Private A Knight’s Hand Upon Memory

[Ensy]

☽ Ensy ☾

The vaulted library of Theed was hushed but heavy, its holoprojectors throwing symbols of banners and crests into the air above the gathered students. The instructor's voice carried evenly as each sigil appeared: the emblems of Imperial successor states, the stylized insignias of syndicates and warbands.

"This," the instructor said, gesturing toward the Black Sun emblem, "is a syndicate currently aligned with the new Imperial core. Their operations stretch far and wide. They have are staged near our borders. Learn these marks. Know them. They will tell you who is enemy and who is friend. Always remember to try to stick with people you know and stay safe."

The class murmured, taking notes. But Ensy's lilac eyes fixed too long on the shifting symbols, his hand frozen above parchment. The sharp wedge of an Imperial crest bled into the curve of a Black Sun wheel, and he felt his chest tighten. The voices in the room blurred. His mind returned to sterile walls, the stink of restraints, the cold glint of instruments meant to hurt him.

The brush in his hand slipped, leaving a black smear across the page. He blinked hard, but the library was closing in. Quietly, carefully, Ensy gathered his satchel. He tried to steady himself with the thought of Lorn's advice, there were other ways to serve, other ways to help. Still, his legs carried him toward the exit, away from the lesson that burned too close to old scars.

Not everyone missed his departure. Near the back of the chamber, several Knights observed the class in silence, their eyes following the students as they came and went.

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

Ensy
​

From his seat along the back wall, Aiden Porte's gaze shifted from the instructor's holoprojector to the slender figure slipping quietly out of the vaulted chamber. The other students barely stirred, their quills scratching dutiful notes as banners of syndicates and successor states shimmered and dissolved above them. But Aiden felt the ripple in the Force, the sudden tremor of distress carried like a discordant note through the still air.

Ensy.


Aiden rose only after a pause, not wanting to draw more eyes than necessary. His steps carried him down one of the side aisles, soft against the marble floor, until the heavy library doors muffled the instructor's steady cadence behind him. Out in the corridor, the younger student's presence was easy to follow, not by sound or sight, but by the raw ache bleeding into the Force, sharp and fragile. He could sense it, something buried deep.

When he finally caught sight of him, Ensy's shoulders were hunched, satchel clutched as if it were the only anchor keeping him steady. Aiden slowed his pace, careful not to startle him, and spoke gently.

"You don't have to carry it alone." he said, voice low, steady. "The past doesn't lose its hold in a single day, or a single lesson. But walking away doesn't make you weak. It means you know where the line lies."

He let the silence linger a moment, his presence calm and unpressing. Then, softer still:

"If it becomes too heavy, let me bear a little of it with you. That is what it means to be among the Order. That is what it means to be family."

His eyes held Ensy's, not demanding, only offering. A steady hand extended not to pull, but to meet, if the boy chose.

"My name is Aiden, its nice to meet you."

 

[Ensy]

☽ Ensy ☾

Ensy's steps faltered at the sound of the voice, and for a moment he nearly bolted. But when he turned, he found not judgment, only the steady calm of the Knight's presence pressing gently against the ache inside him. He realized then that Aiden could feel it. Maybe Lorn had told him, or maybe the Force carried his scars too loudly to hide. Either way, this stranger knew.


His fingers tightened on the satchel strap, knuckles white, before his gaze lifted. "You can tell," he whispered. "That I've had… a hard past. I try not to let it spill out, but sometimes it just does." He swallowed, the black smear on his parchment flashing in his memory. "I'm sorry. I am still adjusting..."


For a heartbeat, the heaviness of the library still pressed against his chest. But when his eyes met Aiden's at last, the air seemed to loosen. The walls weren't closing in anymore. The weight eased, just a little, as if simply being seen made it bearable.

Then Aiden's word echoed again: family. Ensy's breath caught. Lorn had given him acceptance, training, safety. But family? That was different. Family was something he couldn't remember ever having, only something he'd heard about in half-remembered stories whispered by other prisoners, like a fairy tale.

His eyes lingered on the hand extended toward him, and for a heartbeat the corridor seemed to still. The thought came, shining: He is family. Looking up at the Knight before him, strong and steady, it was as if the stories were true, as if a light shone around Aiden, something magical.

Hesitantly, Ensy loosened his grip on the satchel and reached out, his small hand trembling but sure. "My name is Ensy," he said softly. Then, after a pause, his voice steadied, a fragile smile tugging at his lips. "And I'd… like to be family... It is nice to meet you." There was a soft smile on his face. Something about sharing his name gave him confidence and knowing now that he and Aiden were family made him feel much more comfortable.

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

Ensy
​

Aiden's chest eased as Ensy's hand found his, the tremor of it speaking louder than the words. He closed his own hand gently around the boy's, not to bind or to claim, but to steady, an anchor against the storm still lingering in him. The Force hummed soft in the space between them, threads of trust beginning to weave where fear had once pulled everything apart.

"Ensy," Aiden repeated with quiet warmth, as though saying the name aloud gave it weight, rooted it in the present rather than the shadows of memory. "It's good to meet you. Truly."

He crouched slightly, enough to bring his eyes level with the boy's, his voice patient and unhurried. "You don't have to apologize for what you carry. The past leaves marks on all of us. Some are on the skin, some are deeper. But they don't make you less, they make you real. They remind us why we stand together."

For a moment, Aiden let the quiet linger, offering presence instead of instruction. Then, a small smile curved his lips. "Family isn't just something you're born to. It's chosen. Made stronger each time someone reaches out, as you just did."

He gave Ensy's hand a reassuring squeeze before letting it go, though the steadiness of his gaze remained. "Walk with me. No lessons, no banners, just a walk. Sometimes the best way to breathe again is to remember the world is still open to you."

 

[Ensy]

☽ Ensy ☾

His lilac eyes shimmered faintly. "Marks that make us real…" he echoed softly, uncertain. His gaze dropped to the black smear on his parchment, then back to Aiden. "Sometimes it just feels like they make me… less. But maybe that's just because I'm still learning."

The word family lingered again, gentler this time in the Knight's voice. Chosen. Ensy tilted his head slightly, thoughtful. "One day I will have a big family!" There was wonder in his tone, almost disbelief, as if the idea itself were a gift.

Slowly, he loosened his grip on the satchel. His hand still trembled faintly, but he let it fall against his side instead of clutching it like armor. A small breath slipped from him, steadier than before.

When Aiden spoke of walking, Ensy's expression brightened, the shadow on his features giving way to something new, excitement. "I'd like that" he said quickly, with an exaggerated head nod. "Naboo is… it's so beautiful. I've never been anywhere like it. The people, the gardens, the light, it feels like everything here is perfect."

He glanced up at Aiden, a fragile but hopeful smile forming. "Maybe, with your help, I could see more places like this. Meet more people who are… kind." His hand twitched at his side, as though wanting to reach for Aiden's again, before he stilled it.

"Do you think we could take trips around the galaxy? I think I could trust going if you were with me. I have been to scared to leave Naboo like the other students my age."

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

Ensy

​

Aiden smiled , not the tight, formal smile of a man on duty, but the easy one that came when he remembered something kind. He let the warmth of the sunlight fall across them both, folding away some of the cold that still clung to Ensy's shoulders.

"You will have that big family." he said, voice soft and certain. "Sometimes it takes time to find all the faces that belong with you. But each one who chooses to stay is another piece of that home." He reached up, thumb brushing the edge of the black smear on Ensy's parchment, not to scold but to show he'd seen it and that it meant nothing about Ensy's worth. "Marks don't take from you. They mark where you've been, and sometimes they mark where you can go."

"We'll start small. First, Theed's gardens, quietly, without crowds or lectures, so you can learn the rhythm of open air again. Then the market by the river; there's a stall that sells spiced blossom tea that makes the whole day taste brighter." His tone was practical and warm, the kind of plan a friend makes when they mean every word. "When that feels steady, we'll go further. You don't have to leave Naboo until you're ready. And when you do travel, you'll never go alone, unless you one day decide to do so."

He paused, meeting Ensy's lilac eyes. "We'll move at a pace you choose. Some days will be easy. Others will be slow, and that's all right. Courage isn't never feeling afraid. It's taking the next step even when the chest tightens." Aiden chuckled low, a soft, human sound.

He drew in a long breath of the colonnade air and offered it to Ensy as though it were an invitation. "Come on, then. Let's walk those gardens now. We'll talk about nothing important and then maybe about everything. Family starts with small afternoons like this."