SWORD OF THE JEDI.

rumors swirled about what jaina, jacen, lowie, and tenel ka confronted at the shadow academy. ⠀ ⠀ the gossip was inevitable; ⠀ ⠀ whispers drifted like a shadow — slipping through the cracks and melting into currents of the force. ⠀ ⠀ something had shifted. ⠀ ⠀ everyone could feel it.

linhua was never one for petty gossip, she never did appreciate the need to talk about people behind their back when it was fairly easy to talk to them to their face. ⠀ ⠀ but when jaina was mentioned, when the two of them found themselves in the same room, or when one caught a glimpse of the other across a crowded hall, lihua couldn’t help but feel a tightness in her chest.

she could still remember the dinner on coruscant, vivid as if it had happened just yesterday. ⠀ ⠀ she sat at the table beside her father, senator tai-lin garr, hosted by minister leia organa and her children—young jacen and jaina solo.  ⠀ ⠀lihua followed her father wherever he went, absorbing his wisdom and delighting in his presence. ⠀ ⠀ she was her father’s pride and joy, and for what she lacked in having a mother, tai-lin compensated with a fierce devotion. ⠀ ⠀ always keeping her close and dear. ⠀ ⠀ but then there was leia. ⠀ ⠀ it was an inevitable meeting. ⠀ ⠀ leia was one of tai-lin’s closest friends and colleagues in the new galactic republic. ⠀ ⠀ the connection was inevitable—perhaps it was lihua reaching for something maternal, something she had lost long ago, while leia saw in lihua a budding political mind that mirrored her own. ⠀ ⠀ a mentorship of diplomacy and politics began under the tutelage of leia. ⠀ ⠀ over time, leia had shared her thoughts on her daughter jaina. ⠀ ⠀ how the demands of her role as minister kept her away from her children, especially jaina, whom she spoke of with such longing. ⠀ ⠀ which brought them to that dinner. ⠀ ⠀ a chance to meet and bond. ⠀ ⠀ but what followed was a fierce, unspoken tension that had simmered into an icy standoff. ⠀ ⠀ the twins, already wounded by their mother's absence, had made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with ‘the girl who stole their mother.’ ⠀ ⠀ since that evening, neither lihua nor the solo twins had ever spoken of it. ⠀ ⠀ in fact, they rarely spoke at all.

now, seated in the empty grand audience chamber, lihua let the hum of the jedi temple surround her. ⠀ ⠀the noise of the students outside barely reaching her as she meditated. ⠀ ⠀ her gaze drifted through the massive windows, eyes falling on the breathtaking view of the jungle. ⠀ ⠀ the lush blueleaf carpeted the ground, and towering massassi trees stretched high, their bark gleaming a dusky purplish brown. ⠀ ⠀ lihua's eyes fluttered closed, sinking deeper into the force as master luke’s words echoed in her mind: ⠀ ⠀ " perhaps you could talk to jaina. ⠀ ⠀ see how she’s doing. " ⠀ ⠀ lihua bristled at the thought. ⠀ ⠀ she hated being told what to do, but after all jaina had endured, it wouldn't hurt to check in. ⠀ ⠀ through the force, she felt the faint stirrings of jaina’s presence—a flickering flame, a strength that could burn through anything. ⠀ ⠀ lihua’s eyes unfurled. ⠀ ⠀ the massive doors to the chamber creaked open with a low groan, a gentle smile tugged at her porcelain features.

how could she ever forget?

they were sent to coruscant after the event to see their parents. more for leia and han's sake rather than the children's. even then, it wasn't something that changed much of their previous lifestyle. they would have brief moments with one another at the table before their mother was hurried off to chief of state duties. although, her father always made the effort to make sure they were taken care of. that is what made him so special in jaina's eyes. he cared in the deepest sense and never needed the force to know when something was wrong even if jaina refused to open up. although he wouldn't pry, she knew there was an open communication if she was ever ready to approach him.

leia was just a difficult relationship. they were mirrors of each other but to jaina, her mother was always more interested in spending time with everyone else except her. that was the worst of it all. she never could have her to herself and always had to share with the galaxy.

why couldn't jaina ever be selfish?

his sister, however, was a different story. she'd usually be.