The Song of Winter's Heart

"The Song of Winter's Heart" is a short story that was published in the Life Day Treasury short story collection. The story was illustrated by Grant Griffin and published on September 7, 2021 and features the Alderaanians Max and Rel and the holiday Winter's Heart.
==Plot summary==
On Alderaan, two children, Max and Rel, play in the snow. Rel pretends to be a grompa, but Max doubts their existence. The two reminisce over the Winter's Heart holiday and sing the holiday's song. Rel's mother arrives and overhears the boys singing. She tells them that the song is a tradition as old as Alderaan itself and beckons the pair to come inside as a storm is beginning to brew.
Years later, during his eighteenth winter, Rel waits among hundreds of people for a skyrail to arrive at his platform. While standing, he thinks back to his youth when he played in the snow behind his parents' home. He then contemplates his education at the academy for the past two years and how lucky he is to have been born on Alderaan when compared to other worlds that are oppressed by the Galactic Empire. After graduating, he plans to join a charitable organization off-world to help families separated during the Clone Wars. The skyrail arrives and Rel finds himself cramped inside amongst the crowd. Elsewhere in the carriage, a father sings the Winter's Heart song to his crying child. Rel silently mouths along to the words.
Later, after many people had gotten off the skyrail, Max enters the carriage and greets Rel. The pair had not seen each other for some time after Rel moved to the city to live at the academy. Max stayed behind in their village to work in his family's logging business. The pair reminisce over their childhood. Rel is surprised to hear that Max has also moved to the city, but to train as a soldier for the Imperial Army instead of joining the academy. Alarmed at his friend's wish to join the Empire, Rel tries to come up with an argument against enlisting but is unable to verbalize it before Max leaves the carriage.
In the weeks after the Disaster, Rel was angry over the loss of his homeworld and family. Oliphan Dairo recruited him to join the Rebel Alliance. Some point later, Rel was sent to fight a battle on the Outer Rim moon Shard. The Imperials had constructed a base that Rel and his partner, Fila, had been sent to scout out. Fila had been shot and now, two days later, Rel still intends to complete his mission.
While out in the snow, Rel spots a cold weather assault stormtrooper from afar and intends to shoot him as target practice, but stops after the stormtrooper begins to sing the Winter's Heart song. Rel is shocked to find a stormtrooper from Alderaan and joins the soldier in song, giving away his position. The stormtrooper is revealed to be Max, and the two rekindle their friendship. They head toward a forest to get out of sight of the Imperial base.
While in the woods, Rel and Max play a game of croupet as they did as children on Alderaan. The game ends in a draw, and the pair realize that they are not so different despite being on opposite sides of the Galactic Civil War. They embrace one last time and exit the forest in opposite directions.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Life Day Treasury