Chapter 2

Ashely's POV:

Suddenly I found myself waking up in an unfamiliar room. The ground beneath my body was excruciatingly painful on my back, as the floor was made from hard grated metal. Looking up, the roof of the room I was in looked very strange, as there was an assortment of wires and pipes running across it in numerous formations. Slowly rolling over onto my stomach, I was met with a c-shaped couch with a small coffee table in the centre and just opposite was what looked to be a control panel with a wheelie-chair positioned in front of it.

I felt confused as I stared at the weird objects in front of me. Hastily, I rubbed my eyes thinking that maybe I was seeing everything all wrong, but once I took my hands away from my face, my eyes adjusted back onto the scene before me, causing my breath to catch in my throat. It wasn't an illusion.

In a flash, I jumped to my feet in horror. The world around me seemed to blur as I was beginning to panic, fear instantly taking over all my other emotions. 'Where the hell am I?! Where's Gwen?! Am I dead?!' The thought of me actually being dead and trapped in some hellish place made tears begin to well up in my green eyes. I began to look around, walking down the narrow tube- like corridors, until I entered what seemed to be the piloting area of an aircraft. This lead to many more questions to conquer my mind, as I wondered 'how and why I was on this strange contraption and when did I arrive here'.

Looking out of the large cock-pit windows in-front of me, I was met with an even more questionable sight. Outside the window, was tall metal walls and black floors, that were so shiny it reflected everything that was stationed upon it. But that wasn't the only thing that caught my attention. Six mysterious men dressed in pure white suits marched in two files towards the place I was standing. My eyes grew wide with fright from the unknown lifeforms stomping their way over to the still unidentifiable vehicle I was standing in.

On impulse, I ducked down behind the co-pilot chair and began to crawl back the way I came, moving quickly. For some reason I got the impression that those figures were not friendly, which made my already thumping heart beat even more in my chest, causing my breathing to become ragged and my head to start throbbing.

Continuing my journey though the empty hallways on my hands and knees, I approached a small vent at the bottom of the corridor walls and wasted no time in removing the hatch and crawling inside. Once inside, I grabbed the hatch of the vent and carefully closed it, making sure not to make too much noise, as I didn't want to attract too much attention from the already questionable vehicle I was inside.

All of a sudden, I heard numerous footsteps begin to walk down the halls of the aircraft I was in, making me place my now sweaty palms over my mouth, to try and muffle my loud uneven breaths. With my movements like a sloth, I began to pull one of my hands away from my face while keeping the other one clasped over my mouth tightly, and trail it down to my jean pocket here I kept my phone. Keeping my eyes trained on the vents and my ears perked up, listening for any more approaching footsteps, I pressed my hand against my pocket, expecting to feel the hard rectangular outline, but instead coming into contact with nothing. Forgetting to cover my mouth, I turned to try and feel in my pockets for my only communication device, only to find it no longer on me.

Breathing in deeply, I began to pray to god that I will make it out of here alive, and if I do, I'll  do what ever I can to find Gwen and return home, away from all this madness.

Leia's POV:

After being violently thrown into a cell, I began to pace back and forth in the small confined space, the events that had just occurred replaying in my mind.

My family, my home, destroyed.

This is exactly what the Rebellion were trying to prevent, but it seems we were too blinded by the death star plans to see what the Imperials were up to behind our backs. One day we will defeat the Empire and bring peace and order to the Galaxy, even if that requires sacrifices, It must be done for the good of the future.

My eyes began to burn slightly from the unshed tears beginning to well up inside them, the feeling caused me to stop pacing and sit down on the uncomfortable bench situated against the back wall. Feeling completely helpless, I collapsed back onto the block and lifted my arm to rest underneath my head, forming a pillow to provide some comfort to the unbearable surface I was positioned on. Curling myself into a foetal position I closed my eyes, trying to form an escape plan in my head.

All at once, my eyes flew open from a sudden bright light, and a large gust of wind enveloped the room. The sound of something falling onto the floor was enough to make me freeze in my tracks.

Just as quick as it came, the blinding light and gust of air discipated into nothingness, as if it was never there in the first place. Looking towards where the light appeared, I was met with a girl with long curly auburn hair and strange looking clothes lying across the cold metal floor.

I sat there in astonishment, not quite sure what just happened. My eyes were as big as saucers, and my mouth hung open in an 'o' shape. My body was still lying down on the block, however, my arm, which was underneath my head, was now propping the top half of my body up, just enough to get a good view of the figure on the floor.

Hesitantly, I swung one of my legs over the side of the bench and sat up straight. My eyes darted in all directions around the room, searching for any signs of where she could have entered from, only to find nothing but solid metal walls lining both the ceiling and walls.

'Who was this girl?'

Sucking up all the courage I could muster, I approached the girl on the floor. She looked to be around the same age as me and had freckles dusted lightly across her nose and cheeks. She looked familiar to me somehow, I just didnt now where I could have seen her before. The clothes she was wearing were foreign to me, signifying that she wasn't from around here.

Carefully, I shook her shoulder trying to wake her up, until a flash of gold caught my attention. My eyes were then drawn to her neck, where a golden ring encrusted with small diamonds and an oval shaped gem lay in the centre also surrounded by tiny diamonds, lay against her colarbone. Familiarity washed over me as I caught the piece of jewlery delicately between my fingers, studying it intently. The ring was definately of royal origin, I knew that because all planets have their own ring forged, I was promised the ring of Alderaan when I was to become Queen, by my father Bail Organa, but now the ring is lost, along with my home and family.

"W-who are you?"

Brought out of my reverie , I looked up to meet the girl staring back at me, a frightend look in her eyes. Standing up straight and brushing down my dress, I reached my hand out to the girl on the floor. She eyed me suspiciously, before repeating the questoin again.

"Who are y-you? Where am I?" She stuttered, slowly dragging her body away from me, not once breaking eye contact.

"I think I should be the one asking all the questions, don't you? After all, this is my prison cell you somehow managed to break into." I replied, turning my back to go and sit back down on the slab of metal I was once lying on.

"Prison? I-I'm in p-prison?"

Her eyes widened in surprise by what I had told her. Surely she knew she was on the death star, otherwise, why else would she be here?

"Yes, prison. Now, do you mind telling me who you are and how you got in here? No one can leave or enter these cells without permission. How did you do it?"

"G-Gwen Parker..' She whispered, not quite sure what to do with herself. "And I don't know how I got in here, I-it just sort of happened, I don't really know how t-to explain it."

"Well you couldn't have just appeared out of thin air!?" I exclaimed, now event more curious as to how she ended up here in my cell undetected.

"No, really, I don't know how I got here. One moment I was with my friend and we were about to leave the museum, and the next thing I know, this big ,white light surrounded us. Then I blacked out and woke up here!"

She shot back, desperation laced into her worried voice, her head then bowed down shyly. We were both then brought into thoughtful silence. It seemed that both of us were running through the events inside our heads.

"You still haven't told me who you are." She soon spoke up, no longer staring into her lap. Her chocolate brown eyes mirrored mine, reflecting the harsh ceiling lights above our heads.

Slipping out a small inaudible sigh, I re-composed myself and began to speak,

"Princess Leia of Alderaan, or more precisely, princess Leia Organa, only daughter of Bail and Breha Organa, and not too long ago the future Queen. But, that was before my planet was destroyed by the Empire."

I spoke with an air of sophistication, just like I was taught by my mother back on Alderaan. The thought of my mother, caused more tears to well up in my eyes, causing me to drop my gaze away from Gwen's, as she gave me a sympathising look.

"I-I'm very sorry for what you've lost." She spoke softly, the sound just about reaching my ears.

"Do not apologise, you didn't know."

Once again we were thrown into silence, both of us staring of into different parts of the room, lost in our own private thoughts.

"Wait, wait, wait. Did you say 'Princess'?" Gwen rushed, now looking at the princess sat only a few feet in-front of her. The shock was clearly evident in her voice, causing a small smirk to play about my lips.

"Of course, I am Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan." I answered

"Alderaan?"

"Yes."

"Where's that? Is it in Europe? Or is it somewhere in Asia? 'Cause I've never heard of it."

Her words confused me, never had I heard the word Europe or Asia before, making me furrow my brows from the foreign words she was using. Was she from a desolate planet, or something?

"No, Alderaan's my planet. It's where I'm from." I answered profusely, now back to looking at her as she contemplated my words.

"No, no, no, you can't be. That's not possible, Alderaan doesn't exist. It has to be made up." She spoke with confidence, now looking me straight in the eyes. She spoke with resolve, her head shaking from side to side.

Before I could argue back, the door to my cell opened and a storm-trooper walked in. Taking in the troopers appearance, I noticed that this storm-trooper was a little different compared to the rest of them, he was a lot shorter than all the other ones I've seen. Before I could stop myself I spoke my thoughts out loud.

"Aren't you a little short for a storm-trooper?"

Hearing what I had just said, he leaned back, letting out a loud 'Huh?', before removing the Imperial soldier helmet. Long golden hair fell down his forehead, obscuring one of his ocean-blue eyes, he was indeed handsome, however there was something about him that instantly made him feel special to me, as if somehow we knew each other from way back. Ignoring this surge of familiarity, I sat up a little, intrigued by what the stranger was saying.

"I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue y-" He cut himself off when he realised that there wasn't just me in the room, but Gwen also.

"You're who?" I pressed, completely absorbed in the part he said about rescues, but slightly weary of his intentions.

Eventually puling his gaze away from Gwen he looked back at me with an urgent look upon his face.

"I'm here to rescue you, I've got your R2-Unit, I'm here with Ben Kenobi!"

Upon hearing Obi-Wans name I sprang to my feet and rushed towards him, grabbing Gwen and pulling her to her own feet in the process.

"Ben Kenobi, where is he?!" I asked, dragging a confused Gwen out of the cell and into the absent corridors of the death star.

"Come on!" Replied Luke, as he moved to be in-front of me, leading us down the hallways.

Gwen's POV:

I was pulled out of unconsciousness by the sensation of something tugging at the necklace around my neck, the feeling was gentle and hardly noticeable, but I still felt it. I still hadn't managed to process what just happened, as it all occurred rather quickly. But the constant pulling of my necklace caused me to start feeling weary, as I had no idea what was happening around me.

Prying my eyes open, I began to rapidly blink at the harsh light entering my retinas. I was definitely not in the museum. Regaining my eyesight back, I was able to make out my surroundings, a small, plain room with a metal interior decorated my vision. It was then that I felt like I was being watched, and turned my head slightly to the right, only to be met with large brown eyes staring intently at the ring around my neck.

"W-who are you?" I squeaked, my voice for some reason becoming strangely high from the fear I was feeling.

The woman said nothing and instead stood up and lightly brushed down the long white dress she was wearing. Her outfit confused me, as I hadn't ever witnessed a person with such regal yet mysterious clothing, my gaze then travelled to her hair, which was styled up delicately into two large, graceful buns on either side of her head. Never before had I seen a hairstyle quite like it and I immediately began to question who this woman was.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the strange woman holding out her hand towards me. Slowly I dragged myself backwards closer to the wall, not trusting my legs enough to try and stand up.

"Who are y-you? Where am I?" I stuttered, my heart suddenly feeling like it was running a marathon. Not once did I want to look away from her, as I didn't know what her intentions were.

"I think I should be the one asking all the questions, don't you? After all, this is my prison cell you somehow managed to break into." She replied, turning her back towards me and taking a seat on the large metal bench lying against the back of the small confined space.

"P-prison? I'm in prison?!" I choked, not believing a word I was hearing.

"Yes, prison. Now, do you mind telling me who you are and how you got in here? No one can enter or leave these cells without permission. How did you do it?" She asked sternly, suspicion evident in her eyes.

"G-Gwen Parker...' I whispered, not sure of what exactly I was doing, "And I don't know how I got in here, I-it just sort of happened, I don't really know how t-to explain it." I stuttered, worry beginning to over come my other senses. 'What if I don't escape? Is Ashley okay? Where is she, I was sure that I saw both of us being swallowed by that weird light..'

My mind began to wonder to thoughts of the worst.

"Well you couldn't have just appeared out of thin air!?" She exclaimed, looking around the room for any signs of forced entry.

No, really, I don't know how I got here. One moment I was with my friend and we were about to leave the museum, and the next thing I know, this big white light surrounded us. Then I blacked out and woke up here!" I shot back, I could hear the desperation in my voice as I leaned forward. Not knowing what else to say I recoiled back and bowed my head down, facing my lap.

The atmosphere then went quiet, as we both sat there in thought. The events leading to this moment played through my memories, like a small video in my head. realising is still don't know this woman's name I looked back up at her profile, which was perched on the edge of the metal block a few feet away from where I was sitting. 

"You still haven't told me who you are."

She let out an audible sigh through her small pink lips, and turned to face me once again,

"Princess Leia of Alderaan, or more specifically, Princess Leia Organa, only daughter of Bail and Breha Organa, and not too long ago the future Queen. But, that was before my planet was destroyed by the Empire."

Princess Leia spoke with finesse, and I could see that the last part of her introduction caused her pain, as tears began to well up in her brown orbs, making them glossy and event more reflective from the lights lining the ceiling. I began to feel sympathy towards the girl in-front of me, as it seemed that she had lost pretty much everything all in one day.

"I-I'm very sorry for what you've lost."  I spoke, not really knowing how to console a woman who's entire family and home was destroyed.

"Do not apologise. You didn't know." She answered, still looking away to try and hide the tears that were trying to escape her eyes.

Silence flooded the room once again, however this time the atmosphere was less thoughtful and a lot more depressing. I continued to look around the unusual mundane room, until I was struck with the realisation of what the woman had just told me.

Wait, wait, wait. Did you say 'Princess'? I gawked, only now processing that I was stuck in a room with a woman who identifies as a 'princess'.

She smirked at my reaction.

"Of course, I am Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan."

"Alderaan?" I asked, intrigued by the unfamiliar name.

"Yes."

"Where's that? Is it in Europe? Or is it somewhere in Asia? 'Cause I've never heard of it."

By hearing my reply, she looked at me with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as if I was out of my mind for not knowing what Alderaan was.

"No, Alderaan's my planet. It's where I'm from."

This struck something within me. What was she talking about? There are no planets in the Milky-Way called Alderaan, is she on something? Perhaps she's not all right in her head and imagines that she is a princess of some imaginary planet.

"No, no, no, you can't be. That's not possible, Alderaan doesn't exist, It has to be made up!" I spoke looking pointedly towards her. A frown grazed her lips and before she could reply to my confident remark, the sound of a door opening up not far from where is was, knocked us both out of our conversation.

A man dressed in strange white attire prodded into the room, my eyes widened in angst from the intimidating look of the helmet he was wearing, obscuring his appearance behind paper-white armour and coal black visors.

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?" Pointed out Leia, eyeing the suspicious looking man.

'Stormtrooper?' What the hells a Stormtrooper?'

I thought to my self, watching the figure turn around whilst mumbling to himself about the helmet. Without a second to spare, he pulled the helmet off of his head to reveal long golden locks, falling over his forehead. The semi-wavy hair bounced a bit as he swung back around to face the princess, his helmet now held securely under his arm. As he was turning around, however, we both locked eyes for a split second, my breath catching in my throat from just how handsome he was, before he turned to fully face the princess.

"I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue y-"

The strange man started speaking with urgency towards Leia, who was still sat on the metal bench, staring up at the attractive man in our prison cell. Before he could finish his sentence, he quickly adverted his gaze back to where I was sat on the floor. A surprised expression covering his once urgent one.

"You're who?" Leia pressed, wanting to know more about this mans' reason for entering her cell.

"I'm here to rescue you, I've got your R2-Unit, I'm here with Ben Kenobi!" Luke exclaimed, finally breaking his gaze away from me, a blush creeping up slightly on my cheeks.

Upon hearing the name Kenobi, Leia jumped up and began to pace towards the exit, grabbing my wrist and dragging me along with her in the process.

"Ben Kenobi, where is he!?" Leia exclaimed, pulling me out into the odd shaped corridors with her.

Luke spoke up whilst manoeuvring around us to get ahead and lead us away from the cells.

"Come on!" He urged, jogging down the long metal hallway.