Chapter Text
Eli and Pryce made their way to her front door in silence, neither one even looking at each other. They had nothing to discuss, not after their respective failings in Thrawn’s eyes and the incident at the gallery.
Eli waited patiently for Pryce to bid him goodnight, and he would her, and then she would slip through the door. Hopefully he would still have time to make it to Lord Kallus's house and see if the man was there and if not, perhaps he could investigate this mysterious Fulcrum Inn somewhat. He was sure he could convince that whimsical little butler of his to give him a location.
However, when Pryce went to turn the door handle, it didn't budge, not even when she tried again and pushed harder and with some force. Eli was shocked that her door would be locked to say the least, but she didn't appear phased at all.
“I had a fear this would happen.” Pryce sighed and snapped open the small purse that had been hanging around her wrist and pulled out a key. Eli looked around in case anyone could somehow see them, he knew it was ridiculous, but if Pryce was known to be carrying a key to her own front door it would stink of poverty and no doubt cause scandal.
“Good god, why do you have that?” He hissed, unable to hide the shock from his voice. “I don't understand, why on earth would your servants lock the door. Why aren’t they here to greet you?!”
“Because they are not here at all.” Pryce said bluntly, turning the key in the lock and opening the door to a surprisingly cold and dark house, no signs of life anywhere. Eli’s immediate thought was to reach for the nearest candlestick and light the way, but when he looked to the table by the door, he was shocked to find it empty.
“How are you supposed to do anything, where are the candlesticks?” He asked, blinking at the strangely bare hallway in confusion.
“Probably in my maid's bag by now.” Pryce shrugged and to say she was talking about being robbed by her staff, she seemed rather disinterested by it. Finally, she sighed one last exasperated sigh and turned to face Eli as she explained. “You see, I have neglected to pay my staff recently. I suspected they would leave but I have to say, stealing the candlesticks is really quite vulgar.”
“My god, are you ok? How much do you think they stole?” Eli asked, stunned by how calm she was in the face of such loss. She merely smiled a sad smile and shrugged.
“Don't worry, anything of value was sold months ago.” Pryce scoffed. Eli chewed his lip as he watched her speak and his mind buzzed with all the questions, he knew it would be very improper to ask.
“Lady Arihnda, just how dire is your financial situation?” Eli dared to wonder out loud and if Pryce chose to refuse to answer or more likely gave him a sharp slap for asking such a question, he would accept it and make his way home. Only she didn't do that, she just shrugged once more and said,
“You tell me, you’re the numbers man after all. Come, I want you to look over these figures and give me your input.” Pryce ordered him and then she headed off, sauntering down her unlit corridor and beckoning him to follow. “You can use my dining room while I count what's left of my silverware.”
Hera had never seen Zeb so rattled before. She had seen him frustrated and annoyed of course and she knew he was not above losing his temper when pushed to his limits, but this was something different. This wasn't like when he got into words down at the local public house or when Lord Kallus rubbed him up the wrong way and they challenged each other to a duel. This was a deep hurt anger that you could hear in his voice and see in his eyes and although Hera wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and calm him down with a cup of warm tea, she knew he needed to get this off his chest.
“What in the hell were you thinking!” Zeb cried, his arms flailing as he spoke and spit flinging from his lips as he failed to contain his anger. Really, he should not be speaking to Sabine like this and if anyone from the gantry were to find out about the way he spoke to her, he would be punished.
But Hera didn’t run her house with the same rules that the other families did and here everyone was able to speak freely, regardless of title or rank. And so, when Zeb had been so furious with Sabine and her actions that he had to let his emotions out, Hera had decided it was his right to express that and she waited patiently for him to finish.
“Do you have any idea the damage you did! The damage you could have done! It’s a miracle no one was seriously injured!” Zeb said, panting heavily and Hera could see the pulse throbbing in his temple as he spoke. Not quite shouting, but his voice was steadily getting louder and louder.
“It was just supposed to be a silly practical joke.” Ezra mumbled, and he was practically curled up on himself in his seat. Next to him Sabine was faring much better, and she kept her head high as Zeb lectured her. Hera could not tell if she was disappointed in her daughter's insolence or impressed by her defiance.
On the sofa across from them Kanan sat as far away as he could from the large and always well stocked drinks cabinet in the room. That was always a clear sign of how badly he wanted a drink and although Hera had many issues with his behaviour today, she could at least be proud of his restraint. Even if it did pain her to see the way he rubbed his temples with his fingertips and bounced his leg nervously on the floor.
“In what world is bringing a wall down on someone a practical joke!” Zeb argued, foaming at the mouth as he spoke.
“We didn’t mean for that to happen I swear!” Ezra explained, becoming more and more exasperated and Zeb only got more and more annoyed as the wretched conversation was going in circles. “It was an accident.”
“You accidentally mixed gunpowder into the paint and smeared it on the wall and somehow you accidentally detonated it too?” Zeb sighed. As he waited for their response, he drifted over to where Hera was stood by the cabinet, a drink in her hand and an open bottle beside her.
Zeb poured himself another brandy, fast and messily, pouring a much bigger glass that was typically poured, but Hera was not in any mood to point out his faux paus, really, they were nothing compared to what had transpired today.
“It wasn’t supposed to be smeared on the wall; it was supposed to be on canvas.” Ezra said through gritted teeth. His frustrations were clearly directed to Sabine but once again, she didn't react. She didn't even flinch. “We practised on canvas. It was just supposed to go up in flames and then go out quickly, gone in a puff of smoke. Like a magic trick.”
“Is this true?” Hera asked, speaking directly to Sabine. Ezra was well meaning, if not a little wild and boisterous, but Sabine was the real mastermind behind this plot and Hera wouldn't believe anything until she heard it from the artists mouth.
“Yes, we practiced on canvas, and it works, I mean, none of you even realised and the house didn't burn down.” Ezra explained and for whatever reason, Hera believed him. His voice was too desperate and earnest to be lying and from the guilty look Sabine was starting to sport, Hera got the feeling Ezra had very little to do with this at all. “If Sabine hadn't painted it on the wall-”
“I didn't think it would bring the wall down. It’s not my fault the Empire built a shoddy building.” Sabine huffed, folding her arms and holding her head high. “And anyway, I'm glad the wall came down. It was much more effective and I am tired of dampening my rebellion to sate society. I want to destroy things and I want-”
“Your passion for speaking your mind is wonderful, but people could have been hurt.” Hera tried to point out, but clearly it was falling on deaf ears.
“Yes, but no one was.” Sabine stressed.
“Yes, they were.” Zeb said darkly from where he was leaning on the drinks cabinet and pouring himself another.
“No, they weren’t.” Sabine argued through gritted teeth. “Yes, people were a little shaken up and fraught, but no one was killed, and no one was injured. It was victimless crime.”
“No one was physically injured no, but that doesn't mean there weren't victims.” Zeb sneered, and Hera could tell things were going to get unpleasant if she didn't step in. She looked over to Kanan, praying he would know what to do to find peace in this most difficult situation. Yet, he was still staring straight ahead, lost to them all and it was clear had had not been paying attention.
“Is this about Lord Kallus and his weird reaction to loud noises? He's a freak, end of story.” Ezra groaned, flopping back on the sofa like a rag doll.
It would seem he had decided that his lecture was over and now he was no longer in trouble, he could relax once more and return to his usual flippant self. Zeb, however, was not willing to let this go and Hera could see the way he was gripping his glass so tight, his knuckles were turning white.
“Do not talk about things you know nothing about Ezra, you’ll only make a fool of yourself.” Zeb hissed, his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed on the boy like he was about throttle him. “You have no idea what war does to a man, the things he’s seen. We don't have to agree with why he was fighting, but we can all agree war is hell on earth.”
“Ok ok, calm down, I won't make fun of precious Lord Kallus.” Ezra said with more sarcasm than was good for him. Hera wasn't sure if he was deliberately trying to antagonise Zeb or if he was just somehow unaware of how his words were affecting the other man and he didn’t help himself when he said, “Why do you care so much about him anyway?”
“Easy.” Sabine said with a smug grin, leaning back on the sofa as though she were some rich royal addressing her subjects. “He is in love with him.”
“Sabine. Don’t joke about such things” Hera gasped in shock; surprised Sabine would dare to say such a thing out loud. She knew they were just in their own home but the penalty for saying such a thing was so severe that Hera found herself looking around just in case.
“Only it’s not a joke, nor should it be treated like one, or like some dirty secret. Zeb is in love with Lord Kallus and as much as he tries to deny it and cover it up with pointless duels and arguments, he can’t deny the fact that he has a care and respect for the man that he wished he didn't.” Sabine declared and Zeb's bravado was suddenly gone, and to poor man sunk down on the sofa next to Kanan, defeated.
“It’s not like that...I just, there’s just something about him and...” Zeb muttered, but his voice was distant and slurred and Hera decided she would be best to step in before the man said something that would incriminate him.
“Alright, we’ve had quite enough of this now.” Hera tried, but Sabine was not finished. It was like something had started to flicker and burn inside her and Hera didn't know who or what had sparked this rebellion in her, but she feared it was far past the point of no return.
“And you are in love Kanan. And he with you?” Sabine said, saying it like it was a question when really, it was a powerful statement. At least her words were the thing that finally snapped Kanan out of whatever trance he had been in, and he came back to the room with a sudden nervous jolt as his face fell at Sabines accusation.
“It's true isn't it, everyone in this stupid city is in love with people they shouldn’t be, and all because stupid society says it isn’t allowed? You are in love Kanan and Zeb is in love with Lord Kallus and I...I am truly sick of watching the wretched rules of so-called polite society tear people apart.” Sabine said, and her voice was sullied with a certain sadness. "All I want is for the walls of this society to be torn down and if I have to tear down physical walls to that, then so be it.”
Hera knew she should defend herself, say that she and Kanan were merely close friends. Sabine likely didn't know for sure, and she was probably testing the waters to see if her suspicions were true or not. There was nothing Hera could say that would not give herself away, not with the way she could feel her cheeks turn red and she saw Kanan's doing the same.
So, she didn't defend herself, but she didn't do anything she could be proud of either. She had never really thought about what she would do when confronted and so she acted like a coward and said,
“Right, I think that's enough excitement for one day. Children, to bed”
“Seriously? You are sending us to bed like school children? I have to walk around with a dance card around my neck and listen to endless men propose to me and yet you send me to bed like a child?” Sabien scoffed and she made some very good points, unfortunately for her, Hera had more important things to worry about and she made a silent promise to make it up to Sabine at some point.
“Yes I do. We are all exhausted and far too fatigued for such a serious conversation. We shall continue this lively debate over breakfast, once we have cooled down and got a good nights sleep. Understood.” Hera said firmly.
“I’ll hold you to that.” Sabine said, but she at least conceded to Hera’s demands and bowed her head to bid her goodnight before leaving the room in a manner that was not quite a stomp, but still louder than once should leave a room.
“I am to be punished I assume.” Ezra sighed and he heaved himself off the sofa and started to trudge towards the door.
“Severely.” Hera agreed but he still gave her his usual goodnight hug and she hugged him back just a little bit tighter than she normally would. He felt so small in her arms and as much as men liked to go on and on about how Ezra should be looking at further education or a military career by now, he was still just a little boy to her.
“You too Zeb.” Hera said bluntly after Ezra had trundled off to bed and Zeb had relaxed on the sofa, acting like he had won a fight that he hadn’t even been big enough to start.
“What? You can't be serious?” Zeb scoffed, sitting up in anger and pouting at her. “You can't treat me like a child!”
“Then stop acting like one.” She demanded. She didn't hold back with him, whereas she had been delicate and careful with the children, Zeb was a different story and she saw no reason to hold back on one of her oldest and most disobedient of friends. “If you are going to sneak around with Lord Kallus doing god knows what-”
“Hera really? I am not in love with him no matter what Sabine says. I just think this silly feud of ours has been going on for far too long. I’m tired of fighting and honestly, I think you will agree with me when I say he would be a much better ally than an enemy” Zeb tried to explain. “Do not compare my attempts at making a useful connection for the fight to Sabine’s clumsy attempts to start a war. She brought a wall down on top of us!”
“A wall you should not have been anywhere near in a room you should not have been alone with Lord Kallus in.”
“This is outrageous! You must believe me when I say Lord Kallus I were in that room completely by aci-”
“Accident?” Hera finished for him, and it gave her no pleasure to see his cheeks turn bright red at the word. “That word had been thrown around quite enough today. Now, if you don't mind, half of London has just shunned us and taken back their invitations for all kind of ball and party so I need to figure out how to get back in their favour and you can help me by going to bed. Understood.”
“Yes duchess.” Zeb huffed acting like one of the teenagers he claimed to be nothing like. He downed his drink with one angry swig and placed his glass down on the table. Not quite slamming it, but not being gentle either and he slunk off to bed with a wordless shrug.
“Well today has been quite eventful to say the least.” Kanan said when he felt Hera sink down into the seat next to him and his tension melted away, leaning on her slightly as he sighed happily, drinking in her warmth. “I assume there will be severe punishments all round.”
“There should be, but no, I will not be punishing any of them.” Hera sighed and she let herself relax a little too. “How could I? Sabine is angry at the world and trying to find a way to channel it. As much as he denies it Zeb is in love with someone he shouldn't be, and I am not enough of a hypocrite to hold that against him. And as for Ezra....well I dread to think what would have happened if he had not lit that fuse when he did..”
Finally, the fear she had been holding at bay all evening washed over her, and she felt herself sink into it. It pulled her down and felt like two strong hands were pushing down on her shoulders, holding her under until she couldn't breathe. All she could do was give in to the fear that awaited her.
“My love whatever is wrong.” Kanan asked, but his voice was laden with the same panic Hera felt in her chest and she was sure he knew more than he was saying.
“Oh Kanan. Those strangers, the ones that wear all black and seem to follow us like a dark cloud, they were there at the gallery. You sensed them I know you did.” Hera said, and she could not help the accusing tone her voice had. Kanan seemed to have given up on trying to obscure his thoughts, and he nodded sadly. “Only it was not you they were seeking this time. It was Ezra, I'm sure of it. I know they have watched us before, but this was different. They moved like a cat stalking its prey, and they had such terrifying weapons and shackles like I had never seen before.”
“Then, then it is worse than I feared.” Kanan said, his voice fraught with panic and grip tight on Hera’s arm. The touch had meant to be reassuring at one point, but it soon become a tight hold as Kanan held on to her for dear life. “Tell me, are the curtains closed?”
“Yes.” Hera said, and her heart was beating so fast that her chemise throbbed with every beat.
“Good. And it is to stay like that. We cannot risk them spying and learning any more about our family, although I fear it is already too late and the damage is done. And if it is too late then...” Kanan trailed off, his voice laden with sadness and his tight grip finally released Hera as his hand slumped to his side.
“I will tell AP to keep the curtains drawn until further notice, if asked we shall say it is some creative and unusual punishment for the children. But if I am to do this, to give strange orders to my servants and lie to my peers, I will need you to tell me why.” Hera begged him. She stood up from her seat beside him, if he could get an arm around her he would surely cuddle and sooth her into submission and she could easily forget why she was begging for answers.
Instead, she stood before him, with her back straight to try and remind her that she was a duchess, a lady of the house and she had no reason to feel fear or worry. She wanted nothing more than to let herself get lost in Kanan’s soft soothing embrace and forget her feelings with the touch of his plush perfect lips, but she could not ignore this any longer. She needed to know what was going on, and she wouldn't allow herself to be distracted anymore.
“I know why they are following me, why they are targeting me, and I thought I could evade them. But if they are stalking Ezra instead, then they must think he is my apprentice and I his master.” Kanan explained, although explaining was a rather generous term and Hera failed to see why this would cause such panic.
“But you are his master, you are are his teacher, are you not. If they have peered over the garden wall and seen you teaching the boy fencing or seen you tutor him in his writing and arithmetic, that does not explain why they would tar him with whatever brush they see fit to tar you with. That is merely the behaviour of a father who cares for his son?”
“Usually yes. Only I am no normal father and they may suspect Ezra is no normal son. They are intrigued not by my teaching of writing and arithmetic, but of something much more dangerous.” Kanan said, and his words were becoming more twisted and cryptic as he spoke. “My love please sit with me”
“No, Kanan I will not be seduced into forgetting-”
“Nor would I expect you to.” Kanan was quick to say, and he stood to stand with her in the middle of the room. The candles had burned so low, and they were burning a bright orange now and the room was not so much lit by them, but instead had taken on a soft warm glow. Kanan took her hand gently and slowly led her back to the low couch where they had been sitting.
“I only wish for you to be comfortable as I speak to you. It is time I told you everything. About my past, about the inquisitors that lurk around every corner, but most importantly, I think it’s only right I tell you...about the Jedi.”
Faro knew not what she would see when she opened the door to Thrawn’s study. All she knew was that Ruhk and the servants were avoiding him like he was some deadly contagion and Eli had yet to return from escorting Pryce home. She knew Thrawn was upset or hurting in some way, she just dint know quite why.
Much like how she felt oddly hurt and upset, even though she couldn't be sure what it was that had her feeling so melancholy.
She knocked on the door but didn't wait for her master to tell her to enter. She entered by her own volition, certain that there would be no consequences but ready and willing to face them should they arise.
Thrawn was stood in front of the fireplace, hands behind his back and his spine sturdy and straight as he studied the painting above the mantel. An ugly thing in Faro’s opinion. It was one of those strange scientific drawings of birds, and birds that were not even native to this part of the world. Faro always assumed they must be creatures from his homeland. They were drawn with beautiful, exquisite detail and the stunning watercolours were pleasing to the eye, but the ugly cross sections of the bird's anatomy and scrawled handwriting underneath made the painting so ugly and unrefined in Faro’s mind.
But, perhaps that is why Thrawn liked it so much. It was artistic and beautiful and showed a tremendous display of skill, but it was so analytical and poised with its scientific details and insightful annotations, much like how Thrawn did not own a piece of art that was not well made, but also had a rich backstory.
Thrawn’s face lit up as she entered room before he returned to his usual stern-faced self. It was only brief, and to say he lit up was really an exaggeration on Faro’s part. It was really more a case of the usual hard frown and displeasure leaving Thrawn‘s face for a second before falling back to normal.
“Lady Karyn, I was not expecting you.” Thrawn said, and because he knew that she could sense the slight shift in his posture and actions he explained. “I thought you were Mr Vanto for a moment.”
Faro smiled, and she pretended not to feel the sting that came with such words. She knew that Thrawn would always prefer Eli over her, and she knew that no matter how hard she tried to be the perfect ward she would always be second best in Thrawn’s eyes.
“I believe Mr Vanto has yet to return from escorting Lady Arhinda home.” Faro explained, feeling awkward and clunky as she stood in the room.
“I see.” Thrawn hummed, his lips thinning into an unimpressed line. It was the face he made when he was frustrated or annoyed, but after seeing him so angry and downright furious earlier today, Faro found it a rather welcome sight.
“Do you worry for him sir?” Faro asked, for no other reason than to fill the awkward quiet of the room.
“No, but I worry that whatever it is that is taking him so long can only be bad news. Then again, when do we ever get anything close to good news.” Thrawn sighed, shaking his head at the painting in front of him. Then, Faro saw something in his eyes, but she really couldn't be sure.
His eyes seemed to glow bright in the reflection of the fire and the skin under his eyes was puffy and red. If Faro didn't know any better, she could have been sure Thrawn had been crying, but the idea that he was capable of feeling so much was almost impossible for her to fathom.
“The painting? Lady Sabine Wren?” Thrawn said, asking a question without even asking and Faro felt her heart drop.
“She spoke of it never. I promise you sir. I was aware she was painting something for the museum but she never spoke of any details.” Faro said, speaking fast and worrying he would not believe her. “You know I would have told you if she had said sir.”
Faro knew her job. Thrawn had let her have a friend and there was of course an unsaid agreement that she would feed back with any signs of rebellion she witnessed at the house. And Faro was sure she would tell Thrawn should she see anything, but she was secretly relieved that she had never had to.
“I like to think you would.” Thrawn said, and there was an element of threat to his words that Faro heard and understood completely. She nodded, weighing up what would be the greater loss in her head. The comfort of a friend like Sabine, or the safety of a sponsor like Thrawn.
“At the museum today, Lady Sabine exchanged harsh words with Mr Ronan and I, I may have joined in. But he was being his usual difficult self and we simply corrected his incorrectness. That’s all I have to report back on.” Faro said, going about the motions like it was any other day. Then, because she couldn't stop herself for some reason she added. “However, I feel like anything we did at the museum today will be fast forgotten after that eventful ending.”
“My behaviour at the museum today...” Thrawn said, speaking slowly and carefully, never once taking his eyes off the painting in front of him. “It was...rather unbecoming.”
Faro was expecting an apology for his harsh tone and callous words about abandoning members of the house to save themselves, but no such apology came. Instead, Thrawn opted for an explanation and Faro decided to accept it as it was better than nothing.
“I know my words were cold and no doubt you, and most likely Mr Vanto, are shocked by some of the decisions I chose to make. Especially regarding our friend Lord Kallus.” Thrawn explained, although he said the word friend as though it was a slur and even though his words were formed like an apology, there was no remorse in his voice.
Finally, Thrawn turned away from the painting to face Faro properly and there was no denying that he had been crying, or at the very least, holding back the tears he simply refused to cry. Faro felt her blood chill and her hairs stand on end and she felt her heart start to pound with something that felt like fear and came certain sort of uneasiness that soured her tongue.
“I know I seem extreme and unfair at times, I know this, but you must understand all I ever want is to keep you safe. To keep you and Eli safe and out of harm's way.” Thrawn’s voice wobbled as he spoke and Faro had the most overwhelming urge to start backing towards the door. Then, he truly shocked her as he asked. “Please, may I hold you?”
“I...sir?” Faro stammered, her heart in her mouth and although she wanted to run, her feet felt as though she had been bolted to the floor. Thrawn was always so impassive and calm, and yet today she had seen him with an anger she had never seen, then with tears she did not know he was capable of crying and now, he was longing to hold her like a scared child. “Is that proper?”
“It is more than proper. You are my ward, a young girl in my care and I take that duty of your care so very seriously. I see you as my daughter I really do, or...” Thrawns voice wobbled once more and he took a deep breath as he glanced back over to the diagram of birds on the wall. “Or like a sister I need to keep safe.”
He didn't ask again. He wasn’t the sort of man to push or persist. He asked Faro to let him hold her like a father would hold his child, even if her own father had never so much as spent more than an hour in the same room as her, and she trusted that that was all he needed. Swallowing her unease she took a step froward and fell into his open arms.
Eli chewed his lip worriedly as he looked over the papers in front of him. The table was lit only by a modest candle, and it was almost impossible to see more than a few feet in front of him in the dark of Pryce’s dining room, but he didn't need to see too well to know this; Pryce mining was in serious trouble.
“Good heavens.” He muttered to himself as he checked the numbers in his head, he had a feeling they were bad, but he felt like far too much of a coward to sit down and work the figure out properly. “I mean, Thrawn suspected it was bad but...”
“He never assumed it was so bad,” Pryce said, finishing Eli’s thought for him and she delivered the statement as though she were announcing a bereavement.
Eli’s lips thinned into a grim line and whilst he had no notion that things with Pryce mining had become so dire, he had a worrying suspicion that Thrawn had known all along. He blinked sadly at the documents in front of him, tracing a finger over the numbers etched out in ink and his stomach churned.
He had seen these documents before, or at least he had seen the exact selection of transactions and he recognised a lot of the numbers and figures. However, the document he had seen had made no mention of Pryce mining. They were merely numbers of unnamed transactions and Eli had always assumed it was naval business. Why had Thrawn elected to keep the businesses behind these transactions hidden from him?
What else was Thrawn hiding from him? These were only some of the sums Eli was familiar with, but there were many more and of much bigger numbers. He dread to even imagine what sort of business he had been asked to oversee without having any idea of what they could be for.
“Are they really so shocking?” Pryce asked, turning her nose up at Eli’s bemused expression and he quickly schooled his face back into a more serious scowl.
“I dare say they are.” Eli said, exaggerating slightly, but he was just so stung and hurt by Thrawns deception he couldn't stop himself from taking it out on Pryce. “Worse than that, they hardly make sense, I thought you had an aptitude for business and yet-”
“I know exactly what I am doing, how dare you insinuate I know not of running a business.” Pryce hissed, slamming her hand down on the table and making the solitary candlestick wobble precariously. “My mines were profitable, you can see it, but then...”
“What happened?” Eli asked, baffled by the strange dip in profit and worrying hike in expenses that followed. He had been confused before when he had looked over these figures, but now he knew they were Pryce mining, the frankly erratic way the numbers had fluctuated made even less sense. “How did production just stop like this, I fear you will never recover.”
“The rig broke. A, a tragedy really, lives were lost and despite being nowhere near the mine, somehow, I am to blame.” Pryce shrugged, displaying an astounding indifference to the loss of human life, even to a weathered naval man like Eli. “Production halted obviously and, well repairing such a rig is not cheap nor easy. No one would sell to me, they hardly believed I owned a mine, one man even tried to have me admitted to a hospital for having delusions. It fell to my father to purchase a new rig and well, my father is not the shrewd business man he needs to be at times.”
“You still managed to pay for it.” Eli muttered as he looked over the numbers, seeing the sizable well of debt Pryce had gotten herself into. “And given that you appear to have every sort of debt, loan and “I-Owe-You” known to man, I'm intrigued to see how you did that.”
“A rather clever, albeit pricy deal was made with a local magistrate. He takes a chunk of the profits and in return he, he let me...” Pryce stuttered as she failed to say the words. Eli held his breath in uneasy anticipation, at first Pryce had seamed proud of whatever deal she had made, but even she seemed uneasy by what she was about to confess. “I raised the tax on my tenants and pocketed every penny.”
“My god.” Eli gasped, and he wished more than anything he could unhear it. At least that way he could feign genuine ignorance when this whole horrid crime came to light.
“But it was just to replace the rig, so they could work. It was a justifiable crime.” Pryce argued, but her words were fraught and she was wringing her hands nervously.
“And is that how they see it? You charge them extra all for the privilege of dying in your mines?” Eli gasped, horrified by her coldness in the situation and failing to understand how anyone could be so blasé about such things. “And what if, what if the mines shut anyway?”
“I cannot let that happen.” Pryce said, her eyes brimming with tears as she spoke, and her breathing was speeding up as she nibbled nervously at her lips. “I have fought too long and too hard for it to slip away from me, I have been told no by so many men who wish to see me fail, that I will not be told no again. I will secure an investment, and I will make Pryce mining the company it deserves to be and if I don't...” her voice trailed off as the look in her eye became fearful and distant, a tear finally falling as she said in a quiet voice. “They will kill me.”
“Perhaps, you ought to call it, know when to fold and take what little money you have, you can still live a modest life.” Eli tried to reason with her, but she shook her head at his words.
“Mr Vanto you do not understand. If I return to Cornwall with no money, with no hope for the mines and the future of the miners, they will kill me.” Pryce said and there was such a sternness to her voice that Eli felt a chill run down his spine. “You think talks of revaluation belong to France alone? For years now the people of my town have been waiting for a reason to pounce. We have had riots and sieges and many nobles have lost their homes to those savages and I will not be next. I know what I have to do and as loathsome as it is, I will do anything to keep this business afloat.”
“Azadi?” Eli gasped when he realised what must have transpired in the garden of the museum. “Is he to be your investor?”
“If I were a man perhaps, but alas, it’s never that easy.” Pryce sighed. “He has asked for my hand. I said I will think about it.”
“And will you, think about it?” Eli asked, not sure of what answer he was hoping for, not sure of what was the best outcome here.
“I will have to. But rest assured I will ensure the best possible business deal is met. I will not bow and accept the offer in the way a naive young debutant would. I will need to handle this with care, it will take time and a sharp mind and-”
“Thrawn. You need Thrawn.” Eli pointed out, and the glare he got from Pryce felt like looking down the barrel of a gun.
“I need help from no man-”
“Clearly you do.” Eli cut her off and she somehow managed to look even angrier this time. “I’m sorry to say it, I know you value your independence in a way that is as admirable as it is dangerous, but you must face it. Thrawn is an asset to you, not a prison sentence. Do not let yourself be run into the ground over your silly sense of pride!”
Pryce sighed a sad exasperated sigh and her gaze drifted over to the cabinet in the corner, hunger in her eyes and sorrow on her lips as she asked. “Do you suppose they left anything in the drinks cabinet, or have I been well and truly cleaned out.”
Eli smiled a polite sympathetic smile and pushed himself up out of his chair. His bones felt sore, as though this very information had taken the wind from his sails and the short walk over to the drink's cabinet felt like a trudge through the thickest of mud.
“You’re in luck, they have left you half a bottle of sherry.” Eli declared as he opened the cabinet to find one bottle at the back, sticky with residue and thick with dust.
“Some luck. Of all the drinks they leave for me, it is my least favourite in the world.” Pryce laughed, a bitter sounding laugh before shrugging and asking. “Please, pour me a glass?”
“Sadly, they chose not to leave you any glasses.” Eli sighed, looking around at the sparse and empty dining room, the cabinet stripped of all glasses that weren't a pile of broken shards by now.
“Then I shall drink from the bottle.” Pryce said, reaching her hand out for it and snatching it away as soon as she could. She took a large swig of the bottle, gulping the liquid down as though it were water and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, leaving a sad pink smudge on her white glove. She raised an eyebrow at Eli, challenging him to chastise her but he merely reached out for the bottle himself and took his own swig before offering it back.
“I dare say it isn't very ladylike.” He felt the need to point out as he watched her drink again and she snorted a most unladylike laugh.
“Neither is running a failing mine or getting bludgeoned to death by angry tenants, yet you’ll find I am a very modern woman.” Pryce laughed, slurring her words already. “At least let me try.”
“Try what?” Eli asked, not quite following the conversation and instead worrying if he shouldn’t have given alcohol to a woman who was unconscious only a few hours earlier.
“To fix this on my own, without Thrawn. I am not a child or an idiot, I'm simply playing with a disadvantage compared to the other players, just let me try please.” She begged, and for all her words, she did sound like child begging to stay up that little bit longer before being sent to bed.
“And then, would you have Thrawn swoop in and save you when you have failed further somehow? When you have accidentally incited the rebellion and revolution of the southern counties is Thrawn to come to the rescue you?”
“He can laugh over my grave if he wants, I care not for the outcome anymore, I simply care to play the game. Regardless of if I win or lose, I refuse to be taken out before I've played all my cards.” Pryce said. “Don't tell him, not yet.”
“I...I will not.” Eli decided, and he felt so cruelly disloyal to say so. “But if asked, I will have to tell him. I am loyal to my master, no matter what. I beg you to respect that. Now I really must be getting back. I bid you goodnight.”
“I do envy you.” She said loftily as Eli turned to leave, and although he knew she was doing it to goad him into staying, he wasn‘t strong enough not to turn back and listen to what she had to say. “You do have a perfect life don't you. You help run your family business with no question as to why you should even be there, you are class enough to be invited to watch and gawk at the balls yet, low born enough that your entire future doesn’t hinge on marriage. And you’ve got a nice little arrangement with your Admiral that I find quite enviable.”
“What was that about me and the Admiral.” Eli said, his voice cold and gaze focused on that smug smile of hers.
“I keep telling you, I'm not an idiot. I see the slight hand touching and ‘fuck me eyes’ you flash each other, I see the way you slink out at the balls and come back looking flushed and foolish. He has his career, and you have yours. You get to sleep in that nice four poster bed all to yourself in that nice little room in that nice little mansion of his.” Pryce sighed, swirling the sherry around in the bottle and watching it spin. “Never worrying where the next meal comes from, never left wanting for a quick fuck in the war rooms, and then, when it’s all over, you will get to go back the Americas and go back to your thriving little business. How fun.”
“You no not what you speak off...you...you...” Eli stammered, his heart pounding and his tongue ready as he fought with his feelings. He longed to deflect and say she had misread the signs, but he could stop himself from defending his relationship with Thrawn. “It’s not like that. You make it sound so shallow and seedy, but it’s not, it’s-”
“If you say love I will surely vomit.” Pryce laughed, then her face softened as she watched the way Eli’s lip twitched and his eyes cast down to the floor. “My dear, you must know it’s a fantasy only in your head. I may not be the most travelled of people, but I have spent my life watching from the sidelines at balls. I know a true love match when I see one, and I know when I'm looking at an illtreated mistress. You said you were loyal to your master; do you really think he is loyal to you?”
“That’s quite enough. You, you should go to bed, and I must return home. Good day.” Eli said, speaking so fast the words came out sloppy and garbled, and he only just managed to finish the sentence and leave the room before his tears started to fall.
Kanan's story was a sad one. Hera had always suspected as such and she had managed to pick up little bits of his life from the stories he told and secrets he came close to spilling, but she could never imagine just how painful hearing the tale of his childhood could be.
Abandoned by his parents so early in life he had no memory of them or way of finding them, he was taken in by a monastery. A tragic start to life, but not an uncommon one in these times and Kanan was not the only child in the temple. In fact, he told of entire schools of children the monks had taken in, from all walks of life and from how Kanan described them, it sounded like a happy childhood in a beautiful found family much like their own.
Hera could tell it conflicted Kanan to tell such stories. She saw the way his smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he thought fondly of his family, especially Sister Billaba of whom he must have been quite close. But there was a sadness to his voice too and Hera recognised the sound from the way her voice sounded when she spoke of her departed mother.
On warm days they took mass outside and ate sweet berries from the vine, and on cold days they played in the snow and huddled around the fire to keep warm, telling scary stories and boasting about all the good they will do when they grow up and get to be read Jedi Monks like their elders.
However, as the story progressed, Hera found it became more and more fantastical until she was sure Kanan was either misremembering due to some childhood wonder or he was lying to her, and this was all some bizarre joke.
“Kanan, this...this sounds like witchcraft and wizardry?” Hera sighed and she failed to grasp what he was saying. It made no sense to her and even if she was willing to completely suspend all disbelief and try her hardest to believe this story, it still made no sense.
“No wizardry. Natural philosophy! I know it sounds farfetched and I understand how you could doubt me, but believe me. It was science beyond this world had ever seen.” Kanan explained, and his voice was so earnest, and he gripped her hand so tightly, she knew he must be telling the truth. He just had to be.
“So, were you scientist, or clergymen. Or am I to believe you are a mercenary given your skill with a sword?” Hera asked, as far as she could tell the Jedi were a strange combination of many different jobs and she was having a hard time making sense of this strange order.
“We were more like keepers of the peace. We helped people, sometimes with force yes, but a lot of the time it was peaceful, and we used our skills of mediation and we spread kindness in the world.” Kanan assured her.
“And this science, the healing the sick and predicting the future? You assure me it is not wizardry?” Hera asked. She knew of some science but not enough to know if what Kanan spoke of. She knew Doctors could heal the sick, but never as efficiently as Kanan claimed to have done and she had known the royal family of had a telescope for looking at the stars. But whereas they gazed at the stars to admire their beauty, Kanan claimed these Jedi could use them to predict things like black moons and eclipses.
“Some like to think so, maybe I did. Maybe I still do in a way. Watching my masters work these miracles, it really did feel like divine intervention was taking place.” Kanen said and his voice was so wistful and full of nostalgia. Hera had never seen him look so light, as though he was no longer carrying the heavy shackles that had been bound to him since the day they met.
Hera wondered was miracles he had seen. She watched as his mouth twitched into a soft shy smile and his shoulders rolled with playful movement as he spoke more, his hands doing just as much talking as his mouth. She longed to ask more, to have him describe the wonder to her, but she also knew the sadness behind his movements and as much as she would like to wait for him to be ready to talk, she had to ask the question that was plaguing her mind.
“But, I really must ask. If this is all true, if there were such monks that helped people and kept the peace in the way you claim. Why have I not heard of them, why has this science not prevailed and become common place. What..” Hera trailed off as she debated on whether or not she should ask this next question and she knew she would likely not like the answer when she heard it. “What happened to them all?”
“The same thing that happens to all those who dare to dream. Dare to innovate and imagine a world where things are better, and things are different. The King, that mad old fool, he became paranoid and obsessed with the order. Convinced we were planning to usurp him, to kill him, and so he had us wiped out.” Kanan said, his voice bitter and words thick with hate and anger by the likes Hera had never seen from him. “Worst of all, I was one of the lucky ones. I was able to flee, and yet, I can’t help but feel like I will never have done enough to deserve it.”
Hera knew the pain of fleeing a burning home. She knew how it felt to be bundled onto a boat in the dead of night, hidden under shrouds and too terrified to even make a sound. For years after she had found it almost impossible to comprehend. Her life had changed in just one bloodied night and somehow, she was supposed to just keep her head down and pretend as though nothing had happened.
It had only spurned her on to do good in this world. She needed to make her survival worth it, make the sacrifice of those who lay down their lives to get her to safety worth it. She had always suspected Kanan's need to do well in the world had come from a similar experience and now she knew for sure, she couldn’t think of anything to say. She knew nothing could ever heal the pain that came with this feeling, and so she said the one thing she could think of.
“I love you.” She said suddenly in the quiet of the room and Kanan was so shocked by the words he flinched. Hera felt her heart drop as she realised what she had just said, right here in the family drawing room and she felt the need to explain. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be so brazen but, I fear you have not heard those words enough in your life, and I would very much like to make up for lost time.”
“I love you too.” Kanan smiled and he reached out to gently cup her face with a reassuring tender touch, a touch that said more than his words ever could.
When they kissed it was soft and slow, and now Hera knew Kanan all the better, the kiss felt that much deeper and more real than it had ever felt before. They rested lazily on each other, drifting from kissing to gazing into each other's eyes as they lost themself to each other.
But sadly, it couldn't continue.
“I appreciate you're telling me all this, I really do, but you have yet to answer my question. Who are these people in black, and what do they want with my family.” Hera said, pulling back to look at Kanan with a stern look, and even he could not see, he certainly felt the scorn of her glare.
“Forgive me for wanting to forget, only for a moment.” Kanan sighed, running a worried hand through his hair. It had been getting steadily messier and messier throughout the evening and now loose hair was tumbling down around his face making him look so boyish and young.
Hera gave Kanan time to compose himself and then, when he was finally ready to talk, he explained.
“Inquisitors, they are called Inquisitors and their job is to find and, well, dispose of people like me.” Kanan said, and he spoke rather calmy to say he was describing people who wish to see him come to a grisly end. Although, Hera assumed that when you have spent your life running from them, they must stop being a serious threat and start becoming a mundane fact of life. “I thought I had evaded them, I truly did not think they would ever find me here and if they did, I was sure it was only me they would target.”
“Then why Ezra, what could they possibly want with him.” Hera asked, her heart pounding with worry for the boy as he slept soundly upstairs, not even aware of the danger he was in.
“They must think he is my apprentice, it’s really as simple and as stupid as that. I thought they didn't even know where I was but, they must have known for some time and I fear they have been spying on us. Watching me tutor Ezra in fencing and such and they must assume that I, I am passing down my Jedi training to him.” Kanan sighed and his insistence on keeping the curtains closed suddenly made much more sense to Hera.
“And so, he is as much a target as you are.” Hera said, and tears filled her eyes as she spoke. All she had done to keep her family safe, to make sure Sabine and Ezra had the best possible education and start in life, all was to be snatched away because the King dislike the religion of a group who died before Ezra was even born. It made her sick to her stomach.
“Perhaps, but perhaps not.” Kanan said, and from the way he spoke and the nervous way he bit his lip, Hera knew she was not going to agree with whatever he was about to suggest. “Maybe they don't know for sure about Ezra, and I, as a former member of the order, am a much better quarry. If...if I were to leave now-”
“My love you can’t. We are a family, and we will fight this, however we chose to do so, as a family.” Hera said, failing to keep the panic from her voice and she knew she sounded so fraught and desperate. “We, we could find protection, or or we’ll all go into hiding, or-”
“Your dedication to the family is admirable, but I brought this on this family, I will be the one to save us from it. If I leave now, they will probably choose to chase me and leave Ezra be. His studies with me will cease and he will no longer be of any interest to them.” Kanan said, and his voice was just as sad and broken as hers was. “I am sorry, I really am. I never would have risked this if I had even the slightest inkling that this might happen. But we both know what needs to happen.”
“But not so soon, you need not leave now in the dead of night. We don’t even know if they do want Ezra and you thought you could fend them off before, perhaps, perhaps you could stay until you are sure, or at least, til the end of the season.” Hera pleaded. A tear ran down her cheek, catching on her lip and she tasted the sad saltiness on her tongue. “We have limited options yes, but the Ersos are new to society, they probably will not shun us, and Kenobi never leaves his house he rarely reads gossip papers, likely we are still permitted to his ball at the end of the season. Enough to keep up pretences at least.”
“Very well. I will stay for the end of the season, but the moment I fear the family is in danger, I will have to leave.” Kanan said, holding Hera gently in his arms as though she were a fragile doll fit to break at any moment. “But until then, let us enjoy this, our last season together.”
He kissed her once more, tongue pushing gently past her lips and making her tingle with anticipation at the feeling. His hands were on her waist, caressing her slowly and she could feel the warmth of his hand through her bodice, it lit a fire in her and before she knew what she was doing, some strange animalistic sensation was taking over her and she swiftly moved to straddle him, sitting astride his lap on the fine sofa in the drawing room.
“My love!” Kanan gasped but he was quickly cut off as Hera pulled him into another searing kiss. “Here?”
“If we have limited time together then I refuse to waste a single second of it. And I fear making it to my bedroom would be a waste of precious time.” Hera explained, rolling her hips over his and feeling the way his member stood stiff and rigid in his trousers.
Kanan saw no reason to argue with her logic and he made haste, unfastening his trousers as fast as he could and pulling his hard cock out for her to see. Should she have the time Hera would have liked to dedicate more time to him, to feel the hot hardness of his length and to taste the heady mustiness on her tongue.
But she felt she needed to have Kanan in her as soon as possible, and every second he was not left her feeling empty and unfulfilled. She wasted no time lifting her hips and lowing herself onto him, hurriedly pulling her skirts up and out of the way.
It was easier than she was anticipating, and Hera shuddered as she felt him filling her in the most invasive yet beautiful way possible. It was a little painful compared to how slick and smoothly he usually slipped inside her, but the sting was worth it to feel him inside again. Finally, she sank down on him and she was sure he felt longer and thicker than usual in this position.
Her skirts were rumpled obscenely around her waist, and she could feel the buttons of his open trousers pressing against her thigh in a way that would sure leave the most comical impressions on her skin. She couldn't care less and she kissed him eagerly, anything to feel his lips on her once again.
They kissed as they became one, losing track of where one ended and another began. Hera gasped in delight as she felt his length sliding in and out of her and she could not remember when she had started moving her hips in such a way. She knew it was vulgar to even think it, but she found herself so grateful of those horse riding lessons she had suffered through her entire life as now, her thighs were able to move with strength and speed without so much of an ache in her muscle.
Kanan moaned happily beneath her, burying his face in her breasts in an attempt to muffle his cries and not alert the family to their sordid activities. He kissed the soft flesh of her breast, sucking and nipping at the skin and making Hera squirm in ecstasy.
The fine slats of the dainty sofa wobbled and groaned under their weight and the flexible thin wood added the most pleasant bounce to Hera’s motions. For a moment she worried about breaking the furniture, but she soon found she was far too enamoured by the feeling of her lover to care.
“I love you!” She gasped, remembering her early promise to say it to him as often as she could, and she felt she really needed to say more. ”IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!”
“And I you.” Kanan gasped, but his voice was strained as he tried to match Hera’s speed and energy. She could feel him shunting his hips beneath her, his hands planted firmly on her hips and gripping her tightly as she slammed into her over and over with that one precise motion he did so well, and she could feel her knees growing weaker by the second.
“My love, I grow close!” He panted, sweat beading on his brow and his chest heaving from the exertion. “Where should I-”
“Inside me please!” Hera begged and Kanan gawped at her in shock at such a suggestion. “Damn the consequences, I need to feel you inside me, all of you.”
If Kanan wished to protest, his time was up before he could muster up the words and he suddenly shuddered with a breathy desperate moan. Hera gasped in surprise as she felt it happen and it was so much more satisfying and fulfilling than she could have ever imagined.
It was hot, searing hot and she felt almost faint as he filled her, burning so hot it almost stung. It was like he had branded her from the inside, claiming her as his own in a way that felt so real and so permanent and yet so secret and subtle, something just for them.
Suddenly, Kanan laughed a breathy huffed out laugh, his head resting on her chest as he did. She smiled fondly at him, playing with his hair, now well and truly loose and free, wrapping the dark silky locks around her fingers like rings.
“Every time I think it is not possible to fall anymore in love with you, I find myself doing just that.” Kanan smiled, nuzzling into her breast as he caught his breath. “Thank you.”
“Whatever are you thanking me for?” Hera giggled, feeling the same giddy lovesick excitement Kanan seemed to be suffering from.
“For everything.” Kanan said wistfully and Hera knew exactly how he felt. She was heart broken yes, she had only just found the love of her life and so soon he was to be snatched away from her. It was devastating and it made her want to curl up and weep forever.
But despite that, she had felt more love in these past few months than she had ever felt in her entire life. She had lived a lifetime of love in only a few short weeks and she truly felt as though she had had the pleasure of experiencing eternal marital bliss, however fleeting it may be.
And for that, she too was thankful.