I don't own Star Wars or its characters, but I only own Nadia Aomori, her family and my other OCs.

Enjoy!

Threads of Destiny

Childhood (II)

Nadia grasped the lowest of the tree with both hands and swung herself backwards and forwards. After a few swings, she stretched high enough to curl her legs right round the branch above.

The six year old girl became alarmed when she caught sight of a bunch of Corellian butterflies flying by.

She carefully moved down the tree she was climbing on and went to hide behind it as she eyed the Corellian butterflies.

Corellian butterflies had a long tail containing a stinger, and very large wings. But their meat was delicious if cooked properly and added with a few seasonings.

The six year old girl licked her lips quietly as she notice one of the Corellian butterflies floating away from the others, making her slowly follow it.

Nadia slowly ducked behind a rock to avoid the Corellian butterfly from seeing her before going to nearby one.

She carefully took out the small pocket knife that was in a pocket of her light blue dress, then got in her knees and…

SLASH!

Nadia threw her pocket knife directly at the Corellian butterfly's weakest spot and it landed on the ground, dead.

"Yes!"Nadia sneered quietly.

Nadia removed her pocket knife from the dead butterfly's back as she caught sight of a Gulginaw flying high in the sky.

She began following the Gulginaw while dragging the Corellian butterfly she caught with her.

The Gulginaw flew past a very high rock that was not far from the swamps.

Nadia had a confident look as she carefully began climbing barefoot on a high rock that was within the forests of Corellia's Riverlands.

She found notches in the rock for her hands and feet before she began to climb.

Hand over hand, the six year old girl slowly pulled herself up the high rock. She stumbled occasionally as a bit of rock crumbled beneath her feet, but she never lost her grip.

As Nadia climbed higher, she could see all the various species in the Riverlands such as Bagerasets, slice hounds and Wrixs below her, who were all in their own habitats.

Once at the top of the rock, Nadia caught sight of the sun passing over the mountains before starting shouting in triumphant joy.

Nadia then went back down and placed on her white socks followed by her black Mary Jane shoes. She didn't mind walking barefoot, but knew her mother would get upset if she returned without her shoes.

The six year old girl began making way back to her parents' country farmhouse with her caught prey, where her loved ones were waiting for her.

There she found her mother and father waving at her while Jayden was inside and sitting down on a chair, reading one of his favourite novels.

Nadia went over her parents while dragging the Corellian butterfly from one of its wings.

"Mummy! Daddy! Look!"Nadia giggled in delight. "I caught a butterfly for lunch!"

"You went deeper to the Riverlands, sweetheart?"Freya asked with a hint of worry.

"Don't worry, mummy."Nadia remarked. "The Dire-Cats didn't see me. I didn't go near their territories. I waltzed in and I waltzed out."

Nadia does a short spinning dance with her caught Corellian butterfly causing Rostek to lightly chuckle.

"Well done, Nadia."Rostek praised and ruffled his daughter's raven black hair. "Go wash up your hands. It is almost time for dinner."

"Okay!"Nadia answered.

Nadia headed inside the farmhouse as Freya glanced at Rostek.

"Rostek, Nadia's a lady."Freya informed. "You're spoiling her terribly. She should've come home straight away."

"Let her have her fun, Freya."Rostek commented as he picked up the dead Corellian butterfly. "She is going to turn seven years old soon."

Nadia went into the kitchen, where Jayden greeted her while placing down his book.

"Hi, big brother."Nadia greeted.

"Hi, Dia."Jayden responded. "I heard you caught your first butterfly prey."

"Yep."Nadia agreed proudly. "And we are going to make a feast out of it."

"Great."Jayden complemented. "Though it is important that mother will follow the cookbook 'Essential Cooking Skills' detailed how to best cook that meat. I heard Corellian butterfly meat is comestible."

Nadia looked at Jayden with a bewilderment expression.

"Since when do you read cookbooks?"Nadia questioned.

Jayden put his hand around Nadia to give her some advice.

"Reading is a foundation on every knowledge and all the pure and wise thoughts."Jayden exclaimed with a smirk. "That is what Grandmother Griselda always said."

"Right."Nadia said bluntly.

Rostek didn't hesitate to give Jayden and Nadia new challenges, assuming they would learn to rely on their instincts and strengths to pull through.

They played 'follow the leader' through the rough mountain terrian as they held the backpacks that their father gave filled with snacks for energy and extra clothes for protection. But when it came to climbing mountains, Nadia was always determined to go first.

While Nadia continued to love challenges, Jayden remained cautious and timid.

At the same time, Freya understood Rostek's concerns.

He wanted his son to toughen up, so that he would be able to endure life's difficulties.

Ultimately, Freya supported Rostek and encouraged Jayden to become more active and try out new things.

She also looked out for her daughter's interests. Nadia was expected to spend time reading each day, look presentable with her hair brushed and clothes neat, act politely and well-mannered, especially at the supper table.

Though Jayden and Nadia only had each other as siblings, they felt very fortunate to have such loving families.

Rostek and Freya were very much in love and lucky to have one another.

And so it seemed.

Coronet City, or Coronet for short, was the bustling capital of Corellia.

Often referred to as "The Jewel of Corellia," Coronet was a bustling urban metropolis located on the coast of the southernmost continent. It was a technologically advanced city with beautiful architecture, but its urban development paled in comparison to Coruscant. In keeping with Corellia's spacefaring heritage, Coronet's spaceport was second to none. Coronet was also home to the headquarters of CorSec and was heavily patrolled, although patrols were somewhat lighter in the Blue Sector, a rough section of town filled with cantinas, tattoo parlours, casinos, and fences, where off-worlders tended to congregate.

The famous Treasure Ship Row was a large bazaar located just inside Blue Sector and was famous for offering just about anything a customer could desire, legal or otherwise. Underneath Coronet's maze-like city streets lay a vast underground series of tunnels and caverns, where the Selonian population lived and worked. Snaking its way among the Selonian caverns was the subway system. Similarly, the infamous Meatlump Gang hid in the sewer system beneath the city streets. Here, they plotted a number of terrorist schemes against the populace.

The Corellian Space Museum was also located in Coronet City, filled with artifacts from the earliest history of space flight. The Corellian Stock Exchange was also located there.

The city also possessed a mag-lev train system to transport cargo throughout the streets. It was known for its parks and many open spaces.

But the reason the Horn family was in Coronet City was to spend time with the Corak Family.

Jayden and Nadia walked out from a bakery shop after ordering a couple pastries they wanted to buy.

"Do you think Hal and Mrs Corak are going to like these treats we bought?"Nadia asked.

"I'm sure they would, little sister."Jayden commented and smirked. "As long as you don't tend to eat more than two cakes this time."

"Hey, I have a big appetite, Jayden."Nadia informed. "I don't intend to make promises, I can't keep."

"And stay out!"

The Horn siblings looked behind them, just in time to see a fourteen year old girl getting thrown out by a shop that they just passed by.

The girl was fair skinned and copper brown hair that was styled in two braid pigtails. She wore a soft pink jumper with a long brown skirt and black flats. Her eyes were dark cyan blue. But her face showed she was tired as well as hungry.

Jayden and Nadia rushed over to the girl to check on her.

"Hey!"Jayden said worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…I'm fine."the girl replied. "Just hungry. Do any of you have anything to eat?"

Nadia took out a wrapper from her bag, revealing to be a Corellian Ryshcate.

"Here."Nadia instructed. "Eat this. Its a Corellian Ryshcate."

Nadia handed the Corellian Ryshcate to the poor girl.

The girl took a bite from the Corellian Ryshcate, immediately enjoying its sweetness and nut layers within the pastry.

"This is so good!"the girl murmured. "I haven't had anything this good for weeks!"

"It's great, huh?"Nadia remarked. "It's my favourite too."

"What is your name?"Jayden asked.

"Bridget."the girl answered. "I'm Bridget."

Jayden smiled. "I'm Jayden."

"I'm Nadia."Nadia commented. "I'm Jayden's little sister."

Jayden and Nadia went to the park to sit on a bench with their new friend.

"Do you live in the streets?"Jayden asked.

"Yes."Bridget replied with a sad look. "My mother died when I was just a baby. And my dad…well…he is not someone to look up to. He was a terrible men, who has a bad temper and was drunkard, who drank himself to death. I didn't hate him, but there wasn't anything I could do to help him."

The Horn siblings looked at Bridget with sad expressions at hearing Bridget was by herself and didn't have anyone to look after her.

"That's really sad."Nadia said. "You are by yourself and no one wants to look after you."

"Don't worry about me. I'm just going to find a shelter tonight."Bridget assured. "And then figure out some way to get enough money for a hotel room."

"Hey, Bridget. Me and Dia live in our parents in a quite huge home."Jayden declared. "Why don't you stay with us?"

Nadia gasped excitedly.

"That's a great idea, big brother!"Nadia remarked.

"No. No."Bridget said sadly. "I don't want to give you guys any trouble-"

Jayden placed his hand onto Bridget's.

"It will be fine."Jayden assured kindly. "Trust me."

A small blush appeared on Bridget's face, feeling touched by Jayden's kindness and words.

"What do you say, Bridget?"Nadia asked. "You don't have to be alone anymore."

Bridget was silent for a moment before giving her decision to the siblings.

"Alright. I'll stay with you both."Bridget informed with a smile. "Thank you."

"Yay!"Nadia cheered.

Nadia tackled Bridget in a big hug, making them drop off the bench while Jayden lightly chuckled at the sight before him.

"After my parents took Bridget in, we became a family of five. I grew very fond of Bridget and looked up to her as an older sister. Eventually, Bridget's relationship with Jayden bloomed into love and they got married when they both turned seventeen. That was the happiest moment to have happened in our lives. The future appeared to be bright for all of us…until that fateful day."

Next chapter will be the last of Nadia's childhood. See you all soon!