Deiva's POV

When we arrived on Alderaan, we landed on the landing platform of the Aldera Royal Palace. I shuddered at the memory of what happened here. Then, I saw Prince Laurent coming to greet us. I clenched my teeth and dawned a forced smile.

"Prince Laurent," I said, bowing. I offered my hand and he kissed it. He smirked.

"Deiva..." he mused. "What brings you back to Alderaan?"

I chuckled. "I assure you, Your Highness, it is only because of my sworn duty to the Jedi Order to protect people such as yourself against the Empire. As I'm sure you were informed, an Imperial 'ambassador', Darth Vader (as I said his name, my stomach tightened into a knot), is headed to the Alderaan system to force you to give the planet over to the, huh, 'protection of the Empire'," I spat with a smirk. "We have arrived to make sure that that doesn't happen."

He gave us a half-smile. "Well, Jedi...follow me..." he said as we walked into the palace. Then, Obi-Wan and I followed him to a room in the palace that resembled a dining hall with a hologram transmitter tucked away in the corner. I had instructed Ozoda to stay behind. Through the window (which seemed more like a wall of windows) I could see the sky and the buildings shining in the sun. I looked in the direction of the mountains, and thought of how my family and I used to climb those mountains...before we were overthrown and exiled. Laurent happened to be in the family of rebels. We successfully killed the rest of his family. Unfortunately, he'd escaped and convinced my people that I'd fled them to join what was then the Seperatists, which was partly true. I joined them hoping to get revenge on Laurent and his family. That never worked out, of course.

So, now, I am protecting the snake that I once swore to destroy. I smirked, thinking of the irony of my situation. Then, Laurent spoke up. "So, what are your plans, Jedi? Will you fight while I escape?"

"You would like that, wouldn't you? You coward..." I muttered under my breath. Obi-Wan put a hand on my arm.

"No...unfortunately, Your Highness, you will lead a group of your soldiers out to meet them, and make sure that they do not enter the city. Deiva, Ozoda and I will stay here in case they break through."

The prince sighed. "Very well...when will they arrive?"

"We expect they'll arrive at dawn...we must prepare..." I said as Obi-Wan and I turned to leave.

"Of course," Laurent said. Then, he gestured to one of his servants. "Show them to their rooms."

"Yes, Your Highness," the servant replied. Then, we followed her through the halls. I motioned for Ozoda to follow us. We walked up the grand staircase. Then, she led us to a room that reminded me of my old room. Perhaps because it was my room. I rolled my eyes. Alright, now he's just mocking me, I thought. I smiled. Surprisingly, Laurent had left it exactly the way it was. I soon realized that I was more tired than I'd realized. I quickly put on a nightgown and climbed into bed.