𝕮𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘
━━ 𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙒𝘼𝙎 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙄𝙎

━━ 𝘊𝘙𝘠𝘓𝘓𝘌𝘚
𝟸𝟹 𝙱𝙱𝚈

𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗦 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 turned her insides into ice as Anakin and Selyn make their way towards her house that night.

The evening had brought a relieving cool breeze, finally as dusk settled upon Sol City. As they walk through the sandy streets, colourful glass lanterns are lit left and right and the delicious scent of spicy food hangs in the air.

"You're nervous." Anakin says. Of course he has noticed. Nothing she says or does seems to be able to escape his watchful eyes recently.

Selyn thinks of what Cleodys said. Haven't you noticed the way he looks at you?

"I am," she admits finally. "I've become a stranger to my own family."

"I'm sure it will be just like old times. Look at how well you're getting on with Cleodys now."

"You mean how she's getting on my nerves already," Selyn says.

Anakin grins. "See? Just like old times."

"Hm." Selyn fiddles with her braids anxiously.

But upon closer examination, Anakin does seem a little nervous, too. Or excited at least. Selyn eyes him suspiciously and it occurs to her that she might not be the only one going to this dinner with mixed feelings.

"You alright there, Skywalker?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he answers absently. "I think...I think I just missed having a family and a home more than I thought."

The honesty of his answer hits her unprepared. But how often had she dreamt, too, to return to her home in those lonely hours as a youngling, in this strange new place with so many people she didn't know?

"Me too," she says.

Anakin crosses his arm before his chest, throwing her a sideway glance. "I think you should see tonight as a chance. Not everyone is lucky enough to reunite with their family."

His face is hard to see in the falling darkness, but Selyn can make out a worried frown clouding his features.

"You were already nine years old when you left," she says. "It must have been even harder for you."

"It was," he says simply.

(He used to sleep next to Obi-Wan's bed when he was new to the temple, afraid that he might leave, too, but he won't tell her that.)

Selyn sees him struggle for words, she can feel that there is something bothering him.

"I'm worried for her," he says, absently kicking a small stone with his foot. "I've started to have dreams about her, bad ones... of her being in danger."

"I'm so sorry," Selyn says. She doesn't know what else to say. Jedi dreams can sometimes be a glimpse of true events, but don't necessarily have to be – the force works in mysterious ways. It's only natural for him to be worried.

"Selyn, I...on Tattooine, I was a slave," he says after some time. His voice is flat as if he was just telling her he used to own a pet as a child. But his expression is hard in a way she has never seen it before. "She was too, that's partly why I worry for her so much."

The full extent of his words hits her like a fist crushing her chest. The implications behind it, the hazy vision of a horrible childhood and all the hardship he must have suffered as a little boy take her breath away.

A mixture of pity and sadness overwhelms her, she feels the urge to hug him, to assure him. She is both honoured and scared that he has chosen to trust her with this knowledge, that he felt comfortable enough with her to open up about something like that.

"I feel so guilty," he admits, and Selyn feels as if he is speaking words he wanted to set free for a long time now. "When I was taken by the Jedi, my mother was left behind, still enslaved. I left her there, in this horrible, horrible life – force knows, what might have happened to her."

Selyn's heart breaks with every word he says.

"Sometimes I'm blaming myself for condemning her to that fate, that I was never able to help her, that I wasn't allowed to see her again. Sometimes I wonder if she blames me, too."

She reaches out and lays a gentle hand on his arm. He looks up, surprised at the soft touch. "I don't think she blames you," she says. "I think that she is proud of how far you've come and what good you brought to the galaxy already. And I think knowing that you're safe and happy gives her strength instead of making her blame you for something you can't influence. If she only knew what you've become...you've certainly done a lot to make her proud, Anakin."

He contemplates her words for a moment, safely tucking them into the safe space in his chest, where their kindness can hold off the shadows of doubt that creep there far too often.

"Thank you," he says finally. "For what you said, and for allowing me to come tonight. Being in a friendly environment, amidst a real family...I think it might make me miss less the family I had."

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 Val'aeon house and find the door open already, faint music and lively chatter spilling into the street and the veranda before the house. It smells of fried food and vegetables cooked in brown butter and home, and for a moment the familiarity of it all hits her like a freight train. Selyn hesitates at the entrance, fingers tracing the well-known and yet so foreign rough stone of the rounded opening. She's so nervous that she finds it impossible to breathe calmly.

Suddenly she feels Anakin's hand on her back, the warm pressure gentle, yet determined in guiding her into the house and through the small corridor into what she remembers to be the kitchen.

But all the ice and nervosity inside her heart melts away as she sees a young girl, not older than thirteen leap of her seat at the dinner table and rush towards her.

"Selyn! Selyn!" she exclaims, pulling her into a tight hug. A smile spreads on Selyn's face, hesitantly at first, but then she lets go and pulls the young girl even closer.

This is Varielle, she thinks as she inhales the sweet scent of her sister's hair. My sister.

It is strange, considering she doesn't actually know this person crushing her bones in a hug right now, they've never talked, never met. But then again it isn't, because she does know her: she has felt her movements in her mother's belly, she recognizes the curve of her lips and the colour of her eyes. Her hair is platin blonde, the exact same shade as Selyn's, she notices as she strokes it with her hand.

Sister, sister, sister.

A wave of protective feelings and love erupts within her as Varielle pulls back, holding her by the hands and spinning her around in a circle. "It is so, so wonderful that you are here! I've been dying to meet you!" Varielle squeals, all teary eyes and red cheeks.

They come to a halt as the younger one releases her from her hands, and Selyn looks at her fondly. She is so young, so sweet, so pure.

She turns around to see Anakin looking at her, his expression so soft and tender and so unbelievably sad, that her heart twists painfully. As he notices her gaze, he gives her a warm smile that sets her heart leaping free again.

The way he looks at you.

But her chest is too full of joy, she couldn't care less about anything else than this beautiful moment they just shared, that she returns his smile widely.

Next is Aren, who has been waiting behind Varielle. He pulls her into a warm hug, and then releases her to take in her appearance. "Good to have you back, sister."

Selyn grins at him. "My favourite brother."

He squints suspiciously. "I must say though, it is kind of rude of you to disappear for years without a word. I did enjoy you shutting up that way for once."

Selyn hits his ribs, and he pulls her into a bone-crushing hug again.

"Selyn!" Before she can answer a deep, rumbling and all too familiar voice makes her jump. "My starbright." She has just enough time to turn around and see her father rushing towards her before he pulls her into a warm embrace. He smells like machine oil and unfamiliar planets and adventure. Just like he used to.

He examines her closely. "You've grown quite a bit, I must say."

"Pa, I was four years old when I left, of course I have."

His eyes twinkle. "And spirits, you've got yourself a lasersword! We've got to watch our tone with this one now, she might become dangerous," he says to her mother who has just entered, carrying a hot dish of steamed vegetables towards the table.

"And who are you, young man?" Her father turns to Anakin, who offers his hand politely.

"I am Anakin Skywalker, a fellow padawan of Selyn." At her father's questioning glance, he adds: "We train alongside to become Jedi knights one day."

She sees Cleodys whisper something to Varielle and throws her a warning glance.

"Well, well, the more the merrier!" Her father guides Anakin towards the table. The others join, and in no time their plates are filled with delicious food and bread.

The evening passes in lively chatter and anecdotes from Selyn's and Anakin's adventures as padawans. Her parents listen with great interest, her father making stupid jokes and her mother gasping worriedly from time to time.

Selyn grows drowsy, her stomach is full now due to her mother urging them to help themselves to another portion. The sweet wine they've been offered has made her just the tiniest bit tipsy but sitting at the table with her family she's more relaxed and content than ever.

They laugh a lot. The bottles grow empty, and the dirty plates are replaced by new ones filled with dessert. Varielle shows Selyn some drawings she has made in school, some older ones even, where a clumsily drawn stick figure is holding a lightsaber.

"That's you," she says proudly.

Anakin holds the drawing next to Selyn's face. "I can see the resemblance. Well done, you."

Selyn scowls whilst Varielle beams at him. 

They teach Anakin their favourite card game. In the beginning he has to suffer through some humiliating defeats, but in the end, he plays them all without mercy. Selyn is happy to see him welcomed into the family like in such a warm way, and especially after what he told her earlier it warms her heart to see him grow more and more comfortable during the evening.

Varielle has grown quite fond of Anakin. She's sitting next to him, bombarding him with questions.

"Why do you have such a cool braid? Did you fly a spaceship on your own already? Are you Selyn's boyfriend?"

Selyn jumps at the last question. She sees Cleodys snicker, undoubtedly this was her idea.  Time to intervene. She kicks out from under the table, narrowly missing Cleodys and wincing as her foot hits the chair.

"No, we're just friends," she says decisively.

(He loves the way she blushes whenever she lies.)

Anakin leans towards Varielle in a secretive way. "And on top of that, your big sister can be really mean and bossy sometimes, did you know that?" he whispers. Varielle giggles.

"Only because I have to compensate for your stupidity," Selyn fires back. That shuts him up pretty well.

"I don't remember Anakin falling off a speeder a few days ago," Cleodys chimes in, reminding Selyn of that embarrassing moment when her sister had allowed her to try out a cryllean speeder. Her leg is still bruised from that incident.

"Oh, shut up, you," she exclaims loudly, but a slight smile takes the edge out of her words. "The speeder was faulty."

"As if." Cleodys rolls her eyes.

Anakin raises an eyebrow. "And you told me the limping was due to a particularly smart move from training with Nadia where you sacrificed your leg's wellbeing for a heroic victory."

"I didn't say it was heroic," Selyn says gruffly whilst the whole table laughs. "And the training fight actually happened."

"I see those Jedi been raising you well," her father says. "And I thought they would be all about honesty and honour."

"Well, some are," Selyn admits, glad of the change of topic. "For example Mace Windu, he's a Jedi master and he's very scary."

Anakin nods fervently.

"But Nadia is alright," she goes on. "She's awesome, actually."

"She is," Cleodys confirms, and Selyn can't help but notice the admiration that creeps into her sister's voice. "She is very wise and brave."

"I'm happy you're in good hands, then," her mother says warmly. "Just like I prayed to the spirits for. They watched over you."

Selyn thinks of Elowyn and the terrible dragons, and the thought unsettles her. She doesn't know how to feel about this religion she inherited, doesn't know what to make of the stories that laced the fates of all generations before her. It is as if something ancient, dangerous even, has been tossed into her hands, something she wants to get rid of desperately but at the same time can't – it is undoubtedly her own after all. Sometimes she feels as if this religion is like a knife in her palm, spinning like a compass, yet to be determined whether it ends up pointing at her own heart or away from it in protection.

So if the spirits have been watching over her, she thinks, they better hold something great in store for her.

Anakin and Selyn leave long after dark has fallen, both loaded with more pastries and leftover dessert than they can carry. The night is sweet and the air balmy, stars twinkle above them in a sky patched with silvery clouds. The moon hovers round and bright in the inky darkness, and Selyn's thoughts again wander to Elowyn, captured there in endless sadness.

She is a bit unsteady on her feet now that she's standing, the wine seems to have had a greater effect on her than she thought it had, and so she leans to Anakin from time to time for support. He gladly offers his arm.

"Thank you for taking me, Selyn." His teeth flash in the moonlight as he smiles. "Your family is awesome."

She grins. "If you say so."

"They are," he insists, and for some reason she's glad he likes them so much.

"They really are." She sighs. "I hope I was who they expected me to be, still the daughter they love."

"Don't be stupid. Of course you are. How could it be any different?"

She squints her eyes at him, thinking about his words. "You know, you're not that bad, Skywalker. Sometimes you can be really nice actually."

He laughs. "I'll try to keep it at sometimes, alright?"

"You better do. I can't start liking you now. It will damage my reputation."

"I won't tell anyone what you said. Your secret is safe with me." He grins. "But I just can't help being so incredibly charming and awesome."

"Right." She laughs.

Anakin steers her a bit more towards the right. She didn't realize she'd been drifting towards the edge of the street. "And besides," he says. "I think you're a little drunk. You're never that nice to me."

"That will wear off, don't worry."

His laughter is music in her ears and the stars shine on over their heads, and for this brief moment Selyn feels contempt, filled, almost normal.

✧･ﾟ:* 𝕬𝘜𝘛𝘏𝘖𝘙'𝘚 𝘕𝘖𝘛𝘌 *:･ﾟ✧

ahhh YES. this chapter was honestly one of my favourites to write, I love the Val'aeon family dynamic so much omg 🥺

And our girl finally gets to meet Varielle! cute! aaand we have some fluff selykin moments whohoo

what are we thinking?

ANYWAYS buckle up y'all bc from now on we're leaving the cute uwu state of their relationship and things will get WILD and intense you're not ready 😮‍💨😄 i'm so hyped for you guys to read it heheheh

hope you enjoyed!! 🫶🫶

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