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headfulloffantasies · 4 years

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The Two Padawans

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There can only be two. One master and one apprentice.

That’s what Skywalker told them. No master trains two at once. The padawan bond is a sacred partnership. That is the Jedi way.

“The Jedi have fallen,” Rey said. She spoke before Finn had fully processed the truth of Skywalker’s words.

Skywalker didn’t want him.

Skywalker wanted Rey.

And why not? Her Force powers excelled far past his. Finn couldn’t lift objects, or stop bolts of blaster fire, or sense the presence of enemies before they appeared.

Skywalker scoffed and turned away. “One master. One apprentice,” he repeated.

“Both or none,” Rey countered.

Skywalker paused. He didn’t turn around when he spoke. “Don’t act with your emotions, Rey. A Jedi does what is best for the universe, not for themselves.”

“Both. Or none,” Rey scowled.

Skywalker twisted to pierce Finn with his blue gaze. “Well, boy? Will you defend your right to be trained?”

Finn’s throat closed. He couldn’t find the words. Did he want to be trained in the ways of the Force? Desperately. Did he think he had any right to demand to be trained? Absolutely not.

Rey stomped on his foot.

“Yessir,” Finn said reflexively. “I do what she does.”

Skywalker glanced between the two of them. He sighed. “Force help me.”

Skywalker beckoned for them to follow him. Finn and Rey scrambled over the rocks of Skywalker’s wet slimy island. They reached a collection of stone huts. Skywalker waved a hand. The door to the smallest hut opened.

“Home sweet home,” Skywalker smirked. “Training starts in the morning.” He headed into a different hut and closed the door.

Rey hopped down the path to their new home. Finn followed slowly.

Finn surveyed the small space. Two bunks set into the stone walls on opposite sides of the hut. No other furnishings adorned the space.

Rey crashed onto the bunk on the left. “We’re finally here,” she whispered at the ceiling. She rolled onto her side. “Finn, we’re going to be Jedi!” A grin lit up her face.

Finn smiled, but his stomach clenched. He had to face the elephant in the room. He was encroaching on Rey’s training. She was the one Skywalker wanted. He didn’t belong here.

Rey laid back and fell immediately asleep. Finn lay down, but sleep alluded him. Doubt bubbled up like water in a well. He’d second guessed this course of action since the second he’d agreed to go with Rey. The Resistance needed fighters. They needed every available body to hold back the First Order. How incredibly selfish of Finn to think he could walk away from the fight. Once upon a time, he’d thought the First Order too powerful to confront. Now, he knew the Resistance had a chance. An even greater chance with Rey’s powers. But Finn? Did he really believe he could become a Jedi?

Blackness shrouded the hut when Rey sat bolt upright. Finn startled.

“What’s going on?” He whispered.

Rey didn’t answer. She slid out of bed. Without looking at Finn, Rey walked out of the hut. Finn scrambled for his boots. He ran after Rey.

“Hey,” he caught up to her. “What is it?”

She didn’t pause in her trek.

“Rey?” Finn reached out. The hair on his arms stood straight up. He snatched his hand back. Finn wavered. Rey couldn’t hear him. He wasn’t even sure she was awake. She continued walking, climbing up the sharp incline of the island. Finn kept step with her. He continued softly calling her name, hoping to snap her out of her state.

Rey reached the peak of the island. She set her feet at the cliff edge. Finn’s heart stuttered. He stretched his hand out to yank her away from the sheer drop off. Rey threw her head back and screamed.

The air vaporized in Finn’s lungs. He grabbed Rey, pulling her against his body. She slumped, going limp in his arms.

Footsteps pounded the trail behind him. Finn turned. Skywalker raced up the slope. His beard and hair stood on end.

“What is this?” Skywalker demanded.

Finn shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Rey stirred in his arms. A light rain began to fall.

Skywalker said, “Let’s get her inside.”

Finn scooped Rey up. She weighed barely anything. Skywalker led Finn into his own hut. The hearth glowed with warm coals. The hut looked exactly like Finn and Rey’s except for the addition of the table and chair. Skywalker gestured for Finn to lay Rey down on his bunk. He did. Skywalker tossed a thick woolen blanket over Rey. Her eyelids flickered, but she didn’t wake.

Skywalker knelt at Rey’s side. He gripped her hand in both of his own. Finn fidgeted behind him.

“Is she okay?” Finn asked.

“Hush,” Skywalker closed his eyes. Finn felt a tug in his gut, like energy pulled towards the pair.

Rey opened her eyes. She sat up. Finn moved to block the door, thinking she would walk out again. Rey frowned at Finn.

“What happened?” She asked.

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Finn snapped.

“What did you see?” Skywalker asked Rey.

She blinked. “Kylo Ren. He’s looking for us.” She lifted her gaze to Finn. “He doesn’t know you’re here.”

“Does he know where here is?” Skywalker demanded.

“No,” Rey shook her head. “It frustrated him. He wants you, Master Skywalker.”

Skywalker huffed a cruel laugh. “He’ll have to try harder than Force visions.” He clapped Rey on the shoulder. “Today we learn how to shield our minds from intruders.”

“Today?” Finn looked to the window. Sunrise turned the grey clouds silver.

***

Finn hated Force training. He sat cross legged on a rock exposed to the wind and rain for over an hour. His legs fell asleep ages ago. With his eyes closed, Finn couldn’t tell when Skywalker would decide to lash out with the Force. Finn’s mind shield felt like a wet carboard box against a dragon. The shield wobbled. Skywalker struck.

The Jakku night blazed in his mind. Explosions and blaster bolts shot back and forth. Fire raced along Finn’s nerves. He yelped, his eyes snapping open.

“That’s not fair,” Finn gasped. Skywalker stood over him.

“Nothing is fair in life,” Skywalker growled. “Less so for a Jedi. Kylo Ren is already a master in the Force. You have to be strong.

Skywalker turned on Rey. She sat serenely; her hands folded on her crossed knees. With his shields shattered, Finn felt the surge of Force energy unleashed over Rey. She didn’t so much as flinch. Skywalker’s attempt to pierce her mind flowed over her like water over a pebble. Meanwhile, she sat safe inside her pebble, unconcerned with the tides of Skywalker’s offence.

“Good,” Skywalker nodded. “Keep yourself calm. Emotion clouds judgement.”

“Bull,” Finn snapped.

Skywalker whirled on him. “Ridding yourself of attachments is the first rule of the Jedi order,” he said.

“Emotions make us stronger,” Finn argued. “They connect us to people. Give us something to fight for.”

“Fighting, yes,” Skywalker countered. “Anger, fear, hatred, pride, greed, all of these are paths to the Dark Side. With your powers in the Force comes a responsibility to remain in the Light. You have to guard against temptation.”

Skywalker didn’t let Finn argue. He swept passed Finn, his cloak snapping in the wind. “Training is done for today,” Skywalker said.

Rey opened her eyes. She let out a breath like a sigh. “Isn’t this amazing?” She asked. “We’re learning to be Jedi.”

“Maybe you are,” Finn grumbled.

“Oh, come on,” Rey reached over and shoved his shoulder. “It’s only day one. You’ll get better.”

Finn didn’t say what he was thinking. That Skywalker ended the training as soon as Rey had mastered the technique. But Skywalker hadn’t bothered to finish teaching Finn.

Rey got stronger and stronger. Every day she mastered a new use of the Force. Meanwhile, Finn struggled at even the most basic concepts.

Skywalker taught Rey to lift pebbles off the ground without touching them. Then Rey lifted bigger rocks off the ground. The next day, she spun thirteen rocks around her head in a wobbling circle. Every few minutes, Skywalker tossed another rock into the swirling mass.

At the same time, Finn continued to struggle with his measly pebble. He stared hard at it, wishing, hoping, waiting. He stared so hard a sweat broke out on his forehead.

“Come on, come on,” Finn mumbled. “Just one little wiggle. Come on.”

“The Force doesn’t work that way,” Skywalker said.

“Then tell me,” Finn barked. “How exactly does the Force work? How is it supposed to feel?”

He expected Skywalker to walk away. Instead, the old Jedi folded his legs and sat in front of Finn. Skywalker extended a hand and touched the center of Finn’s chest.

“You should feel it here,” Skywalker said. “In your very core. You should be calm. Like the eye of a storm. Then,” Skywalker snapped his fingers. The pebble jumped to his hand. “The Force should react. It should flow like electricity.”

Finn nodded dumbly. He closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. Calm. Finn made his heart settle. He measured the seconds between each heartbeat. Calm. Breath in. Out. Finn extended his mind. Opened his mental shields. The Force flooded in. It didn’t feel like electricity. It felt like water rushing into every crack, every pore of Finn’s being. He became a cup overflowing. He let some of that water rush out.

Finn knew the instant something went wrong. The pebble zoomed so fast it shot at his own face. Finn yelped. He cracked his eyes open. The pebble hovered directly in front of his face. Skywalker’s hand splayed right behind it, holding the rock in place. Finn realised if Skywalker hadn’t anticipated, the stone would have gone right through Finn’s eye. He swallowed hard.

“Control,” Skywalker admonished. “Is the most important discipline a Jedi can learn. That is why we start small.”

The rocks around Rey crashed to the ground. Finn looked up. Rey stretched her hands over her head. “Are we done today?” She asked.

“You are,” Skywalker said. “Go make dinner. We’re going to work a little longer.”

Finn tried to squash the disappointment rising in him. Now that Skywalker offered extra help, Finn couldn’t refuse.

Skywalker waited until Rey vanished down the path to the huts before he spoke.

“I sense great frustration in you,” Skywalker said. “Master it, or it will sour into resentment.”

Finn wanted to say that any resentment was Skywalker’s fault. If his teacher would only spare Finn half the dedication and praise he gave to Rey, then maybe Finn wouldn’t feel like a pot left to simmer on the stove. Maybe he wouldn’t feel like boiling over all the time.

“I don’t have time to coddle you,” Skywalker said as though he’d read Finn’s mind. “The fate of the galaxy lies with you and Rey. If you fail, the Jedi and the Light will die.”

Finn mulled it over.

Skywalker placed the pebble on the ground in front of Finn. “Try again.”

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