AN: Woah, chapter forty! We are getting close to the end of this crazy fic (six chapters left with this one) and then it's off to the sequel/last part (which is even crazier!)! And after this story complete I'm going to take ch 16 to the end of this fic and have them as an separate entry her one the site, called Ben awakens 2: Sleeping Beauty Ben (or I as like to refer it to as the dream-memory arc)
Part three of the chapter...this one is kind as a crazy filler, but still has an important set up...and plot! A long one - had to divide again but the next one will come around shortly.
A lot of references to the book Bloodline, love it so much! If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend it! There is even a itty bits of little Ben in it, referenced when Leia thinks back. Leia is so awesome in that book (and there also Han Leia in it, which is so cute!)! But, in that book, the galaxy finds out that she is Vader's daughter (that's only part of the awesome storyline though) and the senate reacts badly...to put it mildly...
Plus in this chapter there is a reference to the Poe Dameron comic and from the Solo movie! Probably more references but I don't remember them all. At least at lot from my beloved prequels (and I really love them but I also love to make fun of them).
Some talk about corporal punishment on a child in the past for criminal/naughty behaviour (nothing brutal or detailed though - very soft). In fact, this fic, among other things, will deal with past treatment of children vs how it is today (or how it should be, since we know better!), meaning, peaceful punishments or Time in vs Time outs etc. The OT gang is still learning how to deal with their "darkside" child...
Chapter forty - Tanglement of the past
"What else would you use a brush for?" asked Luke puzzled and looked at his sister and her son, who sat on her lap, for answers, like they shared some great secret together.
"Please don't tell him." begged Ben his mother, as in don't give him any more ideas to torment me with because, "the fish oil therapy against anything Vader-related was bad enough."
"Don't worry. It's just between us," whispered his mother in her secretive voice, while brushing his hair to get rid of all the tangles, so she could start braiding it.
"You used that thing on him...? Why...? I thought you didn't like to hit him..." said Luke who surprised Ben, by finding out the answer on his own and without any help from force ghosts or ancient books.
"I absolutely hate it, but sometimes my smacking, but most importantly lots and lots of cuddles and kisses..." Leia stopped the brushing to prove her point, by cuddling and kiss her son, who tried to escape that surprise cuddly attack, but she held him firmly in place as she cuddled him. "...are the only things that seems to get through his stubborn Skywalker head...lots of it...lots of love." After that declaration, she continued with the gently brushing, as if her son's, black and shoulder with length hair, was made out of glass.
"I'm Solo," barked Ben, like that meant he was too manly and didn't get any cuddles or love. Solo should also mean that you would end up alone, but at least that part was wrong in his father's case and he didn't really know about any other Solos, except him and his father. So maybe Solo didn't mean that after all?
True...dad has mom...I have...or will have...Rey...I hope...
KR: But for how long...? And aren't your parents separated today...?
They are...? When did that happen?!
KR: Around the time you went to the darkside.
My fault...? Why would they get separated then...?
KR: I wonder...why...
They didn't tell me...(pout) No one tells me anything...always the last to know...everything...
KR: Dramaqueen...
I'm going to get them back together!
KR: Right...
For Rey's sake...because she wants family to stay together...
KR: Hmm...
Leia finished the brushing and let his hair fall to one side of his face, before picking up two small pieces of it and holding it in each hand. "You are Solo as well, which is an explosive combination of stubborn...not to mention naughtiness..but also cuteness!"
She gave her son a quick squeeze so he groaned, before she started to braid his hair, by twisting it, so that one piece of hair was on the bottom, while the other went on the top. Then she added a few strands of his hair to the lower piece, before moving the bottom piece up, and the top piece down. A thing she had taught him, so he could braid his and her hair. Ben had noticed how her own hair was unusually messy, since her own braiding had got slightly undone, the only thing holding it in place her hair clasp with the royal emblem for Alderaan. But that messiness, meant she had tried to get there as fast a possible...to help him. Maybe he could help her fix it...later? Like she was trying to fix him...
"Thankfully it's usually enough to threaten him with the brush, to get him to behave, so I have only had use it in the most extreme cases, like when he did something dangerous, illegal or darkside related. Like running away, fighting, stealing or when he blew up bombs in the senate..." His mother calmly continued the same pattern all the way around his forehead, by adding hair to the bottom piece, and flipping each of the pieces as she went along. She curled her hand so the braid would get twisted and braided very slowly, as to not put to much pressure on his head, when he was ill. Ben was thankful for that small gesture.
Luke jumped up at the news of the bombing, despite how relaxed his sister and nephew looked like it was no big deal. He stared at his nephew on her lap, as if he was seeing him a new light, like a hard core criminal. "What! I did not know about that...was he charged for it...?" He looked around, as if he was expecting Ben to be arrested any minute.
His sister shook her head and turned Ben, who got shamefaced, that she was bringing up his past "crimes," to the side on her knee as she braided around his head. "No, he was only nine...and those were prank bombs, filled with slime and paper with the words, the senate kriffing sucks and the empire rules!"
Luke snickered and Ben couldn't help grinning as well.
"It's not funny!" shouted Leia outraged, that both of them found it funny, before going back to the braiding, to take firm control of her son's hair, like his life, since both was completely out of control.
"Awww...come on, I can just imagine the stiff looks of the senators get frozen in fear and shock...and then all covered with slime," Luke sighed contently when imagining that and smirked evilly.
"Yeah, it was funny...but you would have to be there to experience the full glory...and their anger afterwards when they found out it was a prank! I bet all of them had turned dark had they been forcesensetive! They so wanted to kill me!" Ben beamed over the memory, but his happy smile disappeared as soon as his mother shot him a dark, warning look.
"Hehe, yeah I can believe that...stupid boring senators. But, we would have fought them together and defeated them easily." Luke picked up Ben's toy saber from the duffle bag and threw it to Ben, who caught it skilfully with one hand, before he picked up a wooden stick, a thing he had salvaged, for some reason, from his destroyed office.
"In the coolest lightsaber fight the galaxy has ever seen!" said Ben and his eyes shone with excitement, as their "sabers", clashed in a mock duel.
Uncle and nephew sparred and high-fived at the end, like they were suddenly best friend forever.
"Hey! Watch it! Many of those senators are my dear friends. Sit still, while I finish braiding your hair. And you, stop making your nephew overexert himself, he's sick!" scolded Leia, as he kept a tight hold on Ben's locks, to keep him down during his mock fight.
"Sorry...Leia..." said Luke dejectedly and lowered his stick.
"Sorry, mommy..." Ben sat obediently back on her lap and put his toy saber on the bed.
"Sounds to me like you are still enjoying that prank...maybe you need a reminder, why it was not funny..." Leia let go of his hair to tickle his side playfully, until Ben laughed and pleaded for mercy.
"NO! I give up!" He looked at his mom with tears in his eyes, when she stopped the tickle attack. "I'm so sorry...but I can't help it! It was so funny! But not when you caught me...you looked really scary mommy...and you killed me for it." He gulped.
"You...killed him...?" Luke looked between mother and son, like her son was in fact a ghost.
"I didn't kill him and I didn't mean to scare you, sweetie. You should never be afraid of me," said Leia sweetly and kissed her son's head. "And I cuddled you long afterwards, I always do that."
"I know. I'm not afraid of you...but your anger...and that stupid brush...not the one you use on my hair...though, that's one nice," Ben smiled fondly at her, like he always trusted her to keep him safe no matter what.
"I love being nice...to you." muttered his mother, a bit shamefaced she couldn't always do that and was sometimes the source of his fright...or anger.
"I love being nice to you...as well..I can braid your hair when you are done with mine...your braiding is a bit undone..." Ben reached out for a hair lock that was loose and tucked it behind her ear, which made his mother smile gratefully at him.
"Aww...thank you my little angel, but you are sick so I will have to pass on that. What you can do though, is stop being so naughty, so I don't have to punish you. Because I hate that. Can you that for me?" She gazed pleadingly at him, like it was the only thing she truly wanted in the whole galaxy.
"Sworry mamsy...I will...try..." he replied with his smallest voice possible, like he was a toddler again and his mother smiled at the promise.
"Do or do not there is no try," muttered his uncle and Ben ignored him and went back into his mother-son bubble.
"I just want to hug you forever and ever..." his mother said like she was about to give him a hug. "...but now I have to start the braiding all over again, because of your roughhousing." Leia frowned sternly at how his braids had gotten lose and she started to untwist them to get them tight again.
"Sworry mommy...I will be good..." Ben lowered his head a bit sad that she didn't give him a hug instead of doing her job. At least his mom could control his hair, even if she couldn't control him.
"I'm glad to hear that, sweetie," Leia picked up the speed, before either uncle or nephew would distract her again from her work.
"Please, tell me you have it on record somewhere...?" Luke swung the makeshift lightsaber around and suddenly stiffened. "Not the scary Leia part, that's for horror holos...though the cuddling sounded cute...but for the prank..."
"No, sadly..." said Ben, who kicked himself mentally for not having used a droid to film it. Artoo was back at the academy back then, otherwise he could've used him.
"Ah, that's too bad..." Luke was also thinking that it would've been nice if Artoo had filmed it. But, next time Ben would have to let Luke know in advance when he planned on pranking the senators, so he could loan him Artoo as a camera droid.
"It was not funny and I'm not sure if you would have gotten of that lightly, if you weren't my son, since I'm well liked in the senate. You were lucky they only banned you from coming to visit, ever again...and no children is allowed there," said Leia sternly, like she could read both of their naughty minds, as she continued with the braiding.
Lucky children.
KR: See, we did something nice...by being naughty...
That...can happen...I wouldn't tell her that though!
KR: Chicken...
"I'm sworry...mommy..." said Ben in his baby voice.
"You are forgiven sweetie. I just don't want you to turn into a terrorist...not even a funny one. I mean, there is nothing funny about being a terrorist!" she quickly corrected herself.
"I won't! I promise!"
Leia stopped braiding and leaned over to kiss the top of his head. "Good boy."
KR: That's didn't work out so well...
Stop stating the obvious. Mom was well liked and in the front run of becoming the First Senator...until everyone found out she was Vader's daughter...through her friend's betrayal! And then the senate betrayed her...even her so called friends...except maybe one...I think he was even killed! Poor mom...
KR: Yeah, stupid senate. Been there done that. Plus, being Vader's daughter is awesome, but do you know what tops that...?
Do I wanna know...?
KR: Vader's wife!
Sigh...
KR: However being Vader's grandson that's the lowest of the low! You are so below me, kid! You are mine! I rule you! My descendant!
Wait..what? I thought you had prided yourself on being Vader's grandson...for so long...until you found out...
KR: That was when it was me and then I found out something even better! He turned for me!
And killed you...
KR: He didn't mean to...
Oh..really?
KR: He didn't know I hadn't betrayed him but only Stupid Obi-Wan...and he didn't know he had drained the life away from me through out forcebond, through our twins (he didn't even know we had twins!). And he wished for me, when he had put on that sexy Vader suit...
What...sexy...? He could hardly breathe in that thing!
KR: I know...his breathing apparatus turns me on...everything about him does...why do you think my helmet has a similar thing...
Stop right there! I don't want to know anything more! Please! Let's just...get back to the memory...please...I will do anything!
KR: Anything...?
Okay, maybe not...anything...
KR: Hrmp. You know, this bombing prank isn't so funny today after the Napkin bombing incident.
You mean the one...where we...I mean I warned mom...? Does she even know we...I mean I were the one...who warned her beforehand...?
KR: Probably not, as you were supposed to be with your uncle at that time...in training...
I was...but we were traveling and the rising First Order was trying to recruit me for their cause...so I happened to stumble on their plans to blowing up the senate...and managed to warn mom in time, by sending her a napkin with my calligraphy on it...didn't she know it was from me? What the kriff, mom? It was my handwriting!
KR: She will probably blame you for the bombing...since you already tried that once...
Hey! I was nine and it was prank! Not comparable! And I saved her life...I mean in that incident...
KR: I already died once for her, do you see her overwhelming gratitude...? No...
I'm not looking for a gratitude...or a reward...just some...acknowledgement that I did something good...
KR: Once.
Hey, I turned to the light, just now.
KR: That was BAD. From my point of view.
Shut up...
KR: And that mistake will be...fixed...
Please...just...SHUT UP!
"And Luke stop encouraging him. You are supposed to be his role model!" Leia shot her brother a look, without stopping braiding so she did it blindly.
"I'm sorry, but being a Jedi master is so much cooler than being a stupid..." Luke swung his stick around.
"LUKE!" His sister glowered at him and he held his hand up in defeat.
"Sorry...I still don't understand why you didn't want to be Jedi, like me..."
"Because...of the darkside..." Leia bit her lip like she had said to much.
"Darkside...?" asked Ben and Luke swung his stick in high and low arcs.
"True, you have temper," her brother said, as he danced around with his stick.
"But if I have a darkside as well, why am I being trained to be a Jedi, isn't that...risky?" asked Ben, confused by his mother's statement.
"Your case is different sweetie," replied his mother, where her gaze followed Luke's every move, like she was thinking about a counter attack...or how to ambush him.
"How?" Ben noticed how his mother was watching his uncle, so he handed over his toy saber as an offer.
"I have other things to do than waving a stupid lightsaber around," Leia accepted Ben's toy saber in on hand, while still holding firmly onto his locks with another.
"You mean aggressive negotiations?" said Ben with tease, as he watched his uncle so lost in his own world, that he didn't notice that his sister now had a "weapon."
"Yeah..something like that..." then his mother easily disarmed Luke with the tiny saber, who dropped his stick with a shocked expression, all the while she braided Ben's hair with the other hand.
"See, it's so easy. I don't even have to learn this," Leia handed the saber back to Ben, who grinned from ear to ear, in total awe of her.
"Wow, mom! Please be my teacher! You rock!" He rocked in excitement on her lap and swung his toy saber around.
KR: Wow, I'm impressed.
Mom is the coolest!
"Hey...not fair...sister!" Luke pouted over being humiliated like that in fight with untrained forcesensetive and picked up the stick off the ground. "I wasn't ready. I want a real fight! Come on, let's reset!" He took a fighting stance and Ben was ready for another mock fight.
"I sometimes wonder which of you are the bigger child.." mumbled Leia and groaned when she saw that her braiding on Ben had got undone again, so she had to move a few steps back in the braiding to fix it.
"What's up with you men and lightsabers fight!" She growled, even though she had been the one who fought her brother, but mostly because Ben was still swinging his saber around with excitement. "Ben, stop moving."
"Sorry mom." He sat quiet and unmoving on his mother's knee, with his saber on his lap.
"I'm not a child...fine...later then. What did Han think about the bombing prank...?" said Luke, to change the topic from his defeat and put the stick away along with his other relics, as he had lost all interest in it.
"He laughed like you two...until he heard the empire part..." said Leia in a mysterious voice, as she fixed her braiding on Ben's hair, by undoing it and twisting it again.
"What did he do to Ben?" Luke glanced at his nephew and looked as afraid, as if Han had put Ben in carbonite for it and Ben frowned over his uncle's complete wrong image of his father, like he was some kind of a darkside father.
KR: My Vader should've put Luke in carbonite for not joining him...he was going to bring him that way to the emperor anyway. That would've taught stupid Luke not to say no to darkside! Naughty Luke!
Sigh...
KR: My Vader should've put me in carbonite for not joining him!
Erm...what?
KR: Just saying...
What about the children?
KR: Them too...
Creepy...
"Han? Nothing, he never does anything. Always leaves it up to me...unless when Ben has smuggled himself with him and he really has to discipline him...then he does...something..." said Leia and shrugged, when she begun her braiding anew.
"He yelled at me for an hour...like I was trying to restore the empire or something, it was just a joke..." said Ben with a pout and hugged his saber, when thinking of his father's rage when he should've been happy with him, over the fact that the boring senators (not his mom!) got a little fright. Especially since his father loved to make fun of them (except his mom!).
KR: We are trying to restore the Empire.
We weren't at time.
KR: Are you so sure about that...maybe subconsciously...because of your past...I mean mine...
Why? Doesn't make sense, I thought you were mad when the republic died.
KR: I outgrew that nativity after my death and realised the only thing wrong with the empire, was that my Vader and I didn't rule it.
Oh...that's...
"Kind of unfair, since he was in the kriffing Imperial army! He even found uncle Chewie that way!" said Ben and waved his toy saber around. "It's so unfair! He really should love the empire! I mean how else would he have found uncle Chewie? Or met you and uncle..and everyone?"
KR: Yeah!
Hmm...that's...
"He defected and you know he hates the empire," said his mother sternly while braiding, before Ben could convince anyone that the empire was good idea, no matter some of the positive results...like family. Luke agreed with his mother.
"Stop moving," she hissed at Ben.
"I know he hates it...he showed it...to me." Ben gulped, put his toy saber on bed and rubbed his backside.
"Really...?" Leia paused her braiding and looked at her brother, who shared her surprise.
"I thought he never punished you," said Luke in disbelief.
Hold...on never punish...then why did he send me away...for stealing the Falcon?
KR: To make up for all the times he didn't punish you.
Great...
KR: And it was the Falcon.
True...
KR: You are lucky he didn't leave on you Jakku for it...hey maybe that's what happened to Rey!
Shut up...
"He did punish me. He said, no more darkside, empire or terrorism! And smacked me after each word to really hammer the lecture in! Even though I told him Kylo was the one who wrote the empire rules part! Not me."
KR: Hey!
You think the empire rules.
KR: Well, yeah not the point...I also did the senate kriffing sucks.
Wait...that's what you are mad about?
KR: Yeah, it's an important message. Don't take that away from me! Sucks though, that we got punished for telling the truth.
Yeah...
"Dad did hug me long afterwards though...like he had slaughtered me or something...and cried...said he just didn't want to...lose me...to the darkside..." added Ben quickly and hugged his saber like his father had done to him, when he saw their angry looks. He tried to make his father's treatment look somewhat better, even though he thought it was unfair since it was Kylo's fault, like always.
Dad cried...over me? He didn't want to...lose me...? Darkside?
KR: That's because he thought he had hurt me...doesn't care about you...
Eeeh...? That doesn't make any sense...he hates you...
KR: Does not...but everyone hates you...
They don't hate me!
KR: Today...
They...do...not...do they...?
"Of course he did...and stop blaming Kylo for everything, you do," scolded his mother, as that was the one thing she saw wrong with his tale, not his father's punishment and his uncle concurred.
KR: Yeah!
But you still think the empire ruled?
KR: I told you the only thing wrong with it, was that it had the wrong leader...which was my fault...I should have said yes and joined Vader as his empress...and then we would've taken stupid Obi-Wan down together! Or maybe he would've joined the darkside as well...I know he had the hots for me...or Anakin...anyway, then we would have taken the emperor down together! Why...why didn't I just say yes...?
Erm...at that time, you weren't even forcesensetive...so you couldn't have turned to the darkside...or fought...anyone with a lightsaber...only...blaster...
KR: Oh...right...stupid force...why wasn't I forcesensetive back then...? Things would've been different...oh well...we can still do this...with Rey...
I...that sounds hot...so you want...Finn to join us...?
KR: The traitor? You mean, because I called him Obi-Finn? But he isn't even forcesensetive...no, me and Rey is enough.
You mean me and Rey
KR: No me and Vader...Rey...
My Rey.
KR: My Vader.
"But...it was Kylo..." whined Ben and lifted up his saber, sad that neither his mom or uncle, saw anything wrong with being punished for something he didn't do.
"Maybe...but, you must have confused your father by always blaming Kylo. That's why he said those ridiculous words, you are no son of mine, I don't care what you do, in order to reach out to you...which of course didn't work, since you misunderstood everything. You did blame Kylo when you tried to steal the Falcon, right?" said his uncle sternly, like everything wrong in the galaxy was Ben's fault and he confiscated his saber, to Ben's protest and put it back in his duffle bag.
"No, more fooling around," his uncle said sternly and Leia smiled thankful, that Luke had taken charge of the situation.
"So it...was my fault...? You should have seen how mad dad was...like he wanted to kill me..." Ben hugged himself in fright and stared ahead as if he was reliving his anger.
"Of course he wanted to kill you, you tried to steal the Falcon...and run...I mean fly away with it. He hates when you run away," said Luke and thought his twin would agree, but she looked bitter, as she braided Ben's hair and rambled on.
"I still think Han went way too far by saying that. He left you with those cruel words and then just left! Without explaining what he meant. I really wish, he would just have yelled at you or even put you over his knee instead. You were asking for his attention anyway. That would have been swift and over with and then our boy would have gotten the cuddle of a lifetime and he wouldn't have thought his father hated him..."
She turned Ben sideways on her knee so could braid around his head. "But, no, Han, thought that approach was barbaric...which it kind of is...but instead he tried that stupid passive-aggressive, silent treatment method on his innocent child...where did he get that horrible idea? Why did he think that would work? Why didn't he just ground him? Then we wouldn't be in this mess...or at least cuddle you and tell you, how sorry he was for always leaving you behind. Or even take you on father-son trip to get some father-son time, since that was what you wanted in the first place. Not just leave you like that! Stupid Han...always saying the wrong things...never thinks things through...never tell me the odds..."
"You are still mad at him...?" Ben turned to her and gaped over that revelation. His mother had mostly comforted him after he told her what his father said and then send him away to help him with his growing darkside. He had no idea she was furious at his father for saying those words to him. She thought she was only furious at him, for trying to steal the Falcon, especially after she broke his old toy saber and grounded him.
"You bet your ass I am! Especially, since he hasn't called back, even after I let him know our little angel-bandit was sick! He better fix this, like yesterday...!" Leia pumped her fist into the air, making her lose hold on her braiding yet again, so she cursed her husband like it was his fault, that she hadn't finished braiding a long time ago, something with such a little hair length.
"But I thought you couldn't even leave him a voice message. How should he know that Ben is sick?" said Luke and pointed out the error in her logic.
Leia frowned, before starting over with the braiding yet again, as she didn't know the meaning of give up, no matter what the universe said. "You are right...he doesn't know...there better not anything have happened...no there better something have happened to explain this...but nothing too bad..." she rambled as she fixed the braiding.
"I demoted him," said Ben darkly, to stop his mother's ramblings.
"Don't demote your father," deadpanned his mother. "That's rude."
"But, didn't he send me away...?" said Ben, surprised that his mom was so quick to change sides again.
"You ended up here..." said her mother, like that was all there was to the story and went back to braiding, which seemed to calm her more down than Ben.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Ben turned around and hugged her fiercely, like she was thinking about sending him away again, even though they were on the place he was send to originally. But she could send him further away, like to Jakku, but of course then he would have chance to meet Rey...
Leia sighed and let go of his hair braiding to hug him back, since she couldn't do his hair, when he was that way. "You are forgiven...for everything. You have been through so much..." She looked at her brother. "Can you just imagine, if I had just left after those horrible words that I said to my little angel...and I slapped him in anger. How much damage that would do to his soul, well Han did that...except he didn't slap him, but he could've well just done that...Ben was so hurt by his words. Not to mention if you Luke, would have left Ben after you nearly killed him. Think about how disastrous that would have been!" She rubbed her son's back to calm him down.
"I would never do a thing like that," said Luke insulted, like he would never make a wrong decision ever in his life.
KR: He hid on a island from me...
You know he is hiding on island?
KR: No, it was just an expression...I think...do I know where he is...? Maybe I don't need a map to find the Last Jedi after all! The answer is right inside my brain!
You mean...mine...
KR: Give me the map!
I don't have it!
KR: You suck! Get us out of her so we can get the map from that stupid droid!
You have it the other way around! You get us out of here!
KR: I can't...
Can't...or won't...?
KR: Not telling.
Jerk.
KR: You're jerk!
His mother sighed, as if she didn't really believe that. "Anyway, Han was really sorry and I really hope he learned from that stupid mistake and next time..."
"Next time...?" Ben looked up at this mother in her embrace, hoping that this meant he was going home soon.
"No, you are right, there won't be any next times, you will behave for now on, right?" She gazed down at him seriously.
"Of course, mom...but when will I go home...?" said Ben with eyes, big as porg-eyes.
"I will call him again," said Luke like that would answer that question and fetched the holoviewer.
I'm Solo. I'm Han Solo...
Little holo Ben appeared to sing and dance, meaning at least they had gotten into a voicemail so at least the com-link was finally turned on.
His mother awed first at the dancing form and looked at her son, who wanted to disappear into the ground because of the mortification, especially since she asked if she could get a upgraded version of it, now when he was older, which he refused and said he would rather drink three bottles of stink fish oil.
She frowned deeply both at her son's refusal and at the message his father left so carelessly and waited until after the beeb to deliver her own message in a ice cold voice:"Han, you better call the minute you get this message. Our son is deadly sick and in great pain and needs our help desperately. I'm staying with him for the moment. Hoping that it will make him feel better and we can bring him back before it's too late. That is our only hope."
KR: That was dramatic...
A bit of revenge for she couldn't reach dad right away...I guess...
KR: She is a true Skywalker...drama and revenge...
That's not all we do...we also help people...
KR: When it suits you...and just your own...
Hey, you are Skywalker as well! I mean...if you are...
KR: I'm Vader.
Huh?
KR: That is my only family.
Sigh...
"Mom...wasn't that a bit excessive...it's just a cold I think...and I can't uncle just fix it with the force..?" Ben frowned at Luke, like he was to blame for his cold...and everything.
"No, I can only fix visible wounds and as long as they are not deadly. Sickness must be treated with medicine. In fact..your sickness might be more than just a normal cold," said Luke seriously.
"Oh...?" His mother looked shocked, that there might have been some truth in her words to Han after all.
"I just read..." Luke held up an ancient book that somehow had escaped Little Kylo's slaughter. "That after dipping into the darkside, you will experience some cold symptoms, high fever, headache, dizziness, excetra. Kind of like withdrawal symptoms."
"Is it dangerous?" Leia looked at her son with worry, who grew worried as well.
"No...he just need to rest and not to go back to the darkside and back from it...because the sickness will get more dangerous the deeper you were in darkside before you turned to the light...in fact one could get stuck inside his head...forever..." said Luke dramatically. "Since the darkside will do everything to take over again."
Oh...
KR: Ah...
So it's your fault!
KR: NOT MY FAULT! I SWEAR!
Somehow...I don't believe that...
"Well, my baby is not going to just juggle back between light and dark, he knows better," said Leia sternly and went back to her braiding. "In fact, he will not go to the dark at all! Or else..." She patted the hairbrush by her side in warning and glanced at her son, who gulped.
KR: You are in trouble!
Shut up...I know that...
"I promise I won't turn back...but if by any chance that did happen...is there any cure...for this darkside sickness?" asked Ben tentatively so his mom wouldn't get mad at him for even thinking about the possibility. He wanted to be prepared for everything, even an unknown future with the light and dark.
His mother huffed, but didn't comment further on it, as it never hurt to be prepared.
"It must come from the outside...someone must want to save you...another strong forcesensetive...and bring you back," replied Luke with certainty, like he knew how this worked from experience.
"Oh...how can he...or she save me...?" Ben looked at the pillow on his bed, with Rey's smiling face and back at his uncle. "Or I her?"
"You have to enter the head of the "patient"...and the further you were in the darkside...the more drastic measure your saviour must take..." said Luke, who doubted a pillow or some imaginary girl could ever save him, or that he had to save her in turn.
"Like what...?" Ben gazed at his uncle, like he held all the answers in the galaxy.
"Luke, stop with those ghost stories. My son will just get frightened for no reason," scolded Leia, without stopping braided her son's hair. Unlike her brother who wanted to look to the future, she was here and now and didn't want to worry about what ifs.
"But I want to know mom, if I don't know, I will stay up all night and try to come up with a solution," said Ben, who just like his uncle was constantly thinking about what ifs.
"Okay, then. Only tell him that and no more." Leia kept on braiding, she was going to finish it, no matter what, even if a full scale war would suddenly begin.
"I don't know anything more...I think...she would have to convince you...or drag you back," said Luke, deep in thought.
"That doesn't sound so...drastic," said Ben disappointed and his mother agreed.
"Or kiss you," said Luke with a grin.
"What...?" Leia stared at her brother and Ben dropped his jaw in shock and gaped at the pillow.
What!
KR. Please don't tell me we are stuck here, just because you want Rey to kiss you!
Hey! First of I didn't know about this and second of all! NO, I'm trying to get out of here!
KR: So you don't want her to kiss you...?
I never said that! I want her to kiss me but not under those circumstances!
KR: We don't even know if she is strong enough to get in here...she is untrained...
That is right...but she is so powerful...
KR: Hmm...my Vader...
No Rey.
"Yes, the kiss of destiny. But you have to love each other, of course, for it work. Not anyone can just kiss a former darksider and hope he comes back," said Luke, like he was reading children's story.
Love each other...
KR: Ah, then it won't work with Rey.
Why do you say that?
KR: Because you barely know each other? Why would she want to save you...? I mean, she doesn't even know you have been fantasizing about her since you were child...drooling over a pillow with her picture on it...
Hey, don't make our love sound like something impure!
KR: I didn't...this just like how Pre-Vader was about me...not sure about the pillow though...and you all know that turned out...and Rey is...or rather was...
Erm...at least Rey, would want to bring me back to my family.
KR: Sure...but this kissy thing to bring you back, doesn't work unless she WUVS you.
Oh right...just my luck I had to get stuck in here...before that could happen...
KR: Yes...luck...
"Sounds like fairytale to me...are you sure you are not making this up?" said Leia irrated, that her brother was putting, yet again, more idiotic things into her son's innocent head.
"Hey! Our father told me this!" shouted Luke, like their father would never tell a lie and frowned at his sister for even suggesting it.
"Anakin...? Now, I know you are making this up!" Leia huffed, as she really though more of Bail Organa as her father, shook her head and focused on finishing braiding her son's hair.
"No, this is Jedi stuff," said Luke insulted that his sister always made light of everything Jedi related, even though it was also part of her heritage...her bloodline.
He talked to grandfather's ghost? Then Rey can't be him...or Vader...
KR: Vader is separate...and Luke is talking about this...before Rey was born...
Oh...so...I'm still stuck with that possibility...
KR: Yub.
Stupid Snoke...messing with my mind...how can we get out of here?!
KR: I don't know...
Liar...
"Why is grandfather so knowledgeable about the darkside?" Ben looked at his uncle, since he knew his mother would never answer or didn't want to.
"Because your grandfather...was a Jedi...and his friend...erm who became his enemy, you know the one who killed him...and your grandmother, went to the darkside," stammered his uncle and looked at Leia, like she could censor him with her glare.
KR: Hrmp...
"So...grandfather tried to kiss him? To bring him back?" Ben glanced between his Rey pillow at his uncle, curious over that new information.
Luke looked startled by that suggestion. "NO! I saved him...I mean...not your grandfather...but the other erm guy...his former friend."
"By kissing him?" said Ben and his mother laughed over her brother's embarrassment and kept on braiding.
"No...familial love saves too, without kissing, just love. Love is the key ingredient, so not just..." said Luke in his best teacher-voice.
"Familial? But he was just a friend of grandfathers...?" Ben stared at his uncle, who backed away and gulped when looking at her sister stern frown. "Don't you dare."
"Yeah...but erm...like I said..." Luke glanced between his sister and nephew, trapped.
"No more questions!" yelled Leia in her emergency voice, as if Ben had just opened a forbidden box.
"But I need to know!"
"No, Ben. This enough for tonight. You are too young for this," said his mother and braided his hair, as she continued to control what he could know and do.
"Your mother is right." Luke smiled relieved, thankful for the saving.
Familial? Ah, because of the father son thing...
KR: Ah...if Rey is your sister or cousin...she could save you!
Erm...I don't want that...relation...
KR: You would rather be stuck in here...forever...? Without Rey...in any shape or form...? Rather then she could...be related to you?
No...
KR: And there is a slight possibility that she could in fact be your sibling...or cousin...I told you about that...
Kriff! I forgot! I have to worry about that later...how will we get out of here...? Rey is not coming.
KR: I think this is leading somewhere...this can't go on forever...
You think?
Ben huffed and pouted that he was always too young for everything. "Fine...can you at least call dad back and leave a message that I'm not on my deathbed?"
"No, your father must learn the hard way, so he will stop turning his com-link off. And I have just the right medicine for you... " His mother twisted the very end of the braid, until it was like a rope. " "...because braiding strengthens your mind, body and spirit, plus it is the symbol of your spiritual strength and health." Then Ben felt her tuck the hair-rope under a existing braid underneath. At last she took out her own hair clasp to secure his braiding into place, like she was marking him as her own and the property of Alderaan, since it had the royal emblem, the upside-down triangle made of interlacing curves.
Leia squealed with delight with the finish work. "You are so cute! My little queen." His mother handed him a mirror in the bag so he could see and held another one behind his head, so he could admire the whole braiding.
"Thanks mom..." Ben viewed his dark twisted crown braid in the mirrors. The tight finished braid went all the way from his forehead, around his right ear, to his neck, to his left ear, and then to his forehead again. He was only wearing black pyjamas which didn't fit the elegant hairstyle in any way, so he frowned at the work, not because it wasn't spectacular, but because he didn't recognise himself and felt as if he was looking at another person...in another life. The only thing that was missing, was a regal dress...not that he wanted a dress! Not anymore...at least...people would make fun of him...and he didn't want a dress!
KR: Alderaanian royal braid! Called it! Impressive work...especially since you don't really have that much hair to work with...as a child...
What...how do you...? I mean, you know the ones from Naboo...but how come you know...I mean mom taught me...not you...
KR: They were very famous. You barbarian. Plus it's part of your heritage...even though it's lost...
Because of Vader..
KR: NO TARKIN! My Vader did not blow up Alderaan! He didn't like the Death Star one bit! He hated it!
That's where you draw the line...?
KR: Yes, you don't destroy beautiful things!
But you destroyed the beautiful Jedi relics...
KR: That was just some stupid Jedi stuff. On the other hand, Alderaan was a very beautiful place...like Naboo and Chandrila are...why didn't they blow up Tatooine or something...oh wait...Luke wouldn't have wanted that...can you imagine, him even whining more...? Leia didn't whine although her home planet got blown up, right in front of her, so strong. But what about Jakku? Then Rey would never have been left there...
You idiot! Then she would never have been born!
KR: How do you know...do you know who her parents are? Who says they lived on Jakku?
To be fair...I don't know anything about her family...
KR: In this life...
Next up: Embarrassing torture of the past...
We never found who warned Leia of the Napkin bombing incident in Bloodline, but I pretty sure it was Ben...since it never gets answered. We are supposed to think it's another character, but that is never confirmed and apparently Rian Johnson helped Claudia Gray with that incident (the twitter has now deleted that evidence) Very suspicious...
