chapter forty-four

       IN A GENEROUS DISPLAY of mercy from the universe, the beautiful forest of Endor remained practically untouched in the aftermath of battle. With the exception of the weaker parts of the forest whose age couldn't outlive war, the trees stood strong and were not defeated from the violent battle. There was no difference in beauty from the night before. It was like the rebels, in a way.

       Shortly after the battle had finished, after wounds were patched up and hearts stopped racing, there was a small ceremony to honor the lives lost on the moon. A celebration of life, really. It was the least they could do. The rebels and Ewoks teamed up one last time to clean up the forest and locate the bodies of their friends in order to hold the ceremony with everyone gathered together, even in the afterlife.

       Amora had to admit that her heart ached at the sight. She used to not care. When in war, things happened. People died. She didn't have the time to be sad. It was an invitation to be killed while you're vulnerable. But now, she actually did have the time to help the community and clean up the mess they made. Watching over the ceremony made her regret her past actions. She wished she had gone out of her way to grieve and pay respect to those who had given their lives, even if she didn't know them. It wasn't a waste of time. But Amora couldn't change the past. What's done is done, and all she could do was move forward with her head held high and her heart a bit more tender.

       The grievances rooted themselves on the moon and would never truly disappear, but after the ceremony, spirits were lifted. The deaths didn't feel like useless kills, but rather sacrifices for the better future to come. And with that, a celebration of the downfall of the Empire felt like the next best thing. It was another way to honor those sacrifices. They wouldn't be in vain.

       That's where Amora found herself now, at the top of the tallest tree, surrounded by joyful partygoers who gleefully celebrated the end of the war. The rebels were invited to attend to party and stay the night before they left Endor, including the squadron fighters who landed on the moon about an hour ago. Even they were having the time of their lives with their newfound sense of freedom. It was a breath of fresh air for them to be able to relax for the night without fear of a sneak attack.

       Fireworks popped overhead in the deep blue sky as Amora chatted with a couple X-wing pilots. From her brief conversation with them, she had learned that the entire galaxy was already celebrating the defeat of the Empire. She also learned that Zolynn had made it safely to her home planet of Coruscant after she couldn't reunite with the squadron. She was glad she was safe.

       "...and they almost got me! I'd be stardust if I took any longer destroying those regulators!" Wedge exclaimed as he retold the battle that took place above Endor.

       "They would've gotten all of us. I'm just glad it's over," Shara replied with a shake of her head, pausing before continuing. "You know, now that it's over, I'm thinking of retiring for now. Leaving the squadron for good, settling down somewhere with Kes. Finally taking a break."

       Amora chuckled. "Never pictured you to be the type to 'settle down' and 'take a break.' But you're right. With the Empire gone, it does sound nice."

       "Have you and Luke ever talked about your plans after the war?"

       "Bits and pieces. I guess I just assumed we'd be in this fight forever, but-" Amora suddenly paused, thinking about what Shara had asked. "Wait, me and Luke? What do you mean?"

       Amora didn't understand how Shara could know about the two of them being together. It was the same feeling as when she spoke to Leia the night before. Everything had happened so suddenly back on Dagobah, and she was immediately captured afterwards. Then after all of that, they flew straight to Endor, which left no time for rumors to spread (although she honestly didn't put it past Threepio to spread gossip).

       But now was Shara's turn to be confused. "Aren't you two together? Or not yet?"

       "Well, yes..." she trailed off. "But how did you know?"

       "Amora, everyone knows," Wedge interrupted. "You two were always together back at base, always staring at each other. Did you think it was a secret?"

       She scoffed in exasperation. "I didn't think everyone was paying attention to my love life!"

       "Back at base, the only other thing to do was watch snow melt. Don't act so surprised," Wedge retorted, but kept talking when he noticed something past Amora's shoulder.
"Looks like he's back already, huh? What was he doing out there, anyway?"

       She followed his line of vision to see the man himself greeting Leia and Han near the entrance bridge like he had just walked in. He appeared jovial yet calm, hugging them with a rediscovered gratefulness. Butterflies immediately filled Amora's stomach. For a moment, she had no discernible reaction. She stared at him like he wasn't really there, like he was a hologram. Even though Leia had told her he was safe, it was another feeling entirely to see him safe in front of her.

       Forgetting to answer his question or even excuse herself from the conversation with Wedge and Shara, Amora hurried through the party, beaming with delight. He hadn't seen her yet, but he was already looking around for her (though he didn't need to look for long).

       "Luke!"

       His eyes barely had time to meet hers before she crashed into him with a big hug and a laugh. It took a moment for him to respond out of surprise, but he naturally spun her around from the impact and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

       "I'm so glad you're alright," he whispered, stroking her hair gently.

       "Me? You were the one fighting-" she cut herself off, not wanting to mention Vader, if that was even the name Luke knew him by.

       "It's fine," he assured. "It's all fine. I brought him back."

       Amora squeezed him tight again and sighed. "That must've been difficult."

       But when she pulled back, Amora noticed him staring past her at something. However, when she turned around to look, there was nothing there. It was just a dark corner of the platform.

       "What are you thinking about?" she wondered.

       Luke finally looked back at her with a sad smile. "I wish you could've met him."

       "Your father?" Amora questioned. "I think I've met him once or twice."

       "The real him," Luke clarified. "He was a good man underneath."

       "I wish you could've met my parents, too," she agreed. "I think they would've liked you. They were pilots, too, you know."

       Luke paused for a moment, forming an idea. "Remind me again, when was the last time you've been to Naboo?"

       "Oh, it's been years. I've never been stationed there, so I never had a reason to go back."

       "Why don't we go visit? Just the two of us," he spoke softly. "We could even go tomorrow. Tonight. Whenever you want."

       Amora couldn't have been happier.

       "Slow down, maybe not tonight," she chuckled at his eagerness. "But definitely soon. I would love that."

       The two were interrupted by Leia who suddenly grabbed both of them by the arms. Amora laughed as Leia pulled them into the crowd next to the fire to join everyone else. The flames were warm and mirrored her cozy feeling and glowing heart. Amora looked around at her friends under the soft glow of the moon and smiled.

       She saw the droids in all their shiny glory, slightly rusted from their battles over the years. They stood next to each other chattering (though most likely arguing), reflecting not only their hardships, but their years of undying friendship as well. Though Amora knew they could be annoying sometimes, she adored their banter and the company they brought.

       She saw Chewie with his arm tossed over Han, grinning gleefully as he half-hugged the man. Chewie always loved hugs and showing he cared for his friends, and now was no different. It was Amora's favorite thing about him, the way he shamelessly loved and protected his family.

       She saw Han and Leia exchanging delicate smiles as they, too, reminisced about how far they'd come, both as individuals and together.
From nearly jumping off a ship just to avoid each other, yet now off romanticizing in their own little world, the two had overcome so much. And Amora just loved the sparkle in their eyes that only appeared when they were together as one.

       And she saw Luke, the sun to her moon who could always brighten her dark nights. He was always her energy source and admirer with his infectious positivity that was hard to shake. And while he kept her staying afloat during difficult times, she was able to keep him grounded as a home away home, if there even was one. They needed each other as much as the sun and the moon did, and they were lucky enough to make it through the night.

       "Thank you for coming back," she whispered so that only he could hear.

       "I'm not going anywhere."

       "Good."

       "You'd skin me if I did."

       Amora could only laugh. So this is what pure happiness felt like. No lingering anxiety, no insecurities, no strings attached. Only the people she loved. And as she looked around at all these people who were precious to her heart, Amora simply smiled. She hoped she'd stay this happy for a long time.

~  ☼  ~