Before the Saga Aluvian Rosewood ("Origin" vignette - OC Skywalkers)

Title: Aluvian Rosewood
Author: ViariSkywalker
Note: 1st vignette in the Origin series
Timeframe: pre-TPM, approx. 72 & 95 yrs BBY
Characters: Brann Skywalker, Kaez Skywalker, Carani Skywalker
Genre: Romance

***
Origin
Aluvian Rosewood

***

It was the anniversary of his mother?s death ? a day that he would never forget. Yet as he stared out into the void of space, he realized with a faint ache in his heart that he would never quite remember either.

Brann stared down at the lightsaber that he now held loosely in his hands. It was an object that was dear to him only because it had belonged to his mother, and even then he looked on it with disdain because it brought with it an onslaught of memories he desperately wished he could erase. The silver hilt glinted in the artificial light of the cargo bay, where he sat on a crate mulling over his latest escape from pirates that raided the trade routes. How many times as a boy had he watched his father pilot their battered old ship with the ease of a fighter pilot as they outran these same pirates? How many times had his mother fought them off with nothing else but this lightsaber and her own natural talents? How many times had he waited for them to die, only to have them live day after day, year after year? Only to lose them when he should have been old enough to protect them.

Brann sighed almost inaudibly, turning the lightsaber over in his palms. He shouldn?t have retreated to the cargo bay. His job now was to protect what he had left: his sister, his wife, and his unborn child. His life had no meaning without them.

But I just wish I could remember something about her?before all of the running and the hiding. Before we bought that ship and fled our home.

Suddenly, as if in answer to his silent plea, a memory that he had nearly forgotten forced its way to the surface...

***

She lifted the thin paper into the air, gazing at it in awe. Letters were always sent electronically, so a paper letter must be something special indeed.

?What is it?? Brann whispered, afraid to break the beautiful enchantment that had fallen over his mother.

She smiled back at him, her blue eyes sparkling merrily. ?It?s a letter from your father. He?s coming home soon,? she murmured, lifting him onto her lap. ?See??

Brann reached out to touch the paper, which was crisp and delicate beneath his three-year-old fingertips. Then he crinkled his nose. ?It smells funny.?

His mother laughed. ?It?s paper, darling.? She raised the sheet to her own nose. ?I can?t remember the last time someone has written to me on paper,? she said almost to herself.

Brann wriggled, trying to get a closer look at the dark squiggly lines that he had no hope of understanding. ?Read?? he asked.

She smiled again, giving him a quick squeeze and a tender kiss on the cheek. ?Of course, darling.? She pushed a loose strand of long auburn hair behind her ear, then began to read.

My dearest love,
How strange it is that I am so far away from you. The trading has gone well, even if I am new to it all. Naboo is a lovely world?I hope you like the paper I bought here. It?s made from Aluvian rosewood from the hill country. The scent is mostly natural, although the store owner admitted that it has been artificially enhanced. I didn?t think you would mind?

Brann stared up at his mother. ?It still smells funny.?

His mother kissed him and continued.

I will be returning to you soon. I hate to leave you two alone like this, but Force knows you are capable of defending yourself. I don?t know how long this peaceful interlude will last, and I hope that by now we?ll have enough money to buy a ship of our own. Maybe then we?ll be safe?

Brann tugged on his mother?s sleeve. ?Are the bad men coming after us again??

?Of course not, angel,? she replied softly. She returned to the letter.

I hope you know by now that I will always protect you, even if you claim you don?t need me to. You may be some kind of Jedi, but no matte

 

Er, wrong thread. Sorry, Viari.

 

Actually, this is already in the challenge thread. I just posted it here in its own thread as well.

 

Up!

 

Shameless up!

 

Lovely, Vi! I like very much! I'd post more but I've got a busted-up hand.

 

Thanks, Emmi! Hope your hand heals quickly!

 

Weee! This little piece of writing got fourth!

Even if no one reads this, I think the three winners did a splendid job. (Actually, I should go post this in the mother thread, shouldn't I?)

Oh heck, this is another shameless up. Why hide it?