Rated: G
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns all the recognizable characters. Anareal is mine. ( pronounced Ah - NAR -ee- al, an African name meaning strength and peace) Making no money off this and if I was I'd spend it all on Star Wars stuff and George and would get it anyway.
Anareal spent a great deal of time with Qui-Gon away from the Jedi Temple, which was very unusual. But some of their day was always spent at the Temple in one form of training or another. Anareal's schedule included lightsabre practice first thing in the morning, followed by classes in math, science, history, language and music. After that, she belonged to Qui-Gon and they did whatever he chose, whether it was lessons or outings. On this particular day, he took her to the gymnasium earlier than he normally did.
" Will you tell me now why we're here so early?" Anareal asked, after she was done warming-up.
" I'm going to teach you something," he answered," and I want you to use it during your class session this morning."
He knelt down and leaned back on his heels so that he could look her in the eye.
" You're doing very well with your beginner's 'sabre, but now I'm going to show you another element to fighting. You tend to look at your lightsabre. I want you to work on not taking your eyes off your opponent's face."
" But, we've worked blind-folded the last few times," she protested.
" That was to make you listen to the Force and now you do that very well. This is a new element. You need to add it to what you already do. Looking in your opponent's face can give you clues to help you win the fight. It also helps protect your center line."
" Then you want me to use the Force while I'm learning this?" she asked.
" Always. Using the Force is like breathing, Anareal. Do it without thinking. You wouldn't ask me if you needed to breathe."
" Yes, Master," she said.
" Good. Let's try it. I want you to spin and when you come back around, your eyes should be looking straight into mine."
She did.
" Good," Qui-Gon reached over and put one hand in the center of her back and the other on her forehead, straightening her posture," Balance. Keep your balance at the back of your body. Your hands and feet should be ready to move independently. Try it again."
She twirled, sleeves billowing, hair flying, body perfectly balanced. When she came back around, her green eyes were locked with his blue ones.
" Faster. Use the Force."
She was a blur of motion and this time Qui-Gon shifted his own position. Still, when she stopped, they were eye to eye.
" Good. This time, I want you to kick at me when you come around. Your foot and your eyes should have the same target."
Anareal nodded, then wheeled around. Coming out of the turn, her small foot came flying at his face. He, of course, dodged it faster than she could see. But if he hadn't moved her foot would have caught him squarely on the cheek. When she stopped her eyes were once more staring right into his.
" Good," he said, again. Anareal's face had flushed and a smile was threatening her expression.
" This isn't a game, Anareal. This can save your life," he said, sternly.
She struggled with her expression, trying hard to retain the serious mood he wanted when they trained," Yes, Master," she said, then lost the battle completely and smiled broadly, " But it's fun."
Qui-Gon shook his head in exasperation, but smiled indulgently.
" Then let me see if I can challenge you a little more."
He stood, which automatically gave him almost a 3 1/2 ft advantage over her. Anareal had to take 2 steps back to look up at him and see his face.
" I want you to stay in motion now. You may do whatever you like - somersault, backflip, tumble, spin, any movement I've taught you. But I am your opponent in this. I'm going to shadow your every move. Your goal is to end every movement by looking me in the eye. Do you understand?"
" Can I kick you again?" she asked.
" No, not now," he said," Tomorrow we'll add offensive movements."
He could see her considering her options, studying the lay of the gym and its various pieces of equipment.
" It will be hard because you're so much taller than me," she observed.
" That is so," he agreed," I wish I could promise you that all your opponents will be your height or shorter, but I can't. However, I understand it can make training harder. So," he put his hands on his knees," I will bend down."
She smiled and reached up to stroke his beard.
" Are you ready?"
Anareal bowed to him, assumed a defensive stance and said, " Begin."
Qui-Gon moved towards her, but Anareal was already lost in the Force and she saw him do it almost before it happened. She back flipped, landed on her heels and came up with her eyes locked on his. ( Qui-Gon noted that her forward leg was poised in a perfect position to kick.) He circled and she spun, putting distance between them while unerringly keeping her eyes on his face. They began a wild dance around the gym, the Force throbbing between them. Qui-Gon shadowed her every movement while still trying to shift his position at the last second. Anareal's single-minded goal became finding her Master's face and the look of approval in his eyes.
Then Anareal vaulted up onto a high bar, balancing in a crouch. She had her eyes fastened on Qui-Gon. He did a standing leap onto another bar about 4 feet away, never looking away. They paused, frozen, each waiting for the other to move.
" Jump to me," he said.
" How will I land if I can't look at the bar?" she asked. The distance between them was longer than she was tall.
" The Force will guide you," he said," Trust it. But you keep your eyes on me."
Anareal nodded, and leaped. But at the last second, she looked to see where the bar was and Qui-Gon swooped in. Lightning fast, in the split second in which she broke eye contact, he wrapped an arm around her waist and scooped her up.
Her breath left her in a startled exclamation, " Qui-Gon!"
He laughed, and she swung her arms around his neck to hold on.
" I told you not to look away," he said, his voice calm and his expression kind," You see what can happen. You didn't trust the Force and you looked away. The bar will stay where it is. Your opponent will not."
Anareal nodded. She knew perfectly well that Qui-Gon could have caught her at any time during their exercise. She was fast, but he was a Jedi Master. He had chosen that moment to teach her something. It was now unlikely that she would ever forget it.
" I would like to do it again," she said. " This time I won't fail."
" I'm afraid we don't have time," Qui-Gon answered," Master Rane'Yo is here and your class is gathering."
Anareal twisted to look at the corner of the gym where her lightsabre classes were held. Her class was forming.
" Will you jump from here?" Qui-Gon asked. He was still standing on the bar, holding her. She was easily 11 feet off the ground. But she nodded. He relaxed his hold and she pushed off, floating to the floor like a leaf on the breeze. He landed lightly beside her.
" Are you going to stay to watch me?" she asked.
" Will it make you work harder?"
" No," she shook her head," I always do my best. I just like it when you stay."
" Then, this time I will stay," Qui-Gon answered." But just for your lightsabre class. The Council wants to talk to me. I will meet you later, after your other classes."
"Thank you, Master. May I go?"
" Yes."
Anareal gave him the low respectful bow that he required at the end of a session and he returned it. Then she hurried off to join the class. Qui-Gon watched her greet Master Rane'Yo first and then bow to the 2 Knights who assisted them. He then went to retrieve his robe and found Master Yoda waiting for him by the bench. They nodded to each other in greeting as Qui-Gon slipped back into his robe, then they watched Anareal's class in silence for a while and then Yoda said, in his soft, gravelly voice-
" Doing well, she is, hmmmm?"
" I think so," Qui-Gon replied, slowly. He was never quite sure where his diminutive former Master was going, " She understands everything I tell her almost instantly, almost as if she's done it before and just needed to be reminded."
" An old soul, she is," Yoda remarked," and fond of you, too, I think."
Qui-Gon turned to look at Yoda. " If fondness is a crime we are both guilty of it. No one could live with Anareal as I do and not love her. The fish in my pond eat from her hand. She is greatly attuned to the Living Force."
As they spoke Anareal defeated her 4th opponent, helped the girl to her feet and bowed to her politely. Qui-Gon had already noted that in none of her matches had Anareal broken eye contact.
" A prodigy she is," Yoda observed, "One of the reasons I didn't want her taken so young."
Qui-Gon felt a flash of irritation. Anareal got his individual attention, all of it. What good would it have done to keep her waiting to be a Padawan learner?
Then Yoda said, almost too quietly, " Wrong about that, I was."
Qui-Gon's irritation evaporated as quickly as it had come. He recognized a compliment when he heard it.
" Thank you, my Master," he said, calmly," and the Council was right. She has been good for me." Still, he had a sense of something…disquieting.
" Different, she is, than the other," Yoda said.
An old, knife-edged pain flared in Qui-Gon's soul. He kept his expression neutral only with great effort. But Yoda had felt it, he was sure. There was little that got past the ancient Jedi Master.
" Yes, she is," he managed to say. But his tone was curt and signaled that he would not continue the conversation.
" Mmmmm," Yoda murmured, his eyes closed," A young Knight she will be."
Qui-Gon felt another pang around his heart. He would happily spend another 20 years with Anareal as his Padawan. Unfortunately, he knew that what Yoda had just said was true. Anareal was a prodigy and it was his job to take her as far as she could go as fast as she could go. Too fast, and if she wasn't ready, the Darkside threatened. Too slow, and if she got bored, and again the Darkside threatened.
Light shine on me, he prayed silently, and not for the first time, watching Anareal swing her practice sabre in a perfect arc, attacking and defending at the same time. What have I gotten myself into?
