Jaina Solo
in Tortall.
Authors-note. Sorry
guys, I know I have been really bad about starting stories and then not
finishing them. It's just the lack of good reviews has been discouraging me.
But anyways, I will finish this one for sure.
I take one
liberty in this story, and that is that Roald's marriage has not been set with
the Yamani's yet. The second isn't a
big liberty, and actually (if you interpret the scene the way I did) fits with
the books, and that is that Jedi are physically fit, and even jedi in training
are decently fit.
Enjoy, and please review.
"Oh, mi gosh I am
late!!" Jaina exclaimed, looking at the chronometer. "I don't know why my jedi
senses didn't wake me up this time. But why didn't Jacen wake me up? Did he
want to see me get embarrassed." Jaina did a Jedi calming exercise and calmed
herself down a bit. She reached out for Jacen and found that he was
asleep too.
Jaina
felt ashamed instantly for accusing her brother of wanting to see her fall on
her face. "Sorry, Jasa." She said, using his old-nickname.
She
then reached to wake up brother up, but instead of touching her brother,
the force sense seemed to tug her into it, and take her somewhere else.
As she 'flew' round and round
Jaina felt herself panic. "Where are you taking me." She yelled. "Stop! Jacen!
Uncle Luke! Mom, Dad, Anakin, somebody,
HELP ME!."
Then she
remembered Uncle Luke's lessons. "Always stay calm, when calm the force will
provide a solution."
Jaina
had to do the calming exercise two or three times before it worked to her
satisfaction. Soon, she came to the end and found herself deposited in a
strange place. She could tell it was a palace; it was too spacious, and too
ornate to be otherwise. Also, she could feel the awe of the people who walked
around it, and Jaina knew from experience that the only place that you would
feel that was in a palace.
Jaina took
a deep breath. She let the force flow through her, and then she walked,
following it to the nearest person. "Excuse me." She said, "I am new here, I
need to meet the leader here. Can you take me to them?"
Jaina
cringed as she heard herself speak, to her the words sounded ill-chosen. Her
mother, the chief of state would've been ashamed.
But the
words were good enough for the person she met. "You are in luck, right now King
Jonathan and Queen Thayet are holding audience. It is for someone else, but
they might give you a word." The man pointed her down to the audience chamber.
Jaina
walked to the audience chamber. She stood at the back while the other person
talked to the king. Jaina took a moment to look around, and read the force
senses of the people there. She could tell, that this was a place that faced
the constant threat of attack, even though they could deal with the attacks.
Jaina came
back when she heard the man move away from the king. Jaina stepped forward and
curtsied. At least my curtsy came out right, she thought, please with her
curtsy. "Your majesties, I am Jaina Solo, daughter of Leia Organa Solo chief of
state of the New Republic, and Jedi-knight-in-training. I was brought to your
palace through a vortex. I came here to ask your permission to stay in your
kingdom peacefully until I find a way home. If I may not stay in your land, I
ask for safe passage and transportation to another land."
King
Jonathan of Tortall had not been surprised in awhile, but this certainly surprised
him, a girl being transported here from another land. He had used his Gift, so
he knew she wasn't lying. But how, he couldn't help thinking, how could this
happen, and he knew that the fact that she had landed in the palace showed that
the gods, if they hadn't done this, were using it and she was supposed to stay
here. But why, and what purpose does she have.
While King
Jonathan was thinking over these things Queen Thayet had already started
answering the girl. "You shall not have to go anywhere, Princess," she said,
addressing the girl by that title, because she guessed that chief of state
meant head, and to her knowledge children of leaders were princesses. "You
shall have a safe haven in Tortall and if going home is what you wish, we shall
aid you. We have some of the best mages, and we have temples to ask the gods."
Jaina
curtsied. "I thank you, your majesty, forgive me for correcting you after your
great kindness, but I am not a princess, just Jaina, where I come from we have a
democracy."
"A
dem-ocracy? What is that?"
"Where the
people vote to pick their ruler, we still have monarchies, in planetary
governments. In fact, my mother was the heir apparent to a monarchy." Jaina
said, slightly simplifying Alderaan's governmental system for the queen. "But
the planet was blown up."
"People
choosing their rulers." King Jonathan said, his eyes lighting up, "How…
enlightened."
Thayet saw
the conservatives stiffen, so she hastily said. "Why don't we discuss
governmental systems later. Jaina, is there anything else."
"Yes, your
majesties. If it please you, I would like to… help out a bit, so I am not a
burden." Jaina took a look around, and seeing that the technology was really
old-fashioned decided not to mention her mechanical skills, she didn't want to
give these people all new technology, she was aware that in places people with
such knowledge were considered demons. And she already could tell there were
people in this throne room who would say so, she knew this because of people's
reactions to the idea of democracy. "As I said, I am a Jedi-knight-in-training,
which means I can help defend your kingdom's borders."
Jaina,
with her force sense, heard muffled snickering around the room at her comment.
She sighed, she could not guess why they were snickering, but she could tell
she'd slipped up.
"Your
Majesty," Lord Wyldon said, coming forward and bowing. "I object, a foreigner
comes and asks to join border patrols? I think not. If she wants to help, she
should join in a womanly art."
"Lord
Wyldon." Thayet said. "Jaina said she would like to help defend tortall, so we
would like her to join a fighting outfit. And border patrols are what she asked
to do, so we can not twist an offering."
King
Jonathan saw where his wife was going, he hoped the girl understood hand
signals, he discreetly signaled her to stay quiet and wait.
Jaina got
the signal, and she could tell through her force sense, that these people were
going to use her offer to do something to prove something to this man.
Lord
Wyldon sighed. "She herself said she was only in training." He said, arguing
further, "And if we let someone who was in training go out, they might put
other lives in danger. At least with the womanly arts everyone's lives would be
safe."
"If that is
your objection, and Jaina doesn't object, she can join our training program,
and become a knight, so if she is here for a long period of time she can get
her wish of border patrols." Thayet said.
Lord Wyldon
said. "She is not of tortallan noble blood."
"Nevertheless, if she doesn't object we wish her to become a knight."
Jonathan said, cutting in.
Wyldon ground
his teeth; there was nothing he could say anymore. He bowed, and stepped back.
"Jaina,
would you be willing to go through Tortallan knight training?"
Jaina
curtsied. "Of course, your majesty."
"Do you have
any stuff with you?"
"No, the
vortex didn't provide me with any clothes." Jaina said, but then she felt a
weight at her belt, and saw her lightsaber was hanging there. "But, it seems to
have brought me my weapon, my lightsaber.
"Then give
your size to the tailor, he shall give you clothes. Keep your weapon with you.
But before that, report to Lord Wyldon, who shall get you a page-sponsor and
start your training." Jonathan gave the
dismissal sign.
Jaina
curtsied, and then walked backwards. She waited outside the door until she heard
someone walked behind her. She tensed, until she felt that the person meant no
harm. "Psst." The person said whispering in her ear. "Don't stop here, follow
me. Trust me, I want to help you not hurt."
The force told
her he was not lying. He lead Jaina to a corridor. "Lord Wyldon is going to be
in a mood for a bit, let him cool down before you report to him." The boy
informed her. "Also, meet him formally in his office. Trust me on this one."
Jaina felt
she could trust this boy. "Thank you for the advice, I am Jaina Solo."
"I am Nealan
of Queenscove, fellow page. Would you like to meet the rest of us mad folk."
Jaina had to
smile at that. "Yes, I would."
Nealan lead her
to the library. "Please wait here, I will get everyone. We need to study today
anyways."
Jaina sat in the library and did a few
exercises as she waited for Nealan to return. Nealan returned very soon,
bringing with him a few others. "Friends, I would like you to meet Jaina Solo,
who has decided to join the mad house. She has just arrived her from another
galaxy. Jaina Solo, I would like you to meet Keladry of Mindelan, the first female
page since the decree."
"I am very
pleased to meet you." Jaina said, shaking hands with her.
"Jaina Solo,
heir to the throne of Tortall, Prince Roald."
A boy
came forward, and as Jaina caught his eye, she felt… something. She shook it
off. She curtsied.
"Please don't."
Roald said. "I am just a fellow page like you. Please just call me Roald."
"All right,
Roald."