Horizons ( Luke Skywalker )

chapter VIII

     With his eyes closed, all he could physically peer into was darkness. But he saw so much more than that. His lips quirked.

     Very swiftly, he ducked and felt the air swoosh around him. His hand shot out and his fingers wrapped around the offending limb. As easy as swatting away a flay, he flung the man across the room. His eyes still remained closed. He spun around, bringing a leg up. The second man tumbled to the ground under his kick but Luke remained on guard; there was still one more.

     Centering himself, he waited patiently for the last attack and searched through the force, trying to find where it would come from. Opening his mind, he looked around the room for the guard. The man was hiding himself well; he kept his mind locked up and closed away. The corner of Luke's lips tugged down but he was relentless.

     However, he was just too slow. The blow to his back came before he was aware enough to stop it and a groan rumbled through his chest as he slammed to the ground. Pressing his hand to the ground, he struggled to push himself over onto his back.

     Through open, dazed eyes, he watched Vader step out of the shadows and cross the training floor towards him. Luke could feel his cheeks heat with exertion and embarrassment. Grinding his teeth, he slapped his hands back down and finally rolled up into a sitting position as he waited for his father.

     Luke figured he was about to be chastised again, perhaps even scolded. It made his heart burn; couldn't Vader understand that he was trying? Luke had trained harder than ever and didn't seem to get anything for it except comments on how he could have done better. It was madness.

     But the words that came from Vader were very much a surprise. "You've done well these past few weeks," he breathed softly. Luke's eyes finally left the floor and he looked up at Vader with wide eyes. A gloved hand extended towards him; with a sigh, Luke gripped it and pulled himself to his feet.

     Luke glanced over at the man who had knocked him off of his feet and glared in his direction. Before him, he had been on such a good streak... A heavy hand fell on his shoulder and he quickly turned back to Vader. As if he had been reading Luke's mind, he firmly said, "It's time you've been rewarded."

     The hand that had previously rested on Luke's shoulder fell down to his waist, where it unclipped something that had been hanging from his belt. He gripped it tight, admiring it, before opening his hand and presenting it to Luke. "Your new blade, son."

     For a moment, Luke could do nothing except stare at the lightsaber. The hilt was beautiful, completely black and brand new; there wasn't a single scuff mark on it. It was an obvious step up from his previous saber, one that had been handed down to him and had been decades old. He almost felt unworthy to be given such a sophisticated weapon but his trembling fingers reached out and took ahold of it.

     It was heavy in his hand but it was a good weight. Luke wielded it as if he had been using it his entire life; it felt right, as if he had always been meant to have it. Feeling the weight of his father's eyes on him, Luke tried to put a tamper on his emotions but it felt almost impossible. He was in awe.

     But he knew what his father was waiting for, what everyone in the room was waiting for. Luke's thumb feathered over the switch before firmly pressing down. The saber hummed to life, and the bright red seemed to light up the room. It quickly fell to the floor.