Private The Princess and the Witch

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

After briefly seeing Corazona at the festival on Ukatis, Dreidi decided it would be to actually arrange some time from her pilgrimage and visit her friend properly. Spend some time catching up and ensuring that Corazona's life as a princess on Ukatis was nothing but blissful, especially since Dreidi had made promises to deal with any problems her friend might face from her husband. She was still figuring out curses and such, they seemed like something she could do, however, she also figured that simple demonstration of Magick with some words in Dathomirian that no one would understand could be enough to convince anyone that a curse had been placed. And that was the important part, the presentation, the intimidation over the actual curse being done. Because then she would be free from blame, it was on the others for being foolish to believe her lies or assuming her words were anything but kind ones.

Tricky angle but one that Dreidi caught herself smirking at. It was very much a younger version of herself would have be dying to try out at parties to trick and cause mischief with. She dreaded the idea of having a child born with the innate skills of Magick and her childhood love of antics and pranks. It would be a dangerous combination.

She decided to drop Corazona a message stating that she would be visiting to catch up and to have some tea possibly in her massive garden. Ideally it would be far enough away from the prying eyes and ears of others that they both could talk openly and freely. Dreidi held her doubts that it would be effective but it wasn't like she could grab her friend and teleport them away. Well, she could but she seriously doubted that she would get away with it.

Likely just cause an intergalactical crisis or something.

Arriving at the meeting point she had given Corazona, she had hoped that her friend would be able to arrive. Especially since she didn't think she would do well in the posh place, attempting to talk politely and minding her manners. Dreidi tended to speak her mind plainly and bluntly. She claimed it was her charm, since you always knew how you stood with her. Rich snobs tended to believe she was rude and did not understand that she was technically part of some nearly dead race's royal lineage. Especially since Dreidi never really considered that part of her life, her mother lived that life, Dreidi was a Jedi, a Witch of Dathomir and the youngest child of two former Jedi Grand Masters of the Silver Jedi. That's all she was.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

In some ways, Ukatis struggled with modernization. While cities grew and enjoyed the luxuries of imported advanced technology, the crown and her people still clung to ideas and customs were decidedly old-fashioned.

In her time on Coruscant, Cora had been exposed to a host of cultures different to her own. This inspired an appreciation for change in the Princess.

The galactically public nature of the Harvest festival had been a calculated move on the crown's part, and one that she'd pushed for. It had helped to assuage some of the bad blood between Ukatis and the Alliance, and hopefully usher better working partnership between the sprawling galactic power and her unremarkable homeworld.

It also opened the door for smoother communications with her old comrades. Ascania territory was more rural, more familiar, and far from the eyes of the royal palace in Axilla.

"Dreidi, how good it is to see you again."

Approaching her friend at the entrance to the gardens surrounding her family home, Princess Corazona offered her a genuine smile and a nod of her head in greeting. The maroon dress she wore was less extravagant than her clothing from the festival, but still fittingly regal.

"I trust you've been well?"

Cora looked the witch over with a noticeable gaze before settling back onto her face.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

Dreidi noticed Corazona walk over to her and was glad that her friend had been able to meet her. It was a good sign in her opinion and she was glad to see it. Taking a few steps closer to Corazona, she offered her a hug in greeting. One that gave Corazona the decision to hug or not, before looking at her friend assessing how well the princess was truly doing.

"I've been well, just exploring the galaxy as part of my pilgrimage. I found out that my family from my father's maternal side was Dathomirian." Dreidi mentioned, the revelation had been a surprise to herself but also explained a lot about her abilities and capabilities with Magick. "I came here during the festival, you looked very regal during the event. It was a shame I did not see your husband there. Would have been nice to assess how he was as a person." Dreidi was making it clear she was still unsure how she felt about Corazona's husband. Any person who prevented their partners from exploring their dreams, goals, they were not someone that Dreidi would get along with. She refused to be held back by anyone.

Taking a few steps back, "tell me how royal life has been." Dreidi suggested as she looked over the garden, "I never really got to see how royalty lived since my parents were content with a rustic, Jedi lifestyle and not pursuing the royal titles that my mother was born into." Dreidi mentioned, she had shared with Corazona that she had some royal connections through her mother but it was not the life she lived. It would be interesting to see what potential life she could have faced.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

The pair embraced briefly, and Cora pulled back with an arched brow.

"It certainly sounds like you've been keeping busy, Dreidi." The observation was made as she looped arms with the witch. "Come, let us walk. The weather is quite nice and the gardens are lovely."

As they meandered through the well-manicured foliage, Cora kept her head tilted towards Dreidi as she spoke of her life. A hollow smile tugged at her lips with the mention of Horace.

"Ah, my husband regretfully could not attend. He had business in the capital."

Perhaps that was intentional, and for the best. Horace could play the gentleman in public, but several of the Jedi in attendance would be critical of the Prince. Cora could not blame them, but then the conversation turned to her status and she took a few moments to think.

"I suppose my responsibilities as a member of the royal family are not dissimilar to that of a Jedi. I help to guard the well-being of my people, and the interests of Ukatis."

She let a quiet moment pass before continuing with a hint of good humor.

"Though, my position now is far less action oriented. I do miss traveling to other worlds, but I do not miss military style rations and sleeping in spartan accommodations."

Those thoughts drifted away as Dreidi mentioned her own royal lineage, one that her family hadn't tapped into.

"I see. You mentioned your mother's royal blood before, but this Dathomirian line from your father is a new discovery, yes?"

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

Dreidi was all too familiar with how others had taken to Corazona's marriage and their views on her husband and father, the events that happened at her engagement party made it all too clear. For Dreidi, she was more focused on ensuring her friend was happy where she was and well looked after. That was all she could hope for since there was nothing she could do bar kidnap Corzona and drag her to Coruscant. Which she knew would not be a good thing to do.

"You mean to say that you don't miss the rough life and miserable conditions we had during the war? Next you'll be saying that not having to do chores and cleaning your rooms is a luxury you are much happier with than having to do it yourself back on Coruscant." Dreidi chuckled and gave her friend a wink, "this does mean I will end up with even more battle scars than you, now that you aren't under threat of being killed by Sith. So, you better find some more interesting tales than you survived the water pistol fight the Nobles caused at the festival." She poked her tongue teasing Corazona about the comfortable life she was leading. For some it was ideal, it was perfect. For Dreidi, she was someone who needed adventure and action, it felt stifling and overbearing.

Perhaps that's why she wasn't keen on relationships either.

"My last trip to Dathomir was where I learnt of it. My grandmother was Dathomirian, who fell in love with a human smuggler/slaver, she abandoned her mother who was a powerful witch named Aeira. A village on Dathomir think that Aeira spirit is connected to mine in the hopes of restoring her legacy as a witch who does good." Dreidi shrugged, the last part was something she was unsure of but it was something that held some truth to it, since her great-grandmother was a spirit that helped Dreidi grow stronger in her Magick.

"How are you finding married life? As romantic as the novels make it out to be? Lady Velvet always seems to give it a special romantic twist." Dreidi wasn't a fan of the romance novelist but she had read several copies out of curiosity on how others saw romance and such.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Dreidi's demeanor was light and playful as she compared Cora's current living arrangements to those of the war they'd survived. Indeed, there was a sharp contrast between the two.

"Please, some of the women at court with their sharp tongues could carve you up quicker than a bloodthirsty Sith ."

The Princess' wry tone wasn't as cheerful, but she did chuckle along with her friend. It was true that Cora did not lack creature comforts, but no small part of her missed the independence that came with living a more spartan Jedi lifestyle.

She listened closely to Dreidi's description of her Dathomirian heritage as they walked.

"Your great-grandmother's spirit might be connected to your own?" Both eyebrows rose at that. "Fascinating. Through the Force, or does it have more to do with your witch magics?" Though she was less familiar with the latter, perhaps it wasn't outside of the realm of possibilities for the Force to link two souls together. A bond had developed between her and Makko in the esoteric power that they shared, but they were both living.

Still, it was interesting to hear about Dreidi's ancestry, so far removed from what she was used to.

Then, the conversation took a natural turn towards Cora's own relationship.

"Romantic?" She managed a soft, almost startled laugh as pale cheeks flushed at the mention of Lady Vevet. Cora was intimately familiar with the author's work, something she would never admit. "Horace and I barely know eachother, so our marriage isn't particularly romantic."

Cora wasn't about to list out the terrible cruelty of her husband, but it was well known—on Ukatis, at least—that aristocratic marriages were more akin to business deals than unions of love.

"Nobles don't marry for love or romance, so that was not an expectation for us." She explained. "However, my new position has given me ability to better see and care for the needs of my people. Right now, I'm planning to establish a series of healthcare facilities in the more rural parts of Ukatis that are in sore need of proper medical care. The Alliance is helping with a great deal of the funding."

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

Dreidi chuckled as Corazona warned her about the women of the court. "Well, have to point out the ones you dislike the most and I'll curse them so their hair falls out." She winked jokingly, "sure saying a few words of Dathomirian will freak them out enough to keep civil around us." Dreidi was concerned about her friend being happy in a place like this and wanted to help her find things to enjoy.

"From what I have understood about Magick. Dathomirians connect to the Force in a very unique and separate way than Sith and Jedi. Where Jedi flow with the Force and the Sith are bending it to their wills, the Witches of Dathomir, they connect to it through their ancestors. They hold words and enchantments important, but also a different spiritual mindset." Dreidi explained briefly, she wasn't going in depth since she assumed Corazona would be able to follow easy enough, she was a Jedi and should have some understanding already of the differences in Dreidi's mind, "it's emotion based but positive emotions work just as effectively as negative when casting Magick. So, I can be a Jedi and a Witch without relying on anger, hate and such things."

There was the opposite side where she could rely on those things and still be a witch, but she would be corrupting herself and becoming the vision she had seen on Yavin IV, but Dreidi wasn't going to mention that. For now, it was behind her.

She tilted her head when Cora mentioned that her marriage wasn't romantic, she was confused. "I get that it was arranged but..." Dreidi wasn't necessarily a romance or relationship person, but she had seen her parents before her father was ill, she had seen others, she knew that one entered them for the romance and love, "are you sure this is where you want to be, Cora?" Her brow furrowed with concern.

"I am not sure that is true, I believe there are nobles that do marry for love and happiness. Might be different here, but you should be allowed to be with someone that loves you and makes you happy Cora." Dreidi stressed, she had no clue if there was someone that did that or not. "I might not be the best for relationship advice since I don't find them appealing at all, but if you want happiness, chase after it. Consequences be dammed, especially since living in misery will only try breaking you and force you to be a person that you don't want to be."

Living in her misery, grief, it was possibly why Dreidi connected more with the Sith of CIS than the Jedi that were out there, why she flirted with the Dark Side. It was only now, stepping away from the grief, she could see how close she was to becoming someone she had sworn to never be.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora chewed at the inside of her cheek. She was a double edged sword when it came to her own situation; she did not want to be here, but it was where she needed to be. For her family, for her people.

"I can't exactly ignore the consequences of rejecting my…position in life, Dreidi."

Living life according to one's whim, chasing happiness and other delights was self-centered behavior. Perhaps not for others, but for herself, and for Ukatian nobility. That was simply the way Cora was raised, and it was what she believed in.

Shifting her gaze left and right, she leaned in and lowered her voice.

"The potential fallout against my family and the people in Ascania province is not something that I can willingly ignore."

Back straightening, she fixed the witch with a knowing smile.

"No Jedi is a stranger to obstacles or unpleasant tasks. I have the tools to surmount those, and the position to help see that my homeworld prospers. And I will do exactly that."

Cora was surprised at the brief swell of pride in her chest, especially as it mixed with longing. It took a conscious effort to look past that.

"But I appreciate your concern, of course. I am fortunate to have such good friends who keep me in their hearts." The corners of her lips pulled into a grateful smile. "Now, can you show me a bit of your witch magic?"

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

The look of concern did not fade from her eyes as she looked to Corazona, her voice matching Cora in the whispers "any fallout can be handled Cora, you have plenty of people willing to help you to ensure your family and people did not suffer from your decisions."

"However, if you wish to stay then I cannot force you to leave. I just want you to know your choices either way will be respected and there are ways to help you out." Dreidi commented continuing to whisper, not wanting to come across forceful, just offering alternatives and options for Cora since she might not realise there were other ways to handle this issue.

Nodding her head, Dreidi could see that Corazona was firm in her place. Dreidi then smirked when asked to demonstrate her abilities in Magick. "Okay sure, what do you..." disappearing into a green smoke before reappearing several feet away, "want to see first?" Dreidi gave her friend a smirk and wink.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora held Dreidi's gaze through their whispered words. She couldn't quite work out how much Dreidi knew of Ukatis and their customs, and her instinct was to push back. You don't understand how things work here, she wanted to say. But that wouldn't have been productive. Cora had effectively blocked everyone who wanted to help her at every turn.

No one had pushed her away, though. Friends among the Jedi had kept contact as the Princess adjusted to her new role and carved out a life for herself. It was deeply touching, more than Cora would readily admit.

Her lips parted to answer, then Dreidi was…gone? Cora squinted her eyes, waving a hand through the haze of green smoke.

"Gah!" She jumped, squealing in a most undignified manner as the witch reappeared behind her. Whirling on her heel, she jabbed a finger towards Dreidi's chest. "Don't scare me like that!" She scolded, but was clearly amused and intrigued.

Smoothing down her skirts, Cora shook off her shock and resumed a more refined demeanor.

"How did you do that? Do you need to be a witch to teleport?"

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

Dreidi smirked and let out a soft chuckle as her friend poked at her for scaring her. "Please, I could have done a lot worse to scare you!" Dreidi pointed out with a slight mischievous grin, thinking on the times that she had truly terrified people with her teleportations.

"I am not sure if it is something only a witch can do." Dreidi shrugged, "there are so many Force powers out there and so many different cultures that connect differently to the Force that it is impossible for me to know for certain that what I am doing is truly unique to me." She was honest but also being highly aware of how absurdly vast and mysterious the galaxy was to her.

She stepped around, walking a little backwards, "teleportation is one skill I have used a lot, saves so much time travelling around I found." Dreidi commented, "I am also skilled in pyromancy, some skills in communicating with beasts and getting my head around the idea of creating charms and imbuing items with Magick so others can benefit from skills I have." Dreidi paused, thinking of an example, "so, creating a charm that someone else wears means that I could have them follow me as I teleport, allow them to experience it as well. But that's quite advance stuff and still early days on being able to do it."

"Also looking into doing protection charms and such, imbue items to keep others say or hidden, I thought that would be useful." Dreidi mentioned, there were also ways to curse and ensure that others suffer from items she gave, but she wasn't as keen on learning those. It usually involved tapping into darker, more hurtful emotions to ensure the potency of such spells worked effectively.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"Do that and I'll have you thrown into the dungeons," Cora murmured with a thread of amusement. It was a hollow threat, a jest at her friend.

Cora tilted her head, offering her attention to Dreidi as she listed off the various Force abilities at her disposal—and some that were currently beyond.

"Teleportation sounds fascinating. As does pyromancy—I recall that Master Noble had a similar ability. I would've loved to learn it."

She spoke almost wistfully—how many interesting phenomena were currently out of her grasp?

"Protection charms do sound incredibly useful. Imagine being able to protect someone even when you aren't physically there." Bringing her fingers to her chin, Cora's expression creased in thought as she maintained polite eye contact with Dreidi, who was currently facing her but walking backwards as they continued on. At this point, they'd meandered into a more secluded area of the garden. High walls comprised of thick bushes and all manner of shrubbery concealed them from prying eyes, as well as muffled any sounds.

Cora fidgeted with her wedding ring—an anxious habit she'd had ever since childhood. "Dreidi…can I confide something in you?"

Her gaze flicked tentatively over to the witch.

"I…haven't been able to feel the Force since I returned to Ukatis. Not, er, entirely. I can still feel it, but it's like…blurred? Like I'm staring at it through a sheet of glass, but I can't reach it."

Her chest heaved with a heavy sigh, and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry. That sounded odd."

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

"Ahhh yes, dungeons are impossible to teleport away from." Dreidi winked to Cora as she knew her friend was teasing her.

Nodding her head, "yeah, pyromancy tends to be something a few Jedi learn. As well as some other elemental abilities." Dreidi mentioned, she was aware that there was ways to use her talents solely in the Force but that was not what she wanted. "The charms are something I have been thinking of working on. Tough to get them powerful enough to be of much use and my Magick hasn't been focused on this art before now."

"I thought of making you one if you needed it." Dreidi confessed in a low whisper, she was being cautious since she knew such things might not go down well.

Dreidi paused and listened to what her friend had to say about her concerns with Cora's connection with the Force. "There could be a few explanations for this, but from my understanding of such things... It won't be your fault nor the Force abandoning you, so you might not like the truth of the matter."

"Voidstone, ysalamiri and taozin are all known to be Force blocking, or preventing a person's connection to the Force." Dreidi paused, "these are the only things I know that prevent or limit one's connection to the Force. I only know about these because my father used them and dealt with the Mandalorians using such items."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

A measure of relief crossed Cora's face at Dreidi's assurance. So she likely wasn't being abandoned by the esoteric power that had surrounded her all her life, that was good. Still, her expression creased in concern as Dreidi listed the possible causes.

"I've heard about ysalamiri in our lessons at the temple." Nodding along in thought, she worked to keep her lips from souring into a frown. "The Mandalorians make use of them quite a bit, correct? We don't have creatures like that on Ukatis, at least as far as I'm aware."

Taozin was a word she faintly recognized—perhaps from one of the many tomes or texts she'd leafed through at the library. Xenobiology had never been her strong suit, so she couldn't put any characteristics to the creature, aside from their apparent ability to affect Force connections.

Which left voidstone.

"You said that your father has experience with these types of…Force dampening materials?" She ventured. "I've heard that voidstone is exceptionally rare. Have you ever come into contact with it before? Do you know what it looks, or feels like?”

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

Voidstone. It had been something that prevented her parents from fighting side by side since her father's use of such items hindered her mother's full capabilities. Since she trusted Corazona's judgement that the others couldn't be the things that were affecting her skill with the Force, then it had to be that. Dreidi's brow furrowed, it was one thing to allow yourself to be hindered by the object or the use in battle but it seemed that Corazona had no idea how it might be affecting her. Meaning that it was something that hadn't been she consented to.

"Have you been wearing jewellery or items of clothing gifted to you?" Dreidi asked, she knew she would be able to spot it via a simple look.

Retraining herself with a bow had brought the memories of her father teaching her to the forefront. It had made her remember the arrows he used and the dark voidstone tips of the arrows. It was a powerful arrow against Force Users and meant that Dreidi knew the effect it would have.

"He had plenty," Dreidi corrected, her father was no longer around, his experiences were gone. "He used them in arrow tips. Only a small collection and something that he spent years perfecting but he had a number in his collection. It was in the aim of using a bow with arrows that could eliminate Sith during the Silver Jedi Order's war with the Sith." It was long ago now, but back then it had been dangerous time for many and Dreidi knew her father fought his hardest in ways many might not necessarily see as Jedi like in the pursuit of peace. "I know the look of the stones and the affects it has. I also learnt how to overcome them somewhat."

"Voidstone lessens a connection, makes a task harder, not impossible. Can make you feel weaker in it's presence. My teleporting is something I have become very skilled in so would take a significant amount to affect me or direct contact. But using the Force or attempting more complex Magick might be trickier if we were in the presence of it." Dreidi pointed out, "anything in your possession that you might think contains it? Like a necklace or bracelet gifted to you?"

Dreidi wasn't sure who might be attempting to lessen Cora's powers but she damn sure going to help figure it out.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora nodded slowly.

"My husband has gifted me many items of clothing and pieces of jewelry."

Not out of affection, but expectation. A Ukatian Princess couldn't be seen in anything but the finest garments.

The notion that he'd given her an item imbued with voidstone was chilling. It was possible that he didn't even know, that he'd simply found an object pretty enough or with a suitably high price tag.

But that didn't explain it. Cora wore different dresses and sets of jeweled finery each day. At first, she thought that it was something about Ukatis itself that suppressed her connection, but it didn't appear to affect the Seers of court or the visiting Jedi.

There was no particular item that she wore each day. Except there was, and Cora caught sight of her wedding band glinting in the sunlight as she tilted her head to the side.

No. He wouldn't have. Would he?

Carefully, she raised her hand to Dreidi, splaying her fingers wide. Flecks of polished minerals sparkled in the sun. With slow movements, Cora slipped the ring from her finger, glancing off to the side to ensure that they weren't being watched.

"Humor me, could you try this on?"

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

Watching her friend's mind whirl with attempting to figure out what it could be that she held that was voidstone, then Cora pulled her ring off and handed it to Dreidi. Who was surprised. The ring? That was something that would be gifted to her by her husband, which meant if the voidstone was within then this was far from just a marriage of convenience or business. It was something more abusive and Dreidi could feel her fires burning up inside. That man was going to suffer if he laid a finger on Cora.

Suffer more than a Jedi do. No, she would make him suffer in ways only a Dathomiri Witch would do.

For now, she took the stone and placed it on her finger. The buzz, the Force being blocked. Her Magick and connection to her ancestors feeling more distant than ever. It was everything she assumed a voidstone would provide. It also harkened back to her father and what he would do. Breathing in deeply, "well, better you tell me how it feels with the ring gone?"

This was Cora's chance to connect with the Force in the way she had before Horace. Dreidi took several steps back, not able to trust her abilities to teleport now she was wearing the voidstone.

"Does the Force still feel distant?"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora watched Dreidi's face carefully as she slipped on the ring. She wasn't sure what she was searching for. A grimace, maybe? It occurred to her that while being cut off from the Force as unpleasant, it didn't hurt.

Blue eyes fell closed as Cora breathed in deep. She could feel it in the hedges surrounding them, in the trees that hung over them, even in the air that they breathed. It was alive. The world felt vibrant again, and she hadn't even realized how distant her connection to the Force had become until the wedding band left her finger.

A brief sense of euphoria was followed by the sharp decline of dread weighing in her stomach.

"No," She whispered, opening her eyes. "I can feel it now. Like I used to."

Cora placed a hand on her chest. Inhale, exhale.

"I'll need the ring back, before he sees. Before someone sees."

Reluctantly, she stretched her hand out and opened her palm.

"I'm…uncertain of what this means, though. About him." It was entirely possible, she thought, that Horace had no idea of the ring's properties. That was her hope, however.

The truth that hung above them was much darker, and Cora was afraid to look up.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Ukatis
Outfit: Witch attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Corazona von Ascania

Dreidi watched her friend and noticed how she felt able to connect to the Force once more. It was clear how much she had missed the connection and how important it was to her. Dreidi wasn't pleased with the idea of shackling her friend once more.

Mustering the connection in the Force best she could, it was wading through a fog and reaching aimlessly, blindly but there was enough for Dreidi to be able to communicate telepathically with Corazona, "voidstone isn't something you get by accident Corazona. He intentionally attempted to block your Force powers with the ring that binds you to him." It was a struggle for her to do it with the Force. However, Dreidi wasn't going to say anything like that aloud in case it got her friend in more trouble.

Taking the ring off, she placed it back in the hands of her friend, her eyes were fiery gold colours. "I told you what would happened when you left Coruscant if anything like this happened to you. I was serious, just say the word." She refused to allow her friend to suffer and she refused to allow someone trusted to care for and love her friend to abuse that relationship.

No, it didn't matter if this was Ukatis and marriage was seen differently. This was outrageous, it was wrong and she refused to allow her friend to continue to suffer.

"You handle this the way you need to, Cora, but I am not going to sit around knowing this is happening, and likely more that you haven't shared." Dreidi warned, she knew Corazona would be silent on more severe things.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Dreidi's voice drifted into her mind, a whisper of an echo. Cora bit her lip. As much as she didn't want it to be, what Dreidi said was likely true.

Receiving the ring, Cora couldn't help a slight shudder when she slipped it back onto her finger. Her connection dwindled until the Force was distant, shrouded in haze.

"I'll admit that this marriage has been…more difficult than I'd anticipated."

His behavior could be explained away as following Ukatis customs, but even this would be considered outlandish. Still, Horace was a Prince and her husband. The only person who had the authority to discipline him was the King, who seemed content to let his only son do as he pleased.

"He took my lightsaber." She said suddenly, bitterness on her lips. "He mounted it on the wall above the fireplace in his study. As a monument to my achievements."

Cora's upper lip curled into a sneer. For a few moment, she let her feelings shift freely. Disgust and shame flowed through her like a river, until she curtailed them into a slow drip.

Dreidi wanted to act—Cora could see it in the vibrant fire of her eyes, hear it in the way she spoke. The Princess offered her a small, genuine smile.

"I'm determined to make this work, not for myself but for the good of Ukatis. I know that it's not what you want to hear, but I do want you to know how much I appreciate that you care. That you're here, and that you listened to me. I know that it may not feel like much, but it really does help me."

Dreidi Xeraic