#has complicated relationship with the Inquisitor and the interrogator

[mayoonrices]

My Rogue Trader, Frida Grathriana Aeos Venria de Vhal af Calaxis or Recently, Frida Von Valancius

A Noble Voidborn, And Officer of regiment. High Dogmatic and low Iconoclast decisions and totally dint indulge a little bit of heresy on her darkest hour.

She was my first and won't be my last rogue trader I'm gonna make portrait and do gameplay. Right now I'm doing high Dogmatic with plus narcissism and high coercion like good bred Noble.

Will be doing Pure Pysker Iconoclast and Crime Lord Heretical next since I'm almost done with act 4 and closer to the last act. Which means I have to painstakingly paint their portraits as well

[inquisitor-apologist]

The people have spoken. Alright guys, here we go.

His Inquisitor title is Third Brother (I have had him in my brain since well before the Kenobi series came out, and I haven't been able to rename him, ok). His actual name? Well, he doesn't really remember

He was young when the purge happened--12 years old--so he was still a youngling, and he's honestly blocked out a lot of the stuff from before the Purge due to the trauma the Empire inflicted on him for literally everything related to his life as a Jedi, including his name, as I subscribe to the fanon that Inquisitors aren't really supposed to use their old names (shh, we ignore TotE here, none of its worldbuilding made sense)

He was one of the youngling group that Cere and Trilla had with them during Order 66, and, well, you know how that went. He's the only one of the younglings that survived the, y'know, brutal torture routine

Because of that, he has a really weird relationship with Second Sister up to her death; she promised to protect him when Cere left, but she also helped complete his training as an Inquisitor and forced his turn to the Dark Side.

He kind of feels like she protected him from dying like the others by helping turn him, like becoming an Inquisitor was a sort of mercy... but on the on the other hand, she reminds him both of how he was tortured into what he is now and of his old life as a Jedi, which he does not like at all. Doesn’t help that her attempts to ‘protect him’ are also pretty controlling and bad, because, well, Dark Side basically-Cult

His main Force ability is that he is a very talented telepath; because he's an Inquisitor, that basically means that he is insanely good at interrogating people and breaking into their heads for information (I imagine that, if not for the Empire, he'd be kind of like Ezra? very good at connecting to people through the force, communicating with and understanding them, but. Not how things worked out)

He's the main guy in charge of interrogating/torturing rebels and turning captured Jedi. Basically, he serves as the warden of Nur's prison and rarely ever is allowed to leave it because he is incredibly valuable to the Empire, though in my aus he's also in charge of Project Harvester

He's around the worst of the Inquisitors when it comes to straight-on fighting; since he never goes on hunts or military missions, he doesn't tend to actually fight a lot. In addition to his general lack of practice, he also does not like to use his lightsaber at all because his very sensitive telepathy makes the screaming, bleeding crystal incredibly painful to wield, and not in the 'pain gives me an Evil Powerup' way

He prefers to use the spinny mode to regular lightsaber fighting because it feels less like he's fighting with the screaming crystal and more like the crystal is just moving on its own and hurting people, which is... better? It’s hard to know

He uses the Force in battle a lot more than most of the others do to compensate, though it's less physical and more--he'll freeze enemies with the force (like Cal in JFO, but it’s more mental, less something is holding me in place and more I cannot move my body and I don’t know why), he'll use telepathy to confuse and distract them, and he'll sometimes full-on mentally assault people, breaking through their shields and making them feel pain that's not theirs, ripping thoughts and information from their brains, and just generally giving them a very bad time

The other Inquisitors, beyond the Grand Inquisitor, who very much sees him as a useful tool, and Second, who has a weird toxic mentor dynamic with him, don’t like him at all, since he's the one in charge of making new Inquisitors and punishing the old ones if they step out of line.

His relationship with Reva is... complicated. In a lot of ways, he despises her just like the others because she isn't like the rest of us, she chose to be here, she gets to keep her name and individuality and she acts like she's so much better than us when she hasn't gone through an ounce of what we went through to be here...

But at the same time, they're the same age, they were initiated at the same time, they even share the same name. They went through a lot together in training, and they're both hated by the others (though they hate Reva a lot more than him) so he feels like they kind of understand each other? Complicated fucked-up not-really siblings

From Reva’s end it’s a little different: he was like her, he was a youngling who survived just like her, the last member of her family… but he’s a traitor. He’s not like her, he joined them for real, he betrayed the entire Order and it’s not just an act. He could have been like her, but he’s not, he’s just one more obstacle in the way of her revenge.

He’s better than the others, though, they hate him too, and he tolerates her a little bit, and for all she despises his spinelessness, it’s… lonely being the scapegoat for the cult (look. The Inquisition fits a lot of the BITE method control points, especially the behavior ones, so I feel ok calling it a cult) and they were trained together, so there’s a camaraderie there. She does her best to manipulate him against Vader, which doesn’t really work

As for the whole name thing, I kind-of reshaped the lore to keep his name after Kenobi, so this might not make a ton of sense:

They were both brought into the Inquisition at around the same time (well. Reva joined and he was captured) and because this was still early days and most of the younglings were dying, they just gave them the same name, figuring one wouldn’t make it, but surprise! They both lived

They were trained together for a while before becoming full Inquisitors (because come on. They were 13, what Purge Trooper is going to listen to pimply teenagers) and I imagine at some point one of the older Inquisitors (probably Grand, he seems sadistic enough) made them fight for who would get to keep the name, but it ended in a tie because, while Reva was way better at fighting, she was also very emotionally unstable and vulnerable to his mental attacks

Back when he was first being trained, he was very much a poor, traumatized kid being abused and in a shit situation. As he grows up, however, fed nothing but Imperial propaganda, surrounded by the Dark Side, and constantly causing misery and pain, he gets worse.

Obviously the Empire never gives him full agency or anything, but at some point he does cross that line from ‘doing this because otherwise I’ll get tortured’ to ‘doing this because it’s my job’ to ‘doing this because I’m an Inquisitor and that what we do’, and he gets even worse after Reva—the one marginally-decent influence and relationship he had—betrays him and everything he knows, and by the time of Rebels he’s a full-on villain

As for how he sees the Empire and his place in it as an Inquisitor, it’s less the Grand Inquisitor’s ‘the empire is right and we’re doing good’ view and more Ninth Sister’s ‘you can’t stop the Empire, being an Inquisitor is just inevitable’ view. It’s very much, this is what I get, this is what I deserve, I am a traitor and the only way I can make up for that is by stopping others like me

He’s been fed so much ‘the Jedi were inherently evil traitors’ propaganda that at this point, he can’t really see himself as a good person—he’s a sinner, and this is what he deserves, a miserable, inevitable life of pain, serving the Empire (which he simultaneously views as an inevitability that he can’t escape and the only way he can repent for being a Jedi)

Yeah, he’s fucked up!

Here’s some miscellaneous stuff that I couldn’t find a place to include:

He’s Theelin, and I hc that Theelin are only super colorful when they’re happy and healthy, and when they’re… not for extended periods of time, their colors dull and pale, and their head spikes stop growing

Naturally, he’d have bright green spots and hair with the classic Theelin head spikes. Because he’s been in such a bad, stressful situation for so long, however, his hair is so pale it’s basically white, his skin is super washed-out and pallid, he’s only got a few sickly green spots, and his spikes so small and underdeveloped they’re basically pointy bumps

If he ever got out of the Inquisition (and I’m not sure if he does, I kind of flip-flop on that one), he’d get a lot of his color back and his spikes would start growing, but nothing would ever go fully back to normal. It would always be obvious to other Theelin that he’s been through some shit

Reva called him Tri when they were younger because it felt weird to call him Third when she was also Third and she got a name, but also in the hope that he’d follow her lead and become more of an individual and help her against the Inquisition when the time came

She uses it less and less as they get older. Quietly, he likes it, but he feels like he’s not allowed to have a name, like he doesn’t deserve it. After she leaves, he tries to completely shut anything that has to do with her away, including the name. If anyone else tried to call him that, he’d go berserk

He’s one of the only Inquisitors (Grand, Reva, and him) that doesn’t wear a helmet. It’s not that he has one and just doesn’t wear it, like Grand, or that he was never given one to single him out, like Reva, but because he just never goes on field missions, so he doesn’t need one

For the same reason, his uniform is a lot less armor and a lot more like the ISB/Navy Uniforms. If his wasn’t fully black without rank squares, it’d be pretty hard to tell him apart from a regular officer

I have this specific scene in my head of him giving a villain monologue to some poor captured rebel or Jedi, basically saying that usually torture is useless and bad at giving information, but it’s quite useful for him because it makes it a lot easier to rip memories/information out of their head

This was a lot lol, so I’ll leave it there

Guys how would we feel if I started talking about my inquisitor oc…

[boredfangirl16]

Forced Confessions

Sept 2 of Alastember: Hurt/Comfort

TW: forced coming out 

“Why were you following Thomas Lightwood on the night of the murder?” Asks the Inquisitor. 

Alastair is bending under the weight of the Mortal Sword. It’s painful to hold even if he is speaking the truth. Let alone when he tries to answer a question like the one just presented to him without saying anything about his feelings for the other man. 

“I wanted to protect him,” Alastair says in the steadiest voice he can muster. His chin is tilted upwards and all signs of pain in his face disappear. “Is it not our job to protect fellow shadowhunters?”

The audience to this interrogation includes not only the inquisitor and the consul, but Will Herondale, Tessa Gray, Gideon Lightwood, Sophie Collins, and Eugenia Lightwood. Before the Mortal Sword arrived, Leviathan attacked. The battle had ended less than a mere hour ago, but the people are on edge, so the questioning started as soon as possible. Thankfully because of this, it is an impromptu questioning and doesn’t warrant all of the esteemed members of the Clave. Not that he cares about the majority of them, only one persistent red head. He doesn’t know what he would say under this influence with Charles before him. 

“A noble reason,” the Consul nods. “But I must inquire how you knew of his secret patrols or why you thought this night in particular he would be in danger?”

“I was on a walk late one Thursday night and saw him out and about by himself. After a few weeks I noticed there was a pattern to the days he went out and followed him each opportunity I could,” Alastair says dragging out each of his words. He hates the way the sword makes him speak. ”I had no clue that this night in particular he would be in danger. I’ve been following him for weeks.”

Eyebrows raise, but no one comments on how strange of a confession that was. He doesn’t dare to look at Thomas. 

“And you didn’t inform his family or friends of his whereabouts? Or the Clave of his reckless behavior? Why?” The Inquisitor questions with a harsh voice. 

“I am not on particularly good terms with his friends nor his family,” Alastair pushes out. It was the closest to lying that the sword would allow him. “I did not want the Clave to punish him for actions with noble intent.”

“You are not on good terms with his friends or family, yet you followed him for weeks. What compelled you to do such a thing?” The Inquisitor asks. He can answer that vaguely. It was worded in such a way that he just may be able to avoid certain answers. “What is your relationship to Thomas Lightwood?” Bloody hell. 

Alastair has only a moment to hold back his words and he takes that time to look at Thomas. His face has gone sheet white. He knows the implications of that last question as much as Alastair himself does. The only thing he can do is save Thomas from any incrimination. Alastair’s fate was sealed the moment the question was asked, but Thomas’s doesn’t have to be. 

“I have romantic feelings for Thomas Lightwood,” he says as he closes his eyes. The sword keeps pulling at him and words just flow from his mouth. “Our relationship is complicated given—.”

“That is enough, Alastair Carstairs,” says the consul, interrupting whatever damning thing he was about to say about their relationship. He still doesn’t open his eyes. “This questioning has moved onto unrelated matters. Based on the answers to the questions we have presented, I can conclude that both Thomas Lightwood and Alastair Carstairs are innocent in the crime of the London serial killings.”

The sword is heavy, but no longer pulls at him. It is a small relief, but given his confession it does little to ease the queasiness in the pit of his stomach. He may not have wanted to be anyone’s secret, but this is not the way he wanted this to go about. His choice was ripped away from him by that damned sword and there was not a thing he could do to stop it. 

Alastair finally opens his eyes to see he faces of the onlookers to this trial. The consul looks just slightly remorseful, as if she actually feels bad about the whole thing. The Herondales look mildly surprised, but there is glint to Will’s eyes that tells Alastair he isn’t all that shocked. Eugenia’s eyes dart between the boys as if she could determine what is between them by look alone. Thomas’s parents have wide eyes and open mouths. Yet it is the inquisitor that truly frightens Alastair. If he wasn’t in attendance today, there might’ve been a small chance that his secret would have never let the people in this room. The look on Bridgestock’s face tells him that won’t be true. 

“Are we excused?” Alastair asks. The sword still sitting in his hands like a rock anchoring him to this room. 

“Yes,” the consul says. “You are both excused.”

She walks over to take the sword from his hands and Alastair darts out of the room the minute it is gone.

Before he is out of earshot he does hear the inquisitor say, “We can’t just let him go. He admitted under the sword that is one of those vile bohemians—.”

Alastair runs out of the institute. He runs down the streets. He doesn’t even bother to rune himself, so that mundane don’t see him. All he can do is hold in the tears that threaten to come at any moment. All that he did and sacrificed his childhood for, has been ruined. The Carstairs name wasn’t defiled by Elias’s drinking problem, but by Alastair’s own preferences. This world is cruel and unfair in ways that Alastair has been dealing with since he was nine years old. Yet each time that it hurts him, he is surprised all the same. 

He darts into the Carstairs home and locks the door behind him. There is no one here, but him. His mother and Risa are in the silent city, which is a small blessing. They won’t be pestering him about the day’s trial. Cordelia has a husband and will be doing well at their new home. There is no reason she should visit him here. 

So, he lets down all his walls and sobs. He falls against the door like a small child, curling into himself. Tears run down his face as his breathe hiccups at the extent of his pain. There is no one here to judge him for doing such a thing. No one to tell him that it isn’t manly to cry or feel anything other than anger. He screams. Again and again and again. 

He does one good thing, one selfless thing and this is what he gets in return. All he wanted to do was save Thomas from his own idiotic actions. He just didn’t want him to die. Now look at him. He’s about to be outcasted to the fringes of society, even more so than he already was. Not only is he a Persian man, but of course he also has to be gay. It wasn’t like he already had enough setting him apart from others. 

Yet what really hurts is that he didn’t get a choice. It was taken from him in an instant. The news will spread like wildfire and the entire London Enclave will know of his feelings for Thomas. What hell will the Thieves release upon him at that news? It is all so frustrating. It is all so impossible. Is it so much to ask that if he was to ever tell others, he would have wished to do it on his own time? That he wanted to sit down with his maman and Risa, explaining his feelings for someone he is forbidden to love. None of that could ever come to fruition. 

His breathe stills for a moment as an ‘unless’ starts to creep into his mind. 

Alastair looks up from his spot on the floor and at the clock on the wall. It’s been a good few hours since he arrived. It may be late, but the silent brothers don’t have strict hours of business. News won’t travel down there as fast as it does here. There is still a chance he could get to his maman and tell her himself. It isn’t ideal, but it’s the closest he’ll get to having a choice in the matter. 

He looks down at his torn clothes. That won’t do. 

As quick as he can Alastair changes into new pants, a white button up, and a decent waistcoat. It’s nothing flashy, but he no longer looks as if he was just attacked by demons. He runs his hands through his hair in an attempt to get it to clam down just a little. It’s still strange seeing it black after he dyed it for the past or so. He still isn’t quite sure if he likes it better or not, but he knows he can’t run forever. He can’t run from the color of his skin, and he can’t run from his taste in men. Better to confront the problem than let it fester for any longer. 

He dashed down the stairs and the opens up the door, only to be confronted by one tall, handsome man. The handsome man that got him into his predicament. Not that it’s his fault.

“Alastair,” Thomas says in surprise. “Are you okay?” 

“What do you think?“ Alastair snaps. Thomas flinches and he regrets his words. “What happened isn’t your fault, but I think we should stay away from each other for the time being.” 

“What? Why?” 

Alastair tilts up his chin and rebuilds his walls as quick as they were torn down. His reputation may be shatters, but Thomas’s doesn’t have to be. 

“It’ll only be a matter of time before word spreads of my affliction. If you stay close to me, you’ll be under as much suspicion as I am. I’m not going to let you throw away your life for someone as terrible as I am,” Alastair says. “It’s best I get on my way.”

“But—,” Thomas tries to say. 

“No,” Alastair interrupts. “It isn’t possible, it won’t ever be.”

Thomas reaches for Alastair’s hands and holds them. “I am already under suspicion,” Thomas said rubbing circles with the pads of his fingers. Such a delicate touch for such a large man. “I do not care what they think. Dooset daaram, Alastair Esfandiyar Carstairs. I will not let you go.”

Alastair had no clue that Thomas spoke Persian, let alone that he knew how to say ‘I love you’ in the language. His system flooded with shock at the words. It had been many years since he had those words from anyone in Farsi. 

“I didn’t know that you could speak Farsi,” Alastair points out stupidly. 

“I can. I learned it with Lucie when she was doing it for Cordelia. I think I was secretly doing it for you the entire time without knowing it.” Thomas looks at him with love and warmth. “But I do and you don’t have to say it back. I just want you to know that I’m serious about this, about us.”

Alastair whispers, “There shouldn’t be an us.”

“But there is.”

Alastair meets Thomas’s eyes. “I need time to think, Thomas. I was just outed to the entire clave and I need time. I need to tell my maman and Risa before they hear it from anyone else.”

“Of course,” Thomas quickly. “I understand and I’m not trying to make you give me an answer now. I just don’t want you to push me away completely.”

Alastair knew that he should run away while he still can, before he’s completely fallen. It’s what would be best for Thomas. Alastair does not deserve love like his. Yet he cannot help but be intrigued by it. He’s pulled into his orbit against his will and kept there because there is nothing else. There is no one else that will love him like Thomas does. So he desperately grabs at frayed strings knowing he should let go. But he doesn’t. 

He goes up onto his toes and pecks Thomas on the cheek. “We’ll discuss this later.”

“Actually?”

“I promise.”

With that Alastair lets go of Thomas’s hands and starts towards one of the entrances to the Silent City. It’s name is quite fitting. A pin being dropped could be heard from here. The Silent Brothers stand at attention with their eyes and mouths sewn shut. It seems like a fate worse than death. 

He arrives at the room he was told that his maman resides. He pauses with his hand on the doorknob. Fear overtakes his senses. 

“Mr. Carstairs,” says Risa from behind him. She’s holding a tray of food with a grin on her face. “It’s been quite an exciting day for you, hasn’t it?”

“What have you heard?” He asks cautiously. 

“Only that we’ll have a new son-in-law soon enough,” Risa chuckles. “But don’t worry, Sona doesn’t know quite yet. I was able to keep the news from her ears.”

Alastair looks down. “Do you care?”

He feels a hand on his cheek, lifting his face up. “Alastair Carstairs I have known you since you were the size of a bean, there is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you. Now go tell your mother before she tries to escape again. She’s been quite antsy this time around.”

Alastair nods and opens the door. The room is almost completely bare with nothing but a cot, a bedside table, and chair. It’s rather dreary without any decorations or color. His mother lays in bed. Her eyes just barely cracked open. It’s evident she’s in pain, even if she is trying to hide it. 

“Alastair?” She asks as she sits up against the bed frame. “Whatever are you doing here?”

He doesn’t know where to start. Should he just blurt the words out? Does he need to ease the news in? Will she be disappointed? What if it causes her more stress and hurts the baby? Alastair takes a deep breathe. She’ll hear either way, better it be from him. He can’t back out now. 

“I was tried by the Mortal Sword today,” he says slowly. Sona raises an eyebrow. “It wasn’t about anything I’ve done.” He assure her. “I was confirming that Thomas Lightwood isn’t the murderer that’s been roaming the streets of London.”

He pauses. This is more difficult than he thought it would be. 

“Alright,” his maman says. She looks more confused than anything. “Did something happen during this trial? You seem bothered.”

Alastair closes his eyes, just like he did when the Mortal Sword was in his hands. “They asked me why I followed him around on his lunatic solo patrols at night. I couldn’t lie, the truth was ripped from my mouth.” He takes one last deep breathe. “I have romantic feelings for him.”

There’s silence. It’s like a black hole he’s getting sucked up in. 

“Open your eyes, joon,” his maman says. Reluctantly he does. 

His mother’s hands grips his shoulders. Her eyes bore into his soul.

“I’ll be honest with you, I’m surprised and I’m not sure I completely understand,” she says. “But know this, you are my son. Nothing can ever change that. I know I haven’t always been the best mother, but I am so proud of you. And if this makes you happy, then who am I to object?”

Relief washes over Alastair. It’s like a pound of bricks has been lifted off his shoulders in an instant. His eyes well up with tears. Her acceptance is more than he could ever ask for. It’s more than he deserves, really. 

“Thank you, maman,” he chokes out. 

She smiles at him. “So you do not fancy women at all? Just men?” She asks hesitantly. 

“Just men.”

His maman nods. He can almost see the gears in her head turning. “Is Thomas the first boy you’ve liked?”

“No,” Alastair reluctantly says. “I was seeing someone else a few months ago, but I broke it off with him. Thomas is a new development.”

“Who? Do I know him?”

“Charles Fairchild.”

Worry flashes across his mother’s face. “Isn’t he older than you? How long were you two… together?”

“We became friends when I was 14, but we didn’t begin a relationship until I was 16. I went to Paris for my travel year to be with him,” Alastairs says. “I thought it was love. I thought that what he could give me was what I deserved, that it was the best I could do. I was his dirty little secret until I couldn’t stand it another. He was so ashamed of who he was, he got engaged twice during the time we were together. I broke it off at Cordelia’s engagement party.”

His mother wraps her arms around him. “I’m so sorry, my son. You don’t deserve to be treated in such a way. You worth more than you will ever know. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He leans into the embrace, burrowing his face into his mother’s shoulder. It feels nice to be held, to be taken care of. He would never admit it, but a few tears do escape his eyes. Then she lets go just enough, so that they can look at each other. 

“Has Thomas been kind to you?”

“Much kinder than I deserve.”

“You deserve all the kindness in the world, joon. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. When do I get to meet him?”

“What?” Alastair asks shocked. 

“Surely, you planned on introducing him to me. Just because this isn’t orthodox doesn’t mean your maman can’t judge the boy you bring home,” she says with a mischievous glint in her eye. 

“We aren’t officially together,” Alastair explains. “I didn’t want him to get in any trouble because of me. The entire Clave knows about my preferences by now. He may insist that he’s already under suspect and that it’s too late to save his reputation, but I don’t want to be the one to ruin is life.”

“Does it wish to be with you, even knowing all of this?”

“Yes. He’s quite persistent actually.”

“Then what are doing here talking to me?” His mother exclaims. “Go to Thomas, you silly boy. If you love someone, do not let them go.”

Alastair’s heart is filled with warmth. His maman’s words soothe over the pain of the past day. Her acceptance and her love fills Alastair with hope that he hasn’t felt since he was a small boy. 

As he pulls away she whispers, “I am very proud of the man you’ve become.”

Alastair can only nod or else he knows that he would start sobbing. He always thought his mother’s love might be conditional, but now he knows that a mother’s love knows no bounds. The good one’s won’t care about the gender their child fancies or the mistakes they have made in their past. 

For love isn’t pain and sacrifice, like he was once led to believe. It isn’t always easy, but it’s the most rewarding thing this world can offer. 

[mightydragoon]

Darth Vader A+ Parenting.

While Darth Vader in canon ain’t exactly the nicest fellow, this is a Vader or Anakin who has no qualms getting what he wants and using any methods to do so. 

Or otherwise known as Darth Vader A+ Parenting. 

1.  to gain a son Russy

After falling into a trap laid by the Empire and being captured by two Inquisitors, Luke Skywalker wakes up in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar man watching over him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25019218/chapters/60586045

2. No Time Like The Present PinkEasterEggs

In a Galaxy where Princess Leia Organa and Luke Vader have always known they were twins, a deadly discovery by their biggest enemy throws their entire lives upside down. Yet again.

Now on the run from the Empire, the Skywalker twins find it their mission to bring peace back to the Galaxy once more. And with Darth Vader on their trail, that mission is far more complicated than they originally believed.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24754825/chapters/59851300

(Note* Part  3 of the  Back To The Future series. Can be read as standalone) 

  3.  The Heir - SpellCleaver

Darth Vader just killed his master and learned a galaxy-changing truth: the child Palpatine adopted, the Imperial prince and heir, is actually Vader’s son, raised by Palpatine to torment him.

Meanwhile, Luke Palpatine just woke up from severe injuries he sustained in a Rebel attack to a galaxy where his father is dead, he is the Emperor, and the figure from all his childhood nightmares is acting suspiciously nice.

They figure it out from there.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24024442/chapters/57801529

4. Eclipse - SpellCleaver

Luke and Leia, the twin children of Darth Vader and heirs to the Emperor himself, defect. When they do, it's naturally a dream come true for the Rebellion and the mother they never knew, one that's been a long time in the making.

But they have to get to that point first.

Or: Darth Vader unwittingly sends his children down the merry path of treason... and the ugly, painful fallout.

(Note* Obviously) 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18221840/chapters/43109123

5. Walking the Line Between - aradian_nights

After an emotional confrontation on Bespin, Luke Organa has been captured, and his newfound twin Leia Skywalker will not stop until she has rescued him. Even if that means murdering their own father.

( How the Other Half Lives  -   aradian_nights) 

(Note* the entire series is this but more in particular the recent additions, I’ve already discussed this story multiple times before so you know the drill )

6.  The kidnappings of a Sith Lord - maedre13

How a certain Sith Lord may or may not kidnap his rebel son. One-shots. Strongly inspired by sparklight´s “Where Our Intrepid Hero Doesn´t Get Away”.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10606992/chapters/23453241

(Note* not all these chapters are Vader at his worst but he isn’t exactly a top notch parent in them either) 

7. How to Save the World from its Heroes - stardustgirl

Being the Avatar’s—and Fire Lord’s—non-bending heir isn’t what Luke signed up for. He also didn’t sign up for an Agni Kai he can’t possibly win, or for getting dragged into a search for someone who can kill his own dad. Then again, someone has to bring the world back into balance, and if his dad won’t, then Luke might as well give it his best shot. After all, how much worse can things get?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24948487/chapters/60386875

(Note* Only started and already you can see Vader A+ Parenting in all its glory) 

8. your heart is full of stars and your hands full of shattered glass -victoriousscarf

Nineteen years ago, Vader took his children off Mustafar, and Palpatine raised them to be Sith, the perfect weapons he had been looking for.

Except the very eve of his greatest victory, the fully functional Death Star, Luke Skywalker defects to the floundering but growing Rebel Alliance. His sister follows because someone needs to watch out for that fool.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13242183/chapters/30290415

9.  Love of a daughter. - youngjusticewriter

"and yet, so far at least we have yet to figure out what you gain from this." It's a question as well as statement. A chance to explain, to come clean on why she - a unknown Sith- had assassinated they're precious, beloved Chancellor (what fools). But how could you come clean when there is so much blood on her hands? Never-mind the sins and blood on Vader and Luke's when her family had been alive.

When she answers it's not because she's announcing her transgressions in hope that her heavy, dirty soul might be saved. One couldn't repent when they didn't feel guilt in their sin.

"For the love of a daughter." Leia pauses and looks back at Anakin and thinks: I did this to avenge you. After thinking that Leia says one more thing - the last thing actually because she nothing else to say after this.

"And you should have been more careful electing your Chancellor. You never know who is Sith." This has double meaning but she's the only person who knows it.

And she's fine with that (no, she isn't).

Leia wonders if her younger self and Luke will ever become the monsters like her Luke had been and the monster she is.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10924239/chapters/24297558

10.  Literal Hell - TreeOfTime

Luke Lars is content as a Moisture Farmer with his father and mother... until two people come to find what was lost to them...

Then all hell broke lose

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22579066/chapters/53957833

(Note* oh dear lord Vader A+ Parenting in its full glory, a Sith Leia for flavour and a non force sensitive Luke. ) 

11.  Dynasty - Valerie_Vancollie: Co-authored by Rebecca Thomson aka Zekkers.

Hit in the leg by a stormtrooper's blaster bolt, Luke falls in the Death Star hanger bay and is unable to escape on the Falcon along with Han and Leia. During the subsequent interrogation, his true heritage is revealed and Vader instantly takes him to Coruscant, determined to reclaim the son the Jedi stole from him. But the glory of the Imperial capital belies its true nature, where politics and power are everything and anything is fair game in the never ending game to reach the top. Not lying, not betrayal, assassination, sabotage, blackmail, nor seduction. As he commences his Sith training, Luke must also learn the rules and etiquette of the Imperial Court if he is to survive as most of his enemies fight their battles with words and political maneuverings rather than military force. Yet, even as he struggles to gain his place within the Empire, Luke learns that his best friend has joined the Alliance...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13111908/chapters/29997507

12. Fractured twists - Annessarose

Timelines are fickle things.

Every line is balanced precariously on the precipice. One shift, one twitch of a finger, one step in the wrong direction, and entire stories change. Lives flicker out, galaxies rise and fall, but the Force is always a constant.

Each moment is carefully balanced. We know how the Siege of Mandalore happened - how the former Jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano led her men into victory. How she defeated Maul in single combat and earned the loyalty of Lady Bo-Katan Kyrze. How she rode her ship too late to meet with Anakin Skywalker, and how the galaxy fell and burned under the hand of the Sith.

This is the way it could have gone if Obi-Wan had followed Ahsoka to Mandalore.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24158608

13. Runaway- Valerie_Vancollie

Co-authored by Rebecca Thomson aka Zekkers & a contest winner.

What if Luke had runaway from Tatooine and joined the Imperial Academy?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12976095

14. A Mother's Decision - Valerie_Vancollie

What if Padmé had brought Luke to Vader when Luke was only nine months old?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12915687

15. Descent into Darkness - Valerie_Vancollie

What if instead of waiting for Luke to come to him on Endor, Vader had gone for Luke and the others, capturing them while with the Ewoks?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12908223

16. Avenge and Conquer - arikylo

The Alliance has fallen into a very well laid trap and now Luke has no choice but to hand himself over to Vader. But what does the father have in store for the son? Can Luke handle the torture and the ruthless tactics of the Empire or will he be forced to surrender and embrace the dark side?

The struggle between the light and the dark is strenuous, relationships crumble and all is looking bleak for the Alliance.

Dark!AU set after ESB.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3058115/chapters/6639581

17. The Terrorist - Seasider

High above Bespin in Cloud City, Vader chooses not reveal his identity and instead uses deceit to trick Luke into surrendering. The Dark Lord has a lot on his agenda, so he entrusts the breaking of his son to an Imperial interrogator, unaware that the man has an agenda of his own: revenge.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24810643/chapters/60006952

(Note* Dead Dove do not eat. Contains some reall fucked up shit) 

18. Consequences - treenahasthaal

An intense burst of light and a vicious blow to his left shoulder sent him spinning violently backward and he fell...

What if Luke hadn't made it off the Death Star immediately following Kenobi's death?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/809144/chapters/1527145

(Note* It’s also a boba fett/ luke) 

19. Instinct - treenahasthaal

There was something about the blond boy in the crowd of detainees that caught Commander Yarryn's attention. Something that pulled at his gut and told him there was more about this captive than met the eye. It was his duty to find out what it was the boy was hiding - and find it he would, for Yarryn was very good at his job.

12 weeks after the destruction of the Death Star.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2185854/chapters/4785594

( Part 1 of the Invictus series) 

20. Child of Mine - Oneshotshipper

AU. Darth Vader discovers Leia at a young age. Barely managing to escape her father's clutches the first time, young Leia goes into hiding and becomes the Empire's most-wanted fugitive. If the second time comes, fate will not be as kind. Meanwhile, Darth Vader would tear apart the galaxy itself to possess and keep his child. The Dark Side seems to inevitably be the fate of the Skywalkers.

21. To Catch a Daughter, One must... - ftbprotocol

A variety of AU one-shots where in canon Leia stayed a secret, but in these stories did not. Because there needs to be more Leia and Vader fic!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12173637/chapters/27632673

22.  Daughter Over The Son - Keetajet

Work is inspired by ftbprotocol's work "To Catch a Daughter, One must..."

The moment where Darth Vader did not save his son. Instead, he will have his daughter.

Leia's future went downhill the moment she felt her brother die on the second Death Star, leading to their capture on Endor. Only she, Han, and Chewie survived the failed ground assault and they were restrained and being held at gun point.

She has a bad feeling about this.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25354183/chapters/61476130

23. Before the Emperor - SilverDaye

Luke is defeated and captured at Cloud City by Vader. He is then dragged before the Emperor. However Palpatine is dead. Luke's father is alive. And someone else holds the reigns to Vader and the Empire.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15950198/chapters/37196351

Tags- to help search for more

Darth Vader's A+ parenting

Dark Anakin Skywalker

Sith Luke Skywalker

Imperial Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader

Leia Organa & Darth Vader

Bad Parent Darth Vader

[raggedyblue]

WILLIAM, Sherlock,Scott, OF BASKERVILLE

Accepting the fact that Sherlock BBC is, among other things, a summa and reworking of all (let's say many because all would be honestly impossible) the previous adaptations of Doyle's creature, we cannot ignore THE NAME OF THE ROSE. Defined here (x) brilliantly a medieval AU because in other way it really couldn’t be done, considering that being a novel it is indeed a work of fiction (fiction). Furthermore, we can’t ignore how Eco was a fan of the sleuth, he wrote also essays about him and also edited a collection of pieces by various authors about the deductive method of Sherlock Holmes. The book is  THE SIGN OF THREE, and this should already get  our attention and I think that the Moffits have paid some attention to the Italian scholar (the book is about logic and semiotics and that are not exactly my cup of tea, so I will avoid talking about it further so as not making  me more ridiculous than it normally does, but you have to know that it exists). This is to say that probably Eco himself wouldn’t be too offended by being placed among fan fiction writers. But even this in the end is totally irrelevant, because as he himself says, once a book is complete, the author disappears, and the relationship that is created is between the reader and the work. The reader is free and obliged to draw his interpretations.

Obviously THE NAME OF THE ROSE is much more than a medieval transposition of Sherlock Holmes, it is a treatise on theology, philosophy and semiotics. A compendium of medieval history and an allegory of Italy in the 1970s, a set of puzzles. The readings that can be made of the book are many and this was precisely the intention of the author.

But obviously what interests us is Sherlock Holmes (always).

The protagonist of the book is called Guglielmo/William of Baskerville. The names are important, and this is a lesson that the Moffits have learned well. Stat rosa pristina nomina, nomina nuda tenemus. We may never come to know the true essence of things, the truth maybe  is unknowable, but at least we have the names and possess their knowledge. William  (don’t ring a bell?) as  William of Ockham . There's a lot of Ockham in Holmes's method. Occam's Razor for which for the solution of a problem the simplest solution must be applied among the existing ones, it is easily applicable to the Holmesian method. Once the impossible has been eliminated (cut off like a razor) the improbable (the complicated, implausible and unlikely solutions), even if unlikely, what remains, must be the truth. And the search of truth is a constant throughout the book, the truth about the crimes of the Abbey, but above all about the Truth as an absolute concept. A truth that, as William says, is liberty (THOB), but which escapes to the point at the end we/Adso/William are doubting its existence as an absolute concept. The William in the book is blatantly Sherlockian. English in the first place, higher than the norm, but which appears even higher as he’s very thin. He has a sharp and slightly hooked nose, his face is elongated with an expression that is both acute and alert. Very agile, endowed with inexhaustible energy in moments of activity, which alternated with others of complete immobility. We see him several times completely lost in his thoughts, with his eyes closed and his mouth following inaudible speeches. He is described  as being able to remain completely still on his bed, with vacant and silent eyes for long periods. Who describes him to us wonders if by chance it was not possible that this state was induced by mysterious substances, and at least once we see Guglielmo chewing mysterious leaves that help him to think. Easily inclined to give up sleep and food if the case dictates.

He has an extraordinary delicacy of touch if necessary. He is a man capable of fantasizing about a future in which boats will be faster and will go without the strength of men or sailing, a world in which flying and submarine vehicles will exist, because the things that are not there yet are not said not there will be. I would venture, not even that much, and call him a man out of his time. 

A normally mild man, he can become brusque and often, to bring an interrogation to a successful end, he takes advantage of a moment of weakness for the interrogated. This is one of those traits that I don't remember being canonical but that we certainly see in Sherlock BBC.

At talking about him is his young disciple, his blogger scribe. All we know of William and the affairs of the Abbey we know thanks to a manuscript that speaks of a manuscript which is then the manuscript of William's disciple. How many holmesian pastiche use the expedient of the rediscovered manuscript? I lost the calculation. This young disciple is called wADSOn, he looks to his teacher with affection and unspeakable wonder, and with his observations that seem irrelevant leads  Guglielmo on the way to solution (light conductor). He admits that once his master gives an explanation of his deductions, everything seems so clear that he regrets not having understud it alone. The function of Aso from the poetic point of view is to put a distance between the author and what is narrated. It is not the author who writes the story, but a young Benedictine from the 1300s. The narrator is young and still unaware and amazed at the things of the world, so when he tells about them he doesn't do it in a didactic tone, but as if it were something new for he as it is for us. Adso records events without completely understanding them, and this helps the less educated reader (I believe 98%) to navigate between these complex pages. If there is something he doesn't understand, it is probably something that Adso did not understud before him. This kind of trick is the same one used by Doyle that through Watson allows us to understand how the mind of Holmes works, step by step. This does not mean that wADSOn is stupid, on the contrary, only that he is learning. It doesn't even seem a coincidence that William is a monk. A man who has chosen to dedicate himself to the intellect, repressing and suppressing everything that is carnal. Adso is young, still impulsive and inexperienced, and will yield to the temptations of the flesh (once only).

A curious feature of Guglielmo is that, having now at least fifty years and presumably being presbyopic, he uses glasses, an unusual object for the time. It could be nothing but I like to read it a reference to Doyle as an ophtalmologist. And in a narrative space  the glasses are lost and the monk finds himself unable to read. We can say that this is a moment in which he sees, but can't observe. William reads the signs of reality to look for possible truths. In the first moment when we meet him he deduces the existence of a horse from simple signs left in the woods, he is actually a detective. But in his life he was also an Inquisitor, a position he left. We see him in the book confronting an inquisitor Bernardo Gui and we see the difference in attitude. The inquisitor is more interested in punishing the defendants, while Guglielmo wants to discover the culprits, "unraveling a beautiful and tangled skein". The same attitude that we see in Holmes that always looks a little beyond what the police do  and absolute justice does has more value than secular justice. In his search for truth, Guglielmo says that no hypothesis, even if extraordinary, should be overlooked. He himself tells that he aligns many elements that apparently have no connection and makes assumptions about them. But to arrive at a solution, he has to pretend many hypotheses, some so absurd that he is ashamed to tell them. The elimination of the impossible by staging. This sounds a lot like MInd Theater, doesn't it? Among the other references to the Canon, the most obvious is the use of a burned plant that creates visions. There is also a moment in which Guglielmo states that God must be good if he generated nature. Holmes will instead say that nature, its beauty (a rose!) Is proof of the existence of God (BRUC). The story of the novel unfolds inside an Abbey on the top of a hill. Inside the walls, barely contained, overlooking the rocks there is a construction called the Aedificium. It is divided into three parts. There is the Kitchen, the Scriptorium and the Library. An absolutely symbolic place. The kitchen is the body, it satisfies the needs, it prepares food but it is also the place where a carnal congress is consumed (food / sex metaphor). The Scriptorium is the space of intellect, of knowledge. The Library instead is conceived as a labyrinth, a place where knowledge is kept, but at the same time it is made inaccessible. Something very similar to the unconscious, which in the BBC Sherlock we see buried under the ground, while here it stands out against the sky (like a plane maybe). The curious thing is the shape of the building, built on a rigid symbolic and mathematical basis, it looks like this:

We find a similar shape both in the Mind Palace (Moriarty's cell and probably operating theater) and in Baskerville.

In the Library the books that are the sum of human, licit and illicit knowledge are jealously guarded, in fact the librarian reserves the right to keep some of them hidden. A structure that seems very similar to the human psyche, to the eternal struggle between conscious and unconscious thought, between memories and removed that in BBC Sherlock seems to be recurrent. The relationship between master and disciple is among the most platonic and there seems to be no doubt in this regard. Adso loves Guglielmo, loves his intellect but also his features, he argues in the purest way (not that the admiration imbued with sexuality cannot be pure, this is a heavy Catholic heritage from which we have not yet freed ourselves, but it is a meta for another time), but also he need to clarify unnecessarily  the concept and in later life he will confess to let the gaze linger longer on the young novices.

Guglielmo on his part is never if not paternal regard to Adso. Their relationship, however, seems weaker than that between the two original characters that inspired them, but that was probably not the point of the novel. This doesn't mean that the issue of homosexuality is not treated. If we want we can also say that all the dead involved had had homosexual relations and all had somehow had had to do with a forbidden book. The story takes place inside a convent, the characters involved are all men, apart from an external exception, feminine, which will seduce Adso, even if this fact is susceptible to interpretative doubts. Being a faithful chronicle of the times, homosexual relations are doomed, but after all even heterosexual ones it's just condoned. We are talking about friars. But if heterosexual relations are tolerated, they are part of heterodoxy, homosexual ones are decidedly condemned, like heretics. It is no wonder that in so many heresies sodomy is an integral part. It falls within the fear and condemnation of the different, the different is a heretic, the homosexual is different, homosexuality is heresy. An easy syllogism. In the name of the Rose the feminine is ephemeral. There is this unique beautiful girl with whom Adso will be joining the same night he had previously had an apparently innocent encounter with a friar. We see she only for a fleeting moment. The feminine seems to be an allegory of all that is seductive. Devilishly seductive because we are among men for whom the pleasures of the flesh are a weakness. 

Friar Ubertino, the one with whom Adso meets before giving in to the girl's flattery, speaks with desire of the forms of the virgin Mary, but he does so by holding the young Adso to himself. Every time a friar, which will then be indulged in homosexual pleasures, is described to us,  a feminine characteristic is added to him. The feminine is not something that exists in this context, but desire, love, jealousy, in its best and worst aspects, yes. And all this is represented, but only allegorically by the feminine. Besides, Adso will tell about the girl that he didn't even know her name. One wonders if he didn't know it or maybe he just didn't dare to name it. The debate between orthodoxy and heresy runs through the whole book. It is a mainstay. And if under a pure textual meaning we can read an other, political, one (the Italian Brigate Rosse as heretics) a further level of reading is possible, halfway between the subtext and the surface. Then again the relationship between homosexuality and heresy. And heretics were burned. Adso tells that he experienced a state similar to ecstasy in witnessing the burning of an heretic, an ecstasy that reminds him the fleshly one that he will then experience firsthand. A connection that amazes the friar himself, but that tells us a lot about the real nature of what he lived.

Guglielmo's antagonist is an old blind man who will eventually lead to the destruction of the Library. Their relationship is love and hate, admiration and repulsion. Difficult not to see the Moriaty / Holmes relationship. Towards the end we see the same old man in the middle of the Library which is actually a labyrinth, a labyrinth that is described as a web. Throughout the book the two tease, provoke themselves, do a dance that has a lot of seduction. All caused by a book that the old man wanted to keep secret and when this was no longer possible the Library ended up on fire before the water managed to extinguish its flames. "Guglielmo wept". (water/emotions). The theme of the book is the  laughter. It refers to a hypothetical lost Aristotle's book concerning the Comedy. In short the meaning of the book is that laughter has its own dignity, its cognitive value. Comedy, the comedian, saying things differently, ridiculing them, forces us to look at them more carefully, and we end up seeing the hidden truth. At the same time, even the most fearful things, when turned into comedy, lose their terrifying power. Laughter free from fear (and it is the main reason why it is feared) The thought is immediately at every moment when John and Sherlock are represented as homosexuals in BBC Sherlock. These are always jokes, ridiculous moments. But as we are told in the fictitious book in The Name of the Rose, laughter conceals the truth. A book in a book that talks about books, because, it is repeated several times, all books speak of other books, each book is a reference to a previous book and from obvious books it is possible to arrive at occult books. As if to say that to understand a book it is enough to have another one. London AZ for Sherlock and our still unknown book. Unknown probably because not unique. A set of books (code booKs), but just because Sherlock Holmes has left the sphere of books and has expanded himself into other media. The Name of the Rose is a book about books, a complex labyrinth of intertextual quotations, but also a use manual of books. The books are something that involves the author and the text in the first place, but once it's finished,  the relationship is the one that is established between the reader and the text. And the texts are meant to be interpreted. "Books are not meant to be believed but to be subjected to investigation. In front of a book we must not ask ourselves what it says, but what it means ... the letter must be discussed even if the supersense remains good. " *I humbly apologize but I don't have a reference text in English, so this is a horrid, as usual for me, translation of the perfect Eco's Italian  (sooner or later I will learn English .... maybe when I won't lose so much time on a certain author ;-P) A licence for those like us who want to go beyond the visible, the admission that a text is more of what appears, which is susceptible to generate always different readings without ever running itself out completely. And this is true for some books more than for others, because in some the subtext presses towards the surface, barely contained by metaphors, mirrors and allegories. Since ancient times methods for expressing truth. Metaphors, puzzles, word games, which sometimes seem put in a text out of pure delight, often hide truths that want to be kept silent, for various reasons, to most people. A book on books that talk about books hidden in books, books that hide the truth under layers of words. A book about a medieval Sherlock Holmes and rarely the universe is so lazy.

@sarahthecoat @possiblyimbiassed @gosherlocked @ebaeschnbliah @sagestreet

[bumblewarden]

omg thanks for the inquisitive tags @heniareth!!! there's a lot a bit to say in response, so i'm going to make a reblog of it if it's no trouble! In order:

#OMG THO WAIT!!! what will happen to alistair in this 'verse???? will he stay behind in the fade?

Alistair was sadly made king in Origins, so he at least is free from that particular fate. It's Stroud (or maybe Loghain, still undecided) who should be sweating

But to entertain the idea of all this also taking place in a worldstate where Alistair remained a Warden: if Alistair were the one then to stay behind in the Fade, Novhen would be so distraught he would probably leave the Inquisition. The Warden business is concluded, and he's not bound to the one who sacrificed his best friend any longer. He gets caught in a weird loop of [blaming Cadash] vs [someone had to stay behind and the Order was responsible for that mess]

I'm just torn between whether it'd be more satisfying to have him leaving be decided in conversation with the Inquisitor or if should just do it and leave it to Leliana to inform her

He holds a vigil for Alistair at Adamant the night they find out, and when they return to Skyhold, there's a funeral

But no, instead, Alistair only appears at the end of In Hushed Whispers, and it wouldn't make any sense for "Renan" to be in Redcliffe then :(

#(will novhen figure out that fiona is his mother?)

He does seek out Fiona at some point to talk to, primarily for reasons related to his quest for a cure. It will have to come up during the course of the interrogation that she became pregnant, and he could probably get enough information out of her to put together that the baby was Alistair

He doesn't want to go behind her back and break the trust of this important ally and resource, but he will be begging her to let him tell Alistair

#ALSO MORRIGAN!!!!!! SHE'S GONNA BE AT SKYHOLD AND HE WILL (presumably) BE THERE TOO!!!!!

And yes!! Morrigan!!! In this scenario, because it's not crucial for him to be at the Winter Palace, Leliana tells him ahead of time that she's there, so he can make an informed decision of whether or not to accompany Inky. He declines, citing her orders to not follow her, and spends the whole time they're gone stuck in his feelings

When the Inquisitor returns with Morrigan in tow, he has a little panic and tries to subtly avoid her for the first few days, but she eventually catches him. Shapeshifters are tricky like that. She then reveals how she had returned to Thedas to reunite with him, but he had already left on his quest by the time she arrived at the Vigil. He finally gets to meet Kieran too, and they all plan to leave together once their business there is concluded

There are a lot of complicated feelings to work through on both sides, but it will be worth the effort for the reward of having their little family together for the first time. Kieran and Novhen especially have little-to-no existing relationship and have limited space for interaction in public, so there's a lot of awkwardness there before they can truly feel like father and son

I think i have another draft where i'll talk about it more where she drags Novhen in behind her when she barges into the war table meetings

Also, he definitely deserves dialogue to reflect whoever drank from the Well of Sorrows. Most of the Inquisitors, it's going to be clear he thinks Morrigan should have been the one to drink from the well, but if speaking to a Lavellan, he'll imply in a very "don't let her know I said this but" way that he believes they deserved the knowledge more

Josephine also makes sure to give them adjoining rooms once they've decided to be a family again

#*WILL HE TRUST SOLAS IS MY QUESTION!!!*#especially given the whole agents of fen'harel and cult of fen'harel deal

He catches on quickly enough that Solas has something to do with the Cult of Fen'Harel, but he would assume he's just another cultist because why would he ever assume the Dread Wolf was here in the flesh?

Because of his Warden cooties, Novhen never became a proper agent, but he's still a cultist and ends up a close associate of the Wolf himself by the end of this

I think he does trust Solas (and once he learns the truth, feels obligated to), but Solas won't initially trust him as he's pretty disfavorable to the Order. That said, Novhen may be able to win him over. He was only forced to join the Grey Wardens after killing a power-abusing noble in defense of his family/the oppressed. He's more reasoned and curious than he expects Wardens to be (#NotLikeOtherWardens), and Solas will probably approve when he realizes Kieran's deal. If he doesn't realize that during the game itself, he does in the post-credits scene

I imagine Solas's relationship with the Tabris family is similar to a man who's been looking after the same family of dogs for generations. He doesn't view them as fully human (elf?), but he has a type of fondness for them that he can be convinced to overlook the Warden thing

Between Inquisition and Trespasser, the two are going to enter into an agreement involving a trade of information. Solas clearly knows more about the Blight and related topics than he says. Novhen keeps a close ear to the current world and is also trying to find a way to fix things without destroying the world. Both have something the other wants

It also sets him up as a parallel to an Inquisitor's choice to redeem Solas except as an ally instead of an adversary

(Also, he's going to be royally fucked if anyone finds out he's working with the Dread Wolf in any capacity)

"Herald, meet Renan. We've been working together for some years now. I reached out to him personally for his skill with codebreaking."

(they r gossiping)

Playing into the HoF at Skyhold AU wherein Novhen Tabris joined the Inquisition sometime before the attack on Haven in disguise as some elf named Renan. He's recently returned back from his own quest, and Leliana is still helping shield him from Cassandra

The Wardens are in a tricky situation at the moment with the false Calling, and the Orlesian branch's aggressions are not making things any easier. Vigil's Keep is tightly restricting communications for their own safety. Joining the Inquisition under a pseudonym gives a way for him to closely monitor both the Breach situation and any updates on the Orlesian Wardens without risking Cass putting him in charge

He’ll be revealing his true identity same time as Hawke shortly after Cadash is made Inquisitor, so Leliana and Varric can have their lies exposed to Cass back-to-back

[kyliafanfiction]

Kantriverse Spotlight: Valeria Morn

The “Kantriverse” is the working title for a setting I made based on some stories some friends and I crafted for a shared world, though significantly altered and expanded on from the initial starting point. It’s a Steampunk-y setting in aesthetic and tech (though the steampunk tech isn’t evenly spread across all aspects yet), but in terms of themes and style, not so much. Magic and other traditional fantasy elements also exist. Starting date for the setting is mid-autumn, 1003 (Quilor Reckoning) (I haven’t worked out the specifics of the months yet, in any solid form)

The main setting is the Kingdom of Kantrias, an economic and industrial powerhouse that is the most powerful realm on the Continent of Bayetz.

Full Name: Valeria Honor Prosperity Charity Morn (She was raised in a Church-run orphanage) Gender and Sexuality: Cisgender; Bisexual Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Ethnicity/Species: Human, Kantrian Birthplace and Birthdate: Early summer, 974 Guilty Pleasures: She's a Royalist - which causes her some issues among her peers, because she's also a mid-ranking officer in the Karelist Inquisition, and the Karelist Church and the Crown have a... complicated history and relationship. The Crown definitely wears the pants, as it were, and has for the last few centuries but the Church chafes at it, and still acts comparatively independently from the Government. Also she's a mostly functioning addict - addicted to Kaltis-Mist, a Kolkyan mild sedative/depressant. She would like to get off of it, but doesn't think she can, both in terms of the withdrawal effects/process and what the drug does for her. Phobias: Losing her Faith, Being ordered to do something unjust, sinning before the Karelist Gods, losing her composure (she may seem unflappable/permanently unfazed, but she's actually really angry a lot of the time, under the surface) What They Would Be Famous For: She has ambitions of rising to the rank of High Inquisitor, or at least one of the three Inquisitor-Generals. She has a lot of reforms she'd like to institute that would certainly mark her for the history books. What They Would Get Arrested For: Nothing, really. She's scrupulous about observing the legal limits of what Inquisitors are allowed to do, though a clever enough prosecutor could possibly get her charged and convicted with 'Inquistorial Brutality', though she doesn't actually step over the legal line of what Inquisitors are allowed to do when arresting/interrogating suspects/heretics/pagans/etc. (The Inquisition has a certain amount of latitude, especially compared to what is ideal by modern standards, though it doesn't go as far as full on torture, as that is not allowed under civil or religious law) OC You Ship Them With: Kyseen Alhaus OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Kyseen Alhaus (again, a messy, complicated relationship and history) Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Valeria's not very interested in fiction. She reads a lot of philosophy, theology and history Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: N/A Talents and/or Powers: She's good with her pistol, highly skilled with her sword, and she's effective, though not top-tier, at the magic all Inquisitors are taught - mostly focused on Warding against Magic, dispelling other magical effects and basically neutralizing magic and magic-users in general. Why Someone Might Love Them: She's unflappable, badass, devout without being an annoying zealot... and beneath it all she's a troubled woman with a messy history who is profoundly angry at the injustices (objective and subjective) in the world. She has a strong moral center that she's quite inflexible but also fair about, though it's a bit off to our ears (less so to her social/cultural context) Why Someone Might Hate Them: Her supreme air of calmness can be very annoying when she just... doesn't react to shit. It comes off as arrogance (and it sort of is, ish) to a certain extent, and same with her serene devoutness among nonbelievers or people of other faiths. She's not at all good at addressing her anger issues, just very good at suppressing them and ignoring them. And she sees no problem (since it is legal for her) with roughing up (to an extent) or threatening to rough up suspects or uncooperative witnesses. How They Change: She learns to address her rage better, she loses some of the arrogance-ish-ness, she very nearly goes over the legal and (for her) moral line when interrogating someone and starts to walk back some on that front Why You Love Them: Partially just her aesthetic and look (which is actually where I started from for the character, and admittedly haven't discussed in this post), but also her badassery, and the way her moral greyness by our standards clashing with her being far less grey in context and in terms of her own code. There's a certain amount of room for Fridge Horror, or at least Fridge 'Wait, What?' with her.

[forthelulzy]

Want and Need

Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition

Rating: T

Warnings: Language

Summary:

“Nothing would happen, not in that way.

Because he wasn’t certain. Irene had never been certain, either.”

Written for @dragonageaspecweek​.

Read on AO3

Irene wanted to strangle that scout.

She knew it was him; it had to have been him. Cullen wouldn’t have told anyone — Maker, the man was nervous enough about having such a conversation without the entirety of Skyhold knowing about it too — and she had better things to do than rave about a relationship that didn’t even exist. Couldn’t exist, not in the conventional sense.

But here they were, these rumors. Dorian smiling just that tiny bit wider, nudging her with his elbow and feigning innocent when she interrogated him. Vivienne raising one perfect eyebrow and wishing her well in so many words, so vaguely that she didn’t even realize it was odd until later. Varric snickering into his glove. Something that they all knew about, or thought they knew about, and she hadn’t the slightest clue what until Blackwall, of all people, came out and said he was happy for her. <em>Happy</em>.</p>

The worst part was that none of it was true. They hadn’t kissed, hadn’t even held hands or stood less than two paces apart. Hearing the extent of the rumors — Blackwall took pity on her when she asked — was mortifying. Cullen had thought about kissing her, this was true enough. She had asked him whether he wanted to, prepared for the inevitable discussion about want and desire.

He admitted he wasn’t certain.

She’d been shocked into a laugh, and that was when the Maker-damned scout showed up. The hurt that had flashed over Cullen’s face at her reaction was channeled into irritation by the time the Commander turned around, and doubtlessly the scout had misinterpreted. Never mind that nothing had happened. Nothing would happen, not in that way.

Because he wasn’t certain. Irene had never been certain, either. Her husband had understood, bless his soul, and was willing to wait however long it took for her love to segue into want. Desire. Maybe someday it would have been easier, but then the Conclave blew and all hope of someday went with it. Her bones still ached. She was even less certain here; she knew there was something with Cullen but whether it was friendship or love or both was beyond her. She wanted to say all these things and more on the battlements, but Cullen had made his excuses before she could, and she, foolish brute, had let him walk away.

She stood outside the Herald’s Rest, listening to the raucous noise rattling the walls from within. There wasn’t anything to celebrate tonight as far as she was aware, except maybe their continued survival, but it certainly sounded like someone — probably the Iron Bull — had dragged out a cask and the majority of Skyhold was getting drunk. The Qunari’s laugh boomed above the others, and she wanted little more than to yank open that door and join them.

“Hey, broody britches! What’re you doing down there in the snow?” Irene recognized Sera’s voice immediately but it took a moment for her to find the rogue in the darkness. She leaned out of the window of her little alcove, waving down at Irene. “Come on in!”

“Can’t, Sera,” she called back, and took one last longing glance at the tavern door.

Sera slapped a hand to her forehead. “Aww, piss. Forgot. Hold on.” She withdrew from sight for a moment, and when she reappeared she was wearing a padded coat for the Skyhold winter. The elf threw the window open wider, and, before Irene could protest, climbed out the window and dropped to the ground. “It’s all good, innit?” She squinted at Irene, frowning. “No? Come on then, I know a better place.”

Sera’s smaller hand tugged her away from the tavern, and she allowed herself to be led. She hadn’t planned on talking to anyone, except perhaps Cullen if she ever found her suddenly-fled courage, but maybe this conversation would get that courage to return, as a run-up to the bigger one. She weighed how much she wanted to reveal — her husband’s loss nearly a year behind, she still ached. It still felt like a betrayal to even think about Cullen, sometimes. He would have wanted her to, but that didn’t make it much easier.

The “better place” turned out to be the loft above the requisitions officer’s quarters, a place Irene hadn’t known was even there. The officer — and Irene couldn’t recall his name, as she had little use for his services — was gone at such a late hour, and the loft was black as pitch. She felt around blindly, finding a covered crate and carefully sitting on it. Sera lit three candles and set them around the little room. “There,” she said with a giggle. “Romantic, right?” She, for her part, leaned against the tiny window and tapped her fingers on her thigh, satisfied grin on her lips. “You can tell Cully-Wully about this place, I don’t mind.” Irene flinched at the reminder, and Sera frowned. “Or not… Look, what’s wrong, ‘cause you’re acting weird.”

Irene huffed out an awkward laugh. It wasn’t funny, but it was better than punching something like her instincts usually demanded. “I don’t even know where to start,” she said, rolling her shoulders in a vain effort to release the tension gathering there.

“Well, start at the start,” Sera retorted.

“I don’t know where that is!” She stopped herself from throwing up her hands, curling them into tight fists instead. Maybe it wasn’t that complicated. “Fine. So, you know I was married before this.” She relaxed her left hand, letting the green glow escape and throw more shadows on the walls, on their faces. “We had a very… well, I suppose popular opinion would call it a strange relationship. I never wanted sex with anyone. Not even the slightest bit. Even him. I loved him, I did, but he just—” She growled and tossed up her hands before burying her face in them. “He never did it for me. Until the night before the Conclave.”

Sera sucked in a breath. “Ouch. And then he died.”

Somehow the rogue always knew what was up, before she realized what she was trying to say herself. She peeked through her fingers, slowly lifted her head. “Yes. Then he died. I haven’t wanted anyone after. Maker, I don’t know if I even want Cullen like that. I don’t know if I actually love him or I just feel like I could love him, either.” She slumped over again, mumbling into her hands, “I’m broken, Sera.”

“Shit. No, you’re not.” The vehemence, the conviction in Sera’s voice was startling, but then the rogue was right next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulders and shaking her gently. “You’re just got different needs than the rest of us, is all. Doesn’t everybody? Like me. I need ladybits. Dorian needs lordbits. Bull’ll take anybits. You? Maybe you don’t need bits most of the time, and only certain bits the rest of the time. Doesn’t mean you’re broken. Just— choosy? Something like that…” She trailed off, suddenly sounding very unsure.

Irene rolled her shoulders back again, the muscles at her collarbone twinging with the movement. Sera’s shaking loosened some of the knots, at least. “Thanks, Sera,” she said quietly. “I don’t know how to talk to Cullen, though. He kept looking at my mouth, on the battlements, and I asked him whether he wanted to kiss me. I wasn’t adverse to the idea. He said he wasn’t sure. And I thought, ‘What are the chances there’s someone else like me, and we happened to find each other?’ I laughed at how absurd that was. I think… I think he took it the wrong way. That I laughed at him.” Guilt settled in her, a sour taste in her mouth every time she swallowed. She fucked everything up. A veritable charging druffalo on the streets of Val Royeaux, she was.

“I dunno if he’s like you or not, but he likes you anyway. Gets all starry-eyed when your back is turned. It’s kinda cute. I think that’ll stay unless you don’t explain yourself. If you let him think you laughed at him too long, it’ll get in and you’ll never get it out. So go talk to him, yeah?” Sera shook her again, a bit harder this time, and Irene very nearly moaned as another knot unwound.

“Yeah,” she breathed. “Yeah, I need to fix it.” She stood up and started for the ladder.

The rogue blinked. “What, right now? It’s the middle of the night! Won’t he be—”

Irene paused on the top rung. It had disturbed her, when she realized just how little sleep her Commander was running on, but she knew he got even less when he was anxious. All the more reason to fix it. “He’ll be awake, Sera. He always is.”

“Yeah but—”

She heard Sera sigh from above her head; she was already down the ladder and across the floor. “Thanks Sera! You’re a good friend,” she called as she yanked the door open and let a gust of snow-swirling wind inside. She didn’t mind. Made as she was for warmer climes, her blood thrummed with giddy anticipation and the cold couldn’t affect her in such a mood.

“You’re frigging right,” Sera yelled back, just before Irene slammed the door shut behind her.

I hc Cullen as demisexual/heteroromantic. My Inquisitor Irene is demisexual/demiromantic. I myself am elsewhere on the ace spectrum, so please do let me know if I made any glaring or not-so-glaring errors.

You may be thinking there’s a greater story here, and hoo boy there is. I haven’t finished it yet, though, and Dragon Age Aspec Week inspired me to write this out of order. So it may be retconned later, as I am wont to do. Suffice to say, Irene is a warrior Trevelyan who has on more than one occasion been likened to a charging druffalo. Mostly by other people, though she does have the self-awareness to point it out herself.

[bedlamsbard]

A batch of scenes from the runaway AU -- I wrote these over a week ago, but knew I was going to post Backbone 24 before I went to Orlando and didn’t want to post these either right before or right after that.  I’ve got one more scene from that AU written, but I’m going to sit on that for a bit and see if anything else from that ‘verse shakes out, since it’s chronologically separate from these scenes.  Also, as @syphrosine and I figured out when we were talking about this on Sunday, I really gotta stop nicknaming concept AUs names that start with “R”; I’ve got three and I can’t tell them apart.

Previous scenes.  (As well as the AU of the AU, where they get caught.)

About 2.7K below the break.

Roberto Beneke arrived in Colonel Yularen’s office still blinking sleep from his eyes, but fortunately he had been in his rooms in the Imperial Complex rather than his apartment in the city, and it took him less than ten minutes to get from his bed to the ISB building.

He was expecting Yularen and maybe Ailsa Palak, the director of the ISB, maybe even some of the other Nemesis handlers.  As a result, it was a surprise to open the door and find an Inquisitor standing there.

The Pau’an was being regarded warily by Colonel Yularen, possibly because of the scorch marks and dried blood on its armor, though more likely it had to do with the air of menace it wore like a cloak.  It was strong enough that Roberto faltered for a moment, then he reminded himself that he wasn’t going to be frightened by some attack dog of the Emperor’s that was hardly capable of thinking for itself.

“Colonel Yularen,” he said. “You sent for me?”

“I apologize for the hour,” Yularen said.  “Unfortunately, this concerns your protégé.”

“Hera Syndulla?” Roberto couldn’t help glancing around the room again, as though Hera might have been hiding behind Colonel Yularen’s desk.

Yularen nodded. “Were you aware that she’s been carrying on a relationship with a civilian boy outside the Imperial Complex for some time now?”

“That’s hardly against regulations,” Roberto said, though in truth this was news to him.  And just because it wasn’t against regs didn’t mean it was acceptable behavior.  Frowning, he said, “I assume that this mysterious being has something to do with the presence of the Inquisitor here.”

He blinked at the sudden pressure of the Pau’an’s attention, taking an involuntary step back.

“Indeed it does,” the Inquisitor said. “If you were not aware of Cadet Syndulla’s affair, then you were not aware that her paramour is a Jedi Padawan.”

Roberto blinked again. “The Jedi are all dead.”

“A few escaped the Emperor’s justice.  Most have since been destroyed.”

“Not including this boy, I suppose?” Roberto said.  That had to be the reason that there was an Inquisitor here in the middle of the night, when the rest of the Imperial Complex was sleeping.  It was generally considered a courtesy for one branch of the service to inform whoever was in charge of the local base when they were operating in the same system.  If they wanted to use local support – and as far as Roberto knew, the Inquisition had no stormtroopers assigned to its use – then it was required.

The Inquisitor’s lip curled slightly, revealing sharp teeth.

His tone neutral, Colonel Yularen said, “An hour ago, the Inquisitor took a squadron to ambush the boy Jarrus during his rendezvous with Cadet Syndulla.  Both Syndulla and Jarrus escaped, though apparently not without injury.” He shot a sharp look at the Inquisitor, who regarded him grimly in return.

Roberto blinked. “Escaped.”

“There are stormtroopers searching the streets for them now,” Yularen went on.  “Jarrus was badly injured and would not have been able to go far. Syndulla must have found somewhere to go to ground.”  He looked at Roberto, his eyes narrowing.  “I was under the impression that the girl had given had given up any knowledge of her father’s offworld contacts.”

“Hera Syndulla knows nothing about her father’s organization,” Roberto said.  “She was interrogated at length on the subject on numerous occasions.”  He regarded Yularen grimly.  “You think she lied?”

“I think we have to consider the possibility.  It’s no secret that there are rebel sympathizers on Naboo.  If Syndulla has some way of getting in contact with them, then we may have lost both her and the Jarrus boy.”  Yularen’s expression was grim.  “Cadet Syndulla is of considerable value to the Empire.  Assuming she’s gone to ground somewhere in Theed, it may still be possible to salvage this.”

“How do you intend to do that, sir?” Roberto said.

Yularen shot a glare at the Inquisitor.  “The ISB had no knowledge of this operation until about five minutes before I called you in.”

Roberto shook his head. “Syndulla will never believe that.” He couldn’t help glaring at the Inquisitor himself; years spent gaining the girl’s trust, making her really believe in the Empire, and after all that the Inquisition had destroyed it in less than an hour.

“I’m certain that you are capable of convincing her,” Colonel Yularen said. “Once you find her, assuming that she hasn’t left the planet already.”  His mouth tightened.  “And you had better find her, Roberto.”

“Yes, sir,” Roberto said, wondering how in blazes he was supposed to do that.  He had been keeping an eye on Hera, of course, and had known that she had been leaving the Imperial Complex since her code cylinder had registered on the door sensors, but hadn’t had any idea that she had been going any further than the market or the tapcafs near the Complex.  If she had managed to slip her leash to run around Theed with this Jedi boy for some months now, then she could have found any number of places to hole up in.

“I will accompany you,” said the Inquisitor.

Roberto frowned. “That will not be –”

“The Jedi belongs to me.” The Pau’an’s tone brooked no argument.

Roberto glanced at Yularen, hoping for backup, but Yularen’s expression said that they couldn’t fight the Inquisition, not when it came to a Jedi.

“Very well,” Roberto said.

*

Hera and Alecto were both curled up asleep on Alecto’s bed when Cham slipped away, pausing to look back at them.  He hadn’t wanted to give up hope that he would ever see Hera again, but it had been four years.  There hadn’t even been a whisper of her anywhere in the galaxy, and Cham had begun to fear –

It didn’t matter anymore. Hera was here, away from the Empire and safe.

Cham took a last look at his wife and daughter, then touched the control for the door and stepped out into the corridor.  At this hour, the already half-empty Forlorn Hope was practically deserted; Cham didn’t see anyone else in the hallways as he made his way down to the medbay.

Themarsa and Ooleya were waiting for him, both of them looking tired.  “The kid’s in a bacta tank,” Themarsa said before Cham could ask. “We’ll take him out in the morning.”

“He’ll be all right?”

Themarsa nodded. “Whoever hurt him wasn’t trying to do any permanent damage, though the arm could have been bad if we hadn’t gotten to him when we did.  I had to rebreak it,” he added, grimacing.  “From what I’ve read, Force-users heal very quickly; the bone had already started to knit.  But it should heal without any complications now.”

“Did he wake up?”

Themarsa shook his head. “But he’s on a lot of drugs right now,” he added helpfully.

Cham turned towards Ooleya, who had been the one to give Hera her medical checkup.

“She’s fine,” Ooleya said immediately.  “There’s nothing wrong with her except for a few bruises.  She wasn’t beaten, she wasn’t tortured, she wasn’t injured in any way. There’s also no evidence of old injuries from when she was captured; she told me that she wasn’t mistreated when she was in prison.”

“Except for being in prison, of course,” Themarsa pointed out.

“Except for that.” Ooleya took a sip of the caf she was holding.  “Otherwise she’s in perfect health.”

“What about –” Cham hesitated, not entirely sure how to ask the question.

“She’s not pregnant,” Ooleya said, which made Cham blink at her; it wasn’t a possibility he had even thought to consider. “And she says she wasn’t raped.”

Cham nodded, relieved to hear it; he knew only too well what often happened to pretty Twi’lek girls under the Empire.  “What about trackers, anything like that?”

“Nothing,” Themarsa said. “They’re both clean.”

“Good.”  Cham ran a hand over his face, the exhaustion of the day’s events finally beginning to catch up with him.  “Then I’m going back to my family for the night.  Let me know if anything changes with the boy.  And get some rest yourself, Them.”

His cousin nodded.  He clasped a hand on Cham’s shoulder briefly, then drew him into a rough hug.  “Today was a good day, Cham,” he said softly. “A good day.”

“I won’t argue that.” Cham gripped his shoulder in return, then nodded to Ooleya, who smiled back.

He left the two doctors in the medbay and returned to the Residency, his footsteps echoing hollowly in the empty hallways.  Cham hesitated outside his own door, then went a little further down the corridor to Alecto’s, slipping inside as quietly as he could.  The lights were off, but he could see Hera still curled up on the bed, Alecto sitting up beside her and looking down at her with startled delight. She glanced up as Cham came in.

Without prompting, she straightened up and went into the stateroom’s other room, which was supposed to be the bedroom but which Alecto used as a workroom.  Cham followed her inside, drawing the curtain back over the door for a little privacy.

“Well?” she said softly.

“Ooleya says that Hera is fine,” he replied, keeping his voice low.  “She hasn’t been beaten, tortured, or otherwise mistreated, except for what happened last night.”

“What about when she was in prison?”

Cham shook his head. “Whatever happened there didn’t leave marks.  Ooleya says that Hera told her that she wasn’t hurt, but there’s no way to verify that because it was four years ago.”

“I trust Hera,” Alecto said slowly. “What about her friend?”

“He’s still in a bacta tank, but Themarsa says he’ll recover.”  Cham rubbed a hand over his face, trying to think if there was anything else he had to do or say.

Alecto put a hand on his arm. “Come back to bed, Cham,” she said.  “Our child’s here.  Anything else can wait until morning.”

*

Hera saw Kanan through the window of his room in the medbay, sitting on the side of the hospital bed and talking to Themarsa.  Bacta had faded his fresh bruises to greenish yellow, but his broken arm was splinted and strapped to his chest.  He still looked as though he had been beaten within an inch of his life, but as if it had happened a week ago instead of yesterday.

He’s all right, Hera thought, a little stunned; she hadn’t really expected him to be, not after all those hours he had spent unconscious in her lap yesterday.  But except for the arm, she had seen him looking worse after cantina brawls or the pit fights he occasionally fought in when he needed the money.

Her hands were shaking a little as she reached for the door control.  Kanan and Themarsa both looked up as the door slid open, then Kanan got to his feet as Hera flung herself inside.  He caught her one-handed as Hera threw her arms around his neck, though she was careful to avoid his bad arm.

He kissed her warmly, then drew back enough to murmur, “Hey.”

“Hey yourself.”  Hera kissed him again.  “How are you?  Are you – are you going to be all right?”

“I’m fine.  Better than fine.”  He glanced over her head, then shifted so that he could draw her against his side.  “General Syndulla.  I understand I have you to thank for the fact I’m still alive, sir.”

Cham came forward with Alecto just behind him.  “My daughter tells me you saved her life, master Jedi.”

Kanan flinched a little. “I’m not a master.”  He looked down at Hera, his expression nearly shy, and added, “She wouldn’t even have been in danger if it wasn’t for me.”

“I’d still be in the Academy if it wasn’t for you,” Hera pointed out. “Hating everyone there.” She took a deep breath, then added belatedly, “Kanan, these are my parents, Cham and Alecto Syndulla.  Mama, Daddy – this is Kanan Jarrus.”

“Sir,” Kanan said, sounding wary. “Ma’am.”

Hera tucked her hand into his.  It was obvious that Kanan was at least a little frightened, for which Hera couldn’t blame him after what had happened yesterday.  But she had never seen him afraid before, and she didn’t like seeing it now.

Her mother smiled encouragingly at them both.  “We can speak later,” she said.  “Thank you for helping bring my daughter home.”

“It was all Hera,” Kanan said. “I didn’t do anything.”

Hera nudged him. “You were there.”

Alecto caught Cham’s hand and drew him towards the door as Themarsa followed them. “We’ll come back,” she said.

The door shut behind them. Hera turned to hug Kanan again, then to kiss him, more slowly and carefully this time than she had before. They sat down on the bed, Hera looping her arms around Kanan’s neck for another kiss.

“I don’t think I’ve said thank you yet,” Kanan said eventually. “For getting me – for getting us both – away from him.”

Hera kissed him again. “You’re welcome, love.”  She hesitated, then asked, “Do you – remember what happened?  You hit your head pretty badly.”

“I remember.”  He went quiet, his gaze unfocused.

Hera swallowed. “He – hurt you.”

Kanan looked down at his splinted arm and said, “Yeah, I know.”

“Did he want something from you?” Hera had to ask. “Or did he just – did he just want to hurt you? Because you’re a –”  Kanan’s lightsaber and the holocron he had grabbed when the detonator had gone off were sitting on the table by the bed, and she couldn’t help looking at them.  It was easier getting her head around it than she had thought it would be, but she had had a long time to think about it in the long dark hours of the night.

He hesitated before answering. “He wanted to hurt me.  But he wanted – he wanted something else too.”

“What?”  When he didn’t respond, she added, “Kanan, my family is here. If he’s going to come after you –”

Her father had been running from the Empire for a long time, but an Inquisitor was something else entirely.

“Me.”  Kanan’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

“I don’t understand,” Hera said after a moment. “He wanted to kill you?  Because you’re a Jedi?”

He shook his head. “He would have if he had to – I wasn’t the first that he’d found – but he wanted an…apprentice.”

Hera almost said, Would that have been so bad?  He wouldn’t have had to hurt you then, but she saw the horror on Kanan’s face.  If the Inquisitor would hurt Kanan in the field – and he had, far beyond what would have been necessary to take him prisoner – then he would have done so in private as well.

Just because it had happened to Hera didn’t mean it should have happened to Kanan as well.

“That’s why he didn’t kill me,” Kanan said quietly. “He could have if he had wanted to; I’m out of practice and he’s better than me anyway.  But he wanted me alive.”

Hera hugged him again, turning her face against the curve of his shoulder. “Are you angry I brought you here?” she asked. “I didn’t know what to do – I didn’t know what else I could do.”

“I’d be dead right now if you hadn’t.  Or worse.” He drew back enough to look at her, his gaze serious.  “I know how much it cost you to come to your family.”

Hera shrugged, uneasy. “I thought…there were some things I thought about my parents, but they’re not true.  My mother – Agent Beneke lied to me.  I found that out.”

It hurt to think about, because she had thought that Agent Beneke would never lie to her.  She had been so certain of that.

“I’m sorry,” Kanan said gently.

Hera plucked at the knee of her trousers.  “Maybe it’s a good thing, since I’m here now and not there.  I just…I spent four years thinking my mother had left me behind. And she didn’t.  She wasn’t even on the same planet.”  She bit her lip.  “I’ve wanted my mother so much for so long, but I thought she didn’t want me anymore.”

Kanan drew her against him, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“She didn’t leave me,” Hera whispered.  “My mother didn’t leave me.”