The morning after the Death Star died, everything was still. The party had gone on late into the night, and Rebels and Ewoks alike slumbered peacefully in the tiny cabins amongst the trees, bone tiredness making them forget the worries of the world for a little while. The sun was rising, sending the first shafts of light shimmering down towards the forest floor, and the first birds of the dawn chorus were just starting to sing.
Luke was watching them.
Despite the ordeal he'd been through the previous day, and having stayed up to party with the rest of them, he just hadn't been able to stay asleep. Between the pain of the Force lightning, which still felt etched into every inch of his body, and the sparse accommodation in the Ewok camp, he thought he'd only managed to sleep for about two hours before waking up in pain. He'd hoped to rest some more, but then dawn had begun, and he realised that the effort was going to be futile. Do not, in this case, he thought. And anyway, he felt strangely good about being awake this early. Perhaps there was something he needed to see.
He'd have to get to medical as soon as he could, of course. He hadn't wanted to disturb the joyful atmosphere of the evening by letting people be concerned for his health, but Force lightning, he realised, wasn't something that could be shrugged off lightly. And his prosthetic hand wasn't responding properly, either. But that would be for later, when the first shuttles started taking the Rebellion off the moon. For now, there was only him and the birds.
He watched a couple of small songbirds land on a branch in front of him, their coats a dull brown that blended with the forest. He let himself get lost in their song, thinking only of the here and now.
Some time later, as the light was spreading golden along the tree trunks, Luke felt Leia's presence leave the hut she'd been sharing with Han, and approach him from behind.
"Morning, Leia," he said.
"You're in pain," she observed. He shrugged.
"Don't worry about it," he reassured her. "I'll get it looked at later."
"Is it really true?" she asked. "I didn't want to ask you too much last night, but they're saying you killed the Emperor and… our… Vader." Luke could tell she had misgivings, still, about Vader being her father. He didn't blame her for it- he'd struggled to accept it for a long time himself, after all- but he hoped she'd be able to come to terms with it in the future.
"It's not exactly how it went," he clarified, exhaling. "Actually, Vader killed the Emperor, and then died from his injuries."
"He did that? Why?"
"The Emperor was… well… in the end, Vader couldn't bear to see his son in pain. He saved my life by throwing the Emperor into the core of the Death Star. He was Anakin Skywalker, when he died." The weight of his words seemed heavy, and Luke sank towards the ground, sitting on a log.
"Oh, Luke…" Leia embraced him, her eyes full of sorrow. "Promise me you'll get your injuries looked at?"
"I will," Luke told her. He'd already decided to do that, after all.
"It's not going to be easy, you know. Restoring democracy in the galaxy," Leia said. "We've killed the Emperor, but there are so many Imperials out there, and they're not going to give up power without a fight."
"This has never exactly been easy, has it?" Luke reminded her. "Between you and me, though, I think we'll manage it." He smiled softly.
"You're sure?" Leia asked.
"I'm sure," he replied, and he was. He looked around at the peaceful forest, and realised what it had been trying to tell him. "Today is a good day," he said. "We'll be just fine."