Star Wars: The Alderaan Affair/Part XI - The First Step

Leia smiled to Epin before turning to make her way toward the Palace. She made her way through the crowds of people and eventually arrived at the Palace itself, where she was halted by her father.

"Leia, where have you been?" Bail said in a stern voice. He was wearing his usual formal dark blue robes with blue shirt and black pants.

"Oh, hi daddy!" Leia said with a beaming smile.

"Leia, spare me the buttery demeanor." Bail replied, holding up his hand. "You were supposed to be out on a Match. Where did you go?"

"I was in the city, with Epin, we had lunch together." She said looking at him.

"Well, how come you abandoned your match to be with Epin?" Bail said. "It's part of..."

"Dad, that's just it!" Leia shouted, causing a nearby palace guard to jump in alarm. "My Match! Epin's not a match, he's different from them, and I'm genuinely happy when I'm around him."

Leia stopped for a moment, amazed at what she said. She looked at Bail directly in the eye, took a deep breath and continued.

"Dad, what I mean to say is, I don't feel like he's just with me because he has to be, because someone put us together. Or because he's after my name, or even..." She cast her eyes to the ground for a moment then looked back at Bail. "...Or even just because I'm a girl."

Bail stood looking at Leia for a few moments, his face looking like he was thinking hard. He sighed deeply, then put his hand on her shoulder.

"Well, if that's how you feel about him, that's fine." He said, sliding his arm around her shoulders, leading her inside the palace. "I cannot tell you who you should or should not be friends with, you are old enough, and wise enough to make the right choices for yourself."

Leia said nothing, still in wonder at her words to her father. She listened, but wasn't really hearing him.

"I know it's hard, I've told you before. But this Matching is tradition, and this is the way that it has been for years.  It's just the way things go honey, and like I told you before, as a Princess, and someday as a Queen, you must think of your people before yourself."

They stopped and Bail faced her, placing a hand on each of her shoulders. "Leia, just stay with it, for me, please. Make an effort, this is important for your mother and I as well.  I don't want to have to discipline you, but if you continue to do things like this, I have no choice but to.  Do you understand?"

Leia nodded, hesitant to meet his eye.

"Okay." Bail said with a chuckle.

He kissed her forehead and exited into the main hall, where it seemed most of the people were. She wanted to be alone to think, so she made instead for the stairs and the sanctuary of her bedroom.

Leia entered the room and noticed that it was empty.

"Guess Winter is downstairs." She said softly.

With nobody to talk to she instead walked over to one of her bedrooms windows. This one was different form the others in that there was a place where you could sit. The window was set into a depression in the wall, and it was possible to sit in this area and look out of the window. A bay window was the term she thought she heard used for it. She sat and pulled her knees up toward her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

Leia's mind drifted for a few moments while thought about what her father had said, what she had said to her father, what happened in the city and what she had said to him about Epin.

She thought about the Matching and how she was supposed to stay with it, as her father had said.

Easy for him to say. Leia thought angrily. ''He doesn't have to feel the pressure that they're forcing upon me! Having to put up with the stuck up snobs that call themselves gentlemen. He doesn't have everyone watching him and asking who he thinks he would like to end up with, who he thinks is a good match or who would make a good king.''

A tear fell down her cheek and she hugged herself tighter. ''It's not fair. How can they possibly expect me to just choose someone when they're forced upon me like this? I don't like any of these boys. They don't want to talk to me about anything but galactic politics or how rich they are.''

Leia rested her head back against the wall and looking toward the farmlands, she let her thoughts drift onto Epin, and the afternoon they had spent together.

After some time, the door swished open and Winter entered the room. "Oh, there you are Leia." She said as the door closed behind her.

Leia wiped her eyes and looked in Winter's direction. Winter was wearing a simple red dress and had her hair tied into a bun, which she undid, her white hair falling to her shoulders. She then made her way to the closet for a change of clothes and as she did so, she questioned Leia about her day.

"So what exactly happened with your Match?" Winter asked. "He came back in a temper, but he wouldn't tell anyone why."

Leia huffed and turned to face Winter. "I ditched him because he was acting like a complete fool, that's why."

Winter pressed a button on a panel next to the closet, which caused a part of the wall to open up. She placed her dress into the opening, dropped it and pressed the button again, closing the opening.

Leia shifted herself, so she was sitting with her legs hanging over the edge of where she was sitting.

Winter started over to her bed. "In what way?" She asked as she pulled back the covers.

"He wasn't respectful to me." Leia said, remembering the way that the boy had talked to Epin.

Winter sat down on the bed and faced Leia. "Well, what, did he do something to you? Did he say something offensive?"

Leia got off the window and walked toward the closet to change into her bed clothes. Though she didn't bother to open the hidden panel in the wall, instead tossing her clothes into a pile on the floor.

"He just..." Leia began, but her voice trailed away. She thought of how the boy had grabbed hold of her and of how it caused Epin to spring to her rescue.

Leia collected her thoughts and took a breath. She was glad to have Winter as company to talk to, but at the same time she didn't really feel like talking. The events of the day, and indeed, the past few weeks had brought so many confusing situations. Walking with Epin to the Palace after he had been attacked by Arod and his gang, kissing Epin on his farm and then dinner at the Palace. There was also the incident by the canyon where Epin had frightened off the very same gang whom he had been afraid of, simply because she, Leia, had been in need of help. And of course, there was today for her to think of.

"He just wasn't a nice person Winter." Leia said climbing into her own bed. "We'll talk about it tomorrow or something, right now, I just want to go to sleep. It's been a long day."

Leia laid her head on the pillow and pulled the covers up to her chin as Winter shut the lights off.

Epin awoke in the early hours of the morning as a result of going to sleep rather earlier than he usually would have. He rubbed his eyes and looked towards his bedside table.

"Four am." He said as he sat up, tossed the covers aside and swung himself out of the bed. "What am I supposed to do?"

Go outside and train is what you will do. Kreia said.

Epin looked around. The shutters on the windows weren't shut completely, so some moonlight made it's way into the room. Epin could just barely see Kreia. Though she wasn't alive, her transparent body had a curious glow to it and even though Epin knew she was friendly to him, he was still slightly unnerved by the sight of her in the moonlight.

Come, let's go out and resume our lessons. Kreia said as Epin changed into a pair of black pants and a white shirt.

The pair made their way down the stairs and out into the field, which was empty as the Palace had purchased all of the livestock for the Matching.

"What will you teach me today?" Epin said excitedly.

"First, I would like you to answer a question for me." Kreia said.

"Uh...Sure okay." Epin said slightly puzzled.

"What is it that you want? Truly want." Kreia asked.

Epin thought for a moment. He wanted lots of things. He wanted his father to accept him, for the gangs of Alderaan to stop attacking him simply because of his lifestyle, for Leia to...

"No." Kreia said. "These are all things that depend on the emotions and mindset of other individuals. What do you personally want?"

Epin couldn't really understand what Kreia was asking him, but he gave his best answer.

"Uh, to be happy...?" He said questioningly.

Kreia looked at him for a few moments. Or at least he thought she was, she had no pupils after all, so she could have been rolling her eyes for all he knew.

"I assure you that I was not rolling my eyes at you." Kreia said dryly.

"Why did you want to know?" Epin asked.

"For my own information." Said Kreia. "You need not know the reasons at this moment, but you may discover the answer on your own, in time perhaps."

Epin looked at her, waiting for her to speak, as he really didn't have anything to ask.

"Okay." She said. "Let's start with the basics, you must be conceived before you can truly exist. First we will discuss your encounter yesterday with the young Princess and her companion.  I want you to remember what happened at the exact moment before the boy threw his punch at you."

"Okay." Said Epin.

He looked off to the side as he tried to remember that exact time the previous day. He took several moments then looked back to Kreia.

"Uh. What do you mean by feelings?" He asked. "Like my emotions?"

"Again I must apologize and ask forgiveness." Kreia said. She then sighed and continued. "I need to remember that I am not speaking with a Jedi."

"Jedi?" Asked Epin.

"Nevermind." Said Kreia flatly. "What I mean is how did you experience the event? Did you perhaps see it in your mind?  Or was something telling you he was going to strike you?"

"Well it was kind of like a hologram." Epin said.

Kreia nodded her head. "I see. Very well, I will teach you how to use this to your advantage.  If, of course, you indeed want to learn."

"I do." Said Epin. "I mean, isn't that why I'm here?"

Kreia raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "Is it?"

Epin said nothing. He wasn't sure exactly what Kreia was doing, or if she was just playing some kind of game with him.

"Ah, but all of life is a game." Kreia said. "It is up to you whether you win or lose, you just need to be a sufficiently skilled player in order to prevent yourself from being knocked out of it."

The two stood in silence for a few moments, Epin not taking his eyes off Kreia as she stared up into the sky.

After a time, Kreia spoke. "I'm going to teach you how to use your abilities to your advantage." She said. "Pay attention to me and you will be able to do more than just dodge a punch."

"Okay! What do I have to do first?" Epin said with vigor.

"Calm yourself." Kreia said. "That's the first thing you must do. If your mind is not focused on the task, you will most likely fail due to your inexperience.  What I'm going to teach you is quite simple, though due to its simplicity, many people would deem it an insignificant ability, unworthy of an appropriate level of attention when performing it.  You see, the fundamental aspects of anything are usually the most often overlooked, as is typical, individuals evolve in their skills and learn quicker or more effective ways to accomplish the desired result."

Kreia paused and looked at Epin, allowing him to process the information she had just given him.

"So what you're saying is not to forget?" Epin asked.

"Not to forget the basics." Kreia corrected him. "Come now." She said. "Let us venture into the field and test your level of ability."

"The fields?" Epin asked.

"Yes, the fields." Kreia replied. "We are going to play a game with the animals there."

Alderaan Affair Part X - Part XII