Star Wars One-Shots

Trust in the Force

Maia tucks her red hair behind her pointed ear, tilting her head. "Ezra, what are you doing?"

"What's it look like? I'm trying to perfect my form." He replies, turning off his training saber. He returns it to his hip, watching his peers spar with each other. Buzzes and crackles fill the room along with shouts of glee. Lightsaber dueling is easily everyone's favorite class of the day.

Ezra sighs, quickly noticing how many of them already have their padawan braids. He touches his shoulder, reaching for where his braid should be. He is still hasn't been chosen yet.

Maia, one of his closest friends, fiddles with her robes as she studies his face. She and Ezra have always gotten along. She's quiet and kind. Ezra usually does all of the talking while she patiently listens and inputs when she feels like it. She's pretty shy, but that didn't stop Ezra from becoming her friend back when they were younglings. Ever since that faithful day, they've been almost inseparable.

Keyword: almost.

Now Maia, like many of their peers, spends most of her day with her master. Ezra doesn't blame her for this, of course, but he's frustrated that he is one of the few left who hasn't been chosen. Every day, he trains and works hard to try to impress any of the masters, but none seem to even care.

"Maia, how did you get your master to notice you?" Ezra softly asks.

This strikes her. Ezra is not himself. He seems downcast and so worried lately. Even when he is sad, dueling lessons always bring a smile to his face. He's always been confident in himself and bold when speaking. Secretly, Maia is jealous of him for these traits. It takes everything in her to speak at a normal volume to people she hardly knows while he can chatter with just about everyone in the Temple.

What has happened to Ezra that is making him act like her?

"Maia?" He repeats, looking back at her. "What did you do to get your master's attention?"

"I don't know." She shrugs. She bites on the inside of her cheek, thinking back to that day. "Master Allie just pulled me aside one day and told me that she felt that the Force was calling her to me. I don't think I did anything special if that's what you're asking."

Ezra doesn't respond, a gentle pout on his face.

Maia gives him a comforting smile. "Don't beat yourself up. There's still plenty of masters out there looking for padawans. I'm sure someone will see you and jump at the chance to train you."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Maia," Ezra replies, but his gaze is on the floor. "But I don't think the masters feel the way you think they do about me."

"Ezra." She quietly says, touching his shoulder. He slightly glares, upset with his situation. "Just be patient. A master will choose you, I know it." She continues, giving him a sympathetic smile.

But it does nothing to calm the anxiety of not being chosen inside of him. "I think I'm going to go meditate for a while." He says, lowering his head. "I'll meet you for supper, okay?"

"Okay." She agrees, watching him exit the room. She tugs at her padawan braid, hope filling in her heart for her best friend. She knows that today he'll find his master. She can feel it, the electricity in the Force around Ezra. He just needs to be patient.

xxx

Ezra grumbles, sitting on bench out in the gardens. Usually, the sound of the bubbling fountain puts him into an easy meditative state. Today, it's distracting. He can't stop watching the way the waves send ripples through the pond, making the lily pads bounce around. He pouts, using the Force to sending them bobbing into each other.