Slumber
My Darling
Jaina
Solo awoke to find her bed empty.
Faintly, she heard the crying of a baby, little Lanjya. She tried to turn over and return to the
mindless oblivion of sleep, but it was a vain effort and after five minutes she
rose silently and pulled a sweater on over her thin nightgown, the evening
chill chasing goosebumps up and down her arms. Hugging herself, she padded quietly toward
the other end of the house where she could hear Lanjya still whimpering. She was about to enter the baby's room when
she caught the faint outline of another shape in the nursery.
Leaning
against the doorframe, Jaina smiled, watching her husband, Jagged Fel, as he
gently rocked their first child. There
was something wondrous about his ability to change from emotionless pilot to
loving father that stopped Jaina in her tracks.
She stood, just watching, while he deftly lifted Lanjya into his arms
and carried her to the transparisteel window that looked out over the peaceful
landscape of Naboo.
"See
there?" he whispered soothingly, cradling his child so she could see the
sky, just graying with the first rays of dawn.
"Look at all that. You see
all those dots? Those are all stars, all
huge balls of plasma, burning somewhere in space. Some of them probably don't even exist
anymore, but you can still see them from here.
It's like seeing a piece of the past.
Isn't that incredible?"
Lanjya's
cries subsided into sleepy coos of affection as she gazed up into her father's
face. With one miniature hand, she
grabbed a lock of his hair and tugged, eliciting a low chuckle from him. Carefully, he disentangled her hand and
stroked her cheek, bouncing her a bit while bringing her back to the crib. Lanjya gave one more contented gurgle before
she was asleep, her jet-black hair curling and blending into the shadows around
her, her tiny chest rising and falling regularly with each minuscule,
miraculous breath.
Jag
placed one hand on her head, delicately fingering her minute curls with a sense
of incredulity so endearing Jaina almost went to him, but she stopped herself
in time and waited to see what he would do next. To her everlasting astonishment, he began to
sing, his voice low and pleasant.
Slumber my darling, the birds are
at rest
Wandering dews by the flowers are
caressed
Slumber my darling,
I'll wrap thee up warm
And pray to the angels to keep
thee from harm…
This
time, the urge to enter the little scene was too strong and Jaina succumbed,
tiptoeing into the room and laying a hand on her husband's shoulder. She had expected him to stiffen at her touch,
but instead he relaxed, and she could feel his joy at having his family around
him, all within arm's reach. Turning
halfway around, he extended one arm and brought her into his embrace, resting
his chin on her head and bringing Lanjya in front of them.
"I
love you."
Jaina
smiled, taking her child into her protective embrace as Jag's arms circled her
waist, drawing her against him. Sighing
deeply, she leaned into him, allowing his strength to keep her upright. The warmth of his breath on the back of her neck
was comforting and soothing all at once, and Jaina resisted the compulsion to
turn and throw her arms around his neck.
Softly, she placed Lanjya back in her cradle, then
twisted to face her husband, a slight smile on her face.
"Aren't
you glad you married me, flyboy?"
His face
remained impassive, but his sense glowed with sincerity. "More so every day."
Jaina
stood on her toes to brush his lips, the faintest whisper of a kiss lingering
between them. "I love you,
too."
Somewhere
in the depths of his pale eyes, Jaina could see his love for her and for their daughter,
his worry that they might be taken away from him, the determination that they
would be safe and cared for as long as he could possibly ensure their
well-being. Though it was not visible on
his face, a smile shone from his gaze and Jaina could not help but grin back,
her teeth flashing in one brief moment of contentment.
He
wrapped her in his arms and they stood that way for a time, thinking silently,
each unwilling to break the spell that held the room in its hushed grasp. The sun peeked over the horizon and in the
trees outside, a single bird warbled its song, the clear notes ringing in the
fresh dawn. Jaina glanced out the window
and marveled at the beauty of the land, the lush green hues that glistened with
the morning dew.
"Isn't
it beautiful?" she asked softly.
"Yes." Jag was not looking at the landscape, but at
his family, at his wife and daughter, the two most important people in the
galaxy.
"I
meant the planet, Jag," Jaina said, blushing slightly. "Out there it's so…right."
"I
must be very lucky then, because in here it's right, too."
The child
gave a small cry and turned her head, her light brown eyes opening against the
morning light, and both Jag and Jaina were by her bed, reaching to comfort
her. Grinning, Jaina lifted her baby
into her arms, taking her in a little improvised dance around the room, leaving
Jag standing against the wall with his arms crossed and an expression of
content on his face.
There was
so much Jaina wanted to say, so much she wanted to make sure Jag knew, so much
she wanted to tell Lanjya. But for that
one moment, she settled for a simple sentence that carried all the weight of
what she needed to say.
Dipping
her face down close to her baby so only she could hear, Jaina kissed Lanjya's
cheek softly, then whispered, "You're
perfect."