Galen groaned. Every bone in his body ached. It was as if someone crashed a Star Destroyer on top of him.
He chastised himself for getting so wrapped up in all this familiar business that he had forgotten about his injuries against the Emperor. Galen had needed time to rest and recover from the side effects of Force Lightning, but had ignored his personal needs as events unfolded.
"Good, you're awake..." Louise said, relief flooding the noble's voice, as she stood up and leaned close into Galen's face. The Jedi noticed that her own face was bruised, with several bandages on her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and along her cheeks. Dark circles under the noble's eyes showed that she had not gotten much sleep for the past few days.
"No fever… that's a relief..." she added, withdrawing her hand from the apprentice's forehead. "You really should be more careful the next time you decide to absorb lightning like that! I'm not so sure I'll be able to save you next time…"
Galed stared in amazement.
"How did you know that?" he asked.
Louise shook her head, puzzled.
"I… don't know. When you passed out, I reached out to grab you, and…" she explained the strange vision she experienced.
The Jedi looked as puzzled as the noble.
"I've never heard of such a thing happening before… Somehow, you experienced my last memory on board the Death Star..." he explained.
"I've heard of familiars developing special powers once they've been contracted, such as a cat learning to speak upon becoming a familiar," Louise proposed as the reason.
Galen felt extremely uncomfortable not only at the idea that Louise had glimpsed at his memory, but also at the possibility that being a familiar would grant him further powers. So, he decided to change the subject.
"What happened to you? You look like you got into a fight with a mynock and lost."
Louise started. She hadn't expected the abrupt shift in focus.
"W-w-well, if you must know..." she began as Galen pulled one of the bandages away. Louise hissed in pain as the adhesive peeled away from her skin. The noble indicated the collection of shattered pottery and dented walls.
"I was bored while waiting you to heal, so I tried the same Force magic you did and, well..."
Galen smirked.
"You couldn't quite control it."
Louise nodded. The Jedi sighed.
"This is what I wanted to talk to you about after the duel with Guiche. You're unable to use magic, yet you managed to summon me here. I felt something unusual about you when we first met, and now the vision you experienced along with your experiments confirms it. I'm certain that you're strong with the Force."
Galen's face darkened as the noble stared in awe.
"I sense a lot of anger and resentment in you, Louise. You're proud of your status, yet you're afraid that you cannot live up to your family's expectations. You yearn to prove your strength as a noble to your peers. These are highly dangerous emotions you possess. Left unchecked, you could wind up following a very dark side of the Force."
While she didn't know what this "dark side" was, something about the way Galen phrased it disturbed Louise. It was as if he was speaking about some evil, deeply rooted in her own mind.
"And yet, even in your anger, light still shines through. You're willing to learn, even if can't use the knowledge you're given. You care deeply for your friends and family, in spite of their disappointment. You're… committed to your duty as a noble to protect those lower than you. Hold to your ideals and, no matter how dark the path, you will find light."
Galen lifted his face to Louise, his gaze matching hers.
"I will train you to control your power, but it won't be easy. You will constantly struggle against your bitter feelings. You may even be tempted to give into them. It will seem like such an easy solution, but the results of your actions will never pan out like you expect."
It seemed to the noble that the Jedi was speaking from personal experience.
"You need to learn control. Otherwise, you could wind up killing someone by accident."
He saw the skepticism in Louise's face.
"So I need to make sure that I don't make any rash decisions. That sounds easy enough."
Galen shook his head.
"No, it's not that simple. When you experienced my memory with the Emperor, do you remember anything about him? What did he feel like?"
"He felt…" Louise tried to find the right words. The Emperor's fury was so powerful, so overwhelming that it felt like it transcended simple definition.
"Like evil incarnate." She didn't think it was an accurate description, but it was the closest she could articulate.
"It's really hard to put into words," Louise explained, "Like trying to describe a black hole."
The noble frowned. She vaguely recalled that a black hole was a dark void that sucked in everything around it, growing larger in the process. It brought death and destruction to the galaxy. But, where had she heard it…
Galen stared at Louise, puzzled.
"It seems that you did more than experience a memory…" he commented before getting back to his point.
"Your emotions will impact your control with the Force. Without proper training, it's very easy to accidentally break someone's neck in a fit of anger by just thinking about it."
Louise stared in disbelief. The Force couldn't be that strong. Could it?
The Jedi sensed her thoughts.
"Think about when you've cast magic before. Before your spells backfired, were you angry, frustrated, or even hurt?"
The noble started to reply no, but stopped to think about it. Last time, in front of everyone, she recalled Kirche making a snide comment about her lack of magical talent. Did her anger in that moment really cause her spell to backfire? Or, rather, did her emotions amplify the explosion?
"You're going to endure trials far more treacherous than your peers. To wield the Force isn't a right, but a responsibility. Your connection should be treated as a gift. Kota taught me that," Galen noted.
The noble took a deep breath, as she made her decision. What did she have to lose? She didn't have any magical element, but she possessed this Force. Perhaps Galen could teach her where the tutors, instructors, and even her own family had failed.
It was worth a shot. She stared directly into Galen's eyes, hers burning with determination.
"I've spent all these years believing that I couldn't use magic, and now I just happen to summon a familiar that can teach me? Of course, I want to learn! These trials can't possibly be as bad as the humiliation I've been forced to endure!"
Galen smiled, as he pulled himself from the comfortable bed.
"You have a drive to learn, that's good. But, there are things you will learn with the Force, truths that you may not be ready to accept. Your understanding will change. Not just of the world, but of people, as well."
Louise wasn't quite sure how to interpret that, but the noble figured she'd learn eventually. A yawn escaped her delicate lips, as Galen gently moved Louise to the bed.
"Before we can start anything, I want you to get some rest. We'll need your mind at full strength to handle what's to come." The Jedi ordered, as Louise looked at him in curiosity while stifling another yawn.
"What about you?" she asked.
"I'm going to search for a place where we can practice, away from prying eyes. If our powers can be mistaken for this Nature Magic and will be persecuted as you claim, then we'll need to be careful who we reveal this information to."
"Mmm..." Louise muttered, as she sleepily replied, "The Academy is surrounded on three sides by dense forest. There's bound to be a clearing somewhere." She yawned, "If all else fails, you could talk with Colbert. I think we can trust him..." As her voice trailed off, Louise began quietly snoring. She didn't even make it under her blankets.
"Huh..." Galen said to himself, gently pulling the sheets over the exhausted noble, "Wish I could sleep that quickly."
"This will do," Galen said as he observed the clearing.
It was roughly a mile from the Academy, covered by dense forest on all sides. The tree canopy provided a cover from aerial observation, yet it still allowed enough light through to be usable well into the evening.
A creek flowed through one corner, providing a soothing sound perfect for calming the mind. The grass, he noted, was quite dense around it, which made that area the perfect spot for meditation.
The clearing was spacious enough to allow for physical training, such as lightsaber combat. That was assuming, of course, that it would even be possible to construct lightsabers on this world. Likely, they would be using simple blades, and focusing more on training in the Force.
The Jedi moved through the small meadow, before coming to a stop. Something else was here…
He turned, but could find nothing. It had an… unnatural feeling about it that Galen couldn't quite put into words.
It had felt like a droid, but that was ridiculous! This world hasn't been in contact with the greater galaxy. It was impossible… wasn't it?
After all, Galen reasoned, if the Empire was aware of this world, the Emperor would have destroyed the nobles. Sidious didn't take kindly to others with abilities like his. At least, those he couldn't control.
Then again, he thought, this place did have golems, which are like droids, but, even then, their presence in the Force was stronger than this…
The Jedi shook his head, and turned towards the clearing again.
"Yes, this will do just fine," he said, focusing himself back on training Louise.
There was still a lot he needed to do before he could begin her training. Since Louise was accustomed to using a focusing tool like a wand, it made sense that she would learn to channel the Force first through a similar object, before removing it completely. In addition to that, if they were discovered, it wouldn't appear to be like Nature Magic, and could possibly be passed off as special magic training. Or something like that. Galen now regretted turning down Kota's offer to teach him the Mind Trick. Influencing nobles to believe that a wand was used when there wasn't one would have been quite helpful.
Galen noted that he would therefore need to find a durable tool for Louise to use. The fact that the sword he used during his duel with Guiche shattered after he infused a little bit of the Force into it proved to the Jedi that he would need something quite strong to handle their abilities. Perhaps he could talk to Louise in finding many swords for training. Then he could focus on training her in lightsaber combat as well as Force techniques.
Galen looked up at the sky. The sun was already setting. He had spent most of the day finding this place, circling out from the academy. Louise would be worried… if she was even awake. He could worry about weapons and tools later. For now, he needed to check on his future apprentice.
Louse sat at her desk, staring at her wand, like she had several times before while tending her unconscious familiar.
The noble had learned early on that pottery wasn't an appropriate choice. For one thing, it shattered too easily. Secondly, she though as she adjusted the bandages, it was dangerous to have those sharp fragments flying about.
Another bandage fell off, as Louise checked her face in the mirror. There wasn't even a mark indicating a gash had ever existed. She was grateful that she could heal quickly, though how, or why, was beyond her. Initially, the noble had attributed it to magic, as a way for mages to cope with unexpected spell backfires, like she knew all too well.
Then again… she did overhear one of her teachers commenting on how quickly Louise had recovered from one of her explosions. Was this some unique trait of hers? Or was it this Force?
Louise resumed focusing on her wand. She visualized what she wanted to do and spread her hands to either side of the wand, high enough to not make contact.
She furrowed her brow, willing the wand to move, as the stick shuddered to life. Louise focused more strongly on making the wand move to her hand, as it began to float upwards.
"You shouldn't be doing that alone until you become more aware of your surroundings."
Louise jumped from her seat, sending the wand clattering to the floor as she jerked her head towards the voice, to see Galen standing there, arms crossed.
"Well, how can I learn unless I keep practicing?" Louise fired back, embarrassed.
Galen smirked in amusement.
"Patience, Louise. I found a clearing for us to begin training tomorrow morning."
The noble frowned, obviously disappointed.
"Then why did you have me sleep for so long today? Now my rest tonight will be completely skewed."
"Your initial rest was to prepare your mind. You've pushed yourself too hard while I was unconscious and wound up getting hurt. You needed a chance to clear your thoughts."
Galen raised his hand, drawing the curtains. The dull glow of the lamp cast deep shadows in the small room.
"Now then, if you're so anxious to begin, we can start the first exercise tonight, right here. You are to accept what I tell you without question. Do you understand, my apprentice?"
Louise bristled at the title. The nerve of her familiar, calling her the apprentice! She was the master, not him!
Although, the noble noted that while she was only his master in the sense of a familiar, Louise was the apprentice to this master in the Force. An ironic reversal of roles that no doubt proved that Brimir had a terrible sense of humor for the poor girl.
But what was the alternative? To continue to be Louise the Zero, with no magical talent? This was finally the chance she wanted. This was her opportunity to prove that she was just as powerful as any member of House Valliere. This was her hope to break out from under her mother's shadow and establish her name as more than just "Karin the Heavy Wind's daughter"
"I understand…" she began, kneeling down to Galen, as if by instinct. "My master."
As the words left her mouth, Louise felt a surge course through her veins. She then knew: this was only the beginning of her new journey.
A/N: So, I did quite a bit of editing on this chapter. I think the discovery of Louise's Force Sensitivity is a bit jarring, but I wanted to buck the formula of "waiting forever to discover Louise's power".
Consequently, this will have a profound effect on the story. It will be small at first, but trust me, there are going to be large-scale changes coming to Halkeginia. Not immediately, but soon. Remember, there's an entire Galactic Empire out there. This world will be found eventually. But will Louise and her friends be ready when the time comes?
I have future ideas that I plan to expand upon as time goes on, but I hope you enjoy the bitter irony of the noble master becoming a Jedi apprentice, to compliment the Jedi 'master' becoming a noble familiar.
Also, I'm going to stick with the "Nature Magic = bad" reasoning to hobble our duo's Force abilities. It would be too boring to just see easy fights:
Guiche: Zapped by Force Lightning
Mott: Zapped by Force Lightning
Fouquet: Zapped by Force Lightning
Wardes: Zapped by Force Lightning
Cromwell: Zapped by Force Lightning
All of Albion: Zapped by Force Storm
Karin Valliere: Zapped by… you get the idea.
As a note, I might eventually work on a series of one-shots where I satisfy your bloodlust by reimaging certain scenes with Lord Starkiller (AKA Sith Stalker, the "dark side" Galen Marek) as the familiar.
The only problem I see is that Starkiller would have just flat out killed Louise. His hatred of being little more than a servant would push him to murder her. Or at least keep her around and pretend to be a slave until she was no longer useful (pretty much immediately).
Oh, and everyone on the above list? Ashes. Along with half of Tristain. Yeah, Dark Starkiller doesn't play the subtle game.
When I was originally making this story, I had contemplated making the main character be the dark side Starkiller. If I had gone through with it, this story would be written much differently. I think the Sith would have seen Louise as a chance at redemption, to right the wrongs he had committed in the past. He would see the noble as a chain, but one needed to keep Starkiller from completely losing himself to the Dark Side. He would still be absolutely merciless, killing Guiche by snapping his neck, but when fighting against Louise's mother, he may hold back at her behest.
Also, Starkiller in this story wouldn't have been so quick to train Louise. To this version, the Force was nothing but a source of pain and torment for the wielder. He wouldn't wish this upon the innocent noble. That would be why he would refuse to train the girl. Too many had perished by his hand to let another bear his unholy burden.
Yeah, I didn't think I could do such a character justice, because I just don't have the right mentality to empathize with a tormented soul like his.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one will truly begin Louise's path into the Force.