PHOENIX ━ dameron

053 | savior complex

Cora had looked up at him, trying very hard not to smile. Her long, dark hair was barely clipped back from her face, and her cheeks were rosy from spending so much time in the sun. "As much as I wish I could leave, I can't just ditch the planet of Naboo for a week. And if you take Lyra, I'm not sure I would ever get her back," she teased, the thinly-veiled argument shining through her soft words.

"I'm not going to turn her into a Jedi in a week," Luke smiled. He moved to stand closer to the window and looked outside. A fresh breeze blew in, and as he leaned over the balcony, he could smell the overwhelming scent of summer flowers.

Suddenly, the gilded handle of the door to the study wiggled. Cora looked to Luke, and they both knew who was on the other side of the heavy door.

Cora crossed the room in three steps, the silk fabric of her dress flowing behind her. She threw open the door without hesitation, revealing the very surprised face of their daughter on the other side.

With a small gasp, she stumbled backwards. Quickly scrambling to her feet, she said, "Hi. Um, how are you?"

Lyra was only six years old but she had a confidence that could shatter even the harshest of rules. A troublemaker and strong with the Force, her will was nearly unbreakable.

Cora played into Lyra's pitiful cover-up. "I'm doing very well. Thank you for asking, LJ," she said, hoisting their daughter up and into her arms.

"I heard you talking about me," Lyra tried to explain herself, shifting to get out of Cora's arms. She ran over to the balcony, stepping past Luke and looking out at the world below. The gentle breeze tugged at the loose strands of two once-neat braids. "I want to go to Yavin Four. Why can't I go to Yavin Four?"

While Lyra was focused on looking at the gardens, Cora shot Luke an exasperated look of reproach. They had argued about this too many times, and Luke wasn't willing to get into another fight over something so trivial.

Cora Grené was still convinced that her family line was cursed. She came from a family highlighted by tragedy. As the story went, she had inherited the dire darkness of their warnings. The power of a flame, the curse of certain death.

Setting Lyra on the path to becoming a Jedi was the last thing she wanted.

Already, they agreed she would be Lyra Jai Grené, a daughter born to a senator and blessed to live a life under the skies of Theed. That fate was dangerous enough. Cora's Aunt Phoebe always told them that there was only misfortune at the end of tying Skywalker and Grené blood together. Even after six years, the aging woman still refused to meet her great niece.

"The child is already the dead walking," she had warned, as was her way.

But Luke was ardent in his belief that fate was not just a decision pre-made, it was a choice forged. Training Lyra would protect her and allow her to learn. Luke wasn't trying to re-start the Jedi of old. With the guidance of the mistakes of the past, he had built something better, a way to start over.

A new beginning.

"You'll go to Yavin Four soon, love," Cora reassured her.

"What's it like there?" She asked, whipping around from the balcony and glancing between her parents. "I heard that there were crystal snakes big enough to eat my leg off."

Luke couldn't hide his snort of laughter. "Who told you that?"

"Poe did when they were here last time," she said, crossing her small arms. She mulled it over for a second. "Maybe I don't want to go if the snakes are gonna eat me."

Luke placed a hand on her head, mussing up her hair further. She laughed a little and scooted out of the way. "There are no snakes big enough to eat you, LJ. I think you would like Yavin Four, the stars are even brighter there."