. H I S T O R Y
Act I: Through the Looking Glass
To carry the blood of a deWinter was to cause one’s mother incredible pain upon arrival. Celestine’s childbirth was like the births of all the children born in her maternal bloodline—bloody, long, and exhausting. One could wonder why one would do it again, and Asteria certainly hadn’t for many years after. Celestine came out with her dark hair and eyes, but in the shape of her face and the way she looked at her mother in those first moments, Asteria recognised herself in some ways.
Since all females of the deWinter line carried the name of their mother, Asteria insisted Angelo pick the name of their daughter, and together, they had come up with Celestine, a tribute to the old stories of architects, for she was, in their eyes, truly celestial. A daughter born of Asteria and Angelo, carrying the blood of the deWinters, Dessels, Cavataio and the ancient Family of Darkness; looking like both of her parents when no one could see it straight off the bat and assumed that she was far more like her father.
Her earliest childhood memories revolved around her parents and Endelaan, growing up on a planet that seemed slightly outdated in comparison to her parents. Her mother was a Lady in every way possible, and her father seemed so light and energetic; it seemed impossible that these two were together or that they loved each other so, as it had become very apparent to the little girl early on, even though her mother seemed hardly the person for such things.
Celestine was a happy little girl, her parents doting and protective. While her father was more open to letting her try and to actually have fun, her mother was not, giving her, in many regards, a childhood that mirrored hers but without one incident that had afflicted her earliest childhood, though Celestine would never know what that had meant, hearing only bits of what her parents spoke behind closed doors.
Far away from the dealings of the galaxy, her training began slow, even for a girl as curious as her and eager to learn much which had been slowed down by her mother’s growing patience and a desire to teach her daughter that very belief. Though she was growing up to be a Sith, Asteria didn’t want her daughter to grow up with her emotions on the sleeve, to protect her from those very emotions. At the time, she was burdened with the knowledge of her status, forever reminded that she was of royal descent – her mother a princess of Endelaan, a scion of their Family of Darkness which preceded the deWinter name, and she was the daughter of the Cavataio line, granddaughter to a deity, and a Pelin’a of Hapes. There was so much to live up to.
Act II: Long Day’s Journey
Celestine was eight years old when her mother took her from the planet on which she was born to Coruscant, where she had already taken over the company which her grandmother Shery had built, the Red Lady. The building in which the company stood seemed so big, so massive, so full of people – the Red Ladies and Gents. They all worked for her mother now; they obeyed her every command and earned her profit in whatever they did. Celestine was introduced to Viola, the top lady there, and for an entire year, Viola educated her in a number of things. She was taught to read people, to understand what they wanted, to get what she wanted, and to behave in public to fit any crowd. In a short while, the Red Lady became the most normal thing in the galaxy for her, causing another spark of curiosity in her. Yet, she was so young, and she wasn’t permitted to fully grasp what the company did.
Her presence there had caused somewhat of a discussion with her paternal grandfather, who didn’t want children involved with the company, but as long as she was not involved with the more mature elements, a peace had been formed. After a year there, though, her tutor Viola had passed as her grandfather had for a time, and another high-ranking Red Lady was chosen to continue her training.
She was nearly fourteen when that had changed, when her latest tutor, Jessa, her mother’s executive assistant at the time, had brought her before the Red Gents and Ladies of the company, allowing her to choose a single one. Jessa had said whether she chose a man or a woman was up to her, but it was time because now, she had become a teenager. Celestine chose a man without much thinking. However, after her experience, she would be reminded there was little Mother would be kept from, and when Asteria learnt what Jessa had done, she had been furious with her assistant, believing her daughter to be far too young for such an experience. Yet, Celestine hadn’t believed so. After her mother had calmed, though, she had spoken to her instead of just talking at Jessa, and the girl offered that she wasn’t opposed to the experience at all.
Her education with the Red Lady continued for another year before Mother had taken her away from the company in order to work on her training personally. Now, Celestine’s Force training intensified because she was growing up. These years were blissful and happy, with Mother and Father both with her. In this time, Mother got pregnant again after many years and gave birth to a daughter. Father joked during the pregnancy that the child should be named Hekate in his cultural background, but Celestine never learnt if this was the official name chosen for her sister.
It wouldn’t be long though… First, it had been her mother and her sister who had disappeared on that day before she was approached by a woman whose emerald green eyes shone even brighter than the eyes of her grandmother. Too weak, she’d been subdued by the woman before she could fight her and put to sleep before she could ask what had been happening…
Act III: A New World
Nearly seven hundred years had passed before Celestine had opened her eyes and drawn a fresh new breath, finding herself in the darkness somewhere on Endelaan she had never been. She was alone. When she came into the sunlight, she found none of her family. Celestine had done the first thing she could think of – gone to the cottage which Father had built for their family on Clan Vaashti territory. When she’d found it empty, abandoned even, she’d continued looking. The tribal members of the clan could speak of her family, of her mother and aunt being there, but it had been years since. Her search had first led her to Dathomir, where her paternal family still resided, but her father wasn’t there either. She connected with the Cavataio there before she continued searching, travelling to Coruscant – to the Red Lady. There, she hadn’t found her mother immediately, and the employees within the new building didn’t know who Celestine was, and she still did not possess the one thing which was a tell of a deWinter – her eyes, still brown like her father’s.
Mother had come, found her there, and they were reunited, centuries after they had been parted. Two years had passed since. Celestine had gone back and forth between Dathomir and Coruscant in that time, her training continuing slowly under her mother’s control while her paternal grandmother had other plans for her, giving her control of one of her companies. Mother approved of this, for it was a good way to see how her daughter would handle running a company on her own, especially at such a young age. After meeting up with Petra, Celestine came to learn Father was alive but brainwashed by her Nona. Celestine took weeks bringing him back from this control, enough for him to agree to go back to her mother.
With her parents reunited, it wasn't long before Mother announced another pregnancy. After the loss of her sister, Celestine had thought it a blessing for them to have another chance. Her sister Aurelia was born perfect, with pale blonde hair and glowing green eyes. She was a perfect little deWinter in every way. Celestine didn't envy her sister for her appearance; she loved being as she was, a tribute of her parents' love for each other. But then Aurelia disappeared, crushing their mother even further. For long, Celestine had suspected the loss of her first sister had been a nail in the coffin for her mother, but to lose a child again so young made Asteria deWinter retreat even further into herself and become even colder. Yet, in the case of Aurelia, Scherezade brought her back to them, fully grown, in a short span of time. This helped Mother heal slightly, but Hellys, as the girl revealed her nickname to them, was different. She spoke of monstrosities done to her while growing up beyond the gate of Dathomir, which had hardened her and almost made her cruel in ways Celestine couldn't imagine her sister to be, despite their Sith background.
Act IV: The Shape of Things to Come
In the years that passed, Celestine accepted Aurelia for what she was but never truly bonded with her due to their conflicting natures.
Celestine continued to run Streghe Arxe as Petra disappeared again, building their business on Leritor. She focused on this as Mother ran the Red Lady. Hellys proved disinterested in the business side of things despite Celestine trying to bring her closer to the rancors—she had no emotional connection or interest with them. Sometime in the past, Celestine reached out to the elders of her clan to have them brew a potion that would prevent her from having a child in the years to come. She didn't feel ready for this role but told no one of this secret. Because the deWinter bloodline was potent and resulted in painful pregnancies, Celestine chose to leave this for a later time in her life.
