The Pain of Failure and Regret

156 ABY 1-shot / RP

{ the pain of failure and of regret... }

Several days after the Kaggath

// Location: The colonies, The forest world of Batorine, Bathori villa //

IC: Knight Terrogate & Mab Bathori

“You will taste the pain of failure or the pain of regret here today my apprentice...” the words of his old master had rung through the Cathar knight's head like the repetitive ring of a warning klaxon for days now.

It was late in the evening and once again Mab was yet to come to bed. Terrogate lay awake in their master bedroom staring at the ceiling. The sound of the strong autumn breeze making the wooden shutters knock against the windows was the only thing that he could focus on to try and keep the voice out of his head.

Light of the full moon streaked in through the curtains flooding the room in it's soft glow and the Cathar closed his eyes trying to invite sleep to finally take him.

His arms were positioned above his head and hands folded behind his head, the silk sheet draped across his stomach was the only thing covering his natural form.

Terrogate lowers his right hand and touches his chest, feeling for the familiar scars he now bore. The scare that Mab had given him with her ultrachome hand.. The Chaos star branding of Lord Deleritas.

He was lucky, the Cathar species healed quite fast and the physical wounds he had received during the trial of blood had now almost fully healed. Unfortunately the mental wounds had not.

He had failed them, he thinks to himself. He had failed Mab, he had failed his former Master and he had also failed his house. He had convinced himself that he was strong enough.. That he was leadership material.. That he had done enough to show the council that he belonged amongst them. He had failed his family.. And for that failure he had also lost Mab making the way.

Since they had returned to their homeworld she had been reserved, staying outside alone long hours and refusing to eat. She barely slept and didn't want to speak about the trial, or about how or why she had vanished. She didn't even seem to care that Terrogate had retrieved her prosthetic from the very clutches of the beast. When he had presented it to her she simply told him to “throw it out.. I don't want it anymore” before walking away and leaving the room.

Sleep eventually although stubbornly grips the Cathar warrior..  In his dreams he relives the sounds, smells and heat of the kaggath battle. Blood and magic and impossible moves manifested into reality now all around him. He sees the beast before him with Terrogates saber driven inside it's stomach, to his left he sees the winners in a stalemate and to his left the headless corpse of his Capo being stomped on by a shadow born of flames..

Within a breath the scene changes and he's surrounded by darkness, the walls of a box closing in around him looking to snuff out his existence.. Next to him his lifemate “it isn't real” she tells him.. Her mouth is moving, he knows the words but he is deaf to all sounds.. “It isn't real..” she says again.. “I'm sorry…i don't belong here...” she says with sad tearful eyes.. Terrogate turns away at the walls closing in and then looks back to her. But she was now gone… He sinks to his knees and closes his eyes “Nooooo!!” he roars, he could not tell if the sound was real or just in his head.. Then he hears it… Those words of Lord Delerits once more floating on the winds of his conscious mind..“You will taste the pain of failure or the pain of regret here today my apprentice...”

Terrogate then opens his eyes, suddenly he is lying on his back.. He's a young man now and above him is his father looking down at him. Terrogate tries to move but his father has a wooden staff pressed down into Terrogates chest pinning him to the ground. “You’ll have to move faster than that Jaja”.. His father says, the bright emerald green of his eyes were the same colour as Terrogates and even as an older man his body was still muscular and broad shouldered.

“You’re enemy isn't just going to let you up? It's their job to keep you down.. You need to fight if you want to get back onto your feet.. You need to fight if you want to survive..” Terrogate struggles to free himself but his father only presses down harder with the staff.. “Fight Jaja…. Find a way… Your family needs you to get up and fight on.. FIND A WAY!!” his father roars loudly looking down to his son pinned on the ground.

Then Terrogates remembers the day now…he knows this story.. The result floods into his head like a flood gate opening on a dam. He knows the path to victory just like what he had done that very day on Cathar over four thousand years ago. Terrogate with one hand grabbing his fathers staff reaches next to him and extends his arm, finding his own staff. And with a sharp movement of his eyes to the left pulling his fathers gaze from his right hand holding the staff Terrogate then sweeps his staff under his fathers legs sending his father falling onto the flat of his back. Within moments Terrogate was off the ground and on top of his father, pinning the old general to the ground for the very first time in his life.

His father was smiling and laughing as Terrogate bared his teeth and snarled, reacting to the adrenaline of the moment. “Very good Jaja… For our family.. We must always be prepared to fight no matter the odds..... It is our duty as men to find a way…..” Terrogate looked at his father, the look of pride was unmistakable in the old man's green feline eyes……..

…..Terrogate wakes suddenly in a cold sweat and sits up. He looks around, it's now early morning by the distance the moon had travelled, casting only a small section of moonlight directly below the window leaving the rest of the room in darkness. The knight turns to the side expecting to see his betrothed asleep beside him but she was not there, the bedsheets on her side were still made.

Terrogate stands and pulls on a pair of white cotton pants, quietly makes his way through the house, out the front door, across the lawn and down the path outside that leads to the one place he thought she would be at this time of night..

* + - * +

IC: Mab Bathori

Tears rolled down her face as she tried her best to keep her focus. Trying one last time to help her betrothed escape the Illusion the young Vahlen Knight had conjured. Mab looked the Cathar into his emerald green eyes hoping he would forgive her for what she was about to do "I'm sorry my heart.. I don't belong here..  I never did". "What do you mean?" Terrogate asked with panic and confusion in his voice. He didn't understand what was happening but Mab dropped to her knees, holding her lightsaber up in her open palm and shouted "I yield!"

And that was it, she was gone. Within a split second she was lifted off the ground and moved through the Porta Libitina, 'the gate of death'. There in darkness under the arena, she waited for the trials to be over. Out of shame for her cowardice act she couldn't even bear to watch the rest of the fight, she had failed, not only him but everyone who believed in her and she wished she never had tried.

When she saw Terrogate again after it finally was over she felt relieved that he was still alive. A part of her had worried that her betrayal would have caused his demise. She was proud of him but couldn't show it because she could not face him.

After their return to Batorine, Mab tried to avoid Terrogate and the children as much as possible, spending most of her time outside trying to find some peace. Trying to find a way to live with herself.

~\*~

Quietly Mab sat at the centre of the stone circle, this was where she would always come to meditate. But the sound of footsteps alerted her and when she opened her eyes and realized she had yet again spent the entire night outside. And yet again her meditations had made no difference. She was no closer to finding peace, instead all it did was remind her what a failure she was and a coward. The footsteps became more clear as they approached the stones, the witch knew  exactly who it was that came for her at this hour. She wasn't blind, she knew Terrogate had been struggling, and she hadn't been there for him.

The dying leaves on the tall trees rustled in the brisk autumn wind. Her hair brushed over her pale skin, it was cold but Mab felt numb to it. Inside her anger and self loathing still smoldered. She wasn't ready to face the man she loved and she didn't know if she would ever be. "Don't come closer" Mab said without looking in his direction, knowing that he was there. "There is nothing here for you to see" she added as tears began to flow again.

* + - * +

Terrogate approached the mystic stone circle carefully, convinced that the Iktotchi witch's favourite meditation spot was where he would find his love. The images of his recent dream still fresh in his mind..

He would meditate on it in more depth later to find it's meaning. Over the past year's Terrogates father had visited him only a few times in his dreams... But each time had learnt valuable lessons from the visions. As though he was still guiding his son through his journey to becoming a man.. Even from several mellinia in the past.

* + -

As the sound of the bubbling stream became stronger he knew his was getting much closer to the spot.

He makes no effort to mask his approach as the large slabs of granite come into view and inside them, if she would have senced him regardless.. There she was,his betrothed sitting cross legged in the center of the odd circular pattern of stones with her back to him. Bathed in the moonlight of the night autumn sky, breeze whipping her hair in it's gusts.

“Don’t come any closer” she says not moving to look in his direction. “There is nothing here for you to see”. Her words where cold, a barrier to her emotions, shutting him out from getting too close..  But he could tell she was deeply troubled, he was no fool. The failure of the Kaggath had hit them both hard and in different ways. But he needed to stop this if he could.

Terrogate moves softly over the forest path as he very slowly takes another step closer to the clearing.. The cool air bushing gently over his naked torso. Purposefully ignoring her words of warning to leave her alone he speaks to his love.

“You’ve been out here all night again, and missed dinner with the kids.. Why don't you come back inside.. You must be cold, and I'll make you some food.. You've not eaten for days.”

* + - * +

IC Mab Bathori

Of course he didn't listen, Terrogate continued his approach and spoke softly. He reminded her she had been outside all night and missed dinner again. Mab didn't move or spoke, she tried to hide her pain. Tears kept rolling down Mab's cheeks, shimmering like diamonds in the pale moonlight as she lifted her head and looked up at the star lit sky. "I can't" she said so softly it was merely a whisper.

It was true, she had barely eaten anything the past few days. She wasn't hungry and she didn't see the point of it. "Leave me alone" she said now a little louder as she lowered her gaze again. Still she refused to look him in the eyes. 'If she couldn't forgive herself, how could he?' she thought. "I don't deserve you" she said, thinking about all the times he saved her, all the times he took care of while she tried to push him away. All the times she hurt him and he still said he loved her. "I don't deserve any of you" she added, thinking about the children. Her voice became softer again, "I never deserved any of it" she said, thinking about why she even tried running for council. "Just go…"

* + - * +

Again Mab refused his pleading for her to come back home with him and remaind seated on the forest floor inside the great circle. “I can't.” she said so softly the even with his feline hearing Terrogate only just made our the words as they carried on the autumn breeze like the so many falling leaves of there homeworld.

“Leave me alone, I don't deserve you...” The one armed forest which said, still refusing to look at the Cathar. “I don't deserve any of you..” she said again, her words lifting in volume..

Terrogate takes another slow step closer to where she sat, cross legged in the moonlight.. Once at the very edge of the stone circle he then stopped, his betrothed's back facing him. “I never deserved any of it” she said, the overwhelming sense of sadness now was clear in her voice as it began to betray her. It was obvious now to the Cathar, his love had felt she had failed aswell. But she was wrong, unlike he who had been preparing for the event for months, the Kaggath was a huge step for her, and he needed her to release it.

“That is not true my heart” he says into the darkness of the forest. “If you will not come back inside, then I at least need you to talk to me.. Trust me as you once did, to be your strength... Just as you are my strength... Will you tell me what happened?”

No one was sure what had actually happened that day. He had reviewed footage, and asked bystanders.. But all that anyone said was the magic box had enveloped them.. And then Terrogate emerged alone moments later from its ceiling.

One witness of the event that had been one of Mabs campaign supporters had even suggested that Terrogate had done something to her in there. That the Cathar Sith had used that opportunity to further his chances of success and iliminated her himself...

That particular male Zabrak as was now floating in a tank of bacta in the medical facility of the Adalude, fighting for his life.

“You can trust me... “ Terrogate says to her again.. “Just look at me.. talk to me..” he pleaded. The Cathar remembers the last time there bond in the force was severed.. It was like living in constant agony... “I can't loose you again”.

* + - * +

"That's not true my heart" Terrogate said as he continued to move closer. Mab shook her head, he was now at the very edge of the circle, she didn't have to look to sense him. He pleaded with her, trying to convince her to at least talk to him about what had happened.

Instantly images of the trials flashed by, filling her mind with even more self loathing. She lowered her head, wanting to bury it in the palms of her hands, but all that was there was the ice cold touch of the ultrachrome. "Will you tell me what happened?” the Cathar said as she tried to bury her face in her left shoulder.. The shame of abandoning him in the illusionary box filled her up, 'how could he even bear the sight of me?' She thought as she heard him say to trust him, to look and talk to him. “I can't lose you again” he finally said..

Lowering her arm again she stared into the distance, the tears hadn't stopped, her face felt cold as the wind brushed over it. For a moment she said nothing, she didn't know what to stay or where to even start.

"What happened is.." She finally said " that I was a coward" Her voice was sharp as she spoke. "I gave up… I was weak and abandoned you." Slowly she turned her head, looking at him over her shoulder. Her eyes glistened from the tears but her gaze was full of anger. "I yielded like a coward!, I don't even know why I even tried, the Empire is for the Sith, not for weaklings like me." Mab looked away again, softly sobbing. "He was right, Skyllan… I am a fool and pathetic.. I don't have a place in the Empire…"

* + - * +

“No!” Terrogate replied after hearing her explanation, as brief as it was. It was the truth, what some had suggested to him.. That she had indeed yielded as they both were trapped inside the illusion.

Part of him didn't want to hear it... Didn't want to believe it.. but then as though she was reading his very mind she spoke again as if to stamp out any question of the truth he may have harboured with venomous anger in her voice.

“I yielded like a coward! The Empire is for the Sith! Not for me!! I don't even know why I tried...”

She was facing him now, looking over her shoulder.. Tears of rage and shame poured down her tatooed face. The whites of her golden eyes were now red from her constant flow of tears running down her cheeks.

She looked away again, sobbing softly.. “He was right, Skyllan.. I am a fool and pathetic.. I don't have a place in the Empire.”

“You were right to try..” said Terrogate taking several steps towards her, he could not believe after everything they had been through that she would say that.

“I thought the Empire had changed my stars, new factions, non-sith now being included into the ranks of the empire. You were the first of them.” he says softly, remembering how she had renounced the sith order and retreated into the Forest world right here, even before the great unrest.

“Those people where...they are leaderless.” he continued “Their voices remain unheard on the council. You had every right to run for the kaggath.” Terrogates voice raising just a little.. “ I believed in you. And I still do.”

He then steps even closer still, his large muscular frame standing right next to Mab, his tail swaying softly behind him in the breeze.

“List to me Mab... Please.” he says more softly now, “Skyllan wasn't right! Do you hear me!? I don't care that you yielded. Not at all..... But do I care that you returned even after swearing not to.. I cared that you saw an opportunity to help others, that you realised you were in the position to try. But most of all my love, my stars... I care that you lived to come home to me and our children, to be a mother to them, and a wife to me.....” his voice now fills with a sadness as he finishes his words.. “But it seems you haven't truly come home to us my love..”

Terrogate hoped he could talk her around to the fact he really was proud of her for just trying, but the most important thing even more so than a seat on the council was her survival.. Their family and their lives together here. He needed her back.

“I need you to come home to us..” he says.. Not knowing what more it would take to help her.. “You are not weak you hear me?......You are a survivor Mab. And I love you.”

* + - * +

The moment she turned around a gust of wind lifted the dry leaves off the forest ground and made her long brown hair violently whip up into the air. "The Empire hasn't changed!" She snarled at him, her eyes full of anger. "It is a farce to get more to join but in the end it is still the Sith Empire!" Finally the golden horned Iktotchi rose up from the ground. Leaves whirled around her in the wind. Her robes fluttered as she stood before the Cathar.

"I was a fool to believe that things were different… and a bigger fool to believe I stood a chance in the Kaggath" she sneered as she remembered how excited she was to run for council, all the plans she had to include and unite the factions of the Empire. Clenching her golden fist she turned away from him again, she was boiling with anger. "How can good leadership be determined by a fight to the death?" She walked to the largest standing stone and looked up at it..

The forest witch felt frustrated, she actually wanted to make the Empire a better place, but she could never pass the Trial of Blood. Mab wasn't a warrior like Terrogate, she had no experience in dueling, and the wounds from her past weren't healed yet. being confronted with the brutality of the Sith was too much, it brought back the memories of that awful night that changed her life.

"I'm too weak!" She shouted and rammed her ultrachrome fist into the ancient standing stone. "I'm a failure" again she rammed into the stone, causing small fragments to snap off.. "How can you even look at me? I lived because I betrayed you… I was too big of a coward to fight… I abandoned you!" Again Mab raised her hand ready to ram her golden fist into the stone "I hate myself!!"

* + - * +

“Did you think things would really change overnight?” Terrogate asks abruptly, his anxiety matching Mabs and she starts to hit one of the rocks. “Perhaps you were a fool to think you could win?” Terrogate scoffs “You are right, leadership isn't just about fighting.. But fighting is about out thinking and using strategy, not just clashing swords…”Terrogate remembers the face of the beast who was tipped the favorite as the knight had driven his golden saber into its gut..

“But it seemed even that wasn't enough when the winners were chosen by a popularity contest …. I guess we were both fools to believe that either of us stood a chance.”

“STOP THAT!” The Cathar orders as Mabs ultrachrome fist hits the stone but his words fell on deaf ears.. The Iktotchi witch was angry, frustrated.. And needed to let out her rage before being completely consumed by it.

"I'm too weak!" She shouted and rammed her ultrachrome fist into the ancient standing stone. \*WHACK\*  "I'm a failure" \*WHACK\* small fragments of stone start to snap off the stone slab.. "How can you even look at me? I lived because I betrayed you… I was too big of a coward to fight… I abandoned you!" Again Mab raised her hand ready to ram her golden fist into the stone "I hate myself!!"

Before Mab can strike out again Terrogate grabs her arm by the biceps and pulls it, spinning her around to face him..

“You are NOT weak!” he roars.. “You could have taken it to any of those Sith...And i'll prove it.” he says in a deep low growl taking a step back.. “Fight me.. Right here…. Inside this very circle..”  The force was strong here, he had known that the very first time he had stepped foot into the ancient circle of vertically placed stone slabs.

“Fight me Mab…. Come on… I'm facing you know…. Show me the woman I am to marry is not a coward!!” Terrogate takes a step closer and pushes her… Trying to push her to react. “FIGHT ME!”

* + - * +

Inches before her ultrachrome hand would touch the cracked surface again, Terrogate grabbed hold of her arm, spinning her around and against the large standing stone. He roared at her, telling her she wasn't weak and he would prove it by letting her fight him.

Letting go of her he stepped back “Fight me... Right here… Inside this very circle!” In disbelief she looked at him, she couldn't fight him. "Don't be ridiculous" she responded and shook her head. “Fight me Mab… Come on…" the Cathar insisted, roaring that he refused to believe she was a coward. "I can't fight you!" She said but the feline stepped closer and pushed her. “FIGHT ME!" He pushed her against the standing stone again, insisting her to prove her worthiness to be his lifemate. The rest of the sentence she didn't even hear, a sudden spark of anger flared up inside her drawing on the force. Her golden eyes shimmered as she looked at him, the

moment he tried to push her again she unloaded the buildup of energy in a power telekinetic push, aimed to make him back off.

She was standing with her back against the ancient stone, but when she created some distance between them she lowered herself, and took a defensive stance with her left foot forward and her golden claw ready. "Don't make me do this!" She yelled, not wanting to fight him, at this point she didn't even raise her force defenses yet, still refusing to fight. "I can't fight, you know I can't… I am too slow…" she said thinking about their first attempt to attack the young Vahlen Knight in the arena on Korriban. How easily she got away by just jumping up as Mab came sprinting using the force to speed herself up. "I am not strong enough!" Mab continued as she looked at her lifemate, "I am no warrior like you! I am a pathetic excuse of a Witch…" Mab began to step to the right, away from the stone, still in her low defensive stance.

Powers used

~ Telekinetic Push 3

* + - * +

Without any defenses raised Terrogate was pushed back with the full intensity of Mabs telekinetic force push before he could try and push her again to agree to fight him. As a result he was sent flying backwards through the air away from her, his back slamming flat against one of the vertical stone slabs and then dropping him to the ground. The air expelled from his lungs quickly with the impact, winding him.

Mab then lowered herself and assumed a defensive stance with her golden arm raised in front of her. "Don't make me do this!" She yelled. "I can't fight, you know I can't… I am too slow…"I am not strong enough!" Mab continued as she looked at Terrogate as he picked himself up off the ground, "I am no warrior like you! I am a pathetic excuse of a Witch…"  se said as she then stepped to the right, away from the stone and in a low defensive stance.

The Cathar rises up from the dirt, the moonlight in autumn night accentuating the plethora of scars on his bare muscular torso and arms as he stands to his full height, gathering his breath. “It has little to do with physical strength, and you seem to move just fine” he growls through gasping breaths..

Terrogate then himself crouches low, he has no sabers and only his bare hands but he was not looking to damage his bride to be. Just to perhaps finally allow her to get a glimpse of what he saw when he looked at her, and was already starting to work.

Darting in fast, Terrogate pushes forwards using his natural speed and agility diagonally left, then attempts to sweep Mabs legs out from under her with a low sweeping kick of his left leg.

* + - * +

Keeping her low stance she watched Terrogate rise up from the ground. Inside her chest her heart was racing, Mab didn't want to fight, she wasn't ready for this, not now. But she could sense the Cathar was serious and he wasn't going to let her walk away.

Slow breaths, Mab kept her eyes on Terrogate who so took a defensive low stance. Iktotchi are gifted with the natural ability of Precognition, Mab didn't have to use the force to be able to pick up on Terrogate's next move, especially now that she was on high alert.

The Cathar dashed towards her right, \*unarmed\* side. Having sensed that he was about to make a low aimed attack, Mab reached out to the force, ready to jump. When he was close enough she pushed herself into air, twisting her body to the right and with a sweeping motion she aimed her golden claw at his left shoulder (right shoulder from your point of few).

After making a full spin in mid air, Mab managed to land on the forest ground and quickly turned to face Terrogate again. "Just stop… this won't prove anything!" she cried out as she slowly began to circle to the right..

Abilities used

~ Precognition Natural ability

~ Inertia 3

* + - * +

As Terrogates leg swung through low trying to take the legs out of his betrothed sending her onto her back Mab jumped and spun away as if knowing exactly what Terrogate was about to do before he even started to move. With her ultrachrome hand she slashed at his right shoulder and the Cathar raised his right arm up defensively,  the razor sharp claws of Mabs hand catching his forearm before she spun away and landed like a feline. The move was incredible, leaving the Cathar quite impressed as well as bleeding lightly from his arm.

"Just stop… this won't prove anything!" she exclaimed as she began to circle slowly around to the right..

“You’re wrong.. This proves much” said Terrogate as he moves left to keep Mab front on.

“It shows me the real reason you yielded in the Kaggath… And I don't think it was because you didn't think you were strong enough, or that you were a coward..”

The Cathar lifts his left hand palm facing her and uses a light TK to try and pull Mab towards him, at the same time he raises his right leg and thrusts his foot forwards to her chest level, hoping to pull her into his forward kick.

Force Ability used

Telekinesis 3

* + - * +

The Cathar stayed front on, following Mab's movements. “You’re wrong.. This proves much” he said. The witch frowned as she listened to him claim that he now knew the real reason why she yielded and raised his hand. Surprised, Mab responded "do you now?" and before she knew it she felt a strong telekinetic pull towards the Cathar. Mab stumbled forward, she lost her footing and therefore couldn't jump away on time, even if she tried she knew his kick would probably land in her lower abdomen causing serious damage.

So instead the golden horned Iktotchi threw her head forward, knowing that the thick cranial bone on top could handle such a blow. His forward kick struck her hard on her skull, but before she flew backwards she tried to do some damage by clawing at his extended leg.

The Iktotchi then flew backwards, but used the momentum to roll into a standing position again. The world was spinning for a moment, her head hurt like hell. "Now enlighten me before you won't be able to!" She sneered and readied herself into a defensive position again. "Why did I yield!?" She yelled before she sprinted towards the standing stone closest to Terrogate, and ran up the vertical slab to the top. There she jumped towards the Cathar, her claw ready to strike him in the head..

Abilities used:

~ Force Speed 2

~ Inertia 2

~ Parkour 3 (non force)

* + - * + -

Terrogate bared his teeth as his betrothed once again slashed at him with her claws after lowering her head and head-butting his foot. Her golden claw swiped up at him as she was sent backwards, shredding his white pant leg and drawing blood from his right calf. The once pure white cotton pant leg slowly soaks in the deep red liquid as it streamed out from the back of his lower leg, the Cathar now changing stance to be diagonally facing Mab in a boxer's stance, hands up but open at the ready. His right forearm bled freely and ran off his elbow then dripped onto the earth below them.

"Now enlighten me before you won't be able to!” his beloved said, taking a defensive stance, “Why did I yield!?" She yelled, and before Terrogate could even try to respond she sprinted towards the standing stone closest to Terrogate, then ran up the vertical slab to the top. There she jumped towards the Cathar, her claw ready to strike him in the head..

Terrogate watching his lifemate closely as she threatened him saw her run up the stone slab, as she pushed off the stone slab he didn't have much time to react, he raised his hands looking to intercept her, trying to use her own momentum to grab her, roll onto his back and judo flip her across the circle.

Terrogate rolls from his back onto his stomach and lifts himself into a crouching pose. Both hands and legs are all touching the forest ground beneath him.

Panting he speaks in a low growling voice… “That's right.. I don't think you yielded because you were afraid… No…my love, I think you yielded because in that moment you saw that the Empire hadn't changed from the Sith culture like you'd hoped..”

Terrogate managed to stand to his feet, the crisp night breeze caressing against his naked chest and fluttering his golden mane. “I think you saw the Sith for what they are and represent, the council and other contestants for what they stand for.. You saw dishonour, cowardice, disrespect.. The winners seemingly pre-decided and you then decided you no longer wanted to be a part of it..”

Terrogate rushed forwards towards Mab and to her left, then executed the same move he had done in their opening move of the Kaggath. He plants his left hand to the ground and gets his legs vertical, then bending at the waist and twisting his hips he attempts a one handed spinning cartwheel looking to land 2 head high kicks. With no saber in his right hand the Cathar knight swipes with his right hand looking to trip a leg if he can.

* + - * + -

Again she wasn't fast enough, her betrothed intercepted her in midair, and threw her across the circle using her own momentum. This time she didn't land on her feet, she hit one of the standing stones, her head slammed back against the hard surface before she dropped face down to the ground. Terrogate rolled and managed to stop in a crouching position.

He growled at her, telling her she didn't yield out of cowardice but because in the arena she was confronted with the fact that the Empire hadn't changed at all. The Cathar rose up and continued to speak as Mab got back onto her feet. She could feel blood trickling down the back of head and down her neck. Terrogate told Mab he believed she yielded because the trials of blood had brought out the true nature of Sith, it revealed what the council really stood for "and you then decided you no longer wanted to be a part of it.”

Before Mab could respond he dashed towards her right, unarmed side again. Still dizzy from the hard blows to the head she wasn't able to respond fast enough to get away. Terrogate managed to do the same move he used in the trials, a one handed spinning cartwheel. She knew what was coming and tried to evade the kicks by ducking down. He still managed to make her trip and fall backwards as he finished his cartwheel.

Terrogate stood almost a meter away from her now, but Mab didn't move at first. "Maybe you are right" she said softly as she looked up at him. At the same time as she spoke she reached out to the force, and placed her hand on the forest ground. "The Sith will always rule the Empire, people like me have no place amongst them." Under the Cathar's feet something happened, the ground broke open and roots began to twist their way up, trying to trap him "But that doesn't change the fact that I abandoned you in the middle of a fight!!" She screamed and finally rolled herself to a standing position again, trying to create some distance between them as the roots still shot from the ground..

Abilities used:

~ plant surge 3

* + - * +

"Maybe you are right," she said softly, looking up from the flat of her back. "The Sith will always rule the Empire, people like me have no place amongst them."

Terrogate looked down to his love, for a moment he felt a slight panic as he didn't move right away.. Had he hurt her accidently? But as she spoke he realised she wasn't seriously hurt.... The warrior breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes just for a moment. He hadn't even noticed Mabs hand that was now placed palm down flat on the ground, or the multiple vines that started to twist and entwine his legs..

"But that doesn't change the fact that I abandoned you in the middle of a fight!!" She screamed and rolled to a standing position, creating distance between them as Terrogate tried to step forward to no avail.

Terrogate couldn't help but laugh as he tried to lunge forwards but was stopped dead still. Looking down, his  legs were held fast by tree roots sprung from the ground.  Terrogate closed his eyes and focused… Closing his fists, drawing on the force… And in an instant the roots holding him sprung into bright flames..

Gathering the power is the force Terrogare employs a dual force kick and dropping backwards he kicks both legs I to the air looking to break free of the vines and uses the momentum of the move to complete a backflip then landing on his feet. Blood flowing down his calf..

“That's right you did leave me… “ said the Cathar gathering his composure and resetting. “And I'm so damn proud of you for that..” growled the wounded Cathar. I'm proud that you were woman enough to choose your fate yourself.. And that you didn't make your decision based solely on my future..” Terrogate moves to a pre-Ataru attack stance, even without a saber.

“I'm proud that you chose to see I'm not one of your chains of your life still to be broken. And I am proud to call you mine.” said Terrrogate.

He lunged forwards once more quickly.. Closing the gap between them, the Artifex then swings with a left hook, a right hook and then a right forwards kick. Sending a small spray from his arm and forearm flying over both of them.

Force Powers used

Force Flame 3

Force kick 3

* + - * +

Her plan had worked, the Cathar did not move when she lay defenceless on the ground. Roots shot up from the earth and rapidly twisted around his feet, ensnaring him. But it only kept him in place for a short time. Terrogate's reached out through the force, setting the vines a flame and then break himself free by an impressive force kick.

The burning vines shattered as the Cathar flipped backwards. Infuriated by his laughter Mab clenched her fist and listened to him speak. Terrogate told her he was proud of her for choosing her own faith and proud to call her his. Then before she realized it he darted forward, closing the gap between them. But Mab responded by lowering herself when the Cathar tried to grab her with his open handed right and left hook. Followed by a one handed back handspring when he came in with the kick. One thing she had forgotten to calculate in was the standing stone as she came to a full stop with her back against the vertical stone slab.

The hand spring had allowed her to avoid being hit but hadn't created much space between them. She acted quickly using the force to push herself off the ground and up into the air, hoping she would land on top of the standing stone.

Abilities used:

Inertia 2

* + - * +

Terrogates left then right combination and follow up front kick had missed the mark as his betrothed executed a stunning one handed back handspring to escape the front on assault, she then spring boarded herself upwards to perch herself onto the top of the stone slab.

The Cathar immediately sprints forwards closing the short distance quickly in only a couple steps, feeling the force surging through him Terrogate takes two fast steps against the stone slab Mab was standing on allowing him to run vertically up the stone. On his second step against the vertical stone Terrogate pushes off and upwards, attempting a backflip off the wall. During the backflip the Knight extends his right leg and then his left leg looking to execute a mid air backflip kick towards Mabs position.

Force Powers used

Force jump 1

* + - * +

Balancing herself on the top of the stone slap, Mab watched the Cathar as she sprinted into her direction. With two steps he ran to the top of the stone she was standing on and pushed himself off at the top, flipping backwards attempting to kick her off the ancient stone. Mab however was quick enough to make a backflip of her own before his kick would land.

The Iktotchi landed on the forest ground outside the circle. The same stone she had been standing on was now blocking the view. Mab wasn't able to see the Cathar but neither was he able to see her. Using the shadows of the night, the Iktotchi began to run to the right, with the intent to circle around and attack Terrogate from the back.. She was light on her feet as she knew the Cathar had a great sense of hearing.

When she made it to the other side of the circle, she ran up against another standing stone and pushed off at the top, throwing herself at the Cathar with her claw ready to strike him from behind.

Force abilities used:

Inertia 2

Force speed 2

Non force abilities used:

Move silently 2

Parkour 3

* + - * +

Jaja lands back onto his feet from his flying backflip assault, both his kick registering no resistance though the movement and so clearly how missed it's intended target. Landing back on his feet just several steps away from the vertical stone slab his betrothed was standing on just moments ago the Cathar looks around confused… She had disappeared completely from sight.

Terrogate crouches… Trying to see into the darkness, trying to find where she'd gone.. By the time he had picked up her familiar scent coming down wind behind him it was almost too late..

Terrogate turns to face his life mate just as she was on top of him, Terrogate moves forwards only a half step before the golden horned Iktotchi slams into him, he opens his arms and attempts to grab her in a bear hug but he had smelt her too late. Her golden claw striking him and digging deeply into his flesh, just below his ribs into his abdominals.. The Cathar lifts his head and roars into the darkness from the sharp intense pain of the razor-sharp ultra-chrome penetrating his stomach muscles and his claws protract involuntarily...

In the moonlight of the autumn night dozens of birds could be seen from the surrounding trees taking flight all at once from his mighty beastial roar..

The Cathar makes no move to escape the hold, retracting his claws immediately and using the power of the force running through him he pulls Mab close to him. Their bodies pressing together and he lifts her.. Carrying her now her claw still in him, blood running freely from his wounds he walks forwards pushing her up against the vertical stone she had launched her attack from.

There, pressing her body against the cool slab he leans against her, refusing to let her go, her golden claw moves even deeper inside him, and he bares his teeth in pain… The battle mind allowing him to push on despite it.. the squelching noise audible from between them as he looks dead ahead into her magnificently golden eyes.

He then leans in his head, at the same height of hers and attempts to give her the deepest most passionate kiss of her life.

Force Powers used - Battlemind 2

* + - * +

Too slow, the Cathar couldn't evade her surprise attack from the sky. She slammed into him, her razor sharp claw penetrating his skin just below his rib cage. Roaring loudly in pain, Terrogate's claws protract, ripping Mab's clothes and briefly digging into her skin before retracting again.

Quickened shallow breaths, she stares into his emerald eyes. Instead of letting go and pushing her away he pulls her closer and lifts her off the ground. Confused, her eyes widen as carries her to one of the standing stones. "What are you doing?" She asks in a slight panic as he begins to push her against the flat surface of the vertical slab. Her icy claw pushes deeper into him.

Before she can do anything Terrogate leans in and presses his lips on hers. For a moment she forgets everything and returns his kiss. But soon she realizes that her claw is still digging into his abdomen, one wrong move and could get serious internal damage. She might have been filled with anger, but none of it was because of him, she loved him deeply and she was shocked to where this midnight row had taken them.

Holding her tight he had her still pinned against the stone slab, she had nowhere to go. She couldn't even pull her hand out of his abdomen. Using the force she attempted to push him away from her with a powerful telekinetic push.

Abilities used:

Telekinesis 3

* + - * +

As Terrogate presses his lips against hers in the heat of combat he completely loses himself in her kiss.. The memories and emotions of their entire history flood into his mind in that one moment, from the first time he saw her at the sith awards right until to now.. All the emotion, all the desire, hopes and dreams seem to follow up into his conscious mind all at once flooding him emotionally, he feels tears start to well and escape down his furry face.... He had never loved something or someone so deeply, with his very being he realised in this moment.

The heightened passion in combat, the intense power of the force surging through him and the intense pain of her golden claw penetrating his flesh should have been enough to dull his senses or at least make him blind to anything except furious rage..  Yet in this moment he had nothing but the amazing clarity of his life.. Mab was the one… There was one hundred percent no doubt about it now in his mind.

She was always stronger in the force than him, more knowledgeable, always the more advanced in the ways of the dark side and also now the light but still she had seen herself as inferior to his fighting prowess.

Tonight she had fought him.. she had fought well dodging his attacks and landed several telling blows, unafraid of harming him.. Trusting in him. This was what he had wanted.. To see if she would fight for him.. for them.. for her to prove to herself she wasn't weak or cowardly.. She was indeed strong, brave when she willed it... And that she was strong enough to be his…

The moment was quickly broken off and in an instant the Cathar was force shoved backwards hard, the intensity of the blast caused Mabs claws to cut into him causing him to release his grasp on his betrothed and he felt her golden claws remove themselves from his abdomen as he flew backwards across the stone circle and slammed backwards into a stone pillar with a sickening crack of one on hard stone. The sheer force of the telekinetic push leaving a series of hairline cracks through the granite like a spider web where he had impacted.

For a moment Terrogate saw stars through the pain exploding inside his mind and then everything went to back.... When he opened his eyes he was sat on the cold ground slumped over, his back against the stone and his head tilted down, his head ached like there was a bantha sitting on it and he could now see the extent of the open wound in his stomach.

He looked up and saw his betrothed the forest witch still standing opposite him, he must have blacked out for only a second. What he saw then he wasn't sure was real or because of the heavy hit of the back of his head on the stone but he Cathar could swear he saw the pure electric aura of his love through the force in that moment..

Her hair whipping around her golden horns in the gusty autumn wind, her golden eyes like twin fiery suns in the moonlight night seemed to warn off the very darkness itself and her very skin was surrounded by a powerful electric charge that crackled with the pure intensity of the force..

Terrogate only barely managed to get to his feet, he was starting to feel drained and dizzy.. His arm, leg and now his stomach were bleeding profusely, his white pants now drenched in his blood and he had his left hand pressed hard against his stomach's wound to keep from bleeding out.. “I yield my love..” he says.. “I yield.. He stumbles and falls back, leaning his weight against the vertical stone slab he grimaces from the pain, the force now fading from him.. Replaced with pain and blood…. But also a deep love and respect for this woman. The one he would gladly spend the rest of his life with.”

\*\*\*\*\*

It worked, Terrogate let go of her and flew back across the stone circle. With a loud thud he crashed into one of the standing stones, leaving it cracked as he slid onto the forest floor. Mab took a defensive stance again, ready to continue, her heart still racing with adrenaline.

The Cathar slumped over, she could smell his blood gushing out of the large wound in his abdomen. But when he didn't move, Iktotchi began to feel a slight panic, worried she killed him in her rage. To her relief he looked up at her a moment later.

Mab could tell he was weakened by the blood loss, he barely could lift himself up but he did anyway. Mab lowered herself, preparing for him to attack, but it didn't come. “I yield my love.. I yield" he said and stumbled back against the standing stone.

"You yield?" Mab asked in disbelief and slowly rose up. For a moment she didn't  move, her heart still pumping fast, her breath still rapid. This was not how she had imagined it to end. She had expected to lose, she had prepared herself to yield again.

After a few seconds it finally hit her, Terrogate had really yielded and he was wounded severely. "What have I done?" She gasped and rushed towards Terrogate.  "NO NO.. I'm so sorry." Tears welled up in her eyes as she stood before him. There was blood everywhere, she felt guilty and helpless. "This is all my fault… I don't know what to do." Mab panicked. She knew he had to get back to the house at once, "Jovian knows what to do.. Can you walk?" She asked and put her arm around him, offering him what little support she could give. "We have to get back."

* + - * +

“I'm fine..” Terrogate says grunting, putting his bloodied arm around Mab while still holding pressure against his open wound with his other hand. It didn’t seem to help too much though as blood totally covered his hand now pressed against his abdomen, thick red crimson oozing out through his fingers and down his stomach.

“It’s just a scratch..” he said, straining to hold himself up then stumbling slightly and leaning back against the standing stone letting it take his weight… he looks down to the red mess of his stomach, “well.. \*cough … perhaps slightly more than that.”

“You fought well my love… I’m proud of you.” He said softly through clenched teeth as he rested a moment. Mab was obviously distressed at the sight of his wounds, tears in her eyes and panic in her voice she apologised and tried to help. “I can walk…. Let’s go back inside” he said although he was labouring. It was obvious he would be in trouble if they didn’t move soon.

Slowly he stood, having to lean on Mab for support.. he was heavy tho, hopefully she could take some of his weight. At least until they got close enough to the house for Jovian to come and help..

* + - * +

"Fine? A scratch??!!" Her eyes widened as she looked at the blood that seeped through his fingers. "This doesn't look fine.." she cried softly as he put his arm around her.

Slowly he rose up, putting much of his weight on her, but Mab braced herself, trying to give him enough support. They still had to walk quite a bit before they would reach the house.

The morning sun coloured the sky orange, the leaves rustled in the cool autumn breeze as they began their walk back to the house. "I got you" she softly said as more tears rolled down her face. Despite the fact that he had told her he was proud of her she still felt awful about what she had done to him.

It was light by the time they reached the house. Jovian, who usually woke up early saw them approach the house and came rushing outside. "Master Terrogate, what happened?" He asked when he saw the wound. Obviously the Echani thought some animal caught him but when he took over from Mab and saw her with blood covered golden hand he knew it wasn't an animal. "Oh dear, let's get inside…" he said without judgement and escorted the Cathar inside to treat his wounds.

* + - * +

~~ The following weeks from Terrogates perspective ~~

[[ With Jovian the housecarls help Terrogate and Mab were both treated for their wounds from the fight in the stone circle. Terrogate tried speaking to Mab over the next weeks as his internal wounds healed, in the quiet moments alone he would tell her why he had pushed her… and that no matter what had happened that he loved her unconditionally, and her fighting sprint reaffirmed that he wanted nothing more than to be hers forever. He was also very thankful that Jovian had stayed with the family, the Echani stitched the knight up and treated him with bacta and anti infection agents until Terrogate could manage it himself. The Cather had given Jovian several hundred credits as thanks, the Echani refused of course but Terrogate afterwards had snuck into Jovians quarters and put the money inside his bedside dresser drawer with a note. “I can never repay you for saving this family Jovian, I will always be in your debt. Terrogate.” The note was never mentioned, nore the credits returned, although the knight had noticed a nice pair of shiny new shoes in Kaspars room and some new toys in Khara’s room that Mab denies purchasing for the children. Several weeks later, just as Terrogate had returned to the Empire he and Mab were both summoned to a disciplinary hearing by the Tollere house leadership. The charges of treason quickly thrown out by Lord Solus himself. ]]

* + - * +

It was difficult for Mab to see her betrothed in so much pain. Not only was she in shock by the extent of his wounds but more from the fact that she had caused them. Mab wasn't a warrior, she'd always preferred a diplomatic approach to solve problems. At all cost she would avoid duels and yet their row that night on Batorine had ended in one, a fight that nearly caused Terrogate to die. They were lucky that Jovian was there to stitch the Cathar back up.

Mab felt awful for what she had done, over the next week she would cry often when she cleaned his wounds. But no matter how awful she felt about what she had done, Terrogate always told her loved her unconditionally.

~\*~

All was going well until, several weeks after their row, both Terrogate and Mab were summoned to a Disciplinary hearing. Claims of treason had been made against them. There was no truth in those claims, nor was there evidence, it only proved to Mab that she was right. The Empire had not changed, it was still corrupt and she had no interest in being part of it. But when the witch said she would leave and never come back to the Empire, Lord Solus made clear that that wasn't the outcome he had wished for.

Reluctantly Mab told him, and the other councillors present at the hearing, that she would think about her decision back at home. But she already knew she wasn't planning on coming back.

The witch had already renounced the Sith ways, she was now ready to reject the Empire as a whole. Mab had no intention of rebelling against it, she just didn't want to be part of it and wanted to live her life in peace with her family on Batorine….