"Don't move! Stay here, I will be right back…" added Leo'Ren suddenly and ran out of Lyla's room. She looked after him, seeing the 'v' marks in the middle of his back, mirroring the ones on his chest and took a deep breath in, calming herself. She wanted to touch them so badly…Without any sound Lyla got up on her feet and wiped away the remaining drying tears. Involuntarily her eyes glanced to the nearest chrono, it was almost one o'clock at night. I hope I can wake up tomorrow morning and not be late for my training…Wait, tomorrow is no training, I forgot.

She felt cold and closed the doors to the terrace, while Leo'Ren returned into her room holding a small, flat box.

"Happy birthday…" he whispered and handed her the box the same second.

"Thank you…But it's tomorrow..." she said hesitant accepting the box, but avoiding looking at him, he was still wearing only pants.

"It is past midnight so it is today."

Lyla smiled and slowly opened the box. The tiny diamond was so brilliant, even in the dark room that she opened her mouth in awe. "Wow…This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen…" she whispered and Leo'Ren smiled content. "I can't accept it…It is too much…" she continued trying to give him back the box, and Leo'Ren's smile disappeared the same instant.

"That is nonsense. Come over here" he said and pulled her in front of the mirror, taking the pendant from the box. "Here, hold on to your hair for a second." His instruction was followed by Lyla without any argument and he stayed behind her, placing the pendant around her neck and closing the clasp at the back. Next he let her hair down on her back and placed his hands on her shoulders. Lyla looked in the mirror just to see the brilliant diamond. But she had also seen him, felt his calloused hands on her shoulders. She was so much shorter than him… Next Lyla touched the diamond lightly, she was used to having slave collars around her neck, not diamonds.

"It is so beautiful…" she whispered.

"Years ago my father told me that his father taught him that every piece of jewelry should be as unique as the woman wearing it. This is so much like you…small, brilliant, unique…"

Lyla was hearing his words, but she was more worried about what she had seen in the mirror, the glint in his eyes, the way he held her, and suddenly she realized that she needed to breathe.

"I will never take it off…" she said and let her head down, she didn't want to see what it was in his eyes that second, and definitely she didn't wanted him to see what she was thinking.

"You can take it off whenever you want..." said Leo'Ren and walked away from her, realizing himself that again he lingered close to her a little longer than he should have, her discomfort visible. "Have a good night," he added and walked to the door. Before closing it he did hear her answer.

"You too…"

Lyla kept standing in the front of the mirror and after he closed the door she had enough courage to look again. She saw again his image, right behind her, even though he'd left the room. There was no mistake, she had recognized the desire in his eyes, she had seen it before. He saved my life, gave me a place to call home, trained me…He has been good to me. Is that what he wants? Is that why he did all he did? He is so different from any other Sith Lord. He is my master…He wouldn't hurt me like the others…I just have to make sure he will never find out that I have feelings for him. Why did I have to fall in love with someone like him? Suddenly Lyla decided to give him what she saw he wanted and took her nighty off in a rush. Next, she pulled over a long silk robe and after one more look in the mirror she ran out of her room, barefoot.

Leo'Ren got back into his own room and closed the door, leaning against it. He closed his eyes, trying to control his heart beats, the blood that was running hot throughout his body. It is wrong! She is still a child…I cannot do this to her. With a deep breath, he walked away from the door and went toward his bed. The light knock in the door interrupted him and he knew right away who it was.

"Lyla, what is it?" he asked opening the door.

"May I come in, My Lord?" she asked keeping her head down, shrugged in her robe.

"Of course…" he answered right away and closed the door behind her.

Lyla took a few steps into his room and then stopped.

"I want to thank you for everything you have done for me…You saved my life, give me a home, you trained me…Now this jewelry…" she whispered and the next second she let her robe slide off her body.

Leo'Ren was taken by surprise, and looked at her robe now pooled at her feet. A few strands from her long hair slid over the shoulders and came in front of her covering some of the soft glowing skin. She didn't even look at him, her head still low, and her eyes in some imaginary point on his rug, in the dimmed light.

"And this is how you are thanking me?" he asked, mad at himself for the way his body reacted at her sight. Leo'Ren reached quickly to her emotions, but there were none. All he could sense from her was gratitude and resignation. The next second he walked to her and grabbed his own robe, wrapping it around her body, smiling with sadness. "You are not a slave anymore, Lyla. You don't have to do this."

She looked at him surprised, but he was already directing her towards the door.

"Have I displeased you, My Lord?" she asked in a low whisper, while tears filled her eyes.

"Why have you come here tonight? Why all this?" he asked her and looked into her eyes carefully, hoping to see something that he wished he would see.

"To thank you…" she answered, lost, afraid that he was going to get mad at her.

"Wrong answer, Lyla…Please go and get some sleep."

Leo'Ren opened the door for her and she ran without another word, straight into her room, with tears now blurring her vision.

The next morning, Leo'Ren went and sat at the table, waiting for his sister and Lyla to join him for breakfast. Only seconds later, Arria saluted him and sat in her chair.

"Where is our birthday girl?" she asked pouring herself some caff and reaching for some food.

"Probably getting ready…She was up late last night…' he answered and his sister looked at him.

"Is she still having nightmares?" she asked, right away worried, knowing about her sleepless nights. In the time she had been staying in their home, Arria had grown to like Lyla, to consider her a younger sister.

"No. Just bad memories got to her."

"Oh…Not much better, I guess."

They both waited for her to show up while they started to eat, but after almost a half an hour, Leo'Ren called one of the servants and sent her to check on Lyla. She came back only a minute later and bowed in front of Leo'Ren.

"My Lord, she is not in her room…I found this…" she said and gave him the folded piece of paper.

With a bad feeling, Leo'Ren took it and opened it, reading the short note. My Lord, I am so sorry that I have displeased you, it was not my intention. You have told me that I am free, that I can do anything I want…I have to leave, I cannot stay under your roof any longer. Thank you again for everything you have done for me, I will never forget. Your humble servant, Lyla. Without any word he got up on his feet and started to walk to the door, crumpling the note in his hand.

"Leo? What is going on?" asked Arria before he left the room.

He stopped for a second and without even looking at his sister he answered. "She left," and continued his way, under Arria's surprised look. Right away she jumped off her seat and ran after her brother, stopping him.

"What do you mean 'she left'? Where did she go?" she insisted and Leo'Ren handed her the note. "What did you do to her?" she asked quickly after she read the note and giving it back to him.

"Absolutely nothing…Why do you think is my fault?"

"She is apologizing for 'displeasing' you…" she answered mad at her brother.

"Was just a misunderstanding…" he said and continued on his way, out of her sight. He needed to be alone, he didn't want to talk to anyone.

Arria looked after her brother walking away with his robes billowing behind him, and if it hadn't been for the holo's ring, she would have followed him.

For days, Leo'Ren stayed away from everyone, not even Xander and Clarisse's return convinced him to talk to them, or at least see them. He didn't say good bye to Xollin or Arria when they left for Odessen, he didn't answered his holo, or his messages. He only glanced at the frequencies, names…None of them was the only one he would have answered. A month later, Xander and Clarisse made another attempt to talk to him before their departure, but Leo'Ren was firm into his decision. He did try again and again to summon his father's spirit, but just like in the past he didn't answer to him. He was alone, lonely, angry and in pain. The only thing left from her was the pendant he gave her that night, she left it behind.

~~#~~

The main part of the new settlement on Odessen was functional, and people were gathering with hope, all united by one goal, they all wanted to take their world back from Prince Arcann. Arria had never stopped working on her own plans, but she needed more information, she needed to know as much as possible about the man she wanted to kill. When the opportunity to go to Zakuul rose, she was the first one to volunteer for the mission. Xollin had sensed her hidden agenda for months, but he respected her wish to keep it secret. There was no way he would have let her go alone to Zakuul, he knew she would not resist the temptation of getting close to the prince, so he also volunteered. They had about a week to prepare, and Xollin went that day to the modest apartment she was now living in, until their new home was ready.

"Xol…What are you doing here?" she asked him, surprised, inviting him inside.

He walked in still holding his hands clasped at the small of his back and looked around. Her apartment was identical with his. He couldn't wait until his home was going to be ready in a couple of weeks.

"We need to talk…We are going together in this mission and I need to know that you will not do anything stupid."

"Define 'stupid'," came her answer and she went to sit on one of the hard couches on which she had thrown a few pillows for some comfort.

"Arria…" he started but she interrupted him before he had a chance to continue.

"We have been together in more missions than I can remember, I have always had your back, I don't think I have ever disappointed you..."

"You are correct, and you have been always a trusted friend. But you have not been this obsessed before. Your grudge against Prince Arcann…"

"Grudge?" jumped Arria this time on her feet and looked at Xollin with sparkling eyes. "He killed my parents, our friends, and thousands others! He is going to pay!" she almost yelled, hitting a button on her holo. The same second, the image of Prince Arcann filled the room. "This man is a murderer! Everyone seems to forget…"

"Nobody has forgotten what he has done, Arria. The right time will come and he will pay."

"The right time never comes…We need to make it!" she interrupted him again.

"Out of everyone, you seem to be the most irrational right now…I need to…"

"Irrational? Seriously? What would you have done if he had killed your parents? You are lucky enough to have them still in your life…I have missed mine every day for the last four years…" she added and her voice withered down.

Xollin looked at his cousin and let out a sigh. He was lucky to have his parents, to be able to talk to them when he needed them, to know that they were there for him. Arria was alone, not even her brother wasn't around lately and Xollin hugged her.

"Just promise me that we go, do the mission and get back without any complications. I know you have been looking for a way to kill him for a while now," he whispered to her and Arria looked at him.

"I thought you promised to stay out of my head."

"I don't have to get into your head to figure that much. No complications?" he insisted.

"Fine…But if he crosses paths with me, all bets are off!"

They both laughed and got in better spirits for a few seconds, until Xollin suddenly concentrated on his surroundings and looked at Arria.

"Leo is here."

Her eyes opened wide and followed his example, she could indeed sense his presence and rushed to the door. When Arria opened the door she stopped and took a step back, surprised. The massive man was just about to knock, and she felt it was her brother, even if he had the hood of his black robe covering his face completely.

"Leo!" she yelled happy and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him.

Leo'Ren didn't even move, didn't hug her back… "Sister…" he whispered and then advanced into the room followed by his dark indigo clouds, motioning to the door and closing it loudly.

"It is good to see you, old friend," Xollin greeted him, and Leo'Ren nodded in his direction.

Both Arria and Xollin took in a sharp breath the very next second, when Leo'Ren lowered his hood. If it wasn't for his imposing stature and the recognizable force signature, they would have never guessed who he was. The platinum silver hair was a memory, now just a light dust was covering his shaved head bearing a few scars. More scars were on his face, mixed with the black veins continuing down his neck, the unmistakable sign of corruption. His once gold, bright eyes were now empty, shining yellow, like pieces of painted glass, mixed in with a red hue. His tan skin, a couple shades lighter than his father's, used to be smooth and even, but now looked fragmented, darkened, and almost black around his eyes. The full lips usually a couple of shades darker than his tan skin were now a dark purple, almost black, giving him a frightening look.

"Leo…What happened to you?" asked Arria first and stepped towards him, but Leo'Ren lifted the right hand in front of his sister stopping her.

"This is who I am. It does not matter who I used to be…"

"Yeah it does! You are my brother!" she interrupted him right away.

"You have transcended into the darkness completely…You have to snap out of it before it's too late!" tried Xollin next.

"I have accepted my destiny…You should…" he tried, but Arria wasn't going to just accept things, it was not who she was.

"Is this because of Lyla?" came her question next and Leo'Ren looked at her with anger, making her take a step back.

"Do not ever mention her name in my presence again!" His voice boomed in the small apartment while he pointed his index finger to his sister.

"You have to tell me what in the stars happened! I am your sister!" insisted Arria and confronted him in spite of his threatening look.

Leo'Ren hesitated for a few seconds, and Xollin concentrated all his attention on him.

"It is actually her absence that did it…" he whispered low, and both Arria and her brother looked at him.

That was when Leo'Ren decided to talk. "I will tell you everything this time, but we are never to speak about it again. Ever!" he insisted and took a few steps. Xollin and Arria nodded slightly, and in the next few minutes Leo told them everything that had happened on that night, on her birthday, and took out one of his pockets the diamond pendant that he took with him at all times.

"Out of all people, you said no to a girl giving herself to you…I can hardly believe all this…"

"She offered herself to me for the wrong reasons…I loved her…" whispered Leo'Ren and pain was so distinct in his voice, his sister's eyes filled with tears.

"You still do…" noticed Xollin and won himself another look from Leo'Ren.

"She does not, end of story" he added and after another short hesitation put back in his pocked the pendant.

"Then why are you keeping that pendant with you?" asked Arria hoping to make him admit it and do something about it.

"It is all I have left…It is the only thing that keeps me sane."

"It's not doing a very good job… If you love her, why aren't you looking for her?" insisted Arria and this time Leo'Ren turned his back at his sister.

"There is no point in doing so. She ran away, she does not wish to be with me. Now, we are done with the matter. Tell me about your mission."

Arria and Xollin looked at him with disapproval, then at each other.

"Where did you get those scars?" asked Arria next, ignoring his request.

"Let us say that the indigenous life on Yavin was almost extinct…The mission?"

Xollin let out a deep sigh and looked again at his cousin, his friend, felt his pain, and his anger.

"We are supposed to meet a contact, get some information and come back after we of course, verify the validity of it. Nothing fancy, pretty straight forward…" Xollin talked and Leo'Ren looked at his sister next.

"If that is the case, why is he here?" he asked her pointing to the Prince Arcann's hologram.

"I am hoping he will go for a walk or something and run into me…" she answered with her well known sarcasm.

"I see. I am coming with you!"

Leo'Ren's statement wasn't up for debate, was not a request, just a matter of fact.

"Why?" asked him his sister right away. "You don't trust that I can do this mission either?"

"You are letting your emotions cloud your judgement. You…"

"Look who is talking!" she almost yelled at her brother and left the room furious. She needed to walk and calm down before she would say something she would regret later.

Left alone, Xollin and Leo'Ren looked at each other.

"Come talk to my father, Leo. I understand what you feel, but…"

"No, you do not. I have lost everything…my parents, friends, the woman I love…I have nothing…"

"Yes, you do. Arria needs you. She feels lonely, and as much as I have tried, as much as my parents have tried, she misses your parents and you…You are the only one that can talk some sense into her, but you have first to make peace with yourself."

"I did. I have accepted everything…"

"No, you just communed with the darkness, you are in constant pain…Let us help you."

"When I will need help, I will ask for it. For now, let us get to work."

Arria walked for a few minutes without even seeing where she was going. She was furious, and scared that she was losing her brother. There was nothing in him left to remind her of her old brother, the man that was strict but fair, compassionate and understanding, disciplined and protective. Now he was an empty shell, with just anger and pain in his heart, if he even still had one…He looked like a nightmare and she instinctively knew that he must be feeling like he was living in one. It was up to her to kill Prince Arcann, and then hopefully have all their lives go back to a more normal state, even if nothing was going to be like before…Her parents were gone. Arria stopped after a while and took in a deep breath looking around her. In her fury, she had walked outside the secured area without even noticing. She sat down, on the edge of a ridge and looked absently towards the base. The small spaceport was masked by vegetation, the buildings were carved into the mountains. If you didn't know what was going on there you would have never guessed. She let out another deep sigh and took her head into her hands. Everything that was wrong in her life was because Arcann. She was beyond convinced that killing him would solve everything. She just needed to find a way. It was hard enough to come up with some way to lose Xollin on Zakuul and go on her own, but now, Leo'Ren was going to come as well. She knew it was going to be a challenge to lose them both. She continued to stay there and look without seeing anything. When the night started to fall Arria went back into her room, where the hologram was still standing.

"You are going to pay for all this!" she growled and turned it off.

~~#~~

The days passed without any other incident. Everyone was trying to talk to Leo'Ren, but they were all just hitting a wall, behind which he closed in even more than before. More than just once he doubted that he was ready to be around other people again. When he was asked to help with training for the new recruits, Leo'Ren refused. His mind went to the last person he trained and more pain coursed through his body. Painful memories flashed in front of his eyes. He offered to be in charge of defending their new world. He knew how to do that, he was good at it. Since that day, he started to inspect everything, all defensive systems, and started improvements right away. The quick travel points were next, to facilitate mobility and, of course, safety.

With the last of preparations done, Xollin, Arria and Leo'Ren took off in the small shuttle to Zakuul. At Xander's recommendation, they used stealth mode all the way and landed at the coordinates he gave them. Leo'Ren was going to be their pilot, and stay mostly out of view, be their back-up for just in case. Xollin knew going in that something was about to happen, but he wasn't sure what since Arria had seemed a lot more calm and composed. She was supposed to meet their contact and get the information, then he was going to validate it. They landed without being noticed by anyone and Vonn was left in charge of the ship while the three of them went into the tower where they had two apartments at their disposal. They had studied all the material available, they had all seen footage of Zakuul, but being there and seeing it first hand was different. The tall towers surprised them. As much as they looked up, trying to see the top, they couldn't. The tops of the towers were going higher than the clouds, and the upper levels were mostly closed to the general population. They were reserved for offices, for command centers, even training facilities. They all explored as much as they could that first day, knowing that next day they would not have the luxury.

After a good night sleep, Arria was rested and got ready for her meeting. She supposed to meet their contact in a cafe, and she got there a few minutes before, looking like just everybody else around. Leo'Ren and Xollin were nearby, surveying the whole area, making sure there were no surprises. The young girl approached Arria at the exact time and sat in front of her, making it look like they were couple of friends getting a caff together. With the memory stick in her pocket, Arria looked at the young girl, she looked like she was Zakuulan.

"Oh no! Knights…Vaylin will be here shortly…You have to go and quick. Do not let her see you."

Arria looked around and saw the knights, in their gold shining armor walking towards the opened space between the shops, restaurants and vendors of all sorts. She had known about Vaylin, Prince Arcann's younger sister, and the rumors that she was just as bad as he was. Her contact left the next second, and Arria rushed to her brother.

"Vaylin is going to be here soon. We have to go," she said quickly in her comm while joining her brother in one of the dark, tight alleys.

"Do you have the information?" asked Xollin next without even moving from his spot.

"Yes, and she said there is some extra that we might use…" answered Arria right away.

"All right, then we'll meet at our place," was Leo'Ren next to speak and started to walk with Arria to the elevator nearest to them.

Unlike them Xollin stood in the same spot, behind one of the vendors, and looked at all people walking around and rushing at the first sign of the fast approaching knights. That was when he looked straight ahead of him and saw Vaylin for the first time. Just like everyone else, he had seen her in holos, in documentaries about Zakuul, but it was the first time he actually saw her right there, in front of him, only about thirty meters away from him. There was something about her presence that stopped Xollin from moving, from joining his cousins and going to safety. Just like him, she was wearing gray, in a dark shade of charcoal. Xollin took his time to examine her, every detail in her appearance and every little sensation. Her armor looked light, like some sort of fabric, but he knew by now that it was a special blend of fabric and durasteel fibers, mixed into an almost indestructible material. The short cape had a hood and she was wearing it up, over the long, soft looking brown hair. The layer right under the cape was tight to her body, following every curve and Xollin took a few extra seconds to admire them. The boots, even if were durasteel, they looked lighter than normal, allowing her to move freely, with ease. The borders of her clothing had gold embroidery, and as much as it looked like some sort of inscriptions, Xollin couldn't make out any distinct letters. The gloves she was wearing had only two fingers, letting the other three out, showing the long black painted fingernails. What attracted Xollin most were her eyes, just as bright orange as her brothers, but with a hue of gold in them. The delicate nose, the elongated shape of her eyes, the thin lips, all together made him think of a fox. She had that agility, smartness and power that only clever people possessed. Xollin felt instantly attracted to her and was still lost in admiration when heard his cousin's voice in the comm.

"She is trouble. I can sense it…Xol, what are you doing?"

"You two go ahead, I will catch up with you…" he whispered into his comm and continued to look into the amber eyes, trying to get into her mind.

He felt he needed to know everything about her, and without any hesitation started to tap carefully into her mind. To his surprise he couldn't get in, and for a second he was worried that he was going to be discovered, sensed by her. He could feel the force flowing through her, strong, but not dark nor light. He knew that moment that all he had been feeling on their way to Zakuul was about her. For the first time in his life he felt the urge to touch her, to taste her lips, to inhale her scent…

Vaylin walked to the middle of the clear area and looked around. Hm…Someone is watching me! She thought and looked around trying to find the source of the disturbance she was feeling. Somewhere in front of her, behind all the people walking around, she saw him, the tall man, with long braided dark hair and unusual tattoos. He was easy to spot due to his stature, and his distinctive look. His gray robes looked soft, and the coat he was wearing over seemed to be made of some heavy silk. What surprised her most were his eyes. From under unusually long lashes, gray steel like eyes were fixated on her. She saw his eyes turning from lifeless and cold to hot liquid steel and smiled. They just looked in each others eyes for a few seconds, until she felt his presence, he was a force user, different from any other that she had met. His try to get into her mind didn't go unnoticed and she sent him a message. Suddenly, he disappeared and she looked around agitated, trying to find him. He was nowhere and after she ordered the knights around, she rushed to leave the same way she came in.

She had no idea that Xollin continued to watch her from the safety of his stealth, while he got on one of the elevators that took him away, to a different level. He rushed to get back to his apartment and found Arria and Leo'Ren waiting for him.

"What took you so long?" came Arria's question first.

"I had to see something…" answered Xollin evasive, but his body language and his emotions didn't escape Leo'Ren.

"I bet you did…" he said softly under his breath, making sure Arria didn't hear him, but Xollin did.