The next morning, Sheev was the first one up, followed by Yoda, and then Ben. They went to the dining room for breakfast and engaged in pleasant conversation until the next person arrived.
To their surprise, it was Ocean Elf.
"Hi is the tide this morning," Yoda kidded.
"Good morning Yoda," the elf laughed, "Morning all." she added.
"Good news, we have," said Yoda.
"What's that." the elf asked.
"A celebration we will have tonight, and invited are you as a guest of honour."
"Don't you think he should be the guest of honour instead?" The elf asked, indicating Sheev. "He is the new emperor after all."
"Oh, that will come later," Sheev replied, "And I personally invite you all - and yes, that includes you too, Ocean."
"Tonight, we are celebrating the end of a corrupt ruler and his tyrannical regime."
A broad smile broke over the elf's face. "I will be there tonight, thanks for the invite."
"Oh, you are more than welcome." Sheev replied with a smile.
"And there will be no training today, and anything Anakin may require, we will handle."
The elf smiled, and quickly took out a note pad and wrote: "That's a relief.", tore the note off the pad and handed it to Ben. Aloud, she simply said, "Thank you."
"We were wondering if you wouldn't mind putting on a little concert for us as part of the celebration." Ben suggested.
"If you like," she replied, "Just a little one, though, a couple or just a few pieces."
"Lovely!" Sheev said with a smile. "I've heard you play very well, so am looking forward to that."
"Thank you." The elf said with a slight laugh.
"Welcome, you are." replied Yoda, who received a warm smile from the elf.
"If you feel like going back to sleep, you are welcome to. The past few days have been overwhelming and you worked very hard yesterday." Ben suggested.
"That actually sounds really good, I think I'll just do that." Elf replied. Once she had her breakfast, she went back to her room to get a little more sleep.
Everyone was in a festive mood, and soon had banners and signs out in celebration to the end of the oppressive regime and a start to a new era of freedom.
All but Anakin, who sat in his chamber, coming out occasionally to do what basically amounted to an "Are we there yet?" about his suit, and wondering where Ocean Elf had got too.
She's in bed, Anakin," Ben told him in the morning.
When she gets up, tell me, and give her a message for me?"
Ben nodded.
Later when Elf was up again, Sheev invited her to accompany him on an afternoon outing, it was something he and Ben had planned for her.
Anakin came out of his chamber. "I thought I heard Ocean Elf up here."
Yes, she just finished lunch and Sheev took her on an outing." said Ben.
I can't wait to get out of this suit!"
I know, Anakin, I know." Ben said.
When they were somewhere out of town, Sheev picked a place to rest, and made a request. "Can you show me an ocean wave?"
The elf looked puzzled at him. "I suppose, but why?"
"Oh, you won't regret if you do, believe me." he said.
"I just hope you won't either." she countered.
"If you can manage to make it go a certain direction," he said.
She nodded.
"How about over there?" he suggested.
"Okay," she said doubtfully, not understanding what on earth he brought her out here just to see her make waves.
To the elf's surprise, wherever the new emperor had taken her, must've had some strange properties, because shimmering blue light swirled throughout the wave until it passed and faded away.
Then from a distance, a lone figure haltingly approached, and as it came closer, it was revealed to be an older woman with a kindly but sad and bewildered face.
When all company introduced themselves to her, and she to them, the elf suddenly burst into tears and embraced her.
Emperor Sheev looked on with his own eyes misting over.
Eventually the party of two that had left the compound, returned as a party of three, only the elf and the older woman were dropped off at the music room, where they would remain up to the time of the night's celebrations.
People outside could hear the elf playing sweetly inside, but the door was locked. Ben and Sheev told Leia and anyone who asked about it that she was having recovery time and did not wish to be disturbed until the celebration in the evening.
Finally, it was time.
And as agreed upon, the older woman hid backstage when Yoda knocked and said "Time it is for our party, will you let us in now, Ocean Elf?"
"Yes! The elf called back. Soon, she opened the door, and everyone came filing in.
"Good evening." Ben said when he reached the mic up on stage. "Welcome to this joyous event."
He made a bit of a speech, and then said, "We will be doing things a little differently than usual. Instead of having our dinner before the concert, our unconventional elf would like to get the concert part overweigh first. So Ocean, please come up and give us some music."
Applause rang out as she made her way up to the stage and bowed. When the room went quiet, she began to play.
"Oh, good, I was hoping she'd play this." Leia whispered to the person next to her as the elf started off with the dramatic Rachmaninoff piece from the day of the scrubbing.
It was received with great applause.
After that, she played something much more serene, then an up-tempo piece, and finally, her beloved Chopin Etude 25-12.
The room roared with applause after that, and she got a standing ovation.
The encore she gave them was Bach's first prelude from the Well Tempered Clavier. Prelude 1, in C Major.
More applause followed, and when it finally died down, Ocean Elf approached the microphone.
"Thank you everyone," she said. "Now, I'm going to tell you a story."
The room went silent.
"Once, there was a young man and his mother, who were very close, but living in hard times. One day, she was kidnapped and went through unspeakable things. Her son found her on the brink of death and held her in his arms until the very end. - or so it was believed to be the end. What no one realized was the force was with him. His love combined with the force did not let her die, but put her in a state of suspended animation for many years, until this afternoon, when the force once combined with a wave of passion to awaken her and give her a new lease on life."
The elf's voice faltered, and tears welled up in her eyes. She took a ragged breath and continued.
"Anakin, Luke and Leia Skywalker," she said, "Here is your mother, and grandmother, Shmi!"
At this, the old woman stepped out from back stage, and her family rushed forward to embrace her.
Elf looked on with tears streaming down her face.
As the family hugged, something amazing happened. Anakin’s suit fell away, Revealing a completely healed body. The only things that remained were his cybernetic limbs. The scars were gone, replaced by fresh tissue and skin.
So Shmi was completely spared ever having to find out what her son had gone through and what he had done since he had held her near death in his arms all those years ago.
When the family finally cleared the space they were occupying on the stage, Anakin took centre stage and announced how he had been changed, so everyone would now recognize his new appearance.
Everyone applauded.
Then the celebration carried on, with so much merry-making, late into the night. The end of Palpatine had brought about such wonderful miracles along with freedom.