Talyc woke up with another headache. He rolled to his side to find Fane sitting up, looking over his datapad.
            Fane looked at Talyc. ‘Good morning.’ He smiled.
            Talyc propped himself up and put his hand on Fane’s chest. Talyc had not felt able to be intimate since his rescue, but he wanted Fane to feel his affection.
Fane took his hand. ‘Have you seen these?’
            ‘Seen what?’
            ‘Messages from people I don’t even know,’ said Fane, ‘all wishing you a prompt recovery. They sent their messages to me, but I’m sure you received many as well.’ Fane tapped on the datapad and seemed to read through another one. ‘This guy says he’ll gladly take the bounty on whomever captured you, as long as they’re not Sith.’
            ‘We can forget that then,’ laughed Talyc. ‘The Mirialan’s Sith.’
            ‘She has speed and whirlwind abilities that only Trylia can match,’ said Fane. ‘I don’t know that any Mandalorian or bounty hunter can defeat her.’ 
            ‘It would take special circumstances, that’s for sure,’ Talyc said, agreeing.
            Fane checked another message. ‘Oh, who’s this? Oh, wow.’
            ‘What is it?’ asked Talyc. Fane showed him the message. It was a rather detailed description of what some Cathar lady would like to do to help Talyc feel better. ‘Sorry.’ He felt guilty that a former concubine had sent such an explicit message.
            ‘It’s okay,’ said Fane. ‘We got a bunch of other messages from women and men with whom you’ve been. I don’t mind so much, as long as your former lovers know that I’m your man now.’
            ‘They’re not former lovers. I’ve never loved anyone before,’ said Talyc. ‘Well,’ he hesitated, ‘not like this. There may have been one, but that was a long time ago, before I met you and knew what love really felt like. And all of these, they were just fun adventures. I assure you.’ 
            Fane blushed. ‘I admit, it does make me a little uneasy.’ He looked down. ‘I know you’ve had many, I just… You have so much experience compared to me.’
            ‘So? What does that change?’ Talyc felt a tug of curiosity. ‘Fane, have you really never been with anyone before me?’
            ‘Never. You are my first and the only one.’
            ‘So when we first kissed, that night, when we… You didn’t seem like you had never…’
            ‘I let the Force guide me,’ smiled Fane.
            ‘Look, don’t worry,’ Talyc reassured him. ‘I’ll reply to them and let them know I’m spoken for, those who don’t already know or those who need reminding.’
            ‘Well, let’s not be hasty,’ said Fane with a coy smile. ‘Look at this one; he looks handsome and he’s offering to take us both on.’
            ‘Hey!’ Talyc ripped the datapad from Fane’s hand. Fane laughed. Talyc knew he was just teasing, and it filled his heart with joy to see him smile and to feel like laughing. ‘You’re mine.’
            Fane took him in his arms and kissed him. ‘That, I am.’
            Talyc closed his eyes as he and Fane held their embrace and felt the relief he enjoyed feeling these days.
            ‘Oh, Lian’s here,’ said Fane. ‘Time to get dressed.’
            Dressed before him, Fane joined Lian and they exchanged a quiet word before Fane went out in the sun of Tython. Standing by the entrance, Talyc glanced outside. He saw the Jedi Grand Master a short distance away and Fane was talking to him. The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic was also present, along with Josur, and it looked like the Grand Master was handing them pieces of a droid.
            ‘Don’t look so worried,’ said Lian. ‘Eight-Oh had his memory backed up in a system and he will be receiving upgraded parts. Once he’s back online, he’s going to be glad he went through that ordeal. Or so I hear.’ Talyc nodded, feeling unsure about how he should react. It’s not that he was insensitive or didn’t care about the droid, but he didn’t know him. Lian chuckled. ‘I know the droid is not what worries you, but you could smile, Talyc.’ Talyc looked down shyly. ‘Master Herl’unik has come to see that you are doing well, aside from bringing the droid, and ensuring that we have everything we need to help you.’ Talyc nodded. Lian put a hand on his shoulder. ‘The Force needs you. That is why we help.’
            ‘But I’m not Force-sensitive.’
            ‘Perhaps not, but you share a bond of love with one who is. And even if Fane were not a Jedi, the energy of love that true love creates in the Force, it heals it, somehow. Therefore, the Force, in order to heal from Relsor’s malady, needs you and your love. As you heal, your life energy heals the Force too.’
            ‘Do I really have that much power as a non-Force-user?’ asked Talyc.
            ‘You know you do. You can feel it. The energies you share with Fane, what you feel when you’re with him.’
            ‘Sometimes I’m afraid it will all disappear and be an illusion,’ Talyc admitted.
            ‘Then remember how Fane makes you feel, remember your love when you are together, for that is real and truer than any illusions Relsor can create. Your love can break that fear and remind you how real this moment is.’

Continue reading Chapter Eight

Catch up on previous Star Wars Fan-Fiction from the Shadie story series.

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