Star Wars. Suns Among Stars Trilogy, Book One: A Man Among Boys

Chapter Eleven

Luke leaned against the wall of the domed house where he sat. In his arms his little girl was wide awake and completely content just to be with him. She had woken up after only a few hours of sleep, and since Luke hadn't been able to rest anyway after Beru had returned to bed, he'd had no qualms about spending a quiet moment with his daughter.

However, needing a bit of fresh air, Luke had wrapped the baby in an extra blanket and then taken her up top with him to watch the slow arrival of dawn. Despite his lack of rest the previous night, Luke did not mind the girl being awake.

Luke had too much on his mind anyway.

He was trying to figure out any way he could get Owen to soften up, but so far he'd come up blank. Eventually he'd given up entirely, resigning himself to the fact that Owen was never going to forgive his nephew.

Luke glanced down at the infant settled in the crook of his arm when she shifted against him. He gave her a warm smile, and then returned to staring absently at the lightening sky. When Tatoo I began to peek over the horizon, its light lit up the family's tiny graveyard.

Feeling the strange urge to introduce his daughter to her descendants— and feeling a little awkward about it— Luke nevertheless stood carefully and wandered slowly over to the sacred patch of earth.

When he arrived at the site he paused, gazing at the markers; though one in particular drew his attention, and he moved to stand in front of it.

Shmi Skywalker,

Loving wife and mother.

Luke sighed, wishing he could have met his grandmother... and thus had possibly been able to hear stories of his father. Luke had come to his grandmother's grave often in his younger years to talk with her about his most private desires: to meet his father, even just once.

Luke recalled the day he had asked Owen about the man who'd sired Luke. When Owen had told him the spice-navigator story, there had been something in Luke that inherently knew that the story was not true.

But, having nothing to counter his uncle with, Luke was unable to call him on it. And so he'd taken to spending his time with his grandmother, as strange as some might have found that.

Luke smiled at the grave-marker, feeling the need to bear his soul once more.

"Hello Grandmother," he murmured. "It's Luke again. It's been a while..." Looking to the baby in his arms, Luke saw that she was watching him with interest now. He clucked at her in response and lifted his gaze again. "I wonder what you would say if you knew I was now a father. Would you disown me like Uncle Owen has, or would you be more like Aunt Beru and accept what is?"

Luke sighed, feeling his heavy heart sag further into his toes. To his surprise, the infant in his elbow cooed slightly, and when Luke returned his startled gaze to her, it was to find her smiling sweetly at him.

Amazed, Luke found he could not remove his gaze from her sweet face, even as the first of Tatooine's suns made it glow. It was when his gaze flicked toward the suns, and in the process settled upon the name of his grandmother that something clicked into place for Luke.

He looked to the infant he held, then back to the rising sun and the grave-marker. His heart began to lighten, and a slow and steady smile spread infectiously across his face.

Luke held his daughter up against the rising sun, seeing her backlit against it as it rose over his grandmother's resting place. Then, feeling it within his very bones, Luke blinked misting eyes and spoke to his daughter.