Hey guys! How long has it been?... 'last updated 13th of July'?! Wow! It has been a long time, hasn't it?! XD Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter then! May the force be with you, always!

Q/A's and Reactions:

Ichichi05- I'm glad you like it! ;D

Guest- Her name is just Ash. There's a reason behind that, but it'll get explained later. ;D Enjoy the chapter!

Rebeakahniang- I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Sorry that it took me so long to update though. XD

Kanan's POV

The moon was high above, shining its rays on the streets below. Lights had been strung between buildings, adding to the sky's faint glow. Stars pepper the sky and the streets remained quiet. Many people had left after the celebration to sleep, but Ash, Aiden, Hera and I were still out and about, casually strolling through the streets. "Of course, things have been difficult for a while now, but we get through it," Aiden explained, his face darkening.

Ash walked beside him, their arms linked. "Hopefully things will get back on track soon," she smiled.

He nodded, eyes vacant.

"How have you managed to keep such a large organisation hidden?" Hera inquired.

Snapping out of a small trance, he grinned and said "Well, back when Ash was first taken captive, we went into hiding. The Empire believed we had broken up after capturing our leader, but they were wrong. We gained more and more allies secretly and created what we are today."

Hera's eyes sparkled at the thought, but was unable to contain a yawn. "I could take you back to the room Hera," Ash suggested.

"Maybe that's for the best," she replied, a hint of exhaustion in her voice.

"Don't worry," Aiden smirked. "By your third festival it will be much easier to stay awake."

The girls laughed and turned to walk towards the castle. Before we could follow, Ash stopped us and said "I was hoping you guys could get to know each other. You might be surprised by how alike you are."

I exchanged a glance with Aiden, the nervousness surfacing in his eyes. I couldn't blame him. We hardly knew anything about each other, besides the fact we were extremely important to Ash. "Come on guys, just give it a shot," she smiled confidently.

Aiden gave a sharp nod and replied "If it pleases you."

"Don't worry, he won't bite," she smirked. "Unless you talk about speeder bikes."

"Ash!" I groaned, massaging circles into my temples.

She laughed and punch my shoulder. "I'm just joking. Anyways, see you two soon!"

With that, the girls walked down the road, leaving Aiden and I to stand there awkwardly. Silence descended upon us until they were out of view and Aiden shuffled on his feet nervously, as if expecting them to come back. When he realised they wouldn't be returning any time soon, he sighed and shot me a warm smile. Neither of us knew who should start the conversation first, until I asked "So, how did you meet Ash?"

"Well, it's a funny story actually," he started, strolling down another street as I followed him. "As you may know, Edross still ran off the slave system by the time the Empire came along. Ash, who had been stealing from a market stall ran into me… literally." He chuckled, before continuing. "She ran off, but I was able to follow her. And though she was half starved herself, she gave the last of her rations to an orphan in the streets. It was the kindest thing I'd ever seen anyone do."

"That's when I decided to see if she'd join me. She could be very handy to my team of freedom fighters that I was forming at the time. But, she declined. Saying she was on a mission to find someone very important to her," he explained.

She declined the opportunity to find me? "She told me she joined you though," I stated, a bit confused.

"Oh she did… eventually," he smirked. "One day, she got a bit too close to the authorities, which ended in her capture. They made her a slave to the king. Became a slave one day, and dethroned the system the next," he chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

"She destroyed the entire system?!" I gawked in awe.

He grinned with pride. "Yep. It was a full on slave revolt, with my aid of course. How she managed to muster every slave and servant in the castle in one night is still beyond me though," he smirked, eyes glazed over as if watching a memory. He became silent as we walked down the streets. Nothing was heard but our footsteps and a nearby water fountain. The streets were lined with lanterns, a healthy glow emanating from the city. "You must be very proud of your people," I said after a while, finally breaking the silence.

He nodded. "Extremely. Though we couldn't have done it without great generals like Charlotte and my brother Daniel keeping an eye on them. But in the end, it was probably Ash who brought us all together. It must be great to have a sister like her."

"Yeah," I smiled. "It is."

That all too familiar silence descended upon us as we continued walking. One of the soldiers jetted over us as I asked curiously "Where did you get the inspirations for your armour?"

Aiden smiled and replied "My younger brother, Blade. He used to have a pet bird called Cronix. While Blade was a calm, serene peacekeeper, Cronix was an energetic warrior. I guess the two balanced each other out." He chuckled, but his smile quickly faded.

"Is he… still alive?" I probed.

He looked up at me and gave a weak smile. "No, he died when the Empire took over," he explained.

Something sparked in my memory as I asked "Wait, was he the Jedi?"

Aiden nodded, brown eyes vacant. "Yeah. I assume Ash told you?"

"Only a little," I said respectfully.

He nodded in gratitude as we continued walking. As we strolled down the street leading to the palace, I realised beautifully carved scenes on the sides of houses. One had what looked like Ash and Aiden fighting back to back while surrounded by storm troopers while another showed the bird like warriors fighting in groups of three against a hoard of Imperials. "Our people are warriors, Kanan," Aiden said, a hint of pain in his voice. I turned to him and waited for him to continue.

"We were once proud. We weren't afraid to take the Empire head on and we made sure everyone knew about it. But when they captured Ash…" his voice hitched at the end. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A cool breeze drifted by when Aiden continued, very quietly "We all know the risks of being rebels. Death, loss, separation. We'd lost many lives before in this battle for freedom, but everyone just… shattered, when Ash was captured."

I nodded in understanding. "I can imagine."

He looked up, haunted eyes watching me closely. "That's why I want to thank you, for bringing her back," he said, voice a bit more cheerer. "We are forever in your debt, and if you ever need any help, you know who to contact." He pounded his chest once with his fist and did a small bow.

"And thank you," I replied. "Ash told us all your stories. You don't know how glad I was when I heard you'd helped her. And for that, I am forever in your debt."

He smirked. "Let's just say for now that we're eternally even," he chuckled, extending his arm in a handshake. I looked at his hand and smiled, willingly shaking it. "Deal."