"I do."

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

And that was it. Any chance Jhotan ever had at ending up with the girl he had loved for so long vanished with the meeting of two pairs of lips. Ah well, he thought, it is finally time to move on. Jhotan sighed quietly.

Shortly, at the party celebrating the new marriage, Jhotan entered the banquet hall, his dark Jedi cloak flowing around him. The newly wedded couple sat together on a dais that faced the dance floor, making small talk with guests.

The young Jedi Knight was a 19-year-old human, stood a few inches under six-feet-tall, had jet-black hair, which was always moderately neat, and possessed a slender, muscular frame without any brawn bulging into visibility. He had known the bride, Avot, since the two had been toddlers. Overtime, they grew to be great friends. However, he had had little contact with her after he had been taken to the Jedi Praxeum for testing. His Force abilities were quite strong, and he was immediately accepted. Years later, Jhotan was taken as an apprentice by Jedi Master Kenth Hamner.

Jhotan and Avot crossed paths many times when both had matured into teenagers, and her great beauty had struck Jhotan. He eventually confessed his feelings to her, but to no avail. They remained friends, but she never became interested in anything more than that. She continued having relationships, which only caused envy within Jhotan. He bided his time however, waiting for when she would, one day, love him as he did her. That, of course, never happened. Recently, Jhotan had passed the necessary trials and was given the rank of a full Jedi Knight. He had also constructed his second lightsaber, which was far more sophisticated than his old weapon. He had both on his person at the present time.

Jhotan began to approach the dais to congratulate the newlyweds. The throng of people on the dance floor parted in two to allow his passage. He ascended the steps to reach the uppermost portion of the platform. Upon reaching his destination, he lowered to one knee. His hand hovered to his belt and grasped his first lightsaber. Jhotan offered it to Avot's husband, the shining handle resting on both palms.

"This is a sign of my submission to you, I relinquish my love for Avot. You are obviously far superior to me to have been able to capture the affections of, and to have married such a wonderful young lady."

"Th-thanks," Avot's husband Nem replied in a somewhat uninterested tone.

"May the Force be with you, always," Jhotan smiled tenderly and glanced at Avot. She smiled back.

"Thank you," she whispered. Jhotan rose to his feet and descended to the dance floor. He headed toward the exit. A battle cry sounded behind him. Jhotan whirled around to face the source of the noise. Nem ran down the stairs toward him, with his new orange-bladed lightsaber ignited and held high over his head. As he was almost upon him, Jhotan reached to the small of his back and pulled out his newly crafted lightsaber. Its green-blue blade quickly met that of his adversary. Jhotan quickly jumped back out of reach, and slid out of his cloak.

"What is wrong with you!?" He demanded, his voice tense.

"You must die!" Nem snarled.

"What?! Are you that thickheaded? It's over, I don't love her anymore!" Nem's reply came in actions, not words, as he sprung toward Jhotan. He quickly parried the blow off to one side. Nem rotated on his heel and slashed with a backhanded blow. Jhotan twisted to avoid the blow, and stepped backward.

They continued battling for several minutes. It was quite obvious Nem was the aggressor and Jhotan was doing his best to defend and never attack. Avot stood silently on the dais, looking on in horror at her husband's actions. She had never before seen this side of the man she loved. Jhotan seemed to be tiring while Nem suddenly increased his assaults with renewed vigor. Jhotan distanced himself to catch his breath.

"You are well trained in the Jedi arts," he panted.

"Well, what do you expect, Jedi?" He sneered, emphasizing the last word with great contempt. They came together again, weapons blazing. Jhotan blocked an attack and parried the interlocked blades to one side. Nem quickly elbowed him on the side of the head, hard. Jhotan spun around. Searing energy blade met flesh. Avot shrieked in terror.

Jhotan's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. The orange beam had impaled him through the left side of his abdomen, adjacent to his navel. Jhotan let out several quick gasps as he felt the ends of a few ribs dissolving. His arms were splayed out at his sides, his own weapon still lit within his waning grip. Tears began streaming down his face. Avot sobbed quietly, her mouth and nose covered by her hands. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought such a thing could happen to one of her closest friends. Teardrops trickled over her hands. Nem's face was split by broad, evil smile. An idea suddenly occurred to Jhotan. He blinked several times and looked toward Avot.

"I-I'm…" he grimaced from the burning pain. "I'm so s-sorry, Avot…" A puzzled look came over her face.

"Huh!?" Nem grunted. Jhotan's motions were faster than the eye could follow. His left knee came up and connected with Nem's sword hand. The weapon quickly deactivated. Jhotan made a complete turn and stepped back on his right foot. He swung downward, amputating Nem's right hand, which still grasped the saber. Pain wracked through the young Jedi's body. Nem howled, fell to his knees, and clutched the stump at the end of his wrist. Jhotan glanced toward Avot again.

"S-s-orry…" he groaned meekly. His legs gave out under him and he collapsed in a heap. Avot leaped from the dais and ran to his side.

"Jhotan!" She kneeled beside him and cradled his head. They looked into one another's eyes. The anguished, weak look on his face alarmed her greatly. His body suddenly slacked in her arms. "No! Jhotan! Don't leave me…!"

THE END?