AN: Just the epilogue left after this chapter. Enjoy!
You're gonna grow and have a good life,
I'm gonna do what I've got to do
– "Rockabye", Clean Bandit (Feat. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie)
"How are you?"
They were both sitting on the sand watching Kassandra and Anakin playing in the water when Obi-Wan asked the question. Siri turned to face her old friend, noticing not for the first time how he seemed to have aged half a decade overnight. She'd caught a glimpse of him a few days ago when he'd returned to the Temple with Qui-Gon and Anakin in tow, and he had looked as young and boyish as ever.
It wasn't like it was a mystery as to why he suddenly seemed more grown up. He'd stood helpless and watched a Sith Lord gut his master in front of him – a Sith Lord he'd later learned had not only been holding his friend hostage, but had fathered a child with said friend – and had then accepted the responsibility of training and raising a child, even though he knew he was most likely not ready for it. All without complaint.
No matter what life threw at him, he always picked himself back up again and carried on like the rock that had hit him had only been a feather. It was one of the things she admired about him. And loved about him.
She would always love him. The Jedi had separated them with the hope that their love would die, and Siri had buried it deep to make it look like their actions had worked, but she knew a love like that couldn't be destroyed. She loved him, and she had learned to live with it.
Then after four years without contact, they'd reconnected over the comms, sharing their mutual joy that Eldra had returned to them. And Siri had offered her condolences and support over Qui-Gon; had asked how he was doing, how he was coping.
When he spoke, she realised she hadn't given him much of an update on her own life.
"Fine," she said after a pause. "It's been pretty slow, honestly. But we did visit a JSC division last year. They were helping out on a farm on Alderaan, and I saw a certain white-haired failed Initiate cleaning up nerf poop. If looks could kill…"
Obi-Wan chuckled. "I haven't thought about Bruck Chun in years."
Siri guessed this was because his early years of bullying and torment at the hands of that boy had long since been overshadowed by the first day she'd met him. She had taken one look at Obi-Wan's crestfallen face after Bruck had called "Oafy-Wan Kenoafy" a weakling and a failure as a Jedi, and had proceeded to beat the snot out of the white-haired Initiate with Eldra cheering her on, all the while screaming, "Do you want some more?!" in his ear.
(What made the whole situation funnier was that Bruck had been attempting to impress her, the girl he thought was nothing more than a pretty blonde Initiate. To say that the plan had backfired spectacularly would be an understatement.)
The result: Siri had proved by fighting prowess that she needed to be in a higher Clan, and was moved up along with Eldra. And Bruck Chun never dared to say a word to Obi-Wan again out of sheer self-preservation.
"He's not worth your memories," she told him. "I still don't think he's figured out the irony of being forced into the Service Corps after being adamant for years that's where you would end up."
Her friend pretended to think. "Maybe I should stop by for a visit. Catch him up on my newly knighted status and introduce him to my new Padawan."
Siri laughed out loud.
Before more could be said between them, Eldra appeared from around the corner. She looked slightly pale and was staring straight ahead of her at nothing in particular. It wasn't until Kassandra gave a happy cry and barrelled into her that Eldra snapped out of it and returned her daughter's embrace.
"Are you alright, Eldra?" Siri asked, walking towards her with Obi-Wan by her side. Anakin joined them at a slower pace, sticking close to his master.
Eldra sighed. "I've never been so embarrassed in my life."
"Surely it wasn't that bad," said Siri. "The High Council can be stuffy, but that's never bothered you before."
Kassandra was looking between them the way any three-year-old would, with no understanding as to what was being talked about. The Twi'lek women looked down at her daughter and covered her ears. Obi-Wan immediately picked up on this and did the same to Anakin, allowing Eldra to say, "I had to try explaining to them why I thought it was a good idea to have an affair with a Sith Lord."
Obi-Wan and Siri both winced. "And I thought I was embarrassed whenever I had to put up with Qui-Gon backtalking them," said the former, while removing his hand from his Padawan's ears.
"If you get knighted after going through that," said the latter, "then I won't even be mad about losing the bet to you two."
"Good to know." Eldra gave her friend a little smile, and Siri vowed to herself to try and make her smile whenever she could. The Twi'lek desperately needed it, after everything she'd been through. "Besides, I don't even know if I'll be knighted at all. They might kick me out, or I may have to leave so they can…" She stroked Kassandra's head, and it was clear to Siri what she was referring to.
Siri wished she could help in some way, but the whole situation was out of her hands. Adi had assured her that she would try and convince the Council to find some form of compromise, but then the twelve Masters were notoriously stubborn. Which had been funny when they went head-to-head with the equally stubborn Qui-Gon Jinn, but in situations like this…
If Eldra and her daughter were both rejected, Siri was tempted to leave the Order herself and go with them. If only to provide extra protection against this Sith Lord, while also standing with her friend.
"Are they discussing the matter now?" asked Obi-Wan.
"They've agreed to assess Kassie's abilities before they make any kind of decision," Eldra replied. "I need to bring her up there now." She took her daughter's hand and said to her, "Say goodbye, Kassie."
The little girl appeared to have come out of her shell, if only a little bit, and waved to the three of them. She even managed to make eye-contact with Anakin and said, "Bye, Ani."
"See you later, Kass." Anakin smiled in return.
Obi-Wan led his Padawan away to continue the rest of their tour of the Temple. Before Eldra and Kassandra started walking in the opposite direction, Siri found herself saying, "I don't know if this will help, but you might be remembered as the next Bastila Shan."
Eldra turned back to her, frowning. "You know, in all of my time there, I never thought about Bastila."
"Yeah, well, you always preferred that story about Kassandra Liber."
Her friend shrugged. "I suppose. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Council bury this story. And if they do, then maybe it's for the best."
She turned and walked away, her daughter by her side. And as Siri watched her go, she couldn't help but wonder if her friend would ever be the same again.
Adi Gallia was not only watching the Youngling standing in the centre of the room, but was also trying to gauge the reactions of her fellow Masters.
For the second time in the past few days, Mace had brought out the testing screen; a device they used to test the abilities of older candidates, typically three-year-olds like Kassandra. Though she hesitated on some of the answers, Adi guess it was most likely because she'd been kept inside all of her life and wasn't as familiar with some items as most children were. But she still got them right after thinking about it.
"…ship …cup …chair …wolf."
Mace put the screen down and gave Yoda a nod. The Grand Master of the Order considered Kassandra carefully, trying to determine what sort of question to ask her. Adi knew it wouldn't be like the line of questioning he'd given to Anakin. Most Younglings who joined the Order at this age still had emotional attachments to their parents, something they would quickly grow out of.
"Feel, how do you?" Yoda finally asked.
Kassandra frowned. She clearly wasn't used to Yoda's backwards way of talking, so it took a few moments for her to realise what he was saying and reply. "Good. I like it here."
"Do you miss your father?" asked Mace.
"A little. But Da goes away a lot," the Youngling replied.
Adi worried that one of them might ask her 'and what if he doesn't come back?' But it seemed they had more sense than they'd shown with Anakin (she still couldn't believe they'd basically shamed a nine-year-old for missing his mother), and instead moved the line of questioning in a different direction.
"Are you scared of your father, Kassandra?" asked Ki-Adi-Mundi.
The girl shook her head. "No. I'm not scared of Da."
"Then scares you, what does? Hmm?" said Yoda.
Kassandra seemed to almost curl in on herself before replying with, "The bad man. Mama and Da scared of him."
Realising who she was talking about, Adi asked, "Did you see him? What did he look like?"
She shook her head. It was obvious she didn't like talking about the Sith Lord; like she was scared that merely mentioning his name summoned him. "Didn't see him. Felt him. He was dark."
All of the Masters exchanged glances. The Youngling showed fear, but none of them could fault a three-year-old girl for showing fear in the face of the Sith.
Yoda nodded his head. "Return to your mother, you can."
The little girl didn't waste any time in hurrying from the room. Adi caught a glimpse of Eldra greeting her child just outside the threshold before the door slid closed again.
It was Plo Koon who spoke first. "There appears to be no inherit darkness within her."
"Striking, her Force signature is," said Yaddle. "Not light, not dark. For both sides, a strong potential, she has."
"She is Force-sensitive, and she is the correct age," said Adi. "And with no evident corruption by the Sith, there is no good reason for us to turn her away. Eldra is right in one regard: if we do not accept her, there is a high chance the Sith will claim her."
"I agree." Eeth Koth nodded his head. "We cannot allow the Sith to gain anymore advantage than what they already have over us."
"Then the question is," said Even Piell, "what is to be done with Padawan Kaitis?"
"She has suffered a great ordeal," Depa Billaba argued. "She did not have this child by choice. To turn her away because of circumstances beyond her control would be unfair."
"But she chose to lay with the Sith," Yarael Poof.
"She is still so young, and the Sith was young, too," said Oppo Rancisis. "They may have been trained in the ways of the Jedi and the Sith, but forcing two youngsters together under the same roof? I would be more surprised if this didn't happen."
"Perhaps, but it is clear she may still have conflicted feelings for this young Sith Lord," said Saesee Tiin.
"She chose to escape the first chance she got," Depa continued to argue. "It is clear that whatever feelings she has for him, she refused to let them cloud her judgement. With the right therapy, she can be helped."
Adi cleared her throat. "I put forwards to this Council that Eldra Kaitis should be made a Knight of the Order. Her ordeal has allowed her to pass her five Trials. She has spent five years constantly sparring against a Sith Lord strong enough to defeat two Jedi Masters, one of whom was the Order's Battlemaster – that is the Trial of Skill. She has faced the many perils of her captivity without ever giving into her fear, and she not only got herself out alive, but her daughter, too – that is the Trial of Courage. Through great pain, she has discovered who she is and what she is capable of – that is the Trial of Spirit. She was able to escape through cunning, and came up with a plan in a very short time frame once she'd seen the weakness in her prison – that is the Trial of Insight. And finally, not only has she overcome the loss of the Force bond she shared with the Sith, but she is willing to break contact with her daughter if that's what it takes to keep her safe – that is the Trial of the Flesh."
Silence fell over the Council chambers. Adi could tell that none of them could argue against her points; Eldra had endured her Trials of Knighthood, and had passed them.
Ki-Adi-Mundi broke the silence. "None of us feel that she does not deserve the title of Knight. But that is not the concern here."
"If she remains in the Order, then she will be in close quarters with her daughter," said Mace. "And I do not think I need to remind any of you of what happened the last time a mother and her child lived under the same roof."
On the surface, the two situations appeared similar. But… "The case surrounding Yula Braylon and her son, Arath Tarrex, was much different," said Adi. "For one, no one knew except for Yula herself, therefore no one could monitor the situation. And secondly, Yula integrated herself into her child's life, not only spoiling him but also informing him of their connection. As a result, Arath grew up thinking himself special, and thinking he could get away with all sorts of things because of who his mother was. Eldra has stated that she is willing to break contact with her child, and I believe she will keep to her word. And since we are aware of the situation, we can monitor it accordingly."
"I agree with Adi," said Depa. "And I think we owe it not just to Eldra, but to Lorn Pavan as well. Whoever was in charge of his family's case made a grave error in how they handled it. We could have simply kept them apart and avoided the entire incident."
"Eldra and Kassandra deserve this chance, after everything they've been through," Adi continued. "I think it's incredible that Eldra didn't even come close to falling to the dark side. She suffered so much, yet came out of it stronger. And I believe she will keep her distance for the sake of her daughter."
Yoda scratched his chin. "Vote on the matter, we will."
The coffin chamber before her was silent and still. Not that Eldra expected it to be any different, but it just felt so… final.
Her master had achieved so much, and at the end of that road, she was just a body lying in the dark while her consciousness was one with the Force. Eldra closed her eyes and finally allowed herself to make peace with the death of Leora Ori.
Beside her, Kassandra was clutching her hand and staring down at the coffin chamber with a frown on her face. Eldra had already explained what it was, but her daughter was still trying to process the concept of death. Which made Eldra all the more certain that she shouldn't tell her child about what had happened to her father. At least, not until she was older.
If she even got the chance to speak to her again.
The summoning gong sounded, and Eldra knew it was meant for her. She was being called back into the Council chambers.
"Come on, Kassie. Time to go." After giving her master's final resting place one last look, Eldra turned and led her daughter away.
The short walk back to the Council chambers was silent. When they reached the door, Eldra knelt in front of her daughter and said, "Kassie, I need you to wait outside for me. I won't be long, OK?"
"OK, Mama." Kassandra hopped up onto the sofa in the waiting area and began to patiently swing her legs back and forth.
Taking a breath of courage, Eldra entered the chambers.
Once she was standing in the centre and had bowed to them, Yoda spoke first. "Come to an agreement, the Council has."
"You have survived a terrible ordeal," said Master Windu. "And because of this, you are to be granted the rank of Knight."
Eldra tried not to let her surprise show. She had been certain that after hearing her story, they would have turned her away for simply associating with a Sith in any positive way, no matter the circumstances. But this decision gave her hope that perhaps they weren't as strict as she'd feared they would be; a fear that had been fuelled by the experiences of Lorn Pavan.
She bowed once again. "Thank you, Masters. But what of Kassandra?" If they were accepting her back, surely that couldn't mean they were denying her daughter…?
"We have agreed that the wisest course of action would be to accept her for training," said Adi, and Eldra felt the relief wash over her. "But we must take steps to ensure that an attachment doesn't develop between the two of you."
Mace continued, "You must have no contact with you daughter unless there is a medical emergency that demands your presence. When she is ready to become a Padawan, you will not be allowed to train her yourself. We can only accept her for training if these conditions are met. Do you agree with them?"
Even though she had been the one to suggest this arrangement, it had been out of desperation. But now, facing the reality of having no contact with her daughter for the rest of her childhood… It felt as though her already battered heart was being torn out of her chest. She wanted to deny that Maul's death had affected her, but it had. She'd lost him, and now she was losing Kassandra, too.
But she fully understood why the conditions were necessary. It was the Jedi way. And it was the only way to keep her daughter safe from the Sith Lord still at large.
She released her sorrow and grief into the Force and nodded her head. "I agree."
As she left the chambers to return to her daughter – possibly for the last time – Eldra found herself reaching up to caress the garnet necklace she still wore. Kassandra would be a Jedi, something Maul would have hated. But then, he was dead.
Eldra took some comfort from the fact that neither she nor Kassandra would have to worry about him ever again.