Private Just Another War Refugee

[Lysandra Organa]

ROYAL PALACE, ALDERAAN

Alicio Organa Lady Sylvia Organa​

Princess Lysandra Organa braced herself as the shuttle descended into the atmosphere of Alderaan. The landing itself was smooth and uninterrupted; her anxiety had little to do with fear of a transporter malfunction or shoddy piloting. No, it was the whole reason why they were here that made her nervous.

Karfeddion had been annexed by the Sith Empire, and seemingly overnight everything she had ever known was upended. Faced with a choice of bending the knee to the Sith or fleeing the planet, the royal family—or her branch of it, at least—had chosen the latter.

Lysandra had spent the past few weeks constantly moving from place to place, with hardly any time in which to process what had happened, let alone come to terms with the loss of her former life. Her family very quickly discovered that there were few worlds willing to take in the rulers of a slaveholding kingdom. Except for, oddly enough, the one which her grandfather had left behind in order to become a slaveholding king. Alderaan, House Organa's ancestral home, had offered them sanctuary. Whether the Alderaanians had ulterior motives beyond sheltering their estranged relatives remained to be seen, but they could not afford to reject help in a hostile galaxy.

As the shuttle touched down on the landing pad outside the Royal Palace, Lysandra exhaled a sigh, drawing upon her etiquette training to appear poised. Never mind that with their kingdom lost to the enemy, she might not even be considered a princess anymore. Just another war refugee, albeit one considered important enough to have an audience with royalty. She still wanted to face this next chapter of her life with dignity.

The sound of the loading ramp descending carried with it a sense of finality. She rose with the others and disembarked with her head held high.

 

[Alicio Organa]

It was a distressingly familiar story.

Alicio stood with his head held high, staring up at the clear skies of Alderaan from the entrance hall with a stoic sort of melancholy. He'd made a promise to himself recently, to spend more time away from the Chancellor's desk, now that he was caught up with his duties. When he first made the promise, he'd assumed he would spend most of that time with his family- making sure that August and Liana's father would be in their lives- but so far, his return to Alderaan was plagued with issues that required his attention.

Not that he would face them alone this time.

Sylvia would be joining him at the palace, to assess these new refugees from a Sith-invaded world. Refugees which included an Organa. This building had housed a lion's share of his family's reunions- when he first met Faith, when Sylvia had first met him... But this time would be different. He'd done his research, as he had with Sylvia, and Lysandra was...

Well, to put it extremely mildly, the differences between the two women were night and day on paper.

Hope was a powerful force in their family, but even it had limits. Coupled with his recent interactions with royalty, and it was clear why Alicio's hopes had been stretched thin.

- Lady Sylvia Organa - Lysandra Organa -

 

[Lysandra Organa]

Standing at the top of the loading ramp was her grandfather, Julien Organa. Yesterday he was the King of Karfeddion; today, he was a political refugee seeking asylum on the very planet he had left in disgrace a half century ago. For anyone else, such an experience would be humbling, but as Lysandra positioned herself at his side he appeared confident and self-assured, as if he were totally unbothered by their present circumstances.

“I saw them through the window,” he remarked. “They don’t look like Organas.”

Blinking, Lysandra snuck a peek through the gap between the ramp and the bulkhead. “What do Organas look like?”

“They look like me.” Her grandfather was in his early eighties, and though his hair had long since gone white, his dark complexion and brown eyes were markedly different from that of the Chancellor and Senator. “Three generations is all it takes, I suppose. But even you look more like an Organa than them, dear girl.”

Lysandra decided not to comment on that. “At least they’re willing to meet us in person,” she said. “That’s a good sign.”

Julien raised an eyebrow, as if he expected no less. She found his regal demeanor comforting. He never questioned his importance.

A guard signaled the all-clear. Julien held out his arm to Lysandra. “Well, shall we?”

She hooked her arm through his, and the two of them descended the ramp together, flanked by their royal guards. Lysandra held her head high and tried to pretend she was just on another business trip…

Alicio Organa Lady Sylvia Organa​