Carth sat up. Revan was already sitting on the balcony, meditating.
Have I been asleep for that long? thought Carth. He checked the time. Actually, it was quite early, and Carth could tell that Revan had already been in her calm for several hours.
Carth showered, changed, and came back into the bedroom. Revan was now standing, looking out on the vast golden hills before her. She wore her plain Jedi robes and a small, almost invisible silver chain around her neck.
Carth walked up to her and put his arms around her shoulders.
"You're up early again," he murmured, kissing her.
"I've needed to think a lot lately."
"Do you have to think so early?"
Revan smiled vacantly, staring out into the morning light. Her skin suddenly grew cold beneath Carth's hands.
Carth turned her to face him. "You okay?"
Revan walked back inside and sat on the bed. Carth followed and sat on the other side.
"Do you want to talk about it? Is it about us?"
Revan stayed silent.
"Well, I'm here for you. Like you were always here for me."
Revan curled up on the sheets. Carth wrapped his arms around her slender form.
"Thank you, Carth," slurred Revan, falling asleep, "I love you."
"I love you, too," Carth whispered into her ear. She fell asleep.
"What are you hiding from me?" whispered Carth, stroking Revan's hair.
Reaching around her neck, Carth found the silver chain Revan always wore and lifted it out of her robe. On the chain dangled a small circular pendant baring the engraved image of a hand with an eight-pointed star branded into its palm: the Onasi crest. Carth wore an exact duplicate around his own neck.
He looked upon Revan. She had often awaken early in the morning lately, sometimes disappearing so late at night that Carth could not stay awake for her return, try as he might. She would meditate for unusually long stretches, and it seemed to Carth that her rationality was hanging by a thread.
Why was she doing this to herself?
They're going to hurt you
You cannot
You will not
Defeat Us
You think you are strong
Then why do you not stop Us?
You will never
Destroy
The True Sith.
Revan awoke, ashen-faced, with perspiration on her forehead. Her hastened breathing awoke Carth.
"Revan? Are you okay?"
"Just a second… I'm fine, I…" Revan walked across the room and down the hall to the bathroom. She turned on the refresher and splashed water onto her face. As she looked in the mirror, she could see every action she had taken as Darth Revan, serving the Sith, all the live she had shattered in whatever method.
The light was switched on. Carth stood behind Revan, whose reflection showed only the two of them.
"It wasn't just a nightmare, was it?" asked Carth.
Revan buried her face in her hands. Weakly, she admitted, "I don't know, Carth. I have no idea."