Legend of the Jedi Princess: Enchanted Jedi Rise

Boba's New Family Part 4: One More Thing

The Skywalker kids and their horses found themselves back in the Jedi Temple, in the Council Chamber where they started. Only this time, the room was empty. It was the evening by the time they were home, about dinnertime. Good thing too, as someone's stomach growling.

"I guess all that music and dancing made me hungry." Boba said.

"Let's go to the cafeteria," said Gabby. "I heard there's supposed to be mac and cheese today."

Remix licked his mouth. "My favorite."

"Last one there's a rotten apple!" Carousella said, starting to run.

"That's not gonna be us!" Remix said, getting Boba onto his back and racing the girls to the cafeteria.

Anakin was with Ahsoka, getting their own food.

"Did Queen Reigna's messenger say how long Gabby and Boba would be in Equinaro?" Ahsoka asked.

"All she said in her note was that Boba had to pick a horse on his own time, and that because finding the right one is a huge decision, it could take a while." Anakin said. "I thought with Gabby being the horse expert, she might've helped him find his horse by now."

That was when the kids suddenly arrived.

"And it looks like she has." said Ahsoka.

"Kids, you're back!" Anakin said, happy to see his kids were fine and safely brought home. "And I see Boba has a horse now."

"Dad, this is Remix." Boba said. "Remix, this is my dad, Anakin Skywalker and his student Ahsoka Tano."

"It's an honor to finally meet you, Master Jedi." Remix smiled.

"Did you just call me 'Dad'?" Anakin asked Boba, a bit surprised. Throughout the week Boba lived with the Skywalkers, Boba seemed uncertain how to address his adoptive father. Padme, he felt less nervous calling 'Mom' since he'd never had a mom before. But with a new fatherly figure, that was a different story. He didn't want to feel like he was replacing his birth family, but he didn't want to sound like he didn't want to be part of his new family either.

"Was that bad?" Boba asked nervously.

But, Anakin smiled, ruffled the boy's hair and said, "It's what I hoped I'd one day hear."

Gabby, Boba, and their horses gathered for dinner and told Anakin and Ahsoka all about their journey finding the right horse for Boba. Of course, the kids were also tired after the day they had searching for Boba's horse and bonding as a family. But, when Boba got up from the table and started heading off to get ready for bed, he bumped right into Mace Windu. Boba just looked at him awkwardly and went around him without a word. Mace didn't say anything either. He just looked distrustful and uncertain.

"What's their deal?" Remix asked, looking at Anakin.

"That's kind of a long story." Anakin answered.

Gabby didn't like what she saw one bit. She loved her brother, but she also loved her honorary uncle. She also understood why Mace would be mistrusting, as well as why Boba would have a hard time around him. But, at the same time, she knew it would result in awkwardness between members of her family, and that was the last thing she wanted. She didn't expect them to become best friends, but she knew they needed to at least learn to get along somehow.

That night, Master Windu was doing something on his tablet in his quarters, when there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," said Mace, not looking up from his tablet.

The door opened, and in came Gabby in her pajamas.

"Uncle Mace? Can I talk to you?" Gabby asked.

"Well, you already are. And I'm sensing I won't be able to stop you from doing so." Mace said, still not looking away from his tablet.

"Uncle Mace, will you please look at me when I'm talking to you?"

"If this is about Boba-"

"Look, I know he tried to kill you. Yes, that was very wrong of him. And I'm not saying he was right to act the way he did before, but he's making an effort to change." Gabby interrupted. "You saw his memories during the trial. He was scared, and he was hurt and alone. He didn't realize what he was doing at first. Isn't it the Jedi way to look past bad actions because we're supposed to be compassionate?"

"I don't hold a grudge against your brother." Mace said. "But I am hesitant about bringing him here."

"I understand that." said Gabby. "But Boba's only ten and you're a grownup. So, you need to start acting like one and at least make an effort here. You and Boba don't have to be friends. But I think the least you can do is try to talk it out. Are you really gonna spend the rest of your lives avoiding each other? Because the last time I checked, avoiding the problem doesn't make it go away."

Mace finally started to look at Gabby a little bit. The little girl held a pleading look in her eyes.

"Do you love me less now that I've accepted Boba as my family?" Gabby asked Mace. "Or when you found out my daddy is Anakin Skywalker, the very Jedi you didn't want to welcome here as a child?"

"No. No, of course not." Mace said. "My feelings about you didn't change during either of those times."

"Can you honestly tell me that I didn't do anything bad in my whole life or make mistakes?" Gabby asked. "What about you? You're like, how old? Nearing your forties, and you didn't do anything stupid or insensitive in your entire life, even when you were a kid? What about when you were a teenager?"

Mace didn't say anything.

Gabby headed for the door to head back to bed.

"I don't love you any less even after Boba told me what you did." Gabby said. "But I love him too, and he's part of my family now. Daddy proved he wasn't as dangerous as you thought he was when you first met him. You might find that you're wrong about Boba too. Think about that."

And with that, Gabby left the room.

Mace did think about what Gabby told him. But, he decided to sleep on it for now, figuring both kids would be asleep at this time.

Meanwhile, Remix sat with Boba, talking to him.

Boba was having trouble sleeping; he still had some feelings of guilt and trauma within him. So, Remix asked him to share his story. And when Boba confessed everything that happened, Remix offered him some advice.

"I get it, you're still upset about losing your birth father." Remix said. "Nothing can bring him back or justify what Mace did to you. But, you probably don't have the full story of what happened. Yes, you saw your father get killed, but maybe it was an accident. Maybe Mace only did it as a defense action."

"I don't care why he did it!" Boba snapped. "He killed my father right in front of me!"

"I know. I know." Remix said as calmly as he could. "Just take a deep breath. In and out."

Remix had Boba take a few slow, deep breaths.

"Look, I'm not gonna try to justify what Mace did. But, I'm sure he feels terrible about what happened, and not just because you tried to get revenge on him. Your sister loves him, doesn't she?"

"Yeah. She wouldn't call him 'Uncle' if she didn't." Boba shrugged.

"Well, if a sweet little girl like her can love Mace despite knowing what he did, how bad can he really be?" Remix said. "Even if you two don't exactly become the best of friends, I think the least you can do is talk and try to get along. For the sake of your little sister. She clearly loves both of you, and the last thing she needs is being forced to choose between you two."

Boba thought about what Remix said for a while. He looked at the lion Anakin and Gabby had made for him and picked it up. He was part of a new family now. He was given a second chance. A fresh start. If he, a boy who tried to kill a Jedi could be granted a second chance, why should he not try to forgive the one who killed his birth father?

Boba went to his cot and lay down, holding his plushie beside him, and he went to sleep, hoping he would know what to do in the morning.