kata and stared at her brother. “Are you kidding me right now?” She couldn’t believe Luke was trying to calm her with the Force.
Luke blushed, “You seemed stressed.”
Leia threw up her hands, “I have every right to be stressed. You wouldn’t understand. What those Jedi did to me…”
Luke rolled his eyes, “Yeah, it sucks when powerful Force users come and disrupt your life and give you absolutely no choice about your future. I certainly have no idea what that’s like.”
Sarcasm from Luke? How much time was Luke spending with Mara?
Luke shrugged and gave her a tiny smile.
“Don’t you read my mind, Jedi scum!” Leia drew her lightsaber. Just because she couldn’t access the Force didn’t mean she couldn’t kill things with a laser sword.
Luke patiently lit his own blue saber and gamely dueled her, to the extent of her abilities, not his. Even this was infuriating. He was compassionately humoring her? How dare he!
Leia broke off the duel, too irritated to focus. She needed to get the Force back. It had been the one good thing in her life, and without it she was just… Imperial Princess and heir to the throne? So what?
She strode over to Mara, who put down the weight she was lifting and raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, okay? I made a mistake.”
Mara smiled coldly, “I’d say.”
“Listen, we need to get out of here, let’s go hunt down the Jedi and get our powers back.” Leia urged her hopefully no longer former friend.
Mara sighed, “You think they will just give us our powers back? The last thing they want is Darth Leia Lord of the Sith terrorizing the galaxy.”
“I should have destroyed them all when I had the chance!” Leia bit out.
“Oh, and when was that? When they had you in a Force cage, when they collared you?”
“I could have called Palpatine to Yavin 4 far sooner. The Deathstar was ready. He could have wiped the Rebels out.” Leia explained icily.
Mara considered this. “Yeah, he should have. And you with them.”
Leia looked tiredly at Mara, “It was a split second reaction, Mara, I had just found out that he murdered my mother to save my father for kriff’s sake.”
“It is what we do!” Mara screamed at her. “We were Sith! We were one step away from ultimate power and you ruined it.”
Leia nodded, “Yeah.”
“That’s all you have to say? ‘Yeah’?” Mara seethed.
Leia shrugged, “It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”
“It was.” Luke interjected, from across the training hall. “He was evil.”
Leia and Mara turned as one and advanced on Luke, who stood his ground, smirking.
“He was everything.” Mara hissed.
“He gave us everything.” Leia agreed.
Luke lit his saber, “I know both of you are thinking about attacking me right now, and I’m gonna try not to hurt either of you as I defend myself.”
Leia thought of all the times she could have murdered this boy and didn’t. She drew her saber. Mara did likewise.
Luke gave them an infuriatingly patient smile then Force pushed them both back to opposite ends of the room. Mara was first to sprint back to him, her violet blade streaking through the air. Violet met pale blue, and as they clashed sabers Leia snuck forward. The Jedi never should have divided his attention. She launched herself onto her brother’s back, wrapping her legs around his waist bringing her saber to his throat. Luke pushed Mara back across the room but didn’t try to shake Leia off.
“Surely you realize I sensed you were going to do this.” He said softly.
Leia turned off her saber and settled for looping her arm around her brother’s throat. “If sacrificing you would bring my powers back, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.”
Luke did something in the force and Leia found herself pinned to the practice mats by an invisible hand.
He stood looming over her, smirking. “I’m sorry you messed up your life by killing the evilest man who ever lived, Leia. Maybe someday your powers will come back and you can murder everyone who has ever looked at you the wrong way.”
Leia managed a smile. “Just see if I don’t.”