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Chapter Thirty Seven Cowering
upon her bunk, feet drawn up to her chest and clutching a pillow to her face,
Meesahran weeps with tearless sobs.
Though her tears never come, her sorrow and shame are still quite evident
as Master Mussiri peers into the cabin. Silently
approaching his guilt wracked pupil, Falion fights a war with his own emotions.
Knowing that her pain can never truly be healed, it does not dissuade him
from trying to bring her comfort and solace.
In his heart he feels deeply for this tortured soul.
It
was her cries of mercy, which lead him to her all those years ago.
When he finally reached her discarded, brutalized and battered body he
vowed to somehow bring comfort to her wounded mind, body and spirit.
Her body has healed, and her mind is all but restored, but her spirit is
still haunted by the villainy perpetrated upon her innocence. Seeing
her in such a distraught state once again brings to Falion a sense of failure.
When he felt the rage boiling up inside of her again, he could do nothing
to soothe her soul.
Powerlessness is the one thing that has haunted Falion all his days, and
feeling this poor, disconsolate girl reduced to a powder keg of rage and fear
has caused that feeling to return to him in full force. Careful
to project his intentions to the girl, he reaches out his hand, carefully
caressing her hair.
She is still, but on guard.
Feeling that she has failed her master once again, her shame begins to
overtake her thoughts.
Falion winces at her reaction to his touch, knowing that it is his own
doing that she would feel this way towards him.
“Please child, feel not shame.
If anything it is I who has failed you, my child.” Snapping
her head up in disbelief, “No, Master.
I’m the one who can’t seem to control my emotions. You have given me
everything I’ve needed to put an end to this madness.
It’s just not in me to overcome it…
When we’re finished with this mission, I’ll return to my former life.
There’s no need for you to waste any more time on my training.
Besides, I could never return to the sanctuary, not after what happened
today.”
She attempts to turn back to the wall, but is stopped by a gentle hand
upon her shoulder. “No,
my child.
You shall remain with me and together we shall work to purge you of these
terrible demons.”
Brushing the hair back from her face in a fatherly gesture, “I have
made my bond with you, and with you it shall remain.”
He sits down on the bunk next to the young woman and she falls into his
arms. “I
almost killed him, Master.”
Her words barely audible from the sobs, “How could I have done that?”
Falion
continues to stroke her hair, hoping that the soothing techniques will bring the
child some peace.
“Your emotions are all so very close to the surface right now, my
child.
Seeing this man again has forced you to recount many things.
It is only natural that the bad should follow the good,” his words
deliberate and mellow, bringing calm with the sounds of his voice. “But,
Jae would never do anything to hurt me.
Not intentionally, anyway.”
Sitting up slightly in her master’s embrace, her words trail off and
Falion can sense her mind going back to her parting with the young man, and the
pain that dwells in that memory. “Yes,
but in your heart, his refusal to commit to our endeavors is another betrayal.
And in your mind, betrayal is as painful as a blaster burn.”
His words, though painful have enough truth in them that it sends the
young woman diving into his arms once more, her sobs coming as fiercely as
before. “Why
won’t he come with us?!
He would be perfect for the order, and Master Vltava would surely be able
to help him with his quest.”
Her sobs die down, but her anguish remains.
“I just know they could help him, in so many ways, Master.” Still
stroking her disheveled mane, “Perhaps, child, but the choice must be his,
freely.
If it is the Will of the Force, he shall follow that path.
We cannot persuade him with empty promises and hopes of dreams
fulfilled.”
Falion allows just a hint of his own unhappiness with the situation to
touch the young woman, “To do so might alter the course of the future in ways
that are beyond our comprehension, my child.”
The man’s sigh gives the young woman her confirmation as to his own
displeasure. “I
know that you’re right, but it doesn’t hurt any less, Master.”
Her sobs have relented and he can sense a more calm and composed soul in
his arms.
“Thank you, Master.
And I shall work to keep those emotions in check until a more appropriate
time.” Falion
smiles, and gives the girl one last embrace before rising from the bunk.
“That is good to hear, my child.
Now, please, get some rest, young one.
I shall tend to the duties of our travel while you regain your
strength.”
Walking to the doorway, Falion stops and turns back to the young woman
who has already begun to stretch out onto her bunk, “And remember, my child,
failure is impossible as long as you learn from your errors and move on.
If you remain true to your heart and follow your instincts, you shall
always be successful in my eyes…
Sleep well, Meesahran, and pleasant dreams.”
The warmth that comes from the young woman’s heart as Falion speaks
those careful words brings him great comfort.
In his heart he knows that a child who can project such love can never be
a lost cause, not while such warmth exists within her soul. Creator: PtrsonsZOO (Jennifer)
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