Midvinter Children - (Ærin Firebrand/Dair Cotarin)

[H3xle]

Voss, home world of the Silver Jedi. The blue/green marble hung in space with its single moon orbiting it slowly. The space around the orb was not as hectic as some other planets, though it was about as busy as the planet that the newest visitor to the planet had come from.

Space rippled softly, then rent as a small transport ship transited from hyper space into real space. It was one of many such transports that traveled between Voss and various other worlds of the galaxy, though this one bore signs marking it as a ship owned by an interest in the Galactic Republic. The ship entered orbit of Voss as the pilot got clearance to land. Clearance was given and within the hour, the transport was touching down at a spaceport.

Dair offloaded with the rest of the travelers, he was not dressed in Jedi robes, but rather in non-descript clothing in earth tones. His lightsaber hung on his belt, but was obscured by his jacket. He looked around and made his way through the terminal. The last time he had been on Voss was for the funeral of the Silver Jedi's late Grand Master. He had been their with his own Master, who was Grand Master of the Republic's Jedi Order, but this time he came alone to explore. He didn't check in at the Voss temple, while he was here for reasons brought about by the Force, he wasn't here in his capacity of a Jedi Padawan.

He had recently returned from a trip with his master to retrieve a crystal from a cave system on an ice planet. The feelings he had while he was there, coupled with the strange power of Force he had performed on Cyrillia made his questions about his origins spring to the forefront of his mind. The visions he received while hunting for his Solari crystal had been disturbing on some levels, disquieting on others and calming in the last. They had brought up a great many questions on top of the ones of his origins. He had meditated several times about finding those answers, and each time he meditated he saw various parts of his trip to Voss. The more he meditated, the more a single image became clearer to him. An image he had seen of snowcapped mountains. It was why he had arranged this trip for himself, and why he was now renting a small speeder to travel out there. He got into the vehicle, once the rental process had been completed, and aimed it directly for the mountains and took off.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

It took several hours to traverse the traffic between the capital of Voss and the mountains he was feeling drawn to. He flew the speeder through myriad towns and over many fields and other terrain. Finally he had come to the foot of the mountains. There was a small road up into the mountains, one just large enough for him to follow in his speeder. Without stopping, he flew into the mountains, as it began to snow.

The blizzard over took him quickly and as if from nowhere, but caution was not in the forefront of his mind as he drew nearer where the Force drew him. He remembered the feeling of extreme comfort as he looked down upon the blizzard in the final vision he had had in the crystal caves, and this was nothing like that. The beauty of winter was upon him in all it's terrible glory and Dairs only sense of knowing where he was going was the image the Force gave him. That image didn't show the gust of wind that flipped his speeder, luckily it was on a plateau and not near the edge, or Dair might have met his end right there.

Bleeding from a wound on his head, he unstrapped himself from the speeder and dragged himself out of the wrecked vehicle.

'Good thing I got the insurance...' he thought to himself, a bit woozy from unintentionally flying through the air. He looked around and spotted a light in the near distance through the blizzard. He zipped up his jacket and began to stumble toward the light.

"Hello!" He shouted as he drew near the light, it seemed to be coming from some kind of building. His voice cut through the wind to his ears, but he knew that with such strong wind it likely didn't travel as far as he wanted. Thus he would continue to shout his greeting as he drew towards the cabin.


[member="Ærin Firebrand"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

There will be a blizzard tonight. Her eyes looked to the late afternoon skies, always Aerin had the ability to read the weather. A talent not of the force but learned through the ages by the Valkyri. It is essential for them to survive, to prepared for sowing the crops and harvest, but the weather is fickle especially on Midvinter, a clear day can turn in the blink of an eye with fast rolling cloud coming off The Maw. Unforgiving, yet beautiful in its natural aggression.

After finding wood and gathering to the hearth, she is set for the night and to wait out the blizzard. Voss, mostly consistent in nature on the lower ground, but in the mountains, a place wild and extreme, just the way she likes it, just the way she is used to. She is here with the Silver Jedi, to help when needed but she would prefer to remain at distance from them, her duty here different to those that follow the way of the Jedi, she is here to protect the future of Midvinter. An oath given to her King. But those she protects are more than capable of taking care of themselves, and so she lives a life set apart and in the mountains when on Voss.

Most of her time she enjoys her life on Midvinter and soon she will return to her Clan as the horses will foal soon.

The fire in hearth crackles as she lays a thick log over the flames, yet her head lifts up as the sensation of a presence approaching. Aerin focusing searching for intent and finds nothing but a goodness and curiosity, or rather a finding? The wind outside portents the blizzards approach, it will coming fast and dangerous and who ever is out there is in danger. Curious it is, to have someone this far from the Temple, as her force senses tell her he, is Jedi.

Walking to the door of her home, she gathers her fur coat and leaves the frame of the door behind to find the wayward traveler. The wind brought on is the message, Hello, only just detectable as it flew away as quickly as it arrived. Her feet plowed through the thick layer of snow as the blizzard grew in intensity, hard driven snow pelting her face, stinging the warmth of her skin. "Follow my voice!", she yelled out as reply but also hoped he could sense her presence in order to find direction. Yet she moved onward toward his location and soon she saw the outline of a man forcing his way through the white sheets of ice.

"Here!", she yelled more.

[member="Dair Cotarin"]

 

[H3xle]

[member="Ærin Firebrand"]

"Follow my voice!", she yelled out as reply but also hoped he could sense her presence in order to find direction. Yet she moved onward toward his location and soon she saw the outline of a man forcing his way through the white sheets of ice. "Here!", she yelled more.

Dair stopped for a moment and turned his head back and forth to triangulate the voice. He moved forward through the sheets of ice and snow. He wasn't cold exactly, he always had a natural resistance to cold weather, but the crash had unsettled him a bit. He fought forward, leaning against sudden bursts of wind that thrust more snow and ice into his eyes. He neared the voice and the light, the voice sounded like it came from a little up.

'Maybe there's a raised porch...' He thought just as the wind cut off for a moment and he slammed chest first into the aforementioned raised porch. The wind was temporarily knocked out of him, and when he got his breath back he followed the porch around until he found the stairs. He climbed the stairs and finally found the owner of the voice. He was momentarily rendered speechless, for she was a very beautiful woman. He took another breath, then spoke.

"I crashed nearby...I know I am a stranger, but may I stay here until the weather clears?" He asked, then nearly smacked his forehead, though that wouldn't have helped anything, "I am Dair Cotarin, excuse me for not introducing myself first." His head still swam from the crash, which might be obvious as he was observing such formality in the midst of a blizzard. He didn't seem entirely fazed by the weather, except for blinking every so often to get the buildup of ice and snow from his eyes.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Dair Cotarin"]

This is a strange evening to be out, but then blizzards can spring up so quickly to those untrained in reading the weather. The figure of the man grew closer and soon approached, clearly unable to see, physically at least, he soon found her porch, physically at least. His words are well mannered enough, and her force senses tell her he speak with a true heart, she opened door to her home for him to enter. Had he showed signs of ill intent, the man's blood would have been running red in the snow before he even had a chance to take a step forward. She knew better than to offer assistance, most men are to stubborn to allow it, the Valkyri more so.

"Sit by the hearth to warm yourselve before you catch your death", she said removing her fur coat. Aerin moved to the hearth where water had been set to boil before his arrival. In silence she prepared a brew, sprinkling herbs into the hot water before handing the tea to him. "Here, drink this. It will warm your blood". Then she prepared a tea for herself.

"I am Aerin Firebrand, of Midvinter", she began with a small smile and she sat regarding her new visitor. She did not give her full title or rank on the planet, most people she meets have never heard of her home planet, let along the culture or history. A tall young man, that held the body of someone of strength, much like a Valkyri. His facical features also familar as if cut from the Valkyri cloth, although a little more refined. "Where are you from? and what are you doing way up here on a night like this?".

 

[H3xle]

"Sit by the hearth to warm yourselve before you catch your death", she said removing her fur coat. Aerin moved to the hearth where water had been set to boil before his arrival. In silence she prepared a brew, sprinkling herbs into the hot water before handing the tea to him. "Here, drink this. It will warm your blood". Then she prepared a tea for herself. "I am Aerin Firebrand, of Midvinter", she began with a small smile and she sat regarding her new visitor. She did not give her full title or rank on the planet, most people she meets have never heard of her home planet, let along the culture or history. A tall young man, that held the body of someone of strength, much like a Valkyri. His facical features also familar as if cut from the Valkyri cloth, although a little more refined. "Where are you from? and what are you doing way up here on a night like this?"

Dair did as instructed, he stomped his feet just inside the door to hopefully track less snow into her home. The vibration from the stomping set his head reeling again. He reached out and braced himself against the recently closed door, then moved to the fire and settled down in front of it. He stretched his arms in front of him to warm them. He took the tea in his hands and sipped, relishing the feel of warmth radiating into his hands from the mug and through his body from the sips. He listened to her, then fell silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"I am recently arrived from Ossus, in the Republic. I came here..." he paused a moment, taking a deep breath. His head reeled, so he couldn't be sure if he felt her in the force or not. He wasn't entirely familiar with that sense power yet, he needed more practice. "I came here to find answers. I...I followed a feeling in the Force up here in the mountains. I was nearby when a gust of wind flipped my speeder. Wherever the place that the force was leading me was near here. I guess you could say, I came to find answers." He stated, then looked up at her. With the continued sipping, his head was feeling clearer and his eyes focused. He offered her a genuine smile. "I am a Jedi padawan. Thank you for your hospitality. I fear I would have died had your home not been here and you been so kind."

[member="Ærin Firebrand"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Dair Cotarin"]

"You assume to much", she said in responce to his thoughts of probable death at the hands of the ice. "I know of your Jedi of the Republic but have had little to do with them, much the same as the Silver Jedi, I tend to keep to myself".

The howl of the wind echoed down the chimney and buffeted at the fire making the flames dance in the grill of the hearth. Aerin added another log which immediately bit and crackled with the billowed flames. It reminded her of the forges on Midvinter and made her home sick. But soon she could be home.

"We shall look for your speeder once the blizzard has passed, we might find it", she grinned as no doubt it would be buried within meters of snow. She took are large mouthful of the tea before placing in on the floor beside her.

"The force is strange, gives much and yet little. To what do you seek answers?", she asked now intrigued as to way the force would have led him to her. "Are these answer to come from me?", she added. "It seems your path has led you to my door, it is no coincidence". The room in which they sit, is typical of the Valkyri, on the doors carvings of creatures of that planet Aerin favours. In the corner of the room sits her armour on a dummy, her sheild and sword by it's side, her long bow and quiver nearby. Fur of Midvinter line the floor in order to keep the cold from seeping up through the boards and small tables, some adorned with arrow heads and feather evidence of her fletching.

 

[H3xle]

"The speeder is wrecked, I'll be paying the insurance premium on it. Thankfully I got the insurance on it." He said, his voice sounding more clear with the more sips of tea and the warmth of the fire. Dair looked over at Aerin and cocked his head to the side a little bit.

"The Force is strange, and I no longer feel it's pull towards another place. It does seem it has brought me here for my answers..." He sounded mildly sheepish at this. He looked around the room and saw the exquisite carvings, the armor and weapons, the furs. It was at once familiar and alien to him. As a youngling and padawan he never had many possessions, and as a slave he had had even fewer. He felt a strange resonance with the artifacts of Valkyri culture he was surrounded with, and a piece of that would show on his face as he took the time to appreciate every piece of it. Finally, he turned back to Aerin, an apologetic look on his face for remaining silent for so long. "I will tell you my story, I believe you may hold some of the answers I seek..." His eyes went far away, looking into the past for a moment. Then, he began.

"I remember only small pieces of my life before...I remember being very small, four or five at the most, and my parents would carve me toys and let me help them in the garden. Those are the only happy memories of my childhood, but they have kept me...sane. Not long after those memories, a band of pirates or slavers or something...took me away. I assume they killed my family, though I truly don't know. From that point until I was fourteen I was a slave. I was traded from ship to ship among a small number of vessels allied with some slaver/pirate clan. The tasks I was given were menial, and I was beaten regularly. Several times I was...abused in other ways." A lump in his throat caused him to stop, he cleared it softly and looked away towards the fire. "As I grew up I was given more of the menial tasks and abused less. I am a fairly large man as is, not the type they preferred for their amusements. When I was fourteen I was found by a Jedi from the Republic. I was taken to Ossus and raised in a youngling clan there, I was counseled on how to cope with my experiences and trained in a great many meditation techniques to help me get past it. At this point I hold no hate for my past, mild pity for those who feel the need to do such and a righteous desire to help prevent such things from happening to others, but no hate. I do not know my culture, my homeworld or my biological family. I feel a kinship with the ice and snow that I cannot explain, the most recent occurrence was when I was with my Master hunting for a lightsaber crystal so I could construct my own saber. We went to an icy world where a certain crystal has been known to form. There I came upon three visions within the caves. The first was me when I was still a slave, in it I had slaughtered everyone in a very bloody manner. The other me then tried to convince me to take his path, to claim power for powers sake. The second vision was me as I am, but more jaded and more violent. I did not get to have much interaction with him. The third one was an older version of me. He was far taller than I thought a human could grow naturally and had a pure, icy peace around him. I feel that these are the paths that are open to me. I know which I would choose consciously, but I don't know if maybe they have a deeper meaning..." He trailed off and blushed at having spoken so much. He hadn't spoken quickly, lapsing into a steady and easily understood speed as he told his story. His eyes refocused on the hear and now and he glanced at Aerin before looking to the fire.

"That is the jist of my history. There are stories to be told within the history, as there ever are." He spoke and smiled slightly.

[member="Ærin Firebrand"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Dair Cotarin"]

She had been stoking the fire as Dair began his story. Aerin stopped and placed the poker down on the stone hearth and turned to listen with more intent as he spoke of his history as a slave, such an abhorrant thing for someone to have happen to them. She had heard of such people that take others into servitude but had never met anyone that lived to tell their story. She could sense the pain of the memory yet he is a peace with it at the same time, a truly remarkable feat to be able to forgive or at least deal with such things. Aerin, although not subjected to slavery had had her own crosses to bare and she dealt with it through revenge.. twice.

Although her temperment has changed somewhat, she felt the pull of the urge to draw the sword at his words, she had the urge to claim revenge with him. She pushed that aside and calmed her mind. "The storm blows in more than snow this eve", she said with a small smile, small concilation for this story.

"You speak of visions, I have them too from time to time", she giggled slightly, "You know on Midvinter they would call me witch, because my people do not know of the ways of the galaxy or the force for that matter. And so my talent is considered other". She smile picking up the poker once more and continuing needless stoking.

"Yet visions through the force are hard to decipher, there meaning can be vague or lost", she looked regarding Dair as she is unclear how she can help. "So you have come here to seek answers of your identity? or heritage? .. to find what become of your family". She began to wonder if she entered his mind, would his vision be clearer to her? She is much stronger and able to detect things others can not. He is learning his craft to use the force, maybe this might aid him.

"Maybe I can help", she said finally "If you will allow me to enter your mind and see if I can find your vision once more".

 

[H3xle]

Dair nodded as she spoke. His empathic sense told him that his words had stirred something in her, her own emotional scars resonating with the telling of his even if they were not of the same origin. When he had finished, and she spoke of her word and the views of such people he could only feel sadness. The Force had saved his life on more than one occasion, and being able to feel its ebbs and flows was one of the few thrills of his life before he was found.

"Yet visions through the force are hard to decipher, there meaning can be vague or lost", she looked regarding Dair as she is unclear how she can help. "So you have come here to seek answers of your identity? or heritage? .. to find what become of your family".

Dair nodded. "A little of all of that. I hold little hope to find my family, but I wish to fully understand my identity and though that my heritage."

"Maybe I can help", she said finally "If you will allow me to enter your mind and see if I can find your vision once more"

For only the time it takes for half a heart beat, Dair stiffened. He had a lot of things in his mind that only the healers at the Temple had seen. He remembered the looks of sorrow and pity that had followed. He took a deep breath. 'The force brought me here. If she can help, I should see it through.' He thought to himself. Besides, he could feel that she had her own emotional scars that she had dealt with. After a moment he nodded his assent. "I will allow this. Perhaps you will be able to discern more than I have. I would welcome your thoughts on the matter." He set the mug down on the floor and turned to face her, unsure of what this process would entail, but willing to go along with it.

[member="Ærin Firebrand"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Dair Cotarin"]

Aerin stood and walked to the side of the room, picking up one of the Älk furs before she came back to Dair and placed it around his shoulders, the reason for it, warmth. He needs to concentrate without the distraction of the cold biting his body. Even though he is resilient to it, as she is, Valkyri still feel the cold and she wanted him to be comfortable.

"All you have to do is open your mind to me, recall the visions to the best of your ability and if you can, your early childhood. No matter how little you remember there is always more there and maybe I can pull those to the forefront, that is if it is what you really want, speak now before we begin".

Aerin placed herself back on her chair by the fire and began her concentration of him and herself. Allowing her body to relax and her breathing to steady. Already she reached through the force to him, her force tendrils weaving closer until they touched upon his aura, his presense within the force more stronger now as time passed in each others company. Her eyes never leaving his handsome face. Tension felt throug the force, he is apprehensive which would be normal for the first time someone enters your mind. To reassure him, "I will not be looking around, no intrusion on any part of your mind other than what you show me". In reality she could but her noble blood would never disgrace her word or honour.

 

[H3xle]

"I will not be looking around, no intrusion on any part of your mind other than what you show me"

Dair smiled reassuringly and waved a hand as if brushing off her concern. "The things you will be seeing are likely my darkest secrets, aside from them I am not a very complex man." With that statement he closed his eyes, settling into the familiar pattern of his favorite meditation and he began to disassemble his mental barriers. In his mind they were walls that were similar to castle walls of many cultures histories, and slowly he began to bring them down. The surface thoughts were of Sayl, a person he cared for more than he had any other in his history. As he completed bringing down his barriers, he focused on the memories of long ago. He had precious few memories of his life before being taken, and in the sake of chronology he thought of them first and then started to move forward.

The first few thoughts were images, scents, feelings and laughter. The reason for the mental image of his barriers became apparent as the scene evolved to show the courtyard of a small keep. A

Spoiler: large, blond man

stood to the side as a very young Dair swung a wooden stick at some hay bales. He spoke little, but smiled readily and laughed often at the toddler's swings. The memory shifted to a hearthside that held many of the same artistic styles of the room in which they sat, the man, whom it would be easy to assume was Dair's father, sat there with

Spoiler: a woman

who had to be Dair's mother and a pair of younger toddlers that could be twins. They were enjoying a dinner by the fire, sitting at a beautifully carved wooden table with carved wooden chairs for each of them. There was laughter and happiness throughout the memory as the meal wound on, and it was obvious that this was a memory that was often retrieved by Dair, it had a slightly worn feel to it like a picture that has been handled many times. There were a few more, less vivid memories that showed the area around the small keep. Often it was snowbound, though some were of the short spring/summer months between harsh winters. To any who knew, it was obviously a Valkyri family on Midvinter, specifically the land northeast of the Lake of Mists, between the short northern mountain range and the shore. To Dair it was the only lasting memories of happiness before the next set of memories.

Where the first set of memories were beautiful, full of life and happiness showing the simple, satisfying life that Dair's family had enjoyed, the next set of memories were dark nearly beyond measure. The first vivid memory was of the attack on the keep. Stout stone walls were not meant to defend against coherent light and plasma weapons and that was what the pirates brought. The keep was nearly annihilated in minutes. Dair's father and mother, as well as numerous men and women at arms and more simple folk, took up arms against the intruders. They took down many of the band, but the modern weapons won out. Those that were older than teenagers were killed outright, those younger were chained and taken. The next decade of memories, slightly sped up by Dair as he did not wish to dwell on them, were full of savagery and degradation. He was kept aboard ships, transferred between at shadow ports around the galaxy, but the accommodations were all similar. A large room in the lower section of the ship, very near the power core, always holding several cot type beds bolted to the floor for the ship's slaves to sleep on. The room also held the materiel needed for their essential duties, cleaning supplies, minor maintenance supplies, uniforms for when they were acting as servers and other such things. Among the memories were the way the slavers used the children 'after hours'. These were memories that Dair sped past quickly, despite the amount of time between then and now, he didn't want to dwell on the violations and abuse he'd received. These memories lasted until the day that Kieran Cotarin, a human Jedi Shadow, passed near enough to the ship that Dair was held on to sense him. Being untrained in the use of the force, Dair didn't know that he was essentially transmitting his misery out along the waves of the energy field. Kieran came and rescued him and those slaves with him. He then brought Kieran to Ossus and left him there to be trained.

At this point the memories begin to go through sequences, he was placed in the Bear clan of Younglings at the Ossus temple. The masters trained him in a series of more advanced meditative techniques than many other younglings as a therapy for the memories of his abuses. Many nights in those early years Dair woke himself screaming, unaware that the nightmare was over. As time wore on and more training happened, Dair grew happier. He grasped the core tenets of the Jedi and slowly learned to let go of what had happened. He never forgot, and he would not ever forgive, but he would not seek vengeance. He would hold himself higher than that, he would take the experiences and use them to grow up and become the kind of person who rescued such children and slaves, who stopped such things from happening in the first place. The memories wound through various training sessions, meditative techniques becoming something that Dair excelled at as well as work with training sabers and other melee weapons. The memories flowed through training bouts, friends going off with new masters, some returning now and then when their masters went on secret, dangerous missions. Dair's experiences on Cyrillia showed the beginnings of an unusual gift, one that Dair had since not looked into. During a duel with a plasma ball firing man, Dair fired back a ball of pure cold. The detonation of super heated plasma and super dense cold sent Dair flying back through the wall of a factory. A Kel Dor Jedi intervened before his opponent could attack again and all parties left wounded, but alive. A powerful set of memories, connected intrinsicly to those that were hanging on the surface, were the first time he met Sayl. Such strong emotions in Dair were rare, as he was often a reserved person who was focused on his training, and as such they obviously took Dair by surprise. He still didn't quite know what to make of the feelings, but he knew that he wanted to explore them more.

The memories then went with Dair and his master, Corvus Raaf, on a trip for a lightsaber crystal. The trials that took place, him meeting his three counterparts and meeting various amounts of success in regards to speaking with them. Hugging the sociopathic younger Dair, being slapped and unable to talk to the jaded and angry alternate Dair and finally meeting the older Dair, who resembled Dair's father to a degree that sent aches through Dair's heart. Dair finding the ice blue crystal and leaving with his master, meeting the massive spider (which still sent shocks of fear down Dair's spine) and his decision that they should deter it from attacking them rather than killing it outright, followed by training in telepathy with his master on the trip back to Ossus. The memories then found Dair meditating with the crystal he had found, a double vision occurred as Dair's memory of his vision of Voss and the mountains they were currently in came up. The memories settled after he remembered the trip from the spaceport up into the mountains and crashing, then meeting Aerin.

After a few moments of clearing his mind of the memories, Dair would open his eyes. He wouldn't reconstruct his mental barriers until he knew that Aerin had seen all she needed or wanted to see. If she could shed light on any of Dair's history, then he would tell and show her everything.



[member="Ærin Firebrand"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Dair Cotarin"]

The sound of the crackling fire in the hearth, Aerin used to center her focuse as it bit the burning flames into the dry wood. She closed her eyes and through the force, weaved her senses toward Dair. His aura sitting ever present in the room, and closer still as her's began to meld within his. The man's mind open and ready, she admires him for this experience will take a toil on him neither of them had yet to discover. A soothing calm followed her and she settle within the layers of the mind, only in hope to reassure him and assist in his recall.

The images and visions as he begun to draw out the past, fell in crisp whiteness, a sense of cold yet harmonic as she looked upon a view of most familiar to her, her head tilted at the recognition of Midvinter, even more so when the image of a man, his father filled her mind. He has the look of a cheiftain, dressed in leathers and fur of the ëlk, shield and spear of nobility, engraved with Clan markings. His mother by all account, a Maiden of the Shield, a warrior woman Aerin has become herself, and with many others. Dair is Valkyri.

A sharp deep breath entered her as the images shifted, a sense of pain and suffering no one should ever endure filled her body .. it is Dair's pain and the memories horrific. Aerin held her focus and drew in the force to send back to him in order to bolster his strength to continue. From the corner of her closed eyes, tears formed and fell to the wooden floor, it was almost too much for her to witness such experiences. But reprieve came in the form of his images of recent events, his training to rid the pain and grow strong as a result of them, her breathing had become laboured, but she remained as promised.

Until finally, the last of his memories had brought them to the present. It was only then she opened her eyes and looked upon his face and cut the connection. No more was needed, she need the answers to part of his quest.

But before she would speak Aerin stood up and walked to the kitchen to gather a large tankard of mead. Returning she pour the honey liquid into his glass and her's ... "I .. we, need a drink", she smiled trying to relieve the tension, the tension she felt. Aerin settled herself once more in her seat, held the glass in both hands.

"I know where you are from, I know your heritage and I can take you there". she began. "Your father and mother are Valkyri. Warriors of Midvinter, my home".

She would allow him to process this first, with no doubt in her mind, he would have many questions for her.

 

[H3xle]

Dair took a sip of the mead and coughed a bit. The sweet elixir was a bit thicker than the alcoholic drinks he had tried before, the very few times he'd tried them before. The flavor was delicious though, so he quickly took another sip.

"I know where you are from, I know your heritage and I can take you there". she began. "Your father and mother are Valkyri. Warriors of Midvinter, my home".

Once more he coughed on the mead, though this time his eyes were wide from the information she provided. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it as he paused in thought. This series of actions would be repeated a couple more times as he processed the news. He knew that the force was ever present and had lead him here, but he hadn't expected to find the information so easily, and from the mouth of one of the people he was from. He guessed, inwardly, that the trip to this point in time might not have been truly easy. As he thought, he thought of the road to this point through the times and trials of his life. True, if he hadn't been taken he would have grown up on the planet she spoke of, Midvinter, but aside from that, any other change in circumstances could have changed when he found out. Or he could have never found out.

"Warriors of Midvinter...Valkyri...I'm not sure I know what that means." He paused for a moment and looked around at the room, the hearth and the armor and weapons, then back to Aerin. "Like you. You are a Valkyri of Midvinter?" He spoke slowly, still obviously dumbfounded by the information.

[member="Ærin Firebrand"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Dair Cotarin"]

"Yes", she said as she stood up and walked over to her armour and sword resting by the wall. "Our culture is long and we have been around for ... eons. It is one entirely different from any you will experience in this galaxy, at least I have not come across anything similar. We are a warrior people, we have to be it is our nature, not only an innate nature but one forged through the nature of our planet, of Midvinter".

"I think it is best that you visit your homeland, to see it is to know it. I cannot find words adequate to describe our beautiful homeland, only your eyes can do that", she picked up her sword, in which is set a blue focusing crystal in the pommel of the hilt, it is her long sword used much in battle and was stained with the blood of her father's murderer, she has not lifted it to her hand since that day.

With one sweeping swing of the sword in a circlular motiion, Aerin felt the weight and balance of this find weapon, born in the forge of the smith [member="Buliwyf Jarhulda"], of Midvinter, given to her as a gift. As she returned to the hearth and Dair, she flipped the sword in her hand with ease and offered him to hilt, to take and examine.

"I do not know where to begin to explain Midvinter and her people, it is best I take you there".

 

[H3xle]

[member="Ærin Firebrand"]

Dair mulled over his options. Being a padawan he didn't have a great deal of duties, but he had some responsibility to his Master and to Sayl. He turned his gaze to the sword in her hands, admiring the workmanship in the blade. He had worked with training swords of similar make, if not quite that level of craftsmanship, as the weaponsmaster on Ossus had said that Dair was a natural with the heavier melee weapons and lightsabers alike.

"I would like to see the world of my birth. If it is not to much trouble, I will accompany you there." He said, then took another sip of the mead. He was enjoying the super sweet taste, and it was warming him inside better than the tea had, though he could also feel it begin to dull his senses. It would probably be for the best if he didn't have another cup tonight.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Dair Cotarin"]

The blizzard had blown in more than snow this eve. The events having brought to the fold a fellow Valkyri, lost. But now, his return to the Children of Midvinter could only herald things for the greater. Although Aerin has venture out beyond the stars, discovered there is more to existence than the comforts of a mead hall and hearth, this evening had impacted her as well. Are there more out there that had suffered the same fate as Dair? Are there more Children lost?

The Force could not answer that yet. Or would not.

She looked over the man sitting bewildered in her home here on Voss, much recalled and learned and he would need time to understand it all. Not only that, the two now shared a connection to his past, she had been given the privilege to enter his mind and view much that is extremely personal and so with her noble blood and honour that would never be compromised. He would have her word that she would never speak of it to another.

"I would be honoured to take you home", she began. "But for now, rest and on the morrow return to your duties. I will call upon you when the time comes to return".

His first experience of Midvinter, Aerin gathered a large Älk fur and handed it to him to keep him warm through the harsh night.

The End.​