It Started With a Vacation

Chapter Thirty Two

Eheheh

The halls are quiet as you walk through them in the early morning. Bright, warm beams of light from the sun filter in through uncovered windows. You suppress a yawn as your feet try to drag, but you snap yourself out of it as soon as it happens. You just have to make it to your bedroom before you can collapse. It's not much further...

As soon as your head meets your pillow, you're out like a rock. Hours later, when Codo and Cyar'ika are at your side, trying to wake you, you still don't move. They exchange confused looks before shrugging and heading outside to play in the courtyard.

You finally wake up when Tayah wanders in, and she looks down shyly when she notices you've woken up. "I didn't mean to wake you," she says quietly, "but I was hoping for some help."

You glance over to the chronometer on your nightstand before your eyes go wide and you push yourself up. "Don't apologize, Tayah," you say, "it's about time I got up anyway."

"Your clothes are dirty," she comments, furrowing her brows as she looks at the stains on your pants. "You got it on your bed."

You look down at your sheets before smiling and giving her a pat on her head. "Don't worry about it. I've had to sleep on an actual battlefield before," you assure her. "I'll wash them later. What do you need help with?"

"My garden," she sighs, swinging her arms at her sides. "It's starting to die again."

You examine her for a moment before standing and resting a hand on her shoulder to guide her along with you. You don't care to change clothes just yet, instead deciding to take her right outside. Plus, if you're going to be in the garden, you'll likely get dirty again.

As you walk, you feel some conflict coming from Tayah's mind, and you try to figure it out before deciding to just ask her about it. "There's something on your mind," you comment, and she pauses for a second before nodding. "Tell me."

"Well..." she starts, playing with the ends of her lekku, "it's Ringo."

"Ringo?" you question, stopping to look at her again. "What about him?"

"I don't know, something just feels bad," she admits. "I know I'm young, but I still know when to sense danger. Plus, I'm a Jedi!"

"No, not a Jedi," you correct, "just a force user." She kicks at the ground when you say that, and you clear your throat to regain her attention. "It's not a bad thing," you clarify, "not all force users are meant to be Jedi. You don't seem to fit the mold. It's okay to be different, it's admirable, even. The only thing that kept me as a Jedi was the hope of making my father proud."

"Codo?" she asks, and you shake your head. "King Monako?"

You snort at that, letting the words slip right from your mouth as you respond. "Hells no. I couldn't give a kark what that dirty maggot thought about me. No, I cared about making Qui-Gon proud. I didn't want to be viewed as a mistake, and though he never said I was, it's hard not to think of myself as one. Especially with having learned about my birth, and who my mother had been."

"Did you ever meet him?" she asks, looking up hopefully at you. You give her a small smile and nod, looking ahead again.

"Once, about twelve years ago. Before the Sith attack on Naboo where he died, he had come here to meet me. I was seventeen at the time, and only a few days later is when he was killed. Fortunately, I was able to attend his funeral and got to give my final promise to him."

"What was your promise?" she asks curiously, looking up at you expectantly. You turn your head, facing straight ahead as you take a step forward.

"I promised to do good by his name, and to keep his life in the stories for future generations. To make sure he is never forgotten as the brilliant grey Jedi he was. Like you, he was different, and it made him stronger and unique."