Another couple of weeks went by and Leia was growing much stronger. In
that time, she was learning and growing in ways that she never imagined
possible. On one day, she was doing exercises of lifting things with the
Force while standing on her head. She was able to lift Yoda up off the
ground with not much more than a motion with one hand after she lifted it
off the ground. After several minutes of this, she lowered her Master
down, and used the Force to bring herself upright. Yoda was pleased with
her progress.
"Good. Much progress, do you make. Ready are you, for the next step in becoming a Jedi Knight. A symbol for us, it has become."
Leia almost at once, knew what he was talking about. "You mean--making a lightsaber?"
"Yes. But no materials, there are on this planet, to make one. Give you one, I will have to. Belonged to another powerful Jedi Master, it did. Close friends were we. Deserve it you do."
Yoda pulled an old metal rusty box out of one of the pockets in his robe and lifted it up to Leia. She took it from him, and opened the box. She saw a lightsaber that was in surprisingly good condition. "It feels so much lighter than it looks."
She held it in both hands and felt the cool metal against her fingers. She looked to Yoda, who gave her a small nod. She flicked a button on the lightsaber and the blade sprung to life. She felt the hilt vibrate in her hands as she marveled at the brilliant violet blade. She waved it around, and it snapped and crackled through the air. "I didn't know that any Jedi had a violet-bladed lightsaber."
"Something different, Mace Windu wanted. Yes, the rest of us had lightsabers with blue or green blades. Green, was mine."
"You have a lightsaber of your own?" It was difficult for Leia to imagine this small Jedi Master to be able to fight with a lightsaber.
"By your old measures, do you still go by? Said before have I, size matters not."
"I'm sorry, Master. I will remember from now on."
"Hmmm. I wonder. Yes, have my own lightsaber, I do. Like all Jedi Knights, part of the training process, it is. Needed it, have I not, for many years. Not since the Clone Wars. Now, learn to use it, you must. And also, the most important lesson that goes with your lightsaber, you must learn."
"What's that?"
"Figure that out for yourself, you must."
Leia nodded and stared in quiet awe at the dazzling weapon in her hand.
----------------------------------------
A few days went by and Leia was sparing with an old remote that Yoda had in his hut. It was buzzing past her and shooting off blaster shots, and she was reflecting some, but more were getting her in the arm or the leg. When one hit her, she would let out a small yelp of pain, but it would quickly reside. Yoda turned off the remote and it pauses right in its tracks. Leia turned off her lightsaber and looked over at him.
"Less choppy, you must make your strokes. Flow, it all must. An extension of your arm, make it like. To the Force, you must listen. Where to move your blade, you must let it tell you."
"I'm trying. Really. Maybe I'm just not meant to fight with a lightsaber. You said so yourself that it's been years since you fought with a lightsaber. Do I really need to learn how to fight?"
"Fighters, we are not. Guardians of peace, have we always been. But what good are we if defend for others, we cannot? Charge in waving our lightsabers we never do, but when time for action comes, a Jedi acts. Now trust what the Force sees, not your eyes."
"I try, but it's so hard not to use my eyes instead of listening to the Force."
"Then, shield them, we shall have to." Yoda tore a long strip of cloth from off his robe and used the Force to float it over to Leia. " Here. Around your eyes, tie it. And do or do not. There is no try."
Leia did as she was told. Yoda quickly turned the remote back on just as Leia was igniting her lightsaber and the remote gave her a shot in the stomach. Leia yelped and grunted in frustration of the pain.
"Careful! Use not the pain of the bolt to assist you!"
Leia took a deep breath and calmed herself down again. The remote took shots at her for a while longer and the shots gradually became more rapid. Finally, the 20-minute timer stopped the remote. Not one shot hit her.
"Good, were you. Control your anger, fear, and aggression at all times, you must remember. The dark side, that is. Promises many things, it does. But give them to you, it cannot. Your soul, it searches; and your inner most desire, it finds. Claims to make you a Master, it does. But all become you, is a slave."
Leia got a sinking feeling in her heart. "Like what happened to Luke."
"Good. Much progress, do you make. Ready are you, for the next step in becoming a Jedi Knight. A symbol for us, it has become."
Leia almost at once, knew what he was talking about. "You mean--making a lightsaber?"
"Yes. But no materials, there are on this planet, to make one. Give you one, I will have to. Belonged to another powerful Jedi Master, it did. Close friends were we. Deserve it you do."
Yoda pulled an old metal rusty box out of one of the pockets in his robe and lifted it up to Leia. She took it from him, and opened the box. She saw a lightsaber that was in surprisingly good condition. "It feels so much lighter than it looks."
She held it in both hands and felt the cool metal against her fingers. She looked to Yoda, who gave her a small nod. She flicked a button on the lightsaber and the blade sprung to life. She felt the hilt vibrate in her hands as she marveled at the brilliant violet blade. She waved it around, and it snapped and crackled through the air. "I didn't know that any Jedi had a violet-bladed lightsaber."
"Something different, Mace Windu wanted. Yes, the rest of us had lightsabers with blue or green blades. Green, was mine."
"You have a lightsaber of your own?" It was difficult for Leia to imagine this small Jedi Master to be able to fight with a lightsaber.
"By your old measures, do you still go by? Said before have I, size matters not."
"I'm sorry, Master. I will remember from now on."
"Hmmm. I wonder. Yes, have my own lightsaber, I do. Like all Jedi Knights, part of the training process, it is. Needed it, have I not, for many years. Not since the Clone Wars. Now, learn to use it, you must. And also, the most important lesson that goes with your lightsaber, you must learn."
"What's that?"
"Figure that out for yourself, you must."
Leia nodded and stared in quiet awe at the dazzling weapon in her hand.
----------------------------------------
A few days went by and Leia was sparing with an old remote that Yoda had in his hut. It was buzzing past her and shooting off blaster shots, and she was reflecting some, but more were getting her in the arm or the leg. When one hit her, she would let out a small yelp of pain, but it would quickly reside. Yoda turned off the remote and it pauses right in its tracks. Leia turned off her lightsaber and looked over at him.
"Less choppy, you must make your strokes. Flow, it all must. An extension of your arm, make it like. To the Force, you must listen. Where to move your blade, you must let it tell you."
"I'm trying. Really. Maybe I'm just not meant to fight with a lightsaber. You said so yourself that it's been years since you fought with a lightsaber. Do I really need to learn how to fight?"
"Fighters, we are not. Guardians of peace, have we always been. But what good are we if defend for others, we cannot? Charge in waving our lightsabers we never do, but when time for action comes, a Jedi acts. Now trust what the Force sees, not your eyes."
"I try, but it's so hard not to use my eyes instead of listening to the Force."
"Then, shield them, we shall have to." Yoda tore a long strip of cloth from off his robe and used the Force to float it over to Leia. " Here. Around your eyes, tie it. And do or do not. There is no try."
Leia did as she was told. Yoda quickly turned the remote back on just as Leia was igniting her lightsaber and the remote gave her a shot in the stomach. Leia yelped and grunted in frustration of the pain.
"Careful! Use not the pain of the bolt to assist you!"
Leia took a deep breath and calmed herself down again. The remote took shots at her for a while longer and the shots gradually became more rapid. Finally, the 20-minute timer stopped the remote. Not one shot hit her.
"Good, were you. Control your anger, fear, and aggression at all times, you must remember. The dark side, that is. Promises many things, it does. But give them to you, it cannot. Your soul, it searches; and your inner most desire, it finds. Claims to make you a Master, it does. But all become you, is a slave."
Leia got a sinking feeling in her heart. "Like what happened to Luke."