Private A Common Rebirth

[Adron Malvern]

Saraya Arenais | NPC Treasury
Illyria ~ Unknown Mountain
Wearing
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"There is a common misconception about the powers of the Dark Side." The King's voice was low as he spoke to his bride to be, Saraya Arenais .

"Many Sith and Jedi alike believe that the realm between life and death is difficult to traverse. A foolish notion that was born from the concept of their being a barrier between this realm and the tethers of the Force." He let out a shallow laugh, echoing throughout the hall or black marble that they stood in. "There is no barrier." He explained.

The room they stood in was a curious one. A massive chamber of smooth, polished ebony marble that flowed from one side of the room to the next. The floor was not a single slab of marble, rather several slabs that were separated by thin aqueduct carvings, which carried an ominous eerie, crimson liquid to the center of the room. The liquid flowed to an ornate fountain. Several meters high, the fountain waters rose before falling back over the side of the structure, trickling into a host of the waters that surrounded a table of pure metal. "They are doors." The King explained, running a hand over the cool metal table before looking to Saraya. "The paths of the Force are not easily traveled. The ancient Sith and even some of the Jedi understood this. To travel the true depths of the Force you must have a device, a key to these doors."

The Sith Lord exhaled, bringing his hand back from the table. "This device I have created, the Life Forge, it is an exceptionally wonderful key." He said nothing more on the matter.

Instead he turned his eyes to his Guardsmen in the corner. Four of his armored Knights stood watch over two men, each bound by their wrists and their eyes hidden from the sights before them. The Sith Lord gestured to the Knights and they forced the Jedi on their feet, making their way over to the King. "However even a key such as this cannot be easily turned. It must be provided with an incentive." Each of the Jedi were forced over the edge of the table, their heads planted against it's cool surface. They did not offer a fight or speak against their treatment. They had been thoroughly drugged to ensure their compliance through this ritual. The man did not need any slip ups during this ritual. "Stay back." He told Saraya, his eyes turning to her with a serious expression. When he turned back to his Knights he nodded at the two men. "Make it quick." In unison the two drew the daggers from their waist.

They cut open the throats of the Jedi, the blood spraying over the metallic slab before they raised the bodies onto the table.

When Adron glanced down to his hand he could not help but loft a brow.

He was shaking.

Anticipation? Perhaps even fear. He clenched his hand into a tight fist to still the quake.

As his knights stepped back from the table, Adron laid a hand upon one of the bodies. He drew it back with a crimson stain upon the black, leather glove. From his pocket he pulled out a small metal case. With a single hand he opened it to reveal a single hair. It was brittle and aged since it had been pulled from the source, but it would do. With the bloodied hand Adron pulled the hair from the case, setting it on top of the two bodies.

Darth Malphas brought his hands together, focusing on the Dark Side of the Force. This was a Sith spell he had never once attempted and now to hold the power within his hands? His lips curled into a soft smile. The waters that flowed across the room began to glow, turning from their crimson hue to a shining amethyst.

Fire consumed the table. A bright purple fire with a black core enveloped the metal, the bodies, and the hair. Adron did not move, instead his mind was focused on the task at hand. All around him it felt as if the world was breaking apart. It was being shredded into a thousand tiny slivers and he had to maintain focus if he was to decipher these strands and weave them into the proper image, life.

He could see it. He could see her. She had not drifted so deep into the nether that she could not be found. Her form was elusive, omniscient, and at peace.

He would shatter that peace.

With his eyes coming open, the amethyst glow they had seemed to cover the room with a purple hue. The fire had become a raging inferno, no longer enveloping the table, but the fountain that was built around it and Adron himself. It did not harm him, it could not harm him, it was his own power. He was in control. He raised his hands to the ceiling above and the grotesque mass that had been formed from the two bodies slowly levitated from the table. No longer were they corpses and now just a black sludge which seemed to roll and twist, searching for some kind of form to take. The flames rolled and slowly the sludge began to take the form of a human, a human woman.

That was when something went wrong. A loud crack could be heard, echoing through out the chamber. Adron's eyes turned to face one of the pillars holding the fountain in place, a glaring crack had formed in the marble.

A failed design.

The Sith Lord did not have another moment to react as the fires exploded out. He was thrown far from where he'd stood, slamming into the hard marble ground painfully. The fountain's amethyst water died down, turning red once again as the bright display abruptly went dark. Adron growled out in frustration. The fires had burned away the sleeve on his left arm and even seared the skin, causing a wave of pain to radiate over it. He pushed himself to his feet, turning his eyes back towards the fountain where a wall of smoke stood between him and the result of the ritual.

Had it succeeded? Had he opened the door?

 

[NPC Treasury]

To say that she was at peace couldn't be further from the truth. Her life before her untimely end was in ruins and that was all that she could see. The bomb that had cut her down didn't just tear apart her body into pieces, but her spirit as well.

She wasn't whole.

The piece that Adron Malvern saw in her own personal hell was confused, heartbroken and lost. Time didn't exist where she was and she didn't care.

That is until she was ripped out, ensnared by a dark ooze that enveloped her, encasing her until she couldn't move or scream. It had come out of nowhere and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why.

An explosion and fire heated up that which encased her and she wanted to scream. But there was no air. At least not until the fire and smoke died down into nothing, turning the heat into an icy chill. It was then that she gasped in her first breath, sitting up as one would after awakening from a nightmare. This was a nightmare, wasn't it? She was naked in a room with other people.

Wake up! Wake up!

The metal slab that she was sitting on was covered in blood. She could smell it, could feel it. And with people staring at her she just wanted to hide. So she brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them so that she'd become as small as possible and brought her forehead to her knees.

"...Go away...just go away..."

Saraya Arenais

 

[Saraya Arenais]

L O C A T I O N | Illyria, Unknown Mountain
W E A R I N G | {x} - {x}
T A G S | Adron Malvern - NPC Treasury

What her fiancé said was true, but it would have been far more apt if worded slightly different. There were many misconceptions about the powers of the dark side. Saraya knew that most of all. Where most saw an unchecked evil unbound by morals, Saraya saw its hidden beauty, and it was Adron who had revealed it to her.

His laugh caused her violet gaze to turn, but they did not linger long.

The room they were in was far from the palace. A large majority of Illyria was still a mystery to her, and the mountains they had flown across were the same as any other. Grey, craggy rock with sharp peaks that touched cloud. She had tried to search for some defining feature, but they were no different from the mountains that surrounded Garde Noir, or the ones that lined Azurine City. Of course, what lay within the mountain was something Saraya had never seen before.

Black marble lined the walls and the floors, much like it did in the training room in Dragonne palace. There was not a pool of still raven waters in here though. Instead there was a fountain, made of the same dark stone as the room around it, but the liquid inside was not water. It was far thicker, streaming from the fountain-like blood from an open wound. Eerier still, it made no sound. There was no splashing or dripping, no trickling or bubbling. It was silent.

When Adron finally revealed what the room was, Saraya could not help the slow smile that formed on her painted lips. Her gaze flicked from the fountain to the two strangers who had joined them. At first, Saraya had not understood their purpose, but it was as clear as day now. They were the sacrifice. A way to entice the key to pulling open the ancient hinges between life and death. Pressing her lips together, she stepped back when Adron’s gaze turned on her. It was as serious as she had ever seen it, and for some reason… it made her nervous.

Not nervous for herself, but for him. As the blades were drawn across fresh skin, spilling out a river of the same thick liquid that filled the fountain, she could sense his fear. It took everything in her power not to fight against the guards as they guided her further back. Dark force burst from Adron, drowning the room in power that made Saraya’s heartbeat rapidly. It was stronger than she had ever felt before and it was not shadow, but a black hole that demolished every ray of light that dared to penetrate it.

As fire engulfed the table, Saraya held her breath. What little she could do would not be enough to help here, so what was left but to watch? To wait. To worry.

A sudden, deafening crack dominated the room. Before Saraya could even register the noise, two hands with an iron vice grip had wrapped around her arms and dashed her to safety. Behind a pillar of black marble, she did not see the explosion, but she heard it. She felt it shake the foundations beneath her feet and the wave of heat that licked the side of her face. It was Adron’s pain that wracked through her body and made her cry out, though it was drowned out by the roaring flame. The moment it died down, and the moment the guards released her arms, Saraya returned to his side.

He was standing by the time she reached him, but concern still bled into her amethyst eyes. “Are you hurt?” She whispered as her gaze drank in his entire form, looking for anything that could have indicated injury. Her hand rose as if to reach out and touch him, but an unfamiliar voice gave her pause. It did not belong to Adron, nor the guards, nor Saraya. She turned to face it. The wall of smoke that crept up from the shattered marble slab revealed nothing at first, but as it began to clear it revealed the outline of a form.

A female form.

A naked female form.

The hand that had reached for Adron changed course, and instead unbuckled the clasp that kept her cape from falling. A sharp click echoed through the chamber as her heeled feet brought her toward the woman. The cloak fluttered noisily through the air as Saraya pulled it from her shoulders and wrapped it around the woman. "Don’t be frightened…” She said in a soft, easy tone. Her form was familiar, just as Saraya’s may have been to her. Only Saraya knew who she was.

There was no mistaking it.

As she pulled the edges of the cloak tightly around her aunt's body, Saraya cast her gaze to Adron. There was a wildly exciting glisten in the violet orbs that stared at him. "You did it."

 

[Adron Malvern]

Tags: NPC Treasury | Saraya Arenais ​

​

Blood leaked from his arm. The Sith Lord pressed his good hand against his arm, watching as blood that seemed more black than red slowly dripped onto the marble below. The backfired had been....considerable. The flames harmed none...until the structure built to keep their power in check failed and then they may as well have been a shadow that consumes and erases all matter it touches. Literal chunks of the man's arm seemed to be missing where blood poured from it, the rest of the arm seemed to suffer from terrible burns. ​

​

The Armored Knights of the King's Royal Guard rushed to their King, however he turned his amethyst eyes to them with a halting gaze. "Do not. Touch. Me." He warned them, his amethyst eyes filled with a silent rage. He growled lowly at himself before gesturing to one of the men. "Prepare a shuttle and find me a coat." He demanded. He breathed out, running his bloodied hand over his raven black hair, smearing crimson into the black. He held his arm once again as he turned to approach Saraya and the woman that was with her.​

​

When his eyes laid upon the familiar form of Kay, he held an unconvinced expression. Saraya's words lingered for a moment as the Sith Lord remained silent. One of the Guardsmen quickly returned with a black cloak, holding it out to his King. Adron slid his good arm into a sleeve, however his injured arm could only hang down for the moment. He could not move it. He pulled the cloak well over his shoulder to hide the arm before finally responding to Saraya's words. ​

​

"I created a body." He said curtly. "I do not know if her essence was fully recovered. Regardless this is not the place to find out. We will return to the palace at once." ​

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Snap. ​

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The King fell to his knees, slamming down hard as his stomach churned. He coughed out before finally releasing a small puddle of bile from his stomach. It was colored with blood that caused the King's eyes to gaze down in a disappointed manner. ​

​

Had he not been careful, this could have killed him. His free hand curled into a tight fist as the frustration became evident on his face. ​

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Weakness. He pushed himself to his feet, a single trail of blood leaking from the corner of his lips. "Help her up Saraya. It is time to go home." He said nothing more. He merely made his way towards the exit of this chamber. ​

​

He had been left with much to consider. ​

 

[NPC Treasury]

Saraya Arenais was barely noticed. It wasn't until the fabric of the cloak touched her bare skin that she jumped. Yet she still didn't raise her head or make any other movement. Like a baby bird she kept her eyes shut, confident that they would all disappear soon, much like the other beings that had plagued her since....

Since what? How did I even get here?

She couldn't remember. Yet it could easily be another trick of the Nether, a part of her spiritual subconscious that continued to punish her as she did in the last years of her life.

The voice of Adron Malvern she did recognize, however and that recognition was evident on her face as she lifted her head. "Home?..." Her voice felt raw and raspy, coming out rather hoarse. She furrowed her brows, her left hand moving to her throat as she tried to clear it. "....Home?"

 

[Saraya Arenais]

T A G S | Adron Malvern - NPC Treasury

“Whether it is who we expect it to be or not hardly matters, you have produced a body that houses some semblance sentient of life.” Saraya replied without taking her eyes off the hunched over form of her aunt. “How could she speak otherwise?” Adron was very rarely in the line of giving himself credit for the small things. Everything had to be perfect, or the entire thing was considered a failure.

A harsh sound echoed through the cracks in the marble room, forcing Saraya to turn her gaze upon its source. She was horrified to realise that it was Adron. He was hurt. She did not rush to his side. He would have hated that, but she did abandon her aunt to take measured steps toward him. Her fists clenched by her sides, almost desperate to reach out to help him, but she couldn’t. In the safety and privacy of the shuttle, perhaps, but not now with watchful eyes drinking in their every move.

With his words ringing in her ears, Saraya turned back to the new-born form still crouched upon the slab. The guards were quick to come to her aid, to help her coax the woman up and carry her if necessary. “Yes.” Saraya answered the dry tone of her aunt as it questioned her. “Home.” It wasn’t necessarily the truth. Kay would be far from what she remembered as home, but Dragonne Palace would be a temporary one for the meanwhile.

She left the guards to the task of helping her through the hallways. Though the task itself had given Saraya a lot to consider too, there was only one thing currently on her mind. Force body had become an easier task in time, as Adron had promised, and she used it now. To return to the ship where she could fuss over Adron’s wounds away from prying eyes.

 

[Adron Malvern]

The King climbed the ramp to the transport ship, his arm still hanging lifelessly to his side. There was not much he could do to solve that problem until they returned to the Palace. There was some worry within him, but he kept it hidden deep below the surface of his mind. It was not that there was an immeasurable pain that he could no longer tolerate, quite the opposite. The burning pain of his arm had fade away and now there was nothing. He could not hope to move his arm and when the King opened the fold of his cloak to examine the wound he found himself...worried.

The skin was pitch black. He understood this. The power of the Dark Side came with a cost and this time the King had been a part of an unknown price. It was simple enough to reverse. Sith Alchemy was an elusive, yet expansive power that could solve many ailments and injuries, including this one. However it would take time, time the Sith Lord would have preferred to devote elsewhere.

Before his wife to be loaded onto the shuttle he was sure to keep the arm tucked firmly under the cloak. There was no need to cause her distress.

The Guards approached the ship, bringing with them the result of the Sith Lord's tampering. They guided her to a seat across from the King and for a simple moment he could only gaze out at her.

Lady Kay.

He had never been the kind of man to make friends. Yet, Adron had been rather fond of the once-Queen of Commenor. She was a strong woman and in her time a powerful Force user. Her political whit and reason had caused the Commenor Systems Alliance to thrive where others fell to decline. She was a very valuable piece in this game. A piece that could not yet be left to rest in the nether of the Force. Adron had aged much since their last meeting. It had been the better part of a decade after all.

"Do you know who I am?" He called out to her, his eyes boring deep within her. He searched her in the Force, searching to find out just what he had called from the abyss of the other side.

"Do you know who you are?" He asked her. When Saraya came to his side, the King would hold a hand out to her, allowing it to rest on her cheek for a briefest of moments. "It seems the body is truly complete. However the mind is what worries me." He said to her.

Saraya Arenais NPC Treasury

 

[NPC Treasury]

Saraya Arenais answered her question, although it still raised more questions that needed to be asked. However she wasn't very confident in her voice, wasn't sure if it would be dwiddled down to squeaks if she said too much.

The young woman left her and the guards soon took her place, taking hold of her arms and helping her off the bloody table. She wanted to fight them off and run away, for who knows what torments awaited her. But where would she run to? She didn't even know where here was. At best she tried to keep the cloak around her properly, to preserve her modesty, a task which proved to be a lot easier once she was led inside of the shuttle and bade to sit down.

Her eyes fell onto Adron Malvern as he sat across from her, his eyes boring into hers as though he was searching for something. She could feel the Force poking and prodding her like hundreds of tiny needles and for a moment she looked down to see if she was bleeding. Of course there was blood on the body that she posessed, yet it wasn't her own. Or was it?

A chill ran down her spine as a memory came back to her. One of her old adversary Thraxis, keeping her in an insane asylum and trying to convince her that her life had been but a horrible dream made up by a lunatic. All the people that she thought that she knew, he had them posing as either doctors or patients, causing her to question everything.

Was that what was happening now?

She looked to the guards, which could very well be orderlies. Sarays could be the nurse and Adron could easily be one of the doctors. He was certainly more mature now than when she had last seen him. Why else would he be asking such questions if he wasn't her psychologist?

"I...escaped...Sorry Dr. Malvern...it won't happen again..." Her voice was still raw, but she managed to get the words out as she took her time with them. Only after that did she break her gaze as she tried again to figure out how she had gotten to wherever here was.

 

[Saraya Arenais]

T A G S | Adron Malvern - NPC Treasury

The interior of the shuttle seemed different, despite the fact that it was the exact same one they had arrived in. Somehow, it seemed darker. She was far too nubile in the force to detect whether it was Adron or the very atmosphere around them. Either way, it was unlike anything she was used too. In the few brief moments of privacy, before the guards entered, Saraya could read the same emotion on Adron’s face. As she wiped away the streak of crusted scarlet on his chin, something about his expression made her uncomfortable.

Whether he wished it or not, even the knowledge that something could be wrong caused her great distress.

There was little time to think any further on it as the guards brought Kay into the shuttle. They got her settled into one of the seats, but before she had even taken the weight of her feet, Adron began to question her. Saraya couldn’t help but think how intense the world must have seemed to her right now. If death could have been comparable to anything for her, it would have been the shadow realm that she had Adron once danced through. A vast, empty, black space with nothing but darkness as company.

His hand upon her cheek prompted her to look at him, but only for a brief moment. “Speak softly.” She urged. “The mind is a fragile thing. I suspect it will take far longer to adjust than the body.” Placing a hand on top of his, Saraya relished in the warmth for a few moments. Then she turned her attention on her aunt. Dropping to her knees where she could look up at her face, Saraya spoke in a gentle tone. “You’re not in trouble, Kay.” Using the tips of her fingers, she swept some of Kay’s long ebony hair from her face, tucking it neatly behind her ear. “You didn’t run away, either. You were lost.”

Saraya placed a comforting hand on the side of her aunt’s arm. It was strange, to say the least. Especially having never met the woman when she was alive the first time, but she was family, nonetheless. “We found you.” Not wanting to overwhelm her with information, Saraya decided to keep the fact that they had found her in the nether to herself for the meanwhile. She began with something simple. Something that would hopefully spark a light of recognition in her face. “My name is Saraya Arenais. You know that name, don’t you? Arenais?”

 

[Adron Malvern]

Doctor Malvern?

The King of Illyria claimed many titles yet this was surely not one of them. He leaned back against the shuttle's bench with a soft sigh falling from his lips. Still. There was some solus there. Her mind was her own, it was merely scrambled by the trauma of her death, at least that was what the King believed. He ran a hand over his chin in silent contemplation. Her memory faltering could be something that brought him more control over her. Could he mold this life into what he wished?

Time would tell if the former High Queen of Commenor could be bent to his full will. For now he had to focus on repairing what was broken. As Saraya advised him to speak softly he could only nod in response. She was right, Kay had suffered a trauma that was utterly foreign and unnatural. He did not want to fracture this fragile mind. He let Saraya speak, perhaps the woman who shared familial ties could provide some nourishment to her tender mind. It was a shame they were not connected through blood, it would likely have led to a more instinctual feeling of trust. Another thing Adron could use to his advantage.

"For a time Kay was tortured by a Sith Lord, trapped in an asylum for the mentally unfit. It seems her mind has refocused her memory to that time. If my memory serves me well this was before she fell in love with your uncle, Veiere." He spoke softly to Saraya, watching the exchange with interest.

"I'm uncertain if she knew Veiere long before their union. However the name Arenais may be foreign to her." He exhaled softly. Short of common knowledge Adron was not knowledgeable about Kay's time with Thraxis and her times before reigning as High Queen of Commenor. It would be information he could have used.

"I can use the Force to focus her mind but it will take time. She is not strong enough to survive such mental strain yet." He told Saraya before glancing out the window beside him. The mountains were fading into the distance as the ship flew over lands of flowing green grass, growing closer to Azurine City. Adron did not care to mention that he was uncertain if he himself was fit to delve into the depths of her mind. He had done so often, very often with his apprentices. However to do so with this scourge upon his arm? He did not wish to test it until he was healed.

Saraya Arenais | NPC Treasury

 

[NPC Treasury]

Not in trouble?

Lost?

Kay didn't wince or move away as Saraya Arenais tucked away her hair and touched her arm. Instead she just watched her, but not in the way that some frightened animal would. Instead she was studying her and searching her face, wondering if she knew her from anywhere. But she didn't think that she did.

Hearing the name Arenais, she nodded in understanding, pointing to her chest as though to say that it was her name, for it was. But there were very little Arenais out there. How long had she been lost for? How much time had passed? Years? Decades??

Her attention turned to Adron Malvern as he spoke, telling about the history that she knew, but some that she didn't. Veiere she knew, but uncle? Her niece was Mandalorian, but didn't look like Saraya. Adron continued to speak as though he was recalling something that he had read in a history book.

What was going on??

"How long...was I....lost?" She was starting to wonder if she really was crazy, or woke up in some other dimension. There was blood too. Did she kill someone?

 

[Saraya Arenais]

T A G S | Adron Malvern - NPC Treasury

It was interesting to hear of the life Kay had led before her death, despite its dark reality. Neither Saraya’s mother or her father spared much time to talk of her aunt and uncle. She had learned a little of them, especially regarding her father’s distaste for his brother, but nothing that made them feel like family.

“No.” Saraya said immediately in response to Adron’s request, using a tone that was far firmer than she had ever used with him before. “I don’t believe that will do her any good, and she isn't the only who may struggle to survive it.” Whether he wanted to avoid the subject or not, Saraya would not so easily forget the chaos of the explosion they’d left behind. Something had gone wrong during the process, and she still wasn’t certain that Adron had come away entirely free of injury himself. What Kay needed now was a tender hand and a guiding light to bring her back to the world of the living.

Saraya was eager to give Kay an encouraging nod of agreement when she pointed to herself. “Yes, you’re Arenais too.” Casting her gaze to one of the guards, she motioned to a crystalline jug filled with cold water. In the time it had taken to issue the command, a glass had been filled and offered to Saraya. She took it with a gentle smile of thanks, though the guards would not recognise it as such. “Long enough.” Saraya replied to her aunt’s question as she pressed the glass against her hand. It wasn’t exactly an answer, but Saraya could think of no other way to put it delicately.

“Try not to worry about that now though. The important thing is that we found you, and that you’re safe.” Saraya tilted her head slightly, enough to catch Kay’s gaze. “I’m Veiere’s niece.” She stated, as if that fact would solidify what she had just said. “Your niece. Bastin Arenais is my father.” Saraya had seen Loreena and Caedyn recently enough for their faces to still be fresh in her mind’s eye. They were very much the double of their mother, especially Loreena. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of questions to ask once you’ve had some rest and refreshed yourself. I promise you that we have all the answers, but for now, I do not wish to overwhelm you. You are very weak. You need time to heal both your body and your mind.”

 

[Adron Malvern]

The shuttle came in to Dragonne Palace's landing pad, specifically the one that was closest to the Royal Halls. As it came down for a landing the King looked to his wife to be, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Take her to her room." He'd almost responded to Saraya's words about the process of healing her mind, instead he decided to move on from the conversation entirely. He stood up, exhaling softly as the ramp to the shuttle came down on the planet's surface. A number of the palace servants and medical staff were waiting with a wheel-chair to ferry Kay into the palace. Adron said nothing as he strode past the group.

The King went ahead of the others, making his way into the depths of the palace. He could feel the sweat dripping from his brow and it caused him to let out an exhale. The Dark Side of the Force was no longer enough to keep the effects of his tampering away. He needed to make it to his office. He drew his coat up, gazing inside of the folds of the cloak to see his arms. The plagued appendage was still as black as night, his fingers hanging down lifelessly as he was wholly unable to move them. He cursed himself quietly before finding his office.

When he entered the office he threw the cloak off, kicking the door closed as he made his way to his desk.

When he arrived at his desk he leaned over the hard wood before exhaling audibly. It was more than just his arm. He'd felt this once not long ago when it felt as if his very life force was being sucked away. He had to work to reverse this plague if he was going to be able to be of any help to Kay's mind.

The barrier between life and death is not easily broken. The voice that spoke into his mind caused his eyes to quirk for a moment as he glanced around cautiously. He breathed out in frustration, yet when the voice offered no other words he realized it must have been a hallucination.

Also not good.

He turned to a mirror that was suspended on the other side of the room. His hair was matted in sweat and he could see the liquid spilling down his brow. With an exhale he worked to regain his composure, bringing his hand over his brow and wiping away the sweat. His chest felt heavy and he chuckled softly to himself.

I think I'm dying. He mused.

 

[NPC Treasury]

She took hold of the glass as it was placed in her hand, feeling the coldness of it which sent a shiver down her spine. Still she took a small sip. The cold liquid spilled down her throat and caused her to cough a little as it almost went down the wrong tube.

Her mind was racing, listening to Saraya Arenais giving her little pieces of information. A niece? She had a niece? Bastin she sort of recalled. Sort of. Everything was jumbled and she had no idea of where she was or how she had gotten there and more importantly; of how she had lost her clothes.

Did the Sith capture her again? Years ago, before her children were born, she had been captured and tortured for weeks in a dungeon on Panatha, and at one point she wasn't even allowed the dignity of clothing. That must have been what had happened here. Both Saraya and Adron Malvern were her rescuers.

The journey ended quickly and Adron made his exit. Something was wrong there, but she couldn't focus enough to try to delve deeper into the matter. Instead she set the glass down by her feet and used Saraya for support as she stood up. She was going to her room; to home. Yet the Palace in front of her wasn't one that she had recognized. Her jaw dropped slightly as she tried to place just where she was, but nothing came to mind. "W-where are we?"

 

[Saraya Arenais]

T A G S | Adron Malvern ~ NPC Treasury

Saraya reached out to touch the hand that rested on her shoulder, but it had disappeared before she got the chance. Part of her wanted to follow him, but she had been promised to Kay the moment he had asked it of her. However, her eyes did follow him. All the way down the ramp as he left the shuttle and strode past the crowd of attendants.

She said nothing as she offered her arm to Kay to help her walk. The flurry of hands that reached out to help were waved away, at least until they came up to the wheelchair. “Sit down.” Saraya instructed softly, and then followed up with an answer to her question. “This is Dragonne Palace. Our home.” With Kay safely seated, Saraya motioned to one of the servants to begin the walk to her rooms. “Yours too.”

Thankfully, the journey was short.

They had the good sense to select a room that was tucked far away from the daily hum of palace life. Somewhere quiet and peaceful where Kay could rejuvenate herself. Two guards at either side of the door swung it open on oiled hinges. “These are your rooms.” The servant wheeled the chair into the centre of a large oval room. On one side there was a large bay window, overlooking the tranquil mountain scenery surrounding the palace. The other side had several plush sofas, a coffee table, a heavy bookcase, and a desk with a finely carved chair tucked neatly beneath it.

Saraya motioned to the opposite door as she leant forward to help Kay once more. True, she could have wheeled her through, but it would be good for her to get moving. The servant came round the other side to offer more support. “There’s a bedroom through there, and a private refresher. If I were you, I would be dying for a bath right now.” The sound of running water already drifted through the crack in the bedroom door, along with a sweet floral scent of perfumes.

 

[NPC Treasury]

A wheelchair. The moment that Kay saw that she was being directed towards it, she hesitated. More and more she felt as though she was being taken to a mental hospital again. Already there were gaps in her memory that she couldn't explain, no matter how hard she tried. It was a horrible feeling, but one that was not unknown to her. She had gone through such an experience twice before as far as she could recall. Were there more? It was difficult to say.

Still, she followed the instructions given by Saraya Arenais and sat down in the chair, pulling the fabric around herself all the more as the servant began pushing her towards what was said to be their home.

Her home.

Was it really? Everything about it was new to her and strange. She couldn't recall any of it. Every hallway, every door provided her with no memories or even the hint of one.

What was designated as her room was equally strange. But surely it must of been hers, for there were shelves of books. Kay loved to read mystery novels to pass her time. She loved the puzzles and intrigue written within the pages. So this just had to be where she lived. It just had to be.

She got to her feet with the help provided and nodded at the suggestion of a bath. "A bath would be nice....I don't quite feel myself. And some clothes....I think that I had somehow...misplaced mine."

Adron Malvern