A Star Wars Fairy Tale: New Hope, Part 7

The Falcon was half-way down the mountain when Ben sat back, his face drawn and pale. Luke pulled Tauntaun up alongside the carriage. “Master, are you all right?”

Ben's face was already turning a rather pasty shade of white. “It felt as if thousands of voices cried out in terror before suddenly being silenced.”

“You don't look so good, Master.” Luke didn't like how helpless the older man suddenly seemed. “We'll have to get you to a healer in Aldran Town.”

“That won't be necessary, Luke,” Ben insisted. He rubbed his temples. “The vision is already subsiding.”

Han snickered from his perch on the driver's seat. Chewbacca whinnied next to him. “Had a little too much to drink at the party, old man?”

Ben's eyes flicked towards the smuggler. “Not at all. I only drank punch at the ball. I believe I just had a Force vision. Part of the Force magic is the ability to see into the future, though this is stronger for some than others.”

Han snorted. “Sounds like a lot of mumbo-jumbo to me. No one can see into the future.”

Luke ignored Han, rubbing his own head. “Master, I hear something. I'm wondering if I'm having a vision. I hear beating wings, but it's too heavy to be bird's wings, and birds wouldn't be out at this time of night anyway.” Luke concentrated. “I hear...hissing. Like lizards.”

Han rolled his eyes. “Probably nocturnal animals lookin' for their early mornin' snack.”

Ben's blue eyes filled with revulsion as the beating of leathery wings and hissing became louder. The moon, whose soft glow had filtered softly through the trees that lined the road, was blotted by hundreds of long bodies covered in dully glistening scales. “Those are no ordinary lizards,” Ben whispered. “They're Sith Dragons.”

“But they're extinct!” Luke had never seen a dragon up close. As a child on his aunt and uncle's farm in Tatoon, he'd dreamed of slaying dragons and becoming a knight...but now he was wondering if that was such a good idea. The dragons were long, scaly beasts, longer than the largest battle carriage ever built. He could see their long, sharp claws and spike-like rows of teeth even from this distance.

“Turn the carriage around,” Ben ordered Han quickly.

Chewbacca pointed behind him. “That isn't possible, Old Magician. There's no where else to go. They're coming from the direction of the the castle. They probably already burned it.”

Luke watched the dragons as they soared in the indigo early-morning sky. “Master,” he breathed in shock, “I think they're going towards Aldran Town.”

“Isn't there some way we could get around it?” Cecil wailed. Arthur rolled his eyes, his fingers moving rapidly. “I'm not being a coward! I'm being sensible! Sith Dragons are known to eat anything in their paths, including humans. And anything they don't eat, they burn to death!”

“I don't think we can get around it,” Ben insisted. “This is the only road out of Aldran.”

“The old man's right.” Han just flicked the reins. “The only thing we can do is plow through and hope we don't get charbroiled.”

Luke looked up as a dragon started breathing right along the road. “Watch out!” He just managed to pull Tauntaun out of the way before she was hit by a wall of flame.

Han flicked the reins harder. “Chewie, try to talk to the horses. See if you can get them to go any faster.”

Chewbacca shook his shaggy head. “Han, they're already going at top speed, and that's with them being frightened by those bloody flying reptiles in the sky.”

Cecil let out a screech. Arthur's face went pale and his fingers flew rapidly. “I believe those dragons have suddenly decided that we're on the menu for tonight's meal!”

Luke screamed, slashing wildly when one tried to bite at Tauntaun's tail. The dragon reared back, his face now slit open. Luke's sword had begun to glow blue. He slashed at the dragon again...and this time, the light cut right into the dragon. Luke hit the toothsome monster again, letting the light stab it through the heart. He watched in surprise as the light consumed it, finally turning it into a burst of flowers that scattered their petals around the road.

Arthur's fingers flew again. “Arthur is impressed by your showing, Sir Luke,” Cecil insisted, “and so am I. How were you able to perform such feats?”

Han raised an eyebrow. “That's a nice trick, kid.”

Luke's eyes were as large as two blue robin's eggs. “I'm not entirely sure how I did that. I just...I held the sword, and I thought that I wanted the monster gone, and I attacked it, and...that happened.”

“You attacked it in self-defense.” Ben's green sword plunged light into another dragon. It changed into soft dust that sparkled in the waning moonlight. “You were trying to rescue us. The Force acknowledged this. The light side of the Force magic cannot kill. It can only transform.”

“Yeah, well, transform is good enough for me.” Han looked over his shoulder as he flicked the reins harder. “We should be in Aldran Town in a few minutes.”

Chewbacca pointed a thick, hairy finger at the dragons. “Looks like someone got there ahead of us, mate.”

Indeed, when they arrived in Aldran Town, it was already ablaze. Dragons soared in the sky, puffing great clouds of red-orange smoke onto thatched roofs and timbered walls. Soldiers in black and white Imperial trooper armor fanned the flames, using torches to burn whatever the dragons didn't manage to destroy. What wasn't burned was shredded by dragon claws or hacked into pieces by troopers. Horrified citizens scurried through the streets, fleeing for their lives.

There was some commotion when they arrived at the town square. Cecil and Arthur stuck their heads out. “What's all this rabble doing here?” Cecil fussed. Arthur's fingers few in his friend's face. “I know they're people, not rabble, but they are commoners. More to the point, they're blocking our way.”

Ben Kenobi sat back in the carriage, his face even paler than before the dragons arrived. “It's a demonstration. It reminds me...” he closed his eyes “...of when the Imperial Army betrayed the Knights of the Force Order.”

Luke's eyes widened. The crowds had become so thick, he had to climb off Tauntaun and lead the terrified pony through the streets. Han and Chewie lead the six white and gray horses, removing their fancy plumage and bridles. The Falcon was already drawing attention. Imperials whispered and pointed. Ordinary peasants glared at such a showy display at a time of crisis.

“Glad I left the crown in the Falcon,” Han muttered. “The way people are lookin' at us, you'd think we were Imperials or somethin'.”

“They probably think we're rich,” Chewbacca whinnied back.

Ben stepped out of the carriage, waving his hands. “Shh!” They'd arrived at the center of Aldran Town. Normally, the town's main square was a beautiful green area, bordered by dusty roads, with a stunning fountain in the center. Tonight, the fountain lay in ruins on the ground, and the grass was blackened and flecked with blood. Luke couldn't really see much more. The square was too busy. Ben, however, watched in horror, his face draining rapidly of color again.

“Citizens of the Kingdom of Aldran,” said the small, bony man in the gray silver-trimmed uniform, “you and your people are now a part of the Kingdom of the Empire.” Gasps, yells, and general murmurs went up in the crowd. “My name is Moff Tarkin, and I will be your new ruler.” The murmurs in the crowds were growing louder, stronger.

“You were known for supporting the Rebels of the Woods, the traitors who have maliciously robbed and assaulted Imperial tax collectors, soldiers, and nobles,” Tarkin went on coldly. “The Kingdom of the Empire will not stand for such insubordination.”

Ben collapsed on his knees as a familiar figure was dragged through the crowd. Luke gasped in horror. Arthur almost lunged from the carriage, only to be stopped by Cecil, his brown-gold eyes filled with tears. Han narrowed his eyes, while Chewbacca let out a whinny of pure fury.

King Bail Organa was thrown on his knees before Tarkin. “Where are my wife and daughter?” the black-haired man demanded.

“Oh no, Organa, you're not asking the questions here anymore.” Tarkin's grin became almost skeletal. “The rest of your family are making quite interesting statues at Bast Castle.” One corner of his mouth turned up, now a hideous sneer. “Except your niece Princess Leia. Lord Vader is preparing her to wed his master at Bast Castle. She'll make a fine Queen of the Empire.”

“Leia will never agree to that,” Bail spat. “She's too independent for even Vader to control. She knows her own mind too well.” His dark eyes crinkled in a knowing smile. “She's too much like her father.”

“Perhaps.” Tarkin turned to the soldiers behind him, all holding the black longbows and silver-tipped arrows of the Imperial Army. “I have no more use for him.” He turned to one of the dragons. “You may devour him. He looks like he'd be a good solid morsel.”

“No!” Luke started towards the remains of the fountain, but there were too many people. There was the sickening sound of the king screaming, then crunching bones, spurting blood, and gnawed flesh. People shrieked in horror, turning in disgust and shock from the sight.

Luke was already the old man's side. Ben looked faint, like he was barely awake. “Master, isn't there something we can do to stop this?”

“Are you crazy, kid?” Another arm wrapped itself around Ben's shoulders. “This crowd's noisy enough as it is.” Han helped Luke get Ben to his feet and into the carriage. “I think we'd better get out of here. This is gonna get uglier, and I don't really feel like either bein' shot by the Imperial Army or cooked over easy by a dragon.”

Cecil was weeping openly in the cart. “Oh, my poor Master Bail! He was such a good employer. He always knew where the good porcelain was, and he never scolded anyone who didn't deserve it.” Arthur blew his nose loudly. “Those terrible Imperials! How could they do this?”

“You heard Tarkin.” Han looked up at Cecil as he and Luke got the half-conscious Ben into the carriage. “He doesn't want anyone goin' against him. Your employer must have gotten to his goat somehow.”

Ben opened his eyes. “The royal family of Aldran openly aided the Rebels in the Woods.” He took the message from Arthur. “That's what this is about. It's for the Rebels. It's a warning from Bail about the dragons. They're going to burn the Enchanted Woods.”

Luke's soft blue eyes were filled with pure horror. “Oh no! We can't let them do that!”

Han was shaking his head. “All I want is my money.”

Ben looked up at the gypsy. “Which you won't be able to receive unless we can get to the Rebels.” He frowned. “We must find Princess Leia. She's the last remaining member of the Royal Family of Aldran.”

“Wait a minute!” The gypsy thief stepped away, his hazel eyes flabbergasted. “Didn't you hear Tarkin? They have her at Bast Castle. Even if you could get up the Black Crystal Mountain, it's guarded by a thousand troops, not to mention the Sith Dragons.”

Chewbacca glared at him. “I can't believe what I'm hearin', mate. That poor lass is locked up in some tower, and you want to abandon her?”

“He's right.” Luke nodded. “We have to go after her. She's the only one who knows how to find the Rebels In the Woods.” He murmured into Han's ear. “You know, she's rich.”

“Rich.” Han looked up at the boy with interest.

“Han, she's a princess. The Rebels will probably be willing to pay you a huge reward for her.”

Han raised an eyebrow. “How much are we talking about?”

Luke grinned. “More well than you can imagine!”

“I dunno.” The gold flecks in Han's almond-shaped hazel eyes glimmered. “I can imagine quite a bit.”

Ben looked up from the carriage. “You'll get it, Solowolf, and more.”

“I'd better.” Han climbed into the driver's seat. Chewbacca somehow managed to fall in next to him. “If we leave now, we can get at least a day's start on those flying barbecues.”

What they didn't realize was that they were being watched. The man in the green armor whom Han Solowolf had avoided at the ball kept a vigil in the woods near the square. He sat rigidly in a large, rounded gray and red carriage as imposing as his gray-green apparel. When they headed for the road to the northern kingdoms, he went in the opposite direction, towards the Kingdom of Tatoon.