Tenel Ka, princess of Hapes, lay face up in her bed with the covers clenched to her chin. Her eyes focused on the ceiling of her room, covered in holographically-projected stars and moons, but her ears were keenly pricked, catching every nuance of the heated argument that was going on outside her room.
"You'll make her into a spoiled weakling. Is that what you want?" The sound of her mother's voice pierced through the air with a shrillness that would have made Tenel Ka wince if she had allowed herself the luxury of physical movement.
"It was a gift, Tenenial. A gift I wanted her to have. One small gift from a father to a daughter, how could that turn her into a spoiled weakling?" Her father's deep voice, usually so calm and soothing, was taught with anger.
"A frivolous trinket. That is all it was. And what use has she for trinkets. She is a warrior."
"She is a child!" Isolder responded emphatically. "And it was not a frivolous trinket. It was a hand-crafted heirloom that his been in my family for over six generations. You had no right to take it away from her."
"And you had no right to give it to her without telling me." Tenenial Djo's voice had grown even shriller, and Tenel Ka no longer had to strain to make out her words.
"I didn't tell you because I knew you would disapprove." Isolder responded.
"Of course I disapprove. She has no use for such a thing. She is my daughter, and therefore a warrior of Dathomir, and she shall be raised according to the traditions of the witches of Dathomir."
"And what of my traditions?" Isolder yelled back at her, no longer making any effort to conceal his anger. "She may be a warrior of Dathomir, but she is also a princess of Hapes. And she is my daughter as well as yours, Tenenial. Am I not to have a say in the way she is raised?"
"You may be her father, Isolder, but you are still only a man. You have no right to tell me how to raise her. I say she has no use for that trinket, and that is final. You do not contradict me, or go behind my back again." Tenel Ka could hear the sound of movement, and then a door slammed on the other side of the wall.
For a while she simply lay there, motionless, staring up at the pseudo stars. Her toe began to itch, but she made no move to relieve the annoyance. Her eyes began to water, but whether from tears or because she hadn't blinked in over a minute, even she did not know. Her mind was mysteriously blank, her emotions contained.
She was an unusual child, even for a princess. Precocious certainly, and intelligent as well, but she had a tendency to hide her feelings and didn't talk much. She never laughed; she never cried. Many of the courtiers that lived in the palace avoided her, unnerved by her silent gray star and her stiff manner. Even at the age of six, there was an air of tragedy about her; a tension that seemed to suggest the cool exterior hid a troubled soul. Her tutors and maids would often talk about her to one another, when none of the royal family was near by. Still waters run deep, they would say.
After about twenty minutes, Tenel Ka's heightened sense of hearing picked up the small creak of a door opening, and her eyes shifted to the small ray of light that filtered in through the gap made as the door swung open. She heard footsteps near the edge of her bed, and she knew it was her father. Cautiously, she moved the covers away from her face and tilted her head towards her chest to look at him. He smiled at her, the special, reassuring smile he only used when they were alone, and held out his arms. Quick as lightning, she jumped into them, and he sat down on the bed, holding her in his lap. Tenel Ka was a big girl for her age, but her father's large arms easily encompassed her and swallowed her in an embrace of comfort. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her long red hair tumbling over his chest and into her face.
"How goes it with you, Tenella?" He asked quietly, using his special, private nick name for her, which he only used when her mother wasn't around. Tenenial had always told Tenel Ka that she should be proud of her name. It was a good Dathomiran name, one that befit a great warrior. But Tenel Ka loved her father's nickname for her nonetheless. She loved the way it rolled of his tongue as he held her. It made her feel safe, and loved.
She looked up at him, into his warm gray eyes. Quietly, and a bit sheepishly, she removed her hand from her night gown and held up a mother of pearl hair clip, intricately crafted so that the swirls seemed to be moving in her hand.
"I took it from the garbage after mother went away." She said softly, in her steady girlish voice. "Was it wrong, father?" she asked, still looking up at him.
"What does your heart tell you?" he asked smiling down at her. She looked down at the clip and then back up at him.
"It tells me that I want the hair clip." She said, cocking her head to one side.
"Then it was not wrong." He answered, drawing her close to him. "My child." He said, almost sadly as he held her. "You are caught between two worlds."
"What is to become of me, father?" she asked, her face pressed against his chest.
"Your mother wants you to become a warrior of Dathomir." Isolder said, quietly. "You grandmother wants you to be a perfect princess."
"And what do you want me to be?" Tenel Ka asked, pulling away so she could look up at him.
"I want you to be happy." He said. "you are strong, Tenella. I know you will not let yourself be pushed into place. By anyone, even your mother."
"But what should I do?" she asked.
"You must do as your heart tells you." He answered. "Always."
"You'll make her into a spoiled weakling. Is that what you want?" The sound of her mother's voice pierced through the air with a shrillness that would have made Tenel Ka wince if she had allowed herself the luxury of physical movement.
"It was a gift, Tenenial. A gift I wanted her to have. One small gift from a father to a daughter, how could that turn her into a spoiled weakling?" Her father's deep voice, usually so calm and soothing, was taught with anger.
"A frivolous trinket. That is all it was. And what use has she for trinkets. She is a warrior."
"She is a child!" Isolder responded emphatically. "And it was not a frivolous trinket. It was a hand-crafted heirloom that his been in my family for over six generations. You had no right to take it away from her."
"And you had no right to give it to her without telling me." Tenenial Djo's voice had grown even shriller, and Tenel Ka no longer had to strain to make out her words.
"I didn't tell you because I knew you would disapprove." Isolder responded.
"Of course I disapprove. She has no use for such a thing. She is my daughter, and therefore a warrior of Dathomir, and she shall be raised according to the traditions of the witches of Dathomir."
"And what of my traditions?" Isolder yelled back at her, no longer making any effort to conceal his anger. "She may be a warrior of Dathomir, but she is also a princess of Hapes. And she is my daughter as well as yours, Tenenial. Am I not to have a say in the way she is raised?"
"You may be her father, Isolder, but you are still only a man. You have no right to tell me how to raise her. I say she has no use for that trinket, and that is final. You do not contradict me, or go behind my back again." Tenel Ka could hear the sound of movement, and then a door slammed on the other side of the wall.
For a while she simply lay there, motionless, staring up at the pseudo stars. Her toe began to itch, but she made no move to relieve the annoyance. Her eyes began to water, but whether from tears or because she hadn't blinked in over a minute, even she did not know. Her mind was mysteriously blank, her emotions contained.
She was an unusual child, even for a princess. Precocious certainly, and intelligent as well, but she had a tendency to hide her feelings and didn't talk much. She never laughed; she never cried. Many of the courtiers that lived in the palace avoided her, unnerved by her silent gray star and her stiff manner. Even at the age of six, there was an air of tragedy about her; a tension that seemed to suggest the cool exterior hid a troubled soul. Her tutors and maids would often talk about her to one another, when none of the royal family was near by. Still waters run deep, they would say.
After about twenty minutes, Tenel Ka's heightened sense of hearing picked up the small creak of a door opening, and her eyes shifted to the small ray of light that filtered in through the gap made as the door swung open. She heard footsteps near the edge of her bed, and she knew it was her father. Cautiously, she moved the covers away from her face and tilted her head towards her chest to look at him. He smiled at her, the special, reassuring smile he only used when they were alone, and held out his arms. Quick as lightning, she jumped into them, and he sat down on the bed, holding her in his lap. Tenel Ka was a big girl for her age, but her father's large arms easily encompassed her and swallowed her in an embrace of comfort. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her long red hair tumbling over his chest and into her face.
"How goes it with you, Tenella?" He asked quietly, using his special, private nick name for her, which he only used when her mother wasn't around. Tenenial had always told Tenel Ka that she should be proud of her name. It was a good Dathomiran name, one that befit a great warrior. But Tenel Ka loved her father's nickname for her nonetheless. She loved the way it rolled of his tongue as he held her. It made her feel safe, and loved.
She looked up at him, into his warm gray eyes. Quietly, and a bit sheepishly, she removed her hand from her night gown and held up a mother of pearl hair clip, intricately crafted so that the swirls seemed to be moving in her hand.
"I took it from the garbage after mother went away." She said softly, in her steady girlish voice. "Was it wrong, father?" she asked, still looking up at him.
"What does your heart tell you?" he asked smiling down at her. She looked down at the clip and then back up at him.
"It tells me that I want the hair clip." She said, cocking her head to one side.
"Then it was not wrong." He answered, drawing her close to him. "My child." He said, almost sadly as he held her. "You are caught between two worlds."
"What is to become of me, father?" she asked, her face pressed against his chest.
"Your mother wants you to become a warrior of Dathomir." Isolder said, quietly. "You grandmother wants you to be a perfect princess."
"And what do you want me to be?" Tenel Ka asked, pulling away so she could look up at him.
"I want you to be happy." He said. "you are strong, Tenella. I know you will not let yourself be pushed into place. By anyone, even your mother."
"But what should I do?" she asked.
"You must do as your heart tells you." He answered. "Always."