Private What did I do?!

[Elian Abrantes]

Dee'ja Peak-Abrantes Manor
Sibylla Abrantes
​

The late afternoon light spilled through the tall windows of Abrantes Manor, bathing the marble floors in soft amber hues. Dust motes floated lazily in the golden air, catching the faint warmth of Naboo’s setting sun. Somewhere deeper in the estate, the quiet hum of the old irrigation pumps echoed faintly a comforting rhythm Elian had grown up with.

He descended the grand staircase two steps at a time, his boots thudding lightly against the polished wood, one hand skimming along the carved banister. The manor felt unusually empty Mother and Father had departed offworld days ago for some trade summit, and for once, the place didn’t carry the echo of formal meetings or long dinners filled with polite conversation. Just quiet. The kind of quiet that lent itself perfectly to a night of snacks, dim lights, and a holofilm designed to make him jump at shadows.

At the base of the stairs, Caleb Irons looked up from a datapad, the faintest hint of amusement tugging at him. The family’s long-trusted confidante had a way of standing like he’d been part of the furniture for decades composed, steadfast, but always watching.

“Master Elian.” he said, voice even but edged with something that suggested surprise. “You’ve a visitor.”

Elian blinked, brow furrowing. “A visitor? Who’d come all the way up here?”

Before he could finish, a familiar presence filled the room composed, radiant, unmistakably Sibylla.

His eyes widened in disbelief before a grin split his face. “Hey, sis! What brings you… by… your home.” The words stumbled over themselves, casual turning awkward in an instant. “Mom and dad aren’t here. I was just....uh, fixing to watch a scary holofilm. You wanna partake?”

He said it with the kind of easy charm that might’ve worked on anyone else but not her. Not Sibylla Abrantes.

Her gaze leveled him like a saber sword cutting through air, all poise and precision, pinning him in place without a single word.

Elian’s grin faltered just a fraction.

“Oh.” he added quickly, scratching the back of his neck, “You’re glaring again. That’s… new. Or....no, actually, very familiar.”

The manor, once still and quiet, suddenly felt a little less empty.

"Okay fine!" Elian finally said with a laugh as he closed the distance between them and gave her a hug. Hopefully this would make this a percent or two better. But knowing the look on her face, it probably wasn't. "Bring it in! There we go, that's better isn't it?"

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Location: You got some s'plaining to do!
Elian Abrantes

Sibylla gave Elian a slow, deliberate blink.

Then came the sigh -- a long, exasperated and entirely too familiar one when it came to dealing with the younger Abrantes. She rolled her eyes and crossed the floor in a few sharp strides, the faint click of her heels echoing through the corridor.

"You. Me. Maze Garden. Now." Her tone brooked no argument. If he even thought about running, she was already reaching for his arm, ready to catch him before he pulled one of his vanishing acts.

And Shiraya help her, Elian was worse than Cassian when it came to slipping away; quicker, cleverer, and twice as conniving. If she let him go, she'd be chasing shadows until dusk.

"You have some explaining to do," she said with a low but edged voice.

Indeed, Elian Abrantes was finally getting his comeuppance!

 

[Elian Abrantes]

Sibylla Abrantes

​

Elian already had the universal sign of a man already plotting his escape, but just to the family room. The way she said it Maze Garden carried the same gravity as a summons from their parents or something of that sort.. There was no mistaking that tone, Sibylla wasn't here for pleasantries.

He blinked once, twice. "Now? Can't it wait until after we figure out why the ghosts are hunting this poor family?" Her stare said it all.

"…Right. Now." He exhaled, shoulders sinking as a lopsided grin crept back across his face. "You know, I'm starting to think you missed me and just don't want to admit it."

Sibylla's only answer was that slow, narrowing glare the kind that could make even their father rethink a council speech. Her grip caught his arm before he could so much as pivot toward the side door.

"Hey, hey, alright! No need for violence." Elian laughed, mock-offended as he let her steer him toward the double doors. "You really should try the diplomatic approach, Siby. It's very in vogue these days."

As she steered him toward the door, Caleb Irons quietly stepped aside, not bothering to hide the amused smile tugging at his lips. He'd seen this scene play out too many times to intervene.

Elian, however, cast him a desperate glance over his shoulder. "Caleb, buddy, if I don't come back, tell Mom I went peacefully, yeah?"

The older man gave a single, solemn nod. "Of course, young master. I'll ensure your bravery is recorded."

"Great." Elian muttered as Sibylla tightened her grip, dragging him down the hall. "You know, I could explain right here. It's very cozy. Good acoustics."

And so he did half-protesting, half-grinning because no matter how much he squirmed, the Maze Garden awaited. and so did whatever storm his sister had brought with her.

"Okay, what is this all about?!" Elian asked, even though he damn well knew what it was. He had been waiting for this conversation since she found out. "Sister, I love you, but could you stop squeezing my arm please? I'd hate to go back to the academy and tell them that the acting Queen abuses her siblings." Elian giggled and looked her way and as she found it not amusing.

"What do you want to know?"

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Elian Abrantes

Sibylla didn't even dignify that with a response. The sound of her boots clicked sharply against the marble as she all but towed her younger brother through the corridor.

When they passed Caleb, her mood lightened long enough for a bright, sing song greeting.

"Good afternoon, Caleb!"

"Your Majesty," the steward inclined his head, amusement flickering. "Shall I have towels on hand, just in case?"

"Always best to be prepared, Caleb!" she called back with a grin before turning a pointed look down at Elian.

The grin vanished from her lips the moment they cleared the garden arch. The chirping of waterfowl and the sweet scent of blooming maze hedges did little to soften her expression. She let go of his arm only when she was certain he wouldn't bolt.

Then came the stare.

"Elian Abrantes," she began in a dangerously calm voice as she crossed her arms over the curves of her chest.

"Spill. What is this regarding the Academy, and how did that end up with you requesting to be Aurelian's Kingsguard?"

While Aurelian had already told her, she wanted to hear it from Elian himself.

 

[Elian Abrantes]

Sibylla Abrantes
​

Elian blinked once, then twice, as if buying time would somehow rearrange reality into something less catastrophic. Unfortunately, the garden offered no escape just the rustle of Naboo breeze through the hedges and the quiet drip of a distant fountain, both far too peaceful for the interrogation he suddenly found himself in.

He glanced toward the maze's entrance the winding green corridors that once served as his childhood hideout and knew immediately that she'd positioned them here on purpose. No witnesses. No retreat. Classic Sibylla.

He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing aside for a moment before meeting her stare again. "I still attend the Academy." he said finally, voice steady but carrying that edge of defensiveness he hadn't quite grown out of. "I didn't drop out, if that's what you're thinking."

He let out a slow breath, eyes flicking toward the maze where the light filtered through the vines in fractured gold. "But I needed… something else. Something different. Everyone there...." He paused, the words catching slightly. "They're all chasing flight certifications, command ranks. You know how it is. And I just wanted to create, build and to fly most of all, my eyesight just made that impossible."

A faint, humorless laugh escaped him. But she would be able to tell even amidst all the jokes and the banter he could play his way through. As he talked about it, the situation weighed heavily on him. "Turns out starfighter cockpits and less-than-perfect vision aren't exactly a winning combination."

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Elian Abrantes

Sibylla listened in silence, her arms folded neatly across her chest, the Naboo breeze tugging faintly at the loose chestnut waves over her back. She didn't dare interrupt, not once. It was important to ensure that she didn't interrupt him in the middle of his thoughts and she knew better than to crush them with sisterly impatience.

THe quiet stretched between once he was finally done, filled only by the faint hum of insects and the trickling fountain beyond the hedge. She drew a slow breath, processing what he told her. Then with a nod as she let out an exhale with a whoosh, she finally began.

She hesitated, studying him in his entirety -- his posture, the nervous shift of his weight, the way his hands fidgeted when cornered.

"Do Father and Mother know?" she asked, her tone softening so that it was not taken as an accusation but as an olive branch. "Because how we handle this depends on whether they're aware or not."

Finally, she stepped directly in front of him, forcing him to meet her gaze as her hazel eyes softened with concern.

"And your eyesight... what happened? Surely there are medics or specialists who can help. Naboo's healers, the Theed medical wards...even the Jedi have vision restoration techniques. You don't have to face this alone, Elian."

She paused, lips curving into a faint, knowing smile.

"And before you even think of deflecting with another joke -- don't. I've known you since before you could walk, and I promise I can tell when something's eating at you."

 

[Elian Abrantes]

Sibylla Abrantes
​

Elian's first instinct was to look away, anywhere but into those sharp, knowing eyes. The maze hedges suddenly became very interesting, the way the wind threaded through them, how the flowers brushed faintly against one another. But Sibylla's presence didn't allow for retreat; she had that uncanny ability to pull the truth out of him just by standing still.

He shifted his weight, running a thumb over the edge of his sleeve before exhaling through his nose. "They don't know." he admitted quietly. "Not really. Father probably suspects something, but I haven't said it outright. And Mother..." He gave a small, rueful laugh. "She'd put the whole Royal Infirmary on notice before I could finish the sentence."

He glanced back at his sister then, hesitating, his voice lowering. "It's not… catastrophic, I'm not going blind, but its just not fixable.. The doctors said it's a degenerative issue. Nothing dramatic, just very slow. The kind of thing that sneaks up on you." His gaze drifted toward the fountain as he spoke. "Treatments can help, but it doesn't fix it. I can read, fight, train… but flying? Too many variables. One flicker of blur and it's a death sentence."

For a long moment, silence hung between them. He swallowed, jaw tensing. Elian chuckled lightly as he shook his head with a small grin on his face "I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to be pitied. I just wanted to feel… capable. Like I could still hold my own without someone reminding me what I can't do. I feel like all I am is the young Abrantes that goes to school, is much smarter than his older brother and sister...." Elian rubbed his chin for a moment as a smirk came across his face, trying to get Sibylla to crack a smile. But to see she wasn't having it, he went on a overly dramatic tirade. "Oh come on, compared to what you two have been through, this isn't even a quarter as bad as what I'm doing."

But the attempt at humor couldn't fully hide the sincerity beneath it. He looked back at her fully now, expression open, raw in a way few ever saw. "I'm trying, Sib. Just… figuring out where I fit while I still can. I can take things apart and put them back together, fix them, better and faster than the next ten people you line up. There isn't anyone that can do what I do, but I want more. If you and Cassian can achieve more, than why not me?"

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Elian Abrantes

Sibylla's throat tightened before she could stop it. For a heartbeat, she said nothing just afraid that if she did, then the steadiness in her voice would crack. Elian has never been like this. Looking utterly lost, angry, and completely vulnerable, that even his half-cracked jokes couldn't hide.

A degenerative disease? Did that mean that his sight will fail some day? Certainly something to be concerned about but even then... there were options out there. Maybe even cybernetic enhancements. However, she didn't bring that up just yet. It wasn't time.

She took a slow step closer, the sound of her boots muffled by the grass.

"Elian…" she began quietly and for once there was no trace of her usual authority only love and affection and utter warmth. "You've always been capable. You've always been more than just the youngest Abrantes or the clever one in the Academy."

Sibylla brought her hand up to brush his shoulder as if to get him to draw his attention to her and to her words.

"You're not less because of this. You never were. It doesn't change who you are, only how you'll get where you're meant to go."

She drew in a breath, steadying herself before continuing, softer now.

"We'll talk to Father when you're ready. But we'll do it together. And if there's a way to help, we'll find it. You don't have to prove your worth alone, Elian. You already have."

And then she brought her arms around him to hug him close and tight, her low voice murmuring comfort.

"You're family," she said simply. "That's never been conditional."

She needed him to remember that.

 

[Elian Abrantes]

Sibylla Abrantes
​

Elian stood still for a long moment, her words settling into the quiet between them. The warmth of her embrace lingered even after she pulled back, and when he finally looked up, his expression was softer, the edge of restlessness dimmed but not gone.

"I know." he said, voice low, more thoughtful than defensive, as he knew Sibylla only held his best interest at heart. And she was right to be worried about him, that's what family did for each other. "I do get it, Sib. More than most probably think I do."


His gaze drifted past her for a heartbeat, following the slow sway of the maze hedges in the breeze.

"You wanna go for a walk?" Elian smirked as he didn't wait for a response he just guided her towards the mazes.

"I know I'm not defined by what I can or can't do. I just…" He exhaled, a hand brushing through his hair as he searched for the right words. "Sometimes I get this feeling, like I'm supposed to be more. Not for anyone else, just for myself. Like there's something out there I'm supposed to find or become, and sitting still isn't going to get me there."

He gave a faint shrug, half a gesture of helplessness, half determination. "So I've been reaching out. Different avenues, internships, programs, work placements. Anything that gives me a chance to learn, to do something." A small, crooked smile ghosted across his lips. "You'd be surprised how many people are willing to let an Abrantes help stack crates if you promise to do it politely."

The humor faded, replaced by something quieter, more sincere. "I'm not running away from the Academy or from who I am. I just need to find where I fit…the version of me that isn't just waiting for the next Abrantes obligation to decide what happens next."

He looked over to her, meeting her eyes fully. "We can talk to Father when I'm ready. I promise. But for now, I just need to try. To reach for something. Do you understand?"

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Cassian Abrantes

Sibylla walked beside him in silence, the steady rhythm of their footsteps blending with the hush of the maze. The afternoon light filtered through the hedges, painting dappled patterns across Elian's face as he spoke. All the while she listened, taking everything in and musing on it.

When he finished, she exhaled slowly, her hands clasped before her as her gaze lingered on him.

"I do understand," she said at last, thinking of her own doubts and how she had struggled in determining if what she was doing was truly for her own desires or expectations. "Wanting to find yourself beyond expectation... that I understand better than you think."

She paused, her hazel eyes softening as she turned to look at him, though her brows drew faintly together.

"But the Kingsguard, Elian? That's not a hobby or a passing notion. It's service.. its an oath that is bound to end in blood, danger, and potentially death." She tilted her head slightly, searching his expression.

"Why there? Why Aurelian?"

There was no judgment in her voice, only the ache of worry threaded through affection. And while she had heard Aurelian's version of the events, and understood the need to seek to try something, she wanted to hear it from Elian himself.

 

[Elian Abrantes]

Sibylla Abrantes
​

Elian slowed his pace as they turned a corner in the maze, the sunlight narrowing into slender ribbons that slipped through the leaves. He kept his hands tucked into his pockets, eyes fixed on the gravel path ahead as if the answer might be waiting somewhere in the pattern of light and shadow.

When he finally spoke, his tone was quiet but sure. "Because it's something real." he said. "The Kingsguard isn't about prestige or politics. It's about standing your ground when it matters. Protecting something, or someone, that's bigger than yourself." He glanced at her, and though his usual glibness flickered faintly at the corners of his mouth, it didn't reach his eyes this time.


He shifted his weight, the path crunching softly beneath his boots. "Aurelian didn't ask me to. I asked him. He wasn't sure about it either, not at first. But he listened. He understood that I wasn't chasing glory or trying to prove I could swing a blade. I just wanted to stand beside someone, someone who's trying to do right in his own way."


His gaze lifted, meeting hers squarely. "I know you're worried. I would be too, if our places were reversed. But it's not about running toward danger, it's about running toward meaning. If I can't fly, then I'll stand. If I can't lead yet, then I'll protect. That's something I can do."

Elian knew that he had all the time in the world, he couldn't blow off the Academy, Engineering, and building, tinkering that's always going to be his primary strength, but there's got to be more.

There has to be.

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Elian Abrantes

Sibylla drew in a quiet breath as Elian spoke, her jaw tightening despite her efforts to stay composed. She still believed her brother could be so much more than this, more than simply standing in someone else's shadow.

Crossing her arms, she let the breeze tug at the loose chestnut strands of her hair and the hem of her skirt. Her gaze drifted toward the manicured hedges, their symmetry broken only by the gentle sway of branches overhead. The garden was calm but her mind was anything but.

It wasn't unlike what Aurelian had confessed to her, and she could already see the pattern forming. She doubted Aurelian had talked Elian into it. No, this had the stamp of Elian's own stubborn, hardheaded will, that familiar Abrantes boldness, reckless and determined in equal measure.

A wry thought flickered through her. Ironic, really, considering he was only two years her junior.

She turned back to him and continued, but her voice was still edged with quiet concern.

"And then what? I'm sure Aurelian was honest with you, that you're not ready yet, that it'll take time. You weren't raised as a soldier like Cassian; you'd be starting from the ground up."

The delicate arch of her brows knit slightly as she continued.

"If Aurelian isn't elected again, he has only six years on the throne before another takes his place. Would you still want to remain a Kingsguard then?"

 

[Elian Abrantes]

Sibylla Abrantes
​

Elian listened without interrupting, a rare feat for him, his expression shifting between thought and faint frustration. Not at her words but at the truth buried in them. The breeze caught at his hair as he looked out across the hedge-lined path, the light painting amber across his features. When he finally answered, his tone was quieter, steadier than before.

"I know I'm not trained like Cassian." he said, almost with a hint of a smile. "He'd be the first to remind me." His hands slipped from his pockets, gesturing loosely as he spoke. "And I know I'm not walking into something easy. But that's kind of the point. I want to start from the ground up. I want to earn my place doing something that isn't handed to me because of the name I carry."

He drew a breath, gaze flicking toward her before lowering again. "The Academy's good for theory, but it's… safe. Predictable. And I don't want to live my life waiting for someone to tell me when it's time to step up. I want to make that time."

Her question about Aurelian seemed to linger in the air. Elian tilted his head slightly, thoughtful now. "If he isn't re-elected." he said after a pause, "Then I'll decide from there, I don't have the next ten years of my life planned out, I just know I need to do something."

He gave a small, almost self-conscious laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know you think I'm chasing shadows, Sib. But this isn't about heroics or legacy. It's just… I need to feel like I'm building something with my own hands. And if I fall short, well, then I'll learn where I'm meant to stand next."

For a moment, his smile softened. "I guess I just don't want to be the one who stayed comfortable while everyone else fought for something."

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Location: You are luck you are my cute younger brother!
Elian Abrantes

Sibylla took in the rest of what Elian said, and even as she processed it, the line of his posture told her everything. He had already made his decision.

Especially if he felt he needed to build something with his own hands, by himself.

She couldn't fault him for that. She often wondered if her own path had been one of true choice or quiet expectation. The need to claim something as her own ran deep within her too.

If she didn't have politics, her position as Voice, or the ambassadorship, then what else could she do?

The thought lingered was unsettling.

The more Elian spoke, the more he reminded her of someone else -- of Ace -- and a faint ache bloomed in her chest. He too had said he was trying to find his place in the galaxy. It made her wonder if he was all right. If his injuries had healed. If he missed their friendship -- or if he was truly done with her after everything, needing space for a misunderstanding she hadn't even realized existed.

For all her supposed skill at reading others, what good was it if she could not understand the people closest to her?

First it was Lysander. Then Aurelian. Cassian as well. Then Ace. That she and Aurelian had managed to mend things after that night on Kedarra Beach felt like a gift from Shiraya itself. If he had chosen to remain distant, keeping their relationship strictly professional, she would have had to accept it.

But not now. Not here. This moment was about Elian.

"Okay," she said at last, her voice soft but steady. "Then I'll support you in this matter. Just let me know how I can help."

A brief pause followed before a faint frown touched her brow. "But can you at least see if there are other medical facilities that might help? Let's rule out every specialist first. Worst case… cybernetics are still an option."