Hikari-No's Promise
Chapter Three
She sat before the Fire silently, not knowing what to expect. Her mind was in a state of calm, and she looked at the play of the flames, watching the almost hypnotic movements and wondering how the Temple priestess' actually saw visions in the flame.
Hikari-No sighed softly, and closed her eyes, slipping into a normal meditative trance, listening to the movements of the Force around her, and the steady sound of her own heartbeat. Beyond that, she could hear the chanting of a number of priestesses in another room at the rear of the Temple, and the praying thoughts of a number of visitors. From where Catherine sat, there was silence, but an anticipating silence, as she waited for the flames to answer her questions, and from Rei she could sense the expectation of a vision from the Fire, which she believe to be a living being of some sort. There was a subtle change in the air around her, and Hikari-No realised that Rei was channelling the Force into the flames, but without any control. She would be watching for whatever the Force chose to show her, which could be anything or nothing at all. She made a mental note to add something about this to her project, as she slowly opened her eyes.
The smell of smoke and incense drifted through the small room, which was not ornately decorated, despite it being the most important place in the Temple. She was seated cross-legged, as were the other girls, and she knew that outside others were waiting for their chance to see the Sacred Fire.
Hikari-No considered helping Rei, using her control over the Force to speed things up, but she would not, she had too much respect for the priestess to so undermine her beliefs. Some soot suddenly flew up from the pit, and Hikari-No sneezed, tears forming in her eyes as she tried to remove the dust from them.
When she opened her eyes and saw clearly again, she could see a form in amongst the dancing flames, that were nearly still now. As she waited, her breath caught in her throat, and she wondered at this unusual application of the Force, and what it would show her. The image cleared, and Hikari-No could see the form of a grown woman, with long brown hair that flowed gracefully down her back, moving in time with the flames around her knees.
'How is it possible that I can see colour amongst the orange and red of the Fire?', the logical part of her mind whispered, but the rest of her was still focussed on trying to see clearly, and wondering at who this woman was.
She was dressed strangely, in a form fitting suit of white material, with a short black skirt, and a collar of the same colour. On her chest, at the bottom of the collar was a purple bow, and another on her back. She wore blue boots that stretched up to her knees, and her white gloves had a blue band around her elbows. On her forehead glowed a silver tiara, with an unusual symbol etched on it that Hikari-No could not see clearly, despite herself. Around the woman's neck was a silver chain, with a locket at the end of it.
Perhaps the strangest thing about the vision was the woman's weapon, a long staff that seemed almost transparent. It glowed slightly, and Hikari-No could see that the entire thing was made out of some form of crystal. She did not know how she knew, but Hikari-No could tell that the woman was quite adept at channelling the Force through her weapon, using it destructively.
And yet, Hikari-No was almost certain that she was not an enemy to the Jedi. Although the woman was clearly a formidable warrior, her lips were curved in a smile, and there was something in her eyes that told Hikari-No that she could possibly be a friend someday. The figure bowed to Hikari-No regally, her blue eyes seeming to see the young girl clearly, and knowing that she was being watched. For a moment as the vision faded, Hikari-No thought that she could hear her laughter, and smiled in response.
Then she found herself staring into the empty flames, and Hikari-No fainted.
Wandering through the palace, Mi-Rai Shinwa wondered once more where his normally dutiful Padawan had disappeared to. She was not in the library as she should have been, however it was clear from the state of the place that she had been there for some time before leaving. She had also taken most of her notes with her, which suggested that she had gone to continue her project.
But the guards at the palace gate had not let her leave, so she was somewhere on the grounds still. But he had searched everywhere for her, looking first in that garden that she had run too during their last stay on Domus Prime. He sighed, and thought about disturbing the Princess.
No, it would not do for the Jedi Master to show his lack of control over his pupil, that would be damaging not only to his reputation but to the honour of the Order. He would find Hikari-No himself and then he would chain her to her bed so that she would not run away again.
It had been easy up until a few days ago, when she had suddenly learned how to hide her thoughts from him. Since then, it seemed that he was constantly having to go and find her as she wandered from one situation to another. It was not that he had anything important to see her for, just that he felt he should be checking up on his young student, who was more like a daughter to him.
He suddenly sensed a group of young girls in a nearby meeting room, and he decided to investigate. Sure enough, in the midst of this group was Hikari-No, her brown hair flowing loose and unsuccessfully hiding the fact that she was not wearing her robes, rather she was dressed in a stunning green dress.
The other girls noticed his presence and fell silent as Mi-Rai approached them. Hikari-No had only been listening to the group absently, and she did not turn. "I have been looking all over for you, Hikari-No. Why didn't you tell me that you were finished in the library?" Though his tone conveyed anger, he knew that she would understand his concern.
The girl turned then, and looked at Mi-Rai with confusion evident in her eyes. "I am sorry, Master Jedi", she spoke quietly, "But I fear you have me mistaken with someone else."
The way the girl spoke was enough to make him look closer at her. Although her hair and height matched Hikari-No's exactly, as did her facial features, he realised with a start that her eyes were violet whilst Hikari-No's were of the deepest blue. Passing a critical eye over the girl, he noticed that she was also perhaps two years older than his Padawan. Other than that, the two could have been twins. He nodded and bowed to her.
"I'm terribly sorry about this, Lady?", he paused for her to supply her name, looking expectantly at her.
"Tamira", she answered with a slight smile.
"Tamira then. It seems that I mistook you for someone else. Forgive me." With another bow, he turned and left the girls to their gossip, wondering exactly who was this girl who looked just like his Padawan.
When she awoke later, her head was spinning, and she thought for a moment that the darkness of the room was closing in on her. A wave of premonition swept over her, and she shuddered in response.
Someone brought a small light into the room then, and she looked around, glad that she was no longer alone, or in that total darkness. Hikari-No had always been afraid of the lack of light, even in childhood, and she could not sleep at night unless there was some small light around her.
A woman of about forty had come into the room, dressed as the other priestesses had been, wearing red robes and her greying hair flowing freely. She was the Queen's handmaiden, Hikari-No seemed to recall her name being Gemma, but she was uncertain as to whether this was true or not. She placed her light down on a bench near the wall, and came over to sit on the edge of the stretcher where Hikari-No was lying.
"So our sleeping Jedi has decided to awaken? Are you rested?" It was not really a question, but Hikari-No nodded nonetheless. Gemma's brown eyes smiled at her, and she spoke with a humour that was belied by the seriousness of her face. "Did our little princess not tell you that you would most likely faint after your first vision? She has a habit of conveniently forgetting things like that."
Hikari-No was beginning to realise this. Although Catherine was a true friend, and Hikari-No would never doubt her motives, she did tend to be a bit flighty. But her heart was always in the right place, and she always seemed to place her friends before herself on the order of importance, despite her position in the palace. She nodded, and smiled up at the priestess.
"So, do you want to discuss what you saw in the flames? That is", she corrected hastily, "if you did see something? Although being a Jedi, I am certain that you were able to catch a glimpse of something."
Hikari-No thought about it for a moment, and the details of her vision came rushing back to her, and she was surprised at the clarity of the image. When the words came, they were as if she were dreaming, and indeed she was as she felt the vision wash over her once more. "I saw a warrior, carrying a staff that was taller than herself, and dressed in the strangest of clothing. Though I did not realise it at the time, I think she may have been a Queen of some sort, for she seemed to command great power. She seemed to know that I was watching her, and she laughed at me. I could hear her voice, and just before I fainted I thought I could hear her whispering something to me, something of great importance, but I cannot remember what it was."
Hikari-No's voice trailed off, and it was only the sound of the priestess speaking to her that brought her back from her trance-like state. "Normally, seeing a person in the flames is a sign that this person will be your future self, or a possibility of the future. But I do not think this is the case with you. You saw a warrior, not a Jedi, and I think that you are most certainly destined to become a Jedi Knight. But perhaps this warrior is a person that you will know in the future, and this person will have a great influence on your life."
Hikari-No understood the logic of this interpretation, it was just what she had been thinking before the priestess had come into the small recovery room. But something did not seem right about her words, and the small snatches of the future she had seen at other times did nothing to prove her words wither way. She sighed.
"But perhaps your vision was merely symbolic", the priestess continued, "Perhaps this warrior appeared to you to warn you that there will be conflict in your life soon, and that you may not be able to choose the path of peace without having to fight. The staff is a old-style weapon, and not commonly used in the modern world where most have blasters to protect themselves. That she would choose to arm herself with it is unusual in itself, and could mean that the old times of conflict are returning. However, the staff is also a sign of royalty, and this fits with your thoughts that this woman was a Queen."
But then a flash of confusion flickered over her face, and the elder priestess brushed a stray strand of hair back behind her right ear. "But it is rare that someone actually hears sound in the Fire, and I do not know how to interpret this part of your vision." Hikari-No looked up, her eyes wide with anticipation, and not a little uncertainty. "If the person you saw was real, then she was no doubt skilled in using the Force, and actively contacted you to warn you, or to give you her message. But otherwise, maybe the Force itself was trying to tell you something, although I have never heard of the Force laughing at anyone before." At this, the priestess chuckled, and Hikari-No found herself laughing out loud at the idea that perhaps everything she was, her thoughts and beliefs, everything she would ever do, was just some form of cosmic joke.
Gemma stopped eventually and smiled at Hikari-No, her eyes sparkling with a fire of their own, that seemed to echo the dancing patterns of the Great Fire upstairs. Hikari-No realised suddenly that they were underground, and she looked around, for the first time taking note of where she was.
The small room was barely furnished, with little more than several stretchers like the one Hikari-No was seated on, and a bench on which the light rested. The room was empty barring the two of them. The priestess caught her gaze, and smiled.
"Because of the festival our Temple has not been very busy these past few days. Everyone is off preparing to celebrate, and they forget that the Temple is still here, and will always be open to them. When they are happy, the people tend to forget us, but when things go wrong, they want to blame it on the gods, or the Force, or something other than their own decisions."
Hikari-No sighed with understanding, knowing that it was the same with the Jedi. Most of the people only wanted to know the Jedi when they were needed, and the rest of the time the Order was little more than an annoyance, a bunch of interfering people led by a group of old men, even though there were women on the Council.
Gemma stood, and brushed down her robes self-consciously. "Do you want to see the rest of the Temple now?"
Hikari-No stood, but hesitated. "What did Rei see in the flames?" she asked softly.
Gemma thought about it for a moment, sorting out what to tell this girl, and what was better left unsaid. "She said that she was able to see you leading an army against hordes of evil, and she said she saw you as a Jedi Knight. Rei also said that she saw you fall in love with a handsome man." There she stopped as though she had nothing more to say, and Hikari-No believed her, nodding her head.
'She also saw the same man break your heart, and that you are the reborn soul of Unmei herself', the worried priestess finished in her thoughts.
She took Hikari-No's small hand then, and led her from the recovery room into a dimly lit passageway, the bare floor and walls making it seem gloomy and dark. Hikari-No had to suppress a shudder as Gemma walked her down the hallway, making small talk.
"Rei told me about your project", she said, as they reached the end of the long passage, her hand hesitating over the opening of a door. "Perhaps in this room you will find some of the answers to your questions." She swung the door open then, and Hikari-No found herself in a long room, with no furniture at all. However, her attention was immediately drawn to the walls, which were covered with detailed wood carvings that appeared so clear that they were of holograph quality.
They appeared to be some form of narrative, and she looked over at Gemma questioningly. The priestess moved over to what Hikari-No assumed was the first of the story, and began to speak.
"This is a telling of an ancient legend of our people. I will tell you the story if you wish to hear it." Hikari-No nodded, and the priestess paused a moment before beginning to speak.
"The legends say that, many thousands of years ago, Domus Prime was ruled by a kindly King, who was also a powerful magician. It was said that he could control the weather and the seas, and every night the skies over Fuhenteki Na Shiro were lit up with fire that laced from his fingertips for the enjoyment of the people. It was a time of great peace and stability for the people of Domus Prime, and the happiness of the people was secure. But the King's most powerful magic can from the staff he wielded, an ancient relic from a lost age, that allowed him the power to change form from one shape to another.
"The King had three daughters of rare beauty and talent, who possibly would have been contenders for the throne of Domus Prime after the King's death. The eldest of the princesses was Nozomi. She had fiery red hair and a fiery temper to match it. She was born with a warrior's spirit, and was well trained in the arts of fighting. Nozomi had led the forces of Domus Prime in several battles, receiving much acclaim for her skills, but always knowing how best to protect her troops whilst decimating the enemy.
"His second daughter was Chie. She was as serious as her elder sister could be flighty. Her hair was the colour of nature, a deep brown of the earth from which all things grow, and she was just as steady and dependable as the earth itself. She was a scholar of great intelligence, and some said that she held the wisdom of all the ages in her mind, which was a formidable weapon.
"It is on the place of the third sister that the stories differ. She was a dark child, and sickly, with hair as black as a night without the moons and eyes the colour of starlight. Some say that she was a priestess of this very Temple, whilst others believe that she was one of the Dark Jedi. Still more believe that she was an avatar of the Goddess of Death herself. Whatever her role, it is accepted by all that Unmei was skilled in the ways of the Force, both the Dark and Light sides, and that if necessary, she would bring about the destruction of the whole of Domus Prime."
At this point, Hikari-No turned away from the carving of the stunningly beautiful Unmei, and looked up at Gemma, interrupting her story as she would not normally, but compelled to ask her question while thinking of it.
"But what would make such a deed necessary, and how could one person bring destruction to an entire planet?"
Gemma tore her eyes away from the panel with great difficulty. She frowned as she mulled over this puzzle once more, as she contemplated Hikari-No's future. After a long moment of silence, she answered.
"I do not know. But let me continue."
"One day, the King and his daughters were out enjoying the countryside, walking through one of the forests that are so common here. They were alone, the King being certain that Nozomi's skills, Chie's wisdom and his own magic would be able to protect them from any minor incidents that might occur.
"However, the girls went off on their own for a while when their father was resting late that afternoon. At one point Unmei stumbled and accidentally broke the ancient seals that had held a terrible beast captive underground. He sprang forth, destroying all in his path, his object being the three sisters who now fled before him. "The King awoke, and chased after the beast, but all of his great magic would not affect it. In his desperation to save his daughters the King reached out with his staff, and changed the three girls into the moons that now still watch over Domus Prime. Fiery Nozomi became the red moon, calm Chie the blue, and dark Unmei is the silver moon, and the three of them became the spirit guardians of our people.
"With his prize gone, the beast turned to the King, who changed his own form into that of a raven so that he could escape. He flew up out of the beast's reach, and caused a rockslide from a nearby mountain that encased the beast once more.
"However, his magic staff was lost, and without it the King could not change himself, or his daughters back to their human forms. At night sometimes you can still hear the raven's mournful call, as he searches for the magical staff, so that one day he may again live with his daughters, in peace."
Hikari-No stared up at the final scene, of the three moons newly risen above the forest, and the large raven flying overhead, as though searching for something. She saw the lights from the city, and the towering form of the palace beyond that, and the dancing lights of the stars behind them all. Somehow the artist had managed to make the moons seem mournful, as though they were lamenting some loss.
The darker tones of the wood used to decorate the faces of the moons added shadows that made them seem as though they were the real satellites of Domus Prime, rather than just a clever copy.
She sighed at the end of the story, and smiled at Gemma, who was looking for a favourable response.
"Thank you", she breathed softly.
Outside the Temple in the last of the fading sunlight, she met up with Catherine once more. Catherine flashed her a knowing glance as the both Gemma and Rei bustled them off, claiming to have other duties to attend to.
It was only after several minutes of walking silently through the darkening city that Catherine realised that she had not said anything for several minutes, and she smiled and started skipping down the road. "So", she said knowingly, "What did you see in the Fire? Enough to finish off your project?"
Hikari-No grinned. "I hope so. Most of it should be done soon, but I won't be able to finish it until the trip back. What about you? Did you find out what you wanted to know?"
"Sure did." Catherine gave her a hand signal that Hikari-No thought meant 'victory'. "I didn't see very much in the Fire, but I did find out that one of the girls in training has fallen in love with one of the boys from the palace, and that a certain princess is going to be asked to dance at the ball by one of the cutest boys around."
Boys? Surely Catherine was a little too young to be thinking about boys yet? But then again, she was more socially able than Hikari-No, and maybe finding boys was something that she was ready for. Even if she was only ten.
Hikari-No sighed. Would her life on Coruscant ever be like this? Would she ever have friends like Catherine there? Or was she destined to be alone forever, save for her few friends here on Domus Prime, where everything was so idyllic? It just didn't seem fair.
She found herself blinking back tears, but she remembered the image in the Fire, of the brave warrior who seemed to understand Hikari-No's fears and sadness, and she could not remain depressed. She would meet the mysterious fighter someday, and she would know Catherine when she was Queen, and someday, somehow, Hikari- No would find a place where she belonged.
Once they had entered the palace proper, Catherine had been spotted and escorted away by a palace guard who told Hikari-No that perhaps Catherine had not been as free to wander the city as she had been told. She sighed, and went back to the library, tracing her way through darkening corridors as the sunlight faded.
The library was deserted still, and it took her a moment to find the controls for the lights. Once they were on, she took a glance at the timepiece one the wall and realised that she would have only half a standard hour before she would leave to find her Master. She quickly replaced the books she had been using, and sat down to type a few last notes on her experience that afternoon.
Sounds from the party drifted down the passageways of the palace, reminding Hikari- No of what she was missing out on. Laughter and music did brighten the small room she had been given to sleep in, but it did not banish the sorrow from her heart completely. She even agreed with her Master, she did deserve to be punished for her transgression, she just wished that he had not grounded her from visiting the celebrations.
It was as though she had not spent the afternoon doing her research. She had ten pages of rough notes from her visit to the temple, and she would surely have a good report for Master Genki by the time she returned to Coruscant.
But still, he was her Master, and she had disobeyed him.
She flicked her Padawan braid out of her face, so that she could clearly see the two pieces that she was welding together. By tomorrow, the section around the power pack would be completely waterproof, or so she hoped. Then she would have a complete lightsaber save for the missing crystals. It would be easier to get them if she simply knew which colour she wanted. Then she would just ask one of the Masters, or go join one of the older classes where the students were taught to build a lightsaber.
She heard a light footfall in the rest of the apartment, and looked up in surprise, trying to find a way to hide her precious project before someone saw it. But the metal was still too hot, and so she simply stood in front of the spread equipment on the floor, hoping that she would be able to distract whoever it was before they saw it.
A friendly green face poked around the doorframe, and inwardly Hikari-No breathed a sigh of relief. Catherine would never betray her secret, not if she knew how important it was.
"So, why aren't you at the party?" she asked, stepping into the small space quickly, holding up the ends of her long dress so that she would not trip. Her hair was intricately braided into a neat decoration around her face, framing it and forming a crown of black tresses.
"Because I am in trouble." Hikari-No sat down on the floor again, turning her back on Catherine, and moving to try and join some of the other pieces.
"What did you do?" Catherine sat down beside her with no concern for her dress. She picked up the end of Hikari-No's braid, and started swinging it in small circles, until Hikari-No turned again and snatched it from her, placing the end in her mouth and frowning.
"I did not tell Master Mi-Rai that we were going out this afternoon." Catherine reached over and pulled the braid from Hikari-No, muttering something about it being a bad habit.
"That's all? You didn't tell him where you were going, and now you're stuck in here all night? He would hate having me as his student." She laughed, and Hikari-No shook her head, unable to remain angry at her friend for long.
"I guess so." Hikari-No sighed, as the musicians outside started a tune that was obviously for dancing. Catherine heard it to, and sought to distract her friend.
"What are you building?"
"What does it look like?" Hikari-No wanted to see if Catherine could visualise the pieces of metal and plastic on the floor as she did. Catherine nodded, and bent to examine the pieces more carefully.
"It looks a little like a flashlight, but not quite. There is something unusual about it, almost as if it is." As her voice trailed off, Catherine's yellow eyes widened, and she looked up at Hikari-No in surprise. "You're building a lightsaber?" It was only partly a question, but she nodded nonetheless.
"Wow." Catherine picked up the now cool casing and held it gingerly in her hands, as if afraid that she might burn them. She looked at it from every angle, delighting in the feel of the metal, and the light weight of the entire design. She pushed the activation switch, and sighed when nothing happened.
Hikari-No took it from her then, and opened the casing once more, showing Catherine the empty spaces that were left. "You see, this is were the crystals go. Generally you use two or three, and they focus the light, and allow you to change the length of the beam. I will also add a fourth here, to determine the intensity, so that I could have a blade that is nothing more than a flashlight, or one that will cut through everything it touches. I can use the weak one for training." Hikari-No's eyes shone as she described her idea, and Catherine nodded politely, only partially understanding.
"The crystals also determine the colour of your lightsaber beam, which is one reason why I have not finished it. You see, once I work out what colour I want, it is only a matter of getting crystals the right size and colour. Add to that the fact that my Master does not yet know about this, and you can see why it's not quite done yet."
"You haven't told Master Shinwa yet? Why?" Hikari-No shook her head, thinking about it for a moment.
"Most Jedi do not build their first lightsaber until they are sixteen, or fourteen if they are particularly gifted. I'm only ten, and it seems to upset my Master when I do not act as the other students do. If he found out that I have done this, well, I might get in even more trouble, and I do not want that."
Hikari-No packed the lightsaber back into it's box, and then hid the box at the bottom of her bag once more. Catherine had not moved, her eyes staring off into the distance.
"What are you thinking?" Hikari-No interrupted her reverie, and Catherine looked up at her, yellow eyes snapping back into focus. She blinked a few times as she struggled to understand the question, then laughed and stood.
"Nothing important. I had best return to the party now, or they will notice my absence." She brushed down her dress, and moved to leave the room, stopping when Hikari-No called her back.
"Why were you not at the celebrations?"
Catherine looked confused. "Which celebrations?"
"The ones two years ago. The ones where I met Jester and Tamira."
Recognition dawned in her eyes, as Catherine remembered the day on which they met.
"Well", she said, cocking her head to one side and smiling cheekishly, "Pretty much the same reason as why you're stuck in here tonight."
With that, she swept from the room, leaving Hikari-No alone once more.