Saga Innocent Stewardship--A One-shot Father's Introspection

This is Bail Organa's thoughts on his only daughter.

 

Princess Leia was the gift that the Organas could not give each other, so it took the desperate kindness of a dying mother to make them guardians of a noble spirit.

In seven years, there had been rare moments of joy. Every announcement of pregnancy was accompanied by heartfelt relief and hope, only to be quashed by miscarriage or the children who never drew breath. The one child in the fifth year who had lived to draw breath had survived a mere three months before joining the others. And with each passing tragedy, a bitter cynicism became passing fare for the both of them until the gut-wrenching moment when the doctors apologetically informed them that to attempt more pregnancies would most likely kill the mother took the last vestige of hope from them.

And in that dark time, a fellow-sufferer was plagued by her own children. Like her faithful handmaiden, Padme had yearned for these precious creatures, but reality would not let her be a mother in this life. She had already lost her family to the darkness that followed the Emperor's rise to power and if she wanted her children to escape becoming another victim of that darkness, she could not keep them.

So, the son was to be a charge of the Lars on a world that his father would never visit.

And the daughter became the first glimmer of hope that the Organas had been given in months.

"I'm trusting you can give my daughter both her father's love. Her own father can no more love her than he can love me."

It had been impossible to think that night that anyone could refrain from loving the child. It was impossible to understand how love could be restrained in the face of such pure light and innocence. But then again, the Dark Side did strange things to the ability to feel.

"I have heard that the Jedi are not supposed to harbor emotion," Bail observed over his Durindfire, "that you are subject only to the will of the Force. How can you survive that?"

Knight Skywalker simply smiled, eyes wandering past him to his guardian angel. "I don't own my emotions any more, Senator," he countered. "I rent them at a very high price, but I really can't afford them, and someday the rent will come due."

The day had indeed come and Skywalker had left a very pregnant wife running for her life, a galaxy in the chaos of new management, and the Order that was living in abject terror of one of its most faithful members.

"I rent them at a very high price."

Every time he saw the little girl who had become his daughter because of that price, he couldn't help feeling that he had incurred a debt that could never be repaid.

Fortunately, the creditor had never asked for anything except their protection and the assurance that they would give her daughter more love than she would ever deserve.

But they had failed in the first aspect. Padme Amidala Skywalker had come to Alderaan expecting her life to be saved, but all the wards they constructed against the man she had called 'husband' and 'beloved' had not protected her. She had been murdered by something that they could have not accounted for.

The doctors termed it a coronary disorder that she was simply too weak to fight off, but the Organas knew better. Bail had seen the woman who argued mercilessly and stood defiantly against tyrants succumb. She had given her will to live in the same day that Master Kenobi delivered the only thing that remained of her husband--his lightsaber.

She had remained strong for a time, for the sake of her unborn children, but when Luke was taken and Leia began her new life as a High Princess of Alderaan, Padme retreated quietly into the shadows. She did not want Leia to notice the loss, to wonder where a part of her heart had gone, so the rightful mother made sure that she was never a part of her life.

And it broke both mothers' hearts.

Sache tried persuasion until the day that Padme had died, had begged for her to yield, but the same obstinate spirit that was manifesting itself in the two-year-old child was a clear inheritance from her mot

 

It was nice to see a story with Bail's thoughts. I liked it very much.

 

I like this, a lot. This bridges the prequels with the originals and pictures Organa's thoughts perfectly.

 

Knight Skywalker simply smiled, eyes wandering past him to his guardian angel. "I don't own my emotions any more, Senator," he countered. "I rent them at a very high price, but I really can't afford them, and someday the rent will come due."

Every time he saw the little girl who had become his daughter because of that price, he couldn't help feeling that he had incurred a debt that could never be repaid."

Sigh... Beautiful!

 

Upping this.

 

Man i really liked that story!

 

beautiful I like the part where he said she was a skywalker by birth but an organa by heart that was lovely

 

Absolutely amazing vignette. It was touching and sad and yet there is that ray of hope in the form of one stubborn princess.

Knight Skywalker simply smiled, eyes wandering past him to his guardian angel. "I don't own my emotions any more, Senator," he countered. "I rent them at a very high price, but I really can't afford them, and someday the rent will come due."

I loved this section, but unfortunately it was all too true. The price came due and everyone had to pay. Wonderful insight into so many characters, all through Bail's words. Amaxing, that is all I can say!

 

Great writing! Until reading this, it never occurred to me that one of the reasons they would hide Luke on Tatooine was because Anakin would never go back there. Good insight. Just a really enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing how close your version of events comes to Epidose 3's version of events.

 

Wonderful viggie.

I loved seeing these events from Bail's point of view.

Every time he saw the little girl who had become his daughter because of that price, he couldn't help feeling that he had incurred a debt that could never be repaid.

Fortunately, the creditor had never asked for anything except their protection and the assurance that they would give her daughter more love than she would ever deserve.

I especially liked this.

 

Thanks all. Just a bit of trivia. The idea about owning/renting emotions is from the musical Rent. My freshman roommate had that CD and the song Living in America says "I don't own emotions. I rent." I got struck very much by that line.

 

Upping this.

 

Great vignette!

So sad.

Loved the part about renting emotions. It fits perfectly. (and I love RENT)

 

the daughter became the first glimmer of hope that the Organas had been given in months

Many, many, many years ago I always imagined that the Organas couldn?t have their own children and felt Leia was a gift ? the kind your story speaks of. It?s nice to see the theme done so well.

"Either she was genetically predisposed to bossiness or her temper was dispensed with the tiara."

LOL! Oh, definitely the tiara!

she was a Skywalker by birth and an Organa by heart

What a beautiful sentiment! This was a very nice piece. Thanks for pulling it up again!

 

An excellent story. I liked it a lot.

 

Thanks. If you like this, go read Message To My Daughter. THis was the precursor to it.

 

Ahhhh!!! I'm so glad this was uppped!! Bail's thought were so beautiful!! I loved it!

 

Very cool description! I like the creativity in choosing Bail's point of view. It's cool how you tied Ep III to Ep IV like that.