Saga - Legends Vi’s Fancy Dress Story (AU, 2 BBY, Luke/Mara – First Draft Challenge)

Working Title: Vi’s Fancy Dress Story (this will definitely change)
Author: ViariSkywalker
Timeframe: 2 BBY
Characters: Leia, Mara, Luke, Anakin, Padmé (Obi-Wan and a few others are mentioned, and there will be several more characters in the final version of this story)
Genre: AU, romance, dare I say fluff?

Summary for the entire story, which obviously, this draft is not: In a happier time and place, Jedi Padawans Leia Skywalker and Mara Jade prepare for one of their most unusual assignments to date – an undercover mission at an exclusive gala event. Of course, in order to attend such a grand ball, one has to have the proper attire. (Mara and Leia are getting some fancy dresses, guys.)

Notes: This is all @Gabri_Jade's doing. She just had to mention Mara’s love for fancy dresses, and I was all “oooh, imagine Leia and Mara as Padawans having to pick out dresses for reasons, and Leia hates it but Mara loves it. And Luke should be there, too, because I say so.” And then the idea spiraled, as they always do, and now Luke and Mara are having their first dance together – and this is but a small taste of what I plan to write for this scenario. (Though it might be a while before this becomes an actual short story.) See, it’s not 24/7 angst in my world!

Written for the First Draft Challenge! Also, it's really short.

Disclaimer: This isn’t even a complete story, don’t sue me, Disney!


~~

Summary for this particular scene: Luke and Mara are on an undercover assignment at a grand gala, along with their masters, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, as well as Luke’s twin sister, Leia. Obi-Wan has just urged Luke to take Mara out onto the dance floor…


*stuff happens*


Luke took the offered hand in his, shaking his head a little in response to the smirk on her lips. That was more like the Mara he knew. He wasn’t sure why he’d felt strange when Master Obi-Wan called him over, but that fleeting unease was already melting away as he led her back onto the dance floor.

“How miserable is Leia right now?” Mara said, the smirk widening into a devious grin as she nodded her head in his sister’s direction.

Luke followed her gaze, suppressing a laugh as he met his twin’s eyes for a moment. Leia blew out an exasperated but somehow affectionate breath as their father spun her in a slow circle. “Not as much as you’d think, but definitely trying to keep up appearances,” Luke said. He looked down at Mara and pulled her toward him, resting his other hand on her waist. How had he never realized how small she was? Not that it mattered; she could have been a head taller than him and built like a Wookiee for all he cared, it wouldn’t change who she was. Besides, Leia was the tiniest person he knew, and she’d never let that stop her from completely dominating any room she entered or any foe she went up against. It didn’t matter that Mara was suddenly so much smaller than he remembered. Why would it?

Maybe that strange unease hadn’t totally gone away.

Mara quirked one eyebrow at him as she placed her free hand atop his shoulder. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done this before? All those fancy events your family has gone to?”

The music changed tempo, and Luke began to lead her through the steps. “Not since I was a kid. Jedi training doesn’t really mix well with public appearances.” He glanced over at his dad, who looked so supremely confident and dashing, it was almost ridiculous. “For some people, anyway.”

Mara’s other eyebrow rose. “You’re still a kid, you know.”

Luke glanced down at the space between them. Or rather, the lack thereof. “You think so?” he said, trying to sound teasing and wincing a little at how strained the words came out. “What does that make you, exactly?”

“Oh, I’m an innocent flower, Padawan Skywalker. I know nothing of the world of fancy parties or dancing or all the other things seventeen-year-olds do with their free time.” There was that smirk again. He vaguely remembered a time when he’d found it annoying, but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall when or even why that had changed.

“Are you making fun of me, Padawan Jade?” he said, his head dipping toward hers without meaning to.

Her brilliant green eyes sparkled as they reflected the lights of the ballroom, and he wondered if he was imagining the way they widened just a little before she said, “Oh, absolutely.”

He twirled her in a circle, then pulled her against him, a sudden heat unfurling in his stomach. For all her teasing of him, he didn’t think there was anything childish about whatever he was feeling right now as he held her.


*more stuff happens*


To Be Continued…someday

 

So mine, it’s not even funny

Edit:

Mara loves fancy dresses. Canon is what I say it is.

Poor Leia, stuck in a fancy dress and a fancy occasion where she has to mind her manners and not pull a lightsaber

Mara and Leia are so smol and so fierce

I can totally see it, Vi. Ridiculously dashing with his tiny and exasperated daughter

Haha, smirky bebeh Mara and smitten Luke

Viiiiiiiiii, I need mooooooorrrrrrrre, give me it *grabby hands*

 

This is so Mara it hurts.

 

Oh, SQUEE! A million zillion times! I love Luke and Leia grow up and train together; Daddy Anakin and Luke and Mara in any way, shape or form. Their teasing is so in character and his feelings are burgeoning and blossoming all over the place.

 

@Gabri_Jade

It's a little funny

Hell yeah it is.

I mean, that's got to be like the hardest assignment ever for her, right? Whoever decided that this woman's main calling in life was politics clearly wasn't watching the same movies I was...

I love them.

I really wish I was an artist so I could draw this scene. I love my happy Skywalker family. And it'll be even better when I bring in the whole extended family & friends

RIGHT?! They're so adorable here, I can't even.

He doesn't stand a chance.

@Bel505

High praise indeed! I've mainly been working with OCs and less developed ECs for the last decade (or two, but who's counting) so I'm always happy to hear when I've gotten a major EC right.



@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

The twins growing up together is one of my favorite AU variants! As is light side Anakin. Glad to know I've gotten the characterizations right, even in such an AU setting. I look forward to writing more in this AU, after I get some more angst out of my system. (EtF is calling my name )

 

Ask, and you shall receive.


Okay, so I wasn't sure I was going to post any additional first draft stuff, but I guess I am, so yay? Usually my drafts have a lot of notes in asterisks about plot and stuff that I want to come back and add later, but so far this story doesn't have a whole lot of those notes. It's mostly in my head at this point.

This will be a decent expansion of the story, with Leia appearing more prominently, as well as Padmé and Anakin. The scene from the first post is at the end of this other stuff. And the POVs are up in the air right now, we'll see.

~~

*Luke's POV, though it's probably hard to tell at this point - he was roped into dress shopping with Leia and Mara and probably went off to find food before coming back to this scene*



“What do you think of this one?”

“It’s very pretty,” Leia admitted. “And it matches your eyes.”

“Is that good?”

“I’d say so.”

“I’m not sure I like the cut. Too…”

“Sultry?”

Mara looked away from the mirror and shot Leia a look that was basically the more dignified equivalent of sticking her tongue out.

“Hey, I just call it like I see it.” Leia leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest, one eyebrow raised in amusement. “It’s sure to turn a lot of heads.”

“Yes, because that’s exactly what I’m going for on our undercover mission.”

“Well, then, what kind of dress are you looking for?”

“I don’t know, something a little more—” Mara paused a moment, and Luke thought he saw a bit of color in her cheeks. “—poofy?”

Leia sat up a little straighter in her chair and leaned forward, a devious grin perched on her lips. “Poofy?”

“Nothing extravagant! Just…”

“Poofier.”

“Are you this difficult every time you go dress shopping, or is this a special pleasure reserved just for me?”

“Only the best for my best friend,” Leia said sweetly. “And you’re assuming this is something I do often.”

“Leia, I’ve seen your closet. You have enough gowns to fill a space cruiser. Where did all of those come from, hm?”

This time it was Leia’s turn to look flustered. She lifted one hand to rub the bridge of her nose, a motion that made her look just like their father. “My mom’s personal dressmaker,” she mumbled.

“Right.” Mara bit back a grin. “I don’t know what I expected.” Her bright green eyes roamed over Leia's slouching form. “We still need to find something for you.”

Leia blew out an exasperated breath. “Just don’t go trying to match my eyes.”

“What about something in red?”

Leia arched one eyebrow, and Mara shook her head, stifling a small laugh.

“You’re right, not exactly subtle.” Mara leaned her head past the mirror to look down the aisle of dresses. “What about blue? Or a nice violet shade?”

Leia waved her hand vaguely in the air. “Let’s get you squared away first.”

Mara stepped down from the raised platform, grimacing a little as the tight-fitting skirt pulled at her. Then she stopped suddenly and turned back to face Leia, a very pointed expression on her face. “Wait a minute,” she said, her tone caught somewhere between amusement and frustration. “Are you telling me we could have had your mom’s personal dressmaker design something for us, and instead we’re rifling through a sea of gowns so vast that we’ll never find something we like?”

“The last thing I want to do right now is let Madame *placeholder* put me up on a pedestal and pin me to death. And since when are you so picky? You’re not getting married. We’re just going on a mission.”




“I still don’t get what’s so exciting about wearing a stupid, uncomfortable dress when you can look just as nice in clothes that actually allow you to move.”

“You know, not everyone grows up with a mother who is always wearing the most beautiful gowns in existence. I think you’re too close to the situation to see how incredible these dresses are.”

“Admit it, Mara, you just want the poofiest, frilliest ball gown you can find.”

“It’s a ball, Leia. We have to dress the part.” Mara paused, then her lips twisted in a faint smirk. “And yes, I want a pretty gown, so shove it.”




“Here, try this one,” Leia said, reaching her arm through the rack to grab something buried in the back. “The color is similar to that other one.”

She pulled out a long green gown and held it draped across her arms for Mara to see. Luke found himself watching Mara’s reaction and noticed how her eyes widened, ever so slightly at first, then wider still as she reached a hand out to touch the gown.

“Leia, this is…” She trailed off, mesmerized as she lifted some of the sheer outer material in one hand.

Leia lifted her arms up, indicating for Mara to take the dress. She did so slowly, almost as if she was in awe. A part of Luke thought it was an unusual reaction to a dress – after all, he’d been watching his mom wear things like it all his life. A part of him smiled in amusement at the thought of all the playful teasing Leia would get out of Mara’s reaction. But there was another part of him that felt an odd sense of… well, he didn’t really know what it was. Only that watching Mara smile at the sight of the dress left him strangely happy, in a way he’d never really felt before.


~~

*Anakin’s POV for now - also, Leia and Mara are Anakin’s Padawans... yes, the rules are different in this AU, for reasons*



“Oh, sweetheart,” Padmé said with a gasp, holding out a hand for Mara to take. Clearly fighting back a grin – definitely a shy one, he noted – Mara placed her hand in Padmé’s and allowed her to guide her out into the center of the room. Anakin felt a tug somewhere deep in his chest, watching Mara blush at the attention. She was his little girl, as much as Leia was, and she looked so grown up, standing there in a dress that couldn’t have been more perfect for her. He glanced over at Luke, wondering…

His son was staring openly at Mara, not awkwardly by any means, but with a sort of awe that reminded Anakin of how he so often felt in Padmé’s presence. He’d known this was coming for years, and he’d watched all along as little seeds were sown between them; but there was something about actually witnessing them sprout and grow tall and strong. Maybe they hadn’t bloomed quite yet, but it wasn’t far off. He could feel it.

The other adults echoed Anakin’s sentiments, telling Mara how beautiful she was, how she’d grown, how many heads she would turn at the gala – Mara almost rolled her eyes at that, and Anakin could practically hear her thinking that it was supposed to be an undercover assignment, no turning of heads, please.

Padmé spun Mara around to get another good look at her. “It really is perfect, darling. You said Leia picked this out?”

Mara smiled as she gazed down at her dress. “She did.”

Padmé turned to their daughter and grinned. “And you say you hate dresses.”

Leia scowled, but only barely. “I don’t hate dresses. I strongly dislike fancy, uncomfortable dresses that you can’t do anything but stand completely still in.” She glanced over at Anakin, looking for him to come to her aid. “I bet if Dad ever had to fight in a dress, he’d have the same opinion.”

Anakin felt for his daughter, he really did. And he partially agreed. But-

“Your father may not have fought in a dress,” Padmé said, lips quirking up in a faint smirk, “but I did, on more than one occasion.”

Anakin dipped his head in his wife’s direction. “And you were amazing each and every time.”

Padmé laughed, then looked past Anakin where their son was standing in the doorway. “Luke, you’re awfully quiet. What do you think of Mara’s dress?”

Anakin looked over his shoulder and caught his son turning a light shade of pink as his gaze dropped to the floor. Luke’s words came out in a rushed mutter:

“YoulookveryniceMara.”

Anakin sensed the smallest hint of a reaction from his daughter, and when he looked over at her, he saw Leia smiling – a wide, sweet smile that ran totally counter to the mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Oh?” Leia said to her twin. “Just nice?”

Luke shot her a look that would have surely ended in a sparring match if they weren’t in the company of the Queen, Viceroy, and Princess of Alderaan.


~~

*Mara's POV*



Mara stood alone in her room – well, one of the guest rooms, but for as long as she could remember, the Skywalkers had always treated this particular room as though it were hers – and gazed at her reflection in the ornate, full-length mirror.

The dress really was perfect, she decided. There was a small part of her that had wondered, even as the shopkeeper had wrapped it up, even as Madame had made her alterations, even as Padmé twirled her around for everyone to admire… she’d wondered if the dress was really as wonderful as she imagined it to be. It wasn’t that she’d actually doubted how much she loved it; rather, she’d felt almost in a dream, afraid at any moment that she’d wake up to a less than beautiful reality.

A part of her still thought it was a bit silly to think such deep thoughts about a dress. It was, after all, fabric and thread and beads, sewn together by a pair of loving hands, but material nonetheless. But as she lifted the diaphanous overskirt and ran her fingers over the delicate floral designs embroidered along the hem, as she swayed her hips and watched the material swish back and forth ever so gently, Mara was absolutely certain that she’d never seen a more perfect gown in her life. Yes, fifteen years was short, and she’d never claim to be any kind of expert on fashion, but surely something that made her feel so happy – so radiant – couldn’t be anything less than perfect.

She raised her hands to her cheeks and quirked an eyebrow at her reflection. Getting a little carried away there, aren’t you, Jade? Then she smirked and inhaled deep, feeling the bodice tighten around her ribs as she did. Not uncomfortable, as Leia had claimed. Snug, but not uncomfortable at all. She wondered what it would be like to dance in. She’d never really had much occasion for dancing, but she thought she might like it.

Mara looked around the room, even though she knew no one would see. Then she lifted the skirt and twirled in place, watching the sheer train float away from the heavier underskirt. Yes, she could see herself enjoying a good dance in this.

~~

*Luke's POV at the ball/gala/whatever this thing is... still don't actually know what the mission is supposed to be... darn plot details*



Luke took the offered hand in his, shaking his head a little in response to the smirk on her lips. That was more like the Mara he knew. He wasn’t sure why he’d felt strange when Master Obi-Wan called him over, but that fleeting unease was already melting away as he led her back onto the dance floor.

“How miserable is Leia right now?” Mara said, the smirk widening into a devious grin as she nodded her head in his sister’s direction.

Luke followed her gaze, suppressing a laugh as he met his twin’s eyes for a moment. Leia blew out an exasperated but somehow affectionate breath as their father spun her in a slow circle. “Not as much as you’d think, but definitely trying to keep up appearances,” Luke said. He looked down at Mara and pulled her toward him, resting his other hand on her waist. How had he never realized how small she was? Not that it mattered; she could have been a head taller than him and built like a Wookiee for all he cared, it wouldn’t change who she was. Besides, Leia was the tiniest person he knew, and she’d never let that stop her from completely dominating any room she entered or any foe she went up against. It didn’t matter that Mara was suddenly so much smaller than he remembered. Why would it?

Maybe that strange unease hadn’t totally gone away.

Mara quirked one eyebrow at him as she placed her free hand atop his shoulder. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done this before? All those fancy events your family has gone to?”

The music changed tempo, and Luke began to lead her through the steps. “Not since I was a kid. Jedi training doesn’t really mix well with public appearances.” He glanced over at his dad, who looked so supremely confident and dashing, it was almost ridiculous. “For some people, anyway.”

Mara’s other eyebrow rose. “You’re still a kid, you know.”

Luke glanced down at the space between them. Or rather, the lack thereof. “You think so?” he said, trying to sound teasing and wincing a little at how strained the words came out. “What does that make you, exactly?”

“Oh, I’m an innocent flower, Padawan Skywalker. I know nothing of the world of fancy parties or dancing or all the other things seventeen-year-olds do with their free time.” There was that smirk again. He vaguely remembered a time when he’d found it annoying, but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall when or even why that had changed.

“Are you making fun of me, Padawan Jade?” he said, his head dipping toward hers without meaning to.

Her brilliant green eyes sparkled as they reflected the lights of the ballroom, and he wondered if he was imagining the way they widened just a little before she said, “Oh, absolutely.”

He twirled her in a circle, then pulled her against him, a sudden heat unfurling in his stomach. For all her teasing of him, he didn’t think there was anything childish about whatever he was feeling right now as he held her.


*more stuff happens*


To be continued and edited at an undetermined point in the future...

 

With each syllable, I fall MORE AND MORE in love with this AU!

From Leia and Mara teasing each other like sisters

to the great sweet A/P

But of course the L/M steals the show!

 

Such clueless girls

MARA WANTS A POOFY DRESS, SHE GETS A POOFY DRESS

It actually cracks me up that I know exactly what she means, it's just that Mara has so little experience with formal wear herself that she doesn't have the vocabulary to describe the style she wants. Once Padmé realizes that, unlike Leia, Mara loves fashion, she will TAKE CARE OF THAT

Leia's all, "just pick something that covers you, who cares what it looks like" and Mara is "I COULD HAVE HAD A CUSTOM MADE DRESS LIKE YOUR MOM'S? WHAT SORT OF FRIEND ARE YOU"

My baby wants a pretty gown, she gets a pretty gown

I'm telling you, Luke will always love Mara in green because it will remind him of how happy she was the first time she had her own pretty dress

You tell 'em, Padmé (Okoye! )

My precious cinnamon rolls are so precious

Bebeh padawan Mara is the sweetest, I love her so much

 

Haha, I have a scene in one of my as-yet-unavailable-to-the-public-fics where Mara is thinking almost exactly this. Although it's not about a dress...

I love it all! Mara's my favorite.

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

Lol, it’s definitely a departure from the other stuff I’ve been writing lately, that’s for sure.

I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it so far! This AU world is expanding rapidly in my head, so there will be more eventually!



@Gabri_Jade

They really are.

Padmé is going to get Mara ALL THE DRESSES, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? And I can seriously see her loaning out her incredible wardrobe to any and all daughters, granddaughters, nieces… my gosh, how big must this woman’s closet be?

But seriously, Mara’s dress? Even though I haven’t done the greatest job describing it here yet, it’s just so… *chef's kiss*

Accurate!

Yes, she does. She gets all the nice things here.

I agree with this 100%.

Spoiler: Okoye!

So damn adorable, I love them.

Guess I better get moving and write some more, hmm???



@Bel505

Well now I have to know what she is thinking about… I have a couple of guesses, though I’ll probably be wrong.

Thank you! I enjoy the challenge of writing these characters in such a wildly AU setting, and Mara is one of the most fun to explore because of how drastically different her childhood would have been had she not been groomed by the Emperor. Hopefully I'll continue to strike the right balance!

 

@Mira_Jade

Aw, that's such a huge compliment since I know how awesome your Song!verse is!

Lol, look, sometimes you just want to get right to the meat of the story without having to think of or explain all those pesky little plot details that make things, you know, make sense.

I'll be honest, there are moments when I question my interpretation of Leia in this 'verse, but then I look at the things her parents were doing in the PT and TCW and I'm like, nope, this is about right. I've always seen her as Anakin's daughter in more ways than one, and that's so fun to explore here, even a little. Which is not to say that the canon version of Leia, raised by Bail Organa, is somehow lesser, because she definitely isn't. Bail is awesome, and he raised an amazing, fierce woman - the woman who helped topple an Empire, who helped steer the New Republic through crisis after crisis, and ultimately became an incredible Jedi who went toe-to-toe with the Yuuzhan Vong. So I definitely approve of Bail's parenting of Leia. (But I still love my happy Skywalker family )

Right??? Some things are a constant no matter what version of reality he's in.

They're SO adorable, and I loved writing every word.

I may have more typed up somewhere...

The Leia & Mara dynamic was a lot of fun to write.

It's incredible, it really is. Not that I've imagined Padmé loaning out her dresses to all of her female family members throughout the entirety of her (in this 'verse) very long life, nope, haven't imagined that at all...

It's so, so satisfying writing this version of Anakin.

Yay! I love it all, so I'm glad you do, too!

You know if Anakin took Mara as his Padawan, she would definitely become part of the family in every way, so this just felt right.

That's exactly the sort of emotion I was going for, that same adorable, precious reaction Kaylee had to her dress. (And I suppose it's a little like Allana's reaction in IDWD - apparently I've had a pent up need to write about girls wearing fancy dresses, who knew?) Plus, I just really enjoyed writing a version of Mara where she was spared the trauma of her canon past. (And I have to say, reading your Blooms in Adversity may have influenced how I envisioned her here. Just a tad. )

Right? Who needs 'em?

I admit, it'll probably be a while before I swing back around to finishing this, but I don't think Gabri will let it go unfinished, so someday! I'm so glad you enjoyed it even as a first draft, and as always, thank you for your lovely review!

 

Gabri will certainly not

 

You guys are killing me and I love it.