Saga - PT Emerald Wine (Leia, Bail, Breha | 9 BBY) - 2015/2016 Winter fic-gift for leiamoody

Title: Emerald Wine
Author: Ewok Poet
Genre: Slice of life with strong hints of humour
Characters: Leia Organa, Breha Organa, Bail Organa, Zizi Pao (OC), references to ECs and OCs
Timeframe: 13 BBE / 9 BBY
Rating: PG (very mild swearing)
Summary: The Organas are taking a traditional surprise trip to celebrate Leia's good grades. But this is the one that breaks all the traditions.



A/N: This story was written for the 9th Annual Winter Holiday Fic-Gift Exchange, where each participating fanficcer gets to write for somebody else and has somebody else writing for them. I was writing for leiamoody and SatineNaberrie was writing for me.

I'm stoked to be writing for leiamoody and I'm sorry to be posting it on the last day. I did not like what I originally wrote as it was too much of a downer and, while I kept it for a future occasion, I decided to write a whole new story. I was slightly inspired by a couple of Leia comics from Star Wars Tales, merely The Princess Leia Diaries. My love for writing children and teenagers only came in handy here.

Many thanks to - how to say this - Ewok Mom, for an idea on how to include the report card, and to Findswoman, for partial beta-reading [only 1/3 of the story has been beta'd due to time commitments - keep this in mind].

On top of this, three sentences in this piece have been borrowed from Ewok Subject of Endless Admiration. But I won't tell you which three!

leiamoody's request is in the spoiler below.

Spoiler

Their request: I want a story in Saga with:

1. Emerald wine
2. A report card
3. A thunderstorm

I do not want: Anything overly dramatic or sappy.

Characters: Bail Organa, Breha Organa, Leia Organa

---

It was nothing but a blessing of some sorts that the keys were made of extra-durable material, because a ten-year-old girl was pounding on them as if she was committing an orbital bombardment of her own. Those were some very non-Alderaani ways and that was one powerful, though inane, one-adolescent-girl-army.

Braised nerf and emerald wine. BRAISED NERF AND EMERALD WINE!!! Another typical family reunion at the end of the school year. Bantha poodoo, is what this is, I say. Bantha poodoo!

Just how am I going to break this to them?

It’s not my fault, all right. AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED I DID NOT FAIL MUSIC THIS SEMESTRE!!! Madame Vesta and that scrawny nerf-herder of a Grand Moff-Schmoff got what they wanted, in the first place! How dare they place ME in the front row of that music recital, have me play a Fizzz that I almost poked that annoying blonde’s eye with (which was totally NOT on purpose) make me wear a young Imperial uniform as opposed to what I wanted to wear? I can’t stand these strange red collars on grey dresses! Was the creator of those unfortunate torture devices they call clothes the member of some species that is colour blind? Or a Miraluka? Did they kill the creator upon seeing what was created, in the first place? One day when I have my own money, I’m going to get a long, red vest! But no red collars!!!

I am not a product to sell just because I’m a princess. That said, dear diary, this princess business is getting on my nerves. Wearing ear muffs in the summertime, serving like a fashion doll to everybody. Can this please stop?

And don’t even get me st

Having heard the knock on the door, Leia closed her datapad abruptly. She was pretty sure that her mother was there to let her know that they were going to whatever surprise location her father picked this time to celebrate her academic successes at the end of the semestre. Most likely, it was the same grandiose restaurant, intended for the royals and their friends.

She was not big on braised nerf. She was still too young to have emerald wine. She did not like being shown around like a prized possession, or whatever else did it seem like to her young mind at whatever given point.

“Lelila!” Breha pointed outside. “Are you ready? This time, we’re going somewhere new.”

Just when the young princess was about to protest, they picked a new location. Did…did somebody slice her datapad or something?

“Where are we going?” Leia asked.

“It’s a surprise!”

…

A mere hyperspace jump later, they were walking down the streets of Cita dav Ilo on the Alderaani colony world of Aeithera.

“I…I did not expect this.” Leia’s neck was aching from all the looking around. “It’s like home, but…better.”

She paused briefly, trying to get a reaction from her parents, but they were just smiling, so she continued. “You see, something I think we’re too serious on Alderaan. This place even looks like Alderaan, yet it’s not Alderaan and…and…there are all these academic, studious people, yet they seem to know how to have fun.”

Bail was about to say that they do have fun back at home, but he bit his tongue. Breha had warned him not to try to put himself into a princess’ shoes and especially not a young princess’ shoes; for they were both too big and too small for him to fill at the same time.

The further they were going, the harder it was to catch up with their ten-year-old daughter. The girl dreaming of oceans of sand had the wisdom of a leader, and they knew that, but what they did not want to confess to themselves is that desert never fled her subconsciousness, either - in more ways than one. She was jumping over the hollow tree trunks at the lake, often wandering away from the rustic boardwalk and getting up to her knees in cold water. Bail was struggling to keep up with her. Was this what she was striving to be like? Was this what they had failed to see before, having got caught up in interplanetary affairs? Was she going to break tradition in a way that would cause all of the Ancient Houses’ residents to collectively pass out, their hands on their foreheads?

Sooner than they knew, she was at least 100 metres away from them, appearing like a comet in the distance. A strange kind of a comet, for that matter.

The sky seemed overcast by the time Leia finally stopped in front of what initially seemed to be just another wooden shack and called Bail and Breha to come over and join her.

Half the distance from the shack, Breha could see that it was covered in flowering vines. Once in front of it, they could read its name, Zizi’s Tapcafe, but they were not sure what it is about this place that fascinated their daughter.

“Can we eat here?” Leia pulled her mother by the sleeve of the expensive silvergreen royal dress. “It is…perfect!”

She was hiding the hard flimsi with the menu printed on it behind her back. There was no such thing as braised nerf in this place. But there was a garden full of trees that must have been a couple of hundred years old. All silvergreen, like her mother’s dress.

Bail shrugged and looked at Breha. She just smiled. This time, she did not even have to remind him not to object to Leia’s wishes today, regardless of how silly they seemed.

They sat down under the largest of the trees. After ten minutes, a blue-furred being came to their table, with one tray in each of his four hands.

“Zizi’s summer residence. May I recommend you…”

“What’s your braised nerf like?” The senator of Alderaan cut him short. “What do you usually serve it with?”

“We don’t have braised nerf on our menu.”

“No braised nerf?” Bail was surprised. Almost worried.

“No braised nerf.” The Pho Ph'eahian shrugged, with both pairs of his arms, which made Leia chuckle. “I don’t serve braised nerf here, but I can recommend you a variety of freshwater fish.”

“N...no braised nerf. But, but, our tradition is to have a braised nerf and emerald wine after each semestre our daughter completes at her school.”

“We do have emerald wine. However, I’m afraid you will otherwise have to break a tradition. Why doesn’t your daughter join me in the kitchen and pick something she would like? It’s her success you’re celebrating, after all!”

Bail shrugged. Breha nodded and less than a minute later, Leia was in the spacious kitchen. What got her attention was an overturned crate in the corner.

“What is this…what is your name?”

“I’m Zizi Pao and that is my dining table. At my main café, I have more space, but at this little summer residence, I’m eating in the kitchen.”

“Whoa!” The young girl’s face lit up. “It’s YOUR café and you’re serving us yourself. That is almost like…almost like cooking food for yourself, at your own home, but even better, because you get to make others happy.”

Zizi was puzzled. Sure, this child understood the concept of Imperial credits? He proceeded to take some fish out of the small aquarium to show her.


“You see, this...these four scalefish...they are not free. But my art is.” He sat Leia down at the crate-table, holding a fish in each of his four hands. “Art is a matter of giving. You see…if I sing my friend a song, it goes from me to her, at no cost. That’s giving.”

“Who is she?”

Zizi almost dropped the fish in his upper left hand, the one closest to his heart. That question would always make him die a little bit on the inside, but he could not tell anybody why. It was a rock he was carrying solely for himself.

“The fish? How do you know it’s a she?”

“No. Who is your friend? You said it was a she.”

“You. You are my friend. That said, what is your name?”

This is where she would have normally been forced to introduce herself with a curtsey, as the Princess Leia Organa, of the Royal House of Alderaan. But this stranger, he was different. He treated her like a smart young girl, without all those chimes and bavoonkas she was so desperate to get away from.

“Leia. Mom and dad call me Lelila, but I prefer my actual name.” She started drawing imaginary circles on the crate. “Also…sorry if I’m slightly uptight. I failed a class and my parents don’t know about it. I am not sure how to break it to them.”

“Pleased to meet you, Leia!” Zizi smiled broadly. “Which class did you fail and can you re-take it?”

“Music. I failed music and the story is…too long and complicated and I cannot retell it without any k-word.” Leia was slightly blushing.

Zizi was still holding the fish in his hands.

“Know what, Leia? Pick a fish.”

Just what was that about? She shrugged and pointed to one of them. “Perhaps this one? Though I love how the other one looks like, too…the one in, err, your other right hand.”

“That would be Mee. The one over there is See…See.”

“Mee, See, See? That is almost as funny as Faa…Laa…Laa.”

“Tee, tee, laa, tee…” Zizi winked and patted Leia on the back. “I think this melody gave me an idea. You have something to tell your parents and I have something your father wants – the emerald wine. Go get him this bottle, quick.”

Just as Zizi said this, a thunder stroke and rain started pouring. Everybody from the garden ran inside. Bail and Breha were lucky not to have been served yet, there were some guests who had to leave their food. And now that Zizi was about to cook for them again, silently cursing the fact that his assistant - who was an actual cook to begin with - had a day off work.

Predictably, the only thing he could prepare was the scalefish. And it was taking a while. By the time he brought the food to Leia’s family, Bail seemed to be slightly tipsy.

“Here is your scalefish. It’s on the house, consider it…a form of art.” Zizi subtly nudged Leia with one of his four elbows, solely for Bail to tip him more than he was ever tipped for his music. He could not help thinking that it was ironic, to a certain extent, as what was coming from the heart was and will always be more important than what is going down the throat.

But what he was about to witness was priceless.

The man hugged his daughter and started something that, at first, looked like one of those stories that would embarrass an average adolescent.

“You see, Lelila, when I was your age…” He took a huge bite of the scalefish spiced with ryoo and coarse sea salt. “I was nowhere near good as you…academically speaking!”

“It’s true.” Breha confirmed. “I found his report cards the other day. Believe it or not, he was not good at creative writing at first. But there is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s normal to fail at least once, to learn that you’re not invincible.”

“There was, however, one thing I never managed to excel at. That…that stupid instrument…what’s its name? Dorella…something…”

“Dorenian Beshniquel?” Breha was snickering at this point. “It has a shorter name, some call it the fizzz.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right! I cannot stand the sound of that thing! Sounds like something only self-righteous snobs without a rightful claim to their snobbery would bother with. Something for a bunch of grey men wearing…umm…grey. I don’t like how their clothes look like! Their formalities annoy me, too!”

At this point, Breha was slightly worried. They had some plans and some contacts, but this was not how they were planning to protest. Not at all! One never knew who was listening!

Just what kind of an emerald wine was this tapcafé serving?

“This is where I tell you that I failed music.” Leia stopped Bail’s repulsortrain of thoughts and steered it the other way round. “Because I played that exact instrument, the fizz, my way...when Grand Moff Tarkin visited last week.”

“That’s my girl!” Bail patted her on the back. “And you…“ He addressed the Pho Ph'eahian. “You own the simplest and most beautiful place I have ever been to. I almost don’t feel like a Senator with Queen as his wife and the heiress of Alderaan as his daughter…There has never been a better time to break traditions.”

Zizi shrugged. And again. During his previous life as a sculptor and his current as a musician and a tapcafe owner, he had seen a lot of tipsy people who were claiming so many things – from being in the Sacorrian Triad to having done the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs, but this man may have been the one telling the tallest of the tales. Alderaani royals? Nah. Those were probably having a dinner at the table larger than the lake outside, somewhere in their palace bigger than the whole of Citta dav Ilo.

He smiled to Leia one more time and headed to the kitchen to bring her a dessert. After all, he was winning tonight – her parents were sure to stay for his famous Love-Song-Sing-A-Long…and beyond!

And it all happened because of a thunderstorm, a report card and one glass of emerald wine too many.

---

Footnotes:

Spoiler

Emerald wine is indeed canon and yes, it’s commonly served with Braised nerf.

The Alderaani colony of Aeithera and the character Zizi Pao are leiamoody’s own creations.

You can read more about Aithera and Cita dav Ilo in this fanon entry.

Zizi previously appeared in The Song Hour leiamoody’s story for Findswoman, written as a part of this very fic-gift exchange. He is a Pho Ph'eahian .

Love-Song-Sing-A-Long appears in the above story, too.

Madame Vesta appears in The Princess Leia Diaries

The school Leia is referring to is Alderaan Select Academy for Young Ladies.

Ancient Houses is a term rarely used, but I loved it.

The scalefish are native to Naboo and yes, they have stupid names. I’ll let you figure out the rest.
Fizzz, also known by its longer name, Dorenian Beshniquel, is a music instrument.

Ryoo is a flower, but in my headcanon, it’s a herb, too - the equivalent of something like basil or bay leaf.

 

What a fun and family-centric slice of life viggie! And yay, Zizi makes an appearance. Leia's disdain for all things showy and ostentatious - very much in character. That cozy cafe was the perfect stop for dinner!

 

I don't think I can ever leave a better review than @Findswoman (because she is just that amazing with her words), but I'll do the best I can.

Attitudinal teenage Leia is a gem. I never read the Leia diaries, but I do imagine that if she kept a diary, she'd be pounding the keys getting angry at mindless ceremonial and protocol and traditional expectations. Then she gets the surprise variation of the traditional family end-of-term dinner...I'm seriously impressed that you managed to find a way to get the Organas to come up with a variation of this tradition while also making it seem realistic (they're on a mission, so they're still serving the Larger Cause while also managing to make time for the family. A very healthy and balanced approach to modern problems ).

Aeithera makes another appearance! (Seriously, is this planet that nice or something? Well, it's pretty decent I suppose). Given the content of the story, it does make sense that it would make a special guest appearance, and I really love the fact that Leia got to go there as a present. Then Zizi makes his appearance...which is logical, and actually fits my story idea of the Force guiding people to unexpected places that make sense in a later story context (Zizi's plays a role in my later stories, so you might have inadvertently fed me an idea ). His interaction with Leia is exactly who he is as a being: generous, dedicated to creation (whether through art, music, or food), but also pragmatic (his reaction to Leia's misunderstanding about how credits work is right on point. Also his reflections on the missing cook...).

These lines in particular really stood out (I cut them from the actual text rather than used the quote function):

“Art is a matter of giving. You see…if I sing my friend a song, it goes from me to her, at no cost. That’s giving.”

That is so beautiful...actually made me tear up.

He could not help thinking that it was ironic, to a certain extent, as what was coming from the heart was and will always be more important than what is going down the throat.

Again, another tear-inducing line. It's profound because it's truth. Art really is the manifestation of heart and spirit, plus a healthy dollop of intellect.

During his previous life as a sculptor and his current as a musician and a tapcafe owner, he had seen a lot of tipsy people who were claiming so many things – from being in the Sacorrian Triad to having done the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs

This is a fantastic suggestive background here for Zizi. I'm particularly intrigued by the mention of that someone who did the Kessel Run...now I have to wonder where they both encountered each other and when. Oh, and the mention of someone claiming to be in the Sacorrian Triad...so that's another intriguing possibility about him never really knowing Mariklare's origins...does that even suggest that she never fully knew what her father really did for a living? (Since you originally created her father, I'm leaving that answer up to you).

This was so utterly magnificent. I think it's beyond awesome. It's a far better interpretation of my requests than I could have imagined. THANK YOU!!!!!

EDIT: I'm not against updating my canon to allow for Zizi to have a second restaurant open during the summer. Summer is high holiday season anywhere, so why wouldn't he take advantage of making a few extra credits?

Can I borrow some of the elements you mentioned here for Zizi's background? I've yet to do a proper bio on him, and really love the extra details you introduced.

 

Thank you. I tried to fit everything together and exploring ten-year-old Leia was so much fun!

Glad you caught this! While Leia cannot quite grasp the concept of non-royals having to cook for themselves in general, she got the idea right.

Being an artist, I'm sure he had his own share of disappointments in the past and he knows how to handle them. Not to mention that, as an adult, he faced more dilemmas than little Leia could ever imagine at this point.

And he's being a fantastic host because he's kind!

It's never to early to become a diplomat, yup.

And in vino veritas. While Zizi probably had an idea that Bail would mellow a bit, I don't think he expected to be dealing with such a lightweight.

I didn't even think about this...but remember, there's a Force-sensitive among them, so they have to be pretty lucky. When she's with them, their bacon is saved. When she's gone, Alderaan is gone and so are Breha and Bail with it.

See below, for the idea I threw to leiamoody.

It does, and that is precisely what I wanted. This could've been a story with any random place and any random character, but The Song Hour is so good and Zizi is such a great character! Not to mention how much depth their appearance added to the story and how, through them, one can explore things leiamoody herself writes and likes. If there has to be a drunk story, it doesn't have to be a bro thing or a super sad thing, it can be one of those childhood moments that we always remember, yet our parents somehow never do. I wooooonder why.

That's from Legends, actually. I'm not sure if anybody would use the other two, but the idea of somebody annoying her with those names would be fun. Especially if she then kicks some a55.

Thank you.

You are always amazing with words to me. That is why I sort of freaked out when I read how good your fic for Finds was, I knew I could not get anywhere close to that, but I hoped that this would be just as good.

That is precisely what is happening in the comic - a young Leia has a rebellous "boyfriend", she does not like being all dolled up, she sticks her tongue out to Tarkin and it's one of the funniest things I have ever read, yet completely in-character.

If all family vacations came with watching over one's colonies, this world would've been a better place. Then again, where do we get ourselves some colonies, anyway?

Just like many other things in this story are a learning curve for her and contribute to her being a Senator at 19, so does that. And I have only seen Aithera in your fanon entry and The Song Hour, but I absolutely loved it, so...yes, it's THAT nice.

I wanted him to serve her food, as well as a couple of little lessons about life. I'm glad that my depiction of him fits into what you imagined him to be. But...but, the bolded part is precisely what I was getting at. While I was not sure if he has the Force from what I have read about him before, I was pretty sure that he can serve as a clue, a catalyst, an accidental mentor, a tool of the Force itself - all in one.

That said, the cook could've been missing on any other day...but, of course, he had the day off when there was a thunderstorm and all. It all had to come together neatly like that.

That would be the quote I said I stole, plus two words I added to make it slightly less traceable. It did make me tear up the first time I read it in November last year, and a couple of days later, when I was assigned to write for you, I knew I'd have to stick it somewhere fitting!

That is how I see it myself. It brings me a lot of trouble recently, but yeah. #proudartist

As far as I'm concerned, Han claimed that even before he actually did it.

And the idea of Zizi meeting everybody at some point would be interesting.

Yup, my idea is that she didn't know and that, since Triad members usually have good jobs in their fields, her dad being a general is absolutely enough to get all the connections she needed. I can imagine that, at some point, a very drunk Yvar blurted out that he was one of the Big Three (hehe) to Zizi, who didn't believe him. That would still be consistent with The Song Hour, where he's obviously aware that Yvar did not lie to him.

Knowing that there had been "twenty years" between Zizi becoming a musician and restaurant owner and Mariklare's death, she was born in 39 BBY and died in 1 BBY or 1 ABY (I don't think there's such a thing as year zero...). It all fits, yay!

Yay!

Of course, just showmeshowmeshowmeshowmeshowme as soon as you can, because I'm curious and I know the curiousity killed the tooka, but I DON'T CARE. I want it all.

And I would like to have Zizi make a cameo in another thing I'm writing, right after his deportation, but we'll talk about that in private.

You're more than welcome and I'm so glad that you liked it. I'll gladly write more of...well, anything for you!

 

This is how Rebels are made, you silly Imps. I can definitely empathize with Leia’s woes over the performance uniform -- having been in orchestra in elementary through high school, I know how that goes. Cummerbunds, ugh. (Aka that unflattering article of clothing that looks good on no one and that you only know what it is if you’re as unlucky as our school orchestras were. Bet the Empire has ‘em.) It’s easy to see a young Leia being frustrated over being a “product” due to being in the public eye. Alderaanian fashions and Imperial fashions both being kind of ridiculous and probably at odds doesn’t help things. Poor kid.

And I always like having some insight into what Bail and Breha thought of raising Leia and their relationship to her. So I especially liked both of these sections.

Somebody get the smelling salts for Leia’s stuffy relatives. And I suppose the answer to their parental worries is “yes and no.” I like how we see the beginnings of the Leia who is comfortable both in adventure and diplomacy, when she’s still in the early stages of learning both and her parents are despairing a bit over her ever mastering the latter. Of course, there’s the ever-present concern over her birth family too, with the oceans of sand dreams probably scaring the daylights out of Bail and Breha if they give it any thought.

Zizi and Leia’s meeting is neat, and the expression “chimes and bavoonkas” is great. Like how you’ve incorporated his intuitive and kind nature from The Song Hour into this, and that he’s the one to sort of save the day -- or at least Leia’s pride. The little detail of him naming the fish made me smile. Okay, so they’re lunch. Doesn’t mean they don’t have names. Makes sense for Zizi.

And this too!

Well, that was unexpected. I like how Bail is able to remember and understand why Leia would have troubles with her music class. Then the dreaded announcement isn’t so dreadful after all! Zizi’s assumption that this is all drunken rambling is fun, and makes one wonder how many of those others were all telling the truth too. Gotta love the GFFA, and I’ve a sneaking suspicion Zizi might be an especially strong magnet for people with a lot of story to them.

 

When Kahara attacks a fic...she attacks it. I'm humbled, absolutotally. You're a star, thank you so much!

That Cummberbund Egg Benedict dude annoys me too...

...oh, wait, it's a weird waist...thing.

We don't have the tradition of kids playing instruments in school orchestras here and goat knows I was never in a choir, so this took some research. Glad it was believable.

People being frustrated over being "products" is a reoccurring theme in my work and I only realised it reading this comment. Blame...[name and last name censored, but it's a pretty name]. I've been brainwashed by that whole concept.

I can see Imperial school orchestras being even more mundane than the dance sequence at the beginning of Bart Simpson's Do the Bartman music video...and that one is pretty disastrous.

That's what it seemed like in the comics and in general. Leia's got some pretty big shoes to fill, but it's more than Bail and Breha themselves could ever imagine. She's a secret kept, has got huge potential either way and I can see that they would have to feel overwhelmed every now and then.

And LOL, smelling salts. XD

From how I perceived him, Zizi has got to be a NF. Probably an ENFP, who are kind people without the pressure-ish nature of ENFJs and the word "intuitive" is a great compliment.

The fish, however, were not named. Those are the canon names of scalefish. I remember a man who would slaughter a pig each november (which is a tradition here, because Balkans)...after he played with it for a year or so. That kind of stuff freaks me out.

The last sentence couldn't be more to the point. The way leiamoody introduced Zizi in The Song Hour, he stroke me as one of those characters who keeps his own story a secret, while listening to other people's stories and learning about their experiences.

As for the truth...well, I'm actually going to tackle that in the diary. This makes this story here pretty much AU, but yeah. Zizi has probably seen so many tipsy and drunk people that he takes everything with a grain of salt. While that usually makes sense, well...there have got to be exceptions to the rule.

 

I'm sorry it took me so long to comment, I'm still working my way down the fic-gift list of stories.

This is lovely!
I loved how Bail seemed so uptight and strict, ended up using the situation to bond with his daughter.

It's hard to be that age for anyone, but I would think especially hard for a young princess and you show that here so well.

Bail was about to say that they do have fun back at home, but he bit his tongue. Breha had warned him not to try to put himself into a princess’ shoes and especially not a young princess’ shoes; for they were both too big and too small for him to fill at the same time.
This was my favorite line, especially the last part. I feel like part of the reason Bail is a little strict is because he feels that acutely. He doesn't really know how to relate to a young princess, until the end where they find something in common.

Fantastic story!

 

Don't be sorry - I had no idea you were going to, as this kind of stuff didn't strike me as your area of interest and all.

Yup. There is a combo of multiple factors here - he has to raise her as a crown princess, she's at the age when she's most likely to act out and, on top of it, there's the secret they're keeping. Therefore, her shoes may look small, but being her is going to eventually become harder and harder with age and this is, maybe, the first moment Bail realises it.

Thank you.

 

A very good story, zipping along at a fine pace.

Young Leia was a very engaging personality, along with Bail. Breha had some very good instructions for him.

Some good imagination shown in what annoys the young Princess, and what she thought of the colony world. I liked the short hyperspace journey, it makes sense that she would be ignorant of the distance covered to get from her homeworld to the destination.

My favourite part was your description of her attacking the datapad keys like her own orbital bombardment.

Well done on this.

 

Thank you. And that part was mean to show her as an angry kid, so later on she could be a happy kid and a curious kid, so I am happy that you liked it.

And yup, this planet is close, if I understood Moody's fanon right.

 

Another gem that I for some unfathomable reason did not respond to.

I can just picture this little food shack on the shore of the lake. Small, unassuming, so easy to dismiss as not meaningful. And yet, it becomes the place where Bail, Breha and Leia bond as a family, and a place that they will always remember with fondness.

Middle schooll Leia is perfect here. The idea that she pounds the keyboard like an orbital bombardment- Everything is SO IMPORTANT and NOBODY UNDERSTANDS ME. Oh stars. How dramatic a preteen can get! She has some assumptions about her parents, as if in her exhaustive ten years she knows ALL there is to know about Breha Antilles and Bail Organa. Because neither person existed before she did, of course.

Breha is wise and knows her daughter well. She has the advantage over Bail in raising a girl, and the line "Breha had warned him not to try to put himself into a princess’ shoes and especially not a young princess’ shoes; for they were both too big and too small for him to fill at the same time" is perfect for Breha. She's such a good mom. She gets it. Being ten is being too old to be a cute little (princess) child and too young to be an elegant (queen) woman. Tipsy!Bail is great, too.

I love the details that you used from @leiamoody's works. The beautiful planet of Aeithera, and of course, Zizi Pao. He is such a wise person, and everything he does comes from the heart. Everything he touches is art. It's wonderful how he seems to be a point of convergence for so many people! And he is apparently oblivious to it. He meets the rulers of his colony's homeworld and he doesn't realize (or believe) it. And that braggart who claimed to make a record time in the Kessel run... he was there too at one point! I like Leiamoody's idea that the Force brings you where you need to go, and all these people were changed in some important way by their connecton to Zizi.

I, too, love this line:
“Art is a matter of giving. You see…if I sing my friend a song, it goes from me to her, at no cost. That’s giving.”
Perfect. That's so appropriate for you too, here. You gave your friend Leiamoody a story. It went from you to her, at no cost. That's giving.

Great story that adds such depths to your worlds, Leiamoody's worlds, and the worlds of canon.

 

WOULDYALOOKATTHAT, A BELATED COMMENT?

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Never too late...says the person who mercilessly ups your stories in order to reply to them.

They're royals, I wanted something super and totes un-royal for this celebration.

You know me, I love, love writing teens and pre-teens. TEH DRAMA, TEH DRAMA!!1!1!

Breha plays "the straight man" here, which was fun to write. Bail is a ditz, which was also fun to write, simply because he's always the responsible one in other stories.

And d'aww, you quoted one of my favourite lines!

I love her worldbuilding and it was a honour to use Zizi here. He's one of my favourite OC on this board, overall. I hope I did him justice.

As for the braggart, could've been whoever had the record before Han broke it.

That's the borrowed line. Sadly, the original author deleted it from his blog, but well...it lives on in this story, I guess?

Once again, thank you for resurrecting it from the depths of the board.