Journey of a Padwan

Chapter Six - Connected somehow

-Rory-

I giggled slightly as I collected some of the rain in my hand, then let it slip through my fingers. Everything became quite and still once more, it was happening again. Kylo turned before me.

"Why is the force connecting us?" He questioned "You and I."

"You mean why now, you muderous snake." I snipped back "You're too late, you know? You lost. I found Master Luke."

"Did he finally tell you what happened. The night I destroyed the temple, did he tell you why?" he asked me coming closer. "Did he tell you why only you survived?"

"I already know what happened, I was there! Don't treat me like a child!" I yelled at him

"You do. You do know what happened but you don't remember everything, he took that away from you. The look in your eyes. It is the same as it was in the forrest. When you thought I wanted to kill you." he stood in front of me.

"You always want to kill me? It's a running trait these days." I huff at him as we stand a foot from each other.

"That's debatable." then the connection was broken. I took in a gasp of air holding onto to my stomach as I had once done so many years ago.

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When the rain cleared I took it on myself to practice with Rey and Hattie as Luke was off wherever. I had blindfolded myself and had Luke's lightsaber. It was their exercise to be one with the force to launch borders at me. my task was to move through my blockage and feel the flow of energy like I had did long ago.

"Are you sure about this, Mum?" Hattie questioned me.

"We both have our tasks, sweetie. If we're gonna succeed we need to practice. You with harnessing the energy, me feeling fully connected to it once more. Now go on and don't stay in one place." I relaxed and focused, now that I knew there was a blockage, I could see it. streams of energy broke through, hence why I could still access it some of the time or when super focused. It was easier said than done trying to remove what was blocking me.

The hum of the lightsaber crackled as I sense the environment around me. Swing right, duck left hit one then another. I winched as i got one to the back of the head.

"ah."

"Sorry." Hattie chimed and then another one hit my torso. I swung around and there was a whoa "Careful Mum."

"Okay." I seemed to pick up on what was going on but then there was a almighty crash. I quickly removed my blindfold to see that the tall balanced on a teetering edge rock was cut in half and two caretaker were staring up at me.

"Sorry." i called at the lightsaber retracted  and stepped away. I saw the retreating figure of Luke.

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The four of us were back in the temple for the second lesson I sat on the raised middle of the Jedi symbol, listening.

"Lesson two. Now that they're extinct the Jedi are romanticised, deified. But if you strip away the mythic and look at their deeds, the legacy of the Jedi is failure. Hypocrisy, hubris." He rambled on.

"That's not true." Hattie denied adamantly 

"At the height of their powers they allowed Darth Sidious to rise create the empire and wipe them out. It was a Jedi Master responsible for the training and creating of Darth Vader." he countered back

"And a Jedi who saved him." I pointed out. "Your father only became Darth Vader because Darth Sidious  prayed upon his fear for the woman he loved...your mother. The most hated man in the galaxy and you saw that there was conflict inside of him."

"You believed that he wasn't gone, that he could be turned."  Rey added and I nodded in agreement.

"And I became a legend. For many years there was balance and then I saw Ben. My Nephew, with that mighty Skywalker blood. And in my hubris I thought i could train him, I could pass on my strengths. Han was...Han about it, but Leia trust me with her son. I took him, Rory and a dozen other students, and began a training temple." he rose to his feet and began walking around. I would have been apprehensive about Hattie but it seems she has known for a while who her father was. Much to my shock.

"By the time I realised. I was no match for the darkness rising in him." he stopped and turned "Not like you were, for years I noticed how the two of you were with one another, the times he came close, so close and you brought him back." I stood and joined him

"What happened that night?" Hattie wondered and I glanced back at her as she wanted to know more about her father. Like any kid would.

" I was too late in releasing the bigger picture. I went to confront him that night and he turned on me. He must have thought I was dead. When I came too, the temple was burning. He hand vanished with a handful of my students, slaughtered the rest." he answered

"But Mum, survived." Luke nodded as his eyes fell on me

"She floated above the wreckage and flames of it all, not a mark on her." he stopped but I nodded for him to continue as he moved back past me. "I was theorised that your fathers love for her protected her during the slaughter, it spared her life and that of your own." he told my daughter. Though not so much now, with the fights we've had since then.

"Leia and your mother blamed Snoke. But it was me, I failed because I was Luke Skywalker. Jedi Master. A legend."

"The galaxy may need a legend. We need someone...I need someone to show me my place in all of this." Rey voiced as I didn't look back at any of them "And you didn't fail Kylo. Kylo failed the three of you. I won't.." she vowed.