Private Interred With Their Bones

[Leon Draco]

Ilia’s expression grew stormy as Valery came between them. “You are very arrogant,” she said. “And judgmental. This matter does not concern you. You’ve done your part, now it’s time you went about your business and left us to ours.”

“Wait!” Leon cried, trying to bypass Valery to reach his master. “Please don’t fight. Let’s go back to the Dawn Temple and talk this out.”

“It will make no difference, Leon. No nexus did this to me. I have changed from within.” She glanced back at Valery. “But if that is what it takes to convince you, then let’s go.”

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

10 years ago...

Valery was ready to snap back at the woman, but Leon stepped in between and tried to get her to listen. Not that Valery was going to change her mind on this subject after spending months out here. This lady was either corrupted by the Nexus, or just downright crazy. Either way, she wasn't going to let her behavior be the death of this Padawan.

Whether it meant pissing him off or not because she could tell he still cared for his Master.

"Very well, let's get going," Valery said before she turned around to guide them back to the Temple. Along the way, she kept her eyes on both of them — Valery clearly did not trust Illia, and almost expected her to try something. But hopefully, they'd reach the Temple safely and be able to discuss all of this.

"What makes you believe purifying this Nexus is even a good idea to begin with?"

| Leon Draco |​

 

[Leon Draco]

When Valery’s back was turned, Ilia struck. Her lightsaber ignited, slashing at the other woman’s back as she lunged forward with sudden speed and ferocity.

Leon was initially too stunned to react, but within seconds he was rushing forward. “Master, stop! Please!” he cried, reaching for her arm.

Ilia jerked her arm free of his grasp. The next thing he knew, he was lying flat on his back in the snow, unable to breathe. Her lightsaber had cut him diagonally from brow to cheek. The bridge of his nose had collapsed; he was lucky she had missed his eye. His vision blurred from the agonizing pain as Ilia and Valery began to duel, their blades crackling as they crashed together.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

10 years ago...

A tremor of danger.

If she hadn't already been so suspicious, Illia would have cut her down right there and then. But at the last possible second, Valery had managed to turn around and force her own blade into a guard. The hot plasma pushed into her chest a little from the pressure the other woman added, cutting through her tunic and burning some skin in the process. But Valery pushed back, and offered herself just a bit of time to prepare for a fight.

A moment of time she used to harm her own Padawan.

"Can't you see what you're doing?!" Valery called out, "You just cut your own Padawan!" she yelled, before dashing forward to offer her a relentless barrage of attacks in return, ranging from quick and precise, to brute strength-driven attacks. She didn't want to kill the woman, but she wasn't going to let her get away with this.

| Leon Draco |​

 

[Leon Draco]

Valery managed to push Ilia back, though the latter managed to wound the other’s chest. In the heat of the moment, Ilia hadn’t even registered what had happened until Valery screamed at her about it. Only then did her wide eyes dart toward her padawan.

“Leon,” she whispered in shock. “I didn’t mean to—”

She broke off as Valery charged at her, attacking relentlessly. Ilia tore her gaze from her padawan, focused fully on the fight. Though Valery was not aiming to kill her opponent, Ilia fought ferociously and didn’t hold back. As soon as she saw a good opening in Valery’s defenses, she struck.

Leon rolled over on his hands and knees, struggling to get up. He had no choice but to breathe the harsh, cold air through his mouth, which made him cough. When he finally did get back on his feet, his cheeks streaked with tears, the duel between Jedi Masters was in full swing.

He reached for his hilt, clutching it tightly in his fist, and waited. When Ilia’s back was to him, he leaped forward without a sound. The blade ignited through her back and emerged from her chest.

She collapsed, dead. Leon fell too, landing on top of her and then sliding off. On his knees beside the corpse of his master, he made a strange, strangled sound of confusion and grief, then bowed his head and began to sob.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

10 years ago...

Valery had no desire to kill the woman, but she was met with a ferocity that showed her Illia was very much trying to end her life. It made the fight a lot more difficult, so rather than being aggressive, Valery focused purely on defensive counters for now. She had to come up with a way to neutralize the woman without causing harm, and-

Bzzz

Valery's eyes widened as the Padawan's blade exploded from the woman's chest, nearly reaching Valery herself with how close they were to each other. She felt Illia's life force slip away instantly, and watched her body fall, before turning to the Padawan. His pain was immense, and she completely understood the tears that followed, despite the fact his Master had just tried to kill her. Perhaps she really had been corrupted by this place, but she wasn't going to voice that out loud.

It would make her death only feel more painful.

"I'm so sorry, Leon," Valery said as she crouched down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "This isn't a safe place to be. I can help you bring her out of here so she can be buried, but we need to get you to safety first." She hated having to interrupt this moment, but she had to act in his best interest, and they were still in the domain of the ice wolves.

| Leon Draco |​

 

[Leon Draco]

Leon raised his face, his furious and mournful expression split by the cut Ilia's blade had made. "Feth this," he muttered. "If one bad day is all it takes to turn a good Jedi bad... or exposure to a Dark Side nexus, to force an apprentice to kill their master... I don't want any part of this anymore. I don't want to be a Jedi!"

His voice broke, and he began to sob again. Still, Valery's words seemed to reach him as he recognized the practicality of it. Wiping his eyes, he levitated Ilia's body with the Force, then headed for the cave exit.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

10 years ago...

Valery frowned at his words, but she knew it was mostly an emotional response to everything. He had been cut across the face, he had killed his own Master because she had been corrupted by the Nexus, and everything he believed in seemed to be falling apart. There wasn't anything she could say now to really lessen the pain.

"Let's first get to safety, then we can talk more about it, okay?" She asked, hoping that she could let the wave of emotions settle down just a little bit. So with the woman levitating, they tracked their way back and headed into the Temple, where Valery searched for a blanket to cover up his former Master.

"Alright, can I take a closer look at that cut?" Valery asked as she stepped closer. A lightsaber cut at least didn't bleed, as the wound was instantly cauterized. But she just wanted to make sure that nothing could get even worse from here. "I'm... so sorry about what happened to your Master. I know what it's like to lose someone that important, and it takes a lot of time to heal." She paused and looked around for a moment.

"Do you have a place to go? If not, I suggest staying here with me, at least until we get everything sorted out."

| Leon Draco |​

 

[Leon Draco]

Back at the Dawn Temple, Leon laid out Ilia’s body on a table as if for a wake. “No, leave it,” he said when Valery began to cover up the corpse with a blanket, pulling it back so that her face remained visible. Otherwise, he submitted to Valery’s care without complaint, sitting in a chair near the body as she tended to the burn across his face.

Tears continued to stream from his eyes, trickling into his wound. The salt stung bitterly. He wanted to be numb.

Valery apologized to him. Leon pursed his lips. Part of him wanted to blame her for provoking Ilia, but whatever had happened to his master, Valery wasn’t at fault. She had only tried to keep them safe. He blamed the Jedi for sending Ilia to face the darkness alone, and for failing to prepare her for it. Just as they had failed to prepare him for her betrayal.

When Valery asked him what he would do now, he emerged from his brooding thoughts and looked at her with watery, miserably sober blue eyes. “After she’s buried, I’m going home,” he said. “To Entralla. My family lives there.” Though his relationship with his parents and siblings wasn’t particularly close—they were a bunch of cutthroat nobles, after all—he found that he wanted to be with them almost desperately. Returning to the Red Keep, with its gossip, intrigue, and foolishness, sounded like paradise. He could hide himself away and drown his sorrows in wine and blood games.

“Will you tell the Council what you saw?” he asked Valery, more a request than a question. “Will you tell them how it happened, and what became of us?”

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

10 years ago...

So he really was going to leave.

Valery frowned when it seemed he had made up his mind about it, but ultimately understood. She had lost her Master much later in life, when she was already a Jedi Master herself and training her own Padawans. He was still young and relied far more on this woman. She was a mentor to him, and her betrayal had shattered his perspective.

"I haven't been in contact with any official Council yet, but I will," Valery promised. "Others should know what happened here today, so it can't happen again." Valery then let out a soft sigh and watched him for a moment longer. If he was going to return home, the least she could do was make sure he arrived safely.

"Would you like me to bring you to Entralla?" she asked as a result. "Just to make sure you get there without any complications. I promise that I'll respect your decision to leave the Jedi behind."

| Leon Draco |​

 

[Leon Draco]

Leon studied Valery. He sensed no lie in her words. Slowly, he nodded. “The starfighter I came in doesn’t belong to me. It needs to be returned to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. I can make the arrangements, or you can bring it there yourself.”

His gaze wandered back to Ilia’s body, full of unanswered questions. He looked and looked until he couldn’t stand to see her anymore, and turned away. “She was from Naboo,” he said. “I think she ought to be buried there. It’s a nice place. Peaceful.”

Valery Noble​