Shifting Sands: The Pain of Living

Chapter 9: A Mother's Pain

She had been deathly silent since entering. But that had still told him more than one would think, even without the force. Her eyes were shining with tears unshed. The pain that was refracting through the shining hazel iris' made it hurt for him to breathe. She was breathing in a very regulated pattern. The amount of concentration that it was taking her to do so was extremely evident in her furrowed brow.

Obviously, her trip to the Lars homestead had created this distress. When he drew breath to ask her what the problem was, she hid her face in her hands. "Mif babbis." Came a garbled statement.

Ben was taken aback. Babies? She had children. This person who had told him that she had fought in a war had children. She didn't even look old enough to have been fighting in the first place. It just didn't seem possible that she could be a mother. She had mentioned children earlier though.

He moved to comfort her. She clung to him fiercely. He found himself in a rather embarrassing situation, being that he still considered himself a Jedi. He could not get her to let go. He eventually relaxed and started to rub her back.

Larn decided to let her guard down. There was just something about this man that she knew she could trust. She let out a wistful sigh. "Ob…Ben, " she tried to hide the slip, "I have two little boys back where I'm from that are about Luke's age. I miss them so." She let him go, knowing full well that he'd caught the slip and was going to ask her about it.

He went back to his chair to sit. "Tell me of this place that you come from Larn."