THE MARRYING AGE
(Leia)
Tenel Ka and I were both delinquent in coming home from Hapes after a cease fire had been declared. It had taken nearly six months for elections to take place, three months after they'd been scheduled. I was commuting back and forth between Coruscant and Hapes. Tenel Ka left after four months; her part of the treaties and compacts were complete. She'd been home on Coruscant and was again at the small but growing Praxium on Coruscant, where our kids spent the first year of their Jedi training, spending the next one on Yavin.
Han and I were overjoyed to finally be together again, and we took an extended vacation to New Chautauqua, where we'd spent our honeymoon. It was our twenty-fifth anniversary and we were determined to do it in style. For two weeks, we made love and slept and swam and ate and stretched out in the sun. It was a joyous and necessary reunification.
I promised Han that this time, I really was retired and looked forward to teaching my classes in the coming semester.
Upon our return, Jacen and Tenel Ka announced that they wished to be married. We welcomed this decision. I'd grown close to Tenel Ka during the months and months of war, cease fire, and negotiation and had come to regard her as my second daughter.
"We don't want anything big or fancy," they'd both insisted.
"I'm all in favor of that," Han said as he drank an Alderaanian ale.
"Where do you want to have it?"
"Here on Coruscant, at the Jedi Temple," Tenel Ka told us.
"Uncle Luke already said he'd officiate," Jacen said. Jedi Masters can legally bind marriages nearly everywhere.
"We don't want to invite anyone except you guys," Tenel Ka explained.
"Hope you're okay with that," Jacen said.
"And when were you planning on having the wedding?" Han asks them.
"Uh, this weekend?"
"Thanks for the heads up," Han says dryly.
"It'll be fine," I tell them. "Since we don't have to invited half the galaxy, it simplifies things."
"I still can't believe you had a thousand guests at your wedding," Tenel Ka marvels.
"We maybe liked twenty of them," Han says. "A thousand guests, five guests, doesn't matter, it's only you two that matter. Only person I had eyes on was your mom."
"And Uncle Luke was on time," I added. Luke's notorious for being late. It's not that he's trying to be late; he's just easily distracted. If someone needs something, he's the first one there. In a way, I like that he's still flawed like all of us. When he first became a Jedi Knight, during the time that Han was in carbon freeze, his earnestness could get very cloying. But he's more relaxed now. Mara did him a world of good, and parenthood was a positive change for him.
"He was only on time because we lied about the starting time," Han reminds me, and we all laugh.
"Have you chosen clothing for the ceremony?" I ask them.
"Just our formal Jedi robes," Jacen says. "But Allana wants a new dress, so we'll have to take care of that."
"And...there's one other thing," Jacen said, hesitating.
"And that is?" I ask, and I have a sense of what's coming.
"Uh, we did it again," Tenel Ka said as she took Jacen's hand. "We're going to be parents again."
This time, we can rejoice. And we do.
"Twin boys," Tenel Ka says happily.
Han grins wickedly. "Boy, are you guys ever in for it."
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(Han)
I've decided I like Jedi weddings. Order some food, put on the best bloodstripes, wait for my brother in law to show his sorry ass up...
"He's late again," I snarl at Leia. They were supposed to be here early this morning, but it's nearing lunchtime and only two hours till the wedding is scheduled to take place.
"And this is my problem because?" I have no control whatsoever over my twin brother's actions.
"I didn't say it was your problem. I'm saying he's late again."
"On the other hand, he's usually there in the nick of time."
"Sometimes I think it's just because he likes making an entrance."
Allana came out of Jacen's old room, dressed in her new finery.
"Do I look pretty?" The four year old twirled about.
"You're the most beautiful little girl in the galaxy," Han assured her, picking her up and spinning her about. It mattered not that Allana had been an 'accident.' Han had been in love with her from the moment he met her.
"You really have a soft spot for little girls," Leia says to me.
"That is not true. I have a soft spot for all of my girls, of all ages."
Leia's comm goes off. No doubt it's Luke, saying he'll be here in twenty minutes. No matter how long it took him to get anywhere, he was always twenty minutes out.
"He'll be here in 20 minutes," Leia informs us.
"Good, plenty of time to do my hair," Jaina announced.
"Your hair looks great," Jag told her. He was in uniform, which was the only formal wear he possessed.
"I wanna try something," Jaina told him.
"She'll be in there forever," I warn Jag.
"I heard that!" Jaina said, moving towards her parents' bedroom.
"Get used to it," I tell Jag, shaking my head. Leia takes forever to do her hair, and in this case, it's like mother, like daughter.
"She usually doesn't take that long," Jag tells me.
"And you know this how?" As soon as I say it, I hope he doesn't say anything. He doesn't, but he blushes.
It's so fun to take the boy down every now and then.
Allana and Jarik are playing chase. Allana's a little mature for him, but they're having fun. I just pray they don't break anything. It wouldn't be the first time.
Leia's comm goes off. A few quick words with whom I presume is Luke and she calls everyone to get to the Jedi temple. It was within walking distance, which was good, because parking in downtown Coruscant is somewhere between expensive and nonexistent. I haven't been there since Luke and Mara got married.
And finally, about twenty minutes after we arrive at the temple, guess who makes an entrance.
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(Leia)
The ceremony is simple and short. Jedi weddings are a new phenomenon, so Luke had to take the Jedi teachings and make it possible to be part of the Force. The Jedi had been a celibate order for over 5000 years, so it took some doing on Luke's part to get the myriad laws surrounding it changed.
Luke speaks first. "Welcome to the wedding of Tenel Ka Djo and Jacen Solo. This is the most sacred of bonds, one that stands for time and eternity. It is bound by the Force, which guards and protects those who live in it. Tenel Ka, have you meditated upon the covenant of the marriage bond and have chosen Jacen in accordance of the Force?"
"I have." Tenel Ka smiles at Jacen.
"Jacen, have you meditated upon the covenant of the marriage bond and have chosen Tenel Ka in accordance of the Force?"
"I have." Jacen is normally shy, but not today. He's beaming at Tenel Ka. Two figures in their bright blue ceremonial robes, taking the first steps on a journey to forever. I stood on that precipice a quarter of a century ago with Leia. We clasp hands, as if renewing our vows along with theirs. I remember being nervous, wondering if I was equal to the task of being a good husband. I'm sure that like me, there will be times when Jacen falters, but I have faith that those times will not prove fatal to love.
"Tenel Ka, please repeat after me," Luke says. "I promise."
"I promise."
"To be true and faithful to you."
"To be true and faithful to you."
"To live in the love that the Force has brought to us."
"To live in the love that the Force has brought to us."
"To stay together in times of plenty and in want and in illness and health."
"To stay together in times of plenty and want and in illness and health."
"To honor that which the Force has given."
"To honor that which the Force has given."
He repeats the vows with Jacen. Leia and I have our arms around each other, and sneak a quick smile to each other.
Luke smiles at them. "I've been granted the power of the state to declare this marriage sanctified and legally binding. Go forth in love, and may the Force be with you."
Everyone's smiling. Leia's eyes are glassy with tears of joy. I'm feeling a little thick in my throat, part of it from watching my son marry and remembering what it was like to be a young groom. Like Leia and I, they've been through so much, and yet, there's so much more in life that lies ahead.
"All right, let's eat!" Jaina shouts out, and the solemnity, which is something a Solo can't keep up for very long, is broken.
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(Leia)
Naturally, we horrify the diners at surrounding tables. We're nothing if not talented at clearing a place out. It's midafternoon, so it's not crowded to begin with, but the few diners there decide to bail out not long after we begin the festivities.
We stick to soft drinks; Jacen doesn't need the temptation. Han and I can celebrate with intoxicants later and get all emotional. The food is plentiful and delicious; it's a celebration of life, what with new grandchildren on the way, two lives bound together on a new part of the voyage. Allana asks us to tell her about our wedding; there's a collective groan from our kids, but we ignore them and happily regale them with our stories about our thousand wedding guests, our first dance, the smugglers and the Rogues and their antics, sharing their stories about us, some of them not safe for work or anyone beneath the age of majority. Allana and Jarik share the same favorite part, which is the running outside and vomiting part. I could have passed on that but Jarik, who learned it from Jaina, who learned it from her Uncle Wedge, was not about to let that happen. Then the tales of Mara's Bridesmaidzillas. Mara has never spoken to them again. She's got a long memory and can hold a grudge. She is not a person to get on the wrong side of.
"Now you know why we wanted a small wedding," Jacen says, grinning and slipping his arm over Tenel Ka.
"And gods know how many weddings of boring bureaucrats and the kids of boring bureaucrats we've had to endure," Han adds.
I give him a sly smile. "We always managed to have our fun."
"Okay, guys, TMI," Jaina halts us from going further.
"Get your mind out of the gutter," Han teases her.
"I can't. I joined the Navy and now I'm scarred for life!" More laughter.
"It certainly ruined me," Jag says, turning to kiss her. For two people who don't like PDA, they're getting better at it.
"Jaina's brain was destroyed long before the Navy," Anakin pipes up between bites of his - what else - pasta based meal.
"You were born a mutant," Jaina retorts.
"No, that's Jarik," Anakin shoots back. Jarik is busily showing Allana how to roll pieces of bread that she can shove up her nose.
These are the children Han and I have raised. I would like to disavow any knowledge of this, but I'm afraid that's impossible.
So I blame it on their father.
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(Han)
We come back to the house for cake. It's a simple cake, and Leia baked it, which shows how far she's come in terms of her culinary skills. I've liked this wedding and the bride and groom look blissful. Jacen and Tenel Ka have been through a lot, and celebrating their love for each other's been great.
The hour is growing late; Allana has fallen asleep on the sofa and Leia and I are thinking of celebrating in a more intimate manner.
Jacen grins at Jag. "Hey Jag, don't you have something you need to do?"
Jag looks a bit shy. "Uh, yeah." He stands up from the portion of the sofa where he's had his arm around Jaina. He seems flustered. "Jaina, I, uh," he starts kneeling on the floor in front of him. "Jaina, I love you. Will you marry me?"
There's a large heart of fire gem set in a silvery precious metal that he's holding out to my daughter.
"Yes. Yes. YES!" Jaina says joyfully. I think everyone in the Core Worlds could hear her, or at least our neighbors. I feel my heart sink a little; this is my little girl. Something about watching your son get married feels different.
But it's been an amazing day, a day of incredible happiness.
Soon after, having consumed our quota of intoxicants, Jaina and Jag head for her room, Jarik to his own and Anakin to Jacen's old digs. The newlyweds head for their apartment nearby, Jacen carrying a sleeping Allana in his arms. I remember doing that a lot. It was something I truly loved, the feel of a sleeping small child against my shoulder. Now I'll have more grandkids to relive it.
Leia and I are in our room, removing our shoes, leaning against the headboard of our bed, the bed we've shared our entire married life. It's where we conceived each of our kids, where we've loved and made up after fighting, where we've laughed and snuggled with our kids when they were small, and always, always, where we made love.
"One down, three to go," I say to Leia.
"One coming up soon enough. I somehow think Jaina and Jag will want more of a party," she says, unbuttoning my shirt.
"I'm fine with that, so long as there's a closet nearby." I wink at her, and she smiles.
"I think we've reached the marrying age," Leia says, her voice husky and soft.
"I don't think we're too old for it."
"Never."