Private The Princess and the Butcher [Quinn]

[Darth Carnifex]

The night had softened to a quiet murmur after the tumult of the late evening, the house staff all retiring except for a few essential servants. Pale moonlight drifted across the master bedroom floor, partially illuminating the master bed where Sophia Naberrie slumbered covered only by a thin silken sheet. At the window Darth Carnifex looked over the Varykino grounds in quiet contemplation, His powerful form clad only in a drape of silk from shoulder to hip. Even bereft of His armor and robe, He cut an imposing and intimidating sihlouette.

A low chime at the door, followed by the silent whoosh as it opened. One of the estate maids entered and bowed reverently, but the Dark Lord of the Sith did not turn to face her. Nonetheless, He gestured for her to proceed.

"Supreme Excellency, the Princess Quinn Varanin has arrived and is awaiting your presence."

"See to her every need, I will join her shortly."

The maid bowed again and left, leaving the Dark Lord again only illuminated by the light of Naboo's distant moons. After another moment, He turned and began to dress Himself. Leaving the slumber Sophia with only a gently caress of her cheek, the Dark Lord left the bedchamber.

He joined Quinn in the stateroom, where she had been doted on by the estate's maids and offered whatever drink and snack she desired. At the approach of the Dark Lord, the maids bowed and retreated until they were called for. Amongst all the finery and trappings of Naboo aristocratic decor, the Dark Lord looked woefully out of place. Even still, He projected an aura of authority and confidence, one that overrode any dissonance that might exist between Himself and His surroundings.

"Quinn, it is good to see you again. It has been a long time since we last spoke alone."

Quinn Varanin ​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Darth Carnifex //:

Her Uncle had always been there whenever she had needed him, even when she didn't realize it. He was what made the galaxy know fear, but to the young Queen— He was just Uncle. The man showed kindness, care, and love to those who were important to him. He knew her parents in a way that others didn't. A part of her was jealous of this knowledge, to know and see her parents in a light that was always admiration.

Perhaps one day, she would have someone like this.

She couldn't sleep, and seeing Him at this hour, she felt guilty. Still, the maids and the people that served her Uncle made sure she was comfortable.

Quinn smiled as He addressed her.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything, Uncle." She smiled, hoping that He wasn't roused from sleep just to entertain her follies of youth.

She was uncomfortable with what had been happening, but Quinn wasn't ready to face her Mother with these worries. In the back of her mind, she could hear her Mother's gentle scoldings. The Jedi were not to be trusted, the Republic was not to be trusted… There was nothing good there.

Quinn swallowed her thoughts as she kept smiling, bringing a cookie to her lips and taking a small bite.

"I was surprised to hear that you were on Naboo," Quinn huffed, "The Jedi haven't come breaking down your door yet?"

While she joked, the memory of the two large, imposing figures of the Jedi making their way through her door unannounced still shook her. As much as they claimed to come in peace, there was no peace…

Peace was a lie… a beautiful lie…

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I will always make time for you, Quinn, do not consider this an inconvenience."

Even from a glance, He could tell that the young Queen of Eshan was troubled. He knew the exact reason, one didn't become as powerful and influential as He without remaining appraised of anything and everything worth noting. He had informants seeded across Naboo, in both the local population and regional government. That a group of Jedi had come unbidden into the Mandalorian embassy was something He had become immediately aware of.

He slipped into one of the plush chairs, allowing Himself to meld into His surroundings as though He were a natural fixture of them. No drink or morsel of food was set aside for Him, the Dark Side alone granted sustenance. He only ever ate when it was socially appropriate.

"The Jedi know not of this manor's importance, they are ignorant to its true nature. But you need not me to remind you of Jedi ignorance, you have been on the receiving end of enough indignity. I shall not compound it."

He watched her with discerning eyes, eyes that seemed to strip away layer after layer of secrets. But she had nothing to fear from such a gaze, to her it would appear comforting and secure in its engulfing enormity. He was her uncle, and she would always find an ally in Him.

"You have come at a late hour, an act you would not have taken if you felt you had other recourse. Tell me what afflicts you, my child?"

Quinn Varanin ​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Darth Carnifex //:

Quinn thought quietly about lying, making this something other than what it really was. She shifted in her seat, her eyes watching how he moved.

There was an elegance to his power — something that she had only seen in a few in her short lifetime. But it was a unique trait she hoped to harness one day.

The balance between Power, Control, and Presence. All of them having their place within a being, a ruler to usher respect and loyalty.

She moved her gaze towards the view of Naboo. There was beauty here, but she had learned almost instantly that beauty only hid the ugly. Quinn had seen it, felt it, and didn't understand it. How could something so beautiful have such a disgusting face?

"I don't understand how we consider something so ignorant to be our divine enemies…" She remarked that the more she was around the Jedi, the more she learned they were just conflicted monks who were often too restrained.

Her mind wandered to the brief moments where she felt the Jedi on the brink of giving in, allowing herself to feel what Quinn felt. Yet, instead, she would remind Quinn of their differences. The reason why they couldn't even be seen together.

It was frustrating… but even then, was it the truth?

There was no reason to hide, so she spoke truthfully to her beloved Uncle.

"The Jedi… while most find my existence to be something of a great crime… there is one…" Quinn paused, her fingers resting gently on her lips as she tried to push the ache in her chest that had seemed to form after their fight and kiss.

"There is one, I thought… I thought she was different. That she could see past what I am… of course I was wrong." She sighed softly, her eyes finding her Uncle's once more.

"I don't think she ever felt like I did, that even being here, wanting to learn, to see, to understand — it was all in vain."

She chewed on the end of her thumb as she tried to breathe under the weight of her heart slowly breaking. A realization that no matter what she wanted to be, she was always destined to be what she was made to be.

"Uncle, I fear that I have no control over what I am to be in the future, because of a choice made for me by my parents… is this true?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

​

There was a stark contrast between the Dark Lord and the Princess that went far deeper than just physical. For one as so self-assured and confident in the inevitability of His own power as Carnifex, Quinn stood opposite. Unsure of her place, unsure of her future, unsure of those she seeks connection with. For one seeking freedom beyond the narrow constraints of the Sith, the Jedi and Naboo had been one catastrophe after another, practically reinforcing everything that she'd been warned about.

And if those warnings were proven correct, then what else was true?

Carnifex remembered a time when He was where Quinn was, unsure of Himself and everything around Him. He despised that feeling, that helplessness before fate. He had vowed never again, and has since endeavored to bend and reshape all the galaxy to suit Him. He acknowledged no masters. Not even fate held a modicum of sway.

"Your parents gave you life and they gave you a name. They may have set you upon this road that you walk, Quinn Varanin, but the power to decide which way you will walk is your own. Your flesh is your own, your mind is your own. No one decides what you are or what you will become but yourself. Others will try and tell you what you are - Princess, Sith, daughter, heir, ally, enemy, friend, lover. Those are names, mere words, they are not the true measure of you. These things are only allowed to control you if your surrender it to them, Quinn."

He allowed His words to soak in, for Quinn to truly process and appreciate what He's given her. Then He rose to stand nearer to the Princess and, after a moment's pause, He began to recite the Sith Code. "Peace is a Lie, there is only Passion. Through Passion, you gain Strength. Through Strength, Power. Through Power, Victory. Through Victory, your chains are broken. The Force will free you."

Quinn Varanin ​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Darth Carnifex //:

Quinn listened. Unlike before, there was something needed in the words that he spoke to her. She wanted to be told she was worth something, to be acknowledged to the point of reverence. But those things would not come from her Uncle. She knew this. The man had made Himself something for decades; it was all His doing — not someone else. Darth Carnifex became who He is by His own actions and force of will.

He made the choice, He believed His convictions, He was and is everything He wanted.

She remained silent, letting his words sink in. All of them were titles she had held, and often labeled beyond that for more. His words made her realize how much emphasis she gave these labels. They didn't define her the way she assumed they did. The weight of these labels pressed against her.

She was the daughter of legends; she didn't want to disappoint.
She loved and wanted to be loved freely.

Everything the young woman was was a part of her, not her identity.

The moment her Uncle began to recite the Sith Code. Quinn suddenly understood it. She had excelled at her classes, believed in the code, and could recite it from memory. But it wasn't until now that she realized its meaning.

"The Force shall set me free." She echoed the verse. It was the only thing she needed.

"My destiny is my own, despite everything laid in front of me. Only I can choose what I wish to be." She paused and looked to her Uncle for the recognition that she had understood His lesson.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A whisper of softness crept into the Dark Lord's features, not enough to fully blunt His stoic expression but just enough to noticeably temper it. He reached out, hand outstretched, and gently rested it atop Quinn's tousled crown of platinum curls. There was a weight to His hand on her head, but also a gentleness that was rarely ever seen. Warmth too, strangely enough. Enough to convey that the Dark Lord of the Sith was a creature of living flesh and beating heart just like she was, despite how monumental and otherworldly He often appeared.

"Precisely," He answered, conveying some of that recognition and approval that she so coveted. "There are none but you, Quinn. You are what you choose to be, seized by the power of your will. You have grown to be very wise, and I foresee that you will be powerful enough to seize all that you desire. These troubles and confrontations are mere stepping stones along your path, footnotes in the tale of your supremacy. You will overcome all tribulations and rise stronger than any who dared to believe otherwise."

His hand slipped away, inadvertently covering her forehead and eyes with some of her curls. He continued to stand near Quinn, but further to the side instead of directly in front of her. He pivoted the conversation as well, shifting to what was to come next. "What are your current ambitions, Quinn? What do you envision for yourself?"

Quinn Varanin ​