Chapter 3: The Wrath of a Jedi Master
Valara never understood the human need to fit in with one's peers. She had been around enough of them to pick up on the cue, but she could never quite put it together. She became a Jedi to help others, not to make friends. On her planet, education was taken very seriously and because of it she trained for years under her master without question. When her peers picked fun at her for being the 'loner', Valara took pride in dropping them where they stood. That's what training was for, right? However children are relentless, they would pick at her over everything. With so many different races, she could never fathom why her pointy ears really stood out. For the most part it never bothered her and she could brush it off without a problem. That was the way of the Jedi. Anger was internalized and then let go before it had a chance to fester.
She lost control of herself once. Xylas, a student in her group, never liked her. They competed relentlessly but Valara never stooped to his level of insults. They had been sparring against one another, it was a close match until Valara managed to get the upper hand on the other boy. "Where are your parents?" He had sneered, poking at her weak spot. The response he had gotten was a delicate arched eyebrow. "You should have been a slave! That's where you belong!" It was those words that had gotten her. She had brushed off every petty insult, every sneer, but something inside her snapped that day. The scream that had followed had startled everyone in the room, including her master. The floor of the Jedi temple had shook for the briefest moment before a hand had been clamped over her mouth and she had been carried away. The amount of power she felt coursing through her for those few seconds scared her. She thought that was her last day in training when her master sat her down for a talk. It was engrained in her head that day how important control was. After that day, she had never let her feelings get the best of her again.
Until the day she sees Anakin shed a tear. She comes back to their shared quarters after a meeting with Plo-Koon, only to hear the faint sound of sniffling coming from the bathroom attached to Anakin's room. At first she's not sure what she should do, if she should leave him be or approach the door. She's never dealt with a crying child before and idly wonders what her Master would have done. The Jedi stands in silence for a moment before walking towards the door, knocking softly.
"Anakin...are you alright?" Valara asks softly, straining to hear a response.
"Mhm." Is the only muffled thing she hears before the boy is getting up and opening the door.
She is faced with blood shot eyes and a watery smile. Her first reaction is to check her young padawan over for any signs of injury and when she finds none, she kneels down to Anakin's height.
"Would you like to tell me what is the matter, little one?" Valara tries to sound gentle, her hand coming up to rest on Anakin's shoulder. All she gets for the first few minutes is silence as the boy mules over his options. Eventually another tear rolls down his cheek followed by a quiet sniffle.
"I really tried not to cry, Master." He says quietly, voice cracking as he wipes at his eyes. In the few months that she had been training Anakin, she had never heard him sound so little. "But they don't want to be friends with me." Another sniffle.
"Who doesn't want to be friends with you, Anakin?" She asks, her heart aching at the sight of her sad padawan.
"The other kids in my group..they think I'm weird! They don't think I hear but I do. They say I don't belong here." She can tell he's holding something back, the way his voice is strained. She knows better than to push Anakin for answers, knows he'll shut down the second he feels pressured. The Knight leans up and wraps her arms around her young apprentice and allows him to cry, rubbing circles into his back.
"One of them even said my mother didn't want me." If Valara hadn't been so close to him, she doesn't think she would have heard him.
"Well... We don't believe everything we hear we do? You deserve to be here just as much as anyone else, Anakin. And you know your mother loves you very much. I'm sure she thinks about you every night, just like you think about her. Children can be very harsh, even children training to be Jedi. But you know what?" She asks quietly, bringing her thumb up to wipe away a stray tear.
"What?" He asks, breathing easing out as he calms down.
"It just means that you're better than them and they don't like that." She knows it illogical to say such things, but it brings a smile to her padawan's face and in the moment that's what matters. "Now why don't you clean up and when I get back, we'll start dinner?"
Anakin nods before heading back in the direction of the bathroom, door sliding shut behind him. Valara stands up, dusting herself off before heading for the door. Part of her knows Anakin can take care of himself, but he shouldn't have to at ten years old. Her black robes flow behind her as she walks towards the Jedi Temple, boots padding silently. By the time she's through, they will know that her padawan is not to be trifled with. She makes a silent promise to herself and to Anakin, that he will not shed another tear under her protection.
(A/N: Lmao if only, we all know how much Ani cries, poor thing. Well hey guys! It's only been about eleven months since my last update. Terribly sorry about that, I really am awful. Work and school are also awful. But I do have more of this written out finally so hopefully I'll be updating in a timely manner now that I've got a bit of a break. Thanks for reading!)