Private Time Makes Strangers of Kin

[Caelan Valoren]

Years. That was how long it had been since he'd seen the girl that had rescued him from certain doom in the depths of Coruscant. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually seen her himself. Was it Tython? Or was it some time after that? He hadn't seen her at his Knighting ceremony. She hadn't been on Lazerian when the alliance had helped him to free it from the grips of a dark cult. She hadn't been at his inauguration or at any other event that he could remember going to in the last few years. It was almost like she'd pulled the same disappearing act that his twin sister had.

As it was, he wasn't even sure she was alive. When was the last time he'd seen Roman? Not for a while. The guy hadn't been around for many missions or anything. Seemed like he was flying under the radar as well. Maybe he was off doing missions elsewhere, or he and Annie had run off together and decided to leave the Jedi life behind. It was a possibility, and there was a small part of him that wouldn't blame them if that was what they decided to do. It wasn't an easy life.

"Caelan?" a voice asked, causing him to look up from the work on his desk.

"Oh, hi, Anavi."

"I have to head over to do some testing at the academy. Can you watch Kastiel for a while?"

"Sure. I could use the break anyway."

He stood and walked over to take the baby boy out of her arms. Said baby promptly reached up and started tugging at the beard that adorned his chin, but Caelan could only chuckle at the pain. He'd gotten used to it by now.

"Good luck on your tests."

"Thank you."

With Anavi heading off to the academy to begin her tests, it left him alone with their son. Not that he was going to complain about that. Quality time was hard to come by given that he split his time between being a father, King and a Jedi Knight. There was hardly a spare moment for him to just have time alone with his family. If he wanted to actually get that alone time, he knew he was going to have to get out of the house pretty quick, or someone would be forcing him to pawn Kastiel off on a caretaker to come deal with some minor issue that an administrator really should handle rather than him. In that case, he snuck quickly out of the manse and headed for the nearby park.

It was a beautiful park, lots of talk trees and winding walking paths. A good place for him and his son to just meander and he could tell the young boy all about everything that was going on, even though Kastiel would never remember it. Might as well start early!

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Anneliese Kaohal ​

 

[Anneliese Kaohal]

Items: Lightsaber I Engagement Ring I Outfit X X II Equipment X X X I Theme Song I Bloodline Tattoo

Caelan Valoren
​

The morning sun bathed the park in warm gold, its light catching in the dew-kissed petals of unfamiliar blossoms that lined the stone paths. Anneliese stood still beneath the boughs of a tall, swaying tree — arms folded lightly across her middle, eyes drawn upward as if in prayer. She had wandered into this space by instinct more than intent, guided by memory and the soft hush of wind that always made the world make sense again.

Tython's memory lingered in her bones — the war-torn fields, the broken silence after Master Iston fell, the blood on Caelan's face when he lost his hand. Her mind drifted there more than she liked to admit. She had stood over his unconscious form, shielding him with the last of her strength as chaos closed in. But they'd never spoken after that. No closure. No chance to ask him how he truly felt. No chance to say goodbye — or that she was proud of him.

Now here she was… years later. Unannounced. Uninvited. Out of place.

And yet something had brought her here — maybe foolish hope, maybe a need to try and rebuild one of the many bridges she'd let burn behind her. The air was cool, scented with flowers and distant laughter, and for a moment she let herself just breathe. The rhythm of life here was so different. Softer. Gentler. She couldn't tell if that comforted her or made her feel all the more like a ghost.

Her boots crunched quietly over the gravel as she turned down a winding path, head bowed in thought — until the sound of laughter pierced through.

A child's laugh.

Her head lifted slowly, and time seemed to still. There, not far ahead, was Caelan.

Older. Broader in the shoulders. His once-boyish face carved with the gravity of kingship. Holding a child in his arms — presumably his child — who tugged happily at the dark beard that now framed his jaw. The sight hit her like a crashing wave: awe, pride… and guilt.

Her breath caught in her throat, her feet halting mid-step.

Ashla help me…

He hadn't seen her yet. Her heart pounded. She didn't know what to do — whether to step forward or retreat before he could. Did she even have the right to be here? He had grown — lived, fought, loved, become something greater. And she? She had disappeared, buried herself in the past, in war and selfish pursuits, only now to emerge, seeing that the galaxy had moved on without her.


What if he didn't want to see her?
What if she'd already missed her chance?


Anneliese stood frozen in place, the soft breeze catching in her hair, setting it ablaze amid the sunlight, her freckled skin pale under the weight of memory. The branded mark on her back seemed to sting anew.

She whispered under her breath, so quiet even the wind could barely carry it.

"…Caelan?"

​