Chapter 18

Over the next few days, the city of Gratbür saw a large influx of people from all over Latru in anticipation of the winter festival. A near-constant queue of vehicles – some powered, some pulled by animals – formed in front of the bridges as customs officials took stock of their passengers and cargo. Every day, when Luke Skywalker and Tahiri Veila left the royal palace, the streets were more crowded than they had been the day before. They found it hard to believe that the city could accommodate such a large population.

They continued to visit people on the list given to them by King Cresta Joisür, asking them questions about Demood Elppirc. Unfortunately, no one seemed able to tell them anything more than what they had already learned on the first day. They confirmed that Elppirc had been sent to mediate disputes over newly-discovered mines and that he had been outgoing and helpful. But no one was able to tell them anything that explained why he had wanted to leave the Jedi Order or what had caused him to change.

As the third day drew to a close, Luke and Tahiri had interviewed the last person on the list and were on their way back to the palace, discussing their disappointment over the lack of information they had obtained. At one point, Tahiri asked, "Could they be keeping something from us? Maybe they know something they don't want us to find out."

After a moment of thought, Luke shrugged. "It's possible, I suppose. What do you think we should do about it?"

Tahiri stared at him, surprised that he was asking her what to do. She had expected him, as the Jedi Grand Master, to make the decision for them. Unsure of what he planned to do with her opinion, she answered, "Well, we can't just ask them if they're keeping something from us, because then they'd know we're onto them."

"Or they'd be offended by us accusing our hosts of lying," added Luke.

"Right," agreed Tahiri, silently acknowledging that she had not even considered that. "And we probably don't want to interrogate them…"

"No, probably not a good idea."

Tahiri shot him an annoyed glance. "And we don't know if there's anyone else besides the people on this list who would know anything, and we don't have time to ask everyone in the city. So… I don't know what to do."

Luke shook his head. "Me, neither."

So that was why he had asked for Tahiri's opinion. He had been hoping that she would have an idea because he himself did not. That realization made her feel proud and grateful, but also a little guilty about not being able to offer him help. "So, I guess this whole trip was a waste of time."

"Not necessarily," Luke said. "We did learn some things – not as much as we were hoping, but more than we knew before. That information may end up being useful someday. Who knows, maybe we've already found what the Force wanted us to find. And even if we haven't, we might still find it before we go home."

Tahiri envied his optimism. Somehow, Luke always believed that everything would work out, even when things did not go his way. She vaguely remembered being that way when she was very young. I wish I could be that way again, she thought.

The next morning, Luke and Tahiri joined the royal family for breakfast, as usual. King Cresta wasted no time in asking what their plans for the day were. Luke answered, "Well, I was thinking of exploring the city. We've spent the last three days on our mission, so I thought it would be nice to take the day off and enjoy myself."

"An excellent idea!" exclaimed Cresta. "Although, I must warn you, the city will be rather crowded today. Everyone will be making last-minute preparations before the winter festival tomorrow."

"Well, this will be our only chance to do so," Luke pointed out. "We're leaving the day after that."

"Do you have to?" Meilla Quidden whined. "Can't you stay a few more days?"

Cresta chuckled as he said, "No, Meilla, they must return home. They have responsibilities to attend to."

I don't, thought Tahiri. Since she was no longer a Jedi, all she had to look forward to was sitting by herself in her quarters or visiting Jaina Solo in the hospital – unless the Solos were still mad at her after their last meeting.

"What about you, Miss Veila? What were you planning to do today?"

Tahiri had not thought about it until just then. She considered just staying in the palace; she did not relish venturing out into the snow again. But the thought of Luke wandering around the city alone was too disquieting to ignore. Her fear of being attacked by either the King or one of his subjects had been allayed over the last few days, but not eliminated. With that in mind, she decided that she would rather stick with Luke.

In response to Cresta's question, she said, "I think I'll join Master Skywalker."

"Very well, then. Would you two like an escort?"

"No," answered Luke. "I think we'll be fine on our own."

"Yes, I'm sure you will." Cresta suddenly raised a finger and exclaimed, "Ah! But we must give you some spending money!"

Evidently embarrassed, Luke stammered, "Uh, no thank you. We couldn't accept that. Besides, I wasn't planning on buying anything."

"Well, that is what we all say, but then something always catches our eye. A souvenir, or a gift, perhaps? If not, then you should at least visit one of our restaurants for lunch."

Luke considered this for a moment before saying, "Well, I guess you never know. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

Cresta laughed and said, "I could not have said it better myself!" Tahiri eyed him dubiously. She still found the King's enthusiasm suspicious. It made no sense for a person to be that happy.

Luke, on the other hand, smiled in amusement. "In that case," he said, "we accept your generous offer. How should we repay you?"

"Repay me?" Cresta repeated in mock umbrage. "I would not have it! Consider it a gift for my honored guests!"

After breakfast, Luke and Tahiri returned to their rooms to dress themselves in additional layers of clothing. Then they met at the front doors of the royal palace, where Sylas the butler gave them each a generous amount of Latruan money (at least, he claimed it was generous, but without knowing the exchange rate with Alliance credits, Tahiri could not be sure). When he had finished teaching them the denomination of each coin, they left the palace and set off into the city proper.

As Cresta had warned, the streets were almost too crowded to navigate. As usual, there were children playing in the snow and adults putting up decorations for the festival. Everyone exchanged friendly greetings as they passed each other. Beyond the city walls, people from the farthest reaches of the continent were still arriving. Some of the visiting merchants had already set themselves up either in stalls lining the streets or inside other shops. Tahiri followed Luke into some of the stores and started to browse. She did not intend to take an interest in anything; she simply thought it was better than standing around waiting for him.

To her surprise, however, she found herself admiring many of the items being sold. There were furniture stores where wooden tables and chairs had lovely patterns carved into them. Housewares stores sold painted ceramic bowls, dishes, and cups. Clothing stores sold simple but elegant dresses that Tahiri imagined herself wearing. She and Luke visited bookshops where they sat down and read a few pages from various books. And there were toy stores with cute and fluffy stuffed animals, beautiful dolls, and mechanical models of vehicles and animals. Tahiri noticed that there were only a few spaceship toys, all of which appeared entirely fictional. Perhaps it was to prevent children from wanting to leave Latru. Or perhaps there simply was not much demand for them.

What caught her eye the most was a round, wooden music box with dozens of snowflakes, each one of a unique shape and size, carved around the edge. It was small enough to hold in one hand, painted bright periwinkle, and, when opened, featured a miniature boy and girl in winter garb standing on a grainy white surface, facing each other with their outstretched hands interlocked. As a beautiful tune played, the figurines spun around each other as they revolved about the center of the music box, like two binary planets in orbit around a star. Tahiri surmised that it was meant to depict two children swinging each other around, trying to make themselves dizzy so that they fell into the snow drifts surrounding them.

She broke into a wide smile that mimicked the ones painted on the figurines' faces. They looked so happy, so innocent, so carefree. It made her think back to her youth at the Jedi Academy, experiencing the Force for the first time, playing with the other Younglings, and making friends with the Solos. The memories, combined with the sweet, chiming music, brought a bittersweet tear to her eye.

But her face fell when she saw the price tag attached to the music box. While she could afford it, she would not have much money left over. What if she saw something else in another store that she wanted? What if she saw something that she wanted to buy as a gift for someone else? What if she went to eat at a restaurant, as the King had suggested? She figured she should save her money for those things. Besides, she thought, do I really need this? What would I do with it? Just sit around staring at it, wishing I could be as happy as these kids? It would probably serve as nothing more than a reminder of the childhood she had lost and the innocence she could never regain. She closed the lid of the music box, set it back on the shelf, and left the toy store, wiping her eyes as she did so.

When Luke left the store, he noticed that she appeared upset and asked her what was wrong. But rather than discuss her feelings, Tahiri claimed that it was simply the cold getting to her. Luke did not seem to believe her, but he thankfully knew better than to pry. Instead, he suggested that they find somewhere to eat lunch and she eagerly agreed. She figured food might help her take her mind off things.

Choosing a restaurant turned out to be a very daunting task; there were so many to choose from. They asked some of the passersby for recommendations, but that did not make their decision any easier. After several minutes, they decided to eat at the first restaurant they passed. It turned out to be a moderately-priced and lively gastropub that served a variety of food and drink similar to what they had been served at the royal palace. Both Luke and Tahiri spent about ten minutes poring over their menus, trying to decide what to eat. It was another ten to fifteen minutes before their food was served, but they both agreed that it was well worth the wait. By the time they had finished eating, Tahiri had forgotten all about the music box.

They continued to explore Gratbür that afternoon, taking note of the stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, and other points of interest. Despite her initial misgivings, Tahiri grew to enjoy the city very much. Despite the rudimentary technology and simple dwellings, the people of Latru seemed happier and friendlier than on Coruscant or other planets she had visited. They had also been surprisingly welcoming of her and Luke, greeting them as they passed or even striking up conversation. No stranger had shown Tahiri that much kindness since… ever.

Yet, she was still bothered by how peaceful and happy everything was. In their isolation, the people of Latru had avoided everything that had plagued the rest of the galaxy since the end of the Clone Wars: The Empire, the crime syndicates, the Yuuzhan Vong, Darth Caedus' takeover, and now the Sith. Countless people had suffered and died while the Latruans were living comfortably. It just did not seem fair, especially to Tahiri, who had witnessed so much tragedy.

After eating an early dinner at another restaurant, Luke and Tahiri returned to the palace just as night was beginning to fall. Tahiri, in particular, was glad that she would soon be out of the cold and in front of a warm fire. But then something caught her eye – a tiny white light off to the left of the palace, moving away from it. Squinting, she realized that the light belonged to a glow rod being held by a cloaked figure. She could not tell who it was underneath the cloak, but she could make out a golden glint from the object in their other hand. To her surprise, she realized that it was the King's scepter.

What was Cresta Joisür doing leaving his palace on a cold winter evening disguised and alone? All of Tahiri's suspicions about him crept back into the forefront of her mind. Perhaps his geniality had been an act, after all, and he had been secretly plotting against them the whole time. He could be sneaking off to wherever he was concocting his scheme. If that were the case, Tahiri knew that she needed to do something about it. She resolved then to follow him and find out what he was up to.

"Are you coming?"

With a start, she turned to face Luke, who had advanced a few paces in front of her before realizing that she had paused. He fixed Tahiri with a mildly inquisitive look, indicating that he had not seen the cloaked figure. She was about to tell him what she had seen and what she intended to do, but then she thought better of it. If she voiced her suspicions about the King, he might dismiss her as being paranoid, as he had when she had first brought them up. And if he did believe her, she figured he would tell her to stay behind while he investigated himself; if it was a trap, it would be better if only one of them walked into it so that the other could tell the Jedi Council.

Because that's what he does, Tahiri thought. He takes risks so that others don't have to. But he's the Grand Master, the leader of the Jedi. He's too important for us to lose. And I'm basically nobody. Shouldn't I be the one taking the risk? With that in mind, Tahiri made a decision. "Actually, I think I'd like to walk around a while longer."

Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? It's about to get colder. Wouldn't you rather be inside where it's warm?"

"I won't go far, and it'll only be for a few minutes."

He shrugged and said, "Okay, then. I guess I'll see you later." With that, he turned around and headed for the palace doors. As soon as he did so, Tahiri set off after the cloaked figure.

Blasted snow. That thought repeated itself in Tahiri's mind as the snow crunched beneath her feet. Cresta, or whomever it was she was following, would hear her sneaking along behind him. Worse yet, when he returned to the palace, he would notice her footprints alongside his. Either way, he would know that she was onto him. I should have thought this through. This was a terrible idea.

But there was no point in turning back now. The figure was making his way down a path that appeared to go into the mountains behind Gratbür. Tahiri had never heard of anyone going this way, which made it perfect for hiding something that someone does not want found. It made her even more determined to find out what Cresta was up to. She continued on, careful to step as lightly as she could in her quarry's footprints and timing each step to coincide with his, hoping that the sound of his footsteps would cover up the sound of her own.

Suddenly, from inside her pocket, her comlink beeped. Reacting quickly, she reached into her pocket and pressed the power button to turn off the device. She froze for a few seconds, waiting to see if the figure had heard the beeping. Apparently, he had not, for he continued to walk. Tahiri breathed a sigh of relief and continued to follow him. The beeping had indicated that Luke was trying to call her, no doubt to ask where she was. She did not like ignoring him, but it was necessary for her to uncover whatever plot may have been brewing against them.

The path sloped gently upward along the side of the mountain and into a forest of tall, bare trees. By then, night had fallen completely and the only light Tahiri had to go by was the glow rod being carried by the figure. After what felt like at least fifteen minutes, the ground leveled off. They had reached a valley between two mountain peaks. Through the trees behind her, Tahiri could see the lights of Gratbür far below.

Ahead of her, she saw the cloaked figure stop next to a large tree with a wide trunk and turn to face it. Then, he began to speak. Unfortunately, he was too far away and speaking too softly for Tahiri to make out what he was saying. He appeared to be talking to the tree, or an unseen person behind it. A co-conspirator, perhaps? Or even a Sith? She needed to get closer, but she saw no way of doing that without her quarry hearing her coming.

And then she had an idea – a crazy idea, probably a stupid one, but the only one she could think of. She grabbed a thick branch above her and pulled herself up into the tree. Thankfully, she made very little sound as she did so. Then she focused on a tree closer to the figure, drew upon the Force, and leapt. She landed on the exact branch she had been aiming for, but it swayed unexpectedly as she did so. The branch creaked and its twigs rustled against those of the neighboring trees. The figure whirled around, holding his glow rod aloft. As the light fell on his face, Tahiri saw that it was indeed Cresta Joisür. She froze, hoping he would not look up and notice her. After a few seconds, he must have concluded that he had only heard an animal, for he turned back towards the larger tree.

Unfortunately, whomever he was speaking to was still hidden behind the tree, and Tahiri could not hear them speak. But she could now make out snippets of what Cresta was saying. "Another winter festival… hasn't gotten any easier… we have visitors… Jedi… I know… not convinced… good idea… I've been gracious… seem kind… sense that they're hiding something… could really use your help…"

Tahiri tried to make sense of what she was hearing. It sounded like the King was suspicious of her and Luke and was asking someone to help him deal with them. She needed to find out who this mysterious person was. Slowly, she edged along the branch she had been standing on towards the trunk of the tree. Then, carefully, she stepped onto another branch, and then another, making her way around the tree. Once she believed that she had reached a sufficiently strong branch, she edged her way out away from the trunk. It was working; she was beginning to be able to see around the large tree. In just another step, she would be able to see—

A single misstep: that was all it took. Tahiri put her weight on her front foot before checking to make sure it was centered on the branch. Her foot slipped and she pitched forward, falling out of the tree and landing face-first in the snow, which did little to cushion her fall. The landing knocked the wind out of her, and she inhaled a mouthful of snow, which she promptly spat back out. She rolled over onto her back and wiped the snow out of her eyes. The moment she opened them, she was forced to squeeze them shut against a blinding blue light. A humming sound filled her ears and intense heat warmed her face.

"Miss Veila?" asked the shocked voice of the King.

Tahiri slowly opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light. When they had, she was taken aback by what she saw.

Cresta loomed over her, and it seemed that a blue fire was blazing in his eyes. He was holding his scepter in both hands and pointing it at her face. From the tip extended a blue blade of energy that terminated centimeters from her face.

It was a lightsaber blade. His scepter was a lightsaber.

For a moment, Tahiri simply stared in shock. Then, as her senses returned, she used the Force to summon her own lightsaber from the pocket of her coat into her hand. She ignited it, used it to bat away Cresta's blade, and then rolled in the opposite direction until she could push herself to her feet. They stood facing each other, faces contorted in anger, illuminated by the blue blades of their respective weapons.

The only way Cresta could have had a lightsaber, Tahiri surmised, was if he had either bought it on the black market or stolen it from a Jedi. Either way, it proved that he had been lying about eschewing contact with the rest of the galaxy. At worst, it proved that he was a thief and maybe even a murderer. That, combined with what she had just overheard him say, convinced her that her suspicions had been correct. Cresta Joisür had been feigning innocence from the moment they had met, playing nice until the opportunity came to strike. The worst part was, Tahiri had begun to fall for it and let her guard down. She had allowed herself to be lured in by the simplicity of the city, the kindness of its people, and the beauty of the things they created. She saw now that it had all been a front to mask the King's true nature.

And it made her sick.

She let out a scream of rage and charged at Cresta. She intended to disarm and capture him, and then she would let Luke decide what to do with him. If he turned out to be too big of a threat, however, she was prepared to kill him.

She soon discovered that task would not be as easy as she had assumed, for Cresta turned out to be a skilled duelist. His legs and torso moved very little, but his arms moved with the grace and dexterity of a man half his age. He also used the length of his scepter to his advantage. Sometimes he held it with both hands spaced far apart for stronger attacks and blocks; other times he twirled it hand-over-hand either in front of him or around his body for faster moves; and, a few times, he even held it by the bottom to swing it in wide arcs. Twice, while Tahiri was distracted by the glowing energy blade emitted from the top of the scepter, Cresta whacked her with the bottom half.

For the next few minutes, the snowy forest was bathed in blue light with intermittent flashes of white as both sabers clashed. The shadows cast by the trees danced across the ground as the sabers were swung. Steam rose from where the ultra-hot blades caused the snow to evaporate, and tree branches fell to the ground, leaving burning stumps where they had been severed. Neither Tahiri nor Cresta showed any signs of letting up.

How is he not tired? Tahiri wondered as Cresta twirled his scepter quickly around him in a dazzling flourish. Either he exercises a whole lot, or he's using the Force. Almost as if on cue, the Force suddenly warned Tahiri that Cresta would attempt to ram the bottom of his scepter into her forehead. Reacting quickly, she raised her hand and grabbed the scepter mid-thrust. Before the King could process this, she yanked his weapon out of his hand, threw it aside, and then thrust her own weapon towards his face. Afraid that she intended to stab him, he stumbled backward and fell into the snow. Before he could get to his feet, Tahiri stood over him and pointed her saber at his face.

For a moment, neither of them spoke; they simply stared at each other, panting from their recent exertion. Then Tahiri nodded her head in the direction of the King's scepter. "Where did you get that saber?" she asked angrily.

With his brows furrowed in defiance, Cresta calmly answered, "I inherited it from my grandfather after he died. It once belonged to Demood Elppirc, but he lost it in the mines. When it was recovered, my grandfather had it built into his scepter as a symbol of his power."

After a moment's consideration, Tahiri decided that this made sense. Given what Luke had told her about King Monad based on his vision, it did not surprise her that Cresta's arrogant predecessor would want a lightsaber for himself. In fact, she chided herself for not arriving at that possibility herself. In her anger, she had jumped to a conclusion that had fit her suspicions. But her fears had not yet been assuaged. "Who were you talking to earlier?"

Cresta hesitated a few seconds before answering dully, "My wife."

She raised her eyebrows in confusion. This was the first she had heard of Cresta being married. "Your wife?" She turned in the direction of the large tree she had seen him standing next to, expecting to see whoever he had been speaking to. Instead, she saw a large, smooth stone protruding from the ground with the following words inscribed upon its flat face:

Tyllia Joisür
Beloved Wife
Mother
& Queen

Tahiri's eyes widened in shock as the realization hit her. Cresta had not been meeting with someone to plot against her and Luke; he had simply been visiting his wife's grave. And Tahiri had intruded on this private moment. She deactivated her lightsaber and stammered, "I-I am so, so, sorry. I…" She reached a hand out to Cresta, offering to help him up. "I thought—"

"What?" he snapped, slapping her hand away and clambering to his feet. "What exactly did you think?" When he stood up, he fixed her with an angry stare. It seemed to Tahiri that all of his joviality had vanished, and he now looked more dangerous than ever.

She was not sure what to say. She feared that if she told him the truth, he would force her and Luke to leave Latru… or worse. On the other hand, she had a feeling that he would be able to tell if she was lying, and she was not in a good position to be doing that. She had no choice but to try and soften the truth as much as possible. "I saw you sneaking away from the palace, and I thought it was suspicious. I was worried that something was wrong, so I decided to follow you to make sure everything was okay. It looked like you were talking to someone, and… given how remote this place is… I wondered if maybe that person was up to no good. And when I saw you with that lightsaber, I thought that maybe you had stolen it. I jumped to the wrong conclusion, and I acted without thinking. I'm sorry."

Cresta shook his head. "Do not take me for a fool, Miss Veila. You have been suspicious of me since first we met. Yes, it was obvious; I am particularly gifted at reading people. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, treated you with as much kindness as I could muster, tried to show you that your suspicions were unfounded. Yet, clearly, I was unsuccessful. So, I ask you now; why have you been suspicious of me? No lies. No skirting the truth. Be totally honest, for once."

Realizing that she had just landed herself in even more trouble, Tahiri felt her heart pounding in her chest. And now, with no choice but to be completely honest, she was about to make the situation worse. Pushing her dread deep down and mustering all of her courage, she spoke. "Honestly, your kindness is what made me suspicious. The Jedi were responsible for nearly destroying your kingdom during the Clone Wars, and then they abandoned you. Now, for the first time since then, a Jedi and a former Jedi are here, and you have an opportunity to get revenge." She paused briefly before deciding to continue further. "That's why I followed you tonight. I thought you were setting a trap for us or meeting with someone who was helping you plot against us."

"As I explained to you at our first dinner together," responded the King, "I no longer desire revenge. I chose to forgive the Jedi, and I am far better for it."

"See, I just don't buy it. I'm sorry, but it doesn't make sense why you would just forgive them after what happened."

"Perhaps you just don't understand the power of forgiveness. You live in a galaxy where people are constantly fighting each other – killing each other, even. A galaxy caught in a cycle of escalating violence because no one ever tried to stop and forgive. Haven't you noticed how happy people are here? How peaceful and prosperous the kingdom is? Perhaps your Galactic Alliance should learn from our example."

Tahiri was affronted by that statement. Who does he think he is, judging us when he clearly doesn't care about us? She began to raise her voice as she retorted, "How can we when you won't let anyone see this place? You've cut this planet off from the rest of the galaxy. Well, guess what? You've also cut off the galaxy from this planet!"

It was Cresta's turn to be offended, and he began to raise his voice as well. "Surely, you can understand why I would want to spare my people from the ills of the galaxy! You've seen the conflict, the suffering! I protected my people from it!"

"What about everyone else?!" Tahiri cried. "Every other planet was affected by the Empire, or the Vong, or the Sith! We lost so much! I lost everything! And meanwhile, you and your people were safe and happy while the rest of us suffered!"

"You think we have not suffered?!" exclaimed Cresta, stepping forward so that he was shouting in Tahiri's face. "You know nothing of what we've had to endure! My kingdom was in ruins when I was forced to take the throne! Do you think everything was rebuilt overnight? No, it took an entire decade! Most of my people were homeless – myself included – when the first winter came! Tens of thousands of us froze or starved to death that first year alone! People fought and killed each other over what little shelter and food we had left! And I was expected to fix everything, yet I never knew how, nor did I have anyone to help me! I was never even meant to be King, but every other heir had been killed! Do you think my people accepted a nine-year-old orphan as their ruler at such a terrible time? For years, I was shown nothing but scorn and pity, while others tried to proclaim themselves king or, worse yet, overthrow me!

"Even after we rebuilt, our troubles did not end! We've had territorial wars, attempted usurpers, storms, hurricanes, wildfires, disease! SO DO NOT TELL ME THAT WE HAVE NOT SUFFERED!" He practically roared this last sentence, forcing Tahiri to recoil in fear. After he had fallen silent, his entire body shook, and his eyes bulged nearly to the point of popping out of their sockets.

Tahiri found herself unable to respond – partly out of fear, partly out of shame. She had never considered any of what Cresta had just said. Everything about Latru had seemed so perfect that she could not imagine it being any other way. And now she had put her foot in her mouth. She searched desperately for something, anything she could say to apologize for such a large blunder, but no words seemed adequate.

There was complete silence for a minute, and then Cresta turned around and said, "Leave me."

Tahiri did not need to be told twice. She turned tail and ran back through the woods, leaving the King behind.

Thank you for reading this chapter! If you have an comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.

The duel between Tahiri and Cresta actually wasn't planned. Originally, after Cresta discovered her, they were just going to go straight into their argument. The reveal of Cresta's lightsaber wasn't supposed to come until later in the story. However, as I was writing the moment when he discovers Tahiri, the idea popped into my head, and I realized that it would make their confrontation much more exciting and suspenseful. I hope I was successful!