Private The Champion and the Heir [Jenn Kryze]

[Varys Amun]

Varys sat on the one end of the room's cot, leaving space for Jenn to sit next to her. It was quiet, which was better, and dark. Varys' panic began to fade, making way for a deep and aching melancholy.

She thought about the Kryze's motto: Haat, ijaa, tor. Truth, honour, justice. Varys wondered what Jenn might think of Clan Amun's own excuse for a motto, the words that Riela Amun had repeated in the months and years after the purge of Manda'yaim: Shi utreekov trattok'or kaysh beskad, only a fool falls on their sword. Perfect for a clan who had spent the last several decades suppressing their conscience in the name of survival.

She was sure Jenn would not think much of that. But, it was as true for Kryze as it was for Amun. They too had resisted annihilation, clung to life. Instead of sacrificing themselves, they did one better: they persisted.

Varys often fantasized about how she might take revenge on those who had fragmented and tortured the Mando'ade, the violence she would subject them to in the name of her home and her people. Somehow, she wasn't sure Jenn would approve of those thoughts either.

That wasn't so bad. Varys knew how to jump through hoops to please her family, her superiors. She hoped Jenn would understand her, agree with the things she believed. But, even if they were opposed she would adjust. The problem was everybody else.

"What's wrong, ner'ad? You can tell me anything, Varys."

"What if it is always like this, Jenn?" Varys asked sullenly. "How can I be accepted by my people when I bear the mark of a traitor? Am I just expected to go the rest of my life rejected by my people. silently hated by my clan?" she looked at Jenn seriously. "You are the only person in the Galaxy who cares about me at all. Do you know how karking sad that is?"

Varys groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"I didn't even do anything. Why should I be punished?" she whispered.

She began to cry again, this time not bothering to hide it.

"I didn't do anything."

Jenn Kryze ​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Enduring Flame
| Objective | Family is everything

Fighting against her own nature was a difficult thing at the best of times, to be sure, and Jenn had no desire to let her dubious "gift" pervert her bond to her Mandalorian heritage. Open-minded as she had become over the past few years, her opinion of those touched by the Manda had softened... until the time came for her to look inward, finding only inadequacy. Even now, she found herself filled with distaste at how naturally she reached out through the Manda and felt her daughter's anguish within the world beyond reality, and chose to cut herself off from this supernatural sense, so that she may ground herself in the moment, and afford Varys this measure of privacy.

The poor girl was sullen, and Jenn could not fault her for it. Clan Kryze had taken in a fair amount of traitors within their ranks thanks to Jenn's vision and offered them a second chance, but Varys... had never done anything wrong. Oh, she knew what Henryk would tell her - that the acts of an Alor brought glory and infamy alike to their Clan as a whole! But when she looked at the girl at her side, the Ersansyr could only see a brave soul forced into a life she did not want by her family. The helplessness behind Varys' words well and truly broke her heart, even more so than the tears she watched her shed.

Slowly, gently, Jenn wrapped her arms around Varys, cradling her as she guided her head to rest against her chestplate. No words left her lips, for she wished only to provide her daughter with comfort, and a reminder that she would always be present for her. There was only a soft and gentle humming that came from the Alor as she held this girl from Dantooine, this child of her enemy in her arms, a tune carried from memory that eventually became... more.

"Far across the golden sunrise
Long past the warrior's respite
Here and with arms wide
I'm waiting...

High where your dreams touch the sky
Long where your tears say goodbye
Near and where your heart lies
I'm waiting..."
​

Jenn's voice was... northing short of beautiful, and befitting of a siren like herself, a creature of myth brought to reality through the eccentric genius of Darth Prospero - a Songbird, as the Sith had dubbed his creation. The Ersansyr. Not that one might guess that the Mandalorian was the product of a transformation unleashed by Sith alchemy - especially not when her voice carried such beauty and warmth behind it as she sang that old, comforting lullaby from her childhood, gently running her fingers through Varys' hair as she did so.

"You see, Varys... no matter where you are, how far or near, home is where you find your heart, and it is always waiting for you. When I was young, it brought me comfort, to think such things, and even now, it, well... it makes me believe that somehow, I'd find what I was looking for, so long as I kept searching." There was a certain vulnerability to her, a display of her own worries and fears. A sign of her trust in the young warrior, to be sure, and yet... she carried a message of hope, too.

"Ni guuror gar, ner'ad." A smile pulled at her lips as she said it.

Spoiler

I love you, my daughter.

​

Varys Amun ​

 

[Varys Amun]

Varys let Jenn take her into her arms without resistance. Usually, she hated the sensation of being touched, but her adoptive mother's presence was comforting, so she didn't mind it. Varys felt her fingers run through her hair, listened to the gentle thrum of Jenn's voice as she hummed.

She was glad there was someone looking out for her. Other people had never been kind to Varys. She had never been kind to herself. Deep down, she knew she deserved to be hated. She was weak, and not a good person. But, there was someone who didn't think that. Someone who saw something Varys could not see in herself, and that was nice.

Varys felt Jenn's sharp intake of breath, and she froze, not knowing what was happening, feeling suddenly trapped. Then, she began to sing, and Varys breathed out a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes.

"Far across the golden sunrise
Long past the warrior's respite
Here and with arms wide
I'm waiting...

High where your dreams touch the sky
Long where your tears say goodbye
Near and where your heart lies
I'm waiting..."

The tune was otherworldly, and not for the first time, Varys thought there was probably more to Jenn than she showed on the outside. But that thought was fleeting. Her emotions fell away. All of Varys' fear, her hope, her anger, and her loss. The wordless whirlwind of feeling subsided, leaving behind calm. Without that worry, Varys finally realised she was so, so tired.

"You see, Varys... no matter where you are, how far or near, home is where you find your heart, and it is always waiting for you. When I was young, it brought me comfort, to think such things, and even now, it, well... it makes me believe that somehow, I'd find what I was looking for, so long as I kept searching."

The words were far away. Varys was already slipping away from consciousness, overtaken by exhaustion. Still, the words filled her with warmth. If Varys could find her Heart, she would find her Home.

"Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum. I love you too. Buir." Varys murmured, then she settled into Jenn's arms, asleep.

Jenn Kryze ​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Enduring Flame
| Objective | Restful Slumber

A tender smile pulled at Jenn's lips as she heard her child's whispered words. In this moment, she was no longer the Alor of clan Kryze, but a mother. Something she had longed to become for so very long, and now, even after parting from the one she loved, she found her dream realized... and filled with a maternal desire to see the girl in her arms safe. Feeling the weight of her body resting against her own, watching her rise and fall with each breath - all of it filled her with an ironclad determination to see her daughter safe. To give her the life she deserved. No matter the cost, the Ersansyr would see her daughter's life filled with joy and affection.

"Naakla nuhoy, Var'ika", murmurred the fiery-haired warrior softly as she dragged her fingers through her adoptive child's messy mane of hair. It would take time for the both of them to get used to it all, and for them to find their home... but in this moment, she knew that she could trust her daughter with the truth of who, and what she was. There was little doubt in her mind that Lyka Amun had taught her Aliit of the treachery of those sorcerers calling themselves Jedi, and the lies they used to bring down their people time and time again.

But, unlike Lyka, Jenn would prove patient, kind, and understanding with Varys. Anything less would be monstrous.

​

Varys Amun ​