The Force had many gifts. Some were loud, explosive things, telekinesis, battle senses, the power to leap across impossible distances. But others... others were quieter. More personal. More haunting.
Leia sat cross-legged beneath the tall, whispering trees of Ajan Kloss, morning dew still clinging to the blades of grass around her. Birds chirped softly in the canopy, but her mind was far away, in another time, another memory. One that was not her own, and yet had always been there.
"I remember her," Leia said quietly, eyes still closed, her voice carrying on the wind to where Luke sat nearby, tinkering with a training remote. "Not clearly… not as a full picture. Just… warmth. A face. Hands brushing my cheek. Sad eyes."
Luke looked up, the tool in his hand stilling. "Our mother."
Leia opened her eyes slowly, blinking up at the sky as a shaft of sunlight broke through the leaves and danced across her face. "I used to think it was a dream. But after training… it's clearer now. The Force… it's like it's been whispering her name all my life. I just wasn't listening until now."
Luke set the device down and walked over, kneeling beside her. "I've seen her too," he said. "Not in memories, but through the Force. In visions. Pieces, fragments. She was kind… powerful in her own way. Brave, even when afraid."
Leia's voice trembled. "Do you think she would have been proud of us? Of what we've become?"
"I know she would," Luke answered without hesitation. "You've always carried her strength, Leia. Not just in blood… but in heart."
Leia looked away, brushing a tear that had begun to trail down her cheek. "All my life, I led rebellions, built governments, made speeches, commanded fleets… but it was always like something was missing. Something I couldn't name. And now, with the Force… with you teaching me… it's like that missing piece is finally falling into place."
Luke smiled gently. "You're a fast learner," he said. "Faster than I ever was. You feel the Force like it's part of you. Because it is."
Leia gave a soft laugh. "I had to learn politics from Bail Organa, diplomacy from Mon Mothma, and now Jedi training from you. I guess I'm just used to catching up."
"No," Luke said, shaking his head. "This is different. I'm not just training a Jedi. I'm watching a legacy awaken."
Leia tilted her head. "A legacy?"
Luke's expression grew thoughtful. "Our mother's. Yours. Ours. The Jedi were never supposed to be warriors alone. They were guardians. Peacekeepers. Healers. That's the part that died with the Order… but it's the part that can live again. Through you."
Leia was quiet for a long moment. "You really believe that?"
"I do. You feel the Force through compassion. Through hope. That's what the galaxy needs. Not just lightsabers. Not more war." He paused, eyes shining with quiet intensity. "You're the future, Leia."
She stared at him, blinking. "And what are you?"
He smiled. "The past… maybe the bridge in between."
Leia reached over and took his hand. "Then let's walk it together. For her. For the Jedi. For everyone who still believes."
Luke gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We will."
Above them, the morning sun filtered through the canopy, casting golden light across their joined hands. The Force stirred around them like a living wind, full of promise, full of memory.
And somewhere, deep in the heart of the galaxy, a mother's spirit smiled.