The Artist and the Jedi - Sabezra Oneshots

Nightmares (Ezra)

Set in season one shortly after 'The Spark of Rebellion':

Summary – Struggling to deal with his new life, Ezra suffers from nightmares aboard the Ghost. But the person who comes to comfort him is the last one that he'd expect...

Ezra was lost. He had no idea what he was doing here or why. Persuaded to join a group of freedom fighting scoundrels as they roam around the galaxy. He'd never even left Lothal. And then there was this 'force' business. Of course Ezra had heard tales of the old Jedi religion, fifteen years was not that long, and he was born on Empire Day after all. But knowledge of a few rumours and legends did not mean that he knew what the force was or how it could help him. Surely if it was that useful then he'd have already discovered it himself. He'd survived on his own on the streets since he was eight years old, all of those years of hardship do tend to take hope away from somebody. These were the thoughts that were running through his head as he laid there, in the bunk above a snoring Lasat. He was excited to be part of a crew, there was no doubt of that, but this was all so much, and it was happening so quickly. He doubted he'd get any sleep tonight.

It had been three days since Ezra had joined the Ghost crew, and he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since. Every night, he seemed to be plagued by nightmares, and they weren't ordinary nightmares. He dreamt of his parents, the night they went missing, the night he never saw them again. He had only been eight at the time, and even when he was awake the memories seemed fuzzy. But in his dreams, everything seemed so real. The screams. The heavy footsteps of the stormtroopers. The desperation. He was almost reluctant to even try and sleep tonight, it was as if the experience of joining these...rebels had brought up memories that he'd tried to bury for such a long time. His parents had been fighters, just like this new crew, using radio transmissions to speak out against the Empire. And that was why they disappeared. If Ezra followed the same path, would he suffer the same fate? The hours passed by, and these thoughts became dulled by the need to sleep. Soon, he couldn't help himself, the weight upon his eyes became too great, and they closed shut.

He awoke, glancing from side to side in a haze. His surroundings seemed so familiar, and yet so different. A bedroom, with soft covers and fluffy pillows. Comforts that he'd long since abandoned. In the corner of the room, a fireplace gently crackled, warming the air with an orange glow. Everything seemed so peaceful. Ezra glanced to his right, and gasped at the sight on the wall. A painting, but not just any painting. It was a picture of him as a young boy, held in the arms of his parents. They all looked so happy, the joy plastered on their faces. It was then that he noticed something, a murmuring from downstairs. Hushed voices. With a cautious step, he moved to the door of this room and slowly pushed it open. He exited out onto a staircase, where he could see the shadows of two people, casted by the light of a lamp downstairs. A man and a woman. They were both speaking deliberately quietly, and even when he knelt down on the stairs, Ezra could not hear what they were saying. He took the leap, walking all the way down and turning the corner with a gasp. Stood there, right in front of his eyes, were his parents, with the very same eyes that he'd seen in pictures all this time. Their expressions were soft, devoid of worry but full of care.
"Looks like someone couldn't sleep. Ephraim dear, could you take Ezra back upstairs, I'll finish up down here" his mother said in a warm tone. His father nodded, and walked towards the shocked boy, offering his hand out with a smile. After seconds of uncertainty, he took it, grinning in realisation. He didn't know how or why, but he was back with his parents. Nothing would harm him again. His father led the way, strolling up the stairs until they reached the bedroom door. But as all fears had melted away, they returned again in the blink of an eye. Outside, the familiar roar of a tie fighter shot through the sky, and his father's eyes looked worried. He knelt down, grabbing Ezra's shoulders and staring deeply at him.
"I'm going downstairs to your mother...whatever happens, you stay up here. Okay?" he said in a serious tone. Ezra could not argue, he didn't feel in control of his body, he nodded without telling himself to, and hid away under his bed. The next few moments became a blur. He heard the front door get kicked down, with the muffled voices of stormtroopers shouting "freeze!" There was a struggle. Ezra closed his eyes, and heard a short burst of laserfire. And then, silence. That was the worst part, the silence that followed. The melancholy quiet. In a sudden movement, a stormtrooper burst through the bedroom door, blaster aimed down at him. He screamed.