Chapter 4: New Padawan
Caleb walked down to the Initiate training area promptly. He didn't want to delay for a moment. He reached into his pocket and felt the string of beads he had prepared for this exact circumstance. Caleb knew that Ezra's birthday had been recent, so the timing worked out perfectly. Entering the appropriate area of the Temple, Caleb saw Ahsoka running lightsaber drills with a group of younglings. Ezra was not among them, but the other Knight stopped when Caleb entered.
"Caleb. Can I help you with something?" Ahsoka asked with a smile.
"Yes, actually. Do you know where I can find Initiate Ezra Bridger?" Caleb asked.
"I believe he is in the library. Why?" Ahsoka answered.
"I've just come from the Council with good news," Caleb smiled. Ahsoka smiled at the unspoken reason for his happiness.
"I'm sure Ezra will be thrilled," Ahsoka said. It was not difficult to guess the 'news' Caleb was going to deliver. Everyone who saw the two together knew they were destined to be master and apprentice some day.
"Thank you!" Caleb shouted as he ran out of the room to find his new padawan. Skidding to a stop outside the library, the Knight had to calm himself so Jocasta Nu wouldn't be forced to scold him.
"Hello Caleb Dume," aforementioned librarian said as soon as he entered. Caleb jerked slightly. The woman had an uncanny ability to appear suddenly in that room.
"Greetings Master Jocasta Nu. Do you know where I could find Ezra Bridger?" Caleb asked.
"Yes. The boy is over there," she said, pointing to a terminal.
"Has he been here long?" Caleb asked. He hated to interrupt the boy's studies but the news was too exciting for him to contain.
"He came in about two hours ago. He's been reading about Lasan. The boy says he had a dream about the planet," Jocasta Nu said. Caleb smiled. It was just like Ezra to follow a mere dream with copious research.
"Think he'll mind if I interrupt?" Caleb queried.
"You? No. That boy thinks the world of you. I doubt he could be more pleased," Nu answered honestly. Caleb's chest swelled with pride. He knew deep down that the boy was fond of him but it was nice hearing it confirmed by such an objective source. With this reassurance Caleb walked over to Ezra and patted his shoulder gently.
"Caleb!" Ezra exclaimed. The child shut down his terminal without a second thought and stood to face the Knight. His face already held a grin and Caleb feared the boy might explode if he shared his news right away.
"Hey Ezra. Want to come on a walk with me?" Caleb offered.
"Of course!" Ezra replied. The two walked out of the library and into the gallery next to it. Leading the way, Caleb walked into one of the grand hallways connecting the distant sides of the Jedi Temple. There were a couple of benches across from large windows.
"Take a seat," Caleb instructed. The boy complied and Caleb followed suit. He fixed his almost padawan with a focused look.
"Did I do something wrong?" Ezra asked somewhat nervously. The nervousness did not go to his eyes though. Caleb supposed the boy really did trust him.
"No, of course you didn't. I have awesome news for you," Caleb tantalized.
"What?" Ezra asked excitedly.
"Well first I think your birthday was this past week wasn't it?" Caleb asked.
"Yes. Why?" Ezra asked. The Jedi did not celebrate birthdays; at least they were not supposed to.
"I have a little something for you. I know its slightly untraditional for us Jedi, but I think we can let it slide this once," Caleb smiled while holding out his hand to put something in Ezra's.
The boy extended his smaller palm to receive whatever was about to be given. Caleb released and the beaded string fell into the boy's grasp. Ezra examined the gift carefully as if it was an artifact. Lifting it, he understood what he was looking at. His mouth dropped open and he looked up at Caleb as if he had just given him the most precious jewel in the galaxy.
"This is a padawan chain!" Ezra said excitedly.
"Yes it is Ezra. I thought you might want to wear it until you have enough hair for a braid," Caleb said with a sly smile.
"But only padawans can wear these. Wait—does this mean?" Ezra gasped and looked up at Caleb with longing excitement. He waited for the Knight to answer the question that hardly needed to be verbalized.
"Yes it does. Ezra I got approval from the Council today and I'd like to take you on as my padawan. How does that sound?" Caleb asked. Ezra froze for a moment and Caleb was about to worry before the boy finally reacted.
"Like the best thing I've ever heard!" Ezra shouted. The boy threw himself at Caleb and wrapped his arms around the older man's neck. Caleb chuckled and returned the hug. Once again, this was not quite the expected Jedi standard for taking a padawan. Hugs were certainly not traditional, but Caleb certainly wasn't going to complain.
"Glad to hear it," Caleb said gently into Ezra's ear. The boy held the hug for several moments before pulling back. He blushed and looked down at his feet.
"Sorry," he said, clearly embarrassed about the hug. Ezra may be a Jedi but he was still a child.
"No apologies needed. I didn't mind a bit. Just don't make it a habit in public," Caleb smiled. Ezra returned the happy look and stared up at his new master in expectant elation.
"Can I put on the chain?" Ezra asked. Caleb laughed and helped the boy attach the padawan chain to his hair just behind his right ear.
"Looks good on you, kid," Caleb said.
"Thank you, master," Ezra said as if he'd been waiting his whole life to say it. For the second time that day Caleb felt his chest swell with pride.
"Come on padawan. Let's get your things from your room," Caleb instructed as he began to walk back to the Initiate quarters. Ezra frowned for a moment before his eyes lit up with understanding: padawans lived with the masters. The boy grinned and raced to follow Caleb.
"Is this a dream?" Ezra could be heard whispering to himself. Caleb decided not to comment but smile to himself. Earlier Master Skywalker had asked if Ezra would feel ready to be his padawan. It seemed like a funny question in light of the results; Ezra had never been more enthusiastic.
As they walked down to the Ezra's old residence Caleb felt both the joy and weight of his new duties. This kid that he was so fond of would be by his side learning from him. That was an opportunity Caleb was thrilled to experience. He also realized, however, that as Ezra moved into Caleb's rooms today that he would be taking full responsibility for the boy. Ezra's well-being and very life were in his hands now. That was a weighty responsibility. The boy himself, though, seemed completely unfazed by any of this. In his mind the outcome of the day was simply perfect. Caleb's contemplations were interrupted when they came to their destination.
"Here we are," Caleb commented.
"Yeah," Ezra said with a smile. He led his master to the room that had been assigned to him and opened the door. Jedi lived sparse lives so there were only a few robes, books, and odd trinkets to be retrieved. Helping the child, Caleb noticed that several of the younglings had gathered in the common space outside of Ezra's room to watch. When Ezra turned back to Caleb and nodded they walked out of the room and the boy noticed his peers attention.
"Are you getting sent away, Ezra?" one young human child asked fearfully. Caleb frowned.
"Nope! I'm a padawan now!" Ezra excitedly corrected while gesturing to his chain and Caleb. The boy didn't even notice the implied denigration of his skills.
"Really?" another youngling—a Rodian male—interjected.
"Yeah, really," Caleb answered for his young friend. The younglings watched in fascination as Ezra followed his master out of the Initiate quarters. Ezra was still too caught up in excitement to notice, but Caleb heard a few whispers: some jealous and some skeptical. This troubled him but what did it matter now? Ezra was with Caleb now and that was all that mattered for the time being.
"I've never seen your quarters," Ezra pondered as they walked down the corridor. Caleb chuckled and nodded kindly to a few passing Knights who knew exactly what they were watching take place.
"No you haven't but you're going to be seeing a lot of them soon," Caleb said.
"Master Windu always used to tell us to crush our emotions but I have to admit that I'm really excited," Ezra suddenly said. Caleb realized that was the kind of honesty that make Ezra endearing; he never hid himself or pretended to be better than he was.
"Emotion can be dangerous but that doesn't mean you can never have them or even enjoy them. Just don't use them to make big decisions and you'll be fine," Caleb counseled.
"Yes, Cale—master," Ezra replied. Caleb was surprised by the correction.
"You can still call me Caleb sometimes if you want. I don't mind," the Knight said.
"Okay. Thank you," Ezra softly replied. They came to a stop in front of Caleb's door.
"Here we are. Home sweet home," Caleb dramatically announced. Ezra shivered with excitement and the older quickly keyed in the access code. The door slid open and the pair quickly entered.
"Wow," Ezra lengthily sighed.
Caleb's apartment was nothing special. It had a kitchenette, a pair of meditation seats, a table and chairs, a fresher, and two moderately sized bedrooms. Ezra, however, looked at it as if he was moving into the Royal Palace of Naboo. Caleb couldn't help but laugh at the expression of pure awe on his little padawan's face.
"Like it?" Caleb asked.
"I love it," Ezra responded softly.
"Your room is over here," Caleb explained as he led the boy to the bedroom furthest from the door. It was an old Jedi tradition: a hypothetical intruder would have to go through the master to reach the padawan.
"Thank you, Caleb," Ezra said after setting his things on his new bed.
"Of course, Ezra. Take a few minutes to settle in and I'll see what I can make happen for dinner," Caleb said. The boy nodded agreeably and began putting things away in his new space.
Caleb laughed to himself as he walked back to the kitchenette. Ezra was going to be an excellent padawan. And hopefully—Caleb thought—a lot less trouble for his master than he had been for Depa Billaba.