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When she was very little, Breha Organa had always marveled at the stories of princes and princesses who had reigned before her. Stories of adventure, challenges and sacrifices that had led Alderaan to be the diverse, peaceful planet recognized throughout the galaxy. Some stories spoke of battles, others of persecutions and escapes, there were a few about the Appenza peak, full of mystery. From time to time, Breha took one of the last ones and sat on the balcony where the peak could be seen, imposing, covered with snow, like a needle between the other mountains. She used to imagine herself at the top, in the place where many others had been, and where many others would be, she couldn't help but think that in a few years the imagination would come true: she was going to climb the Appenza peak.
The view from the top was breath taking. Below, smaller snow-capped mountains blended into the green of the forests and created a beautiful landscape. In the distance, she could see Aldera's palace, her home. It looked very small to be so big, although on top of the world everything looked tiny. Breha was aware that it was not the highest mountain in all of Alderaan, but at that moment, she felt like she was in the clouds. I wish I could stay here forever, she thought, but even a show like that had to end, and she didn't want to be late getting home.
She took the ribbon she had brought. She had chosen a dark blue one because it was her favorite color and she had had the insignia of the royal house embroidered, as was the custom. She didn't know exactly who had started it, but in the past one of the heirs who made his challenge had left a flag on top of which all the others after him had tied a ribbon commemorating their challenge fulfilled, it had become a tradition. Of course, not all heirs chose Appenza Peak as a challenge, but Breha had always marveled at the idea of leaving her legacy at the top of the mountain, and seeing it there, along with the others who had been bound long before that she was even born, filled her with pride.
After tying it to the flagpole, she looked back at her home and smiled, we did it. The young version of herself would be immensely proud of what she had accomplished today. Right at that moment, euphoria mixed with joy and satisfaction within herself. She had met her challenge with her, getting to the top of her had seemed the most exciting of all and now she just had to get down.
Easy peasy.
She went back to adjusting her equipment as she had been taught, by this point it was almost automatic. She checked the ropes and then said goodbye to the perfect view. She began to descend where she had previously arrived. This time she didn't stop for so long to appreciate the landscapes, she wanted to get home as soon as possible.
She thought about what she would tell her parents and her sister. She thought about how close she was to achieving what she had been prepared for all her life. She envisioned herself, in a few weeks, in the throne room, finally being crowned as crown princess. She could almost feel the weight of the crown on her head, her mother's voice and her father's look, the applauses, the smiles. Since she was a child, she had always been reminded that she was born to rule and everything she had done had brought her closer to who she was meant to be, but today, reaching the top of Appenza Peak, she had finally found herself ready.
Maybe if those thoughts hadn't gone through her head during the descent, the princess would have realized that something wasn't quite right. If her mind hadn't been elsewhere, she might have noticed the small rocks falling, or the strange rattle of the cable she was climbing down.
That didn't matter. By the time she realized it, it was already too late.
Breha had always heard that when you are going to die, you see your life flash before your eyes. All your memories come together to accompany your last moments alive. In her case, there were no memories. She felt the emptiness, the cold air rushing through her bones, the fear of finally reaching the ground. She didn't feel the fall, or maybe her mind made sure she didn't remember it, for her own good.
But she remembered the cold rock under her hands, how she tried to scream and ask for help, but it was not possible, how she slowly felt that she was short of breath and it hurt more and more to breathe. She could never forget that feeling of despair, the realization that she was going to die right here, alone.
If she had been conscious any longer, she probably would have thought of her parents, how devastated they would be when they found out. She would think of Celly, her little sister, how her death would haunt her forever, how now she would have to be the one to take the throne, how little she would like that. She would never forgive her for leaving her alone, Breha could never forgive herself. She would have thought how delusional she had been to believe that everything she wanted would be hers one day if she tried hard enough to get it, that she would finally be the one she was always meant to be. She would have imagined what would have happened without that fateful accident, she would probably have married, had children in the future, would have ruled Alderaan as her mother, and all the kings and queens before her. She would have thought of the dark blue ribbon that was on top of her, probably the last thing in her memory.
Now, Princess Breha Organa would go down in history as that young girl who died in the mountain of the planet she was supposed to rule one day. She would be remembered not for what she made of her in her 16 years of life, but for the tragic accident that took what was left of her life.
Very ironic, she would think.
But the force acts in strange and incomprehensible ways, even for those who know it. Miraculously, the princess did not die. But living almost always comes with a price: She gave her heart and her lungs in exchange for her life. Call it fate, chance, luck, or even the force, perhaps Breha Organa had to fall for history to follow its path. Perhaps it was written in her destiny not to die that day, but to lose a part of herself. Perhaps, that accident had to happen so that, in a few years, a little baby who had lost everything when she was only a few days old could find a home in the Breha´s arms - now a queen - who, although no longer had a heart, was willing to give all the love in the galaxy to her daughter.
Maybe, just maybe, that accident that had changed her life would also change the history of the entire galaxy.
But she does not know this yet. She survived the unimaginable, yes. But what was really complicated was not surviving, but learning to live again. For now, she would have to pull herself together, become strong again, learn to trust. There was still a long way to go and she was about to start.
Breha pulled herself to the top, sweaty and flushed, but full of satisfaction. Beside her, Leia took in the wonderful view.
“It is even more beautiful than I remember. I should have done this again a long time ago. Or maybe not. Perhaps the best thing was to have come with you”
They both sat on the floor. She told her daughter about her accident, about how for a long time she had felt that she had completely failed. She explained her about the importance of learning from those failures, how to get back up and move on. She wished that the 16-year-old version of herself had been there too and she had listened to what she said, she had had a hard time learning it herself, just like Leia.
She walked up to the flag. Leia had already taken the ribbon out of her pocket, she had chosen a white one with silver edges, it was beautiful.
"Where is yours?" She asked her.
Breha pointed to the dark blue and she remembered herself strapping it on, proud and excited. how young she had been, knowing nothing of what awaited her, everything she would have to learn.
Leia tied hers next to her mother's. They would stay there, together, for the rest of the history. She hugged her daughter and couldn't help but think that without her accident, Leia probably wouldn't be there with her. The force acts in strange and incomprehensible ways, even to Breha.
As Leia gathered up her things, Breha stood by the flag. She took her ribbon in her hands "We did it again", this time, she spoke to the Breha that had fallen and got up so many years ago.
They prepared their equipment and checked that everything was okay.
"Are you scared?" Leia asked as she hooked her harness up.
“I don't think so, it's not the kind of thing that happens to you twice.” At least that's what she hoped. Deep down, she had to admit that it scared her a little.
“Thanks for coming, mom. You don't know how much it means to me that you're here.” Breha knew that Leia had planned to come with Kier before what had happened. When her daughter had asked her if she would like to accompany her, she hadn't hesitated to agree, even though Bail had offered to take her place several times.
"You know you can always count on me" She replied. In fact, a part of her had always wanted to come back, she just hadn't found the right time to do it. "Besides, this mountain and I had unfinished business"
They both laughed and made it home safe and sound.