Title: The Sith War Chronicles: A Jedi's Destiny
Author: Jedidanny ( )
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, action-adventure
Setting: A good fifteen-twenty years after the Jedi Academy has been opened. All original characters, except for maybe Luke.
Summary: The story of Renoa Stormhaven, a young Jedi who goes through many adventures… R&R!
A/N: This is my first Star Wars story I've written in four months, so be patient with me. I had a huge writers block, and had no feel to write a Star Wars story, but hopefully I'll be able to do something with it. If not with this specific storyline, then something else…Star Wars doesn't belong to me, it belongs to George Lucas.

Chapter Three:
 Dancing in the Moonlight

Renoa was now heartbroken; it was hard for her Jedi Master to have her concentrate on her studies and training, and she wouldn't even talk to Cole's Jedi Master. Others heard of what had happened, and began to feel sorry for her, but no matter how bad they may have felt, she knew that they could not bring her brother back. She knew that Cole was not dead, because she would have felt it, but it felt as if he were.
The big end of the year dance at the Academy was coming up, soon, and everyone was talking about what they were going to wear and who they would go with. A few days before the dance, Renoa sat out in the garden, holding a flower in her hand, twirling the stem between two fingers.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sound of boots approaching and the laugh of a few students. She looked up to see that it was Sarkin Blackdeath and his friends and rolled her eyes, turning herself away so that her back was toward them.
Sarkin and his friends were the trouble makers of the Academy, always flirting with the quiet girls who wanted nothing to do with them, and playing games with the hearts of those who did and not bothering to pay attention to their studies. One week, one girl would be Sarkin's girl friend, the next he'd have a new one and the other would get mad. Renoa was unfortunate enough to be one of the quiet girls that Sarkin had chosen to flirt with, and he didn't seem to care that Cole was her older brother.
"Out of all of the flowers in this garden, Renoa, you are the most beautiful of them all. Care to join me on a date to the dance?" She heard Sarkin's voice ask from behind.
Renoa turned herself to look up at him before taking her gaze away, "Not particularly, Sarkin, no. I have much better things to do than spend my time with a stuck up, arrogant boy who plays games with the hearts of those who may actually like him. Why they would do so is beyond me, but they do." She stood up and started to walk away, but found Sarkin's hand grabbing her wrist tightly. He pulled her toward him and didn't let go of her hand.
"You, Renoa, have a feisty attitude. I like it," he said.
"You're hurting me, Sarkin," Renoa said, trying to get him to let go. "Besides, are you sure you want to be anywhere near me considering whose little sister I am?"
Sarkin laughed, "Your brother isn't coming back, Renoa, so I have nothing to worry about. You have no one to protect you from me."
All emotion dropped from Renoa's face at Sarkin's words as she pulled her wrist out of her grip and stepped back, "My brother is coming back, Sarkin, and when he does, I'll be sure to tell him what you're doing."
Sarkin laughed, shaking his head, "Poor, naive, little Renoa, doesn't know that her own brother is dead. He was captured by the Sith, little girl. He's as good as dead."
"Are you sure about that, Sarkin?" a voice asked.
Renoa looked up to see Tristan Blackthorne standing near the entrance to the garden. Tristan was one of the best students of the Academy, and was graduating with Renoa. They had known each other for a long time, and had started to become friends, which soon turned into a crush for Renoa.
Sarkin and his friends turned around to see Tristan there, and Sarkin watched him as he walked toward them and stood in front of Sarkin, nearly nose-to-nose at the same height.
"Oh, look, it's Tristan the Great come to rescue the damsel in distress. How sweet," one of Sarkin's friends said.
Tristan allowed no emotion to show on his face as he looked from Sarkin to Renoa, who had tears in her eyes and had begun to shake, and back to Sarkin, "Stay away from Renoa if you know what's good for you, Blackdeath. You may be able to get away with harassing the other girls and playing games with their hearts, but you won't with Renoa. She's been through too much pain to have you on her back too. Now, get out of here."
"And what are you going to do, Blackthorne? Wave your lightsaber around at me?" Sarkin asked.
Tristan didn't answer. Sarkin and his friends laughed, walking away and out of the garden. Tristan watched them leave and looked over to see Renoa on the ground, tears streaming down her face as her hands shook.
He walked over to her and sat down, pulling her toward him in a hug. "It's okay, Ren. They won't bother you anymore, I promise. What they were saying is awful, and it's not true. Cole is alive. Don't let their words get to you. Okay?"
Renoa lifted her head up, tears rolling down her cheeks, and looked at him, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm sorry about Cole. You don't deserve to have to go through this pain, and neither does he. If they bother you again, tell me, and I'll tell Master Skywalker, alright?"
Renoa sighed and nodded, standing up and moving to sit down on the bench. Tristan moved to sit down next to her, "What were they saying to you, anyway?"
Renoa looked up toward the clouds, as though avoiding making eye contact with him on purpose, "Sarkin asked me to go to the dance with him. I told him no, and then he started saying that Cole wasn't coming back and I had no one to protect me from him . . . I'm starting to believe that it's true."
Tristan shook his head, "Don't say that, Renoa. If you do, then it really will be true. Besides, I'm here."
Renoa nodded, and there was a moment of awkward silence.
"So . . . are you planning on going to the dance?" Tristan asked.
Renoa sighed and shook her head, "I don't think so . . . I know it sounds silly, but it's not the same without Cole there. He and I would always go together, and he would dance with me to help take my mind off the fact that I didn't have a date."
"It doesn't sound silly at all. I used to take my little sister all the time to these dances. Besides, maybe this year will be different," he said.
She looked back at him, "What do you mean?"
"Well . . . I was kind of wondering if you'd go to the dance with me. You know . . . as a date. I know we haven't really spent a lot of time with each other lately, so I wanted to make it up to you," he answered.
Renoa's heart started beating faster as one of her dreams finally came true. She smiled, "I'd like that."
Tristan smiled back, "Good. So would I. I'll see you at the dance, then."
Renoa nodded, almost struck dumb-founded as she realized she had just been asked out on a date by one of the cutest guys in the Academy. She watched as he got up to leave before heading back to her own room.

The night of the Dance

Finally, it was the night of the dance, and Renoa stood in her room, nervously awaiting Tristan's arrival so they could go to the dance. She stood in front of the mirror, smoothing the wrinkles out of the dress she wore. She had pulled her hair back into a braid and wore the locket Cole had given her.
At the knock on the door, Renoa let out a breath; this was it. She turned toward the door and opened it, seeing Tristan there. She smiled slightly, a rosey blush coming to her cheeks.
Tristan stood there in a black tuxedo, amazed at the beautiful girl he saw before her. He smiled brightly, holding a hand out for her to take.
"You look beautiful, Ren. Cole would be proud to call you his sister," he said.
Renoa smiled more, taking the outstretched hand into hers and letting him lead her out of the room and to the dining hall where the dance was being held.

In the Dining Hall

The lights of the dining hall had been turned to a dim lighting, and decorations had been put up. Students danced as their Jedi Masters watched, some dancing themselves, including Master Skywalker and his sister, Leia, while Han danced with his daughter, Jaina.
Tristan kept Renoa's hand in his, leading her out onto the dance floor and bowing softly, "May I have this dance?"
Renoa smiled, "You may."
Tristan smiled back, standing back up straight and pulling her close, wrapping an arm around her and taking his other hand into his as they danced slowly.
Emotions of happiness, sadness, and nervousness ran through Renoa's head as she danced with Tristan and kept in beat to the music, trying not to step on his toes.
Finally, the song ended and Renoa stepped back from him. Tristan held out his hand for her, "Come on, I want to show you something."
Tristan led Renoa out to the garden which had an entrance leading to it from the dining hall. Above, the stars were shining brightly and it was very romantic. No one else was in the garden but the two of them.
"Now, close your eyes, and no peeking," he said.
"Alright," Renoa said and slowly closed her eyes.
Tristan took her other hand in his and began to concentrate, pulling in on the Force and letting it flow through him. Within a minute, Tristan and Renoa were off the ground and floating through the air.
"Open them."
Renoa opened her eyes and looked down, finding herself about twenty feet off the ground. She immediately grabbed onto his waist, as though wanting him to protect her and he laughed softly, putting his arms around her.
"It's all right. I've been working every day to get this perfect. Truthfully, I've been planning this for a while," Tristan said.
They began to slowly float down to the ground and Renoa looked at him, "You have?"
Tristan nodded, leading her to a nearby bench once they were on the ground, and sat down with her, "Yes. I've had a crush on you for a while now, Renoa. I would have told you sooner, but I know how protective Cole can be of you, and I wasn't sure how he would react."
Renoa's smile disappeared as she thought of Cole, and it turned into a frown, "So, you thought that since Cole is gone, it would be okay to tell me about it."
"Well, no…I was going to tell you either way. I know what it's like to be a big brother, but I know that you also have to allow your little sister to grow up, no matter how much it hurts, or how much older it makes you feel, which Cole has done. I also know that he's not only your brother, but he's like a father to you, which is why I thought he wouldn't approve right away," Tristan answered.
Renoa nodded, looking up at him, "I have something to tell you, too. I've had a crush on you for a while, now. Actually . . . a couple of years. I never told my brother, though, because I knew you two were friends and I didn't want him to say anything. I was afraid to tell you because I knew you hung around with Xezoria Brightwood and didn't want to get my hopes up."
Tristan blinked in surprise and smiled, "Xezoria is my older brother's girl friend. He was sent on a mission a while back, and hasn't come home yet, so I've hung around with her to keep her company. I want to ask you something, Renoa."
Renoa swallowed hard, "What is it?"
"Will you be my girl friend?" he asked.
Renoa nodded, smiling, "I'd love for nothing else, Tristan."
Smiling back, Tristan put a hand on Renoa's chin and slowly lifted her chin, bringing their lips closer and into a kiss.

Chapter 4: Cole's Return