When Starlight Must Light Her Own Path

[Darth Tiamat]

Naboo, Durand Manor

Tiamat was surprised to how well Theia received her consequence when she returned from Nubia, following the visit with Ezra. Her daughter had blatantly broke rules, disregarded her direction, and perhaps put herself in more danger than she had realized. She never really liked giving consequences, usually meant a week of being stuck inside, and that would mean she would suffer too because she couldn’t do anything fun with Theia while she was on punishment. However, it was how her daughter was accepting it. The girl came back a bit more withdrawn than she was used to seeing and as her usual teen self, denied anything was wrong.

Tia didn’t press, instead she let her daughter be as she worked through whatever it was that was bothering her. Though by the end of the week of being grounded, she was still home, leaving only to go to her classes and practice and then returning home, on time, or even earlier than she said she would be home. It was probably one of the hardest things about being a parent, she wanted to solve the troubles for her daughter, to put her mind at ease and see her happy again.

Instead, before her daughter ran off to school, Tia stopped her, “Theia,” her daughter quietly stopped and to look at her, “Whenever, I am here for you.” It could have been any number of problems for her teen daughter, boyfriends, girlfriends, she knew she had also submitted university applications. Her recital was approaching, and Tiamat though compared to what she was going through at 16 years old tried not to discount her daughter’s woes and worries. She certainly would feel the same if she were trying to navigate the world as Theia was doing now, she was just lucky enough to not have to worry about some of the dangers that lurked in the galaxy. In time, if it were important, Theia would tell her, she trusted her own parenting has gotten her daughter that far in trusting her.

 

[Theia Durand]

Whenever, I am here for you.

Theia nodded, a break of a small smile, probably the first her mom would see from her since returning home. “I know Mama.” She said before heading off to her morning practice. Though she didn’t have a lot to go off, she thought about what Ezra said to her about losing control. There were certainly moments where her temper flared as hot and bright as her hair, and she wondered in those moments how they would play out when the Force would show its face.

She knew her mom could tell something was wrong, but she couldn’t muster the courage quite yet to find out more about herself, if she knew, how she controlled her own Force, and what she thought about training with Ezzie and the Jedi. She could remember in her earliest years overhearing her mom express disdain for the Jedi and their enemies, but would it change how she felt, she couldn’t help thinking about the doubts that reminded her of what the worst could be. However, perhaps if she knew it would be with Ezzie, she would be more okay with it.

But for Theia, that felt like the least of her problems. She had already submitted her university applications, the school was allowing her to graduate a year earlier than her class, and she was looking to find something fulfilling in her life. She almost didn’t submit them though in the last week, thinking what would happen if joining the Jedi would consume all her time and life and she couldn’t manage it like Ezra. On the flip side, Theia decided if she completely flopped in the Jedi, she would need university as backup. Like her mom had hoped, she did submit her applications to several prestigious engineering schools but used her own crowns to secretly submit to several distinguished art schools. Now all she had to do was wait…and eventually tell mom.

It was after dark when Theia arrived home, she stayed behind to help some of the younger dancers, her legs and feet, extra sore from pushing herself hard during practice. She didn’t bother putting on her other slippers, the cobble road was cool, and brought relief despite the tiredness she felt. Taking her normal path up to the doors, her mom was sitting outside, her eyes on the stars, but Theia didn’t go inside, and instead sat on the bench beside her and rested her head on her shoulder. Her mom adjusted her arm to wrap it around her, feeling herself being pulled closer and feeling the warmth of security and love whenever she embraced her.

“Mama, I have it, like you.” It still sounded like an illness to the girl, and she tensed, waiting for her mother’s response, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she let the silence be present, trying to pick out her next words, “Ezzie said he could show me how to control it before something happens. I think I want to, you always told me to trust myself, and I trust I want to train with the Jedi.” Still nothing from her mom, “I know you don’t like the Jedi and worry about Ezzie doing jedi things, but you trust him.”

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat found herself thinking about her daughter all day, trying to guess what it was that was bothering her to the point of being so quiet and disinterested in her usual games and curiosity. She decided to make herself present when she got home, waiting in the pleasant Naboo evening far past the sun setting; she could feel Theia before she even made herself known and instead of going inside, she turned and cozied up beside her. Tia pulled her closer, resting her check against the top of her head, smelling the sweet floral conditioner she used in her hair; despite her being a teenager, she was still her baby, and would no doubt go great lengths in this galaxy to see that she was happy and healthy.

Though when Theia did speak, it was not as Tiamat had expected; it was in fact something she hoped she wouldn’t have to talk about it so soon, but she guessed soon had arrived. Tia remained quiet, her daughter uncertain, seemingly worried about her response, especially when she spoke about Ezra training her. It was something she thought about before her birth, how she would be trained, what would happen when she became fully aware of her ability to use the Force. Theia was right, she did not like the jedi, they were useless and just as hypocritical as the Sith. It was though, as her mother, did she think of the pain and torment she had gone through to become a Sith that she wished to spare Theia from such burdens. To watch and feel her daughter suffer her passions for power, to lose control fully and slip so far away the creature inside would take over and her daughter be lost forever. She remembered seeing the torment Emryc went through when he was a young child to become the sith lord he once held, she could only imagine what Jaikus went through, and knowing the suffering she endured, it pushed her to want to protect not only Theia, but Jayna and Ezra from such horrors.

Tiamat kissed the top of Theia’s head, “Nothing is going to happen to you, Ezra would be a great teacher.” She said, “I knew you had it for a long time, it was just…when would you find out, how you would find out.” Tia sighed, giving her daughter a soft comforting smile, “He will show you a different way than how I know it to be, it would better fit the starlight that you are.” She pulled a few locks of her daughter’s hair away from her face.

“The sooner you start, the better, you will probably start to notice more things, and that may bring those of a different thread to your presence.”

 

[Theia Durand]

The kiss on the head brought a release of tension from the teen, her mom was listening, she didn’t seem angry, maybe worried though. She agreed with Ezra teaching her, though she was certain if it were anyone else she may had outright said no to the situation. Theia looked up to catch her mom’s gaze as she mentioned Ezra showing her a different way; she did not know what it meant but had a feeling it was why Ezra said she would not train her. The girl wouldn’t press with questions about her mom’s Force ability, she seemed to avoid speaking much of it and was very good at steering the conversation back to her work on the hypergates if she wanted to know about her past.

However, it was her mom’s last statement that caused her to pull back and look at her curiously, “What do you mean?” though the look on her face told Theia it was a warning, to be weary, not to allow her trust be given so freely to others. Instinct heeded the warning and Theia nodded, “I will be careful, no one is going to hurt me.” She said resting her head back on her mom’s shoulder. “Ezzie thinks I can still do school and the training, he does it, and its not like I will be running my own business, so it should be easy.” She gave a proud chuckle to her ability to juggle everything, but the tilt of her mom’s head described the skepticism she had for her daughter.

School was the next thing she had to tell her mom; she would be receiving news in a few weeks of who accepted her. “Mama, there’s something else,” Theia paused to gauge her mom’s reaction, but everything seemed to be going okay so far, “I applied to some different schools because…” she paused again, feeling herself tense, “You see…Mama, I don’t want to be an engineer, I want to be an artist.” She explained, “I ran out of courses to take, so I started art, painting really, and well, I really like it, there’s science to it, some engineering, but there is something about it that…” Theia stopped not wanting to go on.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

However, it was not what she was expecting from her daughter next about school applications, she thought Theia was going to go on doubting her ability to get into more prestigious universities. Tia opened her mouth to say something but paused when her daughter tensed and looked up at her and spoke what else was bothering her.

Doesn’t want to be an engineer?

Tiamat blinked, first she was confused and then she was stunned to hear she wanted to attend art school. The teen further explained how she began painting and was liking the mechanics of the medium and art itself. Theia paused, and Tiamat knew it was because of how she looked, jaw agape, brow furrowed, and quickly Tia put on her poker-mom-face despite her assuming displeasure of this news.

“Art? Painting? Theia…” she said shaking her head, “You…you never told me this…I never knew you liked painting.” She said, “Do you have any of your works?” Tia asked, but it seemed it would be the right question as Theia perked up, the smile returning a brightness in her light eyes. Tia leaned back, letting her daughter run off to get some of her pieces, her thoughts immediately thinking this was worse than her training to be a jedi.

However, seeing the light return in her daughter’s eyes clearly meant more to her and Tia decided she would be okay with this…in time.