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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends Your Eyes Aren't Blue Anymore -- Dark Luke, Mara -- sequel teaser up 5/23

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Knight_Aragorn, Apr 12, 2005.

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  1. Knight_Aragorn

    Knight_Aragorn Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2003
    Gabri_Jade: Thank you! [:D] You make me blush muchly. :p

    Why would a Sith care about honour?

    Such an interesting question.... [face_batting]

    I knew I'd heard the name Vespasian somewhere before. It's a great Sith name.

    I like to use actual names or words wherever I can... Even if they're really obscure, they somehow seem to sound more 'real' than made-up names. Thank you! :D

    And the matching scars on Luke and Mara's cheeks is a great touch. Will their origin be something we learn about later?

    [face_thinking] Possibly... I want to, but haven't found a way to work it in yet. I'll try. ;)

    Yodan: Thank you. :) The next part isn't far away...
     
  2. Knight_Aragorn

    Knight_Aragorn Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2003
    =======
    =======

    PART II

    They returned to the capital. Mara exchanged her battle armour for flowing gowns and fine jewellery, luminous against her pale skin.

    The armour had looked better, he thought, watching her one day from the threshold of his lavish offices. It suited her in a way the dresses never could. His graceful warrior, she was made for armour.

    She turned and looked at him, her eyes cool. He smiled and pushed from the doorframe, turning back into his office.

    ?What did your father say, before you killed him?? she asked days later, as they walked together through the palace gardens. It was just after sunset, and the sky was a deep indigo high above the invisible confines of the transparisteel walls and roof.

    ?My father?? he echoed, glancing at her. She inclined her head. Her eyes were green again, to his relief. Her hair was longer to revert ? there was still some brown amidst the waves of red-gold.

    He looked to the front. ?I?m sorry,? he said after a moment. ?He said, ?I?m sorry.? ?

    She knew that, of course. He remembered coming to her, blood-glutted and exhilarated and terrified, afire for her touch. Remembered laughing, ?I killed him,? over and over, until he was sobbing. ?Killed him?. my father?. killed?.? Until she wrapped herself around him and stopped the pain.

    ?You were fifteen,? she said, her eyes set ahead, her tone flat.

    ?Yes,? he answered. They?d both been fifteen.

    She turned her eyes to his. ?And Palpatine?? she asked. ?What did he say??

    His lips twisted. ?He mocked me while he thought he might still prevail. Then he begged. For mercy, at first; after, for death.?

    They walked in silence for a moment. He watched the shadows of the path.

    ?And did you grant it?? she asked. Her voice was expressionless.

    ?Eventually,? he said. ?I grew tired of listening to him.?

    ?I see,? she murmured.

    He stopped, caught her slender wrist. She turned to him. He scanned her still eyes, the shadows of her face. ?Why do you ask??

    She looked at him in silence for a long time, then said, ?There is power in last words. They mark the hearer.?

    He frowned. ?And??

    She lifted her hand, touching his cheek. For a moment he saw vast sadness in her green eyes; then she blinked and it was gone, so completely that he wondered if it had been nothing more than an illusion of the dusk light. ?I see the marks on you,? she said softly.

    He looked at her warily. ?Yes,? she said again. ?I see the marks on you.?

    For a suspended moment he stared into her eyes and she gazed into his. Then he drew back, startled. By what he saw? But it was a flicker; it was gone. She looked to the side and finished, her voice almost inaudible, ?I have been thinking much on last words, of late.?

    I think of last words always, he thought, disturbed and half-wistful, but he said nothing.

    They walked on.





    Leia Organa was sitting on the uncomfortable cot in her bare cell, arms hugging her knees, when the door hissed open. She frowned. She?d had a meal not two hours previous. Why would??

    She turned her head, dread flickering in her stomach. But it was not a tow-haired, slick-eyed man who stalked through the door. Instead a woman stepped into the cell, elegant and glossily out of place in a flowing gown of shimmering green-gold. She turned her head and Leia met eyes an unsettlingly deep shade of green, set in a pale and strangely expressionless face. Leia?s eyebrows drew together. She knew those eyes, if not the colour.

    The woman turned her head and said in a modulated, toneless voice to an unseen guard behind the doorframe, ?That will be all.? The door slid shut behind her, and those eerie eyes returned to Leia.

    ?Marniss,? Leia said, after a moment. ?Or should I say, ?Lady Jade???

    The woman inclined her head shallowly. ?Princess.? She spoke Leia?s title with a semblance of respect ? not like him. He spoke it like a pet name: indulgent, sneering, dirtied with familiarity. Her ears had almost forgotten it could be spoken otherwise.

    On Jade?s pale cheek wa
     
  3. Mirax_Corran

    Mirax_Corran Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 25, 2005
    Again, all I can say is WOW! This is really incredible work. I can't wait for more.

    Mara told Leia that Luke used to have blue eyes, eh? I like that...
    Myra
     
  4. Jedi_BMK

    Jedi_BMK Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2004
    Excellent work. Insightful, yet I'm still intrigued. You did good in giving me just enough to be happy while leaving enough questions that I'll surely be back.

    For now, I'll just wonder how exactly Mara plans to 'save' Luke if she's going to soon, but not yet. [face_thinking]
     
  5. skywalker64089

    skywalker64089 Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 16, 2005
    The angst bunny must be working overtime. :D

    Another knock-your-socks-off post. I thought the conversation between Mara and Leia raised more questions than it answered. *hint hint*

    S.
     
  6. RedGold

    RedGold Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2004
    Oh... now this was a yummy post!

    I loved the Leia/Mara interaction! Something tells me that Leia is going to be important in helping to save Luke. That, or you're just messing with us.

    SAVE HIM MARA!!!
     
  7. academygrad88

    academygrad88 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2004
    Wow that was a wonderful post! I hope Mara can bring him back from the darkside.

    I can't wait to read more of this story!!

    AG88
     
  8. Knight_Aragorn

    Knight_Aragorn Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2003
    Mirax_Corran: Thank you! :)

    Jedi_BMK: I couldn?t just explain things simply, now could I? ;) Glad you?re enjoying the story.

    Skywalker64089: The angst bunny?s always working overtime. :p

    I thought the conversation between Mara and Leia raised more questions than it answered. *hint hint*

    Gotta keep you reading somehow... ;) There?ll be more between those two in posts to come.

    RedGold: Something tells me that Leia is going to be important in helping to save Luke. That, or you're just messing with us.

    *blinks innocently* Would I do that? :p Thanks for reading!

    AG88: Glad to hear it. :D
     
  9. obaona

    obaona Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2002
    At last, I know what Gabri means when she says her cliffie armor is cracking. :p :p :p

    Eventually he lapsed to defeated silence.

    I really liked that line. Just because ... :( Strange, how when he sleeps, that comes out. That means he's aware on some level that what he's doing is wrong.

    I think my favorite part was the conversation between Leia and Mara, though. :D I wasn't aware that no one knew Luke was, well, Luke. And very interesting, and just so good (in the sense of your writing :p ) how Mara defends Luke and explains herself in regards to him. There was something just perfect about that scene. :D
     
  10. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Wow...


    I loved the little insight into Luke's past, when he killed his father and the Emperor.

    I found this interesting:

    For a suspended moment he stared into her eyes and she gazed into his. Then he drew back, startled. By what he saw? But it was a flicker; it was gone. She looked to the side and finished, her voice almost inaudible, ?I have been thinking much on last words, of late.?

    Is Mara perhaps expecting herself to meet an untimely end in the near future?


    I absolutely adore the small details in the story, like Mara being introduced as Empress, or Luke being unable to look at his own reflection. It really enrichess the story, imo. Great work!
     
  11. Gabri_Jade

    Gabri_Jade Fanfic Archive Editor Emeritus star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2002
    He remembered coming to her, blood-glutted and exhilarated and terrified, afire for her touch. Remembered laughing, ?I killed him,? over and over, until he was sobbing. ?Killed him?. my father?. killed?.? Until she wrapped herself around him and stopped the pain.

    :eek: Luke's emotional trauma comes through so clearly here that it's almost physically painful to read, especially when you consider that he was only fifteen at the time. :( It's also interesting that Mara showed concern for him at that time. [face_thinking]

    For a suspended moment he stared into her eyes and she gazed into his. Then he drew back, startled. By what he saw? But it was a flicker; it was gone. She looked to the side and finished, her voice almost inaudible, ?I have been thinking much on last words, of late.?

    I think of last words always, he thought, disturbed and half-wistful, but he said nothing.


    Hmmm . . . There are a number of possible interpretations for this. [face_thinking] Including a rather interesting one that just popped into my head. :eek:

    ?Marniss,? Leia said, after a moment. ?Or should I say, ?Lady Jade???

    Ah, so Mara was going by her canon alias of Celina Marniss? Nice touch. :D How did Leia know Mara's true name? Has someone mentioned it to her since Mara's capture, or was Mara publically known before she ran, and Leia simply guessed that Marniss and Jade had to be the same if Vespasian was hunting her so fiercely? [face_thinking]

    The question dawned slowly. Exactly what had she meant, hurt her? ?No,? Leia said again, more quietly. ?Just let me know that he could. If he so wished.?

    I have to wonder why exactly that was so important to Mara. Again, there are a number of different possibilities, and the true answer could be a mixture of any number of them. Ultimately, the question only reinforces the supposition that there's far more to Mara than meets the eye. [face_thinking]

    Jade lifted a hand, spreading slender fingers.

    This is where I start getting really overanalytical. :p I wonder if that gesture is merely the equivalent of a shrug, and nothing more? Or does it have some deeper meaning somehow?

    Jade answered blandly, ?There is very little that I believe in, princess.?

    Which means that there is something that she believes in. We just don't yet know what.

    Jade?s eyes chilled. Somehow, without moving, her poise seemed to go from stately gracefulness to barely-repressed savagery. ?Luke,? the woman said, her lips curling on the word. ?His name is Luke.?

    Fascinating. She ran from him, yet she is so immediately ready to defend him - and defend him, it would seem, in the most essential of ways. She's not defending his actions; she didn't deny that he was depraved. But this amounts to a vehement denial that Luke is Vespasian. She's defending his very being, really. [face_thinking]

    ?He was not always this way,? Jade spoke again, at almost a whisper. She did not meet Leia?s eyes. ?He was ? something else, once. That? that makes it bearable.?

    It's sounding more and more like Mara genuinely loved who Luke once was. [face_thinking]

    ?Save me,? he whispered, the breath of a breath. ?Please, save me.?

    She closed her eyes, turning her face away as his voice begged on. Eventually he lapsed to defeated silence. She lay, watching the shadows of the ceiling and waiting for dawn?s light to banish the ghosts that tormented them both.

    So it was that night; so it was every night.

    ?Soon,? she whispered to the shadows. ?Soon.?


    I'm beginning to have a theory about this. [face_thinking]

    Wonderful writing, as always. :D

    oba: [face_iron] :p
     
  12. Stargazer-19

    Stargazer-19 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Dec 29, 2004
    So Luke was always with Vader?...very interesting.

    I thought that the last words of Vader were sad and touching and kinda creepy all at the same time...Did I mention that you happpen to be very good at the sad/touching/creepy?

    Great chapter, I can't wait to see where you take this story.
     
  13. StarFighter5

    StarFighter5 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2003
    Lovely, simply lovely in the way that it's dark but with a far away light at the end of the tunnel giving the reader hope of Luke's redemption. Mara's character is still a mystery but the pieces you're giving helps me work things out a bit.
     
  14. Knight_Aragorn

    Knight_Aragorn Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2003
    obaona: It's strange, what can come out in sleep, isn?t it? [face_thinking] That scene between Mara and Leia was fun to write ? it offers such a different perspective on Mara to the one we get through Luke?s POV. Or even through Mara?s own. :D Thank you!

    JadeLotus: Is Mara perhaps expecting herself to meet an untimely end in the near future?

    She certainly seems to be anticipating something....

    I absolutely adore the small details in the story, like Mara being introduced as Empress, or Luke being unable to look at his own reflection. It really enriches the story, imo.

    Glad you like that because there are quite a lot of them in this story. It's surprising, sometimes, how much a small detail can reveal about someone. Thanks for reading!

    Gabri_Jade: Luke's emotional trauma comes through so clearly here that it's almost physically painful to read, especially when you consider that he was only fifteen at the time.

    This was definitely a turning point. From what to what... well, that comes out later. ;)

    Hmmm . . . There are a number of possible interpretations for this. Including a rather interesting one that just popped into my head.

    o_O Oh? Now you?ve got me curious. :p

    As for Mara using Marniss... I kind of had a vague idea that it came from canon, but I wasn?t sure. And too lazy to go look it up. :p I believe Luke did mention Mara?s true name to Leia earlier. There is probably also an element of previous knowledge there also ? being in the Rebellion, Leia perhaps would have heard rumour of a consort or companion years ago when Mara was still with Luke. No doubt Leia would put two and two together, given what she?s seen of them both.

    I have to wonder why exactly that was so important to Mara. Again, there are a number of different possibilities, and the true answer could be a mixture of any number of them. Ultimately, the question only reinforces the supposition that there's far more to Mara than meets the eye.

    Her reason for asking that question may become a little clearer in the next post. But there?s definitely more going on than what there seems... Her motives and feelings in regard to Luke are highly ambiguous in their very nature, so puzzling them out is definitely a trick. :D They do become clearer as time goes on.

    Again with the theory? Hmmm. [face_thinking] [face_mischief]

    Thank you for reading! :D

    Stargazer-19: I thought that the last words of Vader were sad and touching and kinda creepy all at the same time...Did I mention that you happen to be very good at the sad/touching/creepy?

    Um, thanks. I think. :p Sad/touching/creepy seems to sum this story up pretty well. And Vader?s last words were definitely all of those. Was he apologising for what Luke had become? For what he would be in the future? [face_thinking] Glad you enjoyed the post. :)

    Starfighter5: Thank you! That balance between hope and darkness is always tricky to achieve... and Mara?s definitely a difficult one to figure out. Thanks for reading. :D
     
  15. RebelPrincess

    RebelPrincess Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 6, 2001
    Sorry I'm late!!
    The post was SO worth the wait! :)
    I loved the conversation between Mara and Leia. It answered some questions, but brought up even more!
    Luke says some interesting things in his sleep...

    Well, I'm still camping out for the next post. S'mores anyone? :)
     
  16. DarthIshtar

    DarthIshtar Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2001
    Interesting convo with Leia, most certainly.
     
  17. Killik_Twilight

    Killik_Twilight Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2005
    Very good! I like the part where Luke wants to be saved the most . . .

    Excellent job!

    KT
     
  18. Jedi_Anais

    Jedi_Anais Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2005
    Woah. Can't help to feel a little sorry for Luke. At least a tiny part of him seems to know what he's doing is wrong, but the dark side keeps knocking it down.

    Awesome post, Knight_Aragorn.

     
  19. Stargazer-19

    Stargazer-19 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Dec 29, 2004
    Of course it was a complement! These kind of stories are never easy to write, but you pull it off very well.
     
  20. AvenKiel

    AvenKiel Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2003
    Somehow I don't think that what Mara has in mind to save Luke is very nice.

    Great Post, can't wait for more!!
     
  21. Knight_Aragorn

    Knight_Aragorn Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2003
    RebelPrincess: Luke says some interesting things in his sleep...

    He does indeed... [face_thinking] The next post is coming right up! Thanks for reading.

    DarthIshtar: Interesting convo with Leia

    There's another one coming up very soon. :)

    Killik_Twilight: Thank you!

    Jedi_Anais: At least a tiny part of him seems to know what he's doing is wrong, but the dark side keeps knocking it down.

    [face_thinking] I like how you put that. There does seem to be a struggle happening on some level there... Thanks for reading. :D

    Stargazer-19: [face_blush] Thank you!

    Aven_Kiel: Somehow I don't think that what Mara has in mind to save Luke is very nice.

    [face_mischief] We'll see. The next post will be right up. Glad you're enjoying the story. :)
     
  22. Knight_Aragorn

    Knight_Aragorn Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2003
    =======
    =======

    He had always thought the pain would end with her.

    But it was there still ? shimmering, throbbing, relentless. Worse than before.

    It hurt to be with her. It hurt to look at her; it hurt to touch her; it hurt to hear her voice. It was a strange pain, unlike any he?d experienced before. He couldn?t turn away.

    He wanted the pain. He wanted her.

    So ? she watched him with melancholy green eyes. He gloried in the warmth she brought to his universe of coldness while slowly absorbing her silent sorrow, breathing it with the scent of her skin.

    And they waited.

    He was not aware he waited. She tried not to be. But the days crept on, inexorable.

    They did not discuss the past, avoiding it by mutual hesitation.

    He knew, by some unspoken, unrealised vehemency, that her silences were best kept as so. Some part of him saw the changes in her eyes, recognised the glimpsed spells of longing and fierceness where the rest of him could not. And that part spoke, as it never had before, and it said, no.

    So he never asked why she left, and what she did in all that time. Never even allowed himself to wonder.

    Because ? in his deepest heart ? he knew, and knew that he could never know.

    And the years remained silent between them.

    The stormclouds of pain and depression fell on him, still ? more severely than ever. He couldn?t sleep, some nights, lying beside her in the darkness. He watched her breathe and dream, tracing her skin with his fingertips, memorising the already-memorised shape of her lips.

    Other times, he slumped in the gloom of his offices, hands clutching his head, trying to squeeze away the blinding pain. His staff knew his moods; they stayed well clear. He?s in a killing temper, they whispered between themselves when they thought he couldn?t hear.

    Blood and lust and fire swirled beneath his eyelids, the ghosts of murdered children driving icy fingers deep into his brain. His body hummed with need, need to hurt to kill to despoil to dominate, anything to ease the agony, to lose his pain in the blood of others.

    But he stayed where he was, head in his hands. Drowning.

    Eventually the pain would subside or be sated, and the loathing and the disgust would fade, and he would be able meet his own eyes in the mirror once more and not flinch in revulsion. The pain would be there still ? it was always there ? but he would be beyond it.

    He would subvert himself to the mindless dark and it would wash the horrors away as it always had, and always did. Until the next time.

    He sat, one evening, in a darkened room somewhere in the midst of his sprawling chambers. Privately, he?d christened it the viewing room for its wide window that looked out over the city. The transparisteel was currently opaqued, subduing the radiance from outside.

    He was slumped low in an oversized chair. She stood by the window, looking out over the muted glow of the city. Her scent lingered on him, spice and fire on his tousled clothes. He watched her, his eyes half-shut. Her gown was sleek and dark in the gloom.

    After a while, he rose to his feet, silently crossing the dark carpet. He laid his hands on her shoulders. She moved her head, hair gleaming softly in the half-light, but neither tensed nor relaxed to his touch. He ran his fingers down the silkiness of her gown, tracing the curve of her back. ?Something troubles you,? he said softly, fingers coming to rest on her waist.

    She eased against him, just slightly: habit, probably, more than anything. For a time, she didn?t speak. He waited. Then he felt her inhale, and she turned, hands on his shoulders, eyes boring deep into his. They looked at one another a moment; then she said, ?You have scheduled Organa for execution.?

    Brushing a wisping tendril of hair from her cheek, he murmured, ?What of it??

    Her gaze flitted over his face before settling on his eyes again. ?Is that wise??

    He frowned. ?She is a Rebel.?

    ?I see.? She looked down, back up. Lifted an eyebrow. ?This is a killing offence??

    ?Of course.?
     
  23. Jedi_BMK

    Jedi_BMK Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2004
    You write the darkness in Luke so well. I don't know how you do it.

    Well, Luke sure isn't getting any better yet. And he's going to have Leia executed!

    Although, now I have to wonder just how Mara learned the truth about Leia and why she doesn't think Luke should know. I will ponder this while waiting for the next post.
     
  24. academygrad88

    academygrad88 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2004
    Excellent chapter! I love the way you write. I can actually visualize being there in the room with Luke and Mara. I know Luke is a horrible, evil Dark Jedi, but it breaks my heart to see him in such pain. I truly hope that Mara can lead him to redemption, but I fear he is far too gone for that.

    Keep up the fantastic work!

    AG88
     
  25. Killik_Twilight

    Killik_Twilight Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2005
    Wow . . . poor Luke. And poor Leia . . . this just seems so sad.

    Very nice post, still!

    *cries*

    KT
     
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