Night of the Hunter (closed)

“The time has come,” Callidus intoned, “for this deception to end.”

She said nothing but slid her gaze to Creas. Anxia's own features betrayed no emotion at all now. Her attention left the other apprentice and settled once more on their Master. There was nothing that needed to be said by her now, she kept silent, waiting.

She truely had no idea what to expect. Everything would be different.

Callidus had made his intentions known, but the purpose behind it still was hidden. Creas waited patiently in silence for her Master to continue his explanaion.

“From this day forward, you training will continue together... you will learn to work in unison.” The darkness that bled from Callidus seemed to expand outwards, like narrow fingertips stretching towards the two apprentices. “Trust in me. Set aside your suspicions and swear allegiance to one another, for you are now sisters in arms.”

Her eyes were drawn. They were pulled towards the sight of dark tendrils that seeped from Callidus and seemed to reach out to her. Her senses warned her of danger, still she was half tempted to walk forward into their embrace. Rational thought kept her still.

Trust in me

Anxia had no trouble at all accepting her Master's every word. Even if at times she did not like doing so, she always complied with his desires. She trusted him. The tension in her stance relaxed ever so slightly.

Did she trust Creas? She now knew that a side to her friend exhisted that no one knew of. If she was a student of Callidus, then she was capable of atrocities. Would Anxia be eliminated? An assassin perhaps? Or simply just have her banished while Creas spent her nights training with Callidus in the Wilds. Anger slid through her body. Not hot, boiling anger. Frozen, furious, deadly anger that coiled around her spine and nearly made her shudder.

Set aside your suspicions

Just like that, she was reminded that not only had she been chosen for a reason, so had Adraudia. They were connected already, even as children. Razielle had even thought of Adraudia as a sister on more than one occasion. She had spoken to her as a confidante and friend only hours before.

.. swear allegiance to one another, for you are now sisters in arms.

Anxia drew in a breath and blew it out slowly. She knew not to question, she trusted in Callidus. She turned to Creas and stepped forward without fear.

To trust blindly. Could Creas do as her Master asked? Even when Salem first arrived on Onderon it took months to build her trust in him to be an Advisor and then Prime Minister. It took closer to a year of research to understand where the Basillie bloodline began as Nadd's descendent, and with a demonstration of how the Force could be used to protect her people, Adraudia allowed herself to show fealty to him as her teacher.

Until now, Adraudia did trust Razielle. Her only suspicion was how much did the Princess realize her Force potential and the Queen's first instincts were correct. The two of them, Razielle and Salem, held a far greater bond then the physical... If that were even the case.

But before that, Razielle was her friend and the little sister she never had. She understood the stresses that Adraudia faced everyday as ruler that no one else could. Not even Callidus. They did share a bond forged by their parents in which they both accepted graciously as adults.

Creas hefted the sword in her hand as Anxia stepped forward. It was hard to not take the gesture as a possible attack, but the Apprentice held no dark threats. Soon her father's blade was turned away and sheathed back into the scabbard at her hip.

"I swear allegiance to you, Darth Anxia, as a sister in arms,” she said without fear or hesitation and offered her hand.

Only time would tell just how close they were as their training continued together.

Anxia's outstretched fingerstips met Creas'. She did not firmly clasp her hand in a formal seal of acknowledgment. Instead her palm flattened against Creas' hand, lifting so that their joined hands formed a bridge between them.

"You already had my allgience, sister. But I give it to you again, and again if necessary." Her fingers entiwined with the Queen's for a moment, before she let go. She held her stare for a heartbeat and then returned her attention to Callidus.

“Good,” Callidus said, a twisted smile almost audible in his voice.

“And now you must swear something to me. You must not discuss our work together - your training - with one another whilst in the walls of Iziz... nor should you come to the Wilds to train without my supervision. If I find that you have done this, you shall be punished, severely. Do you both understand?”

"Yes, my Master." Creas lowered her head immediately, swearing secrecy without hesitation. Callidus wanted to protect each of them for the walls of Iziz had many ears and the wilds were far too dangerous to be left unsupervised.

Anxia bowed her head in compliance. "I understand, my Master."

It would be difficult to not speak on the subject. There were so many things she was unsure of. She forced herself to be patient and wait, trusting that what she wanted to know would be revealed to her in time. She understood the reasoning behind the imposed silence.

“Go, now. You are dismissed,” Callidus' voice echoed, his feet touching the forest floor. “I shall call on you again soon... we have far to travel and much to do, but for now you must rest.” With that, the shadows that strained out from him coiled inwards, surrounding him in darkness. He seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye, only a chill wind left in his wake.

And just like that, the two Apprentices were alone. Creas allowed herself a moment's glance at the Princess before beginning the trek home. Some of the tension had been allieviated through their mutual Master's intervention but it was still there, hanging over them like a black cloud threatening to burst with cold rain. After the relevations of this night, the Queen was uncertain if she was ready to tackle those truths.

Not waiting for the silence to keep compiling uncomfortably, Anxia decided to break it. She moved forward, walking in the direction of the wall. She hoped that Creas would decide to follow, and talk to her while they still had the relative secrecy of the night. Soon they would have to set aside this conversation for another time, returning to the public faces they donned each day. Anxia would rather have the air between them cleared, before their suspicions grew into something unbecoming of them.

"I regretted keeping secrets from you. It was not my intention to lie to you. In point of fact, I went to great lengths to stay as close to the truth as possible. I can only hope that now you understand the reasoning behind my secrecy. "

If they were going to learn to work as a team, they had best start learning how to communicate or they wouldn't be getting very far at all.

As Anxia spoke, Creas paused in her stride to listen what the Princess had to say. She had the courage to speak up and the Queen admired that and decided to walk alongside her fellow Apprentice. After her admission, it was only fair for Creas to speak likewise about her own actions.

"The reason I was so inquisitive about the Ball was for two reasons. I had a suspicion that you and our Master were already acquainted previously, and if not, I was hoping you could become a part of my life in this aspect in hopes to bring peace and prosperity to Onderon. It ..." Creas paused in a momentary act of weakness. "... Gets lonely at times. No one else knows of this save Callidus and now you.”

She understood all too well the frustations of keeping such a huge secret. Exeptional people had exceptional responsibilities weighing them down. It wasn't a vain thought, Creas was responsible for the welfare of a planet. Anxia had been faced with the same choice. For them it was the business of juggling their stations in life with their true motivations and desires. It was a constant burden, but one that would ultimately pay off with Callidus as their Master.

Darth Anxia had been created the night Princess Razielle made her choice and sealed her fate. She had chosen not to divide her time between her training and the running of a planet. That was one fact that Anxia would never reveal to Creas. Not until Creas would be receptive to understanding the decision. She knew that her fellow Apprentice had been taken into the fold of Callidus to learn to be strong for her people.

"I understand. My frustrations have been the same. I believe that is one of the reasons why the Queen's Ward has such a habbit for mischeif. I spoke true to you the first day I arrived. I shall always be here to aid you and Onderon in anyway that I can. This.." She gestured around them. "..is home now."

They were nearly home. Beast Riders would be patrolling this area soon. It was here they would need to depart and enter the city proper by themselves from this point on for security.

"I apologize for misjudging you tonight. My anger overrode my senses, Anxia." Creas stepped forward and kissed the Princess gently on the cheek. "I should have trusted my faith in you."

She smiled, pleased with how this night ended. Of course there were still questions between them, but those answers would arrive in time. With their friendship secure, Adraudia would sleep well tonight.

Anxia returned the sisterly show of affection and parted company with Creas. They had come from different directions, and for safety they would have to return the same way. She watched Creas dissapear, blending into the night.

She had been filled with trepidation for some time now. Callidus had warned her that soon she would have another to train with. She had been completely at unease, not knowing what to expect. Her Master was quite unknowable sometimes. But now..

Anxia felt as if in being brought together with Creas, she had been given a gift. In her fellow apprentice she already had someone who knew her, that she knew in turn. Someone that she could now let down some walls around, knowing her secrets would be held in trust. She could not have possibly picked a better partner for herself. Her Master knew her, very well.

She took a last look at the darkness of the Wilds behind her. A smile touched her lips for a second before vanishing. Then, she too dissapeared into the night, returning to the palace.