Private Sainted by the Storm

[Darth Garoul]

In the shadowed recesses of his fortress, Castle Nightshade, Darth Garoul awaited with a grim anticipation that mirrored the ominous storm clouds swirling over his estate. The castle loomed like a dark sentinel, its spires piercing the night sky and its walls etched with runes of ancient malevolence. The vast halls were draped in darkness, illuminated only by flickering torches that cast long, trembling shadows across the cold stone.

As the thunder rumbled in the distance, signaling an approaching tempest, Garoul's thoughts were consumed by the dread of the unknown. His father, the fearsome Darth Carnifex , had summoned him to a clandestine meeting, bearing news that promised to upend Garoul's carefully laid plans. The weight of impending revelation pressed heavily on Garoul's chest; his mind raced with the possible horrors that might be disclosed.

As the cold wind howled outside, Garoul sat in a grand chamber, a rare moment of tranquility amidst the storm. On his lap rested his infant daughter, her tiny hands grasping at the edges of a storybook. Garoul's voice, usually a forceful command, softened as he read to her, the tale of "Little Crimson Sith" unfolding in gentle tones. The story, a dark twist on the classic, spoke of a brave child who ventured into the perilous forest of the galaxy, confronting dark beings and finding strength in her courage.

Leilah, his Twi'lek consort, entered quietly, her presence a comforting balm to the somber atmosphere. She approached with a gentle smile, her eyes full of affection for both Garoul and the child. With a tender touch, she took their daughter into her arms, whispering soothing words as she prepared to take the little one to join her siblings in their playful realm. Garoul's gaze lingered on them for a moment longer, a rare flicker of tenderness crossing his hardened features. He looked at Lucia with a sad smile, her mother was gone and had been for sometime.

Thankfully, Leilah had taken on the duties of caring for Lucia in addition to the three she already had with Sarlow.

Leilah carried their daughter away, leaving Garoul alone with his thoughts, he steeled himself for the meeting ahead. The weight of the storm outside seemed to pale in comparison to the tempest that loomed within his heart, as he prepared to face the unsettling news that Darth Carnifex would bring.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Crestfallen slipped out of hyperspace in silence, the black-hulled vessel swooping down through the atmosphere like a diving raptor. It bore aloft upon the clouds, dancing along their nebulous surface like a sailing yacht of old. It then dipped down through the clouds, bursting free from the underside as rain and wind assailed the craft as it sped along. Ahead lay Castle Nightshade, the domain of the Sith Lord Darth Garoul. It's many towers reached for the blackened sky like a grasping hand, though only it's fingertips managed to brush against the lowest clouds.

Settling down upon the landing pad, the Crestfallen relinquished itself to gravity and spat out hydraulic air as it's weight settled evenly. Boarding ramp lowered ceremoniously, a dark figure emerging flanked by a score of lesser attendees. Chief among them were four towering guards cloaked in brightest crimson, their masked faces shaped into implacable grimaces. They followed the dark figure more closely than the others, but remained further than arm's length out of worship and fear.

Together, the assemblage entered the castle. They walked silently past darkened murals and tapestries, flickering torch-light illumination barely a quarter of their contents. All the castle had been steeped in darkness, an ominous pallor clinging to every stone. As they neared the grand chamber, the dark figure's retinue fell back as He alone strode forth into the room. His presence was at once magnetic and terrible, darkness rolling off of Him in palpable waves.

Darth Carnifex drew back His hood, revealing a handsome, but vicious, countenance that was currently set in a grim disposition. "My child," He spoke in a deep rumble as He crossed the distance, "We have much to discuss, although the words I must speak will inflict such agony upon you I am loathe to utter them."

Darth Garoul ​

 

[Darth Garoul]

As much as Sarlow loathed the news his father had to bear, he knew it needed to be spoken aloud. He had been fooled for far too long, his anger seething, boundless and fierce. Whispers had echoed through the halls of his own cults, suggesting this revelation, but today would bring the final confirmation.

His father had no real reason to deceive him. Sarlow drew in a deep, deliberate breath and exhaled slowly. In the grand chamber, the fire crackled, flames dancing around the logs as he stared into them, his face set in grim resolve. Without turning to face his father, he spoke, "Then speak plainly, Father." His voice, a low treble, carried the weight of his uncle's, resonant and deliberate, like the boulder that moves from the tomb. "For what you say will have consequences, ones that I am not sure anyone is prepared for."

The Prince stepped away from the fire and turned to meet his father's gaze. His piercing blue eyes, inherited from his mother's family, shone with a haunting intensity, the anguish that threatened to surface concealed, waiting for the inevitable words to fall. "I expect there to be evidence, of course," he paused, "not that I have reason to doubt you, but I must see it for myself."

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord of the Sith stood there for a moment, the silence between them perched upon the edge of a knife. Then He turned and looked back to the door He had come through, another shadow now cast across the door frame. Priests garbed in red cloth moved solemnly into the room, their faces concealed by long, translucent veils. With them, them brought a prismatic crystal suspended in a shaft of light above a truncated tetrahedron, guiding the plinth across the floor on small repulsorlifts.

"Though for your sake I had withdrawn some of my suspicions, I never truly abandoned them. I had the woman watched." He did not refer to her by name, but simply as 'the woman'. Sarlow knew who his father spoke of regardless. The priests brought the crystal up to Sarlow, placing their hands upon the plinth it was suspended above. "Through the webways of the Force, we have seen it. With this device, they can conjure forth that which has already transpired. See now why I have come before you."

Through the crystal, the events of that night began to play just as vividly as if they were there in person. Carnifex remained silent the entire time, watching His son's reaction rather than the vision. When all was done, the priests bowed before Sarlow, ready to receive his wrath for their part in showing him what had happened.

"She who was promise to you had broken the pact."

Darth Garoul ​

 

[Darth Garoul]

Sarlow's parents had never quite been fond of Lucia's mother, and in the silence of his study, he understood why. He stared into the fireplace, his eyes glazed as he lost himself in a storm of dark thoughts. The flickering flames reflected in his blue eyes, now haunted with anguish and despair. He had always known the movements of the priests and the machinations of the court. He understood them too well. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to mention her name. She was a ghost, a specter of betrayal that haunted his mind.

With a deep breath, he tore his gaze away from the fire, turning towards the crystal device. The vision it had shown him replayed in his mind, the Force revealing what his heart had already suspected. He clenched his fists, the knuckles white with the effort. His mind reeled from the images, the scenes of deception and disloyalty. It felt as if the Force itself had pierced him, showing him the full extent of her plans to overthrow his father and dismantle the mechanisms that kept his family in power. Worse, the way she had betrayed his love for her. The way she gave herself so freely to another, perhaps that was worse of all. For Sarlow would have willingly aided her in the destruction of his own family if it meant that she would have remained at his side.

When the vision ended, Sarlow stumbled back, a wave of dizziness washing over him. He wanted to throw the crystal against the wall, shatter it into a thousand pieces. But in that moment, his heart was too heavy, too broken. He stood still, his hands gripping the mantle of the fireplace as he sought solace in the crackling flames. But there were no answers to be found there, only the promise of destruction. If this was what she desired, then it was what she would receive.

He took a moment to compose himself, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Mark her name for death across the whole of the Kainate," Sarlow growled, his voice thick with anger and sorrow. "Mark the name of the man with whom she forsook our oaths, for death across the Kainate."

The Wolf Prince straightened himself, the fire in his eyes matching the blaze before him. With a swift motion, he swept the mantle clean, sending papers and ornaments crashing to the floor. The sound echoed through the room, a testament to his wrath and the beginning of his vengeance.

Turning towards the door, he issued another command, his voice a cold whisper in the stillness. "I request Uncle Braxus's aid. I wish to enact the very cost of betrayal which is owed to me."

Sarlow turned toward his father, his expression a mix of determination and vulnerability. "I wish to have Lucia's blood tested," he said, his voice steady but tinged with the faintest tremor. "I want to be sure she is mine." Though Lucia bore a striking resemblance to him, doubt gnawed at the corners of his mind. He glanced at his father, and in that moment, Sarlow was no longer the formidable Wolf Prince of the Sith; he was a shattered and broken man, the weight of the betrayal pressing down upon him.

He staggered slightly, his hand reaching out to steady himself against the now-empty mantle. The echoes of his rage lingered in the room, but his eyes were filled with a profound sadness. "I gave her everything, father," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

The memories of his youth flooded back, a time when he believed in the purity of love and the promise of a future free from the shadows that now engulfed him. "But it seems I have learned nothing from my youth," he murmured, his self-reproach evident in every word. Sarlow had always yearned to love and be loved, a simple desire that seemed to elude him.

He looked into the fire, the flames a mirror to his inner turmoil. "What have I done to deserve such treachery?" he asked, his voice filled with anguish. The question hung in the air, a testament to his heartbreak and the betrayal that had shattered his world.

Darth Carnifex ​