Hello everyone.

So that's it. This is the end. I feel kinda emotional now. I started writing this fic about one year after ROTS came out. So this has been 9 freaking years. A lot of things changed in my life since then. But my love for the characters George Lucas created and for the prequels remained.

I want to thank every single one of you for reading and commenting, old readers who sent me PMs from time to time to ask if I had any intention of finishing this ;) and new readers who discovered this fic recently (special nod to AViewerLikeMe to whom I couldn't respond privately).

Last but certainly not least I want to thank my awesome beta Le1a-Naberr1e who's been encouraging me for years (link to her work : u/318385/Le1a-Naberr1e). She's the reason why I posted this fic in the first place. She agreed to beta the last chapters years afterwards. Thank you so much my dear, I couldn't have done this without you.

So here's the epilogue. It's been in my head for a very long time. You might be surprised to see from whose POV it is but it only makes sense if you think back on the last chapters.

Hope you enjoy it.

Epilogue

Her fingers traced the inscription etched into the marble in silence. The sun warmed her cloaked hair and exposed hands, basking her in warmth. Above her, the birds were singing.

She could only feel a strange mixture of loss and peace.

The crowd had long since dispersed. Her family had left her there, returning to their own occupations. Moving on.

She was alone.

Her fingers went back to the inscription.

Padmé Naberrie Skywalker. Queen Amidala of Naboo. Senator Amidala of the Old Republic. Empress. Founding Director of the Movement for Refugees.

Beloved mother.

Leia released a few tears at the last inscription. Luke had insisted on it. She had been too angry to participate in the funeral preparations with Aunt Sola.

Angry with her mother for leaving them. With her father for turning to the dark side in the first place. Angry with her classmates for still having both of their parents and not even realizing how lucky they were.

With the entire world.

Above the inscription, a holo turned, showing her mother as Queen then Senator. There was no holo as an Empress, as per her mother's wishes. The public opinion had changed on her days as an Empress though. Her father's reign was still frowned at -rightly so- but most of her mother's Acts were studied in law school. Some people were even nostalgic, calling for a return of a wise tyrant, as they called it. Her mother had always fought against the people asking her to come back to politics.

Absolute power burns your hands, her mother had once told her late at night, after dinner. Never again.

Instead, Padmé Amidala had turned to the Refugees Movements. Several planets had suffered from supernovas exploding in the Outer Rim and people had fled their homeplanets, begging to be relocated. The shaky New Republic had been afraid of the affluence of these people. Naboo had literally been invaded by large groups of refugees. Her mother had poured time and energy and money into founding a Movement for the Refugees.

That had been her mother's redemption in a way.

Leia had helped between classes, accompanying her mother to muddy planets and starving people. Her mother had shown grace and compassion in all her moves. Her eloquence and influence -still, after all these years- had won over the most cynical Senators. Then Chancellor Mothma decided to help by passing a legislation to support it.

Even if her mother claimed she couldn't be a role model – not anymore - to Leia, she was. Her inspiration, the kind of person she was striving to become.

Even more so after all she had done.

Because Leia knew. She knew what her parents had done. Heard the whispers at school saying her father was evil, that he had killed people.

She knew that reality. Couldn't condone what her father had done.

But part of her didn't care.

Because she remembered her father as wearing a gentle smile and comforting her when she cried, his kiss on the crown of her hair when she was sick. The trips he had taken her to, holding her hand, talking to her as an equal in a way.

The way his love for her had shone through the Force like unending warmth.

She remembered all that.

Like she remembered the last time she had really seen him in the Varykino house.

She didn't remember everything he had told her, no matter how tightly she had tried to cling to the memories. But she remembered disjointed sentences.

No matter what happens, remember Luke will always be there for you, he's your brother, you'll always be able to count on each other. If I'm no longer there, if your mother's no longer there, you'll need to look after him.

Be good to your mother. She loves you more than you think.

You have your father's heart and your mother's strength.

Leia had clung to these words and kept them close to her heart. Not even Luke knew. This was her special memory with her father.

There was no grave to go to when she missed him. She hadn't seen him in a long time. He hadn't shown up in ghostly form ever since her mother came back from prison. Then her mother had become very sick, unable to go to Coruscant for her work with the Refugee Movement. And Leia had missed him even more then. Even when she had raged at him for her mother being sick.

Padmé had tried to hold onto life for as long as she could but the past few months had been too hard. Even so, she had kept a serene smile on her face, ordered Leia to get out of the house a little, listened to her daughter's babbling about her future, if she should choose politics or teaching or... the Jedi.

Before her mother passed away, Master Kenobi had come to visit her. Leia hadn't been privy to what had been told. After he left, her mother had cried but there had been a relaxed smile on her face.

Don't be afraid, Padmé had whispered, smiling in reassurance, holding a hand out to her in the distance. Then her mother had spoken of the Jedi, how she and Luke were gifted enough to consider Jedi training but it had to be their own choice.

Luke hadn't hesitated long. He had called for Obi-Wan Kenobi two standard days after their mother passing.

Leia knew it was her brother's way of coping with his grief but she envied his ability to move on so easily. Her mother's passing – even if it had been a long time coming – was another loss to add to her father's so many years ago.

"Not so easily," a soft voice spoke from behind her.

Leia started, standing up and wondering why she hadn't felt her brother beforehand before turning to him.

"Your thoughts are filled with pain and negativity," Luke frowned.

"I don't see how else they could be," Leia snapped, looking away. "Mother died two days ago."

There was a long silence. Leia focused on her twin again, biting her lip, trying to see if she should apologize for her biting tone.

"There was no way to save her," Luke whispered, suddenly looking older than his 16 years.

"I know," Leia murmured. "When are you leaving?" she asked.

"Today," Luke replied. "Master Kenobi offered to take me to Coruscant with him."

"So you came to say goodbye?" Leia snapped.

"No, I came to ask you," he replied softly. "If you ask me to stay on Naboo with you, I will."

No matter what happens, remember Luke will always be there for you, he's your brother, you'll always be able to count on each other.

"I won't keep you away from your future," Leia sniffled, giving up on trying to look strong.

If I'm no longer there, if your mother's no longer there, you'll need to look after him.

The young woman took a deep breath, watched Aunt Sola in the background, waiting for their response. "I'm coming with you to Coruscant. Not to become a Jedi, but to study. There must be universities on Coruscant too, I suppose."

Luke smiled softly. "I guess so," he shrugged.

Through the Force, she felt his gratitude. She smiled back.

Luke's sad gaze turned to the marble stone behind his sister. "I miss her too," he said quietly. "Them. We'll miss them for the rest of our lives. What we have to do is have a great life. To do good. To repay their sins."

Leia let out a shaky laugh. "Mom would say you sound like an old Jedi again."

Luke didn't say anything, just stepped close and held her in his arms silently. Leia shed a few tears against the Jedi tunic he wore proudly these days.

Then Luke said something about transmitting her response to Aunt Sola and left her inside the royal gardens, surrounded with nature, standing before her mother's tomb.

Leia traced the inscription again, looked up into the sun, closing her eyes in the process. She felt the warmth of it against her face.

Very softly, she could swear she felt a caress on her hair that felt like her mother's.

She's at peace, her father's voice suddenly whispered in her ear.

Leia started then let out a few tears, glinting in the sunlight. "I miss you," she whispered into the invisible.

I'll always be with you.

"Leia!"

She turned around to see Luke gesturing to her, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Aunt Sola standing beside him.

Leia hesitated, her eyes drawn to her mother's grave. Just another second.

A whisper of her father's voice came, carried over the wind. Go on. Don't look back.

Leia turned away from the stone and walked towards her brother.

You have your father's heart and your mother's strength.

She didn't look back.

Behind her, the birds were chirping. The wind blew melodiously.

THE END