A/N: i don't know how many times i've rewritten leia's speech this week-


Upon arriving at the conference room at the Senate complex, Mon Mothma offered Princess Leia Organa a glare enough to make Leia's cheeks go three shades redder, silently scolding her for making them wait an entire day for her to show up; however, it soon disappeared into a soothing expression — and Leia was certain it had everything to do with a death glare that Padmé herself had thrown at Mon Mothma without Leia's awareness.

She was thankful for it, pleased with her decision of having brought Padmé along.

"Leia, we're happy you could join us," Mon welcomed her with a warm smile. "I trust you to be alright?"

"I am now," Leia certified. "I apologize for the delay."

"You're here now, so we can get going," Mon instructed, handing her a datapad. "This is the speech I've written for. I hope it's alright."

Leia quickly skimmed through it, then saying, "I appreciate you taking the time to write it."

"Of course," Mon Mothma replied. "All right then, I'll have them set the podium for you while you go through your speech, so I'll call you once everything is set in motion."

"Thank you," Leia said simply, turning around to head towards the lounge where she would patiently away and hopefully calm her nerves — she was certain Padmé would distract her on that matter. However, she wasn't expecting someone to loudly gasp the moment she turned on her back.

Her first instinct was to think somebody has been seriously injured, but when she saw Marlow's face written with horror and Mon Mothma reprimanding her with her eyes and a pinch to her arm — she understood. They were gasping at her, or, more precisely, the scars on her neck.

Although Leia didn't blush and she didn't balk, she suddenly became very self-conscious and started second-guessing her every decision of the day.

Almost like she could read her mind, Padmé threw her arm around Leia's shoulders — purposefully hiding her scars from prying eyes — and guided her towards the lounge so they could have some privacy.

"Marlow is just a child," she said once they were seated, far away from Mon's gentle scold to her assistant. "She might be aware of the horrors of war, but she isn't used to seeing it with her own eyes."

"Yeah," Leia uncomfortably said. "So was I."

Padmé's heart throbbed at Leia's connotation.

"We don't have to do this today," Padmé argued, "If you're comfortable, we can just call it a day."

Leia huffed ironically. "I'm sure Mon would kill both of us if we did that."

"I can handle her," Padmé assured her.

"No, it's okay," Leia said, picking her datapad again. "I'm here. That's more than I ever thought I would accomplish today. I can't turn around now."

Padmé shook her head. "If you don't feel well enough to do this today—"

"Padmé, I won't ever feel comfortable to step out into the public and talk about what happened to Alderaan," Leia interrupted, giving her a stern look. "The longer it takes for me to say something, the more immunity I give to the Empire. You're a politician, you know that."

Padmé did, but—

"I'm a mother first," she disputed, faking offense when Leia scoffed at her. "I've lived a long life, Leia. I've come to understand that, sometimes, our personal lives matter more than appeasing the greater public."

"Well, in that case — I'm glad I'm still a naïve young politician."

Padmé rolled her eyes.

Leia started going through the speech that had been written for her, occasionally grimacing and tilting her head as she read through passages. Her lips started moving as she talked to herself, although not a single sound escaped them.

Padmé watched her intently.

"You know what's the greatest thing about genetics?" she prompted, making Leia frown at the interruption. "We see the same eyes on different faces. Right now, you've got the same expression I did whenever I was about to do something impetuous and surprise everyone in the spur of the moment."

"Don't be stupid, Padmé," Leia seriously lectured her. "People like us — we never do anything impetuously."

Snorting, Padmé agreed.

"They're the ones to blame for not having seen it coming, obviously."

"Obviously," Leia reiterated, taking her eyes briefly from the datapad only to attempt to wink at Padmé.

Her deed failed so miserably that Padmé was horrified.

"So," Padmé changed the subject, "How did it go with Luke?"

Although Leia was still reading through the speech, her body language showed she was far more interested with anything else. "Pretty well, actually," she answered honestly. "We talked, and… Well, we talked, and we were honest with each other, and… Yeah, it was good."

She smiled. "I'm happy to hear that, Leia. I might not be Force sensitive, but — I can always tell when you two are on bad terms."

"Yeah? How so?"

"Well, Luke becomes very moody," she joked, although it was definitely true. "And you become moodier than usual."

Leia snorted loudly at that.

"No, yeah, Luke and I are genuinely on good terms. For the first time in forever, I would say," she said, talking more to herself than to Padmé. "We talked a lot, and there are no tensions left between us. At least — I don't think there are. Yeah, we're in a good place."

"I'm happy for you."

Leia smiled with the corner of her lips.

"I followed your advice," Leia announced and Padmé listened with interest. Leia had finally accepted her, sure, but she was now also following her advice? Padmé was surprised. "I — I told him about Tatooine. You know?"

Padmé offered her a firm nod.

"You told me the importance of building a strong support system around me. Well, I did. I told Luke, and I also told Han a while ago, so—yeah, all my close family knows, and I'm slightly embarrassed with myself for ever thinking that there would be anything but acceptance or compassion after I told them."

"Don't be," Padmé gently reprehended her. "Those might be irrational concerns, but they're still valid. Your feelings regarding your traumas should always matter first."

"Yeah," she hesitantly agreed. "Regarding that — I also told Luke about how I felt from the way he treated me back on Tatooine."

Padmé rested her chin on her hand. "That mustn't have been easy."

"One of the most difficult conversations I've ever had," Leia confessed.

"How did it go?"

"Well — it made me realize that that whole situation was fucked up in more ways than I first thought," she said, shivering. "We were all just trying our best, even if our best didn't necessarily mean the best for everybody else."

Padmé nodded. "You were the only one in chains, though."

"Yeah," she sighed. "But listening to Luke's perspective… He would never wish me harm, or do me harm, willingly or unwillingly, for what matters. We were all just in an impossible situation and we couldn't win, not until we all got out of there safe and sound. Or, as safe and sound as we could be."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Well, I don't think I will ever be okay with what happened," she said apprehensively. "But I am okay with Luke. I think that counts for something."

"It does," Padmé concurred. "Hey, Leia?"

"Hm?"

"I'm proud of you."

At last, Leia lowered her datapad. Looking at Padmé, she did her best to smile at her.

"Can I be honest with you?"

Frowning a little, Padmé agreed.

"I'm actually terrified of going out there," Leia confessed in a low whisper.

Upon hearing her heartfelt disclosure, Padmé drew a little closer to her.

"You're not on the Death Star anymore," she said, placing her hand on Leia's thigh. "The Empire can't harm you anymore."

"I'm not afraid of that," she said — she didn't think she was, anyway. "It's just… I haven't been a good monarch."

Padmé made a face, "That is far from the truth—"

"It isn't," Leia broke off. "I might have been a symbol of hope, I might have inspired optimism to those watching me, I might have encouraged the Alderaanians to carry on with my work for the rebellion and the galaxy at large, but… I wasn't a good monarch."

The mother displayed her lips flatly; she would need Leia to elaborate before she could comment on it.

"You know what was the last time I addressed my people?" Leia asked, although rhetorical. "Four years ago."

Padmé's eyes widened a little in surprise. She wouldn't judge but — that was a long time.

However — Leia seemed to judge herself for it.

"It was immediately after the battle of Yavin, immediately after Alderaan," she reminisced with a lump on her throat. "Going out there and offering my people words of perseverance and hope felt so wrong, but I knew I had to do it. It was my duty, I was — am — their leader, and I had to do something. Going out there, not even a day after seeing my homeworld become space dust and forcing myself not to lose my composure — was the hardest responsibility I've ever undertaken."

Padmé gently squeezed her thigh.

"I guess that's why I couldn't go out there again," Leia continued. "I didn't trust myself enough to talk to my people without breaking down."

Then, she laughed at herself.

"Excuses."

"Reasons," Padmé corrected her. "Your people still love you."

"Well, an Alderaanian loving their royals isn't asking for too much," Leia tried to joke. "I understand now what today stands for. I've repaired myself to you, I've repaired myself to Luke, now — I'll get to make amends with my people."

"Leia, you never wronged your people."

Leia opened her mouth to remind her — Alderaan, Padmé! I wronged my people when I got our home destroyed — and then, she stopped herself. For the first time in her life, she didn't allow the words to make it past her lips.

Although Padmé wouldn't comment on it, she discreetly smiled at Leia; a smile full of pride.

"I know it mustn't have been easy for them to hear the things that the Empire said," Leia said instead. "We are just doing our best to thrive, despite watching everybody else going home now that the civil war is over when we will never get to go home again. I know that they wanted to demoralize me only, but this — it affects every Alderaanian that still lives. I wish they could have attacked me without hurting — them."

"You're still their Princess, their leader. Any attack on you will always be an attack on them."

Leia sighed. "The crux of being a sovereign."

"What I meant was, your people love you," Padmé said, "Just like you don't wish harm to come on their way, neither do they want to see you hurt. The crown and the people — it's a symbiotic relationship. One can't survive without the other. You rely on your people's love and faith as much as your people rely on your strength and wisdom. When you go out there tonight, remember that. Remember that you need them as much as they need you. There's a lot of things we need to get across life, but the thing we need the most to survive is a hand to hold. Hold hands with your people, Leia, that's what you're meant to do. Keep doing that and don't let go. It doesn't make it any less painful, but it becomes more bearable."

Biting on her lip, Leia blinked fast.

"I'll remember that," she said. "I promise."

"Then you don't need to be terrified anymore," Padmé smiled. "If you still are? Well, then I'll hold your hand."

Leia gently chuckled at it and placed her hand over Padmé's.

At last, Mon Mothma came to them, not knowing whether they were having a moment and not bothering to find out.

"They're ready for you, Leia."

Taking a deep breath, Leia nodded. She stood up and her hand lingered against Padmé's for a little longer.

"Let's do this."


Leia Organa stood tall behind the podium, a datapad lying in front of her and a microphone at her height. In front of her, several journalists and reporters of all different species and origins patiently waited for her to begin; she recognized some of the faces, but she didn't worry about the ones that she didn't — she trusted Mon Mothma enough not to let any Empire sympathizers in. Besides, Leia wasn't focusing on them; they were there to acknowledge her, not the other way around. The only people whose presence she cared for stood just behind her — Mon Mothma, another symbol of leadership in the New Republic, but, more importantly, her mother.

Her mother, with whom she had chatted quickly while already on stage. Her mother, who had placed her hand on her upper arm when faint whispers started to take over the room when they noticed the scars that Leia was showing the world. Her mother, that had given her the most encouraging smile as Leia walked towards the podium.

Now, there was only silence. Silence as they waited for Princess Leia to begin her speech.

And when she did, she kept her chin high.

"Today, I stand before you not only as a Princess from a lost world but as your equal," Leia's voice rang out, clear and strong, revealing none of the insecurities that had tormented her ever since the Imperial broadcast. "When we look back upon the war against the Empire — upon the billions of lives we lost — sometimes it feels as if nothing could ever have been worth the terrible price we paid. But when we think of those people who perished in the conflict, when we think of our loved ones that no longer stand with us, it falls onto us to preserve their memory and remember that they died for justice. For liberty. For peace. We might have lost them, but we never lost the ideals that they died for."

Mon Mothma jolted back in surprise, although she tried her best to disguise it. While keeping an easy expression and her head staring ahead, she commented to Padmé with barely a movement of the lips, "She's going off script."

In response, Padmé firmly nodded. Her eyes were focused on Leia's back, on Leia's scars, and with a sense of pride washing over her, she said with conviction, "She's got this."

"Today, I stand before you not as a Princess, but as your equal. Your fellow survivor," Leia continued, and she exchanged looks with every reporter in the room as she claimed their attention with her heavy silence. "I fought alongside you to dismantle the oppressive system that tried to silence us for so long and failed. The more they tried to tighten their grip, the harder we fought to break free. Our fight didn't come without casualties, but every fallen soul had compromised their own safety the moment they stepped into battle in the name of the greater good. It doesn't make their losses any less painful, but it gives us something to be proud of. They died fighting for what they believed in, and, thanks to their sacrifice, we've stepped out of the darkness back into the light. As survivors, we owe it to them to keep living, to make it worth what they died trying to achieve.

"Alderaan was no mistake," she repeated the same words that the Empire had used to undermine her, and everybody in the room seemed to draw in a breath upon hearing it. "Alderaan was no mistake, except the Empire's. They thought that, by destroying a planet that stood for peace and beauty, they would scare the other star systems into submission, and that was their first mistake. Their inhumane deeds only fortified our resistance and brought the bravest hearts to our cause. Every innocent soul that died on Alderaan died a hero, and every brave soul that emerged because of Alderaan became a hero.

"As the New Republic consolidates, we are in the eternal debt of these heroes. Because of them, the galaxy is restoring its path in the light again. Heroes like Bail Organa, my adoptive father and Viceroy of Alderaan, who started the Rebel Alliance alongside Mon Mothma — andPadmé Amidala — and bravely stood against the atrocities that happened inside the Imperial Senate and elsewhere. Had he not been so cruelly taken from us in the destruction of my homeworld, he would have seen the fight to its end, and he would proudly stand with us today. Heroes like General Kenobi, one of the few Jedi that survived Palpatine's purge, who bravely gave his life so we could escape the Death Star with the battle station plans that allowed us to find a weakness in the Empire's most barbaric weapon and destroy it. Heroes like Luke Skywalker — my biological twin brother, from whom I was separated at birth for our protection as the last Force Sensitive children in a new world order where the Jedi were no more — the Jedi who blew up the first Death Star and valiantly defeated Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine before they could bring further damage to the galaxy. Heroes like every Alderaanian who was silenced in the face of oppression and destruction. Heroes like every Alderaanian who was off-world at the moment of the disaster and that never gave up, no matter how much it hurt.

"I cannot name every hero of our cause. If I could, I would, for all of them deserve to be remembered for their selfless deeds. They are in the galaxy's debt, yes, but they're also in mine. It has been an honor to serve alongside you."

Leia symbolically lowered her head in a sign of gratitude and reverence. Behind her, following her lead, Mon Mothma and Padmé did the same.

Her speech, however, was far from over.

"The Empire's first mistake was destroying Alderaan. The Empire's secondmistake was accusing me of being complicit in it.

"As the heir of the Alderaanian throne, I had always known of the great privilege of being adopted into my family, but that honor didn't come without its duties. I'd always known what it would mean for me when the time came to replace Queen Breha's place on the throne, and I was always determined to work hard so I'd be worthy of the trust and honor my parents had placed on me. I'd always known that that power didn't come without a cost, but I was always ready to make the sacrifice to rightfully lead and serve my people.

"But I was never prepared for the cost to be bigger than Alderaan."

She discreetly cleared her throat, hoping that would make it easier.

"The Empire accused me of standing next to Darth Vader at the time of the blast that took the life of my home planet — they did not lie about that. I had been brought aboard the Death Star, but not from my own volition. There, they interrogated me, trying to gather information about the Rebel Alliance, and they were ready to use the cruelest methods to find the intelligence they sought for. Their means led them to bring me to the spaceview where I saw my homeworld for the last time, before being forced to watch as they stole Alderaan and everything I had ever known away from me.

"I always assumed I was ready to endure the price that came with the crown. However, I was not ready for that."

She was revealing more of herself to the public than she ever thought she would. She didn't know if she was right to, but, at that moment, she judged that her people had the right to know. She owed them that much, and if the rest of the people of the galaxy also learned of her pains — her enemies included — then so be it.

"What we lost that day is nearly impossible to quantify. When Alderaan once stood in harmony, we now stood alone, and standing alone is terrifying. When we are children, the grownups teach us about the sadness of death, and that, one day, we will lose the people that we love and we care for, and our childish minds see it as the worst thing that could ever happen to us. But what they do not teach us — the day you lose someone isn't the worst. It's all the days they stay dead.

"All the days that Alderaan stays dead."

She took a small pause to blink.

"Alderaan died before I could live the dreams that my parents had dreamed for me. Alderaan died before I could turn the dreams that I had set aside for my people during my childhood and my youth into reality. However, I couldn't let the devastation of loss stop me.

"As hard as it is, we owe it to the dead to survive."

She quickly scanned the room for their facial reactions.

"The memories of the explosion have always haunted me, and there isn't one single day that goes by that I don't feel the urge to fall to my knees from the anguish that that event has brought me. Instead, I choose to stand tall and make my ground, in the name of everyone that was forced to rest too soon — just like my parents taught me. They would want me to carry on the fight, not to avenge them, but to make their compromise worth it.

"As a child of the Force, I've been blessed with the gift of being part of something larger than myself. The Force fastens me to the grandiosity of life, just as it ties me to the grandeur of death. Although the Force has always been my ally, even before I knew it was there for me, it didn't always bring me good. When they fired against Alderaan, they didn't know whose children were going to scream and burn, they didn't know how many hearts would be broken, they didn't know how many lives would be shattered. But Alderaan was my home, it was my life; I was deeply connected to it, and I felt everything. When I close my eyes at night, I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count. I feel the anguish of every frightened child and I feel every heartbreak of my people and of my family, as if it wasn't enough to feel my own.

"Feeling everything — hurts. However, the pain makes me stronger. Every day during the war, every day after the war as I help build the New Republic, I hold tight to my pain until it burns my hand and I say to myself — nobody else will have to live like this. Nobody else will have to feel this pain. Not on my watch."

Leia paused briefly to gather herself; she would never forget the day they took her home away, for the weight of the world was put on her shoulders that day. Today, however, she chose to embrace the familiar aching of her heart to fuel her strength.

"To the Alderaanians, my people, who have survived to this day. You're not alone, you will never be, so long as you have me."

Padmé's words echoed on her mind, about how they were all stories in the end. So that was what she'd do; she would tell them a story.

"Losing Alderaan — it was like we lost a heart, and there was no place for the blood to go," she started, her voice loud and grave and yet showing her every emotion. "After Alderaan died, I thought I would die too. Trying to understand what had happened, how it had happened, and why it had happened was almost impossible; our loss was so big and I was so small in comparison that my grief crushed me, to the point I could no longer feel anything. I thought I would die, but there were many days where I would think, what if I was already dead? I couldn't feel anything, I was detached from the living world. It made perfect sense — what if I was already dead? Except nobody else knew, and I was walking around dead, but they could still see and hear me. Like Alderaan had died and it had forgotten to take me alongside, so I had simply died where I stood. Looking back, four years after the catastrophe, I can say that it only felt like dying because I was still alive. You have to be to feel that way. I wasn't dead, I was just sad and grieving. I still am.

"It took me a long time to understand, and I'm still struggling to understand — dead doesn't mean gone.

"I won't say that's enough to heal my grief, or the grief of my people. I don't think it will ever be. The sad reality is that pain and loss define us as much as happiness or love. All things fade — flesh, stone, even the stars themselves. It is the way of things, and we have no choice but to accept the mortality of life. Everything yields to time, and that's very scary to the few of us left behind. The universe has to move forward, and it takes courage to move forward when your heart seems to be stuck in the past. However, courage isn't a matter of being fearless, it's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway. So, to every Alderaanian out there — hold tight to your memories, your memories are who you are, who we are, and walk forwards with me.

"The Empire tried to demoralize me for my liability on what happened to Alderaan. Maybe some will listen to them, maybe some will believe them. They tried to diminish my fight, they thought I would run away, and they were wrong. They have tried to silence me ever since the Death Star, but they should know by now that my fire won't be extinguished until the day I die. Perhaps, not even then. I have chosen to do the right thing the moment the choices were laid in front of me, and I'll hold tight to my ideals. I don't do it because it's fun, or because it's easy, or because it works — because it doesn't always work. I do it because it's right, I do it because it's decent. I do it because it's kind. If I run away, good people might die, but if I stay and stand my ground, some of them might live. Maybe not many of them, maybe not for long, but it's the best I can do, so I will do it. And I will stand here doing it until it kills me. Who I am is where I am, and if where I stand is where I eventually fall, then I'll fall proudly knowing that I made my stance.

"That's the lesson that Alderaan taught me. Both in its life and in its death."

She felt her eyes stinging and saw her vision become blurry. She did her best to look through her tears, but not past them.

"My parents used to tell me a story, back on Alderaan, about how I would often sneak out into the gardens of the Palace of Aldera at night when I was just a child," she reminisced, a gentle smile appearing in the corner of her lips. "I was obsessed with lightning bugs, and I loved to watch as they flickered on and off. My parents would tell me that I'd cup one in my hands and I'd curiously watch as it lit up. Then, I'd whisper in a small voice, go find your way home, and I'd open up my hand and let it fly away. Just like I had found my way home that one day my father came home with an orphaned baby girl."

She forced herself to breathe.

"To my people, to every Alderaanian that still lives — I am so sorry that we can't find our way home anymore."

Her voice threatened to break, so she took her time to recompose herself.

"But, if you'll allow me, I'll build us a new home. It will never be the same as Alderaan; unfortunately, Alderaan is gone forever. But, if we hold tight to our culture and our traditions, if we hold tight to each other, we'll find a home again. And if it still hurts too much and you can't feel anything, it's okay. I'll feel everything for all of us."

She sniffed and prayed it hadn't been loud enough to be detected by the microphone. Or, maybe, she hoped it was. Let her people know she hurt just as much as they did.

"Alderaan has always been a symbol of light and perseverance. The Empire thrived on darkness, they feared beautiful things and that's why they couldn't allow Alderaan to live. But if we work together, I believe we can take the sourest aching that life offered us and turn it into something resembling beauty again."

She held her head high and looked straight into the camera, hoping that, somewhere out there, an Alderaanian was looking back at her with equally sad but hopeful eyes.

"We are bound by our past, but we are more than our scars. Alderaan is no longer with us, but I've still found a place to make my stand. My people have always been my strength, and you've given me the courage to carry on and make the galaxy a better place for you. Because of that, I hope, with all my heart, that you will choose to stand with me.

"Thank you."

She counted to three before she dared to move and turned to leave, despite the countless voices yelling — Princess Leia! Princess Leia! She turned on her back, well aware that the entire galaxy now bore witness to her scars, and she walked tall out of the stage.


Leia stumbled backstage out of breath, Mon Mothma's loud words as she wrapped up the press conference becoming nothing more than background interference. She leaned her hand against the nearest wall and forced herself to breathe.

When she had first walked out there, she had known how difficult it would be for her to follow through with it. Turned out it had been harder than anything she had expected.

And she had done it. Somehow, she had stood tall and made her voice heard. She hadn't allowed the remnants of the Empire, or the pain of her past, to silence her, and that was more than she had ever hoped to accomplish.

Her brain was just catching up to the things she had revealed — Luke Skywalker was her brother? She was Force sensitive? She had been tortured then forced to watch the destruction when aboard the Death Star? — for the sake of the Force, she couldn't believe she had uttered those words aloud and invited the entire galaxy, friend or enemy, into her life.

Regardless — it was done. She was almost happy that she didn't need to conceal those things anymore.

"Leia," a voice called from behind her, but instead of turning around, she waited for Padmé to come to her. "That was — That was beautiful."

Inelegantly exhaling, Leia nodded.

"You should have seen the look on Mon's face when she saw you weren't reading the speech they had written for you," she mused, expecting to get a least a slight turn of the lips from Leia. "But what you said instead — you spoke from your heart, and it brought tears to my eyes. It was beautiful."

Leia appreciated how touched Padmé seemed to be; however, she was not the focal group that Leia was worried about.

"Do you think they will listen?"

"I do," Padmé said. "Your Alderaanians — they've always looked you up for guidance. Today, you were there for them. You made yourself equal to them. They always respected you, but their deference to you will only strengthen once they listen to your speech."

Leia nervously nodded. "I wanted to make it right by then."

"And you did."

"I needed to atone for my absence in the past years," she continued, "They're my people. I have a duty to them."

"It was a beautiful speech," Padmé repeated, "They'll understand why you haven't been present. They'll understand because they relate to everything you went through."

She nodded yet again. "Do you think they'll forgive me?"

Padmé's first instinct was to remind her that they had no reason to blame her; she didn't. Leia had implied loud and clear in her speech that the reason that Alderaan from all planets was chosen for destruction was that she had been the Alderaanian they were interrogating, and as subtle as her implication had been, it was still there. Padmé couldn't blame her; if Leia thought that getting it out in the open so that her people would know the exact nature of what had happened and still chose to absolve her would relieve some of the burdens she felt inside, then Padmé was happy for her.

Hence why she said instead, "I think they will."

Leia tried to smile, even though it was a hesitant smile.

Intertwining their arms, Padmé started to walk towards the exit. After that longest day, she didn't doubt that Leia wanted nothing more than to return to the place that most resembled a home for her.

"It was very brave of you to reveal what they did to you in the Death Star," Padmé mentioned. Although she was aware of Leia publicly displaying her scars, she never thought the princess would go as far as announcing it for the whole galaxy to hear.

Leia's response to that was complete silence, so Padmé let it go.

"I confess I wasn't expecting you to disclose your kinship to Luke, or that you're Force sensitive," she prompted. "I was very surprised to hear it."

"Luke's my brother. I don't want to hide him."

She nodded. "For a moment, I thought you were going to… talk about Vader—"

Leia unconsciously stiffened her jaw. "I wouldn't ambush you or Luke like that. This story belongs to you just as it does to me."

Padmé understood, although she doubted it was only that. She comprehended that Leia wanted to be transparent, but she herself still had a long way before she was ready to publicly acknowledge Vader's identity. Perhaps she would never be, and Padmé would still respect her for that.

"Padmé," Leia swallowed hard, "I don't want anything good to ever be associated with Vader."

Of course, as politicians, they were both acutely aware that going public with their heritage would mean a whole lot more than simply connecting the twins' innate goodness to the embodiment of evil — the backlash that such a revelation would bring would be tremendous. Still, Padmé wanted to smile at Leia seeing herself as a good person, rather than just inherently nefarious.

Unable to explain the sudden urge to feel her close, Padmé tightened her hold over her daughter.

"You achieved a milestone today, Leia," Padmé said in a soft voice. "Your parents, wherever they might be today, I know for a fact that they're smiling down on you. They're so proud."

Leia swallowed her emotions.

"Yeah? How do you know?"

"Because if I'm feeling that way," she replied shyly, "I can't begin to imagine the immensity of their pride."

This time, Leia's smile was full of confidence.


Leia was content to simply lean back and enjoy the ride back to the headquarters, comfortable to have reached a point in her relationship with Padmé that they could just coexist without being burdened with the necessity of conversation.

So, lean back she did, her mind devoid of any pressing concerns. Mostly, she couldn't wait to have the longest shower, lay down in bed, and finally call it a day. Happy that her relationships with her mother, with her brother, and with her people were in the works again, so she could just rest for the night without any worries and start over the next day.

But when they landed on the hangar and Leia finally became aware of their surroundings again, there was something different. Something that hadn't been there before and her heart sped up.

The Millennium Falcon was back.

With her eyes large and the vein on her forehead visibly pulsating, Leia stumbled out of the landspeeder, barely giving Padmé the chance to properly station it. From afar, she could see Han's silhouette leaning against the ramp of the Falcon, somehow distracted as he chatted with Chewbacca and Luke, and, with shaky legs, she ran towards him.

Han wasn't particularly interested in his conversation with Luke; he really just wanted to see Leia, and arriving only to learn she was giving some speech at a press conference had nearly broken his heart in half. So, talking to Luke and gathering some insight on what the fuck had happened in the course of the last couple of days was his only means to pass the time until Leia returned.

Luke, on the other hand, was very keen on detailing every aspect from the mess they had suddenly caught themselves on. So when his eyes digressed right past Han, something else getting his complete attention, Han frowned and turned around just in time to see Leia rushing towards him.

"Leia!"

He caught her on his arms when she threw herself onto him, her own arms interlacing around his neck and her legs around his waist — thankfully, she had chosen a dress with a loose skirt that day. Han was taken aback by her sudden display of affection when she was usually so inhibited in public. But having her so close to him again, in his arms where she belonged, he didn't care in the slightest.

"I'm so glad you're home."

He buried his nose on the crook of her neck, smelling the flowery scent of her hair, feeling her close. Unwilling to ever let her go.

"I came back as soon as I heard," he said in a low voice, fastening his grip around her waist to secure her position.

He felt her nodding against him. "I didn't think you'd learn about it until you came back."

He made a face; that did sound like him.

"Well — I hadn't," he admitted, "I didn't know about it until I met Lando to go over our contact and he asked me what the fuck was I doing there."

Leia lightly chuckled.

"Remind me to send Lando a thanking gift then."

Han smiled against her.

Leia pulled her head lightly back and found his sweet, caring eyes. Her fingers delved into his uncombed hair, and, before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and met his lips.

Although very surprised, Han kissed her back.

"Leia," he mumbled, his lips red, "As much as I've missed you — we're in the middle of the base."

"I don't care," she said, kissing him again, "Let them see."

"Okay, Your Worship," he said, "I don't know how I feel about your mother lurking in the back while we kiss, though."

Leia's neck took a one hundred and eighty-degree turn in her sudden panic, and she indeed saw Padmé there, trying to blend in and ignore what was happening by facing the ceiling but still very much there.

Blushing in consternation, Leia untangled herself from Han and he landed her back on the ground as gracefully as he would handle a feather.

"This is why I hate having a mother again," Leia commented loud enough for Padmé to hear, "I can't even fool around in peace anymore."

Behind them, Padmé snorted. Luke looked petrified that his sister would so blatantly mistreat Padmé like that. Leia ignored him.

Chewbacca walked up to her and offered her a warm hug, gently ruffling his paw over her head without dismantling her hair updo. He roared something at her, and Leia smiled.

"Thank you, Chewie," she said, still tangled up in his giant Wookie arms.

"He's right," Luke stepped in, "I think all the rebels here stopped what they were doing to watch your speech. What you said, Leia — it sent chills all over my body."

Leia chuckled at his choice of words.

"Besides," he arched his eyebrows at her, "Does that mean we get to be twins in public at last?"

Leia gently rolled her eyes. "From all the things I wanted to carry out through my message, that's what you choose to focus on?!"

"It's a good thing that only I bore witness to your abhorrent kiss," Han pestered them, a devious smirk across his lips. "If you're looking to buy my silence, just ask the price."

Padmé made a face. "Would you please stop reminding me of that?!"

The twins both laughed at her.

"I don't worry much for your silence as I worry for Threepio's," Leia reminisced him, "He's much more tendentious at gossip than you are."

Just like that, the twins exchanged a worrisome look.

"He might just start babbling about it."

"We should run a memory check."

"Before our reputation is ruined."

"Definitely."

Meanwhile, Han couldn't get rid of his devilish smirk at the sight of their panicking.

Their fuss was interrupted too soon by Padmé discreetly clearing her throat. When they all looked at her, they noticed a young girl nervously lurking behind them, dreading to disturb them and anxiously fidgeting with her hands as she waited for their little group to break apart.

Lucky for her — Padmé meddled so she wouldn't have to wait for too long.

Leia's previous happy expression turned into an amiable veil of serenity and calculated nonchalance at the stranger. With her hands clasped in front of her, she took a step towards the girl.

"Hello there."

"Hi," the girl clumsily said back, then remembered to whom she was addressing and bowed with both her head and her knees. "Your Highness."

"You may rise," Leia gently instructed. She was far too often interacting with people who didn't know how or were uncomfortable to address her because of her titles, and she had learned that the best course of action was to guide them into treating her just like another human being. At the end of the day, she was no better than them, and she wished to be approachable to anyone that came on her way. "What's your name?"

"Bria, Your Highness," she supplied, looking at Leia's eyes but immediately after deciding it was a bad idea, as she hadn't been permitted to.

"Bria, that's a lovely name," Leia tried to make it as easy as possible. "Were you named after the Queen?"

Although Bria hadn't revealed her origins, Leia's instincts — call it the Force or whatever — told her she was looking at a child of Alderaan. Back home, she knew that many parents named their children after the Queen and the Viceroy, and even after Leia herself sometimes, as a form of showing their love and devotion to the royal family.

"Yes," Bria nodded. "Although they still wanted to give me an identity of my own, so — Bria it is. They had always respected Queen Breha, and they met her once — they were struggling dressmakers and the Queen personally came to their shop, and she was so fascinated with their designs that she saved them from financial doom by often hiring them to make outfits for the Court. The Queen saved them out of her kindness, as I'm certain she saved many other Alderaanians, so I was named after her. Unfortunately, I never had the honor to meet my namesake."

Leia politely nodded. "I'm certain Queen Breha would have been delighted to meet you. My mother had the most gracious spirit, she always did her best so that every Alderaanian under her rule would thrive, even though tending to every one of them personally was never her obligation. She saw it as her duty, yes, but she did it out of the kindness of her heart. She would have been honored to meet you, to know that she somehow made a difference in your family's life."

"Alderaan was lucky to have her," Bria said, and her own emotions started to weigh on her.

Her reaction didn't go unnoticed by Leia, who turned around to meet the three male gazes so obnoxiously staring at them. "I'll thank you to disappear."

They grunted all sorts of onomatopoeiae upon realizing what they were doing, and bunglingly went back inside the Falcon. Knowing that she wasn't welcomed there either, Padmé followed them.

"They mean no harm," Leia said, "They just lack any common social awareness."

Bria snickered at her attempt at humor and immediately after brought her hand to cover her lips, afraid she was being disrespectful.

Leia smiled sadly at that.

"It's just you and I here, Bria," Leia instructed. "Children of Alderaan. I believe we can be our true selves to one another. We are more than our appearances."

Bria shyly nodded. "It's just — I've never met anybody from the Royal House before."

"Look at me," Leia asked, and, eventually, Bria did. "Do I look any different than any other human around here?"

"You dress nicer."

Leia laughed loudly at that, and Bria even dared at a smile as well.

"I suppose that's true," she acknowledged. "Walk with me?"

Bria agreed. Leia didn't have any particular place to be, but, from experience, she assumed the girl would be more comfortable at engaging in a conversation if she didn't feel the pressure of looking at Leia in the eyes.

She was right.

"I was off-world the day it happened," Bria said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself. "I had just turned sixteen, so my parents gifted me with my first trip on my own to anywhere in the galaxy I wanted to visit. I was so excited to go."

Leia silently nodded. She remembered how excited she had been when her father had trusted her with her first crucial mission for the Rebellion, honored to hold so much responsibility while knowing she wouldn't fail.

And she didn't. But she also paid the ultimate price for her success.

"I'll never forget where I was the moment I learned about what happened. It was like the entire world crumbled down around me and I couldn't move, or think, or breathe," she whispered. "I can't imagine witnessing it with my own eyes."

Leia remained quiet. She didn't want to share her experiences any more that day.

"I didn't have anywhere to go after it happened," Bria continued, surprisingly unbothered by Leia's silence. "I didn't know anybody off-world, I barely had any credits with me. I was all alone. So when I heard about the rebellion, and what you had done on Yavin — I knew that's where I needed to be."

Leia smiled sadly.

"You have to be at least eighteen to enlist as a freedom fighter for the rebellion, but when I told them where I was from — I guess they just pitied me and let me in," she said, shrugging. "I don't like the pity. People always stare when they learn you're from Alderaan, it's like they can't see me for anything rather than for what happened," she breathed angrily, clenching her fists, but soon let go of her anger. "I'm sure you know what it's like."

"I do," Leia lamented. "It's a thin line between honoring our past and not letting the destruction define us."

Leia fought the sudden urge to laugh at her own hypocrisy; she really shouldn't be out there advising as to how to cope regarding Alderaan.

"Yeah. Exactly," Bria sighed. "We — the remaining Alderaanians, we try to stick together. We're a close clique around here. We're the only ones that understand, you know? We get to be ourselves and share our memories and, if somebody has a breakdown unprompted, we understand, and we don't judge, and we're just there for each other. That's the best we can do, and… It's enough."

Leia nodded, a little jealous that Bria had found a place of solace amongst the other Alderaanians when her position of power would never allow her to do the same.

"Yesterday, when the Imperial broadcast broke through… We were a mess," Bria admitted. "They wanted to hurt us, and they poked through the wounds that hurt the most. Some of us cried, some of us became numb, some of us punched a wall. However… None of us believed it."

Leia abruptly stopped walking. Any bystander would easily say she had stopped breathing, too.

Bria turned to look at her princess; this time, she was confident to do so.

"We all heard your speech today," she said. "There were — lots of tears involved when we heard you talking about Alderaan. Not in a bad way, but I don't think it was in a good way either. It was all just very sad. And very beautiful too. I mean, the things you said, it was very beautiful. I never thought the right words to describe what Alderaanians go through on their daily basis existed, but you found them all. You told the galaxy at large what it's like to grief for something greater than life itself, and you touched all of our souls today. I mean, I don't expect the imps to relate to anything that you said, but… The rest of the galaxy, the ones that have no choice but to simply watch as history happens around them… I believe you touched their souls, too."

Leia forced herself never to end their eye contact. Once again, she grasped to her silence.

"I'm saying this because… I don't know why I'm saying this. I just wanted to thank you," Bria shyly said. "Being with the Rebellion for four years now, more often than not we ended up stationed at the same headquarter or ship and… If I may be honest, Your Highness, you never seemed to have many friends, and you always looked very very sad. I understand that sadness just becomes part of who we are after we lose our home planet, but… You always looked very sad, and that's just wrong. Because even on the worst days there's still a possibility for joy, you know? I think it's very important to remember that. As Alderaanians."

Leia tried to smile; she was aware of much. She remembered how happy she had been when the Death Star had been destroyed, even though they had stolen Alderaan on the same day. Or, perhaps, the visceral reality of what had happened to Alderaan and what would happen to her only came to her later, after the adrenaline of battle.

"Today I understood why you looked sad all the time," Bria prompted. "You said it in your speech. You were inside the Death Star, you were hurt there and as if that wasn't enough, they tried to crush your spirit by killing Alderaan in front of you."

Bria shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Preparing herself.

"Do you blame yourself?"

The question came so unexpectedly that it took Leia by surprise. Her eyes widened; she didn't know how to answer it if not with the whole truth. After all, that was one of her Alderaanians asking her.

"Who wouldn't?" her voice came out more flawed than she anticipated.

"You," Bria provided. "You shouldn't, I mean. I've known of you ever since I was a little toddler, and as a proud Alderaanian, I always made sure I knew what you and your parents were up to. I watched your work back home, then at the Imperial Senate, then in the rebellion. You should be proud, not blame yourself."

Leia offered her the most genuine smile she had to give.

"I'm working on it," she said, and when Bria didn't seem all that convinced, she added, "I promise."

Bria could accept that.

"For what's worth, Princess, we don't blame you. We never will."

"It's worth more than you think."

She beamed proudly at that.

"Then I'm glad I came to see you, then. My friends said I shouldn't, that you probably had had an emotionally devastating day and you didn't need any traumatized Alderaanians bothering you. But I think that's what you needed the most. Your people listened to you today, so now it was time for you to listen to your people. You said it yourself, we're supposed to stand together."

"You're very clever," Leia praised, "Have you ever thought of working in politics?"

Bria's jaw fell open.

"Are you offering me a job?"

Leia smirked boastfully. "It's yours if you'd like. I could use someone to shadow me. Assist me and, most importantly, ground me when needed. Just like you just did."

Bria had to cover her mouth to contain her excitement. "Your Highness! It'd be an honor."

Pleased with her answer, Leia extended her hand. "Leia."

Suddenly past all her apprehension at interacting with her monarch, Bria took Leia's hand. "It's an honor, Leia."

Leia grinned; all things considered, Bria was handling the awkwardness of interacting with a royal far better than Ameera.

Unfortunately, Leia was forced to retract that thought when Bria suddenly choked an unexpected sob, and they were back at stake one.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" Bria cried, both her hands now hiding her face. "I just — It's just— I—"

Relating to the aching of the girl's heart, Leia stepped forward and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I understand."

Because she did; like Bria herself had said — nobody understood what it was like to be so happy one moment and then be hit with a wave of sadness from the things they had lost, nobody other than the Alderaanians.

"I'm sorry, I don't wanna seem ungrateful," Bria whispered, "It's just — my parents would be so happy right now. They were saved by Queen Breha and now Princess Leia is taking me under her wings. I'll never get to tell them that."

Leia tightened her grip. "I understand."

"I'm sorry," she apologized for the third time, her burst of sorrow quietening down and she wept her cheeks with the sleeves of her uniform. "I understand if you don't want me to work for you anymore."

The princess gently shook her head. "I'm here to ground you, too."

Sniffing, she gratefully bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"None of that, now," Leia gently lectured her, "If I get to see you cry, you get to call me by my name."

Bria chuckled. "Fair enough."

With one last squeeze of support, Leia pulled her hand back to herself.

"You were telling me about how the Alderaanians here all stick together and you have a close clique," Leia reminisced. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to meet them."

Bria gasped in exhilaration. "Leia—They would be so happy! They all love you so much!"

Like they were already friends of ages, Bria pulled Leia by the arm and led the way towards the lounge her friends usually hung around. Giggling to herself, Leia simply allowed herself to be dragged across the halls.

If her mere presence could make her people this happy, then that was where she'd begin to build them a new home.


Out in the galaxy, somewhere in the dusk of the Outer Rim, a set of blue eyes watched a holotransmition from the Core Worlds.

Although she listened to the politician's words, she wasn't all that interested in what they had to say. No; she was fairly more interested in a ghost lurking behind the politician.

A ghost that she had set for dead a long time ago. Her heart pounded inside her chest; she couldn't believe it.

She couldn't believe it, so she watched the press conference over and over again, her eyes absorbing every little trait and gesture from the soul that had been put to rest so many years before.

Yes, there was no doubt about it — it was her.

The Togruta pulled her hood over her head and started her journey towards her ship. There was only one thought in her mind — she had to go find her.


A/N: bet yall didn't see that ending coming hehe

considering the amount I dedicated to writing leia's speech, let me know if you think it turned out alright :)