| abstract | - Vanya Kaveri was born in 3 BBY to the Lord Governor of a Provincial Territory in the Regalis Imperium. She was her parents' only surviving child, as their other three pregnancies had ended in miscarriage, and her twin, a brother, had died three days after birth despite being given the best medical attention available. Vanya herself had barely survived. Despite her initial difficulties, Vanya grew strong and healthy. Unfortunately, her parents, heart-broken by the deaths of their other four children, all sons, barely acknowledged her exictence and continued trying to have a male heir. They allowed the Equitas Knights to take Vanya for training when she was six, years younger than most students, in order to get the unwanted girl out of their way. A female Knight known as Master Jenna Morel took Vanya as her apprentice. The little girl, bereaved of her own mother's love, was immediately drawn to the warmth of Master Jenna's attention, and she did all she could to learn what Jenna taught her. A few months later, Master Morel took Vanya back to her home planet to see her parents in order to keep the small child from forgetting about them. There was another reason as well--she'd heard that the couple had lost another son to miscarriage, and thought seeing their surviving child would comfort them. While there, her parents didn't even bother to see Vanya once. The little girl, sensing how blatantly they were ignoring her despite her young age, unconsciously began to resent their neglect, as she had discovered during her absence that some parents paid attention to their children. Jenna went to Vanya's parents in an attempt to talk them into seeing their daughter. They off-handedly refused her request, and only acknowledged Jenna herself because of her status as a Knight, not because of her relationship with their child. They claimed they were far too busy preparing the funeral for their latest dead son to spend their precious time with "a selfish, disobediant brat". The Knight knew from her time with Vanya that the little girl was actually rather shy and well-behaved, no doubt thanks to the discipline of her nurses, and saw the true situation quite plainly. So, she simply stopped bringing Vanya back to her home planet, hoping to keep the child from feeling rejected any more than was necessary. The Lord Governor and his wife barely noticed. Vanya always remembered that visit, and the resentment that it seeded in her stayed with her, causing her to retreat further into Jenna's affection.
|
