Home
Part of him, the boy who had once filled these halls with boisterous laughter, yearned to burst through the door and be enveloped in the warmth of his family. But another part, hardened by years of solitude and unanswered questions, recoiled. He knew the embrace would come with questions, inevitable inquiries he was not ready to face. He hadn't been a son, a brother, for so long. He was practically a stranger. He could feel them, his mother, Jayne, and his sisters, Talia and Clara, their presence a palpable hum behind the aged wood.
His last visit had been on Life Day, a lifetime ago. He was sixteen, a tangled mess of youthful passion and heartbreak. That day, his world had shattered. Virginia. The name, even now, sent a sharp pang to his chest. The memory of their time in the Hollund Mountains, a year of secret smiles and stolen kisses, felt like a dream. They had been closer than close, inseparable. Then, overnight, she had been ripped away from him. He had been too young to understand the complicated politics of it, the power play. She was gone, promised to some King for political gain. He'd thought they had time. Two years at least. He was naïve. And on the eve of that Life Day, she was to be married off and shipped away.
Lorn closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He needed to be present, not lost in the ghost of memory. He had to face this. He lifted the knocker and let it fall, the sound echoing in the silence of the landing.
---
The night before Life Day, the chill of the Naboo night nipped at Lorn's skin. He'd been sent home, practically exiled by the Varnell family, who clearly had enough of his brazen attempts to see Virginia. Heartbroken and furious, he gathered his meager belongings, his anger simmering as he walked slowly to the family ship.
Then he saw her. A flicker of movement in the shadows. There she was, Virginia, standing by the ramp, bathed in the cold glow of the ship's lights. She was different, something was off, but he couldn't place it. His heart surged, hope reigniting like a struck match. He ran to her, his boots thudding softly on the cold metal. He didn't even remember when his arms were around her, when he felt her strong and familiar embrace. He felt the warmth of her body, her soft hair against his cheek, but that lingering feeling that something had shifted still sat in his gut. He didn't understand it. He inhaled her scent, trying to burn it into his memory.
"Lorn..." she whispered, her voice a low murmur against his ear.
He pulled back slightly, searching her face. He needed answers. "Whats going on Virginia?"
Her gaze flickered, something he had never seen before. Sadness. "There are things… things I can't tell you." The words were vague, cryptic. She didn't go into detail. She always had an answer for him and this one felt too off.
"I will always love you, Lorn," she declared, her soft hand cupping his cheek, her thumb caressing where a scar had just started to form. "Don't ever forget that." Her eyes held a depth of emotion, a raw vulnerability he'd never witnessed. This was it. This was goodbye, he knew it in the way she looked at him. Her eyes were saying goodbye. He wanted to yell, to scream at her to stay. But instead, he just hugged her tighter.
He clung to her, desperate to hold on to this one last moment, to absorb her essence. He felt her shift and her hand slip from his cheek to his chest, right over his heart. It felt like a farewell, a parting gift.
He walked away, the ramp rising behind him as the ship began to lift off. He stared out the viewport, watching her stand alone in the cold starlight, her figure growing smaller and smaller until it was just a blurry memory in the inky black.
---
Lorn opened his eyes, the image of that night still vivid. He was older now, hardened and weathered. Finally, he felt a seed of courage bloom and he knocked.
The door slid open, revealing Talia, now a young woman with familiar dark eyes and a cautious expression. "Can I help you?" she asked, her voice a hesitant mix of curiosity and apprehension.
Lorn sighed, a breath of surprise escaping his lips. He couldn't believe how much time had passed. She was a woman, not the little girl he remembered. Over a decade, gone in blink.
"Who is it, Talia?" he heard his mother's voice call from the depths of the apartment.
Talia stepped aside, allowing Jayne to come into view. Her mother stopped dead in her tracks, her breath catching in her throat. She looked at Lorn for a moment, processing this man that stood before her.
"Lorn...?" she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
Lorn nodded silently, his throat tight with emotion.
Jayne rushed forward, throwing her arms around him, her body trembling with sobs. "You're a man now," she cried, her voice thick with emotion, "My son, you are a man now."
Clara peeked out from behind the corner, her expression a mixture of confusion and cautious excitement. Lorn melted into his mother's embrace, his own tears rising to the surface. He held her tight, the years of separation fading into the background as he felt the familiar comfort of her touch. It felt good, so good to be home.
