Chapter 1: A Fateful Meeting
Caleb Dume was walking through the main gallery of the Jedi Temple on a quiet evening when he found an interesting sight. There was a child—a boy of about five years—sitting at the base of one of the columns with his knees curled up to his small chest. The young human had dark hair and a tanned complexion, but Caleb was most drawn to his vibrant blue eyes. They were currently filled with a distressed sorrow, however, and Caleb felt a compulsion to comfort the boy.
"Hey, are you alright? What are you doing out here?" Caleb asked as he knelt down to look the kid in the eyes. The boy immediately wiped the few stray tears off his face and looked up at Caleb nervously.
"I'm sorry Master, sir. I won't do it again," he responded miserably. Caleb frowned and put his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I'm not mad at you kid," Caleb comforted, "What's your name?"
"Ezra," he whispered in reply.
"Okay Ezra. Why don't you come walk with me for a bit and tell me what's wrong? Come on," Caleb invited the child. A faint smile broke across Ezra's face and the pair stood together.
"Thank you sir," Ezra mumbled as they began to walk next to the large, moonlit windows.
"It's no trouble Ezra and you can call me Caleb," the young Knight answered kindly. The small boy tried to keep step with the tall man and looked ridiculously proud that he managed to keep up. They walked silently for a few minutes until Caleb could feel his new little friend calming down.
"So what was bothering you?" Caleb asked at last.
"We—the younglings I mean—have started our lightsaber training and our meditation workshop. I'm not very good," Ezra admitted.
"Sometimes it takes a while to learn those things," Caleb reassured. The boy sighed.
"Yeah I know. I just realized though that if I keep falling behind I'll be forced to leave the Temple. They'll throw me out," Ezra fretted. Caleb frowned. He knew that initiates that were not suited to life as Jedi were often sent back into the galaxy, but he'd never heard one of them speak of it as being 'thrown out.'
"There's no need to worry. If you're meant to be a Jedi you will be. Just remember what Master Yoda always says: 'there is no try,'" Caleb said.
"I know. I just don't know what I'd do if I wasn't a Jedi," Ezra said while looking down at his feet as though he had said something shameful. Caleb patted him on the shoulder again. The child barely came up to the man's hip.
"Do not worry. The force is with you. Learn from your teachers and trust in yourself. I know the masters have already taught you about fear but what they don't usually say is that in addition to leading to the dark side, fear doesn't help you accomplish anything," Caleb explained. Ezra stopped walking and turned his head thoughtfully towards the lights of the city.
"Thank you," the boy whispered a moment later. Caleb could not help but grin widely. He was at a loss to explain why but he felt a warm sensation flow through his force sense when the boy looked up at him gratefully.
"Anytime. Why don't I walk you back to your quarters. If you ever want to talk to me again just ask for Caleb Dume. I'll be glad to help," Caleb said with a reassuring look.
"You will?" Ezra asked in surprise.
"Of course. I don't know why exactly but I have a good feeling about you, kid. Don't worry so much," Caleb replied.
After dropping the kid off at the initiate quarters, Caleb smiled and turned to walk to his own room on the other side of the Temple. He was unaware of a presence in the shadows. Master Depa Billaba stood behind a pillar and smiled to herself. She had noticed her former student comforting the small boy and felt their immediate connection. It was only a matter of time before Caleb came to her and asked to have the boy as his own padawan.