Her nascent hope evaporated the instant she set foot in the hotel. It wasn't a voice so much as a feeling, but something—or someone—was calling to her.

Ben returned from tucking in the children and pulled her into his arms. "Is it coming from the ground floor, do you think?" he asked in a low voice.

She looked at him, startled. "You can feel it too?"

"No, but I can feel you. Force dyad, remember?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "It's somewhere near the lobby. If I went down there, I'd have a better idea."

"Are you going?"

She hesitated. On the one hand, she wanted nothing more than to lock herself away in

their penthouse suite and pray that whatever it was would go away. But deep in her heart, beyond

her terror and sickening sense of dread, she knew that that wasn't an option. If there was a danger, it was her duty as a Jedi to confront it. And if this truly was her destiny, then it would be futile to try to run away from it—even if she went as far as Ahch-To.

"I'm going," she said, her voice quavering only slightly, "but you should stay here with the kids, just in case."

"I'm coming with you."

"But—"

"I'm coming," he repeated firmly. "Whatever's down there, we're facing it together. That's how it was in your vision too, right?"

She nodded reluctantly.

"The kids will be fine for a few minutes. Chewie's room is right across the hall if anything happens."

"Alright," she said with a resigned sigh. "Let's go then."

The feeling strengthened with every floor the elevator descended. By the time they reached the lobby, she was being almost physically drawn toward whatever was calling her. She tried not to dwell on how similar it felt to the gravitational-like pull of her nightmares.

She led the way through the chandelier-lit lobby and down several winding hallways, finally stopping in front of a pair of ornate doors.

"This is it," she said breathlessly.

"Stella Ballroom," Ben read the silver plaque beside the door. "I think this is where the ball was."

She nodded, feeling nearly ill with dreaded anticipation. The answer to everything lay beyond these doors.

Ben took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Ready?"

She looked into his eyes and nodded. It would be alright. She could change even destiny as long as she was with him.

They pushed open the doors, revealing a sumptuously decorated ballroom. She had half expected to see an assembly of hooded Siths and a resurrected—or technically, re-resurrected—Palpatine, but there was nothing obviously out of place. A few droids bustled about here and there, sweeping confetti and clearing tables. There was a tiled dance floor toward the back of the room, and beyond that…

Her steps faltered when she saw the two high-backed chairs. They sat on a raised platform, overlooking the rest of the room. There was a small card on the seat of each chair—one bearing her name and the other Ben's. She reached out and tentatively brushed one of the polished arms.

"This is where we were sitting in my vision," she whispered.

Ben looked at her sharply. "Are you certain?"

She nodded. It had been ten years, but there was no mistaking it. This was the Sith throne that she had seen herself and Ben ruling from. But why was it here in a glittering Coruscant ballroom? And where were the Sith? None of it made sense, unless…

She and Ben looked at each other, realization hitting them both at the same time. He burst into guffawing laughter, while she slid to the floor in a boneless heap.

"It's really not funny," she protested weakly.

"Sorry, love." He hurried to assist her, still struggling to control his laughter. "But you

have to admit, it is amusing. I mean, look at them"—he gestured toward the chairs—"they don't

even look like something a Sith would sit on."

"I know," she sighed, burying her face in her hands. "When I saw the vision, I just assumed…" She paused as another thought occurred to her. "This still doesn't explain my nightmares, though. I could definitely hear Palpatine's voice."

"Don't you see, love?" he asked gently. "It wasn't Palpatine, but your own fears that you were hearing. You were right that the dreams were occurring because your vision was about to come true, but they weren't supposed to be nightmares—not originally. Your fear twisted them into that, just like it twisted your interpretation of your vision."

"I…see…" Tears blurred her vision and soon she was sobbing in earnest. "I'm sorry," she hiccoughed, ignoring the droids who had stopped their work to stare. "I'm just s-so relieved."

Ben held her in his arms, rocking her back and forth. "I knew it all along, love." He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "You were never going to be anything but light. You foresaw it yourself all those years ago, even though you didn't realize it."

He helped her to her feet once she had calmed somewhat. "What do you say we fulfill your vision, once and for all?" he asked, offering her his arm.

She took it with a watery smile and together they climbed the platform steps. Ten years of fear and anxiety, and all along, this was what her vision had been about. She hadn't foreseen a resurging Sith empire under her rule, but the tenth anniversary of the Resistance's victory—of her and Ben's victory against Palpatine.

A feeling of perfect serenity washed over her as she took her seat beside Ben. The life she had wasn't a mistake—this was who she was always meant to be. Not a destroyer, but a hero of the Resistance. Not a Sith queen, but a Jedi master. Not alone, but the wife of a loving husband and mother to their four beautiful children. Not a Palpatine, but a Skywalker.

This was her destiny, and it had been written in the stars from the very beginning.

The End

Author's Note: And that's a wrap! I have a few other ideas for this world, so I won't exclude the possibility of me coming back to this story at some point, but I'm going to take a break for now and work on some other projects. Thank you again for reading and please do take a minute to leave a review. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated!