RISE AGAIN ─ star wars

VI. The Duke Of Ithor

Chapter Six
Leera

Ithor is a beautiful city suspended in the clouds, and all of us can't help but stare in awe as we park our ship in front of the Ithorian palace. The buildings are made of a dark stone, deep brown wooden bridges connect different sections of the city, and down below on the surface, trees of every color populate the ground and the mountain ranges reach so high they nearly reach the city above. I've never seen any place like this before.

I look towards Raymen, who was the first to exit the ship and is now standing at the bottom of the ramp; the hard lines of his face have softened, his lips curved in slightly upwards, and when he catches my eye, I see the childlike wonder in his eyes. I can't help but smile at him, and he smiles back a little shyer. I try to pretend I didn't notice.

King Daulton and his captain exit the ship next, both of them laughing about something the latter had said. It's rather strange how the two interact with each other, there's no sense of professionalism between them, they seem more like friends than anything else. I wonder if Aylin and Iris Amidala acted like that when they were captain and queen, and over time friendship turned into more, or was it romance from the beginning?

I should have guessed that Aylin was in a relationship with Iris. It was obvious that she had feelings for her, but it didn't click until I saw them run into each other's arms and kissed like they were the only two people on Taris, that they were a couple. It was shocking to see, for several reasons. The first being that Iris Amidala is one of, if not the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life, the kind of beautiful you think only angelic beings possess. The second reason was the tenderness and love shown between her and Aylin, the devotion in their gazes, how they were pulled together like magnets. Aylin and I were never like that when we were together. We never kissed like that, or looked at each other like that. We loved each other, but what she has with Iris goes beyond that, which leads me to the third reason I was so shocked to see them together: I was shocked of the jealousy I felt at seeing them. Not because I wish Aylin was still with me, it's not like that at all. I'm jealous of what she and Iris have, the love they share.

And I guess I'm a little annoyed too that the person Aylin fell in love with after me was a sexy, elegant, intelligent queen. She moved onto the perfect woman and has a near fairytale romance. And here I am still alone.

King Daulton leads the way into the Ithorian palace, Captain Solo at his side, Raymen and I trailing behind. The guards all bow their heads to the king as he passes, and he nods to each and every one of them, even saying hello to a servant that walks by us, asking how they're doing and wishing them a good day. I haven't spent a lot of time in the company of royalty, but I'm sure this isn't usual behavior. My confusion must be showing on my face, because Captain Solo says to me over his shoulder:

"Jay only found out he was royalty a couple years ago. He grew up on Tatooine in a house smaller than the castle foyer, thinking he was just the son of a exiled Jedi."

That would explain it. I turn my eyes to the king. "How did you find out who you were?"

"I saw visions of my past in a Jedi temple. It was...overwhelming to say the least."

I don't know what compels me to ask this question, but I hear myself asking it anyways: "Do you ever wish you never found out? That you never became king, that you stayed...normal?"

King Daulton turns his head to look at me and smiles, shaking his head slightly. "No. There are good and bad days, and down right scary days...but it was my destiny to be king."

"It was your destiny to rule the lives of billions of lives and inflict your will upon them?" I ask, not hiding the distain in my voice.

Captain Solo let's out a low chuckle. "Someone's not a monarchist."