Disclaimer: I'm a teacher which means that I don't earn much. Please don't sue me. :)
Cassie
ooooooooooooooooooo
CAP. XXXVI – Humanness
A grand meeting was to take place that evening and Lady Tarralyanna and Tyananna were in Lady Tarralyanna's chambers, getting ready. One might think that two women getting ready for such a grand event would mean comparing clothes and fussing about their hair, but as it were, the two mostly talked.
"First I needed wide clothes because I was big," Tyananna complained, "and now I need wide clothes because I am big again. I am so… confused. This is contradictory."
"Yes, but this is the right kind of 'bigness'," Lady Tarralyanna said with a laugh, making up the Sith noun on the spot.
"It is useful, at last," she said, shrugging. "Those lumps of yours, no matter how horrible they might look like to you, are dead useful. I have seen what you can do with them."
"Actually," Tyananna said, glancing over herself and flexing her arms, "I feel like I have become a man. It is very interesting, is it not, to become the object of one's sexual fantasies? Now I do not need one any more. I can always look at myself in the mirror."
Lady Tarralyanna laughed.
"My Lady!" Peetah yelled from the doorway, her voice rife with panic. "You dressed by yourself! And… oh!"
She swallowed hard, spotting Tyananna. She flashed a smile at Peetah.
"Miss Tyananna, I have not helped you, either! But it is so early, I was washing your robes, and I thought…"
"It is all right," Lady Tarralyanna said, "We were just talking and we dressed in the meantime. We managed it just fine."
"I am very much afraid that you will have to make more clothes for me," Tyananna said apologetically, "Everything is becoming rather tight."
"It is because your body is growing rapidly stronger and stronger," Peetah said happily. "Of course; I shall start sewing already this evening."
When Peetah noticed what Lady Tarralyanna was doing, she yelped and hurried across the room to assist her. The least she could do was to help them now. She helped Lady Tarralyanna put her circlet on her head and swayed toward the wardrobe to fetch cloak.
"Oh, dear," Peetah squealed. "I have not taken your cloak with insignia to wash it, have I? I have a terrible memory!"
"No, Tyananna was trying it out to see whether she could fit in it," Lady Tarralyanna said calmly. "She cannot. It is over there." She pointed toward a chair in the corner. The old Malaskian breathed with relief.
"Insignia?" Tyananna echoed. "Do I have one, too?"
"But of course," Lady Tarralyanna said, chuckling. "I have seen you wear it!"
Curious, Tyananna picked up the cloak and examined it. Its hem was decorated with embroideries and Tyananna used to think they were just there as a decoration. Of course, she thought, recognising them. She had the same cloak in her own wardrobe.
"That is insignia?" she asked, pointing at it.
"Look more closely," Lady Tarralyanna said. "You might see a confusion of lines, but that is actually the crest of Gotan."
"So that is how everyone recognised me in the town," Tyananna said, whistling. "I was beginning to wonder."
"You, Tyananna, are sometimes outright silly," Lady Tarralyanna said, grinning.
"Are all female Sith in this room decent?" yelled a voice from the other side of the door. The two women exchanged glances and burst laughing.
"We are decent, Tammutyen," Tarralyanna yelled back. "You may come in."
Lord Tammutyen walked inside, fully dressed and ready for the meeting. With his long hair neatly braided and a thick circlet across his forehead he looked like a prince more than anything, Tyananna thought.
"And we are nearly done," Tyananna said, throwing her cloak over her shoulders despite of the Malaskian, who wanted to do it herself. She bit her lip and stood aside.
The meeting – together with a feast – was going to take place in the largest hall in the Court. It was all right while they were on their own; but as they entered the hall, Tyananna suddenly became aware of the fact everyone was staring at her and that she was wearing long robes, which made it exceedingly difficult for her to walk. Careful not to trip over her own clothes, she followed the two Sith inside and tried not to look at the crowd which was already assembled there. A table was set for them upon the elevation where the throne of the Lord of Gotan normally stood and Tyananna carefully climbed the stairs leading up to it, where she came to a full stop beside her seat, breathing with relief. She made it without making an idiot out of herself. It was only then she looked up and involuntarily gasped at the sight which met her eyes.
There were hundreds and hundreds of faces staring back at her. Tall, thin Albinians from the Land of Montague sat not far away from the podium. The Malaskians from the County of Pallantia sat together at the table right next to them. The County of Pallantia was renowned for its woodwork, needlework and alike – their tablecloths and painted wooden bowls were famous across Horukaan, along with their excellent leather boots and shoes. Shamans from the Second Continent were also present, feathers and cobra teeth dangling from their necks, their messy hair decorated with animal teeth. Tyananna also saw representatives of the Hatjcet tribe, to her enormous surprise, who lived in the hills of Flotharr and kept to themselves. They believed that the people of Horukaan have gone too far in their hunt for treasure and lust for power and thus lead simple and humble lives. It was not hard to spot half-Caelians, who lived on the islands close the land of Iuthsowen, because they towered over everyone and were dressed in very simple, wide, light brown and red clothes, trying to hide their terribly slender figures and to look less like Caelians. According to the rumours they were half-bloods who ran away from the conservatories to live with their non-Caelian parents, only to find that they did not fit in there either, which was why they founded a society of their own. Droddians from Dankaar's Kingdom stood staring at the three Sith, so extravagantly dressed in rich hide and glittering with gold and jewels that they actually looked rather ridiculous. The warriors of Gangar were there as well, wearing warm furs and staring at the Sith with dignity, as though proud they knew more about the Dark Lord than anyone else. Tyananna also spotted representatives from Quentaa, who looked at the Sith with gratitude, because they established peace in the Kingdom of Quentaa and saved their King. At the far end of the hall stood a few people dressed as seamen, wearing high boots and knee-length coats, who were obviously representatives from the Empire of Larria.
All these people have come to see the Dark Lord and to hear him speak, Tyananna thought, still glancing over them. She felt a little nervous being so stared at but at the same time she noticed the air of respect and fear which did wonders for her feeling of self-importance. Some years ago she was a nameless Jedi, a nobody; and now she was enjoying the same respect and luxury as a princess would. Why, among millions and millions of people living on Horukaan, among hundreds of Jedi, did the Dark Lord choose her? She did not have any extraordinary abilities when he started teaching her. And yet, with time it became clear to her that the Dark Lord saw something in her she herself did not see. It was all slowly falling into place...
The door opened after what seemed like an eternity and the ruler of Gotan stepped inside. Was he always late on purpose?
After the deafening sound of the scraping of hundreds of chairs, ghostly silence fell upon the hall and Tyananna stared purposefully at her hands, waiting.
"Welcome, my guests," the Dark Lord yelled across the hall.
His powerful voice carried easily across the spacious hall and he let his glance wander. Some of these people have heard the truth about him only a few weeks ago – and now he was there in flesh. The idea frightened them. Some have seen the ruler of Gotan before, but they could not bring the ruler of Gotan in connection with the Sith. He looked impressive and intimidating, but not so much he could be called the Dark Lord of the Sith.
"You are here because you have signed my treaty," he went on seriously. "And you are here to hear my plans and to receive my orders. But above all, I know, you are here to see the new Dark Lord of the Sith in flesh and whether the rumours are true. They are true. The Sith Order has arisen from its ashes and it flourishes here in my Kingdom."
He let this proclamation sink in and then turned to the three Sith, who were staring at him.
"Meet my apprentices," he said next, waving toward them. "Not many are worthy of being taught in the Dark side – let that suffice. Lady Tarralyanna."
She got to her feet and gave a small nod at the crowd. Everyone glanced over her, taking in her appearance. Despite of her beauty and her apparent youth, they noted at once that she was not human and they could well believe she was a Sith.
"Lord Tammutyen," the Dark Lord said next.
Lady Tarralyanna graciously sat down while Lord Tammutyen got to his feet. His intimidating figure reminded the Droddians irresistibly of Rennokh, the celestial warrior, and they stared at him with admiration and approval.
"And Tyananna," the Dark Lord said last.
Everyone wondered whether he perhaps omitted to put a 'lady' in front of her name, but the Gangarians knew well he did not. They could understand warrior titles, if no one else could, and they understood at once what this meant. Her knees trembling badly, Tyananna got to her feet, and stared back at the crowd, knowing she had to. It was one thing to talk to the Chancellor in the gazebo; but being stared at and measured up by so many people was something quite different.
"First we shall all eat; and after the feast we shall get to work," the Dark Lord announced, at what the tall double door opened and an army of Malaskians trooped in, carrying trays with food.
As the assembled people now took this opportunity to exchange comments, what resulted in a general murmur, the Dark Lord sat down and looked at Tyananna.
"This is a good chance for you to practise, Tyananna," he said quietly, now speaking Sith. "Open yourself to the Dark side and reach for their thoughts. There are so many of them and it will undoubtedly prove to be very interesting."
"My Master," she said, surprised. "Will they not sense it?"
"Do we care?" the Dark Lord asked in return, picking up his napkin. "Wait for the food to arrive and then do it."
Once the Malaskians were done serving them, Tyananna put aside her goblet and immersed herself in the Dark side. Lord Tammutyen, who was sitting beside her, carefully followed what she was doing, his dark eyes twinkling.
As soon as she focused on their minds and thoughts, Tyananna's mind was flooded with a confusion of voices. Tyananna's Force ears wandered like a shadow through this confusion and she tried to isolate a few. This was perhaps the hardest part. She tried to focus on something extraordinary, on a certain voice which was different than the others. She succeeded. A torrent of very picturesque thoughts of one of the sailors filled her mind and she immediately concentrated on them, ignoring everyone else's.
He thought about what he did only a few weeks ago. He murdered the Empress of Larria using a very rare poison he acquired from a trader sailing through the Larrian waters from the Second continent, carrying many forbidden goods and a considerable amount of treasure which he acquired pirating. He spared him, he let him go, but demanded of him to give him a few things in return which were of interest to him, among which was this poison. The pirate was too grateful for his lucky escape to care about the loss and hastened to explain what the poison was and how it worked. Within a few days, the Empress was dead and Larria was in the state of general confusion. Now it was in the process of choosing the heir to the throne, and he was most certainly fighting his way through using his popularity, the many years he spent in service to the Empress and his excellent seamanship skills.
Tyananna opened her eyes and looked around, feeling slightly confused and disoriented. The Dark Lord read her mind with ease and nodded.
"Very good," he said, not remarking on what she just found out. Maybe he knew? "Keep practising. Now you have the perfect chance for that."
ooooooooooooooo
After the feast, the three Sith settled down in the gazebo to drink their wine on their own, away from the crowd.
"Why do you think," Tyananna asked, "Master did not do the same thing he once did with the King of Quentaa and the Chief? He only confirmed what the emissaries said, but he did not show it to them."
"My guess is," Lady Tarralyanna said slowly, "that he wants to see who would be truly loyal to him and who would not, even without such displays."
"Exactly what I thought," Tyananna said happily.
Lord Tammutyen nodded and plucked out his cigar from his mouth, purposefully blowing smoke in in Tyananna's direction. But Tyananna was done with falling for such cheap tricks. She would not allow him to provoke her, because that was precisely what he wanted.
"Wish he would send me to execute a few traitors," he said dreamily. "It has been so long since I had the chance to blow off some steam."
"You killed thirty people," Lady Tarralyanna said, staring at him in disbelief, "and you ate until your stomach was bulging out like a frog's not a month ago. Do not tell me you are ready to do it again?"
Tyananna stared at him. The issue of his nutrition was normally not discussed and she for one did not try to bring it up. But as it dawned on her what exactly Lady Tarralyanna wanted to say, she shuddered.
"There, you see?" Lord Tammutyen said with a snort, turning to Tyananna, and, to her enormous surprise and shock, draped his large arm over her shoulders and pulled her to himself. "You got Tyananna scared of me again."
"I am not scared, let me go," Tyananna said in a muffled voice. Tarralyanna chuckled and shook her head.
"What is that racket?" Lady Tarralyanna asked suddenly.
They heard the same noise several times that evening, but this time they got to see who was making it. An old Malaskian woman, much older than Peetah, was pushing a trolley with mops and buckets of water across the terrace on the first floor and muttering to herself. Tarralyanna's eyes narrowed. She reached inside her robes and pulled something out of a thin, fine sheath. It was a very long dagger, which was made for throwing, and Tyananna often practised with that kind of thing in the Temple. When she realised what Lady Tarralyanna wanted to do, she reached forward to clap her hand, at what Lord Tammutyen caught her around her waist and pulled her back, wagging his finger at her. He looked back at Tarralyanna with a twinkle in his eyes.
Outraged, but knowing she would better keep quiet, Tyananna relaxed in his embrace and watched , horrified, as Lady Tarralyanna threw the dagger. At the same time she felt Lord Tammutyen's hands caressing her and she froze. The old Malaskian toppled over with a muffled yelp and several Albinians from Montague, who were just admiring the fountain, turned and pointed at her, wondering whether there was anyone who would help the woman. Tyananna tried to ignore Tammutyen's hands which were now on her thighs and watched as other Malaskian servants rushed to see what was amiss. They however halted dead at the sight of Lady Tarralyanna, who arose in her full height and stared at them. They knew perfectly well that the lives of servants belonged to the ruler of Gotan, ergo, to the princess as well, and that she had every right to kill any servant she liked. They retreated, bowing to her and bending down to lift the body. The representatives from Montague, however, seemed to be rather shocked and they kept staring at Lady Tarralyanna, who sat down again with dignity and relaxed in her seat, picking up her cigarette again and turning to the two Sith with a smile.
"Better," she said, nodding. "Such racket should be illegal, do you not think so?"
She did not seem to notice what was going on right in front of her nose and Tyananna for one did not know what to do. She tried to wriggle out of Tammutyen's embrace, but it was pointless. She decided to just let him hold her, not knowing what else to do. Perhaps this was how he expressed his fondness? After all, he grew up in isolation. Perhaps he had no idea that such a gesture could be interpreted quite differently.
"My apprentices," spoke a voice from the shadows. Tyananna was very grateful for the fact that the Dark Lord chose to appear in that precise moment, since it put an end to her agony.
"What it all this commotion?" the Dark Lord asked lazily, glancing around himself.
"Tarralyanna killed an old Malaskian who was annoying us," Lord Tammutyen said promptly.
"Did she, now?" the Dark Lord asked, turning to look in the direction of the remaining few Malaskians, who were trying to lift the body of the old woman, but who lowered themselves to their knees as the ruler of Gotan loomed up in sight.
He waved a careless hand and caught Lady Tarralyanna's dagger in mid-air, glancing over it. Then he handed it back to her and smiled.
"It was a good shot, my apprentice," he said.
"Thank you, my Master," Lady Tarralyanna replied with dignity.
Tyananna was startled. She expected him to reprimand her; not exactly to punish her, as she knew that Malaskians were slaves in Gotan, but she thought that he would at least scold her.
"Now come along," he went on, unconcerned, at what the three Sith got to their feet. "Tarralyanna, I want you over with the Albinians of Quentaa, the Malaskians from Pallantia and the others. They are in the northern gardens. Tammutyen, you will join the Droddians. And you, Tyananna, will join the representatives from Montague, half-Caelians and the others, who remained here. Your task is to speak to them and explain how things work with me and in my Kingdom. There are many things I did not have time to explain to them. Answer their questions but do not let yourself get dragged into debates. I put my trust in you to know what you can tell them and what you cannot tell them. I shall be discussing my plans with them in groups, since there are so many of them and I will call you. When I do, bring them to me."
Tyananna walked over to the large group of people, uncertain what to say or do, vaguely aware that Lady Tarralyanna crossed the garden in a few long paces she was renowned for and disappeared behind the trees, heading to the other garden. Was she supposed to say something, Tyananna asked herself? As flattered as she was to be chosen for such a task, she hated it because she was never good with people. She cleared her throat and glanced over the assembled people, all of whom stared expectantly at her.
"The Dark Lord sent me to remain here with you until you are called," she said, all the time aware that her Albinian must have sounded a little strange. Was it all that Sith she spoke every day or was she simply feather-brained again because she was being stared at? Get a grip, she told herself angrily.
"I am Tyananna of the Sith," she added. It made her feel a little less nervous.
"I am Kabbot from Montague," said the foremost Albinian, bowing to her. He seemed uncertain what to say and he was not the only one, though Tyananna was aware of the fact they were in a far worse position than she was.
"And I recognise you," said a voice from behind. Tyananna turned around as a figure stepped out from the group and approached her, uncertainly glancing over her.
The same was a Jedi knight, or used to be a Jedi knight, but after he failed to pass the examination, he left the Order. Apparently he did not have enough Force sensitivity to become a Jedi master. Tyananna's stomach gave an unpleasant flip as she recognised him. However, suddenly aware of the fact that he was far more nervous than she was, she relaxed a little and reminded herself that she was no longer the person he remembered.
"Oh, yes," she said. "I remember you. You once accidentally let a mushroom soup drop on Waak-Lin's head."
The man smiled nervously. Dressed like a common Albinian, he no longer looked like a Jedi, but the Force shone in his green eyes as he glanced over her. There was something resembling sympathy in his glance and Tyananna did not like it.
"I was surprised to see you alive," he said quietly.
"And I was surprised to find myself alive," she laughed.
"What happened to master Waak-Lin?" asked the former Jedi, eyeing her nervously.
"He got killed," Tyananna said flatly. "I was spared, because the Dark Lord chose me to be his apprentice."
The man gaped at her, wondering how this was possible and why she could speak so easily about the death of her best friend.
"How very strange, would you not say?" she went on conversationally. "But I suppose you have your own life story to retell. You were forced to leave the Jedi Temple; and yet you spent your youth trying to become a Jedi master. For what it is worth, I felt sorry for you."
The former Jedi blinked and shook his head sadly.
"I have travelled to Flotharr and there got accepted into their society," he said. "My sword-making skills helped me earn their trust and respect. I got chosen as a Chief after three years."
Chiefs in Flotharr were leaders of local communities, but they were also considered as spiritual leaders, people of great wisdom, who advised and helped people. There were twelve Chiefs in Flotharr – and they were all chosen by the people. Thus it was not surprising to see someone like this former Jedi get this honour, despite of the fact he was a newcomer. His wisdom and his serenity appealed to the people and they chose him to be their leader and adviser.
"I should congratulate you," Tyananna said with dignity. "You have done very well since you left the Order."
"You too, Larynthe," he said quietly.
"Tyananna," she corrected him. "Larynthe is gone."
"Yes, the name slightly confused me; that is why I have not recognised you at first," said the former Jedi slowly.
"It is a Sith tradition to change one's name when one starts down the Dark path," she said pompously.
"You are the last person on Horukaan I could imagine even contemplating such a thing, let along embracing the Dark path," he said before he lost his nerve.
"People change," she said in a low voice. "People learn. I certainly learned a lot from my death."
She grinned at him and his stupefied expression amused her.
"I am glad you are here, though," she said. "You chose to stand by the Dark Lord. And you chose wisely."
"I have done it because I do not want to see my people suffer," he said quietly. "They do not know the world, but I do. They believe in peace and in the help from above. I can see things as they are and I certainly learned something about the Dark side while I was living at the Temple. I do not want to repeat the same mistake which was made in the Second Age. The treaty sounded fair to me – and I signed it."
"You did well," Tyananna said, nodding. "The Dark Lord is most unforgiving to traitors, but he is reasonable with those who obey him."
"You certainly do, by the looks of it," he said before he could stop himself.
"Do you perhaps expect to hear a story about torture and coercion?" she suddenly asked, anger rising within her. "How the Dark Lord abducted me and forced me to become a Sith?"
The former Jedi stared at her in horror as she laughed contemptuously.
"He did none of those things," she said, looking straight into his green, round eyes. "He merely showed me the power of the Dark side and I immediately accepted it. Not many are born to serve it, though, and not many can understand what it means to be a Sith."
Tyananna might have wanted to tell the former Jedi a lot more, but she felt her Master calling to her.
"Come," she said loudly. "My Master wishes to see you."
oooooooooooooooooo
The following day Tyananna headed to the smithy after lunch and spent several hours working there. Her face covered in soot and coughing, she threw aside the tongs she used to dip a glowing sword blade into the water bucket and jumped as someone addressed her.
"I did not mean to give you a start," Lord Tammutyen said quietly, glancing over the smithy and then focusing on the sweaty Tyananna, who stared back at him. "What are you doing?"
"I am making myself a new sword," she said, glancing away from him. She recalled what happened in the gazebo and it made her feel nervous.
Lord Tammutyen swept inside, leaving a box full of daggers which needed sharpening on the rough wooden table and approached her.
"Master wants me to try working with heavier ones," Tyananna added.
"It would be understandable," Lord Tammutyen said in his deep, calm voice. "Your strength has grown considerably."
Tyananna looked away and reached out for the tongs, but Tammutyen was quicker. She wanted to tell him he should give them back to her, but he seemed to want to talk about something.
"I have noticed you think about me very often," he said, still staring at her in a way which made her extremely uncomfortable.
"Of course I do," she said with a snort, reaching out for the tongs again, but he pressed them firmly against his chest. "We live here together and we train together – or have you perhaps forgotten? I see you every day."
"Tarralyanna's sharp tongue is contagious, I see," he said with a smile. "No, I have not forgotten. But I was referring to other type of thoughts. You often stare at my body. And I have seen many pictures in your mind which involve you and me without clothes on."
Tyananna flushed to the tips of her ears and her face looked almost as red as her hair. She bowed her head.
"I am female and quite human," she said defiantly, knowing that she could not wriggle her way out of this. "It is only natural. You are the only male around here and I have never lived in such isolation before. I am getting accustomed to it."
"I wish to offer you anything you might want from me," he said calmly. "I know all there is to know about anatomy and how the human body functions. I know I could be of use to you."
Tyananna dropped the metallic cup she was drinking from when he said this and started to cough. Lord Tammutyen thumped her hard on the back and she took a deep, shuddering breath.
"There, you see?" he asked. "I know what to do what one is suffocating. But you have not given me an answer."
"Tammutyen, this is highly inappropriate," she stuttered, not looking at him and thus hoping she would be able to avoid any bit of mind reading he might attempt. "You are engaged."
"I cannot understand what is it that you are trying to tell me," he said confusedly.
Tyananna sighed and turned away from him.
"You are with Lady Tarralyanna," she said. He grabbed her and turned her to face him again.
"I am with no one; I am a Sith. I gave my oath to the Dark side only," he said, still sounding confused. "Lady Tarralyanna is my sister in the Dark side. So are you."
"Among normal, ordinary people, among whom I grew up," she said, now slowly losing patience and getting angry because of his inability to grasp such a simple premise as engagement, "one finds himself a partner and stays with him. Her, that is. One does not go around offering… things to other people."
She started to stutter and confuse Sith words and it was only then he began to understand what she was talking about.
"You are not an ordinary female," he said. "You are a Sith. 'Engagements', as you call them, are not a part of the life of a Sith. You are 'engaged' to the Dark side. You are not to be tied to anyone mortal. But that does not mean you do not have needs. And I can help you with that."
"I respect Lady Tarralyanna too much to ever consider something like that," Tyananna said contemptuously.
"It was Lady Tarralyanna who drew my attention to it in the first place," he said.
Tyananna could not believe her ears.
"She was concerned about you and as she knows I have different needs, that I think in a different way, that this would not occur to me," he calmly went on. "She was right. I thought you were merely impressed with my body and wanted to see the effects of many years of work on me, for the sake of comparison to your own work. That you perhaps wanted to get an idea where your own work and development might lead you. But I am impressed with your body, too, you know. Most of your old physique is gone and this has been accomplished in such a short time."
Tyananna thought that it could not get worse than Lady Tarralyanna's logical reasoning, but now she realised that she was quite wrong. It could get worse. And the evil was embodied in this inhuman, muscle-bound child which was looking at her in a highly alarming way.
"If I ever start talking like that, I will kill myself," she muttered.
She got to her feet, ready to fetch another pair of tongs, as he was still holding the ones she worked with, but he intercepted her. She stared up at him, flaring her nostrils.
"I am sure I can help you," he said quietly, his dark eyes boring into hers. She made a move to get away from him, but he suddenly grabbed her elbows and pressed his lips on hers. Gasping for air, she struggled wildly in his embrace, but his strong arms would not let go of her.
Yes, she fantasised about him, but that was all it was, a fantasy. Lady Tarralyanna and he looked as though they were made for each other. She tried to push him away by putting her hands on his chest, which felt icy cold and rigid under her fingertips. Curiously, it did not occur to her that she could use the Dark side.
His hands wandered over her back and finally his buried them in her hair, caressing it and rubbing her neck. Tyananna slackened in his embrace, allowing him to pull her toward him and passionately returned the kiss. Lady Tarralyanna certainly had a very good kisser as a boyfriend, she thought. As she thought about Lady Tarralyanna, she suddenly realised what she was doing and pushed him forcibly away. Lord Tammutyen stumbled and stared at her, surprised and confused, an obvious question of what he did wrong written all over his pale face.
"This is wrong," she panted, shaking her head and backing away. "I cannot believe I did this!"
"Why would it be wrong?" he asked. "I admire you and I want to help you. I want to learn more about you, the way you function and the way you handle things. And you desire me as a male; I can offer you that, too, despite of the fact I am not human."
"Move away from me," she hissed angrily. "I hate you."
"That is not what I saw in your mind," he said simply. "The Dark side despises insincerity. Do not offend it with lies."
She snorted angrily. Kissing him reminded her of her youth, when she practised kissing on an ice cube. And yet it was obvious that he knew what to do, both with his arms and with his tongue. Tyananna has never been kissed like that and the sheer thought made her even angrier.
"I do not want anything from you," she barked, pushing him away and grabbing the tongs which he left on the table.
"You have grown so strong," he said in an awed voice. "I am sorry you do not want to let me see your body, to explore it and to learn more about it."
"That is how you call it, is it?" she barked. "I call it very lousy seduction."
"Tyananna," he said softly, almost sadly. "The Kyo'tan do not feel the urge to procreate. We cannot. It is not how we function. But, like I said, I can help you, because I learned how to act against my own nature – thus I have been pleasing Tarralyanna."
"Oh, yes, denial is the best way to get your claws on a woman," she snorted as she picked up the sword blade.
"Do you think I am lying?" he asked simply. He shook his head and looked away from her. He looked sincerely disappointed. She put down her tongs and stared at him.
"Are you trying to tell me that you employ some secret technique to make love to Lady Tarralyanna?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered placidly. "I concentrate. On things you would not want to know about. But this is what makes it possible for me to act as a partner Lady Tarralyanna needs. She has never been displeased, I can assure you."
Tyananna stared at him. He was serious. She was suddenly overcome with the urge to know everything about it, but she shook her head and looked away.
"I do not believe this," she muttered.
"I can show you, if you like," he said seriously. "And you do not have to worry about children. I am quite incapable of reproduction. Tarralyanna told me about your dilemma. Since I had an accident which changed me I lost the ability to function like a human male. But with time, I learned how to temporarily assume the role of one."
"However," he went on placidly, as he perceived she wanted to hear an explanation, "I am nothing like the males you are accustomed to."
"Really?" she asked, feigning surprise and picking up her hammer.
"I no longer understand humans," he said sadly. His tone attracted her attention and made her look at him once again. "What made it so hard for me to try to behave like one. But Tarralyanna has been very patient with me. She told me what she liked and what she wanted me to do."
"Has not Master taken care of her ability to procreate, too?" Tyananna asked aggressively. It was a childish and stupid attempt to catch him lying so that she could get even for kissing her by force and making her enjoy it.
"He has," Tammutyen said. "But you will find that Tarralyanna has powerful urges and mating is something that only comes along with it."
"What is it?" Tyananna asked curiously.
"I will not tell you if she has not," Tammutyen said resolutely, tossing a sharpened dagger into the box.
Tyananna shook her head and got back to work. For a considerable amount of time all one could hear was her furious hammering and the creaking of the grinding wheel. At long last she heard him get to his feet and pick up the box.
"I understand that the way the Sith function must be in sheer contrast to what you are accustomed to," he said, watching her from above. She looked up and their glances met. "I do not know with what I might have offended you or why you said you hated me. I know you do not. And I can understand you are embarrassed, too. But I can assure you that you do not need to be embarrassed about anything."
He tentatively leaned forward until their noses were only inches away. It was not exactly hard for Tyananna to see through his intentions, but she noted that this time he took a different approach to the matter. Slowly, as though trying to fathom out whether she was going to punch him in the face, he kissed her and she closed her eyes. She could not deny that he was driving her mad. Was it due to the isolation or due to the stress, she did not know. Was it the way he smelled? That spicy, mysterious scent which was making her dizzy? Or was it the fact that he was not human and that he was so very different than any man she ever met? Was it his unnatural coldness and the fact that he had to drink blood in order to survive? Perhaps it was a combination of all these things which made him so irresistible.
When he slowly pulled back, Tyananna opened her eyes, wondering what made her do it. He smiled and placed a cold hand on her cheek. It felt like a stiff piece of meat against her warm, human skin.
"My offer still stands," he said, glancing over her and then backing away. "Think about it. And let me know. I do not want to make you feel either embarrassed or angry."
He turned, picked up his box and swept out of the smithy, his long hair billowing behind him. Tyananna breathed with relief when he was gone and buried her face in her hands, unable to stop thinking about the kiss.
oooooooooooooooooo
The following morning they had the strangest training, which confused all three Sith apprentices. Even Tammutyen, who made a serious study of Droddian combat styles and the development of the Albinian fighting skills throughout centuries, was completely clueless and could not understand what they were being taught, even after they were done with their training. It was such a combination of everything they ever learned, such a complicated, strange combination which, upon the first glance, was quite pointless.
"This technique," the Dark Lord said loudly, "is the blend of many things. It is not a b'daar or any kind of a ready-made sequence of movements. It will serve to train you in the art of improvisation. So far, it would have been natural of me to expect you to be able to use your weapons and at the same time use, for instance, a stick which you found on the ground or a small dagger. But what I want you to learn is how to manage every situation and more than ten opponents, by using every means accessible to you. Thus do not even try to memorise the exercises – for they will never be the same."
He turned around and snapped his fingers at Tyananna, who was still trying to catch her breath, as the Dark Lord's idea of warming up was to go through the first five b'daars without taking a break. She was warmed up all right. Or, to be more exact, steaming.
"You will be working with two swords," the Dark Lord said, taking them down from the wall and proffering them to her. They were heavy, she concluded. But they were nothing like her M'Hoor.
"You with two Mroth'Kah," the Dark Lord went on, handing a pair of very strange weapons to Tarralyanna. She recognised those as she used to play with them as a child. She expected something horribly heavy and hard to use, but instead she got her old play toys. They were imitations of her Saragon, but the spheres were ridiculously small compared to those of the Saragon and the chains spread in four directions from the small cross designed to enable one to hold the weapon tightly. Each Mroth'Kah had four spheres attached to it.
"As you have noticed," the Dark Lord went on, as he walked back to the corner where they kept their weapons. "These weapons are not designed to inflict serious injuries. They are here solely for the purpose of exercise. What you will be concerned about will be speed and endurance."
He handed what looked like two double-bladed spears to Lord Tammutyen, who spun them around in his hands as soon as his Master turned his back to him, trying out their balance. He furrowed his brow. They were light and their balance was not in the centre, as it was the case with his Ptah, but rather at the ends.
"Now I shall explain to you what I want you to do," the Dark Lord went on, taking off his cloak.
Uh-oh, Tarralyanna thought, this is never a good sign. He only takes off his cloak when he wants to demonstrate something and his demonstrations are usually an introduction to a very long and horrible training session. The Dark Lord picked up a handful of throwing stars from a peg and turned to face them again.
"The exercises by themselves are not very hard. However, I want you to focus on speed, force and the Dark side. First exercise – I will be throwing throwing stars at you. Your task is to make the best out of that situation. You may use the stars against me; you may defend yourselves. You may also evade all of the stars I throw at you. The choice is yours and you must esteem the situation and make the best out of it. Lady Tarralyanna, you may go first."
Tyananna thought that this was not so bad. However, when she saw Lady Tarralyanna spinning so fast she was a blur, with the eight spheres fizzing around her head and intercepting the throwing stars, Tyananna sighed. She would never be able to do that, even if she trained from dusk till dawn.
Lord Tammutyen looked a little concerned as he was waiting for his turn, constantly trying out the balance of his strange spears and frowning to himself. It was obvious that he did not feel comfortable with such weapons. But after he was done, Tyananna thought he did well enough.
"Lord Tammutyen, are you still warming up?" the Dark Lord asked, his eyes flashing dangerously at the Sith knight, who bowed his head. He turned to Tyananna, who felt as though she had a lump in her throat.
"Tyananna," he said. "I shall throw only ten stars at you and I will not do it as quickly. Let us see how you will do, shall we?"
Tyananna felt anger rising within her and her nervousness was gone in a second. She remembered the way everyone used to treat her, as though they already expected her to fail before she could even have a go at it.
"I would prefer to be treated the same way," she said loudly. "My Master."
Lady Tarralyanna and Lord Tammutyen exchanged glances and for a moment the expression on the Dark Lord's face was inscrutable. Then he smiled.
"Spoken like a true Sith," he said, straightening up. "Stand by."
Tyananna came to the conclusion that rage indeed helped her in her training. At times it gave her such a clear focus that it seemed as though time stopped and the everything that existed was her and her purpose.
And she felt it now as well. As the star flew toward her, she spun around, noting the trajectory with her Force eyes and reacting. As much as she complained about her muscular arms, now they were at last of some use to her, because the her arms managed the weight of her swords just fine. Before she became a Sith, it never occurred to her how important it was to be physically strong. At the Jedi Temple, no one paid much attention to this. This was why the Jalá swords were mostly very light, so that anyone could use them. The Jedi relied on the Force for most things.
And her initial success continued. She was so caught up with it that she lost her focus and was forced to evade the flying star by throwing herself on the floor, jumping to her feet as soon as she landed. Now she was a little behind, because the Dark Lord was throwing the stars at her in a steady rhythm. She acted instinctively. She used one foot to intercept the star, which grazed her, but she paid no attention to the pain. The last one she managed to actually catch between the sword blades and she threw it on the ground with an angry growl.
It took her some time to realise that the Dark Lord was done with throwing. But when she did, she doubled over and closed her eyes, sweat pouring down her forehead.
"Improvisation," he said quietly. He cracked a smile. Looking over her shoulder, Tyananna noticed that Tarralyanna and Tammutyen were watching her with appreciation.
"Had this been an exercise involving strict rules, you would have failed, as you were not quick enough. However, you showed a talent for improvisation, which helped you a great deal. This seems to be your strength, my apprentice. Lady Tarralyanna. Your turn."
Tyananna felt she finally found something she was good at. Although her 'improvisation' was at times painful, she noted, to her surprise, that it was highly useful. What was perhaps the best of all was that Lady Tarralyanna and Lord Tammutyen looked at her with approval and tapped her on the back in their passing as they swapped places. As for the Dark Lord, he nodded at her each time and this was quite enough for Tyananna. He approved of her work.
Once the Dark Lord announced that they were done, she threw herself on the floor and swallowed the content of her water bottle in a few gulps. Lady Tarralyanna dropped down on the floor beside her and started to stretch, obviously relieved that this strange training has finally come to an end.
The Dark Lord did not leave, as he always did after they were done. Instead he sat down on his chair and started flipping through his notebook, not paying attention to them any more.
'Why is he still here?' Tyananna thought, looking at Lady Tarralyanna. The latter shrugged, casting a glance in his direction.
As he already said they were done, they could naturally leave. Once they were done with their stretching, the Sith got to their feet. Lord Tammutyen draped his shirt which was drenched in sweat over his shoulders and headed toward the door.
"Tyananna," the Dark Lord called to her.
What does he want to speak to me about, she thought as she approached him? So that was why he remained in the hall.
"Sit down," he said, pointing toward a chair. She did so, thinking that this could not be a good sign. The fact that offered her a seat meant that he had a lot to tell her and that it would take some time.
"You have been diligently working on your emotion control, I see," he started, closing his notebook and putting it aside. "And you have been using your rage."
"But I must draw your attention to something related to it," he went on. "It is no good trying to ignore your sexual drives. You are still a human being and you should not ignore such things."
Tyananna flushed to the tips of her ears and looked down on her hands, not believing her ears. Were her thoughts so loud for everyone to hear? Would her most intimate thoughts now be dissected? A few pictures and thoughts, that is all it was and yet everyone makes such a fuss over them, she thought. I will never think about such things again when I am around people, she thought furiously. I will rather count the number of hairs on my head.
"I am your Master, Tyananna," the Dark Lord said. "I am not merely your teacher. I am your guide in the Dark side. I must know all there is to know about you and I also need to know your most intimate thoughts, in order to be able to guide you. You may rest assured that I will not share them with either Lady Tarralyanna or Lord Tammutyen."
"Well, it so seems that they already know," she said a bitterly. "And Lord Tammutyen made a… strange offer to me."
"That is indeed very insightful of him," the Dark Lord said.
"But he does not understand," Tyananna said quickly. She felt so annoyed about the whole thing that she now really wanted to talk about it.
"I like and respect Lady Tarralyanna and I could never accept such an offer," Tyananna said, shaking her head.
"My apprentice," the Dark Lord said patiently. "You forget that our system of values is very much different than what you are accustomed to. We value advancement – and one cannot advance if one's body and mind are not in perfect harmony. If something is out of place, it will reflect on your work and your advancement. And something is out of place."
"I will also explain to you what Lord Tammutyen undoubtedly already tried to explain to you," he went on. "Lord Tammutyen does not 'belong' to anyone, nor does Lady Tarralyanna. You should not either. That is a perverted illusion of those who are slaves to their emotions. A Sith belongs to no one and is not attached to anyone. Lord Tammutyen offered to help you, because he realised you had a problem. And you should not see it in any other way."
"I am not sure," Tyananna said after a pause, "that it would solve the problem. It might only make it worse."
"Be it as it may –" the Dark Lord said, "– and I approve of your way of thinking – something has to be done about it. It is an obstruction to your advancement and I will not allow it."
"You should think about it," he said, getting to his feet. "This is not an advice. It is an order. Your hormones are an obstruction to your work. I leave it to you to decide what to do about it. Your hands are untied. But I want you to resolve this problem."
He left the hall and Tyananna looked down on her hands and shook her head. She realised that this was not about Tammutyen – her hormones were driving her crazy and since he was the only male around, except for the Dark Lord, she had no one else to fantasise about except about him.
She knew now she had to do something about it, but she doubted that accepting Tammutyen's offer would solve the problem. It might make things even harder for her. And yet… perhaps that way she might get a sort of a closure, if she did accept his offer. She growled and pointed her finger at her M'Hoor which obediently zoomed into her hand. At that moment, Tyananna wished she was not human. Her life could have been simpler.