Private It's What He Would Have Wanted

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Coruscant​

There'd been no body to bury. No next of kin, no friends, no surviving relatives to notify of his passing. His sacrifice would have gone entirely unnoticed, were it not for the lucky few who lived to tell his tale. One such individual was Thirdas Heavenshield, formerly colonel in the Antarian Rangers and battalion commander of the venerated Bloody 88th. A veteran of a hundred campaigns and a thousand battles, he stands as the last remaining member of Dorn Company and Task Force Raider, single-handedly holding on to the memory and history of their old unit. He finds himself alone on the "Lost Levels" of Coruscant; a desolate section of the ecumenopolis rendered inhabitable by the destruction wrought by the Dark Empire.

It had served as the last battlefield of Tulan Kor and would now serve as the grave of an unknown soldier.

But Thirdas knew. He was Tulan's finest student, and effectively the old sergeant's sole legacy. On this rain-soaked first anniversary of the battle, the student-turned-teacher stood over his old friend's "monument" with flask in hand. It was a simple, makeshift tomb regularly used in the days of the Rangers when proper funeral arrangements were a luxury; a rifle stuck into the ground by its bayonet, a helmet resting upon its stock, and a pair of boots. Since the manner in which Tulan met his end left no such personal effects, Thirdas sacrificed a pair of boots, rifle, and helmet of his own kept from the old days in order to mark the grave the way Tulan would have liked. No fanfare, no parade. Just one of the guys.

"How the hell are you, Gunny," he knelt down before the pair of boots and untied his bandana, tying it to the pistol grip of the upright rifle. His sole keepsake from his brother and mentor. As the rain beat down on him, the last Raider sprinkled some spirits from his flask on the ground before taking a swig himself, grimacing as its contents burned its way down his throat.

"One year ago today, can you believe it? I sure can't. Still feels like yesterday to me. Part of me wishes I could sacrifice the Senate all over again if it meant us sharing the battlefield one more time. There's so much... So much I'd want to tell you. Things I've kept to myself all these years but never spoke aloud. Stuff that probably didn't need to be said for you to know, but I still would've liked to say them before the end. Guess it's too late now, huh brother?"

He sniffed as he plucked a medal from his own uniform and pinned it to the camouflaged canvas of the helmet. The highest military honour received in the Antarian Rangers, earned after the desperate last stand on Sev Tok which saw the turning point in the Bryn War. It was universally known among soldiers that the true heroes were the ones who never made it home so that their brothers did.

Tulan was one such brother. A brother most dear to him. Another large gulp from his flask to dull the pain.

The pouring rain tapped against his cybernetic arm, the rumble of thunder masking the already light footsteps of another seeking to pay their respects.

Nida Perl

 

[Nida Perl]

Coruscant had never been her home. Not truly. It was too noisy, too crowded, too much.

That did not mean that Nida had not wept when she'd heard of the Dark Empire's ravaging. Even if they'd been driven back in the end, the loss of life had been incalculable.

And personal.

She had not heard how Tulan had gone, only that he had. When her life had flipped like a coin, then back again, he'd been there. He'd saved her from Ashla knows what sort of fate during her Imperial imprisonment.

Nida drifted through the Lost Levels as a ghost; a cloaked specter that idly hummed the melody of a Midvinter lullaby. If she'd known the words, she'd forgotten them long ago - but the familiar tune had remained with her throughout the years.

She kept a little bouquet of violets tucked into her sleeve, sheltering the delicate blossoms from the rain. Tulan had not had many nice things in his life. His memory deserved something pretty.

There was a recognizable sound in-between the peals of thunder. Low. Rumbling. A voice. Nida squinted as she turned a corner; even the wind and rain and time could not obscure the familiarity of her Lion. For a moment, she remained completely still, breath held and a lump welling in her throat.

Years had been spent in self-exile as she reflected, healed, and searched for a forgiveness that she was unsure would ever come. And now, the tragic death of a dear friend had drawn them together.

The Force had guided them back to one another.

Nida moved, soft footfalls approaching slowly. She was not entirely convinced that this was not a dream conjured by grief, not until she laid a hand upon his shoulder and felt the very real warmth of Thirdas beneath her palm.

The healer knelt, drawing the little bundle of flowers from her sleeve and laying it across the pair of boots. A little splash of color against the stalwart, earthy hues of military service.

"Tulan Kor was a good man."

Thirdas Heavenshield

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

He'd felt the delicate touch of her hand upon his shoulder. He witnessed through his peripheral a cloaked figure kneeling beside him. He heard her speak; that voice which haunted his every dream. He glanced down at the violet flowers being placed at Tulan's memorial. His breath got caught in his throat, and his heart pounded in his chest.

Yet he dared not turn his head and look. If this proved to be another vivid hallucination, it would destroy him. What if she disappears? Despite every one of his senses telling him this time she was real, he felt unable to trust himself in this matter. It was far too important to get wrong. He might as well lie down beside Tulan and join him.

Instead he closed his eyes and slowly moved his hand towards the peripheral figure at his side. Fingertips grazed against water retardant fabrics until they brushed against something solid. An arm, warm and slender. He traced it down to a wrist, then the palm of a hand dampened by rain, and finally delicate fingers. A lump formed in his throat as his fingers entwined with hers.

The final test remained. His face became increasingly contorted as his eyes opened back up and slowly, slowly drifted to his left. He saw the cloak first, then a knee protruding from it. He saw his hand being held by another, at which point his shoulders slumped and his mouth went dry. Then, finally, Thirdas turned his head to look upon the hooded face, and what remained of his composure fell apart.

Tears became impossible to hold back as his hand held on to hers like his life depended on it.

"N... N..." he stuttered, still not sure he believed her to be real.

To make certain once and for all, Thirdas lifted his mechanical hand to pull the hood from her head. He sat there dumbfounded for several seconds, just staring at her with silent tears streaming down his face even as he was soaked from the rain.

A million things came to mind, and yet nothing came to mind. He thought there'd be resentment towards her long absence without word. He thought he'd dismiss her entirely as his love for her can no longer be found. He thought he'd fall to his knees in complete devotion. He thought a thousand long-repressed emotion might erupt all at once, and yet when he looked upon her after all this time, there was but one response.

Thirdas leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, cupping the back of her head whilst holding on to her hand.

 

[Nida Perl]

Against the desolate backdrop of a rain-soaked makeshift memorial, a point of warmth flared between their laced fingers.

When she'd left him, drifting out into wild space, Nida had felt undeserving of his gentle touch. Her faith had been shaken - in the galaxy, in herself. She'd ushered children into the world on each planet she'd crossed, hoping that this little life would tally up her repentance and tip the scales back in her favor.

In each little face, there'd be a brief moment where she'd wish their complexion pinker, their hair fairer. In tiny fingers that wrapped around her own, she'd wished their grip to be a little stronger, enough to make her wince, like that of the Valkyri-born babes she'd helped to care for on Midvinter.

And then, she'd hand each child to their mother, step back, and watch the new parents - or sometimes just the one - bond with their newborn. A moment of indulgent fantasy fulfilled, leaving her oddly cold and empty in the aftermath of each birth.

Nida drew in an audible breath, fighting and failing to keep her voice level.

"Thir-"

Silenced with a kiss, dark pupils flared as she made a small noise of surprise. Then, her eyes fluttered closed.

For a few long moments, they were lost to everything but each other. Even the raindrops beading down her cheeks went unnoticed, and she was surprised to find how warm Thirdas was when she caressed the side of his face with her free hand. Pink fingers trailed lightly against scars, some familiar, some less so.

When the broke for air, Nida dropped her face into the junction of his neck and shoulder.

"Forgive my silence. It was not right of me to leave you without so much as a word."

She inhaled, drawing in deep the familiar scent of her lost love. The love she'd never felt worthy of, even after he'd welcome her back time and time again, only to hurt him time and time again.

"I never meant to hurt you, Thirdas. I didn't….I did not know how to come back to you. I've been terribly selfish."

In another selfish gesture, she nuzzled harder against his collar, finding gratification and a sense of long-forgotten serenity in the warmth of his brawn. Butterflies danced in her stomach, in her chest and tickled the back of her throat.

"And I do not believe it purely chance that we find ourselves here, together."

Thirdas Heavenshield

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

She could have told him anything, any far-fetched excuse for her silence, and he would have bought it then and there. It simply did not matter anymore. This was Nida — his Nida — in the flesh, and that was all he could ever ask for. As their kiss of reunion ended and she nuzzled into him, Thirdas put his arms around her, gasping for air over her shoulder as if taking his first breaths after an eternity under water. He'd been a walking corpse without her, shuffling mindlessly from one battlefield to another for the scantest scraps of satisfaction. Today he was made whole again.

"You needed this," he comforted her, holding her tightly and kissing the top of her head. "You needed to heal, to get away from it all. I won't pretend I wasn't frustrated by your absence, angered even, but I knew this day would come. At times I doubted, but I held on to hope." Thirdas held up her hand in his, showcasing their identical rings. "I never lost faith in us."

Glancing up into the rainy skies, Thirdas used his size to envelop Nida's lithe form, shielding her from the worst of it while their attention fell upon the third party present. Her being there made the moment all the more emotional for him, as now there was joy tinged with sorrow.

"The last thing he did was make me promise I'd find you," he said solemnly. "I said I would, believing them hollow words to comfort a dying friend." He reached out and retrieved the bandana, presenting the damp cloth to her. "His sole remains. Tulan died sacrificing himself for all of Coruscant, but they will never know it. He went out on his own terms, like a true Ranger, so he ought to be buried like one."

His gaze fixed on the glint of the medal pinned to the helmet, Thirdas felt another wave of tears prick his eyes.

"Are you going to leave me again," he asked in earnest, needing to know for sure this time. It would break him to learn their time together was yet again limited.

Nida Perl

 

[Nida Perl]

Nida pressed herself into Thirdas' warmth and shelter. Even if the rain had soaked her to the bone, she could not fathom discomfort in his arms.

Should the fates draw them back together, she often imagined what she would say to him. Nida always found herself retreating from those few moments of wishful thinking, embarrassed and uncertain. In a few short moments, Thirdas had washed those tangled feelings away.

She said nothing as he pressed their hands together, but she felt as though she did not need to. Her gaze drew from their betrothal rings to his face, and she smiled. Soft and tired.

A quiet sigh drifted past her lips as they turned to Tulan. Only now did she notice that the boots were far too large for the soldier's smaller stature. Her expression creased with regret, recalling the lightning that had ravaged Tulan's face at her command.

"And we shall honor him."

Her world had become desaturated, colors still present but paler and less lively than before. Now, even in their dreary, dismal surroundings, she found vibrant splashes among the greyscale. The glint of a medal as it caught distant, fleeting light, even the hues of Thirdas' - Tulan's - bandana seemed to glow against darkened skies.

"I came here to visit him one last time. I did not think…I could not even fathom…"

Her heart lurched and fluttered as she searched for the right words to put to her feelings. Unanticipated as it was, that did not strip the ecstatic joy of their meeting, nor did it downplay just how easily she fit in his arms.

"How hard it would be to draw myself away from you again," she murmured. With her palm still pressed to the side of Thirdas' face, Nida stroked away tears with her thumb.

"I'm tending to a small village on Verkuyl. Several of the women under my care will give birth soon - and I cannot leave them before that happens. But that does not mean that I go back alone. And you…"

He was like a vortex, pulling her in with unfathomable intensity. She could not escape it if she wanted to, and she did not want to. When the thought of leaving his arms was almost wretched.

"You feel like home."

Thirdas Heavenshield

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Thirdas leaned into her palm, kissing her tender skin and soaking up every ounce of her radiance. Each passing moment served to lay to rest his grief and surrender to the euphoria of their fateful reunion.

"We've both been adrift," he said. "The war was my home after you left. It sustained me, maintained my focus, kept me busy. We were saving lives, hunting down evildoers, and forging bonds of eternal brotherhood. It was enough at the time. When it ended, and my boys were being put out of work, I lost my last tether to our old life together. I've done my best to tell myself I've made a difference since but it's like putting out a house fire one water bucket at a time. One threat is dealt with only for a dozen more to spring up elsewhere."

Looking down into those eyes he fell in love with all those years ago, he found himself smiling. He could recall the last time he smiled with genuine joy.

"Home is where the heart is," he caressed her cheek. "My heart lies with you, Nida Perl. Where you go, I follow. I'm done trudging through fields of deathly grey; I now only yearn to walk fields of vibrant green. My future lies with you."

Thirdas rested his forehead against hers, content in remaining in this moment for the rest of time.

"There is a matter of honour I must see too, however. I've taken oaths, becoming the sworn huscarl of Grandmaster Valery Noble. She's been nothing but good to me and I cannot in good conscience desert my post unless she chooses to release me from her service," he explained soberly. It will be difficult to leave the Ironsides behind after a lifetime of shared hardships, but they don't need their Big Brother looking over their shoulders anymore. Besides, once an Ironside, always an Ironside. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger.

"Then again, I'm on leave for another week before my absence is felt. I will go to Verkuyl with you, then you, if you are up to it, come with me to Fondor and plead our case to the Grandmaster. One look at you, and she will realise my heart's true desire," he smirked. Valery was a woman of great taste, after all.

Nida Perl

 

[Nida Perl]

Adrift. That was an apt way to put them, she decided. Even as they'd both sought to make the galaxy a better place in their own ways, a certain emptiness had persisted. A slow smile lit her delicate features in a haze of warmth and genuine adoration, but there was still a twinge of pain behind violet eyes. She would always hate the way she'd parted from him, hate how she'd stirred up loneliness and loss in Thirdas.

"I do not wish to run from that future, Thirdas. I care not if it takes us to Verkuyl or Fondor or Midvinter – so long as we are together. I would not ask you to forsake an oath, either. Especially not one you've made to Grandmaster Noble. I should like to see her, too."

The last time Nida had met with Valery, she'd been relieved to learn that the woman had not given birth on Yula's tibana-soaked couch while in hiding. It would be good to catch up, perhaps learn what direction the Order had been taking in her absence.

"And if she insists on your service, then I would delight in looking after her little ones."

Her lips quirked upward, voice airy as she spoke. Nida could not imagine Valery keeping someone on a leash. As quickly as her smile had come, it fell away as she moved her palm beneath his chin, slender fingers gripping his jaw as she examined his scarred features in a new light. Always ruggedly handsome, but she feared for him during every conflict.

"My love, you've been taking care of yourself, yes?"

Thirdas Heavenshield

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Her touch was a soothing balm as delicate fingers traced every hard-won scar, worn with pride by the warrior who'd earned them. The medicine she administered with her presence alone had made every wound bearable, even when he lost his arm and leg on Midvinter which saw him undergo painful physical therapy for months, burdening Nida with becoming his nurse and caretaker. She'd stood by him in his weakest moments, just as he never lost hope in her during her darkest moments.

"You know me, I'm the soul of caution," he flashed a momentary grin. "Any chunk carved from me was repaid tenfold. Though, truth be told, physical pain has been the least of my worries lately. My very being was being torn apart from longing, but no longer. Not as I hold the source of my joy in my arms again."

He cupped her face in both hands and kissed her for a second time. Whereas the first kiss had been desperate and long-awaited, the second was savoured in its entirety. It seemed unfair somehow, that someone like him should be rewarded with such unexpected bliss. Spend too long in the dark, and you start thinking yourself unworthy of the light.

As their lips parted for a second time, Thirdas took a good long look at his beloved.

"You are as beautiful as the day we met," he told her. They had both matured in their time apart, in body and mind. Gone was the timid girl he once knew, replaced with a woman grown. She had left a princess and returned a queen.

A deafening crack of thunder had him tighten his hold of her, his head perking up momentarily as if having mistaken it for a high-calibre round being fired. It was a split-second of tense uncertainty as he held in his arms what he cherished most in all the realms, for rarely did the powers-that-be provide that which he sought after without proceeding to snatch it all away in a heartbeat, and he'd made his share of enemies since setting out on his crusade.

"Do you want to get out of here," he asked as he scrambled to his feet, the intensity of the downpour having yet to show signs of diminishing. He helped Nida to her feet and was about to leave then and there, but he caught himself mid-stride before turning to the makeshift gravesite. He stepped forward, brought his heels together, and raised a trembling hand to his brow.

"Thank you, Brother," he spoke with shaky voice. He put his other arm around Nida, holding her tight even as he held the salute. "Thank you for bringing her back to me. Thank you for my life. Our life. Your sacrifice will not be in vain, I swear it." He completed the military salute with that most famous motto of the Antarian Rangers.

"Rangers Lead the Way, as you led mine. Oorah, Gunny."

Before departing, Thirdas turned to Nida and bowed his head so that she might bestow him with Tulan's bandana.

Nida Perl

 

[Nida Perl]

They day they'd met, Thirdas had picked Nida up out of the snow after she'd tripped over a pile of horse droppings. She couldn't have imagined looking a mite attractive then – face ruddy red with mortification and hair mussed with cold crystals from the fall. She'd nearly cried, too, but the appearance of her savior had stemmed any tears.

"And you, just as handsome an honorable as you were when you helped a stranger up from an embarrassing tumble." They'd been smitten ever since.

"Let's," she agreed easily as Thirdas helped her to her feet. One hand made to grab for her hood, before stopping halfway. It had likely gathered water, but she didn't mind. Nida would remain in this downpour beside him for all eternity if it meant that they could belong to one another again.

A beat of shame hit her as she followed Thirdas' gaze down to Tulan. In the heat of the moment, she'd briefly forgotten that she'd come to Coruscant to pay her respects to a fallen friend.

How bittersweet it was that it had taken his death to reunite them.

Nida had placed a hand against Thirdas' chest, and now she idly twisted the fabric between her fingers as he said a final goodbye. Unclenching her hand, she touched her lips to her fingers, then touched her fingers to the helmet.

"You will be missed, Tulan Kor. Rest well."

She took the damp cloth, thumb brushing across the inked patterns. Carefully, she tied the bandana around Thirdas' head, then pressed her lips to his forehead. He'd feel her smile against his skin.

"Where to, Chief Ironside?"

Thirdas Heavenshield

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

"Somewhere dry," he smirked, moments before whisking her off her feet and into his arms, boots splashing in the build-up of water as he spun them, laughing for the first time in years. Carrying her as if she were but a child, Thirdas stopped to kiss her yet again. Whereas the first had been out of desperate longing, and the second out of pure bliss, the third kiss smacked with passion and lust. He started walking even as their kiss lingered, leaving behind the lonely memorial and unmarked grave, save for the posthumous military honour bestowed upon its slumped helmet, glinting in the dark.

Ending up booking passage to Fondor, as being freed from his services would give them the freedom to go anywhere at will, Thirdas and Nida boarded the cruiser and were provided a cabin for the interstellar travel. The happy occasion of their reunion called for a first class suite, as evidenced by more than a few fancy folks sneering at the soaked couple as they walked past.

Having tipped their bellboy despite having no luggage to carry for them — mostly to make him go away sooner — Thirdas slammed the door behind him as he could not wait to get out of his wet clothes.

"Woah, check it out," he marveled whilst pulling his shirt over his head, baring his chest and pair of dog tags hung from his neck. "This place even got its own jacuzzi!" Kicking his boots off and fighting to rid himself of a pair of soaked socks, Thirdas dipped his toe in the prepared bath and immediately melted at the sudden shift in temperature.

It was when he turned to look at Nida that the mood changed from childish wonder to that of lover's intimacy, as the scarred soldier stepped up to the Jedi and helped her with her wet robes and the next layer after that. He held her, kissing her shoulder, the side of her neck, and finally her lips. The catalyst for the remainder of the clothes coming off.

In the end, they found themselves in the jacuzzi completely tangled in one another. Thirdas' decades-long worn warrior's braid had come undone in their throes of passion, symbolic of the new start Nida's return heralded.

"For the first time in my life," he was finally able to muster words, "I sense no battle in my heart. My mind is quiet, my blood still. I've never known such peace..."

Nida Perl

 

[Nida Perl]

For as long as she'd known him - through their teen years and early adulthood - Thirdas had always been a warrior. To imagine that she was the catalyst for his peace was humbling.

Time had moved slowly for Nida. She wandered the Rim worlds, offering a healer's aid as she searched for her own peace.

She could hardly believe how, less than twenty four hours ago, she'd grimly boarded the transport for Coruscant. Now, she was reunited with the love of her life. It would take time for elation and implications to truly sink in, so Nida elected to simply bask in Thirdas.

"In our time apart, I dreamed of the family we'd someday build. It always seemed like that; a dream."

With her head resting against his broad chest, she could feel the rise and fall of his breathing and the rhythm of his heart. He was flesh and blood, alive and hers, not a dream. A part of her was fearful that she'd wake up the next morning, alone on Verkuyl.

Nida glanced up to him, pink skin blushing a deep mauve.

"Perhaps we can anchor that dream in reality."

Thirdas Heavenshield

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Slowly he lifted his head to look at her, feeling his heart skip a beat at the insinuation. Those big, violet eyes of hers he knew for their gentle kindness now shone with less innocent intent. Her flushed cheeks told him she knew full well what she suggested. His arms wrapped themselves around her, pressing their bodies to one another.

"I'd like that very much," he replied in kind, his cheeks similarly flushed. In that moment, his shyness matched hers. Even his cybernetics seemed to tingle, a phantom twitch in his artificial digits despite its impossibility.

Far gentler than those that had come before it, Thirdas leaned forward and placed his lips upon hers. His fingers danced through her indigo hair. Then, suddenly, he lurched forward in an act of boldness, forcefully enough to splash water unto the floor as they moved from once end of the bath to the other, putting her on the defensive with her back against the wall.

Though he prided himself on always being able to control himself around her, little by little he felt it slip from him. His was the blood of the Lion, and it burned hot in his veins on moments such as these. He gave in to it, operating solely on instinct as the apex predator metaphorically feasted on his prey. Heaving and pulsating, their bodies became one in carnal pleasure until both were utterly spent, the very concept of time foreign to them.

By the time they awoke the next morning, they found themselves in bed with pillows and sheets all in a mess. The jacuzzi retained but half its capacity, implying the rest had gotten on the floor, a casualty to their rythmic movements. A lone set of wet footprints led from the bath to the bed they found themselves in, implying he'd not given her the chance to walk on her own. The sheets were damp and in a disarray.

They should be so lucky that there were no tears or rips on neither fabric nor bedframe.

It hurt to open his eyes, and most of his body ached, but the sight of her in such a deliriously blissful state made it all worth it.

Nida Perl

 

[Nida Perl]

They'd always spoken of it in the past; starting a family. Marriage first, they'd said. But that was at a time when their lives had been more stable, before the Dark took over and split them in two.

A part of Nida had wondered if he'd speak of caution regarding such things. They'd both been through a galaxy's worth of pain, and starting a family would bring about the union of Heavenshield and Zambrano blood - children were a blessing, but would they bring about more pain? More strife? Would that condemn their children to-

Any more concerns her mind could conjure up were thoroughly lost as he kissed her, then pressed her to the edges of the tub. Pink finger tangled themselves into blonde locks, and the pair lost themselves to the night.

Nida slowly blinked the sleep from her eyes. She registered the sensations around her one by one; first came the comfort of soft sheets against bare skin. Then, the ache that spread through her core and outward through her limbs. It was a pleasant sort of soreness, she decided as she turned to lay on her side and curl into Thirdas' warmth. Her head had been resting on his outstretched arm, but now she pulled herself closer to his chest.

"I was afraid that when I woke up, this all would've been a dream," she murmured drowsily.

Nida shifted, craning her neck back to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw. Dimly aware of the disarray they'd left the room in, she elected to ignore that for now.

"I've missed you, Thirdas." She heaved a sigh heavy with satisfaction. "A part of me wondered if it was fair to make you wait. I know that it wasn't. If you had found someone else, I'd..."

Nida inhaled sharply, not sure what she would've done or how she would've felt if Thirdas had found happiness in another's arms.

Thirdas Heavenshield

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Watching his beloved slowly stir in his arms was as satisfying as could be, given their countless nights lightyears apart. It was not only a joyful experience, but one he felt the fates had owed him for all the great and terrible deeds he's committed in their name. Everything he's ever done, every battle fought, each foe slain, had led to this moment. This happiness was theirs by right; he would not prostrate himself for receiving what was his to begin with.

"Don't jinx us," he whispered, rubbing his nose against hers.

His brows furrowed as she spoke next, and he pressed a finger to her lips and shook his head.

"Never. I'd sooner forget the meaning of the word than forsake you. You were my battle prayer, and the last utterance as I drifted to sleep. You were my guiding light and sole source of hope. But as painful as it was being part from you, I would bear it all over again knowing it would give us this moment."

Thirdas, perhaps instinctively so, slid his hand down her chest to ever-so-gently caress her abdomen. Had life already begun to stir inside her? What shape would it take, he wondered. He ventured down her body to lay his head upon her stomach, ear pressed against pink skin as he watched her bare chest rise and fall.

"All I've ever known is how to take lives," he said. "I never dared aspire to create one."

Thirdas pressed his lips to her tummy, then proceeded to kiss his way back up the way he'd come, eventually coming face to face with her again after providing extra attention to her chest area. There he remained, stuck staring deeply into her orbs of violet.

"We'd best get married soon, lest your mother's wrath will sunder the stars," he spoke only in half-jest.

Nida Perl

 

[Nida Perl]

If Nida were being honest, it was impossible - and too painful - to picture Thirdas with someone else. When a few of the village women dropped hints regarding her lonesome nature and their available sons, she could only smile with longing. The healer could not imagine herself settling by the side of any man other than her Thirdas.

Pink fingers wound into long blonde strands as he pressed his head to the flat plane of her stomach. It would take time - they both knew that - but she couldn't help but share in his eagerness.

"Mm, I wonder which one of us they'll take after?" It was fun to imagine the potential looks and nature of their hopefully-not-hypothetical child. Regardless of the outcome, they'd be dearly loved by their parents.

"I remember your mother speaking of how many fights you'd get when you were young," she mused. "Perhaps soon I will be carrying a little warrior."

A soft giggle bubbled from her as he kissed his way up her midsection.

Violet met dark irises and she smiled, twirling a blonde strand idly around her finger.

"Yes, we would not want to displease her." There was a certain coyness to her tone, a shared understanding that they would not be wedded solely to curb Joza's wrath. Marriage was considered quaint yet impractical by Zeltrons, but both Nida and the Perl matriarch had a larger awareness of how the galaxy looked at an unwed mother.

Not that such things bothered her - she and Thirdas were just for eachother.

"Should we hold the ceremony on Midvinter? Or Zeltros? Or perhaps somewhere else?"

Thirdas Heavenshield

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Thirdas' head sunk to rest upon Nida's chest, arms wrapping themselves around her where they lay. He closed his eyes, focusing on her heartbeat — the sweetest music he could imagine, and a tune he found himself missing perhaps most of all.

"If there was a choice in the matter, I should like them to take after their mother. For she is the fairest and gentlest of all the gods' creations," he uttered softly. "I should like them to be a proponent of peace, and not another rage-filled beast. The world doesn't need more soldiers. It needs healers to help mend what soldiers leave behind. It needs a shepherd, not another lion."

He'd always held his beloved in the highest esteem in spite of her own misgivings, but this was different. He didn't want to see his son or daughter off to war, knowing now the long-term cost of one's soul. The sudden thought terrified him to no end.

"Speculations aside, so long as they come out pink they will be loved," he added with a smile.

The question as to where their wedding ought to be held came up next. It struck him harder than he'd expected, for he had long considered Zeltros in honour of his beloved. Now that the question was posed, he felt a surprising rise in emotions as his heart cried out.

"Please, let it be Midvinter," he looked upon her as his eyes watered. "I'm sorry, I... I've denied myself for too long. I must see it for myself. Mother... Father..." he swallowed. "I need to see them again."

The homesickness he'd buried for so long welled up in the form of this most sincere plea, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Would you make this sacrifice for me, my love?"

Nida Perl

 

[Nida Perl]

His sweet words brought a gentle smile to her face. Nida continued to stroke his hair as Thirdas spoke, taking her time to feel the sensation of blonde strands gliding over her fingers.

"So long as the greed of Sith and Imperials exists within this galaxy, we will need brave protectors to stand at the defense of those who need it." She spoke softly, but not sternly. "I would not wish any children of ours to know war. Not in the way that we do. You’ve more than earned your rest, my love.”

There was an inherent attractiveness to the mantles of both Jedi and warrior, but heroic facades hid much pain and suffering. The galaxy had stolen so much light from the eyes of the innocent.

No matter how hard they wished, a parent could only do so much to curb their child's desires.

Something shifted in Thirdas, and Nida tilted her head. One finger found its way beneath his chin as she drank deep on his expression.

"I've no sacrifice to make, my lion. To be wed among the snow where we first met would be most fitting. I am certain that your family will be pleased to see a son of Midvinter home again."

It had been so long since she'd visited Midvinter, but Nida had grown fond of both her scenery and her people. She could envision a cozy home, a crackling hearth, and the patter of small feet beneath hardwood.

"I'll…just tell Yula to pack an extra coat."

Thirdas Heavenshield

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

She was right, of course.

His whole purpose of leaving home in the first place rested on good men being needed on the frontline, coupled with his personal lust for grand adventure and the urge to make a name for himself away from the wide-reaching legacy of his lord father. Ambition and wonder had compelled him to seek the stars; now that he's stood and fought on each and every one of them, having earned what glory there was to be had from such senseless slaughter, the Black Lion yearned to return home.

Their child, son or daughter, would be part Valkyri. They too would experience a similar pull to achieve great things. He understood now, more than ever, his father's reluctance to allow his child to pursue his wanderlust. Thurion Heavenshield had never sought fame or titles — he'd earned them through selfless service, and the people loved him for it. Thirdas worried his own legacy was one bathed in blood and fire, and nothing else.

Lifting his head a second time to meet her gaze and see her smile, Thirdas rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you, Nida," he wanted to make sure she knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, before then kissing her most deeply. While lost in their love, a robotic voice crackled over the cruise ship's intercom.

"Now arriving at: Fondor Space Port. You have (1) hour to collect your things and disembark. Thank you for flying AirCor™, valued passenger."

Thirdas wrapped them inside the covers, shutting out the rest of the world.

"One hour's plenty of time."

Nida Perl