This chapter contains some off-page moments from my Clone Wars X Encanto crossover "Legend of the Jedi Princess 2: A Skywalker-Jinn Miracle"
Just to warn you, this chapter is a bit of a tear-jerker.
Hope you enjoy.
Songs:
1. Athena's Song from "Ariel's Beginning"
2. "You'll be in My Heart" Glenn Close & Phil Collins version
You know how when your family moves to a strange new world, and you want to just go back to your old home more than anything else? Well, at one point Boba did want that, and eventually he got it, but not in the way he expected.
Boba, though initially on a revenge quest when a Jedi killed his father in battle, he eventually warmed up to them when another Jedi and his wife took him in and decided to love and raise him as their own. For the last two-and-a-half years, he had a loving family who took care of him, and that just kept growing. He had a dad again, and a mom, a little sister, cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents too.
Recently, he and his family moved into the Naboo Palace since they were now a royal family, but like a lot of kids his age, Boba was facing a bit of an identity crisis. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life, and he wasn't sure how he fit in with a family full of people with magical powers, at least, the members on his father's side had magic. Padme's side had no magic at all. But, Boba was the only child in his branch of the family with no magic, and he felt so... different.
For the last year, Boba tried to figure out who he was, starting with finding a sense of style. He wasn't too crazy about fashion, but he saw a lot of kids dying their hair, so he decided to try it too, and got blue streaks added to his hair. He liked how it looked, but he didn't really feel any different. Being the only adopted member of the family, he wasn't sure what he could do. He wasn't classically trained as a royal, a musician, or a Jedi either. His sister was the future queen of Naboo, his father was becoming a Jedi Master soon, his aunt and uncle were famous musicians, and his grandpa was the king of Solaris. So, what could an adopted child in a royal family, a former bounty hunter do?
People told Boba he was still young and had time to figure out who he wanted to be. He had a loving family, a nice home, lots of friends who loved him, got a good education, and he even had a girlfriend he was sure he'd probably marry someday. He should've been happy, right? But, not knowing what career he'd have, what his purpose was... that made him depressed.
Then one day, Boba was shocked when his family had him gather in the basement with news that they'd learned someone was looking to take all the magic of what remained of Solaris' royal family, and there was only one way to protect it.
"We must transfer all of our magic... to you." Qui-Gon had said.
Boba had always wondered what it would feel like to be able to use magic, even just for a day to see how much fun it would be. But... not like this, especially after what his mother said carrying all that magic meant.
"It means you have to go away for a while. Without any of us."
Boba would never forget the tears in his mother's eyes as she said that. No mother wants to be forced to send her child away, even if it's the only way to keep them safe. And then his adoptive father stepped in.
"We all know this will be hard, son." Anakin said. "It's hard for us too. This'll be the hardest thing we ever do. And it may be the most important thing you ever do for your whole family. Right now, your lack of magic is exactly the advantage we need to save the Galaxy."
Boba still felt reluctant to do it, so his family gave him a special gift to make the parting a little easier.
"This was gonna be for your birthday," said Anakin, taking something out. "But now seems like a better time to give you this.
Anakin pulled up the sleeve from Boba's wrist and put a bracelet on the boy. It was made with a light blue rope and had a japor snippet charm like the one on Gabby's necklace that she'd received for her third birthday. Boba's bracelet had green and blue beads on it.
"This japor snippet will bring you good fortune, and serve as a reminder that no matter what, no matter how far apart we are, you're part of this family, and always will be."
Boba let a few tears fall as his parents pulled him into another hug. Everyone in his family hugged him too. Probably the hardest hug was with his little sister. He would never forget the sound of her trying to hold back her crying when she pressed her face into his chest. Of all the members of the family, Gabby and Boba were closest, like brothers and sisters should strive to be.
And then, the spell was cast. All the magic was transferred to Boba. For a moment, he felt like he was going to explode, and this tingling sensation filled his entire body with more adrenaline than any roller coaster ride or crazy ship ride with Anakin he'd ever experienced.
"Crescent? You ready?" Caroline asked.
"Yes, Your Highness." Crescent said, grabbing a backpack that was packed for Boba. "Everything you'll need is in here, Boba. Fuzzy is in there too. Don't worry."
Boba looked at his parents once more.
"Time to go." Anakin said sadly.
Boba walked with Crescent, both of them donning dark cloaks to avoid being recognized. The boy and the horse exited through the back door of the palace so Crescent could take off and fly somewhere far away to run. Boba looked back at the palace as it got smaller and smaller. It felt like forever until Crescent landed and then used his magical horse shoes to a secret location where there were thick forests in the dark of night.
The plan was to pass Boba from guardian to guardian so he would be going from place to place, in order to make it difficult for the enemy to find him. And they naturally chose one group they knew had a flawless success rate as the first guardians.
Boba looked up as Crescent stopped where there landed a ship the former had never seen before. And out from that ship came some new faces, as well as one familiar. Echo looked much better now, but Boba didn't recognize any of the others. He'd seen clones with different hairstyles, but two of these clones looked a lot thinner than the other clones, and one looked very big and brawny.
"Boba, meet the Bad Batch." Crescent introduced.
"So... this is the clone who became a prince." Hunter said, looking at the boy.
"Um... pretty much." Boba said nervously.
Hunter introduced the others to Boba.
"You've grown since I last saw you." Echo said, ruffling Boba's hair.
Boba groaned. Why no one would stop messing with his hair every time they saw him, he may never know. Everyone told him it was because he was cute, so that made him start to understand how Gabby said being cute could be frustrating at times.
"Your parents filled us in on everything."
"Ready for your hardest job yet?" Crescent said.
"Babysitting?" groaned Crosshair.
"Protecting a prince." Crescent corrected. He gently nudged Boba to get closer to the Bad Batch. "Make sure you take good care of him. And make sure he has Fuzzy at bedtime. He can't sleep without his lion."
"Crescent! Ix-nay on the ion-lay." Boba groaned through his teeth, his face turning red from embarrassment.
"Don't be embarrassed." Hunter said. "Wrecker has a stuffed animal too."
"Hey, leave Lula out of this!" Wrecker whined.
Crescent gave Boba one last nuzzle. "One of us will come get you when it's safe." He promised. "Be good for the Bad Batch."
And with that, Crescent flew off, and Boba was escorted onto the Bad Batch's ship to be relocated.
Boba sat down on the ship as they took off. He looked at the bracelet his parents gave him and felt tears start to fill his eyes.
Meanwhile, back on Naboo...
The magical members of the royal family were all still filled with exhaustion after transferring their magic to Boba. Remix, Carousella, and Sapphire aided Padme and Caroline in getting everyone back upstairs to rest. With no magic and only the Force as a source of protection, they would need all the rest they could get.
Padme lay Gabby down in her bed and pulled a blanket over her.
"Mommy? Is Boba going to be okay?" Gabby asked worriedly.
"I hope so, Sweetie." Padme said. She put a hand on her stomach, knowing she had another miracle of life growing inside her now; stress was the last thing she or anyone in the family needed now. "Right now, I imagine how I feel now is similar to how your grandfather Qui-Gon felt when he had to give up the twins to keep them safe. But, at least we know Boba is going to be with people who will take care of him and protect him until it's safe for him to come home."
"Can he call us?"
"I'm afraid not, Sweetie. We can't be in any kind of contact with your brother until the threat to our family is stopped. This is a matter of safety for more than just us. The whole galaxy may be depending on us, and unfortunately, we all had to make a hard sacrifice."
Padme tried not to show it, but she had tears in her eyes right now; her little boy was out there by himself, probably terrified that he wasn't with his mom or dad, and going who-knows-where. No mother ever wanted to be forced to send her child away, even if it was to protect them.
Padme kissed Gabby's head and tearfully left the room, but Gabby couldn't sleep.
Gabby climbed out of her bed and walked down the hall to Boba's room. The bed had not been made yet; that was typical of Boba. Gabby missed him so much already; she and her brother hadn't been apart in a long time, and this time she didn't even have an estimated time for when Boba would come home. Naturally, Gabby climbed up into her brother's bed, when Remix suddenly came in.
"What are you doing in here?" the girl and unicorn asked at the same time.
"I wanted to be here." Gabby said. "I miss Boba, so I wanted to sleep here in his bed tonight."
Remix looked at Gabby and saw she was sad; he understood how she felt; Boba was his rider and his best friend, and he felt bad that he couldn't go with him wherever he was going. Remix had no idea when he would see his boy again, but he did know one thing. Earlier, when Remix gave him that last muzzle, Boba whispered in Remix's ear, "Take care of my sister for me." And Remix intended to honor that commitment.
Remix got Gabby to lie down, and pulled the blanket over her with his mouth.
"You know, Boba told me that he didn't listen to a lot of music, but his dad did sing him one song when he was little, the only song he ever knew." Remix said.
"He never told me." Gabby said.
"He wanted to. Boba told me sometime before all this happened he was gonna teach it to you, but he felt nervous about singing it. So, he sang it in front of me first. So, I'll sing it to you."
Remix made sure Gabby was comfortable and began to sing.
Remix:
La, la, la , la, la, la, la,
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
Oh, the waves roll low
And the waves roll high
And so it goes
Under the bright blue
Endless Sky
Waves try to measure
The days that we treasure
Wave hello
And wave goodbye
Gabby listened intently as Remix sang; that song was so beautiful, and it seemed to fit with Boba perfectly. Ever since Boba learned how to swim, he felt a stronger connection with the water, it being a reminder that Kamino would always be the first home he ever knew, and somehow it helped him feel connected to his birth father's memory. She would let that lullaby stick in her heart forever, and she would sing it to him when she saw him again.
Remix sighed as he watched Gabby drift off to sleep. He made himself comfortable on a pillow on the floor so he could sleep next to the bed and watch over his rider's little sister. He wasn't a royal guard like his cousins, but he was a good friend who kept his promises.
"Be safe, Boba." Remix said, looking at the moon outside the window.
Now, Boba was sitting in the Marauder, not knowing how long he would be gone, or when or if he would see his family again.
Boba started to cry after a while, and Mini-R2 tried to cheer him up. Key word: tried. Normally, when he cried, someone in his family would jump in and find a way to help him stop crying. Padme or Gabby would hug and kiss him, Anakin would also hug him and stroke his hair like he did for Gabby since she was a baby, Carmine would play him a song and get him up and dancing, and Qui-Gon would share words of wisdom with him, but if that didn't work, he'd start a tickle fight. But, it seemed even Boba's stuffed lion couldn't stop his crying in this depressing time.
Nothing Boba did to distract himself worked. And then, his train of thought was broken when he heard Tech speak.
"We're nearing our final destination."
"Buckle up, kid." Hunter said. "We'll be landing at your new home for the time being."
"Where is this 'new home'?" Boba asked.
"A place you should be familiar with." Tech said. "Your old home planet."
Boba was filled with disbelief. "Kamino? Why would my family send me there?"
"Based on our knowledge of this Lady Morpha character, she never attacks water worlds. Since the vast majority of Kamino is oceans and it rains for a majority of the year, it is highly unlikely she would even set foot there."
Hunter placed a hand on Boba's shoulder.
"We promised your family we'd keep you safe, and that's what we're gonna do."
Boba wasn't sure what to think as the Marauder landed, and everyone started to exit the Marauder.
"Come on, kid. Let's get a move on." Crosshair said, noticing Boba wasn't moving.
Boba was startled out of his thoughts and began moving quickly... until he noticed grass growing underneath his boots.
"Uh oh. Grass." Boba said. He was definitely not prepared for this.
But as Boba got nervous, briars started to grow, and grey clouds started to form in the room.
"Boba, calm down." Hunter said.
"Clear skies, clear skies." Boba told himself, mimicking what Anakin did whenever his plant power got crazy.
Boba started breathing heavily to calm himself down, and the clouds and plants slowly disappeared.
The Batchers looked at each other. They knew almost nothing about magic, much less how to control it.
Fortunately, Qui-Gon left instructions in Boba's bag of how to look after him and help him control the magic in him.
Boba couldn't sleep that night. Even singing a lullaby to himself couldn't stop his crying. It didn't help that blue flowers started to grow everywhere.
Even the Batchers' beds weren't safe from the flowers, including Hunter's. Unfortunately, he seemed to get ones that were particularly full of pollen. Being one with heightened senses, that included having a sensitive nose... one that got an allergic reaction to too much pollen.
"Achoo!" Hunter woke right up.
Hunter kept sneezing over and over and eventually woke up his brothers.
"Hey, what's with the sneezing?" Wrecker whined after being disturbed, and accidentally making Crosshair roll out of bed.
"Ouch!" Crosshair groaned. "Remind me again why I have to share a bed with Wrecker?"
With Boba taking over Crosshair's bed, Crosshair had to share a bed with one of the others.
"Because you complained about Tech snoring." Echo said.
"Doesn't explain-Achoo! all these flowers- Achoo!" Hunter said, sneezing more. "In my be-choo!"
Hunter blew his nose into a piece of cloth.
"Sorry, that's my fault." Boba said, sniffling.
Something immediately told Echo Boba wasn't sniffling because he was allergic like Hunter. It'd been a long time since he'd seen any kids, but he remembered all too well he'd seen Gabby crying before for all kinds of reasons when she was much smaller. Echo was also smart enough to know people of all ages cried, even grownups. Females tended to be fine with it, but most guys Echo saw tended to hide tears, it often being perceived as a sign of weakness. But, Anakin Skywalker, a strong, tough Jedi, even he cried sometimes when he was sad or hurt, or when he watched a sad scene in a movie. That just showed he had a heart underneath that tough exterior.
Echo had lost many brothers in the war, and knew all too well how much it hurt to lose someone he loved. Boba, however, unlike the other clones, he got a family with more than just siblings, and now he wasn't sure if he was going to see them again. Echo didn't know what it was like to have a family like Boba's, but being forced away from the people he loved the most sounded like it was probably ten times worse than watching his brothers die in battle. In battle, Echo could at least put an effort in to protect the others, but Boba was being taken far away and couldn't be around to do anything, much less know if his family was handling his absence well.
Echo recalled how shocked he was when he learned Anakin had magic like Gabby did. It made sense though; her powers had to come from somewhere, and one of her parents was the best guess.
"Homesick?" Echo said.
"Maybe." Boba wiped his eyes again.
Boba honestly didn't know how he was supposed to feel at this point. This used to be his house not that long ago, but then he eventually moved into a beautiful penthouse apartment with a new family, and then recently into a palace. Now, he was back in his old house, so he should've felt some security, right? Well, he didn't. A roof over his head, that's all it was. A home was where you feel safe, secure, and most of all... you feel happy. And Boba found he felt that whenever he was with his family. In any family member's arms, close to their hearts, he felt at home, loved, and secure. So, it didn't matter to him if he was living in some fancy penthouse, a marble palace, or even a castle made entirely out of gold with diamond chandeliers and thoroughbred horses; all the riches in the galaxy meant nothing if it meant Boba had to be without his loved ones.
"It's okay, kid." Echo said. "No shame in missing your family."
Boba still had tears in his eyes though, he felt like crying, but didn't want to do it in front of his biological brothers.
"It's okay. Let it out."
Soon, Boba couldn't hold back anymore and broke down into a fit of depression. That motivated Echo to pull Boba closer to him. Wrecker also got up and joined in a group hug. The strong hug reminded Boba a little bit of Qui-Gon's teddy bear hugs. It seemed to soothe Boba's crying a little bit, and Hunter came into join in on the hugging too. Seeing as his brothers were doing it, Tech decided to join in as well. Group hugs were not exactly part of their training, but it appeared effective in soothing Boba's crying.
"Get in here, Crosshair." Wrecker said, grabbing the grumpiest clone.
"Wrecker!" Crosshair groaned, reluctantly being squished into the hug too.
Boba felt better little by little as the Batch all hugged him. He typically didn't view the other clones as his brothers, but with the way these five clones were behaving... he felt he might as well make a few exceptions. After the others let go, Echo kept hugging Boba and got out his lion for the latter to hug. That always seemed to work with Gabby and her teddy bear, and Echo was relieved to see it had the same effect on the boy.
Echo decided to let Boba sleep beside him in his bed, which was a relief to Crosshair, who was getting annoyed by Wrecker mistaking him for Lula and literally breathing down his neck in his sleep.
Boba lay down and tried to fall asleep, but still had a few tears left, which Echo was quick to notice. Luckily, Echo remembered a couple of times hearing General Skywalker sing a song to Gabby when she was smaller. It was seldom that they had a moment of peace in those times, much less that a toddler would have time to nap, but when she did, Anakin always sang a special song to help his daughter fall asleep, and he once saw him singing it to both his kids and hugging them.
"How'd it go again?" Echo whispered to himself. "Now I remember!"
Echo hugged Boba again and this time sang what lyrics he could remember from the song Anakin usually sang:
For one so small
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here don't you cry
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always
Always
Boba started to calm down some more, hearing his adoptive father's lullaby. He was still crying a little, but he found it a little easier to drift off into sleep as he hugged his lion and Echo pulled a blanket over him.
"Sleep tight, kid." Echo whispered, and then he fell asleep himself.
