Before - Legends "Human heritage" (The ancient conflict between the dark side & the light side of the Force)

What my grandfather Châtiment did to me will leave no marks – on the outside anyway.

The inside scars are the worst.


[b I want to get away from my mother, who has just arrived behind us, out of breath. Uncertainty ails her. I will not expose her, but I do not wish her to be around me.[/b]

Nope, can't blame him.


After having met my grandfather Châtiment, I am sure that nothing ever can disturb me again.




Suddenly I sense somebody in the Force. Her desperation affects me before I see her with my own eyes. It is a little girl, barely two-years-old. She runs away from one of our warriors, who is hacking with his scimitar at the air around her. Each time he misses her by inches.

I think of Lisiére and my heart cramps. “Papa?” I yelp.

Oh, a child's love. I wish he had kept it


“Aren’t you a bit too young for bridal kidnapping, little Vicomte?” the warrior chuckles. Alezan glares at him, and his laughter chokes immediately.

Moron


Maman would not like that,” she protests weakly.

Unfortunately your mother has other things to worry about.



Aaaand Lucien's a moron too. But he's a child so it's okay.

 

What a fascinating update, Azure! You can feel Lucien's sympathy for Isabeau--a gorgeous name! And his sincere desire to help but His innate, but untrained skill goes awry. I hope she will be allright. And it was interesting to see father/son bonding in a warlike setting, which is probably a very common venue for such in their society. At least Alezan seems straightforward and even if he lives by a very harsh code, he doesn't seem to relish cruelty for its own sake.

 

Wow! What a bittersweet update.

 

Young boys shouldn't go to war. I am glad Isabeau has him as a friend

 

********************************************************************************

Minou looks at me thoughtfully. Her thoughts are not as calm as her aging face. The light side of the Force radiates from her in the stillness of the dark. We are alone with the still unconscious Isabeau.

Alezan has been busy attending to his new wife since our arrival. Even though the Force healers took care of her sword wounds, Chaleur is not well. On our way to the House of Healing our men said to each other that she gave Alezan a big fight. But he won. In the end, he always wins. It is his destiny, they whispered. I have no trouble believing that.

“What went wrong?” I ask Minou, who hovers above Isabeau.

“Everything,” she breathes.

This answer is not the one that I want to hear.

I gaze at Isabeau. In the soft light of the salt-crystal lamps, she seems even more fragile than she did out in the desert. Her being inside this building seems wrong. But her tribe is gone. There is no way that we can send her back to the smoking ruins of what used to be her home. She needs to stay with us.

“Stay out of people's heads, Luçien,” Minou says suddenly. “It causes more harm than good. Do not delete bad memories ever again.”

“She was hurting.” My own voice sounds silly in my ears, so I don't add “and it was for her own good”, as that is not the reason for doing it.

“Bad experiences do hurt. But they are part of our heritage. We Lidérc are more than wild animals. This is why the She-Moon chose us above all other creatures.”

“She was hurting,” I repeat.

“Her hurt belongs to her. It is the way that she learns.”

I want Isabeau to learn about life a different way. Hurt should not be a motivation for her, nor a reason to gain experiences.

“I better put her in a Force healing trance now. She will wake up in her own time,” Minou informs me.

“Will she remember?” I am anxious to hear the answer.

“Not even I know that for sure, Luçien. There is an equal possibility of either outcomes.”

Prayers do not always get answered. That much I am learning, especially after spending time with my grandfather and his whip. But on the rare occasion the moon goddesses and the Force decide to listen to a prayer of mine, it is always a sweet feeling of victory. Therefore, I pray that Isabeau will never recall memories of her old family.

********************************************************************************

My new sister quickly becomes my shadow. She panics when I am out of reach or, completely out of sight, which seems to be worse for her—even if I am using the toilet.

It is my duty to hold Isabeau's hand. I like it, despite a few frustrations. It is my duty to keep her safe and warm, especially when her nightmares overwhelm her. It makes me feel strong and wanted. I do not mind playing the older brother at all.

I am not that much older in years, but since my grandfather showed me his way of praying, I feel older than all the other children in the serail. There is something wrong with me that I cannot put into words. Deep inside me, there is a pool of hatred and scorn. It poisons my thoughts.

Without my new sister, life would be hard to bear. Isabeau reminds me how it is to be a real child. I play games with her. I laugh with her. I walk with her. I do all of it without ever sharing my pain with her. My nightmares are not hers. I want nobody to know about those things. Nor do I want emotions to dictate my life. I want to have the higher ground.

While I am busy with Isabeau, Alezan is rather concerned about his new wife. His honest worries leak out of his mind constantly. He asks himself if he was not too harsh on Chaleur when he consummated the marriage directly in the desert sand. I think that he should let his thoughts go and harden his soft, generous heart instead. He did what had to be done.

When families have a feud with one another, like the House Ankou and the House Riwalan, it is solved by blood and violence. 'Red in tooth and claw' it is called or 'the survival of the fittest'. The desert is harsh with natural selection, almost as harsh as my grandfather with his whip. No discussion, no second thoughts. Destinies need to be fulfilled and sacrifices have to be made. A single life does not count for much. It is dust in the wind. The communityand one's clan – these are important.

I can clearly see that the law and the Holy Scriptures are on Alezan's side. The Marquise owes him her loyalty and her obedience, but she keeps up a constant fight. She fails to accept her fate by his side. Muffled screams and severe curses penetrate the double doors of his chambers.

If marriage is that troublesome, I will never marry. Females just seem to complicate life, endanger the concept of peace and order.

Even little Isabeau is full of chaos. No matter where she goes, she turns a place upside down within a few moments. She is wild and demanding in all she does. Restriction does not apply to her. But despite it all, she makes me smile. I admire her determination, her zest for life, and her ability to surf the chaos.

Most of the timethough, I feel numb. It is my fear that is locked away deep in my heart. Sooner or later I will have to face my grandfather Châtiment again, be exposed to more fear and pain. No matter how far I run, no matter where I seek sanctuary, his whip will find me and teach me humble prayers. I do not know which is worse, the act or the returning memory of it.

I hide in Isabeau's soft arms, my face buried in her fuzzy curls. Sometimes it helps and at other times it does not. There are no rules to it that I understand. Therefore, I learn to pretend. Pretend that I am the fearless elder brother. Pretend that I am strong, that I am the hero with no fear. Pretend that I am wanted and loved.

As time moves on, I not only convince my step-sister that I am a skilled heir, but the entire ducal home stead as well. I better believe that, too, before the grand maître of the Brotherhood – my grandfather – crosses my path again. Lies are best when based on truth.

********************************************************************************


(To be continued!)


@DarthUncle

@Lady_Misty

@Mando-Man

@Gkilkenny

@Tyranus230

@Shadow_Master_W

@Admiral Volshe

@Cem_Fel/ @Shawnkyr

@Chilla

@Sinrebirth

 

He's definitely a Skywalker.

 

Oh, what a contradiction in emotions here I am glad that Isabeau gives Lucien a place to be caring and connected, strong, and wanted. Although, even there, he has to feel the need to pretend strength and courage. It is his deuced grandfather who hovers over everything like a hulking menace I do agree with Lucien's sentiments. When pain is the only or the primary method of learning things, your world-view and self-concept get all messed up. Hopefully, (and it seems so) Isabeau is young enough.

 

What he has to go through at such a young age. He has now a sister. I hope he doesn't turn to the dark

 

“What went wrong?” I ask Minou, who hovers above Isabeau.

“Everything,” she breathes.

He needs to stay out of people's minds.


“Her hurt belongs to her. It is the way that she learns.”

true facts!


My new sister quickly becomes my shadow. She panics when I am out of reach or, completely out of sight, which seems to be worse for her—even if I am using the toilet.

That is very, very sad.
However, I'm glad she helps him remember how to be a child.


Females just seem to complicate life, endanger the concept of peace and order.

We ARE crazy


Lies are best when based on truth.

A very sad truth

 

Hopefully Isabeau will help keep Lucien balanced, but then again...

 

I am happy that this becomes clear, Lady_Misty! I wonder how Luke and his son Ben could develop into such normal guys...

@Nyota´s Heart: I freely based the figure of Lucien´s grandfather on Palps, a hulking menace. In the EU & books based around Clone Wars old Palps is said to give his dark trainees a hard sith training. This is what Lucien, as a future assassin and witch hunter, receives from his grandfather.

Dear earlybird-obi-wan, we already know the answers. At least we think that we know from Isa, Sionnach and Grianán. Let us see, shall we?

********************************************************************************

Marquise Chaleur Riwalan remains locked away in Alezan's chambers. It has to do with the new life that grows in her. I can see her pregnancy shining through her skin and in the way the Force gathers around her.

But she does not want her unborn twins. Nor does she want all the privileges and duties that come with her new position. One time, she gives herself a heavy stomach injury with a large shard from a mirror that she broke on purpose. Another time, she cuts her wrists open with the needle of a brooch.

Alezan ordered her to be fastened to the bed with shackles and has her watched continuously. When she goes on a hunger strike, they force feed her.

I am very sorry for Chaleur. My grandfather had taught me what it feels like to be trapped in a bad place, unable to leave. I want to prove to her that the homestead is nicer than she thinks.

After thinking on it for some time, I bring Isabeau along for a short visit. But my good intentions for her mother make the girl cry. She does not recognize the chained creature and runs away, screaming.

Chaleur gives me a dark look. “That did not go very well, did it?”

I sit down on the mattress, overtaxed and embarrassed. Isabeau was supposed to recognize her mother and give her a hug. I had not foreseen this reaction. “She asked for you constantly, maman,” I try to explain.

Maman. That title fills her with disgust. “I am not your mother, Luçien,” she roars at me and convulses in her shackles. Her usually dull eyes are alight withblind rage. The visit of her only remaining child brought back some life into her after all. But not in a good way.

“But papa made you my mother. One of many,” I correct her friendly. I can tell that she is hurting, so I must do something to get her better.

“Even if Alezan had the power to gather the stars from the sky, I would not submit to this life,” Chaleur rants on. “I will not have the fruit of his loins grow in me. I will not be his obedient pet like Fleur and all the others.”

She clearly does not know my mother. Her only master is my grandfather. I am sad and don’t understand her Chaleur’s attidue. “You should be glad to be alive and part of our family.”

Her face turns into a mask of pure hatred. “I am dead. And I have been dead ever since my husband was taken from me.”

My hand comes to lie on her chest lightly. There is a strong and fierce heartbeat, pounding against my palm. “No, you are alive,” I disagree.

Right now she is more alive than she has been since she was captured. She is full of many feelings, fuelling her ire.

“Soon I will leave this useless body behind and be reunited with my true husband,” she hisses.

“Isabeau needs you.”

“I do not want to see her grow up as a slave to the House Ankou. It would have been better if she had died with her twin brother.”

“But the twins that you carry will need you. How can you not love them?” I am agitated now.

“They should never have been and they will never be. I'll give them no name. They are just dust in the wind.”

My eyes widen. She cannot know what she stirs in me, but ignorance is no excuse for wishing one's own children dead. How dare she say something like this? Children need to be loved.

I let my anger wash over my old pain, Lisiére's death.

Invisible hands clench around Chaleur's bare throat. They press harder until I hear her death rattle.

“Enough,” I tell myself. “Enough.”

I try to calm myself. She needs to live. For her twins. For Isabeau. I let oxygen flood her windpipe again.

“What are you?” she croaks with narrowing eyes.

I have asked myself that very question more than once. My mother wants me to be the promised messiah. Alezan calls me his heir. Isabeau sees her wonderful brother in me. What am I? Only the Holy Scriptures can provide an answer.

“I am a dark angel, sent to purge the disbelievers,” I state.

She does not laugh at me or says anything. She just looks at me. The message has sunk in, I think.

Suddenly, she smiles. “Good, very good. So, dark angel, purge me, for I do not believe in your values. Use your anger, I'm powerless.”

I run awayin shock and horror, while I hear her croaking, cackling laughter behind me.

********************************************************************************

Chaleur's deteriorating health means that Minou has to visit us on a daily basis. I like being around the old Force healer and listening to her wisdom. After what occurred between my step-mother and me, I do not dare visit the ducal bedchamber on my own.

“Constant restrains cause the skin to produce purulent wounds,” she explains to me, while she investigates her unconscious patient. “In the worst cases, they cause limbs to mortify.”

“Why?” I want to know and draw closer to the bed.

“Bonds can cut off the blood circulation or put unnecessary pressure on the nerves, which run through the wrists and ankles. I monitor Chaleur carefully and keep her meridians in constant motion.”

“Meridians?”

“The currents on which your Midi-chlorians ride.”

I understand immediately and listen on.

“Real cures start within you, not outside of you. Most humanoid beings have seven energy centres. They are called chakras.”

“Chakras,” I repeat, testing that word on my tongue.

“They correlate to a planet's single energy centre, the magnetic core. In our case it is Sapuhru. For our neighbours it is their own home planet.”

I sink down on my heels, even more enthralled than before. “Amnion and Draconis.”

Minou nods briefly and continues with her dialogue. “From the chakras, the Force circulates to all areas of the body.”

“And through the meridians,” I echo and meditate on Minou's teachings. I would like to learn about the Force.

********************************************************************************

(To be continued!)

 

I am reminded of Qi Gong reading this and other such practices. One of the Qi Gong DVDs my mom has one of the instructors was in a car accident so sever that he was in a full body cast. He said he used Qi Gong to help heal his body. He even told the doctors to fix the bones in one of his ankles despite their protests. And I have heard of some cancer patients in China or another Asian Country getting together to do it in a park. They were living way beyond the time doctors gave them.


Sent from my PADD using Tapatalk

"The Starman and Moon Goddess." Han Solo - Dark Angel

 

Well, having a father-in-law who is a Reiki master, I indeed had my inspiration here, Lady_Misty!

 

Another intense update Azure!!!!! The Marquise' emotions are very well dramatized and very understandable. Poor Lucien, grappling with all the confusing and unexpected reactions. It's a wonder he knows which side is up. At this stage, however, he still means well, it seems.

 

I agree with Ny. This story grows in intensity with each update. Very well done, Nicole!

 

Psh you and I both know Lucien doesn't heed any intelligent advice.



But she does not want her unborn twins. Nor does she want all the privileges and duties that come with her new position. One time, she gives herself a heavy stomach injury with a large shard from a mirror that she broke on purpose. Another time, she cuts her wrists open with the needle of a brooch.

*sobs*
But I CAN'T BLAME HER.
Let me see - her family was murdered, her daughter taken out of pity, she was raped and stolen, and forced to a marriage not of her own choosing.

However...

[b/Children need to be loved. [/b]


“Real cures start within you, not outside of you. Most humanoid beings have seven energy centres. They are called chakras.”

I think this was the best part of the entire update.

 

Very intense, and sad, but gripping.

Have to agree, it would be great if Lucien finds healing within himself, though he seems to already be on a different path, meaning well, but wihout true understanding of others' feelings, or his own. Of course, he is a little boy still, so there is still hope.

 

A very enjoyable and intense update

 

@Nyota´s Heart, at this stage Lucien indeed means well. He is a child that wants to please his surroundings and tries to end the suffering of people.

@Hazel, I hope I can keep up the arch of suspense. (The German word is "Spannungsbogen", by the way.) I see the fall of a Darksider as a series of bad decisions, not as one single key event that determines fate. But with Lucien telling his own story, I am able to let the reader walk in his shoes. Nobody is determined to be a monster. Sometimes a man, who thinks of himself as righteous is very, very wrong.

Okay, people, before I start to hoover my room & the rest of the flat at my flat share community, that is "nagging-ly" empty since the 29th September, let me give you an update. Today is one of the rare occasions that I have internet. Muhahaha!




********************************************************************************

When Chaleur dies in childbirth, with her twins following just hours later, Isabeau takes no notice of it. My meddling with her memories disconnected her from her mother and all that she was before she came to live with us. Her nightmares cease to exist.

As time passes, I lose my toddler looks, but not my charm I am able to get the things that my heart desires, even if I don't use the Force. If my wishes are opposed, I simply sneak into the minds of others and make them give me what I want. I make my way into the most private thoughts of the servants, other children and all my mothers in the serail. There is no hiding from me. There is no excuse for my greed and my boldness.

Yet, I make exceptions. Alezan, Minou and Isabeau are too dear to me. La guard du cœur, the keepers of my heart so to speak. I spare them my investigations, even though that means I do not always get what I want from them. I can live with that. There are worse things.

Apart from the nightmares and the old wounds that fester in my soul, life is wonderful. Alezan takes me hunting – sometimes for desert animals, sometimes for political enemies. There are also precious moments when he tells fairy tales to me and Isabeau. He holds us close to him, enfolding a tapestry of colourful words.

At the age of four, I get to kill for the very first time. It is a man who attempts to aim his weapon at the unprotected back of Alezan. My dagger is quicker and catches him right in the eye. His brain spreads confusing thoughts before it stops transmitting.

After this incident, I am allowed to participate in the weapon training of the ducal guard. First they are tough on me, but soon they treat me with comradeship and fairness.

I leave the Force out of my training sessions if I can avoid it. No cheating unless I need it. The gardien deserve better from me. I show them only how flexible my body is and how quick my reflexes are. We are brothers in arms.

Isabeau tries to join me at the quarters of the ducal guard, but they send her away. There are tears, but their persistence works.





Ups, I had not realized how short that update is. Even though SWpants always advices me against it, I already give you the first part of the next chapter. DarthUncle, my gorgeous husband who is just on skype with me, just told me to give you guys a bit more, seen that I am traveling next weekend.


Okay, because I will NOT update next weekend, due to a tense timetable, I give you a bit more this time.






Chapter 4: Games without frontiers

On the morning of my ninth birthday, I am miserable, even though Isabeau wakes me up with a kiss on the tip of my nose. I laugh and kiss her back immediately, but that is not the shape of my heart.

Every moment, I fear my mother will appear and guide me to the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Shadows. My grandfather will be there, waiting for me with his whip. No prayers to the She-Moon or her daughter will prevent that.

“I have a present for you, Luçien,” Isabeau calls out.

“Being a good girl?” I smirk.

My step-sister chooses to ignore my comment as usual and begins jumping around on the mattress. I hate when she does that, but she is so cute in her enthusiasm. “I bought it from my pocket money,” she beams.

A chaotically wrapped parcel is shoved into my face. Even though my smell is not as excellent as that of a normal Lidérc, I get the sweet, unmistakeable scent of honey into my nose. “I wonder what it may be,” I lie and make her giggle.

The more I get the sticky paper wrapping apart, the better I can see the mess inside. But a present is a present and I value it. I cannot even convince myself to tell her to leave the honey inside the jar next time. “Thank you,” I breathe, touched by her cheerful effort.

While I hug Isabeau again, I see a gloomy shape behind her. It is my mother in a travel cloak.

“Children, would you like to have a walk with me? I want Luçien to pick out his present himself this year. We could go to the market and enjoy ourselves.”

Isabeau, excited by the prospect of getting out, rushes off to get dressed. But I remain on the mattress. I feel sick.

“The more you fight it, the worse it will get, Luçien,” my mother tells me. “Embrace the pain. Find pleasure in it.”

My sharp look tells her to stop talking to me. I do not want to hear any explanations. There is no excuse for what she is about to do to me.

********************************************************************************

Isabeau lies on a chaiselonge, drugged. She will not remember that we left the market. The anaesthetic was in the honey candy that my mother gave her. I was not alert enough. Guilt wrecks my brain.

The headquarters of the Brotherhood of Shadows is a labyrinth. Even if I was skilled enough to leave my grandfather's office alive, it is doubtful that I can make it to the exit area with an unconscious girl in my arms. The Force is my ally, but the odds are against us.

“Come here, Luçien!” my grandfather Châtiment orders me with a dispassionate voice. He wears a house tunic and is barefoot.

I stroke a finger over Isabeau's soft cheek. If I do not get her out of here alive I will never forgive myself. I will protect her from my grandfather, no matter what it costs me. We are both at his mercy now.

“No pain, no gain,” I hear myself say to the old man.

The shadow of a smile crosses his unveiled face. “When you are in pain, that is when you learn who you really are. I can give you that clarity, Luçien.”

My grandfather knows that I care for Isabeau. My feelings for her make me vulnerable. I give her limp body a quick glance.

A bolt of dark energy sends me falling to the ground.

“If you still fancy to be a Force witch hunter, you need to know all that there is about pain. It is the tool of your work.”

I stare at my grandfather's feet, bleeding from my nose. Despite all, I want to be a witch hunter.

********************************************************************************

There are harsh interrogation techniques and torture methods that have remained with us from the time of the Star Wars. The training program I am subjected to has its origins in the old conflict between the Ophidea and the Elfin invaders. I cannot find it in me to hate the Elves, but I develop a deep grudge against the royal House of Tjiehenet and its god queens. They are the reason I have to suffer. Without their addiction to the dark side of the Force there never would have been a war in the first place.

The ducal homestead is unaware of my regular visits to the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Shadows. I don't want to have Alezan involved, for I need to finish this, and fight the enemy. He wouldn’t understand.

Beating, dislocation, bone breaking, ripping out nails, branding, choking, burning and whipping are at the core of my prayer sessions. But there is also water boarding and enclosure in tiny spaces.

Old torture instruments from Terra are used on me. I learn that from century to century, the methods of witch-hunting varied. All of them are cruel and brutal. With each instrument, I am immediately left with pain, humiliation, and ultimate suffering. But I survive it all with no physical evidence. Only my soul becomes a complicated landscape made of layers of scar tissue.

I discover shortly after my ninth birthday that I no longer seem to have any fear. Only I remain and the cold ash of the boy that I once was. My grandfather senses it as well, and is satisfied. “The next level of your training can begin.”

He attempts to show me how to inflict pain on others but I am unwilling to embrace those teachings and to participate in them. I am confused when, instead of being punished, I am simply sent back home.

When I arrive for my next scheduled visit, my grandfather is not alone. The unconscious body of Isabeau lies in front of his desk.

I hurry towards my step-sister and check her skin for injuries. Then I look deeper into her body. Her meridians are flowing nicely; there is no real harm done. The real danger in this room is my grandfather.

“Message received,” I get out between my clenched teeth.

My grandfather does not look surprised. He rises from his chair.

I lift the small body and walk away from him, towards the chaiselonge.

Unless it is a different anaesthetic than I know of, Isabeau will sleep approximately four hours, maybe five. From now on, her safety depends on what I learn, not how quick I learn it. For her sake, I must agree to anything and push my own morals aside.

“Having a guest of honour here today, who has a fatal attraction to sweets, it is very appropriate that we should start learning about poisons,” my grandfather informs me.

“Whatever you think is necessary,” I say in a monotone voice.

I am already contemplating his slow and painful death by my own hand, not the coward’s poison. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and served in the open.

********************************************************************

(To be continued!)



Please tell me whether this reader list needs revision or not:


@SWpants

@Nyota's Heart

@DarthUncle

@earlybird-obi-wan

@Lady_Misty

@Hazel

@Mando-Man

@Gkilkenny ???

@Tyranus230

@Shadow_Master_W

@Admiral Volshe

@Cem_Fel/ @Shawnkyr ???

@Chilla ???

@Sinrebirth ???

 

I hope you stay safe when you travel next weekend!!

When Chaleur dies in childbirth, with her twins following just hours later, Isabeau takes no notice of it. My meddling with her memories disconnected her from her mother and all that she was before she came to live with us.

That is very sad.


At the age of four, I get to kill for the very first time.

I hate that phrasing


But a present is a present and I value it. I cannot even convince myself to tell her to leave the honey inside the jar next time.

*groans* NO you DO want to tell her.
Ugh, children are so messy.


Isabeau lies on a chaiselonge, drugged. She will not remember that we left the market. The anaesthetic was in the honey candy that my mother gave her. I was not alert enough. Guilt wrecks my brain.




Beating, dislocation, bone breaking, ripping out nails, branding, choking, burning and whipping are at the core of my prayer sessions. But there is also water boarding and enclosure in tiny spaces.

*sobs* Poor, poor Lucien.


From now on, her safety depends on what I learn, not how quick I learn it. For her sake, I must agree to anything and push my own morals aside.

*swallows hard*
It's not worth it, in the end. nooooo


What a depressing update

 

Feel hugged from me for that very depressing up-date, okay?

 

Hi, Nicole. I had to absorb this post. !! So very sad, have to agree with SWp. Lucien - I can feel him being molded into something sinister, almost beyond his own choosing until any vestige of conscience disappears and choice becomes irrelevant.

 

Yes, it seems there is no escape from the dark side for Lucien, at least not with this kind of 'education'.
You are showing his path very well, Nicole

 

@Nyota's Heart & Hazel, please stay put and do not end up getting depressed there. Especially when I am slowly getting ready for the special Doctor Who show here in Berlin at Potsdamer Platz tonight.

 

Poor Lucien. He has to endure so much as a child. Lousy family