The Hope That the Light Brings

[Kay-Larr]

Kay stood in her office, cradling a cup of tea in her hands. It was warm within the room, but she felt cold. So she had a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. A while ago she had ask for [member="Veiere Arenais"] to come to her home when he had the time. He was on his way now, or so she felt through their Force Bond. It was a little strange to be so connected, but losing that would be devastating.

On her desk sat a satchel, given to her by [member="Ghorua the Shark"] after their duel on Bakura. Neither hurt eachother physically, yet still it ended with the two of them in tears. And Kay had returned home with what she had asked for; her lightsaber. She had reconstructed it with Veiere at his estate before she was abducted and tortured. And now she couldn't touch it. She wanted to, but was afraid to. What if she tainted it? What if she broke it? All in a bid to reclaim what was stolen. Was it too selfish of her to want her memories back?

Veiere would know what to do.

In the meantime she kept it safe and hidden when she wasn't alone. Safe from everyone and herself, all the while nervous. The Senate wasn't running as smoothly as she expected, moreso due to one individual. But she wasn't going to speak politics with her husband. This time, this visit, it was only going to center around the two of them.

 

[WolfMortum]

It felt like it'd been the longest time since Veiere had been back on Commenor, let alone even longer since he and his wife had had their time in private together. So much had changed for them both since the day they'd met with the younger Jedi within the Palace Gardens, from there moving on to discuss the prospect of looking to Yutan and her neighbors, the formation of a Senate and then, Veiere's calling to return to the life of the Jedi Order, bringing with his own presence, a movement of its own. Truth be told he wasn't a man who enjoyed the responsibilities of leadership and to say that he was confident in the position would've been a great lie, yet in the Force his faith was what always got him through and he maintained the hope for a brighter future ahead for the Order.

Stepping away from the KingsGuard, he found himself being welcomed by old faces he barely seemed to recognize anymore. The greeting party fit for a King, yet he felt anything but. The title was one taken up in for his love for [member="Lady Kay"] and the concept of royalty was more or less completely lost on him at this point. He was barely on Commenor these days to give them any real show of his place in the monarchy, Kay was the fit leader for this world and by extension she resided over the Senate as a whole. It had all grown so large that it was hard to believe that it all came down to the two of them in the beginning. They two who had shared their history and their vision ahead aboard the Free Lady en-route to Commenor from Republic space.

Looking for his wife, he soon found one of her aids whom he did recognize and she then led him on towards the Palace explaining a little of what he'd missed since he was last there, treating Commenori affairs as if they were his own. It wasn't until he'd found his way to her office and closed the door behind him that he breathed a sigh of relief and turned to see his beloved wife standing there and looking as if she had expected him. Words couldn't do the moment justice, thus it only seemed right to bring her into his embrace, both hands finding her cheeks and holding her as he kissed her.

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Veiere Arenais"] was here. She took tell with the sounds of the hustle and bustle outside of her door as people rushed to greet him. Normally she'd be right there on the landing pad, but her indecision about leaving her satchel there kept her in her office.

So instead she hurried over to a mirror, adjusting her hair, seeing if there were any stray eyelashes or something on her face. Her fingers worked feverishly to make everything perfect. Then there was the issue with her shawl. She had a few moments of taking it off, only to put it on again, then off, then on and so on, until she decided to remove it entirely, leaving it on the back of a chair. Speaking of chair, where should she be when he walks in? Kay sat down in the chair, first all poised and straight, hands folded on her lap. No. That was too rigid. So she sat back in the chair, relaxing her arms on the sides. But that pose only lasted a moment.

She got to her feet and was just about to decide to sit on another chair when Veiere walked in. Her features brightened as he stepped further in and brought her in close for a kiss. Kay wrapped her arms around him, running her fingers through his hair as their lips met. She held him there for a time, only breaking the kiss when the moment seemed right.

"Hello my dear. I've missed you...How are you? Come and tell me how things are going with the Temple." Kay led him over a small sofa and sat down, letting him take his place beside her so that she could snuggle up in his arms. Her eyes would drift to the satchel on the table, wanting to work her way up to that subject a little later. No doubt he would think of her fears on touching her lightsaber to be irrational.

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere more or less sunk himself with [member="Lady Kay"] in his arms, even as she broke away from the kiss to greet him with that ever so loving smile and gentle tone to welcome him home, he felt as if his time away had been an eternity and only now did it seem as though there might be a slim hope that his stress fall away. "Honestly, it has been arduous..." he replied softly with less enthusiasm than he'd have liked, "The Conclave went better than the last I held on Yutan though we didn't get the support we were hoping for from the Silver Jedi Order. Arisa Yune seemed bitter still from our trade and economics meeting that fell through, she left before it had all been concluded. Wasn't the start that I had hoped for..." his brows rose and fell with the offering of a pessimistic and wary smile, though he bobbed his head indifferently to the right, his tone changing to something of a better hope; "Still, our numbers are growing. I don't yet have any fully trained Jedi on board so the tutoring is completely on me. All that we do have are relying on my guidance to see them through. For all the faith I have in the will of the Force, I'd not expected to be the one person of which they would shape themselves after. It's all a bit overwhelming".

It was somewhat comical that several months ago the most he had to complain about were the locals of Commenor bothering him with his title within the monarchy, he detested being called the King or sire or whatever other silly reference came with the position, 'his majesty' was the worst of them all yet now he was a GrandMaster of a sect of the Jedi Order, a new growing movement to revisit the traditions of older generations and with that came a whole new set of concerns. Firstly, how was he to encourage such a movement without at the same time insulting others like that of the Galactic Alliance. Especially now that he'd already somehow managed to bother the Silver Jedi by agreeing to what was being asked of them, it was as if their fellow Jedi were looking for an excuse to portray bias against the new Jedi of Yutan....

"Frankly, I'd kill for a glass of wine..." He admitted rather plainly, turning to look to her far cabinet of which he often sought a glass for himself. It was the safest place to keep a bottle among her many teas and herbs and that of [member="Darlyn Excron"] being forbidden from raiding her stash, it too kept him away from Veiere's own recipe for relief there within the sanctity of their own quarters. Not that the Royal Palace was home to him at all but after the incident upon the Eldritch mountains, his last place of residence had gone up in a roar of flames and taken everything that had belonged to the Jedi with it.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay listened as [member="Veiere Arenais"] let her know what was going on with his life. With the way that he was describing it, it seemed as though he was having the same difficulties with Arisa as she was having with Viktor. Funny how those similarities popped up.

She looked up at him as he continued to speak, now finding himself running the Order on his own, in much the same way that she was leading the Senate and the Commenor Systems Alliance. As much as Veiere wanted to stay away from politics and not become a leader, once again that path was before his feet and he was walking down it.

She could hear the slight strain in his voice, coupled with the wariness in his body. It affected his breathing and tone of voice in a way that he probably didn't realize. But she was well attuned to it. As he more or less requested some wine, she got to her feet and kissed him gently before going to her cabinet to poor him a glass. Now she knew that he wasn't asking her to go and get it, but she was happy to do so. Kay unlocked the cabinet and brought out a bottle, popping the cork and pouring it slowly into a crystal wine glass; a wedding gift from one of their guests. She corked the bottle and placed it back in the cabinet before heading back to Veiere and handing it to him. "Here you are, my dear." Instead of rejoining him on the couch however, she moved over behind him and placed her fingers on either sides of his temples and began massaging them gently, before moving to other points on his head that were known to hold stress, taking care to apply just the right amount of pressure. "Everyone is still adjusting, trying to figure out their place. The same is going on with our Alliance and the Senate. But it'll all work out. Such big ventures don't happen without any headaches. But they'll come to understand our vision in time. We just have to be patient."

They both needed time to unwind and destress, both needed eachother's company. It was times like these that they made the best of. But of course she had news for him as well. Her eyes drifted to the satchel on her desk again as her hands moved to work on his neck and shoulders. "How long will you be staying?"

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere looked up to his wife with a most appreciative and loving smile, seated upon the couch while she brought him a glass of the wine he so craved, he let loose a heated breath with a half chuckle, more of a murmur of surprise and thanks, soon welcoming her touch upon the sides of his head with the slow and gentle recline that left his eyes closing due to the relief that her massaging his temples brought on. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be in the company of someone who cared as much for him as he did for them, not to say that the Jedi around him hadn't been considerate but the presence of his wife carried a certain ease of comfort that no one else could and he'd missed it immensely.

"Patience..-Yes, story of our lives my love" He mused somewhat dryly though gave a wary smile to reinforce the humor hidden somewhere behind his pessimism, "Guiding these students requires a lot of it. So far I've yet to see any other truly capable tutors within our group, most of my instructing has been across group sessions but grife if I couldn't do with some help teaching, let alone see some sort of evidence that the establishment of a Council could be possible..." His words faded somewhat slowly, his eyes opening to look at the roof, though his head bobbed and swayed due to her applying pressure and rubbing his forehead and temple soothingly; "So far there's only nineteen of us, fifteen of which are students and the rest...-I don't know if they're feeling any more confident than I am in the ways of teaching. At times I find myself wondering if I'm cut out for this...".

Surely that of Grandmaster Skywalker from the much older days had gone through similar worries, doubts and lapses in confidence; at the least if it were true than it would bring him some reprieve knowing that he wasn't alone in going through such struggles yet at the same time, Luke Skywalker wasn't surrounded by other Jedi who were so separated by personal distinctions and beliefs of what the path entailed and required of them. If he had, Veiere was certain the man of legend would've been able to find a way to unite them all. Somehow.

"Honestly, I'm not certain..." He replied, looking up at her, her face upside down within his line of sight yet beautiful all the same. "Gyndine's accepted my proposal for our new vessel. I suppose until it's ready for it's first test flight, I'm all yours...-The break is much needed, too".

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay gently guided his head forward, so that she can work on the point between the base of his skull and his neck. That was an area that held a lot of tension for most. She listened to [member="Veiere Arenais"] as he brought up his frustrations. Maybe in some ways he felt alone in his efforts, just as she did. They were eachother's rocks, and it was moments like these that they needed in order to help eachother.

"I know what you mean. I have even less members in my Senate and even that makes it tough for us to get simple things accomplished and decided upon. We are all very different people. But hopefully in time, we'll get it all sorted out. Though sometimes I wonder if I've made a mistake and shouldn't of started the Senate in the first place. But I had thought that it was the right thing to do..." Kay let her voice trail off as her fingers moved to work on a couple of knots near his shoulders. She looked down to him as he tilted his head up to look at her, studying the lines on his face, memorizing them for her own benefit. She half expected for him to say that he was leaving in the morning, yet his news brought a smile to her face. She leaned over and kissed his forehead before continuing to work on his shoulder muscle. "I'm glad to have you for a time, my dear. I took a trip to Bakura and met up with [member="Ghorua the Shark"] . After a....trial of sorts, he has given me my lightsaber back. It's there in that satchel, crystal and all. I just didn't want to touch it without you being here...just in case."

 

[WolfMortum]

[member="Lady Kay"] changed the nature of their time together the moment she revealed what she'd been doing of late. With the mention of Ghorua's name came a sudden urgency to sit forward, his head pulling away from her as Veiere turned to look back over his shoulder at her in question while his wife explained that she had her lightsaber once more in her possession yet for some reason hadn't sought to handle it yet. Taking a moment to study her expression and the way she portrayed herself with a certain reluctance as she spoke, it was clear to him without having to try to read her, that she was somewhat fearful of taking on too much too quickly or otherwise somehow doing something to further detriment her recovery.

"And you let me go on about my troubles lately?" He said with clear surprise, a short chuckle escaping him at his own expense as if to give evidence to his sudden embarrassment for ranting on where between the two of them stood the potential for her to return those memories not yet recovered. "Take the lightsaber and we'll get started immediately..." He soon added though in more of a instructing tone, the Jedi in him suddenly coming back out in her presence as it seemed yet again his path would take up the moment and pull him back into the guidance of another, this time somewhat more relaxed however given it was his wife and between the two of them, they knew one another better than any other.

Veiere didn't feel the need to put things off any longer, he rose to his feet and moved to put the glass of whine upon the nearby side table. Perhaps pausing to take one last swig from the red liquid before settling it down and moving to the larger center of the room of which he soon began to move some things in order for the pair to find enough room to share a meditation session together. "It's been a while since we last did this I know but you'll pick it up quickly given our bond. Come, sit with me" He gestured to the space on the floor infront of him while he himself lowered to a kneeling position, placing his weight upon the back of his feet and rolling his shoulders with a slow exhale, attempting to relax himself in preparation for what might come of it all.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay lowered her hands the moment that [member="Veiere Arenais"] leaned forward and turned his head to look at her. The sudden shift in mood was not what she was expecting. She gave him a light smile as he chuckled at the notion of her letting him go on about his troubles. There time together couldn't be all about her, afterall. He had his own stresses that needed to be lifted so that he wouldn't be so burdened. And as a loving wife, that was her job.

She just stood there for a moment as Veiere quickly went into his instructor mode and began preparing a space for them to get comfortable on the floor and see if their hopes were to become a reality. However instead of just picking up her lightsaber, she picked up the entire satchel after heading over to her desk to retrieve it. And as Veiere knelt down, she approached and sat cross-legged, placing the satchel inbetween them. Kay made no move to pick it up, only manipulating the opening of the satchel in such a way to leave the hilt of the lightsaber exposed. She didn't meet his gaze at all but merely kept her eyes lowered while she spoke. "I'm afraid of tainting the crystal, Veiere. I know that it has been some time since I've used the Force in anger or at all, but...what if the fact that I was broken has ruined it for me? What if this doesn't work?" Tears brimmed her eyes as she thought back on Ghorua and how badly she had hurt him after Prazutis brought her home, how much the very sight of her hurt the Herglic. Both had cried at the end of their duel and she knew that she had yet to pay for the crimes that she had been forced to do. Perhaps being unable to regain her memories was part of that. It would be a punishment for her, surely. Despite Veiere's claims that what happened wasn't her fault, she still blamed herself for it all.

 

[WolfMortum]

"Kay..." Veiere spoke her name quietly as he looked to her, concerned for her sake both out of love for his wife but so too her need to rediscover herself, to reconnect with the whole of herself rather than trying to pick up the pieces without knowing where they truly fit. Her life as it were was a puzzle, pieces missing and until found, she would never truly see the full picture, it would haunt her and hold her back, these parts of herself that she were missing. "If you are not able to face the burden of your past, you will never be able to walk the path that was truly meant for you. The person you are now, while I love you more than you know, I know who you were before; I connected with with you when you were in full control of your life...-You will never have that same hold over your days ahead without being able to own the woman that you were, nor knowing who you wish to become or how to achieve this while parts of your mind have been kept locked away like this...".

"I realize you're afraid...-The memories of what happened still keep you awake at night. I know your anxiety because I feel it too...-But you are stronger than you give yourself credit for and the Force has not abandoned you either. The crystal within your lightsaber doesn't shape who you are, the person you want to be will dictate how it responds to you. Should you fear it, your negative emotions will forever hold you back but if you face this and move forward as I know you can, you will discover that it's not the lightsaber you need to be worrying about. It belongs to you, it's rightfully yours as mine is my own. We built this together..." He reached out and with the force, guided her lightsaber up, out of the satchel through the manipulation of the air, a telekinetic hold that exposed the entire hilt and placed it soon down upon the floor in-front of her; "We will do this together as well yet you need to take the first step. Decide for yourself if you would rather hide from your past, or acknowledge and find again what was taken from you. Your love for life, your friendships with so many others, trust relationships and loyalties earned. A lifetime of experience that will change how you see your life as it is...".

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay placed her hands on her knees, curling her fingers over them in a bid to stop herself from hugging herself and closing herself off physically while [member="Veiere Arenais"] spoke. His voice always soothed her, yet her fears tended to cause her to shut down and hide within herself, a side effect from her months of torture. Her eyes slowly drifted up to his while he mentioned her sleepless nights. How did he know about those? She hadn't exactly been telling him. The Force Bond had to be responsible. She just didn't like giving him cause to worry, especially since he had far too much to deal with already.

Kay hated not remembering people, events, things that made her happy. It put her at a huge disadvantage, more so than she had figured it would. And it made a lot of people sad. She looked down to the hilt of her lightsaber after it had floated gently to the ground, staring at it as she made her decision. It wasn't for her, that would be too selfish. She was doing this for the rest of them. Kay reached down with both of her hands and gently wrapped her fingers around the hilt, lifting it delicately, as though it was fragile. "I want to remember what was taken from me...Others want me to remember as well. I have to remember, for their sakes."

 

[WolfMortum]

Between he and [member="Lady Kay"], despite their many similarities and mutual ideals, Veiere differed from her in one particular aspect; he was raised a Jedi and therefore held a greater understanding and restraint over his emotions than his darling wife did. He sympathized for the way she was feeling, it was only natural that she'd be reluctant to continue for a number of reasons. The fear of failure, that this might be all for naught and she might never truly recover. Her own disappointment, the prospect of this all failing to meet her expectations or the person she was before even going so far as to being proven correct in the eyes of her Sith mentor given who and what she knew of herself now. Watching her, Veiere's head tilted marginally forward, his eyes softening as he questioned her motivation for deciding to go through with it. It was generous of her to put others desires before her own and something she often did yet this wasn't something that others could weigh in on, all that would cement her success here, was Kay and how honestly she was willing to be with herself.

"Forget about the others for a day in your life, put me and everyone else aside. This isn't about other people, love..." Veiere spoke softly yet with a certain urgency to his tone, one that sought to emphasize the nature of the situation; "This is solely about you, as a person. Not a senator, not a wife, everything around you has no hold over what you might learn or take away from this exercise so forget all else. You need to come to terms with your own path in life, your past actions and decisions that weigh over you, the past life that was taken from you, you need to acknowledge these things...-And accept it". Seated upon the floor, he inhaled slowly, drawing in upon the air and taking it up into his lungs. In the moment, he took his obvious time before releasing the breath slowly through gingerly parted lips, the air he expelled brushing against them as he let it out and centered himself, the Force around him seeming to grow dense and warm the room within their immediate proximity to one another. "The Force is more than a mere energy field. I realize you don't believe in my spiritual perspective over the living and unifying Force yet it connects all things in the galaxy just as it does contribute to your own genetic and physical makeup. Our energies bind together with the flow of life around us and through communication with the force and opening ourselves up to it willingly, we can achieve incredible things. Such as the peace that a Jedi gains from meditation and communion with themselves. So too will you need to do now with your lightsaber and the crystal inside. Both of these things resonate with your presence, they hold a part of who you were before...-You cannot ignore them if you are to seek to rediscover your past, nor can you forever run from your mistakes if you are to make amends for your future".

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay lowered her gaze as [member="Veiere Arenais"] almost scolded her on putting others before herself. His tone was light and his eyes were kind, but still it was a difficult thing to do. With so many under her care, there was very little time for her to put herself first. If she had it her way, if she could really be selfish, then she would just take her husband and run away somewhere where people don't know them or couldn't find them and let them live out their days in peace and quiet. But both of them knew that it just wasn't possible.

Her gaze returned to his as he broke it down to what she must do. She had to strip away the titles, strip away her positions and go back to just being herself. That was going to be difficult, or so she had assumed. Could she even remember what it was like to just be herself with nothing but possibilities laid out before her feet? No meetings, no responsibilities, no Darkness.

Kay closed her eyes as Veiere's breath brushed against her face. She let the warmth of it linger there as she listened to his words. It was true. She didn't believe in the Will of the Force as much as he did. With all of the bad that has happened, both to herself and to others, she didn't understand why it was allowed to happen. But without access to the Force while she was captured, she could do nothing to defend herself. She was powerless....

Her eyes opened only enough for her to look down at her lightsaber that she held in her hands, her thumbs tracing over the engravings on the hilt. The elegant design, the colours, all was done on purpose. For all intents, it was a beautiful piece of work, one that could be put on display as well as being used as a weapon to defend herself with. The crystal she had gathered in her younger years. When ignited, it would shine a gorgeous light blue, bright and hopeful as a warm sunny day, a symbol of the hope that she wanted to bring others, something that she had accomplished many times over. Now she just needed to bring that hope to herself.

Kay closed her eyes once again, holding in her breath for a moment before releasing it slowly. She needed to focus and to meditate. Most of her time is spent hiding what she was and what she could do. Running and hiding was her thing, be it bounty hunters, pirates, uncomfortable situations, and even herself.

Her head dropped down as she relaxed her muscles, no longer focusing on moderating her breath, but instead of the growing pull and call of her crystal. It hummed in her mind, a pleasing tone that resonated with her at the core. She moved her consciousness towards it, almost as though it was coming out of her body and moving into the crystal itself.

And that's when it happened.

No longer was she in her office, no longer was she even on Commenor. She was somewhere else. It was a forest unlike any that she had seen before. The leaves on the trees were full of crystals and the only source of light seemed to be coming from three crystal moons in orbit. Kay was barefoot, she knew that as she could feel the cool ground, the path created by sand. Light gusts of wind blew as though the environment itself was breathing, yet it was warm. The crystal leaves tinkled against themselves like hundreds of wind chimes, though the sound was faint, almost like a whisper.

As Kay walked on the path she noticed people up ahead, appearing out of a slight fog. Some she recognized like [member="Ghorua the Shark"] , Veiere, [member="Josh DragonsFlame"], [member="Stardust Raxis"] and [member="Ultimatum"] . Yet there were others that she didn't quite recognize like [member="Gray Raxis"] and [member="James Justice"] among them. But they all felt so familiar to her. She quickened her pace, hurrying down the path as they all stood there waiting, her heart beating fast and her smile growing as their familiarity grew the closer that she got to them.

BAM!!

Kay was thrown back as she struck an invisible wall, a barrier that she couldn't see was stopping her from reaching her goals. Only while on the ground could she see the individual bricks reflect a fraction of the light from the moons. It was a wall.

She got to her feet and checked her nose as that had struck the wall first. But there was no blood, and the pain had gone. Out of the corner of her eyes a dark figure emerged from the shadows. As the hood was lowered, Kay was surprised to see herself, pale skinned and boney as though cast in fright and with eyes darker than any black hole. A lightsaber was ignited in the figures hand, blood red in colour. She knew that saber, having constructed it herself while held in captivity, having used it to defend herself a few times over. And now a semblence of herself, her darker half, was using it against her.

"You cannot break the wall. You will never reach them."

"Yes I will."

"How? Think you can scale it before I cut you down? You'll never make it. You're weak. You're worthless."

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it? Why else does everyone fight your battles for you while you run away like a coward."

"They tell me to go. They want to see me safe. They care for me!"

The Darker Kay threw her head back and laughed before snapping her cold, eyeless gaze back onto her, a gleeful yet sinister smile grew on her face. "You keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you'll believe it. But we both know the truth that they know. You can't defend yourself. That's why the tell you to run." The figure's head tilted ever so slightly. "So you should run....NOW!"

The figure ran towards Kay with her lightsaber drawn up. Kay felt the hilt of her own in her hand and ignited it just in time for the two blades to meet, sparks scattering all around them. As the battle continued, it was an uneven match. Kay seemed to be on the losing end, her efforts of blocking the other's attacks almost tiring her. But as it progressed, Kay began to fight smarter. She began to utilize her movements to better trick her opponent into exposing vulnerable areas, allowing her to gain the advantage and turn the tide. Her Darker self was weaking, tiring as Kay increased her speed until finally the red lightsaber was knocked from her hands. Removing the lightsaber wasn't enough, however. Kay held out her hand and sent the Force out at her opponent like a net, ensnaring her Darker self in it's grip. The figure laughed as it stood there immobile. "Go ahead. Gut me. Or would you rather...go for my heart..."

Kay hesitated briefly, knowing full well what memories the other was trying to invoke. It was what she had done to the Elders. But instead of letting guilt consume her, she walked over to the figure, moving in behind as as she whispered in her ear; "No. I will never fully be rid of you. But here is where you will stay, frozen in place where you can't be found, cowering in the light that you took from me. You have no power over me."

With her Darker self frozen in place, Kay began removing the bricks from the wall and stacked them around the figure. She kept working at it and soon wasn't alone. As each friend came towards her and touched her shoulder before lending a hand, the lost memories of who they were and what they meant to her returned. When it was finished, the figure inside of her prison became nothing but a shadow, a two dimensional shape that remained fixated on that one spot.

Kay smiled. It was over. She had won. Now she could go back.

She looked to the others around her and thanked them, eagerness beginning to take over as she couldn't wait to tell them of the memories that she had found. Kay was whole again. She turned and headed back down the path that she had come only to be stopped once again. Three figures now blocked her path....The Elders.

"Do not feel guilt over your mistakes. It is how we learn. Do not repeat them. Your children depend on both of you. Make us proud, Kay...."

In the same way that the three Elders had appeared, they soon disappeared, fading from existence. Kay just stood there, wishing that she could have had them with her for longer so that she could apologize and be at peace. But a movement within her stomach as though something was stirring, caught her attention and distracted her, pulling her away from the crystal trees and bringing her out of her meditation.

Kay's eyes snapped open. She found Veiere exactly where he was before, having no sense of how much time had passed. There was so much that she wanted to tell him of what happened, but first and foremost was the latest bit of information that the Elders had given her. "Veiere...I think you're going to be a father."

 

[WolfMortum]

From the outside, all that Veiere could do was study her progress both through the flow of the force that surrounded them both and seemed to blur their aura's, creating an overly of energies they both controlled within meditation, their power and the share intensity of their connection to the Force doubling by their close proximity and intimate knowing of one another. Their years spent together had never been easy, they had always met with one struggle after another long before the Sith had ever sought to manipulate and turn her against her own people. Closing his eyes, he allowed [member="Lady Kay"] the privacy of her own efforts, seeking not to aid her at all as this was a process completely of her own, something she had to do for herself, connecting those last pieces of the puzzle that was her life, a life they now shared together.

So much had happened between Veiere's leaving Alzoc Three at her side and now their marriage straining against a life moving in opposing directions. Their meeting from the outside had looked very much the chance run-in with each other, quite literally as they'd walked straight into one another. Over time, Veiere had come to believe that it was the will of the Force that had brought them together, the difference they'd brought to so many peoples lives, the benefit that they could and had provided for others was something beyond the reach of two people alone, together they'd followed a calling that had seen them both step far further outside of themselves than they'd thought possible.

Before they'd come to involve themselves once more with the Galactic Republic, the pair of them had intervened with a number of slaving outfits, freeing imprisoned men and women from the clutches of criminals seeking to make money off of their loss of freedom. Aboard the "Free Lady" they had spent hours together in-between these ventures, discussing and getting to know one another, Veiere who was simply there by employment, a bodyguard there to ensure her safety, often shared in conversations that went beyond the typical that he would share with others. The history surrounding Svivren and the assault and murder of his fellow Jedi, the only family he had ever known by the hands of the One Sith empire; together they came to trust and confide in one another astonishingly quickly.

The air around them condensed noticeably, Veiere's attention returning to that of his wife and away from his memories over their life together. She was well and truly within her trance now, battling with her inner demons. The task she had before her was by no means a simple one, redefining the way that she saw herself within the guidance of the force, recollecting those stolen pieces through the connection of possessions she had before imbued with her aura, the crystal within her lightsaber would act much the same way as a beacon would, drawing her attention back to that which was lost, clouded within the dark-side of the Force, this would be her shining light.

When the Galactic Republic collapsed and Veiere had lost his faith in the Jedi of that time, the two of them turned their eyes on the small world of Commenor, within Sith territory yet virtually untouched due to it's insignificant presence within the political galaxy. In a time where the Sith themselves were struggling to retain their ruling across the sector, Commenor's direction changed and new leadership was to be voted in, a new monarch of which Lady Kay ran for with Veiere ever present at her side. Inducting a new cabinet for which would serve as her government over the planet, Veiere remaining outside of politics yet never far from their Queen, months would turn to years and defying even the insurgency of the Sith's second coming and attempt to turn her to the dark side of the force, he and his wife reshaped Commenor as a symbol of neutrality and peace to the rest of the Galaxy around them. A place where peoples could come together.

Finally she spoke up, shaking his concentration away once again with words that left him looking completely dumbfounded, his brows lifting in utter surprise, mouth opening to speak though not quite finding the words to respond, simply repeating her announcement to himself within his head, as if trying to comprehend and put the pieces together.

"Veiere...I think you're going to be a father."​

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had never really seen [member="Veiere Arenais"] become speechless before. At first she didn't quite know what to make of it. Should she be worried if it was true? Was it even something that they would've wanted? Is it even safe or good of them to bring new lives into the Galaxy given the complexities that run their lives?

She didn't have an answer for that.

"I saw the Elders, Veiere. They said that our children would need the both of us. As far as I know, I'm unable to conceive. Do you think that they could of meant Bradshaw and Rae-Anna instead?" The stirring in her stomach that she had felt before coming out of her meditation suggested otherwise. It was something that she had to look into, as much as she hated doctor's visits. Of course the stirring could've just been indigestion, or something to help bring her out of her meditation. Right now she wasn't quite certain, and she was not entirely sure that she wanted to know the answer right now.

Veiere would make a wonderful Father though. Kay knew that much. His dedication to those he cared for, his natural leadership and teaching skills were ample enough evidence for her to know how well he'd be. She had often felt bad for being unable to produce, given that she had failed to do so in her first marriage, causing herself and Shaw to adopt. It wasn't as though she felt compelled to have to produce legitimate heirs, but more so that he deserved to be a Father, to have his bloodline extend and to have their family live beyond their own existance, to have a legacy that transcended beyond politics and Jedi Orders, but one of family.

Kay let go of her lightsaber and took hold of one of his hands, interlocking their fingers. Her other hand went to right cheek while her eyes held their gaze on his own. "Veiere?...." She quietly urged him to speak.

 

[WolfMortum]

Her touch to the side of his face brought Veiere back to reality somewhat, as if the news had startled him into a daze, his eyes darted back to meet hers staring back at him almost desperate for the man to say something, anything. Among the many numerous astonishing or mysterious things that he had experienced in the galaxy, this was a first he had to admit. Trying to understand how she had come to such a conclusion in itself was a mystery he had to solve before wrapping his head around how they would seek to deal with it given the fact that she lead the Senate and he the Jedi Order, two very full time and distanced lifestyles from one another.

"You saw the Elders?" He questioned, his head lifting back a moment as he tried to consider and mull over her partial explanation. Before their death, they had been the guiding council for those that resided over the presidency of Commenor; people that the [member="Lady Kay"] had looked up to almost as if they had been her family at one stage. He remembered talking about meeting them with her and the pair of them having joked that they were in some way the representation of what good parents of hers might have been. At the time it had been rather amusing yet not so much these days. The nature of their demise hadn't been let out to the public though given the timing between their deaths and the reveal of the Sith pulling at Kay's strings following her disappearance, Veiere had put the pieces together and gone out of his way not to bring it up with her since. Every time that she mentioned the elders, whether by memory or simply in passing, Veiere would resign himself to simply nod and agree, not wishing to test his theories. There were only really a select few options, the Sith killed them or someone else had..-Perhaps he needed look no further however, if they were truly speaking to her through the Force then it suggested there was more to the elders than he had anticipated. Sure, it could be put down to emotional trauma and the ruminations of the addled mind, yet some questions were better off left unanswered at the end of the day...

"I didn't think this was..." He began to speak though his tone quickly trailed, settling for a mere suggestion at the want for being considerate and not rub salt in an open wound, so to speak, "Y'know...". Naturally over the years of marriage they'd spoken on the matter, especially with [member="Bradshaw Ku"] finding them both and coming into Veiere's life for the first time, looking to take on a son where in the past he had only experienced the raising of Jedi children. Bringing up a family came with a different set of challenges, most especially those of the emotional kind. That instant bond and love for a child, though had come much more difficultly between him and Bradshaw, Veiere found himself more protective of the lad than others, especially against his own boisterous attitudes. Starting from scratch, now at his age especially, he hadn't expected this in the least.

"How certain are you ?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay saw as [member="Veiere Arenais"] regained his focus. She witnessed it in his eyes as they met her own and he was really seeing her for the first time since she came out of her meditation. She nodded as he asked about the Elders. "Yes, I saw them, as well as others that were forgotten by me. But they're not forgotten anymore. I remember them, all of them."

Her gaze lowered a little as he brought up her infertility, or what she thought was her infertility. "I didn't think that it was possible for me to conceive, but I don't know. I'm not exactly the type to sleep around to test that theory out. You're the only one that I've ever been with besides Shaw. Perhaps the fault in infertility was his own instead of mine." There was no other explanation that she could think of.

For a moment she wondered if he had even wanted children of his own. Maybe part of his reasons for being with her was because she thought herself to be incapable. It was alright as there had been plenty that didn't want children, and their lives didn't exactly support such a change that having children would bring. The raising of them would more than likely fall on her hands. She was more or less stationary, which gave more stability, while Veiere was away most of the time training the future generations of Jedi. His work was valuable and she didn't want to pull him away from it. "I'll get myself checked soon, so that we know for sure. There's always the chance that the Elders were wrong or that I interpreted what they had said incorrectly. So there's no real reason for you to worry just yet." Such a thing was more for her to worry about anyways.

Kay let go of his hand and got to her feet, stretching out her muscles a little before picking up the lightsaber and satchel from the floor to put on her desk. She changed the topic as there were answers to questions that she wasn't prepared to hear at the moment, half expecting the worst. "I'm going to make a fresh pot of tea. Did you want any? Or some brandy, perhaps?"

 

[WolfMortum]

[member="Lady Kay"] sought to quickly quieten his concern, though his apprehension and doubts weren't by any means a testament to his attitude towards having children but rather the shock of this news having been broken at such a time and without any sort of discussion recently with regards to their wanting a family outside of the one they already shared. So much had been happening for the two, so much so that Veiere was struggling to balance the life he shared with her and the life he shared with the Jedi Order. His presence upon Commenor had drastically decreased in frequency and their time spent together had suffered due to his dedication to serving the light, thus children hadn't been a prospective concept that he had anticipated.

On the bright side, Kay had managed to reconnect with her former self. In this Veiere found himself warily smiling though pleased for her none the less. There were many within her past that longed to reconnect with her and people that needed her still in their lives. Not only this but it might sway her actions and course throughout leading Commenor and the Systems Alliance that they had established over all. How did the old Kay feel about the changes that had come about, Veiere had to wonder, these old memories and perceptions of Veiere and their lives together combined with the new personification of the woman that he loved yet was no less changed and overshadowed by the teachings of the Sith would take take to blend, for her to come to terms with it all and find acceptance over herself. Frankly, it was little doubt that she then stood almost without warning and turned her attention to the seeking of beverages, a quick reply which Veiere himself offered up in agreement, "Brandy, please..." He spoke up from over his shoulder as she passed him, his eyes lingering on a spot on the floor near to him. Soon resigning to slowly stand and seek a more comfortable place to sit, one of the tables within her political residence for which she too could find a chair awaiting.

"How do you feel?" He asked, not really knowing where else to begin from there, the Jedi Master seated at the table with both hands upon the wooden polished surface, his eyes glancing up and away from within to look instead back to her in the hope of hearing that by some chance she wasn't as internally conflicted as she had been prior.

 

[Kay-Larr]

It didn't surprise her that [member="Veiere Arenais"] had wanted some brandy. She put a kettle of water on to boil and then gathered the bit of herbs from her pouch, crumpling them into the cup. The brandy for her husband came next. She had a few minutes to wait for the water and then more for steeping. Kay poured the liquor into a short glass and brought it over to him.

His question gave her pause, causing her to slowly take her seat after handing Veiere his drink. As he had turned his focus on her, she had turned her gocus within. "I'm not entirely certain. A lot of things....Relief at getting the puzzle pieces of my memory back, confusion over which were dreams and which really happened. There's sadness, shame and guilt over things that I had done, at how I had hurt people. At least the frustration is gone. My only causes for that now fall on Senator Alexander's dealings with me. Though he might not be a Senator for long. I had help on this journey, not only from you, though you played a pivotal role, but from others as well. I still blame myself for it all, perhaps I always will."

Kay got to her feet as the water was boiled, using that as a distraction from delving any further into her feelings. She poured the water and watched as the bits of dried sapir leaves danced and swirled in the water, already starting to dissolve and change the colour of the liquid. "Everything else is just up in the air until I know for sure. I have to try not to stress over it because it could be just stressing over nothing. I have far more going on to have to worry about myself." She picked up her tea and sat down in the same chair as earlier. Her tea wasn't quite steeped yet, so she just cradled the cup in her hands, all the while thinkong of how little of a personal life that she had. Even with the return of her memories, she had the Senate to try to build and run successfuly, all without neglecting Commenor as well.

"How do you feel?"

 

[WolfMortum]

"You can't continue to go on blaming yourself for the things that happened to you, Kay..." He frowned, concerned for her that she still buried herself in guilt over things that weren't within her control, "Those that were affected around you may have struggled with what happened to you, but only because they cared and respected you so. They will understand...-You could not help what happened nor the steps that you took in order to try to piece your life back together after Prazutis took so much from you..." the name carried a darker tone to his voice, the Sith Lord arguably one of the more difficult to reach given that he was surrounded by acolytes and followers all under a similar cause. Had Veiere not been so focused on Kay back then, he would have wanted to take to the fight against the warlord; yet had he done so everything now would look so much worse and his wife would still be lost to him. "The effects will all take time to wash away. The trauma you've gone through has been severe and now that you've finally pieced together the last, you will begin to heal slowly...-But please don't rush yourself, we have the rest of our lives to think about the 'what-ifs'...-S'long as you care for yourself".

Veiere watched as [member="Lady Kay"] stood to her feet and sought to finish making her tea. Reaching out to his glass of Brandy upon the table in-front of him, he wrapped his lips around the glass and raised it, the cool golden liquid wetting his tongue and offering satisfaction to a thirst that could only be described to one whom had tasted Synthahol in the past, a pleasant burn as it went down and relieving him if not only subconsciously in the moment, he turned back to glance to her as she questioned how he himself was doing, his feelings surrounding everything.

"It's a good question..." He admitted, finding himself smirking a little pessimistically before turning to look ahead of his seat, awaiting her to return to the table before continuing to elaborate on his thoughts. "I'm relieved for you, glad that we've reached a point where you might finally overcome the darkness that you were drawn to; yet at the same time things have changed and gone not how I expected them. I fear I've made promises I know not how to keep on my own. Leading the Jedi Order without others at my side, the students are many and my time has become strained. I find myself thinking of you and Commenor often, at times doubting the path I've chosen. You and I started all of this together..." He gestured to the royal quarters they shared though beyond that he suggested Commenor itself; "Yet I have not been here to help you lately as I had sought to be. I wonder if this is not all selfish of me to say; a Jedi craves nothing for himself above the good he might do for others but perhaps it is the comfort and security here that I miss most. The support of a loving wife and the Commenori who know us so well..." He chuckled faintly, though uncertain whether or not he was amused or doing so at expense of himself.