Venus & Mars

Chapter 32 ~ Forever

 Six fleeting years have came and went, each one better than the last. Neither the First Order or the Empire have been able to rebuild themselves. Leia and Han moved to Naboo two years after the birth of their grandchildren, keeping their rank and responsibilities, but wanting to be closer to their family. Of course, Chewbacca had accompanied them, and his furry face had become a welcome sight on the planet. Sakun and Thalia had another daughter, Ileana, to keep little Solaria on her toes for the rest of their lives. Orusa and Kanatu had been blessed with five children, Mirialan gestation period lasting far less time than human pregnancy. Even my dear cousin, Rey, had finally settled down long enough to have a son, Oran, who looked just like his father, with Rey's sense of curiosity and adventure. Surprisingly, Braylen and Poe even conceived, like Rey, a son named Jaksun, the youngest out of all of our children. Master Luke, though he never had children or married, had decided to be a mentor once again, training the young Force-sensitives that had finally come out of the shadows, no longer fearing the Empire.

As for Ben and I, our lives couldn't have been better. Because of how many Force-sensitives had been born within recent years, Master Luke had given Ben and I his blessing on beginning our own training sanctuary on Naboo. We had roughly ten students, including Solaria, little Kayden Cosmopolis, and our own children. Each of us understood how important a person's childhood is to how they act when they are adults, so we only requested for them to attend class once a week until they got older. Little Antony and Luna were growing so fast, I could hardly believe that they were already six years old. It seemed like only yesterday when I had met their father, when in reality, it had been ten years since I had first set eyes on the great and powerful Kylo Ren. Ben hardly looked like he had aged at all, and I was quite proud to say that after my pregnancy, I had almost got my old shape back. I still had a little bit of the extra fat, but thanks to some more of my old practice sessions during the babies' naptimes, I had quickly shed most of the baby weight. But in no way did I regret having our children.

Luna, the older of the twins, had Ben's dark hair and fierce temperament, while she had inherited my pale eyes, skin, and short stature. Also like Ben, she was a born leader and little rebel, always getting into trouble whenever our backs were turned. Her brother, Antony, was the total opposite of little Luna. He had his father's eyes and skin tone, yet he had been given my lighter hair and sarcasm. Unlike Luna, he was also more quiet, preferring to observe people rather than interact. We weren't quite sure exactly where that part of him came from, but he acted very similar to how I did when I was a child. Often times, he was the victim or unwilling participant of Luna's antics, which always made Ben and I laugh.

There was one time, when Ben and I had left the twins alone for only a moment to go see how Solaria's pretend lightsaber duel was going, that we had come back to see poor Antony levitating off the ground upside down. "Luna!" I had grabbed my daughter, then five, and lowered her hand. Ben ran over and caught Antony, lowering him onto his feet softly. "What were you doing?" I asked my child, looking between her and her brother. "Antony took my bear!" She accused, pointing her small finger at him. Ben brought Antony over, the boy clutching a small stuffed bear. "Now, Luna...you don't use the Force on your brother ever!" Ben chided the girl. Luna lowered her head and pouted, upset that Daddy had told her no. "You use it on other people who make you mad." He added. I glared at him. Ben laughed, giving me a hug. "I'm only joking, Andromeda." He told me, before turning to his daughter again. "You never use the Force on anyone unless they hurt you." He fixed his sentence. I nodded, "Now, tell your brother you're sorry." Luna turned to Antony and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry." She grumbled. She'd make wonderful woman one day, so long as she learned to control her temper. And if Ben could learn to do so, then she could too.

However, there are still those that still doubt Ben's and my loyalty, and therefore they take it out on our children. We did not know that this had been going on, until one evening when we all went home after training. Luna had been in a particularly sour mood, and Antony was even more quiet than usual. I looked at Ben as the children made their way to their rooms (we had added on another room to our home so that they could have separate chambers and more privacy). "What's wrong with them?" I murmured. Ben shrugged, heading toward Antony's chambers. "I'll speak with him." He gave me a smile, turning away. I made my way in the opposite direction, to go see Luna.