Prologue:
Many years ago, on a planet far, far away, there existed the Kingdom of the Republic, which had both elected officials known as a Senate and a nobility, as well as a king, known as a Chancellor. It was known as the Republic of Coruscant, and it was bravely defended by the knights of the Republic, otherwise known as the Jedi, who had mysterious powers known as the Force. However, the Republic was besieged with internal strife, and there was a major revolt in the kingdom known as the Clone Wars.
A cruel senator by the name of Palpatine became Chancellor, and attempted to convert the Republic into an Empire, with him as the sole Emperor. Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker put an end to his reign of tyranny, betraying and killing the man he had once considered a friend.
However, Anakin, for reasons unknown to all, took the throne for himself, renouncing his vows as a Jedi, marrying a lady of the royal House of Naberrie whom he loved by the name of Padmé Amidala, and becoming the king of all of Coruscant. Anakin Skywalker had been a war hero, and his popularity led to a peaceful upheaval of the Republic, with the monarchy, the king, and the royal houses of nobility abolishing the Senate and usurping power.
The Jedi, sworn to protect peace, freedom, and justice, refused to accept Anakin Skywalker as their monarch. They waged a rebellion against their so called king, joined by a few senators such as Mon Mothma of the province of Chandrila. However, the Jedi rebellion was crushed by the Imperial troops, as the Jedi had already been greatly weakened by years of infighting in the Republic.
Indeed, the Jedi Order was nearly extinct. Very few Jedi escaped Coruscant with their heads intact, and only the few who remained loyal to Skywalker were given a royal pardon. There was an exception to this rule, however, an exception by the name of Obi-wan Kenobi.
There was a time when the names of Kenobi and Skywalker were synonymous with one another. Where there was one, you would always find the other. They were more like brothers than friends, and the entire population of Coruscant was shocked when Kenobi sided with the Jedi over Skywalker. His betrayal cut Anakin deeply, but in truth, no one was truly surprised. Kenobi had always been extremely loyal to his ideals.
Thus, there was no Jedi that Skywalker pursued more than his former best friend and closest confidant, Obi-wan Kenobi. They fought a terrible battle on the province of Mustafar, with horrible casualties on both sides. Kenobi eventually overwhelmed Skywalker in the duel that would follow, but he found himself unable to kill him.
As a result, Skywalker's troops were able to rescue Anakin and capture Kenobi. Despite his friend's betrayal, Anakin decided to spare Lord Kenobi's life, as Obi-wan had spared his. He exiled Obi-wan and his wife, the duchess Satine, to the province of Tatooine, with a manor house and a few men, located on the outskirts of the kingdom of Coruscant, known as the Outer Rim.
There, Kenobi lives in exile with his young daughter and his wife, secretly training his daughter to be a knight of the Jedi Order(he never really believed in all that gender nonsense anyway, his child was going to be a Jedi whether the kid was a girl or boy). Keeping the values of the Order alive in his family, not knowing that his entire world is about to descend into chaos...
END OF PROLOGUE
Rey narrowly blocked the blow before countering with a parry of her own. Sweat glistened on her forehead as she attempted to disarm her opponent, but unfortunately he was far more skilled than she was. He quickly caught her blow from underneath and flipped the blade out of her hand.
"Never let your guard down, Rey. In a real fight, I would've just killed you ten times over."
"Sorry, father," Rey mumbled, but when she looked up, her father was looking at her kindly, no judgement in his gaze. "There's nothing wrong with making mistakes, Rey. All that matters is that we learn from them." He lead Rey out of the small sword fighting arena, retiring their lightsabers for the day.
He put an arm around Rey's shoulders, and together, the two of them walk back to their mansion, where Rey's mother, Satine, was waiting for them. "Obi-wan, really, a proper lady doesn't need to know how to sword fight. A lady should be practicing her knitting and dancing," Satine reprimanded her husband and daughter softly, but in a tone that conveyed that she was merely jesting.
Rey knew her mother, the former duchess of Mandalore, didn't exactly approve of Rey's pursuit of "un-lady-like" activities. The exact opposite of her father, who actually encouraged them. A lady of noble birth like her was supposed to learn knitting and other skills that would make her a good homemaker and wife(the word made Rey cringe). However, Satine would never stand in the way of her only child's happiness, and if wielding weapons was what Rey wanted to learn, then she would let her learn it, however begrudgingly.
However, there was a tightness in her mother's gaze that immediately told Rey that something was wrong. Her father must have seen it too, because he quickly told Rey to upstairs and wash up for dinner, leaving him alone with Satine.
"Satine? What is it?" Obi-wan questioned carefully.
"Obi-wan, an imperial messenger just stopped by with some news. It's the King's Advisor, Lord Tarkin. He just died from a heart attack."
Obi-wan frowned. There was no love lost between Tarkin and the Kenobis; the man was a brutal commander that was responsible for the deaths of several Jedi. So why was Satine so upset?
"There's more," Satine continued, her fingers shaking ever so slightly. "Obi-wan, the King is coming here. To Tatooine."
Obi-wan blinked. "You're joking."
"I'm not. The king is on his way, and he should be here in a fortnight. I've already started to make preparations for his arrival. He'll be bringing almost his entire royal court with him."
"The entire court?" Obi-wan hissed, leaning on the wall to steady himself. "Why would he... I don't understand. Satine, he hates this place. And he hates me. We haven't seen each other in years, and he's never expressed a desire to come here before. Why would he come here after all these years?"
"I don't know. But I will be carrying a blaster in my hand during this whole visit. If he thinks he can drag you back to Coruscant to execute you or something else equally ridiculous, he'll have to deal with me."
Obi-wan chuckled despite the direness of the situation, brushing a few blonde strands from his wife's forehead, which was flushed with anger.
He turned to the window in the palace corridor, staring at the sunset pensievely. "This has something to do with Tarkin's death, there's no way these two events are unrelated. Perhaps he wants me to be..." Obi-wan trailed off. No.
Anakin couldn't possible want Obi-wan to replace Tarkin, could he?
Rey Kenobi was very confused. Ever since her light saber practice with papa, her parents had been speaking in hushed voices, a worried tone slipping through their words.
Their servants had been hanging decorations all day, trying to spruce up their old manor. Father had been with his troops nearly all day. Everywhere Rey went, people spoke and acted as if they were preparing for something horrible to happen. Satine had certainly been on edge, forbidding Rey to go to the town, making her practice her manners and other more ladylike activities, as well as temporarily cancelling her saber lessons.
Finally, Rey's mother quietly informed her that the King would be making a visit, which was why her manners had to be impeccable. Which didn't make any sense, because Rey couldn't remember the King ever visiting them before. In fact, Rey was fairly sure that her father and the King weren't on good terms. So this whole "visit" was rather suspicious, in her eyes.
"Papa, maybe we should run," Rey suggested, much to the amusement of her father when they went out riding one day. Being in the manor was too stifling for both of them, with the air of doom permeating the entire household. "Where would we run, little one? The King would find us wherever we go. Remember what I told you, Rey. Jedi do not run when things get difficult."
"That reminds me, don't mention the Jedi, or your abilities in the Force, to the King or anyone in his court, understand? It has to be our little secret." Rey nodded, internally groaning. No Force powers for who knows how long...
Obi-wan bent down, so he was at eye-level with his young daughter. "Rey, we must be careful. These people are not like the people on Tatooine, understand? At least here, people are honest about their intentions, fair or foul. Coruscant isn't like that. Trust no one."
Rey tilted her head in understanding. She may be young, but she was precocious for her age. She knew that this King was not a man to be trifled with. Obi-wan stared at her, dead serious, before grinning mischievously and tugging on his horse's reins and taking off into the woods, as Rey laughed and ran after him.
She wished it could always be like this, with the wind whipping her hair and the sensation of riding her horse making her feel like she was flying. Riding, fighting, using the Force... it was the only time when Rey ever truly felt free.
She had told her father this many years ago, to which he had merely smiled. "You're too much like me, Rey. Your mother and the few nobles here on Tatooine all grew up in royalty, as members of the court, but I grew up a Jedi. People like you and me... we're different than the others. The blood of warriors runs in our veins, the desire to be free, to help others, to not be constricted by the oppressive society that we are a part of." Rey loved both her parents, but at that moment, she had known that it was her father who really understood her. Understood that she didn't want to be a lady and marry some high lord.
She wanted to be a knight.
Finally, the day arrived when they would greet the king. Obi-wan, Satine, and all of his men and servants of the manor house assembled outside, awaiting the arrival of their king. "Obi-wan, where's Rey?" Satine suddenly whispered, and Obi-wan scanned the clearing for his daughter.
He saw her seconds later, running to both of them. She had dressed in some worn, navy blue dress that Satine had left for her. Obi-wan could see the brown riding boots peeking out from underneath her dress, and immediately knew exactly what she had been doing. Riding her horse, Bee.
"Rey! Is it too much to ask for you to be on time for once!" Satine hissed, fussing with her only child's hair slightly. Obi-wan simply smiled and brushed a little dirt off her shoulder. "There. Perfect. No need to be so hard on her Satine, she can't be a knight without her horse." Satine rolled her eyes as Rey beamed at her father. "You encourage her too much," she muttered before directing Rey to her place in the line. Obi-wan knew his beloved wife wasn't truly upset with her daughter. She just didn't want to make a bad first impression, and honestly, he couldn't blame her.
The clip-clip of horseshoes filled the air, as a dozen or so carriages appeared in view. Guards in silver armor flanked the carriages, their eyes alert for any sign of danger. Trumpets announced the arrival of the royal family. The carriages came to a stop, and several nobles exited them, wearing the finest dresses and jewelry that Rey had ever seen. Diamond necklaces, pearl earrings, velvet dresses and vests made of silk... the court was well-known for its extravagance.
Rey spied one soldier almost fall of his horse and tried to suppress a laugh. However, the soldier apparently heard her, as he turned around, his dark brown eyes boring into her own. His own eyes were filled with mirth, acknowledging his mistake and shrugging it off. Strange. Rey didn't think any royal guards knew how to laugh, much less at themselves.
However, it was the man in the last carriage that truly caught Rey's eye. With light brown hair, icy blue eyes and slightly tanned skin, Rey had no doubt that this man was the king himself. The small, golden circlet on his head removed all doubt. Next to him stood his wife, Padmé Amidala. With dark brown, curly, hair and piercing brown eyes, Rey could see why they called her the most beautiful woman in all of Coruscant.
Slightly behind them stood the Skywalker children, who were older than Rey but not by too much. Prince Luke Skywalker was easily recognizable, with a halo of golden-blonde hair and a charming smile. Next to him, there was the stunning Princess Leia, who wore cinnamon buns on the side of her head(a fashion trend, from what Rey had heard. Personally, she thought it looked stupid, but who was she to judge? She wasn't exactly an expert on that kind of thing). She resembled the Queen greatly. Her expression matched her parents; stoic and unfeeling, giving nothing away.
Out of the corner of her eye, Rey saw her father and mother bow, and hastily followed their example, as did the troops stationed on Tatooine under her father and the rest of the household of Kenobi. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Han Solo, a friend of her father's, discreetly mock the expressions on the royals' faces, and she had to suppress a giggle.
Han was something of a troublesome mentor/older brother figure to Rey. Unlike half the people here, Han actually had a sense of humor and he always made her laugh, along with his longtime best friend Chewbacca.
Han had been serving her father ever since Obi-wan had helped out the young, former smuggler years ago. In exchange for paying of Han's debts to Jabba, some utterly repugnant, minor lord in their kingdom, Han had helped Obi-wan catch several major criminals on Tatooine, using his status as a smuggler to go undercover. Together, they had worked to lessen the crime rate on Tatooine and improve the lives of the people. It was another thing that Rey admired about both her parents. While other lords and vassals of greater provinces like Eriadu spent their lives in their grand castles, worrying more about what to wear to court rather than the fact that a majority of their people were starving, Satine and Obi-wan cared more about their people than anything else. From a young age, they had taught Rey to be altruistic above all else, living frugal lifestyles compared to other nobles in order to give more money and resources to their people. It was through their efforts that the poverty rate had declined drastically in their province, which was why the people of Tatooine loved Lord Kenobi. That, and the fact that he didn't hold the same human centrist views that most other nobles held.
"The Jedi believe in treating all life-forms equally Rey, whether they are human, rhodian, Tusken or twi-lek," Obi-wan would always tell her. Satine reinforced the idea, mentioning how the system was unfair and discrimination against non-humans was rampant in their medieval society.
Anyways, the Kenobis kept their head bowed as the royal family approached them, with the king stopping directly in front of them. Rey wished she could squeeze her father's hand in comfort or do something to ease the tension. But her father was clever and skilled in the art of diplomacy, despite being brought up as a soldier; he could handle himself.
"Your highness," Satine murmured softly, and Obi-wan repeated the words. Anakin gazed at the three of them with an unreadable expression on his face before lightly touching his old friend's shoulders, giving him silent permission to stand up. "You've gotten old."
Rey watched the corners of her father's mouth lift up into a smile. "So have you." The king let out a booming laugh before going over to Satine and kissing her hand. He made his way over to Rey, who looked him in the eye. If father was not afraid of this man, she will not be either.
"This must be your daughter. I never met her, did I?" Anakin said before bending down slightly, his eyes lingering over her riding boots and messy hair. "My name is Rey," she introduced, holding out her hand. She heard slight gasps of shock, and too late realized that she wasn't supposed to greet the king so informally.
To her surprise, he merely laughed and shook her hand in return, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "And I am Anakin Skywalker. It's nice to meet you."
Next to her, Obi-wan breathed a small sigh of relief. After their last disastrous parting, he wasn't sure how Anakin would take a breach of protocol like that, but he seemed more lighthearted than when Obi-wan had last seen him. Honestly, he wasn't sure how to act around his former friend, now the most powerful man in the galaxy. Anakin seemed willing to let bygones be bygones, but Obi-wan knew that things weren't going to be that simple. He could still see the specks of yellow in his eyes as a testament that this was not the Anakin Skywalker he had known and grown up with as a child.
"Shall we stand in this unbearable heat all day, Lord Kenobi?" the Queen asked teasingly, and Obi-wan shot her a small smile. "No, of course not. A feast has been prepared in your honor. Come," he beckoned, and led the way inside the manor house.
Satine struck up a conversation with Padmé, asking if they had a safe journey. Even Rey had hesitantly started to converse with the prince, in an effort to be as hospitable as possible. "I came here to visit my mother's grave. I never came after she died," Anakin informed him. Obi-wan nodded in acquiescence and internally breathed a sigh of relief. So this was why Anakin had come to visit. That meant that Anakin and his family would be leaving in a short time, and they probably wouldn't be staying more than two or three days. Good. Then they could all put this awkward incident behind them and never have to see each other again. "I also have another proposition, one I'd like to discuss with you in private," Anakin continued in a business-like tone.
"Of course, your grace." The words tasted bitter on Obi-wan's mouth, reminding him of exactly how much had changed since he had last seen Anakin, and all that he had lost. He made the statement with a touch of sarcasm, too subtle for anyone who didn't know Obi-wan all that well to pick up on it.
However, Anakin was not anyone, and Obi-wan knew from his former friend's knowing look that he had caught on to the small act of rebellion, the minuscule sign of disrespect. Honestly, Obi-wan couldn't bring himself to care all that much. Anakin certainly didn't, or else he would have Obi-wan hung on the spot.
He opened the door and allowed everyone inside, greeting all of the nobles.
Just a few more days, and it would all be over.
AN: So this is a royal AU. The ages are obviously all different in this story. Obi-wan and Anakin are around the same age in this one, and so are Han, Luke, and Leia, with Rey being slightly younger. Also, you guys must have a ton of questions about this AU. Feel free to ask any questions in a review, I'll try to answer them! In addition, places like Tatooine and Chandrila which are planets in canon are going to be provinces on the planet of Coruscant in this AU. Coruscant is the name of the planet and the capital city in the kingdom. Next, I'll go a bit more into the history behind Kenobi and Skywalker.