"I love it."
Cara woke up to the morning sun shining in her face as her eyelids fluttered open. And She outstretched her hands as she sat up in bed, looking around noticing the white room she was in and she realised it looked vaguely familiar.
She pulled back the blue bedding, noticing the white gown she was in and realising her hair was out of its usual crown braid and now cascading down her back.
Walking over to the rectangular window that wrapped around about half of the room she placed her hand on the window ledge and looked out at the green forest in front of her and she finally realised where she was. She was on Alderaan.
She was home.
After the quick realisation she walked back over to her bed and opened the nightstand drawer before finding exactly what she was looking for and let an out a small gasp before smiling and sitting on the bed. And she knew exactly what room she was in.
In the drawer was a small light brown teddy bear next to a small red and white toy, Lola. She was home and she was back in her old room.
She carefully closed the bedside drawer and walked over to her door before opening it. It had been so long since she had been here but she remembered it like the back of her hand.
Cara walked back down the hallways that she had last been in as a child and noticed the small changes her parents had made to their home. Some new renovations, different decor choices and such. But she continued walking down the tall hallways before rounding the corner and walking into one of the many open seating areas of her house and seeing a boy standing at the window, looking out over the planet.
"Anakin?" Cara asked as she walked up to him.
"You're awake." He smiled as he turned around, happy to see her.
"What happened? Why are we here?" She asked as he took her hands in his. And she looked down noticing the black glove covering his hand. The one Dooku had cut off.
"There's a lot we have to talk about, here, sit." He said walking over and gesturing to a couch as they both took a seat.
"On Geonosis, Dooku instigated the war by attacking and killing several Jedi knights with the droid army. We took heavy losses, and we were lucky to make it out of there alive. You, me and Kenobi." Anakin started and Cara had remembered that much.
"Around ten years ago Master Sifo-Dyas gave the order for the clone army. And we now have them at our disposal. The Jedi have been militarized for the Clone wars now, Cara." Anakin explained and she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers, not soldiers.
"What about Obi-Wan? He's alright?" Cara asked remembering his unconscious state when she arrived at the hanger.
"He's fine. He's back at the Jedi temple. After Bail found out about your injuries on Geonosis he begged the council to let you recoup here with me as your escort." Anakin answered and she smiled knowing her dad wanted her here so badly.
"Is there anything else?" Cara asked.
"Chancellor Palpatine has assumed Power. And the Jedi have alligned with the Republic. When we arrive back on Coruscant we are to meet with the council immediately." Anakin added.
"Chancellor Palpatine?" Cara asked at the news. As far as she knew he had just been a senator until now.
"Yes, the senate called into question Chancellor Valorum's ability to lead and elected Sheev." Anakin nodded.
"This certainly changes things." Cara sighed. And she was right, she didn't know what to think of it all right now. There was so much changing. So much going on. But she did know one thing that she was sure she needed to see.
"Where are my parents?" She asked him after a second of thought.
"They are in the throne room, they're waiting for you." Anakin said as she shot up off the couch.
"Then come on, we have to see them." Cara said grabbing his hand and pulling him along with her.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Anakin said as she ran down the hallways and towards the throne room before stopping at the door.
"What's wrong?" Anakin asked as she let go of his hand to grab the door handle and pull it open. But her hand stopped just a few mere centimeters away.
"It's just been so long since I've seen my mother." Cara said softly.
She hadn't seen her mother in well over two years. Her father had constantly visited Coruscant on Senate business but her mother always had to stay behind and keep Alderaan running.
"Here, we'll go in together." Anakin said taking her hand again and carefully pulling the door open as they stepped inside to see Breha and Bail's backs to them as they talked to someone.
Whoever they were talking to went silent for a minute and they looked at them confused before they pointed behind her parents and they slowly turned around.
And Cara walked up until she was only a few feet away from them.
Cara dropped Anakin's hand as a gasp fell from Brehas face and they started slowly walking towards each other before running into a hug.
"Cara." Breha gasped as tears brimmed her eyes and she pulled away from the hug and cupping her daughter's face. She rarely got see her and she had to watch from a distance as her daughter grew up over the years going from a six year old to a strong nineteen year old.
"Mom." Cara smiled as her voice broke and looked into her mother's loving eyes.
Bail walked up to the two as him and Breha hugged Cara just like they had the day she left them. "Thank goodness you're okay." Bail sighed blinking back his own tears.
~•~
Cara stood on the balconey of her room, overlooking the city as she watched the sunrise higher and higher on the horizon. She felt at peace right now, being home. She was so happy here with her family. And she wished it had never been taken from her. But she wondered what it would've been like growing up here and how many things that would or wouldn't have happened if she had stayed. Would she have even met Anakin? Would they even know about the prophecy.
There were so many what ifs that constantly ran rampant around her mind and all she wanted to do right now was live in the moment. And just let the few days she had here, be left as a happy time that she made the most of.
"You know, everyday since you left for coruscant I've come out here to watch the sunrise and sunset." Breha said walking up from behind Cara as her daughter turned around to face her.
"Really?" Cara asked as her mother stood next to her and smiled.
"Mhm, hoping that one day, just maybe, you would come back." Breha answered as she put a hand on her shoulder.
"I always a watched it and thought of Alderaan, it just feels like home." Cara smiled as Breha watched her daughter's face light up as she spoke. And it's like her heart was bursting as a mother. Just being back with her daughter was everything she wanted.
"It's good to have you back." Breha smiled as she brushed her daughter's flowy hair with her fingers.
"It's good to be back. It's exactly as I remember it. But I had been away so long I was scared I would start to forget it." Cara said softly.
"You'll never forget it. It will live here inside of you, even when you're gone." Breha smiled as she put her hand to her daughter's heart.
"I love you." Cara smiled as she studied her mother's face as if this was the last moment she would see her.
"I love you too, my beautiful, brave daughter." Breha smiled as she cupped Cara's face in her hands.
"Don't ever forget that." She continued as Cara nodded with a soft smile.
"Now, We have a lot of catching up to do. You must tell me everything." Breha said wrapping an arm around Cara and walking inside the girls room as she smiled.
"What's going on between you and that boy?" Breha asked as they continued walking and Cara burst into laughter before they sat down on her bed.
"We met a few years ago. When we were twelve." Cara started. And Breha took notice as her daughter's eyes started to twinkle as she recalled the story. And how a small crept up on her face as she looked down remembering the first moment she met him.
"We were in the courtyard of the Jedi temple when we met. He had been hiding from his master and I had woken up early to go watch the sunrise. And we had just spent the morning talking." Cara laughed as she smiled at the memory and shrugged, while Breha played with her daughter's hair.
"I thought we would become the best of friends, but then we didn't see each other several years. Until Padme's accident. We were assigned to protect her. And..." Cara said as she decided whether or not to tell her mother. But it was her mother, how could she not? Out of all people she knew that she would judge her for this.
"And then what?" Breha asked in curiosity. She already knew what the girl was about to say but that didn't stop her from asking.
"And then we... we...fell in love." Cara admitted as she looked up at her mother. And breha's heart burst with happiness for her little girl. But she also felt a tinge of heartbreak. She had missed so much of her daughter's life. And she had to watch her grow up in increments. She had watched her daughter leave as a child, and now she was back as an adult and she had her own life, and she had already started learning to love.
"You love him?" Breha asked as a maternal smile formed on her face.
"Yeah, I think I do." Cara realized. She hadn't noticed until now that they hadn't even said it to each other. But she knew that had felt it, there was no denying that.
"Have you told him?" Her mother asked.
"No, but I will when the time is right. And I think he knows already." Cara laughed.
"He can't be sure unless you tell him Cara." Breha smiled knowingly, She knew exactly how the boy felt.
"Speaking of, I think I'm actually late for a sparring session right now." Cara said checking her non existent watch as she got off the bed and walked towards the door with a smile.
~•~
Cara met Anakin on a bridge that overlooked one of Alderaan's many rivers as the sun set behind them. The bridge was pretty high up that if you tripped you would risk falling to your death. But they knew they'd be fine. And what's the point in having fun without a little danger?
"You're late." Anakin said walking towards her as she ran.
"No you're just early." Cara smirked as she stopped running and continued walking towards him.
"I thought Princess's weren't supposed to be snarky." Anakin smiled as he stopped in front of her.
"I stopped being a princess a long time ago." She smiled as he took her hand in his and she kissed him.
"Clearly." He laughed as he pulled away from the kiss and she looked down at their intertwined hands.
"So are we going to talk about it?" She asked. And he knew what she was talking about but he really didn't want to.
"I hate it." He said clenching his jaw as he looked down at his metal hand.
"I love it." She said taking it and pulling their intertwined hands up in front of them to show him she was with him. Forever and always.
"It's so dehumanizing." He said as his face furrowed.
"I think it represents your bravery." Cara denied.
"I think it represents my weakness. My failure to breat Dooku." He said as he let go her hand. And she knew the contraption made him uncomfortable. He was the chosen one and he expected himself to be all powerful. And when he wasn't it was just a setback as he tried to prove himself.
"How's your back?" He asked, desperately wanting to change the subject.
"It's fine. It'll just leave an ugly scar." Cara shrugged.
"You sure your okay to practice?" He asked.
"Bring it on. You just don't want to loose." Cara smiled as she back away from him and ignited her lightsaber.
"Whatever you say Princess." Anakin said igniting his own lightsaber and twirling it around with his wrist before getting in a fighting stance. And Cara just rolled her eyes at the comment. She hated the nickname but she knew that's why he liked it.
"Just don't be too disappointed when you loose." She said as she ran at him and swung her lightsaber before he blocked it.
"You're delusional." He said as he pushed his lightsaber against hers in an attempt to push her off.
"No, I just know what I want and how to get it." She said before jumping over him and landing on the ground as he quickly turned around and swung his own lightsaber over his head and at her before she blocked it.
"And who lasted longer fighting Dooku?" She asked pretending to think about it before she turned around and hit his lightsaber from the side.
He just rolled his eyes before using her comment as motivation to prove he was better and swung at her feet as she jumped up to avoid being amputated. And she sprung off her feet and behind herself, onto her hands before standing up and bending her knees, preparing to strike again.
"You know the sooner I win, the sooner we go home." Cara said pretending to yawn as he walked towards her as he twirled his blue lightsaber.
"Your tired already?" Anakin asked raising an eyebrow and smiling.
"No, just saying." She shrugged swinging her lightsaber at him again before he blocked it and she tried to hit hit from a different position.
But again he blocked it. Neither one of them could get a single hit in. But they weren't trying to hurt each other. Only get back into a routine after Geonosis and their recovery.
"You know I think the last time we did this was when we met." Cara said as she pushed off his lightsaber.
"We're much better swordsmen now then we were then." Anakin said turning around quickly while she was distracted and aiming his lightsaber at his neck. But little did he know she was just as fast and would not leave her guard down for a while.
"I win." He smiled.
"Not so fast. Tie, again." Cara said nodding at her lightsaber which was pointed at his toroso.
"Again?" He scoffed as he turned off his lightsaber an dropped his arm.
"Guess I'm just that good." Cara smirked as she did the same.
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Anakin smiled.
"Says the one who can't beat me." Cara said walking past him.
"Hey, You didn't beat me either, that's why it's called a tie." Anakin said rolling his eyes and following her.
"Whatever." Cara laughed as she walked towards the ledge of the bridge and watched the sunset in front of them.
As she stared up at the night sky she felt the breeze around her. The air was a mix of both warm and cool as she looked out at the shimmering water below her. It was a beautiful sight during the day when the sun shone on the lake but it was so calming at night. Perfect for meditation and clearing your head.
"Peaceful isn't it?" Anakin said from behind her.
"It's probably my favorite place in the galaxy." Cara smiled as he walked up next to her.
"I came out here while you were unconscious because I felt like I could feel your presence out here. The sun reminded me of you. So full of light." Anakin said smiling as he looked down at her. And she felt her heart burst at how amazing he was. He did he ever fall for her, she didn't deserve him.
They sat in silence for a few minutes as they just enjoyed each others company. Thankful they were both safe, because that could be taken away from them in an instant. And they both knew good things never lasted long. So it was better to just live in the moment.
"What are we going to do when we get back?" Cara asked.
"Now that the wars started. We probably won't see each other for a while." Cara said sadly as her face dropped.
"Cara, no matter where we are in the Galaxy. I will always love you. I'll always be with you, and find my way back to you. Which is why I've been doing some thinking, and you're right. When you fell out of the shop on geonosis I wanted them to drop the ship and go find you, go help you. I couldn't bear the thought of something bad happening to you out there. And when you were unconscious I thought I had lost you for a second and I realized I can't live in a world where your not mine. And the thought of dying alone without you broke me. And so..." he said looking down at her as he grabbed her hand and knelt down on one knee and Caras heart stopped.
"Marry Me?" He asked as he pulled out a red velvet box from his robes and opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.
Cara gasped as her founds found her dropped jaw and happy tears formed in her eyes.
"Anakin..." she started and his face dropped as the nerves that he had started to worsen ten times. It took practically everything he had to even pull the dang ring out.
"Say yes." He practically begged and she laughed before nodding her head because she was so choked up the words couldn't come out without her croaking them out.
"Yes, I'll marry you." She laughed as he smiled and slid the ring on her finger before kissing her passionately.
"So I guess this makes me Jedi Padawan, Princess of Alderaan, and Fiancé Cara Organa... Skywalker." She smirked as she pulled away and held up her hand admiring the ring.
"Cara... Skywalker. Has a nice ring to it." He smiled.