-Mistake-
Allana has a history of having visions, so the family-and the Jedi in general, knowing her identity as the future queen of not only Hapes but of the Order-takes her dreams seriously. This one, fortunately, is just a simple bad dream, a recall to a camping trip Jaina had taken with Tenel Ka and Allana the year before and some poachers had injured Anji.
Still, she brings Allana to her quarters and tucks her into bed so that she has family close to comfort her. Jaina remembers all too well the time separated from her mother as a child, half-raised by Winter Celchu because of constant kidnapping attempts or death threats. She knows what it's like for Allana to be away from her mother, though Jaina's separation from Leia was never this long, and she had her brothers at the time.
"Did I wake you?" Allana asks, as Jaina slips under the covers. Anji sprawls across the foot of the bed, four eyes blinking sleepily, a rumble Jaina assumes is a purr emerging from the massive animal.
"When?"
"When I commed you."
Jaina shakes her head. "Nope."
"But it's the middle of the night."
"I was talking to Kyp."
Allana's grey eyes narrow in a way Jaina remembers Jacen doing, and for once, her niece's resemblance to her father doesn't cause a pang of grief. "In the middle of the night? Are you guys dating?"
Jaina grins. "Remember how we couldn't tell anyone who you were, and you were Amelia? Well, this needs to be the same kind of secret for a while, because . . . Jag and I didn't have a good break-up, and he doesn't like Kyp much."
"You guys got divorced, though. Why would he be mad if you start dating? You're not married anymore."
"Because Jag isn't rational when it comes to Kyp. Yes, Kyp and I are seeing each other. I guess he's my boyfriend." That seems really silly to say now. When she was nineteen and he was thirty-three, sure, but she's thirty-six and he's fifty. "You know that Jag is Emperor Fel now, right?"
Allana nods.
"Well, as Emperor Fel, if Jag thinks that I broke up with him so I could be with Kyp, he might get mad enough to . . . make a mistake like come after the Jedi."
A mistake would be an understatement. Colossal blunder is more accurate.
"Why would he do that?"
"Because Jag already asked Chief of State Daala once to extradite Kyp to the Empire because of something Kyp did when he was a little younger than Ben."
The girl nods. "Master Durron said that he did some bad things when he was young and people don't like him for it."
"When did he tell you that?"
She shrugs. "Last month? I talked to him and he said he did bad things and Grandpa helped him. And he said he loves you."
Jaina smiles. She can't help it. These days, when she thinks of Kyp, it's with a broad grin and a flutter in her stomach. "I love him."
"Finally! Are you gonna get married?"
She laughs. "Maybe. We haven't talked about it. We've only been together a few weeks."
"Did I help?"
Jaina ruffles her niece's hair. "You sure did, kiddo. Now go to sleep. You have classes tomorrow. You may be the future queen, but you also have a quiz in Tionne's class."
Anji shifts to settle her big head on Allana's feet with a whump and a contented growl. Jaina rolls to turn the lamp off. As she does, she sees a message on her datapad from Kyp.
Love you, Goddess. K.
She goes to sleep with a smile on her face.
