The bright new sun broke over the horizon, tipping into the window of Queen Talia's bedroom. It poured into the corners of her eyes, waking her. Yawning, she stretched herself and began to sit up. She was slightly startled when she bumped into Kavar, who still slept soundly next to her. She leaned over him, smiling as she gently traced the lines in his forehead, his tousled golden hair glistening in the light. His usually weary face was softened in sleep, and Talia wondered at the curl of his eyelashes as they brushed his cheeks.
As she stroked his face and hair, Kavar slowly blinked, looking up at her in awe. Her dark hair tumbled down around her face, hazy with an almost blue gleam in the sun.
"Is this a dream?" he asked in a low voice.
Talia chuckled as she fell back down on the bed, pressing herself close to him.
"I certainly hope not," she said, with a tinkle of laughter.
A sleepy Kavar smiled as he closed his eyes again, placing his arms around Talia.
"You're warm," he said, pulling her tighter.
"Mmm," she murmured in reply, as she laid her head on his shoulder.
They lay in warmth and silence for a few moments, before Talia continued, meeting his eyes across the pillow.
"Are you happy?" she asked, in a solemn tone.
"For the first time in years," he said poignantly. Sighing, he looked up at the ceiling, folding his hands behind his head. "I feel like I'm finally home, safe in my own skin again. I think you may have been right last night, when you said that all goodness springs from love. Perhaps… perhaps that is one of our failings, as Jedi. We have clung to the belief that love is dangerous for so long, and in the process, we've shut out the possibility of greater understanding."
"I couldn't agree more," she said, smiling.
At length, Kavar rolled over, looking down at Talia beneath him. He gently kissed her on the lips before saying,
"We should probably get a move on. As much as I'd like to stay for another day or two, everyone else will wonder where we are."
Talia reluctantly nodded, and they both moved to the edge of the bed to get ready. After hastily dressing and carefully exiting Talia's chambers, the pair walked into the dining hall for a quick breakfast.
During the meal, Talia noticed a strange man enter the room without any announcement or introduction. The other nobles and councilors didn't seem to pay him much attention. He crossed over to where Kavar sat at the table, having a friendly discussion with Lord Talbot. Talia watched the unknown man as he leaned over Kavar, whispering something in his ear. A strange expression passed over Kavar's face, and his eyebrows furrowed as he appeared to ask a question. The man gave only a short response, walking away from the table and exiting the room.
After they had finished, Talia followed Kavar as he moved towards the front Palace doors, curious.
"That man, who was he? What's going on?" she asked.
Kavar stopped walking to face her, but Talia found it difficult to read his expression.
"That man was the friend of a friend named Dhagon Ghent. He claims there's a Jedi here on Onderon requesting to see me as soon as possible."
"But I thought that almost all of them had gone," she said, shocked. "Do you know who it is?"
His eyebrows furrowed again. He appeared deep in thought.
"Well?"
"Her name is Auren Vale. She was a friend and student of mine, long ago, before the Mandalorian Wars," he said. "She was a brilliant general under Revan's command, winning many battles for the Republic. But she was exiled when she returned to face the Council and our judgment after the war was over. We gave her that sentence for a specific reason. Something was… very wrong with her," he said vaguely.
"What happened to her?" Talia inquired in a soft voice.
"Well, I have my theories, although I'm not certain about anything. It has to do with the Force. She broke away from it, lost her abilities, in a rather unusual and…disturbing manner. I had never seen anything like it, before or since. In any case, she's been wandering the edges of the galaxy for years, always alone. I was the only one of the Council to suggest that we find her, to try and understand what had happened. But they refused to listen to me. When we learned of her return to the galaxy, I did hope that she would eventually come here, if only for answers," he said, pensive.
"Why would she come here?"
"I'm sure you remember that one of the first battles of the Mandalorian Wars took place on Dxun," he said lightly. "That was where her long journey began, so many years ago. In addition to my own reasons for returning, I expected that she would come."
Changing his tone, he continued,
"She's the current owner of the Ebon Hawk, you know."
"The same vessel that supposedly fired on Tobin," said Talia, with a look of comprehension.
"I don't know how much she's changed over the years, but I doubt that she would do something so rash. Auren was always very subtle in her methods, even as a Padawan. As if we needed further confirmation that Vaklu is a liar."
"So what now? Must you leave this instant? It could be a trap, Kavar. Not to mention the streets are crawling with Vaklu's men."
Kavar smiled down at her grimly.
"While I appreciate your concern, love, I'm afraid it's a risk I have to take."
He kissed her forehead, and then turned to walk down the hallway and out the Palace entrance. Her green eyes were sad as she said quietly,
"Be careful."
Spinning around, Kavar cocked an eyebrow, a smile dancing around his mouth.
"Aren't I always?"
The clocks in the inner courtyard of the Palace struck two, and still there was no sign of Kavar. Talia paced amongst the bushes and shadows, her thoughts running wild.
He should have been back at least an hour ago, she thought desperately. Something must have happened.
She heard someone crossing into the courtyard where she stood, and she turned around to see Siala.
"You'll wear a hole in the grass if you keep pacing like that," Siala remarked acerbically. "Is something wrong?"
"Not yet," Talia said, sighing. "I've been expecting Kavar to return from a… meeting of sorts. I'm beginning to fear the worst."
Siala moved towards her sister, standing beside her.
"He seems very capable. I wouldn't worry too much about that one," she said calmly. After a few moments pause, she continued.
"This may be the wrong time to ask… but have you done anything about the situation yet? I noticed that you came into breakfast at the same time. It piqued my interest."
Although still anxious, Talia couldn't help but laugh at Siala's persistence.
"Not much escapes your notice," she said.
"So you're lovers now?" said Siala excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. "Finally. That's great news, I do love a romance."
"Sisi, shhh!" said Talia, looking around the courtyard for nobles. She was grateful when she realized that it was empty.
"Oh, don't be so touchy," Siala said in mock offense. "No one's here, anyway." After a minute or two, she turned to Talia again.
"But I am happy for you," she said kindly. "You both seem brighter, somehow. It was good to see."
At that moment, Kavar rushed into the courtyard, his face flushed. Talia looked up in anticipation, sensing that something was very wrong.
"We're under attack. Colonel Tobin arrived soon after I met with Auren Vale, opening fire on us inside the cantina itself. The turrets in the market square fired at her as she fled to the Ebon Hawk, and I had to run back here amidst blaster fire and open riots in the street. The civil war has begun at last."
"Why would he do such a thing? And how could he even know about the meeting?" Talia asked frantically, stunned. Siala stood next to her, silently absorbing this information.
"I'm not sure," Kavar said briskly. "But we have to move quickly. Even now, I'm sure that Vaklu will be gathering together his allies and preparing for some kind of retribution. We need to fortify the Palace with extra guards, militia, anything. I don't know when he will begin his assault on the Palace proper, but it's better to be prepared." Sighing, he looked at Talia. "I had hoped it would not come to this; that even with the martial law declaration, Vaklu wouldn't strike for a good time yet. But it appears that hope was in vain."
"Then let us hurry and call a meeting with Captain Kadron and the other generals. They'll have to have time to assemble the rest of my army, as well as arm the city's defenses."
"After you, your majesty," Kavar said, as he gestured out of the courtyard.