After presenting their findings to the Council, Luke and Obi-Wan had been granted permission and resources to pursue their investigation to the mysterious planet of Kamino. Obi-Wan had left Luke to meditate in the Room of a Thousand Fountains while he went to the Temple's Archive Library to search for the coordinates to Kamino. Luke had been astonished by the beauty of the Room so, finding a large boulder by a flowing river stream, he sat down to meditate while he waited for Obi-Wan to return.

Luke breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh scents of the trees that surrounded him. Coming from a desert planet that was continuously cooked by its twin suns, Luke had never had the time to indulge himself in something as simple as just sitting there and enjoying nature.

What nature? he thought, grinning. All he remembered from Tatooine was burning sand, drowning heat, suffocating sand storms, endless boredom and dreams of a life of adventure far away. He spent his teenage years toiling away on his uncle Owen's moisture farm, watching his friends leave one by one to a better life. But it hadn't been all that bad. Luke had fond memories of his aunt and uncle, of the farm, the humble, honest beginnings he had. Though he would never admit it, there were times where Luke would catch himself longing for the simplicity of the farm life again.

Maybe, just maybe, now that the war was over and the Empire had been defeated…

Luke mentally shook his head. He knew those times were long gone. He was a Jedi Knight and he had a duty to fulfill, in passing on what he had learned to a new generation of Jedi. It was his destiny. He had made a promise to an old friend, and that was a promise he was planning on keeping.

Luke breathed in again, eyes closed as the soothing scent of freshly kept grass flowed through the air, adding to the peaceful aroma that emanated from the flowing river stream next to him. Though he knew the river, the grass, and he sunlight were all artificial, Luke still felt at peace here. Yes, the Room of a Thousand Fountains was unlike anywhere Luke had been before. Still, there was more to this room than just the beautiful sights. Those were artificial anyway.

No, here Luke felt balance. He continued his breathing exercises, reaching out to the Force and feeling even the smallest of connections within and between all the things; the river stream, the rocks, the trees, the grass. The Force was strong here and Luke felt as if he was sitting at the very center of the universe itself. In that moment, Luke felt connected to every living being in the Temple in a way he had never felt before.

He reached out further, feeling the innocent inquisitive minds of the younglings that were learning from one of the temple instructors nearby. Even further, he could feel the awe and reverence of the young apprentices, the Padawans, as they were called, as they traveled up and down the halls of the Grand Archive Library. He smiled as he felt Obi-Wan's familiar presence in that library, feeling his frustration as he argued with an elderly Jedi about some missing archive files. Reaching out further, he could feel the worry of the older Jedi as they watched galactic events spiraling out of control. War was coming. The greatest war the Republic had ever seen, which would culminate in the birth of the Galactic Empire.

But the future was always in motion, wasn't it? Did the Force send him back in time to prevent the Clone Wars? Luke pushed even further into the vision, wading through the river of infinite possibilities of what the future might bring.

But there was nothing but darkness, cold and heavy.

The shroud of the dark side clouded everything. Luke had only encountered it once, in the Cave of Dagobah. The vision that time had been a warning of what could happen if Luke started down the dark path.

And this… could this be a warning, too?

Luke reached out further, feeling beads of cold sweat forming around his hairline and rolling down his eyebrows as he stepped closer into the darkness until he was inches away from it. He reached out and touched the black curtain with his fingertips and the darkness enveloped him instantly, driving away all warmth and light.

Luke gasped, suddenly feeling short of breath. His warm breath became vapor in the cold darkness. He took a step forward, the ground crunching and shifting unpredictably under his boots. The darkness was pierced by the faint glow of a fire. He walked closer to its light, attracted by the warmth. As the light illuminated darkness, the ground became solid. Sand? He stepped around the fire to face a woman. She had been severely beaten, hideous cuts and scrapes covered with dried blood as she was tied like an animal against wooden stakes. As he approached her, she lifted her head, eyes fluttering open weakly.

"Miss?" Luke asked. "Are you alright?"

"Help me," she begged faintly. "Help me. Please, help me."

A loud voice seemingly coming from the heavens both screamed and whispered in Luke's ear at the same time.

"Save her. Save me. Save the Jedi. Save the Republic."

"Save her. Save me. Save the Jedi. Save the Republic."

"Save her. Save me. Save the Jedi. Save the Republic."

And with that, the vision was over. Luke jerked forward onto the palms of his hands, panting and sweating profusely. The reassuring warmth of the room washed over him and once again he found himself sitting on a boulder next to the river stream. Luke felt his muscles ache and tremble as he came back to his senses. He got off the boulder and cupped his hands inside the river, bringing the refreshing cold water to his face.

Who could the woman in the vision be? Was the Force indicating the correct path he should choose? He made a mental note to talk to Obi-Wan when he returned from the Archive Library.

As he was toweling off his face he noticed a small set of boots perched right beside him. He finished drying his face and looked up to see the curious face of a human youngling, staring down at him quizzically. She couldn't have been older than four or five. Her long black hair was braided and tucked around the sides of her head in buns. Luke smiled, remembering the way Leia used to wear her hair. She was dressed in the light brown tunic that all Jedi wore. A training lightsaber hilt hung on her belt.

"Hello, little one. Who might you be?" Luke said, crouching down to be eye level with her.

"Are you okay? Who are you? I've never seen you here before," The little girl asked, concerned. Luke noticed he was still sweating profusely, his breathing still agitated. He took a deep breath and collected himself. No reason to scare the child with details on the frightening vision he had just experience.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he said, smiling. "My name is Luke. I was just amazed by this place. It's so different from my planet."

"What planet are you from, Master Luke? Coruscant? Naboo? Corellia? Aldaraan?"

"Oh, I come from a dustball planet in the Outer Rim," Luke said. "Tatooine."

The youngling's eyes brightened up, to Luke's surprise. "Just like Master Skywalker!"

Luke smiled and nodded, thinking about his father. "Yes, just like him."

"Mari," a voice rang out from somewhere among the trees. "Mari, where are you?"

"I'm over here, Master Swan," the youngling replied. A young woman around Luke's age emerged from the trees, with about six or seven other younglings trailing behind her. Her gray and brown robes were damp, as if she had been in the water recently. Her Padawan braid swayed against her movements, the rest of her jet black hair tied behind her head. Luke rose to his feet and bowed slightly as she arrived.

"Mari Amithest, what did I tell you about wandering off?" The young Jedi scolded. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"Master Luke was telling me about Tatooine," Mari chirped happily. The other youngling's eyes lit up at the sound of Tatooine and they encircled Luke, excitedly.

"Is it true that Tatooine is on the other side of the galaxy?"

"Do you know how to race Pods?"

"Did you grow up with Master Skywalker?"

"What are Hutts like?"

"Are you as powerful as Master Skywalker?"

"Younglings, please," Swan said, hushing the excited youngsters. "We still haven't finished our morning exercises. Now that we've found Mari, get to it." The younglings voiced their disappointment in unison, but obeyed. Pairing off, they walked a short distance away and kneeled down, closing their eyes to meditate. Silence fell over the area, with the breeze almost as audible as the flowing river.

"I'm sorry about that," Swan said through a giggle, tucking her Padawan braid behind her ear. "I'm Padawan Bultar Swan. But everyone just calls me Swan. What's your name?"

"Luke," Luke smiled, taking her hand and bowing. "Just Luke."

"Well it's an honor to meet you, Luke. We don't get many visitors from Tatooine often, so when we do, the younglings think they are as powerful as the Chosen One."

"Anakin," Luke said, thoughtfully. "Is he really as strong as people say?"

"The Force is strong with him," Swan said. "There's no denying that. But just between you and me-," She stepped close to him and whispered conspiratorially. "I can beat him in a lightsaber duel any day," she winked.

"Really? Maybe you can give me some lessons. My lightsaber skills are really primitive." Luke admitted, embarrassed. "I'm not really… from around here."

Swan flashed him a smile. "Don't worry, Luke. We're all constantly learning and improving. I volunteer in the mornings to take the younglings on their exercises, but I'm available in the evenings. I would be honored to share what I know. But in return, maybe you can give me a hand, as well."

"What do you mean?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"Well, with most of the mature Jedi out on diplomatic missions to dangerous worlds that are threatening to leave the Republic, a lot of the administrative, educational and training roles here in the Temple have been left to Padawans like myself. We are stretched thin and I could really use the help of another Jedi to take care and train our clan of younglings."

"Oh," Luke said, sheepishly. "I would love to help, Swan. But I'm currently on a mission and I don't think I'll have much time."

"Oh," Swan looked disappointed for a moment, "Well, whenever you're around, we would really enjoy your company with us. I wish you well on your mission, Luke. May the Force be with you." Swan bowed and turning to leave.

"Swan, wait," Luke said. Swan slowed and turned her head back to him. "Well..."

What in the blazes is wrong with me? Luke angrily thought to himself.

"I mean, I'll be staying here until Obi-Wan comes back from the Library. I can help with the youngling's training until he arrives."

Swan glanced at the younglings thoughtfully. She glanced back at him with a wide smile. "Okay, deal," she nodded excitedly. "Mighty Bear Clan, assemble!"

The children quickly got their things and settled on the tall, soft grass around Luke. For a moment, Luke felt an uneasy discomfort as eight pairs of eyes were on him. For a moment, he laughed at himself internally. He could lead entire squads of Rebel commandos into battle, but here he was having trouble talking a handful of kids.

"Good morning, younglings. My name is Luke." He paused for a second. "Luke Skywalker."

Over the excited faces of the younglings, he was able to catch Swan's shocked expression before she composed herself. The younglings themselves seemed to be delighted in this revelation. Immediately they started flooding him with more questions.

"So you do know Master Skywalker after all."

"Are you his brother?"

"Are you as powerful as he is?"

Attempting to draw attention away from his lineage, Luke took the last question.

"Well, a Jedi isn't measured by his or her power or skills with a lightsaber," he told the blue skinned Twi'lek boy that had asked the question. "We are all but luminous beings in a larger world."

A silence fell over the younglings and Luke could tell that got their attention.

"Give me some ideas on what it means to be a Jedi. You," he said, pointing to a red skinned Nikto youngling. "What's your name, young one?"

"Chian," he replied, large green eyes sparkling.

"Chian, what do you think it means to be a Jedi?"

"Defending the Republic," he chirped.

"Good answer," Luke nodded. "Who else?"

"Protecting the innocent?" The Togruta youngling Ashla said.

"Defeating the Dark Side!" Liam exclaimed.

"Promoting the Light!" J.K. Burtola said.

"Those are all good answers about what we do. But what is a Jedi Knight?"

After a few moments a hand went up. "Mari?"

"We are a light in the dark," she said. "We are servants to the righteous, defenders of the weak, weapons against darkness and scholars to the light."

Luke could've sworn he saw Swan's mouth drop at such a mature answer from this child.

"That's right," Luke said. "When I was a young man, I thought being a Jedi was about exciting adventures, rescuing damsels in distress, wielding mythical powers into battle. But the older you get, the more you realize that it's not might or power that makes a Jedi, but his trust in the Force. The Force is our ally, and a powerful ally it is, which surrounds us and penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. You must stretch out and feel the Force around you. So in your morning meditations, quiet your minds, and you just may hear the Force speaking with you as well."

"But what about the Dark Side?" Liam asked. "It clouds everything."

"That's true, Liam," Luke said. "And we would be blind to ignore it. But we aren't entirely without hope. We have the Chosen One. Have faith. Anakin will bring balance to the Force. I promise."

"Master Skywalker is right," Swan said, stepping next to him. "There is nothing to fear from the dark side or its agents of evil. We are Jedi, and Jedi don't feel fear. Remember, there is no emotion, there is peace."

"There is no emotion, there is peace," the Bear Clan repeated after her.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

"That's right," Swan said, turning to Luke, eyes beaming. "Younglings, it's time for your lightsaber training classes with Master Yoda. Thank Master Skywalker and head inside."

The younglings graciously thanked Luke and started making their way alongside the river stream towards the Room's exit. Luke felt a tug on his pants and turned to see the youngling from earlier, Mari. He knelt down again to be at her level.

"Thank you, Master Skywalker," she said. "Will we see you again tomorrow for morning meditation?" Luke sighed, glancing up at Swan, who stared down at him with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"I will be honored to join you tomorrow." "Promise?"

"I promise."

Mari stepped back and bowed respectfully to him before running off to catch up to her classmates.

"Well, you certainly have a way with younglings," Swan admired as Luke rose to his feet.

"They are our future," Luke said, smiling. "We have to inspire and protect them." "Well they certainly loved you," she replied. "You certainly inspired them. Let's get you ready to protect them, too. I don't see Obi-Wan anywhere yet. Come on, let's get to work on those lightsaber techniques I promised you."

"Here?" Luke asked.

"This is a sacred place for peace and meditation, Luke. Of course not here," Swan replied, elbowing his arm playfully as she walked past him towards the exit. "Come on, I know just the place."

Luke couldn't suppress an eager grin. Picking his things up he hurried alongside Swan up the river stream back towards the Temple.

A/N: Hi everyone. After a two year hiatus, I'm back to continue this story. I have a confession to make. After the death of Han Solo and then my hero Luke Skywalker, I just lost my will to write any more Star Wars. I was really disappointed, not just at the fact that my favorite hero from the saga was gone but the fact that he turned his back on his friends, his family and his destiny as a Jedi. So this chapter was somewhat of a love letter to Luke Skywalker. In writing it, I found the motivation to write this story until it's complete.. I hope you all enjoy. See you on the next chapter!