Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed. This was going to be a one-post,
but thanks to suggestions, I'll probably continue it a few more chapters.
Happy Reading and REVIEWING all!
"Princess! Princess Tenel Ka! You must wake up!"
Prince Isolder's voice rang above the others, "Tenel Ka! What are you doing up there?"
She woke with a start, and abruptly toppled from the branch she had fallen asleep on. Yet somehow, she managed to land on her feet. Isolder authoritatively dismissed the guards that had alerted him to his daughter's strange behavior.
Walking over to her father, Tenel Ka realized she was still wearing her long, white nightgown, but chose to ignore that fact.
"Daughter...what has gotten into you?" Isolder spoke in Hapan to his daughter, and she responded in the same dialect.
"Father, I apologize. I... could not sleep in my room."
"Well, as that may be, your mother wishes to speak with you, so I suggest you get dressed at hurry to her rooms."
"Thank you, I will." Tenel Ka started to walk away, but Isolder stopped her and looked at her for a moment. He pulled her into a bear hug, and though surprised, she hugged him back.
"Oh, my daughter" Isolder sighed, with a touch of longing and remorse for not seeing his only child for more than perhaps twice a year. She had grown so much since their last meeting, and ever day she looked more like her mother. "I have missed you. Please, walk with me for a moment or two before going to your mother. We have not spoken in a very long time."
Their identical grey eyes stared at each other, and Tenel Ka nodded. Isolder began to speak, "You saved my life the other day, and I never got to tell you how thankful I am. And how very proud I am of you. When the young Solo boy died, it made me realize how dangerous this war is."
Tenel Ka felt the pain in her father's Forceless heart, and realized that upon her mother's impending death, she would be all that was left of Teneniel for him.
So they sat on a garden bench and talked, father and daughter.
"Mother?" Tenel Ka pushed the door of her mother's chambers open. The room was lighter than usual, as Teneniel had opened the drapes today, letting the sunshine pour in. The room had been dusted since Tenel Ka's last visit, and fresh flowers placed in vases around the room. The cheery appearance reflected her mother's change in disposition.
"Tenel Ka! Come, sit down." Teneniel's once rusty brown hair was streaked with grey, though the glaze over her eyes that Tenel Ka had observed since she had begun visiting her mother was gone. She spoke to her daughter in the Dathomirian language, instead of Hapan, like her husband. Isolder had never fully learned his wife's language, so they conversed in Hapan or Basic. Tenel Ka, however, was trilingual, though her Basic had a strange mix of a Hapan/Dathomirian accent.
"How are you feeling, Mother?" She sat down at her mother's table, where Teneniel was writing. She stuck the pen back in its inkwell and turned to face her daughter.
"I am well, no, not well, but better." She paused, "but I want to talk about you."
"Me?" Tenel Ka was puzzled.
"Yes," Her mother nodded, looking concerned. She nodded to the two servants in her chambers, tidying. "You may go." They bowed to the Queen and exited the rooms. "My daughter, you are radiating in grief."
"Many have been lost in this war. Many friends." Tenel Ka swallowed, as she knew her mother probably knew her daughter's mind better than Tenel Ka knew it herself.
"But one friend, in particular, you grieve for." She grasped her daughter's one hand tightly. "I felt your frenzied storm of grief. Everyone did."
"I apologize for causing you pain, Mother."
"No, Tenel Ka, I am sorry you felt such pain. I thought the universe would be a better place after the Empire, and the Nightsisters. I was wrong." Teneniel shook her head sadly. She looked into Tenel Ka's grey eyes. "I know why you grieve him so."
Tenel Ka looked away from her mother, and pulled her hand away. Her mother grabbed her hand back and squeezed it tightly. "You must not hide from this any more. You love him."
Teneniel pulled Tenel Ka close to her, and whispered in her ear, "He is alive."
"No, Mother, he is dead, I felt him die." Tenel Ka did not want to reveal her "silly" belief that Jacen was still alive. It was ridiculous, and she was certainly not known for ridiculous thinking."
"No." She spoke with force, holding her twenty-one year old daughter by her shoulders at an arms length away, as if she was an adolescent being punished again. "He is alive. You must speak with Leia."
"Leia is fooling herself. She cannot handle the death of both sons." Tenel Ka thought to herself, "You're fooling yourself, you cannot handle the death of the one you love..."
"No! Tenel Ka, you must believe me. Mothers know these things. I know. I am sure you will know someday as well." Teneniel sighed, and smiled. "I remember when you were very small. Running around the palace, your hair flying behind you...
"You know anger is of the dark side, I feel your grief, your anger. If you believe him dead, than there is nothing I can do to change your mind. You always were just as stubborn as your father."
There was a momentary lapse in the conversation, then Tenel Ka said, "I see you are feeling better."
"Yes, despite your grief your presence, both physical and in the Force, is comforting."
"Yours is as well, Mother."
"Princess! Princess Tenel Ka! You must wake up!"
Prince Isolder's voice rang above the others, "Tenel Ka! What are you doing up there?"
She woke with a start, and abruptly toppled from the branch she had fallen asleep on. Yet somehow, she managed to land on her feet. Isolder authoritatively dismissed the guards that had alerted him to his daughter's strange behavior.
Walking over to her father, Tenel Ka realized she was still wearing her long, white nightgown, but chose to ignore that fact.
"Daughter...what has gotten into you?" Isolder spoke in Hapan to his daughter, and she responded in the same dialect.
"Father, I apologize. I... could not sleep in my room."
"Well, as that may be, your mother wishes to speak with you, so I suggest you get dressed at hurry to her rooms."
"Thank you, I will." Tenel Ka started to walk away, but Isolder stopped her and looked at her for a moment. He pulled her into a bear hug, and though surprised, she hugged him back.
"Oh, my daughter" Isolder sighed, with a touch of longing and remorse for not seeing his only child for more than perhaps twice a year. She had grown so much since their last meeting, and ever day she looked more like her mother. "I have missed you. Please, walk with me for a moment or two before going to your mother. We have not spoken in a very long time."
Their identical grey eyes stared at each other, and Tenel Ka nodded. Isolder began to speak, "You saved my life the other day, and I never got to tell you how thankful I am. And how very proud I am of you. When the young Solo boy died, it made me realize how dangerous this war is."
Tenel Ka felt the pain in her father's Forceless heart, and realized that upon her mother's impending death, she would be all that was left of Teneniel for him.
So they sat on a garden bench and talked, father and daughter.
"Mother?" Tenel Ka pushed the door of her mother's chambers open. The room was lighter than usual, as Teneniel had opened the drapes today, letting the sunshine pour in. The room had been dusted since Tenel Ka's last visit, and fresh flowers placed in vases around the room. The cheery appearance reflected her mother's change in disposition.
"Tenel Ka! Come, sit down." Teneniel's once rusty brown hair was streaked with grey, though the glaze over her eyes that Tenel Ka had observed since she had begun visiting her mother was gone. She spoke to her daughter in the Dathomirian language, instead of Hapan, like her husband. Isolder had never fully learned his wife's language, so they conversed in Hapan or Basic. Tenel Ka, however, was trilingual, though her Basic had a strange mix of a Hapan/Dathomirian accent.
"How are you feeling, Mother?" She sat down at her mother's table, where Teneniel was writing. She stuck the pen back in its inkwell and turned to face her daughter.
"I am well, no, not well, but better." She paused, "but I want to talk about you."
"Me?" Tenel Ka was puzzled.
"Yes," Her mother nodded, looking concerned. She nodded to the two servants in her chambers, tidying. "You may go." They bowed to the Queen and exited the rooms. "My daughter, you are radiating in grief."
"Many have been lost in this war. Many friends." Tenel Ka swallowed, as she knew her mother probably knew her daughter's mind better than Tenel Ka knew it herself.
"But one friend, in particular, you grieve for." She grasped her daughter's one hand tightly. "I felt your frenzied storm of grief. Everyone did."
"I apologize for causing you pain, Mother."
"No, Tenel Ka, I am sorry you felt such pain. I thought the universe would be a better place after the Empire, and the Nightsisters. I was wrong." Teneniel shook her head sadly. She looked into Tenel Ka's grey eyes. "I know why you grieve him so."
Tenel Ka looked away from her mother, and pulled her hand away. Her mother grabbed her hand back and squeezed it tightly. "You must not hide from this any more. You love him."
Teneniel pulled Tenel Ka close to her, and whispered in her ear, "He is alive."
"No, Mother, he is dead, I felt him die." Tenel Ka did not want to reveal her "silly" belief that Jacen was still alive. It was ridiculous, and she was certainly not known for ridiculous thinking."
"No." She spoke with force, holding her twenty-one year old daughter by her shoulders at an arms length away, as if she was an adolescent being punished again. "He is alive. You must speak with Leia."
"Leia is fooling herself. She cannot handle the death of both sons." Tenel Ka thought to herself, "You're fooling yourself, you cannot handle the death of the one you love..."
"No! Tenel Ka, you must believe me. Mothers know these things. I know. I am sure you will know someday as well." Teneniel sighed, and smiled. "I remember when you were very small. Running around the palace, your hair flying behind you...
"You know anger is of the dark side, I feel your grief, your anger. If you believe him dead, than there is nothing I can do to change your mind. You always were just as stubborn as your father."
There was a momentary lapse in the conversation, then Tenel Ka said, "I see you are feeling better."
"Yes, despite your grief your presence, both physical and in the Force, is comforting."
"Yours is as well, Mother."