Private Moirai

[Lucien Dooku]

DOOKU PALACE // CARANNIA CITY
vibes | Saraya Arenais ​

---

Carannia city, the capital of Serenno in the modern age of the galaxy, had come a long way since the days of the occupation of the Sith. Beautiful as it was, both the city and its people had suffered greatly over the past decades of Sith rule. Wealth accumulated in the hands of the unworthy, whilst those at the bottom rungs of society were left to fend for themselves, casualties of the increasingly tyrannical regime of the former Dooku King. Lucien had been unaware of the truths behind his family's rise to power, at least that was the case before clarity led to his self-imposed exile. He'd even viewed his grandfather as a righteous man at one point in time, coming to grow an admiration for how the old man ruled an entire planet with seemingly no problems at all.

The truth of the matter proved far too surreal for the young Princeling's train of thought, but at that point there was no turning back from the truth. He too would've been a casualty of the grandfather's tyranny, and by extension the Sith Empire who propped up his dominating regime. It was in his exile that he came to realize the inevitability of what was to come, if the cycle of despotism brought upon Serenno was to be broken. In his acquired wisdom, he sought out what it would mean to be a King; to acquire not just the gravitas of a King, but the desire to rule righteously above others, he took the stars in search of those who could guide his path.

His search would lead him far from war-torn borders of the Order, sending him deep into the territory of the Alliance before flinging him across the Rim until he reached a world of little renown to the rest of the galaxy. It was there that he discovered what it truly meant to rule, guided by the wisdom of one who once led the Serennoan people himself, before the rise of House Dooku upon a singular throne. Rulership was not as simple as sitting on a throne -- metaphorical or not -- and demanding those beneath you follow your commands. There was a method to the decorum that made a King what he was, or so he'd learned as his visit crept into the weeks, and turned into a month.

Lucien was grateful by the end of his stay, and left with a renewed sense of purpose to the cause of Serenno's liberation, to which he'd long since crusaded upon entering the Order. He left the company of his cousin, promising to free their people, no matter the cost. And though he would not see his cousin again, until their fateful reunion on the dawn of Serenno's liberation, he'd never forgotten the kindness and wisdom he received, nor the mantle of Serenno's stewardship, from the planet's former ruler.

He kept to his promise, and their reunion came to an end upon his coronation as King. Once more the two parted ways, with the older of the two returning to the world he now called his home, and the newly-crowned King taking on the burden of repairing his broken home. Lucien wanted nothing more than for his cousin to return to Serenno, and to see the progress that had been achieved in reversing the damage wrought onto the world since its occupation. Much had come in the way of doing so, with the final nail in the coffin being the coma that preceded the Imperial Iron Curtain. Left fractured to the mind, it took him some time before he was ready to send out the invitation that had long since been overdue.

But it was done, and so he waited.

Days turned into weeks, yet still no answer had been received in return. He was certain that his message had been delivered to Illyria without interruption, yet as the end of the month rolled around, he could no longer be certain. He worried for his cousin, though fully aware that the man was capable of handling himself. The galaxy was growing darker with each passing year; the rise of the Maw was proof enough of that, and the fall of the greater Confederacy of the South meant that Illyria may have been put into a precarious position. He was tempted to strike out into the stars once more, to seek out Illyria on his own if that was what he must.

And he almost did, until word had reached him of a ship from Illyria entering the planet's orbit, destined to touch down in the King's private spaceport to the front of Dooku Palace.

Decorum was pushed aside as Lucien moved with haste from the confines of the Palace, forsaking the Royal Guards charged with his protection in order to visit the spaceport himself. A short speeder ride later, and he arrived unannounced to the bewilderment of the spaceport's staff. His entrance was marked by the ship's entrance onto the landing pad, where Lucien made haste in order to greet his cousin.

A grin curled onto his lips as the ship powered down, readying the boarding ramp for the disembarking of its occupants on board. But as he reached out through the force, he could not feel the presence of his cousin among them. It was a distinct feeling, perhaps due to their shared blood and connection to the force, but nonetheless it was missing all the same.

The elation grew feinter as the ramp touched the ground, leaving him to wonder just who it was that had arrived in his cousin's stead.
​

 

[Saraya Arenais]

L A - V É R I T É - B L E S S E​

T A G | Lucien Dooku
L O C A T I O N | On Route to Carannia City, Serenno
W E A R I N G | {x}

The letter had been sat on Adron's desk for months.

A thick, cream-coloured envelope with a telling seal pressed into dull, grey wax staring at her in the face each time she had been forced to sit there. Like many of the things that lay untouched and gathering dust there, it had remained unsealed, in prime place atop the other mail that had been delivered that fateful day. Adron had impressed the importance of remaining strong. For Illyria, for its people, and for herself. This she could do in public. With a thousand eyes watching her it was easy to fall into the sullen looks of a Queen. But here, in the privacy of their rooms, she could not bring herself to face bravery, or strength, or anything else that others required.

It wasn't until Jean, a loyal and trustworthy confidant of both Adron and Saraya, had finally taken issue with the disorganization that Adron's office had fallen into that the letter had even been noticed properly. It had then travelled, from one office to another, from that office to Jean, from Jean to a silver tray, and from the silver tray directly into Saraya's hands. Jean had made a convincing argument in favour of it, and like always, Saraya had been hard-pressed to argue with him. Save for Faye, Adron's younger sister, the missing King had little in the way of family. This cousin of his had every right to know what had befallen his kin.

She had almost sent someone in her stead. Someone else who could have explained with little fanfare and fuss. Someone who would not be missed on Illyria for long, and could have been in and out in a matter of weeks. Someone who did not have to traverse the treasured childhood home of their presumed dead soul mate to stir up and bring to the surface all the bitter-sweet memories the past had hoarded. Unfortunately for Saraya, fate seemed to have a way of kicking her when she was down. With the departure of Adron's sister, there was no one else to deliver the news save Saraya.

This was how she found herself now. Pressed against the plush leather seats of the Royal Ship entering Serennian space for the first time. From the viewport, it was nothing like Adron had described. Though it was plainly obvious as they veered over the top of the city that much effort had been poured into rebuilding it, there was a hidden destruction beneath it all. Something that, rather than seeing with her eyes, Saraya could feel in the pit of her stomach. It was as though the constant pull between dark and light had left a deep, ugly scar across the surface that could never fully be repaired. In some ways, Saraya was glad that Adron wasn't here to see it. He talked so often and so fondly of Serenno that she was certain seeing it this way would have produced a mixture of emotions.

Pride at the effort his cousin had gone to see it rebuilt, but sorrow at the turmoil and destruction it had been put through to begin with.

"We're here, your majesty."

Saraya couldn't help but cringe. She still didn't feel like a Queen, though Adron had seen fit to make her so before he left, and she had spent so much time with Jean since then that she had begged him to call her Saraya. He had agreed, begrudgingly. He was as staunch about tradition and respect as Adron had been, so it came with the term of keeping up the pretence when they were around everyone else.

Jean left the ship first, turning back to offer her a hand to help navigate the landing ramp. Saraya took it gratefully and stepped out into the warm Serennian sun. Down here, on solid ground, it was easier to appreciate the beauty of Serenno. It was almost as picturesque as Illyria, and Saraya could immediately see where Adron had gained his inspiration from. If he had intended to replicate the sensation of the Serenno of old, the new King had done himself justice.

Once again she found herself grateful. This time for the chance to stretch the ache of travel from her legs as she and Jean walked the short distance to their host. Jean stopped just short of him and bowed low at the waist as he spoke. "Your majesty." His steady hand swept toward Saraya. "May I present Saraya Arenais, Queen of Illyria."

Saraya found it in herself to smile at him, but it was wrought with hidden sorrow. Lucien didn't look much like Adron, except for the look in his eyes. It was the same steadfast determination that she had often found in Adron's eyes. "A pleasure to finally meet you, King Dooku." Saraya finally spoke, her sweet lilting voice filling the warm afternoon air like bird-song. "I must extend my sincerest apologies that it is I and not Adron who visits you today." She faltered then, for the space of a heartbeat. It did not seem right to concern him yet, but her reasons were equally selfish as they were selfless. The journey had taken its toll after spending so long in the comfort of Dragonne Palace. "I hope I'm not an inconvenience, but I would dearly love to speak with you and to explore Serenno for the first time. Think of me as Adron, only not quite so stern."

The smile she showed then was truer and as her lips curled up, pressing dimples into her soft cheeks, her face seemed to glow.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

DOOKU PALACE // CARANNIA CITY
vibes | Saraya Arenais ​

---

The first wave of emotion that overtook him was confusion, upon seeing the delegation exit the ship, and the energy of his cousin remaining nowhere to be felt. Lucien remained glued in place as each man and woman made their way down the ramp, shifting themselves into place in order to present the primary guest to his beloved Serenno. It was a woman, and one whose visage he could not just recall upon first setting his eyes onto his form. He took in her features in silence, eyes glued upon her without losing focus, even as a man interjected between them in order to introduce her as the Queen of Illyria.

He blinked, with that revelation finally causing a few gears to begin shifting inside his head. "Saraya." He muttered beneath his breath, a name matching the face of his cousin's wife. The two had met on Illyria, during his month-long stay within the planet's Royal Palace, but their interactions weren't all too common thanks to Adron bringing his younger cousin across the vast lands of his planet & Kingdom at his side. Later the two would meet again, once more reduced to a brief interaction upon Lucien's coronation as King.

Truthfully it was a busy day, one that was marked by Lucien setting aside the attendance of the post-coronation banquets in order to ensure his reforms were ratified & ready from the jump. Unfortunate as their lack of a true meeting was, Queen Arenais stood in front of him now, the roles of husband & wife now seemingly reversed.

"Please Saraya-- Luc is fine." Lucien replied, amber orbs searching the woman's face and raising notice towards the hidden emotions laden beneath the veil of a smile. The distance between Illyria and Serenno was great enough that he couldn't be nothing less than humbled that she'd make the trip at all, though deep within the recesses of his mind, Luc had already begun to steel himself for what was to come. He'd put two and two together, although he was running purely off assumptions by that point in time.

Nonetheless, he wouldn't reveal them to his guest, a woman who proved brave enough to make her way across the galaxy in order to answer an invitation that was meant for her husband. Whatever had happened to Adron, it was undoubtedly his wife who bore the brunt of the pain that came as a result. She was Queen, after all, which meant the matters of statesmanship would fall into her lip, whether she liked it or not.

Lucien took a step forwards, am arm extending outwards to hook itself around his guest's as a vibrant smile moved itself to his lips, a wave of energy coalescing around the two monarchs that seemed to emanate from deep within the King's eyes. It wasn't much, but Lucien was an empathic person at heart, and so he discreetly washed the distressed Queen in an aura that would hopefully steel her resolve even further.

A short walk towards the speeder ensued, upon which the two would mount and make their way into Carannia proper. In typical fashion, the brazen King of Serenno did not bother to wait for either his just-now arriving Royal Guards, or the Queen's escorts, to catch up. It was a beautiful ride from the mountain which Dooku palace sat upon, and down into the valley where Carannia lied. Sword Mountain was visible in the distance, and so too was the growing number of military facilities placed strategically between the palace & the city of Carannia itself. After the surprise assault on Nirauan, Serenno had been more than ready for the eventuality of the same occurring upon the Dominion's capital planet. Luckily or all those present, another catastrophe would yet to befall the denizens of the planet.

They arrival was marked within the hour, as Lucien brought the inconspicuous speeder to a halt on the side of one of the the city's main streets. It was lively as ever, the buildings lining the street a mixture of golden and yellow hues that made it stand out from the surrounding districts. It was the Golden District, after all, which was the rebuilt section of Carannia's -- previously greatly ruined during the Sith bombardment -- oldest buildings, now renovated and turned into one of the city's premier destinations to take in the old culture.

He stepped outside the speeder first, making his way onto the other side to open the door for his guest. A hand reached down to help her out, and from there Lucien would allow her eyes to wander the scenery to her heart's content. "I appreciate your visit, Saraya. Carannia has changed quite a bit since the last time you visited. You couldn't even tell that the city had been bombarded, from what i've been told." The smile faded momentarily. He would never forget the sight of Carannia's near destruction, from the balcony of Dooku's Palace above it.

"But regardless-- it's your first time in the city proper, yeah? C'mon, let's take a walk."

​

 

[Saraya Arenais]

L A - V É R I T É - B L E S S E​

T A G | Lucien Dooku
L O C A T I O N | On Route to Carannia City, Serenno
W E A R I N G | {x}

If Saraya had the ability to read emotions, which was unfortunately not something Adron had taught her before he left, she would have found herself unsurprised at Lucien’s reaction to her arrival. Confusion was bound to occur, and perhaps a little disappointment too. After all, there could not have been a shock like the one he had recieved. Expecting a grand and eloquent King and instead receiving his less than wife, who had been forced into her position with little to no knowledge on how to do it half as well as her husband had.

However, when she did find herself looking at Luc to gauge his reaction…

Confusion was there, without a doubt, but there was no disappointment. As he searched her face, making contact with luminous green eyes that glowed in the Serennian sun, Saraya found herself smiling back at him. It was not forced, or expected, or just because. It was a natural smile that would have fought its way to her lips whether she wished it to or not. To come to the realisation that he was not disappointed or let down by her arrival was enough to boost her confidence. So much so that it was written all over her face when Lucien finally began to talk.

“Luc.” She replied, with a visible wave of relief in her tone. In truth, the night she had met Adron was the first night she had been treated like a Lady of any sort. Before then she was simply the daughter of. It had all happened so quickly. First, she was Lady Arenais, then consort to a King, and now Queen. She reeled at how high she had climbed in such a short space of time. The view from up here was rather dizzying. Especially when she was expected to rub elbows and interact with other royals and monarchs. Some part of her always felt they would discover her for what she was. A sham.

Luc had two reasons to believe so. The irony was she could not refute either claim should he have decided to make them. She was pretending to be a Queen, and she was pretending to be here just to visit. Both seemed like poor lies to begin a friendship on. Especially one as important as this one. The revelation seemed to have come to late, but Saraya was only just realising that Luc was as close to an ally as she would get for a good, long while. Adron had not been joking when he said that the life of a royal was a lonely one. Up to then, they’d had each other to try and beat back that bleak fate, but now she was alone.

Alone, except for Luc.

Her newfound ally appeared to be as gracious as his cousin was. Saraya took his arm with a tentatively restrained eagerness. The moment they locked onto each other, a wave of something indescribable washed over Saraya. It was warm, comforting, and bitterly familiar. Though her heart seemed elevated the moment the blanket of confidence wrapped around her, there was something buried underneath that made her eyes prick with hot tears. Before Luc could catch a glimpse of them, she turned her head up toward the sky under the guise of taking in the scenery, to blind the unwanted reaction away with blistering sunlight.

The journey to Carannia was short, especially in comparison to the one she had just undertaken. A patchwork of colours and sights passed them by a hazy blur, but that did not stop Saraya from taking in every moment of it through the viewport. Again, she was reminded of how harsh her judgement on Serenno had originally been. The fact still remained that war had not gone without leaving its mark here, but much had been done to try and heal. If everything remained as those with positive outlooks hoped, soon the scars of tragedy would be just that. Scars. Remembered in stories, memories, and the will to live on still harboured by the souls that remained. Adron would have felt it too. A dominating and powerful desire to carry on. Something that, despite all it had gone through, Serenno had yet to lose.

When they came to a stop the slight tint in the speeders window prevented Saraya from truly appreciating the beauty of the Golden District. It wasn’t until the door opened, and the first few inches of the interior was bathed in a soft yellow glow, that Saraya got the measure of it. As she stepped out into the warm but dying glow of the Serennian sun, she could not help but gasp with quiet awe.

Though she did not look at Luc when he spoke, the corners of her painted lips still curled in response to his words. “The pleasure is all mine, truly.” She spoke, her sweet tone awash with wonder. “My eye may not be familiar with Carannia in detail, but from what I have seen so far I could not point out the differences.” Her tone seemed to drop then, to a quiet whisper that would have been stolen away on the lightest breeze. “Adron hoped dearly to see the restoration of Serenno, and to show me all the places he had grown up to cherish.” A sigh escaped her lips, which she stopped before its time by pressing them together tightly. The moment was short-lived, as when Luc spoke again, she was reminded of the more positive side of her visit.

“Yes.” She said, with a fervent nod of her head that sent dark chocolate curls tumbling around her rounded cheeks. “Let’s.” Stepping forward, she slipped her arm under Luc’s and turned to him with a smile that flashed sparkling white teeth. “Where too first?” She didn’t really care either way. The likelihood was that Lucian would have a lot of places to show her, and a lot of places he would know that Adron would want her to see, but for now… She didn’t care. She just wanted to walk, and soak it all in.

"I hope it is not too soon of me to say..." She spoke, as she took the liberty of beginning their walk with an encouraging squeeze of Luc's forearm. "Adron would be very proud of you were he here today. After your coronation, though the wounds of the past still hurt him, all he could do was talk of his pride. Serenno finally in the hands of someone who would care for it as it rightly deserved. Someone who would restore it to its former glory. You do him great honour, that much I can see, and if he were here he would no doubt say so himself."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Café Leblanc // CARANNIA CITY
Saraya Arenais ​

---

REFLECTION

There was a hint of pride welling within his amber eyes as she spoke of his cousin once more, his gait momentarily dropping to a slower pace as he reflected upon their first meeting once again. Though it would seem as if he was allowing only allowing his guest the opportunity to soak in the sights, in truth he'd retreated to the recesses of his mind once more. It was a habit, ever since his unexpected return from the darkness, that was for a time his home. The unending void of thoughts and memories that allowed what pieces of his fractured self to gather and coalesce, had become a haven when all he knew and felt was the cold embrace of bacta across his five senses.

Reflection.

He mused upon the word for what felt like minutes, thinking upon the memories and joy that he'd found upon the soil of Illyria. He may have shared blood with the Iron Emperor, Rurik Fel , but their relationship had always been constrained due to the sheer nature of their roles within the Empire itself. There was always a mission, some sort of goal that the two were either pursuing in tandem, or separate altogether. The closeness of their ambitions meant that neither could ever achieve a moment to sit down and reflect upon the true nature of what their blood meant.

Family.

It was the one thing he lacked, upon entering exile from Serenno, and taking to the stars. Both the concept and the feeling returned after he set foot upon Illyria, despite the blood ties between himself and Adron being far more diluted than the former. Yet in the dilution of their blood, and the distance of their duties, the two found common ground in the singular notion of them being family. It was a feeling lost to time to Lucien, and perhaps the Princeling at the time reminded the King of a home long-lost to the Sith, in a time where he too would have strolled through the Golden streets of Carannia himself. Lucien could only speculate, in any case, for Adron had not returned to Serenno since his coronation. Judging from the words being said as they strolled onwards down the street, Lucien could only infer that the worst-case scenario had already come to past.

"I appreciate your words, Saraya. They...mean a lot, truly." Lucien shifted his eyes down to the side where her arm met his, golden orbs converging with her own verdant pools of light. He'd almost faltered, when she first arrived and stepped out of the shuttle, only to confirm to his senses that his cousin had not arrived as well. But Lucien would not waver in spirit no more, not when there were far too many good memories for him to hold onto, and many more to come. He focused back upon the real once those passing words left his lips, reacting to the squeeze upon his arm with a devilish grin as he pointed out the various buildings, and their histories to the best as he could remember.

Despite being her host, Saraya would find out that his exile had left him much of a stranger to the historical aspects of Carannia proper, and the two would discover more than their fair share of history as a pair, much to his delight. With so much effort being directed into reforms, reconstruction, and matters of politics and Empire, Lucien was not always afforded the opportunity to be able to spend time in the city itself.

He'd eventually bring their stroll to a stop, swiveling upon the heel as he guided them towards the doors of a tranquil little café, sparsely occupied and maintaining a position near the tail end of the district itself. It was one of the few places that he knew by name, if only due to his mother bringing him there on many an occasion during his once happy youth. He found them a little table on the patio, quaint and homely in comparison to the rest of the eateries around it by a longshot. Despite this fact, the smile settled on his lips didn't seem to skip a beat, nor did he appear embarrassed to have brought a queen to what might've been the least exquisite place on the block.

His eyes shifted away from the approaching waitress, who may or may not have noticed that the King was seated in front of her by the time she'd set a pair of menus onto their table. Lucien didn't mind it either way, as he returned his attention across to Saraya as soon as he sent the waitress off with a thank you and a smile.

"So tell me, Saraya." Lucien would break the silence at once. "Is he gone for good?"
​

 

[Saraya Arenais]

L A - V É R I T É - B L E S S E​

T A G | Lucien Dooku
L O C A T I O N | Café Leblanc - Carannia City, Serenno
W E A R I N G | {x}

All too happy to lose herself momentarily in the scenery, Saraya allowed Lucien to guide her around the streets of Serenno. She only broke her gaze from them to smile at him when he murmured his thanks for her compliments. It was good to hear them, she hoped that she could accurately convey how Adron would have felt in this situation, if only to take away the sting of what she later had to say.

Before too long, they mulled to a stop in front of what appeared to be a charming little café. Saraya was reminded of the businesses on her home planet of Mnemosyne. Quaint though it appeared to be, it was comforting to feel like Mnemosyne and Serenno shared something, even if it was something as small as this. Saraya settled herself into a comfortable seat opposite Lucien and cast her gaze once more around the café. “It’s beautiful here. It rather reminds me of home.” If given the choice, Saraya would have put it off for all eternity, but she knew sooner or later the topic of Adron would have had to come up.

“I had hoped we could avoid this conversation for a short while. My intention was not to sour the celebrations of your successes with this news.” She said dejectedly as she cast her gaze to the cobblestones beneath her feet. “The horrible truth of it is that I’m afraid I do not know.” That in itself was the most painful part of all of this. Adron was neither dead nor alive, and nobody had any way of knowing the reality of it. He had done well to hide himself. So well in fact that even the oracles of Illyria could give no mention of his location. Nor could they see his future.

Saraya glanced quickly around the small café. He had chosen the spot well, for once the waitress had finished depositing their menus and gawking at her monarch, they were entirely alone.

Still, she dropped her voice to an almost whisper as she began to divulge the details. “A short while before your coronation, Adron and I took a trip to a mountain range on Illyria. He did not tell me the purpose of this visit and we did nothing but stare at the rock face. It was strange, and what’s stranger still is he said nothing more of it. It was only when we returned from your coronation that he mentioned it again. We travelled back there, and I discovered he had carved out the mountainside and created something he called a life forge. It wasn’t until then that he revealed his true intentions to me...”

At this point, her voice cut off, which came in time to the sound of the waitress’ shoes clicking on the red tile floor. Saraya turned to greet her with a friendly smile and ordered an inexpensive red wine and some accoutrements for the table. It wasn’t until she had sat down at the table that she realised how hungry the journey had left her. If it weren’t for the light hum of city life taking place just a street beyond, they would have likely been party to the sound of her stomach grumbling. Saraya would wait for Lucien to finish ordering, if he so wished, and then to the tune of the waitress swaying away, continued her story.

“He wanted to use the life forge to resurrect my aunt. I assume you’ve heard of the family Arenais. Veiere and Kay Arenais?” Whether he had heard of them or not did not make the slightest difference, so she carried on. “He was successful.” She began, yet something in the way her words faltered told the truth of it. “But… something went wrong. My aunt was resurrected but the life forge cracked and almost collapsed the mountain around us.” Saraya stopped for a moment to nibble on her lower lip nervously. When she spoke of that fateful night, she could still feel the floor rumbling under her feet, smell the torrent of dust pouring from the ceiling as shards of rock and debris rained down mercilessly upon her head.

She swallowed the lump in her throat away and followed it with a painful sigh that forced her forest green eyes behind tightly shut lids. “I fear Adron was not strong enough to bear the power of the life forge by himself. He was never the type to willingly seek help of that sort, and he underestimated the strength it would take to bring a life back from the nether. He was hurt. I could tell as we returned home to settle my aunt in.” She exhaled, as though she had been holding her breath in for the entire time. “He did not reveal to me the extent of it until weeks later.”

When she opened her eyes again to set them on Luc’s face, they were filled to the brim with large tears that seemed to magnify the flecks of golden brown speckled through the green. Fortunately for her, the waitress came shuffling back with their food and drinks, affording Saraya a moment or two to compose herself. She rose her fingers quickly to wipe away the threat of tears and lifted the glass of wine to her lips before it had even been allowed to settle on the table properly. Once alone again, and after a further few moments where she did nothing but sip deeply from the crimson cup, Saraya carried on.

“It was horrible… His whole hand… I-…” Her lower lip wobbled again, but she quickly stiffened it with another drink. Not wishing to relive the gory details, she decided to move quickly on. “I do not know the truth of it for certain, only Adron could accurately say what went wrong, but my theory is that the life forge required a sacrifice. A life for a life…” Setting the glass down on the table again, she leant back in her chair and breathed a few deep, steadying breaths. “I did not see him again after that day. Where he went, I could not say. I consulted the Silmä and they could find nothing. I’ve sent out countless servants and soldiers. Spent extortionate amounts on hired investigators just for the smallest amount of information… but I can find nothing. He’s just gone.”

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Café Leblanc // CARANNIA CITY
Saraya Arenais ​

---

REFLECTION

It grew increasingly harder to maintain his composure as he watched the woman across from him divulge into the details of his cousin's death, or his absence, depending on how one looked into the information given. He was alarmed, to say the least, if only by the revelation of the circumstances that led directly into Adron himself going missing. There were dire measures taken to ensure the return of a life that was lost, and to his knowledge, most efforts by others in attempting the same thing were met with a similar fate for one or more of those involved as well.

It was the way of powers that rested far beyond his own abilities, and perhaps even in understanding as well. Though Lucien was knowledgeable in regards to many facets of thee force, he was far from the Master that he'd attribute to his half-kin, or even the former Jedi-turned-Sith who taught him in his youth. But it was from the latter that he learned of certain laws of exchange, although whether they were anecdotal or not was still a mystery despite all that had been revealed of the events that led to his cousin's disappearance.

Regardless of the intent of the user, resurrection was a method he would always attribute to the Sith. That part was no surprise, given the relationship he had with Adron, Lucien had long been aware of where his cousin drew power from in the force. It was more of a shock that his cousin would attempt something so drastic, given the propensity for the Sith to deal in the lives of others, and sometimes their own, when it involved artifacts of ancient and dark designs.

A nod eventually broke the silence and monotony following her revelation of what happened, and the time it took him to process and think it through himself.

"A life for a life." Lucien would repeat her words. "My.. former master once spoke on a similar process-- a spell of sorts -- that functioned in the same manner. It too required a life in exchange for another...though I can't confirm that the rule is an absolute in of itself."

Lucien wanted to believe that Adron wasn't truly gone for good, despite what anecdotal knowledge he had, and attributing his lack of first-hand knowledge of the artifact in question. But the fact of the matter remained that Adron was gone, and according to Saraya, was nowhere to be seen on Illyria or beyond. Lucien was certain if Adron had made his way to Serenno, that he would've sensed his presence indeed, and without fail as long as the man was in the vicinity of the palace. For a man like Adron who had once ruled Serenno himself, Lucien was certain that it would've been impossible for him to stay away from the palace he too once ruled from as well.

A hand stretched across the table, reaching out towards her own as he settled his gaze within an equilibrium with her own. He aimed to grasp her hand at once, and gently squeeze it within his grasp as to shift her attention solely upon him. "I'm sorry for your loss, Saraya, truly. I... I can't say whether or not Adron is gone, or if he is simply somewhere else entirely where neither you nor I can sense." The smile that rested upon his lips had long since faded, though a consistent aura emanated around him invisibly, just strong enough to provide a subtle boost to the woman's resolve, but still weak enough to not influence her emotions unwarranted.

"Given what you've revealed, I appreciate your visit even much more, and perhaps feel a bit selfish for keeping you here, when you've now become the Monarch your people will solely look to for guidance."
​

 

[Saraya Arenais]

L A - V É R I T É - B L E S S E​

T A G | Lucien Dooku
L O C A T I O N | Café Leblanc - Carannia City, Serenno
W E A R I N G | {x}

In the short silence that followed her confessions, Saraya realised just how long she had been holding it in for. Jean knew the details already; he had been there the day it happened. Faye knew too, but that was the extent of her network. A stubborn traditionalist butler fettered to his role in life and a sister already plagued with far more grief than she could handle. It had all been down to Saraya. To shoulder the knowledge and harbour it from the people of Illyria, lest savage rumour and cruel whispers destroy the reputation Adron had built thus far.

It was a grievous piece of information to bear. It felt like a toxic disease ravaging her body with each day that she had kept it locked away. If it weren't for coming here, and selfishly sharing the burden with Lucien, Saraya felt it would have corrupted her entirely. For the first time since Adron had disappeared, it was a little easier to breathe. A little easier to stomach the food she nibbled, the wine she drank, even the atmosphere around them.

Finally, with a little less weight bearing down on her soul, Saraya looked up at Luc again. She wondered what was going through his mind. If the same things she thought now steam trained his thoughts until he could think of nothing else. Somehow, she both doubted it and knew it to be true. She had done it herself when she had first realised. Only this time, it would be different for Luc. Saraya knew the path, even if it was painfully overgrown and difficult to make out the way, and she knew what would help.

If Adron's whereabouts were a toss-up between dead and missing, Saraya knew what category she would be in until she drew her last dying breath.

Adron was missing. Not dead.

Missing. Not dead.

It had become a mantra in recent months and swam around her head eternally in the hopes that the familiarity of them would comfort her when nothing else would. Some part of her knew that she would have felt it if his life force had left. They were connected. Not just by the love they shared for each other but by the very force itself. They had danced through darkness and pledged eternal love for each other. He could not just die. Sometimes, if she thought on it hard enough, she could still feel the heat radiating from the amethyst gem that sat in the centre of her chest.

It had been a gift from Adron when they had first met. A promise that he would return for her. The ebony core back then had been nothing but a beautiful feature of the mysterious jewellery, but Saraya had quickly learned the true meaning behind it. It was the shadow that bound them. The shadow that dominated Adron's soul and drew her to him in the first place. It was a reminder, and until it went cold, nobody in the entire galaxy could have convinced Saraya of Adron's death.

When Luc spoke, Saraya nodded. "I've heard of similar powers, and have researched more since. What I can't understand is why Adron did not make use of this knowledge. If I found it, surely he would have too?" This thought often tripped her up as well. Adron was incredibly intelligent. Far more than she would ever be. If she knew that powers like this required such a sacrifice, why didn't he? Or did he? That was the most painful thought of all.

What if he had?

A hand reached out across the table, but Saraya didn't notice it until the warmth of skin washed over her own. It had been so long since she'd felt someone take her hand like that. The last person had been Adron. She couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by it. Yet, the moment Luc's fingers wrapped hers in a gentle and comforting squeeze, she was reminded of just how loathed she had been without it. So, although it hurt like an old wound being brutally torn open again, Saraya allowed her own fingers to entangle themselves around his.

She allowed him to finish and, in thanks, graced him with a sorrowful but genuine smile that made the corners of her eyes sparkle. The aura he projected was still felt, in the background, preventing her from breaking down completely in the small and unassuming café. Saraya was grateful for it. To further stem the threat of tears she spoke again.

"I'm sorry for your loss too, Luc. I know how much Adron meant to you, and how much you meant to him. That's why I thought it best to deliver the news myself." Still wrapped in their embrace and as though it had been a habit for centuries, her fingers began to idly dance over Luc's knuckles. Her emerald gaze trailed down to the lines she traced on his skin, and she seemed to retreat into herself suddenly. As though she could not bear to be seen as she spoke. He had, ironically, done a rather eloquent job of leading Saraya onto the other reason for her visit. "I'm afraid the selfish one is I. I had intended to come personally regardless, but I'm afraid my visit has a second ulterior motive. A rather important one that I feel cannot be allowed to linger. I do what I can for Illyria, but I'm drowning under the weight of it all." Her dark brows knitted together then.

The thought of admitting it made her sick.

Adron had always made her promise not to trust anyone with matters pertaining to Illyria. He put so much faith in her, but the shoes he left behind to fill were nothing as he had described. The thought of admitting it did make her feel sick, but the thought of ruining Illyria made her feel even worse. "I don't know many monarchs. Or should I say, I don't know any. I know the basics, and Jean tries to help where he can, but many of the things require a more intimate knowledge of ruling a planet. I'm ashamed to admit it. I feel as though I've rather let Adron down, but I don't have any of that…"

"I could not bear the thought of Illyria crumbling because of my own failings. Not when Adron has trusted me with its fate." At this point, she looked up to catch Luc's gaze. Her own eyes were filled with desperation, though to her credit she had tried her best to restrain it. She did not want to appear a beggar, nor did she wish to impart herself so heavily upon Luc, and he was free to decline with no consequence to the relationship of the planets or their monarchs.

Saraya finally let it out, in a single breath that was more of a whisper than a sentence. "I need help."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Café Leblanc // CARANNIA CITY
Saraya Arenais ​

---

REFLECTION

There was much he could say, given the circumstances of their shared loss, and the grief they carried for the lost soul who inhabited a mutual part of their hearts. It was hard to deal with loss on its own, but even more so when the weight of worlds rested upon one's shoulders. Luc had learned this fact multiple times over as the Empire grew in strength, and the weight of millions of souls began to rest upon his shoulders as responsibility took precedent over his selfish desire to live only for himself. The latter became impossible, once the boy fell under the wing of the Imperator, and subsequently entered the world of Imperial politics at his side. He learned the cutthroat nature of diplomacy, and saw just what it took to lead one's in the face of strife and death itself.

It took balls, to put it bluntly, to rise above the stress and tangible danger that came with taking on the collective fates of those who entrust you to lead them in their stead. But it took even more courage to seek to do so without fail, and to do your best to seek the brightest outcome for the masses, when it was all too easy to achieve security and peace through the threat of violence and tyranny respectively. It would've been valid to refer to the Imperial way of life, as nothing short of a cycle of tyranny, in order to secure the order that the culture desired.

But despite the faults laden within the system of Imperialism, Lucien would always be grateful of the New Imperialism that blossomed beneath Tavlar's reign. It provided the spark necessary for Lucien to come into his own as a ruler, and bestow upon his planets an enlightened form of Imperialism that differed greatly from many of his peers. He sought to achieve Order, through prosperity, through guarantees of freedom and liberty that many of his fellow Warlords had labeled him an altruist for attempting in the first place. Loyalty was secured, not through the means of coercion and propaganda, or the fear of a system that could make them disappear, but through the promises of a better life and the actions taken to try and realize that goal.

Enlightened as it was, the radical form of Imperialism he ruled by had been a hard model to achieve, and met by much ridicule by the majority of the standardized Imperial warlords and moffs across the growing Empire's list of planets. Though the benefits were tangibly seen in the years that followed the actualization of his vision onto the planets beneath his care, he would never truly silence the detractors entirely, though the loyalty of his people had grown unquestionably secure.

He'd realized the true loyalty that most Imperial rulers sought out, so much so that the Dominion of Nirauan remained surprisingly steadfast after the near-destruction of Nirauan itself, and the loss of so many lives in both the planet's invasion, and subsequent reclamation. Much needed to be done to replace what had been lost, though the lives of his citizens was an irreplaceable commodity that he would never take lightly. He was soft when it came to them, refusing to treat their lives as anything short of the most precious piece of puzzle that was his fiefdom. It might have been to his detriment, given his inability to quell unrest effectively unlike his peers, but Lucien had never claimed that his system was ever perfect.

Hard decisions, and the consequences that followed. That was the gist of rulership, from what he learned from Tavlar, and what he learned on his own.

-

He'd fell back into his thoughts, it seemed.

Amber eyes fluttered together as he forcefully removed himself from the recesses of his thoughts, and outside the confines of a fractured mind that continuously drew him within, even against his own will. She wouldn't have noticed the difference in any case, as despite the remnants of his condition causing moments like before, it had all occurred in a blink of an eye in the real-space outside of his thoughts. He shook off the lingering fogginess that came with these episodes, and luckily it became easier to grasp back onto the situation as he felt the touch of her delicate fingers upon his hand once again. A smile slipped through the muddled and grief-filled visage, her warmth helping the recovering King with reigning in his fragmented psyche with just enough suaveness to play it off as if nothing had happened.

And the reveal that followed came with good timing, as she let the ulterior motives for her visit come to light. Lucien didn't respond immediately, though the decision seemed an easy one from the moment her words escaped her lips. As much as he wished to accept without a second thought, he couldn't help but consider the logistics of what she was requesting, given the time and circumstance in which it came. The Empire was...changing, and with those changes came the rise of political contingencies and maneuvering that he found himself at the head, for reasons which tied to the thoughts that filled his mind just moments prior.

"I.." Lucien trailed off, his hand loosening within her own for just a moment as his eyes dropped off to the side in thought. The practical decision would've been to turn her down, if he were to be honest with himself. Given the sheer magnitude of the events unfolding inside the Empire, it would've been illogical for him to divert the time, effort, and energy towards a planet across the galaxy, when all three facets were much needed for what was occurring in his own backyard. It was the logical choice, and if he turned her down, Lucien hoped that she wouldn't blame him too much, he thought to himself. His eyes rose back up to meet her own, and through them he saw the pain and desperation that brought her onto Serenno in the first place once more.

Fuck.

His hand tightened back around her own, as he raised from his seat and moved to a stand, and pull her onto her feet alongside him as well. "Queen Arenais of Illyria." He proclaimed, catching the attention of the passing waitress through the oration of his tone. "No-- Saraya. If you need my assistance, I... I can't say no, even if to no fault of your own, I'm in no position to say yes." Lucien's smile grew feint as he spoke those final words, his hand now interlaced with his own and bringing it to a hover above his heart. "But I wouldn't be worthy of the legacy bestowed upon me by my predecessors, if I looked into your eyes and sent you away when you've come so far to seek my help. You have it, and you have me, to protect what you love-- what Adron loved."

​

 

[Saraya Arenais]

L A - V É R I T É - B L E S S E​

T A G | Lucien Dooku
L O C A T I O N | Café Leblanc - Carannia City, Serenno
W E A R I N G | {x}

His grip loosened, and just for a moment, Saraya felt a cool breeze tickle the skin along the back of her hand.

The silence stretched on for far too long. She felt like a strip of damp leather being tugged tightly at both ends, with the silence like a razor-sharp knife that edged closed every passing second that Luc did not answer. She understood now why Adron hated asking for help. This feeling was not one she wished to repeat. What would happen to her if Luc decided to cut it? Would she crumble? Would her precious Illyria fall with her? The thought made her so nervous that she could feel her fingers beginning to twitch in the empty space beneath Luc's.

Luc himself had adopted an expression that Saraya had seen many times before. She did not know whether it was a Malvern trait or one shared between Kings, but she had seen it before. Deep thought looked like concern when it was written so heavily in the lines on his brows. As though the thoughts that travelled through his head were ones that could shatter cities and crumble planets. The very idea of them darkened his features with a shadow that could not be chased away by the brightest of dawns. In the silence then, she found her lips falling apart as something had finally clicked.

Saraya had not realised it until now, but… that was the very nature of every decision a monarch had to make. It was the weight of not just one, or several, but millions of lives resting on their shoulders. Every thought, word, and breath had the potential to bring a great kingdom sinking to its knees.

This situation they found themselves in was a rare one indeed.

Saraya had come to him, heart in hand, to ask for help for a nation that would surely suffer this fate should he refuse, but even simply by asking, Saraya had potentially condemned Serenno to the same. Time was more precious to a monarch than life itself. Every second stolen to focus on something that was not the welfare and success of one's charges was a second wasted.

The magnitude of her request was not lost on her.

She wanted to turn back time and swallow the words that had placed such a heavy burden on his shoulders.

When he finally looked back at her, Saraya knew the decent thing would have been to look away. Her love for the planet and the man that had drawn her to Serenno in the first place had riddled her expression with such torment that, no matter how hard she tried, she could not reign it in. The decent thing would have been to look away. To not force him to make his decision based solely on the pain that was hers to burden. To not force him to put his own in jeopardy, just to save hers.

But she didn't.

The gap between their hands closed suddenly as Luc swept both himself and Saraya to their feet. Eyes wide with surprise, there was little she could do but look upon his face with trepidation. A thousand things rushed through her mind, and to quell them all that was available was a shakily drawn breath of coffee-scented air. It cut off the moment Luc began to talk. The moment he commanded the attention of every diner, passer-by, and curious ear that walked, sat, or lived on this quaint little street.

It was the sound of her true name that finally convinced her to breathe again, but what cleared away every cobweb of insecurity and doubt was his answer. She could have quite literally kissed him, but the hundreds of pairs of eyes suddenly drawn to their table by his announcement demanded both respect and example be followed. Instead, she settled for beaming at him. Alongside starting at him with a mixture of disbelief and unbridled gratitude.

"I don't know what to say…" She finally choked out, eyes falling to his hand as it encased her own in a comforting embrace against his chest. The thud of his heart beneath her fingertips was reassuring and steady, but it left her at a loss for words.

As a middle ground between what Saraya wanted and what the monarch wanted, she stepped forward and wrapped her free arm around his middle to bring them together until they were almost one. In comparison to his, her own heartbeat was so rapid it felt as though it was humming, but it didn't matter. Saraya buried her head into his shoulder, where she could close her eyes and drown out the people of Serenno around them. It was here, with her words slightly muffled by his clothes, that she finally felt free to speak.

"You have not only my deepest and most sincerest thanks, but Adron's as well should he ever return. Not to mention the thanks of Illyria and her people." She pulled back from their embrace briefly, to smile at him again. Her eyes were filled with tears once more, but the nature of them was different now, and they seemed to make her sparkle. "You have saved us, Luc. Truly." At these words, she leant forward to place a single kiss upon either side of his cheeks.

It was an Illyrian custom, but she seemed to linger on the last one for as long as she dared. "Thank you."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Café Leblanc // CARANNIA CITY
Saraya Arenais ​

---

REFLECTION

Lucien hadn't quite noticed the scene he'd made through his proclamation, not until the Queen of Illyria reached an arm around him in response to his gesture, and brought his hear to a momentary pause in time. He'd been good in the past at keeping incognito within the city, in part thanks to his genuine lack of Kingly attire that made most Monarchs stand out from the common people of their planet.

In contrast to his peers of similar station, the young King of Serenno was a terrible sight to behold; clad in the same style of attire he'd always worn, most who strolled by him on the streets would usually assume he was nothing more than your typical spacer. As was by design, of course, as he preferred to mingle among his people without them treating him with any sort of special treatment, or the typical fanfare that crowded him when some of the more fervent residents of Serenno spotted their King about on the streets.

This was usually the case, though as his eyes scanned the area around him, Lucien realized that his ruse had been completely given up. A secondary thought appeared in his head as he glanced around to a growing crowd of citizens around the tiny cafe that they were currently visiting. "Dammit." He muttered beneath his breath, donning a fragile smile towards the many happy faces that were looking towards his way. Flustered by the situation, the majesty of it all seemed to hit him all at once as he realized that the Monarch had never been spotted in public with, well, another woman in the slightest. He was certain to hear of it soon enough from Valerian, his closest advisor, and another father-figure who helped groom the brazen young Prince into a King worthy of his people. Long had the old man been pressuring the King to do his duties and find a wife, despite Lucien's pushback that such a notion was a relic of the past, and not what he wanted.

He sighed a bit, eyes fluttering closed until Saraya snatched his attention once more. Thankful and compassionate words were voiced, to which he offered the woman both his attention and a genuine smile as well. The proceeding gesture that followed would only serve to turn the King a further shade of red, as she placed a single kiss upon each side of his cheeks. It was unexpected, and met with enough fanfare from the onlooking denizens of Serenno that he almost didn't know how to respond back in the moments that followed. Though she had been in his presence for quite some time now, it was only after that gesture did his eyes truly open up to the visage of the woman in front of him.

Lucien was speechless, mouth left a jar at the serenity brought about from being graced by her kindness and elegance. He found a hand wandering to the small of her back in response, almost upon instinct as the motion was completed before he'd processed his next line of thought. The small gap that separated them was removed in an instant as he pulled her tightly against his own form, erasing any doubt as to whether or not her gesture was taken positively. He held her within his embrace for quite some time, a soft smile spread onto his lips as the seconds compounded onto the next. It was only after he felt he'd overstayed his welcome into her arms did he let her loose, curving his hand from around her until his hand reached out to touch her own, his fingers moving to lace themselves with hers.

"It appears we've overstayed our welcome." Lucien would eventually speak up, throwing a nod in the direction of the attentive Serennoans beginning to surround the cafe. "Let's continue our walk, Saraya-- there's plenty left for us to see." ​

 

[Saraya Arenais]

T O M B A N T - V I T E​

T A G | Lucien Dooku
L O C A T I O N | Walking the Streets of Carannia City, Serenno
W E A R I N G | {x}

For Saraya, most of the crowd had faded into the background. She was extraordinarily good at forgetting when there were thousands of watchful eyes on her, all thanks to having grown up with escorts and chaperones for almost all of her life. On the other hand, it was not difficult to notice that Luc was struggling with it. Not when she was this close to him. With every intention of easing his anxieties in any way she could, Saraya moved to attempt to console him, but Luc got there before her.

His hand on her lower back immediately set her heart fluttering, but it was not the hand that made her blush. It was the look he gave her as he swept her into another embrace. This one was different somehow. Fervent in a manner that was only obvious to her. In the way his fingers sunk into her waist, in the way his head nestled into her neck, in the way he seemed to hold his breath as his grip tightened. She returned it all with equal intensity. Her heart and mind demanded it and neither she nor the monarch were inclined to deny it.

It had been far too long since emotion like this had ruled her actions so openly. The last time it had passed by in a blur, but not this time. Though Luc may have felt his welcome was overstayed, Saraya would have happily clutched him until the little café had closed for the night and the sun was replaced by the moon. She would have stayed there forever, but she had forgotten the audience that watched them from the edges of their seats and beyond.

Finally separated, Saraya turned to look at Luc. Though the action was brief it was riddled with polite confusion. "These are your people." She whispered softly under her breath so that the gentle breeze carried it to Luc's ears and Luc's ears alone.

Her tone was not unkind, but it was firm and guiding. From the moment of her birth, Saraya had been what her mother liked to call a charmer. It was the polite and upper-class way of saying she knew her way around a crowd, and this element was key for any monarch. True that ruling was far more complicated than that, but when it came down to the wire, the people's love could carry a King far further than any law made, city built, or war won. Besides any of that, how could he have overstayed his welcome in his own city? The hand that clutched his tightened slightly, to provide some reassuring pressure that was meant to make him stay.

"Citizens of Serenno…" Saraya began, but she did not take her eyes from Luc as she spoke. The tone she projected to the furthest corners of the crowd was cool and confident, like a slowly moving river cutting its way through mountains to reach the ocean. "I apologise if our conversation has disrupted your days in any way." At this point, to couple her words, she turned to flash them all a winning smile. "I have travelled to Serenno today to pay my King's respects to your beautiful planet and all its wonderful people, and today I have extra reason to give my thanks to you all."

Her arm rose, breaking their embrace, just enough to slide through Luc's so that the crowd's attention shifted slowly to him. "The kindness and mercy your monarch has displayed today has saved not only my life but the lives of the people of Illyria too." Reaching up with her other hand, she gave Luc's arm a soft squeeze, but her eyes remained focused on her audience. "Illyria will not let this kindness go unpaid, and we will begin here." She turned her head slightly to the waitress, who by now had gathered a small crowd of her own from inside the café.

"If you would do us the honours…" Saraya had no idea where the owner of this little establishment was, but with it being such a small business, they couldn't be far. "…open your kitchens. Drinks for everyone, and meals too if they wish it. Send the bill to Illyria when all is through. My man will be along shortly to give you the details." The waitress, although still too stunned to speak, nodded her head. "May you all drink to all that was lost, all that has been found again, and to the health of this new and budding relationship between our two planets."

Saraya did not stay for the resulting madness that would be the crowd surging forward to gain their hard-earned rewards for eavesdropping. She had learned quickly not to pass up an opportunity to sneak away from situations like this one. If they didn't do it now, they would be plied with toasts and conversations and questions until they could stand no more. That was the last thing Saraya wanted. Or at least, it was the last thing she wanted from a crowd of strangers.

Luc, on the other hand…

Once they had slipped themselves into the shaded sanctuary of a nearby side street, Saraya let out a breath of relief. This was followed by a soft giggle, in which she threw a playful emerald gaze up toward Luc. "That should keep them busy for a little while, as long as you don't go making any more public declarations." It had actually been rather enamouring. Saraya could not pretend that the rose flushing on her cheeks was anything but genuine adoration. How much time had passed since anyone had looked at her the way he had looked at her in those moments? The thoughts he had stirred only deepened the shades of red on her face, and she found herself forced to look down at the cobblestone under her feet.

To draw the attention away from her obvious but well-placed embarrassment, she spoke again. "I've never been one for the intricacies of ruling, but that side of things comes easily. All people want is to be safe, recognised, and cherished. As a monarch, it's the only thing I feel capable of doing well enough to have truly earned the title."