A Snowflake in the Snowstorm [Mysa Vi'dreya]

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Midvinter​

Tháinbroek​

​

Asha was dead. He'd felt it; he felt her beacon of light turn into nothing, leaving a large piece of him just as empty. Asha was his life in his younger days. She was his master, mentor and mother, and the very example he aspired to become for so long. And now she was dead. Killed by some Sith scum who uses fear and manipulation to take what he wants. Is the Dark Side stronger? No, just more seductive. Destructive. His master was a Jedi, and the truest example he knew. The Light was her ally, and it had served her well until the end. That is how he would remember her.

Keeping contact with his homeplanet of Midvinter was difficult due to their lack of technology, but they managed. His father had sent for him, informing him of a package received from an unknown source. As the Oathkeeper touched ground before the vast gates of Tháinbroek, Thurion wrapped the warm fur around his shoulders before exiting, taking Teetoo with him. "You sure you'll be fine rolling through the snow, Teetoo?" A series of confident bleeps and boops was uttered as the astromech stubbornly rolled down the ramp. "Alright, fine. Big baby..."

The harsh everlasting winter made itself known immediately as he exited his ship, with howling winds only making it even colder and difficult to see as snow kept getting tossed in his face. He wouldn't have to go far until he was rid of it, fortunately, as the massive gates were opened when he approached. There to greet him on the other side was his father, newly-crowned High King of Midvinter. "What, you forgot about our lovely climate, boy?" the huge Valkyr chuckled as Thurion stepped towards him. "Not at all, dad. Just quite the change from the tropic paradise I'm used to, is all." Father and son then embraced each other before venturing up the long stairway leading to the great hall his father now called home, just as he had in his youth.

"Tell me about this 'package', dad. Do you know where it came from?" Thrand shook his head. "No, I thought you would tell me, to be honest. Some important-looking people dropped it off. I think they might've been Jedi. I had it brought to the throne room" Thurion's brows furrowed. Why would Jedi send something to Midvinter of all places, then state that it was meant for him? At the very least it was safe to assume this package was important. "So, how's the family, son?" Thrand asked him as they ascended. "They're fine, dad. How's the realm?"

[member="Mysa Vi'dreya"]​

 

[Lief]

Within the humble throne room of Tháinbroek the child stood; having been told to wait there patiently, little Mysa Vi'dreya had resorted to pacing the only adornment the ground had to offer - a faded rug that ran from the foot of the throne to the double doors at the end. Choosing to remain closest to the throne than the door, the tiny Umbaran felt a strange sensation tug at her gut, nerves beginning to get to her; why had she been sent for? And why was the room devoid of any other life?

She could sense the guards on the outside of the door, yet still she felt isolated and alone. Midvinter had proven to be a hospitable world, with its people housing a warmth than contrasted the icy exterior of their land. But she hadn't really gotten to know anyone that resided there; more she had been a celestial ghost, roaming from longhouse to longhouse without a purpose. Not even the Valkyri really knew who she was being made to wait for, although she suspected that one of the higher ups were secretly aware... Why else would she have been permitted to stay?

Casting her gaze over the door, and then the high vaulted ceiling of the room, Mysa sighed softly and resigned herself to her fate. Perhaps she would be given some sort of duty upon the world - the child was no stranger to the concept of such - or maybe they had finally decided it was time for her to leave the safety of their walls. Whatever the reason, Mysa hoped that she would find out soon. Much like her mother, the child had a dislike towards wasted time. It was so very unproductive.

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

As father and son reached the entrance of the grand hall, Thurion halted Thrand from opening the doors. "Dad... I've seen her. She spoke to me--" Thrand wouldn't let him finish, putting his hand up in protest. "I know, son. I saw her, too..." His hand then settled on his son's shoulder. "I don't know whether we have your Force or my gods to thank for it, but it's all the same for me. We were both given some peace, at long last." Smiling up at his father, the two then pushed the large wooden doors open together.

The hall was all-but empty, save for a few servants tending to the fireplace and doing some cleaning. "Quite the opposite from the crowded feasting during your coronation. Does it ever get lonely, sitting on the throne?" Thrand stared straight ahead as they walked down the long carpet reaching from the entrance to the throne itself. "More than you know..." As they neared, however, Thurion laid eyes on a lone child sat at the far-end table. "Who's that?" he asked. "She's... part of the 'package'." This puzzled him greatly.

"Hello, Mysa", the elder spoke as they walked up to her. Her name had been revealed by those who'd brought her, albeit her firstname only. Thrand turned to his son. "She rarely speaks. Been like that since she got here." Thurion stepped forward and knelt down to her level, eyes meeting hers. The two shared a moment of silence, merely looking at each other. So much of the poor girl was familiar to him that he needed no further explanation as to who she was. "Hi, there", he smiled wide. "My name is Thurion, but you can call me 'Furry'."

 

[Lief]

She had been here so long that slowly a handful of attending servants had joined her within the halls, going about their business as if the ghost-like child was invisible. Finding herself to become tired, the child wandered over to the large table which was situated to one side of the hall, and gently settled herself down in one of the seats. So small was she that her head barely poked over the top of the table. Ontop of it she saw a small bundle, and despite how curious she might have been the child knew better than to mess with things that did not belong to her.

The doors at the far end of the hall opened without warning, and the sound of voices crescendo'd into existence. Blinking, the little girl shrank back in her seat in order to try and render herself invisible. Despite having seen him more than anyone else on this world, she was still nervous around High King Thrand. Besides, surely she had been sent here to be told that she had to leave now. She had been here for a few months, after all.

There was another at his side, and despite the differences in their appearance she could tell by their facial structure and height that they were kin'. When Thrand addressed her, the little girl lifted her gaze up to meet with his before speaking a very meek "Hello, m'Lord" the way she had seen so many others on-world do. Then the other one spoke, gifting her with the knowledge of her name. It felt familiar somehow, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. She didn't speak this time, she merely stared at the stranger.

It felt odd being referred to as part of a package. Like she wasn't really a person at all. Then again, her Creator had shown her the same courtesy.

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

"'My lord'? What makes you think I'm worthy of such titles, little one?" he smirked. He raised a hand to gently stroke her white hair, so similar to his daughter's. The first time he'd seen such hair was back in his youth when Kära was brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. "Snowflake..." he uttered barely audible. "Mysa, I was sent here to take you with me. To offer you a place to live. A home." While not inherently true, he made it a truth right there and then. He was not about to let her remain alone on Midvinter without a place to call home. If he could give that to her, it would do his heart good to see a little girl smile again.

"Would you like to go with me? I won't force you to come. It will have to be your decision", he said with his hand held out towards her. "You don't have to say anything. If your answer is 'yes', take my hand and I will not let go of you until we are home." Thrand looked on with pride as his son spoke the language of youth the way he never could as a father. Abandoning his two children at such a young age left him with little confidence around little children as it reminded him of how he failed in the role. "Oh right, I almost forgot!" he suddenly spoke before stepping towards the throne under which he'd hidden the wooden box. Seemed silly to have kept it in such a place, like a kid hiding something under his bed, but there it is. "Package is in here. I figured it had to be important so I hid it."

 

[Lief]

Being too nervous to correct the man, as she had been speaking to the King of Midvinter after all, the child shied back as he lifted his hand to her hair. He seemed overly familiar with her, which was strange and alien to say the least in the eyes of a child who knew no comfort. Frowning, the child blinked some. A home? Nope, that wasn't something she had ever been taught by the Creator... "W-What's a home?" she queried quietly, her voice as soft as Kära's had once been. Well, in truth, Kära's voice had always been soft, the woman never raised it. Someone who shouted just seemed silly to most.

Her gaze drifted across to Thrand as she looked for confirmation on the man's claims; would she be safe there? was that what the King had intended for her? Chewing on her lip the child just stared at the hand when it was offered out to her, before timidly stepping forward. She didn't take it, but instead kept close to the man. Hopefully that would be enough to show her intentions, after all.

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

When she looked to Thrand, the old man offered her a sagely nod to hopefully remove some of her fears. "Mysa, Thurion is my son. He will take care of you better than I ever could. He's got a family of his own, and little girl your age. You'll be better off on Tabaqui than here on Midvinter." While his father spoke, Thurion took her small gesture of stepping towards him as accepting his offer and started wrapping the girl up in the thick, warm furs native to Midvinter, able to keep out any cold.

Once Mysa was all bundled up, he carefully placed his hands on each of her shoulders. "A home is... a place where you know you can feel safe, and where you have people who love you and care about you." He took a moment to adjust the oversized fur atop her shoulders. "I have a fiancée and a daughter, with a son on the way. Nina would love to meet you, I'm sure. She's never really had a friend her age before and could do with a playmate." He smiled wide at the possible sight of the two white-haired girls running through the green grass and splashing in the shallow waters at the edge of the lake.

"Here, Mysa," Thrand spoke as he knelt before the girl, still towering over her miniscule frame. He presented her with a wooden figurine in the shape of the elk-like Vhaanir. "I made this for you. Just something to remember us by. You'll always be welcome among the Valkyri, my dear."

[member="Mysa Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

Little Mysa felt a wash of strange emotions as the pair continued on, teaching her and welcoming her as the Valkyri had since the day she arrived. The way this man was so familiar with her made her frown however. Did he know her? Mysa certainly didn't know who he was! Perhaps the King had simply told him of her. Yes, that was likely it! "T-Thank you" she muttered softly - the Creator had told her to always be polite, after all, it was one of the less practical lessons to be sure. But it had its perks.

Nestling her face down into the furs, until most of her nose was covered and just her stark blue eyes peered out, Mysa felt truly content. When the Elk was presented to her, the child's eyes widened. She had never received a gift before, and the sight of the wooden figure was one to be in awe of. Slowly she shifted one hand out of the furs, using the other to keep them in place, and gently took the item with a grateful little gasp. It was beautiful. "T-Thank you, My Lord..." She didn't know what else to say, her mouth remained slightly agape afterwards and she clutched onto the trinket for dear life.

Already feeling much more settled, the child leaned her head against Thurion's hand and closed her eyes, allowing the two men to finish up their conversations as she stood there clutching the furs and the Vhaanir; life would be different from hereon out, she knew, but she welcomed the change. I shall call you Éar she mentally thought, towards the wooden figure within her grasp; after all, what a better way to remember the Valkyri than to carry one of their Gods alongside her?

[member='Thurion Heavenshield']

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

With a bright smile on his face Thurion got back on his feet, knowing she'd accepted his offer. He turned to Thrand and extended his hand for a handshake, but the old man instead threw his arms around his son in fatherly embrace. "You be safe, now. Both of you..." When the hug ended the King turned to Mysa again, placing a huge palm atop her hair and just kept it there. He wouldn't dream of roughing up her snow-white locks, for they were a gift of the gods, no doubt. "Farewell, little Snowstrider. I will see you again, some day." As Thurion turned to leave he reached for her hand, feeling its softness in his palm. "Gods go with you..."

Back outside the weather had worsened, strong winds shouting in their ears and making it nigh-impossible to see two feet ahead of them. Nevertheless he plucked Mysa off the ground and held her in his arms to protect her from the worst of it, keeping her face warm by letting her nestle into his shoulder. The walk to his ship, the Oathkeeper, was a short one despite the weather seemingly throwing everything at them, and once inside the two already looked like snowmen. Removing the furs atop his shoulders he then helped Mysa remove hers and sat them aside for now. No snowstorms inside the ship.

Teetoo rolled up to meet them, beeping and booping as he did. "Hey, buddy. Fancy setting course for Tabaqui? Little Mysa here will be staying with us for a while." He turned to the girl. "Here we are, Mysa. Feel free to have a look around and make yourself at home. It'll be an hour or so until we reach my home. If you want, you could join me on the bridge." His hand brushed against her soft cheek, so alike his daughter's.

 

[Lief]

Mysa stood for a moment and watched the two men interact; it was an odd display of... well, honestly, Mysa did not know what to call it. The interaction was new to her, but they seemed content with it. The child was quickly realising that there was a lot her Creator had failed to inform her about. Frowning thoughtfully, the child tilted her head to the left as she waited, curiosity fathomable from the way she stared with big wide eyes. "Farewell, My Lord" she muttered in the same quiet tone she had used since descending upon the planet. Snowstrider, that was an interesting name. Internally it made the girl feel more like Midvinter had become her home over the few months she had resided there. At the mention of the Gods, the child shined; unbeknownst to the Valkyri, they were one large part of the people's culture that she had taken wholeheartedly into her stride. Thus, to have such a blessing placed upon her was an honour.

When the pair left the longhouse, Mysa found herself swept up off the ground. The snow fell around them in storm filled flourishes yet the worst of it was kept from her face, which was well covered. Nestling down against his shoulder, she closed her eyes and patiently waited for their small journey to finish. The wind howled and left a ringing within her ears, that still remained once she was placed down into the considerably warmer ship's hull. Blinking she gazed around the foreign structure, having only been within a ship once before. When Thurion tried to remove her furs, however, Mysa lifted a little hand and clung onto them. "I'd like to keep them, please, Sir" she softly spoke, averting her gaze somewhat. When he did not put up any sort of resistance to the idea, she loosened up and began to relax.

Rather than explore the vessel, being that she was nervous to do so, little Mysa instead joined him in the bridge for the journey. Much like her Creator before her, she found a soothing quality to the stars - especially when the hyperdrive kicked in and they began to spread like sharp white lights across the darkness of space. Sitting there, in a chair and furs far oversized for her tiny frame, Mysa could feel the winds of change shifting. She knew not where they would take her, only that life as she knew it most definitely had begun to differ. Clinging onto Éar she settled down and watched hyperspace drift by through the transparisteel window, feeling content yet slightly anxious for the new world she would soon be exploring.