Beyond - Legends The Bride Wore Black (post-TLC AU, dark L/M- Completed 1/3/04)

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Disclaimer- Luke and Mara ain't mine. Them be LFL's. And no, I ain't a hick. I be a city girl. But today, I feel like them country folks, sitting in my computer chair all hickified in a plaid shirt and durangos. Or maybe them be bellbottoms. Can't tell.

Timeframe- post-The Last Command

Characters- Mara Jade, Luke Skywalker

Genre- AU, romance, drama, angst, dark (is that a genre?)

Summary- Several days before Mara's marriage to Luke, a tragedy occurs.

A/N 1- This was written because I gave into the temptation to write lovely dark L/M stuff. Emmi dear, I'm sorry this is dark. I have written a happy L/M vig that I can PM you for a sneak preview if you get sad at the end of this. But I was in an evil mood.

A/N 2- This was inspired by something I read in the newspaper. Apparently, Kill Bill is based on a Japanese film called The Bride Wore Black. I hate Kill Bill, but this gave me a plot bunny. Durn bunnies!

And this was intended to be a one-poster, but after I typed up these two sections I was too tired to type the last five pages up. So I decided I'd make this a two-poster. I'll try to get the longer chunk typed tomorrow. Enjoy!

EDIT- Actually, after typing this up yesterday I got really into it. Made myself mad and sad. Blame it on hormones. So now, this has become a three-poster. I decided that life doesn't really end with death after all...

~*~**~*~

The whole of it came not at once-
?Twas murder by degrees-
A Thrust- and then for Life a chance-
The Bliss to cauterize-
~by Emily Dickinson

---

[b]The Bride Wore Black[/b]



Things could have turned out so differently. If I had followed Skywalker to the throne room in Mount Tantiss- if I had not remained with Calrissian to destroy the cloning chambers- who knows what my future could have become? I thought I was doing my part to eliminate Thrawn?s army and stop his plans for a Second Clone War. I believed I was fulfilling the will of the Force.

But now I?m not so sure. My destiny changed on Wayland, bringing about a vicious turn of events that I?ve tried so long to avoid.

It had to happen. I just wish there could have been a way- any way- to start anew. For both our sakes.

When Skywalker killed C?baoth and that terrifying doppelganger, the voices ceased. The Emperor?s last command, branded in my memory and present in my thoughts, faded away. I was free, sane again and never missing that dark stain on my mind. Perhaps C?baoth?s death- the death of a truly evil being- purged that remnant of darkness from inside me. It was unexplainable, and I felt relieved. The past had lost its stranglehold on me.

And I began to let my guard down a little- just a little. After all, Skywalker wasn?t a bad man. He took a few tentative steps towards friendship, and I followed. Cautiously. This was my former target, after all. It didn?t feel right to let Vader?s son see past my masks into my true character. I flirted with danger, letting him get ever closer, but still trying to keep a hint of chilliness and reserve.

Changes did occur. He began to insist that I call him Luke- I?d been Mara to him since the beginning, so it wasn?t like I was being too casual. I still shot off a quick ?Damn you, Skywalker? when I was irritated, but it was simpler to use his first name. And he always wanted to meet me places- the gym for workout, or the Palace for lunch. I couldn?t object to those either; he was a patient teacher, and his conversation was usually interesting.

So it progressed, leading to things I would have never imagined. Love? Romance? Marriage? I never thought to refuse him. It?d been over three years since Tantiss, and those times were far behind me. I certainly liked Skywalker, and found we worked well together. No problems, no doubts; the wedding was fixed for two months? time. His sister was a little surpr

 

Ooooooh, so now Mara is having those dreams again! Is she going to try to destroy Luke on their wedding day? Leli, you're so evil! This is great! *huggles blonde twin*

Jae Angel

 

I like this a lot. (It's dark. Of course I'll enjoy it.)

Seriously, though, I can't wait for the next part.

 

You know I love it. Is Palpatine's command coming back? Has it been there all along? And Mara sounded odd, frankly. There was something off about the entire thing.

But very good!

 

I certainly liked Skywalker, and found we worked well together.[/i]- I think, it is strange that Mara never mentioned that she loved Luke!
Or did I miss that part? ?

Uh, I have a very bad feeling about this!

Great post!

 

That's true, Mara didn't mention anything about actually loving the man she's about to marry. Hmmm. [face_thoughtful] I'll be interested to see just where and how this goes, Liana.

 

You evil girl. You write a dark vignette, and then have to go and make it a two-parter, so I'm waiting on edge for a sad ending! ACK! She's going to kill him, isn't she? *pouts* *demands happy viggie*

 

That was great!! Cannot wait for more!!
Love the title too! I saw that and went OOO that sounds interesting!!


Luke and Mara ain't mine. Them be LFL's. And no, I ain't a hick. I be a city girl. But today, I feel like them country folks, sitting in my computer chair all hickified in a plaid shirt and durangos. Or maybe them be bellbottoms. Can't tell.

The funny thing about that is...I'm sitting in my computer chair wearing a plaid jacket and bellbottomed-sweatpants. And no, I'm not a hick either. I'm Southern...but not hicky.

 

I have my hick moments. *is from the Deep South*

 

Nice beginning here. So Mara thought she'd escaped the dreams, but now they're resurfacing. Could this have anything to do with Palpatine's impending return??

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Lani- Thanks! I was feeling particularly sadistic, and it didn't help that my friend Doc thought it should be "Mara picks up an assault rifle and kills 'em all." To #1- perhaps...to #2- she doesn't have that kind of patience. More of a figurative thing. *huggies her blond twin*

KnightHawk- Thank you! Darkness is very good sometimes. And I know you like dark.

Mummy- *huggies* I know you love it. Well, actually, I didn't, so I am now happier.

I don't think Mara's quite herself. First, she's narrating in the past tense, so she obviously knows the end result of this all. I think the end result screws her up. I am spoiler-free. Actually, you know, it's hard to write weird Mara. I had a little difficulty, cause she kept lapsing into good ole common-sense Mara.

The_Good_Twin- No, she never said it. You didn't miss anything. She talks about love in this one, though. I've glad you like it!

Gabri- Gabri's reading this? I am honored. That is true. I hope you enjoy the rest! For this is quite a weird story. I'm very unsure about it.

Emmi- I'm sorry! *huggies* And now, it's a three-parter which only makes it worse. Probably. You can never beat that last command. *sends synopsis of happy vig, since it's not typed up yet *

Mirax-Jade- Thanks! I hope this satisfies. I wanted a catchy title, and I thought this would do the trick. Of course, I could have been more creative and made up me own title but I'm a lazy rippin'-off bum.

The funny thing about that is...I'm sitting in my computer chair wearing a plaid jacket and bellbottomed-sweatpants. And no, I'm not a hick either. I'm Southern...but not hicky.

LOL! I think everyone who lives in the south unintentionally hickifies themselves sometimes. I do, and then I get mad and dress all hippy-like.

Em again- Florida shouldn't be giving me hick flashes, but it does. A lot of times, it's intentional "ooo, Li's making fun of hicks today," though. You talking deep, deep south?

Tych_sel- Thanks. Durn dreams!

Could this have anything to do with Palpatine's impending return??

Actually, I never even thought of that! That would've been cool to work in, but I forgot about reborn Emperor stuff. Oh well. There's always revisions.

Note- As I was working on this, I decided it needed more closure than this. So, this is now a three-poster (sorry, Em dear ). This is actually the middle segment. Then the end. Not a happy piece, IMO, but I didn't intend for it to be such. As soon as my happy L/M vig is polished, Emmi can get her happy fix and everyone will be content.

---

I awoke disoriented, tied down by silken restraints. I twisted free of my sheets, my Master?s voice ringing through my mind. The moon glinted outside my window, reflecting cool rays into my chamber as I rose quietly to my feet. It was eerily still, and the air?s sharp chill sent goosebumps down my spine. I flailed around for a covering of some kind; my trembling fingers closed onto a cloak.

It was black, like Skywalker?s normal clothing. I remember laughing at him, wishing he would wear lighter colors, something that would bring out the clearness of his eyes. He always looked so gloomy and downtrodden, though I knew he was aiming more towards seeming serious than depressed. I thought?

[i]YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER[/i]

I wrapped the cloak around myself securely, its dark folds obscuring my white sleep shirt. I moved about the room mechanically, grabbing items and objects almost dreamily, abstractedly. A utility belt, snuggly fastened around my waist. Soft, thinly soled slippers, designed for noiseless travel. My blaster, a vibroblade, a knife.

I felt something cool and light in my hand, and stepped into the moonlight. My lightsaber. Skywalker had taken it from his clone and given it to me on the Palace roof, in hopes that I would become his app

 

Make that, !!!

I wasn't surprised by it, but that was odd. But very interesting, too. I liked especially the way she realized she was selfish, her mistake . . . but how sad that she only realized it then. It was interesting to me how all these little things - the smaller barrier, the refusal to listen - led her to being so easily swayed by Palpatine's command. But I have to wonder - why then? Am I missing something?

Can't wait to see the next part.

 

Very interesting piece of the story... I must say I am extremely impressed. What I really like is how you captured both sides of Mara and put them on display for us. It's a work of art, seeing the scene shift from "Happy Bride to Be-type Mara" to "Emperor's Hand-type Mara", and then over to "Repentant-type Mara" in one quick post, without any sloppiness. Magnificent.

 

Wow. Thats all I have to say, Wow.

 

Oh, that was soooo sad!

But still fantastic!

 

I'm glad you warned us at the beginning of what kind of story this was. I can see where that Last Command might have stayed buried but not disappeared, if Mara hadn't killed Luke's clone. I liked all of Mara's introspection -- debating with herself about whether she truly loved him, how she switched to thinking of him as 'Luke' at the end.

But do hurry with that happy-ending story!

 

Liana, this is very, very well done. I wouldn't worry about it in the least. KnightHawk's right, this is absolutely a work of art, the way you switch seamlessly between Mara's mindsets. I suspected that she would kill Luke, but it's so beautifully done that I hardly mind, if that makes sense. (Though I really want to see that happy L/M vignette, too. )

I awoke disoriented, tied down by silken restraints.

Beautiful imagery!

It was black, like Skywalker?s normal clothing. I remember laughing at him, wishing he would wear lighter colors, something that would bring out the clearness of his eyes. He always looked so gloomy and downtrodden, though I knew he was aiming more towards seeming serious than depressed. I thought?

YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER

Now here's an example of that lovely viewpoint switching you did. The first paragraph is especially telling in that Mara's not just remembering laughing at Luke over his wardrobe, but she remembers wishing that he would wear something that would bring out the clearness of his eyes. Laughing could have been a front of sorts, even one that she herself believed, but not the wishing. That shows that she really did care for him, that he genuinely meant something to her - then that command kicks in and it's like a switch has been thrown in her mind; suddenly she's the Emperor's Hand all over again. Very nicely done, with a believably creepy effect.

It was amusing, watching him take an elaborate approach when telling me something that I?d guessed from the beginning.

*grins* That is very in character for both of them, and again, sweet to see her inmost thoughts like this. It really adds to the pathos when she kills him after all.

I had sacrificed the only one who truly knew me for a brief respite from old horrors.

And I hated myself for it.

*shivers* Perfectly expressed.

If only I had waited a few days, held back the Emperor?s last command, and married him- in our union, could that urging have been erased?

That's a very interesting question. Would it, I wonder? Or would she have remained ignorant of its continued existence until something else triggered it?

Fate moves in mysterious ways.

And mine had been twisted from the start.

Sadly true, which makes the occasional tragic AU like this extremely plausible. Had things been just a little different, there's no real telling what Mara might have become - at any point in her life.

Lovers in life; in death, what?

That is a truly haunting line, Liana, all the more so because I can't think of a definitive answer. It's going to stay with me a long while, I'm sure.

This actually would have been a satisfactory ending, but I'm really glad you added some more. I can't wait to see the rest. And the happy L/M story, too!

 

It was lovely, Liana. Terribly dark, but lovely.

Between you, Gabri, and LP, I might as well die.

*dies*

 

A bleh...

Wow. That was great!

 

Wow! This is really good. [face_shocked] Dark, a little creepy, and yet . . . beautiful. Excellent! I love it.

 

Wow...replies! I'm sorry about the last replies, if they seemed a little...unintelligible, or something. I'd just taken some pain-killer, and it sent me into weird mode. Just ask oba. I was describing, in great detail, David Wenham in Croc Hunter to her.

Mum- Thanks. *huggies*

It was interesting to me how all these little things - the smaller barrier, the refusal to listen - led her to being so easily swayed by Palpatine's command. But I have to wonder - why then? Am I missing something?

I don't think so. I'm not quite sure WHY they made her more receptible, all I know is that seemed right. I was in Mara mode, which basically means when I'm writing I feel not like me. I feel like that character. It's really weird to explain. I think, maybe, it worked this way: with the smaller barrier and the refusal to listen, Mara was still trying to rely on her own strength. But she couldn't defeat the command on her own. That's why when it returned, stronger, it was able to firmly take control of her by the end. She still thought that she could take care of herself on her own. She was ready to let Luke help her too. And it destroyed them both.

I hope that's logical.

KnightHawk- Thank you! I was hoping those transitions would come across smoothly. And actually, originally the YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKERs weren't in there. I think they worked well, though.

Magnificent.

Thanks.

_3MD_PsychoSniper- Wow. Thanks.

The_Good_Twin- *hands tissue* I'm glad you liked it!

Jedi-2B- I liked all of Mara's introspection -- debating with herself about whether she truly loved him, how she switched to thinking of him as 'Luke' at the end.

I love introspection...actually, I think it tends to be better than my dialogue. But I'm glad you liked it! I tend to get all worried about my writing. I post, get all nervous thinking that no one will read, but then I read feedback and I get happy again. Only to complete the vicious cycle once more.

Happy viggie was PMed to Emmi a few days ago. It was her Christmas present. Now, I'll post it...oh, tomorrow or so.

Gabri- A long reply! *huggles* Yay.
Thank you so much! I wanted to kill Luke (and Mara) gently. I hope I succeeded.

That shows that she really did care for him, that he genuinely meant something to her - then that command kicks in and it's like a switch has been thrown in her mind; suddenly she's the Emperor's Hand all over again. Very nicely done, with a believably creepy effect.

Now that I look back on it, those parts remind me of Gollum. Don't ask me why; perhaps the almost multiple personality-type
feel of it?

That's a very interesting question. Would it, I wonder? Or would she have remained ignorant of its continued existence until something else triggered it?

Personally, I don't think it ever would've gone. Unless another Luuke showed up, that is. The Emperor was powerful, and evil, which I think adds even more power to his...um...power. I don't know if even love could have eliminated such a horrid urge. Gosh, now I've even got myself thinking!

That is a truly haunting line, Liana, all the more so because I can't think of a definitive answer. It's going to stay with me a long while, I'm sure.

Maybe I'm obsessed with death for always thinking about that kind of stuff, but it just has always been a big thing with me, in SW fanfic and even real life. Will I feel? Will I still feel sorrow, or just happiness? But my brothers and sister just think I'm turning goth.

I hope you'll like the happy viggie. It's sort of Breaking the Ice-esque.

Emmi- *revives*

Don't die on me, buddy! I will promise to write more happy next, agreed?

Seriously, thanks. *huggies*

Mirax-Jade- A bleh-
Thanks!

JadenSkywalker- Dark, a little creepy, and yet . . . beautiful.

I sound so repetitive, but thank you! I'm h

 

*sniffles*

This is not really the kind of a story that I was almost expecting, but it's sad nevertheless - but sad, I suppose, in a less gutwrenching way. I liked your last line, it seemed very fitting - because things just went wrong. Makes you realize, I suppose, how easily they can go wrong. A spurt of depressing reality, that's what I'd call this fic.

It is, of course, wonderfully written. I love it dearly, my petit enfant. Your explanation sort of made sense, by the way. That'll do.

I have to ask, though, for you to write more. I want to know how Leia is doing (probably broken-hearted, poor girl ), and how Luke and Mara relate to each other after all that has happened.

 

*cries* Well done.

 

*accepts tissue gratefully*
Oh, so sad!

I just want you to know that I did love you.?

?In your fashion.?- Oh my!

*calms down*

Well, that was wonderfully done!

I really think that Leia will be furious and -sorry to say that- will never forgive Mara for that.

In my opionion, Mara was the really weak one, because she never was able to open up towards Luke and everybody has to suffer by the consequences now!

Why, Mara, oh why???

 

Death was not as I expected. Even as my body slipped away, my awareness endured, and expanded in range and perception

Lovely description! I wonder if that's what it is like for a Jedi. You certainly described it plausibly.

He was clothed in a simple tunic and pants- navy blue, I approvingly noted

*grins* Even now, she's pleased to see him in some color. I love that.

?You didn?t have to kill yourself,? he repeated, stepping closer. ?You still had many years before you.?

What a perfect portrayal of Luke. It's so very him to wish the best for Mara even under those circumstances.

?But you were never alone,? Luke murmured. His eyes blazed with passionate fire. ?I was there whenever you needed me. All you had to do was ask.

*sighs regretfully*

I just want you to know that I did love you.?

?In your fashion.?

I sighed. There was no bitterness in his eyes, just compassion and that wistful sorrow. ?Yes.?

So sad! That's really heartbreaking.

We had missed our chance for happiness, but something still remained: hope. Belief that we might find contentment in the journey ahead. Somehow.

At least you gave them that much. Maybe they will. [face_hopeful] Beautiful story, Liana! I love it.