Chapter Text
Rage was not a new emotion to Bo-Katan Kryze, but the blinding white wave of pure anger hitting her now was far beyond anything she had experienced in her war-stricken life. Bo-Katan kept a list of ‘motivation,’ and things that sparked vibrant rage went to the top of her list: the murder of her mother, the murder of her father, the murder of her brother, and losing her home. The only family she really had left was her sister—who was now the cause of her rage.
Satine was only five years older than Bo, but the entire weight of ruling Mandalore rested on her shoulders. Bo certainly disagreed with how Satine was ruling; she was an idealist—a toxic trait that killed their father. Although Adonai had at least been somewhat of a Mandalorian Chieftain, his raw strength and intimidation factor subdued civil war for several decades. The other significant houses had not bothered to strike while House Kryze stood so firm. However, the opportunity eventually arrived, and House Kast took it upon themselves to personally wipe out House Kryze.
Now, Satine ruled with nothing more than words and a silent bolster of war fatigue.
The Civil War killed almost everyone. Most of Bo’s childhood friends lay dead on Mandalore, Kalevala, or Krownest. Bo herself barely survived, separated from her family and fighting with a small insurgent group from House Vizsla that was attempting to coup the Kasts. After the war, they chose to remain with their warrior culture, following it when Satine banished the fundamental ideals of Mandalore there. Bo outwardly loathed her for it. The Way demanded that Mandalore remain strong; otherwise, the remnants of House Kryze would fall to the same fate as its foundation.
But that’s not why Bo was mad at her older sister at the moment. No. Satine had been doing something far worse.
Satine had sent Bo away for six months, discarding her at the Royal Academy. Her own sister effectively had cast her off instead of keeping her close. Satine insisted on remaining on their homeworld of Kalevala, ruling from the Karelia throne rather than the Sundari Palace. It was cruel; Bo had decided this long ago.
Anger drove Bo’s feet up to the Fortress within the capital of Karelia, passing through the primarily silent city as she did so. Sneaking onto Kalevala had been an easy task for a highly skilled warrior such as herself, but Bo had never felt so unsteady without physical reason before. Anger masked the utter shame at being abandoned by the only family she indeed had left. Bo longed to be on Concordia with Pre, Ursa, and Gar as the youngest Kryze sister slid along the fortress wall, careful to avoid the gaze of the guards. She had not gone with them, seeing as her sister sat on the throne of Sundari, just as her father had. Bo figured that Satine would have wanted her sister beside her and would be aghast at ever being separated again.
Bo bitterly thought back to when she first arrived at the Sundari Palace, Pre delivering her there in his fang class fighter. Satine cried at the mere sight of Bo alive. Satine refused to let her little sister out of her arms—much less out of sight, out of the building, or on a different planet.
Bo released a furious breath and suddenly felt an odd rush to blame herself. Satine was more controlled than Bo after the civil war. Satine hardly spoke of their parents or brother, but Bo always brought them up, anger welling with her words. There was nothing in the galaxy that Bo desired more than revenge, and there was nothing more in the universe that Satine desired more than to stop vengeance. The sisters often clashed during Bo’s month stay at the Palace, with Bo throwing words of malice at her sister for doing nothing, or worse, claiming that she was further dooming their family. Pacifism had no place in a planetary system that forged warfare for generations. Their clan would be demolished further than it already was if Satine continued on her path of formed delusions.
But… maybe if Bo had been less harsh towards her sister, things could have been different. Maybe Satine would not have sent her away, and perhaps she would not have left for Kalevala to get away from Bo seemingly.
She could not avoid her sister forever.
Bo felt bitterness rise even further as she made her way down the halls of her old familial gallery, seeing portraits of the ancient dukes and duchesses of House Kryze, adored proudly in blues and indigos of colored beskar. Something that Satine would surely eradicate.
Bo passed her own room, not daring to look inside her somewhat childlike former sleeping quarters. Satine’s bedroom was not far from her own, but much to her surprise, Satine’s bedroom door was open. It was odd for Satine to sleep with the door ajar, but maybe now in the time Bo was away, her sister’s preferences had changed. Bo peered inside, expecting to find Satine asleep at this early hour in the morning. The sun had not yet risen, but even in the lowlight, Bo clearly could see that her sister was not in her room. Unease started swimming in the younger Kryze sister’s gut. Where the hell was she? It was not like her sister to stay up all night, although maybe that too had changed when Bo was away.
Swallowing her courage, Bo flicked on the light and immediately became alarmed. The room was a mess, entirely uncharacteristic of her sister's leaving it this way. Bo took one step into the room, and adrenaline immediately flared. There was blood, a lot of it.
Bo had been in a war, and while this did not compare to a man bleeding to death, the blood on the floor did not resemble a paper cut. Blood was on the bed, droplets on the floor, and a bloody handprint on her sister’s desk chair. It was also fresh.
Bo’s stomach flipped as she examined the room for any sign of a break-in. Sure, the guards had let her slip in, but she knew this fortress and all of its weak spots like the back of her hand. Was it possible that someone else knew them too and arrived mere hours before Bo?
Guilt washed over Bo in waves as she frantically fought for any idea of what to do. Why had Satine separated them? If Bo had been here, she undoubtedly could have saved her sister.
Bo froze as she carefully scanned the room. She let out a deep breath and mulled over the facts. There was a blood stain around the middle of the bed, not where her throat would be by the pillow. No blaster marks or forced entry? Internal bleeding, so perhaps poison?
Whatever the cause was, Bo decided that her sister could not be dead. She slowly exited the room, shocked by how little security there was in the halls still. Bo quickly made her way to the medbay, near the lower levels of the fortress. Her heart was beating incredibly fast, but she forced her movements to be as stealthy as possible, just in case there was an attacker in the castle after all. Though, if Satine was dead, Bo silently decided she did not want to be the last Kryze alive. That in itself was worse than death.
Suddenly she froze right before the hallway to the medbay started. Bo-Katan knew the sound of her sister’s scream anywhere. Bo could not have stopped her sprint even if she had the willpower of a Jedi.
She skidded into the walkway of the medbay, nearly stumbling over as her balance seemed to be affected by how hard her heart was pounding. She silently scolded herself for being so uncontrolled; she had survived a bloody war, yet she nearly toppled at a scream. She believed her sister to be dead for a year of her life already—what was so bad about it is true?
Bo’s presence was immediately noticed by two guards, both of which Bo unfortunately recognized as being previously sworn to her father. They exchanged shocked glances, certainly not expecting Bo to show up unannounced.
“Lady Bo-Katan?” one of them piped up, concern edging in his voice. Bo caught her breath from her sprint and walked up to them, clearly setting off a silent alarm between them.
“Where’s my sister?” Bo demanded, even though she knew the answer. The guards glanced at each other again, this time weariness in their eye contact. Bo’s panicked heart rate informed her that she absolutely did not have time for whatever bullshit they would spew to keep her out of that medbay.
“Lady Kryze, your sister is unwell at the moment—” One of them began, but all Bo could see was her sister slowly slipping away, and all she could hear was her earlier echoing scream.
“I don’t give a damn if my sister is unwell, captain,” Bo spat. “If she’s unwell, I have a right to see her as next of kin.” Both guards visibly recoiled at her words, all too familiar with her temper as a child that had exponentially multiplied by the war.
“I’m sorry, my lady, but we cannot let you see the Duchess,” he said sternly.
Bo had carried a heavy load of rage into this palace, and unfortunately for these two guards, she was about to unload her baggage upon them.
“Let me through. That is an order, captain,” Bo hissed, fists clenching as she silently wished for her armor. There was no doubt in her mind that she could take two grown men down. She had taken more down in her time during the civil war, half-starved and running on short hours of sleep. Now, she was well-fed, well-rested, and plenty more robust. Her bravado must have intimidated them somewhat because they both slightly flinched back. However, a sixteen-year-old girl was not the most threatening opponent they faced in their time as guardsmen because they immediately sized themselves back up and drew their staffs in a cross formation.
“We cannot do that, Lady Kryze,” the captain replied gruffly, stepping forward. Bo’s face pinched into a further scowl as her muscles tensed for an inevitable confrontation. “I will escort you to your quarters—”
Her right leg swung to meet his knee before he could finish his rather idiotic thought. Usually, Bo would have felt wrong about fighting the guards that had kept her safe since childhood, but at the moment, they were keeping her from her only living family—or hopefully living at the least.
The captain toppled, clearly surprised by her quick resort to violence. The other guard attempted to react and grab onto her arm, but unfortunately, this left Bo’s other arm to swing at his face. The man hit the wall with a grunt as the captain returned to his feet to attempt to grab her. He pinned her arms against her side, causing Bo to yell in frustration. The other guard made no move to get up, so at least one of her problems was over with.
“I’m sorry, Bo-Katan,” the captain told her as he walked her flailing and kicking body down the hall she had come down. “But you cannot see your sister right now. I can assure you she’s fine.” His last few words came out as strained as Bo began wriggling with newfound strength. Bo could not wait to see her sister for Ka’ra knows how long. She had waited over six months already, and she would be damned if she had to wait another moment, especially if Satine was unwell.
Bo twisted and pried herself from his grip, landing on his foot. He dropped her entirely. He blinked in confusion.
“Lady Kryze, please—”
“Are you going to let me see my sister, or do I need to pummel your ass into the ground?” she barked.
“You can’t see her. No one can. It’s a strict royal order—”
“Royal order?” Bo exclaimed, exasperated, and the phrase brought a smile to her face at the pure irony it carried. “Am I not her heir? ”
“Lady Kryze—”
“Let me see my sister, captain. That’s a royal order,” Bo-Katan hissed out. He made no move to back down. Bo inwardly groaned to herself at just how idiotic this man was proving to be.
No being could keep the Kryze sisters apart. Not after what they had been through.
Bo flung herself at him hard, knowing she had the absolute advantage in this situation. The captain was an honorable man, the chances of him attempting to hurt her were slim. However, when it came to her sister's safety, Bo had no such honor.
Her punches landed at an alarming pace, the man doing his best to block them but unable to strike back. Still, he was slightly taller than her and had a good amount of weight on him over her own. Bo knew this did not matter; she had taken down bigger men in more arduous conditions. Hitting his face, however, was proving to be tricky. He attempted to grab her hands a few times until she realized that she had the key to defeating him all along.
Bo swung her leg again, hitting his injured knee once again, and he crumpled to the floor on his good knee with a hiss of pain. Almost smugly, she brought her knee to his head as a final attempt at securing victory. He toppled over and did not get up.
Bo huffed, letting the victory wash over her. A wave of fear quickly replaced it as her battle-high ended, as she remembered why she was here in the first place.
Satine. Her sister had been bleeding heavily and screamed in pain not ten minutes ago. Bo once again took off running towards the door to the medbay.
The younger Kryze sister practically flung herself through the entranceway, taking in the smell of disinfectant and bacta. The Fortress medbay was hardly a hospital; there were only ten rooms. It was also eerily quiet. Bo suddenly felt that her footsteps were far too loud as she made her way down the hall, looking at each exam room door, noting that they were dark and unoccupied.
Then a light caught her eye, muted by the near opaque glass of the door it was coming from. Bo swallowed her fear and let herself in, not giving a damn about whether or not to knock.
Bo would remember this sight for the rest of her life.
Her older sister lay in a hospital bed, hair stuck to her forehead in sweat, eyes glazed in a hazy manner, and a hospital gown. Her mouth was slightly ajar, taking in air as her eyes locked with her younger sister’s.
“Bo’ika? ”
Bo was frozen, but her eyes rapidly scanned her sister’s weak form. She had never seen Satine so…fragile.
“What the hell?” Bo practically barked, letting anger overtake the center front from her fear because that was easier. It was easier to be angry than afraid, and Bo was still plenty angry at Satine. However, Satine did not react to Bo’s outburst, breaking into a slight smile.
“Are you a dream too, sister?” she asked, her gaze vacant. Bo ran to her sister’s side.
“I’m not a dream,” Bo snapped. “What the hell happened? Where’s—Where’s the doctor?” Bo looked over the room again and saw a med droid, which was clearly powered down. She flipped over Satine’s arm and noticed an IV, so there had been some sort of surgery at the very least. The kind of surgery that was pretty recent that her sister had been awake for. Bo’s stomach flipped.
Satine was looking at Bo, but her mind was elsewhere. Her complexion was far too pale, and that was saying something as Kryzes went. Her lips were cracked, and her entire body was shaking uncontrollably. “I’ve missed you so much, Bo,” Satine all but whispered.
Bo’s panic spiked as she noticed Satine reach for her hand pitifully. Without thinking, Bo took it. Despite being under the influence of pain, Satine’s words rang genuinely. Bo suddenly felt very missed, and her guilt at not being here for whatever awful thing that had occurred to her sister reared its ugly head once again.
“I’ve missed you too,” Bo whispered back, afraid the volume of her words might break her sister. Satine smiled at her younger sister’s words, squeezing her hand weakly.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’m afraid…” Satine murmured, letting her head fall to the side as if she had no strength to hold her head to look at Bo anymore. “I’m not strong like you, Bo’ika .”
“You’re very strong,” Bo protested, brushing the stuck hair off Satine’s forehead. Her sister let out a shaky exhale, to which Bo held her hand tighter. “Hey. Whatever this is, you’re going to be fine.” Satine’s breathing became labored again. Bo felt her heart skip a beat. The Duchess’s eyes seemed so distant now like she was looking beyond Bo. It rang eerily similar to the gaze of many Mandos Bo had watched slowly slip away in a war that barely ended less than a year ago.
They had been through too much together for Satine to die here in a medical facility. “Satine, hey! Where’s the doctor? There was a doctor, right?” Bo swallowed hard, looking around the room. Leaving Satine’s side was not an option at the moment, but there had to be someone that could help. Because if her sister was going to die—which she wasn’t—Bo did not want to abandon her in her final moments. Maybe Bo could leave momentarily to power up the med droid to see what was going on. Maybe she could yell for the guards she knocked out. Maybe—
“Bo,” Satine suddenly said, her tone similar to what it sounded like whenever she gave a royal decree rather than fighting for her life in a hospital bed. Bo’s racing thoughts ceased, and she let her eyes lock on her sister’s. Satine’s eyes were brimmed with fresh tears, the sight sending adrenaline straight down Bo’s spine. “You have to protect him. Promise me.”
Bo suppressed a question, silently wondering if Satine was not as sober as her pleading tone had led her to believe at first. Bo merely nodded, trying to ease her sister’s panic. “Please, Bo. If anyone finds out, they’ll kill him. Promise me.”
“I promise,” Bo said softly, unsure what she was promising. Despite not knowing what her older sister was rambling about, the pure pain reflected on Satine’s face demanded Bo relieve it in any way possible. Satine still seemed anxious, but Bo’s simple phrase of ‘I promise’ eased Satine’s grip on her hand.
The door swooshed open. A woman in scrubs stood in the door frame, carefully looking over Satine and Bo. Bo knew this woman. Her hair was graying, and lines of age graced her face, but her eyes shone with intelligence and enthusiasm few possessed in this world. Bo knew this doctor as the woman that had delivered her.
Satine gripped Bo’s hand tighter as Bo let her mind process the small, blue, and wrapped bundle of blankets in Dr. Jinora’s arms. Bo let out a shaky breath as the doctor looked both of them over, clearly befuddled by Bo’s sudden presence. Then Satine let out a sob, springing the doctor into action.
Bo was not ready to actually see what she knew was in the bundle of blankets. The imagery was as old as time; a baby swaddled in a comforting embrace of cloth as their mother held them to her chest—nothing extraordinary or odd about a mother holding their baby in her arms.
Except Bo saw her galaxy shatter as Satine took her baby into her arms to cradle the infant, tears running down her face. If air existed, Bo’s lungs knew nothing of it—they were rendered useless at this moment. The baby seemed to think there was plenty of air because soft cries began to echo in the seemingly too-small room. Now Bo not only had the image of this ethereal event but now she could hear it.
If Satine cared or knew that Bo was still in the room, she did not show it. All her attention was now on the fussy, red baby in her arms. Bo vaguely could hear her cooing at it, like mothers were supposed to—like this entire event was typical, nothing odd: just a mother quietly speaking to their newborn baby, letting them know how loved they already were. Bo blinked, words meaningless as she realized that her sister was doing just that. Satine was telling her baby how much she loved them and that she had already loved them for months.
Him, Bo realized, slowly putting together Satine’s desperate ramblings from earlier. Satine wanted Bo to protect him. Her sister was holding her son. Her son that was born less than an hour ago. Her newborn baby. Her sister had a baby—
There was a wash of unpleasant emotion as Bo looked at her nephew. Satine had kept this from her. He was the reason why Satine had sent Bo away. Satine had not wanted Bo to know about her child or her pregnancy.
Bo felt borderline ridiculous at the amount of hurt suddenly engulfing her. Her own sister had not trusted her with this. Satine had not trusted her last remaining family member with life-altering news.
I guess I’m not the only family she has anymore, Bo thought bitterly as she glared at the baby. His eyes were slightly open, clearly not wanting to deal with the bright medbay lights. Still, Bo could tell he had light blue eyes, much like her sister’s. Bo frowned, noting that he looked pretty much like Satine herself. He also looked like their father's old baby photos, but Bo immediately pushed that thought aside. What did not look like their father was the sprouting bright orange hair at the top of his head, much like Bo’s own. Bo noted that he was also too damn small, looking him up and down. Kryze men were tall and broad, but this baby could not have weighed more than five pounds. Although most babies could not exactly be described as tall and broad, she reminded herself.
He was rather cute, Bo silently decided. His fussing had stopped, replaced by gentle coos as his mother stroked his cheek with her thumb. Bo vaguely registered that her sister was still crying, but Bo, unfortunately, could not pinpoint why. Perhaps they were tears of joy or pain, but either way, Bo carefully put a hand on Satine’s shoulder as a means of physical comfort. Her sister’s shaking momentarily ceased, and she sniffled one final time before whispering, “This is your aunt, ad’ika. She’s the bravest woman you’re ever going to know.”
“Besides you,” Bo shot back quietly with a smile. Satine started crying again at her younger sister’s words. Bo suddenly felt very awkward and out of place, not really sure what to do or say. She had practically fought her way in here (well, literally), so Satine clearly had not invited her to be here. That thought stung, but Bo could deal with it later. Confronting her sister now seemed pointless; Bo was hardly the most important person in the room.
He seemed to be drifting off, his eyes drooping and the swaddle falling and rising rhythmically. Even though he was doing nothing except breathing, the damn baby was so captivating Bo could hardly take her eyes off him.
Bo-Katan Kryze loved him. She loved her nephew even though her sister hid her pregnancy from her and attempted to hide his birth. She loved her nephew even though he caused her a hell of a lot of worry. She loved her nephew even if she did not know his name yet.
Right. His name. Bo should probably ask that.
The question was about to leave her mouth when Dr. Jinora gently tugged her arm. She had completely snuck up on Bo while baby Kryze had her in his magical baby trance. “Let’s give mom and baby a bit of privacy while they skin-to-skin. I’ll meet you in the hall.” Bo nodded in response, forcing her eyes away from the sleeping infant as the doctor picked him up gently to unravel him from his swaddle. Bo moved away initially, but her movements stalled as the baby blinked his eyes sleepily before being set down on Satine’s bare chest.
Bo usually detested crying. She had not cried since her parents died. It was a sign of weakness. She detested weakness. But, when her eyes became glassy at the sight of her newborn nephew lying on her sister, one tiny hand gently pressed onto her, cooing happily, and her sister, in turn, stroking his back and whispering words of love in mando’a, Bo did not blame herself for a tear or two that fell.
“Bo?” Dr. Jinora said gently, a slight smile on her face. “Let’s go, c’mon.”
“He’s so little. Was I that little?” Bo blurted in a whisper as the older woman closed the door. Dr. Jinora let out a sigh before chuckling, crossing her arms around her chest.
“No, you weren’t, and yes, he is. He is premature, though. He’s fairly healthy for being born early, but he had to go to the incubator to be warmed and get some oxygen.”
“Okay,” Bo breathed out, slowly letting her thoughts catch up to her. Now that she was out of the magical range of that damn baby, her thoughts were much clearer. Most of them consisted of why the hell didn’t my sister tell me she was pregnant? or who the hell got my sister pregnant?
“I’m sure you have questions,” the older woman said slowly, clearly reading the swirling emotions on Bo’s face.
“Yes,” Bo said immediately. “Is she okay?” The doctor seemed surprised but nodded.
“Yes. The labor was unexpected, and unfortunately, he was very distressed, so I decided the best course of action was emergency c-section.” Bo felt guilt rise again that her sister had been all alone for this endeavor.
Wait. Why was Satine all alone? Where the hell was the father? But, honestly, that did not seem like an appropriate question to ask at the moment. “Perfect healthy baby for being born early. The most ruddy thing I’ve ever seen, besides yourself sixteen years ago.” Bo’s lips quirked up at that, a sense of familiarity surrounding her. “She’s probably going to need to just… sleep off the spinal block. She lost a lot of blood as well.” Bo nodded, feeling oddly lightheaded once again.
Bo wanted to ask several other questions, like, when can I hold him? and what’s his name? but unfortunately, the doctor probably was not the right person to ask those questions.
“We weren’t expecting you,” Dr. Jinora said suddenly. Bo smirked. “I’m sure that this is all a big surprise.”
“Yeah, you could say that,” Bo muttered with a slight eye-roll, pushing down the betrayal for not being let in on a breathing, crying, and cooing secret. Dr. Jinora just looked at her sadly.
“I’m very sorry, Bo-Katan. She would have told you if she could, but the nature of her pregnancy must be kept a secret,” Dr. Jinora said gently. A brief flash of anger fluttered in Bo. I’m her sister, she thought bitterly.
Bo let out a shaky breath as she decided her following words carefully. “I wish I would have been there for her.” The doctor nodded in response, a sad smile on her lips.
“I’m sure she’s very glad you’re here. Just… no one else can know about this,” Dr. Jinora said. Bo nodded, although a silent question as to why echoed in her head. Illegitimate children were not shunned by Mandalorian culture; perhaps Satine was worried about off-worlders. However, Bo remembered Satine’s words, ‘if anyone finds out, they’ll kill him.’ Him meaning the baby? Or him meaning the father?
The father, Bo wondered slightly bitterly. The father that was not here. Who the hell had Satine been with this closely that could have resulted in a baby? Bo thought back to eight or nine months ago and simply could not picture any man in Satine’s life. Her sister placed her devotion into rebuilding a destroyed world, not taking in typical royal pleasures that off-world nobility were known for doing. Satine did not drink (although another cause could now explain that), she did not host grand parties, and Bo could not see her taking a bedmate.
Bo’s gut twisted in rage. “Did someone hurt her?” Bo inquired with a hiss.
The doctor shook her head. “I don’t think so.” Bo froze momentarily, blinking away the confusion that the doctor did not know who the father was. “However, the image of Mandalore’s Duchess having a child at this age and out of wedlock… in this political climate…” It was bleak, Bo realized. House Kryze also surely still had active enemies in hiding, waiting for any notion of weakness. The Lady of the House procuring a child out of wedlock to an unknown suitor certainly rang the idea of weakness.
“Who else knows?” Bo asked carefully.
“Well… the guards outside. You, now. Myself… and hopefully that’s it,” Dr. Jinora informed her. “I’m wiping the medical droid that we used in a moment. The guards, obviously, have sworn loyalty to your family’s protection. I’m ethically bound to keep this a secret…” The doctor looked at Bo, searching for an answer.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Bo confirmed. The older woman nodded with a sad smile on her face.
“Good, your nephew’s future likely depends on it.” Your sister’s rule likely depends on it too was unspoken, but Bo heard it regardless. A shrill cry suddenly pierced through the hallway, and while Bo had heard plenty of crying babies in her lifetime, this one felt different. “Poor thing would not cry at first, scared his already terrified mother nearly to death.” Bo swallowed, suddenly fighting back the tears again, but the doctor chuckled. “Then he let out the loudest cry I’ve ever heard.” Bo let her unease go and let out a dry laugh.
“He’ll be okay?” Bo asked through a smile, and the doctor nodded.
“I’m sure.”
“Satine?”
Dr. Jinora let out a sigh at that. “Yes. I’ll need to keep them both here for a bit.” The doctor paused, looking Bo up and down. “She’ll figure this out, I’m certain. She’s probably glad she has to keep it from one less person.”
Bo nodded, feeling slightly relieved to hear that approval of her presence. “I beat up your guards,” Bo suddenly blurted. Dr. Jinora laughed.
“I figured. I’ll check on them. You can,” she gestured towards the door. “Be with your sister. Don’t let her fall asleep with him on her.” Bo nodded, acknowledging the warning as she watched the doctor go down the hall.
Bo entered the room again, thoroughly preparing for inevitably being awestruck the second her eyes laid sight on the baby. Fortunately for her, a blanket covered the majority of the little one on his mother’s chest. Satine looked at him lovingly as if the more she stared, the greater chance of this moment being etched in memory forever. Bo did not exactly want to break her out of her trance.
Bo found herself smiling again. Bo-Katan was an aunt. Her big sister was a mom. There was new life in Clan Kryze, which Bo seldom dreamed of after her brother died. Yet, a brand new member was breathing with them in the room.
“Bo?”
Bo’s eyes forced themselves away from the blanket to the woman holding the newest member of Clan Kryze. Bo forced a rueful smile onto her face as her sister gazed at her curiously. “Hey, vod,” Bo replied, almost smugly but in a soft voice. “Feeling any better?”
Satine blinked in confusion for a moment before finding her gaze pulled back to her son. “Yes. A lot better, actually.” Bo smiled and walked closer to her sister cautiously, picking up that Satine seemed more present now that she had her son with her. Regardless, Bo managed to get to her side without protest from her sister, peering down at the baby.
Both sisters remained there, enjoying a moment of peace, looking at a new generation of their family. “I’m sorry,” Satine whispered softly as she gently stroked her son’s hair. Bo was so entranced by the movement of her nephew’s breathing and his mother’s hand brushing his hair she nearly did not hear her sister’s apology.
“I’ll work on forgiving you,” Bo murmured with pseudo-venom. The baby cooed in sleep in response, and Satine let out a chuckle. “You’re lucky he’s so damn cute. Otherwise, I would be mad at you both.” Satine hummed as a reply.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Satine whispered, not letting her eyes leave the tiny infant. “I’m sorry, Bo-Katan. I really am.” Satine struggled to tear her eyes away from her son but forced herself to anyway. She pulled Bo’s attention away from the baby by cupping her cheek. “I love you so much. I didn’t want to keep this from you. I just… I was, no, I am so scared. The fewer people that know, the less danger he’s in.”
Bo searched her sister’s face and found only sincerity in her eyes. Bo leaned into her touch, a slight smile gracing her face, despite the anger and betrayal bubbling beneath the surface.
“Just… tell me one thing?”
“Don’t ask about the father,” Satine declared immediately, face becoming stoic. Bo bit her tongue because while she was not going to ask who the father was, the question was related.
“He didn’t hurt you, though, right?” Bo asked carefully. Satine scoffed, letting a mild laugh out after.
“No. Although his son nearly gave me a heart attack, if that counts,” Satine murmured fondly.
“Rather cute heart attack,” Bo murmured back, resting her head on top of Satine’s. “What’s… what’s his name?”
“Korcoran Kryze,” Satine answered with a smile.
“Glad to see you’re breaking the tradition of naming men in our family ‘Adonai,’” Bo murmured fondly. “Hi, little Korkie.”
Korkie seemed to recognize his nickname, brown eyelashes fluttering slightly as he looked up. Bo found herself compelled by an unknown force to smile as her nephew’s eyes locked with hers.
“He looks like Dad,” Bo whispered, regretting the words immediately when they came out. Regardless, Satine nodded against Bo’s cheek.
“He does, doesn’t he? He’s got Mom’s and your hair, though,” Satine murmured, running a finger over her son’s auburn locks. Bo slightly disagreed—she and their late mother’s hair was a darker red.
“He looks a hell of a lot like you,” Bo insisted. “He’s got your eyes. Looks like he got your nose—” Korkie started to fuss.
“Shhhhh, relax, kid,” Bo grumbled. “I’m trying to compliment you by saying how much you look like your mother!” Korkie did not abide by his aunt’s request and started to cry. Satine sighed.
“Bo, he’s a baby—”
“I can see that!” Bo exclaimed, pointing to him. “Doesn’t mean he’s allowed to be insolent.”
“He doesn’t know what insolent means, Bo’ika,” Satine said with a chuckle as her son cried louder against her collarbone. “Shhh, ad’ika. It’s alright.” Bo rolled her eyes at Satine’s motherly inclination.
“If I ever get pregnant, I’m not telling you,” Bo sarcastically snapped as Satine adjusted the child against her.
“Bo—”
“What? It’s only fair.”
“Please don’t,” Satine argued tiredly as Dr. Jinora returned to the room with a mobile incubator.
“I’ll take him,” she explained. “You need rest, your grace.”
“But—” Satine protested, and honestly, Bo had half the nerve to back her up. Bo certainly did not want Korkie out of her sight, so she could only imagine how his own mother felt.
“I’ll bring him back once he’s changed. Sound good?” Dr. Jinora explained, picking up the fussing infant from his mother’s chest. Korkie also seemed to detest this idea, crying quite a bit harder.
“Okay,” Satine relented. Bo swallowed thickly before grabbing her sister’s hand again, running her thumb over the top of her hand.
“Can I stay?” Bo blurted as the doctor put Korkie in the incubator.
“Sure. I don’t see why not. I can grab a cot for you—” But Bo was already climbing into the hospital bed with her sister, grumbling a ‘move over’ before Satine or the doctor could protest. Satine slightly cringed as she moved over but did not complain as her sister curled up next to her. Bo stretched an arm over her sister’s chest, pleasantly feeling the pulse underneath her hospital gown. Satine let out a tired chuckle as her little sister firmly wrapped around her.
Dr. Jinora sighed and shook her head but did not object before wheeling Korkie away, turning the light off as she left. Bo felt Satine let out a shaky exhale as Bo put her head on her shoulder. Careful not to disturb her sister’s wounds, Bo snuggled as close as possible to her sister.
“I really did miss you, Bo,” Satine whispered into the dark, a hand coming up to stroke Bo’s hair.
“I missed you too,” Bo admitted. “Please… please don’t ever send me away again.” She heard Satine swallow thickly in response, and she pulled Bo closer.
“I won’t,” Satine declared. “We’ll never be separated again. I was… wrong for not telling you.” Bo huffed a laugh at her sister’s admission.
“Wow. The mighty duchess of Mandalore admitting when she’s wrong? Has Hell frozen over?” Satine laughed at her sister’s jest, although it was apparent her strength was fading away. Not in the way Bo had first feared when she entered the room, but rather from the exhaustion that came from labor and delivery.
Bo knew, however, that her sister would not sleep until Korkie was back in the room. So, she distracted them both by braiding Satine’s hair until Dr. Jinora came back into the room with a sleeping Korkie, putting his incubator right by Satine’s side.
“I didn’t know it was possible to love someone so much,” Satine murmured as she looked at her sleeping baby. Bo smiled as her braiding stopped.
“Me either,” Bo admitted. Satine let out a shaky exhale as she smiled at Bo’s words and pulled her sister impossibly closer. “I love you,” Bo murmured softly.
“I love you too,” Satine replied with the same level of softness, her breathing matching the sleeping baby next to them. Bo felt inclined to follow them to sleep, but her mind was forced to stay awake as it processed the events of this morning. There were still bits of resentment for Satine’s actions inside of Bo, though for now, they were mostly drowned out by the sheer amount of joy Korkie brought her. As for the father's identity, Bo decided she did not care. If Satine wanted to keep that a secret, Bo convinced herself she had the right to that. Korkie would have all the love in the galaxy provided to him by Clan Kryze.
“I’ll protect him. I promise,” Bo whispered before quickly following her family into slumber.