The Semblance of Happiness [Kära Vi'dreya]

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

Aboard the Judgement

And so he had been reunited with his long lost brother and his family of four. While it didn't exactly go as planned - not that he had a plan to begin with - Thurion seemed to be keeping an open mind about his connection to the Dark side of the Force. He wasn't like most Jedi he'd come into contact with; most would've turned him and Kära in at a moment's notice, but he supposed Thurion wasn't entirely convinced of him being beyond saving. A comforting thought, but one he did not share with his younger brother. He had been forged by the Sith - at the hands and will of the Sith. Despite having never followed their philosophy, Thyrian was too set in his ways to see it differently. For now, at least...

Back aboard the old Star Destroyer, the Ashborn found himself on his knees as if meditating, only he was instead sat staring out the viewport of his chambers, mesmerized by the stars littering the black void. Well, nowadays it was their chambers. Ever since that night on Umbara, he and Kära was now sharing chambers with both parties feeling better for it. He still couldn't believe being able to finally hold the woman he had always loved in his arms at night. It was a dream come true to him.

Mysa had decided to go with them when they left Voss, and so she had been given her own chambers right down the hall from theirs. While there wasn't that much to do for what children consider fun on a military starship like this, Thyrian had done his best to make sure she was at least comfortable with what they had onboard.

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]​

 

[Lief]

Kära hadn't quite adjusted to the idea of her child joining them. Many of the memories of her former self were still hazy, not coming into focus until they were triggered. Mysa was one of these memories, sparked into ignition when she saw her stood there with her oldest and dearest friend in the Galaxy. Seeing Thurion alive and well after all these years made Kära feel at ease. He had barely changed from the boy she had known, still as caring as ever. Her hand curled around the white stone which as ever was on her person, inside her pocket. Perhaps it was time to pass it on, to gift it instead to her child to remind her that they were a unit. All of them. The Heavenshields, the Vi'dreya's, the Ashborns, the Snowstriders. It did not matter their race, their blood. They were one.

She hadn't really spoken to Mysa yet. She'd had no time alone with the girl, and Kära felt certain she was uncomfortable being around her Creator - the woman who had denied her love and affection and a childhood. But she adored Thyrian, Kära could see the way the child looked upon her would-be Father. She had not set the record straight, she had not informed the girl that she had no Father. Because Kära had learned a long time ago that blood did not matter.

They had tucked Mysa up in bed not too long ago, before parting ways. Kära had ventured to her beloved forge, working away at thin slivers of metal. She was getting better at her art, faster too - of course that didn't mean anything. The greatest of art could take centuries to forge into perfection. But she wasn't looking for perfection. What she created was from the heart.

Now, with the final product tempered and cooled, Kära made her way through the halls of the Judgement. Once her Father's vessel, in the hayday of the Empire. Now a forgotten fragment of what had been.

Opening the door to Mysa's room, she entered and very careful lay her gift onto the bedside table. While she hadn't spoken to the child, that didn't mean she hadn't paid her any attention. She noticed the wooden Vhaanir she kept at her side. Well, this was not quite so beautiful or precious, but it was a token from mother to daughter. A thin band of white-gold, plain save for two intricate off branches which appeared as antlers. In the morning she would make time to plait the girl's hair before settling it atop her head. It was time for her to make up for all the mistakes she had made. It was time for her to show her child love and devotion.

Planting a kiss upon the girl's cheek, Kära then turned to leave.

Her footsteps carried her to her room - their room. Quietly she opened the door, and stepped inside. Her gaze sought him out immediately; she could sense that he was more in thought than meditation. Stepping forward she did something entirely out of character, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind and settling a gentle kiss against his neck. He smelled of embers and brimstone, and she wouldn't change it for the world.

Nothing was said as she nuzzled her face against the side of his and sighed. Everything was changing around her, and it would take time for her to adapt. But Kära was no stranger to difficulty, and she accepted the challenge readily.

One of her hands remained clenched around a final item, small enough to hide within her palm, but for now she did not reveal it to him. She savoured the moment, they had so little time together. And there was so much lost time to make up for here, as much as there was with Mysa.

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

The sudden appearance of Kära brushing up against his back caused him to stir from his thoughts. Every touch of her skin soothed his spirit, and he tilted his head ever-so-slighty into her, pressing his cheek against hers. His hand came up to embrace her arms around his shoulders yet his gaze remained the same. "I understand now," he said. "Your fascination with them. They are... beautiful." A word he had had little use of in the past, but one he'd always associated with her. "Kära, I want to thank you. For insisting that I go see my brother. It feels... better, knowing he is well." He now turned his head sideways to look her in those eyes he'd been denied for so many years.

"Do you think we could ever become like them? A family? Such happiness has long eluded us, has it not?" A light sigh escaped his lips, but soon managed a faint smile. "Things are about to change, aren't they?" He could feel it coming, like a warm breeze sweeping across the landscape to rid if of its cold stagnation. For too long had things stood still for him, since before the passing of the old Kära. For once he felt in control of his surroundings, and while the experience was new to him, he welcomed it wholeheartedly.

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]​

 

[Lief]

Kära relaxed against him, feeling the natural warmth flow from his skin. Like snowfall on a warm day, it evaporated all of her worries and made her insides melt with contentment. One of her hands lifted, still managing to resume the embrace, and trailed through his beard along his jaw. She too set her gaze to the stars, the reason she had chosen this room was because of the great transparisteel viewing port it had. Like her Father before her, she was transfixed by the vastness of space. It was a shame she had never been as great an Admiral as he, she was a capable pilot and competent Captain... But nothing akin to Dranok.

"There's something quite humbling about staring out into it" she replied, after finally finding her voice, "the Galaxy is so vast, and one of so many, we're insignificant specs in comparison..." It upset her how much turmoil there was in the Galaxy, people were unable to see past the end of their own nose. Managing a bittersweet smile, Kära turned her focus from the stars and hid her face against his neck. "I am so sorry for all that I have done and subjecting you to" she whispered, biting back the sting of tears, "I should've taken you home the day I released you from Circe's prison. I should've known better."

Grief enveloped her in that moment, and she couldn't quite bring herself to match his gaze as he looked her way. "It was selfish of me, so selfish; but I had been so alone, and the darkness was all consuming. I needed you then, as I need you now, but it doesn't excuse my decisions. I will never forgive myself."

His mention of the Heavenshields as a family made her pause for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "We are already a family, we have always been a family you and I. I have loved you, and I will love you for an eternity. I just didn't see then what I do now." He was right, they had denied themselves all measure of happiness throughout their existence together. Another thing which she had done wrong. Her grievous list was increasing with each passing second. "Things have already changed, my dear sweet Phoenix, and they will continue to do so. I promise you this time that it will only be for the better. We will watch our zenith peak before the end."

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

She was right; despite everything that's happened since, when that little girl broke him out of Circe's bonds she was all he knew. He had sworn then to serve and protect her, and while the former may have faded in recent years, her wellbeing has always been on his mind. That's family. It was in his blood, much like he protected Thurion when they were kids running around the streets of Pelagar back on Pelagon. His faint smile soon turned into a frown when Kära began to tear up, apologising for her past misdeeds.

"Snowflake," he told her while getting up to take her into his arms. "There is no need for apologies. We're here now, together, as we were always meant to. The past doesn't matter." He had just recently come to this epiphany, finally able to dismiss the past as being just that. It's today that truly matter, the here and the now. "Let's not linger on about what once was, or why it happened, but rather live for today and for the future each day brings." He'd never been one for such fancy speeches, but for whatever reason this specific string of words came naturally to him.

Pulling away from their embrace, Thyrian settled his hands against either side of her face and looked into her teary eyes. "I love you, Kära. I have always loved you."

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]​

 

[Lief]

As he rose she stepped into his embrace and allowed herself to be held there for a moment, both her hands lifting to his chest. She listened to his heartbeat as much as she did his words, feeling the rush of blood surge through him. He had died at least twice that she knew of already, and she had found a way to bring him back once. Albeit not by her own hand, but by her own will. This was something that she did not regret.

"I love you too" she whispered, not wanting to continue the other conversation. Nothing more had to be said on the subject for now.

Leaning into his right hand, Kära nuzzled him before turning her head and kissing his palm. "I made something for you" she finally said, after silence stretched on, peering up at him almost tentatively before lifting one of her hands - the one which had been curled up - and opening it to reveal the item which settled atop her palm.

It was a ring, the material similar to that she had used to make Mysa's gift only it seemed to be infused with fire, specs of amber dancing along veins throughout the white gold. It was simple, plain even, but on the inside there were three small engravings; the first a snowflake, the second a set of antlers, and the third a flame. They were tiny, yet despite that very precise. Umbarans were known for their great eyesight after all.

"We are a family; the Vi'dreya's, the Heavenshields, the Ashborns and the Snowstriders... But we are our own family too. You, me, Mysa. You're my whole world, Phoenix, my sun, my stars, my heart. And I want to share the rest of my life with you."

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

When Kära presented him with the small item in the palm of her hand, Thyrian watched in silence as she explained the symbols. His expression could be associated with confusion or curiosity, but neither of these were true. He was just... quite taken aback at her gift and didn't really know how to react. How do normal people react to receiving gifts? The Ashborn had never been offered something so personal before; the way Kära was laying out her feelings for him coupled with this gift made him realise just what this was.

A proposal.

"Snowflake," he spoke, eyes never leaving hers. His gaze soon dropped to the ring resting in her open palm, and very carefully he plucked it from her hand to study it in more detail. "Are... are you sure?" She seemed adamant in her intentions, and he'd never known her to second-guess herself. As the ring slipped onto his finger, it was a perfect fit. Without a word he then wrapped a hand around her waist while the other settled behind her neck, before leaning in to meet her lips with his own. It lasted for what seemed like an eternity, long enough for him to suddenly put both arms around her to lift her off the floor while their kiss remained unbroken.

Ice mingled with fire, and from now on they were one.

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]​

 

[Lief]

The Lady in White did not respond.

Instead she settled a hand against his cheek and leaned in as he did; wildfire spread through her body as his warmth seeped into her, a true culmination of ice and fire. Kära could not recall if or when she had previously let her lips linger on his in this way, a firm desire the likes of which she had never before experienced kindled within her but she ignored it for now. She was more than satisfied with the way things were. He was her kindred spirit, merely being in his presence was enough. The touch of his hand on her skin, though, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and touched her neck, sent tendrils of fire along her spine.

The ground became lost to her as he lifted her into the air, one arm enough to shoulder the weight of the tiny woman. Truly they contrasted in every way possible, but internally their hearts beat as one. It had always been this way, since the day they had first met all those years ago. Even if it had not been out of lust to begin with, even if it had been as innocent as could be, it had always lingered beneath the surface. Over a decade in the making, almost two. Thurion had been her first friend, one of her only friends if truth be told, the sole person she had permitted to get close. But Thyrian?

Thyrian had stood by her through thick and thin, and she him. He had killed for her, died for her, and she had brought him back from the void. Not to resume his servitude, but to live. Those had been the terms, she had retracted her hold over him and part of her expected that he would leave her. But he hadn't. The thought never even crossed his mind.

Kära pulled back for a second, lips grazing though not firmly as they had been; through shuddered breath she murmured a few lines of sweet nothingness that became somewhat lost in translation, slipping back into her Umbaran heritage. She didn't really know the words in Basic. She never had a need to learn them. But at the end of it all a few words stuck out, spoken with all the Galaxy's intensity, almost ferocious in nature. There was no doubting what had been said, language barriers or not. A declaration of love, of the most purest kind. And then she closed the gap between their lips, her icy cold demeanor melting.

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

Listening to her confession of love uttered in what he could only assume to be Umbaran, the Ashborn was unable to tear his eyes away from her lips as they formed each word. These words would become etched into his mind, body and soul to forever remind him of her love. While he did not know them, he understood their meaning pefectly just from the expression on her face and the tone of her voice. When finally her lips pressed against his once more, Thyrian plucked her off the ground and into his arms before taking his Queen to bed.

They had shared it many times now, but they had yet to turn their relationship into a physical one; neither really knew how to, after all. Since their romance had been allowed to blossom, both had just sort of taken the time needed to familiarise themselves with the sensations. Tonight was different. Emotions were allowed to run free, love being the most obvious one. Another, which had similarly been suppressed for so long, was lust.

While Kära had made it perfectly clear that they were now to be considered equals, Thyrian still struggled with the notion of doing anything to her she did not tell him to. As such he very hesitantly began to disrobe her and, despite his immense size and strength, was very careful not to tear her clothes and even placed them in a neat pile on the floor beside the bed. He then began to remove his own, equally hesitant to do so. When his final layers came off he was unsure whether to expose himself to her; not because he was embarrassed of doing so, but because his body carried such a horrible history of scars and beatings that he felt it would deter her from taking things further.

She then proceeded to prove him wrong.

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]​

 

[Lief]

Kära had never before known physical desire. The kind which left a person aching with every fiber of their being, yet craving more. But the consummation of their love it had been her ally. Neither of them knew what they were doing, fumbling in the dark, but they let their instincts take over; ice and fire mingled, both intense, neither outshining the other.

Now, in the aftermath, Kära found herself in tangled sheets; her head was settled upon his chest, hand at her side with delicate fingers tracing the scars he bore. Those he had earned serving her. She turned her face toward one which fell upon his collarbone, lips settling over the top.

There would be no going back now, no matter what had happened. Theirs was not a fling, nor was it a love made for the pages of a novel, made to stand against time, but it was pure, unwavering. It would not be broken.

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]

 

[Thyrian Hearthfire]

In the darkness they lay together, their naked bodies entwined and resting in each other's arms. Their breaths were laboured, and deservedly so. The silence that followed was not an awkward one, but rather the result of neither being unable to find the right words. Thyrian didn't mind; he was more than happy just holding her in his arms, making sure she was warm and comfortable.

"So... that is what it's like," he finally broke the silence. His embrace of her tightened, unwilling to let go. Outside their viewport the stars kept constant vigilance, but their newfound beauty paled in comparison to the woman in his arms.

His lips touched her forehead and his nose buried itself in her white hair, inhaling the scent he found so very intoxicating and alluring. "What happens now," he asked out of genuine curiosity. This was all so new to him that he wasn't sure what the appropriate procedure entailed. If it was anything like what they were already doing, then all the better.

"I love you, Kära. I will always love you, as I always have."

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]​

 

[Lief]

Now?

"Now we live" she whispered, as she closed her eyes and settled her cheek against his chest. The steady thump of his heart, the warmth which drifted between them, was all that she needed to drift into a state of sleep. For the first time in her life, Kära's dreams were not the stuff of nightmares. They were peaceful.

Everything would be okay.

[member="Thyrian Ashborn"]