Once upon a time there was a boy. He was the crown prince, heir to the throne of his kingdom. His mother ruled the land as the queen, and as the boy grew it was plain to see that he had the makings to become a great king.
For some time in his youth he traveled with the royal army and rose in their ranks, becoming a general and making friendships.
He fell in love with a beautiful maiden from another kingdom during his travels and she with him, after some time. The two returned to his home and were wed. It was a grand ceremony.
However, on the queen's trip back from her summer home later that year, tragedy struck when her carriage escort was attacked and she was left to die. Her driver got her back as quickly as he could, but it was too late to save her. The blade had been poisoned. She had just enough time left to say goodbye to her beloved child.
After she passed, the son was filled with despair and anger. He sought out and tracked down those who had committed the act and killed them all in his rage. He returned to the castle fill with many emotions plaguing him, clouding him, that he was conflicted. He did not know how to feel.
His love tried to comfort him, but it he did not let her in.
He was appointed king and for many days he spent all of his time isolated as he made the adjustment and grieved for his mother. Days later, his beloved wife came with news that she was with child.
This was a spark of joy in his life, but it did not last.
Tragedy struck again, as toward the end of her pregnancy his queen became ill. He went to all of the healers of the castle, but they could do nothing. He went to all of the healers of the kingdom, but they too could do nothing.
His frustration, fear, and anger grew as he searched for a way to save her, save the child, save himself. His mind became suspicious and he feared that she too had been poisoned.
He traveled out far, to ask for assistance from a friend he had made in the army. The friend was honest with the prince, telling him that there was nothing in all of the lands that could save his queen.
This upset the prince greatly. He accused his old friend of being among those who poisoned his wife, accused him of treason and all of the men who continued to travel with him. The two battled and the prince was defeated, with scars across his body to prove it.
The prince in anger, went farther out of the kingdom in desperation, searching for an antidote.
The general however, sensing that this was not the man he had once called a friend returned to the castle only to find the young queen on her deathbed. She called out to her lover in pain, desperation, but he was not there for her. The general stood by her side as she gave birth to the child and then, surprisingly, another. She named them and stayed no longer.
The man she loved had left her, both emotionally and physically and she did not know what to do without him. He had been a part of her for so long that she had forgotten who she was before.
The general saw her pass and knew that soon the prince would return. But sensing the worse, he and an advisor split the children up. The prince would believe that they had died along with their mother, having never been born. The two fled, separating the children and the prince returned not long after, believing that he had lost everything.
There was nothing left in him but anger. Cold, hard anger. He pushed his past away from him, no longer associated with anyone from that time, often hunting them down. He became a cruel king, a vicious king, a king who had no mercy for anyone. He conquered other kingdoms and his empire grew. It was dark days in those times.
Everyone forgot about the young prince they had once put so much faith in, for he was gone. This new figure was someone different, someone who ruled for almost two decades before he was stopped. And he was stopped by none other than his two lost children.
One had been trained in politics, the other in combat. Both were strong in their own ways and together they led fellow rebels against the tyrannical king. In his last minutes, the dark king found the good in his heart again as he saved one of them from death.
Nothing from his past could have saved him, but the love from his child and the hope for a good future did.
He passed away and the kingdoms and all those surrounding celebrated. Peace was returned, soldiers no longer patrolled every street, food was no longer hoarded for the palace, and people were free from the tyrannical grip that had held them tight for a quarter century.
And now? Now it is three decades after the great triumph. The kingdoms now operate individually, allowing them to tend to their needs more specifically. No one person rules over them all and this is good. They work in cooperation and fellowship.
And as for the prince's kingdom? On the throne now sits one of his children, the one raised amongst politics, the one more suited for the large task of ruling and governing the land. The other child keeps the peace, traveling throughout the land and neighbouring kingdoms, sometimes training the troops of the kingdom. The kingdom has flourished under this new rule.
The late queen's legacy lives on through her grandchildren. The prince's tragedy is forgotten as his children bring light to the darkness he had created. Children in schools across the land and many more learn this history. And those children in the very kingdom where it took place gaze up at the great palace, imagining the stories that took place in those walls. The walls of the great Skywalker castle.
A/N: I was struck with inspiration and I wanted so badly to start with the masquerade, but I couldn't help but world build and create a history for this AU. Rey will be the main character and I can't wait to write more! Let me know what you think and if you want, follow my tumblr ( lightsabers-and-x-wings )where you can see a bunch of visuals I'll be posting and possibly some teases and stuff for coming chapters :) Thank you for taking the time to read this and for everyone who leaves a review, follows, or even favourites! I appreciate every single one and I can't wait to share this story with you. - Charmfeather
