A/N: And I'm back! Thank you all so much for your support! This is the last chapter before we delve into Attack of the Clones!
Thank you to ItsJustABook and Love. Fiction. 2020 (I know you don't have the spaces in your name, so sorry) for leaving reviews on the previous chapter! You have no idea how much it made me smile to see those comments.
ItsJustABook: Yes, the Council is extremely stubborn, but I think the way Drinna approaches and rephrases in the chapter will help her in the future. Let me know what you think about that, okay? Also, Piell (and I spelled his name wrong somewhere, I think) is kind of mean. I do like his characterization, but he does seem to be mean a bit, so I played with that. I'm planning something happy for him, though, after Attack of the Clones. And Obi-Wan, oh my gosh. It's funny how oblivious he and Anakin are in the movies, but I think part of that has to be blamed on the Jedi Order for their failures. Because the Order really did fail Obi-Wan... So hopefully some of that resolves soon, yeah?
Love. Fiction. 2020: Thanks for commenting on my chapters! I'm glad you're enjoying!
Now we go onto the fun! Get ready for a guest appearance at the beginning of this chapter! (Sorry about all the exclamation marks?!) (Also, this chapter is kind of short... so sorry about that.)
Waiting in my cell was not the most fun. The two Temple Guards who had escorted me here were silent statues outside my door. The perfect Jedi.
I nearly scoffed. Nobody, unfortunately, was perfect.
I had really blown it.
The door down the hallway slid open and two pairs of footsteps approached. I leaned forward to see if I could see who was coming. Would it be Master Windu?
The Temple Guards were dismissed and I finally looked up as an old friend entered the room.
"This is a sad day indeed," Master Dooku said, sitting next to me on the bed. "What happened?"
"Master Dooku," I said respectfully, bowing my head at each of them in turn. "I spoke in haste to the Council. They were not open to my words."
"Because emotions are not the way of the Jedi?" he asked. No, it was a statement. He sighed, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes, waving a hand lazily. "They will never listen, Drinna. If they could, they would turn their backs on you in an instant. And please, it's Count."
"Master Dooku!" I exclaimed, sitting up and staring at him. "This is unlike you, my friend."
"The Order is afraid of change, Drinna," Count Dooku said, opening his eyes, "surely you recognize it."
"Of course, I do, my friend," I replied, placating, "but it is unlike you to speak so… angrily about it." When had Master Dooku claimed the title of Count? He had had a brother who had the title… had something happened to his brother?
"I have learned a lot since Qui-Gon died," he said softly, closing his eyes again. "The Order is wasting lives, Drinna. For their own political reasons." Rage seeped off of my old friend in torrents. I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but he cut me off. "They fear change. They fear emotion, Drinna. You recognize it, and I commend you for being here. You will show the Order why it is that emotion is important and how very, very wrong they are."
"They may be wrong about a lot, Count Dooku, that much we can agree on, but I cannot agree to what you are suggesting. I would not destroy the Order, I would have it change."
"It is the only way, Drinna!" Count Dooku roared, standing. My eyes widened. My old friend… what had happened to him? Count Dooku took a deep breath. "My child, surely you see… the Order will not change. A new Order must arise and young Skywalker must be at the center if he truly is the Chosen One."
"Count Dooku, with all due respect, I will not force Anakin to do anything. You speak in haste and allow your emotions to control you! This is not what I stand for. I merely want the fear to be gone. I want the Order to learn to recognize emotion and to do what is best. I do not want to destroy my home or my family."
"It is the only way," Count Dooku said with a sigh. "Goodbye, Drinna. May we meet under better circumstances."
"Goodbye, Count Dooku," I returned softly. "Have you had any luck finding Master Dyas?" I asked.
Count Dooku stopped halfway up the stairs. A wave of sadness hit me.
"No," he said, not looking at me. And suddenly all emotions ceased emanating from him. He had closed himself off. Why? "The Jedi will not seek him out. He is a lost cause. My men from Serenno have had no luck finding him either."
"He mentioned something about the Pikes," I called as Count Dooku climbed the remaining stairs. "Does that help?" Dooku froze. Did he… know something?
"No, my dear. I'm afraid that nothing will help."
Master Dooku turned as he closed the ray shield doors.
"If you see the truth, seek me out, my friend," he said. "I will be training under a new master and a new Order. He knows the truth and he is in a position to do something about it. You could do something, but you do nothing. I wish you… luck, old friend."
He turned and left, once again a fortress lacking emotion. The two Temple Guards quickly took their places outside of my cell again.
I sat back on the bed, blinking. What had just happened? Master Dooku was… leaving the Order? But why?
I drew my knees to my chest and stared at the bottom of the stairs leading out of my confinement. Master Dooku had seemed different. Angry.
He had mentioned Qui-Gon… and I knew he had lost another Padawan on a mission. We had talked about one disastrous mission fraught with corrupt politics that Master Dooku had returned from years back. Eleven out of the twenty Jedi that had left on that mission came back dead.
Galidraan. That was the planet. I would have to look it up in the Archives… if I was released.
Obi-Wan sighed. He'd been doing that a lot, lately. Another week in the Creche without Drinna had passed, and Anakin was surprisingly content. He was in a meditative pose taking deep breaths and at least half of the younglings climbed all over him. Anakin usually got distracted by such things, but today he just smiled.
"You're troubled, Master," Anakin said, not opening his eyes. "Is it because Drinna isn't here?"
Obi-Wan sighed. He really needed to stop doing that.
"And you aren't troubled?" Obi-Wan asked, raising a brow at his Padawan. Anakin cracked open an eye and picked one of the younglings off of his head.
"Of course I'm troubled, Master. But Drinna told me not to worry, that the will of the Force would be what happened. So I'm working on not worrying. You should try it."
"When did she say that?" Obi-Wan asked, perking up.
"When she got arrested." Obi-Wan tried not to sigh. Of course Anakin had found ou-
"Wait, you saw her?"
"Yeah. The Temple Guards marched her right past the Creche. Ashla," he gestured to the young Togruta in his lap, "ran out to go meet her and Drinna sent her back to me. She said I should keep working on small emotions and not to worry and to try to keep you from worrying."
Obi-Wan sighed.
"You should stop doing that," Anakin said, trying hard not to smile.
"I know!" Obi-Wan protested, running a hand through his hair. "I just… don't know what to do."
Master Windu alerted me to his approach moments before the door slid open.
The Guards instantly stood at alert, opening the door to my cell. One grabbed my elbow and hauled me out.
"Drinna," Master Windu said, nodding. "It's time." I swallowed, nodding back. For all I knew, the Council would decide to expel me from the Order.
Master Windu lead the way to the Chamber of Judgement. Six more Temple Guards awaited us in the lower part of the Chamber where a raised platform stood. With a nod, the two accompanying us walked to the outer platform with my Master while I went to the inner platform. My platform continued to rise past the ceiling until I stood below the members of the Council.
Master Yoda was there along with Masters Gallia, Koon, Fisto, Mundi, and Billaba. They would be trying me.
"Padawan Berrik, charged you are with corrupting the Chosen One. How plead you?" Master Yoda asked. Even though I wanted to look to Master Windu, I did not and stood taller.
"Not guilty, Master," I said calmly. "I may not embody all the aspects of a Jedi, but I would not corrupt the Chosen One."
"Yet the words you speak condemn you," Master Gallia said. "You must know that emotion is forbidden. What have you to say?"
"I can acknowledge the wisdom in not allowing emotions to cloud judgement, but what I have been teaching Anakin Skywalker is not to allow himself to be overcome with emotion. I have been teaching him how to recognize emotion and its validity, but then to let go. Is this not the Jedi way?" I asked, spreading my hands.
"What you say is true," Master Plo Koon said. "It is merely a… different way of doing things."
"Not everything that is different is bad," I returned.
"And what of your words to the Council about the Order living in fear?" Master Billaba asked. "What can you say about that?"
I breathed deeply, closing my eyes.
"I cannot take back those words, but I admit I spoke irrationally and in haste. Shoving emotions down is not healthy… for anyone. The Jedi may believe they can deal with it, but bottling emotions up creates a ticking time bomb inside. Teaching that there is no emotion causes distress as Initiates and Padawans try to become the perfect Jedi and try to force away that which is natural. You cannot stop yourself from feeling emotion, but you can control your response. Shoving emotions away is one response and it is harmful. If the Jedi were to learn how to accurately let go of emotion instead of shoving it deep down, the Jedi would be much more powerful."
"Hmm…" Master Yoda said, staring at me, eyes narrowed slightly. "Much to think about, you have given us. Reconvene in an hour to hear more, we will."
The platform lowered and Master Windu and the two Temple Guards stepped onto the outer platform as it lowered into the room below.
I walked off of the platform, letting out a shaky breath.
"Well done, Drinna," Master Windu said, a rare smile gracing his face. "Sit down." We sat on the padded bench a few feet away as the two Temple Guards took their place along the rounded wall.
"Is this normal?" I asked. Master Windu raised a brow at me. I rephrased. "Is it normal for the Council to discuss and then reconvene for more questions?"
"They won't be asking you any more questions, Drinna," Master Windu said. "They are deciding."
"Oh." I stared at my hands, rubbing the fabric of my pants between my fingers. "What do you think they will decide?"
"If I were to guess, I would say they would let you free," Master Windu said slowly. "But I am not sure. You made valid points and spoke calmly, but that does not guarantee your freedom."
"So we will have to wait," I said.
"So we will have to wait," Master Windu agreed.
Obi-Wan and Anakin stood anxiously underneath the tree under the center spire for Master Windu to return. The two had tried meditating, but had found it unfruitful under the circumstances.
"Master, do you think Drinna is going to be okay?" Anakin asked, fidgeting nervously. He was starting to feel a little cold, though it had nothing to do with the weather.
"She'll be fine," Obi-Wan said softly. "She's always managed."
"I don't think I can do this without her," Anakin admitted, equally soft. "I still have so much fear."
"And you are getting better and better each day," Obi-Wan told his student with a smile. "You'll get there."
"But what if Drinna is expelled from the Order?" Anakin asked, looking fearfully at Obi-Wan. "What will I do then?"
"Well," Obi-Wan said hesitantly. "She'll find a place to stay…"
"But what about our lessons?"
"We'll figure it out," Obi-Wan said. "I will admit you do need the lessons, no matter what the Council may say. I will not let this stop your progress."
Anakin thought for a moment and smiled brightly.
"Okay."
They sat in comfortable silence for a time before Master Windu entered the courtyard. Anakin and Obi-Wan stood and bowed to him, waiting for the news. Master Windu raised a brow as Anakin bounced on the balls of his feet.
"The Council deemed her not guilty," Master Windu finally said. Anakin cheered while Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief.
"But where is she?" Obi-Wan asked after a moment. Master Windu nodded.
"Resting. I had her show them a memory."
"What!" Obi-Wan cried. "To six people at once!"
"Seven, actually. I hadn't seen the memory, myself."
"She could have died!" Obi-Wan protested.
"Each of us fed her a little of our energy to sustain her. We would not have let her die."
Obi-Wan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Very well, I won't argue. May we see her?"
"She's resting, but feel free," Master Windu replied, waving them out of the courtyard. "Oh, and Kenobi?" Obi-Wan turned to face his friend's Master. "Try not to wake her up."