The day came and went without any great fanfare. The fate of a man's life was announced in a single breath. And that was it. Life went on, and nobody cared. Nobody would be sad to see him gone. Except them. The Solo-Organa family. Poe sat next to Dara, their arms touching, and their hands just brushing. They had had to travel to Coruscant yet again, for the trial of Kylo Ren. It was a big event, and Dara appeared to the galactic Republic as the Queen of Alderaan. She dressed in black, her face painted very white. Her white hair was designed in an orderly array around her beautiful face. Her gown was simple, but large. There was a certain duplicity to Dara. There was the Jedi woman whom he loved for her strong sense of humanity, and there was the Queen, who was supreme in her power. But Poe knew her. These parts of her identity all blended together to make one astonishing human being. And she sat stiffly beside him, with her mother on the other side, staring at her brother from afar. His death was announced to thunderous applause. At that, Dara stood an left, her long black robes trailing behind her. The General didn't even look after her daughter. Her eyes were fixed on her son who would soon be lost to her forever.

Poe caught up to Dara, who walked much faster than him thanks to her long legs, outside. The sun shone obnoxiously bright. Poe thought that it should be raining on such a horrible day. But he knew that in other parts of the city, people were basking in the sun and laughing. But Dara looked like she would never laugh again. He gently took her elbow, and looked up into her heavily powdered face. It was like a mask, smooth and perfect. But her eyes gave her away. The tears that swam there threatened to spill out. But she was as still as a statue, her face like marble didn't move.

"What can I do?" Poe asked, knowing that asking her if she was okay would be a redundant inquiry.

"Walk with me." she said, every bit the queen. In times of great sorrow when people could see her, she would fall back on being the queen, and hide it all away. Poe started to walk, guiding Dara. For all her appearances of composure, she was a shambling mess, with no direction. He took her to a park that he had once been sent to to look for her. He realised with a jolt that that was almost a year ago. The cherry blossoms were in bloom again. He guided her to a bench, and helped her to sit. The pair of them received odd looks. A Princess in her outlandish regalia and a simply dressed commander of the Resistance forces. They were unlikely bench-mates.

"I have lost him. For good this time. I can't save him once he's dead." Her hand had the lightest of tremors, as did her voice. "People will never see the good person that he once was. They will only ever see the monster he became. And they will celebrate his death." He could almost feel the guilt radiating from her. Guilt that she didn't deserve.

"His fate is not your fault. Your brother made choices, and you did absolutely everything in your power to stop him, to turn him around. But there is only so much we can do. He didn't meet you halfway and turn things around. He has only himself to blame for the position he is in." Poe couldn't even begin to grasp what it was like to be related to someone who took a wrong turn in life and who never turned back. Watching someone you love self-destruct, and no matter how hard you try, you can't do anything about it. It must have been a strange and unusual kind of torture.

"He was led astray. But this is fault. He could have left. He didn't have to follow Snoke. He could have stayed with me! He never should have left me!" Dara said, angrily, tears now starting to cut tracks through the white makeup on her face. Poe didn't care at this point how the people stared at them, or who knew about them. He put an arm around her, and held her close.

"None of this is your fault." He spoke with a bit more certainty, with more strength in his voice. She nodded, and surprisingly she had a small smile.

"I know. I know. But I mourn him. Who he used to be. But my life must and will go on." She nestled her face into the crook of his neck. "And I have you." His arm tightened around her for a moment.

"You do. You always will."

He had a fierce love for her. He loved others in his life, he knew that. He had never been the sort of person to keep his love to only one. But he would only be with her if it made her happy. He was happy being with her, and she wasn't quite ready for the way he loved people. Maybe she never would be. But he would be just for her for a time. He felt exceptionally protective of her, even though she had an army at her beck and call. Even though she was the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. Poe knew, that despite how strong you were, sometimes you just needed help. And he would help her any way he could.

"While this is the death of my brother, it is the first great step to galactic liberation. We are turning the tables on the First Order. And we will win! We will be free! And we will give them the fight of the century!" He was glad to hear some of the fire returning to her voice. She stood, patting the tears from her face delicately. She had an air about her that commanded respect that Poe had always admired. Her mother was the very same. He supposed he could call it a regal bearing. Joining her again for a walk around the park, she clung to his arm tightly, even though it was far below her.

"This is the first place I saw you, you know." There was a tone of amusement in her voice.

"Really? I thought it was love at first sight in the bar." he said, dryly. She didn't laugh, but she looked amused.

"My mother knew me well to send you here to me." She stopped beneath a cherry blossom tree, the gently petals just lightly brushing her head. There were times he realised just how tall she was.

"Well, little does your mother know what happened from sending me here to find you." Poe reached up, giving her a very gently kiss, probably plastering himself in all the makeup she wore. A small laugh escaped her now, against his lips.

"Of course she knows." Poe was gripped with unreasonable blind panic. She knew? She knew that Poe and Dara were together? He felt like he was going to pass out. "She's not blind Poe. She sees how we look at each other." Poe was lost for words. What was he meant to say? He was still gripped with cold hard panic. "Don't worry. She approves. I think some part of her feels like you are the type of son that she never got to have. She thinks you take care of me and ground me. All in all, she just wished it had happened sooner, apparently." Poe stared blankly at Dara, still struggling to make sense of this and to form words.

"Did your mother, my General, groom me to be your perfect match? Did she send me, on purpose?"

"She trusted you the most with me." Dara shrugged. "All in all, we can stop pretending around her for your benefit. She knows." Poe would have to think long and hard about this.

"Well at least I don't have to worry about her finding out and murdering me anymore." It was some relief to have the big bad secret gone and out of the way. At last.

"Oh I wouldn't stop worrying just yet. She may yet still have you killed." He followed after her, as she had moved away, asking her what she meant in great panic. Even though the inevitable had happened and the galaxy would celebrate her family being torn apart, Dara was happy to know that she had a future, and that she had done everything she could have done. With the regrettable and inevitable loss of her brother, there would be nothing to stand in Dara's way, or in General Organa's way to stop them from taking the First Order by storm. And Poe would be beside all of them, fighting tooth and nail for this piece of happiness he was enjoying in the Park with his love, Dara Varana.