Chapter 17

Poe ran up to the Millennium Falcon as it landed on the other side of the landing pad. General Leia came to stand beside him as they both watched as the ship doors opened yet no one exited straight away. They were successful in their battle yet something was wrong. Leia had felt Elsi being stabbed, yet she refused to believe she was dead. She had felt her pain as well as her sons, it was impossible for her to know what had happened.

Eventually Finn and Rey walked down the ramp of the ship, Rey clinging to Finns arm, red marks around her eyes. They both avoided Leia's gaze as they walked towards the pair. Chewie walked down the ramp after them. Poe was the only one to speak.

"Where's Han and Elsi?"

Finn took the lead in responding. "Han's on the ship. Elsi-" He couldn't finish his sentence.

Leia walked around them both and headed towards her husband on the ship. She could hear Poe's words of denial as Finn explained to him what happened. She didn't want to listen, she wanted to hear the words from Han himself.

She walked onto the ship and found Han sitting in the cockpit staring at nothing. Leia slowly eased her way into the seat beside him, it had been a long time since she had sat there.

Han hadn't looked at her yet, she could see his eyes were red as well, yet he wasn't crying. They both sat in silence for several minutes until suddenly Han spoke.

"He tried to kill me."

Leia drew in a deep breath at his words, she had suspected something bad had happened to cause the pain between her son and Elsi, but she did not know this part. Leia stayed silent and let him speak when he could.

"I-she jumped in front of me- out of nowhere. I couldn't stop him." Han dropped his head down into his hands. "I couldn't save either of them."

Leia leaned towards him and lay her hand softly on his back. Han leaned towards her and laid his forehead against hers. "I'm so sorry I couldn't bring him home." Han moved away from her and rested back in his seat fully.

After a few moments Leia asked what she really wanted to know. "Did he take her with him?"

"Yeh, he – he – I think he tried to save her, I could see him holding her body close. He was concentrating on her and nothing else, even when the blasts came raining down all around us from the stormtroopers. I had to run, I couldn't stay close to them." Han wiped his face as though to wipe away the non existent tears. He sat up straight and fully turned in his seat to face Leia. "I think she's dead, he stabbed her, it went straight through her and almost through me as well. No one can survive that Leia, I'm so sorry. She's gone, and our son is gone. He carried her off and I don't know where they went."

"No." She didn't respond harshly just with a firm voice that left no room for question. "No, she is not dead, I can feel it. They are both weak. I don't know how but shortly after I felt Elsi's pain, I felt our sons as well. I also felt something change, something felt different. I can't feel either of them very well, its as though they are far away, but if they were dead then I would know. I know in my heart that I would."

"Leia" Han whispered leaning towards her again and softly clasped her hand in both of his. "I want to believe you but they're gone, they both are."

Leia placed her other hand over his. "I know we will see them again, one day. I know that our son will return home to us. They both will."


It took a long time for Elsi's people to accept Ben on their land. They lived modestly and lived off the land mostly. It's the way they preferred to live and it is the way they have survived for generations. Elsi and Ben had learned to adapt to their new home and as they had both agreed, they would do it together, which they did.

After a few months of Ben not using the force and instead learning to rely on other means, the Cisanee decided that they trusted Ben enough that they removed the force dampening cuff from his wrists. He was relieved to have them removed at last but after having not used the force for so long, he realised that he no longer wanted to. The woman in his life was so much more important.

They had both become one of the people, and they both couldn't be happier. The life was simple but it was theirs, their home, a modest wooden house in the middle of a field, surrounded by wild flowers and crops.

Ben had spent a long day out with the hunters, gathering food for everyone. He had finally returned home for the day, later than expected when the sun was setting and the last rays were dancing across the field. The door to the house opened and out stepped the most beautiful woman in his life. She was holding an empty laundry basket and started descending the steps of the porch heading towards the washing on the washing line.

He was still half way across the field but he knew she could sense he was there watching. Not necessarily due to the force, but due to their unbreakable connection.

He watched as she leaned up and reached to grab a sheet off of the line. He stopped several steps behind her, her back to him. He stared for a minute or so and wondered how he got so lucky, lucky that she forgave him, lucky that she cared for him the way she did.

He also wondered how such a wonderful person could change his whole world the way she did. He felt so free since leaving the darkside behind him, he hadn't used the force in so long now it was natural for him to not rely on it.

He watched as she turned to the other line, the sheet now in the basket and the basket now in her arms. He rushed towards her and pulled it slowly from her arms, their eyes locked together as he leaned into her for a kiss.

Their lips moulded together slowly as their kiss deepened and Elsi's now free arms reached to wrap around his neck. His own arms dropped the basket to the side of them as he softly placed his hands to rest on the baby bump between them, preventing him from getting much closer to her.

"I thought I told you I didn't want you lifting anything."

"Oh and a washing basket and a bed sheet are extremely heavy" she said teasingly.

Ben chuckled and rubbed his hands gently around her stomach.

"Has he given you any more trouble today?" He breathed softly against her neck.

"He?"

"Yes he, my son is going to be a little fighter I can just tell."

"Whose to say the fighter isn't a baby girl. She's been kicking pretty hard today. Eager for her father to come home."

Ben leaned down and kissed Elsi's belly whilst looking up at her.

"Either way, boy or girl, I have my whole world right here with my two favourite people. And I'm never leaving either of you ever again." Ben straightened up and kissed the top of Elsi's head as they both leaned into one another watching the sun set on the horizon.

"I love you Elsi."

"I love you too Ben."

Everything was perfect, everything that they needed was right there.

For a few sweet moments.

The End


Authors Note:

Thank you so much to everyone who has read to the end of this story. I can't believe it has been so long since my last chapter, lots has happened since then and life got in the way. I'm now at a point that I can continue writing again so I'm so glad that I could finish this story off. I did have some more ideas for this story but I didn't want to drag it on so I thought that for now this would be the best place to end it.

I hope you have all enjoyed this story. Please let me know what you thought.

I have another story for The Hobbit that I will be posting soon so please look out for that story and let me know what you think.

Thanks again to everyone for reading this story.

ZV Xx