Beyond - Legends What the Heart Longs For ~ LOTF Tahiri, Cadeus~ Proverb Challenge

Author: CelesteAntola
Title: What the Heart Longs For
Characters: Tahiri, Cadeus
Timeframe: LOTF
Summary: A look at Tahiri?s and Cadeus? relationship during LOTF. It?s very dark, which is unusual for me... you have been warned.
Notes: Response to the Proverb Challenge. I had #3:

The hand will not reach what the heart does not long for. - Welsh proverb

----

Low block.

Parry to the left.

Upward slash.

Spin and counter.

She was completely and utterly focused, the Force flowing through her as she allowed it to guide her lightsaber. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, the three scars traced into her skin glistening under a sheen of sweat.

High guard.

Return to center.

Block and pivot.

Lock blades.

Her opponent grunted with exertion as their blades met, sparks flying about like shooting stars. Pressing two lightsabers together was like trying to make the wrong ends of a magnet attract, she decided. In her opinion, it wasn?t worth the effort.

Again, she pivoted, ducking beneath the blades and dangerously close to her opponent. She danced away just as quickly, her guard centered, and a confident smirk twisted her lips. He would be proud of her. Proud of her focus and determination...

Then, her opponent lunged and they engaged once more, each doing all they could to hold the other at bay. It was a perfect dance, the way they sparred. It reminded her of the old days, long before her galaxy had been torn apart and her innocence lost.

Anakin...

As quickly as his name slipped into her mind, her opponent struck hard, taking advantage of her lapse in concentration. She screamed as his blade seared into her upper arm, her legs threatening to buckle before instinct kicked in, and she channeled the pain, making it productive, purifying.

?Kriff you,? she growled, glaring darkly at her opponent, cradling her injured arm close to her body. Anger boiled her blood and she prepared to make proper retribution, her shoulders squaring, her muscles tensing for the attack.

?Enough.?

The command cut through the cloud of pain and frustration, but she couldn?t help scowling as her opponent shut down his lightsaber.

?Afraid I might do some damage of my own?? she snarled, her own scarlet blade still blazing in her hand.

?I said ?enough,? Tahiri. You?re not focused, and I?m not going to waste my time.?

?Waste your time?? she sneered. ?You?re the one that wanted to spar, Jacen.? She taunted him with his ?old? name, spitting it out like it was something vile.

Before she could react, he lunged, knocking her to the mat, pinning her body beneath his. Her lightsaber flew out of her grasp, and his hands trapped her wrists in a vice-like grip.

?Cadeus,? he growled, his voice dangerously low. ?That is my name now, Apprentice. You would do well to remember that.?

His face was only inches from hers, his eyes burning into her own, but she refused to look away. He could try to intimidate her all he liked, but she had been broken once before. There was nothing he could do that they hadn?t already done.

?Oh, you?d be surprised,? Cadeus whispered, his breath hot on her cheek.

She bared her teeth at him, more than slightly disconcerted at how easily he was reading her thoughts. ?You wouldn?t dare.?

His grip tightened. ?Really?? His eyes narrowed and flickered suggestively as he leaned closer.

Still, she refused to look away. ?I hate you,? she said through clenched teeth, her body taut beneath Cadeus? weight.

He smiled. ?Good. That?s the focus I want from you all the time, Tahiri,? he murmured, his lips almost touching hers.

She set her jaw and scowled. The heat of her anger burned in her eyes, reflecting her hatred for what Jacen had become, for what he was doing to her.

He released one of her wrists to run his fingers along her jawline. She barely restrained the urge to slap the smirk off his face, knowing she?d never be fast enoug

 

*steals!*

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Great job! I love the exploration into Jacen and Tahiri's dangerous relationship.

 

A new side to this that you never really see in the books. Very nicely done.

 

Wow. You've managed to capture, in a short viggie, the essence of Caedus and Tahiri's relationship ... in a way that LOTF rarely, if ever, IMHO, managed to.

Jacen's cruelty, here, is much more Sithly than most anything I think we saw in canon. He knows exactly how to twist the knife to make Tahiri more Sith, and she can't seem to see a way out ...

An excellent piece, Celeste.

- ,
Onderon1

 

He had a need and she wanted to be needed. He was lonely and she was lonely. He was lost, as was she, and together they were found. They were so alike and they could help each other, and her lips moved with his, no longer caring about her hatred, about her loss. She had a need, too, and she reached out for him hungrily and...

Love how you show the parallels between the two. This piece showed the inner battle of Tahiri perfectly. Very powerful and moving piece.

 

This is great! It was dark, bitter and somewhat beautiful...



Great stuff.

 

Wow, that was dark! Kinda horrifying actually. But I mean that in a good way. This was really well written, and suberb insight into Tahiri's character. I don't think I've ever hated Cadeus more, but this really explains why Tahiri stuck with him.

 

WOW !! Simply WOW !!

Excellent, excellent response to the challenge. You did an incredible job in explaining the dark and twisted relationship that Tahiri & Cadeus had. I don't think you could get me to hate him any more than I do know.

 

I reread the fic, and I sensed some jealousy in Jacen. Is that intentional?

 

Her opponent grunted with exertion as their blades met, sparks flying about like shooting stars. Pressing two lightsabers together was like trying to make the wrong ends of a magnet attract, she decided. In her opinion, it wasn?t worth the effort.

I like that

Then, her opponent lunged and they engaged once more, each doing all they could to hold the other at bay. It was a perfect dance, the way they sparred. It reminded her of the old days, long before her galaxy had been torn apart and her innocence lost.
Anakin...
As quickly as his name slipped into her mind, her opponent struck hard, taking advantage of her lapse in concentration. She screamed as his blade seared into her upper arm, her legs threatening to buckle before instinct kicked in, and she channeled the pain, making it productive, purifying.

Great descriptions of the fight. Makes it very easy to visualize.

Also, the way Tahiri embraces the pain here is totally creepy. I love that you included some Vongness in her here

She belonged to Anakin, no one else.
His fist slammed down next to her head.?Damn it, Tahiri!?
The anger in his voice flared as quickly as the vermilion in his eyes and she couldn?t help flinching, a vein of fear lacing through her.

She can't forget him

Cadeus? desire wrapped around her like a cloak, heavy and cloying. His lips pressed against her forehead and she shivered from the violence of her emotions. Her anger began to drive away her thoughts, and the last rational piece of her mind tried to hide away Anakin?s image, tried to keep it safe.



His hands moved over her and her fury took over, burning through her aura like a wildfire, and even that last, hidden image couldn?t escape. Her body was rigid beneath Cadeus? and hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Her lips curled in a silent snarl as she vowed to kill him.

I feel so sorry for Tahiri. Caedus seems to delight in humiliating her and trying to bring the worst out of her, trying to kill what's good inside of her. He is one cruel *******

?Anakin,? she whimpered, curling up on her side on the cool floor of the training room. She was alone once more, left to pick up the shattered remains of her heart. She had betrayed him, betrayed their love, and it made her feel dead inside.
The hand will not reach what the heart does not long for, Cadeus had told her, over and over again, and to what end?
She needed Anakin so badly, longed for him with every part of her being, loved him more than life itself, and yet it wasn?t enough. She couldn?t have him, no matter how much she longed for him.
All she could do was reach out, and allow her... Master to manipulate her need.
All she would ever have was her anger and her bitterness and her despair.
Tears stung her eyes and the pain of her loss ripped a scream from her throat.
The Force, and Cadeus, had taken everything else.

Wow, this is really dark It's a great example of what happens when a character agrees to these Faustian bargains with a Sith Lord. They always end up losing everything.

Very well written, Celsete You did a great job of capturing Tahiri's despair and humiliation at what Caedus is doing to her and all that she's lost. This new dimension of Caedus has revealed an even crueler person, and I agree with tahiriveilax about the touches of jealousy in Jacen's reactions to Tahiri's straying thoughts.

Awesome work as usual

 

*shivers*
Ah, finally someone really captured the Caedus/Tahiri relationship of LOTF! So dark and twisted and scary. But so very believable. Amazingly well done!

 

Jacen was so cruel to her. I mean come on, Jace smarten up boy this is your dead brother's girlfriend you're toying with. Not very nice

Very well done

 

Oh, wow... these replies are way overdue...

Thrawn- *steals!* grin

You know, you've really got to stop stealing first if you've no intention to actually reply...



G_Anakin- Great job! I love the exploration into Jacen and Tahiri's dangerous relationship.

Thanks! It was certainly an interesting journey... *shiver*

Thanks for reading and replying!

MiralukaJedi- A new side to this that you never really see in the books. Very nicely done.

Thank you so much!

O- Wow. You've managed to capture, in a short viggie, the essence of Caedus and Tahiri's relationship ... in a way that LOTF rarely, if ever, IMHO, managed to.

Thanks!

But seriously, I agree. I thought some exploration needed to be done, especially considering some of the reactions to the revelation about the nature of their relationship in Allies.

Jacen's cruelty, here, is much more Sithly than most anything I think we saw in canon. He knows exactly how to twist the knife to make Tahiri more Sith, and she can't seem to see a way out ...

Exactly. Jacen had an acute sense of empathy, and it doesn't surprise me in the least to imagine that he used that ability for more dark purposes as a Sith.

An excellent piece, Celeste.

Thanks again!

FelsGoddess- Love how you show the parallels between the two. This piece showed the inner battle of Tahiri perfectly. Very powerful and moving piece.

Thanks so much! I had hoped that particular passage would have been as revealing as it was. Thanks for reading and replying!

tahiriveilax- This is great! It was dark, bitter and somewhat beautiful...

Great stuff.

Thanks so much!

Tarsier- Wow, that was dark! Kinda horrifying actually. But I mean that in a good way. This was really well written, and suberb insight into Tahiri's character. I don't think I've ever hated Cadeus more, but this really explains why Tahiri stuck with him.

Thank you! You understood exactly what I was going for! Thanks for the reply!

Kailene- WOW !! Simply WOW !!



Excellent, excellent response to the challenge. You did an incredible job in explaining the dark and twisted relationship that Tahiri & Cadeus had. I don't think you could get me to hate him any more than I do know.

You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that my objective in writing this piece has been attained.

Thanks for reading and replying!!!

tahiriveilax- I reread the fic, and I sensed some jealousy in Jacen. Is that intentional?

Absolutely! The jealously is subtle, but Cadeus is NOT happy with the fact that he can't demand Tahiri's full attention. Sure, he's using her weakness for his own ends, but deep down he wants her completely committed to him.

Good catch!

Yobi- I like that

Thanks.

Great descriptions of the fight. Makes it very easy to visualize.

Also, the way Tahiri embraces the pain here is totally creepy. I love that you included some Vongness in her here

Thanks so much! And, yes, I believe that Tahiri's shaping was far more permanent that they'd like us to believe. Her Vongness is a tool, and she wields it well.

She can't forget him

Of course not!! A/T FTW!

I feel so sorry for Tahiri. Caedus seems to delight in humiliating her and trying to bring the worst out of her, trying to kill what's good inside of her. He is one cruel *******

You got that right. *sigh*

Wow, this is really dark It's a great example of what happens when a character agrees to these Faustian bargains with a Sith Lord. They always end up losing everything.

*nods*

Very well written, Celsete You did a great job of capturing Tahiri's despair and humiliation at what Caedus is doing to her and all that she's lost. This new dimension of Caedus has revealed an even crueler person, and I agree with tahiriveilax about the

 

Just a little bump to thanks the readers that nominated this fic in two categroies:

Best Canon Interpretation, Male: Caedus

Best Canon Interpretation, Female: Tahiri

Thanks guys, it means a lot!!!! [face_hug]

Be sure to check out all the other nominated fic and vote once the polls are open!!

Thanks again!

~Celeste

 

I much liked, so unusual! Jacen splendid , such cruel's aure, I simply delighted with that, as you his have described. Tahiri too good. More and more love this pair, even that J/TK and A/? my OTP.
But continuation will or this one short?

Bel

 

This is so deviously deliciously dark and I absolutely love it