Knights of old Arendelle - 2

The Halls of the Jedi Temple rose what looked like 50 meters in the sky. Around the base of each were small rings, incrementing in size, providing support and decoration. The shades of the temple ran grey with some light purple matting the floor and the supports. White light sprang out form these pillars, and provided visibility to what would otherwise be a dark walkway. The rings on the bottom gave Joseff a proper foothold as be jumped between two adjacent pillars. His eyes remained closed as he felt around his surroundings in the force, providing balance to his form and guiding his next step.

“Are you sure you’re supposed to be doing that?” A young voice called from beyond his void. Stumbling and falling onto one of the circular designs that marked the floor, Joseff opened his eyes. The girl stood in front of him was a human, such as himself. Her light coloured robes provided a frame as her bright green eyes shined out from behind dark brown hair, a contrast to her darker features. “You’re going to get in trouble” she hesitated.

The young Jedi to be looked around him, no one else seemed to be paying attention to the events. “I think I’m all right.” He looked at her, almost quizzical. “You’re in my clan aren’t you? What’s your name?”

She blushed as she fixed her hair, moving it out of her eyes. “My name’s Blomst. And I guess I am in your clan.” Adjusting her hair again to fit behind her ear, she smiled. “I don’t know how longer that will be. Your name is Joseff, right? You’re the one who tried to fight Master Elsa”

Joseff nodded at his name, proud of his exploits. “Yeah that’s me. But what do you mean, how longer?”

Her smile dropped and she hung her head, her hair coming back down towards her eyes. “Oh. I mean…never mind, it doesn’t matter.” Joseff walked to her and thumbed her hair back behind her ear and she looked back up with a smile. “I’m not from Arendelle; the Jedi took me in after my parents were killed. I’m here now, so I hope I can make a difference, maybe make the galaxy a little better”

“I’m sorry, Blomst. That must be hard. I was born here. The Jedi found me real quick, I don’t know anywhere else.”

Blomst modified her hair to her liking, fixing Joseff mistake. “That’s what the Jedi do. They take us in young so we don’t build attachments other than to our oaths and the King’s Republic. They save us, I don’t know where I would go, I’m not very strong” This resonated with Joseff.

“Yeah you are, I’m sure.”

“No I’m not, not really.”

“You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t”. The Jedi Order had taken her in for a reason, while she may not be physically strong, Josef felt the force energy she gave off, and knew the other Jedi did to. That same power echoed in the temple, rippling around the halls and filling the rooms with a great voice.

She slouched and paused. “I know. I know there are three kinds of Jedi, but I don’t fit into any of them.”

He looked back at her perplexed, “Three kinds of Jedi?”

“Yeah, Jedi that are good in different areas. There’s the force with the Consulars, the lightsabers with the Guardians, and other skills with Sentinels.” She spoke the truth, jarring Joseff’s memory; this was noted in the teachings of the order. Some Jedi were skilled in the force, while others dedicated their time to studying the blade. Others used the force to augment their other skills and train themselves in different ways. Every Jedi had their strengths and their weaknesses, and chemistry between two Jedi often meant the difference between victory and defeat.

“Right. I forgot. I guess I’m a guardian then, I’m good with a lightsaber” he replied looking at his lightsaber on his belt. Joseff, Jedi Guardian. Hero of the Jedi?

“Joseff, would you want to duel?” she glanced at his belt, looking at the blade as well.

Joseff was visibly excited. “Fight? Let’s go!” his hand was already upon his hilt when he opened his mouth, eager and willing.

“Not here”, she laughed, motioning towards a different area.

They turned and walked down vast staircases. The ceilings remained high and rising as they went down the steps. Below them were heavier trafficked halls, with Jedi walking down in pairs, and service droids seeing to their duties. The walls themselves remained grey, silver and humble. More and more pillars rose from the ground as they entered a large open area near a hanger entrance, away from everyone. Blomst stood against the wall, facing Joseff. He grinned as his blade ignited, raising it to his face with one hand, vertically.

Blomst replied with her own lightsaber, a green tint, held forward in a two handed grip, at a slight angle. Joseff twirled his blade to his side and opened his stance. She acted first, slicing at Joseff’s right shoulder and driving down towards his left leg. He brought his blade up, gripping it with two hands, and stopping it before contact, then stepping to his right. The blades clashed blue and green against a grey background, the lights reflecting in the students light coloured robes. She brought her blade back towards herself spinning and sweeping at his legs.

He simply jumped over the blade and stepped again to his right, holding the blade en guard. He used this opportunity to strike and jabbed forward, to which she herself sidestepped, bringing her own blade up to block. The sound the lightsabers made affected no one on the floor, as Jedi continued on their business, standard practice. The two initiates squared up as their pushed their blades together. A look of determination fell upon Joseff’s eyes with intensity as he held his ground. He let Blomst push with all her might until he broke the hold, and stepped left and swung right.

She parried once again with her own blade with a large sweeping blow after jumping forward in her momentum. Continually, she spun again slashing downwards after knocking Joseff’s blade to the side in her initial response. Joseff counter attacked with an upward push and a forward jab. Thrusting his saber forward he moved along with it, lunging towards his opponent. She, however, pulled her blade back to her, blocking vertically and narrowly dodging the blade. Readjusting, she swung towards Joseff’s outstretched hands in another vertical slash. “You really are good.” Joseff noted exhaustion in her voice, but pressed on.

“Thank you, you are too” He circled around to put both the blades between him and Blomst before quickly cutting in and hitting her blade away. When fighting with two blades that could easily kill without effort, it was important to protect one’s self from the deflection of the blade. Lightsabers had no mass, and could easily be persuaded to harm its own user. But Joseff reached to the force, looking not only to his own blade, but to the ripples caused by Blomst as she prepared to move, attempting to predict her movements. Her power was hard to pinpoint, muddied by the full extent of her power and Joseff’s lack of precise training. It was just as it was in the training room. However, Joseff’s strike forced the blade to fall out of her hand. This startled her with audible feedback.

Her green blade withdrew as the hilt landed upon the ground. Regular lightsabers had a failsafe to deactivate when the user lost control, training blades especially. While they stunned the opponent, not killing them, it still hurt. Safety was paramount. However, after the blade landed with a clink, it stopped and balanced upon its end. Blomst closed her eyes and outstretched her hand. As she did so, the lightsaber wobbled and spun before jetting up and into her open palm. “I think you’re better than me, Joseff. You’ve proven that. “

Despite being in peak physical form for a 6 year old, and a year older, Blosmt was tired. The battle had taken its toll. While the force was enough to convert into energy for the body, the students were still young and unwieldy.

“I only beat you in a fight, Blomst” She responded by shaking her head.

“This isn’t my first clan. I’ve been in others. I’ve moved around a lot. I’ve even been looked at by Jedi Masters looking to take a padawan.” She put her lightsaber back on her belt and Joseff did the same. “There have been two, or three now, masters that have looked at me. Only one wanted me. I was meant to be her padawan, but she went on a mission and never came back. After that I moved around again, and ended up here.”

“I’m not very strong, either. All I have is my lightsaber. I tried to use the force to beat you but I couldn’t.”

“You just need to work on it. I’m not very good with a blade. I want to be, but I’m not. I’ve only been here a year, and it’s been hard. I just want a master to take me in and train me proper. I don’t know what I’m doing otherwise.” She shrugged her shoulders and walked back towards the stairs, motioning Joseff to come with. “There’s a lot of Jedi Knights here, all skilled with the force. I want to be like them.”

Joseff skipped up to follow here, resting his hand upon the railings as they walked up. “I’m not sure what I want. I just want to be a Jedi” His dreams were as simple as the halls.

They walked up the stairs chatting about their dreams. Joseff didn’t have much to say, but he listened as intently as he did with Master Elsa. They walked up and down halls of great magnitude, and studied the statues of great figures in Jedi history. They lined the halls with their conquests and stories, and their memory etched in time. It was a forbidden idea to forget them. Most of them saved the order, and many of them died to protect the innocent. This was the true dream of the Jedi.

They came to a railing overlooking the hall to the hanger. They stood and watched the Jedi exit and enter the academy. Many braided padawans came home with their Masters, ever learning on the job. They too had been trainees, initiates with no master, striving to be the best, just as they were. Joseff looked at Blomst as she eyed one of the pairs entering the main floor. The padawan was much older than her, with a dark braid flowing down over her right ear, and though she had blue skin, her robes were the same colour as Blomst’s. That could be one of them one day.

Behind them were two male Jedi, minding their own business. “The academy’s getting stronger by the day.” one of them said to the other.

“It is, it makes me proud to serve the order.” Replied the other.

“Pride leads to the dark side, don’t forget.”

“There is nothing wrong with pride. I know our strength, have faith.”

“I have my faith; I have faith in our masters’ teachings.”

“As do I, but don’t be afraid to think for yourself”

“What are you saying, Arvid”

“Nothing, Haakon, just words. Let us go.”

The two walked away with their exchange, heeding no attention to the children next to them. Their brown robes flowed behind them. True Jedi Knights, they had lost their braid and were ready to take on students. Aspirations of all Jedi, too graduate from a padawan and pass the trials. Once a knight they could teach others their ways. Once successful, they would become Jedi Masters. A simple line, but extremely difficult. Joseff knew of the trials, and had respect for the men who walked away.

But down below was different. After many pairs of padwans and masters, one came out alone. It was an older woman with a short build, and others ran to her aid. Joseff and Blomst followed.

Upon reaching the floor, Master Elsa was there with them. The old Master walked slowly towards her.

“Oh, Master Bulda. Where is your padawan, what happened?” Elsa said with extreme sympathetic worry in her voice. “Is she all right?”

Master Bulda stopped and reached outwards to be met by Elsa. Holding her hand, she replied “There was an ambush. Many civilians were in danger.” She paused. “She…she sacrificed herself. Almost all of them made it”. Hushes of mourning reached out from beyond the crowd on the floor.

“I’m so sorry, Master” Elsa’s face softened, saddened by the loss of one of the order.

“It’s just…after her, and the boy before her. I don’t-“

“Master, no. It is not your fault. You are a strong teacher. Please, do not forget your worth to the order. The life of a Jedi is dangerous, but we know the risks. You taught me that, Master Bulda” Elsa had cut her off, preventing her from finishing her thought. “That man was a long time ago, Master, do not quell on him.” Elsa placed her hand on Bulda’s shoulders, seemingly protecting her.

“I know. I know, dear. Oh Elsa, you are such a warm soul. You will make a brilliant Jedi Master. But for now, I do require some space. I - I need to be alone”. The master was receptive of Elsa’s hand, and allowed her to show her off. Bulda walked away from the embrace, and said goodbye.

Joseff stood struck. No one is invinicble. Despite the impossibility of the force and the unlimited potential in his finger tips, it could all be struck down in a moment. In his reflection, Elsa came over to the pair of students and comforted them as well, even the most hardened were saddened by loss. “Loss is unavoidable, younglings. Remember that in your training. In the onslaught of the darkside, loss will weaken your resolve. For this we forbid attachment, and urge the teachings of avoidance. We must be strong, we must let it go. The past is in the past, but be ever mindful of the future.” She smiled as she motioned the students back of the stairs. Their hour of rest was over and it was time to get back to training and continue studies. “Be strong”