Chapter 46 – A Secret revealed
I'm back with another chapter. I got stuck and blocked a bit, but now I'm done with this one.
For those of you wondering, this story will continue for a long time. There are a few important events coming up in the next chapters and I hope everyone will like them.
Child of Jon snow, that's true, during the celebration after Felucia, a father asked Ahsoka about his daughter's Force abilities. I will do more with that, but it will be at a later part of the story.
I'd like to thank everyone for all of the reviews and hope you continue enjoying my stories.
;-
Ahsoka Tano sat in the living room of her home on Shili. Her parents were out with Aisha and Rosette and Marina was at the palace. She had told the family that it was for official business, but Ahsoka figured that it was more of a personal talk with the Prince.
Lilo was also home. She was currently in the study, busy with all kinds of things. The battle on Kiros had gone well, but there was a lot to do on the planet now. A lot of the mess still had to be cleaned up and some damage had to be repaired. As the planet's Senator, it was her job to organize a lot of the repairs.
With everyone busy or out of the house, Ahsoka had some time to herself. She was putting the time to good use. She had promised Aisha that she would teach her about the Force. They were both looking forward to it, Ahsoka knew that. To make sure things would go well, she was now writing down several exercises and other things they could do together.
"Fortunately, Aisha is more patient that I was at her age," Ahsoka thought amused. "That will certainly help her learn to understand the Force better."
With everything she had learned in the Temple and from Anakin and Daughter, Ahsoka was feeling pretty confident that she could teach Aisha well. Thanks to the additional Force lessons from Daughter, she had gained a better understanding of the Force. An understanding that she was eager to teach to Aisha.
With their continued exploration of the depths of Ahsoka's new powers, she had gained a new love for meditation as well. With all of the constant battles she had been in before, meditating was not something she could easily do. The wild nature of a war zone did not make for a suitable environment for meditating. Besides that, it seemed rather pointless to her. However, since she embraced love and returned to Shili, meditating gave her a new sense of calm and peace that she'd never felt before.
It had taken her a short time, but Ahsoka had been able to write out some sort of lesson plan for her and Aisha. She would start with teaching Aisha about the Force first, that way she would understand it better. After that, they can start with several basic exercises. Teaching someone about the Force was scratch might be difficult, but she was looking forward to it nonetheless. "Besides, if master Kenobi could teach Skyguy everything from scratch, I can definitely teach Aisha," she thought amused.
As she was putting her things away, Lilo came into the room as well. She looked a little worn out, but she appeared to be in a good mood. "Is everything going well, Lilo?" Ahsoka asked her sister.
Lilo smiled and nodded. "Yeah, things are going well," she replied. "I've been busy for a while, contacting a lot of different people, but fortunately the repairs in the city are still going well."
Ahsoka smiled as well. "That's good to hear," she said. "I'm so glad that everything worked out."
"Couldn't agree more with you on that one sis," Lilo replied. She noticed the datapad on the table, lying there with a number of datacards and some book. "What have you been doing?" she asked curiously.
"You know that I'm going to teach Aisha about the Force, right?" Ahsoka asked in return. "I've just taken some time to write down a bit of a lesson plan." She shrugged. "I figured it would make things easier for us. I've also written down several exercises that we will be able to start with."
"How resourceful of you," Lilo replied with a smile. "I could tell that she's really looking forward to it. I'm glad she's a part of the family now."
"Yeah, me too," Ahsoka said. "I'm looking forward to teaching her as well. She reminds me of myself in a couple of ways. I'm sure we'll have a good time together."
Lilo wanted to reply but was interrupted by her datapad beeping. "Hang on a moment," she told her sister. She checked the message and smiled. "Sorry Ahsoka, I have to go and contact Governor Roshti. Another government has accepted his offer to purchase their supplies and they will be delivered soon. I'm going to contact him and give him the news."
"Alright," Ahsoka replied. "Go ahead and do what's best for Kiros." Lilo nodded and went back to the study. After that Ahsoka gathered her things and went to put them away.
;-
Marina Tano walked back into her family's home. She quickly noticed that her parents weren't home. "Thank the Force for that, it gives me some time to calm down," she thought. Her appearance didn't show it completely, but she was incredibly nervous and worried. With a deep sigh she moved into the living room and sat down on the couch.
She had another talk with the prince today and they had reached a decision. Tonight, they would tell their both their families the truth. They both had no idea how their families would react, but Marina feared her mother's reaction. "Especially considering how she reacted with Ahsoka getting hurt and going into battle again," Marina shuddered a bit.
The door opened and she jumped a little. "Ahsoka," she said as she saw her sister walk in the room. "I thought you were out as well."
Ahsoka shook her head. "No, I stayed at home," she replied. "I had some things I wanted to work on." She moved up and sat down next to her sister. "So, what's wrong?" she asked.
Marine looked a bit startled at her sister. "What do you mean?" she asked her sister in return.
Ahsoka gave her sister a look. "Don't give me that, I would be able to sense your worrying from the other side of the city," she replied. "What's wrong? You can tell me."
Marina sighed. "You and your Force powers…" She shook her head. "Fine. I've had another talk with prince Zolar. We've… decided to tell our families tonight."
Ahsoka nodded slowly. "Now I understand why she's so worried. This is not going to be pretty," she thought. "Don't worry Marina, Lilo and I will help you. You know that," she told her sister. "I'm sure it will be fine."
Marina gave Ahsoka a small smile. "Thanks sis," she replied. "I'm just really worried about this. I have no idea how it's all going to play out." She got up again. "I'll be in the garden, I could use some fresh air to clear my head."
"Try not to worry about it too much, okay sis?" Ahsoka asked. Marina nodded and walked outside. Ahsoka looked at her a moment. "This is going to one interesting evening, that's for sure," she thought to herself.
She opened herself to the Force for a moment, hoping to get some idea of how it would play out. The Force was a bit clouded on the matter, but fortunately, what she was able to sense wasn't dark. "It's going to be a tense situation, there's no doubt about that. But I think it will work out well."
She put it out of her mind for now and headed up to her room to meditate until the rest of her family got back.
;-
Sometime later
"A meeting at the palace later? What for?" Yuae asked her daughter. It wasn't like they've had meetings there before, but she wasn't expecting one to be held right now.
Marina nodded. "That's right," she replied. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing bad." She gave her mother a small smile, it was all she could do to prevent herself from another nervous episode.
"Alright then, we'll go there later," Yuae said. She looked at her daughter for a moment. She could easily tell that she was worried about something, but she wouldn't force her into telling her if she didn't want to.
;-
Ahsoka looked at them a moment. Marina's worry was obvious in the Force, but she was masking it well. "The advantage of being a politician I guess," she thought slightly amused.
A quick glance at Lilo told her that her other sister had some idea what it would be about. Lilo gave her a bit of a concerned look. Ahsoka gave her a small smile and a nod. Lilo nodded back, albeit a little hesitantly. It was clear that she was worried as well.
Ahsoka turned around when she felt someone walk up to her. She smiled when Aisha stepped up to her. "Hey sis," she said.
Aisha smiled at her words, but then gave Ahsoka a questioning look. "Is everything okay?" she asked a bit worried.
Ahsoka was a bit surprised by her question. "Yes, everything's fine. Why do you ask?" she asked in return. She had a suspicion as to why she asked the question and Ahsoka hoped she was right.
"umm… I don't know," Aisha replied a bit confused. "Something made me feel… a bit worried, I guess." She looked at Ahsoka, hoping for some explanation.
Ahsoka smiled at her, her suspicion was correct. "Come on, let's go upstairs. I'll tell you there," she told her younger sister. Aisha nodded with a bit of confusion, but then followed her upstairs.
When they got to Ahsoka's room, they both sat down on the floor. Ahsoka was still a bit amused by Aisha's confusion. The Force was quite strong with her, if she was able to pick up on the stress like that.
Aisha looked at her sister. The two of them were now alone in Ahsoka's room and her sister was sitting like she did when she was meditating. She hoped that it meant what she hoped for. "Are you going to teach me about the Force now?" she asked excitedly.
"That's right," Ahsoka replied. Aisha smiled immediately. "While you were away, I've spend some time writing down numerous exercises and other things we can do. I figured now would be a good time to start." She paused and took a deep breath. "That feeling you had just now, it felt like something or someone was troubled, right?"
Aisha nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's what it felt like," she answered. "But I don't know where it came from."
"You picked up on Marina and Lilo's feelings a bit through the Force," Ahsoka explained. "Marina has had a lot to deal with the past few days, but you'll hear about that tonight. For now, what matters is that you could sense it already." She smiled at Aisha. "I've been told so many times that the Force is always with you. And, as I've learned, that's the truth."
Aisha nodded but kept quiet. She couldn't help but wonder though, she had experienced some odd feelings before, when she still lived with her birth parents. "Was that the Force as well?" she asked herself.
"You're strong in the Force, Aisha," Ahsoka told her. "However, because you've never been taught about it or have even thought of it, you won't be able to understand it yet. But that's what we're here for now. Keep in mind though, learning the Force takes a lot of patience. Fortunately for you, you're a lot more patient than I was at your age." She gave Aisha a wide smile.
Aisha chuckled a bit at her statement. "I'll do my best," she replied with a big smile of her own. She moved a bit and mirrored Ahsoka's meditation position.
Ahsoka nodded. "I know you will," she said. "We'll start with the basics. The Force is an energy that's present in and around every living thing. It surrounds us, penetrates us and guides us. It can provide you with knowledge and insight beyond your own capabilities."
She continued explaining more about the Force and a portion of its history. Aisha listened intently to her explanation.
"Now, let's start with a simple meditating exercise," Ahsoka said. "Let's help you to try and feel the Force a little clearer. Close your eyes and quiet your mind. Try to hear the Force moving around you, through you. Don't worry, I'll guide you through it."
Aisha nodded and closed her eyes. In all honesty, she was a bit doubtful that this would work, but she knew it did for Ahsoka. She'd just have to try for herself. As Ahsoka had told her, she tried to clear her mind of any thoughts. It was a bit difficult, her excitement for finally learning about the Force made it somewhat of a challenge to calm down.
It took her a few minutes, but she managed to calm her mind. To her great surprise, she could feel something. There was definitely something there, a strange form of presence, seemingly whispering to her. "Is this the Force?" she asked herself. A curious tingle of encouragement went through her. She relaxed a bit more and focused a little on the feeling.
Ahsoka couldn't help but smile as she felt Aisha tapping into the Force ever so slightly. Concentrating herself, she opened up to the Force as well. She gently reached out to Aisha in the Force, so she could show her more.
When she suddenly sensed another presence around her, Aisha was a bit surprised. However, this presence did seem very familiar to her. She had felt this warm, caring presence before.
"That's right, Aisha," Ahsoka told her. "I'm right here next to you. Let me show you a little more." She stretched out her mind a bit more to slowly guide Aisha through the meditation.
Aisha smiled as she felt Ahsoka's presence right by her own. The feeling of connection was unlike anything she'd felt before. She could feel her sister guiding her, showing her how to connect to the mysterious Force further. With her help, she found it a lot easier to feel the Force around the two of them.
;-
The two of them kept up the meditation for about ten more minutes before Ahsoka said it was enough for now. Ahsoka slowly withdrew herself from the Force, setting an example for Aisha.
Aisha followed what Ahsoka did and slowly pulled herself out of her meditative state. As she opened her eyes again, she found herself feeling strangely better than when they started. She couldn't help but smile, really feeling the Force for the first time had been amazing.
Ahsoka smiled at Aisha. "You did really well, Aisha," she said. "So, what was it like?"
"It was great!" Aisha replied excitedly. "It was strange at first and a bit difficult, but after that it felt really good. It was…" She stopped, not being to find the right words.
"It's a wonderful feeling," Ahsoka continued for her. "The Force can help you put your mind at ease, it can help you find peace. It can also guide you in other ways, like helping you focus your mind or restoring your energy. But we will cover more topics as we get along."
Aisha smiled happily. "I had no idea that the Force was like that," she replied.
"There's still a lot more for you to find out," Ahsoka told her. She checked the time. "I think we need to go downstairs. We need to head to the palace soon." Aisha nodded and the two of them went downstairs.
;-
Later that evening, the royal palace of Shili
Ahsoka, Aisha, their parents and sisters were all gathered in one of the meeting rooms of the royal palace. Considering what this meeting was going to be about, Marina had asked the neighbors to watch Rosette. Marina wanted to tell her daughter later, together with her father.
As they sat waiting in the room, Ahsoka studied her parents and Marina for a moment. Her parents were rather confused, they had no idea what this was about. Marina, on the other hand, was likely getting close to suffering a nervous breakdown. "Let's hope this goes well," Ahsoka silently prayed to the Force.
A short moment of waiting later, the doors to the room opened and prince Zolar walked in, followed by his parents and sister. It was quite obvious that the three of them were not expecting to see the Tano family.
"Good evening, your Highness, my queen, prince, princess," Haymish politely said after a short moment of shock. He and the others got up and gave a short bow.
"Good evening, everyone," King Zhorin replied. "I wasn't expecting you here." He turned to his son. "Zolar, what is this all about?" he asked his son.
"Well, dad," Zolar started nervously. "There is something we need to tell you. Seeing as it affects both our families, we decided to tell everyone at once."
Zolar's parents and sister sat down at the other side of the room. Zolar himself sat down in front of both families. Marina got up and joined him, much to everyone's surprise.
The parents in the room shared a brief look. They were all aware of the hidden feelings the two had for each other. None of them chose to say anything, they would wait to see this play out.
Zaa Vashee, however, was not in the mood to be quiet about this. "So, what's going on? Did you finally ask her out?" she asked in a teasing voice.
"Zaa, please don't," Zolar replied in a serious tone of voice.
From the way he said it, they could all tell it was a very serious matter. "Son, what's wrong? You know you can tell us," his mother Sarisa asked him.
Marina and Zolar both shared a brief look, then Marina nodded at him. Zolar took a deep breath before starting. "You know I went through a rough time when grandpa died, right?" he asked his family.
His father nodded understandingly. "Yes, it was a difficult time for us all. For you especially, with how close you and my father were," Zhorin replied.
Zolar nodded. "After some time, the pain got a bit too much to deal with. I told you what I did then, that I got severely drunk and afterwards slept it of in some hotel," he continued. "There was one part that I didn't tell you, that I didn't tell anyone."
Haymish and Yuae Tano briefly looked at each other. His story was a similar one to the one they had heard from their daughter. They both looked at Marina.
Marina could already tell that her parents were figuring something out now. "It… was on the same night as me," she continued a bit hesitantly. "I was making a mess of everything and just wanted to forget for a short time. Apparently, we had chosen the same bar to go to."
A look of shock appeared on everyone's faces as they put the rest of pieces of what they were saying together. "You mean…" Yuae said softly. "Are you trying to say that…"
Zolar looked at the small group. "Yes," he replied. "Rosette Tano is my daughter." He took a deep breath to steady himself, now it was out.
For a moment, no one in the room said anything. They were all trying to process what had just been revealed. A short moment later, both Yuae and Queen Sarisa grew very pale and passed out. Their respective husbands quickly grabbed them so they wouldn't hit the ground.
Ahsoka and Aisha both looked at their mother with worry. Lilo quickly stepped out of the room in order to get the guards outside to call a medic or two. Princess Zaa, on the other hand, started yelling angrily at her brother.
Marina looked with concern at her mother while Zolar cringed a bit under his sister's yelling. The two of them did not expect things to go like this.
;-
After a few minutes, both mothers had woken up again. It was clear that they were still immensely shocked by the truth that had just come out. The two medics had stayed, but according to them both Yuae and Queen Sarisa would be fine.
King Zhorin turned to look at Haymish and Yuae. "I must apologize for my son's actions," he told them. "I… I do not know what to say about this." Next to him, Zaa was still quite angry at her brother.
Ahsoka looked at her sister and the prince. They were both looking down at the ground, not knowing what to say anymore. She took a deep breath and got up. "Everyone just calm down for a moment, let's just talk this through," she said to the group.
"Calm down?" Zaa asked in annoyance. "Did you not hear what my brother just admitted?" She was still boiling with anger.
Ahsoka turned to Zaa. "Milady, please, you need to calm down," she told her. She could tell, however, that Zaa wouldn't calm down any time soon. "I hope she doesn't take this the wrong way." Ahsoka gently took hold of her arm and send her a few calming waves through the Force. "Just calm down."
The angry look on Zaa's face was suddenly replaced by a very relaxed look. "A bit too relaxed," Ahsoka thought worriedly as Zaa started to wobble on her feet. She quickly caught the princess to prevent her from falling to the floor. She moved Zaa to a nearby chair and helped her sit down. "Sorry about that," she quickly apologized. "You were getting a little bit carried away."
"What did you do?" Zolar asked with worry as he looked at his sister.
"I tried to calm her down a little with the Force," Ahsoka replied. "I'm afraid I overdid it a little. Don't worry, she's fine." She looked at Zaa again. "I should be more mindful of my Force use in situations like this," she thought to herself. "I'm really sorry."
Zaa looked at her somewhat lazily. "It's…okay…" she said slowly. She shook her head and took a few deep breaths. "That was really weird."
Ahsoka rubbed the back of her head nervously. "I just meant to calm you down a little, but I used a bit too much energy," she replied.
"I should call you next time I can't sleep," Zaa joked a bit.
Ahsoka chuckled a bit before turning her attention back to the others. "Now then, let's talk about this a bit more calmly," she told everyone. "That way, we can work this out."
"How come you're so calm about this, Ahsoka?" Yuae asked her daughter. "Did you already know about this?"
Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, I did," she replied. When she saw the looks on everyone's faces, she knew she had to explain. "When I was discussing the journey to get everything for the battle on Kiros with prince Zolar, I took the liberty of asking him how he felt about Marina. His response confused me somewhat, so I used the Force to read his thoughts. It was all revealed to me then."
She paused for a moment and looked at Zolar. "I admit, I was angry at first. Believe me, I was very shocked," she continued. "But then he explained to me why he said nothing. If it got out, it could have easily destroyed Marina's life. He was trying to protect her." She looked back at the group. "I understood his motives, so my anger faded a bit. However, I did feel that Marina deserved to know the truth."
Sarisa looked at her son. "Zolar, is that true?" she asked.
Zolar nodded. "Mother, you know how things were for me at school. You know the kind of crazy girls that were continuously after me," he replied. "They probably wouldn't have hesitated to harm her if they learned what had happened. Apart from that, if the news got out…" He paused a moment. "For me, it would have been an inconvenience for a short time. But for Marina, it could have ended her career before it even started. I never meant to harm her," he said as he looked at Haymish and Yuae Tano.
"I see," Haymish replied slowly. He looked around the room. "So, what will we do now?" he asked the group. A short moment of silence passed before Zolar stood up.
Zolar looked at Haymish and Yuae again. "I wish to marry your daughter," he said, much to the shock of the others in the room. "Not just because I love her and have always wanted to do so, but because I also feel it's the right thing to do. It will give me the chance to make up for my actions and hopefully earn your forgiveness."
After another moment of silence, Yuae looked at her oldest daughter. "Marina, is this what you want as well?" she asked.
Marina nodded and took Zolar's hand. "Yes, it is," she replied. "I wish that he had just told me all those years ago, but I can't change the past. All things considered, I suppose it could all have been a lot worse." She took a deep breath. "I can't deny that I still have strong feelings for Zolar, despite all of this. I also know that Rosette really wants to have a father. So, for both our sakes, I'm willing to try and make this all work."
"I see," Yuae says slowly. "I don't really know how to feel about this, but if it's what you want…" She slowly shook her head and looked back at Marina. "Does Rosette already know?" she asks curiously.
Marina shook her head. "No, she doesn't," she replied. "We wanted to see how this worked out first." She looked at Zolar. "We'll tell her together soon." They both shared a smile.
Lilo chuckled a bit as she looked at the two. "So you're finally getting together. I'm really happy for you sis," she said. "It only took you like, what? Six years?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"S-shut up," Marina replied a bit embarrassed. The others in the room couldn't help but laugh a bit at the embarrassed looks on the faces of Marina and Zolar.
King Zhorin looked at his son. "I certainly was not expecting this evening to go like this," he admitted to the group. "Still, I think you're making the right choice here, son." He looked at the others in the room.
"Thanks dad," Zolar replied. "I know that I've made some mistakes, but I will truly do my best to make up for them."
"This has been quite the eventful evening," Queen Sarisa told the group. She looked between Marina and her parents. "I'd like to invite you all back to the palace tomorrow. It would seem that we have a wedding to plan," she said with a smile.
"Looks like we do," Yuae replied as she looked at her oldest daughter with a smile. "Let's go back home for now. I think we could all do with a moment to rest."
The others in the room agreed and after a short moment of planning the meeting for the next day, both families bid each other good night. Marina shared a quick kiss with Zolar, which earned her a round of teasing comments from Lilo, Ahsoka and Zaa. After they finally stopped laughing, the Tano family headed back home.
During the flight back, Marina got several more teasing comments from Lilo. She figured that she would be getting that a lot now. Still, she was relieved that it had all ended well. The thought of finally getting together with Zolar made her very happy and soon, they would be married.
Ahsoka smiled as she sensed her sisters' feelings. Marina was very happy with the way it had all turned out. Despite her barrage of teasing, she could sense that Lilo was just as happy for her. Right now though, she was a bit concerned about Aisha. Her younger sister had been very quiet during everything. It had been very stressful, so Ahsoka hoped she wasn't feeling too overwhelmed.
;-
Back at the house
The Tano family was back in the living room of their house, with the exception of Marina who had gone to pick up her daughter.
"To be honest, I'm still not sure how I feel about all this," Yuae said. "I had never expected something like this." She shook her head softly and took a deep breath.
"I know, mom," Ahsoka replied. "It really shocked me as well. But I think everything worked out really well. Both Marina and the prince seemed really happy that they are finally getting together. Besides, things could have been a lot worse."
"You're right, Ahsoka," Yuae said with a small smile. "Your sister does seem very happy. For her sake, I'm willing to give this a chance."
"Prince Zolar did give me the impression that he wants to do well by Marina," Haymish said. "I hope he does. Marina deserves it after all of this."
"I'm sure they'll be happy together," Ahsoka replied. "Just a hunch," she added with a smile when she saw her parents' questioning look. The two of them smiled as well. "For now though, maybe we should stop talking about this. We don't want to spoil the surprise for Rosette."
"You're right about that. Marina and Rosette should be back at any moment," Yuae said. "We can continue this talk tomorrow." The other sin the room agreed and they dropped the subject for now.
With everyone more at ease, Ahsoka thought it was a good time to take Aisha aside for a moment. The two of them went up to Ahsoka's room again and sat down like they had earlier that day.
"Are you feeling alright, Aisha?" Ahsoka asked slightly concerned. "You've been really quiet during all of this. It's making me a little worried."
Aisha nodded. "I'm okay. It's just…" she replied slowly. "That was a really tense. I knew what Marina told me, but I had never expected this." She shook her head slightly. "It was really surprising and…" She paused, not sure what to say.
Ahsoka picked up on her train of thought. "You were able to sense the tension through the Force, am I right?" she asked. She smiled when Aisha nodded. "Being able to sense the emotions of others is another useful trick of the Force. It can help you determine which way a certain situation is going."
Aisha nodded understandingly. "I think that that's what I felt," she replied. "Will I always be able to sense it?" she asked, her curiosity for the Force picking up again.
Ahsoka smiled as she felt Aisha's curiosity rise. "Not always, no," she replied. "It depends on the situation and whose mind or feelings you're trying to read. Some people are better at shielding their thoughts than others, you won't be able to sense it so easily then. How someone is feeling can also affect how well you will be able to sense their emotions."
"So, because everyone was so shocked I was able to sense it more easily?" Aisha asked.
Ahsoka nodded. "That's right, you're catching on quickly," she replied. "After we've covered more of the basics of the Force, this is one of the things I'll be teaching you as well." She checked the chrono on the wall. "For now though, let's get back downstairs. It's getting late." Aisha nodded and they both went downstairs again.
;-
The following day
Ahsoka was in the living room of her family's house, simply relaxing a bit and watching the holo-tv. Earlier that day, she had done another teaching session with Aisha. They'd continued with the topics of the day before and they had meditated a little bit longer. It had already proven easier for Aisha to get in the right mindset. She would get the hang of it in no time.
Right now, Aisha was playing with Rosette. Marina had gone to the palace with their parents. They were going to discuss their wish to get married some more and answer several other questions that their parents still had. Lilo had offered to stay at home to watch Rosette. As soon as everything was a bit more in order, Marina and Zolar would be telling her the truth.
Ahsoka briefly wondered how the conversation at the palace was going. She had heard that Zaa Vashee had a different appointment at the time, so she couldn't be there. "I'm sure her brother is very glad about that," she thought amused.
A lot of things would probably still need to be discussed, but at least Marina and Zolar were together now. Ahsoka was glad for them and for Rosette, who would finally get to know her father. "Still, it'll be strange calling Marina 'princess' or probably 'queen' later," she thought to herself. When King Zhorin and his wife retire, Zolar will be the one to take the throne and Marina would then become queen of Shili.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the holo-communicator ringing at the side of the room. She got up and made her way towards it. When she activated the transmission, a smile instantly spread on her face as Lux' image appeared. "Lux," she said happily. "It's great to see you."
"It's great to see you as well Ahsoka," Lux replied with a smile. "How are you doing?" he asked her.
"I'm doing great," Ahsoka replied eagerly. "Everything here is going quite well. Everyone had been in a very good mood since the battle of Kiros ended. Repairs there are going well and everyone is returning to the normal way of life." She gave him a large smile. "How have things been going for you?"
"Everything's been going very well lately, which is also why I contacted you," he told her. "The past week had been immensely hectic and crazy for me, but the results for Onderon made it all quite worthwhile."
"That's great Lux, congratulations," Ahsoka replied.
"Thank you Ahsoka," Lux said with a smile. "Like I said, the week was crazy. So now, as a form of thanks, King Dendup has told me to take a well-earned vacation. I have at least a week off, so I figured it would be a great time to fulfill my promise of taking you away somewhere. What do you think?" he asked hopefully.
Ahsoka's face lit up. "That would be great!" she replied happily. "I'll have to discuss a few things with my family, but I'm sure that'll be fine. After all of the busy weeks, I could use a vacation too. Did you already think of somewhere to go?"
Lux nodded. "Yes, I did," he said. "I was talking with Padmé yesterday and I told her I'd be taking a vacation. She recommended the Lake Country on Naboo. I've heard a lot of great things about that area and I thought it would be great. What do you think?"
Ahsoka nodded eagerly. "That sounds wonderful," she replied. "I've always wanted to go there again sometime. I've been there once with Anakin, but that was years ago and we couldn't stay very long." She chuckled a bit. "Besides that, we were both too tired to really go and see the sights."
Lux laughed a bit as well. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities for that now," he replied amused. "I'm glad you're excited about this. Do you want me start making the reservations?" he asked.
"That would be great," Ahsoka said excitedly. "I'll talk a few things through with my family and then I'll send you a message later. We can plan the rest and then I'll start packing."
"Alright then, I'll look at some options and let you know," Lux replied. "I'm really glad you want to go with me Ahsoka, I'm sure this will be great." He gave her a small wave. "I'll hear from you soon. I love you, Ahsoka."
"I love you too, Lux. I'll be sure to send you a message real soon," she said happily. She waved back and the transmission ended. She checked the time. Her parents expected to be back in an hour or two, so she could plan a few things already. With an excited smile, she made her way downstairs.
;-
That's the end of this chapter.
I decided to split up my original plan a bit, otherwise it would take too long in uploading the chapter. In the next chapter, Ahsoka will be packing up the last of her things and she'll set off to Naboo with Lux.
The secret of the prince is now finally out. It was a tense moment, but everything worked out fine in the end. In a couple of chapters, Ahsoka's sister Marina will marry prince Zolar. It's going to be an exciting moment for both families.
My next update will be for Barriss. She will be doing some research regarding her newfound ability to dual wield and she will learn about something interesting, which will lead to her undertaking a journey of her own. Care to guess where she'll be going?
Until next time.