The Child

Chapter 11

Both adults made their way across the garden to their daughter. Satine was relieved to finally tell her who her father was, and perhaps let them make up for lost time. it's the least she could do after stripping it away from her before she was even born.

"Even though she never met you before this, she's a lot like you, you know," Satine said with a small smile. "Yes I've noticed, it was nice to have someone on my side of the argument with Anakin for once," he laughed, "although she reminds me a lot of you, you should've seen her with Ahsoka and Padmé."
"Oh trust me I can imagine!"
They both let out a laugh.

"Bal te sea bal kebii'tra collide" Bella read out, softly, not noticing her parents taking a halt in front of them. "Oh, Auntie!" She gasped, her guard jumping up with his helmet back on his head, Bowing to the Duchess. "My apologies your highness!" Ali apologised in a panic. "It's alright Alister, you're dismissed until further notice anyway, I need to talk to Bella in private," she said sternly yet politely, and with that the guard was gone.

Bella got up and brushed some grass off her skirt. "Yes Auntie?" Bella asked to which her mother gave her the I-know-he-knows look. "Yes Buir," she corrected herself with a bright smile, she enjoyed actually calling her mother mother. Satine only gestured her to go inside with them.

Although New Mandalorians love windows everyone had at least 1 room where there weren't any, and that's where they were now. Satine sat down with her daughter, yet the Jedi preferred to stand next to the sofa instead. "Bella, dear. I know it was hard for you to call me Auntie in public your whole life and grow up without a father to guide you in ways I could not. Now I want to come clean and tell you everything," Satine began nervously. Bella looked confused, she knew her mother felt that way about her upbringing, she always tended to apologised for it, but bringing it up now seemed hardly necessary.

"Bella, to the public you're known as Annabella Klaudia Kryze, but privately and on your official Kryze Clan birth certificate, you're Annabella Klaudia Kryze-Kenobi. And that's because, although I've never told him until now either, Obi-wan is your father," Satine finally confessed. For her it was like a lifetime weight of lies was taken off her chest at that one moment.

Bella's eyes widened, before her mother knew it her daughter was hugging her tightly almost crying from joy. "I couldn't have asked for a better father even if I've tried!" Bella said joyfully. When she let her mother go she looked at the standing Jedi, got up and hugged him instantly. "I'm glad you're my father," she whispered so really only he could really hear.

The Jedi was taken aback a little, he hasn't hugged anyone in about a decade really, but he returned the gesture happily nevertheless. "I'm glad you're my daughter." And he truly was, he never really knew he would've liked to be a father until he met his daughter.

They spent the rest of the day as a family really, like they should've the past 17 years, talking and laughing. Satine shared pictures of Bella when she was younger with Obi-wan. It was a lot of pictures of Satine playing with her young daughter, Bella playing with Korkie and running away from Satine. They looked very happy. Bella shared pictures with her mother from her time on Coruscant. It was a big mix of pictures of Bella, Obi-wan, Ahsoka, Anakin, Rex, Cody and occasionally Padmé. Most were quite humorous and funny, but there was one formal one. As a goodbye photo from everyone.

By around midnight, the family decided to go to sleep yet they all dreaded it. Satine and Bella didn't want Obi-wan to leave, though they knew he had to. Obi-wan, himself, didn't want to leave, but it was too late. The decision to leave was made long ago and now, even with the enormous amount of regret that screamed for him to stay, he had to leave and go back to Coruscant in the morning.

Although no one said it out loud, they were all thinking the same thing: our lives could've turned out much differently under different circumstances.

Mado'a translation:
Buir: mother
Bal te sea bal kebii'tra collide: when the sea and sky collide (I wanted it to sound like she's reading poetry in Mado'a)

A/N: ok I'm sorry I made the ending of this chapter a little sad but it's really what we're all thinking. If Obi-wan stayed with Satine his life would've been very different even if Bella wasn't in it. Anyway hope you enjoyed, I'm quite happy to be motivated for this fanfic again. And a special thank you to TheCunningSnake and InikaBoy for your kind comments ^^ hope you enjoy