Author's Notes: The character of Kelsa Kine is the property of the-raven-of-highever / raven-of-domain-kwaad on Tumblr … who basically asked for this. (They really should be nicer to their characters.)
Kelsa Kine felt her eyes flutter open at the sensation of someone's fingers gently caress her hair.
The feeling was almost foreign to her. No one had touched her with such tenderness in years. Not since…
Not since Odessen.
The second thing she was aware of was … her own awareness. She had no idea how long she'd been imprisoned and sedated by the Hutts, but she realized intrinsically that she was no longer in that horrid place. The smells were all wrong, for one thing. The sounds, as well. Her limbs were free; unrestrained. And no one working for the Hutts had ever treated her gently, certainly not like whomever was brushing her hair right now.
Even the Force – oh, yes, she could feel the Force again – was different here. Not choked off, but open.
Catching her breath after what felt like years, the memories of her life all flooded back to her. Odessen. The hard years trying to provide for her cousin. Élise's betrayal. The slave camp. And then… her time as a guinea pig; her genetic material harvested by the Hutts.
She let out a sob, feeling too exhausted to feel ashamed at the display of emotion.
Besides, it felt good to sob. To let it all out. After so long, it felt good to be able to sob.
The third thing she became acutely aware of was the light patches that had been affixed to her arms and back. She remembered the syringe piercings on her arms and the whip scars across her back.
Kolto patches. She realized. Someone had gone through a great deal of trouble to clean her up and to provide her with excellent medical care. Her hair had been left free, not up in its usual bun.
She was still groggy. She felt so tired she could barely move.
But she was unrestrained. That was something.
As she continued to feel the gentle touch of fingers combing through her hair, she finally turned her head up to regard her apparent rescuer.
The woman above her was extraordinarily beautiful. Gorgeous, even. Her voluminous raven hair was a shade darker than Kelsa's own, and she wore it long past her shoulders. Her chestnut brown eyes were sharp and intelligent but looked upon Kelsa with compassion. High cheek bones framed a lovey face, her skin fair but warm, her cosmetics impeccable, done in a style Kelsa had seen worn by the nobility of some worlds in holovids. Full red lips were quirked in an amused expression.
Kelsa remembered her mothers. She remembered thinking they were the most beautiful women in the galaxy of wanting to grow up to be just like them. This woman… reminded her of them. Not just for her beauty but for the kindness she was showing for her.
But it was more than that. Deep in her gut, Kelsa felt a spark of something she hadn't felt since… since she'd known Yudin, all those years ago.
She shook her head in denial. She couldn't afford thoughts like that. She couldn't afford to trust anyone.
She moved her mouth to speak.
"Where…?"
Kelsa stopped herself; her own voice sounded unfamiliar to her as the utterance sounded more like a croak from a buboicullaar than a word spoken by human woman. She instinctively swallowed, realizing only then how thirsty she was.
The woman gently caressed Kelsa's cheek.
"You're on my ship, my dear." Her voice was melodious. Like her touch, it felt comforting. "We are headed someplace safe, where no one can harm you. Where you can rest and heal."
Only now, did Kelsa become vaguely aware of her surroundings. The bed she was laying in wasn't some flimsy hospital cot, but was a massive, four-post with silk sheets. The blankets she'd been carefully wrapped in were softer and more comfortable than anything she'd ever felt.
Three or four people could fit in this bed. She realized.
Beyond the bed… her senses felt hazy. Indeed, the overhead light that was providing illumination for this room seemed focused only on her.
"You must be parched, my dear." The woman smiled, and she reached out her free hand and produced a bottle that she raised to Kelsa's lips. "Here. Have some water."
Kelsa knew she should have been suspicious. She was hardly at her best and she knew nothing about this person. But months of abuse and years of hardship had left her exhausted, and she could feel the dryness in her throat.
Reluctantly, her limbs feeling too tired to even take the bottle, she let the woman press the bottle's edge to her lips.
The water was crisp and refreshing. Even when the Hutts had fed and watered her, it was never more than the bare necessities. But with just a few sips, she realized this water was the most refreshing thing she'd consumed in a long time.
When she'd had enough, the woman withdrew the bottle.
"There we are. Nix warned me you might be dehydrated, given everything you've been through."
Kelsa blinked as she used the edge of the bedsheet to wiped the water from her mouth.
"Nix?" her voice was clearer now, more her own. But the fatigue was still clouding her mind.
"My medical droid." The woman smiled in explanation. "He's in the next room. A wonderful physician, though I fear he lacks a proper bedside manner."
She caressed Kelsa's cheek again.
"I didn't feel … entirely comfortable leaving him alone in here with our beautiful patient."
Beautiful?
Despite herself, Kelsa felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
It had been a long time since anyone had called her 'beautiful'. Even the Hutts who had enslaved her – known for exploiting young women in some of the cruelest ways possible – found her broad shoulders and muscular arms unappealing, much better suited to the back-breaking work in their mines than in 'entertainment'.
Until, of course, they had discovered that her genetic heritage made her far more profitable in another way.
"You … you think I'm beautiful?"
The woman's smile widened.
"So beautiful. And powerful. You're a fighter, Kelsa. You've endured so much. It must have taken incredible courage and skill just to get as far as you have. You're so strong."
Kelsa turned away. Thinking back on the twists and turns her life had taken and where they had ultimately led, the stranger's words embarrassed her. She recalled the humiliation of begging to Smiley, still fresh in her mind. The humiliation of pleading for help from anyone who might listen.
"Don't feel strong." She mumbled in shame.
This was answered with a clucking of a tongue.
"Every rose must have sunlight and soil to grow, my dear." The beautiful woman's hand brushed a lock of hair from Kelsa's eyes. "I can feel your strength inside you. And when you're ready, you will feel it as well."
Something about the talk of the strength inside of her made Kelsa recall what the Hutts had done to her. She tilted her head back towards the woman.
"To use me?" Kelsa asked quietly. Given her weakened state, she knew that whoever this woman was, at the moment she couldn't resist anything she tried to do to her.
Regardless, her answer was instantaneous.
"Never." There was a fierce intensity in the woman's voice that Kelsa felt in her very soul. It was as if it was more than a spoken word. More than the power of her voice. "I could never treat you like that."
The woman exhaled, gathering herself. Thus far, it was the closest Kelsa had seen her to being at all out of sorts.
"What the Hutts did to you was barbaric, even by their standards. Your blood and heritage do not interest me… though you should rightly be proud of where you came from."
She reached out and gently tipped Kelsa's chin until their eyes met again.
"Those who've joined my cause have done so of their own free will. And they stay for the same reason. None are prisoners. If you say the word, I will direct my ship to head for whatever system you wish. We will drop you off and then part ways. I swear I will trouble you no further."
The woman paused, giving her words a moment to sink in.
"Or…" she offered. "I can bring you to my home. You can rest and recover. We can sit in my garden by the lake, sipping wine and watching my roses grow, and only when you are ready… then we can speak of the future."
Kelsa exhaled.
Part of her wanted to take the first offer and opt out right now, to call this woman's bluff. She didn't want to trust people. Trusting people was dangerous.
But… being near this woman, hearing her voice, experiencing her kindness, even catching the scent of her perfume, something about her made Kelsa want to trust her.
She shook her head again. She was still sore. Still exhausted beyond reason, not just physically but emotionally.
Part of her knew that she should have said no.
But the truth was, Kelsa had no place left to go.
So instead, she lay back in the bed, pulling up the sheets and turning away again.
Twenty-three years of life, and this is all I have to show for it. She thought despairingly.
"There, there, my dear. Its alright." She felt a light pat on the shoulder. "Get some sleep, okay? We'll have time to talk later."
Kelsa could feel the woman rise from the bed, no doubt preparing to leave the room.
Tired though she was, she turned towards her mysterious patron again.
"Who…?" consciousness was starting to flee Kelsa, cutting off her question. But it was understood.
The woman smiled down at her again, dazzlingly. The expression made her feel light-headed.
"My name is Teeanah, my dear. Rest, now. When you awaken, I will tell you all about The Circle…"
With that, conscious though finally fled her. All that was left were the emotions left behind.
Kelsa had come into this life cared for and loved.
Despite her misgivings, she allowed herself to wonder for a moment if her life had finally come full circle.
Author's Notes: I wanted to accomplish two things with this piece.
First – I needed to get poor Kelsa away from Raven and their delicious whump fic, even if it's just for a minute. Raven's recent work has become a guilty pleasure. This chapter is effectively an AU for her story, and probably for my own as well. But I was inspired by something Raven said, and here we are.
Second – I wanted to introduce you all to Teeanah Malvern in a way that simultaneously showed her at her best and her worst. This character has inspired me for a while, and I've built a whole Legacy – and a whole story – around her.
Even if that plan falls through for me, at least Teeanah's treating Kelsa with kindness. That might make her creation worth it.