Chapter 1:
A warrior's heart is one of ice and steel, she lets it melt for no one
~
Isla Bluefeather had been born on mandalore and grew up a mandalorian, as she was by blood.
All her life, she had been raised to be a warrior, warriors weren't supposed to fall in love, they were supposed to have hearts of ice. And she had...
Isla was one of three sisters, the oldest was Starla, then Sadie and then her.
Starla was rather a bossy know it all and always wanted to be in charge.
Sadie was the quietest. She didn't have many or large aspirations for the future, and often let other people walk all over her.
And Isla... Isla was a leader. She liked to make sure things were running smoothly.
Isla practiced sparring with her sister, in a few quick movements Sadie was on the ground, gasping for air.
She heard clapping and turned to see who it was. A mandalorian in dark, almost black, navy blue armor leaning on the wall of the training arena.
"I'm Gade Starchaser," he said, holding out a hand to shake theirs.
Isla blushed slightly under her helmet, then shook her head sharply to clear it, a heart of ice, remember? She quickly shook his hand, and then Sadie did the same.
Gade bowed to the two of them, "It was nice to meet you, miss-?"
"Bluefeather. Isla Bluefeather."
"I hope to see you again, miss Bluefeather," Gade said neatly .
"Want to spar?"
Gade smiled, "Of course." he took his spear off his back and stood at the ready.
Isla waited for him to strike, when he did, she leaped out of the way and walked him with her spear.
Gade stumbled forward and knocked her legs out from under her.
Isla hit the ground with a groan. She pretended to be hurt, then lashed out, knocking his legs out from under him and they both ended up laying on the ground, gasping for air.
"Good fight," Gade said.
Chapter 2:
"Well done Isla."
Isla dipped her head slightly, worldlessy saying 'thank you'
Gade smiled under his helmet, and gently set a hand on her shoulder.
Isla tensed and kicked Gade in the gut. He doubled over, gasping.
"I should have warned you," Sadie said softly, "She doesn't like to be touched," she looked at her little sister
Gade looked up at Isla.
The set of Isla's shoulders was now tense. She turned her back to him, her heart fully freezing again.
Gade didn't understand what he had done, "Isla?"
She didn't turn to look at him.
"It's not you," Sadie whispered to Gade, "She's been like this since-"
"That's enough!" Isla said sharply, an arm wrapped around her stomach as she looked out at the sunset.
When she turned back, she was once again the ice cold warrior, her cape draped over one shoulder, "Good night."
"Good night," Gade said, as he watched her run back to her home.
Sadie followed her.
Isla took off her armor and got ready for bed. She brushed her long blond hair, looking at the corner of her room, a tear rolling down her face. It had been months and she still wasn't over it. People acted like she should be, well, those that knew, but those who didn't know just went on with life. So she never let anyone know that she still grieved. Not even her parents or sisters knew.
She lay down in bed, pulled the blanket over herself and let the tears fall as she looked at the empty place in her room.
Sadie lay down in her bed in the room that she and Starla shared. She could hear her sister crying in the room next to theirs'. She knew that what had happened had crushed her little sister. Since that sad sad day, Isla had become an icy warrior, the sweetness in her had been blocked by the ice, and everything her sister had gotten and prepared and gone into a box that was pushed into the back of the closet, or had been thrown away. No one in the house was allowed to mention what had happened. If they even tried to, Isla would run away.
"Is?" she called softly through the wall.
Isla wiped her eyes, "What?"
"Want me to come give you a hug?"
"No." the icy reply came back.
"Just know I love you," Sadie said.
No reply came back to her.
Chapter 3:
Isla woke early and snuck out of the house. She headed to the small grave.... she hadn't been there in a few weeks. She sat down next to the small headstone. Her nameless baby was buried there. She bowed her head, her shoulders shaking as she cried. She set a hand on the stone, unable to hold in her tears, "I'm so sorry, baby." She thought back to the day she had been rescued...
15 year old Isla lay, unconscious, on a bed, a scientist standing next to her, "Her body has taken well to having the baby," he muttered as he wrote it down.
The door of the lab exploded and mandalorians rushed in.
"Hands in the air!" Tokar growled, aiming at the scientist.
The scientist whirled around, "You don't know what you're doing! You'll kill them!" But he raised his hands.
Tokar signaled to a mandalorian and he picked up Isla and carried her out of the lab.
When they returned to the clan, Isla was starting to wake up. The hospital gown she wore wasn't comfortable, but her stomach hurt to much for her to dwell on that small about of discomfort.
"H-hey..." she rasped, her eyelids still feeling heavy.
"Don't talk, we need to get you home. Just rest."
Isla's eyes closed again and she fell into sleep....
A week later she had found out about the baby....
She'd been angry when she had first found out. But by the time she told her parents, she was happy about the baby and excited to get to be a mother. She loved the child with her whole heart already, and couldn't wait to meet it. Her family had been shocked, of course.
"WHAT!?" Her father had roared.
"Oh my..." her mother had said.
Starla just gaped, for once, at a loss for words.
Sadie smiled, "You'll be a good mother."
Isla had moved out of the room she shared with Sadie, and into Starla's room. Starla was furious that she now had to share a room, while Isla had her own.
"She won't have her own room for very long, with the baby coming," her mother reminded Starla.
Isla was completely happy, even though members of the clan looked down on her because of the baby. She sang softly, "Baby mine, dry your eyes, baby mine, don't you cry, pay no head, to what they say, never to far, baby of mine."
Chapter 4:
Isla must have fallen asleep, for when she next opened her eyes, the sun was high in the sky.
No one was looking for her, she knew. When she went to visit the grave they expected her to be gone for hours.
Gade had found Isla, fast asleep, in the forest, a small headstone by her head. He was worried about her, so he had climbed a tree near her and kept watch. He had seen her wake up, but didnt want to say anything and startle her.
"So many people wanted me to kill you," Isla whispered, "But I always said 'no'. They say that it wouldn't have mattered, since you died anyways, and that it was selfish of me to not terminate the pregnancy," she shook her head, "If that was me being selfish, then I plan to continue being selfish. You are, and ALWAYS will be, my baby. My precious precious baby. Even though your life was cut too short."
Sadness filled Gade, Isla had lost her child... it all made sense now. He wondered what had happened, how the baby had died, and what had happened to Isla's husband, the baby's father.
"I just want you to know that I still love you, and that I think about you all the time," she stood shakily, "I'll be back to see you again next week," Isla said, then walked slowly back home.
Names ran through her mind, the baby still didn't have a name, and she wanted to give it one, but she wasn't sure if it was a boy or a girl. Finally, she settled on the name, Bakari, "I love you, little Bakari," she whispered, as she walked.
Gade climbed down from the tree after she left. he found a flower, growing near by, and picked it. He lay it on the headstone, then returned to his home. He wouldn't tell Isla that he knew about the baby, unless she brought it up, not wanting to embarrass her.
*sniff* *sniff*
WHY IS GADE SO AWESOME!!