Sulit [ Ben Solo ]

XVIII.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
[ exegol! ]

All of Ajan Kloss was solemn as they said their goodbyes to their General. The weight in Asteria's chest was heavy— heavier than most— and hard to bear. That's it, she'd thought. That's all three of them. Gone.

It didn't help that they were still in the middle of a war, and she still had to find Exegol. And, before she left to find Exegol, she had to do a lot of explaining to her padawan.

She found Rey in Leia's tent, looking defeated and sad. She held something in her hands— a lightsaber Asteria had never seen before.

"What is that?" She asked.

Rey looked up at her with a pained look. "Leia."

A knowing smile pulled at her lips. "Leia," she echoed. "I always knew that she had to be Force-sensitive."

"She never told me." Asteria knew that Rey was close with Leia, as she had been with Han.

"She never told me either." Asteria sat down next to Rey and let out a shaky breath. "I need to tell you. . . so many things."

"Like why you healed Kylo Ren?" Rey deadpanned, making her smile.

"Yes, that, and other things."

"Like what?"

"Like who your parents are," she replied, chancing a nervous look up at Rey.

"You know who my parents are?" Rey asked excitedly, her dark eyes lighting up.

"I haven't for very long, I promise," she said, "but yes, I do."

"Tell me." With one last deep breath, she did.

"Kylo— Ben— told me on Pasaana, and I can only imagine that Palpatine told him," she explained. "When I was younger, I fell in love with a Jedi I've told you about, called Obi-Wan Kenobi. We had a child together, a baby girl. After the Jedi were slaughtered, I sent her to my home planet to be safe. But the Empire found my planet and killed my family, and my child with them.

"Or so I thought. They must have put her in an escape pod before the Empire arrived, because she survived. I don't know where she was sent, or who raised her, but I know her name. Euceya. And I know that she met a man called Daryn and fell in love, and I know that she and Daryn had a baby girl, too, that they hid from the Empire on Jakku."

Realization dawned on Rey's face. "It was you, Rey. You're my granddaughter."

It was hard for her to comprehend, Asteria could see it on her face. It was hard for Asteria to comprehend it, too.