Chapter Text
The realms underwent a great many changes following the end of the Great War, but none of them sent shockwaves through the land quite like the discovery of the former Emperor of Naboo’s long lost granddaughter.
It was an accident really. A twist of fate, if you will.
Han Solo, consort to the Queen of Alderaan, stumbled upon the scavenger girl on a diplomatic mission to the deserts of Jakku. As the story goes, Solo, along with his best friend and personal guard Sir Peter Chewbacca, rescued the girl from a rough scrap with some unfriendly bounty hunters in search of the rumored secret princess.
The girl was, by all accounts, equally as shocked to learn the truth of her lineage as the rest of the world. Though as a child with less than a decade of life behind her, the significance of her existence fell on largely deaf ears.
Which was why, after a great deal of bargaining that involved aircakes and a real, actual bed, the young princess had few qualms about Solo and Chewbacca whisking her off to the safety of Aldera, where she would learn to embrace the ways of courtly life under the protection of the Royal House of Organa...
***
Prince Benjamin Solo Organa was early into his teen years the day his father showed up at the palace gates with a wide-eyed, bull-headed little sand demon in tow. She’d hidden behind Han’s legs, eyes darting to and fro, not a single care for who she was addressing or what they thought of her. Maybe that was why he took a liking to her so quickly. Her spunk was a breath of fresh air in an increasingly stuffy court whose leash was tightening around his neck with every passing day.
He knew who she was, of course. The history of the Great War had been beaten into him before he could so much as count to ten. Her grandfather’s legacy was one of terror and bloodshed, and Ben’s own grandfather had been caught under his sway. In the end, though, it was Ben’s parents and uncle who had helped take the evil Emperor down, so the irony that his granddaughter would end up here, being raised by his enemies, was lost on no one.
No one, that is, except for Rey.
For a princess, she was shockingly vulgar, bereft of all vanity, and quite possibly the most mischievous creature he’d ever known. As the only child in the royal household - and in the palace at large - it fell to him to keep her in check.
He failed miserably.
What he lacked in the gumption to discipline her, however, he made up for by gaining her favor. Though the why’s and how’s of that endeavor were as mysterious to him as the inner workings of her little mind.
He quickly learned that the shy girl who’d hidden behind his father’s legs only came out in front of strangers. When around those she trusted, she was nothing short of a force. That company was few and far between, limited to his family, and the few servants she grew to trust. Han was enormously fond of the girl, always bringing home little gifts and trinkets for her to marvel at. Leia doted on her like the daughter she’d never had, braiding her hair in the Alderaanian tradition and letting her practice on her own. Chewie was always there with a hug or an offer to explore some new part of the palace grounds. But it was Ben, with all his quirks and kinks, who was her very favorite of them all.
Rey was his shadow, following at his footsteps everywhere he went. What she’d lacked by way of education she quickly compensated for by soaking up every word, sound or facial expression like a dried up sponge. Her questions were endless, a barrage of curiosities and keen observations. She had a way of knowing when she was being lied to, so Ben didn’t bother, even when the resulting conversation left him blushing from ear to ear.
He’d been a lonely child, but in Rey he gained both a little sister and a best friend. Her companionship made the arduous lessons and ridiculous pageantry of his position tolerable, and her smile could brighten even his gloomiest days. She was his Sunshine, his confidant, his home.
Nothing would change that. Not distance, nor time, nor age. At least, that was what he told himself at night, as he lay on his bed, thinking up all the ways to prepare her for the inevitable separation that lay on the horizon. One he was powerless to prevent.
***
Princess Rey Palpatine was a sprightly twelve year old the day her very best friend in the whole world left her. It was a long time coming, and he’d been preparing her for nearly six months by the time the day in question finally arrived. Maybe it was for that exact reason - that he’d warned her day in and day out yet never actually went anywhere - that when the day finally came, she found herself utterly unable to comprehend it.
“Beeeeeeeeeen.” She whined, running after the Prince of Alderaan as he brooded his way down the corridor.
“What Rey?” He snapped in reply.
“You can’t leave.”
“That’s weird, because I’m pretty sure I can.”
Rey scowled, picking up her pace in a sorry attempt to catch up with him. “But who's going to teach me how to duel?”
“I’m sure Chewie will be happy to teach you, if you ever learn to keep your feet on the ground long enough.”
Rey stuck her tongue out at his back, tripping over her feet as she did so.
“Okay, but who’s going to steal me aircakes from the pantry?”
“I don’t know.” Ben retorted impatiently, “Ask Chewie to do that too.”
“But what if Chewie is gone?” Rey questioned, her legs aching as she attempted to keep pace with him, “Who’s going to take me riding when it rains and nobody else wants to go? Or yell at me for climbing the ivy in the courtyard? Or...or…”
“There are hundreds of people in this castle that will jump at the opportunity to -”
“But they’re not you! ”
At that the prince drew to a halt, his fists clenching at his sides as his shoulders deflated in defeat.
“Rey, we’ve been over this. It’s not that I want to leave. Believe me, I don’t .” Ben turned to face her with a sigh. After a moment, he dragged his eyes from the floor, bracing himself with the solemnity of a man twice his age. He began his speech as he had countless times before, Sir Threepio’s words coming out in Ben’s voice. “ As Prince of Alderaan, I have certain duties, certain expectations, that I’m obligated to fulfill…”
“That’s what you always say.” Rey interrupted, rolling her eyes. “I just don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
Ben laughed darkly. “I know you don’t. But someday you will.”
Rey huffed, crossing her arms petulantly. Ben stepped toward her, ruffling her hair. “You’ll be alright Sunshine. I promise.”
Tears welled in the corner of her eyes, brought on by the fondness in his voice. Rey turned away. She didn’t cry. Crying was for babies. And she was not a baby.
“Rey…” Ben murmured, bending sideways to force her to look at him. “You will. You’re too stubborn to be anything else.”
“Not stubborn enough to keep you from leaving.” She pouted, turning another ninety degrees out of his reach.
Ben hummed. “That’s true. Not even you can overturn hundreds of years of Alderaanian tradition.”
Rey wrinkled her nose. He might be right, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Han still teased her about the way she’d stormed into the throne room, shoulders set and eyes full of fire, and demanded that Ben remain in Aldera. The courtiers had laughed at her, called her adorable and sweet and precious. But the fact was, she was desperate. Ben was her person, and now he was going away.
Strong hands clamped on her shoulders, spinning her around until she was looking down at his feet. “You’ll write to me, won’t you?”
“I don’t know.” Rey mumbled, wringing her hands together at her waist.
“Come on Rey.” Ben’s finger snuck beneath her chin, drawing her gaze away from the floor. “You promised me you would.”
“I hate writing.” She muttered, looking straight ahead at his chest.
“Yeah, I know you do.” He replied, knocking her on the chin. “Which is all the more reason you need to practice.”
Silence fell heavy between them, and the longer it dragged on, the less Rey was able to fight the trembling of her lower lip. He must’ve sensed it, or seen it from where his head remained up in the clouds, for not a moment later he was crouching down, pulling her into a tight hug as he ran one hand down her back soothingly. “This isn’t forever, alright? Just a few years. By the time I come back you’ll be all grown up and you won’t even want to hang out with me anymore.”
Rey sniffled, gripping the sides of his coat a little tighter as she shook her head against his chest. “I’ll always want to be with you Ben. Always.”
He trembled beneath her small hands, a soft pressure settling at her temple. If Rey could’ve had her way, she never would have left the comfort of Ben’s lanky arms. But it seemed fate had other plans for her, ushered in yet again by the arrival of Han Solo, beckoning them apart regretfully.
Ben allowed her to hold his hand until they reached the edge of the courtyard, where they were forced to part at last. He gave her hand one final squeeze before relinquishing her, and in turn the last vestiges of his youth, stepping out into the sunshine as a man.
She felt Chewie settle at her side, her eyes glue to where Ben was stepping forward to bow to his queen. Leia stood at the center, elegant as always. Outwardly, Her Majesty was a vision of peace and pride, but as Ben moved to kiss her hand, Rey spotted the smallest crack in the mask she wore, Leia the mother slipping through.
Rey gripped Chewie’s leg as Ben nodded to his father, standing dutifully beside his wife with an expression more solemn than Rey had ever seen. Ben’s eyes met hers as he moved to mount his beautiful black stallion, Ren, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. Then, without so much as a wave or a smile, he was gone; followed out the gate by his loyal knights. Off on his grand adventures, seeking to prove himself worthy of his future crown through challenges of the mind, heart and body. It was a quest every Alderaanian heir underwent when they turned eighteen - one Ben had been preparing for as long as she’d been a part of his life.
It just seemed to her like she should’ve been there too.
“Come on little princess.” Chewie grumbled, patting her shoulder affectionately. "Why don’t you and I go for a ride? Eh?”
Rey nodded, her eyes still glued to the dark form retreating into the horizon. Chewie turned, pulling her with him gently until her neck could keep her eyes forward no longer. Ben was little more than a speck in the distance when she finally turned away, her childhood disappearing into the distance alongside her very best friend.