Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or the Extended Universe, those are the property of George Lucas and the individual authors. I do, however, own Lisseth Warda Solo, Thane and Merit Solo; Rilla, Aidan and Amidala Kenobi, along with Rilla's un-named mother, as well as others to be named later. Please note: this does contain original characters. People who don't like original characters may want to hit the back button now.
Author's Note: This is a story completely separate from my story, Pieces of the Truth. At this point, it can be considered AU to the Star Wars Extended Universe as of Invincible, since Jacen Solo is obviously alive in this story. At least for now. If you, like me, have only ever seen the six movies, you may not recognize some of the characters. Feel free to ask me or check Wookieepedia. That's what I did when I first came across characters like Bant, Xanatos, and the Solo twins.
Prologue
Children of Tomorrow
They had created such beautiful children, her son and Lisseth. Every time Leia looked at her two grandchildren, she wanted to weep at what might become of those beautiful children. She had loved all three of her children, but this. . .this was different. When the twins and their brother were born, the galaxy was different. There wasn't the desperation that marked the existence of the Skywalker-Solo family now. . .nor was there the gut-wrenching terror. If her grandchildren fell into the hands of their father. . .Leia couldn't bear that idea. Not after what she and Luke went through, because of their own father.
Her father visited not long after Lisseth and the children arrived. Anakin Skywalker wanted her to be very careful. He loved all of his great-grandchildren, but, he reminded her, Thane and Merit were far more vulnerable. Allana was hidden from her father, just as her brother and sister were. . .but where Allana was now protected by the Hapes Consortium, though she continued to use the name 'Amelia,' Thane and Merit had only their mother, Leia and Han (with some assistance from Luke and Ben). Happily, Anakin chose not to state that Allana was in no danger. His own history with Leia's mother Padme prevented that from happening. Anakin knew all too well that as Jacen slipped further down into the embrace of the Sith, no one in the galaxy was safe. Not even the daughter whom he sought to protect.
For now, Allana was safe, from her father and from anyone else who would do her harm. . .Leia and Han had to make Thane and Merit their priority. That wasn't hard, not for Han. When Lisseth brought the children to them nearly two years earlier, it was anyone's guess, who was more in shock. . .the gentle wife and mother who saw her beloved husband turn into a demon; the little boy who suddenly had to become the man of the house; or the tiny girl who still didn't understand what she had done so wrong that her daddy had stopped loving her.
As soon as the trio entered the house, Han had scooped Merit into his arms, cradling her close against his chest with one arm and put his other arm around Thane, leading them both into the kitchen. Leia believed, quite firmly, that it was only because of her husband that her younger granddaughter could smile at all. Thane and Merit were all they had left of their first-born son. Jacen wasn't dead, but he was lost to them both and likely to stay that way. Even so, Leia smiled as she listened to Han.
He was, it seemed, teaching their granddaughter how to defend herself. Luke and Ben taught both Thane and Merit how to use their connection to the Force, but Han reminded everyone that the children needed to know more than that. Ben agreed unexpectedly, telling everyone that he learned a great deal about his namesake, including his time in a Sith mask (a device that made Leia's blood run cold). It was important for both Thane and Merit to have resources other than the Force.
"There, good girl. Okay, now punch my hand as hard as you can, sweetheart," Han told Merit, kneeling in front of her. The six year old's tiny hand was curled into a fist, fierce concentration turning her young face into a mask of sheer determination. Han already corrected her stance and when he nodded to her, Merit slammed her fist into his hand, just as he instructed. But what made Leia's eyes widen was before the swing was even complete, Merit's other fist was speeding in for a following. Han wobbled a bit, and then swept the little girl into his arms, spinning her around proudly.
"Way to go, Miri! I am so proud of you! Now, if you really want to make sure that your opponent stays down, and if you can divide your concentration, you can fight with two weapons. . .your fists and feet, and the Force. I know, Leia, I told your brother it was a hokey religion, but that was before he started doing what I thought was impossible," Han said over Merit's head. He gave the little girl another hug, kissing the top of her head, then observed, "You know, your uncle Luke says I'm teaching you to fight dirty, but there's some bad people out there. And I want to make sure they don't hurt you, I want to make sure my little duchess can take care of herself."
Now that, Leia couldn't let pass. She asked with an amused grin, "Little duchess? Han, what are you teaching that child?" A giggle from her daughter-in-law alerted her to Lisseth's interest in the conversation. Leia looked at the younger woman, who had covered her mouth with her hand. . .but her dark eyes were sparkling with laughter. The sight warmed Leia's heart. Her son had broken his wife's heart, but Lisseth was still fighting, still putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes, when your heart had been shattered like that, there was nothing else to do.
Not at all surprisingly, Han was also paying attention. When Leia glanced back at her husband, he was wearing his characteristic smirk as he replied, "Of course Merit's my little duchess, Leia! Merit's great-grandma was a queen, her grandma was a princess, so she's gotta be a duchess! Sorry, Lisseth." Their daughter-in-law just shook her head, removing her hand from her mouth and now they could both see her broad grin. Her real smile, not the desperate attempt she made when her daughter tried to cheer her up after Merit emerged from her own shellshock.
Keeping the tone light, Leia looked at her granddaughter and solemnly informed her, "Your grandfather's silly." Thane laughed outright as he sat down beside his mother. Merit just giggled, wrapping her arms around Han's neck. Leia wished Chewbacca was here, wished she could have watched their Wookie friend 'fly' Merit and Thane around the room (picking up the thirteen year old would not have posed a problem for him).
And Han interrupted her melancholy thoughts when he announced, "I am not silly! I'm the best grandpa in the galaxy, right, Duchess?" The six year old bobbed her head decisively, and Han turned his attention to Thane, adding, "Right, Thane?" Typical of their only grandson, Thane responded with a smirk and raised eyebrows. Leia shook her head. There was a very good reason the boy was named after Han and Luke. He behaved like both of them. Han glared at the boy, grumbling, "Ingrate!"
"I'm not an ingrate, Grandpa, you're just the only grandfather I know," the boy pointed out quite logically. He paused, and then added, "Well, aside from when Great-grandfather Anakin comes for a visit. And that doesn't really count." Leia shivered a little at the reference to her father. Please, she thought to Whoever was listening, I know we can't always be happy or even content, but let us at least be able to protect the children until they can protect themselves.
As her husband put Merit down and lunged at Thane, tackling to the ground and tickling him unmercifully, something else occurred to Leia, something triggered by Thane's mention of his great-grandfather. No matter what she thought about Obi-Wan Kenobi during certain times of her life, Leia now believed she understood the man. They shared a common bond, because of the falls of Anakin and Jacen. She wanted to tell him that she understood, and knew that he did the best he could.
Her opportunity would come soon enough.