Finding peace
The Jedi temple of Tython was a large building housing all the new Jedi youngling, padawans, knights and was home to the Jedi council. Normally the temple and most of Tython had an air of peace, but in the past too days, it felt cold, tension filled the air so thickly you could cut it with a dull butter knife. Ever since the arrival of the young Sith girl, Ardanna, the young Jedi were wary of being anywhere near her, fearing what corruption would come from her.
Ardanna couldn't help but feel outcast from the Jedi through her few days at the academy. She was silent, and rarely ever spoke a word, but she knew she was going to scare the others just the same. Rumors about her time with the Sith spread, rumors of how she had killed fully trained Jedi Knights, massacred villages, was trained by the dark council, some even jumped to the conclusion she was the emperors Padawan. She couldn't believe some of the things she heard… She couldn't wait to leave the Academy and train with one of the Knights… if she had to stay here any longer, it would quickly turn into a repeat of the short time she spent in the Sith Academy.
Stepping outside Ardanna felt the sun warm her skin as she headed for one of the sparring grounds where she was told she was to report for physical testing, alongside other, more advanced younglings. When she arrived she looked around with a raised eyebrow. Only one man sat on the grassy plain, no other younglings. She recognised him from the Jedi Council chambers, he hadn't said a word when she had arrived.
"You've arrived early"
The man spoke in a soft, yet commanding tone, he was meditating as he awaited for her to arrive.
"Good."
Standing up, the man dusted off his pants as he approached the young girl.
"You've been causing quite a bit of disturbance in the academy, I-"
"But I haven't done anything!"
Ardanna interrupted him, the last thing she wanted was to get in trouble with the Jedi.
The man raised his hand to silence her.
"Patience, young Padawan."
He stated as he stopped before her with the faintest of smile on his lips.
"I was going to say, I think your too advanced for the Academy"
Ardanna paused.
"Padawan?"
She asked him, wasn't that what they called young Jedi being trained by Knights?
"But I thought I wasn't going to become a Padawan for a while?"
She inquired as she looked up to him curiously.
"Yes well that was the original plan, but I think you've done very well so far, and you deserve a chance."
He stated as he reached over to put her hand on her shoulder.
"My name is Jedi Master Jaric Kaedan, and I will be your master. Now, when a youngling becomes a Padawan, a braid is placed in their hair to show their rank, if you don't mind…"
He said as he took a small lock of her hair and braided it himself. It was nice when students already had the hair long enough to do this. He tied the end of the braid with a blue beaded elastic.
Ardanna watched him move as he reached for her hair and made her small braid which fell over her shoulder and lay visible for all to see, she did like how he added the bead, it added a bit of personality, unlike everything else a Jedi wore….
"Thank you… Master Kaedan… I'll try not to disappoint you"
She said, bowing politely as she would facing a Dark Lord.
Jaric shook his head.
"Your not required to bow, Padawan Ardanna. Now come, you came here for some combat training, but that training blade won't do"
He said, noting the cracks and missing pieces she already took out of it.
"Here, I believe this was yours."
He said, reaching to his belt and pulling off a lightsaber before handing it to her.
Ardanna looked the hilt over and smiled as she recognised the markings of her lightsaber.
"Are you sure?"
She asked though she wasn't reluctant to give it back.
Jaric nodded.
"Of course I am, now, move back 10 paces, and we'll begin"
He said as he too took 10 paces back.
"The rules are simple, this is a sparring match, so you are to stop before you would succeed to hit me and call it as a point, understood?"
Ardanna nodded.
"Yeah sure…"
She stated as she took her own paces back and ignited her lightsaber, jumping slightly in surprise as an emerald blade emerged from the hilt and not her crimson blade. They had changed the power crystal.
'It doesn't look as strong…'
She thought to herself though she looked up to the Jedi Master before her, and once they both nodded, they began their match, their lightsabers clashing violently the echo sounding through the mountain top. Both Jedi and Padawan fought intensely, Ardanna fighting to learn her masters strength, while Jaric fought to test his new Padawan's strength and how much of her abilities came from the Dark Side.
