Interlude I
Duel of the Fates

Harry Potter.

The One with the Power all Dark Lords fear.

The holiest child ever born from the Force, directly from its Light Side, unto two loving people who were rest from him before he could properly walk. The child had never known love until he turned eleven, and yet, he radiated it in every facet - in every way. The path he walks so easily, most could never master. His very existence clears way through the shrouded veil the Dark Side casts to hide itself, and his power frightens all who serve it.

Anakin Skywalker.

The One who will bring balance to the Force.

The most powerful child ever born from the Force, Anakin Skywalker had no real father - it was the Force. His command over it surpassed even Harry Potter's, but his path lay unchosen. Born upon Tatooine, he had known nothing except slavery, but he had a mother to cling upon when times become rough. His animosity towards those who kept slaves and sellers of slaves was therefore founded because of his childhood and was unmatched, fueling his already awesome power.

Few knew that the entire fate of the galaxy rest within the hands of two sixteen year old boys - that their decisions could effect every sentient being's way of life.

Yet, here they stood, five meters away from each other, pacing around one another with small smiles upon their face - they both knew that what stood before each other was a real challenge.

One was smug, the other confident - not too confident.

The entire training room had been a different picture some thirty minutes ago, but now, all save the two children of prophecy, stood in a large circle encompassing them, all speaking in hushed whispers on who would win, who was the stronger, and who exactlyWAS that child with the jet-black hair and emerald green eyes.

They were situated in the center of the training room, the main dueling area theirs to use. Harry Potter had quickly adapted to the lightsaber, finding it no different than a sword except that it hummed. He had quickly defeated everyone who was his age and most from 17-20 years of age, and several of the elder Jedi Knights. Anakin, who had been working with his Master, was so fascinated with who he thought was a Knight's usage of the lightsaber, that he asked if they could have a sparring match, next.

Anakin rarely sparred with the twenty year olds and under since he knew he could beat them in nothing flat, and his dueling technique was a site to behold. When whispers passed around the training room of the two sparring, everyone felt they needed to watch the Jedi Padawan Skywalker and who they assumed to be a Jedi Knight from an enclave or from the outer planets since he had no Padawan Braid - a braided ponytail cut off upon ascension to knight - and wore exceptionally cut Jedi clothing.

They didn't know he had been in a different galaxy and time less than half a day ago, and that hehad no idea what the Jedi exactly did some two hours ago.

Nonetheless, the two elite swordsman of the simple age of sixteen had drawn a crowd not seen since Yoda sparred - Masters had come to see and, they too, could not point out exactly who Harry Potter was but many thought they did. Typical Jedi Masters.

"Bet you Skywalker defeats him in under a minute," whispered a thirteen year old Padawan to her Master.

"They simply are sparring, my Padawan-learner," whispered the Master in response, "Such confrontations are not for sport, but for practice - they serve to increase ones connection with the Force and with their lightsaber."

"I saw that kid pick up his lightsaber from the rack," the little girl continued. The rack of course meant the section where several lightsabers, fully constructed, lay and were to be used by those who had not yet been accepted as Padawans or young Padawans not yet given the mission of creating their own. The Master's eyes widened for a moment but he simply shrugged it off as the boy not having brought his or losing it.

"How one so young is a Jedi Knight is baffling, though," added another Master near them, who was eyeing the two who were now getting ready to fight, "Probably lived on the Outer Worlds his entire life."

"Amazing really - last personundertwentyto pass the Knight Trials was Revan," responded another.

"Yes, yes," said an older master, "and we know how that turned out. Some Masters are too foolish - Allowing their Padawans to take the trials at such a young age. Its for prestige, of course. Haven't learned anything from history."

The hiss and crack of a lightsaber permeated the room, and Harry Potter's crimson hued one flared to life. The boy leaned once more on his right leg and brought the lightsaber and pointed it in an intimidating fashion towards Skywalker, holding it directly above the shoulder.

The same elder master gaped, "That's the same stance Revan used... Does he think himself funny?"

"Revan lived four-thousand years ago, Master Took. I sincerely doubt he's visited the Archive and studied his technique," responded a Jedi Knight clad in orange robing, situated to the left of Master Took, who was grunting his disapproval now.

Anakin Skywalker bowed, and ignited his blue hued lightsaber, moving it through the air in an intricate pattern and grasping the handle with both hands, moving his left foot forward and right one back and pulling the lightsaber into the right portion of his body, directly upright.

They blinked once, and a split second later they clashed against each other, the blood red saber locked with the sapphire one. Both Harry and Anakin stared at each other, unblinkingly, their faces unstruggling, gauging their opponent as they pushed their lightsabers trying to unlock them. Sparks flew from the lock and robes of the nearest fluttered slightly from the power being exerted in the simple clanging of their lightsabers.

Padawans watched in awe of them, Knights watched with respect for them, and Masters critiqued them. The masters judged each exertion of power with a skilled eye, nodding or occasionally shaking their head when one did something right or wrong.

It was Harry Potter who pushed off, jumping back slightly, allowing Anakin to go on the offensive.

The One to bring balance moved with precision and as if dancing - his way cut to Harry Potter effortless yet graceful. He unleashed a string of quick lunges and swings that usually toppled most of his opponents. The boy had perfected this attack among others.

Harry met each with effortless grace that baffled even Masters and slightly angered Anakin. Harry was still gauging his opponent, trying to see what weaknesses he would commit and had found none so far. Skywalker moved with a single purpose of defeating this new challenge - he felt he would gain nothing from studying his tactics, and used sheer power and techniques built already to fight.

'Ah ha!' cried Harry in his mind, as he saw a single weakness, and summoned his Gryffindor blade to his hand to only have it knocked out by a Force wave sent by Anakin.

Anakin leapt forward intent on finishing the duel, quickly.

Harry watched as time slowed down and just as Anakin had been about to bring his lightsaber to the supposed-Knight's neck did Harry deploy something he had only just thought of - that was supposed to be just a myth and not accomplishable by any Jedi, despite their affinity with the Force.

He disappeared.

Anakin looked baffled for a moment before he sensed the reentrance of Harry behind him and brought his saber to meet the boy's attack from behind. Anakin's eyes were widened, while Harry looked peaceful and serene. Several in the audience had gasped, and Masters who had never shown surprise or had made facial expressions, now wore faces with widened eyes or drooped mouths. It would have been a funny site indeed, had Harry not just done something rumored to have been possible, and rumored to have only been done by a Sith Lord.

Harry used the shock Anakin wasfeeling to go on a quick strike with rapid lunges and swipes at the other boy. Anakin could barely fight off the power from each attack as Harry took on a light white glow that only few could notice. After several more minutes of Harry being on the offensive now, Anakin noticed a single weakness and used Force pull this time to bring Harry's lightsaber hand toward him, and slashed at it with his own.

The Boy of Wizard Prophecy moved too late and worsened the situation by moving his hand down.

The blue lightsaber connected with the top part of Harry's hilt, slicing it. The crimson red blade flickered once and died out as the hilt severed in two and fell from Harry's hands as he jumped backwards several feet.

Several in the audience clapped, and Anakin bowed.

"Bowing to defeat?," said a playful voice from across the room. Anakin looked up and his eyes widened - twice.

What made several in the audience gasp yet again, and Anakin furrow his eyebrow in confusion, was that Harry James Potter was wielding the single double-bladed lightsaber that stood in the rack - the one no one touched since it required extreme skill and often an aggressive nature to use without harming yourself. Two beautiful emerald green hued beams of pure energy sizzled forth from each end of the intricately designed and rune adorned hilt Harry held with his outstretched right hand.

A sharp inhale came from one of the Jedi Knights, and a diminutive green Jedi Master calmly patted the arm that lay at the man's side. Obi Wan Kenobi looked down with a distant look in his eyes at Master Yoda, and the green little creature offered a small smile and a touch of the Force to calm him. Kenobi had lost his Master to a Sith Lord five years prior who used a dual-bladed lightsaber, and had fought and defeated him afterwards.

Obi Wan Kenobi was of average height, his body covered in silk noil Jedi garb reminiscent of his old Master's robes. His hair was auburn, including the beard, mustache, and sideburns he had grown out since his Knight Trials. His blue eyes watched the fight with relative ease - he was strong in the Force, and a skilled swordsman.

"Who is that boy?," inquired Kenobi. He had received not an ounce of information on the boy and knew that Yoda had answers, being the head of the entire Jedi Order.

"Harry Potter," said the Master Jedi, his eyes focused intently on the face off. He sensed Anakin's anger flaring slightly at having an opponent who had lasted longer than five minutes, and then he felt all the positive and warming emotions flowing off his slightly-glowing soon-to-be Padawan. He smiled at the radiance of the dual-bladed lightsabers and the eyes the one who wielded it possessed, which seemed to match in brilliance, yet held not an ounce of malice nor negative emotion flowing forth from within their confines.

"Harry Potter, then, has deserved his Knighthood," spoke Obi Wan, slightly put off that Yoda would find nothing wrong in someone wielding such a tool.

"Knight, he is not," said Yoda, and Kenobi frowned in confusion, "Arrived, today he has. Trained, he will be," he continued. Yoda had no doubt in his mind that he would be able to persuade the young boy to be his Padawan. Yoda had ways, much like Albus Dumbledore, to do what needed to be done.

"How can he move so quickly then? He has skill most Knights have trouble coming by... and who would agree to training someone so old? Surely the Masters of the Council would disagree after hardly allowing Anakin in..." he trailed off, upon seeing the small smile forming on the Jedi Master's lips.

"Hm hm hm," chuckled Yoda, looking up at Obi Wan Kenobi, "Swordsman, he has been - sensed, I have, through the Force, that he needs training. Training, I shall give him." Obi Wan opened his mouth to speak, but found no words. The boy was lucky, was all he could really think. To gain a mentor and trainer such as Yoda was equivalent to winning the lottery within the Jedi Order.

"You agree, then?" Obi Wan said, casting his eyes to Anakin and Harry who were now nothing more than blurs, two emerald green beams clashing against two sapphire blue ones - Anakin had summoned another blue lightsaber.

"Decided, alone, I did," replied Yoda, watching as Harry went on the offensive again with swirling attacks and leaps, "Darkness, cast by Sith, clouding everything. Sensed, I did, a strong presence when met I did with young Potter. Dark person, concerns me much, it does, since see the person, I could not, without the aid of him."

"So you think he will fight for the Jedi?"

"Fight for the Jedi," grumbled Yoda, looking intently at the Knight, "Hm hm hm," he laughed, suddenly, "Reform the Jedi, young Potter will. Bring back the old ways, he will," he continued, with a twinkle in his eye.

"The old ways, Master Yoda?," asked Obi Wan Kenobi, interested, drawing his gaze away from the duel once more, that now had been going on for thirty-five minutes.

"Knight, of the Old Republic, he is like," replied Yoda, cryptically, "Humble he is. Emotion he has, yet with control and serenity. Embraces the emotion Light Side requires - Love, most importantly."

"L-Love, Master Yoda?," asked the Knight, slightly edgy since he was quite fond of a Jedi Knight by the name of Siri Tachi, who felt the same way about him.

Yoda just smiled - he knew all that went on in the Jedi Temple, "No worries, your secret, safe with me, it is." Kenobi's eyes widened.

"But love is forbidden..." he said, well put out. The Knight was by the book, and was ashamed that he had not only broken a tenet of the Jedi, but had gotten caught by Yoda, as well.

"Foolish it is, to forbid that which we cannot help but feel. Teach control, we need to. Heart, you must follow Obi Wan, as young Potter has. Knights, with spirt of the old Jedi, survive they will, when the Sith strike again."

"Padawan Potter will bring balance to the Force? What of Anakin? He is the Chosen One."

"Fates, Potter and Skywalker are, young Knight. Decisions they make, effect the galaxy they will."

Yoda harrumphed, watching the duel again, "Slashed left, when slashed right, he should have," he said, turning around as he made his way to the exit, "Teach him how to duel, I will have to," said Yoda, humorously.

Two emerald green beams fluttered off as the hilt that bore them fell to the floor with a clang.