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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga - PT So Much More Than Fairytales: The Courtship of Prince Bail (Bail/Breha) - Completed

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Briannakin , May 22, 2015.

  1. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Yes, here comes trouble!

    I really loved the open and honest discussion Bail and Brehan had about marriage with Breha acknowledging that Bail feels more for her than she for him, but I think her attitude towards marrying your best friend is lovely.

    Interesting that Bail still went to the male members of Breha's family for "permission" even though the female members basically "arranged" the marriage. I'd be interested to hear your fanon about the split between the gender roles in this particular version of Alderaani society.
     
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  2. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Ask and ye shall get it (mostly because I had nothing else do do today). Idk if it will make everything clear. I have a whole like 30,000 Years of Alderaan history "Textbook" fic brewing in my head to explain all these roles [face_laugh]. I am such a nerd, I know :-B
     
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  3. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    Nothing to add, but this is what I found interesting as well:

     
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  4. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Ekk! Sorry, I forgot to post on Friday! Thanks for reading and reviewing! This chapter is kinda short, as is the next one, so I'll try to have that one up by this Friday.

    Chapter 11

    “Who is this Sebaste?” Bail asked when he got back to the hotel were Raymus was taking the afternoon off. Breha, and three of their security detail, had gone off with this old friend from her high school and university.

    Raymus looked up from his data-pad with stone dead eyes. He looked like he wanted to kill someone. He stood up from his chair.

    “What did I say?” Bail said, suddenly afraid Breha was in danger.

    “Sebaste. Where did you hear that name?”

    “Breha and I ran into him at the market. She said he was an old friend and wanted to catch up with him. I said I was tired and she suggested I come back. Is she in trouble?”

    “No,” Raymus grunted out, sitting down, “She’s safe. I just swore the next time I was in the same timezone as that guy I’d kill him.”

    Bail raised his eyebrows. “What did he do?”

    “He broke my Brebre.” Raymus let out a deep breath as he slumped down on the bed. “Sebaste and Breha hung out at the same youth centre when she was in high-school - he’s two years older, but they hung around the same crowds. They started dating when she was in senior year in high school and he was in second year at university. They dated for three years until he graduated from the nursing program. They were beginning to discuss marriage when he decided he wanted to work on the outer rim on under-developed planets. He wanted her to come with him. She wanted to finish her degree. There was a huge fight, then he left in the middle of the night without any real decision between the two of them. And it broke her, for a long time. Have you ever wondered why she is so afraid to be intimate with you?”

    “Why?” Bail asked, fearing that Sebaste did something to Breha.

    “It’s nothing horrific,” Raymus assured him. “It’s just that Breha’s mother was never the cuddling type. Breha’s father was - oh she loved to cuddle with him. But after he died, Breha would never cuddle with anyone. Then Sebaste came along, and you know, first real boyfriend and all, they would always be hugging and kissing. Nothing past that, I know how strongly Breha feels about Alderaani first nights. But I think it’s understandable that she’s reluctant to open up and be close - physically - to someone.”

    Bail nodded. “I understand. I just hope that it will be me.”

    * * *

    “I’m only here helping my aunt settle into her retirement home. She’s finally moving on, five years after my uncle left her,” Sebaste said as he and Breha walked along the beach as the sun began to set.

    Breha had taken off her shoes, glad that she had worn a shorter dress as the water was lapping at her feet. “So, where are you going next?”

    “I’m thinking Ryloth,” he said wistfully. “Or Florrum. They really need assistance out there.”

    “That’s great,” she said, honestly. “It seems like a great life.”

    “It is,” he replied. “I get to see the stars, meet a ton of people, and help them. You should come with me. The people out there, the children, they need educators, teachers, people who know how democracy works.”

    “Seb,” she laughed. “I don’t know how out of touch you’ve been, but I’m becoming the next Queen of Alderaan.”

    “I know. I also know nothing is confirmed yet. You haven’t said yes yet, and I don’t know if you will.”

    “Really? Why is that?”

    “Because you are such a free spirit, Brehaha. We talked about living on the rim, never being tied down. You are so independent. Do you really want to be tied to some boring job, with some boring prince, on this boring planet for the rest of your life?”

    “No, but I can do so much good in the position.”

    “Really? You sound like you are compromising.”

    Breha shrugged. “Perhaps I am. But who else is going to be queen? I have a duty to my planet.”

    He rolled his eyes. “I know you love politics, but being queen is all about preserving culture and tradition and all that la-dee-da.”

    “It’s more than that. It’s about keeping the peace and preserving the Alderaan way of life and government.”

    “Which isn’t you. The Breha I knew wanted to spread peace, or knowledge. You were indecisive between the two because you wanted both so much,” he signed. “I guess I was just hoping you would come find me after you graduated.”

    Breha let out a deep breath. “Part of me was considering it. But I was broke - mentally and financially. Then I got a job at the Ministry of Education and I realized I could be happy without you.”

    “Ouch. That’s kinda harsh.”

    “You left in the middle of the night, and I’m the harsh one,” she laughed mirthlessly.

    “I had to,” he confessed. “Because I knew if I had to say goodbye to you, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I honestly thought you would come for me when you were ready. That is why,” he stopped and stood in front of her, and kissed her. “Before I leave the planet in two weeks, I’m coming to Aldera. Please, think about the future you want. I love you.” He then kissed her forehead.

    Breha watched as he walked away from her. She slumped down in the sand and held her head in her hands.

    For the first time, Breha had no idea what she wanted to do.

    She watched the sun set and the ocean lapped at her feet.

    * * *

    It had been two weeks since their short trip to southern isle of Solina. Breha sat in her office, trying to focus on her work. It was hard. Today was Lover’s and Beloved’s Day - a day to remember the mythical ‘first Queen of the Alderaan people’ and her consort’s marriage. It had basically turned into a stupid holiday for men to spend money on the women that they loved romantically.

    Last year, Breha had still been single. This year, Breha had to chose between two men and what her future was going to be.

    Sebaste was in Aldera, visiting some family and some mutual friends, but he was leaving for the Outer Rim territories tonight. He was offering her freedom: a life to fulfill her dreams and live among the stars. She knew Sebaste intimately: better than anyone else. They had dated for three years and had been friends for much longer. He knew she was a very sentimental person. She knew he valued life and helping people above all else. They had passion, but perhaps that was a bad thing. They were both willful people. When they agreed on something, they could accomplish anything. But when they disagreed, it blew up in flames, destroying everything.

    Including her. When he had left her, it had cut her like no other wound. And he had left her. She knew he would leave her again, in time, when she disagreed with him on where their future should go. But even if he did, she would still have her freedom.

    Bail, on the other hand, was willing to work with her on anything and everything. To be honest, he practically worshiped the ground she walked on. It wasn’t just because she was saving him from a loveless marriage that would prevent him from continuing his intergalactic work. She thought he may actually love her.

    Breha didn’t exactly want to be queen, but she knew that made her perfect of the job.

    What it really boiled down to was a selfish decision - which she was allowed to make, it was her right to do what she wished with her life - versus an unselfish one: one for an amazing man and the planet that they loved.

    Bail had been distant ever since they had run into Sebaste. Breha had told Bail of Seb’s former role in her life, but not of his offer. Breha wasn’t quite sure if Bail felt threatened by Seb’s presence, or if he was just anxious about the proposal. She wasn’t dense, she knew he was planning something.

    That fact made her heart flutter.

    A knock at her door woke her from her musings. “Come in,” she said.

    The door whooshed open and Seb walked in. Today his shaggy blonde hair was actually combed and he was wearing blue pants with a warm red sweater with a hood.

    “Hey,” she said with a smile, but she didn’t get up. “What are you doing here.”

    “I was in the area, seeing some buddies. I gotta pack and have an early dinner with my grandmother and parents. So I came to give you this.” He pulled a ticket chip out of his pants pocket and set it on the edge of her desk. “Freedom, Breha. Away from your annoying sister, mother, grandmother. You can go where you want, when you want, all with a man who loves you.” He suck his hands in his pocket. He looked so much like a hopeful little boy. “The ship leaves at 1900.”

    Breha nodded as he walked out.

    Seb was gone three minutes before Bail walked in. She smiled. Before she knew what she was doing, she got up and hugged him. He looked so dashing in black: black pants, a black collared shirt and a long black overcoat.

    “Happy Lover’s and Beloved’s Day,” he said, handing her a single deep purple riesum flower.

    “Thank you,” she said, leaning on the curve of her desk.

    Bail looked down. “Is that a transport ticket chip?”

    Breha looked down as well and saw the ticket Seb had gave her. She let out a deep sigh. “Yes. Sebaste came by a few minutes ago. He’s in Aldera, saying some goodbyes. He’s leaving tonight. He wants me to go with him.”

    Bail gulped. “Are you?”

    “I honestly don’t know.” She felt that she may cry.

    “That is fair. Please know, I want you happy. I love you, but I want you to do what you want to do.” He took her hand in his. “I will still have our Lover’s and Beloved’s dinner ready at 1900. All I ask is that you let me say goodbye.”

    After he left, Breha looked at the ticket, and at the flower. Freedom versus duty. Herself versus a planet of people.

    She thought she would break down into tears when she finally made the decision, but she didn’t.

    She knew what she was going to do. More importantly, it was what she wanted to do. It was not a matter of the following the man she loved, but simply following the path she was meant for.
     
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  5. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    The amount of weight this young woman carries on her back is pressing her more and more. Nice gradations.

    While some bits of this fic sometimes look hurried and forced, I still read it for gems like this:

    After he left, Breha looked at the ticket, and at the flower. Freedom versus duty. Herself versus a planet of people.

    :)
     
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  6. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Can I ask a bounty hunter to get rid of Sebaste by selling him as spicy food to Jabba´s rancor? Oh, pretty please! :vader:
     
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  7. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Superb! I liked learning more about Sebaste and Breha. They're like a looming disaster. :p Great when they get along but who wants to live with someone knowing they'll pick up and leave whenever they're crossed? :rolleyes: I love Breha's certainty by the end about her choice. She'll be content in it since she wasn't pushed or pressured. [face_thinking]
     
  8. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Breha sure does have a tough choice to make!

    They say that the best people to wield power are those that do not want it, and this seems to be the case for Breha.
     
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  9. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Thank you so much for reading and for your comments everyone!

    Ewok Poet
    Thank you for your honesty. While I do write a lot of romance, I haven't done too many "love stories". And yes, its a bit rushed, in many ways. I've been trying to improve my writing in this aspect (and if you have any suggestions, I am all ears), while also still writing for fun/de-stressing (because university SUCKS ALL LIFE AND CREATIVITY).

    AzureAngel
    Well he IS headed to the outer rim [face_skull]:emperor:

    NH
    WELL, this IS Alderaan. Sorry, I'm in a sarcastic mood.

    And Breha's confidence is something I really enjoy writing about her

    JP
    Indeed, and Bail saw this from the start.


    Chapter 12

    Breha searched through the crowd at the public transport hanger. She was wearing a black dress and a black coat with the hood up, casting her face in shadows. This made it so that, thankfully, no one recognized her. She had managed to ditch her single security guard in the crowd at the entrance of the hanger and had used the ticket that Sebaste gave her to get into the ‘departures’ area.

    She then spotted Sebaste, waiting on a bench. His single utilitarian back-pack was at his feet. She must have caught his eye because he looked directly at her and smiled.

    “I knew you were going to come,” he said, getting up and pulling her to him.

    She pushed him back, a flat, delicate hand against his hard chest. “Seb, no. I came to say goodbye, and to give this back to you so that you could get your credits back.” She produced the ticket out of the pocket of her coat.

    He took the ticket back, but looked hurt and confused. “Why, Breha?”

    “Many reasons. You left me once. It broke me, and I swore I wouldn’t do that to myself again. My planet and my queen needs me. And Bail is an amazing man. I will be happy spending my life with him. In the end, it really wasn’t that much of a decision.”

    He nodded, despite the fact that he was wounded. He pulled his jacket on stiffly. “Well, I hope you will be able to live with your choice.”

    “I think I will be. Goodbye Sebaste.”

    “Goodbye.”

    As he left, she heard the call for his - what could have been their - transport. It was 1900. Instead of turning back, to her past, to her life of freedom, she hurried forward. Bail was waiting.

    * * *

    Bail stared at the finely set table on the palace veranda. The air was nippy with a hint of frost, even with the heat-curtains down - which enclosed the veranda in a shimmering blue light. He tapped his foot on the flat stone tile beneath him. He was letting his nervousness show. As a life-long political figure, he almost never let his feeling show, and he really wasn’t showing his true feelings right now.

    Right now, he wanted to flip this table of fine glassware, carefully made food, glowlights and flowers. He was mad. Mad at himself. He should have fought for her. But no, he had to let her make her own choice for her happiness.

    His mother was going to kill him. Renolu was going to kill him. But he knew, after all the drama died down, he would be happy because she would be.

    He reached into the front pocket of his black button-up shirt to check his flip-chrono. The smooth flat metallic disk popped open and the face read 1930. Breha was never late. She wasn’t coming. Not even to say goodbye. His heart felt like he had been stabbed, but perhaps it was for the best. Perhaps it was easier this way.

    He was about to turn off the glowlights when he heard the veranda doors open from the kitchen. A palace guard stood in the light and cleared his throat. “Miss Antilles has arrived.”

    Breha, barefoot and running in an elegantly simple black dress and wrap, burst, breathing heavily, from behind the guard. Her hair was back in a bun with curls dangling down her back. Her make-up was plain, but with deep red lips - the colour of the holiday. “Hey there,” she said. “So sorry I’m late. Traffic was insane and I had to give someone a very clear no.”

    Bail felt his face lit up. “Not me I hope,” he said, standing up.

    “No, not you,” she said. She walked up to him and hugged him.

    He let out a deep breath and held her close. He then cleared his throat and stepped back. “Dinner is a bit cold.”

    Breha winced. “Sorry about that. This place is so pretty.”

    “Not as beautiful as you.” He pulled out her chair and got her to sit down. “And I’ve been late so many time, so don’t be sorry. If you give me like three minutes, I can heat it all back up.”

    * * *

    Breha waited patently for Bail to return. When he did, he was carrying two plates of grilled nerf steaks, esrian noodles and yeast rolls. A palace servant was behind him carrying a tumbler and a wine-glass on a platter. The tumbler was for her; the wine-glass was for Bail.

    After everything had been set down, Bail sat down as well.

    “I could have helped, you know,” she said.

    He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He then held up his glass. “What shall we toast to?”

    Breha twisted her red lips in thought. “To finally closing a chapter, and to beginning a new one.”

    He clinked his glass with her upheld tumbler. “To goodbyes and hellos.”

    They ate dinner, talking about their days. A servant then brought out dessert: fruit and cream.

    “Bad boy,” Breha teased. “I thought it was my job to make dessert.”

    “Yes,” he agreed as the servant took away their plates. “Because you are just so sweet.”

    Breha rolled her eyes. “You are so cheesy sometimes.”

    “Yeah, but you put up with it, so don’t complain.”

    * * *

    Bail then took a deep breath in as he got up. He had actually been relaxed for most of dinner. Just her showing up had left him relieved. But now he felt as though his heart may burst out of his chest, or quit working all together. He had thought the wine would have helped with this part.

    “I hope my cheesiness isn’t what you remember of tonight, however, I just realized how cheesy it is to do this on Lover’s and Beloved’s day,” Bail began to blab before he stopped himself by pulling Breha’s chair out and turning it.

    Breha began looking at him funnily, but when he knelt at her feet and took out the dark blue cloth sachet out of his pocket, she began to tremble. He placed the sachet in her hands, closed them, then held her hands in his shaking hands. “Breha Morgaine Antilles. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. Your intelligence and your smile light up my day. I can not imagine my future without you there.” He paused to take another deep breath. “But I value you above all else. I know I come with a lot of baggage, a career, and a way of life you never asked for. If you say yes, I will be the most grateful, loyalist husband I can be; I will be strong and support you in everything. You will be the lead and the shining sun of my life and world.”

    Bail then helped her open her hands. The special sachet fabric had dissolved with the heat of their palms, revealing the ring. Breha gasped and Bail grinned as he put it on her delicate finger. It was hard with both of their hands shaking, but he managed it.

    “Breha, will you allow me the honour of being your husband and Prince Consort?”

    Breha nodded, wiping away tears - hopefully happy ones - with her free hand. “Yes, Bail, I will.”

    She then surprised him by leaning down and kissing him on the lips.




    AN: And that concludes part 1 of So Much More Than Fairytales! Thanks again for reading! Part 2 will begin (hopefully) in a few weeks.
     
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  10. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Breha began looking at him funnily, but when he knelt at her feet and took out the dark blue cloth sachet out of his pocket, she began to tremble. He placed the sachet in her hands, closed them, then held her hands in his shaking hands. “Breha Morgaine Antilles. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. Your intelligence and your smile light up my day. I can not imagine my future without you there.” He paused to take another deep breath. “But I value you above all else. I know I come with a lot of baggage, a career, and a way of life you never asked for. If you say yes, I will be the most grateful, loyalist husband I can be; I will be strong and support you in everything. You will be the lead and the shining sun of my life and world.”

    Bail then helped her open her hands. The special sachet fabric had dissolved with the heat of their palms, revealing the ring. Breha gasped and Bail grinned as he put it on her delicate finger. It was hard with both of their hands shaking, but he managed it.

    “Breha, will you allow me the honour of being your husband and Prince Consort?”

    Breha nodded, wiping away tears - hopefully happy ones - with her free hand. “Yes, Bail, I will.”

    She then surprised him by leaning down and kissing him on the lips.

    Mr. Darcy should really learn from Bail when it is up to asking a woman for marriage. [face_love]

    PS: Yesterday I noticed that there is a little hedge hog named Sebaste in the "Hobbit" trilogy! ;)
     
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  11. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    SQUEE SQUEE SQUEE! Love the teasing tone and the sincerity from Bail & the decisiveness from Breha. [face_dancing] [face_dancing] Take it from one who knows, writing romance is its own reward. :D [face_love]
     
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  12. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Very sweet! I love the ease of Breha's choice and Bail's proposal.
     
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  13. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    If Seb left her once, he'll do it again. And its arrogance to assume that he can traipse back into her life and expect that she is still there, unchanged, waiting for him. Good riddance.

    Bail's anxiety about whether or not Breha is coming to him is such a welcome contrast. He really loves her and it shows.
     
  14. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    Suggestions? Any change at this point would be strange, but in general, I'd work on gestures, mimic etc during dialogue and some more non-dialogue scenes in general. You have an amazing Alderaan (what a weird thing to say, LOL :p) and I hope this is not the last time you're exploring it in fiction. :(

    And a kiss? FINALLY. :) Plus, screw the ex. [face_skull]
     
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  15. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Thanks. I've tried to incorporate your suggestions gradually, without changing the style too drastically (and without it getting too much like work, because fanfic is my fluffy stress relief). And thank you. I am really enjoying creating this world and I hope to play in it again.

    General A/N: Hello all my pretties! If you are reading this, thanks for sticking with me for the break! I've decided to start posting again because I have a nice chuck of part 2 done. However, since the next 6-8 weeks are bound to be... insane for me (DAMN YOU HIGHER EDUCATION) I've decided to only update every 2nd Sunday, at least until I can finish part 2. So, I hope you all enjoy :)


    Part 2: Chapter 13

    “Ms Antilles! What do you say to critics to think you are too young to become queen?”

    “Do you know how far along Queen Mazicia’s Krayat’s disease is?”

    “Will there be a rushed wedding because of the queen’s illness?”

    “Are you merely a last resort for the continuation of the monarchy?”

    Breha tried her best to ignore the swarm of tabloid writers yelling at her as she tried to make it to her speeder after a long day of work. It had been a week since she and Bail had announced their engagement, and Mazicia had announced her illness. Since then it felt like no one would leave her alone.

    She got into her speeder. The passenger door opened and her new personal body guard got in. Myhail was a tall, beefy man with dark skin, about 10 years older than Breha. He was a decent guy, just rather annoying to have around, standing there, doing nothing, as she worked or met with people.

    “I can drive if you want me to, Ma’am,” he offered.

    “No,” Breha replied, starting up the engine. “I just need to drive and not think for awhile.”

    She drove them to Aldera Palace. She didn’t wait for Myhail to open the door for her like she was supposed to. Instead, she got out and rested her head on the roof of her speeder.

    “It does get better.” A voice said behind her. She turned around to see Bail. “Trust me. The people will you accept you as their future queen, as I have.”

    “You are such a sap,” she said.

    “You are much too cynical,” he said, touching her shoulder. She took a deep breath and allowed him to keep it there. “You said we could work on our physical contact. I’d like to give you a massage after dinner. You can pick what I massage, but my mother will be in the room.”

    Breha rolled her eyes. “Your impossible.”

    “She wants to begin discussing our wedding. You may need a massage.”

    “Fine,” she said, “You can massage my feet.” When they got to the entrance, she opened the door for herself.

    “And you gotta stop opening the door,” he rebuked her. “It makes me look like a shavitty fiancé and Prince Consort. Don’t make me suggest ‘princess lessons’ to my mother.”

    “Do that and this whole thing is off,” she warned as they entered the dining room. The queen was already there, seated next to her so-called “personal assistant” Jeorji. Mazicia’s condition had progressed to the point where she was incapable of fine motor tasks with her hands and walking, even with assistance, was becoming difficult. So Jeorji, a male human about ten years older than Bail with dark tanned skin and grey hair, was her hands and also aided her when she walked. Mazicia, however was fooling no one in the palace. Even Breha knew the two were romantically involved.

    Breha bowed and Mazicia looked up from her reading, unamused. “Why are you threatening to leave my son? What do I have to do to him now?”

    “Tell him to stop telling me what I can’t do,” she said, sitting down across from Jeorji. Dinner with the future-mother-in-law had been a typical occurrence over a past few months.

    “Bail, stop telling her what she can’t do,” Mazicia said, going back to her reading.

    Bail rolled his eyes as he sat down next to Breha and across from his mother. “You are going to make a horrible princess.”

    “But a marvellous queen,” Jeorji said with a smile.

    “Thank you Jeorj,” Breha said with a grin. She always felt that Jeorji, even though the two had only met a few months ago, Breha felt as though Jeorji was one of her biggest supporters. Maybe because she took so much stress off of Mazicia. Breha figured it must be calming to finally have an heir.

    “Enough with work-talk,” Mazicia said as dinner was brought out. “We don’t work while we eat.”

    * * *

    After dinner, Bail and Jeorji helped Mazicia to one of the private sitting rooms - decorated in greys and light tones of blue irua wood from Felucia. Breha padded behind them, carrying a stack of flimsy folders, as she was instructed to do. Jeorji helped Mazicia into a flex-foam chair, neatly tucking in her sea-green skirt under her legs and starting her medication, which was delivered in form of a drip.

    Breha couldn’t help but smile as she set the folders of flimsy on the caff table. She hoped that when she got into her eighties, she would have someone like that to care for her.

    Bail then walked up to her, pointed to the dark grey sofa. “Sit.”

    She sighed, but sat at one end.

    Bail sat at the other. He pointed to his lap. “Feet. Let me touch them,” he said as he waved his fingers about.

    “Nerf-herder. You are,” she said, swinging her feet up, putting her feet in his lap.

    “Bail said you don’t like being touched,” Jeorji commented as he sat next to Mazicia, holding her hand.

    “I’m just not used to it,” Breha said as Bail removed her modest heels and pushed up her long black skirt to her knees.

    “So I’m getting her used to it,” Bail said. He began to rub her feet, ankles and calfs.

    “That actually feels kinda nice,” she commented with a smile. “I think I’ll let you keep doing this.

    “Thank you,” he said. “I want you to feel comfortable with me touching you, even casual touches.”

    She nodded.

    Mazicia cleared her throat. “Shall we move to the reason why I’m here? These folders contain the portfolios of all the top wedding planners in the core. We need to pick one so we can get this process started.”

    “Oh dear,” Breha said, grabbing a stack while Jeorji picked one for Mazicia to look at.

    “What?” Bail asked.

    “I just never thought I’d be that bride who needed a wedding planner,” she said, flipping open the first portfolio.

    Bail laughed. “You also said you thought you’d never be a queen.”

    “Yeah, well, that one can still be canceled.” Breha then lifted her foot and poked him in the nose with her toe.

    “You wouldn’t say no to me at the alter,” Bail said, confidently.

    “No,” Mazicia said from her chair. “She wouldn’t, because then she would become the most hated woman on Alderaan. However, she can still say no after the first night. It would be understandable.”

    Breha felt her cheeks grow red at the mention of the ‘first night’. The traditional Alderaani First Night occurred just after a woman got engaged. She and her future husband would spend one night in bed - having sex - to ensure they were physically compatible. If either were… unsatisfied, they could break off the engagement without any stigma. If the couple were satisfied, they would not sleep together until their wedding night. The tradition was dying out. She knew plenty of her sister’s married friends often slept with their fiancés during their engagement.

    “Mom, I don’t think that is a topic Breha and I want to be discussing with you,” Bail said quickly, clearing his throat slightly.

    “Fine, but, Breha, I would like to you feel like you can say no, just like any other engaged woman.”

    Breha nodded, slowly. “So back to the wedding planner, I would like someone from Alderaan. Someone who knows our customs and knows what this wedding means.”

    Mazicia nodded. “I agree. Jeorj, can you please go through the pile and separate the planners buy planet of origin?”

    Jeorji set about his task and Bail turned to look at Breha. “If you ever think I’m going to be that obedient, you have another thing coming.”

    “Says the man giving me a foot massage.” Breha poked his nose again with her toe.

    “Breha, I swear to the moon, if you do that again, I will bite your toe.”

    She quirked her eyebrows.

    Jeorji interrupted them. “What sort of wedding do you want to have?”

    Breha took time to admire her engagement ring on her finger. “Something simple.”

    Bail laughed. She poked him once again. He then grabbed her foot and lightly bit her big toe.

    She looked at him in shock. “You are disgusting.”

    “I told you I’d do it.”

    “Alright, children,” Mazicia said. “You two can do kinky stuff on your own time. Breha, by simple, I assume you mean elegant.”

    Breha nodded. She knew her little girl dream of getting married on her grandparents’ estate was thrown out the escape pod the day she agreed to become future queen. “Yes, very classic. None of the stupid tiny-cakes and old jars for decorations fad trends I was put through when my cousins, Raymus and Rewan, were both married. I want it to be timeless.”

    “Good choice,” Mazicia said. “Stars knows I regret going with the puff style that was popular in my day.”

    “I think we had better talk about dates,” Bail suggested.

    His mother sighed. “Sooner would be better than later for me, honestly. However, it is up to Breha. Though this summer may be too early to plan this properly.”

    “I actually always dreamed of a winter wedding. I know it isn’t exactly a common thing, but I just love the idea of getting married indoors while the snow is falling.”

    Jeorji smiled. “I think the idea is beautiful.”

    “We could do it the day after Fete week. A New Years wedding,” Bail suggested

    Breha gasped. “That would simply be amazing.”

    Mazicia nodded. “That gives us nine months to plan. I think it can be done.”

    Bail turned to Breha. “I think this is cause for a kiss.”

    She smirked and leaned forward. “Sure.” They held hands and kissed, Breha feeling calm with the exchanged. It was real now. This was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with. She took comfort in the fact that he would never leave her.

    They separated to see Mazicia and Jeorji kissing.

    Breha blushed and went back at looking at the portfolios. She soon found one that she liked. “What about this planner?” She first handed the folder to Bail. “She’s Alderaanian, but did the King of Duriilion’s wedding twenty years ago.”

    “I remember that wedding,” Mazicia said, now paying attention. “It was the last public event off-world Bail’s father and I attended before Adão died. It was very lavish, much like King Jerago himself, but went off without a hitch according to Queen Karitah.”

    “There are holos of some of her less… ostentatious weddings,” Bail commented, going through the images on the display of the small projector. “Oh, she did Senator Garm Bel Iblis’ wedding. Arrianya was so beautiful.” He then handed the portfolio to Jeorji, who shared it with Mazicia. He turned he pieces of flimsy and controlled the projector for her.

    “Kinena Sifry,” Mazicia mulled over the name. “I like her credentials. I will contact her in the morning. She then sighed and looked at Jeorji. “I think it is time to retire for the night.”

    Breha watched as Jeorji helped Mazicia up. He wrapped his hand around her waist as they walked out.

    Bail shook his head. “I think Jeorj and my mom are living vicariously through us. I think if my mom wasn’t queen, they’d be getting married.” There was no rules against the Queen of Alderaan remarrying after her consort’s death, but it was frown upon if she had children since it caused questions no one really knew the answer to. Technically, the First Chairman of Alderaan had to be the Prince Consort, or Prince if his father or father-in-law was deceased. If Macizia re-married, would Bail still be first chairman, or would it go to Jeorji? It simply was not done in Alderaani tradition.

    “Can I ask about your father?” Breha asked, leaning back. “You never talk about him.”

    Bail shrugged. “Not much to talk about I guess. He and my mother were friends. She needed to marry a noble man to have heirs and he was willing. He never regretted the decision, he loved Alderaan, me, and my mother, in that order. I know I was conceived right after they were wed. I think they tried for more children after me, but it just didn’t happen. My mother was 43 when she was married and 44 when she had me. Once they realized that I was it, he had his lovers - many of them - and my mom had her lovers. They maintained a pretence of being married for official reasons, but everyone, including me, knew they had their own lives. I loved him. He was a very smart man and always encouraged me. He was always honest and frank with me about my life as male heir. He was diagnosed with tebracui - he did love his ciggaras - and died sixteen years ago. I may have been a tad pissed off at him for dying and making me become First Chairman at 24. I was so immature back then with my partying ways. I had a different girl at my side for months leading up to, and after his death.”

    Breha nodded. “I remember watching the funeral procession with my father from his bed. He died three months later.”

    “Breha," he sighed. “I’m sorry. I forgot you lost your father when you were seven. I didn’t realize it was the same year.”

    She shrugged. “It’s fine. I guess I’ve just been missing him a lot with all the wedding stuff. I know I was only seven and it was sixteen years ago, but so many girls get to plan their wedding with their dad at their side.” She then yawned. “I’d better get headed home.”

    “Let me walk you out.”
     
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  16. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    Bail is so cute with her! But then, that's kind of the point. He can't relax and goof around, he's the prince. He has to maintain dignity and order. But with her, he can be sweet and playful and a toe-biter.

    Breha seems to be getting into the idea of a wedding. A winter wedding sounds wonderful! But it can be so tiring and all-consuming. I hope she has the stamina to keep up with it. I know she'll get married (spoilers!) but will she have the strength to keep up with her job, her family, her relationship with Bail, and the hundred details of a wedding? But I guess that's why she gets a wedding planner, right?

    Anyway, I'm so glad you posted. I really enjoy this story.
     
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  17. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    I am still on-board and enjoy this story very much. Hoping for a winter wedding. I myself had an autumn wedding 7 years ago with DarthUncle.
     
  18. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Terrific blend of teasing and confiding. Like the ideas for the wedding details.
     
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  19. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    AN: Thanks for reading everyone!

    HEHEHE We shall see.

    This chapter, much like this fic in general, kinda lost all plot-purposefulness. But hopefully it will still be entertaining.

    Chapter 14

    “Breha, we gotta talk,” Oetiann said as Breha entered her house after dinner with Bail, Mazicia, and Jeorji. It was late, yet all her roommates were sitting in the living room when she entered.

    “This sounds bad,” Breha said, nervously sitting down in one of the loungers. Her bag slumped at her feet.

    Presha began. “We love you dearly, and we totally understand that you have work and a royal wedding to plan. We are honestly really excited for you.”

    Breha sighed. “It’s been a long day. Can we get to the point?”

    “You’re a Gamorrean,” Margris said bluntly. “Your bedroom is a mess, you haven’t done any of your house chores, and your dirty clothes have taken over the laundry room.”

    Breha let out a deep breath. She had no excuse. “Okay. I’ll wake up early tomorrow and do everything.”

    * * *

    Breha yawned as she took a sip of caff as she drove to work. Next to her was her security guard for the day, Motio - a muscular, yet short man, the same age as Breha.

    She had gotten up 2 hours early, cleaned her room, the house kitchen and living room, and did her laundry. Hopefully now her roommates would be happy, though, part of her wanted out. She loved her friends but she didn’t want her life living situations to have gone from living on a noble estate, to living in university dorms, to living with 4 roommates, to living in a palace. She knew she had nine months of freedom. She wanted to enjoy them, not spend them pissing her friends and roommates off.

    When she pulled into the Ministry of Education where the tabloid reporters were waiting for her. She made sure she looked half decent in her black dress pants, dark blue sweater and long dark red coat before stepping out of the speeder.

    “Ms Antilles? Is it true?” reporters began shouting at her.

    She looked at them funnily as she hurried to the entrance of the ministry with Motio at her side. “It would help me to know what you are talking about,” she said as a statement, not a question to further invite the tabloid reporters to invade her privacy.

    “Is Prince Bail having a mental breakdown?”

    Breha had to remain professional. “No, no he is not.” She then reached the sanctuary of the ministry. Inside, where the reporters could not follow, she sat on a bench and took out her data-pad and searched the latest news headlines. She found what she was looking for on the Xof News holosite. Xof was a popular right wing opinion outlet - Breha refused to think of them as ‘news’. Their methods were… questionable - they employed fear-tactics and often did not accurately check their facts. Yet some still took them seriously.

    According to Xof’s lead domestic government reporter, Bail was having a mental breakdown. Part of their ‘evidence’ for this was the fact that he was marrying her - a “young girl” whose physical looks was her only positive attribute. Breha’s jaw dropped when she read the line “Antilles, a girl who has had many lovers in the past, has no credentials to become ruler.” They then went on to accuse her of causing both Queen Mazicia health issues and Bail’s recent “emaciated appearance.” At the end, they had an image of Bail which had clearly been altered. He had not looked that thin and pale last night.

    “Breha, there you are.”

    She looked up to see the Minister of Education’s personal assistant, Ebyr - a skinny male a few years older than she.

    “Minister Salia wishes to see you in his office.”

    Breha nodded and followed Ebyr to the Minister’s office. It wasn’t exactly grand, but it was large and had a nice view of they silver spiralling towers of down-town Aldera.

    Minister Salia looked up from his large dark wood desk with a smile. He had been a high school teacher before getting into politics and it had shown in the wrinkles on his face and his lack of hair on his shiny dark brown head. “Ah, Ms Antilles, please sit down. I have heard much about you and your amazing work as a junior advisor.”

    “Thank you, sir.”

    “I honestly see you as my successor.” Breha knew that Queens of Alderaan often held positions as ministers as formal jobs in addition to all the traditional customs. Queen Mazicia had held the position of Minister of Finance for many years. Still, Breha blushed.

    “Thank you.”

    “Which is why I am promoting you to a senior advisor position.”

    Breha gasped. “Sir, thank you, but I can not accept this. I am only 23. I haven’t earned this.”

    He nodded. “I respect this, however, I know you will be very busy in the next few months. You will not be able to preform your duties as a junior advisor and prepare for your wedding. As senior adviser, you will have more time to do both your duties to the ministry, and to the people of Alderaan, as you will be here for all the important decisions, but you’ll be able to take time off as needed. In addition to this, you have to get used to being in a position of authority.”

    Breha understood.

    “Honestly, and I hate to do this because I appreciate your humility, but you must understand my position. I do not want to be the boss of the future queen in a few months time. You must take this promotion, or I’ll be force to let you go.”

    “I understand,” she said. “However, can you wait until I have discussed this with the Queen?”

    “Of course. However, tomorrow, you must interview secretaries and here,” he said, reaching into his desk and getting a data card, “Is your itinerary for the next few weeks.”

    When Breha got back to her office, she inserted the data card into her data pad. All she saw was very little work, and a whole lot of meetings. She knew she should be happy, but she didn’t feel like she had earned this.

    Her comm then rang and she answered it. “Breha.”

    “Bre? It’s Bail. So sorry I can’t really talk - I’m about to attend a senate meeting via holo - but my mom wanted me to tell you that she has hired Kinena Sifry to plan our wedding and Mrs Sifry want to meet with us and my mom in the evening.”

    “Okay,” she said with a sigh.

    “Is everything alright?” he asked, sounding concerned.

    “Just having a bad day.”

    “Care to talk about it over dinner? Just me and you, I promise.”

    “That actually sounds like the best proposition I’ve had all day.”

    * * *

    Breha had to take a deep breath as she neared the speeder parkade after a long day of work.

    “I can bring your speeder around to another exit, Ma’am,” Motio suggested.

    “You are a man of few words, Mot, but that is a brilliant idea. Do you think they will follow you?”

    He shrugged. “They seem to be particularly blood-thirsty today with this new ridiculous news story. I can park the speeder near the south emergency exit and come into get you, just encase they decide to follow me.”

    Apparently, a few did. When Motio came back into the building to get her, he was extremely apologetic. “It didn’t work. Sorry, Ma’am. And it seems like the latest news has caused quite a stir.”

    Breha rubbed her head. “Alright, let’s just go and not stop. Do you mind driving? I don’t think I can deal with anything else today.”

    He nodded. “Yes, of course.” He opened the door and she walked out.

    “Ms Antilles, how is the prince?” one ‘journalist’ asked.

    “Do you think your presence has hurt or harmed the prince?”

    “Will you stay with him even after his mental health improves?”

    “Are you on your way to the medcentre now?”

    When Breha got into the speeder, she leaned back. “Dear stars, what have I gotten myself into.”

    “I’m not sure if this will be reassuring,” Motio spoke as he drove away from the spectacle. “But I believe the right wing is afraid of you, afraid of the change you can bring. But I’m looking forward to it.”

    Breha allowed herself a small smile.

    * * *

    They reached the palace and Breha was surprised to see Raymus in the garage. He opened the door for her. “Mot, I got her from here.” He helped her out. “Bail is doing a press conference. It was a very last minute thing. He asked me to meet you, he said you were having a bad day. The Queen would like to watch the conference with you.”

    Raymus led her to the queen’s office. Breha knew the procedure. She and Raymus entered the outer chamber of the outer office - where Jeorji was already sitting on one of the grand white coaches. Jeorji got up and pressed the simple white button in the centre of the low table in the middle of the three couches and one elegantly plush purple chair. Everyone stood until the double doors opened and Mazicia walked out of her private office. Only the reining queen could occupy the Private Office of the Queen of Alderaan, unless, of course, she had a medical emergency.

    Jeorji was immediately at her side, helping her to the single chair. “Shall we watch?”

    Everyone else sat down and she pressed a button, making an holo of Bail appear. He was in front of a podium, shuffling some flimsy. He then looked up.

    “Are we ready? Aright. Good evening. I am Prince Bail Prestor Organa and First Chairman of Alderaan. I do not normally hold press conferences for personal matters, however, some disturbingly untrue information about myself, my mother - Queen Mazicia of Alderaan - and my fiancee - Breha Antilles, has been reported by a formerly trusted news outlet. First off, I do not have a mental illness, I have not had a mid-life crisis and I am healthy. To be honest, I should probably lose a few kilos before my much anticipated wedding. Yes, my mother’s health is slowly declining as her Krayat’s disease takes over her body. It saddens me to see my mother declining, yet she has never felt more secure, knowing her planet will be left in the hands of a capable noble lady.

    “My decision to marry Breha has not been one taken lightly by myself, her, or my mother. However, I am thankful that both the women in my life have agreed with my heart and my opinion. It is clear that some on this peaceful planet do not hold Breha in such high standing as I do. This is fine. We live on a planet that allows such opinion. What this great society does not allow is the use of lies and blatantly falsified information in hopes of spreading this opinion. If such tactics are use by any Alderaani news cooperation again, their status from the news media consortium will be revoked by the high council. I will now answer a few select questions on this subject.”

    Mazicia turned off the holo. “I can say what I want about his younger years, but that boy has turned into a fine man. It is thanks, in part, to you Breha.”

    Breha felt her cheeks grow warm. “Thank you.” She nodded her head. Bail was such a great public speaker. She could never do that.

    “Bail mentioned something about you two wanting a private dinner before we meet with the wedding planner?”

    “Yes, however, I would like to discuss one bit of business with you before I go for dinner and we get into wedding stuff.” Breha then explained the promotion at the ministry.

    “Breha, as future queen, some things will be handed to you - some you may deserve or would have deserved in time, some you may not deserve - some you may want, others you may not. You will have to learn what is best to accept for first Alderaan and lastly yourself, and what to deny. In this case, you must accept.”

    * * *

    “Breha, so sorry I’m late.”

    Breha turned around in her chair to see Bail entering the small dining room in a black suit. “I’m used to it,” she sighed with a wink.

    “The questions the media were throwing at me were just brutal,” he said, taking the seat across from her.

    “Welcome to my life,” she said, mirthlessly.

    “They should leave you alone for a bit.” A servant then came out with their dinners. “And I’m sorry I didn’t have time to make us dinner.”

    “Thanks, Bail,” she said, beginning to eat. “For talking to the press.”

    “Don’t worry, it wasn’t just for you. So, please tell me about your bad day.”

    She sighed. “You don’t want to hear about it. You probably had a much worse day with the media shavitstorm.”

    “Yes, the media was a bit meaner to me than they have been in the past, but my day has been alright. You seem very down trodden. Even if I can’t help, I still want to know.”

    She sighed and explained the situation with the promotion.

    “I hate to say it, but my mom is right. You have to take it and be gracious about it. I know it seems like special treatment, perhaps it is, but it is to benefit both you, the ministry and Alderaan.”

    She nodded. “I know. I’m going to confirm my new position tomorrow.”

    “Like it or not, you are going to be one of the youngest queens in Alderaan’s history - the youngest in the past 250 years probably. You will be given many things you may not deserve yet, but you will also have duties people double your age do not want.”

    She nodded, then let out a sigh. Still, it would not relieve the knot growing in her stomach. “Then, would it be unreasonable for me to request an apartment, just something small - I’ll even pay the rent - just until we are married?”

    “Why?”

    “A number of reasons,” she said, taking her last bite. “Apparently I’m the worst roommate ever. I was up at 0500, cleaning because I’m apparently a slob. I don’t want to be that woman who goes from living with her family, to having 5 roommates, to living with her husband in a palace. But what did I expect?” she said, mostly to herself, “I’m the one who agreed to get married at 23.”

    “I’m sorry Breha, I honestly don’t think it’s a good idea. The security logistics alone would be a nightmare. Keeping you safe in an apartment in the city for 11 months would be hard. The fact that you live out of the city, in an still unknown house, puts my mind at rest.”

    A servant then showed up in the door.

    “Prince, Madame, Mrs Kinena Sifry has arrived. She is in the greeting room.”

    Breha nodded and began to get up. Bail stopped her by grabbing her hand, then looked towards the servant. “Tell her and my mother that we need a few more moments to finish up.”

    “But Bail,” Breha sighed. “I’m done dinner, your done. I just want to get this meeting over with so I can go home and go to bed.”

    “I’m really sorry. I want to give you what you want, but I also want to keep you safe.” His deep brown eyes were so concerned.

    “It’s fine, Bail,” she sighed.

    “No, it’s not. You are clearly stressed out. You may not be able to move out of that house and you have to take the promotion you don’t want. And I’m sorry.”

    “It isn’t your fault. I’m just having a very rough day.”

    “Then why don’t I make it up to you? There is a long weekend this weekend. We can get away from the media, your roommates, my aids,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Heck, if we go up to my family’s cabin estate in the Juran Mountains. It’s remotely monitored so we don’t even need security.”

    She nodded. “That actually sounds like just what I, and we, need.”

    “Time to relax and work on us? We can spend our first year anniversary there.”

    “Sounds lovely,” she said offering him her hand. “But right now, we need to plan the spectacle that will be our wedding.”

    “Are you going to let me hold your hand throughout this?”

    “I’m fairly pleased with you right now, so I think I will.”

    Hand-in-hand they made their way to the greeting room. The queen was already there with Jeorgi and a plump older human woman with long red hair and lots of jewelry. The table in the greeting room was already covered in holos and flimsy images. She gave the couple a wide smile as the sat on the fine white couch across from her.

    “I’m pleased you two could make it,” Queen Mazicia said with a hint of sarcasm. She then went onto introductions. “Bail, Breha, this is Mrs Kinena Sifry. Kinena, this is Prince Organa and his fianceè, Breha Antilles.”

    The wedding planner smiled. “Queen Mazicia already told me the initial details: you two want a winter wedding the day after fete-week. I think this is going to be unique and very trend-setting. She also mentioned an engagement party and bridal shower I need to plan.”

    “I don’t remember discussing the last two events,” Bail said, eyeing his mother.

    “An engagement ball is customary,” Mazicia said.

    “And the first thing we should deal with,” Kinena said. “After we deal with some of the big picture I want to get started on crafting for this monumental occasion.” It was clear that she was excited. After all, this probably was the biggest event of her career. “Do we have a specific theme or style.”

    All eyes were on Breha. She shrugged. “Timeless elegance?”

    Kinena nodded slowly. “We can work on that. What about locations? Approximately how many guests are we planning on having?”

    “Three-thousand,” Mazicia replied, calmly.

    Breha sucked in air so quickly that she felt like her lungs were going to explode. She tightly squeezed Bail’s hand.

    “Are you going to be okay?” he asked her.

    “Nope,” she replied. “I don’t even know that many people.”

    Mazicia let out an exasperated breath. “Breha, all you have to do is make a list of all your friends you want there. Your grandmother and I are meeting for lunch next week to go over our guest lists. We will derive the guest lists for the wedding, engagement ball and bridal shower then and add your friends.”

    Breha nodded, still feeling a bit overwhelmed. She wondered if she could get someone else to do her friends list.

    Bail gently rubbed her upper arm. “You’ll get through this.”

    Kinena nodded. “And this is my only event my team and I are working on. I will give you mine and my assistant’s comm codes. We will be available to you whenever you need us. Now for locations,” she said, getting right back to business. “There are only a few locations I can suggest given the amount of guests, security, and media that we will have. The hanging gardens would be a great outdoor location,” she said, bringing images on her data-pad. “It is very beautiful in the winter with snow and frost covering the bare trees.”

    “No,” Breha said, firmly. She was not getting married in a park where she spent 2 hours in a shed, hiding from terrorist. “I’d like an indoor wedding. Outdoor weddings are horribly inaccessible and so dependant on the weather.”

    She saw a small smile creep across Mazicia’s mouth. “What about the Hall of the Mountain Queen?”

    Breha recalled her grade-school field trip to the location. The hall was an ancient ruin just outside of Aldera on in the Juran Mountains and had been Alderaan’s parliament’s meeting hall millennia ago. It was an historic sight, certainly large enough for a royal wedding.

    “Breha and I are planning a trip up to the cabin this weekend, just to get away from the media and whatnot. We can scout it out on the way there,” Bail suggested.

    Everyone nodded, agreeing. Kinena then made them focus on the engagement ball, which Breha decide to ignore, for her own sanity. It was to be in 3 weeks, involve 500 guests, at the palace - which was a perk - and catered by the palace. According to Mazicia, this was “simple.”
     
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  20. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Very realistic idiocy from the press :rolleyes: but Bail's outspokenness was the best way to nip that. Breha's impending migraine over everything - quite understandable! :eek: Glad they'll be getting away from things for the week end. :) The wedding planner sounds capable and very attentive to the couple's wishes. Yuppers, definitely indoors - much less dependent on sudden weather changes.
     
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  21. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    This is a brilliant thread & I love your talent as a fanfic writer. But I am leaving the boards & I am sorry not to be able to comment any more. This way I just want to say good-bye! And I am not sure if I ever come back! After I received an important PM today, I understood that it is better to leave all behind. Even fanfic!
     
  22. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    AN: Thanks for reading! Here is the next chapter!

    Chapter 15

    “I think I was here for a field trip when I was like eleven,” Breha said as Bail piloted the landspeeder up the path to the Hall of the Mountain Queen. After a very long and stressful week of settling into her new position at the Ministry of Education, dealing with the media and “engagement ball” planning, Breha was glad she was getting a weekend off, just to spend with Bail. She was also a bit nervous. This was the first time she’d be alone with Bail overnight. She knew he would be nothing but a gentleman, but this may be the only time they’d get to spend alone. She knew he had a scandal-filled past, but she was a traditional girl. This would be the first time she would be romantic with someone, so he had prepared and packed aptly.

    Bail parked the speeder in the open, empty, parking lot. “The nice thing about this place is we can shuttle guests up and security and media can have plenty of room.”

    They both got out of the speeder at the same time and Bail glared at Breha as she tied her long black coat tighter. “It’s chilly. I like it. It’s going to be so cosy.” She then noticed his glare. “What?”

    “You’re not supposed to get out of the speeder by yourself,” he sighed.

    Breha rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I need princess lessons. Just add it to the list.” She said, taking off. She climbed the stone ramp in front of the hall and opened the large wood door.

    There was a large outer chamber. The floors were a fine white marble, the walls were grey stone, and she looked up to see the dark, bare wood rafters. Bail was behind her. “There are a few offices still intact on either side we can use as rooms to wait in before the ceremony, but let’s check out the hall.”

    Breha followed him through another set of old wood doors to the main hall. It was empty of any furniture, which made it only seem even more massive. At the far end was a dais. The floor was a deep red marble and the three walls were white washed stone. Stain glass windows lined the two long walls. The forth wall, the one at the far end behind the dais had long since crumbled in time. The large hole overlooked the city of Aldera.

    “Stay there,” he instructed her. He then ran to the other end on the hall, which took a few moments. He stood on the dais and Breha could barely make out his face. “Yeah!” he shouted. “This is where I am going to marry you!”

    * * *

    “Okay,” Breha said, scrolling through her data-pad. They were on the speeder path again, heading up to the cabin. “That is 200 people I know that could possibly be offended if I don’t invite them to the wedding, and the top 50 get invites to the engagement shindig. Your mother and my grandmother will have to do the rest.”

    “Good,” Bail said. He took the data-pad from her and gently chucked it in the back seat.

    “Hey,” she protested.

    “No more working or wedding planning for the rest of the trip. This is supposed to be relaxing.”

    “Aright, but I feel much more relaxed now that those lists are done.”

    “Good,” he replied. “That means you can hold my hand.” He took one hand off the controls and held it out for her.

    “Aright,” she said, taking it and settling their clasped hands in her lap. She saw him smile and that made her light up.

    “I’ll have you cuddling by the fire before the weekend is out.”

    “I would have thought you would want much more,” she quipped.

    “I do, but I want to respect the fact that you are still getting used to being intimate with me.”

    “Bail, “ she sighed. “I think I do want to take advantage of this romantic evening. So, you are allowed to ask to have our First Night.”

    “Good, because I’ve been wanting to show you how beautiful you are.”

    She felt her cheeks growing warm. “Do you mind if I ask you some personal questions?”

    “Go ahead. I may ask some of my own.”

    “How many sexual partners have you been with?”

    “Eighteen. Many of those were one-night things. I never loved any of them and I regret them all now that I’ve found you. How far did things go with Sebaste?”

    “Physically?” Breha shrugged. “Making out. Nothing much over what we have done. I was alway clear that I wanted to wait till my First Night. When was the last time you bedded a woman?”

    “Over a year. After I met you, you were the only woman I wanted.”

    She rolled her eyes.

    “Do you find me physically attractive?” he asked.

    “I never was a ‘Prince Organa Fangirl’ growing up, but yes, I do find you quite dashing.” She then looked down. “I want to assure you that any hesitation I have in… making love to you, comes from me, not from you. The only man I thought I would ever love left me in the middle of the night without a goodbye. Imagine what that did to an independent, prideful girl like me. I had let myself be vulnerable to someone. That itself was hard. I swore I would never let a man make me feel so stupid.”

    He squeezed her hand. “I’m not going to do that to you. I’m not going to leave you.”

    She nodded. “Then please, if I’m being cold, remind me of that.”

    “I will. I’m really looking forward to spending the weekend with you. You are going to love it here. It is so quiet and peaceful. We have all-terrain crafts and an outdoor ice-blading rink.”

    She smiled. “I haven’t been blading since I was a girl.” Ice-blading had been a popular leisure time activity centuries ago on Alderaan. It involved gliding on top of a frozen surface with blades strapped to boots. Although the technology was vastly outdated, it had made a comeback among nobles in past decades as a way to experience a simpler, more civilized era.

    * * *

    It was another few hours until they reached the cabin. It was lightly snowing on the bare trees. The log cabin looked fairly grand. “It’s so pretty.” She was about to get out when Bail stopped her with a stern look. He turned off the speeder, got out, got the bags out of the back, then went around to open Breha’s door.

    She took his offered hand as she stepped out on the path, lightly dusted with snow. “You really don’t have to do this”

    “Yes, I do. You are the future queen. You have to get used to stuff like this.” He made her take his arm. “If the media ever were to see you get out of a speeder by yourself, I’d be slaughtered.”

    “That would be a shame, wouldn’t it?” she said with a laugh as he entered the combination for the door. They entered a large open room. A kitchen was on one side and a living-room with cushy sofas and a large stone fireplace was on the other. A lift led up to a walkway and presumably bed chambers and refreshers.

    “Shavit, now you know how to easily get rid of me.”

    “Yup, so, you’d better be nice,” she said, joining him on the lift.

    “This is my room,” Bail said, opening the first door and chucking his bag in. “You can stay in my mom’s suite. I don’t thing she will be coming up here again.”

    Breha gently rubbed Bail’s back as she followed him to the last door. He opened it for her and they walked into a suite with a large, puffy bed with fine blue fabric draped from the four tall posts. There was a smaller fireplace, dresser, communication station, and a door that led to a fresher.

    “I’ll leave you to freshen up.” He placed her travel bag on a chair. “I’ll make some lunch and then we can go blading.”

    After Bail left, Breha eyed the bed. She unceremoniously ran and belly flopped onto the soft blue duvet.

    She could get used to this.

    * * *

    After a light lunch, Bail, old-fashioned ice-blades in hand, led Breha to the small, cleared area behind the cabin. She was wearing black leggings and a slate-grey dress

    They sat on a bench to tie them up.

    “I’m so glad we had a size here to fit you,” he said, helping her up on unsteady feet.

    “Just go slow, alright? It has been way too long since I’ve done anything like this.” She stepped onto the ice after him and gasped when she slid across the smooth surface.

    “Really?” he asked, letting go of her as he glided backwards. “You seem like a natural.”

    Breha slowly slid one foot in front of the other. She finally looked up from her feet to see Bail smiling. “What?”

    “Nothing,” he said with a smirk. He held out his hand. “Come on.”

    She took his hand and kept up with him as they skated around the square rink, laughing and admiring the trees lightly dusted with snow.

    Breha was lost in memories of playing in the snow as a little girl when Bail tugged on her arm. “Hurry it up.”

    “Wait up, hotshot.” She pressed her foot down a bit harder to give herself more speed when something crunched in her left knee. She lost her footing and went down on the cold, glassy ice. Trying to break her fall with hands proved to be a mistake. The bones in her right wrist snapped, causing her to land on the left side of her ribs.

    When the initial shock wore off, she was ashamed to find tears soaking her face. Her clothes were already wet from the thin layer of water on the ice.

    Then, of course, Bail was at her side. “Breha? What happened? Can I help?”

    “I don’t know.” Her voice was quivering. “I don’t think I can walk. My knee -.”

    “Hush,” he said. “I got you. I’m going to take my skates off and carry you in.”

    She nodded. He disappeared for a few moments, then came back, his boots were on his feet.

    “I’m going to pick you up now.”

    She nodded as he scooped her up and carried her inside.

    Once they were in and on the second level, Bail set the shivering Breha on the bed in the main suite. He propped her up on the pillows, carefully arranging them so she could lean back comfortably. He handed her a soft, clean handkerchief out of his pocket. “I’m going to comm the nearest medcenter.”

    Breha wiped the tears off her face. Once he was out of the room she began to undress herself. It was a slow and painful process, but she had managed to remove her wet coat before Bail returned, looking frustrated. He carried a red first aid medic kit and what looked to be thick flannel fabric with a red and black pattern.

    “There is a storm brewing over Aldera. Every ship has been grounded. I asked for Aldera Memorial Medcentre to send an airship, but they won’t unless your in critical condition. They are going to try to send a speeder team. How are you feeling?”

    Breha tried to hide the fear she was feeling. “I don’t know why everything is hurting so much.”

    “We’ll get to the bottom of it when you get you to a doctor. You probably just fell awkwardly. In the mean time, can I help you out of your wet clothes?”

    She nodded and he began to take off her ice blades. He then reached up to remove her leggings. Breha felt her cheeks grow warm as her legs - pasty coloured as they were from months of wearing clothes for the cold weather - were revealed. She knew she was a healthy weight, but her thighs did have a bit of jiggle to them. The lighting in the room was less than flattering.

    “What?” Bail asked as he propped her swollen knee on a pillow.

    “I had hoped your first time undressing me would be a bit more romantic.” She was now in white panties.

    “Well, I did pack some candles and riesum flower petals.”

    “What?” she sighed. “No you didn’t.”

    “I had this big romantic night prepared,” he said. He began to help her take off the button-down dress she had been wearing. While Bail was distracted by hanging the dress up, Breha looked down to see her ribs red and her arm swelling. She grabbed a nearby light blue throw blanket with her good hand to cover herself up.

    “Really?” he asked when he turned around.

    “I just want to save the surprise,” she meekly lied. She simply didn’t want him worrying and demanding an airlift team.

    “Yeah, sure,” he said, sarcastically. “You ruined the surprise when you went sun bathing at the lake house and you wore that black and blue tankini.”

    She laughed lightly, but winced in pain.

    “That afternoon was torture,” he said, opening the first aid kit. “Let me at least see your injuries, then I’ll let you wear the big ugly flannel pyjamas I brought for myself.”

    She let him examine her knee first. He ended up wrapping it in a soft yet stretchy knee brace. Next, he examined her wrist, which he also wrapped in a similar material. “Now, your ribs. When you went down it looked like you smacked your side pretty hard.”

    Breha reluctantly pushed down the blanket, revealing her bra - a practical white garment trimmed with lace - and her clearly damaged ribs.

    “Kriff,” Bail exclaimed. “I have to put some bacta on that.” He reached into the case and pulled out a tube of salve. He gingerly rubbed it onto her side as she winced in pain, then covered it with a bandage.

    He then reached for the pyjamas that he brought. “Let’s get you warmed up and then I am going to comm the medcentre again.” Bail dressed Breha in his back and red pyjamas, helped her into the bed, gave her some meds to help with the pain, and then started a fire for her in the suite’s fireplace and commanded the main lights to dim.

    She watched him as she was propped on pillows and neatly tucked in. “I feel like a princess,” she murmured, clearly feeling the drugs.

    Bail approached from the fireplace and picked up her hand. “You are a princess - or will be in a few months. I’m going to go try to get an airlift team here again. Get some rest.” He then kissed her hand.

    * * *

    A few minutes later, Bail returned to a very relaxed Breha. He was carrying a tray of two bowls of soup and cups of water, which he sat beside her. “The medcentre said that there is no way they can get a ship to land here in the weather. They said it is probably just best to wait here for the speeder. So,” he said, sitting across from her, putting one of his feet underneath his bottom. “I made soup.”

    She smiled. “Thank you.” She picked up the spoon with her good hand and took a loud slurp. “Sorry,” she said. “That was not very proper.”

    “Look, Breha,” Bail said picking up the other bowl and spoon. “I love that you are just you around me.”

    “We are getting married, I want to be myself, at least around my husband.”

    “I’m just so glad I can be open with you,” he said with a sigh.

    She took another sip, but she winced in pain as a sharp shock radiated through the left side of her ribcage. The medication was wearing off. She let her arm fall at her side. Bail looked at her, concerned. “Are you alright?” He began to lean forward to help her.

    “This is really good Bail, but I feel like hell.” She pushed the spoon back onto the tray.

    He set his bowl back on the tray then moved it off of the bed. “Is there anything I can do?”

    “Are there any more pain killers?” Breathing was beginning to hurt and she was worried that moving was making whatever was wrong worse.

    “Yes,” he said, reaching for the kit. He prepared and gave her another hypo-spray to her wrist, side and knee. Again, the side effects of drowsiness began to relax her body as the spray soaked into her skin.

    “I am so sorry for ruining our relaxing weekend,” she said, letting her head sink into the soft, plushy pillows.

    “Please don’t be,” Bail said, setting the kit and tray on the wood floor. The bed dipped as he sat by her side. “My only concern is you. Can I stay with you while you sleep?”

    At first she was going to say no, she didn’t like people watching her sleep, but then she realized she and this man were going to spend the rest of their nights sleeping together. She had to get use to him being next to her. She then remembered what he had said on the way here. He wanted to cuddle by the fire.

    “Do you want to cuddle?” she asked.

    “Are you serious?”

    The fact that he had to ask made Breha think. Had she really been that opposed to physical touch? He had been so kind to her - doing anything for her. “Yes. I’d like to sleep on my side and I don’t want to accidentally roll over. Plus you said you wanted to have me cuddling by the fire by the end of the weekend. I don’t want this trip to be a complete waste.”

    He smiled as he removed his boots and long black overcoat. He climbed onto the bed next to her in his grey pants, black socks, and dark blue high collared shirt. Laying over the blankets, Bail helped Breha roll onto her right side. He remained on his back and he rested her bad knee and wrist on him. He wrapped his arm around her waist. His other arm was trapped in the blankets. She attempted to move to make more room for him, but he stopped her.

    “You should sleep, my Sunshine,” he said, pressing his lips into her hair.

    “Sunshine?” she asked.

    “Yeah. Everyone else gets a cute nickname for you: Brebre, Brehaha. You are my light and my live revolves around you. You are my sunshine.”

    She wasn’t sure if it was the drugs, but she felt completely at ease as she drifted off to sleep.
     
    Chyntuck and AzureAngel2 like this.
  23. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Love the open talk they had and the place they're staying sounds wonderful! A fireplace in one room and a puffy bed. I could get used to that as well. :D :eek: Bail is a trooper, and no doubt! Definitely a derailment of what each was thinking their weekend would be romance-wise. They are very comfortable with each other, you can tell. :)
     
    AzureAngel2 and Briannakin like this.
  24. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    I love the way this parallels your diary entry! Breha's condition must be agonizing. She is such a strong and determined young woman, to balance all the aspects of her busy life with the rigorous duties of the future queen, and have to deal with the pain of her medical condition, too.

    I like how respectful Bail is. He will be such a good husband and support to her.
     
  25. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    AN: BLARGGG! So sorry, I totally forgot to update this! Thank you for your comments and reviews!

    A/N: Lyrics are from the song “If I Had A Boat” by James McMorrow. Give it a listen.

    Chapter 16

    “Breha,” Bail said, gently putting his arm on Breha’s back. He had been a perfect gentleman, letting her sleep, cocooned in the blankets, preventing her from rolling over on her injured side.

    She grunted and gently rubbed her head on the pillow.

    “Breha, I’m sorry, my Sunshine. I think the medics are here. I’m going to go get them,” he said, gently rolling her off of him.

    When she reached her back, something cracked and she gasped in pain.

    “Breha.” Bail sat up in a panic as Breha began to cry.

    “Just get the medics in here, now.” Her tone was unlike anything he had heard from her. It was demanding and commanded respect.

    He did as she ordered. He led the team of two males and two female medics up to the main suite, then tried to stay out of their way while they got Breha on a hovergurney. She looked so frail and weak. The medics had given her a dose of some extra strength painkillers and she was already barely conscious.

    “Can I go in the speeder?” Bail ask the medics nervously as they descended the turbo lift.

    “Bail?” Breha asked, her voice was small.

    “Yes, of course,” one of the male medics said. “Just go ahead of us, climb in the front and stay out of the way while we get her settled.”

    Bail did as he was told, quickly putting on his overcoat for the trip and running to the speeder as soft white flakes fell on him.

    Breha was softly weeping when they loaded her in the speeder. Bail grew increasingly worried as they hooked her up to a drip and the vehicle took off.

    “Bail? Is Bail here?” she asked from her nest of blankets. She was curled on her side, trying futilely to look around.

    He looked around at the medics.

    “You should keep her calm,” one of the female medics said.

    Bail nodded and sat on the edge of the gurney. “Hey there,” he said, putting her head on his lap.

    “I’m so sorry for ordering you around,” she sobbed.

    “Is that what’s worrying you?” he laughed slightly. “Bre, you are going to be queen, and my wife. You are allowed to order me around.” He leaned down and kissed her hair softly. “You had better get used to doing it.”

    “In that case, hold my hand while I conk out.”

    “Sure, Sunshine,” he said, stroking her hair with one hand and taking her hand with his other.

    “And please don’t leave,” she said quietly.

    “I won’t. I promise.”

    * * *

    The next couple of hours were just a blur of inactivity of holding Breha in the speeder, followed by too much as the medics unloaded her and whisked her away, then more inactivity as he was directed to a bland grey waiting room. He was sitting in one of the many uncomfortable chairs in the room.

    When they first arrived, the doctors had been so nice, assuring him that Breha was going to be examined, taken into surgery if she needed it, inserted with bone-knitters and then put in a bacta-tank. But since he had told them what happened, no one had come and updated him.

    He had contacted Breha’s family and it was odd that they were not here yet.

    * * *

    Raymus looked around in the boring grey waiting room. His grandparents and his aunt Healenia - Breha’s mother - were all here, yet Bail was no where in sight.

    He then noticed a group of doctors, the one that was updating them on Breha among them, nearing them, looking worried.

    “What is it?” both Raymus and his grandfather asked as they stood up.

    Breha’s doctor motioned for them to sit down. She was an older woman with black hair streaked with white and pale skin named Dr. Nhix. She looked uneasy. “We have a few questions for you as a family.”

    “How is Breha?” Riginus gritted out.

    “She is in a bacta tank and will completely recover. You all may take time to see her if you wish. Our main concern is the accident that landed her in this condition. The Prince -”

    “Where is Prince Bail?” Raymus asked.

    Another doctor - an older male with white hair - let out a deep breath. “He is in another waiting room. We need to ask you four something serious.”

    The doctors sat down then addressed Healenia and Peranda. “The Prince claimed that Breha’s injuries were from a fall while they were iceblading. But both her knee and wrist are broken and she has several cracked ribs. Those injuries do not line up with a simple fall.”

    “Are you implying that Prince Bail is lying?” Healenia asked.

    “Yes, but,” Dr. Nhix was trying to be delicate.

    Raymus felt his eyes go big. “Are you saying this may have been intentional? No, not Bail.” But what really shocked him was when his grandmother started shaking her head as well.

    Peranda sat up straighter. She radiated confidence. “No. Breha is a brilliant young lady. She would not have gotten anywhere near a man like that. There is no way this is his fault.”

    The doctors nodded. “We will send Prince Bail in here then. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this and inform you all.”

    * * *

    Bail was so relived when a nurse came by and told him where he could find Breha’s family.

    “What is going on?” he asked as he rushed into the waiting room.

    “She’s going to be okay,” Raymus assured him.

    “They suspected you had something to do with Breha’s current condition,” Riginus said with a raised eyebrow.

    “I swear to the stars that it happened exactly as I told them.” Bail then recounted what had occurred.

    “Wait,” Raymus said. “It was just a fall? Didn’t that happen when she met you?”

    Bail nodded. “But that was a total freak accident as well.”

    “But Breha has always been accident prone,” Healenia said. “She was always spraining something. Does that mean she’s sick? Has she always been sick?”

    “I’m going to go get the doctors,” Riginus said, getting up in a hurry.

    * * *

    It was early in the morning before they saw Breha’s doctor again. Nurses had come by and suggested they go home for the night; Breha was going to be out of the tank by tomorrow afternoon. But no one had left.

    Dr. Nhix entered looking tired, but less worried. She bowed politely. “We discovered what is wrong with Breha. Because of confidentiality, we can’t tell any of you since she will be conscious in less than twenty four hours. I suggest you all go home.”

    They all nodded and began to get up, except for Bail.

    “I promised her I wasn’t going to leave,” he said. “I can’t leave.”

    Dr. Nhix rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand. “Alright. Follow me,” she sighed tiredly.

    Bail followed the doctor to the tank room. Bacta tanks, dimly lit inside, lined a wall. A nurse showed him to Breha’s tank and get him another uncomfortable chair.

    “Hey there, Sunshine,” he said as he sat down and pressed his fingers to the flexiglass. Breha was suspended in thick liquid, draped in a white gown, her dark hair flowed freely. “I said I wasn’t leaving, so here I am. I’m so sorry this happened.”

    * * *

    Bail was exhausted, yet he smiled when the doctors finally took Breha out of the bacta tank the next afternoon and put her in a lovely private room, with a huge window overlooking the Jurahi mountains, still covered in their crisp snowy blanket. But Bail was focused on the sleeping beauty in the bed, covered by a light sea-foam green blanket. Yes, her hair was still drenched in bacta, and they had put her in some washed-out blue gown. Yet she was still breathtaking.

    “You know,” he said, gently taking her hand, which had drip inserted into it and was wrapped in medical grade adhesive. “Blue is really your colour.” The nurses told him to talk to her, to stimulate her mid, but he was out of topics.

    So he took a breath in and began to sing softly. “Once I had a dream. Once I had a hope. That was yesterday. Not so long ago. This is not the end. This is just the world. Such a foolish thing. Such an honest girl.”

    After a long while, Bail’s all-nighter caught up to him. He fell fast asleep in the chair.

    * * *

    Breha felt horrible. When she woke up, all she tasted was bacta. The sickly sweet syrupy feeling in her mouth just made her want to vomit. But then she opened her eyes. The bright white blinded her momentarily.

    She turned her head and the pillow crunched lightly. There was Bail, fast asleep, still in the clothes he wore to the cabin. His face looked scruffy and the buttons on his shirt were undone, showing his white undershirt. He looked so concerned, even in his sleep. His lips puffed lightly as he snored.

    Breha reached out, only noticing then that there were drips in one hand and bone-knitters - tubes and wires - inserted into her other wrist. She felt them in her knee as well. She touched Bail, gently on his arm, making sure he was not a figment of her tired mind.

    He was there. He actually stayed with her. He never left, even though she took a dunk in a bacta tank. He could have left, freshened up, but he stayed.

    Then, all at once, something happened. Breha realized this man loved her. He had told her that before, but now she saw how much he cared for her.

    And she… she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She wanted him here. He made her smile, laugh and he stayed at her side.

    It was simple, but in that moment, she fell in love with him.

    Bail then snorted and sniffed back something as he woke. It took him a few seconds to realize she was awake and staring at him, but when he did, he smiled.

    She smiled back. “Hey there Starshine."

    “Starshine?” he asked, taking her outstretched hand and lacing their fingers.

    “If I’m the sun, you are the stars.”

    “The drugs they gave you have made you loopy,” he said with a light laugh.

    “Fine, hotshot it is then.” She rolled back onto the pillow.

    Bail rolled his eyes. He rubbed her hand lightly. “How are you feeling?”

    “Better,” she replied, honestly. “Just a bit tired. But give me a minute and I’ll wake up.”

    “Alright,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. His usually well-groomed facial hair felt prickly on her smooth skin.

    “Gods, you need a shave, and a comb,” she chuckled. He then stood up and she became worried for some reason. She didn’t want him to leave.

    “The doctor wanted to talk to you when you woke,” he explained.

    She watched, longingly, as he left. She couldn’t believe she felt so love-struck. She had know him for a year now. Yet something had changed. Perhaps it had been a slow, ongoing process that she had been simply blind to until this moment.

    She froze, mid-thought. What day was it? How long had she been in the bacta tank? Had she missed their anniversary? The thought made her panic.

    The door to her private suite opened and a middle aged woman entered. The dark rings around her eyes made her look tired, but the white streaks in her dark hair portrayed wisdom. Yet, as soon as she opened her mouth, Breha knew she was of the traditional sort: a woman who believed that all men were below her. The doctor approached Breha’s bed and she noticed Bail enter quietly behind the woman.

    “Hello, Ms. Antilles. I am Dr. Janiey Nhix. I’m glad to see you awake. Are you feeling well enough to talk?” she asked.

    Breha nodded as she adjusted the head of the bed to an upright position.

    “Would you like to speak alone?”

    Breha knew what the doctor implied: would she like Bail to leave. “No,” she said, looking towards the lurker near the door. She reached her hand out to him. He quickly resumed his seat at her side, holding her hand.

    Dr. Nhix sat down on a stool. “I shall start from the beginning. When you first arrived here, we were initially very concerned because your injuries did not match Prince Organa’s the description of events. We put you in a bacta-tank so you could heal. We also went through your medical history and found out that you have had several other incidents where a simple fall had caused a bone to break. So we took both blood and bone marrow samples and ran several tests. We can confirm that you have ostia-phromitia.”

    By the end of the doctor’s spiel, Breha’s head was spinning. Thankfully, Bail was there to comprehend and ask the important questions.

    “What is that?” Bail asked, putting his arm around her shoulders and holding her a bit closer to his chest.

    Dr. Nhix remained professional and detached. “Ostia-phromitia is a rare auto-immune disease that affects the bones. In layman’s terms, the immune system sometimes believes some of the minerals in the bones is a foreign substance and attacks it, causing the bones to become weak and brittle. It happens in generally random cycles, but these cycles and attacks get worse as a patient ages. During one of these cycles, a simple fall, or even too much pressure on a joint, can break a bone.”

    “Is there any treatment?” Bail asked before Breha could.

    “Yes. Though oral pills we can replace the minerals and correct the immune system, to a degree. Miss Antilles, your immune system will always go through these cycles, but through treatment, we can greatly reduce the severity. But there are side effects.”

    Breha finally found the courage to speak. “What are they?”

    “Many will have minimal or no impact on your daily life; dry mouth, difficulties gaining weight, loss of appetite.” But then the doctor let out a heaving sigh and Breha’s stomach clenched in dread. ““The most significant one I feel I have to mention is reduced fertility. And if a woman does manage to get pregnant, the treatment will cause her to miscarry. Pregnancies with ostia-phromitia are theoretically possible off the medication, but no woman with this disease has ever carried to term due to their pelvis breaking from the weight of the child.”

    Breha felt like she had been pushed off a chasm, into a deep, black abyss. The implications slowly washed over her. She could never have children. She would never be able to give the Royal House heirs. She would never be able to marry Bail.

    Just a few days ago, Breha would have been fine with this news. But now, after she had fallen in love with the man holding her, it broke her.

    Dr. Nhix slowly closed her eyes. “I am very sorry. I will leave you with the prescription notes. If you have any further questions, please get one of the nurses to contact me.” She then left, letting the door cycle closed behind her. There were a few tense moments as Bail rubbed her upper arm with his thumb. All Breha wanted to do was break down in tears. Bail knew her so well that he knew how hollow words would be to her in this moment. All she wanted to do was to curl-up in his embrace as she began to weep uncontrollably. Her chest heaved as her lungs struggled to keep up with her emotions.

    However, Breha knew what she had to do. Bail was trying to envelope her with his arms, but she gently, yet firmly, pushed Bail away with her hand. Her body may have ached and itched where the drips were inserted, but this stung so much more. She couldn’t even look at him - it was too difficult. “You should go,” she sobbed as she rolled over onto her side and buried her face in her pillow.

    “What?” he said, shock radiating in his voice and face. His brown eyes were wide with fear.

    Breha took a deep breath in as she tried to momentarily compose herself for clarification. “It will be easier for us both this way. Just go.” She just wanted all the pain to come at once. She was already drowning in it. Nothing could make it worse. A quick severance would save her more pain later.

    “No, Breha, I don’t understand.”

    She continued to cry. “I can’t give you an heir. That is what the doctor wanted to tell me. I can’t marry you.”

    Bail let out a deep breath. He reached and squeezed her upper arm gently. “I’m going to give you a couple minutes, okay? Then I am coming right back.”

    Breha heard his footsteps and the doors cycle open, then closed. She hoped his promise would be hollow, just to prove her inner doubtful cynic correct: men always leave.
     
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