Chapter 17: Yellow Beginning
As she stood among the other initiates, Zarya did her best to calm her mind. Just because it was her first time at this trial didn't mean that she should stress over it more than necessary.
She observed as the first initiates that were called forward began their duel, switching their lightsabers to training as to not harm anyone and taking position on either side of one of the floor mats. They were among the oldest of the group and they had their own lightsabers already, one green and one blue.
On the second floor mat a few meters away, two of the youngest initiates were called forward to duel at the same time as the first duo, but with the training sabres.
When both duos started fighting, it was clear that the older ones had more experience and were showing off to the spectators, while the younger ones were more testing the water than anything else. It was kind of a relief to Zarya; since she could not do a back flip so high in the air like that older kid just did to evade his opponent's blade. Also, those two had more techniques than what Form I could offer; they probably already dabbled a bit in some of the more advanced forms of lightsaber combat.
If she had to guess, she would say the older ones were hoping to be noticed to become padawans, while the youngest, and therefore herself, were more here to gain a future master's interest for when they would be ready to become padawans, too.
As she was observing the duels, how they worked and how they finished, she shared all that she was learning from those fights with Anakin through their link. On his side, he was paying more attention to the spectators. He'd recognized quite a few of them, his eyes having immediately found Obi-Wan on the walkway along with Qui-Gon, who was leaning a bit on the former for support. He'd been out of observation for a while now, but still had instructions to take it easy for longer than he would've wished.
It will take a while before he would be able to do much fieldwork anymore; his injury would take a toll on him too easily in the coming months, if not years. Unfortunately, he probably won't be able to take either of them as apprentices like he had hoped. Zarya was ready to bet he strongly encouraged Obi-Wan to take them instead, though.
Surprisingly, a lot of masters were also observing from the walkway, among them being Yoda, Mace Windu, Eeth Koth, Plo Koon and Adi Gallia.
By the way most initiates stared at them in awe, it was kind of unusual for this many council members to be present at the same time.
Most of the older initiates seemed either very nervous or very excited to have that kind of attention on them.
Quite a few masters and knights were also present, some from above along the council members but most near the walls all around the room to view the fights from closer. Since they weren't acquainted with many of them, Anakin and Zarya only recognized Cin Drallig, their lightsaber instructor who was calling forth the combatants for the older fighters and watching each fight with a critical eye, as well as Ilena Xan, their specialized combat instructor, who was in charge of the younger combatants.
Ilena Xan easily taught Zarya's favourite class. She was an expert in combat without a lightsaber, using her body and the Force as a weapon instead. The way she was able to move around her opponents and disarm them quicker than they could swing at her was something Zarya admired greatly.
When he realized he wouldn't learn anything new by observing the surroundings, Anakin shifted his focus to the fights too, taking notes on how it was done with respect no matter the outcome. Before they knew it, half the initiates had already been in a fight when Master Drallig called out:
"Ferus Olin and Anakin Skywalker, your turns."
A human boy with brown hair and eyes, she gave him maybe eleven or twelve years old, stepped confidently on the mat. Anakin, who would turn ten in a few short weeks, did so too half a beat after him, slightly confused. While they weren't that far away in age, Ferus already had his own lightsaber and probably had more experience, having grown up at the temple and used a lightsaber since he was about seven, if not younger.
Zarya frowned. Either Drallig was confident of Anakin's skills, Ferus wasn't that good, or he wanted to see Anakin fail.
She tried not to send any negativity towards Ani, instead giving him a quick 'good luck' and sharing her excitement/determination/focus with him. It seemed to work; Anakin stood a tad bit straighter and didn't hesitate to bow to his opponent in sync with him, before they activated their weapons, both blue.
She and he both ignored how most of the Jedi present shifted their focus on them more than the other fight happening with the two younger initiates.
Ferus made the first move, launching at Anakin with a jump to attack from above by using his slightly taller frame. The younger boy was prepared for this, crouching lower and defending himself by pushing his opponent back.
Most of the fight went like this, Anakin staying mostly on the defensive while Ferus tried to gain more ground by forcing him back, or taking jabs at him in the hopes of landing a hit.
Zarya was surprised by Anakin's tactic until she realized: he was copying her usual fighting style. Since she was less aggressive than him in their fights, she tended to use his own strong and wide movements against him, letting him exhaust himself while she focused on not getting hit by him.
Anakin saw that his opponent was taller and stronger than himself, assumed correctly that he would use that to try and win, and adjusted to counter that the only way he knew: her very own way to keep up with him.
Zarya was very tempted to laugh out loud. That boy was smarter than people gave him credit for.
Then again, you can always count on a former slave to know how to survive.
She tried to restrain her thoughts and emotion from leaking as to distract him as little as possible, but she knew a few escaped her still; they hadn't quite managed to put a lid on either side of their bond yet.
The fight going on next to them finished and another one started while the two boys kept fighting, Ferus on the offense and Anakin blocking, dodging and evading him still without missing a beat.
Since his focus was elsewhere than muting their bond, Zarya caught most of what was going on in his head and gathered that he was using the Force as much as his lightsaber to fight, letting it guide him and also catching the other boy's stray thoughts, therefore knowing some of his moves before he made them.
It wasn't until a few more minutes passed before Anakin saw an opportunity; Ferus, now tired and extremely annoyed, made a mistake in his otherwise impressive form. He crouched and made his sabre go into an arc aiming for Ani's legs, expecting for it to land.
So when Anakin jumped over it, leaned on the older boy's shoulder to land behind him and aimed for his back, he managed to hit him while Olin was still in a lowered position, too slow to defend himself.
Ferus hissed in pain when he felt it, the training sabre leaving a slight burn in its wake, and got up, ready to strike back.
"Winner, Anakin Skywalker!" Master Drallig's voice rang out before he could do so.
The winner deactivated his lightsaber before bowing, a small smile on his face. This time, it was Olin, frustrated, who took a second before doing the same, and only when Drallig gave him a pointed look.
Like all the previous fights, there was no applause or cheering, the next fighters being called out as soon as they left the mat (more like stomped for Ferus), but a few smiles and nods were sent to both combatants. Zarya could see some masters talking to each other, some of them looking surprised, but she ignored them in favour of beaming back at Anakin, squeezing his hand when he took back his place beside her to watch the fights. No words were needed; he could feel how happy and proud she was of him.
He waved enthusiastically at Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon when he caught their gaze, thrilled to see the proud smiles they sent his way.
I can't believe you copied me! That can't have been easy, you being so impatient!
Hey! I can be patient when I want! Plus it worked!
Yeah it did. Shouldn't I take credit for that win, though?
Nuh huh, go win your own fight! Maybe you could try my own fighting style this time!
I don't even know when—
"Zarya Skywalker andNahdar Vebb, step up the mat, please," called Master Xan.
Lucky timing.
He pulled his tongue at her in response.
She and a mon calamari boy about her age met on the mat, bowing to each other before igniting their training sabres.
Their fight was less exciting, but no less observed. At first, that is. Zarya tried as Anakin said, going to the offense instead of her usual defense and, since the other initiate was on the cautious side like most initiates their age, he wasn't quite ready for that level of boldness coming from a tiny girl like her. He was good though, and a bit bigger than her, which meant she had to twirl around him quite a bit to disorient him and take him by surprise.
The fact that, being so close to him, she could sense his every intent before he executed them wasn't very fair on him either.
He put up a good fight, but it was over in less than two minutes with a hit on his right arm, which would have been severed if it was a real fight. He wasn't too disappointed though, smiling while he bowed at Zarya, who returned the gesture easily.
This fight going faster wasn't much of a surprise; she was placed with the younger initiates after all.
As she returned to take her place to watch the rest of the duels, she was confused when no one spared her or her opponent more than a distracted glance instead of the usual approving smiles. Even Anakin was looking behind her.
Now that she was less distracted, she noticed the awe/worry/surprise feelings coming from most people in the room.
Why are they behaving so strangely? Did I do something wrong?
With a worried frown, she turned to look back at initiate Vebb, only to see that the young boy had stopped walking, his gaze riveted to the fight going on near them. Zarya's attention was immediately grabbed by the flashing blue and yellow lights coming from there.
Nope, someone else just decided to steal the show.
And steal the show he did.
Zarya finally came back to her place slowly, walking backwards as to not miss one more second of the unusual fight.
She didn't know the specie of the girl with pink skin, hair and eyes, but the two circles on her forehead which looked suspiciously like the remnants of horns; she thinks she might be a devaronian, a specie that looked a lot like the devils or demons interpretations from her previous life. The girl was impressive, fighting with a lot more aggression than females are usually known to, yet still looked in control of her every movement.
But it was her opponent that was really out of the norm, and probably the one who grabbed everyone's attention.
A human boy with black hair, dark eyes and lightly tanned skin, he looked quite ordinary at first glance. It was mostly his yellow lightsaber that made him stand out.
His skills in combat were also quite attention-grabbing. Zarya could see that, for his age, he was above most his peers; able to switch from defense to offense seamlessly, as well as taking his opponent off-guard by using his legs and fists. When the girl least expected it, a kick or a punch would be aimed at her, distracting her from his lightsaber and vice-versa.
Zarya had to give the girl credit; she was holding her ground pretty great while being against someone with such… unorthodox techniques.
She couldn't imagine most Jedi being very happy with his chosen fighting style, yet she had a feeling he was the main reason so many Masters were present today, perhaps more so than her and Anakin.
He wasn't particularly acrobatic, which the devaronian used at her advantage by flipping above and around him, but no matter how fast she was, he managed to be faster, her every wide and arching movement countered by controlled, tight defenses. And every time he saw the slightest of weakness in her defense, he would attack with powerful strikes, each aiming to overwhelm her.
The fight was over before they knew it. One of the boy's attacks overpowered her own one, and he swept her feet off the ground with a kick, forcing her to the ground. Another move to disarm her, then his yellow lightsaber was at her neck.
They stayed in that position for a few seconds, both of them breathing hard before Master Drallig finally cut the silence.
"Winner, Sedyn Marr!"
Zarya was almost surprised when the boy, after putting away his sabre, offered a hand to the girl who took it without missing a beat. After witnessing such a relentless fight, she kind of expected them to be at odds with each other. Yet they bowed to the other, like every combatant did, and parted ways without a word.
No animosity there, but not much affinity either.
As for the people around, if they weren't burning holes in the back of his head, they were now pointedly ignoring him, as if they hadn't been watching his fight like everyone else. Not unlike the end of Zarya's own fight, very little praises were aimed at the boy, but for completely different reasons.
Well that was… somethin'.
She gave Anakin a droll look, which amused him more than anything.
Very eloquent, totally describes the situation in the finest of details.
Well do you have an explanation for him?
…
Thought so.
(( ))
When all the fights were done, the initiates present were dismissed for the day. While most went back to the crèche or their rooms, Anakin and Zarya both ran to the stairs leading to the walkway (ignoring the Jedi who gave them the stink eye for running in a crowded space) to meet up with Obi-Wan and his Master.
They reached the top of the stairs just as the two older Jedi were about to descend them, and joined them on each side, Anakin next to Qui-Gon and Zarya next to Obi-Wan, who was supporting the former with a hand on his elbow. They were met with amused exasperation when they joined them as if they'd been here since the beginning.
"Sooooo, how'd we do?" inquired Anakin. Obi-Wan sighed, but couldn't hide his smile.
"A Jedi doesn't fish for compliments, youngling."
"I think we did great! For our first time, at least. By the way, did you know we would be doing that today? 'Cuz it totally caught us off guard."
"Pretty sure that was the point, Ani," Zarya piped up before one of them could confirm it. She was a bit distracted, trying to catch a glance of the dark haired boy with a yellow lightsaber.
His nose scrunched up. "Why?"
"A Jedi should always be prepared to fight, even if they don't expect it," Qui-Gon said wisely, joining the conversation when they finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, now heading towards the children's rooms. With that injury, stairs can't be a pleasant thing to endure. "Take it as a learning experience."
"It's like a surprise pop quiz for Master Drallig; he loves to see the initiates panic when he springs one on them with no warning," refuted Obi-Wan, letting go of his Master's elbow.
"I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not," giggled Zarya, bemused.
He smirked at her, eyebrow raised. "Is that so?"
Oh. She couldn't feel if he was being sarcastic or not. That sneaky bastard! He's been practicing his shielding, hasn't he? Clearly, he did not forget her dive into his mind, though hopefully he forgave. They didn't have that conversation yet.
On second thought, she really didn't want that conversation. So, how to test if she's in his good grace or not… Well. She is a child, might as well take advantage of that.
She gave up her search for the weird boy, since he was nowhere to be seen anyways, and placed her attention on a much more amusing and important endeavour.
She reached up and took Obi-Wan's hand.
She was eight years old; this wasn't a weird behaviour from her.
It was his turn to look bemused, as if he didn't know what to do with her tiny hand in his much larger one. Or how to react to the wide, innocent eyes looking up at him.
Too much?
Suck it up, Kenobi. You're gonna adopt Anakin soon; it's time you learn how to care for a child.
Said boy did the equivalent of spluttering mentally, sending her an affronted look behind the men's back.
He isn't going to adopt me!
Having a padawan his practically adopting someone, no?
How do you know you won't be his padawan? Or the both of us?
Please, you two have a connection! Plus, the council doesn't seem to like the idea of two padawan for one master.
Connection?! …Are you jeal—
"— if our two youngest would like to join our conversation out loud?" interrupted Qui-Gon.
"Sorry Master!" They both answered instinctively… maybe a bit more tense than they should have.
"What were you saying?" added Zarya right after to divert their attention from that slip.
Qui-Gon smiled at them indulgently and oh, they had stopped walking at some point, and Masters Plo Koon and Eeth Koth were standing right in front of them. They were probably talking too, when the two initiates had been distracted.
"Master Koon and Master Koth only wished to praise you both, for winning your duels during the trial."
"Yes, very few initiates win their first one, you both are very talented to have done so," confirmed the zabrack with a smile. He seemed kind, probably one of the few who were open minded about them being inseparable as they were.
"We do not wish to retain you here any longer; I am sure some rest would be very welcomed after all this excitement," Plo Koon observed. "Today was only your beginning, and you still have a lot to learn. I have no doubt that, with more training, you will be quite the force to reckon with."
With that, they both bowed lightly, as did the four of them, before going around them to continue on their way. When he brushed past her, Plo Koon reached out and lightly squeezed Zarya's shoulder in an affectionate gesture.
Her jaw dropped.
Anakin giggled when both Masters were farther away, but she knew it was really more of a cackle.
"Looks like you might get adopted either way!"
"Shut up, he would've done the same to you if he'd been on your side! … Probably!" she grumbled.
"Adopted? What are you talking about?" queried Obi-Wan.
"Nothing!"
He startled, not expecting both children to answer so loudly at the same time. Qui-Gon, who seemed to somehow be in on the joke, casually hid a smirk with his hand.
"You know what? I'm hungry. Are you hungry? Let's go eat before going to sleep, everyone in? Ok let's go!"
"Hey wait a minute- Zarya!"
She was already pulling him by his hand, forcing him to pick up the pace. Qui-Gon followed at a much slower pace, his laughter echoing in the hallway with Anakin's delighted laugh. The latter stayed with the injured Jedi to keep him company, and he didn't seem frustrated at being left behind.
Probably because Zarya was in a good mood. That didn't happen often enough, and she did feel guilty that it impacted him as much as it did.
Things will get better, she vowed to Anakin and herself. After all, she believed Master Koon. They will be a force to reckon with, and eventually, no obstacle will be too difficult for them.
They only needed to be prepared.
(
Hi!
I hope I wasn't too bad at describing the fights, I feel like I put much more focus on how they fight than their every moves, was it still interesting?
Anakin and Zarya are getting attention from a lot of people… and so does that other guy…
Sedyn Marr was created by ComparedDread12, thank you for such an interesting OC! He's going to have an interesting role in the future, so watch out for him!
Many thanks to Angelacorus, fantasy.92, That's Balderdash, Eragon135790, OldWorldVulture and karol552 for the reviews!
Until next time!
-Maginary
)