Happy New Year Everybody! I must say, I almost punched a wall with glee when I saw all of the favorites and follows! I was so excited, I got right on to writing the next two chapters. Thank you to those who took the time to review, your kind words helped me belt these out faster! Enjoy!
No walls were harmed in the making of this chapter.
Actually, wait. . .
Thirteen Years ago
The rapid clicking of his boots against the stone floor failed to reach him through the pounding blood rushing in his ears. Adrenalin and anger drove him down the narrow hall, frustrating thoughts trailing in his mind.
How dare he. How dare he!
He paid no mind to the stunning green view that the large open windows provided as he shot by. His eyes were trained on the single set of dark double doors that mocked him at the end of the hallway. The Force yielded to his demand and slammed one of them open.
"Uncle!"
A man, known to many as Luke Skywalker, sat at the simple desk across from the doors. A circular window on the wall behind him illuminated his form, making the middle-aged Master look almost ethereal. To many he was a living legend. To the select few, family.
His right arm was laid out in front of him with a piece of synthetic skin pulled up. Several wires and small pieces were scattered out by a toolbox to his left. Luke's head rose from his work with a surprised expression, pulling back a tool from the hydraulics of his open wrist. He noted that uninvited guest was none other than his own young nephew.
"Ben? Is everything al-"
Slam!
Ben Solo did not care for his uncle's pleasantries, concerns, or whatever the frack it was he was doing. He needed answers and he needed them now.
Within seconds, he had strode forward and smashed his hands down on the desk, rattling the loose pieces. Deep brown met sky blue as he glared into the Skywalker's eyes.
"Are the rumors true?" Luke's surprise shifted to confusion. Ben's frustration escalated. "Is it true you are taking on another Padawan?!" The confusion lasted for only another second before a smile crawled onto the Jedi's features.
"I see that nothing can get past my students anymore," Luke swapped the tool in his hand for another and started to re-bond his skin. "Who was it that caught on? Was it Jaden? I recall that he walked in on that special call. It was meant to be a surprise."
"A surprise?!" Ben huffed. He leaned over the desk. "The terrible kind, yes! How are we supposed to get any stronger if you keep holding us back with pathetic excuses?" Luke's eyes remained downward as he worked, the small smile still annoyingly plastered to his face.
"Growing strong need not be a race, young Padawan. Sometimes taking things easy now will help you understand more later." A hiss filled the air as the skin finished bonding. "More importantly is that strength is only a small part of your lessons." Luke gave his wrist an experimental twist before appearing satisfied with his work. He packed away his tools and gave his nephew his full attention. He sensed he was in for a rant.
"I don't want to understand things later, I need to know them now! You have been slacking off on parts of the necessities of our training!"
Ben's brows furrowed as he leaned farther forward. "What kind of Padawans are we that we don't even have lightsabers yet? Certainly not any I have read about in the old documents! All we have done for most of our lives on this pathetic planet is meditate on the Jedi teachings and swing sticks at each other! Where is the strength in that, uncle? Some of us should be Knights by now!" Ben's fingers were turning white from the pressure he was exerting down "And now, when we finally have the opportunity to take missions, you bring in a child?!"
Luke's smile was slowly fading as Ben's rant went on. He now held the stern countenance of a teacher preparing to correct a wayward pupil. His student's normally pale face was flushed with his building emotions, waiting for his uncle to speak. Luke waited for a moment to let the Padawan calm before opening his mouth.
"You appear to be confusing the difference between the support of strength and the force of power. Be wary of the line that divides the two, Ben, or you will find yourself on a much darker path," Luke stood up from his desk. "Come, walk with me." Ben straightened himself and removed his hands from the desk, biting down his agitation. The difference between power and strength? Were they not one and the same? He trailed after his uncle and Master. Now two sets of clicking filled the stone hall.
"Yes, I have accepted a new Padawan. Her Force sensitivity is great and she shows great promise. I can understand your frustration, but it is pointless," Luke glanced to the teenager beside him. "I am merely one Jedi. Things cannot be the same as old because they are not the same as old. Each Padawan should have their own Master, yet there is only me. Each Padawan should have a lightsaber, but a series of events keep us from the necessary parts. I know that I said I would take you all on missions, but the danger out there is too great for me to keep you all safe."
"We can handle ourselves-" Luke held up his hand, silencing the boy. The two had exited the hall and stopped in the middle of the large room. The courtyard was visible from the open wall to their left, letting the midday light shine over the cream colored stones of the temple.
"I know how hard you have all worked, but it is not yet time. Dark things are brewing beyond this planet, surely you can feel it as well," Ben lowered his eyes, refusing to answer. "This is why I tell you, let go of your frustration. Feeling anger towards a situation will not change it. It will only pull you into the dark and bathe everything in sorrow. As a Jedi, we must accept the things that are beyond our control and strive to better the things that are."
Luke was entirely serious, looking at the young man with some sort of expectation.
"Do you understand, Ben?"
Several emotions flickered across Ben's pale face before he settled on an expression of passive indifference.
"And what of the new Padawan? Things are undoubtedly going to have to change because of her addition." His voice was flat and direct, void of the passion that had filled it before. Luke appeared grateful, the tension that had settled in his shoulders finally releasing.
"She will be joining us late tonight. I intend to introduce her in tomorrow's morning exercises. Which reminds me of a request have for you," the boy inclined his head, but made no other movement.
"You are my most gifted Padawan in regards to connecting and using the Force. If you truly wish to change things, then maybe you could help train our new student in Force usage." Brown eyes widened slightly. Luke's twinkled as his smile grew. "Your constant tutelage would get her to a decent level of mastery in little to no time. The other students would catch up to your level and you yourself would gain experience in the value of responsibility. Think of it as a small mission of sorts. What do you think?"
Ben lowered his eyes again, this time wandering in thought.
"As you wish, uncle."
"Ah, Ben," Ben looked up to see his uncle scan the room quickly before returning his gaze. "We are in a public space." Realization struck and Ben lowered his head.
"Forgive me. As you wish, Master Skywalker."
"Thank you Ben. I'll be in meditation until tonight. You know where to find me if need be. Good day, Ben."
"Good day, Master." With that note, Ben quickly walked to the hallway at the other end of the room.
He ignored most of the doors along this path, only slowing when he reached one near the end of the hall. He opened it by hand and gently closed it behind him. A sort of comfort washed over him as he found solace in his own room. Sparse as it was, like all Jedi rooms, it gave him the time he greatly needed to reflect on his own thoughts without the interruption of his peers. And reflecting was something he needed to do now.
Thoughts started to tumble into his head, causing pressure and confusion to build in his mind.
That's the Jedi way, huh? Settle for scraps while the galaxy goes to hell! What's the point of training if we can't put it into practice and do something now!
Like a detonator priming to go off, various loose objects in his room began to shake. His desk rattled against the wall. The air itself seemed to tense and vibrate.
The difference between strength and power? Foolish man, why don't you quit these ridiculous riddles and teach us! I will never live up to our family line with these stupid hindrances! Fists were clenched now. Ben was too distracted to see that certain objects were now levitating off of the ground.
And now you want me to teach some gifted brat and let the others catch up. Are you blind, man? Can you not see that I want to surpass them all! I will never make a name for myself like you and Grandfather if I am just one of many! Damn it!
"Augh!" Ben swung his fist out and slammed it into the closest wall, trying to vent some of the chaos in his head.
A chair suddenly flew up and crashed against the same wall.
It took a split second for Ben to realize that he had gone too far. Years of Jedi training and conditioning quickly kicked in. Ben wiped his mind of thoughts and closed his eyes, trying to slow his breathing. He recited part of the Jedi mantra in his head. There is no emotion, only peace. No emotion, only peace. Only peace . . .
Once the pumping sound in his head slowed and his much needed control was restored, Ben opened his eyes to survey the damage. There was now a sizable chip in the stone of his wall and what used to be the chair was now a twisted mess of splinters and wood.
"Well this is going to be hard to explain."
ox0XOX0xo
Avkir was a planet that many overlooked. It was small, isolated, and simple by most planets standards.
Thank the Force that it was.
When Order 66 was given and the Jedi were slaughtered, many of their temples and bases were also obliterated. The old Sith were determined to wipe out the Jedi and destroy any chance of recovery. But as thorough as they tried to be, as impassioned as their desire was, they could not hope to eliminate every possible sign of the peacekeeping organization. There were still several smaller bases scattered throughout the galaxy that the old Empire didn't know existed.
Avkir held such a place. In the midst of its rocky hills and green planes, a lone temple stood proud. It was here that almost fifteen years ago, Luke Skywalker decided to begin resurrecting the ways of the Jedi.
The temple was not large by any means, designed more as a base for Jedi taking long missions outside of the galaxy. It was constructed by rather plain and pale blocks of stone with a design that left it open to the outside elements. Vines and plant life climbed its walls and flourished. There was no sign of any other sentient species. There was just the simple pale temple that nature was striving to reclaim.
Through the eyes of a little girl who had never seen such green, it was the most beautiful thing in the galaxy.
The small child was sitting up on her knees, her hands pressed against the glass window of her parent's cruiser as curious eyes drank in the sight. Could planets really be this vibrant?! Granted, it was harder to see with the dying light, but still! She eyed the temple approaching quickly and could hardly contain her glee. She was going to live here! She was going to see green every day and make new friends and learn new things and practice cool sword stuff and-
"Get away from the glass, love, we are about to land shortly."
"Yes, mom!" The child obeyed her parent and sat in her seat correctly, but continued to stare out the window with stars in her eyes. Things are going to be better now, she thought.
Within a few minutes the cruiser was maneuvered into the wide courtyard.
The young girl had noticed from higher up that the temple looked like an upside down 'U', except angled instead of curved and with extensions coming off and out each tip at a 90 degree angle. I wonder what those are for. She pondered for a moment. A gasp slipped from her lips. What if this entire place is secretly a ship and those things are wings! But what could power such a silly looking ship?
Eager to see more, the girl started bouncing in her seat. "Let's go, let's go! It's right there, mom, look how pretty it is!"
"Yes sweetie, it is pretty." The mother replied solemnly. The man who had landed the cruiser opened the exit hatch. The child wasted no time in removing the loose restraint that was laying haphazardly on her lap. While her parents moved slowly, almost with dread, the enthusiastic girl was already running down the hatch. When her feet hit the smooth stone she breathed deeply, relishing just how clean the air was. It's cool weight infused her with energy, like blessing from the sky. This place must be paradise!
While enjoying the climate, her youthful ears picked up the faint chirping of a native bug. Joy lit up her face and she began to pinpoint the source of such unique music. Where was it? What was it? How was it doing that?
Before she could explore further, her mother and father appeared behind her.
"Come on, dear, let's go in," her father said. He put a hand on her upper back and directed toward the stair leading from the courtyard to the actual building.
From the courtyard area in front of the open end of the 'U', she realized that while the entire structure had a roof, the wall with the entrance doors didn't start until halfway in. The entire first half of the building was like a roofed patio, open to the elements. Some sort of strange stones that she had never seen before were set in the wall nearly two meters up. They glowed with a soft yellow light (Almost like little stars! She thought), giving the temple a warm and inviting vibe as she and her parents reached the top of the steps.
Wonder-filled eyes frantically scanned the open room. Where there monsters hiding somewhere? How did those lights work? She heard a noise on her right and whipped her head around to see a man coming down a hallway.
So that's what those extensions are!
The man looked normal enough. He had tousled sandy brown hair and the makings of what could eventually be a decent beard if he let it keep growing. Most of him was covered in a long brown cloak, but she could catch glimpses of a pale brown tunic as the cloak swayed out behind him. A wide belt held it together at his tummy and his pants were tucked into big boots that went up to his knees. She looked back up to his now closer face to see that the man had a nice smile.
"Sir and Lady Glaven, I presume?" He was now nearly in front of the trio.
"Yes, that would be us," her father didn't seem as welcoming compared to the man with the nice smile.
The child wondered if it was because his fuzzy face wasn't as neat as the smiley man's.
"Well, I would like to welcome you all to our refuge. I am Master Luke Skywalker," smiley man held out his hand. Her father shook it. "You are earlier than I expected, but that should be fine. I suppose I could show you the dining room while the students finish up in the training hall. Then I believe it would be best to-"
"That will not be necessary," her father cut him off. The smiley man named Luke lost his smile. The girl suddenly didn't like it, she wanted the smile back. It didn't feel right.
"May I ask what the problem is? In our previous message, you showed interest in getting familiar with the temple."
"We are a bit short on time," her mother answered. "We really need to leave soon, but I would like to know more. Would a quick rundown be possible?" Luke smiled again, but it did not reach his eyes as much.
"I see. It's no problem at all. I guess I will start with the rooming arrangements. . ."
And from there on the girl tuned out. This grown up talk was too boring.
She moved back and forth on her feet, wary not to bump into her father's left side, listening to the pleasant hum of the bugs from the courtyard area behind her.
Then she heard another door open. This time it was on her left. The clicking of this person's feet were much faster, almost rushed. She peered down the hall only to find that she couldn't see well. This hallway's light stones seemed to be turned off. She could feel her excitement rise as the clicks grew louder. And from the shadows emerged. . .
A boy.
To her though, he could very well be an adult. He was tall and wearing a tunic slightly darker than Luke's. In one of his hands was a long wooden pole or staff of some kind. He glanced over at them but then kept moving. Whatever he saw didn't appear to interest him.
That is, until he stopped in his tracks and looked right at her with some of the widest eyes she'd ever seen. She didn't think she had ever seen anyone whip their head around that fast either. Maybe he wasn't completely human?
She could now see his face clearer. He looked pale with a rather large nose dominating his face. She couldn't see any more details than that with a light orb right behind him. What she thought was really cool was his hair. It looked so soft! It was dark and full, just reaching the nape of his neck. A thin braid of hair hung from in front of his right ear, reaching down to the point on his neck where his shoulder began. When she glanced back down to his eyes she saw how they had narrowed.
Uh oh. She didn't want to offend him! Maybe they could be friends? She wanted to make a good impression and get to know everybody here.
The girl put on a big smile and waved.
The boy stared at her for another moment. Then he appeared to scoff and went back to walking toward the center doors. Her smile dropped and turned into a pout. Well, there is no need to be so rude about it!
She stuck her tongue out at him as he retreated behind the doors.
Jerk.
ox0XOX0xo
"So that was the brat," Ben muttered. She really is a fracking kid!
When Ben first caught a glimpse of the man and woman talking to his uncle, he didn't think anything of it. They didn't look all that special. Plain garbs, nothing flashy, nothing decorative, he assumed they must be some sort of delivery service sent to bring them more supplies. Then he saw something small sway in his peripheral vision.
He and his uncle's argument from earlier in the day registered. He put a stop to everything to get a clear second look.
Sure enough, there she was. A little girl no older than six or seven, swaying back and forth in her father's shadow. She was small, would probably barely reach his hip. In the dim light he could make out that she was wearing some sort of deep green poncho that covered most of her. Her hair looked to be light brown, partially pulled into a single bun at the back of her head while the rest was put into a braid she had slung over her shoulder. When he looked at her eyes he found that the light brown orbs were staring right at him. What does she think she's looking at? He glared.
The orbs widened slightly before crinkling, a big smile pushing up her childish cheeks. She waved at him.
She waved at him!
What did she think this was, some sort of friendly buddy hook-up time?! This was a Jedi Temple. They were here to train and dedicate their lives to the Force. Nothing more, nothing less.
He scoffed. She better learn to buck up and face reality, or she's going to be miserable.
He turned his back on the child and returned to trying to get to training. He was already late enough without getting distracted by a clueless child.
ox0XOX0xo
Luke silently glided into his room and closed the door behind him.
This did not turn out as I had hoped.
The parents of the girl had listened to his every word, nodding their heads and looking him in the eyes, but he could feel their growing agitation. There was something very wrong with this couple and he didn't need the Force to sense this.
Luke's spirits had risen when he had detected something interesting occurring. He had sensed his nephew pass by momentarily behind him, approaching the main doors to get to training that he was undoubtedly late for. Luke was in the middle of explaining lightsaber training when he felt a flicker in the Force. It was brief, but bright. He spared a moment, still talking as he did so, to glance and the girl who currently had her tongue out of her mouth. He then returned his attention to the parents when he heard Ben close the door behind him. This is intriguing . . .
He continued without any further distractions. It was when he had finished with his improvised oral tour that things went awry.
"I believe that covers most of it. Might I meet the special young lady?" Luke tried to give an encouraging smile to the child. She smiled back and held up her hand.
"Hello sir, I'm Amiri Glaven."
She had the same slight accent he detected in her parent's voices. It made her youthful voice sound more lilting and melodious.
"Amiri, huh? That's a pretty name," Luke took the girl's hand and shook it gently. "Well Amiri, would you like to see your new room?"
"Would I!" Amiri's face lit up. She continued to hold his hand as he led them to the left, the Padawan's East Wing. She was compliant until Luke felt a tug and found that she had turned back around to the retreating form of her parents.
"Mom! Dad! Aren't you coming?" The figure of her mother halted on the stairs.
A sob could be heard. Their dark figures kept moving.
Luke saw the shift in Amiri's face. What was once filled with joyous excitement was now darkened by a somber expression.
"We weren't going to live here together, were we." It wasn't a question. Luke felt sorrow seep out of her small form.
"They didn't tell you?" She shook her head.
"They never do."
And just like that, the sadness was masked. Amiri looked up at him with a smile. "You're going to show me my new room, right?"
"Of course, right this way."
Luke could still remember feeling the smothered waves of sorrow as he led her by the hand to her new life. All inquiries as to whether she was all right were waved away, the girl insisting that she was fine.
Child, just what have you been through?
Okay, theory time! Feel free to skip if you don't care for theories.
So I was searching the internet one day after watching the new movie when I stumbled upon Kylo and Rey's ages. It turns out that their canon ages are 28 and 19. So I thought to myself 'how old was Ben went he turned dark and killed his peers?' For some reason I thought it would make sense if he was a teenager, around fifteen or sixteen, making Rey six or seven. And then it hit me: How old did Rey look when she was abandoned on Jakku? If memory serves right, she looked to be around six. This made me think 'what if there is a connection?' Rey being abandoned on Jakku was related to Ben going Dark. The only way a connection could be made, I realized, was if Rey was a Padawan along with Ben and somehow survived. And thus, this story was born. I'm probably completely wrong, but hey, and interesting story is coming out of it. *Shrugs* Love it, hate it, let me know what you think!
