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(a/n): I'm the worst at updating within a reasonable time period lol so please skim the last chapter if you need a refresher! ❤️

Word count: 5.2k

Obi-Wan POV:

In Alderaan...

"How exactly does Bo-Katan plan to help us?" I asked Lilliana curiously as she slowly stood with documents in her hand from a royal blue, high end cathedra chair, with gold motifs rimmed at the top edge.

The two of us are currently alone in her office, finishing mapping out the strong and weak points of the palace in case of an invasion, and carefully deciding where to station soldiers.

"She is going to send one of her battalions here, and another in Coruscant." She explained while setting out a holo-communicator on her table, probably preparing to call (y/n) and tell her our plan.

I scoffed silently through my nose. "Well, I certainly hope she holds true to that promise." I mused, more to myself. Even though these circumstances have led me to believe Bo-Katan is trustworthy, I still couldn't shake my feelings of unease as I remember who she used to be, and the destruction she helped to cause.

Lilliana rolled her eyes amusedly, "You two seem to be getting along fabulously." She deadpanned.

A small smile rose on my lips, "I am fine with her now. I just often need to remind myself that she is not the same person she used to be during her sisters reign." I sighed, my stomach churning from many old memories I wished I could forget. At one point I did have a connection with Duchess Satine, though I was never actually in love with her. But the loss was still harsh regardless, even more so because I was the one who failed to save her.

"Ah yes," Lilliana smirked slowly, "I seem to remember Bo telling me you have a tendency to chase after royals."

Of course she told her that. I'm hardly surprised; she'll strike at any opportunity to embarrass me. But this topic does bring up another conversation I've been meaning to have.

"Well, I could say the same for you." I countered, with an edge in my tone. "You seem to have a tendency to fall in love with Jedi."

She whipped her head towards me, seeming almost offended at my blunt words. "What exactly are you implying?"

I boldly held her gaze with my own, "I had to find out from your daughter that Qui-Gon—my late Jedi Master—was not only the King's brother, but also your first love."

This piece of information began to make sense the more I dwelled upon it. Qui-Gon was the reason we realized how much trouble Alderaan was in all those years ago; no one else knew personal information regarding the royal family except for him. It was a tad strange at the time, but I never questioned it since my excitement to be going on a solo mission as a Padawan overtook me.

But ultimately, it's thanks to my former Master that both (y/n) and her mother are still alive, and that there is still hope for this kingdom. If I hadn't been sent as a reinforcement, then there's no telling what the state of this planet would look like right now.

I had wanted to ask Lilliana about her relationship with Qui-Gon after (y/n) first told me, but I never could think of a good way to start the conversation. But now that Bo-Katan has arrived and is apparently Avery's birth mother—the fact that she's a mother period still shocks me—I feel the need to bring up this topic even more. It undoubtedly gave me a eccentric feeling to say out loud.

She held my stare blankly for a few seconds, before sighing and casting her gaze down towards the table, "It is not something I choose to talk about. I only told (y/n) because she deserved to know that despite rejecting his title, he was her family; and because....I fear that she's going to make the same mistake I did." Her eyes became glassy with
emotion.

My expression softened. I did not think to realize that Qui-Gon would have chosen his life as a Jedi over a potential life here, with her. And not only that, but he met his fate soon afterwords. It is truly tragic to think about; how both he and his brother, the King, and the two people Lilliana loved, were both killed.

I feared this for (y/n) and Anakin as well. Her heart would break if he ultimately chose to stay with the Jedi, and his heart will break when he learns the truth. There really is no way for this to end well.

"She should tell him." I declared after a few moments of silence had passed.

She turned towards me fully this time, a befuddled expression upon her features, "What?" She asked in a shocked tone, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinked slowly with a disbelieving expression.

I sighed, "Think about it, Lily. The deadline is approaching in mere days; why should we wait until the very last minute for her to gain the trust and support of Anakin, and the rest of the Jedi? The longer she holds off, the less likely the world is to fight for a Queen they don't even know." 

I quoted Bo-Katan's words from yesterday when she had first arrived. It seems there is at least one thing we can agree on. The Jedi are very skeptical as is, and if (y/n) decides to drop this bombshell on the very last day, it's unlikely that they will instantly take her side or even believe her.

Lilliana narrowed her eyes, and began approaching me, her gold earrings dangling with each step, "Are you telling me how to protect my daughter?" She asked in what I knew was her 'Queen' voice.

"Yes, I am." I responded boldly, with no hesitation. "It is the smartest and safest choice to make right now. And I think," I slowly leaned closer to her, "You just don't want to admit that I am right."

Her jaw clenched at my words. She did not respond, but instead seemed to be thinking of all potential ways to murder me.

"Am I correct?" I asked teasingly, but was just barely cut off from my question as she put her hand on the back of my neck, and roughly pulled my head down until her lips collided with mine. I took a sharp breath in, my limbs began to tremble as what felt like a lifetime of memories, long forgotten feelings, happiness, and heartbreak flashed through my mind in an instant. And for a moment it felt as if we were younger again, not yet burdened by all that we have loved and lost, and could soon potentially lose. For a moment none of it mattered.

She slowly pulled away, but our lips still grazed as we breathed softly. My mind spun in an adrift daze. That certainly wasn't what I expected her to do, but I am definitely not complaining.

Lilliana kept her hand upon the back of my neck, and pulled me in once more so that her forehead was against mine, "You must know, General Kenobi," She leaned in ever so slightly so that her lips brushed mine once more, "The day hell freezes over will be the day I willingly admit that you are correct." She teased.

I scoffed playfully, deciding to tease her back, "And here I thought you didn't like me."

She smirked and brought her other hand up to gently hold the back of my neck, "I despise you." She corrected, a lively sparkle glimmering in her eyes as she laughed softly. I haven't seen her eyes sparkle like that in a long time.

As if I was back in my adolescent years, I felt a light fluttering in my stomach just at the sight of her smile.

I stepped back to give her space and gestured towards her table with the layout of plans, and her holo-communicator, "Now, I believe we have a Queen to call."

Avery POV:

If there's one thing this last month has taught me, it's that loving blindly is one of the most foolish things a person can do to themselves.

I've grown to hate myself every day for how asinine I was, how stupidly I handled the entire ordeal.

Yes, everyone is safe and ultimately no harm was inflicted, but it didn't take away the ache and constant pangs of guilt in my heart. Even though Luca was secretly working for our enemy this whole time, and supposedly loved me in his own twisted way, what I felt for him was real. Purely, undeniably real. He's the first person I've ever truly loved like that, so I fear this kind of pain may never fully heal.

How could he do this to our kingdom? To me?

I spent the first few weeks of the aftermath practically drowning in my sorrows; my Mom grew concerned but she also understood that healing from any sort of grief is a long process. In that time I made no public appearances, isolated myself from everyone including (y/n) and Aero - who I still haven't talked to about his confession since the ball. We've only spoken greetings and gone through formality procedures in the palace when necessary, but have yet to have a normal conversation like we used to.

I don't know what I feel anymore about anything, if I'm being honest. So I don't think it's fair for me to try and have that conversation with him until I can properly work through my own tempestuous emotions.

But there is one thing for certain that my feelings are clear on. The devastation, confusion, and shock I once felt are now replaced with just one constant fire inside of me; white-hot rage.

Luca may have only been a puppet on a string, but even moments before his death, he was still too blinded by his own ambitions to see how it all was affecting me. He never knew how horrible his decisions were, what cruel game he was participating in. And how much it broke me. Oh, if only I had the chance to show him, to make him feel what I felt. Death would have been a blessing.

It might all sound crazy, and I won't deny that I'm not completely in my right state of mind. But I've never felt anger as intense as this, and no one else could ever truly understand it unless they've experienced grief, heartbreak, betrayal, and confusion all at once. It changes a person, and now I know that all too well.

But despite my unrelenting anger at Luca, the real monster behind all of this chaos is still alive, potentially plotting something far more malevolent than what he's already done; committing regicide, desiccating our once thriving kingdom into ruin, and attempting to overthrow our planet's monarchy which all but drove (y/n) into exile from her own planet and title. And he's probably done many more heinous things that none of us even know about.

But one way or another, he'll get what's coming to him, and all of his transgressions will finally catch up to him. I'll make sure of it. If it's the last thing I ever do, even if it kills me, I will see to it that he suffers for what he did to me, and those around me.

But as of now the most chilling thought is that no one knows what he's doing at this very moment, or how he plans to react if (y/n) refuses his proposal.

A shiver ran through my body. I stood swiftly from where I was seated at the foot of my bed, and exited the safety of my bedchambers. I've only recently begun to venture further than the distance of my room to the kitchen, but my bones were screaming at me for some fresh air, and my blood was still boiling so much that it felt like my skin was on fire. A walk to the fountain should hopefully alleviate some of that tension I've been holding in.

And part of me is wondering maybe if I scream loud enough, Luca will raise from the dead and I'll have another chance to kill him myself.

I opened the door to my room a lot quicker than I had meant to, and hastily turned on my heel in the direction of the gardens after shutting it.

But I hardly made it a few steps until I crashed straight into somebody, and I don't know what they're wearing, but their body felt like an entire plate of steel. I assumed it was just another one of the many guards my Mom has sent to check on me.

Annoyed with that thought, I huffed as I took a step back, keeping my head down and brushing off my lilac colored dress. "My apologies." I said curtly. "But you can tell my mother that I don't require a babysitter." I remarked with a hint of bitterness in my tone.

Normally I would never be rude to any of the guards, even if I'm not particularly in the best mood, but my rampant emotions have recently taken more control over the logical, and usually cheerful side of me.

I was about to scurry off again, while keeping my head down, but stopped in my tracks when I heard a gentle laugh from the person I bumped into; it was a woman's laugh. One I didn't recognize, and definitely didn't sound like any of my usual guards.

"I didn't realize Her Majesty was still giving her adult daughter a babysitter." The unknown woman commented amusedly as I lifted my head to look at her.

I knew I'd never met her before, that's for sure. But her appearance struck something inside of me, something oddly familiar. Maybe she's visited the palace before.

I laughed drily, "She may as well be. It seems the times I actually want privacy are when I never get any."

The sensible part of me is aware that isolation is never a healthy coping mechanism, but now that I've been through that living nightmare, I understand why people do it. Endeavoring this kind of devastation hurts so deeply, that it feels like no one else could possibly understand it.

I glanced up at the woman once again and took in her appearance for a second time to see if I did in fact know her or if my anger and grief had actually driven me crazy.

She was in fact wearing armor, but it was nothing close to the ones the palace guards wear. The chest plate, sleeves, and legs of her armor were blue and grey, and in one arm she held what I recognized to be a Mandalorian helmet, making me instantly connect the dots as to where she's from.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but you're clearly from Mandalore; so why are you here?" I asked curiously, slight suspicion laced in my voice. It's odd that she just happened to be wandering around the palace, alone.

My question seemed to catch her off guard. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, blinking rapidly, before her expression expertly returned to an impassive one. She cleared her throat and couldn't meet my eyes, "I...Just some negotiation matters." She said coolly, nodding to herself.

I blinked. "Okay." I let out a small chuckle, "And who are you, exactly?" I tilted my head curiously.

She fixed me with another expression I couldn't seem to read, and then finally spoke, "Bo-Katan Kryze of Mandalore." She smiled—which caused an unexpected warmth in my chest, for a moment dissolving every negative emotion that weighed me down for weeks—and gave a small bow, "Your Highness."

Anakin POV:

My eyelids, heavy with the weight of sleep and exhaustion, opened drowsily with more effort than usual. But I instantly shut them again, furrowing my brows as a throbbing jolt of pain seared into my head all the way from the side of my neck.

I wanted to groan in pain, but all that came from my lips was a feeble wheeze. My body felt as if all the vigor had been thoroughly drained from it, leaving not even one ounce left. I couldn't even lift my limbs either. What did I do before I fell asleep?

Sure, my battle training with (y/n) went on longer than usual to prepare for her assessment, but it shouldn't have taken that much of my strength. And I don't believe we had any nightly....activities afterwards that would leave me in this state.

Wait.

Battle training, kissing (y/n), Council meeting with the Chancellor, taking a quick shower....

My memories flooded back in an instant. The crushing impact of each one made my eyes shoot wide open, a gasp forcing itself out of my throat in the same moment. It's all slowly piecing together now. Those strange men in the uniforms of the Chancellor's guards; they broke into my quarters, and shot me in the neck with a tranquilizer gun.

And I remembered with an eerie shudder, one of the last things that man said to me, the one from my nightmare; "If you don't comply, things certainly won't turn out great for (y/n)."

A wild sense of urgency and distraught overtook every fiber in my being, and I thought my nervous system might explode if I sat still a moment longer. I have to find her. If anything's happened and I wasn't there to protect her, if she's been hurt, I'll never forgive myself.

My nightmare replayed vividly in my head, ticking my senses like a clock, each one becoming more alert than the last.

Though I was able to open my eyes, I was concerned to find that my vision still didn't adjust to wherever I am, meaning that I'm in a place or room currently blanketed in darkness. My nerves were too frantic, and my body too weak to be able to muster enough strength to sense my surroundings through the force. I knew I was sitting since my body remained upright, but even with my attempt at using the force, it proved to be unavailing as I still couldn't move my limbs.

All of a sudden, a dim light flickered from above me, blanketing my surroundings in a blinding brightness for a moment until my vision finally adjusted.

The first thing I did once I could actually see was glance around to see if I could identify whatever setting I was in. I instantly recognized it; the pale grey walls, the large tinted windows, the dull and unforgiving atmosphere. This is one of the Temple's interrogation rooms.

Bewildered, I looked down to see why I couldn't move any of my limbs, and my question was answered when I saw that I was in fact sitting upright in a large, metal chair, and both my wrists and legs were cuffed to the armrests and legs of the chair. I've been in these rooms before multiple times during interrogations, so I unfortunately know that these restraints are designed to block force users from using their abilities.

But how did I get here? Did no one see me being put in this room? And more importantly, why is any of this happening?

"What the..." I mumbled, wincing as the degree of pressure from trying to talk caused another pang in my head.

"Do not try and strain yourself. You won't be any good to me injured." A familiar smooth, masculine voice said. At the sound of it, my blood ran cold, depleting the numbness I previously felt in my limbs.

I slowly forced my eyelids open, attempting to ignore the continuous ache in both my head and neck, and lifted my head once more to see a man standing in front of me at the other end of the room. It took my vision another moment to adjust to the bright lights in the room, but as anticipated, I soon recognized the same man from my nightmare, and the one who had posed as a guard of the Chancellor and somehow managed to weasel his way into my quarters.

His clothing was different now, darker but more elegant and refined. He stood with his hands behind his back, tall and regal in a way that made me believe he had to be in some position of power to have such a formal stance.

I scoffed quietly as I kept my gaze on his appearance, "And who are you supposed to be? Prince charming's evil twin brother?" I chuckled at my own insult, finding it much funnier since he did look a little bit like a Prince.

He ignored my remark and kept his expression neutral. "I suppose it's only fair for me to introduce myself." He began to slowly advance towards me, "Though, I must say I am quite shocked you should need an introduction." This time his lips curved upwards slightly, making me think he must find it amusing that I don't know who he is.

I rose an eyebrow, also