Private A Charge Worthy of Trust

[Caelan Valoren]

Where do you go when you need to find someone you know, but don’t know how to find them?

It was a tough question, but the only logical location to look for her that he had was Ilum. She might be back on Ukatis, but he didn’t think so. Why would she go back there except on special occasions given everything that had happened there? At least, that’s how he thought about it. Could be wrong, though. He wasn’t her.

But to Ilum he went looking, because he had seen her there, and with the Order seemingly in shambles, it was as good a place as any to look for a member of the council. Former council. He didn’t even know if they still had a council. It seemed more like everyone was just doing whatever they wanted and there was no one to hold people accountable for their actions save themselves and the government. Do something bad, it might be possible to get away with it. That didn’t sit too well with him.

He brought both Serenya and Kastiel with him, having been apart from them long enough at the Gala on Odessen and knowing he would part with them for some time when he and Xian camped on Ragoon 6 soon. He didn’t want to be without them. Thus, they were present when he did find her. At the least he’d get to introduce her to the youngest of them who she hadn’t met yet.

“Hello, Cora,” he said when he saw her. “Have a moment?”

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

In the aftermath of Arkania, Cora has been reduced. The extent of which often varied.

On the worst days, she was confined to bed. On the better days, she could move about unaided so long as she paced herself and took breaks.

Most days, she existed somewhere in between.

While her diminishing meant pulling away from the front lines, Cora directed what remained of her energy toward Ukatis. The little enclave there swelled with displaced younglings and Padawans, and the planet itself was on the verge of seceding from the Alliance for the greener pastures of the High Republic.

Her focus could only split itself for so long. Today, she'd returned to Ilum to update the tracking logs where she'd initially catalogued the location of each Jedi after their hasty departure from Coruscant. Quite a few pings had been from outside Alliance borders, but many were still MIA. Only a few had been confirmed deceased behind enemy lines.

"Caelan?"

Her voice held no small measure of surprise as she looked up from her desk. She hadn't seen him since the aftermath of Coruscant, and now he was here with…oh, was that a baby? He'd brought the children.

Cora set down her datapad and directed her hoverchair out from behind the desk. Her eyes crinkled in confusion, but the smile she wore was warm.

"What can I do for you?"

Caelan Valoren

 

[Caelan Valoren]

When she came out from behind the desk in a hoverchair his eyes widened briefly, and then narrowed.

“What happened?” he asked.

The last time he had seen her she was relatively fine. She could walk and didn’t seem as though she was ailing. If anything, she’d seemed fit as a fiddle. But here she was in a hoverchair, seemingly worse for wear, though she appeared as though she was trying to make the best of everything. It seemed like everyone around him was falling apart due to something or other. If it wasn’t literally being injured, then it had to do with things going on around them. Mental fatigue. Mental trauma.

Kastiel tugged at his hand, pointing at the chair, so Caelan let him go. The toddler wandered over to Cora, familiar with her from before, and seemingly intrigued by her mode of transportation.

“I wanted to ask something of you, but now I’m not sure if I should as it might be too great a burden.”

Serenya stirred slightly in his arms, and he glanced down to make sure she was still asleep. She was, thankfully. He shouldn’t feel the way he did, but sometimes he was glad for all of the people around him that helped out with the children. He didn’t know how he would do it alone.

“Did you hear about Anavi?”

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"I was injured on Arkania," she said simply. Faintly dulcet tones lifted her voice in the presence of the children, not wanting to worry them. Even if they didn't understand the gravity of the conversation, little ones could pick up on emotion. "I spent much of my time on Ukatis, tending to the enclave, but I can't seem to stay away from the greater galaxy."

When Kastiel wandered over, curious about her chair, Cora laughed softly and lifted the toddler into her lap.

Anavi.

His departed wife. A woman taken from this plane far too early, leaving behind a heartbroken husband and two small children. The circumstances around the Queen's death were…concerning, to say the least of it. A healthy young woman cut down in her prime.

"I have," she spoke slowly, voice lowering to a grave cadence. "I'm so sorry, Caelan. She was lovely."

Absently, her hand brushed along Kastiel's hairline, feeling the fine strands beneath her fingertips as he shifted in her lap.

"How can I help?"

Caelan Valoren

 

[Caelan Valoren]

Arkania. He'd heard about the battle there. It apparently happened at the same time that he had been on Ord Lithone dealing with an imperial operative that was attempting to steal Alliance data. That had turned out for the best as it had gotten him to where he could, hopefully, reach her in a way that would allow her eyes to be opened to the galaxy around her, and the horrors of the government she served. But he didn't know if it would be enough in the end, and part of him wished he'd been there to keep her from being injured.

"Sorry," he said, watching as she picked up Kastiel. "Wish I'd been there to help."

Every time he saw her with Kastiel he couldn't help but realize he was making the right decision in this.

"Thank you. She was someone the galaxy could have used more time with. I wish I hadn't failed to keep her safe from those who wish to harm me."

That was only partly true. They wished to harm everyone connected to him with the express intent of destroying their ability to lead the people of Lazerian IV. His children were at just as much of a risk as he was, and given the latest attempt on his life, the bombing of Anavi's visitation, this particular visit to her was of utmost importance.

He looked down at Serenya for a moment, and then stepped over to where Cora was sitting with Kastiel in her lap. Turning so she could see the little girl he was holding, he glanced over to her.

"This is Serenya. Her middle name is Cora, as Anavi and I agreed on before she was born. Something else we had agreed on was asking if you would be the childrens godmother in case anything were to happen to us." He paused just briefly, glancing between the children, and then back to her. "Will you?"

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora waved off his apology. "Don't be," she said gently. "Force knows that you've had more than enough on your plate."

As she bounced Kastiel softly in her lap, the smile she offered Caelan was edged with sympathy. Familiar with the perils of nobility, deaths under strange circumstances were, unfortunately, not uncommon.

What had happened to Anavi was a tragedy.

Caelan stepped closer, angling the sleeping babe in his arms so as to not disturb her. Cora leaned toward them, her expression softening at seeing the sweet little face. Content, unaware of the chaos around her.

Her middle name is…

"Oh," the blonde exhaled on a caught breath. Her gaze shifted to Caelan in surprise, then slowly bloomed in gratitude. "That…is truly wonderful, Caelan. Thank you."

She glanced down to Kastiel, fingers brushing fine strands of hair behind his tiny ear. She was reminded of holding Emile, her second youngest sibling, nearly a decade ago.

Then, she stilled. Shocked paralyzed her expression as her head slowly tilted back towards Caelan. "Oh, goodness," she said finally. "You want me to be their godmother?"

Cora dropped her gaze back to Kastiel, then lifted it towards Serenya. A few long seconds of silence were spent studying the children's faces. She delighted in children, so much so that she and Makko intended to start a family of their own once she was better.

"Yes," she said suddenly. "Yes, undoubtedly so. It would be an honor. I'm pleased that you think of me so highly that you'd entrust them to me, should the worst come to pass."

Caelan Valoren

 

[Caelan Valoren]

It made him happy that she seemed happy at discovering Serenya's middle name. Both of his children had middle names tied to people that had been his friend, though Kastiel's namesake had, somewhat, disappeared. Not totally unexpected as the man was a Shadow. He was probably off on some mission or other and just hadn't been around.

But then she was shocked by what he asked next of her. To be fair, it was a big deal, being asked to be the godparent of someone's children. It was a great undertaking, as you were promising to take care of and raise them if something happened to their parents. If she also had her own children, as he expected she eventually would given how much she seemed to love them and the fact that she was now married, then that was an added burden to take on. He would completely understand if she wasn't willing to do it, and wouldn't think anything less of her.

"I do," he said when she questioned what he said.

There was no one he trusted more than her, so there was no one else he could go to.

"You've been my closest friend, other than Master Noble, and she puts herself into too much danger too often. I wanted someone I trust to raise them, who understands the weight of royalty, and who I know will love them. I could only think of you for that."

Kastiel was quite content to be in her lap, messing with whatever he could get his hands on. She played with his hair and he reached his hands for her hand, probably aiming to stick one in his mouth to gum all over it. Kid was teething.

When Cora said yes, he smiled.

"Thank you, Cora. It means a lot to me to know they will be taken care of if anything were to befall me. Under the circumstances, it was imperative I ask you now. Too many attempts of late against us."

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora allowed Kastiel to wrap his chubby fingers around her hand, but gently resisted the tug towards his mouth.

Her expression softened in reminiscence. "It seems like just yesterday that you were a teenager, learning to cleanse the lingering Dark. How quickly time flies."

Her voice trailed into something quiet, and perhaps, longing. She missed the days where the Jedi had presented a more united front, focusing on caring for the worlds within the Alliance's sphere of influence.

Only now did the great departure reveal the cracks that scored deeply into their Order. Cracks that had turned into fractures, scattering the New Jedi among the stars.

"How is the situation on Lazerian IV? I can only imagine the challenges of managing a kingdom alongside the Jedi lifestyle."

As an afterthought, Cora used her free hand to unclip the talisman fastened around her neck. She handed the solid metal ring to Kastiel, hoping that he'd prefer teething on her jewelry rather than her hand.

Caelan Valoren

 

[Caelan Valoren]

"All things considered, it wasn't more than two years ago for you that I was fourteen," he said with a deep sigh.

She was one of the few people he had made sure to let know what had happened to him. Fate had transmitted everything he had seen to her, his master, and Valery Noble as well. They were the people within the order that he felt like he could trust the most at the time. Two of them he still very much trusted and that was why he was there, asking one of them to become the parent of his children should anything happen to him and any future spouse he might have. The children were, ultimately, the most important people in his life and they always would be.

But things had changed drastically since then, and not just in his being forcibly aged. Much had transpired, including the fact Lazerian had left the Alliance. Granted, with everything that had happened with the events that rearranged much of the galaxy, they weren't near Alliance space anymore, anyway. But he just didn't trust the bloat. His Jedi friends, like Cora, he trusted, but he couldn't trust the alliance government.

"Well, we've withdrawn from the Alliance, but that was probably inevitable given that our world shifted on the galactic stage when the galaxies collided. We're too far from the Alliance to rely upon them and I can't say I fully trust it anymore, either way. Especially given recent events."

Kastiel was quite happy to be given the necklace. He released her hand entirely and promptly stuck the ring in his mouth. Thankfully it was too big for him to get all the way in so he didn't need to worry about his son choking on it.

"There's some movement on the societal front, though. A new mayor in one of our major cities that I don't think is a fan of the crown. I'm also trying to unify the world completely instead of Doxet being on its own. Might need to reach out to the High Republic soon, but for now we're focusing on internal affairs. What about you and Ukatis?"

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Corazona von Ascania ​