Private Heavy Lies the Crown

[Alicio Organa]

"Who's gonna tell us no?"

"Who indeed?" Alicio smirked secretively. Sure, he hadn't actually planned to sneak out- it would be an issue of national security were the palace guards unaware of where they entire royal family had disappeared to. He'd been more worried for if there were still people outside, and whether they would ruin the family outing.

He supposed there was only one way to find out.

August looked over at Amani as she made the announcement. "Where we going, Mommy?"

Alicio's rambunctious smile only strengthened, as his words took on a sing-songy lilt. "You'll have to wait and see~."

"I don't like waiting." Auggie scrunched his eyebrows, but he seemed intrigued nonetheless.

"It will be a lot of fun, I swear."

It was just how he remembered it.

The sky was darkening by the time the family made it to Sanctuary City. Tall, elegant architecture gave way to the city outskirts. A familiar wide, domed building glimmered with the fading sun, bringing a warm, nostalgic feeling to Alicio's chest. The faded, mournful cries of unknown things within would be a mystery to the children... but to him, it was music.

Stepping out of the speeder, Alicio pressed against Amani, letting his fingers entwine around hers. All the while, he watched the children, gauging their reaction to the strange building, and the even stranger sounds coming from within.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

It remained to be seen if they could actually make an excursion outside without being hounded by the populace. They were already recognized names and faces. Now that they were newly crowned royals, attention was at a fever pitch.

The proposition earned a question from August, and a curious stare from Liana. Amani raised her finger to her lips in secrecy. "Okay," Liana said plainly, finishing her plate.

---

Stepping out of the speeder, Amani was overcome by recognition. It really had been some time, yet she remembered all the details exactly as they were. The kids were obviously more baffled. Liana tilted her head owlishly, "What all that noise?"

"It's a thranta. Or thrantas."

There was a pause, then, realization, "Like the stuffed aminal?"

They deleted Liana's dialogue color Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Mmmhmm," Alicio hummed, letting go of Amani's hand to lead the family inside. "Like the stuffed aminal."

"Cool!" August bounced beside his father. The stuffed thranta was the twins' first toy. Seeing a real one for the first time might be a bit of a religious experience for them.

Alicio opened the door, and ushered them inside. The inside had barely changed since the couple's life-changing flight. There was still an enormous pool in the center, mounting platforms rising tall in the air... and thrantas. Ranging in colors from light blue to deep black, the flying cetaceans twisted lazy circles in the air, unleashing their low, melancholic squeals. There was one key difference that Amani would notice- they weren't alone this time. Other people were here, flying on thrantaback, or releasing food into the air, or cleaning the pool.

Alicio looked up to admire the sight, but quickly turned his eyes to Liana and August.

Auggie was practically vibrating with excitement. The boy started tugging at Amani's hand, pointing up to the sky. "Fly! Flyflyfly!"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

The confirmation that they were indeed genuine thrantas got both of kids rather excited. Liana, who was often better at keeping her composure than August, fell into a similar bouncy rhythm as her brother.

They walked inside, and were greeting by the same space Amani and Alicio had seen years ago. The flying creatures soared over a large pool and onto perches, making sonorous calls. Unlike last time, a few other visitors and workers were about. Not quite as intimate as then, but certainly more lively. Hopefully no one here would make a fuss about their presence.

Amani was pulled from her thoughts by the ever eager August, tugging her along by the hand, "Yes. Fly." She chuckled, "Slow down, honey. We'll get to the thrantas soon enough." She looked around for an employee to help them, "Let's say we get two? One adult and one kiddo per?" She checked Alicio for confirmation.

Liana looked up at the creatures mesmerized, and said to her father, "They're bigger than I thought…"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio looked on as Amani tried to manage August's excitement, smirking a little. The boy was just barely pacified by his mom's words, but it was obvious it wouldn't last for long. If they didn't get in the air soon, the poor boy might spontaneously combust. At Amani's suggestion, Alicio nodded agreeably. "Sounds like a solid idea to me." If they each only had one child to worry about, that severely lowered the chances of an heir to Alderaan taking a long fall.

"They're bigger than I thought…"

"Yeah. A lot bigger than the plushie." Alicio picked the young girl up, to let her focus on ogling the creatures, instead of walking. "There are some kinds that are even bigger." He raised his voice a little, so that the whole family unit could hear him.

"Our people have been taking care of thrantas for a long time. We give them a place to stay, and food, and they let us ride them. So... maybe, if we're calm and nice to them, they'll fly with us. Do you two think you can be calm, and nice?" Of course, Alicio took the opportunity to impart a lesson.

"Yeah. Suuuuuper nice!" August tried, and failed, to reign himself in. Instead, his face was very relaxed and friendly as he tugged on Amani's hand, trying to get to the nearest thranta as quickly as possible.

It wasn't that hard to find someone to help them. The young worker seemed just a little starstruck at seeing the new royal family of Alderaan walk up and start asking questions, but they wasted no time in ushering them up a platform, and to a pair of lowing creatures, one a light blue, the other speckled black and white. As the man set out to tackle and harness the thrantas, Alicio went to the spotted one with Lia, letting his daughter regard it's deep, black eye.

"Hello, thranta. It's nice to meet you." the king of Alderaan said, some amount of humor in his voice. He looked down to Liana, curious of her reaction.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"Wow," Liana said, imagining a thranta as big as a planet. Amani saw Alicio pick her up, and opted to do the same with August, if just to avoid playing tug of war with him. "Yup!" Liana chirped, confident in her ability to be 'calm and nice'.

One of the keepers was quick to offer them help, and was quite composed in spite of their shock. August and Amani went for the light blue thranta, "Hey there," Amani said, raising a palm within the thranta's line of sight, and gently stroking its hide, "You're a beautiful creature." She looked to August, "Wanna pet?"

Liana looked studiously at the thranta now that it was up close, a bit more hesitant about reaching out to touch. Nonetheless, she said, "Hello. My name is Liana. Can you give us a ride?" She cocked her head, as if waiting for a response from the beast.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

August wiggled and struggled in his mother's arms as the family made their way up to the platform, but the closer they got to the thrantas, the more still he became, until he was downright timid in the face of the large cetacean, wrapping his arms around Mom a little tighter.

August had always been... overly cautious of animals, but his love of all things flying won out in the end. As Amani questioned if he wanted to pet the creature, the boy nodded bravely. "Yeah," he said, sticking a hand out to touch the creature's side. A weak smile pulled at the boy's face. "Smooth," he said appreciatively, patting it's side with surprising gentleness.

Meanwhile, Alicio felt his heart grow a little bit, watching his daughter join in on a conversation with the thranta. It was very cute. As she waited for an answer, Alicio took the opportunity to place his own hand on it's side, and close his eyes. He'd never been good at communicating with animals, he had always been better at navigating a sentient mind. But he repeated their question through the Force regardless, projecting warm enthusiasm to the thranta. It lowed contentedly, dropping it's body to rest on the platform. One of it's wings dipped, creating a perfect bridge to it's back.

"What do you think, lovely?" Alicio felt a flutter of excitement in his own chest. "Is that a yes?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani laughed lightly, "Yes. Smooth," As they stroked the creature, it seemed to become more relaxed, and the pair embarked onto it's back with no issue. "You ready to fly?" She asked August, then looked over to the other pair to see if they were boarded yet.

Liana studied the thranta's apparent response intently, then came to a conclusion, "Hmmm... I think so!" She gave it a few appreciative pats as they climbed on, "Thank you!"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Mother and son clambered onto the thranta. August's suddenly remembered his excitement, as he sat down, and started bouncing in the saddle.

"You ready to fly?"

No four words had ever made August more happy. He giggled violently. "Yeah. Flyyyyy~."

Liana came to the conclusion that they were, in fact, welcome aboard. Holding her hand, he stepped up onto the creature's back, letting his daughter sit in front of him, his arms securely around her, to grip the reigns and keep her safe.

"Well, in that case..." Alicio reached out with his feelings again, prompting the thranta to flap it's wings. "Let's go."

With a low rumble, the speckled thranta took to the sky, leaving the ground beneath them.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"Alright," Amani wrapped her arms around August, and gripped the reins, "Hold on tight!" The thranta flapped its thick, fin-like wings, and heavy wind carried it off into the sky. Amani inhaled, feeling the air rush through her as thy elevated. For now, she simply focused on flying up and keeping a steady trajectory, "Higher?" She asked August.

Liana seemed a bit more nervous as their thranta took off. She held on tight to her dad, grimacing as if loosening the expression would cause her to fall off. As the initial surprise of takeoff began to ebb, Lia seemed to loosen somewhat, though she certainly didn't loosen her grip just in case, "We're really high…" It was hard to tell if that was concern, or simply an observation.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

The second they became airborne, any hope of communicating with August was lost. Holding fast to the saddle in front of him, the young Prince started laughing uncontrollably, his neck craning around to see everything around them. Legs kicking with uncontained elation, August's hands shot up, and he released a squealing "Wheeeheheheee!," into the air.

The boy just barely heard his mother ask if he wanted to go up. Was that even a question? "Yeah! Higher! Higher!"

Meanwhile, Alicio's thranta ride was considerably calmer. Liana was more cautious than her flight-obsessed brother. Alicio made sure she was secure, chuckling a little under his breath. If he had ever been thranta-riding when he was young, he imagined he would've had Lia's reaction, as opposed to Aug's.

"We're really high…"

"Yeah, we are," he said. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall."

The cetacean underneath them lowed, dark and low, the sound of it rattling Alicio's bones. He patted it's side, trying to get his daughter's mind off the heights. "I think the thranta's having fun."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"As you wish," Amani said, using the reins to coax the thranta in flying higher. It thrummed deeply and with a powerful flap of its wings, ascended greatly on the wind. Amani wasn't exactly afraid of flying, but she was perhaps a bit more cognizant of its risks than her son. Such was the nature of parenthood. She kept close watch over him and over their elevation, but the boy was unperturbed.

Liana nodded, still keeping her grip tight just in case. As their mount rumbled deeply, she too felt it reverberate through her. She couldn't quite decide on how to react to that sensation, but she did find some comfort in putting renewed attention on the thranta. "Yeah," She patted it's hide, "You won't let us fall! Right?"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

They flew for a good, long while.

August seemed to love every moment he spent in the air, eyes open wide, squealing with happiness, and oftentimes forgetting to hold onto his mother as his hands flung into the air. Nearly every fantasy Aug had, every game he played, involved imagining himself flying- and now, he was actually doing it.

For the first and certainly not last time, Alicio wondered if they would be able to get August out of the sky.

The father-daughter pairing was much more relaxed, staying low to the ground, and taking things slow. Liana's question to the thranta wasn't immediately returned, but Alicio nodded knowingly as the beast sang a few moments later. "The thranta will make sure you don't fall either," he confirmed, bringing their mount a little higher.

After some time, Alicio finally brought the thranta back to the dock, letting it land gently, and lifting Lia to help her disembark. "What did you think, lovely? Did you have fun?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

August probably could have kept flying forever. His mom kept close watch on him, but the flight was smooth, and Aug himself never attempted anything stuntworthy. He simply basked in the experience with about as much joy as a child you express.

Liana warmed up to the experience with trust in both her father and their thranta, but remained more subdued in her expression of enjoyment. And she was just fine for the ride to inevitably come to its end sooner or later.

When it did, she hopped off the mount's back with help from Alicio. "Yup!" Liana turned around, and offered a few appreciative pats to their helper, "Thank you thranta." Amani stepped off and offered the same help to August.

"And how about you, August? How did you feel about all that?" She smirked.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I'm glad you liked it. Daddy did too." Alicio kneeled next to Lia, mirroring her patting of their noble steed's side. "Thank you very much."

With children this polite, Alicio knew he and Amani were doing something right.

August was bouncing in his seat as Amani helped him out of the saddle, still getting of the high of being high in the air. "Again! Again!"

Alicio looked over, obviously amused. His eyes flicked to his wife, for a moment. "Mmm... I think it's time to head back to the palace. Little princes and princesses still have bedtimes, you know."

"Oh. Okay." The toddler seemed devastated, before coming to a realization. He looked up to Amani, his ocean-blue eyes pleading. "Tomorrow? Please?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"I'll take that as a time well spent," Amani chuckled, setting August down. But as Alicio said, it was getting a bit late, and they couldn't very well ride the thrantas forever. The thought of bedtime made Liana whine, even as she yawned right in the middle of doing so.

"Tomorrow? Please?"

"Mmm…" Amani was faced with a difficult question, "…We'll see. Tomorrow might be busy. But maybe if you can be good and patient during the day, we'll have some time for thrantas. Deal?"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Deal!" August practically jumped for joy. "Yay!"

Meanwhile, Alicio was certainly in Lia's camp. Thranta rides were peaceful to him- and he was getting tired, too. "Aw, c'mere, sleepy girl." He lifted up his daughter, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Let's go back." Alicio reconsidered his words, as they exited the barn. "Let's go home."

It didn't feel like it, yet. But the Organas would make it a home.

- Amani Serys -