Post 8
Danshitie Sector 897 on Republic Maps
"How could you just let her leave?" His eyes flashed violently. "I had her. It was your responsibility..and you blew it." The young man stared mutely ahead.
"Answer me!" the older of the two roared and raised his hand to slap the statuesque figure, only to find his hand grasped from behind by one more delicate than his.
Her calm voice intervened. "Bran Morodin, if you harm one hair on his head I will personally cut your fingers off. This is your doing."
Bran twirled around. "Elbereth, stay out of it."
"How can I? I am your twin, your equal in this family. I know when something is your fault. Take your blame."
"My blame?"
"Yes, your blame. You knew he could not reveal himself to her. It is not the time. She is not yet ready to feel the ultimate betrayal. " Her last words took on her twin's snide tone. "You are obsessed with this. What Father did to them was wrong, you know it and I know it. By the Force, watch your step."
"Elbereth, you are out of line."
"As are you, do not punish our younger brother for something he could not deal with. If you had been there to take care of your wife..." The sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh silenced her words, and only then did the frozen figure move.
"Don't you move a muscle, Illian. Or I shall do more damage than you can undo."
Nodding feebly, the boy whispered, "I will speak, Bran." His voice became tortured. "Just stop, please, just stop."
For a few moments they stood there and stared at the huddled mass on the floor between them.
When the girl stood up she stared at the man who had moments before been her brother. "I'm sorry Bran. Apparently, I made a mistake." She turned her red rimmed eyes towards her other brother, and moved towards him, lifting her skirt with the hand that was not covering the place where she had been hit. She placed a light kiss on her brother's cheek and whispered. "Little brother, come speak to me later. I wish to hear what happened from your own lips."
His eyes stared back at her in fear, the eyes that were the cause of the prejudice against him. She rushed out.
Brother faced brother
Bran's voice was tight. "Speak."
Illian breathed. "I followed her to Treasure Ship Row, when you left. That's where she disappeared. As per your orders I sent the Bounty Hunters after her. When they came back they said that they were jumped, and were clobbered from behind." He licked his lips, as his mind reeled.
"There is something else?"
"Jarad's family demands his body."
Bran spoke with a small smile growing on his face. It was a smile of triumph, and maliciousness. "He performed his part brilliantly, didn't he?"
Illian hung his head, "Yes." He knew what pain he had put her through, how he would feel if he was in her place.
"Tell them the truth, tell them that their son contributed to the glory and triumph of Morodin."
"Yes, Bran."
Bran gruffly patted him on the shoulder. "You've been gone a long time. You are reproving your loyalty despite your deformity." He laughed cruelly at the shocked face. "Such a pity you were one of the few born without the Mark of the Morodin. Too bad you weren't older. Now get out."
The boy hesitated.
"GET OUT!"
~~~~~
Elbereth quickly wiped her tears as she saw Illian enter. He looked at her and crumpled. "She was in so much pain. I tried to stop her from leaving I tried, but I couldn't, I couldn't keep her there any longer. I...tried."
"Darling, you don't need to be her protection anymore. You did that for her already. There is someone else." She was shocked that she was speaking so plainly. There were no bugs in her room, the algae on her walls stopped all electrical signals. Not able to face him she turned away before continuing. "His name is Tristan, and I love him."
"Elbereth, her brother? Does he love you?"
She looked at him with confidence, "Yes"
~~~~~
YAVIN 4
Mara ran to the medcenter at top speed, and reached there just as Luke rounded the corner carrying a limp Tenal Ka in his arms. Jacen followed carrying what looked to be Tenal Ka's missing forearm.
"Shavit." Mara swore and gingerly picked the cauterized limb and ran it to the surgical droid. Jacen tried to follow but Mirax who had just arrived stopped him.
"Jacen, you can't."
He looked at her with a pained expression. "But I didn't mean to, her blade just disappeared."
"It's all right Jacen. She knows."
A few hours later Mara came out and shook her head. They had not been able to replace the lost limb. She briefly spoke to Mirax in low tones, so the waiting children could not hear. "Tenal Ka is now in a healing trance." She continued. Luke had gone to notify her parents. Jacen and Jaina still had not found out that their dear friend was a princess. After Mirax consented to watch over the twins and Lowie for a moment, Mara walked outside and collected her thoughts.
All she knew was that her worries had been founded. A few feet away from the temple, she heard Jaina's voice. She turned and watched her niece run to her aunt. Immediately, she was enveloped into a much-needed hug.
"Aunt Mara, she'll be all right, right?"
Mara brushed her niece's head. "Jaina, look into the Force, can you feel her pain?" The girl nodded. "That will fade, but her scar here," Mara put Jaina's hand on her heart, "This will become stronger."
"You didn't think we were ready, did you?" Her niece's tone was inquisitive, not accusing.
Mara took a deep breath "I thought that you needed to slow down. Take it easy, become more attuned to the Force before tackling the art of swordmanship. Your lightsaber is an extension of your own being. It is you. You have to be ready mentally and physically with the Force, before you can master its use."
"So Uncle Luke was wrong?"
"No, your Uncle Luke was right. I understand the need to push, but your caution must be practiced. It requires discipline."
The child contemplated this. "Aunt Mara, may I see yours?"
Mara thought about it for a second, and then unhesitatingly pulled out her lightsaber and sat with Jaina on the grass. "Here, do you know what this is?"
"No."
"This is my first lightsaber, and it is your Uncle's first lightsaber. He gave it to me after you and your brother were born, right after Thrawn was defeated."
She looked at the Massaii temple that loomed over the canopy of the forest. "I used to work for the Empire." It was a statement, and Mara waited to gauge Jaina's expression. "I was asked by my master, Emperor Palpatine, to kill your uncle when he went to save your father from Tatooine. I failed." The next part still ceased to give her pain. It was a part of her life that she understood and acknowledged as false and finished, but it had been her life.
"On the night your grandfather killed Emperor Palpatine, I was in direct contact with him, I felt him die and had his will, his last command imprinted on my mind. He asked me to track down Luke...and kill him."
"Kill Uncle Luke." Her expression was incredulous.
"Yes, but I couldn't."
"But Mom and Dad said that during the campaign against Thrawn you saved our lives."
"And was put under house arrest because of Thrawn's attempt to rid me of any trust I had received from your family. Your mother and father had faith that I could never have. They took me to Wayland, where you uncle had to battle his clone, Luuke, wielding this lightsaber. The very lightsaber he lost when he lost his hand..."
"On Cloud City." Jaina's face had become one of wonder..."Is that how you and Uncle Luke met?"
Mara smiled wistfully. "No, but that's another story. When I killed the clone, I completed the last command, albeit in a circular way. But it was enough to stop his voice and vanquish his hold over me."
Jaina blinked as comprehension dawned. "This is my grandfather's lightsaber. And you have it."
"It reminds me that the past is the past, and that despite all my faults and deeds under Palpatine, I could move on, like your grandfather."
"What you're saying is that I'm in control. Not the Lightsaber."
"Yes." Mara hugged her niece, and froze as she saw Luke approach from the other direction. She quickly whispered to Jaina "I need to talk to your uncle. Go to your brother, he needs you." Jaina assented, and went back towards the temple.
As Luke met Mara halfway, they walked in silence. *Mara*
*Don't* Her answer was sharp. *You see what I was worried about?*
*I see, and I understand, but do you see that the only way they can learn is if they are given a chance?*
Mara's eyes flashed angrily before she assented. *Yes.* A pause. *What did Isolder and Tennial Djo say?*
*The were not available. The Queen Mother was. She is sending Ambassador Yfra to pick her up.*
*She asked to leave?* Mara frowned. *Is that best?*
Luke spoke hesitatingly, breaking the silence. "I may not agree, but she asked, and ultimately it is her decision."
"And I hope she has chosen the right one."
~~~~~
*For some reason, Tristan had turned against me. He still acted like my brother, before I mentioned my memory. But he looks sad, like he is missing someone far away. I think it is time for me to go. I don't think that I can make myself stay much longer…*
~~~~~
"Tristan, what's wrong?"
He looked out the window. "Nothing."
Anian limped next to her brother, she could tell he was hurting. "Something is. If you don't tell me...I can't help. Isn't that what brothers and sisters are supposed to do? Help one another?"
He almost caved in. "Yes...but this can not be fixed." They stood in silence, watching the top of temple as the sun went down.
"There is going to be a storm, isn't there?" Her tone of voice implied that she wasn't talking about rain.
"No storm, just a minor shower."
This reply confused her. A minor shower? "A minor shower?"
"The only water will be the tears falling from my face when I have to..." He choked up. In a brief flash of anger he knocked over the bag next to the nightstand. The anger dissolved as he heard a tinkle of glass hit the floor.
His face grew pale. "No..." in a quick motion he opened the bag and retrieved a holo cube. Pushing the button the cube came to life as he sagged in relief. For the first five minutes he remained transfixed on the blond figure laughed and smiled at him. He started as Anian spoke.
"Who is she?"
"Someone...I..."
"Loved?"
Her brother blushed as he corrected her. "Love."
Anian got an impish smile on her face. "Ooooooh, so? What's her name?"
The bright eyes clouded over. "Elbereth." He daren't say another word.
She repeated. "Elbereth. If you love her, I love her." As she finished her words she felt herself being wrapped in a bear hug, and became panicked as her brother started to shake.
"I'm sorry. I can't help you." As if that statement helped him make up his mind he straightened, hiding his shaking fingers in his clenched hand as he clasped them behind his back. "We're leaving."
Anian jumped back in surprise. "WHAT?!"
"You heard me. It's time we put an end to this. We must go to Danshitie."
~~~~~
* I wish we had never gone. I wish...
Why ? Why Deke?*
~~~~~
Mara stared in anguish as Tristan's ship, *Hope* disappeared into hyperspace.
Something was not right here, not right at all. Fortunately, they had convinced them to delay as much as possible on the grounds that Anian was not yet physically able. Mara could not stop feeling that something was out of place, but Anian had made her choice, and it was her decision.
In the end, everyone had to make their own choices.
Tenal Ka had left a few weeks before, but no one had heard a thing from her.
Mara sensed that the children would want to go see her, and she could sense Luke feeling the same way. No word meant that she did not have anyone to speak to her about her feelings. And as this was a prime period in her training. Luke feared for her.
To top it off, more children had been reported missing from Coruscant. More children, had been taken. That was another mystery waiting to be solved.
~~~~~
*The trip was long. The brittle silence that enveloped Tristan grew until it slammed into the bulkheads and made talking almost a suffocating thing.
He had the look that I had often seen on a friend's face, one of testing his conscience. One of deciding between his heart and his soul.
I think I've already lost both.*
~~~~~
Elbereth threw his picture with all her might against the wall. After what had happened tonight, there was nothing she could do now. Nothing. She spent the night in her dress, a star of angry gold in a palace of darkness.
~~~~~
In another part of the palace, Illian stared at the ceiling, wondering what was going on in another part of the house. Within his thoughts, his blue eyes turned the color of sapphire ice, cold and unrelenting. Things had moved too far...What had occurred today was the end of the magnificent life, the end of what he had been brought up for. This night was a night for the savage...the night for Bran.
~~~~~
*Danshitie, Never had there ever been a place that Anian wanted to leave more. Danshitie, the place where her life blew apart...like Alderaan. Everything that Anian had ever believed was true was finally revealed to be false.
Betrayal had never hurt so much*
~~~~~
*They had stepped off the ship into an ambush, but Anian had been the only one surprised. Everywhere she looked there were men with eyes hard as ice, and cold as the violet ice that grew on Mon Calamari.
This was Morodin territory, and they had walked right into their arms.
In less than a week, Anian's world moved at warp speed, and inverted itself into a world that she could not recognize, a world she could not take.
In one twist they moved in one direction, ushered into a room after a night of restless isolation and sleep, where attendants had dressed her in a gown of silverwhite silk. Her hair had been tied into a pattern of intertwining braids that created a ring about her head with interspersing flowers that made her hair shine with moonlight.
Her brother met her with a somber expression, he hadn't said a word to her since they landed. Like her, he was dressed in utmost finery, a suit that was charcoal black, with a familiar silver emblem near his heart.
Then the world spun some more...
As they walked into a hall with emblems that Anian had come to recognize as the Morodin crest, her eyes widened. She must not let them see her fear.
Standing in front of her was a familiar face, one of tortured nightmares, Bran Morodin. His words echoed in her ears You are mine...mine mine mine mine. She winced. A young woman in a shimmering dress of iridescent purple and gold stepped out from behind her for captor. Then she heard his gasp.
Tristan had gone pale as his heart hammered in his chest. He hadn't known that she would be there, although in hindsight it was obvious. She was the co-head of the family. The leader that had confided in secret to her opposition to all that her brother and father had done to the Romani's.
"Sora...welcome home."
"I'm not Sora."
Her brother breathed, and then in a low tone answered for Bran. "Yes, you are."
The fold of her skirt spun, a kaleidoscope of silver beams against the garishness of the golden temple that was slowly beginning to close in on her.
"Tristan? What?" She turned back to Bran and bared her teeth menacingly.
"What have you done to him?"
He just stared, a guard of a prisoner slowly falling into her own grave.
Tristan spoke again, stabbing his heart with every breath, finally able to explain it all, when he could not do anything for her. "You were born Anian Selena Romani. All that I have told you of your life before your ..." He broke off, and for a moment his breath was the only sound heard in the center. "All that I have told you of your life before your indoctrination was true. You are the daughter of our parents, Garick and Wynli Romani. You are sister to our brothers, you are my sister. " He bent his head as he started the next part.
"Look at her." It was Bran, his smile was now one of maniacal happiness.
Eye contact, and Anian saw the fear, saw the torture.
"In our tradition, a child over the age of ten can be bethroed and even wedded to a suitor of her family's choice. Even when the marriage occurs against the families wishes, the sanctity of the vow must be honored. The girl and her partner are knelt in front of the heads of family, and perform the act of *alyacri*, where their hands are bound together with a crimson band. This band is the symbolic tie of perpetual blood. It can not be broken. I can not break what has been decreed. It is the tradition of our world. It is the basis for our order." In an attempt to explain himself he went on. "No family has ever gone this far...no one has twisted the sanctity of tradition to this extent. No one has manipulated..." A stab to his right side by a guard stopped his attack.
"Anian, you are his. You are now Sora Morodin, Anian Sora Morodin."
Her mind reeled. "You told me the truth, but from your point of view. How could this help me? I remember the teachings, remember? I know the importance of tradition. This is not tradition it is sacrilege." She tried to talk sense into her last defender, but he looked away. She was rambling. She couldn't see straight.
Someone grabbed her arms and pulled her towards the man they called her husband. "NOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOOO...!" Fighting with all her might, she twisted as she felt the cold hands wrap in an iron fist around her arm.
Bran's low voice growled in triumph. "Get him out of here, rid me of his presence. He is no longer needed."
From the corner of her mind's eye, Anian saw Tristan being pulled towards the door. The closing of the door coincided with a slap to her face by Bran. In simultaneous time with the ringing of her ears, the woman standing next to Bran stooped down and pulled her mouth to Anian's ear. "He will die if you do not stop. He will die." Her whisper was harsh and hoarse, as if she was stifling a cry. "He will die."
The closing of the door allowed for a premature silence that no one had been prepared for. Taking advantage of the situation Anian slumped in mock defeat, and stepped with all her might on the feet that belonged to the man now holding her prisoner.
Finding herself free, she turned and ran not hearing the illegible command that followed his wail of pain...
Three feet from the door the world crashed to a unbelievable end. The door in front of her slammed open and the blue eyes of a familiar face locked her in her gaze. Unable to say anything, unable to breathe, the blackness that had been threatening her all day crashed into her with unequivocal force. The following stunbolts turned her legs to jelly and he rushed forward to catch her speaking with a low whisper, "We are never lost...just never found. Never lost...just never found..."*
End of Post 8