It was morning when the couple finally reached Lahn. It had been a long journey, especially having to rent the star craft from a point on Kasiya somehow further away than Dajorra was to the outer rim middle of nowhere planet. It was visibly full of greenery. The north and south were paler, snow inhabiting the arctic reaches but even across the hottest points of the planet forest seemed to take over. Really, if it hadn’t been for noted coordinates on the planet’s holo-entry finding the landing pad for Melissa’s village would have been awful. There weren’t many though and while it was an unnamed zone, Mela recognised the number. Draca was content to take them in, offering her an encouraging smile but it was hard to miss the strain in her.
Melissa was nervous. Excited. Scared. Angry. Confident but crumbling. It had been two years since she left this place and now the atmosphere was being pushed past the nose of the ship. Pine trees soared high above the ground with a minimal set of lights providing guidance between the dense forestry for a lone pilot to find landing.
It had only been two days ago, after a texted conversation with Bril and further rambling to Draca, that Melissa had broached the idea to returning to her home planet. The reason she’d given was to pay respects to her family’s graves.
Either way Anders had responded with notifying them that they weren’t allowed to bring the Astral Drake across the galaxy for vacations.
Melissa had decided against commenting that she wouldn’t have asked him, the Chiss’ past still appearing in enough of her visions these days that her skin sometimes prickled when he entered the room. It was strange, foreign even, the shift in how she perceived him. It didn’t make sense to Melissa why she seemed to instinctive distrust him now whereas before she knew his crimes and had no such qualms but… She listened. Bit her tongue.
Rented a ship they would have rented anyway and accepted Draca’s offer for company with relief.
The village came into sight as the lights grew larger and the landing pad was beneath them. It was a ramshackle affair, put together with obvious care despite the also obvious lack of resources. People stopped to stare as the craft lowered, dipping out of view as with a gentle thud, the ship rested upon its landing gear.
Melissa wiped the palms of her hands down her robe, turning away from the window.
“It’s kind of crazy how much has changed.” She murmured, hearing Draca shift to stand before coming to do beside her, one of his arms wrapping around her shoulder. Melissa leaned into his touch. “Two years and I’ve gone from… Well. What I was to what I am.”
As if on cue a flicker of the future glided over her vision. Wrinkled eyes, smile lines. The past followed, dirty feet cursing sharp stones, cold winters with unforgiving winds.
“I don’t know how they’re going to react. I haven’t quite dared to look, and the visions that ignore what I do or don’t wish to look at haven’t shown it either. I don’t even know what I’d prefer.”
Melissa tilted her head, silvery eyes angled to meet his, “Thank you, again, for coming with me. It’d be harder without you here.”
Her hand found his, giving a gentle squeeze.
Draca responded with a warm, gentle smile. Little that she might have realised that he had been watching observing, feeling her in the Force. She was a presence in his life that always felt like the warm, rising sun over a prairie. She brought comfort to his soul.
Yet, throughout this journey in particular, that bright, rising sun had become covered with more and more clouds the closer they got to Lahn. Draca had considered breaching the topic with her, of course he had. She had been there for him through every moment of doubt and uncertainty he had with the Children of Mortis. He wanted to be there for her.
The problem was her visions. Not that he didn’t want, nor enjoy talking about them with her. It was a potent gift she possessed, though it acted like a double edged sword. Some were just impossible to figure out, like puzzles with seemingly no solution. The Force was annoyingly mysterious like that.
He chalked up this apprehension he felt within her to the journey itself. It had, after all, been a long time. She had changed. Maybe they had to? He couldn’t blame Anders for not wanting them to take the Astral Drake, but did he have to be so harsh about it?
“I’m here for you.”
It was a statement that held multiple meanings. He was here for her now, he was here for her there, and he was here for her in her visions.
Melissa smiled, a beam of light breaking through the cover of emotions that hovered over her. She stayed beside him like that for another few moments before heading toward the exit ladder. Melissa’s shoes were beside it but she didn’t bother putting them on.
As the pair descended, they were met with cool air filled with the scent of pine trees, smoke and the odd whiffs of some meat cooking slowly far away. While not entirely concealed, the sun was split into hundreds of beams that made their way through the canopy of pine needles overhead.
The village itself was a sparsely laid out series of stone, metal and wooden huts with various shapes and sizes to them. Some had racks of leather in the midst of being stretched laid out front while others were clearly family homes, decorations visible even at this distance. It was far from the luxuries of Corsucant or Kasiya, yet there was no lack in the buzz of activity.
Until a curious set of eyes settled on Melissa. Any initial curiosity had faded quickly but their appearance on the ladder drew attention. The woman paused mid step, frowning before her eyes widened. Then, she looked away, walking with a hurried step into the village.
And the clouds returned. Melissa sighed, a soft thing barely audible even stood so close as Draca was.
“We.. should go to my house.” The Echani walked off of the landing pad, glancing at the back of the woman but not following her into the village. Others noticed the duo, uneasy eyes following them as they angled off into what was seemingly empty woodland.
One did not need the Force to tell. One did not need to speak to shout the loudest. One did not run away at the sight of another without reason.
That frown. Anders would have probably given them a several thousand word monologue on what it meant. Draca would know, he’d been on the receiving end of several of them. Many times. Many… many times.
Needless to say, Draca had a bad feeling about it, especially when the apprehension wafted in the air. Not just from the woman, but Melissa too.
Mellisa’s house… how long had it been since she thought of it as a home?
Melissa seemed to slip into a practiced path. Though moss had overgrown, there were even bends in the boughs and roots of trees that she stepped on and over. Usually there was a way around but even the woods spoke to how well tread the Echani’s path was.
It wasn’t too long before a small clearing became visible between the trees, and with it a house.
The structure seemed to sag into the ground, stone blocks melding together perfectly after who knew how many years. The roof was visibly damaged, but other than that and a lack of smoke from the chimney it looked as well loved as the other houses in the village.
A stack of crates created a make shift set of stairs up to the roof near the front door. A small one was, as if thrown, askew and several feet away from the others.
Melissa smiled at it, gesturing, “Thats the one I showed Ruka I had the Force with. I was sitting right there-” she pointed at the roof, “-when he arrived. I knew he was coming and he knew I’d be waiting. It’s strange, how the Force works. I didn’t even know it’s name, nothing about it, yet it’s given me everything really.” Her smile didn’t diminish until she pushed the front door and it fell into the house.
The hinges were sharp rusted squares of metal, the patch of roof above them among the areas of damage.
“I leave for two years…” She mumbled to herself, shaking her head as she stepped over the threshold. “I was always fixing the roof.”
Draca blinked. Looked at the door, then back at the entryway, then back to the door. He let out a heavy sigh. So much for subtlety.
“You are a woman of many talents,” He smiled at her.
Irregardless, the Force was his ally, the Libing Force flowed in and out of evert being in the galaxy, on every planet, in every city and town, in every person and animal, in every blade of grass and the wind.
Those senses came alive to him as he felt his surroundings.
Besides Melissa, there was no living person outside of the distant breaths that could be felt in the direction of the village. Whispers of fear and uncertainty teetered on that edge of awareness. Closer, there were small heart beats gathered in the woods around them, critters scaling the trees and hiding amongst the undergrowth. The recent presence of larger animals lingered, though none were near at the moment. It was peaceful, quiet. No crystal monstrosities or anything that stood out as strong in the Force other than Melissa.
Melissa, who’s presence wavered for a moment in the familiar way it usually did when a vision passed over her. Despite her not even blinking, stepping over the door, for a moment her attention had been ahead of time. Her connection to the Force had strengthened since they first met at the Emissary fair, yet it had always remained familiar. A warm breeze on the wind, or a gentle lap of the waves against feet while walking along the beach. Present, undeniably so, but comforting.
There was a sliver of coolness, recently. It had been hard to pin down but ever since she had taken it upon herself to go with Anders those weeks ago, something had shifted. Here however? It was undeniable.
“Gowirn will be here in a bit.” Melissa commented, looking around the inside of her house, poking open other doors and examining the various spots of water damage.
It was a small hut. The front door opened into a living room, a small kitchen set up beside the fireplace that took up much of the wall to the right. To the left were two doors that, once opened, were clearly once bedrooms. One had one large bed frame in it, the mattress having been dragged into the living room, and the other with one rather small bed. There were no blankets in either room, or at least Draca could assume as much as the mattress was covered in at least half a dozen of them, creating a nest that appeared to have had something living in it since Melissa last slept there. Dust had gathered thickly in many places and there was a few cobwebs that would need dodging to truly explore the house.
There were no pictures, no holos. There were books, mostly fairy tales and other fictional though a few that were leatherbound seemed more for practical use. Tools rested against the wall opposing the front door, still overall in good condition. Basic ancient hunting weapons, hammers, a shovel, and lots of smaller ones. If there was any technology here it was either long since taken, or broken beyond recognition. Not that it was likely any was ever here. Melissa had had to learn many basic functions of technology, Draca himself teaching her podracing hologames had led to him explaining button controls and how coding worked as best as he could.
Mela turned with a bittersweet smile on her face, her presence in the Force brushing against his.
“I just wanted to look, there’s nothing really here. It does seem smaller now, somehow.”
Draca’s eyes were naturally drawn to the books. Fairy tales, some of which he re ognised, some of which he didn’t. He picked up one which featured a story he seldom recognised; a story of a young witch and a local farmer on an offshore world. He gently flicked through the pages, his eyes scanning each and every word.
“It may be small, but it’s no less full of love and care than any other home. It’s…” He shrugged. “Cozy.”
He took note of her feeling in the Force. He was getting concerned now. The Force never lied.
“Are you feeling OK?”
Melissa looked over as he picked up the book, smiling softly as she stepped back out of her bedroom when he started speaking. It was dusty, and that was that. There wasn’t much here to explore, though maybe if Draca liked the books they could keep them. She picked one up, running a finger across the cover’s decoration.
Her silver gaze glanced to him, considering for a moment before she shrugged.
“I don’t know. I don’t miss this place. I guess I was… hoping that the villagers would accept me. I do still want to visit my family’s grave. I wanted to go into town, to try and… talk to them. I…” Melissa trailed off, frowning. Unsure. She tucked her hair back behind her ears. “I was always okay with how they treated me. It made sense so I just accepted it. I’m not sure if I’m okay with it anymore.”
There were times when pages that Draca had read flooded back to his memory. There were times that there were whispers in the wind that seemed to speak to him like ghostly apparitions willing to share their wisdom.
Then there were times that he thought his own thoughts, his own opinions.
“Youve grown. Changed. Its understandable that what you want from here would change with that,” He attempted to sound as sagely as possible. He took Melissa’s hand in his and planted a gentle kiss on it. “What matters now is how you choose to face this new need. Are you ready if these villagers are the same as you remember?”
“Thats a really good question.” Melissa squeezed his hand, smiling softly at the kiss but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I’m not sure I’ll know until I see it for myself. I know that’s rather risky, but… Well. We’ll see. I think an ice cream trip afterwards will be a good call either way.”
A Jedi, well-read, an apprentice to a Sith, a young man bearing wisdom beyond his years, Draca was all of these and more.
Yet, one could not stop the face-splitting enthusiasm that appeared on his face. His eyes seemed to sparkle as his posture straightened.
“That sounds like a great idea.”
Melissa nodded once before both could sense the incoming presence. It was just a human man, walking in from the village. He was anxious, but held no anger or mal-intent from what the Force provided the pair.
“That will be Gowirn. He was the one whod bring me supplies every now and then. Not much but, enough.” Her pale fingers danced across the edge of her robe, tugging at the seam before releasing. “I can talk to him. I think.”
Her own anxiety wasn’t improving but she inhaled. Be steady. Be calm. In motion but forgiving.
She walked out of the hut, taking slow lead toward Gowirn.
It didn’t take long before he came into view, a dark skinned man with greying hair and brown eyes. Wrinkles stood prominently, his skin worn by the sun and trials of the life here. He glanced between the pair, eyes sticking to the lightsaber on Draca’s hip for a moment before finally settling on Melissa. He didn’t smile.
“Its been 2 winters, what brings you back so soon?” His voice was gentle, hands slipping into pockets. If it wasn’t for the Force he’d appear calm too.
Melissa did smile, and somewhat hated herself for it.
Melissa’s anxiety did not bring him much hope. The man’s deeds might have helped her, but why did Draca have this unshakeable, uneasy feeling about the man? About his surroundings? About these people? He caught Gowirn glancing at his lightsaber. It was the weapon of a Jedi. He knew that, right?
Wait… what if that was it? No, it couldn’t be. If these people had anything against Jedi, Melissa would have said something to him much sooner.
It was times like this that Draca wished he was as efficient a telepath as Anders. What was this man thinking? The answers to all his questions were there. Alas, he was not about to invade Gowirn’s privacy without permission.
That niggling feeling from the Force persisted like a cold shiver making the hairs on his arms stand on edge. The source…
Melissa? What was it trying to tell him? He could feel the self-loathing radiate from her like a burning sun. He took her hand in his and gave her a reassuring squeeze. He wouldn’t interrupt unless he had to.
Draca’s hand was squeezed back, Melissa’s fingers interlacing with his. A steady rock in a storm that was slowly picking up.
“Visiting my parents, my brother. The village, I was hoping as well.”
Gowirn shifted on his feet but nodded. Slowly.
“Theyre a bit uh, unsure. Yknow?”
“Oh.” Melissa’s fingers tightened around Draca’s.
“Its nice of you to come see them. And you look well. You’ve grown up, I knew you already had but, you really have now. And this is someone new, not the uh, Ruka and Cora folks, who…” He glanced down at their hands, smiling slightly. If nervously.
“Draca. He’s like me.”
Gowirn blinked, then frowned. “Like… you?”
Melissa nodded and Gowirn’s eyes widened a little, glancing Draca over again before he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Nothing bad is going to happen, right?”
Melissa frowned, “Gowirn I said for all those years, I never did it. I didn’t cause them to happen I just saw it-”
“You said it but- look. You understand don’t you?”
“No I don’t think I do.” Her hand shook slightly, gripping onto Draca’s. “I told you what I saw, everyone, so those things wouldn’t happen.”
“Well we knew and they still did.” He raised his hands, as if attempting to placate her but there was a shine of true worry in his eyes. For himself.
“You didn’t do anything!” Melissa raised her voice and then looked away, shaking her head. The bubble of anger was rising above. “Everything bad that happened was on all of you for not listening to me. None of you… they would’ve let me die.”
“No one wanted you dead.”
“Didn’t they?”
He looked shocked, blanching for an answer and failing to come up with one. Melissa waited and eventually Gowirn spoke again.
“You have a life to live, you… Just go and on forget about us. They’d want you happy.” He gestured into the woods, but Melissa didn’t look.
“They’re dead. And have been for a long time, returned to the woods. The village isn’t.” The coldness from her expanded, “Itll be a hard winter, Gowirn. Don’t forget that, or me.”
His jaw dropped slightly, fear filling in. Gowirn took a small step back and turned to leave but stopped when-
“Whats my name?”
He didn’t look back, but stayed in place. For a moment.
There was no answer, no wind, no obstacle in between the fires the spread between the two of them.
“She can’t just forget about you,” Draca said. “If she could, she wouldn’t be here right now. If she was nothing to you, you wouldn’t have taken the time to talk with us now.”
Perhaps being tbe Apprentice of an Inquisitor had its perks after all.
“Whatever mistakes were made, now is your chance to attone.”
Gowirn looked back, eyes passing between Draca and Melissa for a few moments before looking ahead again.
“The village would say I made a mistake every time I risked getting doomsayed coming up here.” Gowirn spoke eventually, his voice low and and carried by the wind but just audible enough. “So who do I attone to? The wisp in the woods who sees death and the stranger who could kill us all, or my family? My home. I don’t know much about off this world here but I know that we nothing that could stop what you’re carrying.”
“He wouldn’t. And my parents loved you!” Melissa let go of Dracas hand, taking a small step forward. Her own lightsaber was warm against her hip, hidden beneath her robes. Her hands curled into fists at her sides.
“Well theyre dead ain’t they? I did my duty for them, you’re grown now. I’m glad to see it, please don’t… make me not.”
And he started to walk away.
Draca narrowed his eyes on Gowirn. Who in the name of the Force did this man think he was?
“Is that how you solve all of your problems? You turn around and walk away?”
Gowirn stopped, spinning in place, fearful eyes like glaciers pierced back at the young Zabrak with a chill that made Hoth look like a tropical paradise.
“You have no cards here,” Gowirn stated, then hung his head. “You don’t understand…”
“It’s you who doesn’t understand,” Draca was more firm now. He saw his opening. A victory condition had been seen. “Ignorance is the language of the naive. You don’t strike me as a naive man, Gowirn. The Force doesn’t work the way you think it does. A vision of the Force is just that; a vision, a possibility, one out of many. It cannot be conjured, only predicted. What happens after that is left to the actions of those involved. Melissa may have seen it, but her seeing does not mean she caused it.”
“And I’m supposed to trust your word on that?” Gowirn said simply, shaking his head low. “You don’t know me, boy. Even if I did believe you, is an apology really going to make a difference?” His eyes turned to Melissa who stood with her chin tilted toward the sky.
The wind brushed through her hair, a cloud of silver suspended low to the ground. She didn’t speak but her upset was magnifying.
“I didn’t think so. Is there anything else? Either of you.”
“You didn’t say my name. Is it easier to forget that I existed?” Melissa spoke softly. Energy seemed to gather around her slowly, one hand raising to her chest. She watched him, holding it close as if clenching an ice cube between her fingers. She could feel Draca’s concern rise, yet it didn’t stall her intent.
Gowirn sighed, “That isn’t what I’m trying- Look. I- Wouldn’t it be easier that way? If you did too. Simpler.”
“No.” Melissa pushed Draca back, unable to do much while focussed elsewhere but using the hand at her side to force him to turn away. Why was obvious as with her other hand striking into the air, a blinding flash of light filled the clearing. Gowirn screamed, scrambling to turn away too late as Melissa watched, unaffected. The ice melted between her fingers when she turned on heel, tears streamed down her cheeks but she grabbed for Draca’s wrist, running for the trees.
It happened before Draca realised what was happening. As they ran, he could feel the splosh of her tears as they fled her face and struck his cheek. He didn’t need the Force to feel the betrayal, the heartbreak, the pain.
He just let her keep running. He had no issues keeping up with her. She practically shone like an eclipse in the midday sun. Eventually, slowly, gently, he began to tug her back, slowing her to a snail’s pace until the two of them finally came to an abrupt halt.
Draca didn’t say anything, simply gazing into the bloodshot, tear-stricken eyes of the woman he loved. He wiped a finger under her eye, wiping away the water and pulled her close into his embrace.
“I shouldn’t have hurt him.”
Melissa’s lip wobbled as he wiped the tear away. She spoke the words but she didnt believe them. There was no guilt just… hurt. Melissa didn’t hesitate to fall into his arms. It took a minute before the tears slowed and her breathing steadied. A wet patch had blossomed on Dracas robes where her face had pressed into him.
“I wasn’t ready. I don’t think I ever would have been. It’s- it’s not fair!”
Melissa’s voice cracked ever so slightly, and she cleared her throat only to shake her head and press her face back into Draca’s chest. He smelled of books, the clean metal of the Astral Drake. Home. New home.
What else could he do except wrap his giant arms around her? He loved hugs. He loved her. More than anything. By the Force, how he did. He wanted to do something, say anything to make her feel better.
He just held her close, rubbing his hands up and down her back until her breathing began to steady, and her sniffles became silent.
He looked at her, a warm smile on his face. “Better?”
She nodded slightly, leaning into him. “A little.”
They’d travelled into the woods beyond any visible markers but Melissa was far from disorientated when she finally lifted her gaze to look. She could still practically feel the path beneath her feet, even after years away. She was quiet for another minute, considering the hurt and pain and frowning before looking up at Draca. Melissa hadn’t mentioned it yet, that the day Anders’ destroyed the Jedi temple had been revealed to her.
“How do you… deal with Anders? Every day. After what he did?”
Now that was a good question.
“The truth is… complicated,” Draca sighed. “What he did was horrible. Terrible. People died, Meli. They died. People I cared about, my friends, all gone in fire, lives snuffed out in the smoke. I should hate him. I don’t think anyone would blame me if I did, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel it sometimes because he’s two different people. Thing is… He raised me. He’s like a father to me, and as much as he tries to hide it, he cares. I know he does. His heart isn’t blackened with tar. That man is Anderson. He’s the man I have looked up to my entire life. Aequitas is the man he becomes through the Dark Side. That man is twisted and evil. He’s the one who burned my enclave, and I hate him, I truly do. I deal with it by keeping Anderson close and pushing Aequitas away. Love, not hate.”
Melissa frowned and was quiet for a small while, beginning to walk again with his hand entangled in hers, fingers laced together.
“He’s a pot of oil and water, boiling and fighting for which comes out on top.” It made sense with the visions she had seen. The man who burned an enclave but hesitated when faced with one of the small children he was murdering. Always fighting for what would be shown to the world. “So you love him while also hating him. That is complicated. You’re strong, being able to even see him as different people. I…”
Silver eyes looked back, toward the village. Then forward again, “I hope there’s a day when there’s more Anderson than Aequitas.”
Draca smiled, though it wasn’t one built out of genuine joy or happiness. There was something morose about it, half-hoping, yet the light faded.
“So do I, Meli… I hope the whole universe can one day see him the way I do.”
He tugged at her hand. “Shall we get going?”
Melissa nodded, offering a waning smile that dimmed as she looked along a trail.
“Yes. Just one last stop and then I think we’re done here.” They began walking, hands entwined together. It was a ways down the trail before Melissa spoke again, her eyes partially glazed over but still present, “He loves you. As long as he has that, I don’t think there’ll be a day when Anderson is less than his worst self. In the end, it’s always love that brings back the balance. As long as people love him, like you do… even Sith can find balance.”
“And I love you.” She leaned her head against his shoulder.
He held her close, whispering those few little words that meant the most when the galaxy was at its darkest, when the way forward wasn’t clear, when all that was needed was reassurance.
“I love you too.”