Chapter 1
Wednesday
Jedi Temple
"You're kidding, right?" Baylan snorted.
"Kid you, young Skoll, I do not," Yoda told him seriously.
"But…I don't want an apprentice yet. I don't have time," Baylan said desperately.
"Time, it is," Yoda said with a shrug, hobbling out of the room. "Young Skywalker will assist you."
Baylan leaned against the wall, running his hands through his brown hair.
"Master Yoda," he muttered, "I hate you so, so much."
"And he hates you, too," Evera laughed, strutting into the room. "And so do I."
Baylan frowned at his nemesis/girlfriend. Her violet gaze was unwavering as she glared at him, leaning casually against the wall. Her pale face, long and luscious dark brown hair, and constant smirk should have been intimidating, but Baylan did not fear her in any way.
He probably should have.
But he had learned to love her.
In his own way.
"Thanks. Hate you too," he muttered.
She walked towards him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
He was not supposed to love.
Neither was she.
But considering they both had a habit for trouble, rules didn't matter to them—it encouraged them.
"You'll be fine," she whispered in his ear. He felt her warm breath tickle him and couldn't help but blush.
"Ah, what is this? Dare I ask, Skoll and Sanara—a forbidden relationship?" Anakin sneered. Padme followed closely, smiling apologetically at Evera and Baylan.
"Forbidden relationship? You know, it's funny, because I happen to know another certain Jedi with a forbidden relationship," Baylan scoffed. He turned to Evera.
"100credits they're secretly married," Baylan bet.
"Ha! 200 she'll be pregnant by the end of the year," Evera smirked.
"250 Obi-Wan will lose his marbles when he finds out," Baylan responded.
"500 he's simultaneously thinking up love letters to Satine while he yells at him," Evera laughed.
"If all of those things happen," Padme interrupted, "we will let you know. I would love to see you two try to come up with the credits you just bet to pay one another."
"No fair, you practically have endless credits," Evera protested, "you're a princess. You don't have to worry about money."
"I don't place insane bets on people's private love lives, either," Padme smirked.
"80,000 credits they'll be married by the end of the—" Anakin started, but Padme held up a hand.
"First, you do not have 80,000 credits. Don't bet with money you don't have—trust me, I've seen it before. Second, I bet 20,000 they'll have a kid by the end of next year."
"Because that's far more reasonable?" Anakin asked.
Baylan and Evera laughed at the cute pair.
"Oh, please. You two won't be able to resist the temptation to do it, either," Anakin smirked.
"Is that hinting that you are married?" Evera asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," Padme and Anakin said simultaneously. They looked at one another and blushed.
Evera and Baylan exchanged amused glances, then they spoke simultaneously, too:
"Definitely married."
"I'll wipe that smirk right off your face with this, Skoll," Anakin sneered, showing a paper that he'd been hiding behind his back.
"What is it?" Baylan demanded. Evera beat him to snatching the paper.
"Your new Padawan," Anakin said seriously, playing with his saber.
Evera gasped when she read it. "Oh, never mind what I said earlier. Yoda really, really, really hates you."
Baylan snatched the paper out of her hands. She leaned over his shoulder as he read it.
"Zenna? Who's Zenna?" Baylan asked.
Evera shook her head. "Only the most nice, annoying, happy, sympathetic, and light side-ish of the younglings."
He turned to face her. "The brown haired one? With the bangs? The practically insane, Force-sensitive child who runs around like she owns the temple?"
"Yep, pretty much," Anakin laughed.
"Why would they assign him something so apparently difficult?" Padme asked.
So innocently.
She didn't understand.
Jedi are galactic politics.
And grudges, pretend not to have them as Jedi do.
"Because he hates him," Evera snorted. "Exactly," Baylan replied with a long sigh. "Evera, you busy tonight?" He added, looking for anything to look forward to.
"Yeah. Another undercover mission. I'm sick of being the council's little spy. I've about had it with Obi-Wan, too," she sighed, then added mischievously, "besides, you need to spend time with your new Padawan. But I'm free on Friday. We can duel then." Baylan nodded reluctantly as she walked swiftly away, slightly mesmerized by her smooth movements. He shook himself, turning back to Anakin and Padme.
"Did you put Yoda up to this?" Baylan accused Anakin.
Anakin laughed. "Of course not. Even I wouldn't want you to have to deal with her. Though, I have heard she's pretty far into the light side of the Force, super happy and everything—Yoda probably thinks he's doing you a favor by assigning you someone who would prevent you from turning. I'd say it's a concern of his. Rightfully."
Baylan shook his head at the unfairness of the decision. He followed Anakin and Padme through the Temple and out the doors, pausing as he saw younglings running and playing. She was probably among them.
"Back off, you foul Sith!" One girl cried, attacking with vigor on a boy, who had a red stick, with her own blue one.
It was ridiculous.
And it made him wonder if he had done that when he was young.
He cringed at the idea.
"Zenna, stop chasing it!" One little girl yelped. Baylan turned his attention to the girl she was yelling at—Zenna.
She had long, mousy brown hair, that was thinly braided down her back. She had bangs and strands falling into her pale, freckled face messily. She was chasing some kind of little frog creature, jumping around imitating it.
He took a second to think about this.
This ridiculousness.
His apprentice was imitating an alien frog.
This was a problem.
"You already burned down half the training supplies," one of the boys said, shaking his head skeptically at the girl.
Baylan wanted to bang his head against something.
"Wait here for me, will you?" Anakin asked, walking with a sigh towards the insane little girl.
Padme looked at Baylan sympathetically. "Yeah, I'd say you're in trouble."
"Tell me about it."