Time brought with it change, always. No matter how much one tried to struggle against it, change would have its way.
Kaalia was no exception to the rule.
Standing before the armor stand, she carefully observed the armor it so proudly displayed. Every little blemish, every dent and every scratch. Before, she would've had it repaired to look spotless after every battle it saw, but there was no need for that any longer. The woman, and so the armor, had seen their last battlefield. Another completed chapter of her past, a page flipped to reveal the next. A chapter she had been putting the finishing touches on for some time now. Stepping down from the Dark Council was the first step, now the final line had been written. All it required was the last full stop. One last chain to be unshackled.
It was one chapter of many. A story that began with the last Padawan under the last master of a lost Jedi order. Kaalia wasn't even an adult when she split from the man who had sought to turn her into a slave to the Light's whims, leaving all that she knew behind and being left with nothing.
Nothing, except the defiance that burned brightly within her. A roaring flame that refused to die out. Where the galaxy decided Kaalia was to become nothing, she refused such a fate. She stood defiant, and grew from a girl who was scared and alone to a Lady of the Sith, and more importantly, a wife and mother.
Through the Ren, she had found the Dark. Through the Sith, she had found freedom. Through the Sith Empire she founded alongside those who carried the same title, she found power. Yet all of those things paled in comparison to what Ishana Pavanos had given her. A purpose. A home. A family. Every battle she fought, every sacrifice she made, everything was for her. For the things she had given her.
But she didn't need to fight any more battles, or make any more sacrifices. She had done her part. Her family needed her at home, now, and there was one last thing to let go of. As Kaalia observed the armor before her, memories brought her back to the time of its creation. A time when three Sith came together to form the Valkyries. Darth Aisa, Darth Imperia, and Darth Avacyn. Three sets of armor were made, but with the disappearance of two of these Sith, so did the sets of armor. Now only one remained, but the time had come. The final of the three founders, the Matriarch, would vanish.
This would be Kaalia's last visit aboard the Serran. The armor stand no longer stood in her own office at home, but Vaylin's. A hand-written note was left on the Elder's desk. One last glance at the armor.
Then, Kaalia left. The chamber that once held Darth Avacyn's belongings now stood empty.
Vaylin,
In the years we have worked together, I have come to respect you greatly. Where once you were Aria's apprentice, you grew to become an equal. The Valkyries would not be what they are now without your influence and for that, you have my gratitude.
However, nothing can remain the same forever. I no longer live for war like I used to. Family calls to me to commit fully and I cannot split my dedication any longer. As such, I offer you the title of Valkyrie Matriarch. There is nobody who I would rather see take up that mantle. Do not feel obligated to accept, though I doubt you do.
If ever you wish to speak with me, you know how to reach me. Though my time with the Valkyries has come to an end, and with that the era of Matriarch Avacyn, that does not change our war-forged bond. May the Force serve you in everything you do.
Forever yours,
Kaalia
