Chapter 10
Drengin looked at the pond and backed up a step. "It looks deep."
Kalen chuckled and began to wade into the pond. "It would be hard to swim if it wasn't."
Salanda and Yentuwa did not waste anytime in diving into the pond, almost knocking Kalen off his feet.
Kalen grinned. "Come on in, the water's great!"
Drengin shook his head. "I think I'll just watch you guys swim."
"Now where's the fun in that?" Salanda asked, floating on her back.
Yentuwa popped up from under the water beside Kalen, his skin glistening with water droplets. "Will you at least go into the shallow part?" He stood a few feet from the shoreline. "See, I'm standing up."
Drengin sighed and reluctantly stepped into the water. "Only the shallow part." When the water reached his waist, he took one more step, telling himself that this was as far in as he would go. Surprise filled him when his feet made no contact with the ground and instead he began to sink, flailing his arms in desperation as he went under. "He.."
Kalen, Salanda and Yentuwa made a grab for Drengin, pulling him to the surface of the water and back to the shallow part of the pond.
Drengin coughed up some water he had swallowed and wiped the droplets from his eyes. "You tricked me!"
Yentuwa backed up deeper into the water. "Well, it worked for Kalen." He defended himself.
"And you had to scrub the floor of the south hallway for a week." Kalen added.
Yentuwa glared at Kalen. "Now don't tell me that you're going to tell on me again?"
"What do you think?" Kalen asked, sharing a conspiratory wink with Salanda.
Yentuwa swallowed hard. "Well, how else is someone supposed to learn how to swim?"
"Not everyone is a Mon Calamari, Yentuwa." Salanda reminded him.
Kalen began to swim toward Yentuwa, using the Force to shoot water at him.
Yentuwa yelped as Kalen used the Force to pull at Yentuwa's feet. "Hey, that's cheating!"
Meanwhile, Salanda was showing Drengin the basics of swimming.
Nev-Kwellen tapped his feet impatiently on the floor as he leaned against the wall in the waiting area. "Do they always make you guys wait so incredibly long?" he asked.
Raven shook her head, stray strands of black hair on her cheeks. "This is not long. The longest time has been about twenty minutes."
Nev-Kwellen snorted, "So tell me, why would the Council send a young girl out to find me?"
"I'm not too young to take on small assignments." Raven responded.
"You sure aren't mature." Nev-Kwellen remarked.
Raven scowled at him and was about to retort when the doors to the council room opened. Nev-Kwellen tried to go past her but she shoved him to the side and walked in first, toward the center of the room.
Nev-Kwellen's grin faded as he felt the stares of the Jedi Masters on him as he entered the room. It was like the Jedi could see right into his very soul. Slamming more mental barriers into place, Nev-Kwellen stood by Raven's side and gave a short bow.
"Nev-Kwellen, why here are you?" Master Yoda asked.
"Anakin Skywalker is a friend of mine and I've always held the utmost respect for him. When he left the Sith temple, I felt that I should go with him." Nev-Kwellen explained.
"Why did he leave you alone in the asteroid belt then?" Plo Koon asked.
"I suppose he was testing to see how far I would follow him. I dislike flying and asteroid belts have always made me want to turn away from them." Nev-Kwellen answered.
"If this is true, then tell us why it was not Anakin who told us that you were coming?" Eath Koth questioned.
Nev-Kwellen swallowed as a nervous lump was felt in his throat. "He must have thought I failed his test or that I would fail it."
"Dark the Force around you is, still embracing the Dark Side you are." Yoda commented.
Anger shimmered behind strongly erected mental shields as Nev-Kwellen responded. "Of course it's dark!" he snapped. "If you have lived in the Sith Temple for your whole life, you would be dark too."
"If truly loyal to Anakin you are, give him your lightsaber you will." Yaddle suggested.
"Can't we just lock him in a cell and throw away the key instead?" Raven suggested, looking at Nev-Kwellen in distrust.
"Don't let your personal feelings get in the way, Raven." Plo Koon admonished her.
"Stay in my quarters Nev-Kwellen will until a decision the council reaches." Yoda told them.
"I dislike the idea of having Nev-Kwellen wandering the Temple Masters." Raven pointed out.
"Raven, you're in charge of making sure that Nev-Kwellen stays out of trouble and are to give a report to the council at the end of every day." Adi Galllia responded.
What! Raven silently exclaimed. "I can't accept this assignment." She answered aloud.
"Accept it you will. Turned down too many assignments already have you." Yaddle replied.
"May the Force be with you." Yoda told them, indicating that the meeting was over.
Anakin and Tru re-entered the initiates' garden and Anakin began to look for Drengin. After walking for what seemed like a half a mile, Anakin found Drengin, Kalen, and two Mon Calamari napping under the shade of a tree that overlooked a pond. Quietly, Anakin went over to Drengin and knelt down beside him. "Drengin." He said gently, touching Drengin's right shoulder.
Drengin woke up and rubbed his eyes. "Anakin, are we leaving already?"
"I need to talk to Master Yoda. Will you be okay staying here until I get back?" Anakin asked.
Drengin nodded his head. "I learned how to swim."
Anakin chuckled softly and tousled Drengin's wet hair. "So you did. I take it you're having a good time?"
Drengin grinned. "I am. It's so nice here. I feel like I can leave behind every bad thing that ever happened to me."
Unable to think of anything to say, Anakin gave Drengin a small smile. "Go back to sleep little one. I'll be back soon."
Drengin smiled back and let his head rest on the thick green grass. Closing his eyes, he soon fell into a light slumber.
Anakin looked up at Tru who was smiling. "What is it?"
"I was just thinking. How could you grow up learning about and using the Dark Side of the Force, and still be so caring?" Tru responded.
Anakin stood up and looked down at Drengin's slumbering form. "I don't know. Perhaps because my mother's teaching was so ingrained in me that I unconsciously remember those lessons."
"That's a possibility." Tru told Anakin as they began to make their way back up the hill.
"Why do you and the council seem to trust me?" Anakin asked, asking the question that had been on his mind since Tru brought them to the Temple.
"The council has their own reasons, although I can't be completely sure what they may be. One of them might be because they've watched you through their spy reports. My reason is that I feel that the Force wishes me to become your friend and that trust is the first step in helping others."
"Do you trust every single Sith then?" Anakin questioned.
Tru snorted. "We're not that naïve. Sith shouldn't be trusted because they can't be trusted. However, If you give your trust to a Sith whose redemption is possible and he accepts it positively then the first level of trust is formed. You cannot help a person if you can't trust them. Not trusting is a sure way of driving one away or causing them to become distrustful later on. For example, when you talked to me while I was on my Master's ship and you let me take you to the Temple, the first level of trust formed. You could have easily done something else instead at that point of time."
"That seems to make sense." Anakin admitted. "However, you still risk a lot by trusting a Sith that could betray you at any moment."
"Sith or not, every person runs the risk of betrayal, even in the Jedi ranks. So it really makes no difference whether you're a Sith or not. The risk is always there, but what kind of people would we be if we didn't take risks? We would be living like hermits and society as we know it would crumble." Tru explained.
Anakin chuckled. "Point taken."
Tru smiled. "That's not even all of it. A little mistrust can be good if there is a valid reason, whereas total mistrust may cause negative reactions." Tru saw Anakin roll his eyes and Tru laughed a bit. "I know, a class could be taught on this subject. Still, it's something to think about."
"I agree. Maybe you should teach it." Anakin suggested.
"No thanks. I would rather go on assignments." Tru answered.
They walked in silence through the pale yellow hallway, passing very few Jedi as they walked to Yoda's quarters.
"There don't seem to be many Jedi around." Anakin remarked, interrupting the silence.
"Many of the students are in classes or are getting ready for the lightsaber tournament that's coming up in two days. The Knights and Masters are most likely meditating or are outside the Temple visiting people around the planet. It's important that we keep morale high, especially for those people whose planets are being ravaged by the Sith."
"Are you participating in the lightsaber competition?" Anakin asked, wondering if it was possible that he could join in too.
Tru shook his head. "Not this year. I'm not that skilled with a lightsaber. My skills lie more in mediation."
"Is it possible that I could participate?" Anakin responded.
"Probably not. There's a limit of how many can enter the competition." Tru replied. "Unless a spot opens up, you'll have to wait a year until the next competition."
They ascended twelve steps and turned into a light green corridor with windows around the top that allowed sunlight to enter the hallway.
"Why are all these hallways different?" Anakin inquired curiously.
"Well, it's a lot better than plain white walls. The architect of these hallways designed them so that every place in the Temple would have a different feel to it. The walls were actually painted by students who wanted to celebrate being chosen by a Master by doing something in the temple." Tru said as he stopped by an inscription on the left wall. "Once an apprentice would achieve knighthood, they would carve an inscription into part of a wall in the old language. This one is my Master's."
Anakin examined the inscription and felt as if he were standing in the past when it was just being carved. So much emotion went into the writing of the inscription on the wall Anakin sensed through the Force. "What does it say?"
"Together we are strong, united we will stand, peace we will bring to a troubled galaxy. Peace." Tru translated. "After the words are carved, historians will come and put these words into a book that contains every single one of the carvings already listed in it."
"A book of insight and encouragement?" Anakin prodded.
"If you want to call it that, yes. It's a great tradition to pass on. So far we have two books, three hundred pages each that are filled with messages from the past."
"I know what I would carve if I could." Anakin remarked, drifting off to the past. "To tell Watto the truth and apologize," Anakin responded, shuffling his tiny feet on the ground while looking down at his shoes. Shmi nodded, "Now go back to Watto, explain to him why you did it, and apologize." Anakin looked up at his mother and nodded. "Okay." Shmi knelt by Anakin and gave him a hug. "Then hurry back so you can eat." "I will mom." Anakin kissed his mom's cheek and headed for the door. "Perhaps you may get a chance." Tru mused, bringing Anakin back to the present.
"What does your heart tell you Ani?" Shmi asked her son.
"Perhaps." Anakin agreed.
"Raven is a nice name." Nev-Kwellen remarked after they had walked for some time trying to find Anakin.
"Do you know when to be quiet, Olin?" Raven muttered under her breath.
"Being quiet is so boring. Why do you keep saying my last name anyway?"
"You're really irritating, you know that?" Raven remarked, wanting to wipe off the smirk that formed on Nev-Kwellen's face with her lightsaber.
"Who me? And please, call me Ferus." Nev-Kwellen answered.
"I won't give you that pleasure, Olin. As far as I'm concerned, you should be in a cell."
Nev-Kwellen faked mock hurt on his face and placed his right hand over his heart. "I'm hurt."
"Oh poor thing. Perhaps you should be sent to the healers." She retorted sarcastically. Nev-Kwellen promptly shut up, much to Raven's relief.
/Ray ray./ A young child mentally called to Raven.
/What's wrong Asha/ Raven asked, sending soothing waves of the Force to Asha.
/I don't feel good./ Asha responded.
/I'll be right there./
"We'll find Anakin later. Right now you're going to follow me." Raven told him and took the lead.
Nev-Kwellen quickly quelled his rising anger and frustration as he followed behind Raven, "Where are we going?"
"The Crèche." Raven answered, her gaze straight ahead.
"Why?"
"You'll see." Raven told him as they turned into the hall on the right.
The crèche had a miniature garden inside the building that consisted of grass and bushes. Crèche mothers kept a careful watch on the little ones, a few holding babies in their arms. Raven went to talk to one of the crèche mother's and then went back to Nev-Kwellen. "This way and be quiet, the babies are sleeping."
Nev-Kwellen nodded, feeling out of place and wary of the children.
Raven went into a small, dimly lighted, room where five small beds were against the walls and walked over to the bed that held a child. "I'm here, Asha."
Nev-Kwellen stayed by the door and watched as Raven sat down in a chair beside the child's bed.
The little girl opened her hazel eyes and looked at Raven. "Ray ray."
Raven smiled and felt Asha's forehead. "You're a little bit warm."
"I'm cold." Asha stated, shivering.
Raven unfolded a blanket that was at the foot of the bed and covered Asha with it. "Is that better?"
Asha nodded her head. "Who's that?" She asked, pointing to Nev-Kwellen standing beside the doorway.
"Nev-Kwellen." Raven answered.
Asha gave a hacking cough that shook her tiny frame. "Will you stay with me?"
Raven smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I will, don't worry."
Asha closed her eyes and attempted to fall asleep.
Nev-Kwellen mentally groaned, Can we just leave? "What happened to finding Anakin?"
Raven turned her head and glared at him. "You'll just have to wait." She responded in a low voice.
"Why? She's asleep now, we can just sneak away." Nev-Kwellen suggested.
"Have a heart, Orin!" Raven snapped before turning her attention back to Asha.
Anger brewed inside Nev-Kwellen at her words and he sank to the floor, considering the many ways that he could get Raven back for this.
Sitting cross-legged in a small room, Kenshin attempted to meditate. The room was large enough for only five people and was lit up by two torches at each side of the door. The walls were covered with numerous carved writings and seemed to glisten as if they had been rained on. Kenshin heard the door open with a tiny click and felt cool air burst into the warm room. "I don't want to be disturbed."
"Well it's too late now, isn't it?" Winona answered, coming up behind Kenshin. "I'm here and you're talking to me."
Kenshin snorted, a small smile on his lips. "Indeed. Why are you here?"
"Is there a reason why I shouldn't be?" Winona asked, her voice light and smooth.
"You really like doing that to me do you?" Kenshin remarked, his eyes still closed.
"Doing what?" Winona replied, kneeling down so that she could massage Kenshin's shoulders.
"See, you're doing it again." Kenshin exclaimed, a hint of laughter in his voice.
Winona's smile widened. "Of course. Someone has to."
Kenshin felt his muscles relax as Winona gently massaged his shoulders and back. "That feels good."
"Would you like to tell me what's bothering you?" Winona asked.
Kenshin shook his head. "No. Maybe later." He opened his eyes and turned around to look at her. Winona's light brown eyes looked into his before she broke the gaze and stood up.
"People care about you Kenshin, let us help you." Winona told him, her eyes begging him to accept.
Kenshin turned around and closed his eyes. "No one can help me."
"That's not true and you know it." Winona replied, her voice unsteady.
"Leave me alone!" Kenshin responded sharply.
Winona choked back a sob and ran from the room, tears streaming down her cheeks.