Private Snapped and Plotted

[Miri Nimdok]

Secure apartment, Vonnuvi

Seated at the kitchen table, Giselle worked on her embroidery with practiced hands. Even as her fingers pulled needle and thread through cloth, her gaze kept flicking toward the chrono, counting down the minutes until Corazona was due to arrive.

The Duke of Alderaan, Alicio Organa , had agreed to arrange a meeting with her cousin, whom she had last seen locked inside a dungeon cell. Now their roles were reversed, with Giselle in a kind of prison. Granted, it was for her safety—to keep her from being recaptured by the king’s men, the Duke had hidden her in an apartment aboard the Vonnuvi, an Ithorian herdship. Perhaps it seemed an unlikely place to stow a fugitive Senator, but that was part of the appeal. No one would ever think to look for her there.

She was under constant guard and couldn’t go anywhere without the Jedi Knight assigned to escort her. Naturally she found it interminably boring and rather lonely, so any visit was something to be looked forward to—even if she wanted to see Corazona because she wanted to talk business.

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

This wasn't the first time Cora had boarded an Ithorian Herdship, and she wished that it could've been under better circumstances. Thanks to an incredible outpouring of support from all across the galaxy, Axilla was slowly rising from the ashes. Permanent structures had begun to spring up along the refugee camp a few miles from the capital, and it wouldn't be surprising if the little makeshift village became an established town at some point in the future.

By now, most of the bodies had been plucked from the rubble. There was no word on Vultan Dune yet - perhaps he'd survived somehow, but it was equally likely that his body had been found but not identified.

Either way, this left Ukatis without a Senator. Rumors about his daughter had touched her ears, and it was enough for Cora to know that Giselle von Ascania was alive until Alicio Organa had reached out.

Kidnapped?

As much as she felt the urge to hesitate, Cora knocked on Giselle's door the moment her boots came to rest in front the apartment. She arrived exactly at the appointed time, dressed as a Jedi rather than an aristocrat.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Security measures hidden within the door kicked in, scanning Corazona and confirming that she was cleared to enter. Then the door slid open and shut as soon as she was inside.

The apartment was spacious and well-furnished, but looked unlived in. Giselle rose from her seat in the kitchen, leaving her embroidery on the table. She wore the same gown she had been wearing when she was rescued—an elegant number in pink and purple satin, unabashedly Ukatian in style, along with a few pieces of royal jewelry (dangling earrings and a pearl necklace) that had been given to her by King Horace II. His Majesty may have abducted her and held her captive, but he did have good taste.

“Corazona.” She greeted her cousin with a curtsy. “You look well.” Never mind what she was wearing. “How have you been?”

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

After stepping past the threshold, Cora returned Giselle's curtsy with a slow dip of her head in greeting. Concerned eyes roamed over the form of her cousin as she rose, searching for any sign of physical distress - a red welt, a bruise, a patch of slightly discolored skin where heavy concealer would cling.

"I've been well." She responded smoothly. Giselle looked alright, well dressed and pink complected, but that didn't mean that she wasn't in distress. Ukatian gowns and a noblewoman's countenance could hide a lot.

"How are you, Giselle?" She asked softly.

Giselle von Ascania

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“That is good to hear. Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?” A droid in the kitchen had already begun brewing it.

Giselle’s clothing didn’t leave much skin exposed for Corazona’s scrutiny, but there were no visible marks on what was bared. Nor was there any trace of concealer being used to hide a bruise. In fact, she seemed to be wearing no makeup whatsoever. She had no need to obscure or enhance certain aspects of her appearance—she already looked like a living doll.

Where other Ukatian ladies struggled against the constraints of society, Giselle always seemed to excel. The ability to navigate the world of men simply came naturally to her—she knew how to charm and manipulate, how to stroke egos and soothe insecurities. Most importantly, she knew how to avoid making them angry. Not that she had never faced a beating, she had simply gotten good at not provoking them to wrath.

It certainly helped that her ambitions didn’t stretch beyond finding a good marriage match, whether one that would make her and her offspring heirs to great power and fortune, or simply allow her to live comfortably for the rest of her days. She saw men as prizes to be won, and other young women as rivals. She and Corazona had never been especially close; the difference in their ages and the manner in which Cora’s engagement to the prince had been carried out meant that Cora never had to face Giselle as competition. Given their present circumstances, perhaps that was for the best.

"How are you, Giselle?"

“If I must be honest, I am often bored out of my wits in this place,” she replied. “The guards aren’t especially good conversationalists, and the servants are all machines. It has been rather lonely here, I’m afraid...” She glanced at the ring on her index finger and smirked faintly. “Things have begun to improve as of late, and I won’t be stuck here forever.

“But enough about me. What have you been up to lately?” She also wanted to have a good grasp of present circumstances before she brought up the proverbial nerf in the room.

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"Tea would be lovely."

Even dressed in a more militant garb, Cora maintained the posture of a Ukatian aristocrat. Young women of noble bearing went through a rigorous finishing process; it wasn't the sort of thing the body forgot easily. Her gaze swept briefly over Giselle's embroidery project with polite curiosity, then back to her cousin.

"How terribly dull. I can imagine you must be eager for something a little more…stimulating."

There was a genuine touch of empathy in her words, just enough to be appropriate given their familial relation. Like a true Ukatian noblewoman, Giselle glossed effortlessly over what Cora assumed had to be an unpleasant situation. If she didn't want to broach such a difficult subject just yet, the Jedi wouldn't push.

The tea arrived, and she took a delicate sip from an ornate cup before setting it back in its saucer.

"I'm still working on restoration efforts in Axilla. We've managed to hire a small full-time staff to manage the charity." A pause. "I was recently promoted to Jedi Knight. That has come with its fair share of responsibilities to the Alliance as well."

Another sip, this one longer. It gave her the space to take in Giselle, her body language, and her adornments. The ring had not entirely escaped her notice. Cora may have lacked the killer instinct that many socialites had, but she was well aware of the game.

"I hear you've been going by the Ascania family name as of late. Or…is that to change soon?"

Finely manicured brows rose sharply as she indicated the ring, a slightly playful lit to her tone.

Giselle von Ascania

 

[Aramis]

Giselle von Ascania - Corazona von Ascania (Only visible/audible to Giselle)
Posted with permission from Giselle
​

Giselle (and only Giselle) would notice a familiar light emanating from her ring. The form of Aramis then apparatus next to her, already studying the new presence in the room. He judged quickly, "Who's this priss?" He hovered around the two of them, eventually stopping behind Cora, "Friend of yours? She looks like she would be." He heard her mention the words charity and Jedi as well, which made him scoff, "Is everyone you surround yourself with equally insufferable or are their degrees?"

Aramis was constantly talking over Cora. Whether or not Giselle could filter out the annoying ghost might determine how well she could parse what her cousin was saying. The Hapan waved his hand through Cora's head as he had done with many other objects since his awakening. Like the rest of them, his hand passed through without any resistance.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

"How terribly dull. I can imagine you must be eager for something a little more…stimulating."

Giselle nodded. “It almost makes me wish I had not been rescued. At least in the king’s captivity I was in good company. Some of the finest men and women in all the world can be found among the king’s court, be it held at the palace or in a little tent on a hillside.”

Corazona started to speak of her work helping to restore Axilla. But that was when a certain ghostly visitor decided to make an appearance.

"Who's this priss? Friend of yours? She looks like she would be."

Giselle’s gaze briefly flicked toward something over Corazona’s shoulder. She was looking at the ghost of Aramis, who had emerged from his ring and now floated nearby. But just as quickly she looked away, by now used to ignoring most of his antics.

By then Corazona had switched to the topic of her knighthood and the duties that came with it. Giselle frowned slightly. Her cousin’s loyalties were clearly divided between Ukatis and the Jedi Order. She was reminded of one of Albrecht’s beloved romances: Lady Silenzia, who was raised as a boy so that she could keep her inheritance and became a knight. The queen lusted after her, believing she was a man, but Silenzia fled from her advances. The story ended with the truth of her sex revealed, the execution of the queen for treachery, and Silenzia’s marriage to the king (who made it legal for women to inherit). Once Silenzia became queen, she could no longer be a knight as well.

"Is everyone you surround yourself with equally insufferable or are there degrees?"

Giselle took a sip of her tea to hide her smirk.

"I hear you've been going by the Ascania family name as of late. Or…is that to change soon?"

Distracted, Giselle’s eyebrows rose. “I am not currently betrothed,” she said, her tone noticeably flat and perhaps even a little dismayed. She had broken off one engagement, which she did not regret. But she would have welcomed a little masculine stability, especially now when it felt as if her old life had collapsed around her.

"Corazona," she began, clasping her lily-white hands in front of her. It was hard to stay serious with Aramis constantly running his mouth in the background, but she thought she managed well enough. "Have you considered what you will do after His Majesty passes?"

Corazona von Ascania Aramis​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

“It almost makes me wish I had not been rescued. At least in the king’s captivity I was in good company. Some of the finest men and women in all the world can be found among the king’s court, be it held at the palace or in a little tent on a hillside.”

Cora managed a small, weary smile.

"Who's this priss?"

Compeltey unaware of the apparition that was hovering around her, Cora pressed her lips to the rim of the cup and tilted her head back ever so slightly. The movement was timed well enough with that of an invsisble hand to make it appear as though she'd been uppercut by a ghost.

There was an art to conversation, and that included the placement of comfortable silences. Cora gave a sympathetic hum at Giselle's clarification, but her eyes flicked back onto her cousin as soon as she'd been addressed. There was a shift in Giselle's tone, something leading.

Ah. There it is, then.

Cora tilted her head to the side in thought. Quiet lingered between them, less comfortable than before.

"I suppose that would depend on who is to suceed him."

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“You could succeed him, Corazona,” Giselle suggested. “You are still the king’s daughter-in-law. During my captivity, I got the impression His Majesty did not want you to be his heir… But once he is dead, what he wants will no longer matter. Besides, you've earned the favor of the common folk with your relief efforts. The people's Princess would be an ideal choice to maintain peace and unity in our hour of need."

She knew that Corazona was not some political mastermind who had plotted the whole thing in advance, but circumstances had smiled quite brightly upon her cousin. From the death of the prince, to her rescue from the dungeons and the Mandalorian invasion, every event had seemingly stacked in her favor. That she did it all without trying was irksome, but such was the luck of fools.

"There is no one else," Giselle continued, allowing a note of pleading to enter her voice as her brow furrowed with worry. "If no one steps up, it will not be a peaceful transition of power. Either we will have a war of succession, or some other galactic power will intervene and we will lose the ability to choose for ourselves how we are to be ruled."

Corazona von Ascania Aramis​

 

[Aramis]

Aramis became quite interested by the royal drama as soon as he realized what was going on, "Sounds spicy," He commented, "And me without some popcorn." He hovered about in an idle circle, listening intently to all the details.

"A woman running Ukatis? That'll be a more peaceful transition of power?" He hardly understood the context or details, but commented all the same, "Sooner or later the Alliance will drag you kicking and screaming into the modern age. Whether this girl's in charge or not." He didn't expect a response of course, but a subtle reaction would suffice.

Giselle von Ascania - Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora quietly considered Giselle's words. The notion of her becoming a Ukatian Queen wasn't new - she was on track to become exactly that as Horace's wife - but becoming the head of state?

Cora liked to think that she would've been a better ruler than Horace, but she never would know if that would’ve be true. As vile as he'd been, the Prince could've been a decent statesman. After all, his father had helped to usher in a new age of quasi-modernity before falling victim to greed and lechery.

"There is no one else now."

Tilting her gaze down to the cup, Cora started at her reflection in the amber liquid for a few moments. Giselle was clever, more astute than one often assumed a young woman could be on Ukatis. She could certainly play that in her favor, and having a cousin on the throne was a boon.

"His Majesty no longer has any legitimate heirs, but that won't stop more distant relatives -cousins, nephews, uncles- from circling the throne. Because my union with his departed son did not produce any children, my claim would be weakened."

There was a pleading note to Giselle's tone that squeezed at her heart. Peace. An ideal that Cora had suffered for in service to her world. Becoming a pawn again for the sake of stability was not appealing, but it was alluring in a way that made her uneasy.

Ruling Queens were not common in Ukatian history, but they weren’t exactly rare. It was not an impossible feat.

She leaned back, regarding Giselle with cautious curiosity.

"What happened while you were being held hostage by the King? I only know that it happened, but I don't know why."

Giselle von Ascania Aramis

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Indeed, where were these cousins, nephews, and uncles now? Perhaps it did not matter. They would fight over who was to be king, and there would be war. Ukatians did not choose their rulers by democratic vote like the Alderaanians—whoever managed to survive the coming conflict would gain the crown.

Unless someone whom they all knew not to mess with claimed it first.

“You are a Jedi Knight. Benevolent though they may be, their power is known and feared. If you assumed the throne, none would dare to challenge you.”

"What happened while you were being held hostage by the King? I only know that it happened, but I don't know why."

Giselle had anticipated the question and thought a great deal about what would be the most beneficial answer. No doubt Corazona would react with sympathy if she spoke tearfully of how awful her captivity was, but it might also scare her off from wanting anything to do with the rulers of Ukatis. Nor could she reveal the truth—that Giselle had made plans to woo the ailing king in hopes of becoming queen herself. Not because she really wanted to rule the world or wed an obese, sickly old man, but because someone had to do it lest they all perish.

“My father was appointed Senator of Ukatis by the king,” she explained, her voice soft and carefully modulated. “He was due to leave for Coruscant when the invaders attacked Axilla. We became separated, and I have not seen him since. By Ukatian law, all of my father’s titles were to be passed down to me, including that of Senator. His Majesty took me hostage because he needed to maintain control during a time of chaos and uncertainty.” She didn't mention that it was also because she was an underage girl, and therefore by the king's standards unfit for office.

"Sooner or later the Alliance will drag you kicking and screaming into the modern age. Whether this girl's in charge or not."

"But we don't want your version of modernity," she retorted without thinking, her gaze fixed over her cousin's shoulder. It was a momentary lapse, but a potentially catastrophic one. "I mean—We don't want the Alliance's version of modernity," she quickly added. "We must forge our own path. Perhaps you could pave the way for a better future, Corazona. One where our problems are solved without betraying our values. Where instead of making women become like men, we could meet somewhere in the middle.”

Corazona von Ascania Aramis​