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“Thank you, for agreeing to an audience with me” Luke bowed respectively and sat down on the plush chair across from his father, the datapad that was once clutched tightly in his grip was placed in front of his fathers vision. Vader pulled the datapad closer to his body, his eyes gliding over the aurebesh writing which detailed the successful mission that Luke had returned from just minutes prior
Vader sighs occasionally as he reads over the long paragraph describing the terms and conditions that the gungans had laid down, his eyes growing tired as he continued to read until eventually he shut the datapad off and placed it back on the table “You have done well, my son, I will see to it that the rules set by the Gungans be met. But for now, I want to know how you have been”
“Oh no no no” Luke shook his head, a soft smile adorning his lips “I want to know how the wedding planning has been going” He links his fingers together, leaning back against the chair and grinning knowingly at his father
“The planning and preparations are going quite smoothly, the only hurdle we need to jump over are the kriffing flowers” Luke snorted only to mutter a half-assed apology at his fathers blank and unmoving stare “I gave her a few reasonable options, such as the blueblossom” A personal favourite of his, something he would never admit to.
He pauses for a moment before adding “And Queens heart from Naboo, but those practically shrivel up after an hour” His eyes wander past Luke’s sitting form and out onto the balcony where you sat with your handmaidens
“And how do you know that?”
“I- Nevermind” Vader grumbled, resting a gloved hand on the cheek of his mask
He did not want to recount the tale of how in his misspent youth he tried to woo Padmé by taking a few cuttings of Queen's heart only to watch them shrivel up as soon as he presented them to her.
However, his thoughts were quickly disrupted when he noticed one of the handmaidens brothers- a much much younger and attractive man than he- approach the group of ladies, gesturing to the available spot right beside you- his fiancée, and watching as you nodded, giving him a warm smile and allowing the man to sit next to you. Luke quirks a brow at his fathers sudden change in demeanour and turns slightly to see what was going on. He smirks at the sight before him, and turns back to say something to his father only to be met by the swishing of his cape.
“Father?” Luke is barely out of his seat when a flurry of fabrics and colours brush past him
“My darling” You quicken your pace and catch up to your fiancé within moments, a wide toothy grin spreading across your delicate features “I’ve decided on the flowers I would like in my bouquet” This piques Vader's interest, hopefully the matter will finally be put to rest, and he turns to face you, his skull-like mask looking down upon you “Okay so, I was thinking maybe the Everlily, roses and the snowbloom”
“But…You’ve never even heard of most of those flowers” He wanted to add that he thought you were really considering the blueblossoms but decided to not say anything further
“Well, yes, but Lucien is a botanist in his spare time and he was kind enough to show me a few of the flowers he had grown in his personal garden, isn’t that so kind of him?” Vader nods stiffly, practically willing himself to calm down
He had no idea why he suddenly felt uncomfortable at the thought of you talking to a man, it had never bothered him before, so why would it now?
“And besides, Lucien claims that the blueblossoms are incredibly dull”
Vader flinches slightly before saying in a slightly trembling tone “Very well, if those are the flowers you wish for then I’ll organise for a florist to have it done-”
“Oh! No need, Lucien offered to make my bouquet” You cut him off, unaware of the sounds of leather being squeezed together as Vader attempts in composing himself by clenching his mechanical hands into fists
“If you’ll excuse me” He turns away from you and walks out of the room as quickly as possible and you furrow your brows at his sudden exit
Luke walks up behind you “Luke?” He hums in response “Did I say something wrong? I feel like I might’ve upset him”
“I’m not sure” Luke responds, placing his gloved hand on your shoulder “Don’t worry, I’ll go make sure he’s alright” He gives your shoulder a comforting squeeze and pushes past you, leaving you standing alone wondering what the hell had just happened
~~~~
Luke had found his father sitting in the throne room, his fingers pressed together as he listened intently to a Togruta couple, nodding his head every so often until eventually the couple stood, giving a respective bow and walking out a different exit. Luke lets out a sigh, making his way towards Vader.
“Yes Luke, what is it?” Vader stands up and walks away from his son and towards the direction of a butler who came in with a letter on a silver platter, he plucks said letter up and tears it open
Luke catches up to his father, only standing a few feet away from him before he says; “Is everything okay? I noticed how upset you were while you were talking with Y/n”
Vader’s head shoots up and he whirls around to stare at his son “Upset? Me? No no, I just…I’m fine” Luke raises a brow, giving his father a deadpan expression “Son, really, it’s nothing, I’m just tired is all”
Luke gives his father one last suspicious look before he sighs, scrubbing a gloved hand down his face. His father is a stubborn man, he was well aware of that, and even though it frustrated him to no end, Luke knew that the last thing his father would ever do is talk about how he was truly feeling. And so he left his father standing in the throne room, shaking his head gently as he pushed the double doors open with a flick of his wrist and disappeared.
Vader stands in the middle of the throne room with a hand pressed against his mask and it wasn’t until a few minutes later when he heard distant chatter from down the hall that he finally looked up.
And felt his whole body go rigid.
He watched in anger as you walked through the entrance of the throne room with your arm intertwined with an even handsomer man than Lucien “Darling” You smile, waving your fiancé over and he hesitantly complies “Come meet one of the best men I ever attended high school with. Gosh, I haven’t seen Maxwell in..five years?” Maxwell smiles, bowing his head in embarrassment “Oooh Maxwell tell him about the time you helped sneak me out of detention”
“Maybe another time” Maxwell says, rubbing the back of his neck and flexing his bicep muscles “His Majesty is a very busy man and I wouldn’t want to make his schedule more difficult, and besides, you promised to show me around the palace”
You went to protest but Vader nodded his head “I’ll have to agree with Mr Maxwell, I have a very important privy council meeting in a few minutes and it’s vital that I attend. Excuse me” And, for the second time that day, Vader brushes past you and leaves you standing there, confused and a little hurt
“Y/n?” Maxwell gives you a concerned look and places a gentle hand on your shoulder “After you?” You give him a reassuring smile, linking your arms once more
“Anyway, as I was saying….” You guided him out of the throne room
~~~~
It was late into the afternoon when Vader emerged from the meeting room, flocks of council members thanking him for his time as they disappeared.
“Well, I think that went pretty well considering how little you listened” Leia stood beside Vader with her holopad clutched by her side “What’s wrong”
Vader snorted and Leia looked up at him with an inquisitive look “You suddenly care about how I feel?”
“No, I don’t particularly care about how you feel, but something is obviously bothering you and we cannot have you distracted during such important meetings” Leia follows Vader as he moves and sits on one of the benches out on the balcony, her hand resting on the protruding bump as she struggles but finally manages to plop herself beside him
Vader hesitated for a moment before sighing in defeat “Its…Its Y/n”
Leia perked up at your name “What? Is something wrong with her? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine.” Vader responded quickly “I just think she might’ve lost interest in me”
“Wouldn’t be surprised” Vader turned to look down at his daughter, the silent response was enough for Leia to roll her eyes “Sorry, continue”
“She’s been spending a lot of time with younger and more attractive men and seems to be far more interested in their company than in mine. I completely understand why, though. I mean, look at me” He gestures to his armour clad body “I’m old enough to be her father! I wear this thing to keep me alive, I’m always in the med-bay having necrotic flesh removed. I’m kriffing ugly”
To some, his sudden reaction to you spending time with men would be unnecessary, everyone knew how much you adored him. But they didn’t know him well enough to know that this was exactly how Padmé started acting before she betrayed him.
Leia looks down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs for a moment before leaning back and basking in the rays of sunset “You’re right, you’re not an attractive person and you’re not a very well person in terms of health. But, Y/n loves you, so much and I know this because she doesn’t shut up about you”
“She’s probably marrying me because she feels sorry for me-”
“Not true. That woman practically worships the ground you walk on, and besides, isn’t she considering using your favourite flower for her bouquet?”
“Not anymore” Vader replies “She told me earlier that hobby gardner boy Lucien helped her pick the flowers for the bouquet out and then proceeded to tell her that blueblossoms are incredibly dull” Leia saw how defeated her ‘father’ looked (she had been practically forced into working with him for the past three years, after a while she was able to determine how he felt depending on his posture) and suddenly a thought popped in her head
“Ask Luke about the creature he met when he was residing in Dagobah. Apparently she did something truly…magical” Vader tilted his mask in curiosity but nodded anyway
Luck must’ve been on Vader's side because just moments later Luke strolled past where Vader and Leia were sitting. He stood quickly, bidding his daughter farewell and hurrying after his son
“Luke?” The man in question turned to face his father
“Come to tell me what’s bothering you?” Luke asks, raising a perfectly manicured brow and crossing his arms over his chest
Vader ignored his question “Tell me about the other inhabitant on Dagobah” Luke gave him a confused look but gestured for the hulking man to follow him
~~~~
“Must you go?” You asked, hands gripping tightly at his tunic as you stared up at the soulless mask “Could it not wait until after the wedding?”
“I’m afraid not, my love” He says, a gloved hand pressing softly against your cheek “But I will be back in a week. I promise” You don’t say anything, instead opting to stand on your toes and press a kiss to the side of his helmet
“Just…Just promise to come back safe, for my sake” You look past Vader, eyes landing on Luke “And you. Keep him out of trouble” Luke nods, giving you a mock two finger salute
“I cannot believe you guys are dragging me into this” Han sighs, his head shaking softly as he walks up the ramp “You better hold up your end of the bargain or else I’ll blast you all”
“Awe come on Han, father has so many credits that a measly fifty thousand wouldn’t even put a dent on his wallet” Luke claps Han on the shoulder and quickly brushes past him
You look away from the interaction and back at Vader who's staring down at you “Please stay safe, you know I don’t like seeing you come back hurt”
“I promise you it's not that kind of mission-”
“Oi! Vades” Han pokes his head past the side of the ship “You coming or not?” Vader waved him off
“My love I promise this’ll be the last mission I go on for a while. But I really need to do this. For us.” You furrow your brow in confusion but don’t push him to elaborate any further
He gently parts from you, his fingers brushing against yours as he turns and starts marching away. A giggle escapes from your lips when you notice his cape start flowing dramatically even though there wasn’t a strong enough breeze to cause it “Always a drama queen…” You chuckle under your breath
~~~~
“Ughh, who farted?” Han waved his hand in front of his nose, unsuccessfully attempting to waft the smell away from him
“I didn’t” Luke replies, his gaze still focused on the atmosphere in front of him
“Nor I” Han snorts at Vader's response “Even if I did you wouldn’t be able to smell it. I’m in full body armour, remember?”
The past few days have been…interesting to say the least, for Han that is, Luke and Vader have been stuck in ships together many a time and so they’re used to each other's presence. But Han has never spent more than an hour in the presence of his father-in-law and frankly, after hearing the same monotonous breathing cycle for the millionth time he was ready to wring someone's neck; Preferably Vaders, but he’ll settle for anyones at this point.
“Guys, look” Luke pointed forward and it was at that point that Vader and Han noticed that the ship had left hyperspace and was nearing Dagobah
“Finally” Han sighed, leaning back against his chair “I thought this hunk of junk would get us here quicker”
“Watch your words, smuggler, I could snap your neck right now if I so wished”
“Please do, I’m sick of hearing your goddamn breathing cycle” Han replies, kicking his feet up to rest against the pilot chair
With Leia pregnant with Hans' child he knew his father-in-law's words were just that- words. Vader had been mildly successful these past few years in trying to build a relationship with his long-lost daughter, but Leia had set so many boundaries up that the only things Vader could do were remain cordial with her…And not kill Han.
“You’re in no position to talk about my breathing apparatus when your farts smell like a Hutts backside. And don’t even get me started on your snoring-”
“Who are you calling smelly, bacta boy”
“I never said you smelled, I was merely stating that your flatulence smells lik-”
“Can you two please stop the old married couple arguing? I need to concentrate, otherwise we’re gonna land in a swamp. And believe me, you don’t want me landing in a swamp”
The two quieten down after that, Vader’s focus shifting to cleaning any specks of dust off his lightsaber and Han looking at the back of the pilot's chair. The silence allows Vader time to ponder his thoughts, and he leans back in his chair, hands clasped together as he imagines how surprised and happy you’ll be at the prospect of a much newer- and hopefully- younger version of himself.
“Alright, brace yourselves, this could get a bit tricky” Luke's eyes focus on the surroundings, as he slowly but surely manages to land the shuttle on a patch of land “Yes!” He fist pumps the air before he quickly recomposes himself and turns to face the other two passengers on board “Father. Han. Welcome to Dagobah” Silence is thick in the air as the two men study the surroundings in front of him
“Well…This looks like hell.” Han mutters, his nose wrinkling in disgust “Hey Skywalker, what are we looking for, exactly?”
Luke says nothing, opting to stand up and push past the two men, his finger pressing the button which causes the ramp to hiss open “This. This is what we’re looking for” He gestures towards a hill where a small hut rest
“Oh come on! That’s at least a half-hour walk”
“Then we better hurry before sundown”
~~~~
“Maker, Skywalker, you should’ve told me I’d have to walk up a damn hill”
“What and risk you backing out? No way” Luke responds, a light sheen of sweat coating his forehead as he continues the trek up the steep hill
“Why did you guys even want me to come? There was literally no-” Luke raises a hand, signalling Han to quieten down as they approach the door to the hut. Vader raises a hand, willing the force to open the door. There behind the rotting wood sat an old woman
“Ah, I was expecting you” The old woman spoke softly, her gaze upon the cauldron in front of her unwavering as she continued to add different ingredients into the bubbling mixture
“You- You knew I was coming?” Vader asks incredulously, his mask tilting to face his son who shrugged in response
“No. I heard your shuttle.” She replies, her bony fingers gripping a wooden stick tightly as she stirs the mixture until eventually she stopped and looked up at the father-son duo “And since Yoda has passed on that makes me the only inhabitant of this planet, I see no reason why you- Emperor of the Galaxy- would willingly visit a backwater planet…Unless you want something”
Vader crouches before the old woman, hands splayed across his thighs “I need something- anything, to make me…” He pauses, his mask flicking up to stare at his son and son-in-law before he quickly looks back at the woman “Make me more desirable” He heard a snort come from Han but chose to ignore it
The old woman stares at him momentarily and then bursts into laughter, a long crooked finger catching any tears that fall from her eyes “No.” She replies as soon as shes calmed down
“What?” Vader seethes, his mechanical hands clenching tightly as he stops himself from igniting his lightsaber and slaughtering her right then and there “I am your Emperor, you will do what I say”
“Your Empire has no jurisdiction here on Dagobah. Your ‘empire’ caused my people to be slaughtered. I’d sooner die by your blade-” She nods towards his lightsaber “-Then ever help a monster such as yourself”
Vader felt the shred of hope he had gotten ripped away from him and he stood up, his shoulder pad clipping the door-frame as he walked down the path towards where his shuttle had landed.
“I thought he would’ve put up more of a fight, I guess what I’d heard about him on my travels were nothing but rumours…” She says, going back to the task at hand
“Please, Julie, you’re our only hope” The old woman- Julie, opts to ignore Luke’s pleading, and adding a few tree roots into the concoction
“Now listen here, old lady” Han pushes past Luke, pointing a finger towards the woman with an annoyed look on his face “I did not just spend four days on a ship with my kriffing father-in-law and his stupid breathing machine only to be turned away this quickly. So please for the love of the maker, give him whatever it is he wants or else I'll wring your damn neck.” Luke’s jaw drops slightly, his eyes widening as he gauges the reaction of the old woman
“You got courage to talk to me like that,” She says after a few minutes of silence, her wrinkly hand gently setting the wooden spoon down on the table beside her “Why does he want a potion anyway?”
Luke hesitates for a moment “I’m not entirely sure, but I think it might be to do with his fiancée?” She gestures for him to continue “My father has never been one to show his feelings so easily, especially ones that are new to him. His fianceé, Y/n, is twenty five years his junior and these past couple of days she’s been interacting with these younger men-”
“And he thinks that she’s going to leave him for one of them” Julie finishes the sentence, her eyes wandering to the floor as she nods to herself and she sighs softly “Bring him back here.”
~~~~
“So tell me. What is it you want exactly?” Julie asks, her fingers tapping against a piece of bark
Vader looks to Han and Luke “You convinced her?”
“You’re talking to me, ignore them” She says, snapping her fingers in front of him “Now, let’s try again, what do you want?”
Vader ponders the question for a moment; He honestly didn’t think he’d get this far “I want to be how I once was, before I was in this armour, before Order 66…I want to be young again” She raises a brow at his response before jotting down a few things on the scrap of bark
“Give me a few hours.” She ushers the trio of men out and slams the door in their face
“I think that went well.” Han says, his hands clapping together and rubbing them to create warmth “So, what’s for dinner?”
~~~~
“Absolutely not” Han eyes the rootleaf stew that Luke had concocted
“It’s not so bad-”
“It’s moving! Stew isn’t meant to move” Han exclaims, watching a piece of his meal move and disappear
“Oh get over it, Han, it's not as bad as you’re making it out to be” Vader sits in silence, his gloved hands clasped together as his eyes remain glued to the fire that he assisted in making
Was he making the right choice? Don’t be stupid, of course he was, this is what you wanted. But you would’ve told him if you had any hesitations about the marriage…Right?
“Hellooo? Father, you okay?” Vader pushes his gaze from the fireplace and turns to face Luke whose staring at him with concern, from beside him he noticed Han- shockingly- also looked pretty concerned
“Do not worry about me” Vader says “Eat your stew, I shall go for a walk” He stands up, his figure practically hovering over the two men as he turns on the heel of his boot and strides somewhere in a vague direction
About thirty minutes into his walk he noticed a desolate hut; And he realised. This was where Yoda lived throughout the duration of Palpatine's reign over the Galaxy.
The same Yoda who took Luke under his wing and taught him what he now knows. The same Yoda who taught him many things that he still carries to this day.
“Stuck you seem” Vader nodded but then whirled around
“Who's there?” His fingers hovering over the hilt of his lightsaber, until his head snaps up in recognition “Master Yoda?”
Yoda chuckles in delight, and moments later he appears in front of Vader “A long time it has been, Skywalker” Vader doesn’t respond, his mind trying to make sense of how the former Jedi Master was standing right in front of him “Why are you here, Ani?”
“It is of no concern to you” Vader replies, his helmet turning away from the figure and towards a pair of very uninteresting bushes “And don’t call me that”
Yoda hums, his eyes shutting gently momentarily before sliding open “Impressing someone are you, Skywalker”
“Do not look into my mind, I do not need people looking into my mind, especially a Jedi” He sneers at the last word
“Change you need not, Skywalker…Chose you, she did, for you, not for appearances or age”
Vader's fists clench as he whirls on Yoda “I do not need some advice from a creature who had been celibate for their whole life. I know what I am doing and I know this is what she wants. So just…just kriff off!”
Yoda had a feeling that this wasn’t just about Y/n, and so Yoda, gripping his stick let out a sigh and walked towards the Sith Lord “The Council would’ve helped Padmé, had you told us”
Vader scoffed “I doubt that. You preached about Jedi having no attachments. Had I told you about Padmé, you would’ve taken our children away and barred me from ever seeing them again. It wouldn’t have mattered what choice I took, because I’d still end up like this” He gestured to the armour and helmet “My path was to bring balance to the force, and I did, I did everything I was meant to do and yet people are still bothering me…So just go away” It was silent for a few minutes before Yoda said one last thing
“Too high of a pedestal we put you on. Failed to recognise we did, that you were a child who had just been separated from his mother, arrogant you were, had trust issues and a terrible temper, traits found in no Jedi.. But also loyal you were, trusted the ones you cared for and protected, and that’s what made you a great person- and Jedi.” Yoda paused, looking up at the looming figure before him “Too wrapped up in the Sith we were. So much so, that by the time we finally noticed the signs that something was wrong, too late we were…We failed you.”
Vader was silent in shock, his skull-like mask looking down to face the former Jedi as he took his words in.
Failed…him?
Vader went to say something, but it had just registered that Yoda had disappeared into thin air. He turned around a few times, trying to see if Yoda had just left, but no, definitely gone. Vader trudged back in the direction of the campsite, his eyes wandering over various flora until eventually he noticed the billow of smoke just a few metres away
“Father! There you are” Luke stood up, hurrying towards where Vader was “Where have you been? Julie finished making the potion hours ago, she’s been waiting for you” This made Vader pause, his mind running a mile a minute
Was this the right choice? Yoda’s words had deeply resonated with him and it made him rethink his decision
“Lead the way, son” Vader gestures a hand towards the hut on the hill, and Luke and Vader start the long trek up the hill, Han staying behind to pack up the campsite
~~~~
“Ah, there you are, I was beginning to believe that you’d changed your mind and left” Julie says, her back turned away as she plucked a few bottles off the shelf and turned back to face them “Take a seat” She says to Vader and he obliges, he awkwardly manoeuvres himself into the small chair and cringes at the creak of protest that came from the wooden chair “Now,” Julie takes a seat opposite of him, picking up a ladle and pouring the strange looking liquid into two small respective bottles “Only a sip of this will be enough to make you younger. Just know that you will look like your former self. However, there will be certain things, such as greying hair and slight wrinkles that will make you look slightly older. Other than that, I don’t believe there will be any other side effects that would warrant worry” Vader nodded along, his fingers grasping at the material covering his prosthetic legs “The effects of the potion will last about a week. In order for the effects to remain you must have her kiss you before midnight on the last day” Julie stands up “Now, take the potions and leave”
Vader stands from his awkward seated position, his face wrinkling as he hears the chair snap “I thank you, I will forever be in your debt” Julie waves him off with a scoff, turning away from him and walking into a different room. Vader plucks the bottles up into his strong grip, being careful as to not drop them
“You got it?” Luke asks as soon as Vader walks out the door, instead of responding he nods his head towards the bottles in his hand “Wow, that's- uh-” Luke scratches his head as he follows his father down the trail “Why two bottles?”
“Not sure” Vader shrugs “I guess in case we don’t make it back in time and the effects wear off” Luke hums in agreement, his hands clasped behind his back as he listens to the whispers of the force and the way that it would tick up slightly whenever an intrusive thought invaded Vader’s mind
It didn’t take long for them to return to the ship where Han had his back pressed against the cool metal “Took you slow pokes long enough” Han says, his eyes landing on the small bottles “That’s it?” When Luke nods Han lets out a grumble, his arms crossing over his chest as he pushes himself from the ship “Well, how are you gonna drink it? Considering you…you know, can’t take the mask off and all”
“You forget we are piloting my shuttle, it has everything I need” Vader replies, pressing the button on the side of the shuttle and walking up the ramp. He walks into one of the first rooms, placing the bottles on a shelf and ignoring the two other presences that followed him inside “I need my privacy. Leave.” They obliged, and he waited for a moment until the door hissed shut to finally plop down on a more comfortable chair, shaky hands pulling his mask off one by one until eventually he sat there with a cold breeze hitting his face
A gloved hand grasped one of the bottles, his eyes gazing at the slightly off-coloured liquid inside until eventually he shook his head and pressed the bottle to his lips, sipping down the content until he coughed and put the bottle back down on the shelf
Maker it was disgusting. He thought to himself as swiped his fingers over his lips to collect the small droplets
“Father, are you okay in there?” He heard Luke say from behind the metal door
“I’m fine. I’ll be out in a moment” Vader responds, pressing his mechanical hands to his head, hoping that he would be able to feel strands of hair. But instead he felt the rough patch of his head and he sighed in defeat, pulling his mask back on and trudging to the cockpit where Han and Luke now sat
“So, did it work?” Luke asks, swivelling his chair to face his father, but the slight shake of Vader’s helmet told Luke everything he needed to know “I’m sorry father” But Vader ignores his sons words, instead opting to sit down at the back of the cockpit
It was only until thirty minutes after the shuttle left the Dagobah system did Vader start to feel a bit strange, his muscles felt weak and his eyes were starting to grow heavy. He stood up, perhaps thinking that maybe he should occupy his mind and go for a small walk around the shuttle.
“Vades?” Han turns his chair around at the sudden sound of a thud, his eyes widening when he sees the Emperor sprawled across the floor “Whoa, are you okay? Luke! Somethings wrong”
“Oh my…Father?” Luke springs from his seat and rushes over to his father, heaving him onto his lap and trying to shake him awake “Father, are you alright? Father!” Vader’s breathing apparatus hitches for a second, stopping momentarily before starting up again. Vader tries to lift his arm, to open his mouth; Anything to prove that he was alright and could hear Luke. But it felt like an invisible force was pressing down against him
“Oh maker what do we do?” Han says, his breathing going erratic as he paces the small strip of the cockpit
“Han, he’s fine, I think he’s just…Passed out” Luke presses a hand to his fathers shoulder, shaking him firmly, but when there’s no response he just sighs “Come on, help me take him to one of the bunks”
“Sure, yeah, okay, taking my father-in-law with crazy issues to a bunk bed, totally nothi-”
“Han! He’s passed out, I don’t think he’s going to kill you while he’s out. Now, stop being such an ass and help me out”
Had the two young men stayed just a few more minutes in the small room after awkwardly putting Vader on the bunk bed, then they would’ve noticed a dim blue glow momentarily encasing Vader’s body.
~~~~
“Y/n, If you have a second” You turned at the sound of your name, your eyes widening when you notice Leia rushing towards you
“Leia! What the maker are you doing? The healers specifically said that you are to be on bed rest for the rest of your pregnancy” You grip her arm gently turning her back in the direction of her room “If it was so important you could’ve had someone come get me, or even called me, you know i’d drop everything to come to you”
“I know” Leia sighs, her hand resting on her bump “But if I have to spend another moment looking at the four walls of my bedroom I’m going to rip my hair out” You smile softly, stopping in your tracks and turning her to face you “What is it?”
“May I?” You gesture towards her bump and she nods, you place a hand on her bump, marvelling at the sudden kick to your palm “You’re going to be a great mother, I just know it” She places her hand over yours, “There was something you wanted to tell me?”
“I think you should reconsider your choice in flowers for your bouquet” You furrow your brows. Since when was Leia ever interested in things like flowers?
“But, Lucien told me that blueblossoms are so dull and that they’re so difficult to grow. He was kind enough to sho-”
“But it's not up to Lucien, is it?” Leia replies “It’s your wedding, you deserve to have a choice in what happens with it…Besides theyrevadersfavourite”
“Pardon?”
“The blueblossoms, they’re Vader’s favourite flower” Your eyes widen at her words
“Oh…I see” You reply, the silence was awkward to say the least and you stood in the corridor for a moment, your hand still pressed to Leia’s bump before you continued walking “Well, I shall call upon Lucien as soon as I get you back to your room. Come along.” You removed your hand from her stomach and placed it back on her arm, gently pulling her along with you
“Hey, can we stop by the kitchens and make an ice-cream and tuna sandwich?” Leia asks, you laugh in response, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing her to your side
“You can have whatever you want”
~~~~
The first thing Vader realised when he awoke was that he was no longer in the cockpit of the shuttle and instead haphazardly placed in a small bunk which creaked each time he made a slight movement. He groaned, shuffling awkwardly to stand up only to let out a surprised yell as the weight of his armour had him falling backwards, his arms flailing to keep himself upright, but instead he found himself sprawled out across the floor like a sack of bantha-shit.
Slowly, like a newborn deer, he gripped onto the metal pole of the bunk bed, heaving himself up into an upright position and it was only then that he realised something felt…different.
Without a moment's hesitation he staggered towards the door, his hand nearly smashing the button as he exited the room and walked towards the small meditation room, hands gripping onto the side of the ship as he continued forward.
“Father? Is that you?” Luke asked, followed by a muffled ‘of course it's him, who else could it be’ from Han
But he ignored it, locking the door to his meditation room and scrambling to pull his mask off once more. The first thing he realised as soon as his face was bare was how well his eyesight was, followed by the feeling of light strands of hair tickling his cheeks. He raised a gloved hand, rubbing the palm across his head, expecting the feeling of his usual rough bald head, but surprised to feel soft strands. “What..” He said, eyes widening when he realised that his voice was no longer quieter than a whisper
“Father? Everything okay?” Luke knocked on the door of the meditation room
“I- yeah, everything’s great” He replies, ripping his glove off and letting out a gasp when he's met with an organic hand “I’ll be out in a minute” He clears his throat
Oh how he wished that he had a mirror in his kriffing room, he wanted so badly to see how he looked.
He steeled himself for what was about to happen, his organic finger pressing the button and listening as the door hissed open. It was silent for a minute, the three men stared at each other before Han broke the silence “Whoa, Luke you never told me your dad was hot.” An elbow to the side from Luke told Han everything he needed to know “Yep, I’ll shut up”
“Can you um-” Vader cringes at the sound of his voice cracking; Like a teenage boy “Han, can I borrow some of your clothes. These don’t seem to…fit” He gestures to how loose his armour looked and felt on him and Han wordlessly nods in response, his jaw practically unhinged as he turns on his heels towards where he kept extra sets of clothes
Han returned moments later with a pile of folded clothes in his grip as he wordlessly handed them to his much much younger father-in-law “Come on, Luke, let’s leave Vades to get changed” His voice was monotonous, eyes wide as he gripped Luke by the bicep and started dragging him back to the cockpit.
Vader gently placed the pile of clothes onto his chair, his hands slowly moving to remove each garment of armour until eventually he stood as naked as the day he was born. He paused for a moment, eyes roving over the front of his body, it was truly strange to see his body look so…young, so normal; “Thank the maker, you also look normal” He chuckled to himself as he eyed that certain part of his body “Focus, you need to get dressed” He slapped himself on the cheek trying to refocus his attention onto the pile of clothes “Here we go…” He sighs, bending down and picking up the pair of underwear
He doubted that the underwear would fit, and was right, so he resigned himself to go commando whilst also deciding that they’ll make a quick stop at a mid-rim planet and purchase a pair. But other than the underwear, everything seemed to fit- a bit tight- but he could make do with the tightness if it meant impressing Y/n.
For a moment he stood still, his hands smoothing down the fabric of the shirt as he got used to the feeling of normal clothes for the first time in over two decades. And then he turned on his heel and strode out of the little room, his hands unconsciously finding their way to the belt he’d strapped around his middle
“There he is!” Han cheered, standing up and clasping a hand on Vader's shoulder as soon as he walked in. “And can I just say, you look absolutely amazing wearing my clothes…” His voice trailed off when he noticed the unreadable expression adorning Vader’s features, Han clears his throat, steeling his expression “What I mean to say is, you look okay”
“Okayyy, with that awkward interaction out of the way” Luke mutters to himself “We should make it back to Coruscant within three days-”
“Actually.” Vader stops Luke mid-sentence “We need to make a quick stop at the next nearest planet” Luke quirks an eyebrow at his fathers statement “There were a few items of clothing that did not fit”
Han lets out a boisterous laugh “Ya hear that Luke? Your old man’s hung!”
~~~~
“No.”
“What do you mean ‘no’? You said to take you to the closest planet so you could get a pair of underwear. This is the closest planet” Luke tried to reason with Vader who was just simply not having it
“I refuse to step foot on this kriffing planet”
“Luke could always levitate you? Couldn’t ya Luke?” Han chuckles, but the response of silence had his laugh die down “I’ll shut up..”
“Need I remind you, Luke Skywalker, that I was a slave on this planet, my mother was killed on this planet…And this planet is literally just sand”
“Right, I’ve had enough of your whinging” His voice drops an octave lower as he grips his father by the ear and starts dragging him down the ramp “You’re the one complaining about needing a new pair of underwear, you wanted us to stop off at the closest planet and we have, so let’s get what we came for and leave”
Vader grumbles silently, his eyes squinting menacingly at the sand, hands tucked into the pockets of Hans pants as he reluctantly pushes himself forward; Just one step at a time, he thinks to himself as he lifts a hand from the pocket to scratch at the spot on his neck that the two suns were relentlessly pulsing down against.
It was a strange feeling, Vader realises; Whilst he is now a much younger and a more…whole version of himself, his body seemed to both react good and bad to the sudden sun exposure. The tolerance to the Tatooine heat that he’d established during his childhood was definitely there; But, the near two decades he spent in a full body armour seemed to rear its ugly head and rendered him to absolute submission, and he didn’t like it at all.
Luke on the other hand seemed completely unfazed by the heat, whilst Han was too focused on swatting flies away from his persons to notice the Tatooine heat.
Vader noted that the further they walked through Mos Espa the busier and more chaotic became, his eyes scanning the familiar surroundings and he was shocked to notice that a few of the food vendors that had been around when he was a child were still up and running all these years later.
“No way!” Han exclaims as he practically bounces towards one of the food vendors “I haven’t had a fried frog in years!” He goes to grab one, but a grubby hand swats him away, Han looks up, a scowl pursed on his lips as he glares at the guy running the vendor “Hey! I just want a fried frog”
“Pay, and then you can have the frog” His voice sounded raspy, as he pointed with a dirty finger towards a sign which hung loosely on the side
“17 credits?! For one frog?” His eyes were practically bulging out of his sockets as he re-read the sign over and over again
“Pay up or beat it” Vader curiously turned his head to face his son-in-law, and although the exterior showed that he was pissed off, he could also tell that there was a part of Han that was upset
He sighed, taking a step toward the hawker “Please give my friend here his fried frog?”
“Just leave it” Han said, placing a hand on Vader's shoulder and trying to get him to walk away “It’s just food” Vader harshly shrugged the hand off his shoulder
The hawker chuckled, spitting his toothpick from his mouth and eyeing Vader up and down with an arch of his brow “A Jedi huh? Whatcha doing out here being a little bitch to this whiny baby?”
“Jedi?” Vader spoke eerily calm, his head cocking to the side as his eyes slowly formed into a sickly yellow. The hawker had no time to react as one minute he was leaning against his cart and the next he was in the air, feet kicking helplessly as his hands tried to grasp the invisible hands that were slowly choking him
“Father!” Luke exclaimed, “Let him go!”
“Do I look like a Jedi to you?” The hawker struggled against the grip but managed to form a weak shake of his head
“Father..Please let him go” Luke whispered, his eyes jumping across each individual who’d stopped and looked at the commotion
Vader sighed, the hand that was once outstretched now pulled gently to his side and the hawker collapsed onto the ground in a fit out hysterical coughs “Now.” Vader adjusted the sleeve of his shirt, eyes returning back to their normal blue hue “A fried frog, if you’ll be so kind.” The hawker looked up at him, his hands pressed to the front of his chest as he greedily gulped down as much air as possible, a moment later he stood on shaky feet and grabbed a fried frog, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he handed the delicious treat to Han before quickly retreating to behind the vendor
“Right then, let us continue on our journey” Vader smoothed the creases from the jacket before turning on his heel and making his way further into the crowd who’d begun to disperse
~~~~
“..Y/n? Y/n!” You let out a hiccup of a gasp, eyes darting back to the concerned figure of Maxwell who sat across from you “Are you alright?” He placed his teacup down and gently pressed his hand over the top of yours
“Perfectly fine” You respond, you give him an uneasy smile and turn your head to look out at the sunset, the warmth of the rays casting a golden glow as your basked in the warmth “I’m worried about Va- The Emperor” Maxwell nods his head, brows furrowed in confusion “I know I don’t know much about him- if anything at all, really. But he’d been acting off before he left Coruscant and I’m worried that something might be wrong”
“Perhaps wedding jitters?” Maxwell offers “I know that I nearly broke out of the engagement in the weeks leading up to my wedding. About five times..?”
“Ten” You respond, giving him a small smile, you chuckle at the confused expression plastered on his face “You got blackout drunk a few times and tried calling Cali to break it off, said you weren’t worthy of her love and that she deserved someone who could give her everything she wants.”
“And I still stand by that statement. Honestly, I have no idea what she even saw in me” He laughs softly before stretching back against the chair “Y/n, it’s probably nothing to worry about”
“Lady Y/n?” You sat up straighter, craning your neck to face the young man who stood at the doorway “Sir Lucien is ready to see you”
“Alright, I’ll be with him in a moment..Maxwell, it was lovely seeing you again but I must head off”
~~~~
“Lucien. Thank you for travelling all this way to see me” You clasp your hand in his and he quickly bows down and plants a kiss on your knuckles
“Of course, my lady, anyone would be foolish enough to ignore the request of the future Empress.” Lucien responds
“That’s why I requested your presence” You gesture for him to sit and he obliges “My wedding is in less than two weeks” You start, hands placed firmly in front of you as you pace in front of him “And it seems as though I’ve made a big mistake”
“A mistake, my lady?” Lucien asks
“A few days ago you kindly offered to make up my bouquet, you even helped me pick out the flowers…But, I have changed my mind and would now instead exclusively like to have the blueblossoms as my bouquet”
“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, my lady, but in every Royal wedding, the bride must have more than one flower decorating her bouquet”
You sigh, placing your hand to your forehead as you plop down onto the chaise lounge. Silence filled the room for many minutes until finally you looked up “Lucien, this isn’t any ordinary Royal wedding, this the Emperor's wedding, he must also have a say in this. And, although I do not know him very well, I do know enough about him to know that he prefers simplistic things over materialistic things” Lucien gives you an unimpressed look “That’s my final decision, either agree with my proposition or I’ll have to find someone else to handle my bouquet”
Lucien stays silent for a moment until he suddenly stands up “Fine, find someone else, I didn’t even want to make your stupid bouquet anyway”
“Then why offer to make it…?” You mumble to yourself as you sit down on one of the many available seats and pick up the holopad which had been haphazardly thrown to the side, you don’t even flinch when the door slams shut
~~~~
“Well, Han’s out like a light” Luke murmurs as he puts the shuttle on autopilot and makes his way to the vacant chair across from his father “Now do you want to tell me why you’re doing all…this?” He gestures to his much younger fathers figure
Vader looks up from where he was polishing his lightsaber, eyeing his son until he leaned back, rubbed his eyes and sighed “You know why”
“No I don’t, you know she loves you, she doesn’t care about your appearance, whether you’re young or old, she loves you for you” Luke replies
“I have to do this! For her! For us!” He yells, throwing his lightsaber to the side as he stands up “Because if I don’t she’ll do exactly what Padmé did…” Head bowed down and hands on his hips he chuckles pathetically; “I can’t go through something like that again” He shakes his head “I made a mistake once which cost me everything I’d ever loved, I won’t make the same mistake”
“And what is it mother had done?”
“Tried to leave me.”
“Are you even listening to yourself?” Luke exclaims “Do you really think so little of Y/n and mother, the ones who gave their heart to you so willingly? Mother died over two decades ago and yet you still think Ben had been plotting to turn her against you. And now you’re suspecting that Y/ns eyes are straying just because she’s had small interactions with men! This is pathetic, I mean I understand your suspicions with mother because of the Emperor feeding you all these lies, but he’s dead, you’re the Emperor now, you don’t have him whispering all these things into your ear, this time it's you doing it to yourself and you actually believe it even though everyone is telling you otherwise.” He was fuming by the end of his rant, his shoulders raising up and down with each ragged breath he took
But Vader didn’t seem fazed at all with what he’d said, in fact he seemed more irritated than anything “Are you quite finished?”
Luke sighed, shaking his head and turning away, embarrassed and angry “I guess there is no changing your mind when it's set on something. I’m disappointed that you’re not seeing what everyone else is”
~~~~
“Oh no- Oh no no no no no-!” Luke whispers, voice getting more frantic as all of a sudden all the controls to the shuttle had shut down “Shit!”
“What is it?” Vader walks in after hearing the commotion, his eyes bleary from sleep as he tries to make sense of his surroundings
“Good news; We’ve just reached Coruscant. Bad news..The shuttle has given out” Luke replies, his hand pressing every button on the panel in hopes that something would work
“So you panicked all because of something so trivial? Move out of the way” Luke side-steps from the consol as Vader takes his place
“I could say the same thing about you; Panicking over something so trivial as Y/n interacting with men”
“This is not the same” He argues, fingers flexed as he leans forward “Buckle yourself in.”
“What about Han?” Luke asks as he takes a seat in the seat behind him
“He’ll be fine, most of the impact will be head on and not from behind, at most he’ll sustain a few broken ribs” His fingers press a sequence of buttons and Luke feels his head throb as the shuttle starts falling at a more quicker pace until right at the last minute when Vader grips the joystick and presses one button. The engine rumbles to life and glides just a few hundred feet in the air, he swerves other vehicles in the air, shouting a few obscenities at the ones who would come out of nowhere. Eventually though, the engine starts hissing out the last remnants of life before completely shutting down and crashing onto the busy grounds of Coruscant
“What the fuck was that?” Han yelled as he stumbled into the room
“An impromptu landing which could’ve killed a few people” Luke hissed “I thought you were going to find the Palace hangar, not-” He pauses for a second “A street which is a near hour and a half walk to the Palace.”
“I got us here in one piece and safe, would you rather me crash into a building where casualties would be much higher? No, I didn’t think so” He pushes himself from the seat dusting off a few shards of glass from his pants and brushing past the two men who stood there stunned “Stop dawdling we have until midnight tonight to get back”
~~~~
Vader found it strange that as soon as he was away from the crash site, the harsh stares turned into one of wonder. It didn’t matter what gender of species they were, it seemed as though they were entranced by him. It gave him the boost of confidence he needed to walk past the palace guards, unashamed of how strange it must’ve looked for a random person to walk in with the two princes tailing behind just a few feet away, giving the guards awkward smiles as they walked past
He strode down the halls of the palace, his eyes frantically searching for your figure which he knew to roam this specific part of the palace “Damn it, where is she?” He mutters, fingers combing through the locks of hair that framed his face
He was just about ready to give up on his search and go to a different area when a distant laugh reverberated down the marble hallway “Y/n…?” He whispers to himself, feet moving of their own accord in the direction of the sound, heart thrumming erratically, his eyes widened in delight when he sees you sitting in the garden at the end of the hallway in a deep conversation with Leia “Y/n!” You whirl around at the sound of your name, brows furrowing as you try to figure out who the dishevelled man running towards you was
“Can I help you?” You ask politely, hands folded in front of you as the once laid back posture turned into one of rigidness
“Y/n, it’s me” He says, voice heaving as he tries to catch his breath, his hands falling to his knees as his shoulders rise up and down erratically
“I’m sorry” You chuckle softly, eyes darting to Leia in confusion “I don’t know who you are”
Leia also seemed just as confused until everything clicked and she stood up suddenly “Oh maker..” She gasps, taking a step towards the strange man who flagged you down
“What?! What’s wrong? Is it the baby?” You stand up as well, placing a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner, but Leia shrugs your words off
“..Vader?”
Y/n turned to look at the man standing there with a big grin on his face “Is this true?”
His hands reached out and grabbed yours softly, his voice soft as he whispered “Yes my love, it is me” He moved closer to press his lips to your forehead, excited to feel his lips on your skin when all of a sudden you pushed away “Y/n?”
“Please give us a moment alone, Leia” Your eyes never leave his, the hushed whispering and quiet footsteps told you that Han and Luke had also arrived, but then disappeared along with Leia “Why have you done this?”
“What do you mean ‘why have I done this?’ Is it not obvious? I did it for you! For us!”
“But I never asked for this” You felt so bewildered
“You didn’t need to, I could tell; all the young men that practically flocked you, they were forcing your hand-”
“Whoa whoa stop right there.” You scoffed “You thought so little of me that you thought I’d leave you?” You took a step away from him when he tried to step closer “Vader when I first met you at that gala all those months ago I knew there was something about you that drew me to you, and the dance we’d shared solidified that for me, you were the one. And when I told my parents that you’d proposed a few weeks later they were outraged, turns out they’d been trying to set me up with a Prince from a different planet, a young one who they thought could provide for me, who wasn’t so much older than me. To them it didn’t matter that I was going to marry the richest man in the galaxy, they probably would’ve preferred me to marry a farmer rather than you. But against their wishes here I am, a few days away from marrying you.”
“I- I didn’t know that” His voice went quiet again
“It didn’t matter to me that you were older, that I’d probably never have seen your face even after we married, that our marriage wouldn’t have been the one I’d dreamed of, I was content with just being with you, because I am in love with you” Tears slipped down your cheeks, knuckles turning a few shades lighter as you tried to compose yourself, your hands gripping the stone of the bench as you took a seat “Is there any other reason why you did this without asking me? Or is it just because you thought of me as a whore who’d fuck married men and asshole botanists?”
“No! No I never thought of you like that” He quickly sat beside you, his hand reaching forward and gripping yours “The reason I wore the suit of armour was because it was keeping me alive, everyday was complete agony and I spent more of my time in the medbay having neurotic flesh being pulled off. “I knew marrying you in that state would make you miserable, as you would be stuck having to live the rest of your life with me” His composure began to unravel the more he spoke “You would have to be forced to wake up beside such an ugly creature” His eyes watered and you quickly shushed him, pulling him into your embrace
“You are not ugly, and anyone who says so will personally be booted out of the palace grounds by me” He chuckles “So what do we do now?”
“Well” He quickly rubs the tears from his eyes “If you want me to stay this way you have to kiss me before midnight”
“Hold on, I’m not making this permanent decision for you. This is your life, your body, you choose whatever you want”
~~~~
“Well folks, today is the day we’ve all been waiting for; The wedding of our beloved Emperor and his soon-to-be-wife/empress Lady Y/n. Fevec, have we had any word on what our future Empress’ wedding dress is?”
“Hene, there have been many rumours on what she’d be wearing since the engagement was announced and it seems as though the public have narrowed it down to an unreleased collection from the famous fashion designer Cami Tanozi. But, in just a few minutes we’ll be getting our answer” He pointed back to the screen which showcased a shuttle slowing down in front of the steps of the Imperial Palace “For those who don’t know, Lady Y/n spent the night in a penthouse, keeping to the tradition of the bride seeing the groom on the wedding-”
“And there she is!” Hene interrupted, her hand grabbing Fevec by the arm as she excitedly pointed at the figure stepping off the shuttle “And isn’t she just a sight to see!”
Luke’s arm is linked with yours as he slowly starts making his way into the palace, his eyes wandering over to the blueblossoms in your right hand “You look beautiful, stepmother” A shit-eating grin adorns his features when he watches your face scrunch up at the title
“Call me stepmother again and I’ll hit you with my flowers”
“Of course, Empress” You scowl
Moments later the door to the throne room pushed open and everyone turned and stood up, all of them bowing or curtseying when you walked past until eventually you were just an arms reach from him. You smiled nervously as Luke passed you over to his father who helped you up the remaining last steps. And once you were facing him you released a breath you didn’t know you were holding.
You look beautiful, my Emperor.”
Fin.