Mistress
Chapter Ten: Broken Things [Dave Matthews Band]
Sometimes the road is crystal
And sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind
Tell me what it is what you think you're missing
And I will see what I can find
Nova could feel the eyes peering out at her from amongst the foliage that hung oppressively on all sides. She ignored them, as she had for days, and continued busying herself with starting the fire in front of her, made much more difficult by the constant rain that clung to the planet. For the week she had been on Dathomir she was never alone. Nova rarely slept in order to keep watch on them, she sensed the power behind them. They would come and go, sometimes the eyes were surrounded by the dark side of the force at others they were enveloped in the powerful warmth of the light side, the offensive sensation making her skin crawl. She knew she was being watched, observed by warring sides of the planet that could not decide whether she might be friend or foe and Nova could not care what their conclusion might be as long as they left her alone. She had kept her force presence veiled as competently as she could hoping that the eyes would soon grow bored and leave her alone. She was not there to fight and after her recent injuries had little desire to. Yet the consistency of the eyes staring into her soul had become a fact of the planet, as common as the rain. And it rubbed against her spirit; a perpetual irritant. She wanted to at last be rid of the eyes.
Today they were different: there was no power behind them. Instead they were young, childlike, naive. Nova's lips curled away from her teeth in a vicious snarl and she walked closer to the foliage at the edge of the clearing stooping to gather more kindling. She could feel them coming closer, she could sense the curiosity in the gaze and as she listened carefully the soft sound of breathing became apparent over the melodic trickling of rain. The breathing was slow but hitched in excitement and Nova could sense the creatures elation at coming so close to their prey. Creeping ever closer Nova continued to retrieve sticks that weren't completely soaked through by the rain. Closer and closer she enticed the eyes, moving slowly, methodically, hypnotically. Calling out to the mind gently through the force to coax them ever closer till at last they came within grasp.
The young girl's scream as Nova threw her into the middle of the clearing permeated the forest. The scream was not one of fear but rather of surprise as she did not attempt to run away but laid on the ground and stared up at Nova, large dark eyes looking her over inquisitively. Nova glared at her satisfied that she was no threat and took the wood back to the cleared earth she was using for a fire pit. Stooping to light a fire Nova expected the child to run off and contemplated what her actions might mean for the more powerful groups that had so closely observed her. Perhaps because she had done no harm to the child she would be left alone and perhaps her actions would be considered hostile. Only time would tell.
It wasn't until Nova had successfully coaxed the sparks into a steady blaze that she took care to notice that the young girl had remained where Nova had thrown her. Looking up Nova watched the young girl observe her cautiously but curiously. Nova glared at her and promptly returned to ignoring her but the child remained even as Nova made dinner. Pointedly preparing only enough for herself and nothing more Nova laid back against a tree and closed her eyes preparing for sleep...
You want to be so sure of
Every step you take
You can't always know what's coming
You can't always trust the twist of fate
Sitting up in bed Nova wiped the sweat away from her eyes pushing stringy wet strands of hair back from her face. Her chest rose and fell heavily. Shaking her head she attempted desperately to clear her thoughts of memories from Dathomir desperate to forget everything from that place. It was a home to monsters, a hoard of creatures that so clearly reflected her own fate it cut her to the core. Shivering Nova held her body tightly as if at any moment a soft breeze could blow her away-dissolved into a pile of ash. It wouldn't have surprised her if that had happened.
Nova had been relentlessly shoving her experiences on Dathomir into the darkest most hated crevices of her mind. She had refused to tell even Palpatine and the fresh red scars across her back were testament to her success in remaining silent. He was both impressed and incensed by her resilience. Unfortunately peaking Palpatine's interest was only a sentence to more pain and excessive suffering that might otherwise be avoided by meekly obeying his commands. But after years of earning his ire she wasn't about to start cooperating with him now.
With a shuddering sigh Nova ran fingers up and down the bare skin of her body raising patches of gooseflesh and settled back against the soft linens in preparation for a long night of restless sleep. To amuse herself she concentrated on her fingertips, hair standing on end across the back of her neck as the electrical power of the force built in intensity between her fingertips. With a shocking crackle a small purple bolt leapt from one finger to the next and sent a warm tremor up her arm. Nova could not resist the slight smile that came to her face, not everything she had learned on Dathomir was a loss. A wave of dizziness swept over her reminding Nova that force lightning was yet to be a skill she had mastered and was every bit as dangerous to her as to her enemies if she wasn't careful. Her discovery of it had accompanied the darkest of her experiences on Dathomir as befitted the learning of a powerful Sith technique.
The existence of her new power she had no desire to reveal to Palpatine. She wanted him to underestimate her as much as possible. Yet that left her with no way of being able to practice her use of force lightning, the first occurrence had been sporadic, uncontrolled, and had probably brought her nearer to death than she'd realized. Her initial reaction was to seek the use of Vader's training facilities but she had immediately rejected that idea. Being further indebted to Darth Vader was not something she desired, and Vader and Palpatine had so thoroughly bugged each other's towers it would be almost as difficult keeping the Emperor out of the loop training there as it would be should she use Palpatine's own training room. It was a problem she had puzzled over since her return.
With her sheet draped around her shoulders Nova moved out onto her balcony leaning against the railing and staring off into the busy Coruscant nightlife. Looking down she recalled the time she had jumped and sighed, still unsure whether she was grateful to Vader for saving her or not. She had changed so much in the years since. It was almost staggering to look back on a time before she could commune with the force. And stretching back her memory even before that to the warm safety of Adarlon… but Nova immediately wiped those memories away with a snarl. She did not want to think of it.
Casting her gaze back out across the city Nova's eyes reflected the whirlwind of light as speeders raced across the sky. Blazing signs blinked in a neon cacophony across her vision and completely blotted out the stars. Looking up into the inky gray above her, clouds lit a rusty orange as they reflected the activity of Coruscant, Nova felt claustrophobic. She could not see out beyond the atmosphere, not a single star could be seen and she knew that she was utterly trapped here. The blank haziness of the sky reminded her only of Palpatine's cruel dark eyes that mocked her with their glance.
Blinking away such thoughts Nova's stare dropped to the only dark spot in the entire city. On the edge of the horizon stood a foreboding shadow: the Jedi Temple. Though the building still stood there, it was as if it had been blotted out by the gods. And as Nova continued to look at the only patch of calm in the sporadic cityscape her lips parted in realization. The Jedi temple which stood unused and off limits had to contain a training room for the Jedi who had lived there. A smile spreading across her face, Nova began to plan.
Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you
Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you
She stood before him, her lightsaber drawn and her eyes locked on his movements. The fire in her eyes, once untamed and ferocious now burned with a practiced tension that seemed to flow into every muscle in her body. The dark green bodysuit she wore sharply accented her pale skin and scarred flesh, Vader's eyes slid over her toned body, how was it he had never noticed how beautiful she was? Long hair cascaded over her shoulders and any fragility that had once existed in her was gone. Vader had watched Nova grow up over the years and had never paid her transformation much thought until now. He wasn't sure when she had gone from being a little girl to a young woman. It was almost unbelievable that she was able to stand before him today.
When their eyes locked, dark blue pools boring into him, Vader vividly recalled the silent tears that had trickled down her face when he had held his lightsaber against her neck. Her fear had been unbridled and had been like a sweet elixir to him. He remembered how close he had come to killing her that day and, for some reason found himself glad that he had chosen not to. Frowning at this thought Vader knew he wasn't glad because she had turned out to be a valuable pawn for him or that she would increase his own power and presence, but that he was simply enjoying the fact that she was standing before him right now exactly as she was.
Reaching out with the force Vader flung a tile from the wall at the back of her head and raced forward to slash through her defense. But she was ready for him. Rather than her usual quick and skittish movements, slashing at him with wild eyes like a beast, her lightsaber crashed firmly into his and she pressed hard against him, her eyes blazing but focused. The tile he had thrown at her hovered in the air behind her and Vader jumped back in time to smash it to pieces as it came flying at his face.
Vader could feel a smile tug at the corner of his lips as sweat began to break out across his body. He was surprised to find he had missed sparring with her and to his surprise he found a half smirk on her own face. Had she missed him as well? His insides wrenched at the thought and for a moment Vader felt both elated and sick, and was almost decapitated due to his distraction. With each clash of their lightsabers ringing across Vader's training room he could feel her power flowing around her responding in tandem to his own. Practiced movements mirrored each other in an almost ritualized dance, years of fighting together, training together left them responding almost subconsciously to each other. When had their fighting become so intimate?
Nova couldn't help but enjoy herself as she fought against Vader. His strength resonated across the room, but in a way that was no longer intimidating but almost comforting. Having been alone in space for almost six months Nova had been so cut off. It wasn't until now that she realized that she had been lonely.
She was home.
Nova flipped backwards quickly, narrowly avoiding the loss of her left arm. The shock that had accompanied her thought still reverberated through her body. Home? When had this place become a home for her? And that was when Nova realized it hadn't, it wasn't that Coruscant was home, or that the Imperial Palace had become a place for her. But here, in his presence, fighting him in a way that felt only natural, as if he was an extension of her own body, this was home. Before she really had time to process those thoughts she was pulled quickly back into battle with him.
She could almost see the tribal warriors on Dathomir training with her. Educating her in the use of the glaive and learning to use their techniques to fight in a way that was new and exhilarating for her. It was no wonder that the times when she was training with the Witches were the times she had felt most at peace there and when she had finally felt accepted by the tribe. It had been a new experience to train someone rather than be the only one being taught. Her young shadow had followed her around for months, and Nova still didn't understand what Allya had seen in her that made her so want to follow her around. But whatever it was Nova was grateful.
The thought of Allya sent waves of pain through her heart and for the first time in hours Nova faltered and Vader sent her lightsaber spinning from her hand. Her legs, finally feeling the fatigue collapsed from beneath her and she sank to the ground panting. Looking up Nova was pleased to see that Vader was also breathing heavily. She had managed to damage his helmet during their fight, harming the breathing apparatus. To her surprise Vader deactivated his lightsaber, dropping it to the ground and collapsed to his knees. When his hands reached shakily for his helmet Nova realized just how badly she may have damaged his suit. He couldn't breathe.
Scrambling to him Nova caught him in her arms, steadying him, her arms wrapped tightly around his torso. She watched as he managed to pry his helmet off, dropping it to the ground. Though his breathing slowed it was still labored and as he struggled to stand Nova supported him beneath one arm, surprised when he accepted her help as they walked slowly to the hyperbaric chamber. Nova kept her eyes on the ground, the sight of his face beneath his typical mechanical visage was almost a stranger to her and to her embarrassment made her feel like a shy child around him.
Shortly they both lay panting in the hyperbaric chamber. Nova spread out against the cool tile floor closing her eyes and enjoying the coolness that pressed against her hot skin. At the sound of movement her eyes fluttered open, passively observing as Vader removed the chest piece of his body suit. To her surprise he spread out on the floor as well closing his eyes and enjoying the coolness like her.
Vader watched as Nova drifted off to sleep, his eyes heavy with sleep. He was surprised to see the small smile that graced her features as she finally lost consciousness. When had she learned to smile? And with a vivid jolt of disappointment, why had it been when she was away from him? An image of Padme's smiling face abruptly infiltrated his mind and Vader's defenses slammed down again. Rolling over so that his back was to her Vader drifted off to sleep.
Stars shine down from the black
And we're picking though this broken glass
Well how could we know that our lives
Would be so full of beautifully broken things
Allya had become a small light in the darkness of her world in the months she had been on Dathomir. The young girl had spent every day returning to her camp after Nova had discovered her and slowly wore down Nova's defenses. It only took a month for Nova to return with Allya to her tribe, the Singing Mountain Clan. The Matriarchal group had been hesitant of her at first but soon recognized in Nova their own fighter spirit and it was hard to appear intimidating with a child constantly following you everywhere.
Over the weeks she learned more and more from the clan, carefully keeping her powers over the force secret, though the clan commanded some force wielding abilities themselves. It was from Allya that she learned how to dance around the fire following their traditional ritual choreography and how to ride a mighty rancor. It was from Allya she learned how to swim in the mountain ponds and enjoy a rainstorm. It was from Allya she began to appreciate the art of weaving and that walking barefoot was something to be enjoyed as often as possible.
If Nova had known that Allya would follow her when she went to the Nightsisters' encampment, she never would have gone. The sight of Ally's innocent face lit up in sudden pain, eyes clouded over by the approach of oblivion was still cemented in her mind's eye. It was her fault. Nova had begun to teach her how to fight with her hunting dagger, it was her fault that Allya thought she could protect Nova from the Nightsisters' attacks when Nova was racing out of their encampment with the stolen crystal. Nova could still see the polearm piercing Allya's small body and the weight of her body as she fell into Nova's arms. She didn't even have time to say goodbye, Allya was dead by the time Nova had caught her.
Waking with a sob Nova curled closer into the arms that held her and allowed herself to cry for the first time since Allya's death. Tears streaming down her face, Nova's fingernails dug into the shoulders she clutched, seeking the comfort she so desperately needed from them. She didn't know how long it was before her sobs turned to sniffles but she knew what finally calmed her down: it was the sound of his heartbeat. It thudded rhythmically against her ear, steady and comforting as his cold metal arms cradled her against him and his chin rested against her forehead. His strong body supported her and it was as if Nova could simply melt into his body and disappear from the rest of the world.
Being held by him was so different from the way anyone had ever held her before, he was so different. In Vader there was someone who could understand everything she had endured at the hands of Palpatine, someone who was her equal, who could face her and stand. And it wasn't until she was here in his arms that Nova knew this was where she needed to be, what she had always really longed for. His embrace asked nothing from her and demanded no repayment, it only sought to bring an end to her tears.
Looking up at him Nova stared into Vader's dark brown eyes and scarred face and he observed her passively. Having awakened to find her tossing on the floor in the midst of a nightmare Vader had reacted without thinking, pulling her to him and holding her tighter when she awoke in tears. The feel of her soft skin and silky hair on his bare skin was the first tender sensation Vader had felt in nearly two decades. When she looked up into his face, watery eyes rimmed in red and blotchy face Vader knew he had been wrong earlier when he'd thought her fragility was gone. Nova's velvet body was all too fragile, more feminine and breakable than he had realized and he never wanted to let her go because if she stayed in his arms he could protect her forever.
War is the most vulgar madness
And winters can be so cruel
You can't always change the way things are
Like I can't change the way I think of you
AN: Surprise! Another chapter lol