Great Hall, Isle of Berk, Ahch-To; 3rd person POV...
"This is outrageous!"
Stoick sighed irritably, resting his face on his hand from where he was sat in his chair. After leaving the foreigners with Gothi at her request, Stoick called for a council meeting in the Great Hall with many of the villagers to discuss what to do with them. And of course there was always one voice that nobody liked, yet somehow continued to sway others to his side.
"You found a witch who isn't even a person, and brought her, and her little friends to the village?!" Mildew cried out. "Now only that, but you left our Elder Gothi alone with those beasts!"
"Oh shut your trap Mildew, Gothi's the one who told us to leave," Gobber said in annoyance.
"All the more proof that witch has meddled with our Elder's mind!" Mildew shouted, waving his staff around. "We should have them all burned at the stake!"
A few of the Vikings muttered their agreement, and Stoick glared at Mildew, standing up from his chair.
"Quiet!" he bellowed, and a few of the Vikings nearby flinched at his tone. eve Mildew winced a little. "I understand what you're saying, but Gothi is not one to be swayed so easily by witches! Besides, these people came from the sky on that crashing fireball!" he reminded them.
"Spawns of Loki, that's who they are! He wants us gone!" Mildew cried out again. "That witch is aligned with the dragons! She controlled one of them easily!"
More and more Vikings nodded their heads in agreement, while the other side of the debate rolled their eyes, finding the whole Loki idea to be absurd.
"If they're spawns of Loki then why haven't they threatened us? All they wanted was some healing for their friend!" Phlegma said back in return. "Sure she may be a witch, but she only requested help."
"A ploy to get us on her good side, and then she'll wipe us out!" Mildew challenges.
"What if they're one of those messengers, like the old legends said?" Mrs. Ingerman suggested. Some of the crowd thought about it for a moment. Barely any of them have ever read any of that stuff, but they've heard stories.
"That's just a fairy tale!" Mildew said, waving his hand. "But this witch threat is very real!"
"I've got half a mind to clobber you in the killing ring right now Mildew!" Gobber says, almost at his breaking point with the man.
"Then that witch must be meddling with your mind too!" Mildew yells back accusingly.
Stoick finally slams his fist down on the table loudly, getting everyone's attention. "ENOUGH!" he roared. "Nobody here is under the control of a witch, and we currently have no reason to attack these foreigners, even if one of them has the power to control dragons! We're Vikings! Warriors, we follow tradition, and defend our home from the dragons! But we don't seek out conflict without justifiable cause, or else we'd be at war with everyone around us!"
Everyone listens intently to the chiefs words, and Mildew rolls his eyes, but doesn't dare to speak out again. "Now, if our Elder has elected to offer her help to these foreigners, then we shall do the same, as Gothi is the wisest among us. Until something else happens, we continue on with our lives regularly, and offer the foreigners respect, even if one isn't a regular human. Alright?!" Stoick says.
The Vikings give each other looks and exchange words, before the majority of them raise their hands into the air with an 'AYE' of confirmation. Stoick nods in satisfaction, while Mildew storms out of the hall furiously, his face red in anger.
Ahsoka POV...
It was later in the night, and Mara was currently asleep on a spare cot laid out nearby. Gothi was somewhere else in the house, probably sleeping as well, and I had to wonder just how these people could sleep in wooden beds. I guess they didn't really have any mattresses but... couldn't they make large leather sheets or quilts of some kind? Force only knew how Mara was able to fall asleep so easily.
I was sitting in a chair beside Jarik's bed, gently stroking a hand through his hair. There were so many questions I had about all of this, most of which included how he even managed to survive in space after those torpedos destroyed the bridge. And why the convor has appeared again now of all places. Was it here in relation to this planet being the birthplace of the Jedi? We learned from Gothi that the first Jedi named the planet Ahch-To, which brought a sense of familiarity to me. Maybe it was mentioned during my studies as a youngling, but I wasn't too sure.
Leaning my head down, I kissed Jarik's forehead, probing him gently and warmly across the bond before standing up, exiting the house to get a view of the outside area. From what I could sense, most of the villagers down below were all getting ready for bed, or were already asleep, since the twin suns had just gone down off the horizon. Yet all of them were constantly tense and alert, even when they were sleeping, as if they were expecting an attack at any time. Do raiders come periodically, or was it those dragons they seem to hate so much?
I wasn't sure, but getting a feel of the air, I decided to walk around the outskirts of the village near the forest for a little bit, not having anything else to do. Sleep wasn't coming very well to me at all either.
Hiccup POV...
Sitting underneath the large tree behind my house usually gave me some much needed private time, away from everyone else. And I didn't really feel like being near my dad at the moment. Although everyone was talking about how his search party found three strange foreigners, one of whom was being called a witch. I didn't know what to think, but from what I heard she wasn't even human, and could control dragons!
I immediately theorized that she could be one of those Jedi messengers from Asgard, if the controlling dragons part was true. That's what I read, and they came from the sky. What else could they be?
My thoughts were interrupted when I noticed someone walking along the tree line off in the distance, looking out at the ocean. Looking closely, I realized that it was probably that strange woman, and she definitely seemed weird. Her skin appeared to be orange, and instead of her she had weird... tail things and horns sprouting from her head. Her clothing was also unlike anything I was used too.
Curious, I quietly got up and moved over, sneaking along the trees for a better look. She was sitting on a ledge overlooking the ocean, and I crept as close as I could, hiding behind a large bush and peeking out. From here I had a better view, and then noticed two weird cylinders hanging from her belt. What were those?
"I know you're there," she suddenly said, and my heart stopped in terror. How did she know I was here?!
She turns her head to glance back at my position. "Don't worry, I don't bite. Come on," she says with a gentle smile, gesturing me to come by her. Against my better judgement, I slowly stood up from the bush and inched cautiously towards her, my curiosity winning out.
"Uhhh... sorry for spying on you," I muttered nervously.
"It's fine," she quickly says uncaringly. "Not the worst thing I've noticed about me since arriving here."
"I can imagine," I say in agreement.
She merely hums in response, nodding her head before turning to look at me again. "You can sit down if you want, I don't mind," she offers.
"Sure..." I say meekly in reply, slowing sitting on the cliff ledge a couple feet away from her. I couldn't help but stare at her weird, tail things growing from her head.
"So, what's your name?" she questions.
"Hiccup," I reply, a litle embarrassed but resigned. To my surprise, she doesn't say anything, just simply giving her name in response with another smile.
"Nice to meet you Hiccup. You can call me Ahsoka," she says.
I look at her in confusion. "You, don't have anything to say about my name?" I ask nervously.
"No not really," she responds. "Why? Is there something special to it?"
"No, no, it's alright. Just wondering," I respond quickly, not wanting to get into the details of that. "So Ahsoka... what's with your... umm," I say, gesturing to her head. "Tail... horn thingies?" I cringe at the question, worried that she'd take offense.
To my great relief she doesn't. "Oh, you mean my head-tails? They're called lekku, and these are called montrals," she said, pointing out each part.
"Why do you have them?" I ask.
"My montrals help me with hearing and give me a form of echolocation, as well as sensing nearby movement. My lekku are more sensitive, and can change shade depending on my emotion." Ahsoka says.
"Woah... is that how you knew I was there?" I ask her in amazement.
She lightly smiles and shakes her head. "Partially, but not the reason, no. I was able to sense you with the Force," she said.
"The Force?" I ask with a confused frown. "What's that?"
"Essentially, it's why everyone is referring to me as a witch," she says with a frown. "I'm not a witch by the way... basically is a power I'm able to tap into in order to do many different things. Mara, my daughter and Jarik, my unconscious friend back at the Elder's house, are both able to use the Force as well."
"So... what's it do?" I ask again.
"Well in simple terms, it allows us to levitate objects, sense others around us, and influence animals or weak-minded people to some degree," she tells me.
I gape at her in surprise, finding that hard to believe. "Wait, really? You can lift things without touching them?!" I question in shock.
"I can. The group most notable for it's use were the Jedi," she says again.
My jaw drops again in stunned shock. "The Jedi... you're a Jedi?" I almost whisper, unsure of what to think. I'd only ever dreamed about the possibility of meeting some of those messengers, yet here stands one right in front of me! And there's two more up at Gothi's hut!
"I used to be," she replies with a small frown of sadness.
I'm unsure of what she meant by that, but before I can ask her about it she turns to me again. "Well enough about me, what about you?"
"What's there to know about me?" I say hesitantly.
"I'm just curious. What's your life like, and what exactly are dragons?" she asks in interest before frowning slightly in concern. "Why do you feel so sad?"
"Sad? I'm not sad," I protest.
"Yes you are. I can sense it clear as day... why do you feel sad?" she asks with a concerned look in her eyes.
I sigh in defeat, realizing that if she could read people's emotions with this, 'Force' then there was no way I'd be able to hide this from her. "It's just... nothing ever really goes right for me. I'm the village outcast basically," I say dejectedly.
"Outcast?" she questions.
"Every day isn't fair, I'm looked down on by everyone else because I'm a runt. I can do things a regular Viking can, and I always seem to mess things up!" I say, emphasizing with my hands. "Gobber's really the only one that is nice to me, but being the son of the Chief makes things even worse."
"Wait, your chief, Stoick, is your father?" Ahsoka asks incredulously.
"Real shocker huh?" I say sarcastically. "He never listens to me though, and I want to be one of them, but I just can't," I say helplessly.
Ahsoka looks at me with a mixture of emotions crossing over her face, ranging from sadness, surprise, and sympathy. "That's horrible. They shouldn't treat you that way just because your different from them," she says firmly.
"I'm the village screw-up, it's all they'd ever see unless I actually manage to kill a dragon at some point in my life," I mutter hopelessly, pulling my legs up against me.
"I'm sorry Hiccup," she says sincerely, and I glance up at her in surprise when she lays a comforting hand on my shoulder. no one's ever been this nice to me for as long as I could remember, not even Gobber. "I understand a little bit where you're coming from though," she adds in.
"You do?" I ask skeptically.
"I do," she says with a nod. "When I was younger, I was framed for a crime I didn't commit, which killed many people. No one believed me innocent, and even the Jedi, an Order I had spent my whole life a part of betrayed me," she explains. I widen my eyes in surprise and sadness at her story. "The only people who never gave up on me was my master, Anakin, and my best friend Jarik, who has been my boyfriend for some time now."
"That's awful..." I say quietly.
"The point is, no matter what other people think, you should never get up on yourself. I think you have a brilliant mind, smarter than most people here in my opinion, and you can be however you want to be." Ahsoka says. "You seem like a wonderful kid, and I'm sure that eventually you'll be able to do something that matters."
"Thanks... I- I don't know what to say..." I stammer out, stunned by how kind she's being. There's no way this woman could be an evil witch like some of the villagers think!
She smiles at me. "You know, I think you and Mara would get along wonderfully together. You two should meet up with each other tomorrow," she suggests.
"I'd like that," I say with a smile at the thought of a friend.
Jarik POV...
I walked through the forested area, looking around warily before entering a clearing and coming to a full stop. There, standing on the other side was the dark illusion of me. I'm still sure that this guy is just a fake image made by Snoke to tempt me to the dark side. There's no way I would ever be like him!
"Back again are we?" he asks casually.
"I have just about had it with you," I say angrily, pulling out my lightsaber. "I see through Snoke's illusions, and I will not let them control me!"
However he merely laughs at my words. "You think I'm a part of that old fool? Still in denial about the truth, it's saddening," he mocks, putting on a fake expression of sadness,
"What else could you be?!" I retort back.
As I've said before, I am you!" he declares once again.
Narrowing my eyes angrily, I charged forwards, crossing the clearing and swinging my lightsaber down. He quickly rolls out of the way and comes up with his own crimson blade, brandishing it threateningly while wearing that obnoxious grin on his face. Frustrated, I charge for him again, slashing with my saber before immediately following with a jab to the head. He deflects my first strike before catching my jab, pushing the lightsaber away and raising his arm.
He unleashes a small Force blast which causes me to stumble back away from him.
"Pathetic. If it wished it, my opponent would be dust by now," he taunts.
"Leave me alone!" I exclaim, leaping back at him with my blue lightsaber blazing. We quickly enter a fierce, fast paced duel with each other, exchanging blows. To my great frustration and worry, he is able to counter all of my moves with ease, as if he knows exactly what I am going to do five swings before I do it! I deliver a powerful slash, immediately following with an uppercut using my metal arm, but he backpedals and then spins around, elbowing me in the face before I could punch him.
I stumble back painfully, and glance up just in time to see him thrust his arms out, delivering a massive burst of Force lightning. The attack hits me head on, knocking me several feet away as I cry out in pain, my body smoking and sparking on the ground as I groan in agony on the ground.
Turning onto my stomach, I slowly attempt to push myself up. "You are such a hypocrite Jedi, denying the dark side when it has and always will be with you," he states, slowly striding forwards, dragging his blood red lightsaber across the ground. "When your Togrutan friend died on Mortis, I absolutely drank that rage! And then when she was expelled, oh how furious you were, calling on the dark side to fuel your emotions practically every day! It was exquisite!"
While he speaks, I slowly lift my head up, staring forwards in front of me with realization, while he marched forwards behind me. I was beginning to realize something... all of this relation to the dark side is almost like a test or something. It began with Darth Revan, who I managed to clear from my head years ago. Then when Ahsoka was expelled, and I was in a depression for months after that, uncovering the shocking revelation of my heritage and the Jedi Council's hypocrisy. They believed themselves to be perfect, flawless Jedi, when they were anything but. And I would not become that.
Ever since the Empire took over, I've been searching for Ahsoka, and now training and raising Mara with her... they're my family. The Light Side isn't about forbidding attachments, rather the complete opposite! Love and happiness are what strengthen the Light, and the bond between me and Ahsoka. Not the ways of the old Jedi Code.
Yet with attachment comes emotion, and with emotion comes the pathway to the dark side, which will consume me and anyone else. Anger, fear, jealousy, those are all emotions that people will feel, no matter what. It's impossible to get rid of emotion, so the Jedi Code of forbidding attachments doesn't prevent the dark side. Rather it's how I choose to act on my emotions that determines what kind of person I will be. So I do have a dark side to myself, everyone does, and that won't change. But I won't let that control me.
And I am going to choose the Light: I am a Jedi Knight, descendent of Revan and Bastila, and Satele Shan. Yet I am also a father, and romantically engaged with the love of my life. And I will do anything for her, and for my adopted daughter.
"It's sad however, that a Jedi will never understand the truth. You are arrogant, weak and selfish, blinded from what really matters. So now I shall be the one to end that!" he declares, drawing closer and raising his blade.
I stand up, peace and serenity overcoming me as I turn around to face myself. Sensing the change, my dark side stops, hesitating before scowling and rushing forwards. Before he reaches me however, I raise my right arm and focus the Force, the light side coming to my aide.
My dark side stops mid-run, completely helpless against me, and he widens his eyes in fear and rage. "No!" he cries out, turning his body around and trying to escape, he feet pushing against the ground as he reaches desperately in front of him.
"You know you were so right dude. I was a hypocrite," I state calmly, pulling arm back like I'm pulling on a rope. He struggles, but is still pulled in my direction. "I was lying to myself, lying to you, and lying to the Force," I continue, pulling my dark side closer.
"Let go of me you scum!" he cries out furiously, desperately holding onto a tree.
"No I don't think I will," I say with a grin. "It was satisfying when I redirected Darth Revan's force lightning back at him all of those years ago, and now I get to face my own dark side!"
With one last pull, I grasp hold of my dark side, and now he stands inches directly in front of me, struggling fiercely against my power of the force. "But something you got wrong, is that you are not my true self. You may be a part of me, but you do not decide my actions. I control my own destiny, and I choose to be what the Jedi always should have been!"
I lay my hands on my dark sides face, and he screams as he begins to disintegrate into gleaming golden specks of dust, drifting off into the sky. I watch them go, and sense something else.
Turning around, I spot my ancestors standing there, Satele in front between Revan and Bastila, as well as the convor perched above them on a branch. They all smile and nod proudly at me, before my vision begins to fade into nothingness.
Before the scene goes away completely, Satele's voice echoes through the mist. "Come to the Temple..."
My eyes shoot open, and I quickly sit up with a small gasp, breathing heavily as I recall everything that has just happened to me recently. I look around to see I'm in some sort of wooden house... and I was lying in a bed... weren't we in space over Hypori? How long was I out?!
"Jarik?!" Ahsoka's voice cuts through the air, and I look over to see her entering the house, quietly rushing over to sit in the chair beside me.
"Ahsoka?" I ask in surprise.
"You're awake!" she says happily, although taking care not to be too loud. She wraps her arms tightly around me, and I return the hug, still confused by where I'm even at. "Thank the Force!" she continues.
After hugging me, she immediately forces me to lay back down on the bed despite my feeble protests, and begins to dote on me, brushing back my hair and checking me for any sort of injury or problems.
"Wait wait, Ahsoka-" I start to say.
"Hush! I just want to make sure you are completely, 100% fine after the stunt you pulled mister," she says sternly with a fierce glare. I swallow nervously and quickly nod my head.
"Well... can I at least ask where Mara is?" I say.
"Asleep on the cot over there," she replies, gesturing to where she was still sleeping on a small wooden bed.
"The cot... where the kriff are we even at?" I question in bewilderment.
"Well... you've missed a lot, that's for sure," she says sheepishly.
I raise an eyebrow at her in response.
OMG Jarik is finally awake! And Ahsoka had a long talk with a wary but curious Hiccup as well! By the way, this is not going to be a Hiccup/Mara thing, let me be clear from the start. It's still going to end up as Hiccup and Astrid.
Jarik completed his final Jedi trial: the Trial of Spirit! Wonderful, and he faced his dark side and won! Now he's got to come to terms with the fact that they are stranded on the planet of Ahch-To, with a primitive village of suspicious Vikings haha.
Thank you guys so much for continuing to enjoy my stories! :D
