Private Of all the things

[Aiden Porte]

Post Sword Returns & Blog

Alina Grayson ​

Aiden hadn't slept well since returning from the call Lorn Reingard had made. What seemed even more ridiculous was that the events that had unfolded during it disturbed him more than the darkness within him ever had. What transpired after he left was something he didn't even want to think about. He could only imagine what might have been said had he stayed. Even worse, he couldn't imagine what would have happened if Alina had been present. For that alone, he silently thanked the Force.

The only thing that had managed to distract him was the laughter, the kisses, the gentle touches, and the love he shared with Alina after his return. It was a welcome reprieve from thoughts he would rather leave buried.

Lira, meanwhile, was making fast friends with several of the other children, or so he had gathered. Her stories from their visits to Theed were enough to make him smile and laugh, even though she seemed to see right through him, just as Alina did. Aiden simply laughed, pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead, and ushered her off to play, to have fun, and not worry about him. This was her time to be a child. To laugh, explore and adventure. Not to concern herself with the lunacy of a Jedi Knight and those who sought to lead him.

Early one morning, Aiden rolled over and placed a gentle kiss on Alina's cheek before slipping from the bed. He washed his face at the sink, dressed quietly, and decided to visit the homestead center, the stone circle where much of his training and meditation took place.

The Jedi Knight rolled his shoulders. His neck gave a small pop as he took a deep breath. Before long, an hour or two had passed. Aiden remained suspended upside down upon a single hand, perfectly balanced as the Force flowed around him, calm, focused, and strong. Various objects floated in a slow orbit around him, steady and controlled, each moving in harmony with his concentration.

Then he felt her, Alina's presence. A small smile touched his lips, as he opened his eyes.

"Good morning, love. I hope I didn't leave the bed too soon." Aiden teased with easy smirk. "Did you sleep well?"

 

[Alina Grayson]

She hadn't needed the Force to tell her that he wasn't sleeping, though it certainly hadn't hidden it. Aiden carried his worries openly in ways he never seemed to notice. He smiled, he laughed with Lira, he kissed her, held her close, and somehow convinced himself that the people who loved him would miss the exhaustion lingering behind his eyes. The days following his return from Shiraya's Rest had been good. Warm days. Full of laughter, affection, and the kind of quiet happiness she had spent years wondering if she would ever find. Yet beneath it all, she could still feel the weight he carried.

She felt him leave the bed long before she woke. When Alina finally rose, the homestead was already bathed in the soft gold of morning. For a while she lingered in the kitchen, enjoying the simple comfort of a peaceful Naboo sunrise before eventually following the familiar pull of his presence outside. The moment she reached the stone circle, she found herself smiling.

Of course, he was upside down; the sight was so thoroughly Aiden that it robbed any concern of its urgency. Objects drifted around him in a slow orbit while he balanced effortlessly on one hand, the Force moving through him with calm precision. It was impressive. Ridiculous. Somehow both at once her boots crunched softly against the ground as she approached.

"You know," she said, unable to keep the amusement from her voice, "most people take a morning walk when they have something on their mind."

The smile lingering on her lips softened as he greeted her.

"Good morning, love."

The words still felt wonderfully new. She suspected they would for quite some time when he asked whether he had left the bed too soon; she tilted her head slightly, pretending to consider the question seriously.

"Well, I woke up and discovered my boyfriend had abandoned a perfectly comfortable bed to go balance upside down on a rock before sunrise, so the jury is still deliberating." Her azure eyes sparkled briefly before the teasing eased into something gentler.

"I slept very well." The answer came easily enough, but her gaze lingered on him a moment longer. "You didn't."

There was no accusation in it. No frustration. Just quiet certainty.

Alina moved closer and settled herself comfortably on one of the stones nearby, drawing one knee up slightly as she looked at him. The morning breeze stirred her blonde hair while sunlight filtered across the clearing, and for a few moments she simply enjoyed being there with him. They had spent so much of their lives fighting, running, searching, surviving. These peaceful moments mattered more than either of them often admitted.

"So will you make me drag it out of you? Or will you tell me what happened?"

TAG: Aiden Porte
​

 

[Aiden Porte]

Alina Grayson​

"You know," she said, unable to keep the amusement from her voice, "most people take a morning walk when they have something on their mind."

"One thing you will learn about me, Alina." Aiden said with a small smile, and even chuckled lightly as the objects floating around him, began to slow before they were then lowered down to the ground. "I set loftier goals for myself." He laughed again as he flipped himself upright, letting out a deep breath. He reached for the towel and patted away the beads of sweat that were on his brow.

"Well, I woke up and discovered my boyfriend had abandoned a perfectly comfortable bed to go balance upside down on a rock before sunrise, so the jury is still deliberating."

"I slept very well." The answer came easily enough, but her gaze lingered on him a moment longer. "You didn't."

"Boyfriend....?" Aiden repeated, his eyes widened a bit. His voice full of love, and also laced with teasing edge. "That's very serious......" Aiden tossed the towel down as he took a seat on on stone circle, his arms resting on knees. "I"m glad you slept well, and yes....I didn't." Aiden chuckled lightly. He shrugged his shoulders with a smile as he began to tell her about everything that happened. And the events that followed after he left was what made things all the worse. The message that he recieved from Ala. It was all compounding, a constant hammer against stone. Not breaking him, but the sharp sound from impact was ever present in his mind.

"I'm starting to think it's a good thing I resigned my position when I did."

It was a lot to take in, much to process. And somehow Aiden still sat here, seemingly as calm as can be.

"Madness, and stupidty...." Aiden voiced, as he took a deep breath. "All sense of reason has been thrown out the window."

 

[Alina Grayson]

Alina stared at him for a moment, genuine surprise crossing her face before a laugh escaped her. "Boyfriend?" she repeated, unable to keep the amusement from her voice. "You make it sound as though I've just knighted you." She shook her head, still smiling as she looked at him. "Aiden... did you think I simply invited any man into my bed?" There wasn't an ounce of embarrassment in the question, only affectionate disbelief. Her hand found his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "No, love. You're my boyfriend. Quite unapologetically, I might add." A mischievous glint found her azure eyes. "Though if that title feels a little too serious, I suppose I could start introducing you as 'the extraordinarily handsome man who stole my heart and has somehow convinced me to tolerate upside-down meditation before breakfast.' It is rather wordy, though."

The smile lingered for another moment before softening as he admitted he hadn't slept and began explaining everything that had happened after she'd left Shiraya's Rest. Alina listened without interruption, her expression growing more thoughtful with every passing minute. She had already felt the weight he carried since he'd come home, but hearing it spoken aloud gave new perspective to what had only been instinct before. When he finally fell silent, she let the quiet settle naturally between them rather than rushing to fill it.

"I don't think resigning was a good thing, don't misunderstand it was the best decision for you," she said at last, her voice gentle. "I think it's a tragedy that someone like you ever felt it was necessary; that was a great loss for the Jedi. But that was a situation of their own making."

Her thumb drifted absently across the back of his hand as she searched for the right words. "You know what stands out to me? It isn't that everyone disagreed. Disagreement has always existed, and it always will. It's that somewhere along the way, people stopped listening because they had already decided they were right." She looked down for a moment before meeting his eyes again. "I've seen that before. The Church gathered the same way. Different beliefs, different purpose, but the certainty... that sounded familiar. Everyone believed they were protecting something greater than themselves, and because they believed they were righteous, every compromise became easier than the last."

A quiet sigh escaped her as she looked out across the fields surrounding the homestead. "I don't think they're stupid, Aiden. I think they're hurting. They've watched worlds burn, friends die, and every victory seems to come with another loss waiting behind it. Pain has a way of convincing people that compassion failed them, that kindness was weakness, that if only they became harder, then perhaps they could finally stop losing." She shook her head gently. "It's a convincing lie because grief always makes certainty feel comforting."

Her attention returned to him, warmth replacing the sadness that had briefly crossed her features. Reaching up, she brushed a loose strand of hair away from his forehead before letting her hand rest lightly against his cheek.

"But that's why I believe in you."

The words came quietly, carrying none of the grandeur that so often surrounded conversations about Jedi, only simple conviction.

"You've never measured your worth by the people you've defeated. You've always measured it by the people you've helped. That's why I told you I trust you more than I trust any institution." A small smile returned. "I wasn't flattering you. I meant it."

She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against his temple before resting her forehead lightly against his for a moment.

"You can't decide what the Order becomes, any more than I could decide what became of the Church. But you can decide what kind of man you'll be tomorrow morning when you wake up." Her smile grew warmer as she looked back into his eyes. "And if the man sitting in front of me is any indication, I don't think the galaxy has managed to change you nearly as much as you fear it has."

TAG: Aiden Porte
​

 

[Aiden Porte]

Alina Grayson​

Aiden's eyes narrowed playfully, as she spoke and her own eyes were upon him. Those azure eyes he could get lost in, for days, perhaps longer. "Your bed, I suppose we will have to say it's ours now, for all intents and purposes." He returned her gesture, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, before he raised it up and kissed it lightly. A full display of devotion in that gesture, she was something that he never thought he would have. Something over the course of the last few years he had given up on finding. And then here here she was, in all her splendor and goodness.

It was truly a gift from the gods, if there were any.

She had a way of speaking to him, simple and honest truth. One of the many things that he loved about her. Aiden breathed easily as she spoke, listening to every word, not only because it was important but because it came from her. That's why he came to her about these things, his trust in her was absolute, one would say he was biased, but it went beyond that. It was what he had seen and what he had been shown from her. Since their first meeting, and to the moment she wielded that sword.

There was much he wanted to ask, so much that he wanted to say. Not to her, but to Lorn, Ala. See where their mindset was at. What caused Lorn to go on this path, was it arrogance, darkness. What caused Ala to act as she did, was it her own issues with Lorn that was clouding her judgment. That caused her to act out as she did. These were people that he had fought with for a long time, and now, it seemed all sense of intellect and such were cast aside and it was just blind ambition and emotion that fueled such things.

That would be his next task, to see if he could meet with either of them, he had to hear it from them. And if they wished not to, then he would have his answer.

Then her words came....

"But that's why I believe in you."

He looked into her eyes, and he smiled. His hand rose, and laid gently against hers that rested against his cheek. The kiss against his temple and her forehead resting against his.

He wanted to say 'thank you' but those words didn't seem like it would do justice. She had a deep way with her words that, even as he knew the answer, it just solidifed his own resolve and gave him that much more clarity on the situation. He wasn't sure what the future held for him. He just knew who he needed to be, what he needed to be.

Savior, Jedi, Lover, Father, Protector and many other things.

"I know what sort of man I want to be, its the same one I've always been. One that continues to fight for hope, for Naboo. One that continues to be a loving man to his girlfriend." Aiden spoke with a smile. "And of course, one that continues to be a loving father to his daughter, and to do his best to protect them for whatever he can."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead, before placing a gentle kiss against her lips, then speaking after "I love you, Alina. I feel, I know....my heart has always belonged to you."

Aiden chuckled lightly as he looked at her. "I can get washed up, make breakfast, and see what its in store for us, for the day." Aiden glanced around and he wondered if Lira was still in bed.

"Was Lira up when you left the house?"

 

[Alina Grayson]

The way he said it caught her more completely than she expected. Ours. Such a small word, offered with that easy certainty of his, and yet it settled somewhere deep within her. Alina had spent so much of her life belonging to places that had demanded pieces of her in return: her family, the Church, causes and convictions that had once seemed larger than any single life. A home shared freely, without expectation or condition, felt far more significant than the word ought to have allowed.

Her gaze lowered briefly to where his lips brushed against her hand, a quiet smile forming before she looked back at him. "Ours," she repeated softly, as though testing how it felt aloud. The smile warmed. "I think I rather like the sound of that."

She listened as he spoke of the man he still intended to be, and something was reassuring in the simplicity of it. He did not speak of titles or councils, nor of what the Jedi might call him after everything that had happened. He spoke of hope. Of Naboo. Of Lira and the people he loved. Whatever doubts had followed him home, they had not taken that from him.

When he called her his girlfriend, her eyebrow lifted with faint amusement. "See? You survived saying it." The teasing remained in her eyes until he leaned forward. She closed them as his lips touched her forehead, then met his kiss without hesitation, her hand sliding gently from his cheek to the back of his neck. She held him there for a moment after the kiss ended, close enough to feel his breath against her skin.

Then he told her he loved her. Not for the first time, but there was something different in the admission that followed something unguarded in the certainty that his heart had always belonged to her. The words drew the humour from her expression, leaving something quieter behind. Alina looked into his eyes for several long seconds. She could have teased him for the drama of it, and under different circumstances she probably would have. Instead her thumb moved slowly against the nape of his neck. "I love you too." The answer came without flourish. "I don't know whether our hearts always belonged to one another." A small smile touched her lips. "I think mine was far too stubborn to admit it even if it did." Her gaze softened as it lingered on him. "But it belongs to you now, Aiden. Entirely and quite unapologetically."

She leaned forward and kissed him again, slower this time, allowing herself to remain there until the worries of Jedi and councils felt very far removed from the quiet clearing around them. When she finally eased back, her forehead rested against his once more. "As for protecting us..." Her fingers traced lightly along the edge of his hair. "You are allowed to trust that we will protect you as well. Lira and I may have different methods, but I assure you we are both exceptionally determined."

The thought of Lira brought a faint laugh from her as Aiden finally asked after her. "She was still asleep when I left." Alina glanced toward the homestead, considering the amount of time that had passed. "Although I suspect that changed the moment you mentioned breakfast. Your daughter possesses a remarkable ability to sense food from impossible distances."

She rose from the stone and smoothed her hands over her clothes before offering one to him. The morning had grown warmer around them, sunlight stretching farther across the fields while the peaceful sounds of the homestead began to replace the stillness of dawn. "Go wash up," she said, giving him a look that travelled meaningfully toward the sweat still clinging to him after his training. "I will make certain Lira hasn't decided to begin the day by dismantling something important." A mischievous glint returned to her azure eyes. "And then you can make breakfast for your girlfriend in our kitchen." Her fingers closed around his as she drew him gently to his feet, the smile on her face settling into something contented. "We'll decide what the day has in store for us after that."

​

TAG: Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

Alina Grayson​

It was truly, impeccably insane the way that events had played out. He had not given up, but he had placed it at the end of his list of things he might one day be fortunate enough to receive. Should he ever be granted the chance to live a normal life, perhaps love could find him as it had. There had been several losses, and then Lira came, followed by Alina entering his life. His girls...

His second chance, if it could be called that. Love, shelter, protection... it all came hand in hand.

"I know you both will, just like I will."

He gave her one last kiss, brief and genuine against her lips, before breaking away and heading back toward the house. His thoughts drifted to Lira for a moment, wondering if the little one had awakened yet.

******

Morning came quickly. Too quickly. But that was how she liked it. Bright and early, greeting the day with a sweet, genuine smile and perhaps a head full of messy hair. She made her bed easily enough, picking up the stuffed animals that had been left scattered about after the pillow fight the previous night with her father and Alina.

"Sweetheart, are you up?!"

Lira smiled brightly as she poked her head out of her bedroom door.

"Yes, Dad! Why are you up so early?!"

"I couldn't sleep. I'm going to shower, and then I'll make us breakfast."

Lira giggled softly as she found herself stepping in place with excitement.

"Yay! I'm so excited!"

She moved to sit in the chair in her room, looking into the mirror as she began brushing her hair. Her face scrunched up lightly as she worked through it, but some of the tiny knots proved to be especially stubborn. She let out a small grunt of annoyance before glancing toward the doorway.

"Umm... Alina, are you busy?"

She sounded as though she had exhausted every other option. Life for a seven-year-old seemed so hard.

"Can you brush my hair, pretty please?"

 

[Alina Grayson]

Alina watched Aiden disappear back toward the house with a small smile still lingering on her lips. For all the weight he carried, there was something almost stubbornly hopeful about the way he returned to ordinary things. Breakfast. Lira. A shower after spending far too long balanced upside down before sunrise.

Perhaps that was part of why she loved him.

She followed a short while later, taking her time as she crossed back toward the homestead. The quiet of the morning had settled differently now. Lighter, because Aiden had finally spoken aloud what had been pressing against him since his return. Sometimes that was enough to make the burden feel less solitary.

By the time she stepped inside, she caught the tail end of his conversation with Lira and smiled to herself at the girl's enthusiasm over breakfast. Alina had barely made it farther into the house before she heard the small voice calling for her.

"Umm... Alina, are you busy?"

The question alone was enough to draw her toward Lira's room, though the tone that followed made her smile before she even reached the doorway.

"Can you brush my hair, pretty please?"

Alina stopped against the doorframe and took in the scene before her. Lira sat in front of the mirror with a brush in hand and the unmistakable expression of someone who had been personally betrayed by her own hair.

"Oh, dear."

Her voice carried all the gravity the situation clearly deserved as she stepped into the room.

"I see. We have a crisis."

She crossed behind Lira and gently took the brush from her hand with all the confidence of someone who had dealt with far worse than a few stubborn knots.

"Fortunately for you, I am exceptionally qualified for this."

There was no exaggeration in the claim. Her mother had been particular about teaching both of her daughters how to care for themselves properly, and Lunara Azure had taken over often enough when Alina was young. For a moment, the sight of Lira in the mirror pulled loose an old memory: Alina herself sitting impatiently in front of a vanity while her older sister stood behind her, separating tangled blonde hair with practiced fingers and repeatedly informing her that squirming only made the process take longer.

A fond smile touched her lips.

"Hold still for me."

The words escaped before she could stop them, carrying an echo of her sister's voice that made Alina's smile deepen. She gathered Lira's hair carefully, working through the smallest tangles first. One hand held each section above the knot so there would be no uncomfortable tug against the girl's scalp while the brush worked gently through it. There was an ease to her movements that came from years of repetition, fingers separating strands before the brush ever reached them.

"Honestly, I don't know how this happened," Alina murmured, meeting Lira's eyes through the mirror with exaggerated suspicion. "You went to sleep with perfectly respectable hair."

She paused.

"Unless, of course, someone spent last night throwing pillows around instead of behaving."

The corner of her mouth betrayed her immediately.

The pillow fight had begun innocently enough, although Alina could no longer remember who had actually started it. She suspected Aiden would insist upon his innocence with great conviction, despite all available evidence suggesting otherwise. Lira had certainly shown no mercy once hostilities began, and Alina herself had abandoned any pretense of maturity shortly thereafter.

"Though, in fairness," she added as she eased another knot apart with her fingers, "your father was a remarkably inviting target."

Another careful pass of the brush freed the last of the stubborn tangles.

"There."

Alina smoothed Lira's hair down with both hands, inspecting her work in the mirror with a satisfied little nod. "See? Completely manageable. My sister used to tell me that tangled hair was mostly a test of patience." She gave Lira a knowing look. "At the time, I was convinced she only said that because she enjoyed torturing me with a brush."

The memory brought another quiet smile.

"What do you think?" she asked, gathering Lira's hair loosely between her fingers. "Down today? A braid? Perhaps something slightly more elaborate?"

Her azure eyes lifted toward Lira's reflection, amusement already returning.

"And choose carefully. Your father has entrusted me with you while he showers, which means I currently possess entirely unchecked authority."

Alina leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

"We may never get another opportunity like this."

​

TAG: Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

Alina Grayson
​

"I see. We have a crisis."

Lira smiled, looking up to Alina, speaking in her normal sweet tone that she carried with everyone. "A terrible crisis. I'm so glad you are here for this. I think only you can fix this!"

"Hold still for me."

"Yes, ma'am." She turned forward, sitting as straight as she possibly could, and she was correct. She was right, working through the small strands, going slowly and easily. Lira smiled, looking at her reflection in the mirror, before her eyes occasionally cast a glance toward Alina. As their eyes met, Lira turned a small shade of red. "I don't know how this happened either..." Her small, sweet voice trailed off, as she knew full well what had transpired the night before.

"your father was a remarkably inviting target."

"I know, right?!" she said in a rather excited tone, smile and all, staring at Alina through the mirror. "I fully believe he started this whole thing." She turned a deeper shade of red, as she knew full well that she had initially instigated the pillow war. "I had so much fun. I love when we are all together." Which, in truth, she knew they were together all the time, but perhaps she felt she had to say it. So it was known not just in thought, but vocally as well.

"See? Completely manageable. My sister used to tell me that tangled hair was mostly a test of patience." She gave Lira a knowing look. "At the time, I was convinced she only said that because she enjoyed torturing me with a brush."

"Thank you so much..." she voiced, turning to look at Alina and reaching out to give her a hug. "I didn't know you have a sister?" Lira said with a smile, looking back toward the mirror. A small giggle escaped her as she looked at her hair. The mess that was there before was now a thing of the past, at least for the day.

"And choose carefully. Your father has entrusted me with you while he showers, which means I currently possess entirely unchecked authority."

Alina leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

"We may never get another opportunity like this."

"Ummmm..." Lira said, her face scrunching up as she thought carefully about it. "I think a braid would be lovely." But then, as the conspiracy progressed, a look of mischief appeared on the young girl's face.

"Or... something more elaborate. Something flashy, maybe?" she said with a light giggle, repeating what she said. He wasn't sure what more elaborate could be done, but she was excited. "We have to get away with what we can while he's not here, right?" the young girl voiced in a sweet and innocent tone. Another giggle followed, much more so this time. "What do you think?"


**********

Steam followed Aiden from the refresher as he stepped into the bedroom, running a towel through his damp hair. The shower was a must, washing away the stresses and worries from the morning and the previous days. He dressed simply, pulling on a comfortable shirt and trousers before making his way from the room. He could hear Alina and Lira talking in her room, and a chuckle escaped him.

What are those two up to now... he mused, a smile on his face.

He padded quietly through the hall. Reaching the kitchen, Aiden flicked on the lights and stared around for a moment before opening the cooling unit. "Alright..." he murmured, surveying what they had available. Eggs, strips of bacon, sausage, potatoes, fruit, some vegetables, and enough ingredients to make a good breakfast.

Aiden pulled everything onto the counter and immediately set to work. A pan began warming on the stove while he sliced the fruit and started preparing the rest. Soon enough, the soft crackle of meat against the heated pan filled the kitchen, accompanied by the unmistakable smell of fresh caf brewing nearby. Aiden took a slow breath through his nose and smiled faintly. "That's good... but what am I missing...?" Aiden whispered to himself, glancing around. "Ah... yes..." He smirked.

Lira's favorite... pancakes.

If he had forgotten those, that would've been a disaster. She would never let him hear the end of it.