Private This Will End

[Alicio Organa]

He would never be free of his own thoughts. He was cursed to have them follow him, wherever he went. But having Amani close, snuggled into his shoulder, helped. It drew him out of himself, at least for a few train stops. He let his arm circle her, his other hugging August tight so as not to let him escape. Which he failed to do, and not for a lack of trying.

"Who was your favorite teacher?"

"Mmm..." A thoughtful hum escaped him. "Hard to say. Miss Taja, probably. She taught us Literature, for three years, introduced me to a lot of mid-Darkness material. I still peruse some of the books she had us study." He visibly relaxed. Finally, Amani had seemed to find a memory left untainted by time or hardship. "The Dimming of the Jewel, Thamsa... I must have read those a hundred times when I was fourteen."

With the revving of repulsor engines, the train inched to a halt. With a slow breath, Alicio stood, hefting his son on a hip. "Well, this is our stop." He was visibly nervous. His home had been destroyed, only a distant memory. How would the Academy look, after all these years?

The young family stepped off the train, Alicio leading the way with heavy feet. It was a short walk from the station, around feats of impressive metalwork and governmental buildings. All the way, Alicio stared quietly ahead, glancing at Amani every once in a while, as if to remind himself she was there.

Until he stopped, transported back in time. In front of them, past a wrought-iron fence, was a wide green lawn. Children, from ages eight to eighteen, tossed around hoverballs and tapping on datapads. And in the center of the estate, a wide, cobbled building. Over the fence, the words 'BIN PRIME ACADEMY NORTH' were proudly displayed. And beneath them, an older man, with salt-and-pepper hair, a round disposition, and a warm smile.

"Little Alicio Treadway." The grandfatherly figure seemed overjoyed. He waddled forward, clasping a mildly shellshocked Alicio's hand, and shaking it. "My, my, how long has it been?"

"T-too long," he managed, a weak smile on his face. "It's good to see you, Dean Feltran."

"Always so polite. You realize you can call me Henry now, right?" He gave the Count a subtle smile, before giving him a reprieve and turning his attention to Amani and the kids. "And I know who you are. Mrs. Serys-Organa, thank you for coming all this way. You honor us with your presence, Councillor." His tone was practiced, political... A very Alicio greeting.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Rather than risk interrupting Alicio's reverie, Amani just listened, humming agreeably every so often. It seemed a bit of life returned to her husband, and she smiled in recognizing it. Still he couldn't help a bit of apprehension as they arrived at their stop, but Amani remained comfortable, and optimistic. They knew the academy still existed after all, surely there would be something more for the count to latch onto.

Sure enough, the front lawn of Bin Prime Academy North crested into view, dotted by a healthy occupancy of students and an older, professorial man. Dean Beltran spotted them quickly, having waiting for just such an arrival, and exchanged pleasantries with his former learner. Amani couldn't help but smirk, seeing some similarities in how he and Alicio presented themselves. She dipped her head briefly, "Thank you for inviting us. I've been eager to get a new look at my husband's past. It seems your faculty have taught him well," Amani brushed against Alicio, then offered to take August along with Liana, and set them both in the stroller.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

The Dean smiled at Amani. Unlike Alicio, he was all smiles. "Thought you might. I managed to dig up a few files the two of you will probably want to see. Made some copies of things, if you want to take them." He turned around, and walked through the Academy gates.

Alicio, at Amani's prompting, handed August over, who was now happily cooing to himself, before an optimistic smile cracked his exterior. Waiting to make sure the children were set up properly, Alicio walked through the gates of his former life.

"It all feels... so small," he whispered to Amani, as they walked side-by-side. "I haven't been gone that long, but this place was... my whole world. For a long time." Yes, it was a large mansion, with an impressive tract of land in the middle of an industrial city. But now, it seemed smaller. So many memories of his past, squeezed into a city block.

"Independence. Leadership. Service." Henry was quick to step aside the couple, as if he were trying to convince them to board their children here. "These are the words that have guided BP North for over seventy-five years. We impart these lessons to over two hundred and fifty students at one time, from the moment they step onto the grounds, to the day they graduate. Although, some take longer to learn them than others."

Somewhere to their left, a group of young teens tossed around a ball. A group of nearby grade-school students passed around an assignment, talking in hushed tones. Elsewhere, a young man sat under a tree, playing a stringed instrument, stopping every so often to write something down on a pad. Of course, a few of the students stopped what they were doing, and stared in awe as the trio passed them. Dean Feltran waved at them, then smiled conspiratorially at the Organas. "We may or may not have briefed the school of your arrival. Had them submit an assignment or two..."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"Files?" Amani's cordial smile turned to curiosity. What in particular might the Dean have for them to peruse? The thought was put on hold as they began their tour of the structure, once the twins were comfortably secured in their carriage. Alicio commented on the microcosmic perspective of his time here, "I know what you mean," His wife replied with a knowing smirk. She too spent much of her life in a single academic facility: The Jedi Temple on Kashyyyk.

Henry began an almost-commercial spiel about the school, though Amani's focus was admittedly working double time to both listen and take in the enlightening sights around them. Students of all inclinations populated the lawn, some minding their own business, others catching wind of the visiting royal family. And more than a few of them trying to get a peek at the twins, who were gleefully admiring the surroundings themselves. "Assignments?" Amani chuckled, "Just for us?"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Files?"

"Files." The portly man nodded sagely, knowingly.

Alicio let a small smile through as Amani commiserated with him. After being with her family, she'd grown up in a small place, too. Of course, she understood. While they walked, he gave her hand that pushed the stroller a gentle squeeze. A quick thanks, for being here.

Both Amani and Alicio seemed a bit shocked at being a recent subject of study. Henry chuckled a little. "Of course. It isn't every day galactic movers, shakers, and history-makers come to the Academy. The children are proud to know we had connections in such high places. Proud of you, Alicio." Alicio smiled as the Dean clapped his shoulder, but his smile was tight.

The entourage finally made their way up a ramp and into the building. Long corridors, grey and brown mosaics, and the sounds of learning flooded the Count's senses, along with the memories of years previous. Even the smell was the same- old books and dry flowers. Musty, but... sweet and light, somehow. Henry led them to an immediate right, walking into an empty library, and pointing to a small stack of papers on a table. "I dug up every class picture and assignment we had from Alicio. These are copies, so... feel free to keep them." He smiled, before backing off a little. "Feel free to roam the halls, check out your old room. It isn't in use, at the moment. I'll be in the main office, when you're done."

Alicio nodded to the man, then looked down at the stack. "Okay. Don't judge me for any embarrassing essays I may have written. Some of these are from when I was..." he glanced at the date on a paper titled 'Mathematics in Dance'. "...Twelve. Yikes, don't read this one."

Alicio let his finger drift along a class photo. He was young- it was probably his first. Despite there being thirty other waist-high young children in the shot, his somber grey eyes were unmistakable. Nearly everyone around him was smiling, but he looked stoic. Sad. Underneath, 'Alicio Treadway' was written in the margins, alongside dozens of other names he vaguely recognized. Flipping through other pictures revealed much of the same story. Standing at the edge of the picture, seeming more and more morose. More detached.

Until he was seventeen. That picture, and the next, showed an Alicio Treadway much closer to the Alicio of today. Still the same sad grey eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. A little spark of life. He couldn't help but grin a little at it, mirroring his expression from all those years ago.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Neither Organa was particularly hungry for the spotlight, but Amani couldn't help a smile at seeing Alicio's work given its due of attention. Perhaps it could even inspire other young students here to achieve greater.

They entered the facility proper, and its history echoed through every creak of the foundation, and the utterances of every student and teacher in the passing classrooms. To Amani it was brand new, but to Alicio is was a step back in time. As was the eventual turn into the library, and the revelation of the young Count's file copied and presented for their perusal. "Thank you, Henry," Amani replied cordially, barely able to keep her eyes off the documents laid bare.

Alicio was quick to recuse himself of responsibility from the products of his younger self. Amani, perhaps expectedly, wanted to see it all, "That just makes me want to read it more," She grinned, staring at the math-dance paper like she'd just discovered some great treasure.

But even that fell to the wayside when Amani caught sight of his many class photos. A boy with the same gray eyes and dark hair, even though the name underneath was slightly different. His distant, cloistered demeanor crept on for years, until one of the pictures jumped out with a surprise hint of a grin. "Cute kid," Amani mused, touching his back, "Cuter when he's smiling."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"That just makes me want to read it more."

"Well, it's a good thing the Jedi Order taught you to resist temptation, then." Alicio shook his head playfully at Amani, before sighing, and gesturing at the paper in acceptance. It was a dry, poorly worded dissertation about aesthetically pleasing angles in the body while waltzing. Every other sentence started with 'and'. It had gotten a 62%.

The pictures caught Alicio's attention more. Amani's comment about smiling made Alicio nod. "I... barely remember my first years here. I was missing home. Family. Hiding my identity... Alone... One of the most important parts of House Organa's identity is hope. And... I'd lost all of mine." He gently tapped the smiling picture. "Until then. When I realized there were other Organa's out there. When I learned about all the Alliance was doing to help people, like me."

"I... guess I finally found a cause." It showed in the permanent record Alicio fished from the pile. When he'd arrived, and for years after, he could barely keep above passing grades. It was as if a switch flipped in his mind at the end of his educational career. Seemingly overnight, he became an A+ student.

He suddenly cared.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"I suppose it is," Amani replied, ultimately setting the paper aside, even though a slight smirk was still stuck on her face.

Embarrassing papers quickly took a backseat, as they both pulled their attention over to Alicio's childhood photos. He remarked on his tragic loss of hope, and its return when revelation of more Organas, and the Alliance reached his ears. The young Count had a dramatic, tangible shift almost overnight. A good student. A young man with a sense of purpose. Because now he had one. He had a reason for it all.

"How did you learn there were other members of your family still out there?" Amani asked, having dwelled on the question since it was brought up. That particular series of events wasn't one they had really discussed before.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"A class," Alicio responded, finally looking up at Amani. "Politics. The one class that Dean Feltran taught. We were trying to understand the current political climate of the Alliance, so we were all tasked with studying a particular planet. Father had always taught me to... distance myself from Alderaan. In case our enemies ever came looking for us again. But... I was curious. So I chose that."

"And I found Faith." Alicio chuckled a little. "Ironic, right?"

"I devoted myself to my studies. I knew I wanted to go there. To make a difference. It took me a while, but eventually..." With a mischievous smile, he kissed Amani's cheek. "I found so much more." He let his fingers dance overhead the twins. Both smiled, reaching up towards him. Alicio responded by caressing both of their chins.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

By almost pure chance, Alicio found his family. A happenstance assignment and a bit of unchecked curiosity, and he discovered Faith (the person, and the belief, really). "How about that…" Amani muttered, almost in awe at the good fortune. Henceforth the trajectory of his whole life changed, and with it, so many more lives as well. Alicio agreed with as much when he offered Amani a kiss on the cheek.

"Life has its moments," Amani said cheekily, rubbing his arm, "And it takes us on the strangest paths to our destinations." Coincidence, Fate, in some ways the difference stopped mattering to Amani a while ago. She was too content living her life to its fullest, entrusting in the gifts she had already been given.

"Whatever else has happened, or will happen… I'm damn glad I found you," Amani glanced down at the kids, and raised a finger to her lips as if to excuse her swearing in front of them, then gave Alicio a kiss of her own. "...Wanna go check out anything else? Not sure how much time we have before your speech." She asked changing the subject for a moment.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"The Will of the Force works in mysterious ways..." Alicio found an ironic smile. He had a poor view of Destiny. But he couldn't deny it had it's moments.

"Whatever else has happened, or will happen… I'm damn glad I found you."

The Count cultivated a chiding sort of grin, before Amani returned his kiss in kind. He forgot what he was going to say for a moment, before it suddenly returned to him again. "Ma'am, there are children present." He jokingly covered Lia's ears, before nodding at her continued thought.

"No, I think... I've seen everything I need to." He seemed a completely different person from the man standing across from the ghost of his childhood home. He hadn't moved on yet. Not completely. But...

Perhaps he'd taken a few steps away from that lonely little Treadway.

Alicio walked over to the school office, flagging down the Dean, who quickly came waddling over. "Oh, Alicio! Amani. Done sightseeing already?"

The Count smirked, glancing sideways at Amani, before responding. "Yes. I think so. When is the Academy gathering?

"At your beck and call, my boy."

Alicio nodded, turning to his wife. "Then, let's begin. I'd rather we get done before the children start to fuss."

Dean Feltran nodded thoughtfully, and began speaking over the Academy's intercom system. Alicio led Amani out of the office, and towards a large theater, complete with mildly-mildewy red seating, and a wide open, amphitheater-style stage. Already, students were starting to file in, chatting with each other and leering at the couple curiously. Alicio closed his eyes for a moment, imagining his words. His next words were timid, slow.

"Amani... If you could have said anything to me, when I was young... what would it have been?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"When they figure out how to start talking, I'll be more careful," Amani grinned. Damn was about the worst the swearing ever got in the Serys-Organa abode anyway. She considered that a parenting success.

Alicio was content with what he had seen thus far. The school was effectively at his beck and call now; Rather than keep them waiting, he opted to get things rolling. The Count seemed calm, prepared, perhaps even fulfilled, at least to some extent. As Amani had tried to put it before: The scars never fully healed, but with some time and effort, they might just be able to carry on with them.

The Dean assembled his student body, which quickly began to pour into the theater hall where the Organas too made way. Amani was about ready to step off from center stage with the stroller, when Alicio suddenly asked her another question. She blinked, considering it deeply, "Knowing what I know now?

…I think would tell him… I would promise him… That even when things were bleakest, there would always be someone in the galaxy who loves him. More than anything. That I would move galaxies before I ever, ever let him believe for a moment that he was alone." Amani stared into the stormy gray orbs looking back at her, with conviction that echoed through this hypothetical past and into the tangible present. She tugged at his sleeve, leaned in with pursed lips, then froze. Her attention glanced to the attendees watching their every move, to which she smirked playfully, and simply pecked his cheek, "I'll save the rest for tonight. Let's put the kids to bed early."

Amani stepped back, taking the stroller with her, "Knock 'em dead, Your Excellency. Today's your day." Together, the three of them settled off to the side stage, sitting alongside some of the school administration.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Knowing what I know now?

…I think would tell him… I would promise him… That even when things were bleakest, there would always be someone in the galaxy who loves him. More than anything. That I would move galaxies before I ever, ever let him believe for a moment that he was alone."

The more Amani spoke, the more Alicio felt himself leaning in, caught within her gravitational pull. They were words that he'd wished someone had told that lonely little noble, all those years ago. Of course, he forgot where he was, perhaps even who he was, when she pulled on his clothing, drawing him closer. In that moment, he didn't care that a congregation of children and teenagers were watching. Even as she stopped, and gave him a more modest cheek kiss. He flashed a guilty, yearning sort of smile. "Very early," he suggested, continuing to smirk.

But soon, his family left him, and he was, once again, alone.

No. Not alone. There would always be someone in the galaxy who loved him.

After the Dean flagged down the attention of the crowd, and introduced their speaker, Alicio ran through what he had prepared. Then, with an easy grin, he changed his intro. If only slightly. When prompted, he walked out to the center of the stage, the area's microphones picking up on his quiet, if sure, voice.

"Thank you for having me. My name is Alicio. I sat where you sit now, not too long ago. This academy prepared me to manage cities and lead my home planet of Alderaan in the senate, but back when I sat with you in these seats, I kept to myself. I read books, shut myself off from everyone. I had... checked out. Like many of you, my life was... difficult, before coming here. I had convinced myself that I was hopeless. That I was alone." He found Amani's eyes in the crowd. Gave her a brave smile.

"And if you feel that way, I'm here to tell you now what I've learned- that this galaxy is beautiful. That there is hope. And you are not alone."

FIN​

- Amani Serys -