DISCOVERY

The Imperial Sovereign Guard

1ABY ; Voaria Palace, Isora
14:02 . . .

A butterfly landed on a flowered lily, keeping the Queen in a tranquil trance. Everything seemed to have slowed down since Guinevere left for Atanea and the palace felt quieter. She'd grown used to her presence for so long, she forgot how to be by herself, or how it felt, in a way. Although they frequently spoke, she still dearly missed her. Skylar valued the serenity here, undisturbed as she leaned on the wooden balcony. A flower pot lined a small frame with feather fern intertwined with bloomed lavender and three vases sat in a row on the top with blue and purple lilies. The smell of lavender struck her the most, overpowering the other plants; even through the strong, distinctive scent of lilies.
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In a burst of fright, Skylar Force pushed a vase of lilies off the wooden frame with a sharp gasp, sending them crashing down with a smash. Her focus on the singing Isoran birds broke by the towering man standing behind her, casting a shadow on her smaller figure. Usually she'd feel a presence, especially amplified with Force users, or have heard with her sensitive hearing. In the moment, she felt relief of who it was before her hearts began pounding. She stared up at him having realised what she just did, firmly pressing her back against the frame at an attempt to grasp reality.
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⠀⠀⠀Hearing the impact of the vase, he knew all too well what caused it. "Come with me." He requested as he turned to leave the balcony.
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Skylar couldn't process the tone, still too on edge. Out of nervousness, she overthought it. Her mouth opened, attempting to form a response but nothing came out. Him leaving gave an excuse for the silence filling the atmosphere. To her, the quietness felt awkward, but she would rather that than the alternatives she was dreading. Skylar was always the one to do most of the talking in their dynamic and for the first time she had nothing to say. The palace was arguably the safest place on Isora, but in the moment, she didn't believe so.
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The pavilion gave shade under the warm spring sun. Skylar wrapped her arms below her chest with her hands holding the back of her arms, looking down.
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⠀⠀⠀Kadu looked down at her nervousness. "How long have you been hiding it?" He asked in a soft voice, not wanting to pose as a threat to her.
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⠀⠀⠀Hesitantly looking up, she thought of her answer. "Ever since I knew about it, I suppose." The secret was exposed, she saw no point of lying for the most part.
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⠀⠀"Do you want to use it more?" He queried.
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⠀⠀⠀To her surprise, he seemed more curious than questioning. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, unsure and pessimestic of the outcome if she did use it. "Part of me wants to . . . I know better."
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⠀⠀⠀His eyes stared at her, paying little attention to the aesthetic beauty of the gardens. "Are you afraid of what you can do?"
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⠀⠀⠀Gulping, she paused before delivering her answer. The question seemed more ominous than perhaps he meant it, or maybe he knew something she didn't. As much as she felt the urge to cover up the truth, they both knew she was a terrible liar. "Yes . . ." She said quietly, almost in an exhaled whisper.
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He had all the information he needed. Taking a final glance of certainty at his friend, he reached his hand up and near effortlessly Force pulled a stone out of a flower bed towards Skylar.
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She watched the stone move towards her through the air, steadily holding her hand out to hold it. Once it landed, the sight felt as if it released weight off her shoulders; he was like her. Things began making sense: his unsurprised response at the sight, anomalies that followed him, the aura she felt when his presence was near.
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⠀⠀"Try it," he more asserted than asked. He saw the young Queen break eye contact, her uncertainty and nervousness clear. "Nothing bad will come from it." He reassured her.
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Slowly, she let her eyes watch the stone in her grasp. She concentrated, attempting to let go of all the secretiveness she's held onto for so long now. The speckled grey stone began to lift, demonstrating to him her basic knowledge and inexperience; clearly self taught. Skylar opened her eyes to  the rock levitating. She wasn't surprised, more relieved. For the first time in her life, she could be herself with someone just like her. Without judgement. Without fear. She let the rock drop into her palms, looking up at her friend for reassurance and to see his thoughts. The only other person she used her abilities around was Dunn, but he never experinced it himself nor could understand to her level. It was relieving, however, not to the extent of Kadu.
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⠀⠀⠀As the stone dropped, he lightly smiled. For the first time in a long time, he stood opposite another Force sensitive being without maliciousness nor a hidden agenda. He took a breath to speak, aiming for praise before Skylar got in first.
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⠀⠀"What is it you used to do?" She started, hinting to be reminded when she never knew anything specific to begin with. "What were you?" She inquired, curious to know more about his seemingly hidden side. She knew he was a former Sovereign Protector, but not much more.
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⠀⠀⠀He hesitated, as if to protect her from the truth. "I was in the Elite Guard. I protected the Emperor, trained Shadow Guards." He kept it minimal, explaining some of the duties he had. There was more. Things he'd done, people he knew; information he deemed Skylar soft and fragile to know. At least not yet.
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⠀⠀⠀Skylar never felt satisfied with that answer — it was too shallow and lacked detail. That was surface information which she could have worked out, she wanted to know more.
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⠀⠀⠀He knew this. He always knew how curious and inquisitive she was, sometimes finding herself asking flurries of questions without meaning to. Before she could ask more, he inserted himself. "We should tidy up that pot before Daesha finds it first."
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⠀⠀⠀She was just about to ask, and even after he finished talking she still wanted to. However, the shattered plant pot was a cause of concern. "I'll have us some tea made. We can talk more then, can't we?" She asked, more rhetorically.
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Kadu watched as Skylar skipped down the two steps of the pavilion, making her way up the stone path, back inside the palace. Taking a deep breath, he composed himself for what was to come. He knew he couldn't protect her from her own curiosity forever, but it wouldn't stop him trying. He allowed her to have a head start, using cleaning the broken pottery as an excuse to have a moment of reflection.
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