Dear Lux

xxxii

Ahsoka barely had a second to herself after revealing herself and the rest of the rebellion to he Ghost crew. Ezra in particular was eager to learn as much as possible about her and her past, which was a painful reminder of the way she behaved in her youth. She came to realize why Anakin had left his past up to her speculation.

When she finally made it back to the fleet, her presence was requested by several systems who had heard the message broadcasted from Lothal and wished to be a part of the movement. Her movement. And as much as she wanted to be there for every single one of them, there was only so much she could do as a single person.

She was walking briskly to a meeting about the proceedings on finding a suitable system for a base when someone came running up behind her.

"Fulcrum!" Hera called out, stopping to catch her breath. "Senator Organa sent me to find you. There's been a distress call from the Royal Palace on Onderon, and he thought it would be best if you were made aware. Something about the throne room and the king."

Her face turned a ghostly shade of pale. "Onderon?" She squeaked, her voice an octave higher. Hera nodded. "Thanks for letting me know, Captain."

Mustering a weak smile, she ran in the opposite direction towards the hangar. I'm coming Lux.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It wasn't long before she found herself landing outside the palace. She had yet to see a single stormtrooper on the surface, which was troubling. There was no way Lux could've mustered enough support to rid the entire world of Imperial presence. It was odd.

Hera had mentioned something about the throne room, so she decided to start there. Oh, force, Lux, please be okay, she thought to herself, preparing for the worst. The vents were her best bet, so she jumped up the side of the building and slid inside.

She took a moment to focus on her surroundings. There wasn't a single stromtrooper in the facility. In fact, she could only sense a few beings inside, one of which being Lux.

She breathed a sigh of relief and crawled as fast as she could towards the throne room. He was alive for the time being, but it only took mere seconds to change the entire equation.

Once she reached an upper corner of the room, she glanced through the slits in the shaft to the room below. Nothing seemed off except the lack of human presence. She could feel Lux below, but he was alone. It was hard to see much of anything below due to the blue film blocking her view. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst, and dropped down into the throne room, her lightsabers gripped tightly in her palms.

Blue. Everything, from floor to ceiling, was covered with blue. Flowers covered every inch of available wall space, each a varying shade of the same color. Her eyes darted to Lux, who was standing in the middle of the room. In his hands, he clutched a single crimson rose.

She heard her lightsabers clatter to the floor as she whispered his name. "Lux."

He smiled, his eyes glowing. "Hey." She stood frozen in place as he rushed forward, placing the rose between her fingers. She looked down at the rose and up at him, her jaw dropping.

Lux chuckled to himself as he lifted her chin and tilted it towards him. After the what felt like the longest second of her life, Ahsoka felt his soft lips caress her own. Her heart skipped a beat as she hugged the rose tighter to her chest, kissing him back just as sweetly.

"I've been crushing on you hard for over 15 years," she blurted out without thinking.

"I honestly had no idea. That book was a good not-so-subtle confidence boost to get all this together to make up for that time we could've been together. Each flower on the wall was grown here in the royal garden, just as my love has grown for you. They represent the times I should've been there when you needed me."

Ahsoka was at a loss for words. "H-How...?" She stuttered, "but the distress call? I'd hate to have turned up, literally out of the blue, uninvited."

"I was distressed," he said very matter-of-factly, a smirk forming on his lips.

She punched him playfully on the shoulder. "I was worried about you, Lux. Don't do that to me again, okay?"

"I promise." He bent down and kissed her once more, just for good measure.

"Why blue?"

"It's the color of the clear sky, with sunrise far in the past and sunset yet to come. It's the clear and peaceful waters of the sea as waves ripple across the horizon. It's the way your eyes sparkle in the light, making me fall for you even more. It's the confidence you have in the person you've become. It's the way you felt when I wasn't there for you but should've been. It's the foundation of our relationship should you choose to accept me as I am."

Her eyes met his, and it was as if she finally understood the puzzle that was her feelings. "Of course I will. But why me?"

"I searched for years to find someone like you, but there was no one to be found. You're unique in your own special way, and I love everything about it. I love everything about you."

She threw her arms around him once more, feeling content for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. It had been more difficult to admit it in writing, but now, she had no trouble letting those four little words roll off her tongue. "I love you, too."