For trope_bingo
Apr. 8th, 2020 06:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTitle: Rey of Light
Summary: Rey’s mother finds out she’s pregnant with Rey — and later gives birth to her.
Prompt: Kid Fic
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Telling Trias that she was pregnant was something that Nerys didn’t know how to put. They had been careful, so careful. And here they were, two dysfunctional people with a baby they hardly knew how to take care of.
She watched him. Watched the look of uncertainty, the terror, the excitement that seemed to cross that kind, expressive face. Nerys furrowed her brow. “Trias...?”
“It’s a lot to take in,” Trias said. He laughed, sounding a bit strained. “Both of us, parents. I’m not...equipped to be a father, Nerys. I didn’t have the best role model for a father.”
Nerys nodded. That was an understatement, she couldn’t help but think. It still hurt her, thinking of how someone could abuse a child in the way that Palpatine apparently did. Her husband deserved so much more than a monstrous beast that abused him (even Trias trying to argue that it was customary to Sith training didn’t comfort Nerys) and a scientist who created him that let the beast cow her. Nerys’ parents didn’t have her in the best circumstances — Jakku wasn’t the ideal place to raise a child — but they loved her. She knew that. Knew it with the certainty of the memories she had of her mother’s warm hugs and her father’s attempts to cheer both her and her mother up.
“Hey,” she said, “Neither one of us came from good circumstances. We’re just making do with what we have.”
Trias nodded. And he didn’t smile, but his face seemed to lose its tension for the moment. "We are,” he said. “I am glad I’m with you, Nerys. In the end.”
Nerys smiled at him. “So am I.”
***
Trias could sense the baby, while she (and Trias could detect that the baby was a girl) grew in Nerys’ womb. He could sense her, and talk to her — a hand resting on Nerys’ belly (which was starting to get rounder) even as he talked about Jakku, and the galaxy around them. “This strange planet that I fled to,” he said, “It has its flaws, its cruelties, but also its beauties. The pieces of history that lay in the desert, in the Jakku graveyard. The moments of kindness that scavengers have between them, and that Constable Zuvio can show. And your mother. The fearless, beautiful queen of the desert...”
Nerys smiled. “I’m not a queen, Trias.”
“In my eyes, you are.” Trias kissed her forehead. “One’s beloved is frequently royalty in their eyes, wouldn’t you say?”
“As you are mine.”
Nerys didn’t know exactly when Trias had been hers. Maybe it was when she’d first met him, and he was willing to sell a red kyber crystal to make sure she got better portions. Maybe it was when she’d shared a bed with him to ease the nightmares he had. When they saw the other’s scars, and loved each other all the same.
She was glad, either way, that they were each other’s.
***
The birth came, and the pain came with it. Even after her water broke and she started going into labor, even as she held Trias’ hand so tight she swore that he was in pain too...it hurt. Just trying to push this living thing out of her body, an entire lifeform...
“Nerys!” Trias’ voice sounded far away. “Are you all right?”
“As all right as I can be,” Nerys gritted out.
“I can put a shield between you and the pain — ”
“I’m okay,” Nerys said. She was sure that sheer stubborn, determined pride would make her say that even if she was bleeding to death. Damn Trias. She’d married him for a reason, but still...
It was worth it, at least, when Trias said there was a head coming through, and then everything else. And the wail that pierced the air like a warrior’s battlecry...it was their daughter.
“So that’s...that’s what it’s like?” Trias said, once he’d mopped up the mess. “Nerys...if it wasn’t for what I felt in the Force, I thought you’d die...”
Nerys chuckled, a bit weakly. “Yeah, well, it comes close.” A beat. “And Trias, never try and do that shield thing. You’re not going to be able to help me if you’re dead.”
“Right.” Trias sighed. “At least cloning seems...less painful?”
Nerys actually laughed.
Their child, their little daughter, was already wailing even as Trias cleaned her off, murmuring soothingly to her, some of it in a language that Nerys couldn’t decipher but could only assume was the language of the planet he was raised on.
"Stars, she’s so tiny," Trias murmured. Then, with a slight smile, “She’ll be a warrior. Like her mother.”
“Maybe she’ll be as sweet as you are,” Nerys said softly.
Trias laughed, a bit strained. “I’m not sweet, my queen. Not completely.”
“Nonsense,” Nerys said. “You’re one of the sweetest men I’ve ever known.”
Trias handed her the baby, swaddled in one of the blankets that Trias gathered from his ship. Black wool. Not exactly one of those traditional pink or blue blankets, but they were unconventional as it was. Nerys could live with an unconventional family, as long as she had Trias and their little girl.
“She’s beautiful,” Nerys murmured. The baby’s soft brown hair — it looked so much like Nerys’ mother’s hair. Even though Nerys’ mother was long dead, at least she could say that a part of her lived on, through their baby. Their baby.
“I know." Trias smiled faintly. “You’re gifts. Both you and her.”
“You’re a gift to me, Trias.” Nerys paused as she spoke. “We need two names for her.”
“Is that so?” Trias sounded a bit amused this time.
“My mother once said that a child requires two names. One as a name they’ll use throughout their life, and another a name we’ll call them. As a nickname.”
"As always, your mother was wise,” Trias said, smiling.
Nerys laughed a bit.
“I was thinking ‘Rey’,” Trias said. “It took a while, but it works.”
“Rey.” Nerys looked down at the small bundle in her arms. “That does work. I like the sound of it. Where does it come from?”
“The scientist who created me, my mother of sorts...Reyanna was her name. She wasn’t perfect, but she was brave, and strong. Nerys...please, don’t treat her too harshly. Palpatine hurt her as much as he hurt anyone. Palpatine tried to break her spirit, and he was good at things like that. But even though she wasn’t perfect, she taught me everything I needed to know about being better than my father. In a way, she had her revenge.”
“Maybe.” Nerys sighed as she spoke. “It’s hard is all. Knowing what happened to you. I guess if our places had been exchanged, though...”
“She didn’t always succeed at protecting me from my father. But she got her revenge on him all the same. I can only hope that I am living according to her values, not my father’s.”
“You’re not him,” Nerys said softly. Sometimes she feared that Trias was too kind, but perhaps in a way, he was right. Reyanna Sartain was not perfect, but she had, in a way, saved Trias from becoming like his father. She supposed she could thank the scientist for that.
“So...Rey.” Nerys smiled at Trias. “It does have a good ring to it. It has another meaning too — like sun.”
“Yes.” Trias paused, almost like he hadn’t thought of it before. “It does.”
Summary: Rey’s mother finds out she’s pregnant with Rey — and later gives birth to her.
Prompt: Kid Fic
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Telling Trias that she was pregnant was something that Nerys didn’t know how to put. They had been careful, so careful. And here they were, two dysfunctional people with a baby they hardly knew how to take care of.
She watched him. Watched the look of uncertainty, the terror, the excitement that seemed to cross that kind, expressive face. Nerys furrowed her brow. “Trias...?”
“It’s a lot to take in,” Trias said. He laughed, sounding a bit strained. “Both of us, parents. I’m not...equipped to be a father, Nerys. I didn’t have the best role model for a father.”
Nerys nodded. That was an understatement, she couldn’t help but think. It still hurt her, thinking of how someone could abuse a child in the way that Palpatine apparently did. Her husband deserved so much more than a monstrous beast that abused him (even Trias trying to argue that it was customary to Sith training didn’t comfort Nerys) and a scientist who created him that let the beast cow her. Nerys’ parents didn’t have her in the best circumstances — Jakku wasn’t the ideal place to raise a child — but they loved her. She knew that. Knew it with the certainty of the memories she had of her mother’s warm hugs and her father’s attempts to cheer both her and her mother up.
“Hey,” she said, “Neither one of us came from good circumstances. We’re just making do with what we have.”
Trias nodded. And he didn’t smile, but his face seemed to lose its tension for the moment. "We are,” he said. “I am glad I’m with you, Nerys. In the end.”
Nerys smiled at him. “So am I.”
***
Trias could sense the baby, while she (and Trias could detect that the baby was a girl) grew in Nerys’ womb. He could sense her, and talk to her — a hand resting on Nerys’ belly (which was starting to get rounder) even as he talked about Jakku, and the galaxy around them. “This strange planet that I fled to,” he said, “It has its flaws, its cruelties, but also its beauties. The pieces of history that lay in the desert, in the Jakku graveyard. The moments of kindness that scavengers have between them, and that Constable Zuvio can show. And your mother. The fearless, beautiful queen of the desert...”
Nerys smiled. “I’m not a queen, Trias.”
“In my eyes, you are.” Trias kissed her forehead. “One’s beloved is frequently royalty in their eyes, wouldn’t you say?”
“As you are mine.”
Nerys didn’t know exactly when Trias had been hers. Maybe it was when she’d first met him, and he was willing to sell a red kyber crystal to make sure she got better portions. Maybe it was when she’d shared a bed with him to ease the nightmares he had. When they saw the other’s scars, and loved each other all the same.
She was glad, either way, that they were each other’s.
***
The birth came, and the pain came with it. Even after her water broke and she started going into labor, even as she held Trias’ hand so tight she swore that he was in pain too...it hurt. Just trying to push this living thing out of her body, an entire lifeform...
“Nerys!” Trias’ voice sounded far away. “Are you all right?”
“As all right as I can be,” Nerys gritted out.
“I can put a shield between you and the pain — ”
“I’m okay,” Nerys said. She was sure that sheer stubborn, determined pride would make her say that even if she was bleeding to death. Damn Trias. She’d married him for a reason, but still...
It was worth it, at least, when Trias said there was a head coming through, and then everything else. And the wail that pierced the air like a warrior’s battlecry...it was their daughter.
“So that’s...that’s what it’s like?” Trias said, once he’d mopped up the mess. “Nerys...if it wasn’t for what I felt in the Force, I thought you’d die...”
Nerys chuckled, a bit weakly. “Yeah, well, it comes close.” A beat. “And Trias, never try and do that shield thing. You’re not going to be able to help me if you’re dead.”
“Right.” Trias sighed. “At least cloning seems...less painful?”
Nerys actually laughed.
Their child, their little daughter, was already wailing even as Trias cleaned her off, murmuring soothingly to her, some of it in a language that Nerys couldn’t decipher but could only assume was the language of the planet he was raised on.
"Stars, she’s so tiny," Trias murmured. Then, with a slight smile, “She’ll be a warrior. Like her mother.”
“Maybe she’ll be as sweet as you are,” Nerys said softly.
Trias laughed, a bit strained. “I’m not sweet, my queen. Not completely.”
“Nonsense,” Nerys said. “You’re one of the sweetest men I’ve ever known.”
Trias handed her the baby, swaddled in one of the blankets that Trias gathered from his ship. Black wool. Not exactly one of those traditional pink or blue blankets, but they were unconventional as it was. Nerys could live with an unconventional family, as long as she had Trias and their little girl.
“She’s beautiful,” Nerys murmured. The baby’s soft brown hair — it looked so much like Nerys’ mother’s hair. Even though Nerys’ mother was long dead, at least she could say that a part of her lived on, through their baby. Their baby.
“I know." Trias smiled faintly. “You’re gifts. Both you and her.”
“You’re a gift to me, Trias.” Nerys paused as she spoke. “We need two names for her.”
“Is that so?” Trias sounded a bit amused this time.
“My mother once said that a child requires two names. One as a name they’ll use throughout their life, and another a name we’ll call them. As a nickname.”
"As always, your mother was wise,” Trias said, smiling.
Nerys laughed a bit.
“I was thinking ‘Rey’,” Trias said. “It took a while, but it works.”
“Rey.” Nerys looked down at the small bundle in her arms. “That does work. I like the sound of it. Where does it come from?”
“The scientist who created me, my mother of sorts...Reyanna was her name. She wasn’t perfect, but she was brave, and strong. Nerys...please, don’t treat her too harshly. Palpatine hurt her as much as he hurt anyone. Palpatine tried to break her spirit, and he was good at things like that. But even though she wasn’t perfect, she taught me everything I needed to know about being better than my father. In a way, she had her revenge.”
“Maybe.” Nerys sighed as she spoke. “It’s hard is all. Knowing what happened to you. I guess if our places had been exchanged, though...”
“She didn’t always succeed at protecting me from my father. But she got her revenge on him all the same. I can only hope that I am living according to her values, not my father’s.”
“You’re not him,” Nerys said softly. Sometimes she feared that Trias was too kind, but perhaps in a way, he was right. Reyanna Sartain was not perfect, but she had, in a way, saved Trias from becoming like his father. She supposed she could thank the scientist for that.
“So...Rey.” Nerys smiled at Trias. “It does have a good ring to it. It has another meaning too — like sun.”
“Yes.” Trias paused, almost like he hadn’t thought of it before. “It does.”
