AN: I do not own Star Wars or Star Wars the Old Republic. I own only the OC and plot. General trigger warnings just in case!

"aaaa"-talking out loud. "aaaa" (bold and italics)-talking through a holo or com. 'aaaaa'-inner thoughts. "aaaaa"-talking through a Bond or talking during a Force Vision. aaaa-Force Vision. "aaaa" (bold)-talking in another language. ("aaa") (bold, italics, and parentheses)-talking through a holo or com in another language

Reminder about the trigger warnings! This chapter does include signs of children bullying other children including being physical.

Thank you everyone for reading and your support!

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Chapter Two-To Be a Shield

That night Silas watched over them as they slept. The living room had become the bedroom with blankets and pillows creating a giant makeshift bed. Esther and Theron spelt soundly, clasping hands as they faced each other. The happiness and peace on both faces made it clear that the decision to not separate the pair had been the right one.

But Silas was a father. A father to a sweet, loving little girl with a fiery temper and bold spirit. A little girl who was bullied to the point where she began to see herself as a monster. It had broken his heart to watch as her light grew dimmer. It had broken as Esther had stayed away from other children, even those like her destined for the Green Jedi. Instead, she had clung tighter to him.

Now though there was Theron. A 12-year-old human boy and a Jedi student. He had been able to coax Esther from her hiding place, and had told her that she wasn't a monster. He had made her smile and laugh. So while a part of Silas knew that he should have been upset, maybe even angry that a male had appeared and already stolen his baby girl's heart.

But he couldn't be.

Because Theron had made her laugh and smile. Theron had given her enough confidence to not put on her mask when it was wet and dirty. In fact, Theron was the first person other than Silas with whom Esther did not wear her mask around.

With a deep sigh, Silas turned away from the scene he had been staring at.

But he could not help but wonder yet again just what the future held for the pair.

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Theron huffed as he laid back on the bench and closed his eyes.

The past two days had been so much fun. Esther had had those two days off from school and Master Zho had also set Theron free from the lessons he would normally have.

Those two days had been the best of Theron's life. Silas and Master Zho had spent the majority of the time that they weren't in meetings locked away in the study. They were hunting through every record they could to find out what the Force had done and why. That meant that Theron and Esther were left mainly under the care of Nandi, Esther's nanny droid.

At least in theory Nandi was supposed to be watching them. In reality the pair would too easily slip away from the droid and explore almost every inch of the little house and neighborhood that Esther called home. They had run wild, darting in and out of shops, weaving through crowds. They would return to the Bakarn house dirty and tired.

But it was worth it. Theron finally had a friend after all.

He huffed again.

But those two days of freedom were still over. Esther's classes had resumed which meant she had to return to school. Master Zho had given Theron lessons once more, meditation exercises and katas. Normally Theron would have been excited to do katas, but knowing that Esther would be meeting him when her school was over had made even those boring and hard to get through.

The quiet of the garden was broken as the doors of the school opened and dozens of students poured out of them. Theron smiled. His mind was already racing ahead, thinking about all the new adventures he and Esther would have after Silas and Master Zho picked them up.

A wave of terror washed over him and a jolt of pain shot through him over the bond. Terror and pain that did not belong to him.

They belonged to Esther!

"Gotcha ya now No-Eyes!" a voice rang over the garden. Theron's eyes flew open and he rolled onto his side, jumping off the bench. A small circle of children close to his age had gathered nearby. Something sour filled Theron's stomach as he ran to the circle and then shoved his way to the front.

And his heart stopped.

Esther had been shoved to the ground and she had been pinned by two boys. A third stood over, his fist wrapped tightly around her braid while in his other he held her mask. He waved it around like a victory banner.

Theron could feel her pain and fear. He reached out across the still new bond as best he could. He nearly jumped when he felt her reach back to him, seeking comfort and help even as it felt like she was trying to urge him to run away. Then he heard it. A soft, quiet cry of "Theron…"

"What did ya say, monster?" the boy holding her braid demanded as he yanked it sharply, jerking her head back. "You know no one's coming for you! No one wants you around! Not even the Green Jedi would take in a damn Imp!" He yanked on her hair again as a girl with a smirk on her face darted out from the circle and kicked Esther in the side. She cried out in pain.

And Theron saw red.

He didn't see as some of the children started to distance themselves from the group. As some who bore green on the clothes saw the circle and then darted away in search of older students or adults. All his focus was on his Esther and those hurting her.

"Get away from her!"

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For the first time since she had started the school year, Esther had actually been excited to attend her classes. All because Theron, her very first friend, would be waiting for her when she got out for the day. She just had to make it through her classes. Which made her nervous, but even that couldn't dampen her excitement about seeing Theron.

Her brightness and cheerful demeanor had been noticed. Her teachers wondered where the shy, quiet little girl had gone. Her classmates had been drawn to her. For once Esther had found herself not being teased or bullied or ignored. Instead they had been nice to her, asking questions, talking to her. The gestures weren't grand or a lot, but they were something for a child so used to being alone when among those her age.

But there were the shadows of course. Esther was young, but she knew them of course. Their eyes watched her in disgust and hate, unhappy that she was smiling and being accepted. They followed with a jealousy that they felt for many of the students that wore green, only they could not take out those feelings on them. But they felt they could with her. They were older than her and came from families who were involved in big corporations and politics. They attended the school simply for the connections they might make.

All of them had a deep hatred of Imperials. Some of them even hated aliens. So they hated Ester because they saw her as both. She was an alien and there was nothing she could do about that, but she wasn't an Imperial! She had been born on Corellia

As soon as her classes were over for the day, Esther had darted out the doors as soon as she could, racing out into the garden where Theron was waiting for her. Papa and Master Zho would pick them up soon and then they would be off on another adventure. She wondered if she could get Theron to teach her how to slice. Esther broke away from the larger pack of students, happily skipping down the garden path and humming to herself.

"Hey monster!" Someone shoved Esther hard from behind. The little girl gave a muffled cry as she hit the ground and was encircled by the eyes she had felt watching her through the day in the hallways and mess hall. Two boys leapt out from the circle, kneeling on either side as they pinned her to the ground. A third boy, the one who shoved her crouched down, wrapping her braid around his fist and pulling it hard, jerking her head back. With his other hand he ripped away the mask from her face, exposing it to the others. They immediately began to jeer and boo, calling her names. "Gotcha ya now No-Eyes!" the boy holding her hair taunted.

'Theron…' Esther thought to herself. It was half a plea for her friend to come and help her, to help drive back the bullies and heal her hurts. But it was also half a warning that he stay away so that the bullies wouldn't turn their attention onto him.

A wave of concern swept through the bond and Esther gasped, feeling it for the first time. Worry and anger joined it even as the person on the other tried to comfort her. She bit her lip to keep quiet, to not give away that Theron was at the very least nearby. She bit down harder as the three began to yank on her arms and hair, rocking her back and forth on the ground. Esther could feel her skin being scratched, first and rubble became caught in the scrapes.

A ripple danced within the Force as more comfort was shoved down along the bond. "Theron…" this time Esther spoke aloud, but quietly as though believing her words would not be heard.

But she was. "What did ya say, monster?" the boy holding her braid demanded. "You know no one's coming for you! No one wants you around! Not even the Green Jedi would take in a damn Imp!" Normally Esther would have stayed quiet in the face of the insult. She had heard it so many times. But Theron was there, giving her strength. Esther opened her mouth to inform him that she was not an Imp or a monster, but a girl ran forward and kicked her in the side hard.

"Get away from her!"

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Theron slammed his whole body with all of his strength into the boy who had been pulling Esther's braid. Her starlight hair. Both fell to the ground. Theron swung his fists wildling, aiming for whatever part of the bully he could reach. One of the boys who had been pinning Esther down to the ground leapt to help their friend while the other yanked Esther to her feet as she stood. Now slightly free, that fiery temper that Esther normally kept under lock and key suddenly came blazing forth.

Twisting her body around, Esther freed one of her arms. She started to kick, scratch, hit, pull whatever she could reach. The boy started to yelp and tried to fight back, slapping and pinching her.

The circle around them started to shrink. This was going too far for them. It had been to push the Miraluka girl around, to pinch and kick her. But now she had a defender and she was fighting back.

Teachers, adults, and older students were suddenly there. They were pulling the children apart. They were scolding them as Master Zho and Silas ran into the garden, concern and shock etched onto their faces.

But neither Theron nor Esther could find it in themselves to care about the fight that had taken place. They clung together, knowing that they had done exactly what they had needed to do at that moment.

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"Why?" Zho asked once more as he and Silas watched the pair take turns in tending to each other's wounds. They returned to the Bakarn home where Theron and Esther had immediately sought out their makeshift bed in the living room. Nandi had followed with a medpac that Theron had asked for. Both the Jedi Master and Silas were trying to wrap their heads around what exactly had happened. Why both Theron and Esther had fought back with their fists. Both children had tempers. Theron's temper had always been clear, but he controlled it and Silas had told him that while it took time for Esther's temper to build, it was there and could be sharp.

Both children normally controlled their tempers. What had happened this time?

It was Theron who paused as he cleaned the dirt and grit from Esther's face. He turned to face them and she mimicked him, turning her face to the sound of Zho's voice. Theron spoke. He spoke for both of them. "They were hurting Esther. I had to protect her. She did her best to help me, to protect me. Because we are each other's shields." The words he spoke bore a weight that both men could feel. A hidden meaning that they knew that they did not yet understand.

Silas and Zho could only watch and wait to see what happened next.

Theron and Esther turned their attention back to each other. They might not fully understand the words that Theron had said, but that did not matter to them. What had happened was supposed to happen and that was it.

With tender hands, Theron returned to cleaning Esther's face.